cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Personality disorder in HIV infection

Few studies have examined the association of personality disorders and HIV infection. Although limited by methodological considerations, most studies to date suggest that individuals who are HIV-infected have a higher prevalence of borderline and antisocial personality disorder. Explanations for this phenomenon are tentative. Studies suggest that impulsivity and substance abuse are associated both with HIV-high risk behavior and personality disorder. It is plausible, therefore, that the poor impulse control and substance abuse which often accompany personality disorder may lead to the practice of high risk behaviors, thus placing uninfected individuals with personality disorder at increased risk for HIV infection. Treatment of HIV infected individuals with personality disorders is time consuming and difficult. Psychodynamic as well as cognitive approaches have been utilized.
Why We Kill: The Political Science of Political Violence against Civilians

This article reviews the political science literature on political violence against civilians, including genocide, mass killing, and terrorism. Early work on these subjects tended to portray this kind of violence as irrational, random, or the result of ancient hatreds between ethnic groups. Most scholars studying political violence today, however, understand it to be primarily, if not exclusively, instrumental and orchestrated by powerful actors seeking to achieve tangible political or military objectives. Scholars continue to disagree, however, about the specific motives that drive belligerents to target civilians or the conditions under which large-scale violence against civilians is most likely.
Chronic perchlorate exposure causes morphological abnormalities in developing stickleback

Few studies have examined the effects of chronic perchlorate exposure during growth and development, and fewer still have analyzed the effects of perchlorate over multiple generations. We describe morphological and developmental characteristics for threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) that were spawned and raised to sexual maturity in perchlorate-treated water (G1,2003) and for their offspring (G2,2004) that were not directly treated with perchlorate. The G1,2003 displayed a variety of abnormalities, including impaired formation of calcified traits, slower growth rates, aberrant sexual development, poor survivorship, and reduced pigmentation that allowed internal organs to be visible. Yet these conditions were absent when the offspring of contaminated fish (G2,2004) were raised in untreated water, suggesting a lack of transgenerational effects and that surviving populations may be able to recover following remediation of perchlorate-contaminated sites. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011; 30:1468–1478. © 2011 SETAC
The impact of content area focus on the effectiveness of a web‐based simulation

This paper describes an assessment of a web-based interview simulation designed to teach empathetic helping skills. The system includes an animated character acting as a client and responses designed to recreate a simulated role-play, a common assessment method used for teaching these skills. The purpose of this study was to determine whether learning gains found in previous evaluations would transfer to students needing similar skill sets but in different areas of study. Findings indicate a positive trend in learning gains across both areas of study (human services and counselling) with no significant differences in skill acquisition. Developers of the system conclude that the system is effective in the general training of empathetic helping skills regardless of the students' area of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Quantitative validation of a new coregistration algorithm

A new coregistration software package, Neuro900 Image Coregistration software (Strichman Medical Equipment), has been developed specifically for nuclear medicine. With this algorithm, the correlation coefficient is maximized between volumes generated from sets of transaxial slices. No localization markers or segmented surfaces are needed. The coregistration program was evaluated for translational and rotational registration accuracy. A Tc-49m HM-PAO split-dose study (0.53 mCi low dose, L, and 1.01 mCi high dose, H) was simulated with a Hoffman Brain Phantom with five fiducial markers. Translation error was determined by a shift in image centroid, and rotation error was determined by a simplified two-axis approach. Changes in registration accuracy were measured with respect to: 1) slice spacing, using the four different combinations LL, LH, HL,, HH, 2) translational and rotational misalignment before coregistration, 3) changes in the step size of the iterative parameters. In all the cases the algorithm converged with only small difference in translation offset, /spl theta/ and /spl phi/. At 6 mm slice spacing, translational errors ranged from 0.9 to 2.8 mm (system resolution at 200 mm, 6.8 mm). The converged parameters showed little sensitivity to count density. In addition the correlation coefficient increased with decreasing iterative step size, as expected. From these experiments, we found that this algorithm based on the maximization of the correlation coefficient between studies was an accurate way to coregister SPECT brain images. >
Phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit (pNF-H) in peripheral blood and CSF as a potential prognostic biomarker in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Background The phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit (pNF-H), a major structural component of motor axons, is a promising putative biomarker in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) but has been studied mainly in CSF. We examined pNF-H concentrations in plasma, serum and CSF as a potential biomarker for disease progression and survival in ALS. Methodology We measured pNF-H concentration by monoclonal sandwich ELISA in plasma (n=43), serum and CSF (n=20) in ALS patients collected at the Mayo Clinic Florida and Emory University. We included plasma from an ALS cohort (n=20) from an earlier pilot study in order to evaluate baseline pNF-H levels in relation to disease progression using the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R), survival and anatomical region of ALS onset. Results Higher pNF-H levels in plasma, serum and CSF showed evidence of association with faster decline in ALSFRS-R. There was evidence for a relationship of higher serum and plasma pNF-H levels with shorter survival, although evidence was weaker for CSF. pNF-H concentration in plasma (n=62) may be higher in patients with bulbar onset than in patients with spinal onset. Conclusions In ALS, increased pNF-H concentration in plasma, serum and CSF appears to be associated with faster disease progression. Factors affecting pNF-H levels or their detection in serum and plasma in relation to disease course may differ from those in CSF. Data raising the possibility that site of ALS onset (bulbar vs spinal) may influence pNF-H levels in peripheral blood seems noteworthy but requires confirmation. These data support further study of pNF-H in CSF, serum and plasma as a potential ALS biomarker.
The Withering Away of the State in China

