cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inflammatory mediators are induced by dietary glycotoxins, a major risk factor for diabetic angiopathy

Diet is a major environmental source of proinflammatory AGEs (heat-generated advanced glycation end products); its impact in humans remains unclear. We explored the effects of two equivalent diets, one regular (high AGE, H-AGE) and the other with 5-fold lower AGE (L-AGE) content on inflammatory mediators of 24 diabetic subjects: 11 in a 2-week crossover and 13 in a 6-week study. After 2 weeks on H-AGE, serum AGEs increased by 64.5% (P = 0.02) and on L-AGE decreased by 30% (P = 0.02). The mononuclear cell tumor necrosis factor-alphabeta-actin mRNA ratio was 1.4 +/- 0.5 on H-AGE and 0.9 +/- 0.5 on L-AGE (P = 0.05), whereas serum vascular adhesion molecule-1 was 1,108 +/- 429 and 698 +/- 347 ngml (P = 0.01) on L- and H-AGE, respectively. After 6 weeks, peripheral blood mononuclear cell tumor necrosis factor-alpha rose by 86.3% (P = 0.006) and declined by 20% (P, not significant) on H- or L-AGE diet, respectively; C-reactive protein increased by 35% on H-AGE and decreased by 20% on L-AGE (P = 0.014), and vascular adhesion molecule-1 declined by 20% on L-AGE (P < 0.01) and increased by 4% on H-AGE. Serum AGEs were increased by 28.2% on H-AGE (P = 0.06) and reduced by 40% on L-AGE (P = 0.02), whereas AGE low density lipoprotein was increased by 32% on H-AGE and reduced by 33% on L-AGE diet (P < 0.05). Thus in diabetes, environmental (dietary) AGEs promote inflammatory mediators, leading to tissue injury. Restriction of dietary AGEs suppresses these effects.
Desensitization of the peristaltic reflex induced by mucosal stimulation with the selective 5-HT4 agonist tegaserod.

The intestinal peristaltic reflex induced by mucosal stimulation is mediated by mucosal release of serotonin (5-HT), which acts on 5-HT4 receptors located on CGRP-containing afferent nerve terminal...
Thiamine Deficiency as a Model of Selective Neurodegeneration with Chronic Oxidative Deficits

Experimental thiamine deficiency is a classical model of the molecular changes that underlie the clinical syndrome referred to variously as delirium, acute confusional state1,2,3,4 or metabolic encephalopathy5. This syndrome is characterized by decreased attention and cognition, alertness, orientation and grasp, memory, affect and perception. A wide variety of systemic disorders lead to the development of the syndrome including hypoxia, ischemia, hypoglycemia, some diseases of peripheral organs, ionic imbalance, poisoning, dysfunction of temperature regulation, infection or inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, primary neuronal and glial disorders, acute delirious states (sedative drug withdrawal, drug intoxication, postoperative delirium, intensive care unit delirium), and vitamin and nutritional deficiencies (e.g. thiamine deficiency). Despite the varied etiology, the diverse insults that lead to delirium may act by common metabolic and cellular pathways, as suggested by results from studies of aging and hypoxia.6,7,8
Human Responses to Cancer: An Ecological Approach

For those of us who have had personal or professional experience with cancer patients and their families, it is clear that this diagnosis precipitates a number of serious psychosocial problems. These problems may be resolved, mitigated, or aggravated as the result of a complex process of adaptation involving the patient, family and the health care system. The thesis of this presentation is that the problems associated with cancer, if treated early as problems of adaptation, will respond to interventions specifically designed for them. Problems of adaptation are likely to become ingrained personality difficulties if they are not treated promptly with appropriate brief interventions.
Regulation of VO2 in red muscle: do current biochemical hypotheses fit in vivo data?

Observations used to test biochemical models of the regulation of O2 consumption (VO2) by cytosolic phosphate energy state must include a change in intracellular pH and/or a change in the adenine n...
Improving reliability, energy-efficiency and security of storage systems and real-time systems

