cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THEORIES OF THE STRESS-INDUCED CRYSTALLIZATION OF CROSSLINKED POLYMERS

A review of theories dealing with the stress-induced crystallization of cross linked polymers is presented. The areas which are considered include: the orientation of crystals formed during stress-induced crystallization, the melting temperature of the deformed, semicrystalline network, kinetic (nucleation) and thermodynamic (non-nucleation) models of stress-induced crystallization. The basic models and underlying physical assumptions of the various theories are stated, the mathematical development of the theories are followed and, where possible, a comparison with experiment is made. Critical evaluations are made of all the theories discussed.
Predicting early rapid response team activation in patients admitted from the emergency department: The PeRRT Score.

Objectives Rapid response teams (RRTs) respond to signs of deterioration to avoid morbidity and mortality. Early RRT activation (eRRT) in patients admitted from the emergency department (ED) is associated with significantly increased mortality. Predicting these events may represent an opportunity to identify patients who would benefit from further resuscitation, aid disposition decision-making, or improve communication between ED and inpatient providers. We aimed to create a clinical prediction instrument to quantify the risk of eRRT. Methods We performed an observational cohort study of patients admitted to a non–intensive care unit (ICU) setting who triggered eRRT from January 2009 to December of 2012 compared to those who did not trigger eRRT. Age, sex, ED vital sign measurements, and final ED diagnosis by ICD-9 code were evaluated in a multivariable logistic regression model. The performance of prediction models was assessed using discrimination summarized by area under a receiver operating curve (AUC) and calibration with the Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. The final model was used to create a simplified scoring system. Results The eRRT group consisted of 474 patients who were compared to 2,575 patients in the reference group. Age and sex did not add significant discrimination to the model and were eliminated from the simplified, final model. This model, which included vital signs and diagnosis category, was found to have an AUC of 0.754 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.730 to 0.778) and was used to create a simplified scoring system. The odds ratio for the association of a 1-unit increase in risk score with eRRT was 1.37 (95% CI = 1.32 to 1.41; p < 0.001). When internally validated, the score was found to have an AUC of 0.759 (95% CI = 0.735 to 0.753). Calculated scores ranged from −3 to 18, which corresponded to predicted probabilities of eRRT ranging from 5.1% to 72.2%. Conclusions In summary, the PeRRT score is a simple tool that can be referenced by emergency providers at the bedside to quantify the risk of early RRT activation and potential deterioration, helping to answer the question, “How likely is my patient to trigger an RRT activation in the next twelve hours?” Given that patients who trigger eRRT have an elevated risk of morbidity and mortality, higher scores should result in resuscitative intervention, further observation in the ED, consideration of ICU admission, or direct enhanced communication between ED and inpatient providers. A prospective multicenter study is required to further validate this instrument.
Differentially Private Regression Diagnostics

Linear and logistic regression are popular statistical techniques for analyzing multi-variate data. Typically, analysts do not simply posit a particular form of the regression model, estimate its parameters, and use the results for inference orprediction. Instead, they first use a variety of diagnostic techniques to assess how well the model fits the relationships in the data and how well it can be expected to predict outcomes for out-of-sample records, revising the model as necessary to improve fit and predictive power. In this article, we develop e-differentially private diagnostics for regression, beginning to fill a gap in privacy-preserving data analysis. Specifically, we create differentially private versions of residual plots for linear regression and of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for logistic regression. The former helps determine whether or not the data satisfy the assumptions underlying the linear regression model, and the latter is used to assess the predictive power of the logistic regression model. These diagnostics improve the usefulness of algorithms for computing differentially private regression output, which alone does not allow analysts to assess the quality of the posited model. Our empirical studies show that these algorithms are adequate for diagnosing the fit and predictive power of regression models on representative datasets when the size of the dataset times the privacy parameter (e) is at least 1000.
Frailty in Trauma Patients: An Emerging Geriatric Syndrome

In contrast to their younger counterparts, geriatric patients have a decreased physiological reserve. This age-related vulnerability poses unique challenges for clinical decision-making. Additionally, as the population of the United States (U.S.) continues to age at a rapid pace, an increasing number of elderly patients need trauma care. Accordingly, this review examines the relevance of the concept of frailty in trauma cases, as well as its role in identifying vulnerable trauma patients and improving patient care. Moreover, through a process of simplification, we made the fundamental concepts of frailty and Frailty Index clearer and more useful. Frailty is a state of decline in many physiological systems. It increases vulnerability to a poor resolution after a stressor event. More precisely, this cumulative depletion of the body’s reserves makes it more likely, that a stressor will trigger disproportionate changes in health. This being the case, investigators have developed several validated models of frailty that show the association between frailty and health outcomes in trauma. Frailty can decisively impact a wide spectrum of a trauma patient care, including morbidity, mortality, hospital stay, discharge disposition from the hospital, and informed clinical decision-making. Therefore, especially given the increasing number of aging individuals in the U.S., the frailty of such patients must be considered to improve outcomes.
The Data Mining and Predictive Analytic Process

