cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Induction of CNS α-synuclein pathology by fibrillar and non-amyloidogenic recombinant α-synuclein

α-Synuclein (αS) is the major component of several types of brain inclusions including Lewy bodies, a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. Aberrant aggregation of αS also is associated with cellular demise in multiple neurologic disorders collectively referred to as synucleinopathies. Recent studies demonstrate the induction of αS pathology by a single intracerebral injection of exogenous amyloidogenic αS in adult non-transgenic and transgenic mice expressing human αS. To further investigate the mechanism of pathology induction and evaluate an experimental paradigm with potential for higher throughput, we performed similar studies in neonatal mice injected with αS. In non-transgenic mice, we observed limited induction of neuronal αS inclusions predominantly 8 months after brain injection of aggregated, amyloidogenic human αS. More robust inclusion pathology was induced in transgenic mice expressing wild-type human αS (line M20), and inclusion pathology was observed at earlier time points. Injection of a non-amyloidogenic (Δ71-82) deletion protein of αS was also able to induce similar pathology in a subset of M20 transgenic mice. M20 transgenic mice injected with amyloidogenic or non-amyloidogenic αS demonstrated a delayed and robust induction of brain neuroinflammation that occurs in mice with or without αS pathological inclusions implicating this mechanism in aggregate formation. The finding that a non-amyloidogenic Δ71-82 αS can induce pathology calls into question the simple interpretation that exogenous αS catalyzes aggregation and spread of intracellular αS pathology solely through a nucleation dependent conformational templating mechanism. These results indicate that several mechanisms may act synergistically or independently to promote the spread of αS pathology.
Expedited Justice: Gaddafi's Death and the Rise of Targeted Killings

JURIST Guest Columnist Kevin Govern of Ave Maria School of Law says that the death of Muammar Gaddafi and one of his sons exemplifies an emerging trend towards the use of targeted and extrajudicial killings instead of attempts to capture and prosecute.
Bremsstrahlung and Photoneutrons from Thick Tungsten and Tantalum Targets

Monte Carlo calculations have been made of electron-photon cascades in thick tungsten targets bombarded by electrons with energies up to 60 MeV. The following information has been obtained: (1) the bremsstrahlung efficiency, (2) the angular distribution of the emitted bremsstrahlung intensity, (3) the spectra of the bremsstrahlung emitted in various directions, (4) the transmission of primary and secondary electrons through the target, (5) energy deposition as function of the depth in the target, (6) the differential photon track length distribution inside the target, and (7) the yield of photoneutrons. The paper also includes various comparisons with experimental data.
Medium- and Small-Vessel Vasculitis

As a group, the systemic vasculitides are surprisingly common in the elderly population. Although large vessel vasculitis such as temporal arteritis or giant cell arteritis, is a more common form, medium- and small vessel vasculitis are more frequently being recognized. Morbidity and mortality is higher in this group as compared to large vessel vasculitis. The clinical features, diagnosis, and management of this group are discussed based on presently available information.
Economic Measure of Effect of Extreme Data

Hydrologic and sanitary engineers collect flow data with religious zeal, and practically no project is designed without a plaintive appeal for more data. Data collection agencies are concerned about the propriety, validity and utility of collecting more data everywhere, and have mounted systematic analyses of the cost and benefit associated with more observations. Techniques for evaluating the economic significance of extreme data are suggested, general guidelines for selecting among competing design models which purport to be adequate to the task are offered. Simulation and streamflow synthesis are used to derive performance indices from which conclusions can be reached in particular cases. The study does not make specific design recommendations.
High Resolution, Mass Resolved Spectra of Lutetium Isotopes

A combination of resonance-enhanced photoionization and mass analysis of the resulting ions is an ultrasensitive tool for trace-species analysis. For example, isotope ratios of lutetium were accurately determined in 60 ng samples containing trace amounts of 173Lu and 174Lu and a thousand fold excess of isobaric interfering isotopes 173Yb and 174Yb [1]. 173Lu and 174Lu are rare isotopes with half-lives of 1.4 and 3.3 years. The ratio 173Lu/175Lu was measured to be (0.44 ± 0.07) × 10−6 on a sample containing only 108 atoms of 173Lu. In this work, and in most resonance-ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS), the photoionization step uses a broadband laser (FWHM 1–2 cm−1 or greater) and consequentially is element selective but not isotope selective; isotope ratios are measured by dispersion of the ions in a mass spectrometer. In order to increase the accuracy and dynamic range of isotope ratio measurements, it may be necessary to use single frequency lasers and isotopically selective photoionization. To be successful in this task it is necessary to know isotope shifts and hyperfine structure of optical transition(s) used for the isotopes of interest. We are particularly interested in rare and sometimes highly radioactive elements for which this information is not readily available.
Progressive changes in renal phosphate and calcium excretion in rats following parathyroidectomy or parathyroid administration.

