cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On A strongly consistent nonparametric density estimator for the deconvolution problem

The problem of nonparametric estimation of a probability density function is studied when the sample observations are contaminated with random noise. Previous authors have proposed estimators which use kernel density and deconvolution techniques. The appearance and properties of the previously proposed estimators are affected by constants Mn and hn which the user may choose. However, the optimal choices of these constants depend on the sample size n, the noise distribution and the unknown distribution which is being estimated. Hence, in practice, Mn and hn are optimally selected as functions of the data. In this paper it is shown that a class of the proposed estimators are uniformly, strongly consistent when Mn and hn are allowed to be random variables. Even when Mn and hn are constants, these results are new findings.
'Worries of the Heart': Widowed Mothers, Daughters and Masculinities in Maragoli, Western Kenya, 1940-60

This article presents the gender norms and societal dynamics between men and widowed women in the Maragoli population in Western Kenya. Women are considered subservient to men and are expected to be emotionally and financially helpless. In turn men provide a home a family and a livelihood for their wives. According to this societal norm Maragoli wives are left without a livelihood when their husbands die. This article explains that Maragoli women present themselves as helpless grieving women who cannot support their families. In order to live up to societal expectations the patriarchal system supports the widows. This was an especially common problem in the mid 1900s due to forced manual labor that took men from their families leaving women to take advantage of the gender dynamics to survive.
Liver tissue graft rejection in murine major histocompatibility complex mutants.

Liver tissue grafts between seven H-2 mutants and their parental strains have been studied. Each of these mutants was originally identified by reciprocal mutant—parental strain skin graft rejection. However, liver grafts among mutants and parental standard strains are not uniformly rejected. Liver graft rejection also fails to correlate with mutant—parental stimulation in CML and MLC. In addition, the immune reaction pattern of female mutant animals against grafts of male liver differs from the reaction pattern found in parental standard strains. Several explanations for the differences between immune response to liver and skin grafts are proposed, including different T cell subsets involved in recognition, availability of antigenic sites to immunocompetent cells, and structural differences between mutant and parental H-2 antigens.
Cognition and cannabis: from anecdote to advanced technology.

Whether the use of cannabis causes lasting cognitive or behavioural alteration has been controversial for decades. Studies addressing the problem have often been confounded by failure to account for residual acute effects or withdrawal and by failure to measure cognitive function before drug use. Investigative strategies have included neuropsychological testing, brain activation during cognitive tasks, epidemiology and identification of morphological alteration in the brains of cannabis users. In this issue of Brain , Zalesky et al. (2012) apply a novel strategy—diffusion-weighted MRI and connectivity mapping—to demonstrate microstructural alterations affecting brain axonal pathways in long-term cannabis users. Without predefined regions of interest, thousands of voxel pairs were compared, and impaired axonal connectivity was identified in the fimbria of the hippocampus and the splenium of the corpus callosum. These abnormalities were greatest in subjects who began regular marijuana use during early adolescence and were present in white matter structures in which cannabinoid (CB)1 receptor density is maximal in utero and during childhood. The findings are consistent with the endocannabinoid system playing a key role in brain development, and …
Managing information technology (IT) for one-to-one customer interaction

A one-to-one marketing paradigm has emerged that suggests organizations will be more successful if they concentrate on obtaining and maintaining a share of each customer rather than a share of the entire market, with information technology (IT) being the enabling factor. This paper presents four key elements that provide the necessary steps that allow an organization to position its people, business processes, and information systems to establish and take advantage of this emerging paradigm. The key elements are: (1) business process analysis, (2) integration and redesign of customer data, (3) IT-enabled customer interaction, and (4) accessibility/transmission of organizational information. Further, this paper discusses the importance of integrating these four IT elements for achieving effective customer interaction.
Urinary incontinence as a factor in prostate cancer treatment selection.

Abstract Urinary incontinence is a common adverse effect associated with treatment for early stage prostate cancer. The influence of this factor on treatment selection decisions by patients and their partners has been explored only minimally in the literature. Data regarding the actual incidence of incontinence associated with prostate cancer treatment are confusing because of the lack of standardized definitions of incontinence. Radical prostatectomy is associated with higher rates of urinary adverse effects than is radiation therapy. Brachytherapy appears to be associated with a low risk of incontinence, whereas cryosurgery is associated with significant urinary adverse effects, including incontinence, whereas cryosurgery is associated with significant urinary adverse effects, including incontinence, urethral sloughing, and bladder neck obstruction. The influence of these adverse effects on decision making regarding prostate cancer treatment selection is difficult to ascertain. Research indicates that both men and their partners appear to have difficulty processing information presented to them regarding the probability of urinary adverse effects and the degree to which these adverse effects may have an impact on their daily lives.
Super-resolution mosaicking of UAV surveillance video

