cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fluorescence spectroscopy and multivariate spectral descriptor analysis for high-throughput multiparameter optimization of polymerization conditions of combinatorial 96-microreactor arrays.

Abstract Selection of optimum process conditions in combinatorial microreactors is essential if the combinatorial synthesis process is to be correlated with the synthesis process on a more conventional scale and the materials are to have the desired chemical properties. We have developed a new methodology for the high-throughput multiparameter optimization of polymerization reaction conditions in arrays of microreactors. Our strategy is based on the application of nondestructive spectroscopic techniques to measure chemical properties of polymers directly in individual microreactors followed by the multivariate spectral descriptor analysis for rapid determination of the optimal process conditions. We have demonstrated our strategy in the high-throughput multiparameter optimization of process conditions in thin-film melt polymerization reactions performed in 96-microreactor arrays for combinatorial screening of new polymerization catalysts. The combinatorial polymerization system was optimized for the best processing parameters using a set of input variables that included reactant parameters (relative amounts of starting components and catalyst loading) and processing variables (reaction time, reaction temperature, and inert gas flow rate). The measured output parameters were the chemical properties of materials and reproducibility of the material formation in replicate polymerizations in microreactors. Spatially resolved nondestructive evaluation of polymer formation was performed directly in individual microreactors and provided information about the spatial homogeneity of polymers in microreactors. It showed to be another powerful indicator of the reproducible polymerization process on the combinatorial scale. Although the methodology described here was implemented for high-throughput optimization of polymerization conditions, it is more general and can be further implemented for a variety of applications in which optimization of process parameters can be studied in situ or off-line using spectroscopic and other tools.
Aging redistributes medial prefrontal neuronal excitability and impedes extinction of trace fear conditioning

Cognitive flexibility is critical for survival and reflects the malleability of the central nervous system (CNS) in response to changing environmental demands. Normal aging results in difficulties modifying established behaviors, which may involve medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) dysfunction. Using extinction of conditioned fear in rats to assay cognitive flexibility, we demonstrate that extinction deficits reminiscent of mPFC dysfunction first appear during middle age, in the absence of hippocampus-dependent context deficits. Emergence of aging-related extinction deficits paralleled a redistribution of neuronal excitability across two critical mPFC regions via two distinct mechanisms. First, excitability decreased in regular spiking neurons of infralimbic-mPFC (IL), a region whose activity is required for extinction. Second, excitability increased in burst spiking neurons of prelimbic-mPFC (PL), a region whose activity hinders extinction. Experiments using synaptic blockers revealed that these aging-related differences were intrinsic. Thus, changes in IL and PL intrinsic excitability may contribute to cognitive flexibility impairments observed during normal aging.
Comparison of some water balance characteristics in several Drosophila species which differ in habitat.

Although remaining in water balance is necessary for all organisms, the strategies for reducing water loss vary between species, depending on environmental conditions as well as on physiological and morphological considerations. Six species of Drosophila from 3 species groups and a variety of habitat types have been examined for some water balance properties. Two sibling species from Hawaii have been studied in more detail. All 6 species studied lose water rapidly at all test av's (relative humidity/100) below saturation, but the rates at which water loss increases when the av is lowered vary between species. The 2 Hawaiian species from different habitats are strikingly different in water balance properties and survival characteristics at 0.70 av. One population of D. mimica which was collected in a very dry area was much more tolerant of desiccation than were the other populations of the same species.
Accepting the inevitable: factoring the user into home computer security

Home computer users present unique challenges to computer security. A user's actions frequently affect security without the user understanding how. Moreover, whereas some home users are quite adept at protecting their machines from security threats, a vast majority are not. Current generation security tools, unfortunately, do not tailor security to the home user's needs and actions. In this work, we propose Personalized Attack Graphs (PAG) as a formal technique to model the security risks for the home computer informed by a profile of the user attributes such as preferences, threat perceptions and activities. A PAG also models the interplay between user activities and preferences, attacker strategies, and system activities within the system risk model. We develop a formal model of a user profile to personalize a single, monolithic PAG to different users, and show how to use the user profile to predict user actions.
Association of lower urinary tract symptoms with sexual dysfunction: a cross-cultural study between Japanese and American men with localized prostate cancer

