cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emotional word usage in groups at risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: An objective investigation of attention to emotion

Both extreme levels of social anhedonia (SocAnh) and extreme levels of perceptual aberration/magical ideation (PerMag) indicate increased risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and are associated with emotional deficits. For SocAnh, there is evidence of self-reported decreased trait positive affect and abnormalities in emotional attention. For PerMag, there is evidence of increased trait negative affect and increased attention to negative emotion. Yet, the nature of more objective emotional abnormalities in these groups is unclear. The goal of this study was to assess attention to emotions more objectively in a SocAnh, PerMag, and control group by using a positive (vs. neutral) mood induction procedure followed by a free writing period. Linguistic analyses revealed that the SocAnh group used fewer positive emotion words than the control group, with the PerMag group falling in between the others. In addition, both at-risk groups used more negative emotion words than the control group. Also, for the control group only, those in the positive mood induction used more positive emotion words, suggesting their emotions influenced their linguistic expression. Overall, SocAnh is associated with decreased positive emotional expression and at-risk groups are associated with increased negative emotional expression and a decreased influence of emotions on linguistic expression.
Management of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome with Tricyclic Antidepressants

The tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline (Elavil) has become a staple of oral treatment of IC/BPS (interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome). The 2014 American Urologic Association (AUA) revised Guideline on IC/BPS listed amitriptyline as a second-line treatment of IC/BPS [1]. Other second-line treatments in the AUA Guideline included other oral medications (hydroxyzine, cimetidine, pentosan polysulfate), intravesical instillation (lidocaine, heparin, DMSO), manual physical therapy, and multimodal pain management. The use of amitriptyline to manage IC/BPS is an off-label use; however, clinical experience and data from trials supported its use. The AUA Guideline graded the strength of evidence as Grade B, meaning that there were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) but there were also weaknesses in these RCTs. The use of amitriptyline is designated an Option on the Guideline, which means that there is uncertainty in the balance between benefits and risks/burden of the treatment. Although amitriptyline may benefit a subset of IC/BPS patients who are able to tolerate the medication at higher doses (50–75 mg at bedtime), it is not possible to identify a priori who the responders might be. Adverse effects, while mostly mild to moderate, are reported by almost all patients and constitute the drawback of this therapeutic approach to manage IC/BPS. Here, we shall focus the discussion on amitriptyline, the most commonly used tricyclic antidepressant to manage IC/BPS. Other tricyclics (nortriptyline), selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (sertraline), and serotonin norepinephrine update inhibitors (duloxetine) will also be reviewed.
Corneal Diseases in Children: Contact Lenses

Advances in the field of contact lens have allowed for safe and practical contact lens wear in the pediatric population. Children with large refractive errors, symptomatic anisometropia, irregular astigmatism, or ocular surface disease, particularly during the critical period for amblyopia, stand to benefit the most from contact lens correction. Although some attention will be paid to cosmetic and activity-related correction of refractive error in children, the main purpose of this chapter is to review the medical uses of contact lenses in children.
Greek Connections: Genesis 1–11 and the Poetry of Hesiod

A comparison between Genesis 1–11 and the poetry of Hesiod reveals many interesting similarities that suggest the biblical authors, the Yahwist Historian and the Priestly Editors, were familiar wit...
Age-related external anal sphincter muscle dysfunction and fibrosis: possible role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways

Our studies using a female rabbit model show age-related alterations in the structure and function of the external anal sphincter (EAS) muscle. We used endoluminal ultrasound to measure age-related...
Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes, and Fruit and Vegetable Intake as Predictors of Head Start Teachers' Classroom Mealtime Behaviors.

Abstract Objective To examine the association between nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and fruit/vegetable intake among Head Start teachers and their classroom mealtime behaviors (self-reported and observed). Design Cross-sectional design using observation and survey. Setting Sixteen Head Start centers across Rhode Island between September, 2014 and May, 2015. Participants Teachers were e-mailed about the study by directors and were recruited during on-site visits. A total of 85 participants enrolled through phone/e-mail (19%) or in person (81%). Main Outcome Measures Independent variables were nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and fruit/vegetable intake. The dependent variable was classroom mealtime behaviors (self-reported and observed). Analysis Regression analyses conducted on teacher mealtime behavior were examined separately for observation and self-report, with knowledge, attitudes, and fruit and vegetable intake as independent variables entered into the models, controlling for covariates. Results Nutrition attitudes were positively associated with teacher self-reported classroom mealtime behavior total score. Neither teacher nutrition knowledge nor fruit/vegetable intake was associated with observed or self-reported classroom mealtime behavior total scores. Conclusion and Implications There was limited support for associations among teacher knowledge, attitudes, and fruit/vegetable intake, and teacher classroom mealtime behavior. Findings showed that teacher mealtime behavior was significantly associated with teacher experience.
Glyphosate exposure in pregnancy and shortened gestational length: a prospective Indiana birth cohort study

