cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Emergence of Wage Discrimination in US Manufacturing

This paper examines the hypothesis that wage discrimination emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century. I test for wage discrimination by estimating the female-male productivity ratio from samples of manufacturing firms in the northeast, and then comparing the estimated productivity ratio to the wage ratio. I find that women did not face wage discrimination in manufacturing during the nineteenth century. In 1900 there was wage discrimination against women in white-collar jobs, but not in blue-collar jobs. Wage discrimination persisted, and in 2002 the female-male wage ratio was less than the productivity ratio.
Breast Cancer Screening With Imaging: Recommendations From the Society of Breast Imaging and the ACR on the Use of Mammography, Breast MRI, Breast Ultrasound, and Other Technologies for the Detection of Clinically Occult Breast Cancer

Screening for breast cancer with mammography has been shown to decrease mortality from breast cancer, and mammography is the mainstay of screening for clinically occult disease. Mammography, however, has wellrecognizedlimitations,andrecently,otherimagingincludingultrasoundandmagneticresonanceimaginghave been used as adjunctive screening tools, mainly for women who may be at increased risk for the development of breast cancer. The Society of Breast Imaging and the Breast Imaging Commission of the ACR are issuing these recommendations to provide guidance to patients and clinicians on the use of imaging to screen for breast cancer. Wherever possible, the recommendations are based on available evidence. Where evidence is lacking, the recommendations are based on consensus opinions of the fellows and executive committee of the Society of Breast Imaging and the members of the Breast Imaging Commission of the ACR.
A Density Functional Theory Study of Conformers in the Ferrous CO Complex of Horseradish Peroxidase with Distinct Fe−C−O Configurations

The reactive site structure and CO IR spectral signature of horseradish peroxidase complexed with CO were studied using a combination of density functional theory and molecular modeling. The quantum chemical model used included the proximal His170, the distal amino acids His42 and Arg38, and the crystallographic water molecule that interacts with CO, His42, and Arg38. The mutant H42L was simulated by removing distal histidine from the cluster and the mutant R38L by removing the arginine. In the models where the Arg38 is present a hydrogen bond interaction is found between the He of Arg and the oxygen of adduct -CO. When both His42 and Arg38 are present they interact with the CO moiety, but they also interact with each other so their effect is not simply additive. The effect of a change in pH was modeled by removing potentially titratable hydrogen atoms identified by molecular mechanics and Poisson-Boltzmann pK a calculations on the active site. Previously observed IR spectral features of CO as a function of pH and active site mutations could be interpreted primarily in terms of changes in CO and Fe-CO bond lengths produced by changes in active site composition and charge state. The effect of the charge relay due to the possible second deprotonation (assuming that the first deprotonation took place in the His42) from the Arg38 or H Φ in the proximal His170 gives a decrease of the CO stretching frequency.
100% solids ultraviolet curing acrylated chlorinated rubber coatings

Acrylated chlorinated rubber (ACR) has been synthesized from masticated natural rubber and characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The ACR products have been used as prepolymers in formulations of 100% solids ultraviolet (UV) cured coatings. The UV cured ACR-based coatings show excellent performance and attractive appearance. Formulation examples and coating performance are reported. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The Constitutional Court of South Africa and jurisdictional questions: In the interest of justice?

When South Africans went to the polls in 1994 in their country’s first election by universal suffrage, they did so under an interim constitution. That text— the product of months of difficult and often contentious deliberations among the ruling National Party; its likely successor, the African National Congress (ANC); and a host of other political parties—incorporated human rights guarantees in a bill of rights and also created a Constitutional Court. The new Court represented a rupture with the apartheid order, which had bound judges to the doctrine of parliamentary supremacy. In the years that followed, however, the Court rendered multiple conflicting decisions on the question of access. It also took a restrictive view of the nature of constitutional matters and the scope of judicial review. As a result, few cases were brought before it. While the interim constitution’s successor, in force since 1997, took a broader view of such questions, it would be years before they were reflected in the opinions of the Constitutional Court. Even then, the decisions left great uncertainty as to which cases the Court would hear. The Court also has manifested a similarly narrow approach in the field of socioeconomic rights, thus failing to create a major role for itself in this area. The result has been an unhappy one for potential litigants as the Court’s docket remains small. The restrictive approach may prove unhappier still for the Court itself, which, unless it jettisons its jurisprudential caution, soon may find itself abolished by the government, as will be discussed below. For a society desperately in need of institutional stability and continuity, dispensing with the Court would be disastrous.
Bottleneck discovery in large-scale networks based on the expected value of per-hop delay

