cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Common Questions About Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Psychiatric Disorders

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a time-limited, goal-oriented psychotherapy that has been extensively researched and has benefits in a number of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, obsessive-compulsive and tic disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, and insomnia. CBT uses targeted strategies to help patients adopt more adaptive patterns of thinking and behaving, which leads to positive changes in emotions and decreased functional impairments. Strategies include identifying and challenging problematic thoughts and beliefs, scheduling pleasant activities to increase environmental reinforcement, and extended exposure to unpleasant thoughts, situations, or physiologic sensations to decrease avoidance and arousal associated with anxiety-eliciting stimuli. CBT can be helpful in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder by emphasizing safety, trust, control, esteem, and intimacy. Prolonged exposure therapy is a CBT technique that includes a variety of strategies, such as repeated recounting of the trauma and exposure to feared real-world situations. For attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, CBT focuses on establishing structures and routines, and clear rules and expectations within the home and classroom. Early intensive behavioral interventions should be initiated in children with autism before three years of age; therapy consists of 12 to 40 hours of intensive treatment per week, for at least one year. In many disorders, CBT can be used alone or in combination with medications. However, CBT requires a significant commitment from patients. Family physicians are well suited to provide collaborative care for patients with psychiatric disorders, in concert with cognitive behavior therapists.
Characterizing Flame Retardant Applications and Potential Human Exposure in Backpacking Tents

Flame retardant (FR) chemicals are applied to products to meet flammability standards; however, exposure to some additive FRs has been shown to be associated with adverse health effects. Previous research on FR exposure has primarily focused on chemicals applied to furniture and electronics; however, camping tents sold in the United States, which often meet flammability standard CPAI-84, remain largely unstudied in regards to their chemical treatments. In this study, FRs from five brands of CPAI-84-compliant, two-person backpacking tents were measured and potential exposure was assessed. Dermal and inhalation exposure levels were assessed by collecting hand wipes from 20 volunteers before and after tent setup and by using active air samplers placed inside assembled tents, respectively. Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) were the most commonly detected FR in the tent materials and included triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate (TDCIPP) and tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate (TCEP). Levels of OPFRS measured on hand wipes were significantly higher post-tent setup compared to pre setup, and in the case of TDCIPP, levels were 29 times higher post setup. OPFRs were also detected at measurable concentrations in the air inside of treated tents. Significant, positive correlations were found between FR levels in treated textiles and measures of dermal and inhalation exposure. These results demonstrate that dermal exposure to FRs occurs from handling camping tents and that inhalation exposure will likely occur while inside a tent.
A cognition and needs assessment on standardized training of public health physician in Zhejiang province

Objective To explore the needs of public health physician about standardized training time,training form, and so on,to provide the scientific advice to apply standardized training for the public health physician.Methods Cluster sampling method,field investigation and questionnaire survey were adopted.Results Even a majority of respondents realized the importance and necessity on standardized training of public health physician,76.86% of respondents considered it very difficult or difficult to send people to attend standardized training off-job.As for the session of training, most considered one year appropriate.74.38% of people agreed that all public health physicians should attend the standardized training regardless of educational background.More than 85.00%of respondents thought about 16specialities such as prevention and control of infectious diseases,chronic diseases,health education,nutrition and food hygiene,environmental hygiene,occupational health are in need of or in urgent need of standardized training.85.95% of respondents agreed to maintain income and welfare coverage of the trainees in accordance with relevant policies.Conclusions For conflict between work and study,it is difficult to send people to take part in long-term off-job standardized training,therefore,multiple teaching methods,short-term training session and flexible training mode should be adopted,and it was also important to increase investment for standardized training and provide welfare coverage for trainees.
Membrane receptors and hormone action.

Publisher Summary Studies of receptor binding generally employ highly radioactive ligand derivatives; however, knowledge of the biological activity of the radioactive derivative is essential for a complete interpretation of the binding data. This chapter describes the relation between biological activity and binding, physicochemical detection and assay of receptors, solubilization of membrane receptors, provides examples of membrane-localized receptors, affinity techniques, polyvalent hormone derivatives, and receptor studies, and theoretical mechanisms of hormone–receptor binding and action. The biological response toward many neurotransmitters and hormones, such as insulin, acetylcholine, and epinephrine is rapid both in onset and in the termination of action on removal of these agents; therefore, it may be anticipated that the initial hormone–receptor interaction will also be reversible. The chapter shows that progress has been made toward understanding the way by which hormones, via interactions with cell–surface receptors, modulate overall cellular function. This interaction is only the first in a presumably complicated series of protein–protein interactions within the plane of the cell membrane; the mechanism, whereby the ultimate signal is transmitted to the internal cellular milieu is undoubtedly an equally intricate process. The chapter is considered to be useful in delineating the challenge that the elucidation of these processes presents and in providing a basis and incentive for more discoveries in this field.
Constrained Versions of DEDICOM for Use in Unsupervised Part-Of-Speech Tagging

