cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The DNA's Over There... Right Next to the Jelly: The Problems with the Preservation of Evidence in Texas

In “The DNA’s Over There… Right Next to the Jelly: The Problems with the Preservation of Evidence in Texas,” author Danielle Badeaux discusses the embarrassments that result from Texas’s preservation and storage methods for DNA materials. First the author argues that the ambiguities in the statutes governing DNA evidence lead to confusion. The article next describes the loss of evidence due to misplacement, mishandling, and degradation of samples that were preserved incorrectly. Additionally, the author examines how Texas’s guidelines for evidence retention make it almost impossible to appeal for testing of the evidence if more than a decade has passed. Badeaux proposes several changes to make the system more efficient. First, the author argues that other states have statutes in place that make the guidelines much more specific and remove much of the ambiguity and confusion present in the Texas statutes. Next, she states that Texas could also revise the statutes that are currently in place to remove confusion. Finally, Badeaux suggests that Texas could leave preservation efforts up to each individual county and require that they have preservation methods in place.
The synthesis of methionine by enzymic transmethylation. VI. Studies of the homogeneity, shape properties and monomer functionality of thetin-homocysteine methylpherase.

Abstract It has been demonstrated, by means of moving partition cell ultracentrifugation, that the sedimentation coefficients of the enzymic activity of thetin-homocysteine methylpherase and of the total protein present in the system are the same over a wide range of degrees of polymerization. This observation is believed to be a highly sensitive criterion of homogeneity, and one which should be applicable to a number of other protein systems which may be studied at different degrees of aggregation. Hydrodynamic studies of monomer and polymer preparations have shown that the shape of each of the components of THMenz polymer preparations is very close to that of the monomer. Direct observation by electron microscopy has confirmed this result. In accordance with this concept, it has been shown by application of the Stockmayer statistical theory of polymerization to the THMenz system that there are three functional groups on each monomer residue which can form intermolecular disulfide bonds in the polymerization reaction and that therefore the polymer molecules are three dimensional aggregates as opposed to linear ones.
Decreased CSF output as a clinical indicator of cerebral vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Abstract Objective Vasospasm is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among those with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Treating increased intracranial pressure by drainage of cerebral spinal fluid through an external ventriculostomy is routine practice. The objective of this study is to evaluate the trends of CSF output in patients who experience vasospasm. Methods Electronic medical charts were reviewed to identify two groups of patients with aSAH, 75 consecutive patients who developed vasospasm and 75 matched patients who did not develop vasospasm. CSF output was recorded within 3 days before and 3 days after the occurrence of vasospasm. CSF output was recorded for the same days after SAH in matched patients with no vasospasm. Results Total CSF output was lower in patients with vasospasm as compared to patients without vasospasm matched for the same day (p Conclusions In addition to clinical exam findings, observation of a CSF output decline to less than 160 ml/day may be used as additional support for the diagnosis of vasospasm.
Expression and activity of human Na+/I- symporter in human glioma cells by adenovirus-mediated gene delivery.

Expression and activity of human Na + /I − symporter in human glioma cells by adenovirus-mediated gene delivery
Strategic Escape Direction: Orientation, Turning, and Escape Trajectories of Zebra-Tailed Lizards (Callisaurus draconoides)

A prey's body orientation relative to a predator's approach path may affect risk of fleeing straight ahead. Consequently, prey often turn before fleeing. Relationships among orientation, turn, and escape angles and between these angles and predation risk have not been studied in terrestrial vertebrates and have rarely been studied in the field. Escape angles are expected to lead away from predators and be highly variable to avoid being predictable by predators. Using approach speed as a risk factor, we studied these issues in the zebra-tailed lizard, Callisaurus draconoides. Lizards fled away from human simulated predators, but most did not flee straight away. Escape angles were variable, as expected under the unpredictability hypothesis, and had modes at nearly straight away (i.e., 0°) and nearly perpendicular to the predator's approach path (90°). The straight away mode suggests maximal distancing from the predator; the other mode suggests maintaining ability to monitor the predator or possibly an influence of habitat features such as obstacles and refuges that differ among directions. Turn angles were larger when orientation was more toward the predator, and escape angles were closer to straight away when turn angles were larger. Turning serves to reach a favorable fleeing direction. When orientation angle was more toward the predator, escape angle was unaffected, suggesting that turn angle compensates completely for increased risk of orientation toward the predator. When approached more rapidly, lizards fled more nearly straight away, as expected under greater predation risk. Turn angles were unrelated to approach speed.
The practice patterns of recently graduated internal medicine-pediatric hospitalists.

