cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Year 2 of Affordable Care Act Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) in a Medicaid Nonexpansion State: QHPs Associated With Viral Suppression for Virginia AIDS Drug Assistance Program Clients.

Background For year 1 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Virginia AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) clients with Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) achieved a higher rate of viral suppression. This study characterizes the demographic and health care delivery factors associated with QHP enrollment in year 2 and assesses the relationship between 2015 QHP coverage and HIV viral suppression. Methods The cohort included Virginia ADAP clients who were eligible for ADAP-funded QHPs. Data were collected from 2014 to 2015. Multivariable binary logistic regression was conducted to assess the association of demographic and health care delivery factors with QHP enrollment and viral suppression. Results In year 2, 63% of the cohort (n = 4631) enrolled in QHPs; 2015 ADAP-funded QHP enrollment was associated with 2014 ADAP-funded QHP (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 111.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 90.91-166.67), 2014 engagement in care (aOR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.65-2.82), age (P < .001), race/ethnicity (P = .03), financial status (P < .001), and region (P < .001). For clients engaged in care (n = 2501), viral suppression was higher (83.3%) for those with ADAP-funded QHP coverage than for those who received medications from ADAP (79.9%). In multivariable binary logistic regression, achieving viral suppression was associated with 2015 QHP coverage (aOR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.01-1.60), an initially undetectable viral load (aOR, 2.69; 95% CI, 2.13-3.39), gender (P = .03), age (P = .01), no AIDS diagnosis (aOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.12-1.78), financial status (P = .004), and region (P < .001). Conclusions Virginia ADAP client 2015 QHP enrollment increased compared with year 1 and varied based on demographic and health care delivery factors. QHP coverage was again associated with viral suppression, an essential outcome for individuals and for public health.
Systematic review of clinician awareness of mycotoxin impact in neural tube defects and best practices for pediatric neurosurgeons: implications for public health and policy

In lower-income populations, high rates of neural tube defects (NTDs) are a concern. Nutritional folate deficiencies and mycotoxins in contaminated food supplies increase risk of NTDs. As physicians in public health and involved in the care of children with NTDs, pediatric neurosurgeons have an interest in the treatment and prevention of NTDs. We aimed to evaluate the literature to assess the awareness and the existence of best practices/educational materials on this issue to better guide management. A systematic review using the National Library of Medicine PubMed database was conducted to find articles related to mycotoxins in foods causing neural tube defects. Additional citation searches of key publications and personal collections were used. Two reviewers evaluated the resulting studies for subject area analysis. Best practice recommendations were drawn from articles selected for full-text review. Seventy-three articles were identified. Most articles were found in “nutritional sciences” (18), “teratology” (14), and “toxicology” (13). No articles were found in neurosurgery. Thirty-two additional articles were identified through other sources to screen best practice recommendations. Of the 105 articles, 34 journal articles were included in best practice recommendation guidelines. Key recommendations included education of proper food storage, hygienic agricultural practices, decontamination techniques, diet diversification, folate supplementation, risk assessment, and food safety policy and public health initiatives. There is an absence of neurosurgical literature–related mycotoxins and NTDs. We suggest a set of best practices/educational materials on this topic and advocate pediatric neurosurgery engagement in public health initiatives targeted towards populations most affected by mycotoxins.
Digital Staining of High-Definition Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Images Using Deep Learning

Histological stains, such as hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), are routinely used in clinical diagnosis and research. While these labels offer a high degree of specificity, throughput is limited by the need for multiple samples. Traditional histology stains, such as immunohistochemical labels, also rely only on protein expression and cannot quantify small molecules and metabolites that may aid in diagnosis. Finally, chemical stains and dyes permanently alter the tissue, making downstream analysis impossible. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic imaging has shown promise for label-free characterization of important tissue phenotypes and can bypass the need for many chemical labels. Fourier transform infrared classification commonly leverages supervised learning, requiring human annotation that is tedious and prone to errors. One alternative is digital staining, which leverages machine learning to map IR spectra to a corresponding chemical stain. This replaces human annotation with computer-aided alignment. Previous work relies on alignment of adjacent serial tissue sections. Since the tissue samples are not identical at the cellular level, this technique cannot be applied to high-definition FT-IR images. In this paper, we demonstrate that cellular-level mapping can be accomplished using identical samples for both FT-IR and chemical labels. In addition, higher-resolution results can be achieved using a deep convolutional neural network that integrates spatial and spectral features.
Application of Al-Cu-W-Ta graded density impactors in dynamic ramp compression experiments

