cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Embryogenesis in the parasitic nematode Heterodera glycines is independent of host-derived hatching stimulation

Many parasites regulate their development to synchronize their life cycle with a compatible host. The parasitic nematode Heterodera glycines displays incomplete host-mediated hatching behavior wherein some H. glycines individuals hatch only in the presence of a host-derived cue while others hatch in water alone. Furthermore, H. glycines shows variable hatching behavior based on oviposition location. The mechanisms regulating this hatching variability are unknown. In this study, we established a detailed timeline of the H. glycines pre-hatch development from early embryogenesis to the pre-hatched J2. These descriptive data were then used to test hypotheses regarding the effect of host stimulus and oviposition location on pre-hatch development. We found that H. glycines develops from a single-cell egg to a fully formed J2 in approximately 172 hours. The stylet-based mouthpart, which is used to pierce the eggshell during hatching, is not completely formed until late in pre-hatch J2 development and is preceded by the formation of stylet protractor muscles. We also found that the primary motor nervous system of H. glycines did not complete development until late in pre-hatch J2 development. These data suggest possible structural requirements for H. glycines hatching. As expected, exposure of H. glycines eggs to host-derived cues increased the percentage of nematodes that hatched. However, exposure to hatching cues did not affect pre-hatch development. Similarly, we found no obvious differences in the pre-hatch developmental timeline between eggs laid in an egg sac or retained within the mother. The pattern of early embryonic development in H. glycines was very similar to that recently described in the related parasitic nematode Meloidogyne incognita. However, the speed of H. glycines pre-hatch development was approximately three times faster than reported for M. incognita. Our results suggest that hatching stimulants do not affect embryogenesis itself but only influence the hatching decision once J2 development is complete. Similarly, the oviposition location does not alter the rate of embryogenesis. These results provide insight into the primary survival mechanism for this important parasite.
Ventral Abdominal Sensory Loss Is Common in Length Dependent Sensorimotor Peripheral Neuropathy (P3.147)

OBJECTIVE: To describe clinical, examination and electrophysiologic findings in a cohort of patients with length dependent sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy (LDSMPN) with ventral abdominal sensory loss. BACKGROUND: LDSMPN affects the longest nerve fibers in the body, namely those innervating structures in the feet and hands. What is less well appreciated, and absent from the current literature, is that length dependent involvement of sensory nerve fibers in LDSMPN from the thoracic segments gives rise to ventral abdominal sensory loss. DESIGN/METHODS: Consecutive patients seen for LDSMPN (n=15) were evaluated prospectively for the presence or absence of ventral abdominal sensory loss. Demographic variables, symptoms and quantitative neurologic findings (Neuropathy Impairment Score [NIS]) were examined using descriptive statistics. Final diagnoses were noted. RESULTS: Ventral abdominal sensory loss (which was asymptomatic in all patients tested) was documented in 11/15 LDSMPN patients (73.3[percnt]), mean age was 69.6 years (range 53-81), M:F gender ratio was 6:5, mean NIS was 13.4 (range 4-52), NCS/EMG abnormalities were found in 9/11 patients (the other 2 showing objective evidence of small fiber sensory involvement). LDSMPN patients without ventral abdominal sensory loss (n=4) had a mean age of 59.8 (range 52-67), M:F of 4:0, and mean NIS of 31 (range 6-54). No patient (0/15) had dorsal torso sensory loss between the shoulder and buttock levels on either side. Diagnoses of the LDSMPN patients with ventral abdominal sensory loss included abnormal carbohydrate metabolism (n=3), idiopathic (n=3), inherited neuropathy (n=2), hypothyroidism (n=1), uremia (n=1), and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (n=1). CONCLUSIONS: 1) Ventral abdominal sensory loss appears to be common in patients diagnosed with LDSMPN of a variety of causes; 2) in addition to those innervating distal limb territories, distal sensory fibers from the thoracic region represent another category of length dependent involvement in LDSMPN; 3) the clinical examination of LDSMPN should include the ventral abdomen. Disclosure: Dr. Smith has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity from Elsevier. Dr. Ross has received personal compensation for activities with Neuraltus. Dr. Goodman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Leis has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gervais has nothing to disclose.
Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Applied in a Bioabsorbable Matrix, for Treatment of Perianal Fistulas in Patients With Crohn's Disease