Many life-critical systems are required to operate without a system failure for a given period of time. Examples are nuclear, aerospace, spacecraft and other such systems. Many of these applications are either storage intensive or real time intensive, hence it is crucial to look at the reliability improvements of computer systems, mainly storage and real time systems. With respect to storage system reliability, in the business arena, data preservation and data mining has proven to be a boon in shaping business strategy. For individuals, storage is being called upon to preserve sentimental and historical artifacts such as photos, movies and personal documents. In both these areas, storage must keep pace with a growing need for efficient, reliable, long term storage. When it comes to real time systems, performance is their most important characteristic - right up until the point where it stops working. Then, suddenly, you don't care how fast it is - or rather, was. You just want it to start working again. The importance of reliability in both storage and real time systems is made clear by the above statements. Reliability of these two computer systems can be affected by a wide range of novel technologies, including energy conservation techniques and security mechanisms. In what follows, we describe two challenging issues of improving reliability in storage systems and real-time systems. The first issue is improving reliability and energy efficiency of storage systems, the second challenge is the improvement of reliability and security in real time systems. Modern day storage systems offer high levels of performance and disk capacity at low costs. In this dissertation, we propose methods for building energy-efficient and reliable large scale storage systems. The primary focus of our research is to achieve the twin goals of maximizing reliability and minimizing energy consumption by incorporating these energy-efficient and reliable techniques to large scale storage systems. The experimental results using both synthetic and real world applications (traces) have shown that the energy consumption could be significantly reduced while guaranteeing maximum reliability for storage disks with a marginal degradation of performance. Reliability of real time systems, second challenging issue, is studied in the later part of the dissertation. For real-time embedded systems we proposed techniques to integrate fault recovery and security services in real time embedded systems. Simulation results show that our techniques can significantly improve security over the conventional approaches, while achieving an efficient means of fault recovery.
Sexual Differences in Antipredator Behavior of Breeding American Avocets and Black-Necked Stilts

the White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis (Gmelin). Evolution 29:611-621. THORPE, W. H. 1961. Bird song. Cambridge Univ. Press, London. WASSERMAN, F. E., C. DOWD, B. A. SCHLINGER, D. BYMAN, S. P. BATTISTA, AND T. H. KUNZ. 1984. The effects of microwave radiation on avian dominance behavior. Bioelectromagnetics 5:331-339. WINGFIELD, J. C. 1985. Short-term changes in plasma levels of hormones during establishment and defense of a breeding territory in male Song Sparrows, Melospiza melodia. Horm. Behav. 19:174187.
Experiential computing

Seeking insight from data, users experience, explore, and experiment, no longer limited to just generating lists of possible answers to simplistic queries.
An Integrated Approach for RNA-seq Data Normalization.

Background: DNA copy number alteration is common in many cancers. Studies have shown that insertion or deletion of DNA sequences can directly alter gene expression, and significant correlation exists between DNA copy number and gene expression. Data normalization is a critical step in the analysis of gene expression generated by RNA-seq technology. Successful normalization reduces/removes unwanted nonbiological variations in the data, while keeping meaningful information intact. However, as far as we know, no attempt has been made to adjust for the variation due to DNA copy number changes in RNA-seq data normalization. Results: In this article, we propose an integrated approach for RNA-seq data normalization. Comparisons show that the proposed normalization can improve power for downstream differentially expressed gene detection and generate more biologically meaningful results in gene profiling. In addition, our findings show that due to the effects of copy number changes, some housekeeping genes are not always suitable internal controls for studying gene expression. Conclusions: Using information from DNA copy number, integrated approach is successful in reducing noises due to both biological and nonbiological causes in RNA-seq data, thus increasing the accuracy of gene profiling.
Youth Financial Literacy in the United States: A Patchwork Approach

While the financial well-being of Americans has generally increased since the last recession, the latest survey results from FINRA indicate a national population that is still struggling to meet its financial obligations, save for retirement or effectively manage debt. Absent a national educational policy, the American experience of financial education is dependent upon state and local mandates. The majority of states require financial literacy standards K-12, but a smaller number require those standards to be implemented; a much smaller number require testing on the standards. In addition, the question of financial literacy’s efficacy remains. While behavioural change is the gold standard, financial education’s effect on subsequent behaviour is difficult to ascertain. Definitive statements concerning its efficacy with respect to knowledge improvement are also challenging, given the myriad methodological issues surrounding past research. The future of financial education in the US suffers from a willing spirit, but a weak body. Inclusion of financial education in school curricula receives overwhelming support from teachers, parents and policy makers; the decentralized nature of the American education system makes such implementation difficult. Two possible approaches include integrating financial education into the widely adopted Common Core standards, and implementing a “Smart” state model, first developed in Tennessee and being implemented in other states. The ultimate solution for financial education delivery in the US is to increase the rigour around the conceptualization and construction of its curriculum, elevating its status from a set of skills to a body of knowledge, putting it on par with other, more traditional disciplines.
Discovery of neuropeptide Y receptor antagonists

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the discovery of neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptor antagonists. The design and synthesis of peptide or peptide-like NPY receptor antagonists based on the analysis of structural analogs of NPY is presented. The diphenylacetyl-dipeptide, AXC02632, was found to have high binding affinity and selectivity for the Y1 receptor. AXC02632 exhibited a much lower affinity when assayed in the presence of physiological concentrations of sodium and calcium, or when tested on intact cells. AXC02632 is structurally similar to BIBP3226 and, the latter compound is equally active in both salt-free and saline containing systems. The design and synthesis of nonpeptide NPY receptor antagonists based on pharmacophore information derived from the analysis of peptide or peptide-like NPY receptor antagonists is also analyzed. The comparison of AXC01018 with AXC01020 indicates that the desmethoxy analog AXC01020 was two times less selective for Yl over Y2 than the corresponding methoxy analog AXC01018 owing to the lack of the neutral H-bond acceptor methoxy groups. It is observed that one of the bis-triazine NPY receptor antagonists exhibited significant affinity for the rat forebrain somatistatin receptor.
Part 2. If We Frame It, They Will Respond: Student Responses to the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

