cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Formal Genetics of Humans: Multifactorial Inheritance and Common Diseases

The study of the genetics of complex traits is made complicated by the fact that the traits themselves are influenced by an interplay of many genes with many environmental factors. In this chapter the historical concepts of quantitative genetics, including additive variance and heritability, will be developed to underscore how important it is to understand that the root of the problem is to explain how genes contribute to the variance in a trait. With molecular genetic markers, such as SNPs, it is possible to test whether there are differences in the measured phenotype among the genotypes at the genetic marker, and this serves as a crude test of association. Many interesting challenges arise when such a test is expanded to 1 million markers spanning the entire chromosome, a design known as a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Complications due to population stratification, admixture, genotype x environment interaction, epistasis, and rare alleles are all considered. Methods that test association by use of excess of allele sharing in siblings (affected sib methods) or other relatives, or by excess cotransmission of alleles and a disease state (transmission disequilibrium test) have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. The chapter closes with some considerations of why the powerful methods presented here nevertheless leave much of the genetic variance in complex traits unexplained.
School Choice, Student Mobility, and School Quality: Evidence from post-Katrina New Orleans

AbstractIn recent decades, school choice policies predicated on student mobility have gained prominence as urban districts address chronically low-performing schools. However, scholars have highlighted equity concerns related to choice policies. The case of post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans provides an opportunity to examine student mobility patterns in a choice-based district. This paper analyzes student mobility between and within the various sectors and school types using a multinomial framework. We find rates of student mobility in post-Katrina New Orleans to be similar to other traditional urban school districts. Overall, our results indicate that high-achieving students switch to high-quality schools whereas low-achieving students transfer to low-quality schools. It is clear some students are taking advantage of the ability to choose a high-quality educational option, although many students are still not. Policy implications, especially for education policy makers implementing or considering school...
Effect of cardiac receptor stimulation on renal vascular resistance in the pregnant rat

Stimulation of cardiac receptors (CR) evokes blunted reflex reductions in mean arterial pressure (MAP) in pregnant compared with virgin rats. Because CR-mediated sympathoinhibition has preferential...
Hormone Signaling: Current Perspectives on the Roles of Salicylic Acid and Its Derivatives in Plants

Salicylic acid (SA) is an important plant hormone with a wide range of effects on plant growth and metabolism. Plants lacking SA exhibit enhanced susceptibility to pathogens. SA plays important signaling roles in resistance against biotrophic and hemi-biotrophic phytopathogens. It is synthesized in plastids along two pathways, one involving phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and the other isochorismate synthase (ICS). In Arabidopsis, during immune response most SA is synthesized through the ICS-dependent pathway, but clearly an ICS-independent pathway also exists. Several SA effector proteins have been identified and characterized which mediate downstream SA signaling. This includes SABP, a catalase, SABP2, a methyl salicylate esterase, SABP3, a carbonic anhydrase, NPR1 (non-expressor of pathogenesis-related 1), NPR3 (a NPR1 paralog), and NPR4 (another NPR1 paralog). NPR3 and NPR4 regulate the turnover of NPR1, a process which plays a key role in activating defense gene expression. The role of SA in abiotic stress signaling is gradually becoming clearer. Various components of SA signaling in biotic stress also appear to impact abiotic stress signaling.
Clover root exudate produces male-biased sex ratios and accelerates male metamorphic timing in wood frogs

In amphibians, abnormal metamorph sex ratios and sexual development have almost exclusively been considered in response to synthetic compounds like pesticides or pharmaceuticals. However, endocrine-active plant chemicals (i.e. phytoestrogens) are commonly found in agricultural and urban waterways hosting frog populations with deviant sexual development. Yet the effects of these compounds on amphibian development remain predominantly unexplored. Legumes, like clover, are common in agricultural fields and urban yards and exude phytoestrogen mixtures from their roots. These root exudates serve important ecological functions and may also be a source of phytoestrogens in waterways. I show that clover root exudate produces male-biased sex ratios and accelerates male metamorphosis relative to females in low and intermediate doses of root exudate. My results indicate that root exudates are a potential source of contaminants impacting vertebrate development and that humans may be cultivating sexual abnormalities in wildlife by actively managing certain plant species.
Comparative Fitness of Temephos-resistant, -susceptible, and Hybrid Phenotypes of the Southern House Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae)

Laboratory and field populations of the southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus Say, that were either homozygous resistant, or susceptible to temephos and their F1 hybrids, were crossed in several directions and examined for various biotic characters in the first gonotrophic cycle. Egg production, fertility, and the acquisition of blood meals were adversely affected by inbreeding, but could be improved by hybridization. Egg hatchability appeared to be associated with resistance to temephos and to be influenced by maternal factors. Larval rate of development and survival were significantly lower in the homozygous-resistant strain and appeared to be influenced by the genotype of the male. Pupation and adult emergence periods were longer in strains selected for temephos-resistance.
More than ABC: Instructional Practices and Children’s Understanding of Literacy through English

Although schoolchildren in India perform poorly in reading/writing tests, little attention is paid to early literacy instruction. This article describes literacy instruction in an English-medium sc...
Telling tales: Women and the trauma of partition in Sidhwa's Cracking India

Bapsi Sidhwa's novel, Cracking India, presents the experiences of women during the violence of the subcontinental partition of 1947. In broaching the topics of rape and trauma, topics considered culturally taboo or unspeakable for subcontinental women, the novel obliges us to confront both the possibilities and the limits of literary representation.
Dynamics of Collateral Circulation Following Chronic Occlusion of Coronary Arteries.

