cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frontal and temporal volumes in children with epilepsy

Abstract This study examined if children with cryptogenic epilepsy and complex partial seizures (CPS) have smaller total brain, frontal, and temporal lobe volumes than normal children and how this is related to seizure, cognitive, psychiatric, and demographic variables. Forty-four children with CPS and 38 normal children, aged 5–16 years, underwent brain MRI scans at 1.5 T. Tissue was segmented, and total brain, frontal lobe, frontal parcellation, and temporal lobe volumes were computed. Other than significantly larger temporal lobe white matter volumes in the CPS group, there were no significant differences in brain volumes between the CPS and normal groups. Earlier onset, longer duration of illness, younger chronological age, and presence of a psychiatric diagnosis were significantly related to smaller frontotemporal volumes in subjects with CPS. Although these findings suggest that CPS might affect development of the temporal and frontal regions, we are unable to rule out the possibility that smaller frontotemporal volumes might predispose children to CPS. These findings highlight the need to control for seizure, cognitive, psychiatric, and demographic variables in studies of frontotemporal volumes in pediatric CPS.
Space use in territorial amberwing dragonflies: are residents female maximizers or neighbor minimizers?

Residents of mating territories interact with different categories of conspecifics: females, nonneighbor males, and neighbor males. Interaction with these differ- ent types of conspecifics is likely to have different costs and benefits; for example, interactions with females will be beneficial, while interactions with neighbors are more likely to be costly. In this study, we investigated patterns of intrusions and space use in territorial male amberwing dragonflies (Perithemis tenera) to test the idea that residents will adjust their use of space to maximize their beneficial interactions with conspecifics while minimiz- ing their costly interactions with conspecifics. Because territories were arranged linearly around the edge of a pond, each resident had two neighbors, one of which was often closer to the focal resident than the other. Residents experienced more intrusions by neighbors and fewer intrusions by females on the side of their closer neighbor. Residents generally perched on the side of their territory that experienced the fewest intrusions by neighbors and the most intrusions by females, but the pattern was more strongly related to neighbor intrusions than female intrusions. Subsequent to pursuits of neighbors and females, residents tended to shift their perches away from where they pursued neighbors but toward where they pursued females. Nonneighbor intrusions were not affected by neighbor proximity, nor did residents adjust their space use in response to nonneighbor intrusions. Our results suggest that residents do adjust their space use in response to intrusions by conspecifics, that their adjust- ment depends on the type of conspecific that intruded, and that residents may be using a simple decision rule such as "move away from male intrusions, move closer to female intrusions" to adjust their within-territory space use.
FMRI correlates of the WAIS–III Symbol Search subtest

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) experiments frequently administer substantially adapted cognitive tests. This study was designed to identify FMRI correlates of a well-standardized clinical measure presented with minor adaptations. We administered the WAIS-III Symbol Search (SS) and a visuospatial control task to fifteen adults during FMRI. SS-related brain activity was identified, followed by analyses of activity related to performance level. Compared to the control task, SS was associated with greater activity in bilateral medial occipital, occipitoparietal, occipitotemporal, parietal, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC). Across both tasks, slower processing speed was also related to greater activity in these areas, except right DLPFC. Greater activity in left DLPFC was specifically related to slower processing speed during SS. Performance was consistent with education levels. Findings suggest that SS performance involves regions associated with executive and visual processing. Furthermore, slower SS performance was related to greater recruitment of left hemisphere regions associated with executive function in other studies.
Sex Differences in Romantic Kissing among College Students: An Evolutionary Perspective:

This study provides a descriptive account of kissing behavior in a large sample of undergraduate college students and considers kissing in the context of both short-term and long-term mating relationships. Kissing was examined as a mate assessment device, a means of promoting pair bonds, and a means of inducing sexual arousal and receptivity. A total 1,041 college students completed one of three questionnaires measuring kissing preferences, attitudes, styles, and behaviors. Results showed that females place more importance on kissing as a mate assessment device and as a means of initiating, maintaining, and monitoring the current status of their relationship with a long-term partner. In contrast, males place less importance on kissing, especially with short-term partners, and appear to use kissing to increase the likelihood of having sex. The results suggest that kissing may play an important role as an adaptive courtship/mating ritual.
Preference-based adaptation of multimedia presentations for different display sizes

The increased availability of electronic devices with multimedia capabilities has resulted in a dramatic growth in the usage of multimedia presentations. In this paper, we present a framework for automatic generation of layouts for multimedia presentations for different screen resolutions. We develop a heuristic to find the layout for a screen of given resolution in polynomial time. The heuristic achieves 92–l98% performance compared with the exhaustive search for different screen sizes. The execution time of the heuristic is as low as 15 seconds for a presentation of 100 media files whereas the exhaustive search takes an average of 6 hours.
Visual Cortex Circuitry and Orientation Tuning

