cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Breeding and High-yield Cultivation Techniques of Super Rice Longjing No.21

Longjing 21 is derived by combining Longjiao 91036-1/Longhua 95361/Longhua 91340 and using F1 anther culture.It was approved in 2008 and recognized in 2009 by the Ministry of Agriculture as a super rice.It enjoys high yield and white rice rate,resistant torice blast,and strong resistance to blast and cold.
Gas Phase Studies of N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Condensation Reactions

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) catalyze Umpolung condensation reactions of carbonyl compounds, including the Stetter reaction. These types of reactions have not heretofore been examined in the gas phase. Herein, we explore the feasibility of examining these reactions in the absence of solvent. A charge-tagged thiazolylidene catalyst is used to track the reactions by mass spectrometry. We find that the first Umpolung step, the addition of the NHC catalyst to a carbonyl compound to form the "Breslow intermediate", does not readily proceed in the gas phase, contrary to the case in solution. The use of acylsilanes in place of the carbonyl compounds appears to solve this issue, presumably because of a favorable Brook rearrangement. The second addition reaction, with enones, does not occur under our gas phase conditions. These reactions do occur in solution; the differential reactivity between the condensed and gas phases is discussed, and calculations are used to aid in the interpretation of the results.
Motivations for a Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT) for Authoring, Instruction and Analysis.

Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) have been shown to be effective tools for one-to-one tutoring in a variety of well-defined domains (e.g., mathematics, physics) and offer distinct advantages over traditional classroom teaching/training. In examining the barriers to the widespread use of ITS, the time and cost for designing and author-ing ITS have been widely cited as the primary obstacles. Contributing factors to time and cost include a lack of standards and minimal opportunities for reuse. This paper explores motivations for the development of a Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT). GIFT was conceived to meet challenges to: author ITS and ITS components, offer best instructional practices across a variety of training tasks (e.g., cognitive, affective, and psychomotor), and provide a testbed for analyzing the effect of tutoring technologies (tools and methods).
Stanley Levison’s Financial Role in the Civil Rights and Communist Movements in the 1940s to 1960s: A Rank-and-File Perspective

ABSTRCTThis is a biographical essay about Stanley Levison, who is the subject of Ben Kamin’s Dangerous Friendship: Stanley Levison, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Kennedy Brothers (2014). Levison was a communist and friend of Martin Luther King. The review focuses on the limitations and strengths of the book, of Levison and of the Civil Rights Movement. At a time when the Communist Party was facing difficult challenges, Levison was not totally a failure in helping to uphold the aspirations of the underprivileged.
Fecal Lipocalin-2 as a Sensitive and Noninvasive Biomarker in the TNBS Crohn’s Inflammatory Bowel Disease Model:

Colitis induced by 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) has been used as a model for Crohn's disease (CD) of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Lipocalin-2 (Lcn-2) is an emerging and clinically relevant biomarker of IBD. We investigated the performance of serum and fecal Lcn-2 in the TNBS model of colitis. Female, 7-week-old, BALB/c mice were administered intrarectally phosphate-buffered saline/water or 30% ethanol (vehicle control groups) for 5 days or TNBS for 5 days followed by a 28-day recovery phase. Serum and fecal levels of Lcn-2 were quantified, and effects on body weight, clinical scores, colon weight and length, gross pathology, and histopathology were investigated. Increased serum Lcn-2 levels correlated only with marked to severe inflammation. A clear differentiation in Lcn-2 fecal levels between TNBS-treated and vehicle-treated control mice was most noticeable on days 2 and 3. There was a strong correlation between body weight change, histopathologic scores of inflammation, and/or fecal Lcn-2 levels on days 2 and 5. Both serum and fecal Lcn-2 levels declined over time as the colonic mucosa recovered. Fecal Lcn-2 was found to be a more sensitive biomarker (vs. serum Lcn-2) and was able to discriminate mild, moderate, and severe colonic inflammation.
Guide Strand 3′-End Modifications Regulate siRNA Specificity

Short interfering RNA (siRNA)-triggered gene knockdown through the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway is widely used to study gene function, and siRNA-based therapeutics are in development. However, as the guide strand of an siRNA can function like a natural microRNA (miRNA), siRNAs often repress hundreds of off-target transcripts with complementarity only to the seed region (nucleotides 2-8) of the guide strand. Here, we describe novel guide strand 3'-end modifications derived from 1-ethynylribose (1-ER) and copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reactions and evaluate their impact on target versus miRNA-like off-target knockdown. Surprisingly, when positioned at the guide strand 3'-end, the parent 1-ER modification substantially reduced off-target knockdown while having no measurable effect on on-target knockdown potency. In addition, these modifications were shown to modulate siRNA affinity for the hAgo2 PAZ domain. However, the change in PAZ domain binding affinity was not sufficient to predict the modification's effect on miRNA-like off targeting.
The Periodicals: Are Cultured Pearls Mineral?

