cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Processing and properties of superconductor wires

Numerous variables are encountered in the fabrication of superconductor wires by extrusion and by powder-in-tube processing. The decomposition of plastically extruded YBCO is minimized by firing at reduced total pressure. Sintering the extruded YBCO wires at an oxygen partial pressure of 7.6 mm Hg results in densification and a fine grained micro-structure. A reduction in average grain size from 23 to 4 µm increased strength from 83 to 191 MPa. Addition of 15 vol.% Ag particles causes a further increase in strength to 222 MPa due to compressive stresses in the YBCO matrix from the Ag. In powder-in-tube processing, the primary considerations are the mechanical-working and heating schedules. The best properties in Ag-clad Bi-based superconductors are obtained with many small reductions during working and by the use of liquid-phase formation during sintering to promote grain growth.
The genetics of transformation.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the chemical nature of the transforming agent and mechanism of recombination occurring in transformation. The investigation of pneumococcal transformations was concerned largely with the chemical identification of the substance in the donor extract that was capable of inducing genetic transformations. A type of genetic transfer was discovered in the Salmonellae. In this type, referred to as “transduction,” a small portion of the genetic material of the donor bacterium, similar in amount to that transferred in DNA-mediated transformations, is transferred to the recipient bacterium by means of a virus that had previously reproduced in the donor and had subsequently infected the recipient. Both in conjugation and transduction DNA is the material transferred from donor to recipient. While this fact correlates the mechanisms underlying transformation, transduction, and conjugation, there are differences between the modes of transfer involved in these three processes to provide well-defined operational criteria for distinguishing them. A comparison of the mechanism of recombination occurring in these modes of transfer is presented. The chapter also discusses two classic schemes to account for “crossing-over” between homologous chromosomes in higher organisms.
Comments on “The Concept of Responsibility in Medicine”

As a physician and medical educator, I am stimulated by George Agich’s essay, “The Concept of Responsibility in Medicine,” in that it represents an effort to look at common activities in a new light. His is a rich analysis, from which I can pick only a few points of departure. First, I agree with the perspective of responsibilities, rather than rights, as a basis for discourse and as a framework upon which to begin reconstruction of the presently uncertain role of medicine in our society. The appeal to rights of patients, physicians, and institutions in times of change is an admission of the failure to communicate and to enlighten through dialectical means.
HPMAP: A Hash-Based Privacy-Preserving Mutual Authentication Protocol for Passive IoT Devices Using Self-Powered Timers

The proliferation of passive Internet-of-Things (IoT) into the consumer and the enterprise market has necessitated enhanced security requirements. Many security protocols have been proposed in literature to address these requirements, however, they are either prone to certain types of attacks or are computationally expensive for resource- constrained passive IoT devices. In this paper we propose two variants of a novel mutual authentication protocol that utilizes the synchronization property of Fowler Nordheim (FN) tunneling based self-powered timers. The first protocol provides mutual authentication using the dynamic timer values. The protocol is both lightweight and provably immune to most of the well-known security attacks. Moreover, it offers an efficient and secure capability for easy revocation of tags and readers from the IoT system. The second protocol, an enhanced version of the first, provides disguised identities for applications that require privacy preserving. This protocol can thus serve as a perfect candidate for high-security passive IoT applications such as e- passports.
Science Signaling Podcast: 28 October 2014

This Podcast features an interview with William Pryor and Srinivasa Subramaniam, authors of a Research Article that appears in the 28 October 2014 issue of Science Signaling , about how the huntingtin protein (Htt) stimulates signaling that contributes to Huntington9s disease–like symptoms in mice. Htt is ubiquitously expressed and contains an amino-terminal polyglutamine tract. Whereas normal forms of Htt contain up to 35 glutamine residues in this region, forms of Htt in Huntington9s disease patients contain more than 36 glutamine residues. Expansion of the polyglutamine tract is sufficient to cause disease, because increasing the number of glutamines in this region in mice causes motor defects and other pathologies typical of Huntington9s disease. Although it is clear that expansion of the polyglutamine tract of Htt contributes to Huntington9s disease, it is not clear how normal forms of Htt function in cell biology or how polyglutamine-expanded forms of Htt cause disease. Pryor et al . report that Htt promotes anabolic signaling through the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and that polyglutamine-expanded forms of Htt enhance mTORC1 signaling. Increasing mTORC1 signaling in a mouse model of Huntington9s disease led to earlier onset of disease symptoms.
NOONAN SYNDROME AND THE CARDIAC CONDUCTION SYSTEM

Noonan syndrome (NS) is an autosomal dominant congenital disorder with various cardiovascular manifestations; however, conduction abnormalities are extremely rare. A 21-year-old Caucasian male with past medical history notable for Noonan syndrome presented to the emergency department after a motor
Comparison of MOSFET Threshold Voltage Extraction Methods with Temperature Variation

