cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Marital Quality, Health, and Aging: Gender Equity?

Marital quality is a multidimensional concept that includes positive experiences such as feeling loved, cared for, and satisfied in the relationship as well as negative experiences such as demands from one’s spouse and marital conflict. A few studies find no gender difference on some measures of marital quality, although most studies find lower levels of marital quality for women on most measures (e.g., Rogers & Amato, 2000). The few studies that consider how marital quality changes over time conclude that marital quality tends to decline over time (positive dimensions decline and negative dimensions increase) in a similar fashion for men and women even though women have lower baseline levels of marital quality (Umberson, Williams, Powers, Chen, & Campbell, in press; VanLaningham, Johnson, & Amato, 2001). Notably, we find no studies that report poorer marital quality states or trajectories for men than for women—no matter how marital quality is defined. Recent research shows that marital quality is associated with physical health in the general population and in clinical studies (for a review, see Umberson, Williams, Powers, Liu, & Needham, in press). Several of these studies address the possibility that the health of women is more vulnerable to poor marital quality than is the health of men. Clinical and laboratory-based studies tend to find evidence of female vulnerability to poor marital quality, whereas population-based longitudinal studies on the general health consequences of both positive and negative dimensions of marital quality fail to reveal a gender difference. All of these studies focus on the issue of gender vulnerability and do not take into account that women may be exposed to lower levels of marital quality relative to men. If this is the case, then studies concluding that there is no gender difference in the impact of marital quality on health may be overemphasizing the issue of vulnerability and underemphasizing basic gender differences in exposure to low levels of marital quality. Moreover, gender differences in exposure to marital difficulties may be more exaggerated at certain points in the life course—for example, early in the marital life course when young children are more likely to be in the home or late in the life course when health and disability become more likely. If women sustain a lower level of marital quality relative to men over the life course, this may ultimately translate into a significant health disadvantage for married women. We use growth-curve analysis to consider how gender and age jointly predict trajectories of change in one dimension of marital quality over time. In addition, we illustrate how gender differences in that measure may contribute to gender inequity in physical health over the life course.
Feature-based representations of emotional facial expressions in the human amygdala

The amygdala plays a central role in processing facial affect, responding to diverse expressions and features shared between expressions. Although speculation exists regarding the nature of relationships between expression- and feature-specific amygdala reactivity, this matter has not been fully explored. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging and principal component analysis (PCA) in a sample of 300 young adults, to investigate patterns related to expression- and feature-specific amygdala reactivity to faces displaying neutral, fearful, angry or surprised expressions. The PCA revealed a two-dimensional correlation structure that distinguished emotional categories. The first principal component separated neutral and surprised from fearful and angry expressions, whereas the second principal component separated neutral and angry from fearful and surprised expressions. This two-dimensional correlation structure of amygdala reactivity may represent specific feature-based cues conserved across discrete expressions. To delineate which feature-based cues characterized this pattern, face stimuli were averaged and then subtracted according to their principal component loadings. The first principal component corresponded to displacement of the eyebrows, whereas the second principal component corresponded to increased exposure of eye whites together with movement of the brow. Our results suggest a convergent representation of facial affect in the amygdala reflecting feature-based processing of discrete expressions.
Coping With Autism: A Journey Toward Adaptation

As the number of individuals with autism grows, it is critical for nurses in all settings to understand how autism influences the family unit, as they will likely interact with these children, the adults, and their families. The intent of this descriptive narrative study was to explore the experiences of families of individuals with autism as perceived by the mother. Through personal interviews, 16 mothers' perceptions of the impact of autism on the family unit during different stages of the life cycle were revealed through a constructivist lens. Pediatric nurses employed in acute care settings, community, and schools are poised to assess and support these families following diagnosis and throughout the child's life.
With Age Comes Wisdom Decision Making in Younger and Older Adults

In two experiments, younger and older adults performed decision-making tasks in which reward values available were either independent of or dependent on the previous sequence of choices made. The choice-independent task involved learning and exploiting the options that gave the highest rewards on each trial. In this task, the stability of the expected reward for each option was not influenced by the previous choices participants made. The choice-dependent task involved learning how each choice influenced future rewards for two options and making the best decisions based on that knowledge. Younger adults performed better when rewards were independent of choice, whereas older adults performed better when rewards were dependent on choice. These findings suggest a fundamental difference in the way in which younger adults and older adults approach decision-making situations. We discuss the results in the context of prominent decision-making theories and offer possible explanations based on neurobiological and behavioral changes associated with aging.
A new approach to fast simulation of periodically switching power converters

