cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
US campus and university debit card policies regarding tobacco and electronic cigarettes

A modern advancement of university student identification cards is the ability to load the card with ‘campus cash’, converting it to a debit card that can be used to purchase goods and services at various university-affiliated merchants on-campus and off-campus. Students or, more commonly, parents can load these university debit cards with money. Policies regarding the use and management of these debit cards are institution specific. Some universities allow use of campus cash at off-campus vendors while others limit the debits cards for on-campus use only, such as dining halls and convenience stores. A prior study discovered that 42% of surveyed university students used their university debit card to purchase cigarettes.1 In addition, more than one-quarter million youth who had never smoked a cigarette used electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in 2013.2 This exploratory investigation assessed campus and university-affiliated debit card policies regarding tobacco and e-cigarettes at major American universities. The university debit card policies regarding tobacco products and e-cigarettes at the top 100 universities according …
A channel-based heuristic distribution protocol for video-on-demand

We present a new dynamic broadcasting protocol improving upon existing protocols in two ways. First, our channel-based heuristic distribution protocol uses an heuristic segment allocation scheme for the k broadcasting channels assigned to each video. Second, it can require all customers to wait for a minimum waiting time before watching the video of their choice. As a result, our protocol performs as well as the best reactive distribution protocols at low request arrival rates and as well as the best broadcasting protocols at high request arrival rates.
Cross-cultural investigation of the development of selected piagetian science concepts, social status, and reading readiness

The development of Piagetian conservation concepts reflects differences in cultural background rather than in race.
Differential Spatiotemporal Expression of K+ Channel Polypeptides in Rat Hippocampal Neurons Developing in situ and in vitro.

Hippocampal neurons are highly plastic in their excitable properties, both during development and in the adult brain. As voltage-sensitive K+ channels are major determinants of membrane excitability, one mechanism for generating plasticity is through regulation of K+ channel activity. To gain insights into the regulation of K+ channels in the hippocampus, we have analyzed the spatiotemporal expression patterns of five K+ channel polypeptides in rat hippocampal neurons developing in situ and in vitro. Delayed rectifier-type channels (Kv1.5, Kv2.1, and Kv2.2) are expressed on all neuronal somata and proximal dendrites, while A-type channels (Kv1.4 and Kv4.2) are present distally on distinct subpopulations of neurons. The development of these patterns in situ is monotonic; that is, while the time and spatial development varies among the channels, each K+ channel subtype initially appears in its adult pattern, suggesting that the mechanisms underlying spatial patterning operate through development. Immunoblots confirm the differential temporal expression of K+ channels in the developing hippocampus, and demonstrate developmentally regulated changes in the microheterogeneity of some K+ channel polypeptide species. Temporal expression patterns of all five K+ channels observed in situ are retained in vitro, while certain aspects of cellular and subcellular localization are altered for some of the K+ channel polypeptides studied. Similarities in K+ channel polypeptide expression in situ and in vitro indicate that the same regulatory mechanisms are controlling spatiotemporal patterning in both situations. However, differences between levels of expression for all subtypes studied except Kv2.1 indicate additional mechanisms operating in situ but absent in vitro that are important in determining polypeptide abundance.
Group therapy in the cancer setting.

The importance of psychiatric interventions designed to assist cancer patients in dealing with diagnosis and treatment has increased dramatically as survival rates have improved along with advances in medical care [1–3]. According to Holland [4], the goals of these interventions are to decrease feelings of alienation, isolation, helplessness, and being neglected; to reduce anxiety about the treatments; and to assist in clarifying misperception and misinformation. Such interventions, designed to help individuals to feel less helpless and hopeless have the additional benefit of encouraging more responsibility to get well and compliance with medical regimens. Today’s patients, aware of the benefits of these psychosocial therapeutic interventions, often specifically request such services. One intervention category that has received major attention is that of group therapy. The purpose of this article is to review those group therapy studies that have been designed specifically for cancer populations. It will describe these interventions addressing the type of patient population, research design, treatments, and outcomes. Outcome measures include changes in coping, affective state, quality of life (QOL), knowledge regarding disease and treatment, compliance, changes in physical status, and recurrence and survival. The value of group versus individual interventions will be discussed and a model of group intervention will be explored.
Regulation of renal urate excretion: a critical review.