OBJECTIVE To assess the association of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) with sexual function, and estimate the correlates of LUTS among Japanese and American men with localized prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS In all, 343 Japanese men and 307 American men with prostate cancer were enrolled in the study. Sexual function and sexual bother were measured separately with the University of California-Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index and obstructive/irritative voiding symptoms were measured with the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUA SI). RESULTS Japanese men had worse sexual function scores than the American men before treatment, whereas no differences were reported between Japanese and American men in sexual bother scores. Japanese and American men also did not differ meaningfully in AUA SI. However, those with moderate to severe LUTS reported significantly worse sexual bother scores than those with mild symptoms in both Japanese and American men (P = 0.004 and <0.001, respectively). The Japanese men were more likely to have LUTS than were American men (odds ratio 1.60, P = 0.029). Age and sexual function were highly associated with LUTS (odds ratio 1.35, P = 0.027; and 0.652, P = 0.001, respectively). The comorbidity count was independently associated with worse urinary symptoms (odds ratio 1.23, P = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS We posit that cultural differences in the meaning or salience of sexual functioning, and the interpretation of the questionnaire in quality-of-life surveys, might explain the different profiles in the association of LUTS with sexual activity in Japanese and American men with localized prostate cancer.
Atmosphere, Weather, and Baseball: How Much Farther Do Baseballs Really Fly at Denver's Coors Field?

This article tests the widely held assumption that batted baseballs travel 10 percent farther in Denver than in major-league ballparks at sea level. An analysis of (1) National League fly-ball-distance data for 1995–1998, (2) the micrometeorology of Coors Field, and (3) weather dynamics along the Colorado front range shows that the assumed elevation enhancement of fly-ball distance has been greatly overestimated due to prevailing weather conditions in downtown Denver. We conclude that the record number of home runs at Coors Field must be attributed as much to the personnel of the Colorado Rockies team and the effects of mile-high elevation on the act of pitching a baseball as to the effect of low air density on fly-ball distance.
Freedom and Responsibility in Research: Comments

I read with great interest the editorial, "Freedom and Responsibility in Research: The Springdale Case." The problem relative to responsibility of authors to the community is one which always pushes itself into focus when I start writing a report. Personally, I have come to the conclusion that responsibility to the community does not conflict with responsibility to science. As a matter of fact, I have found frequently that attempting to state material coolly and objectively, rather than in terms of personalities and anecdotes, sharpens my understanding of sociological processes.
Magnetoplasmons and cyclotron resonance in disordered two-dimensional electronic systems.

We discuss the interplay of disorder and interactions in determining the spectrum of inter-Landau-level excitations of a two-dimensional electron gas in a strong magnetic field. Our work is based in part on some new exact sum rules for the inter-Landau-level response functions of noninteracting electrons in a strong magnetic field and in part on perturbative approximations for interaction and disorder. We emphasize the importance of including vertex corrections in the response functions which are consistent with the approximation that has been used for the self-energy. In the absence of disorder or in the absence of interactions our perturbative approximations reduce to those used by earlier workers for those limits.
Underwater tracking of a moving dipole source using an artificial lateral line: algorithm and experimental validation with ionic polymer–metal composite flow sensors

Motivated by the lateral line system of fish, arrays of flow sensors have been proposed as a new sensing modality for underwater robots. Existing studies on such artificial lateral lines (ALLs) have been mostly focused on the localization of a fixed underwater vibrating sphere (dipole source). In this paper we examine the problem of tracking a moving dipole source using an ALL system. Based on an analytical model for the moving dipole-generated flow field, we formulate a nonlinear estimation problem that aims to minimize the error between the measured and model-predicted magnitudes of flow velocities at the sensor sites, which is subsequently solved with the Gauss‐Newton scheme. A sliding discrete Fourier transform (SDFT) algorithm is proposed to efficiently compute the evolving signal magnitudes based on the flow velocity measurements. Simulation indicates that it is adequate and more computationally efficient to use only the signal magnitudes corresponding to the dipole vibration frequency. Finally, experiments conducted with an artificial lateral line consisting of six ionic polymer‐metal composite (IPMC) flow sensors demonstrate that the proposed scheme is able to simultaneously locate the moving dipole and estimate its vibration amplitude and traveling speed with small errors. (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)
Cutpoint Cellular Logic

A cutpoint cellular array is a two-dimensional rectangular arrangement of square cells, each of which has binary inputs on the top and left edges and outputs on the bottom and right edges. Each cell is interconnected with neighboring cells, and it is specialized by a set of binary constants that are termed cutpoints. This paper is concerned with the choice of the logical properties for each cutpoint cell, so that an array of these cells is capable of efficient and general combinational and sequential logic. Logical design algorithms are given, as well as a number of actual designs. It is believed that cutpoint cellular arrays have promise for application in the manufacture of a large number of integrated circuit components on one substrate.
Validity and reliability of an intuitive conscious sedation scoring tool: the nursing instrument for the communication of sedation.

