cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Large Scale Preparation and Characterization of Membrane-Bound and Detergent-Solubilized Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor from Pig Atria

Abstract The muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAcChR) has been prepared from pig a trial membranes by new large scale procedures which result in 30–40 fold enrichment of the receptor in the membrane-bound state and a further three fold enrichment during solubilization. The membrane-bound receptor was prepared by differential and sucrose density gradient centrifugation in 25 mM imidazole, 1 mM EDTA, pH 7.4. A double extraction procedure using a mixed digitonin/cholate detergent was used to solubilize the receptor at a 60–70% yield. The membrane and solubilized preparations had specific activities of 3.5–5 and 8–12 pmol [3H] L-quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNR) binding sites per mg of protein, respectively. The presence of imidazole, which behaved as a weak muscarinic ligand, stabilized the receptor during solubilization and storage. Both the membrane-bound and detergent-solubilized mAcChR bound antagonists at a single class of sites and agonists at two subclasses of QNB sites. The proportion of high affinity ...
Exposure‐time‐varying hazard function ratios in case‐control studies of drug effects

For many adverse effects of drugs, the instantaneous risk of an incident event per day of therapy (i.e., the hazard function) varies by duration of therapy and by prior exposure. In cohort studies of adverse drug effects time-varying hazard functions are easily modeled using standard statistical software packages. Tests of the hypothesis of a constant proportional hazard function ratio are also available. In case control studies, the need to consider time-varying hazard functions seems to be somewhat less well-recognized than in cohort studies. When the hazard function ratio for an adverse drug event is not constant over time, an overall single odds ratio (OR) estimated in a case control study not accounting for the time variation in the hazard function is a weighted average of duration-specific ORs with weights reflecting the distribution of exposure time in the study population. The resulting estimate depends not only on the drug but also on the exposure time distribution in the study population. This can lead to misleading conclusions when comparing the risks of two drugs within the same population and when comparing risks of the same drug in different populations. Analytic approaches for addressing time-varying hazard functions in case-control studies have been published but seem to be less used than in cohort studies. This article discusses adverse drug effects with time-varying hazard functions and methods for addressing these in case-control studies during study design, data collection, and analysis.
Common channel length predicts outcomes of biliopancreatic diversion alone and with the duodenal switch surgery.

Abstract Background The optimal common channel (CC) length for malabsorptive weight loss surgeries is unknown even though these surgeries were developed in the 1970s (biliopancreatic diversion [BPD]) and the 1990s (biliopancreatic diversion with a duodenal switch [BPD DS]). We hypothesized that the length of the CC correlates with a successful weight loss result. Methods We evaluated 3 groups of patients based on the length of the CC whose duration of follow-up evaluation was at least 1 year. We reviewed all patients who had either an open BPD (5 patients) or a BPD DS (119 patients) from August 1998 to October 2003, for which D.B.M. was the participating surgeon. Results Group I comprised 15 patients: their preoperative body mass index (BMI) was 53.9 kg/m 2 ; 73.3% of patients had a BMI more than 50, and the CC length was 150 cm. Group II comprised 76 patients: their preoperative BMI was 54.25 kg/m 2 ; 73.3% of patients had a BMI more than 50, and the CC length was 100 cm. Group III comprised 33 patients: their preoperative BMI was 60.1 kg/m 2 ; 84% of patients had a BMI more than 50, and the CC length was 80 to 90 cm. The mean weight loss in group I was 45 kg (44% mean excess weight loss). The mean weight loss in groups II and III was 55.8 and 61.5 kg, respectively (a 57% and 54.8% mean excess weight loss, respectively) (all P P 2 ). Conclusions The length of the CC contributes significantly to successful excess weight loss in BPD and BPD DS patients. In general, the length of the CC should not exceed 100 cm.
Portfolio Diversification, Futures Markets, and Uncertain Consumption Prices

This paper examines the robustness of the Keynes-Hicks backwardation hypothesis for futures markets in a model that admits diversification and inflation protection as speculative motives. It presents a criterion in terms of the correlation of futures price with anticipated consumption net of other asset holdings for the Keynes-Hicks proposition to be true. The paper finds the effect of changes in net wealth and commodity demand on the risk premium, spread, open interest, and storage.
Classification of error locator polynomials for double error correcting BCH codes

We give a complete classification of the error locator polynomials that occur in the Berlekamp decoding of double error correcting (DEC) Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) codes. We present a new construction showing that all quadratic error locator polynomials produced by received vectors falling in the interstitial region between decoding spheres are illegitimate and have no roots. Furthermore, we show that a small subset of received vectors in the interstitial region produce cubic error locator polynomials that are illegitimate except for the correctable case of a triple error pattern with three equally spaced errors in the cyclic sense.
The birth of nanke (men's medicine) in China: The making of the subject of desire

Why have hospital visits by impotence patients increased and visits by yijing (spermatorrhea) patients decreased in China since the 1980s? A change in moral symptomatology explains these diverging trends: Yijing, as a symptom under Maoist socialism, reflected a moral code of hostility toward individual desire, whereas impotence, as a symptom in post-Mao China, reflects the justification of individual desire. This contrast reveals a shift in the basis of subject making from enforcing collective unity to promoting individual desire. The recent emergence in China of nanke (men's medicine), which treats impotence and other complaints, signals a new moral code that produces desire-centered subjectivity.
GFR Estimating Equations: Getting Closer to the Truth?

