cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Hierarchy of Living Things

The chain from atoms to organisms in Fig. 1.1 consists of a number of clearly distinguishable systems. The complexity increases with increasing number of atoms. At the present time it is impossible to predict the behavior of an organism starting from the individual properties of the atoms. An understanding can only be reached by breaking the chain in pieces and studying, for instance, how the properties of biomolecules depend on the properties of its building blocks.
Abstract B76: Targeting Mcl-1 for radiosensitization of pancreatic cancers

In order to identify targets whose inhibition may enhance the efficacy of chemoradiation in pancreatic cancer and, thus, improve survival in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, we conducted an siRNA library screen of 8,800 genes. We identified Mcl-1 (myeloid cell leukemia-1), an anti-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family, as a target for sensitizing pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine-radiation. Thus, we investigated Mcl-1 inhibition by genetic (siRNA) and pharmacological (small molecule) approaches as a radiosensitizing strategy in pancreatic cancer cells. Mcl-1 depletion by siRNA radiosensitized BxPC-3, Panc-1, and MiaPaCa-2 cells with radiation enhancement ratios (RER) of 1.5±0.06, 1.4±0.03, and 1.3±0.01, respectively, and caused Caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage. We next tested the ability of the recently identified, selective, small molecule inhibitor of Mcl-1, UMI-77 (Abulwerdi F et al., Mol Cancer Ther, 2014), to inhibit the anti-apoptotic functions of Mcl-1 and radiosensitize in pancreatic cancer cells. Consistent with inhibition of Mcl-1 anti-apoptotic function, UMI-77 (1-5uM) caused dissociation of Mcl-1 from the pro-apoptotic protein Bak. Under these same conditions, UMI-77 produced significant radiosensitization in BxPC-3 and Panc-1 cells (RER: 1.5±0.1 and 1.3±0.04, respectively; P Citation Format: Qiang Zhang, Dongping Wei, Jason Schreiber, Tasneem Kausar, Theodore Lawrence, Yi Sun, Zaneta Nikolovska-Coleska, Meredith A. Morgan. Targeting Mcl-1 for radiosensitization of pancreatic cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Innovations in Research and Treatment; May 18-21, 2014; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(13 Suppl):Abstract nr B76.
5.9 An 18.75µW dynamic-distributing-bias temperature sensor with 0.87°C(3σ) untrimmed inaccuracy and 0.00946mm 2 area

The temperature sensing of a chip becomes more critical with the increment of the process and circuit complexity. In advanced processes, the heating effect becomes more severe due to the thermal accumulation within the small chip dimension. In order to provide precise and on-chip local thermal sensing, some structures have been demonstrated [1–7]. The paper presents an ultra-low-power, compact and accurate temperature sensor without trimming for the local heat monitors of SOCs. The approach of the dynamic-distributing-bias temperature sensor efficiently reduces the power consumption and chip area simultaneously with accurate digital outputs. The overall area of the circuit is 0.00946mm2, which shows larger than 2× area reduction compared with the prior art [1–3]. The prototype performs state-of-the-art power consumption of 18.75µW and untrimmed relative 3σ inaccuracy [8] achieving 1.64% among the previous compact temperature sensors with process scales smaller than 40nm [3–7].
Dendrimeric DNA Nanostructures as Scaffolds for Efficient Bidirectional BRET–FRET Cascades

DNA scaffolds offer advantages for biomolecular devices capable of generating and controlling energy flow. Through attachment of the bioluminescent protein luciferase and precise positioning of organic fluorophores, these structures form efficient self-illuminating energy transfer cascades. Luciferase initiates a bioluminescent resonance energy transfer step, which is then propagated by Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) through the rest of the structure. Two related DNA dendrimeric nanostructures are investigated; the first funnels energy inward toward the center, while the second radiates it outward. When attached to the DNA dendrimer, luciferase bioluminescence is harnessed by an initial AlexaFluor 488 dye and transferred via a series of FRET steps through Cy3, Cy3.5, and Cy5 dyes – to a terminal Cy5.5 acceptor. In the inward funneling construct, the luciferase is displayed on the dendrimer periphery and uses two donor fluorophores for each subsequent acceptor. The outward funneling construct anchors luciferase at the core and energies of successive donor fluorophores are captured by two acceptor dyes. The inward configuration yields end-to-end and anywhere-to-end efficiencies of 16% and 25%, respectively, while the outward configuration approaches 25% and 50%, respectively. The performance of each construct is detailed and potential applications of these self-illuminating biophotonic assemblies are discussed.
Macroporous Bulk Gels and Thin Films by Colloidal Templating of Emulsions and Latex Particles

