cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Understanding the adaptive consequences of hatchery-wild interactions in Alaska salmon

About 31% of salmon harvested in Alaska comes from the hatchery production of hundreds of millions of pink and chum salmon and smaller numbers of sockeye, Chinook, and coho salmon. The numbers of hatchery-reared juveniles released in some areas are greater than the numbers of juveniles from wild populations. However, virtually nothing is known about the effects of hatchery fish on wild populations in Alaska. Possible effects of these interactions can be inferred from studies of salmonids in other areas, from studies of other animals, and from theory. Numerous studies show a complex relationship between the genetic architecture of a population and its environment. Adaptive responses to nature and anthropogenic selection can be influenced by variation at a single gene, or more often, by the additive effects of several genes. Studies of salmonids in other areas show that hatchery practices can lead to the loss of genetic diversity, to shifts in adult run timing and earlier maturity, to increases in parasite load, to increases in straying, to altered levels of boldness and dominance, to shifts in juvenile out-migration timing, and to changes in growth. Controlled experiments across generations show, and theory predicts, that the loss of adaptive fitness in hatchery salmon, relative to fitness in wild salmon, can occur on a remarkably short time scale. All of these changes can influence survival and impose selective regimes that influence genetically based adaptive traits. The preservation of adaptive potential in wild populations is an important buffer against diseases and climate variability and, hence, should be considered in planning hatchery production levels and release locations. The protection of wild populations is the foundation for achieving sustained harvests of salmon in Alaska.
Political economy of the U.S. temporary duty suspension program: An empirical note

We examine every TDS Bill introduced by the House of Representatives and approved by the U.S. International Trade Commission in the last six years. The significant relationship between these bills and campaign contributions coupled with the personal characteristics of proponents and sponsors influence the policy outcomes of the U.S. TDS Program.
Polymeric filament thinning and breakup in microchannels

The effects of elasticity on filament thinning and breakup are investigated in microchannel cross flow. When a viscous solution is stretched by an external immiscible fluid, a low 100 ppm polymer concentration strongly affects the breakup process, compared to the Newtonian case. Qualitatively, polymeric filaments show much slower evolution, and their morphology features multiple connected drops. Measurements of filament thickness show two main temporal regimes: flow- and capillary-driven. At early times both polymeric and Newtonian fluids are flow-driven, and filament thinning is exponential. At later times, Newtonian filament thinning crosses over to a capillary-driven regime, in which the decay is algebraic. By contrast, the polymeric fluid first crosses over to a second type of flow-driven behavior, in which viscoelastic stresses inside the filament become important and the decay is again exponential. Finally, the polymeric filament becomes capillary-driven at late times with algebraic decay. We show that the exponential flow thinning behavior allows a measurement of the extensional viscosities of both Newtonian and polymeric fluids.
Functional Impairment in Youth Three Years after Detention

Most youth in the juvenile justice system have psychiatric, social, and academic difficulties [1, 2]. Longitudinal studies suggest that these youth continue to have substantial impairment in their day-to-day functioning—or functional impairment—as they age. As many as two-thirds of youth are re-arrested within 4½ years of release from detention [3–6]. One study found that fewer than half had been working or had been in school 6 months after release from detention [4]. Between 12% and 50% of juveniles reported frequently using illicit drugs within 4½ years of release from detention [6–8], and 34% to 60% reported often drinking or abusing alcohol [6, 7]. In their classic longitudinal study of 500 incarcerated males sampled in the 1940s, Glueck and Glueck [9] found that, during young adulthood, most were chronically unemployed, poorly educated, transient, had marital problems, abused substances, and continued to commit offenses. Lewis and colleagues followed 97 incarcerated boys [10] and 21 girls [11] for up to 12 years. At follow-up, most had criminal records, poor relationships, poor parenting skills, unstable jobs, meager education, drug addictions, and high rates of suicidality and mortality [10, 11]. More recently, Giordano et al [12, 13] followed 254 serious juvenile offenders for 13 to 14 years. As young adults, most still engaged in criminal activities, had not graduated from high school, and were earning annual incomes below the poverty level [12, 13]. Furthermore, roughly half of females and three-quarters of males had lost—or never had—custody of their biological child [12]. Although studies have found substantial impairment in functioning among juvenile offenders as they age, the literature has two significant limitations. First, most studies examined only one or two areas of functioning, most often criminal recidivism [3–6], employment and school enrollment [4], or level of substance use [6–8]. Second, the few studies that examined multiple areas of functioning either had small samples [10, 11] or used samples that do not reflect the sociodemographic characteristics of youth currently involved in the juvenile justice system [9, 12, 13]. Specifically, the study by Glueck and Glueck [9] did not include racial/ethnic minorities or females; Giordano et al [12, 13] excluded Hispanics and focused exclusively on serious offenders. Racial/ethnic minorities now comprise nearly two-thirds of youth in the juvenile justice system, and the proportion of incarcerated females continues to rise [14]. To our knowledge, this is the first large-scale prospective study to examine global and specific domains of functioning using a diverse and representative sample of juvenile detainees.
STAR: self-tuning aggregation for scalable monitoring