SummaryThis study has dealt with progressive changes which occur in renal phosphate and calcium excretion rates in rats during the first 27 hours after parathyroidectomy or the first injection of parathyroid extract. Following parathyroidectomy there is an immediate drop in urinary phosphate and a rise in urinary calcium. Within 24 hours the excretory rates for both these ions return to normal despite the continued high phosphate and low calcium levels of the serum. Following the initiation of parathyroid extract administration to normal rats the reverse is true. There is an immediate drop in urinary calcium and a rise in urinary phosphate. Twenty-four hours later the excretory rate for calcium returns to or rises above normal. The urinary phosphate, however, continues high throughout the entire period. These data are explained on the basis that immediate changes in renal excretory rates resulting from changes in parathyroid hormone titer are due to shifts in the renal threshold for these two ions. Excret...
Social support and the gendered experience of incarceration in South Korean prisons

ABSTRACTAlthough many studies on social support have demonstrated promising evidence of positive outcomes in a variety of criminal justice settings, not enough empirical research has been conducted on gender effects in a prison setting. Using a sample of 359 Korean inmates (303 men and 56 women), this study examines whether social support lessens involvement in prison misconduct and whether male and female inmates are similarly affected. The findings indicate that female inmates are less likely to engage in misconduct than male inmates. In addition, whereas male inmates are provided with more institutional social support than female inmates, female inmates are more likely to be provided with more informal social support than male inmates. Implications for further research and correctional policy are discussed.
Technology of Developing Enterprise MIS System Based on Internet

In this paper, we will present the exploitation and practice of Enterprise MIS System based on Internet. By combining XML technology, we also talk about the main characters, system structure, technology hinge and the process of realization in the development of applying modern Internet technology.
Do nurse anesthetists demonstrate gender bias in treating pain? A national survey using a standardized pain model.

A major responsibility of the nurse anesthetist is providing adequate pain relief. Current research suggests that provider gender, as well as patient gender, may affect the clinical assessment and treatment of pain. Implications of the undertreatment of pain may be avoided if the anesthetist is aware of potential gender bias when approaching a given clinical situation. A postoperative pain scenario and questionnaire regarding proposed pain management was mailed to a random sample of 450 currently practicing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). Data were analyzed descriptively and qualitatively; 59 female and 74 male CRNAs responded (n = 133). Analgesic medication was used by 131 anesthetists; 124 of these used opiates. Significantly more male CRNAs (P < .05; chi 2) administered benzodiazepines along with the analgesic (21/74 [28%]) than did female CRNAs (11/59 [19%]); male CRNAs were more likely to administer benzodiazepines as part of their clinical management of cases involving males (13/38[34%]) than female patients (8/36 [22%]); however, this difference was not significant. Pain treatment strategies were indistinguishable between male and female anesthetists, as well as between male and female patients. However, gender-based differences in the use of sedation medication in concert with analgesic medication was an unexpected finding.
Fabrication of Biodegradable Polymer Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Publisher Summary A large variety of processes have been applied to manufacture scaffolds. However, there is no universal technique to produce scaffolds for the regeneration of all tissues. Often the requirements for a desired scaffold dictate the method of processing and the type of material used. This is dependent on the shape of a scaffold, the pore structure, a required degradation rate, drug delivery purposes, or the mechanical properties. In addition, different kinds of tissues require different scaffolds. For the repair of hard and brittle tissue, such as bone, scaffolds need to have a high elastic modulus to maintain the space designated to them and provide the tissue with enough space for growth. If scaffolds are used as a temporary load-bearing device, they should be strong enough to maintain that load for the required time without showing any symptoms of fatigue failure. Used in combination with soft tissues, the flexibility and the stiffness of the scaffold have to be within the same order of magnitude as the surrounding tissues in order to prevent the scaffold from either breaking or collapsing. The choice of a scaffold-processing technique is therefore a question of assessing critical requirements for each application of such scaffolds. However, many challenges remain in the fabrication of high load-bearing scaffolds, scaffolds with high flexibility, and the incorporation and delivery of drugs, bioactive molecules, and cells to stimulate and enhance the growth of a specific tissue.
Dynamic Polarization Microscopy for In-Situ Measurements of Collagen Fiber Realignment During Impact