Objectives: To identify the current practice patterns and professional activities of internal medicine–pediatrics (med-peds) hospitalists who have graduated in the past 5 years (June 2009–June 2013). Methods: The national Medicine-Pediatrics Program Directors Association (MPPDA) conducted a cross-sectional survey study of the 79 residency program directors who are members of the MPPDA regarding the practice patterns of recent graduates (from 2009–2013) currently practicing as hospitalists. The survey was distributed in the spring of 2014 on the MPPDA listserv. The survey inquired about time spent caring for hospitalized adults and children, medical school appointments, practice in freestanding children’s hospitals, and completion of hospital medicine (HM) fellowships. Results: Forty-nine program directors (62%) completed the survey and provided data on 1042 graduates from 46 programs. Of those graduates, 26.4% (n = 275) practice as hospitalists, and none had completed an HM fellowship. Approximately two-thirds (65%) of med-peds hospitalists provide care to hospitalized children and adults, with one-third providing care solely to hospitalized adults. Approximately one-half (53.5%) have an appointment with a medical school and roughly one-quarter (28%) practice in a freestanding children’s hospital. Conclusions: An increasing percentage of recent med-peds graduates are pursuing careers in HM, and two-thirds are providing care to hospitalized children. As consideration for an accredited pediatric HM fellowship continues, certifying and accrediting bodies should consider how this will impact the med-peds workforce and allow med-peds graduates flexibility in their training requirements that will permit them to acquire the necessary skills to care for hospitalized children and adults.
Comprehensive method to predict and quantify scald burns from beverage spills

AbstractA comprehensive study was performed to quantify the risk of burns from hot beverage spills. The study was comprised of three parts. First, experiments were carried out to measure the cooling rates of beverages in a room-temperature environment by natural convection and thermal radiation. The experiments accounted for different beverage volumes, initial temperatures, cooling period between the time of service and the spill, the material which comprised the cup, the presence or absence of a cap and the presence or absence of an insulating corrugated paper sleeve. Among this list, the parameters which most influenced the temperature variation was the presence or absence of a cover or cap, the volume of the beverage and the duration of the cooling period. The second step was a series of experiments that provided temperatures at the surface of skin or skin surrogate after a spill. The experiments incorporated a single layer of cotton clothing and the exposure duration was 30 s. The outcomes of the expe...
Where's the Rest of Me?: Ryan's Republican Wish List

In this article, Johnson praises House Speaker Paul Ryan’s tax plan for a cash flow consumption tax, but he identifies several infirmities in the plan including the increase in deficits, the shift in tax onto poorer taxpayers and the “territoriality” proposal that gives away $700 billion revenue while making the tax system less efficient.
Cognitive processes and ageing.

OVERVIEW This chapter presents a critical survey of cognitive changes in later life. It examines speed of processing, changes in cognitive skills, intelligence, assembled cognition and means of coping with cognitive limitations in later life. Introduction Let me start this chapter by letting you in on a little secret. There is no such thing as the psychology of normal ageing. Allow me to illustrate this. As I write this paragraph, our 2-month-old baby son is cooing in the background. Our baby obviously has a human mind, but this mind is very different from his parents', not just quantitatively (i.e. a temporarily dimmer version of the mash-up between my wife and me), but qualitatively as well (we have no idea what his cooing signifies beyond a quiet and quite brittle delight; likewise, he doesn't have a clue what we are telling him). There is a psychology of development, and it is very much needed: a child's mind is impenetrable to an adult. There is, however, no need for a separate psychology of ageing: older adults are just like young adults, except perhaps a little slower, a little less fazed by the hassles of life and a lot more mature. Put simply, changes over the adult lifespan tend to be quantitative, not qualitative.
Hansteen Mons: An LROC geological perspective

Abstract Mons Hansteen is a relatively high-albedo, well-known lunar ``red spot'' located on the southern margin of Oceanus Procellarum (2.3°S, 50.2°W). It is an arrowhead-shaped (∼ 25 km on a side), two-layer mesa with a small cone-shaped massif on its north edge formed by three morphologically and compositionally distinct geologic units. These units were emplaced in three phases over nearly 200 million years. The oldest (∼3.74 Ga), Hilly–Dissected unit, composed of high-silica, and low-FeO content materials formed a low, steep sided mesa. The materials of this unit erupted mainly from vents along northeast- and northwest-trending sets of fractures. The Pitted unit, which comprises the upper-tier mesa, is composed of high-silica and even lower-FeO content materials. This material was erupted at ∼ 3.5 Ga from numerous closely spaced vents (i.e., pits) formed along closely spaced northeast-southwest-trending sets of fractures. At nearly the same time, eruptions of lower silica and higher FeO materials occurred on the north flank of Mons Hansteen at the intersection of two major fractures to produce the North Massif unit. The eruptions that created the North Massif units also produced materials that thinly blanketed small areas of the Hilly-Dissected and Pitted units on the north flank of Mons Hansteen. Also at nearly the same time (i.e., ∼ 3.5 Ga), basalt flows formed the surrounding mare. Each unit of Mons Hansteen appears to be mantled by locally derived ash, which only modestly contaminated the other units. The morphology of Mons Hansteen (especially the Pitted unit) suggests a style of volcanism where only a relatively small amount of material is explosively erupted from numerous, closely spaced vents.
The Schematic State: Race, Transnationalism, and the Politics of the Census