Periodically switching power converters can be described by an averaged equation and ripple correction functions. An algorithm for the analytical computation of the averaged system and the ripple correction functions, the Krylov-Bogoliubov-Miltropolsky algorithm is implemented using a symbolic computer program. A ripple correction series, which estimates the actual waveforms given the averaged waveforms, is derived. Correction terms for the averaged model are also derived. The approximations require numerical calculations of averaged models which are normally not stiff. The correction terms are continuous functions which can be computed symbolically. The approximate system can be integrated on time scales slower than those used for conventional time-domain techniques. A resonant inverter and a boost converter are presented as examples. >
Hard-Limiter Intermodulation with Low Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio

A simple, closed form expression is derived for the normalized power magnitude of major intermodulation (IM) products at the output of an ideal bandpass hard-limiter with low input signal-to-noise ratio, (S/N)_{i} . This expression together with no-noise results obtained by a previous author allows quick plotting of the no-noise and high-noise asymptotes of the IM product magnitude vs. (S/N)_{i} , for any number of equal-power, input CW signals. Lastly, it is shown that for many signals it may be advantageous to operate the limiter at a lower (S/N)_{i} in order to suppress the intermodulation distortion.
Typifications in the Genus Petalophyllum (Marchantiophyta)

Abstract Nomenclatural problems in the liverwort Petalophyllum are addressed. Following a review of the original description of the genus, it is concluded that Petalophyllum Nees & Gottsche ex Lehm. or simply Petalophyllum Lehm. is the correct citation for the genus. The correct citations for the two species intially placed in the genus are P. preissii Lehm. and P. ralfsii (Wilson) Nees & Gottsche ex Lehm. and a designation of P. preissii as the type species for the genus is accepted. Lectotypes are designated for P. preissii, P. ralfsii, P. bolivianum Steph., P. indicum Kashyap, and Fossombronia corbulaeformis Trab. and a neotype is designated for P. lamellatum (Nees) Lindb. Petalophyllum australe Colenso and P. macrocalyx Colenso have been proposed for rejection since there are no extant specimens of these taxa and their protologues are beset with interpretive problems.
Neural network based motion vector computation and application to MPEG coding

A neural network based motion-estimation technique is developed, that is applicable to sub-pixel as well as large movements. Experiments on typical test frame sequences indicate marked improvement in accuracy of motion vector estimates over the MPEG logarithmic block matching algorithm. The method utilizes a modified Hopfield neural network. Due to the neural network's fault-tolerant nature and parallel computation capability, fast, accurate, and reliable results are obtained. Application to MPEG based video compression is also discussed. >
Role of the Transcription Factor Erythroblastosis Virus E26 Oncogen Homolog-1 (ETS-1) as Mediator of the Renal Proinflammatory and Profibrotic Effects of Angiotensin II

Angiotensin II (Ang II) plays a major role in the pathogenesis of end-organ injury in hypertension via its diverse hemodynamic and nonhemodynamic effects. Erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogen homolog-1 (ETS-1) is an important transcription factor recently recognized as an important mediator of cell proliferation, inflammation, and fibrosis. In the present studies, we tested the hypothesis that ETS-1 is a common mediator of the renal proinflammatory and profibrotic effects of Ang II. C57BL6 mice (n=6 per group) were infused with vehicle (control), Ang II (1.4 mg/kg per day), Ang II and an ETS-1 dominant-negative peptide (10 mg/kg per day), or Ang II and an ETS-1 mutant peptide (10 mg/kg per day) via osmotic minipump for 2 or 4 weeks. The infusion of Ang II resulted in significant increases in blood pressure and left ventricular hypertrophy, which were not modified by ETS-1 blockade. The administration of ETS-1 dominant-negative peptide significantly attenuated Ang II-induced renal injury as assessed by urinary protein excretion, mesangial matrix expansion, and cell proliferation. Furthermore, ETS-1 dominant-negative peptide but not ETS-1 mutant peptide significantly reduced Ang II-mediated upregulation of transforming growth factor-β, connective tissue growth factor, and α-smooth muscle actin. In addition, ETS-1 blockade reduced several proinflammatory effects of Ang II, including macrophage infiltration, nitrotyrosine expression, and NOX4 mRNA expression. Our studies suggest that ETS-1 is a common mediator of the proinflammatory and profibrotic effects of Ang II-induced hypertensive renal damage and may result in the development of novel strategies in the treatment and prevention of end-organ injury in hypertension.
Mechanical effect of mélange-induced buttressing on embayment-terminating glacier dynamics

Abstract. Embayment terminating glaciers interact dynamically with seasonal sea ice and icebergs, a mixture we refer to as melange. For certain glaciers, melange prevents calved bergs from rotating away from the front, thus allowing the ice front to advance into the embayment. Here we demonstrate that melange can, if rigid enough, provide sufficient buttressing to reduce the calving rate, while leaving the ice-front velocity largely unaffected. The net result is additional ice-front advance. Observations indicate a seasonal advance/retreat cycle has occurred at Jakobshavn Isbrae since the 1950s. We model an idealized Jakobshavn Isbrae-like scenario and find that melange may be responsible for a seasonal ice-front advance of up to 0.6 km. These results come from a model that incorporates melange into the interior of the domain, includes relevant stresses, and models drag via a kinematic boundary condition. A weakening or loss of melange due to increasing temperatures would lead to further mass loss from glaciers such as Jakobshavn Isbrae.
Specific estrogenic and androgenic smears in relation to the fetal sex during pregnancy.

