cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Caenorhabditis elegans kettin, a large immunoglobulin-like repeat protein, binds to filamentous actin and provides mechanical stability to the contractile apparatuses in body wall muscle.

Kettin is a large actin-binding protein with immunoglobulin-like (Ig) repeats, which is associated with the thin filaments in arthropod muscles. Here, we report identification and functional characterization of kettin in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that one of the monoclonal antibodies that were raised against C. elegans muscle proteins specifically reacts with kettin (Ce-kettin). We determined the entire cDNA sequence of Ce-kettin that encodes a protein of 472 kDa with 31 Ig repeats. Arthropod kettins are splice variants of much larger connectin/titin-related proteins. However, the gene for Ce-kettin is independent of other connectin/titin-related genes. Ce-kettin localizes to the thin filaments near the dense bodies in both striated and nonstriated muscles. The C-terminal four Ig repeats and the adjacent non-Ig region synergistically bind to actin filaments in vitro. RNA interference of Ce-kettin caused weak disorganization of the actin filaments in body wall muscle. This phenotype was suppressed by inhibiting muscle contraction by a myosin mutation, but it was enhanced by tetramisole-induced hypercontraction. Furthermore, Ce-kettin was involved in organizing the cytoplasmic portion of the dense bodies in cooperation with α-actinin. These results suggest that kettin is an important regulator of myofibrillar organization and provides mechanical stability to the myofibrils during contraction.
Effects of a Prenatal Teaching Program on Postpartum Regeneration of the Pubococcygeal Muscle

Abstract A quasi-experimental design was used to compare postpartum perineometer readings of an experimental group of 32 women receiving a prenatal teaching program for the use of Kegel exercises with a control group of 30 women for whom the instructional program was omitted. All subjects received postpartum instruction from a pre-existing program presented by hospital staff. Significantly higher mean postpartum perineometer readings (t = 4.07; P
Description of the preimaginal stages of Dibolocelus ovatus (Gemminger and Harold, 1868) (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae: Hydrophilinae)

The larva, pupa and egg case of Dibolocelus ovatus are described and illustrated with line drawings. Biological observations, based on material reared in laboratory, are included.
Commissioning of the Superconducting Linac at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)

The use of superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities in particle accelerator is becoming more widespread. Among the projects that make use of that technology is the Spallation Neutron Source, where H-ions are accelerated to about 1 GeV, mostly making use of niobium elliptical cavities. SNS will use the accelerated short (about 700 ns) sub-bunches of protons to generate neutrons by spallation, which will in turn allow probing structural and magnetic properties of new and existing materials. The SNS superconducting linac is the largest application of RF superconductivity to come on-line in the last decade. The SRF cavities, operated at 805 MHz, were designed, built and integrated into cryomodules at Jefferson Lab and installed and tested at SNS. SNS is also the first proton-like accelerator which uses SRF cavities in a pulse mode. Many of the details of the cavity performance are peculiar to this mode of operation, which is also being applied to lepton accelerators (TESLA test facility and X-FEL at DESY and the international linear collider project). Thanks to the low frequency of the SNS superconducting cavities, operation at 4.2 K has been possible without beam energy degradation, even though the cavities and cryogenic systems were originally designed for 2.1 K operation. The testing of the superconducting cavities, the operating experience with beam and the performance of the superconducting linac will be presented.
Social skills development in children with autism spectrum disorders: a review of the intervention research

Social reciprocity deficits are a core feature of the autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This review summarizes the state of research in group-based social skills training programs for school-age children and adolescents with ASD. All published studies of group social skills interventions between 1985 and 2006 were reviewed, as well as dissertations examining group-based social skills intervention programs. To assess the state of the science, a template developed by an NIMH work group was applied to 14 identified studies. Based on this review, the empirical support for this approach is incomplete, but promising intervention strategies were identified. Recommendations for the design of future treatment trials to guide clinical practice are offered.
Global feature-based attention to orientation

Selective attention to motion direction can modulate the strength of direction-selective sensory responses regardless of their spatial locations. Although such spatially global modulation is thought to be a general property of feature-based attention, few studies have examined visual features other than motion. Here, we used an adaptation protocol combined with attentional instructions to assess whether attention to orientation, a prominent feature in early visual processing, also exhibit such spatially global modulation. We adapted observers to an orientation by cuing them to attend to the orientation in a compound grating that was presented at a peripheral location. We then assessed the size of the tilt aftereffect at three locations that were never stimulated by the adapter. Attending to orientation produced a tilt aftereffect in these locations, indicating that attention modulated orientation-selective mechanisms in remote locations from the adapter. Furthermore, there was no difference in the magnitude of the tilt aftereffect for test stimuli that were located at different distances and hemifields to the adapter. These results suggest that attention to orientation spreads uniformly across the visual field. Thus, spatially global modulation seems to be a general property of feature-based attention, and it provides a flexible mechanism to modulate feature salience across the visual field.
Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse Among Female Nurses and Nursing Personnel: Prevalence and Risk Factors

