cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Medicare and the Social Security Disability Insurance program

Abstract: This DataWatch traces changes over time in the age and health characteristics of persons awarded Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. SSDI beneficiaries are increasingly younger and more likely to be incapacitated by health conditions that at any age lengthen spells of disablement. These changes have had a significant impact on SSDI operations; they also have important implications for financing the Medicare program.
Modeling TCP latency

Several analytic models describe the steady-state throughput of bulk transfer TCP flows as a function of round trip time and packet loss rate. These models describe flows based on the assumption that they are long enough to sustain many packet losses. However, most TCP transfers across today's Internet are short enough to see few, if any, losses and consequently their performance is dominated by startup effects such as connection establishment and slow start. This paper extends the steady-state model proposed in Padhye et al. (1998), in order to capture these startup effects. The extended model characterizes the expected value and distribution of TCP connection establishment and data transfer latency as a function of transfer size, round trip time, and packet loss rate. Using simulations, controlled measurements of TCP transfers, and live Web measurements we show that, unlike earlier steady-state models for TCP performance, our extended model describes connection establishment and data transfer latency under a range of packet loss conditions, including no loss.
Healthcare providers' experiences screening for intimate partner violence among migrant and seasonal farmworking women: A phenomenological study.

BACKGROUND: Migrant and seasonal farmworking (MSFW) women patients experience substantially more intimate partner violence (IPV) than the general population, but few health-care providers screen patients for IPV. While researchers have examined screening practices in health-care settings, none have exclusively focused on MSFW women. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of health-care providers who have screened for and/or addressed IPV with MSFW women patients. DESIGN: Researchers utilized descriptive phenomenology to capture the lived experiences of these health-care providers. Data were analysed using Colaizzi's seven-stage framework. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Interviews were conducted with nine female participants - all of whom: (i) were clinically active health-care providers within the MSFW community, (ii) were bilingual in English and Spanish or had access to a translator, (iii) had treated MSFW patients who had experienced IPV and (iv) were at least 18 years of age. RESULTS: Participants' experiences were reflected in four emergent themes: (i) provider-centered factors, (ii) patient-centered factors, (iii) clinic-centered factors and (iv) community-centered factors. Participants described barriers to establish routine IPV assessment, decrease patient ambivalence and increase on-site support and community resources. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This study aimed to generate a greater understanding of the experiences of health-care providers with screening for and addressing IPV with MSFW patients. Implications and recommendations for research, clinical practice and policy are provided. Language: en
Unexpected destruction of chitosomal chitin synthetase by an endogenous protease during sucrose density gradient purification.

Because of their intrinsic low buoyant density, chitosomes can be separated from crude cell homogenates (1000 g or 35,000 g supernatants) of Mucor rouxii by isopycnic sedimentation in sucrose density gradients. To accelerate and simplify the isolation of chitosomes, we centrifuged the cell-free extracts at ultrahigh speed (in a fixed-angle rotor at forces up to 311,000 g Rav) and found that the duration of centrifugation was critical. Prolonged centrifugation at ultrahigh speed caused severe distortion of the chitin synthetase profile in the gradient as the peak of chitosomal chitin synthetase nearly disappeared. We traced the problem to a soluble protease(s) that moved into the chitosome band during protracted centrifugation and destroyed the chitin synthetase activity. The interfering protease was a soluble protein with a sedimentation coefficient of 4.6 S and a pH optimum of 7–7.5, and it was sensitive to PMSF (phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride), indicating that it was a serine protease. Unlike other proteases, it destroyed chitin synthetase but did not activate the chitin synthetase zymogen. The interfering protease could be eliminated either by adding PMSF to the cells immediately after breakage or by removing the upper part of the sucrose gradient midway through the centrifugation of the cell-free extract and then completing the sedimentation with the ‘decapitated’ gradient.
Nuclear genes involved in mitochondria-to-nucleus communication in breast cancer cells

The interaction of nuclear and mitochondrial genes is an essential feature in maintenance of normal cellular function. Of 82 structural subunits that make up the oxidative phosphorylation system in the mitochondria, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes 13 subunits and rest of the subunits are encoded by nuclear DNA. Mutations in mitochondrial genes encoding the 13 subunits have been reported in a variety of cancers. However, little is known about the nuclear response to impairment of mitochondrial function in human cells. We isolated a Rho0 (devoid of mtDNA) derivative of a breast cancer cell line. Our study suggests that depletion of mtDNA results in oxidative stress, causing increased lipid peroxidation in breast cancer cells. Using a cDNA microarray we compared differences in the nuclear gene expression profile between a breast cancer cell line (parental Rho+) and its Rho0 derivative impaired in mitochondrial function. Expression of several nuclear genes involved in cell signaling, cell architecture, energy metabolism, cell growth, apoptosis including general transcription factor TFIIH, v-maf, AML1, was induced in Rho0 cells. Expression of several genes was also down regulated. These include phospholipase C, agouti related protein, PKC gamma, protein tyrosine phosphatase C, phosphodiestarase 1A (cell signaling), PIBF1, cytochrome p450, (metabolism) and cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p19, and GAP43 (cell growth and differentiation). Mitochondrial impairment in breast cancer cells results in altered expression of nuclear genes involved in signaling, cellular architecture, metabolism, cell growth and differentiation, and apoptosis. These genes may mediate the cross talk between mitochondria and the nucleus.
Mercury-induced externalization of phosphatidylserine and caspase 3 activation in human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells.