ABSTRACTThe second part of this exploratory study compares student pretest and posttest responses conducted at the beginning and end of a semester-long research methods course to measure the evolution of undergraduate students’ comprehension of information literacy concepts as presented in the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education’s Frames.
Desigualdades que importam / Inequalities that Matter

DOI : 10.12957/dep.2016.25359 Resumo Qual e a situacao das desigualdades hoje? O objetivo desse artigo e discutir alguns avancos e os graves retrocessos quanto as desigualdades atualmente, assim como propor uma abordagem especifica para enfrentar as desigualdades que importam por meio do direito. Em primeiro lugar, mencionarei a crescente resistencia as mudancas estruturais necessarias para reagir adequadamente as desigualdades. em segundo lugar, eu tratarei da necessidade de ter precisao e clareza sobre o que significa desigualdade em um dado contexto, para contrapor a propria injustica a que corresponde a desigualdade. Em seguida, eu apresentarei minha abordagem para a interpretacao dos tres direitos fundamentais pos-segunda guerra mundial como um triângulo: dessa forma, igualdade, por exemplo, deve ser interpretada a luz da dignidade e da liberdade. Para ilustrar esse argumento, analisarei a decisao do Tribunal Constitucional alemao quanto aos beneficios sociais a requerentes de asilo. Em terceiro lugar, eu sustento que ha muitas formas que podem ser usadas para se reconhecer o dano das desigualdades, e exemplificarei algumas delas. Finalmente, concluo que, levadas a serio e seguindo essa abordagem, pode-se enfim chegar as desigualdades que importam. (Texto elaborado pela tradutora) Palavras-chave: Desigualdades, estudos de genero/feminismo; direito constitucional; direitos humanos; direitos fundamentais; liberdade; dignidade; igualdade. Abstract What is the situation of inequalities today? The objective of this article is to discuss the small advancements and the serious setbacks regarding inequalities nowadays as well as to propose a specific approach for addressing inequalities that matter through law. First, I will mention the growing resistance to the structural changes needed to properly react to inequalities. Second, I sustain the necessity of being precise and clear on what equality means in a given context, to counter the very injustice that equality responds to. Thus, I present my approach for the interpretation of the three post-World War II fundamental rights as a triangle: therefore equality, for instance, must be interpreted in light of dignity and liberty. To illustrate this point, I will analyze the German Federal Constitutional Court´s ruling on Asylum Seeker Benefits. Third, I maintain that there are many sources that may be used to recognize the harm of inequalities, and I will exemplify some of them. Finally, I conclude that taken seriously, and so prepared, one may indeed really get at inequalities that matter. (Abstract written by the translator) Keywords: Inequalities; gender studies/feminism; constitutional law; human rights, fundamental rights, liberty; dignity; equality. Traducao: Ligia Fabris Campos Professora da FGV Direito Rio e doutoranda da Humboldt Universitat zu Berlin. A tradutora foi responsavel pela confeccao do resumo, palavras-chaves, abstract e key-words.
The Historian on Language: Ibn Khaldun and the Communicative Learning Approach

Long regarded as a landmark historian, sociologist and philosopher, Ibn Khaldun has entered Islamic tradition as a giant figure of learning. His Muqaddimah marked the earliest attempt by any historian to build a framework to explain the political and social structure of civilization. While much has been written about his views on history and society, very little recognition has been granted to his writings on the Arabic language. Ibn Khaldun dedicated the last third of his Muqaddimah to the study of language, yet this portion of his work has been barely examined by scholars. This is all the more unfortunate since an examination of his work reveals a remarkable depth of knowledge and learning. A study of Ibn Khaldun's views on language exposes a “cutting-edge” approach, one that is in line with the most current thought on contemporary second language acquisition. Rather than promoting language learning through grammar, Ibn Khaldun projected a vision embraced by linguists today. Advocating learning language through conversation, Ibn Khaldun was one of the earliest supporters of communicative language learning.
The Learning Styles of Undergraduate Students in CM Bachelor’s Degree Programs in the U.S.

