cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Innovation for sustainability: the transformation of the transportation system

Faced with the inconvenient truth of unsustainable levels of global warming and the pollution of our air, land and water, organisations in the transportation industry are tasked with meeting the challenge of balancing economic, social and environmental sustainability. To address these concerns effectively, organisations and their citizens (employees) must become innovative in the way they develop and manufacture products, offer services and conduct business. In this paper, we describe the process of innovation for sustainability and how it can promote the development of a sustainable transportation industry for the future. We present several examples of innovations in the transportation industry and offer suggestions for creating and improving sustainability in this complex industry.
Identification of diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) during ecological assessments: Comparison between Light Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy techniques

Identification of diatom frustules, a vital step during ecological analyses, is greatly influenced by the magnification at which samples are examined. The striking differences between Light Microscopy (LM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) reveal inconsistencies in the identification of diatoms at low magnifications. These inconsistencies hinder comparative analyses between data sets collected by several research centers and may be hiding information of potential value in the assessment of ecosystem health. Additionally, SEM research has had a marked impact on diatom taxonomy rendering traditional identification methods insufficient for recognition of newly created taxa. Many diagnostic features of small representatives of these newly erected taxa can not be recognized even at higher LM magnifications. The consequent lack of taxonomic resolution at the LM level may be leading to overestimation of geographical distributions, ranges of tolerance to environmental parameters, and optimal conditions for growth. Qualitative aspects of the differences between LM and SEM approaches are discussed in the present paper.
Picosecond kinetics of state-selective singlet oxygen producing photochemistry of aromatic endoperoxides

Abstract Picosecond measurements show that the photo-fragmentation of anthracene endoperoxides leading to the anthracene moiety and singlet oxygen does not occur in a single step, but involves a short-lived intermediate. The upper excited state dual bond dissociation kinetics of the endoperoxides of 9,10-diphenylanthracene (9,10-DPA-O2) and of 9-phenylanthracene (9,10-PA-O2) were measured. For 9,10-DPA-O2 the ground state aromatic appears in 95 ± 10 ps, whereas for 9,10-PA-O2 it appears in 60 ± 7 ps. The results are consistent with our earlier proposed mechanism for the dissociation from the upper excited singlet states of isomers of the anthracene endoperoxides.
Reliability of Center of Pressure Measures for Assessing the Development of Sitting Postural Control in Infants With or at Risk of Cerebral Palsy

Kyvelidou A, Harbourne RT, Shostrom VK, Stergiou N. Reliability of center of pressure measures for assessing the development of sitting postural control in infants with or at risk of cerebral palsy. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2010; 91:1593-601. Objective: To establish the test-retest reliability of linear and nonlinear measures, including intra- and inter- session reliability, when used to analyze the center of pressure (COP) time series during the development of infant sitting postural control in infants with or at risk for cerebral palsy (CP). Design: Longitudinal study. Setting: University hospital laboratory. Participants: Infants with or at risk for CP (N18; mean age SD at entry into the study, 13.73.6mo). Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Infant sitting COP data were recorded for 3 trials at each session (2 sessions for each month within 1 week) for 4 consecutive months. The linear COP parameters of the root mean square, the range of sway for both the anterior-posterior and the medial-lateral directions, and the sway path were calculated. In addition, the nonlinear parame- ters of approximate entropy, Lyapunov exponent (LyE), and the correlation dimension for both directions were also calcu- lated. Intra- and intersession reliability was computed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: Regarding nonlinear measures, LyE showed high intra- and intersession ICC values in comparison with all other parameters evaluated. Intrasession and intersession reliability increased overall in the last 2 months of data collection and as sitting posture improved. Conclusions: Our results suggested that the methodology presented is a reliable way of examining the development of sitting postural control in infants with or at risk for CP, and the reliability results generally parallel values found in sitting postural behavior in typical infants. Therefore, this methodol-
survcomp: an R/Bioconductor package for performance assessment and comparison of survival models