DURING THE LAST FEW DECADES, much “new” information has been recorded about several roles that organisms have in the formation of certain minerals. Despite the ever-expanding volume of this information, no articles about either biologic mineral-forming processes or minerals attributed to these processes have appeared in publications directed primarily toward mineral collectors. We have found only a single abstract (Dossert et al., 1984).We suspect that this oversight reflects a lingering adherence by many mineralogists and collector-writers to the inorganic aspect that persists in several published versions of the definition for the term mineral. Therefore, we think it is time to review this “inorganic” aspect, and along with it the “naturally formed” aspect, of such definitions. Both appear to have undergone modification, at least in several people's minds, as the science of mineralogy has evolved.
Statistical Lessons Learned From Exercise Testing Research and Scores

Four major mistakes have been made when evaluating the exercise test’s diagnostic characteristics that explain much of the differences in the studies. They are: 1) choosing subjects for test evaluation that represent a limited challenge to the diagnostic performance of the test, 2) not limiting the amount of work up bias in identifying patients for test evaluation, 3) applying age-predicted heart rate targets, 4) utilizing surrogates instead of an appropriate gold standard. While we have relied on meta-analysis of the available studies, considering these points can help us to decide which studies are most valid. Critical to avoiding these mistakes is population selection: all consecutive patients presenting with chest pain that meet the criteria for study should be included.
Energy state prediction methods for airplane state awareness

The lack of aircraft state awareness has been one of the leading causal and contributing factors in aviation accidents. Many of these accidents were due to flight crew's inability to understand the automation modes and properly monitor the aircraft energy and attitude state. The capability of providing flight crew with improved airplane state awareness (ASA) is essential in ensuring aviation safety. This paper focusses on predictive alerting methods to achieve improved ASA and describes the methods used to predict (a) stall and overspeed conditions, (b) high-and-fast conditions, (c) low-and-slow conditions, (d) unstable approach conditions, and (e) automation mode transitions. The proposed method estimates and subsequently predicts the aircraft state based on (i) aircraft state related information output by the onboard avionics, (ii) the configuration of the aircraft, (iii) appropriate aircraft dynamics models of both the active modes and the modes to which can be transitioned via simple pilot actions, and (iv) accurate models of the uncertainty of the dynamics and sensors. Onboard avionics inputs include measurements from onboard navigation systems such as global navigation satellites systems (GNSS), inertial navigation systems, and air data. This paper provides a detailed description of the prediction algorithms, the predictive alerting display concepts, and some test results based on flight data collected during a recent NASA flight simulator study in which eleven commercial airline crews (22 pilots) completing more than 230 flights.
Diagnosis of Pulpal and Periradicular Disease

Arriving at an accurate diagnosis is essential for the development of an optimal treatment plan and making a proper treatment decision. It is important to distinguish between diagnostic entities, such as reversible and irreversible pulpitis and pulp necrosis. Differentiating between these diagnoses will enable the clinician to plan on a specific course of treatment, be it stepwise caries excavation, pulpotomy, or root canal treatment. This is also important for the assessment of prognosis of the proposed treatment. Large number of studies have demonstrated less optimal prognosis for teeth with pulp necrosis and apical periodontitis, compared to teeth with irreversible pulpitis and without apical periodontitis. Teeth with necrotic pulps and apical periodontitis have well-established infection in the root canal system and require more aggressive root canal infection control protocol. Based on the findings from the prognosis studies, it is essential that a treating dentist be a good diagnostician in order to render appropriate treatment with optimal outcome.
Fe xvii Opacity at Solar Interior Conditions

A recent study of Fe xvii R-matrix calculations aimed at resolving outstanding opacity problems claimed that substantial photon absorption from atomic core ionization processes was not previously considered. It is shown, however, that major opacity models already include cross-sections that are equivalent to the enhancements reported by the R-matrix method. Furthermore, the R-matrix calculations neglected important cross-sections that help to explain why the resultant opacity is lower than other models in the spectral range measured in transmission experiments relevant to the solar interior.
PERSPECTIVES ON LEARNING AND CLINICAL PRACTICE IMPROVEMENT FOR DIABETES IN THE HOSPITAL: A REVIEW OF EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS FOR PROVIDERS.