Glyphosate (GLY) is the most heavily used herbicide worldwide but the extent of exposure in human pregnancy remains unknown. Its residues are found in the environment, major crops, and food items that humans, including pregnant women, consume daily. Since GLY exposure in pregnancy may also increase fetal exposure risk, we designed a birth-cohort study to determine exposure frequency, potential exposure pathways, and associations with fetal growth indicators and pregnancy length. Urine and residential drinking water samples were obtained from 71 women with singleton pregnancies living in Central Indiana while they received routine prenatal care. GLY measurements were performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Demographic and survey information relating to food and water consumption, stress, and residence were obtained by questionnaire. Maternal risk factors and neonatal outcomes were abstracted from medical records. Correlation analyses were used to assess relationships of urine GLY levels with fetal growth indicators and gestational length. The mean age of participants was 29 years, and the majority were Caucasian. Ninety three percent of the pregnant women had GLY levels above the limit of detection (0.1 ng/mL). Mean urinary GLY was 3.40 ng/mL (range 0.5–7.20 ng/mL). Higher GLY levels were found in women who lived in rural areas (p = 0.02), and in those who consumed > 24 oz. of caffeinated beverages per day (p = 0.004). None of the drinking water samples had detectable GLY levels. We observed no correlations with fetal growth indicators such as birth weight percentile and head circumference. However, higher GLY urine levels were significantly correlated with shortened gestational lengths (r = − 0.28, p = 0.02). This is the first study of GLY exposure in US pregnant women using urine specimens as a direct measure of exposure. We found that > 90% of pregnant women had detectable GLY levels and that these levels correlated significantly with shortened pregnancy lengths. Although our study cohort was small and regional and had limited racial/ethnic diversity, it provides direct evidence of maternal GLY exposure and a significant correlation with shortened pregnancy. Further investigations in a more geographically and racially diverse cohort would be necessary before these findings could be generalized.
Photochemical Methods for Measuring Polymer Diffusion

Over the past 15 years, a number of transient optical grating techniques have been developed for measurements of the transport properties of materials. Such methods have been used to measure the tracer diffusion coefficients of polymer molecules which have been labeled with photochromic or fluorescent dyes. The present paper describes the common features of these techniques, and gives an example of how Fluorescence Redistribution After Pattern Photobleaching has been used to study the diffusion of polymer molecules in the melt.
Radiation Therapy for Non-melanoma Skin Cancer in Immunosuppressed Patients and Cutaneous Toxicity from This Therapy

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a common skin cancer affecting more than 3,000,000 individuals worldwide each year. The risk of SCC is strongly linked with immunosuppressive treatment in organ transplant recipients (OTR). Population-based standard incidence ratios for SCC are increased 65–250-fold and for basal cell carcinomas 10–16-fold in OTR compared with non-transplanted population. Skin cancers in immunocompromised patients tend to be more aggressive and metastasize more frequently. Therefore adjuvant radiotherapy and definitive radiotherapy for surgically incurable cancers plays an important role in the therapeutic options. In this chapter we discuss indications, approaches, planning, efficacy, and side effects of radiation treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer in OTR.
Surgery on the Thoracic Spine

Indications for spinal deformity surgery in the thoracic spine are similar to those in the cervical or lumbar spine. The major differences in the procedure include the special considerations needed to accommodate the anatomical variations in the orientation of the facet joints and pedicles, as well as the anterior approach to the spine, which involves surgery through the chest cavity.
SIGNIFICANCE OF PRIMARY ENDING DYNAMIC RESPONSIVENESS IN THE MODULATION OF MOTONEURONAL OUTPUT AND IN STIFFNESS REGULATION

Publisher Summary Stretch and unloading reflexes are controlled by the combined actions of several autogenetic reflex pathways, which are a part of a negative feedback system referred to as the motor servo. This fundamental skeleton–motor reflex system is organized segmentally within the spinal cord; recent claims that the segmental system is dominated by supra-spiral servo loops are found to be weak when evaluated critically. The unique roles of primary ending dynamic responsiveness appear to depend largely upon the characteristic nonlinear properties of the stretch receptors. For a physiologically significant range of velocities, the yield in muscle force is preceded by the onset of reflex force development, whereas a lag equal to the transit time of the myotatic loop would be expected on the basis of a linear feedback explanation for the stiffness regulation. Thus, the large dynamic response to stretch an inherently nonlinear feature of the primary ending apparently provides an anticipatory mechanism that initiates reflex compensation at the onset of stretch prior to the time at which muscle stiffness actually fails.
Seeing beyond political affiliations: The mediating role of perceived moral foundations on the partisan similarity-liking effect

