cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Techniques in Histomorphometry

Bone histomorphometry, the assessment of cellular and structural variables on histologic sections, is an essential technique for understanding tissue-level mechanisms of bone physiology. After obtaining the sample (biopsy in humans, tissue collection in animals), histologic specimen preparation involves several steps, including processing in plastic or paraffin, sectioning, and staining. Analysis of tissue sections can range from measures of overall structure to more detailed assessment of cellular activity. Dynamic histomorphometry, in which fluorochrome labels are administered in vivo, allows measurement of bone formation rates, a powerful outcome variable for understanding bone remodeling. Several diseases, including hyperparathyroidism, osteomalacia, osteoporosis, and Paget disease, as well as their treatments (both antiremodeling and anabolic therapies), have important histologic features that are useful for understanding tissue-level mechanisms.
Self, Culture, and Drama of Foreign Policy: A Cybernetic Metaphor

As indicated in Chapter 2, a multi-perspective analysis contains motivational and structural elements, long and short-term factors, pre-and post-decision analyses, as well as consideration of variables on different analytical levels. It is with this expectation that a psycho-cultural model is introduced in this chapter. There is no doubt that various aspects of culture affect foreign policy behaviour.1 However, the processes through which cultural factors exert their influence are difficult to conceptualise. Culture is a discredited factor both because it cannot be quantified easily despite various attempts,2 and because there is the unlikely assumption that people who share the same cultural background would behave in the same way.
Dynamical Franz-Keldysh Effect in the terahertz regime

We study the dynamical Franz-Keldysh effect in the THz regime by subjecting a semiconductor quantum well to both a THz-frequency driving field and a 50 fs optical pulse. The double excitation scenario produces harmonically-generated upshifted THz transients - the creation of highly anisotripic electron-hole wavepackets. The results are in qualitative agreement with recent experimental measurements. Coherent control of the propagating wavepackets is demonstrated.
THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE FIRST-ORDER MAGNETIC SELF-STRICTION IN A LOW-PRESSURE MERCURY VAPOR ARC WITH REMOTE WALLS.

The conditions of magnetic self-striction in an arc of finite length, not confined laterally by walls, are investigated with a recently developed theory of ambipolar diffusion in a magnetic field, including all first order corrections. Indications are given of how numerical predictions can be made; the case of mercury vapor is treated as an example, using earlier measurements of cylindrical arcs.
Use of Transgenic Plants for Studies of Seed-Specific Gene Expression

In studying the regulated patterns of gene expression in higher plants, molecular biologists employ a variety ofin vitro tools. The accumulation, distribution and decay of various gene products are monitored through the use of immunological and electrophoretic techniques. The interactions of these gene products can sometimes be observed. Cloned copies of interesting and important genes can be used to follow the accumulation and disappearance of specific messenger RNAs. But in many ways, such studies are merely descriptive. In order to achieve full understanding of the mechanisms which regulate gene expression, researchers need a means to determine cause and effect, a means to introduce a change at the molecular level and to observe its effect(s) on gene expression.
Application of parallel algorithmic differentiation to optimal CubeSat trajectory design

Abstract CubeSats, the class of small standardized satellites, are becoming a viable scientific research platform. At present, a variety of high value Earth Science missions require multiple collecting instruments on separate platforms maintained in precise configurations. A new software tool was created to compute propellant-minimizing maneuvers for multiple CubeSats for use with mission preliminary design. This tool incorporates parallelization of the derivative calculations, and demonstrates speed improvements over previous parallel formulations of small satellite cooperative trajectory design problems.
PREDICTORS OF STATIN USE FOR PATIENTS WITH LDL CHOLESTEROL ABOVE 190MG/DL: INSIGHTS FROM THE VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Background: Individuals with LDL-C levels above 190 mg/dL are considered to have a severe hypercholesterolemia phenotype and are at markedly increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Therefore, the 2013 ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines recommend high-intensity statins for this high-risk patient
Equitable access: Information seeking behavior, information needs, and necessary library accommodations for transgender patrons

Abstract This study highlights the unique accommodations integral to welcoming transgender library patrons. Research shows transgender people have unique needs which differ from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) individuals, and experience substantial barriers to obtaining quality library service. Most studies in the past exploring the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender library users focused exclusively on LGBQ users. This study surveyed adult transgender individuals (n = 102) with an online questionnaire. The majority of participants were white, designated female at birth, and under 40 years old. Survey respondents needed libraries to make accommodations for them to feel safe (p
Rape culture, misogyny, and urban anxiety in NH10 and Pink

One of the most pervasive aspects of Delhi’s post-liberalization psychopathology has been everyday violence against women. The city’s rape culture was given an exceptionally sharp global focus afte...
Managerial Response to Non-Fundamental Price Shocks

