cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inertial Sensor-Based Feedback Can Reduce Key Risk Metrics for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury During Jump Landings

Background: The incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury can be decreased through the use of intervention programs. However, the success of these programs is dependent on access to a skilled trainer who provides feedback; as such, these programs would benefit from a simple device with the capacity to provide high-quality feedback.Hypothesis: Feedback based on kinematic measurements from a simple inertial sensor-based system can be used to modify key ACL injury risk metrics (knee flexion angle, trunk lean, knee abduction moment) during jump landing.Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.Methods: Seventeen subjects (7 male) were tested during drop jump tasks. Their movements were measured simultaneously with inertial, optoelectronic, and force platform systems. Feedback provided to the subjects was based only on measurements from the inertial sensor-based system (knee flexion angle, trunk lean, and thigh coronal velocity). The subjects conducted a baseline session (without landing instruction...
Noninformative Tests of the Unbiased Forward Exchange Rate

In this paper a familiar, but unsettling result in the foreign exchange literature is reexamined: that the forward rate is not an unbiased predictor of the future spot rate. The paper outlines why some frequently used tests of unbiasedness are noninformative in the sense that they are incapable of correctly testing the hypothesis. Specifically, many of these tests are based on regressions that suffer from simultaneity bias, resulting in biased and inconsistent estimators. This is true whether the tests are conducted using stationary or nonstationary data. This point is demonstrated both analytically and with simulations. Tests of cointegration, which are not subject to the critique presented in the paper, generally fail to reject unbiasedness.
An industry case study of micro component design and semantic mediation

This paper is a case study of enterprise integration in financial industry which consists of two parts. The first is component based design, and the second is semantic mediation. It explains why componentisation and semantics are both critical. This research paper uses examples in the industry to demonstrate component-based implementation and semantics mediation. To investigate the fundamental mechanism for the further understanding of the meaning of semantic mediation, we execute benchmarking by using both empirical experiments and theoretical modelling. Our observations show that a significant enhancement can be achieved by using the mediation strategy in semantic metadata.
Frontal Systems Behavior Scale in schizophrenia: relationships with psychiatric symptomatology, cognition and adaptive function

Schizophrenia patients often exhibit impairments in executive functioning on formal testing and exhibit behaviors consistent with executive/frontal impairment in daily life. The Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe) assesses behaviors associated with frontal lobe damage including executive dysfunction, apathy and disinhibition. We examined the reliability and validity of the FrSBe in 131 schizophrenia outpatients. Subjects were rated on the FrSBe and received symptom, cognitive and functional assessments. Statistical tests were corrected for multiple comparisons. The FrSBe was found to have good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. All three dimensions of the FrSBe (i.e. executive dysfunction, apathy and disinhibition) were significantly correlated with poor adaptive functioning as measured by the Social and Occupational Functioning Scale and the Functional Needs Assessment. In addition, differential relationships were found for apathy and disinhibition with symptoms as rated from the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and with cognitive variables including Trails B and verbal fluency scores. A multivariate analysis of variance examined differences on the FrSBe between patients and a group of 51 education-matched controls. Patients had significantly greater impairment on the FrSBe than controls. These differences were found for all FrSBe subscales. Results support the use of the FrSBe to characterize goal-directed behavior in schizophrenia patients.
Rotational atherectomy for in-stent restenosis : Acute and long-term results of the first 100 cases

Abstract Objectives. This study evaluated the clinical safety and long-term results of rotational atherectomy (RA) followed by low-pressure balloon dilatation (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty [PTCA]) for the treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR). Background. In-stent restenosis is associated with a high incidence of recurrence after interventional treatment. Because ISR is due to neointimal hyperplasia, rotational ablation may be a more effective treatment than PTCA. Methods. Between November 1995 and November 1996, 100 consecutive patients with first-time ISR were treated by RA. Quantitative coronary angiography and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) were used to analyze the acute procedural results. The incidence of repeat in-stent restenosis and target vessel revascularization (TVR) at follow-up was determined. Results. Procedural success without any major in-hospital complications was achieved in 100% of cases. Slow flow was observed in 3% and creatine kinase-MB enzyme elevation >3× normal occurred in 2%. The mean burr-to-artery ratio was 0.68 ± 0.18 and adjuvant balloon dilatation was performed at 4.2 ± 2.1 atm. Minimum luminal diameter increased from 0.86 ± 0.28 mm to 1.89 ± 0.21 mm after RA and to 2.56 ± 0.29 mm after adjunct PTCA. Quantitative IVUS analysis showed that 77% of the luminal gain occurred due to rotational ablation of the restenotic tissue and only 23% occurred after adjunct balloon dilation, and further stent expansion did not contribute to the luminal enlargement. At a mean follow-up of 13 ± 5 months, repeat in-stent restenosis occurred in 28% of patients with TVR of 26%. Univariate predictors of repeat restenosis were burr-to-artery ratio Conclusions. Rotational atherectomy is a safe and feasible technique for treatment of ISR and is associated with a relatively low recurrent restenosis in comparison to historical controls of balloon angioplasty.
Huntington's Disease: Lessons from and for Molecular Neuroscience