Objective: To develop a symmetrical 7-level scale (+3, “dangerously agitated” to −3, ”deeply sedated“) that is both intuitive and easy to use, the Nursing Instrument for the Communication of Sedation (NICS). Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: University medical center. Patients: Mixed surgical, medical intensive care unit (ICU) population. Interventions: Patient assessment. Measurements and Main Results: Criterion, construct, face validity, and interrater reliability of NICS over time and comparison of ease of use and nursing preference between NICS and four common intensive care unit sedation scales. A total of 395 observations were performed in 104 patients (20 intubated [INT], 84 non intubated) by 59 intensive care unit providers. Criterion validity was tested comparing NICS WITH the 8-point level of arousal scale, demonstrating excellent correlation (rs = .96 overall, .95 non intubated, 0.85 intubated, all p .9. Using the intraclass correlation coefficient as a measure of Interrater reliability, NICS scored as high, or higher than Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale, Riker Sedation-Agitation Scale, Motor Activity Assessment Scale, or Ramsay over the three time periods. Conclusion: NICS is a valid and reliable sedation scale for use in a mixed population of intensive care unit patients. NICS ranked highest in nursing preference and ease of communication and may thus permit more effective and interactive management of sedation.
Effects of the Physical Structure of Alumina/Copper Oxide Solids on their Reactivity for SO2 Removal from Flue Gases

CuO/Al 2 O 3 sorbents based on three aluminas of different pore structure and surface area around 125 m 2 /g were prepared. Two of the aluminas exhibited bimodal pore size distribution, while the third had narrow unimodal distribution. The effect of copper loading on the physical characteristics of the aluminas (pore size distribution and surface area) was examined using mercury porosimetry and gas adsorption. The reactivity of the sorbents towards SO 2 was investigated by carrying out thermogravimetric experiments using simulated flue gas.
Animation of computer networking concepts

A number of the key concepts in the design of computer networks lend themselves to illustration through animation. Animation can make the main features of these concepts accessible to the beginning undergraduate student as well as to more advanced students. We have identified six of these networking concepts: packet encapsulation; packet fragmentation; error control; media access in Ethernet local-area networks; domain name resolution; and the hypertext transfer protocol. We developed Java applets and accompanying materials to illustrate four of these concepts. The applets serve two roles: one role as a visual representation of different scenarios with respect to the concept in question; the second role as a vehicle for experimentation. We discuss the applets, the sequence of points each applet is designed to convey, and how the user can conduct experiments to further understand the networking concept. For the other two concepts, we show how the student can use free, easily available software to observe how the concept is implemented in the Internet.
Child Care Practices and Preferences of Native- and Foreign-Born Latina Mothers and Euro-American Mothers:

Using a telephone survey of 396 participants, the present study examined the child care practices and preferences of native- and foreign-born Latina mothers in two Southern California communities and compared them to Euro-American mothers. Results showed that native-born Latina mothers had more relatives available to provide child care, and that they relied more on relatives for their current child care arrangement than both foreign-born Latina mothers and Euro-American mothers. Euro-American mothers used child care centers more than the two groups of Latino mothers. More native-born Latina mothers indicated a successful match between their current and preferred child care arrangement. Both foreign-born Latina mothers and Euro-American mothers indicated they would prefer to increase their use of relatives. In addition, more foreign-born Latina mothers indicated they would prefer to increase their use of child care centers.
Cardiac Sympathetic Dysinnervation in Diabetes Implications for Enhanced Cardiovascular Risk

Background—Regional cardiac sympathetic hyperactivity predisposes to malignant arrhythmias in nondiabetic cardiac disease. Conversely, however, cardiac sympathetic denervation predicts increased morbidity and mortality in severe diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN). To unite these divergent observations, we propose that in diabetes regional cardiac denervation may elsewhere induce regional sympathetic hyperactivity, which may in turn act as a focus for chemical and electrical instability. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore regional changes in sympathetic neuronal density and tone in diabetic patients with and without DAN. Methods and Results—PET using the sympathetic neurotransmitter analogue 11C-labeled hydroxyephedrine ([11C]-HED) was used to characterize left ventricular sympathetic innervation in diabetic patients by assessing regional disturbances in myocardial tracer retention and washout. The subject groups comprised 10 diabetic subjects without DAN, 10 diabetic subjects with mild DAN, ...
Dependence of energy coupling on nucleotide base structure in the reaction catalyzed by 5-oxo-L-prolinase

Abstract 5-Oxo-L-prolinase catalyzes the virtually complete hydrolysis of 5-oxo-L-proline (L-pyroglutamate) to L-glutamate. The thermodynamic driving force for this endergonic amide hydrolysis is supplied by the coupled stoichiometric hydrolysis of ATP to ADP and Pi. We report here that the efficiency of the coupling between nucleotide and amide hydrolysis is dependent on the nucleotide base. Thus, with both ATP and dATP there is one to one stoichiometry between nucleotide cleavage and 5-oxoproline hydrolysis. With ITP, GTP, or UTP, however, the hydrolysis of NTP exceeds amide hydrolysis by 6 to 50-fold. In the absence of 5- oxoproline, the enzyme catalyzes a slow ATPase reaction, but it catalyzes very rapid ITPase, GTPase and UTPase reactions. These NTPase reactions, which under some conditions are faster than the ATP-mediated overall coupled reaction, are inhibited by 5-oxoproline and by analogs of 5-oxoproline that bind to the enzyme.
Intraoperative hyperglycemia and postoperative bacteremia in the pediatric cardiac surgery patient.