This paper explains and implements our efficient multi-frame super-resolution mosaicking algorithm. In this algorithm, feature points between images are matched using SIFT, and then random M-least squares is used to estimate the homography between frames. Next, separate frames are registered and the overlapping region is extracted. A generative model is then adopted and combined with maximum a posteriori estimation to construct the underdetermined sparse linear system. To solve the ill-posed large-scale inverse system, we derive and implement a new hybrid regularization (bilateral total variance Hubert) method. Cross validation is utilized to estimate the derivative of the blur kernel as well as the regularization parameter. Super-resolution is then applied to the individual sub-frames from the overlapping region. Finally, multi-band blending is used to stitch these resolution-enhanced frames to form the final image. The whole process is semi-real time (roughly 30 seconds for 35 frames) and the effectiveness of our algorithm is validated by applying it to real and synthetic UAV video frames.
The association between heavy metals, endometriosis and uterine myomas among premenopausal women: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2002

Background It has been hypothesized that exposure to exogenous estrogens may be associated with endometriosis and uterine myomas. We sought to investigate the association between heavy metals which have been shown to be hormonally active and these disorders using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2002. Methods Women aged 20-49 years who had data on metals and the outcomes of interest, were premenopausal and neither pregnant nor breastfeeding were eligible (n = 1425). Lead, cadmium and mercury were measured in whole blood. Diagnosis of outcomes was based upon self-report. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between tertiles of heavy metals and disease adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, use of birth control pills prior to diagnosis and smoking status at diagnosis. Results A dose-response association between cadmium and endometriosis was observed [tertile 2 versus 1: adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.94, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.73-5.18; tertile 3 versus 1: adjusted OR = 3.39, 95% CI 1.37-8.40]. This association persisted in subanalyses: (i) limiting analysis to women diagnosed in the past 10 years and (ii) limiting analysis to women diagnosed since last pregnancy, although limited by sample size. Conclusions These results must be interpreted with caution given the cross-sectional study design. The observed association between cadmium and endometriosis deserves further investigation in properly designed studies.
Feasibility of Neural Stimulation With Floating-Light-Activated Microelectrical Stimulators

Neural microstimulation is becoming a powerful tool for the restoration of impaired functions in the central nervous system. Microelectrode arrays with fine wire interconnects have traditionally been used in the development of these neural prosthetic devices. However, these interconnects are usually the most vulnerable part of the neuroprosthetic implant that can eventually cause the device to fail. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of floating-light-activated microelectrical stimulators (FLAMES) for wireless neural stimulation. A computer model was developed to simulate the micro stimulators for typical requirements of neural activation in the human white and gray matters. First, the photon densities due to a circular laser beam were simulated in the neural tissue at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. Temperature elevation in the tissue was calculated and the laser power was retrospectively adjusted to 325 and 250 mW/cm2 in the gray and white matters, respectively, to limit ΔT to 0.5°C. Total device area of the FLAMES increased with all parameters considered but decreased with the output voltage. We conclude that the number of series photodiodes in the device can be used as a free parameter to minimize the device size. The results suggest that floating, optically activated stimulators are feasible at submillimeter sizes for the activation of the brain cortex or the spinal cord.
Coercive Power and the Demise of the Star Chamber

The Star Chamber has become a synonym for secrecy, severity and extreme injustice. This reputation had its origins during the personal rule of Charles I, when the Court was used to coercively enforce laws against religious dissent and seditious libel. The Long Parliament abolished the Court on the grounds that it had exceeded its jurisdiction, had permitted its proceedings to become arbitrary, and had inflicted cruel and excessive punish ment. On closer examination, these allegations are more symptomatic of a severe decline in legitimacy than an outright failure in the administration of justice. English society at the time was confronted with vehement attacks on the traditional values of worship, ecclesiastical authority, and the pre rogative power of the Crown?factors tending to collectively undermine the Sovereign's legitimacy. Under these circumstances, the Star Chamber's efforts to obtain conformity through coercive enforcement exacerbated a loss of legitimacy, precipitating the Court's own demise.
Industrialization and the evolution of enforcement institutions

We construct a dynamic general equilibrium model with incomplete contracts to examine the interaction between factor accumulation, institutions of contract enforcement, and political-economy frictions. In the cross-country data, an economy’s exposure to enforcement frictions is correlated with the degree of industrialization. Theoretically, we find the incompleteness of contracts leads to underinvestment in relation-specific capital and causes production inefficiency due to misallocation. Misallocation occurs through two channels: unbalanced inputs for each product and unbalanced production across products. In addition to production inefficiency, the imperfect contract enforcement leads to distortions in factor supplies. We analyze the dynamic patterns of enforcement institutions by allowing the government to invest in the improvement in the contractual environment (“institutional capital”). We analyze how different types of governments choose different patterns of institutional investment over time. A higher level of institutional capital can enhance industrialization through directly improving production efficiency and indirectly encouraging physical capital accumulation. As institutional capital is accumulated, the economy shifts production toward industries that are more vulnerable to contractual enforcement. We highlight the role of government commitment in the equilibrium accumulation of institutional capital.
Radiogenomics of glioblastoma: a pilot multi-institutional study to investigate a relationship between tumor shape features and tumor molecular subtype