A simple mathematical model for the large-scale circuitry of primary visual cortex is introduced. It is shown that a basic cortical architecture of recurrent local excitation and lateral inhibition can account quantitatively for such properties as orientation tuning. The model can also account for such local effects as cross-orientation suppression. It is also shown that nonlocal state-dependent coupling between similar orientation patches, when added to the model, can satisfactorily reproduce such effects as non-local iso--orientation suppression, and non-local cross-orientation enhancement. Following this an account is given of perceptual phenomena involving object segmentation, such as "popout", and the direct and indirect tilt illusions.
Exposure to Mission Relevant Doses of 1 GeV/Nucleon 56Fe Particles Leads to Impairment of Attentional Set-Shifting Performance in Socially Mature Rats

Previous ground-based experiments have shown that cranial irradiation with mission relevant (20 cGy) doses of 1 GeV/nucleon 56Fe particles leads to a significant impairment in Attentional Set Shifting (ATSET) performance, a measure of executive function, in juvenile Wistar rats. However, the use of head only radiation exposure and the biological age of the rats used in that study may not be pertinent to determine the likelihood that ATSET will be impaired in Astronauts on deep space flights. In this study we have determined the impact that whole-body exposure to 10, 15 and 20 cGy of 1 GeV/nucleon 56Fe particles had on the ability (at three months post exposure) of socially mature (retired breeder) Wistar rats to conduct the attentional set-shifting paradigm. The current study has established that whole-body exposures to 15 and 20 (but not 10) cGy of 1 GeV/nucleon 56Fe particles results in the impairment of ATSET in both juvenile and socially mature rats. However, the exact nature of the impaired ATSET per...
Are American children and adolescents of low socioeconomic status at increased risk of obesity? Changes in the association between overweight and family income between 1971 and 2002

Background A good understanding of the association between obesity and socioeconomic status (SES) has many important public health and policies implications, particularly for the prevention and management of obesity. Objective The objective was to examine secular trends in the relations between overweight (body mass index > or = 95th percentile) and SES. Design We examined secular trends in the relation between overweight and SES using nationally representative data collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) between 1971 and 2002 for 30 417 US children aged 2-18 y. Poverty income ratio tertiles at each survey were used to indicate low, middle, and high SES. Results Considerable race, sex, and age differences were observed in the association between overweight and SES. A reverse association only existed in white girls; African American children with a high SES were at increased risk. Socioeconomic disparities in overweight have changed over time, with an overall trend of weakening. Compared with the medium-SES group, the adjusted odds ratios and 95% CIs were 0.79 (0.47, 1.33), 1.08 (0.73, 1.61), 1.24 (0.73, 2.09), and 1.04 (0.82, 1.33) in NHANES I, II, and III and in the 1999-2002 NHANES for the low-SES group and 0.66 (0.43, 1.00), 0.60 (0.35, 1.03), 0.42 (0.23, 0.76), and 0.99 (0.68, 1.43) for the high-SES group, respectively. Between 1988-1994 and 1999-2002, the ratio in the prevalence of overweight between adolescent boys with a low or high SES decreased from 2.5 to 1.1 and from 3.1 to 1.6 in girls. Consistently across almost all SES groups, the prevalence of overweight was much higher in blacks than in whites. Conclusions Complex patterns in the association between SES and overweight exist. Efforts solely targeting reductions in income disparities probably cannot effectively reduce racial disparities in obesity.
Four-dimensional cardiac imaging in living embryos via postacquisition synchronization of nongated slice sequences.

Being able to acquire, visualize, and analyze 3D time series 4D data from living embryos makes it possible to understand com- plex dynamic movements at early stages of embryonic development. Despite recent technological breakthroughs in 2D dynamic imaging, confocal microscopes remain quite slow at capturing optical sections at successive depths. However, when the studied motion is periodic— such as for a beating heart—a way to circumvent this problem is to acquire, successively, sets of 2D+time slice sequences at increasing depths over at least one time period and later rearrange them to re- cover a 3D+time sequence. In other imaging modalities at macro- scopic scales, external gating signals, e.g., an electro-cardiogram, have been used to achieve proper synchronization. Since gating sig- nals are either unavailable or cumbersome to acquire in microscopic organisms, we have developed a procedure to reconstruct volumes based solely on the information contained in the image sequences. The central part of the algorithm is a least-squares minimization of an objective criterion that depends on the similarity between the data from neighboring depths. Owing to a wavelet-based multiresolution approach, our method is robust to common confocal microscopy ar- tifacts. We validate the procedure on both simulated data and in vivo measurements from living zebrafish embryos. © 2005 Society of Photo-Optical
Clostridium difficile toxin A causes early damage to mitochondria in cultured cells

