cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Waveform Detector That Targets Template‐Decorrelated Signals and Achieves Its Predicted Performance, Part I: Demonstration with IMS Data

Abstract Waveform correlation detectors used in seismic monitoring scan multichannel data to test two competing hypotheses: that the data contain (1) a noisy, amplitude‐scaled version of a template waveform or (2) only noise. In reality, seismic wavefields include signals triggered by nontarget sources (background seismicity) and target signals that are only partially correlated with the waveform template. We reform the waveform correlation detector hypothesis test to accommodate deterministic uncertainty in template‐to‐target waveform similarity and thereby derive a new detector from convex set projections (the cone detector) for use in explosion monitoring. Our analyses give probability density functions that quantify the detectors’ degraded performance with decreasing waveform similarity. We then apply our results to three announced North Korean nuclear tests and use International Monitoring System (IMS) arrays to determine the probability that low magnitude, off‐site explosions can be reliably detected with a given waveform template. We demonstrate that cone detectors provide (1) an improved predictive capability over correlation detectors to identify such spatially separated explosive sources, (2) competitive detection rates, and (3) reduced false alarms on background seismicity. Online Material: Description and illustration of several theoretical and practical aspects of implementing the correlation and cone detector on geophysical waveform data.
Treatment of High Grade Isthmic Spondylolisthesis by Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion with Structural Fibular Allograft

The treatment for high-grade spondylolisthesis remains controversial. Although several techniques are commonly used, several variables for each patient need to be considered in the decision making process. In addition to the patient’s diagnosis, symptoms, age, bone quality, slip level, and slip grade, severe slip angles present an increased challenge to many approaches. We describe a reverse Bohlman technique with one anterior-to-posterior transdiscal structural fibular allograft at L5-S1, standard anterior interbody fusion at L4-L5, and a minimally invasive L4-S1 posterolateral spinal fusion with instrumentation from S1 into the L5 vertebral body that we have used successfully to treat a high grade isthmic spondylolisthesis. To our knowledge, this is the first description of a minimally invasive posterior approach in combination with an anterior reverse Bohlman technique to address high-grade spondylolisthesis.
Abstract 362: Cardioprotective Effects of Adiponectin in Volume Overload Induced Electrophysiological Remodeling

The electrophysiological hallmark of the failing heart is the prolongation of action potential duration that induces arrhythmia and sudden death. Depressed outward potassium currents (Ito) has been implicated as the major cause of altered action potential during ventricular remodeling. The molecular mechanism underlying depressed Ito in the diseased heart is still poorly understood. Recent studies have demonstrated that adiponectin (APN) has a cardio-protective effect in response to various pathological stimuli; however, little information is available regarding the potential effects of APN on electrophysiological remodeling under pathological conditions. The present study were to determine the effect of adiponectin treatment on ventricular potassium channel function in a rat model of volume overload induced heart failure. Volume-overload was induced by surgical creation of an infrarenal aorta-vena cava fistula. Rats were administrated with or without adenovirus-mediated overexpression of adiponectin (Ad-APN) at 2-, 5- and 8- weeks post-fistula. In vivo ECGs were used to evaluate changes in QT interval in rats at 10 weeks post-fistula. Ventricular myocytes were isolated at 10 weeks post-fistula. Western blots were used to measure cytoplasmic and membrane protein expression of potassium channels Kv4.2 and Kv 4.3, as well as, KChIP2. Whole cell patch clamp was used to evaluate action potential and Ito currents. Results showed that adiponectin levels in serum and myocytes were significantly reduced following fistula. The duration of action potential was prolonged in ventricular myocytes following 10-week fistula, which was correlated with the in vivo QT interval prolongation, as well as a depression of functional Ito and decreased protein expression of Ito channel subunits in ventricular myocytes. In vivo supplementation of Ad-APN increased the protein levels of Ito channel subunits and prevented Ito depression in ventricular myocytes following 10-week fistula. This further restored the duration of action potential and the QT interval on the ECG back to the normal. These results indicate that adiponectin was able to prevent volume overload-induced ventricular electrophysiological remodeling.
Risk of cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and other subtypes of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma

Background Second hematologic cancers in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL) are well documented and include Hodgkin lymphoma, therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia/myelodysplastic syndromes, and transformation to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Although cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) has been reported in patients with CLL, the incidence and comparison to expected rates are unknown. We evaluated the incidence of CTCL among patients with CLL or other non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) subtypes using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Methods We searched the SEER 13 registries for patients with a diagnosis of CLL and NHL between 1992 and 2008. Among patients identified, we evaluated the incidence of CTCL. Results Among 31,286 patients with CLL, the incidence of CTCL was not significantly higher in men than women: 104.2 (95% CI, 50.0–191.8) and 28.1 (95% CI, 3.4–101.3) per 1,000,000 person-years, respectively (P = 0.06). Among 97,691 patients with NHL, the incidence of CTCL was similar in men and women (97.9 [95% CI, 62.0–146.9] and 92.0 [95% CI, 56.2–142.1] per 1,000,000 person-years, respectively; P = 0.84). The incidence of CTCL among males with CLL (standardized incidence ratio [SIR], 3.0 [95% CI, 1.4–5.5]), males with NHL (SIR, 3.7 [95% CI, 2.3–5.5]), and females with NHL (SIR, 5.9 [95% CI, 3.6–9.1]) was significantly higher than expected in the general population (all P < 0.001). Conclusion The risk of CTCL is greater in men with CLL than in the general population. In patients with NHL, both men and women are at greater risk for CTCL than in the general population.
Differentiation of craniomandibular morphology in two sympatric Peromyscus mice (Cricetidae: Rodentia)

In the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, dietary partitioning is believed to allow Peromyscus californicus (California mouse) and Peromyscus truei (pinyon mouse) to occur sympatrically; P. californicus feeds primarily on arthropods, whereas P. truei feeds primarily on acorns. To better understand how these species partition resources, we examine if these dietary differences extend to differences in craniomandibular morphology. We use a geometric morphometric approach to test the hypothesis that P. californicus and P. truei exhibited size and shape differences in craniomandibular morphology, in particular, regions of the skulls that pertain to biting ability and mechanical advantage of the jaw adductor muscles. We found that P. truei exhibited relatively wider zygomatic arches, relatively broader, more robust masseteric fossa and coronoid process, and a higher mechanical advantage of the masseter jaw muscle. These craniomandibular traits suggested that P. truei exhibits a relatively stronger bite force that is more suitable to access hard-shelled acorns despite its smaller body size.
Programmable microfluidic genotyping of plant DNA samples for marker-assisted selection

As demands to maintain the global food production continue to mount, multinational seed companies are turning to new DNA marker technologies to accelerate the rate of plant breeding and crop improvement. The key to widespread adoption of molecular breeding is the availability of flexible and cost-effective tools that can perform combinatorial and high-throughput genotyping of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to guide the crop development process. Toward this end, we have developed a programmable, droplet-based microfluidic device for genotyping maize genomic DNA. A unique feature of the microfluidic platform is the nano sample processors (NSPs), which allow the device to sequentially load an unrestricted number of unique DNA samples using only two inlets, overcoming the current limitation to the number of sample inputs due to small device footprint. Direct and programmable droplet generation within the device allows each sample to be genotyped against a panel of markers on demand. Moreover, we have successfully implemented the Invader assay for SNP genotyping in flowing, 50-nL droplets, thus achieving significant reduction in consumption of reagents per reaction as compared with conventional genotyping platforms. As a demonstration, we performed 240 Invader reactions (testing 8 DNA samples against 10 SNP markers) and achieved greater than 93% accuracy in SNP calling of plant DNA samples in a single droplet-based experiment. Efforts to fast-track plant breeding may benefit from a microfluidic device that tests DNA samples with assembly line-like efficiency. Recently, the agricultural industry has turned to the large-scale analysis of plant DNA to spot markers called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that can indicate valuable physical traits, and therefore help to propagate them without genetic modification. Tza-Huei Wang at Johns Hopkins University in the United States and colleagues report a high-speed genotyping method based on nanoliter-scale DNA droplets. The team's processing unit loads, rinses and continuously moves sample droplets through microfluidic tubes into analytical stages for on-demand screening. Because droplets flow sequentially through the device, massive data sets can be spatially tracked while retaining a small on-chip footprint. Studies of maize DNA with SNP-active probes demonstrated this approach could identify crucial gene sequences with 93% accuracy.
Caregiving in Rural America: A Matter of Culture

Family caregiving is a universal experience, an act of love and filial responsibility, but also an essential part of the health and long-term care systems. In 2004, an estimated 44.4 million Americans over the age of 18 years (21% of the U.S. adult population) provided unpaid care for another adult in an estimated 22.9 million households (National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, 2004). Family or other informal caregiving, although unpaid, has been estimated to have a value to American society of $257 billion annually (Arno, 2002), at a substantial cost to the individuals providing the care.
Current Trends in the Use of Handheld Technology as a Speech-Generating Device for Children With Autism

Historically, given the exorbitant costs associated with its use, high capability speech-generating devices (SGDs) were often an impractical option as an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, since the release of the
When Businesses Refuse to Serve for Religious Reasons: Drawing Lines between 'Participation' and 'Endorsement' in Claims of Moral Complicity