Abstract Data miners are fond of saying that data mining is as much art as it is science. What they mean by this statement is that the data mining process is a scientific endeavor overlain with a significant amount of artistic practice. This chapter will expand on this statement in the context of the many practical challenges of data mining in real-world databases.
Inaccuracies in Cost and Demand Forecasts

Decisions regarding transport infrastructure investments should rest, at least in theory, on ex-ante cost and demand projections. These serve to determine the size and capacity of the new facility, its design attributes (e.g., number of lanes), the extent of support facilities (e.g., access roads and intersections), as well as expected operational and maintenance costs and revenues (e.g., farebox or tolls). The associated social costs and benefits should likewise be based on empirical estimation. This chapter focuses on how cost and demand projections are to be made and why significant biases commonly enter into the forecasting process. We subsequently ask how these projections are used in reality. We leave a discussion of other external impacts from investments, such as environmental degradation costs and economic development benefits, to Chap. 10.
Cortical thickness and metacognition in cognitively diverse older adults.

Objective Metacognition, or the ability to accurately identify, appraise, and monitor one's deficits, is commonly impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Poor metacognition prevents correct appraisal of a range of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms and facilitates anosognosia, which has important clinical implications for individuals (e.g., diminished treatment adherence, increased engagement in high-risk situations) and caregivers (e.g., higher burden). However, the neural correlates of metacognitive disturbance are still debated in the literature, partly because of the subjective nature of traditional awareness measures. Method An objective Feeling of Knowing (FOK) task was used to measure metamemory capacity in a group of cognitively diverse older adults, including 14 with mild to moderate AD and 20 cognitively healthy older adults. The association between three different objective metamemory measures of the FOK task and regional cortical thickness (12 bilateral regions of interest [ROIs] hypothesized to support self-awareness) was analyzed using partial correlations. Results Less accurate metamemory at the local and global levels was associated with reduced right posterior cingulate cortical thickness, r = -0.42, p = .02 and reduced right medial prefrontal, r = -0.39, p = .029, respectively. Conclusions To our knowledge, this was the first study to examine metacognition in relation to cortical thickness. Both global and local metamemory functions appear to rely on the integrity of right sided midline regions, known to be important for processing self-referential information. Findings are conceptualized with regard to the Default Mode Network, and also considered in relation to recent findings pointing to the right insula as a region critical for self-awareness. (PsycINFO Database Record
Transfusion Medicine in a Multidisciplinary Approach to Morbidly Adherent Placenta: Preparing for and Preventing the Worst

The increasing incidence of placenta accreta has paralleled the rise in its greatest risk factor: cesarean delivery. In placenta accreta, the abnormal invasion of the chorionic villi into the myometrium prevents separation of the placenta at delivery, and the myometrium is unable to contract to prevent hemorrhage. Spontaneous uterine rupture and hemoperitoneum may also occur in the setting of placenta percreta. The average blood loss during a delivery complicated by placenta accreta is 2 to 5 L, compared to less than 0.5 L for a normal spontaneous vaginal delivery and less than 1 L for a cesarean delivery. Transfusion support for these patients, including preoperative blood component planning, is challenging for the transfusion service, and there is no consensus on how transfusion services should prepare for such cases. Herein, we review the value of a multidisciplinary approach in minimizing and supporting maternal hemorrhage in placenta accreta, predictors of hemorrhage, blood product preparation, potential strategies to limit blood loss, and intraoperative management considerations. We also highlight future opportunities and challenges in this unique group of patients.
Turing's Vision and Deep Learning.

The success of the AlphaGo computer program in playing world class Go is examined in connection with what Turing had envisioned more than 70 years ago. A critical discussion is given of Searle’s comments on intelligent computer programs and of what Copeland had to say about this.
Lipoatrophic Diabetes Mellitus

Millions of Americans are afflicted by obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Obesity is characterized by increased body adiposity and leads to insulin resistance. Paradoxically, some conditions that are characterized by a paucity of fat also cause insulin resistance, namely the syndromes of lipoatrophy (Fig 1). The resemblance between the metabolic abnormalities of these two extreme states of adiposity emphasizes the importance of fat tissue in energy homeostasis. This chapter focuses on the syndromes of lipodystrophy and lipoatrophy that are at the lean extreme of the spectrum and which are characterized by near-complete absence of fat.
Domain-specific and generalized disgust sensitivity in blood-injection-injury phobia:: The application of behavioral approach/avoidance tasks