Graded density impactors (GDIs) are used to dynamically compress materials to extreme conditions. Two modifications to a previously developed Mg-Cu-W GDI are made in this work before using it in a dynamic compression experiment: Mg is replaced with Al and a Ta disk is glued to the back. The Mg phase is replaced by Al because FCC Al remains solid to higher pressure along its Hugoniot compared to Mg. The addition of the Ta disk creates a constant particle velocity regime and facilitates a definition of peak pressure states. Microstructure analysis, profilometry, and ultrasonic C-scans of the Al-Cu-W GDI all confirm excellent uniformity. We evaluated signal variation in the radial direction of a dynamically compressed Al-LiF bilayer target to evaluate the contribution of spatial nonuniformity to errors. Velocity traces from five photon Doppler velocimetry (PDV) probes located at different radial distances from the center of the target varied at most by 1.1% with a root mean square of 0.3% during the compression ramp, demonstrating low PDV measurement error over a relatively large experimental area. The experimental PDV data also agrees well with 1D simulations that use inputs from predictive characterization models developed for the material properties resulting from tape casting, laminating, and powder consolidation processes. Low measurement error during quasi-isentropic compression, leading to better precision, ensures a robust platform to reach extreme compression and low-temperature recovery states and facilitates discovery via synthesis, quenching, and preservation of new high-pressure phases.
CO2 electrochemical reduction at thiolate-modified bulk Au electrodes

Electrochemical reduction provides an opportunity to convert atmospheric CO2 to fuels or chemicals using renewable energy. In this work, we demonstrate unexpected influence on the catalytic activity and selectivity of the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) through the functionalization of Au with thiols. 2-Phenylethanethiol modified Au electrodes (2-PET-Au) show up to a 2-fold enhancement in both Faradaic efficiency and current density for CO evolution, between −0.6 and −0.9 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode. Functionalization with 2-mercaptopropionic acid, which has a readily ionized carboxylate group, leads to hydrogen evolution with up to 100% Faradaic efficiency at the expense of CO evolution. Remarkably, the adsorption of certain thiols on Au does not have a negative impact on the total current density compared to blank Au. We present evidence that it is due to ligand-induced reconstruction of Au surfaces resulting in the creation of structurally and chemically modified local reaction environments. Thus a thiol species such as 2-PET, which does not contain any nitrogen-based heterocycle with a charge transfer center, can induce the formation of active sites on Au that are electrochemically active toward CO2RR within the range of electrode potential that most of the ligand concentration remains stable on Au. Our findings suggest a simple, effective, and tunable way to modify the activity and selectivity of Au electrodes.
CCSpec: a correctness condition specification tool

Concurrent libraries provide data structures whose operations appear to execute atomically when invoked individually. Although these libraries guarantee safety for the data structure operations, the composition of operations may be vulnerable to undefined behavior. The difficulty of reasoning about safety properties in a concurrent environment has led to the development of tools to verify that a concurrent data structure meets a correctness condition. The disadvantage of these tools is that they cannot verify that the composition of concurrent data structure operations respects the intended semantics of the algorithm. Formal logic has been proposed to enable the verification of correctness specifications for a concurrent algorithm. However, a large amount of manual labor is required to fully mechanize the correctness proofs of the concurrent algorithm and each concurrent data structure invoked in the algorithm. In this research, we propose Correctness Condition Specification (CCSpec), the first tool that automatically checks the correctness of a composition of concurrent multi-container operations performed in a non-atomic manner. In addition to checking the correctness of a composition of data structure operations in a concurrent algorithm, CCSpec also checks the correctness of each concurrent data structure utilized in the algorithm. A reference to a container is associated with each method called in a concurrent history to enable the evaluation of correctness for a composition of multiple containers. We develop a lightweight custom specification language that allows the user to define a correctness condition associated with the concurrent algorithm and a correctness condition associated with the concurrent data structures. We demonstrate the practical application of CCSpec by checking the correctness of a concurrent depth-first search utilizing a non-blocking stack, a concurrent breadth-first search utilizing a non-blocking queue, a concurrent shortest path algorithm utilizing a non-blocking priority queue, and a concurrent adjacency list utilizing non-blocking sets.
Reducing Retinopathy of Prematurity in an at Risk Population

Background: Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a proliferative neovascular disorder and known complication of preterm birth. In a recent analysis at our institution we found an eight fold increased risk for laser intervention for ROP among preterm infants who underwent surgery. Our objective was to reduce laser intervention in preterm infants undergoing surgery. With a specific aim of correctly identifying these patients preoperatively 95% of the time and secondary aim of reducing our intraoperative oxygen exposure in this population. Methods: We conducted a staged, multi-intervention quality improvement project. …
Ethical Problems Created by the Cultural Differences Between Migrants and the Native Population of Receiving Cities

The article shows that multiculturalism can be an opportunity for host cities to develop a more open-minded, tolerant, and diverse culture and a more ethical society. The cultural differences betwe...
Maternal exposure to organophosphate flame retardants alters locomotor and anxiety-like behavior in male and female adult offspring