The exact mechanism by which the myocardium is nourished in the presence of chronic obstruction of the coronary arteries is still controversial.1, 2 The reason for this appears to be that the studies have been largely anatomical and give only qualitative data regarding collateral blood flow.3 In the normal heart the controversy has been cleared to a large extent by physiological studies. The majority view is best expressed by Wiggers:4 “The collateral flow is extremely small and insufficient to support contraction in an area rendered [acutely] ischemic by ligation of a main [coronary artery] branch.” However, since anatomical connections normally exist between a given coronary artery and (a) other coronary arteries,5 (b) extra-cardiac arteries6 and (c) ventricular cavities,7 the work of Wiggers does not rule out the possibility of enlargement of existing collateral channels or the development and enlargement of new connections. Indeed, it is known that following acute experimental occlusion of a coronary ...
Effects of autonomic antagonists and growth factors on activity-mediated hyperplasia of rat parotid

Administration of the autonomic antagonists atropine (1 mg/kg body wt), propranolol (2 mg/kg body wt), and phenoxybenzamine (2 mg/kg body wt) before the dietary change from all liquid to solid chow prevented an increase in uptake of [3H]thymidine into DNA of rat parotid gland associated with this dietary change. Administration of either the cholinergic antagonist alone or the adrenergic antagonists alone produced partial inhibition. The effects of complete autonomic blockade were not reversed when nerve growth factor (NGF) or epidermal growth factor (EGF) was given immediately after administration of antagonists. The effects of complete autonomic blockade were similar to those seen with surgical removal of the autonomic nerves to the parotid. The increased levels of beta 1-4-galactosyltransferase seen with the dietary change were not evident in rats given both muscarinic and adrenergic antagonists before the change to solid food nor did NGF or EGF reverse these inhibitory effects. Histological observation showed that the surgically denervated gland was morphologically less homogenous than the gland of rats given the antagonists and had infiltrating connective tissue. Nonetheless, with the reduced acinar cell pool, the [3H]thymidine uptake of the denervated parotid and that of antagonist-injected animals was similar.
2003 Tax Act Requires Revision to MACRS Tables

The Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002 added to the Internal Revenue Code a special first-year depreciation allowance of 30 percent of an asset's cost. The Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 increased that bonus rate to 50 percent and extended the expiration of the provision from September 11, 2004, to December 31, 2004. The new 50 percent bonus depreciation means that taxpayers would have to separately calculate the bonus depreciation for the first year and then calculate the regular MACRS depreciation on the asset's remaining basis. To save taxpayers time, this report revises the MACRS tables provided by the IRS to reflect the 50 percent first-year bonus depreciation created in the 2003 legislation.
Article 500 of the National Electrical Code

Articles 500–503 of the National Electrical Code constitute the fundamental reference document in the United States for installation of electrical equipment in hazardous locations. Article 500 defines the classification of hazardous areas in broad terms in accordance with the nature of the hazard and the degree of hazard. Subsequent articles stipulate specific requirements for equipment, and installation practices to be used in hazardous locations of a particular classification.
A multi-performance comparison of long-span structural systems