The owners of small businesses and others involved in for-profit work occasionally refuse to provide a service to a patient, client, or customer on the grounds that to provide the service would render them complicit in immoral conduct in violation of their religious beliefs. Some of these conscientious refusals might be protected by legislation, regulation, or court decision, as in the case of a doctor refusing to perform an abortion, or an employer refusing to provide employees with contraception coverage. The new question raised—and soon to be answered by the U.S. Supreme Court—is whether wedding vendors (bakers, florists, and the like) who refuse to provide goods and services to same-sex couples will be similarly protected or whether they will be required to abide by the non-discrimination norms of public accommodations law. For those weary of religious claims in the culture wars, the very notion that the Court might extend legal protections to wedding vendors in such situations tends to cast doubt more generally on religion-based refusals in the for-profit context. The purpose of this article is to draw a bright line between the traditional category of complicity claims and this newer category of wedding vendor claims. Traditional claims typically involve health care personnel and others refusing to participate in activities they consider to be immoral—most often those that entail ethical issues surrounding the beginnings and endings of life, such as assisted reproduction and assisted suicide. In contrast, this newer set of claims involve wedding vendors refusing to endorse activities they consider to be immoral, like the marriage of a same-sex couple. Herein lies the critical distinction: participation in immoral activity is not the same thing as endorsement or approbation of someone else’s immoral activity. The wedding vendors concede the distinction, as they expressly claim the right not to endorse a message with which they disagree, but they seek to extend the protections of traditional complicity jurisprudence to their claims. The article contends that the traditional complicity jurisprudence, which allows businesses to refuse to participate in activity they consider immoral, has little, if anything, to say about refusals to approve the conduct of others. The Supreme Court should not extend this jurisprudence to the wedding vendor context.
Motor Development: Embodied, Embedded, Enculturated, and Enabling

Motor development and psychological development are fundamentally related, but researchers typically consider them separately. In this review, we present four key features of infant motor development and show that motor skill acquisition both requires and reflects basic psychological functions. ( a) Motor development is embodied: Opportunities for action depend on the current status of the body. ( b) Motor development is embedded: Variations in the environment create and constrain possibilities for action. ( c) Motor development is enculturated: Social and cultural influences shape motor behaviors. ( d) Motor development is enabling: New motor skills create new opportunities for exploration and learning that instigate cascades of development across diverse psychological domains. For each of these key features, we show that changes in infants' bodies, environments, and experiences entail behavioral flexibility and are thus essential to psychology. Moreover, we suggest that motor development is an ideal model system for the study of psychological development.
322 PREVENTING TEEN PREGNANCY THROUGH EDUCATION IN WEISER, IDAHO.

Introduction The town of Weiser, Idaho, has a wealth of remarkable people and dedicated health professionals. Unfortunately, they also have a serious teen pregnancy problem and minimal preventive education in their school system. To determine why this town seemed to have an increasing population of teen parents despite drops in national rates of teen pregnancy, I began to investigate the issue. Methods Through a detailed study of Weiser, I determined that the main contributing factors to the increased teen pregnancy rates are a lack of sexual education in the schools and a number of issues related to the high level of poverty in the area. Since affecting poverty rates is a nearly impossible task, I chose the school system as the best place for intervention. I researched the many programs designed to prevent teen pregnancy and determined that a week-long program was the most effective. My research showed that early intervention was the key to success and programs that focus on honest discussion and positive reinforcement are the most beneficial to reducing youth parenthood. Once I had targeted the 15- to 16-year age group, I made contact with local education authorities and worked to combine my research into effective teen education methods with regional education practices. Results My customized curriculum consists of five lesson plans, six homework assignments, a bonus debate, and collections of resources for both the students and the instructor. Each day has a topic, starting with getting pregnant, pregnancy, birth, babies, and ending with a day to discuss goals for the future. The curriculum is set up to first identify and then correct assumptions about being a teen parent. Each day builds on the previous, and the final result is a well-informed student with clear ideas about what they want for their future. The resource sheet I created for the students has hotline numbers, the names and e-mail addresses of local health professionals they can anonymously contact, the addresses of local clinics, and a list of Web sites on health issues and pregnancy. Conclusion This curriculum will give the young adults of Weiser the knowledge and tools to make responsible reproductive decisions and hopefully allow them to enter parenthood as informed adults.
The Effects of Task Complexity on the Use of Different Types of Information in a Search Assistance Tool