By examining the political development of racial classifications on the national censuses of the United States, Canada, and Great Britain, The Schematic State maps the changing nature of the census from an instrument historically used to manage and control racial populations to its contemporary purpose as an important source of statistical information, employed to monitor and rectify racial discrimination. Through a careful comparative analysis of nearly two hundred years of census taking, it demonstrates that changes in racial schemas are driven by the interactions among shifting transnational ideas about race, the ways they are tempered and translated by nationally distinct racial projects, and the configuration of political institutions involved in the design and execution of census policy. This book argues that states seek to make their populations racially legible, turning the fluid and politically contested substance of race into stable, identifiable categories to be used as the basis of law and policy.
Dexamethasone-Induced Ocular Hypertension in Mice: Effects of Myocilin and Route of Administration

Glucocorticoid (GC)-induced ocular hypertension (OHT) is a serious adverse effect of prolonged GC therapy that can lead to iatrogenic glaucoma and permanent vision loss. An appropriate mouse model can help us understand precise molecular mechanisms and etiology of GC-induced OHT. We therefore developed a novel, simple, and reproducible mouse model of GC-induced OHT. GC-induced myocilin expression in the trabecular meshwork (TM) has been suggested to play an important role in GC-induced OHT. We further determined whether myocilin contributes to GC-OHT. C57BL/6J mice received weekly periocular conjunctival fornix injections of a dexamethasone-21-acetate (DEX-Ac) formulation. Intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation was relatively rapid and significant, and correlated with reduced conventional outflow facility. Nighttime IOPs were higher in ocular hypertensive eyes compared to daytime IOPs. DEX-Ac treatment led to increased expression of fibronectin, collagen I, and α-smooth muscle actin in the TM in mouse eyes. No changes in body weight indicated no systemic toxicity associated with DEX-Ac treatment. Wild-type mice showed increased myocilin expression in the TM on DEX-Ac treatment. Both wild-type and Myoc −/− mice had equivalent and significantly elevated IOP with DEX-Ac treatment every week. In conclusion, our mouse model mimics many aspects of GC-induced OHT in humans, and we further demonstrate that myocilin does not play a major role in DEX-induced OHT in mice.
Urban responses to restrictive conservation policy during drought

With climate change, the extent, severity, and frequency of droughts around the world are expected to increase. This study analyzed the ability of water districts to meet mandatory urban water conservation targets, which are a common policy response to drought. During California's recent record-breaking drought, a 25% state-wide use reduction objective was set and met. However, only 50% of urban water districts analysed in this study reached their individual conservation target, which offers an opportunity to evaluate the factors associated with successful water use reduction. The findings show that the inclusion of water districts in the polycentric import structure may improve water conservation, but that source diversity may offer water districts a perceived buffer from the need for immediate water use reductions. Drought severity and lower median incomes are associated with greater water conservation, and conservation varies by hydrologic region. This analysis offers insights into institutional design and suggests that local biophysical and economic conditions shape responses in systematic ways that should be addressed by public policy responses to drought.
The Gut Microbiota and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease is the result of an inappropriate immune response to environmental factors in a genetically susceptible host. The intestinal microbiota has been considered one of the key environmental factors in this disease process, and early influences on the structure of the intestine’s bacterial communities may lead to a dysbiotic state. The complicated relationship between dysbiosis and the developing host immune system, including the innate and adaptive immune systems as well as the intestinal epithelial interface, can have profound effects on the health and disease of the host. Therapies targeted at the gut microbiota continue to be investigated as potential interventions for inflammatory bowel disease.
LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN DE LA GUERRA DURANTE LA PENTEKONTAETIA, EL CASO DE LA EXPEDICIÓN ATENIENSE EN EGIPTO (460 – 454 a.C.)

During the Pentekontaetia, took place the first war episode after the Persian Wars, fighting the Athenian League against the Persian Empire in Egypt (460 b.C.) Through the sources of Thucydides, Diodorus Siculus, Ctesias and Isocrates, it is possible to know this event, but it is mandatory to stop and reflect to analyse international consequences of this while hostilities between Athens and Sparta were breaking out. The Athenian expedition to Egypt reveals an internal policy that sought to expand the economical empire and establish a Mediterranean policy to ensure partnerships with non-Hellenic states. This policy failed with the expedition to Egypt (460 B.C.) and then during the first Athenian campaign into Sicily (426 B.C.) Keywords : Pentekontaetia, Egypt, Athenian empire, Mediterranean policy.
In My Nicaraguan High School: Giving Excluded Women and Men a Second Chance

