cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Liposomal Bupivacaine Versus Traditional Periarticular Injection for Pain Control After Total Knee Arthroplasty

The purpose of this study was to compare a novel liposomal bupivacaine to traditional peri-articular injection (PAI) in a multi-modal pain protocol for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). A retrospective cohort study compared 85 consecutive patients undergoing TKA with a traditional PAI of ropivacaine, epinephrine and morphine to 65 patients with a liposomal bupivacaine PAI. After the initial 24h, inpatient self-reported pain scores were higher in the liposomal bupivacaine group compared to the traditional PAI group (P = 0.04) and a smaller percentage (16.9%) of patients in the liposomal bupivacaine group rated their pain as "mild" compared to the traditional group (47.6%). Liposomal bupivacaine PAI provided inferior pain control compared to the less expensive traditional PAI in a multi-modal pain control program in patients undergoing TKA.
Hibernation in Ground Squirrels Induces State and Species-Specific Tolerance to Hypoxia and Aglycemia: An In Vitro Study in Hippocampal Slices

Hibernation in mammals is associated with a regulated depression of global cellular functions accompanied by reductions of cerebral blood flow that would render the brain profoundly ischemic under normal conditions. Homeostatic control is preserved, however, and brain damage does not occur. We investigated the possibility that hibernation not only confers tolerance to profound hypothermia, but also to hypoxia and aglycemia independent of temperature. Hippocampal slices from ground squirrels Citellus tridecemlineatus in both the active and hibernating states and from rats were subjected to in vitro hypoxia and aglycemia at incubation temperatures of 36 degrees C, 20 degrees C, and 7 degrees C and evaluated histologically. A binary bioassay was used to determine the duration of hypoxia/aglycemia tolerated in each group. At all temperatures, slices from hibernating animals were most tolerant compared with both active squirrels and rats. Slices from active ground squirrels were more tolerant than rat at 20 degrees C and 7 degrees C but not at 36 degrees C indicating a species-specific difference that becomes manifest at lower temperatures. These results indicate that hibernation is associated not only with tolerance to profound hypothermia but also to deprivation of oxygen and glucose. Because tolerance was already demonstrable at the shortest duration of hibernation studied, rapid therapeutic induction of a similar state may be possible. Therefore, identification of the regulatory mechanisms underlying this tolerance may lead to novel neuroprotective strategies.
Four-Parameter Hybrid–Bishop–Hill Model Applied to OFE Copper for the Evaluation of Elastic/Yield Limit

This study employs a novel stress-based Hybrid–Bishop–Hill yield model approach to evaluate the yield surface of oxygen-free electronic copper samples. The local yield surface is determined from three parameters of crystal orientation and one parameter of geometrically necessary dislocation (GND). All four local state variables can be rapidly determined by analysis of measured electron backscatter diffraction patterns. Estimates for the polycrystalline yield surface are obtained by standard averaging procedures. The shape of the yield surface is most influenced by the texture of the material, while the volume of the envelope scales with the average GND density. However, correlations between crystal orientation and GND content modify the yield surface shape and size. While correlations between GND density and crystal orientation are not strong for most copper samples, there are sufficient dependencies to demonstrate the benefits of the detailed four-parameter model. The four-parameter approach has potential for improving estimates of elastic-yield limit in all polycrystalline materials.
Fast approximation of probabilistic frequent closed itemsets

In recent years, the concept of and algorithm for mining probabilistic frequent itemsets (PFIs) in uncertain databases, based on possible worlds semantics and a dynamic programming approach for frequency calculations, has been proposed. The frequentness of a given itemset in this scheme can be characterized by the Poisson binomial distribution. Further and more recently, others have extended those concepts to mine for probabilistic frequent closed itemsets (PFCIs), in an attempt to reduce the number and redundancy of output. In addition, work has been done to accelerate the computation of PFIs through approximation, to mine approximate probabilistic frequent itemsets (A-PFIs), based on the fact that the Poisson distribution can closely approximate the Poisson binomial distribution---especially when the size of the database is large. In this paper, we introduce the concept of and an algorithm for mining approximate probabilistic frequent closed itemsets (A-PFCIs). A new mining algorithm for mining such concepts is introduced and called A-PFCIM. It is shown through an experimental evaluation that mining for A-PFCIs can be orders of magnitude faster than mining for traditional PFCIs.
Growth of Listeria monocytogenes in soymilk.

