cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Moderators of chronic disease self-management programs: who benefits?:

Background: The Stanford University Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) has resulted in moderate beneficial outcomes in randomized controlled trials. A study of a modified CDSMP in England suggested that younger participants, those with lower initial self-efficacy and those with greater depression benefited most from the program.Design: Using data from previous CDSMP programs in English and Spanish, we examined whether there were statistically significant interactions between baseline statuses (demographic, disease and health status variables) and randomization (intervention or usual-care control) in estimating 6-month changes in health status (health distress, activity limitation/role function, self-efficacy and self-reported general health). If an interaction was found, post hoc examinations of the relationships between the baseline variables and outcomes determined the directions of the relationships.Results: Six moderating variables were found in the original English-language CDSMP and thr...
Apparatus for low-temperature growth of diamond-containing films

In current processes of diamond growth, the substrate temperature is in general around 600–900 °C. In the case of diamond-like carbon, the substrate temperature is lower, around 25–200 °C. There are many superior properties of diamond compared with diamond-like carbon; however, the high temperature requirement to grow diamond precludes many technologically important substrate materials such as zinc sulfide for an infrared window or electronic devices on which protective diamond layers are to be coated. The present approach is a hot filament DC glow discharge of hydrocarbon gases. A graphite hot filament cathode is inserted in a discharge cylinder tube anode. The discharge voltage is in the range of 50 to 250 volts at a methane gas pressure of about 100 microns. A negative biased voltage of 100 volts is applied between the cathode and the substrate. A magnetic field of 1 kG is applied near the cathode-anode assembly. At a substrate temperature of 200–400 °C, the deposited film on silicon crystal is confirmed by an electron diffraction pattern to consist of microcrystalline diamond.
Digital design guidelines for high speed backpanel interconnect

Some general guidelines for the design and construction of high-speed digital backpanels using microstrip transmission lines and ALS, FAST, or CMOS logic are presented. These guidelines are intended to give a designer a better idea of the factors that cause transmission-line problems on digital backpanels and provide possible methods to correct these problems. Specifically, general guidelines to assist in reducing problems of crosstalk, metastate, and reflects are presented. The guidelines were derived by linear and nonlinear simulations of many permutations of physical and electrical designs. >
Using African-Centered Principles In Family-Preservation Services

The author discusses African-centered family preservation services and the use of a strengths perspective in work with African American families, focusing on the heterogeneous structure of African American families and critical issues facing African American communities. African traditions and ways of integrating these traditions into family-preservation work with African American families are described. Integrating African traditions reflects a holistic approach to family-preservation services, improves the breadth and cultural relevance of services, protects children, and empowers families within the natural context of their communities. These outcomes complement the goals of family-preservation services and enhance the chances of families remaining intact.
Fatty acid ethyl ester effects on interleukin-2 production, cyclic AMP synthesis, and calcium influx in human mononuclear cells.

Background: Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE), nonoxidative ethanol metabolites, are produced by the esterification of fatty acids and ethanol. Plasma and serum FAEE correlate linearly with blood ethanol levels and are present in organs most commonly damaged by ethanol abuse. Our previous studies have shown that there is significant synthesis of FAEE by human mononuclear cells within seconds of exposure to physiologic doses of ethanol. Objectives: We studied the effects of FAEE on selected early events of mononuclear cell activation that follow stimulation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Fatty acid ethyl esters induced changes in cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2+]) levels, the production and secretion of interleukin-2 (IL-2) by the cells, and intracellular cAMP concentrations. Methods: A mononuclear fraction of human white blood cells (WBC) was incubated with physiologic doses of FAEE. For experiments involving IL-2 production and calcium influx, PHA-stimulated cells were incubated with 10, 25, 50, or 100 μM ethyl oleate, a representative FAEE species, for 60 minutes. Interleukin-2 was measured by enzyme immunometeric assay and maximum levels of Ca2+ were monitored by spectrofluorimetry. In other experiments, mononuclear cells were incubated with 10, 25, and 50 μM ethyl oleate for 0.08 to 120 minutes, and then the concentration of cAMP was determined by a cAMP competitive enzyme immunoassay system. Results: Fatty acid ethyl esters inhibited the PHA-induced IL-2 production and secretion in activated human mononuclear cells. Fatty acid ethyl esters also inhibited PHA-induced [Ca2+] influx into cells in a dose-dependent fashion. There was a rapid increase in the intracellular cAMP concentration of mononuclear cells induced by FAEE, with FAEE dose dependence. The cAMP concentration decreased as the incubation time with FAEE was increased. Conclusions: Fatty acid ethyl esters inhibited PHA-stimulated IL-2 production and Ca2+ influx into human mononuclear cells and elevated intracellular cAMP concentration. These changes in mononuclear cell signaling may be associated with the immunosuppression associated with alcohol abuse.
Global stabilization of a flat underactuated system: the inertia wheel pendulum