When I went to Nicaragua for the first time during the Contra war, I had no idea that I would soon wind up helping a Nica friend start two literacy programs and then a Free High School for Adults. It opened in 2002, and now, only 15 years later, we have 1001 graduates, 54% women, 45% rural (mainly from subsistence farm families)--all of them excluded from the regular high schools for one reason or another: being pregnant, being a woman, turning eighteen, working five days a week, or living too far from town without the ability to pay bus fare. My real education came with theirs and is still going on, with no end in sight. What I wanted to know was how the teachers--all college graduates who were teaching in the high prestige regular high schools--figured out how to teach these people, many of whom had been out of school for decades and were unused to learning or scholastic discipline; many accustomed to being heads of households; some pregnant or carrying a baby to School for lack of child care or need to nurse; some drunk or exhausted early on Saturday mornings when classes began. The teachers told me their own stories, of overcoming prejudice and learning how to create a welcoming atmosphere. And the graduates told me THEIR stories, of what it took to succeed in those conditions, and how education--especially learning how to speak better-- transformed them, and they, in turn, transformed the entire culture and economy of the region.
Limits of variation, specific infectivity, and genome packaging of massively recoded poliovirus genomes

Computer design and chemical synthesis generated viable variants of poliovirus type 1 (PV1), whose ORF (6,189 nucleotides) carried up to 1,297 “Max” mutations (excess of overrepresented synonymous codon pairs) or up to 2,104 “SD” mutations (randomly scrambled synonymous codons). “Min” variants (excess of underrepresented synonymous codon pairs) are nonviable except for P2Min, a variant temperature-sensitive at 33 and 39.5 °C. Compared with WT PV1, P2Min displayed a vastly reduced specific infectivity (si) (WT, 1 PFU/118 particles vs. P2Min, 1 PFU/35,000 particles), a phenotype that will be discussed broadly. Si of haploid PV presents cellular infectivity of a single genotype. We performed a comprehensive analysis of sequence and structures of the PV genome to determine if evolutionary conserved cis-acting packaging signal(s) were preserved after recoding. We showed that conserved synonymous sites and/or local secondary structures that might play a role in determining packaging specificity do not survive codon pair recoding. This makes it unlikely that numerous “cryptic, sequence-degenerate, dispersed RNA packaging signals mapping along the entire viral genome” [Patel N, et al. (2017) Nat Microbiol 2:17098] play the critical role in poliovirus packaging specificity. Considering all available evidence, we propose a two-step assembly strategy for +ssRNA viruses: step I, acquisition of packaging specificity, either (a) by specific recognition between capsid protein(s) and replication proteins (poliovirus), or (b) by the high affinity interaction of a single RNA packaging signal (PS) with capsid protein(s) (most +ssRNA viruses so far studied); step II, cocondensation of genome/capsid precursors in which an array of hairpin structures plays a role in virion formation.
Case Study: Economic viability of producing animal bedding from low quality and small diameter trees using a wood shaving machine

ABSTRACT This study explores the feasibility of producing animal bedding using a wood shaving machine fed with low quality and small diameter trees. An economic decision model was created, allowing individuals to input site and machine-specific parameters into the model. Model output provides data for 2 scenarios. Scenario 1 explores whether a farmer could support this venture by producing bedding for on-farm consumption only. Scenario 2 explores the profit an individual (farmer or nonfarmer) could gain if operating the wood shaving machine for 8 to 40 h/wk throughout the year. Model output for scenario 1 found that the average-sized organic and conventional dairy farm in New England would not be able to support this type of venture. Instead, the breakeven volume of bedding corresponded to farms with greater than 170 cows, indicating that larger farms, or a cooperative of locally clustered small farms using the machine collectively, would have a more favorable payback period. For scenario 2, the payback period was >15 yr if operating 8 h/wk to 561 d if operating 40 h/wk throughout the year. The 15-yr net present value was $159,884 to $1,777,435 and the discounted benefit-cost ratio was 0.8 to 9.3 when operating 8 to 40 h/wk throughout the year. However, if operating 40 h/wk, supply may outweigh demand, as enough bedding could be produced for 30 organic or 25 conventional dairies of average size in the New England region.
Corrosion evaluation of additive manufacture metal alloy by nondestructive line-focused transducer

Corrosion of metal alloys is very common in the industrial field, and failure to monitor the seriousness of corrosion can cause serious consequences. Compared with other Non-Destructive Testing methods, the method of ultrasonic surface wave testing has a lot of advantages including portability, efficiency, and un-contamination etc. This makes it a very promising method to evaluate or monitor chemical corrosion. In this study, we are going to evaluate the variation of surface wave velocity when the testing material is subjected to different degree of chemical corrosion, and we will build up a quantitative relationship between the surface wave velocity and the erosion degree.
Can cognitive processes help explain the success of instructional techniques recommended by behavior analysts