We find that managers significantly alter their behavior in response to non-fundamental declines in price. In particular, after an exogenous, non-fundamental price drop, managers increase their disclosure quality, and shift accrual earnings management to real earnings management. Moreover, managers with high equity incentives engage more in real earnings management, while managers at firms with high litigation risk tend to increase their disclosure quality and decrease accrual earnings management. We confirm that the net effect of earnings management, in response to non-fundamental price shocks, results in firms more frequently reporting "suspicious" earnings. Firms that experience large non-fundamental price declines are more likely, on average, to meet or beat analysts’ earnings expectations by 1 or 2 cents in our sample. Our findings suggest that non-fundamental price variation is an important driver of firm disclosure policy and earnings management.
A High Performance Vector-Parallel Skyline Solver Using Level 3 BLAS

This paper deals with a parallel solver for matrices stored following the the skyline storage pattern. The algorithm performs the Gaussian elimination by using the Level 3 BLAS blocked approach. Large grain parallelism is achieved performing operation on separate blocks in parallel.
Research describing pelvifemoral rhythm: a systematic review

[Purpose] This systematics review was undertaken to synthesize what is known regarding pelvifemoral rhythm, that is, the coordinated flexion of the thigh and posterior tilting of the pelvis during hip flexion (HF). [Methods] Three databases were searched. [Results] Nine relevant articles were identified via independent database searches and a hand search by the authors. The articles were consistent in showing that pelvifemoral rhythm underlies the HF motion under conditions as varied as passive unilateral flexion while supine and active bilateral flexion while hanging from a bar. Posterior pelvic tilting, which begins early during HF, contributes between 13.1% to 37.5% of total HF. Pelvic tilting and HF excursions are highly correlated (r=0.89 to 1.00). [Conclusions] Pelvifemoral rhythm is present to varying degrees during hip flexion under diverse conditions.
A New View of the Dynamic Mechanisms of Maximum Expiratory Gas Flow in the Lungs

The physical nature of the dynamic mechanisms of impedance to gas flow in the lungs has been investigated experimentally and modeled mathematically for many years. This has been particularly true of the mechanisms believed responsible for the fixed upper limits to gas volume flow rates during the effort-independent portion of a maximal exhalation. In 1958, Hyatt, Schilder, and Fry described the relationship between maximum expiratory flow and degree of lung inflation (1) and developed the concept of the maximal expiratory flow-volume curve. Their experimental results showed that over the lower half of the vital capacity, during a maximal exhalation, the flow was effort-independent. Since that time, the effort-independent portion of the maximum expiratory flow-volume curve has been reported to reach as high as 90% of the vital capacity for some subjects (2).
Empirical analysis of blood plasma LIBS images using different nonlinear diffusion techniques

We are investigating the use of the Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, (LIBS), on blood samples of mice to detect the earliest stages of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). A laser changes a blood samples to plasma state and the images produced thereby are analyzed. By comparing LIBS images of blood from EOC positive mice to those of cancer free mice, our goal is to identify differences by which we can detect those in early EOC stages. We apply improved nonlinear diffusion filters to enhance relevant image edges and to remove noise and irrelevant texture.
Didn't Your Mother Teach You to Share?: Wealth, Lobbying and Distributive Justice in the Wake of the Economic Crisis

My article entitled, Didn't Your Mother Teach You to Share?: Wealth, Lobbying and Distributive Justice in the Wake of the Economic Crisis, deals with change in financial regulation. Whether legislative or technological, change is always difficult to envision and accomplish. True high-speed rail and the fastest internet, available in parts of Europe and Asia, are variously estimated to be from fifteen to fifty years away for the United States as a consequence of cultural barriers. Similarly, legislative reform should be immanent in both the disclosure and substantive terms of financial investments and consumer credit cards, mortgages and other instruments. Cultural barriers again hinder implementing legislation. This article focuses on one analysis of, and justification for, the needed changes: the jurisprudence of distributive justice. The meaning and understanding provided by a jurisprudential analysis may inform policy and legislation. The article also examines the obstacles to passing reform legislation. The cultural habits of secrecy and extreme profits on Wall Street are fiercely held and well financed. The continued culture of outsize profits is produced by taking unwarranted investment risks. The desire to mold legislation through lobbying is also designed to keep that culture of wealth in place. Such self-serving behavior raises "deep and unsettling questions" about this numerically very small culture of Wall Street which nevertheless dominates regulation and tax legislation relative to protecting its extraordinary profits. Even if legislative change does not fully come about now, this article addresses the academic's duty "to expose the patterns of risk and denial" after "a bubble of false prosperity and [continued] excessive materialism."
Health Insurance in the Public Sector

Among other programs, health insurance in the public sector consists primarily of the Medicare program for the elderly, for those on end-stage renal dialysis, and for those who have been disabled for more than twenty-four months. It also consists of the Medicaid program for those who receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) benefits and the provisions of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, which provides cash payments for the aged, blind, and the disabled. Individuals who are “medically needy” because they have used their assets and income for medical expenses are also eligible for Medicaid assistance if they fit into the AFDC and SSI categories.
Further studies on glycosaminoglycan--lipoprotein interactions.