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are chemicals found in our environment that interrupt typical endocrine function. Some flame retardants (FRs) are EDCs as shown in their interaction with steroid and nuclear receptors. Humans are consistently exposed to flame retardants as they are used in everyday items such as plastics, clothing, toys, and electronics. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers were used as the major FR until 2004, when they were replaced by organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs). Previous research in rodent models utilizing a commercial flame retardant mixture containing OPFRs reported alterations in anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze (EPM) for rodents perinatally exposed to OPFRs. In the present study we utilize wild-type mice maternally exposed (gestational day 7 to postnatal day 14) to either an OPFR mixture of tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl), triphenyl phosphate, and tricresyl phosphate or a sesame seed oil vehicle. These mice were evaluated for anxiety-like behavior in adulthood on the open field test (OFT) and the light/dark box (LDB) as well as the EPM. Outcomes from the OFT and LDB indicate that males and females maternally exposed to OPFRs exhibit altered locomotor activity. Results of the EPM were sex-specific as we did not observe an effect in females; however, effects in males differed depending on exposure condition. Males maternally exposed to OPFRs exhibited an anxiolytic-like phenotype in contrast to their vehicle counterparts. This effect in perinatally OPFR-exposed males was not due to alterations in locomotor activity. Our research illustrates that there are sex- and exposure-dependent effects of perinatal OPFR exposure on adult locomotor and anxiety-like behaviors in a mouse model.
The University Campus in the United States—As a Designed Work to Produce Knowledge; and as an Artefact of Cultural Heritage

The university campus in the United States is a unique architectural and landscape architecture typology. Nothing like it existed until Harvard University was established in 1638. Invented during in the 17th century by the American colonists and later developed during the American Industrial Revolution, the American campus is a community devoted to teaching and generating knowledge. It can be urban, suburban, and/or rural in form and its planning directly correlates with a university’s research mission and the pedagogy of the American university system. Its buildings and landscapes are embedded with iconography, which the founding builders used to convey their values to future generations. This paper presents the history of how this designed work first emerged in American society and then evolved in ways that responded to changes that occurred in America. At the end of the 20th century, universities conserved parts of them as cultural heritage monuments. Originally, the university campus was built to disseminate a classical education, but later, the campus was built for technical and agricultural education. By the beginning of the 20th century, professional education and sport changed its architecture and landscape. The paper briefly discusses that while it has inspired how universities are built to teach and generate knowledge throughout the world. It concludes by reaffirming its value to cultural heritage and that it should be conserved.
Diversifying Voice, Democratizing the News? A Content Analysis of Citizen News Sources in Spanish-language International Broadcasting

This paper explores sourcing practices in three international broadcasters in Spanish: China’s CGTN Espanol, Iran’s HispanTV and Russia’s RT. Often described as counter-hegemonic, in that the world...
PCSK9 in African Americans and Caucasians in Relation to Lp(a) Level, Apo(a) Size and Heritability.

Author(s): Enkhmaa, Byambaa; Kim, Kyoungmi; Zhang, Wei; Prakash, Nishant; Truax, Kevin; Anuurad, Erdembileg; Berglund, Lars | Abstract: ContextInhibition of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) reduces lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels, but the association of PCSK9 with Lp(a) level and its major determinant, apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] size, is not fully understood.ObjectiveTo assess the relationship between PCSK9, Lp(a) level, apo(a) size, age, and ethnicity/race.DesignCross-sectional.SettingGeneral population.ParticipantsHealthy African Americans and Caucasians (n = 267); age range: 6 to 74 years.InterventionsNone.Main outcome measuresPCSK9 levels, apo(a) isoform and LPA allele sizes, and isoform-specific Lp(a) levels.ResultsPlasma PCSK9 levels were significantly higher in African Americans vs Caucasians, in females vs males, and in adults vs children. PCSK9 levels were not associated with total plasma Lp(a) levels either in all participants or in ethnicity-specific analyses. However, PCSK9 levels were significantly positively associated with isoform-specific Lp(a) levels carried by the larger apo(a) size in all participants (r = 0.139, P = 0.0361). In ethnicity/race analyses, a significant association was seen for African Americans (r = 0.268, P = 0.0199), but not for Caucasians. In contrast, there were no significant associations of PCSK9 with isoform-specific Lp(a) levels for the smaller apo(a) sizes in all participants nor in ethnic-specific analyses. Furthermore, heritability (h2) analyses revealed a significant heritability for PCSK9 level in both ethnic groups, with a higher estimate in Caucasians than in African Americans (47% vs 22%, respectively).ConclusionsAmong African Americans, but not Caucasians, PCSK9 levels were associated with isoform-specific Lp(a) levels carried on larger, but not smaller, apo(a) sizes. The findings illustrate a diverging relationship of PCSK9 with isoform-specific Lp(a) levels across ethnicity.
Economics over Risk: Flooding Is Not the Only Driving Factor of Migration Considerations on a Vulnerable Coast