We present STAR, a self-tuning algorithm that adaptively sets numeric precision constraints to accurately and efficiently answer continuous aggregate queries over distributed data streams. Adaptivity and approximation are essential for both robustness to varying workload characteristics and for scalability to large systems. In contrast to previous studies, we treat the problem as a workload-aware optimization problem whose goal is to minimize the total communication load for a multi-level aggregation tree under a fixed error budget. STAR's hierarchical algorithm takes into account the update rate and variance in the input data distribution in a principled manner to compute an optimal error distribution, and it performs cost-benefit throttling to direct error slack to where it yields the largest benefits. Our prototype implementation of STAR in a large-scale monitoring system provides (1) a new distribution mechanism that enables self-tuning error distribution and (2) an optimization to reduce communication overhead in a practical setting by carefully distributing the initial, default error budgets. Through extensive simulations and experiments on a real network monitoring implementation, we show that STAR achieves significant performance benefits compared to existing approaches while still providing high accuracy and incurring low overheads.
The influence of religious beliefs on general practitioners' attitudes towards termination of pregnancy—a pilot study

We set out to examine the attitudes of general practitioners in the West Norfolk area towards requests for abortion for various reasons and explore the factors that may influence their views, particularly their religious beliefs. This cross-sectional survey was conducted using a questionnaire, targeting 140 general practitioners. A response rate of 51.4% was achieved. All respondents were older than 30, and were mostly males (84.6%), married (93.8%) with children (90.9%). Most were either Church of England Christians (C of E) (48.5%) or had no stated religion (35.3%). The former were significantly less likely to agree with abortion than the latter for social reasons (P = 0.02) or in the case of teenage pregnancy (P = 0.006). A total of 73.8% of respondents followed-up patients after termination. Other associations were indicated, but were not statistically significant. Larger studies are needed to verify these associations for general practitioners in general.
Hog1 Controls Global Reallocation of RNA Pol II upon Osmotic Shock in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

When challenged with osmotic shock, Saccharomyces cerevisiae induces hundreds of genes, despite a concurrent reduction in overall transcriptional capacity. The stress-responsive MAP kinase Hog1 activates expression of specific genes through interactions with chromatin remodeling enzymes, transcription factors, and RNA polymerase II. However, it is not clear whether Hog1 is involved more globally in modulating the cell’s transcriptional program during stress, in addition to activating specific genes. Here we show that large-scale redistribution of RNA Pol II from housekeeping to stress genes requires Hog1. We demonstrate that decreased RNA Pol II occupancy is the default outcome for highly expressed genes upon stress and that Hog1 is partially required for this effect. We find that Hog1 and RNA Pol II colocalize to open reading frames that bypass global transcriptional repression. These activation targets are specified by promoter binding of two osmotic stress-responsive transcription factors. The combination of reduced global transcription with a gene-specific override mechanism allows cells to rapidly switch their transcriptional program in response to stress.
Spallation neutron source beam current monitor electronics

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) to be constructed at ORNL is a collaboration of six laboratories. The beam current monitors for SNS will be used to monitor H-minus and H-plus beams ranging from the 15 mA (tune-up in the Front End and Linac) to over 60 A fully accumulated in the Ring. The time structure of the beams to be measured range from 645 nsec "mini" bunches, at the 1.05 MHz ring revolution rate, to an overall 1 ms long macro pulse. The beam current monitors (BCMs) for SNS have requirements depending upon their location within the system. The development of a general approach to satisfy requirements of various locations with common components is a major design objective. This paper will describe the development of the beam current monitors and electronics.
Acute appendicitis in children: the importance of family history.

Abstract Background/Purpose: Acute appendicitis is common, frequently atypical, challenging, and still associated with significant morbidity. Despite major technologic advances, appendicitis remains a primarily clinical diagnosis. Therefore, no relevant anamnestic information should be overlooked. Surprisingly, the relationship between heredity and appendicitis is seldom considered. Because of the potential clinical importance of the family history, the authors addressed this question prospectively over a 52-month period in a practice that includes the majority of pediatric patients with appendicitis in the region. Methods: Family histories were obtained in a standardized manner, focusing on first-degree relatives. Children with incomplete family information were excluded. Patients (ages 2½ to 19 years) were divided into 3 groups: group A, children who underwent an appendectomy (n = 166); group B (first control), children who presented with an acute abdomen and suspected appendicitis but did not undergo an appendectomy (n = 117); group C (second control), children who were seen in the practice for unrelated conditions (n = 141). Results: A positive parental history was obtained from 59 patients (36%) in group A, 24 patients (21%) in group B, and 20 patients (14%) in group C, and the odds ratios (ORs) were 2.0 ( P =.035) and 2.9 ( P P =.028) and for groups A versus C was 2.9 ( P Conclusions: Heredity is a significant factor in pediatric patients who have appendicitis. Children who have appendicitis are twice as likely to have a positive family history than are those with right lower quadrant pain (but no appendicitis) and almost 3 times as likely to have a positive family history than are surgical controls (without abdominal pain). Because of its potential value in changing the threshold for intervention, a careful family history should be obtained for every child in whom acute appendicitis is suspected. J Pediatr Surg 36:1214-1217. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.
Sonographic measurements of the neonatal thyroid gland.

