cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Methylmercury: exposure duration and regional distribution as determinants of neurotoxicity in nonhuman primates.

Abstract Exposure duration appears to be an important determinant, along with dosage, blood, and brain Hg concentration, of sublethal methylmercury toxicity in macaque and squirrel monkeys. Animals were evaluated for objective neural signs while maintained with blood and brain Hg near equilibrium. Chronic methylmercury, po, produced similar bodily distributions of Hg and neural signs for both species. The characteristic brain regional distribution of Hg is established well in advance of signs, emphasizing the importance of exposure duration and arguing against a major redistribution of Hg as the critical event preceding toxic signs. The calcarine cortex, lateral geniculate, and corpus striatum are candidates for critical brain regions. When near equilibrium, the primate brain Hg concentration is 1.8 to 4.9 times that of whole blood, depending upon region; higher brain/blood ratios are obtained 1 week or more following the end of exposure. Clearance of Hg from most regions of the macaque brain appeared to be similar to the rate of clearance from whole blood ( t 1 2 = 21 days ) and thus is considerably shorter than half-times reported for primate hair and whole body. The latent period preceding neural signs was inversely related to whole blood Hg concentration within the range associated with neurological signs in humans (0.5–4.5 ppm). Evidence of a “no-effect” dose in the primate will require lower level exposures in excess of 1000 days. This experimental model can suggest critical indices of human longterm, low-level exposures and it provides a basis for evaluating results from nonprimate species.
The chemical reactivity of tetraisobutyldialuminum towards ethers, nitrogen lewis bases, aluminumtrimethyl, borontrichloride and ethylene

Abstract Treatment of Al 2 i Bu 4 with THF and Et 2 O results in partial decomposition to afford Al metal while reaction with γ-picoline products a bis-adduct of limited stability. Reactions with AlMe 3 and BCl 3 , separately, involves ligand exchange with accompanying disproportionation to yield Al metal. Dimethylamine induces disproportionation to afford Al i Bu 3 ·HNMe 2 and an intemediate trialuminum species. The latter undergoes AlAl bond cleavage with formation of H 2 , i Bu 2 AlNMe 2 , and [Me 2 N- ( i Bu)AlAl i Bu 2 ] 2 · Al 2 iBu 4 eliminates Me 2 CCH 2 in solution at 80 °C, and the catenated AlH intermediate reacts with ethylene to afford AlEt and AlCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 3 moieties.
Process improvement and the corporate balance sheet

The Software Engineering Initiative, process-improvement program undertaken by the Software Systems Laboratory in Raytheon's equipment division in mid-1988 is reviewed. The three phases of the program are the process-stabilization phase, in which the emphasis is on distilling the elements of the process actually being used and progressively institutionalizing it across all projects, the process-control phase, in which emphasis shifts to instrumenting projects to gather significant data and analyze the data to understand how to control the process, and the process-change phase, in which the emphasis is on determining how to adjust the process as a result of measurement analysis and how to diffuse the new methods among practitioners. It is shown that the process-improvement initiative has improved the equipment division's bottom line, increased productivity, and changed the corporate culture. Much of the savings came from reducing rework. >
Effects of sources of dietary fat and protein on tissue cholesterol

Abstract Dietary variables were soy oil, beef tallow, soy protein, and casein. Dietary combinations were soy oil-soy protein, soy-oil casein, beef tallow-soy protein, and beef tallow-casein, and 96 rats were allotted randomly to the four isocaloric diets. [Crystalline cholesterol was added to standardize each diet at 0.2%.] Two randomly selected rats from each dietary group were killed at 0, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 22, 30, 36, 42, and 48 days on experiment to determine the effects of sources (plant versus animal) of dietary fat and protein on tissue cholesterol concentrations and on cholesterogenesis in liver and small intestine. Feeding soy oil, a polyunsaturated fat, resulted in lower blood cholesterol concentrations, higher liver cholesterol concentrations, and lower intestinal cholesterogenesis than did feeding beef tallow, a saturated fat. Feeding soy protein, a plant protein, resulted in lower blood and liver cholesterol concentrations and less intestinal cholesterogenesis than did feeding casein, an animal protein. Hepatic cholesterogenesis and intestinal tissue cholesterol levels were not affected significantly by diet. Eight rats killed at day 0 had, on the average, lesser plasma cholesterol concentrations and greater rates of intestinal cholesterogenesis than rats fed experimental diets. Our results demonstrate that the hypocholesterolemic action of soy oil and soy protein fed to rats may be related to decreased intestinal cholesterogenesis. In addition, soy oil, a polyunsaturated fat caused a redistribution of cholesterol from plasma to liver.
Quantitative immunofluorescence mapping reveals little functional coclustering of proteins within platelet α-granules