We analyzed the migration consideration factors of residents from the Mississippi River Delta in southern Louisiana, which is under the influence of rising sea levels, subsiding land, and increasin...
Impacts of heat, drought, and their interaction with nutrients on physiology, grain yield, and quality in field crops

Among different abiotic stresses that negatively affect crop productivity, heat and drought stresses are the most common and their combined stress is highly prevalent under field conditions. Significant research progress has been achieved on heat or drought stress responses in crops, and, more recently, combined heat and drought stress is receiving additional emphasis. Knowledge generated either through controlled environmental chambers or field-based facilities on heat and drought impacts on field crops captures a part of the complex phenomenon. An additional dimension to this interaction and the ability of the plants to respond to and mitigate these stresses depends on their ability to take up and efficiently utilize micro- and macro-nutrients. Improved nutrient use enhances the tolerance potential of the plant through production of essential compounds such as amino acids and carbohydrates. These, in turn, provide energy required to synthesize stress ameliorating compounds such as reactive oxygen species scavengers, including superoxide dismutase and catalase, and balanced hormonal production, which have the potential to reduce or minimize the damage. The review focuses on information generated from controlled environments and field conditions that synthesizes the interactions between heat and nutrients or drought and nutrients in cereals and soybean. The major objective is to highlight if different types of nutrients applied as additional treatment factors either ameliorate or aggravate the impact of these abiotic stress combinations on physiological parameters, grain yield, and quality. In addition, knowledge gaps in addressing these interactions are identified, and directions for future research to help bridge these gaps are given.
Actigraphy provides additional patient-centered outcome domains beyond those measured by survey questionnaires in COPD

Rationale: Standardized questionnaires provide important patient-reported outcomes that are useful in clinical studies. Although not reported by patients per se, actigraphy provides patient-centered outcome data that reflect the daily activity of patients in their real-world setting. Objective: To determine whether “home” actigraphy measurements are associated with measures of in-laboratory lung function and exercise testing. Methods: We performed lung function and exercise testing and obtained home actigraphy for 12 hrs/day during waking hrs for 1 week from 49 people at risk for COPD but with preserved spirometry (pre-COPD). We examined the association of actigraphy domains (activity, distance, energy expenditure, and sedentary time) with lung function and exercise indices with adjustment for age, sex, height, and weight. Results: In distance domain, the maximum number of steps/min was significantly associated with peak oxygen consumption (VO2). Other domains also showed consistent but non-significant association with VO2. The maximum number of steps/min from distance domain also showed non-significant association with air trapping (residual volume-to-total lung capacity ratio; RV/TLC). COPD Assessment test (CAT) score had non-significant inverse association with activity, distance, and energy expenditure, and direct association with sedentary time of actigraphy. However, the CAT score was not associated with RV/TLC or VO2 in this population with pre-COPD. Discussion: “Home” activity monitoring using actigraphy could be used as predictor for exercise capacity. Actigraphy seems to provide an additional dimension of data that is not captured by survey questionnaires.
The Dielectric Properties of Barium Titanate at Low Temperatures.

The complex dielectric constatn of ceramic barium titanate has been measured as a function of temperature from 300\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K down to 2.8\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The large value of the slope of the real part of the dielectric constant, ${K}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, versus temperature curve in the 4\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K region previously reported by Wul was observed in the measurements described here, and a large hump in the $tan\ensuremath{\delta}$ versus temperature curve was observed at low temperatures. Measurements were also made on barium titanate diluted with 15 percent and 30 percent strontium titanate. The dilution in both cases gave large slopes in the ${K}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ versus temperature curve at low temperatures. The measurements were made largely at 500 kilocycles per second.
Fruteros: Street Vending, Illegality, and Ethnic Community in Los Angeles: by Rocio Rosales, Oakland, University of California Press, 2020, ix + 197pp., £25.00 (paperback), ISBN 978-0520319851.

If you are driving through Los Angeles, you will likely see Latino fruit street vendors, or fruteros, on street corners. Colorful umbrellas provide their carts full of fruit and ice with shade from...
Toward Proportional Deportation

In this essay in response to Angela M. Banks, The Normative and Historical Cases for Proportional Deportation, 62 Emory L.J. 1243 (2013), I discuss how Professor Banks’s contribution provides a compelling illustration of the disjuncture between citizenship status and long-term residence in U.S. immigration law. Congress unintentionally created this schism and this state of affairs need not be. But I also raise three additional questions: What are the best strategies to fix the problem? Should we consider detrimental effects of U.S. deportation decisions on other nations? If the United States eases its “war on drugs,” shouldn’t that be reflected in immigration law?
Knee extensor power predicts six-minute walk test performance in people with transfemoral amputations.