The complexing of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) with serum low density lipoproteins (LDL) in the presence of certain cations are used to quantitate serum lipoproteins (LP). Further, LP-GAG complexes have been isolated from atherosclerotic lesions (1) thereby establishing a role of these complexes in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Although the nature of interactions between LP and other sulfated polyanions in the absence of metal cations is fairly well understood, information about the specificity and nature of interaction in the presence of metal ions is scanty. These studies describe the LP-heparin interactions, using immobilized heparin (2) as a model system, in the presence of Ca++, Mg++ and Mn++.
Enhancement of recrystallization texture in non-equiatomic Fe-Ni-Co-Al-based high entropy alloys by combination of annealing and Cr addition

Abstract Formation of strong recrystallization texture in new non-equiatomic Fe-Ni-Co-Al-based high entropy alloys has been investigated. Optimal annealing temperature and time to obtain strong texture is subsequently determined through microstructure and recrystallization texture study of cold-rolled NCACB (34.95Fe-27.5Ni-17.5Co-11.5Al-8.5Cr-0.05B at.%) at 1200 °C and 1300 °C for different annealing times. It has also been found that the recrystallization texture is influenced by grain growth and the relative grain size (d/t, d-grain size, t-sheet thickness). Furthermore, contribution of chemical composition to texture has been examined in two additional cold-rolled non-equiatomic high entropy alloys, NCAB (Fe-27.5Ni-17.5Co-11.5Al-0.05B at.%) and NCATB (Fe-27.5Ni-17.5Co-11.5Al-2.5Ta-0.05B at.%), under the same optimal annealing condition used for NCACB. Comparison of texture intensity of NCAB, NCATB, and NCACB demonstrates that Cr is very effective in the formation of strong recrystallization texture of Fe-Ni-Co-Al-based alloys. Based on low-angle boundary statistics, it is hypothesized that decrease in stacking fault energy is responsible for the enhanced recrystallization texture in NCACB. Additionally, it is demonstrated employing a Zener-type model for the pinning of grain boundaries by second-phase particles, that precipitated NiAl particles facilitate the abnormal grain growth in NCACB. The tensile tests results show that strong recrystallization texture and bamboo-like structure improve the ductility of NCACB.
Multiple thresholds in extremal parameter estimation

Selecting the number of upper order statistics to use in extremal inference or selecting the threshold above which we perform the extremal inference is a common step in applications of extreme value theory. Not only is the selection itself difficult, but the large part of the sample below the threshold may potentially carry useful information. We propose an approach that takes an extremal parameter estimator and modifies it to allow for using multiple thresholds instead of a single one. We apply this approach to the problem of estimating the extremal index and demonstrate its power both on simulated and real data.
Is promoting public transit an effective intervention for obesity?: A longitudinal study of the relation between public transit usage and obesity

Abstract There is increasing evidence on the association between public transit usage and obesity. To further understand the causal impact of changes in county public transit usage on county obesity rates, this paper presents a longitudinal study on this topic. Annual health data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and transportation data from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) were aggregated and matched at the county level, to create a panel data set with 227 counties from 45 states across two time periods, 2001 and 2009. Annual public transit funding, obtained from the National Transit Database (NTD), is chosen as an instrumental variable to simulate changes in public transit usage caused by exogenous changes in public policies. Possible confounding variables such as amount of leisure time physical activity, health care coverage and distribution of income are explicitly controlled. All time-invariant county level heterogeneities are implicitly controlled using first difference estimators. This study shows that promoting public transit in a county can effectively decrease the county obesity rate. Specifically, a one percentage point increase of frequent public transit riders in a county population is estimated to decrease the county population obesity rate by 0.473 % points. This result supports findings in previous research that the extra amount of physical activity involved in public transit usage can have a statistically significant impact on obesity. In addition, this study also provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of encouraging public transit usage as a public health intervention for obesity.
Highlights from the scientific and educational abstracts presented at the ASER 2016 annual scientific meeting and postgraduate course.

