cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Family Structure: Its Effects on Adolescent Attachment and Identity Formation

This quantitative study examines the association between family structure, attachment, and identity formation. Results partially support the hypotheses and indicate that unresolved spouse conflict is associated with low levels of attachment in adolescents and attachment to father is linked to identity achieved and the diffused identity status. Lastly, parental coalition was inversely related to the moratorium and diffused identity statuses. These findings support a link between parent/adolescent relationships and the identity formation process. Directions for future research and clinical implications are also discussed.
A novel microneedle-based non- enzymatic glucose sensor for painless diabetes testing application

In this work, we report the design, fabrication and in-vitro testing of a novel microneedle-based high sensitivity non-enzymatic glucose sensor for diabetes testing application. It consists of 15 by 15 sharp silicon microneedle array (> 300 µm tall) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) forest electrodes coated with platinum nanoparticle. The Pt nanoparticle coated MWCNT electrodes significantly increase the surface area and in turn enhance the sensitivity. Since microneedle is integrated with nanoparticle surface enhanced electrode-based non-enzymatic glucose sensor, this device has a potential to be used for painless diabetes testing for diabetes mellitus patients.
On the Numerical Treatment of Hydrometeor Sedimentation in Bulk and Hybrid Bulk-Bin Microphysics Schemes

Hybrid bulk‐bin microphysics schemes discretize particle size distributions into bins for calculating microphysical process rates, while retaining a limited number of bulk prognostic quantities and assuming an underlying analytic functional form for the particle size distributions as in traditional bulk microphysics schemes. In this paper, the treatment of sedimentation in two-moment bulk and hybrid schemes is compared using different numerical methods. Using the first-order upwind method for calculating sedimentation in conjunction with a widely used, two-step, time-splitting approach that updates model fields after transport by air motion followed by calculation of sedimentation, it is shown analytically that despite using a spectrum of fall speeds corresponding to different particle sizes, hybrid schemes converge with increasing bin resolution toward bulk schemes that utilize only characteristic moment-weighted particle fall speeds. While not strictly convergent, it is also shown that solutions using bulk and hybrid schemesare often similar for other numerical methods and approaches. Noticeable improvement using the hybrid scheme occurs in a few circumstances: when the Courant number associated with falling precipitation is large (..1), requiring substepping, semiimplicit, or Lagrangian-type methods for numerical stability; or when a one-step approach is employed that calculates hydrometeor transport in a single step using a velocity that combines both vertical air motion and particle fall speed. Thus, it is concluded that the use of hybrid rather than bulk schemes is justified for some, but not all, applications, and care should be taken to determine the appropriateness of hybrid schemes for specific applications.
Functional muscarinic supersensitivity in denervated rat hippocampus

The effects of carbachol (CCh), a cholinergic agonist, were compared in voltage-clamped hippocampal pyramidal neurons in vitro, obtained from normal and fimbria-fornix-lesioned rats. A substantial increase in sensitivity to the effects of CCh was seen in denervated neurons. The supersensitivity was demonstrated on both the inward leak current and the calcium-dependent potassium current, IAHP. These findings provide convincing evidence for cholinergic denervation supersensitivity in the hippocampus.
Reassessing the Intelligence Failure at Pearl Harbor

Prepared for delivery at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, September 2011
Surfing a Web of Trust: Reputation and Reciprocity on CouchSurfing.com

Reputation mechanisms are essential for online transactions, where the parties have little prior experience with one another. This is especially true when transactions result in offline interactions. There are few situations requiring more trust than letting a stranger sleep in your home, or conversely, staying on someone else’s couch. Couchsurfing.com allows individuals to do just this. The global CouchSurfing network displays a high degree of reciprocal interaction and a large strongly connected component of individuals surfing the globe. This high degree of interaction and reciprocity among participants is enabled by a reputation system that allows individuals to vouch for one another. We find that the strength of a friendship tie is most predictive of whether an individual will vouch for another. However, vouches based on weak ties outnumber those between close friends. We discuss these and other factors that could inform a more robust reputation system.
Do Public Subsidies Sell Green Cars? Evidence from the U.S. "Cash for Clunkers" Program

One question surrounding the 2009 U.S. “Cash for Clunkers” program is whether it induced consumers to purchase greener vehicles than they would otherwise have purchased. This paper views the program as a natural experiment, which offered higher rebates to consumers buying more fuel-efficient vehicles, and shows that awarding an extra $1,000 on a vehicle made 7.2% of consumers switch to it. Hence the program, giving away nearly $3 billion, should have drawn many consumers to the subsidized greener vehicles, producing substantial environmental gains. This finding should interest policymakers evaluating similar programs to stimulate the economy while aiding the environment.
Buspirone impairs performance of a three-choice working memory water escape task in rats.