ABSTRACT Objective: The management of inpatient hyperglycemia and diabetes requires expertise among many health-care providers. There is limited evidence about how education for healthcare providers can result in optimization of clinical outcomes. The purpose of this critical review of the literature is to examine methods and outcomes related to educational interventions regarding the management of diabetes and dysglycemia in the hospital setting. This report provides recommendations to advance learning, curricular planning, and clinical practice. Methods: We conducted a literature search through PubMed Medical for terms related to concepts of glycemic management in the hospital and medical education and training. This search yielded 1,493 articles published between 2003 and 2016. Results: The selection process resulted in 16 original articles encompassing 1,123 learners from various disciplines. We categorized findings corresponding to learning outcomes and patient care outcomes. Conclusion: Based on the analysis, we propose the following perspectives, leveraging learning and clinical practice that can advance the care of patients with diabetes and/or dysglycemia in the hospital. These include: (1) application of knowledge related to inpatient glycemic management can be improved with active, situated, and participatory interactions of learners in the workplace; (2) instruction about inpatient glycemic management needs to reach a larger population of learners; (3) management of dysglycemia in the hospital may benefit from the integration of clinical decision support strategies; and (4) education should be adopted as a formal component of hospitals' quality planning, aiming to integrate clinical practice guidelines and to optimize diabetes care in hospitals.
Effects of Crowding and Wave Exposure on Cirrus Morphology of the Acorn Barnacle, Semibalanus balanoides

Wave action and density dependent effects can strongly affect the ability of sessile barnacles to feed and assimilate energy. Phenotypic plasticity in cirrus form has been demonstrated in several species of acorn barnacles in response to those factors. Field experiments were used to test whether cirrus morphology of the North Atlantic acorn barnacle, Semibalanus balanoides, varied in sites over a gradient of wave-exposure or in aggregations manipulated for population density and neighborhood size. Variation in morphology of the feeding cirri differed between sites, but was not directly related to estimates of wave exposure. This may have been a result of altered feeding behavior in different types of flow. Cirrus morphology did not vary with either aggregation size or density. This study identifies variation in cirrus form for S. balanoides, suggests its dependence on the hydrodynamic environment and lack of dependence on density.
Ab Initio Modeling of Structure and Properties of Single and Mixed Alkali Silicate Glasses

A density functional theory (DFT)-based ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) has been applied to simulate models of single and mixed alkali silicate glasses with two different molar concentrations of alkali oxides. The structural environments and spatial distributions of alkali ions in the 10 simulated models with 20% and 30% of Li, Na, K and equal proportions of Li–Na and Na–K are studied in detail for subtle variations among the models. Quantum mechanical calculations of electronic structures, interatomic bonding, and mechanical and optical properties are carried out for each of the models, and the results are compared with available experimental observation and other simulations. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data. We have used the novel concept of using the total bond order density (TBOD), a quantum mechanical metric, to characterize internal cohesion in these glass models. The mixed alkali effect (MAE) is visible in the bulk mechanical properties but not obvious in...
Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma: A 23-Year Experience with Emphasis on Low-Grade Tumors with Close/Positive Margins:

Objective Describe outcomes for mucoepidermoid carcinoma by histologic grade and evaluate outcomes for patients with low-grade tumors with close/positive margins after initial surgical resection. Study Design Cohort study. Setting Kaiser Permanente Southern California Medical Group from 1993 to 2016. Subjects and Methods Retrospective review of 154 patients with major and minor salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the head and neck. Disease-specific and recurrence-free survival were stratified by tumor grade. Subgroup analysis of recurrence-free survival in patients with low-grade disease with close or positive margins was also performed. Results Five-year recurrence-free and disease-specific survival were excellent for both low- and intermediate-grade tumors, while there was there was a high rate of recurrence and mortality among patients with high-grade tumors. Patients with low-grade tumors with close or positive margins who were observed had no difference in recurrence-free survival compared to those who underwent revision surgery and/or adjuvant radiotherapy. Conclusions High-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma has poor outcomes despite aggressive treatment. Among patients with low-grade tumors with close or positive margins on initial resection, additional treatment had no impact on survival or recurrence. Observation may be a reasonable alternative to additional treatment in this select group of patients.
Multiplexed imaging using same species primary antibodies with signal amplification

Multiplexed IF imaging using same species antibodies is in great demand as multiplexed IF is a general practice in biological and clinical laboratories whilst antibodies from different species are hardly available. We here presented a robust method to eliminate the use of secondary antibodies by replacing secondary antibody signal amplification with DNA-based Hybridization-Chain-Reaction signal amplification. We achieved as much as 89-fold signal enhancement, and four target imaging using all mouse primary antibodies.
Characterization of lunar surface within Tsiolkovsky crater: Photometric properties

Abstract The photometric modeling results of the region within Tsiolokovsky crater indicate a surface that is highly variable on two spatial scales: the 10 × 10 pixel scale of the modeling effort (image resolution is ∼0.6 m/pixel) and the millimeter to micrometer scale to which the modeling parameters can be sensitive. There are locations within the region that are commensurate with either exposed or lightly covered bedrock or ponded, fine-grained regolith. Overall the surface roughness across this region displays a bi-modal distribution whereas the particle scattering function shows a uni-modal distribution, with the phase function displaying a moderately backward scattering nature. The single scattering albedo is characterized by a bi-modal distribution commensurate with the albedo dichotomy between the crater floor and the anorthositic, central peak uplift. There are indications of regolith movement and segregation due to gravity in some areas.
MJO evolution and predictability disclosed by the RMM variant with balanced MJO variance in convection and zonal winds