Abstract Background & Aims: The mechanism by which Clostridium difficile toxin A causes actin depolymerization and cell rounding involves toxin internalization and subsequent monoglucosylation of the Rho family of proteins. This study explored toxin internalization and effects on mitochondrial function before cell rounding. Methods: Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were exposed to toxin A, and mitochondrial localization was assayed by confocal microscopy. Mitochondrial function was measured by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration, mitochondrial permeability, and leakage of cytochrome c . Results: Confocal microscopy showed toxin A colocalization with the mitochondrial protein GRP 75 at 5 minutes after toxin exposure. Between 5 and 15 minutes, toxin A caused an 80% diminution in cellular ATP levels; cell rounding and Rho glucosylation commenced between 15 and 30 minutes. Toxin A also resulted in reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential and a 2-3-fold increase in reactive oxygen radicals. Preincubation of CHO cells with the antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole or butylated hydroxytoluene blocked the toxin A–induced increase in oxygen radicals and diminished cell rounding. Western blot analysis of toxin A–exposed isolated mitochondria showed a direct effect of toxin A on leakage of cytochrome c . Conclusions: The results show that extensive mitochondrial damage occurs within 15 minutes in CHO cells exposed to toxin A. Diminished ATP concentrations and increased oxygen radicals are likely to contribute to cytotoxicity from this bacterial toxin. GASTROENTEROLOGY 2000;119:139-150
Masculinities in Motion Latino Men and Violence in Kentucky

Interviews with Latino men in Kentucky underscore multiple ways in which men negotiate being a man in a setting in which they find increased work opportunities yet experience heightened feelings of vulnerability. This article examines how men construct masculinity in response to three interrelated factors: migration, women’s behaviors, and peer pressure. These factors do not determine men’s use of violence, yet situating them within men’s lives allows us to better understand men’s on-the-ground experiences as well as possible connections between men and violence. Findings contribute to an emerging group of studies that examine the destabilization of masculinity and its connections to men’s use of violence against women. I suggest that the violence some Latino men use is symptomatic of men’s perception that they are losing power within broader, sometimes unfamiliar systems of oppression outside the home at the same time as women are gaining power.
Subjective numeracy and preference to stay with the status quo

Background: Preference for the status quo, or clinical inertia, is a barrier to implementing treat-to-target protocols in patients with chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The objec...
TACE-mediated ectodomain shedding of the type I TGF-β receptor downregulates TGF-β signaling

Regulating TGF-beta receptor presentation provides an avenue to alter a cell's responsiveness to TGF-beta. We report that activation of the Erk MAP kinase pathway decreases the TGF-beta-induced Smad3 activation due to decreased cell surface levels of the type I receptor TbetaRI, but not the type II receptor. Inhibition of TACE activity or expression enhanced the cell surface TbetaRI levels and TGF-beta-induced Smad3 and Akt activation. Accordingly, silencing TACE expression in cancer cells enhanced the TbetaRI presentation and TGF-beta responsiveness, including the antiproliferative effect of TGF-beta, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. These results establish a mechanism for downregulating TGF-beta signaling through TACE activation by the Erk MAP kinase pathway and a strategy for evasion of tumor suppression and modulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition during cancer progression. The decreased growth inhibition by TGF-beta, due to elevated TACE activity, complements the growth stimulation resulting from increased release of TGF-alpha family ligands.
Preclinical assessment of curcumin as a potential therapy for B-CLL

Curcumin, the principle component of the spice turmeric, has been used as an anti-inflammatory medication in India and China for centuries. Recent studies, predominantly using actively dividing cell lines, have suggested that this compound could be used as a chemopreventative or therapeutic agent for epithelial tumors. As curcumin has been reported to inhibit the NIK/IKK complex, an activity that would be expected to induce apoptosis in B cell malignancies, we sought to determine whether curcumin induces apoptosis in vitro in primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells. Primary leukemic cells were incubated with varying dosages of curcumin, followed by assessment for apoptosis. The role of PPARgamma or NF-kappaB signaling in curcumin-induced apoptosis was examined by cotreatment with a PPARgamma antagonist or EMSA of nuclear NFkappaB complexes. We also examined whether a clinically achievable concentration of curcumin (1 microM) would augment the apoptotic effects of fludarabine, dexamethasone, vincristine or the PDE4 inhibitor rolipram. In B-CLL cells from 14 patients, curcumin-induced apoptosis with a mean EC(50) of 5.5 microM. In contrast, the EC(50) for whole mononuclear cells from a healthy donor was 21.8 microM. In a 48 hr wash-out time course, curcumin-induced apoptosis was time-dependent, with a substantial reduction in apoptosis observed when curcumin was removed after 5 hr. Curcumin treatment reduced basal nuclear NF-kappaB levels and 1 microM curcumin augmented both vinca alkaloid and PDE4 inhibitor-induced apoptosis in B-CLL cells. Our studies suggest that curcumin may augment the efficacy of established or experimental therapies for B-CLL.
Connectionist decision support systems for multiple criteria decision making