This article presents the findings of a study analyzing the learning styles of undergraduate construction management (CM) students in bachelor’s degree programs in the United States. The study util...
Chemical vapor sensing in photonic crystal slabs

We report here chemical vapor sensing in free-space coupled defect-free photonic crystal slabs. It shows a quality factor of 6,890 and a sensitivity of 1.76×10−2 pm/ppm for hexane, with a detection limit of 57 ppm.
mTORC1 Couples Nucleotide Synthesis to Nucleotide Demand Resulting in a Targetable Metabolic Vulnerability

The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) supports proliferation through parallel induction of key anabolic processes, including protein, lipid, and nucleotide synthesis. We hypothesized that these processes are coupled to maintain anabolic balance in cells with mTORC1 activation, a common event in human cancers. Loss of the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) tumor suppressors results in activation of mTORC1 and development of the tumor syndrome TSC. We find that pharmacological inhibitors of guanylate nucleotide synthesis have selective deleterious effects on TSC-deficient cells, including in mouse tumor models. This effect stems from replication stress and DNA damage caused by mTORC1-driven rRNA synthesis, which renders nucleotide pools limiting. These findings reveal a metabolic vulnerability downstream of mTORC1 triggered by anabolic imbalance.
Reflections on educational technology research and development

I have asked my co-editors at Educational Technology Research & Development (ETRD (b) instructional design and technology research; and (c) attitudes and abilities. The main messages I try to convey are: (a) simple, descriptive language tends to promote understanding, (b) advocacy can easily lead to overpromising and loss of confidence in our professional discipline, and (c) humility and open-minded inquiry are essential for learning and instruction. Some of these remarks may seem disconnected and unnecessarily personal. That is a risk one takes when trying to express what one genuinely believes. I do hope these thoughts will provoke others, as I have been provoked to learn more and more over the years.
Biocompatible Copper Oxide Nanoparticle Composites from Cellulose and Chitosan: Facile Synthesis, Unique Structure, and Antimicrobial Activity

Copper in various forms has been known to have bactericidal activity. Challenges to its application include preventing mobilization of the copper, to both extend activity and avoid toxicity, and bioincompatibility of many candidate substrates for copper immobilization. Using a simple ionic liquid, butylmethylimmidazolium chloride as the solvent, we developed a facile and green method to synthesize biocompatible composites containing copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) from cellulose (CEL) and chitosan (CS) or CEL and keratin (KER). Spectroscopy and imaging results indicate that CEL, CS, and KER remained chemically intact and were homogeneously distributed in the composites with CuONPs with size of 22 ± 1 nm. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) suggests that some 25% of the EPR-detectable Cu(II) is present as a monomeric species, chemically anchored to the substrate by two or more nitrogen atoms, and, further, adopts a unique spatially oriented conformation when incorporated into the [CEL + CS] composite but not in the [CEL + KER] composite. The remaining 75% of EPR-detectable Cu(II) exhibited extensive spin-spin interactions, consistent with Cu(II) aggregates and Cu(II) on the surface of CuONPs. At higher levels of added copper (>59 nmol/mg), the additional copper was EPR-silent, suggesting an additional phase in larger CuONPs, in which S > 0 spin states are either thermally inaccessible or very fast-relaxing. These data suggest that Cu(II) initially binds substrate via nitrogen atoms, from which CuONPs develop through aggregation of copper. The composites exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against a wide range of bacteria and fungi, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus; and highly resistant Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Candida albicans. Expectedly, the antibacterial activity was found to be correlated with the CuONPs content in the composites. More importantly, at CuONP concentration of 35 nmol/mg or lower, bactericidal activity of the composite was complemented by its biocompatibility with human fibroblasts.
The Distinction Between Chronic Pancreatitis and Adenocarcinoma

Tumor-like lesions in the pancreas include any non-neoplastic pancreatic lesion that has the gross appearance of a mass. If diagnosed at frozen section, many of these lesions do not require a major procedure. However, some cases may still require a resection to exclude an adjacent malignancy. The final diagnosis is usually not made until the pancreas is widely sampled on the resection specimen. Examples of tumor-like lesions, include “pseudotumoral” forms of chronic pancreatitis, granulomatous inflammation, malakoplakia, other very rare infectious lesions, and noninflammatory lesions (hamartoma, heterotopic spleen).
Selected Trends in the Domestic Economy

While the Japanese government made the decision to internationalize the domestic economy through the gradual implementation of the Maekawa Commission’s recommendations as well as other policy options, a number of economic trends were already underway. Some of these were unleashed on a short notice by the sharp appreciation of the yen during 1985-1986. Others were introduced earlier by the government, and others still were subtly initiated by fundamental socioeconomic forces which were shaped by the Japanese political, social, and cultural environment, but which by and large are common to highly developed nations.
Test of a Non-invasive PVI Measure with a Fiber-optic Pressure Monitoring Device in Head Injured Patients