Abstract Two studies were conducted to assess the effects of buspirone and alprazolam on a three-choice working memory water escape task. Both studies involved giving rats three daily trials, each trial consisting of an information run during which guillotine doors forced the rats to swim into the correct escape alley and a test run during which the rats could enter any of the three alleys but escape only on entering the same alley to which they had been forced on the information run. In the first experiment, rats were trained to a 70% correct choice criterion with 5-min interrun intervals and then tested for performance with 5, 20, 20 with distraction and 60-min interrun intervals. In the second experiment, rats in each of the drug groups were tested after receiving one of three different doses of their respective drug. Results suggest that 1.0, 3.0, and 10.0 mg/kg buspirone but not 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/kg alprazolam impaired performance of rats on a three-choice working memory water escape task.
mTFE3, an X-linked transcriptional activator containing basic helix-loop-helix and zipper domains, utilizes the zipper to stabilize both DNA binding and multimerization.

Abstract Southwestern (DNA-protein) screening of a murine L-cell cDNA library by using a probe for the microE3 site in the immunoglobulin heavy-chain enhancer yielded a clone, mTFE3, which is a member of the subset of basic helix-loop-helix (BHLH) proteins that also contain a leucine zipper (ZIP). Since the individual contribution of these domains is not well understood for proteins which contain them both, mutational analyses were performed to assess the functional roles of the HLH and ZIP regions for DNA binding and multimerization. The HLH region is stringently required for DNA binding but not for multimerization. The ZIP region is not stringently required for binding or multimerization, but stabilizes both multimer formation and DNA binding. A high degree of conservation at both the amino acid and nucleotide levels between the human transcription factor TFE3 and mTFE3 suggests that mTFE3 is the murine homolog of human TFE3. By using fluorescent in situ hybridization, mTFE3 was mapped to mouse chromosome X in band A2, which is just below the centromere. We show that in addition to the immunoglobulin heavy-chain microE3 site, mTFE3 binds to transcriptional elements important for lymphoid-specific, muscle-specific, and ubiquitously expressed genes. Binding of mTFE3 to DNA induces DNA bending.
Two-Stage Stochastic Programming Problems

In this chapter we consider stochastic programming problems where decisions are made in two stages and the observation of a (vector valued) random variable takes place in between. Such problems are called two-stage stochastic programming problems or stochastic programming with recourse. The most important among these problems is the one formulated by Dantzig and Madansky (1961). Almost the entire chapter will be devoted to it. Let x and ydesignate the first and second stage decision vectors, respectively, and let ξ be the random vector to be observed. Then the decision-observation scheme is decision on x observation of ξ. decision on y.
Spall Strength of AS800 Silicon Nitride Under Combined Compression and Shear Impact Loading

Plane shock wave experiments inducing compression and simultaneous compression and shear were performed on an AS800 grade silicon nitride ceramic, to measure dependence of its dynamic tensile, or spall, strength on shock induced compressive and shear stresses. The experiments were conducted using the 82.5 mm single-stage gas gun facility at Case. A multi-beam VALYN VISARTM was used to obtain the free surface velocity time profiles. The nature of the failure front and the observed variation in the measured spall strength of silicon nitride are discussed.
Too many enemies: Mobilization, marginalization, and political violence

ABSTRACTOver the past decades, a pattern has emerged across the Islamic world of secular actors struggling to build sustainable social movements while Islamists show a higher success rate in doing so—a dynamic often accompanied by high levels of violence and little space for dialogue between actors from across the political spectrum. In this article, we illustrate the utility of social movement theory (SMT) in explaining the ability of some movements to mobilize en masse, while others become marginalized. Furthermore, we suggest that SMT is useful in understanding the processes that produce socio-political dynamics conducive to violent rather than non-violent tactics. Through a case study of Bangladesh, where in 2013 the secular Shahbag mobilization was derailed by a massive Islamist counter-mobilization, this article shows how movements not only capitalize on, but actually contribute to, shifts in cultural discourse through political maneuvering and long-term socialization. By anchoring their ideology in...
Surface reconstruction by a "grafting through" approach: polyacrylamide grafted onto chitosan film.

Grafted polymers and polymer brushes in particular have attracted significant attention in the last 2 decades as a way to alter and control interfacial properties. In the case of polymer brushes on solid substrates, a high grafting density of polymer chains results in stretching of the polymer coils normal to the substrate surface due to the effect of excluded volume. In this study, polyacrylamide is grafted to the surface of relatively soft thin films of chitosan. The “grafting through” approach is used by introducing double C═C bonds to amino groups of chitosan. The acquired kinetic data of grafting along with AFM and ellipsometry characterization suggest that the chitosan substrate undergoes surface reconstruction during the grafting of PAAm and simultaneously induces PAAm growth inside the soft substrate. As a result, much higher amounts of grafted polymer are achieved in comparison to traditional hard substrates like silicon or glass. Additionally, selective plasma etching of PAAm reveals filament-li...
Effects of age, reproductive activity, sex, and prior exposure on sensitivity to cucurbitacins in southern corn rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Cucurbitacins, toxic to most organisms, are arrestants and phagostimulants for diabroticite chrysomelid beetles. Little is known about variation in the response of diabroticites to cucurbitacins. To quantify the effects of age, sex, reproductive status, and prior exposure to cucurbitacins on the sensitivity to cucurbitacin B of the southern corn rootworm, Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber, beetles were separated by sex and grouped for treatment with diets including or excluding cucurbitacins. Sensitivity to cucurbitacins was assayed over the first 43 d of adulthood by exposing beetles in groups of five for 24 h to filter paper strips spotted with serial methanol dilutions of cucurbitacin B ranging from 800 to 0.1 ng/ml. The areas consumed by the beetles at each dilution were then measured, and dose-response curves for each treatment were drawn. Treatments were compared in terms of the area under the mean dose response curve (AUC). Sex, age, reproductive activity, and prior exposure to cucurbitacins all significantly affected beetle sensitivity, though prior exposure was the most consistent in its effect. Exposure to cucurbitacins for as little as 6 d permanently reduced sensitivity, whereas beetles without prior exposure remained sensitive to our assay throughout the study. Reproductive activity depressed sensitivity in males but increased sensitivity in females. These results are discussed in terms of their relevance to semiochemical diabroticite baits and also to the proposed role of cucurbitacins in protecting these beetles from predators, parasites, or pathogens.
Engineering Standards as Collaborative Projects: Asbestos in the Table of Clearances

