cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antihypertensive Medications and Serious Fall Injuries in a Nationally Representative Sample of Older Adults

IMPORTANCE The effect of serious injuries, such as hip fracture and head injury, on mortality and function is comparable to that of cardiovascular events. Concerns have been raised about the risk of fall injuries in older adults taking antihypertensive medications. The low risk of fall injuries reported in clinical trials of healthy older adults may not reflect the risk in older adults with multiple chronic conditions. OBJECTIVE To determine whether antihypertensive medication use was associated with experiencing a serious fall injury in a nationally representative sample of older adults. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, AND SETTING Competing risk analysis as performed with propensity score adjustment and matching in the nationally representative Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey cohort during a 3-year follow-up through 2009. Participants included 4961 community-living adults older than 70 years with hypertension. EXPOSURES Antihypertensive medication intensity based on the standardized daily dose for each antihypertensive medication class that participants used. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Serious fall injuries, including hip and other major fractures, traumatic brain injuries, and joint dislocations, ascertained through Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services claims. RESULTS Of the 4961 participants, 14.1% received no antihypertensive medications; 54.6% were in the moderate-intensity and 31.3% in the high-intensity antihypertensive groups. During follow-up, 446 participants (9.0%) experienced serious fall injuries, and 837 (16.9%) died. The adjusted hazard ratios for serious fall injury were 1.40 (95% CI, 1.03-1.90) in the moderate-intensity and 1.28 (95% CI, 0.91-1.80) in the high-intensity antihypertensive groups compared with nonusers. Although the difference in adjusted hazard ratios across the groups did not reach statistical significance, results were similar in the propensity score-matched subcohort. Among 503 participants with a previous fall injury, the adjusted hazard ratios were 2.17 (95% CI, 0.98-4.80) for the moderate-intensity and 2.31 (95% CI, 1.01-5.29) for the high-intensity antihypertensive groups. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Antihypertensive medications were associated with an increased risk of serious fall injuries, particularly among those with previous fall injuries. The potential harms vs benefits of antihypertensive medications should be weighed in deciding to continue treatment with antihypertensive medications in older adults with multiple chronic conditions.
Investigation of growth rates and morphology for diamond growth by chemical vapor deposition

We describe two complementary studies of diamond growth by chemical vapor deposition. In the first, the early stages of growth of randomly distributed nuclei on silicon are studied by scanning tunneling microscopy. For growth times from 1 to 30 min nearly all crystallites are three dimensional, and increase in volume as t1.5. Although this result could be interpreted in terms of diffusion limited growth, the conditions for diamond CVD are more consistent with rate limited growth where the crystals are expected to gain volume as t3. This anomaly can be explained in terms of a two-species growth mechanism in which the rate constant for carbon addition is proportional to the diffusion limited flux of atomic hydrogen. Other mechanisms giving rise to the observed t1.5 dependence are also considered. The second study uses both scanning electron and tunneling microscopies to examine the morphology of a boron-doped film homoepitaxial to the {100} surface of natural type 2a diamond. In regions distant from gross defects, this film is very smooth. However, gross defects appear to initiate growth of new epitaxial layers at a rate much higher than in defect-free regions. This observation suggests that diamond growth is promoted by “enabling defects” and that without such defects nucleation of new layers is a slow process and permits layer-by-layer growth at a much lower rate.
Review and Redescription of the Freshwater Atyid Shrimp Genus Syncaris Holmes, 1900, in California

Abstract All known specimens of the presumed extinct freshwater shrimp species Syncaris pasadenae, formerly known from the Los Angeles River and other lowland stream sites in southern California, were examined. Existing specimens are housed in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, California Academy of Sciences, or U.S. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Syncaris pasadenae is diagnosed and redescribed and compared to its only congener, Syncaris pacifica, an extant species restricted to a few small coastal streams in northern California (Marin, Napa, and Sonoma counties). Syncaris pacifica is also redescribed. Salient and consistent differences between the species are the dorsal dentition of the rostrum and the number of pereopods bearing exopods, a character often associated with higher-level taxonomic differences in the past. The distribution of the species and the position of the genus within the family Atyidae are discussed.
N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids modulate B cell activity in pre-clinical models: Implications for the immune response to infections.

