cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Case Study: Using Soil Survey to Help Predict Sonoran Desert Tortoise Population Distribution and Densities

On the Ground Soils properties can affect the ability of an animal to dig burrows for habitat and survival purposes. The Sonoran (Gopherus morafkai) and Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) require burrows that are at least 20 inches deep to help them thermoregulate during the cold of winter and heat of summer. Soils that have characteristics that restrict their “digability” would be expected to limit the population density and distribution of animals such as the Sonoran or the Mojave Desert Tortoise regardless of the amount of forage vegetation being produced. The Sonoran Desert Tortoise in Mohave County, Arizona, and possibly throughout its range may seek “habitats of opportunity” within boulder piles, under exposed bedrock, and in caliche caves due to the limited “digability” of the soils endemic to this part of the Sonoran Desert. The natural availability of thermoregulating burrowing habitat and temperature/precipitation records should be considered when interpreting any fluctuations in Sonora...
Prions and the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies

The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the prion protein, which is expressed in a wide range of tissues and most likely has a variety of important cellular functions, and its role in producing the neurodegenerative diseases known as the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The protein is a normal cellular protein; however, it possess a unique property, so that when the normal α-helix-rich conformation is converted to a misfolded, β-sheet-rich conformation, the resultant particulate protein is infectious and produces a TSE, whose clinical features vary somewhat depending on the species (e.g., cow, sheep, human, etc.). The basic mechanism of infectivity remains mostly unknown, but it seems to be correctly thought of as a slowly progressing type of chain reaction. This model is often described as “recruitment and conversion.” The resultant TSEs are akin to other neurodegenerative diseases in that the TSEs are extraordinarily slow progressing diseases in humans and animals. In humans, after presymptomatic periods of as long as several decades, they are fatal and incurable. The unique primary and higher-order structure of the prion proteins of each species imparts a unique character to the TSEs of each species. Additionally, allelic variation at key structural sites appears to impart a unique character to the resultant disease. Variances in the character of disease resultant from these structural differences appear to account for the concept of “prion strains”.
Real-World Treatment Sequences and Outcomes Among Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (RESOUNDS) in the United States: Study Protocol.

Background: Survival outcomes are related to treatment choices in a line of therapy and to treatment sequences across all lines of therapy. Objective: The Real-World Treatment Sequences and Outcomes among Patients with NSCLC (RESOUNDS) study is designed to (1) evaluate treatment sequences used for patients who receive at least two lines of therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the United States and (2) evaluate patient outcomes in terms of progression-free and overall survival related to treatment sequencing. Additional objectives include the evaluation of symptoms, comorbidities, and health care resource utilization and costs. Methods: Patients will be censored at loss to follow-up due to leaving the health plan or reaching the end of the study period. Results: This study is ongoing. Conclusions: The RESOUNDS cohort study is a novel approach to building a comprehensive dataset that mimics a prospective observational study using linked patient-level data from four real-world data sources. This study will provide timely information on the sequencing of treatments for patients with NSCLC.
Public opinion and economic human rights: Patterns of support in 22 countries

This article describes the public's support for economic human rights enumerated in the UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in twenty-two countries over two decades using nationally representative surveys from the International Social Survey Program. It also describes differences in support among key social groups within these countries. The findings suggest that support for economic human rights regime has declined considerably in many countries between the 1990s and 2006. This declining support is most pronounced with respect to the state's obligations to the unemployed and ill-housed. I also find that support for economic rights is generally stronger among women, those with low formal education, those in low-status occupations and supporters of leftist political parties.
Electrospun Fibers as a Dressing Material for Drug and Biological Agent Delivery in Wound Healing Applications

Wound healing is a complex tissue regeneration process that promotes the growth of new tissue to provide the body with the necessary barrier from the outside environment. In the class of non-healing wounds, diabetic wounds, and ulcers, dressing materials that are available clinically (e.g., gels and creams) have demonstrated only a slow improvement with current available technologies. Among all available current technologies, electrospun fibers exhibit several characteristics that may provide novel replacement dressing materials for the above-mentioned wounds. Therefore, in this review, we focus on recent achievements in electrospun drug-eluting fibers for wound healing applications. In particular, we review drug release, including small molecule drugs, proteins and peptides, and gene vectors from electrospun fibers with respect to wound healing. Furthermore, we provide an overview on multifunctional dressing materials based on electrospun fibers, including those that are capable of achieving wound debridement and wound healing simultaneously as well as multi-drugs loading/types suitable for various stages of the healing process. Our review provides important and sufficient information to inform the field in development of fiber-based dressing materials for clinical treatment of non-healing wounds.
Self-heating–induced healing of lithium dendrites