Background Intraoperative hyperglycemia has been found to be associated with a higher incidence of postoperative infections in the adult cardiac surgery population. The goal of this study was to determine the association of intraoperative hyperglycemia and postoperative bacteremia in the pediatric population. Methods A retrospective chart review of all cardiac surgical cases for patients 18 years of age or younger requiring cardiopulmonary bypass support between June 2002 and July 2007 yielded 1,132 total cases representing 992 unique patients. Patient demographic and clinical data of interest were collected. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were performed to investigate the hypothesized relationship between glucose levels and infection rates. Results From the 992 patient records examined, 15 patients exhibited a bacteremia within 14 days of surgery (1.5%). The association between the highest glucose during cardiopulmonary bypass and bacteremia reached statistical significance when the glucose level reached 175 mg/dL (χ 2 = 4.59, 1 degree of freedom; p = 0.032). A patient was more than three times as likely to have a postoperative bacteremia when the glucose level reached this amount or exceeded it (odds ratio, 3.3, 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 10.39). Ten of the 15 (66.7%) postoperative infections occurred in patients with peak bypass glucose levels of at least 175 mg/dL. Conclusions Intraoperative hyperglycemia was found to be associated with a higher risk of postoperative bacteremia in the pediatric cardiac surgery population.
Left-to-right optimal signed-binary representation of a pair of integers

The common computation in elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), aP + bQ, is performed by extending Shamir's method for the computation of the product of powers of two elements in a group. The complexity of computing aP + bQ is dependent on the joint weight of the binary expansion of positive integers a and b. We give a method of finding a minimum joint weight signed-binary representation of a pair of integers. Our method examines the integers a and b from left to right, thereby making the conversion to signed-binary form compatible with Shamir's method. This reduces the memory required to perform the computation of aP + bQ.
Sex differences in cardiovascular disease and hypertension: involvement of the renin-angiotensin system.

The incidence and the progression rate of cardiovascular disease and hypertension (CVDH) is markedly higher in men than in age-matched, premenopausal women.1 After menopause, this relationship no longer exists, and the incidence as well as the rate of progression of CVDH are very similar in women and men.1 Sex differences in CVDH have also been reported in animal models, including the spontaneously hypertensive rat and2 Dahl salt-sensitive rat,3 and ischemia-reperfusion injury.4 Although the mechanisms underlying these sex differences in the incidence and progression of CVDH are largely unknown, the role of sex hormones in modulating the activity of several regulatory systems, including the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), has been suggested. In addition, genetic differences, especially with respect to the RAS, have also been implicated in mediating sex differences in the incidence and progression of CVDH. In the current issue of Hypertension , Okumura et al5 describe the relationship between the differential expression of angiotensin II type 2 (AT2) receptors in mediating vascular remodeling induced by polyethylene cuff placement around the femoral artery in the wild-type (A gtr 2+) and AT2 receptor null (A gtr 2−) mice. The major findings of this study are: (1) AT2 receptor expression is enhanced in the injured artery of the A gtr 2+, and this is more pronounced in the females; (2) In the A gtr 2+ mice, no significant differences in the expression of the AT1 receptor are observed in either males or females; (3) The degree of vascular injury, as evidenced by increases in neointimal formation, DNA synthesis, expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, production of superoxide anion, …
Elevation of heat shock gene expression from static magnetic field exposure in vitro.

Previously, we found that extremely low frequency (ELF) electric fields were able to elicit an approximate 3.5-fold increase in heat shock gene expression, a response which may have applicability to cancer therapy. Based on recent studies demonstrating the ability of magnetic fields to influence gene expression, we hypothesized that low level static magnetic fields may be able to affect heat shock gene expression while avoiding some of the clinical difficulties that arise with electric fields. Transfected rat primary cells in monolayer were exposed to magnetic fields of 1 to 440 mT for 16, 24, or 48 h starting at 24 and 48 h post transfection. Heat shock protein (HSP70) expression, as indicated by a promoter linked luciferase reporter, was followed for up to 96 h and showed a dependence on flux density, exposure duration, and start time post transfection. A nonlinear response was observed for increasing flux density with a maximum of a 3.5-fold increase in expression for 48 h of exposure starting 48 h after transfection. These results demonstrate an enhancement of gene expression similar in magnitude to that observed with external electric field exposure, while eliminating many of the clinical complications. Bioelectromagnetics. 35:406–413, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cochrane review: In adults with chronic kidney disease regular exercise improves physical fitness, walking capacity, heart rate and blood pressure and some nutritional parameters.