Abstract Uric acid metabolism is reviewed as it relates mainly to kidney and electrolyte disorders, with emphasis on the difficulties in understanding urate transport because of its bidirectional transport and the species differences in which animal data may not have relevance to the human condition. A critical review of the effects of pyrazinamide and extracellular volume expansion on urate transport raises questions about the current popular teachings that pyrazinamide exclusively blocks tubule urate secretion and extracellular volume expansion has a major role in controlling urate excretion. There appears to be a renal salt-wasting syndrome with overlapping clinical features that make it indistinguishable from the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH), except possibly for extracellular volume depletion. Hypouricemia and the elevation in the fractional excretion of urate (%E/Furate) are extensively reviewed with a proposal to use the persistence of hypouricemia and elevated %E/Furate after the correction of hyponatremia to differentiate these patients from those with SIADH. An algorithm is proposed to differentiate one group from the other. A plasma natriuretic factor has been shown in some with probable renal salt wasting, which includes patients with AIDS, cancer, and pulmonary and intracranial diseases. The natriuretic factor may have etiologic implications and diagnostic and therapeutic applications. (Am J Kidney Dis 1998 Dec;32(6):917-33)
Bounds on the Solution of a Generalized Riccati Equation

Upper and lower bounds are presented for extreme eigenvalues of the matrix solution to a Riccati-like algebraic equation arising in quadratic optimal control of continuous-time bilinear stochastic systems.
A hierarchical Bayesian spatio-temporal model for extreme precipitation events

The first author's research was partially supported by National Science foundation CMG reserach grants DMS-0724704, ATM-0620624, and by Award Number KUS-CI-016-04 made by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). The second author's research was supported by National Science foundation CMG reserach grants ATM-0620624. They gratefully acknowledge two referees for their constructive suggestions that led to significant improvement of the paper.
Sympathetic Control of Pulmonary Vascular Impedance in Anesthetized Dogs

The effects of left stellate ganglion stimulation on pulmonary hydraulic input impedance was evaluated in 21 experiments on open-chest dogs anesthetized with chloralose. The stellate ganglion was stimulated at 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 cps, and impedance spectra were generated at each frequency. Control spectra were characterized by frequency-dependent oscillations in impedance magnitude. Generally, impedance minimums occurred between 2 and 3 cps and maximums between 4 and 6 cps. Stellate ganglion stimulation caused elevations in impedance magnitude and shifted the impedance curve upward. The average control impedance magnitude at the minimum was 4780 dyne sec cm-5 kg ± 262 SE and was increased to 82.80 ± 452 during stimulation at 20 cps, while the frequency of the first harmonic in the control averaged 2.50 ± 0.08 SE cps and was 3.10 ± 0.08 during stimulation at 20 cps. Maximum activation of sympathetic outflows (10-20 cps) caused the impedance curve to flatten, attenuating frequency dependent oscillations cha...
Architectural enhancements for network congestion control applications

Complex network protocols and various network services require significant processing capability for modern network applications. One of the important features in modern networks is differentiated service. Along with differentiated service, rapidly changing network environments result in congestion problems. In this paper, we analyze the characteristics of representative congestion control applications-scheduling and queue management algorithms, and we propose application-specific acceleration techniques that use instruction-level parallelism (ILP) and packet-level parallelism (PLP) in these applications. From the PLP perspective, we propose a hardware acceleration model based on detailed analysis of congestion control applications. In order to get large throughputs, a large number of processing elements (PEs) and a parallel comparator are designed. Such hardware accelerators provide large parallelism proportional to the number of processing elements added. A 32-PE enhancement yields 24times speedup for weighted fair queueing (WFQ) and 27times speedup for random early detection (RED). For ILP, new instruction set extensions for fast conditional operations are applied for congestion control applications. Based on our experiments, proposed architectural extensions show 10%-12% improvement in performance for instruction set enhancements. As the performance of general-purpose processors rapidly increases, defining architectural extensions (e.g., multi-media extensions (MMX) as in multimedia applications) for general-purpose processors could be an alternative solution for a wide range of network applications
CORRUPTION, RELIGION AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN OPEC COUNTRIES: AN ANALYSIS

The analysis ofcorruptionininternational business is a relativelynew but an important phenomenon and for the last two decades many research works have attempted tocapture the economicimpactof the corruption ina country. None of such works has addressed the issue of corruption and religion together inthe contextof developing but resource rich economies. To fill this gap, this study examines the incidence of corruption and religion for economic performance for severalOPECcountries. Statistical methodology relies on panelestimation and simultaneous panelestimation in additiontotraditional ordinaryleas squares errors regression models. Resultsshow thateconomicperformance (measured by Real Gross Domestic Product) responds positively to less corruption and the dominant religion, especially Islam, inour study. Needless tosay, thisstudy also suffers from limitations, regarding the measurement of corruption, limitation of dataand possible exclusion of other explanatory variables in the model. JEL Classification:F2;F21;F23;H2;O16. Key words:Corruption, Religion, EconomicPerformance, International Business, OPEC
A novel topology control for multihop packet radio networks