The separate and combined roles of fear and disgust in mediating phobic responding in blood-injection-injury (BII) phobia have generated considerable empirical interest. The present study aimed to replicate previous research regarding fear and disgust responding to phobia-relevant and generalized disgust elicitors, as well as to provide a novel examination of performance on behavioral approach/avoidance tasks (BATs) and the "contaminated cookie" procedure (i.e., willingness to eat a cookie after it has come into brief contact with a threat-relevant stimulus). Fear and disgust responses toward pictures (mutilation, insects) and in vivo stimuli (bloody gauze, severed deer leg, cockroach, worm) were assessed in a sample of analogue BII phobics and nonphobics. Consistent with previous research. BII phobics expressed significantly greater fear and disgust toward phobia-relevant pictures and BAT stimuli, with disgust being the dominant emotional response. We failed to find any between-group differences on disgust responding toward the generalized disgust pictures and BAT stimuli. Results from the BATs suggest that BII phobics were less willing to perform all tasks involving blood stimuli, and less willing to complete the latter stages of the insect BATs. BII phobics were less likely to eat the "contaminated cookie" after it had come into contact with only the insect stimuli. Future implications for research examining domain-specific and generalized disgust sensitivity in BII phobia are outlined.
Greenhouse- and orbital-forced climate extremes during the early Eocene.

The Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a significant global warming event in Earth's deep past (56 Mya). The warming across the PETM boundary was driven by a rapid rise in greenhouse gases. The event also coincided with a time of maximum insolation in Northern Hemisphere summer. There is increased evidence that the mean warming was accompanied by enhanced seasonality and/or extremes in precipitation (and flooding) and drought. A high horizontal resolution (50 km) global climate model is used to explore changes in the seasonal cycle of surface temperature, precipitation, evaporation minus precipitation and river run-off for regions where proxy data are available. Comparison for the regions indicates the model accurately simulates the observed changes in these climatic characteristics with North American interior warming and drying, and warming and increased river run-off at other regions. The addition of maximum insolation in Northern Hemisphere summer leads to a drier North America, but wetter conditions at most other locations. Long-range transport of atmospheric moisture plays a critical role in explaining regional changes in the water cycle. Such high-frequency variations in precipitation might also help explain discrepancies or misinterpretation of some climate proxies from the same locations, especially where sampling is coarse, i.e. at or greater than the frequency of precession.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Hyperthermals: rapid and extreme global warming in our geological past'.
Applying lessons from human papillomavirus vaccines to the development of vaccines against Chlamydia trachomatis.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct), the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI), leads to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy in women. ...
An Investigation of Bullying and Imagined Interactions

The present study examines the usage of imagined interactions (IIs) among bullying perpetrators and those who are bullied. In reviewing the literature on IIs, an earlier study investigated the moti...
Enhanced Radiosensitivity in Solid Tumors using a Tumor-selective Alkyl Phospholipid Ether Analog.

Antitumor alkyl phospholipid (APL) analogs comprise a group of structurally related molecules with remarkable tumor selectivity. Some of these compounds have shown radiosensitizing capabilities. CLR127 is a novel, clinical-grade antitumor APL ether analog, a subtype of synthetic APL broadly targeting cancer cells with limited uptake in normal tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of CLR127 to modulate radiation response across several adult and pediatric cancer types in vitro as well as in murine xenograft models of human prostate adenocarcinoma, neuroblastoma, Ewing sarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. In vitro, CLR127 demonstrated selective uptake in cancer cells compared to normal cells. In cancer cells, CLR127 treatment prior to radiation significantly decreased clonogenic survival in vitro, and led to increased radiation-induced double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) breakage compared with radiation alone, which was not observed in normal controls. In animal models, CLR127 effectively increased the antitumor response to fractionated radiotherapy and led to delayed tumor regrowth at potentially clinically achievable doses. In conclusion, our study highlights the ability of CLR127 to increase radiation response in several cancer types. Given almost universal uptake of CLR127 in malignant cells, future research should test whether the observed effects can be extended to other tumor types. Our data provide a strong rationale for clinical testing of CLR127 as a tumor-targeted radiosensitizing agent. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(11); 2320–8. ©2018 AACR.
Court outcomes among female juveniles with sexual offences