The Table of Clearances to Combustible Construction, an American national engineering standard for the insulation of boilers and other heating devices, was established in 1943 as a collaborative project of the insurance industry, fire protection organizations,and the federal government. This standard, published as NFPA 89M, was to have exceptionally enduring economic, legal, and medical implications. NPFA 89M, incorporated into hundreds of building codes at all levels of government between 1943 and 1991,approved as code compliant only nine insulation assemblies, of which eight contained asbestos. The ninth could be used on boilers and furnaces but not on hot pipes. Thus, all insulations for hot pipes were, in almost every jurisdiction in the United States before 1991, required by law to contain asbestos. Despite the ubiquity of asbestos in building codes before 1991, all U.S. manufacturers of heating equipment, and most contractors and suppliers in the marketplace during the NFPA 89M period, are now being sued for billions of dollars because of their use and/or sale of asbestos in insulation, gaskets, and seals. This essay addresses the collaborative process by which the Table of Clearances to Combustible Construction became a national standard and its current relevance to asbestos litigation.
Conceptual and practical advances in the measurement and clinical management of lead toxicity.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss issues which relate to the risks and benefits of pharmacologic intervention in children with elevated blood lead (BPb) concentrations. In january, 7997, 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA; succimer or CHEMET) was approved by the FDA for administration to children with blood lead concentrations of 45 μg/dl or higher. Thus, it is now considerably simpler to treat children with elevated BPb's. DMSA is orally actively, relatively safe and specific, and can, in some situations, be used on an out-patient basis
Formal Methods and Algorithms for Parallel Real-Time Computing

Parallel computers are becoming increasingly popular as vehicles for speeding up the execution of programs, enabling more real-time processes to execute and to meet deadlines than would be possible otherwise. Formal methods are useful for exploiting parallelism in real-time systems and some techniques used to develop parallel algorithms are useful for developing predictable real-time systems.
297. The Influence of ELABELA AAV Gene Therapy on Cardiorenal Function in Rat Models of Salt-Induced Hypertension and Myocardial Infarction

Elabela (ELA) is a recently identified apelin receptor agonist essential for cardiac development, but its biology and therapeutic potential are unclear. The apelin receptor when bound to its original ligand, apelin, exerts peripheral vasodilatory and positive inotropic effects. We initially assessed endogenous ELA expression in normal and diseased rats. ELA was predominantly expressed in kidneys, especially in renal collecting duct cells and was not affected by disease. We then characterized the effects of long-term, adeno-associated virus (AAV)-ELA gene delivery on cardiorenal function in Dahl salt-sensitive rats (DS) on a high-salt diet. We overexpressed codon optimized rat ELA in the heart via AAV9 vector by a single intravenous injection. This led to a delayed onset of blood pressure (BP) elevation, and ELA-treated rats had lower BP than controls starting at 5 weeks post-injection (p.i.). As well, ELA significantly reduced fractional sodium and chloride excretion in treated (4 days p.i.), normotensive DS rats on low-salt diet, suggesting ELA's role in sodium and chloride readsorption. Glomerular architecture was better preserved in rats treated with the AAV9-ELA vector. A decrease in renal fibrosis and the significantly suppressed expression of fibrosis associated genes, including transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), collagen, type 1, alpha 1 (COL1A1) and fibronectin 1 (FN1), was also seen in the treated group. Since ELA is essential for cardiac development, we additionally assessed the impact of the AAV9-ELA vector on cardiac repair in a rat myocardial infarction (MI) model. When compared with control MI rats, ELA treatment did not significantly improve cardiac function or structure. Thus, long-term ELA gene delivery may offer a potential therapy for hypertension and renal remodeling, but its application for MI may be limited.
Cholinergic Protection in Ischemic Brain Injury