Decades of research have demonstrated that we like people who are more similar to us. The present research tested a potential mechanism for this similarity-liking effect in the domain of politics: the stereotype that people’s political orientation reflects their morals. People believe that Democrats are more likely to endorse individualizing morals like fairness and Republicans are more likely to endorse binding morals like obedience to authority. Prior to the 2016 election, American participants (N = 314) viewed an ostensible Facebook profile that shared an article endorsing conservative ideals (pro-Trump or pro-Republican), or liberal ideals (pro-Clinton or pro-Democrat). Participants rated the favorability of the profile-owner, and completed the Moral Foundations Questionnaire for the profile-owner and themselves. As predicted, participants liked the profile-owner more when they shared political beliefs, and used political stereotypes to infer the moral foundations of the profile-owner. Additionally, the perceived moral foundation endorsement of the profile owner differentially mediated the relationship between the ideology and evaluations of the profile owner based on the party affiliation of the participant: perceived individualizing foundations mediated the relationship for Democratic participants and perceived binding foundations mediated the relationship for Republican participants. In other words, people liked their in-group members more because they thought that the profile-owner endorsed a specific type of morals. In Study 2 (N = 486), we ruled out the potential explanation that any political stereotype can account for the similarity-liking effect, replicating the results of Study 1 even when controlling for perceptions of other personality differences. Taken together, these studies highlight that there may be something unique about the perceived type of morality of political in-group and out-group members that may be contributing to the similarity-liking effect in politics.
A machine learning approach to targeted balance rehabilitation in people with Parkinson’s disease using a sparse sensor set

Clinical Balance Assessments Often Rely On Functional Tasks As A Proxy For Balance (E.G., Timed Up And Go). In Contrast, Analyses Of Balance In Research Settings Incorporate Quantitative Biomechanical Measurements (E.G., Whole-Body Angular Momentum, H) Using Motion Capture Techniques. Fully Instrumenting Patients In The Clinic Is Not Feasible, And Thus It Is Desirable To Estimate Biomechanical Quantities Related To Balance From Measurements Taken From A Subset Of The Body Segments. Machine Learning Algorithms Are Well-Suited For This Type Of Low- To High-Dimensional Mapping. Thus, Our Objective Was To Develop And Validate An Artificial Neural Network For Estimating Contributions To H From 12 Body Segments Using Only Five Inertial Measurement Units. The Network Was Trained, Tested And Validated On Data From Five Able-Bodied Individuals Performing Forty Trials Each Of A Circuit Involving Complex Walking Tasks, Including Stairs, Ramp, And Direction Changes. The Network Was Also Separately Tested On Four Trials Of An Individual With Parkinson'S Disease Walking On The Circuit. The Output Of The Network Was Strongly Correlated With The Segment Contributions To H In Both Able-Bodied (R= 0.997) And Parkinson'S Disease (R= (0.998) Subjects. The Estimated Values Also Had Low Error Relative To The Signal Magnitude, With The Largest Mean ± SD Rootmean-Squared Errors Of 8.04 ± 1.76% Peak Signal Magnitude In Able-Bodied Individuals And 7.96 ± 0.91% In The Individual With Parkinson'S Disease. These Promising Results Establish The Feasibility Of Using A Sparse Set Of Inertial Measurement Units To Provide Quantitative Data To Clinicians For Targeted Balance Rehabilitation Across Different Patients.
Understanding and modifying beliefs about climate change through educational travel

Understanding the factors that shape individuals’ beliefs about climate change is key to the development of effective climate change communication and education strategies. In this study, we test a...
Sex Steroid Receptors

Sex steroid hormone receptors provide the means by which estrogen and progesterone influence their target tissues. Receptor assays have proved clinically useful for the management of breast cancer. Their application to study of the ovary is currently undergoing intensive investigation.
Hazards of data leakage in machine learning: a study on classification of breast cancer using deep neural networks