This study examines the prevalence and risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) and intimate partner abuse (IPA) against female nurses and nursing personnel (n == 1981). Data were collected...
Reconstruction of magnetic clouds in the solar wind: Orientations and configurations

[1] We develop a new approach for determining the orientation of the axis (z) of finite-β magnetic flux ropes from single-spacecraft data. It consists of an optimization procedure based on two-dimensional magnetohydrostatic theory. From the requirement that the transverse pressure, Pt = p + Bz2/2μ0, be a function of the calculated magnetic potential, A, alone, an optimal z axis is found. Benchmark studies using analytical flux rope solutions show the feasibility of this axis-determination approach. Two magnetic cloud events, on 18 October 1995 and 9 January 1997, observed by the Wind spacecraft at 1 AU, are examined. The time series of plasma and magnetic field data, collected when the magnetic structures move past the spacecraft, are utilized as spatial initial values for numerical integration of the nonlinear, plane Grad-Shafranov equation. The recovered magnetic cloud structures show helical magnetic field configurations, representative of magnetic flux ropes, with invariance along their axes. Their cross sections consist of nested irregular loops of transverse field lines rather than the concentric circles of an axially symmetric model. In addition to their axis orientations, we obtain other quantitative features of the two magnetic clouds from their recovered cross sections, including their sizes (diameters ∼ 0.2 AU), their impact parameters (|y0| ≲ 0.01 AU), their maximum axial field strengths (20 and 14 nT, respectively), and the twist of field lines (∼ 1.30–2.68 turns AU−1) around the flux rope's axis. We find that errors in the orientation of the flux rope axis may result in significant variations in the main parameters, i.e., the impact parameter, as well as the size and shape of the cross section.
Disability as a Function of Social Networks and Support in Elderly African Americans and Whites The Duke EPESE 1986–1992

Objectives. We examined the association of structural and functional aspects of social relationships with change in disability, and the degree to which race modifies these associations. Methods. Data are from a population-based sample of 4,136 African Americans and Whites aged ^ 65 living in North Carolina. Disability data were collected during seven consecutive yearly interviews and summarized in two outcome measures. Measures of social relationships included five measures representing network size, extent of social interaction, and specific type of relationships, as well as instrumental and emotional support. Weighted proportional odds models were fitted to model disability as a function of baseline social network and support variables, and the interaction of each variable with follow-up time. Results. Network size and social interaction showed significant negative associations with disability risks, which did not vary by race, or as a function of time. Social interaction with friends was associated with a reduced risk for disability, but social interaction with children or relatives was not related to disability. Instrumental support was associated with a significantly increased disability risk, with a greater adverse effect among Whites than African Americans. Emotional support was not associated with disability, but a protective effect for ADL disability was found after controlling for its intercorrelation with instrumental support. Discussion. The findings provide further evidence for the role of social relationships in the disablement process, although not all types of social relationships may be equally beneficial. Furthermore, these associations may be more complex than simple causal effects. There were few racial differences in the association of social relationships with disability, with the possible exception of instrumental support, which may allude to possible sociocultural differences in the experience of instrumental support exchanges.
Energy Harvesting Technology Development at DARPA

Programs in the Defense Sciences Office (DSO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) bridge the gap from fundamental science to applications by identifying and pursuing the most promising ideas within the science and engineering research communities and transforming these ideas into new DoD capabilities. The Department of Defense (DoD) recognizes that our dependence on fossil fuel must be reduced and is actively supporting new technical solutions to this challenge. Moreover, advancements in alternative energy generation and storage technologies will render the warfighter more efficient, capable and mobile. Energy harvesting is a central pathway to solving this critical need. This paper will highlight two DARPA DSO programs which are making significant strides in the advancement in materials to improve energy harvesting technology with a focus on rapid transition to the end user. The Nanostructured Materials for Power (NMP) program is developing high performance thermoelectric materials and devices for energy harvesting with goals of energy conversion of 30%. The Low-Cost, Lightweight Portable Photovoltaics (PoP) program is developing integrated PV technologies with high power conversion efficiency (20%) in a form factor capable of being produced at low cost on flexible substrates. The paper will review the goals of the programs, discuss their implications, and highlight some of the research strategies underway.
Sleep quality, social well-being, gender, and inflammation: an integrative analysis in a national sample