Lithium (Li) metal electrodes are not deployable in rechargeable batteries because electrochemical plating and stripping invariably leads to growth of dendrites that reduce coulombic efficiency and eventually short the battery. It is generally accepted that the dendrite problem is exacerbated at high current densities. Here, we report a regime for dendrite evolution in which the reverse is true. In our experiments, we found that when the plating and stripping current density is raised above ~9 milliamperes per square centimeter, there is substantial self-heating of the dendrites, which triggers extensive surface migration of Li. This surface diffusion heals the dendrites and smoothens the Li metal surface. We show that repeated doses of high-current-density healing treatment enables the safe cycling of Li-sulfur batteries with high coulombic efficiency.
When is a Maze Procedure a Maze Procedure

The initial surgical attempts to treat atrial fibrillation (AF) were isolation procedures designed to confine the arrhythmia to a specific area of the heart for relief of symptoms. The first surgical attempt to ablate AF was unsuccessful but was quickly followed by the Maze-I procedure on September 25, 1987. Because of several adverse sequelae of the Maze-I procedure, it was sequentially modified to the Maze-II and then Maze-III procedures. The Maze-IV procedure was introduced some 10 years later; these are the only 4 procedures that adhere to the concept of a maze pattern of lesions to ablate AF and leave both atria capable of being activated during normal sinus rhythm. The term maze procedure has become generic for virtually any operation designed to treat AF, but procedures that do not adhere to the concept of creating lesions of conduction block in the pattern of a maze are not maze procedures. These include, among others, the Wolf Mini-Maze, the Left-Sided Maze, and the 5-Box Maze, none of which are truly based on the maze-pattern concept. The cardinal feature of maze procedures that is necessary for both effectiveness and comparability to classical maze procedures includes lines of conduction block that preclude macro-reentry anywhere in either atrium while leaving both atria capable of activation by a sinus-generated impulse. Components essential to achieving this include appropriate lesions in both atria, the absence of gaps that allow electrical activity to bypass an intended line of block, and the absence of alternate pathways by which impulses can reach the intended maze exit.
Letermovir for the prevention of cytomegalovirus infection in adult cytomegalovirus-seropositive hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplants (allo-HCT) recipients are at the high-risk of reactivation of cytomegalovirus (CMV), and reactivation is associated with significant ...
Assessing the environmental footprint of the production of rare earth metals and alloys via molten salt electrolysis

Abstract Much attention has been given in recent years to the rare earth elements, considering their significance in a number of high-tech and clean energy applications. Despite the environmental destructive operations to produce rare earth elements, limited life cycle assessment investigations have yet been carried out. This is specifically true regarding the reduction of rare earth compounds to produce rare earth metals and alloys. In combination with mass/energy balance and stoichiometry, life cycle inventories of molten slat electrolysis process were developed in this study using industrial datasets gathered from different facilities in China and the Ecoinvent v3 database. The results showed that although mining, chemical treatment, and solvent extraction stages are the dominant contributors to the whole neodymium metal production process for most impact categories, molten salt electrolysis significantly impacts ecotoxicity, carcinogenics, non-carcinogenics, and eutrophication categories. Moreover, neodymium fluoride production, electricity consumption, and molybdenum use in cathodes are the dominant contributors in the molten salt electrolysis process. In addition, the neodymium metal production at facilities which produce larger amounts of heavy rare earth metals/alloys demonstrates relatively lower impacts on all impact categories compared to the production of neodymium metal at refining facilities which produce light rare earth metals/alloys.
A crystalline monosubstituted carbene

By flanking a carbene carbon with two substituents, it is possible to synthesize persistent triplet carbenes and isolable singlet carbenes. Isolable singlet carbenes are among the most powerful tools in chemistry, and they have even found medicinal and materials science applications. Between the rich chemistry of disubstituted carbenes and the transient parent carbene are the monosubstituted carbenes that, so far, have only been observed in matrices at very low temperatures of just a few K. Herein, we describe the synthesis of a crystalline monosubstituted carbene. The key for isolating such a species was to design the correct substituent, namely a benzo[c]pyrrolidino heterocycle, which can single-handedly tame the intrinsic tendency of carbenes towards dimerization. The π-donor ability of the nitrogen atom, coupled with the steric bulk of chemically inert substituents at the two adjacent quaternary carbons, make these scaffolds very attractive for the isolation of a variety of other hitherto elusive electron-deficient species.
Streetcars and Economic Development: Do Streetcars Stimulate Employment Growth?:

This study reports economic development outcomes—defined as change in employment—for areas within 0.25 mi of three streetcar stations along four lines in each of four cities: Portland OR; Salt Lake...
The Art of Convening: How Community Engagement Professionals Build Place-Based Community-University Partnerships for Systemic Change