B cell antigen presentation, cytokine production, and antibody production are targets of pharmacological intervention in inflammatory and infectious diseases. Here we review recent pre-clinical evidence demonstrating that pharmacologically relevant levels of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) derived from marine fish oils influence key aspects of B cell function through multiple mechanisms. N-3 PUFAs modestly diminish B cell mediated stimulation of classically defined naive CD4(+) Th1 cells through the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II pathway. This is consistent with existing data showing that n-3 PUFAs suppress the activation of Th1/Th17 cells through direct effects on helper T cells and indirect effects on antigen presenting cells. Mechanistically, n-3 PUFAs lower antigen presentation and T cell signaling by disrupting the formation of lipid microdomains within the immunological synapse. We then review data to show that n-3 PUFAs boost B cell activation and antibody production in the absence and presence of antigen stimulation. This has potential benefits for several clinical populations such as the aged and obese that have poor humoral immunity. The mode of action by which n-3 PUFA boost B cell activation and antibody production remains unclear, but may involve Th2 cytokines, enhanced production of specialized proresolving lipid mediators, and targeting of protein lateral organization in lipid microdomains. Finally, we highlight evidence to show that different n-3 PUFAs are not biologically equivalent, which has implications for the development of future interventions to target B cell activity.
Experiential Data for Urban Planning

Ubiquitous and context-aware mobile devices, by enabling location-based services and media platforms, are increasingly influencing the ways in which we interact with urban space. These technologies are not only functional but also expressive in nature: they mediate unique types of engagement with the urban environment through new interactive interfaces and representational forms. The adoption of such technologies in cities reflects the evolution of cities themselves, from simple forms to highly complex organisms. Cities, which that began in ancient times as were perhaps little more than skeleton and skin, providing walls, floors, and roofs for shelter and protection, have transformed over time. They went from relying primarily on the intelligence of their inhabitants to operate, to depending on highly mechanized infrastructures with the introduction of engines, pumps, mechanically powered vehicles, heating and ventilation systems, plumbing, fuel and electrical systems, and so on. Cities continued their evolution through the dawn of what might be called the city’s “electronic nervous system,” with the development of telegraph, telephone, and radio communications systems and eventually the “artificial nerves” that are created by electronic control systems.
Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of an Extruded Fe30Ni20Mn25Al25 Alloy

A spinodal alloy, Fe30Ni20Mn25Al25, was produced by casting followed by hot extrusion. The microstructure consisted of coherent, 20–30 nm wide rods of alternating body-centered cubic (b.c.c.) and ordered B2 phases aligned along . The room temperature mechanical properties were determined under compression over a range of strain rates. The as-extruded yield strength, which was strain-rate dependent, was ~1400 MPa. Annealing at 550°C led to the precipitation of large unit cell cubic phase and to an increase in hardness. Post-mortem TEM analysis of the compressed specimens identified dislocations having Burgers vectors.
Impact on overall survival of the combination of BRAF inhibitors and stereotactic radiosurgery in patients with melanoma brain metastases

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of BRAF inhibitors on survival outcomes in patients receiving stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for melanoma brain metastases. We prospectively collected treatment parameters and outcomes for 80 patients with melanoma brain metastases who underwent SRS. Thirty-five patients harbored the BRAF mutation (BRAF-M) and 45 patients did not (BRAF-WT). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of overall survival. The median overall survival from first SRS procedure was 6.7, 11.2 months if treated with a BRAF inhibitor and 4.5 months for BRAF-WT. Actuarial survival rates for BRAF-M patients on an inhibitor were 54 % at 6 months and 41 % at 12 months from the time of SRS. In contrast, BRAF-WT had overall survival rates of 28 % at 6 months and 19 % at 12 months. Overall survival was extended for patients on a BRAF inhibitor at or after the first SRS. The median time to intracranial progression was 3.9 months on a BRAF inhibitor and 1.7 months without. The local control rate for all treated tumors was 92.5 %, with no difference based on BRAF status. Patients with higher KPS, fewer treated intracranial metastases, controlled systemic disease, RPA Class 1 and BRAF-M patients had extended overall survival. Overall, patients with BRAF-M treated with both SRS and BRAF inhibitors, at or after SRS, have increased overall survival from the time of SRS. As patients live longer as a result of more effective systemic and local therapies, close surveillance and early management of intracranial disease with SRS will become increasingly important.
Deactivation of Reforming Catalysts

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the mechanisms of deactivation for catalysts used in the reformer step of the fuel processor. Deactivation of catalysts used in fuel reforming can be caused by three general mechanisms: thermally induced changes to the catalyst structure or active metal, poisoning by contaminants (primarily sulfur in the case of fuel processing, and coke/carbon deposition). These mechanisms are not generally independent. This chapter is organized according to these three mechanisms to analyze the roles they play individually in the deactivation of fuel-reforming catalysts. Strategies to minimize deactivation, and to regenerate spent catalysts, include oxidative or reductive regeneration to remove coke deposits, and developing sulfur-tolerant catalysts using an oxide sorbent in the catalyst formulation. It is important to characterize the deactivated catalyst to identify the mechanism responsible for the deactivation. The complex nature of coke, sulfur poison, and sintered catalyst makes this especially difficult. Finally, the future is likely to bring a new understanding of deactivation using first principles modeling, which has already shown promise in characterizing Ni-based catalysts, among others.
Carbon capture and sequestration: The roles of agriculture and soils