Female juveniles with sexual offences (FJSOs) are an understudied population. The current study compares FJSOs with their male counterparts and evaluates whether male and female juveniles with sexu...
Modeling Social Pressures Toward Political Instability

see the abstract in the body of the text Copyright Information: Copyright 2013 by the article author(s). All rights reserved. Cliodynamics: the Journal of Theoretical and Mathematical History Corresponding author’s e-mail: peter.turchin@uconn.edu Citation: Turchin, Peter. 2013. Modeling Social Pressures Toward Political Instability. Cliodynamics 4: 241–280. Modeling Social Pressures Toward Political Instability Peter Turchin University of Connecticut Structural-demographic theory is a conceptual tool for understanding and explaining long-term social pressures that can lead to revolutions, civil wars, and other major outbreaks of sociopolitical instability. This article develops a general modeling framework for quantifying such structural pressures toward instability. Following the basic premises of the structuraldemographic theory, the approach adopted here decomposes pressures toward instability into three components, dealing with the general population, elites, and the state, respectively. Several feedback loops affecting the dynamics of these components are modeled explicitly, including the effect of labor oversupply on real wages and on elite overproduction. I apply the modeling framework to two empirical case studies: investigating structuraldemographic dynamics during the nineteenth century (with a focus on the period preceding the American Civil War) and during the twentieth century (with a focus on the contemporary period).
Spin torque and charge resistance of ferromagnetic semiconductor 2 π and π domain walls

Charge resistance and spin torque are generated by coherent carrier transport through ferromagnetic $2\ensuremath{\pi}$ domain walls, and follow qualitatively different trends than for $\ensuremath{\pi}$ domain walls. The charge resistance of $2\ensuremath{\pi}$ domain walls reaches a maximum at an intermediate wall thickness, unlike $\ensuremath{\pi}$ domain walls, whose resistance decreases monotonically with wall thickness. The peak amplitude of the spin torque and the optimal thickness of the domain wall to maximize torque for a $2\ensuremath{\pi}$ wall are more than twice as large as found for a $\ensuremath{\pi}$ domain wall in the same material, producing a larger domain wall velocity for the $2\ensuremath{\pi}$ wall and suggesting such walls may be preferable for magnetoelectronic devices incorporating domain wall motion.
Deciphering protein evolution and fitness landscapes with latent space models

Protein sequences contain rich information about protein evolution, fitness landscapes, and stability. Here we investigate how latent space models trained using variational auto-encoders can infer these properties from sequences. Using both simulated and real sequences, we show that the low dimensional latent space representation of sequences, calculated using the encoder model, captures both evolutionary and ancestral relationships between sequences. Together with experimental fitness data and Gaussian process regression, the latent space representation also enables learning the protein fitness landscape in a continuous low dimensional space. Moreover, the model is also useful in predicting protein mutational stability landscapes and quantifying the importance of stability in shaping protein evolution. Overall, we illustrate that the latent space models learned using variational auto-encoders provide a mechanism for exploration of the rich data contained in protein sequences regarding evolution, fitness and stability and hence are well-suited to help guide protein engineering efforts. Multiple sequence alignments of proteins carry information about evolution, the protein’s fitness landscape and its stability in the face of mutations. Here, the authors demonstrate the utility of latent space models learned using variational autoencoders to infer these properties from sequences.
Safety and efficacy of direct nerve root decompression via anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with uncinectomy for cervical radiculopathy

Cervical radiculopathy is a common spinal condition associated with pain, sensory disturbances, and motor weakness. Symptoms often can be attributable to either disc herniation and/or bony foraminal stenosis due to uncinate hypertrophy. Posterior cervical foraminotomy and conventional anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) represent the mainstay of treatment. In patients with severe bony foraminal stenosis, posterior foraminotomy and standard ACDF without complete resection of uncinate process may result in incomplete decompression. ACDF with uncinectomy allows for complete and direct decompression of the exiting nerve root, and may lead to improved clinical outcome in appropriately selected patients. We describe the technique for ACDF with uncinectomy and report the clinical outcome in a consecutive series of patients.
Sex and BNIP3 genotype, rather than acute lipid injection, modulate hepatic mitochondrial function and steatosis risk in mice

Both lipid oversupply and poor mitochondrial function (low respiration and elevated H2O2 emission) have been implicated in the development of hepatic steatosis and liver injury. Mitophagy, the targeted degradation of low-functioning mitochondria, is critical for maintaining mitochondrial quality control. Here, we used intralipid injection combined with acute (4 day) and chronic (4-7wk) high-fat diets (HFD) to examine whether hepatic mitochondrial respiration would decrease and H2O2 emission would increase with lipid overload. We tested these effects in male and female wild type (WT) mice and mice null for a critical mediator of mitophagy, BCL-2/adenovirus EIB 19-kDa interacting protein knockout (BNIP3 KO) housed at thermoneutral temperatures. Intralipid injection was successful in elevating serum triglycerides and nonesterified fatty acids but had no impact on hepatic mitochondrial respiratory function or H2O2 emission. However, female mice had greater mitochondrial respiration on the acute HFD and lower H2O2 emission across both HFD durations and were protected against hepatic steatosis. Unexpectedly, BNIP3 KO animals had greater hepatic mitochondrial respiration, better coupled respiration, and increased electron chain protein content after the 4-day HFD, compared with WT animals. Altogether, these data suggest that acute lipid overload delivered by a single intralipid bolus does not alter hepatic mitochondrial outcomes, but rather sex and genotype profoundly impact hepatic mitochondrial respiration and H2O2 emission.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study focusing on hepatic mitochondrial respiratory outcomes in response to lipid overload via a high-fat diet (HFD) combined with intralipid injection. Novel findings include no effect of intralipid injection on mitochondrial outcomes of interest despite increased circulating lipid concentrations. However, we report pronounced differences in hepatic mitochondrial respiration, complex protein expression, and H2O2 production by sex and BCL-2/adenovirus EIB 19-kDa interacting protein (BNIP3) genotype. Specifically, female mice had lower H2O2 emission globally and on an acute HFD, females had greater hepatic mitochondrial respiration than males while BNIP3 knockout (KO) animals had greater mitochondrial coupling and complex protein expression than wild-type (WT) animals.
Intranodal Lymphangiography with Thoracic Duct Embolization for Treatment of Chyle Leak after Thoracic Outlet Decompression Surgery