To relieve congestion in a large-scale network, it is crucial to identify the links, which contribute most to the congestion and then take action to relieve it. This paper presents an algorithm for detecting bottlenecks in a congested large-scale packet-switched network. The strongest bottleneck candidate for a congested session is not necessarily the session link with highest percent utilization or the link with the lowest capacity, but rather the session link with the highest expected value of delay - provided that this link's expected value of delay is significantly greater than the average delay for all links in the session. The approach is based on estimating the per-link expected value of delay (transmission plus queuing) and turning this expected value to a per-link weight. Based on this per-link weight and information collected from an end-to-end QoS monitoring mechanism, the algorithm points to the bottleneck hop where congestion likely occurred. To alleviate congestion, the following actions may be taken: redirect traffic, increase the bottleneck link bandwidth (if possible), implement aggressive traffic shaping, and/ or throttle low priority calls/sessions using the congested link.
Regression models for outages due to wind and lightning on overhead distribution feeders

Different environmental factors including weather, trees, animals cause a large number of outages in distribution systems. Wind and lighting continue to be the major weather related causes of outages on overhead power distribution lines. This paper present a method based on regression models to study and analyze outages due to wind and lightning on overhead distribution feeders in different districts in Kansas from 2005 to 2009. Performance of the four models to estimate outages are compared to identify the best model. The models are applied to lightning data gathered within 200 m on either side of the lines and within 400 m on either side of the lines to compare their performance to select the appropriate distance for data gathering.
Temperature and field dependence of the effective matrix resistivity of Bi:2223/Ag composites

The effective matrix resistivities of several Bi:2223/Ag superconducting composites were calculated from measurements made with a vibrating sample magnetometer at temperatures ranging from 4.2 K to 70 K with a ramping magnetic field amplitude up to 1.7 T applied perpendicular to the wide side of the sample. The samples were untwisted 19- and 7-filament tapes with width to thickness ratios of about 6 and lengths of 1.3 - 1.5 cm. The measured resistivity values were compared to those derived using Block-Gruneisen theory. As the temperature and/or the magnetic field increased, the effective resistivity increased more rapidly than predicted by the Block-Gruneisen function. This is attributed to an increase in the effective resistivity of the Bi:2223 superconducting filaments due to flux creep.
THE PHENOMENON OF CARE

Distinctions between health, illness, and disease have gained increased acknowledgement within medicine (Kleinman, 1988). Health remains an enigma but entails equilibrium within the body, and also within the person’s lifeworld so that the person experiences a sense of well-being and wholeness (Gadamer, 1993; Benner and Wrubel, 1989). Doctors are trained to intervene in and/or cure disease, freeing the person to return to his or her usual life. The disciplinary strategies physicians’ use for objectifying the causative agents and appropriate interventions are accomplished by what Foucault (1963/1973) has called the clinical gaze. The clinical gaze was ushered in by the introduction of dissection into medical science. The physician uses detached concern (Halpern, 2001) to observe and validate objective signs that can be verified as pathology at the tissue, cellular or organ levels. This is a powerful focusing strategy of de-wodding the disease. The lived body and world are passed over in order to focus on the genomic, biochemical and physiological substrates of the physical-chemical body. Levin (1999) traces the clinical gaze to Descartes’ view from the window, and notes that it epitomizes the transformation of the modem subject as “the one who looks” rather than one who is “looked upon”:
A long-term study of a bicarbonate/lactate-based peritoneal dialysis solution--clinical benefits. The Bicarbonate/Lactate Study Group.

♦ Objective: A bicarbonate/lactate peritoneal dialysis so- lution (Bic/Lac) has been developed based on in vitro and ex vivo data showing better preservation of cell function ♦ Results: 88 patients completed the first 6 months, and 44 the full year. The solutions were shown to be thera- peutically equivalent with respect to plasma bicarbonate and peritoneal urea and creatinine clearances. Ultrafiltra- tion in the Bic/Lac group increased significantly from baseline by about 150 mL/day for the whole of the 6-month treatment period (p < 0.05). The biochemistry profile, ad- verse events, and physical examination (except body weight where there was a statistically significant increase in the Bic/Lac group) results did not differ significantly between the two groups. Reduced pain/discomfort on in- fusion or an increased sense of well-being was reported by 41% of patients on the Bic/Lac fluid. ♦ Conclusions: The Bic/Lac solution is safe and effec- tive in correcting uremic acidosis, provides relief of in- flow pain/discomfort, and improves ultrafiltration and body weight.
Use of a dual-structure constitutive model for predicting the long-term behavior of an expansive clay buffer in a nuclear waste repository