We present a new way of making macroporous materials using colloidal suspensions of ceramic nanoparticles. We start from a mondisperse emulsion of 0.5 to 3.0 μm diameter oil droplets suspended in an aqueous colloidal dispersion of 80–100 nm silica particles. Upon evaporation of the water, the silica particles form a particulate gel around the emulsion droplets. Removal of the emulsion droplets by dissolution in alcohol and subsequent drying produces a monolithic solid macroporous body. Bulk gels with volume greater than 1 cm 3 could be easily produced with this method. Uniform films with thickness of approximately 10 μm have also been made by dip coating of the emulsion-silica colloid mixture. One can also use polystyrene particles as templates in place of the emulsion droplets. Using this approach, we were able to produce highly ordered macroporous titania and silica ceramics with pore sizes around 500 nm and typical dimensions of 3.0 × 2.0 × 0.5 mm 3 . These dimensions are much larger than those produced using alkoxides. Lower shrinkage associated with particulate gels reduces cracking and increases the structural integrity of the macroporous body.
The Controversy Over Grain Conveyance During the Reign of Qubilai Qaqan, 1260–94

One of the first and most pressing problems to confront Qubilai, after his election as khan in 1260, was the problem of food supply for the military and civilian population of the imperial capital. This was a problem which had plagued rulers of China long before the coming of the Mongols, ever since the rise of the lower Yangtze area as the economic center of China. During the Sui, T'ang and Northern Sung periods, a fairly adequate solution had been found in a system of waterways which, running in a northwesterly direction, carried food supplies to the nation's capitals, located far inland. This system of waterways became the lifeline of China for over five centuries. But, when Qubilai Qaqan established his administrative headquarters at the northern corner of the great Yellow Plain close by the sea, food supply again became an urgent problem and new solutions had to be found.
A Soluble Fluorescent Binding Assay Reveals PIP2 Antagonism of TREK-1 Channels

Summary Lipid regulation of ion channels by low-abundance signaling lipids phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP 2 ) and phosphatidic acid (PA) has emerged as a central cellular mechanism for controlling ion channels and the excitability of nerves. A lack of robust assays suitable for facile detection of a lipid bound to a channel has hampered the probing of the lipid binding sites and measuring the pharmacology of putative lipid agonists for ion channels. Here, we show a fluorescent PIP 2 competition assay for detergent-purified potassium channels, including TWIK-1-related K + -channel (TREK-1). Anionic lipids PA and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) bind dose dependently (9.1 and 96 μM, respectively) and agonize the channel. Our assay shows PIP 2 binds with high affinity (0.87 μM) but surprisingly can directly antagonize TREK-1 in liposomes. We propose a model for TREK-1 lipid regulation where PIP 2 can compete with PA and PG agonism based on the affinity of the lipid for a site within the channel.
Self-Uncertainty and the Influence of Alternative Goals on Self-Regulation:

The current research examines factors that facilitate or undermine goal pursuit. Past research indicates that attempts to reduce self-uncertainty can result in increased goal motivation. We explore a critical boundary condition of this effect-the presence of alternative goals. Though self-regulatory processes usually keep interest in alternative goals in check, uncertainty reduction may undermine these self-regulatory efforts by (a) reducing conflict monitoring and (b) increasing valuation of alternative goals. As such, reminders of alternative goals will draw effort away from focal goals for self-uncertain (but not self-certain) participants. Across four studies and eight supplemental studies, using different focal goals (e.g., academic achievement, healthy eating) and alternative goals (e.g., social/emotional goals, attractiveness, indulgence), we found that alternative goal salience does not negatively influence goal-directed behavior among participants primed with self-certainty, but that reminders of alternative goals undermine goal pursuit among participants primed with self-uncertainty.
White Matter Hyperintensity-Associated Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption and Vascular Risk Factors

Background White matter hyperintensities (WMH), the hallmark of vascular cognitive impairment, are associated with vascular risk factors (VRF). WMH can also be associated with blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption. The purpose of this study was to look for associations between VRF and BBB disruption in stroke patients with WMH. Methods Magnetic resonance images of stroke patients were reviewed for the presence of WMH. Blood-brain permeability images were retrospectively generated. The degree of BBB permeability was compared with the presence of VRF using logistic regression. Patterns and extent of WMH were classified using Fazekas scores. Results Sixty-five patients were included in this study. None of the VRF tested were associated with an increase in BBB disruption. Hypertension was significantly associated with less BBB disruption (P = .04). Nonhypertensive patients in our study had a different pattern of WMH than hypertensive patients, with less involvement of the periventricular white matter. Conclusions We found that in stroke patients with WMH, those with hypertension had less BBB disruption and greater involvement of the periventricular white matter when compared with patients who did not have a history of hypertension. Further investigation is needed to determine if the development of WMH in stroke patients with a history of hypertension has a different pathophysiology from patients who develop WMH in the absence of hypertension.
Effects of elevated temperatures and contaminated hydrogen gas mixtures on novel ultrathin palladium composite membranes