Platelets are small anucleate blood cells that aggregate to seal leaks at sites of vascular injury and are important in the pathology of atherosclerosis, acute coronary syndromes, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and the regulation of angiogenesis. In all cases, platelet aggregation requires release of stored proteins from α-granules. However, how proteins with potentially antagonistic functions are packaged within α-granules is controversial. One possibility is the packaging of functional agonists and antagonists into different α-granule populations. By quantitative immunofluorescence colocalization, we found that pair-wise comparisons of 15 angiogenic-relevant α-granule proteins displayed little, if any, pattern of functional coclustering. Rather, the data suggested a Gaussian distribution indicative of stochastic protein delivery to individual granules. The apparent physiologic paradox raised by these data may be explained through alternate mechanisms, such as differential content release through incomplete granule fusion or dampened and balanced regulatory networks brought about by the corelease of antagonistic factors.
Transitions in Vapor-Deposited Alumina from 300° to 1200°C

The transition of amorphous alumina to α-alumina was studied by X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, DTA, TGA, and microscopic observation. The amorphous alumina was prepared by condensing vapor from evaporating molten alumina in vacuo onto the glass envelope of the vacuum chamber. The amorphous alumina was transformed to a poorly crystalline material by heating for 16 hr between 570° and 670°C. Between 670° and 1200°C, the poorly crystalline alumina was converted to α-alumina via two parallel series of transition aluminas. The principal series was γ-alumina to δ-alumina to α-alumina. A minor amount of θ-alumina developed from the initial crystallization and persisted throughout the duration of the principal series as a parallel path. Some conversion of δ- to θ-alumina was detected above 900°C. DTA produced an unexplained exothermic peak at 320°C and a second exothermic peak at 860°C which corresponded to formation of metastable aluminas.
Non-invasive and long-term core temperature measurement

Long term, non-invasive monitoring of core temperature would be valuable for both the understanding of human thermoregulation responses to different drugs and conditions as well as the potential to develop tools for early detection of disease. Although the possible benefits of a non-invasive core temperature monitoring system are vast, the challenges associated with constructing a robust and accurate device have only achieved limited successes. This paper addresses an adaptation of a heat flux equilibrium based device for testing and use in non-invasive, long-term core temperature monitoring which has yielded optimistic results in initial testing.
Text messaging to increase readiness to change alcohol use in college students.

We tested the feasibility and effectiveness of an alcohol counseling intervention delivered via personalized text messages for college students with problem alcohol use. College students aged 18–23 completed online substance use and mental health questionnaires that served as a screening tool for problem alcohol use. We invited students who screened positive to be randomized to intervention (n = 8) or control groups (n = 10) and assessed them at 1 month after they received their last text message. The intervention group received between four and six text messages daily for 4 days that required brief participant responses during the week following the web-based baseline assessment. Participants in the intervention group could also request booster texts for additional support. We personalized all texts, using data collected at baseline. Using a repeated measures ANOVA, we found that compared to the control group, the intervention group increased in readiness to change from baseline to follow-up (p < .01). Other promising trends were an increase in the intervention relative to the control group’s confidence in their ability to change drinking behavior, and an increase in intentions to reduce alcohol use. These exploratory results indicate that the automated texting program we developed works well with college students and that text messaging as a means to deliver preventive interventions is a promising delivery platform.
A Silicone Splint for Auricular Hematoma

Auricular hematomas are often encountered in a sports medicine practice, most commonly among wrestlers, but also in boxers, football and rugby players, and judo athletes.(1) A relatively new treatment, the use of a silicone splint, offers several advantages over other treatments with regard to the risk of recurrence, observation of the site, and return to competition.
A TOOL FOR AUTOMATED LOAD DURATION CURVE CREATION

Abstract: A recent study by the Texas Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Task Force has recommended the use of load duration curves as a primary tool in calculating bacterial TMDLs. This method is attractive because it effectively integrates flow regimes into TMDL analyses, clearly communicates data through a method that is understandable to the general public, and has been successfully applied in TMDL studies in other states. To ease the creation of load duration curves, an automated load duration curve creation tool called LDCurve has been created within a Microsoft Excel framework. Web services and a webscraper are used to retrieve U.S. Geological Survey streamflow data and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality water quality data. Data are imported to the spreadsheet, combined to create flow and load duration curves, and plotted. Final steps result in a preliminary estimate of the overall load reductions needed to meet water quality standards in the modeled segment. LDCurve is currently only applicable in the state of Texas, but may be updated to model water quality throughout the nation using analogous web services from the EPA STORET database. By using automated data retrievals and computations, the LDCurve tool reduces the amount of time required to create curves and calculate load reductions to a matter of minutes. LDCurve and all supporting materials are available online for free download at: http://tools.crwr.utexas.edu/LDCurve/.
American Naval History, 1607–1865: Overcoming the Colonial Legacy. By Jonathan R. Dull. (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2012. Pp. ix, 194. $27.95.)