Abstract The normal vaginal-smear changes during the course of pregnancy are presented. Increased cornification without mucification was encountered in only six cases. Three of these soon thereafter threatened to abort. Specific estrogenic and androgenic smears are described and their significance and correlation to the fetal sex are discussed. The cytolytic smear consists of an increased number of Doderlein bacilli and complete destruction of cellular cytoplasm with intact nuclei and is believed to accompany high estrogen activity. This type of smear is associated with a female fetus. The mucoid cornified smear is the usual typical androgenic smear and is characterized by cornified cells with abundant mucoid material. The glycolytic type, with extracellular glycogen and intracellular glycopenia, is a very rare androgenic smear. Such smears are associated with a male fetus.
Primary Care Providers' Comfort Levels in Caring for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the comfort levels of primary care providers in caring for individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) and determine factors that improved or lessened provider comfort. Methods We surveyed providers at the annual Johns Hopkins Community Physicians retreat. The survey consisted of 19 questions and measured comfort levels in four domains: providing ambulatory care to individuals with SCD, managing SCD comorbidities, managing SCD-specific issues, and managing chronic pain. We conducted bivariate analyses to identify any demographic or practice characteristics associated with comfort levels. Multivariable analyses were conducted to identify independent correlates of physician comfort. Results The majority of respondents lacked confidence with each of the four aspects of caring for individuals with SCD. Having treated patients with SCD and using knowledge from residency were both independently associated with increased confidence when providing ambulatory care and managing SCD-specific issues in multivariable analyses. Conclusions The delivery of high-quality care to adults with SCD in primary care may be limited because of a lack of provider comfort in providing that care. Because provider reliance on knowledge gained from residency significantly affected the management of patients with SCD, it is essential that continuing medical education on SCD is readily available to ensure that providers are using current information and knowledge. In addition, as comfort increases with the number of patients with SCD in a provider's panel, it may be beneficial to identify a subset of primary care providers interested in SCD and refer patients to those providers.
Rigidity-Theoretic Constructions of Integral Fary Embeddings

Fary [3] proved that all planar graphs can be drawn in the plane using only straight line segments. Harborth et al. [7] ask whether or not there exists such a drawing where all edges have integer lengths, and Geelen et al. [4] proved that cubic planar graphs satised this conjecture. We re-prove their result using rigidity theory, exhibit other natural families of planar graphs that satisfy this conjecture as immediate corollaries, and also prove a weaker result for all planar graphs in R 3 .
Planning and implementing a microcomputer local-area network

Factors to be considered in planning and implementing a microcomputer local-area network (LAN) in a pharmacy department are discussed. Reasons for implementing a LAN include the ability to share data, programs, and peripheral devices among multiple users. The network operating system may be full featured or a peer-to-peer system. Full-featured networks require a dedicated file server but are more powerful and versatile. The file server, if used, is the most important piece of equipment. Factors that affect the choice of a file server are the processor, the bus, memory and speed, the supplier, and the power supply. It is necessary to select network adapters and wiring and to decide whether any of the department's current computer equipment will be used in the network. Decisions must also be made about software. The equipment should be set up by the computer services department or a vendor. Two or more pharmacists must be appointed and trained as supervisors to manage the network, diagnose and correct problems, perform network backup, and guard against computer viruses. Security is a major concern because of the need for confidentiality, the licensure of software for only a limited number of users, and the risk of inadvertent alteration or erasure of data. Network users must be trained to use the system properly. Department managers should consider the need to access the LAN from computers outside the department and the possible incorporation of the LAN into a wide-area network. A microcomputer LAN can provide valuable information services, but careful planning is necessary to avoid pitfalls and to ensure that the network meets current and future needs.
ABF1 is a phosphoprotein and plays a role in carbon source control of COX6 transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Previously, we have shown that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA-binding protein ABF1 exists in at least two different electrophoretic forms (K. S. Sweder, P. R. Rhode, and J. L. Campbell, J. Biol. Chem. 263: 17270-17277, 1988). In this report, we show that these forms represent different states of phosphorylation of ABF1 and that at least four different phosphorylation states can be resolved electrophoretically. The ratios of these states to one another differ according to growth conditions and carbon source. Phosphorylation of ABF1 is therefore a regulated process. In nitrogen-starved cells or in cells grown on nonfermentable carbon sources (e.g., lactate), phosphorylated forms predominate, while in cells grown on fermentable carbon sources (e.g., glucose), dephosphorylated forms are enriched. The phosphorylation pattern is affected by mutations in the SNF1-SSN6 pathway, which is involved in glucose repression-depression. Whereas a functional SNF1 gene, which encodes a protein kinase, is not required for the phosphorylation of ABF1, a functional SSN6 gene is required for itsd ephosphorylation. The phosphorylation patterns that we have observed correlate with the regulation of a specific target gene, COX6, which encodes subunit VI of cytochrome c oxidase. Transcription of COX6 is repressed by growth in medium containing a fermentable carbon source and is derepressed by growth in medium containing a nonfermentable carbon source. COX6 repression-derepression is under the control of the SNF1-SSN6 pathway. This carbon source regulation is exerted through domain 1, a region of the upstream activation sequence UAS6 that binds ABF1 (J. D. Trawick, N. Kraut, F. Simon, and R. O. Poyton, Mol. Cell Biol. 12:2302-2314, 1992). We show that the greater the phosphorylation of ABF1, the greater the transcription of COX6. Furthermore, the ABF1-containing protein-DNA complexes formed at domain 1 differ according to the phosphorylation state of ABF1 and the carbon source on which the cells were grown. From these findings, we propose that the phosphorylation of ABF1 is involved in glucose repression-derepression of COX6 transcription.
Total Artificial Heart as Bridge to Transplantation for Severe Culture-Negative Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis Due to Gemella haemolysans.