Victor Nee has led a storied career. From his early study on the cultural revolution at Peking University (Nee and Layman 1969) and his ethnographic foray in Chinatown (Nee and Nee 1973), he has generated scores of impressive and influential articles and books on Chinese America and China in particular, but also more general and theoretical studies of ethnicity and immigration as well as economic sociology (e.g., Alba and Nee 2003; Nee and Swedberg 2007). Making a major contribution to one subfield is an accomplishment enough; that he has done so in several distinct ones—and repeatedly to boot—speaks to his intellectual reach and scholarly prowess. Indeed, Nee’s oeuvre may very well constitute a scholarly subfield in and of itself. One therefore waits in eager anticipation for Nee to elucidate China’s recent and ongoing transformation. Very few questions exercise the powers that be more than the ‘‘rise of China.’’ Professional sociologists have of course been privy to tantalizing previews. In a path-breaking article, Nee propounded the ‘‘market transition theory,’’ which conceptualized China’s shift from a system of state redistribution to that of market allocation (Nee 1989). Capitalism From Below, written with the Swedish economist Sonja Opper, is a culmination of his string of articles on Chinese economic change over the past two decades.
New Positive Regulators of Lin-12 Activity in Caenorhabditis Elegans Include the BRE-5/brainiac Glycosphingolipid Biosynthesis Enzyme

Screens for suppressors of lin-12 hypermorphic alleles in C. elegans have identified core components and modulators of the LIN-12/Notch signaling pathway. Here we describe the recovery of alleles of six new genes from a screen for suppressors of the egg-laying defect associated with elevated lin-12 activity. The molecular identification of one of the new suppressor genes revealed it as bre-5, which had previously been identified in screens for mutations that confer resistance to Bt toxin in C. elegans. bre-5 is the homolog of D. melanogaster brainiac. BRE-5/Brainiac catalyzes a step in the synthesis of glycosphingolipids, components of lipid rafts that are thought to act as platforms for association among certain kinds of membrane-bound proteins. Reducing the activity of several other genes involved in glycosphingolipid biosynthesis also suppresses the effects of constitutive lin-12 activity. Genetic analysis and cell ablation experiments suggest that bre-5 functions prior to ligand-induced ectodomain shedding that activates LIN-12 for signal transduction.
Shifting to Medicaid-Managed Long-Term Care: Are Vulnerable Florida Beneficiaries Properly Informed?

Purpose: To examine and assess the adequacy of informational material provided to Florida long-term care beneficiaries being required to choose a managed care provider as part of a statewide, mandatory shift to Medicaid-managed long-term care (MMLTC). Design and Method: Informational materials provided by the state of Florida to 90,000 Medicaid long-term care beneficiaries via print mailings and a state website were examined using established content, usability, and readability criteria. Results: Overall, the presentation minimized cognitive complexity, but the information was lacking in critical areas, such as providing clear explanations of the change taking place and the significance of beneficiaries’ choices, and enabling beneficiaries to assess their own needs and preferences. Implications: A key feature of managed care is the users’ choice of plans, but amid a significant policy shift toward MMLTC in Florida, vulnerable beneficiaries may not be receiving the information necessary to make choices tha...
Access to Costly New Hepatitis C Drugs: Medicine, Money, and Advocacy

Hepatitis C affects >3 million people in the United States, and often leads to end-stage liver disease or death. In 2014, several new drugs to treat hepatitic C virus received US Food and Drug Administration approval, with remarkable cure rates exceeding 90%. Medicaid, however, is rationing these drugs, and other insurers have restricted coverage due to their exorbitant costs and the large size of the population in need. These access barriers and disparities have resulted in national patient advocacy mobilization, US congressional inquiry, and legal challenges. The US Department of Health and Human Services has been urged to intervene. We propose the establishment of a federal program, analogous to AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, to reduce access barriers and facilitate focused price negotiations. The federal government may further undertake a nonvoluntary acquisition of the pharmaceutical patents pursuant to federal statutory authority and principles of eminent domain. Projections indicate this proposal could lower costs by 90% and eliminate rationing.
Jyotish: Constructive approach for context predictions of people movement from joint Wifi/Bluetooth trace

