cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social and Political Event Analysis based on Rich Media

This tutorial aims to provide a comprehensive overview on the applications of rich social media data for real world social and political event analysis, which is a new emerging topic in multimedia research. We will discuss the recent evolution of social media as venues for social and political interaction and their impacts on the real world events using specific examples. We will introduce large scale datasets drawn from social media sources and review concrete research projects that build on computer vision and deep learning based methods. Existing researches in social media have examined various patterns of information diffusion and contagion, user activities and networking, and social media-based predictions of real world events. Most existing works, however, rely on non-content or text based features and do not fully leverage rich multiple modalities -- visuals and acoustics -- which are prevalent in most online social media. Such approaches underutilize vibrant and integrated characteristics of social media especially because the current audiences are getting more attracted to visual information centric media. This proposal highlights the impacts of rich multimodal data to the real world events and elaborates on relevant recent research projects -- the concrete development, data governance, technical details, and their implications to politics and society -- on the following topics. 1) Decoding non-verbal content to identify intent and impact in political messages in mass and social media, such as political advertisements, debates, or news footage; 2) Recognition of emotion, expressions, and viewer perception from communicative gestures, gazes, and facial expressions; 3) Geo-coded Twitter image analysis for protest and social movement analysis; 4) Election outcome prediction and voter understanding by using social media post; and 5) Detection of misinformation, rumors, and fake news and analyzing their impacts in major political events such as the U.S. presidential election.
AFM-based Dynamic Scanning Indentation (DSI) Method for Fast, High-resolution Spatial Mapping of Local Viscoelastic Properties in Soft Materials

An atomic force microscope (AFM) based fast dynamic scanning indentation (DSI) nano-DMA method, which relies only on the commonly available capabilities of commercial AFMs to provide quantitatively...
Shoulder symptoms and quality of life impact of limited neck dissection after de‐intensified chemoradiotherapy: Secondary analysis of two prospective trials

Background We investigated the quality of life (QOL) impact of post-radiation therapy (RT) superselective/selective neck dissection after de-intensified chemoradiation for human papillomavirus-associated oropharynx cancer. Methods A total of 147 patients received 60 Gy and weekly low-dose cisplatin on two phase 2 trials with planned post-RT neck dissection or surveillance positron emission tomography with neck dissection reserved for salvage. UW-QOL Shoulder Score, EORTC H&N-35, and EAT-10 were assessed. Results In all, 48 of 147 patients had post-RT neck dissection. At 2 years, 37% and 13% of patients receiving post-RT neck dissection had Shoulder Score ≥ 1 (any shoulder symptoms) and ≥ 2 (symptoms affecting work/hobbies), respectively, versus only 16% and 3% of patients not receiving post-RT neck dissection. Post-RT neck dissection was associated with Shoulder Score ≥ 1 (P = 0.005) and Shoulder Score ≥ 2 (P = 0.03) at 2 years, but not H&N-35 or EAT-10 scores. Conclusions Post-RT superselective/selective neck dissection was associated with modest but persistent shoulder symptoms. These toxicities should be weighed against the probability of persistent disease when evaluating patients for post-RT neck dissection.
Effects of Indoor and Ambient Black Carbon and [Formula: see text] on Pulmonary Function among Individuals with COPD.

Background: Particulate matter (PM) air pollution has been associated with decreased pulmonary function, but the exposure–response relationship in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patie...
Structures and dimensions of micelle-templated nanoporous silicas derived from swollen spherical micelles of temperature-dependent size

Abstract Subambient temperatures are employed in Pluronic-block-copolymer-templated syntheses of many large-pore silicas: SBA-15 (2-D hexagonal with cylindrical mesopores), FDU-12 (face-centered cubic with spherical mesopores), nanotubes and hollow nanospheres. Herein, the origin of a significant temperature dependence of the unit-cell parameter and pore diameter of silicas templated by swollen micelles of Pluronics under subambient conditions was elucidated. The temperature dependence of size of swollen spherical micelles of Pluronic F127 (EO106PO70EO106) in 2 M HCl solution was studied in 12–25 °C range using dynamic light scattering and was correlated with structure types, unit-cell sizes and pore sizes of silicas synthesized at four silica-precursor/Pluronic ratios with a swelling agent (toluene, ethylbenzene). The increase in size of swollen micelles with temperature decrease was paralleled by the increase in the unit-cell size and pore diameter, even if the micelle shape changed in the process of formation of the micelle-templated silica. The decrease in the silica-precursor/Pluronic F127 ratio at constant temperature triggered a succession of phases, including SBA-15 - nanotube sequence that may involve an intermediate nanotube bundle structure, which is uncommon and potentially useful. The temperature decrease also led to a succession of phases, including FDU-12 – SBA-15, hollow nanospheres – nanotube bundles, and nanotubes – SBA-15 sequences.
Mobile App-Based Small-Group Physical Activity Intervention for Young African American Women: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