The annual meeting of the American Society of Radiology (ASER) took place in San Francisco, California on September 14 through September 17, 2016. Attendees represented the USA as well as international emergency radiology communities, including those from academic, private practice, and teleradiology settings. There were several “members in training” in attendance as well. The meeting again featured the “Trauma Head to Toe” 2-day didactic course, highlighting various important topics on imaging of traumatic injuries. Scattered throughout the 4 days were several poster and case of the day presentations, scientific sessions, and self-assessment modules. The following is a summary of the educational posters and scientific papers.
Spatiotemporal patterns of cheatgrass invasion in Colorado Plateau National Parks

Exotic annual grasses are transforming native arid and semi-arid ecosystems globally by accelerating fire cycles that drive vegetation state changes. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), a particularly widespread and aggressive exotic annual grass, is a key management target in national parks of the western United States due to its impacts on wildfire and biodiversity loss. Cheatgrass is known for its high interannual variability and can grow in a wide range of conditions. The objectives were to (1) map the presence and persistence of cheatgrass in national park units across a 11-year period using remote sensing, and (2) identify the biophysical parameters that correlate with cheatgrass persistence. We used remote sensing and GIS tools to develop a systematic model to characterize the status and environmental correlates of cheatgrass invasions in seven national park units in the western United States. On average cheatgrass covered 3.8% of park areas, each park ranging from 0.8 to 24.8% coverage. Where cheatgrass was detected, persistent populations across time (hotspots) made up on average 13% of cheatgrass areas. Hotspots were found in areas with deeper plant-available water, lower elevations, colder mean winter temperatures, flatter slopes, higher soil clay content, and lower mean fall precipitation. Study results identified spatiotemporal patterns of plant invasions and key environmental drivers that influence invasion patterns. GIS tool development and analysis from this study were used to generate invasion maps for each park, which can be used to mitigate wildfire and biodiveristy loss.
Compelling collective action: Does a shared pollution cap incentivize farmer cooperation to restore water quality?

Decades of voluntary efforts to reduce agricultural nonpoint source pollution have been ineffective at protecting water quality worldwide. While farmer collective action is needed to deal with the geographical extent of diffuse pollution from nutrient runoff, theoretical expectations from commons governance research predicts that farmers will not protect water quality since they have few incentives to do so. These different factors indicate that compulsory approaches are needed. However, the commons literature has tended to overlook the constructive roles that government regulation can play. Research on why farmers adopt on-farm conservation measures similarly has failed to explore farmer cooperation, instead focusing mainly on financial motivations of farmers. Yet, some adoption research indicates that social norms are essential factors shaping (non)adoption, but which are largely overlooked by existing agri-environmental policies. This study examines the important gap of how government regulations can incentive farmer cooperation to improve water quality. I focus on case study of the Florida Everglades, where farmers face joint liability under a phosphorus pollution cap and which has resulted in improvements in water quality over the past 20 years. Farms’ drainage disrupts the oligotrophic conditions of the Florida Everglades, but water quality has steadily improved since regulations began in 1994. However, the regulations set compliance jointly for farmers, devolving responsibility to ensure sufficient adoption of conservation practices and deal with free riding. While state monitoring shows that collectively farms have improved water quality, we do not know whether participation is widespread or concentrated among a few large farms. This study provides the first analysis of farm-level water quality outcomes for this area and how judicial, legislative, and local institutions interact to encourage farmer cooperation. Results show that a majority of farms have improved their water quality, demonstrating that collective action has been a key element in the outcome. At the same time, poor-performing farms reveals shortcomings of joint compliance. I end by discussing the implications of how individual and collective requirements can provide farmers with valuable information while also drawing on farmer social dynamics to encourage greater participation.
Observer-Identification: A Potential Threat to the Validity of Self-Identified Race and Ethnicity:

The federal government mandates that school personnel select race and ethnicity identifiers for students who do not provide that information. This process is called “observer identification,” and i...
Training Dieters to Eat Intuitively with a Mobile Application

Weight loss is commonly recommended to prevent cardiometabolic diseases like hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. Rather than lead to a long-term healthy weight, dieting can result in weight cycling, which has been shown to be more harmful to health than being overweight. An emerging solution to prevent both excess weight gain and weight cycling is to avoid extremes of hunger and fullness by eating intuitively. Intuitive eating or mindful eating means tuning into interoceptive cues of hunger and fullness to guide when and how much to eat. Mindful eating has been linked to both heart, and metabolic health. It is, however, often labor intensive to retrain chronic dieters to intuitively eat what they need, and nothing more. This study describes a mobile health application that mimics an in-office intuitive eating coaching session. It utilizes homeostasis concepts, and components of the Health Belief Model; including, cues to action, phone prompts, minimal barriers to use, and self-efficacy through repeated immediate feedback. It is expected that this innovation could assist or replace the more labor-intensive in-person methods that exist to train previous dieters to eat intuitively. An enhanced description of this mobile application, the PaleoIntuitive app, is presented in this paper along with a discussion of its expected impact on health behavior.
Managing endoscopic challenges on the road to resect a large ulcerated gastric GI stromal tumor

Video 1Managing endoscopic challenges on the road to resect a largeulcerated gastric GI stromal tumor.
Substrate-immobilized noble metal nanoplates: a review of their synthesis, assembly, and application

