cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ciudades mayas preclásicas, raíces y evolución: el Preclásico Medio en Cuello, Belice

This short paper deals with the archaeological evidence from one of the earliest Maya conmmunities to have been extensively excavated and especially dated for the Middle Preclassic period, the small site of Cuello in northern Belice. The autor briefly mentions the ways of life of the preclassic inhabitants, the natural environment, their crops, food staff, and that they made bark paper to render symbols on. All this evidence shows a highly ranked society, with higher levels having access to exotic goods imported from distant placed of the Mayan area and Mesoamerican as well. The article concludes pondering, to scholars, the importance of doing research on the last moment of Middle Preclassic period (700-400 B. C.).
Play Until the Whistle Blows: Sportsmanship as the Outcome of Thirdness

There appears to be a common misunderstanding in almost all earlier and current accounts of sportsmanship. Most, if not all, of these accounts try to establish an alleged identity between sportsmanship and a moral virtue of some kind. Among others, sportsmanship has been identified with such virtues as honor, generosity, magnanimity, integrity, genuine concern for others, fairness, and fair play. 1 Among other sport theorists, for instance, Peter J. Arnold identifies sportsmanship not with a single moral virtue but rather with “a form of social union,” “a means in the promotion of pleasure,” and “a form of altruism” or some type of combination of these “three views” (1). What emerges out of one’s critical examination of these accounts is the fact that, as Peter J. Arnold rightly acknowledges, “the term sportsmanship and its relation to sport and morality is a more complex and subtle one than is commonly supposed” (1: p. 164). Unlike these accounts, the current article relies on Charles S. Peirce’s notion of epistemic mediation to offer an account of sportsmanship that is consistent with the empirical nature of sporting activities. Accordingly, sportsmanship derives from the local demands of each particular sporting activity. In this sense, sportsmanship is understood to be the result of a generalization of meaning, which is referred to here in Peircean terminology as thirdness. Such generalization of meaning, we argue, appears to be a necessary aspect of sport education, especially for children and youth, if one hopes to avoid the current undue reliance on the power of referees and officials. Thus, we hope to show, for instance, that the command “Play until the whistle blows!” seems to suggest that the proper realization of sporting activities must be totally dependent upon the power conferred, somewhat by default, to the referees and officials. This attitude is mistaken because, as Robert Simon points out correctly, We also need to consider the role of officials and referees in sports. Should we conclude that since opponents in many forms of organized competition delegate responsibility for enforcement of the rules to officials in full knowledge that officials sometimes make mistakes, the decisions of officials should be accepted as ethically final? Alternately, do participants have obligations not to accept unearned benefits arising from particularly egregious official errors,
A review of the phylogeny and biology of the Diaporthales

The ascomycete order Diaporthales is reviewed based on recent phylogenetic data that outline the families and integrate related asexual fungi. The order now consists of nine families, one of which is newly recognized as Schizoparmeaceae fam. nov., and two families are recircumscribed. Schizoparmeaceae fam. nov., based on the genus Schizoparme with its anamorphic state Pilidella and including the related Coniella, is distinguished by the three-layered ascomatal wall and the basal pad from which the conidiogenous cells originate. Pseudovalsaceae is recognized in a restricted sense, and Sydowiellaceae is circumscribed more broadly than originally conceived. Many species in the Diaporthales are saprobes, although some are pathogenic on woody plants such as Cryphonectria parasitica, the cause of chestnut blight, and agricultural crops such as canker diseases of soybean and sunflower caused by species of Diaporthe-Phomopsis in both temperate and tropical regions. Members of the Diaporthales such as Apiognomonia-Discula and Diaporthe-Phomopsis are commonly encountered as endophytes of woody plants.
Recent Progress in Syntheses and Applications of Dumbbell-like Nanoparticles