Apoptosis arises from the active initiation and propagation of a series of highly orchestrated specific biochemical events leading to the demise of the cell. It is a normal physiological process, which occurs during embryonic development as well as in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Diverse groups of molecules are involved in the apoptosis pathway and it functions as a mechanism to eliminate unwanted or irreparably damaged cells. However, inappropriate induction of apoptosis by environmental agents has broad ranging pathologic implications and has been associated with several diseases including cancer. The toxicity of several heavy metals such as mercury has been attributed to their high affinity to sulfhydryl groups of proteins and enzymes, and their ability to disrupt cell cycle progression and/or apoptosis in various tissues. The aim of this study was to assess the potential for mercury to induce early and late-stage apoptosis in human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells. The Annexin-V and Caspase 3 assays were performed by flow cytometric analysis to determine the extent of phosphatidylserine externalization and Caspase 3 activation in mercury-treated HepG2 cells. Cells were exposed to mercury for 10 and 48 hours respectively at doses of 0, 1, 2, and 3 μg/mL based on previous cytotoxicity results in our laboratory indicating an LD50 of 3.5 ± 0.6 μg/mL for mercury in HepG2 cells. The study data indicated a dose response relationship between mercury exposure and the degree of early and late-stage apoptosis in HepG2 cells. The percentages of cells undergoing early apoptosis were 0.03 ± 0.03%, 5.19 ± 0.04%, 6.36 ± 0.04%, and 8.84 ± 0.02% for 0, 1, 2, and 3 μg/mL of mercury respectively, indicating a gradual increase in apoptotic cells with increasing doses of mercury. The percentages of Caspase 3 positive cells undergoing late apoptosis were 3.58 ± 0.03%, 17.06 ± 0.05%, 23.32 ± 0.03%, and 34.51 ± 0.01% for 0, 1, 2, and 3 μg/mL of mercury respectively, also indicating a gradual increase in Caspase positive cells with increasing doses of mercury.
Psychology of Promoting Environmentalism: Psychological Contributions toAchieving an Ecologically Sustainable Future for Humanity

The most serious long-term threat facing the world is the danger that human actions are producing irreversible, harmful changes to the environmental conditions that support life on Earth. If this problem is not overcome, there may be no viable world for our descendants to inhabit. Because this threat is caused by human population growth, overconsumption, and lack of resource conservation, social scientists have a vital role in helping our world escape ecological disaster and approach a sustainable level of impact on the environment—one that can be maintained indefinitely. Enormous changes to human lifestyles and cultural practices may be required to reach this goal. This article discusses major obstacles to this goal, describes a variety of motivational approaches toward reaching it, and proposes that we should view the achievement of sustainable living patterns as a superordinate goal—a war against the common enemy of an uninhabitable world.
Neural Differentiation Tracks Improved Recall of Competing Memories Following Interleaved Study and Retrieval Practice

Selective retrieval of overlapping memories can generate competition. How does the brain adaptively resolve this competition? One possibility is that competing memories are inhibited; in support of this view, numerous studies have found that selective retrieval leads to forgetting of memories that are related to the just-retrieved memory. However, this retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) effect can be eliminated or even reversed if participants are given opportunities to restudy the materials between retrieval attempts. Here, we outline an explanation for such a reversal, rooted in a neural network model of RIF that predicts representational differentiation when restudy is interleaved with selective retrieval. To test this hypothesis, we measured changes in pattern similarity of the BOLD fMRI signal elicited by related memories after undergoing interleaved competitive retrieval and restudy. Reduced pattern similarity within the hippocampus positively correlated with retrieval-induced facilitation of competing memories. This result is consistent with an adaptive differentiation process that allows individuals to learn to distinguish between once-confusable memories.
Progesterone Receptor and the Cell Cycle Modulate Apoptosis in Granulosa Cells

Our previous studies showed that exposure of bovine preovulatory follicles to the LH surge-induced resistance of granulosa cells, but not theca cells, to apoptosis. Here, the temporal development of resistance to apoptosis and potential roles of progesterone receptor (PR) and alterations in the cell cycle in mediating this effect were examined. Injection of cows with GnRH induced an LH surge within 2 h. Granulosa cells isolated 0, 6, and 10 h after GnRH were sensitive to Fas ligand-induced apoptosis, but cells isolated at 14 h were resistant. PR was first detectable in granulosa cells at 10 and 14 h and was not detectable in theca. Treatment of granulosa cells isolated 14 h after GnRH with the PR antagonist, RU486, induced susceptibility to apoptosis, an effect mediated by PR and not glucocorticoid receptor. After GnRH treatment, granulosa cells, but not theca cells, exited the cell cycle, expression of cyclin D2 was reduced, and p27Kip1 was elevated. Treatment of granulosa cells isolated from small antra...
Upstream migration of amphidromous shrimps in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico: temporal patterns and environmental cues