Over the past 50 years, colleges and universities have taken on increasingly important roles as anchor institutions in U.S. cities, partnering with local communities to promote development and well-being. Such community–campus partnerships rely on the work of community engagement professionals (CEPs), staff tasked with administering, coordinating, supporting, and leading engagement efforts at institutions of higher education. The preliminary competency model for community engagement professionals (Dostilio et al., 2016) lays out the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and commitments needed to perform this work. However, place-based approaches to engagement have been underrepresented in the emerging literature. The authors contribute to this conversation with a case study of partnership management work at University Neighborhood Partners at the University of Utah. Through this case, we highlight key competencies for engaging in place-based community development, suggest additional competency areas for the model, and explore how an understanding of CEP competencies is enriched and complicated by staff positionality.
A Brief History of UN Peacekeeping

In the years since the creation of the United Nations in 1945, peacekeeping has gone through eight distinct phases. The phases reflect a repeated ebb and flow as a period of little to no new peacekeeping activity was followed by a period where new operations were launched and the number of peacekeepers grew. Each period is described in this chapter, but they all reflect the same trends. Peacekeeping expanded or contracted not just because there were wars to deal with, but because it fell in and out of favor. The use of peacekeeping was determined by factors like the level of competition or cooperation between the two Super Powers, the interests of other major countries, the evolution of conflicts and whether peacekeeping’s more notable failures were still fresh in the minds of the international community. The first two expansion periods came about mainly as a response to wars in the Middle East. Tension between the two Super Powers brought both of them to an end and ushered in eras where peacekeeping was confined almost solely to the continuation of ongoing missions. A third cycle of expansion began in 1988 with the end of the Cold War when greater cooperation between Russia and the USA became possible. It also became necessary as the collapse of the Soviet Union led to new conflicts within the countries that once made it up. This period was marked by increasingly ambitious mandates as the UN tasked the peacekeepers with dealing with civil wars.
How and Why California Young Adults Are Using Different Brands of Pod-Type Electronic Cigarettes in 2019: Implications for Researchers and Regulators

Abstract Purpose The aim of the study was to describe young adult use and perceptions of different brands of pod-based electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and compare with earlier types of non-pod-based e-cigarettes (e.g., mods and tanks). Methods Data were collected from January to March 2019 and derive from the final wave of a cohort study recruited in 2013–2014 using a convenience sample from 10 large California high schools with racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse populations. A total of 445 participants completed an online survey (mean age = 20.1 years [SD = 1.66], 64.8% female [n = 278], 38.8% white [n = 161], 23.9% each for Asian and “more than one race” [n = 99], 13.5% other [n = 56], and 36.9% Hispanic [n = 160]). The main outcomes were description of and reasons to use pods, perceived nicotine content, and use patterns. Results Although 25% reported ever use of JUUL. Similarly, 50% of JUUL ever users did. The most agreed upon reason (58%) for using pods was because they are “easy to hide.” About half of pod users “do not know” if they mix brands of e-juice and pods, the nicotine concentration in their e-juice cartridges, nor time to finish a cartridge. Of the 50% of participants who shared their pod, 23 (15%) did “sometimes,” 20 (13%) “always,” and 16 (11% each) “about half the time” or “often.” There was no consensus about how to refer to different brands of pods. Conclusions Our findings indicate young adults harbor confusion about pod-based e-cigarettes, including nicotine content, usage patterns, and labeling, and that pod use is largely because of the ease with which they can “stealth” vape. The findings suggest needed regulation and education about these products.
In Vivo Imaging of the Tumor‐Associated Enzyme NCEH1 with a Covalent PET Probe

Herein, we report the development of an 18 F-labeled, activity-based small-molecule probe targeting the cancer-associated serine hydrolase NCEH1. We undertook a focused medicinal chemistry campaign to simultaneously preserve potent and specific NCEH1 labeling in live cells and animals, while permitting facile 18 F radionuclide incorporation required for PET imaging. The resulting molecule, [18 F]JW199, labels active NCEH1 in live cells at nanomolar concentrations and greater than 1000-fold selectivity relative to other serine hydrolases. [18 F]JW199 displays rapid, NCEH1-dependent accumulation in mouse tissues. Finally, we demonstrate that [18 F]JW199 labels aggressive cancer tumor cells in vivo, which uncovered localized NCEH1 activity at the leading edge of triple-negative breast cancer tumors, suggesting roles for NCEH1 in tumor aggressiveness and metastasis.
Analysis of Busulfan in Plasma by Liquid Chromatography‐Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS)

Bone marrow transplantation is used to treat particular types of cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. Appropriate dosing of busulfan during the preparative phase is critical for a successful allograft; if blood concentrations get too high significant liver toxicity can occur, if blood concentrations are too low, then graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) can develop. Busulfan monitoring in blood allows hospitals with the opportunity to provide individualized medicine to patients and improve overall patient outcome. Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is an important analytical method for quantification of busulfan in plasma in order to optimize the dose. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol: Analysis of busulfan by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.
Clostridioides difficile carriage in animals and the associated changes in the host fecal microbiota.