We report a rare case of a patient with prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) requiring implantation of a total artificial heart (TAH) as a bridge to heart transplantation. Gemella haemolysans, an unusual cause of PVE, was identified as the organism responsible only by 16s rRNA polymerase chain reaction analysis of surgical tissue samples. We also describe one of the first uses of combined TAH and veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy in the setting of severe respiratory and cardiac failure. Implantation of a TAH may be considered in situations where more traditional reconstructive methods are not feasible. ASAIO Journal 2014; 60:479–481.
Determination of Optimal Amikacin Dosing Regimens for Pediatric Patients With Burn Wound Sepsis.

This study aimed to develop optimal amikacin dosing regimens for the empirical treatment of Gram-negative bacterial sepsis in pediatric patients with burn injuries. A pharmacodynamic (PD) target in which the peak concentration (Cmax) is ≥8 times the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) (Cmax/MIC ≥ 8) is reflective of optimal bactericidal activity and has been used to predict clinical outcomes. Population pharmacokinetic modeling was performed in NONMEM 7.2 for pediatric patients with and without burn injuries. Amikacin pharmacokinetic parameters were compared between the two groups and multiple dosing regimens were simulated using MATLAB to achieve the PD target in ≥90% of patients with burn injuries. The pharmacokinetic analysis included 282 amikacin concentrations from 70 pediatric patients with burn injuries and 99 concentrations from 32 pediatric patients without burns. A one-compartment model with first-order elimination described amikacin pharmacokinetics well for both groups. Clearance (CL) was significantly higher in patients with burn injuries than in patients without (7.22 vs 5.36 L/h, P < .001). The volume of distribution (V) was also significantly increased in patients with burn injuries (22.7 vs 18.7 L, P < .01). Weight significantly influenced amikacin CL (P < .001) and V (P < .001) for both groups. Model-based simulations showed that a higher amikacin dose (≥25 mg/kg) achieved a Cmax/MIC ≥8 in ≥90% of patients with assumed infections of organisms with an MIC = 8 mg/L. Amikacin pharmacokinetics are altered in patients with burn injuries, including a significant increase in CL and V. In simulations, increased doses (≥25 mg/kg) led to improved PD target attainment rates. Further clinical evaluation of this proposed dosing regimen is warranted to assess clinical and microbiological outcomes in pediatric patients with burn wound sepsis.
Money management, mental health, and psychiatric disability: a recovery-oriented model for improving financial skills.

Topic Although money management skills are essential for independent functioning in the community, when viewed from the framework of psychosocial rehabilitation, there have been few systematic models for teaching money management skills to consumers with psychiatric disabilities based on a recovery orientation. Purpose For those diagnosed with psychiatric disabilities, better money management has consistently been shown to be associated with superior quality of life, fewer hospitalizations, and greater self-efficacy. Consumers frequently indicate that learning how to budget and staying out of debt are among their top goals for recovery with mental illness. The current paper reviews the issues of money management and mental health among people with psychiatric disabilities and proposes a recovery-oriented approach to increasing money management skills to increase community functioning among consumers. Sources used Published literature, clinical cases, and financial literacy resources. Conclusions and implications for practice Improving money management can lead to a number of benefits by helping consumers with psychiatric disabilities: 1) gain more knowledge about disability benefits, 2) improve basic financial skills, and 3) reduce vulnerability to financial exploitation. Future work on incorporating this model into psychiatric rehabilitation programs would address skills consumers can use in living, working, and social environments in a way that enhances consumer choice and promotes recovery.
Effects of a model’s experience on children’s imitation