Measurement of brain compliance has proven a valuable tool for understanding the biomechanics of intracranial pressure. More recently, we have shown that the pressure volume index, assessed within 24 h of injury, is a prognostic value in identifying those patients who subsequently develop raised intracranial pressure (Maset et al. 1987). However, methods for determining the pressure volume status in head injured patients, must be obtained via analysis of the pressure response to bolus injections or the removal of CSF through ventricular catheter systems. There are practical restrictions on the number of times PVI can be measured using these volume manipulation techniques. The concept, introduced by Bray at the Glasgow meeting, of extracting PVI measurements from analysis of the pulse pressure centroid, represents a less invasive technique and has the potential for providing PVI data continuously (Bray et al. 1986).
Head and neck cancer organoids established by modification of the CTOS method can be used to predict in vivo drug sensitivity

Abstract Objectives Currently there are no standard biomarkers of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) response to therapy. This is, due to a lack of adequate predictive tumor models. To this end, we established cancer organoid lines from individual patient’s tumors, and characterized their growth characteristics and response to different drug treatments with the objective of using these models for prediction of treatment response. Materials and Methods Forty-three patients’ samples were processed to establish organoids. To analyze the character of these organoids, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, drug sensitivity assays, clonogenic survival assays, and animal experiments were performed. The HPV status and TP53 mutational status were also confirmed in these lines. Results HNSCC organoids were successfully established with success rate of 30.2%. Corresponding two-dimensional cell lines were established from HNSCC organoids at higher success rate (53.8%). These organoids showed similar histological features and stem cell, epithelial and mesenchymal marker expression to the original tumors, thus recapitulating many of the characteristics of the original tumor cells. The cisplatin and docetaxel IC50 were determined for HNSCC organoids and the corresponding 2D cell lines using drug sensitivity and clonogenic survival assays. Responses to drug treatment in vivo were found to be similar to the IC50 calculated from organoids by drug sensitivity assays in vitro. Conclusion We established novel in vitro HNSCC cancer organoid lines retaining many properties of the original tumors from they were derived. These organoids can predict in vivo drug sensitivity and may represent useful tools to develop precision treatments for HNSCC.
Isoproterenol Induced Insulin Resistance Leading to Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Isoproterenol is known to cause insulin resistance and is often used to treat bradyarrhythmias from atrioventricular block. We report a case of isoproterenol induced diabetic ketoacidosis in a 77-year-old female patient treated with isoproterenol for atrioventricular block prior to insertion of permanent pacemaker. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) developed within hours of starting an isoproterenol drip, and there were no other precipitating factors at that time. DKA resolved quickly after discontinuing isoproterenol and starting insulin drip. DKA is a common complication of diabetes mellitus, with about 140,000 hospital admissions for DKA in 2009. While the rate of DKA has increased by nearly 50% between 1988 and 2009, the rate of mortality has decreased. There are many causes of diabetic ketoacidosis, such as medication noncompliance, infection, pancreatitis, stroke, myocardial infarction, and many others. Isoproterenol may lead to diabetic ketoacidosis by increasing insulin resistance.
Managing Longevity Risk – The Case for Longevity-Indexed Variable Expiration (LIVE) Bonds

There is an annuity puzzle in that despite the welfare gains to individuals and society from consumers purchasing annuities, the actual allocation to these instruments by individuals is very low. Many explanations have been provided including adverse selection, complexity and inflexibility of the annuity contract, bequest motive etc. Insurance companies have tried to address these issues by changing their products, but take up has still been low. Some have argued that governments should create and issue longevity bonds that attempt to hedge overall economy-wide mortality risk to improve insurance companies’ ability to hedge their annuity offering, thereby lowering costs. But these longevity bonds have some challenges and while an “improving social-welfare” case can be made for why governments should issue such bonds, these proponents have not shown how governments have a natural hedge. Instead, we suggest governments should create Longevity-Indexed Variable Expiration (LIVE) bonds. These bonds, targeted to individuals (and institutions) would pay income-only, and start paying only after the average life-expectancy of the economy (having addressed retirement income through life expectancy with a complementary BFFS/SeLFIES bond). Each bond will be cohort specific and based on tax collections of that cohort. In this fashion, the government is fully hedged (because the bond will be a form of a collateralized debt obligation), and hence a natural issuer, with low credit risk. Since BFFS/SeLFIES cover the life-expectancy of those living less than the average, only those individuals who live beyond the average (usually richer portions of the population) and with limited resources need purchase LIVE bonds. The paper also briefly discusses the portfolio strategies of those living beyond average life expectancy (which raises one challenge with this bond) and also how governments can ensure that they have sufficient funds to bear this risk. It concludes with the challenges to this approach as there are only three levers in addressing this issue through a bond (coupon payments, bonds outstanding and maturity) and allowing maturity to be flexible requires the first two to decline over time and hence in LIVE we focus on just the coupon declining.
David Oliver: Publicity stunts and hospital food