The fields of cognitive psychology and behavior analysis have undertaken separate investigations into effective learning strategies. These studies have led to several recommendations from both fields regarding teaching techniques that have been shown to enhance student performance. While cognitive psychology and behavior analysis have studied student performance independently from their different perspectives, the recommendations they make are remarkably similar. The lack of discussion between the two fields, despite these similarities, is surprising. The current paper seeks to remedy this oversight in two ways: first, by reviewing two techniques recommended by behavior analysts—guided notes and response cards—and comparing them to their counterparts in cognitive psychology that are potentially responsible for their effectiveness; and second, by outlining some other areas of overlap that could benefit from collaboration. By starting the discussion with the comparison of two specific recommendations for teaching techniques, we hope to galvanize a more extensive collaboration that will not only further the progression of both fields, but also extend the practical applications of the ensuing research.
Guantánamo and Community: Visual Approaches to the Naval Base

This chapter addresses visual representations of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo in relation to the idea of home. The visual art it considers presents a cultural site rather than a political and legal one; a borderland where the naval base and eastern Cuba are united both territorially and creatively; and a space of complex conceptual geographies, where Cuba, the Caribbean, the U.S., the Middle East, and Europe converge. Works by photographer Edmund Clark from his series Guantanamo: If the Lights Go Out and ‘El camino de la estrategia,’ a multimedia project by Cuban artists Alexander Beaton and Pedro Gutierrez, among other visual representations, counter the geographic abstraction and rhetorical hostility that have characterized the base with an exploration of how ‘home’ can take shape.
The Contribution of Agroforestry to Sustainable Development Goal 2: End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition, and Promote Sustainable Agriculture

Worldwide there are about 1000 million hectares of agroforestry systems (AFS); the most frequent being shaded annual and perennial crops, silvopastoral systems, live fences, and windbreaks. AFS such as homegardens provide households with food and fuelwood as well as with high value products that generate cash. Many indigenous communities still practice AFS today using techniques that include residue management and ash deposition, enhancing nutrient recycling and conservation, and maintaining high species diversity which all promote agroecosystem sustainability. However, these communities often remain marginalized, and poverty and resource degradation prevail. Many international entities, projects and programs, non-profit organizations and others are conducting research for development with AFS geared towards decreasing rural poverty and hunger while maintaining landscape integrity and ecosystem services. They are all trying to resolve similar issues: how to integrate the traditional knowledge of smallholders with scientific knowledge on environmental and agricultural strategies to promote the most suitable systems for each situation; what types of AFS products and markets are most appropriate, and what interventions are most cost effective to achieve these outcomes; how can smallholders access markets for trees and other AFS products, allowing them to capture more of their value, especially for people who are socially or economically marginalized; how can AFS scale out of particular situations and be disseminated at larger scales regionally and internationally. This chapter focuses on these questions by presenting case studies to illustrate practical solutions and remaining challenges.
William James on the Mind and Its Fringes

The period from 1780 to 1910 can be called the Golden Age of consciousness studies. It was filled with empirical findings that are summed up in the 1400 pages of William James' Principles of Psychology (1890). Its beginnings can be dated to the discovery in the 1880s that hypnosis is due to suggestion rather than to ‘animal magnetism,’ or supernatural causes. An entire cognitive neuropsychology was brought to light in the following century. Few phenomena we recognize today cannot be traced to that time. That fact has been obscured by behavioristic interpretations of history, which claimed that nineteenth century mind–brain science was not reliable or empirical. Those claims have not been supported by historians. Scientific psychology and neuroscience did not begin in 1910 with John B. Watson and I.P. Pavlov, but much earlier with Isaac Newton (color theory), Descartes (physiology of the eye), Helmholtz, Fechner, Broca, Charcot, Janet and Freud, and many others. William James was torn by philosophical questions about the primacy of mind versus brain. However, James' facts are the same ones we study today. One of his insights was the central role of ‘fringe’ experiences, which can be defined as events that we can report accurately, but which lack sensory features. Thus the ‘tip-of-the-tongue’ (TOT) experience does not have color or shape, like a visual image of a colorful beach ball. Nevertheless, the TOT is a highly reliable phenomenon. James pointed out the remarkable range of fringe experiences, including ‘feelings of familiarity’ and ‘knowing,’ abstract meanings, logical relations, immediate expectations and intentions, emotional connotations, esthetic experiences, and more. The ‘fringe’ of consciousness can be considered to be a major discovery of the time. James rejected unconscious mental events. While he acknowledged the same unconscious events we do today, he considered them to be Physical (outside of mind) rather than Psychological. Thus he tangled empirical and philosophical questions. Contemporary science is somewhat better off, not because we have resolved philosophical controversies, but because we separate them from empirically testable questions.
Chapter 5 Performance issues