In interactive information retrieval, an important research question is: How do task characteristics influence users’ needs and behaviors? We report on a laboratory study (N=32) that investigated the effects of task complexity on the types of information used by participants while searching. Participants completed tasks of four complexity levels and had access to four different types of information provided through a search-assistance tool referred to as the InfoBoxes (IB). The IB tool presented the following types of task-related information (info-types) on different tabs: (1) facts, (2) concepts, (3) opinions, and (4) insights. Facts (and opinions) were defined as objective (and subjective) statements relevant to the task. Concepts were defined as important ideas, principles, or entities related to the task. Insights were defined as tips or advice about the task. The study investigated six research questions that considered the effects of task complexity on: (RQ1) participants’ pre-/post-task perceptions about useful info-types; (RQ2) use of different info-types during the task; (RQ3) motivations for engaging with the IB; (RQ4) gains from using it; (RQ5) the search stage participants were in while engaging with the IB; and (RQ6) motivations for sometimes avoiding the IB. Our results suggest that task complexity influenced all six types of outcomes. We discuss implications of our results for designing search assistance tools and systems that favor certain types of content based on task characteristics.
Amyloid Fibril-Induced Astrocytic Glutamate Transporter Disruption Contributes to Complement C1q-Mediated Microglial Pruning of Glutamatergic Synapses.

The complement C1q plays a critical role in microglial phagocytosis of glutamatergic synapses and in the pathogenesis of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We recently reported that upregulation of metabotropic glutamate receptor signaling is associated with increased synaptic C1q production and subsequent microglial phagocytosis of synapses in the rodent models of AD. Here, we explored the role of astrocytic glutamate transporter in the synaptic C1q production and microglial phagocytosis of hippocampal glutamatergic synapses in a rat model of AD. Activation of astrocyte and reduction glutamate transporter 1 (GLT1) were noted after bilateral microinjection of amyloid-beta (Aβ1-40) fibrils into the hippocampal CA1 area of rats. Ceftriaxone is a β-lactam antibiotic that upregulates GLT1 expression. Bilateral microinjection of ceftriaxone recovered GLT1 expression, decreased synaptic C1q production, suppressed microglial phagocytosis of glutamatergic synapses in the hippocampal CA1, and attenuated synaptic and cognitive deficits in rats microinjected with Aβ1-40. In contrast, artificial suppression of GLT1 activity by DL-threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartate (DL-TBOA) in naive rats induced synaptic C1q expression and microglial phagocytosis of glutamatergic synapses in the hippocampal CA1 area, resulting in synaptic and cognitive dysfunction. These findings demonstrated that impairment of astrocytic glutamate transporter plays a role in the pathogenesis of AD.
Ductal Carcinoma In Situ Biology, Language, and Active Surveillance: A Survey of Breast Radiologists’ Knowledge and Opinions

Abstract Purpose To understand how breast radiologists perceive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Materials and Methods A 19-item survey was developed by the Society of Breast Imaging Patient Care and Delivery Committee and distributed to all Society of Breast Imaging members. The survey queried respondents’ demographics, knowledge of DCIS biology, language used to discuss a new diagnosis of DCIS, and perspectives on active surveillance for DCIS. Five-point Likert scales (1 = strongly disagree, 3 = neutral, 5 = strongly agree) were used. Results There were 536 responses for a response rate of 41%. There was agreement that DCIS is the primary driver of overdiagnosis in breast cancer screening (median 4), and respondents provided mean and median overdiagnosis estimates of 29.7% and 25% for low-grade DCIS as well as 4.2% and 0% for high-grade DCIS, respectively. Responses varied in how to describe DCIS but most often used the word “cancer” with a qualifier such as “early” (32%) or “pre-invasive” (25%). Respondents disagreed (median 2) with removing the word “carcinoma” from DCIS. Finally, there was agreement that current standard of care therapy for some forms of DCIS is overtreatment (median 4) and that active surveillance as an alternative management strategy should be studied (mean 4), but felt that ultrasound (median 4) and MRI (median 4) should be used to exclude women with occult invasive disease before active surveillance. Conclusions Breast radiologists’ opinions about DCIS biology, language, and active surveillance are not homogenous, but general trends exist that can be used to guide research, education, and advocacy efforts.
Coupled Dynamics of Behavior and Disease Contagion Among Antagonistic Groups

Disease transmission and behavior change are both fundamentally social phenomena. Behavior change can have profound consequences for disease transmission, and epidemic conditions can favor the more rapid adoption of behavioral innovations. We analyze a simple model of coupled behavior-change and infection in a structured population characterized by homophily and outgroup aversion. Outgroup aversion slows the rate of adoption and can lead to lower rates of adoption in the later-adopting group or even behavioral divergence between groups when outgroup aversion exceeds positive ingroup influence. When disease dynamics are coupled to the behavior-adoption model, a wide variety of outcomes are possible. Homophily can either increase or decrease the final size of the epidemic depending on its relative strength in the two groups and on R_0 for the infection. For example, if the first group is homophilous and the second is not, the second group will have a larger epidemic. Homophily and outgroup aversion can also produce dynamics suggestive of a "second wave" in the first group that follows the peak of the epidemic in the second group. Our simple model reveals complex dynamics that are suggestive of the processes currently observed under pandemic conditions in culturally and/or politically polarized populations such as the United States.
Vaping, smartphones, and social media use among young adults: Snapchat is the platform of choice for young adult vapers.

