cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kidney transplant outcomes in patients with CPRA values ⩾ 99% after the implementation of the new OPTN/UNOS kidney allocation system (KAS) – A single center study

Aim Sensitized patients have prolonged wait times and a greater incidence of death while on the waiting list. On December 4, 2014, OPTN/UNOS activated a new KAS for deceased donors (DD) that gives priority at the regional level to candidates with calculated panel reactive antibody (CPRA) value = 99% and at the national level to patients with CPRA = 100%. Transplants performed at our center under the new KAS were reviewed to assess early outcomes. Methods Single center, retrospective data review of patients with CPRA values > 98% transplanted between December 4, 2014 and April 30, 2015. Results We performed 51 DD kidney transplants since the new KAS. 24 crossmatches were performed on patients with CPRA > 98%, 13 crossmatches were reported as compatible and 8 patients were transplanted. Characteristics of the patient cohort are detailed in Table 1. Majority of the patients were multiparous women and had history of blood transfusions. Seven patients (87.5%) have functioning grafts at median follow up of 94 (52,128) days. One patient had primary non-function. One patient developed a weak anti-HLA class I DSA that resolved subsequently. None of the patients had rejection episodes. Conclusion At our center, since the new KAS was implemented, 8 highly sensitized patients were quickly transplanted with excellent short term outcomes and without early rejection episodes. Long-term follow-up is needed to understand the consequences of this new KAS. Download : Download full-size image
Centering Survivors in Local Transitional Justice

Scholarship on local transitional justice efforts has proliferated over the past two decades. This article summarizes and synthesizes this growing body of work. It begins by addressing the conceptualization of the local, which to date has been loosely and ambiguously defined. Rather than viewing the local as a spatial level or as based on tradition, the review suggests that transitional justice approaches are local to the extent that (a) survivors have agency and power and (b) their experiences and outcomes are prioritized. Taking this conceptualization seriously, the review examines how local transitional justice varies in terms of ownership and implementation, forms and mechanisms, and effects on survivors, ending with additional suggestions for future research.
Leech Behavioral Choice: Neuroethology

All animals make choices about how and when to produce behaviors. Leeches decide from among five behaviors (feeding, local bending, shortening, crawling, and swimming) using a variety of neuronal mechanisms: feeding uses presynaptic inhibition of the mechanosensory neurons to suppress all the other behaviors, shortening activates many of the same neurons that command swimming, and the neurons that decide between swimming and crawling are part of a dynamic neuronal circuit with different activity states for the two different behaviors. Hence, there are a variety of mechanisms that animals can use to select one behavior over another.
College Experiences and Outcomes among International Undergraduate Students at Research Universities in the United States: A Comparison to Their Domestic Peers

Using a large dataset from a state education system, this study examined the experience of international college students in the United States as well as the connection to their cognitive, affective, and civic outcomes. The study utilized data from the 2010 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) and a sample of 35,146 junior and senior undergraduate students across 10 campuses. The results of this study showed that international students may uniquely experience college and may not benefit from those experiences as much as their domestic peers. Furthermore, this study identified a broad range of college experiences that contribute to the key outcomes for international students. The study discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings
Classifier Systems: Models for Learning Agents

Classifier systems can be used to model agents that learn to model their own worlds. These agents can build up linked chains of actions that culminate in reward and can even develop the capacity to plan future actions on the basis of expectations of consequences.
Design and Analysis of an Always-ON Input-Biased pA-Current Sub-nW mV-Threshold Hysteretic Comparator for Near-Zero Energy Sensing

This paper presents the design and analysis of an always-ON comparator capable of detecting mV-range input voltage signals reliably with sub-nW power consumption. The comparator compares the two pA currents generated by current mirrors biased by the mV-range input signal. With the input signal near zero at the standby mode, the comparator consumes near-zero energy. A positive feedback is introduced to accelerate the output signal transition to the supply or the ground and to generate the hysteresis to tolerate the noise in the input signal. The comparator threshold and the amount of hysteresis are programmed using control signals to adjust the current mirror transistor sizes. Analytic expressions of comparator characteristics are derived using circuit theory and subthreshold transistor models, and have been validated using simulation and measurement. A prototype comparator implementing these ideas was designed and fabricated in a standard 65-nm CMOS process. Chip measurements have shown that the comparator achieved programmable thresholds from 27 to 46.5 mV with energy per switching from 1.9 to 2.4 nJ using four control bits. The measured power consumption is 270 pW at the input signal of 0.1 mV with the frequency of 10 Hz.
Stress Coping and Resilience Modeled in Mice