The purpose of this study was to establish the normal dimensions of the thyroid gland in euthyroid neonates. Ultrasonographic evaluation of the thyroid gland was performed in the first week of life in 68 term neonates whose gestational ages at birth were 37 to 41 weeks and whose birth weights ranged from 2570 to 4790 g. Measurements of the thyroid lobes were done in transverse, anteroposterior, and longitudinal planes. All neonates had age-appropriate thyroid stimulating hormone levels at birth. Mean ± 2 standard deviations for thyroid volume were 472 mm 3 and 1430 mm 3 . The mean measurements for the sum of both lobes for transverse, anteroposterior, and longitudinal dimensions were 13.9 mm, 15.1 mm, and 34.6 mm, respectively. No significant correlation of these measurements was found for gestational age, birth weight, or thyroid-stimulating hormone levels. The correlation coefficient between these measurements and total volume was 0.64 or less. Term euthyroid neonates were found to have a thyroid gland volume ranging between 472 mm 3 and 1430 mm 3 . In term neonates sonographic measurements of thyroid lobes should be obtained in all three planes for reliable assessment of thyroid volume.
Toxic cyanobacteria: the evolving molecular toolbox

Toxic cyanobacteria are a diverse and widely distributed group of organisms that can contaminate natural and man-made bodies of water. Anthropogenic eutrophication can exacerbate the risks, allowing toxic cyanobacteria to grow unchecked and resulting in harmful algal blooms with potentially serious economic and health-related impacts. Predicting bloom events is an important goal of monitoring programs and is of fundamental interest to those examining the ecology of aquatic ecosystems. While microscopic identification and toxin analysis have traditionally been employed for monitoring purposes, molecular biological methods may provide rapid and sensitive diagnoses for the presence of toxic and toxigenic cyanobacteria, and are useful for general ecological studies. The molecular toolbox of ecologists and resource managers is evolving rapidly. Current techniques and their applications will help bring about a better understanding of the ecology of these events.
Simulations of Supersonic Jet Noise

Numerical simulations are presented for the unsteady flow and noise radiation of high speed circular jets. The predictions are based on solutions of the nonlinear disturbance equations. Only the large-scale fluctuations are resolved. The effects of the small scales are parameterized using a subgrid-scale model. The radiated noise is predicted using both a direct simulation and a Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings method. The effect of the prescription of in-flow conditions and the use of a dynamic subgrid-scale model are described. The choice of these models is shown to effect the predicted far field sound pressure levels. Comparisons are made with experimental measurements. The predictions are in reasonable agreement with the experiments. The reasons for these absolute discrepancies are discussed. Relative changes for different operating conditions are shown to be predicted well. Finally, the simulations are used to describe some statistical properties of the jet turbulence relevant to noise radiation.
Excitation spectra and thermodynamic response of segmented Heisenberg spin chains

The spectral and thermodynamic response of segmented quantum spin chains is analyzed using a combination of numerical techniques and finite-size scaling arguments. Various distributions of segment lengths are considered, including the two extreme cases of quenched and annealed averages. As the impurity concentration is increased, it is found that (i) the integrated spectral weight is rapidly reduced, (ii) a pseudogap feature opens up at small frequencies, and (iii) at larger frequencies a discrete peak structure emerges, dominated by the contributions of the smallest cluster segments. The corresponding low-temperature thermodynamic response has a divergent contribution due to the odd-site clusters and a subdominant exponentially activated component due to the even-site segments whose finite-size gap is responsible for the spectral weight suppression at small frequencies. Based on simple scaling arguments, approximate low-temperature expressions are derived for the uniform susceptibility and the heat capacity. These are shown to be in good agreement with numerical solutions of the Bethe ansatz equations for ensembles of open-end chains.
Weak and Numb Feet in a Man With Knobby Hands