The long term goal of this work is to better understand the tendon-to-bone insertion injury due to medium strain rate impact (e.g. sports activity). Specifically, we imaged collagen fiber realignment during impact, to investigate the ability of the tendon-to-bone insertion to these survive harsh dynamic events. A polarized light microscopy (PLM) setup was built in the lab and used to monitor the birefringence property changes of a known material under changing stress conditions. Initially polycarbonate dogbone specimens were tested quasi-statically to validate the setup and analysis algorithm. Polarized light retardation and alignment direction images are generated to quantitatively analyze the birefringence property change under different stress and compared to theoretical predictions. To perform dynamic experiments a drop weight tower was modified for medium strain rate testing (10–100 %/s) and the PLM setup is being incorporated for imaging. Several dynamic experiments have been conducted using this modified drop tower on porcine tendon specimens. A high-speed camera is used to record their dynamic response and deformation.
Aspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin production as influenced by total lipid content during growth and development of cottonseed

ABSTRACTAspergillus flavus infects several food and feed crops, such as corn (Zea mays L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.), and tree nut crops and contaminates the seed with carcinogenic aflatoxins. These susceptible crops contain rich reserves of lipids and fatty acids. The nature of relationship between lipids and the ability of the fungus to infect and produce aflatoxins in mature cottonseed, a protein-rich animal feed, has been addressed previously. In this study, we tracked lipid accumulation in developing cottonseed (15–35 days post-anthesis [DPA]) and also the ability of an aflatoxigenic strain and an isogenic non-aflatoxigenic strain to grow and produce aflatoxins in planta. The aflatoxigenic strain Af-70 green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the isogenic, non-aflatoxigenic strain SRRC 1500 (fungal collections maintained at the Southern Regional Research Center) did not differ much in infection and colonization of cottonseed. The non-aflatoxigenic strain did not produc...
Predicting Regolith Erosion during a Lunar Landing: Role of Continuous Size Distribution

AbstractWhen a rocket lands on the Moon, the exhaust plume causes the lunar regolith (soil) to be ejected in all directions. Such high-speed ejection poses a threat to nearby equipment and structur...
The Possible Redundancy of §230

Many commentators believe Zeran v. AOL (4th Cir. 1997) “saved the internet” by enabling ISPs to permit unfiltered speech. But others argue Zeran misinterpreted §230, which was intended to encourage ISPs to filter speech. I think Zeran reached the right result, whatever Congress intended §230 to accomplish, because AOL wasn’t liable under the common law rule, either. Both fans and foes of Zeran assume that its interpretation of §230 changed the scope of liability for ISPs under the common law republication rule. I’m not so sure. While §230 requires courts to use different words than the common law rule, the Zeran interpretation of §230 produces essentially the same results as the common law rule, properly applied.
Elastic multicast: Design extensions and experimentation results

This paper describes a new implementation of the Elastic Multicast (EM) protocol including new design enhancements for improved dynamic operation. The paper also presents additional performance data collected from emulation-based mobile network experiments. EM is a low complexity extension to Simplified Multicast Forwarding (SMF) that adds group-specific dynamic pruning of the SMF-based multicast forwarding mesh for higher rate traffic flows. It therefore reduces overhead by pruning the SMF relay sets in areas where no receivers exist. Our experimental emulation results show that, under a variety of mobility conditions and multicast group distribution patterns, EM maintains SMF-like data delivery robustness while significantly reducing overhead. We also demonstrate that a new design feature that provides preemptive ACK messages for active receiver groups leads to lower loss under mobility and sparse receiver groups. Based upon the results, we consider this feature critical to be included in any future EM design. We also present experimental results examining the performance of EM with classical flooding (CF) and connected dominating set (CDS) relay modes. We show, for the experiments examined, that CF provides some reduced loss with minimal additional overhead when used with EM. We also discuss future work and ongoing issues.
Dynamic Failure Mechanisms in Gallstones Using Lithotripsy

Gallstones most frequently are twinned, cracked, very large grained crystals of cholesterol that have been grown in a saturated bile solution. In cross section, they are similar to spherulitic polymers although the composition of most gallstones is nearly pure cholesterol. The dynamic failure mechanism of “pulverization” during lithotripsy is at present only partially known. The literature suggest that cavitation next to the stone is the mechanism for stone destruction. Yet in vivo and in vitro observations show that many stones initially break approximately in half suggesting that internal flaws and dynamic loading, not cavitation with its surface removal processes, is the dominant mechanism. It is proposed that the stones break by crack propagation in a dominantly transient, reflected, stress field. Crack propagation and failure in gallstones is complicated by the large number of internal flaws, the low yield strength of the stones and the complex microstructure as it effects stress waves and dynamic fracture mechanisms. The physical properties of gallstones are presented from measurements of the elastic constants using literature wave speeds, hardness strengths and static fracture toughness. The static fracture properties have been measured on stones extracted from patients. These natural gallstones have very irregular shapes and a wide range of mechanical properties. While the surfaces of broken stones are very rough there is partial evidence of fatigue crack propagation. The cyclic crack propagation is probably due to stress intensity differences between compressive and tensile dynamic stresses on pre-existing cracks.
Effects of Perch Location on Wintering Raptor Use of Artificial Perches in a California Vineyard