Abstract Transmembrane hydrogen flux of a novel 1 μm palladium membrane, supported by a nickel microstructured support grid, is characterized when exposed to carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and water vapor over a range of temperature from 235° to 320 °C. At all temperatures, the palladium membrane is found to be primarily hydrogen transport rate limited due to surface reactions, not atomic hydrogen solution-diffusion though the bulk palladium membrane. Hydrogen flux decreases rapidly as contaminate gas concentration increases, before reaching a temperature dependent steady state, due to nearly complete surface coverage of the palladium by adsorbed contaminate. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide have the largest impact, while water vapor has a lesser impact. The likely source of deactivation is the blocking of surface active sites by adsorbed contaminate molecules. Independent of contaminate gas effects, this study reveals a permanent hydrogen flux decrease due to diffusion of nickel from the microstructured support grid into the palladium membrane at temperatures above 360 °C.
Standards of Care in Assessment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Gender Expansive, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTGEQ+) Persons

ABSTRACTA Joint Task Force comprised of members of the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling (ALGBTIC) and the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) present standards of care for assessment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Gender Expansive, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTGEQ+) Persons.
Contact Resistance Measurements and Modeling of an Electrostatically Actuated Microswitch

Micromechanical switches have been fabricated in electroplated nickel using a four-level surface micromachining process. The simplest devices are configured with three terminals, a source, a drain, and a gate and are 30 µm wide, 1 µm thick, and 65 µm long. A voltage applied between the gate and the source closes the switch, connecting the source to the drain. Devices operate for more than 109 cycles in a nitrogen ambient before failure and have an initial contact resistance of less than 50 mΩ. The threshold voltages for these devices are between 30 V and 200 V. Long lifetimes are achieved with a current of 30 mA. The breakdown (stand-off) voltage between the source and the drain is greater than 100 V and the off-impedance exceeds 1012Ω. The modeling of these switches includes a structural model of the beam and a contact resistance model for the electrical contact. Preliminary contact resistance measurements are presented and compared with the modeled contact resistance characteristics.
Recommendations for active correction of hypernatremia in volume-resuscitated shock or sepsis patients should be taken with a grain of salt: A systematic review

Background:Healthcare-acquired hypernatremia (serum sodium >145 mEq/dL) is common among critically ill and other hospitalized patients and is usually treated with hypotonic fluid and/or diuretics to correct a “free water deficit.” However, many hypernatremic patients are eu- or hypervolemic, and an evolving body of literature emphasizes the importance of rapidly returning critically ill patients to a neutral fluid balance after resuscitation.Objective:We searched for any randomized- or observational-controlled studies evaluating the impact of active interventions intended to correct hypernatremia to eunatremia on any outcome in volume-resuscitated patients with shock and/or sepsis.Data sources:We performed a systematic literature search with studies identified by searching MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, ClinicalTrials.gov, Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon General’s Office, DARE (Database of Reviews of Effects), and CIN...
Endocannabinoids in the Islets of Langerhans: the ugly, the bad, and the good facts

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) regulates cellular homeostasis and whole-body metabolism. There is an autonomous ECS in the endocrine pancreas, including the cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R) that is present in β-cells. Here, we discuss conflicts that have arisen with regard to the function(s) of the ECs in the endocrine pancreas and that have caused confusion when defining the role of the ECS in islets of Langerhans, especially the role(s) of CB1R in β-cells. We also discuss the latest data published concerning the ECS in islets. CB1R in particular is not simply a negative modulator of insulin secretion as it is also involved in intra-islet inflammation during high fat-high sugar intake and it is a negative regulator of β-cell viability and turnover. We also discuss the feasibility of using CB1R as a target for the treatment of diabetes.
Ethics in Negotiation: Causes and Consequences

Why do negotiators act ethically or unethically? What happens after they do? Despite accumulating evidence on the causes and consequences of ethical and unethical behavior in non-negotiation situat...
Dose specification of Dopamine agonist, pergoline: Treatment in a cohort of subfertile Iraqi women with asymptomatic hyperprolactinemia: A prospec-tive study

Infertility is an important problem experienced by a significant proportion of couples in the population. Hyperprolactinemia is a key finding in a subset of women with primary and secondary infertility. Pergoline has been investigated by many authors to reduce serum prolactin and to increase ovarian follicle size; however, significant controversy is present in the available literature to justify conductance of the present study. This study was aimed to evaluate the role of pergoline treatment in a subset of subfertile Iraqi women on both ovarian follicle size and serum prolactin level. The current study involved 60 subfertile women who were treated with pergoline at a dose of 2.5 mg every 3 days for 8 weeks. Baseline estimation of serum prolactin and ovarian follicle size at luteal phase was performed and the second reading of these variables was conducted 8 weeks after treatment. The study was carried out in Al-Diwaniyah maternity and child teaching hospital in Al-Diwaniyah province, Iraq. The study was started at August 2016 and extended through January 2018. The results revealedthatafter 8 weeks from regular treatment with pergoline, serum prolactin was highly significantly reduced from 64 (45) ng/ml to 30.4 (24) ng/ml (P <0.001). In addition, it was found that the follicle size was highly significantly increased from 10 (2) mm to 17.5 (4.75) mm (P<0.001). It has been concluded that pergoline is an effective mode of treatment to treat subfertile women with asymptomatic hyperprolactinemia and to increase the size of growing ovarian follicles.
Discontinuous Galerkin Methods for Timoshenko Beams