The authors present a general framework for connectionist decision support systems for solving deterministic multiple criteria decision problems. The decision support systems are driven by preferential data and based on prescriptive decision models, with artificial neural networks in their core. They are able to interact with decision makers and construct, verify, and validate themselves autonomously from available preferential data. As time elapses, the decision support systems are also capable of refining their internal representations accordingly to adapt to potential changes of decision makers' preference and decision environments over time. >
Extending the newsvendor model to account for uncontrolled inventory transfers

In this paper we consider the single-period newsvendor model with uncontrolled inventory transfers. The newsvendor or buyer places a single order for identical items. Independently of the order, the buyer can also receive an additional random amount of the same item in the same time period via “transfer”. Thus, there is uncertainty associated with both the demand and the quantity that is transferred. We formulate this problem as a newsvendor problem with two independent supply streams (one deterministic and one random) and compare our analytical results for different demand distribution/transfer distribution combinations to analytical results associated with the classic newsvendor model. Uncontrolled inventory transfers present a challenging problem in the health care industry with respect to the management of blood inventory. However, the proposed extension can be generalized and applied to any situation where perishable items are transferred from satellite locations to a centralized location in order to increase the probability that the items will be sold before they expire.
The Impact of the Second World War on U.S. Productivity Growth

This paper considers the productivity impact on the U.S. economy of the period of war mobilization and demobilization lasting from 1941 to 1948. Optimists have pointed to learning by doing in military production and spinoffs from military R and D as the basis for asserting a substantial positive effect of military conflict on potential output. Productivity data for the private nonfarm economy are not consistent with this view, since they show slower TFP growth between 1941 and 1948 than before or after. The paper argues for adopting a less rosy perspective on the supply side effects of the war.
Chronic Caffeine Administration Attenuates Vascular Injury-Induced Neointimal Hyperplasia in Rats

Background: Inflammation is considered to be a major initiator to angioplasty-induced vascular restenosis. Proinflammatory cytokines stimulate vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration and proliferation leading to neointimal hyperplasia. It has been reported that chronic caffeine use suppresses the production of proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor Alpha) and alters adenosine receptor expression in human neutrophils, indicating that caffeine may attenuate vascular injury-induced inflammation and subsequent neointimal hyperplasia. Our current study was designed to test the hypothesis that chronic caffeine treatment decreases vascular injury-induced neointimal hyperplasia by suppressing VSMC migration and proliferation. Methods and Results: The experiments were carried out using both in vivo (rat carotid artery injury model) and in vitro (VSMCs isolated from rat aorta) models. Male Sprague-Dawley rats that received chronic caffeine treatment (10 and 20 mg/kg per day, through oral gavage)...
“He's Really Setting an Example”: Student Contributions to the Learning Environment

Student-student relationships are a critical component of the learning environment, potentially affecting it in both positive and negative ways. This study explores how students mutually construct their learning environment. Participants said students co-create a productive classroom experience by (a) modeling good student behaviors, (b) providing various forms of academic support, and (c) avoiding enacting bad student behaviors. Identifying how student-student relationships enhance the learning environment problematizes our understanding of the learning climate and educational connectedness by highlighting the impact of time and space on the entire learning experience and provides guidance for faculty, students, and administrators wishing to facilitate a positive learning climate.
Remote Performance Measurement and Monitoring: RPM2 Device Validation

The RPM 2 device is a state-of-the-art wireless, remote monitoring, pressure sensing device that is used for sports performance enhancement. The device measures several variables of interest to athletes, trainers, and coaches who can use these variables to correct mechanics, promote correct form, and potentially prevent injury, and when injury occurs, possibly speed recovery. RPM 2 can measure body weight, pressure distribution and range-of-motion of lower extremities using four pressure transducers and a 9 access sensor embedded in a shoe insert. The device offers 3D tracking capabilities, wireless communication, and a secured user interface through Android/IOS phone applications. RPM² has developed technology that will serve to enhance human performance. Performance enhancement in athletics, specifically with runners, is the company’s primary mission. Running performance is improved through gait analysis feedback. Sensors, embedded in shoe inserts monitor the distribution of pressure on the soles of each foot. A 9 access sensor is embedded in a microcontroller in each insert, creating a gyroscope. This effectively measures range of motion of the lower extremities. Measurements of pressure distribution and range of motion provide evaluative data relating to gait and bilateral equivalency.
Mesoporous Organosilicate Films Using Cross-Linked Micelle Pore Generators