Most raptor species rely on perches for hunting, resting, preening, and roosting, and in many agricultural areas the availability of adequate perches can limit raptor abundance and diversity. This has negative implications for both raptor conservation and for the provisioning of natural pest control services for farmers. Installing artificial perches on agricultural lands can therefore benefit both raptors and farmers, but perches must be installed in optimal locations to maximize raptor use and minimize unnecessary costs to farmers. We monitored raptor use of artificial perches in a California vineyard over winter using remote photography to compare two sets of perch types: perches at the top versus perches at the bottom of a steep hill, and perches located among trees versus perches located in an open area. We found that raptors preferred perches on hilltops over perches at the base of hills, and that raptors seem to prefer perches in open habitat over perches located adjacent to trees, although a small sample size for this comparison limited our analysis.
Animal choreography of song and dance: a case study in the Montezuma oropendola, Psarocolius montezuma

Many multimodal displays incorporate choreography, which occurs when animals modulate how body movements are timed across the display. Choreography typically involves pairing specific gestures with vocalizations. This allows the signaller to effectively produce a display that is more complex than either of its components in isolation. Moreover, some animals appear to use a special case of choreography that can augment vocal performance. Expanding the multimodal framework to incorporate choreography is therefore a necessary step towards understanding how combining two signals into one impacts a display's structure. We explore this in a case study of free-living Montezuma oropendolas, Psarocolius montezuma, a polygynous songbird that performs a dramatic song and dance. We found that two elements of this display (bow and wing spread), are each choreographed with the song's loudest note (dBmax) and lowest peak frequency (LPF), respectively. This suggests that oropendolas electively time the swing and wing spread gesture with key song elements. Interestingly, there was a correlation between the depth of an individual's swing and LPF, which was not explained by body size or social context. However, social context did predict a difference in vocal performance in terms of frequency modulation. Meanwhile, there was no relationship between wing display performance and dBmax. This means that oropendolas choreograph their swing gesture to predict LPF, which might reflect an individual's motor skill or even directly influence vocal performance. Altogether, our data suggest that animals can incorporate phenotypically distinct forms of choreography into their display repertoire, where each instance of choreography serves as an opportunity to generate a novel signal when one did not exist before.
Effect of Green Tea Catechins on Intracellular Signaling in Breast Tissue: Implications for Cancer

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in women in the United States and current treatments, though initially efficacious, often result in recurrence of disease or resistance to treatment, suggesting the need for better therapeutic agents. Historical and epidemiological evidence has suggested that women who consume large quantities of green tea have a lower incidence of breast cancer. Laboratory studies have attempted to determine the mechanism behind this apparent protective effect. EGCG, the active component of green tea has been shown to inhibit numerous cellular signaling pathways whose deregulation is associated with breast cancer development, progression and metastasis, leading to antagonism of growth and stimulation of apoptosis. These inhibitory effects have translated to in vivo rodent studies. It is anticipated that current clinical trials assessing the potential therapeutic application of EGCG will enable this agent to be used as a standard treatment option for breast cancer patients.
Thermal Reconstruction of the Functionalized Interface of Polyethylene Carboxylic Acid and Its Derivatives

Chemical modification of the surface of a polymer changes its free energy of interaction with contacting solids or liquids while leaving its bulk physical properties largely unchanged. The ability to control interfacial interactions by chemical modification of a surface is important for applications involving properties, such as adhesion,(1–6)* biocompatability,(7–9) printability,(10) static discharge,(11) that depend on wetting or on hydrophilicity.(12, 13) We(14–20) and others(21–29) have studied the relations between the structures of the surfaces of surface-modified polymers and their wettability. The meaning of the phrase structure of the surface in this context is not sharply defined, but includes those characteristics of the solid—liquid interface—functional group types, orientation, and distribution; surface topology; bulk polymer properties—that influence wetting. These studies have led to a useful understanding of the factors that control wetting, phrased in the qualitative terms of physical organic chemistry.
Accountability and the Global Democratic Deficit

International organizations (IOs) such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund have come under increasing criticism for their democratic deficit. These IOs have the power to threaten human rights, but their leaders are not subject to democratic accountability through elections. The dilemma for democracy is that the existing system of accountability through states is inadequate to protect human rights, yet the global electoral democracy that many political theorists support is unrealistic. To reduce the democratic deficit, this paper offers a deliberative theory of accountability for international organizations that is more feasible than global elections, and more strongly protects human rights than accountability through states. It explains how deliberative public justification can provide the normative standards, right to evaluate, and corrective mechanisms needed to hold IOs more democratically accountable.
Whither Whiteness? The Racial Logics of the Kerner Report and Modern White Space