This study investigated the effects of a model’s prior experience on children’s imitation of her preferences in a choice situation. Only the preferences of an experienced model were imitated beyond chance, and the amount of imitation tended to increase as the amount.of experience increased. These results are consistent with an informational aitalysis of imitative behavior.
Clusteranalyse Unter Verwendung Von Präordnungen Auf Objektpaaren

We consider the clustering of n objects on each of which m variables (properties) are measured. Denote the set of objects by N and the set of variables by M. First, we derive a family (⪷p)p∈M of preorder relations on N × N, where ⪷p describes the similarity between two pairs of objects. Second, we propose for each of the clustering structures, partition and hierarchy, a procedure for classifying the n objects into subsets of N (clusters), using only the information given by the family (⪷p)p∈M. An example is presented.
Primary realignment of the disrupted prostatomembranous urethra.

SUMMARY Urethral scarring resulting in stricture formation can be avoided or minimized by proper treatment after injury. On presentation of the trauma patient, the possibility of such injury must be suspected and the urethra evaluated prior to any attempts at catheter placement. Diversion in all cases of posterior urethral injury should be by a suprapubic tube, with any urinary extravasation drained at the site of the injury. If the patient’s general condition allows it, the disrupted urethra should be realigned by a catheter after the puboprostatic ligaments have been divided. These measures allow the prostate to return to the urogenital diaphragm without tension and in line with the distal urethra. Until the prostate is released, no amount of traction will reapproximate the urethra, and after it is released, traction is not necessary. The suprapubic catheter provides diversion, preventing further complications caused by urinary extravasation; urethral alignment minimizes subsequent stricture formation. When the stricture develops, if it is urodynamically significant, it can be repaired in 4 to 6 months. If one is fortunate, the stricture will be short and amenable to internal urethrotomy. If not, open reconstruction will be greatly facilitated by the attempts to guide the distracted ends of the urethra together.
Evaporative intrachip hotspot cooling with a hierarchical manifold microchannel heat sink array

A hierarchical manifold microchannel heat sink is used to dissipate heat from a small hotspot region superposed on a larger region of uniform background heat flux. A 5 mm × 5 mm overall chip footprint area is cooled using a 3 × 3 array of intrachip silicon microchannel heat sinks fed in parallel using a manifold distributor. Each heat sink consists of a bank of 25 high-aspect-ratio microchannels that are nominally 30 µm wide and 300 µm deep. The uniform background heat flux is generated with a 3 × 3 array of thin-film heaters fabricated on the chip; temperature sensors placed in each of these nine heating zones provide spatially resolved chip surface temperature measurements. An individually powered 200 µm × 200 µm hotspot heater is centered on the chip. The heat sink thermal and hydraulic performance is evaluated using HFE-7100 as the working fluid and for mass fluxes ranging from 600 kg/m2s to 2070 kg/m2s at a constant inlet temperature of 60 °C and outlet pressure of 122 kPa. Background heat fluxes up to 450 W/cm2 and hotspot fluxes of greater than 2500 W/cm2 are simultaneously dissipated. The chip temperature uniformity and maximum temperature rise during hotspot heating are assessed. For the case with the highest simultaneous background and hotspot heat fluxes, the measured heat sink pressure drop is ∼75 kPa and the average chip temperature is ∼30 °C above the fluid inlet temperature.
The Role of Individual Characteristics on Insider Abuse Intentions.

Insiders represent a major threat to the security of an organization’s information resources (Warkentin & Willison, 2009; Stanton et al., 2005). Previous research has explored the role of protection motivation or of deterrence in promoting compliant behavior, but these factors have not been studied together. Furthermore, other individual differences, such as the Big Five personality factors may serve as critical influences on cybersecurity compliance. In this study we use a factorial survey approach to identify key components of secure insider behavior. We obtained 201 observations from a diverse sample of employees. The results of this effort will enable us to develop psychological profiles of individual employees so that we may create personalized cybersecurity training protocols that meet the unique needs of each employee profile, appealing to the proper set of motivations for each. Findings of the present study are presented, and the long-term project goal is discussed.
Advancement of MR and PET/MR in Prostate Cancer

Multiparametric magnetic resonance (mpMRI) imaging has assumed a larger role in the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer. The current method of detecting prostate cancer relies on blind systematic biopsy, guided only by transrectal ultrasound that generally directs the needle biopsy to sextants of the prostate rather than specific lesions. MpMRI is playing an increasing role in the detection of primary cancer as it can visualize cancers and direct biopsies. However, even mpMRI is inherently nonspecific and numerous biopsies performed under MR guidance prove to be negative. Positron emission tomography (PET) has the potential to improve the sensitivity and specificity for prostate cancer in combination with mpMRI. Prostate-specific membrane antigen is a widely expressed tumor antigen in prostate cancer for which multiple PET ligands, labeled with 68 Ga and 18 F, are being developed. However, the low spatial resolution of PET mandates that it be combined with a higher resolution imaging modality, which typically has been computed tomography (CT). However, MRI is not only better at localizing lesions in the prostate and prostatic bed, but it is also more sensitive than CT for early bone marrow changes in bone metastases caused by prostate cancer. Prostate-specific membrane antigen–based PET agents show promise in the early detection of recurrent and metastatic disease. Recent developments in hybrid imaging now allow PET/MRI to be performed simultaneously on a single scanner allowing one-to-one correspondence between the PET activity and MRI findings. This offers the opportunity for both high sensitivity and specificity with excellent anatomic location and could allow for more targeted biopsies and treatments. Here, we review the current status of PET/MRI for prostate cancer.
Amyloid structure exhibits polymorphism on multiple length scales in human brain tissue