Social isolation and poor sleep quality are independent predictors of poor health outcomes and increased biological risk for disease. We previously found in a small sample of older women that the presence of social ties compensated for poor sleep in associations with the inflammatory protein interleukin 6 (IL-6). The current study extended those findings to a national sample of middle-aged and older men and women. Using both subjective and objective sleep assessments, we found that in men, but not in women, social engagement moderated the association of subjective sleep complaints with both IL-6 and the soluble adhesion molecule E-selectin. Social engagement also moderated the link between sleep efficiency—assessed by actigraphy—and IL-6 levels in men, but not in women. These results extend our previous work and bolster the suggestion that positive psychological functioning may compensate for other risk factors in predicting advantageous profiles of biological risk in aging adults.
The politics and economics of increased correctional discretion over time served: A new york case study

(1995). The politics and economics of increased correctional discretion over time served: A new york case study. Justice Quarterly: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 307-323.
Decreased Conduit Perfusion Measured by Spectroscopy Is Associated With Anastomotic Complications

Background Gastric conduit ischemia during esophagectomy likely contributes to high anastomotic complication rates, yet we lack a reliable method to assess gastric conduit perfusion. We hypothesize that optical fiber spectroscopy (OFS) can reliably assess conduit perfusion and that the degree of intraoperative gastric ischemia is associated with subsequent anastomotic complications. Methods During esophagectomy, OFS was used to measure oxygen saturation (Sao 2 ) and blood volume fraction (BVF) in the distal gastric conduit at baseline and after gastric devascularization, conduit formation, and transposition. The Sao 2 and BVF readings were correlated to clinical outcomes. Results The OFS measurements were obtained in 23 patients during esophagectomy, four of whom previously underwent gastric ischemic conditioning. Eight patients developed anastomotic complications. Compared with baseline, conduit creation produced a 29.4% reduction in Sao 2 ( p p = 0.06). Patients with subsequent anastomotic complications demonstrated a 52.5% decrease in Sao 2 upon conduit creation compared with 15.1% in patients without complications ( p = 0.01). Patients who underwent ischemic conditioning did not develop significant changes in Sao 2 ( p = 0.72) or BVF ( p = 0.5) upon gastric conduit creation. Conclusions Intraoperative OFS demonstrates significant alterations in gastric conduit oxygenation during esophageal replacement, which may be tempered by gastric ischemic conditioning. The degree of intraoperative gastric ischemia resulting from gastric conduit creation is associated with the development of anastomotic complications, suggesting that OFS is useful for assessing changes in conduit oxygenation during esophagectomy. Further studies are needed to refine this technology and investigate the clinical utility of intraoperative conduit oxygenation data.
The Effects of Harmful Algal Blooms on Aquatic Organisms

(2002). The Effects of Harmful Algal Blooms on Aquatic Organisms. Reviews in Fisheries Science: Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 113-390.
The good, the bad, and the ugly facts of tornado survival

Anytime that tornadoes interface with people, the results are often grim. The varied characteristics of tornado windfields and the diverse techniques of home construction complicate the expected outcomes of such interactions. Since it is now known that tornadoes do not produce unfathomable winds, engineers have developed techniques for increasing a home’s tornado resistance; thus, increasing the odds of survival of the inhabitants. Even considering these advances, tornadoes still wreak havoc and cause much causality every year. The story of tornado survival is partly chance, partly knowledge, and partly science. This essay utilizes analogies between a popular motion picture and the state of the art of tornado-resistant construction to illustrate the good, the bad, and the ugly facts of tornado survival. First examined are the positive aspects of tornado probability. The odds of experiencing a tornado are so low that massive expenditures are not necessarily cost effective. Next, various techniques of tornado-resistant construction practices are included for new and existing structures. Introduction of equations for predicting debris penetration are compared with various building techniques to describe the viability of tornado protection. The negative aspect of tornado/structure interfaces describes the fact that despite contemporary construction and prevention exercise, the unpredictability of the tornado windfield causes tremendous damage and loss of life. The final section examines the interface between tornadoes and mobile homes. This proves very ugly in every aspect of the word. Statistics and equations confirm the inherent dangers of such an interaction. Also, described is a novel approach to the design of a portable tornado shelter.
Grasp Force Control in Older Adults