This chapter describes mouse models of stress coping and resilience. Instead of screening for resilience or the absence of vulnerability to stress, we focus on learning to cope with stress and the process of building resilience. Mice randomized to learning to cope sessions of training or a control treatment condition were assessed for corticosterone responses and behavioral indications of emotionality. Learning to cope acutely increases corticosterone and decreases subsequent immobility on tail-suspension tests. Learning to cope also subsequently diminishes freezing in the open field, decreases novel object-exploration latencies, and reduces corticosterone responses to restraint. Learning to cope increases stargazin expression in anterior cingulate cortex and stargazin correlates inversely with measures of emotionality. Stargazin modulates glutamate receptor signaling and plays a role in synaptic plasticity. Molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity that mediate learning and memory in the context of coping provide novel targets for new treatments of stress disorders in human health.
Chemically Reacting Flows and Continuous Flow Stirred Tank Reactors: The Large Diffusivity Limit

In this paper we consider the relationship between chemically reacting flows and continuous flow stirred tank reactors (CSTR). In particular, we show that in the limit as the chemical and thermal diffusivities go to infinity, the solutions of the reacting flow PDE approach the solutions to the CSTR ODE. We further show that the global attractors for the reacting flow come arbitrarily close top the CSTR global attractor as the diffusivities go to infinity. An important feature of the reacting flow model we use is Robin–Neumann boundary conditions for the chemistry and temperature, which we use to mimic the CSTR inflow and outflow terms. The key in our analysis is an examination of how the Laplacian with Robin–Neumann boundary conditions converges to the Laplacian with Neumann boundary conditions as the diffusivity goes to infinity.
Paired geochemical and technological analyses of basalt adze debitage at the Hālawa Dune Site, Molokaʻi Island, Hawaiʻi

We analysed 1593 basalt artefacts from the Hālawa Dune Site, on the easternmost part of Molokaʻi Island, for a combination of geochemical and technological attributes to expose different reduction strategies related to basalt adze production and rejuvenation. West Molokaʻi is well known as a location where many outcrops were quarried to make adzes, but the island's east side has not been widely perceived as a location where adzes were produced in significant quantities in the prehistoric economy. We infer, however, through large-scale geochemical non-destructive energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analyses, combined with technological analyses, that the majority of adzes at the Hālawa Dune Site were manufactured from local resources, supporting a predominantly localised pattern of adze production and use. Approximately one third of the adze debitage clearly related to use and rejuvenation (DA) is made from non-local sources, but does not represent a heavy reliance on the full range of quarries on West Molokaʻi, and may also include samples derived from other islands or archipelagos.
Adenoma detection rate metrics in colorectal cancer surveillance colonoscopy

Background A target goal for screening adenoma detection rate (S-ADR) of ≥ 25% has been set to define high-quality colonoscopy performance. However, there is no current accepted target goal for ADR in colorectal cancer (CRC) surveillance. This makes quality assessment challenging when physicians perform cancer surveillance colonoscopy but minimal screening procedures. Methods In this cohort study, consecutive colonoscopies performed at either Rush University Medical Center or Rush Oak Park Hospital by a gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon in average risk screening population and CRC surveillance population were reviewed retrospectively from 2006 to 2012 and prospectively from 2013 to 2016. ADR in first surveillance colonoscopy following surgical resection of CRC (CRC-ADR) was reported in high-quality detectors (HQD) or low-quality detectors (LQD) based on achievement of 25% ADR in consecutive screening colonoscopy in average risk patients. Pearson's correlation was used to describe the association between individual S-ADR and CRC-ADR for colonoscopists. Results There was a very strong positive correlation (r = 0.88, p = 0.002) between ADR in average risk screening and first time CRC surveillance. For HQD as defined by S-ADR ≥ 25% (n = 10 colonoscopists), the CRC-ADR was 37.7% (78/207, SD 8%) which was very similar to their respective S-ADR of 33.4% (816/2440, p = 0.22). For LQD (n = 5 colonoscopists), the CRC-ADR was 20.2% (40/198) which was similar to their respective S-ADR of 20.1% (119/591, p = 0.99). The CRC-ADR was significantly higher for HQD than for LQD (37.7 vs. 20.2%, p Conclusions The major finding of this study is a defined CRC-ADR for HQD based on the ability to achieve S-ADR ≥ 25%. S-ADR strongly correlates with CRC-ADR. CRC-ADR is quite similar to the colonoscopists' respective S-ADR for both HQD and LQD. For colonoscopists who perform limited screening colonoscopies but do perform CRC surveillance colonoscopies, ADR metrics similar to S-ADR to assess quality in colonoscopy could be considered.
A novel examination of exposure patterns and posttraumatic stress after a university mass murder.