Abstract The relationship between the gut microbiota and Clostridioides difficile, and its role in the severity of C. difficile infection in humans is an area of active research. Intestinal carriage of toxigenic and non-toxigenic C. difficile strains, with and without clinical signs, is reported in animals, however few studies have looked at the risk factors associated with C. difficile carriage and the role of the host gut microbiota. Here, we isolated and characterized C. difficile strains from different animal species (predominantly canines (dogs), felines (cats), and equines (horses)) that were brought in for tertiary care at North Carolina State University Veterinary Hospital. C. difficile strains were characterized by toxin gene profiling, fluorescent PCR ribotyping, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was done on animal feces to investigate the relationship between the presence of C. difficile and the gut microbiota in different hosts. Here, we show that C. difficile was recovered from 20.9% of samples (42/201), which included 33 canines, 2 felines, and 7 equines. Over 69% (29/42) of the isolates were toxigenic and belonged to 14 different ribotypes including ones known to cause CDI in humans. The presence of C. difficile results in a shift in the fecal microbial community structure in both canines and equines. Commensal Clostridium hiranonis was negatively associated with C. difficile in canines. Further experimentation showed a clear antagonistic relationship between the two strains in vitro, suggesting that commensal Clostridia might play a role in colonization resistance against C. difficile in different hosts.
More on the anti-automorphism of the Steenrod algebra

has a topological interpretation too: If K is a finite complex then the homology of the Spanier-Whitehead dual DK+ of K+ is canonically isomorphic to the cohomology of K . Under this isomorphism the left action by θ ∈ A on H∗(K) corresponds to the right action of χθ ∈ A on H∗(DK+). In 1974 Davis [3] proved that sometimes much more efficient ways exist to compute χSqn ; for example (3) χSq2 r−1 = Sq2 r−1 χSq2 r−1−1 ,
Wideband Spectroscopy of Two Radio Bursts on AD Leonis

We report high-time-resolution, broadband spectroscopic observations of two radio bursts on the classical flare star AD Leonis. The observations were acquired by the 305 m telescope at Arecibo Observatory on 2003 June 13-14. Using the Wideband Arecibo Pulsar Processor, these observations sampled a total bandwidth of 400 MHz, distributed over a 500 MHz frequency range, 1120--1620 MHz, with a frequency resolution of 0.78 MHz and a time resolution of 10 ms. A radio burst observed on June 13 is characterized by the presence of multitudes of short duration ($\Delta t \sim$30 ms), high brightness temperature ($T_{b}>10^{14}$K), highly circularly polarized, fast-drift radio sub-bursts, with median bandwidths $\Delta \nu/\nu \sim$5%. The inverse drift rates are small, and have a symmetric distribution (both positive and negative frequency drifts) with a Gaussian FWHM inverse drift rate of 4.5$\times10^{-4}$ s/MHz. The fast-drift sub-bursts occur at a mean rate of 13 s$^{-1}$ and show no evidence for periodic recurrence. The fast-drift radio events on AD Leo are highly reminiscent of solar decimetric spike bursts. We suggest the emission is due to fundamental plasma radiation. A second highly circularly polarized radio burst, recorded June 14, has markedly different properties: a smoothly varying intensity profile characterized by a slow drift in frequency with time (-52 MHz s$^{-1}$). Under the assumption that the source is due to a disturbance propagating through the low corona, a source size of 0.1--1 R$_{\star}$ is inferred, implying a brightness temperature range 6$\times10^{11}$--6$\times10^{13}$K: another example of a coherent radio burst.
The Enforcement of ICSID Awards in the People’s Republic of China

The People’s Republic of China is one of the most enthusiastic signatories of bilateral investment treaties that grant mandatory jurisdiction to the ICSID investment arbitration system. This essay considers the PRC’s domestic laws affecting the fulfillment of its ICSID Convention obligations to recognize and enforce ICSID awards. It notes that the PRC has failed to enact any specific legislation to comply with the ICSID Convention’s recognition and enforcement obligations, making its compliance with these obligations uncertain. It concludes that the only way that the PRC could claim to have fulfilled its treaty obligations is to declare that the ICSID Convention and related agreements have direct effect in its domestic law. The status of treaties within PRC law, however, remains uncertain and unsettled. For this reason, it is likely that a judicial interpretation from the Supreme People’s Court is necessary to guarantee enforcement of such an award within the PRC system. Without such an interpretation, it is highly doubtful that a PRC court would enforce an ICSID award, despite the ICSID Convention’s plain requirement that it do so.
Risk Factors Associated with Nerve Palsy In Operatively Treated Supracondylar Humerus Fractures In The Pediatric Population.