Diminished tactile sensibility and impaired hand dexterity have been reported for elderly individuals. Reports that younger adults with severely impaired tactile sensibility use excessive grasp force during routine grasp and manipulation tasks raise the possibility that elderly persons likewise produce large grasp forces that may contribute to impaired dexterity. Impaired pseudomotor functioning also occurs in elderly subjects and may yield a slipperier skin surface that enhances the possibility for excessive grasp force. The present study measured grasp force in 10 elderly and 9 young adult individuals, during grasp and vertical lift of a small object, using a precision (pinch) grip of the thumb and index finger. The slipperiness of the object's gripped surfaces was unexpectedly varied. Skin slipperiness was estimated by also measuring the grasp force at which the object slipped from grasp. The older subjects employed grasp forces that were, on average, twice as large as those of the young subjects, with some producing forces many times greater than the young subjects' average grip force. Grip forces also were significantly more variable across trials in older subjects. This increased variability was not caused simply by the elderly subjects' increased grip force. A portion of the increased force was due to increased skin slipperiness. The grip force that the elderly subjects produced in excess of the slip force (the "margin of safety" against object slippage) was larger than would have been predicted from their skin slipperiness, however. It is suggested that, in part, the excessive grasp forces represent a strategic response to tactile sensibility impairment. Twopoint discrimination limina in the older subjects averaged about four times greater than in the younger subjects. Increased grasp forces in elderly persons may result from other factors, such as increased variability in grip force production. The contributions of excessive grasp forces to impaired dexterity in older persons still need to be addressed experimentally.
Visual motion integration in schizophrenia patients, their first-degree relatives, and patients with bipolar disorder

Many schizophrenia patients show degraded detection of coherent motion. This visual deficit may (1) be a consequence of having a specifically schizophrenic psychosis, (2) be a non-specific effect of suffering from a severe illness (i.e., "generalized deficit"), or (3) reflect properties of the visual motion processing system that play an antecedent, possibly causal role in the pathophysiology of a disposition to schizophrenia. To distinguish among these possibilities, we measured the accuracy of detecting the direction of coherent motion in 29 schizophrenia patients, 20 first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients, 19 patients with bipolar disorder and 33 normal controls. The task requires the integration of dynamic signals from stochastic random dot patterns in order to discern the direction of their motion. Schizophrenia patients, as a group, showed significantly elevated thresholds for detecting the direction of coherent motion, but relatives of schizophrenia patients and patients with bipolar disorder did not differ from normal controls on this task. The results indicate that visual motion integration, normally mediated in motion-sensitive brain areas such as the Middle Temporal Area, is impaired in patients with a clinically manifest schizophrenic psychosis, but is intact in patients with a non-schizophrenic psychosis (bipolar disorder) and in the relatives of schizophrenia patients. Our findings suggest that deficiencies in integrating motion signals, while specific for schizophrenia, do not seem to be a co-familial trait.
Using repeating volcano-tectonic earthquakes to track post-eruptive activity in the conduit system at Redoubt Volcano, Alaska

In the year following the end of the 2009 eruption of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, four signifi cant swarms of low-frequency, lowmagnitude (M L < 0.1) earthquakes occurred at shallow depths beneath the summit. Because swarms of low-frequency (LF) earthquakes preceded eruptions in 1989 and 2009, the posteruption swarms caused considerable concern and prompted the Alaska Volcano Observatory to raise the monitoring levels on three occasions. None of these swarms led to eruptions, however, and most observers (including us) initially concluded that the swarms had been caused by minor stress adjustments in the new lava dome or in the surrounding summit glaciers. New observations reveal that the shallow LF swarms were accompanied by 2 families of repeating earthquakes at depths between 3 km and 6 km below sea level, where the magma storage region is thought to be. These mid-crustal volcano-tectonic (VT) type earthquakes were identical to earthquakes recorded during the 2009 Redoubt eruption more than 6 months earlier. Focal mechanisms demonstrate that these earthquakes have thrust mechanisms inconsistent with the strike-slip nature of regional faulting. Based on these observations, we conclude that they are generated through processes occurring within the magma storage region. The concurrence of the repeating VT earthquakes with the shallow LF swarms indicates that the shallow LF earthquakes were also magmatically driven. Our results emphasize that even brief episodes of low-amplitude earthquake activity, such as the LF swarms observed at Redoubt following the 2009 eruption, can be indicative of magmatic activity. Perhaps more signifi cant, however, is the demonstration that the conduit system at Redoubt remained active, intact, and capable of transporting heat and fl uids to the surface months after the eruption was considered over.
Procedure based program compression

Cost and power consumption are two of the most important design factors for many embedded systems, particularly consumer devices. Products such as personal digital assistants, pagers with integrated data services and smart phones have fixed performance requirements but unlimited appetites for reduced cost and increased battery life. Program compression is one technique that can be used to attack both of these problems. Compressed programs require less memory, thus reducing the cost of both direct materials and manufacturing. Furthermore, by relying on compressed memory, the total number of memory references is reduced. This reduction saves power by lowering the traffic on high-capacitance buses. This paper discusses a new approach to implementing transparent program compression that requires little or no hardware support. Procedures are compressed individually, and a directory structure is used to bind them together at run-time. Decompressed procedures are explicitly cached in ordinary RAM as complete units, thus resolving references within each procedure. This approach has been evaluated on a set of 25 embedded multimedia and communications applications, and results in an average memory reduction of 40% with a run-time performance overhead of 10%.
A screen for short-range paracrine interactions.