We devise a family of discontinuous Galerkin methods for the Timoshenko beam problem. Sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of the approximation are given. The method allows arbitrary meshes and arbitrary polynomial degrees within the mesh, and hence is suitable for hp adaptivity. Numerical results showing optimal and exponential convergence are provided. These features of the method render it appealing for other problems in structure mechanics such as, plates, shells etc.
Behaviorally Conditioned Immunosuppression: Effects on the Course of Autoimmune Disease in New Zealand Hybrid Mice

ABSTRACT The conditioning of immunosuppression was used to modify the development of autoimmune disease in New Zealand hybrid mice. Animals were provided with a saccharin-flavored drinking solution (the conditioned stimulus) once each week. The experimental group of conditioned animals was injected with cyclophosphamide (the unconditioned stimulus) after half of the weekly occasions when they were exposed to saccharin. The rate of development of proteinuria and mortality was significantly retarded in these conditioned animals relative to untreated controls and to nonconditioned mice that received unpaired treatment with saccharin and cyclophosphamide. When taken off active drug, conditioned mice that continued to receive saccharin each week died at a slower rate than animals that received neither saccharin nor drug; nonconditioned mice that continued to receive saccharin did not differ from animals that received neither saccharin nor cyclophosphamide.
Annihilators of Operator Algebras

The structure of the predual of an ultraweakly closed operator algebra can be very revealing of internal structural properties of the algebra. This relationship has been most important in the theory of von Neumann algebras, and has recently become significant in the study of more general ultraweakly closed algebras.
Chlor-Trimeton® (Schering)

Chlorpheniramine is an antihistamine and hence antagonizes many characteristic effects of histamine. It has anticholinergic (drying) and sedative effects as well.
de Haas-van Alphen Effect in YBCO

Measurement of the de Haas-van Alphen effect in YBa2Cu3O6.97 in pulsed, magnetic fields peaking at 100 T in powdered material with the field applied along the c-axis reveal two pieces of the Fermi surface. Their cross sections are 0.56 kT (0.054 A−2) and 0.78 kT (0.075 A−2) with effective masses of 2.8 and 4.4 respectively.
Role of Radiation Therapy for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a rare diagnosis, yet the incidence continues to rise worldwide. As these tumors often clinically present at an advanced stage, the majority of patients have unresectable disease at the time of diagnosis. Historically, these patients carried a very poor prognosis, as few nonsurgical liver-directed therapies provided meaningful improvement in outcomes. The use of radiotherapy was previously limited by concerns over radiation-induced liver disease with historical techniques; however, the advancement of three-dimensional conformal planning, stereotaxy, and charged particles as well as the development of normal tissue complication probability models have expanded the indications of radiation for these liver tumors. These advancements have improved local control and survival in patients with inoperable tumors. This chapter will review the indications, techniques, and outcomes of radiotherapy for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in both the adjuvant and inoperable setting.
New Experimental Findings 2008–2013

This chapter discusses findings from two recent Universal Basic Income (UBI) experiments conducted in the late 2000s and early 2010s and from earlier experimental data that was released in the same period. This chapter shows how these findings had a more positive impact on public understanding of UBI and related policies than the release of data from the 1970s NIT experiments.
Case report: Acute cubital tunnel syndrome in a hemophiliac patient.

A 24-year-old right-hand dominant male with severe Hemophilia A presented with acute elbow pain, associated paresthesias, and weakness in the ulnar nerve distribution after upper body weight liftin...
Effects of hurricane forward speed and approach angle on storm surges: an idealized numerical experiment

The effects of hurricane forward speed (V) and approach angle (θ) on storm surge are important and a systematic investigation covering possible and continuous ranges of these parameters has not been done before. Here we present such a study with a numerical experiment using the Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM). The hurricane track is simplified as a straight line, such that V and θ fully define the motion of the hurricane. The maximum surge is contributed by both free waves and a forced storm surge wave moving with the hurricane. Among the free waves, Kelvin-type waves can only propagate in the down-coast direction. Simulations show that those waves can only have a significant positive storm surge when the hurricane velocity has a down-coast component. The optimal values of V and θ that maximize the storm surge in an idealized semi-circular ocean basin are functions of the bathymetry. For a constant bathymetry, the maximum surge occurs when the hurricane approaches the coast from the normal direction when the free wave generation is minimal; for a stepped bathymetry, the maximum surge occurs at a certain acute approach angle which maximizes the duration of persistent wind forcing; a step-like bathymetry with a sloped shelf is similar to the stepped bathymetry, with the added possibility of landfall resonance when the free and forced waves are moving at about the same velocity. For other cases, the storm surge is smaller, given other parameters (hurricane size, maximum wind speed, etc.) unchanged.
2D material printer: a deterministic cross contamination-free transfer method for atomically layered materials

