cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ECG biometrics: A robust short-time frequency analysis

In this paper, we present the results of an analysis of the electrocardiogram (ECG) as a biometrie using a novel short-time frequency method with robust feature selection. Our proposed method incorporates heartbeats from multiple days and fuses information. Single lead ECG signals from a comparatively large sample of 269 subjects that were sampled from the general population were collected on three separate occasions over a seven-month period. We studied the impact of long-term variability, health status, data fusion, the number of training and testing heartbeats, and database size on ECG biometrie performance. The proposed method achieves 5.58% equal error rate (EER) in verification, 76.9% accuracy in rank-1 recognition, and 93.5% accuracy in rank-15 recognition when training and testing heartbeats are from different days. If training and testing heartbeats are collected on the same day, we achieve 0.37% EER and 99% recognition accuracy for decisions based on a single heartbeat.
Clinical presentation, progression, and treatment outcomes of moyamoya disease in the elderly.

Moyamoya disease is a vascular disorder characterized by progressive stenosis of the internal carotid artery. The presentation, progression, treatment options, and post-operative clinical outcomes for elderly (60 and older) Moyamoya patients have never been reported. A retrospective analysis of all patients who were diagnosed with Moyamoya disease by the senior authors between 1991 and 2016 was performed. Patients who were 60 years or older at the time of surgery or last follow-up were further evaluated. Seventy patients were diagnosed with probable or definite Moyamoya disease during the study period (1991–2016). Eight patients (11.4 %; six females: two males; median age 63; range, 60–71 years) were found to be 60 years or older at the time of surgery or last follow-up and were included in the study. All patients had a modified Rankin scale (mRS) of either one or two (median 1) pre-operatively. Six patients (75 %) underwent surgical treatment on a total on seven hemispheres. Post-surgery, one patient had an improved mRS score, three had no changes, and two had worsening in their mRS scores. Both patients who did not undergo surgical interventions suffered from intra-parenchymal hemorrhages post-diagnosis. Moyamoya disease is most commonly seen in young and middle-aged patients. Presentation in the elderly (defined as 60 years and older in this study) is rare, and has never been reported in the literature. In this study, both direct and indirect revascularization procedures demonstrated potential benefit in some of these patients, with stabilization of progressive symptoms.
Abstract 657: Microtubule stabilizers inhibit the cellular transport and signaling of EGFR in breast cancer cells

Breast cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in women and it is estimated that approximately 40,000 women die every year from this disease in this country alone. The overexpression of EGFR in breast cancer is associated with drug resistance and an aggressive nature resulting in an overall poor outcome. The EGFR signaling pathway requires internalization of the receptor, endosomal translocation and in some cases nuclear accumulation of the receptor. These processes are dependent on functional microtubules. Microtubule targeting agents (MTAs) have been used with great success in the treatment of breast cancer alone and in combination with other agents. MTAs impair microtubule dynamics, which results in the inhibition of mitosis. Microtubules are additionally important in cellular signaling events including cellular transport of the EGFR. The effects of the microtubule stabilizer taccalonolide AJ on EGFR transport and activation in breast cancer cells were compared to the effects of paclitaxel. Our results show that microtubule stabilization interrupts the cellular trafficking of EGFR, leading to the retention of the receptor in the cell periphery.. Taccalonolide AJ and paclitaxel impaired the association of EGFR with the early endosome and delayed its association with the lysosome. This disruption in cellular transport also led to decreased phosphorylation of EGFR downstream targets AKT, ERK1/2 and STAT3, with taccalonolide AJ being the more effective inhibitor. Our studies show that microtubule stabilizers also prevent the association of EGFR with the Golgi instead leading to the fragmentation of this organelle. Paclitaxel caused a higher degree of Golgi fragmentation and it was observed in nearly all cells. The inhibition of EGFR localization to the Golgi caused by taccalonolide AJ and paclitaxel suggests that microtubule stabilization interferes with the trafficking of EGFR to the nucleus. This was confirmed by our results showing that microtubule stabilization impairs the nuclear transport of EGFR in breast cancer cells. Not surprisingly, in this case, paclitaxel was much more effective at preventing this nuclear accumulation. These studies highlight the utility and versatility of microtubule stabilizers and suggest the potential for combination treatments with microtubule stabilizers and small molecule inhibitors of EGFR and EGFR dependent pathways in breast cancer. Citation Format: Cristina Coral Rohena, Nicholas F. Dybdal-Hargreaves, Susan L. Mooberry. Microtubule stabilizers inhibit the cellular transport and signaling of EGFR in breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 657. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-657
Hypercalcaemia: a clue to Mycobacterium avium intracellulare infection in a patient with AIDS

Hypercalcaemia is uncommon in HIV-infected patients and should suggest a different priority for differential diagnosis than would be considered in other settings. Although hypercalcaemia has long been associated with granulomatous diseases including tuberculosis, it has only recently been recognised that patients with illness due to Mycobacterium avium intracellulare (MAI) may develop it. We report a patient with AIDS in whom unexplained hypercalcaemia was the harbinger of clinically significant MAI infection. Patients with AIDS who develop hypercalcaemia should be closely evaluated for underlying MAI infection.
Is radiation indicated for young women with early stage, node-negative breast cancer after mastectomy? A multi-institution, retrospective review.