Background/Purpose: Nerve injuries are frequently associated with displaced supracondylar humerus fractures (SCHF). A high index of suspicion for nerve palsy is essential in children who can be notoriously difficult to examine. We hypothesize nerve injuries are more prevalent in higher energy type III and flexion type SCHF compared with type II. The secondary aim is to evaluate risk factors associated with nerve palsy in operatively treated SCH fractures. Methods: A retrospective review of 1085 operatively treated SCHF in pediatric patients aged 0-14 years old between January 1, 2015 and December …
Troubling masculinities: terror, gender, and monstrous others in American film post-9/11: by Glen Donnar, Jackson, University Press of Mississippi, 2020, 248 pp., $30.00 (paperback), ISBN 9781496828583

Masculinity is in a constant state of crisis, something Glen Donnar acknowledges in Troubling Masculinities: Terror, Gender, and Monstrous Others in American Film Post-9/11. The key to revealing so...
Math and Science Identity Change and Paths into and out of STEM: Gender and Racial Disparities:

Researchers emphasize the role of math and science identities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. However, little is known about whether these identities might ev...
Percutaneous microwave ablation of hepatic lesions near the heart.

Background Early stage liver cancer is often treated with hepatic resection or transplantation for curative intent. Microwave ablation (MWA) is often performed in patients who are poor surgical candidates, patients with limited multifocal disease, disease close to hepatic vasculature, but can also be performed with curative intent in case of small lesions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate safety and efficacy of MWA of liver tumors with final ablation zone ≤5 mm from the heart. Methods A retrospective review was conducted on patients with hepatic cancer who underwent MWA between 1/2015 and 6/2019. Patients with a final ablation zone ≤5 mm to the heart were included. For these patients, imaging obtained prior, during and after procedure along with procedure reports were used to identify tumor and ablation characteristics, and electronic medical records were used to identify patient demographics and disease status. Results A total of 17 patients had liver tumors with ablation zone ≤5 mm to the heart. Mean lesion size was 18.2 mm (range, 10-33 mm) and mean follow-up period was 10.4 months. Of note 82% of patients had multifocal disease at time of MWA of lesion close to the heart. Two patients had pneumothorax, one of which required chest tube placement. None of the patients had cardiac arrhythmias or other complications. Overall 12/17 of the patients had disease progression within the liver at different sites from ablated lesions. One patient had residual disease and one had local recurrence. In addition, 4/17 patients, had no disease progression or recurrence and one underwent liver transplantation prior to follow-up imaging. Conclusions MWA of liver lesions with ablation zone ≤5 mm to the heart is safe and effective, however, it can be technically challenging.
On a Discrete Mean Value Theorem for ζj

In the course of the proof of the theorem, I also give a proof of my result mentioned above. We first state two corollaries to the theorem above.
When sadness and hope work to motivate charitable giving

Abstract Traditionally, charities that seek donations for human-suffering causes have relied heavily on emotional appeals designed to motivate negative feelings such as sadness and fear. Past research supports a sympathy-helping hypothesis that donation campaigns that use images of human-suffering to evoke sympathy and empathy increase prosocial behaviors. Empirical evidence also supports an inspiration-helping hypothesis whereby the positive emotion of strength inspires people to donate. Consistent with the proposed sympathy + inspiration-helping hypothesis, appeals that combine hope and sadness (vs. hope-dominant and sadness-dominant appeals) elicit sympathy and inspiration that motivate increased donations toward human-suffering causes. In addition, Study 2 results support that improving emotion appeals (sad to hopeful) generate higher donations than declining emotion appeals (hopeful to sad). Study 3 shows that cognitive load moderates the emotion-donation relationship. Under high load when mental resources are constrained, donations declined for the sadness + hope mixed emotion appeal.
X-MyoNET: Biometric Identification using Deep Processing of Transient Surface Electromyography

The rapid development of the Internet and various applications such as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has raised substantial concerns about personal information security. Conventional methods (e.g., passwords) and classic biological features (e.g., fingerprints) are security deficient because of potential information leakage and hacking. Biometrics that express behavioral features suggest a robust approach to achieving information security because of the corresponding uniqueness and complexity. In this paper, we consider identifying human subjects based on their transient neurophysiological signature captured using multichannel upper-limb surface electromyography (sEMG). An explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) approach is proposed to process the internal dynamics of temporal sEMG signals. We propose and prove the suitability of 99transient sEMG99 as a biomarker that can identify individuals. For this, we utilize the Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) analysis to explain the network9s attention. The outcome not only decodes and makes the unique neurophysiological pattern (i.e., motor unit recruitment during the transient phase of contraction) associated with each individual visualizable but also generates an optimizing two-dimensional (2D) spectrotemporal mask used to significantly reduce the size of the model and the trainable parameters. The resulting mask selectively and systematically samples the spectrotemporal characteristics of the users9 neurophysiological responses, discarding 40% of the input space while securing the accuracy of about 74% with much shallower neural network architecture. In the systematic comparative study, we find that our proposed model outperforms several state-of-the-art algorithms. For broader impacts, we anticipate our design of a compact, practical, interpretable, and robust identification system that requires only a minimal number of gestures and sensors (only 7% of the entire data set) to be a starting point for small and portable identification hardware.
Depressive Symptoms, Substance Use and Partner Violence Victimization Associated with HIV Disclosure Among Men Who have Sex with Men