Noble metal nanoplates are a unique class of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials whose planar geometry serves as one of the most important nanoscale building blocks. Referred to by names such as nanoplates, nanodisks, nanoprisms, and nanotriangles, they offer a distinct and compelling set of physicochemical properties renowned for their plasmonic response and catalytic activity. When immobilized on substrates, these same structures are empowered with new capabilities triggered by synergistic interactions with their support and coupling phenomena activated when adjacent nanostructures are held in place with nanometer-scale spacings. In this review, we bring together an impressive literature dedicated to the synthesis, assembly, and application of substrate-immobilized noble metal nanoplates where we highlight the interplay between the nanostructures and their support as a means for deriving a distinct and diverse product. Methods for obtaining substrate-bound nanoplates rely on colloid-to-substrate transfers or syntheses occurring directly on the substrate-surface and span a wide range of techniques including chemisorption, solvent evaporation assembly, air–liquid interfacial assembly, substrate- and seed-mediated syntheses, electrochemical syntheses, vapor-phase depositions, DNA-assisted assembly, and capillary assembly. Collectively, these techniques realize nanoplate formations that are random, close-packed assemblies, periodic arrays, and three-dimensional superlattices. Nanoplate functionality is demonstrated in sensor applications with a broad range of analytes that include explosives, environmentally persistent pollutants, illicit drugs, and microRNA biomarkers for cancer and cardiovascular disease, with proof-of-concept demonstrations as active plasmonics, skin-mountable sensors, point-of-care diagnostics, and electrochemical reactors. Together, this work demonstrates substrate-immobilized nanoplates as a powerful platform for realizing photo- and chemically-active surfaces of technological relevance.
Global Reprogramming of Apoptosis-Related Genes during Brain Development

To enable long-term survival, mammalian adult neurons exhibit unique apoptosis competence. Questions remain as to whether and how neurons globally reprogram the expression of apoptotic genes during development. We systematically examined the in vivo expression of 1923 apoptosis-related genes and associated histone modifications at eight developmental ages of mouse brains. Most apoptotic genes displayed consistent temporal patterns across the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain, suggesting ubiquitous robust developmental reprogramming. Although both anti- and pro-apoptotic genes can be up- or downregulated, half the regulatory events in the classical apoptosis pathway are downregulation of pro-apoptotic genes. Reduced expression in initiator caspases, apoptosome, and pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members restrains effector caspase activation and attenuates neuronal apoptosis. The developmental downregulation of apoptotic genes is attributed to decreasing histone-3-lysine-4-trimethylation (H3K4me3) signals at promoters, where histone-3-lysine-27-trimethylation (H3K27me3) rarely changes. By contrast, repressive H3K27me3 marks are lost in the upregulated gene groups, for which developmental H3K4me3 changes are not predictive. Hence, developing brains remove epigenetic H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 marks on different apoptotic gene groups, contributing to their downregulation and upregulation, respectively. As such, neurons drastically alter global apoptotic gene expression during development to transform apoptosis controls. Research into neuronal cell death should consider maturation stages as a biological variable.
Translation as Transformation in Victorian Poetry

Introduction: Victorian translations, poetic transformations 1. Discovering a Victorian culture of translation 2. Idylls of the King, the Mabinogion, and Tennyson's faithless melancholy 3. In poetry and translation, Browning's case for innovation 4. The Rubaiyat and its compass 5. The persistence of Victorian translation practice: William Hichens and the Swahili world Epilogue: Victorian translators and 'the epoch of world literature' Bibliography.
Variation structures: results and open problems

Studying the invariants of isolated hypersurface germs f : (C, 0) → (C, 0), it is very useful to consider composed germs f = p ◦ φ, where φ : (C, 0) → (C, 0) has a manageable discriminant space (for example: φ is an isolated complete intersection singularity, in short ICIS), and p : (C, 0) → (C, 0) is a curve singularity. This gives not only a very large class of examples with powerful testing role (for example, the germs of “generalized Sebastiani– Thom type”, where φ(x, y) = (g(x), h(y)) [9, 10], or the topological series fk = pk ◦ φ → f∞ = p∞ ◦ φ, when φ is an ICIS and pk → p∞ is a topological series [10, 20] of plane singularities), but also clarifies the most general case. To see this, complete the initial, arbitrary germ f to an ICIS (f, g) = φ and take p(c, d) = c. If g is a generic linear form then we recover the classical method of the polar curves, which is an effective inductive procedure. In the composed case, the leading principal is the following: for a given invariant i, find a category C(i) of supplementary structures (“of system of coefficients”) defined either on (C, 0) or on the local complement of an analytic germ ∆ ⊂ (C, 0), (which, in general, is the discriminant space of φ) with the following properties: a) φ defines a structure S(φ) in C(i), and b) the invariant i(f) can be computed in terms of the germ p and the structure S(φ). In this way, one expects that the computation of the invariant i is reduced to lower dimensional topology (link topology of p−1(0)∪∆) with some repre-
DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A DISCRETE EVENT SIMULATION MODEL TO EVALUATE THE LONG TERM USE OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES IN US POPULATION