Summary: The survcomp package provides functions to assess and statistically compare the performance of survival/risk prediction models. It implements state-of-the-art statistics to (i) measure the performance of risk prediction models; (ii) combine these statistical estimates from multiple datasets using a meta-analytical framework; and (iii) statistically compare the performance of competitive models. Availability: The R/Bioconductor package survcomp is provided open source under the Artistic-2.0 License with a user manual containing installation, operating instructions and use case scenarios on real datasets. survcomp requires R version 2.13.0 or higher. http://bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/survcomp.html
Associations of socioeconomic status and processed food intake with serum phosphorus concentration in community-living adults: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Objective Higher serum phosphorus concentrations are associated with cardiovascular disease events and mortality. Low socioeconomic status is linked with higher serum phosphorus concentration, but the reasons are unclear. Poor individuals disproportionately consume inexpensive processed foods commonly enriched with phosphorus-based food preservatives. Accordingly, we hypothesized that excess intake of these foods accounts for a relationship between lower socioeconomic status and higher serum phosphorus concentration. Design Cross-sectional analysis. Setting and Participants We examined a random cohort of 2,664 participants with available phosphorus measurements in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, a community-based sample of individuals free of clinically apparent cardiovascular disease from across the United States. Predictor Variables Socioeconomic status, the intake of foods commonly enriched with phosphorus-based food additives (processed meats, sodas), and frequency of fast-food consumption. Outcomes Fasting morning serum phosphorus concentrations. Results In unadjusted analyses, lower income and lower educational achievement categories were associated with modestly higher serum phosphorus concentration (by 0.02 to 0.10 mg/dL, P Conclusions Greater intake of foods commonly enriched with phosphorus additives was not associated with higher serum phosphorus concentration in a community-living sample with largely preserved kidney function. These results suggest that excess intake of processed and fast foods may not impact fasting serum phosphorus concentrations among individuals without kidney disease.
A turbidimetric assay for terramycin.

A rapid and reliable assay method applicable to both impure and purified preparations of terramycin is described. The method described involves a turbidimetric procedure utilizing Klebsiella pneumoniae P. C. I. 602 as the test organism. An incubation period of only three and one-half hours is required.
Large-scale analysis of non-synonymous coding region single nucleotide polymorphisms

Motivation: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common form of genetic variant in humans. SNPs causing amino acid substitutions are of particular interest as candidates for loci affecting susceptibility to complex diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension. To efficiently screen SNPs for disease association, it is important to distinguish neutral variants from deleterious ones. Results: We describe the use of Pfam protein motif models and the HMMER program to predict whether amino acid changes in conserved domains are likely to affect protein function. We find that the magnitude of the change in the HMMER E-value caused by an amino acid substitution is a good predictor of whether it is deleterious. We provide internet-accessible display tools for a genomewide collection of SNPs, including 7391 distinct non-synonymous coding region SNPs in 2683 genes. Availability: http://lpgws.nci.nih.gov/cgi-bin/GeneViewer.cgi
An Idiosyncratic Reaction to Clopidogrel

Clopidogrel is an irreversible antiplatelet agent belonging to the thienopyridine group that acts to antagonize the adenosine diphosphate P2Y12 receptor on platelets. It thus inhibits the activation of platelet glycoprotein GPIIb/IIIa complex, which is essential for fibrinogen—platelet complex formation. Clopidogrel has widely replaced ticlopidine because of a much better clinical safety profile. Clopidogrel is a prodrug that requires hepatic activation to exert its antiplatelet effect. Hepatotoxicity with use of clopidogrel is a rare but clinically significant phenomenon. We report a case of clopidogrel-induced hepatotoxicity in an elderly white woman.
A Review of Burr Formation in Machining

One of the major concerns in deburring technology is centered on how to predict the size and shape of burrs to insure uniform removal and, if this is possible, how to design the process or product in advance to minimize or control the burr size. This paper reviews some of the research done over the past several years on this important topic. The paper includes a discussion of burrs in conventional machining, process planning for burr minimization as well as micromachining applications.
Leaf water and carbohydrate status of VA mycorrhizal rose exposed to drought stress

!Summary Shoot water relations and carbohydrate levels were compared for droughted nonmycorrhizal and vesicular-arbuscular (V A) mycorrhizal Rosa hybrida L. cv 'Samantha' plants grown with high and low phosphorus fertilization. Leaf diffusive conductance (g,) of plants colonized by Glomus intraradices Schenk and Smith and Glomus deserticola Trappe, Bloss and Menge were 2 x and 1.5 x greater, respectively, than in nonmycorrhizal plants. Regardless of P fertilization, leaf osmotic and bulk water potentials were 0.5 to 1.1 MPa higher in mycorrhizal than in nonmycorrhizal plants. Leaf starch, chlorophyll and water contents were higher InG. intraradices-colonized plants than .in the high-P nonmycorrhizal plants, while fructose, glucose and total soluble carbohydrates were lower. Level.of P fertilization had no effect on water relations or soluble cart .bohydrate content of nonmycorrhizal roses. The water status of droughted rose was improved more ,i by G. intraradices than by G. deserticola.
Three-dimensional motion measurements using feature tracking

Feature tracking was developed to efficiently compute motion measurements from volumetric ultrasound images. Prior studies have demonstrated the motion magnitude accuracy and computation speed of feature tracking. However, the previous feature tracking implementations were limited by performance of their calculations in rectilinear coordinates. Also, the previous feature tracking approaches did not fully explore the three-dimensional (3- D) nature of volumetric image analysis or utilize the 3-D directional information from the tracking calculations. This study presents an improved feature tracking method which achieves further computation speed gains by performing all calculations in the native spherical coordinates of the 3-D ultrasound image. The novel method utilizes a statistical analysis of tracked directions of motion to achieve better rejection of false tracking matches. Results from in vitro tracking of a speckle target show that the new feature tracking method is significantly faster than correlation search and can accurately determine target motion magnitude and 3-D direction.
Fast integral equation based analysis of transient electromagnetic scattering from three-dimensional inhomogeneous lossy dielectric objects