This reports describes extensions of DEDICOM (DEcomposition into DIrectional COMponents) data models [3] that incorporate bound and linear constraints. The main purpose of these extensions is to investigate the use of improved data models for unsupervised part-of-speech tagging, as described by Chew et al. [2]. In that work, a single domain, two-way DEDICOM model was computed on a matrix of bigram fre- quencies of tokens in a corpus and used to identify parts-of-speech as an unsupervised approach to that problem. An open problem identi ed in that work was the com- putation of a DEDICOM model that more closely resembled the matrices used in a Hidden Markov Model (HMM), speci cally through post-processing of the DEDICOM factor matrices. The work reported here consists of the description of several models that aim to provide a direct solution to that problem and a way to t those models. The approach taken here is to incorporate the model requirements as bound and lin- ear constrains into the DEDICOM model directly and solve the data tting problem as a constrained optimization problem. This is in contrast to the typical approaches in the literature, where the DEDICOM model is t using unconstrained optimization approaches, andmore » model requirements are satis ed as a post-processing step.« less
Efficient ILP-based variant-grid analog router

As an indispensable portion in the modern system-on-chip designs, analog circuits are becoming more intractable and error prone in the time-consuming design process due to the nature of high parasitic sensitivity along with the shrinking design window in the advanced technology. Compared to the digital counterpart, analog circuits need to be designed more carefully taking into account special analog constraints besides the typical geometric requirements. Recent state-of-the-art analog routing research favors linear programming (LP) to satisfy various constraints, but leaving the routing efficiency as an open question. In this paper, we propose an integer linear programming (ILP) based algorithm to tackle the analog routing problem with a special focus on improving the routing efficiency. Hierarchical routing is developed to help the router to divide the entire routing area into multiple small regions, in each of which the ILP can derive a routing solution with speedy efficiency. Different from typical hierarchical methods, our proposed router deploys variant-grid resolution in different regions, that is, with a lower resolution for less crowded routing regions and a higher resolution for more congested regions. In this way, our proposed ILP-based router is much faster than any typical ones since it spends little time for the areas that do not need to be routed precisely. The experimental results show the high efficiency of our proposed method for both small circuits and especially big circuits without promising the routing quality.
Simulations of Morphology Evolution in Polymer Blends during Light Self-Trapping

Simulations are presented for binary phase morphologies prepared via coupling the self-trapping properties of light with photopolymerization induced phase separation in blends of reactive monomer and inert linear chain polymer. The morphology forming process is simulated based on a spatially varying photopolymerization rate, dictated by self-trapped light, coupled with the Cahn–Hilliard equation that incorporates the free energy of polymer mixing, degree of polymerization, and polymer mobility. Binary phase morphologies form with a structure that spatially correlates to the profile of the self-trapped beam. Attaining this spatial correlation emerges through a balance between the competitive processes entailed in photopolymerization-induced decreases in diffusion mobility and the drive for the blend components to phase separate. The simulations demonstrate the ability for a self-trapped optical beam to direct binary phase morphology along its propagation path. Such studies are important for controlling the...
Investigating symmetry breaking in yeast: From seeing to understanding.

Diverse cellular functions require the establishment of cell polarity. Although the morphological manifestation of cell polarity can be complex, common principles and conserved regulatory pathways can be studied leveraging the powerful genetic tools in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A vast array of genetic and cell biological tools and interdisciplinary approaches have been employed to understand the establishment and maintenance of cell polarity in budding yeast. These tools enabled the identification of key molecular components, their mechanisms of action, and the pathway governing the spatiotemporal properties of cell polarity. In this review, we describe a set of useful methods with special focus on the combination of genetic manipulation and quantitative live-cell imaging, as well as advanced microscopy-based quantitative analysis, for studying symmetry-breaking process in budding yeast. Specific examples are included to illustrate the utilities of each method.
Bayesian Assessment of a Binary Measurement System with Baseline Data

SYNOPTIC ABSTRACTBinary measurement systems that classify parts as either pass or fail are widely used. In industrial settings, many previously passed and failed parts are often available. We develop a Bayesian model to incorporate baseline information to determine whether a part originated from the stream of previously passed or failed parts as well as the overall pass rate of the inspection system. Simulation studies demonstrate the viability of our proposed method, and we compare our model to simpler models that do not incorporate all baseline information. We show that in some cases incorporation of baseline data can result in the reduction of posterior standard deviations by a factor of two. Additionally, our Bayesian approach has the advantages of allowing the incorporation of expert opinion and not relying on the assumption of normality.
A Soft Four Degree-of-Freedom Load Cell Based on the Hall Effect