This broad overview of the early period in American naval history provides not only a well‐written and succinct summation of recent scholarly literature but also a much‐needed new perspective on th...
QUANTUM VACUUM ENERGY IN TAUB - NUT (NEWMAN-UNTI-TAMBURINO) TYPE COSMOLOGIES

The effects of vacuum polarization on the mildest possible sort of cosmological singularity, the Taub-NUT (Newman-Unti-Tamburino)-type singularities, are studied. Unlike stronger sorts of singularities where physical quantities (e.g., curvature, energy density) diverge, in these universes the only barrier is a pathological topology. Quantum effects, known to be important in regions of large spacetime curvature, are found to also be important in these universes, where the curvature may be arbitrarily small or even zero. The vacuum expectation value of the stress-energy tensor for a conformal scalar field is calculated on a flat archetype of the Taub-NUT-type universes, the Misner universe (flat Kasner spacetime with ${S}^{1}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{R}^{3}$ topology). The vacuum stress energy diverges at the singularity and on its associated Cauchy horizons. This divergence, together with the "fixed" nature of the spacetime's topology, suggests that these boundaries will be replaced by curvature singularities in a better approximation to full quantum gravity.
Key Factors Affecting the Accuracy of Reidentification of Trucks over Long Distances Based on Axle Measurement Data

Vehicle reidentification methods can be used to anonymously match vehicles crossing two locations based on vehicle attribute data. This paper investigates key factors that affect the accuracy of vehicle reidentification algorithms. The analyses are performed with reidentification algorithms to match commercial vehicles that cross upstream and down-stream pairs of weigh-in-motion (WIM) sites that are separated by long distances, ranging from 70 to 214 mi. The data to support this research come from 17 fixed WIM sites in Oregon. Data from 14 pairs of WIM sites are used to evaluate how various factors affect matching accuracy; factors include the distance between two sites, travel time variability, truck volumes, and sensor accuracy or consistency of measurements. After the vehicle reidentification algorithm is run for each of these 14 pairs of sites, the matching error rates are reported. The results from the testing data sets show a large variation in terms of accuracy. Sensor accuracy and volumes have the...
Lipids and renal cystic disease

Summary of key findings Glucosylceramide (GlcCer) levels were found to be higherin kidney tissue of autosomal dominant PKD/conditionalknockout mice and nephronophthisis mice (jck and pcymice) than in normal kidney tissue. The same was foundin renal tissue of human polycystic kidney disease (PKD)as compared with normal kidney tissue. Similarly, inde-pendent of different genetic mutations and clinical hetero-geneity, common defects of most cystic epithelium includeproliferation, apoptosis and activation of growth-regulatingpathways. On this background, an inhibitor of GlcCer syn-thase (Genz-123346) was shown to inhibit cystogenesis inPKD1,jckandpcymice.Molecularanalysisinvitroandinvivo demonstrated that Genz-123346 inhibits two pathwaysthat are dysregulated in PKD, namely Akt protein kinase–mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling [1] andcell cycle machinery [2]. The authors suggest that inhibi-tors of GlcCer synthesis may represent a potential newtreatment for PKD. Review of the field
A new k-constraint strategy combined with post-Viterbi processing for perpendicular recording

Run-length limited (RLL) codes used in today's recording products limit runs of like non-return-to-zero (NRZ) bits to (k+1) intervals at a time. While this "k-constraint" facilitates timing recovery and is essential, at issue is the rate penalty associated with its application, which is costly in terms of loss of effective signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and user density. To avoid this rate penalty, Vasic has proposed a bit-flipping scheme, wherein bit errors are deliberately inserted whenever data contains a long string of like symbols, in lieu of conventional RLL coding. Attempts are then made to correct the errors due to bit flipping relying on the outer error correction code (ECC). Although this method causes no rate penalty, the error correction capability of the ECC is compromised, due to additional burden of handling the deliberate bit errors. In this work, an effective way to remedy this problem is proposed. Namely, the use of inner error detection code that is already available in any post-Viterbi error correction systems. The result is that the rate penalty of the k-constraint is completely eliminated while there is no visible loss of ECC capability at a given sector error rate (SER) target. Also, since the existing inner error detection code is utilized, there is very little extra cost required to implement this scheme. To demonstrate the viability of the proposed approach, the idea is applied to perpendicular recording using a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) code specifically designed for perpendicular recording.
Contrast echocardiography: what have we learned from the new guidelines?