This paper presents a fast scheme for studying transient scattering from and propagation through inhomogeneous lossy dielectric bodies. The analysis of fields in lossy media has diverse applications ranging from the study of skin effects in high-speed circuits to medical diagnostics to the analysis of interactions between antennas and biological media. Moreover, transient analysis methods are ideal for studying non-linear effects. This paper presents an accelerated marching-on-in-time (MOT) scheme to solve time domain volume integral equations pertinent to the study of lossy dielectrics. The classical solution scheme (MOT) is augmented with the plane wave time domain (PWTD) scheme, which leads to a considerable reduction in computational complexity.
A Note on Pooling Regression Estimates

It is easy to see that if all the quantities involved in the formula for 5 were scalars (i.e. k 1), = would in fact be a convex combination of 1 and 52. Thus it is tempting to conjecture that, in general, component by component, 0 is a convex combination of 9i and 52. Indeed, if X'X is diagonal, this convexity property immediately follows from the univariate version. However, with the original scaling on the columns of X1 and X2 (i.e. without a transformation such that X'X is diagonal), such a convexity property does not
Intermediate Outcomes of Chronic Disease Self-Management Program Offered by Members of the Healthy Aging Regional Collaborative in South Florida

Currently, 80% of adults over the age of 65 have at least one chronic disease. The Chronic Disease Self-management Program (CDSMP) focuses on increasing self-efficacy for managing chronic disease. ...
A randomized trial investigating the effect of a brief lifestyle intervention on freshman-year weight gain.

Abstract Objective: The current study was a randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of an innovative, short-term lifestyle intervention on weight gain in female freshman college students. Participants: Ninety-five freshmen were recruited from a large public university in the United States. Methods: Participants completed baseline assessments and were randomized to a 5-session, 4-week intervention or wait-list control, with assessments at posttest and 3-month follow-up. Results: The hypothesized time by group interaction was not significant, p = .393; however, trends suggested that control participants maintained baseline weight, whereas intervention participants lost −2.07 kg by posttest but regained 1.05 kg at follow-up. Significantly more intervention participants (47.0%) decreased their daily caloric intake by ≥ 200 kcal compared with control (31.7%), p = .050. Conclusion: Brief intervention to prevent weight gain was not effective in this sample. Future studies should investigate lengthen...
The Brefeldin A-induced Retrograde Transport from the Golgi Apparatus to the Endoplasmic Reticulum Depends on Calcium Sequestered to Intracellular Stores*

Ribophorin I is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein specific to the rough endoplasmic reticulum. We have previously shown that, when expressed in transfected HeLa cells, a carboxyl-terminally truncated form of ribophorin I that contains most of the luminal domain (RI332) is, like the native protein, retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Brefeldin A (BFA) treatment of these HeLa cells leads to O-glycosylation of RI332 by glycosyltransferases that are redistributed from the Golgi apparatus to the ER (Ivessa, N. E., De Lemos-Chiarandini, C., Tsao, Y.-S., Takatsuki, A., Adesnik, M., Sabatini, D. D., and Kreibich, G. (1992) J. Cell Biol. 117, 949-958). Using the state of glycosylation of RI332 as a measure for the BFA-induced backflow of enzymes of the Golgi apparatus to the ER, we now demonstrate that the retrograde transport is inhibited when cells are treated with various agents that affect intracellular Ca2+ concentrations, such as the dipeptide benzyloxycarbonyl (Cbz)-Gly-Phe-amide, the Ca2+ ionophore A23187, and thapsigargin, an inhibitor of the Ca2+-transporting ATPase of the ER. These treatments prevent the BFA-induced O-glycosylation of RI332. Immunofluorescence localization of the Golgi markers, MG-160 and galactosyltransferase, shows that when BFA is applied in the presence of Ca2+ modulating agents, the markers remain confined to the Golgi apparatus and are not redistributed to the ER, as is the case when BFA alone is used. Cbz-Gly-Phe-amide does not, however, interfere with the BFA-induced release of β-COP from the Golgi apparatus. We conclude that the maintenance of a Ca2+ gradient between the cytoplasm and the lumen of the ER and the Golgi apparatus is required for the BFA-induced retrograde transport from the Golgi apparatus to the ER to occur.
Knowledge Inheritance in Global Industries: The Impact of Parent Firm Knowledge on the Performance of Foreign Subsidiaries

This paper analyzes the impact of inherited parent firm knowledge on the performance of foreign operations in global industries. I argue that transfers of parent firm knowledge provide different ad...
Membrane Structure and Storage of Free Energy