Abstract Expansive soils are suitable as backfill and buffer materials in engineered barrier systems to isolate heat-generating nuclear waste in deep geological formations. The canisters containing nuclear waste would be placed in tunnels excavated at a depth of several hundred meters. The expansive soil should provide enough swelling capacity to support the tunnel walls, thereby reducing the impact of the excavation-damaged zone on the long-term mechanical and flow-barrier performance. In addition to their swelling capacity, expansive soils are characterized by accumulating irreversible strain on suction cycles and by effects of microstructural swelling on water permeability that for backfill or buffer materials can significantly delay the time it takes to reach full saturation. To simulate these characteristics of expansive soils, a dual-structure constitutive model that includes two porosity levels is necessary. The authors present the formulation of a dual-structure model and describe its implementati...
Predictors of Severity in Diabetic Foot Infections

Background Diabetic foot infections (DFIs) constitute a large burden of the morbidity of diabetes, with more than 70,000 lower-extremity amputations (LEA) performed annually in the United States. A necrotizing infection signifies the most severe form of infection and is a key factor in the decision to proceed to LEA for source control. Key clinical and laboratory variables can assist in the identification of necrotizing infections; however, the effect of diabetes on these variables is unknown. Given the increased level and complexity of metabolic derangements in diabetic patients, we sought to examine characteristics predictive of necrotizing infection in patients with DFI who underwent LEA. Methods We performed a single-institutional retrospective analysis of diabetic patients who underwent a LEA for DFIs over an 18-month period. Patients with necrotizing infection on final pathology were compared with patients without this pathologic finding. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of necrotizing infection. Results Of 183 patients, 57 (31%) had evidence of necrotizing infections. Factors associated with necrotizing infection on univariate analysis were the presence of bullae (11% vs. 2%; odds ratio [OR] = 4.8, P = 0.03), a higher mean admission white blood cell count (WBC; 15 vs. 12, P = 0.002), a lower mean absolute sodium (132 vs. 134, P = 0.01), a higher hemoglobin A1C (11.3 vs. 10.3, P = 0.05), hyperglycemia (289 vs. 248, P = 0.04), elevated C-reactive protein (20 vs. 11, P = 0.02), and the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on final tissue culture (12.3 vs. 1.6, P = 0.004). These patients were taken to surgery more rapidly (22.5 vs. 31 hr, P = 0.04), and they had a longer postoperative stay (7 vs. 4 days, P = 0.02). On multivariate analysis, an elevated WBC was predictive of necrotizing infection (OR = 1.1, P = 0.01), whereas alcohol use was found to be protective (OR = 0.3, P = 0.04). Conclusions Clinical and laboratory variables known to be associated with necrotizing infections among the general population appear to be predictive of disease severity among patients undergoing amputation for DFIs. Identification of these abnormalities preoperatively may allow for improved operative planning, shared decision making, and resource management. Prospective validation of these findings is potentially warranted.
Accolades for the DNA Damage Response

Given the importance to human health of the DNA damage response, it's not surprising that the Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research is being given to two scientists who have elucidated this response: Evelyn Witkin for work in bacteria and Stephen Elledge for work in eukaryotes.
Potentiating Effect of Tetraethylammonium on Pressor Response to Epinephrine and Nor—Epinephrine.

Summary1. The potentiation by TEA of the pressor responses to epinephrine and norepinephrine has been demonstrated in cats with spinal cord pithed. 2. The effect of epinephrine was enhanced to a greater extent than that of nor—epinephrine. 3. This potentiation was not due to the modification of homeostatic cardiovascular reflexes.
Molybdenum Toxicity in the Developing Chick Embryo

Abstract THE CHICK embryo has been widely used to investigate chemical toxicities because it develops rapidly under controlled environmental conditions through use of its complete, closed nutritional supply. In addition, large numbers of experimental animals are available at modest cost. Therefore, the developing chick embryo was considered in the study of molybdenum toxicity. Studies with growing chickens have indicated that the feeding of toxic quantities of molybdenum will result in depressed growth and anemia (Branion et al., 1958; Kratzer, 1962; Reid et al., 1958). At least some of these toxic effects were partially alleviated by the supplementation of the molybdenum diet with copper (Branion et al., 1958) or sulfate (Reid et al., 1958) salts. L. D.50 values for sodium molybdate injected into the yolk sac of chick embryos of 4 and 8 days were estimated by Ridgway and Karnofsky (1952) to be 0.80 mg. and 0.70 mg., respectively. These workers observed …
Teaching visualization

What draws students to computer graphics? For many it is video games and the movies. For many others it is the possibility of using visualization in their field of interest. For the last couple of years, I have been developing a course on visualization at Stanford.
The Unaccounted in Tess and Trishna