Precision and chip contamination-free placement of two-dimensional (2D) materials is expected to accelerate both the study of fundamental properties and novel device functionality. Current deterministic transfer methods of 2D materials onto an arbitrary substrate deploy viscoelastic stamping. However, these methods produce (a) significant cross-contamination of the substrate inherent from typical dense sources of 2D material flakes and (b) are challenged with respect to spatial alignment, and (c) multi-transfer at a single step. Here, we demonstrate a novel method of transferring 2D materials resembling the functionality known from printing; utilizing a combination of a sharp micro-stamper and viscoelastic polymer, we show precise placement of individual 2D materials resulting in vanishing cross-contamination to the substrate. Our 2D printer-method results in an aerial cross-contamination improvement of two to three orders of magnitude relative to state-of-the-art transfer methods from a source of average area for single flake (~50 µm2). Moreover, we find that the 2D material quality is preserved in this transfer method. Testing this 2D material printer on taped-out integrated Silicon photonic chips, we find that the micro-stamper stamping transfer does not physically harm the underneath Silicon nanophotonic structures such as waveguides or micro-ring resonators receiving the 2D material. We further demonstrate functional devices such as Graphene tunnel junctions and transistors, and TMD-based material tunable microring resonators. Such accurate and substrate-benign transfer method for 2D materials could be industrialized for rapid device prototyping due to its high time-reduction, accuracy, and contamination-free process.
Updating Place Names in the Name Authority File to Reflect Political Realities: The Cases of Crimea, Taiwan, and Myanmar

There are certain place names in the name authority file that cause difficulties because their established forms do not reflect political realities. Names of jurisdictions are established on the ba...
De-Flake Your Tests : Automatically Locating Root Causes of Flaky Tests in Code At Google

Regression testing is a critical part of software development and maintenance. It ensures that modifications to existing software do not break existing behavior and functionality.One of the key assumptions about regression tests is that their results are deterministic: when executed without any modifications with the same configuration, either they always fail or they always pass. In practice, however, there exist tests that are non-deterministic, called flaky tests. Flaky tests cause the results of test runs to be unreliable, and they disrupt the software development workflow.In this paper, we present a novel technique to automatically identify the locations of the root causes of flaky tests on the code level to help developers debug and fix them. We study the technique on flaky tests across 428 projects at Google. Based on our case studies, the technique helps identify the location of the root causes of flakiness with 82% accuracy. Furthermore, our studies show that integration into the appropriate developer workflows, simplicity of debugging aides and fully automated fixes are crucial and preferred components for adoption and usability of flakiness debugging and fixing tools.
Urology Program Directors' Perception of Pregnancy During Residency.

ABSTRACT Objective To assess urology program directors’ (PDs) perception of pregnancy during residency training. Methods A 30 question anonymous survey was sent to 142 urology PDs regarding their demographics, program information, institution policies, and self-reported opinions. Results were assessed via descriptive analysis. Results A total of 63 PDs responded with a response rate of 44%: 19% were female, 73% between 40 and 59 years of age, and 91% had children. A minority (17%) of programs had 40% or more female residents. 37% of PDs had never had a pregnant resident during their time as PD while 57% had 1 to 5 pregnant residents. On multivariate analysis, PDs age > 60 years or PD having their first child when > 30 years old were predictors for poor support of maternity leave. The majority of PDs felt their program was better/much better at being supportive toward maternity leave compared to other surgical specialties at their institution. Only 21% of PDs felt that taking maternity leave burdened other residents unfairly. Of respondents, 62% felt prepared/completely prepared to advise residents on pregnancy during residency. However, 91% of PDs affirmed it would be helpful to have formal policies in place regarding maternity/paternity leave. Conclusion While the majority of PDs do not have a negative perception of pregnancy during residency, a small portion feels that pregnancy during residency is a burden on other residents. More than half of PDs feel prepared to discuss this issue with their residents. However, a large majority would find formal policies helpful.
Glucose-Lowering Drugs to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk in Type 2 Diabetes.