HIV continues to disproportionately affect men who have sex with men (MSM). Depression and substance use have been shown to be risk factors of partner violence among male same-sex couples. However, research exploring the risk factors for partner violence victimization after HIV disclosure among MSM is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the association between depressive symptoms, substance use, and disclosure-associated verbal and/or physical violence from a partner among MSM. Data were obtained from 340 HIV-positive MSM. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the associations between Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression and substance use scores, and disclosure-associated partner violence. After adjusting for age and income, every one-unit increase in substance use scores resulted in a 9 % (OR 1.09; 95 % CI 1.01–1.16) increase in the odds of disclosure-associated partner violence. HIV disclosure interventions for MSM populations should address substance use and potential violence from partners after disclosure.
The Peculiar Function of Human Beings

The passage I will discuss in this paper, one of the best known in the Aristotelian corpus, occurs in Book I chapter 7 of the Nicomachean Ethics, and concerns the ergon, i.e. the function, of human beings. Aristotle argues that we have a function, that our happiness consists in fulfilling it, and that this function must be idion, i.e. it must be peculiar to us. On this basis, he asserts that our function cannot consist in being alive, nourishment, growth, or perception, for these activities are common to other species. Aristotle then arrives at his familiar conclusion that our function consists in the excellent use of reason. I want to raise the following question about this argument: Does it entail that our happiness does not consist in contemplation? After all, we share this activity with Aristotle's god, and so it is not in any straightforward way peculiar to us. The function argument therefore
An extension of a result of Lewis

A result of Lewis on the extreme properties of the inner product of two vectors in a Cartan subspace of a semisimple Lie algebra is extended. The framework used is an Eaton triple which has a reduced triple. Applications are made for determining the minimizers and maximizers of the distance function considered by Chu and Driessel with spectral constraint.
The effectiveness of sublingual progesterone administration during cryopreserved embryo transfer cycles: Results of a matched follow-up study

Objective To compare cryopreserved ET pregnancy rates in subjects receiving either sublingual or parenteral P. Design Matched follow-up study. Setting University-based assisted reproduction program. Patients Women undergoing cryopreserved ET between January 1993, and December 1994. Cases received a hormone replacement protocol containing oral E 2 and sublingual P and controls received a hormone replacement protocol containing oral E 2 and parenteral P. Cases and controls were matched one-to-one according to age, number of embryos transferred, embryo grade, and route of ET. Interventions Cryopreserved embryos were thawed and transferred in all patients in an identical manner independent of the route of P administration. Main Outcome Measures Clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates. Results Of 61 ET cycles performed in the sublingual P group, there were 16 clinical pregnancies (26.2%) and 12 ongoing pregnancies (19.7%). Of the 61 ET cycles in the parenteral P group, there were 14 clinical pregnancies (23.0%) and 11 ongoing pregnancies (18.0%). A χ 2 test revealed no significant differences in either clinical or ongoing pregnancy rates according to the route of P administration. Conclusions This data suggests that sublingual P administration is an effective alternative to parenteral P administration in preparing the endometrium for the implantation of cryopreserved embryos.
Characteristics of unselected high-burden premature ventricular contraction patients.

Background High-burden premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) may be an important determinant of heart failure (HF) in patients presenting for PVC ablation. The prevalence and characteristics of high-burden PVC patients outside this setting remain unknown. We, therefore, sought to determine predictors of high-burden PVCs and, among high-burden PVC patients, predictors of HF. Methods We identified all patients undergoing a 24–48-hour Holter study showing at least 20% PVCs between 2005 and 2013 at the University of California, San Francisco. Three time-matched controls undergoing Holter monitoring were selected for each high-burden PVC patient. Medical records were reviewed and test characteristics of PVC counts from 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECG) as predictors of high-burden PVC Holters were analyzed. Results Among 5,091 participants, 66 (1.3%) exhibited at least 20% PVCs. After multivariate adjustment, high-burden PVC patients had a three-fold greater odds of HF (odds ratio [OR] 3.15; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28–6.50; P = 0.005) and 10-fold greater odds of having a first-degree family member with sudden death (OR 9.97; 95% CI 1.78–60.8; P = 0.011). The C-statistic for the number of PVCs on 12-lead electrocardiogram as a predictor of high-burden PVCs was 0.7949. Among high-burden PVC patients, HF was associated with a history of coronary artery bypass grafting (OR 11.76; 95% CI 1.30–106.49; P = 0.028). Conclusion Among all undergoing Holter monitoring, 1.3% exhibited high-burden PVCs, a phenomenon associated with HF and a first-degree family history of sudden death. In an analysis restricted to high-burden PVC patients, a history of coronary artery bypass grafting was a predictor of HF.
Why cars in the next lane seem to go faster