A new consensus statement on the clinical applications of ultrasound contrast agents was published in November 2008 in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography. These guidelines provide the rationale for contrast use, and specifically highlight a number of clinical scenarios in which contrast should always be considered. These include the 1) assessment of left ventricular (LV) systolic function—especially when quantitative LV volumes and ejection fraction, or serial assessments are required, and during stress echocardiography; 2) evaluation of the LV apex; 3) evaluation of mechanical complications of myocardial infarction; 4) evaluation of suspected intracardiac mass; and 5) to enhance Doppler signals in the systemic circulation. Furthermore, detailed outlines on contrast administration, logistics, personnel requirements, and responsibilities are provided. Recent data published in the past 2 years to support these recommendations, and contrast agent safety data, are reviewed in this article.
Local heat transfer in a rotating two-pass ribbed triangular duct with two model orientations

Abstract The paper presents experimental heat transfer results in a two-pass triangular duct with ribbed walls. The ribs are placed orthogonal to the bulk flow direction. The rotation is perpendicular to the duct axis. The duct orientation is varied by turning it about its axis with respect to the rotational plane. A change in the duct orientation with respect to the rotating frame causes a change in the secondary flow vortex and turbulence distribution. Consequently, the heat transfer from the individual surfaces changes. The Nusselt number ratio profiles of the six surfaces of the two-pass rib-roughened triangular duct depend on the rotation number. However, heat transfer with ribbed surfaces show different characteristics in rotation number dependency from those with smooth rotating surfaces. Heat transfer from the rib roughened surfaces are modeled by a high-Reynolds number k—ɛ model and a wall function with sand-roughness. Predictions show different secondary flow vortex structures for two different model orientations.
Rejoinder to The Variety of an Assortment: An Extension to the Attribute-Based Approach

Variety Perceptions Redux We comment on the paper by van Herpen and Pieters (2002, hereafter HP) and relate it to our earlier paper in this journal (Hoch, Bradlow, and Wansink 1999, hereafter HBW). The basic premise of HP is that people can engage in either a product or attribute-based approach when making variety perceptions. When people adopt a product approach they compare the products in an assortment on a pairwise basis and perceived variety is a function of dissimilarity or psychological distance between the pairs. When following an attribute approach, people engage in a bottom-up process where they focus on the entropy of the individual attributes and pairwise covariation between attributes. Young and Wasserman (2001) have shown that both people and pigeons rely on entropy when making variability discrimination judgments. HP suggest that the distinction between product versus attribute approaches to variety perception is similar in spirit to brand versus attribute processing in multiattribute choice (Bettman et al. 1998). Although we appreciate this conceptual distinction, we show that the two approaches are very similar mathematically. After appropriately standardizing our pairwise distance measures to control for differences in assortment size, we find that due to high collinearity, it is not possible to distinguish one approach from the other both in our (HBW) data and the data of HP. Finally, even though entropy and lambda are generally informative summary statistics, a couple of features render them less appropriate in some situations than others.
Like and cross‐polarized scatter cross sections for two‐dimensional, multiscale rough surfaces based on a unified full wave variational technique

[1] A variational method is used to select the specific, smooth decomposition of the total surface height spectral density function into surface height spectral density functions for the larger- and smaller-scale surfaces. Using this decomposition, the total like and cross-polarized scatter cross sections are expressed as weighted sums of physical optics scatter cross sections associated with the larger-scale surfaces and the tilt-modulated scatter cross sections for the smaller-scale surfaces. This variational technique has been shown to be stationary over a wide range of the variational parameter. Since only the slopes of the larger-scale surfaces tilt modulate the cross sections of the smaller-scale surfaces, it is necessary to select surface height spectral density functions for the larger-scale surfaces that do not require the introduction of artificial spatial cutoff wave numbers for the spectral density functions. The methods used to smoothly decompose the surface height spectral density functions result in no artificial rapid fluctuations in the corresponding surface height autocorrelation functions for the smaller- and larger-scale surfaces. This method can be applied to the remote sensing of rough sea or land surfaces.
Project Design workshop for Museum Development

Personal comments on the workshop organised by ICCROM for the PREMA 1990-2000 PROGRAMME and held in Accra, Ghana, 19-30 May 1997
Further insight into the asymmetric vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction (VMAR); application to the synthesis of the C27–C45 segment of lagunamide A

Two iterative vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol reactions (VMAR) have been applied in order to selectively install three contiguous stereocenters at C37, C38 and C39, of the southern hemisphere of lagunamide A. The VMAR methodology allows straightforward access of enantiomerically pure material of the essential segment via seven steps, and in an overall yield of 34%. The synthesis has an orthogonal protecting group strategy, essential for upcoming synthesis for completion of lagunamide A. We also demonstrate that steric bulk of the chiral oxazolidinone pose certain challenges when employing stereochemically crowded α-substituted aldehydes in various VMAR's. A simple synthesis of the essential (2R,3S)-2-hydroxy-3-methylpentanoic acid fragment via Mitsunobu chemistry was also accomplished and incorporated into the C27–C45 fragment of lagunamide A.
Ion Transport in 2-NM Nanochannels