The past 2 decades have witnessed an explosion in molecular neurogenetics and neurobiology. The aggres sive application of new techniques to the dominantly inherited disorder, Huntington's disease, defined the standard for the positional cloning of human genetic diseases. A parallel effort from neurobiologists and clinicians has set the stage for the development of potential new therapies for the disease. Along the winding road to finding the gene, many lessons were learned by clinicians and scientists alike. The next decade of research offers new challenges and rewards for those involved with this disease. The Neuroscientist 1:51- 58, 1995
First Sale Decided: The Road to the Kirtsaeng v. Wiley Decision and What It Means for Libraries

This article focuses on the first sale doctrine by way of cases that have gone to the Second Circuit, Ninth Circuit, and the Supreme Court, and reviews the recent Supreme Court decision in the Kirtsaeng v. Wiley case. An analysis of the appropriate literature is carried out, paying close attention to sources that contribute to the library community's opinion on the importance of the first sale doctrine for libraries. The literature review found evidence of similar views on the part of librarians and law professionals of the term “lawfully made under this title” (17 U.S.C. § 109(a)) as meaning works made by the copyright holder, as opposed to a pirated or copy of a work manufactured in the United States. An overview of the opinions of law and library professionals on the issue of first sale and how it contributes to the basic operation of libraries is provided. The intention is to review the ambiguous past of the first sale doctrine and arrive at a clearer understanding of why the Supreme Court has ruled t...
A Comparison of Energy Densities of Prevalent Energy Sources in Units of Joules Per Cubic Meter

Typically, the energy densities of solids or liquids such as coal and oil are measured in dimensions of energy per unit volume or energy per unit mass, whereas solar, wind, and hydroelectric sources are rated in dimensions of power per unit area. This article provides a unifying framework for comparing several prevalent energy sources on an energy-per-unit volumebasisforthepurposeofunifyingconventionalmetrics.Theenergydensityofoilis35to 45 gigajoules (10,000 kWh) per cubic meter*. When measured using the methods presented, solar energyhas adensity of1.5microjoulespercubic meter, overtwentyquadrilliontimes less thanoil. Humanenergydensityisapproximately1000J/m 3 , while other inexhaustibles such as wind and tidal have energy densities of 0.5 to 50 J/m 3 . This article provides an educational engineering mathematics framework for calculating energy densities of prevalent energy sources. The goal is to provide a new perspective on how to compare energy sources on a more fundamental basis. Finally, the article provides a method of estimating the dollars-perjoule for natural resources versus human resources and concludes with commentary on how political decisions may be affected by energy densities and energy costs.
Telomere components as potential therapeutic targets for treating microbial pathogen infections.

In a number of microbial pathogens that undergoes antigenic variation to evade the host’s immune attack, genes encoding surface antigens are located at subtelomeric loci, and recent studies have revealed that telomere components play important roles in regulation of surface antigen expression in several of these pathogens, indicating that telomeres play critical roles in microbial pathogen virulence regulation. Importantly, although telomere protein components and their functions are largely conserved from protozoa to mammals, telomere protein homologues in microbial pathogens and humans have low sequence homology. Therefore, pathogen telomere components are potential drug targets for therapeutic approaches because first, most telomere proteins are essential for pathogens’ survival, and second, disruption of pathogens’ antigenic variation mechanism would facilitate host’s immune system to clear the infection.
Increased excitability of lateral habenula neurons in adolescent rats following cocaine self-administration.

Background: The lateral habenula is a brain region that has been critically implicated in modulating negative emotional states and responses to aversive stimuli. Exposure to addictive drugs such as cocaine negatively impacts affective states, an effect persisting longer than acute drug effects. However, the mechanisms of this effect are poorly understood. We hypothesized that drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, may contribute to drug-induced negative affective states by altering the firing properties of lateral habenula neurons, thus changing the signaling patterns from the lateral habenula to downstream circuits. Methods: Using whole-cell current-clamp recording of acutely prepared brain slices of rats after various periods of withdrawal from cocaine self-administration, we characterized an important heterogeneous subregion of the lateral habenula based on membrane properties. Results: We found two major relevant neuronal subtypes: burst firing neurons and regular spiking neurons. We also found that lateral habenula regular spiking neurons had higher membrane excitability for at least 7 days following cocaine self-administration, likely due to a greater membrane resistance. Both the increase in lateral habenula excitability and membrane resistance returned to baseline when tested after a more prolonged period of 45 days of withdrawal. Conclusion: This is the first study to look at intrinsic lateral habenula neuron properties following cocaine exposure beyond acute drug effects. These results may help to explain how cocaine and other drugs negatively impact affect states.
Securing the virtual state recent developments in privacy and security