The all-season real-time multivariate MJO (RMM) index was designed for an equal contribution of variance from the raw anomalous OLR and zonal winds at 850 (U850) and 200 hPa (U200), whereas it represents a notably larger proportion of the MJO variance in U850 and U200 than in OLR such that the index appears more dynamical and overestimates the MJO predictability and prediction skills. The revised RMM (RMM-r) substantially enhanced the fraction in OLR and reduced that in U850, whilst the distribution remains far from a balance. A new variant (RMM-b) is derived with the constraint of representing the same percentage (about 60.5%) of the globally total MJO variance in each field. The constraint determines 9 W m− 2, 2.73 m s− 1 and 4.1 m s− 1 to scale the OLR, U850 and U200, respectively, after the interannual variability is removed from the anomalies by a regression approach. The resultant RMM-b represents 30–40% more MJO power in OLR than the RMM, particularly at zonal wavenumbers 2–3 in eastward propagation and in the Western Pacific, and closer to the RMM-r. It carries 10–15% more MJO variance in U850 at zonal wavenumber 1 than the RMM-r, closer to the RMM. It detects the real-time MJO evolution closer to the RMM-r. And it discloses the MJO predictability and prediction skills in the recent Global Ensemble Forecasting System more reasonably than the RMM-r and closer to the RMM. The RMM-b is concluded to more suitably constitute the convectively coupled nature of the MJO.
Understanding Naturalistic Decision Making Under Life Threatening Conditions

Motivation – Understand decision making of mission critical personnel (e.g., police, firefighters, warriors, etc.) when life and limb are threatened. Research approach – Consilience (Wilson, 1999) was used to synthesize predator-prey dynamics, emotionprimed NDM and intuitive cognition to understand decision making under threat. Findings – Advances in ethology, cognitive and neurosciences do provide a means to understand the mechanisms that modulate decision making under threat. Research limitations/Implications – The paper presents an ad hoc theoretical model, with partial empirical support, on the predilections and frailties of NDM under threat. Further research is necessary to validate this approach. Originality/Value – Current research in NDM has not satisfactorily addressed the cognitive mechanisms driving decision making under threat. This paper attempts to close that gap. Take away message – A formal approach to study NDM under life threatening conditions has been proposed. This can be used to inform the design of systems and training programs for mission critical personnel.
Bioluminescence expression during the transition from mycelium to mushroom in three North American Armillaria and Desarmillaria species.

Abstract Unlike most bioluminescent fungi, mycelia of Armillaria and Desarmillaria are constitutively bioluminescent while mature mushrooms are not. The absence of the luciferin, 3-hydroxyhispidin, and its precursor hispidin in mature mushrooms have been proposed to explain the lack of bioluminescence from Armillaria mushrooms. Using three North American species, A. gallica, A. mellea and D. tabescens (syn., Armillaria tabescens), we documented a decline in luminescence of ten fold during the transition from mycelia to, immature mushrooms (i.e., pins) for the two Armillaria species. As pins matured, luminescence declined by an additional two or three orders of magnitude. Lower initial luminescence of D. tabescens mycelia declined to negligible levels during mushroom development. Further, light production was localized in the gills and lower stipe of A. mellea mushrooms. The decline in luminescence during mushroom formation was reversed by addition of hispidin to stipe or gills which significantly enhanced luminescence by one and three orders of magnitude, respectively. We conclude that the modulation of Armillaria and Desarmillaria luminescence is achieved by luciferin availability early in mushroom development. However, since the temporal regulation of bioluminescence differs between Armillaria species and other genera, we conclude that bioluminescence in Armillaria is under unique selective pressures.
What Do We Know About Youth Softball Pitching and Injury

Participation rates in fastpitch softball are continually on the rise, especially in youth. With the increased participation also comes the increased injury susceptibility. Unfortunately, the common misconception about the dynamic 360° windmill softball pitch, that it is a natural motion and thus does not cause stress on the shoulder, deterred investigation into pitching mechanics until recently. As pitching injuries in softball are on the rise, more attention is needed into the mechanics of the windmill softball pitch and injury implications. Therefore, it was the purpose of this current opinion paper to shed light on what is known about youth softball pitching and injury susceptibility.
Learning About Ineffectiveness: Physicians’ Prescription Decisions Regarding Off-Label Drug Uses