Inertial Wheel Pendulum (IWP) is a planar pendulum with a revolving wheel (that has a uniform mass distribution) at the end. The pendulum is unactuated and the wheel is actuated. Our main result is to address global asymptotic stabilization of the inertia wheel pendulum around its up-right position. Simulation results are provided for parameters taken from a real-life model of the IWP.
Conflicted Gatekeepers: The Volcker Rule and Goldman Sachs

In many areas of regulation, rules require one person to act with loyalty to another person, or at least constrain one person’s pursuit of self-interest by restricting the extent to which that person may act in conflict with the interests of another person. These rules are typically justified on the basis of reducing (economic) agency costs. However, recently-adopted provisions in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which include the so-called Volcker Rule, impose such conflict of interest rules on underwriters selling securities to investors, including sophisticated investors - a context in which agency costs do not arise. This article draws on the extensive literature on gatekeeper liability theory to develop a justification for imposing conflict of interest rules in these arm’s length relationships between underwriters and investors. The article argues that conflict of interest rules provide incentives to underwriters (as gatekeepers) to take greater precautions to deter disclosure errors by their clients, the issuers of the securities sold by underwriters, than underwriters would take otherwise and that these rules thus supplement, or serve as an alternative to, rules of gatekeeper liability. The article assesses whether this justification applies to the Volcker Rule.The article also uses as a case study a deal involving alleged conflicts of interest by Goldman Sachs in marketing the ABACUS 2007-AC1 collateralized debt obligation. That deal became the subject of highly publicized enforcement action by the SEC in 2010 and provided significant impetus in the adoption of the Volcker Rule. The article shows how the justification developed in this article for imposing conflict of interest rules informs our understanding of the propriety of Goldman Sachs’ conduct in the ABACUS deal and assists in applying and interpreting the Volcker Rule.
Looking to the future: focus on DPP-4 inhibitors for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and emerging therapies.

Strong evidence exists demonstrating the benefits of tight glycemic control in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, but glycemic goals are not adequately achieved for many patients. Advancement in the knowledge surrounding the physiology of endogenous glucoregula- tory peptide hormones, such as glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1, has led to new therapeutic targets for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors provide practitioners with a novel mechanism of action to use for combination therapies for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. This article, part 3 of a 3-part series, reviews the new class of medications known as DPP-4 inhibitors as well as discusses a future buccal insulin formulation, Oral-Lyn™, on the horizon for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Outcomes of self-help education for patients with arthritis

Behavioral and health status outcomes of an unreinforced, self-help education program for arthritis patients taught by lay persons were examined in 2 ways: a 4-month randomized experiment and a 20-month longitudinal study. At 4 months, experimental subjects significantly exceeded control subjects in knowledge, recommended behaviors, and in lessened pain. These changes remained significant at 20 months. The course was inexpensive and well-accepted by patients, physicians, and other health professionals.
Regulation of Valine Catabolism in Pseudomonas putida

The generation time of Pseudomonas putida with l-leucine was 20 h in synthetic media but only 3 h with d-leucine. Slow growth in the presence of l-leucine was partially overcome by addition of 0.1 mM amounts of either d-valine, l-valine, or 2-ketoisovalerate. The activities of five enzymes which take part in the oxidation of leucine by P. putida were measured under various conditions of growth. Four enzymes were induced by growth with dl-leucine as sole source of carbon: d-amino acid dehydrogenase, branched-chain keto acid dehydrogenase, 3-methylcrotonyl-coenzyme A carboxylase, and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A lyase. The segment of the pathway required for oxidation of 3-methylcrotonate was induced by growth on isovalerate or 3-methylcrotonate without formation of the preceding enzymes. The synthesis of carboxylase and lyase appeared to have been repressed by the addition of l-glutamate or glucose to cells growing on dl-leucine as the sole carbon source. Mutants unable to grow at the expense of isovalerate had reduced levels of carboxylase and lyase, whereas the levels of three enzymes common to the catabolism of all three branched-chain amino acids and those of two isoleucine catabolic enzymes were normal.
Does contact lead to similarity or similarity to contact

Evidence from the Finnish Twin Registry (e.g., Rose et al., 1988) shows that adult monozygotic (MZ) twins are more similar, within pairs, in personality if the cotwins are presently cohabiting or in frequent contact than if they are seldom in contact. Results of a follow-up study led Kaprio et al. (1990) to conclude that “changes in social contact between monozygotic cotwins precede (and causally contribute to) changes in their intrapair similarity” (p. 9). If true, this conclusion has important theoretical implications, e.g., many heritability estimates would have to be revised downward. We adduce evidence suggesting that similarity leads to contact, rather than the other way around. Low correlations between twins' frequency of contact and their absolute within-pair difference on all traits thus far studied indicates that, whichever the direction of causality, the relationship between MZ within-pair similarity and their frequency of contact is very weak.
Mechanism of Recovery from Systemic Herpes Simplex Virus Infection. I. Comparative Effectiveness of Antibody and Reconstitution of Immune Spleen Cells on Immunosuppressed Mice