Threshold voltage is a fundamental parameter for MOSFET device and technology characterization. Multiple threshold voltage extraction methods are compared in this paper with experimental data over a wide temperature range from −40°C to 150°C for 5V and 1.8V NMOS devices in a 180 nm BCD process. Consistent results are found among two linear extrapolation methods from the drain current versus gate voltage transfer characteristics and transition method for MOSFETs biased in the linear region. The difference in temperature coefficients of extracted threshold voltages from different methods are compared and the different trends of scaled drain currents at extracted threshold voltages over temperature are analyzed to reveal the underestimation of threshold voltage temperature coefficients in gm/Id methods.
The Politics of Constitutional Design: Obduracy and Amendability - a Comment on Ferejohn and Sager

John Ferejohn and Larry Sager's contribution to the Symposium on Precommitments offers an elegant and important argument in praise of Article V and the obduracy of the United States Constitution. I think it is wide of the mark. For them, the key purpose served by obduracy is this: A constitution as hard to amend as ours will be more likely than others to assure the realization of that constitution's substantive normative commitments - more likely, that is, to bring to earth the constitution's commitments to liberty, equality, and the like. But Ferejohn and Sager's argument is too categorical to persuade. True, a significant degree of obduracy may help attain the constitutional goods they highlight: broadly worded justice-seeking amendatory language, and constitutional courts authorized and able to make the commitments workable and real. However, both logic and experience suggest that amendment rules need not be remotely as obdurate as ours to provide what support such rules can offer to securing those goods. More than that, obduracy on the order of the U.S. Constitution may actually erode and thwart a nation's capacity for realizing many of its deepest constitutional commitments. Ferejohn and Sager's commitment-centered case on behalf of Article V rests on a court-centered model of how the Constitution's substantive commitments have been elaborated and enforced. According to this model, popular challenges to judicial interpretations have been a threat to the realization of those commitments. Because popular oversight of the process of constitutional interpretation and enforcement is a threat, we are fortunate that Article V makes such involvement and oversight an extremely daunting, protracted and procrastinating process. But this model is too simple by half. Popular constitutional politics, including popular challenges to judicial interpretations, have had a more complex relationship to judge-made constitutional law. Popular political challenges have been both a threat to and an essential source of the justice-seeking elaboration of the Constitution's substantive commitments. Social movements, including popular efforts to amend the Constitution, have proved an indispensable crucible of the very judicial interpretations Ferejohn and Sager prize. A Constitution too obdurate can and, in several important cases, has stifled this generative process. If that is the case, then the design objective Ferejohn and Sager invoke in defense of obduracy demands instead a balancing of obduracy and amendability; or so this essay argues, via whirlwind tour of twentieth-century U.S. constitutional history and a comparative coda that takes a glimpse at how well the experience of other nations seems to square with Ferejohn and Sager's thesis.
Diet in Brain Health and Neurological Disorders: Risk Factors and Treatments

The role of nutrition in health and disease has been appreciated from time immemorial [...].
Efficacy of human-simulated bronchopulmonary exposures of cefepime, zidebactam and the combination (WCK 5222) against MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a neutropenic murine pneumonia model.

Objectives WCK 5222 combines cefepime with zidebactam, a β-lactam enhancer that binds PBP2 and inhibits class A and C β-lactamases. The efficacy of human-simulated bronchopulmonary exposures of WCK 5222 against MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa was investigated in a neutropenic murine pneumonia model. Methods Nineteen MDR isolates of P. aeruginosa (cefepime MICs ≥64 mg/L) were studied. MICs of zidebactam and WCK 5222 ranged from 4 to 512 mg/L and from 4 to 32 mg/L, respectively. Dosing regimens of cefepime and zidebactam alone and in combination that achieved epithelial lining fluid (ELF) exposures in mice approximating human ELF exposures after doses of 2 g of cefepime/1 g of zidebactam every 8 h (1 h infusion) were utilized; controls were vehicle-dosed. Lungs were intranasally inoculated with 107-108 cfu/mL bacterial suspensions. Mice were dosed subcutaneously 2 h after inoculation for 24 h, then lungs were harvested. Results In vitro MIC was predictive of in vivo response to WCK 5222 treatment. Mean±SD changes in bacterial density at 24 h compared with 0 h controls (6.72±0.50 log10 cfu/lungs) for 13 isolates with WCK 5222 MICs ≤16 mg/L were 1.17±1.00, -0.99±1.45 and -2.21±0.79 log10 cfu/lungs for cefepime, zidebactam and WCK 5222, respectively. Against these isolates, zidebactam yielded >1 log10 cfu/lungs reductions in 8/13, while activity was enhanced with WCK 5222, producing >2 log10 cfu/lungs reductions in 10/13 and >1 log10 cfu/lungs reductions in 12/13. Among isolates with WCK 5222 MICs of 32 mg/L, five out of six showed a bacteriostatic response. Conclusions Human-simulated bronchopulmonary exposure of WCK 5222 is effective against MDR P. aeruginosa at MIC ≤16 mg/L in a murine pneumonia model. These data support the clinical development of WCK 5222 for pseudomonal lung infections.
The AMPK V199i Mutation in Berkshire Pigs Decreases the Rate of Postmortem pH Decline in Skeletal Muscle

ObjectivesAMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a heterotrimeric enzyme that participates in the regulation of cellular energy homeostasis and is comprised of an ɑ, β, and γ subunit. In pigs, two known genetic mutations in the skeletal muscle specific γ3 regulatory subunit alter fresh pork quality. The first mutation, AMPKγ3R200Q (Rendement Napole mutation), arises from an arginine to glutamine substitution and makes AMPK constitutively active. Animals with this mutation produce meat with an abnormally low ultimate pH known as acid meat. The second mutation, AMPKγ3V199I, arises from a valine to isoleucine substitution making AMPK unresponsive to AMP. While the AMPKγ3V199I mutation has been associated with improved pork quality, little information is available elucidating the biochemical mechanism responsible. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the role of the AMPKγ3V199I mutation in determining fresh meat quality during the conversion of muscle to meat.Materials and MethodsWe investigated this mutation using Berkshire pigs, a breed known to carry the AMPKg3V199I mutation with a high frequency (80 to 90% homozygous mutants). Homozygous mutant (n = 12) and heterozygous Berkshire pigs (n = 9) were harvested at The Ohio State University’s Meat Laboratory. Muscle samples were collected from the longissimus lumborum et thoracis at 0, 30, 60, 120, 240, and 1440 min postmortem and frozen in liquid nitrogen to measure pH decline. To determine the rate of pH decline, a single exponential decay curve was fit to the data to derive a rate constant for each pig. After 1440 min, carcass data were measured for dressing percentage, backfat thickness, loin eye area, and Minolta color (L*, a*, and b*). Data were analyzed with a mixed model in JMP. The LSMeans were compared using a Student’s t test and considered significant at P ≤ 0.05.ResultsNo differences were detected in any carcass measurements. The homozygous mutant pigs exhibited a decreased rate of postmortem pH decline (P = 0.0325). This difference primarily arose from the elevated muscle pH of homozygous mutant muscle at 30 min (P = 0.0036) and 60 min (P = 0.0391) postmortem compared to the heterozygous pigs. The slower postmortem pH decline may explain the superior meat quality associated with Berkshire pigs and may be due to a decreased glycolytic capacity in the homozygous pigs.ConclusionThe AMPKγ3V199I mutation results in a slower pH decline in homozygous mutants compared to heterozygotes. The data also suggest that the AMPKγ3V199I mutation may be a recessive mutation compared to the dominant AMPKγ3R200Q mutation.
Parents' receptiveness to oral health clinic-based vaccination.

Abstract In the United States, utilization of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has lagged far below public health goals for achieving satisfactory population-level protection against HPV associated cancers. Oral health professionals such as dentists and dental hygienists are important stakeholders in primary prevention of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer. We surveyed parents accompanying children to a local pediatric oral health clinic to ascertain their receptiveness to engaging their child’s oral health team in their child’s immunizations. Parents were generally receptive (86%) to discussing vaccines available for their children with both their child’s dentist and dental hygienist. The majority of parents (79%) reported that they would allow their child’s dentist to administer a vaccine to their child. Oral health providers are trusted healthcare professionals poised to make a positive impact on adolescent vaccination programs and they should be included in efforts to improve HPV vaccination rates.
The dynamics of human bone marrow adipose tissue in response to feeding and fasting

BACKGROUNDAdipocytes were long considered inert components of the bone marrow niche, but mouse and human models suggest bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) is dynamic and responsive to hormonal and nutrient cues.METHODSIn this study of healthy volunteers, we investigated how BMAT responds to acute nutrient changes, including analyses of endocrine determinants and paracrine factors from marrow aspirates. Study participants underwent a 10-day high-calorie protocol, followed by a 10-day fast.RESULTSWe demonstrate (a) vertebral BMAT increased significantly during high-calorie feeding and fasting, suggesting BMAT may have different functions in states of caloric excess compared with caloric deprivation; (b) ghrelin, which decreased in response to high-calorie feeding and fasting, was inversely associated with changes in BMAT; and (c) in response to high-calorie feeding, resistin levels in the marrow sera, but not the circulation, rose significantly. In addition, TNF-α expression in marrow adipocytes increased with high-calorie feeding and decreased upon fasting.CONCLUSIONHigh-calorie feeding, but not fasting, induces an immune response in bone marrow similar to what has been reported in peripheral adipose tissue. Understanding the immunomodulatory regulators in the marrow may provide further insight into the homeostatic function of this unique adipose tissue depot.FUNDINGNIH grant R24 DK084970, Harvard Catalyst/The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH, award UL 1TR002541), and NIH grants P30 DK040561 and U19 AG060917S1.
Risk of pump thrombosis and stroke in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices and gastrointestinal bleeding.