Aggregation of Aβ amyloid fibrils into plaques in the brain is a universal hallmark of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), but whether plaques in different individuals are equivalent is unknown. One possibility is that amyloid fibrils exhibit different structures and different structures may contribute differentially to disease, either within an individual brain or between individuals. However, the occurrence and distribution of structural polymorphisms of amyloid in human brain is poorly documented. Here we use X-ray microdiffraction of histological sections of human tissue to map the abundance, orientation and structural heterogeneities of amyloid. Our observations indicate that (i) tissue derived from subjects with different clinical histories may contain different ensembles of fibrillar structures; (ii) plaques harboring distinct amyloid structures can coexist within a single tissue section and (iii) within individual plaques there is a gradient of fibrillar structure from core to margins. These observations have immediate implications for existing theories on the inception and progression of AD.
Strategic Vision of Container Nursery Irrigation in the Next Ten Years

Abstract Visions of the future for container nursery irrigation were collected from twelve nursery irrigation scientists, growers and nursery organization leaders. The amount of water available for nursery irrigation unanimously is forecasted to decline over the next decade. Along with declining availability, the cost of water for irrigation is predicted to increase substantially for most nurseries. Limited availability, higher direct cost, and irrigation runoff issues are projected to compel the container nursery industry to adopt procedures and technology that will increase irrigation water use efficiency. Evidence in support of these prognoses, current solutions and suggested options are discussed.
Motion Local Ternary Pattern for distributed multi-view human action recognition

Multi-view human action recognition has gained a lot of attention in recent years for its superior performance as compared to the single view recognition. In this paper, we propose algorithms for the real-time realization of human action recognition in distributed camera networks (DCNs). We first present a new method for fast calculation of motion information by Motion Local Ternary Pattern (Mltp) that is tolerant to illumination change, robust in homogeneous region and computationally efficient. Next, we combine the local interest point detector with Mltp to generate 3D patches containing motion information and introduce two feature descriptors for the extracted 3D patches. Taking advantage of the proposed Mltp, 3D patches generated from background can be further removed automatically and thus the foreground patches can be highlighted. Finally, the histogram representations based on Bag-of-Words modeling, are transmitted from local cameras to the base station for classification. At the base station, a probability model is produced to fuse the information from various views and a class label is assigned accordingly. Compared to the existing algorithms, the proposed methods have three advantages: 1) no preprocessing is required; 2) communication among cameras is unnecessary; and 3) positions and orientations of cameras do not need to be fixed. We further evaluate both descriptors on the most popular multi-view action dataset IXMAS. Experimental results indicate that our approaches repeatedly achieve state-of-the-art results when various numbers of views are tested. In addition, our approaches are tolerant to the various combination of views and benefit from introducing more views at the testing stage.
Managing the Ischemic Finger in Scleroderma

The patient is a 48-year-old Caucasian woman with limited scleroderma. The features of her disease include stiff puffy fingers, gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), severe Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP), and a sicca syndrome. On her initial examination, the blood pressure was 120/69, weight 130 lb, pulse 79, temperature 98°, and normal respiratory rate. Sclerodactyly, numerous cutaneous telangiectasia on the palms and face, and definite abnormal nailfold capillaries with dilatation and areas of loss of capillaries were noted. The remainder of her examination was completely normal. The general laboratory testing was unremarkable but serology demonstrated high-titer anti-centromere antibodies. Both lung function testing and echocardiograph were normal. She was managed with a proton pump inhibitor for her GERD and artificial tears for her dry eyes.
Traffic Safety Along Tourist Routes in Rural Areas

Little is known about the safety of tourist drivers in the United States. Most domestic studies have focused on traffic deaths and injuries of U.S. citizens traveling abroad and cite factors such as driving on the left, lack of seat belt use, and alcohol consumption. U.S. states that have a number of tourist attractions and the roadways to reach them may be interested in whether traffic safety is problematic for drivers who are tourists. To that end, this research investigated the contributing factors for crash severity and crash likelihood of visiting drivers in or near three national parks in rural areas. Driver-level data from the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California revealed risk factors for crash severity, including age, geometry, and seat belt use. The second data set offered a more microscopic view at the road level and was used to anticipate crash frequency of visiting drivers at the road link level. Moreover, the second data set co...
The Women Who Said “NO!” A Look at the Women, the Language, and the Images Surrounding the United States Anti-Suffrage Movement