The role of cellular immunity, humoral antibody, and interferon in recovery from primary systemic infection in mice due to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) was studied. Immunosuppression by three methods-each of which was sufficient to suppress humoral and cellular immunity-markedly potentiated primary systemic HSV-1 infection. Immunosuppressed mice did not form neutralizing antibody to HSV-1, but passive transfer of physiologic amounts of neutralizing antibody as late as day 6 after infection exerted a protective effect. Passive transfer of 108 immune spleen cells on day 3 after infection was only partially protective and did not thereafter reverse the effect of X-irradiation on HSV-1 infection. Furthermore, mice that received immune cells appeared to make sufficient antibody to explain the protective effect of the transferred cells. These results suggest that antibody to HSV-1 has a critical role in promoting recovery from primary infection in this model. The findings neither favor nor exclude a defensive role for immune cells in this experimental primary HSV-1 infection.
Calling Behavior and the Capacity for Sustained Locomotory Exercise in the Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)

Vocal advertisement by male anurans can make considerable demands on an individual's energetic reserves and innate physiological resources. In this study, we tested for a relationship between calling and locomotory performance in male Gray Treefrogs, Hyla versicolor. Male vocal activity was monitored in choruses assembled in an artificial pond and call duration and pulse effort used as calling performance metrics. Swimming distance served as our measure of locomotory performance. When males were compared within experimental choruses, there was no tendency for the male that produced the longest calls to swim further than the male that produced the shortest calls. Rather, the opposite was true. When these same males were ranked based on their pulse effort, we found that the male with superior calling performance also performed better in the swimming test than the male that gave fewer total pulses. There was no significant relationship between male condition (weight relative to length) and either calling or swimming performance. We hypothesize that pulse effort, which shows more stability within males under dynamic acoustic situations in choruses than call duration, may better reflect limitations of the cardiovascular and respiratory system than does call duration.
The State of JUNE.

JUNE’s readers have a right to know how the journal is doing and the plans for JUNE’s future. JUNE “belongs” to all FUN members and the larger community of neuroscience educators. So it is important that the state of JUNE be periodically communicated to its readers. JUNE is doing well as far as readership goes. In the past year, JUNE was visited 7,411 times, by 5,164 unique visitors. A quick math check will reveal that a good amount of our traffic was repeat visitors (about 30%), which shows that JUNE is appreciated as a resource by many. JUNE is already indexed in Psych Info (thanks to Dr. Gary Dunbar, Senior Editor), as well in the National Science Digital Library and the Directory of Open Access Journals due to efforts of the current Editor-In-Chief. Further, JUNE is also found on SCOPUS, a database allowing one to track citations of JUNE articles. We are working toward indexing JUNE in PubMed. As a first step, we adopted firm publication dates of October 15 and March 15. More importantly, an editorial board committee of Dr. Gary Dunbar, Dr. Raddy Ramos, and Dr. Julio Ramirez is preparing the application to the Literature Selection Technical Review Committee (LSTRC), which determines the publications indexed in Medline, and consequently PubMed. For a journal like JUNE, two full issues in XML (Extensible Markup Language) are required. XML is standard format that requires descriptive information such as author, title of article, and date of publication to appear as certain delimiters. Because XML format is invariant and predictable, it enables computer robots on the web to harvest information on the basis of a script. The present objective in the application process is to convert our files from their current PDF format to XML format. This task is being accomplished by Dr. Raddy Ramos via a website set up for JUNE by Dr. Robert Calin-Jageman. Hopefully, the first batch will be converted by the end of March 2012. Ultimately, all of the issues of JUNE will be converted to XML format so that past issues will be indexed on PubMed once JUNE has been accepted by the LSTRC. All of the individuals mentioned above have generously volunteered their time. Similarly, the other board members, reviewers, and authors who make this journal possible volunteer their time and efforts. To all involved, a huge debt of thanks is owed.
Calcium Content of Maternal and Foetal Blood Serum Following Injection of Parathyroid Extract in Foetuses in Utero.

In considering the changes in the maternal organism during pregnancy many observers from the time of Rokitansky have noted alterations in the teeth and skeletal tissues.1 In this connection, Seitz2 has pointed out that “of all the mineral substances, calcium passes in the greatest amount from the mother to the foetus” during gestation. It has been found also that about the time of very active development of bone in the foetus, which probably necessitates the mobilization of a considerable supply of calcium in the foetal body, the parathyroid glands of the embryo are already differentiated morphologically.3 Of immediate interest, however, are the recent investigations of Collip,4 as a result of which there is available an extract of the parathyroid glands which exerts a powerful influence on the mobilization of calcium in the blood. By means of this highly concentrated parathyroid substance, the old problem of the mechanism which is involved in the exchange of calcium from mother to foetus is reopened to e...
Acquired cytomegalovirus infection presenting as viral endometritis.