ABSTRACT: When a building requires a long span, especially on the ground floor of a multistory building, the long span often determines the structural system used early in the design process without any other consideration. Commercial and residential buildings are responsible for roughly 40% of all carbon emissions and energy use, more than any other sector in the USA. Moreover, this excludes the significant energy and emissions required to extract, process, transport and assemble building components. Globally, the production of cement alone accounts for 4% of carbon dioxide emissions. Consequently, reducing the environmental impact of building construction and operations is critical to address interrelated issues such as global climate change. The role of structural systems in the overall performance of a building has been largely neglected. Very little consideration is given to other ways the structure could contribute to improving sustainable outcomes. This is in spite of the fact that the structure of a typical office building contributes roughly one-quarter of the total embodied energy and is, at the very least, the armature for all other building systems. Existing research into the embodied energy of structural systems focuses on hypothetical office buildings with uniform structural layouts, a range of comparable, existing office buildings or housing without comparing or accounting for the long spans. Like all other aspects of a building, the structural system needs to be understood in terms of wide range of sustainability issues: embodied energy, operational energy, longevity and reuse. If structural systems could be left exposed without additional finishes as well as be configured to provide a higher level of thermal comfort, more daylight and acoustic isolation, this could significantly reduce the operational energy and the initial materials required for new construction. These multi-performance structural systems, in contrast to high-performance structural materials that aim to only improve structural properties, offer considerable and largely untapped opportunities to improve new and existing buildings while potentially lowering construction costs. Using a five-story, 2,500 square-meter (27,000 square-foot) classroom building with 24.4 meters by 30.5 meters (80 feet by 100 feet) auditorium on the ground floor as a case study currently in design at Oregon State University, the multi-performance criteria for three long span systems, including steel, concrete and wood, are compared. These criteria include embodied energy and carbon, structural and spatial properties, acoustical properties, fire protection and thermal properties. This paper argues that the most efficient structural solution may not be the best in terms of overall sustainability outcomes, and the selection of a structural system should be based on multi-performance criteria.
Long-term acute care hospitals and Georgia Medicaid: Utilization, outcomes, and cost

Objectives:Because most research on long-term acute care hospitals has focused on Medicare, the objective of this research is to describe the Georgia Medicaid population who received care at a long...
Congestion-aware memory management on NUMA platforms: A VMware ESXi case study

He VMware ESXi hypervisor attracts a wide range of customers and is deployed in domains ranging from desktop computing to server computing. While the software systems are increasingly moving towards consolidation, hardware has already transitioned into multi-socket Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA)-based systems. The marriage of increasing consolidation and the multi-socket based systems warrants low-overhead, simple and practical mechanisms to detect and address performance bottlenecks, without causing additional contention for shared resources such as performance counters. In this paper, we propose a simple, practical and highly accurate, dynamic memory latency probing mechanism to detect memory congestion in a NUMA system. Using these dynamic probed latencies, we propose congestion-aware memory allocation, congestion-aware memory migration, and a combination of these two techniques. These proposals, evaluated on Intel Westmere (8 nodes) and Intel Haswell (2 nodes) using various workloads, improve the overall performance on an average by 7.2% and 9.5% respectively.
Cultural Morphology and the Comparative Study of Cultures in the Shaping of Political Communities

In a paper published some fifteen years ago, Egyptologist John Baines and Assyriologist Norman Yoffee identified an interconnected group of elements that distinguish civilizations from states and other complex social forms. By comparing two early civilizations that arose at about the same time and in close geographical proximity, they sought to develop a comparative method for investigating the evolution of ancient states and civilizations After reviewing and contrasting governmental institutions, urbanization, writing systems, and economies, they proposed that the similar features between the two civilizations lay, in fact, “in the nature of order, legitimacy, and wealth and the interrelations among these,” a set of interrelations they termed “high culture”.
FEM Modeling on Scratch Behavior of Multiphase Polymeric Systems

In-depth understanding of how the presence of dispersed particles influences the scratch behavior of multiphase polymeric systems requires extensive knowledge of the corresponding local deformation and damage mechanisms during scratching. Effects of particle type, size, and concentration on scratch behavior of multiphase polymeric systems have been investigated based on a three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) modeling effort. Effect of particles location underneath the surface during scratch has also been studied. The results show that the presence of hard and soft particles can drastically affect the stress and strain field development during the scratching process. The FEM stress and strain field analysis explains the experimentally observed scratch-induced damages in multiphase polymeric systems reported in the literature.
ARcadia: A Rapid Prototyping Platform for Real-time Tangible Interfaces

Paper-based fabrication techniques offer powerful opportunities to prototype new technological interfaces. Typically, paper-based interfaces are either static mockups or require integration with sensors to provide real-time interactivity. The latter can be challenging and expensive, requiring knowledge of electronics, programming, and sensing. But what if computer vision could be combined with prototyping domain-aware programming tools to support the rapid construction of interactive, paper-based tangible interfaces? We designed a toolkit called ARcadia that allows for rapid, low-cost prototyping of TUIs that only requires access to a webcam, a web browser, and paper. ARcadia brings paper prototypes to life through the use of marker based augmented reality (AR). Users create mappings between real-world tangible objects and different UI elements. After a crafting and programming phase, all subsequent interactions take place with the tangible objects. We evaluated ARcadia in a workshop with 120 teenage girls and found that tangible AR technologies can empower novice technology designers to rapidly construct and iterate on their ideas.
Retarded functional differential equations: basic theory

In this chapter, we introduce a general class of retarded functional differential equations which generalize the retarded differential difference equations of Chapter 1. The basic theory of existence, uniqueness, continuation, and continuous dependence will be developed.
Microbiological decontamination of food animal carcasses by washing and sanitizing systems: a review