In patients with Crohn's disease, perianal fistulas recur frequently, causing substantial morbidity. We performed a 12-patient, 6-month, phase 1 trial to determine whether autologous mesenchymal stem cells, applied in a bioabsorbable matrix, can heal the fistula. Fistula repair was not associated with any serious adverse events related to mesenchymal stem cells or plug placement. At 6 months, 10 of 12 patients (83%) had complete clinical healing and radiographic markers of response. We found placement of mesenchymal stem cell-coated matrix fistula plugs in 12 patients with chronic perianal fistulas to be safe and lead to clinical healing and radiographic response in 10 patients. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01915927.
Innovative curriculum for second-year Harvard-MIT medical students: practicing communication skills with volunteer patients giving immediate feedback

Purpose Medical students are expected to develop excellent communication skills. The purpose of our study was to create an innovative communication skills exercise using real volunteer patients and physician co-teachers for students to practice communication skills while receiving immediate feedback. Method This is a mixed methods study where second-year medical students participated in the communication skills exercise with real patients and physician co-teachers giving immediate feedback. Clinical scenarios reflected the patients' actual experiences. Students acted out roles as physicians. Physicians co-taught with the patients and gave immediate feedback to students. Students completed an anonymous written survey at the end of the exercise. Qualitative and quantitative responses were recorded. Student feedback from the 2014 surveys was used to modify the teaching designs to increase active role play opportunities by having only two students in each group and doubling the number of stations with real patients. Results Students rated the overall exercise and the utility of patient volunteers in learning how to communicate on a Likert scale of 1-5, where in this medical school traditionally 1 is excellent and 5 is poor. In 2014, the exercises were rated with a mean score of 1.47 (SD 0.621). In 2015, the exercises were rated with a mean score of 1.03 (SD 0.62). In 2016, the exercises were rated with a mean score of 1.27 (SD 0.52). ANOVA analysis (p=0.002) and Bonferroni corrections indicate a statistically significant difference between combined mean scores of the exercise in 2014 and 2015 (p=0.001). No difference was shown between 2014 and 2016 or 2015 and 2016. Conclusions Medical students rated practicing communication skills with real patient volunteers and physician co-teachers giving immediate feedback in their preclinical years very highly. Student feedback indicated that they preferred active roles and increased opportunities to practice their communication skills.
Extreme spring conditions in the Arctic delay spring phenology of long-distance migratory songbirds

Arctic regions are warming rapidly, with extreme weather events increasing in frequency, duration, and intensity just as in other regions. Many studies have focused on how shifting seasonality in environmental conditions affects vegetation phenology, while far fewer have examined how the breeding phenology of arctic fauna responds. We studied two species of long-distance migratory songbirds, Lapland longspurs, Calcarius lapponicus, and white-crowned sparrows, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii, across five consecutive breeding seasons in northern Alaskan tundra. We aimed to understand how spring environmental conditions affected breeding cycle phenology, including the timing of arrival on breeding grounds, territory establishment, and clutch initiation. Spring temperatures, precipitation, and snow-free dates differed significantly among years, with 2013 characterized by unusually late snow cover. In response, we found a significant delay in breeding-cycle phenology for both study species in 2013 relative to other study years: the first bird observed was delayed by 6–10 days, with mean arrival by 3–6 days, territory establishment by 6–13 days, and clutch initiation by 4–10 days. Further, snow cover, temperature, and precipitation during the territory establishment period were important predictors of clutch initiation dates for both species. These findings suggest that Arctic-breeding passerine communities may have the flexibility required to adjust breeding phenology in response to the increasingly extreme and unpredictable environmental conditions—although future generations may encounter conditions that exceed their current range of phenological flexibility.
Spatial genetic structure in brittlebush (Encelia farinosa, Asteraceae) in the southwestern deserts of North America: a comparison of nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences

A previous study of spatial genetic structure in brittlebush in the southwestern deserts based on chloroplast DNA variation revealed strongly differentiated populations and statistically significant associations between geography and genetic diversity, presumably associated with Pleistocene climatic oscillations. To expand this work and understand the spatial genetic structure of brittlebush populations more completely, we sought to compare the genetic diversity and structure of chloroplast DNA with that of nuclear ribosomal DNA (internal transcribed spacer) and a low-copy nuclear region developed for the Asteraceae (D22). Here we obtained 192 ITS and 206 D22 sequences from individuals sampled throughout the range and analyzed them with network, population genetic, demographic, hierarchical, spatial, and Bayesian analyses. Although there are differences in the signal present in each genetic region, several large-scale spatial patterns are congruent, including a split between the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts and differentiation of a taxonomic variety from the Cape Region of Baja California. In general, the distribution of genetic variation observed in D22 confirms and even refines patterns previously observed in the chloroplast region. In contrast, there is little to no geographic structure in the genetic variation of ITS, possibly due to the effects of multiple gene copies, reticulation, homoplasy, and concerted evolution. Hierarchical genetic structure differs sharply between nuclear regions and the chloroplast region, and this is likely due to differences not only in the evolution and inheritance of these regions, but also in the dispersal of pollen and seeds among brittlebush populations.
Chapter 2 – Advanced Nanosensors for Environmental Monitoring

Nanoparticle-enhanced chemical and biosensors offer dynamic and quantitative analysis of toxic compounds in drinking water with potentials to provide rapid, ultrasensitive, and accurate risk assessment. We have developed a number of nanostructured materials as candidates for assessing the occurrence of water contamination. These include polyamic acid–metal nanoparticle composite membranes, polyoxy-dianiline membranes, sequestered metal nanoparticles within electroconducting polymers, and underpotential deposition of metal films onto solid electrodes. These materials have been utilized to design advanced sensors and have also been integrated with conventional instrumental techniques such as flow injection analysis (FIA), liquid chromatography (LC), and gas chromatography (GC). The resulting nanostructured sensors have been tested for the detection and identification of bacteria based on antibiotic susceptibility, multiarray electrochemical sensor with pattern recognition techniques, as well as for metal-enhanced detection of DNA–DNA, DNA–toxin, and DNA–drug interactions. The detection of cyanobacteria microcystis (M) spp and other toxins have also been reported. These sensors coupled with pattern recognition have provided reliable detection, classification, and differentiation of bacteria at subspecies and strain levels. Most of these sensors have shown good-to-excellent pathogen recovery efficiencies as well as a reasonable efficacy for sensing contaminants from water in controlled laboratory experiments. This chapter focuses on some of these novel approaches as well as the fundamental scientific questions involved in this emerging area of research. Advanced nanosensors will be described with respect to the mechanism of molecular recognition, material design, and characterization, sensing procedure and efficiency as well as potential application for improving water quality. The specific evaluation of these sensors will be described in terms of speed, simplicity, and cost for rapid and reliable measurements of some environmental contaminants such as pathogenic bacteria, endocrine disruption chemicals, cyanobacteria, and organophosphate pesticides.
Measurements in Film Cooling Flows With Periodic Wakes

Film cooling flows subject to periodic wakes were studied experimentally. The wakes were generated with a spoked wheel upstream of a flat plate. Cases with a single row of cylindrical film cooling holes inclined at 35 degrees to the surface were considered at blowing ratios of 0.25, 0.50, and 1.0 with a steady freestream and with wake Strouhal numbers of 0.15, 0.30, and 0.60. Temperature measurements were made using an infrared camera, thermocouples, and constant current (cold wire) anemometry. Hot wire anemometry was used for velocity measurements. The local film cooling effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient were determined from the measured temperatures. Phase locked flow temperature fields were determined from cold wire surveys. Wakes decreased the film cooling effectiveness for blowing ratios of 0.25 and 0.50 when compared to steady freestream cases. In contrast, effectiveness increased with Strouhal number for the 1.0 blowing ratio cases, as the wakes helped mitigate the effects of jet liftoff. Heat transfer coefficients increased with wake passing frequency, with nearly the same percentage increase in cases with and without film cooling. The time resolved flow measurements show the interaction of the wakes with the film cooling jets. Near-wall flow measurements are used to infer the instantaneous film cooling effectiveness as it changes during the wake passing cycle.
Sociocultural and Individual Manifestations of Sexual Stigma: The Role of Political Ideology and Prejudice in Discrimination Against Sexual Minorities