The case of a 16-year-old girl who presented with endometritis and the hematologic, serologic and microscopic findings of cytomegalovirus infection is described. The main clinical features were fever, malaise, abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding; the hematologic findings were similar to those seen in infectious mononucleosis. Increasing titers of complement-fixing CMV antibodies together with light and electron microscopic findings established the diagnosis. This unique presentation may have occurred as a result of either venereal transmission or oral infection.
Deep-plane angle rotation flap for reconstruction of perioral lesions.

Introduction A cervicofacial flap remains the principal method to close defects of the posterior cheek. Schrudde described a variant of this technique, termed the angle-rotation flap, which allowed primary closure of the donor site. This flap has been elevated in the deep plane for the more medial defects. We extend this technique for upper lip reconstruction. Methods Two cases were reviewed that underwent upper lip reconstruction with the deep-plane Schrudde flap. Results Two cases are presented to describe the use of the deep-plane angle-rotation flap. The first patient sustained a burn to his upper lip and the second patient had a partially grafted defect following a Mohs excision. Discussion In patients with insignificant nasolabial folds, the deep-plane Schrudde flap is a good option to reconstruct perioral defects. The utilization of the deep plane improves the blood supply and allows improved contour for reconstruction of deeper defects.
Tritrophic Level Effects on Entomopathogenic Nematodes

Laboratory assays were conducted to determine effect of host plant on mortality of the southern corn rootworm, Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber, from the entomopathogenic nematodes Steinemema carpocapsae Weiser and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar and on nematode progeny production. Mortality of D. u. howardi , as well as nematode progeny production, varied according to the host plant on which the rootworms had fed. Mortality from S. carpocapsae was lower for rootworms that had fed on peanut roots than for rootworms that had fed on squash or com roots. Mortality from H. bacteriophora was lower for rootworms that had been reared on corn roots than for rootworms that had fed on peanut or squash roots. For both nematodes, progeny production from larvae that had fed on squash roots was significantly lower than progeny production from rootworms that had fed on com or peanut roots. Host plant effects involving entomopathogenic nematodes and a soil-inhabiting stage of an insect pest have not been previously demonstrated.
Stereotypical beliefs and psychological well-being of African American adolescent girls: Collective self-esteem as a moderator

African American women are often times characterized by stereotypes that can be traced back to slavery. Those stereotypes have been found to affect many outcomes in an array of domains related to work, intimate relationships, and personal well-being. The literature does not address how these stereotypes may affect adolescent African American girls. This study aimed to fill that gap by examining how the endorsement of stereotypes affects the psychological well-being, specifically stress, in 144 African American adolescent girls (N = 144) who ranged from 12–19 years old. This study goes a step further to investigate whether collective self-esteem can serve as a buffer between endorsement of stereotypes and perceived stress. Using combined mediation–moderation model, the analysis showed that there is a significant positive relationship between stereotypic beliefs and perceived stress that is buffered by moderate to high levels of collective self-esteem. Implications for treatment and policy, as well as educa...
Estimation of average annual streamflows and power potentials for Alaska and Hawaii

This paper describes the work done to develop average annual streamflow estimates and power potential for the states of Alaska and Hawaii. The Elevation Derivatives for National Applications (EDNA) database was used, along with climatic datasets, to develop flow and power estimates for every stream reach in the EDNA database. Estimates of average annual streamflows were derived using state-specific regression equations, which were functions of average annual precipitation, precipitation intensity, drainage area, and other elevation-derived parameters. Power potential was calculated through the use of the average annual streamflow and the hydraulic head of each reach, which is calculated from the EDNA digital elevation model. In all, estimates of streamflow and power potential were calculated for over 170,000 stream segments in the Alaskan and Hawaiian datasets.
Asymmetric Infantile Spasms

Behavioral and EEG asymmetry and asynchrony of 8,680 infantile spasms were analysed in a review of 75 consecutive video-EEG recordings performed at UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles from 1982 to 1992.
Variation in Delayed Time to Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Disease-Specific Survival in Stage III Colon Cancer Patients.

