cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuclear clefting in dorsal root ganglion neurons: a response to whole body vibration.

Normal adult rabbits were studied in a whole body vibration model which simulates the type of environmental exposure associated with vibration-induced low back pain. This model has previously been shown to induce changes in pain-related neuropeptides in the dorsal root ganglion. Following two weeks of daily exposure to whole body vibration, dorsal root ganglia were excised from control and vibrated rabbits and prepared for ultrastructural evaluation. Of over 1,200 cells sampled, 190 appropriately sectioned cells were analyzed: 32 from immobilized controls, 44 from normal controls, and 114 from vibrated animals. Analysis of nuclear contours revealed more prevalent and more extensive clefting of the nuclear membrane in vibrated cells. The membrane lining these clefts was traversed by numerous pores; density of these pores was 46% greater than in adjacent nonclefted segments (p <.001). Number of clefts per nucleus was increased by 39% in vibrated animals. Cleft area represented 1.19% of nuclear area in vibrated cells compared to 0.74% in controls (p <.001). Numerous mitochondria and free ribosomes and abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum were located within the cleft spaces of vibrated cells. Pores in the cleft membrane appeared normal, supporting the conclusion that the clefts are structural alterations rather than fixation or sectioning artifacts. Changes in dorsal root ganglion neuropeptides seen in previous studies of vibrated animals may result from increased or redirected cellular synthesis. Ultrastructural changes seen in these vibrated dorsal root ganglion neurons are consistent with such an alteration in metabolism and could reflect increased synthesis of pain-related neuropeptides. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Dual effects of TGF-β on ERα-mediated estrogenic transcriptional activity in breast cancer

Background TGF-β resistance often develops in breast cancer cells that in turn overproduce this cytokine to create a local immunosuppressive environment that fosters tumor growth and exacerbates the invasive and metastatic behavior of the tumor cells themselves. Smads-mediated cross-talk with the estrogen receptor has been implied to play an important role in development and/or progression of breast cancer. We investigated how TGF-β regulates ERα-induced gene transcription and potential mechanisms of frequent TGF-β resistance in breast cancer.
Translational and Rotational Damping of Flapping Flight and Its Dynamics and Stability at Hovering

Body movements of flying insects change their effective wing kinematics and, therefore, influence aerodynamic force and torque production. It was found that substantial aerodynamic damping is produced by flapping wings through a passive mechanism termed “flapping countertorque” during fast yaw turns. We expand this study to include the aerodynamic damping that is produced by flapping wings during body translations and rotations with respect to all its six principal axes-roll, pitch, yaw, forward/backward, sideways, and heave. Analytical models were derived by the use of a quasi-steady aerodynamic model and blade-element analysis by the incorporation of the effective changes of wing kinematics that are caused by body motion. We found that aerodynamic damping, in all these cases, is linearly dependent on the body translational and angular velocities and increases with wing-stroke amplitude and frequency. Based on these analytical models, we calculated the stability derivatives that are associated with the linearized flight dynamics at hover and derived a complete 6-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) dynamic model. The model was then used to estimate the flight dynamics and stability of four different species of flying insects as case studies. The analytical model that is developed in this paper is important to study the flight dynamics and passive stability of flying animals, as well as to develop flapping-wing micro air vehicles (MAVs) with stable and maneuverable flight, which is achieved through passive dynamic stability and active flight control.
The efficacy of using music in children of divorce groups: Impact on anxiety, depression, and irrational beliefs about divorce.

This study examined the efficacy of a children of divorce group using music as an intervention in comparison to a more traditional psychoeducational children of divorce group. It was predicted that children of divorce groups that utilized music would have a significantly greater impact on the children’s levels of anxiety, depression, and irrational beliefs about divorce after the group ended and at a 3-month follow-up assessment. Both interventions significantly decreased cognitive and social anxiety and all irrational beliefs about divorce, except hope of reunification. Depression did not decrease for all participants but when the relationship between depression and irrational beliefs was examined, irrational beliefs were found to be mediators of depression for children of divorce. These results suggest that current interventions for children of divorce do decrease anxiety and irrational beliefs in general, but specifically addressing irrational beliefs may also decrease depressive symptoms.
A Clinical Path for Adult Diabetes

The use of clinical paths for patient care management was explored by this development team as a mechanism to provide consistent, high-quality care to hospitalized patients in high-volume, high-risk diagnostic categories. Reviewing the historical aspects and importance of clinical paths helped expand the team's perspective to incorporate pre- and posthospitalization phases of patient care into the clinical path being developed. A multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, health educators, and dietitians from both inpatient and outpatient departments of Kaiser-Santa Teresa Medical Center in San Jose, California, devised and implemented an Adult Diabetes Mellitus care path. Staff education preceded the implementation of the care paths. Measurements of quality indicators showed improvements in patient satisfaction, patient education, patient knowledge, and nutrition assessments.
Ribosomal initiation complex-driven changes in the stability and dynamics of initiation factor 2 regulate the fidelity of translation initiation