In this paper, we discuss performance models of local-area networks related to different layers of architecture and various aspects of implementation. Our intention is to make the reader aware of typical questions in the performance evaluation of local-area networks, and to discuss approaches to answer these. Three categories of models are discussed: (1) models to analyze the delay-throughput characteristics of medium access protocols; (2) a model to study the performance of a local-area network on which a file server provides file storage and retrieval service to several intelligent workstations, and (3) a model to investigate potential timing problems in an adapter to a local-area network. The paper is descriptive in nature; analytic details are omitted in favour of a more intuitive explanation of the relevant effects.
Communities in Crisis: Reconnecting Frayed Social Ties

Disaster disrupts and destroys lifestyles and lives. Hewitt AQ: Kindly confirm the references inserted in Abstract are appropriate as citations are not allowed in Abstract. and Sheehan (A pilot survey of global natural disasters of the past twenty years. Natural Hazards Research (Working Paper No. 11), University of Toronto, Toronto, 1969) and later, Dworkin (Global trends in natural disasters 1947–1973. Natural Hazards Research (Working Paper No. 26), University of Toronto, Toronto, 1974), compiled a list of all reported natural disasters occurring worldwide in the 27 years from 1947 to 1973 in which 100 or more people were killed or injured and in which at least one million dollars in damages occurred. There were 836 such reported incidents, an average of 31 per year. These reports did not include several countries where such information was not recorded, nor did it include man-made disasters. If a comprehensive list of worldwide disasters would be assembled for the period 1973–2000, it would no doubt contain more natural disasters than in the previous 27 years. Although the number of man-made disasters was not obtained from 1947 to 1973, the trend toward terrorism had begun. If inventoried today, the number of man-made disasters would undoubtedly surpass the number of natural disasters.
Leukocyte regulation of porcine luteal function

87 INTRODUCTION 88 MATERIALS AND METHODS 90 Collection of CL from Cyclic Pigs 90 Collection of CL from Pregnant Pigs 91 Western Blot Analysis 91 Quantification of TNF Oetected by Western Blot Analysis 93 Reverse Hemolytic Plaque Assay 94 Immunocytochemistry 95 Progesterone Assay 98 Quantification of Macrophages 98
Being Present: A single-arm feasibility study of audio-based mindfulness meditation for colorectal cancer patients and caregivers

A metastatic cancer diagnosis is associated with high levels of distress in patients and caregivers. Mindfulness interventions can reduce distress and improve quality of life in cancer patients. However, standard mindfulness training relies on in-person instruction, which is often not practical for either patients receiving chemotherapy or their caregivers. In the Being Present single arm pilot study, we designed and tested an 8-week audio-based mindfulness meditation program for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving chemotherapy with or without a participating caregiver. The study accrued 33 of 74 (45%) eligible patients consenting together with 20 family caregivers (53 participants total) within nine months. Forty-one participants were evaluable (77%); 10 of 12 cases of attrition were attributable to hospitalization or death. Median participant age was 51 (range 21-78 years); 38% were men. Baseline levels of distress were similar in patients and caregivers. The top reasons for participation cited in pre-intervention interviews were to increase relaxation/calm, improve mood/emotions, and reduce stress/anxiety. In measures of adherence, 59% of responses to weekly texts asking: "Have you practiced today?" were "Yes" and 59% of interviewees reported practicing >50% of the time. Compared to baseline, post-intervention surveys demonstrated significantly reduced distress (p = 0.01) and anxiety (p = 0.03); as well as increased non-reactivity (p<0.01), and feeling at peace (p<0.01). Post-intervention qualitative interviews, where 71% of participants reported benefit, were consistent with quantitative findings. In the interviews, participants spontaneously described reduced stress/anxiety and increased relaxation/calm. Benefits appeared to be accentuated in patient-caregiver pairs as compared to unpaired patients. Seventy-nine percent of participants reported plans for continued practice after study completion. We conclude that the Being Present audio-based mindfulness meditation program is of interest to, feasible, and acceptable for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and caregivers, with initial evidence of efficacy. These results will guide plans for a follow-up study. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02423720.
Demonstration of an On-Chip III-V/Si Hybrid Semiconductor Optical Amplifier for Photonics Integration

We demonstrate a III-V/Si hybrid semiconductor optical amplifier at 1284 nm with on-chip gain >20 dB, output power >50 mW, internal noise-figure 40 nm, and amplification of 25 Gbps NRZ data with <1 dB power penalty at 10−12 BER.
Impact of Veno-Arterial Membrane Oxygenation on Outcome of “Crash and Burn” Patients Transitioned to Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device