Objective Occurring at an alarming rate in the United States, mass violence has been linked to posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in both direct victims and community members who are indirectly exposed. Identifying what distinct exposure patterns exist and their relation to later PTSS has important clinical implications. The present study determined classes of exposure to an event of mass violence, and if PTSS differed across classes. Method First- and second-year college students (N = 1,189) participated in a confidential online survey following a mass murder at their university, which assessed event exposure and PTSS 3 months later. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to empirically determine distinct classes of exposure patterns and links between class membership and PTSS. Results The final model yielded 4 classes: minimal exposure (55.5% of sample), auditory exposure (29.4% of sample), visual exposure (10% of sample), and interpersonal exposure (5% of sample). More severe direct exposure (i.e., the visual exposure class) was associated with significantly higher levels of PTSS than the auditory exposure or minimal exposure classes, as was the interpersonal exposure class. There were no significant differences in PTSS between the auditory exposure and minimal exposure classes or the visual exposure and interpersonal exposure classes. Conclusion Results point to the differential impact of exposure categories, and provide empirical evidence for distinguishing among auditory, visual, and interpersonal exposures to events of mass violence on college campuses. Clinical implications suggest that visual and interpersonal exposure may warrant targeted efforts following mass violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Heterogeneity among hospitals statewide in percentage shares of the annual growth of surgical caseloads of inpatient and outpatient major therapeutic procedures

Abstract Study objective Suppose that it were a generalizable finding, in both densely populated and rural states, that there is marked heterogeneity among hospitals in the percentage change in surgical caseload and/or in the total change in caseload. Then, individual hospitals should not simply rely on federal and state forecasts to infer their expected growth. Likewise, individual hospitals and their anesthesiology groups would best not rely on national or US regional surgical trends as causal reasons for local trends in caseload. We examined the potential utility of using state data on surgical caseload to predict local growth by using 6 years of data for surgical cases performed at hospitals in the States of Florida and Iowa. Design Observational cohort study. Setting 303 hospitals in Iowa and Florida. Measurements Cases with major therapeutic procedures in 2010 or 2011 were compared pairwise by hospital with such cases in 2015 and 2016. Changes in counts of cases were decreases or increases, while study of growth set decreases equal to zero. Main results Hospitals in Iowa had slightly lesser percentage changes than did hospitals in Florida (Mann-Whitney P = 0.016). Hospitals in Iowa had greater variability among hospitals in the change in counts of cases with a major therapeutic procedure than did hospitals in Florida ( P Conclusions Even if the data from states or federal agencies reported growth in surgical cases, there is too much concentration of growth at a few hospitals for statewide growth rates to be useful for forecasting by individual hospitals and anesthesiology groups.
Congenital and Related Defects of the Skeleton

Congenital defects affecting the skeleton are common, and occur either as single-system defects or as a portion of multiple congenital anomaly syndromes. Most often, the cause of such defects is unknown though they are sometimes associated with specific chromosomal, single gene, intrauterine or teratogenic causes. Recognizing that the child manifests a previously described constellation of defects is important because of what then may be learned about the prognosis and genetics of the child’s condition and what the parents may then be told about the child’s future and the family’s recurrence risks.
The Energy Crisis and Behavioral Science

The United States occupies the unenviable position in the world today of being the preeminent energy glutton. We are using up the world’s fossil fuel reserves at a rate which is out of proportion with our population, our economy, and our own natural resources. Most experienced observers suggest that the countries currently supplying petroleum to our economy will, in the next ten years, cut back significantly on their exports and increase the use of petroleum resources in their own countries. Predicted shortages and interruptions in the supply of petroleum will probably have at least the following negative consequences: (a) a general increase in energy fuel prices; (b) a squeeze on family budgets, with families sacrificing “nonessential” budget items like educational materials, recreation, preventive medical care, and cultural activities; (c) extra tensions of economic pressures affecting poor interpersonal relationships within the family (e.g., marital discord, child abuse), and increased individual suffering of those who are poor and older; (d) a reappearance of the relative isolation of the rural population; (e) a general shrinkage of the available living space per person in the cold months; and (f) reduced comfort for everyone during hot and cold weather.
Murine Pharmacokinetic Studies

Murine pharmacokinetics (PK) represents the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination of drugs from the body, which helps to guide clinical studies, ultimately resulting in more effective drug treatment. The purpose of this protocol is to describe a serial bleeding protocol, obtaining blood samples at six time points from single mouse to yield a complete PK profile. This protocol has proved to be rapid, highly repeatable, and relatively easy to acquire. Comparing with the conventional PK studies, this method not only dramatically reduces animal usage, but also decreases sample variation obtained from different animals.
Management of Subtrochanteric Proximal Femur Fractures: A Review of Recent Literature

Subtrochanteric femur fractures are an uncommon injury in orthopedics, but when they are encountered they may present difficulties in management. The purpose of this paper is to examine the recent literature on the epidemiology, classification, initial evaluation, and definitely treatment for these injuries. These will assist the physician to determine the optimal treatment strategy and avoid potential surgical complication.
Opioid Overdose Hospitalizations among Medicare-Disability Beneficiaries