Joining of the large, 50S, ribosomal subunit to the small, 30S, ribosomal subunit initiation complex (IC) during bacterial translation initiation is catalyzed by the initiation factor (IF) IF2. Because the rate of subunit joining is coupled to the IF, transfer RNA (tRNA), and mRNA codon compositions of the 30S IC, the subunit joining reaction functions as a kinetic checkpoint that regulates the fidelity of translation initiation. Recent structural studies suggest that the conformational dynamics of the IF2·tRNA sub-complex forming on the intersubunit surface of the 30S IC may play a significant role in the mechanisms that couple the rate of subunit joining to the IF, tRNA, and codon compositions of the 30S IC. To test this hypothesis, we have developed a single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer signal between IF2 and tRNA that has enabled us to monitor the conformational dynamics of the IF2·tRNA sub-complex across a series of 30S ICs. Our results demonstrate that 30S ICs undergoing rapid subunit joining display a high affinity for IF2 and an IF2·tRNA sub-complex that primarily samples a single conformation. In contrast, 30S ICs that undergo slower subunit joining exhibit a decreased affinity for IF2 and/or a change in the conformational dynamics of the IF2·tRNA sub-complex. These results strongly suggest that 30S IC-driven changes in the stability of IF2 and the conformational dynamics of the IF2·tRNA sub-complex regulate the efficiency and fidelity of subunit joining during translation initiation.
Stepping up the pace of discovery: the genomes to life program

Genomes to Life (GTL), the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science's systems biology program, focuses on environmental microbiology. Over the next 10 to 20 years, GTL's key goal is to understand the life processes of thousands of microbes and microbial systems in their native environments. This focus demands that we address huge gaps in knowledge, technology, computing, data capture and analysis, and systems-level integration. Distinguishing features include: (1) strategies for unprecedented, comprehensive, and high-throughput data collection; (2) advanced computing, mathematics, algorithms, and data-management technologies; (3) a focus on potential microbial capabilities to help solve energy and environmental challenges; and (4) new research and management models that link production-scale systems biology facilities in an accessible environment. This unprecedented opportunity to provide the scientific foundation for solving urgent problems in energy, global climate change, and environmental cleanup demands that we take bold steps to achieve a much faster, more efficient pace of biological discovery.
Increased GLUT-4 translocation mediates enhanced insulin sensitivity of muscle glucose transport after exercise

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the increase in insulin sensitivity of skeletal muscle glucose transport induced by a single bout of exercise is mediated by enhanced translocatio...
Acta Academiae Lovaniensis Contra Lvthervm

At the time when Erasmus’ reform programme, which we have considered in connection with the Dialogus bilinguium ac trilinguium, was bringing him into conflict with the monks and theologians, the situation was made much more difficult for him by the appearance of Martin Luther on the stage of Christendom. The reform movement led by the friar of Wittenberg was to bring about a crisis in the life of Erasmus, as in that of the Catholic Church — a crisis scarcely more welcome to the one than to the other. The relation of Erasmus to Luther has been much discussed 1). For long an enigma, because of the apparent impossibility of understanding a middle-course policy in the absorbing struggle of the sixteenth century, his conduct has at last found adequate interpretation by modern scholars 2). The problem was rendered more difficult by the efforts of Erasmus himself to cover up the traces of his activity during the critical years before Worms. The three Reformation tracts, the Acta, the Axiomata and the Consilium cuiusdam, are therefore of great value as aids in determining his actual policy at that time.
Performance-Based Comparison of Different Storm Mitigation Techniques for Residential Buildings

AbstractIn recent years, severe hurricanes have caused enormous economic losses for society and placed tremendous burden on the insurance industry. As the number of residential buildings in hurricane prone regions continues to rise, hurricane hazard mitigation is of paramount importance for residential buildings. Although different retrofit measures are available to mitigate hurricane damage and to reduce the associated social and economic losses, choosing the most cost-effective ones is still an engineering challenge. This paper uses the performance-based hurricane engineering (PBHE) framework with multilayer Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) for the loss analysis of residential buildings subject to hurricane hazard. A highly efficient modified version of the multilayer MCS technique based on copula is proposed for the faster re-evaluation of hurricane risk when different hurricane hazard mitigation strategies are considered for the same building. This technique is combined with cost-benefit analysis to provi...
Investigating Multiple Responses to Corrective Feedback: A Field Study of the Audit Workpaper Review Process