New Historicism and cultural studies have worked to reclaim the people, events, and narratives consigned to the trash heap of history, suggesting that what has been deemed unsuitable to a capitalist narrative of progress nevertheless has value and should be accounted for. Although the ethical intent behind such reclamation efforts is commendable, these efforts enact their own version of a capitalist improvement ideology—the imperative to turn all things, even “waste,” to profit or good account. This essay explores the tension between the desire to account for experiences that fall outside improvement's profitizing calculus and the choice to allow such experiences to remain unheard and erode away undetected. This tension informs Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891) and Michael Winterbottom's Trishna (2011), a recent film adaptation of the novel set in twenty-first-century India. The author reads the male protagonists in the novel and the film and the film's implied viewers as improving subjects—characters and spectators that marry a capitalist's desire to turn waste to profit and a New Historical impulse to uncover hidden narratives and make them count. She argues, however, that both texts ultimately resist such capitalist improvement energies by using the female protagonists and minor characters to foreground moments of withholding, silence, and nonnarrativity that refuse to be incorporated into a profitable project of articulation. The essay aims to demonstrate that twenty-first-century film adaptations of nineteenth-century British novels can make newly visible latent critiques of improvement discourse in the source novels while at the same time deploying these critiques against new objects of analysis.
Global SUMOylation facilitates the multimodal neuroprotection afforded by quercetin against the deleterious effects of oxygen/glucose deprivation and the restoration of oxygen/glucose

The putative neuroprotective properties of various flavonoids have long been reported. Among this class of chemicals, quercetin, a major flavone/flavonol naturally occurring in plants, deserves focused attention because of the myriad of beneficial effects observed in various in vitro and in vivo models of central nervous system damage/degeneration. However, the mechanisms governing the beneficial outcomes mediated by quercetin remain to be elucidated. In an effort to define the underlying molecular mechanisms, our study employed human/rat neuroblastoma cell lines (SHSY5Y and B35, respectively) and E18-derived rat primary cortical neurons upon which the effects of various flavonoids were examined. Of note, increases in the levels of global SUMOylation, a post-translational modification with the Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier (SUMO) were pronounced. Quercetin treatment increased SUMOylation levels in both SHSY5Y cells and rat cortical neurons in a dose and time-dependent manner, possibly via the direct inactivation of certain SENPs (SUMO-specific isopeptidases). Of particular interest, cells treated with quercetin displayed increased tolerance to oxygen/glucose deprivation exposure, an in vitro model of ischemia. SHSY5Y cells treated with quercetin also increased the expression of Nrf2 (via a decrease in the levels of Keap1), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1), which provide further protection from oxidative stress. In addition, the increased SUMOylation of HIF-1α was noted and deemed to be significant. We hypothesize that SUMOylated HIF-1α plays a fundamental role in the protection afforded and may underlie some of quercetin's ability to protect cells from oxygen/glucose deprivation-induced cell death, via an up-regulation of HO-1 and NOS1, which ultimately leads to the induction of pro-life NOS1/protein kinase G signaling. Quercetin acts to increase survival in the face of ischemia via an increase of SENP3 expression, the possible inactivation of SENPs 1/2, and via a decrease in KEAP1 levels (thereby increasing Nrf2 stability). These changes may then lead to increase in HIF-1α SUMOylation and HO-1 activation, followed by an up-regulation of NOS1/PKG signaling. Pathways altered via quercetin treatment within our experimental system are represented by blue arrowheads. Solid black arrows represent relationships that have been explored while a dotted arrow represents a relationship that has yet to be confirmed.
Residue Analysis of Gasoline Target Compositions in the Common Burned Matrixes Using GC/MS/AMDIS

Objective To study the residual properties of 15 gasoline target compounds remaining in different burned matrixes under different fire scenes and investigate the relationship between the target compounds and burning matrix. Methods Three matrixes, concrete, soil and wood, were used to simulate various burning situations respectively. Combined with the gasoline-water-washing experiment, the factor of water was specially considered to investigate its influence on target compounds loosing.Gasoline target compounds were determined and searched by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry/Automatic Mass Spectral Deconvolution and Identification System (GC/MS/AMDIS), in order to characterize how many and what kind of compounds remained in matrix. Results The target compounds could be totally detected if the matrix burned its extremities without external influence. With the presence of water washing, some of the target compounds, especially 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, n-dodecane,2-methylnaphthalene, 1,3-dimethylnaphthalene, 2,3-dimethylnaphthalene were greatly affected. Conclusions This paper could be taken for reference for the possibility of the presence of gasoline in the case of absence of some target compounds or lack of sufficient detection information.
Defeasible Laws, Parallel Actions, and Reasoning about Resources.