With the renewed interest in developing machine learning methods for medical imaging using deep-learning approaches, it is essential to reexamine data leakage. In this study, we simulated data leakage in the form of feature leakage, where a classifier was trained on the training set, but the feature selection was influenced by the performance on the validation set. A pre-trained deep-learning convolutional neural network (DCNN) without fine-tuning was used as a feature extractor for malignant and benign mass classification in mammography. A feature selection algorithm was trained in the wrapper mode with a cost function tuned to follow the performance metric on the validation set. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classifier was trained to classify masses on mammographic patches. Mammograms from 1,882 patient cases with 4,577 unique patches were partitioned by patient into 3,222 for training and 508 for validation, while 847 were sequestered as unseen independent test set to evaluate the generalization error. The effects of the finite sample size on data leakage were studied by varying the training and validation set sizes from 10% to 100% of the available sets. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used as the performance metric. The results show that the performance on the validation set could be overestimated, having AUCs of 0.75 to 0.99 for various sample sizes, whereas the independent test performance could realistically only reach an AUC of 0.72. The analysis indicates that deep learning can risk a high inflation in performance and proper housekeeping rules should be followed when designing and developing deep learning methods in medical imaging.
Prostaglandin I2 inhibits IL-33-induced IL-5 and IL-13 production by human type 2 innate lymphoid cells

Background Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) are characterized by their expression of cytokines including IL-5 and IL-13 in response to IL-33. ILC2 are critical in mediating influenza virus-induced airway hypersensitivity and are associated with allergic inflammation. However, the factors regulating human ILC2 (hILC2) cytokine responses are not fully defined. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that prostaglandin I2 (PGI2), a lipid product formed in the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism, suppresses IL-33-induced cytokine responses by hILC2.
A Fully Integrated, Dual Channel, Flip Chip Packaged 113 GHz Transceiver in 28nm CMOS supporting an 80 Gb/s Wireless Link

In order to meet the demand for increasingly higher data rate wireless links, broad-bandwidth transceivers that support high-spectral-efficiency modulation schemes are required. In this paper, a mm-wave transceiver IC operating at 113GHz is demonstrated, achieving a single-channel data rate of 80Gb/s. The transceiver achieves a high level of integration, including LO generation circuitry, a bits-to-RF TX DAC, and two transceiver channels for polarization diversity. The chip is flip-chip packaged onto a PCB with two orthogonally polarized antennas.
Custom Hardware Teaching Aid for Undergraduate Microcontroller Laboratory Class

Hands-on laboratory classes use a variety of assembly parts that are combined into a circuit for experiments. For many of the topics, the process of circuit building is the goal of the lab assignment, but there are also many classes in which the main focus is on the usage of key elements, and less attention is given to the circuit assembly process. The microcontroller laboratory is a case in which educational aids are strongly suggested, so students can focus on working on microcontrollers. This paper describes approaches to the microcontroller class: with or without aids, with students of multiple majors included, and with separated majors. It also describes how the proposed design of a Printed Circuit Board and new curriculum helped to solve the class’ educational challenges.
A Comparison of Metaheuristic Algorithms for Solving the Piezoresistive Inverse Problem in Self-Sensing Materials

Nanofiller-modified materials have been widely explored for self-sensing in diverse venues spanning civil, aerospace, robotic, and even biomedical applications. Key to self-sensing is the fact that these materials are piezoresistive – their electrical conductivity is influenced by deformation and damage. Considerable research has aimed at leveraging this for intrinsic self-sensing. However, prevailing techniques provide no information about the underlying mechanical state of the material. Instead, damage and strain must be indirectly inferred from conductivity changes. The cause of this limitation is that recovering mechanics from electrical measurements is an ill-posed, under-determined, and multi-modal inverse problem. As such, global search algorithms coupled with physically motivated constraints must be used to obtain a solution. Previously, it was demonstrated that genetic algorithms (GAs) provide a suitable means of solving the displacement-from-conductivity problem. These algorithms, while undoubtedly powerful, suffer from artifacts in the strain solutions and variability in the solutions between successive searches. The goal of this work is to explore other commonly used global search algorithms which can be used to solve the displacement-from-conductivity inverse problem. In addition to GAs, we focus on two prevailing types of metaheuristic global search algorithms: simulated annealing and particle swarm optimization. Each algorithm is tested on experimental data where a self-sensing nanocomposite was deformed and electrical impedance tomography was used to image the conductivity change. The results for each algorithm are compared to standard finite element simulations and experimental observations via digital image correlation. A comparison is then drawn between the three algorithms in terms of solution quality, variability, accuracy, and computational efficiency.
Graphene photodetectors based on interfacial photogating effect with high sensitivity

Graphene-based photodetectors have attracted attention for realizing optoelectronic devices including photodetectors. We report a graphene field effect transistor on silicon for broadband light detection from the ultraviolet to near-infrared region, which is compatible with the silicon technology and does not need a complicated fabrication process. The photodetectors show an improved responsivity. Specifically, fabricated graphene photodetectors shows a photo-responsivity of ~980 A/W at room temperature. These results provide a promising for the development of graphene-based optoelectronic applications with the broadband photodetection from the ultraviolet to near-infrared region.
Navigating the Hilbert space of nonseparable elastic states in arrays of periodically coupled one-dimensional waveguides