This paper reviews the recent research progress in syntheses and applications of dumbbell-like nanoparticles. It first describes the general synthesis of dumbbell-like nanoparticles containing noble metal and magnetic NPs/or quantum dots. It then outlines the interesting optical and magnetic properties found in these dumbbell nanoparticles. The review further highlights several exciting application potentials of these nanoparticles in catalysis and biomedicine. Keywords: Dumbbell nanoparticles, multifunctional nanoparticles, nanoparticle catalyst, nanomedicine 1. Introduction Dumbbell-like nanoparticles (DBNPs) described in this paper are referred to as those with two different functional NPs in intimate contact, as shown in Figure 1. The interfacial interactions originated from electron transfer across the nanometer contact at the interface of these two NPs can induce new property that is not present in the individual component NPs. For example, gold (Au) NPs are normally chemically inert but Au NPs deposited on a metal-oxide support, a structure similar to what is described in Figure 1, have shown high catalytic activity for CO oxidation.[1] In these Au-oxide composite catalyst systems, the choice of the oxide support plays an important role in the catalysis even thought the oxide is not in nanometer scale. This high activity of Au-oxide catalysts has been rationalized in terms of a junction effect, arising from transfer of electrons from the oxide support to the Fermi level of the adjacent Au NP.[2] Figure 1 Schematic illustration of a dumbbell-like nanoparticle sturcture described in this reveiw. With the example shown in the enhanced catalysis of the Au-oxide catalyst, the importance of studying the dumbbell structure is evident because each side of the NP in the structure is restricted to the nanometer scale and a small variation in electron transfer across the interface between these two limited electron “nanoreservoirs” may lead to drastic property change on each NP. Therefore, DBNPs offer an interesting platform for studying physical and chemical properties of the materials based not only on each NP dimension and shape but also on the communication between the two NPs. Furthermore, magnetically and optically active DBNPs containing two different chemical surfaces are particularly suitable for the selected NP functionalization with both targeting agent and drug molecules, facilitating their applications as multifunctional probes for target-specific imaging and delivery applications.[3] This report summarizes the recent research progress in preparing and studying DBNPs with interesting optical and magnetic properties. In particular the report focuses on the DBNPs containing noble metal NPs and magnetic NPs or quantum dots (QDs). The nanoscale junctions present in these structures allow electron transfer across the interface, changing the local electronic structure and therefore their physical and chemical properties. These DBNPs offer an ideal nano-system for catalytic and biomedical applications.
Urban Wages: Does City Size Matter?:

The literature on the relationship between city size and urban wages argues that productivity and wages are higher in larger cities. Indeed, a doubling of city size is associated with a 4—8 per cen...
Recovery of open via after electromigration in Cu dual Damascene interconnect

The recovery of open failure in a Cu dual Damascene via chain after electromigration stress test is reported. An infrared microscope system is introduced to monitor hot spots in the via chain. It is observed that hot spots could develop and fade during electromigration stressing. Furthermore, via that has opened up during stress test could recover after subsequent storage. Stress current density and storage temperature affect the time to recovery. It is proposed that backflow under compressive stress is the responsible mechanism.
Range error analysis of an integrated time-of-flight, triangulation, and photogrammetric 3D laser scanning system

A 3-D laser tracking scanner system analysis focusing on immunity to ambient sunlight and geometrical resolution and accuracy is presented in the context of a space application. The main goal of this development is to provide a robust sensor to assist in the assembly of the Space Station. This 3- D laser scanner system can be used in imagery or in tracking modes, using either time-of-flight (TOF) or triangulation methods for range acquisition. It uses two high-speed galvanometers and a collimated laser beam to address individual targets on an object. In the tracking mode of operation, we will compare the pose estimation and accuracy of the laser scanner using the different methods: triangulation, TOF (resolved targets), and photogrammetry (spatial resection), and show the advantages of combining these different modes of operation to increase the overall performances of the laser system.
The Magic World of Mirrors

Everyone has, at one time or another, been fascinated by mirrors. Even animals. I remember once watching a cat staring with puzzlement at a mirror, no doubt wondering who that other fellow cat behind the shiny surface was. The laws of optics play here a subtle trick: a ray of light falling on a mirror is reflected at exactly the same angle at which it hit the mirror1, creating the illusion that a hidden object appears from behind the mirror (Fig. 19.1).
Some Developments on Simultaneous Test Procedures

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews only certain aspects of the simultaneous test procedures. It discusses the evaluation of the probability integrals of the multivariate t , multivariate F , and multivariate gamma distributions. The chapter also focuses on the distributions of correlated quadratic forms. It explains finite intersection tests for testing simultaneously the hypotheses on contrasts of means of univariate normal populations. These tests were proposed by Krishnaiah (1963,1965a,b) and they are based on multivariate £, multivariate chi-square, multivariate normal, and multivariate F distributions. The chapter reviews the literature on the largest root test and the test based upon correlated Hotelling's T 2 statistics for multiple comparisons of mean vectors. It also discusses the problem of testing the hypotheses on regression coefficients simultaneously under classical univariate and multivariate regression models.
Foreshocks and aftershocks of large (M ≧ 5.5) earthquakes within the western Cordillera of the United States

Source parameters of foreshocks and aftershocks of 27 large ( M ≧ 5.5) earthquake sequences occurring within the western cordillera of the United States between 1915 and 1988 have been used to examine the properties of foreshocks and aftershocks and to determine how foreshocks and aftershocks relate to faulting properties of their main shocks, to physiographic province, and to heat flow. This study examines only the largest foreshocks and aftershocks occurring within 2 months and 40 km of the main shocks. Results of this study show that nearly 60 per cent of western cordilleran earthquakes have foreshocks and that 58 per cent of the foreshocks occurred within 24 hours of their main shocks. Most aftershocks appear to be occurring on a fault plane with the same or similar orientation to the fault that ruptured in the main shock at or slightly above the main shock depth. The average magnitude difference between main shocks and their largest aftershocks is 1.03 ± 0.47. The difference between main shock and aftershock magnitude appears to decrease with increasing heat flow. Sixty percent of the aftershocks occurred within 24 hours of their main shocks, but nearly one third occurred more than 1 week after their main shocks.
What Affects Word Changes in Query Reformulation During a Task-based Search Session?

