cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preventive Dental Care and Long-Term Dental Outcomes among ALL Kids Enrollees.

Objective To investigate whether early or regular preventive dental visit (PDV) reduces restorative or emergency dental care and costs for low-income children. Study Setting Enrollees during 1998–2012 in the Alabama CHIP program, ALL Kids. Study Design Retrospective cohort study using claims data for children continuously enrolled in ALL Kids for at least 4 years. Analyses are conducted separately for children 0–4 years, 4–9 years, and >9 years. For 0–4 years, the intervention of interest is whether they have at least one PDV before age 3. For the other two age groups, interventions of interest are if they have regular PDVs during each of the first 3 years, and if they have claims for a sealant in the first 3 years. Outcomes—namely restorative and emergency dental service and costs—are measured in the fourth year. To account for selection into PDV, a high-dimensional propensity scores approach is utilized. Data Extraction Claims data were obtained from ALL Kids. Principal Findings Only sealants are associated with a reduced likelihood of using restorative and emergency services and costs. Conclusions Whether PDVs without sealants actually reduce restorative/emergency pediatric dental services is questionable. Further research into benefits of PDV is needed.
Acute hypoxia up-regulates HIF-1α and VEGF mRNA levels in Amazon hypoxia-tolerant Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus)

Amazon fish maintain oxygen uptake through a variety of strategies considered evolutionary and adaptive responses to the low water oxygen saturation, commonly found in Amazon waters. Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) is among the most hypoxia-tolerant fish in Amazon, considering its intriguing anaerobic capacity and ability to depress oxidative metabolism. Previous studies in hypoxia-tolerant and non-tolerant fish have shown that hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) gene expression is positively regulated during low oxygen exposure, affecting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) transcription and fish development or tolerance in different manners. However, whether similar isoforms exists in tolerant Amazon fish and whether they are affected similarly to others physiological responses to improve hypoxia tolerance remain unknown. Here we evaluate the hepatic HIF-1α and VEGF mRNA levels after 3 h of acute hypoxia exposure (0.5 mgO2/l) and 3 h of post-hypoxia recovery. Additionally, hematological parameters and oxidative enzyme activities of citrate synthase (CS) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) were analyzed in muscle and liver tissues. Overall, three sets of responses were detected: (1) as expected, hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration, red blood cells, and blood glucose increased, improving oxygen carrying capacity and glycolysis potential; (2) oxidative enzymes from liver decreased, corroborating the tendency to a widespread metabolic suppression; and (3) HIF-1α and VEGF increased mRNA levels in liver, revealing their role in the oxygen homeostasis through, respectively, activation of target genes and vascularization. This is the first study to investigate a hypoxia-related transcription factor in a representative Amazon hypoxia-tolerant fish and suggests that HIF-1α and VEGF mRNA regulation have an important role in enhancing hypoxia tolerance in extreme tolerant species.
Ligand Exchange of Colloidal CdSe Nanocrystals with Stibanates Derived from Sb2S3 Dissolved in a Thiol-Amine Mixture

Molecular stibanates derived from the dissolution of bulk Sb2S3 in a binary ethylenediamine and mercaptoethanol solvent mixture have been studied as capping ligands for colloidal CdSe nanocrystals. A phase transfer ligand exchange strategy was utilized to effectively install the stibanate ligands onto the CdSe nanocrystals to form stable colloidal suspensions in polar solvents, such as formamide. This methodology was very effective in the removal of insulating native ligands on the as-prepared nanocrystals, with the resulting stibanate-capped CdSe nanocrystals giving low organic content thin films upon spin coating with improved interparticle coupling after heating to temperatures 25-fold increase in photocurrent response relative to as-prepared CdSe nanocrystal films.
Procedural goods in a democracy: How one is treated versus what one gets

There are four classes of procedural goods, each of which is an appropriate ground for answering the question: “Is this a fair procedure?” (i) It is unfair not to treat a person with dignity; the dignity goods are self-respect, personal control, and an understanding of the procedures that determine relevant outcomes. (ii) It is unfair to impose upon a person heavy (net) costs, such as overburdened cognitive capacities and high information costs, excessively painful interpersonal conflict, threats beyond those inherent in the situation, and humiliation. (iii) It is unfair to disregard (but not necessarily to violate) the person's own sense of justice, the codes of honor and practice of his own group and culture. And, of course, (iv) it is unfair to use a procedure that does not have the highest probability of achieving distributive or retributive justice. Few of the standard articles of democratic theory (e.g., liberty, equal treatment before the law, rights, and sharing of power) offer sufficient protections for the first three of these procedural goods.
POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS SUNTANNING AND REPORTED TENDENCY TO ENGAGE IN LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORS THAT INCREASE RISK OF SKIN CANCER