Cross-linked micelles are used to generate large uniform mesopores in silsesquioxane-based thin films. To our knowledge, this is first time cross-linked micelles have been used for this type of application. The cross-linked micelles are fabricated from amphiphilic block copolymers to compatibilize large immiscible domains in the organosilicate. Measured pore sizes range from 20 to 30 nm depending on the porogen loading level. The spherical morphology is maintained over a wide range of porogen loading (5 to 50% wt.) as analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and ellipsometric porosimetry. The low-k porous films are stable in water as a result of the hydrophobic nature of the material, and the films can be stacked to form independent dielectric layers for numerous applications.
Ignaz Semmelweis redux

The story of Ignaz Semmelweis suggests a lesson to beware of unintended consequences, especially with in situ simulation. In situ simulation offers many important advantages over center-based simulation such as learning about the real setting, putting participants at ease, saving travel time, minimizing space requirements, involving patients and families. Some substantial disadvantages include frequent distractions, lack of privacy, logistics of setup, availability of technology, and supply costs. Importantly, in situ simulation amplifies some of the safety hazards of simulation itself including maintaining control of simulated medications and equipment, limiting the use of valuable hospital resources, preventing incorrect learning from simulation shortcuts, and profoundly upsetting patients and their families. Mitigating these hazards by labeling effectively, publishing policies and procedures, securing simulation supplies and equipment, educating simulation staff, and informing participants of the risks are all methods that may lessen the potential for an accident. Each requires a serious effort of analysis, design, and implementation.
Use of FDSS/μCell imaging platform for preclinical cardiac electrophysiology safety screening of compounds in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.

Abstract FDSS/μCell is a high-speed acquisition imaging platform (Hamamatsu Ltd., Hamamatsu, Japan) that allows for simultaneous high-throughput reading under controlled conditions. We evaluated the Ca 2 + transients or optical membrane potential changes of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) (iCells) in the presence or absence of 44 pharmacological agents known to interfere with cardiac ion channels (e.g., hERG, I Ks , NaV 1.5 , CaV 1.2 ). We tested two Ca 2 + -sensitive fluorescence dyes (Codex ACTOne® and EarlyTox®) and a membrane potential dye (FLIPR® membrane potential dye). We were able to quantify and report drug-induced early-after depolarizations (EAD)-like waveforms, cardiomyocyte ectopic beats and changes in beating rate from a subgroup of pharmacological agents acting acutely (within a 1-hour period). Cardiovascular drugs, such as dofetilide and d , l -sotalol, exhibited EAD-like signals at 3 nM and 10 μM, respectively. CNS drugs, such as haloperidol and sertindole, exhibited EAD-like signals and ectopic beats at 30 nM and 1 μM, respectively. Other drugs, such as astemizole, solifenacin, and moxifloxacin, exhibited similar arrhythmias at 30 nM, 3 μM and 300 μM, respectively. Our data suggest that the membrane potential and intracellular Ca 2 + signal are tightly coupled, supporting the idea that the EAD-like signals reported are the accurate representation of an EAD signal of the cardiac action potential. Finally, the EAD-like Ca 2 + signal was well correlated to clinically-relevant concentrations where Torsade de Pointes (TdPs) arrhythmias were noted in healthy volunteers treated orally with some of the compounds we tested, as reported in PharmaPendium®.
Quantitative photoacoustic elastography in humans

We report quantitative photoacoustic elastography (QPAE) capable of measuring Young’s modulus of biological tissue in vivo in humans. By combining conventional PAE with a stress sensor having known stress–strain behavior, QPAE can simultaneously measure strain and stress, from which Young’s modulus is calculated. We first demonstrate the feasibility of QPAE in agar phantoms with different concentrations. The measured Young’s modulus values fit well with both the empirical expectation based on the agar concentrations and those measured in an independent standard compression test. Next, QPAE was applied to quantify the Young’s modulus of skeletal muscle in vivo in humans, showing a linear relationship between muscle stiffness and loading. The results demonstrated the capability of QPAE to assess the absolute elasticity of biological tissue noninvasively in vivo in humans, indicating its potential for tissue biomechanics studies and clinical applications.
Asymptotic behavior of S n degrees associated with rational functions

Given an infinte series in the Schur functions \(\sum {{m_\lambda }} {S_\lambda }({x_1}, \ldots ,{x_k})\) which converges to a nice rational function, we compute the asympotics of the sequence \({c_n} = \sum {\{ {m_\lambda }{f^\lambda }|\lambda \vdash n\} } \), where \({f^\lambda }\) is the degree of the Sn character corresponding to λ.
Patterning of Solid Films via Selective Atomic Layer Deposition Based on Silylation and UV/Ozonolysis