A novel, distributed topology-control algorithm has been developed for each node in a packet radio network (PRN) to control its transmitting power and logical neighbors in order to construct a reliable, high-throughput topology. The algorithm first constructs a planar triangulation from locations of all nodes as a starting topology. Then, the minimum angles of all triangles in the planar triangulation are maximized by means of edge switching to improve connectivity and throughput. The resulting Delaunay triangulation can be determined locally at each node. The topology is modified by negotiating among neighbors to satisfy a design requirement on the nodal degree parameter. Simulations show that (1) the final topology is degree-bounded, (2) it has a rather regular and uniform structure, and (3) its throughput and reliability are greater than that of a number of alternative topologies. >
Is there musical life after graduation? Mining the resources of an understudied population:

The preponderance of published research in the music education literature concerns the teaching, musical responses, or preferences of people who encompass kindergarten through baccalaureate levels ...
An efficient and high‐order frequency‐domain approach for transient acoustic–structure interactions in three dimensions

This paper is concerned with numerical solution of the transient acoustic–structure interaction problems in three dimensions. An efficient and higher-order method is proposed with a combination of the exponential window technique and a fast and accurate boundary integral equation solver in the frequency-domain. The exponential window applied to the acoustic–structure system yields an artificial damping to the system, which eliminates the wrap-around errors brought by the discrete Fourier transform. The frequency-domain boundary integral equation approach relies on accurate evaluations of relevant singular integrals and fast computation of nonsingular integrals via the method of equivalent source representations and the fast Fourier transform. Numerical studies are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the method. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Response of dry bean yield to injury by mexican bean beetle (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in low-input and conventional cropping systems

Field cage studies were conducted during 1989 and 1990 to estimate the yield response of ‘Maine Yelloweye’ dry bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., to injury by Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis Mulsant, at the preflowering (R5) and flowering (R6) stages of plant growth in the low-input and conventional cropping systems in Maine. Plants, caged singly, were infested with 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 first instars. Caging had no significant effect on yield. No significant relationship was detected between yield and Mexican bean beetle infestation level except at the R5 stage in the low-input treatment in 1989, where a significant linear relationship was found. In 1990, the low-input treatment at the R5 stage infested by 20 larvae was the only treatment with significant yield loss. Defoliation in this treatment was an estimated 28%, whereas defoliation of all other treatments was <20%. It was estimated that the economic injury level for Mexican bean beetle on dry bean in Maine may exceed 20 first instars per plant or 20% defoliation. Effects of plant size, cropping system, plant growth stage, and sample size on the development of economic injury level were discussed.
Quasiparticle energies and excitonic effects in dense solid hydrogen near metallization

We investigate the crucial metallization pressure of the $Cmca\text{\ensuremath{-}}12$ phase of solid hydrogen (H) using many-body perturbation theory within the $GW$ approximation. We consider the effects of self-consistency, plasmon-pole models, and the vertex correction on the quasiparticle band gap $({E}_{\mathrm{g}})$. Our calculations show that self-consistency leads to an increase in ${E}_{\mathrm{g}}$ by 0.33 eV over the one-shot ${G}_{0}{W}_{0}$ approach. Because of error cancellation between the effects of self-consistency and the vertex correction, the simplest ${G}_{0}{W}_{0}$ method underestimates ${E}_{\mathrm{g}}$ by only 0.16 eV compared with the prediction of the more accurate $GW\ensuremath{\Gamma}$ approach. Employing the plasmon-pole models underestimates ${E}_{\mathrm{g}}$ by 0.1--0.2 eV compared to the full-frequency numerical integration results. We thus predict a metallization pressure around 280 GPa, instead of 260 GPa predicted previously. Furthermore, we compute the optical absorption including the electron-hole interaction by solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE). The resulting absorption spectra demonstrate substantial redshifts and enhancement of absorption peaks compared to the calculated spectra neglecting excitonic effects. We find that the exciton binding energy decreases with increasing pressure from 66 meV at 100 GPa to 12 meV at 200 GPa due to the enhanced electronic screening as solid H approaches metallization. Because optical measurements are so important in identifying the structure of solid H, our BSE results should improve agreement between theory and experiment.
Use of the sleep laboratory in suspected sleep apnea syndrome: Is one night enough?

BACKGROUND Sleep-disordered breathing appears to vary widely from night to night in the general population. OBJECTIVE To determine the difference in accuracy of diagnosing sleep apnea when there are one vs two sleep recordings in a clinical population. METHODS Fifty patients clinically suspected of having obstructive sleep apnea underwent polysomnography for two nights. RESULTS The number of episodes of apnea or hypopnea per hour (the apnea-hypopnea index, AHI) on each night was highly correlated (r = .86), and there were no significant differences between the two nights in duration of episodes, mean minimal arterial oxygen desaturation, or absolute minimum desaturation. On the first night, 46 patients had an AHI of 5 or more; on the second night 49 did. Similarly, 42 patients had an AHI of 10 or more on the first night; on the second night 46 did. All patients with an AHI of 5 or more on the first night also had an AHI of 5 or more the second night, and only one patient who had an AHI of 10 or more on the first night did not on the second night. In contrast, some nonrespiratory variables improved on the second night. CONCLUSIONS One night of testing should generally suffice. A second recording might be expected to be positive in half of the small group of patients clinically suspected of having sleep apnea who have a negative first study.
A characterization of graphs of diameter two