This paper presents the design of a soft four degree-of-freedom load cell that is robust and light-weight and can be integrated into robotic applications. The sensor measures three axes of force and a single axis of torque about the central axis. The sensor is comprised of a magnet suspended within an elastomer above two three-axis Hall effect sensors. As a load is applied, the magnet is displaced within the elastomer that results in changes in the magnetic flux density at the locations of the two Hall effect sensors. Experimental measurements of magnetic flux density within the area of interest were used to formulate analytical expressions to relate magnet field strength to the position of the magnet. The displacement and orientation measurements combined with the material properties of the elastomer are used to calibrate and calculate the applied load. The ability to measure the three degrees-of-freedom force and axial torque was evaluated with combined loading applied by a robotic arm. The decoupled results show the four degree-of-freedom load cell can distinguish three axes of force and one axis of torque with 6.9% average error for normal force, 4.3% and 2.6% average error for shear force in the $X$ - and $Y$ -axes, respectively. There was 8.6% average error for the torque.
Characteristics of a high-power ion beam deflection system necessary to deflect the hypothetical asteroid 2017 PDC

Abstract The July 2027 impact date for the hypothetical asteroid 2017 PDC, that is the subject of an emergency response exercise, leaves just over ten years to implement a deflection approach. The analyses herein allocate four years to the design, fabrication, assembly, test and launch of a notional high-power Ion Beam Deflection (IBD) vehicle to meet a launch readiness date no later than May 2021. Using this launch date along with estimates for the vehicle mass and performance characteristics of the electric propulsion system, low-thrust trajectory analyses indicate a 2.56-year flight time to rendezvous with 2017 PDC. This would leave 3.6 years to execute the actual deflection phase. A 160-kW IBD vehicle could deflect 2017 PDC by at least one Earth radius within this time provided the asteroid's actual diameter was less than about 140 m and its density was 2 g/cm 3 or less. Larger diameters and/or higher densities would require a higher power IBD vehicle, multiple IBD vehicles, or a longer deflection phase. Ion beam deflection is largely independent of the characteristics of the threat object, but its effectiveness, like all deflection approaches, is sensitive to both the asteroid mass and the time available for deflection. The characteristics of IBD, i.e., large standoff distance between the spacecraft and the asteroid surface, as well as ion beam divergence angles of a few degrees, facilitate the possible simultaneous use of multiple IBD vehicles to improve the performance and robustness of the asteroid deflection. The 65-cm diameter, 20-kW NEXIS ion thruster developed in support of the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter mission concept is particularly well suited for application to a high-power IBD system. It has demonstrated a small ion beam divergence angle and operation at 20 kW for over 2000 h. Completion of the development and flight qualification of this technology would significantly reduce the risk and time necessary to respond to the discovery of potentially hazardous asteroid in the size range of 50- to 140-m diameter.
Group Work Outreach to Parents by School Social Workers

Activity or discussion group experience can open the door to serving a hard-to-reach population — the parents of children in special education programs
VSLM—The virtual sound level meter

Inexpensive sound level meters and low cost or free apps for smart phones and tables have made it much easier to introduce the concept of sound levels to a wide audience at very low cost. However, there are times when it is preferable to be able to take more complicated measurements that are generally only available on more expensive sound level meter. With fairly low cost digital recorders, one can now take a calibrated recording of an acoustic event and analyze the recording later. In this presentation, a free software package called VSLM: The Virtual Sound Level Meter is described. VSLM allows users to calibrate a recording and do many types of analysis including mimicking a sound level meter on fast, slow, Leq, octave, and 1/3 octave band analysis using fast FFT or digital meters that meet ANSI standards, high resolution spectral analysis, and create spectrograms.
Longevity and population age structure of the arroyo southwestern toad (Anaxyrus californicus) with drought implications.

The arroyo southwestern toad is a specialized and federally endangered amphibian endemic to the coastal plains and mountains of central and southern California and northwestern Baja California. It is largely unknown how long these toads live in natural systems, how their population demographics vary across occupied drainages, and how hydrology affects age structure. We used skeletochronology to estimate the ages of adult arroyo toads in seven occupied drainages with varying surface water hydrology in southern California. We processed 179 adult toads with age estimates between 1 and 6 years. Comparisons between skeletochronological ages and known ages of PIT tagged toads showed that skeletochronology likely underestimated toad age by up to 2 years, indicating they may live to 7 or 8 years, but nonetheless major patterns were evident. Arroyo toads showed sexual size dimorphism with adult females reaching a maximum size of 12 mm greater than males. Population age structure varied among the sites. Age structure at sites with seasonally predictable surface water was biased toward younger individuals, which indicated stable recruitment for these populations. Age structures at the ephemeral sites were biased toward older individuals with cohorts roughly corresponding to higher rainfall years. These populations are driven by surface water availability, a stochastic process, and thus more unstable. Based on our estimates of toad ages, climate predictions of extreme and prolonged drought events could mean that the number of consecutive dry years could surpass the maximum life span of toads making them vulnerable to extirpation, especially in ephemeral freshwater systems. Understanding the relationship between population demographics and hydrology is essential for predicting species resilience to projected changes in weather and rainfall patterns. The arroyo toad serves as a model for understanding potential responses to climatic and hydrologic changes in Mediterranean stream systems. We recommend development of adaptive management strategies to address these threats.
National unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning estimates using hospitalization and emergency department data