Current regulation of off-label uses of drugs relies on physicians to incorporate the latest scientific information into their prescription decisions. The appropriateness of this reliance can be tested by exploring the sensitivity of physicians’ prescriptions patterns to information of an off-label use’s ineffectiveness. This study examines off-label prescriptions of an anticonvulsant, neurontin, for the treatment of bipolar disorder and finds that specialists do not relinquish neurontin after a scientific study by the manufacturers failed to find effectiveness. Instead, specialists seem to relinquish the drug only after information about a lawsuit regarding neurontin’s marketing practices. While the legal regime governing off-label drug use expects physicians to police the use of off-label prescriptions and to flexibly change treatment plans based on the latest scientific evidence, these results suggest that these expectations might not be valid.
Automatic exam grading by a mobile camera: snap a picture to grade your tests

Advances in mobile computing power have opened possibilities for processing intensive optical recognition and machine learning applications. Despite the widespread availability of mobiles phones and digital resources, the education industry has made few updates to time-consuming grading techniques: many teachers continue to grade tests by hand or use outdated technology. Our goal is to produce a seamless, efficient, and accessible mobile experience to automate grading across multiple formats. We present a solution that allows teachers to take a photo and receive a visualized result after our deep learning application recognizes handwriting patterns, grades test answers, and identifies names and IDs. As a result, we contribute an improved computational tool for teachers to quickly create and grade exams across various formats.
The Complex Fibrinogen Interactions of the Staphylococcus aureus Coagulases

The two coagulases, von Willebrand factor binding protein (vWbp) and Coagulase (Coa), are critical virulence factors in several animal models of invasive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections. These proteins are part of an intricate system of proteins that S. aureus uses to assemble a fibrinogen (Fg)/fibrin protective shield surrounding itself. This shield allows the microorganism to evade clearance by the host phagocytic cells. The coagulases can non-proteolytically activate the zymogen prothrombin to convert Fg to fibrin and promote the Fg/fibrin shield formation. The coagulases also bind directly to Fg and the interaction between Coa and Fg has been previously characterized in some detail. However, the mechanism(s) by which vWbp interacts with Fg remains unclear. Here, we show that vWbp and Coa have distinct interactions with Fg, despite being structurally similar. Coa binds with a significantly higher affinity to soluble Fg than to Fg coated on a plastic surface, whereas vWbp demonstrates no preference between the two forms of Fg. The two coagulases appear to target different sites on Fg, as they do not compete with each other in binding to Fg. Similar to Coa, both the N- and C-terminal halves of vWbp (vWbp-N, vWbp-C, respectively) harbor Fg-binding activities. The higher affinity Fg-binding activity resides in vWbp-N; whereas, the C-terminal region of Coa encompasses the major Fg-binding activity. Peptides constituting the previously identified Coa/Efb1 Fg-binding motif fail to inhibit vWbp-C from binding to Fg, indicating that vWbp-C lacks a functional homolog to this motif. Interestingly, the N-terminal prothrombin-binding domains of both coagulases recognize the Fg β-chain, but they appear to interact with different sequence motifs in the host protein. Collectively, our data provide insight into the complex interactions between Fg and the S. aureus coagulases.
Variation in Intraoperative and Postoperative Utilization for 3 Common General Surgery Procedures

Objective:The aim of this study was to understand variation in intraoperative and postoperative utilization for common general surgery procedures.Summary Background Data:Reducing surgical costs is paramount to the viability of hospitals.Methods:Retrospective analysis of electronic health record data
Learning Optimal Classification Trees: Strong Max-Flow Formulations.

We consider the problem of learning optimal binary classification trees. Literature on the topic has burgeoned in recent years, motivated both by the empirical suboptimality of heuristic approaches and the tremendous improvements in mixed-integer programming (MIP) technology. Yet, existing approaches from the literature do not leverage the power of MIP to its full extent. Indeed, they rely on weak formulations, resulting in slow convergence and large optimality gaps. To fill this gap in the literature, we propose a flow-based MIP formulation for optimal binary classification trees that has a stronger linear programming relaxation. Our formulation presents an attractive decomposable structure. We exploit this structure and max-flow/min-cut duality to derive a Benders' decomposition method, which scales to larger instances. We conduct extensive computational experiments on standard benchmark datasets on which we show that our proposed approaches are 50 times faster than state-of-the art MIP-based techniques and improve out of sample performance up to 13.8%.
Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computed Tomography

The availability of intraoperative computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in neurosurgery has steadily grown over the past 15 years. CT scanners are used routinely for the placement of spinal instrumentation, while intraoperative MRI is used in brain tumor surgery to assess degree of resection. These imaging platforms are increasingly being incorporated into deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. Common data points for determining final lead placement in DBS surgery are test stimulation of the lead—to determine clinical benefit and side effects—and microelectrode recording (MER). Intraoperative three-dimensional imaging allows the surgeon to quantify stereotactic accuracy at the time of surgery. While intraoperative CT and MRI can be used in conjunction with test stimulation and MER, there has been a growing interest in using stereotactic accuracy alone in determining target engagement. As this approach to DBS surgery evolves, the role of intraoperative CT and MRI in DBS surgery will become increasingly fundamental.
Neoliberalism and Kazakhstan's emerging higher education