Commentary on: S Heiwe, SH Jacobson. Exercise training for adults with chronic kidney disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev2011;10:CD003236.
The Emerging Socioeconomic and Political Support for Alternative Medicine in the United States

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasingly utilized and accepted by patients and providers throughout the American health care system. Most accounts attribute this growing acceptability to the shortcomings of conventional medicine, the appeal of CAM's core beliefs, and the growing body of research indicating that CAM actually works. These explanations, while all accurate to some degree, neglect the extent to which CAM's recent success is due to economic and political factors. This article describes the emerging relationship between CAM and major economic actors (pharmaceutical firms, managed care companies, insurance companies, media conglomerates, Internet providers, etc.) as well as CAM's relationship with a range of political forces (political parties, bureaucrats, lobbying groups, ethnic- and gender-based movements and organizations, etc.). The convergence of interests between these economic and political forces and many of CAM's goals is one important reason for CAM's recent success.
Work in the interstices: Woman in academe

Abstract Stress and anger are inevitable responses on the part of a woman entering the men's sanctuary of the University, and will be aggravated by her not recognizing that the University has been from its beginnings a patriarchal institution and is committed to remaining so. She fails to recognize the pollution sanctions that are levelled against her, interpreting them as personal, and thus struggles with imaginary foes. Hope lies not in confronting these mystifying primitive taboos directly, for she can never be admitted to the secret society and may not really want to be, but in drawing on the larger tradition of learning itself to renew the principles of education in general, and in particular her own work.
Effects of tillage and straw management on Alaskan weed vegetation: a study on newly cleared land

Conn, J.S., 1987. Effects of tillage and straw management on Alaskan weed vegetation: a study on newly cleared land. Soil Tillage Res., 9: 275-285. The effects of tillage and straw management in a continuous spring barley system were studied during 1983-1985 on land near Delta Junction, Alaska, that had just been cleared for agricultural production. This research was a part of a multidisciplinary approach to design agricultural systems to minimize soil erosion on interior Alaskan agricultural land. Total weed ground cover and cover of native grasses such as bluejoint reedgrass (Calamagrostis canadensis (Michx) Nutt.) and native broadleaves was highest in no-till plots and was lowest in plots that were disked twice each year. Total weed ground cover increased during 1983-1985. Ground cover of native grasses was greater when stubble and straw residues were left on the soil surface than when the residues and stubble were removed. Greater snow cover where stubble is left may help to prevent freezing injury to the native grasses.
Peroxo-citrate-vanadium(V) complex: protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitory activity and anticancer potential

652 Simple vanadium salts are known to have inhibitory activity against protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases). However, they are unsuitable for pharmacological applications due to their lack of specificity. To investigate the potential of organic vanadium compounds as selective inhibitors of PTPases and anticancer agents, we synthesized peroxo-citrate-vanadium(V) complex (CaVO) and investigated its spectrum of inhibitory activity against a panel of PTPases in vitro and its growth inhibitory activity against cancer cell lines. CaVO was prepared through conjugation reaction of vanadium (V) oxytrichloride and citric acid. Consistent with its conjugated nature, CaVO migrated as a compound approximately 900 Da in molecular sieve chromatography, significantly larger than vanadium (V) oxytrichloride or citric acid. CaVO was a potent and selective inhibitor of recombinant PTPases in vitro. It induced 90% or more inhibition of SHP-1, PTP1B and PTPalpha at 0.1 microgram/ml. In contrast, it showed little effects on recombinant SHP-2, PRL-2 and MKP1 under comparable conditions. In cell growth inhibition assays, CaVO in a dose-dependent manner induced in vitro growth inhibition of cancer cell lines of different tissue origins, suggesting its potentially broad spectrum of anticancer activity. CaVO at 0.25 microgram/ml induced 100% of cell death in melanoma cell lines (WM9 and WM35) and 70%∼90% of cell death in leukemic (U937 and H9) or lung (A549) cancer cell lines. Interestingly, it induced only 36% of growth inhibition in a non-malignant melanocyte cell line (DMN-1) under comparable conditions, suggesting a selective action of the compound against cancer cells in vitro. Moreover, the use of 0.025 microgram/ml of CaVO in combination with 500 IU/ml of IFN-alpha induced 95% of cell death in WM9 cells while the agents individually killed only 60% of the cells, evidencing a synergistic action between CaVO and IFN-alpha in vitro. Indeed, CaVO in combination with IFN-alpha induced 50% growth inhibition of WM9 tumors in mice in a tolerated manner in comparison to 22% WM9 tumor growth inhibition induced by the two compounds used as single agents. These data together demonstrated for the first time that CaVO is a potent inhibitor of selective PTPases and has selective killing activity against cancer cells in vitro and in vivo that synergizes with IFN-alpha, suggesting the vanadium conjugated to differential organic moieties could be developed as specific PTPase inhibitors and novel anti-cancer agents.
An Analysis of the Discourses on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in US Special Education Textbooks, with Implications for Inclusive Education.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the discourses on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) found in textbooks used in pre-service special education programmes in the USA. Five textbo...
How do you Motivate Students to Learn

(1977). How do you Motivate Students to Learn? Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 48, No. 3, pp. 26-26.
Assessing Intentions to Eat a Healthful Diet Among National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Collegiate Athletes.