Abstract Background Tobacco use often begins or stabilizes in young adulthood. Approximately 90% of young adults use social media and over 80% own a smartphone. Retailers of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have targeted smartphones and social media with adverting campaigns. Despite evidence of ENDS advertising on social media and smartphones, few studies have examined associations between exposure to vaping advertisements on smartphones, social media use, and ENDS use (i.e., vaping) among young adults. Methods College students aged 18–24 from a large public university (N = 1047) completed online surveys about vaping. The survey measured frequency of vaping advertisement exposure, smartphone use, social media use, and vaping behaviors. Hierarchical logistic regression assessed whether demographics, vaping advertisement exposure, smartphone use, and social media use predicted ever vaping compared to never vaping. Results The four most commonly used platforms (used “daily”) were Snapchat (80.0%), Instagram (73.4%), YouTube (59.7%), and Facebook (54.3%). Use of Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook were all significantly associated with higher rates of vaping advertisement exposure via smartphones. Exposure to vaping advertisements on smartphones was associated with ever vaping (AOR: 1.30, 95% CI = 1.05–1.60). Of the social media platforms examined, only Snapchat use frequency was associated with higher odds of ever vaping (AOR: 1.22, 95% CI = 1.10–1.36). Conclusions Exposure to advertisements via smartphones and use of Snapchat were associated with higher rates of vaping for young adults. Social media and smartphone use should be further investigated for young adult impact.
Recent Progress in Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as Therapeutic Magnetic Agents for Cancer Treatment and Tissue Engineering

The positive response of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), in terms of biodegradability, circulation, elimination, toxicity, and manipulation of their structure/activity relation...
The use of elevated circulating hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) level as a potential prognostic biomarker in locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

429Background: The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-MET pathway has pleiotropic functions in tumor progression including invasion and cancer cell survival. The potential use of circulating plasma H...
Technical Note—Approximating Systems Fed by Poisson Processes with Rapidly Changing Arrival Rates

In many operations management settings, the arrival process to the system exhibits clear nonstationarities. These nonstationarities may arise as a consequence of time-of-day effects, day-of-week ef...
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire.

Context Sleep has long been understood as an essential component for overall well-being, significantly impacting physical health, cognitive functioning, mental health, and quality of life. Currently, the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ) is the only known instrument designed to measure sleep behaviors in the athletic population. However, the psychometric properties of the scale in a collegiate student-athlete and dance population have not been established. Objective To assess model fit of the ASBQ using a sample of collegiate student-athletes and competitive dancers. Design Observational study. Setting Twelve colleges and universities. Patients or other participants Student-athletes and dancers competing at the collegiate level. Main outcome measure(s) A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the factor structure of the ASBQ. Principal component analysis (PCA) extraction and covariance modeling analyses were performed to identify an alternate model. Multi-group invariance testing was performed on the alternate model to identify if group differences existed between sex, athletic activity, injury status, and division of competition. Results The CFA on the ASBQ indicated the model did not meet recommended model fit indices. An alternate three-factor, nine-item model with improved fit was identified; however, the scale structure was not consistently supported during multi-group invariance testing procedures. Conclusions The original three factor, 18-item ASBQ was not supported for use with collegiate athletes in our study. The alternate ASBQ was substantially improved; however, more research should be completed to ensure the nine-item instrument accurately captures all dimensions of sleep behavior relevant for collegiate athletes.
The New Merger Guidelines—A Blueprint for Microeconomic Analysis:

The following article on the new merger guidelines describes the guidelines for merger analysis issued this summer by the Department of Justice and demonstrates how they work. It compares the Justi...
Reader's Response: Response to K. Hornsby's "Developing and Assessing Undergraduate Students' Moral Reasoning Skills".