On montre que les graphes de diametre 2 peuvent etre caracterises par une simple condition portant sur leurs complementaires
Diametrically Opposed Discriminations Mediated by a Single Cerebral Hemisphere: Effects of Further Anterior and Posterior Cortical Ablations

15 pigmented rats with unilateral visual decortications were trained to perform diametrically opposed discriminations mediated by opposite eyes. Further lesions were then placed in anterior cortex or were placed either anteriorly or posteriorly in striate cortex. Performances were unimpaired by anterior lesions, but disruption though incomplete occurred with either type of posterior lesion.
Harm reduction interventions in HIV care: a qualitative exploration of patient and provider perspectives.

Background. A culture of stringent drug policy, one-size-fits-all treatment approaches, and drug-related stigma has clouded clinical HIV practice in the United States. The result is a series of missed opportunities in the HIV care environment. An approach which may address the broken relationship between patient and provider is harm reduction—which removes judgment and operates at the patient’s stage of readiness. Harm reduction is not a routine part of care; rather, it exists outside clinic walls, exacerbating the divide between compassionate, stigma-free services and the medical system. Methods. Qualitative, phenomenological, semi-structured, individual interviews with patients and providers were conducted in three publicly-funded clinics in Chicago, located in areas of high HIV prevalence and drug use and serving African-American patients (N = 38). A deductive thematic analysis guided the process, including: the creation of an index code list, transcription and verification of interviews, manual coding, notation of emerging themes and refinement of code definitions, two more rounds of coding within AtlasTi, calculation of Cohen’s Kappa for interrater reliability, queries of major codes and analysis of additional common themes. Results. Thematic analysis of findings indicated that the majority of patients felt receptive to harm reduction interventions (safer injection counseling, safer stimulant use counseling, overdose prevention information, supply provision) from their provider, and expressed anticipated gratitude for harm reduction information and/or supplies within the HIV care visit, although some were reluctant to talk openly about their drug use. Provider results were mixed, with more receptivity reported by advanced practice nurses, and more barriers cited by physicians. Notable barriers included: role-perceptions, limited time, inadequate training, and the patients themselves. Discussion. Patients are willing to receive harm reduction interventions from their HIV care providers, while provider receptiveness is mixed. The findings reveal critical implications for diffusion of harm reduction into HIV care, including the need to address cited barriers for both patients and providers to ensure feasibility of implementation. Strategies to address these barriers are discussed, and recommendations for further research are also shared.
Sodium hydrosulfide improves cardiac functions and structures in rats with chronic heart failure

Objective To explore the effects of sodium hydrosulfide ( NaHS),a hydrogen sulphide (H2S) donor,on cardiac functions and structures in rats with chronic heart failure induced by volume overload and examine its influence on cardiac remodelling.Methods A total of 47 SD rats ( 120 - 140 g) were randomly divided into 5 groups:shunt group ( n =11 ),sham group ( n =8),shunt + NaHS group ( n =10),sham + NaHS group ( n =8) and shunt + phentolamine group (n =10).The rat model of chronic heart failure was induced by abdominal aorta-inferior vena cava puncture.At Week 8 post-operation,hemodynamic parameters,microstructures and ultrastructures of myocardial tissues were analyzed.Extracellular collagen content in myocardial tissues was analyzed after Sirius red staining.Right ventricular hydroxyproline concentration was determined and compared.Results At Week 8 post-operation,compared with the sham operation and shunt + NaHS groups,the shunt group showed significantly increased right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and right ventricular end diastolic pressure (RVEDP) ( mm Hg:35.2 ±3.9 vs 21.4 ±3.7 and 28.1 ±2.7,32 ±5 vs 21 ±4 and 26 ±4,all P ＜0.05,1 mm Hg =0.133 kPa).The RV peak rate of contraction and relaxation markedly decreased ( RV ± dp/dt max) ( mm Hg/s:1528 ± 113 vs 2336 ± 185 and 1835 ± 132,1331 ± 107 vs 2213 ± 212 and 1768 ± 116,all P ＜ 0.05).It was found microscopically that myocardial fibers in the shunt group were irregularly arranged,partially cytolyzed and infiltrated by inflammatory cells.Electron microscopy revealed that myocardial fibers thickened non-uniformly in the shunt group,some fiber mitochondria were highly swollen and contained vacuoles.And sarcoplasmic reticulum appeared slightly dilated.Polarized microscopy indicated that,collagen content (particularly type-Ⅰ collagen) increased in the shunt group compared with the sham operation group.Additionally,compared with the shunt group,the shunt and NaHS treatment groups showed an amelioration of myocardial damage,an alleviation of myocardial fiber changes and a decrease in myocardial collagen content (particularly type-Ⅰ collagen).Compared with the sham operation and shunt + NaHS groups,the shunt group displayed increased right ventricular hydroxyproline ( mg · g-1 · pro:1.32 ±0.25 vs 0.89 ±0.18 and 0.83 ±0.19,all P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusion H2S may improve cardiac functions and ameliorate cardiac structures in rats with chronic heart failure probably through dilating the blood vessels and affecting the extracellular collagen metabolism. Key words: Heart failure, congestive; Heart function tests; Hydrogen sulfide; Cardiac structure
Purification of 20S proteasomes.