Bishop (1994) suggested that cancer be conceptualized as a lde-style disease as 75% to 80% of all cancers are caused by modifiable lifestyle factors and are potentially preventable. Skin cancer is one in chat exposure to pV light in the form of sunLght accounts for an estimated 90% of skm cancer cases. Minimizing the amount of rime spent in the sun, wearing protective clothing when outdoors in the sun, and use of sunscreen when skin is exposed to the sun are some preventive measures. Despite these relatively simple ways of reducing the amount of exposure, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S. Current estimates suggest that 40 to 50% of Americans who live to age 65 d have skm cancer at least once. One explanation for people's failure to take protective measures suggests that people equate having a suntan with being healthy and attractive. For example, Hi, Theobald, Borland, White, and Marks (1990) found that more than half of respondents said that they felt healthier with a suntan and 66% thought they looked healthier. Johnson and Lookingbill (1984) found that 72% of respondents believed that tan skin looked more attractive than untanned skin and 78% believed that having a suntan makes a person look more healthy. Keesling and Friedman (1987), Miller, Ashton, McHoskey, and Gimbel (19901, Broadstock, Borland, and Gason (1992), Vail-Smith and Felts (1993), found that a suntan was related to an image of self as healthy, attractive, and active. They concluded that tan-seeking behavior is motivated by sel€-image and maintained by positive mood states and social reinforcement of the sunbather as attractive and healdly looking. Their findings were consistent with the argument that this positive stereotype motivates sun-seeking. Nonetheless, it is not clear whether positive attitudes towards tanning are associated with increased incidence of behaviors that would place the individual at risk for skm cancer. This study was designed to assess the association of attitudes towards suntanning and a reported tendency to engage in Mestyle behaviors that increase the risk of skin cancer. Method.-Participants were 62 undergraduate women attending an introductory psychology class at the University of Southern Maine. Volunteers were offered an extra credir for completing the Attitudes Towards Suntanning Survey, a six-item test requiring raring on a 5-point scale anchored by strongly agree and strongly disagree. High scores reflect positive attitudes toward having a suntan. Subjects reported behaviors that would increase their risk of skin cancer by estimating (a) the number of sunburns they had the previous summer, (b) the number of
English Writing Teaching in the Context of Culture and Situation——From the Perspective of Constructive Learning Theory

In this paper, by analyzing the status quo of college English writing teaching, explores the focus of English writingteaching reform. Mainly from the perspective of constructive learning theory, expounds the role of cultural and situational contextin English writing teaching, the teacher's leading role and students' subject position in English writing teaching.
Analysis of the Incidence and Drug Resistance of Extended Spectrum β-lactamases(ESBLs) Produced by E.coli

Objective:To analyze the incidence and drug resistance of extended spectrum β-lactamases(ESBLs) produced by E.coli separated from acute appendicitis for guidance of suitable clinical mediation.Methods:The bacteria were isolated and cultured from specimens of 73 cases with acute appendicitis at Shenzhou hospital affiliated to Shenyang Medical College,from January 2010 to December 2011.Drug sensitivity test of ESBLs using 13 kinds of antibiotics was done with the disk diffusion method,and the confirmed test was done with the double disk test.Results:Fifty strains were separated from specimens of 73 cases with acute appendicitis.Among them,41 strains were Escherichia coli(82.00%),with 15 strains were ESBLs positive(36.59%) and 26 strains were ESBLs negative(63.41%).The ESBLs strains were extensively drug-resistant to Cephalosporins and Cephamycins,but had a high sensitivity to the mixed beta-lactam antibiotics and β-lactam inhibitors,and were entirely sensitive to carbapenems antimicrobial agents.Conclusions:ESBLs were seriously resistant to commonly used antibiotics.Drug resistance of ESBLs should be closely monitored to guide rational use of antibiotics according to the results of drug susceptibility and local bacterial resistance situation.
Critical stress state evaluation for early damage with metal magentic memory method

To find out MMM critical signal characteristics of early damage,this paper offers a foundational data for MMM quantitative testing. The relation between the critical stress states and magnetic memory signals was studied by experiments. Different states of stress,including tensile stress state and three-point bending stress state,were created in experiments. Steel Q235B and X70 samples with different shapes were tested by MMM method. The critical magnetic characteristics of the critical yielding state for tension experiment and those of the ultimate bending moment for three-point bending test are presented,which can serve as a rule for testing early damage. The result of metallographic examination proves the validity of the early damage MMM characteristics.
Cognitivism and the Problem of Explaining Human Intelligence

The explanation of intelligent behavior is an issue of the greatest strategic importance in any attempt to understand the conceptual features of the psychological, social, and cultural sciences. It is, however, too global an issue to be usefully confronted without substantial constraints. For example, a sensible beginning suggests that analysis should be at least initially restricted to the linguistically informed behavior of human beings, avoiding generalizations ranging over nonlanguage-using animals. In any case, it may be argued that the study of animal intelligence is conceptually dependent on the use of categories paradigmatically provided for the study of human intelligence. This, of course, is not to say that only humans describe animal intelligence . It is to say (rather) that animal intelligence is modelled on the human, in the sense that intelligence entails the ascription of propositional attitudes and that the structure of the propositional content of such attitudes is, and must be, modelled on sentences. Similarly, the issue may be fairly freed from the question of physicalistic reduction, in the plain sense that, should reductionism obtain, the phenomena of human intelligence would remain psychologically real, and the very success of any reductive effort would initially concede the apparent distinction of the phenomena thus reduced.
Conversation, responsibility, and autism spectrum disorder