Abstract Pasteurized or sterilized commercial soymilk was inoculated with two levels ofListeria moncytogenes strain Scott A, Brie-1 or DA-3, and stored at 22°C or 5°C. Similar growth patterns were noted for all three strains in either product. At 22°C, cell numbers increased rapidly, reaching 108-109 ml−1 within 72 h in samples inoculated with 102 or 104 CFU ml−1. Numbers of 5–8 × 108 cells ml−1. were reached after30 days at 5°C. Doubling times were 1·33 h at 22°C and 1·57 days at 5°C. These data indicate the potential rapid psychrotrophic growth ofListeria in soymilk contaminated by these organisms.
A new class of ENO schemes based on unlimited data-dependent least-squares reconstruction

A crucial step in obtaining high-order accurate steady-state solutions to the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations is the high-order accurate reconstruction of the solution from cell-averaged values. Only after this reconstruction has been completed can the flux integral around a control volume be accurately assessed. In this work, a new reconstruction scheme is presented that is conservative, uniformly accurate with no overshoots, easy to implement on arbitrary meshes, has good convergence properties, and is computationally efficient. The new scheme, called DD-Z/2, uses a data-dependent weighted least-squares reconstruction with a fixed stencil. The weights are chosen to strongly emphasize smooth data in the reconstruction. Because DD-Z/2 is designed in the framework of it-exact reconstruction, existing techniques for implementing such reconstructions on arbitrary meshes can be used. The new scheme satisfies a relaxed version of the ENO criteria. Local accuracy of the reconstruction is optimal except for functions that are continuous but have discontinuous low-order derivatives. The total variation of the reconstruction is bounded by the total variation of the function to within O(Ax). The asymptotic behavior of the scheme in reconstructing smooth and piecewise smooth functions is demonstrated. DD-Z,2 produces uniformly highorder accurate reconstructions, even in the presence of discontinuities. Two-dimensional flow solutions obtained using DD-Z/2 reconstruction are compared with solutions using limited least-squares reconstruction. The solutions are virtually identical. The ab* Postdoctoral Research Associate. Mathematics and Computer Science Division, Argomie National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Ave, MCS/221, Argomie, IL 60439. E-uiail: gooch@mcs.anl.gov. This work was supported in part by the Mathematical, Information, and Computational Sciences Division subprogram of the Office of Computational and Technology Research, U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract W-31-109-Eng-38; and in part by the National Research Council while the author was a Research Associate at NASA Ames Research Center. This paper is declared a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. sence of a limiter reduces the CPU time required for DD-La solutions by 15-20% as compared to limited reconstruction, even though the DD-Ly gradient computation is slightly more expensive than ordinary least-squares reconstruction.
Detectability of the effects of a hypothetical temperature increase on the Thornthwaite moisture index

Abstract Climatic changes that result from increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide may affect the availability of water for vegetation, groundwater recharge, runoff, and human consumption. Most studies of the effects of climatic change on water resources focus on changes in mean characteristics of hydrologic variables and do not consider the effects of these changes amid natural climatic variability. In this study, the Thornthwaite moisture index, an index of the supply of water in an area (precipitation) relative to the climatic demand for water (potential evapotranspiration), was used to examine the effects of a hypothetical increase in air temperature on moisture conditions in the United States. The effects of a gradual increase in air temperature at the rate of 4°C per 100 years, with no accompanying change in precipitation, was used to induce a change in Thornthwaite moisture index values for the United States in order to: (i) determine the relation between natural variability in climate and the time needed for significant trends in the moisture index to occur in response to hypothetical warming; (ii) identify the characteristics of areas (e.g. wet/cool, hot/dry etc.) that are most likely to be the first to experience significant changes in the moisture index given the hypothetical temperature increase. The increased temperature resulted in increased potential evapotranspiration and a decrease in the moisture index across the United States. Decreases in the moisture index were greatest in cool/wet regions and least in hot/dry regions. The time required to detect significant trends in the moisture index was a function of both the magnitude of change in the moisture index and the natural year-to-year variability of the moisture index. In general, when the ratio of the magnitude of change in the moisture index to the magnitude of variability was large, the time required to detect significant trends was short. This ratio was largest in cool/wet regions resulting in the shortest detection times.
The case for reliable concurrent multicasting using shared ACK trees

Abstract : Such interactive, distributed multimedia applications as shared whiteboards, group editors, and simulations require reliable concurrent multicast services, i.e., the reliable dissemination of information from multiple sources to all the members of a group. Furthermore, it makes sense to offer that service on top of the increasingly available IP multicast service, which offers unreliable multicasting. This paper establishes that concurrent reliable multicasting over the Internet should be based on reliable multicast protocols based on a shared acknowledgment tree. First, we show that organizing the receivers of a reliable multicast group into an acknowledgment tree and using NAK-avoidance with periodic polling in local groups inside such a tree provides the highest maximum throughput among all classes of reliable multicast protocols proposed to date. Second, we introduce Lorax, which demonstrates the viability of implementing a reliable multicasting approach in the Internet based on acknowledgment trees in a scalable manner. Lorax is the first known protocol that constructs and maintains a single acknowledgment tree for reliable concurrent multicasting, eliminates the need to maintain an acknowledgment tree for each source of a reliable multicast group, and can be used in combination with any of several tree-based reliable multicast protocols proposed to date.
17alpha/H/ hopane identified in oil shale of the Green River formation /Eocene/ by carbon-13 NMR.