Microbial contamination of animal carcasses is a result of the necessary procedures required to process live animals into retail meat. The contamination can be minimized by good manufacturing processes, but the total elimination of foodborne pathogenic microorganisms is difficult, if not impossible. A variety of methods have been developed to reduce the levels of contaminating bacteria on carcasses, although most of the current methods focus on washing and sanitizing procedures. The commonly used sanitizing agents include hot water, chlorine, and short-chain organic acids. The effectiveness of these compounds varies by the concentration used, the temperature of the sanitizers and contact time, the sensitivity of the native microflora to the specific compound, and to a certain extent the design of the specific experiments. The consensus of the research is that carcass sanitizing can reduce the initial levels of bacteria on the surface of the carcass.
Surface plasmon waves in nanoelectronic circuits: Research Articles

Plasma dynamics in nanoscale metal-dielectric structures is reviewed, and circuit models for potential plasma wave nanodevices and circuits are developed. Circuit representations for surface-plasmon waveguides, nanoantennas, and for surface plasmon generators based on attenuated total reflection (ATR), are presented. In metal–insulator–metal (MIM) structures tunnelling also excites surface plasmon waves, and the equivalent circuit introduced in this paper helps the design of circuits exploiting surface plasmon waves. These nanoelectronic circuits might have an impact on the future of terahertz and infrared electronics. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Group 13 Superacid Adducts of [PCl2N]3.

Reactions of [PCl2N]3 in CHCl3 with AlCl3, AlBr3, or GaCl3 in the presence of water or gaseous HX (X: Cl, Br) give the air- and light-sensitive superacid adducts [PCl2N]3·HAlCl4 (I), [PCl2N]3·HAlBr4 (II), and [PCl2N]3·HGaCl4 (III) in quantitative yields when using HX.
New Directions in Pediatric Asthma.

Childhood asthma affects many children placing them at significant risk for health care utilization and school absences. Several new developments relevant to the field of pediatric asthma have occurred over the last 5 years; yet, there is much more to learn. It is poorly understood how to prevent the disease, optimally address environmental challenges, or effectively manage poor adherence. Moreover, it is not clear how to customize therapy by asthma phenotype, age group, high risk groups, or severity of disease. Highlights of advances in pediatric asthma are reviewed and multiple essential areas for further exploration and research are discussed.
Optimization and Comparison of Information-Dependent Acquisition (IDA) to Sequential Window Acquisition of All Theoretical Fragment Ion Spectra (SWATH) for High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry in Clinical Toxicology.

BACKGROUND: Untargeted data acquisition on high-resolution mass spectrometers (HRMSs) has been used in clinical toxicology for screening and identifying unknown compounds in patient samples. A common modality for untargeted HRMS data acquisition is information-dependent acquisition (IDA), which analyzes the most abundant small molecules within an acquisition cycle. This process can potentially lead to false negatives of clinically relevant compounds at low concentrations. Sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion spectra (SWATH) has emerged as a method of unbiased, untargeted HRMS data acquisition in which no spectral data are lost. SWATH has yet to be optimized and assessed for use in clinical toxicology. METHOD: We developed a variable-window SWATH method (vSWATH) and compared it to IDA by limit of detection studies in drug-supplemented urine (81 compounds) and against a retrospective cohort of 50 clinical urine samples characterized by LC-MS/MS. RESULTS: vSWATH had a lower limit of detection than IDA for 33 (41%) drugs and metabolites added into urine samples. Both IDA and vSWATH were equivalent in discovering compounds from clinical urine samples and confirmed 26 additional compounds not previously discovered by targeted LC-MS/MS. Lastly, the unbiased acquisition of spectra in vSWATH allowed for identification of 5 low-abundance compounds missed by IDA. CONCLUSIONS: This vSWATH method for clinical toxicology demonstrated equivalent analytical sensitivity and specificity for untargeted drug screening and identification in urine samples. vSWATH provided the additional benefit of collecting all tandem mass spectrometry spectra in a sample, which could be useful in discovering low-abundance compounds not discovered by IDA.
Changes in target volume during irradiation of canine intranasal tumors can significantly impact radiation dosimetry.

Nasal tumor size can change during radiation therapy (RT). The amount of peritumoral fluid (eg, mucohemorrhagic effusions) can also fluctuate. How often this occurs and the magnitude of change are unknown. Likewise, there are no data which describe dosimetric effects of these changing volumes during a course of RT in veterinary medicine. This study addresses that gap in knowledge. Using pet dogs with nasal tumors, three CT image sets were created. Different Hounsfield units were applied to the gross tumor volume (GTV) of each image set: unchanged, -1000 (AIR), -1000 (to the portion of the GTV that actually underwent volume reduction during clinical RT; REAL). Two plans were created: 18-fraction three-dimensional conformal RT (3DCRT) and three-fraction intensity-modulated stereotactic RT (IM-SRT). For nearby normal tissues and GTV, near-maximum doses (D2% and D5% ) and volumes receiving clinically significant doses were recorded. To verify "AIR" results, thermoluminescent dosimeters recorded dose in cadavers that were irradiated using both 3DCRT and IM-SRT plans. "AIR" scenario had ≤1.5 Gray (Gy) increases in D2% and ≤3.2 cc increases of volume. "REAL" scenario had ≤0.97 Gy increases in D5% and ≤0.55 cc increases of volume at clinically relevant doses. Both were statistical significant. Results suggest that near-complete resolution of GTV warrants plan revision.
Web applications: a test bed for advanced topics