Excerpt:: Hornsby’s article is timely because of the current popularity of ethics and “character education.” We can agree with her that the development of “moral reasoning skills” is a very desirable outcome for an ethics course. Hornsby, however, does not stick to her stated goal: ”not to change or alter students’ moral positions but provide them with the tools to reflectively endorse their views and to evaluate the consistency of their positions.” This would be consistent with the objectives of any philosophy course, but there is an essential equivocation in Hornsby’s actual discussion about what it is possible or appropriate to teach in such a course. Her final decision to focus exclusively on virtue ethics also carries with it an implicit endorsement which subverts the critical stance.
Comparative Biochemical and Immunological Study of Malic Enzyme from Two Species of Lactic Acid Bacteria: Evolutionary Implications

Representatives of both Streptococcus faecalis and Lactobacillus casei produce isofunctional malic enzymes. All 10 strains of S. faecalis tested could be induced to synthesize malic enzyme and readily adapted to growth on malate. Although 17 of 21 L. casei strains could be induced to produce malic enzyme, only 9 of 14 strains tested grew at the expense of malate. A comparison of catalytic and regulatory properties suggested that the malic enzymes from S. faecalis and L. casei were very similar. Immunological analyses showed that the numerous similarities in function actually reflected partial protein homologies; however, two distinct forms of the malic enzyme were detected among different strains of L. casei by immunochemical and serological procedures. The division of L. casei into two subgroups based on the immunological type of malic enzyme synthesized corresponds to two subspecies currently recognized by microbial taxonomists.
Mechanisms of change in control group drinking in clinical trials of brief alcohol intervention: Implications for bias toward the null

Issues: Reductions in control group consumption over time that are possibly related to research design affect the impact of brief alcohol interventions (BAI) in clinical settings. Approach: We conducted a systematic review to identify research design factors that may contribute to control group change, strategies to limit these effects and implications for researchers. Studies with control group n > 30 were selected if they published baseline and outcome consumption data, conducted trials in clinical settings in Anglophone countries and did not censor gender or age. Key Findings: Among 38 studies cited in 20 reviews through October 2009, 16 met criteria (n = 31-370). In 54%, controls received alcohol specific handouts, advice and/or referral. Both the number and depth of assessments were highly variable. The percentage change in consumption ranged from-0.10 to-0.84 (mean-0.32), and effect size from 0.04 to 0.70 (mean 0.37). Published data were insufficient for meta-analysis. Implications. Researchers should consider strategies to reduce the impact of research design factors, such as procedures to enhance sample diversity, blind subjects to study purpose to limit social desirability bias, reduce the number and depth of instruments (assessment reactivity), and finally, analytic techniques to decrease the impact of outliers and regression to the mean. Conclusions: This review identifies problems with retrospective analysis of predictors of control group change, and underscores the need to design prospective studies to permit identification, quantification and adjustment for potential sources of bias in BAI trials.[Bernstein JA, Bernstein E, Heeren TC. Mechanisms of change in control group drinking in clinical trials of brief alcohol intervention: Implications for bias toward the null. Drug Alcohol Rev 2010;29;498-507]. Language: en
A World without Privacy: Four Privacy Myths

Any discussion about privacy today inevitably confronts a series of common arguments about the futility of privacy in our digital age. "Privacy is Dead," we hear, and "people (especially young ones) don’t care about privacy." What’s more, privacy just protects bad behavior because those of us with "nothing to hide have nothing to fear." And anyway, the argument goes, new privacy laws would be bad policy since "privacy is bad for business."There are other common claims, but these four are perhaps the most common. They are also myths, and in this essay I show why. First, privacy can’t be dead because it deals with the rules governing personal information; in an age of personal information, rules about how that information can flow will be more important than ever. Second, people (and young people) do care deeply about privacy, but they face limited choices and limited information about how to participate in the processing of their data. Third, privacy isn’t just for people with dark secrets; it’s for all of us because information is power and personal information is personal power. Finally, privacy is not always bad for business. One of the best hopes for meaningful privacy protection in the future is for businesses to compete on privacy, and there is some evidence that this is starting to happen.My goal here is not just to be contrary. I hope instead to clear away some of the confusion surrounding the way we talk about privacy. When we do that; when we are clear about what privacy is and why it matters, we can start to talk constructively about the kinds of legal and social rules we want to govern personal information in the information age. We are experiencing an information revolution as powerful and disruptive as the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century. We need to think and talk about how to harness this revolution’s great power while minimizing as many of its costs as we can. Or we can continue to believe the myths about privacy. But if we do that; if we think about privacy as outdated or impossible, our digital revolution may have no rules at all, a result that will disempower all but the most powerful among us.
Hyperentangled-photon cryptography

Summary form only given. We have developed and experimentally verified a theory of down-conversion, which considers a quantum state to be concurrently entangled in frequency, wave vector, and polarization. A common approach to quantum interferometry to date has been to choose a single entangled parameter of interest and eliminate the dependence of the quantum state on all other parameters.
White matter tract clustering and correspondence in populations