Several species of amphidromous shrimp play important roles in the food webs of Neotropical freshwater stream ecosystems. We quantified the timing and magnitude of the upstream migration of 3 genera of amphidromous shrimp on the Rio Espiritu Santo in northeastern Puerto Rico. We then used multiple regression analyses to identify potential environmental factors that affected our observed migration rates. We also conducted artificial stream experiments to assess which potential physical and chemical factors affect migratory behavior. Shrimp post-larvae migration patterns and the environmental factors affecting those patterns were species specific. The migration rates of Xiphocaris elongata and Macrobrachium spp. were more affected by environmental conditions than were those of Atya spp. The migration rates of X. elongata and Macrobrachium spp. were negatively affected by high stream discharge. Atya spp. made up most of the total post-larvae migration; however, Macrobrachium spp. migration was highly seasonal and made up a large proportion of the total shrimp migration in late summer. Migration rates of all post-larvae were uniformly distributed throughout the night. Experimental increases in turbidity had a negative effect on the migratory behavior of Atya spp. and X. elongata post-larvae, as did the presence of fish predators. Our results confirm evolutionary hypotheses regarding migration cues and dynamics of diadromous species. Flow variables provide reliable cues for upstream migration pathways and allow colonization of island habitats, whereas predator-related cues (fish and light) are recognized and avoided, a pattern that suggests adaptation to predation.
Effects of Temporal and Spectral Alterations of Speech Feedback on Speech Production by Persons With Hearing Loss

Results: The average speaking rate significantly decreased and rate variability significantly increased with increase in SF delay for both groups. Spectral alterations of SF reduced the effect on speaking rate in the HA group but not in the CI group. Spectral alterations did not significantly affect rate variability in the HA group but did so in the CI group. Average voice pitch increased significantly with increase in SF delay and with spectral alterations of SF in the HA group. No significant effects on average pitch of CI users were noted. Conclusions: The 2 groups were affected differently by the delay and spectral alterations of SF. The differences possibly reflect greater spectral resolution ability in the case of CI users and greater audibility of boneconducted SF (particularly in the low-frequency region) among the HA users. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;130:598-603
Efficient Heterogeneous Dual Catalyst Systems for Alkane Metathesis

A fully heterogeneous and highly efficient dual catalyst system for alkane metathesis (AM) has been developed. The system is comprised of an alumina-supported iridium pincer catalyst for alkane dehydrogenation/olefin hydrogenation and a second heterogeneous olefin metathesis catalyst. The iridium catalysts bear basic functional groups on the aromatic backbone of the pincer ligand and are strongly adsorbed on Lewis acid sites on alumina. The heterogeneous systems exhibit higher lifetimes and productivities relative to the corresponding homogeneous systems as catalyst/catalyst interactions and bimolecular decomposition reactions are inhibited. Additionally, using a "two-pot" device, the supported Ir catalysts and metathesis catalysts can be physically separated and run at different temperatures. This system with isolated catalysts shows very high turnover numbers and is selective for the formation of high molecular weight alkanes.
Les technologies de l’information et les économies du G7

Dans cet article, je compare la croissance economique des divers pays du G7 – le Canada, la France, l’Allemagne, l’Italie, le Japon, le Royaume-Uni et les Etats-Unis. Ces comparaisons s’articuleront autour des repercussions de l’investissement dans les technologies de l’information et les logiciels au cours de la periode 1980-2001. En ayant recours aux prix internationaux harmonises, j’ai analyse le role de l’investissement et de la productivite comme sources de la croissance dans les pays du G7 au cours de la periode 1980-2001. J’ai subdivise cette periode de part et d’autre des annees quatre-vingt-neuf et quatre-vingt-quinze, afin de pouvoir me concentrer davantage sur l’epoque la plus recente. J’ai decompose la croissance de la production de chaque pays en accroissement des intrants et en hausse de la productivite. Enfin, j’ai reparti l’augmentation des intrants entre les investissements dans les biens corporels, particulierement dans le domaine des technologies de l’information et des logiciels, et dans le capital humain.
Ionic Liquid Based Separations of Trivalent Lanthanide and Actinide Ions.

Group separations of lanthanides from minor actinides is required in the currently considered scenarios for closing of the nuclear fuel cycle. TALSPEAK is a well-known and historically first process suggested for such separations. The process is based on competitive complexation of trivalent f-group ions by an aminopolycarboxylate (such as the base of diethylenetriamine-N,N,N′,N″,N″-pentaacetic acid, DTPA) in an aqueous buffer and a dialkylphosphate (such as the base of bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid, HDEHP) in an organic phase. Unfortunately, this method exhibits excessive sensitivity to pH and composition of the aqueous feed. In this study, we ″reinvent″ TALSPEAK, retaining the competitive ion binding but changing considerably the chemical implementation of the underlying general principles. The DTPA moiety is integrated into a functionalized ionic liquid (IL) that is immiscible with an organic phase containing dialkylphosphate ligands. Choline and betainium bistriflimides double as IL diluents and sy...
Absorption and excretion of 14C-perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in Angus cattle (Bos taurus).