Abstract From 2015 to 2019, 9 patients underwent ultrasound-guided intranodal lymphangiography for the treatment of a chyle leak following thoracic outlet decompression surgery. Chyle leaks were identified by Lipiodol (Guerbet, Roissy, France) extravasation near the left supraclavicular surgical bed in all patients. The technical success rate of thoracic duct embolization was 67% (6 of 9), including fluoroscopic transabdominal antegrade access (n = 4) and ultrasound-guided retrograde access in the left neck (n = 2). Clinical success was achieved in 89% of patients (8 of 9). The mean interval from lymphangiography to drain removal was 6.6 days (range, 4–18 d). No patients had a chyle leak recurrence during clinical follow-up (mean, 304 d).
Is chronic refractory colitis from immune checkpoint inhibitor associated with good cancer outcome

e15102Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are efficacious in treating many advanced malignancies. However, drug induced colitis limits their use significantly. We present cases with chr...
Acute pain after breast surgery and reconstruction: A two-institution study of surgical factors influencing short-term pain outcomes.

Background and objectives Acute postoperative pain following surgery is known to be associated with chronic pain development and lower quality of life. We sought to analyze the relationship between differing breast cancer excisional procedures, reconstruction, and short-term pain outcomes. Methods Women undergoing breast cancer excisional procedures with or without reconstruction at two systems: an academic hospital (AH) and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) were included. Average pain scores at the time of discharge and at 30-day follow-up were analyzed across demographic and clinical characteristics. Linear mixed effects modeling was used to assess the relationship between patient/clinical characteristics and interval pain scores with a random slope to account for differences in baseline pain. Results Our study included 1402 patients at AH and 1435 at VHA, of which 426 AH and 165 patients with VHA underwent reconstruction. Pain scores improved over time and were found to be highest at discharge. Time at discharge, 30-day follow-up, and preoperative opioid use were the strongest predictors of high pain scores. Younger age and longer length of stay were independently associated with worse pain scores. Conclusions Younger age, preoperative opioid use, and longer length of stay were associated with higher levels of postoperative pain across both sites.
Ten-Year Review of the Extern Program: a Solution to an Unsuccessful Match?

This paper presents an extern program, developed 10 years ago, which recruited unmatched medical graduates and involved them in publishing articles in academic journals, presenting poster presentations, writing grants, and networking with psychiatrists. The study examined how involvement in the extern program affected the candidates’ Match reapplication outcome. Respondents were previous externs who joined the extern program. They were sent questionnaires on how the program affected their Match reapplication outcome. Out of 22 externs surveyed, 15 completed the questionnaire. Results showed that the externship offered graduates opportunities in academic and clinical work, which improved their chances of getting a Match. The 15 respondents had a 100% match rate into a psychiatry residency program upon completing an average of 16 months of academic work in the externship. Respondents agreed that the extern program was beneficial, and they would highly recommend it to struggling medical graduates. Unmatched graduates urgently need guidance during the critical gap year. They should be given options and interventional plans, such as Dr. Rahn K. Bailey’s extern program. The externship provides participants exposure to research and the scientific underpinnings of clinical medicine. It continues to expand and grow, serving unmatched medical graduates and students who need help getting into medical school or a PhD program. Further studies should be conducted on unmatched candidates, in particular, international medical graduates, who reapply and eventually match. This will provide information and insight into what they can do to advance themselves during the intervening period.
Expanding Perspectives on Family Caregiving.