Genomic subtype has been shown to be an important predictor of therapy response for patients with glioblastomas. Unfortunately, obtaining the genomic subtype is an expensive process that is not typically included in the standard of care. It is therefore of interest to investigate potential surrogates of molecular subtypes that use standard diagnostic data such as magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. In this study, we analyze the relationship between tumor genomic subtypes, proposed by Verhaak et al, 2010, and novel features that capture the shape of abnormalities as seen in fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MR images. In our study, we used data from 54 patients with glioblastomas from four institutions provided by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA). We explore five shape features calculated by computer algorithms implemented in our laboratory that assess shape both in individual slices and in rendered three-dimensional tumor volumes. The association between each feature and molecular subtype was assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. We show that the two dimensional measures of edge complexity are significant discriminators between mesenchymal and classical tumors. These preliminary findings show promise for an imaging-based surrogate of molecular subtype and contribute to the understanding of the relationship between tumor biology and its radiology phenotype.
Molecular dynamics investigations of the α-helix to β-barrel conformational transformation in the RfaH transcription factor.

The C-terminal domain (CTD) of the transcription antiterminator RfaH folds to an α-helix bundle when it interacts with its N-terminal domain (NTD) but it undergoes an all-α to all-β conformational transformation when it does not interact with the NTD. The RfaH-CTD in the all-α topology is involved in regulating transcription whereas in the all-β topology it is involved in stimulating translation by recruiting a ribosome to an mRNA. Because the conformational transformation in RfaH-CTD gives it a different function, it is labeled as a transformer protein, a class that may eventually include many other functional proteins. The structure and function of RfaH is of interest for its own sake, as well as for the value it may serve as a model system for investigating structural transformations in general. We used replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations with implicit solvent to investigate the α-helix to β-structure transformation of RfaH-CTD, followed by structural relaxation with detailed all atom simul...
A Conflict of Values in American Archaeology

As contract salvage programs have come to support more and more archaeological fieldwork and analysis, and as archaeologists have become increasingly concerned with the relevance of their sub-discipline to the larger explanatory goals of anthropology, a strategic conflict has arisen that threatens to severely limit the potential of American archaeology for long-range explanatory research. It is contended that this conflict has arisen because salvage-support agencies have been led to organize their contract procedures along lines amenable to inductive, laissez-faire research. These procedures have become canonized while archaeology has begun to drift toward deductive, interdisciplinary team methods. Proposed salvage programs in the North Coast Ranges of California are used to illustrate the self-defeating nature of present procedures, and reorganization is suggested to permit increased theoretical input and the integration of salvage operations into large-scale regional research programs.
Evangelical Protestantism and Bias Against Female Political Leaders

Objective Gender and politics scholars have paid little attention to religion as a source of individual-level biases against female politicians. We begin to address this gap by modeling the relationship among evangelical Protestantism, partisanship, and the beliefs that males are better issue advocates and political leaders than women. Methods We employ logistic regression models with data from a 2008 survey administered by the Pew Social and Demographic Trends Project. Results We find that evangelical Protestantism, but not religious attendance more generally, is a strong predictor of whether Americans will hold biases against female political leaders. The effect of evangelical Protestantism is especially pronounced within the Republican Party. Conclusions These findings suggest a potential cause of the underrepresentation of women in the political world. They further underscore the need to control for religious denomination in future studies of gender stereotyping.
Alcohol Biomarkers: An Overview

This chapter provides an overview of various alcohol biomarkers (state markers and emerging genetic markers) with an emphasis on the application of these markers in various clinical settings. Traditional state biomarkers of alcohol use are indirect biomarkers, which are elevated in a person consuming moderate to heavy amounts of alcohol. These biomarkers are elevated due to the toxicity of alcohol in a particular organ. For example, liver enzymes such as γ-glutamyl transferase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase are elevated after heavy alcohol consumption because alcohol has toxic effects on the liver. Mean corpuscular volume was the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved biomarker of alcohol abuse; carbohydrate-deficient transferrin is also an indirect marker. In addition, serum and urine hexosaminidase and sialic acid are indirect biomarkers of alcohol abuse. Direct biomarkers of alcohol consumption include alcohol metabolites such as ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate or biomolecules derived from the interaction of alcohol with other molecules, such as fatty acid ethyl ester and phosphatidyl ethanol.
Locational Marginal Pricing of Natural Gas subject to Engineering Constraints