This paper performs an analysis on the influence of different factors on users' choices of specific word changes in query reformulation during a search session. We study three types of word changes: whether to remove or retain a word in the current query; whether or not to add a brand-new word to the query; whether or not to reuse a word (included in previous queries, but removed in the current query). Three types of factors are examined: session-level factors measuring task and user characteristics; query-level factors related to past user activities in a session; word-level factors for the characteristics of the examined word and its relation to the current query and search results. Statistical analysis suggests that: word-level factors strongly influence all three types of word changes; query-level factors only show a clear influence on retaining or removing a word; task-level factors exhibit limited direct influence on all three types of word changes. Analysis also disclose reasons for different word changes: users remove a word to stop exploring a subtask, or to correct bad performing queries; they look for related, unused words from recently viewed result summaries and add to queries; reusing a word usually indicates reverting from a subtask to the main task or another subtask.
Hematologic malignancies: newer strategies to counter the BCL-2 protein

BCL-2 is the founding member of the BCL-2 family of apoptosis regulatory proteins that either induce (pro-apoptotic) or inhibit (anti-apoptotic) apoptosis. The anti-apoptotic BCL-2 is classified as an oncogene, as damage to the BCL-2 gene has been shown to cause a number of cancers, including lymphoma. Ongoing research has demonstrated that disruption of BCL-2 leads to cell death. BCL-2 is also known to be involved in the development of resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, further underscoring the importance of targeting the BCL-2 gene in cancer therapeutics. Thus, numerous approaches have been developed to block or modulate the production of BCL-2 at the RNA level using antisense oligonucleotides or at the protein level with BCL-2 inhibitors, such as the novel ABT737. In this article, we briefly review previous strategies to target the BCL-2 gene and focus on a new approach to silence DNA, DNA interference (DNAi). DNA interference is aimed at blocking BCL-2 gene transcription. Evaluations of this technology in preclinical and early clinical studies are very encouraging and strongly support further development of DNAi as cancer therapeutics. A pilot phase II clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma, PNT2258 demonstrated clinical benefit in 11 of 13 patients with notable responses in diffuse large B cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. By targeting the DNA directly, the DNAi technology promises to be more effective compared with other gene-interference strategies that target the RNA or protein but leaves the dysregulated DNA functional.
Osmotic Dehydration Dynamics During Fruits and Vegetables Pre-Drying Treatment

A one-dimensional mathematical model based on structure of the fruits and vegetables tissues and mass transfer mechanism was developed. The model with plant cell as a basic unit considered the mass diffusion and bulk flow of each constituent with the tissue during the osmotic dehydration. The driving force for the mass transfer was only assumed to be the concentration gradient. Potatoes were subjected to osmotic dehydration in 40% sucrose at 40℃. And a good quantitative agreement was obtained between the experimental and calculated results. Numerical results could describe the distribution of water and sucrose in the intracellular and extracellular volumes of potatoes during the osmotic dehydration and show the relationship between the change of cellular volumes and mass transfer of each constituent. In addition, the results showed osmotic dehydration had its drying time and energy advantages.
Midterm outcomes of catheter-directed interventions for the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism.

ObjectiveThe hemodynamic benefits of catheter-directed thrombolysis for acute pulmonary embolism have not been clearly defined beyond the periprocedural period. The objective of this study is to re...
Baroreflex mechanisms buffering alpha-adrenergic agonists in conscious dogs.