A lack of adequate physical activity among young African American women remains a serious public health challenge. Few evidence-based interventions are available to increase physical activity in this population, and none has leveraged mobile technologies, even though African Americans are among the most avid users of mobile applications (apps). We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of a mobile app-based small-group intervention in increasing physical activity among African American women aged 18 to 35 years (N = 91) in Philadelphia, PA. Cohorts of eight participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to a 4-women small-group intervention or an individual control condition. Control participants used the app to track their own activities. Small-group participants could track their own activities and those of the other three women in their group and could message the other women using a chatting tool. The primary outcome was meeting the goal of engaging in at least 90 min/day of light physical activity during the 3-month study period objectively assessed by a Fitbit device. Data were collected in 2016 and analyzed in 2017. Group participants had higher odds of meeting the goal (OR = 1.48, p = .048) than did control participants, an effect that did not wane during the 3-month study period. Irrespective of condition, participants had lower body-mass index (p = .01) and performed more push-ups (p < .0001) at the 1-month and 3-month assessments compared with the baseline measures. Mobile apps facilitating small online groups can contribute to efforts to increase physical activity among young African American women. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT02736903.
Complement activation on neutrophils initiates endothelial adhesion and extravasation

Neutrophils are essential to the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases. In the autoantibody-mediated K/BxN model of inflammatory arthritis, the alternative pathway (AP) of complement and Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs) are required for disease development while the classical pathway is dispensable. The reason for this differential requirement is unknown. We show that within minutes of K/BxN serum injection complement activation (CA) is detected on circulating neutrophils, as evidenced by cell surface C3 fragment deposition. CA requires the AP factor B and FcγRs but not C4, implying that engagement of FcγRs by autoantibody or immune complexes directly triggers AP C3 convertase assembly. The absence of C5 does not prevent CA on neutrophils but diminishes the upregulation of adhesion molecules. In vivo two-photon microscopy reveals that CA on neutrophils is critical for neutrophil extravasation and generation of C5a at the site of inflammation. C5a stimulates the release of neutrophil proteases, which contribute to the degradation of VE-cadherin, an adherens junction protein that regulates endothelial barrier integrity. C5a receptor antagonism blocks the extracellular release of neutrophil proteases, suppressing VE-cadherin degradation and neutrophil transendothelial migration in vivo. These results elucidate the AP-dependent intravascular neutrophil-endothelial interactions that initiate the inflammatory cascade in this disease model but may be generalizable to neutrophil extravasation in other inflammatory processes.
The duration of American-English vowels: an overview

An overview is given of the durational characteristics of vowel sounds in the readings of three slow and three fast talkers. The effects on duration of tempo, syllabic stress and a variety of contexts are described, and the productions of the individual talkers are analyzed. The data are compared to a number of previous studies of vocalic duration with particular regard for the potential utility of durational cues for automatic speech recognition. Some generalizations made in the literature are not supported by these new data.
10 – Medical Machines

This chapter explores the evolutionary path geared toward medical machines and their processors. Such machines deal with medical objects (such as patients, medical staff, drugs, and biological entities) and medical actions (such as treatment, surgeries, therapy, and counseling). Together they blend into very major macroscopic (humanist achievements, accomplishments, procedures, etc.) deeds in medicine or very minor (subsidiary, supporting, inconsequential, etc.) steps or functions in medical practice.
What is economics for

The methodological foundations of any scientific discipline are shaped by the goals towards which that discipline is aiming. While it is almost universally accepted that the goals of explanation and prediction of natural and non-human phenomena have been met with great success since the scientific revolution, it is almost just as universally accepted that the social sciences have not even come close to achieving these goals. This raises the question addressed in this paper, namely, what is economics, and social science more broadly speaking, for? What is their aim, and how is it similar and dissimilar to that of the natural sciences as we have come to classify them? I take up this question from a pragmatic perspective in this paper, setting economics within the wider context of social inquiry. Specifically, I turn to Hilary Putnam and John Dewey as exemplars of the pragmatic critique of any economics that sees its goals in line with those of the natural sciences, that is, as aiming for explanation and prediction according to governing laws of human behaviour.
Association Between Atazanavir-Induced Hyperbilirubinemia and Cardiovascular Disease in Patients Infected with HIV.

BACKGROUND: Serum bilirubin is inversely associated with cardiovascular risk. Atazanavir, an HIV protease inhibitor that competitively inhibits bilirubin conjugation, provides a unique opportunity ...
Individualism, pro-market institutions, and national innovation

Previous research suggests that both formal institutions (e.g., pro-market institutions) and informal institutions (e.g., individualistic cultural values) are critical drivers of innovation. Most studies, however, consider the independent role of either formal or informal institutions. We contribute to this gap in the literature by exploring the potential interaction between informal institutions, measured by Hofstede’s individualism-collectivism index, and formal institutions, measured by the Economic Freedom of the World index (i.e., pro-market institutions). Using cross-sectional data for a diverse sample of 84 countries, we find that both individualism and pro-market institutions are positively associated with innovation. However, the extent to which pro-market institutions promote innovation depends largely on how individualistic a country is and vice versa. For example, more individualistic countries tend to be more innovative, but even the most individualistic countries have below-average levels of innovation when their formal institutional environment lacks market support. At the same time, our findings suggest that the most innovative countries tend to have both strong pro-market institutions and individualistic cultural values.
Tocilizumab use in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study.