Introduction: As the opioid epidemic progresses, a better understanding of those at elevated risk of opioid overdose is needed, particularly for populations whose growing risk may be overlooked. Medicare recipients under age 65 (Medicare-disability beneficiaries [MDBs]) are one such population. We sought to analyze characteristics of opioid-overdose hospitalizations among MDBs and quantify the contribution of this population to opioid-overdose hospitalizations overall. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients hospitalized for opioid overdose in the National/Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1998 to 2013. The primary outcome measurements were number and characteristics of discharges, including patient sex, age, race, prescription opioid versus heroin overdose, and comorbidities. Results: MDBs constituted 11.7% of US opioid overdose hospitalizations among those under 65 years of age in 1998; this proportion grew to 24.5% by 2013 ( P P P P P Conclusions: MDBs constitute a substantial and growing proportion of opioid overdose hospitalizations in the United. To prevent opioid overdoses among MDBs, care must be taken to address the unique needs of this population.
The Use of Salts to Control Silica Supported Pt Particle Size in Charge Enhanced Dry Impregnation Syntheses

Abstract The control of particle size is desirable for scientific and practical reasons: beyond the practical goal of synthesizing catalysts at the optimal size, scientific studies investigating reactivity dependence on particle size should be conducted with nanoparticles of different, tight size distributions. In this paper we explore the mechanism of a relatively simple way to grow nanoparticle size from the very smallest sizes achievable by electrostatic adsorption, which is typically 1 – 1.5 nm, in attempts to achieve larger sizes with tight size distributions. This is done via the addition of various sodium salts to charge enhanced dry impregnation (CEDI) syntheses. Particle sizes were characterized with XRD and STEM imaging. TPR-MS and EXAFS were additionally employed to investigate ligand exchange in the impregnation solutions. The ripening effect of chloride and bromide is greater than nitrate and citrate. Moreover, the use of halides gives rise to ligand exchange in the metal precursor, resulting in multiple species which reduce at different temperatures and give much wider particle size distributions.
CT Imaging of Non-calcific Atherosclerotic Plaque with Cardiac Computed Tomography

non-obstructive coronary plaques with minimally invasive imaging modalities such as multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and electron beam computed tomography (EBCT). These non-invasive technologies hold promise as a diagnostic tool for risk stratification in patients as well as a means to monitor plaque stabilization in patients receiving therapy such as lipid-lowering medications. This chapter provides an overview of the CT literature related to plaque morphology, summarizing the CT protocols in assessing atherosclerotic plaque, the accuracy of plaque characterization compared to IVUS, plaque configuration score determination, and a brief comparison to MRI scanning.
Towards a Practice of Emancipation in Urban Schools: A Look at Student Experiences Through the Science Genius Battles Program

This study explores the benefits of a science education initiative, The Science Genius Program, that is anchored in Hip-Hop culture on urban youth in high school science classrooms. We argue that the framework for the Science Genius Program provides skills for young people in urban communities to emancipate themselves from oppressive practices in the science classroom. Participants in this study are high school students who attended different urban high schools in one of the largest school systems in the country. This study provides insight on the experiences of students who participated in the Science Genius Program. Through this study the researchers found that students had positive experiences around science, see themselves using the skills they learned through the program to further their learning and were able to develop positive relationships with community members and teachers through participation in the program.
An infinite dimensional model for a many server priority queue

We consider a Markovian many server queueing system in which customers are preemptively scheduled according to exogenously assigned priority levels. The priority levels are randomly assigned from a continuous probability measure rather than a discrete one and hence, the queue is modeled by an infinite dimensional stochastic process. We analyze the equilibrium behavior of the system and provide several results. We derive the Radon-Nikodym derivative (with respect to Lebesgue measure) of the measure that describes the average distribution of customer priority levels in the system; we provide a formula for the expected sojourn time of a customer as a function of his priority level; and we provide a formula for the expected waiting time of a customer as a function of his priority level. We verify our theoretical analysis with discrete-event simulations. We discuss how each of our results generalizes previous work on infinite dimensional models for single server priority queues.
Surgery and Salvage Limited-Field Irradiation for Control of Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Microscopic Residual Disease.

This case series analyzes the outcomes of patients with primary cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma treated with limited-field irradiation for microscopic residual disease after surgery.
Look Who's Talking: Application of a Theory-Based Taxonomy to Patient–Clinician E-mail Messages

Background: Patient-clinician communication between office visits may improve patient outcomes by increasing patients' information retention and offering opportunities for patient-centered communication. Secure electronic messaging offers one such communication modality, but evidence of associations between its use and patient outcomes is mixed. To date, no study has examined the relationship between message content and patient outcomes. Introduction: Secure message content provides context around patients' requests and whether clinicians responded in ways that improve care and outcomes. This study evaluates the use of a theory-based taxonomy to classify patients' and clinicians' message content and describes characteristics associated with coded content. Methods: We coded message threads initiated in 2017 by 73 randomly selected patients with hypertension and/or diabetes. Multiple codes could be applied to each message. Chi-square analyses identified differences by patients' demographics and health condition. Results: We analyzed 658 message threads composed of 1,751 clinician- and patient-generated messages, to which 2,055 taxonomic codes were assigned. Eighteen percent of patients' threads were unanswered. Most codes assigned to patient-generated messages were task-oriented (46%) or information seeking (26%) requests; 30% of clinician responses left those requests unfulfilled or unaddressed. Clinicians were more likely to recommend a patient be seen in the office based on patients' sex, age, and health condition. Furthermore, white patients were more likely to send, and receive from their clinicians, messages with praise and appreciation content compared with black patients. Conclusion: Further research is needed to better understand how and why these differences exist so that patient-clinician electronic messaging is optimized to improve patient outcomes.
A Cascaded Multi-Drive Stacked-SOI Distributed Power Amplifier With 23.5 dBm Peak Output Power and Over 4.5-THz GBW