A planar array of three one-dimensional elastic waveguides mutually coupled periodically along their length and driven externally is shown theoretically and numerically to support nonseparable superpositions of states. These states are the product of Bloch waves describing the elastic displacement along the waveguides and spatial modes representing the displacement across the array of waveguides. For a system composed of finite length waveguides, the frequency, relative amplitude, and phase of the external drivers can be employed to selectively excite specific groups of discrete product modes. The periodicity of the coupling is used to fold bands enabling superpositions of states that span the complete Hilbert space of product states. We show that we can realize a transformation from one type of nonseparable superposition to another one that is analogous to a nontrivial quantum gate. This transformation is also interpreted as the complex conjugation operator in the space of the complex amplitudes of individual waveguides.
A Pilot One Group Feasibility, Acceptability, and Initial Efficacy Trial of LISTEN for Loneliness in Lonely Stroke Survivors:

IntroductionLoneliness is a prevalent problem for adult stroke survivors, and a known contributor to hypertension, secondary stroke, functional decline, poorer quality of life, and mortality in old...
Toward an Integral Model of Addiction: By Means of Integral Methodological Pluralism and Metatheoretical and Integrative Conceptual Framework

This article introduces and briefly outlines some orienting generalizations of an integrally informed model of addiction. I argue that by applying Integral Theory as a meta-theoretical and transdisciplinary framework, we may be able to arrive at a comprehensive integrative model of addiction that honors all the existing single-factor etiopathogenic models as well as the integrative and dynamic models. In order to examine any part of reality, one must employ a particular methodology. Integral Methodological Pluralism (IMP) acknowledges that there are at least eight methodological families we can use to study any phenomenon. In this article I use IMP to sketch the outline of a comprehensive and integrative model of addiction. I will explore some of the most dominant explanatory models and theories of addiction derived from the sociopsychological and biomedical sciences, and point out how each model’s theory is enacted by a particular methodology as represented by one or more of the eight zones of IMP. Finally I will propose that an Integral Model of Addiction has the potential to integrate all the existing evidence-based explanatory models of addiction into a truly integrative, coherent and comprehensive conceptual framework and meta-theory of addiction.
Staphylococcus aureus transmission and control in a robotic milking dairy herd

Robotic or automated milking systems (AMS) are being introduced as an alternative to conventional milking systems. Investment in an AMS may be advantageous for some dairy farmers, particularly in terms of reducing labor costs and shifting labor from the repetitive, physical task of milking to other areas of farm management. Research on the effect of AMS on udder health has focused on somatic cell count measures. Theoretically, the consistency of milking hygiene practices is improved with AMSs, where quarters are milked individually, pre-milking stimulation, and preand post-milking teat disinfection are applied uniformly, and individual quarter milking teat cups are sanitized between cows. These AMS factors should contribute to the control of the transmission of contagious mastitis pathogens; however, to our knowledge, no study has been conducted to quantify the dynamics of mastitis pathogen transmission in AMS under field conditions. The objectives of this study were to describe the transmission dynamics of Staphylococcus aureus intramammary infections (IMI) in dairy herd with an AMS and to estimate the diversity of S. aureus strains in that herd by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of selected isolates.
Discordant Reporting of Vaping of Cannabis among High School Seniors in the United States.

Introduction: Reliable responses on surveys are important to ensure accurate estimates of drug use. This study compared prevalence of self-reported vaping of cannabis based on two separate question...
Evaluating the role of topographic inversion in the formation of the Stanislaus Table Mountains in the Sierra Nevada (California, USA)

The Table Mountains, a flat-topped series of ridges capped by a 10.4 Ma latite flow in the Stanislaus River watershed, are considered to be evidence for late Cenozoic uplift-driven landscape rejuvenation in the northern Sierra Nevada range (California, USA). The commonly accepted theory for the formation of these mesas posits that the latite flowed and cooled within a bedrock paleovalley and, since then, the surrounding landscape has eroded away, leaving behind the volcanic deposit as a ridge. Although this theory is accepted by many, it has not been thoroughly tested. In this study, I examine a series of geological cross-sections extracted along the length of the latite deposit to determine whether the evidence supports the existence of bedrock valley walls on both sides of the 10.4 Ma flow. I find that the presence of older Cenozoic deposits adjacent to the latite flow precludes the possibility that the flow would have been constrained within a bedrock valley. Moreover, the cross-section from an 1865 report that has been offered as evidence of topographic inversion (and subsequently reproduced in numerous publications) does not accurately represent the topography at that site. I conclude that there is no evidence that the bedrock topography has been inverted and that instead, the latite flowed within a channel cut into underlying Cenozoic deposits, which have since mostly eroded away. This study, therefore, refutes the hypothesis that the Stanislaus River watershed was rejuvenated in the late Cenozoic and challenges the claim for recent significant uplift of the region.
Perceptions of appetite do not match hormonal measures of appetite in trained competitive cyclists and triathletes following a ketogenic diet compared to a high-carbohydrate or habitual diet: A randomized crossover trial.