Long before the likes of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton began their rally cries of equality and freedom at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, women did have the right to vote in the United States. During the early Republic and the formation of its territories suffrage was limited to certain states such as New Jersey and later Utah. However, women that once had the right to vote were systematically stripped of that right through legislation. In New Jersey voting that was given to all “free inhabitants” by the original state constitution of 1776 became limited to free white males by 1807. Meanwhile in Utah, voting for women ended in 1887, with the passage of the Edmunds-Tucker Antipolygamy Act. In response to the lack of access to the franchise and other rights, suffragettes advocated vociferously for the vote over many decades into the early 20th century. They believed their cause was just and necessary for every woman. For them it was a civil right. The Women Who Said “NO!” A Look at the Women, the Language, and the Images Surrounding the United States Anti-Suffrage Movement by Samantha Gaetjens Muller is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
A Phase II Study of Yttrium 90 (90Y) Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (Zevalin®) for Treatment of Patients with Relapsed and Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL).

Background: The management of MCL is a significant therapeutic challenge, especially in patients with relapsed or refractory disease, who are generally refractory to salvage chemotherapy. Although recent studies have shown the clinical utility of radioimmunotherapy (RIT) in relapsed and transformed indolent B-cell lymphoma, the clinical efficacy of this treatment modality in patients with MCL is unknown. We report the results of an ongoing phase II clinical trial of yttrium 90 ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin®) in patients with relapsed and refractory MCL. Patients and Methods: Patients with relapsed or refractory MCL with measurable disease, age >18 years, and performance status 1,500/mm3, platelets >100,000/mm3), liver, and kidneys. Patients were excluded if they had prior stem cell transplantation, RIT, CNS lymphoma, HIV infection, pleural effusion, HAMA reactivity, or circulating lymphoma cell count >5000/mm3. Patients with pretreatment platelet counts >150,000/mm3 received a dose of Zevalin at 0.4 mCi 90Y/kg (maximum dose 32 mCi), whereas those with platelet counts Results: Fifteen patients were enrolled and all qualified for evaluation of treatment response and toxicity. The median age was 64 years (range 51–77), and 13 patients were male. All patients had an ECOG performance status of 0 or 1 and had been previously treated with rituximab with or without other chemotherapy. The median number of prior regimens was 3 (range 1–6). Six of the patients did not respond to their last regimen, while another 6 achieved only a partial response to the last regimen. Ten patients were previously treated with Hyper-CVAD alternating with MTX/Ara-C. Zevalin treatment was generally well tolerated, with the most common toxicities being hematologic. The median times to nadir for platelet and neutrophil counts were 41 days (range 26–63) and 48 days (26–65), respectively. Median durations of platelet ( Conclusion: The observed responses to Zevalin in heavily pretreated patients with MCL are promising and warrant further investigation of its activity after first or second relapse, and in conjunction with front-line therapy.
Development and evaluation of a cichlid SNP panel using the Fluidigm EP-1 system

Public databases of SNP markers and microfluidics technology may provide the tools to rapidly assess genetic diversity. We developed and tested a cichlid fish SNP panel derived from loci in GenBank’s dbSNP database and used a Fluidigm EP-1 System for genotyping. Markers were tested on both Salton Sea Tilapia and East African species. Successful amplifications were obtained for 66% of the loci, and 54% of loci screened were variable either within or between lineages. Loci reflected an ascertainment bias favoring the taxon they were initially developed in.
Short-term Outcomes following Concussion in the NFL: An 11-year Retrospective Study of Player Release Rate and Financial Loss:

Objectives:The primary goal of this study was to assess the short-term outcomes among National Football League (NFL) players following concussion in terms of: (1) DNP protocol activation, (2) relea...
Main Players in Developing Dynamic Capabilities in SME's: The Case of Industrial Flooring

Dynamic capabilities as a theory is progressive and, yet, many scholars working on it to develop more and make more practical. In this paper, it's tried to extract main aspects of building dynamic capabilities in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) based lessons learnt in a strategic planning case in industrial flooring. SMEs have particular characteristics imposing specific players over implementing dynamic capabilities. Teece's (1) framework is employed to extract main policies and programs of the case. Board members, and professional teams as well as partnering and outsourcing are four sources playing main role in the case. Considering the quadruplet players in building dynamic capabilities in SME's can help managers and consultants to develop their strategies more operationally.
Effect of adoption of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer on all cause mortality: quasi-experimental study.