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), are environmentally persistent industrial chemicals often found in biosolids. Application of these biosolids to pastures raises concern about the accumulation of PFOA in the edible tissues of food animals. Because data on the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of PFOA in cattle were unavailable, a study was conducted to determine pharmacokinetic parameters following a single oral exposure (1 mg/kg body weight of 14C-PFOA) in four Lowline Angus steers. Radiocarbon was quantified in blood, urine, and feces for 28 days and in tissues at the time of slaughter (28 days) by liquid scintillation counting (LSC) or by combustion analysis with LSC with confirmation by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). 14C-PFOA was completely absorbed and excreted (100.7 ± 3.3% recovery) in the urine within 9 days of dosing. The plasma elimination half-life was 19.2 ± 3.3 h. No 14C-PFOA-derived radioactivity was...
Manganese on calcium flux and norepinephrine-induced tension in arterial smooth muscle.

SummaryThe tension developed by aortic smooth muscle in response to norepinephrine is reduced by Mn. The mechanical responses may be related to the current observations that norepinephrine increases radioactive Ca content and Mn attenuates this increase.
Metabolism of Avian Embryos: Ontogeny and Temperature Effects in the Ostrich

In the first comparative consideration of the metabolism of avian embryos, Rahn et al. (1974) made several important assumptions and offered a number of interesting predictions. One of their assumptions was that the relation between metabolic rate and incubation age (days incubated) is the same in all avian species as it is in the chicken (Gallus gallus). A second important assumption was that the partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air cell during the plateau phase are essentially the same in all species, regardless of egg mass and incubation period. This assumption led Rahn et al. to predict that, for eggs of different species but of the same mass ( W), “plateau” metabolic rate (I&,) * is inversely related to the length of the incubation period (I) and can be predicted most accurately from the equation:
Unexpected direct reduction mechanism for hydrogenation of ketones catalyzed by iron PNP pincer complexes.

The hydrogenation of ketones catalyzed by 2,6-bis(diisopropylphosphinomethyl)pyridine (PNP)-ligated iron pincer complexes was studied using the range-separated and dispersion-corrected ωB97X-D functional in conjunction with the all-electron 6-31++G(d,p) basis set. A validated structural model in which the experimental isopropyl groups were replaced with methyl groups was employed for the computational study. Using this simplified model, the calculated total free energy barrier of a previously postulated mechanism with the insertion of ketone into the Fe–H bond is far too high to account for the observed catalytic reaction. Calculation results reveal that the solvent alcohol is not only a stabilizer of the dearomatized intermediate but also more importantly an assistant catalyst for the formation of trans-(PNP)Fe(H)2(CO), the actual catalyst for hydrogenation of ketones. A direct reduction mechanism, which features the solvent-assisted formation of a trans dihydride complex trans-(PNP)Fe(H)2(CO), direct tr...
“It’s Just Paint”: Street Taggers’ Use of Neutralization Techniques

ABSTRACTNeutralization theory posits that individuals use various linguistic techniques to free themselves from guilt associated with offending and/or to maintain a non-criminal self-image. Drawing on interviews with 25 active juvenile street taggers in a large metropolitan area of Texas, this study explores their use of Sykes and Matza’s five techniques of neutralizations and the reasons they give for drifting in and out of offending. Results suggest that offenders have several common stressors that lead them to engage in tagging and that they make extensive use of neutralization techniques to justify their actions.
Political Phenomenology: John Wild and Emmanuel Levinas on the Political

The main purpose of this essay is to renew the study of the political from a phenomenological point of view through a comparison of the thought of John Wild and Emmanuel Levinas. This paper emphasizes similarities between the two thinkers as well as differences. It concludes with a case study of the practical application of phenomenology to politics. It does so by exploring some of the political dimensions of the life-world responsible for the election of Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT) to his previous position as Mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Sanders appointed Sugarman as “Commissioner of Reality” upon his election in 1981. The author wishes to point out that this was a non-paying position.
Worse Outcomes After Repeat vs Initial Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations: A Retrospective Matched-Cohort Study.