It is well known that people movement exhibits a high degree of repetition since people visit regular places and make regular contacts for their daily activities. This paper presents a novel framework named Jyotish, which constructs a predictive model by exploiting the regularity of people movement found in the real joint Wifi/Bluetooth trace. The constructed model is able to answer three fundamental questions: (1) where the person will stay, (2) how long she will stay at the location, and (3) who she will meet. In order to construct the predictive model, Jyotish includes an efficient clustering algorithm to cluster Wifi access point information in the Wifi trace into locations. Then, we construct a Naive Bayesian classifier to assign these locations to records in the Bluetooth trace and obtain a fine granularity of people movement. Next, the fine grain movement trace is used to construct the predictive model including location predictor, stay duration predictor, and contact predictor to provide answers for three questions above. Finally, we evaluate the constructed predictive model over the real Wifi/Bluetooth trace collected by 50 participants in University of Illinois campus from March to August 2010. Evaluation results show that Jyotish successfully constructs a predictive model, which provides a considerably high prediction accuracy of people movement.
An experimental animal model of adenovirus-induced ocular disease. The cotton rat.

• The adenoviruses are a common cause of eye disease in humans and clinically cause three basic syndromes: epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, pharyngoconjunctival fever, and nonspecific follicular conjunctivitis. Although many serotypes of the adenovirus have been implicated, types 8,19, and 37 are associated most commonly with ocular disease. There has not been a well-defined and reproducible animal model of this disease. The eyes of cotton rats inoculated with either adenovirus type 5 or type 8 developed clinical features similar to those seen in epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, with subepithelial corneal opacities, seroconversion, and virus shedding. The infectivity of adenovirus type 8 in a control animal illustrated the highly contagious nature of the disease. We conclude that ocular inoculation of at least some adenoviruses (ie, types 5 and 8) in the cotton rat produces an in vivo model for the study of adenovirus-induced ocular disease in humans.
APA/HRSA National Faculty Development Scholars Program: community-based teaching track.

Objectives.—Goals and objectives of the APA/HRSA National Faculty Development Scholars Program are described in a companion article in this supplement. Program objectives of the Community-Based Teaching Track were to 1) identify individuals with faculty development skills to serve as regional leaders, conducting local and regional workshops; 2) create a national network of leaders, thereby promoting sustainability; and 3) increase educational contributions of office-based preceptors. Participant objectives were to 1) meet expectations of the program; 2) possess knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to recruit and retain community-based preceptors; 3) possess knowledge and skills needed to conduct faculty development workshops for practitioners; and 4) form local and national collegial networks. Methods.—Academicians and practitioners were selected to form 2 cohorts, starting in 1999 (N = 20) and 2000 (N = 22), respectively. Workshops were developed on the basis of projected needs and iterative needs assessments of the participants. Each participant was required to conduct workshops between meetings, first locally and then regionally or nationally. Outcomes.—Forty-two participants conducted 307 workshops attended by 3815 individuals. Participants reported specific knowledge and skills gained from the program and increases in multiple areas of competence. Networks were formed, leading to collaborative regional and national presentations and formation of an APA Faculty Development Special Interest Group. Participants reported increased recruitment of training sites and preceptors, with enhanced relationships. Conclusion.—Program and participant objectives of the Community-Based Teaching Track were met, including implementation of multiple new workshops, development of skills, and creation of a support network to enhance the sustainability of that success.
Epitaxial Growth of SrTiO3 Thin Films on TiN/Si Substrates using RF Sputtering

Epitaxial SrTiO 3 (001) thin films with a TiN template layer have been deposited on Si(001) single crystal substrates by RF sputtering. The deposited SrTiO 3 films show a surface with roughness of 0.66nm. The orientation relationship was determined to be SrTiO 3 (001)[110]∥TiN(001)[110]∥Si(001)[110]. The microstructure and interface of the multilayer was studied using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electron diffraction pattern confirmed the epitaxial relationship between each layer.
Photic Resetting and Entrainment in CLOCK-Deficient Mice

Mice lacking the CLOCK protein have a relatively subtle circadian phenotype, including a slightly shorter period in constant darkness, differences in phase resetting after 4-hour light pulses in the early and late night, and a variably advanced phase angle of entrainment in a light-dark (LD) cycle. The present series of experiments was conducted to more fully characterize the circadian phenotype of Clock(-/-) mice under various lighting conditions. A phase-response curve (PRC) to 4-hour light pulses in free-running mice was conducted; the results confirm that Clock(-/-) mice exhibit very large phase advances after 4-hour light pulses in the late subjective night but have relatively normal responses to light at other phases. The abnormal shape of the PRC to light may explain the tendency of CLOCK-deficient mice to begin activity before lights-out when housed in a 12-hour light:12-hour dark lighting schedule. To assess this relationship further, Clock(-/-) and wild-type control mice were entrained to skeleton lighting cycles (1L:23D and 1L:10D:1L:12D). Comparing entrainment under the 2 types of skeleton photoperiods revealed that exposure to 1-hour light in the morning leads to a phase advance of activity onset (expressed the following afternoon) in Clock(-/-) mice but not in the controls. Constant light typically causes an intensity-dependent increase in circadian period in mice, but this did not occur in CLOCK-deficient mice. The failure of Clock(-/-) mice to respond to the period-lengthening effect of constant light likely results from the increased functional impact of light falling in the phase advance zone of the PRC. Collectively, these experiments reveal that alterations in the response of CLOCK-deficient mice to light in several paradigms are likely due to an imbalance in the shape of the PRC to light.
‘Legitimate Commerce’ and Peanut Production in Portuguese Guinea, 1840s–1880s