There is a paucity of literature quantifying the extent to which time to adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer patients varies between individual surgeons, medical oncologists, and hospitals. A retrospective cohort study was conducted by merging the New York State Cancer Registry with the Statewide Planning & Research Cooperative System and Medicare claims to identify stage III colon cancer patients from 2004 to 2009 who underwent resection and received adjuvant chemotherapy. Multilevel logistic regression models characterized variation in delayed time to adjuvant chemotherapy (>8 weeks vs. ≤8 weeks). Multilevel competing-risks Cox proportional hazards models assessed the effect of delayed time to adjuvant chemotherapy on disease-specific survival. The proportion of delayed time to adjuvant chemotherapy was 36 % in 1133 patients treated by 516 surgeons and 351 medical oncologists at 163 hospitals. After controlling for case-mix, the majority of the clustering variation (72 %) in delayed time to adjuvant chemotherapy is attributed to differences between medical oncologists. Risk-adjusted surgeon-specific, medical oncologist-specific, and hospital-specific probabilities of delayed time to adjuvant chemotherapy ranged from 30 to 38, 17 to 59, and 27 to 43 %, respectively. Delayed time to adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with disease-specific survival (hazard ratio [HR] 1.24, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.07–1.45). These findings suggest there is substantial variation in time to adjuvant chemotherapy among stage III colon cancer patients. Reasons for delays may be due to system factors that influence individual providers to make varying decisions on the time of initiation. Future research should identify what these factors may be and how to address them to promote better delivery of care.
Epistemology, Aesthetics and Pragmatics of Scientific and Other Images: Visualization, Representation and Reasoning

Vagueness of appearance and depiction is a property of the categorization of images. Through categorization, whatever pictures do, they may do approximately and vaguely. And what images can do, that is, what they do for us and we can do with them, depends on what we think their roles are. In general, pictures play a role in ordinary and scientific argument and in cognition more broadly. They are key to identifying, documenting, tracking and exploring visible properties of empirical systems and phenomena, also and to visualizing and communicating empirical and theoretical information; they can be emotionally compelling, aesthetically powerful, and exhibit and enforce values and biases. This is no less relevant in the study of systems, individual or generic, whose relevant properties are spatial, chromatic or structural. Relevant examples differ widely in medium, mode of production and use; they include photographs, drawings, data charts, diagrams, animations, film recordings, computer generated images, etc. Pictures in many such cases are meant to support inferences, recognition processes and carry heuristic and evidence value. We think with them and through them.
Orthodox Jewish Thought Leaders' Insights Regarding BRCA Mutations: A Descriptive Study.

Purpose:To examine the factors that influence Orthodox Jewish (OJ) thought leaders’ perceptions of genetic counseling and testing for BRCA mutations. The specific aims of this study were to describe (1) OJ thought leaders’ views on genetic counseling and testing for BRCA mutation status and (2) insights into this high-risk faith-based minority group and their beliefs about counseling and testing for BRCA mutations.Methods:In-depth focus groups and demographic questionnaires were used in this descriptive, qualitative study, which was performed in the cancer center of a 750-bed community teaching hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Participants included 17 OJ thought leaders in a large metropolitan area in the northeastern United States.Results:Four themes emerged that describe the key components of the views of OJ thought leaders regarding genetic counseling and testing for BRCA mutation carriers. There was a high level of concern about cancer, recognition that community norms shift, acknowledgment of the role...
Online self-help forums on cannabis: A content assessment

Abstract Objective To investigate online self-help forums related to cannabis users who were searching for help on the Internet. Methods We analyzed the content of 717 postings by 328 users in three online forums in terms of fields of interest and self-help mechanisms. Only English-language forums that were free of charge and without registration were investigated. Results The main self-help mechanisms were disclosure and symptoms, with relatively few posts concerning legal issues and social perceptions. The forums differed significantly in all fields of interest and self-help mechanisms except for social network and financial and vocational issues. Highly involved users more commonly posted on topics related to diagnosis, etiology/research, and provision of information and less commonly on those related to gratitude. Correlation analysis showed a moderate negative correlation between emotional support and illness-related aspects and between emotional support and exchange of information. Conclusions Cannabis forums share similarities with other mental health forums. Posts differ according to user involvement and the specific orientation of the forum. Practice implications The Internet offers a viable source of self-help and social support for cannabis users, which has potential clinical implications in terms of referring clients to specific forums.
Bloomberg Terminals as a Hands on Learning Tool for Applied FinancialAnalysis

Bloomberg terminals are widely used by traders of financial instruments. Recently, Fairleigh Dickinson University leased twenty-four Bloomberg Terminals, twelve each for its two New Jersey campuses. This paper discusses the introduction of these terminals in several finance courses at the university and then describes more fully an example of using these terminals in a Financial Markets and Institutions course to analyze the relation between the yield curve and monetary policy.
Making Light of the Ethical? The Ethics and Politics of Animal Rights

In his chapter, Mark Rowlands examines the political turn in interspecies ethics. He considers the idea that ethical approaches alone cannot provide a successful framework to tackle the issues nonhuman animals currently face efficiently. Rowlands criticizes this position on two fronts. First, he observes that ethical and political theories about nonhuman animals have been distinguished in a problematic way. For such a distinction often fails to capture what really matters in this debate. Second, he points out that it is rather unclear whether political accounts are a superior approach to traditional ethical views, and argues that the latter may have a much more sophisticated conceptual apparatus to handle nonhuman animals issue than previously assumed.
Modeling Insect-Repellent Use for Chikungunya Disease Prevention Among US-Caribbean Travelers