Recent developments in U.S. privacy and security policy are traced, including coverage of the renewal of the PATRIOT Act, the domestic spying affair of 2005 to 2006, passage of the Real ID Act, and other developments associated with the Department of Homeland Security. Threats to democratic values are assessed.
ALGORITHMIC CHALLENGES IN LEARNING PATH METRICS FROM OBSERVED CHOICES

In many systems it is an essential part of the operation to find optimal paths in large graphs. In order to understand the system, we need to know the path metric under which the optimal paths are chosen. In many cases, however, no explicite knowledge of the metric is available, we can only observe the path choices that are made. Our goal is to learn the unknown metric, as accurately as possible, from the observed path choices. We present a mathematical model and method to handle this problem. Our main result is that the unknonw path metric can be optimally learned by a polynomial time algorithm, if we assume an additive (but unknown) metric over the graph edges. We also consider the case when the path metric is general, that is, not necessarily additive.
Coupling properties of whispering gallery modes

Summary form only given. We investigated the modification of external coupling properties in the presence of modal coupling using high-Q silica microspheres coupled to fiber-tapers. The long photon lifetime of high-Q microresonators makes possible a counter-intuitive effect where minute scattering gives rise to the regime of strong modal coupling. In this regime, scattering into the oppositely oriented mode is the dominant scattering process. We demonstrate that it is possible to experimentally obtain extremely large modal coupling, while maintaining quality factors of 10/sup 8/. Normalized modal splitting ratios as large as 30 were observed.
Development and Validation of the Performance Management Behavior Questionnaire

This study integrates literature on performance management and organizational behavior with input from managers to develop a 27-item measure of performance management behavior. We used 8 samples, including multisource data, to develop a reliable multidimensional scale that replicated across samples. The scale demonstrated content validity, both convergent and discriminant validity, and incremental validity, and criterion-related validity was established through the scale's relation with measures of management effectiveness and job attitudes. Overall, this study suggests that the Performance Management Behavior Questionnaire (PMBQ) is a reliable and valid measure and that performance management behaviors have important implications for both employees and organizations.
Analysis of responses to the Rho-kinase inhibitor Y-27632 in the pulmonary and systemic vascular bed of the rat

Responses to the Rho kinase inhibitor Y-27632 were investigated in the anesthetized rat. Under baseline conditions intravenous injections of Y-27632 decreased pulmonary and systemic arterial pressures and increased cardiac output. The decreases in pulmonary arterial pressures were enhanced when baseline tone was increased with U-46619, and under elevated tone conditions Y-27632 produced similar percent decreases in pulmonary and systemic arterial pressures. Injections of Y-27632 prevented and reversed the hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstrictor response. The increase in pulmonary arterial pressure in response to ventilation with a 10% O2-90% N2 gas mixture was not well maintained during the period of hypoxic exposure. Treatment with the nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) inhibitor nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) increased pulmonary arterial pressure and prevented the decline or fade in the hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstrictor response. The hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstrictor response was reversed by Y-27632 in control and in l-NAME-treated animals. The Rho kinase inhibitor attenuated increases in pulmonary arterial pressures in response to intravenous injections of serotonin, angiotensin II, and Bay K 8644. Y-27632, sodium nitrite, and BAY 41-8543, a guanylate cyclase stimulator, decreased pulmonary and systemic arterial pressures and vascular resistances in monocrotaline-treated rats. These data suggest that Rho kinase is involved in the regulation of baseline tone and in the mediation of pulmonary vasoconstrictor responses. The present data suggest that the hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstrictor response is modulated by the release of NO that mediates the nonsustained component of the response in the anesthetized rat. These data suggest that Rho kinase and NOS play important roles in the regulation of vasoconstrictor tone in physiological and pathophysiological states and that monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension can be reversed by agents that inhibit Rho kinase, generate NO, or stimulate soluble guanylate cyclase.
Isolationism and Domestic Politics

Isolationism has long been seen as a reaction against domestic economic conditions or a threatening international environment, but domestic politics could equally spur such a reaction. Disagreement with current foreign policy or opposition to political parties directing foreign policy may provoke negative feelings on the general prospect of international engagement. Some of what appears to be isolationism, then, is not a universal rejection of international intervention but is instead contingent on partisan control of the executive. Data from the American National Election Studies confirms this: copartisans of the president are substantially less likely to agree with isolationist statements or simultaneously to support isolationism and specific interventionist policies. In addition to further illuminating the sources of public opinion about foreign policy, these findings suggest that some common measures of isolationism may not measure what they intend to measure.
Identifying Factors that Shape Capital Jurors' Impressions of Attorneys

Research has explored how jurors perceive a wide range of stimuli in capital cases. Studies have measured capital jurors' perceptions of evidence, arguments, witnesses, defendants, punishments, and aggravating and mitigating factors. There is, however, relatively little empirical evidence regarding how capital jurors perceive attorneys in these cases. This research attempts to fill this gap by and describing capital jurors' impressions of trial attorneys. The data derive from transcripts of interviews conducted by the Capital Jury Project with 1,198 former capital jurors. Thematic analysis was used to identify the factors that form the basis of capital jurors' impressions of attorneys. Findings show that eleven factors exert a powerful influence on how jurors in capital cases come to perceive defense and prosecuting attorneys.
To beam or not to beam