The Kerner report was, and is, unrelenting in its appraisal of the deleterious effects of racial inequality but opaque as to how whites functioned in that regime. Fifty years later, and in a moment of renewed urban unrest and rioting, whites continue to benefit from racial inequality within key social structures: education, employment, housing, and policing. To understand both the evaluations of the Kerner report and contemporary white interpretations of the social order, I systemically analyze the report alongside six ethnographies in all-white organizations across the United States. The analysis opens a window on similar racial logics in the report and among contemporary whites. These logics assist in the reproduction of white interests, even under the supposed best of intentions, legal remedies, and policy recommendations.
The Application of a Social Justice Theory to the Well-being of Substance-Exposed Infants

In utero exposure to drugs and alcohol threatens the well-being of infants. Federal law has established child well-being as one of the three main goals of the child welfare system, and recent changes to federal law require state child welfare programs to assess the needs of substance-exposed infants and plan for their safe care. CPS workers are often the first point of contact these infants have with the public child welfare system; yet, CPS workers have no framework for assessing the well-being of substance-exposed infants. In this article, the author applies the Theory of Justice as Well-being to substance-exposed infants as a way to assess the deficits to well-being these infants experience. Furthermore, Justice as Well-being is applied to substance-exposed infants and their families to serve as a conceptual framework for an interprofessional approach to planning for the treatment and safe care needs of this highly vulnerable child welfare population.
An Informational Theory of Electoral Targeting in Young Clientelistic Democracies: Evidence from Senegal

An Informational Theory of Electoral Targeting in Young Clientelistic Democracies: Evidence from Senegal
A State Model of Negative Urgency: Do Momentary Reports of Emotional Impulsivity Reflect Global Self-Report?

Abstract Negative urgency is a trait that is a risk factor for a range of psychopathology. Yet, little research has tested whether global self-report measures of negative urgency truly reflect a heightened association between real-world negative emotions and impulsive behaviors. In a sample of young adults (N = 222) assessed 3 times per day for 10 days, we tested whether negative emotions were associated with multiple facets of impulsivity at the state-level, and whether those associations were moderated by global self-report of negative urgency. Our findings suggest a robust within-person association between negative affect and acting on impulse. However, global self-report of negative urgency did not moderate any emotion-impulsivity association we tested.
Tetrazine as a general phototrigger to turn on fluorophores

Light-activated fluorescence affords a powerful tool for monitoring subcellular structures and dynamics with enhanced temporal and spatial control of the fluorescence signal. Here, we demonstrate a general and straightforward strategy for using a tetrazine phototrigger to design photoactivatable fluorophores that emit across the visible spectrum. Tetrazine is known to efficiently quench the fluorescence of various fluorophores via a mechanism referred to as through-bond energy transfer. Upon light irradiation, restricted tetrazine moieties undergo a photolysis reaction that generates two nitriles and molecular nitrogen, thus restoring the fluorescence of fluorophores. Significantly, we find that this strategy can be successfully translated and generalized to a wide range of fluorophore scaffolds. Based on these results, we have used this mechanism to design photoactivatable fluorophores targeting cellular organelles and proteins. Compared to widely used phototriggers (e.g., o-nitrobenzyl and nitrophenethyl groups), this study affords a new photoactivation mechanism, in which the quencher is photodecomposed to restore the fluorescence upon light irradiation. Because of the exclusive use of tetrazine as a photoquencher in the design of fluorogenic probes, we anticipate that our current study will significantly facilitate the development of novel photoactivatable fluorophores.
Finding warning markers: Leveraging natural language processing and machine learning technologies to detect risk of school violence

Abstract Introduction School violence has a far-reaching effect, impacting the entire school population including staff, students and their families. Among youth attending the most violent schools, studies have reported higher dropout rates, poor school attendance, and poor scholastic achievement. It was noted that the largest crime-prevention results occurred when youth at elevated risk were given an individualized prevention program. However, much work is needed to establish an effective approach to identify at-risk subjects. Objective In our earlier research, we developed a risk assessment program to interview subjects, identify risk and protective factors, and evaluate risk for school violence. This study focused on developing natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning technologies to automate the risk assessment process. Material and methods We prospectively recruited 131 students with or without behavioral concerns from 89 schools between 05/01/2015 and 04/30/2018. The subjects were interviewed with two risk assessment scales and a questionnaire, and their risk of violence were determined by pediatric psychiatrists based on clinical judgment. Using NLP technologies, different types of linguistic features were extracted from the interview content. Machine learning classifiers were then applied to predict risk of school violence for individual subjects. A two-stage feature selection was implemented to identify violence-related predictors. The performance was validated on the psychiatrist-generated reference standard of risk levels, where positive predictive value (PPV), sensitivity (SEN), negative predictive value (NPV), specificity (SPEC) and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were assessed. Results Compared to subjects’ sociodemographic information, use of linguistic features significantly improved classifiers’ predictive performance (P Conclusions By analyzing the content from subject interviews, the NLP and machine learning algorithms showed good capacity for detecting risk of school violence. The feature selection uncovered multiple warning markers that could deliver useful clinical insights to assist personalizing intervention. Consequently, the developed approach offered the promise of an accurate and scalable computerized screening service for preventing school violence.
Chapter 6 – Reducing Biotechnological Risks