AbstractIn this paper, I present a challenge for Michael McKenna’s conversational theory of moral responsibility. On his view, to be a responsible agent is to be able to engage in a type of moral conversation. I argue that individuals with autism spectrum disorder present a considerable problem for the conversational theory because empirical evidence on the disorder seems to suggest that there are individuals in the world who meet all of the conditions for responsible agency that the theory lays out but who are nevertheless not responsible agents. Attending to the moral psychology of such individuals will, I think, help shed light on an important gap in the conversational theory.
The Impact of Effective Buoyancy and Dynamic Pressure Forcing on Vertical Velocities within Two-Dimensional Updrafts

AbstractThis research develops simple diagnostic expressions for vertical acceleration dw/dt and vertical velocity w within updrafts that account for effective buoyancy and the dynamic pressure gradient force. Effective buoyancy is the statically forced component of the vertical gradient in the nonhydrostatic pressure field. The diagnostic expressions derived herein show that the effective buoyancy of an updraft is dependent on the magnitude of the temperature perturbation within an updraft relative to the air along the updraft’s immediate periphery (rather than relative to an arbitrary base state as in ), the updraft’s height-to-width aspect ratio, and the updraft’s slant relative to the vertical.The diagnostic expressions are significantly improved over parcel theory (where pressure forces are ignored) in their portrayal of the vertical profile of w through updrafts from a cloud model simulation and accurately diagnosed the maximum vertical velocity wmax within updrafts. The largest improvements to the ...
Structural basis for early-onset neurological disorders caused by mutations in human selenocysteine synthase.

Selenocysteine synthase (SepSecS) catalyzes the terminal reaction of selenocysteine, and is vital for human selenoproteome integrity. Autosomal recessive inheritance of mutations in SepSecS–Ala239Thr, Thr325Ser, Tyr334Cys and Tyr429*–induced severe, early-onset, neurological disorders in distinct human populations. Although harboring different mutant alleles, patients presented remarkably similar phenotypes typified by cerebellar and cerebral atrophy, seizures, irritability, ataxia, and extreme spasticity. However, it has remained unclear how these genetic alterations affected the structure of SepSecS and subsequently elicited the development of a neurological pathology. Herein, our biophysical and structural characterization demonstrates that, with the exception of Tyr429*, pathogenic mutations decrease protein stability and trigger protein misfolding. We propose that the reduced stability and increased propensity towards misfolding are the main causes for the loss of SepSecS activity in afflicted patients, and that these factors contribute to disease progression. We also suggest that misfolding of enzymes regulating protein synthesis should be considered in the diagnosis and study of childhood neurological disorders.
The PSD: A Microdomain for Converging Molecular Abnormalities in Schizophrenia

Abstract Increasing evidence suggests that the postsynaptic density (PSD) is a subcellular microdomain in which multiple etiologic factors may converge and impact common final pathways for the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Housed in dendritic spines, the PSD is the hub of postsynaptic neuronal signaling and consists of macromolecular complexes, in which glutamatergic and other signaling pathways implicated for schizophrenia reside and interact. Genetics studies have shown that common and rare genetic variants are highly enriched among the pathways concentrated in the PSD. Postmortem studies have reported alterations in the expression of various proteins as well as signaling activity in glutamatergic pathways. Recent studies support the notion that multiple molecular abnormalities may converge in macromolecular complexes in the PSD precipitating alterations in N-methyl- d -aspartate receptor signaling. Thus, the proteome of the PSD and protein interactions therein will be an important avenue to investigate mechanisms underlying convergence of multifactorial and heterogeneous etiologies in schizophrenia.
Sound Technologies, Sound Bodies: Medical Implants with Ultrasonic Links

Implantable medical devices (IMDs) and the concept of integrating electronics with the human body have been intriguing curiosities in medicine for many decades-slowly finding their way into mainstream medicine for several very specific conditions but not quite making it beyond "last resort" treatments. From the reality of today's cardiac pacemakers and deep-brain stimulation devices to the dream of sensor motes roaming around one's bloodstream (as described by researchers and writers like Isaac Asimov in his adaptation of Fantastic Voyage), the marriage of electronics and the human body has provided endless fascination for both science and science fiction alike. There is an abundance of potential applications, from electroceuticals to brain computer interfaces, and with advances in closed-loop systems and recent insights on neuromodulation, these devices are projected to make a huge impact on patient care for everything from neurological conditions all the way to diabetes and arthritis.
Use of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill extracts from Brazilian Caatinga as an alternative of natural moisturizer in cosmetic formulations