Introduction: This study examined the relationship between specific psychosocial variables and the use of insect repellents on skin or clothing as a preventive behavior for Chikungunya fever among US travelers to Caribbean destinations. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective online survey method was adopted. US residents who travelled to one of 34 Caribbean destinations within the past 12 months and expressed an awareness of Chikungunya fever were invited to participate in this study. Sociodemographic variables, perceived response efficacy, perceived self-efficacy, perceived Chikungunya severity and susceptibility, and self-reported use of insect repellents were investigated. Results: Results of direct logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between higher levels of education and the odds of self-reported use of insect repellent on skin or clothing among study participants. Among the proximal Chikungunya-related variables, hierarchical binary logistic regression revealed a significant association between scores on perceived response efficacy, perceived self-efficacy, and perceived severity of self-reported use of insect repellents. These results support the existence of a hierarchical relationship between the more proximal Chikungunya-related variables and self-reported use of insect repellents as a personal protective measure (PPM). Conclusion: The findings of the current study have important implications for health communication messaging aimed at reducing the spread of Chikungunya among US travelers to Caribbean destinations. It seems essential to establish the use of insect repellent on skin and clothing as a personal preventive measure against Chikungunya disease within an educational context, framed along the lines of Chikungunya severity, response efficacy, and self-efficacy, for US travelers to destinations with a high risk of exposure to Chikungunya disease-carrying mosquitoes.
Development and Validation of a Short Health Behaviors Index for Use With Low Socioeconomic Status (SES) Older Adults

This study reports on the development and validation of a health behavior index in predominantly low socioeconomic status (SES) older adults. In order to develop and validate the index for use in low SES older adults, the 24-item Health and Human Services HealthStyle Self-Test was used for item generation. It was reduced to a relatively brief instrument, the Short HealthStyle (SHS) Index with 13 items that measures four major content areas of lifestyle behaviors among low SES older adults. The SHS Index was administered to a sample of 350 low SES older individuals. Principal component model factor analysis indicated a four-factor structure. Items loading on the first factor appeared to assess fitness and leisure activities, whereas those loading on the second and third factor assessed nutrition practices and stress control, respectively. A fourth factor assessed drinking/eating behaviors. Discriminant validity of the SHS was confirmed using the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, and other health measures that indicated distinct constructs. Internal consistency for the SHS was .72 using Chronbach's alpha. Overall, the SHS Index displayed good psychometric properties in this sample, suggesting the appropriateness of using it to measure selected health behaviors with low SES older adults.
Piezoelectric Materials Under Natural and Man-Made Radiation: The Potential for Direct Radiation Detection

Radiation detection systems used for monitoring long term waste storage need to be compact, rugged, and have low or no power requirements. By using piezoelectric materials it may be possible to create a reliable self-powered radiation detection system. To determine the feasibility of this approach, the electrical signal response of the piezoelectric materials to radiation must be characterized. To do so, an experimental geometry has been designed and a neutron source has been chosen as described in this paper, which will be used to irradiate a uranium foil for producing fission fragments. These future experiments will be aimed at finding the threshold of exposure of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) plates needed to produce and electrical signal. Based on the proposed experimental geometry the thermal neutron beam-line at the Breazeale Reactor at The Pennsylvania State University will be used as the neutron source. The uranium foil and neutron source will be able to supply a maximum flux of 1.5e5 fission fragments/second*cm 2 to each of the PZT plates.
How we made the Li-ion rechargeable battery

Progress in portable and ubiquitous electronics would not be possible without rechargeable batteries. John B. Goodenough recounts the history of the lithium-ion rechargeable battery.
Zooplankton and Nekton: Natural Barriers to the Seaward Transport of Suspended Terrigenous Particles off Peru

Some of the strongest biogenic signals of coastal upwelling reported in Recent marine sediments (e.g., organic carbon content >20 wt. %) are found in a mud facies on the inner continental margin off Peru, particularly between 10° and 14°S. Terrigenous sediments found there are anomalously fine grained and have overall grain-size distributions which are similar to those of deep-sea sediments collected seaward of the Peru Trench. To explain the observed dispersal patterns of fine silts and clays on the inner continental margin, rapid vertical transport of large aggregates (fecal pellets) from a wind-driven surface layer is required.
Cerebral–Renal Salt Wasting