This study investigated responses to a specific feedback incident. The study used auditors' workpaper review as an opportunity to investigate a range of responses to corrective feedback. Selected predictors were assessed in relation to four feedback-related responses: performance improvement, impression management, and feedback seeking from two sources (supervisor and co-workers). The results indicate that dimensions of supervisor power, especially punishment and referent power, and the subordinate's experience level were the most consistent predictors of these four responses. Specifically, punishment power was negatively related to performance improvement, impression management and feedback seeking from the supervisor, while referent power was generally positively related to these behaviors. Experience level was found to reduce all four responses to the feedback. The results point to the fact that accounting for different types of power is important. These findings, along with a few others, and their implications are discussed.
Magnetically-confined laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Magnetically-confined laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy was investigated by time-resolved optical spectroscopy of magnetically-confined plasmas. An obvious enhancement caused by magnetic field in the optical emission from laser-induced Al and Cu plasmas was observed.
Existing Uses and the Limits of Land Use Regulations

This Article identifies the various ways in which property law provides special protection for existing uses, explores the possible justifications for this protection, and argues that none of them support the strong protection that existing uses currently enjoy. Various land use doctrines, from zoning, to the vested rights doctrine, to amortization rules for prior non-conforming uses, all assume that the government cannot eliminate existing uses without paying compensation. The Article asks whether this result is compelled either by constitutional rules or by normative considerations. Neither the Takings Clause nor the Due Process Clause requires this level of protection for existing uses. Moreover, many of the obvious-seeming normative justifications dissolve on closer inspection. Concerns about reliance on government regulations and underlying principles of fairness are not conceptually different for regulations prohibiting future uses and regulations of existing uses. Nor is the extent of economic loss necessarily greater for one than the other, even though regulations of existing uses involve out-of-pocket costs, whereas regulations of future uses implicate forgone profits. In fact, none of the possible explanations for the special treatment of existing uses actually justifies their protection. This Article ultimately concludes that existing uses should not be entitled to any special judicial protection but instead should be subject to the same takings and due process analysis that applies to all regulations and government actions.
The use of low-calorie sweeteners is associated with self-reported prior intent to lose weight in a representative sample of US adults

Low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs) are said to be a risk factor for obesity and diabetes. Reverse causality may be an alternative explanation. Data on LCS use, from a single 24-h dietary recall, for a representative sample of 22 231 adults were obtained from 5 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2008 NHANES). Retrospective data on intent to lose or maintain weight during the prior 12-months and 10-year weight history were obtained from the weight history questionnaire. Objectively measured heights and weights were obtained from the examination. Primary analyses evaluated the association between intent to lose/maintain weight and use of LCSs and specific LCS product types using survey-weighted generalized linear models. We further evaluated whether body mass index (BMI) may mediate the association between weight loss intent and use of LCSs. The association between 10-year weight history and current LCS use was evaluated using restricted cubic splines. In cross-sectional analyses, LCS use was associated with a higher prevalence of obesity and diabetes. Adults who tried to lose weight during the previous 12 months were more likely to consume LCS beverages (prevalence ratio=1.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.54–1.75), tabletop LCS (prevalence ratio=1.68, 95% CI 1.47–1.91) and LCS foods (prevalence ratio=1.93, 95% CI 1.60–2.33) as compared with those who did not. In mediation analyses, BMI only partially mediated the association between weight control history and the use of LCS beverages, tabletop LCS, but not LCS foods. Current LCS use was further associated with a history of prior weight change (for example, weight loss and gain). LCS use was associated with self-reported intent to lose weight during the previous 12 months. This association was only partially mediated by differences in BMI. Any inference of causality between attempts at weight control and LCS use is tempered by the cross-sectional nature of these data and retrospective self-reports of prior weight loss/maintenance intent.
Soybean Oil Based Fibers Made Without Solvent or Heat

Thiol–ene chemistry was harnessed to enable production of thermochemically stable thermoset fibers containing 50–87 wt % acrylated epoxidized soybean oil and 49–72% biobased carbon without using solvent or heat. In this demonstration, the fibers were made by simultaneous electrospinning and photocuring of a liquid monomer mixture, which could be translated to other fiber manufacturing processes such as melt blowing or Forcespinning. Scanning electron micrographs illustrate the fiber quality and an average diameter of about 30 μm. Photochemical conversion kinetics of functional groups during light exposure were measured by real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, providing insight into the advantages of using high-functionality monomers and thiol–ene chemistry in this application.
Modified Scheduling Algorithm for Cloud Workflow Based on QoS