Renewable energy as a replacement for fossil fuels is highly desirable, but the reality is that fossil fuels (especially coal and petroleum) will be major sources of global energy for many decades to come. Therefore, carbon capture is vital to reduce release of carbon emissions and other GHG’s to the atmosphere thereby mitigating global warming. This presentation is a review of the role of agriculture and soils in carbon capture. Carbon sequestration in soils is the process of transferring CO2 from the atmosphere into soils through crop residues. Soil carbon sequestration increases with practices long recommended to increase yields, such as no-till, manure application, agroforestry and cover cropping. It is a Win-Win-Win strategy―advancing food security, improving the environment, and mitigating global warming. Carbon enrichment in greenhouse culture is in widespread use and has been adopted by many commercial producers. It results in remarkable increases in yields of flowers and vegetables. Research has shown the same increase in yields of trees and field crops with higher CO2 concentrations. The question is, how can CO2 be applied to field crops to increase yields? Restoration of desertified lands would improve soil quality, increase the pool of C in soils and forests, reduce CO2 emission to the atmosphere, and improve soil quality. Sequestration of additional carbon in soils would reduce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere thus mitigating global warming. Reforestation of forests is important, but real trees have ecological limits. Artificial trees could be used to absorb CO2 from the air any place on the planet, from any source―power plants, vehicles, and all industrial applications. Addition of CO2 in irrigation water could reduce the pH and help restore alkaline soils. Research is needed to further clarify the cost and benefit of many agriculture technologies for capturing and storing carbon. Keywords: carbon capture, sequestration, soils, agriculture, parasitic cost of carbon capture and sequestration DOI: 10.3965/j.ijabe.20160901.2280 Citation: Stout B, Lal R, Monger C. Carbon capture and sequestration: The roles of agriculture and soils. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2016; 9(1): 1－8.
Performance in Tax Research Tasks: The Joint Effects of Knowledge and Accountability

This study investigates the separate and joint effects of prior knowl- edge and accountability on performance in the information search phase of a tax research task. An experiment is reported in which 63 tax professionals performed a computer-based tax research task. The results indicate that increases in effort duration, which are partly attributable to the accountability manipulation, improved search effectiveness regardless of the level of prior knowledge. In addition, after controlling for the effect of effort duration, accountability had an incremental positive effect on performance among the more knowledgeable professionals. These results suggest that effort can substitute for knowledge in performing information search tasks, but this substitution does not appear to be complete. The results also support the hypothesis that the effect of accountability on performance depends upon the level of knowledge, which suggests that certain aspects of effort and knowledge act as complements in improving performance.
Mechanisms With Costly Knowledge

We propose investigating the design and analysis of game theoretic mechanisms when the players have very unstructured initial knowledge about themselves, but can refine their own knowledge at a cost.We consider several set-theoretic models of "costly knowledge". Specifically, we consider auctions of a single good in which a player i's only knowledge about his own valuation, θi, is that it lies in a given interval [a,b]. However, the player can pay a cost, depending on a and b (in several ways), and learn a possibly arbitrary but shorter (in several metrics) sub-interval, which is guaranteed to contain θi.In light of the set-theoretic uncertainty they face, it is natural for the players to act so as to minimize their regret. As a first step, we analyze the performance of the second-price mechanism in regret-minimizing strategies, and show that, in all our models, it always returns an outcome of very high social welfare.
Root cause analysis of overlay metrology excursions with scatterometry overlay technology (SCOL)

We demonstrate a novel method to establish a root cause for an overlay excursion using optical Scatterometry metrology. Scatterometry overlay metrology consists of four cells (two per directions) of grating on grating structures that are illuminated with a laser and diffracted orders measured in the pupil plane within a certain range of aperture. State of art algorithms permit, with symmetric considerations over the targets, to extract the overlay between the two gratings. We exploit the optical properties of the target to extract further information from the measured pupil images, particularly information that maybe related to any change in the process that may lead to an overlay excursion. Root Cause Analysis or RCA is being developed to identify different kinds of process variations (either within the wafer, or between different wafers) that may indicate overlay excursions. In this manuscript, we demonstrate a collaboration between Globalfoundries and KLA-Tencor to identify a symmetric process variation using scatterometry overlay metrology and RCA technique.
On the Legal Issues Regarding the Prosecution of Sea Parties (Including Human Rights): A Case of History Repeating Itself?