Boris Johnson recently announced that Prue Leith, the Great British Bake-Off judge and catering expert, would join the government’s review of hospital food. Over an al fresco breakfast photo opportunity with Leith he claimed that better food would aid recovery and “fuel patients,” extolling the virtues of “hot buttered toast.” Leith added that millions of pounds were wasted each year on “unpalatable” hospital food.12 In reality the health secretary, Matt Hancock, had already announced a “root and branch review” of hospital food back in June, before Johnson became prime minister.3 This review will be chaired by Philip Shelley, ex-head of the Hospital Caterers Association—a man with recent direct experience with the NHS. Leith is simply an adviser. Hancock’s original plan was in response to nine confirmed cases of listeria, which caused the death of six patients. The cases were traced back to …
Abstract TP303: The Effect of Telemedicine in IV-tPA Time Metrics of Acute Ischemic Stroke on and After-hours at Medically Underserved versus Non-medically Underserved Areas

Introduction: Telemedicine (TM) may alleviate disparities in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in rural or medically underserved areas (MUAs) by increasing access to specialists. AIS metric...
Menopausal Status and Outcomes of BRCA Mutation Carriers with Breast Cancer

Outcomes based on menopausal status of breast cancer (BC) patients who are BRCA mutations carriers (BRCAm) are not well known. A prospective database identified 88 BRCAm with BC from 2005 to 2015. Of the 88 patients, 68 (77.3%) women were premenopausal (Pre-M) and 20 (22.7%) were postmenopausal (Post-M). In the Pre-M group, 52.9 per cent of patients had triple-negative (TN) BC, whereas in the Post-M group, there were more estrogen receptor +(65%; P = 0.129) and less TN (25%; P = 0.041) tumors. Median tumor size was significantly larger in the Pre-M group compared with the Post-M group (P <0.001). Pre-M women were more likely to present with stage III cancers (14.7% vs 0%, respectively, P = 0.082). Ten-year overall survival was 87.9 per cent in the Pre-M group and 93.8 per cent in the Post-M group (P = 0.44), and 25.3 per cent of Pre-M women had recurrences compared with 11.5 per cent of Post-M women (P = 0.24). Premenopausal BRCAm with BC are more likely to have TN, higher stage disease, and twice the number of recurrences at 10 years than Post-M BRCAm. Our study is the first to show worse BC outcomes for Pre-M BRCAm compared with Post-M BRCAm women.
The Voiceless Find their Voice: Resistance and Opposition in the Fantasy of Johan Heliot and Pierre Pevel

Resistance to dominant forms and opposition to the forces of power are two traits that are characteristic of our contemporary era; however, one might not expect such themes to play a role in works ...
Impacts of people's learning behavior in fighting the COVID-19 epidemic

This work presents a mathematical model that captures time-dependent social-distancing effects and presents examples of the consequences of relaxing social-distancing restrictions in the fight against the novel coronavirus epidemic. Without social distancing, the spread of COVID-19 will grow exponentially, but social distancing and people’s learning behavior (isolating, staying at home, wearing face masks, washing hands, restricting the size and frequency of group gatherings, etc.) can significantly impede the epidemic spread, flatten the infection curve, and change the final outcome of the COVID-19 outbreak. Our results demonstrate that strict social distancing and people’s learning behavior can be effective in slowing the spread rate and significantly reducing the total number of infections, daily infection rate, peak of daily infections, and duration of the epidemic. Under strict social distancing, the rise and fall of infections would be nearly symmetric about the peak of of daily infections, and the epidemic spread would be essentially over within 60 days. Relaxing social distancing and people learning behaviors will significantly increase the total and daily numbers of infections and prolong the course of the outbreak. These results have immediate applications for the implementation of various social-distancing policies and general significance for ongoing outbreaks and similar infectious disease epidemics in the future (LA-UR 20-22877). Disclaimer This material is not final and is subject to be updated any time. Contact information: bcheng@lanl.gov.)
Optimized Design for a Device to Measure Thermal Contact Conductance During Friction Stir Welding

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state welding process that is finding increasing use in a variety of industries, owing to its ability to create high-quality welds with less heat input than fusion welding. While the modeling of FSW has been an active effort for at least 15 years, two input parameters, namely the friction coefficient and the heat transfer coefficient, are still adjustable quantities that are difficult to measure. This lack of information compromises the predictive capability of FSW models. While the modeling of friction between the tool and workpiece remains a complex task, the measurement of heat transfer should be possible, but has not been adequately addressed because of the difficulty of accessing the relevant interface with thermocouples. This paper presents a multi-layered frequency-domain thermoreflectance (FDTR) method and transducer design to measure the heat transfer coefficient between the spinning tool and the workpiece. Due to constraints of the welding process, a multi-layered structure is needed for a useable measurement to maximize the heat flow from the modulated heating surface through the heat transfer interface into the welded workpiece. An analytical 2D thermal quadrupole model is shown to be useful in determining layer properties. A multi-layered structure for a specific tool design is validated using COMSOL and optimized. This process can be used to determine the ideal transducer structure to maximize the signal from an FDTR measurement during a friction stir welding process.
Real-time distance-based outlier detection in data streams