When prostate cancer is deprived of androgen stimulation, it becomes more sensitive to radiation therapy, in part through inhibition of the DNA repair machinery. This explains why prostate cancer patients do better when androgen deprivation therapy is added to their external beam radiation treatment. But recent reports suggest that, in a subset of prostate cancer patients, radiation therapy can actually up-regulate androgen receptor signaling, a potentially undesirable effect. A new report by Spratt et al . examines what this observation means for the use of androgen deprivation therapy after radiation treatment. In this study, the authors studied the effect of radiation therapy on androgen receptor signaling in multiple human prostate cancer models in vitro and in vivo. The authors showed that radiation therapy up-regulated androgen receptor expression and activity in four human prostate cancer cell lines and that the magnitude of the up-regulation correlated with increased tumor viability. These findings were confirmed in xenograft tumors; androgen receptor mRNA and protein increased within 24 hours of radiation and were generally elevated for at least 9 days. Moreover, the tumors with the greatest percent increase in androgen receptor signaling grew more rapidly. Similarly, in 227 patients with prostate cancer, 40 (18%) showed an increase in androgen receptor–regulated targets such as serum-free-HK2 (human glandular kallikrein 2) after radiation. These patients were more likely to experience an increase in PSA (a marker of prostate cancer) than the patients with unchanged or declining HK2. These results address concerns about the indiscriminate use of androgen deprivation therapy. Measurements of androgen receptor activity during and after combined androgen-deprivation and radiation therapy could identify those men with increased radiation-induced androgen signaling, enabling selection of the patients most likely to benefit from further androgen-deprivation therapy. D. E. Spratt et al ., Androgen receptor upregulation mediates radioresistance after ionizing radiation. Cancer Res. 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-15-0892 (2015). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2015/10/02/0008-5472.CAN-15-0892.abstract
Expression of the extrinsic 23-kDa protein of photosystem II in response to salt stress is associated with the K+/Na+ discrimination locus Kna1 in wheat

A single locus, Kna1, which plays a key role in the control of K+/Na+ discrimination in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) adapted to salinity, has been mapped within a 1.1-cM region on the 4D/4B map. The investigation presented here examined whether Kna1 modulates specific membrane protein(s). Membrane fractions were isolated from young leaf blades, crowns, and leaf sheaths. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was used to search for membrane proteins that may be involved in Kna1 genetic or physiological mechanisms. Protein changes found in the salt-stressed parental Kna1 and kna1 lines were mapped using a population of 4D/4B recombinant lines with variable distal regions of the 4D chromosomes. No protein polymorphisms co-segregated with Kna1 in protein fractions isolated from the crowns, roots, or sheaths. Two up-regulated protein polymorphisms in the leaf blade membrane fraction of salt-stressed plants that completely cosegregated with Kna1 were identified. On the basis of sequence analysis the membrane protein was identical to the extrinsic 23-kDa protein of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II. The steady-state mRNA accumulation remained unchanged among different lines under conditions of salt stress. These results suggest that expression of the 23-kDa protein might be modulated by Kna1 at the post-transcriptional level and that the response of protein expression to NaCl stress treatment might attribute to the mechanism of K+/Na+ discrimination in wheat.
Abstract LB-302: Inhibition of STAT3 following systemic delivery of STAT3 antisense oligonucleotide results in target inhibition in tumor and tumor-associated stromal cells and dramatic reduction in circulating pro-tumorigenic cytokines

Constitutive activation of STAT3 has been documented in a broad range of neoplastic tissues. STAT3 is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of numerous genes involved in the proliferation, survival, and metastasis of tumor cells. In addition, STAT3 contributes to tumorigenesis by modulating immune responses mediated by tumor stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment. The immuno-suppressive, pro-tumorigenic effects of STAT3 are regulated by induction or inhibition of several key cytokines. However STAT3 remains a difficult target to drug with conventional approaches. Here, we have studied the effects of selective downregulation of STAT3 in various cancer settings by optimized antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). We assessed the effects of STAT3 downregulation on the expression of cytokines and the progression of cancer. Initially, the safety of inhibiting STAT3 was demonstrated in tolerability studies, where no notable toxicities were observed despite near complete abrogation of STAT3 expression in the liver following systemic delivery of ASO in both rodents and in non-human primate. ASO treatment led to STAT3 inhibition in tumor cells and several non-tumor stromal cell populations of the tumor. In addition, dramatic reduction in key pro-tumorigenic cytokines including IL-6 and IL-1b was observed in C26 colon cancer-bearing animals, which correlated with the decrease of STAT3 level in tumor and stromal cells. This result suggests that STAT3 might not only transmit the IL-6 signal from upstream pathway, but regulates IL-6 level possibly in an auto-feedback manner. Downregulation of STAT3 also led to the inhibition of IL-6-induced C-reactive protein (CRP) expression, which was recently reported to play a key role in the progression of multiple myeloma (MM). Moreover, inhibition of STAT3 resulted in a significant delay in tumor growth in STAT3-dependent MDA-MB-231 breast cancer and U251 glioblastoma xenograft models following systematic ASO treatment. The results from this study collectively suggest that STAT3 expression can be specifically modulated by ASOs in vivo tumor models and that in addition to effects in tumor cells STAT3 ASOs regulate the balance of tumorigenic cytokines in the tumor microenvironment. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-302. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-LB-302
Regulatory Reform in Florida: An Opportunity for Greater Competitiveness and Economic Efficiency