An article appeared in the New York Times on January 28, 2012, entitled Seized Pirates in High Seas Legal Limbo, with no Formula for Trials. The author of the article noted, based on comments by the Rear Admiral Kaleem Shaukat (the Pakistani who commands Combined Task Force 151, the region's multinational counter-piracy command), that "without a legal system to match the navies' tactical progress, piracy, and uncertainties about what to do with Somali prisoners on the high seas, would persist.” Rear Admiral Shaukat was further quoted as saying that “[i]f there is no effective legislation that makes sure these pirates are taken to a court of law and punished, if that does not occur, they will come back again and hijack other ships... [t]hat is still a weak area.”Despite everything that has been written on the subject, a lack of understanding on how and where to prosecute pirates persists. Eight days before the New York Times article, the U.N. Security Council issued the Report of the Secretary-General on Specialized Anti-Piracy Courts in Somalia and Other States in the Region ("Security Council Report"). When juxtaposed, the two titles -- the New York Times article and the Security Council Report -- seem to be totally inconsistent. This Article seeks to discuss whether there is a legal system in place to try sea pirates, and if so, whether it is working with the same efficiency as the navies that are currently patrolling and fighting piracy.To fully address these issues, it is necessary to analyze the problems with prosecution that existed during earlier periods. Many of the classical problems are the same today. Before the organized crime called "sea piracy" off the coast of Somalia existed, fewer acts of piracy were committed in the world, which were primarily associated with refugee problems and simple acts of robbery in port or near shore. Therefore, the following question remains: what prompted the Pakistani admiral to speak in such terms about the lack of a legal system in this area of piracy?
Transformation of Aesthetical Conceptions of Chinese Ancient Painting

Categorizing paintings into different classes is a very important way of artistic criticism in ancient China.Typical criticism conception respectively reflected a great transformation upon Chinese painting aesthetics between Tang dynasty and Song dynasty.During periods of Song and Yuan dynasties,"class of leisure" upgraded to become the highest class for painting quality,and became a dominant aesthetical trend and value for literati painting.Such transformation related directly to "Chinese ink game" created by literati.What is Chinese ink game? It means playing game with Chinese ink and writing out the sense of leisure reflecting literati's interest,inspiration,and personality.The class of leisure gradually and definitely became the highest aesthetical criterion in Chinese ink game.
Hiccup 101

Ever wonder what hiccups are? Ever wonder what they are doing, lurking inside us? Delve deep inside our lungs, into a world where young hiccups are taught the dangers of their profession, and where a teacher must learn to control her temper.
Remodeling of Clots without Proteolytic Digestion

Abstract Abstract 1184 Fibrin polymerization is a necessary part of hemostasis but thrombi can obstruct blood vessels and cause heart attacks and strokes, so the possibility of reversing clot formation has significant clinical implications. It is generally assumed that fibrin polymerization is an irreversible process and that clots and thrombi are stable structures until proteolytic digestion, but this supposition has not been critically tested. Using the technique of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) of individual fluorescently labeled fibrin fibers in a clot, we demonstrate here for the first time that there is turnover of fibrin in an uncrosslinked clot. These conditions occur in the vasculature during early stages of clotting or thrombosis before extensive Factor XIIIa-induced crosslinking. Increase of fluorescence in the bleached area was observed as soon as 1 second after photobleaching and the intensity increased rapidly. The association/dissociation of fibrin was characterized quantitatively, with the mobile fraction representing an average of 14.1% ± 5.1% of the total fibrin. Analyses of recovery curves showed that there was a linear relationship between both the percentage of fluorescence recovery and the rate of recovery and the surface to volume ratio of the fibers. Thus, it appears that fibrin monomers or oligomers located on or near the surface of the fibers are more likely to dissociate and re-associate. The mechanism of fibrin turnover was further investigated by using the peptide GPRP, mimicking the knobs ‘A' involved in polymerization. Surprisingly, only 0.1 mM of GPRP was necessary to dissolve completely a preformed fibrin clot, and perfusion of 0.01 mM of GPRP through a clot decreased the mobile fraction of fibrin in FRAP experiments to 6.5% ± 1.7%. The kinetic parameters of fibrin turnover characterized from FRAP recovery curves revealed that the off rate was not affected by the GPRP concentration, but the equilibrium concentration of the bound complex decreased with increasing peptide concentration, likely because the free GPRP competes with fibrin knobs ‘A' for holes ‘a.' As a result of the enhanced dissociation induced by this peptide, striking rearrangements in clot structure were visualized by confocal light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy of structures released from the clot revealed both monomers and larger aggregates. The implications of this research are that clots and thrombi appear to be much more dynamic structures than has been previously believed. The observed modulation of clot structure in vitro suggests that in vivo clots and thrombi may be dissolved or remodeled as a result of changing the environmental conditions surrounding them. These findings may also be relevant to embolization, which could in part be a consequence of the reversibility of polymerization. Furthermore, such modulation of clot structure could be a target for potential therapeutic intervention. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
A framework of optimal remote sensing using small unmanned aircraft systems