According to the users' requirements of QoS-time and execution costs,the scheduling strategies for workflow were modified by combining the cloud computing and workflow.For the problem that workflow efficiency of instance-intensive cloud workflows was not high in a cloud environment,the cloud workflow scheduling model and the modified scheduling algorithm for cloud workflow were proposed based on QoS.DAG was used in the algorithm,and resource strategy was modified to meet the latest execution time under the premise of minimizing the entire workflow execution costs.The experimental results showed that the efficiency effectively improved and the cost of using resource was reduced with the proposed algorithm.
Insulin Analogs or Premixed Insulin Analogs in Combination With Oral Agents for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

Context Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease that is reaching epidemic proportions. Whereas most patients are initially managed with oral antidiabetic agents (OADs), the majority eventually require insulin to maintain glycemic control. The availability of insulin analogs (rapid-acting, long-acting, and premixed), with more predictable time-action profiles than human insulin preparations and simple-to-use insulin delivery devices, can help ease the transition to insulin therapy, which is often delayed until glycemic control has been inadequate for several years. Objective To review the rationale for and strategies to initiate therapy with insulin analogs earlier in the course of type 2 diabetes. Practical barriers that must be overcome to successfully initiate insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes are also briefly described. Design Narrative review of clinical evidence and current diabetes treatment guidelines. Setting and patients Outpatients with type 2 diabetes inadequately managed with OADs alone. Interventions Three of the most common approaches to initiating insulin therapy with analogs are considered, with clinical evidence and detailed dosing algorithms provided. These approaches include: (1) addition of a basal insulin analog to oral therapy to reduce and stabilize fasting plasma glucose, (2) supplementation of oral therapy with a rapid-acting mealtime insulin analog to control postprandial glucose excursions, and (3) addition of or switching to a premixed insulin analog, which can be used to control both fasting and postprandial glucose in 1 injection. Conclusions Selection of appropriate insulin analog regimens and individualization of therapy can help patients achieve recommended glycemic goals while minimizing hypoglycemia. Education about the eventual need for insulin and improvements in insulin preparations and delivery systems at the time of diagnosis can also help overcome patient barriers.
HCW 2016 Keynote Talk

Emerging computing systems employ heterogeneity not only in processor cores but also in memory and storage systems. Taking advantage of such systems requires not only careful computation partitioning but also careful data partitioning and choreographing data movements among various components. In this talk, I will first discuss architectural options and possibilities in emerging systems and then talk about implications of various architectural options and decision on the software stack spanning compiler, runtime system and OS, focusing on the importance of a cross-layer approach to match application requirements and architecture capabilities. Next, I will elaborate on a couple of specific design options and demonstrate the importance of optimized software stack in maximizing application performance and reducing power/energy consumption. The talk will be concluded by specific suggestions for a better hardware-software interface to fully exploit the capabilities of heterogeneous computing.
Science and the Failure of Architecture

I was born on March 28, 1929, in Warsaw, Poland. After the outbreak of World War II, my parents—Joshua and Mala Rapoport—and I managed to get away and survive through a series of extraordinary events. In June 1941 we ended up in Shanghai, China (one of the few places where no visa was needed) where we were trapped by the outbreak of the Pacific war. I was lucky to attend an outstanding school—Shanghai Jewish School. Thus, when after the war we emigrated to Australia I was ready to begin my studies. I still think of myself as an Australian, although I have now lived in the United States, on and off, since 1963. Partly as a result of my travels I know a number of languages.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and Chronic Kidney Disease

The prevalence of CKD in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients has increased over the past two decades. Renal biopsy series show a variety of histologies associated with CKD in this patient population including HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN), HIV-associated immune complex renal disease (HIVICK), thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), tubulointerstitial renal diseases including some related to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive nephrosclerosis, and diseases related to co-infection with hepatitis B and C virus. Screening for kidney disease is recommended in all patients with newly diagnosed HIV infection. Approximately 10–15% of HIV patients have microalbuminuria. Estimating equations for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) have not been widely validated in patients with HIV infection. Creatinine-based GFR estimating equations including the CKD-EPI and MDRD may have limited utility in patients with HIV infection who have decreased muscle mass. Therapy for CKD in the setting of HIV infection focuses on reducing viral replication, and control of traditional risk factors for CKD progression including hypertension, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Use of cART may help to slow CKD progression especially in patients with renal disease secondary to classic HIVAN. RAAS inhibitors should be employed in all patients with proteinuria and CKD unless a contradiction, such as hyperkalemia, exists. Future studies should focus on optimal screening tools to facilitate early detection of CKD in this at-risk patient population.
Biochemical contents of the ovary and hepatopancreas of Uca longisignalis and Uca nr. minax