What is known and objective The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associated cytokine activation can lead to a rapid progression into respiratory failure, shock and multiorgan failure. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that likely contributes to the pathogenesis of cytokine release syndrome. It is hypothesized that modulating IL-6 levels or its effects with tocilizumab, a recombinant humanized anti-IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody, may alter the course of disease. Methods We examined the association between tocilizumab use and intubation or death at a community hospital in New York City. Data were obtained regarding consecutive patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The primary end point was a composite of intubation or death in a time-to-event analysis. We compared outcomes in patients who received tocilizumab with those in patients who did not, using a multivariable Cox model with inverse probability weighting according to the propensity score. Results and discussion In this single-centre retrospective cohort study involving 1225 hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, the probability to respiratory failure, which was measured as intubation or death, was less frequent in patients who received tocilizumab. What is new and conclusion Tocilizumab and other IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibodies may evolve as a viable option in treating patients with moderate and severe COVID-19.
Structural, Spectroscopic, and Kinetic Insight into the Heating Rate Dependence of Studtite and Metastudtite Dehydration

Uranyl peroxide minerals studtite (UO2O2·4H2O) and metastudtite (UO2O2·2H2O) are important materials in the nuclear fuel cycle. When heated, they dehydrate and transform to amorphous uranium oxides...
Navigating New Legal Demands For Franchisor Accountability

Franchising is a relationship wherein one organization (i.e., the franchisor) allows other organizations (i.e., franchisees) to use its brand name, products, and processes in exchange for fees. Because franchising offers franchisors the opportunity to build their brands quickly, it is perhaps not surprising that many firms rely on franchising as a key tool for organization design. One caution about franchising is that its use brings a complex array of legal issues into play. As franchising increases in popularity, so too does the scrutiny paid to this organizational form by the legal system. Indeed, the courts appear to be demanding increased accountability from franchisors. The goal of this Point of View article is to explain how organizations can avoid problems associated with increased accountability and even benefit from it.
Ocean imagery relates to an individual's cognitions and pro-environmental behaviours

Abstract The coming decade will bring new challenges to marine management, governance and conservation. Understanding people's relationship with this environment is fundamental for guiding scientists and decision makers. This article deconstructs mental ocean imagery and explores how these images relate to one's marine value orientations, personal norms, emotional involvement (fear), attitudes toward marine sustainable use of resources, acceptability for ocean use, and pro-environmental behaviours. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire across coastal communities on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. We used a word-association technique to elicit ocean images. Frequency analyses revealed beautiful, fishing, cold, pollution and vast as the most cited images. Through an inductive exploratory content analysis, we identified psychological impression, place identity, utilitarian, environmentalist and naturalist as the main theme dimensions. Correlation analyses found that mental images correlate with the way people feel, think and act toward the ocean. Demographic characteristics had a significant effect on some of the images: psychological impression was higher among women and older generations, whereas naturalist was higher among young people. Environmental related images were higher in urban areas. Findings expanded our knowledge on how people imagine the ocean and shows the ambivalence of human nature (i.e., admiring and fearing the ocean while exploring its vastness and resources and understanding its fragility and decay caused by humans).
Sparse signal recovery from modulo observations