This article examines the transition from the slave trade to ‘legitimate commerce’ in Portuguese Guinea between 1840 and 1880. Peanuts became the principal export crop. They were cultivated on plantation-like establishments called feitorias located primarily along the banks of the Rio Grande and on Bolama Island. From the 1840s through the 1870s, Luso-African, other Euro-African and European traders built these feitorias. These traders depended upon both slave and contract labour to cultivate their export crop.Although Portugal claimed Portuguese Guinea, French trading houses dominated ‘legitimate commerce’ in this West African enclave. The demand for increased peanut production came from the burgeoning French oil mills rather than from Portuguese industries. French merchants supplied the ships needed to transport the crop as well as many of the imported goods sold locally. By the 1870s the Portuguese realized they needed to break this French monopoly. By that time Europe was suffering from an economic recession, peanut prices were falling and cheaper oilseeds from India and America were entering the market. Portugal's attempts to establish commercial dominance met with little success.The economic crisis of the 1870s not only created difficulties for feitoria owners and their workers, but also for Fulbe groups in the process of expansion. These Fulbe wanted to establish political control in order to reap the economic benefits the peanut trade offered — especially access to firearms and in turn, slaves. As peanut production fell from 1879 onward, Fulbe groups began fighting amongst themselves for control of shrinking resources. By 1887, the feitoria system and this phase of peanut production had ended. The Portuguese, like the Fulbe, had to look for new ways to survive economically.
The dependence of poly-crystalline SiC mid-infrared optical properties on deposition conditions

We report on experimental measurements of the optical properties of thin films of poly-crystalline silicon carbide (poly-SiC) deposited by means of low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). Measurements in the mid-IR region of the EM spectrum show strong dependence of both far field transmission and surface modes upon the deposition conditions including doping levels, ratio of dichlorosilane (DCS) to 1,3 disilabutane (DSB), and anneals performed on the film. We observe the link between the relative strength of near field phonon polariton resonances, the appearance of a polariton gap, and the achievement of extraordinary optical transmission (EOT).
Strategies to reduce end‐product inhibition in family 48 glycoside hydrolases

Family 48 cellobiohydrolases are some of the most abundant glycoside hydrolases in nature. They are able to degrade cellulosic biomass and therefore serve as good enzyme candidates for biofuel production. Family 48 cellulases hydrolyze cellulose chains via a processive mechanism, and produce end products composed primarily of cellobiose as well as other cellooligomers (dp ≤ 4). The challenge of utilizing cellulases in biofuel production lies in their extremely slow turnover rate. A factor contributing to the low enzyme activity is suggested to be product binding to enzyme and the resulting performance inhibition. In this study, we quantitatively evaluated the product inhibitory effect of four family 48 glycoside hydrolases using molecular dynamics simulations and product expulsion free-energy calculations. We also suggested a series of single mutants of the four family 48 glycoside hydrolases with theoretically reduced level of product inhibition. The theoretical calculations provide a guide for future experimental studies designed to produce mutant cellulases with enhanced activity.
Beyond the Culture of Poverty: Meaning-Making among Low-Income Population around Family, Neighborhood, and Work

Understanding social life requires attending to the cultural dimension of reality. Yet, when it comes to the study of low-income populations, factoring in culture has often been a contentious project. This is because explaining poverty through culture has been equated with blaming the poor for their predicaments. Scholars have moved the debate forward by making a case for integrating culture in explanations of poverty. This requires drawing on analytical devices such as frames, narratives, institutions, repertoires, and boundaries that capture intersubjective definitions of reality. These concepts have been useful for identifying a diversity of frameworks through which low-income populations understand their reality and develop paths for mobility. This entry builds on these contributions by exploring the place of culture in studies of American low-income populations in three important areas of social life: family, neighborhood, and work. Keywords: culture; family; poverty
A Numerical Model for Two-Dimensional Oscillatory Flow and Oxygen Transfer in the Axial Plasmatic Gaps of Capillaries