As the quantity and scope of regulations in Florida grow, so does the degree to which they affect the economy. In these circumstances, a little reform to the process of creating regulations can go a long way toward crafting an environment that fosters competitiveness and economic efficiency. This paper proposes two simple yet effective regulatory reforms that Florida could adopt to make new regulations more economically efficient. First, before designing a regulation, regulators should define the problem the regulation is supposed to address, which should include determining whether a widespread and systemic problem exists and identifying its causes. Second, once a problem has been identified, regulators should consider a wide range of alternatives before selecting a course of action. Both suggested reforms could be usefully applied to all regulatory actions, thereby improving Florida’s competitiveness and helping to prevent unnecessary regulatory burdens to its economy.
Analysis on the incidence trend of three major infectious diseases in Rizhao in 1993-2011

Objective This study was designed to analyze the incidence trend of three major infectious diseases including hepatitis A,dysentery and epidemic hemorrhagic fever in Rizhao during the period 1993-2011.Methods The incidence of infectious disease was calculated annually from July 2012.Linear regression analysis method was applied to analyze the trend,together with the statistical indicators of average increasing rate(AIR) and annual percent change(APC).Using a linear regression anakysis to calculate the cowe lation coefficient,the resultof P0.05was considered to be statistically significant.Results The AIR of hepatitis A,dysentery and epidemic hemorrhagic fever in the 19 years were-0.1702,-0.09,-0.10 respectively,and the APC were-51.2,-47.1,-270 respectively,the differences were statistically significant(alP0.05).Conclusions The incidence of three major infectious diseases shows an obvious decreasing trend,proving that the measures taken in the past have played an active role in disease prevention and control.Prevention and control measures should be continued in future to control the incidence at a low level.
Loss of a C 2 H n fragment from pyrene and circumcoronene

Reactions at the edge of pyrene and circumcoronene are studied using the B3LYP approach in conjunction with the 4-31G and 6-31G** basis sets. The loss of a C2Hn fragment from the edge of either molecule requires more than 7 eV, which is much larger than for the loss of an H atom. Some paths can be broken down into a series of less energetic steps, but this does not change the overall endothermicity of the process. The exception is a path where a hydrogen atom adds to pyrene or circumcoronene. The resulting molecule rearranges to have a C2Hn side group, which is subsequently lost. This process has an overall endothermicity of only about 2.5 eV. This path is actually less endothermic than the loss of an H atom from the same species.
MRI/CAT Scanners

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detects ice ball expansion during freezing and can be used to monitor cryosurgery. It can also be used to stage the depth of vascular lesions. Percutaneous cryoablation of osteomas in children under computerized tomography has been reported as successful and safe.
“England a Free Nation”: Milton’s Prose and the Ancient Constitution

At the start of “Milton and Bentley,” William Empson writes that “English critics adopt a curious air of social superiority to Bentley; he is the Man who said the Tactless Thing,”1 and the same can be said of Empson himself. Although he remains a constant presence, Miltonists usually cite Empson so as to refute him.2 As we have seen, Empson’s point about Bentley is that despite his eccentric ideas about the textual issues surrounding Paradise Lost, he, nonetheless, “raised several important questions about Milton’s use of language”—questions that should not be dismissed or explained away.3 The same can be said of Empson himself,4 whose “tactlessness” lies in his tendency toward making such assertions as “The picture of God in the poem … is astonishingly like Uncle Joe Stalin; the same patience under an appearance of roughness, the same flashes of joviality, the same thorough unscrupulousness, the same real bad temper.”5 Such statements retain their power to shock, and they have (understandably) upset Milton’s critics who rushed to prove Empson wrong.6
Competing Identities and Turkey’s Future

One frequent observation about the contemporary world is that the pace of change appears to be accelerating. Turkey is a case in point, and the same is true of Turkey’s relationships with the Middle East, the European Union, and the wider world. All have continued to evolve at such an astonishing rate that almost the only constant has been change itself. Early in the millennium Turkey appeared to have managed the difficult transition from a long era of military control to a relatively stable elected government and liberal democratic values. That expectation eroded in subsequent years under the rule of Prime Minister (now President) Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP), with an unmistakable drift towards a decidedly illiberal democracy – if not outright authoritarianism – and increased violence at home and abroad. At the time of writing (late-July 2016), Turkey has recently experienced a major military coup, a formal state of emergency has been declared, and a sweeping crackdown is occurring that affects virtually every sector of society.
Exciton Splitting in Thin Copper Indium Disulfide Nanosheets