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A DISCRETE EVENT SIMULATION MODEL TO EVALUATE THE LONG TERM USE OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES IN US POPULATION By Kunal Saxena, BSPharm, MS A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Academic Advisor: David A. Holdford, R.Ph., M.S., Ph.D., FAPhA Professor Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science School of Pharmacy Introduction Cigarette smoking is associated with lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and chronic respiratory conditions. It is responsible for high mortality and morbidity risk in the US population. Smokers find sudden quitting difficult and it is reported that a large number of unassisted quitting attempts are eventually unsuccessful. Electronic cigarette or e-cig is a novel battery-driven, nicotine delivery product, currently being used as a smoking cessation tool by current and former smokers. Since its resemblance to a conventional cigarette, and its non-combustible nature, e-cig use has risen exponentially in the last few years. To address such public health issues, the US FDA is working on formulating regulations to manufacture, market, and distribute e-cigs has called for research evidence on the long term use of e-cig use.
Chapter 6 Magnetic Properties

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the magnetic susceptibility, electron spin resonance, and nuclear magnetic resonance data, and discusses the various theoretical interpretations that have been given to the experimental results. It shows that magnetism in metals in terms of, for example, Pauli susceptibility, spin-phonon scattering, and Korringa relaxation is inadequate to account for any feature of the data. This is not surprising since many-body effects are paramount in the physics of one-dimensional conductors, and magnetic properties are particularly sensitive to the interactions of the Fermi gas. In discussing the magnetic properties of organic conductors, it is suggested to separate the molecular contributions from those phenomena that arise because of interactions in the solid state. For example, core diamagnetism, g tensors, and hyperfine coupling constants are largely molecular properties, whereas conduction electron paramagnetism, electron spin resonance line-widths, and nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation rates are solid-state properties. In many cases, it is important to have knowledge of the molecular parameters before attempting to interpret measurements made on the charge-transfer salt of interest. The chapter also presents the available data on molecular magnetic parameters.
Pharmacokinetic Modeling and Biodistribution Estimation Through the Molecular Communication Paradigm

Targeted drug delivery systems (TDDSs) are therapeutic methods based on the injection and delivery of drug-loaded particles. The engineering of TDDSs must take into account both the therapeutic effects of the drug at the target delivery location and the toxicity of the drug while it accumulates in other regions of the body. These characteristics are directly related to how the drug-loaded particles distribute within the body, i.e., biodistribution, as a consequence of the processes involved in the particle propagation, i.e., pharmacokinetics. In this paper, the pharmacokinetics of TDDSs is analytically modeled through the abstraction of molecular communication, a novel paradigm in communication theory. Not only is the particle advection and diffusion, considered in our previous study, included in this model, but also are other physicochemical processes in the particle propagation, such as absorption, reaction, and adhesion. In addition, the proposed model includes the impact of cardiovascular diseases, such as arteriosclerosis and tumor-induced blood vessel leakage. Based on this model, the biodistribution at the delivery location is estimated through communication engineering metrics, such as channel delay and path loss, together with the drug accumulation in the rest of the body. The proposed pharmacokinetic model is validated against multiphysics finite-element simulations, and numerical results are provided for the biodistribution estimation in different scenarios. Finally, based on the proposed model, a procedure to optimize the drug injection rate is proposed to achieve a desired drug delivery rate. The outcome of this study is a multiscale physics-based analytical pharmacokinetic model.
Cryptosporidium: basic biology and epidemiology

Taxonomic Classification Basic Biology Reproduction Clinical Aspects Prevalence of Cryptosporidiosis in Humans Occurrence in the Environment Transmission Keywords: cryptosporidium; protozoan parasites; zoonotic transmission of parasites
Mu suppression as an indicator of activation of the perceptual‐motor system by smoking‐related cues in smokers

The goal of the current study was to determine whether activation of the mirror neuron system, as measured by mu rhythm desynchronization, varied as a function of image content in smokers compared with nonsmokers. EEG activity was recorded while participants passively viewed images depicting smoking-related and nonsmoking-related stimuli. In half of the images, cues were depicted alone (inactive), while for the remaining images, cues were depicted with humans interacting with them (active). For the nonsmoking stimuli, smokers and nonsmokers showed greater mu suppression to the active cues compared to the inactive cues. However, for the smoking-related stimuli, smokers showed greater perception-action coupling for the active cues as reflected in their enhanced mu suppression, compared to nonsmokers. The results of the current study support the involvement of the perceptual-motor system in the activation of motivated drug use behaviors.
A Book Review of: HOUSING AS IF PEOPLE MATTERED by Clare Cooper Marcus and Wendy Sarkissian