We derive a price formation mechanism to maximize social welfare for a pipeline network that delivers natural gas from suppliers to consumers. The system is modeled as a metric graph subject to physical balance laws for steadystate hydraulic flow on edges and mass balance at nodes. The pricing mechanism incorporates engineering constraints on local pressures and energy applied by gas compressors. Optimality conditions yield expressions for locational marginal prices for gas (gLMPs) and a decomposition of gLMPs into components corresponding to energy, compression, and two types of congestion. We demonstrate that price and pressure differentials between nodes have the opposite sign, so that price cannot decline in the direction of flow, and prove that the pricing mechanism is revenue adequate. We also present computational examples of congestion pricing for a small test network and a large-scale case study.
Determination of domain wall chirality using in situ Lorentz transmission electron microscopy

Controlling domain wall chirality is increasingly seen in non-centrosymmetric materials. Mapping chiral magnetic domains requires knowledge about all the vector components of the magnetization, which poses a problem for conventional Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (LTEM) that is only sensitive to magnetic fields perpendicular to the electron beams direction of travel. The standard approach in LTEM for determining the third component of the magnetization is to tilt the sample to some angle and record a second image. This presents a problem for any domain structures that are stabilized by an applied external magnetic field (e.g. skyrmions), because the standard LTEM setup does not allow independent control of the angle of an applied magnetic field, and sample tilt angle. Here we show that applying a modified transport of intensity equation analysis to LTEM images collected during an applied field sweep, we can determine the domain wall chirality of labyrinth domains in a perpendicularly magnetized ...
Asymptotic behavior of support vector machine for spiked population model

For spiked population model, we investigate the large dimension N and large sample size M asymptotic behavior of the Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification method in the limit of N, M → ∞ at fixed α = M/N. We focus on the generalization performance by analytically evaluating the angle between the normal direction vectors of SVM separating hyperplane and corresponding Bayes optimal separating hyperplane. This is an analogous result to the one shown in Paul (2007) and Nadler (2008) for the angle between the sample eigenvector and the population eigenvector in random matrix theorem. We provide not just bound, but sharp prediction of the asymptotic behavior of SVM that can be determined by a set of nonlinear equations. Based on the analytical results, we propose a new method of selecting tuning parameter which significantly reduces the computational cost. A surprising finding is that SVM achieves its best performance at small value of the tuning parameter under spiked population model. These results are confirmed to be correct by comparing with those of numerical simulations on finite-size systems. We also apply our formulas to an actual dataset of breast cancer and find agreement between analytical derivations and numerical computations based on cross validation.
Dissociation of Executive and Attentional Elements of the Digit Span Task in a Population of Older Adults: A Latent Class Analysis.

The prevailing model for working memory proposes the existence of a “central executive” responsible for coordinating and prioritizing incoming information from sensory and association cortices. The...
Nursing Workforce Issues in Rural and Urban Settings: Looking at the Difference in Recruitment, Retention and Distribution

Nursing personnel workforce issues vary depending on geographic and population density of health care settings and the type of agency. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the distribution of registered nurses in rural and urban health care settings (public health departments, long-term care facilities and hospitals); examine recruitment and retention strategies and barriers; and to analyze relationships between distribution of nurses and recruitment and retention. Written surveys of 131 rural and urban nursing administrators (response rate 57%) evaluated the quantitative and open-ended responses to questions regarding specific personnel numbers and recruitment and retention strategies and barriers. Results revealed that using the FTE (Full time equivalency) vacancy formula, rural health care settings reported the lowest vacancies; however, when major vacancies did exist, they were greater in the rural settings. Salaries, changes in local economies and military closures, and major changes in nursing position allocations had both a negative and positive effect on both the rural and urban health care settings. The findings indicate that numbers alone are not a sufficient means to determine the need for nurses, and shortages can pose a significant threat to quality and access of health care. Keywords: nursing workforce recruitment, retention, distribution http://dx.doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v1i1.499
Our Lives Matter: The Racialized Violence of Poverty among Homeless Mothers of Color,

Intimate partner and community violence are an unrelenting presence in the lives of homeless Latina and African American women and their children. Impoverished neighborhoods are inundated with public acts of violence that impact daily life in profound ways. Sexual violence, drug use, gang violence, child abuse, and hypermasculinity are enacted visibly for all to see. Based on a four-year ethnography of homeless families in San Francisco, this research examines the gendered and racialized violence of poverty experienced by homeless mothers in San Francisco. Women in this research have endured physical and sexual violence as children and are typically victims of adult intimate partner violence. This research presents the excruciating narratives of violence and degradation suffered by homeless women of color. Their lived experiences illustrate that for many women of color, becoming homeless is a direct result of racialized poverty and chronic family violence. Framed within the intersectionality perspective, these women's stories advance our understanding of the interlocking nature of race, gender, and class oppression.
Correcting “confusability regions” in face morphs