Chloroplasts, mitochondria, and Gram-negative bacteria all share the property of being bounded by a pair of membranes (Keegstra et al, 1984). The two membranes differ in passive permeability properties, the outer membrane being a porosity shield that is more permeable to small molecules. The porosity of the outer membrane is conferred by specific porin proteins, with mitochondrial and bacterial porins allowing passage of solutes of molecular weight < 10,000 and 700, respectively. The mitochondrial pore-forming protein forms at least part of the hexokinase receptor complex in tumor mitochondria, which may relate to the large increase in binding of hexokinase observed in rapidly growing cancer cells, whereby ATP generated by oxidative phosphorylation may be efficiently trapped as glucose-6-phosphate (Nakashima et al., 1986). The bacterial and mitochondrial, and possibly the chloroplast, membrane systems also contain adhesion sites between the two membranes. In the bacteria these sites are known to mediate transfer of newly synthesized lipid and lipopolysaccharide from inner to outer membrane, whereas the mitochondrial sites allow import of proteins across both membranes. The mitochondrial, bacterial, and chloroplast membrane systems all require energy for this import.
INFLUENCE OF TROPHY HUNTING AND HORN SIZE ON MATING BEHAVIOR AND SURVIVORSHIP OF MOUNTAIN SHEEP

Abstract We conducted a study of the effects of horn sizes and trophy hunting on mating behavior and survival of rams in hunted and unhunted populations of Dall sheep (Ovis dalli), Rocky Mountain bighorn (O. canadensis canadensis), and desert bighorn (O. c. nelsoni) sheep. Mating success was positively correlated with horn size in Dall sheep (P = 0.03) and Rocky Mountain bighorns (P = 0.05), but not in the desert bighorn (P > 0.05) taxa. Group sizes, rams per rut group, and competition between rams were lowest in desert bighorn sheep. There were indications of greater harassment of ewes by young rams in trophy-hunted populations. In hunted populations, compared with unhunted, ewes ran away more often from approaching rams, ewes moved farther away from courting young rams (P = 0.003), younger rams performed fewer courtship displays (P = 0.042) and more aggressive displays to ewes, and sheep interacted 27% more of the time. Ram-to-ewe interaction times per individual ewe did not differ for any of the taxa (...
Catholicism and Nationalism in Ireland: From Fusion in the 19th Century to Separation in the 21st Century

This article explores the relationship between Catholicism and nationalism in Ireland. It first explains the historic relationship between the Church and the Irish nationalist movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It then briefly summarizes the historic role of the Church in Irish politics after independence. Finally, the article examines the diminishing political influence of Irish Catholicism in Irish politics by exploring the utility of various theories of secularisation. Like other recent work on secularisation, it attempts to historicize the debate regarding secularisation. While not agreeing with all aspects of historic secularisation theory, this approach is much more useful in explaining the dwindling power of the Catholic Church in Ireland today than more recent theories of secularisation that emphasize the vitality of religion in a more pluralistic and competitive setting.
A Handheld Open-Field Infant Keratometer (An American Ophthalmological Society Thesis)

Purpose: To design and evaluate a new infant keratometer that incorporates an unobstructed view of the infant with both eyes (openfield design). Methods: The design of the open-field infant keratometer is presented, and details of its construction are given. The design incorporates a single-ring keratoscope for measurement of corneal astigmatism over a 4-mm region of the cornea and includes a rectangular grid target concentric within the ring to allow for the study of higher-order aberrations of the eye. In order to calibrate the lens and imaging system, a novel telecentric test object was constructed and used. The system was bench calibrated against steel ball bearings of known dimensions and evaluated for accuracy while being used in handheld mode in a group of 16 adult cooperative subjects. It was then evaluated for testability in a group of 10 infants and toddlers. Results: Results indicate that while the device achieved the goal of creating an open-field instrument containing a single-ring keratoscope with a concentric grid array for the study of higher-order aberrations, additional work is required to establish better control of the vertex distance. Conclusion: The handheld open-field infant keratometer demonstrates testability suitable for the study of infant corneal astigmatism. Use of collimated light sources in future iterations of the design must be incorporated in order to achieve the accuracy required for clinical investigation. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc 2010;108:77-95
Weight-Related Social Control in Couples: Associations With Motives, Constraints, and Health Behaviors

The social control framework and multiple goals perspective were used to investigate couples’ (N = 192) diet- and exercise-related social control communication. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIMs) were used to examine couples’ use of positive and negative social control in association with (a) their specific motives for using social control and (b) constraints against using social control. In line with a multiple goals framework, partners employ different social control strategies as a function of their distinct motives, and couples appear to consider secondary goals when communicating social control in their relationship. Together, these results suggest that individuals are aware of the need to balance their desire for their partners to be physically healthy with their desire to maintain their relationship.
An integrative framework of time-varying affective robotic behavior