Key Clinical Points Glucose-Lowering Drugs to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk in Type 2 Diabetes The attainment of glycemic targets and comprehensive reduction in risk factors for cardiovascular disease...
Play Now, Pay Later?: Youth and Adolescent Collision Sports

The routine and repeated head impacts experienced by athletes in a range of sports can inflict microscopic brain injuries that accumulate over time, even in the absence of concussion. Indeed, cumulative exposure to head impacts — not number of concussions — is the strongest predictor of sports-related degenerative brain disease in later life. The observable symptoms of disease appear years or decades after initial injury and resemble those of other mental-health conditions such as depression and dementia. The years-long interval between earlier, seemingly minor, head impacts and later brain disease has long obscured the connection between the two. Risk of injury differs across demographics, implicating questions of social justice and complicating potential policy responses. For example, younger athletes, whose brains are still developing, are especially vulnerable to injury. Black boys and men participate in football at disproportionately high rates and are thus likely to suffer the effects of repeated head impacts at disproportionately high rates. Finally, female athletes have higher rates of injury and take longer to recover than do males in sports played by both sexes. It is unknown whether female athletes also have higher risk of long-term disease, because sex-related differences have received little attention. Scholarship has addressed the legal implications of sports-related concussions suffered by young athletes, the overrepresentation of African-American boys and men in sport, and the underrepresentation of girls and women in sport. Legal scholars have not yet addressed the insidious effects of impacts that appear to cause no injury at all, or their disproportionate impact on groups already disadvantaged in other respects — the young, female athletes, and African-American male athletes. This Article addresses those issues, evaluates current reform measures, and concludes by suggesting a range of reforms including education, litigation, and law reform.
An Algorithm for Management of Cosmetic and Reconstructive Patients with Textured Implants: An Institutional Experience.

SUMMARY Textured anatomic silicone gel breast implants have advantages of gel cohesivity and a natural slope between the upper and lower poles of the breast; however, they have fallen out of favor secondary to their risk of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma. For patients who choose to keep their textured devices, there remains controversy over the best long-term follow-up. This article presents an algorithm from plastic surgery, surgical oncology, and radiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital for management of these patients.
Binge ethanol drinking associated with sex-dependent plasticity of neurons in the insula that project to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

Modifications in brain regions that govern reward-seeking are thought to contribute to persistent behaviors that are heavily associated with alcohol-use disorder (AUD) including binge ethanol drinking. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a critical node linked to both alcohol consumption and the onset, maintenance and progression of adaptive anxiety and stress-related disorders. Differences in anatomy, connectivity and receptor subpopulations, make the BNST a sexually dimorphic region. Previous work indicates that the ventral BNST (vBNST) receives input from the insular cortex (IC), a brain region involved in processing the body's internal state. This IC-vBNST projection has also been implicated in emotional and reward-seeking processes. Therefore, we examined the functional properties of vBNST-projecting, IC neurons in male and female mice that have undergone short-term ethanol exposure and abstinence using a voluntary Drinking in the Dark paradigm (DID) paired with whole-cell slice electrophysiology. First we show that IC neurons projected predominantly to the vBNST. Next, our data show that short-term ethanol exposure and abstinence enhanced excitatory synaptic strength onto vBNST-projecting, IC neurons in both sexes. However, we observed diametrically opposing modifications in excitability across sexes. In particular, short-term ethanol exposure resulted in increased intrinsic excitability of vBNST-projecting, IC neurons in females but not in males. Furthermore, in females, abstinence decreased the excitability of these same neurons. Taken together these findings show that short-term ethanol exposure, as well as the abstinence cause sex-related adaptations in BNST-projecting, IC neurons.
A grounded theory model of on-duty critical care nurses' information behavior : The patient-chart cycle of informative interactions

Purpose – Critical care nurses' work is rich in informative interactions. Although there have been post‐hoc self report studies of nurses' information seeking, there have been no observational studies of the patterns of their on‐duty information behavior. This paper seeks to address this issue.Design/methodology/approach – This study used participant observation and in context interviews to describe 50 hours of the observable information behavior of a representative sample of critical care nurses in a 20‐bed critical care unit of a community (non‐teaching) hospital. The researcher used open, in vivo and axial coding to develop a grounded theory model of their consistent pattern of multimedia interactions.Findings – The resulting Nurse's Patient‐Chart Cycle describes their activities during the shift as centering on a regular alternation between interactions with the patient and with the patient's chart (in various record systems), clearly bounded with nursing “report” interactions at the beginning and the...
Managing a Laundry using RFID-based Automated Processes

The objective of this paper is to present the use of RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology to automate the laundry process of collecting, cleaning, and returning garments. While RFID has been used for commercial laundry applications for several years now, the process presented here is based on a bank automated teller machine (ATM) style interaction for dropping, and picking up the laundry. The process consists of the following steps: the customer drops the laundry to be cleaned using an ATM style interaction, the laundry gets picked up and cleaned using an automated system requiring minimum human interaction, the cleaned laundry is sent to the pickup location, the customer receives an alert for picking up the laundry, and finally the customer picks up the laundry, again using an ATM style interaction. The use of RFID enables the tracking of the movement of garments through the laundry loop in real-time. The anticipated benefits for the laundry industry include customer convenience, savings in labor, and automated delivery.
Abstract W P39: Internal Cerebral Vein Asymmetry on Follow-Up Brain CT after Intravenous Thrombolysis in Acute Anterior Circulation Ischemic Stroke is Associated With Poor Outcome