Abstract Unintentional non-fire-related (UNFR) carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a leading cause of poisoning in the US and a preventable cause of death. We generated national estimates of accidental CO poisoning and characterized the populations most at risk. UNFR CO poisoning cases were assessed using hospitalization and emergency department (ED) data from the Healthcare Costs and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample and Nationwide Emergency Department Sample databases. We used hospitalization data from 2003 to 2013 and ED data from 2007 to 2013. We calculated trends using a linear regression of UNFR CO poisonings over the study period and age-adjusted rates using direct standardization and U.S. Census Bureau estimates. During 2003–2013, approximately 14,365 persons (4.1 cases/million annually) with confirmed or probable UNFR CO poisoning were admitted to hospitals and the annual rate of poisonings showed a weak downward trend (p = 0.12). During 2007–2013, approximately 101,847 persons (48.3 visits/million annually) visited the ED and the annual rate of poisonings showed a significant downward trend (p ≤ 0.01). Most UNFR CO hospital cases involved patients who were older (aged 45–64 years), white, male, or living in the South or Midwest. Overall, the rate of hospitalizations did not change over the study period. Unintentional CO poisoning is preventable and these cases represent the most recent national estimates. ED visits declined over the study period, but the hospitalization rates did not change. This emphasizes the need for prevention efforts, such as education in the ED setting, increased use of CO alarms, and proper use and maintenance of fuel-powered household appliances.
Why Not Let IT Fail? The IT Project Success Paradox

Is a focus on information systems or information technology success a myopic view of evaluating IT success and failure? Are success and failure the opposite ends of a continuum for evaluating IT projects? Conventional measures of success such as meeting cost, time, budgets, and user needs do not address positives that can emerge from failures. We contend that a focus on success and failing to factor the possibility of failure actually hamper IT projects. An organizational mandate that does not allow for failure does not promote risk taking and innovation. It can also foster a project climate fraught with undesirable or unethical behavior and stress among developers, while failing to capture positive lessons that could emerge from IT project failure.
Theoretical Studies of Resonantly Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization Processes in Molecules

Multiphoton absorption and ionization processes add a new dimension to the study of excited state dynamics in atomic and molecular systems. The extreme energy- and state-selectivity achieved through the use of lasers enables one to access specific excited states which would otherwise be inaccessible in single photon spectroscopy due to the lack of appropriate light sources or due to dipole selection rules. Photoionization out of these excited states combined with photoelectron energy analysis yields detailed information about the excited state and the ionization continuum. Recent experiments [1–14] on multiphoton ionization of diatomic molecules H2, N2, NO and CO have revealed several interesting features, such as the state selectivity in the residual ion, non-Franck-Condon behavior, Rydberg-valence mixing, rotational and vibrational state dependence of photoelectron angular distributions, and vibrational and rotational autoionization. Multiphoton ionization has also been used to study van der Waal’s complexes of rare gas atoms [15].
Investigating Potential Market Segments for Energy Conservation Strategies

This article describes the results of an investigation that sought to identify energy-responsible individuals in terms of several demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. A comprehensive inde...
Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice

Whether one admits it or not, we all draw on theories in our analysis of the social world. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a transparent account of one of the theoretical frameworks namely, Bourdieu’s ‘theory of practice’, which provides the theoretical foundation on which the book is built. The chapter provides a critical description of Bourdieu’s three key concepts namely, the habitus, field and capital utilised in the book. Highlighting both the epistemological and methodological implications of using Bourdieu’s concept of the habitus in postcolonial context such as Nigeria, the chapter argues for the need to expand Bourdieu’s class-specific habitus by emphasising how the habitus is differentiated by race so that it can successfully be translated into postcolonial Nigeria.
Activist for change: an interview with suzanne arms

Suzanne Arms's name is readily recognized by many in the field of perinatal education. For 30 years she has been a tireless advocate for childbearing women, a fighter for change in the traditional maternity care system, and a feminist with strong beliefs about the physical, emotional, and spiritual impact of birth. Arms's well-known books and frequent speaking engagements have allowed her to spread her message and her plea to humanize the childbirth experience. Talking with Arms is an energizing encounter. Her life path is a powerful and compelling story that is an inspiration to all who continue to work to make birth a positive event in the lives of women and their families.
Clustering effect on permeability spectra of magneto-dielectric composites with conductive magnetic inclusions