In this paper, we report ion transport in 2-nm-deep nanochannels. These nanochannels are formed by controlled dry etching in silicon wafer and following anodic bonding with pyrex substrate. Our results show that surface charge dominates ion transport in these channels at concentration up to 100 mM. Due to geometry confinement effect, these nanochannel take ultra long time to reach a steady state, 3 or 4 magnitude longer than bulk diffusion. Conductance data at different ionic concentrations are compared with simulation results from a one dimensional model that accounts for salt & pH-dependent surface charge. Difference between model and experimental data indicates that proton mobility at low concentration is one magnitude higher than bulk mobility while Na+ /K+ mobility doens’t change at this length scale.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Stochastic Seismic Inversion Using Both Fractal And Low-frequency Priors

Seismic impedance inversion with that uses a lowfrequency starting model typically yields a smoothed model that lacks high-frequency components. A stochastic inversion with a fractal-based starting model that honors the statistics of well log data can produce high-frequency estimates that are not constrained by seismic data. However, a fractal-based starting model assumes that the well-log data statistically satisfy fractal behavior. This assumption may be violated in real well log data. Correspondingly, synthetic realizations based on fractal priors may not match some ranges of the well log data. In this paper, we propose a stochastic inversion that uses a hybrid starting model that combines a low-frequency background trend with a highfrequency fractal model. The intent of the hybrid model is to allow low-frequency components to constrain the reconstruction the high-frequency components. When combined with a very fast simulated annealing method for optimization, this method is able to produce reliable impedance results that could be used reservoir characterization. The effectiveness is demonstrated on two field datasets for post-stack and pre-stack inversion.
Exploring the Impact of Avatar Color on Game Experience in Educational Games

The color red has been shown to hinder performance, motivation, and affect in a variety of contexts involving cognitively demanding tasks. Teams wearing red have been shown to impair the performance of opposing teams, present even in online gaming. Although color is strongly contextual (e.g., red-failure association), its effects are posited to be sub-conscious and operate powerfully even on nonhuman primates, e.g., Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) take food significantly less often from an experimenter wearing red. Here, we present one of the first studies on avatar color in a single-player game. We compared players using a red avatar to players using a blue avatar. Using the Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ), we find that players using a red avatar had a decrease in competence, immersion and flow. Our results are of consequence to how we design and choose colors in single-player contexts.
Design of Electric Trusted Cloud Terminal Based on Trusted Computing

To enhance the capacity of counteracting malicious attacks for electric cloud computing systems, and reduce security risks, this paper proposes a network security protection technology based on the trusted computing technology, which embeds the trusted computing chip into electric cloud terminals, uses the integrity measurement technology and the trust chain transmission technology from the trusted computing framework to ensure electric cloud terminals secure and trustable. The construction of the trusted electric private cloud makes trusted electric cloud terminals secure access, and improves the active defense ability of electric cloud systems in the case of malicious attacks.
RESEARCH ON HIGH PERMEABLE CEMENT OPERATION AND SAND CONTROL CAPABILITY

the performance and sand control capability of the high permeable cement has been conducted. Results have shown that the system has good effects in the operation and sand control. After drilling and reaming, we may pump the slurry into the expected open-hole productive zone where sand is probably produced in order to put up the initial sand control. For the oil well where sand has been produced, we may squeeze the slurry into high permeable sand after sand plug is cleaned out. It will form a high permeable artificial borehole after solidification in order to provide the sand control during later period. As a result, a new sand control technology is put forward. That is, the high permeable cement replaces some conventional completion methods such as open hole and gravel pack completion after drilling. This will be a technological innovation on open hole completion and a promising sand control technology.
Noninvasive techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of acute myocardial infarction.

The roles of M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiography, systolic time intervals, and apexcardiography in the evaluation of patients with acute myocardial infarction are discussed. Knowledge of the limitations and specific advantages of each modality contributes to their complementary and effective use.
Repeatability of ultrasound-predicted percentage of intramuscular fat in feedlot cattle.

We used data from 144 bulls, heifers, and steers to determine the repeatability of ultrasound-predicted percentage of intramuscular fat and to study the effect of repeated measurements on the standard error of prediction. Animals were scanned at an average age of 433 d by a certified technician. Individual bulls, heifers, and steers were scanned five to six times each with two Aloka 500-V machines, and the percentage of intramuscular fat was predicted from two regions of interest within an image. Variance components and repeatability values were computed for the overall data and by machine, region of interest, and sex. Animals were broadly divided into two groups based on mean ultrasound-predicted percentage of intramuscular fat. Variance components and repeatability values were then estimated within each group. The overall repeatability of ultrasound-predicted percentage of intramuscular fat was .63 +/- .03. Differences in the repeatability values between machines and between regions of interest were not different from zero (P > .05). Bulls showed a lower within-animal SD of .82% as compared to .97 and 1.02% for steers and heifers, respectively. However, steer ultrasound-predicted percentage of intramuscular fat measures were more repeatable (P .05). Animals with mean ultrasound-predicted percentage of intramuscular fat less than 4.79% showed less repeatable measures (P < .05) than those with means above 4.79%. The image variance contributed to nearly 70% of the total variance of observations within an animal. Standard error of animal mean measures showed a 50% reduction when the number of images per animal increased to four. Therefore, we concluded that increasing the number of images per animal plays a more significant role in reducing the standard error of prediction than taking multiple measurements within a single image.
Manipulating the Excited States of Cyclometalated Iridium Complexes with β-Ketoiminate and β-Diketiminate Ligands