Cerebral or the preferred term, renal salt wasting (RSW), remains an unresolved syndrome that has historically evolved from being considered nonexistent to acceptance as a distinct clinical syndrome. Yet, differences over its prevalence continue. Many with RSW are diagnosed and treated for SIADH, which has diametrically opposite therapeutic goals from RSW, that is, to water-restrict in SIADH and administer salt and water in RSW. The major obstacles to differentiating SIADH from RSW are the overlapping of significant findings and clinical associations of both syndromes and our inability to assess the volume status of these patients, being volume-depleted in RSW and expanded in SIADH. In this chapter, we (1) redefine RSW, (2) review the pathophysiology of RSW, (3) review relevant volume studies, which prove RSW to be much more common than SIADH in neurosurgical patients, (4) review the complexities of differentiating RSW from SIADH, focusing on how a previously increased FEurate normalizes in SIADH as compared to being persistently increased in RSW after correction of hyponatremia, (5) review the emerging importance of determining fractional excretion (FE) of urate, which surpasses serum urate in the evaluation of hyponatremic conditions, (6) increased FEurate in the presence of normonatremia is suggestive of RSW, (7, 8) A normal FEurate in nonedematous hyponatremia is highly suggestive of reset osmostat, (9) present an algorithm that uses FEurate as central to the evaluation of the hyponatremic patient, (10). demonstrate the presence of a natriuretic factor in RSW that has different characteristics from A/BNP (11) advocate changing cerebral salt wasting to RSW based on reports of RSW occurring in patients without clinical cerebral disease and eliminating reset osmostat as a subtype of SIADH based on a normal FEurate and the predictability of ADH response to changes in serum osmolality, and (12) awareness, that symptoms with potentially serious complications are associated with hyponatremia, creates a therapeutic urgency to improve methods of differentiating RSW from SIADH.
Monoclonal antibody against CD11b/CD18 inhibits endotoxin-induced uveitis.

PURPOSE To examine the serial expression of cell adhesion molecules in C3H/HeN mice with endotoxin-induced uveitis, and to study the effect of treatment with a monoclonal antibody against Mac-1 on the development of endotoxin-induced uveitis. METHODS Immunohistochemical staining was used to document the serial expression of Mac-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) in eyes of C3H/HeN mice with endotoxin-induced uveitis. Then, in two separate experiments, endotoxin-induced uveitis was produced in a total of 48 mice by injecting Salmonella typhimurium endotoxin into one hind footpad. At the time of endotoxin injection, 24 mice received an intraperitoneal injection of anti-Mac-1 antibody and 24 control mice received an intraperitoneal injection of rat IgG. Histopathologic sections of eyes taken 24 hours after endotoxin injection were graded by two masked observers on a scale of 0 to 4. RESULTS Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 was first expressed on the ciliary body epithelium 6 hr after endotoxin injection and Mac-1 and LFA-1 were expressed on infiltrating inflammatory cells 12 hr after endotoxin injection. Treatment with anti-MAC-1 antibody significantly inhibited the development of ocular inflammation when compared with treatment with control IgG (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 is expressed in the eye before clinical or histologic signs of inflammation. Furthermore, treatment with antibody against Mac-1 significantly inhibits the development of endotoxin-induced uveitis in mice and suggests that anti-Mac-1 antibody may be useful for treating acute ocular inflammation.
NMR spectroscopy: past and present.

From 60-MHz instruments to the upcoming 900-MHz systems that run multidimensional experiments, NMR has proven to be one of chemistry’s most important tools.
Clobazam monotherapy for focal or generalized seizures.

Background This is an updated version of the original Cochrane Review published in Issue 10, 2014. There is a need to expand monotherapy options available to a clinician for the treatment of new focal or generalized seizures. A Cochrane systematic review for clobazam monotherapy is expected to define its place in the treatment of new-onset or untreated seizures and highlight gaps in evidence. Objectives To evaluate the efficacy, effectiveness, tolerability and safety of clobazam as monotherapy in people with new-onset focal or generalized seizures. Search methods For the latest update we searched the following databases on 19 March 2018: the Cochrane Register of Studies (CRS Web), which includes the Cochrane Epilepsy Group Specialized Register and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (Ovid, 1946- ), BIOSIS Previews (1969- ), ClinicalTrials.gov, and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). There were no language restrictions. Selection criteria Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing clobazam monotherapy versus placebo or other anti-seizure medication in people with two or more unprovoked seizures or single acute symptomatic seizure requiring short-term continuous anti-seizure medication, were eligible for inclusion. Data collection and analysis Primary outcome measure was time on allocated treatment (retention time), reflecting both efficacy and tolerability. Secondary outcomes included short- and long-term effectiveness measures, tolerability, quality of life, and tolerance measures. Two authors independently extracted the data. Main results We identified three trials fulfilling the review criteria, which included 206 participants. None of the identified studies reported the preselected primary outcome measure. A meta-analysis was not possible. Lack of detail regarding allocation concealment and a high risk of performance and detection bias in two studies prompted us to downgrade the quality of evidence (by using the GRADE approach) for some of our results due to risk of bias.Regarding retention at 12 months, we detected no evidence of a statistically significant difference between clobazam and carbamazepine (risk ratio (RR) 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61 to 1.12; low-quality evidence). There was low-quality evidence that clobazam led to better retention compared with phenytoin (RR 1.43, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.90). We could not determine whether participants receiving clobazam were found to be less likely to discontinue it due to adverse effects as compared to phenytoin (RR 0.10, 95% CI 0.01 to 1.65, low-quality evidence). Authors' conclusions We found no advantage for clobazam over carbamazepine for retention at 12 months in drug-naive children and a slight advantage of clobazam over phenytoin for retention at six months in adolescents and adults with neurocysticercosis in a single clinical trial each. At present, the available evidence is insufficient to inform clinical practice.
Suppl: A Flexible Language for Policies