Nanosheets of Cu2–xS having discrete thicknesses of five, six, and eight crystallographic monolayers are prepared by adaptation of literature methods. These are converted to CuInS2 nanosheets having the same discrete monolayer thicknesses by cation-exchange reactions. The six- and eight-monolayer CuInS2 nanosheets exhibit broad, nearly featureless extinction (absorption) spectra that are generally characteristic of CuInS2 nanocrystals. However, the thinnest, five-monolayer CuInS2 nanosheets exhibit structured extinction spectra having a well-resolved doublet feature with peaks at 2.74 and 2.54 eV. An exciton-splitting (valence-band-splitting) model assigns the transitions to excitons derived from inequivalent A, B, and C holes from the bulk band structure of CuInS2. This splitting is analogous to the heavy-hole, light-hole splitting observed in the absorption spectra of III–V quantum wells and pseudo-two-dimensional II–VI nanocrystals. The model semiquantitatively accounts for the magnitude of the observe...
Does mpMRI improve clinical criteria in selecting men with prostate cancer for active surveillance

Active surveillance (AS) has excellent short to medium term outcomes in well-selected prostate cancer patients. Traditional biopsy-based selection criteria have been criticized for inaccurate determination of cancer grade and extent. We evaluated the incremental benefit of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) in patient selection using various AS criteria. We retrospectively evaluated men who received mpMRI before radical prostatectomy between 2011 and 2014. Patients were classified as suitable for AS using four criteria: (1) Epstein, (2) National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) low-risk or (3) extended criteria (Gleason ⩽3+4, PSA ⩽15 ng/ml, clinical stage ⩽T2b) using clinical parameters. The incremental value of mpMRI was evaluated against the referent standard of surgical pathology in determining suitability for AS using sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios (LRs) and area under receiver operating curves (AUCs). We evaluated 208 men. Only one man fulfilled Epstein criteria (1) at pathology, who was neither identified using clinical criteria nor mpMRI. Using (2), clinical criteria had a sensitivity of 80%, specificity 75%, LR+ 3.3, LR− 0.3, AUC 0.78, while combined clinical-mpMRI criteria achieved a sensitivity of 80%, specificity 99.5% (P<0.01), LR+ 162, LR− 0.2 and AUC 0.90 (P<0.01 compared to clinical). Using (3), clinical criteria had a sensitivity of 74%, specificity 47%, LR+ 1.4, LR− 0.6, AUC 0.60, while combined clinical-mpMRI criteria achieved a sensitivity of 26% (P<0.01), specificity 97% (P<0.01), LR+ 8.3, LR− 0.8 and AUC 0.62 (P=0.85). Addition of mpMRI significantly improved selection of men for AS using NCCN low-risk criteria. For selecting men with limited prognostic grade group 2, mpMRI significantly improved specificity at the expense of sensitivity.
Understanding barriers to medication, dietary, and lifestyle treatments prescribed in polycystic kidney disease

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is the most common genetic renal disease and the fourth leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the United States. Although there is no cure for PKD, several treatments are considered to be beneficial, including blood pressure control, exercise, low-salt diet, and high volume water intake. However, levels of understanding of the importance of these treatments and adherence to these recommendations vary among patients. This study explores illness perception models of patients with PKD to reveal barriers in adherence to prescribed therapies; satisfaction with medical care; and sources of medical information. We designed a phenomenological interview study to evaluate illness perception models of individuals with PKD. Patients were identified from the national PKD Foundation e-mail distribution list (N = 190) and responded voluntarily to an introductory survey (N = 50). Seventeen PKD patients in the Bay Area were scheduled for one-on-one in-depth interviews with one trained interviewer (W-CT). Open-ended questions administered with an interview guide were used to evaluate patients’ beliefs. Mean age was 56.6 +/− 12 years (range 29–78); 65% were female. Many of the PKD patients in this study were highly motivated and willing to incorporate blood pressure, exercise, low-salt diet, and high volume water intake into their daily routines. Barriers to adherence to these therapies include personal beliefs and confusion due to unclear recommendations. These findings suggest there is variability between what patients understand about their disease and treatments and what they believe their doctors have told them. Not all physicians focus on lifestyle-based treatments, but the majority of PKD patients in our study are motivated and willing to incorporate blood pressure control, exercise, low-salt diet, and high volume water intake into their daily routines and would like specific recommendations on how to implement these. These findings support a role for further exploring patient beliefs about the disease and its necessary treatments in order to design strategies to improve communication and meet the needs of these patients.
Development of microsatellite loci exhibiting reverse ascertainment bias and a sexing marker for use in Emperor Geese (Chen canagica)