SUMMARY: Biochemical composition of ovary and hepatopancreas tissues in wild populations of Uca longisignalis and Uca nr. minax were monitored during the reproductive season. Total lipid (concentration and content), C (carbon), N (nitrogen), and C:N ratios of the ovary and hepatopancreas were quantified over the course of ovarian maturation. Ovary lipid and C concentration varied significantly over the course of ovarian maturation for both species, but there was no relationship between lipid concentration or hepatopancreas content and the stage of ovarian development in females. Hepatopancreatic lipid and C concentration did not differ between sexes of U. nr. minax. Lipid demands of ovarian maturation thus appear to be met in large part by increased dietary intake and not purely by translocating lipid stores from the hepatopancreas. In both Uca longisignalis and U. nr. minax, the color of the hepatopancreas may be used as an indicator of the lipid and C levels of the hepatopancreas. Cadmium-yellow and lemon-yellow hepatopancreas tissues had the highest lipid concentrations. No evidence could be found to demonstrate depletion of lipid or C concentrations in the hepatopancreas concomitant with ovarian maturation.
Reduction of the low-temperature bulk gap in samarium hexaboride under high magnetic fields

${\mathrm{SmB}}_{6}$ exhibits a small (15--20 meV) band gap at low temperatures due to hybridized $d$ and $f$ electrons, a tiny (3 meV) transport activation energy ${E}_{A}$ above 4 K, and surface states accessible to transport below 2 K. We study its magnetoresistance in 60-T pulsed fields between 1.5 and 4 K. The response of the nearly $T$ independent surface states (which show no Shubnikov--de Haas oscillations) is distinct from that of the activated bulk. ${E}_{A}$ shrinks by 50% under fields up to 60 T. Data up to 93 T suggest that this trend continues beyond 100 T, in contrast to previous explanations. It rules out emerging theories to explain observed exotic magnetic quantum oscillations.
Deconstructing mammalian thermoregulation

Several recent ground-breaking papers address the deconstruction of neural circuits that regulate mammalian thermoregulation (1⇓–3), including “A hypothalamic circuit that controls body temperature,” by Zhao et al. (3) from Wei Shen’s new laboratory at ShanghaiTech University, recently published in PNAS. In this study, Zhao et al. define neural circuit mechanisms that are novel and critically relevant for mammalian thermoregulation. Thermoregulation is essential in all organisms, an evolutionary conditio sine qua non . In mammals and other warm-blooded animals, homeothermy became an essential physiologic feature during evolution. Homeothermy, the physiologic capability to maintain a constant core body temperature with minimal deviation from the set point, provided a critical survival advantage to mammalian and avian phyla because it brought about a thermally equilibrated internal environment for cells and organs. This in turn rendered nutrition, metabolism, and excretion more robust and efficient, and permitted more precise and powerful functioning of excitable cells in the nervous system, as well as for contractile cells in heart, muscle, and smooth muscle, and evolutionary honing of an immune-defense and wound-healing system. This change led to animals being more competitive to defend against external stress and at the same time more efficient at procreation. Thermal homeostasis coevolved with other vital homeostatic systems (4) and thermoregulation and homeothermy represent primordial–physiologic functions that have long aroused the interest of physiologists and bio-medical researchers (5). However, ground-breaking progress toward elucidation of molecular and neural-circuit mechanisms accounting for thermoregulation and homeothermy has, until recently, been elusive. As such, significant nonincremental progress toward elucidation of neural circuit mechanisms of mammalian thermoregulation, recently provided in the paper by Zhao et al., represents an important milestone (3). In this study (3), using cutting-edge mouse methodology to untangle neural circuitry that regulates core body temperature, Zhao et al. show that: ( i ) GABAergic … [↵][1]1Email: wolfgang{at}neuro.duke.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Competition Among Solar Contractors in California

The Dixit-Stiglitz model of monopolistic competition is adapted to generate patterns of firm entry and firm sales distribution seen in the data on solar installations in California. The model is calibrated using the data on installations and the calibrated model is used to evaluate the welfare effect of government subsidies to the purchase of residential solar systems.
Toward an Integration of Behaviorism and Community Psychology

The field of behavioral community psychology has emerged during the last 25 years as a subspecialty of community psychology and applied behavior analysis. It attempts to understand and change community problems through the application of behavioral theory and technology. The field has spawned several textbooks (e.g., Glenwick & Jason, 1980; Nietzel, Winett, MacDonald, & Davidson, 1977), a special issue of Journal of Community Psychology (Glenwick & Jason, 1984), and a compendium of articles originally appearing in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, entitled Behavior Analysis in the Community 1968-1986 (Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1987). In addition, several recent chapters elaborate the contributions that behavioral researchers can make to community psychology (e.g., Burgoyne & Jason, 1991; Fawcett, 1990). These different sources present compelling theoretical and empirical data to demonstrate the utility and scope of such an approach; yet most contain one of two types of caveats. The first expresses regret that behavioral community psychology has yet to tackle large societal problems. Some authors (e.g., Fawcett, Mathews, & Fletcher, 1980) even suggest that there may be insurmountable obstacles to using behavioral technologies to promote far-reaching community change. The second is that, unfortunately, a synthesis of community approaches and behavioral technology has been delayed because of difficulties delineating turf, choosing problems best suited for a collaboration between the two approaches, and agreeing upon definitions of concepts (Glenwick & Jason, 1993)
Heterogeneous Treatment Effects and Optimal Targeting Policy Evaluation