This paper describes topics appropriate for an upper level course on web application development. A course developed by the author serves as a model and discusses a number of variations and alternatives. The primary goal of the course is to provide broad coverage of the fundamentals of creating dynamic database backed web applications using leading edge technologies, such as ASP.NET. The course is designed to be accessible to both computer science and information systems majors.
An examination of negative urgency and other impulsigenic traits in purging disorder

There is extensive evidence for the clinical significance of Purging Disorder (PD), an eating disorder characterized by recurrent purging behavior (self-induced vomiting, laxative use, and diuretic use) in the absence of binge eating and low weight (Smith, Crowther, & Lavender, 2017). Research on the personality profile of PD is still developing but evidence supports an association with impulsivity (Brown, Haedt-Matt, & Keel, 2011). The personality underpinnings of impulsive behavior include several different impulsigenic traits. To investigate personality contributors to impulsive behavior among women with PD, we compared 31 women with PD to 57 women with bulimia nervosa (BN) and 31 healthy control women on four impulsigenic traits: negative urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and sensation seeking. Compared to healthy controls, women with PD reported significantly greater levels of negative urgency, but no significant differences on the other traits. Compared to BN, PD was associated with significantly lower levels of negative urgency, but no other significant differences. Compared with controls, women in the BN group had significantly higher scores on lack of premeditation and lack of perseverance, but no significant difference on sensation seeking. Findings indicate negative urgency is a potentially important personality trait for distinguishing those with PD.
Temperature sensing performance and calibration of bi-material layer structure: role of material property variation

Abstract With the increasing demand of adopting advanced soft materials in MEMS and sensing applications, the material property variation of the soft materials with respect to the varying environmental conditions becomes an important factor to alter the device/sensor performance. In this study, a temperature sensor based on a bi-material layer structure has been adopted to investigate the role of material properties to the temperature sensing performance. Analytical formulations are derived under three different assumptions of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and Young's modulus of the actuate layer material: (1) a constant, (2) a linear function of temperature, and (3) a nonlinear function of temperature. It is found that the both the magnitude and the linearity of the curvature and deflection with respect to temperature variation have been greatly impacted by the non-constant CTE of the actuate layer material, especially at the low temperature region. However, the curvature and deflection alternation caused by non-constant Young's modulus is negligible at the low temperature region and becomes slightly noticeable when approaching the high temperature limit. Meanwhile, the accuracy of the linear calibration has been evaluated to present the impact of the material properties variation to the sensing performance of the bi-material layer structure. This study brings attention to the MEMS community that correct material assumptions in strength of mechanics theory need to be adopted to accurately predict the nonlinear performance of temperature sensor due to the material property variation. The accuracy of linear calibration needs to be evaluated.
Early prediction of impending septic shock in children using age-adjusted Sepsis-3 criteria

Abstract Sepsis is a syndrome which afflicts both adults and children, with many disease courses and diverse outcomes. Understanding of sepsis pathophysiology has changed over time; the Sepsis-3 criteria define sepsis in adults as organ dysfunction, quantified by SOFA score, caused by dysregulated immune response to infection. However, pediatric consensus definitions still utilize the SIRS-based Sepsis-2 criteria, though individual groups have attempted to adapt the Sepsis-3 criteria for children. We evaluate age-adjusted Sepsis-3 criteria on 2,384 pediatric patients admitted to the Johns Hopkins PICU, and apply previously-published methods for early prediction of septic shock. We obtain best early prediction performance of 0.96 AUC, 49.9% overall PPV, and a 5.8-hour median EWT using Sepsis-3 labels based on age-adjusted SOFA score. Through analyses of risk score evolution over time, we corroborate our past finding of an abrupt transition preceding onset of septic shock in children, and are able to stratify pediatric sepsis patients using their first post-threshold-crossing risk score.
Glucocorticoid regulation and neuroanatomy in fragile x syndrome.