The Alaskan population of Emperor Geese (Chen canagica) nests on the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta in western Alaska. Numbers of Emperor Geese in Alaska declined from the 1960s to the mid-1980s and since t...
Addictive Personality and Cell Phone Usage

Since the invention of the World Wide Web, game boxes, computers, cell phones, numeric pagers and blackberry, loads of information gathering, sharing and high-tech communication have evolved into new social structures known as (ICT) information and communication technology. This technology has been so outstanding that over 3.3 billion people use cell phone and subscribe to (SN) social networks such as MySpace, Twitter, and FaceBook rather than “face-to-face” (Massimini & Peterson, 2009) interaction as a source of control. Research of online “social networks” (Massimini & Peterson, 2009) show a correlation between excessive ICT use and unhealthy lifestyles with addictive personality disorder from “media overload.”
Suicide in U.S. Workplaces, 2003–2010: A Comparison With Non-Workplace Suicides

Introduction Suicide rates have risen considerably in recent years. National workplace suicide trends have not been well documented. The aim of this study is to describe suicides occurring in U.S. workplaces and compare them to suicides occurring outside of the workplace between 2003 and 2010. Methods Suicide data originated from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injury database and the Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System. Suicide rates were calculated using denominators from the 2013 Current Population Survey and 2000 U.S. population census. Suicide rates were compared among demographic groups with rate ratios and 95% CIs. Suicide rates were calculated and compared among occupations. Linear regression, adjusting for serial correlation, was used to analyze temporal trends. Analyses were conducted in 2013–2014. Results Between 2003 and 2010, a total of 1,719 people died by suicide in the workplace. Workplace suicide rates generally decreased until 2007 and then sharply increased ( p =0.035). This is in contrast with non-workplace suicides, which increased over the study period ( p =0.025). Workplace suicide rates were highest for men (2.7 per 1,000,000); workers aged 65–74 years (2.4 per 1,000,000); those in protective service occupations (5.3 per 1,000,000); and those in farming, fishing, and forestry (5.1 per 1,000,000). Conclusions The upward trend of suicides in the workplace underscores the need for additional research to understand occupation-specific risk factors and develop evidence-based programs that can be implemented in the workplace.
Neuropsychologische Rehabilitation von kognitiven Störungen und Persönlichkeitsstörungen nach Hirnschädigung

In den spaten 1970er und fruhen 1980er Jahren wurden die ersten Rehabilitationsprogramme in Tageskliniken fur Patienten mit mittlerem bis schwerem Schadel-Hirn-Trauma (SHT) entwickelt (Ben-Yishay et al. 1982, Prigatano et al. 1986). Diese Programme basierten auf einem holistischen Ansatz, wie er zuerst von Goldstein formuliert wurde (Prigatano Ben-Yishay 1999). Der Einfluss von Lurias Ansatzen wird dabei v. a. in Europa deutlich (Christensen Caetano 1996).
Vanadate Sensitized Photocleavage of Proteins

Over the past three years, it has become clear that vanadate, the vanadium(V) oxyanion, can serve as a photosensitizing chromophore that is capable of catalyzing the scission of peptide bonds at specific locations within a protein. This photolytic activity of vanadate is closely related to its ability to inhibit many of the enzymes involved in phosphate metabolism. In most cases, this inhibition occurs as a result of the tetrahedral VO 4 3- anion acting as a phosphate analogue that binds to a phosphate binding site of an enzyme with substantially greater affinity than phosphate itself and so acting as a dead-end kinetic block. Among the phosphohydrolases inhibited in this way are acid and alkaline phosphatases, RNAase, some protein phosphatases, the ion-transporting Ca2+ — and Na, K-ATPases in cell membranes, the dynein ATPases responsible for many forms of microtubule-based motility, and the myosin ATPase responsible for relative sliding of myosin and actin filaments in muscle (van Etten et al., 1974; Lopez et al., 1976; Lindquist et al., 1973; Cantley et al., 1977; Gibbons et al., 1978; Kobayashi et al., 1978; Goodno, 1979; Markus et al., 1989). These enzymes differ substantially in their manner of interaction with phosphate, and the detailed mechanism of their inhibition by vanadate presumably differs correspondingly (Boyd and Kustin, 1984).
Bilateral congenital absence of the internal carotid arteries: a case report.

Abstract Congenital absence of the internal carotid artery is a rare occurrence. Even more infrequent are cases where the patient has a bilateral absence of the internal carotid arteries. Reported is a case of a 52-year-old woman who presented with optic nerve neuropathy, and was incidentally discovered to have a congenital bilateral absence of her internal carotid arteries. During computed tomography angiography imaging looking for cerebral venous thrombosis, related to her preexisting condition of bilateral elevated optic discs and residual left optic neuropathy, the findings were made. The absence of the arteries is not always recognizably symptomatic, with most findings being incidental through imaging studies only. This is because collateral flow allows for sufficient cerebral circulation. However, this condition puts such patients at higher risk for conditions such as aneurysms and subsequently strokes where the collateral flow exists.
Review of Andrea Graziosi and Frank E. Sysyn, editors. Communism and Hunger: The Ukrainian, Chinese, Kazakh, and Soviet Famines in Comparative Perspective.