BACKGROUND Lower-limb amputees have increased metabolic costs during walking that may be mitigated by maintaining quadriceps strength and power following amputation. However, there are no current studies investigating the relationship between thigh strength and walking performance in individuals with transfemoral amputation. OBJECTIVE To quantify the relationship between intact limb quadriceps strength in transfemoral amputees and six-minute walk test (6MWT) performance. DESIGN Descriptive laboratory study. SETTING Laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Eleven participants with unilateral transfemoral amputations from trauma or osteosarcoma (4 women/7 men, 46.21 ± 12.68 years old, 28.24 ± 20.57 years following amputation). INTERVENTIONS Strength and power testing on the intact limb followed by 6MWT with a flowmeter to measure oxygen uptake (VO2 ). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Strength included mass-normalized peak torque, average torque, and average power. 6MWT measures included total distance traveled and VO2 normalized to distance and mass. Significant correlations (P ≤ .05) were retained for a regression analysis. RESULTS Peak isokinetic knee extensor torque was correlated with total VO2 (r = -.60, P = .05) and distance traveled (r = .84, P = .001). Average isokinetic knee extensor torque was correlated with total VO2 (r = -.61, P = .046) and distance traveled (r = .85, P = .001). Average knee extensor power was correlated with total VO2 (r = -.67, P = .026) and distance traveled (r = .88, P < .001). Peak isometric knee extensor torque was correlated with distance traveled (r = .69, P = .019). Average power explained 77.2% of the variance in distance traveled during the 6MWT (P < .001) and average power explained 44.2% of the variance in total VO2 during the 6MWT (P = .026). CONCLUSIONS Knee extensor strength was correlated with performance on the 6MWT in individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation. The strongest relationship was between isokinetic quadriceps power and distance traveled, which suggests that developing quadriceps power in the intact limb following amputation may be an important factor to reduce metabolic cost of walking and support a return to an active lifestyle.
Natural Product Gene Clusters in the Filamentous Nostocales Cyanobacterium HT-58-2

Cyanobacteria are known as rich repositories of natural products. One cyanobacterial-microbial consortium (isolate HT-58-2) is known to produce two fundamentally new classes of natural products: the tetrapyrrole pigments tolyporphins A-R, and the diterpenoid compounds tolypodiol, 6-deoxytolypodiol, and 11-hydroxytolypodiol. The genome (7.85 Mbp) of the Nostocales cyanobacterium HT-58-2 was annotated previously for tetrapyrrole biosynthesis genes, which led to the identification of a putative biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) for tolyporphins. Here, bioinformatics tools have been employed to annotate the genome more broadly in an effort to identify pathways for the biosynthesis of tolypodiols as well as other natural products. A putative BGC (15 genes) for tolypodiols has been identified. Four BGCs have been identified for the biosynthesis of other natural products. Two BGCs related to nitrogen fixation may be relevant, given the association of nitrogen stress with production of tolyporphins. The results point to the rich biosynthetic capacity of the HT-58-2 cyanobacterium beyond the production of tolyporphins and tolypodiols.
Perceived colorism and lifetime psychiatric disorders among Black American adults: findings from the National Survey of American Life

Colorism has been propagated across the globe, and skin tone discrimination may partly explain social stratification and health disparities within the Black American population. Using data from a large probability sample of Black American adults (National Survey of American Life; 2001–2003), we examined the relations between perceived colorism and psychiatric disorders. In multivariable logistic regression models, in-group colorism was associated with greater odds of having any lifetime psychiatric disorder (aOR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.08–1.32; p = 0.00); however, out-group colorism was not significantly associated, net of sociodemographic characteristics and in-group colorism (aOR: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.99–1.18; p = 0.08). When looking at specific disorders, in-group colorism was significantly associated with greater odds of alcohol use disorder, substance use disorder, anxiety disorder, and eating disorder, but was not associated with post-traumatic stress disorder or mood disorder. Out-group colorism was not significantly associated with any psychiatric disorder except anxiety disorder. Our findings show that colorism predicts psychiatric disorders, though more research is needed to understand why the effects of in-group and out-group colorism are related to certain psychiatric disorders but not others.
JUE insight: Learning epidemiology by doing: The empirical implications of a Spatial-SIR model with behavioral responses

Abstract We simulate a spatial behavioral model of the diffusion of an infection to understand the role of geographic characteristics: the number and distribution of outbreaks, population size, density, and agents’ movements. We show that several invariance properties of the SIR model concerning these variables do not hold when agents interact with neighbors in a (two dimensional) geographical space. Indeed, the spatial model’s local interactions generate matching frictions and local herd immunity effects, which play a fundamental role in the infection dynamics. We also show that geographical factors change how behavioral responses affect the epidemic. We derive relevant implications for estimating the effects of the epidemic and policy interventions that use panel data from several geographical units.
A design methodology for broadband x-ray mirror coatings