This chapter builds on the previous chapter's introduction to risk assessment to discuss ways to reduce and manage the risks that can result from biotechnologies. This begins by considering what constitutes acceptable risk regarding genetic manipulation, invasive species, and the possible effects from transgenic species. The chapter takes a biochemodynamic approach to risks, including pharmaceutical agents, microbes, and chemicals. Effects include cross-resistance, cancer, and ecosystem damage. Causality is revisited, with an eye toward approaches to decouple cause and effect in the causal chain. These include containment and cleanup. Agents vary in their potential risk, e.g., biohazardous agents fall into four risk classes. The chapter discusses the concerns posed by each risk group. Bayesian and other approaches are employed to document potential risks. The five types of bioengineering failure are considered.
Designing M&A Selling Mechanisms: Go-Shop Negotiations

In the past decade, a new selling procedure called “go-shop negotiation” has gained popularity in mergers and acquisitions. With a dynamic mechanism design approach, I fully characterize the target’s revenue-maximizing mechanism, and find that it resembles a go-shop negotiation under certain parameter values; with other parameter values, it is similar to a standard auction or a traditional “no-shop negotiation”. The relevant parameters include the correlation of bidders’ valuations, due diligence cost, and expected gains from trade. The results are broadly consistent with empirical evidence, providing a potential explanation for the prevalence of go-shop negotiations in financial deals and distressed deals.
Attitudes towards privately-owned and shared autonomous vehicles

Abstract Research on attitudes towards autonomous vehicles (AVs) shows variation across gender, age, and socio-economic factors. While previous research has emphasized specific features and qualities of AVs, little is known about how attitudinal factors shape AV acceptance across a range of AV “modes” from privately-owned AVs to AV taxis shared with strangers. With an online panel of 834 US-based participants, we examine attitudes towards AVs and sharing. An exploratory factor analysis establishes four attitudinal dimensions: technology acceptance, risk-taking, traffic regulation, and driving enjoyment. We estimate multinomial logistic regression models to examine the impact of these four factors on attitudes toward AVs, willingness to purchase AVs, willingness to use AVs as a taxi service, and willingness to share AV taxis with strangers. We find a complex relationship between psychological factors and AV attitudes. “Early adopters” of technology and those who support stricter traffic regulations are more likely to have a positive attitude about AVs, whereas those who avoid risky behavior were more likely to have a negative attitude instead of a neutral attitude. Similar patterns were found across models of purchasing, using, and sharing AVs. The results imply that people who support traffic regulations may perceive AVs as a safer transport mode than human-driven cars, while those who avoid risk-taking behavior may perceive AVs to be more dangerous. However, we find that a large fraction of the population is not yet ready to use an AV with no driver, and overall reluctance to share a ride in an AV taxi.
Can You Hear Me Now? Audio and Visual Interactions That Change App Choices

Android and iOS mobile operating systems use permissions to enable phone owners to manage access to their device's resources. Both systems provide resource access dialogues at first use and per-resource controls. Android continues to offer permission manifests in the Android PlayStore for older apps but is transitioning away from this. Neither manifests nor first-use dialogues enable people to easily compare apps based on resource requests, and the corresponding privacy and security risks. Without the ability to compare resource requests when choosing an app, customers cannot select those apps that request fewer resources. Unnecessary and excessive permission requests, overuse of resources, information exfiltration, and risky apps are endemic. To address this issue we built upon past work in warning science and risk communication to design multimedia indicators to communicate the aggregate privacy and security risk associated with an app. Specifically, we provided participants with a privacy rating using the familiar padlock icon and used audio notifications to either warn or reinforce user choices. We empirically tested participants' app decisions with these padlock icons and audio notifications. The results showed that people with both visual cues and audio feedback are more likely to make app choices that are inversely correlated with the resources requested by the app. Those with neither indicators made decisions reflecting only app rating, while decisions made by those with either the audio or the visual indicators are sometimes inversely correlated with resource requests. This illustrates that simple clear communication about apps' aggregate risk, as opposed to atomic resource requests, changes participants' app selections potentially mitigating the state of information overuse and potential abuse. Additionally, neither the visual indicator nor the audio feedback affected the time required for participants to make a decision.
Chapter 2: Olympics Outfits for Women: From “Feminine Only” to Burqas and Bikinis

A brief history of women’s sporting attire for the Games, a literature review, and an overall consideration of athleticism vs. appeal in terms of feminist theory.
Post-Operative Opioid Prescribing Practices and Trends Among Urology Residents in the United States.