Book review of Andrea Graziosi and Frank E. Sysyn, editors. Communism and Hunger: The Ukrainian, Chinese, Kazakh, and Soviet Famines in Comparative Perspective. Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies P, 2016. Conference papers first published in East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies , guest editors, Andrea Graziosi and Frank E. Sysyn, editor-in-chief, Oleh S. Ilnytzkyj, vol. 3, no. 2, 2016, pp. 3-165. viii, 158 pp. Maps. Tables. Graphs. Selected Bibliography of Socialist Famines in the Twentieth Century. $24.95, paper.
Abstract 362: Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 Forms a Complex With FXIa on the Surface of Endothelial Cells, Blocking Its Activity and Inducing the Clearance, Internalization and Degradation of FXIa

Background: The activation of coagulation factor (F) XI by activated coagulation FXII (FXIIa) is a prothrombotic process. The endothelium is known to play an antithrombotic role by preventing throm...
Standardizing Surgical Education: Implications for Quality of Care

Surgical education in the USA has dramatically improved over the last century in large part due to the standardization of surgical training that was instituted after the Flexner Report and the formation of regulatory organizations in surgery such as the American Board of Surgery (ABS) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). In the era of the 80-h resident work week, it is more imperative than ever those surgical training programs implement standardized and validated curricula that can adequately train and assess residents and fellows for their future roles as independent surgeons. This chapter will discuss the development of the standardized curriculum required of all trainees who are board certified in general surgery as well as the bariatric surgery fellowship curriculum and will outline their implications on quality of care in the field of bariatric surgery.
Total Abdominal Colectomy with End-Ileostomy

This chapter describes the endoscopic/surgical procedure for total abdominal colectomy with end-ileostomy as performed by the following approaches: open and laparoscopic. The text includes an introduction that outlines the indications, risks, alternatives, essential steps, needed equipment, and variations in technique for the procedure in question. This is followed by a template operative dictation, which provides the reader with an operative report, such as is found in a patient chart or electronic medical record. A description is provided of the following critical concepts for this procedure: mobilization of the left colon, transverse colon, and right colon, rectosigmoid division, terminal ileal division, and creation of end-ileostomy.
Noisy Subgraph Isomorphisms on Multiplex Networks

We address the problem of finding noisy subgraph isomorphisms on large multiplex networks. Our goal is to find as many subgraph matches as possible within a noise tolerance. We propose a novel approach based on the well-known $A^{\ast}$ search algorithm. Our approach employs new heuristics to estimate the number of missing edges of subgraph matches. This method is verified on one of the synthetic multiplex networks from the Modeling Adversarial Activity program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Current Techniques to Accurately Measure Anti-retinal Autoantibodies.

Introduction Autoimmune retinopathy (AR) is a sight-threating retinal disorder that is mediated by autoantibodies (AAbs) against retinal proteins. The visual paraneoplastic syndromes, including cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR) and melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR) are mediated by anti-retinal AAbs. A number of immunochemical techniques have been used to detect serum anti-retinal autoantibodies in patients to help with autoimmune diagnosis. Area covered We review techniques used for serum autoantibody evaluation in patients with suspected autoimmune retinopathy. Expert opinion Detection of serum AAbs have served as the standard diagnostic tool for autoimmune retinopathies and for management of retinal disorders. An identification of anti-retinal autoantibody or multiple autoantibodies can be useful for not only for diagnosis of autoimmune retinopathies but also for management of retinal disorders. We propose that the line-blotting technique used in conjunction with immunohistochemistry are the best and most reliable assays for detection of serum anti-retinal AAb in the context of clinical history and findings. Clinician should recognize that the majority of antigenic targets identified to date in retinal autoimmunity are ubiquitously expressed proteins (e.g. enolase), which may be difficult to reconcile with the specific patterns of retinal damage observed in CAR, MAR, or AR.
Malignant brain astrocytomas: Extent of resection affects survival

Malignant astrocytomas, which include anaplastic astrocytomas and glioblastomas (GBM) are the most common malignant primary central nervous system tumors in adults. Despite advances in medical and surgical therapy, the median survival for patients harboring these tumors remains less than 2 years. This shortened survival has made many wonder if aggressive surgical resection prolongs survival for patients with malignant astrocytomas. For many solid organ malignant tumors, gross total resection with clear margins is associated with extended survival. However, the effect of extensive resection on prolonging survival for patients with malignant astrocytomas is less clear. This lack of clarity is confounded by the fact that these tumors are frequently invasive and widely infiltrative, and often involve eloquent areas. Aggressive surgery therefore may be associated with new deficits. This chapter evaluates the role that aggressive resection has on survival for patients with malignant astrocytomas.