The Republic of Kazakhstan is one of the Central Asian countries of the former Soviet Union. The ninth largest country in the world in physical size with a population of over 17 million people and significant oil, iron ore, coal, copper, and gas reserves, Kazakhstan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. In the early 1990s, the Supreme Court of the Kazakh Social Soviet Republic declared the transition of a planned economy to a market economy. Kazakhstan’s market system has significantly impacted its emerging higher education system. Less government spending and the creation of private universities in Kazakhstan were the core strategies that have been implemented under the neoliberal policies of Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan’s president from independence to this year (1991-2019).
Developing a coral proxy system model to compare coral and climate model estimates of changes in paleo-ENSO variability

Coral records of surface-ocean conditions extend our knowledge of interannual El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability into the pre-instrumental period. That said, the wide range of natural variability within the climate system as well as multiple sources of uncertainties inherent to the coral archive produce challenges for the paleoclimate community to detect forced changes in ENSO using coral geochemical records. We present a new coral proxy system model (PSM) of intermediate complexity, geared toward the evaluation of changes in interannual variance. Our coral PSM adds additional layers of complexity to previously published transfer functions of sensor models that describe how the archive responds to sea-surface temperature (SST) and salinity. We use SST and salinity output from the Community Earth System Model Last Millennium Ensemble 850 control to model coral oxygen isotopic ratios and SST derived from Sr/Ca. We present a detailed analysis of our PSM using climate model output for sites in the central and southwest Pacific before extending the analyses to span the broader tropical Pacific. We demonstrate how variable growth rates, analytical and calibration errors, and age model assumptions systematically impact estimates of interannual variance, and show that the relative magnitude of the change in interannual variance is location dependent. Importantly, however, we find that even with the added uncertainties in our PSM, corals from many circum-Pacific locations are broadly able to capture decadal and longer (decadal+) changes in ENSO variability. Our code is publicly available on GitHub to facilitate future comparisons between model output and coral proxy data.
Wildfires and mass effects of dispersal disrupt the local uniformity of type I songs of Hermit Warblers in California

Hermit Warblers (Setophaga occidentalis) sing a formulaic, type I song to attract mates, in contrast to a repertoire of more complex, type II songs to defend territories. A single, dominant type I song, or a low diversity of type I songs, often occur within a geographic area. We provide the first comprehensive description of Hermit Warbler type I song variants throughout California, USA. We recorded type I songs from 1,588 males across 101 study sites in the state from April through July 2009–2014. Using those locations and a pre-existing range map of the species, we created a maximum entropy-based breeding habitat suitability map and classified the songs into 35 variants using a typological rubric. We validated consistent classification of songs for 87.5% of the birds. We then modeled the effects of recent fire history at the local scale (10 yr, 315 km2), the amount of breeding habitat at the regional scale (8,000 km2), and the distance between territories to examine factors involved in song sameness at the local scale. We found that the probability of different birds singing the same form declined with the amount of local fire, regional habitat, and distance, and that these findings were robust to uncertainty in our song classification rubric. Using a longitudinal analysis including additional data from 10 study areas revisited in 2019, we showed that song structure within forms had drifted since our initial visits 5–10 yr earlier, and that the evenness (e.g., Simpson's measure) of song forms increased at locations that had been burned by wildfire between visits. Taken together, the results suggest that wildfires and the mass effects of dispersal of birds singing rival song forms disrupt the uniformity of type I songs locally. The results demonstrate how species traits, such as birdsong, can be used to disentangle the ecological processes that regulate observed patterns in biodiversity. Further investigation is recommended to determine whether song pattern dynamics reflect underlying genetic differences and habitat specializations among subpopulations.LAY SUMMARYThe diversity of song dialects sung by Hermit Warblers in California forests is influenced by fire history.After exhaustive surveys of >1,500 birds, we mapped the distribution of 35 song dialects throughout the state.Our results suggest that differences among these songs were generated as an epiphenomenon of different subpopulations specializing on different forest types.Dispersal due to fire, and the mass effects of birds from surrounding forests, likely disrupts the uniformity of song dialects within locations, thereby promoting dynamic diversity over the longer term.
A cross-sectional examination of the home food environments of mothers who have undergone metabolic and bariatric surgery: a pilot study.