Context: Many athletes fail to obtain the optimal levels of energy and nutrients to support health and performance. The constructs underlying the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) may help identify barriers to healthful eating that can be addressed in nutrition-education programs. Objective: To use the TPB to examine factors regarding collegiate male and female student-athletes' intentions of eating a healthful diet. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Online survey tool. Patients or Other Participants: The survey was taken by 244 male and female National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II athletes, and data from 201 were analyzed. Mean age of the athletes was 20 ± 1.31 years (range, 18–24 years); most were white (86.1%) and female (78.6%). Main Outcome Measure(s): We assessed predictive strength of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on behavioral intentions. Regression analysis evaluated how the variables of TPB were valued and how they predict behavioral inten...
Definite Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) Disease with Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel (VGKC)-Complex Autoimmunity: A Rare Case of Molecular Mimicry or Incidental Finding? (P5.187)

Background: In the absence of a clear, positive family history, the diagnosis of fatal familial insomnia (FFI) can be difficult due to atypical clinical features for prion disease and low sensitivity with current diagnostic testing. Further complicating the diagnosis, its differential diagnosis includes a spectrum of autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, from potentially treatable paraneoplastic encephalitis to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). We report a case of autopsy-confirmed FFI that was initially treated as VGKC-complex antibody encephalitis. Case Presentation: A 45-year-old man presented with 6 months of progressive decline including insomnia, personality changes, hallucinations, startle myoclonus and memory disturbance as well as profound hyponatremia (122 millimoles/L). His initial work-up revealed a low positive VGKC-complex antibody titer (240 picomoles), prompting an aggressive course of immunotherapy, even including Rituximab. Of note, tau protein was low at 472 picogram/milliliter in CSF and the 14-3-3 protein was ambiguous. Despite treatment, he suffered progressive neurocognitive and respiratory decline for which his family elected tracheostomy and gastrostomy tube placement. His course was notable for marked physical wasting, extreme agitation and nearly constant hyperkinetic chorea-like movements. Given his poor prognosis, family pursued a palliative approach. Results: At autopsy, immunostaining of the brain revealed granular deposits of 3F4, a monoclonal antibody to prion protein, while the immunoblot disclosed abnormal scrapie protease-resistant prion protein (PrPSc) 27-30, and genetic testing noted a D178N129M mutation in the PrP gene, thus confirming the diagnosis of prion disease. Conclusions: To date, this is the first reported case of autopsy and genetically-confirmed FFI with a positive VGKC-complex autoantibody titer. Although low titers of VGKC-complex antibody may be an incidental finding, its coincidence in this case may have affected the phenotypic presentation of FFI. Global screening for paraneoplastic antibodies may provide important insight into understanding the complex pathophysiology, including the potential role of molecular mimicry, of prion diseases. Disclosure: Dr. Sanamandra has nothing to disclose. Dr. Youn has nothing to disclose. Dr. Maciel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schrag has nothing to disclose. Dr. Machado has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gilmore has nothing to disclose.
Assessment of Organ Function in Multiple System Organ Failure

Regional tissue hypoxia is a possible cause of multiple system organ failure (MSOF) in patients with sepsis or with the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, a consensus is emerging among researchers and clinicians that systemic measures of oxygen transport and consumption are inadequate indexes of regional tissue hypoxia. This appears to be true also for other systemic parameters of tissue oxygenation, such as arterial lactate concentration and mixed venous P02. Arterial lactate concentration may be misleading, since it may be normal in spite of regional tissue hypoxia. Conversely, elevated arterial lactate concentrations may occur without peripheral tissue hypoxia. The reason for this discrepancy lies in the complicated kinetics of whole body lactate utilization, since some organs consume and others produce lactate. In ARDS the lung may be a major source of lactate production, perhaps the result of increased metabolic activity of inflammatory cells. Increases in lung lactate production have been correlated with the severity of ARDS, as characterized by the Lung Injury Score.
Several New Materials Discovered on the Tortoise Shells Unearthed East of the Huayuan Village

Great in amount, rich in content and clearly labelled with unearthing records, the bones and tortoise shells unearthed east of the Huayuan Village in the Yin Ruins present very high scientific value. The bones and tortoise shells in the “Huadong subgroup” provide large quantities of new data: First, these new materials involve many areas, such as “names of time”, “greater year” and “hunting chief”. Besides, they present some newly-discovered words, for instance, the words “shou”, “jin” and “mian”.
Decision-Making Meets Negotiation: The Palestinian Bid for un Recognition