We consider the problem of reconstructing a signal from under-determined modulo observations (or measurements). This observation model is inspired by a relatively new imaging mechanism called modulo imaging, which can be used to extend the dynamic range of imaging systems; variations of this model have also been studied under the category of phase unwrapping. Signal reconstruction in the under-determined regime with modulo observations is a challenging ill-posed problem, and existing reconstruction methods cannot be used directly. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to solving the signal recovery problem under sparsity constraints for the special case to modulo folding limited to two periods. We show that given a sufficient number of measurements, our algorithm perfectly recovers the underlying signal. We also provide experiments validating our approach on toy signal and image data and demonstrate its promising performance.
Chronic Rhinosinusitis Disease Disparity in the South Florida Hispanic Population.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS The role of social determinants of health in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is poorly characterized. Limited research examining CRS health disparities indicates that minority status is associated with worse CRS. However, many of these studies are retrospective or performed in populations without substantial ethnic minorities. Rhinologists need to characterize existing CRS disease disparities to develop targeted strategies for improving care in these populations. This prospective study assesses preoperative CRS disease burden in South Florida (SFL) Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients and examines potential factors contributing CRS disease disparities. STUDY DESIGN Prospective cohort study. METHODS The prospective cohort study included consecutive patients having primary endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for CRS between September 2019 and February 2020 with complete preoperative data. Data were collected in clinic and surgery. Descriptive statistics compare Hispanic and non-Hispanic cohorts. Linear regression adjusts for confounders. Relative risk (RR) compared CRS severity markers. RESULTS Thirty-eight Hispanic and 56 non-Hispanic patients met inclusion criteria. Age, sex, CT scores, insurance payer, and comorbidities were similar between cohorts. Hispanics presented with worse 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) (55; SD = 18) compared to non-Hispanics (37; SD = 22) (P < .001). Hispanics tended to have a higher risk of severe CRS markers, including nasal polyps RR = 2.5 (95% CI: 1.0-5.9), neo-osteogenesis RR = 1.6 (95% CI: 0.5-4.7), extended procedures (i.e., draft III) RR = 2.97 (95% CI: 1.0-9.1), and tissue eosinophilia RR = 1.46 (95% CI: 0.6-3.5). Hispanics reported longer sinonasal symptom duration. CONCLUSIONS SFL hispanic patients presenting for primary ESS have worse sinonasal disease burden. SFL Hispanics have markers of greater CRS severity and report longer delays before receiving CRS care. These factors may contribute to increased sinonasal disease burden in Hispanic patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3 Laryngoscope, 131:2659-2665, 2021.
Team Composition Issues for Future Space Exploration: A Review and Directions for Future Research.

BACKGROUND Future space exploration, such as a mission to Mars, will require space crews to live and work in extreme environments unlike those of previous space missions. Extreme conditions such as prolonged confinement, isolation, and expected communication time delays will require that crews have a higher level of interpersonal compatibility and be able to work autonomously, adapting to unforeseen challenges in order to ensure mission success. Team composition, or the configuration of member attributes, is an important consideration for maximizing crewmember well-being and team performance. METHODS We conducted an extensive search to find articles about team composition in long-distance space exploration (LDSE)-analogue environments, including a search of databases, specific relevant journals, and by contacting authors who publish in the area. RESULTS We review the team composition research conducted in analogue environments in terms of two paths through which team composition is likely to be related to LDSE mission success, namely by 1) affecting social integration, and 2) the team processes and emergent states related to team task completion. DISCUSSION Suggestions for future research are summarized as: 1) the need to identify ways to foster unit-level social integration within diverse crews; 2) the missed opportunity to use team composition variables as a way to improve team processes, emergent states, and task completion; and 3) the importance of disentangling the effect of specific team composition variables to determine the traits (e.g., personality, values) that are associated with particular risks (e.g., subgrouping) to performance.
A Data-Driven Environment For A Multiprocessor System

While it is technologically possible to integrate large numbers of processors in a single machine, new approaches to the programming of such machines are needed. We have applied the principles of data-driven execution to a network of Inmos Transputers. The resulting programming environment as well as some performance results are shown here.
Stem Cell Markers in the Posterior Limbus and Cornea

The corneal endothelium is a layer of cells in the cornea that is responsible for maintaining the clear state of the cornea. Corneal endothelial cells may be induced to divide, but do not regularly divide in the normal cornea of a human beyond the age of twenty. Some studies have suggested that a stem cell population may reside in the peripheral corneal endothelium or in the posterior limbus. Important molecular markers of stem cells are nestin which is expressed in neural crest stem cells; alkaline phosphatase is active in stem cells and not in differentiated cells; telomerase is a marker of stem cells and transient amplifying cells; and Oct-3/4 that maintains pluripotency in stem cells. Important developmental markers are Pax-6, which is expressed throughout eye development; Wnt-1 is responsible for proliferation and maintenance of stem cells; and Sox-2 maintains the adult nervous system. Wounded and unwounded whole corneas and corneal sections were analyzed by immunofluorescence for the presence of nestin, telomerase, Oct-3/4, Pax-6, Wnt-1 and Sox-2. Alkaline phosphatase activity was observed with an ELF Phosphatase Detection Kit from the American Type Culture Collection. In the unwounded cornea, nestin, alkaline phosphatase and telomerase activity was indicated in the trabecular meshwork and at Schwalbe’s line. Telomerase was present in the peripheral corneal endothelium. In the wounded cornea, nestin, alkaline phosphatase and telomerase were observed in the same regions as in the unwounded cornea;
CHANGE OF FAT CONTENT AND FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF TURKISH HAZELNUTS (CORYLUS AVELLANA L.) DURING STORAGE

Hazelnuts (Corylus avellana L.) were collected from three different cultivars (Tombul, Palaz and Kalinkara) at the harvest season of 1996. The dried nuts were stored shelled and unshelled in polyethylene bags at 21C and 60-65% relative humidity for 12 months. During storage, the total fat content increased, the palmitic and oleic acid content of the oil increased, linoleic acid, ranged from 12.41 to 10.35%. No significant differences were found for other fatty acids during storage. The effect of storage of shelled and unshelled hazelnuts on the total fat content was significant.
The Local Supercluster and Anisotropy of the Redshifts