Abstract Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the leading known inherited cause for intellectual disability. Due to mutations in the FMR1 gene, affected individuals are at risk for serious cognitive and behavioral symptoms and developmental disability. Clinical presentation varies considerably, and investigation of genetic factors not directly related to FMR1 may help better understand variability. The present study examined the BclI polymorphism of the glucocorticoid receptor gene NR3C1 in 43 individuals with FXS (28 females, age 16 to 25). Females with FXS who presented with one or more G alleles demonstrated attenuated symptoms of anxiety/depression (p = 0.038) and externalizing behaviors (p = 0.042) relative to individuals with the C/C allele. In the combined sample (males and females) structural neuroimaging data differentiated individuals with a G allele from those with the C/C genotype (p
The Inner Voice in Dreams

This paper introduces a dream component I refer to as an inner voice within dreams; i.e., a splitting of the self into an experiencing subject immersed in the dream and an inner observer that comme...
The Role of Consumer Uncertainty in Trademark Law: An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation

Nearly every important issue in trademark litigation turns on the question of what consumers in the marketplace subjectively believe to be true. To address this question, litigants frequently present consumer survey evidence, which can play a decisive role in driving the outcomes of disputes. But trademark survey evidence has proven to be highly controversial, not least because it is notoriously prone to expert manipulation. In this Article, we identify and present empirical evidence of a related, but more fundamental problem with trademark survey evidence: while all the leading survey formats in trademark law test for whether consumers hold a particular belief, they do not test for the strength or the varying degrees of certainty with which consumers hold that belief. In short, by treating the question of consumer beliefs as essentially binary, the formats do not test for belief strength. Yet as the social science literature has long recognized, the strength with which consumers hold particular beliefs shapes their behavior in the marketplace, and thus it should also shape, we believe, how trademark disputes play out in the courtroom. Through a series of experiments using the three leading trademark survey formats (the so-called Teflon, Eveready, and Squirt formats), we show the remarkable degree to which these formats as conventionally designed overlook—or suppress—crucial information about consumer uncertainty. We further demonstrate how a low-cost, easily-administered, and relatively simple modification in these formats can reveal that information. We discuss both the practical and theoretical implications of our findings. As a practical matter, trademark survey evidence that shows only weakly-held beliefs (or that does not even test for belief strength) should not, without more, satisfy a litigant’s burden of persuasion on the issue addressed by the survey. Furthermore, in line with courts’ growing efforts in intellectual property cases to tailor injunctive relief, survey evidence showing only weakly-held mistaken beliefs may provide courts with the opportunity to fashion more limited forms of relief short of an outright injunction. As a theoretical matter, we explain how trademark survey formats that reveal the true extent of consumer uncertainty in the marketplace may finally force trademark law and policy to confront normative questions it has long left unanswered going to exactly what kind of harm trademark law is meant to forestall.
Development and Assessment of an Abbreviated Acupuncture Curriculum for Pediatricians.

Abstract Objective Acupuncture has been shown to improve pain and other health outcomes in children and is well tolerated. However, use of acupuncture by pediatric medical providers is rare, in part due to the cost and time associated with formal training. We aimed to develop an abbreviated acupuncture curriculum and assess its impact and acceptability with academic pediatricians. Methods In this pilot study, pediatricians received instruction in 2 acupuncture protocols for treating acute and chronic pain (Battlefield Acupuncture and Four Gates) during a 10-hour course developed by board-certified medical acupuncturists. Learning methods included an online module with videos and articles, 2 live workshops, and additional home practice. Participants completed a skills-based exam and pre- and post-tests measuring knowledge and attitudes about acupuncture treatment. Results Forty-five physicians (divided among 3 cohorts) began the acupuncture training course, and 38 (84.4%) completed all components. The course significantly increased participants’ perceived efficacy of acupuncture for acute and chronic pain. Participants showed significant improvement in acupuncture knowledge. All participants agreed that the course would influence their current medical practice, and all participants felt confident utilizing basic acupuncture. Additionally, all participants indicated that they would recommend the abbreviated acupuncture curriculum to a colleague. Conclusions Pediatricians became proficient in 2 acupuncture protocols with a 10-hour curriculum and found the format and content highly acceptable. Future plans include studying acupuncture implementation and expanding the course to other departments and institutions.
Cultural ideologies in sport and their effects on team cohesion and performance

The present study investigated cultural ideologies, specifically colorblindness and multiculturalism, and their effect on team cohesion within a sport setting. Past research has focused on cultural ideologies in business but not sport settings, and studies on diversity in sport have not looked at teams through a cultural ideological lens. Therefore, the current study addressed those gaps in previous research on cultural ideologies and cohesion and performance in sport. Researchers measured cohesion across three conditions (colorblind, multicultural, and control) during a basketball shooting task. The first hypothesis was that a team with one of the two cultural ideologies (colorblindness or multiculturalism) would have better cohesion than a team with no cultural ideology. The second hypothesis was that team cohesion would act as a mediator between cultural ideology and team success. Performance variables (e.g., task completion time) were also compared across conditions to assess which team was more successful in completing the task. The results indicated partial support of the hypotheses, showing a relationship between each of the variables and performance, but no mediation by cohesion between cultural ideologies and performance. Specifically, having a cultural ideology and higher levels of cohesion were both significant predictors of higher/better performance. The results have positive implications for cultural ideologies and their effect on a team and its performance.
Les écoulements mamelonnaires