A series of cyclometalated iridium complexes with β-ketoiminate and β-diketiminate ligands are described. Two different cyclometalating (C^N) ligands—2-phenylpridine (ppy) and 2-phenylbenzothiazole (bt)—are used in concert with three different ancillary (LX) ligands—a phenyl-substituted β-ketoiminate (acNacMe), a phenyl-substituted β-diketiminate (NacNacMe), and a fluorinated version of the β-diketiminate (NacNacCF3)—to furnish a suite of six complexes. The complexes are prepared by metathesis reactions of chloro-bridged dimers [Ir(C^N)2(μ-Cl)]2 with potassium or lithium salts of the ancillary LX ligand. Four of the complexes are characterized by X-ray crystallography, and all six were subjected to in-depth optical and electrochemical interrogation. Cyclic voltammetry shows both reduction and oxidation waves, with the latter strongly dependent on the identity of the LX ligand. The complexes are all luminescent, with the nature of the emissive excited state and the quantum yield (Φ) dependent on the identi...
Linear and Nonlinear Response of a Rectangular Plate Measured with Continuous-Scan Laser Doppler Vibrometry and 3D-Digital Image Correlation

Dynamic measurement of real structures, such as panels, can be difficult due to their low mass and complicated deformations under large amplitude loading conditions. These conditions bring to light shortcomings of traditional sensors such as accelerometers, strain gauges, displacement transducers, etc. A majority of these sensors require contact with the structure under test which tends to modify the dynamic response of these light structures. In contrast, a few recently developed techniques are capable of measuring the response over a wide measurement field without contacting the structure, which is ideal for these structures. Two techniques are considered here: continuous-scan laser Doppler vibrometry (CSLDV) and high speed three dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC). Both techniques can be used to return real-time deformation shapes under certain conditions; however, measurements will be obtained using post processing here. The linear and nonlinear deformations of a clamped flat plate under steady state sinusoidal loading will be measured using both techniques and compared with a finite element model to assess the relative merits of each measurement approach.
Gifted Ethnic Minority Students and Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis

We conducted a meta-analysis exploring ethnic minority students enrolled in gifted/advanced programs with an emphasis on their academic achievement outcomes. A comprehensive search based on the Transparent Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis checklist, was performed to retrieve articles within a 30-year time period (1983-2014), which resulted in 13 articles that were included in this meta-analysis. We analyzed the data using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis and presented the findings with descriptive information about gifted programs and statistical information, including effect size of each gifted program and overall effect size. Statistically significant positive overall intervention effect sizes were found; however, descriptive data revealed issues with the current state of research on gifted ethnic minority students.
Abstract A40: Genetic ablation of Smoothened in tumor-associated fibroblasts promotes pancreatic tumorigenesis

Purpose of Study: Pancreatic cancer is an overwhelming fatal disease with less than 5% of patients surviving beyond 5 years. The most prominent histopathological hallmark of pancreatic cancer is its uniquely dense stromal reaction as evidenced by recent reports that highlight the significant role of stromal fibroblasts on pancreatic tumor cell biology. We used novel mouse models to show that genetic inactivation of Smoothened (Smo) in stromal fibroblasts accelerated Kras-initiated tumorigenesis. Research Method: We used a genetically engineered mouse model of pancreatic cancer that relies on constitutive activation of the Kras oncogene in the epithelium. We simultaneously employed cre-loxP technology to conditionally delete Smo exclusively in the fibroblast compartment of the pancreas, thus disrupting the crucial hedgehog paracrine signaling loop between pancreatic tumor cells and fibroblasts. Novel Findings: We showed that deletion of Smo in stromal fibroblasts accelerated pancreatic tumorigenesis through a mechanism involving destabilization of fibroblast PTEN protein. Down-regulation of PTEN enhanced TGF-α production in stromal fibroblasts, and increased epithelial cell transformation and proliferation through epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR). A selective SMO inhibitor also decreased PTEN in a Kras mouse model as well as in human primary pancreatic cancer associated fibroblasts. Importantly, in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patient samples, low PTEN expression correlated with low SMO expression and with reduced overall survival. These results define a pathway that reprograms stromal fibroblasts from a tumor suppressive phenotype to a tumor promoting phenotype, thus highlighting the dual functions of stromal fibroblasts in pancreatic cancer and the molecular consequences of loss of the hedgehog pathway. Thus, a more comprehensive understanding of tumor-stroma interactions is required to assure effective implementation of targeted therapies. Conclusions and Implications: Recent pre-clinical reports suggest the pancreatic tumor microenvironment functions predominantly to inhibit tumor growth, challenging the concept of tumor stroma as a therapeutic target. Our results provide molecular insight into how the balance between the opposing activities of tumor stromal fibroblasts is maintained, and potentially identifies targets for restoring stromal tumor suppressive functions. In summary, we demonstrate that ablation of paracrine hedgehog signaling in SMA-positive fibroblasts leads to proteasome-mediated degradation of the PTEN tumor suppressor protein and subsequent activation of oncogenic pathways. Citation Format: Jason R. Pitarresi, Michael C. Ostrowski. Genetic ablation of Smoothened in tumor-associated fibroblasts promotes pancreatic tumorigenesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Function of Tumor Microenvironment in Cancer Progression; 2016 Jan 7–10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(15 Suppl):Abstract nr A40.
Effect of long- and short-range order on SiGe alloy thermal conductivity: Molecular dynamics simulation