Fellow Clinical Gerontologists, Issue 5 of 2020 features articles with new findings and strategies for supporting family caregiving. From exploring caregiver self-compassion, to novel technology in...
Disappearing errors in a conversion model

The same basic differential equation model has been adapted for time-dependent conversions of members of a population among different states. The conversion model has been applied in different contexts such as epidemiological infections, the Bass model for the diffusion of innovations, and the ideodynamic model for public opinion. For example, the ideodynamic version of the model predicts changes in public opinions in response to persuasive messages extending back to an indefinite past. All messages are measured with error, and this chapter discusses how errors in message measurements disappear with time so that predicted opinion values gradually become unaffected by past measurement errors. Prediction uncertainty is discussed using formal statistics, sensitivity analysis and bootstrap variance calculations. This chapter presents ideodynamic predictions for opinion time series about the Toyota car manufacturer calculated from daily Twitter scores over two and half years. During this time, there was a sudden onslaught of bad news for Toyota, and the model could accurately predict the accompanying drop in favorable Toyota opinion and rise in unfavorable opinion.
Introduction to the Special Issue: More Than Value$ in the Food System

First paragraph: This special issue draws attention to the diverse values applied to, embedded in, and emerging from food systems. Although scholarship has long rec­ognized that a range of values is at play in food systems—and the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development has been paramount to showcasing this type of research—the dominant perspective continues to elevate a highly central­ized model that prioritizes the values of maximi­za­tion (of yield and profit) above all else. Yield and profit are no doubt important, but the unparalleled emphasis they receive obscures the other important social and environmental values that inform how and why people engage in food systems. As so many food system scholars have previously articu­lated, what we need for relevant, inclusive, and effective policies are accurate representations of food systems and the actors who construct and maintain them. The position of this special issue is that transdisciplinary research is critical to ask and answer questions about values in ways that embrace complexity. . . .
Eveningness Diurnal Preference: Putting the "Sluggish" in Sluggish Cognitive Tempo.

Objective:Eveningness diurnal preference is common in psychiatric conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and internalizing disorders. Little is known about how diurna...
Dust storms and violent crime

Abstract Dust storms are among the largest global sources of atmospheric particulate matter and have pronounced impacts on environmental conditions and can affect individual ways-of-life. In the US, dust storm activity is generally increasing in frequency due to ongoing climate change. I shed light on a previously unknown impact of these events (on violent crimes) by exploiting their periodic occurrences as a source of exogenous environmental shocks to air pollution and daily routines. Using high-frequency data and high-dimensional fixed effects, I find strong evidence that dust storm activity is associated with violent crimes. Importantly, I show that avoidance behaviors, triggered by dust storm warnings, can largely mitigate the observed violent crime impacts. Policy implications are discussed.
Meaning in Spinoza's Method: A worm in the blood: some central themes in Spinoza's Ethics

The Emmet's Inch & Eagle's Mile Make Lame Philosophy to smile. William Blake, Auguries of Innocence In order to understand why Spinoza embraced the geometrical method in the Ethics it necessary to reflect on the general contours of his philosophy. It is also important to have a sense of what Spinoza's method – geometrical or otherwise – is trying to get at, what Spinoza is seeking to discover with it. The purpose of this chapter and the next is to set the stage for the chapters that follow, while at the same time developing a few basic questions about Spinoza's method. The first section of this chapter provides a brief sketch of Spinoza's Ethics and introduces some of Spinoza's key definitions and concepts. The middle sections will present a problem in Spinoza's Ethics : “What does it mean to be a part of nature?” “Part of nature” is one of Spinoza's most potent concepts but it needs careful interpretation in order not to render it inconsistent with other aspects of Spinoza's philosophy, particularly his criticisms of anthropomorphism and teleology. The final section of the chapter will consider Spinoza's system from the “emmet's inch” or the bottom-up perspective, as opposed to the “eagle's mile” or top-down perspective of Part I of the Ethics and the first section of this chapter.
Modeling partial differential equations in VHDL-AMS [mixed signal systems applications]

This paper discusses a problem of modeling distributed physics effects described by partial differential equations (PDEs) in VHDL-AMS, a powerful modeling language for mixed-signal systems. First, we summarize the requirements for PDE support. Second, we demonstrate with the example of a distributed transmission line how to model PDEs in an existing VHDL-AMS by applying spatial discretization to system equations. Third, we propose a language extension needed to support PDEs. Our work should be perceived as a first step towards an accurate description and modeling of coupled multiphysics systems in VHDL-AMS.
TRIZ and Computer Aided Inventing

TRIZ (Theory for Inventive Problem Solving) being one of the most powerful inventing methodologies is sophisticated and requires considerable time and efforts to master. There have been and are multiple projects on developing various software packages that would make TRIZ usage and applications more user-friendly and shorten the TRIZ learning curve. Software packages that address this issue are one of the first computer aided inventing tools known. This direction of CAI has become much more active when TRIZ started its integration with other engineering methods — Value Engineering Analysis (VEA), Root-Cause Analysis (RCA), Lean Thinking, Six Sigma, Functional Analysis and others. Several software packages assist engineers with documenting data, building component and function models, and automatically calculating function rank of the components of the system. Performing a function-based information search is one of the tasks where computerized support is helping if finding new functions for improvin g complex systems. The next step is to identify other systems in which similar functions are performed better. The principles used to achieve similar functions in other fields can then be adapted to improve the system at hand. Developing powerful tools for Function Based Information Search to enable the substitution of inventing problems with adaptation problems is predicted to be one ofmajor directions of CAI development
Context-dependent modeling in alphabet recognition