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict attracts much scholarly and diplomatic attention. However, despite Secretary of State John Kerry’s determination during the 2014 round of negotiations, the parties are no closer to reaching a negotiated agreement over twenty years after the signing of the Oslo Accords. This article explores an under-examined aspect of negotiation, the decision to enter into talks, using poliheuristic theory. We examine the decision-making calculus of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in his bid for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, a decision to not negotiate. We ask not only why did Abbas choose to bypass US -mediated negotiations, but why he chose to pursue Palestinian statehood at the UN . In our analysis and discussion, we identify gaps in the existing decision-making and negotiation literatures and ways to better incorporate questions of power asymmetry and the complexity of context into poliheuristic theory.
Pandora’s Pithos

What caused the Cambrian Explosion? The geologically simultaneous appearance of numerous animal phyla at the base of the Cambrian was caused by an epidemic of Cambrian Explosion (CE) virus, a “phylagen” (as opposed to pathogen) that was able to infect and reconfigure metazoan morphogenetic fields and genomic kernels. The morphological change in each infected animal lineage was comparable to what happens during the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly. The CE virus was able to reach marine pandemic proportions due to both environmental disruption and habitat destruction during the transition from biomat world to the Paleozoic. A nidus animal released CE virions that infected embryos of other species, thus generating the new phyla.
Robustness analysis of uncertain discrete-time systems with dissipation inequalities and integral quadratic constraints

Summary This paper presents a connection between dissipation inequalities and integral quadratic constraints (IQCs) for robustness analysis of uncertain discrete-time systems. Traditional IQC results derived from homotopy methods emphasize an operator-theoretic input–output viewpoint. In contrast, the dissipativity-based IQC approach explicitly incorporates the internal states of the uncertain system, thus providing a more direct procedure to analyze uniform stability with non-zero initial states. The standard dissipation inequality requires a non-negative definite storage function and ‘hard’ IQCs. The term ‘hard’ means that the IQCs must hold over all finite time horizons. This paper presents a modified dissipation inequality that requires neither non-negative definite storage functions nor hard IQCs. This approach leads to linear matrix inequality conditions that can provide less conservative results in terms of robustness analysis. The proof relies on a key J-spectral factorization lemma for IQC multipliers. A simple numerical example is provided to demonstrate the utility of the modified dissipation inequality. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structured Abstract: Who Returns It and Who Keeps It? An Empirical Investigation of Contrasting Consumer Profiles

When consumers experience post-purchase dissonance (PPD), most consumers keep their product (keepers), whereas some take their product back to the seller (returners).
A coarse-grained model for the mechanical behavior of graphene oxide

Abstract Graphene oxide (GO) shows promise as a nanocomposite building block due to its exceptional mechanical properties. While atomistic simulations have become central to investigating its mechanical properties, the method remains prohibitively expensive for large deformations and mesoscale failure mechanisms. To overcome this, we establish a coarse-grained (CG) model that captures key mechanical and interfacial properties, and the non-homogeneous effect of oxidation in GO sheets. The CG model consists of three types of CG beads, representing groups of pristine sp2 carbon atoms, and hydroxyl and epoxide functionalized regions. The CG force field is parameterized based on density functional-based tight binding simulations on three extreme cases. It accurately quantifies deterioration of tensile modulus and strength at the expense of improving interlayer adhesion with increasing oxidation of varying chemical compositions. We demonstrate the applicability of the model to study mesoscale phenomena by reproducing different force vs. indentation curves in silico, corroborating recent experimental observations on how chemistry near contact point influences properties. Finally, we apply the model to measure the fracture toughness of pristine graphene and GO. The critical stress intensity factor ( K c ) of graphene is found to be the highest, and epoxide-rich GO also possesses higher K c compared to hydroxyl-rich GO.
The traumatic bone: trauma-induced heterotopic ossification.

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a common occurrence after multiple forms of extensive trauma. These include arthroplasties, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, extensive burns in the civilian setting, and combat-related extremity injuries in the battlefield. Irrespective of the form of trauma, heterotopic bone is typically endochondral in structure and is laid down via a cartilaginous matrix. Once formed, the heterotopic bone typically needs to be excised surgically, which may result in wound healing complications, in addition to a risk of recurrence. Refinements of existing diagnostic modalities, like micro- and nano-CT are being adapted toward early intervention. Trauma-induced HO is a consequence of aberrant wound healing, systemic and local immune system activation, infections, extensive vascularization, and innervation. This intricate molecular crosstalk culminates in activation of stem cells that initiate heterotopic endochondral ossification. Development of animal models recapitulating the unique traumatic injuries has greatly facilitated the mechanistic understanding of trauma-induced HO. These same models also serve as powerful tools to test the efficacy of small molecules which specifically target the molecular pathways underlying ectopic ossification. This review summarizes the recent advances in the molecular understanding, diagnostic and treatment modalities in the field of trauma-induced HO.
Performance Potential of Ge CMOS Technology From a Material-Device-Circuit Perspective