Real-time outlier detection in data streams has drawn much attention recently as many applications need to be able to detect abnormal behaviors as soon as they occur. The arrival and departure of s...
The Expectations and Challenges of Youth Reentry

Many youth reentering the community after confinement in juvenile correctional facilities are experiencing a dual transition—one from incarceration to community and another from adolescence to adulthood. There are numerous obstacles associated with this dual transition. Formerly incarcerated youth are expected to step into adult roles, such as maintaining employment, contributing to their families, and becoming parents, while navigating the typical challenges of reentry, such as discrimination in the labor market and strict parole requirements. This chapter reports the findings of a qualitative study of young, African American males who were released from incarceration between the ages of 19 and 25. Interviews revealed that participants received much-needed support from their families, but they experienced mounting frustrations related to employment and meeting the expectations of their loved ones over time. Implications for policy are discussed.
A biannual recession-forecasting model

Abstract The model predicts out-of-sample whether an NBER-defined peak or trough will occur within the next half-year. It yields a 100% proportion of correct recursive forecasts from 1970 to 2015. All the necessary data are readily available in un-revised form.
Social Service Research and Religion: Thoughts About How to Measure Intervention-Based Impact

Abstract Development of accountability standards to demonstrate cause and effect relationships are gaining rapid advancement in the field of social sciences. Many governmental agencies, foundations, and other funders have developed approaches that require organizations to utilize science-based programs and incorporate evaluative methods to show improved outcomes and cost benefits to society. This article will examine the need for increased accountability in developing effective interventions by faith-based organizations in the delivery of social service interventions. Recently, there has been a strong movement toward governmental funding for faith-based institutions to provide social services, although there has been inadequate scientific data to demonstrate that approaches implemented are effective in meeting needs or yielding favorable outcomes. Similarly, many faith-based organizations provide innovative and effective programs that could serve as model programs if there was appropriate empirical eviden...
Hierarchical indexing structure for 3d human motions

Content-based retrieval of 3D human motion capture data has significant impact in different fields such as physical medicine, rehabilitation, and animation. This paper develops an efficient indexing approach for 3D motion capture data, supporting queries involving both sub-body motions (e.g., Find similar knee motions) as well as whole-body motions. The proposed indexing structure is based on the hierarchical structure of the human body segments consisting of independent index trees corresponding to each sub-part of the body. Each level of every index tree is associated with the weighted feature vectors of a body segment and supports queries on sub-body motions and also on whole-body motions. Experiments show that up to 97% irrelevant motions can be pruned for any kind of motion query while retrieving all similar motions, and one traversal of the index structure through all index trees takes on an average 15 μsec with the existence of motion variations.
Revisiting the Voting Prohibition in Bond Workouts

Economic theory suggests that corporate law should enable parties to contract freely in order to promote their best interests, thereby leading to socially optimal arrangements. Nevertheless, the law governing the terms of bonds issued by U.S. corporations contains numerous mandatory rules, including a complete ban on collective action clauses (CACs) that would allow a qualifying majority of bondholders to authorize modifications of the core terms (such as the interest rate, maturity and principal amount) of an entire issue of bonds after their initial sale. The economic impact of this longstanding prohibition, which exacerbates the costs of financial distress by unnecessarily forcing issuers into bankruptcy, has not been thoroughly examined in the legal literature. The limited attention devoted to this subject is puzzling given the critical role played by the corporate bond market in the U.S. economy – on average, corporations issue $250 billion in bonds each year, seven times the amount raised through the issuance of stock.This Article argues that the ban on CACs in the U.S. bond market is misguided and proposes a rule which affords parties broad latitude in selecting the percentage of bondholders that may authorize changes to the core terms of a bond issue. To support this argument, this Article gathers empirical evidence on parties’ contracting choices from three countries – Chile, Brazil and Germany – that follow alternative approaches to the regulation of CACs and that have recently reformed the laws governing their corporate bond markets. The flexible framework proposed in this Article allows parties to tailor their agreements to their particular needs and provides a more favorable environment for the market-driven evolution of contractual terms. Implementation of the rule proposed in this Article would result in lower interest rates, thereby reducing the cost of capital for issuers and fomenting economic growth. More generally, the findings presented in this Article provide an empirical dimension to the existing theoretical work debating the relative merits of mandatory and default rules and highlights how the dynamic nature of contracting choices drives the innovation and evolution of contractual terms in financial instruments.
Price Setting and Hoarding in Mamluk Egypt

This Article studies the legal position of the muhtasib in medieval Cairo, using the biographical information available about the individuals who held the position to understand the actions they took in office. The muhtasib, who was an inspector of public places and markets in particular, was a key legal actor in terms of applying law immediately to a situation he encountered; he was a common face of the law in society. This Article, influenced in method by legal realism, shows that in addition to the law that a particular muhtasib intended to apply to a particular case, biographical information is crucial in explaining how and why each muhtasib responded to particular events.
The Contributing Role of Negative Affectivity and Experiential Avoidance to Increased Cardiovascular Risk