A simple methodology was successfully demonstrated for the nanoscale patterning of silicon wafers. Thin films are grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and patterned by using selective surface chemistry: First, all the nucleation sites on the original oxide surface are silylated in order to render them unreactive; then, a pattern is developed by selective removal of the silylation agent using a mask and a combination of ultraviolet radiation and ozonolysis. Subsequent ALD is carried out selectively on the areas where the silylation moieties have been removed. This simple procedure affords patterning of oxide surfaces with monolayer control and a lateral resolution on the order of a few tens of nanometers or better. Other selective ALD processes have shown only limited discrimination during deposition, but our method shows absolute inhibition of film growth on the silylated areas while films as thick as 10 nm are grown on the re-exposed sectors. Our example involved the deposition of hafnium oxide films o...
Trading zones, boundary objects, and the pursuit of news innovation: A case study of journalists and programmers

Amid growing calls for greater collaboration between journalism and computer programming, this article examines a salient case study that reveals processes of communication, exchange, and work prod...
Optimal Sequential Search Among Alternatives

We explore costly sequential search among finitely many risky options, and an outside option. Payoffs are the sum of a known and hidden random factor. (a) We resolve a long open question about how riskier payoffs impact search duration: expected search time is higher for more dispersed idiosyncratic noise. (b) Since options differ ex ante, we incorporate selection effects into search: Counterintuitively, with few options, the quitting chance falls if search costs rise; also, while stopping rates rise over time, earlier options are recalled more. (c) We find that the stationary search model is a misleading benchmark : For as the number of options explodes, the recall chance is bounded away from zero if the known factor has a distribution without a thin tail (eg. exponential). (d) A special case of our model captures web search engines that rank order options: We prove that the click through rate — the chance of initiating a search — is a poor quality measure since it falls in accuracy for expensive goods.
A Whole-Genome RNA Interference Screen Reveals a Role for Spry2 in Insulin Transcription and the Unfolded Protein Response

Insulin production by the pancreatic β-cell is required for normal glucose homeostasis. While key transcription factors that bind to the insulin promoter are known, relatively little is known about the upstream regulators of insulin transcription. Using a whole-genome RNA interference screen, we uncovered 26 novel regulators of insulin transcription that regulate diverse processes including oxidative phosphorylation, vesicle traffic, and the unfolded protein response (UPR). We focused on Spry2—a gene implicated in human type 2 diabetes by genome-wide association studies but without a clear connection to glucose homeostasis. We showed that Spry2 is a novel UPR target and its upregulation is dependent on PERK. Knockdown of Spry2 resulted in reduced expression of Serca2, reduced endoplasmic reticulum calcium levels, and induction of the UPR. Spry2 deletion in the adult mouse β-cell caused hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia. Our study greatly expands the compendium of insulin promoter regulators and demonstrates a novel β-cell link between Spry2 and human diabetes.
Anomalous temperature dependence in the structural organization of charge alternation in imidazolium-based ionic liquids of various alkyl chain lengths

Abstract We report on trends observed in the X-ray static structure factor obtained for four homologous imidazolium-based ionic liquids. In a series of low-energy (laboratory) and high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments, the temperature dependent structure was investigated in 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cations, with chain lengths of n = 4, 6, 8, and 10, paired with the trifluoromethylsulfonate (TF) anion. Interestingly, the charge alternation peak in the liquids displays an anomalous temperature evolution, increasing in amplitude as the temperature is raised. Analysis of the pair distribution function (PDF) evolution with temperature for all compositions attributes the observed anomalous behavior to a specific distance in the liquid. Extensive peak modelling of the structure factors confirms the anomaly for all compositions, which combined with the analysis of the temperature of the PDFs, suggests that the entropic tendency to decohere strict charge alternation overcomes enthalpic tendencies in these liquids.
Small-Computer Diaital Image Analysis

The digital image analysis system (DIAS) is a software-oriented, computer-based approach to automatic image analysis. In this paper, some aspects of DIAS are discussed that can be performed with commercially available image pickup equipment attached to an optical microscope and linked to a sensor-based small computer (such as a System/7 or a Series/1). Through the application of an optical edge detection program, the system is adapted to precision measurement of linewidths and other parameters on semiconductor and garnet wafer patterns.© (1981) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Projection-resolved optical coherence tomography angiography exhibiting early flow prior to clinically observed retinal angiomatous proliferation

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze early retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) utilizing a novel imaging modality, Projection-Resolved Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (PR-OCTA). Observations Five months prior to the diagnosis of a RAP lesion, cross-sectional PR-OCTA demonstrated flow in the outer retina contiguous with the deep retinal capillary plexus (DCP) and adjacent to a small pigment epithelial detachment. After development of a clinically visible RAP lesion, cross-sectional PR-OCTA demonstrated the RAP lesion connecting DCP and sub-retinal pigment epithelial neovascularization. Conclusions & importance This is the first report of PR-OCTA demonstrating abnormal flow in the outer retina prior to the development of a clinically detectable RAP lesion. PR-OCTA may be useful for surveillance and to help further characterize and stage RAP lesions.
Financial Issues in Strong African American Marriages: A Strengths-Based Qualitative Approach