To determine the relative importance of the mechanisms utilized by the arterial baroreflex in buffering the pressor and vasoconstrictor responses to alpha-adrenergic receptor agonists, we studied responses to norepinephrine and phenylephrine in conscious dogs. The dogs were studied 2-8 wk after instrumentation with aortic catheters and aortic electromagnetic flow probes to measure arterial pressure and cardiac output. Total peripheral resistance was calculated on-line by a digital computer. The dogs were studied after beta-adrenergic receptor blockade (propranolol 1.0 mg/kg) to eliminate the complicating inotropic effects of the agonists studied. Norepinephrine (0.2 microgram/kg bolus) increased mean arterial pressure by 30 +/- 3 mmHg, total peripheral resistance by 51 +/- 4 mmHg . l-1 . min-1, and decreased heart rate by 26 +/- 3 beats/min. After arterial baroreceptor denervation, norepinephrine increased mean arterial pressure by 69 +/- 8 mmHg, total peripheral resistance by 48 +/- 6 mmHg . l-1 . min-1, and heart rate did not change. After ganglionic blockade (hexamethonium 40 mg/kg), norepinephrine increased mean arterial pressure by 76 +/- 3 mmHg, total peripheral resistance by 47 +/- 4 mmHg X l-1 X min-1, and heart rate did not change. Only after elimination of the buffering by heart rate by use of cholinergic receptor blockade (atropine 0.1 mg/kg) or ventricular pacing could buffering of the vasoconstrictor responses to alpha-adrenergic receptor agonists be demonstrated. Thus in conscious dogs the primary mechanism for buffering increases in arterial pressure induced by alpha-adrenergic receptor agonists is compensatory changes in heart rate and cardiac output with little buffering of total peripheral resistance.
The Burden of Musculoskeletal Conditions.

In 2002, the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade coalition presented compelling evidence to President George W. Bush that musculoskeletal disorders are the leading cause of physical disability. President Bush declared 2002-2011 the National Bone and Joint Decade to help bring attention to the societal impact of this increasing burden of musculoskeletal conditions1,2. The aims of the campaign were to raise awareness of the increasing societal impact of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, to empower patients to participate in decisions about their care, to increase funding for prevention activities and …
Hierarchical Inorganic Assemblies for Artificial Photosynthesis.

ConspectusArtificial photosynthesis is an attractive approach for renewable fuel generation because it offers the prospect of a technology suitable for deployment on highly abundant, non-arable land. Recent leaps forward in the development of efficient and durable light absorbers and catalysts for oxygen evolution and the growing attention to catalysts for carbon dioxide activation brings into focus the tasks of hierarchically integrating the components into assemblies for closing of the photosynthetic cycle. A particular challenge is the efficient coupling of the multi-electron processes of CO2 reduction and H2O oxidation. Among the most important requirements for a complete integrated system are catalytic rates that match the solar flux, efficient charge transport between the various components, and scalability of the photosynthetic assembly on the unprecedented scale of terawatts in order to have impact on fuel consumption.To address these challenges, we have developed a heterogeneous inorganic materia...
Comparative analysis of myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) subsets in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies.

10566 Background: Immunotherapy represents a potential new treatment option for patients with cancer. Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) constitute a heterogenous cell population, which inhib...
WHAT EXPLAINS THE INCREASED RACIAL DISPARITY IN VERY LOW BIRTHWEIGHT RATES IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE 1980'S? † 1590

Using data from the National Center for Health Statistics, we analyzed the effects of maternal age distribution (MAD) and maternal age-specific (MA-S) very low birthweight rates (VLBWR) on changes in VLBWR in Whites and Blacks between 1979 and 1990. In this period, VLBWR increased by 5.5% in Whites and 23.2% in Blacks. We used Kitagawa's method to separate the effects of changes in MAD and MA-S VLBWR in producing the overall changes in VLBWR among Whites and Blacks. In the period between 1989-90 and 1979-80, there was a 5.30 per 1,000 live births increase in VLBWR among Blacks and 0.52 per 1,000 increase in VLBWR among Whites. Increases in VLBWR in both Blacks and Whites were almost entirely attributable to increases in MA-S VLBWR(Table); however, Blacks had a much greater increase in MA-S VLBWR as compared with Whites. On the other hand, changes in MAD explained very little of the increases in VLBWR in either race.
Over-the-Counter vs. Limit-Order Markets: The Role of Traders' Expertise

Decentralized markets attract large amounts of trade volume, even though they exhibit frictions absent in centralized exchanges. We develop a model with asymmetric information and expertise acquisition where some traders try to exploit any market structure to inefficiently screen their counterparties. In this environment, frictions characteristic of decentralized markets, such as time-consuming search, can promote higher efficiency. First, screening behavior may be less aggressive when traders reach fewer counterparties. Second, for asset classes where information improves allocative efficiency, decentralized markets with predictable trading encounters may dominate by encouraging expertise acquisition. In contrast, when information causes adverse selection, centralized markets dominate.
Aquasift: A low-cost, hand-held potentiostat for point-of-use electrochemical detection of contaminants in drinking water