Magneto-dielectric composites, promising candidate materials for next-generation microwave communication, require high permeability and low loss, which are closely related to the particle size of the magnetic fillers. However, clustering occurs when particles physically or electrically touch each other, resulting in effective particle clusters that are much larger than the individual particle size. In this paper, we extend the effective medium theory (EMT) to include the clustering effect, which describes a more accurate prediction of the effective permeability of magneto-dielectric composites over wide ranges of both particle concentration and frequency. A Monte Carlo simulation is applied to model the agglomeration of magnetic particles suspended within a polymeric matrix. The extended formula is experimentally verified by the measurement of constitutive parameters, for iron/paraffin composites with various filler concentrations, over the frequency range from 1 MHz to 1 GHz. Considering the clustering effect, the proposed EMT model corrects the overestimation of the traditional EMT models, especially near the percolation threshold where the cluster size grows comparable to the skin depth at a given frequency.
A spatial assessment of land suitability for maize farming in Kenya

Many developing nations are faced with severe food insecurity partly because of their overdependence on rainfed agriculture. In Kenya, climate system variations that impact staple food crops like m...
Structural insights into the activity and regulation of human Josephin-2.

Abstract The MJD family of human deubiquitinating enzymes contains four members: Ataxin-3, the ataxin-3-like protein (AT3L), Josephin-1, and Josephin-2. All share a conserved catalytic unit known as the Josephin domain. Ataxin-3 and AT3L also contain extensive regulatory regions that modulate their functions, whereas Josephins-1 and -2 are substantially smaller, containing only the Josephin domain. To gain insight into how these minimal Josephins differ from their larger relatives, we determined the 2.3 A X-ray crystal structure of human Josephin-2 and probed the enzyme’s substrate specificity. Several large disordered loops are seen in the structure, suggesting a highly dynamic enzyme. Josephin-2 lacks several allosteric sites found in ataxin-3, but its structure suggests potential regulation via ubiquitination of a loop adjoining the active site. The enzyme preferentially recognizes substrates containing K11, K48, and K63 linkages, pointing toward a possible role in maintenance of protein quality control.
The DNA repair enzyme MUTYH potentiates cytotoxicity of the alkylating agent MNNG by interacting with abasic sites

Higher expression of the human DNA repair enzyme MUTYH has previously been shown to be strongly associated with reduced survival in a panel of 24 human lymphoblastoid cell lines exposed to the alkylating agent N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). The molecular mechanism of MUTYH-enhanced MNNG cytotoxicity is unclear, because MUTYH has a well-established role in the repair of oxidative DNA lesions. Here, we show in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) that this MNNG-dependent phenotype does not involve oxidative DNA damage and occurs independently of both O6-methyl guanine adduct cytotoxicity and MUTYH-dependent glycosylase activity. We found that blocking of abasic (AP) sites abolishes higher survival of Mutyh-deficient (Mutyh−/−) MEFs, but this blockade had no additive cytotoxicity in WT MEFs, suggesting the cytotoxicity is due to MUTYH interactions with MNNG-induced AP sites. We found that recombinant mouse MUTYH tightly binds AP sites opposite all four canonical undamaged bases and stimulated apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1)-mediated DNA incision. Consistent with these observations, we found that stable expression of WT, but not catalytically-inactive MUTYH, enhances MNNG cytotoxicity in Mutyh−/− MEFs and that MUTYH expression enhances MNNG-induced genomic strand breaks. Taken together, these results suggest that MUTYH enhances the rapid accumulation of AP-site intermediates by interacting with APE1, implicating MUTYH as a factor that modulates the delicate process of base-excision repair independently of its glycosylase activity.
Wherein Lie the “Secrets of Life”?: An Argument Against Biological Essentialism

There is a very strong trend in American culture to impute fixed, stable, and universal properties to a wide range of behaviors and conditions, thereby essentializing their qualities and locating them within nature. Both persons with disabilities and queers have been designated as nature's deviants. The author explores parallels and points of divergence in the responses of both disability rights and queer rights activism and scholarship to this assigned classification. She further illuminates this exploration by drawing upon insights derived from growing up with a congenital disability. As a child, the author felt that her body was a “text” composed, crafted, and edited by those who had the power to manipulate it. Recently, she entered a lesbian relationship, and together she and her partner planned a commitment ceremony that allowed her to reclaim her own body, because the body of the “text” that ensued was one of their own creation.
Important Electrocatalytic Reactions