The application of serum creatinine and cystatin C in patients with CKD has been limited to using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Criteria for choosing the best GFR estimating equation are 1) accuracy in estimating measured GFR, 2) optimal discrimination of clinical outcomes, and 3) association with CKD risk factors and outcomes similar to that of measured GFR. Notably, these criteria are often not in agreement; and while the last criterion is the most important, it has been widely overlooked. The primary problem with eGFR is that the non-GFR determinants of serum creatinine and cystatin C, as well as their surrogates (age, sex, and race), associate with CKD risk factors and outcomes. This leads to a distorted understanding of CKD, though eGFR based on serum creatinine appears to be less biased than eGFR based on cystatin C. Because of this problem, the use of eGFR should be limited to settings where knowing actual GFR is relevant and eGFR is more informative about GFR than serum creatinine or cystatin C alone. Such settings include staging CKD severity by GFR and dosing medications cleared by glomerular filtration. Alternatively, the diagnosis of CKD, the longitudinal progression of CKD, and prognostic models for CKD are settings where serum creatinine and cystatin C can be better applied and interpreted without eGFR.
Structural Performance Monitoring of an Unstabilized Fly Ash-Based Road Subbase

Beneficial utilization of stabilized fly ash as a structural layer in pavement construction is a common practice in the United States. At the same time, application of untreated and unstabilized fly ash in such cases is relatively rare. One such application was demonstrated at an Industry Access Truck Route in the state of Illinois. Approximately 60,000 m3 of F-fly ash, compacted in place, was used to construct the subbase for the 7.3 m wide and 3.4 km long road. The entire road was built into three control sections, i.e., AC1, fly ash, and AC2. Control Section AC1 was 0.75 km long and was built on fine sand subgrade; the fly ash control section was 2.2 km long and was built on silty/clayey subgrade using fly ash as subbase; Control Section AC2 was 0.45 km long and was built on clayey subgrade. This paper presents the long-term postconstruction structural performance results of the fly ash control section, as compared to Control Sections AC1 and AC2. Falling weight deflectometer studies performed on the t...
Sodium Nitroprusside Potentiates Hydrogen-Sulfide- Induced Contractions in Body Wall Muscle From a Marine Worm

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) at concentrations of about 0.05 to 1 mmol.l(-1) appears to function as a gasotransmitter in vertebrates, analogous to nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide, but the actions of H2S in invertebrate tissue have not been well studied. In this study, we investigated the role of H2S in modulating body wall muscle tone in the marine echiuran worm Urechis caupo (Echiuridae). We first determined that U. caupo body wall homogenates produce H2S upon addition of L-cysteine and pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP), and that the rate is increased by addition of 2-mercaptoethanol, suggesting the presence of an activated L-serine sulfhydrase pathway. We then measured the contractile response of U. caupo body wall circular muscle strips to sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS)--which produces H2S in solution--and the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP), both with and without subsequent application of acetylcholine (ACh). We found that NaHS alone stimulated contraction in muscle strips equivalent to about one-third the force of ACh alone, whereas SNP alone had no effect on muscle tone. However, simultaneous addition of NaHS with SNP elicited a much stronger contraction, reaching more than twice that of ACh alone, which could be increased further by subsequent application of ACh.
Intraluminal pressure recording from the human sphincter of Oddi

Abstract In this study we recorded intraluminal pressure from the human sphincter of Oddi during ERCP examination and determined the effect of enteric hormones on sphincter of Oddi motor function. Studies were obtained in 26 patients who had no demonstrable evidence of pancreaticobiliary disease. After cannulation of the common bile duct (CBD) or pancreatic duct (PD), pressure measurements were made across the sphincter of Oddi (SO) during 1–2 mm incremental withdrawals of the catheter pausing 1 min or longer at each station. The findings showed an SO segment, 4–6 mm in length, that had basal, steadystate pressure about 4 mm Hg higher than CBD or PD pressure. Pronounced phasic contractions were superimposed on the basal SO pressure. These phasic contractions measured 101 ± 50 SE mm Hg in amplitude and 4.3 ± 1.5 sec in duration. They had a frequency of 4.1 ± 0.9/min. Corresponding phasic contractions were not observed in the CBD, PD, or duodenum. Intravenous pulse doses of cholecystokinin octapeptide and glucagon depressed SO motor activity, whereas pentagastrin increased SO pressure. Secretin caused a mixed response of excitation followed by inhibition. We conclude that the human sphincter of Oddi demonstrates unique phasic contractions that are altered by enteric hormones given intravenously. These phasic SO contractions may have an important role in regulating biliary and pancreatic duct emptying.
ParaEval: Using Paraphrases to Evaluate Summaries Automatically