Objective We examined the role financial issues played in African Americans' marriages using a strengths-based perspective. Background Few studies have examined the importance of finances in African Americans' marriages. Those that have done so have mostly focused on money as a stressful contextual problem. Allowing African American couples to describe their own marital experiences expands our understanding regarding the interface of finances and relationships. Method Using qualitative data from 37 African American couples (N = 74 individuals) who felt they had strong marriages, we took a phenomenological approach to identify themes in the data. Results Many participants portrayed money as a stressor. Furthermore, participants discussed financial behaviors and attitudes that helped their marriages be strong. Finally, participants described transcending, or rising above, financial issues. Conclusion The participants in this study, African Americans who felt they were in strong marriages, talked about the marital role of finances in multiple ways. It was clear that they actively strived to shape the way that financial issues influenced their marriages, whether through making decisions that would help them financially and relationally or by shifting their focus to more important matters like the well-being of family members. Implications These findings offer researchers new ideas about the intersection of money, family, and race, and show diversity among African American couples. The findings may also help practitioners recognize both the circumstances by which finances are stressors in some African American marriages, and how some African American couples navigate financial challenges while maintaining strong relationships.
Who Benefits from Diversification? How Stakeholder Theory Helps to Resolve the Debate

A long-standing debate in the strategic management literature concerns the relationship between diversification and performance. I argue that part of this debate is fueled by the fact that differen...
Burnout, wellness, and the future of our profession.

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is in a very strong position. We have superb educational offerings; scientific presentations that are unparalleled; a fantastic annual meeting and regional conferences; great publications, led by our flagship publication, Neurology ®; highly respected guidelines; and a very secure financial position.
Cultural Competence Issues in Counseling and Therapy for Asian Americans

Many Asian Americans suffer from mental health problems, and only a fraction of them receive necessary counseling and therapy services. This chapter examines cultural competence issues among Asian Americans in the context of their historical and cultural background and immigration patterns; the impact of the model minority myth on Asian Americans that has become a pivotal and ubiquitous cause for their mental health problems; and some of the salient challenges faced by Asian Americans as well as two models of cultural competence that can be used when working with Asian Americans. With the lack of disaggregate data on the number of Asian Americans who received mental health services (as opposed to that of specific Asian ethnic groups), there is a need for large-scale and longitudinal studies for Asian Americans in regard to the issues of mental health disorders (involving the multidimensionality of various factors) affecting Asian Americans. It is suggested that mental health professionals utilize the 3H principles to further develop a new model of cultural competence for the delivery of mental health services for Asian Americans.
Getting through the day: a pilot qualitative study of U.S. women's experiences making decisions about anti-nausea medication during pregnancy

Nausea during pregnancy affects 80% of pregnant women and can severely affect women’s functioning and quality of life. Women often have difficulty deciding whether to take anti-nausea medications due to concern about medication risks. This paper foregrounds U.S. women’s voices as they share their experiences making decisions about anti-nausea medication use. As a pilot study, we conducted two focus groups including 20 women who had filled at least one prescription for an anti-nausea medication during pregnancy. Topics included deciding about and taking anti-nausea medications. Transcripts were analyzed by two medical anthropologists using an inductive or open coding approach. Women in our pilot study carefully considered whether to take anti-nausea medications. Most women preferred not to take medications, in general, but were willing to do so for severe symptoms. When considering medications, they expressed concerns about risks to fetal health. They considered information from internet research, their health care provider, and the experiences of friends and family. While some women in our study decided against taking medications, many did take a prescription medication, and they reported substantial improvement in their symptoms and sense of well-being. Women weighed various sources of evidence to assess the risks and benefits of taking anti-nausea medication and ultimately made a range of choices. More research is needed about the effectiveness and risks of anti-nausea medication, to help support women in their decision-making process, and also about the best methods to communicate scientific evidence to women.
Development and validation of the palliative care preferences scale (PCPS).

151Background: Research has not thoroughly examined patient-level factors such as perceptions that could contribute to underutilization of palliative care, which may be due in part to a lack of existing measures for this purpose. Therefore, this investigation aimed to develop and validate a 9-item measure called the Palliative Care Preferences Scale (PCPS-9), which was comprised of three subscales: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. Methods: Data were collected in three separate online studies of individuals with cancer (study 1: N = 633; study 2: N = 462) or one of the following non-cancer serious illnesses: COPD, heart failure, or kidney failure (study 3: N = 248). Analyses assessed various psychometric properties of the scale in cancer and non-cancer patients, including internal consistency reliability, confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), multigroup CFAs, and convergent validity associations with related constructs. Results: Across all three studies, results supported the internal consistency relia...
Functional architecture of the foveola revealed in the living primate.