Depression and anxiety are independent risk factors for the onset of cardiovascular disease, independent of classical risk factors, such as smoking, obesity, or hypertension. The present paper argues that the tendency to avoid difficult thoughts and feelings helps explain this relationship. There is a strong positive relationship between experiential avoidance and negative affectivity. Experiential avoidance is also related to several health behaviors recognized for increasing cardiovascular risk and may help functionally explain why individuals engage in problematic behaviors, such as smoking, drinking, and binge eating. Treatments that undermine experiential avoidance could be useful psychosocial approaches to cardiovascular risk reduction.
Africa and the History of International Law

This chapter traces the two major trends in thinking about Africa’s engagement with international law from a historical perspective: contributionists who emphasize Africa’s contributions to international law, on the one hand, and critical theorists who examine Africa’s subordination in its international relations as a legacy that is traceable to international law, on the other. Each approach emphasizes different aspects of Africa’s relationship to international law. Contributionism emphasizes Africa’s role as a generator and innovator of international legal norms. The critical approach by contrast emphasizes the ways in which international law has legitimized Africa’s marginality in the world. This difference in the emphasis is a reflection of that Africa’s historical engagement with international law cannot be rendered in singular or consensual terms.
Epidemiology and burden of alopecia areata: a systematic review.

Background Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by patches of non-scarring alopecia affecting scalp and body hair that can be psychologically devastating. AA is clinically heterogenous, and its natural history is unpredictable. There is no preventative therapy or cure. Objective The objective of this study is to provide an evidence-based systematic review on the epidemiology and the burden of AA. Methods and selection criteria A search was conducted of the published, peer-reviewed literature via PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Studies published in English within the last 51 years that measured AA's incidence, prevalence, distribution, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), quality of life, and associated psychiatric and medical comorbidities were included. Two authors assessed studies and extracted the data. Results The lifetime incidence of AA is approximately 2% worldwide. Both formal population studies found no sex predominance. First onset is most common in the third and fourth decades of life but may occur at any age. An earlier age of first onset corresponds with an increased lifetime risk of extensive disease. Global DALYs for AA were calculated at 1,332,800 in 2010. AA patients are at risk for depression and anxiety, atopy, vitiligo, thyroid disease, and other autoimmune conditions. Conclusion AA is the most prevalent autoimmune disorder and the second most prevalent hair loss disorder after androgenetic alopecia, and the lifetime risk in the global population is approximately 2%. AA is associated with psychiatric and medical comorbidities including depression, anxiety, and several autoimmune disorders, and an increased global burden of disease.
Fabrication and Characterization of an Active Matrix Thin Film Transistor Array for Intracellular Probing

In order to achieve multiple intracellular stimulation and recording devices with high electrode density and low manufacturing cost, we have fabricated and characterized an active matrix thin film transistor array with integrated vertically aligned carbon nanofibers. This device has the potential for cell probing and screening that provides great potential to execute direct cell sensing/probing and recording with a high electrode density. Each unit pixel in the array is individually addressed by a thin film transistor (TFT) and the vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNF) used to impale the cell are fabricated on the drain electrode of the TFT. The VACNF is grown by direct current plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (DCPECVD) using a nickel catalyst. Electroanalysis or impedance differences between the cell probing site and a reference electrode are recorded with a potentiostat or a semiconductor analyzer connected to the output terminals. Additionally, the impedance change with frequency of the intracellular probe can be measured by applying a frame signal input and the signal can be recorded in storage capacitors after the frame scan of the TFTs. Consequently, actively addressed nanofiber arrays enable bidirectional interfacing with tissue matrices in a format that provides intercellular positioning of electrode elements as well as the potential for intracellular residence of probes within individual cells. In our research, we exploit these non-planar electrode systems for efficient coupling with excitable cell matrices as well as for intracellular biochemical manipulation and sensing of and delivery to single cells. In this paper, we will discuss the fabrication sequence of the inverted metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) TFT, and will elaborate the materials issues related to integrating the carbon nanofibers with the TFT.
Enhancing gene detection with computer generated intergenic regions

Coding and non-coding gene prediction is still a challenge. Diverse computer-based tools have been created to screen sequences using elaborate strategies for gene prediction. Many of these implement various statistical tests to measure the plausibility of the prediction but until now, a comprehensive negative control did not exist. We developed an algorithm that generates sequences with characteristics of the intergenic regions of a genome, including nucleotide composition and typical inserted elements like interspersed repeats, low complexity sequences and pseudogenes. We also challenged some gene prediction programs to compare the artificial sequences with real intergenic regions.