This article presents a cascaded distributed power amplifier (DPA) topology with greater than 4.5-THz gain–bandwidth (GBW) product. The DPA uses stacking with multi-drive inter-stack coupling to compensate for the stacked gain cells and input transmission-line (TL) losses. The techniques improve the gain and output power without compromising the bandwidth (BW). The cascaded DPA employs eight-shaped TLs to allow inter-stack coupling in a compact area and for field confinement. A 33-dB gain, 101.5 GHz BW DPA is realized in the 45-nm RFSOI GlobalFoundries process. The amplifier maintains $P_{1\,dB}$ and $P_{SAT} > 18.7$ and 21 dBm, respectively, up to 60 GHz, with over 60 GHz $P_{SAT}~3$ -dB BW, while demonstrating >14 dBm of average $P_{OUT}$ for a 30-Gb/s 64-QAM modulated signal, with an error vector magnitude (EVM) $P_{OUT}$ from a 13 GHz carrier frequency. To the best of our knowledge, the cascaded multi-drive DPA achieves the highest reported GBW, continuous-wave (CW) $P_{SAT}$ , and average $P_{OUT}$ for 64-QAM 30-Gb/s modulated signal, in a compact core area compared to published silicon-based DPAs with comparable power levels.
The Role of Advanced Endoscopic Resection of Diverse Skull Base Malignancies: Technological Analysis during an 8-Year Single Institutional Experience

Background Resection of skull base malignancies poses complex pathological and treatment-related morbidities. Recent technological advancements of endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) offer the ability to reexamine traditional treatment paradigms with endoscopic procedures. The utility of EES was quantitatively examined in a longitudinal series with attention to morbidities and postoperative outcomes. Methods A single-center retrospective review was performed of all malignant sinonasal tumors from 2010 to 2018. Patients with purely EES were selected for analysis. Disease features, resection extent, complications, adjuvant treatment, recurrence, and survivability were assessed. Despite the mixed pathological cohort, analysis was performed to identify technical aspects of resection. Results A total of 68 patients (47.6% males and 52.4% females, average age: 60.3 years) were included. A diversity of histotypes included clival chordoma (22.1%), olfactory neuroblastoma (14.7%), squamous cell carcinoma (11.8%), and adenoid cystic carcinoma (11.8%). Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in 83.8% of cases. Infection (4.4%) and cerebrospinal fluid leak (1.5%) were the most common postoperative complications. Total 46 patients (67.6%) underwent adjuvant treatment. The average time between surgery and initiation of adjunctive surgery was 55.7 days. Conclusion In our 8-year experience, we found that entirely endoscopic resection of mixed pathology of malignant skull base tumors is oncologically feasible and can be accomplished with high GTR rates. There may be a role for EES to reduce operative morbidity and attenuate time in between surgery and adjuvant treatment, which can be augmented through recent mixed reality platforms. Future studies are required to systematically compare the outcomes with those of open surgical approaches.
Experimental Investigation and Finite Element Modeling Analysis of Photostrictive Optical Actuators

Photostrictive materials are lanthanum-modified lead zirconatetitanate (Pb, La)(Zr, Ti) O3 ceramics doped with WO3, called PLZT, exhibit large photostriction under uniform illumination of high-energy light. Photostrictive materials are ferrodielectric ceramics that have a photostrictive effect. Photostriction arises from a superposition of the photovoltaic effect, i.e. the generation of large voltage from the irradiation of light, and the converse-piezoelectric effect, i.e. expansion or contraction under the voltage applied. Photostrictive materials offer the potential for actuators with many advantages over traditional transducing electromechanical actuators made of shape memory alloys and electroceramics (piezoelectric and electrostrictive). Drawback of traditional actuators is that they require hard-wired connections to transmit the control signals which introduce electrical noise into the control signals; on the other hand PLZT actuators offer non-contact actuation, remote control, and are immune from electric/magnetic disturbances.The main goal of the research work is to investigate the feasibility of utilizing photostrictive materials as an optical actuator for Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) applications. In this investigation process both experimental and computational approaches have been implemented. In the experimental part of this research, a test set-up has been designed and developed to measure the photostriction effect of a PLZT thin film on a silicon wafer as smart beams. The experimental set-up includes high pressure short arc xenon lamp with lamp housing, power supply, lamp igniter, hot mirror, band pass filters, optical chopper, and laser sensor with sensor head and controller.1 μm PLZT thin film on the silicon wafer sample has been tested as a cantilever beam with different light intensities, and focusing the light at the different locations on the PLZT cantilever beam. The experiment has been performed for continuous and pulses of lights focusing on the PLZT optical actuator. An optical chopper was used to make pulses of light on the PLZT cantilever beam. Also, a computational finite element method useful for design of systems incorporating thin film photostrictive actuators has already been developed by the authors. The element has been implemented in an in-house finite element code. This derived finite element for continuous illumination of light on the photostrictive thin film has been used to investigate the application of photostrictive actuators for the different structures and various boundary conditions of microbeams with various actuator locations and length intensities. A successful conclusion of these tasks will affirm the potential of the PLZT optical actuator to use in the MEMS devices.© 2012 ASME
Delegation and Decentralization: Reform Ideas for Bihar’s Economic Transformation:

This article proposes reform ideas for Bihar using advances in economics research on the role of institutions in economic development. Institutions—the formal and informal rules of the ‘game’ of ho...
Epidemiology of colorectal cancer

Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly occurring cancer in men and the second most commonly occurring cancer in women. Worldwide there were over 1.8 million new cases in 2018. In the United States, CRC is the third deadliest of all cancers. The incidence and mortality rates vary up to 10-fold worldwide, the lowest incidences are in many Afro-Asian countries with low human development index (HDI) and high incidence in economically advanced countries. CRC shows one of the clearest markers of epidemiological and nutritional transition. The incidence of CRC is expected to rise worldwide since the risk of developing CRC increases with age and most countries have an ever-growing aging population. Countries with historically low rates of CRC are now experiencing increased risk along with better HDI, change in diet, decrease in exercise, and increase in obesity. Initial studies show that the increased risk of developing CRC is related to a “Westernized lifestyle” that broadly encompasses obesity, sedentary behavior, and a high-meat, high-calorie, fat-rich, fiber-deficient diet, high alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking. This chapter aims to provide a basic knowledge of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of CRC. There is growing evidence that the gut microbiota comprising a large population of microorganisms in the colon plays a major role in the pathogenesis of CRC. There is justifiable optimism that, through further research, we will identify the best ways to modulate the gut microbiota with substantial short- and long-term benefits in reducing the burden of CRC.
Restoring Competitors and Natural Enemies for Long-Term Control of Plant Invaders

Restoring Competitors and Natural Enemies for Long-Term Control of Plant Invaders DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v32i1_norton
Metabolipidomic profiling reveals an age-related deficiency of skeletal muscle pro-resolving mediators that contributes to maladaptive tissue remodeling.

Specialized pro-resolving mediators actively limit inflammation and support tissue regeneration, but their role in age-related muscle dysfunction has not been explored. We profiled the mediator lipidome of aging muscle via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and tested whether treatment with the pro-resolving mediator resolvin D1 (RvD1) could rejuvenate the regenerative ability of aged muscle. Aged mice displayed chronic muscle inflammation and this was associated with a basal deficiency of pro-resolving mediators 8-oxo-RvD1, resolvin E3, and maresin 1, as well as many anti-inflammatory cytochrome P450-derived lipid epoxides. Following muscle injury, young and aged mice produced similar amounts of most pro-inflammatory eicosanoid metabolites of cyclooxygenase (e.g., prostaglandin E2 ) and 12-lipoxygenase (e.g., 12-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid), but aged mice produced fewer markers of pro-resolving mediators including the lipoxins (15-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid), D-resolvins/protectins (17-hydroxy-docosahexaenoic acid), E-resolvins (18-hydroxy-eicosapentaenoic acid), and maresins (14-hydroxy-docosahexaenoic acid). Similar absences of downstream pro-resolving mediators including lipoxin A4 , resolvin D6, protectin D1/DX, and maresin 1 in aged muscle were associated with greater inflammation, impaired myofiber regeneration, and delayed recovery of strength. Daily intraperitoneal injection of RvD1 had minimal impact on intramuscular leukocyte infiltration and myofiber regeneration but suppressed inflammatory cytokine expression, limited fibrosis, and improved recovery of muscle function. We conclude that aging results in deficient local biosynthesis of specialized pro-resolving mediators in muscle and that immunoresolvents may be attractive novel therapeutics for the treatment of muscular injuries and associated pain in the elderly, due to positive effects on recovery of muscle function without the negative side effects on tissue regeneration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Political Cognitive Biases Effects on Fund Managers’ Performance

Does political affiliation matter for stock-market investing? Rare events can produce polarized narratives that potentiate cognitive dissonance on a spectrum of agents. Using a comprehensive datase...
The Pendent Liquid Drop

If, in the configurations considered in Chapter 3, the direction of the gravity field is reversed, we obtain the problem of a drop suspended from a horizontal plate. The equation of the free surface now becomes, from (1.44), $$ 2H = - ku + \lambda $$ (4.1) .
Personologic Diathesis and Human Stress