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a common complication following the placement of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) in patients with advanced heart failure. Secondary events arising as a result of GI bleeding have not been well-described. Furthermore, attribution of these events to bleeding is complicated by the interruption or de-intensification of antithrombotic therapy, while bleeding is controlled. The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of pump thrombosis and ischemic stroke in patients with LVADs who experience GI bleeding, while on support. This was a single-center, retrospective, observational cohort study of consecutive patients with LVADs implanted from January 2012 to June 2018. Patients were assigned to comparator groups based on whether they experienced GI bleeding while on LVAD support. The primary endpoint assessed was the composite of pump thrombosis or ischemic stroke. Secondary endpoints assessed included incidence of pump thrombosis or ischemic stroke. A total of 250 patients were included after screening for exclusion criteria, 101 (40.4%) in the GI bleeding group, and 149 (59.6%) in the non-bleeding group. The incidence of pump thrombosis or ischemic stroke was not significantly greater in patients experiencing GI bleeding [23 (22.8%) vs. 21 (14.1%); P = .09]; however, the incidence of ischemic stroke alone was significantly greater [17 (16.8%) vs. 10 (6.7%); P = .01]. We conclude that GI bleeding in LVAD patients may be associated with a greater risk of ischemic stroke.
“Affective News” and Attitudes: A Multi-Topic Experiment of Attitude Impacts From Political News and Fiction:

Popular entertainment often involves political messages, and entertainment elements are now commonly used in politics coverage. This study examines how suspense drives impacts of political entertai...
Alberto Jiménez Fraud. Epistolario 1905–1964. James Valender, José García-Velasco, Tatiana Aguilar-Álvarez Bay and Trilce Arroyo, editors. Madrid: Fundación Unicaja/Publicaciones de la Residencia de Estudiantes, 2018. 3 vols, boxed: 769–1165–1040 pp.

El proyecto de investigacion “Epistola”, impulsado por la Fundacion Francisco Giner de los Rios en colaboracion con la Residencia de Estudiantes y bajo la direccion de Jose-Carlos Mainer inicio su ...
On-Chip High-Quality Ge 23 Sb 7 S 70 Round-Wedge Resonators for Broadband Dispersion Engineering

We report Ge 23 Sb 7 S 70 chalcogenide wedge resonators with a high quality factor and broadband dispersion which is induced by an exceedingly smooth and varying-angle wedge surface.
Interventions to Preserve Cognitive Functioning Among Older Kidney Transplant Recipients.

To summarize the research on effective interventions for preserving cognitive function and prevent cognitive decline in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) who are undergoing dialysis and/or kidney transplantation (KT). Among ESKD patients undergoing hemodialysis, exercise training has been administered through home-based and intradialytic interventions. Additionally, one pilot study identified intradialytic cognitive training, electronic brain games, as an intervention to preserve cognitive function among patients undergoing hemodialysis. Fewer studies have investigated interventions to preserver cognitive function among KT recipients. To date, the only randomized controlled trial in this population identified B-vitamin supplements as an intervention to preserve cognitive function. The evidence from these trials support a short-term benefit of cognitive and exercise training as well as B-vitamin supplementation among patients with ESKD. Future studies should (1) replicate these findings, (2) identify interventions specific to KT candidates, and (3) investigate the synergistic impact of both cognitive and exercise training. Cognitive prehabilitation, with cognitive and/or exercise training, may be novel interventions for KT candidates that not only reduces delirium risk and long-term post-KT cognitive decline but also prevents dementia.
Assessing accrual reliability in periods of suspected opportunism

The earnings management literature relies heavily on accrual expectation models to make inferences about opportunism. However, many have argued that legitimate changes in accruals are often misclassified as opportunism. This paper proposes an alternative approach to detect opportunism by examining the reliability of the accruals recorded by managers in a suspect period, where reliable accruals translate into the cash flows to which the accruals relate. A key feature of the model is that accrual levels, rather than changes, are examined as they provide a more complete measure of the estimates included in earnings for the period. Simulation-based tests of the accrual reliability model indicate that it is both reasonably powerful and not susceptible to the same performance-related bias as are discretionary accruals. This paper benefits from helpful comments and suggestions from my dissertation committee—Karl Muller (chair), Ed Coulson, Andy Leone, and Henock Louis—as well as Paul Fischer, Dan Givoly, Karen Hennes, Steve Huddart, Alan Jagolinzer, Michelle Liu, Jim McKeown, Brian Miller, Monica Stefanescu and Amy Sun.
Researching Immigration, Asylum and Refugee Law

A guide to legal research on immigration, asylum and refugee law. It briefly reviews the resources on executive orders and directives of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and agencies under its aegis, discusses some of the best books and websites on immigration law, and concludes with a listing of local resources for lawyers seeking to volunteer for immigration and refugee organizations.
Abstract #1258: TOR signaling maintains nucleolar architecture and timely exit from mitosis