Abstract Background Healthful dietary changes after metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) may benefit not only patients, but the type and/or availability of foods/beverages in the family home food environment (HFE) overall, thereby reducing obesogenic environmental risks to child offspring in the home. Few studies have investigated the family HFE after MBS. Objectives To examine whether the HFE of mothers post-MBS differed from the HFE of mothers of normal weight, overweight, and with obesity using an open home food inventory. Setting Cincinnati, Ohio and Newark, Delaware. Methods Thirty-two mothers with a child (6–12 yr) participated (8 post-MBS, 8 normal weight, 8 overweight, 8 with obesity) in a pilot study. Research personnel recorded all foods and beverages in the home. Per person total energy and servings of fruits, vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages, and energy-dense snack foods in the HFE were examined using 1-way analyses of variance and Cohen’s d effect sizes. Results Mothers in the post-MBS group had significantly fewer servings of sugar-sweetened beverages available per person compared with mothers with obesity (P = .01). Effect sizes for group differences indicated total energy, sugar-sweetened beverages, and servings of fruits and vegetables were generally medium to large, most with lower mean values for the post-MBS group relative to comparator groups. Conclusion These findings, while preliminary, highlight areas for future research and add to an emerging literature on obesogenic risks to offspring in the post-MBS home, a known subgroup at high risk for severe obesity.
Pre-Existing Psychiatric Illness Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Delirium in Patients With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Background:Patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are highly susceptible to developing delirium for a multitude of reasons. Previous studies have linked pre-existing depression wi...
The Spine: Acquired Disorders

The chapter begins with the discussion of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, including a section describing various methods for imaging these conditions. Intervertebral disc disease follows, with discussion of intervertebral calcification and disc prolapse. Spinal trauma is addressed, along with inflammatory and neoplastic destructive vertebral lesions. The last section of the chapter covers salient features of tumors that occur in the spine, including osteoid osteoma, osteoblastoma, aneurysmal bone cyst, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, and osteochondroma.
Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy: Kennedy Disease

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), Kennedy disease, is a relatively rare form of adult motor neuron disease causing progressive proximal spinal and bulbar muscular weakness. SBMA is an X-linked disorder due to a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in the androgen receptor gene. As patients are frequently misdiagnosed, genetic testing is diagnostic for SBMA. Depression is common as patients adjust to their diagnosis and prognosis as well as to the guilt of passing on the gene. Genetic counseling should address the psychological impact of the diagnosis and the implications for other family members and their reproductive options.
The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for exercise-induced muscle damage: implications for skeletal muscle development.

Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is a common condition resulting from a bout of vigorous exercise, particularly if the individual is unaccustomed to performance of the given movement. Symptoms of EIMD include delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and a loss of physical function. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are routinely prescribed post-exercise to alleviate these symptoms and restore normal physical function. Of potential concern for those who use NSAIDs to treat EIMD is the possibility that they may impair the adaptive response to exercise. Specifically, there is emerging evidence that the action of cyclo-oxygenase (COX) enzymes, and COX-2 in particular, are important and even necessary to achieve maximal skeletal muscle hypertrophy in response to functional overload. Given that NSAIDs exert their actions by blocking COX and thus suppressing prostaglandin production, a theoretical rationale exists whereby these drugs may have detrimental effects on muscle regeneration and super-compensation. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to extensively review the literature and evaluate the effects of NSAIDs on muscle growth and development. Based on current evidence, there is little reason to believe that the occasional use of NSAIDs will negatively affect muscle growth, although the efficacy for their use in alleviating inflammatory symptoms remains questionable. Evidence on the hypertrophic effects of the chronic use of NSAIDs is less clear. In those who are untrained, it does not appear that regular NSAID use will impede growth in the short term, and at least one study indicates that it may in fact have a positive impact. Given their reported impairment of satellite cell activity, however, longer-term NSAID use may well be detrimental, particularly in those who possess greater growth potential.
Medicaid and Wealth: An Examination Using the NLSY79

Do public insurance programs crowd out private savings? I examine the relationship between Medicaid and wealth and make a contribution to the literature on this issue in three primary ways. First, I apply the instrumental-variables approach developed by Gruber and Yelowitz (1999) to a different dataset, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 (NLSY79), while at the same time examining an alternative instrument. The results turn out to differ depending on the instrument and, for one of the instruments, to be sensitive to assumptions needed to identify Medicaid’s effects. Second, using the longitudinal data in the NLSY79, I am able to observe families before and after becoming eligible for Medicaid, and use fixed-effects to control for family-specific unobservable factors that are correlated with both Medicaid eligibility and wealth accumulation. It turns out, however, that assessment of the impact of Medicaid by means of fixed effects has its limitations as well. Third, I make use of the SIPP data used by Gruber and Yelowitz themselves, and examine the sensitivity of their conclusions to omitted factors that may be related to both Medicaid eligibility and to wealth accumulation. While more robust than the results using the NLSY79, the SIPP estimates are found to depend on the sample used and on certain specification restrictions. Taken together, the results suggest caution in making inferences about the impact of Medicaid on wealth.
Single-sided diffraction by PT-symmetric metasurfaces

We explore light diffraction by parity-time-symmetric metasurfaces. Such structures can lead to one-sided diffraction when operating close to their exceptional points. In this regime, the negative diffraction orders are eliminated while the positive are enhanced.
U.S. Judicial Implementation of the Hague Convention in Cases Alleging Domestic Violence