The cholinergic system is essential for maintenance of cognitive, autonomic, and immune homeostasis in mammals. Existing preclinical studies suggest that endogenous cholinergic tone elevated by ischemic or traumatic brain injury may serve as a combination autotherapy aiming at multiple distinct cellular and molecular pathways with converging neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory efficacies. These hardwired endogenous protective mechanisms can be augmented by cholinergic treatments including nicotinic receptor agonists, positive allosteric modulation, and vagus nerve stimulation. The α7 subtype of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) is uniquely positioned as a promising therapeutic target in stroke and traumatic brain injury because of the neuroprotective anti-inflammatory efficacy of α7 nAChR activation and the ubiquitous expression of α7 nAChRs in mammalian neuronal, glial, and immune tissues. This article further explores the therapeutic promise of endogenous α7-dependent neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory injury-induced autotherapy which may act as an important physiological function of these ubiquitous receptors and may hold significant translational potential.
Reoxidation of Chromium(III) Products Formed under Different Biogeochemical Regimes

Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), is a widespread and toxic groundwater contaminant. Reductive immobilization to Cr(III) is a treatment option, but its success depends on the long-term potential for reduced chromium precipitates to remain immobilized under oxidizing conditions. In this unique long-term study, aquifer sediments subjected to reductive Cr(VI) immobilization under different biogeochemical regimes were tested for their susceptibility to reoxidation. After reductive treatment for 1 year, sediments were exposed to oxygenated conditions for another 2 years in flow-through, laboratory columns. Under oxidizing conditions, immobilized chromium reduced under predominantly denitrifying conditions was mobilized at low concentrations (≪1 μM Cr(VI); ∼ 3% of Cr(III) deposited) that declined over time. A conceptual model of a limited pool of more soluble Cr(III), and a larger pool of relatively insoluble Cr(III), is proposed. In contrast, almost no chromium was mobilized from columns reduced under predominantly...
4-Substituted and 1,4-Disubstituted Piperidines

This chapter describes methods of synthesis, pharmacological properties and the use of derivatives of 4-substituted and 1,4-disubstituted piperidines such as 4-piperidinols and their derivatives, which include periciazine, diphenylpyraline, ebastine, bepotastine, lamifiban, eucatropine , propiverine , pentapiperide ; 4-phenylpiperidin-4-ols and their derivatives, such as haloperidol, bromperidol, moperone , trifluperidol, penfluridol, loperamide, prodine, allylprodine, trimeperidine; derivatives of 4-phenylpiperidine-4-carboxylic acids which include pethidine, phenoperidine, benzethidine, etoxeridine, furethidine, piminodine, morpheridine, diphenoxylate, levocabastine; derivatives of (4-phenylpiperidin-4-yl)ketones – ketobemidone, ketanserin; derivatives of 4-phenylpiperidine-4-carboxamide, such as metopimazine, pipamazine, derivatives of piperidin-4-amines include indoramin, clebopride, initapride, prucalopride, lomitapide, cisapride, astemizole; Derivatives of 4-anylinopiperidines such as fentanyl mefentanyl, phenaridine, ohmefentanyl, ocfentanil, brifentanil, mirfentanil, carfentanil, lofentanil, thiophentanil, remifentanil, sufentanyl, alfentanyl, trefentanil, lorcainide; derivatives of 4-( N , N -disubstituted)-piperidines – bamipine, thenalidine, mizolastine, sabeluzole, lubeluzole; derivatives of 4-(dialkylamino)piperidine-4-carboxamide such as pipamperone, piritramide, carpipramine, clocapramine, and alvimopan.
How Means-Tested Transfer Programs Respond to Household Earned-Income Increases: Policy and Practice

We use data from the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation to estimate how four means-tested transfer programs respond to household earned-income increases. In general, the programs respo...
Case Study E: Multidisciplinary Management of Merkel Cell Carcinoma

A 79-year-old white male with a history of multiple squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas presented to his dermatologist for routine follow-up. Upon examination, a 3×3 mm erythematous dome-shaped papule was noted on the left cheek, approximately 1.0 cm from the left lower eyelid. No palpable lymphadenopathy was found in the head and neck. Biopsy of the lesion revealed Merkel cell carcinoma that stained positive for AE1/AE3 and negative for CK20, TTF1, S100, HMB45, CD45RB, and melan-A. A chest radiograph showed no sign of lung malignancy. The patient was subsequently referred to the author (JSB) for treatment and presented at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center Multidisciplinary Cutaneous Oncology Tumor Board. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and Mohs micrographic surgery were recommended by the group. Mohs micrographic surgery was recommended due to the proximity of the tumor to the eyelid and the morbidity that would result from performing a 1–2 cm wide local excision around the tumor. Mohs micrographic surgery was performed in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia. One stage of Mohs surgery was required to obtain clear margins, resulting in an 8×10 mm surgical defect. The surgery did not interfere with the integrity of the eyelid. The resultant surgical defect was not repaired immediately and the patient subsequently underwent SLNB followed by linear repair of the surgical defect. The SLNB was performed successfully and yielded one node negative for malignancy (the node stained negative for AE1/AE3). The patient was discussed once more at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center Multidisciplinary Cutaneous Oncology Tumor Board. The clinical size of the tumor was <2 cm (T1), the SLNB did not show any tumor (N0), and there was no sign of distant metastasis (M0). Based on AJCC staging criteria, the patient was staged as IA. The tumor board recommended that the patient see a radiation oncologist familiar with the treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma to discuss the advantages and side effects of adjuvant radiation therapy. After consultation the patient decided to undergo radiation therapy to the primary site. He received 50 Gy in 25 fractions of 2 Gy each to the left upper cheek and periorbital region. Though the patient developed erythema in the irradiated region through the entire treatment volume, he did not experience any erythema on the conjunctivae or eyelids, and the treatment was generally well-tolerated. The patient is now being seen every 3 months by his general dermatologist. He has been instructed to palpate the surgery site and examine his head and neck for lymphadenopathy every month. Two years following diagnosis he is free of disease.
Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia as a Serious Complication of Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension.