TOR, a conserved PI-3K-related kinase family member, is a central regulator of cell growth and proliferation in response to a range of environmental and intracellular conditions. Dysregulation of the Akt-mTOR pathway has been linked with malignant transformation and tumor progression. Several analogs of rapamycin, a selective inhibitor of TOR, are currently in development in oncology clinical trials. Rapamycin analogs also demonstrate remarkable antitumor activity in combination with conventional cytotoxic drugs, including microtubile poisons such as vincristine, although the molecular basis for these interactions is often unclear. To assess TOR pathway function during mitosis, we used the genetically tractable yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system. We found that rapamycin inhibition of the conserved TOR complex 1 (TORC1) delayed progression through mitosis, with a more severe delay in late anaphase. These alterations in cell cycle transit coincided with the prolonged activity of the mitotic Clb2/Cdk1 and the delayed accumulation of the Sic1 Cdk inhibitor. In yeast, most, if not all, Cdk1-induced phosphorylation events are reversed by a conserved protein phosphatase, Cdc14, which is itself controlled by the Cdc14 early anaphase release (FEAR) network and mitosis exit network (MEN). Our findings demonstrate that Cdc14 is spatially regulated by TORC1 signaling. Rapamycin inhibition of TORC1 induces the premature release of Cdc14 from the nucleolus and impairs the activity of the MEN network. The net result is a delayed inactivation of Clb2/Cdk1, which is necessary for the completion of mitosis and cell cycle progression into G1 phase. Surprisingly, rapamycin-induced mislocalization of Cdc14 also coincides with alterations in mitotic spindle orientation and in nucleolar morphology. These data suggest that TORC1 signaling is required to maintain nucleolar integrity, such that the nucleolar retention of Cdc14 can be spatially and temporally coordinated with it\#8217;s activation during mitosis. One prediction of this model is that rapamycin inhibition of TORC1 in cells that lack a functional spindle assembly checkpoint may partially protect cells from the cytotoxic activity of microtubule poisons (such as nocodazole) by delaying cell cycle transit through mitosis. Indeed, this was the case in a mad2 delete strain. Our findings implicate TORC1 signaling as a critical determinant of nucleolar integrity and cell cycle exit from mitosis, which may be exploited in the clinical development of microtubule targeted agents. Supported by NIH CA23099 and ALSAC. Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 1258.
Black Boys in the Eye of the Storm

It is essential that the psychoanalytic community begin to observe and study racism’s effects, its transgenerational and structurally embedded manifestations, so that psychoanalysis and psychothera...
Temperature dependence of the gas-particle partitioning of selected VOCs.

The gas-particle partitioning coefficients for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are difficult to acquire because discriminating the small mass fraction of the VOCs in the aerosol particle relative to that in the gas phase is challenging. In this paper, we report the temperature dependence of the gas-particle partitioning coefficient (Kp) for n-butanol (n-BuOH) and trichloroethylene (TCE). Using the bench-scale system that we developed, we measured the Kp of surrogate VOCs, n-BuOH, and TCE onto inorganic (ammonium sulfate, Am Sulf) and organic (succinic acid, SA) aerosol particles at a fixed relative humidity (RH) of 35%. At this RH level and temperature range of 278.15–308.15 K, the ln Kp for TCE and n-BuOH partitioning on SA aerosol particles were −27.0 ± 0.70 to −27.9 ± 0.01 and −13.9 ± 0.03 to −17.4 ± 0.17. In contrast, the ln Kp for TCE and n-BuOH partitioning on Am Sulf aerosol particles ranged from −26.4 ± 0.70 to −27.4 ± 0.71 and −14.1 ± 0.03 to −17.1 ± 0.17, respectively. Results showed that TCE fitted well with the classic van't Hoff relationship. The enthalpy of desorption (ΔHdes) for TCE was constant over the temperature range of 278.15 K to 308.15 K, behaving similarly to 1,2-dichlorobenzene. At a similar temperature range, n-BuOH partitioning into both aerosol particles exhibited nonlinear temperature dependence. The minimum ratio of ΔHdes (Am Sulf:SA) for n-BuOH partitioning on each aerosol type was at ∼278.15 K. The magnitude of the entropy ΔSdes for all VOCs was <1 kJ mol−1.
Creating Walkable and Bikeable Communities

Guidance for creating walkable and bikeable communities has increased dramatically over the past several years. A growing list of resources identify the current best practices for increasing walking, cycling, universal access, complete streets, “first mile, last mile” solutions, and sustainable urban design. This document builds on these previous efforts but with a focus on the critical need for integrated planning. The document aims to — 1. Emphasize the importance of integrating land use, street design, and transportation strategies. 2. Focus on small to mid-size communities with low to moderate income (LMI). 3. Suggest innovative and exploratory ideas rather than restate regulatory statutes. 4. Increase the accessibility of these concepts to a wider range of potential users. 5. Provide the language needed to engage in dialogue and effect change to improve walkability and bikeability.
U.S. Patients with Ulcerative Colitis Do Not Have a Decreased Risk of Diverticulosis.