During an investigation of C-13 NMR shifts and the structural correspondence of pentacyclic triterpenes a C-13 NMR study was conducted on one of the most abundant components of the hexane soluble fraction of oil shale bitumen of the Green River formation. A rigorous proof was derived exclusively from C-13 NMR data for the structure of the important triterpenoid fossil molecule. It was established that the structure of the isolated triterpane was 17alpha(H) hopane.
A PI-controller for distributed delay systems

Abstract A finite dimensional control theory is developed for the design of a proportional plus integral control law for tracking step command inputs in general autonomous time-lag systems with distributed heredity in state, control and output variables. With respect to an ordinary differential equation describing the delay system unstable modes, an auxiliary tracking problem is posed. This auxiliary problem derives its importance from the fact that its solution directly yields a solution to the original tracking problem. This point of contact with a finite dimensional system permits the application of well-tested ordinary systems tracking theory to the tracking problem in time-lag systems.
Fiber-based drive laser systems for the Cornell ERL electron photoinjector

Cornell University is developing a high brightness, high average current electron source for the injector of an Energy Recovery Linac (ERL) based synchrotron radiation source. Master oscillator-power amplifier (MOPA) laser systems have been developed to satisfy the requirements of the Cornell ERL high brightness electron photoinjector. One system operates at 50-MHz and low average power, and the second system operates at 1.3 GHz and high average power. The GHz system is comprised of a commercial harmonically mode-locked Yb-fiber oscillator, a SMF pre-amplifier, and a double-clad, large-mode area Yb-doped fiber amplifier. Currently, the system provides 45 watts infrared power in a train of 3-ps-long pulses at 1.3 GHz in a near diffraction-limited beam. A BBO Pockels cell is used to generate macropulse trains at various repetition rates. The infrared pulses are frequency-doubled to produce green beam average power of 15 watts. The green pulses (Gaussian shape, FWHM 2.5 ps) are efficiently shaped to flat-top pulses with sharp rise and fall times through differential delay in a set of birefringent crystals (YVO 4 ). The transverse shaping is implemented with commercial refractive beam shaper (Newport). The laser systems design and characterization will be presented. Future work will address achieving of even larger average powers.
Upgraded Trigger Readout Electronics for the ATLAS LAr Calorimeters for Future LHC Running

The ATLAS Liquid Argon (LAr) calorimeters produce almost 200K signals that are digitized and processed by the front-end and back-end electronics for every triggered event. Additionally, the front-end electronics sums analog signals to provide coarse-grained energy sums to the first- level (L1) trigger system. The current design was optimized for the nominal LHC luminosity of 1034cm−2s−1. In order to retain the capability to trigger on low energy electrons and photons when the LHC is upgraded to higher luminosity, an improved LAr calorimeter trigger readout is proposed and being constructed. The new trigger readout system makes available the fine segmentation of the calorimeter at the L1 trigger with high precision in order to reduce the QCD jet background in electron, photon and tau triggers, and to improve jet and missing ET trigger performance. The new LAr Trigger Digitizer Board is designed to receive the higher granularity signals, digitize them on-detector and send them via fast optical links to a new Digital Processing System. The reconstructed energies of trigger readout channels after digital filtering are transmitted to the L1 system, allowing the extraction of improved trigger signatures. This contribution presents the motivation for the upgrade, the concept for the new trigger readout and the expected performance of the new trigger, and describes the components being developed for the new system.
Electron transfer in FeIIFeIII model complexes of iron-oxo proteins

The nature of valence trapping is studied for a series of six μ-phenoxo-bis(μ-carboxylate)-bridged Fe II Fe III complexes. The septadentate ligand bimp - binds the two metal ions and provides a phenoxide bridge as well as four imidazole moieties. The X-ray structure of [Fe II Fe III (bimp)(μ-O 2 CPh) 2 ](BPh 4 ) 2 . 3 / 2 CH 3 CN at 295 K is reported
Mechanisms of action of dendritic cell vaccines for the treatment of cancer

Dendritic cells are specialized antigen-presenting cells that play a dual role in induction of both innate and adaptive immunity as well as T cell tolerance. Dendritic cell based vaccines for the treatment of cancer have shown promise in clinical trials but have yet to demonstrate consistent immunologic potency or clinical efficacy. To address these issues, our group is focusing on strategies to target and activate dendritic cells, in vivo, in tumor bearing hosts. Experiments in animal models suggest that these strategies can overcome tumor-induced immunosuppression, and generate potent T cell mediated antitumor immunity that results in regression of established tumors.
The Magnetic Moment of the Deuton

The magnetic moment of the deuton was measured by the deflection of a beam of neutral deuterium atoms. The magnetic moment of the deuton is found to be 0.75\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2 nuclear units.
Minimization of Parasitic Currents in High‐Temperature Conductivity Measurements on High‐Resistivity Insulators