BACKGROUND Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a devastating early onset dementia. Symptoms of bvFTD may be caused by spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH), a treatable disorder, but no comprehensive study of such patients has been reported. OBJECTIVE To describe detailed characteristics of a large cohort of patients with SIH and symptoms of bvFTD. METHODS We identified patients with SIH who met clinical criteria for bvFTD. Patients were compared to a cohort of SIH patients without bvFTD. RESULTS The mean age for the 21 men and 8 women was 52.9 yr (range, 37-65 yr). All 29 patients with bvFTD symptoms had hypersomnolence. Magnetic resonance imaging showed brain sagging in all patients, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) opening pressure low in about half of patients, but a spinal CSF leak could not be detected in any patient. All patients underwent epidural blood patching, but 26 patients eventually underwent 1 or more surgical procedures. Overall, a good outcome was obtained in 21 patients (72%); 20 (91%) of 22 patients who had not undergone prior Chiari surgery compared to 1 (14%) of 7 patients who did undergo Chiari surgery (P < .003). Compared to SIH patients without symptoms of bvFTD (n = 547), those with bvFTD symptoms were older, more often male, less often demonstrated CSF leak on spinal imaging, and more often underwent surgery (P < .02). CONCLUSION bvFTD in SIH is rare and associated with brain sagging and hypersomnolence. Spinal CSF leaks are rarely detected. bvFTD symptoms are often refractory to the usual percutaneous procedures but most patients can be cured.
Author Correction: A re-examination of the projected subtropical precipitation decline

In the legend for the light blue bars in Fig. 4 of this Letter, there is an erroneous ∂ before the q; that is, it is written as − but should be − .
Inositol kinase Itpkb is a novel therapeutic target for chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD)

Chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) is a common and life-threatening complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. cGVHD is mediated by donor T cells recognizing and attacking host tissues followed by activation of effector cells such as B cells to product pathogenic autoantibodies and macrophages to mediate fibrotic responses. Safer and more effective therapies are needed for cGVHD treatment. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase B (Itpkb) is a Ca 2+ dependent kinase downstream of lymphocyte receptor signaling that regulates T and B cell homeostasis and function by controlling the intracellular Ca 2+ level, thus regulating apoptotic responses. Genetic deletion of Itpkb results in apoptosis. GNF362, a LMW Itpkb inhibitor blocks T cell driven autoimmunity. In this study, we explore the role of Itpkb in cGVHD pathogenesis and hypothesize that cGVHD can be prevented by disrupting the Itpkb signaling pathway. We test the hypothesis in two preclinical cGVHD models with distinct clinical manifestations and pathophysiology, including a multi-organ system cGVHD mouse model that is characterized by bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) driven by spontaneous germinal center reactions and antibody deposition, and a scleroderma model that is characterized by macrophage infiltration and skin fibrosis. This study demonstrates that depleting Itpkb in donor T cells, but not in donor bone marrow blocked cGVHD lung disease and germinal center reaction in the BO model. In addition, pharmaceutical inhibition of Itpkb with GNF362 significantly reduced cGVHD manifestations in both models. These data identify Itpkb as an essential mediator of cGVHD pathogenesis and suggest Itpkb inhibition as a novel approach to treat cGVHD.
A systematic review of substance use and substance use disorders in patients with cancer.

Abstract Objective Few studies examined substance use in cancer patients. The aims of this systematic review were to summarize this evidence, identify methodological limitations, and provide future research directions. Method Articles on substance use in cancer (focused on illicit substance, opioid, and alcohol use) were searched in Medline, PsycINFO, and PsycARTICLES. Results On the basis of inclusion criteria, 28 studies were reviewed. Twenty-one contained empiric data from 500,123 participants; seven were review or conceptual papers. All studies were published between 1995 and 2018. Quality assessment revealed relatively low risk of bias and high methodological quality. Five studies examined substance use or substance use disorder (SUD) broadly. Mean ages ranged from 17.6 to 74.7 years. Substance use rates ranged from 2% to 35%, with a median opioid rate of 18% and 25.5% for alcohol. Nine of the studies had samples comprised either mostly or exclusively of advanced cancer patients. Disease groups included breast, head & neck, and gastric cancer. None of the studies used a theoretical framework or model. Conclusions Given the prevalence of substance use in cancer patients, interventions are needed. Further theory-grounded studies are warranted to foster the translation of research into clinical practice and elucidate substance use management recommendations.
Structural Novelties in Anionic Cluster Halide Phases. Discrete Tetrahedral A4Br+ Ions in Two New Zirconium Bromide Structures (A = Na−Cs)