BACKGROUND Studies outside the United States have described a lower prevalence of diverticulosis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than in patients without IBD. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of diverticulosis and associated risk factors in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) at a U.S. tertiary care center. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of patients over 50 years of age who underwent screening or surveillance colonoscopy from January 2006 to December 2013. We first assessed the prevalence of diverticulosis in patients with UC compared with patients without IBD. Then, we performed a nested case-control study comparing UC patients with diverticulosis (cases) with UC patients without diverticulosis (controls). RESULTS We identified 544 patients with UC and 16,705 patients without IBD who underwent colonoscopy. On univariate analysis, 23.5% of patients with UC had diverticulosis, and 46.7% of patients without IBD had diverticulosis, P < 0.01 and relative risk = 0.50 (95% CI, 0.43-0.58). Multivariate analysis adjusting for age and gender found a relative risk of diverticulosis in UC = 1.02 (95% CI, 1.02-1.03). In the nested case-control study, there were no differences between UC cases and UC controls in disease duration (16.7 versus 18.7 yr; P = 0.27), extent of disease (pancolitis 50% versus 60.1%; P = 0.24), obesity (34.5% versus 29.2%; P = 0.40), or ethnicity (86.3% white versus 79.8%; P = 0.20). There was a trend toward history of smoking in patients with UC and diverticulosis (49.5% versus 35.5%; P = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS In this U.S.-based study, patients with UC had a slightly increased of diverticulosis compared with patients without IBD undergoing screening or surveillance colonoscopy. There were no identified predictors for diverticular disease in patients with UC, but there was a trend toward previous smoking status and development of diverticulosis. These results are different than previously reported data in patients with IBD in other countries and may represent unique dietary differences that contribute to the development of diverticulosis.
Emotion Response System Coherence

Emotions have been defined as transient, bio-psycho-social reactions to events that have consequences for our welfare and potentially require immediate action (see entry on Emotion). They are biological because they involve bodily responses. They are psychological because they involve specific mental processes required for elicitation and regulation of response and affect. And they are social because they are often elicited in interactions, and have meaning to those interactions. (We use the word “social” here in the broadest sense in relation to our evolutionary history, which includes interactions not only with other humans, but also with other living beings, such as snakes, bears, wild pigs, etc.) Keywords: cross-cultural psychology; emotion; universality studies
Clark W. Hetherington

(1985). Clark W. Hetherington. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 56, Buyers' Guide Issue, pp. 74-76.
Video Annotation: Computers Watching Video

Recently our research has focused on tools for video annotation — the generation of symbolic descriptions of dynamic scenes. In this paper I describe two specific examples of developing capabilities necessary for the understanding of action in video sequences. The first is a novel tracking technique that builds context-specific templates that are used only locally in time and space. The second example is some work on gesture recognition where time is implicitly represented in a probabilistic manner. We believe the future of computer vision lies in the processing of video and that while much work has been devoted to the representation and manipulation of static images, we are far behind in developing tools for considering action.
Targeting Children in the Cereal Aisle: Promotional Techniques and Content Features on Ready-to-Eat Cereal Product Packaging.

Abstract Background: Despite recent and heightened concern about the marketing of food to children as a health issue, there is little previous research describing the product packaging characteristics of specific products intensely marketed to children. Purpose: In order to better understand food marketing tactics targeting children, the purpose of this study was to examine the promotional techniques and content features of ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal packages. Methods: A content analysis of 122 cereal product packages assessed front panel characteristics, premium offers, cross-promotions, activity features, characters and celebrities, web sites, and other content features. Results: It was observed that cereal packaging contains a wide variety of features likely to enhance the impulsivity of children to choose a particular product at the point-of-sale (e.g., children’s characters, appears ready-to-eat, games and other fun activities). Discussion: The product packaging practices of food companies selling hig...
Attention dysfunction and parent reporting in children with brain tumors.

Background The IQ declines observed in children treated for brain tumor emerge as “late effects” and are conceptualized as secondary to changes in underlying mental processes, such as attention. Early identification of the underlying changes might help minimize the long-term adverse outcomes. We evaluated the validity of a time-efficient, standardized parent-report measure in identifying attention dysfunction in childhood brain tumor survivors. Procedure Seventy survivors between ages 6 and 16 who met eligibility criteria and who had completed a standard neuropsychological evaluation were classified into an attention dysfunction group and a non-attention dysfunction group, based on their performance on objective measures of attention. Analysis of covariance was used to evaluate group differences on the widely used, parent report Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL). Results Survivors in the attention dysfunction group were reported by their parents as having significantly more attention problems relative to the group without attention dysfunction on objective testing. Furthermore, survivors categorized as having attention dysfunction based on their neuropsychological test scores were reported on the CBCL by their parents as having significantly more social problems compared to the non-attention dysfunction group. Conclusions Standardized parent reporting of attention problems shows promise as a screening tool to detect attention dysfunction among survivors of childhood brain tumors. Findings include a strong association of decreased social functioning with attention dysfunction in brain tumor survivors. Furthermore, exploratory data suggest that the behavioral presentation of attention dysfunction in this group may be different from other clinical groups. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2007;49:970–974. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Temperature excursions during loss of magnet coolant accidents with thermalization of energy of large superconducting solenoids