An experimental setup and novel measurement technique are described which allow reliable conductivity measurements to be made at conductivities as low as 10−17Ω−1.cm−1 and temperatures up to at least 1300°C. This capability is of particular interest for conductivity measurements on high-resistivity insulators over a large range of temperatures. This technique has been used to measure the conductivity of single-crystal alumina from 400° to 1300°C in a 10−7 torr (∼1.3 × 10−5 Pa) vacuum, equivalent to an oxygen partial pressure of about 10−8 torr (∼1.3 × 10−11 atm or ∼ 1.3 × 10−6 Pa). Surface and gas-phase conductance are determined as a function of temperature, and the requirements for their minimization are described. A key requirement is a very low voltage between the volume guard and the guarded electrode. The effect of leakage currents due to the sample fixture, electrical feedthroughs, and electronic instrumentation are also evaluated, and proper design features to make these effects negligible are outlined.
Some new aspects of nuclear structure at high spins

This paper will focus on the properties of lead and some neighboring nuclei at high spins where they have exotic shapes, such as superdefbrmed (SD) and oblate. The limits of the region of superdeformation around mass 190 will be explored. On the heavy side, the lead nuclei form the high-Z limit. On the light side, a new SD band has been observed in 191Au, the first one in a gold nucleus, extending the low-Z limit. Collective oblate bands, not often found in the nuclear chart, have recently been observed in a number of lead nuclei (and also in Tl and Hg nuclei) at high spins. They are favored because the Fermi level is located near the oblate-driving high-K h92and i132 proton orbitals. Their properties will be examined. A summary of what we hope to learn in the near future will conclude this paper.
Are Nurses an Answer to New Primary Care Needs

In this issue, Shaw and colleagues describe how nurse-managed protocols can have a positive effect on the outpatient management of adults with chronic conditions. The editorialists discuss the stud...
Electrically conductive thermoplastic blends for injection and compression molding of bipolar plates in the fuel cell application

This study aimed at developing highly conductive, lightweight, and low-cost bipolar plates for use in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Injection and compression molding of carbon-filled polypropylene, PP, and polyphenylene sulfide, PPS, were used to fabricate the bipolar plates. Loadings up to 60 wt% in the form of graphite, conductive carbon black, and carbon fibers were investigated. The developed compositions have a combination of properties and processability suitable for fuel cell bipolar plate manufacturing, such as good chemical resistance, sufficient fluidity, and good electrical and thermal conductivity. Two bipolar plate designs were successfully fabricated by molding the gas flow channels over aluminum plates to form a metallic/polymer composite plate or simply by direct injection molding of the conductive polymer composite. For the first design, overall plate volume resistivities of 0.2 and 0.1 Ohm-cm were respectively attained using PP and PPS based blends as the conductive overmolded layer. A lower volume resistivity of around 0.06 Ohm-cm was attained for the second design with injection molded plates made of the PPS-based blend. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:1755–1765, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.
Refractive lens based full-field x-ray imaging at 45-50 keV with sub-micron resolution

Combining sub-micron spatial resolution full-field-imaging with the penetration property of high-energy x-rays (> 50 keV) offers numerous applications, such as the ability to observe cracks and voids associated with the onset of failure in engineering materials, complementing x-ray diffraction microscopy probes. Progress in the development of adding such an imaging capability at the Advanced Photon Source high-energy x-ray undulator beamline 1-ID is reported. An initially tested, long baseline configuration had 18-21× x-ray image magnification with compound refractive lenses (as objective) placed 1.8 m after the specimen, and a two-dimensional detector located at a 32–37 m additional distance, in a different experimental station. Later, a more compact set-up of 3.5× magnification with a ≈6 m sample-to-detector separation, fitting within a single end-station, was tested. Both set-ups demonstrated 500 nm level spatial resolutions at energies within the 45–50 keV range. Phase contrast artifacts are present, and are discussed in view of the goal of achieving tomography capability, at even higher resolution, in such an instrument with high x-ray energies.
Recent progress and concerns in dementia: Distinguishing Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies via biochemical markers in the cerebrospinal fluid

Dementia is mainly a neurodegenerative disorder involved in several systems, including central nervous system, endocrinology/metabolism system and circulatory system. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are the most common forms of the dementia, accounting for 60% - 80% and 10% - 20% of all cases, respectively. DLB is defined by widespread neocortical, limbic and brainstem Lewy bodies but frequently accompanied by variable levels of AD pathology. This pathological and clinical overlap makes their differential diagnosis complicated. Recent advances in the identification of disease bio-markers now make it possible to detect and distinguish their pathology in the early or preclinical stage of the diseases, even in cognitively normal individuals. In addition to the key biomarkers (amyloid β or Aβ, tau and α-synuclein), neurotrophins such as cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) have also drawn attention due to their expressions and functions. This article summarizes the progress in the definition, pathology and diagnosis of dementia, with a focus on potential biochemical markers in the cere-brospinal fluid (CSF) in the differential diagnosis of the main forms of dementia. To prediction or early diagnosis of dementia, the role of specific and sensitive CSF biomarkers seems to be crucial in a routine clinical setting. The concerns and challenges in the biomarker field are also discussed.
Motivational Factors Affecting Patient Attrition in a Weight Reduction Program