The visual system represents summary statistical information from a set of similar items, a phenomenon known as ensemble perception. In exploring various ensemble domains (e.g., orientation, color, facial expression), researchers have often employed the method of continuous report, in which observers select their responses from a gradually changing morph sequence. However, given their current implementation, some face morphs unintentionally introduce noise into the ensemble measurement. Specifically, some facial expressions on the morph wheel appear perceptually similar even though they are far apart in stimulus space. For instance, in a morph wheel of happy-sad-angry-happy expressions, an expression between happy and sad may not be discriminable from an expression between sad and angry. Without accounting for this confusability, observer ability will be underestimated. In the present experiments we accounted for this by delineating the perceptual confusability of morphs of multiple expressions. In a two-alternative forced choice task, eight observers were asked to discriminate between anchor images (36 in total) and all 360 facial expressions on the morph wheel. The results were visualized on a "confusability matrix," depicting the morphs most likely to be confused for one another. The matrix revealed multiple confusable images between distant expressions on the morph wheel. By accounting for these "confusability regions," we demonstrated a significant improvement in performance estimation on a set of independent ensemble data, suggesting that high-level ensemble abilities may be better than has been previously thought. We also provide an alternative computational approach that may be used to determine potentially confusable stimuli in a given morph space.
Discriminatory Designs on User Data

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects intermediaries from liability for distributing third-party user content. Courts have read Section 230 broadly, creating an immunity for intermediaries who do all but “materially contribute” to the user content they distribute. That is, courts have read the statute’s protections to cover services that augment user content, but not services that demonstrably help to develop the alleged illegal expressive conduct. Many believe that the internet would not be as dynamic and beguiling today were it not for the protection that Section 230 has been construed to provide for online intermediaries. Members of Congress worried the intermediaries would be “chilled” by the fear that they could be held legally responsible for content posted by users. Today, however, Section 230 doctrine has also had a perverse effect. By providing intermediaries with such broad legal protection, the courts’ construction of Section 230 effectively underwrites content that foreseeably targets children, women, racial minorities, and other predictable targets of harassment and discriminatory expressive conduct. More than this: intermediaries today elicit and then algorithmically sort and repurpose the user data that they collect. The most powerful services also leverage their market position to trade this information in ancillary or secondary markets. Moreover, they design their platforms in ways that shape the form and substance of their users’ content. Intermediaries and their defenders characterize these designs as substantively neutral technical necessities, but as I explain below, recent developments involving two of the most prominent beneficiaries of Section 230 immunity, Airbnb and Facebook, suggest otherwise. Airbnb and Facebook have enabled a range of harmful expressive acts, including violations of housing and employment laws, through the ways in which they structure their users’ interactions. At a minimum, companies should not get a free pass for enabling unlawful discriminatory conduct, regardless of the social value their services may otherwise provide. I argue here that Section 230 doctrine requires a substantial reworking if the internet is to be the great engine of democratic engagement and creativity that it might be. Section 230 is no longer serving all the purposes it was meant to serve. The statute was intended at least in part to ensure the vitality and diversity, as well as the volume, of speech on new communications platforms. By allowing intermediaries to design their platforms without internalizing the costs of the illegal speech and conduct they facilitate, however, the statute is having the opposite effect.
Impact Performance of Stitched and Unstitched Composites in Extreme Low Temperature Arctic Conditions

The impact performance of T650-35 stitched polyimide laminates and unstitched CFRP woven laminates is investigated at 23 and − 70 °C. Three impact energy levels of 6.7, 13.4, and 18.4 J/mm are selected to analyze the resulting damage modes. The results from the force–displacement and the absorbed energy curves evidently show that at − 70 °C, the specimens have noticeably higher initiation damage force for both material systems. Moreover, more significant load drops are observed at − 70 °C curves compared to the room temperature curves, which imply that multiple damage modes exist in greater extent at low temperature. The results further show that the T650-35 polyimide composites require higher impact load to initiate the matrix damage, indicating that the stitches efficiently suppressed the crack propagation on the samples. Furthermore, the T650-35 stitched polyimide composites can carry higher damage loads in both temperatures compared to the unstitched CFRP woven composites. X-ray micro-computed tomography technique is employed to reveal multiple complex impact damage modes. Results show that for unstitched composites impacted at 6.7 J/mm, − 70 °C samples experience multiple damage modes that include significant delamination, fiber breakage. However, for stitched composites impacted at 13.4 J/mm, similar complex damage modes are observed at 23 and − 70 °C.
The Antioxidant Effect of Lovastatin on Phagocyte-Induced DNA Damage : Implications for Cancer Prevention