Suitable reactions of ABr, Zr, ZrBr4, and an interstitial Z element in Ta containers at 850 °C afford two series of quaternary cluster phases containing A4Br3+ ions. Cubic (A4Br)2Zr6(Z)Br18 phases ...
The Internet of Things for enterprises: An ecosystem, architecture, and IoT service business model

Abstract The IoT has brought about a new paradigm in which a global network of machines and devices capable of interacting with each other is driving digital innovation in enterprises. Among various IoT sectors, the enterprise IoT has become the largest sector. In light of the growing importance of enterprise IoT and the research gap in this sector, this paper presents an IoT ecosystem, IoT architecture, and the IoT service business model essential for the selection and deployment of IoT services in various enterprise settings. Then, this paper illustrates how the IoT services can be developed to innovate hotel rooms.
Homotopic region connectivity during concussion recovery: A longitudinal fMRI study

Objectives To (i) investigate alterations in homotopic functional connectivity (hfc) in concussed patients relative to healthy controls (HC) and to (ii) interrogate whether hfc in concussed patients normalized during the recovery process. The relationship between symptom recovery and change in hfc was assessed using post-hoc analyses. Methods This study included 15 concussed patients (mean age = 39.1, SD = 10.1; sex: 13 females, 2 males) and 15 HC (mean age = 39.1, SD = 11.7; sex: 13 females, 2 males). Hfc patterns were interrogated using resting-state magnetic resonance imaging (rs-MRI) for 29 a priori selected pain-processing regions. Concussed patients underwent imaging at two time-points; at 1-month post-concussion (mean time following concussion: 28 days, SD = 9.5) and again at 5-months post-concussion (mean time following concussion: 121 days, SD = 13). At both time-points, symptoms associated with concussion were assessed using the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT-3). Results Concussed patients had significantly weaker hfc in the following six regions 1-month post-concussion compared to HC: middle cingulate, posterior insula, middle occipital, spinal trigeminal nucleus, precentral and the pulvinar. There were no regions of significantly stronger hfc in concussed patients relative to HC. Longitudinally, patients showed significant symptom recovery 5-months post-concussion and had significant strengthening of hfc patterns in seven homotopic ROIs: middle cingulate, posterior insula, middle occipital, secondary somatosensory area, spinal trigeminal nucleus, precentral, and the pulvinar. Post-hoc analyses indicated a significant negative correlation between somatosensory functional connectivity strengthening and symptom severity. Conclusion At 1-month post-concussion, patients had significantly weaker hfc in a number of pain-processing regions relative to HC. However, over a period of 5-months, region-pair connectivity showed significant recovery and normalization. Those patients with more successful symptom recovery at 5-months post-concussion had more functional somatosensory strengthening, suggesting an association between functional strengthening and post-concussion symptom recovery.
Finding Input Characterizations for Output Properties in ReLU Neural Networks.

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have emerged as a powerful mechanism and are being increasingly deployed in real-world safety-critical domains. Despite the widespread success, their complex architecture makes proving any formal guarantees about them difficult. Identifying how logical notions of high-level correctness relate to the complex low-level network architecture is a significant challenge. In this project, we extend the ideas presented in and introduce a way to bridge the gap between the architecture and the high-level specifications. Our key insight is that instead of directly proving the safety properties that are required, we first prove properties that relate closely to the structure of the neural net and use them to reason about the safety properties. We build theoretical foundations for our approach, and empirically evaluate the performance through various experiments, achieving promising results than the existing approach by identifying a larger region of input space that guarantees a certain property on the output.
Mechanism of semen liquefaction and its potential for a novel non-hormonal contraception†.