The use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for remote sensing applications have increased significantly over the past decade. However, effective and efficient data collection methods and strategies are still being developed. The use of an effective small UAS methodology has become necessary, but it has additionally become important to also examine optimal remote sensing with respect to data quality. In this paper, a framework for the optimization of collecting remote sensing aerial imagery with small UAS is presented. Compared to other remote sensing techniques, the use of small UAS introduces several new tunable parameters that may have significant impact on data quality and the resulting analysis. The framework presented is a conceptual structure that describes optimal remote sensing with regard to the spatial, spectral, and temporal factors that provide the greatest signal-to-noise ratio for the desired application or purpose. Each of these factors are introduced and discussed as they pertain to a variety of parameters enabled by small UAS.
Work Incentives and the Two-Earner Deduction:

One consequence of the two-earner deduction is to lower the marginal tax rate on the first dollar earned by secondary workers and to encourage their labor force participation. This study estimates ...
Design of high performance PFETs with strained si channel and laser anneal

The effects of the integration of two major PFET performance enhancers, embedded SiGe (e-SiGe) junctions and compressively stressed nitride liner (CSL) have been examined systematically. The additive effects of e-SiGe and CSL have been demonstrated, enabling high performance PFET (drive current of 640 muA/mum at 50 nA/mum off state current at 1V) with only modest Ge incorporation (~20 at. %) in S/D. And for the first time, we have demonstrated that by integrating e-SiGe and laser anneal (LA), defect-free e-SiGe can be fabricated, and the benefits of both techniques can be retained. Our study of geometric effects also reveals that e-SiGe can be extended to 45 nm technology and beyond
Why Have Trade Balances Been Ignored as Sources of Monetary Efficiency

Studies of monetary efficiency have focused principally on output, inflation, unemployment and interest rates as sources of monetary efficiency. This study demonstrates trade balances outperform output, inflation, and unemployment rates as sources of monetary efficiency within domestic economies. Estimates of adjustment parameters show only trade balances generate positive adjustment parameters within cross-sections of sample countries. Given importance and relevance of trade balances are arrived at independent of effects of exchange rates or international trade, with sole focus on parameters of the domestic economy, empirical findings do not duplicate received importance of trade balances within context of management of currency exchange rates. Quite the contrary, trade balances are shown to be relevant and appropriate measures of economies' ability to manage overinvestments, equivalently, economies' ability to manage significant overshooting of domestic savings by investments. Given non-positive adjustment parameters are expected to induce monetary instability, empirical findings raise strong grounds for formal theoretical exploration of importance of trade balances as active sources of monetary efficiency within domestic economies.
Importance Weighting in Client Satisfaction Measures: Lessons from the Life Satisfaction Literature

This article examines the role of perceived importance of service elements, or importance weighting, in client satisfaction measures. Drawing on the debate over importance weighting in the life satisfaction literature, this article assesses the adequacy of and the need for importance weighting in client satisfaction measures. Based on a client satisfaction survey (N = 156), the current study explored (1) whether or not all service elements of homecare services were considered equally important, and (2) whether or not the relationships between overall satisfaction with homecare services and satisfaction with various service elements of homecare services varied significantly across perceived importance of service elements. Findings showed that (1) not all service elements of homecare services were considered equally important, and (2) relationships between overall satisfaction with homecare services and satisfaction with various service elements of homecare services varied significantly across perceived importance of service elements. The findings support the incorporation of perceived importance of service elements into client satisfaction measures.
Characterization of lower limb activity during gait using wearable, multi-channel surface EMG and IMU sensors

Lower limb amputees who wear a conventional passive prosthesis usually consume more metabolic energy than normal persons and may put more pressure on their knees, which eventually results in knee damage. In order to model the muscle activity during human gait, a simulated amputee walking on normal subjects was investigating by adding a 10 lbs. load on their lower right limb during level walking and walking on a slope of 10 degrees. Multi-channel surface electromyogram (sEMG) signals from 8 muscle groups were recorded and modeled. Additionally, acceleration on different types of walking was recorded from three positions on the lower body. Several basic features extracted from EMG data were explored. Results shows that the human gait associates with a complex collaboration between various muscles and the effect of load on gait was clearly revealed by the EMG signals recorded from the lower limb muscles. This study was implemented to provide an initial assessment for the optimization of active biomechanical lower limb prostheses.
Thinking Through Crisis: Improving Teamwork and Leadership in High-Risk Fields

Introduction: how teamwork is more important than technical prowess 1. Rethinking normal accidents and human error - a new view of crisis management 2. USS Greeneville - the downside of charismatic leadership 3. The Hillsborough football disaster - explosive team chemistry 4. American Airlines flight 587 - latent failures align 5. Bristol Royal Infirmary - the price of organizational overreach 6. US Airways flight 1549 - thinking through crisis 7. Team resource management.
Progression of chronic kidney disease in children - role of glomerular hemodynamics and interstitial fibrosis.