We present a novel method for finding white matter fiber correspondences and clusters across a population of brains. Our input is a collection of paths from tractography in every brain. Using spectral methods we embed each path as a vector in a high dimensional space. We create the embedding space so that it is common across all brains, consequently similar paths in all brains will map to points near each other in the space. By performing clustering in this space we are able to find matching fiber tract clusters in all brains. In addition, we automatically obtain correspondence of tractographic paths across brains: by selecting one or several paths of interest in one brain, the most similar paths in all brains are obtained as the nearest points in the high-dimensional space.
The Weakest Link A Commentary on the Connections Between K—12 and Higher Education

Colleges and universities could be seen as being at the apex of a steep educational pyramid. Prospective entrants to the academy make their way up the pyramid by way of their experiences in element...
How long after writing can an ESDA image be developed

Abstract ESDA has been used for a number of years as a means of developing indented images on paper and is an essential tool for the document examiner. This paper reports on the results of experiments with various aged documents to determine how long after writing images can be developed with ESDA. The results indicate that the latent image from some writing may remain longer than fifty years. The paper also reports an actual case in which images were developed years after the document was executed, thus dating the preparation of key pages.
Electro-plastic effect in semiconductors

The effects of passing a small current through a semiconductor on its indentation hardness, and the Dember effect at its surface, are reviewed. It is pointed out that these effects seem to be associated with charging of the surface states on the semiconductors. As these charged states decay, the current replenishes them. The charged surface states induce surface dipole layers, the electric fields of which modify the local energy band-gaps which in turn affects local dislocation mobilities; and hence, the indentation hardness.
Investigation into the diastereomeric composition of a pyruvamide dimer

N-Benzylpyruvamide cyclized under basic conditions to give a 70:30 trans:cis mixture of diastereomers of N,1-dibenzyl-2,4-dihydroxy-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-pyrrolidinecarboxamide.
Whiteness change during heating and cooling of Mozzarella cheese.

Whiteness (L-value) changes in low-fat and low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella cheeses during heating (7 to 60°C) and cooling (60 to 7°C) were evaluated. In low-fat Mozzarella, a large increase in whiteness was observed during heating, and a decrease in whiteness was observed during cooling. In low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella, the whiteness changes during heating and cooling were smaller. Serum phase was removed from low-fat and low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella cheeses. White protein gels were formed when the isolated serum phase from either low-fat or low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella was heated. The white gel that formed was composed predominantly of casein and casein proteolysis products. The gel might have been produced by heat-induced, hydrophobic protein-protein interactions, and it tended to dissociate when cooled. Formation of a gel during heating increased light scattering, which increased the L-value. The gel dissociated during cooling and no longer scattered light, which decreased the L-value. We hypothesized that a gel, which was reversible, formed in the serum phase of cheese during heating and might have been responsible for the observed changes in the L-value of low-fat Mozzarella cheese during heating and cooling. The additional fat in low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella compared with low-fat Mozzarella masked some of the color changes in the serum phase of low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella. A model was developed to describe the contributions of the casein matrix plus serum phase of Mozzarella cheese and the contribution of fat to the changes in whiteness of Mozzarella cheese during heating and cooling.
Age-related changes in the signaling and function of vascular smooth muscle cells.

Abstract Aging is an independent risk factor for the development of atheroscelrosis, a vascular abnormality that plays a significant role in the development of many cardiovascular disorders. Animal experiments have demonstrated that aging predisposes the vasculature to advanced atherosclerotic disease and vessel injury and that this predisposition is a function of age-associated changes in the vessel wall itself. Because vascular smooth muscle cells play important roles in the pathogenesis of many vascular disorders, identifying age-associated differences in the way these cells respond to extracellular clues has been an area of active research. Currently, the most remarkable differences in intracellular signaling between vascular smooth muscle cells isolated from young and old animals are related to the control of cell migration through the Cam KII pathways and the accelerated transition of older vascular smooth muscle cells from the contractile to the synthetic phenotype. These differences may be due to alternative signaling pathways revealed by the inability of older cells to respond to inhibitors, such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, or to altered interactions with the extracellular matrix resulting from age-associated shifts in integrin expression or changes in the matrix composition of blood vessels. The exact role that these alterations have in explaining age-associated differences in the response of the vessel wall to injury and its increased susceptibility to developing advanced atherosclerotic lesions remains to be determined but will be guided by studies on intracellular signaling mechanisms.
Vertical and oblique saccade disconjugacy in strabismus.