We introduce a new action language, CARD, which allows defeasible dynamic causal laws, default fluents, concurrent and non-deterministic actions, and actions which use resources. We give syntax and semantics of the language and several simple examples of its use. Comparison with some other languages is also given though limited by space requirements.
Multiple-Objective Scheduling for the Hierarchical Control of Flexible Manufacturing Systems

This paper presents a hierarchical approach to scheduling flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) that pursues multiple performance objectives and considers the process flexibility of incorporating alternative process plans and resources for the required operations. The scheduling problem is solved at two levels: the shop level and the manufacturing system level. The shop level controller employs a combined priority index developed in this research to rank shop production orders in meeting multiple scheduling objectives. To overcome dimensional complexity and keep a low level of work-in-process inventory, the shop controller first selects up to three production orders with the highest ranking as candidates and generates all possible release sequences for them, with or without multitasking. These sequences are conveyed to the manufacturing system controller, who then performs detailed scheduling of the machines in the FMS using a fixed priority heuristic for routing parts of multiple types while considering alternative process plans and resources for the operations. The FMS controller provides feedback to the shop controller with a set of suggested detailed schedules and projected order completion times. On receiving these results, the shop controller further evaluates each candidate schedule using a multiple-objective function and selects the best schedule for execution. This allows multiple performance objectives of an FMS to be achieved by the integrated hierarchical scheduling approach.
Activation of band 3 mediates group A Streptococcus streptolysin S-based beta-haemolysis.

Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A Streptococcus (GAS), is a human bacterial pathogen that can manifest as a range of diseases from pharyngitis and impetigo to severe outcomes such as necrotizing fasciitis and toxic shock syndrome. GAS disease remains a global health burden with cases estimated at over 700 million annually and over half a million deaths due to severe infections1. For over 100 years, a clinical hallmark of diagnosis has been the appearance of complete (beta) haemolysis when grown in the presence of blood. This activity is due to the production of a small peptide toxin by GAS known as streptolysin S. Although it has been widely held that streptolysin S exerts its lytic activity through membrane disruption, its exact mode of action has remained unknown. Here, we show, using high-resolution live cell imaging, that streptolysin S induces a dramatic osmotic change in red blood cells, leading to cell lysis. This osmotic change was characterized by the rapid influx of Cl− ions into the red blood cells through SLS-mediated disruption of the major erythrocyte anion exchange protein, band 3. Chemical inhibition of band 3 function significantly reduced the haemolytic activity of streptolysin S, and dramatically reduced the pathology in an in vivo skin model of GAS infection. These results provide key insights into the mechanism of streptolysin S-mediated haemolysis and have implications for the development of treatments against GAS. Streptococcus pyogenes (also known as group A Streptococcus or GAS) streptolysin S (SLS)-mediated red blood cell lysis occurs through disruption of the function of major erythrocyte anion exchange protein, band 3, leading to Cl- ion influx.
Crystal Structure, Phase Stability and Magnetic Properties of Cu-Doped Ni2MnGa Alloys from First-Principles Calculations

The effects of Cu addition on the crystal structure, phase stability and magnetic properties of Ni8Mn4-xGa4Cux (x=0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2) ferromagnetic shape memory alloys are systematically investigated by first-principles calculations. The formation energy results indicate that the added Cu preferentially occupies the Mn sites in Ni2MnGa alloy. The formation energy results indicate that ferromagnetic austenite is more stable than the paramagnetic one. The ferromagnetic state becomes instable and paramagnetic state becomes more stable when Mn is gradual substituted by Cu. Furthermore, the electronic density of states gives rise to the difference in the magnetic properties.
CommonSense’s Meeting, and the Intrusions of Detective Sipowicz

(2000). CommonSense’s Meeting, and the Intrusions of Detective Sipowicz. Administrative Theory & Praxis: Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 170-174.
Method for Accurate Determination of the Electron Contribution: Specific Heat of Ba0.59K0.41Fe2As2

Twenty two years after the opening of the field of high temperature superconductivity by Georg Bednorz and Alex Muller a new addition to this class of materials, namely the iron-pnictides and chalcogenides, perplexes the scientific community. Making use of the accumulated wisdom, a great deal of their physics has been “mapped” in record time using all available measurement techniques. Among these, specific-heat has been proven a powerful and unique technique in the study of physical properties of bulk materials, especially of superconductors.
Distortion Correction Protocol for Digital Image Correlation after Scanning Electron Microscopy: Emphasis on Long Duration and Ex-Situ Experiments

Recently, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used for digital image correlation (DIC), as micrographs can be acquired with high magnification, providing improved resolution to quantify strain heterogeneities. However, it has been shown by researchers that SEM images can be problematic due to inherent electromagnetic distortions that are not present in optical images. Drift, spatial distortions, and magnification uncertainties are the main issues that can seriously affect the accuracy of localized strain measurements. The present work focuses on long duration experiments, for which images are taken days or weeks apart. We have proposed a systematic procedure to reduce drift, correct spatial distortion, and account for magnification variations between pairs of acquired images. Additionally, SEM parameters are discussed and chosen to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and improve the accuracy of the DIC measurements. The spatial distortion correction increases the repeatability of the correlated values and the precision of the measurements. The implementation for this type of correction is done by applying the measured distortion gradient of a certified grid onto the DIC strain field. The magnification adjustment increases the reliability of the strain maps, ensuring the measurements are in agreement with the actual strain induced during the experiment. We have presented a systematic protocol for ex-situ DIC experiments within the SEM and some basic cross-check procedures that can be performed to evaluate the reliability of the reference grid and the precision of the final strain map.
The Relationship of Brain Amyloid Load and APOE Status to Regional Cortical Thinning and Cognition in the ADNI Cohort