As robots become more and more prevalent in our everyday life, making sure that our interactions with them are natural and satisfactory is of paramount importance. Given the propensity of humans to treat machines as social actors, and the integral role affect plays in human life, providing robots with affective responses is a step towards making our interaction with them more intuitive. To the end of promoting more natural, satisfying and effective human-robot interaction and enhancing robotic behavior in general, an integrative framework of time-varying affective robotic behavior was designed and implemented on a humanoid robot. This psychologically inspired framework (TAME) encompasses 4 different yet interrelated affective phenomena: personality Traits, affective Attitudes, Moods and Emotions. Traits determine consistent patterns of behavior across situations and environments and are generally time-invariant; attitudes are long-lasting and reflect likes or dislikes towards particular objects, persons, or situations; moods are subtle and relatively short in duration, biasing behavior according to favorable or unfavorable conditions; and emotions provide a fast yet short-lived response to environmental contingencies. The software architecture incorporating the TAME framework was designed as a stand-alone process to promote platform-independence and applicability to other domains. In this dissertation, the effectiveness of affective robotic behavior was explored and evaluated in a number of human-robot interaction studies with over 100 participants. In one of these studies, the impact of Negative Mood and emotion of Fear was assessed in a mock-up search-and-rescue scenario, where the participants found the robot expressing affect more compelling, sincere, convincing and "conscious" than its non-affective counterpart. Another study showed that different robotic personalities are better suited for different tasks: an extraverted robot was found to be more welcoming and fun for a task as a museum robot guide, where an engaging and gregarious demeanor was expected; whereas an introverted robot was rated as more appropriate for a problem solving task requiring concentration. To conclude, multi-faceted robotic affect can have far-reaching practical benefits for human-robot interaction, from making people feel more welcome where gregariousness is expected to making unobtrusive partners for problem solving tasks to saving people’s lives in dangerous situations.
Life Expectancies, Rates of Return and the Give or Bequeath Decision for Income-Producing Property Under EGTRRA

Estate planning is particularly difficult when transfer tax effects are unpredictable. The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA) reduced estate tax rates through 2009 and completely eliminates the estate tax in 2010, but a sunset provision brings the estate right back in 2011. Prior to estate tax repeal it was usually cheaper to transfer property by gift during life rather than at death because the implicit gift tax rate was lower than the estate tax rate. Because the estate tax rate goes to zero in 2010 and returns to 2001 levels in 2011, lifetime transfers are not preferred if the transferor will die in 2010. The mathematical probability of dying in 2010 or later, significantly affect the cost of lifetime giving. Rates of return significantly effect the decision as well. This article examines the effects of rates of return and life expectancies on the life/death transfer decision. We examine the effects of the above on the give/bequeath decision for older wealthy individuals. We consider both income tax and transfer taxes affected by the give/bequeath decision as it affects income producing property. We conclude that high rate-of-return assets should be bequeathed and low rate-of-return (
Drug delivery: Redefining tumour vascular barriers.

Spontaneous formation of defects in the walls of leaky tumour blood vessels may explain the increased accumulation of large nanoparticles in certain tumours.
4-Fluoroprolines: Conformational Analysis and Effects on the Stability and Folding of Peptides and Proteins.

Proline is unique among proteinogenic amino acids because a pyrrolidine ring links its amino group to its side chain. This heterocycle constrains the conformations of the main chain and thus templates particular secondary structures. Proline residues undergo posttranslational modification at the 4-position to yield 4-hydroxyproline, which is especially prevalent in collagen. Interest in characterizing the effects of this modification led to the use of 4-fluoroprolines to enhance inductive properties relative to the hydroxyl group of 4-hydroxyproline and to eliminate contributions from hydrogen bonding. The strong inductive effect of the fluoro group has three main consequences: enforcing a particular pucker upon the pyrrolidine ring, biasing the conformation of the preceding peptide bond, and accelerating cis–trans prolyl peptide bond isomerization. These subtle yet reliable modulations make 4-fluoroproline incorporation a complement to traditional genetic approaches for exploring structure–function relationships in peptides and proteins, as well as for endowing peptides and proteins with conformational stability.
Incremental learning of discrete hidden markov models

We address the problem of learning discrete hidden Markov models from very long sequences of observations. Incremental versions of the Baum-Welch algorithm that approximate the β-values used in the backward procedure are commonly used for this problem since their memory complexity is independent of the sequence length. However, traditional approaches have two main disadvantages: the approximation of the β-values deviates far from the real values, and the learning algorithm requires previous knowledge of the topology of the model. This dissertation describes a new incremental Baum-Welch algorithm with a novel backward procedure that improves the approximation of the β-values based on a one-step lookahead in the training sequence and investigates heuristics to prune unnecessary states from an initial complex model. Two new approaches for pruning, greedy and controlled, are introduced and a novel method for identification of ill-conditioned models is presented. Incremental learning of multiple independent observations is also investigated. We justify the new approaches analytically and report empirical results that show they converge faster than the traditional Baum-Welch algorithm using fewer computer resources. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the new learning algorithms converge faster than the previous incremental approaches and can be used to perform online learning of high-quality models useful for classification tasks. Finally, this dissertation explores the use of the new algorithms for anomaly detection in computer systems, that improve our previous research work on detectors based on hidden Markov models integrated into real-world monitoring systems of high-performance computers.
An Observational Criterion of Repurchase Performance