Important catalytic reactions for aqueous fuel cells, for example hydrogen and oxygen reduction and evolution, and oxidation of alternative fuels for fuel cells like hydrogen, methanol, ethanol, and formic acid are given in some detail. Although the platinum group of metals are the best catalysts for all reactions as DFT calculations predict, their activity is still relatively low. At the anode side of fuel cells, methanol and formic acid on Pt oxidize at high positive potentials beyond technological interest, and addition of second component that lowers the oxidation onset by supplying oxygen-containing species is needed. Complex kinetics of ethanol oxidation requires additional components to break the C–C bond. On the cathode side, major losses in overall cell voltage come from the complex kinetics of oxygen reduction and its low activity. Early attempts to increase the activity of Pt-based catalysts were mostly concentrated on decreasing the particle size to increase the surface to volume ratio of noble metals and alloying with other metals.
Expanding Pharmacy Services With an Intern Program at an Academic Medical Center

Background:Organizations that implement pharmacy services to provide patient education have reduced hospital readmissions and improved the patient experience. The term “pharmacy extender” has been ...
Spray-Drying Microencapsulation of Carotenoids Produced by Phaffia rhodozyma

The aim of this work was to optimize microencapsulation process conditions for carotenoids production by yeast Phaffia rhodozyma NRRL Y-17268 by spray drying with xanthan gum (XG) as coating materi...
New Advances in Osteocyte Mechanotransduction

Skeletal adaptation to mechanical loading plays a critical role in bone growth and the maintenance of bone homeostasis. Osteocytes are postulated to serve as a hub orchestrating bone remodeling. The recent findings on the molecular mechanisms by which osteocytes sense mechanical loads and the downstream bone-forming factors are reviewed. Calcium channels have been implicated in mechanotransduction in bone cells for a long time. Efforts have been made to identify a specific calcium channel mediating the skeletal response to mechanical loads. Recent studies have revealed that Piezo1, a mechanosensitive ion channel, is critical for normal bone growth and is essential for the skeletal response to mechanical loading. Identification of mechanosensors and their downstream effectors in mechanosensing bone cells is essential for new strategies to modulate regenerative responses and develop therapies to treat the bone loss related to disuse or advanced age.
Engraftment of Double Cord Blood Transplantation after Nonmyeloablative Conditioning with Escalated Total Body Irradiation Dosing to Facilitate Engraftment in Immunocompetent Patients.

ABSTRACT To improve accrual to a randomized clinical trial of double unrelated cord blood (dUCB) versus HLA-haploidentical bone marrow (haplo-BM) transplantation, patients with less previous therapy and potentially greater immunocompetence were enrolled. To reduce the risk of graft rejection, patients randomized to receive dUCB received a higher dose of total body irradiation (TBI) (300 cGy versus 200 cGy). In this study, we investigated whether the inclusion of recipients of 300 cGy TBI influenced the trial outcomes. This was a secondary analysis of dUCB recipients, 161 who received TBI 200 cGy and 18 who received TBI 300 cGy. Fine and Gray regression was used to evaluate the effect of TBI dose on relapse and nonrelapse mortality (NRM). Cox regression was used for evaluation of neutrophil engraftment and overall survival. Patient characteristics were similar in the 2 TBI dose subgroups. The probability of neutrophil engraftment was 100% for patients who received TBI 300 cGy versus 91% (95% confidence interval, 86% to 95%) for those who received TBI 200 cGy (P = .64), which was similar after regression analysis adjusting for age, total infused nucleated cell dose, HLA matching to the patient, and comorbidity score. We also investigated whether the lower survival probability and higher cumulative incidence of NRM observed in the dUCB arm of BMT CTN 1101 could be influenced by the TBI 300 cGy patient subset. There was no significant difference in the 1-year incidences of NRM and relapse or in 1-year survival, even after adjustment in multivariate analysis. Patients in BMT CTN 1101 who received TBI 300 cGy and 200 cGy had similar engraftment and early mortality. We conclude that inclusion of a modified regimen for dUCB transplantation had no demonstrable influence on this large randomized trial.
Mathieu Grenet, La fabrique communautaire: Les Grecs à Venise, Livourne et Marseille, 1770–1840

Review of Mathieu Grenet. La fabrique communautaire: Les Grecs a Venise, Livourne et Marseille, 1770–1840 . Athens: Ecole francaise d’Athenes; Rome: Ecole francaise de Rome and, 2016. 456 pp.
scHiCSRS: A Self-Representation Smoothing Method with Gaussian Mixture Model for Imputing single cell Hi-C Data