Abstract The study hypothesizes that the greater the satisfaction of a patient's basic motivational needs, the greater the likelihood that the patient will complete the program. Patients were given a self-report questionnaire to assess the strength of their basic motivational needs as they entered the program; and a Likert-type questionnaire concerning satisfaction of needs as they left the program. The results show that those who completed the program experienced greater satisfaction of needs than those who did not complete the program. Analysis of covariance of completion of the program and need satisfaction was significant (p < .01) thus supporting the hypothesis. “Long-term Oral Contraceptive Use and the Risk of Breast Cancer,” THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL CANCER AND STEROID HORMONE STUDY. Using oral contraceptives for long periods or using them when one has other risk factors has been hypothesized to increase the risk of breast cancer. To study these issues, we analyzed data from a multicenter, ca...
Epigenetically reprogramming metastatic tumor cells with an embryonic microenvironment

We have previously shown that the microenvironment of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is able to change and reprogram aggressive cancer cells to a less aggressive state. Some mechanisms implicated in the phenotypic changes observed after this exposure are mainly associated with the Nodal signaling pathway, which plays a key role in tumor cell plasticity. However, several other molecular mechanisms might be related directly and/or indirectly to these changes, including microRNA (miRNA) regulation and DNA methylation. Aim: To further explore the epigenetic mechanisms potentially underlying the phenotypic changes that occur after exposing metastatic melanoma cells to a hESC microenvironment. Materials & Methods: A total of 365 miRNAs were screened using the TaqMan® Low Density Arrays. We also evaluated whether DNA methylation could be one of the factors regulating the expression of the inhibitor of Nodal, Lefty, in hESCs (where it is highly expressed) vs melanoma cells (where it is not expressed). Results...
The Renin–Angiotensin System Mediates EGF Receptor–Vitamin D Receptor Cross-Talk in Colitis-Associated Colon Cancer

Purpose: We previously showed that EGF receptor (EGFR) promotes tumorigenesis in the azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS) model, whereas vitamin D suppresses tumorigenesis. EGFR–vitamin D receptor (VDR) interactions, however, are incompletely understood. Vitamin D inhibits the renin–angiotensin system (RAS), whereas RAS can activate EGFR. We aimed to elucidate EGFR–VDR cross-talk in colorectal carcinogenesis. Experimental Design: To examine VDR–RAS interactions, we treated Vdr +/+ and Vdr −/− mice with AOM/DSS. Effects of VDR on RAS and EGFR were examined by Western blotting, immunostaining, and real-time PCR. We also examined the effect of vitamin D3 on colonic RAS in Vdr +/+ mice. EGFR regulation of VDR was examined in hypomorphic Egfr Waved2 ( Wa2 ) and Egfr wild-type mice. Angiotensin II (Ang II)–induced EGFR activation was studied in cell culture. Results: Vdr deletion significantly increased tumorigenesis, activated EGFR and β-catenin signaling, and increased colonic RAS components, including renin and angiotensin II. Dietary VD3 supplementation suppressed colonic renin. Renin was increased in human colon cancers. In studies in vitro , Ang II activated EGFR and stimulated colon cancer cell proliferation by an EGFR-mediated mechanism. Ang II also activated macrophages and colonic fibroblasts. Compared with tumors from Egfr Waved2 mice, tumors from Egfr wild-type mice showed upregulated Snail1, a suppressor of VDR, and downregulated VDR. Conclusions: VDR suppresses the colonic RAS cascade, limits EGFR signals, and inhibits colitis-associated tumorigenesis, whereas EGFR increases Snail1 and downregulates VDR in colonic tumors. Taken together, these results uncover a RAS-dependent mechanism mediating EGFR and VDR cross-talk in colon cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 20(22); 5848–59. ©2014 AACR .
On-chip spiral inductors with patterned ground shields for Si-based RF ICs

This paper presents a patterned ground shield inserted between an on-chip spiral inductor and silicon substrate. The patterned ground shield can be realized in standard silicon technologies without additional processing steps. The impacts of shield resistance and pattern on inductance, parasitic resistances and capacitances, and quality factor are studied extensively. Experimental results show that a polysilicon patterned ground shield achieves the most improvement. At 1-2 GHz, the addition of the shield increases the inductor quality factor up to 33% and reduces the substrate coupling between two adjacent inductors by as much as 25 dB. We also demonstrate that the quality factor of a 2-GHz LC tank can be nearly doubled with a shielded inductor.
Epigenetics for behavioral ecologists