Time varying flows of plasma in the axial gaps between erythrocytes in a mathematical model of a capillary have been solved from the complete Navier-Stokes equations by a finite-difference method. The erythrocytes are considered to be disk-like and to span the entire lumen. Secondary flow patterns, pressure and shear distributions between the erythrocytes are obtained as a function of time, and the pressure drop is compared with previous results for steady creeping flow. The rate of oxygen transfer from the cells is calculated from a numerical solution of the convective diffusion equation.
Ignition and combustion of boron-based Al·B·I2 and Mg·B·I2 composites

Abstract Stable ternary powders of Al·B·I 2 and Mg·B·I 2 composites of interest for agent defeat applications were prepared by mechanical milling. All powders contained 20 wt.% of iodine. Powder ignition was characterized using a heated filament experiment. Ignition kinetics was compared to the kinetics of events occurring upon slow heating of these materials in thermo-analytical experiments. Individual particle combustion was studied by seeding the powder into a premixed hydrocarbon–air flame. Both particle burn times and temperatures were measured optically. Aerosol combustion of the powders was tested in a constant volume explosion chamber. Ignition temperatures for the Mg·B·I 2 composites were lower than those for the Al·B·I 2 composites. Iodine release occurring due to the formation of AlB 2 and MgB 2 was a likely ignition trigger for Al·B·I 2 and Mg·B·I 2 composites, respectively. The burn times of these composites were longer than those for pure Al and Mg powders. Burn times for Mg·B·I 2 particles were shorter than for the same size particles of Al·B·I 2 . Combustion temperatures of the composite powders were lower than those of pure Al and Mg. In aerosol combustion, the rate of pressurization and maximum pressure were inversely proportional to the concentration of boron. The combustion efficiency was expressed through a ratio of the experimental maximum pressure to that predicted by a thermodynamic equilibrium calculation. This efficiency was the same for Al and Al·B·I 2 composites. The efficiency for Mg·B·I 2 composites exceeded that of pure Mg.
An Optical Potential Model for Isomerization in the Gas Phase

The present model is based on an energy hypersurface which has two minima connected by a saddle point. The surface permits the construction of a Schrodinger nuclear Hamiltonian and a Lee-Friedrich’s basis, the latter defining a reactant state and its manifold. A pressure- dependent effective Hamiltonian (optical potential model (OPM)) is constructed following Mies by adding an imaginary, pressure-dependent (optical potential) term to the diagonal elements of the Schrodinger Hamiltonian, Lee-Friederich1 s matrix. Its eigenvalues are then complex so the survival probability of the reactant state exhibits an exponentially- damped, oscillatory behavior, where the exponential damping defines the unimolecular rate constant. The rate constant can be expressed as the product of its high pressure, golden-rule, statistical-limit and a fall- off function which has a strong dependence on the width-separation ratio (WSR) of the manifold and contains dynamic detail lost in the golden- rule (WSR=infinity) limit. OPM is illustrated by its application to the Bixon-Jortner model which provides a bridge between the quantum mechanical (OPM) theory and the canonical, steady-state, unimolecular theories.
The Scholarly Practitioner: Connections of Research and Practice in the Classroom.

This article outlines how Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) programs from one university in the United States approach the integration of theory, resea...
A Second Dwarf Shrew from New Mexico

On August 18, 1954, a dwarf shrew, Sorex nanus , was captured by the author near Capulin Ranger Station in the Sandia Mountains, in sec, 33, T. 12N, R. 5E, Sandoval County, New Mexico. This is approximately 70 miles southwest of the locality in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains where the first specimen from New Mexico was reported by Koster and Clothier (Jour. …
Fundamental Concepts of the Theory of Probability

(1941). Fundamental Concepts of the Theory of Probability. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 48, No. 8P1, pp. 522-530.
Sales Training: Status and Needs

Initial training, continuing education and management development activities continue to receive attention in the industrial sector (Honeycutt and Ford 1991). For example, recent reports indicate that organizations spend upwards of $30 billion annually for training programs involving 15 billion work hours (Huber 1985), with the objective being to improve the profitability of the firms.
Case study 5: Analysis of repeated observations of species composition from a factorial experiment

Introduction Repeated observations of experimental units are frequently used in many areas of ecological research. A special case is the replicated BACI (before after control impact) design, in which the units (plots) are sampled first before the experimental treatment is imposed on some of them. In this way, you obtain ‘baseline’ data, i.e. the data where differences between the sampling units are caused solely by random variability. After the treatment is imposed, the units are sampled once or several times to reveal the difference in the development (dynamics) of manipulated and control units. To analyse a univariate response (e.g. number of species, or total biomass) in this design, you can usually apply the repeated measurements model of ANOVA. There are in fact two possibilities for analysing such data. You can use a split-plot ANOVA with time, i.e. the repeated measures factor, being the ‘within plot’ factor or you can analyse the data using MANOVA. Although the theoretical distinction between those two approaches is complicated, the first option (often called a ‘univariate repeated measurements ANOVA’) is usually adopted, because it provides a stronger test. But it also has stronger assumptions for its validity (see e.g. von Ende 1993; Lindsey 1993), which are not always fulfilled. The interaction between time and the treatment reflects the difference in the development of the units between treatments.
Financing by and for the Masses: An Introduction to the Special Issue on Crowdfunding:

This introduction to the special issue on crowdfunding begins by providing some information about the history and nature of the phenomenon. It then summarizes some of the key advantages and disadvantages of crowdfunding for entrepreneurs and for investors, introducing the various articles in the issue that explore these topics in greater depth. It concludes with some speculations regarding the possible future of the industry and its effects on entrepreneurship, innovation, and inequality.
Ready, Set, Hire! Perceptions of new technical services librarian preparedness

This study explored the perceived preparedness of entry-level technical services librarians upon graduating from a Master of Library Science/Information Science (MLS/IS) degree program and collected employment data on technical services librarians, including hiring, retiring, and position consolidation and elimination. An electronic survey was distributed to library administrators and technical services librarians from public and academic libraries located across the United States. The investigators identified discrepancies between how prepared entry-level technical services librarians felt upon graduating, and how prepared administrators perceived them to be. Data gathered from both administrators and entry-level technical services librarians suggest both groups felt current MLS/IS degree programs do not fully prepare technical services librarians for their first professional jobs, yet desired skills and areas of knowledge identified as lacking varied between the two groups. The investigators discovered employment trends which indicate relatively low turnover or consolidation and support projections of low-moderate growth over the next decade.
Overexpressed K+ channels in cisplatin resistant cells influence resistance variably in different cell types

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 1489 Altered potassium fluxes have been previously associated with cisplatin resistance ( Thompson et al., Cancer 54:1269,1984; Marklund et al ., Int. J. Cancer 93:577, 2001). Our interest focused on detection of overexpression of K+ channels on cisplatin resistant cells and their functional relation to cisplatin resistance. In our studies, we used two series of cells with increasing resistance to cisplatin, the human epidermal KB and human liver BEL-7404 carcinoma cell lines. We showed by confocal microscopy that K+ channels are increased in parallel with increasing cisplatin resistance. With increasing cisplatin resistance the plasma membrane potential also increases. In order to study the influence of the overexpressed K+ channels and the altered ion homeostasis in the resistant cells, we have conducted cell proliferation studies in the presence of antibodies against the K+channels, omeprazole, the H+ pump inhibitor, and a specific inhibitor of the ether-a-gogo gene expressed K+channel, WAY-123398-A-5. The antibodies and omeprazole influenced cell growth and cisplatin resistance only very slightly. The specific K+ channel blocker did not alter cisplatin resistance in these two cell lines. We have also observed that manipulation of K+ fluxes with antibodies or the H+pumps with omeprazole results in opposite effect, increase or decrease of cisplatin resistance, in these two cell lines. We have concluded that cisplatin resistance is only slightly related to the ion homeostasis of cells and that the connection is cell specific.
Neo-institutionalism is not yet a scientific success: a reply to Barry Weingast

ABSTRACTBarry Weingast agrees that the idea of liberalism was crucial for the making of the modern world, though in most of his comment he turns to his own writings making institutional change the crux. Yet institutions in Britain did not in fact change much, the changes had little economic oomph, and underlying property rights were good in numerous economies worldwide since ancient times. An ideational economic history works better: liberty caused our riches.
Associations Between Parental BMI and the Family Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment in a Community Sample.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parental BMI and the family environment and determine if differences exist in child diet and physical activity related parenting behaviors by parental BMI in a community sample of families recruited through elementary schools in a local school district. We found an association between parental BMI category and family nutrition and physical activity (FNPA) score. Families with an underweight or normal weight parent had a larger proportion (64.3%) of high (indicating a healthier family environment) FNPA scores and families with an overweight or obese parent had a smaller proportion (45.2%) of high FNPA scores (χ 2 = 5.247, P = 0.022). Families with a parent who was overweight or obese had 2.18 times the odds (95% CI 1.11–4.27) of being in the low FNPA (“less healthy” environment) group. Further, underweight/normal weight parents reported higher levels of monitoring of child diet (Z = −3.652, P < 0.0001), higher levels of parental monitoring of child physical activity (Z = −3.471, p < 0.001), and higher levels of parental limit setting related to child sedentary activities compared to overweight/obese parents (Z = −2.443, P = 0.01). Parent BMI and parenting behaviors are known to have a major impact on childhood obesity. In this study, lower parent BMI and authoritative parenting behaviors were associated with a less obesogenic home environment and a positive parenting style related to child eating and physical activity behaviors.
Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgery (TAMIS)