The role of post-mastectomy radiation for women with node negative, early stage disease is not well-defined. The purpose of this study is to more clearly define a subset of women who are ≤40 years of age with T1-T2, node negative breast cancer who may benefit from post-mastectomy radiation. Using tumor registries at two institutions, we identified 219 women ≤40 years of age with T1-T2, node negative breast cancer treated with mastectomy. Of these 219 patients, 38 received post-mastectomy radiation and 181 did not. Kaplan–Meier methods and cox proportional-hazards regression models were employed for statistical analysis. There were no locoregional failures in the women receiving post mastectomy radiation, which lead to a nonsignificant increase in freedom from locoregional recurrence (P=.08). For women not receiving post-mastectomy radiation, freedom from locoregional recurrence was 94.7% and 89.7% at 5- and 10-years. Lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) was the only factor predictive of locoregional recurrence. For women without LVSI, freedom from locoregional recurrence was 96.0% and 93.3% at 5- and 10-years respectively. For women with LVSI who did not receive post mastectomy radiation, freedom from locoregional recurrence was 89.1% at 5-years. There were no failures in the women with LVSI who received post mastectomy radiation. For women ≤40 years of age with T1-2, node negative breast cancer treated with mastectomy and no post-mastectomy radiation, locoregional control is excellent in the absence of LVSI, regardless of other risk factors. In the presence of LVSI (regardless of other risk factors), the risk of locoregional recurrence is high and appears to be decreased with post-mastectomy radiation.
Heuristical Introduction of General Biased Sampling with Various Applications

When individuals of a population are less likely or more likely to be included than others in a study, then sampling bias occurs. Sampling bias is a systematic error due to the non-random sampling from a population. As a consequence, the sampled subjects are neither equally balanced nor objectively representing the target population. This problem appears naturally in evidence based economic, epidemiological, and medical research in which observational studies are conducted. We call this type of biased sampling “natural selection biased sampling problems”.
Dispositional Mindfulness and Neural Correlates of Affect Regulation

: Mindfulness meditation and mindfulness-based interventions offer numerous clinical benefits related to improved affect regulation and emotional functioning. Psychological and emotional benefits of dispositional mindfulness, conceptualized as an individual difference trait found among the meditation-naive, also have been demonstrated. This literature review article describes five specific research investigations examining potential neurocognitive emotion regulation mechanisms associated with dispositional mindfulness. Higher dispositional mindfulness may allow for enhanced top-down prefrontal control of limbic activity when coping with negative emotional stimuli, and individuals with greater trait mindfulness also may experience lower levels of neural activity in response to such stimuli. These patterns of improved affect regulation with increased dispositional mindfulness may reflect lower resting activity in key brain areas such as the amygdala.
Clearance of Hepatitis C Virus Prior to Lung Transplantation: A Case Report

Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV) continues to be considered a relative contraindication to lung transplantation due to concerns of progression of liver disease with the introduction of immunosuppression. Since the recent introduction of effective antiviral therapy for HCV, new approaches in the management of the HCV-positive recipient are being utilized in liver transplantation to clear HCV pre- and post-transplant. Herein, we report use of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir for HCV clearance prior to lung transplantation in a patient with usual interstitial pneumonia. Listing for transplant was delayed until completion of HCV treatment, and he subsequently required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to transplantation due to progressive hypoxia. With antiviral cure rates exceeding 90%, HCV should no longer be considered a relative contraindication to lung transplant, and timing of antiviral treatment should consider the progressive nature of the recipient's lung disease.
The two Faces of Practice: Transfer and That Old-Time Lesson Drill

In all types of learning situations, informal instructional situations, on-the-job instruction, as well as in classroom training situations in business, long-term practice is paramount. There are two basic approaches to processing information. First is controlled processing which is conscious, relatively deliberate, slow, and limited in terms of short-term memory capacity. Controlled processing is typically best for novel situations or in situations in which stimulus-response relations are inconsistent or changing. Far transfer is usually attained with this kind of processing. The second approach involves automatic processing that develops as a consequence of repetition. Automatic processing is performed on a nonconscious level such as driving a car, and it is fast, inflexible, difficult to suppress, and relatively unlimited in terms of memory capacity. With repetitive practice, activities that once required active control become automatic, thus freeing the learner's limited attentional capacity for other tasks. Sheer repetition is typically better for situations in which consistent stimulus-response relations remain the same. At best, near transfer is usually attained with this kind of processing. The problem with everyday nonresearch-based professional practice situations is that practitioners do not receive the feedback they need in order to validly assess the data they receive from their experience. Such feedback is important for people to learn anything from experience, whether it's learning a concept, how to deal effectively with people, or a motor skill.
Bowen's Disease

John T. Bowen in 1912 described two patients with cutaneous chronic atypical epithelial proliferation (1), for which Darier in 1914 coined the term “la dermatose precancereuse de Bowen, dyskeratose lenticulaire et en disques” in describing patients with this disorder (2, 3).
The Web 2.0 Connection: An Exploratory Study of School Library Services for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Web 2.0 tools are often considered to be viable facilitators of learning (Gooding 2008). However, there is very little research documenting how Web 2.0 tools can be incorporated into school library programming (Libraries Worldwide, 17(2), 25–41, 2011; Library Hi Tech, 28(4), 617–631, 2010). This chapter will review findings from a study conducted to explore the relationship between Web 2.0 tools and school librarians’ provision of services to students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), their teachers, and their parents and guardians. The participants of this study consisted of 508 school librarians in the USA who answered an online survey.
Architecting a System Model for Personalized Healthcare Delivery and Managed Individual Health Outcomes

In recent years, healthcare needs have shifted from treating acute conditions to meeting an unprecedented chronic disease burden. The healthcare delivery system has structurally evolved to address two primary features of acute care: the relatively short time period, on the order of a patient encounter, and the siloed focus on organs or organ systems, thereby operationally fragmenting and providing care by organ specialty. Much more so than acute conditions, chronic disease involves multiple health factors with complex interactions between them over a prolonged period of time necessitating a healthcare delivery model that is personalized to achieve individual health outcomes. Using the current acute-based healthcare delivery system to address and provide care to patients with chronic disease has led to significant complexity in the healthcare delivery system. This presents a formidable systems’ challenge where the state of the healthcare delivery system must be coordinated over many years or decades with the health state of each individual that seeks care for their chronic conditions. This paper architects a system model for personalized healthcare delivery and managed individual health outcomes. To ground the discussion, the work builds upon recent structural analysis of mass-customized production systems as an analogous system and then highlights the stochastic evolution of an individual’s health state as a key distinguishing feature.
Acoustic imagery evidence for methane hydrates in the Ulleung Basin

Approximately 12,000 km2 of acoustic backscatter imagery (sidescan) data and swath bathymetry data were collected jointly by Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy, the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO), Hawaii Mapping Research Group (HMRG) and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) in 1995. Preliminary analysis of these data have revealed a large network of canyons with well-developed fan deposits and slumps which were not previously mapped. Also identified is a 1400 km2 area occupied by more than 300 circular, low-backscatter features ca. 50–1000 m in diameter which are interpreted to be pockmarks or mounds created by escaping methane gas, methane-rich porewater and mud.
The social structure of organization: Coordination in a large, multi-business firm

In my dissertation, I examine intraorganizational social networks and their antecedents and consequences. The first paper, jointly authored with Michael Tushman, is a theoretical discussion of the role of social networks in inter-divisional coordination. Most large organizations fail to develop new businesses that combine resources from disparate parts of the firm. I define and explore a brand of corporate entrepreneurship based on interdependent innovation - the deliberate creation of interdependence between autonomous divisions of multi-business firms to create new products. I argue that interdependent innovation is difficult because the social structures that promote exploration of new possibilities are inconsistent with the social structures needed to successfully execute interdependent innovation; I suggest that senior leadership plays a crucial role in transitioning the organization between different network structures.Empirically, there are at least two methodological hurdles to researching the complex interaction between formal structure and social structure in contributing to organizational outcomes. First, the kind and quality of data that have typically been collected to conduct network analysis are inadequate; and second, there is a paucity of research that accounts for the embeddedness of the informal structure in the formal. In the second dissertation paper, I begin to resolve these two issues. I argue for data collection methods relying on electronic communication archives (e.g., e-mail) for network analysis. I also empirically develop novel measures that use this data to quantify the social structural relationships between formal divisions; in doing so, I explicitly embed informal structure within formal structure in novel ways.The third dissertation paper, jointly authored with Toby Stuart and Michael Tushman, is an empirical study of the pattern of communications - and, by extension, the coordination that it enables - in a modern organization. We analyze a dataset with more than 100 million electronic mail messages, calendar meetings and teleconferences for a sample of more than 30,000 employees of a single, multidivisional firm. In dyad-level models of the probability that pairs of individuals communicate, we find very large effects of spatial proximity and formal organizational structure on the rate of communication; homophily effects based on gender, organizational tenure, and salary levels are much weaker.
PCE Use in the Workplace: The Open Secret of Performance Enhancement:

Increasing evidence suggests employees are turning to the nonprescribed use of stimulants to supplement their performance. We sit in a unique position regarding stimulants in the workforce. They ar...
Impact of Gastric Banding Versus Metformin on β-Cell Function in Adults With Impaired Glucose Tolerance or Mild Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE Type 2 diabetes (T2D) results from progressive loss of β-cell function. The BetaFat study compared gastric banding and metformin for their impact on β-cell function in adults with moderate obesity and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or recently diagnosed, mild T2D. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Eighty-eight people aged 21–65 years, BMI 30–40 kg/m2, with IGT or diabetes known for 25 mmol/L) were performed at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months to measure steady-state C-peptide (SSCP) and acute C-peptide response to arginine at maximum glycemic potentiation (ACPRmax) and insulin sensitivity (M/I). RESULTS At 24 months, the band group lost 10.7 kg; the metformin group lost 1.7 kg (P 0.14 between groups). Normoglycemia was present in 22% and 15% of band and metformin groups, respectively, at 24 months (P = 0.66 between groups). CONCLUSIONS Gastric banding and metformin had similar effects to preserve β-cell function and stabilize or improve glycemia over a 2-year period in moderately obese adults with IGT or recently diagnosed, mild T2D.
The Transformative and Healing Power of Theatre of Witness.

This article describes the healing and transformative effects of a social justice theatre program called Theatre of Witness on participants and community members in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It begins with a review of relevant literature, including sections about artistic ways of knowing, transformative learning through theatre and storytelling, and theatre for peacebuilding. The research is still in process, however, the findings are similar to other social justice theatre programs used for peacebuilding. The key themes of this program are authentic, vulnerable storytelling through testimonial theatre, and a process of empathy development by humanizing the ‘other’.
Climatology of aerosol optical depth at mid-continental US site: ground-based observations

The total aerosol burden in the atmosphere is typically represented by aerosol optical depth (AOD). To capture important and climate-relevant signatures of the aerosol burden, such as year-to-year and seasonal variability, continuous multi-year AOD observations are required. For more than two decades, these observations have been performed at the mid-continental Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility (CF) using ground-based passive remote sensing. The partially overlapping and fragmentary AOD records at the ARM SGP CF have been provided by four individual instruments, namely two co-located (C1 and E13) Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometers (MFRSRs), a Normal Incidence Multifilter Radiometer (NIMFR), and a Cimel Sunphotometer (CSPHOT). Since these individual records are sporadic with instrument- and time-dependent data quality, development of a continuous multi-year high-quality AOD dataset is a challenging task. In this work, an initial development of a continuous 20-year (1997-2017) high-quality AOD product is introduced. The development involves (1) incorporation of the available data quality information and delivery of the historical time series of AOD with high quality from four individual instruments, (2) comparison of multiple AOD retrievals to identify potential instrument-related issues and/or retrieval problems, and (3) merging these individual time series, generation of a two-decade continuous climatology of high-quality AOD and reporting of the uncertainty estimations of the merged product.
Is Technology Paving the Way for Autonomous Learning

The shift towards communicative, learner-centered approaches to teaching has resulted in attention being drawn to promoting autonomy as a capacity for independent learning. Taking responsibility for their own learning enables students to break down barriers to learning that appear in teacher-directed environments. With independence and interdependence as its two interrelated aspects, autonomy has its roots in interaction with others in social contexts, and it is now looked upon as being certain abilities that facilitate the navigation of learning through higher degrees of motivation, creative thinking, and conceptual learning. Thanks to technology, language learners easily access authentic materials for out-of-class learning. However, this paper aims to argue that where promoting autonomous learning is concerned, it cannot be enough per se ; proper guidance is crucial, and the interrelation between pedagogy and technology has to be explored so that enough attention is paid to the affordances of certain technological tools to enable language learners to become more autonomous.
Influence of Environmental Factors on Social Participation Poststroke

Date Presented 04/06/19 This poster describes a study that examined the extent to which environmental factors affected participation in social activities for individuals at least six months poststroke. Results of the study provide OTs with a better understanding of important environmental factors to consider when addressing social participation after stroke and help to expand the focus of the rehabilitation literature beyond body functions and structures to participation in meaningful activities. Primary Author and Speaker: Erin Foley Additional Authors and Speakers: Lisa Connor Contributing Authors: Marjorie Nicholas, Carolyn Baum
The effect of age on survival after endoscopic resection versus surgery for T1a esophageal cancer

Abstract Background Endoscopic resection has emerged as a treatment option for T1a esophageal cancer, but the impact of age on patient selection for surgery versus endoscopic resection has not been well studied. We hypothesized that endoscopic resection would be associated with improved survival compared with surgery in older patients with early esophageal cancer and worse survival in younger patients. Methods The National Cancer Database was used to identify patients with cT1aN0M0 esophageal cancer (2010-2015) treated with endoscopic resection or esophagectomy. The relationship between age and treatment effect on survival was modeled with an interaction term in a Cox proportional hazards regression. The primary outcome was overall survival. Results A total of 831 patients met study criteria: A total of 448 patients (54%) underwent endoscopic resection, and 383 patients (46%) underwent esophagectomy. In a multivariable Cox model, the interaction term between patient age and type of treatment was nonsignificant (P = .11), suggesting that age did not influence the effect of endoscopic resection compared with surgery on survival. In 285 propensity score–matched patients receiving endoscopic resection or surgery, surgery was associated with similar survival compared with endoscopic resection (hazard ratio, 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.97-2.03). Conclusions Endoscopic resection was associated with similar survival compared with surgery in patients with cT1a esophageal cancer regardless of age. Endoscopic resection can be considered for patients at low risk of nodal involvement across all age groups as an alternative to surgery for T1a esophageal cancer.
Surgical treatment of symptomatic post-slipped capital femoral epiphysis deformity: a comparative study between hip arthroscopy and surgical hip dislocation with or without intertrochanteric osteotomy.

Abstract Purpose Our primary research question was to investigate the severity of deformity and articular damage as well as outcomes in patients undergoing hip arthroscopy compared with open surger...
Ion and water transport reasonably involves rotation and pseudorotation: measurement and modeling the temperature dependence of small-angle neutron scattering from aqueous SrI2.

X-ray and neutron scattering have provided insight into the short range (<8 A) structures of ionic solutions for over a century. For longer distances, single scattering bands have, however, been seen. For the non-hydrolyzing salt SrI2 in aqueous (D2O) solution, a structure sufficient to scatter slow neutrons has been seen to persist down to a concentration of 0.1 mol L-1 where the measured average spacing between scatterers is over 20 A. Theoretical studies of such long distance solution structures are difficult, and these difficulties are discussed. The width of the distribution in distances between the scatterers (ions, ion pairs, etc.) remains less than 10 A, which approximates the average size of the ions and their first hydration shell. Here, we measure the temperature dependence from 10 °C to 90 °C of the small angle neutron scattering (SANS) by a 0.5 molar SrI2 solution in D2O and find that this surprisingly narrow distribution of the distances remains constant within experimental uncertainty. This structure of the ions in the solution appears to endure because changes in interion distances along any single spatial dimension require displacements near the size of a water molecule. Together, the experimental measurements support a rotatory mechanism for simultaneous ion transport and water countertransport. Since rotation minimizes displacement of the solution framework, it is suggested that water transport alone also involves rotation of multimolecular structures, and that the interpretation of single-molecule water rotation is confounded by pseudorotation that results from paired picosecond proton exchanges. It is pointed out that NMR-determined millisecond to microsecond proton exchange times of chelated-metal-ion bound waters and the much faster chelate rotational correlation times around 10 picoseconds, both of which require making and breaking of hydrogen bonds, are difficult to impossible to reconcile.
Inhibition of inositol-requiring enzyme 1 RNase activity protects pancreatic beta cell and improves diabetic condition in insulin mutation-induced diabetes

Proinsulin misfolding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays an important role in {beta}-cell dysfunction and death and the pathogenesis of mutant INS-gene-induced diabetes of youth (MIDY). There is no effective treatment for MIDY except the insulin administration. Here, we found that the ER stress sensor inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) was activated in the Akita mice, a mouse model of MIDY. Normalization of IRE1 RNase hyperactivity by pharmacological inhibitors significantly ameliorated the hyperglycemic conditions and increased serum insulin levels in Akita mice. These benefits were accompanied by a concomitant protection of functional {beta}-cell mass, as shown by the suppression of {beta}-cell apoptosis, increase in mature insulin production and reduction of proinsulin level. At the molecular level, we observed that the expression of genes associated with {beta}-cell identity and function was significantly up-regulated and ER stress and its associated inflammation and oxidative stress were suppressed in islets from Akita mice treated with IRE1 RNase inhibitors. This study provides the first evidence of the in vivo efficacy of IRE1 RNase inhibition in Akita mice, pointing to the possibility of targeting IRE1 RNase as a therapeutic direction for the treatment of MIDY diabetes.
Adolescent girls with a history of Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE): Perceptions and characteristics of social networks.

Abstract Background Previous research has demonstrated that social support systems such as family, peers, or social services can play a role in adolescent girls' involvement in commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) (Hargreaves- Cormany & Patterson, 2016; Phillips, 2015, Reid & Piquero, 2016). Objectives Few studies have specifically explored the meanings adolescent girls with a history of CSE give to their social networks and how these may be associated with CSE vulnerability. The current study examines how important networks are labeled and characterized by these youth. Participants This study identifies the social networks used by eight racial/ethnic minority adolescent girls who have experienced CSE. Methods Using individual interviews, participants were asked to identify individuals and systems with which they interact and provide meanings about these social supports' roles and value in their lives. Additionally, the degree to which participants viewed each source as influential was explored. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Social Network Theory guided the analysis. Results Two major themes emerged from the data: a) the social networks perceived as influential in the participants' daily lives and b) the perception of the social network's characteristics as negative or positive. Both positive and negative social networks contained some of the same members. Conclusion The current findings point to key social networks for racial/ethnic minority adolescent girls and the potential role of these networks regarding girls' CSE vulnerability. The duality of some network members illustrate the importance of viewing the role of social networks as both complex and dynamic for girls who have experienced CSE. Clinicians should take care to consider the role of intersectional factors when treating members of this community.
Raman spectroscopy and multivariate regression analysis in biomedical research, medical diagnosis, and clinical analysis

High operational costs of modern medical devices and the required specialized, skilled personnel with certifications to operate most medical instrumentation remains a challenge and an impediment to...
Extending the timescale of molecular simulations by using time–temperature superposition: rheology of ionic liquids

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to determine the temperature dependence of the dynamic and rheological properties of a model imidazolium-based ionic liquid (IL). The simulation results for the volumetric properties of the IL are in good agreement with the experimental results. The temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficient of anions and cations follows the Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann equation over the range of the temperatures studied. The shear viscosity of the IL shows a Newtonian plateau at low shear rates and shear-thinning behavior at high shear rates. The dynamic modulus values indicate that the IL behaves like a viscous liquid at high temperatures and low frequencies, while its viscoelastic response becomes similar to that of an elastic solid at low temperatures and high frequencies. Using the time–temperature superposition (TTS) principle, the dynamic moduli, shear viscosity, and mean squared displacement of cations and anions in the diffusive regime can be collapsed onto master curves by applying a single set of shift factors. Due to the large mismatch in the timescale investigated by the atomistically detailed simulations and experiments, the glass transition temperature predicted in simulations shifts to higher values. When this timescale mismatch is accounted for by using appropriate shift factors, the master curves of the dynamic moduli obtained in simulations closely match those obtained in experiments. This result demonstrates the exciting ability of TTS to overcome the large timescale disparity between simulations and experiments which will enable the use of molecular simulations for quantitatively predicting the rheological property values at frequencies of practical interest.
Cyberattack Resilient Control for Power Electronics Dominated Grid with Minimal Communication

Once a cyberattack sabotages the integrity of the supervisory layer, commands including active and reactive power setpoints issued by this layer could not be trusted anymore, whereas the distributed energy resources (DERs) must autonomously stay supplying the loads across the grid to prevent cascading failures. In this paper, a comprehensive cyberattack resilient control framework is proposed. After an effective attack on the supervisory layer is detected, the entire grid is clustered into the predefined boundaries. The confined communications within the shaped-up clusters certifies the minimal communications. To ensure compliance with grid integration standards like IEEE 1547, the proposed distributed control framework identifies the physical formation of the grid via pseudo random binary sequence impedance identification (PRBSII) technique and reacts accordingly to support the voltage across the grid to keep it within the predefined boundaries. The proposed cyberattack resilient control framework is validated with simulation under various case studies.
Stability and Bifurcations of Equilibria in Networks with Piecewise Linear Interactions

In this paper, we study equilibria of differential equation models for networks. When interactions between nodes are taken to be piecewise constant, an efficient combinatorial analysis can be used ...
Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka: The dilemma of building a unitary state

(Abstract: The ethnic conflict of Sri Lanka is a well-known issue of the international political arena. Desire to maintain the unitary state structure of the country, while weakening the political solution to the deadly ethnic civil war in Sri Lanka, aggravated the ethnic tensions between the Tamils and the Sinhalese, the dominant majority ethnic group. This paper attempts to look at how the Sinhalese political elites in their quest for a power attempted to consolidate the unitary structure of the island since country's independence in 1948, and it argues that Sinhalese unwillingness to share the power with the Tamils led the Tamils to lose trust in the state and its institutions and thus, gave birth to the violent Tamil political movements including that of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The paper is by exploring the process of the origin (pre-independent era) and consolidation (post-independent era) of the unitary structure, attempting to identify major root causes of the ethnic conflict presently known to us today.)
Arrival time distributions in high-pressure mass spectrometry

Abstract Neither mean ion residence times nor arrival time distributions derived from elementary drift theory are in agreement with those measured directly in chemical ionization sources. Attenuation of the electron beam, the inhomogeneous nature of the extraction field (repeller fields are shown to be inadvisable) and discrimination with respect to time are considered explicitly, as well as the increase in effective drift length brought about by the first two parameters. These are found to lead to a lengthening of as much as 50% in the mean residence time and to increase the width at half height of the distribution by about a factor of two. While calculated and experimental residence times can be brought into agreement, predicted distributions are still considerably too narrow. This is ascribed to isotropic expansion of ion packets by space charge effects and to other factors which make the diffusion coefficient a function of ion position in the source.
Powwowing Among the Pennsylvania Dutch: A Traditional Medical Practice in the Modern World

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: David W. Kriebel Year: 2007 Pages: 312 Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press ISBN: 978-0-271-03213-9 (hard cover). Prices: $30.00 USD(hard cover).
Rest in Plastic

Body Worlds The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies. Gunther von Hagens, Curator. Atlantis Gallery, 146 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL, UK. Through 9 February 2003. www.bodyworlds.com Korperwelten Fascination Beneath the Surface. Gunther von Hagens, Curator. Munchen Arena, Munich, Germany. 22 February to 9 March, and 21 March to 15 June 2003. Von Hagen9s controversial exhibition, which has also been presented in Germany and elsewhere as Korperwelten, features plasticized anatomical and whole-body specimens.
Beyond the Zero-Binding Approximation in Quarkonium

The hadronic decays of quarkonium and the B meson inclusive decay into J/�+X, if treated in the zero-binding approximation, suggest a value of the strong coupling constant much smaller than the value implied in the standard model by running from measurements at the Z. Thus, assuming the standard model is correct in the low energy region, there must be very substantial relativistic binding corrections to these processes. We discuss the wave function factor appearing in covariant treatments of quarkonium production and decay processes with special attention to the way in which the spin of the quarks carries over into the spin of the bound state. We find that Lorentz covariance requires that the bound state be a superposition of free quark and antiquark spinors notably different from the usual ones. We resolve a superficial apparent paradox suggesting that the relative momentum of the quarks should lie in a plane perpendicular to the spin quantization axis and we calculate the J/� binding corrections to lepton pair decay and to the inclusive B decay.
Interferon-mediated inhibition of production of Gazdar murine sarcoma virus, a retrovirus lacking env proteins and containing an uncleaved gag precursor

Abstract HTG2 cells are murine sarcoma virus-transformed hamster cells. These cells continuously produce Gazdar sarcoma virus particles which are devoid of viral envelope proteins and which contain the uncleaved gag precursor polyprotein, Pr65, as their major protein constituent. Human interferon-α elicited an antiviral response in these cells as shown by the inhibition of replication of vesicular stomatitis virus in interferon-treated cells. Extracellular production of the retroviral particles by these cells was also inhibited by interferon in a dose-dependent manner and this inhibition was abolished by a specific antiserum to interferon. The intracellular level of Pr65 was not lowered in the interferon-treated cells, indicating that inhibition of viral protein synthesis was not responsible for inhibition of virus production. The present study suggests that interferon-mediated inhibition of retrovirus production, in general, is not a consequence of either a defective interaction between viral nucleoprotein cores and viral envelope proteins or a defect in the proteolytic processing of the gag polyprotein, since neither of these processes occurs during the morphogenesis of Gazdar particles and their production is nonetheless inhibited by interferon.
Ablative Treatments for Lung Tumors: Radiofrequency Ablation, Stereotactic Radiosurgery, and Microwave Ablation

New alternatives to standard external beam radiation therapy are now entering clinical practice for the treatment of lung cancer or limited pulmonary metastases in medically inoperable patients. The two principal modalities that are being offered by many centers around the world are radiofrequency ablation and stereotactic radiosurgery. Another ablative modality, microwave ablation, is also being introduced into practice, although current clinical experience is very limited with this new approach. This article reviews these therapies and discusses their role in the treatment of thoracic malignancies.
Prenatal or postnatal exposure to bis(tri-n-butyltin)oxide in the rat: Postnatal evaluation of teratology and behavior

Abstract The results of a series of screening tests to determine the potential teratogenicity and neurotoxicity of developmental exposure to TBTO in rats are presented in this paper. For prenatal exposure, pregnant Long Evans rats were intubated with 0–16 mg/kg/day bis(tri- n -butyltin)oxide TBTO from Days 6 to 20 of gestation (GD 6–20). For postnatal exposure, rat pups were intubated with 0–60 mg/kg TBTO on Postnatal Day 5 (PND 5). Following prenatal exposure, dams were allowed to litter and pups were evaluated using a postnatal teratology screen. Postnatal evaluation for both exposures included motor activity (PND 13–64), the accustic startle response (PND 22–78), growth, and brain weight. The maximally tolerated dose (MTD) in pregnant rats was 5 mg/kg/day, which is one-third the MTD in nonpregnant rats. There were decreased numbers of live births, and decreased growth and viability at dosages ≥10 mg/kg/day. Cleft palate was found in 3% of the 12 mg/kg/day group. There was mortality following postnatal exposure to 60 mg/kg and all prenatal dosages ≥10 mg/kg/day. Preweaning body weight was significantly decreased for all postnatal dosages, and all prenatal dosages >2.5 mg/kg/day. Body weight reductions persisted to the postweaning period only in the high dose groups (10 mg/kg/day and 60 mg/kg). Behavioral evaluation demonstrated transient alterations in motor activity development (prenatal exposure only) and the acoustic startle response (postnatal exposure only). Persistent behavioral effects were observed only at dosages that produced overt maternal toxicity and/or postnatal mortality. The demonstration of the teratogenic and neurotoxic potential of TBTO in rats is confounded by associated maternal toxicity and/or pup mortality.
Oxidation of Fluorinated Amorphous Carbon (a-CFx) Films

Amorphous fluorinated carbon (a-CFx) films have a variety of potential technological applications. In most such applications these films are exposed to air and undergo partial surface oxidation. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy has been used to study the oxidation of fresh a-CFx films deposited by magnetron sputtering. The oxygen sticking coefficient measured by exposure to low pressures (<10−3 Torr) of oxygen at room temperature is on the order of S ≈ 10−6, indicating that the surfaces of these films are relatively inert to oxidation when compared with most metals. The X-ray photoemission spectra indicate that the initial stages of oxygen exposure (<107 langmuirs) result in the preferential oxidation of the carbon atoms with zero or one fluorine atom, perhaps because these carbon atoms are more likely to be found in configurations with unsaturated double bonds and radicals than carbon atoms with two or three fluorine atoms. Exposure of the a-CFx film to atmospheric pressures of air (effective exposure of...
Interpreting political agendas from a critical social theory perspective.

A lthough there has always been ,a shortage of well-educated nurses, the 1987 staffing vacancies brought national attention to this issue. Complex problems have led to this crisis and have subtle implications for the recruitment a.nd retention of professional nurses. Nursing enrollment and availability are linked to economic and social factors that determine nurse income and status. Correcting longstanding wage compression, societal undervaluing of n.ursing, and external perceptions of nursing as a noncognitive endeavor requires some major overhauls in the health care systemincluding some readjustment in the economic and social power of physicians, who historically have encouraged creative alternatives to increasing the supply of well-educated and appropriately paid nurses. Critical social theory is the study of the dominant ideologies present in a society from within a historical context. Inherent in the analysis is the political, economic, and social perspectives that mark a given time period.
The influence of iris color and pupil size on expressed affect

An 8 × 10 in. black-and-white photograph of an adult male stranger was presented to each of four randomly assigned groups of male college students. These photographs were identical except that in two of them the stranger had light-colored irises and, in the other two, dark-colored ones. Also, in the light-iris set, one print had large pupils and the other small. Similarly, in the dark-colored set, one print had large pupils and the other small. A total of six sets of four prints each were presented and the students were required to express either positive or negative affect for the photographic subjects. The results revealed a significant relationship between iris color and expressed affect. A nonsignificant effect was obtained for pupil size and for the iris color and pupil size interaction.
The Child Behavior Checklist as a Screening Instrument for Young Children

The authors report a pilot study which investigated the screening utility of the Child Behavior Checklist within a normal population sample of young children. Reports of behavior problems from mothers, fathers, and teachers were compared with findings from a concurrent, blind clinical assessment of these children. Results suggest good agreement between parents exists for those children perceived to be atypically problematic. However, paired-rater agreement was relatively low for parent-teacher, parent-clinician, and teacher-clinician case selection. The authors discuss shortcomings in the checklist approach and possible methods which can improve the screening utility of various approaches to the measurement of child psychopathology.
Co-cultivation of vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells using microcarrier techniques☆

Abstract A system is described which uses microcarrier culture techniques for the co-cultivation of different cell types without direct contact between cell populations. In co-cultivation, arterial endothelial cells induced proliferation in > 90% of quiescent homologous arterial smooth muscle cells in the absence of serum-derived growth factors. The microcarrier coculture system allows investigation of potent local humoral interactions between vascular cells in vitro.