The aim of this work was the obtainment of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill extract for the development of cosmetic formulations and in vivo evaluation of its moisturizing effects. The formulations were tested for preliminary and accelerated stability. Organoleptic characteristics, pH values and rheological behavior were assessed. The evaluation of moisturizing efficacy of the emulsions formulated with 3.0% of Polyacrylamide (and) C13-14 Isoparaffin (and) Laureth-7 containing 1.0 and 3.0% of O. ficus-indica hydroglycolic extract (EHG001) was performed using the capacitance method (Corneometer(r)) and the transepidermal water loss - TEWL evaluation (Tewameter(r)). The emulsions formulated were stable, exhibiting pseudoplastic and thixotropic behavior. The results of evaluation of moisturizing efficacy showed increased skin hydration after five hours by mainly increasing the skin barrier effect. The formulations containing 1.0 and 3.0% of EHG001 enhanced the skin barrier effect by reducing TEWL up to four hours after application. The results observed suggest that O. ficus-indica hydroglycolic extract may act through a humectant and occlusion mechanism.
Excimer Formation and Symmetry-Breaking Charge Transfer in Cofacial Perylene Dimers

The use of multiple chromophores as photosensitizers for catalysts involved in energy-demanding redox reactions is often complicated by electronic interactions between the chromophores. These interchromophore interactions can lead to processes, such as excimer formation and symmetry-breaking charge separation (SB-CS), that compete with efficient electron transfer to or from the catalyst. Here, two dimers of perylene bound either directly or through a xylyl spacer to a xanthene backbone were synthesized to probe the effects of interchromophore electronic coupling on excimer formation and SB-CS using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy. Two time constants for excimer formation in the 1–25 ps range were observed in each dimer due to the presence of rotational isomers having different degrees of interchromophore coupling. In highly polar acetonitrile, SB-CS competes with excimer formation in the more weakly coupled isomers followed by charge recombination with τCR = 72–85 ps to yield the excimer. The ...
Positive curvature of Hc2 in layered superconductors.

Calcul phenomenologique du champ critique d'equilibre superieur Hc 2 dans les supraconducteurs en couches. On trouve que Hc 2 (T) presente une courbure positive au voisinage de T c , mais devient lineaire par la suite, ceci semble resulter d'un effet de proximite entre les couches supraconductrices et non supraconductrices voisines, aussi bien pour les supraconducteurs a basse-T c que pour ceux a haute-T c
Evaluation of the safety effectiveness of lane-departure countermeasures on two-lane undivided roadways using crash modification factors

This study investigates the safety effectiveness of commonly used lane-departure countermeasures on Kansas two-lane rural undivided road segments; 2-ft paved shoulders, centerline rumble strips, sh...
Hybrid confinement of high strength concrete using shape memory alloys and fiber-reinforced polymers

This exploratory study investigates an innovative hybrid confinement technique for high-strength concrete (HSC) which combines traditional passive confinement applied using fiber-reinforced polymer...
Inferring Ontology Fragments from Semantic Role Typing of Lexical Variants

[Context and Motivation] Information systems depend on personal data to individualize services. To manage privacy expectations, companies use privacy policies to regulate what data is collected, used and shared. However, different terminological interpretations can lead to privacy violations, or misunderstandings about what behavior is to be expected. [Question/Problem] A formal ontology can help requirements authors to consistently check how their data practice descriptions relate to one another and to identify unintended interpretations. Constructing an empirically valid ontology is a challenging task since it should be both scalable and consistent with multi-stakeholder interpretations. [Principle Ideas/Results] In this paper, we introduce a semi-automated semantic analysis method to identify ontology fragments by inferring hypernym, meronym and synonym relationships from morphological variations. The method employs a shallow typology to categorize individual words, which are then matched automatically to 26 reusable semantic rules. The rules were discovered by classifying 335 unique information type phrases extracted from 50 mobile privacy policies. The method was evaluated on 109 unique information types extracted from six privacy policies by comparing the generated ontology fragments against human interpretations of phrase pairs obtained by surveying human subjects. The results reveal that the method scales by reducing the number of otherwise manual paired comparisons by 74% and produces correct fragments with a 1.00 precision and 0.59 recall when compared to human interpretation. [Contributions] The proposed rules identify semantic relations between a given lexeme and its morphological variants to create a shared meaning between phrases among end users.
Keeping that honest voice: teaching writing to adolescents through the adolescent novel

level of the essay (Tarvers 10). Randall Freisinger cites Moffett's four nonfictive modes in a sequential order intended to encourage more impersonal forms of discourse as a writer progresses through the stages (10): 1) What is happening (dramatization) 2) What happened (narration) 3) What happens (exposition) 4) What should happen (argumentation) Moffett's stages of decentering not only follow the desired order of the tellingexpanding-writing means of composing (discussed later in this chapter) but also show a close correlation with Aviva Freedman's study of narrative writing discussed later in this chapter in the section on narrative writing. Britton's studies of writers ages 11-18 also show that younger writers begin with the self as audience and move to a wider audience. His criticism of product-oriented writing programs came about as a result of a study which began in 1966 and resulted in the book, The Development of Writing Abilities 11-18. His findings showed that adolescent writers were "largely forced to compose transactional writing for an audience of teachers, even if they were cognitively before or past the stage at which such writing was appropriate" ( Tarvers 11) • Atwell, teaching and writing 20 years later than Britton's research, is still reporting the same information in 1987 in her book In the Middle. As far as junior high writers moving into Piaget's fourth stage of cognitive development, Freisinger claims that in the last 10 years (since 1972) there has been evidence that as many
Effects of a high-galactose diet on the interphotoreceptor matrix of two strains of rat.