Resume Les ecoulements mamelonnaires sont un symptome frequent en senologie. L’etiologie benigne est la plus frequente (papillomes et ectasies galactophoriques) mais il ne faut pas meconnaitre le risque de lesion maligne sous-jacente (≈5 %) principalement constitue par les carcinomes in situ. L’examen clinique est essentiel dans la prise en charge en distinguant les ecoulements benins dits « physiologiques », des ecoulements suspects dits « pathologiques » pour lesquels un complement d’exploration par mammographie et echographie doit etre effectue. Pour les ecoulements mamelonnaires pathologiques avec bilan d’imagerie conventionnel normal, l’IRM mammaire remplace progressivement la galactographie, mais elle reste une indication emergente non validee. Dans ce contexte et si l’ensemble du bilan d’imagerie reste normal, la chirurgie n’est plus la seule solution a apporter aux patientes. Une surveillance rapprochee peut desormais leur etre proposee.
Parallel-Plate Waveguide for Volume Radio Frequency Transmission in MRI

Purpose Radiofrequency coils in MRI are narrowband resonant structures. The high-quality factor makes their performance sensitive to loading and other operating conditions. We developed a new coil to provide volume transmit in a broad frequency band. Methods The proposed coil is a parallel-plate waveguide. When operating in the transverse electromagnetic mode, a uniform magnetic field is generated between the plates for imaging. The impedance of the transverse electromagnetic mode is matched by a broadband matching circuit. The two plates are actively driven with broadband Wilkinson power dividers and combiners. Re-entrant design is further applied to improve the overall efficiency. Results We developed a prototype of a coil to image the human forearm with a bandwidth of more than one octave. Its feasibility was demonstrated by proton imaging and phosphorous spectroscopy at 7T. Conclusions The proposed coil structure is compact and relatively easier to construct. It can be applied for volume radiofrequency transmit in MRI in a broad frequency band. Magn Reson Med 74:1482–1491, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Design and implementation of web-enabled teaching tools

Web accessibility has become a major concern in terms of providing effective communication to the public. This text is designed to explore the myriad of issues regarding Web accessibility, specifically focusing on those areas that cover the design and implementation of Web-enabled teaching tools.
Activated contact system and abnormal glycosaminoglycans in lupus and other auto- and non-autoimmune diseases.

Abstract Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are marked by the presence of autoantibodies against negatively changed DNA, phospholipids, heparin, and chondroitin sulfate, respectively. Heparin/protein complexes induce contact system activation in HIT patient plasmas. The activated contact system generates thrombin. Thrombin is responsible for thrombosis, a common cause of death and disabilities for both HIT and SLE. In this chapter, we analyze plasma contact system proteins, thrombin- and kallikrein-like activities, glucosamine and galactosamine content from SLE-, RA-, osteoarthritis (OA)-, and psoriasis (Ps)-patient plasmas in addition to pooled 30+ healthy patient plasmas. We found that all SLE patient plasmas exhibited abnormal contact systems marked by the absence of high molecular weight kininogen, the presence of processed C1 inhibitor (C1inh), the display of abnormal thrombin- and kallikrein-like activities, and increased levels of plasma glucosamine and galactosamine. Different patterns of contact system activation distinquish SLE, RA, and Ps whereas no contact system activation is observed in normal and OA patient plasmas. The presence of paradoxical “lupus anticoagulants” in certain thrombosis-prone SLE patient plasmas, marked by delayed clotting in clinical plasma test, was explained by the consumption of contact system proteins, especially high molecular weight kininogen. Finally, we discovered that mouse and human SLE autoantibodies bind to cell surface GAGs with structural selectivity. In conclusion, markers of abnormal contact system activation represent potential new targets for autoimmune disease diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. These markers might also be useful in monitoring SLE activity/severity and in pinpointing patients with SLE-associated arthritis and psoriasis.
Nutrition in Renal Disease

In the last 2 years, there has been a renaissance of interest in low-protein diets in the treatment of chronic renal failure (CRF), due mainly to suggestions that a low-protein intake may slow or even halt progression of renal insufficiency. It also has become apparent that other modifications of the diet, including phosphate restriction, altering the proportions of fatty acids, or adding polyunsaturated fatty acids, might have considerable impact on the course of the disease and the metabolism of the patient. Unfortunately, the optimal intake for most nutrients in renal failure, including amino acids, vitamins, and trace elements, remains undefined. Many descriptive studies have appeared, but our understanding of the pathophysiology is still limited.
Distributed Robotic Manipulation: Experiments in Minimalism

Minimalism pursues the following agenda: For a given robotics task, find the minimal configuration of resources required to solve the task. Thus, minimalism attempts to reduce the resource signature for a task, in the same way that (say) Stealth technology decreases the radar signature of an aircraft. Minimalism is interesting because doing task A without resource B proves that B is somehow inessential to the information structure of the task. We will present experimental demonstrations and show how they relate to our theoretical proofs of minimalist systems.
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Immune Modulation as the New Treatment Paradigm

Recent studies of tumor lymphocytic immune infiltrates in breast cancer have suggested an improved prognosis associated with increasing levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the breast cancer subtype that has the greatest incidence of patients with a robust tumor immune infiltrate, although it is still a minority of patients. Elevated levels of either intratumoral or stromal T cells are associated with an improved overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in TNBC as compared with other breast cancer subtypes. TNBC may be immunogenic for several reasons. Subtypes of TNBC have a significant number of genetic mutations, and the immune system may see the aberrant proteins encoded by these mutations as foreign. Moreover, TNBC is associated with a prognostic gene signature that also includes B cells. Antibodies secreted by B cells may bind to tumor antigens and amplify the adaptive immune response that has already been initiated in the tumor. New immune modulatory agents, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, have shown activity in immunogenic tumors such as melanoma and bladder cancer and have recently been tested in TNBC. The clinical response rates observed, patterns of response, and adverse event profiles are similar to what has been described in melanoma where this class of agents has already been approved for clinical use in some cases. Lessons learned in assessing the immunogenicity of TNBC, potential mechanisms of immune stimulation, and response to immune modulatory drugs lay the foundation for the development of immune-based therapies in all subtypes of the disease.
Human chromosome 12 encodes a species-specific factor which increases human immunodeficiency virus type 1 tat-mediated trans activation in rodent cells.

Abstract The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) tat protein functions at a much lower level in rodent cells than in human cells. This species-specific difference in trans activation appears to be due to the lack of a functional homolog of a human cofactor for tat in rodent cells. Using HIV-1 long terminal repeat-driven human growth hormone as a reporter plasmid, we found that the tat-mediated trans activation functions at a level 5- to 20-fold lower in rodent cells than in human cells. Stable rodent-human hybrid cells containing only human chromosome 12 support a dramatically higher degree of trans activation. Thus, human chromosome 12 encodes a species-specific HIV-1 tat cofactor which, at least partially, restores high levels of tat-mediated trans activation. Chromosome 6 also appears to provide an additional factor which enhances HIV-1 tat-mediated trans activation in murine cells.
Nephrogenic adenoma: immunohistochemical evaluation for its etiology and differentiation from prostatic adenocarcinoma.

Abstract Context.—Nephrogenic adenoma is a rare benign lesion of the urinary tract. Owing to its strong association with a history of urinary tract irritation, nephrogenic adenoma was initially thought to originate from urothelial metaplasia; however, no solid proof of this association has been found. More recent investigation has pointed to a renal tubular cause. In addition to its uncertain origin, there can be diagnostic difficulty in distinguishing nephrogenic adenoma from prostatic carcinoma, particularly when dealing with lesions from the prostatic urethra. Objective.—To elucidate a possible histogenic relationship between nephrogenic adenoma and renal tubules, and also to evaluate the role of immunohistochemistry in the diagnostic distinction between nephrogenic adenoma and prostate carcinoma. Design.—Immunohistochemical studies were performed for P504S, prostate-specific antigen, CD10, p63, and epithelial membrane antigen on 9 cases of nephrogenic adenoma, 10 cases of normal renal parenchyma, and ...
Information modelling and system re-engineering - an efficient approach to assessing complex current Norwegian natural gas transport operations

Information modelling and system re-engineering - an efficient approach to assessing complex current Norwegian natural gas transport operations
Evaluating the branding potential of Web sites across borders

Presents the AIPD approach to the evaluation of commercial Web sites within or across borders. Looks at firms in the software sector and uses the model’s benchmarking techniques to compare the informing, positioning, and delivering strategies of Web sites. Shows how these factors boosted the branding potential of the Web sites. In a comparison of the Internet strategies of Japanese and US software firms, results showed that US firms created more dynamic and innovative Internet environments. Gives market, cultural and institutional differences for the contrasting approaches to Web design, information and service delivery.
On the Number of Records in an iid Discrete Sequence

The problem of the rate of growth of the number of record values and weak record values in an iid sequence of integer valued random variables is attacked as a perturbation of the case for continuous random variables. Conditions in terms of either the underlying probability mass function or the hazard function of the underlying distribution are given for the rate of growth of the number of records to be log(n) almost surely. The record problem has been considered by Gouet et al.(2001) [Adv. Appl. Prob. 33, 473-864] and by Vervaat(1973) [Stochastic processes Appl. 1, 317-334]. The results for records overlap those found in the former paper. The methods here are more elementary, and the results on weak records are not mentioned there. This paper improves on what may be derived from results in Vervaat. (1973) [Stochastic Processes Appl. 1, 317-334]