Proteasomes are large multicatalytic proteinases located in the nuclei and cytoplasm of all eukaryotic cells. Proteasomes are composed of four heptameric rings stacked to form a hollow cylinder (length 16–20 nm, diameter 11–12 nm). The outer two rings are composed of α-subunits, while β-subunits, which contain the active sites, comprise the inner two rings. Proteasomes from archaebacteria contain only one type each of αand β-subunits. Eukaryotic proteasomes are more divergent; yeast proteasomes have seven different αand seven different β-subunits, each occupying a unique position in the ring. Only three of the seven yeast β-subunits contain the N-terminal threonine necessary for activity (1–2). Mammalian 20S proteasomes have seven different αand ten different β-subunits, and have been classified into two groups. The so-called “constitutive” proteasomes contain three catalytic β-subunits: PSMB5 (X or MB1), PSMB6 (Y or δ), and PSMB7 (Z). These subunits can be replaced in “immunoproteasomes” by the IFN-γ-inducible catalytic β-subunits PSMB8 (LMP7), PSMB9 (LMP2), and PSMB10 (MECL-1), respectively (1–3). Although there are eight possible combinations of catalytic subunits in the β rings, proteasomes with mixtures of constitutive and immune subunits are not favored (4). Replacement of constitutive catalytic subunits with the IFN-γ-inducible subunits has been shown to change the proteasome activities against fluorogenic peptide and protein substrates (2,5). It has been shown that proteasomes are responsible for generation of cytosolic peptides 7–13 amino acids in length, which are presented on cell surfaces in association with major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules (1,3). The IFN-γ-inducible subunits are not essential for MHC-I antigen presentation, but it is thought that the additional
CHAT for chat

This mixed methods study addresses learning in online chat virtual reference service at a large university library. Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) provides the guiding principle and philosophy for the investigation, understanding, and interpretation of learning in online chat service. The research data contains a total of 2380 chat transcripts in their natural setting dated from May 1st to December 31st, 2015. Quantitative data analysis was first conducted, followed by qualitative data analysis on a corpus of 2007 chat conversations with a total of 382,793 words. The findings suggest that mediated learning in chat reference conversations is co-constructed with the technical environment that is mediated by online technology and the social environment that is mediated by social presence. The primary role of the online technology is that it enables developmental transformation of learning of the patron who benefits from both give fish and teach fishing styles of teaching. A mixed methods study guided by the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT).A total of 2380 chat transcripts in their natural setting were analyzed.The mediated learning activity is delivered through Give Fish and Teach Fishing styles of teaching.The mediating artifact is composed of both technical and social environments.Teach Fishing is significantly associated with patrons expressions of appreciation.
Culture in-colour

ABSTRACTCulture in-colour is a concept that recognizes that culture is always imbricated in relations of colour as form, structure, or system and in relations of colours. These two regimes – colour and colours – fold back onto and interpenetrate one another to constitute culture in complex, multiple, contradictory, constitutive relations that are potentially open to change. Theorizing culture in-colour draws on and beyond the image of the cyborg to insist on in-colour as neither a thing, a property of an object, nor a neurological process, but an active verb, a lived event: of interminglings and articulations, of repetitions, struggles, rearticulations, and becomings. The Dress, a 2015 controversy over the colour of a dress in an image circulated over the Internet, reveals how colour is typically thought of – as surface, artifice, and ornament; as a scientific fact; and as a neurological phenomenon – and how it is lived affectively. The anxieties produced by The Dress suggest a tension between the typical...
IMAGING SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS

The functions and major controls of a conventional array ultrasound imaging system are explained through a block diagram. The main sections are the scanner, including the front end and beamformers; back end; user interface; and transducer. Clinical nomenclature for different imaging applications is defined and specialized transducers for these applications are discussed. How image formats are transducer types is explained. Different imaging modes are identified. Advanced methods for improving or extracting more information from image data include time gain compensation (TGC), compounding, border detection and three-dimensional visualization methods. Three major alternate ultrasound imaging architectures are plane wave compounding, synthetic aperture, and Fourier reconstruction. Advantages of research systems are discussed in detail as well as the different types available.
Physiological Aging: Links Among Adipose Tissue Dysfunction, Diabetes, and Frailty