Purpose To investigate the outcome of patients in refractory cardiogenic shock who required VA ECMO as a bridge to durable LVAD Methods This is a retrospective review of all adult INTERMACS profile 1 patients who underwent LVAD implantation at our institution between 01/01/2015 and 12/31/2017. The outcomes of patients who were bridged with VA ECMO (ECMO group) were compared with those without bridging (non-ECMO group). Results Out of 27 patients, 16 were bridged with VA ECMO. Basic characteristics are presented in Table 1. After the LVAD implantation, patients in the ECMO group experienced more right ventricular failure requiring temporary RVAD (75% vs. 27%, P = 0.014) and more postoperative surgical bleeding (75% vs. 36%, P = 0.045). Hospital mortality was 25% in ECMO and 18% in non-ECMO group (P = 0.675). Of the hospital survivors, 8 were transplanted, 4 recovered, one patient underwent pump exchange and three are still on support. One-year survival for ECMO group was 56 ±18% versus 47 ±20% in non-ECMO group (Figure 1A). Freedom from infection (Figure 1B), neurologic dysfunction (Figure 1C) and device malfunction (Figure 1D) was 47 ±13%, 65 ±20% and 79 ±11% in ECMO group and 44 ±18%, 37 ±22% and 78 ±14% in non-ECMO group. Conclusion Patients in refractory cardiogenic shock have acceptable post LVAD outcome when bridged with percutaneous VA ECMO. Despite significantly higher rate of postoperative surgical bleeding and the need for biventricular support, both overall survival and LVAD-associated complications are comparable to non-ECMO bridged INTERMACS profile 1 LVAD recipients.
Large Scale Human Sensing Over Time. Challenges and Lessons Learned

Twitter and Facebook continue to be top destinations for information consumption on the Internet. The ever-expanding social graph based enables the implementation of traditional features like item recommendation and selection of trending content that rely on human input and other behavioral data. However, given the enormous amount of human sensing in the world at any given moment in any platform, there is a lot of untapped potential that goes beyond simple applications on top of atomic level content like a post or tweet. In this talk we describe a social knowledge graph that discover relationships as they occur over time and how it can be used to capture the evolution of events or stories.
New generation dopaminergic agents. 1. Discovery of a novel scaffold which embraces the D2 agonist pharmacophore. Structure-activity relationships of a series of 2-(aminomethyl)chromans.

A series of 2-(aminomethyl)chromans (2-AMCs) was synthesized and evaluated for their affinity and selectivity for both the high- and low-affinity agonist states (D2High and D2Low, respectively) of ...
Cybersecurity: Towards a Strategy for Securing Critical Infrastructure from Cyberattacks

On Friday, February 10, 2012, the Silicon Flatirons Center at the University of Colorado Law School convened leaders from government, industry, and academia to discuss the cybersecurity challenges to United States critical infrastructure. After discussing the current market incentive structure, participants considered governance solutions to improving security. Echoing the diverse views on the national stage, the participants disagreed on many issues. They did, however, agree that the threat is real and substantial. Although some industries voluntarily adopt protective measures, several security professionals present during the discussion provided numerous examples of ones that have not.
Provider Acceptance And Beneficiary Access Under TRICARE's PPO Health Plan.

TRICARE provides health benefits to more than nine million beneficiaries (active duty and retired military members and their families). Complaints about access to civilian providers in TRICARE’s pr...
New treatments for atopic dermatitis targeting beyond IL-4/IL-13 cytokines

Abstract Objective Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an increasingly common inflammatory skin disease undergoing significant revolution in recent years. New data on disease pathogenesis advanced the developments of novel therapeutics, mainly for patients with moderate to severe conditions, for whom treatment options have been largely insufficient for many years. Data Sources Review of recent studies investigating systemic treatments for AD. Study Selections Relevant literature concerning novel therapeutics for AD beyond targeted monoclonal antibodies antagonizing selectively interleukin (IL)-4 or IL-13 was obtained from a PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov search and summarized. Results Multiple clinical trials of both nonspecific as well as specific agents revealed favorable outcomes in AD, including JAK inhibitors, a dual JAK/SYK inhibitor, a histamine H4R antagonist, antagonists of the TSLP/OX40L axis, an IL-22 inhibitor, and IL-33 and IL-17C antagonists. Importantly, negative trials were published as well (eg, phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, apremilast). Conclusion In this rapidly evolving field of AD treatments, a completely new treatment paradigm will be available in the near future.
Studying the “Wisdom of Crowds” at Scale

In a variety of problem domains, it has been observed that the aggregate opinions of groups are often more accurate than those of the constituent individuals, a phenomenon that has been dubbed the “wisdom of the crowd”. However, due to the varying contexts, sample sizes, methodologies, and scope of previous studies, it has been difficult to gauge the extent to which conclusions generalize. To investigate this question, we carried out a large online experiment to systematically evaluate crowd performance on 1,000 questions across 50 topical domains. We further tested the effect of different types of social influence on crowd performance. For example, in one condition, participants could see the cumulative crowd answer before providing their own. In total, we collected more than 500,000 responses from nearly 2,000 participants. We have three main results. First, averaged across all questions, we find that the crowd indeed performs better than the average individual in the crowd—but we also find substantial heterogeneity in performance across questions. Second, we find that crowd performance is generally more consistent than that of individuals; as a result, the crowd does considerably better than individuals when performance is computed on a full set of questions within a domain. Finally, we find that social influence can, in some instances, lead to herding, decreasing crowd performance. Our findings illustrate some of the subtleties of the wisdom-of-crowds phenomenon, and provide insights for the design of social recommendation platforms.
Pigtail Catheter Insertion Error: Root Cause Analysis and Recommendations for Patient Safety.