(1988). A Book Review of: HOUSING AS IF PEOPLE MATTERED by Clare Cooper Marcus and Wendy Sarkissian. Housing and Society: Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 204-204.
Teachers Perception in a Technology Integration Workshop: Implications for Professional Development in the Digital Age

School districts are embracing innovative technology applications by increasing the accessibility of Web 2.0 applications from district networks. Workshops on these applications have become the favorite type of professional development workshop among in-service teachers. While there are studies using self-report instruments to examine in-service teachers’ perceptions and attitudes about integration practices involving Web 2.0 tools and professional development, few studies report details of in-service teachers’ lived experiences of these professional development sessions. A gap in understanding the meaning in-service teachers place on Web 2.0 professional development workshops exists. Five themes were established to understand participants’ Web 2.0 workshop experiences. The findings from the study suggest that breaking professional development for teachers into two segments, that is, an online segment where the basics are delivered online and a face-to-face segment dedicated to modeling Web 2.0 tool integration m with hands-on collaboration are considered most effective by teachers. DOI: 10.2458/azu_itet_v3i1_anyanwu
Revisiting the beauty is beastly effect: examining when and why sex and attractiveness impact hiring judgments

We contribute to the body of literature on the what is beautiful is good heuristic (Dion, Berscheid, & Walster, 1972, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24, 285–290), the beauty is beastly effect (Heilman & Saruwatari, 1979, Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 23, 360–372) and lack of fit theory (Heilman, 1983, Research in Organizational Behavior, 5, 269–298) by reconciling previous discrepancies in the literature and by examining the circumstances in which attractiveness may and may not be detrimental for female job applicants. First, we perform a review of studies which have previously tested the beauty is beastly effect, and we provide and test explanations for previous discrepancies in the literature. Next, we conduct two new studies on the beauty is beastly effect using corporate types of jobs, and empirically test Heilman's lack of fit theory (1983) as an explanation for the effect. We find support for the effect in a general population sample, and partial support for the effec...
Fuel Ethanol from Lignocellulosic Biomass

Cellulosic ethanol has been identified as a promising biofuel for transportation because it is produced from abundant and renewable lignocellulosic biomass such as crop residues, forest residues, and dedicated energy crops; it does not compete with food source such as starch, sucrose, and lipids; it reduces fossil fuel use and thereby lowering greenhouse gas emission; it improves energy security and independence; and it promotes rural economy. Biological production of cellulosic ethanol consists of five major operations, namely, biomass production and process, biomass pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification of polysaccharides (cellulose and hemicellulose), fermentation of sugars to ethanol, and concentration and purification of ethanol. Existing technologies for these operations are briefly summarized and reviewed in this article, including structure, composition, and recalcitrance of lignocellulose; biomass logistics for harvest, handling, transport, and storage; available pretreatment methods and their features; cellulase and substrate features affecting enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose; fermentation of hexoses and pentoses to ethanol; ethanol distillation and dehydration; and lignin and hemicellulose as potential co-products. Challenges and future directions of cellulosic ethanol production were addressed as well. Commercialization of cellulosic ethanol still faces technical, engineering, and economical challenges. Aggressive research and development are still needed to reduce the cost and improve the efficiency of cellulosic ethanol production. Keywords: biofuel; biomass; cellulose; enzymatic hydrolysis; ethanol; fermentation; hemicellulose; lignin; lignocellulose; pretreatment
Attitudes toward suicide among mental health professionals

Abstract The Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) and the Recognition of Suicide Lethality (RSL) scale were administered to 141 mental health professionals representing seven groups: family practice physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses and aides, social workers, crisis line workers, and clergy. The results indicate significant differences among groups on 5 of the 15 SOQ factors, on a clinically derived empathic understanding scale, and on the RSL. Major findings of the study include: (a.) the complexity of attitudes towards suicide; (b) substantial differences between clergy and other mental health professionals; (c) differences between physicians and psychologists on attribution of manipulative motivation to suicide attempts; (d) a relationship between attitudes and personal familiarity with suicide; (t) an ordering of professional groups on the Empathic Understanding Scale reflecting psychological, medical, or religious training; (i) group differences on the recognition of suicide...
Screening of maternal sera using a mouse embryo culture assay is not predictive of human embryo development or IVF outcome.