PURPOSE The authors previously reported that a diet containing 30% galactose retards the development of the late-onset photoreceptor dystrophy in the spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rat. It was suggested that the dystrophy might result from faulty galactosylation of a critical glycoprotein or glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in the interphotoreceptor matrix (IPM). In the current study, this hypothesis was tested by studying IPM protein and GAG composition in SHR and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKy) control strain rats fed a standard or a high-galactose (30%) diet. METHODS The authors performed biochemical analyses of the IPM of SHR and of WKy control rats fed either the basal diet or a 30% galactose diet for 14 mo and labeled at the termination of the experiment with 3H-glucosamine and 35S-sulfate. Analyses included high-performance liquid chromatography and two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and isoelectric focusing (IEF) of extracted proteoglycans with identification of the GAG by selective enzymatic degradation and immunoblotting of SDS-PAGE gels for interphotoreceptor retinol-binding protein (IRBP), with slot blots for additional quantitation. RESULTS Although several differences were detected in GAG radiolabeling between the two strains, only one, a decreased overall synthesis of 3H-glucosamine-labeled GAG in the WKy rats, was altered by the high-galactose diet. There was no apparent difference in the protein patterns of the IPM as evaluated by two-dimensional SDS-PAGE and IEF. However, slot blots of that portion of the IPM extracted from the neural retinas showed less reactivity per microgram of protein for IRBP in the galactose-fed animals of both strains than for the rats fed a basal diet. This was statistically significant, however, only in the WKy rats. CONCLUSIONS The composition of the IPM of these two strains of rat appears similar to the composition of the IPM of other species that have been studied. Whether the quantitative alteration in IRBP that appears to be produced by galactose feeding has functional significance, with particular relevance to retarding the development of the photoreceptor cell dystrophy of the SHR rat, is unclear at this time.
Software Forensics. By Robert Slade

The digital forensic practitioner, whether he has no previous knowledge of software forensics or is an expert, will find value in this interesting book. In a sparse field, a book on software forens...
Understanding Advanced Hematologic Testing

Critically ill patients undergo numerous laboratory tests to better understand their disease processes and track their illnesses. Many critically ill patients have a variety of conditions such as anemia, sepsis, multiorgan failure, coagulopathies, and/or infection. For the patient to receive the correct diagnosis and treatment, laboratory tests must be carefully ordered and interpreted. Laboratory testing pertaining to anemia, thrombocytopenia, sepsis, bleeding, and hypercoagulability will be discussed in this chapter. Testing interferences as well as caveats that are important to recognize in test result interpretation will be addressed. Moreover, recent advances in hematologic testing of critically ill patients for anemia and coagulopathies such as the reticulocyte hemoglobin, chromogenic factor Xa assay, chromogenic factor VIII assay, TEG platelet mapping, and anti-Xa assay will be discussed in detail.
Prediction cubes

In this paper, we introduce a new family of tools for exploratory data analysis, called prediction cubes. As in standard OLAP data cubes, each cell in a prediction cube contains a value that summarizes the data belonging to that cell, and the granularity of cells can be changed via operations such as roll-up and drill-down. In contrast to data cubes, in which each cell value is computed by an aggregate function, e.g., SUM or AVG, each cell value in a prediction cube summarizes a predictive model trained on the data corresponding to that cell, and characterizes its decision behavior or predictiveness. In this paper, we propose and motivate prediction cubes, and show that they can be efficiently computed by exploiting the idea of model decomposition.
Managing the Gaps: How Performance Gaps Shape Managerial Decision Making

AbstractMuch literature provides insights on the effect of managerial decisions on organizational performance. This research has given less attention to the determinants, rather than the effects, o...
Probing ultrafast shock-induced chemistry in liquids using broad-band mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy

We probe shock-induced chemistry in two organic liquids by measuring broadband, midinfrared absorption in the 800–1400 cm−1 frequency range. To test this new method and understand the signatures of chemical reactions in time resolved vibrational spectra, we compared liquid benzene shocked to unreactive conditions (shocked to a pressure of 18 GPa for a duration of 300 ps) to nitromethane under reactive conditions (25 GPa). We see clear signatures of shock-induced chemistry that are distinguishable from the pressure- and temperature-induced changes in vibrational mode shapes. While shocked benzene shows primarily a broadening and shifting of the vibrational modes, the nitromethane vibrational modes vanish once the shock wave enters the liquid and simultaneously, a spectrally broad feature appears that we interpret as the infrared spectrum of the complex mixture of product and intermediate species. To further interpret these measurements, we compare them to reactive quantum molecular dynamics simulations, which gives qualitatively consistent results. This work demonstrates a promising method for time resolving shock-induced chemistry, illustrating that chemical reactions produce distinct changes in the vibrational spectra.
The Direct and Indirect Associations between Childhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Adolescent Gun Violence