The period immediately following the consumer's initial purchase of a new product is an appropriate time to study the beginnings of repurchase behavior as well as to measure accompanying attitude changes. This article describes an observational-analytical design for developing this information. The design applies for products that remain in their original packages until used, such as a new toothpaste or floor wax as compared with a new toilet soap.
Multi-contribution of Sustainable Agriculture and Its Monetary Value Evaluation

The ultimate goal of sustainable agriculture is to realize harmonious development of agricultural multifunction, however the governmental policy decision-sector and the society does not yet give rise to highly attention to multi-contribution of sustainable agriculture. Therefore, in this article, the multi-contribution value of sustainable agriculture was primarily evaluated and some policy suggestions were made according to the evaluation results.
Human Skin Constructs with Spatially Controlled Vasculature Using Primary and iPSC‐Derived Endothelial Cells

Vascularization of engineered human skin constructs is crucial for recapitulation of systemic drug delivery and for their long-term survival, functionality, and viable engraftment. In this study, the latest microfabrication techniques are used and a novel bioengineering approach is established to micropattern spatially controlled and perfusable vascular networks in 3D human skin equivalents using both primary and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived endothelial cells. Using 3D printing technology makes it possible to control the geometry of the micropatterned vascular networks. It is verified that vascularized human skin equivalents (vHSEs) can form a robust epidermis and establish an endothelial barrier function, which allows for the recapitulation of both topical and systemic delivery of drugs. In addition, the therapeutic potential of vHSEs for cutaneous wounds on immunodeficient mice is examined and it is demonstrated that vHSEs can both promote and guide neovascularization during wound healing. Overall, this innovative bioengineering approach can enable in vitro evaluation of topical and systemic drug delivery as well as improve the potential of engineered skin constructs to be used as a potential therapeutic option for the treatment of cutaneous wounds.
TU-FG-209-10: Phantom Simulation Method to Evaluate the Clinical Utility of the High-Resolution Micro-Angiographic Fluoroscope Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MAF-CMOS) Detector.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop a method to evaluate the clinical utility of a high resolution 75µ pixel MAF-CMOS image receptor compared to a 200µ flat-panel detector (FPD). Methods: A simulated procedure evaluation method was developed using an aneurysm phantom since every clinical device-deployment procedure is different and to faithfully compare the performance of two detectors in a clinical setting would require the device deployment to be stopped at different stages so that images could be acquired with both detectors. Not only is this extremely challenging to implement for a large case cohort, it also requires additional exposure and risk to the patient. To simulate a treatment procedure, a 3D printed aneurysm phantom based on patient morphology was used. An anthropomorphic head phantom was placed underneath the aneurysm phantom to simulate patient attenuation and anatomical features. An endovascular coil was deployed into the aneurysm under the guidance of both the MAF-CMOS and the FPD. To qualitatively evaluate the performance of the detectors based on images, a questionnaire containing visualization criteria was developed and a grading scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) was assigned to each question. The images from these procedures along with the questionnaire will be presented to observers to qualitatively evaluate and compare the performance of the two detectors. Results: Realistic clinical interventions were simulated using a patient-specific aneurysm phantom. Using a common set of criteria in a questionnaire to individually evaluate these images and then comparing the results for a large cohort can be an effective method to determine the significance of using the MAF-CMOS detector during clinical procedures. Conclusion: The above method can be used to effectively evaluate the clinical utility of the MAF-CMOS detector without additional risk to the patient. partial support from NIH Grant R01-EB002873 and equipment grant from Toshiba Medical Systems Corp.
What rationality adds to animal morality

Philosophical tradition demands rational reflection as a condition for genuine moral acts. But the grounds for that requirement are untenable, and when the requirement is dropped morality comes into clearer view as a naturally developing phenomenon that is not confined to human beings and does not require higher-level rational reflective processes. Rational consideration of rules and duties can enhance and extend moral behavior, but rationality is not necessary for morality and (contrary to the Kantian tradition represented by Thomas Nagel) morality cannot transcend its biological roots. Recognizing this helps forge a complementary rather than competitive relation between feminist care-based ethics and rationalistic duty-based ethics.
The direct solid-solid reaction between coal char and iron-based oxygen carrier and its contribution to solid-fueled chemical looping combustion