91-year-old man with a 40-year history of progressively disfiguring t ophaceous gout, hypothyroidism, and remote alcohol abuse presented to the hospital with a 4-month history of progressive weakness and numbness of the lower extremities (Figure 1 and Figure 2). Examination revealed a cheerful, elderly man with severe tophaceous gout affecting the proximal metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints. He was clinically euthyroid. Strength in the upper and lower limbs was 4 of 5 proximally, but it was 4+ of 5 distally. Sensory examination showed decreased pinprick, light touch, and vibratory sensations up to the knees bilaterally, but intact proprioception in the feet. The tendon reflexes were 1+ at the biceps, triceps, and supinator muscles, but absent at the knees and ankles. The patient was taking 50 mg/d of a levothyroxine preparation (Levoxyl) at the time of presentation and had been taking 0.6 mg colchicine twice a day for 2 1 ⁄2 years. The creatine kinase levels were elevated at 357 IU/L (reference range, 0-175 IU/L). Results of the rapid plasma reagin test and the antinuclear antibody screen were normal, as were the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the vitamin B12, thyrotropin, and thyroxine levels. The p atient’s s ymptoms prompted investigation for a peripheral neuropathy. Likely causes included remote alcohol dependence, colchicine therapy for gout, and hypothyroidism. Nerve conduction studies revealed an axonal sensorimotor polyneuropathy, while electromyography revealed an irritable myopathy. A diagnosis of colchicine myopathy and neuropathy was made, and the patient’s therapy was switched from colchicine to allopurinol. Follow-up examination revealed that his strength had improved to 4+ of 5 proximally in the legs and to 5 of 5 in the hands and fingers. His creatine kinase levels on follow-up had decreased to 84 IU/L. COMMENT
Spread Spectrum and Time Division Multiple Access Satellite Communications

Although time division multiple access (TDMA) satellite communication provides the highest traffic capacity per satellite and offers efficient transmission of a wide variety of services, it suffers from network timing and ranging requirements and message security. On the other hand, spread spectrum multiple access (SSMA) satellite communication is suited for reliable random access and tactical transmission systems. Orthogonal functions such as Rademacher, Haar, and Walsh, or pseudonoise sequence coding of amplitude and phase of the analog message or code division of baseband signals, frequency and time hopping are among the several methods employed for spread spectrum communications. A combination of TDMA and SSMA can be used for asynchronous and reliable transmission of digital or analog signals.
System Justification, the Denial of Global Warming, and the Possibility of “System-Sanctioned Change”

Despite extensive evidence of climate change and environmental destruction, polls continue to reveal widespread denial and resistance to helping the environment. It is posited here that these responses are linked to the motivational tendency to defend and justify the societal status quo in the face of the threat posed by environmental problems. The present research finds that system justification tendencies are associated with greater denial of environmental realities and less commitment to pro-environmental action. Moreover, the effects of political conservatism, national identification, and gender on denial of environmental problems are explained by variability in system justification tendencies. However, this research finds that it is possible to eliminate the negative effect of system justification on environmentalism by encouraging people to regard pro-environmental change as patriotic and consistent with protecting the status quo (i.e., as a case of "system-sanctioned change"). Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Efficient and Robust TCP Stream Normalization

Network intrusion detection and prevention systems are vulnerable to evasion by attackers who craft ambiguous traffic to breach the defense of such systems. A normalizer is an inline network element that thwarts evasion attempts by removing ambiguities in network traffic. A particularly challenging step in normalization is the sound detection of inconsistent TCP retransmissions, wherein an attacker sends TCP segments with different payloads for the same sequence number space to present a network monitor with ambiguous analysis. Normalizers that buffer all unacknowledged data to verify the consistency of subsequent retransmissions consume inordinate amounts of memory on highspeed links. On the other hand, normalizers that buffer only the hashes of unacknowledged segments cannot verify the consistency of 20-30% of retransmissions that, according to our traces, do not align with the original transmissions. This paper presents the design of RoboNorm, a normalizer that buffers only the hashes of unacknowledged segments, and yet can detect all inconsistent retransmissions in any TCP byte stream. RoboNorm consumes 1-2 orders of magnitude less memory than normalizers that buffers all unacknowledged data, and is amenable to a high-speed implementation. RoboNorm is also robust to attacks that attempt to compromise its operation or exhaust its resources.
An oxygen transfer model for high purity graphite oxidation

Abstract An intrinsic mathematical model is developed for the investigation of the gas–solid reaction kinetics of high-purity graphite and oxygen. This model is based upon the oxygen transfer mechanism and uses physically meaningful parameters that are directly comparable to the experimental and theoretical literature of the carbon–oxygen reaction system. The model was used to extract reaction parameters for NBG-18 polycrystalline graphite for oxygen/nitrogen mixtures with a total pressure of 100 kPa. Experimental temperatures ranged from 500 to 850 °C for oxygen partial pressures of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 40 kPa. The optimized model parameters are in good agreement with previously reported literature values.
Temozolomide and Other Potential Agents for the Treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme

This article provides historical and recent perspectives related to the use of temozolomide for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme. Temozolomide has quickly become part of the standard of care for the modern treatment of stage IV glioblastoma multiforme since its approval in 2005. Yet despite its improvements from previous therapies, median survival remains approximately 15 months, with a 2-year survival rate of 8% to 26%. The mechanism of action of this chemotherapeutic agent, conferred advantages and limitations, treatment resistance and rescue, and potential targets of future research are discussed.
Cooperative DYC system design for optimal vehicle handling enhancement