We examined whether childhood socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with adolescent gun violence and whether early symptoms of conduct disorder and/or exposure to delinquent peers accounted for...
Melatonin mediates seasonal transitions in aggressive behavior and circulating androgen profiles in male Siberian hamsters

Abstract Some seasonally-breeding animals are more aggressive during the short, “winter-like” days (SD) of the non-breeding season, despite gonadal regression and reduced circulating androgen levels. While the mechanisms underlying SD increases in aggression are not well understood, previous work from our lab suggests that pineal melatonin (MEL) and the adrenal androgen dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) are important in facilitating non-breeding aggression in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). To characterize the role of MEL in modulating seasonal transitions in aggressive behavior, we housed male hamsters in long days (LD) or SD, treated them with timed MEL (M) or saline injections, and measured aggression after 3, 6, and 9 weeks. Furthermore, to assess whether MEL mediates seasonal shifts in gonadal and adrenal androgen synthesis, serum testosterone (T) and DHEA concentrations were quantified 36 h before and immediately following an aggressive encounter. LD-M and SD males exhibited similar physiological and behavioral responses to treatment. Specifically, both LD-M and SD males displayed higher levels of aggression than LD males and reduced circulating DHEA and T in response to an aggressive encounter, whereas LD males elevated circulating androgens. Interestingly, LD and SD males exhibited distinct relationships between circulating androgens and aggressive behavior, in which changes in serum T following an aggressive interaction (∆T) were negatively correlated with aggression in LD males, while ∆DHEA was positively correlated with aggression in SD males. Collectively, these findings suggest that SD males transition from synthesis to metabolism of circulating androgens following an aggressive encounter, a mechanism that is modulated by MEL.
Excess Centrosomes Disrupt Vascular Lumenization and Endothelial Cell Adherens Junctions

Proper blood vessel formation requires coordinated changes in endothelial cell polarity and rearrangement of cell-cell junctions to form a functional lumen. One important regulator of cell polarity is the centrosome, which acts as a microtubule organizing center. Excess centrosomes perturb aspects of endothelial cell polarity linked to migration, but whether centrosome number influences apical-basal polarity and cell-cell junctions is unknown. Here, we show that excess centrosomes alter the apical-basal polarity of endothelial cells in angiogenic sprouts and disrupt endothelial cell-cell adherens junctions. Endothelial cells with excess centrosomes had narrower lumens in a 3D sprouting angiogenesis model, and zebrafish intersegmental vessels had reduced perfusion following centrosome overduplication. These results indicate that endothelial cell centrosome number regulates proper lumenization downstream of effects on apical-basal polarity and cell-cell junctions. Endothelial cells with excess centrosomes are prevalent in tumor vessels, suggesting how centrosomes contribute to the dysfunction of tumor vasculature.
How personalized advertising affects equity of brands advertised on Facebook? A mediation mechanism

Abstract This research proposes and tests a conceptual model to address how perceived personalization of a brand’s ad seen on Facebook enhances consumer perception about the brand and subsequent favorable behaviors. Results from two studies indicate that perceived personalization is an antecedent factor of stronger brand equity. Specifically, this research reveals that perceived personalization positively influences consumer brand identification (CBI) and self–brand connection, which in turn enhances brand equity and brand usage intention (BUI). Furthermore, it demonstrates the effect of perceived personalization by both measuring and manipulating this construct.
Cannabinoid use among liver transplant recipients

Introduction The effect of cannabinoids on liver transplant outcomes is an area of active research. We aimed to investigate marijuana (MJ) and cannabidiol (CBD) use among liver transplant recipients at the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH), specifically prevalence, habits and predictors of use. Methods Liver transplant recipients followed at UCH with valid email addresses were sent an informed consent postcard and survey invitation. This exploratory survey was conducted using REDCap. IBM SPSS Statistics software was used for statistical analysis. Results Of 1,227 subjects who were sent surveys, 538 people responded. On average, respondents were 59 years old, with 63.7% male and 81.7% Caucasian. Hepatitis C (HCV) (30.4%) and alcohol use (17.7%) were the most common etiologies of liver disease. Among respondents, 23.8% reported current MJ use. Methods of use included smoking (72.4%), ingestion (55.3%) and vaporization (31.7%). Top reasons for MJ use were recreation (56.5%), anxiety (54.8%), and pain (53.2%). Among respondents, 21.0% currently used CBD, usually in the form of creams or lotions (58.9%) and to relieve pain (84.9%) and anxiety (31.1%). In multivariable analysis, age (OR 0.941, 95% CI 0.923-0.959, p Conclusions Our study shows that cannabinoid use after liver transplant is common. MJ use is associated with decreasing age, alcohol-related and HCV cirrhosis, and tobacco use. Anxiety, pain and recreation were top reasons for its use. Transplant teams should address reasons why their patients use MJ and CBD, and develop programs to mitigate anxiety and pain post-transplant. Further studies are needed to examine effects of cannabinoids on liver transplant outcomes.
Development of lipidoid nanoparticles for siRNA delivery to neural cells