Present progress in plasma research has been promising to the point that several groups have started to study technological problems (including safety issues) of controlled thermonuclear reactors (CTR) [1], in particular Tokamaks. Similar conceptual design studies have also been carried out for inductive energy storage systems. The components and systems to be developed will include large superconducting magnets, which have been investigated for both CTR and advanced inductive storage systems. Along with the evolution of conceptual design studies [1], safety investigations have been conducted which address anomalous operating conditions of the superconducting solenoids. Large amounts of energy are stored in the various CTR magnets (approaching energies of 100 GJ). If these energies were to be released in an uncontrolled fashion, considerable damage might occur as a consequence of some unfavorable event (e.g., earthquake with coolant and control system failure).
Multiphoton Resonance Ionization of Neutral Hydrogen Atoms in Electron-Stimulated Desorption

We present the first reported observation of laser multiphoton ionization of neutral atomic hydrogen that has undergone electron-stimulated desorption (BSD) from an adsorbate-covered tungsten surface. Of the many species identified in BSD, one of the most interesting and important is H+, because hydrogen is involved in most surface chemical reactions and is not readily detectable with most surface techniques. We have found that the flux of desorbed neutral atomic hydrogen is on the order of 103 to 104 times that of desorbed H+. In addition, for electron-beam energies in the range of 100–300 eV, we find no evidence for the desorption of excited-state neutral hydrogen.
Geography of Crop Yield Skewness

Analysis of crop yield distributions provides insights into better understanding how natural resources shape agricultural productivity. This study seeks to provide a rigorous theoretical and empirical understanding of the effects of exogenous geographic and climatic factors on the first three moments of crop yields with focus on the third moment. We hypothesize that exogenous factors having beneficial effects on crop production should make crop yield distributions less positively or more negatively skewed. We employ a large crop insurance data set for corn, soybean, and wheat to find general support for our natural-resources-determines-skewness hypothesis. The proposed statistical method optimally uses correlations between the first three moments. It significantly improves estimation performance over existing methods, including the linear moment model which has been commonly applied in the literature.
Frequent Vocalizing is Negatively Associated with Brood Parasitism in a Host of the Brown-Headed Cowbird

Abstract. Brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) can substantially affect host species' reproductive success. The “host-activity” hypothesis suggests that parasites eavesdrop on conspicuous behaviors to locate and parasitize hosts, and several studies of cowbird hosts support this hypothesis. In contrast, a recent study of the Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) reported a negative association between the host's vocalization rate near the nest and brood parasitism. This contradictory pattern is intriguing because Bell's Vireo is a common cowbird host and vocalizes near and on its nests. We tested a key assumption of the host-activity hypothesis in a different subspecies (V. b. arizonae) to determine whether the contradictory pattern reported in V. b. pusillus is an anomaly or could be generalized to other subspecies. Unparasitized vireos vocalized more frequently than parasitized birds, confirming that the pattern in Bell's Vireos is the opposite of that reported for other co...
L-Dopa Treatment Duration Versus Parkinson's Disease Progression: The Dorsal-Ventral Divide

Unlike other monoamine systems, the mesencephalic dopamine system is heterogeneous with respect to differential projection targets and functional effects. Thus, the nigrostriatal dopamine system that innervates the dorsolateral caudate/putamen is primarily involved in motor function, with mesolimbic striatal projections affecting some cognitive processes and reward-mediated behavior 1, 2. Degeneration of the dopamine system in Parkinson’s disease is not uniform; in early stages primarily the nigrostriatal system is affected, leading to deficits in motor function. However, as the disease progresses, there is also a progressive involvement of the mesolimbic systems. It is the involvement of these latter systems that are proposed to contribute to deficits in reward-based learning. In treating Parkinson’s disease, dopamine replacement therapy, such as L-DOPA, is administered and dosages adjusted to act primarily on the damaged dopamine system; i.e., the nigrostriatal system. However, this presents a problem, in that L-DOPA works across the entire dopamine system. Hence, its administration in the early stages of the disease could overstimulate the normal, non-impaired mesolimbic system. This is the source of the dopamine overdose hypothesis 3, 4, which has been proposed in animal studies to lead to alterations in reward systems 5, 6, and that is examined in the study by MacDonald et al in this issue 7. A corollary of this hypothesis is that, as the mesolimbic system degenerates later in life, L-DOPA would change from having a disruptive influence on the mesolimbic system to one of restoration.
Validity of simple measurement to diagnose pupillary dilation