We discuss how to construct optimal targeting policies and document the difference in profits from alternative targeting policies by using estimation approaches that are based on recent advances in causal inference and machine learning. We introduce an approach to evaluate the profit of any targeting policy using only one single randomized sample. This approach is qualitatively equivalent to conducting a field test, but reduces the cost of multiple field tests because all comparisons can be conducted in only one sample. The approach allows us to compare many alternative optimal targeting policies that are constructed based on different estimates of the conditional average treatment effect, i.e. the incremental effect of targeting. We draw a conceptual distinction between methods that predict the conditional average treatment effect indirectly via the conditional expectation function trained on the outcome level, and methods that directly predict the conditional average treatment effect. We propose a new direct estimation method, called treatment effect projection. The empirical application is to a catalog mailing with a high-dimensional set of customer features. We find that the optimal targeting policies based on the direct estimation methods typically outperform the indirect estimation methods, both in the validation sets from the same population from which the training set is drawn and in the data obtained one year after the training set was collected. In particular, the treatment effect projection performs similar to the recently introduced causal forest of Wager and Athey (2017). We also compare targeting policies based on conditional average treatment effects with a sophisticated application of the traditional CRM approach that is based on a prediction of the outcome level. Even though based on a conceptually incorrect metric — outcome levels — the sophisticated application of the traditional CRM approach often yields larger profits than the targeting policies based on the indirect estimation methods.
Optimal cutoffs for continuous biomarkers for survival data under competing risks

ABSTRACTIdentifying an optimal cutoff value for a continuous biomarker is often useful for medical applications. For binary outcome, commonly used cutoff finding criteria include Youden's index, cl...
Experimental investigation of subcooled flow boiling of a 50/50 ethylene glycol/water mixture in finned rectangular aluminum channels

Subcooled flow boiling heat transfer experiments were performed with a 50/50 ethylene glycol/water mixture in a finned aluminum channel. The channel represented a hybrid electric vehicle power elec...
A New Birth: Agency Over One’s Self and Body and Sacred Spaces of Play

In this chapter, two out of the three themes deemed necessary for the effectuation of one’s internal force of being are developed: (1) engaging sacred spaces of play and interior reflection and (2) practicing agency over the body. Through key examples taken from his autobiographies, I demonstrate that using liminal spaces of imagination as well as practicing agency over his body both served to prop up the subjectivity of Frederick Douglass.
Selection of a low-cost high efficiency centrifugal pump

In this work, a selection procedure has been devised for a particular pump having the required minimum volume flow rate (Q) and shaft rotation rate (n), to be chosen from a family of centrifugal pumps having same design and shape, defined by the Impeller diameter (Dp). The pump had to be chosen in such a manner that its cost efficiency, determined by the power consumption of the pump, was enhanced as much as possible. The basic construction and working of different types of pumps and their relative advantages and disadvantages were taken into account. Effect of a range of design parameters on performance and efficiency of the centrifugal pump was analysed on the basis of seminal works on the subject. Accordingly, the control, independent and dependent parameters were chosen for this work. The algorithm was developed for calculation of the dependent parameters and data was generated through iterative method by varying the independent parameters one at a time. The data was analysed and the most cost efficient centrifugal pump was chosen out of a wide range of options on the basis of best results. In the process, the pump selection was generalized based on pump parameters governing the performance of the pump using a simplified technique. The achievement is that now any problem having same setup or scenario can be easily dealt with by using the designed work sheet, where one simply has to plug in the values of different parameters. In turn one gets the power input and cost results without solving numerous equations that govern the working of the centrifugal pump as the calculation part is taken care of by the software.
“S/he’s Taken”

Abstract. Narcissists’ threat reactivity can be differentiated into cognitive, emotional, and tactical-behavioral responses, and these dimensions of reactivity are presumed to vary as a function of...
Climate change impacts on peak building cooling energy demand in a coastal megacity