INTRODUCTION With the opioid epidemic escalating across the country, we sought to evaluate and characterize post-operative opioid prescribing habits and trends among urology residents in the United States. METHODS Urology residents were sent a 16-question survey regarding opioid prescribing patterns, influencing factors, opioid training experience, and amounts of opioids prescribed for common urologic procedures. RESULTS One hundred and four urology residents participated in the survey (75% male and 25% female). Common factors influencing opioid prescribing were standard prescribing practice for certain operations (80%), attending/senior resident preference (62.1%), and immediate post-operative pain (54.7%). Residents reported prescribing more opioids at discharge for open abdominal and robotic procedures (167.9 and 134.2 morphine milligram equivalents, MME, respectively) and lower amounts for outpatient surgeries (39.7 and 55.8 MME for vasectomy and transurethral resections). Only 15.5% of residents utilize any formal algorithm for post-operative opioid prescribing at their institution. Further, 51.6% of residents received no formal education on safe opioid prescribing during residency, and only 42.1% routinely assess patient risk for opioid abuse. Urology residents who received formal opioid training prescribed less opioids on average for common urologic procedures compared to those who had not trained. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the importance of increasing resident education on opioid prescribing during residency training, as well as an opportunity for the implementation of standardized post-operative opioid prescribing regimens to help improve trends in urology resident opioid prescribing.
Biosensing with myeloperoxidase: Mechanism, activity, and determination of SCN−

Abstract This work presents a concept of electrochemical biosensing with the myeloperoxidase (MPO)/H2O2/carbon allotrope system. The MPOcov and MPOaff films were prepared on electrode surface by covalent and affinity binding of MPO to polyaminosaccharide chitosan and blending with carbon allotropes (nanotubes: N-CNT, MWCNT, or SWCNT). Voltammetry of such films showed no signs of direct electron transfer (DET) between MPO and nanotubes, which argued against DET-based bioelectrocatalysis of H2O2 reduction. Instead, the H2O2 was directly electroreduced at nanotubes. Further probing of such MPO/H2O2/carbon allotrope systems with SCN− found a close correlation (R2, 0.997) between allotrope’s activity toward the electroreduction of H2O2 and the limit of detection (LOD) of SCN−. Apparently, the enzymatic reaction MPO + H2O2 + SCN− was depleting H2O2 in MPO films, which was measured by detecting H2O2 via its electroreduction at a carbon allotrope (SCN− was not detected directly at MPO films). Amperometric assays showed that film’s catalytic and analytical attributes scaled up differently e.g. catalytic activity increased 1.6 times while LOD was amplified 13 times in MPOcov vs. MPOaff films. The MPO retention was 95 and 56 % in MPOcov and MPOaff films. The high affinity retention was achieved despite a polycationic nature of both MPO and chitosan. The MPOcov films with N-CNT displayed the best LOD (0.30 μM SCN− at –0.20 V) and recovered 99–103 % of signal from SCN− spiked into human saliva and urine. The MPOcov/H2O2/N-CNT system represents a rare case of enzymatic biosensing of inorganic anion and first biosensor for SCN−.
The legacy of militancy in Punjab: long road to ‘Normalcy’: by Inderjit Singh Jaijee and Dona Suri, New Delhi, Sage Publications, 2020, 211 pp., $20.00 (paperback), ISBN 978-9-3532-8713-9

The ‘politics’ of memory and trauma and decisions about who “owns” history elucidate how genocide and its historical narratives are monopolized. Globally, we continue to experience the deliberate r...
Consensual Non-Monogamy Among Kink-Identified Adults: Characteristics, Relationship Experiences, and Unique Motivations for Polyamory and Open Relationships.

People who engage in both kink and consensual non-monogamy (CNM) have received little attention in research. The present article reports on the characteristics, relationship experiences, and unique motivations for engaging in CNM of kinky and consensually non-monogamous individuals using data from two U.S. samples—one large, national (N = 690) quantitative survey, and one qualitative study (N = 70) of adults in Northern California. The results describe the prevalence of universal (e.g., jealousy, sexual desire discrepancy) and population-specific relationship experiences (e.g., kink interest discrepancy, “coming out” about relationship structure). Findings indicate that discrepancies in desire for kink are a common relationship experience for kink–CNM individuals and that managing kink interests is an important motivation for CNM in this particular population. Implications for future research and clinical practice with kinky and consensually non-monogamous individuals are discussed.
Ultrasound Measurement of the Intervertebral Space in the Lateral Recumbent Versus Sitting Positions.