Full-thickness transanal excision is an acceptable alternative to proctectomy for small, benign masses or early-stage cancers in the rectum. Surgical approaches include a traditional, open transanal excision, transanal endoscopic surgery (TEM), or transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS). TAMIS is the most recently developed method and utilizes either a single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) port or a GelPOINT path transanal access platform to insufflate the rectum and excise the lesion using laparoscopic instruments. Advantages of both TEM and TAMIS over the traditional approach include better visualization and overall precision, especially for more proximal lesions. Advantages of TAMIS over TEM include disposable equipment, use of widely available laparoscopic instruments, shorter learning curve, and overall lower cost. Due to the relatively recent advent of this technique, there are not yet long-term outcome data for comparison. This chapter describes indications, essential steps, variations, and complications of this procedure. It provides a detailed template operative note for the procedure.
BMP Assessments Using CCROP (Container Crop Resource Optimization Program) Simulation Tools

We describe and demonstrate the use of web-based simulation tools that use the plant growth model CCROP (Container Crop Resource Optimization Program) to quantify the expected impacts that two example best management practices (BMP) would have on water and N use during production of a container-grown woody ornamental plant. For Example 1, an irrigation BMP of applying amounts of water proportional to plant demand (evapotranspiration) was compared to fixed irrigation rates of 1.0 and 1.5 cm·d−1 at two locations in Florida and for six planting dates. For Example 2, a fertilizer BMP of customizing controlled-release fertilizer N rates based on expected N response was compared to a single N rate that resulted in optimal growth for six plant dates. Simulations based on eight years of historical weather data projected that the irrigation BMP would reduce water usage 24–57% with greater savings coinciding with longer crop times as affected by planting date and location. Similarly, simulations projected that the ...
A must read cultural studies mini-manifesto

‘Once upon a time, there was this thing called “cultural studies”’, remembers Gilbert B. Rodman in a fairytale-like preface that posits cultural studies as something both fabled and no longer here,...
Src family kinase inhibitor bosutinib enhances retinoic acid-induced differentiation of HL-60 leukemia cells

The acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has been treated with all-trans retinoic acid (RA) for decades. While RA has largely been ineffective in non-APL AML subtypes, co-treatments combining RA and other agents are currently in clinical trials. Using the RA-responsive non-APL AML cell line HL-60, we tested the efficacy of the Src family kinase (SFK) inhibitor bosutinib on RA-induced differentiation. HL-60 has been recently shown to bear fidelity to a subtype of AML that respond to RA. We found that co-treatment with RA and bosutinib enhanced differentiation evidenced by increased CD11b expression, G1/G0 cell cycle arrest, and respiratory burst. Expression of the SFK members Fgr and Lyn was enhanced, while SFK activation was inhibited. Phosphorylation of several sites of c-Raf was increased and expression of AhR and p85 PI3K was enhanced. Expression of c-Cbl and mTOR was decreased. Our study suggests that SFK inhibition enhances RA-induced differentiation and may have therapeutic value in non-APL AML.
Long-range Laser-induced Self-assembly via Plasmon Radiative Interactions and the Lorentz Force

We report on the light-induced formation of gold-nanoparticle chains as long as 200um, aligned perpendicular to the illuminating linear polarization. The long-range self-assembly is shown to arise from plasmon radiation and the Lorentz force.
Sunflower floral dimension measurements using digital image processing

Abstract Sunflower floral dimensions are essential for assessing pollinators attraction and estimating seed yields. Dimensions measured manually at present are subjective and time-intensive, therefore, an image processing method was developed as an alternative, which was objective, non-destructive, produces various outputs, and rapid. An ImageJ user-coded plugin with a field image acquisition method was developed to measure the dimensions of individual sunflower components, such as head, disc, and ray florets. Two measurement methods, direct (using the thresholded binary image) and wrapping-polygon (using a polygonal enclosure) were tested. The ‘pixel-march’ method made multiple radial dimension measurements (diameter) on the ray florets binary image in a single computation. The effect of multiple measurements (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, and 180 along 0–180° angles) was studied to determine an effective number of measurements, and user-friendly sunflower dimension prediction models from ImageJ’s standard output parameters were developed. Results indicated that (i) a minimum of 32 measurements for the sunflower head and ray florets dimensions, but only eight measurements for the sunflower disc, were necessary; (ii) wrapping-polygon method was efficient compared to direct; (iii) equivalent diameter (ED) and fitted ellipse minor axis (MinA) were well correlated ( r ≥ 0 . 88 ) to the accurate mean 180 measurements ( D 180 ) for all sunflower components; (iv) linear models for predicting D 180 using ED and MinA performed better ( R 2 > 0.99 ) for head and disc than for ray florets ( R 2 > 0.76 ); (v) user-friendly linear models using the mean of two manual measurements of the head ( D 2 h ) for predicting D 180 and area were good only for the head ( R 2 > 0 . 92 ), and not suitable for disc ( R 2 ≤ 0 . 62 ) and ray florets ( R 2 ≤ 0 . 43 ); and (vi) the developed image processing method results were accurate, quick ( ≈ 11 s in Windows 10, Intel Core i5, and 8 GB RAM laptop), and have the potential to be adapted to other species.
Basal Forebrain and Memory