The primate foveola, with its high cone density and magnified cortical representation, is exquisitely specialized for high-resolution spatial vision. However, uncovering the wiring of retinal circuitry responsible for this performance has been challenging due to the difficulty in recording receptive fields of foveal retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in vivo. In this study, we use adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) to image the calcium responses of RGCs in the living primate, with a stable, high precision visual stimulus that allowed us to localize the receptive fields of hundreds of foveal ganglion cells. This approach revealed a precisely radial organization of foveal RGCs, despite the many distortions possible during the extended developmental migration of foveal cells. By back projecting the line connecting RGC somas to their receptive fields, we have been able to define the ‘physiological center’ of the foveola, locating the vertical meridian separating left and right hemifields in vivo.
MAGIA ALÉM DAS PALAVRAS: UMA EXPERIÊNCIA DE ENSINO DE CONTAÇÃO DE HISTÓRIAS EM LÍNGUA INGLESA COM HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, DE J.K. ROWLING

This article is a result of a teaching experience done in a state school of Porto Alegre. The objective of this experience was analyzing the possibility of an English teaching practice, based on the storytelling applied in the storytelling time that is linked to the school’s library. For this purpose, it was selected as a story to be told and worked in an elementary school’s 5 th -grade classroom, the novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling, due to the richness of vocabulary and by the imaginary teased on its reader with its text. From this experience provided by the Storytelling time applied into the English Language, it could be perceived the students’ engagement with the story, the words association present in the story with the ones found on their daily routine, what had provided a corrected learning of the pronunciation of keywords which had been studied.
Role of Gender in Regulation of Redox Homeostasis in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is one of the diseases with a well-established gender dimorphism. The prevalence of PAH is increased in females with a ratio of 4:1, while poor survival prognosis is associated with the male gender. Nevertheless, the specific contribution of gender in disease development and progression is unclear due to the complex nature of the PAH. Oxidative and nitrosative stresses are important contributors in PAH pathogenesis; however, the role of gender in redox homeostasis has been understudied. This review is aimed to overview the possible sex-specific mechanisms responsible for the regulation of the balance between oxidants and antioxidants in relation to PAH pathobiology.
Why Users Choose Particular Web Sites Over Others: Introducing a "Means-End" Approach to Human-Computer Interaction.

Gutman’s means-end theory, widely used in market research, identifies three levels of abstraction – attributes, consequences, and values – associated with the use of products, representing the process by which physical attributes of products gain personal meaning for users. The primary methodological manifestation of means-end theory is the laddering interview, which it has been claimed generates better insights than other qualitative or quantitative methods. This study asked: Can means-end theory, and its concomitant laddering methodology, be successfully applied in the context of human-computer interaction research, specifically to help understand the relationships between Web sites and their users? The study employed laddering interviews to elicit data concerning Web site attributes, their consequences, and user end-values. This data was duly processed and the results were subsequently appraised. Examination determined that means-end chains do indeed characterize the process by which the physical attributes of Web sites gain personal meaning for their users, thus proving the theory’s applicability.
Dynamic Non-Parametric Mixture Models and the Recurrent Chinese Restaurant Process: with Applications to Evolutionary Clustering.

Clustering is an important data mining task for exploration and visualization of different data types like news stories, scientific publications, weblogs, etc. Due to the evolving nature of these data, evolutionary clustering, also known as dynamic clustering, has recently emerged to cope with the challenges of mining temporally smooth clusters over time. A good evolutionary clustering algorithm should be able to fit the data well at each time epoch, and at the same time results in a smooth cluster evolution that provides the data analyst with a coherent and easily interpretable model. In this paper we introduce the temporal Dirichlet process mixture model (TDPM) as a framework for evolutionary clustering. TDPM is a generalization of the DPM framework for clustering that automatically grows the number of clusters with the data. In our framework, the data is divided into epochs; all data points inside the same epoch are assumed to be fully exchangeable, whereas the temporal order is maintained across epochs. Moreover, The number of clusters in each epoch is unbounded: the clusters can retain, die out or emerge over time, and the actual parameterization of each cluster can also evolve over time in a Markovian fashion. We give a detailed and intuitive construction of this framework using the recurrent Chinese restaurant process (RCRP) metaphor, as well as a Gibbs sampling algorithm to carry out posterior inference in order to determine the optimal cluster evolution. We demonstrate our model over simulated data by using it to build an infinite dynamic mixture of Gaussian factors, and over real dataset by using it to build a simple non-parametric dynamic clustering-topic model and apply it to analyze the NIPS12 document collection.