In many severe maneuvers, the driver-controller interaction seems necessary for maintaining a stable vehicle. This paper introduces a novel cooperative direct yaw control (DYC) design for optimal vehicle stability control in the presence of human driver. The interaction is defined by forming a differential linear quadratic game between the driver who is controlling the steering angle and the controller which is controlling the brake torques. Evaluated by a nonlinear vehicle model, numerical simulations are presented for a vehicle in the standard fishhook test. Preliminary results show the effectiveness of this controller over a commonly used linear quadratic controller.
Lexical and Sublexical Components of Age-related Changes in Neural Activation during Visual Word Identification

Positron emission tomography data (Madden, Langley, et al., 2002) were analyzed to investigate adult age differences in the relation between neural activation and the lexical (word frequency) and sublexical (word length) components of visual word identification. The differential influence of these components on reaction time (RT) for word/nonword discrimination (lexical decision) was generally similar for the two age groups, with word frequency accounting for a greater proportion of lexical decision RT variance relative to word length. The influence of word length on RT, however, was relatively greater for older adults. Activation in regions of the ventral occipito-temporal cortex was related to the RT changes associated with word frequency and length for older adults, but not for younger adults. Specifically, older adults' frequency effects were related to activation in both anterior (Brodmann's area [BA] 37) and posterior (BAs 17 and 18) regions of the occipito-temporal pathway, whereas word length effects were only associated with posterior activation (BA 17). We conclude that aging affects the neural mechanisms supporting word identification performance although behavioral measures of this ability are generally constant as a function of age.
Treatment of unresectable/recurrent rectal cancer with external beam and/or intraoperative radiation techniques

The standard treatment for patients with primary unresectable or recurrent rectal cancer is preoperative combined modality therapy. Given the high local recurrence rate, novel approaches using IORT, new chemotherapeutic agents, and altered radiation fractionation schemes had been developed and are being actively investigated.
CLINICAL SPECTRUM OF GONOCOCCAL INFECTION IN WOMEN

The medical records of 278 women infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae during a 6-month period were reviewed. These represented 75% of the infections in women at Boston City Hospital during this time. Women who presented to the venereal-disease clinic because they had had contact with an infected man and women who were found to be infected during routine examinations in the obstetrics-and-gynaecology clinic were usually free of symptoms or had non-specific symptoms such as vaginal discharge. However, these women accounted for only 108 (39%) of the 278 infections. Most of the infections were in women who presented to the emergency-care areas of the hospital with symptomatic gonococcal infections. At least 86 (31%) of the 278 infections were in women who had pelvic inflammatory disease. These data indicate that the clinical spectrum of gonococcal infection varies according to where the patients are seen and that the widely held concept that most gonococcal infections in women are asymptomatic may be erroneous.
The sulfhydryl content of l-threonine dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli K-12: relation to catalytic activity and Mn2+ activation

When oxidized to cysteic acid by pedormic acid or converted to carboxymethylcysteine by alkylation of the reduced enzyme with iodoacetate, a total of six half-cystine residues/subunit are found in L-threonine dehydrogenase (L-threonine:NAD + oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.103; L-threonine + NAD + --* 2-amino-3-oxobutyrate + NADH) from Escherichia coil K-12. Of this total, two exist in disulfide linkage, whereas four are titratable under denaturing conditions by dithiodipyridine, -nitrobenzoic acid), or p-mercuribenzoate. The kinetics of enzyme inactivation and of modification by the latter two reagents indicate that threonine dehydrogenase has no free thiols that selectively react with bulky compounds. While incubation of the enzyme with a large excess of iodoacetamide causes less than 10% loss of activity, the native dehydrogenase is uniquely reactive with and completely inactivated by iodoaeetate. The rate of carboxymethylation by iodoacetate of one -SH group/subunit is identical with the rate of inactivation and the carboxymethylated enzyme is no longer able to bind Mn 2+. NADH (0.5 mM) provides 40% protection against this inactivation; 60 to 70% protection is seen in the presence of saturating levels of NADH plus L-threonine. Such results coupled with an analysis of the kinetics of inactivation caused by iodoacetate are interpreted as indicating the inhibitor first forms a reversible complex with a positively charged moiety in or near the microenvironment of a reactive -SH group in the enzyme before irreversible alkylation occurs. Specific alkylation of one -SH group/enzyme subunit apparently causes protein conformational changes that entail a loss of catalytic activity and the ability to bind Mn 2+.
A technique for developing CAD geometry of long bones using clinical CT data