Abstract Endurance athletes may implement rigid dietary strategies, such as the ketogenic diet (KD), to improve performance. The effect of the KD on appetite remains unclear in endurance athletes. This study analyzed the effects of a KD, a high-carbohydrate diet (HCD), and habitual diet (HD) on objective and subjective measures of appetite in trained cyclists and triathletes, and hypothesized that the KD would result in greater objective and subjective appetite suppression. Six participants consumed the KD and HCD for 2-weeks each, in a random order, following their HD. Fasting appetite measures were collected after 2-weeks on each diet. Postprandial appetite measures were collected following consumption of a ketogenic meal after the KD, high-carbohydrate meal after the HCD, and standard American/Western meal after the HD. Fasting total ghrelin (GHR) was lower and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and hunger were higher following the KD versus HD and HCD. Fasting insulin was not different. Mixed-effects model repeated measures analysis and effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals showed that postprandial GHR and insulin were lower and GLP-1 was higher following the ketogenic versus the standard and high-carbohydrate meals. Postprandial appetite ratings were not different across test meals. In conclusion, both fasting and postprandial concentrations of GHR were lower and GLP-1 were higher following the KD than the HC and HD, and postprandial insulin was lower on the KD. Subjective ratings of appetite did not correspond with the objective measures of appetite in trained competitive endurance athlete. More research is needed to confirm our findings.
Shootings on Campus: Successful § 1983 Suits Against the School?

Imagine the horror experienced by parents who hear that a violent shooter has opened fire on the college campus where their only child is a freshman. As school shootings continue to occur across the country, this imagined horror is a reality for some parents. This Article examines whether victims or their families can recover monetary damages in federal court from a school or university based on that institution’s failure to protect students from a campus shooter. Rather than addressing tort liability, the analysis centers around whether a plaintiff can successfully bring a § 1983 action against a state university for a deprivation of his or her Fourteenth Amendment rights under the Due Process Clause.The general rule is that the state has no duty to protect the life, liberty, and property of its citizens against the violence of private parties. There are two exceptions: (1) when a special relationship exists between the state and the injured person, and (2) when the state’s actions have created the very danger that caused the harm to the victim. This Article explores recent federal decisions as to the applicability of these exceptions. The conclusion is that neither theory is likely to be a successful avenue for relief in a school shooting case. Although this result is very harsh for grieving families, it is legally correct. The Due Process Clause was not intended to stretch so far as to make the state responsible for injuries inflicted by private actors.
Engineering multi-signal systems for complex pattern formation

Biological pattern formation networks orchestrate complex processes of constituent cells, often through the use of multiple intercellular signals. The forward engineering of such multi-signal systems in synthetic biology has a number of important applications including biosensing, tissue engineering, and biomaterial fabrication. In addition, such synthetic systems provide a testing ground for quantitatively studying the fundamental principles governing similar natural genetic networks. However, an initial requirement for engineering multi-signal networks is the characterization and tuning of various properties of the signaling systems, including crosstalk, receiver response strength, and sensitivity. We characterize crosstalk interactions for synthetic receivers built from components of the Las and Rhl quorum sensing systems from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Next, we present results from genetic constructs designed to amplify weak transcriptional responses to signaling molecules. We then discuss results from directed evolution of receptor proteins to optimize receiver sensitivity. These methods of engineering synthetic constructs with desired response strengths and sensitivities to external signals have a number of important applications in their own right, such as the development of biosensors for detection of trace amounts of toxins. In addition to the experimental results that show how signaling constructs can be optimized for such applications, we present simulations for two example pattern formation systems that can be constructed from these tuned components.
Korean Television Dramas and the Political Economy of City Promotion