Abstracts Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is an advanced technology developed to achieve highly efficient fuel combustion with in-situ CO2 capture. In this process, metal oxide particles are used as an oxygen carrier (OC) to transport lattice oxygen for fuel combustion. In this process, a stream of CO2 and steam is produced by successful separation of atmospheric N2 and the gaseous product of combustion. In CLC of solid fuel, metal oxide particles are physically mixed and react with solid fuel at high temperature using gasification enhancer, such as steam, or CO2. A full understanding of the reaction mechanism between the OC and solid fuel is vital for OC development and the fuel reactor design. Several reactions may be involved in solid-fueled CLC when an iron-based OC is used, including (1) solid fuel devolatilization/gasification, (2) OC reduction with intermediate syngas, (3) the solid-solid reaction between OC and solid fuel via direct contact, and (4) the homogeneous water-gas shift reaction. The former two reactions have been extensively studied in recent years. This study focuses on the third reaction, the solid-solid reaction, which occurs thermodynamically at typical operational temperatures of CLC. The direct solid-solid reaction between coal char and two iron-based OCs via random particle collision in a fluidization bed regime was investigated and focuses on the reaction kinetics and the carbon conversion at different temperature. The contribution of the solid-solid reaction to the global carbon conversion was estimated for steam-gasified CLC at different temperature. The solid-solid reaction via static contact in a thermal-gravimetric analyzer (TGA) was also tested to evaluate the role of different OCs and to better understand the reaction mechanism between the two solid particles.
Infiltrating neutrophils and malignant progression in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN): An opportunity for identification of high-risk disease.

4137 Background: There is a strong link between neutrophil infiltration and malignant progression. Inflammatory proteins (IP) released by these cells play a pivotal role in the crosstalk between ne...
A comparison of DOTA and DiamSar chelates of high specific activity eLINAC produced 67Cu

1107 Objectives Evaluate the radiolabeling characteristics of multiple chelate complexes with commercially available high specific activity 67Cu produced through the eLINAC process. Methods The beta/gamma emitting radioisotope 67Cu was created using the (γ,p) reaction on isotopically enriched 68Zn (nominally 40grams, 98% enrichment). The high energy photons were produced by bremsstrahlung conversion of electrons from a 45 MeV electron LINAC. Following transmutation, the 67Cu was separated from the isotopically enriched 68Zn target using a two step process: physical separation using low pressure evaporation/sublimation (<0.001 mbar, 600oC) and purification using anion exchange column chromatography (1X8, 200 mesh). The specific activity of the final product was determined using a PE DRCII ICP-MS and an ORTEC HPGe detector. Two chelates, DOTA and DiamSar were prepared using pH adjusted ammonium acetate or sodium acetate solutions (pH 4.5, 5.5, and 7). Chelation reactions with nominally 0.5mCi samples of 67Cu were compared at room temperature (RT) and 60C for various times and analyzed using thin layer chromatography (ITLC-SG or C18). Results ~30 mCi of >150,000 mCi/mg 67Cu was produced in two hours by the eLINAC process. Total cold Cu ions were a ratio of 3/1 of 67Cu (nominally 3.9ng/mCi). A 20% excess (moles of chelate to moles of total Cu) of both DOTA and DiamSar showed 100% labeling at best conditions. Plots labeling percentage vs chelate concentration at constant activity are consistent with ICP-MS analysis. DiamSar labeling is shown to be adequate with room temp reaction conditions and rates improved by increasing pH and ammonium acetate buffer. DOTA labeling required greater than room temperature reaction conditions and lower pH buffer. Conclusions An efficient, high specific activity commercially available source of 67Cu isotope was used to compare different chelates. High radiolabeling efficiency was shown using two available chelates and best reaction conditions were determined and compared. Further testing including with bifunctional SAR- chelates is underway. 67Cu may offer advantages paired with 64Cu for use in peptide receptor radionuclide therapy.
The Influence of Physician and Patient Gender on Risk Assessment for Lung Cancer Resection

Background Women do not receive appropriate surgical therapy for lung cancer as often as men. Patient gender may influence treatment recommendations; less is known about the effect of physician gender on recommendations. Methods Gender-neutral vignettes representing low-risk, average-risk, and high-risk candidates for lung resection were paired with concordant videos of standardized patients (SPs). Cardiothoracic trainees and practicing thoracic surgeons read a vignette, provided an initial estimate of the percentage risk of major adverse events after lung resection, viewed a video (randomized to male or female SP), provided a final estimate of risk, and ranked the importance of the video in the final risk estimate. Results Overall, 107 surgeons participated, of whom 90 were men. Initial estimated risks mirrored actual vignette risks: 10.4% ± 9.9 for low risk, 17.6% ± 13.2 for average risk, and 21.0% ± 14.7 for high risk (p Conclusions Differences in estimating complication risk for lung resection candidates are related to physician and patient gender. This may influence recommendations for surgical treatment. Understanding such differences may help reduce inequities in treatment recommendations.
The Relationship Between Aggression and Self-Esteem Among Prison Inmates