Background Incompletely obliterated cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) after initial treatment with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) can be treated with a repeat session of SRS. However, the relative efficacy of repeat vs initial SRS is not well specified. Objective To retrospectively compare in matched cohorts the outcomes of repeat vs initial SRS for the treatment of matched cohorts with angioarchitecturally similar AVMs. Methods We studied a data set of patients with AVM treated with radiosurgery during the period spanning 1989 to 2013. Patients with AVM who underwent repeat SRS with radiologic follow-up of ≥2 years or nidus obliteration were identified for the study and matched, in a 1:1 fashion that was blinded to outcome, to patients with previously untreated AVMs who underwent initial SRS. Statistical analyses were performed to compare the outcomes after repeat vs initial SRS. Results The matching approach resulted in 84 patients for the repeat and the initial SRS cohort (mean margin doses, 20.7 and 20.9 Gy, respectively; P = .74). In the repeat SRS cohort, obliteration was achieved in 67%; the radiologic, symptomatic, and permanent radiation-induced change rates were 35%, 10%, and 4%, respectively; and the post-SRS hemorrhage rate was 3.1%/y. Compared with the initial SRS cohort, the repeat SRS cohort had significantly lower obliteration rates (P = .04) and higher post-SRS hemorrhage rates (P = .04). The radiation-induced change rates of the 2 cohorts were not significantly different. Conclusion Repeat SRS yields considerably poorer outcomes than initial SRS for angioarchitecturally comparable AVMs. Further studies in AVM radiobiology and vascular structure are necessary to elucidate this potentially differential response. Abbreviations AVM, arteriovenous malformationRIC, radiation-induced changeRBAS, radiosurgery-based arteriovenous malformation scoreSRS, stereotactic radiosurgeryVRAS, virginia radiosurgery AVM scale.
Calcium and electrical signaling in arterial endothelial tubes: New insights into cellular physiology and cardiovascular function.

The integral role of the endothelium during the coordination of blood flow throughout vascular resistance networks has been recognized for decades. Early examination of the distinct anatomy and physiology of the endothelium as a signaling conduit along the vascular wall has prompted development and application of an intact endothelial “tube” study model isolated from rodent skeletal muscle resistance arteries. Vasodilatory signals such as increased endothelial cell (EC) Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) signals and hyperpolarization can take place in single ECs while being shared between electrically coupled ECs through gap junctions up to distances of millimeters (≥ 2 mm). The small- and intermediate-conductance Ca2+ activated K+ (SKCa/IKCa or KCa2.3/KCa3.1) channels function at the interface of Ca2+ signaling and hyperpolarization; a bidirectional relationship whereby increases in [Ca2+]i can activate SKCa/IKCa channels to produce hyperpolarization and vice versa. Further, the spatial domain of hyperpolarization among electrically coupled ECs can be finely tuned via incremental modulation of SKCa/IKCa channels to balance the strength of local and conducted electrical signals underlying vasomotor activity. Multifunctional properties of the voltage-insensitive SKCa/IKCa channels of resistance artery endothelium may be employed for therapy during the aging process and development of vascular disease. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Expressionismus. Manifeste und Dokumente zur deutschen Literatur 1910–1920. Hgg. von Thomas Anz und Michael Stark: Stuttgart: J. B. Metzler, 1982. Pp. 740.

(1982). Expressionismus. Manifeste und Dokumente zur deutschen Literatur 1910–1920. Hgg. von Thomas Anz und Michael Stark. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 57, No. 4, pp. 166-167.
Systematic investigation of the excited-state properties of anthracene-dicarboxylic acids

Abstract We report the photophysical properties of three anthracene-dicarboxylic acids – 1,4-anthracene dicarboxylic acid (1,4-ADCA), 2,6-anthracene dicarboxylic acid (2,6-ADCA) and 9,10-anthracene dicarboxylic acid (9,10-ADCA) – in a series of polar aprotic solvents using steady-state absorption spectroscopy, steady-state emission spectroscopy and time-correlated single photon counting emission lifetime spectroscopy. The addition of carboxylic acid functional groups on the anthracene ring perturbs the electronic transitions oriented along the longitudinal and transverse axes to varying degrees, resulting in differences in the photophysical properties. The three anthracene derivatives exhibit very different excited-state properties in basic solution compared to acidic and neutral solutions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the lowest-energy ground-state structures of both 2,6-ADCA and 1,4-ADCA have dihedral angles between the carboxylic acids and aromatic planes of θ = 0°. For 9,10-ADCA, the same dihedral angle increases to θ = 56.6°. Time-dependent DFT calculations suggest that the carboxyl groups of 1,4-ADCA and 2,6-ADCA remain coplanar with the anthracene ring system in the excited state. In contrast, the calculations reveal significant changes between the ground and excited geometries for 9,10-ADCA as the dihedrals decrease from 56.6° to 27.7° in the first excited state, and puckering of the anthracene moiety of 9,10-ADCA is observed.
Underlying Beliefs Associated With College Student Consumption of Energy Beverages.