Recently demonstrated CMOS circuits based on Ge nanowires (Ge-FET) promise sustained technology scaling because higher mobility Ge guarantees target ${I}_{\text {ON}}$ at a lower ${V}_{{\textit {DD}}}$ . Unfortunately, this promise is counterbalanced by the fact that Ge is a poor thermal conductor, thus, the thermal confinement of the surround-gate topology may exacerbate self-heating (SHE) and erode the intrinsic performance gain associated with the high channel mobility. In this paper, we use: 1) electrical and optical methods to, respectively, characterize channel and surface SHE of Ge-FET with various channel lengths ( ${L}_{\text {ch}}$ ), widths ( ${W}_{\text {ch}}$ ), and the number of the nanowires (NWs) (#NW); 2) interpret the results obtained by the 3-D thermal modeling, and compare theoretically the SHE in Ge-FET configured in various topologies, such as bulk FinFET, silicon-on-insulator FinFET, and gate-all-around NW-FET; and 3) embed the results in an electrothermal SPICE simulator to compare the performance of ring oscillators based on Ge-FET and Si-FET. Our results show that the existing Ge-FET (with an airgap) is thermally suboptimal, but once optimized, SHE in Ge-FET would be comparable to that of Si-FET. The results encourage sustained development of Ge-FETs.
Quality of life for non-small cell lung cancer patients in the age of immunotherapy.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a very common and devastating disease that is accompanied by a range of symptoms. Patients can experience symptoms specific to their disease process (such as cough or dyspnea) or more generalized symptoms (such as fatigue and loss of appetite).
Competitive Supply Chain Inventory Management

Most supply chains are composed of independent agents with individual preferences. These agents could be distinct firms or they could even be managers within a single firm. In either case, it is expected that no single agent has control over the entire supply chain, and hence no agent has the power to optimize the supply chain. It is also reasonable to assume that each agent will attempt to optimize his own preference, knowing that all of the other agents will do the same. Will this competitive behavior lead the agents to choose policies that optimize overall supply chain performance? The answer is usually “no”, due to supply chain externalities. An externality occurs whenever the action of one agent impacts another agent. For example, suppose agent i’s action benefits agent j). Agent i will tend to do too little of that action because he does not consider the full benefit of the action on the supply chain (assuming increasing that action is costly to agent i). Similarly, suppose agent i’s action confers an additional cost on agent j. In this case agent i will tend to do too much of that action. As will be discussed, many externalities exist in supply chain operations.
Clinical considerations for the inclusion of individuals with autism spectrum disorder in clinical trials.

Abstract Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have increased considerably over the past 20 years. Because of this rise and the inherent complexity of ASD, there is a need for an increased number of scientifically valid basic and clinical research studies addressing this disorder. This manuscript serves as an introduction to the clinical presentation of ASD as well as the unique challenges and modifications required to conduct clinical research with this population. This includes detailing the current diagnostic criteria, process of receiving an ASD diagnosis, information on assessment measures, and special considerations when developing research. It is the hope that this information will provide researchers interested in conducting clinical trials with those with ASD with baseline information and considerations when developing their research topics and methodology.
High-risk Occupations: Leader Influence on Employee Stress and Burnout.

Utilizing the responses from 379 police officers from 9 southern and southwestern agencies, this study investigates the interaction between police stress and transformational leadership on burnout ...
An Orally Available NLRP3 Inflammasome Inhibitor Prevents Western Diet-Induced Cardiac Dysfunction in Mice.

Background:A diet rich in saturated fat and sugars (Western diet, WD) induces myocardial expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome and dysfunction in mice. We therefore hypothesized that a diet enriched with an orally available NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor could prevent WD-induced cardiac dysfunction in
An algebraic translation task solved by grade 7–9 students

ABSTRACTIn this study, the author examined student attempts to translate a verbal problem into an algebraic statement relating two variables, after they had solved an arithmetic question from the same problem. A total of 645 students from New England (U.S.A.) answered the problem on a mathematics assessment administered at the beginning of the school year. Among students who could solve the arithmetic part of the problem, the use of variables in the correct conventional notation appeared from grade 7 and continuously increased through grade 9. These results suggest that there is a relationship between students’ arithmetic understanding and translating verbal problems into algebraic statements relating two variables.
Circumcision, Buried Penis and Obesity in a Contemporary Cohort of Patients with Penile Cancer

AbstractIntroduction:We reviewed patient demographics and body morphology in a contemporary cohort of patients presenting to a tertiary care center for treatment of penile cancer.Methods:The Univer...