Purpose of review The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current advances in the understanding of the mechanisms involved in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with emphasis on the role of glomerular hemodynamics and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Recent findings Despite the varied causes of CKD, the progressive destruction of renal tissue processes through a complex common pathway. Current studies have highlighted both the role of the abnormal intrarenal hemodynamics and of the activation of fibrogenic biochemical pathway in the replacement of normal renal structure by extracellular matrix and ultimately by fibrosis. Molecular markers with the potential to contribute to the detection of tubular cell damage and tubulointerstitial fibrosis in the kidney has been identified. Summary There is a clear need to understand and elucidate the mechanisms of progression of CKD to develop efficient therapeutic strategies to halt decline of renal function in children.
Preliminary Graphical Analysis and Quasi‐Independence for Two‐Way Contingency Tables

Interactions in two‐way contingency tables are described by means of a linear model in the logarithmic scale for the cell probabilities. A graphical procedure, based on the half‐normal plotting technique, is described for locating cells exhibiting interaction, when the number of such cells is relatively small compared with the total number of cells in the table. A quasi‐independent model is introduced which allows the cells not separated by the graphical procedure to have a multiplicative structure, similar to that for independence of row and column classifications. These ideas are then applied to the analysis of an occupational mobility table.
Reappraisal deficits promote craving and emotional distress among chronic pain patients at risk for prescription opioid misuse.

Background: A subset of chronic pain patients misuse prescription opioids as a means of regulating negative emotions. However, opioid misuse may result in deficits in emotion regulation strategies ...
Variable behavior and repeated learning in two mouse strains: Developmental and genetic contributions.

Abstract Behavioral inflexibility is often assessed using reversal learning tasks, which require a relatively low degree of response variability. No studies have assessed sensitivity to reinforcement contingencies that specifically select highly variable response patterns in mice, let alone in models of neurodevelopmental disorders involving limited response variation. Operant variability and incremental repeated acquisition (IRA) were used to assess unique aspects of behavioral variability of two mouse strains: BALB/c, a model of some deficits in ASD, and C57Bl/6. On the operant variability task, BALB/c mice responded more repetitively during adolescence than C57Bl/6 mice when reinforcement did not require variability but responded more variably when reinforcement required variability. During IRA testing in adulthood, both strains acquired an unchanging, performance sequence equally well. Strain differences emerged, however, after novel learning sequences began alternating with the performance sequence: BALB/c mice substantially outperformed C57Bl/6 mice. Using litter-mate controls, it was found that adolescent experience with variability did not affect either learning or performance on the IRA task in adulthood. These findings constrain the use of BALB/c mice as a model of ASD, but once again reveal this strain is highly sensitive to reinforcement contingencies and they are fast and robust learners.
Hemophilus influenzae Type b

Hemophilus influenzae strains are either cop,sulatedtable) or non-capsulated (untypable). Although there art six antigenically different encapsulated ecapulated strainstype b isby far themos common cause of severe infections due to Hemophilus. Hemophilus influenzae type b infections may involve virtually all organ systems, but the two infections of greatest public-health importance are meningitis and epiglottitis. Hemophilus influenzae type b is the most common cause o meningitis in chil er e age of 3years. Meningitis carries with it the potential of deathor residual neurological sequelae in survivors; the importance of epiglottitis as a publichealth problem is its potential to kill rapidly an otherwise healthy individual.
Partial Privatization of Social Security and Private Pensions

Policymakers and analysts have widely debated many aspects of the various reform proposals but have paid relatively little attention to how Social Security reform would affect employer-sponsored pensions. Yet, Social Security does not provide retirement income in a vacuum. Rather, our national retirement income system is often referred to as a three-legged stool with Social Security representing one of the legs and employer-sponsored pension plans and individual savings representing the other two legs. Because changes in one leg of the stool, Social Security, are likely to have a direct impact on the other two legs of the stool, Social Security reform must be not be considered in isolation but must be viewed in light of its effect on employer-sponsored pensions and individual savings. Accordingly, this Article analyzes how one of the most popular reform proposals, partial privatization, would likely affect private pensions. The Article begins by examining how partial privatization would likely affect the integration rules and integrated plans because the tax integration rules are the one area of retirement law that expressly coordinates private pensions and Social Security. Integration, however, is not the only way in which private pensions are linked to Social Security. Because Social Security has a central role in providing retirement income, almost all pension plans are implicitly linked to Social Security, insofar as their design takes into account the provisions of and benefits provided by Social Security. Thus, this Article then considers how partial privatization would likely interact with the other links between private pensions and Social Security. Specifically, it considers how partial privatization would likely affect (1) employees' demand for defined benefit plans, (2) employees' willingness to contribute to employer-sponsored defined contribution plans, (3) employees' investment behavior with respect to the assets in their employer-sponsored plans, and (4) investment returns available to employer-sponsored plans.
Who is a Terrorist? Ethnicity, Group Affiliation, and Understandings of Political Violence