Conventional methods for studying paracrine signaling in vitro may not be sensitive to short-range effects resulting from signal dilution or decay. We employ a microfabricated culture substrate to maintain two cell populations in microscale proximity. Individual populations can be quickly retrieved for cell-specific readouts by standard high-throughput assays. We show that this platform is sensitive to short-range interactions that are not detectable by common methods such as conditioned media transfer or porous cell culture inserts, as revealed by gene expression changes in a tumor–stromal crosstalk model. In addition, we are able to detect population-specific gene expression changes that would have been masked in mixed co-cultures. We thus demonstrate a tool for investigating an important class of intercellular communication that may be overlooked in conventional biological studies.
Coronary artery-left ventricular communications: a report of two cases and review of the literature.

Two patients with chest pain had angiographically-demonstrated communications between the three coronary arteries and the left ventricular chamber. Communications between coronary arteries and the left ventricle are unusual and communications between all three coronary arteries and the left ventricle are rare. These anomalies are, however, commonly associated with symptoms of chest pain. The presence of left ventricular hypertrophy and a widened pulse pressure may suggest a greater hemo-dynamic effect of the shunt flow than often suspected angiographically.
Peroral endoscopic anastomotic reduction improves intractable dumping syndrome in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients.

Abstract Background Dumping syndrome is a well-described consequence of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Although the condition can benefit some patients with morbid obesity, a subset will develop intractable dumping syndrome characterized by symptomatic episodes with most meals. We describe the first series of patients successfully treated endoscopically for intractable dumping syndrome. Methods Endoscopic gastrojejunal anastomotic reduction was performed in patients with intractable dumping syndrome after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass using a combination of argon plasma coagulation, endoscopic suturing, and fibrin glue. The technical feasibility of endoscopic anastomotic reduction and the clinical improvement in dumping symptoms were assessed by clinical follow-up. Results Endoscopic anastomotic reduction was technically successful in 6 consecutive patients with a dilated gastrojejunal anastomosis and intractable dumping syndrome. One patient reported hematemesis 2 days after the procedure that was treated endoscopically. No other significant complications occurred. Complete and persistent resolution of the dumping symptoms was achieved in all patients, with a median follow-up of 636 days. Conclusion Endoscopic anastomotic reduction appears technically feasible and safe and might be a minimally invasive treatment option for patients who experience intractable dumping symptoms after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Additional studies are needed to determine the long-term efficacy of this procedure.
Landscape Degradation Modelling: An Environmental Impact Assessment for Rural Landscape Prioritisation

Abstract Landscape Degradation Assessment (LDA) of rural areas can play a crucial role in landscape planning. Japan lacks quantitative and cumulative Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) methodologies, especially in the area of LDA. Although a decision support system is in place for very large projects (Class-1) in Japan, EIAs for much smaller projects are non-existent, which often results in ambiguity with regard to environmental problems. To improve the transparency of the decision-making process for rural landscape planning, increase the scale of the assessment of project size to a more strategic local level, and enhance effective communication with decision-makers, a new EIA procedure is proposed with the development of a Landscape Degradation Model (LDM) for rural areas in Japan. The procedure is based on the equation, LD=Σ kI/V, where LD represents the degradation coefficient of the landscape compartments, Σ kI represents the cumulative impact of human activities, and V quantifies the vulnerability...
The Only Player in Town: A Formal Explanation of the Maintenance and Erosion of the Unity of a Dominant Party's Elite

This paper proposes a sequential game between two party factions -- the ruling and minority factions - to analyze under which circumstances the leaders of an authoritarian dominant party might prefer to remain united, when will they opt to defect or expel other factions from the party, and what might be the consequences of this process. The model confirms that a dominant party is likely to remain united when all its factions receive a high absolute payoff, as has been already proposed by Geddes. However, the game reveals that this same result might take place even if the minority faction receives a low absolute payoff, largely because the ruling faction can decrease the former's chances of improving its payoff in other parties through the use of repression. Given this distinction, two concrete causal mechanisms are derived from the model to explain why the minority faction might leave the dominant party, and when this might happen. The game also reveals why different types of defections might affect in distinct ways the prospects of survival of a dominant party.
Keynote lecture 3: Brain-computer interfaces