ParaEval is an automated evaluation method for comparing reference and peer summaries. It facilitates a tiered-comparison strategy where recall-oriented global optimal and local greedy searches for paraphrase matching are enabled in the top tiers. We utilize a domain-independent paraphrase table extracted from a large bilingual parallel corpus using methods from Machine Translation (MT). We show that the quality of ParaEval's evaluations, measured by correlating with human judgments, closely resembles that of ROUGE's.
Five anthocyanin polymorphisms are associated with an R2R3-MYB cluster in Mimulus guttatus (Phrymaceae)

 Premise of study: Botanists have long been interested in the reasons for genetic variation among individuals, populations, and species of plants. The anthocyanin pathway is ideal for studying the evolution of such phenotypic variation.  Methods: We used a combination of quantitative trait loci mapping and association studies to understand the genetic basis of variation in fi anthocyanin phenotypes including calyx, corolla, and leaf coloration patterns that vary within and among populations of Mimulus guttatus. We then examined what genes might be responsible for this phenotypic variation and whether one of the traits, calyx spotting, is randomly distributed across the geographic range of the species.  Key results: All fi ve phenotypes in M. guttatus were primarily controlled by the same major locus ( PLA1 ), which contains a tandem array of three R2R3-MYB genes known to be involved in the evolution of flcolor in a related species of Mimulus . Calyx spotting was nonrandomly distributed across the range of M. guttatus and correlated with multiple climate variables.  Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that variation in R2R3-MYB genes is the primary cause of potentially important anthocyanin phenotypic variation within and among populations of M. guttatus , a fi nding consistent with recent theoretical and empirical research on flcolor evolution.
A STUDY OF THE PASSIVE TRANSFER OF DELAYED HYPERSENSITIVITY TO DNP-POLY-L-LYSINE AND DNP-GL IN RESPONDER AND NONRESPONDER GUINEA PIGS

A study of the passive transfer of delayed hypersensitivity to DNP-poly-L-lysine and to DNP-GL was performed in Hartley guinea pigs. Delayed hypersensitivity to DNP-PLL and DNP-GL could be transferred successfully only by means of sensitized cells from genetic responder guinea pigs and in most cases, only into those guinea pigs genetically capable of responding to PLL. The inability to transfer delayed hypersensitivity to DNP-PLL or DNP-GL to genetic nonresponder guinea pigs is not the result of the early destruction of the transferred cells by an incompatible host, since it was shown that delayed hypersensitivity to ovalbumin could be successfully transferred from guinea pigs with the PLL gene into genetic nonresponder animals. The requirement of active participation of specific and genetically controlled host mechanisms in the successful passive transfer of delayed sensitivity to DNP-PLL and DNP-GL has been demonstrated.
Professionalizing Social Work at the National Level: Women Social Work Leaders, 1910-1982

This study examines the presidential addresses of the 21 women presidents of the National Conference of Social Work. Although content analysis is difficult because the speeches cross seven decades,...
Assessing the capabilities of military software maintenance organizations

The objectives of the assessment of military avionics software maintenance organizations (SMOs) are to determine the current and future software maintenance capabilities at a specific organization, evaluate the software products and processes, review the organizational infrastructure, identify areas of technical, programmatic and cost risk, estimate the costs associated with maintenance, and identify actions which could reasonably be taken to improve business efficiency and software quality. This paper focuses primarily on our process for assessing SMOs and then highlights our findings by identifying a number of issues that are pervasive across military software maintenance organizations. These assessments provide us with practical insight into the world of software maintenance and allow us to provide direction so that SMOs can plan and be prepared for more legacy avionics software in the future.
GLC Determination of Cyclobenzaprine in Plasma and Urine

A GLC determination of cyclobenzaprine in human plasma and urine is described. After extraction from alkalinized samples with heptane-isopentyl alcohol (97:3), the drug and internal standard were back-extracted into 0.1 N HCl and then reextracted into ether. Use of a lower homolog of the drug as an internal standard was effective in reducing variability. Drug concentrations as low as 25 ng/ml could be assayed with high precision. Plasma levels in humans given 40 mg po or iv ranged from 5 to 51 ng/ml; little unchanged cyclobenzaprine was present in the urine. The N-desmethyl analog of the drug was detected as a metabolite in urine.
Reliability and Validity of Estimators of Alcoholism Prevalence

According to multivariate analyses of responses to four estimators of alcoholism prevalence, a questionnaire about "escape" drinking is the most reliable and the most valid.
A meta-analysis of the past 25 years of weight loss research using diet, exercise or diet plus exercise intervention