Understanding the complex manifestations of sexual stigma is crucial in helping to prevent discrimination toward sexual minorities. In this research, we examined the role of heterosexism within political ideology systems and the process through which these systems promote discrimination by focusing on sexual prejudice. Across four studies, we tested the predictions that more conservative political ideologies and greater levels of sexual prejudice will be associated with more negative evaluations of an applicant with a sexual stigma, and that prejudice will mediate the link between ideology and evaluation. We employed an experimental paradigm such that participants were presented nearly identical information in an intern applicant evaluation context, however, cues to sexual stigma were either present or absent. Overall, conservative ideology negatively predicted evaluation in the stigma, but not the control, condition and greater levels of sexual prejudice more strongly negatively predicted evaluations in the stigma, relative to control, condition. Finally, whereas ideology indirectly predicted candidate evaluation through prejudice generally, the effect was stronger for the applicant with the sexual stigma. This research extends the scholarship linking ideology to sexual stigma by examining employment discrimination and testing the mediating role of prejudice linking ideology to discrimination. By examining the role of ideology, it also broadens the research on bias in employment contexts. Understanding the role of both political ideology as well as individual sexual prejudice in discrimination may facilitate efforts to dismantle discrimination.
Narrowing of the 14 Kev Emission Line of 57Fe by Resonant Filtering

The 14 Kev Mossbauer gamma ray of 57Fe originating from a 57Co source in a copper matrix has been narrowed by resonant absorption. A decrease in the source line width on the order of 40 percent has been achieved. This decrease in source line width will result in increased resolution.
Applications of Commutation Theory to Vector-Field Lie Algebras and Sub-Laplacians on Manifolds

The results in this chapter illustrate typical applications of the invariant-domain exponentiation theory for operator Lie algebras treated in Theorem 9.1, as well as direct applications of the integration theory for smooth operator Lie algebras developed in Chapter 8. We also discuss some secondary applications to the solution of certain higher-order differential equations on manifolds that are determined by second-order elements of the enveloping algebra of a vector field Lie algebra; these operators are generally known as “sub-Laplacians” [Fo], [Jo 2], and can be viewed as abstract models for an interesting special class of hypoelliptic operators. We show that a number of qualitative properties of the solutions of these equations can be dropped out quite quickly via a suitable combination of exponentiation theorems and results concerning representation of differential operators on Lie groups [Jo 2].
Two PhD students for the price of one

Carolyn Talcott received her PhD in Computer Science at Stanford under my nominal direction in 1985; thereby hangs a tale. A year later, largely under her tutelage and again under my nominal direction, Ian Mason received his PhD in the Special Program in Logic, Philosophy of Language and the Philosophy of Science at Stanford; thereby hangs a subsidiary tale.
Optimal Life Cycle Savings

How much should a family save for retirement? A prescriptive life cycle savings model is presented. Scenarios are developed with simulations to provide implications for personal financial planning. The percent of income to save today depends on the expected lifetime non-investment income pattern. Households who are sure that their real incomes will increase substantially in the future may be rational in not starting to save for retirement until 25 years before retirement. With uncertain future incomes and retirement ages, saving early may be rational. A computer program based on this model has been used in financial planning classes.
A Review of Range Production and Management Extension Activities in Kenya

The paper presents an overview of the development of range management extension activities in Kenya. The status quo of range management activities is discussed with particular reference to extension infrastructure, scope of extension interventions and mechanisms of dissemination of these innovations. On the basis of the nature of available innovations and efficiency of dissemination mechanisms, the paper emphasizes the need for future institutional reforms to facilitate successful application of technological interventions, validation of the Kenyan innovation Diffusion Model and enhancement of the social acceptability of technological interventions.
Customer Segmentation for East African Microgrid Consumers

Many countries in East Africa have low access rates to electricity and this impedes their economic growth. A possible solution that has been explored is the use of microgrids. However, for microgrid business models to succeed, appropriate customers need to be identified and connected in order to sustain the business. PowerGen Renewable Energy (PowerGen) is a leading alternative energy provider in East Africa. For this paper, we used data from 277 customers over a period of nine months collected from four of its microgrids in Tanzania. This paper seeks to segment customers to determine distinguishing characteristics of different groups that would be beneficial for PowerGen. Machine learning techniques are used to construct predictive models and classification techniques. Empirical evidence demonstrates that demographic surveys, usually undertaken in advance of setting up microgrids, offer a rich source of information about the likely future consumption patterns of customers. The predictive advantages of having historical load profiles are also explored.
Role of melanocortin 4 receptor in hypertension induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia

Aim We previously demonstrated that central nervous system (CNS) melanocortin 4 receptors (MC4R) play a key role in regulating blood pressure (BP) in some conditions associated with increased SNS activity, including obesity. In this study, we examined whether activation of CNS MC4R contributes to chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH)-induced hypertension and ventilatory responses to hypercapnia. Methods Rats were instrumented with an intracerebroventricular (ICV) cannula in the lateral cerebral ventricle for continuous infusion of MC4R antagonist (SHU-9119) and telemetry probes for measuring mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR). Untreated and SHU-9119-treated rats as well as obese and lean MC4R-deficient rats were exposed to CIH for 7-18 consecutive days. Results Chronic intermittent hypoxia reduced cumulative food intake by 18 ± 5 g while MAP and HR increased by 10 ± 3 mm Hg and 9 ± 5 bpm in untreated rats. SHU-9119 increased food intake (from 15 ± 1 to 46 ± 3 g) and prevented CIH-induced reduction in food intake. CIH-induced hypertension was not attenuated by MC4R antagonism (average increase of 10 ± 1 vs 9 ± 1 mm Hg for untreated and SHU-9119 treated rats). In obese MC4R-deficient rats, CIH for 7 days raised BP by 11 ± 4 mm Hg. However, when MC4R-deficient rats were food restricted to prevent obesity, CIH-induced hypertension was attenuated by 32%. We also found that MC4R deficiency was associated with impaired ventilatory responses to hypercapnia independently of obesity. Conclusion These results show that obesity and the CNS melanocortin system interact in complex ways to elevate BP during CIH and that MC4R may be important in the ventilatory responses to hypercapnia.
Adaptive Wide Area Damping Controller for Distributed Energy Resources Integrated Power Grid

In this paper, a multi-channel system identification (SI) based adaptive wide-area damping controller (WADC) is proposed for a distributed energy resources (DER) integrated power grid. The proposed design identifies the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) reduced order transfer function model of the system using recursive least square (RLS) algorithm and utilizes adaptive control framework to adjust the power output of DER based upon the identified model to improve the transient stability of the system. The concept is to utilize the proposed controller to augment converter based local control of DER to damp the system oscillations faster. The benefit of the proposed control methodology has been validated by conducting simulation studies on a modified two area system to damp the inter-area oscillations. The results demonstrate that through coordinated control of different DERs, oscillations can be damped faster compared to using only local power system stabilizers (PSS) and conventional wide area damping controllers (WADC).
Impact of Implementing B-RSTTM to Screen for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer on Risk Perception and Genetic Counseling Uptake Among Women in an Academic Safety Net Hospital.

Abstract Background Lower socioeconomic status is strongly associated with decreased perception of cancer risk. Fewer low socioeconomic status women than expected currently access cancer genetic services from which they may benefit. Patients and Methods We screened women presenting for a screening mammogram at a safety net academic hospital using the Breast Cancer Genetics Referral Screening Tool Version 3.0 (B-RSTTM), an online tool designed to identify individuals potentially at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Participants screening either positive (high risk) or negative (moderate risk) were offered genetic counseling appointments. We used a brief survey to evaluate change in risk perception before and after using B-RSTTM, and after a genetic counseling appointment, if applicable. Barriers to accepting appointments were assessed when participants declined. Results Of the 126 participants, 91 (72.2%) screened negative-average risk, 13 (10.3%) screened negative-moderate risk, and 22 (17.5%) screened positive. Of those who screened positive or negative-moderate, 24 (68.6%) expressed interested in a genetic counseling appointment, of which 19 (79.2%) scheduled. Four of the 19 scheduled (21.1%) completed the appointment. We found a significant difference in the number who rated their breast cancer risk correctly on the post-test between the groups who self-rated as low, moderate, or high risk. Those who perceived themselves as high risk were the most likely to rate their risk correctly on the post-test (P Conclusion We showed that using B-RSTTM in a safety net academic hospital was effective at identifying women at increased risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.
Unholey shoes: Experimental considerations when estimating ankle joint complex power during walking and running.