It has been known for quite some time that thin, low atomic number (Z) overcoats on x-ray mirrors with high-Z coatings, for example, carbon on iridium, can provides acceptable reflectivity response at high x-ray energies while boosting reflectivity in the low energy range. Recent published work has complemented this idea by adding an intermediate-Z coating interposed between the low and high Z coatings—a so-called graded-Z coating—which also offers improved reflectivity response at mid-range x-ray energies. In this paper I discuss a simple methodology for designing and optimizing graded-Z coatings in the 0.1-10 keV energy band.
Soil pore space gas probes for use in agricultural research

Abstract Increasing agriculture intensification to meet global demand has sparked great interest in economic and environmentally sustainable cropping systems. One important measure of environmental sustainability is greenhouse gases production, which can be altered with soil health promoting practices such as cover cropping and no-tillage. Previously, the measurement of gas concentration and production in soils has been cost-prohibitive for factorial designs in agricultural research and may inhibit field operations. This study aimed to provide an affordable method for measuring below ground pore space concentrations of greenhouse gases. Testing was conducted in Lubbock, TX in 2019 in a cotton monoculture with gas sampling conducted about a month after fertilizer applications. Probes were installed at 7.5 and 15 cm depths and sampling was conducted with a portable Fourier-transform infrared gas analyzer. It was determined that consistent values of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration were measured with average CO2 concentrations across tillage systems of 570 µL L−1 at 7.5 cm and 610 µL L−1 at 15 cm in June and 1050 µL L−1 at 7.5 cm and 1380 µL L−1 at 15 cm in August. Compared to pore space concentrations from similar soil moisture conditions, our measurements were highly comparable. Soil pore space probes used in this study provided comparable measurement of soil gas concentrations at a low per-plot cost. In addition, our probes were able to be installed with minimal soil disturbance allowing for measurement in already established no-tillage systems and allowed for field operations to be conducted by placing probes within the crop row.
Redox regulation by carotenoids: evidence and conflicts for their application in cancer

Abstract Carotenoids have been constantly investigated since the early fifty for their chemical, biochemical and biological properties being presence in foods. Among the more than 1100 carotenoids synthesized by plants and microorganisms, approximately 50 are present in the human diet, and about 20 can be detected in human blood and tissues. Review articles that discuss the anticancer and cancer preventing activity of phytochemicals have often in common the difficulty to find a coherency between the results deriving from experimental studies and the controversial or weak clinical indications arising from epidemiological and interventional studies. In this scenario, the class of carotenoids does not represent an exception. In fact, according with World Cancer Research Fund, strong evidence exists that high-dose supplementation of β-carotene increases the risk of lung cancer, while for other types of cancer, the protective or harmful effects of food-containing carotenoids or carotenoid supplements have been considered limited, suggestive or unlikely. The analysis of the mechanistic evidence is complicated by the double nature of carotenoids being molecules acting either as antioxidant or pro-oxidant compounds. The present review analyzes the ambiguity and the unexpected results deriving from the epidemiological and interventional studies and discusses how the effects of carotenoids on cancer risk can be explained by understanding their capacity to modulate the cellular antioxidant response, depending on the concentration applied and the cellular metabolism. In the final part, a new global approach is proposed to study the contribution of carotenoids, but also of other phytochemicals, to disease prevention, including cancer.
Electrodiagnostic Evaluation of Motor Neuron Disorders

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common adult motor neuron disorder and leads usually to death within two to five years after diagnosis. Clinically, ALS presents with fasciculations, progressive weakness, muscle atrophy, and spasticity. It is a clinical diagnosis, supported by electrodiagnostic and laboratory tests. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) and needle electromyography (EMG) are essential in the evaluation of suspected ALS. NCS are primarily used to exclude any potentially treatable motor neuropathy that may mimic ALS. Standard nerve conduction studies should include at least four sensory and four motor nerves in an arm and leg. At least three sites in three different nerves should be stimulated when searching for conduction blocks, which may distinguish motor neuropathy from ALS. Needle EMG is very valuable as it can demonstrate widespread involvement of muscles that are not clinically weak. Characteristic findings include widespread non-myotomal denervation (both acute and chronic), with fibrillations and fasciculations. Extensive needle examination should include at least two limbs (arm and leg; at least five muscles each), thoracic paraspinal and bulbar muscles.
Varying patterns of brachial artery flow‐mediated dilatation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and controls: An application of the group‐based trajectory modeling