Advancing age is associated with progressive declines in physiological function that lead to overt chronic disease, frailty, and eventual mortality. Importantly, age-related physiological changes occur in cellularity, insulin-responsiveness, secretory profiles, and inflammatory status of adipose tissue, leading to adipose tissue dysfunction. Although the mechanisms underlying adipose tissue dysfunction are multifactorial, the consequences result in secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, immune cell infiltration, an accumulation of senescent cells, and an increase in senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). These processes synergistically promote chronic sterile inflammation, insulin resistance, and lipid redistribution away from subcutaneous adipose tissue. Without intervention, these effects contribute to age-related systemic metabolic dysfunction, physical limitations, and frailty. Thus adipose tissue dysfunction may be a fundamental contributor to the elevated risk of chronic disease, disability, and adverse health outcomes with advancing age.
The Association Between Red Blood Cell Transfusions and Development of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Abstract 1376 Poster Board I-398 Introduction: A relationship between red blood cell (RBC) transfusions and the subsequent development of NHL has been suggested from previous observational reports. The mechanism is unclear but could be related to the known immunomodulatory effect of blood transfusion. This report is a meta-analysis of such observational studies and helps clarifying the strength of such an association, if any. Methods: We searched MEDLINE from January 1966 through June 2009 for observational studies on the association between RBC transfusions and NHL in adults using the keywords “transfusion” and “lymphoma”. Prospective studies and case control studies that reported relative risks (RR), hazard ratios or odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were included. One author (SD) gathered the data and another (JC) reviewed the data. A fixed-effect model (FEM) was used to assess the combined outcome of individual studies while a random-effects model (REM) was used, if needed, to account for heterogeneity between studies. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the Cochrane Q and I 2 statistics. Publication bias was assessed by direct observation of a funnel plot as well as trim-and-fill statistics. Quality of the studies was assessed independently by another author (SP) using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results: Our initial search rendered 1830 articles. After reviewing the abstracts, 21 papers were selected, from which 5 prospective and 9 case-control studies were included in the final analysis. Based on case-control studies, cases receiving RBC transfusions were associated with an RR of 1.37 (95% CI 0.94-1.87) of developing NHL (p=0.11); a REM was used given the heterogeneity found between studies (I 2 =90%; Q=90.9, p 2 =34%; Q=7.7, p=0.17). Publication bias analysis found 2 imputed studies, which would have not altered our results. When pooling data from retrospective and prospective studies, RBC transfusions had a RR of 1.43 (95% CI 1.12-1.84; p=0.005); a REM was used given a high degree of heterogeneity (I 2 =85%; Q=102.0, p Conclusions: In both retrospective and prospective studies, there is an increased risk of developing NHL after getting a RBC transfusion. The possibility that non-diagnosed NHL was the initial indication for transfusions is not addressed by our study, limiting the generalization of our conclusions. After pooling the available data, cases were 43% more likely to develop NHL if they had a RBC transfusion. This risk should be considered non-negligible. Our findings confirm the previously reported association between RBC transfusions and the development of NHL, and further emphasize a conservative approach to RBC transfusions. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Nonequilibrium Self-Assembly of π-Conjugated Oligopeptides in Solution.

Supramolecular assembly is a powerful method that can be used to generate materials with well-defined structures across multiple length scales. Supramolecular assemblies consisting of biopolymer–synthetic polymer subunits are specifically known to exhibit exceptional structural and functional diversity as well as programmable control of noncovalent interactions through hydrogen bonding in biopolymer subunits. Despite recent progress, there is a need to control and quantitatively understand assembly under nonequilibrium conditions. In this work, we study the nonequilibrium self-assembly of π-conjugated synthetic oligopeptides using a combination of experiments and analytical modeling. By isolating an aqueous peptide solution droplet within an immiscible organic layer, the rate of peptide assembly in the aqueous solution can be controlled by tuning the transport rate of acid that is used to trigger assembly. Using this approach, peptides are guided to assemble under reaction-dominated and diffusion-dominate...
'I don't want to be that guy walking in the feminine product aisle': a Photovoice exploration of college men's perceptions of safer sex responsibility.