The difficulty of detecting small quantities of contaminants in water supplies currently threatens the health of millions of people worldwide, as consumption of contaminated water has been associated with both cancerous and noncancerous health risks. Existing technologies make it possible to very accurately quantify contaminant levels in water; however the expense, extensive training, and off-site analysis required by these methods prevent wide scale use. Electrochemical detection offers many advantages, such as portability, minimal use of instrumentation, and ready integration with electronics. With a goal of water quality interventions, we have presented an affordable and point-of-use platform capable of detecting small amounts of arsenic in water samples. Our electrochemical system utilizes a three-electrode sensor integrated with a handheld, self-designed potentiostat called Aquasift. Aquasift's hardware is simplified as much as possible to maintain affordability and relies on firmware complexity to provide functionality comparable to more expensive bench top potentiostats. Several optional on-board digital filters are available for signal conditioning. The Aquasift can sample at a rate up to 1KSPS and the output data rate is adjustable from 1KSPS down to 1 sample per second. The board uses 12-bit data converters to provide a voltage resolution of 806 micro volts. The Aquasift is powered directly from the USB port and requires no additional power source. We compare the results obtained from the Aquasift of arsenic testing to those obtained from a commercially available bench top potentiostat. The results show Aquasift's comparable accuracy to the commercial analyzer, and demonstrate that our proposed system is a more affordable, portable alternative to laboratory testing.
Parasocial romantic relationships, romantic beliefs, and relationship outcomes in USA adolescents: rehearsing love or setting oneself up to fail?

The study examines the associations between adolescents’ emotional and physical aspects of parasocial romantic relationships with media figures, idealized romantic beliefs, perceptions of a current...
“Positive Feelings”: Group Support for Children of HIV-Infected Mothers

This paper describes a support group for children, ages 9–13, whose mothers are living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Beginning with identification of the need for, and purpose of the group, the paper describes the group recruitment, screening and intake process; group composition; group content and process; barriers to service and issues specific to facilitation of the group. The group provided support to children by increasing knowledge of HIV and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) issues, providing a forum for expression of feelings and concerns regarding their parent's HIV status, improving communication skills, identifying and expanding coping strategies, and facilitating peer support for normalization and validation of fears and concerns.
Structural Characteristics and Electronic States of Hemoglobin

The main physiological function of hemoglobin is to pick up molecular oxygen in the lungs, transport it to the tissues and deposit it there. On the face of it, this is not especially remarkable; it is only when the process is examined in some detail that a number of unusual features emerge.
Algorithms and Models for Transmission Expansion Planning

This chapter presents an overview of algorithms and optimization models used for solving Transmission Expansion Planning (TEP) problem. Being a very complex problem TEP attracts much attention from both researchers and practitioners. A great number of publications in the technical literature address this problem by providing various optimization models and applying different algorithms to solve the TEP problem. Besides literature review and brief classification of the proposed algorithms and models this survey covers examples for most of the methods.
CO2 Emission From Electric Utility And Kyoto Protocol: Study Of Policy Analysis

The purpose of this study is to analyze the basic issues of CO2 emission from electric utility in terms of marginal damages and marginal benefits. It clarified the disparity between social and private costs and examined how the Kyoto Protocol considering efficiency losses and gains that might be generated if the agreement enters into force. The neo-classical partial equilibrium demand and supply theory is used for measuring the magnitudes of the efficiency losses and gains. Ohio's electric utility is used as a paradigm to capture the entire nation's scenario of social loss that could be reduced domestically under different market and non-market bases options.
Scandium Aluminum Nitride as an Emerging Material for High Power Transistors

Incorporating a novel ultra-wide bandgap material, ScAlN, as the layer material in III-nitride highelectron-mobility transistors has the potential to improve output power at millimeter wave frequencies. Lattice-matched ScAlN can be grown by molecular beam epitaxy with high interfacial quality and phase purity. Varying the ScAlN barrier thickness from 3–25 nm results in sheet charge densities of 2.0–3.2 × 1013 cm−2and electron mobilities as high as 1060 cm 2 /V·s
Surgical Treatment of Pulmonary Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infections

Adjuvant surgical resection in the setting of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection removes focal parenchymal disease thought to serve as a poorly perfused "reservoir" for organisms, thus resistant to standard antimicrobial therapy. Removal of these areas of damaged lung is felt to enhance the effectiveness of the medical treatment. In general, these operations are associated with low morbidity and mortality, although resections that are more extensive carry higher risk. Many of the planned operations may be performed with minimally invasive techniques. More data are needed regarding long-term outcomes in these patients.
Torsional Fatigue in Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Strands:

This work involves the study of torsional fatigue in carbon fiber/epoxy strands by measuring the decay in strand shear modulus as a function of the number of cycles of torsional loading. Strand res...
Non-parametric recurrent events analysis with BART and an application to the hospital admissions of patients with diabetes