College students are heavy consumers of energy beverages, yet further study is needed to better understand determinants of use. The purpose of this cross-sectional study (N = 283) was to identify beliefs explaining unsafe consumption practices. A principal components analysis revealed three eigenvalues >1 explaining approximately 55% of the variance (health and appearance, performance and fatigue, and recreation and alcohol). Multiple regression analysis explained 75% of the variance for intent to consume. Standardized beta for attitude and subjective norms was p < .001; perceived behavioral control was p < .05. MANOVA was used to determine the effect of gender on eight dependent variables (Wilks’s lambda = 3.78, p < .001). Attitudes and subjective norms influenced the intent to consume energy beverages, particularly in males. Students viewed energy beverages as useful for managing health and appearance and performance and fatigue, and as a way to enhance recreation and alcohol consumption.
Calculating State-Dependent Noise in a Linear Inverse Model Framework

AbstractThe most commonly used version of a linear inverse model (LIM) is forced by state-independent noise. Although having several desirable qualities, this formulation can only generate long-term Gaussian statistics. LIM-like systems forced by correlated additive–multiplicative (CAM) noise have been shown to generate deviations from Gaussianity, but parameter estimation methods are only known in the univariate case, limiting their use for the study of coupled variability. This paper presents a methodology to calculate the parameters of the simplest multivariate LIM extension that can generate long-term deviations from Gaussianity. This model (CAM-LIM) consists of a linear deterministic part forced by a diagonal CAM noise formulation, plus an independent additive noise term. This allows for the possibility of representing asymmetric distributions with heavier- or lighter-than-Gaussian tails. The usefulness of this methodology is illustrated in a locally coupled two-variable ocean–atmosphere model of mid...
Leukocyte integrin Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18, αMβ2, CR3) acts as a functional receptor for platelet factor 4

Platelet factor 4 (PF4) is one of the most abundant cationic proteins secreted from α-granules of activated platelets. Based on its structure, PF4 was assigned to the CXC family of chemokines and has been shown to have numerous effects on myeloid leukocytes. However, the receptor for PF4 remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that PF4 induces leukocyte responses through the integrin Mac-1 (αMβ2, CD11b/CD18). Human neutrophils, monocytes, U937 monocytic and HEK293 cells expressing Mac-1 strongly adhered to immobilized PF4 in a concentration-dependent manner. The cell adhesion was partially blocked by anti-Mac-1 mAb and inhibition was enhanced when anti-Mac-1 antibodies were combined with glycosaminoglycans, suggesting that cell-surface proteoglycans act cooperatively with Mac-1. PF4 also induced Mac-1-dependent migration of human neutrophils and murine WT, but not Mac-1-deficient macrophages. Coating of Escherichia coli bacteria or latex beads with PF4 enhanced their phagocytosis by macrophages by ∼4-fold, and this process was blocked by different Mac-1 antagonists. Furthermore, PF4 potentiated phagocytosis by WT, but not Mac-1-deficient macrophages. As determined by biolayer interferometry, PF4 directly bound the αMI-domain, the major ligand-binding region of Mac-1, and this interaction was governed by a Kd of 1.3 α 0.2 μm. Using the PF4-derived peptide library, synthetic peptides duplicating the αMI-domain recognition sequences and recombinant mutant PF4 fragments, the binding sites for αMI-domain were identified in the PF4 segments Cys12–Ser26 and Ala57–Ser70. These results identify PF4 as a ligand for the integrin Mac-1 and suggest that many immune-modulating effects previously ascribed to PF4 are mediated through its interaction with Mac-1.
Role of lipolysis in postoral and oral fat preferences in mice

Fatty acid receptors in the mouth and gut are implicated in the appetite for fat-rich foods. The role of lipolysis in oral- and postoral-based fat preferences of C57BL/6J mice was investigated by i...
Problems of Large-Scale Kinetic Energy Balance—A Diagnostic Analysis in GARP

Currently available diagnostic studies on kinetic energy balance in the general circulation are reviewed as one of the basic scientific problems in GARP. The kinetic energy equation and several different approaches in the evaluation of energy variables are discussed in relation to real and modeled atmospheric data. Energy balance problems in the middle latitudes are examined in terms of linkages between processes from energy conversion to dissipation, balance within various systems of circulation, and interactions with sub-synoptic scale disturbances. The kinetic energy budget in large-scale disturbances and the general flow of the tropical circulation are contrasted with those in the middle latitudes. By clarifying the current essential problems in the energetics of the middle latitudes and tropics, ongoing diagnostic studies at the University of Missouri—Columbia and Purdue University are identified in the context of the GARP.
Stock Market Fluctuations, Housing Wealth and Consumption Behaviour in Turkey

This paper investigates the effects of stock market, housing and financial wealth on durables and non-durables consumption in Turkey with a vector error correction model for the 1987-2006 period. The paper uses an originally constructed housing wealth series in addition to the stock market capitalization and banking deposits as proxies for the stock market and financial wealth respectively. Consistent with the life-cycle and permanent-income hypotheses, net private disposable income, bank credit to the private sector, and the real exchange rate fluctuations are also controlled in the estimation. The main finding is that in the long-run, an increase in housing wealth raises the consumption of non-durables, but has no effect on consumption of durables. On the other hand, durables consumption is significantly affected by the stock market wealth in contrast to the lack of effect on non-durables consumption. Short-run coefficients indicate positive wealth effects from stock market capitalization and financial savings on consumption of both non-durables and durables. However increases in housing wealth lower the consumption of non-durables in the short-run.
Intracavitary radium. A fluoroscopic technique of insertion and a new instrument.