Background and aim: Identifying early predictors of functional outcome after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is important for planning rehabilitation strategies. Internal cerebral veins (ICV) drain deep parts of brain, run parallel to each other and consistently seen on CTA. Even minor asymmetry in their filling can be identified. We hypothesized that venous drainage would be impaired in patients with acute occlusion of ICA or MCA. Since systemic thrombolysis can alter the vascular findings, we evaluated the relationship between ICV asymmetry on follow-up CTA and functional outcome. Methods: Consecutive AIS patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis between 2007 and 2010 were included. ICV asymmetry was assessed by 2 independent blinded stroke neurologists/ neuroradiologists. Functional outcome was assessed by modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 3-months, dichotomized as good (0-1) and poor (2-6). Data were analyzed for predictors of functional outcome. Results: Of 2238 patients with AIS, 226 (10.1%) anterior ...
Point pattern modelling for degraded presence-only data over large regions

Summary. Explaining the distribution of a species by using local environmental features is a long-standing ecological problem. Often, available data are collected as a set of presence locations only, thus precluding the possibility of a desired presence–absence analysis. We propose that it is natural to view presence-only data as a point pattern over a region and to use local environmental features to explain the intensity driving this point pattern. We use a hierarchical model to treat the presence data as a realization of a spatial point process, whose intensity is governed by the set of environmental covariates. Spatial dependence in the intensity levels is modelled with random effects involving a zero-mean Gaussian process. We augment the model to capture highly variable and typically sparse sampling effort as well as land transformation, both of which degrade the point pattern. The Cape Floristic Region in South Africa provides an extensive class of such species data. The potential (i.e. non-degraded) presence surfaces over the entire area are of interest from a conservation and policy perspective. The region is divided into about 37000 grid cells. To work with a Gaussian process over a very large number of cells we use a predictive spatial process approximation. Bias correction by adding a heteroscedastic error component has also been implemented. We illustrate with modelling for six different species. Also, a comparison is made with the now popular Maxent approach though it is limited with regard to inference. The resultant patterns are important on their own but also enable a comparative view, for example, to investigate whether a pair of species are potentially competing in the same area. An additional feature of our modelling is the opportunity to infer about biodiversity through species richness, i.e. the number of distinct species in an areal unit. Such an investigation immediately follows within our modelling framework.
A Great Day To Fight Fire: Mann Gulch

One can hardly discuss the Mann Gulch tragedy (thirteen dead firefighters) of August 1949 without mentioning Norman Maclean, the author famously of A River Runs Through It, but more significantly f...
Stage II ultrasound examination for the diagnosis of fetal abnormalities with an elevated amniotic fluid alpha- fetoprotein concentration

Abstract Previous studies have indicated that patients with elevated levels of amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein (AFAFP) are at very high risk for fetal neural tube defects. Twenty-eight patients whose levels of AFAFP were >3 standard deviations above the mean were evaluated wifh a Stage It ultrasound examination for detailed assessment of fetal anatomy. In 16 patients with AFAFP levels >5 SD above the mean, six fetuses with open spins bifida were identified (37.5%). Moreover, in four fetuses in this group, the diagnosis was ventral wall defects (two with gastroschisis and two with omphalocele), and one fetus had multiple lethal anomalies. The other 5 patients had normal scans, and, with the exception of one patient who was delivered of a nondysmorphic stillborn infant at 28 weeks, all had normal infants at birth. Among the other 12 patients with AFAFP levels between 3 and 5 SD above the mean, there were only two adverse findings—an intrauterine death and an omphalocele. A Stage II ultrasound examination performed when AFAFP levels are elevated enables one to distinguish between conditions which are lethal or associated with significant impairment and those which are amenable to surgical procedures. Morphologically normal fetuses can also be identified. Since this diagnostic technique will allow salvage of many pregnancies that otherwise would be aborted, it should be an integral part of any alpha-fetoprotein screening program.
ADAPTING INTERACTIVE STATED RESPONSE TECHNIQUES TO A SELF-COMPLETION SURVEY.

We report here on how we adapted Interactive Stated Response Methods to use in a self-completion survey of 454 California households to measure the market for electric vehicles in California. Electric vehicles are a novel product and have many features unfamiliar to consumers, in particular their home recharging capability and limited range. Reflexive techniques were designed to draw households into a deeper exploration of the lifestyle implications of electric vehicles than can be done in more typical self-completion surveys, and to stimulate key decision processes previously observed in detailed gaming interviews with 51 households. Reflexive self-completion techniques provide a middle course between typical large sample quantitative surveys and small sample, detailed gaming interviews. One of the benefits of the more intensive techniques was that participants reported finding the surveys interesting and return rates were high for a self-completion approach – over sixty percent. We review previous transportation and sociological methods which inspired our design, describe the design goals and features of our research, and summarize research results pertinent to testing the validity of our approach.
Child care and employment turnover