The widespread pattern of connectivity between the basal forebrain and cortical and subcortical brain structures involved in memory make it an important locus of study in the goal of understanding mnemonic processing in the brain. This chapter describes the anatomical, behavioral, and electrophysiological characteristics underlying the basal forebrain’s contribution to memory. The chapter provides a detailed account of basal forebrain anatomical connectivity patterns, the effects of lesioning the basal forebrain or its component subregions on memory, the cell types found in the basal forebrain, and the electrophysiological properties of basal forebrain neurons and oscillatory activity which may underlie memory processing.
3D Simulations of Ion Thruster Accelerator Grid Erosion Accounting for Charge Exchange Ion Space Charge

Accelerator (accel) grid sputtering by ions formed through charge-exchange (CEX) reactions between beam ions and residual neutral gas is a critical life-limiting mechanism for gridded ion thrusters. The three-dimensional ion optics code CEX3D is designed to simulate this grid erosion for a single beamlet, with a particular emphasis on non-axisymmetric features such as the "pits and grooves" erosion commonly observed on the accel grid downstream face in two-grid thrusters. The treatment of CEX ions in the code was recently upgraded with a new particle-in-cell (PIC) module to account for the influence of these ions' space charge on the electrostatic potential downstream of the grids. In order to achieve reasonable computation times while resolving the Debye length near the grids and avoiding gross violations of the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy (CFL) condition, macroparticle velocities in the PIC calculation are limited through a rescaling procedure that preserves ion trajectories and space charge density. The code accounts for beam divergence, finite momentum transfer in CEX collisions, and radial losses of CEX ions from the beam; these effects are important for determining the CEX ion flux to the accel grid because the calculated potential downstream of the grids can become very flat. The upgraded code has been used to simulate operation of NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) during the 51 kHr Long Duration Test - a selection of results is presented and compared with experimental data.
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, periictal physiology, and the SUDEP-7 Inventory

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a significant public health burden. Epidemiological studies have identified clinical SUDEP risk factors across large populations, but the means to apply this information to individual patients are lacking. The SUDEP-7 Inventory was developed as a marker of clinical SUDEP risk and has been used in studies of potential SUDEP biomarkers. We retrospectively reviewed clinical data from 16 patients dying of SUDEP and 48 matched living epilepsy controls to determine whether individuals succumbing to SUDEP could be distinguished from living epilepsy controls using the revised SUDEP-7 Inventory, the absolute number of clinical risk factors as identified by an International League Against Epilepsy meta-analysis (ILAE score), and physiological characteristics previously associated with SUDEP risk. Mean revised SUDEP-7 Inventory score was 3.3 ± 2.0 in SUDEP cases and 3.8 ± 2.3 in controls (P = 0.39). Mean ILAE score was 2.4 ± 1.1 in SUDEP cases and 2.6 ± 1.4 in controls (P = 0.62). There were no significant differences in interictal heart rate variability (measured by the root mean square of differences of successive RR intervals), periictal cardiorespiratory dysfunction, and postictal generalized electroencephalographic suppression between the groups. This demonstrates that a reliable instrument for individual SUDEP risk stratification is lacking and highlights the need for improved understanding of SUDEP pathophysiology and individual risk determination.
What are patients’ biggest concerns? A patient reported outcome case-management system.

6572Background: Cancer patients (pts) receive complex care that may cause physical, emotional, & financial sequelae. Current practice limits clinician time to address patient concerns. The Patient ...
Calculations on 1,8-naphthoquinone predict that the ground state of this diradical is a singlet.

(12/12)CASPT2, (16/14)CASPT2, B3LYP, and CCSD(T) calculations have been carried out on 1,8-Naphthoquinone (1,8-NQ), to predict the low-lying electronic states and their relative energies in this non-Kekule quinone diradical. CASPT2 predicts a 1 A1 ground state, with three other electronic states-3 B2 , 3 B1 , and 1 B1 -within about 10 kcal/mol of the ground state in energy. On the basis of the results of these calculations, it is predicted that NIPES experiments on 1,8-NQ •- will find that 1,8-NQ is a diradical with a singlet ground state. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Relationship of coefficient of permeability, porosity, and air voids in fine-graded HMA

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the coefficient of permeability, porosity, and voids in total mixture (VTM) of fine-graded hot-mix asphalt (HMA). Two fin...
Monochrome Mickey: Modern Nostalgia Texts and the Animated Star Image

ABSTRACT:This article considers a recent trend for Disney to produce modern texts that evoke Mickey Mouse's pre-Technicolor days. Unlike James Bond and Batman, Disney still continues to market Mickey as a star (rather than a long-running character), with the sense that there is (somehow) coherence to be found.