This is a birthday party, so we must have a birthday card. Figure 1 is a birthday card for Gerard. It plots his published papers as a function of time, papers classified approximately according to subject matter. Gerard’s output has been prodigious, and we anticipate continued valuable contributions at least until the year 2010. Happy Birthday!
Peer assessment for massive open online courses (MOOCs)

The teach-learn-assess cycle in education is broken in a typical massive open online course (MOOC). Without formative assessment and feedback, MOOCs amount to information dump or broadcasting shows, not educational experiences. A number of remedies have been attempted to bring formative assessment back into MOOCs, each with its own limits and problems. The most widely applicable approach for all MOOCs to date is to use peer assessment to provide the necessary feedback. However, unmoderated peer assessment results suffer from a lack of credibility. Several methods are available today to improve on the accuracy of peer assessment results. Some combination of these methods may be necessary to make peer assessment results sufficiently accurate to be useful for formative assessment. Such results can also help to facilitate peer learning, online discussion forums, and may possibly augment summative evaluation for credentialing.
Affordable Classes of Normal Logic Programs

Limiting the number of times a variable appears in either the head or the body of a rule, we identify two classes of normal prepositional logic programs. These classes have the desirable property that stable models, if they exist, can be found in linear time (worst case). We also identify a related class containing programs for which the well-founded model can be acquired in linear time, yet for which computing the stable model(s) remains NP-complete. We show in this class how, by relaxing one constraint, previously linear complexity is increased to intractability.
Einstein and Hilbert

Highlights of the twenty-odd-year relationship between Einstein and Hilbert are reviewed: the encounter that never took place (1912) when Einstein declined Hilbert’s invitation to Gottingen; the fateful encounter (1915–1916) leading to a dispute over the final formulation of general relativity; the tragic-comic encounter (1928–1929) over editorship of the Annalen der Mathematik leading to what Einstein called “The battle of the Frogs and Mice”; L’envoi (1932) Einstein’s final letter of congratulations to Hilbert on his 70th birthday.
Identifying Efficiently and Economically Operated Hospitals: The Prospects and Pitfalls of Applying Frontier Regression Techniques

This article examines whether policy makers can make immediate use of recently developed frontier regression techniques to identify efficient hospitals primarily for rate setting purposes. This new approach is applied to data on Florida hospitals for the period 1982-1993 to appraise how well it performs in gauging variations in hospital costs and efficiency. This appraisal suggests that frontier methods are quite promising, but that they may not yield sufficiently unambiguous results to serve the short-term needs of hospital regulators interested in scaling reimbursement rates to the efficiency with which hospitals deliver services. Other policy-relevant strengths and weaknesses of frontier techniques are also discussed.
Prevention of retinopathy of prematurity.

ETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY (ROP) R remains one of the most poorly understood disease processes that confront caretaking neonatologists, pediatricians, and ophthalmologists in their care of the neonate. From its first description in the 1940s through now, the exact etiology, evolution, prevention, and treatment of the disease remain controversial. The purpose of the current review is to focus on recent efforts for the prevention of retinopathy of prematurity, and to review recent treatment efforts.
Leveraging high-throughput technology to accelerate the time to clinic: A case study of a mAb

Acceleration of development timelines to support material production for early-phase clinical trials has been a continuous goal within the life sciences industry, driven largely by the need to advance an ever increasing number of novel therapeutics into the clinic. This has challenged cell culture and purification development groups to become more efficient, realized in part by leveraging a platform process in the case of mAbs, adopting high-throughput (HT) technologies, and scaling-up directly from the HT formats to pilot and clinical scales for toxicology and clinical production. The work presented herein focuses on a case study where a mammalian cell culture process producing mAb A was developed almost exclusively utilizing HT technology. The study describes how HT systems such as microbioreactors for cell culture development and minicolumns driven by robotics for purification development were integrated to rapidly develop a robust production process that was then directly scaled-up nearly 17 000-fold for cell culture and 5200-fold for purification steps to generate material for investigational new drug-enabling toxicology studies at the 250 L bioreactor scale, followed by another rapid scale-up to 1000 L for clinical production. Performance comparability across scales demonstrates the effectiveness of HT process development for accelerating the time to clinic.
An algorithm for estimating the time varying AR parameters of a nonstationary process

A nonstationary scalar random process represented by an autoregressive (AR) model with rapidly time-varying coefficients is considered. Assuming the observation of this AR process is contaminated by additive white Gaussian noise, the authors estimate the coefficients using the Kalman filtering technique and the solution of the Ricatti equation. Computer simulations have shown favorable results that converge to the true solution. >
Preparation of Poly(diiododiacetylene), an Ordered Conjugated Polymer of Carbon and Iodine