Environmentally dependent behavioral variation may play a critical role in several ecological and evolutionary phenomena, in particular, rapid adaptation to novel and changing environments. Although it is clear that the expression and inheritance of environmentally dependent animal behaviors can be mediated by epigenetic mechanisms—factors that influence gene expression without modifying the DNA sequence, per se—our understanding of epigenetic processes underlying behavioral variation in natural populations is limited. This is, in part, due to the difficult nature of characterizing epigenetic mechanisms and processes in genetically heterogeneous populations that experience variable environments. In this review, we first highlight the advances that have been made toward understanding molecular epigenetic mechanisms underlying behavioral variation, and their potential role in ecological and evolutionary processes. We then propose approaches and systems that will be amenable to the study of behavioral epigenetics in natural populations. Although well-executed studies in this emerging field will be challenging and few, they have the potential to shed new light on several outstanding ecological and evolutionary questions. Key wor ds: DN A methylation, environmental variation, inheritance, maternal effects, rapid evolution, transgenerational. [Behav Ecol]
Entropy of H2O Wetting Layers

Proton order is less constrained in a fully H-bonded, adsorbed H2O monolayer than in bulk ice. Thus, though weakly, configurational entropy favors wetting by deposited H2O over formation of 3-D cry...
Towards an affective interface for assessment of psychological distress

Even with the rise in use of TeleMedicine for health care and mental health, research suggests that clinicians may have difficulty reading nonverbal cues in computer-mediated situations. However, the recent progress in tracking affective markers (i.e., displays of emotional expressions on face and in voice) has opened the door to new clinical applications that might help health care providers better read nonverbal behaviors when employing TeleMedicine. For example, an interface that automatically quantified affective markers could assist clinicians in their assessment of and treatment for psychological distress (i.e., symptoms of depression and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)). To move towards this prospect, we will show that clinicians' judgments of these nonverbal affective markers (e.g., smile, frown, eye contact, tense voice) could be informed by such technology. The results of our evaluation suggest that clinicians' ratings of nonverbal affective markers are less predictive of psychological distress than automatically quantified affective markers. Because such quantifications are more strongly associated with psychological distress than clinician ratings of these same nonverbal behaviors, an affective interface providing quantifications of nonverbal affective markers could potentially improve assessment of psychological distress.
"Keep Pressing On": Spiritual Epistemology and Its Role in the Collegiate Lives of Black Gay and Bisexual Men.

AbstractThis qualitative study explores how the spiritual epistemology of Black, gay and bisexual, cisgender men in college changed during their spiritual journeys and how participants used spirituality in their collegiate lives. External forces, such as family members, religious text, and church settings, initially shaped many participants’ spirituality, but their spirituality expanded to integrate participants’ passions and interests, such as science and music, as they moved towards developing their own spiritual guidelines. Students also used their spirituality as a source of motivation during college and a guide for collegiate decisions.
Erectile function following unilateral cavernosal nerve graft

15642 Background: Over the past 20 years, radical prostatectomy has been a mainstay in the treatment of localized prostate cancer. With the adoption of nerve-sparing procedures, select patients may...
Attempts at Pricing of the Regulatory Commodity: EU Emission Credits

The market of emission credits as well as other pollution-related commodities is currently viewed as an important instrument of the reduction of environmentally hazardous emissions. European trading in emission credits followed promulgation of the Kyoto Treaty by all major EU nations after 1997 and started in earnest in early 2000s. While the experience with emission credits is widely discussed in its economic, legal and policy implications, pricing of regulation-based commodities remains obscure. Yet, the success of market-based regulations critically depends on the efficiency of prices. In my paper, I propose a quantitative model, which can account for the empirical behavior of the EU emission credits in the period 2005-2007.
Mode Specificity in the HCl + OH → Cl + H2O Reaction: Polanyi's Rules vs Sudden Vector Projection Model

The dynamics and mode specificity of the HCl + OH → Cl + H2O reaction are investigated using a full-dimensional quantum dynamics method on an accurate global potential energy surface. It is shown that the vibrational excitation of the HCl reactant greatly enhances the reactivity while the OH vibrational excitation has little effect. The surprising HCl vibrational enhancement of this early barrier reaction contradicts a naive extension of Polanyi's rules, but can be explained by the sudden vector projection model, which attributes the promotional effect of the HCl vibration to its strong coupling with the reaction coordinate at the transition state. In addition, it is found that the fundamental and overtone excitations of the HCl reactant change the reaction mechanism from a direct barrier crossing process to a capture-like process.
Long-term balancing selection at the Phosphorus Starvation Tolerance 1 (PSTOL1) locus in wild, domesticated and weedy rice (Oryza)