Lovastatin is one of a series of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors used in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. It may also inhibit atheroma formation by inhibiting the oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDLs). We investigated the antioxidant properties of lovastatin and its effect on phagocyte-induced genotoxicity in mammalian cells. In a cytochrome c reduction assay using 106 phorbol ester-induced phagocytes as a positive control, lovastatin (10 microM) in its naturally occurring lactone form, had no effect. When converted to its acid form, however, superoxide anion formation was inhibted by 36%. Similarly, lovastatin in its acid form completely inhibited H2O2 formation by stimulated phagocytes. Using the fluorometric analysis of DNA unwinding, single-strand breakage was assayed in MRC-5 lung cells exposed to 106 human phagocytes +/- lovastatin (10 microM, 5 min. incubation). Stimulated phagocytes induced a decrease in double-stranded DNA to 48% of control values which, in the presence of lovastatin, reverted to 91% of control values. Lovastatin acts as an antioxidant by decreasing oxygen radical production by human phagocytes and may be important in abrogating the carcinogenic effect of chronic inflammation.
Bernard, Jessie (1903–96)

Jessie Bernard's (1903–96) role as an amiable radical perfused both her personal history and sociological oeuvre. Trained as a traditional sociologist at the University of Minnesota and Washington University, St. Louis, Bernard embarked on an intellectual journey that progressed from social positivism, to functionalism, and ultimately to feminism. After retiring from Pennsylvania State University, Professor Bernard critiqued mainstream sociological paradigms, social institutions, and public policy, particularly those concerning women's roles. Despite her critical stance, Bernard's work was recognized internationally and honored by the entire field. In 15 solo books, seven coauthored or edited volumes, 25 book chapters, and 60-plus journal articles, her gentle and unpretentious style brought Bernard's increasingly radical message acceptance without raising traditional hackles both in academia and beyond. Bernard explored the theme of biculturality throughout her work, first in describing Jews in a Gentile world, then blacks in a white world, married couples each with ‘his’ or ‘her marriage,’ and finally, women in the female world, a world sui generis, that exists parallel to the male world. Academic Women, The Future of Marriage, The Sex Game, her magnum opus The Female World, and The Female World in Global Perspective represent the core of her later work.
Academic Libraries as Active Contributors to Student Wellness

Colleges and universities have come to realize that student wellness is a factor in student retention and success. While academic libraries have not generally been included in wellness initiatives ...
Miracle Tales as Scripture Reception: A Case Study Involving the Lotus Sutra in China, 370–750 CE

Reception theory argues that meaning resides not in texts but in readers’ encounters with them. What would it mean to take this notion seriously in limning the authority and power Buddhist sutras were regarded as possessing in pre-Song China? In addition to the usual suspects (commentaries and doctrinal discourses), we have copious quantities of texts belonging to a pair of genres that have not been sufficiently examined as evidence for how sutras were received there: so-called miracle tales and biographies. Using narratives concerning the Lotus Sutra as examples, this article is a preliminary inquiry into the modes of sutra reception these works provide evidence of and themselves constituted. Ultimately, many people of most social strata saw sutras not just as doctrine delivery devices but as living entities, powerful platforms for activating divine responses to earnest devotional action. In construing the sutras in this way, Chinese people were not misreading the sutras: instead, they were taking seriou...
Wisconsin on the Air: 100 Years of Public Broadcasting in the State That Invented It

Review of: Wisconsin on the Air: 100 Years of Public Broadcasting in the State That Invented It, by Jack Mitchell
ATRIAL WALL PSEUDOANEURYSM IN A PATIENT WITH MITRAL VALVE ENDOCARDITIS

Cardiac pseudoaneurysms refer to a contained myocardial rupture and rarely arise in other sites than the left ventricle due to various causes, including infection. 35 year-old female presented with altered mental status and fever. Blood cultures were positive for methicillin-resistant
Investigation of the Extraction Processes and Performance Properties of Kudzu Fibers

Kudzu plants have become increasingly invasive in the US, yet are not highly utilized. Intending to produce eco-friendly fibers, this research used fresh kudzu vines to produce fibers by four diffe...
The impact of childhood gender expression on childhood sexual abuse and psychopathology among young men who have sex with men

Young men who have sex with men (MSM) are a risk group highly vulnerable to HIV infection and psychiatric symptoms are direct predictors of sexual risk behavior in MSM. Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with psychiatric symptomology in adolescence, and MSM are disproportionately impacted by CSA compared to heterosexuals. Some evidence suggests that childhood gender nonconformity, a natural variation of human gender expression, is more common in MSM than heterosexual males and places MSM at greater risk for CSA. This study examined whether or not childhood gender expression moderated the association between incidents of unwanted, early sexual experiences occurring before age 13 (ESE) and current psychiatric symptomology in a community-based sample of 449 young MSM aged 16–20. Analyses revealed significant bivariate associations between ESE and psychological symptoms, and significant multivariable associations between ESE, gender nonconformity and psychiatric outcomes. Young MSM with childhood gender nonconformity may be disproportionately victimized by CSA thereby increasing their likelihood of developing psychiatric symptoms in adolescence. Early intervention addressing these factors may help reduce lifetime negative sequelae.
Creation of a Geospatially Explicit, Agent-based Model of a Regional Healthcare Network with Application to Clostridioides difficile Infection.