Conjugated organic polymers generally must include large substituents for stability, either contained within or appended to the polymer chain. In polydiacetylenes, the substituents fulfill another important role: During topochemical polymerization, they control the spacing between the diyne monomers to produce an ordered polymer. By using a co-crystal scaffolding, we have prepared poly(diiododiacetylene), or PIDA, a nearly unadorned carbon chain substituted with only single-atom iodine side groups. The monomer, diiodobutadiyne, forms co-crystals with bis(nitrile) oxalamides, aligned by hydrogen bonds between oxalamide groups and weak Lewis acid-base interactions between nitriles and iodoalkynes. In co-crystals with one oxalamide host, the diyne undergoes spontaneous topochemical polymerization to form PIDA. The structure of the dark blue crystals, which look copper-colored under reflected light, has been confirmed by single-crystal x-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy.
Selling Strategies and Shopping Behavior—An Example of Taiwanese Guided Package Tourists to Mainland China Destinations

China has become the most visited destination in the world for international tourists. The number of Taiwanese tourists going to China on guided tours has increased; “shopping” and “optional tours” are the two most controversial consumption experiences for them due to price competition. This study aims to investigate the Taiwanese guided package tourists’ shopping intentions and behavior when traveling in China and also to examine how their shopping behaviors are influenced by sales representatives, local tour guides, and other tour participants. This study found that benefits sought, perceived sympathy, and social acceptance are often used by service providers to persuade tour participants to buy. It is expected that the study can contribute to tourism industry theory, and help the travel industry to improve the quality of guided package tours to China.
ANALYSIS OF ELDERLY MOBILITY BY STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING

Mobility is a critical element of quality of life. This is as true for the elderly population as for the larger population. The elderly often have limited physical abilities and financial constraints that might reduce their mobility. Helping the growing elderly population to maintain decent mobility is a critical challenge for transportation planning and policy. For this, the factors that influence the mobility of the elderly population (elderly mobility) must be understood. Only a few systematic studies, however, have been published. Descriptive statistics of the potentially influential factors make it difficult to assess their effects on elderly mobility. The transportation mobility of retired people age 65 years or older in the Puget Sound region of Washington State was analyzed by using a structural equation model. The statistical significance and relative effects of various personal and household characteristics and urban form on elderly mobility were tested. The structural equation model finds statistically significant relationships between age, gender, transportation disability, possession of a driver's license, and education level and elderly mobility. Among these variables, age and education level show the strongest effects. Urban form, however, seems to be insignificant.
A fluorescent bead-based multiplex assay for the simultaneous detection of antibodies to B. burgdorferi outer surface proteins in canine serum.

Abstract Lyme disease is a zoonotic, vector-borne disease affecting humans, dogs, horses and other species. It is caused by infection with spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group which are transmitted to the mammalian host by infected ticks (Ixodes). Exposure to B. burgdorferi is commonly diagnosed by serological testing. The gold standard for the detection of antibodies to B. burgdorferi is a two-step procedure of an ELISA followed by confirmatory Western blotting (WB). Here, we developed and validated a new bead-based multiplex assay for the detection of antibodies to B. burgdorferi in canine serum which combined the testing by ELISA and WB in a single quantitative test. B. burgdorferi outer surface protein A (OspA), OspC and OspF were expressed in E. coli. The recombinant proteins were coupled to fluorescent beads providing the matrix of the assay. Two sets of canine sera were used for validation of the multiplex assay. First, sera from 79 dogs with known ELISA and WB results were used to establish the conditions of the assay. These samples were selected to provide similar numbers of pre-tested sera ranging from negative to high positive results and included sera from vaccinated and/or naturally infected dogs. A high correlation was observed for detection of antibodies to B. burgdorferi in the single and multiplex assays (n = 79). Spearman's rank correlations were 0.93, 0.88 and 0.96 for OspA, OspC and OspF, respectively. Second, a total of 188 canine serum samples that were not tested previously were used for further multiplex assay validation. All samples were also blindly analyzed for antibodies to B. burgdorferi antigens by WB. The WB results provided a ‘relative gold standard’ for each antigen and were used to perform a receiver operating curve analysis. The areas under the curves were 0.93 for OspA, 0.82 for OspC, and 0.89 for OspF. Multiplex assay interpretation ranges for antibodies to all three B. burgdorferi antigens in canine serum were established by likelihood analysis. The diagnostic sensitivities of the individual OspA, OspC and OspF bead-based assays were 83%, 62% and 82%, respectively, and the diagnostic specificities were 90%, 89% and 86%, respectively. The new multiplex assay provides a sensitive and fully quantitative platform for the simultaneous evaluation of antibodies to B. burgdorferi OspA, OspC and OspF antigens and distinguishes between antibodies that originated from vaccination or natural exposure to B. burgdorferi.
The effect of apolipoprotein E genotype on neuron specific enolase and S-100β levels after cardiac surgery