Background Both amyloid (Aβ) load and APOE4 allele are associated with neurodegenerative changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) prone regions and with risk for cognitive impairment. Objective To evaluate the unique and independent contribution of APOE4 allele status (E4+∖E4-), Aβ status (Amy+∖Amy-), and combined APOE4 and Aβ status on regional cortical thickness (CoTh) and cognition among participants diagnosed as cognitively normal (CN, n = 251), early mild cognitive impairment (EMCI, n = 207), late mild cognitive impairment (LMCI, n = 196), and mild AD (n = 162) from the ADNI. Methods A series of two-way ANCOVAs with post-hoc Tukey HSD tests, controlling independently for Aβ and APOE4 status and age were examined. Results Among LMCI and AD participants, cortical thinning was widespread in association with Amy+ status, whereas in association with E4+ status only in the inferior temporal and medial orbito-frontal regions. Among CN and EMCI participants, E4+ status, but not Amy+ status, was independently associated with increased CoTh, especially in limbic regions [e.g., in the entorhinal cortex, CoTh was 0.123 mm greater (p = 0.002) among E4+ than E4-participants]. Among CN and EMCI, both E4+ and Amy+ status were independently associated with cognitive impairment, which was greatest among those with combined E4 + and Amy+ status. Conclusion Decreased CoTh is independently associated with Amy+ status in many brain regions, but with E4+ status in very restricted number of brain regions. Among CN and EMCI participants, E4 + status is associated with increased CoTh, in medial and inferior temporal regions, although cognitive impairment at this state is independently associated with Amy+ and E4 + status. These findings imply a unique pathophysiological mechanism for E4 + status in AD and its progression.
Criticality of Symmetry in Rational Design of Chalcogenide Perovskites

Chalcogenide perovskites constitute an emerging class of promising photovoltaic materials that are stable and less toxic than popular lead-halide perovskites. Transition-metal and chalcogenide doping are the possible strategies for improving the photovoltaic properties of these materials via the band gap engineering. At the same time, doping can facilitate nonradiative charge-carrier recombination in these materials, adversely affecting their photovoltaic properties. We report a systematic study of electronic structure and nonadiabatic dynamics in transition-metal- and chalcogenide-doped barium-zirconium-sulfide-based perovskites. The potential of these doping strategies to modulate the performance of photovoltaic materials is explored. Through the detailed analysis of the factors affecting the dynamics, we illustrate how symmetry (both structural and orbital) and decoherence can be critical to furnishing the most favorable properties. The noted factors of symmetry and decoherence may provide new rational...
Development of the Cancer Survivor Profile-Breast Cancer (CSPro-BC) app: patient and nurse perspectives on a new navigation tool.

Despite advancements in care, cancer survivors continue to report unmet needs following active cancer treatment. The Cancer Survivor Profile-Breast Cancer (CSPro-BC) application (app) was developed to help address these needs, using breast cancer survivors (BCS) as a pilot group. This paper describes the app development, BCS and nurse perceptions of the app, and changes made based on this feedback. The CSPro-BC app was developed for use on an iPad and includes (1) administration of a 15–20-min survey assessing 18 needs, (2) generation of a profile of needs, relative to a reference group of BCS (median 2 years post-treatment), and (3) provision of problem-specific online resources. Perceptions of the app were evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Feedback was elicited from nurse navigators and BCS. BCS were recruited until the point of saturation. BCS (N = 11) were middle-aged and a median of 2.4 months post active treatment. Structured questionnaires indicated the following: survey covered meaningful problem areas, profile display was clear, and nurse’s involvement was helpful. Follow-up interviews (2 weeks later) revealed that BCS shared their profile with others, but most BCS did not use the resources and those who did thought there were too many. Nurses (N = 3) said the app increased appointment time, but prompted them to discuss areas often not covered in typical BCS follow-up. Feedback by end users directly informed revision of the app. The CSPro-BC app has been optimized based on BCS feedback.
The future of wind energy in California: Future projections with the Variable-Resolution CESM