OBJECTIVE: The therapeutic effectiveness of diet, exercise, and diet plus exercise for weight loss in obesity was determined. DATA SOURCES: All human research reported in English, published in peer-reviewed scientific journals within the past 25 y was reviewed. STUDY SELECTION: Acceptance criteria (na 493 from> 700 studies) were that a therapeutic intervention of diet, exercise or diet plus exercise was employed, specifically for weight reduction in obese adult humans and that weight change was reported numerically. Only aerobic exercise studies were included, while drug, hormone and surgical treatments were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION: All data were extracted by the same investigator from the original research report. Except for gender and program type, all extracted data were numerical. DATA SYNTHESIS: ANOVA, with a Newman‐Keuls post hoc test, was used to determine differences among programs (P< 0.05). One analysis was performed on the group mean data and one based on effect sizes. Analyses were repeated using initial body weight, initial percent body fat and program length, as covariates. RESULTS: Primarily, subjects aged 40 y have been studied (39.5 0.4 y, mean s.e.m.) who are only moderately obese (92.7 0.9 kg, 33.2 0.5 body mass index (BMI), 33.4 0.7% body fat); for short durations (15.6 0.6 weeks). Exercise studies were of a shorter duration, used younger subjects who weighed less, had lower BMI and percentage body fat values, than diet or diet plus exercise studies. Despite these differences, weight lost through diet, exercise and diet plus exercise was 10.7 0.5, 2.9 0.4* and 11.0 0.6 kg, respectively. However, at one-year follow-up, diet plus exercise tended to be the superior program. Effect size and covariate analyses revealed similar program differences. CONCLUSION: Weight loss research over the past 25 y has been very narrowly focused on a middle age population that is only moderately obese, while the interventions lasted for only short periods of time. The data shows, however, that a 15-week diet or diet plus exercise program, produces a weight loss of about 11 kg, with a 6.6 0.5 and 8.6 0.8 kg maintained loss after one year, respectively.
Understanding Affective Commitment, Collectivist Culture, and Social Influence in Relation to Knowledge Sharing in Technology Mediated Learning

Technology mediated learning (TML) is gaining interest from both academic researchers and communication professionals as training with Internet technology and Web-based distance learning become increasingly popular. This paper investigates social norms, individual-level cultural orientation (collectivism), and affective commitment (internalization and identification) and studies their influences on the system users' (or learners') attitude toward sharing knowledge by email in the TML environment. An empirical test of the proposed model was conducted in the pilot test (n=155) and the main test (n=411). Theoretical and practical implications of these findings for TML, knowledge management, and e-collaboration are discussed in the paper.
Ligand-Dependent and -Independent Regulation of PPARγ and Orphan Nuclear Receptors

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) is considered to be a ligand-activated nuclear receptor with essential roles in adipogenesis, glucose and lipid homeostasis, and inflammatory responses. An unusually large ligand-binding pocket is a distinguishing feature of PPAR gamma and two related receptors, PPAR alpha and PPAR beta (also known as PPAR delta), which allows these receptors to interact with diverse chemical ligands including various fatty acids, fibrates, and the thiazolidinedione class of antidiabetic drugs. However, the physiologically relevant ligand of PPARs remains unknown. A PPAR gamma mutant that is incapable of binding ligands unexpectedly directed adipogenesis when introduced into fibroblasts. This raises key issues regarding the existence and roles of the hypothetical physiological ligands for PPAR gamma, issues that may also apply to other "orphan" nuclear receptors lacking bona fide ligands. Identification of the physiological ligands of PPARs and orphan nuclear receptors will be crucial for understanding the biology of these receptors.
Interferon regulatory factor 6 regulates keratinocyte migration.

Interferon regulatory factor 6 (Irf6) regulates keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that Irf6 regulates cellular migration and adhesion. Irf6-deficient embryos at 10.5 days post-conception failed to close their wound compared with wild-type embryos. In vitro, Irf6-deficient murine embryonic keratinocytes were delayed in closing a scratch wound. Live imaging of the scratch showed deficient directional migration and reduced speed in cells lacking Irf6. To understand the underlying molecular mechanisms, cell–cell and cell–matrix adhesions were investigated. We show that wild-type and Irf6-deficient keratinocytes adhere similarly to all matrices after 60 min. However, Irf6-deficient keratinocytes were consistently larger and more spread, a phenotype that persisted during the scratch-healing process. Interestingly, Irf6-deficient keratinocytes exhibited an increased network of stress fibers and active RhoA compared with that observed in wild-type keratinocytes. Blocking ROCK, a downstream effector of RhoA, rescued the delay in closing scratch wounds. The expression of Arhgap29, a Rho GTPase-activating protein, was reduced in Irf6-deficient keratinocytes. Taken together, these data suggest that Irf6 functions through the RhoA pathway to regulate cellular migration.
Heat conduction properties of graphene: Prospects of thermal management applications