Motivation: Single-cell Hi-C techniques make it possible to study cell-to-cell variability in genomic features. However, excess zeros are commonly seen in single-cell Hi-C (scHi-C) data, making scHi-C matrices extremely sparse and bringing extra difficulties in downstream analysis. The observed zeros are a combination of two events: structural zeros for which the loci never inter- act due to underlying biological mechanisms, and dropouts or sampling zeros where the two loci interact but are not captured due to insufficient sequencing depth. Although quality improvement approaches have been proposed as an intermediate step for analyzing scHi-C data, little has been done to address these two types of zeros. We believe that differentiating between structural zeros and dropouts would benefit downstream analysis such as clustering. Results: We propose scHiCSRS, a self-representation smoothing method that improves the data quality, and a Gaussian mixture model that identifies structural zeros among observed zeros. scHiCSRS not only takes spatial dependencies of a scHi-C 2D data structure into account but also borrows information from similar single cells. Through an extensive set of simulation studies, we demonstrate the ability of scHiCSRS for identifying structural zeros with high sensitivity and for accurate imputation of dropout values in sampling zeros. Downstream analysis for three real datasets show that data improved from scHiCSRS yield more accurate clustering of cells than simply using observed data or improved data from several comparison methods.
Effects of monetary incentives on performance of nonprofessionals in document-examination proficiency tests

In September 1997 we reported on a comprehensive proficiency test administered to three groups of professional document examiners (105 individuals). Each test-taker performed 144 pairwise comparisons of original handwritten documents and matched together pairs that in his/her opinion were generated by the same hand. The test was also administered to a control group of nonprofessionals (41 individuals) whose educational profile was similar to that of the tested professionals. These nonprofessionals were motivated through a monetary incentive plan ($25 gain for each correct match: $25 fine for each erroneous match; $10 fine for failure to match documents created by the same hand). In this paper, we report on a subsequent study, aimed to discover whether changes in the monetary incentive scheme would affect the performance of nonprofessionals, and whether these schemes would close the performance gap between professionals and nonprofessionals. We administered the 1997 test again, this time to four groups of nonprofessionals (132 subjects), using four different incentive schemes (including the one used originally). We found that the four sets of data obtained under different incentives were indistinguishable, in the sense that differences between the test scores were not statistically significant. We conclude that the performance of nonprofessionals in our proficiency test was relatively insensitive to the monetary incentive scheme.
Science Information for Informing Forest Fuel Management in the Dry Forests of the Western United States

Land managers need timely and straightforward access to the best scientific information available for informing decisions on how to treat forest fuels in the dry forests of the western United States. However, although there is a tremendous amount of information available for informing fuels management decisions, often, it is in a form that is difficult to use or of limited applicability. To improve access, interpretability, and use of the full body of research, a pilot project was initiated by the USDA Forest Service to synthesize relevant scientific information and develop publications and decisions support tools that managers can use to inform fuels treatment plans. This article provides an overview of the project and briefly discusses key lessons learned as an introduction to a series of articles, to be published in future Journal of Forestry issues, on different topic areas addressed by the project.
Benchmarking the Bar: No Unity in Difference Scores

Under ABA proposed Interpretation 301-6, the primary benchmark used to measure the adequacy of a law-school's academic program would be the amount by which is "local" Bar passage rate for first-takers differs from the overall passage rate for all first-takers from ABA-approved law schools. The study used generalized linear modeling as a method to compare Bar "difference scores" of ABA-approved law-schools in two states, New York and California. The study found that Bar difference scores in California were significantly more sensitive to changes in law-school relative LSAT scores than were Bar difference scores in New York. Bar difference scores - subtracting the "local" overall ABA Bar passage rate - do not fully adjust for variations in state grading practices, especially differences in minimum passing scores ("cut scores") . . .
MASSIVE NEAR-SURFACE GROUND ICE IN ARCTIC ALASKA: DESCRIPTION AND MODELING ANALYSIS

The variability in ice-content profiles in the Arctic Coastal Plain is described and a computer model of coupled flow and ice segregation developed for the simulation of this system. The computer model demonstrated that the observed range in ice content could be a response to temporal and spatial variations in surface moisture. Further, the model produced an annual heave regime with summer compression and winter dilation in accord with empirical observation. Lastly, the model demonstrated that the active layer depth is significantly increased at wet sites.
Bioavailability of Gallic Acid and Catechins from Grape Seed Polyphenol Extract is Improved by Repeated Dosing in Rats: Implications for Treatment in Alzheimer's Disease

The present study explored the bioavailability and brain deposition of a grape seed polyphenolic extract (GSPE) previously found to attenuate cognitive deterioration in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Plasma pharmacokinetic response of major GSPE phenolic components was measured following intragastric gavage of 50, 100, and 150 mg GSPE per kg body weight. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis identified gallic acid (GA), catechin (C), and epicatechin (EC) in plasma of rats gavaged acutely with GSPE. Additionally, 4-methylgallic acid (4-OMeGA), 3'-methylcatechin (3'-OMeC), and 3'-methylepicatechin (3'-OMeEC) were identified as circulating metabolites of GSPE phenolic constituents. Cmax for individual GSPE constituents and their metabolites increased in a dose-dependent fashion (with increasing GSPE oral dose). Repeated daily exposure to GSPE was found to significantly increase bioavailability (defined as plasma AUC0-8h) of GA, C, and EC by 198, 253, and 282% relative to animals receiving only a single acute GSPE dose. EC and C were not detectable in brain tissues of rats receiving a single GSPE dose but reached levels of 290.7 +/-45.9 and 576.7 +/- 227.7 pg/g in brain tissues from rats administered GSPE for 10 days. This study suggests that brain deposition of GA, C, and EC is affected by repeated dosing of GSPE.
Biomechanical response of the pediatric abdomen, part 1: development of an experimental model and quantification of structural response to dynamic belt loading.