Abstract Background Diagnostic lumbar puncture (LP) is an invasive procedure routinely performed within the emergency department (ED). LP is traditionally performed with the patient in either the lateral recumbent or sitting position. We investigated if the intervertebral space is larger in one of these positions. If one position is larger than the other, this would imply that one position offers a higher chance of a successful lumbar puncture than the other position. Objective We sought to determine if there is a significant size difference of the L4/L5 intervertebral space in the lateral recumbent compared with the sitting position. Methods Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) was performed to measure the size of each volunteer's L4/L5 intervertebral space in both the seated and lateral recumbent positions. All volunteers >18 years of age were eligible for the study. Thirty volunteers had measurements taken. Three measurements were taken by each investigator in both positions for each volunteer. Results The median L4/L5 intervertebral space distance was 1.7511 cm in the lateral recumbent position and 1.9511 cm in the seated position with a Wilcoxon signed rank p value Conclusion The size of the interspinous space in the seated position on ultrasound was found to be larger than the lateral recumbent position, suggesting that LP may be more successful in the seated position.
Combined Stresses and Theories of Failure

In the preceding chapters methods were developed and discussed for the analysis of members subjected to one type of load only. For example, Chapter 3 dealt with members subjected only to axial loads, Chapter 4 with members subjected only to torsional loads, and Chapter 5 with members subjected only to flexural loads. There are numerous engineering situations relating to structural and machine applications, however, in which members are subjected to the simultaneous action of two or more types of loads.
Predictors of physical disability after age 50: Six-year longitudinal study in a runners club and a university population

Predictors of disability were studied over 6 years among 50- to 80-year-old members of a runners club (N = 407) and a university population (N = 299). Data have been collected annually since 1984 on sociodemographic characteristics, health habits, medical history, medication use, family history, psychological parameters, and physical disability as measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire. Members of the runners club, compared to university participants, had better overall health and less disability at baseline (0.03 versus 0.08) and at 6-year follow-up (0.04 versus 0.24). Predictors of greater subsequent disability among university participants were greater baseline disability, greater medication use, greater number of pack-years of cigarette smoking, older age, being unmarried, higher blood pressure, history of arthritis, and less physical activity compared to one's peers. In addition, changes in characteristics during follow-up that were independently associated with greater disability were development of joint pain, arthritis, or bone fracture and increased body mass index. Predictors of greater disability in the runners group included greater baseline disability, being a nonrunner at baseline, greater dietary salt intake, more years of running at baseline, and greater frequency of physician visits for running injuries. Greater disability in this group also was associated with increases in medication use, declining alcohol consumption, and development of joint pain over 6 years. Results of this study suggest that physical disability is linked to a constellation of characteristics, health habits, medical history, comorbidities, and marital status. While self-selection bias cannot be ruled out entirely, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that those who engage in high levels of physical activity beyond middle age will continue to maintain better functional abilities.
Choice of Energy Paths: Its Implications for Rural Energy Poverty in Less Developed Countries

Rural energy poverty constitutes a global concern, as it infringes on human well-being and the social and economic development prospects of a country. In recent years, renewable energy has gained increasing traction for its potential to alleviate rural energy poverty in less developed countries (LDCs). Yet despite the value of renewable energy in mitigating energy poverty, no cross-national study that assesses the effects of renewable energy on rural energy poverty is known to exist. This study also recasts the relationship between energy regimes and energy poverty, by drawing on perspectives from energetic theory and environmental inequality. The findings reveal that renewable energy does exert a positive effect on rural electrification in the countries studied. In addition, higher gross national income (GNI) per capita and use of conventional fuels are found to relate positively to rural electrification. The results point to the relevance of energy regimes and their role in the development of LDCs.
ROW-FS: a user-level virtualized redirect-on-write distributed file system for wide area applications

We propose a virtualization approach to implement redirect-on-write capabilities that overlay a traditional distributed file system. The redirect-on-write distributed file system (ROW-FS) is implemented via a user-level proxy that is able to selectively steer Network File System (NFS) RPC calls to one of two servers: a "main" read-only server, and a "shadow" read-write server. By employing virtualization by means of a user-level proxy and using the de-facto standard NFS protocol, ROW-FS can be mounted as an NFS file system by existing, unmodified clients from a variety of platforms, and requires no changes to existing kernels. Its primary application is in supporting wide-area computing environments, where ROW-FS can provide improved performance and faulttolerance (file system modifications can be check-pointed along with application state). Results show that benchmark applications including Linux kernel compilation and instantiation of virtual machines across wide-area networks achieve substantially better performance with ROW-FS as compared to NFS.