Semen liquefaction is a proteolytic process where a gel-like ejaculated semen becomes watery due to the enzymatic activity of prostate-derived serine proteases in the female reproductive tract. The liquefaction process is crucial for the sperm to gain their motility and successful transport to the fertilization site in Fallopian tubes (or oviducts in animals). Hyperviscous semen or failure in liquefaction is one of the causes of male infertility. Therefore, the biochemical inhibition of serine proteases in the female reproductive tract after ejaculation is a prime target for novel contraceptive development. Herein, we will discuss protein components in the ejaculates responsible for semen liquefaction and any developments of contraceptive methods in the past that involve the liquefaction process.Summary sentenceWe propose inhibition of semen liquefaction has the potential to be developed as a non-hormonal contraceptive method.
Benzodiazepine Use among Medicare, Commercially Insured, and Veteran Older Adults, 2013-2017.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are widely prescribed to older adults. Although prescribing has declined in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Medicare introduced BZD coverage in 2013. It is unknown whether declines in the VA have been widespread among older adults in the United States. DESIGN Observational study in traditional fee‐for‐service Medicare, commercial insurance, and the VA. SETTING United States, 2013–2017. PARTICIPANTS Adults aged 55 and older in traditional Medicare (234,290,693 person‐months), commercial insurance (337,827,125 person‐months), and the VA (256,590,369 person‐months). MEASUREMENTS (1) Change in BZD and BZD‐opioid co‐prescribing modeled by Poisson regression over time; and (2) standardized ratios of BZD and BZD‐opioid co‐prescribing, using Medicare as the reference. RESULTS From April 2013 to December 2017, the monthly percentage of adults aged 55 and older who received BZDs fell from 10.4% to 9.3% in Medicare, 6.6% to 6.5% in commercial insurance, and 5.7% to 3.0% in the VA. Monthly BZD‐opioid co‐prescribing over the same time fell from 4.0% to 3.0% in Medicare, 2.3% to 2.0% in commercial, and 2.2% to .6% for the VA. Age‐ and sex‐adjusted rates of decline for BZD and BZD‐opioid co‐prescribing were statistically significant for all systems. Annual BZD rate reductions were .98 (Medicare), .99 (commercial), and .87 (VA; P < .001 for all); co‐prescribing rate reductions were .95, .99, and .75 (P < .001 for all). Using standardized ratios accounting for demographic and clinical characteristics, both prescribing and co‐prescribing were lowest for the VA relative to Medicare (standardized BZD ratio = .40; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .39–.40; standardized BZD‐opioid co‐prescribing ratio = .35; 95% CI = .35–.35). Prescribing in commercial insurance was also lower (BZD = .65; 95% CI = .65–.65; BZD‐opioid co‐prescribing = .65; 95% CI = .65–.65). CONCLUSION BZD prescribing has declined much more to older adults receiving care through the VA than Medicare or commercial insurance. Other systems may learn from strategies implemented in the VA.
Evaluation of Alcohol Taxes as a Public Health Opportunity to Reduce Liver Transplant Listings for Alcohol-Related Liver Disease.

BACKGROUND Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is a leading indication for liver transplantation. METHODS State consumption of spirits, wine, and beer was determined from published sources. Excise and ad valorem alcohol taxes of spirits, wine, and beer were calculated following standard practices and correlated using multiple logistic regression models to 2002 to 2015 ALD transplant listing data from the United Network for Organ Sharing database. RESULTS 21.22% (29,161/137,440) of transplant listings were for ALD. Increased consumption of spirits was associated with increased ALD transplant listings (odds ratio [OR]: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.12 to 2.49, p = 0.01), but wine and beer consumption did not have a statistically significant association with ALD transplant listings. Spirits excise taxes on- and off-premise were inversely associated with ALD transplant listing (OR: 0.79 and 0.82, respectively, both p < 0.02). Beer and wine taxes were not significantly associated with ALD transplant listings. CONCLUSIONS Transplant listings for ALD are directly associated with spirit consumption and inversely associated with spirits excise taxes. These findings suggest a possible public health benefit of increasing excise taxes for spirits.
Manufacturing Methodology for Carbon Nanotube Electronics

While carbon nanotube (CNT) field-effect transistors (CNFETs) are a promising emerging nanotechnology for next-generation energy-efficient electronic systems, major challenges inherent to CNTs have prohibited their benefits from being realized. Here, we summarize recent work for overcoming these challenges, forming a universal manufacturing methodology for CNTs. Leveraging these advances, we show the first complementary CNFET digital systems fabricated in a silicon-CMOS and VLSI-compatible fashion, culminating in a 16-bit microprocessor based on the RISC-V instruction set built entirely out of CNFETs.
Impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) on R0 resection rate for borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

Abstract Background The role of neoadjuvant stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in patients with borderline resectable pancreas cancer (BRPC) and locally advanced pancreas cancer (LAPC) remains controversial. Methods We retrospectively evaluated BRPC and LAPC patients treated at our institution who underwent 2–3 months of chemotherapy followed by SBRT to a dose of 30–33 Gy. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were estimated and compared by Kaplan–Meier and log-rank methods. Results We identified 103 (85 BRPC and 18 LAPC) patients treated per our neoadjuvant paradigm between 2011 and 2018, with resectability based on NCCN definitions. Median follow up was 25 months. Of patients completing neoadjuvant therapy, 73 (71%) underwent definitive resection. Seventy-one (97%) patients with definitively resected tumors had R0 resection and 5 (7%) had a complete pathologic response CR to neoadjuvant therapy. The median overall survival (OS) of the cohort was 24 months. Those with a complete or marked pathologic response had significantly better OS than those with a moderate response (41 vs 24 months, p Conclusions Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and SBRT are associated with promising pathologic response rates and R0 resection rates, with acceptable perioperative morbidity.
Impact of Government Bailout on Banks' Cost of Equity: Additional Evidence from the Financial Bailout of 2008-2009

This study evaluates the effect of the Capital Purchase Program during the 2008-2009 financial crisis on the cost of equity of 170 publicly listed banks in the United States that received funding. We document robust evidence that the liquidity provided by the government bailout reduced the cost of equity for recipient banks, especially for those banks that repaid their bailout funds in full. The decrease in the cost of equity is particularly significant for banks with high market-to-book ratios, low concentrations of institutional ownership, and those with at least one large blockholder. Our findings have important implications for the assessment of government bailout programs and future regulation of financial institutions.
Size-dependent policies and risky firm creation