Purpose : Maternal serum is commonly added to media used for human IVF but can vary widely in its ability to support the development of human embryos in vitro. The objective of this study was to determine if the screening of maternal serum with a mouse one-cell embryo culture assay would be useful in predicting human embryo development and clinical outcome following IVF. Methods : Twenty-two individual serum samples from IVF patients were used as a supplement (7.5%) to Ham's F-10 media for culturing human embryos. All embryos were evaluated at the time of transfer for stage of development and embryo quality. Each serum sample was also tested for its ability to support mouse embryo development. One-cell embryos were recovered from superovulated female mice and cultured in serum-supplemented media. Mouse blastocyst development was assessed after 96 h of incubation. Results : No correlation was found between mouse blastocyst formation and human embryo development in media supplemented with maternal sera. Similarly, there was no association between the development of mouse blastocysts and clinical outcome following IVF. A subanalysis of patients whose sera tested poorly on the mouse assay again revealed no association between mouse and human embryo development. Conclusion : Mouse embryo development in media containing human serum did not predict development of human embryos in vitro or clinical outcome following IVF. There would be little benefit to screening maternal sera using a mouse embryo culture system for determining its suitability for use in human IVF.
Conditions Contributing to Adverse Loading of Wind Turbines In the Nocturnal Boundary Layer: Final Report, November 15, 2003 -- December 31, 2004

This report summarizes the development of a methodology to describe the characteristics of coherent turbulence in the nocturnal boundary layer that are known to induce excessive structural loads and component vibration in operating wind turbines and suggestions for applying those results in the development of techniques of real-time detection and prediction that can be used for mitigation purposes.
Primary care behavioral interventions to prevent or reduce illicit drug use and nonmedical pharmaceutical use in children and adolescents: a systematic evidence review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Illicit drug use has negative health and social consequences for youths. This systematic review, conducted to inform the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, critiques and summarizes 6 trials that ...
Impaired pneumovax-23-induced monocyte-derived cytokine production in patients with common variable immunodeficiency.

Introduction Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the most common infectious pathogens in common variable immunodeficiency (CVID). Both innate and adaptive immune response appears to play a role in defense against S. pneumoniae. In mice, it has been established that TLR2 and macrophages-derived cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) play a crucial role in defense against S. pneumoniae. In humans, monocyte/macrophage-derived cytokines in response to S. pneumoniae have not been studied. Patients with CVID respond poorly to Pneumovax-23 (containing all capsular polysaccharides) vaccination.
Balloon valvuloplasty for pulmonary valve stenosis.

Balloon valvuloplasty for pulmonary valve stenosis by static dilation is the treatment of choice for the treatment of isolated valvular pulmonary stenosis in the infant, child, and adolescent. The procedure is also effective in neonates; however, the complications of the procedure are significantly higher and the efficacy is less. This article reviews the background, indications, technique, acute and long-term results, and complications of balloon valvuloplasty for pulmonary valve stenosis in the infant, child, and adolescent with pulmonary valve stenosis. The application of this technique in neonates with critical pulmonary stenosis or membranous pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum is also discussed. The determinants of a successful outcome in each group are addressed. (J Interven Cardiol 1995;8:451–461)
Deep-space optical terminals (DOT)

A conceptual design study titled Deep-Space Optical Terminals was recently completed for an optical communication technology demonstration from Mars in the 2018 time frame. We report on engineering trades for the entire system, and for individual subsystems including the flight terminal, the ground receiver and the ground transmitter. A point design is described to meet the requirement for greater than 0.25 Gb/s downlink from the nearest distance to Mars of 0.42 AU with a maximum mass and power allocation of 40 kg and 110 W. Furthermore, the concept design addresses link closure at the farthest Mars range of 2.7 AU. Maximum uplink data-rate of 0.3 Mb/s and ranging with 30 cm precision are also addressed.
Deriving strong association mining rules using a dependency criterion, the lift measure

Traditional association mining rule algorithms have two major drawbacks: first, there is a need to repeatedly scan the dataset and second, they generate too many association rules. In this paper, we have presented a dependency-based association mining rule algorithm, implemented using an array list structure in JAVA, that does not require more than one scan of the full dataset and generates a lot less strong association mining rules. The additional dependency criterion used was the lift measure.
Optical Anisotropy in Lipid Bilayer Membranes: Coupled Plasmon-Waveguide Resonance Measurements of Molecular Orientation, Polarizability, and Shape

Abstract The birefringence and linear dichroism of anisotropic thin films such as proteolipid membranes are related to molecular properties such as polarizability, shape, and orientation. Coupled plasmon-waveguide resonance (CPWR) spectroscopy is shown in the present work to provide a convenient means of evaluating these parameters in a single lipid bilayer. This is illustrated by using 1–10mol % of an acyl chain chromophore-labeled phosphatidylcholine (PC) incorporated into a solid-supported PC bilayer deposited onto a hydrated silica surface. CPWR measurements were made of refractive index and extinction coefficient anisotropies with two exciting light wavelengths, one of which is absorbed by the chromophore and one of which is not. These results were used to calculate longitudinal and transverse molecular polarizabilities, the orientational order parameter and average angle between the longitudinal axis of the lipid molecule and the membrane normal, and the molecular shape factors of the lipid molecules. The values thereby obtained are in excellent agreement with parameters determined by other techniques, and provide a powerful tool for analyzing lipid-protein, protein-protein, and protein-ligand interactions in proteolipid films.