Computed tomography scans are a valuable tool for developing computational models of bones. The objective of this study is to present a method to generate CAD representations of long bones from clinically based CT scans. A secondary aim is to apply the method to six long bones from a sample of three individuals. Periosteal and endosteal bone surfaces were segmented and used to calculate the characteristic cortical thickness, Tc, at 1 mm increments along the bone axis. In the epiphyses where the value of Tc fell below the scanner threshold, the endosteal bone layer was replaced using literature values projected inward from the periosteal surface. On average, 74.7 ± 7.4% of the bone geometry was above the scanner cut-off and was therefore derived from the CT scan data. The thickness measurement was also compared to experimental measurements of cadaveric bone and was found to predict Tc with an error of 3.1%. This method presents a possible solution for the characterization of characteristic thickness along the length of the bone and may also aid in the development of orthopedic implant design and subject specific finite element models.
Arsenic Eh–pH diagrams at 25°C and 1 bar

A thermodynamic dataset for arsenic species in As–O–H–S–Fe–Ba system was compiled from the literature. Using this dataset, Eh–pH diagrams for the systems As–O–H, As–O–H–S, As–O–H–S–Fe, As–O–H–Ba, and As–O–H–S–Fe–Ba were constructed at 25°C and 1 bar. The inclusion of thioarsenite species in the systems As–O–H–S and As–O–H–S–Fe results in substantial differences from previously published Eh–pH diagrams. There are considerable differences in the thermodynamic properties for orpiment, realgar, scorodite, arsenopyrite, barium arsenate, and barium hydrogen arsenate, which result in vastly different stability fields when different values are adopted.
Effectiveness of Commercial Debt Pricing Using Alternate Pricing Structures

Commercial banks continually seek means to identify and manage the risks in the loans they grant. The problem is a matter of both information asymmetry at the inception of the loan and moral hazard during the life of the loan. One mechanism for addressing this, performance-sensitive debt (PSD), allows lenders to shift some of these risks to the borrower. This paper examines features of the borrowers that may allow for better risk assignment, thus limiting the information asymmetry impact. It examines the effectiveness of this assignment by examining the types of pricing measures used and the risks associated with those measures, controlling for other measures of risk. Results indicate that lenders use ratings-based PSD for borrowers perceived to have greater agency concerns, that lenders use the pricing structure as a sorting mechanism for determining initial pricing and that lenders use fixed-spread loans for borrowers with more stable credit risk, and when lenders use PSD, borrowers with greater volatility of credit risk measures are more likely to receive accounting-based PSD.
Do Securities Markets Respond To Earnings Paths? A Case For Low-Balling

Earnings paths are proxied by analyst forecasts leading up to the earnings announcement. We find that after controlling for information content, as revealed by the earnings announcement, security returns measured over the entire quarter are affected by the path of expected earnings. We uncover cases of perverse market response in which security returns are significantly non-zero when the earnings announcement contains no information. We also observe cases in which positive information elicits negative or no market response, and negative information elicits a positive market response. These results suggest management may have an incentive to low-ball interim earnings expectations. Finally, we find that the bulk of the anomalous returns remain after attempts to relate them with alternate explanations such as shifts in risk, spillover effects, and the possibility of market overreaction.
Single-Phase-To-Ground Fault Line Detection for Distribution Network Based on Optimal Finite Impulse Response Filter and Hierarchical Clustering

Due to the impacts of unconspicuous fault characteristics, noise interference, imbalanced operation condition of distribution network and so on, there are insufficiencies in reliability and universality in existing fault line detection methods for single-phase earth fault occurred in small current grounding system. A new fault line detection method for single-phase earth fault occurred in small current grounding system is proposed. Based on frequency characteristics of fault transient quantity the proposed method filters interference factors by finite impulse response(FIR) filter and extracts available fault characteristics; utilizing hierarchical clustering and based on the filtered waveform, the variation trend of transient zero-sequence capacitive current component at the beginning end of the faulty feeder is different from variation trends other healthy feeders, so the faulty feeder can be detected. Simulation results show that using the proposed method the data decomposition step by step can be avoided, and the faulty feeder under various fault conditions can be reliably detected, besides, the demand on the sampling frequency is decreased, thus the system resource can be saved and the proposed method is easy to implement.
Racial Inequality in Critical Thinking Skills: The Role of Academic and Diversity Experiences

While racial inequalities in college entry and completion are well documented, much less is known about racial disparities in the development of general collegiate skills, such as critical thinking. Using data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, we find substantial inequality in the development of critical thinking skills over four years of college between African American and White students. The results indicate that these inequities are not related to students’ academic experiences in college but are substantially related to their experiences with diversity. These findings have important implications for understanding racial inequality in higher education and considering strategies for addressing observed disparities.
Abstract 4307: Influence of age on androgen deprivation therapy-associated Alzheimer's disease

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a mainstay of treatment for prostate cancer with approximately 500,000 males currently receiving ADT in the United States. ADT decreases androgen levels with 20-30% of patients experiencing prolonged suppression. Concerningly, low testosterone has been shown to precede Alzheimer9s disease (AD) and ADT increases β-amyloid protein levels. Here, extending prior work, we examine the association of ADT with the development of AD in an age-stratified analysis among men with prostate cancer. We analyzed electronic medical record data at Stanford University and Mt. Sinai. Individuals with prostate cancer and follow-up ≥ 180 days after diagnosis without a history of dementia, stroke or chemotherapy were eligible. Covariates, extracted from coded and textual data, were age at prostate cancer diagnosis, race, smoking status, use of anti-platelet, anti-coagulant, anti-hypertensive and statin medications, and a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes or malignancy. We examined the association of ADT with AD stratified by age at diagnosis. Age 70 years was selected as the cut-off given existing management guidelines for cancer patients older than 70. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using 1:5 propensity score matched and traditional multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to test the association of use versus non-use of ADT, and ADT duration (no-ADT, Baseline patient characteristics were well balanced after propensity score matching in the full and age ≥ 70 years subgroup (p>0.07). The median follow-up period was 2.7 years (interquartile range, 1.0-5.4 years). Kaplan-Meier survival functions demonstrated a lower probability of remaining AD-free for age ≥ 70 versus Among men aged 70 years or older the utilization and duration of ADT is associated with an increased rate of AD. This further supports the association between ADT and cognitive dysfunction and suggests that older men may be most susceptible. Limitations of this study include inadequate power to conduct subgroup analysis in the Citation Format: Kevin Thomas Nead, Greg Gaskin, Cariad Chester, Samuel Swisher-McClure, Joel T. Dudley, Nicholas J. Leeper, Nigam H. Shah. Influence of age on androgen deprivation therapy-associated Alzheimer9s disease. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4307.
Severity of Preoperative Aortic Regurgitation Does Not Impact Valve Durability of Aortic Valve Repair Following the David V Valve Sparing Aortic Root Replacement.

Background The David V valve-sparing aortic root replacement (VSRR) is an established and durable method of root reconstruction for varying pathologies. However, the impact of the severity of preoperative aortic regurgitation (AR) on long-term durability remains unclear. The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of the degree of preoperative AR on midterm durability following VSRR. Methods A retrospective review of the adult cardiac surgical database at a single academic center was undertaken from 2005 to 2015 for 223 adult patients who underwent VSRR. Patients were followed annually with echocardiograms, and a prospectively maintained database kept track of patient data. Follow-up was 97.7% complete, and the median echocardiographic follow-up was 25.5 months (range, 1 to 123 months). Patients with preoperative AR less than or equal to 2 were compared with patients with AR greater than 2 to determine the impact of preoperative AR upon valve repair durability. Results There were 223 patients who underwent VSRR during the study period, including 114 (51.1%) who required concomitant cusp repair. The operative mortality was 5 (2.2%). Ninety-seven patients (43.5%) had preoperative AR greater than 2. A total of 213 patients (95.5%) were available for long-term follow-up; of these patients, 7 (3.3%) had AR greater than 2. Fifty-two patients had a bicuspid aortic valve (22 AR ≤2 and 30 AR >2; p = 0.02). Patients with preoperative AR greater than 2 experienced greater reverse left ventricular remodeling and increases in left ventricular ejection fraction than did patients with preoperative AR less than or equal to 2 ( p 0.01). The midterm freedom from AR greater than 2 was similar for both preoperative AR groups ( p = 0.57). The 8-year freedom from AR greater than 2 was 89.1% (95% confidence interval, 55.3% to 97.8%) for patients with preoperative AR less than or equal to 2 and 92.7% (95% confidence interval, 78.8% to 97.6%) for preoperative AR greater than 2. Five patients (2.4%) required aortic valve replacement during the follow-up period (3 preoperative AR ≤2, 2 preoperative AR >2). Conclusions VSRR remains an effective and durable treatment for severe AR and preserved leaflet architecture. The severity of preoperative AR does not appear to impact midterm freedom from moderate to severe AR. VSRR results in significant left ventricular remodeling in patients with preoperative AR greater than 2.
Simulating a virtual population's sensitivity to salt and uninephrectomy