Abstract Shifting wind patterns are an expected consequence of global climate change, with direct implications for wind energy production. However, wind is notoriously difficult to predict, and significant uncertainty remains in our understanding of climate change impacts on existing wind generation capacity. In this study, historical and future wind climatology and associated capacity factors at five wind turbine sites in California are examined. Historical (1980–2000) and mid-century (2030–2050) simulations were produced using the Variable-Resolution Community Earth System Model (VR-CESM) to understand how these wind generation sites are expected to be impacted by climate change. A high-resolution statistically downscaled WRF product provided by DNV GL, reanalysis datasets MERRA-2, CFSR, NARR, and observational data were used for model validation and comparison. These projections suggest that wind power generation capacity throughout the state is expected to increase during the summer, and decrease during fall and winter, based on significant changes at several wind farm sites. This study improves the characterization of uncertainty around the magnitude and variability in space and time of California's wind resources in the near future, and also enhances our understanding of the physical mechanisms related to the trends in wind resource variability.
Estimating Volatility in the Presence of Market Microstructure Noise: A Review of the Theory and Practical Considerations

This chapter reviews our recent work on disentangling high frequency volatility estimators from market microstructure noise, based on maximum-likelihood in the parametric case and two (or more) scales realized volatility (TSRV) in the nonparametric case. We discuss the basic theory, its extensions and the practical implementation of the estimators.
Damage Analysis and Prevention in Composite Materials

A new model for incremental analysis of distributed damage evolution in heterogeneous solids is developed with the Transformation Field Analysis. Stress changes caused by local debonding under increasing overall loads are described by a selected model of imperfectly bonded inhomogeneity and represented by equivalent eigenstrains that act together with the applied loads and prescribed local transformation strains on an undamaged aggregate. Interaction between the still bonded and partially debonded phases at any damage state is described by transformation influence functions. Damage rates are derived from the local fields, in terms of a prescribed probability distribution of interface strength and local energy released by debonding. An incremental procedure is outlined that predicts the extent of damage and its effect on local and overall response under variable loads. Also, potential applications of fiber prestress in damage control and prevention in laminated structures are illustrated by two examples. One shows how prestress release can expand the tensile damage-free region of symmetric laminates. Another derives the fiber prestress magnitudes needed to eliminate free edge stress concentrations caused in any laminated plate by cooling from the processing temperature.
Factorial Construct Validity of the Extended Attributional Style Questionnaire

The factor structure of attributional style, asassessed by the Extended Attributional StyleQuestionnaire, was examined among 518 undergraduates,and cross-validated on a separate sample of 275undergraduates. Results provided clear support for the presumedattributional dimensions of Internality, Stability, andGlobality as cohesive, discriminable, and replicablefactors, although Internality displayed somewhat low reliability.
ECT, mood and hormones

From the experience of more than four decades, we find that the repeated and spaced induction of seizures (convulsive therapy) relieves the symptoms of severe depressive mood disorders, particularly those with vegetative symptoms. Bilateral seizures are evidence of brain stem stimulation, reflecting the cerebral biochemical events which are the basis for a therapeutic result. Two recent threads in studies of depression provide the basis for a hypothesis of the action of convulsive therapy. Patients with severe depression demonstrate neuroendocrine abnormalities, particularly in tests of hypothalamic function. These functions return to normal with ECT. Some peptides which originate or are found in high concentrations in hypothalamic structures have both behavioural (extra-endocrine) effects and diffuse cerebral distributions. It is probable that the antidepressant efficacy of convulsive therapy results from the increased release and more widespread distribution of peptides with behavioural effects. Such a hypothesis provides a basis for clinical trials of centrally active peptides in cases of endogenous depression.
The Case-Crossover Design for Drug-Drug Interactions: Considerations for Implementation.

Background:The case–crossover design may be useful for evaluating the clinical impact of drug–drug interactions in electronic healthcare data; however, experience with the design in this context is limited.Methods:Using US healthcare claims data (1994–2013), we evaluated two examples of interacting
The CIA in Hollywood: how the agency shapes film and television

Tricia Jenkins’s The CIA in Hollywood: How the Agency Shapes Film and Television is a thorough study of the agency’s efforts to spin its image in the hopes of recruiting new talent, buttressing age...
Overview of peripheral and central inflammatory responses and their contribution to neurotoxicity

Abstract This chapter: (i) provides a brief overview of the inflammatory process, (ii) characterizes the inflammatory response in the periphery and the role peripheral inflammation plays in peripheral pathologies, (iii) uses selected examples of toxicant or toxicant-pathogen induced peripheral inflammation and its contribution to pathologies in the periphery, (iv) summarizes pertinent features of neuroinflammation, including a brief overview of the key inflammatory cell in the brain, the microglia, (v) discusses various factors that modulate neuroinflammation and microglia function and the role neuroinflammation plays in major neurodegenerative diseases, (vi) gives selected examples of toxicant exposures associated with neuroinflammation, (vii) addresses the contribution of peripherally triggered inflammation to CNS dysfunction and it provides some examples for brain-to-periphery flow of inflammatory information and (viii) elaborates on the role of the blood-brain-barrier function and dysfunction in the peripheral-central-peripheral immune communication. The chapter is not meant to be a thorough and comprehensive review on the topic of central and peripheral inflammation. Rather, it is meant to place the neurotoxicity-inflammation connection in a proper context.
Impact of extraction agents in mold part for PUR injection