The temptation to change lanes on a motorway may be prompted by an illusion. Switching lanes while driving along a busy road can be a risky manoeuvre. It is often instigated on the driver's judgement that the cars in the next lane are moving faster than those in the driver's own lane. But faulty intuition1,2,3 may cause people to overestimate the speed of vehicles in the next lane, believing that they are moving faster even when both lanes have the same average speed. We suggest that this illusion occurs because more time is generally spent being overtaken (passed) by other vehicles than is spent in overtaking them. Knowing that this effect is illusory might encourage drivers to resist small temptations to change lanes.
Thermodynamic Chaos and the Structure of Short-Range Spin Glasses

This paper presents an approach, recently introduced by the authors and based on the notion of “metastates,” to the chaotic size dependence expected in systems with many competing pure states and applies it to the Edwards-Anderson (EA) spin glass model. We begin by reviewing the standard picture of the EA model based on the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick (SK) model and why that standard SK picture is untenable. Then we introduce metastates, which are the analogues of the invariant probability measures describing chaotic dynamical systems and discuss how they should appear in several models simpler than the EA spin glass. Finally, we consider possibilities for the nature of the EA metastate, including one which is a nonstandard SK picture, and speculate on their prospects. An appendix contains proofs used in our construction of metastates and in the earlier construction by Aizenman and Wehr.
A Review of: “Marouf A. Hasian, Jr., Rhetorical Vectors of Memory in National and International Holocaust Trials.”

Marouf Hasian's book is impressively comprehensive in its comparative rhetorical analyses of selected “iconic” Holocaust legal trials that have simultaneously preserved (and necessarily erased) par...
Re-sequencing of ankyrin 3 exon 48 and case-control association analysis of rare variants in bipolar disorder type I

Doyle GA, Lai AT, Chou AD, Wang M-J, Gai X, Rappaport EF, Berrettini WH. Re-sequencing of ankyrin 3 exon 48 and case-control association analysis of rare variants in bipolar disorder type I. Bipolar Disord 2012: 14: 809–821. © 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objectives: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) recently identified ankyrin 3 (ANK3) as a candidate gene for bipolar disorder type I (BPD-I). Because the GWAS suggested multiple common haplotypes associated with BPD-I (with odds ratio ∼1.3), we hypothesized that rare variants within these common haplotypes might increase risk for BPD-I. Methods: We undertook a project in which the serine-rich domain–tail domain (SRD-TD)-encoding exon of ANK3 was amplified from genomic DNA (gDNA) of 384 BPD-I patients and re-sequenced by next generation sequencing (NGS; SOLiD™). Results: We confirmed 18 novel mis-sense rare variants and one novel insertion/deletion variant within the SRD-TD exon, many of which change amino acid residues with extremely high evolutionary conservation. We genotyped most of these mis-sense variants in ≥ 1000 BPD-I and ≥ 1000 control individuals. We found no statistically significant association of any of the rare variants detected with BPD-I. Conclusions: Thus, we conclude that rare variants within the re-sequenced structural domains of ANK3 exon 48 do not contribute to BPD-I.
Experimental characterization of sulfur interference in IMPROVE aluminum and silicon XRF data

Silicon (Si) and aluminum (Al) are important elements for evaluating soil content in particulate matter. However, these elements are in some cases difficult to measure by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), the method used by the two large particulate matter networks in the U.S., the Interagency Monitoring of PROtected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network and the Chemical Speciation Network. The IMPROVE network has issued data advisories on Al and Si based on analysis of data from the network's ambient samples. The analysis shows that when sulfur concentrations are high, silicon concentrations can be larger than expected and aluminum may not be detected when it is likely to be present (vista.cira.colostate.edu/improve/data/QA_QC/Advisory.htm). In this research, a laboratory study was undertaken to determine the conditions and extent of measurement uncertainty in Al and Si when sulfur concentrations are high. Three possible causes of the uncertainty are spectral interference due to a low-energy tail on the S peak in the region of Al and Si peaks, attenuation of Si and Al fluorescence by S and the low instrument responses of Si and Al. Ambient samples encompassing the Al and Si mass range in the IMPROVE network and with low sulfur were collected. A layer of ammonium sulfate was sampled onto the deposit in the laboratory. Although the real Si concentrations were unchanged by the addition of pure ammonium sulfate, the Si concentrations reported by XRF were substantially higher. For samples with S/Fe ≥ 8, Si is over-reported by 6–300% and the Al concentrations have large uncertainties. No sulfur interference is observed for samples with S/Fe < 8. These measurement errors are expected to occur in 50% of IMPROVE data from December 1, 2001 through December 31, 2010. New XRF instruments with different hardware and software are being utilized by IMPROVE to measure elemental masses for samples beginning January 1, 2011.
CONSERVATISM AND SEXUAL RESPONSIVITY