Abstract Study Objective The aim of the study was to compare the validity of 3 methods of detecting pupillary dilation: bright-light measurement, room-light measurement, and gestalt judgment. Methods In reach volunteer, by random assignment, placebo was instilled in one eye and dilute phenylephrine in the other. Emergency care providers judged whether each pupil was dilated and measured it in bright light (>54 000 lux) and in room light (2700-5400 lux) while the other eye was covered. Test characteristics for measurement were determined according to published cut-points, and measurement methods were compared using receiver operating curve analysis. Results There were 136 pupillary assessments—68 in placebo and 68 in phenylephrine eyes. Compared with gestalt judgment, bright-light measurement had higher specificity (0.94 vs 0.68) but lower sensitivity (0.43 vs 0.79). Bright-light measurement was more discriminating than room-light measurement. Conclusion Bright-light measurement has higher specificity, but lower sensitivity, than gestalt judgement, and is superior to room-light measurement.
Mosses: sensitive indicators of airborne mercury pollution.

Abstract Samples of fly ash, mosses and other vegetation were collected at varying distances from fly ash sources and analyzed for mercury content in order to determine the applicability of mosses as sensitive monitors of airborne mercury pollution. Fly ash exposed to rain water collected 2 km from a power plant smokestack had a mean mercury concentration of 0.98 ppm. Based on this value and the annual rate of dry fall, input to the area was calculated to be 20–30 μg mercury m −2 y −1 . Mosses had significantly higher mercury concentrations than the other plants collected at the same location, usually by an order of magnitude. The mercury content of mosses appeared to be a function of the distance from smokestacks, ranging from 1.13 ppm in polluted areas to 0.066 ppm in remote areas (mean values). Experiments with radioactive mercury-tagged fly ash showed that mosses take up and retain mercury to a greater extent than grasses do.
Role of peroxidases in Parkinson disease: a hypothesis

Extensive research has been done to elucidate the underlying molecular events causing neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson disease, yet the cause and the individual steps in the progression of such diseases are still unknown. Here we advance the hypothesis that, rather than or in addition to inorganic radical molecules, heme-containing peroxidase enzymes may play a major role in the etiology of Parkinson disease. This hypothesis is based on the following considerations: (1) several heme-containing enzymes with peroxidase activity are present in the substantia nigra pars compacta; (2) these peroxidases have the ability to catalyze the oxidation of proteins and lipids; (3) certain heme peroxidases are known to destroy cells in vivo; (4) heme peroxidases have the stability and specificity that could account for the fact that specific molecules and cells are subject to damage in Parkinson disease, rather than a random destruction; (5) heme peroxidase activity could account for certain reactions in connection with parkinsonism that thus far have not been adequately explained; and (6) the participation of a heme peroxidase could explain some recent observations that are inconsistent with the oxyradical theory. The peroxidase-catalyzed oxidative pathway proposed here does not preclude the participation of apoptosis as an additional mechanism for cell destruction.
Uncertainty Modeling and Reduction in MANETs

Evaluating and quantifying trust stimulates collaboration in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Many existing reputation systems sharply divide the trust value into right or wrong, thus ignoring another core dimension of trust: uncertainty. As uncertainty deeply impacts a node's anticipation of others' behavior and decisions during interaction, we include uncertainty in the reputation system. Specifically, we define a new uncertainty model to directly reflect a node's confidence in the sufficiency of its past experience, and study how the collection of trust information affects uncertainty in nodes' opinions. After defining a way to reveal and compute the uncertainty in trust opinions, we exploit mobility, one of the important characteristics of MANETs, to efficiently reduce uncertainty and to speed up trust convergence. Two different categories of mobility-assisted uncertainty reduction schemes are provided: the proactive schemes exploit mobile nodes to collect and broadcast trust information to achieve trust convergence; the reactive schemes provide the mobile nodes methods to get authenticated and bring their reputation in the original region to the destination region. Both of the schemes offer a controllable trade-off between delay, cost, and uncertainty. Extensive analytical and simulation results are presented to support our uncertainty model and mobility-assisted reduction schemes.
Anorectic and neurochemical effects of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide in rats

Abstract Pretreatment of rats with intrahypothalamic injections of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) 10 min prior to the injection of neuropeptide Y (NPY) significantly reduced food and water intake during the 4-h measurement period. Intrahypothalamic injection of PACAP in schedula-fed rats also reduced food and water intake for 2 h. A smaller 1-h reduction of water intake was observed in water-deprived rats, suggesting that the anticonsummatory effects of PACAP were primarily against food intake. PACAP treatment did not alter hypothalamic concentration of NPY, nor were neurotransmitters, precursors, or metabolites altered substantially in corpus striatum or nucleus accumbens regions. These results demonstrate primary anorectic effects of intrahypothalamic injection of PACAP. The demonstration of these anorectic effects may suggest a role of cyclic AMP activation and inhibition in the control of satiety and hunger.