Alphabet recognition is known to be a difficult task due to the acoustic similarities among different letters, especially letters in the E-set. Recognition systems based on whole-word Hidden Markov Models (HMM) perform poorly on this task due to the inability of the models to capture fine phonetic details, especially details occurring within segments of short duration. Letters B and D, for example, differ mainly in the 10-20 msec segment prior to vowel onset. In this paper, we use context-dependent phoneme-based HMMs to capture the fine phonetic detail that is required to discriminate such a confusable vocabulary. Our results reveal that context-dependent modeling gives about 9% improvement on speaker-independent performance over whole-word modeling, and an 18% improvement on the E-set. Furthermore, using an improved spectral representation of the stop consonants in the E-set, an additional 6% improvement in the E-set can be achieved. Our best speaker-independent E-set performance over 15 speakers is 90.3%, with overall alphabet recognition of 94.1%. >
Microarray Technology and Applications in Environmental Microbiology

Publisher Summary Microarrays are miniaturized arrays of hundreds to thousands of discrete DNA fragments or synthetic oligonucleotides that have been attached to a solid substrate (for example, glass) using automated printing equipment such that each spot (element) in a fixed position on the array corresponds to a unique DNA. Microarray hybridization is based on the association of a single-stranded molecule labeled with a fluorescent tag or fluorescein, with its complementary molecule, which is covalently attached or immobilized to a solid support, usually glass. In such an assay, the specific hybridization pattern or gene expression profile generated by an unknown (experimental) sample is typically compared with a control (reference) pattern. Besides the DNA-based array assay, the microarray platform is also being rapidly expanded to include the analysis of other biomolecules such as proteins and carbohydrates. Along with exploration in microarray technology applications, novel strategies and approaches for experimental controls and design are needed to ensure that microarray hybridization data from different samples are comparable, interpretable, and biologically significant because of the inherent variability in microarray hybridization signals. Microarray-based assays have a great potential as specific, sensitive, quantitative, parallel, and high-throughput tools for microbial detection, identification, and characterization in natural environments.
Cochaperone immunophilin FKBP52 is critical to uterine receptivity for embryo implantation

Embryo implantation in the uterus is a critical step in mammalian reproduction, requiring preparation of the uterus receptive to blastocyst implantation. Uterine receptivity, also known as the window of implantation, lasts for a limited period, and it is during this period blastocysts normally implant. Ovarian steroid hormones estrogen and progesterone (P4) are the primary regulators of this process. The immunophilin FKBP52 serves as a cochaperone for steroid hormone nuclear receptors to govern appropriate hormone action in target tissues. Here we show a critical role for FKBP52 in mouse implantation. This immunophilin has unique spatiotemporal expression in the uterus during implantation, and females missing the Fkbp52 gene have complete implantation failure due to lack of attainment of uterine receptivity. The overlapping uterine expression of FKBP52 with nuclear progesterone receptor (PR) in wild-type mice together with reduced P4 binding to PR, attenuated PR transcriptional activity and down-regulation of several P4-regulated genes in uteri of Fkbp52-/- mice, establishes this cochaperone as a critical regulator of uterine P4 function. Interestingly, ovulation, another P4-mediated event, remains normal. Collectively, the present investigation provides evidence for an in vivo role for this cochaperone in regulating tissue-specific hormone action and its critical role in uterine receptivity for implantation.
America Transformed: “The New American Century”

People don't want to go to war. … But, after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a parliament or a communist dictatorship. … Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to great danger. It works the same way in any country. Hermann Goring Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion … and you allow him to make war at pleasure. … [This would place] our President where kings have always stood. Abraham Lincoln The sixty years of U.S. history treated in this book began with Henry Luce's hopeful reference to the twentieth century as “The American Century.” Writing in 1941, before America's entry into the Second World War but after Hitler's conquest of nearly all of continental Europe west of the Soviet Union, Luce made a plea for the United States to take on the leadership role that its industrial and cultural strengths made more or less obligatory. He noted especially the force of America's prestige and the spread abroad of many of America's cultural and scientific achievements as evidence of the readiness of much of the world to follow the United States.
Thyroid Hormones and Estrogen Affect Oxytocin Gene Expression in Hypothalamic Neurons