Recall from Chap. 2 that the manner in which an individual chooses to perceive and interpret his or her environment (cognitive interpretation) serves as the single most important determinant of whether the stress response will be elicited in response to a psychosocial stressor. We may then argue that the consistent manner in which an individual perceives and interprets the environment, in addition to the aggregation of consistent attitudes, values, and behavior patterns, serves as an operational definition of the construct of “personality.” If we accept such a proposition, it becomes reasonable to assume that there may well exist individuals whose consistent personality traits, including cognitive interpretations regarding their environment, may predispose them to excessive elicitation of the stress response and, therefore, increased risk of stress-related disease. Such personality-based predispositions for stress may exist in the form of personologic diatheses, such as cognitive distortions, persistent irrational expectations, “ego” vulnerabilities, and/or consistent stress-producing overt behavior patterns.
CD8 + T cell response to adenovirus vaccination and subsequent suppression of tumor growth: modeling, simulation and analysis

Background Using immune checkpoint modulators in the clinic to increase the number and activity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes that recognize tumor antigens can prolong survival for metastatic melanoma. Yet, only a fraction of the patient population receives clinical benefit. In short, these clinical trials demonstrate proof-of-principle but optimizing the specific therapeutic strategies remains a challenge. In many fields, CAD (computer-aided design) is a tool used to optimize integrated system behavior using a mechanistic model that is based upon knowledge of constitutive elements. The objective of this study was to develop a predictive simulation platform for optimizing anti-tumor immunity using different treatment strategies.
Future self-continuity: how conceptions of the future self transform intertemporal choice

With life expectancy dramatically increasing throughout much of the world, people have to make choices with a longer future in mind than they ever had to before. Yet, many indicators suggest that undersaving for the long term often occurs: in America, for instance, many individuals will not be able to maintain their preretirement standard of living in retirement. Previous research has tried to understand problems with intertemporal choice by focusing on the ways in which people treat present and future rewards. In this paper, the author reviews a burgeoning body of theoretical and empirical work that takes a different viewpoint, one that focuses on how perceptions of the self over time can dramatically affect decision making. Specifically, when the future self shares similarities with the present self, when it is viewed in vivid and realistic terms, and when it is seen in a positive light, people are more willing to make choices today that may benefit them at some point in the years to come.
Laser use in endodontics. A preliminary investigation.

Abstract A preliminary study has been undertaken in an attempt to seal the orifice to the root canal at the apex of a tooth in vitro by means of a high-power infrared laser. Although the goal was not achieved, sufficient relevant and interesting data were obtained to encourage further study.
Grassroots Death Sentences: The Movement for Capital Child Rape Laws

Despite the Supreme Court's 1977 ruling in Coker v. Georgia declaring use of the death penalty for rape unconstitutional, there has been a recent explosion of state statutes making the death penalty available for the rape of a child. Numerous articles have tried to discern whether using the death penalty for child rape comports with the Coker holding,often reaching divergent conclusions, but none has focused first on the socio-political setting that brought about these laws to inform their constitutional analysis. This Article attempts to begin contextualizing capital child rape statutes within a social movements framework. I argue that capital child rape statutes can be attributed to three movements: the popular movement to shame, fear, and isolate sex offenders; the feminist movement for harsher punishment of sexual and intra-familial violence; and the legal and political movement to punish attacks against vulnerable victims with death. Understanding these statutes in a richer way helps shed light on their potential constitutional problems.
Micro Complement Fixation Assay for Type-Specific Group A Streptococcal Antibody

Abstract A micro complement fixation assay was devised to measure the type-specificity of anti-M antibody. Unabsorbed sera were from rabbits hyperimmunized with heat-killed streptococci and from humans with naturally occurring antibody or immunized with purified M protein vaccines. These sera fixed complement only in the presence of homologous M proteins (serotypes 1, 3, 6, 12, and 14). The complement fixation reaction paralleled the results obtained with the Lancefield bactericidal (opsonic) assay and did not exhibit the cross-reactions frequently seen with type-specific anti-M sera assayed by passive hemagglutination. All serological activity of the antisera resided in the fraction corresponding to 7S globulin eluted from a Sephadex G-200 gel filtration column. Because of the close correlation between micro complement fixation and the bactericidal assay for type-specific antibody, it is proposed that the micro complement fixation procedure, as we have described it, merits further evaluation as a substitute for the bactericidal test of immunity to group A streptococcal infection.
Blastogenic responses and production of TCGF by mononuclear cells isolated from the bovine endometrium