Abstract Background Small-caliber chest tubes are used to treat pneumothorax and pleural fluid collections. Although commonly considered a less invasive alternative to large-caliber thoracostomy tubes, small-caliber tubes have a high complication rate. Emergency physicians must be familiar with common and dangerous procedure complications associated with these devices and have a systematic and rapid approach to identify and solve malfunctions. Structured root cause analysis can facilitate identification of problems. Methods We reviewed the medical literature for complications of small-caliber chest tubes and searched the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) database for complications of a specific pigtail catheter kit. Using a structured root cause analysis (RCA), we examined two cases of retained pigtail catheter obturators resulting in catheter malfunction and unresolved pneumothorax. Results We identified common complications of pigtail catheters from the medical literature, as well as 28 reports to FDA of complications with the kit used in the analyzed cases; ours were the only reports of the obturator error. RCA identified multiple contributing factors, including unrecognized and novel radiographic clues, human errors, communication breakdown, device design, and opportunities for improved systematic procedural approach. Discussion We discuss factors identified in RCA and regulatory considerations relevant to emergency physicians, including FDA reporting mechanisms. Conclusions A structured review of complications of pigtail catheter insertion revealed opportunities for improved patient safety. We highlight a preventable error in insertion of a percutaneous catheter and describe radiographic features to enhance error detection. Improved design, systematic processes for device insertion and troubleshooting, and enhanced provider education could reduce the risk of medical device errors. An end-of-procedure time-out including instrument counts and systematic assessment of device function is a generalizable patient safety measure for bedside procedures.
Coupling GCCOM, a Curvilinear Ocean Model Rigid Lid Simulation with SWASH for Analysis of Free Surface Conditions

The oceans effect is predominant of Earth systems. From weather and food supplies to shipping routes, the oceans impact everyone, which makes the numerical modeling of ocean phenomenon incredibly important. With as many different ways the ocean impacts the Earth, there are just as many models describing its behavior. Since there are such different physical parameters in each problem, and with many different techniques available, no single ocean model can do everything in a computationally efficient way. Deep water models may not able to capture surface conditions or violent interactions accurately, while shallow water models usually lack the sophistication to render slow processes impacted by temperature, pressure, and salinity. Coupling is often used to combine the best features of different models to better resolve complex interactions, that each model alone would be unable to solve fully. Presented here is a coupling between a non-hydrostatic, rigid lid model, the General Curvilinear Coastal Ocean Model (GCCOM) a hydrostatic free surface model, the Shallow Water At Shore model (SWASH), interfacing by using the Distributed Coupling Toolkit (DCT). To test the coupling, a lock release experiment is modeled, to show the detail of internal processes and the surface features from internal waves striking the surface. The coupled system is shown to be faster and scales better than the SWASH model alone running in its non-hydrostatic capacity.
Canada as a Potential Vacation Destination for Florida Residents

Canada expends a large amount of money on tourism and advertising in the U.S., but growth has not kept up. The author surveys Floridians as to their attitudes toward Canada as a tourism destination. This article is available in Hospitality Review: http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/hospitalityreview/vol12/iss2/2 Canada as a Potential Vacation Destination for Florida Residents
Supraphysiological testosterone induces ferroptosis and activates NF-kappaB mediated immune pathways in prostate cancer through nucleophagy

Abstract The discovery that androgens play an important role in the progression of prostate cancer (PCa) has led to the development of androgen deprivation therapy as a first line of treatment against PCa. However, paradoxical growth inhibition has been observed, both experimentally and clinically, in a subset of PCa upon administration of supraphysiological levels of testosterone (SupraT). Here we report that SupraT activates cytoplasmic nucleic acid sensors and induces growth inhibition of SupraT-sensitive PCa cells. This is initiated by induction of two parallel autophagy-mediated processes, namely, ferritinophagy and nucleophagy. Consequently, autophagosomal DNA activates nucleic acid sensors that converge on NF-kappaB to drive immune signaling pathways. Chemokines and cytokines secreted by the tumor cells in response to SupraT results in increased migration of cytotoxic immune cells to tumor beds of animal xenografts and patient tumors. Collectively, our findings indicate that SupraT may inhibit a subset of PCa by activating nucleic acid sensors and downstream immune signaling.