The ability to grow in phosphorus-depleted soils is an important trait for rice cultivation in many world regions, especially in the tropics. The Phosphorus Starvation Tolerance 1 (PSTOL1) gene has been identified as underlying the ability of some cultivated rice varieties to grow under low-phosphorus conditions; however, the gene is absent from other varieties. We assessed PSTOL1 presence/absence in a geographically diverse sample of wild, domesticated and weedy rice and sequenced the gene in samples where it is present. We find that the presence/absence polymorphism spans cultivated, weedy and wild Asian rice groups. For the subset of samples that carry PSTOL1, haplotype sequences suggest long-term selective maintenance of functional alleles, but with repeated evolution of loss-of-function alleles through premature stops and frameshift mutations. The loss-of-function alleles have evolved convergently in multiple rice species and cultivated rice varieties. Greenhouse assessments of plant growth under low- and high-phosphorus conditions did not reveal significant associations with PSTOL1 genotype variation; however, the striking signature of balancing selection at this locus suggests that further phenotypic characterizations of PSTOL1 allelic variants is warranted and may be useful for crop improvement. These findings suggest balancing selection for both functional and non-functional PSTOL1 alleles that predates and transcends Asian rice domestication, a pattern that may reflect fitness tradeoffs associated with geographical variation in soil phosphorus content.
Direct economic burden of 803 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and influencing factors in Ningbo

Objective To understand the direct economic burden of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) in communities in Ningbo,Zhejiang province. Methods A total of 803 COPD patients in 24 communities in Ningbo were selected through random clustering sampling as study subjects,and a household questionnaire survey was conducted among them to collect the information about their demographic characteristics,COPD suffering and direct economic burden caused by COPD in the past years. Results The median of annual direct economic burden was 4243 yuan RM B for the COPD patients. The difference in direct economic burden between males and females was statistical significant( t = 2. 259,P = 0. 024),but differences was not statistical significant among different age groups( F = 2. 822,P = 0. 06). The main influencing factors included age,sex and marital status. Conclusion The direct economic burden of community COPD patients was heavy in Ningbo. It is necessary to develop appropriate health police and conduct effective intervention to ruduce the economic burden suffered by COPD patient.
A Knowledge Model Sharing Based Approach to Privacy-Preserving Data Mining

Privacy-preserving data mining (PPDM) is an important problem and is currently studied in three approaches: the cryptographic approach, the data publishing, and the model publishing. However, each of these approaches has some problems. The cryptographic approach does not protect privacy of learned knowledge models and may have performance and scalability issues. The data publishing, although is popular, may suffer from too much utility loss for certain types of data mining applications. The model publishing is lacking of efficient algorithms for practical use in a multiple data source environment. In this paper, we present a knowledge model sharing based approach which learns a global knowledge model from pseudo-data generated according to anonymized knowledge models published by local data sources. Specifically, for the anonymization of knowledge models, we present two privacy measures for decision trees and an algorithm that obtains an anonymized decision tree by tree pruning. For the pseudo-data generation, we present an algorithm that generates useful pseudo-data from decision trees. We empirically study our method by comparing it with several PPDM methods that utilize existing techniques, including three methods that publish anonymized-data, one method that learns anonymized decision trees directly from the original-data, and one method that uses ensemble classification. Our results show that in both single data source and multiple data source environments and for several different datasets, predictive models, and utility measures, our method can obtain significantly better predictive models (especially, decision trees) than the other methods.
Hazard Assessment of Listeria monocytogenes in the Processing of Bovine Milk.

The steps in Grade A production of bovine milk for human consumption were assessed. A cumulative distribution of values, based on published data, was used to evaluate steps for milking, storage, transportation and pasteurization. Conservative estimates of parameters in the distributions were used to compute concentrations and probabilities. Under normal operations, the probability was less than 2 in 100 that one Listeria monocytogenes cell occurs in every 2 gallons of milk processed at exactly 71.7°C for 15 s. The probability was less than 2 in 100 that one cell occurs in 3.8 × 1010 gallons processed at 74.4°C for 20 s.
Behavioral health in young adults with epilepsy: Implications for transition of care

Abstract Aim Neurodevelopmental and behavioral health disorders commonly occur with epilepsy, yet risk for young adults is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution and risk characteristics of neurodevelopmental and behavior health comorbidities among young adults with epilepsy compared with those among young adults with migraine and healthy controls. Method A case-control study examining hospital admission, outpatient, and emergency department (ED) visits for young adults with an ICD-9-CM diagnosis of epilepsy, migraine, or lower extremity fracture (LEF) was conducted. The association of epilepsy, migraine, or LEF with comorbidities was evaluated with univariate and multivariate polytomous logistic regression. Results From 2000 to 2013, 29,139 young adults ages 19 to 25 years were seen in hospitals and EDs for epilepsy (5666), migraine (17,507), or LEF (5966). Young adults with epilepsy had higher proportions of behavioral health comorbidities (51.8%) compared with controls with migraine (37.6%) or LEF (21.6%). In young adults with epilepsy compared with migraine, the increased risk of having any behavioral health comorbidity was 76%, and neurodevelopmental comorbidity was 297%. After adjustment, young adults with epilepsy showed significantly higher odds of each behavioral health comorbidity compared with controls with migraine and LEF. Interpretation Young adults with epilepsy are particularly susceptible to behavioral health and neurodevelopmental disorders. Results are discussed within the context of transition to adult care.
Development of the Ultra-Low Vision Visual Functioning Questionnaire (ULV-VFQ).