What does the American public label as “terrorism?” How do people think about the factors motivating violence, and in turn, the policies that are favored? Using ingroup and outgroup dynamics, we ar...
An Information-Theoretic Approach to Waveform Design for Active Incoherent Microwave Imaging

Active incoherent imaging is a new microwave imaging method that combines spatial frequency sampling methods with active noise radar techniques. In this paper, we present a method for characterizing image reconstruction fidelity by analyzing the transmitted noise waveforms in terms of the mutual information between them. Different statistical distributions of the transmitted noise are characterized, and we investigate the effect on mutual information and image fidelity in terms of the bandwidth of the received waveforms. We show that Gaussian noise generally outperforms other distributions, and that the mutual information follows the general trend of image fidelity, indicating that mutual information can be a useful metric for designing transmit noise waveforms for active incoherent imaging.
THE AMERICAN COMMUNIST PARTY AND FEMINISM AT THE BEGINNING OF THE COLD WAR (1945-1960)

In this paper I offer an inquiry into American Marxist feminist activism at the beginning of the Cold War and its connection to the American Communist Party. Contemporary scholars of critical theory have expressed concern that worldwide progress made in gender equality in the 20th century has not translated into similar advances in economic equality. Those looking for the historical roots of this phenomenon sometimes fault the American women’s liberation movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s for not challenging fundamental capitalist structures. This inquiry extends the scholarly discussion on work done in the area of women’s rights to the early years of the Cold War, arguing that the American Communist Party assumed the Soviet Union’s position that the Woman’s Question would be solved as a result of a workers’ revolution. Based on the accounts of American Marxist feminists, and with a look at the American Government’s Cold War stance, it could be argued that the American Communist Party’s mismanagement of the Woman Question at the beginning of the Cold War, combined with US McCarthy era anti-Soviet policy, helped to ensure that “second-wave” feminism, (while adopting revolutionary rhetoric) would achieve mostly “bourgeois” goals.
A Test of Traditional and Psychometric Relative Risk Tolerance Measures on Household Financial Risk Taking

Abstract This article provides a comparative test of two ways in which individual relative risk tolerance is commonly measured in research and practice. Results suggest that the popular method of measuring gambles across lifetime income provides less insight into household investment behavior than the psychometric approach that is often used to derive a risk profile measure.
SemEval-2019 Task 12: Toponym Resolution in Scientific Papers

We present the SemEval-2019 Task 12 which focuses on toponym resolution in scientific articles. Given an article from PubMed, the task consists of detecting mentions of names of places, or toponyms, and mapping the mentions to their corresponding entries in GeoNames.org, a database of geospatial locations. We proposed three subtasks. In Subtask 1, we asked participants to detect all toponyms in an article. In Subtask 2, given toponym mentions as input, we asked participants to disambiguate them by linking them to entries in GeoNames. In Subtask 3, we asked participants to perform both the detection and the disambiguation steps for all toponyms. A total of 29 teams registered, and 8 teams submitted a system run. We summarize the corpus and the tools created for the challenge. They are freely available at https://competitions.codalab.org/competitions/19948. We also analyze the methods, the results and the errors made by the competing systems with a focus on toponym disambiguation.
Executive functioning and rumination as they relate to stress-induced cortisol curves

Better executive functioning may be associated with more adaptive stress responses than worse executive functioning, potentially due to less propensity for rumination. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that better executive functioning would be associated with decreased total cortisol output (AUCg) and cortisol sensitivity with respect to increase/decrease (AUCi) in response to a stressor, and that this association is mediated by stress task rumination. Participants completed measures of inhibition, updating/monitoring, and cognitive flexibility, a social-evaluative stressor, and a self-report measure of rumination about the stressor. Participants provided saliva samples at six time points to measure cortisol output and sensitivity. Cognitive flexibility was negatively associated with stress task rumination (r = − .30, p < .05); however, this association was no longer significant when adding covariates (i.e., participant age, sex, highest education, and body mass index) to a regression model. Cognitive flexibility was also associated with AUCg (r = − .28, p < .05), while rumination was associated with AUCi in non-adjusted (r = .28, p < .05) and adjusted (b = .81, p < .05) analyses. Furthermore, females demonstrated better cognitive flexibility (r = .26, p < .05) and lower AUCg (r = − .45, p < .05) compared to males. Findings demonstrate the importance of cognitive flexibility and rumination when predicting dynamic measures of stress-induced cortisol over time.
Sex-age stereotyping: Social perceivers as lay adaptationists