Agent-based models (ABMs) describe and simulate complex systems comprising unique agents, or individuals, while accounting for geospatial and temporal variability among dynamic processes. ABMs are ...
PREDICTORS OF INSOMNIA IN INDIVIDUALS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT.

Insomnia is a common disorder that affects up to 40% of people age 65 and older. Untreated insomnia can decrease quality of life, increase healthcare use, and exacerbate cognitive problems. Individuals with cognitive impairment experience more sleep disorders than those without cognitive concerns, yet little is known about insomnia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Our objective was to examine predictors of insomnia in persons with MCI (PwMCI). Using data from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set, a cross-sectional study of older PwMCI was conducted. Independent sample t-tests and contingency tables with chi-square tests of independence were used to examine differences between PwMCI with and without insomnia. Multivariate binary logistic modeling was performed. The total sample (N=1543) was comprised of 234 (15.1%) with clinician-reported insomnia and 1309 (84.9%) without insomnia. PwMCI and insomnia were more likely to be younger, take more medications, and smoke cigarettes (p.05). Three variables significantly predicted insomnia in PwMCI subjects in a multivariate model: active depression (OR 1.66, 95%CI 1.21, 2.27), active anxiety (OR 2.16, 95%CI 1.57, 2.99) and arthritis (OR 1.78, 95%CI 1.33, 2.39). Differences in predictors of insomnia in PwMCI highlight the need for geriatric and mental health specialists to provide specialized care to this population. Future studies should examine conversion of PwMCI with insomnia to dementia and the compounding effects of insomnia on cognition.
Black-White differences in vocational interests: Meta-analysis and boundary conditions

The present study investigated whether Black and White Americans differed on the dimensions of Holland’s RIASEC model of vocational interests. Theoretical explanations of why racial differences in interests may occur are advanced drawing on Gottfredson’s (1981) theory of circumscription and compromise, and social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1986). A meta-analysis of 54 studies was conducted that included 926,462 participants and 306 effect sizes. Our results showed that, on average, Black Americans have stronger Social, Enterprising, and Conventional interests than White Americans; and White Americans have stronger Realistic and Investigative interests than Black Americans (no differences found on Artistic interests). Further, moderator analyses revealed that: (a) the Black-White gaps in Realistic, Investigative, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional interests all increase with education (in particular, with the onset of college), (b) the gaps in Social, Enterprising, and Conventional interests favoring Black Americans increase with age, and the gap in Realistic interests favoring White Americans decreases with age (although age and education effects tend to be confounded), (c) race gaps in Realistic and Social interests are larger in male samples, and (d) race gaps in Social, Enterprising, and Conventional interests may have decreased (but not disappeared) in more recent birth cohorts. We discuss these findings highlighting the roles of access to opportunity and of social identity in potentially giving rise to racial differences in interests. This research helps us discern factors that may contribute to diversity recruiting and the building of diverse talent pipelines in various careers.
Stress induces NF-κB mediated resistance to Etoposide in H1299 human lung cancer cells