Purpose To develop and psychometrically evaluate a visual functioning questionnaire (VFQ) in an ultra-low vision (ULV) population. Methods Questionnaire items, based on visual activities self-reported by a ULV population, were categorized by functional visual domain (e.g., mobility) and visual aspect (e.g., contrast) to ensure a representative distribution. In Round 1, an initial set of 149 items was generated and administered to 90 participants with ULV (visual acuity [VA] ≤ 20/500; mean [SD] age 61 [15] years), including six patients with a retinal implant. Psychometric properties were evaluated through Rasch analysis and a revised set (150 items) was administered to 80 participants in Round 2. Results In Round 1, the person measure distribution (range, 8.6 logits) was centered at -1.50 logits relative to the item measures. In Round 2, the person measure distribution (range, 9.5 logits) was centered at -0.86 relative to the item mean. The reliability index in both rounds was 0.97 for Items and 0.99 for Persons. Infit analysis showed four underfit items in Round 1, five underfit items in Round 2 with a z-score greater than 4 cutoff. Principal component analysis on the residuals found 69.9% explained variance; the largest component in the unexplained variance was less than 3%. Conclusions The ULV-VFQ, developed with content generated from a ULV population, showed excellent psychometric properties as well as superior measurement validity in a ULV population. Translational relevance The ULV-VFQ, part of the Prosthetic Low Vision Rehabilitation (PLoVR) development program, is a new VFQ developed for assessment of functional vision in ULV populations.
Membrane protein dynamics and functional implications in mammalian cells.

The organization of the plasma membrane is both highly complex and highly dynamic. One manifestation of this dynamic complexity is the lateral mobility of proteins within the plane of the membrane, which is often an important determinant of intermolecular protein-binding interactions, downstream signal transduction, and local membrane mechanics. The mode of membrane protein mobility can range from random Brownian motion to immobility and from confined or restricted motion to actively directed motion. Several methods can be used to distinguish among the various modes of protein mobility, including fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, single-particle tracking, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, and variations of these techniques. Here, we present both a brief overview of these methods and examples of their use to elucidate the dynamics of membrane proteins in mammalian cells—first in erythrocytes, then in erythroblasts and other cells in the hematopoietic lineage, and finally in non-hematopoietic cells. This multisystem analysis shows that the cytoskeleton frequently governs modes of membrane protein motion by stably anchoring the proteins through direct-binding interactions, by restricting protein diffusion through steric interactions, or by facilitating directed protein motion. Together, these studies have begun to delineate mechanisms by which membrane protein dynamics influence signaling sequelae and membrane mechanical properties, which, in turn, govern cell function.
A Formal Theory of Commonsense Psychology: How People Think People Think

Commonsense psychology refers to the implicit theories that we all use to make sense of people's behavior in terms of their beliefs, goals, plans, and emotions. These are also the theories we employ when we anthropomorphize complex machines and computers as if they had humanlike mental lives. In order to successfully cooperate and communicate with people, these theories will need to be represented explicitly in future artificial intelligence systems. This book provides a large-scale logical formalization of commonsense psychology in support of humanlike artificial intelligence. It uses formal logic to encode the deep lexical semantics of the full breadth of psychological words and phrases, providing fourteen hundred axioms of first-order logic organized into twenty-nine commonsense psychology theories and sixteen background theories. This in-depth exploration of human commonsense reasoning for artificial intelligence researchers, linguists, and cognitive and social psychologists will serve as a foundation for the development of humanlike artificial intelligence.
Conversion Therapy for Initially Borderline/Unresectable Metastases in Colon Cancer: What Is the Best Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy?

Resection of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) can dramatically improve overall survival (OS), particularly in patients with isolated colorectal liver metastases (CLMs). In this review, we summarize recent findings and studies addressing chemotherapy ± targeted therapy before and after metastatectomies in patients with CLM. For initially unresectable CLM that could become resectable after response to medical therapy, FOLFIRINOX has the highest response and conversion rates and is safely administered with bevacizumab. In RAS wild-type, left-sided tumors, chemotherapy with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-targeted therapy should be strongly considered given high (~ 70%) response rates. In patients who present with resectable CLM, there is no clear indication that neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves OS. While the New EPOC trial showed detrimental progression-free survival in the combination arm containing cetuximab in this setting, methodologic issues with that trial have raised questions about the strength of these data. Through multidisciplinary management in patients with isolated CLM, the best course of action to effect an R0 resection of all known disease-coupling surgery with medical therapy can significantly improve patient outcomes.