Much of survival analysis is concerned with absorbing events, i.e., subjects can only experience a single event such as mortality. This article is focused on non-absorbing or recurrent events, i.e., subjects are capable of experiencing multiple events. Recurrent events have been studied by many; however, most rely on the restrictive assumptions of linearity and proportionality. We propose a new method for analyzing recurrent events with Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) avoiding such restrictive assumptions. We explore this new method via a motivating example of hospital admissions for diabetes patients and simulated data sets.
The Demon of Hope: An Arts-based Infused Meditation on Race, Disability, and the Researcher’s Complicity with Injustice

My ethical stance demands that my research mutually benefit all research participants and that it should serve to reverse systemic policies of anti-blackness that permeate the educational system in the United States. Through publications and similar academic activities, however, my research advances my own career, but it is doubtful that it significantly advances the trajectories of the students with whom I work. Indeed, it could be argued that this imbalance in benefits advances the very system of white dominance that I claim to contest. In this arts-based, auto-ethnographic study, I document how, through the creation of pastel drawings and digital collage making, I seek to make sense of my compromised role as a white researcher in communities of color. I focus on my recent research with an 18-year-old African-American woman who was diagnosed with ADHD in the 5th grade.
Impact of circadian rhythmicity and sleep restriction on circulating endocannabinoid (eCB) N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide)

Abstract Objective The endocannabinoid (eCB) system is involved in diverse aspects of human physiology and behavior but little is known about the impact of circadian rhythmicity on the system. The two most studied endocannabinoids, AEA (ananamide) and 2-AG (2-arachidonoylglycerol), can be measured in peripheral blood however the functional relevance of peripheral eCB levels is not clear. Having previously detailed the 24-h profile of serum 2-AG, here we report the 24-h serum profile of AEA to determine if these two endocannabinoids vary in parallel across the biological day including a nocturnal 8.5-h sleep period. Further, we assessed and compared the effect of a physiological challenge, in the form of sleep restriction to 4.5-h, on these two profiles. Methods In this randomized crossover study, we examined serum concentrations of AEA across a 24-h period in fourteen young adults. Congeners of AEA, the structural analogs oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) were simultaneously assayed. Prior to 24-h blood sampling, each participant was exposed to two nights of normal (8.5 h) or restricted sleep (4.5 h). The two sleep conditions were separated by at least one month. In both sleep conditions, during the period of blood sampling, each individual ate the same high-carbohydrate meal at 0900, 1400, and 1900. Results Mean 24-h concentrations of AEA were 0.697 ± 0.11 pmol/ml. A reproducible biphasic 24-h profile of AEA was observed with a first peak occurring during early sleep (0200) and a second peak in the mid-afternoon (1500) while a nadir was detected in the mid-morning (1000). The 24-h profiles for both OEA and PEA followed a similar pattern to that observed for AEA. AEA, OEA, and PEA levels were not affected by sleep restriction at any time of day, contrasting with the elevation of early afternoon levels previously observed for 2-AG. Conclusions The 24-h rhythm of AEA is markedly different from that of 2-AG, being of lesser amplitude and biphasic, rather than monophasic. These observations suggest distinct regulatory pathways of the two eCB and indicate that time of day needs to be carefully controlled in studies attempting to delineate their relative roles. Moreover, unlike 2-AG, AEA is not altered by sleep restriction, suggesting that physiological perturbations may affect AEA and 2-AG differently. Similar 24-h profiles were observed for OEA and PEA following normal and restricted sleep, further corroborating the validity of the wave-shape and lack of response to sleep loss observed for the AEA profile. Therapeutic approaches involving agonism or antagonism of peripheral eCB signaling will likely need to be tailored according to time of day.
Transportation and land use as social determinants of health: the case of arterial roads

Abstract The relationship between transportation and public health has been a concern of policy and planning for decades, centering on air quality, safety, and physical activity. Despite improved understanding of transportation as an environmental determinant of health, we lack critical knowledge of how streets, traffic, and land use interact as social determinants of health. Streets are among the most important forms of public space in cities. As such, they display the material signs of social problems and neglect such as graffiti, drug and alcohol use, and squalor, which are known social pathways that affect health. This chapter provides a critical summary of how transportation and land use can be understood as a social pathway of health and health disparities. It illustrates this idea with the case of major arterial roads. Arterial roads are an explicit example of why social-ecological health impacts are increasingly a focus of transportation policy, particularly as cities and regions locate infill and transit-oriented development along high-traffic streets and highways.
Computer Algebra as a Tool for Analyzing Nonlinear Systems