Abstract For studies that aim to assess biological ankle function, calculating ankle joint complex (AJC) power between the calcaneus and shank is recommended over conventional inverse dynamics estimates between a rigid-body foot and shank. However, when designing a new experiment, it remains unclear whether holes should be cut in footwear to permit motion tracking via skin-mounted markers, or whether marker placement locations should be tightly controlled across conditions. Here we provide data to assist researchers in answering these questions. We performed a gait analysis study of walking (0.8, 1.2, 1.6 m·s−1) and running (2.6, 2.8, 3.0 m·s−1) while subjects (N = 10) wore custom-modified footwear, which allowed markers to be placed either on the shoe, or on the skin via cut-out windows in the shoes. First, we compared foot markers affixed to the skin vs. on the same locations on the shoe. Using statistical non-parametric mapping techniques, we discovered that skin vs. shoe markers had no statistically significant effect on net AJC power estimates throughout stance phase, for all walking and running speeds. Second, we compared calcaneal markers in the nominal shoe configuration vs. markers in a nearby location (∼27 mm below) on the shoe. We observed significant differences when marker placement on the shoe was varied, which may be relevant to repeated-measures study designs. The results suggest that when computing AJC power for walking and running, you may want to put down the scissors (i.e., forego cutting holes in your footwear), and instead pick up a Sharpie® (pen) or use a template, to maintain consistent marker placement across trials and conditions.
Understanding the Cognitive Demands of the Purdue Pegboard Test: An fNIRs Study.

To evaluate manual dexterity in clinical settings Purdue Pegboard test (PPT) is widely used and consists of four uni- and bi-manual sub-tests. The objective of this study is to deep dive into PPT and parse out the cognitive component of the subtests using functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). The prefrontal cortex (PFC) of 16 participants was assessed using fNIRS technique while performing PPT. Repeated measures one-way ANOVA was performed on average ∆HbR and ∆HbO in PFC regions (left DLPFC, left vmPFC, right vmPFC, right DLPFC). A Bonferroni correction was used to account for multiple comparisons. Results from both outcome measures taken together showed that assembly sub-task uses significantly higher resources in the left PFC. The findings can be summarized as follows: PPT measures more than manual dexterity. Subtask complexity affects the cognitive demands in the PFC. The Assembly may be the most sensitive subtest to the changes in PFC activity.
Bonded thin film lithium niobate modulator on a silicon photonics platform exceeding 100 GHz 3-dB electrical modulation bandwidth

We demonstrate an ultra-high-bandwidth Mach-Zehnder electro-optic modulator (EOM), based on foundry-fabricated silicon (Si) photonics, made using conventional lithography and wafer-scale fabrication, oxide-bonded at 200C to a lithium niobate (LN) thin film. Our design integrates silicon photonics light input/output and optical components, such as directional couplers and low-radius bends. No etching or patterning of the thin film LN is required. This hybrid Si-LN MZM achieves beyond 106 GHz 3-dB electrical modulation bandwidth, the highest of any silicon photonic or lithium niobate (phase) modulator.
Palonosetron Hydrochloride in the Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is among the most unpleasant and stressful aspects of chemotherapy. Poorly controlled nausea and vomiting may have negative impacts on clinical treatment and quality of life. Clinical trials aimed at the prevention of CINV have focused on both acute and delayed phases of CINV. The use of first generation serotonin subtype 3 serotonin (5-HT3) receptor antagonists has significantly improved symptom control in acute CINV. However, they are less effective in controlling delayed CINV. Palonosetron is a second generation 5-HT3 receptor antagonist with high potency, selectivity, prolonged half-life, and a unique allosteric binding mechanism. Previous trials which compared palonosetron to other first generation 5-HT3 antagonists had used the prevention of delayed CINV as a secondary end point. Recent data have demonstrated palonosetron, when used with a corticosteroid, was superior to granisetron in the prevention of delayed CINV as a primary end point. This article will review recently published literature focusing on mechanism of action, metabolism, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, and safety of palonosetron in the treatment of CINV, specifically delayed CINV.
Bioinspired Redox Mediator in Lithium–Oxygen Batteries

LiO2 is an intermediate formed in aprotic Li–O2 and Li–air batteries during an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The soluble LiO2 triggers undesirable side reactions, such as a nucleophilic reaction...
Permutation test for heterogeneous treatment effects with a nuisance parameter