Dr. Michael Boninger is a Professor and UPMC Endowed Chair in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine and Director of the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute. He is a physician researcher for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and is the Medical Director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, a VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence. Dr. Boninger has an extensive publication record of over 200 papers in the areas of spinal cord injury and technology. The technologies Dr. Boninger has investigated vary from brain computer interfaces to wheelchairs. His central focus is on enabling increased function and participation for individuals with disabilities through development and application of assistive, rehabilitative and regenerative technologies. Dr. Boninger also has extensive experience and publications related to training researchers. His students have won over 50 national awards. Dr. Boninger holds 4 United States patents and has received numerous honors, including being inducted into the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science in 2013.
A Method of Separating and Monitoring Honeybee Flight Activity at the Hive Entrance

SummaryA method for directing the traffic flow of honeybees at the hive entrance, and counting bees electronically, was developed. It achieves maximal separation of incoming and outgoing bees without using inhibitory devices that could bias activity. The counter samples at the entrance and exit alternately, concurrently recording other data. The data may be retrieved manually or interfaced with a digital counter or computer.
How Does Supervisor Support and Diversity Management Affect Employee Participation in Work/Family Policies?:

The federal government, among other employers, has been providing various work/family programs and numerous studies have tried to uncover whether those programs are effective in terms of job-relate...
Congress Debates Data Breach Legislation

The problem of data breaches is widespread and not going away anytime soon. According to data compiled by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, nearly 340 million data records containing personally identifying information have been “compromised due to security breaches” since 2005. Over 200 data breaches have already occurred in 2009. Individual breaches can range from just a few records to tens of millions. Congress is now considering a national data breach notification law that would apply across all 50 states. The “Data Accountability and Trust Act” (H.R. 2221) would provide for a uniform notification policy, require the Federal Trade Commission to develop standards for data security, require data brokers to provide access by individuals to their personal records and correct any errors, and allow both the FTC and state attorneys general to initiate lawsuits against companies for non-compliance.
Changing, Not Balancing, the Market: Economic Politics and "Social" Programs

Arguments about market principles have helped to defeat or constrain virtually every progressive or liberal policy and law reform in the last several decades. In defense of progressive political projects, supporters typically aim to show how various social programs either complement the market (as social redistribution) or conform to the market (as efficiency promoting corrections of market failures). This paper argues for a different approach to defending progressive political and legal projects, explaining that the very division between market and non-market goals is a problematic political strategy with no logical coherence. The metaphor of the market serves to place certain constraints on progressive political and legal goals beyond political and analytical questioning, turning those constraints into natural (or supernatural) law. Even though many legal scholars and policymakers give lip service to the idea that markets and states are thoroughly entangled, many are nonetheless content to place much of the responsibility for a world of hideous inequality and violence on market forces that elude human agency and interest. Instead of taking sides in the divides of market/non-market, efficiency/redistribution, or economic/social goals, progressives should ask what kinds of markets, in whose interests, deserve public support? Using the examples of AFDC (now TANF) and workers' compensation, I show how progressives could better defend progressive policies by adopting an approach focusing on changing, not balancing, the market. This essay adapts and develops arguments in my longer article, Efficiency and Social Citizenship: Challenging the Neoliberal Attack on the Welfare State, 78 Indiana L.J. 783 (2003).
Role of the Slug Transcription Factor in Chemically-Induced Skin Cancer

The Slug transcription factor plays an important role in ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced skin carcinogenesis, particularly in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurring during tumor progression. In the present studies, we investigated the role of Slug in two-stage chemical skin carcinogenesis. Slug and the related transcription factor Snail were expressed at high levels in skin tumors induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz[α]anthracene application followed by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) treatment. TPA-induced transient elevation of Slug and Snail proteins in normal mouse epidermis and studies in Slug transgenic mice indicated that Slug modulates TPA-induced epidermal hyperplasia and cutaneous inflammation. Although Snail family factors have been linked to inflammation via interactions with the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pathway, a pathway that also plays an important role in skin carcinogenesis, transient TPA induction of Slug and Snail appeared unrelated to COX-2 expression. In cultured human keratinocytes, TPA induced Snail mRNA expression while suppressing Slug expression, and this differential regulation was due specifically to activation of the TPA receptor. These studies show that Slug and Snail exhibit similar patterns of expression during both UVR and chemical skin carcinogenesis, that Slug and Snail can be differentially regulated under some conditions and that in vitro findings may not recapitulate in vivo results.
Comparison of small polaron migration and phase separation in olivine LiMnPO 4 and LiFePO 4 using hybrid density functional theory