Incidence and prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to increase among young heterosex...
Optimal Data Rate for State Estimation of Switched Nonlinear Systems

State estimation is a fundamental problem for monitoring and controlling systems. Engineering systems interconnect sensing and computing devices over a shared bandwidth-limited channels, and therefore, estimation algorithms should strive to use bandwidth optimally. We present a notion of entropy for state estimation of switched nonlinear dynamical systems, an upper bound for it and a state estimation algorithm for the case when the switching signal is unobservable. Our approach relies on the notion of topological entropy and uses techniques from the theory for control under limited information. We show that the average bit rate used is optimal in the sense that, the efficiency gap of the algorithm is within an additive constant of the gap between estimation entropy of the system and its known upper-bound. We apply the algorithm to two system models and discuss the performance implications of the number of tracked modes.
Coupled Stability of Non-Nodic Physical Systems

Abstract We are concerned with finding conditions on the controlled behavior of interacting physical systems (e.g., robots and the objects they manipulate) that can guarantee the stability of the interconnection. While I/O (input/output) theory is a common method of analyzing the BIBO (bounded-input/bounded-output) stability of non-linear systems, in this paper we show that standard I/O theory cannot be applied to general interacting physical systems because it is based on a non-general assumption of nodic behavior. In this paper the non-nodic behavior of general physical systems and the constraints it places on the topology of a network of interconnected systems are described. The applicability of an extension of I/O theory to analyze the stability of general (non-nodic) interconnected physical systems is demonstrated.
White Bass ( Morone chrysops ) Preferentially Retain n-3 PUFA in Ova When Fed Prepared Diets with Varying FA Content

We evaluated the fatty acid (FA) composition of broodstock white bass ova fed one of six commercial diets with increasing polyunsaturated FA content (n-6/n-3 ratio; 0.36, 0.39, 0.46, 0.83, 1.07, 1.12) eight weeks prior to sampling. Fatty acid profiles of ova from brooders fed each of the six diets were significantly altered according to canonical discriminant analysis. Ova FA profiles resulting from the 0.39 diet separated those from the 0.36 diet based on lower 18:2n-6 (LNA) and higher 20:1n-9 concentrations from the 0.36 diet. Ova profiles were further separated based on lower concentrations of 22:5n-3 (DPA) from the 0.46 diet, lower concentrations of 20:5n-3 (EPA) in the 1.12 and 0.83 diets, and lower concentrations of 22:6n-3 (DHA) in all other diets relative to the 0.46 diet. Changes in ova FA profile at four and eight weeks were consistent with dietary intake with an approximate 2% increase in any given FA class with increasing time on individual diet. There was no correlation between dietary ARA concentrations (0.7–1.1 mol%), or dietary EPA/ARA ratios (7–15), and the concentrations (1.4–1.7 mol%) or ratios (3.3–4.4) found in the ova by diet. Our results suggest that white bass females have the ability to preferentially incorporate n-3 PUFA, particularly DHA, suggesting mobilization of this FA from other tissues for ova deposition or preferential dietary incorporation of PUFA into ova. These results will add to the limited FA information available in white bass and enable nutritionists to formulate broodstock diets that maximize reproductive potential in this species.
The effects of intracellular Ca2+ on the light response and on light adaptation in Limulus ventral photoreceptors.

The photoreceptors of the horseshoe crab, Limulus, respond to light with a positive-going change in membrane voltage, (i.e. a depolarizing receptor potential). A dark-adapted photoreceptor responds to very dim illumination by producing a series of unitary events, called “quantum bumps”, each about 100 msec. in duration and 10 my in amplitude. Each quantum bump is thought to arise from the absorption of a single photon. In this low intensity range, the frequency of quantum bumps has been measured directly and was found to be nearly proportional to the number of incident photons. (Fuortes and Yeandle, 1964). At higher levels of illumination, individual bumps can no longer be resolved. The light response is characterized by an initial large depolarization, called the “transient”, followed by a smaller “plateau” phase which is maintained for the duration of the stimulus. The amplitude of this plateau phase increases roughly as the logarithm of the stimulus intensity over a very wide range of intensities.
Respiratory Care in Neuromuscular Diseases

Caring for patients with neuromuscular disease (NMD) is challenging. Respiratory care is of the utmost importance because it is a major determinant of quality of life and survival. Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is one of the few modalities that has shown survival benefit in the NMD patient population. Newer modes with smart technologies are being developed to assist in better ventilation. Some noninvasive methods have shown success in the management of sialorrhea, which is of paramount importance in the initiation of NIV. This review will summarize the management of respiratory symptomatology in patients with NMD with recent advances made in NIV.
Manufacturing processes for light alloys

Abstract: This chapter highlights the manufacturing processes used to fabricate lightweight automotive parts. The chapter provides an overview of aluminum and magnesium alloys; describes design issues and manufacturing challenges for light alloys; highlights commonly used metal casting and metal forming processes; identifies enablers to significantly increase the use of light alloys in the production of automotive parts; and describes some of the promising metal forming technologies for light alloys.
NIDS: Neural Network based Intrusion Detection System

Malware detection is an important problem. We propose an efficient real-time system to detect and classify malware based on network behavior using deep neural networks. We show that the splitting of the system into two neural networks, detection and analysis, is the key to increasing accuracy. Therefore, this approach allows for the construction of a real-time monitoring system with very low CPU usage. Finally, we provide a comparison analysis of four machine learning classifiers for this task.
Does the Use of Locking Screws Decrease the Rate of Hardware Removal in Ankle Fractures