Abstract Mononuclear cells (MNCs) were isolated from the endometrium of cattle by enzymatic digestion followed by centrifugation on a density gradient. Of the cells isolated, 32±3.2% rosetted AET-treated sheep red blood cells, 9±0.4% possessed surface membrane immunoglobulin, and 15±6.1% were esterase positive. The cells possessed the ability to proliferate in the presence of T cell mitogens and produced T cell growth factor (TCGF) after in vitro stimulation with Concanavalin A. Endometrial MNCs did not appear to suppress the blastogenesis of peripheral blood MNCs.
Synthesis and characterization of molybdenum species: dinuclear and mononuclear species of the molecular formulas [Mo2(O2CCH3)2(LL)2][BF4]2 and [Mo(O)(F)(LL)2][BF4] where LL=bis-phosphine. The use of [Mo2(NCCH3)10][BF4]4 as a source for the [Mo2]4+ core

Abstract The complex [Mo2(NCCH3)10][BF4]4 (1) acts as a source for the [Mo2]4+ core as shown by its reaction with Mo2(O2CCH3)4 and LL (LL=dppm, dppe, dppee) to yield complexes of the type [Mo2(O2CCH3)2(LL)2][BF4]2. Mononuclear compounds of the type [Mo(O)(F)(LL)2][BF4] (LL=dppe, dppee) have also been isolated from these same reactions. All of these compounds have been characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments and NMR, IR, and UV-Vis spectroscopy, where appropriate. Crystallographic data for [Mo2(O2CCH3)2(dppm)2][BF4]2·3CH3CN (2), [Mo2(O2CCH3)2(dppe)2][BF4]2 (3), [Mo2(O2CCH3)2(dppee)2][BF4]2·2CH3CN (5) and [Mo(O)(F)(dppee)2][BF4] (6) are as follows: 2, space group, P 1 , a=13.432(4), b=20.456(9), c=12.751(4) A, α=104.37(3), β=114.00(4), γ=83.57(3)°, V=3097(4) A3, Z=2; 3, space group, P21/c, a=12.547(6), b=11.076(6), c=20.245(13) A, β=102.24(4)°, V=2750(5) A3, Z=2; 5, space group, P 1 , a=11.942(9), b=13.451(9), c=11.693(12) A, α=95.76(9), β=114.62(8), γ=111.98(5)°, V=1508(3) A3, Z=1; 6, space group, Cc, a=17.481(4), b=15.050(3), c=18.150(6) A, β=95.23(2)°, V=4755(2) A3, Z=4.
General medical and psychiatric perspectives on somatoform disorders: separated by an uncommon language.

Purpose of reviewWhile Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV provided updated definitions and diagnostic criteria for the diagnoses subsumed under the category of somatoform disorders, various nosological questions are still unresolved. We assessed current research activity on imp
Effects of Rigidity and Anxiety on Pursuit Rotor Performance.

Univm~ity of Miami Summary.-Rigidity has been linked to reactive inhibition and manifest anxiety to drive. The possible influence of these personality factors and their interaction on pursuit-rotor performance was investigated. High-rigid Ss and low-rigid Ss were divided further into high-anxious Ss and low-anxious Ss (ns = 15). All Ss received 20 distributed (20 sec. work, 30 sec. rest) acquisition trials immediately followed by 30 relatively massed trials (20 sec. work, 5 sec. rest). The trend analyses showed (p = .01) that performance was a function of the difference between anxiety levels, with neither rigidity nor the interaction components approaching statistical significance. Low-anxious Ss were immediately superior in acquiring the skill and in maintaining it under massed conditions. In the present study the authors proposed to evaluate the influence of two personality factors, rigidity and anxiety, and their possible interaction on pursuit-rotor performance. It was assumed that one or both personality factors may influence performance under conditions of distributed and massed practice on the pursuit-rotor task. The pursuit-rotor task was selected because it is assumed to produce a rapid accumulation of reactive inhibition in Ss under massed practice (Arnmons, 1947a, 1947b; Arnrnons & Willig, 1956; Kimble, 1950). In earlier work regarding rigidity, Malmo and Wallerstein (1955) reported that high-rigid Ss showed less decrement in the strength of a simple op erant response as a function of its repeated elicitation than did low-rigid Ss. Subsequently, Field and Brengelmann ( 1961 ) found that high-rigid Ss gave more eyelid conditioned responses than did low-rigid Ss. In both studies these authors used rigidity as an explanatory variable and indicated that Ss' rigidicy partly determined the influence of inhibitory factors on his performance. These authors stated that the relationship between learning and rigidity depends on two aspects, inhibition and drive. The authors of both sntdies have offered possible alternative explanations of their results in terms of S's anxiety level. Although the above studies suggest that rigidity may partially influence inhibition, neither HLILI's (1943) nor Spence's (1956) treatment of inhibition allows directly for the differential accumulation or dissipation of inhibition due to personality factors. At present from their theories, differential predictions regarding performance of high-rigid Ss and low rigid Ss on either simple or complex tasks are not possible. Numerous studies, on the other hand, have linked manifest anxiety to drive (see Jenness's review, 1962, pp. 479-514). Generally, highly anxious Ss excel low-anxious Ss on simple tasks, whereas on complex tasks, low-anxious Ss ex