We report the role of long- and short-range order on the thermal conductivity and mode relaxation times of a model ${\mathrm{Si}}_{0.5}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{0.5}$ alloy using molecular dynamics simulation. All interactions used the Stillinger-Weber potential and the Si and Ge atoms differed only by their mass. The simulated alloys were generated using a Monte Carlo approach to decouple the short-range order from the long-range order. The thermal conductivity is almost entirely determined by the alloy's nearest-neighbor short-range order. Changes to the mode relaxation times between $\ensuremath{\sim}3$ and $\ensuremath{\sim}6\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{THz}$ upon short-range ordering, and the observed ${f}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ power law trend, suggest that short-range ordering reduces the anharmonic scattering rate of low frequency modes. The trend of thermal conductivity with short-range order may be transferred to real ${\mathrm{Si}}_{0.5}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{0.5}$ and other semiconductor alloys to the extent that scattering from mass disorder dominates their thermal conductivities.
Pharmacological Management of Anxiety Disorders in the Elderly

Anxiety disorders are common in the elderly. Additionally, anxiety symptoms often accompany co-morbid psychiatric, medical, as well as neurodegenerative diseases in the older population. Anxiety in the elderly, often accompanied by depression, can lead to worsening physical, cognitive and functional impairments in this vulnerable population. Antidepressants are considered first line treatment. Both SSRIs and SNRIs are efficacious and well-tolerated in the elderly. Some SSRIs are strong inhibitors of the cytochrome P450 hepatic pathway whereas others have less potential for drug interaction. Those antidepressants with more favorable pharmacokinetic profiles should be considered first-line in the treatment of anxiety. Mirtazapine and vortioxetine are also considered safe treatment options. Buspirone may have benefit, but lacks studies in elderly populations. Although tricyclic/tetracyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) may be effective in the elderly, their side effect and safety profiles are suboptimal and thus are not recommended in late-life. Benzodiazepines and beta blockers should generally be avoided when treating anxiety in the elderly. There is not enough evidence to support the use of antipsychotics or mood stabilizers given their risk of problems in both the long and short term. In addition, antipsychotics have a black box warning for increased mortality in elderly patients with dementia.
Signing to living PRME: Learning from a journey towards responsible management education

Abstract When colleges commit to responsible management education (RME), they begin a journey of integrating a potentially transformative pedagogy into an established academic culture. This process can be challenging as academic institutions are notoriously difficult to change, particularly when it comes to faculty-led processes such as pedagogy. In this paper, we explore an eight-year period in which one academic institution, Babson College, transitions from signing the PRME to integrating RME into the college's operations and pedagogy. This case study analysis shows that the same factors that facilitated widespread, early adoption of RME have also hindered the college from fully achieving its desired impact on student learning and the broader community. This case contributes to the growing body of research on RME by providing a longitudinal perspective that highlights the complexity of aligning an academic institution with this transformative pedagogy.
Sleep Problems in Alzheimer’s Disease

The purpose of this review is to describe the current understanding of the relationship between sleep and Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers with both subjective and objective sleep measurements have been used to demonstrate the relationship between sleep and Alzheimer’s disease, especially those who are cognitively normal or in the mild cognitive impairment stage. This complex relationship is likely bidirectional and includes many systems involved in the sleep-wake cycle. Sleep disturbances can affect the underlying Alzheimer’s disease process and should be addressed across the cognitive spectrum.
Intraoperative Radiation Therapy for Locally Advanced or Locally Recurrent Rectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality across the world. Although surgery alone is very effective for patients with early stage disease, patients with more advanced disease required a combined modality approach. Standard doses of radiation therapy are usually ineffective in controlling localized disease that cannot be widely resected. Radiation dose escalation with intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) has been investigated for many years as a component of a trimodality strategy in patients at high risk for local recurrence. This paper reviews the evidence supporting inclusion of IORT in addition to external beam radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy in patients with very locally advanced primary rectal cancer and patients with locally advanced recurrent rectal cancer.
A Comparative Study of GARCH and EVT Model in Modeling Value-at-Risk