As the electronic industry moves towards few-nanometer-scale CMOS and 3D IC designs thermal management becomes crucially important for achieving high performance and reliability of advanced electronic chips [1]. One approach for mitigating the self-heating problems is finding materials with very high thermal conductivity, which can be integrated with Si ICs or used as fillers in the next generation of the thermal interface materials (TIMs). In 2008, we discovered that graphene reveals extremely high intrinsic thermal conductivity, which can exceed that of bulk graphite [2–3]. To measure the thermal conductivity of an object with a thickness of just one atomic layer, we developed an original experimental technique and applied it to graphene flake suspended across trenches in Si wafers. In this technique, the micro-Raman spectrometer performed the function of a thermometer measuring the local temperature rise from the shift in the spectral position of the Raman G peak. We explained the fact that the intrinsic thermal conductivity of graphene can be larger than that of graphite by the fundamental difference in the low-energy phonon transport in 2D graphene and 3D graphite [4–6]. The extremely high thermal conductivity of “free” suspended graphene does not mean that it will be automatically preserved when graphene is incorporated inside semiconductor chips or composite TIMs. Thermal conductivity of graphene layers depends strongly on their geometrical size, coupling to the adjacent substrate or capping layers, edges roughness and defect concentration. I will overview the experimental and theoretical results for the thermal conductivity evolution of the few-layer graphene (FLG) considering two limiting cases of the phonon transport limited by the intrinsic and extrinsic effects. The use of graphene as interconnects and heat spreaders in advanced 2D and 3D computer chips will also be discussed. The last section of the talk will have a description of the data for graphene TIM materials. We found that thermal conductivity of several types of epoxy TIMs can be significantly increased by an addition of the chemically derived graphene even at very small graphene's loading fractions. The increase in the effective thermal conductivity of graphene TIMs is much stronger than that for conventional filler materials [7]. A general outlook at the prospects of graphene electronics will conclude the talk.
Goals in bipolar I disorder: Big dreams predict more mania

Bipolar I disorder (BD) is related to overly valued and ambitious goal setting. The purpose of this study was to assess whether people with BD would express highly ambitious goals and show greater arousal when asked to describe their goals, and whether indices of ambition and arousal during goal narratives would predict follow-up symptom severity. Fifty-two individuals diagnosed with BD I per the SCID, followed until remission, and 49 well-matched controls were asked to imagine and describe goals coming true. Heart rate and skin response responses were gathered as indices of sympathetic arousal. Praat analyses were used to code vocal parameters associated with arousal during goal discussions. At 6-month follow-up, the BD group completed standardized symptom severity interviews. Diagnostic groups did not differ significantly on arousal indices during goal discussion. The BD group described goals that were rated objectively as more difficult to achieve, and these more ambitious goal descriptions predicted increases in manic symptoms over time. Implications for clinical interventions are discussed.
MSH-like Substance from Human Placenta.∗

ConclusionAn MSH-like substance was present in considerable concentration in human placenta.
Community-Produced Materials for Health Education

The trend toward dependence on experts and away from reliance on self and other members of the community is antithetical to health education goals. The development of collaborate models for learning and for creating learning materials is 1 way that a clients confidence can be built up and the competence of clients recognized. A photonovel is 1 form of participatory learning model. A photonovel is a booklet similar to an American comic book but photographs of real people and real places replace the cartoons. The dialoque is presented in word bubbles as in comic books. In 1977-78 an applied research branch of the New York State Department of Health the Rodent Control Evaluation Laboratory in Troy adapted the basic concepts of the photonovel to a participatory learning model. Communications were established between agency staff and members of the community in an effort to arrive at a truly collaborative relationship. With the agency staff acting as facilitators members of the community produced a 16 page photonovel complete with sketches of characters and dialog for the frame of every page. Many benefits can accrue from a participatory learning model and client produced material. At the top of the list are the respect and dignity that result from having people involved in all aspects of a program that affects their lives. When community clients are co-participants with agency personnel who are serving as facilitators a whole new level of shared respect competence and interdependence is stimulated. Program goals are enhanced as clients and staff discuss a problem the solutions to that problem or skills to help solve. The clients who participate in a project are more likely to remain in the community than is a transient "expert." Many topics or skills relating to health would be appropriate subjects for photonovels.
Abstract W MP107: Palliative Care Referrals are Under-used

Introduction: The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is a well-validated predictor of 90-day functional outcomes. A score of ≥16 forecasts a high probability of death or severe disability. The palliative care (PC) needs of patients with serious or life-threatening stroke are enormous. Per PC standards and the American Stroke Association’s position statement on PC after stroke, customized PC should be available to patients and their families throughout the entire course of illness. Palliative care can be initiated in the hospital setting without limitations on life expectancy. The purpose of this project was to quantify NIHSS scores on admission compared to the percent of PC referrals made at 3 urban hospitals that use neurological pre-formatted orders, and have in-patient PC programs. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that In-patient PC referrals for stroke patients with NIHSS scores of ≥16 are low, in the context of pre-formatted orders that set the referral trigger at ≥ to 25. Methodology: Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke cases discharged from Nov. 1, 2013-May 31, 2014 were reviewed retrospectively (674 total). NIHSS assessments were scored by stroke-certified RN staff on admission. Excluded were patients whose full NIHSS score was not documented, patients referred directly to hospice, and patients who left Against Medical Advice. Cases were examined for NIHSS score, and whether or not they were referred to PC. Results: Of 615 qualifying patients, 51 (8.3%) were referred for PC during their in-patient stay. The percentage with a NIHSS score on admission </= 6, was 3.5% (11/313). At a score of 7-15, 7.8% (15/188) received referrals. At scores ≥ 16, 21.9% (25/114) were referred. Conclusion: While the poor 90-day outcomes for patients with NIHSS scores ≥ 16 have been well-validated, just under 22% of the patients in this study received in-patient referrals to palliative care. Previously conducted studies relating NIHSS scores and 90-day outcomes suggest that there is an opportunity to improve the quality of life for more of these patients and their families through increased palliative care referrals.
Behavioral observation and coding