Abstract Lipidoid nanoparticles (LNPs) are the delivery platform in Onpattro, the first FDA-approved siRNA drug. LNPs are also the carriers in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. While these applications have demonstrated that LNPs effectively deliver nucleic acids to hepatic and muscle cells, it is unclear if LNPs could be used for delivery of siRNA to neural cells, which are notoriously challenging delivery targets. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if LNPs could efficiently deliver siRNA to neurons. Because of their potential utility in either applications in the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system, we used both cortical neurons and sensory neurons. We prepared siRNA-LNPs using C12-200, a benchmark ionizable cationic lipidoid along with helper lipids. We demonstrated using dynamic light scattering that the inclusion of both siRNA and PEG-lipid provided a stabilizing effect to the LNP particle diameters and polydispersity indices by minimizing aggregation. We found that siRNA-LNPs were safely tolerated by primary dorsal root ganglion neurons. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that Cy5 siRNA delivered via LNPs into rat primary cortical neurons showed uptake levels similar to Lipofectamine RNAiMAX—the gold standard commercial transfection agent. However, LNPs demonstrated a superior safety profile whereas the Lipofectamine-mediated uptake was concomitant with significant toxicity. Fluorescence microscopy demonstrated a time-dependent increase in the uptake of LNP-delivered Cy5 siRNA in a human cortical neuron cell line. Overall, our results suggest that LNPs are a viable platform that can be optimized for delivery of therapeutic siRNAs to neural cells.
Combined atomic and molecular (CAM) ionization with the liquid sampling-atmospheric pressure glow discharge microplasma.

In a world where information-rich methods of analysis are often sought over those with superior figures of merit, there is a constant search for ionization methods which can be applied across diverse analytical systems. The liquid sampling-atmospheric pressure glow discharge (LS-APGD) is a microplasma device which has the inherent capabilities to operate as a combined atomic and molecular (CAM) ionization source. The plasma is sustained by placement of a high voltage (~500 V, dc) onto an electrolytic solution through which the analyte is generally delivered to the discharge. Judicious choice of the solvent provides a means of obtaining atomic/elemental and/or molecular mass spectra. Presented here are the diverse modes of sample introduction and mass spectrometer platforms to which the LS-APGD has been interfaced. Likewise, representative spectra and figures of merit are presented towards elemental and isotope ratio measurements, as well as application to small organic molecules, organometallic complexes, and intact proteins. It is believed that the diversity of analytical applications and ready implementation across the entirety of mass spectrometry platforms portends a level of versatility not realized with other ionization sources.
Septo-optic Dysplasia Spectrum

Septo-optic dysplasia (SOD) is a clinically heterogenous disorder defined by the presence of two or more of the following features: optic nerve hypoplasia, hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction, and midline developmental abnormalities of the brain, including absent septum pellucidum and thinning or agenesis of the corpus callosum. Central diabetes insipidus is reported in up to 20% of affected individuals and when present, nearly always occurs in conjunction with anterior pituitary hormone deficits. Neuroanatomic findings, including ectopic posterior pituitary and pituitary stalk abnormalities, have been associated with increased risk of pituitary dysfunction but incompletely predict evolution of endocrinopathy. Longitudinal assessment of pituitary function is required as deficiencies not present initially may develop over time.
Chapter 4 The Free Surface of Liquid Helium

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses studies accompanied by a rapidly growing body of theory, which draws heavily on the methods developed prior to the mid-sixties for bulk matter. The study of most solid and liquid surfaces is rendered difficult because of problems associated with imperfections and impurities. Atomic scattering from helium surfaces allows to study the interactions of single atoms with the surface. An outstanding microscopic problem is the spatial distribution of atoms, i.e., the density profile, near a surface; there is reason to hope that it will be first understood in the case of helium. The two idealized phases have the same properties as the real substance when it is homogeneous.
On the ‘efficiency’ of futures markets: Another View

Abstract One definition of market efficiency holds that today's price of an item contains all the price information that there is about that item. That is, today's price contains information about people's expectations about the future. However, in estimating price equations analysts almost exclusively look to the past in developing price forecasting models. This paper examines the question: how do futures prices affect today's price for heating oil? That is, do futures markets add to the efficiency of markets by conveying information from the future to the present?
Forcing Functions in Navier-Stokes Equations