Purpose. Previous studies have shown that horizontal saccades are disconjugate in humans and monkeys with strabismus. The present study was designed to extend these results to vertical and oblique saccades. A major goal was to assess the conjugacy in terms of both amplitude and direction.
Quenched QCD spectrum on a 323 × 64 lattice☆

Abstract We present light hadron masses calculated from quenched QCD on a 32 3 × 64 lattice, using staggered quark sources of masses, m q a = 0.01, 0.005 and 0.0025. Results from β = 6.0(preliminary) and those from β = 6.5 are compared. Using m ρ ( m q = 0) and f π , we suggest that β = 6.5 is in the asymptotic scaling region and β = 6.0 results shows ∼ 20% (bare coupling) or ∼ 10% (improved coupling) scaling violation. Flavor symmetry appears to be restored at β = 6.5. The estimated pion decay constant, f π is 93(4) MeV at β = 6.5, where the experimental value is 93 MeV.
Laptops to Go: A Student Assessment of a Library Laptop Lending Service

Approximately five years ago, the library at Emporia State University started a laptop lending service to provide laptops for use in the library. The program has been highly successful. In the last few years, some modifications were made to the program, and netbooks were added. In this article, the authors will explore laptop programs in a variety of library settings, present details on the ESU Libraries laptop lending service, and discuss the results of a student satisfaction survey. Finally the authors present what the library faculty and staff have learned and potential future modifications to the program.
Structure and lens expression of the gene encoding chicken βA3/A1-crystallin

The beta A1- and beta A3-crystallins are major polypeptides in the lenses of vertebrates. We present evidence that a single beta A3/A1 gene encodes these two proteins in the chicken. The beta A3/A1 gene has been sequenced and its functional promoter identified in transfection experiments. The chicken beta A3/A1 gene has the same structure as the human orthologue: six exons with standard splice sites and two alternative start codons from which the protein products are apparently translated. Northern analysis revealed an abundant 0.9-kb transcript in the lenses of 1-2-day-old chickens and no detectable transcripts in the rest of the eye, brain, heart, kidney, liver or skeletal muscle. The 5'-flanking sequence of the chicken beta A3/A1 gene is very similar to that of the human and mouse genes, suggesting conservation of important putative regulatory sequences in addition to the TATA box. A thymidine-rich element (bp -218 to -163) and a potential AP-1-binding site (bp -264 to -258) are present within the chicken 5'-flanking region. A DNA fragment from -382 to +22 of the chicken beta A3/A1 gene is sufficient to promote expression of the bacterial cat gene in transfected chicken primary lens epithelial cells, but not in transfected dermal fibroblasts.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Lymphokine production during term human pregnancy: Differences between peripheral leukocytes and decidual cells

Abstract Although the fetus is considered to be an "allograft," there is little information concerning the role of lymphokines in human pregnancy. Lymphokines are polypeptides secreted by stimulated lymphocytes that direct the immune response by enabling immune effector cells to communicate with each other. To characterize lymphokine production during normal human pregnancy, we isolated peripheral leukocytes and decidual lymphocyte-like cells from women undergoing repeat cesarean section at term. After stimulation with mitogen and paternal antigen for 24 hours, culture supernatants were assayed for granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-2 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. There was no difference in the amount of interleukin-2 produced by stimulated peripheral and decidual cells. However, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor production by stimulated decidual lymphocyte-like cells was significantly greater than granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor produced by peripheral lymphocytes. Decidual lymphocyte-like cells produced granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor both spontaneously and after stimulation with mitogen or paternal antigen, whereas peripheral leukocytes did not. This suggests that the decidua constitutes a distinct immunologic microenvironment.
Pancreatitis is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer

Abstract Background & Aims: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains a computerized file of all hospital discharges since 1970. In taking advantage of this large database, the present study aimed to determine whether pancreatitis is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Methods: A case control study compared the occurrence of pancreatitis in 2639 patients with pancreatic cancer and a matched control group of 7774 subjects using multivariate conditional logistic regression. Results: The odds ratio associated with pancreatitis increased from 2.04 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.53–2.72) 7 or more years before the first diagnosis of cancer to 2.14 (CI, 1.68–2.72) 3 or more years before cancer diagnosis and to 2.31 (CI, 1.87–2.86) 1 or more years before cancer diagnosis. In a multivariate analysis, all types of pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis alone were associated with a significant risk, their odds ratios being 3.42 (CI, 1.98–5.91) and 2.23 (CI, 1.43–3.49), respectively. No influence was exerted by other variables, such as history of gallstone disease or alcoholism, frequency of hospital discharges with pancreatitis, and length of coverage in the VA system. Conclusions: A history of pancreatitis constitutes a significant risk for subsequent development of pancreatic cancer. The increase of the risk with decreasing time before the diagnosis of cancer may indicate that a fraction of pancreatic cancers are initially misdiagnosed as pancreatitis.