cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maternal effects on offspring growth and development depend on environmental quality in the frogBombina orientalis.

Differences in maternal investment and initial offspring size can have important consequences for offspring growth and development. To examine the effects of initial size variability in the frogBombina orientalis, we reared larvae (N=360) in one of two treatments representing different levels of environmental quality. We used snout-vent length at the feeding stage (stage 25, Gosner 1960) as a measure of maternal investment. In a “low quality” treatment, larvae were reared with two conspecific tadpoles and food was limited, whereas in a “high quality” treatment, larvae were reared individually and were fed ad libitum. Among tadpoles reared in the low quality treatment, individuals that were initially small had smaller body sizes through metamorphosis and longer larval periods than individuals that were initially large. Among tadpoles reared in the high quality treatment, initial size had only a weak influence on later larval size, and did not significantly affect metamorphic size of the duration of the larval period. This interaction between maternal investment and rearing conditions suggests that production of initially small offspring could be advantageous if these offspring develop in relatively benign environments, but disadvantageous if environments are more severe. These findings are discussed in light of previous studies that have demonstrated such interactions in organisms with complex life cycles.
Family Support and Asthma Outcomes in Adolescents: Barriers to Adherence as a Mediator

Abstract Purpose Asthma morbidity in children is associated with family psychosocial functioning. Although the family plays a pivotal role in maintaining optimal asthma care, the mechanism of how family support influences asthma outcomes is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of barriers to adherence in mediating the effect of family support on asthma outcomes in adolescents. Methods The sample included 126 adolescents with asthma aged 13–20 years, living in the Northeast United States. The sample consisted of 49% Whites and 51% minorities, including primarily Blacks (38%) followed by Hispanic (11%). Adolescents provided self-reported data. Structural equation modeling was performed to examine the direct and indirect relationships between family support and asthma outcomes. Results Family support was positively associated with asthma control and quality of life. These significant associations were mediated by barriers to adherence. Particularly, family support was found to reduce barriers concerning adolescents' negative attitudes toward medication and healthcare providers, which in turn improved asthma control and quality of life symptoms, emotional functioning, and activity domains. Adolescents' cognitive difficulty also tended to mediate the relationship between family support and emotional functioning. Conclusion This study highlights the beneficial effects of family support in improving asthma outcomes in adolescents. Family support exerts the positive effect by ameliorating barriers to treatment adherence in adolescents, particularly the barriers associated with negative attitudes and cognitive challenges. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating family assessment and intervention in caring for adolescents with asthma.
THE EFFECT OF VICTIM PARTICIPATION IN SENTENCING ON SENTENCE OUTCOME

The role of victims in the criminal justice process has been a neglected area of research. In the past two decades, however, victims of crime have received increased attention, and recently this attention has centered on the involvement of victims in sentencing. This paper addresses the concerns of critics of the involvement of victims in sentencing and assesses the impact of victim participation on sentence outcome using felony crimes in one midwestern county. Analysis reveals that filing a victim impact statement has some effect on sentence outcome (probation versus incarceration), although offense and offender characteristics are of primary importance. Victim requests for a particular sentence do not influence the choice of sentence. Legal considerations largely explain length of imprisonment, although several of the victim-related variables have explanatory power. The implications of these results for the debate concerning victim participation are discussed.
The Roles of Intellectual Pedigrees in Economic Science

. Intellectual pedigrees, reviews of the intellectual history of a theory, perform important functions in economic science. The discipline of economics is comprised of numerous, competing Paradigm-schools. Therefore, both ‘normal and ‘revolutionary’ science occur continuously in economics. In normal science, pedigrees place current work in the context of an on going research program, demonstrate the “significance” of that work, influence the process of theory appraisal, and aid in establishing Professional consensus. J. M. Keynes' use of pedigrees in his General Theory illustrates their revolutionary functions. During revolutionary science, pedigrees establish the identity, legitimacy, relevancy and authority of one school of economists and seek to persuade nonmembers to convert their allegiance to its disciplinary matrix.
Windfall Child Rearing: Low-Income Care and Consumption

This article reports the findings of an investigation into how low-income families construct childhoods amid the growing marketization of services for children. Based on data from ethnographic work...
The Multi-Dimensional Assignment Model with Provision for an Uncertain Future

The new idea of risky assignment decisions is given as well as the corresponding mathematical formulation and procedure. This model can be applied when the discrete d-dimens. area is an unstable one and the information pertaining to the planning horizon is incomplete and al ways changing. Assignment models, Graph theory. Boolean algebra and Taxonomy are used.
Coalitions in competitive bribery games

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the possibilities of coalition formation in three-person competitive bribery games. Given independent and identical uniform cost distribution functions for each briber, Nash equilibria corresponding to with-and without-coalition cases are characterized. The effect of possible coalition formation is derived therein. Extensions to more general cases are also discussed.
Demonstrating Successful Undergraduate Research Experiences across the Disciplines: The Physical Education Teacher Education Perspective

This article describes the faculty-sponsored approach to undergraduate research (UGR) at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. In this approach, individual or small groups of faculty organize or sponsor the research and recruit undergraduate students to get involved. This approach to UGR is opportunistic in that university faculty members take advantage of the resources and support available on campus to recruit and compensate undergraduate students to assist them with the research projects they are conducting for their own line of inquiry.
Secondary Production of Net-Spinning Caddisflies (Trichoptera: Curvipalpia) in an Ozark Stream

ABSTRACT Secondary production estimates were calculated for selected net-spinning caddisflies from an Ozark stream using the size-frequency method. Combined production for all species studied was estimated to be 2.64 g/m2/yr (dry mass). Chimarra obscura and Cheumatopsyche spp. were the most abundant caddisfly species contributing 48% and 47%, respectively, to total production. Chimarra aterrima, Polycentrous centralis and Wormaldia moesta contributed the remaining 5%. Annual P/B ratios ranged from 5 for the univoltine W. moesta to the 11.5 for the bivoltine P. centralis. A P/B ratio of 17 was estimated for Cheumatosyche spp., but this large value was attributed to grouping at least d ecologically similar but distinct species. Annual mean production for some species was similar to estimates reported in other studies, but production for all species was considerably lower than estimates from other lotic ecosystems.
Plasma oxytocin levels predict olfactory identification and negative symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia.

Basic neuroscience research provides strong evidence for the role of oxytocin in olfactory processes and social affiliation in rodents. Given prior indication of olfactory impairments that are linked to greater severity of asociality in schizophrenia, we examined the association between plasma oxytocin levels and measures of olfaction and social outcome in a sample of outpatients with schizophrenia (n = 39) and demographically matched healthy controls (n = 21). Participants completed the 40-item University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), and rated each odor for how positive and how negative it made them feel. Results indicated that individuals with schizophrenia had higher plasma oxytocin levels and lower overall accuracy for UPSIT items than controls. Individuals with schizophrenia also reported experiencing more negative emotionality than controls in response to the olfactory stimuli. Lower plasma oxytocin levels were associated with poorer accuracy for pleasant and unpleasant odors and greater severity of asociality in individuals with schizophrenia. These findings suggest that endogenous oxytocin levels may be an important predictor of olfactory identification deficits and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.
Introduction To The Special Section On The Electromagnetic Properties Of Sea Ice

PPROXIMATELY 13% of the world’s oceans is covered by sea ice during some portion of the year. This volume of ice has significant effects on the world’s climate, ocean currents, and biological ecosystems. Furthermore, the extent of sea ice cover is used as an input parameter in many meteorological forecasting models. It is difficult to obtain ground-based measurements over large regions of the Arctic, where the distances are vast, the climate is hostile, and the operations are expensive. The material composition of sea ice varies with temperature and winds. Thus, remote sensing of sea ice may be the preferred method to obtain quantitative information about sea ice. This Special Section of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING presents results obtained by the Accelerated Research Initiative (ARI) on the Electromagnetic Properties of Sea Ice (EMPOSI) that was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Washington, DC. Briefly stated, the ARI had three broad objectives, as follows. To better understand the mechanisms and processes that link the morphological characteristics with its electromagnetic properties. To further develop and verify predictive models for the interactions of visible and microwave radiation with sea ice. To develop and verify the techniques in the mathematical theory of inverse scattering theory that are applicable
Appendiceal adenocarcinoma in a patient with chronic ulcerative colitis: What is the appropriate surgical procedure?

Dear Sir, Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (RP/IPAA) is the surgical therapy of choice for patients with chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC).1 The association between appendiceal cancer and CUC with long-standing disease and pancolitis was reported.2–5 However, there were no established surgical intervention strategies for these patients. We report a case of CUC associated with an appendiceal adenocarcinoma undergoing a limited right sided hemicolectomy. A 68 year old male with a 35-year history of ulcerative colitis (UC) in remission on 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) developed right lower quadrant abdominal pain. …
Enhanced efficiency and flexibility while supporting QoS concepts: an adaptive MAC framework for 802.11 WLANs

This paper proposes enhancements to the current IEEE 802.11 medium access control (MAC) distributed coordination function (DCF) through the coordinated adaptation of several MAC configuration parameters and the introduction of a traffic management function. MAC parameter adaptation is based upon the many novel methods that exist in literature. The proposed framework, referred to in this paper as the network efficiency enhancement device (NEED), aims to integrate several proposed adaptive methods into a coordinated framework along with an additional traffic management function to provide traffic conditioning and enable quality of service (QoS) both at the traffic class and platform levels. The adaptively controlled parameters include minimum and maximum contention window (CW) sizes; interframe spacing (IFS); maximum number of retries; fragmentation; and request to send/clear to send (RTS/CTS). Each of these individual methods has been shown in literature to provide, often significantly, enhanced MAC performance. However, these individual methods are typically scenario-specific, and can degrade performance if improperly applied. The goal of the NEED is to integrate these and other methods. These adaptations are based upon the statistics of the offered traffic, the wireless channel conditions, and the perceived network topology
Theory of Leptons — I

A finite relativistic theory of four-fermion interactions is formulated; the theory involves as an essential ingredient the use of an indefinite metric. The problems of interpretation raised by the use of the indefinite metric are analyzed in relation to the observables and structure of many-particle states in quantum field theory; and the consistency of the interpretive postulate is demonstrated. The theory incidentally provides a raison d’etre for the muon.
Antiquity of MicroRNAs and Their Targets in Land Plants

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) affect the morphology of flowering plants by the posttranscriptional regulation of genes involved in critical developmental events. Understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of miRNA activity during development is therefore central for understanding miRNA functions. We describe a microarray suitable for detection of plant miRNAs. Profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana miRNAs during normal development extends previous expression analyses, highlighting differential expression of miRNA families within specific organs and tissue types. Comparison of our miRNA expression data with existing mRNA microarray data provided a global intersection of plant miRNA and mRNA expression profiles and revealed that tissues in which a given miRNA is highly expressed are unlikely to also show high expression of the corresponding targets. Expression profiling was also used in a phylogenetic survey to test the depth of plant miRNA conservation. Of the 23 families of miRNAs tested, expression of 11 was detected in a gymnosperm and eight in a fern, directly demonstrating that many plant miRNAs have remained essentially unchanged since before the emergence of flowering plants. We also describe an empirical strategy for detecting miRNA target genes from unsequenced transcriptomes and show that targets in nonflowering plants as deeply branching as ferns and mosses are homologous to the targets in Arabidopsis. Therefore, several individual miRNA regulatory circuits have ancient origins and have remained intact throughout the evolution and diversification of plants.
Artificial metalloenzymes via encapsulation of hydrophobic transition-metal catalysts in surface-crosslinked micelles (SCMs)

Encapsulation of a hydrophobic rhodium catalyst in crosslinked micelles allowed nonpolar substrates to react in water with unusual selectivity.
Symbol-level adaptive modulation for coded OFDM on block fading channels

It has recently been recognized by many researchers that adaptive modulation is most effective when the channel diversity order is small. In this letter, we propose a simple adaptive modulation scheme for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems on channels that provide a small order of diversity. The proposed adaptation algorithm is based on a novel and very simple analytical formula we derive for the performance of BICM on block fading channels. Simulation results show that the derived analytical formula is very tight when the targeted bit error probability is small. OFDM systems on indoor channels provide small orders of diversity and form an ideal scenario for adaptation. In order to keep system complexity and feedback requirements at a minimum, we will consider symbol-level adaptive modulation wherein all the subcarriers in an OFDM symbol use the same modulation.
Evaluation and treatment of infection at the site of a total hip or knee arthroplasty.

Infection following total joint replacement remains a major problem that has not been solved during the last thirty years. The prevalence of infection at the Mayo Clinic between 1969 and 1996 was 1.7 per cent of 30,680 total hip arthroplasties and 2.5 per cent of 18,749 total knee arthroplasties. After primary operations, the rate of infection was 1.3 per cent of 23,519 hips and 2.0 per cent of 16,035 knees. After revision operations, the rate was 3.2 per cent of 7161 hips and 5.6 per cent of 2714 knees (Table I). The rate of infection has been remarkably constant despite the use of different regimens of antibiotic prophylaxis, operating-room configurations, operative techniques, and modes of fixation of the implant. Factors leading to deep infection must be considered with respect to the host, wound, operative technique, operating-room environment, and microbiological characteristics of the infecting organisms. A prompt diagnosis of infection will facilitate treatment and minimize morbidity. View this table: TABLE I PREVALENCE OF INFECTION AFTER TOTAL JOINT ARTHROPLASTY FOR THE YEARS 1969 THROUGH 1996 As stated, in discussing the etiology of infection, the host, wound, operating-room environment, operative technique, and microbiological characteristics of the infecting organisms must be considered. The patient as host is an important risk factor for infection. The operative wound is contaminated to some extent in all procedures, but the immune-defense mechanisms of the host prevent infection in most instances. Immunocompromised patients are clearly at increased risk for deep infection as are patients who have rheumatoid arthritis110,140. In a series of 4171 total knee replacements, an infection developed after sixteen (0.9 per cent) of 1854 replacements in patients who had osteoarthrosis compared with forty-five (2.2 per cent) of 2076 replacements in those who had rheumatoid arthritis140. In a series of 4240 total hip, knee, and …
Role of estrogen in suppressing autoimmunity in coxsackievirus B3-induced myocarditis

Picornaviruses are small, nonenveloped, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses that cause multiple diseases including myocarditis/dilated cardiomyopathy, Type 1 diabetes, encephalitis, myositis, orchitis and hepatitis. Although picornaviruses directly kill cells, tissue injury primarily results from autoimmunity to self antigens. Viruses induce autoimmunity by aborting deletion of self-reactive T cells during T-cell ontogeny, reversing anergy of peripheral autoimmune T cells, eliminating T regulatory cells; stimulating self-reactive T cells through antigenic mimicry or cryptic epitopes, and by acting as an adjuvant for self molecules released during virus infection. Most autoimmune diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and Grave’s disease) predominate in females, but diseases associated with picornavirus infections predominate in males. T regulatory cells are activated in infected females owing to the combined effects of estrogen and innate immunity.
The Preventive Surgical Site Infection Bundle in Colorectal Surgery: An Effective Approach to Surgical Site Infection Reduction and Health Care Cost Savings

Importance Surgical site infections (SSIs) in colorectal surgery are associated with increased morbidity and health care costs. Objective To determine the effect of a preventive SSI bundle (hereafter bundle) on SSI rates and costs in colorectal surgery. Design Retrospective study of institutional clinical and cost data. The study period was January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2012, and outcomes were assessed and compared before and after implementation of the bundle on July 1, 2011. Setting and Participants Academic tertiary referral center among 559 patients who underwent major elective colorectal surgery. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the rate of superficial SSIs before and after implementation of the bundle. Secondary outcomes included deep SSIs, organ-space SSIs, wound disruption, postoperative sepsis, length of stay, 30-day readmission, and variable direct costs of the index admission. Results Of 559 patients in the study, 346 (61.9%) and 213 (38.1%) underwent their operation before and after implementation of the bundle, respectively. Groups were matched on their propensity to be treated with the bundle to account for significant differences in the preimplementation and postimplementation characteristics. Comparison of the matched groups revealed that implementation of the bundle was associated with reduced superficial SSIs (19.3% vs 5.7%, P P = .009). No significant difference was observed in deep SSIs, organ-space SSIs, wound disruption, length of stay, 30-day readmission, or variable direct costs between the matched groups. However, in a subgroup analysis of the postbundle period, superficial SSI occurrence was associated with a 35.5% increase in variable direct costs ($13 253 vs $9779, P = .001) and a 71.7% increase in length of stay (7.9 vs 4.6 days, P Conclusions and Relevance The preventive SSI bundle was associated with a substantial reduction in SSIs after colorectal surgery. The increased costs associated with SSIs support that the bundle represents an effective approach to reduce health care costs.
Quadrupedal running at high speed over uneven terrain

High-speed legged locomotion is complicated by the challenge of uneven terrain because the system must respond to the fast-changing terrain elevation under each foot, and quickly secure a solid foothold after touchdown. This paper presents a leg stretch reflex and anti-slip retraction algorithm that are added to a previously presented controller to stabilize a high-speed trot over uneven terrain. Together with fuzzy control and a force redistribution algorithm, these control mechanisms stabilize a quadruped trot at 5.25 m/s. The quadruped can turn at 30 deg/s when running at 3.0 m/s, and can maneuver over uneven terrain with standard deviation of height variation of 3 cm at 4.0 m/s. This appears to be the first reported control of high-speed quadrupedal running over uneven terrain.
A neural network model of temporal code generation and position-invariant pattern recognition

Numerous studies have suggested that the brain may encode information in the temporal firing pattern of neurons. However, little is known regarding how information may come to be temporally encoded and about the potential computational advantages of temporal coding. Here, it is shown that local inhibition may underlie the temporal encoding of spatial images. As a result of inhibition, the response of a given cell can be significantly modulated by stimulus features outside its own receptive field. Feedforward and lateral inhibition can modulate both the firing rate and temporal features, such as latency. In this article, it is shown that a simple neural network model can use local inhibition to generate temporal codes of handwritten numbers. The temporal encoding of a spatial pattern has the interesting and computationally beneficial feature of exhibiting position invariance. This work demonstrates a manner by which the nervous system may generate temporal codes and shows that temporal encoding can be used to create position-invariant codes.
Dilemmas of Long-Term Care:

An aging population, the prevalence of chronic disease and functional disabilities, and changes in society have caused a greater demand for long-term care in Taiwan. The development of long-term care has gone through four stages: undeveloped, early beginning, expanding, and establishment. Problems in several areas including lack of care providers and facilities, expenses of care, and difficulty coordinating health and social services are issues that must be explored. Well-planned and managed long-term care services are an important task for the Taiwanese government to address so holistic care of elders can be provided in this new century.
200. mm Silicon Wafer-to-Wafer Bonding with Thin Ti Layer under BEOL-Compatible Process Conditions

Wafer level monolithic three-dimensional (3D) integration is an emerging technology to realize enhanced performance and functionality with reduced form-factor and manufacturing cost. The cornerstone for this 3D processing technology is full-wafer bonding under back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) compatible process conditions. For the first time to our knowledge, we demonstrate nearly void-free 200 mm wafer-to-wafer bonding with an ultra-thin Ti adhesive coating, annealed at BEOL-compatible temperature (400 °C) in vacuum with external pressure applied. Mechanical integrity test showed that bonded wafer pair survived after a stringent three-step thinning process (grinding/polishing/wet-etching) with complete removal of top Si wafer, while allowing optical inspection of bonding interface. Mechanisms contributing to the strong bonding at Ti/Si interface are briefly discussed.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumour of the duodenum: single institution experience

Background Primary gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) of the duodenum are rare. The aim of this study was to review the surgical management of GISTs in this anatomically complex region.
Occupational Medicine Model and Asthma Military Recruitment.

ABSTRACT Medical evidence hints that asymptomatic recruits with a history of childhood asthma, quiescent since their 13th birthday, are still at risk for adverse changes in their clinical status following unfavorable environmental exposures during military deployment or combat. Asthmatic persons, claiming none or few symptoms, may still manifest airflow obstruction and display biomarkers of airway inflammation even when they are relatively asymptomatic and experience few if any respiratory complaints. The occupational medicine model offers a credible foundation for acknowledging the importance of personal susceptibility in the pathogenesis of military-associated asthma. It is appropriate to re-explore the current military standard for recruits with asymptomatic childhood asthma (≥12 months) not prescribed antiasthma medications. Raising the acceptance age for these recruits may be a consideration. Unfortunately, there is no effectual screening test that recognizes such susceptible soldiers at risk for fut...
An Analysis of Information Security Management Strategies in the Presence of Interdependent Security Risk

Recent widespread cyber attacks and security breaches have brought about a rapid increase in organizations’ information security investments. A number of studies have explored the optimal level of security investment in situations of independent risk. Issues related to security investment within the context of interdependent risks, however, have not yet been sufficiently investigated. Although previous studies have addressed the security underinvestment problem caused by interdependent risks, for instance, relatively little attention has been paid to the security overinvestment problem. In addition, most of these studies have focused on self-protection mechanisms but not taken insurance mechanisms into account. This study therefore expands the current body of research by exploring multiple scenarios of insufficient and excessive security investments caused by interdependent risks and the interplay between IT security investment and cyber insurance. I discuss how interdependent risk affects firms’ information security risk management with respect to the two different types of cyber attacks (i.e., targeted and untargeted attacks). Although the theoretical models upon which the analysis relies are based on expected utility theory, which is widely used in insurance research, this study derives unique propositions that have not been fully identified in other cyber insurance studies. A key finding is that organizations experiencing interdependent risks with different types of cyber attacks use different strategies in making IT security investment decisions and in purchasing cyber insurance policies for their information security risk management than firms that are facing independent risks. The study further provides an economic rationale for employing insurance mechanisms as a risk management solution for information security.
Sciences and Civilizations, ‘East’ and ‘West’ Joseph

For some years now, I have been engaged in a series of ‘case histories’ and ‘mental experiments’ whose main aim has been to strengthen the foundations of an evolving comparative historical differential sociology of sociocultural processes and patterns, most notably sciences, in civiliza- tional perspective. As I have conceived them, the ‘case histories’ call for the strict study of determinate ‘civilizational complexes’ with a view to analyzing the variations and the shifting balances of their changing cultural ascendancies resulting from the critical contacts. In this same spirit I am continuing to seek to chart the differential impacts and out-comes of specified ‘intercivilizational encounters’.1
Nomogram for predicting 5-year survival after primary surgery for epithelial ovarian cancer

5523 Background: Nomograms have been shown to be superior to traditional staging systems for predicting an individual's probability of long-term survival. Our objective was to develop a nomogram ba...
Time Sequence Evaluation of Biliary Stent Occlusion by Dissection Analysis of Retrieved Stents

Multiple factors can affect the occlusion of plastic stents. Previous data demonstrate that side holes may induce more biofilm formation probably via microturbulence and bile flow disturbances that could lead to occlusion. These results, however, have not been replicated in subsequent clinical studies with different methods. The objective of this study is to evaluate the physical characteristics of plastic stent occlusion over time. This is a plastic stent sequential analysis study. Biliary stents removed via ERCP from February 24, 2015, to June 2, 2015, were included. One hundred and forty-eight retrieved straight-type plastic stents were longitudinally cut by a custom-made cutting device. These dissected stents were then evaluated in detail with regard to the location of stent occlusion and the stent patency period. Location of stent occlusive debris was the primary outcome in this study. Biofilm formations and occlusions by debris were sequentially but separately tallied. Biofilm formations were initially seen around the side hole areas within 30 days and spread to the entire stent by 60 days. Then, occlusion process by debris was mainly initiated by 80 days and progressed to full occlusion by median of 90 days. Although some occlusions were also observed around the side hole areas within 30 days, affected areas were more widely observed after biofilm formation. This study is the first to attempt to describe the distribution of stent occlusions over time. These observations may help guide future stent development.
Effect of Inoculum Preparation Procedure and Storage Time and Temperature on the Fate of Listeria monocytogenes on Inoculated Salami

Although dry/semidry fermented sausages are characterized as being of low-to-moderate risk for human listeriosis on a per-serving and per-annum basis, data are lacking relative to the fate of postprocessing Listeria monocytogenes contamination during storage of such products. This study evaluated the effect of inoculum preparation and storage conditions on the fate of L. monocytogenes on vacuum-packaged salami. Commercially produced salami was sliced and inoculated (4 +/- 1.3 log CFU/ cm2) with one of four types of inocula. All inocula consisted of the same 10-strain L. monocytogenes composite, cultivated as individual strains prior to mixing for inoculation. Active cultures of individual strains were prepared (30 degrees C, 24 h) in either tryptic soy broth (containing 0.25% glucose) plus 0.6% yeast extract (TSBYE), tryptic soy broth without glucose plus 0.6% yeast extract (TSBYE-G), TSBYE-G plus 1% glucose (TSBYE+G), or in TSBYE, and then habituated (7 degrees C, 72 h) in sterile salami homogenate (10% [wt/wt] with distilled water). Inoculated salami slices were vacuum packaged, stored at 4, 12, or 25 degrees C, and analyzed (three samples per treatment in each of two replicates) periodically for surviving bacterial counts. In general, pathogen levels decreased during storage and reached levels below the detection limit (-0.4 log CFU/cm2) between 27 and 90 days of storage, depending on temperature of storage and inoculum type. Death rates (log CFU/cm2/day) were found to increase as storage temperature increased, with the exception of the acid-adapted (TSBYE+G) cells, which decreased more rapidly at 4 degrees C than at 12 or 25 degrees C. The habituated inoculum was inactivated at a faster rate than other inocula at 12 and 25 degrees C, but performed similarly to nonadapted (TSBYE-G) and partially acid-adapted (TSBYE) inocula at 4 degrees C. These data may be used to supplement existing information for use in future risk assessments.
Hats Without Rabbits

When I was in eighth grade, Mr. Adderton took a chunk of magnesium in a forceps and held it over a Bunsen burner flame until it exploded in a glow. I marveled at the same experiment when my tenth grade chemistry teacher did it, just like my own kid marveled when he saw it in his eighth grade science class.
Racial and ethnic disparities in utilization rate, hospital volume, and perioperative outcomes after total knee arthroplasty

Background: Previous studies of racial disparities in total joint replacement, particularly total knee arthroplasty, in the U.S. have predominantly focused on disparities between blacks and whites and were limited to Medicare patients or veterans, populations that are not representative of the entire U.S. population. We sought to study racial disparities in the utilization of total knee arthroplasty, the use of high-volume hospitals, and total knee arthroplasty outcomes, including mortality and complications, using all-payer databases. Methods: We analyzed data from 8 years and 8 racially diverse states in the State Inpatient Databases (SID). Patient race was categorized according to the SID as white, black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, and mixed race. Both crude and adjusted racial and/or ethnic disparities were evaluated. Results: In comparison with whites (4.65 per 1000 population per year), black (3.90), Hispanic (3.71), Asian (3.89), Native American (4.40), and mixed-race (3.69) populations had lower rates of total knee arthroplasty utilization (p < 0.0001). After risk adjustment, the rate of total knee arthroplasty utilization was significantly lower for blacks (odds ratio [OR] = 0.87 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.85 to 0.89]; p < 0.0001), Hispanics (OR = 0.76 [95% CI, 0.68 to 0.83]; p < 0.0001), Asians (OR = 0.83 [95% CI, 0.78 to 0.89]; p < 0.0001), Native Americans (OR = 0.87 [95% CI, 0.81 to 0.93]; p < 0.0001), and mixed race (OR = 0.84 [95% CI, 0.79 to 0.90]; p < 0.0001) compared with the rate for whites. Lower rates of total knee arthroplasty utilization for blacks, Hispanics, and mixed-race groups became worse over the years. Patients from minority groups were less likely to undergo total knee arthroplasty in high-volume hospitals than were whites. Moreover, the rates of mortality were significantly higher for blacks (OR = 1.52 [95% CI, 1.17 to 1.97]; p = 0.0017), Native Americans (OR = 6.52 [95% CI, 4.63 to 9.17]; p < 0.0001), and mixed-race patients (OR = 4.35 [95% CI, 3.24 to 5.84]; p < 0.0001). Blacks (OR = 1.08 [95% CI, 1.01 to 1.15]; p = 0.01) and mixed-race patients (OR = 1.17 [95% CI, 1.001 to 1.36]; p = 0.04) had higher rates of complications than whites. Conclusions: Minorities had lower rates of total knee arthroplasty utilization but higher rates of adverse health outcomes associated with the procedure, even after adjusting for patient-related and health-care system-related characteristics. Utilization rates were based on overall population as the proportion of the population with osteoarthritis requiring arthroplasty is unknown. Future studies that consider specific patient-level information with psychosocial and behavioral factors are needed. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Noble Metal Nanostructure Synthesis at the Liquid–Substrate Interface: New Structures, New Insights, and New Possibilities

ConspectusModern technologically driven societies could not exist in their current form if it were not for a great many synthetic achievements reliant on solution-based chemistry and substrate-based processing techniques. It is, hence, not surprising that these same materials preparation techniques have given rise to an impressive list of functional nanomaterials including those derived from noble metals, a class of materials renowned for their extraordinary optical and catalytic properties. Acting as the foundation for substrate-based processing is a collection of techniques such as physical and chemical vapor deposition, epitaxy, self- and directed assembly, and a host of lithographic methods. These techniques allow for precise control over nanostructure placement, but where the fabrication of sophisticated architectures and sub-50 nm feature sizes are often unattainable or reliant on the use of technically demanding cost-prohibitive routes. In contrast, solution-based chemistry allows for the formation...
Semiconductor of distinction

The distinctive semiconductor properties of hydrogenerated amorphous silicon are due to its lack of a crystal-line structure. Amorphous silicon has been used for almost fifteen years in solar cells in hand-held calculators. Now a new amorphous-silicon-based technology is emerging which is making it possible to produce high-resolution displays for computers and televisions, and image sensors for many applications.
Quantification of Confocal Images Using LabVIEW for Tissue Engineering Applications

Quantifying confocal images to enable location of specific proteins of interest in three-dimensional (3D) is important for many tissue engineering (TE) applications. Quantification of protein localization is essential for evaluation of specific scaffold constructs for cell growth and differentiation for application in TE and tissue regeneration strategies. Although obtaining information regarding protein expression levels is important, the location of proteins within cells grown on scaffolds is often the key to evaluating scaffold efficacy. Functional epithelial cell monolayers must be organized with apicobasal polarity with proteins specifically localized to the apical or basolateral regions of cells in many organs. In this work, a customized program was developed using the LabVIEW platform to quantify protein positions in Z-stacks of confocal images of epithelial cell monolayers. The program's functionality is demonstrated through salivary gland TE, since functional salivary epithelial cells must correc...
Asymmetry and Cell Fate in Stem Cells and Cancer

Our research focuses on the signals that control stem cell self-renewal and how these signals are hijacked in cancer. Using genetic models, we have shown that classic developmental signaling pathways such as Wnt and Hedgehog play key roles in stem cell growth and regeneration and are dysregulated during leukemia development. In addition, we have used real-time imaging strategies to show that stem cells have the capacity to undergo both symmetric and asymmetric division, and that shifts in the balance between these modes of division are controlled by the microenvironment and subverted by oncogenes. This work led to the discovery that regulators of asymmetric division, such as the cell fate determinant Musashi, can promote aggressive leukemias and may serve as critical targets for diagnostics and therapy in hematologic malignancies. Most recently, we have developed a high resolution in vivo imaging system that has allowed us to begin to map the behavior and interactions of stem cells with the microenvironment within living animals and to define how these change during cancer formation. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Why Do Nonprofit Performing Arts Organizations Offer Free Public Access

A number of studies have shown that arts and cultural programs offer multifarious benefits to individuals and communities. However, there has been little discussion in the public management literature regarding access to cultural programs for people with limited disposable income. Although the arts industry is increasingly emphasizing the importance of expanding cultural access for all, we know little about what drives individual nonprofit organizations’ strategies. This article draws on benefits theory and resource dependence theory to explore the relationships between different types of revenue and the extent to which performing arts nonprofits offer free access. The authors use a unique data set compiled by DataArts to test how various types of revenue influence accessibility to the arts and find that performing arts nonprofits receiving grants from local governments, foundations, and corporations offer more free access. The article concludes with a discussion of study implications and an application of benefits theory to other types of nonprofits.
Arrhythmia and Clinical Cardiac Findings in Children With Anderson-Fabry Disease

Anderson-Fabry Disease (AFD) is a lysosomal storage disorder that results in progressive cardiovascular hypertrophy, scarring, and arrhythmia burden; yet, the early cardiac phenotype of AFD is still poorly defined. To further characterize early cardiac features in AFD, we evaluated electrocardiographic and clinical findings contained in a local cohort of pediatric AFD patients and arrhythmia data in children enrolled in the Fabry Registry. Twenty-six local patients aged <18 years were identified (average age 9.7 ± 3.8 years, n = 12 males). Sinus bradycardia was the most frequent rhythm abnormality (23%), followed by ectopic atrial rhythm (12%) and premature atrial contractions (8%). No PR, QRS, or QTc intervals were prolonged. First-degree atrioventricular block developed in 1 female during follow-up. Chest pain (35%) and palpitations (23%) were highly prevalent complaints in clinical follow-up and did not differ significantly between genders. Structural findings included aortic root dilation in 3 patients and concurrent aortic insufficiency in 1. Among 593 patients aged < 18 years with electrocardiographic data identified in the Fabry Registry, sinus bradycardia, defined as heart rate <60 beats per minute per registry guidelines, was the most common arrhythmia (12.3%). In conclusion, clinical findings and subtle abnormalities of conduction, rhythm, and structure point toward a heterogeneous inception of Fabry cardiomyopathy. Bradycardia, common in adults, is frequent even among children with AFD. Given the potential for early initiation of enzyme replacement therapy to reduce cardiovascular morbidity, continued work to develop paradigms of therapy and longitudinal cardiovascular surveillance is warranted.
Asymptomatic Canine Degenerative Valve Disease: Current and Future Therapies

Degenerative valve disease (DVD) is the leading cause of heart disease and congestive heart failure (CHF) in the dog. The first published consensus statement provided guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of DVD. Although treatment was not recommended in stage B1 DVD, consensus was not reached regarding evidence-based recommendations for treatment of stage B2 DVD. This article addresses the impact of new evidence on historical recommendations for stage B DVD and gives the reader a glimpse into possible future therapies. Management of common sequelae of DVD that can result in clinical signs that are not attributable to CHF is also discussed.
Automated systems for quantitative analysis of holograms

In this paper, fundamentals of hologram interferometry are discussed, procedures for recording and recon- struction of holograms are presented, methods for quantitative interpretation of holographic data are outlined, and representative systems for automated holographic analysis are described. In these discussions, emphasis is placed on quantitative analysis of holographic data. Selected applications are illustrated with representative examples.
Policy Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Special Education

This article reviews current developments in state and national policies that affect rural special education. A brief overview of the federal role in rural education is provided, with emphasis on t...
Male infertility: a biomarker of individual and familial cancer risk

Associations between male infertility and cancer are gaining clinical attention. Relationships between infertility and cancer have traditionally been studied in women, but recent work has focused on the male component of reproduction. Infertile men are at an elevated risk to develop various malignancies later in life, primarily genitourinary malignancies such as testicular and prostate cancer. Rates of testicular and high-grade prostate cancer in infertile men appear to be at least double the risk in the general population. The link between infertility and malignancy highlights the importance of thorough evaluation and long-term follow up—beyond a simple semen analysis. A detailed urologic evaluation, possibly including scrotal ultrasound, may be beneficial to screen infertile men for testicular cancer. Publications have also demonstrated that male infertility can be a biomarker for cancer risk in first- and second-degree relatives. Testicular cancer risk in first-degree relatives of infertile men is 52% higher than the risk in relatives of fertile control men, and male infertility has been associated with a two- to threefold elevation in risk of childhood cancer in the siblings of infertile men. Links between infertility and malignancy are multifactorial, and exact mechanistic explanations are still not fully understood. Although more studies are needed to assess levels of risk and create screening recommendations in this population, understanding the relationship between male infertility and malignancy is crucial to provide comprehensive counseling for infertile men and their families.