Research methods in both behavioral genetics and personality are currently at a crossroads. This chapter examines the disagreement about the genetics of behavior by reformulating its methodological foundation of twin and family studies. It applies the reformulation of older methods to gain realistic understanding of the newer ones that capitalize on the availability of measured DNA. The chapter highlights a particularly problematic aspect of scientific inference in the human behavioral sciences: the inference of causality from nonexperimental data. Religiosity was measured using four items (rated on four-point or five-point ordinal scale) assessing importance of religion, frequency of prayer, attendance at religious services, and attendance at youth groups. Random effects model was estimated in monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs using PROC MIXED in SAS. Linkage analysis has been the earliest molecular method to be adopted in the study of behavior because it requires minimal knowledge of actual genetic sequence.
Medieval Wildernesses and King Lear: Heath, Forest, Desert

In Shakespeare’s King Lear, the impact of the storm on the heath on Lear is best explained in light of two obsolescent medieval cultural traditions that found positive value in wild nature, in contrast to the negative views common in early modern England. The forest laws help us understand the heath as a place, as well as the monarch’s relationship to that place. But for understanding the inner change in Lear, which is like that of the knight-hermits in medieval romance, we must turn to the cultural roots of the eremitical tradition in monastic spirituality, which, as Jacques Le Goff has argued, were transplanted from the deserts of Egypt to the forests of France and England. These two medieval cultural traditions, transposed into the play’s ancient pagan setting, provide essential help in understanding why a violent storm in a bleak landscape has such a strong presence in Shakespeare’s great tragedy.
Internalized weight bias mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms and disordered eating behavior among women who think they are overweight.

Abstract Objective This study tested the potential mediating role of Internalized Weight Bias (IWB) in the relationship between depressive symptoms (DEP-SX) and disordered eating behavior. In particular, we hypothesized that IWB may be an intervening variable in the well documented association between depression and disordered eating. Method: College women (N = 172) who were taking undergraduate psychology courses and who endorsed thinking they were overweight completed the Patient Health Questionnaire depression screener (PHQ-9), the Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS), and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). Bootstrapping mediation analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between these variables. Results IWB was significantly correlated with eating disorder symptoms and DEP-SX, but not Body Mass Index. Mediation analyses supported a model in which IWB mediated the relationship between DEP-SX and disordered eating behavior. Discussion Results indicate that individuals with elevated DEP-SX may be likely to internalize weight bias, which may in turn lead to maladaptive approaches to eating and weight control, regardless of one's actual weight status.
Achieving goals in decentralized POMDPs

Coordination of multiple agents under uncertainty in the decentralized POMDP model is known to be NEXP-complete, even when the agents have a joint set of goals. Nevertheless, we show that the existence of goals can help develop effective planning algorithms. We examine an approach to model these problems as indefinite-horizon decentralized POMDPs, suitable for many practical problems that terminate after some unspecified number of steps. Our algorithm for solving these problems is optimal under some common assumptions -- that terminal actions exist for each agent and rewards for non-terminal actions are negative. We also propose an infinite-horizon approximation method that allows us to relax these assumptions while maintaining goal conditions. An optimality bound is developed for this sample-based approach and experimental results show that it is able to exploit the goal structure effectively. Compared with the state-of-the-art, our approach can solve larger problems and produce significantly better solutions.
Effect of Enhanced Ion Transfer in Process-Induced Electrochemical Corrosion on Surface Morphology and Tribological Properties

The presence of both gold and polycrystalline silicon in a given microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device can profoundly impact surface properties through an electrochemical reaction occurring during micro-fabrication processing. Tests show a mechanistically similar increase in surface roughness with an increased ratio of gold (cathode) to silicon (anode) surface area, and with prolonged galvanic reaction time. This is attributed to increased ion transfer due to either increased electrochemical current or increased reaction time. Furthermore, microdevices with greater process-induced surface damage were found to have lower contact adhesion. The increased surface roughness decreases the intermolecular forces that contribute to adhesion due to increased average asperity separations. Results are interpreted in light of the principle galvanic corrosion mechanism and the effect on the primary nanoscale intermolecular forces. [2016-0172]
Tree shade coverage optimization in an urban residential environment