The oxytocin (OT) gene promoter has a composite hormone response element, such that several members of the steroid/thyroid hormone superfamily of nuclear receptors can interact at this response element in vitro. To investigate this in brain tissue, parallel to foregoing behavioural experiments, we used in situ hybridization histochemistry to seek interactions between estrogen and thyroid hormones on OT mRNA in the hypothalamus. In ovariectomized (OVX) rats, high doses of triiodothyronine (T3) elevated OT mRNA levels in the paraventricular (PVN) nucleus, while treatment with estradiol benzoate (EB) alone had no significant effect. In contrast, animals that were thyroidectomized (TX) in addition to OVX had dramatically elevated levels of OT gene expression in the PVN following EB treatment. That is, endogenous thyroid hormones interfered with EB-induction of gene expression. Moreover, in both OVX and TX/OVX animals, OT gene expression was reduced to values equivalent to controls when T3 was given together with EB. Particular subdivisions of the PVN responded differentially to T3 and EB treatment, demonstrating marked heterogeneity of OT-containing neurons in this nucleus. Thus, parallel to and perhaps related to the manner in which thyroid hormones reduced estrogen-stimulated behaviour, endogenous or exogenous thyroid hormones interfered with estrogen stimulation of OT mRNA. These data demonstrate competition between nuclear proteins, transcription factors, in hypothalamic neurons.
Effect of Warm-Up upon Physical Performance in Selected Activities

Abstract Five groups of subjects were tested to determine if warm-up affected performance in speed and endurance in swimming, accuracy in basketball foul-shooting, accuracy in bowling, speed and accuracy in typing, and strength of Softball players. No evidence was found of improvement from informal warm-up immediately preceding testing in swimming, typing, or strength. Formal warm-up did improve group performance in speed and endurance in swimming, accuracy in basketball foul-shooting, and accuracy in bowling; however, no significant difference was noted in the performance of the typists after participating in a formal warm-up prior to the testing.
Preliminary Report on the Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectra of Single Crystals of Bovine Erythrocyte Superoxide Dismutase

Abstract Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra were recorded from single monoclinic crystals of bovine erythrocyte superoxide dismutase. Spectra were taken at various angles of rotation about the c (or blue optic) axis (Richardson, D. C., Bier, C. J., and Richardson, J. S. (1972), J. Biol. Chem. 247, 6368–6369) and about the a or b (green optic) axis of the crystal. Rotation about the blue axis (H in ab plane) yields the information that the Z components of all Cu(II) g tensors lie substantially in the ab plane, and this is confirmed by rotation about one of the green axes which yielded only very small Z component resonances (H in ac or bc plane). A maximum of eight hyperfine components were observed regardless of the orientation of the crystal. There appear to be two distinct groups of eight symmetrically degenerate (at least along their Z axes) Cu(II) ions, and the common Z axes of these two groups are off parallel by only a few degrees.
The Tax Compliance Game: Toward an Interactive Theory of Law Enforcement

The existing paradigm for the economic analysis of tax compliance provides an inadequate theory of the revenue collection process. Even as a purely economic model, its exclusive focus on individual taxpayers' decision-making promotes an unduly restrictive vision of the compliance problem and potential responses to it. In this paper we outline a more comprehensive theoretical basis for analyzing tax compliance, and illustrate it with a simple model. We believe our approach to be a significant improvement in the economic theory of law enforcement because it views the noncompliance problem as an interactive system. In our theoretical construct, individual decision-making not only depends upon and responds to the detection and punishment structure, but, unlike prior models, we also explicitly include the law enforcement agency--in this case the Internal Revenue Service--as an important interactive element. Initially we outline our general approach and its differences from the existing economic law enforcement paradigm. We then detail a simple model and its results and compare these results both to the prior literature and to some of our ongoing research in an effort to illustrate how our theoretical construct may affect predictions. Finally, we describe potential extensions of the model, examine its robustness with respect to various underlying assumptions and offer suggestions for further research, including possible applications to other law enforcement contexts.
Parameterization of planar curves immersed in triangulations with application to finite elements

We construct a method for the parameterization of a class of planar piecewise C2-curves over a collection of edges in an ambient triangulation. The map from the collection of edges to the curve is the closest-point projection. A distinguishing feature of the method is that edges in the ambient triangulation need not interpolate the curve. We formulate conditions on the ambient triangulations so that the resulting parameterization over its selected edges is (i) bijective, (ii) maps simple, connected collection of edges to simple, connected components of the curve, and (iii) is C1 within each edge of the collection. These properties of the parameterization make it particularly useful in the construction of high-order finite element approximation spaces on planar curves immersed in triangulations. We discuss this application and illustrate it with numerical examples. The parameterization method applies to a large class of planar curves, including most ones of interest in engineering and computer graphics applications, and to a large family of triangulations, including acute-angled triangulations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.