This article examines the ways in which urban processes are associated with the production of culture. It does so by exploring how Korean cities sponsor drama. The historically conditioned and economically neglected status of regional cities, combined with elected local leaders' desire to promote their own areas, has led to a strategy to publicize them by leveraging the popularity of Korean television dramas in Asia. Two distinct types of drama sponsorship by cities - the construction of outdoor settings for drama and 'city placement' - manifest the interactions between story-making and place-making. The affective process that blends city sites with the characters, storylines and emotional flows of TV drama imbues those sites with a dramatic quality that stimulates the audience's empathy and persuasively motivates them to actually visit the places they have seen televised. Thanks to the broad penetration of television drama, sponsorship by cities has strikingly boosted drama-driven tourism. Nevertheless, reflecting the speculative nature of TV drama, city promotion through this medium has had limited stability and sustainability. In sum, this article demonstrates that the production of Korean television dramas is deeply associated with the material and spatial conditions in Korean cities.
Micromass cultures of limb and other mesenchyme.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the micromass cultures of limb and other mesenchyme. The micromass culture technique was initially developed to study chondrogenesis and consists of high-density dot cultures of dissociated limb bud cells. The development of the micromass culture technique allowed a 20-to-25-fold increase in the number of replicate cultures that could be established from the same number of isolated limb bud cells. The high-density cultures form a three-dimensional, multilayered organization of mesenchyme with close cell associations and entrap nascent pericellular and extracellular matrix molecules (ECM) to potentiate differentiation. The sequence of chondrogenic events within micromass cultures recapitulates the sequence observed in vivo. In the limb, the first appearance of pattern is the formation of cellular aggregations or condensations in the core of the limb. The aggregates continue to enlarge mainly by assimilating surrounding mesenchyme followed by chondrogenic differentiation to form the cartilage template, establishing the basic pattern of the limb.
Dynamic Leverage as a Generalization of Traditional Value-at-Risk Measures and Its Use in Portfolio Construction

We study a concept of dynamic leverage which is a risk measure generalizing traditional value at risk type measures. This measure is suited for hedge funds and can be applied to quantify risk in a fund of hedge funds. Dynamic leverage depends on the level of fund volatility, time horizon and distance in terms of NAV to a pre-defined critical liquidation level for a fund. Thus dynamic leverage incorporates the minimal holding time of investment and the risk associated with it. This reflects the fact that investments in hedge funds have lockups and limited redemption frequency. We present a variety of models for dynamic leverage to illustrate some of the differing structural features of hedge funds. We give examples of historical critical liquidation levels for hedge funds following different strategies. We study the use of dynamic leverage in a fund of funds portfolio. For a single hedge fund we study variety of derivatives of dynamic leverage and demonstrate the existence of a critical NAV below which the efficacy of de-leveraging is compromised. Finally we study a Constant Dynamic Leverage Portfolio insurance that is a modification of the classical portfolio insurance of Black-Jones-Perold.
All optical XNOR gate using simultaneous four-wave mixing and cross-gain modulation in an SOA

We demonstrate an all-optical XNOR-gate using simultaneous FWM and XGM in an SOA. Error-free operation for 5-Gb/s RZ data with < 2dB power-penalty is reported. The module also performs as a half-adder with inverted 'sum' output.
Formally Verifying Data and Control with Weak Reachability Invariants

Existing formal verification methods do not handle systems that combine state machines and data paths very well. Model checking deals with finitestate machines efficiently, but model checking full designs is infeasible because of the large amount of state in the data path. Theorem-proving methods may be effective for verifying data path operations, but verifying the control requires finding and proving inductive invariants that characterize the reachable states of the system.We present a new approach to verification of systems that combine control FSMs and data path operations. Invariants are specified only for a small set of control states, called clean states, where the invariants are especially simple.We avoid the need to specify the invariants for the unclean states by symbolically simulating over all paths to find the possible next clean states.The set of all paths from one clean state to the next is represented by a regular expression, which is extracted from the control FSMs. The number of paths is infinite only if the regular expression contains stars. The method uses a heuristic to generalize the symbolic state to cover all of the paths of the starred expression. We have implemented a prototype tool for guiding an existing symbolic simulator and verification tool and used it successfully to prove properties of the Instruction Fetch Unit of TORCH, a superscalar microprocessor designed at Stanford. With much less effort, we were able to find all the bugs in the unit that were found earlier by manually strengthening the invariants.
The Chow Ring of a Classifying Space

We define the Chow ring of the classifying space of a linear algebraic group. In all the examples where we can compute it, such as the symmetric groups and the orthogonal groups, it is isomorphic to a natural quotient of the complex cobordism ring of the classifying space, a topological invariant. We apply this to get torsion information on the Chow groups of varieties defined as quotients by finite groups. This generalizes Atiyah and Hirzebruch's use of such varieties to give counterexamples to the Hodge conjecture with integer coefficients.
Law Libraries and Legal Education