Abstract This paper studies the welfare implications of size-dependent firm regulation policies (SDPs) in the presence of entrepreneurial risks. Although SDPs have been considered sources of misallocation, it is shown that, once entrepreneurial risks are taken into account, SDPs can improve efficiency. Quantitatively, based on French data, removing the SDP can lead to output and welfare loss by up to 1.3 and 1.1 percent respectively. Importantly, the sign and the policy implications are the opposite of the previous literature that abstracts from risks. The analysis uncovers a novel trade-off between the inefficiencies in the intensive and extensive margins.
Intrusion detection in mobile ad hoc networks

Most existent protocols, applications and services for Mobile Ad Hoc NETworks (MANETs) assume a cooperative and friendly network environment and do not accommodate security. Therefore, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs), serving as the second line of defense for information systems, are indispensable for MANETs with high security requirements. Central to the research described in this dissertation is the proposed two-level nonoverlapping Zone-Based Intrusion Detection System (ZBIDS) which fit the unique requirement of MANETs. First, in the low-level of ZBIDS, I propose an intrusion detection agent model and present a Markov Chain based anomaly detection algorithm. Local and trusted communication activities such as routing table related features are periodically selected and formatted with minimum errors from raw data. A Markov Chain based normal profile is then constructed to capture the temporal dependency among network activities and accommodate the dynamic nature of raw data. A local detection model aggregating abnormal behaviors is constructed to reflect recent subject activities in order to achieve low false positive ratio and high detection ratio. A set of criteria to tune parameters is developed and the performance trade-off is discussed. Second, I present a nonoverlapping Zone-based framework to manage locally generated alerts from a wider area. An alert data model conformed to the Intrusion Detection Message Exchange Format (IDMEF) is presented to suit the needs of MANETs. Furthermore, an aggregation algorithm utilizing attribute similarity from alert messages is proposed to integrate security related information from a wider area. In this way, the gateway nodes of ZBIDS can reduce false positive ratio, improve detection ratio, and present more diagnostic information about the attack. Third, MANET IDSs need to consider mobility impact and adjust their behavior dynamically. I first demonstrate that nodes' moving speed, a commonly used parameter in tuning IDS performance, is not an effective metric for the performance measurement of MANET IDSs. A new feature—link change rate—is then proposed as a unified metric for local MANET IDSs to adaptively select normal profiles. Different mobility models are utilized to evaluate the performance of the adaptive mechanisms.
Analysis of Pediatric Dog Bite Injuries at a Level 1 Trauma Center Over 10 Years.

Background Dog bite injuries cause significant preventable patient morbidity and health care expenditure in children. This study aimed to characterize the patient and healthcare burden related to pediatric dog bite injuries at a level 1 trauma center. Methods This is a retrospective review of 356 pediatric patients who presented to Virginia Commonwealth University Pediatric Emergency Department between July 2007 and August 2017 after sustaining dog bite injuries. Demographic information, injury details, management, outcomes, and financial information were analyzed. Results Most pediatric dog bite injuries afflicted male children (55.6%), ages 6 to 12 years (45.7%), by a household dog (36.2%). The most common offending breed was a pit bull or pit bull mix (53.0%). Infants and grade schoolers were more likely to sustain bites to the head/face (P = 0.001). Usual management consisted of primary repair (75.9%), whereas approximately 25% of the patients required advanced reconstructive techniques. Most patients healed uneventfully, but prolonged antibiotics, additional wound care, or procedures were necessary in 8.4% of the patients. Hospital charges per patient averaged US $8830.70 and tended to be higher in the younger age groups. Insurance status was statistically associated with use of conscious sedation, surgical consult placement, and surgical repair. Conclusions Although most pediatric dog bite injuries in this study healed uneventfully from primary management in the emergency department, 25% required additional interventions. Furthermore, patient care for these injuries was associated with significant but potentially avoidable personal and financial burden to families. Our data reflect a need for safety education on animal care, behavior, and interaction.
SPECT and PET in the Assessment of Bone Infections

Osteomyelitis or infection of the bone is caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The infection may be localized or may involve periosteum, cortex, marrow, and cancellous tissue. The diagnosis of osteomyelitis can be challenging, and radionuclide procedures routinely are performed as part of the diagnostic work-up. This chapter examines the role of radionuclide imaging in the evaluation of patients with musculoskeletal infections. A review of the uptake mechanisms, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of bone, gallium, labeled leukocyte, and 18F-FDG imaging, is included. The contributions of SPECT and SPECT/CT, as well as PET and PET/CT, also are reviewed. Finally, this chapter provides, through text and illustrations, an in-depth review of the role of nuclear medicine, including SPECT/CT and PET/CT in specific circumstances: the evaluation diabetic foot infections, spinal osteomyelitis/discitis, prosthetic joint infections, and septic arthritis.