Background. While biomechanical characteristics of locking screw fixation versus traditional plating has been studied extensively in orthopaedic literature, clinical outcome studies are lacking. Th...
Reverse traceroute

Traceroute is the most widely used Internet diagnostic tool today. Network operators use it to help identify routing failures, poor performance, and router misconfigurations. Researchers use it to map the Internet, predict performance, geolocate routers, and classify the performance of ISPs. However, traceroute has a fundamental limitation that affects all these applications: it does not provide reverse path information. Although various public traceroute servers across the Internet provide some visibility, no general method exists for determining a reverse path from an arbitrary destination.In this paper, we address this longstanding limitation by building a reverse traceroute system. Our system provides the same information as traceroute, but for the reverse path, and it works in the same case as traceroute, when the user may lack control of the destination. We use a variety of measurement techniques to incrementally piece together the path from the destination back to the source. We deploy our system on PlanetLab and compare reverse traceroute paths with traceroutes issued from the destinations. In the median case our tool finds 87% of the hops seen in a directly measured traceroute along the same path, versus only 38% if one simply assumes the path is symmetric, a common fallback given the lack of available tools. We then illustrate how we can use our reverse traceroute system to study previously unmeasurable aspects of the Internet: we present a case study of how a content provider could use our tool to troubleshoot poor path performance, we uncover more than a thousand peer-to-peer AS links invisible to current topology mapping efforts, and we measure the latency of individual backbone links with average error under a millisecond.
Tobacco Treatment Programs at National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers: A Systematic Review and Online Audit.

Objectives:The main objectives of this study were to evaluate abstinence rates of tobacco treatment programs (TTPs) at National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers (DCCs) and to ascertain the number of NCI-DCCs with online references to TTPs.Methods:Literature searches of Pubmed, EMBASE
Iterative Denoising

One problem in many fields is knowledge discovery in heterogeneous, high-dimensional data. As an example, in text mining an analyst often wishes to identify meaningful, implicit, and previously unknown information in an unstructured corpus. Lack of metadata and the complexities of document space make this task difficult. We describe Iterative Denoising, a methodology for knowledge discovery in large heterogeneous datasets that allows a user to visualize and to discover potentially meaningful relationships and structures. In addition, we demonstrate the features of this methodology in the analysis of a heterogeneous Science News corpus.
Extreme Speech| A Presidential Archive of Lies: Racism, Twitter, and a History of the Present

What histories can be written from an archive of lies? Specifically, what histories of the present can be written from Donald Trump’s Twitter feed? As default press conference and presidential archive, Trump’s tweets break with the past in terms of presidential communication with the public. However, Trump’s political oeuvre is distinguished for additional reasons, including the scale and extent of his public lies and his extreme and derogatory comments about a range of individuals and groups. Both of these include speech that is interpreted as not only (White) nationalist but also racist and misogynist. In this current political moment, scholarly responsibilities include witnessing and analyzing this archive in formation, its contents, the communities it creates, and the sometimes violent work it does in the contemporary United States.
ParaVis: A Library for Visualizing and Debugging Parallel Applications

This paper presents ParaVis, a visualization library designed to aid programmers' understanding of their parallel programs and to help them identify bugs with parallelization. ParaVis is particularly targeted for programmers who are first learning parallel programming or learning a new parallel language. It provides easy-to-use C and C++ interfaces to create 2D animations of parallel computation that help programmers understand parallel data decomposition patterns. These visualizations are also helpful in illustrating errors in parallel programs. Additionally, because students often find visualization fun, the use of our library often results in students developing interesting extensions to problems, thus promoting a deeper understanding and richer experience with parallel computing. Currently we provide support and sample implementations for pthreads, OpenMP, CUDA, and sequential applications. To test its effectiveness for parallel computing education, we deployed ParaVis for lab assignments in both intermediate and upper level courses. We present example applications, and evaluate the use of the library across our undergraduate CS curriculum.
Vascular Lab: Reading in the Endovascular Era

Accompanying the recent rapid expansion of endovascular therapies is an increased need to utilize the noninvasive vascular laboratory to provide quantitative, diagnostic, and surveillance data for vascular patients treated with endovascular therapies. The general indications for noninvasive vascular laboratory testing remain irrespective of whether an open or an endovascular therapy is being entertained. These indications include the diagnosis or exclusion of peripheral arterial disease, the patterns and extent of disease, and the behavior over time of treated vessels. When considering endovascular techniques, the vascular lab can also help to minimize the use of contrast and radiation by localizing and characterizing discrete lesions prior to a potential or planned intervention. Given the apparent overall shorter durability of endovascular peripheral treatments, the vascular lab can also be utilized to identify asymptomatic problems to allow preventative intervention.