1227 Conditions within solid tumor microenvironments can activate stress response pathways leading to the development of resistance to anti-cancer drugs. We show that treatment with the physiologic stress hypoxia or chemical stress Brefeldin A (BFA) leads to the development of resistance to the topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide in H1299 (p53-/-) human lung cancer cells. Furthermore, experiments measuring luciferase expression after transient transfection of an NF-κB-regulated luciferase reporter construct demonstrate that 4 or 8 hours of hypoxia treatment, or 2 hours BFA followed by 2 hours of BFA-free recovery induce NF-κB activation in H1299 (p53-/-) cells. Experiments using H1299 cells transfected with wild-type p53 in a tetracycline inducible system showed wild-type p53 expressing cells to be similarly resistant to etoposide as their p53-/- counterparts. Finally, we created 5 subpopulations using H1299 cells, which were either non-treated (O2), or treated with 25μM etoposide (O2+25μM E), hypoxia (H), hypoxia and 25μM etoposide (H+25μM E), hypoxia and 100μM etoposide (H+100μM E). H+25μM E represents the equidose subpopulation and H+100μM E represents the equitoxic dose subpopulation to the O2+25μM E treated population. Preliminary data using these subpopulations demonstrate that in non-stressful conditions (95% air/5% CO2), the O2+25μM E subpopulation is greater than 3-fold resistant to etoposide than the O2 controls. In contrast, the sensitivity to etoposide is similar to that of O2 control populations in the H, H+25μM E and H+100μM E subpopulations. Furthermore, experiments show the hypoxic-treated subpopulations to be intrinsically less sensitive to etoposide in the presence of stress than the O2 and O2+25μM E subpopulations. Taken together our findings demonstrate an involvement of NF-κB in the development of stress-induced drug resistance in human H1299 (p53-/-) cells, and suggest that the resistance pathway is independent of p53. Moreover, data from the H1299 subpopulations suggest that the hypoxia-induced resistance pathway suppresses the resistance to drug caused by prior drug exposure, and further that hypoxia pretreatment makes H1299 subpopulations intrinsically less sensitive to etoposide. Understanding the pathways by which stress-induced resistance to anti-cancer drugs operate could be important for the development of therapeutic approaches for solid tumors. Supported by Army Breast Cancer Initiative Award 99-1-9186 (K.A.K.)
Predicting Notebook Heat Exchanger Performance Using a Neural Network Approach

Thermal engineers must design the heat exchanger geometry of an actively cooled notebook computer to meet an overall thermal resistance target for their thermal solution. Geometric parameters for the heat exchanger must be chosen to meet system, blower and thermal constrains. The typical approach is for the thermal engineer to estimate the adequate heat exchanger geometry and to iterate the design using feedback from correlations and simulations. These feedback mechanisms have trade-offs between accuracy and time often resulting in long iteration cycles to arrive at an optimal design. In this paper a neural network approach is utilized to predict heat exchanger air-flow impedance and thermal resistance using a large CFD generated training dataset. A 3-level 8-factor full factorial DOE on notebook representative heat exchanger configurations was created and solved using IcePak resulting in 3^8=6,561 distinct runs. This dataset was then used in MATLAB to train a neural network for both air-flow impedance and thermal resistance with resulting R correlation coefficients greater than 0.99. The result is an accurate and fast method for the thermal engineer to iterate the heat exchanger geometry for optimal performance. Also demonstrated in this paper is the applicability and effectiveness of using neural networks for multi-factor thermal predictions.
Investigating the microstructure of high-calcium fly ash-based alkali-activated material for aqueous Zn sorption

Abstract The performance of adsorbents prepared by alkali activation of high calcium fly ash was investigated for removing aqueous Zn. Two formulations involving the use of NaOH and Na2SiO3 activating solutions were used to prepare the adsorbents that feature different microstructural characteristics. The Zn sorption data indicates a sorption process that is controlled by both chemisorption and intra-particle diffusion. The Na2SiO3-activated material displayed higher sorption rates compared to the NaOH-activated material. The sorption kinetics show strong dependence on the microstructures of the adsorbents, wherein the Na2SiO3-activated material featuring higher contents of amorphous phases (96 %mass) in the hydrated phase assemblage, with attendant improved porosity and surface area, performed better than the NaOH-activated material (86 %mass amorphous phases) which showed higher degree of crystallinity and coarse morphology. The Na2SiO3-activated material exhibited 100% Zn removal efficiency within the first 5 min in all studied initial adsorbate concentrations(corresponding to sorption capacity of up to 200 mg/g), while the NaOH-activated analogue tends to lag, reaching 99.99% Zn removal efficiency after about 240 min in most cases. The two formulations were also examined with thermodynamic modeling and the results agree with experimental data in indicating that the use of alkali-silicate activating solution is most suitable for converting high calcium fly ash into efficient adsorbent for removing aqueous heavy metals.
Racial Bias in Pulse Oximetry Measurement.

Racial Bias in Pulse Oximetry The question of whether pulse oximetry measurements vary according to race has not been adequately studied, despite the wide use of this measure in clinical care. In t...
MANAGEMENT OF FIRST-TIME PATELLAR DISLOCATION: A SURVEY OF PRISM MEMBERS (201):

Objectives:There are no current guidelines for optimal management of first-time patellar dislocation in children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to develop consensus-based guidelin...
Chemoselective Photoreaction of Enamides: Divergent Reactivity towards [3+2]-Photocycloaddition vs Paternò-Büchi Reaction†.

Photoreaction of enamides tethered to a phenyl ketone leads to either [3+2]-photocycloaddition or Paterno-Buchi reaction. This divergence in chemical reactivity originating from the same excited state was dependent on the reaction temperature. At low temperatures the Paterno-Buchi reaction was preferred, whereas at higher temperatures there was preference toward formation of [3+2]-photoproduct.