ABSTRACTAlthough the concept of self-esteem (SE) has been extensively researched and analyzed as it has evolved in psychology, it has not been widely used among criminologists to predict aggressive behavior. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the relationship between aggressive behavior and SE among prison inmates, and to examine whether inmates’ SE levels predicted different types of aggression. More specifically, 2 types of aggression were measured: physical active aggression (PAA) and physical passive aggression (PPA). It was found that inmates with lower SE had higher levels of physical passive but not physical active aggression than inmates with higher SE. These findings point to several implications for future research.
Evaluation of Diagnostic Utility of a High-Risk Human Papillomavirus PCR Test on Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Head and Neck Tumor Tissues

The increasing prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV)–associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has prompted strong clinical demands for detecting HR-HPV directly in the tumor. Although p16 immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been the standard testing method, it has limitations including false positivity, lack of sensitivity in low tumor cell samples such as fine-needle aspirate (FNA), and its subjectivity. We developed a modified method based on a commercial automated HR-HPV PCR assay and evaluated the performance characteristics and the diagnostic utility of this assay for direct HR-HPV detection in the HNSCC samples. HNSCC formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks were retrieved from archives including 44 excisions, 63 biopsies, and 16 FNAs. Tissue slices were trimmed from the blocks, deparaffinized, lysed, and loaded on the commercial automated platform for HR-HPV PCR. All specimens had a concurrent p16 IHC performed. The PCR assay showed high concordance with the p16 IHC (96%; 99/103) and excellent positive agreement (91.5%) and negative agreement (100%). In addition, the PCR assay provided more conclusive results in samples with equivocal p16 IHC results. The modified commercial automated HR-HPV PCR test is a labor-efficient, quick, reliable, sensitive, and specific method for detecting HR-HPV in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples. This assay also showed excellent diagnostic utility in samples with equivocal p16 IHC results, including FNA cell blocks.
The Effect of Disasters on Migration Destinations: Evidence from Hurricane Katrina

While post-disaster migration can move vulnerable populations from dangerous regions to relatively safe ones, little is known about decisions that migrants use to select new homes. We develop an econometric model of migrant flows to examine the characteristics of the destinations that attracted migrants leaving the New Orleans area following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 relative to migration behaviors in other years. We find an increased flow of migrants to large, nearby counties with a mixed effect of economic variables on migration. We find that counties that had experienced fewer disasters received a greater proportion of total migrants in 2005, but there was an overall increase in migration flow to disaster-prone regions as well.
Lupus Nephritis: A Treatment Update

Background Lupus nephritis (LN) is a common complication in many patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, although renal-limited lupus nephritis has been reported as well. Early diagnosis of lupus nephritis is critical as early detection and effective treatment can improve renal outcomes in such patients. Objective The treatment of lupus nephritis is largely determined based on the histological class present on the renal biopsy specimen. In most cases, Class I and II of lupus nephritis do not require any specific treatment, but class III and IV lupus nephritis require immunosuppressive therapy. Treatment of Class V and VI remains controversial. In 2012, six guidelines were introduced for the management of lupus nephritis. These guidelines offer comprehensive treatment plans for each class of Lupus nephritis but differ from each other in many aspects. The purpose of this article is to review the current literature of the available pharmacological treatments used in the six classes of lupus nephritis as well as resistant lupus nephritis, strategies to address the problems of inadequate therapeutic response, medication related side effects, relapses of lupus nephritis, and some future treatment options. Methods We reviewed the available literature and treatment guidelines on lupus nephritis in detail to present a comprehensive review of the available treatment options for different classes of lupus nephritis. Conclusion Lupus nephritis which does not respond to initial treatment is associated with worse renal outcomes. Several therapeutic approaches are available for the induction and maintenance immunosuppression of the different classes of LN. Management of LN should be individualized for each patient based on their risk-benefit profile.
HTLV-1, Cytokines,and Cancer

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), is the causative agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and a variety of immune-mediated disorders (Table 1). Currently, HTLV-1 infection occurs worldwide with endemic regions of higher prevalence. Natural transmission of these viruses occurs through cell-associated routes that include: orally from breast feeding, sexual contact, and by exposure to infected blood or whole cell blood products. While the molecular events of virus replication are beginning to be unraveled and knowledge about HTLV-1-associated diseases has increased, there remain many questions regarding the pathogenesis of the diseases associated with this complex retrovirus. In this chapter, we will focus on the pathogenesis and clinical presentation of ATLL with emphasis on new information regarding the viral etiology, pathologic lesions, patient susceptibility factors, host immune responses, and, in particular, the role of cytokines in the development of ATLL. The epidemiology and diseases associated with HTLV-1 are well known; however, the molecular mechanisms used by the virus to establish persistent infection and subsequently facilitate lymphocyte proliferation while circumventing immune elimination, remain less well defined.