Abstract The purpose of the paper is to explain how the chemical composition of a release agent can affect both the PUR lacquer injected surface of a parts and the injection mold. The PUR laquer technology means injecting plastic parts with a transparent and translucent cover that acts as protector for the veneer and offers an elegant look to the vehicle [1-4]. The extraction agent plays a significant role in the process, as it is used as a cleaning agent for the mold and also as a release agent when removing the part. The chemical composition of every agent could affect both the mold and the part. The study’s purpose was to identify an appropriate agent for high capacity production, the aspects taken into consideration were price, safety, manipulation and quality. Two liquid solutions were tested in comparison with the serial agent. Overall findings led to conclusion that the serial agent was most compatible with requirements. With PUR technology being so vast and its uses in different fields, researchers have developed also a method for a certain type of injection that does not require release agents [5].
Bicyclist Crash Types on National, State, and Local Levels: A New Look:

This paper presents an overview of prevalent bicyclist crash types in the United States, providing insights for practitioners that may be useful in planning safer networks and taking other proactiv...
Emerging Concepts in Precision Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases in Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of mortality and a major contributor to preventable deaths worldwide. The dominant modifiable risk factors and the social and environmental determinants that increase cardiovascular risk are known, and collectively, are as important in racial and ethnic minority populations as they are in majority populations. Their prevention and treatment remain the foundation for cardiovascular health promotion and disease prevention. Genetic and epigenetic factors are increasingly recognized as important contributors to cardiovascular risk and provide an opportunity for advancing precision cardiovascular medicine. In this review, we explore emerging concepts at the interface of precision medicine and cardiovascular disease in racial and ethnic minority populations. Important among these are the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in genomics studies and biorepositories; the resulting misclassification of benign variants as pathogenic in minorities; and the importance of ensuring ancestry-matched controls in variant interpretation. We address the relevance of epigenetics, pharmacogenomics, genetic testing and counseling, and their social and cultural implications. We also examine the potential impact of precision medicine on racial and ethnic disparities. The National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine Initiative are presented as examples of research programs at the forefront of precision medicine and diversity to explore research implications in minorities. We conclude with an overview of implementation research challenges in precision medicine and the ethical implications in minority populations. Successful implementation of precision medicine in cardiovascular disease in minority populations will benefit from strategies that directly address diversity and inclusion in genomics research and go beyond race and ethnicity to explore ancestry-matched controls, as well as geographic, cultural, social, and environmental determinants of health.
Epidemiology and Clinical Characteristics of Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis Caused by Naegleria fowleri: A Global Review

Background Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rapidly progressive and often fatal condition caused by the free-living ameba Naegleria fowleri. To estimate the global occurrence, characterize the epidemiology, and describe the clinical features of PAM, we report a series of PAM cases published in the international literature and reported to CDC. Methods We performed a literature search of PAM case reports published through 2018. Additionally, we included cases reported through CDC's Free-Living Ameba surveillance or diagnosed via CDC's Free-Living and Intestinal Amebas Laboratory. Cases were classified as confirmed, probable, or suspect on the basis of confirmatory testing, presentation, exposure, and disease course. Results A total of 381 PAM cases were identified. From 1965 to 2016, the number of reported cases increased an average of 1.6% per year. Seven reported survivors were classified as confirmed.The most commonly reported exposure associated with PAM was swimming/diving, and the most common class of water source was lakes/ponds/reservoirs. Patients were predominantly male (75%), with a median age of 14 years. Confirmed and probable cases were similar in their survival, course of illness, and CSF findings. Conclusions PAM is a rare but deadly disease with worldwide occurrence. Improved clinician awareness, resulting in earlier diagnosis and treatment, may contribute to increased survival among PAM patients. The probable case definition used in this study appears to capture cases of PAM, as evidenced by similarities in outcomes, clinical course, and CSF profile to confirmed cases. In the absence of confirmatory testing, clinicians could use this case definition to identify cases of PAM.
Predicting prostate cancer death among 98,994 veterans: Differences by race/ethnicity.

e17609Background: Prostate cancer mortality is higher in Blacks than Whites, but existing prognostic indices fail to account for race/ethnicity. Using data from the national U.S. Veterans Affairs H...
Stress Tests Disclosure: Theory, Practice, and New Perspectives

We review various costs and benefits of disclosure of stress test results and the models behind the tests and provide unified frameworks to evaluate the tradeoffs. We also review the evolution of practice on the disclosure of stress test results over the years and caution against the link between greater disclosure and weaker tests.