The relationship between conservatism and sexual responsivity was examined. Scores for 29 female and 28 male college students on socio-sexual fundamentalism (r = −.28 for all Ss, −.49 for women) and socio-religious rigidity were negatively related to sexual responsivity (r = −.40 for women) while intolerance to youth (r = .49 for women only) was positively related.
Spatial analysis of Ohio police station locations using geographical information systems

This study aims to investigate the relationship between socio-economic factors and crime, and to understand the underlying criteria of new police station locations decisions. Factor analysis, multiple criteria decision analysis and genetic algorithm methods have been used to define the relationship, to decide the number of necessary police stations in each county, and to locate these police stations respectively. This model is applied to state of Ohio. The results showed that nine counties out of eighty can be considered as high crime areas in state of Ohio and at least forty three new police stations should be established in these nine counties.
Heritable Change Caused by Transient Transcription Errors

Transmission of cellular identity relies on the faithful transfer of information from the mother to the daughter cell. This process includes accurate replication of the DNA, but also the correct propagation of regulatory programs responsible for cellular identity. Errors in DNA replication (mutations) and protein conformation (prions) can trigger stable phenotypic changes and cause human disease, yet the ability of transient transcriptional errors to produce heritable phenotypic change (‘epimutations’) remains an open question. Here, we demonstrate that transcriptional errors made specifically in the mRNA encoding a transcription factor can promote heritable phenotypic change by reprogramming a transcriptional network, without altering DNA. We have harnessed the classical bistable switch in the lac operon, a memory-module, to capture the consequences of transient transcription errors in living Escherichia coli cells. We engineered an error-prone transcription sequence (A9 run) in the gene encoding the lac repressor and show that this ‘slippery’ sequence directly increases epigenetic switching, not mutation in the cell population. Therefore, one altered transcript within a multi-generational series of many error-free transcripts can cause long-term phenotypic consequences. Thus, like DNA mutations, transcriptional epimutations can instigate heritable changes that increase phenotypic diversity, which drives both evolution and disease.
The Relation of Eye Gaze and Face Pose: Potential Impact on Speech Recognition

We are interested in using context to improve speech recognition and speech understanding. Knowing what the user is attending to visually helps us predict their utterances and thus makes speech recognition easier. Eye gaze is one way to access this signal, but is often unavailable (or expensive to gather) at longer distances. In this paper we look at joint eye-gaze and facial-pose information while users perform a speech reading task. We hypothesize, and verify experimentally, that the eyes lead, and then the face follows. Face pose might not be as fast, or as accurate a signal of visual attention as eye gaze, but based on experiments correlating eye gaze with speech recognition, we conclude that face pose provides useful information to bias a recognizer toward higher accuracy.
Computational design, synthesis and biological evaluation of para-quinone-based inhibitors for redox regulation of the dual-specificity phosphatase Cdc25B.

Quinoid inhibitors of Cdc25B were designed based on the Linear Combination of Atomic Potentials (LCAP) methodology. In contrast to a published hypothesis, the biological activities and hydrogen peroxide generation in reducing media of three synthetic models did not correlate with the quinone half-wave potential, E1/2.
New Algorithms for Facility Location Problems on the Real Line

In this paper, we study the facility location problems on the real line. Given a set of n customers on the real line, each customer having a cost for setting up a facility at its position, and an integer k, we seek to find at most k of the customers to set up facilities for serving all n customers such that the total cost for facility set-up and service transportation is minimized. We consider several problem variations including the k-median, the k-coverage, and the linear model. The previously best algorithms for these problems all take O(nk) time. Our new algorithms break the O(nk) time bottleneck and solve these problems in sub-quadratic time. Our algorithms are based on a new problem modeling and interesting algorithmic techniques, which may find other applications as well.
Optimal coefficient control of distributed parameter systems

The optimal control problem for distributed parameter systems with control applications to the coefficient matrices is formulated. A procedure for solving this problem and the necessary conditions for optimal coefficient controls resulting from the variational technique are given. The optimal coefficient distributed and boundary controls are characterized by the solution of a two-point boundary value problem.
PERMUTATION EQUIVALENCE AND THE HERMITE INVARIANT

Abstract Permutation equivalence and permutation congruence are special cases of matrix equivalence and similarity. This paper introduces a new invariant—the Hermite invariant—for testing permutation equivalence, along with a method for computing it and an assessment of its complexity. Under a restricted definition, the complexity of the invariant becomes polynomial in the dimensions of the input matrices. The sufficiency of the invariant is discussed, and experimental results are given. These results suggest that the Hermite invariant is particularly good at distinguishing nonpermutation equivalent matrices with constant row and column sums.