We tested the hypothesis that two biochemical markers of brain injury would be increased after cardiac surgery in patients with the apolipoprotein (Apo) epsilon4 allele. Arterial blood samples were drawn before and 8 and 24 h after induction of anesthesia and later assayed for neuron specific enolase (NSE), S-100beta, and apoE genotype. There was a highly significant temporal effect with increases in NSE (2.2 +/- 1.6 ng/L to 11.8 +/- 8.9 ng/L; P < 0.0001) (mean +/- sd) and S-100beta (0.15 +/- 0.1 microg/L to 0.45 +/- 0.42 microg/L, P < 0.0001). At 8 and 24 h after induction of anesthesia S-100beta (0.28 +/- 0.18 microg/L versus 0.91 +/- 0.54 microg/L; P =0.004) and NSE (8.6 +/- 5.6 ng/L versus 19.0 +/- 19.7 ng/L; P = 0.02) levels, respectively, were higher in patients with the Apoepsilon4 allele. Patients with the Apoepsilon4 allele may be more susceptible to perioperative neural insults.
Acute Stroke Intervention

This review summarizes the current state-of-the-art regarding the endovascular management of acute ischemic stroke. Beginning with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator, this paper traces the gradual shift of systemic thrombolysis from a competing to complementary treatment modality. Intra-arterial thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy with the Merci (Concentric Medical, Mountain View, California) and Penumbra (Penumbra, Inc., Alameda, California) systems, angioplasty, primary intracranial stenting, and emerging stentriever devices are sequentially reviewed. Ultimately, this paper lays the foundation for current endovascular stroke management and considers future areas of progress and research.
The anti-inflammatory effects of LY178002 and LY256548

LY178002 (5-[3,5-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-hydroxyphenyl]methylene-4-thiazolidinone) and its N-methyl analog, LY256548, inhibit the enzymatic activity of phospholipase A2, 5-lipoxygenase and fatty acid cycloxygenase. They also inhibit leukotriene B4 production from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes stimulated with the calcium ionophore A23187. Since products of the arachidonic acid cascade have been implicated as important mediators in a variety of inflammatory diseases including arthritis, LY178002 and LY256548 were studied in the Freund's Complete Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis (FCA) model in rats. The compounds were administered orally and inhibition of bone damage and paw swelling was assessed of both the injected and uninjected paws. At 50 mg/kg LY178002 inhibited soft tissue swelling in the uninjected paw by 81% while LY256548 exhibited 57% inhibition. Bone damage was also significantly inhibited by both compounds. A dose response was conducted. The minimum effective dose for LY178002 was 10 mg/kg p.o. In the established FCA model LY178002 at 50 mg/kg p.o. inhibited the uninjected paw swelling by 75% while LY256548 did not show this level of activity. These results suggest that LY178002 and LY256548 may be useful in the treatment of arthritis.
THE ROLE OF FREE RADICALS IN BIOLOGICAL OXIDATIONS

The concept of free-radical formation during the enzymatic oxidation of 2-electron oxidizable substrates has been challenged by Westheimer. Examples of coupled oxidation-reduction reactions are given in which radiation acts as oxidant or reductant with the formation of intermediate free radicals. These examples indicate that free radicals may indeed be formed in enzymatic oxidations. (D.L.C.)
Computational investigation of drag reduction on a rotationally oscillating cylinder

The reduction of drag on a circular cylinder in two-dimensional incompressible flow, achieved using oscillatory body rotation, is investigated to reveal the physics responsible for the force reduction. Flow is computationally simulated at Reynolds numbers of 100, 300, and 15000 for a small group of sinusoidal body rotations to gain an understanding of the mechanisms which can control forces in such situations. It is observed that, for certain rotational parameters, drag is reduced over a range of Reynolds numbers from the two-dimensional base flow. At Re=15000, an interesting boundary layer instability is observed which could explain the dramatic drag reduction previously noted in an experiment on this flow. Simulations are performed with a high-resolution viscous vortex method which utilizes the particle strength exchange technique for diffusion and multipole expansions for fast summations. Different approaches for computing and analyzing forces will be discussed as well as a "hybridization" applied to the scheme to allow particle merging in the far wake.
Practical Ptosis Surgery

The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the concept that ptosis surgery should be done in a way that may be easily modified if the surgery results in an overcorrection or an undercorrection. The external approach in the adult will be presented.
Absence of persistent infection with enteroviruses in muscles of patients with inflammatory myopathies.