This qualitative study examined U.S. legal cases where battered mothers living abroad fled with their children to the United States. These women subsequently faced child abduction lawsuits brought by their batterer. The cases are governed by the Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (the Hague Convention) which was ratified by the U.S. in 1988. Using content analysis, the study analyzed 47 published U.S. state and federal judicial opinions involving the Convention and allegations of domestic violence. It finds that U.S. courts are reluctant to employ Convention provisions that could prevent children from being returned to their mother’s batterer. jfcj_1058 1..21
Chemical mass balance source apportionment for combined PM2.5 measurements from U.S. non-urban and urban long-term networks☆

Abstract The Minnesota Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) Source Apportionment Study was undertaken to explore the utility of PM2.5 mass, element, ion, and carbon measurements from long-term speciation networks for pollution source attribution. Ambient monitoring data at eight sites across the state were retrieved from the archives of the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) and the Speciation Trends Network (STN; part of the Chemical Speciation Network [CSN]) and analyzed by an Effective Variance – Chemical Mass Balance (EV-CMB) receptor model with region-specific geological source profiles developed in this study. PM2.5 was apportioned into contributions of fugitive soil dust, calcium-rich dust, taconite (low grade iron ore) dust, road salt, motor vehicle exhaust, biomass burning, coal-fired utility, and secondary aerosol. Secondary sulfate and nitrate contributed strongly (49–71% of PM2.5) across all sites and was dominant (≥60%) at IMPROVE sites. Vehicle exhausts accounted for 20–70% of the primary PM2.5 contribution, largely exceeding the proportion in the primary PM2.5 emission inventory. The diesel exhaust contribution was separable from the gasoline engine exhaust contribution at the STN sites. Higher detection limits for several marker elements in the STN resulted in non-detectable coal-fired boiler contributions which were detected in the IMPROVE data. Despite the different measured variables, analytical methods, and detection limits, EV-CMB results from a nearby IMPROVE-STN non-urban/urban sites showed similar contributions from regional sources – including fugitive dust and secondary aerosol. Seasonal variations of source contributions were examined and extreme PM2.5 episodes were explained by both local and regional pollution events.
CLINICAL USE OF 17α‐HYDROXYPROGESTERONE 17‐n‐CAPROATE IN THE PREVENTION OF PREMATURE LABOR, AND ITS EFFECT UPON FETAL SALVAGE

59 pregnant women were treated with 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone 17-n-caproate (17-HPC) and divided into 3 groups the first of which included 40 with spontaneous premature rupture of the membranes. The remainder had painful uterine contractions or distension. Neither premature nor term labor was prevented although many of the patients with painful contractions and uterine disease obtained rapid and relatively complete relief on adequate dosage individualized for each patient. Fetal salvage in the 1000-2000-gm group was significantly improved (p=.03) in those treated with 17-HPC. A theoretical explanation for this improvement was presented.(AUTHORS MODIFIED)
Selecting social studies textbooks

Because dissatisfaction with textbooks usually arises from issues of content and philosophy, we would expect those who select elementary social studies texts to focus on these issues. This article reports on a study of the instruments used to evaluate elementary social studies texts in thirty-three school districts. The study found the process to be haphazard and the general instruments to be poorly formulated. Instruments created specifically for evaluating social studies materials were better focused.
Molecular dyes used for the detection of biological and environmental heavy metals: Highlights from 2004 to 2008

The coordination chemistry of heavy metals, for example, Fe3 + , Pb2 + , Cd2 + , Hg2 + , Cu2 + and Zn2 + , is of interest, in part because of their hazards and toxicity in biological, industrial and agricultural applications. Additionally, there is much interest in the detection and quantification of trace metals in the products of chemical synthesis, in particular sensors for detecting Pd2 + . There has been plethora of new molecular sensors for the detection of heavy metals, which utilise colorimetric or fluorescence mechanisms. This mini-review covers recent advances (2004–2008) in the development of molecular sensors that is restricted to molecular dyes. Other methods for the detection of heavy metals, for example, conjugated polymers and gold nanoparticles are omitted.
Screening for Alcohol Risk in Predominantly Hispanic Youths: Positive Rates and Behavioral Consequences.

The present study examined relationships between CAGE alcohol risk scores and predisposing factors for alcohol use, current alcohol use, and behavioral consequences in a large sample of secondary students. Students completed the CAGE, measures of demographics, potential predisposing factors, and consequences of alcohol use. More than 18% of students screened positive for potential alcohol risk using traditional CAGE criteria, and another 23% scored moderate risk using a more liberal criterion. CAGE scores were related to a variety of predisposing factors and were strongly related to current drinking and alcohol-related behavioral consequences. It was recommended that investigators examine multiple options for appropriate alcohol screening instruments.