We have studied a variety of weakly perturbed nonlinear dynamical systems using the method of normal forms, a reduction scheme, introduced by Poincare in the late nineteenth century. The method was formalized by Birkhoff who applied it extensively to Hamiltonian mechanics. By invoking a near-identity coordinate transformation, the method of normal forms converts the nonlinear differential equations into simplified equations of motion for the zerothorder approximation to the true solution [1,2,3]. These coordinate transformations, nonlinear functions of the zeroth-order approximations, are found by solving a sequence of linear equations which are determined by the spectrum of the operator associated with the linear, unperturbed motion. The algebra related to these calculations is intensive and well-suited to the symbolic and programming capabilities of Maple. Through the use of procedures written in Maple we have performed high-order normal form computations and have investigated the exploitation of an inherent nonuniqueness of the zeroth-order approximation [4,5]. We will show how this nonuniqueness can be utilized to obtain transformed equations of motion that can be tailored to the needs of the investigator. Coupled with computer algebra, the method of normal forms is a potentially powerful tool for the examination of nonlinear systems [6].
Molecular characterization and three-dimensional structures of avian H8, H11, H14, H15 and swine H4 influenza virus hemagglutinins

Abstract Of the eighteen hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes (H1–H18) that have been identified in bats and aquatic birds, many HA subtypes have been structurally characterized. However, several subtypes (H8, H11 and H12) still require characterization. To better understand all of these HA subtypes at the molecular level, HA structures from an A(H4N6) (A/swine/Missouri/A01727926/2015), an A(H8N4) (A/turkey/Ontario/6118/1968), an A(H11N9) (A/duck/Memphis/546/1974), an A(H14N5) A/mallard/Gurjev/263/1982, and an A(H15N9) (A/wedge-tailed shearwater/Western Australia/2576/1979 were determined by X-ray crystallography at 2.2A, 2.3A, 2.8A, 3.0A and 2.5A resolution, respectively. The interactions between these viruses and host receptors were studied utilizing glycan-binding analyses with their recombinant HA. The data show that all avian HAs retain their strict binding preference to avian receptors, whereas swine H4 has a weak human receptor binding. The molecular characterization and structural analyses of the HA from these zoonotic influenza viruses not only provide a deeper appreciation and understanding of the structure of all HA subtypes, but also re-iterate why continuous global surveillance is needed.
The choreography of puberty: Evidence from sheep and other agriculturally important species

Abstract Puberty is the process of achieving the capacity for reproduction and depends upon increased gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion. Neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC) coexpressing kisspeptin, neurokinin B (NKB), and dynorphin (i.e. KNDy cells) are critical for puberty onset. In humans and livestock, mistimed puberty has negative consequences for health and production, respectively. Puberty is largely impacted by genetics and genes associated with its timing include those for kisspeptin and NKB. Epigenetic modification of genes and transcriptional activity also influence puberty onset. Adequate nutrition is required for normal puberty onset and the hormone leptin links metabolic status and puberty. Leptin acts through ARC neurons reciprocally connected with KNDy neurons that transduce nutritional signals into inputs influencing GnRH neurons. Further work using multiple animal models, including agriculturally important species, will be necessary for understanding the neural mechanisms underlying puberty onset and the problems associated with mistimed puberty.
Spatial Frequency Bias in Convolutional Generative Adversarial Networks

As the success of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) on natural images quickly propels them into various real-life applications across different domains, it becomes more and more important to clearly understand their limitations. Specifically, understanding GANs' capability across the full spectrum of spatial frequencies, i.e. beyond the low-frequency dominant spectrum of natural images, is critical for assessing the reliability of GAN generated data in any detail-sensitive application (e.g. denoising, filling and super-resolution in medical and satellite images). In this paper, we show that the ability of convolutional GANs to learn a distribution is significantly affected by the spatial frequency of the underlying carrier signal, that is, GANs have a bias against learning high spatial frequencies. Crucially, we show that this bias is not merely a result of the scarcity of high frequencies in natural images, rather, it is a systemic bias hindering the learning of high frequencies regardless of their prominence in a dataset. Furthermore, we explain why large-scale GANs' ability to generate fine details on natural images does not exclude them from the adverse effects of this bias. Finally, we propose a method for manipulating this bias with minimal computational overhead. This method can be used to explicitly direct computational resources towards any specific spatial frequency of interest in a dataset, extending the flexibility of GANs.
Salt Dilution and Flushing Dynamics of an Impaired Agricultural–Urban Stream

Anthropogenic freshwater salinization is increasing with global change. Rising freshwater salinity threatens ecosystem biodiversity, health, and services via toxicity to organisms and mobilization ...
Fully Integrated Readiness for Service Training (FIRST): An Accelerated Medical Training Program for Rural and Underserved North Carolina.