Using hybrid density functional theory based on the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE06) functional, we compared polaron migration and phase separation in olivine LiMnPO4 to LiFePO4. The barriers for free hole and electron polaron migration in the Mn olivine system are calculated to be 303 and 196 meV, respectively, significantly higher than the corresponding barriers of 170 and 133 meV, respectively, for the Fe olivine system, in agreement with previous experimental findings. These results suggest that the electronic conductivities of LiMnPO4 and MnPO4 are about 177 and 11 times lower than their respective Fe analogs at room temperature. In the presence of lithium vacancies or ions, the barriers for both hole and electron polaron migration were found to be about 100‐120 meV higher in the Mn olivine. The HSE06 functional, with its more universal treatment of self-interaction error, was found to be essential to the proper localization of a polaron in the Mn olivine but predicted qualitatively incorrect phase separation behavior in the LixFePO4 system.
Specific Immobilization of Biotinylated Fusion Proteins NGF and Sema3A Utilizing a Photo-Cross-Linkable Diazirine Compound for Controlling Neurite Extension

In this study we report the successful synthesis of N-(2-mercaptoethyl)-3-(3-methyl-3H-diazirine-3-yl) propanamide (N-MCEP-diazirine), with sulfhydryl and amine photoreactive ends to allow recombinant protein tethering to chitosan films. This regimen allows mimicry of the physiological endeavor of axon pathfinding in the nervous system where neurons rely on cues for guidance during development and regeneration. Our strategy incorporates strong covalent and noncovalent interactions, utilizing N-MCEP-diazirine, maleimide–streptavidin complex, and two custom biotinylated-fusion proteins, nerve growth factor (bNGF), and semaphorin3A (bSema3A). Synthetic yield of N-MCEP-diazirine was 87.3 ± 1.9%. Characteristic absorbance decrease at 348 nm after N-MCEP-diazirine exposure to UV validated the photochemical properties of the diazirine moiety, and the attachment of cross-linker to chitosan films was verified with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Fluorescence techniques showed no significant differe...
Finding Common Ground Exploring Undergraduate Student Volunteering as a Support for Parents of Children With Autism

There are many unmet needs among parents of children with autism for parent respite and social time for their children. The use of undergraduate student volunteers is a potential strategy for meeting some of these needs. Separate focus groups for parents and for undergraduates were convened to assess feasibility, comfort, reservations, and mutual interest in this approach. Both parents and students identified common ground over undergraduate volunteer services, and described the boundaries of participation within which they felt comfortable. Findings suggest that student-provided respite care is a feasible support for parents raising children with autism and for students seeking volunteer and career-orientation experiences.
PCR detection of acute oral pathogenicity of microbial pesticide trichoderma wettable powder

OBJECTIVE:To detect the acute oral toxicity/pathogenicity of trichoderma wettable powder (WP),and to explore the application of PCR method in the pathogenicity of microbial pesticides. METHODS:56 Wistar rats were randomly divided into a control group and exposed groups with 28 rats in each group and half male and half female. Trichoderma WP was selected as the test sample. The rats of exposure group were treated with 108 spores by gavage. Animals of control group were gavaged with normal saline. At the 1st,7th,14th and 21st day after exposure,stools were collected,then rats were sacrificed and the kidneys,liver,heart,and other organs were eviscerated. DNA of the tissue samples were extracted,then amplified with PCR. The symptoms of poisoning including mortality and body weight of animals were recorded. Dead animals were dissected and histopathological examination were performed. RESULTS:Only the amplification products of stools on the 1st day appeared positive but not on the 7th,14th and 21st days. The amplification products of the remaining organs did not appear positive. No mortality was observed after exposure . In the histopathological examination no pathological changes were found. CONCLUSION:The trichoderma was found to exist only in the gastrointestinal tract,and was gradually excreted,It did not infect the animal’s tissues and organs,suggesting the test sample had no pathogenicity in rats. PCR method could effectively detect the excretion of the test substance,with a good specificity which could be used as a detection method for oral toxicity/pathogenicity of microbial pesticide.
From unsolvable to solvable: an exploration of simple changes

This paper investigates how readily an unsolvable constraint satisfaction problem can be reformulated so that it becomes solvable. We investigate small changes in the definitions of the problem's constraints, changes that alter neither the structure of its constraint graph nor the tightness of its constraints. Our results show that structured and unstructured problems respond differently to such changes, as do easy and difficult problems taken from the same problem class. Several plausible explanations for this behavior are discussed.
Linking Environmentalism and Marketing Strategy: A Key to Sustainable Success

Protecting, conserving, and preserving the physical or "green" environment (i.e., environmentalism) will increasingly become a crucial challenge to the success of American businesses in the years to come. According to Sony President Akio Morita, one of the central issues that will be facing businesses in the 21st century will most likely pertain to the physical environment (Winsemius and Guntram 1992). Two recent survey studies concur with Morita's observation. The Harvard Business Review's findings based on a world-wide survey of 12,000 managers suggest that "environmental issues such as waste disposal and pollution are the second highest social priority" of the respondents (Kanter 1991: 156). Additionally, the findings of a study sponsored by the American Marketing Association report that concern over the physical environment has clearly emerged as the most important issue affecting [global] marketing (Czinkota and Ronkainen 1992).
Understanding the factors that shape dispositions toward students with disabilities: a case study of three general education pre-service teachers