We present the Simple Unified Policy Programming Language (Suppl), a domain-neutral language for stating, executing, and analyzing event-condition-action policies. Suppl uses a novel combination of pure logic programming and disciplined imperative programming features to make it easy for non-expert users to express common policy idioms. The language is strongly typed and moded to allow static detection of common programming errors, and it supports a novel logic-based static analysis that can detect internally inconsistent policies. Suppl has been implemented as a compiler to Prolog and used to build several network security applications in a Java framework.
Validating Enhanced Resolution of Microwave Sounder Imagery Through Fusion with Infrared Sensors| Data

In this paper, we describe and validate a data fusion methodology and apply it to enhance the resolution of a microwave image using the data from a collocated infrared/visible sensor. Such an approach takes advantage of the spatial resolution of the infrared instrument and the sensing accuracy of the microwave instrument. We test our method using a precipitation scene captured with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-B) microwave instrument and the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) infrared instrument and compare the results to simultaneous radar observations. We show that the data fusion product is better than the original AMSU-Band AVHRR observations across all statistical indicators.
Concepts for next generation grating spectrometer imaging atmospheric sounders from LEO and GEO

Spaceborne infrared atmospheric sounders measure the spectrum of the upwelling radiance in the infrared with ultra-high spectral resolution. The resolution is sufficient to measure absorption features of atmospheric constituents enabling retrieval of atmospheric temperature and water vapor profiles, surface emission and atmospheric constituents. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on Aqua launched in May of 2002 was the first hyperspectral grating-based infrared sounder designed for this purpose and is still operational today. AIRS has been followed by the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on MetOp A and B, and the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) on Suomi NPP and JPSS. All instruments are operating well improving weather forecast and providing a wealth of information about the atmosphere. Additional CrIS and IASI instruments are expected to be launched providing data of this type into the late 2030’s. AIRS, CrIS and IASI are all Low Earth Orbit (LEO) instruments with nominal spatial resolutions of 14km. Future IR sounders must achieve higher spatial and temporal resolution to match improvements in forecast models and be less costly to match anticipated future budget pressures. Higher temporal resolution can be achieved in several ways including operation in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) or in constellations of LEO satellites. Higher spatial resolution can be achieved using larger format focal plane assemblies in the instruments and larger aperture telescopes. Grating spectrometers are well suited to large format FPAs by allowing a wide field of view in a compact package. They also provide long life and are easy to operate. Concepts for next generation grating spectrometer IR sounders that have been developed over the years at JPL are presented along with technology advancements made to enable these concepts to achieve their stated goals.
TIME SHARING AND INTERACTIVE STATISTICS

Publisher Summary The terminal oriented real time operating system (TORTOS) consists of a number of modifications and extensions to the standard IBM Operating System/360 with the MVT option. TORTOS provides scheduling, memory management—with roll-in/roll-out to drum—and time sharing for four basic job priority classes: (1) real-time, (2) terminal, (3) background, and (4) batch. The full facilities of OS/360 are available to all job classes, including terminal, and an interface is provided for conversational facilities. A few conversational utilities are included as a part of the basic package; among these are conversational program entry, syntax analysis, data manipulating routines, and a conversational access method for use in the development of interactive programs. The memory management routines allocate storage to new jobs and handle roll-in/roll-out to the drum. As a job must be allocated the same memory locations from initiation to termination, it is scheduled to be rolled-out to the drum at the end of its time-slice.
Mutual Fund Tax Overhang

The built-in gain in a mutual fund’s portfolio is referred to as “tax overhang.” Tax is imposed on investors who buy shares in mutual funds with tax overhang even though the gain accrued before their investment. The consequence is accelerated tax, increasing the shareholders’ effective tax rate. This article (1) explains why this occurs and why it is a problem, (2) describes the magnitude of the problem, (3) describes and illustrates avoidance strategies funds use to avoid the bad effects of tax overhang, (4) argues that reform is warranted, and (5) describes and evaluates the options for reform.