Purpose To identify changing patterns of absolute change in brachial artery lumen diameter (LD) after reactive hyperemia in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and controls and to quantify the association of PCOS status and participants' factors with these patterns. Methods Brachial flow-mediated dilation was measured in 128 women with PCOS and 148 controls aged 30–60 years. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to investigate absolute change in LD every 30 seconds for 2 minutes after occluding cuff deflation. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with trajectories. Results Three patterns emerged, namely nondilators (42.2%), dilators (44.6%), and enhanced dilators (13.0%). The proportion of women with PCOS did not differ across groups. Independently of age and PCOS status, larger baseline LD (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval: 2.51; 1.29, 4.89) and lower insulin levels (0.70; 0.52, 0.93) were associated with nondilators rather than with dilators. Higher total cholesterol was associated with dilators in women with PCOS but with nondilators in controls. Conclusions Trajectory modeling identified distinct patterns of change in LD and factors associated with the endothelial response. This method may be a useful tool to understand the brachial flow-mediated vasodilator response. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2015
Use of percutaneous endoscopy to place syringopleural or cystoperitoneal cerebrospinal fluid shunts: Technical note

The authors describe a technique for percutaneous endoscopic shunt placement to treat clinically symptomatic spinal cysts. Seven patients underwent the procedure--five with syringomyelia, one with a symptomatic perineurial cyst, and one with a large arachnoid cyst. In all patients the shunt was successfully placed, and clinical improvement occurred in six. In four patients the entire procedure was performed endoscopically, whereas in three conversion to an open surgical exposure was required for safe access of a syrinx cavity. Overall, however, the pleural or peritoneal catheter was successfully placed endoscopically in all seven patients. There were two cases of postoperative positional headaches of which one required valve revision. In one case the catheter migrated and required repositioning. Percutaneous endoscopic shunt placement appears feasible in appropriately selected patients.
Democratic Laboratories: Policy Diffusion among the American States

The diffusion of ideas and practices is fundamental to our national way of life. In areas from technology to commerce to religion, Americans presume that good ideas will flourish. But in a country built on such presumptions, the diffusion of policy ideas is poorly understood. On issues from abortion and capital punishment to education and the environment, new policies spread from one state or locality to another. Yet, neither party operatives nor policymakers nor political scientists really understand the routes of transmission, or the rules governing them. Karch's innovative and engaging book enables us to appreciate the sources of dynamism in American politics.
Impact of Component Innovation and Application Development on Fiber-to-the-Desk Systems

Summary form only given. Initially, local area networks (LANs) were composed entirely of copper wire links. As networks have expanded in size and increased in data rate, optical fiber has begun to replace copper in the backbone and interbuilding links. Most recently, fiber has replaced copper in many vertical, or between closet, links. To date, in spite of fiber's increasing presence in much of the network, copper has remained the technology of choice in the last 100 meters. Although this has delayed fiber-to-the-desk, the critical issue is not if fiber will replace copper but rather how the migration will occur and what technologies will make fiber the compelling choice.
HealthQuest: technology that encourages physical activity in the workplace

To offset sedentary lifestyles, physical activity is widely promoted in the workplace. In this paper, we present HealthQuest, a mixed reality system to motivate employees' physical activity. HealthQuest leverages a company facility's existing physical infrastructure augmented with distributed kiosks. Users engage in wellness learning quests by walking from kiosk to kiosk in the environment. The system assists in achieving company health promotion goals.
The Random Response Technique as an Indicator of Questionnaire Item Social Desirability/Personal Sensitivity.

Begin, Boivin, and Bellerose (1979) presented an hypothesis relating the random response technique to the sensitivity of questionnaire items. This hypothesis states that if one assumes the random response technique assures subjects a greater degree of anonymity than the traditional direct questionnaire method, then a comparison between these two methods would be a direct and useful index of the social disirability of a particular trait, behavior, or attitude. It is proposed that if the proportion of “yes” responses to a particular item was higher for the direct questionnaire group than the random response group, then the item was socially desirable. If the converse resulted, the item was socially undesirable. The Marlow-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (Crowne and Marlowe, 1960; Crowne and Marlowe, 1964) was used to test this hypothesis. The results suggest a potential new use for the random response technique. The implications of this procedure for scale construction are also discussed.
Yang-Mills on surfaces with boundary: quantum theory and symplectic limit

The quantum field measure for gauge fields over a compact surface with boundary, with holonomy around the boundary components specified, is constructed. Loop expectation values for general loop configurations are computed. For a compact oriented surface with one boundary component, let \(\) be the moduli space of flat connections with boundary holonomy lying in a conjugacy class \(\) in the gauge group G. We prove that a certain natural closed 2-form on \(\), introduced in an earlier work by C. King and the author, is a symplectic structure on the generic stratum of \(\) for generic \(\). We then prove that the quantum Yang-Mills measure, with the boundary holonomy constrained to lie in \(\), converges in a natural sense to the corresponding symplectic volume measure in the classical limit. We conclude with a detailed treatment of the case \(\), and determine the symplectic volume of this moduli space.
What is a critical multicultural researcher? A self-reflective study of the role of the researcher:

Critical multiculturalism and social justice have emerged in educational contexts as primarily pedagogical concerns, confined to the processes of teaching and learning. This article raises the question about the application of these principles to the research process. Through a critical self-reflection on researcher roles and practices, this article highlights four emergent characteristics of the multicultural/social justice researcher: the commitment to a common good; the re-definition of the researcher—researched relationship; the interrogation of the traditional roles, norms and power dynamics of academic research and researchers; and the merging of the tripartite distinctions of teaching, research and service in the role of the professor. These serve as a starting point for dialogue on the re-conceptualization of the role of the multicultural/social justice researcher.
Security on the Korean Peninsula: Continuity and Change

Continuity and change characterize security on the Korean peninsula, while the USA's ongoing anti-terrorism campaign raises concern in relation to North Korea. This article examines the Korean peninsula from global, regional, and local perspectives, ascertaining security dynamics and trends. It contrasts recent efforts to restore the northern continental triangle (North Korea, China, and Russia) with the continued stability of the southern maritime triangle (South Korea, Japan, and the United States). The impact of the stalemated inter-Korean dialogues upon the security of the Korean peninsula and each of the major powers is also considered. The possible resumption and agenda of the dialogue between the United States and North Korea are under dispute. North Korea acted to let the Clinton administration know that it was willing to trade its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities for economic resources, if the price was right. Whether North Korea will indeed bargain away its military trump cards for eco...
Vitrectomy lens for examination of the optic disk in young children with glaucoma.

Purpose/Methods To examine the optic disk in infants and young children with glaucoma after the administration of anesthesia, a lens designed for vitrectomy surgery was used to obtain magnified stereoscopic images of the optic disk. Result/Conclusions Excellent visualization of the optic disk was obtained with our method. Comparison of optic disk appearance is facilitated by using an inexpensive lens designed for vitrectomy surgery.
Selective immobilization of peptides exclusively via N-terminus cysteines by water-driven reactions on surfaces.

Immobilizing peptides or proteins on bioinert surfaces enables the elucidation of ligand−receptor interaction in complex biological systems. Here, we report a highly chemoselective surface reaction that immobilizes peptides exclusively via N-terminus cysteine residue in a peptide. At pH 5.5, only N-terminus cysteines of peptides couple covalently with phenoxy amino squarate moieties presented on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiols on gold films. The selectivity of this surface reaction can tolerate the presence of internal cysteines in close proximity to basic residues such as histidines. We demonstrated this selective surface reaction by mammalian cell adhesion and by SAMDI mass spectroscopy of the SAMs.
Federalism, the Bush Administration, and the Transformation of American Conservatism

Most recent Republican presidents have proposed signature federalism initiatives intended to devolve power or sort out federal and state functions. The Bush administration has not propounded an explicit federalism policy of this sort, but its approach to federalism can be gleaned from analyzing presidential advocacy of legislation and constitutional amendments, fiscal policies, administrative actions, and judicial policies. What emerges from this analysis is an administration that has been surprisingly dismissive of federalism concerns and frequently an agent of centralization. In one sense, Bush is merely the latest in a string of presidents who have sacrificed federalism considerations to specific policy goals when the two have come in conflict. However, the administration's behavior is somewhat surprising, given the president's background as a governor and the fact that he has been the first Republican president to enjoy Republican control of Congress since 1954. Our explanation for the Bush approach begins with the president's lack of any philosophical commitment to federalism and explores the changing status of federalism concerns within conservative ideology. Any explanation for the Bush approach should account for this shifting political dynamic, which has seen Republicans in recent years become increasingly supportive of exerting federal authority on behalf of their economic and social objectives, encouraging Democrats at times to become more supportive of state authority.
The reliability of calendar data for reporting contraceptive use: evidence from rural Bangladesh.

Collecting contraceptive-use data by means of calendar methods has become standard practice in large-scale population surveys, yet the reliability of these methods for capturing accurate contraceptive histories over time remains largely unknown. Using data from overlapping contraceptive calendars included in a longitudinal study of 3,080 rural Bangladeshi women, we assessed the consistency of reports from the baseline interview month in 2006 with reports from the same month in a follow-up survey three years later, and examined predictors of reliable reporting. More than one-third of women were discordant in their reports for the reference month in the two surveys. Among women reporting use of any contraceptive method for the reference month in both surveys, 25 percent reported different methods at the two time points. Women using condoms or traditional methods and those with more complex reproductive histories, including more births and more episodes of contraceptive use, were least likely to report reliably.