The abdomen is the second most commonly injured region in children using adult seat belts, but engineers are limited in their efforts to design systems that mitigate these injuries since no current pediatric dummy has the capability to quantify injury risk from loading to the abdomen. This paper develops a porcine (sus scrofa domestica) model of the 6-year-old human's abdomen, and then defines the biomechanical response of this abdominal model. First, a detailed abdominal necropsy study was undertaken, which involved collecting a series of anthropometric measurements and organ masses on 25 swine, ranging in age from 14 to 429 days (4-101 kg mass). These were then compared to the corresponding human quantities to identify the best porcine representation of a 6-year-old human's abdomen. This was determined to be a pig of age 77 days, and whole-body mass of 21.4 kg. The sub-injury, quasistatic response to belt loading of this porcine model compared well with pediatric human volunteer tests performed with a lap belt on the lower abdomen. A test fixture was designed to produce transverse, dynamic belt loading on the porcine abdomen. A detailed review of field cases identified the following test variables: loading location (upper/lower), penetration magnitude (23%-68% of initial abdominal depth), muscle tensing (yes/no), and belt penetration rate (quasistatic, dynamic 2.9 m/s - 7.8 m/s). Dynamic tests were performed on 47 post-mortem subjects. Belt tension and dorsal reaction force were cross-plotted with abdominal penetration to generate structural response corridors. Subcutaneous stimulation of the anterior abdominal muscle wall stiffened the quasistatic response significantly, but was of negligible importance in the dynamic tests. The upper abdomen exhibited stiffer response quasistatically, and also was more sensitive to penetration rate, with stiffness increasing significantly over the range of dynamic rates tested here. In contrast, the lower abdomen was relatively rate insensitive. To our knowledge, this is the only dynamic structural characterization study on a comprehensively developed experimental model of the 6-year-old human abdomen. The structural corridors developed here should lead to the development of both mechanical (i.e., crash dummies) and computational pediatric models that are more useful for assessing injurious levels of belt penetration into the abdomen. Language: en
Analysis of micro-level behavior of ad hoc network MAC

In mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), protocol behavior is most commonly studied at a macro level: connections are examined to see how their throughput fares through the entire network. In some instances, this level of analysis cannot explain the observed behavior or provide insight necessary to predict behavior in other scenarios. As a result, general solutions to problems such as unfairness which are rooted in low level behavior fail to take into account the basic behavior that causes the problems. In this paper, we use a complimentary approach where we examine behavior at a much lower level, by studying the interactions among two single hop connections in all possible configurations in terms of the relationship between of the senders and receivers. We study these connections using the standard 802.11 MAC protocol, with and without the request to send and clear to send (RTS/CTS) control packets, as well as with a well-known fairness algorithm. We isolate configurations that cause unfairness and inefficient behavior. Understanding the root causes of these problems is a first step towards a more complete understanding of connection behavior in MANETs that will allow developing fair access algorithms that directly target the causes of the observed problems.
A Self-Generating Model of Long-Swings for the American Economy, 1860–1940

In this article we investigate the nature of long-term fluctuations (commonly called long-swings or Kuznets cycles) in the general level of activity of the American economy over the period between the Civil War and the Great Depression. We conclude that a stable socio-economic structure of long-term economic change was in existence over this entire period. This structure defines a concurrence of relationships between certain economic and demographic variables which in combination determined the dynamic pattern by which economic growth proceeded. Our findings should be of interest to the economic historian studying the general process of economic growth in a capitalist economy.
The release of nucleotide from the adrenal medulla by indirectly acting sympathomimetic amines

Abstract Cat adrenal glands were perfused with Locke's solution, and phenylethylamine, d-amphetamine, or acetylcholine was added to the perfusion medium for 1 or 2 min. The catecholamine (CA) and AMP content of the perfusate was determined. Molar ratios (CA/AMP) of approximately 6 were obtained when amphetamine, phenylethylamine, or acetylcholine was employed as a secretogogue. It is concluded that the sympathomimetic amines, like acetylcholine, release medullary catecholamines from a granular fraction; however, the mechanism of release is not one of simple displacement.