Abstract Objective To estimate the causal effect of increased use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) on all cause mortality in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Design Quasi-experimental fuzzy regression discontinuity design and cross sectional analysis. Setting Cancer programs throughout the United States accredited by the Commission on Cancer. Participants 6034 women with a diagnosis of stage 3C or 4 epithelial ovarian cancer from regions that rapidly adopted use of NACT from 2011 to 2012 (27% increase in the New England and east south central regions) or remained unchanged (control regions, south Atlantic, west north central, and east north central regions). Main outcome measure All cause mortality within three years of diagnosis. Kaplan-Meier curves and proportional hazard models were estimated to compare mortality differences between rapidly adopting regions and controls. Results 1156 women were treated for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer during 2011 and 2012 in the two rapidly adopting regions and 4878 women in the three control regions. In the rapidly adopting regions, patients treated in 2012 compared with 2011 had a mortality hazard ratio of 0.81 (95% confidence interval 0.71 to 0.94) after adjusting for mortality time trends, whereas no difference was observed in control regions (1.02, 0.93 to 1.12). Compared with control regions, larger declines in 90 day surgical mortality (7.0% to 4.0% v 5.0% to 4.3%, P=0.01) and in the proportion of women not receiving surgery and chemotherapy (20.0% to 17.4% v 19.0 to 19.5%, P=0.04) were observed in rapidly adopting regions. Cross sectional analysis confirmed that treatment in regions with greater use of NACT was associated was lower mortality (P=0.001). Conclusions Adoption of NACT for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer in New England and east south central regions led to a sizable reduction in mortality within three years after diagnosis.
Cas4 Nucleases Define the PAM, Length, and Orientation of DNA Fragments Integrated at CRISPR Loci

Summary To achieve adaptive and heritable immunity against viruses and other mobile genetic elements, CRISPR-Cas systems must capture and store short DNA fragments (spacers) from these foreign elements into host genomic CRISPR arrays. This process is catalyzed by conserved Cas1/Cas2 integration complexes, but the specific roles of another highly conserved protein linked to spacer acquisition, the Cas4 nuclease, are just now emerging. Here, we show that two Cas4 nucleases (Cas4-1 and Cas4-2) play critical roles in CRISPR spacer acquisition in Pyrococcus furiosus. The nuclease activities of both Cas4 proteins are required to process protospacers to the correct size. Cas4-1 specifies the upstream PAM (protospacer adjacent motif), while Cas4-2 specifies the conserved downstream motif. Both Cas4 proteins ensure CRISPR spacer integration in a defined orientation leading to CRISPR immunity. Collectively, these findings provide in vivo evidence for critical roles of Cas4 nucleases in protospacer generation and functional spacer integration at CRISPR arrays.
Generalized Variable Conversion Using K-means Clustering and Web Scraping

The world of AI and Machine Learning is the world of data and learning from data so the insights could be used for analysis and prediction. Almost all data sets are of mixed variable types as they may be quantitative (numerical) or qualitative (categorical). The problem arises from the fact that a long list of methods in Machine Learning such as “multiple regression”, “logistic regression”, “k-means clustering”, and “support vector machine”, all to be as examples of such models, designed to deal with numerical data type only. Though the data, that need to be analyzed and learned from, is almost always, a mixed data type and thus, standardization step must be undertaken for all these data sets. The standardization process involves the conversion of qualitative (categorical) data into numerical data type.
Baseline knee joint effusion and medial femoral bone marrow edema, in addition to MRI-based T2 relaxation time and texture measurements of knee cartilage, can help predict incident total knee arthroplasty 4–7 years later: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

To evaluate if baseline pathological knee conditions as assessed via single features of the MR-based Whole-Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scoring (WORMS), standard T2, and T2 gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) texture parameters of knee cartilage can serve as potential long-term radiological predictors of incident total knee arthroplasty (TKA) 4–7 years later. Baseline 3-T knee MRIs of 309 subjects from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (n = 81 TKA cases, with right-knee TKA 4–7 years after enrolment, and n = 228 TKA-free matched controls) were evaluated for the presence and severity of pathological knee conditions via modified WORMS. Knee cartilage was segmented and standard T2 cartilage and T2 GLCM texture measures (contrast, variance) were computed. Statistical analysis employed conditional logistic regression. We found that a one-point increase on the joint effusion scale, the bone marrow edema scale or on the cartilage lesion scale at baseline predicted incident TKA (ORs: 2.45, 1.65, and 1.37 respectively (p ≤ 0.003)). For T2 cartilage measurements, we observed that in the lateral femur, a 1-SD increase in T2 relaxation time yielded a 28% increase in the odds of TKA (1.28 [1.09–1.643], p = 0.046). When looking at cartilage texture, we similarly noted that a 1-SD increase in the cartilage texture parameter “contrast” was associated with a 33–40% increased risk of incident TKA in the lateral femur and tibia (0.003 ≤ p ≤ 0.021), as was a 1-SD increase in the texture parameter “variance” in the lateral femur (p = 0.002). Radiological evaluation of standard knee MR images via single WORMS features and T2 standard and texture analysis at baseline can help predict the patient’s individual risk for an incident TKA 4–7 years later.