Salt sensitivity, with or without concomitant hypertension, is associated with increased mortality. Reduced functional renal mass plays an important role in causing salt-sensitive hypertension for many individuals. Factors that are important in the condition of decreased renal mass and how they affect blood pressure (BP) or salt sensitivity are unclear. We used HumMod, an integrative mathematical model of human physiology, to create a heterogeneous population of 1000 virtual patients by randomly varying physiological parameters. We examined potential physiological mechanisms responsible for the change in BP in response to high-salt diet (8× change in salt intake for three weeks) with full kidney mass and again after the removal of one kidney in the same group of virtual patients. We used topological data analysis (TDA), a clustering algorithm tool, to analyse the large dataset and separate patient subpopulations. TDA distinguished five unique clusters of salt-sensitive individuals (more than 15 mmHg change in BP with increased salt). While these clusters had similar BP responses to salt, different collections of variables were responsible for their salt sensitivity, e.g. greater reductions in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) or impairments in the renin-angiotensin system. After simulating uninephrectomy in these virtual patients, the three most salt-sensitive clusters were associated with a blunted increase in renal blood flow (RBF) and higher increase in loop and distal sodium reabsorption when compared with the salt-resistant population. These data suggest that the suppression of sodium reabsorption and renin-angiotensin system is key for salt resistance, and RBF in addition to GFR may be an important factor when considering criteria for kidney donors. Here, we show that in our model of human physiology, different derangements result in the same phenotype. While these concepts are known in the experimental community, they were derived here by considering only the data obtained from our virtual experiments. These methodologies could potentially be used to discover patterns in patient sensitivity to dietary change or interventions and could be a revolutionary tool in personalizing medicine.
Microplanes and microstructure: Connecting abstractions and reality

Abstract The practical problem of predicting the structural performance of concrete has led to an array of innovative models and modeling approaches, spawned primarily due to limitations of traditional fracture mechanics to properly capture quasi-brittle behavior. The different approaches, ranging from modified continua to discrete elements to hybrid schemes must all, by necessity, balance the incorporation of material features that dictate behavior with the computational tractability that allow one to solve practical problems. Regardless if one uses a continuum or a discrete representation, the key to success is an appropriate abstraction of physical microstructure (e.g. heterogeneities and microcracks) and micromechanical pehenomena. The case is made here that while we need to employ the abstract representations of continuum-based models to solve practical problems, we will be better served by moving our simulation tools towards material representations that are better tied to the physical microstructure and the micromechanical phenomena that produce quasi-brittle behavior. Some experimental examinations of these micromechanical phenomena are presented in the context of how they may be incorporated into computational tools.
The Production of Improved Plastic Materials by Chaotic Mixing of Polymer Melts Recovered from Environmental Waste

Over the past thirty years, plastics have become among the most common and preferred materials for the manufacture of products ranging from packaging films to structural components. Largely because of the very large molecular weights of the molecules comprising them, plastic melts can be very viscous and consequentially difficult to process into finished goods. Industrial devices, such as shown in Fig. 1, have been developed to forcefully melt and mix different types of plastics, or plastics and additives, either in batches or continuously in devices commonly referred to as screw extruders. Ingredients are introduced into these devices in pelletized or flake form. The pellets and flakes melt as a result of contacting heated surfaces and viscous dissipation in strong shear flows. The molten blend can subsequently be forced through a die to produce tubes or fibers, for example, or into a mold to produce large parts such as automotive dashboards. Polymer recycling is an area of growing interest. For example, polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) blends are major constituents of plastic waste, which respectively consist of about 60% and 15% by weight of all recycled plastics [2]. Creating PE / PS blends and other types of plastic blends with favorable microstructures and thereby attractive mechanical properties is important for reducing plastic wastes. Unfortunately, present-day processing techniques most often provide blends with deficient properties due to the droplet microstructures that typically result [3] or strong dependencies between microstructures and composition.
Regulation of serotonin release by inhibitory and excitatory amino acids

Serotonergic neurons are spontaneously active with slow regular discharge during alert behavior and decreased activity during sleep. Sleep-related inhibition of serotonergic neurons is mediated by GABAergic inputs that originate in hypothalamic and brainstem sleep centers. During alert behavior, tonic release of GABA contributes to feedback and feedforward inhibitory circuits that, together with serotonin autoreceptors, prevent excess stimulation of serotonergic neurons. Glutamatergic inputs to the raphe originate in the brainstem, several hypothalamic nuclei and cerebral cortex. Although glutamate receptor agonists strongly stimulate serotonergic neuronal discharge, the physiological significance of glutamatergic inputs is not well established. In the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), more glutamatergic fibers terminate on GABAergic than serotonergic neurons. Moreover, GABA normally restrains the excitatory influence of glutamatergic inputs to serotonergic neurons in the DRN. Peptidergic neurons modulate the activity of GABAergic and glutamatergic interneurons that synapse with serotonergic neurons in the DRN. These neuropeptides, for example CRF, endogenous opioids and Substance P, are implicated in responses to environmental challenges. Thus, stress can indirectly influence the activity of serotonergic neurons. In the raphe, GABAergic and glutamatergic interneurons may serve as a final common pathway for integrating information about environmental challenges and inputs from hypothalamic and brainstem centers that control the usual sleep-related inhibition of serotonergic neurons. Neuropeptides might thereby promote alert behavior to appropriately cope with stress. However, persistent peptidergic-induced changes in the strength of GABAergic and glutamatergic inputs to serotonergic neurons could contribute to insomnia, anxiety and major psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia.