cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
To Outsource or Not Big Data Analytics: A Question Answered for Internal Audit Function (IAF)

IS/IT outsourcing has become a common phenomenon that requires a proactive and strategic thinking on part of the business managers and decision-makers. Organizations are found to use data driven de...
Optical wave gauging using deep neural networks

Abstract We develop a remote wave gauging technique to estimate wave height and period from imagery of waves in the surf zone. In this proof-of-concept study, we apply the same framework to three datasets: the first, a set of close-range monochrome infrared (IR) images of individual nearshore waves at Duck, NC, USA; the second, a set of visible (i.e. RGB) band orthomosaics of a larger nearshore area near Santa Cruz, CA, USA; and the third, a set of oblique (unrectified) images from the same site. The network is trained using coincident images and in situ wave measurements. The optical wave gauge (OWG) consists of a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to extract features from imagery — called a ‘base model’, with additional layers to distill the feature information into lower dimensional spaces, and a final layer of dense neurons to predict continuously varying quantities. Four base models are compared. The OWG is trained for both individual wave height and period, and statistical quantities like significant wave height and peak wave period. The best performing OWG on the IR dataset achieved RMS errors of 0.14 m and 0.41 s for height and period, respectively, capturing up to 98% of the variance in these quantities. The best performing OWG on the visible band rectified dataset achieved RMS errors of 0.08 m and 0.79 s, respectively, for height and period. The same values for the oblique RGB imagery were 0.11 m and 0.81 s for height and period, respectively. Overall, wave height and period accuracy is sensitive to choice of base model; OWGs built upon MobilenetV2 tend to perform worst and those built on Inception-ResnetV2 have the smallest RMS error. The presence or otherwise of residual layers in the model makes little systematic difference to the final OWG accuracy. Smaller batch sizes used in model training tend to result in more accurate OWGs. An out-of-calibration validation, using images associated with wave heights or periods outside the range of values represented in the training data, showed that the ability for OWGs to predict the bottom 5% of low wave heights and the top 5% of high wave heights was reasonably good, but the same was not generally true of wave period. The same framework, not optimized for either dataset, predicts both quantities with high accuracy when trained on imagery, despite the differences in electromagnetic band, perspective, and scale. The OWG estimates wave properties from an image in less than 100 ms on a modestly sized CPU, allowing for the possibility of continuous real-time wave estimates.
Historical determinants of supplemental environmental projects included in the financial settlement of a US EPA case using Tobit estimation

This finance paper revisits an earlier environmental finance research paper by Galose and Essayyad (2014) focused on drawing lessons from US history regarding what factors determine whether the financial settlement of a typical US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) case includes a supplemental environmental project (SEP). SEPs provide benefits to the community affected by the alleged violation of environmental laws and the regulated entity. Galose and Essayyad (2014) employs probit models in its estimations of what variables determine whether an EPA settlement includes a SEP, with the dependent variable whether a SEP is included in the financial settlement. Unlike the previous research, this paper employs Tobit models and uses the same sample to estimate the amount spent on SEPs included in the financial settlement of an EPA case. The value added of the Tobit models is that they provide a superior measure of the benefits of SEPs by estimating the monetary amount spent on SEPs while simultaneously controlling for whether the settlement includes a SEP. The empirical results of the Tobit models substantiate those of the probit models.
How can parental obesity promote OA across generations

Obesity promotes osteoarthritis (OA) through complex and incompletely understood biomechanical, metabolic and inflammatory factors. New data in mice add to this complexity by showing that eating a high-fat diet increases the risk of OA for two generations of offspring, raising questions about disease mechanisms and future treatment strategies.
Novel disposable cell block processing device and method for high cellular yield

Background Cell blocks represent one of several cytology preparations, and play a significant role in providing tissue for ancillary studies, including immunohistochemistry and molecular testing. To the authors' knowledge, there currently is no standardized cell block processing method, and cellular yield often is suboptimal. To overcome the shortcomings of available methods, the authors developed a novel disposable cell block device, XCellent, that uses centrifugation to collect cells into a sample chamber. The sample chamber contains and protects the specimen during tissue processing and also is embedded and sectioned. The primary objectives of the current study were to compare cellular yield, cytomorphological detail, and processing times of HistoGel and XCellent. Methods Split sample testing of primarily fluid specimens was performed. Group 1 comprised large-volume and/or cloudy fluids and group 2 was residual samples in PreservCyt solution. Two cell blocks, 1 HistoGel cell block and 1 XCellent cell block, were processed from each sample. Cellularity was assessed using computerized image analysis and cytomorphology from 1+ to 3+. Processing times for 16 cell blocks also were recorded. Results A total of 50 cell blocks (25 HistoGel samples and 25 XCellent samples) were prepared. On average, cell blocks prepared using XCellent were 371% more cellular than those prepared with HistoGel and had better cytomorphology. Less preparation time was required for bulk processing of XCellent cell blocks (11 minutes) compared with the same quantity of bulk processed using HistoGel (38 minutes). Conclusions XCellent provides an alternative cell block processing technique that offers high cellular yield and cytomorphology. In addition, the method uses the standard centrifugation process, which integrates into the existing cytology laboratory workflow.
Reconstructing the shape of a domain from one point measurements

Abstract We consider the problem of uniquely reconstructing both the unknown shape of a domain and its wave speed coefficient from values of solutions observed at a single point. We show that by using a countable number of frequencies and sources we can extract enough data to recover the principal eigenfunction which would reveal both the unknown domain and its wave speed.
Connecticut’s Post-and-Hold Out: Total Wine’s Challenge to The Liquor Control Act & Antitrust Implications

At first blush, Connecticut's liquor laws serve the noble purpose of protecting the state's small businesses. The policy argument for the regulations could go something like - maybe we don't want lower alcohol prices in the state, maybe we want to advocate for temperance and protect local shops from big box chains. What the argument does not consider is the reality of who bears the cost and who profits from the laws as written. Prices in the alcoholic-beverage industry are controlled by wholesalers, without oversight by the state. Consumers pay higher prices and wholesalers mop up the profits. Under the laws, there is virtually no incentive for competition. Prices are stable, consistent, uniform, and high. Antitrust principles could not be more at odds with Connecticut's regulatory scheme. But what about Connecticut's authority to regulate the alcoholic-beverage industry without interference from the federal government? The doctrine of state-action immunity recognizes state's authority and limits federal government interference when the state is actively involved in the oversight of private market participants and prices. State laws only violate antitrust principles when private participants assume control over prices. Connecticut's liquor laws do just that. The laws actually mandate price sharing They leave price control of the alcoholic-beverage industry in the hands of the wholesalers, and consumers pay the price. This Note argues that Connecticut's liquor laws are per se illegal because they always, or almost always, restrict competition. But that argument need not be interpreted as the last drop in the bucket for the local package store. There are other ways to protect small merchants. Connecticut has enacted, and can continue to enact laws that support local businesses and limit big box takeover. Connecticut should follow other states around the nation which have done away with similar laws and opened up the alcoholic-beverage market to healthy competition.
Preliminary Investigation of COVID-19 Impact on Transportation System Delay, Energy Consumption and Emission Levels

A dramatic reduction in traffic demand was observed during the pandemic of COVID-19 producing noticeable reductions in traffic delay, energy consumption, and emissions. This unprecedented event provides us with a perfect chance to investigate how limiting the number of vehicles on the transportation network can contribute to a better environment. This paper quantifies the effects of reduced traffic demand on air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Microscopic simulation is used to model traffic and their associated emissions. Our results show that the decreased traffic demand contributed significantly to decreasing vehicle delays and emissions, especially in congested urban areas.
Reduced reagent regeneration energy for CO2 capture with bipolar membrane electrodialysis

Abstract Post combustion CO2 capture with reagents such as amines, sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide is the most mature CO2 capture technology. One of the major challenges facing post combustion CO2 capture is the high energy requirement for reagent regeneration. Thermal regeneration energy is in the range of 3-4 MJ/Kg CO2 captured. We were able to achieve reagent regeneration energy as low as 1.18 MJ/Kg CO2 with the help of electrodialysis with bipolar membrane separation (EDBM). This value is significantly lower compared to thermal regeneration. Also, switching from toxic reagents like amines to alkali absorbents like sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide will save reagent costs. This technology will be particularly attractive in the future as membrane prices go down. These traits not only make this technology economically feasible, but also environmentally benign.
Supernormal clutches of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) in peninsular Florida

The clutch size of the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) has been well studied across a range of latitudes and habitats and typically is 4 or 5 eggs. Neither polygyny nor brood parasitism has been reported for the species. I report here 3 instances of supernormal clutches, of 8 or 9 eggs, documented in kestrel nest boxes in north-central Florida and discuss 4 possible explanations for these observations. In 2 nests only 1 egg hatched, and in 1 nest none of the eggs hatched. Although I was unable to make a conclusive finding about the cause for supernormal clutches, it is likely that they were laid by more than 1 female, either cooperatively or non-cooperatively.
Amino acid hydrogen oxalate quasiracemates – sulfur containing side chains

New additions to quasiracemic materials have been developed by cocrystallizing a ternary component – hydrogen oxalate – with pairs of amino acid quasienantiomers where at least one of the side-chain R groups contains a sulfur atom. Of the eight quasiracemates investigated, six exhibit crystal packing that drastically deviates from the expected centrosymmetric alignment present in the racemic counterparts and the extant database of quasiracemic materials. These structures were quantitatively assessed for conformational similarity (CCDC-Mercury structure overlay) and the degree of inversion symmetry (Avnir's Continuous Symmetry Measures) for each quasienantiomeric pair. Despite the variance in quasienantiomeric components, these structures exhibit a high degree of isostructurality where the principal components assemble by a complex blend of common N+–H⋯O and O–H⋯O− interactions. These charge-assisted hydrogen-bonded networks form thermodynamically favored crystal packing that promotes cocrystallization of a structurally diverse set of quasienantiomeric components.
The City of Musical Memory: Salsa, Record Groves, and Popular Culture in Cali, Colombia

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Lise A. Waxer Year: 2002 Pages: 316 Publisher: Wesleyan University Press ISBN: 0-8195-6442-7 Prices: $24.95 US$
Accessibility of quantum effects in mesomechanical systems

We explore the quantum aspects of an elastic bar supported at both ends and subject to compression. If strain rather than stress is held fixed, the system remains stable beyond the buckling instability, supporting two potential minima. The classical equilibrium transverse displacement is analogous to a Ginsburg-Landau order parameter, with strain playing the role of temperature. We calculate the quantum fluctuations about the classical value as a function of strain. Excitation energies and quantum fluctuation amplitudes are compared for silicon beams and carbon nanotubes.
IT in Legal Education: Computer Assisted Legal Research

Information technology's rapid change profoundly impacts legal education and legal practice. This article discusses the five key research skills that are the focus of our computer assisted legal research instruction.
Body window-enabled in vivo multicolor imaging of transplanted mouse islets expressing an insulin-Timer fusion protein.

Type 1 diabetes results from the selective destruction of insulin-producing β cells in the islets of Langerhans, and autoimmune T cells are thought to be the mediators of this destruction. T cells are also responsible for allorejection once the islets are transplanted into a patient to reduce the negative consequences of a lack of insulin. To better understand these processes, we have developed a transgenic mouse expressing proinsulin II tagged with a live-cell fluorescent reporter protein, Timer. Timer protein is unique because it changes color from green to red in the first 24 h after synthesis. With this marker, insulin synthesis can be carefully monitored through fluorescent changes over time. To complement this new biotechnological research tool, we designed a body window to allow for in vivo imaging over time of the islets transplanted under the kidney capsule. The window device, which is sutured to replace the underlying skin and body wall over the site of islet transplantation, may be used to simu...
The histopathology of chronic ulcerative colitis and its pathogenic implications.

Summary A group of 124 patients with ulcerative colitis, who had colon surgery, an autopsy, or both, was studied. Review of clinical data and of proctoscopic, roentgenologic, and histopathologic findings revealed frequent lack -of correlation between them. A segment of bowel, although normal grossly by inspection or x-ray examination, may reveal disease when examined microscopically. Ulceration and pseudopolyp formation were the most constant histologic features. Cryptitis could not account for the mechanism of the ulcerative process. Other features observed in a large proportion of cases were granuloma formation, giant cells, and tissue eosinophilia. Their possible relation to the presence of a hyperimmune mechanism in the bowel wall is discussed. Vascular thrombosis, lymphatic dilation, and perivascular infiltrates were present frequently. Similar features are associated with hypersensitive states in the experimental animal. Acute vasculitis was present in only 1 case; it does not seem to play a role in the mechanism of ulceration in ulcerative colitis. Endothelial desquamation, observed in 3 cases, could not account for either thrombosis or ulceration. No information was obtained concerning the role of changes of the homogenous ground substance or of the number and activity of mast cells—both requiring special techniques and special studies. No suggestion could be found in our material of defective cellular regeneration. Adenomas and carcinomas were present in 26 and 19 per cent of the cases, respectively.
Gaussian Pulse Propagation in a Dispersive, Absorbing Dielectric.

The modified asymptotic description of dispersive Gaussian pulse propagation, which is uniformly valid in the initial pulse envelope width, is shown to reduce to the energy velocity description when the propagation distance becomes sufficiently large in a Lorentz model dielectric. This then resolves the apparent controversy between the modern asymptotic description upon which the energy velocity description is based and the classical group velocity description of Gaussian pulse propagation and related experimental results.
Analysis of steric hindrance effects on adsorption kinetics and equilibria

Most existing adsorption models do not properly consider steric hindrance effects of preadsorbed solutes. As a consequence, the models often fail to represent the adsorption kinetics and equilibria accurately. In this work, we extend the random sequential adsorption concept for irreversible adsorption to analyze reversible adsorption on a continuous surface and a random site surface. Based on simulation results of these processes, general kinetic equations for one-component adsorption are developed. The equations are used to correlate chromatography frontal curves of lysozyme and isotherm data of ethane adsorption on activated carbon and ethylene adsorption on a molecular sieve. The significance of the equations, as compared with the Langmuir equation, lies not only in their ability to correlate the experimental data more accurately, but in the physical significance of the adsorption parameters such as the maximum adsorption capacity obtained from the correlation. Our study shows that steric hindrance effects alone result in nonlinear Scatchard and Hill plots with negative cooperativity.
Rational combined targeting of phosphodiesterase 4B and SYK in DLBCL

Identification of rational therapeutic targets is an important strategy to improve the cure rate of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We previously showed that inhibition of the phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) unleashes cyclic-AMP (cAMP) inhibitory effects toward the PI3K/AKT pathway and induces apoptosis. These data raised important considerations as to which upstream regulators mediate cAMP inhibition of PI3K/AKT, and how identifying this signaling route could be translated into clinical initiatives. We found that in normal and malignant B cells, cAMP potently inhibit the phosphorylation and activity of the tyrosine kinase SYK. Using genetic models of gain- and loss-of-function, we demonstrated the essential role for PDE4B in controlling these effects in DLBCL. Furthermore, we used a constitutively active SYK mutant to confirm its central role in transducing cAMP effects to PI3K/AKT. Importantly, given SYK credentials as a therapeutic target in B-cell tumors, we explored the role of PDE4B in these responses. In multiple DLBCL models, we found that genetically, hence specifically, inhibiting PDE4B expression significantly improved the efficacy of SYK inhibitors. Our data defined a hitherto unknown role for cAMP in negatively regulating SYK and indicate that combined inhibition of PDE4B and SYK should be actively pursued.
Comparative analysis of the development of wing-flapping and flight in the fowl

The development of wing-flapping rate, lateral flight, wing area, and the ratio of wing area to body weight are described in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) and three chickens (Gallus gallus) to determine common developmental phenomena and to assess the effects of domestication. The chickens were the White Leghorn (a commercial egg producer), the Cornish X Rock (a commercial meat producer), and the Red Jungle fowl (the probable ancestor of domestic chickens). All birds performed drop-evoked wing-flapping on the day of hatching, at least 1 week before lateral flight was possible. Flapping rate of chickens doubled between hatching (approximately 4-6 Hz) and 13 days (approximately 9-12 Hz), after which it leveled off. Japanese quail (JQ) maintained a high flapping rate (approximately 11-13 Hz) during the 21 days after hatching. The Jungle fowl (JF) and JQ flapped the fastest and the White Leghorn (WL) and Cornish X Rock (CR) chickens flapped the slowest. The JF, WL, and JQ developed lateral flight at 7-9 days. The CR first flew 1-2 weeks later but subsequently became flightless. The WL, JF, and JQ had similar ratios of wing area to body weight; the ratios increased to a peak at 11-15 days and later declined. The ratio of the very heavy, essentially flightless, CR was approximately one-half that of the flighted JQ, WL, and JF. The wing-flapping frequencies of the domestic WL and CR chickens approximated that of the JF, suggesting that domestication did not affect the motor pattern generator for flight. The artificial selection of the CR for high body weight drastically diminished its flight performance by producing an unfavorable ratio of wing area to body weight. The JF and the domestic WL both flew well and had similar ratios. Domestication affected flight performance but not the neural circuitry producing wing-flapping. The central nervous system is much more conservative in its response to selection than the peripheral effector structures that it drives.
"It's not just a job. This is where we live. This is our backyard": the experiences of expert legal and advocate providers with sexually assaulted women in rural areas.

Sexual assault research has focused almost exclusively on urban areas, and research examining the experiences of expert service providers is nearly nonexistent. The purpose of this study was to add to the understanding of providers’ experiences in working with sexually assaulted women in rural communities. Secondary victimization theory suggests that the nature of postassault expert interventions may have an adverse impact on victims. The focus of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of providers regarding their interactions with sexual assault survivors living in rural communities. Data were gathered from prosecutors, law enforcement, crisis center advocates, social workers, and victim-witness associates. Data analysis led to the identification of five significant themes: (a) rural-specific confidentiality issues, (b) resource needs in a rural setting, (c) the connection between victim blaming and low levels of reporting, (d) negative provider views of the communit...
Evolutionary Dynamics of the wnt Gene Family: A Lophotrochozoan Perspective

The wnt gene family encodes a set of secreted glycoproteins involved in key developmental processes, including cell fate specification and regulation of posterior growth (Cadigan KM, Nusse R. 1997. Wnt signaling: a common theme in animal development. Genes Dev. 11:3286–3305.; Martin BL, Kimelman D. 2009. Wnt signaling and the evolution of embryonic posterior development. Curr Biol. 19:R215–R219.). As for many other gene families, evidence for expansion and/or contraction of the wnt family is available from deuterostomes (e.g., echinoderms and vertebrates [Nusse R, Varmus HE. 1992. Wnt genes. Cell. 69:1073–1087.; Schubert M, Holland LZ, Holland ND, Jacobs DK. 2000. A phylogenetic tree of the Wnt genes based on all available full-length sequences, including five from the cephalochordate amphioxus. Mol Biol Evol. 17:1896–1903.; Croce JC, Wu SY, Byrum C, Xu R, Duloquin L, Wikramanayake AH, Gache C, McClay DR. 2006. A genome-wide survey of the evolutionarily conserved Wnt pathways in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Dev Biol. 300:121–131.]) and ecdysozoans (e.g., arthropods and nematodes [Eisenmann DM. 2005. Wnt signaling. WormBook. 1–17.; Bolognesi R, Farzana L, Fischer TD, Brown SJ. 2008. Multiple Wnt genes are required for segmentation in the short-germ embryo of Tribolium castaneum. Curr Biol. 18:1624–1629.]), but little is known from the third major bilaterian group, the lophotrochozoans (e.g., mollusks and annelids [Prud'homme B, Lartillot N, Balavoine G, Adoutte A, Vervoort M. 2002. Phylogenetic analysis of the Wnt gene family. Insights from lophotrochozoan members. Curr Biol. 12:1395.]). To obtain a more comprehensive scenario of the evolutionary dynamics of this gene family, we exhaustively mined wnt gene sequences from the whole genome assemblies of a mollusk (Lottia gigantea) and two annelids (Capitella teleta and Helobdella robusta) and examined them by phylogenetic, genetic linkage, intron–exon structure, and embryonic expression analyses. The 36 wnt genes obtained represent 11, 12, and 9 distinct wnt subfamilies in Lottia, Capitella, and Helobdella, respectively. Thus, two of the three analyzed lophotrochozoan genomes retained an almost complete ancestral complement of wnt genes emphasizing the importance and complexity of this gene family across metazoans. The genome of the leech Helobdella reflects significantly more dynamism than those of Lottia and Capitella, as judged by gene duplications and losses, branch length, and changes in genetic linkage. Finally, we performed a detailed expression analysis for all the Helobdella wnt genes during embryonic development. We find that, although the patterns show substantial overlap during early cleavage stages, each wnt gene has a unique expression pattern in the germinal plate and during tissue morphogenesis. Comparisons of the embryonic expression patterns of the duplicated wnt genes in Helobdella with their orthologs in Capitella reveal extensive regulatory diversification of the duplicated leech wnt genes.
Genital tract shedding of herpes simplex virus type 2 in women: effects of hormonal contraception, bacterial vaginosis, and vaginal group B Streptococcus colonization.

Background. Genital infections due to herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) are characterized by frequent reactivation and shedding of the virus and by the attendant risk of transmission to sexual partners. We investigated the effects of vaginal coinfections and hormonal contraceptive use on genital tract shedding of HSV-2 in women. Methods. A total of 330 HSV-2-seropositive women were followed every 4 months for a year. At each visit, one vaginal swab specimen was obtained for detection of HSV-2 by polymerase chain reaction, a second vaginal swab specimen was obtained for detection of group B Streptococcus (GBS) organisms and yeast by culture, and a vaginal smear was obtained for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis by Gram staining. Results. HSV-2 DNA was detected in 88 (9%) of 956 vaginal swab specimens. Independent predictors of genital tract shedding of HSV-2 were HSV-2 seroconversion during the previous 4 months (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-6.8), bacterial vaginosis (aOR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.3-4.0), high-density vaginal GBS colonization (aOR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.3-3.8), and use of hormonal contraceptives (aOR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1-2.8). Conclusions. The present study identifies hormonal contraceptive use, bacterial vaginosis, and high-density vaginal GBS colonization as risk factors for genital tract shedding of HSV-2 in women. Because hormonal contraceptives are used by millions of women worldwide and because bacterial vaginosis and vaginal GBS colonization are common vaginal conditions, even modest associations with HSV-2 shedding would result in substantial attributable risks for transmission of the virus.
Managing oncologic emergencies involving structural dysfunction

As antitumor therapy becomes more effective and less toxic, it is imperative to recognize potentially life-threatening or permanently disabling complications that may be prevented or reversed by prompt action. Accurate diagnosis and treatment of oncologic emergencies may both improve the quality of life and increase the length of survival, allowing more cancer patients to receive an adequate trial of definitive therapy designed to eradicate or palliate their disease.
Structural defects in poly(vinyl chloride)

This article describes, in narrative style, the research of the author and his associates, performed over a period of 30 years, that led to the identification and quantification of the anomalous structures in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and to detailed descriptions of their mechanisms of formation. Also examined here are the implications of this work for the thermal stability of PVC, for the overall chemical mechanism of vinyl chloride polymerization, and for other relevant aspects of the chemistry and technology of vinyl chloride homopolymers and copolymers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2451–2467, 2005
Formation of an iron-poor Moon by partial capture, or: Yet another exotic theory of lunar origin

Abstract It is shown how it is possible to explain the low abundance of iron and siderophiles in the Moon in a natural way. This is done by an extension of Opik's mechanism, whereby one or more planetoids pass through Earth's Roche zone, are broken up, and have part of their material captured. Assuming the planetoids are differentiated, the iron core can easily escape capture. This process does not involve any dissipation mechanisms and goes a long way toward explaining the peculiar bulk composition of the Moon. The picture is consistent with that of Urey, in which the early solar system contained more (and smaller) planets than it does today. In the second part of the paper, dynamical considerations are applied for two models, and it is shown that capture from one (or a few) planetoids is quite feasible, whereas a large number of contributors is highly unlikely.
Beliefs in Conspiracy Theories Among African Americans: A Comparison of Elites and Masses*

Objective. Several studies have reported a widespread belief in conspiracy theories among African Americans. Such theories have been shown to have possible deleterious effects, especially when they deal with HIV/AIDS. It has been conjectured that African-American elites could play a role in dispelling these beliefs, unless, of course, they believe in these theories themselves. To examine this possibility the present study examines the conspiratorial beliefs of African-American locally elected officials in Louisiana and compares them with a previous study of African-American churchgoers in the same state. Methods. A systematic sample of 400 African-American locally elected officials was drawn from a list of all African-American elected officials in the state and 170 officials completed and returned the mail survey. Confirmatory factor analysis and OLS regression were used to analyze the attitude structure and determinants of beliefs, respectively. Results. The locally elected officials believe in these theories as much as the churchgoers and the structures of their beliefs are also very similar. In some very important ways, however, the predictors of these beliefs differ between the two samples. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that beliefs in conspiracy theories are widespread and that African-American locally elected officials will not seek to dispel these beliefs.
Age-related changes in auditory event-related potentials

Twelve elderly and 12 young women were subjects in a reaction-time task designed to elicit middle and late event-related potentials (ERP). The aged subjects differed from the young in respect to the later occurring ERP components: P2 was larger and later; P3 was later and had a different scalp distribution; the slow wave (SW) was smaller. In contrast, no age-related differences were found for N1 amplitude or latency. It is suggested that the diminution in SW amplitude contributes to the change in scalp distribution of P3 amplitude seen with age. The relationship of reaction time and P3 latency of single trials was examined by the adaptive filter technique. There was no difference between the old and young subjects as both groups revealed signficant, positive P3 latency-reaction time correlations.
Brain stimulation and behavior: Controls and consequences

Groups of rats ranging from unimplanted controls to caudate-putamen (CPU) stimulated experimental animals were compared in terms of the number of trials required to acquire a brightness discrimination habit. The results indicated that the degree of deficit produced was a function of the magnitude of experimental intervention imposed. Animals with headplugs and cables, but without electrodes required significantly more trials to learn than unimplanted controls. The addition of electrodes without a headcable produced no greater deficit, while electrodes with attached cable resulted in significantly greater disruption than plug and cable alone. Stimulation of the PCU with one or three bilateral pulses following each discrimination produced significantly greater interference than did the electrode lesion and headcable. The results are discussed in terms of the control conditions required for studies of the effects of brain stimulation on behavior.
Surrogate endpoints for the treatment of venous leg ulcers.

Surrogate markers are endpoints that occur early in the course of treatment and are intended to predict the true, meaningful clinical endpoint. Surrogate markers have been used to study treatments for a wide range of diseases in which the true outcome is delayed. The evaluation of therapies for venous leg ulcers is challenged by the prolonged observation period necessary to reach the endpoint of healing. We have performed a large cohort study to examine wound healing characteristics as candidate surrogate markers of venous leg ulcer healing using the Curative Health Services population. A total of 58,038 wounds met our definition of venous leg ulcer; however, 1550 wounds were excluded based on size, depth, site, and/or involvement of tendon or bone, leaving 56,488 wounds in 29,189 patients for analysis. The median wound size was 189 mm2, with a median wound duration of 3 mo. Using a large cohort of diverse venous leg ulcer patients, we demonstrate that after only 4 wk of treatment the wound parameters log healing rate, log wound area ratio, and percentage change in wound area can be valid surrogate markers of healing at 12 or 24 wk of care. Based on the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve log rate, log area ratio, and percentage change in area can discriminate which patients will heal at 12 or 24 wk of care (receiver operator characteristic 0.72–0.80). These surrogates were further validated by demonstrating that established risk factors for not healing such as wound size and wound duration are also important risk factors for not achieving the surrogate endpoint. These surrogate markers for venous leg ulcer healing may allow for early clinical trials to be more efficient, and can allow clinicians to identify patients unlikely to heal early in the course of treatment in order to expedite referral to specialty centers or for the selection of stepped treatment algorithms.
EXCON: a graphics-based experiment-control manager

EXCON is a software package developed to control and define the modeling of experiments. In this case, EXCON is used to integrate various individual modeling systems, in a user- definable manner, to simulate the semiconductor manufacturing process. These numerous systems model specific aspects of the integrated circuit fabrication process. Each can be a large complex software program requiring many system resources to reliably emulate the physical processes, in many cases at the atomic level, in an analytical manner. There are many different program data formats and user interfaces within the modeling systems used. EXCON addresses the automatic insertion of configuration and process data, the conversion of data formats between modeling systems, and the sequence of model execution. EXCON also has a mechanism to re-run the sequence of models with variations in one or several configuration or data parameters, thereby creating an environment to do controlled experiments. EXCON assists in the visualization of the data in the experimental data sequence. EXCON allows for coarse-grained parallelism by connecting processes with an interprocess and inter-machine communication mechanism, thereby allowing for concurrent execution of processes on multiple machines. System performance enhancement is done with a incremental directed graph analysis technique. EXCON will, when appropriate, transparently convert file formats between modeling systems.
Baryon impact on weak lensing peaks and power spectrum: Low-bias statistics and self-calibration in future surveys

Peaks in two-dimensional weak lensing (WL) maps contain significant cosmological information, complementary to the WL power spectrum. This has recently been demonstrated using N-body simulations which neglect baryonic effects. Here we employ ray-tracing N-body simulations to source galaxies at redshift ${z}_{s}=2$ in which we manually steepen the density profile of each dark matter halo, mimicking the cooling and concentration of baryons into dark matter potential wells. We find, in agreement with previous works, that this causes a significant increase in the amplitude of the WL power spectrum on small scales (spherical harmonic index $\ensuremath{\ell}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}1,000$). We then study the impact of the halo concentration increase on the peak counts, and find the following. (i) Low peaks (with convergence $0.02\ensuremath{\lesssim}{\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{\mathrm{peak}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.08$) remain nearly unaffected. These peaks are created by a constellation of several halos with low masses ($\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{12}--{10}^{13}{\mathrm{M}}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$) and large angular offsets from the peak center ($\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0.5{R}_{\mathrm{vir}}$); as a result, they are insensitive to the central halo density profiles. These peaks contain most of the cosmological information, and thus provide an unusually sensitive and unbiased probe. (ii) The number of high peaks (with convergence ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{\mathrm{peak}}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0.08$) is increased. However, when the baryon effects are neglected in cosmological parameter estimation, then the high peaks lead to a modest bias, comparable to that from the power spectrum on relatively large scales ($\ensuremath{\ell}l2000$), and much smaller than the bias from the power spectrum on smaller scales ($\ensuremath{\ell}g2000$). (iii) In the three-dimensional parameter space $({\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{8},{\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{m},w)$, the biases from the high peaks and the power spectra are in different directions. This suggests the possibility of ``self-calibration'': the combination of peak counts and power spectrum can simultaneously constrain baryonic physics and cosmological parameters.
Shape-Memory Performance of Thermoplastic Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymer Poly(d,l-lactic acid-co-ethylene glycol-co-d,l-lactic acid) (PELA)/Hydroxyapatite Composites

Biodegradable polymer/hydroxyapatite (HA) composites are desired for skeletal tissue engineering. When engineered with thermal-responsive shape memory properties, they may be delivered in a minimally invasive temporary shape and subsequently triggered to conform to a tissue defect. Here we report the shape memory properties of thermoplastic amphiphilic poly(D,L-lactic acid-co-ethylene glycol-co-D,L-lactic acid) (PELA, 120 kDa) and HA-PELA composites. These materials can be cold-deformed and stably fixed into temporary shapes at room temperature and undergo rapid shape recovery ( 99% fixing ratio) of large deformations is achieved at -20 °C. While the shape recovery from tensile deformations slows with higher HA contents, all composites (up to 20 wt% HA) achieve high shape recovery (>90%) upon 10-min equilibration at 50 °C. The permanent shapes of HA-PELA can be reprogramed at 50 °C, and macroporous shape memory scaffolds can be fabricated by rapid prototyping.
Measurement of lipid oxidation in meat and meat products

Lipid oxidation and the associated changes is a major cause of quality deterioration during the storage of meats and other fat-containing foods. Oxidative deterioration of lipids directly affects a number of quality characteristics in meat and meat products, including flavor, color, texture, nutritive value and safety. Consequently, the past 50 years have seen much research activity in determining the factors that influence lipid oxidation in meat and other biological systems and in developing ways to minimize these oxidative changes. The extent of these changes can be measured by both chemical and physical means. The purpose of this short review is to discuss the principal methods used to assess lipid oxidation in meats and their limitations.
Far-field boundary conditions for transonic lifting solutions to the Euler equations

Far-field boundary conditions for the Euler equations are formulated and applied to transonic lifting flow over an airfoil in an unbounded domain. An expansion of the linearized small-disturbance equation in the far field is developed and the leading-order term, corresponding to a point vortex representation for the airfoil, is retained. A comprehensive evaluation across the Mach number range of the procedure's effectiveness in eliminating dependence of the numerical results on the boundary extent is presented. Extension of the method to three dimensions is also outlined.
Materials Science: Displaced by radiation

The mineral zircon suffers more structural damage from the α-decay of plutonium present in its crystal than was thought. That could have a knock-on effect on strategies for managing nuclear waste.
Overcoming limits to learning in computer-based learning environments

Abstract The theoretical perspective of action science is applied to computer-based learning environments (CBLE's) in order to diagnose and help overcome individual, group, and organizational anti-learning pressures that may diminish CBLE effectiveness.
A Relapse Prevention Group for Patients with Bipolar and Substance Use Disorders

Although bipolar disorder is the Axis I disorder associated with the highest risk of having a coexisting substance use disorder, no specific treatment approaches for this dually diagnosed patient population have thus far been developed. This paper describes a 20-session relapse prevention group therapy that the authors have developed for the treatment of patients with coexisting bipolar disorder and substance use disorder. The treatment uses an integrated approach by discussing topics that are relevant to both disorders and by highlighting common aspects of recovery from and relapse to each disorder.
A closed loop wireless power transmission system using a commercial RFID transceiver for biomedical applications

This paper presents a standalone closed loop wireless power transmission system that is built around a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) radio frequency identification (RFID) transceiver (MLX90121) operating at 13.56 MHz. It can be used for inductively powering implantable biomedical devices in a closed loop fashion. Any changes in the distance and misalignment between transmitter and receiver coils in near-field wireless power transmission can cause a significant change in the received power, which can cause either malfunction or excessive heat dissipation. RFID transceivers are often used open loop. However, their back telemetry capability can be utilized to stabilize the received voltage on the implant. Our measurements showed that the delivered power to the transponder was maintained at 1.48 mW over a range of 6 to 12 cm, while the transmitter power consumption changed from 0.3 W to 1.21 W. The closed loop system can also oppose voltage variations as a result of sudden changes in load current.
Risk factors in the development of multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a T-cell-mediated demyelinating disease of the CNS with no known cure or cause. However, it is widely believed that MS is caused by an environmental trigger(s) in genetically susceptible individuals. Several lines of evidence suggest that infection with Epstein–Barr virus and cigarette smoking increase the risk of MS, whereas vitamin D plays a protective role. This review discusses the current evidence supporting a link between these factors and MS.
Urinary β-FSH subunit concentrations in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: A biomarker for ovarian reserve

AbstractObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to develop an integrative assessment of pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion and to validate these measurements in a population of perimenopausal (PERI) and postmenopausal (POST) women.DesignIn this cross-sectional study, 170 POST and
The March of Dimes and Polio: Lessons in Vaccine Advocacy for Health Educators

Abstract The polio vaccine became available in 1955, due almost entirely to the efforts of the March of Dimes. In 1921, Franklin Roosevelt gave a public face to polio and mounted a campaign to prevent it, establishing the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in 1938. During the Depression, U.S. citizens were asked to contribute one dime. Entertainer Eddie Cantor suggested the name the March of Dimes, paraphrasing the popular newsreel “The March of Time”. Jonas Salk advocated a killed-virus vaccine while Albert Sabin proposed a live-virus vaccine. Both competed for both recognition and funding from the March of Dimes. In 1955 Salk's vaccine was adopted, nationwide vaccination programs were implemented, and polio rates dropped by 80 percent. In 1961, Sabin's vaccine, endorsed by the American Medical Association, became the vaccine of choice. The World Health Assembly advocated polio eradication by the year 2000. By 2004 eradication efforts were threatened by allegations linking vaccines to chronic di...
Contact Angles for Liquid Drops at a Model Heterogeneous Surface Consisting of Alternating and Parallel Hydrophobic/Hydrophilic Strips

Model heterogeneous surfaces consisting of alternating and parallel 2.55 μm hydrophobic and 2.45 μm hydrophilic strips were prepared on a gold film by patterning self-assembled monolayers of hexadecanethiol and mercaptohexadecanoic acid using an elastomer stamp. The advancing and receding contact angles were measured for liquid drops (distilled water, buffer solutions with pH = 8.0, 10.0, and 11.0, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and formamide) placed on this specially prepared surface. Contortion of the three-phase contact line is a significant property of these systems. Both contact angles, advancing and receding, were 2−10° lower when measured with the strips normal to the three-phase contact line than those measured with the strips tangential to the three-phase contact line. For most of the systems examined, experimental contact angles, when measured for the liquid drop edge situated along the strips of the model heterogeneous surface (noncontorted three-phase contact line), were in an agreement with theor...