Academic law libraries are in the midst of radical change, probably more so than at any time in the past 100 years. Two factors are converging that make business as usual no longer viable for academic law libraries: transition of legal resources from print to digital formats and economic changes in legal education. Best Practices for Legal Education did not address the role of law libraries in the delivery of legal education. The changes facing law schools suggest the time is now to articulate how libraries can best contribute to the endeavor. How can best practices for law libraries be reconstructed to allocate resources and expertise to support the education mission?This section of the forthcoming book Building on Best Practices: Transforming Legal Education in a Changing World (Lexis 2015) briefly surveys the current state of affairs and sketches emerging best practices for the future. Law schools and the libraries within them need to retain their focus on their traditional goals while investigating new ways to achieve them. Law school libraries will continue to excel at serving the faculty and students as their needs evolve. With agility, a service orientation, and a judicious use of limited resources, libraries will remain central to law schools and the education mission for the foreseeable future.
P-, E-, and L-Selectin Mediate Migration of Activated CD8+ T Lymphocytes into Inflamed Skin

P- and E-selectin mediate CD4+ Th1 cell migration into the inflamed skin in a murine contact hypersensitivity model. In this model, not only CD4+ T cells but also CD8+ T cells infiltrate the inflamed skin, and the role of CD8+ type 1 cytotoxic T (Tc1) cells as effector cells has been demonstrated. Here we show that in mice deficient in both P- and E-selectin, the infiltration of CD8+ T cells in the inflamed skin is reduced, suggesting the role of these selectins in CD8+ T cell migration. We directly studied the role of selectins using in vitro-generated Tc1 cells. These cells are able to migrate into the inflamed skin of wild-type mice. This migration is partially mediated by P- and E-selectin, as shown by the reduced Tc1 cell migration into the inflamed skin of mice deficient in both P- and E-selectin or wild-type mice treated with the combination of anti-P-selectin and anti-E-selectin Abs. During P- and E-selectin-mediated migration of Tc1 cells, P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 appears to be the sole ligand for P-selectin and one of the ligands for E-selectin. P- and E-selectin-independent migration of Tc1 cells into the inflamed skin was predominantly mediated by L-selectin. These observations indicate that all three selectins can mediate Tc1 cell migration into the inflamed skin.
Self-optimization of performance-per-watt for interleaved memory systems

With the increased complexity of platforms coupled with data centers' servers sprawl, power consumption is reaching unsustainable limits. Memory is an important target for platform-level energy efficiency, where most power management techniques use multiple power state DRAM devices to transition them to low-power states when they are "sufficiently" idle. However, fully-interleaved memory in high-performance servers presents a research challenge to the memory power management problem. Due to data striping across all memory modules, memory accesses are distributed in a manner that considerably reduces the idleness of memory modules to warrant transitions to low-power states. In this paper we introduce a novel technique for dynamic memory interleaving that is adaptive to incoming workload in a manner that reduces memory energy consumption while maintaining the performance at an acceptable level. We use optimization theory to formulate and solve the power-performance management problem. We use dynamic cache line migration techniques to increase the idleness of memory modules by consolidating the application's working-set on a minimal set of ranks. Our technique yields energy saving of about 48.8 % (26.7 kJ) compared to traditional techniques measured at 4.5%. It delivers the maximum performance-per-watt during all phases of the application execution with a maximum performance-per-watt improvement of 88.48%.
Country—specific advantage and international cooperation

This paper tests the hypothesis that country-specific advantage embedded in firms of a particular nationality is a motivation for international interfirm cooperation. A sample of domestic and international cooperative relationships formed by Japanese firms in the commercialization of biotechnology is used to identify factors which differentiate domestic from foreign partners. The findings support our hypothesis that country-specific advantage is a significant variable in explaining differences between cooperative relationships with partners of different countries. The results of this study indicate that interfirm cooperation has implications for the international competitiveness of both firms and nations in high technology industries.
Video camera measurements of atmospheric turbulence using the telescope image of a distant light source.

We report on a simple technique to measure experimentally the refractiυe index structure parameter Cn2 of the atmosphere along a horizontal path.
Single-fiber electromyography

Single-fiber EMG is a technique introduced in 1963 by Stalberg and Ekstedt for recording single muscle fiber action potentials by means of a specially constructed needle with a 25-microm recording surface. The needle is positioned in the muscle to record from two or more time-locked potentials belonging to the same motor unit. Jitter is the variability in the arrival time of action potentials to the recording electrode between consecutive discharges. This variability reflects end-plate conduction and is measured along with fiber density, which is the average number of fibers belonging to the same motor unit that is in the recording area. An abnormal test is one in which more than 10%, or the mean, of 20 fiber pairs has increased jitter when compared with normal reference values. Increased fiber density is seen with reinnervation. Single-fiber EMG is more sensitive than conventional EMG and is the most sensitive, but not specific, test for myasthenia gravis. Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, and other neuromusculasr junction pathology. It has been useful in the evaluation of some neuropathies and myopathies and has provided valuable information on the motor unit spatial arrangement, territory, microphysiology, and pathophysiology.