ABSTRACTPresently, there is limited research that explores how the nature of pre-service teachers’ prior experience informs their dispositional development, and it has yet to be determined whether the pedagogical needs of these prospective teachers vary based on their level of prior exposure. This qualitative case study examines the dispositions of three pre-service teachers enrolled in a year-long graduate education programme in the United States and considers the role that prior experience plays in their dispositional development. Findings from this study reveal that participants’ dispositions appear to be affected more significantly by coursework and fieldwork than by prior experience, and the culture of the school plays a critical role in a pre-service teachers’ dispositional development. This study addresses gaps in current research by offering insight into the nuanced nature of pre-service teachers’ dispositional development.
Double Vision: Replicating a Trial Showing a Survival Benefit.

Many physicians boast that there is no reason to read or keep up with the medical literature. Why? If it is true that 1 trial is never enough to change clinical practice, clinicians can always claim that they are waiting for confirmatory evidence and for critical review by regulatory authorities and
I tawt i taw a puddy tat: Gestures in canary row narrations by high-functioning youth with autism spectrum disorder.

This study examined whether individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) produce co-speech gestures similarly to typically developing (TD) peers. Participants were 20 youth ages 10-18 years with high-functioning ASD and 21 TD controls matched on age, gender, verbal IQ, and handedness. Gestures were elicited using a classic narrative-retelling task, in which participants watched a Tweety and Sylvester cartoon and retold the cartoon to a confederate. Analyses compared gesture rate, type, and viewpoint (character, observer, dual) across groups. Communicative utility of gestures was measured via naive coder ratings of whether a movement was a gesture, and the clarity of a gesture's meaning. The ASD group produced shorter narratives and fewer total gestures than the TD group. Accounting for narrative length, the ASD group produced fewer gestures per clause than the TD group; however, proportions of gesture types (iconic, deictic, beat, metaphoric, emblems) did not differ. Most notably, the ASD group's gestures were rated as less clearly gestures in terms of timing and well formedness, with lower certainty ratings for gesture meaning. Gesture clarity and gesture meaning scores were related to diagnostic measures of gesture competence in ASD. Findings suggest that although fluent children and adolescents with ASD use the same type of gestures as controls, their gestures are more difficult to understand, which has significant implications for their communicative abilities more broadly. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1353-1363. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Efficacy of a Pre-Workout Vegan Supplement on High-Intensity Cycling Performance in Healthy College-Aged Males.

ABSTRACTThere is a limited supply of sport nutrition supplements currently available for vegan or vegetarian athletes. In addition, the efficacy of a vegan or vegetarian pre-workout supplement that does not contain any processed ingredients or stimulants is currently unknown. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of an unprocessed vegan pre-workout supplement on high-intensity cycling performance. Participants completed three separate cycling trials following the consumption of a vegan pre-workout supplement, an isocaloric processed supplement, or a zero-calorie placebo supplement. Each supplement was consumed 30 minutes prior to each trial, and each cycling trial was separated by a minimum of 72 hours. Supplements were administered using a randomized, double-blind cross-over design. Each cycling trial was performed at a workload equal to 80% VO2peak until exhaustion. The average time in seconds (s) until exhaustion values for the vegan, isocaloric, and zero-calorie supplements were ...
Efficacy of Carbohydrate Ingestion on CrossFit Exercise Performance

The efficacy of carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion during high-intensity strength and conditioning type exercise has yield mixed results. However, little is known about shorter duration high-intensity exercise such as CrossFit. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance impact of CHO ingestion during high-intensity exercise sessions lasting approximately 30 min. Eight healthy males participated in a total of four trials; two familiarizations, a CHO trial, and a similarly flavored, non-caloric placebo (PLA) trial. CrossFit's "Fight Gone Bad Five" (FGBF) workout of the day was the exercise model which incorporated five rounds of maximal repetition exercises, wall throw, box jump, sumo deadlift high pull, push press, and rowing, followed by one minute of rest. Total repetitions and calories expended were summated from each round to quantify total work (FGBF score). No difference was found for the total work between CHO (321 ± 51) or PLA (314 ± 52) trials (p = 0.38). There were also no main effects (p > 0.05) for treatment comparing exercise performance across rounds. Based on the findings of this study, it does not appear that ingestion of CHO during short duration, high-intensity CrossFit exercise will provide a beneficial performance effect.
Metabolite signatures of diabetes with cardiovascular disease: a pilot investigation

Introduction Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is an independent risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. However, there are significant limitations in the detection of the metabolic disturbances in hyperglycemia that lead to vascular dysfunction.