This paper explores how the responsibility of caring for children affects em- ployment stability by studying the relationship between the characteristics and stability of substitute caregivers and the risk of leaving of job. The data come from the 1990 National Child Care Survey (NCCS), a nationally representative survey of households with children under age 13 conducted in late 1989 and early 1990, and A Profile of Child Care Settings (PCS), a nationally representative survey of center-based programs and licensed family day care homes in the U.S., conducted at the same time and in the same 144 counties. The results show that the availability of care affects the job stability of all employed mothers. Other effects differ by maternal wage. The cost of care affects the employment exits of moderate-wage mothers (who earn $6 to $8 per hour), the stability of care affects the employment exits of moderate- and high-wage mothers, and the flexibility of care affects the employment exits of low-wage mothers. These results are discussed in the context of current public policies.
Gravitational waves and the cosmological equation of state

Primordial gravitational waves are amplified during eras when their wavelengths are pushed outside the cosmological horizon. This occurs in both inflationary and ``pre-big-bang'' or ``bounce'' cosmologies. The spectrum is expressed as a normalized energy density per unit logarithmic frequency, denoted Omega. The spectral index (logarithmic slope) of Omega is simply related to three properties of the early universe: (i) the gravitons' mean initial quantum occupation number N(n) (=1/2 for a vacuum state), where n is the (invariant) conformal frequency of the mode, and (ii) & (iii) the parameter gamma=p/rho of the cosmological equation of state during the epoch when the waves left the horizon (gamma=gamma_i) and when they reentered (gamma=gamma_f). In the case of an inflationary cosmology, the spectral index is equal to d(ln N)/d(ln n) + 2(gamma_i + 1)/(gamma_i + 1/3) + 2(gamma_f - 1/3)/(gamma_f + 1/3) and for bounce cosmologies it is equal to d(ln N)/d(ln n) + 4(gamma_i)/(gamma_i + 1/3) + 2(gamma_f - 1/3)/(gamma_f + 1/3) These expressions are compared against various more model-specific results given in the literature.
Interactions between aggression, boldness and shoaling within a brood of convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciatus)

A behavioral syndrome is considered present when individuals consistently express correlated behaviors across two or more axes of behavior. These axes of behavior are shy-bold, exploration-avoidance, activity, aggression, and sociability. In this study we examined aggression, boldness and sociability (shoaling) within a juvenile convict cichlid brood (Amatitlania nigrofasciatus). Because young convict cichlids are social, we used methodologies commonly used by ethologists studying social fishes. We did not detect an aggression-boldness behavioral syndrome, but we did find that the aggression, boldness, and possibly the exploration behavioral axes play significant roles in shaping the observed variation in individual convict cichlid behavior. While juvenile convict cichlids did express a shoaling preference, this social preference was likely convoluted by aggressive interactions, despite the small size and young age of the fish. There is a need for the development of behavioral assays that allow for more reliable measurement of behavioral axes in juvenile neo-tropical cichlids.
Seeking Social Security: An Alternative Motivation for Mexico‐US Migration

In this analysis we investigate the degree to which the absence of effective pension systems may generate motivations for international migration as a means of self-financing retirement. Using ethnosurvey data gathered in selected Mexican communities and US destination areas, we estimate models to predict the odds of US migration from indicators of relative wages and whether or not jobs in Mexico were covered by that country's social security system. We find that by holding constant the binational differential in expected wages, the odds of out-migration were much higher for male household heads working in jobs that were not covered by social security compared with those working in jobs that enjoyed such coverage. Subsequent analyses showed that the odds of receiving a pension in old age were systematically higher for former US migrants, and that the likelihood of pension receipt rose steadily as the number of US trips and amount of US experience accumulated.
Profiling the U.S. Consumer market for apparel in selected latin american countries

For the past twenty years research has centered on perceptions held by consumers about the quality of good produced in competing countries of origin. This paper recognizes that tradition but suggests market segments exist for each country that could be profiled and reached with marketing effort. The characteristics of potential purchasers of apparel from several Latin American countries are investigated.
Acoustic Differences In The Imitation Of Prosodic Patterns In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

In research, it has been difficult to characterize the prosodic production differences that have been observed clinically in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Moreover, the nature of these differences has been particularly hard to identify. This study examined one possible contributor to these perceived differences: motor planning. We examined the ability of children and adolescents with ASD to imitate prosodic patterns in comparison to a group with learning disabilities (LD) and a typically-developing (TD) comparison group. Overall, we found that both the ASD and LD groups were significantly worse at perceiving and imitating prosodic patterns than the TD comparison group. Similar to previous studies using non-imitative speech, participants with ASD showed a significantly longer duration of utterances than the two comparison groups when attempting to imitate an intonation pattern. The implications of differences in duration of utterances are discussed. This study also highlights the importance of using clinical comparison groups in studies of language performance in individuals with ASD.