Two dimensionless forms of the Navier-Stokes equations are derived for unsteady incompressible flows with movable boundaries. Temporal variations of flow parameters and geometry are often seen when the motions of fluid and solid are interrelated. The time-dependent boundary conditions—both geometrical and fluid mechanical—are cast into the equations, making the problems simpler for computational flow simulation. These paramaters can be viewed as the forcing functions in the Navier-Stokes equations. Two flow problems are used to demonstrate this approach, one for axisymmetrical blood flow in an artery with assisted pumping of a balloon, and the other for two-dimensional flow past a finite plate with oscillatory motion. Both cases involve active and passive (flow-induced) motions of the solid boundaries.
Thymineless Death in Escherichia coli 15T− and Recombinants of 15T− and Escherichia coli K-12

Abstract Thymineless death was examined in Escherichia coli 15T− and recombinants of 15T− and E. coli K-12. Those strains that were very sensitive to thymine deprivation were also very sensitive to a variety of inducing agents (mitomycin C, ultraviolet light, hydroxyurea, and nalidixic acid). Those strains that were relatively resistant to thymineless death were also relatively resistant to the inducing agents. After exposure to thymineless death and the inducing agents, sensitive strains lysed, produced colicin, and had phage particles in their lysates. These strains also showed an increase in the 6-methyladenine content of their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and an increase in the DNA methylase activity of their crude extracts under these conditions. None of these effects was noted in the strains relatively resistant to thymineless death and the inducing agents. These data indicate that there are two types of thymineless death. One is represented by the strains that are very sensitive to thymine deprivation and other inducing agents and is secondary to the induction of phage ψ. The strains more resistant to thymine deprivation and the other inducing agents undergo a non-phage-mediated thymineless death. The mechanism of this latter process is currently under study.
Value of the small cohort study including a physical examination for minor structural defects in identifying new human teratogens

Most known human teratogens are associated with a unique or characteristic pattern of major and minor malformations and this pattern helps to establish the causal link between the teratogenic exposure and the outcome. Although traditional case-control and cohort study designs can help identify potential teratogens, there is an important role for small cohort studies that include a dysmorphological examination of exposed and unexposed infants for minor structural defects. In combination with other study design approaches, the small cohort study with a specialized physical examination fulfills a necessary function in screening for new potential teratogens and can help to better delineate the spectrum and magnitude of risk for known teratogens.
Controller performance assessment based on setpoint response data

A new methodology is developed to assess the performance of PI controllers from closed-loop response data for a setpoint step change. It is based on two new dimensionless performance indices, the dimensionless settling time and the dimensionless integral of the absolute value of the error. The methodology is used to quantify how far a control loop is from the best achievable performance of PI control. It also identifies poorly performing control loops, such as those that are excessively sluggish. The performance and robustness properties of the internal model control (IMC) tuning method are analyzed and are used as industrially relevant benchmarks. The proposed methodology is also applicable to PID controllers.
Mortally Ill Patients and Excellent Survival Following Cardiac Transplantation

Abstract Cardiac transplantation was resumed in 1980 at the University Health Center of Pittsburgh. Generally accepted criteria for selection of patients were used, one being the expectation that survival would not reach 6 months. All of the initial recipients were in New York Heart Association Functional Class IV, but many were ambulant. We soon saw patients who were more clearly terminally ill. They were characterized by a systolic arterial pressure of less than 80 mm Hg, a cardiac index of less than 2 L/min/m 2 , evidence of reduced blood flow as indicated by urine output of less than 20 ml per hour, impaired mental function, and signs of decreased peripheral perfusion. The initial success of cardiac transplantation in these patients prompted us to reconsider selection criteria to include them among less strikingly ill candidates and to develop a therapeutic protocol designed to maintain peripheral perfusion and adequate renal and hepatic function until transplantation could be accomplished. Actuarial survival at 30 months for the group of terminally ill patients was 75% compared with 67% for the less critically ill group. Actuarial survival at 30 months for the combined group of 77 patients was 67%. Twenty-nine of the 33 mortally ill patients were alive and active at the time of writing, January, 1985.
Long-term evaluation of solid oxide fuel cell candidate materials in a 3-cell generic short stack fixture, Part II: Sealing glass stability, microstructure and interfacial reactions

Abstract A generic solid oxide fuel cell stack test fixture was developed to evaluate candidate materials and processing methods under realistic conditions. Part II of the work examined the sealing glass stability, microstructure development, interfacial reaction, and volatility issues of a 3-cell stack with LSM-based cells. After 6000 h of testing, the refractory sealing glass YSO7 showed desirable chemical compatibility with YSZ electrolyte in that no discernable interfacial reaction was identified. In addition, no glass penetration into the thin electrolyte was observed. At the aluminized AISI441 interface, the protective alumina coating appeared to be corroded by the sealing glass. Air side interactions appeared to be more severe than fuel side interactions. Metal species such as Cr, Mn, and Fe were detected in the glass, but were limited to the vicinity of the interface. No alkaline earth chromates were found at the air side. Volatility was also studied in a similar glass and weight loss in a wet reducing environment was determined. Using the steady-state volatility data, the life time weight loss of refractory sealing glass YSO77 was estimated to be less than 0.1 wt%.