Abstract Shade provided by trees, shrubs and other vegetation serves as a natural umbrella to mitigate insolation absorbed by features of the urban environment, especially building structures. For a desert community, tree shade is a valuable asset, contributing to energy conservation efforts, improving home values, enabling cost savings, and promoting enhanced health and well-being. Therefore, maximizing tree shade coverage is an important component in creating an eco-friendly and sustainable urban environment. Strategic placement of trees enhances tree shade coverage of buildings. This paper details an optimization method to simultaneously maximize tree shade coverage on building facades and open structures and to minimize shade coverage on building rooftops in a 3-dimensional environment. This method integrates geographic information systems and spatial optimization approaches for placing trees that provide the greatest potential benefit to a building. A residential area in Tempe, Arizona is utilized to demonstrate the capabilities of the method. The optimization results show that two trees can provide up to 22.20 m2 shade coverage at 12:00 across a 54 m2 south-facing facade. This research offers a method to help homeowners, urban planners, and policy makers to quantitatively evaluate shade coverage from trees for building structures in a residential environment.
Chapter 7 - Neurocutaneous melanosis

Neurocutaneous melanosis is a rare neurocutaneous syndrome that is associated with a high rate of mortality early in life. Individuals with large cutaneous melanocytic nevi (LCMN) are at risk, especially when the nevi are posterior, midline and accompanied by satellite nevi. Disrupted production and migration of melanocytic precursors from neural crest likely are responsible. Although the cutaneous lesions are at risk for melanoma, the most likely source of morbidity and mortality comes from “benign” melanocytic proliferation in the brain or central nervous system melanoma. Seizures and hydrocephalus are the common neurologic manifestations and typically arise in the first years of life. Brain magnetic resonance imaging in infants before myelination has matured is most sensitive for detecting abnormal melanosis in the brain, which preferentially involves the leptomeninges, cerebellum and anterior temporal lobes. Treatment is symptomatic and death occurs in many within 3 years of onset of neurologic symptoms. This prognosis may limit the extent to which extensive procedures or interventions are undertaken.
Low birthweight among immigrants in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States

Immigrant women are less likely than their native-born counterparts to give birth to a low birthweight infant in the United States, and length of U.S. residence shrinks nativity differences in rates of low birthweight. Yet, we know little about how the U.S. context compares to immigrant low birthweight patterns in other countries. Using nationally representative data, we examine variations in the association between nativity and low birthweight in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States-three economically developed countries with long immigrant traditions, but different admission regimes. This study uses birth cohort data from these three destination countries to compare low birthweight between immigrant and native-born residents and then investigates how immigrant low birthweight varies by country of origin and duration in the host country. We find no significant difference in low birthweight between immigrants and native Australians, but for the United Kingdom, we find patterns of low birthweight by duration consistent with those found in the United States. Specifically, foreign-born status protects against low birthweight, though not uniformly across racial groups, except for new arrivals. The results suggest that low birthweight among immigrants is a product of several country-specific factors, including rates of low birthweight in sending countries, access to health services in host countries, and immigrant admission policies that advantage skilled migrants.
Carcinization in the Anomura – fact or fiction? II. Evidence from larval, megalopal and early juvenile morphology

In this second of a two-part series, carcinization in the Anomura has been reviewed from early juvenile, megalopal, and larval perspectives. Data from megalopal and early juvenile development in ten genera of the Lithodidae have provided unequivocal evidence that earlier hypotheses regarding evolution of the king crab pleon were erroneous. A pattern of sundering, and decalcification has been traced from the megalopal stage through several early crabs stages in species of Lithodes and Paralomis, with supplemental evidence from species in eight other genera. Of major significance has been the attention directed to the marginal plates of the second pleomere, which when separated in lithodids are not homologous with the adult so-called “marginal plates” of the following three tergites. Auxiliary megalopal and early juvenile lithodid data, as well as equivalent data from other paguroids, support the evolutionary direction indicated by lithodid pleonal plate development. Therefore, while carcinization, or development of a crab-like body form, has occurred in the Lithodidae, it has not proceeded from a hermit crab ancestor. Rather the data suggest the reverse, thus effectively refuting the “hermit to king” myth. Brief reviews of data available from the Lomisidae and Porcellanidae support the Proposition of independent anomuran carcinization events in these taxa as well. Results of cladistic analysis of megalopal and juvenile data, although somewhat unconventional, do not support the claim of a sister-group relation of the lithodid genera Lithodes and Paralithodes with the pagurid genus Pagurus. Attempts to subject larval phase data to similar analysis were thwarted by the tendency in paguroids, including lithodids, for lecithotrophic development. Additionally, presumed initial and terminal stage deletions disallow the ontogenetic stage homologies required for meaningful phylogenetic results.
Fatigue Crack-Growth Resistance of Thermally Hardened 65G Steel Under Transverse Shear