PROBLEM The U.S. primary care workforce remains inadequate to meet the health needs of the U.S. population. Effective programs are needed to provide workforce development for rural and other underserved areas. APPROACH At the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine (SOM), between November 2014 and July 2015, the authors developed and implemented the Fully Integrated Readiness for Service Training (FIRST) Program, an accelerated curriculum focused on rural and underserved care that links 3 years of medical school with a conditional acceptance into UNC's 3-year family medicine residency, followed by 3 years of practice support post-graduation. Students are recruited to the FIRST Program during the fall of their first year of medical school. The FIRST Program promotes close faculty mentorship and familiarity with the health care system, includes a longitudinal quality improvement project with an assigned patient panel, includes early integration into the clinic, and fosters a close cohort of fellow students. OUTCOMES As of March 2020, the FIRST Program had successfully recruited 5 classes of medical students, and 3 of those classes had matched into residency. In total, as of March 2020, 18 students had participated in the FIRST Program. NEXT STEPS The FIRST Program will be expanded to additional clinical sites across North Carolina and to specialties beyond family medicine, including pediatrics, general surgery, and psychiatry.
THORACOABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSMS

Over the last 50 years, significant progress has been made in the surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA). Improvements in perioperative care and surgical techniques have resulted in reductions in complication and mortality rates. Adjunctive use of distal aortic perfusion and cerebrospinal fluid drainage has been especially helpful, reducing the incidence of neurological deficits to 2.4%. Current research is aimed at improving organ preservation. This review focuses on the current diagnosis and management of TAAA.
Advances in Modeling and Reduction of Conducted and Radiated EMI in Non-isolated Power Converters

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) in non-isolated power converters is regulated by extensive standards in many applications. EMI modeling and reduction research is key to develop solutions to achieve EMI compliance. For conducted EMI, there are lots of techniques to analyze noise sources, propagation paths, parasitic couplings, and so on, which are summarized in this survey. Fundamental and general techniques to investigate and to reduce conducted EMI are analyzed. Moreover, in the high switching frequency era and with increasing applications of wide bandgap devices, radiated EMI is becoming an inevitable challenge. Modeling and reduction of radiated EMI, therefore, is becoming an important topic. Recent advances in radiated EMI research for non-isolated power converters are summarized and analyzed. Future EMI research development is discussed.
Listeners use descriptive contrast to disambiguate novel referents and make inferences about novel categories

In the face of unfamiliar language or objects, description is one cue people can use to learn about both. Beyond narrowing potential referents to those that match a descriptor, listeners could infer that a described object is one that contrasts with other relevant objects of the same type (e.g., “The tall cup” contrasts with another, shorter cup). This contrast may be in relation to other objects present in the environment or to the referent’s category. In two experiments, we investigate whether listeners use descriptive contrast to resolve reference and make inferences about novel referents’ categories. While participants use size adjectives contrastively to guide novel referent choice, they do not reliably do so using color adjectives (Experiment 1). Their contrastive inferences go beyond the current referential context: participants use description to infer that a novel object is atypical of its category (Experiment 2). Overall, people are able to use descriptive contrast to resolve reference and make inferences about a novel object’s category, allowing them to infer new word meanings and learn about new categories’ feature distributions.
A Distributed Approach to High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking Within a Virtualized Environment

The High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN) project has taken a distributed service-based approach to the development of a highly efficient delay tolerant networking (DTN) implementation. Through the analysis of many DTN implementations, system and mission requirements as well as the DTN protocol specifications, HDTN has worked to infuse modern computing technologies into the NASA approach to interplanetary networking.The initial use case of the HDTN software runs on a hypervisor representative of the International Space Station (ISS) DTN Gateway. In this scenario, multiple emulated payloads will send science data through HDTN to a mission operations center. HDTN will provide store and forward capability as well as network flow management.This paper discusses the infusion path of cognitive networking technologies in the NASA Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) networks using the DTN architecture and protocols as the basis for cognitive routing and network management capabilities. HDTN has been developing the Bundle Protocol encoding and decoding mechanisms and messaging framework that can be used as the basis for integrating DTN with various learning and decision-making processes. The concepts of distributed computing, network virtualization, software defined networking and delay tolerant networking are basic building blocks which will further the development of cognitive networking. In addition to discussion of the HDTN software development and testing, this paper examines the role that each of these technologies play in the evolution of the current state of space networking into an intelligent network of networks.
Clinically Significant Outcome Improvement After Hip Arthroscopy in Patients With Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome and Severe Femoral Torsion

Background:The influence of femoral torsion on clinically significant outcome improvement after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) has not been well-studied.Purpose:To...
{N,N-Bis[2-(trimethyl­silylamino)eth­yl]-N′-(trimethyl­silyl)ethane-1,2-diamin­ato(3–)-κ4N}methyl­zirconium(IV)

The title compound, [Zr(CH3)(C15H39N4Si3)], is a unique example of a triamido­amine-supported zirconium–methyl complex that crystallized as a monomer with trigonal–bipyramidal geometry at zirconium, featuring a Zr—C bond of 2.2963 (16) A.