The paper addresses an inefficiency of the traditional approach in modeling the tail risk, particularly the 1-day ahead forecast of Value-at-Risk (VaR), using Extreme Value Theory (EVT) and GARCH model. Specifically, I apply both models onto major countries stock markets daily loss, including U.S., U.K., China and Hong Kong between 2006 and 2015, and compare the relative forecasting performance. The paper differs from other studies in two important ways. First, it incorporates an asymmetric shock of volatility in the financial time series. Second, it applies a skewed fat-tailed return distribution using the Generalized Error Distribution (GED). The back-testing result shows that, on one hand, the conditional EVT performs equally well relative to GARCH model under the Generalized Error Distribution. On the other hand, the Exponential GARCH based model is the best performing one in Value-at-Risk forecasting, because it not only correctly identifies the future extreme loss, but more importantly, its occurrence is independent.
Influence of recreational activity on water quality perceptions and concerns in Utah: A replicated analysis

Abstract Both social structural factors and direct sensory experiences can contribute to the development of environmental perceptions and concerns. We use two separate surveys of Utah adults to explore the association between sociodemographic characteristics and participation in recreational activities on water quality perceptions and concerns. We find that engaging in outdoor recreation is systematically associated with more positive water quality perceptions and higher levels of concern about impaired water quality. However, water quality perceptions appear to be shaped more by social characteristics (age, education, gender, race, religion, and income) and by generic measures of overall recreation behavior than by indicators of participation in particular forms of outdoor recreational activity. There is modest evidence that hikers, birdwatchers, and anglers are generally more likely to express concerns about impaired water quality, while boaters have more positive perceptions and lower levels of concern. Management implications • The baseline results of this study can be used by water managers in Utah to track shifts in public attitudes toward water quality as the state grapples with rapid climatic and demographic changes in the coming years. • Certain types of water recreation (e.g. hiking and birdwatching) are consistently predictive of greater concern about poor water quality. More frequent participation in these types of recreation may lead to increased receptivity to public policies aimed at addressing water quality problems. • Some demographic groups in our sample are more likely to engage in outdoor recreation, which may have important implications for public engagement.
Fundamental Concepts in Max Weber’s Sociology of Religion

Of major importance for scholarship on Max Weber has been the critical edition of Max Weber’s writings, letters, and speeches, the Max Weber Gesamtausgabe (MWGA). Available only in German, it has b...
Maternal Reactions to the Birth of a Defective Baby

Study findings suggest that mothers may need an early period of separation from the baby to resolve feelings of loss and mourning
Cortical control of walking with and without powered exoskeleton assistance: An EEG pilot study

Brain activity and cortico-muscular connectivity vary during walking in correlation with different phases of the walking cycle; a mechanism that may be disrupted in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI). This exploratory study aims to detect brain signals during walking and determine the effect of exoskeleton-walking robot (EWR) assistance on brain activity using mobile brain imaging techniques (scalp EEG). Acquiring such knowledge in SCI is critical to the development of effective rehabilitation interventions aimed at maximizing gait function recovery. EEG data were collected from 1 able-bodied (AB) and 1 iSCI participant during walking and with and without EWR assistance (using both “Max Assist” and “Free Limb” settings). Results showed our ability to record EEG data and to measure cortico-muscular coherence correlating with walking task and to identify differences in cortical connectivity during different types of EWR assistance.
MAP: An Abstraction-Based Metaphor Analysis Program for Overcoming Cross-Modal Challenges

Much of the research on computational metaphor interpretation is based on metaphors that are prevalent in the language being processed. Moreover, the more detailed work in this area tends to focus primarily on specific domains of discourse. Such approaches, while of interest and value, are not adequate to handle novel metaphoric expressions that occur in a context unrestricted by domain, such as an ordinary conversation or a digression from a domain-specific context. This chapter describes MAP (Metaphor Analysis Program), a computer program that processes both novel and conventional cross-modal metaphor without restriction to a particular domain of discourse. MAP relies on the kind of semantic analysis that models what humans are hypothesized to do when they extend a literal meaning to a metaphoric one, especially when there is no clear indication of a discursive context. To do so, the model depends on an analysis of a metaphorically used word in its literal sense and the role of this sense in structuring the topic of the metaphor. Problems of multiple metaphoric interpretations and the uncertainty of constraints on metaphoric coherence are addressed by a number of vivid illustrations.
Alcohol-Induced Liver Injury

Alcoholism is a major health problem, and one of its primary manifestations is alcoholic liver disease. The mechanisms responsible for the various forms of alcoholic liver disease— fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis—are at present poorly understood. Knowledge of these mechanisms is needed to provide a sound framework for the therapy and prevention of liver disease due to alcohol and for the identification of those individuals most susceptible to develop liver disease from alcohol abuse.