We searched for enteroviral nucleic acid sequences using the polymerase chain reaction and slot-blot hybridization in coded muscle biopsy specimens from 39 patients with active inflammatory myopathies (polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and inclusion-body myositis) and from 16 patients with other neuromuscular diseases, including patients with postpolio syndrome. For primers, we used sequences of the noncoding region at the 5' end of the viral RNA. We failed to detect specific enteroviral nucleic acid sequences in the muscle biopsy specimens
The uniaxial tension of particulate composite materials with nonlinear interface debonding

Debonding of particle/matrix interfaces can significantly affect the macroscopic behavior of composite material. We have used a nonlinear cohesive law for particle/matrix interfaces to study interface debonding and its effect on particulate composite materials subject to uniaxial tension. The dilute solution shows that, at a fixed particle volume fraction, small particles lead to hardening behavior of the composite while large particles yield softening behavior. Interface debonding of large particles is unstable since the interface opening (and sliding) displacement(s) may have a sudden jump as the applied strain increases, which is called the catastrophic debonding. A simple estimate is given for the critical particle radius that separates the hardening and softening behavior of the composite.
Combined Rigid-Deformable Modeling of Lumbar Spine Mechanics

Finite element (FE) models of the spine have been used to assess natural and pathological spine mechanics and evaluate performance of various fusion and posterior stabilization devices [1–3]; however, analysis times may be prohibitive for clinical and design phase assessments. Muscle-actuated, rigid body models have also been developed and used to estimate spinal loading conditions during simulated activities [4]. Although rigid body dynamics platforms typically require less computational time, they are unable to evaluate internal stresses and strains in deformable structures. This study proposes to develop a combined rigid – deformable surrogate spine model where the behavior of the intervertebral disc, facet cartilage and ligaments are replicated by simulated mechanical constraint at desired levels. The explicit FE platform is able to accommodate the spectrum of representations, including fully deformable, fully rigid body, implanted, or any combination. Accordingly, the objective of the current study was to assess the ability of a combined rigid-deformable spine model to accurately reproduce the behavior of the fully deformable representation in the natural state with improved computational efficiency. Specifically, this study compared results for a lumbar (L1-L5) spine under follower load and moment conditions for representations ranging from fully deformable to fully rigid. The combined rigid-deformable model includes the deformable disc, facet cartilage contact, ligament representations at L4-L5, while the other levels are modeled using a simplified mechanical constraint.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Variation in Response to Calcium Fertilization among Four Runner‐Type Peanut Cultivars

Seed quality ofpeanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is influenced by seed Ca concentration, which is known to be affected by seed size and soil Ca fertility during seed production. Little is known about soil Ca requirements for large-seeded runner-type cultivars or for late maturing peanut cultivars that display poor seed quality. This study was conducted to determine if excess Ca fertilization during seed production would improve the laboratory germination and/or seedling emergence of large-seeded runner-type peanut cultivars ('C-99R' and 'AP-3') and late-maturing runner-types ('DP-1' and C-99R). Trials were conducted near Marianna, FL, in 2005, 2006, and 2007 using four cultivars and four gypsum treatments (0, 784, 1568, and 2352 kg ha -1 ) to provide excess soil Ca. Pretreatment soil extractable (Mehlich-1) Ca was 589 kg ha -1 in 2005, 811 kg ha -1 in 2006, and 848 kg ha -1 in 2007, all ofwhich are above the recommended level. The cultivar average seed size (g/100 seeds) rankingwas C-99R > AP-3 > DP-1 > 'Georgia Green', whereas average seed Ca concentration (mg kg -1 ) ranked Georgia Green > AP-3 = C-99R > DP-1. Cultivar seedling emergence ranking was Georgia Green = AP-3 > C-99R > DP-1 and germination ranked Georgia Green = AP-3 > C-99R = DP-1. These results suggest that the relatively poor emergence of DP-1 may be, in part, related to its relatively low absorption of seed Ca during seed production. Emergence of C-99R increased as Ca fertilization increased in 2005, but not in 2006 or 2007. These results suggest that seedling emergence of some large-seeded cultivars, like C-99R, may require greater gypsum fertilization if soil Ca levels are marginal during seed production.
Novel techniques for high precision refractive index measurements, and application to assessing neutron damage and dose in crystals

Abstract In this work we present novel techniques for high precision index of refraction measurements for transparent crystals, and demonstrate a change from neutron irradiation. Radiation damage affects the structure of material, which can be read out nondestructively in transparent crystals. There is some difference in gamma-ray and neutron interactions which may be useful in characterization. Ionization from gamma rays produces color centers in the material, producing distinct spectral absorption, and some small shift in the index of refraction. Neutrons produce atomic recoils and, while the recoils do some ionization, they have a much greater efficiency for lattice displacement than do gamma rays, and these displacements can have a greater effect on the index of refraction. Using CaF2 crystals exposed to neutron radiation, together with a new high precision technique of detecting changes of index of refraction, we establish proof that this type of measurement can be used to monitor neutron exposure. This can provide a basic study of material changes with radiation and, with calibration of material in known neutron fields, this may even find application to neutron dosimetry.
HIGH-ENERGY BEHAVIOR OF FEYNMAN AMPLITUDES. II. NONPLANAR GRAPHS

A method previously developed by the author for obtaining the asymptotic behavior of Feynman integrals associated with planar graphs in the $\ensuremath{\lambda}{\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{3}$ theory is extended for the study of nonplanar graphs. The results are discussed in connection with the high-energy behavior of amplitudes and the associated properties in the complex angular momentum plane.