Buildings and the atmosphere are intrinsically connected via cooling and heating systems. Global climate is projected to grow warmer, with an increasing fraction of the population living in urban centers. This introduces the challenge for new approaches to project future energy demand changes in cities. In New York City (NYC), the focus of our study, while air conditioning only accounts for 9% of all building energy end use, it is the main driver of annual peak electric demand. Here, we present end of century building cooling electric demand projections for NYC using a high resolution (1 km) configuration of the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled to a building energy model and forced by bias-corrected CESM1 global simulations. High resolution urban canopy parameters such as building height and plant area fraction derived from a public tax-lot level dataset are used as input to the urban physics parameterization. Cooling demand increases in RCP4.5 ranged between 1% and 20% across all days, with largest increases on days below 50th percentile demand. Results show that end of century building cooling demand on days below the 50th percentile may be up to 80% higher than the 2006–2010 period in the RCP8.5 scenario. The largest percent increases per unit area were found over less densely populated boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Maximum summer cooling demand for the entire city is projected to increase between 5% and 27% for RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively. Overall, analysis shows a close to 8% increase in cooling demand per 1 °C increase in temperature.
Police violence among people who inject drugs in Baltimore, Maryland.

Abstract Background: Police violence is a deleterious public health and criminal justice issue that disproportionately affects people who inject drugs (PWID). Studies documenting the prevalence and correlates of physical police violence in this population are rare. The aim of this study was to examine the correlates of past year physical police violence among an urban sample of PWID. Methods: PWID participating in the 2015 wave of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) system in Baltimore City, Maryland, completed a socio-behavioral survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to detect the socio-demographic, place-based, law-enforcement and health behavior correlates of exposure to police violence as well as knowledge of violence directed towards other PWID. Results: Enrolled PWID (N = 570) were mostly male (72%), non-Hispanic Black (77%) and daily heroin injectors (86%). Seven percent had experienced past year physical police violence (Respondent-Driven Sampling [RDS] weighted estimate: 4%), and a quarter (24%) knew someone who had experienced physical police violence in the past year (RDS-weighted estimate: 17%). Male gender, homelessness, arrest, drug paraphernalia confiscation, and receptive syringe sharing were independently associated with police violence. Knowing someone who had experienced police violence was independently correlated with selling drugs, arrest, and attending a syringe services program. Conclusion: Population differences in the extent of police violence exposure indicate that experiences of police violence are not uniform among PWID. Violent encounters with police were associated with disruptions in harm reduction strategies that can prevent HIV and HCV transmission. This study adds to the small body of public health literature on police violence and highlights the importance of monitoring and addressing this critical issue.
Students’ strategic planning and strategy use during creative problem solving: The importance of perspective-taking

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine specific strategies students discuss before engaging with a creative problem-solving (CPS) task (strategic planning), the strategies they report using during the task (strategy use), and which strategies best predict specific creative outcomes. Fifty-eight fifth and sixth graders were interviewed while solving several CPS story tasks. Their responses were coded for creative fluency, flexibility, originality, usefulness to stakeholders, and elaboration. While multiple strategies were significantly correlated with creative outcomes, perspective taking was the most consistent predictor across creative outcomes. Planning to take a stakeholder’s perspective accounted for 19% of the variance in creative fluency and 5% in creative flexibility across items. Further, when students reported using the perspective-taking strategy, they tended to develop more original (r = .34) and useful (r = .39) responses and provide more elaboration (r = .42). This study demonstrated how a semi-structured interview protocol may illuminate the nuances of CPS strategic approaches and further, provides initial evidence to support the development of future interventions targeting perspective-taking strategies.
Eevee: Transforming Images by Bridging High-level Goals and Low-level Edit Operations

There is a significant gap between the high-level, semantic manner in which we reason about image edits and the low-level, pixel-oriented way in which we execute these edits. While existing image-editing tools provide a great deal of flexibility for professionals, they can be disorienting to novice editors because of the gap between a user's goals and the unfamiliar operations needed to actualize them. We present Eevee, an image-editing system that empowers users to transform images by specifying intents in terms of high-level themes. Based on a provided theme and an understanding of the objects and relationships in the original image, we introduce an optimization function that balances semantic plausibility, visual plausibility, and theme relevance to surface possible image edits. A formative evaluation finds that we are able to guide users to meet their goals while helping them to explore novel, creative ideas for their image edit.
Thick Bodies, Thick Skins: Reflections on Two Decades of Sociology in Fat Studies

ABSTRACTIn this article, we offer critical reflections on our engagement with the first two decades of sociological contributions to the field of fat studies. Rather than a comprehensive review of ...
Women’s Behavioral Health Needs

This chapter examines critical issues in women’s behavioral health from an interdisciplinary public health perspective. The content discusses some of the major concerns in improving women’s health outcomes, including a discussion of current challenges in prevention and treatment of HIV, postpartum depression, and trauma-informed care, which are significant public health concerns. The chapter concludes with an Implications for Behavioral Health section, discussing the relevance of each issue to the overall field of women’s behavioral health and health-care policy.
Legal Reasoning and Behaviors: The Mediating Model