Abstract A technique of fluoroscopic visualization of radium capsule insertion and the utilization of a newly designed radium capsule inserter are described as adjuncts to the intracavitary radium therapy of endometrial carcinoma. The visual monitoring of the insertion and arrangement of capsules has increased the precision of achieving a desirable radium distribution while reducing the risk of uterine perforation with tight packing. The new radium inserter can easily be made by modification of an available instrument and its design improves the efficiency with which the procedure can be accomplished.
Optimal local and remote controllers with unreliable communication: the infinite horizon case

We consider a decentralized optimal control problem for a linear plant controlled by two controllers, a local controller and a remote controller. The local controller directly observes the state of the plant and can inform the remote controller of the plant state through a packet-drop link with acknowledgments. The finite horizon version of this problem was solved in our prior work [1]. The optimal strategies in the finite horizon case were shown to be characterized by coupled Riccati recursions. In this paper, we show that the finite horizon solution is related to the solution of a centralized control problem for an auxiliary Markov jump linear system. By exploiting this connection, we investigate the infinite horizon decentralized control problem. Our main result characterizes a critical threshold Pc for link failure probability above which no decentralized strategy can give a finite cost. When the link failure probability is below this threshold, we provide an explicit characterization of the optimal strategies.
Attitudes toward euthanasia among hospice nurses: Political ideology or religious commitment?

Attitudes toward euthanasia have been linked with political ideology among hospice nurses; however, a larger body of research has linked attitudes toward euthanasia with religiosity. The purpose of...
Proteinuria Is Associated With Increased Risk of Fragility Fracture in Men With or at Risk of HIV Infection.

Background:Proteinuria has been associated with bone loss and fractures in general population, but data in HIV-infected population are lacking.Setting:Prospective, multicenter cohort study of men with or at risk of HIV infection.Methods:Between 2006 and 2015, urine protein measurements and bone frac
Long Live the New Flesh: Race and the Posthuman in Westworld

This paper takes as its starting point the re-imagination of the Hosts as creatures of synthetic biology rather than of robotic engineering in the Westworld television series. Examining a history in which African Americans were treated as property rather than people, and the regimes of brutality used to sustain this white hegemony, Alexander Weheliye argues that we should understand the flesh as a political category that articulates a different sociality than that enacted by the body and its metaphorical associations with the body politic. Reading Westworld in this context, and drawing on the biopolitical theory of Roberto Esposito, I argue that the series makes visible racialisation as constitutive of the category “the human.” Moreover, examing the transition in envisioning the Hosts from robotic entities to ones more like creatures of synthetic biology, I argue the series emblematizes concerns about the eroding status of the human subject (as theorised by liberalism) in a context of rampant biological commodification. Westworld confronts us with the limitations of current ways of understanding the category “the human” and points us towards better ways of imagining agency, subjectivity and mutuality. The series encourages us to acknowledge the complicity of “the human” in a settler-colonial, imperial imagination.
Solving Energy and Cybersecurity Constraints in IoT Devices Using Energy Recovery Computing

With the growth of Internet-of-Things (IoT), the potential threat vectors for malicious cyber and hardware attacks are rapidly expanding. As the IoT paradigm emerges, there are challenging requirements to design energy-efficient and secure systems. To address these challenges, we illustrate energy recovery computing as a potential solution to design low-energy hardware security primitives for IoT devices. Energy Recovery (ER) is a circuit design technique in which circuits recycle the charge stored in the load capacitor. This overview provides example applications of ER computing in (i) low-energy and Differential Power Analysis (DPA) resistant design, (ii) low-energy Physically Unclonable Function (PUF), and (iii) hardware trojan detection.
Mental Health Comorbidities and Elevated Risk of Opioid Use in Elderly Breast Cancer Survivors Using Adjuvant Endocrine Treatments

PURPOSE:Prolonged opioid use is common and associated with lower survival rates in breast cancer survivors. We explored whether opioid use in elderly breast cancer survivors using adjuvant endocrin...
Multiple risks, multiple systems, and academic achievement: A nationally representative birth-to-five investigation

Abstract This study examined individual and cumulative relations between child and family experiences from birth to school entry and kindergarten reading and mathematics achievement. Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), this study documented prevalence and co-occurrence rates of publicly monitored risks, uncovering higher rates of relevant risks than prior research for poverty, low maternal education, maternal depression, and birth to a single parent. Findings demonstrated significant relationships between multiple risks (i.e., poverty, preterm/low birthweight, low maternal education, single mother, inadequate prenatal care, teen mother, and maternal depression) with academic outcomes. Findings also demonstrated the incremental disadvantages of cumulative risk exposure to academic outcomes, adding to our understanding of cumulative risk with this specific combination of relevant experiences. Findings provide actionable intelligence for public service systems charged with improving child outcomes that goes beyond intractable characteristics of poverty or race, and have implications for cross-sector partnerships among departments of education, public health, and child welfare to address early achievement gaps.
An order parameter without magic angle effect (OPTIMA) derived from R1ρ dispersion in ordered tissue