We plot the kinetic diagrams of fatigue fracture of 65G steel under the conditions of transverse shear after different modes of heat treatment within the range of fatigue crack-growth rates covering six orders of magnitude with the use of the stress intensity factor for the evaluation of the stress-strain state in the vicinity of the crack tip. The main and auxiliary characteristics of cyclic crack-growth resistance are determined with regard for the friction of the lips of a fatigue crack. We construct the diagrams of structural strength and confirm the hypothesis that the fatigue thresholds increase with the yield strength of 65G steel under the conditions of shear.
Intra-tumoral delivery of CXCL11 via a vaccinia virus, but not by modified T cells, enhances the efficacy of adoptive T cell therapy and vaccines

T cell trafficking into tumors depends on a "match" between chemokine receptors on effector cells (e.g., CXCR3 and CCR5) and tumor-secreted chemokines. There is often a chemokine/chemokine receptor "mismatch", with tumors producing minute amounts of chemokines, resulting in inefficient targeting of effectors to tumors. We aimed to alter tumors to produce higher levels of CXCL11, a CXCR3 ligand, to attract more effector cells following immunotherapy. Mice bearing established subcutaneous tumors were studied. In our first approach, we used modified chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-transduced human T cells to deliver CXCL11 (CAR/CXCL11) into tumors. In our second approach, we intravenously (iv) administered a modified oncolytic vaccinia virus (VV) engineered to produce CXCL11 (VV.CXCL11). The effect of these treatments on T cell trafficking into the tumors and anti-tumor efficacy after subsequent CAR T cell injections or anti-tumor vaccines was determined. CAR/CXCL11 and VV.CXCL11 significantly increased CXCL11 protein levels within tumors. For CAR/CXCL11, injection of a subsequent dose of CAR T cells did not result in increased intra-tumoral trafficking, and appeared to decrease the function of the injected CAR T cells. In contrast, VV.CXCL11 increased the number of total and antigen-specific T cells within tumors after CAR T cell injection or vaccination and significantly enhanced anti-tumor efficacy. Both approaches were successful in increasing CXCL11 levels within the tumors; however, only the vaccinia approach was successful in recruiting T cells and augmenting anti-tumor efficacy. VV.CXCL11 should be considered as a potential approach to augment adoptive T cell transfer or vaccine immunotherapy.
Synthesis and Characterization of Pseudotetrahedral N(2)O and N(2)S Zinc(II) Complexes of Two Heteroscorpionate Ligands: Models for the Binding Sites of Several Zinc Metalloproteins.

Nine new pseudotetrahedral Zn(II) complexes of the heteroscorpionate ligands (3-tert-butyl-2-hydroxy(or thio)-5-methylphenyl)bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)methane, L1OH or L2SH, have been prepared and characterized (in most cases crystallographically). Complexes isolated include [(L1O)ZnCl], [(L1O)ZnI], [(L1OH)ZnI2], [(L1O)ZnCH3], [(L1O)ZnOAc], [(L1O)ZnSPh], [(L1O)ZnSBz], [(L2S)ZnCH3], [(L2S)ZnSPh], and [(L2S)2Zn]. In conjunction with the widely studied tris(pyrazolyl)borates this new series of heteroscorpionates provides a set of isolobal and isoelectronic ligands differing in donor set, i.e. N3, N2O, and N2S. Preliminary reactivity studies with HX species, MeI, or trimethyl phosphate suggest differences between the three sets of ligands.
The Improved Heuristic for Consistent Biclustering Problems

Let matrix A represent a data set of m features and n samples. Each element of the matrix, aij, corresponds to the expression of the i-th feature in the j-th sample. Biclustering is a classification of the samples as well as features into k classes. In other words, we need to classify columns and rows of the matrix A. Doing so, let S 1, S 2,..., S k and F 1, F 2,..., F k denote the classes of the samples (columns) and features (rows), respectively. Formally biclustering can be defined as follows.
TDAstats: R pipeline for computing persistent homology in topological data analysis

High-dimensional datasets are becoming more common in a variety of scientific fields. Well-known examples include next-generation sequencing in biology, patient health status in medicine, and computer vision in deep learning. Dimension reduction, using methods like principal component analysis (PCA), is a common preprocessing step for such datasets. However, while dimension reduction can save computing and human resources, it comes with the cost of significant information loss. Topological data analysis (TDA) aims to analyze the "shape" of high-dimensional datasets, without dimension reduction, by extracting features that are robust to small perturbations in data. Persistent features of a dataset can be used to describe it, and to compare it to other datasets. Visualization of persistent features can be done using topological barcodes or persistence diagrams (Figure 1). Application of TDA methods has granted greater insight into high-dimensional data (Lakshmikanth et al., 2017); one prominent example of this is its use to characterize a clinically relevant subgroup of breast cancer patients (Nicolau, Levine, & Carlsson, 2011). This is a particularly salient study as Nicolau et al. (2011) used a topological method, termed Progression Analysis of Disease, to identify a patient subgroup with 100% survival using that remains invisible to other clustering methods.