In Chapter 6, we found, that an interaction between legal development level and rule-enforcing conditions explains a significant amount of the variance in legal socialization attitudes (normative status of the ruleviolating behaviors and enforcement status of the rules). Cognitive developmental theory (Levine & Tapp, 1977; Tapp & Kohlberg, 1977) and social learning theory (Akers, 1985; Akers et al., 1979; Bandura, 1969a, 1969b, 1977) offer different accounts of the nature of this interaction. Cognitive developmental theory implies that reasoning justifies future action and therefore is prior to behaviors, while social learning theory implies that reasoning is a rationalization and therefore follows behaviors. One approach to assessing the adequacy of these accounts for the purpose of explaining legal socialization is to test cognitive versus behavioral path models of the possible relationships among the central variables: legal reasoning, as measured by legal development level; attitudes toward rule enforcement (enforcement status) and rule-violating behaviors (normative status); and the frequency of engaging in rule-governed behaviors. One purpose of this chapter is to determine which model, cognitive or behavioral, best explains the relationship between legal development level and rule-following or rule-violating behaviors. Another aim is to determine whether the relationship is direct or mediated.
What Can Art and Art Education Do in the Perilous Present

Art builds are community events that provide spaces for movement-building for social justice. They create opportunities for activists and artists to work together to imagine a more just world. This...
Psychodermatology in clinical practice: An examination of physician attitudes, beliefs, and interventions toward psychocutaneous disease

Fifteen days postconception, the embryonic ectoderm simultaneously gives rise to the central nervous system and the epidermis of the integumentary system. The connections between the two organ systems manifests in both the psychiatric and dermatologic setting. To examine the current awareness of psychiatric comorbidity in dermatologic practice and its management in a sample of dermatologists across the United States. A survey was conducted that explored physician perspective on psychiatric comorbidity, clinical practice, and management, that is, use of survey screening measures, employment of psychological interventions, and coordination with mental health services. SPSS v25 was used for descriptive statistical analysis and to calculate Pearson's correlation coefficients between familiarity with dermatologic/psychiatric comorbidity and its management. Ninety-eight percentage of respondents believed a relationship between mental and dermatological health. 61.7% of respondents reported seeing patients with known psychological problems more than once a week. The administration of a psychiatric questionnaires was noted in 23% of practices and only 6.38% administer the questionnaire at every appointment. Management of comorbid disease is best done through the collaboration of dermatology and psychiatry. Implications for streamlining practice include the routine administration of quality of life surveys, utilization of brief psychotherapeutic strategies, and regular interdisciplinary referrals.
Performance Portability Evaluation of OpenCL Benchmarks across Intel and NVIDIA Platforms.

We evaluate the capabilities of vendor-provided OpenCL implementations for performance portability across multiple computing platforms. The Rodinia benchmark suite is used for this evaluation. We apply the metric defined by Pennycook et al., and we use roofline efficiency from the Roofline performance model as the “performance efficiency” in the metric's definition. We found that the delivered performance portability is similar for several benchmarks, even if the roofline-based performance efficiencies across platforms are very different among the benchmarks. To help distinguish between these instances, we extend the metric by adding the standard deviation of the performance efficiencies for each benchmark. We argue that the standard deviation gives additional insight into performance portability assessment since it adds the performance variability across platforms. Additionally, we discuss the challenges to measure performance portability associated with algorithms and system software. In terms of algorithms, we need to carefully construct the benchmarks and appropriately use the concurrency available on a platform. In terms of system software, we depend on the vendor performance tools to support the desired programming model and runtime to be able to measure the metrics of interest.
The hyper-stable disc of UGC 8839

The low surface brightness (LSB) spiral UGC 8839 is nearly devoid of star formation aside from a large HII region complex located in the extreme outer disc. In order to understand the origin and nature of this complex, we compare new H{\alpha} and archival broad-band images of UGC 8839 to similar data for four other spiral galaxies. We conclude that the extreme off-axis star formation in UGC 8839 is likely due to a hyper-stable disc that is dark matter dominated at all radii, with the Toomre parameter reaching a minimum only in the extreme outer disc. Using analysis strategies designed to be particularly insensitive to the pitfalls of low-surface brightness objects and small number statistics, we determine that the presence of this complex in UGC 8839 is not exceptional when the HII region luminosity function is modelled by a power law, suggesting that it is a native structure and not a merging satellite. However, we find that the entire population of HII regions in UGC 8839 shows a preference for larger galactocentric radii when compared to HII regions in the other galaxies in our sample. UGC 8839 dramatically highlights the relationship between the baryonic/dark matter ratio and disk stability. A three-body interaction, similar to a scaled-down version of the interaction suspected to be responsible for Malin 1, is consistent with the extreme outer disk star formation that we see in the extended disk of UGC 8839.