PURPOSE MR R2 imaging of ordered tissue exhibits the magic angle effect, potentially masking subtle pathological changes in cartilage. This work aimed to develop an orientation-independent order parameter (S) exclusively sensitive to collagen degeneration. METHODS A theory was developed based on R1ρ dispersion coupled with a simplified molecular motion model in which anisotropic R2a(θ) became directly proportional to correlation time τbθ and S could be derived. This new parameter was validated with ex vivo R1ρ dispersion reported on orientated (n = 4), enzymatically depleted bovine cartilage (n = 6), and osteoarthritic human knee specimens (n = 14) at 9.4 Tesla, which was further demonstrated on 1 healthy human knee in vivo at 3 Tesla. RESULTS τbθ from orientation-dependent R1ρ dispersion revealed a significantly high average correlation (r = 0.89 ± 0.05, P < 0.05) with R2a (θ) on cartilage samples and a moderate correlation (r = 0.48, P < 0.001) for the human knee in vivo. The derived S (10-3 ) significantly decreased in advanced osteoarthritis (1.64 ± 0.03 vs. 2.30 ± 0.11, P < 0.001) and collagen-depleted samples (1.30 ± 0.11 vs. 2.12 ± 0.12, P < 0.001) when compared with early osteoarthritis and the control, respectively. CONCLUSION The proposed order parameter could be a potentially useful orientation-independent MR biomarker for collagen alterations in cartilage and other highly structured tissues.
Combinatorial screening yields discovery of 29 metal oxide photoanodes for solar fuel generation

Combinatorial synthesis combined with high throughput electrochemistry enabled discovery of 29 ternary oxide photoanodes, 15 with visible light response for oxygen evolution. Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ and trigonal V₂CoO₆ emerge as particularly promising candidates due to their photorepsonse at sub-2.4 eV illumination.
Ovarian carcinoma spheroids demonstrate an invasive potential

4917 Ovarian carcinoma patients frequently develop a malignant peritoneal ascites fluid containing single and aggregated tumor cells, or spheroids. Spheroids have been used as models of tumor microenvironments, and have been shown to be resistant to many therapies, but their potential to contribute to ovarian cancer dissemination has not been determined. We have previously shown that spheroids recovered from eleven stage III ovarian carcinoma patients could adhere to laminin, fibronectin, type I collagen, and type IV collagen, partially through β1 integrin subunit interactions. Patient ascites spheroids also adhered to live mesothelial cell monolayers via β1 integrin subunits. In the present study, we assessed the ability of spheroids to disseminate and invade in vitro. To determine their ability to disaggregate, spheroids generated from the human ovarian carcinoma cell line NIH:OVCAR5 were placed on a variety of extracellular matrix components for 24 hours. While laminin, fibronectin, and type IV collagen stimulated minor cell migration out of the spheroid, type I collagen caused complete spheroid disaggregation. A blocking antibody against the β1 integrin subunit significantly inhibited outgrowth on all extracellular matrix components. We next tested the ability of NIH:OVCAR5 spheroids to invade human mesothelial cells monolayers. NIH:OVCAR5 spheroids were added to confluent monolayers of live or methanol-fixed human LP9 mesothelial cells. Within 24 hours, the NIH:OVCAR5 spheroids adhered and disseminated on the mesothelial cell monolayers, and rapidly established foci of invasion, resulting in a 200-fold change in surface area within a week. Addition of a blocking antibody against the β1 integrin subunit almost completely inhibited NIH:OVCAR5 spheroid invasion into live and fixed mesothelial monolayers. To assess the contribution of proteases to this invasion, GM 6001, a broad-scale matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, was added to the assays. The addition of GM 6001 caused nearly complete inhibition of spheroid invasion into live mesothelial monolayers, and reduced invasion into fixed mesothelial cell monolayers by about 70%. Addition of e-amino-N-caproic acid, a serine protease inhibitor, reduced NIH:OVCAR5 spheroid invasion into live monolayers by about 30%, and reduced invasion into fixed monolayers by about 50%. Interestingly, while both of the protease inhibitors significantly blocked spheroid cell invasion into the monolayers, considerable cell attachment and migration on top of the fixed monolayers still occurred. In summary, ovarian carcinoma spheroids demonstrate the ability to attach to and invade mesothelial cell monolayers via β1 integrin subunit interactions and by the production of proteases. Thus, spheroids should be regarded as a potential source of dissemination in ovarian cancer.
A Closed-loop Deep Brain Stimulation Approach for Mitigating Burst Durations in People with Parkinson’s Disease

Increased beta band synchrony has been demonstrated to be a biomarker of Parkinson’s disease (PD). This abnormal synchrony can often be prolonged in long bursts of beta activity, which may interfere with normal sensorimotor processing. Previous closed loop deep brain stimulation (DBS) algorithms used averaged beta power to drive neurostimulation, which were indiscriminate to physiological (short) versus pathological (long) beta burst durations. We present a closed-loop DBS algorithm using beta burst duration as the control signal. Benchtop validation results demonstrate the feasibility of the algorithm in real-time by responding to pre-recorded STN data from a PD participant. These results provide the basis for future improved closed-loop algorithms focused on burst durations for in mitigating symptoms of PD.