Abstract Why do perceivers categorize and stereotype others by their biological sex and age? We suggest that perceivers do so because sex and age interactively shape adaptive goals (e.g., mating, parenting) and strategies. And because such goals and strategies pose different fitness-relevant opportunities and threats, social perceivers use others' sex-age as a cue for predicting others' behaviors. This perspective has multiple implications, which we test in a range of U.S. undergraduate and online survey samples. First, we find that perceivers categorize others not by sex and age independently, but by the interaction of their sex and age (i.e., people mentally group others as females and males of specific ages) (Studies 1 and 2). Second, perceivers hold stereotypes of men and women of specific ages as being differentially oriented towards short- and long-term mating as well as parenting goals (e.g., women are stereotyped to be more oriented towards long-term mating goals than men are, but only at younger ages) (Studies 3 and 4). Finally, providing perceivers with direct information about others' adaptive goals can influence the extent to which perceivers apply stereotypes of agency, communion, and competence, and can even override typical sex stereotypes (e.g., men are generally stereotyped to be more agentic than women, but this sex stereotype disappears when both men and women are presented as engaging in short-term mating goals) (Studies 5 and 6). The current findings challenge existing thinking about sex and age stereotyping, and demonstrate the value of an adaptationist approach for thinking about social perception and stereotypes.
The Role of Cardiovascular Disease in Cognitive Impairment

With no disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) currently established, a priority for public health is prevention of cognitive decline and dementia. Treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) may provide such an opportunity. While the pathology of athero- and arteriolosclerotic cerebrovascular disease was once thought of as distinct from AD pathobiology, accumulating evidence suggests that there is more overlap in vascular and AD-related pathologies than previously recognized. CVD and its risk factors are associated with cognitive decline and dementia, in multiple studies. Given that CVD is prevalent among older adults, understanding the contributions of vascular disease to dementia is an important area of research. While the exact relationship remains to be defined, several mechanisms linking CVD to dementia have been proposed: [1] CVD and dementia have shared risk factors, which might alter clearance of brain toxins or otherwise increase neurodegeneration; [2] CVD might lead to clinical or subclinical strokes, leading to cognitive impairment; and [3] CVD might directly alter cerebral perfusion. Most prior work has focused on risk factors for CVD, but the relationship between end-organ CVD itself and dementia is of extreme importance in considering prevention. Earlier intervention might be the most beneficial since CVD risk appears to have strongest relationships with cognition when measured years before the onset of dementia. The practicing physician should see such evidence as an impetus to aggressively address both symptomatic CVD and CVD risk factors, not only in their elderly patients but importantly in those of middle age.
Identification of Clostridioides difficile-Inhibiting Gut Commensals Using Culturomics, Phenotyping, and Combinatorial Community Assembly.

ABSTRACT A major function of the gut microbiota is to provide colonization resistance, wherein pathogens are inhibited or suppressed below infectious levels. However, the fraction of gut microbiota required for colonization resistance remains unclear. We used culturomics to isolate a gut microbiota culture collection comprising 1,590 isolates belonging to 102 species. This culture collection represents 34.57% of the taxonomic diversity and 70% functional capacity, as estimated by metagenomic sequencing of the fecal samples used for culture. Using whole-genome sequencing, we characterized species representatives from this collection and predicted their phenotypic traits, further characterizing isolates by defining nutrient utilization profiles and short-chain fatty acid production. When screened with a coculture assay, 66 species in our culture collection inhibited Clostridioides difficile. Several phenotypes, particularly, growth rate, production of SCFAs, and the utilization of mannitol, sorbitol, or succinate, correlated with C. difficile inhibition. We used a combinatorial community assembly approach to formulate defined bacterial mixes inhibitory to C. difficile. We tested 256 combinations and found that both species composition and blend size were important in inhibition. Our results show that the interaction of bacteria with one another in a mix and with other members of gut commensals must be investigated to design defined bacterial mixes for inhibiting C. difficilein vivo. IMPORTANCE Antibiotic treatment causes instability of gut microbiota and the loss of colonization resistance, thus allowing pathogens such as Clostridioides difficile to colonize and causing recurrent infection and mortality. Although fecal microbiome transplantation has been shown to be an effective treatment for C. difficile infection (CDI), a more desirable approach would be the use of a defined mix of inhibitory gut bacteria. The C. difficile-inhibiting species and bacterial combinations identified herein improve the understanding of the ecological interactions controlling colonization resistance against C. difficile and could aid in the design of defined bacteriotherapy as a nonantibiotic alternative against CDI.
Good Governance Gone Bad: How Nordic Adaptability Leads to Excess: Author: Darius Ornston (University of Toronto, Canada.E-mail: darius.ornston@utoronto.ca)Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2018, 276 pp., $115 (hardcover), ISBN 1501730177

Market economies are subject to intense volatility though studies have convincingly shown that small, open economies adjust to disruption better than larger economies. Iceland, Finland, and Sweden ...