Abstract This paper proposes an asymptotically valid permutation test for heterogeneous treatment effects in the presence of an estimated nuisance parameter. Not accounting for the estimation error of the nuisance parameter results in statistics that depend on the particulars of the data generating process, and the resulting permutation test fails to control the Type 1 error, even asymptotically. In this paper we consider a permutation test based on a martingale transformation of the empirical process to render an asymptotically pivotal statistic, effectively nullifying the effect associated with the estimation error on the limiting distribution of the statistic. Under weak conditions, we show that the permutation test based on the martingale-transformed statistic results in the asymptotic rejection probability of α in general while retaining the exact control of the test level when testing for the more restrictive sharp null. We also show how our martingale-based permutation test extends to testing whether there exists treatment effect heterogeneity within subgroups defined by observable covariates. Our approach comprises testing the joint null hypothesis that treatment effects are constant within mutually exclusive subgroups while allowing the treatment effects to vary across subgroups. Monte Carlo simulations show that the permutation test presented here performs well in finite samples, and is comparable to those existing in the literature. To gain further understanding of the test to practical problems, we investigate the gift exchange hypothesis in the context of two field experiments from Gneezy and List (2006). Lastly, we provide the companion RATest R package to facilitate and encourage the application of our test in empirical research.
A Novel Two-Dimensional Echocardiography Method to Objectively Quantify Aortic Valve Calcium and Predict Aortic Stenosis Severity.

Aortic valve calcium (AVC) is a strong predictor of aortic stenosis (AS) severity and is typically calculated by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). We propose a novel method using pixel density quantification software to objectively quantify AVC by two-dimensional (2D) transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and distinguish severe from non-severe AS. A total of 90 patients (mean age 76 ± 10 years, 75% male, mean AV gradient 32 ± 11 mmHg, peak AV velocity 3.6 ± 0.6 m/s, AV area (AVA) 1.0 ± 0.3 cm2, dimensionless index (DI) 0.27 ± 0.08) with suspected severe aortic stenosis undergoing 2D echocardiography were retrospectively evaluated. Parasternal short axis aortic valve views were used to calculate a gain-independent ratio between the average pixel density of the entire aortic valve in short axis at end diastole and the average pixel density of the aortic annulus in short axis (2D-AVC ratio). The 2D-AVC ratio was compared to echocardiographic hemodynamic parameters associated with AS, MDCT AVC quantification, and expert reader interpretation of AS severity based on echocardiographic AVC interpretation. The 2D-AVC ratio exhibited strong correlations with mean AV gradient (r = 0.72, p
MINDFULNESS SESSION: Mindfulness Activities to Incorporate into Your Courses (30 mins)

Instructional faculty and our students are living in a time when massive change and stress are at an all-time high. This stress creeps into our classrooms and disrupts learning. Luckily, faculty don’t need to be experts on the science and application of well-being to support their students. In this session, Dr. Milagros (Millie) Rivera from the Office of Faculty Affairs and Development and Melissa Schreibstein from the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being will teach you how to integrate well-being into your classroom without adding one more item on top of your overflowing plate. Attendees will learn a few simple and quick well-being activities that can be relied on in virtual and in-person environments to promote focus and centered learning.
Neutronics Benchmarks for the Utilization of Mixed Oxide Fuel in Water Reactors

This paper presents results of criticality calculations performed for three sets of benchmark problems conducted with four computer code systems. The problems presented in this paper include both experimental and computational benchmarks. These calculations were performed for the Amarillo Resource Center for Plutonium (ANRCP) in conjunction with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Each of the following sections contains an abbreviated problem statement, a brief description of the calculational methodology, and primary results. MCNP-4A with ENDF/B-VI is used for the Monte Carlo calculations. WIMSD4-m/TWODANT, WIMSD4-m/DIF3D, and CASMO-3 are used for different parts of the deterministic calculations. Due to space constraints, the descriptions given below are quite brief. Please contact the authors if further information is desired.
Soren Hallden’s “Puristic” Logic of the Better and Same

In considering Hallden’s work, it is vitally important to keep clear that he is not presenting a “logic of preference” in On the Logic of ‘Better’ 1 . This is an especially difficult point to bring across since not only do most researchers in the field of preferential logic cite his contribution in one connection or another, but Hallden himself is found to allude to the betterness of p to q as meaning in a normative sense: “p is to be preferred to q.”2 However, in his most recent book, The Foundation of Decision Logic, Hallden is careful to distinguish between preference per se, as involving “empirical” relations, and betterness as dealing with evaluative recommendations.3 It is the latter which are submitted to formal analysis in the first work mentioned above. In retrospect, the evidence suggests that Hallden’s realization of the necessity to distinguish between discourse about preferences from discourse dealing with the better arose subsequent to Henrik von Wright’s seminal work, The Logic of Preference.4 In 1963 von Wright characterized the difference between deontological concepts involving norms, e.g., duty, command, permission, etc., axiological concepts involving value, e.g., good, bad, and better, and anthropological concepts involving notions relating to need and want, decision and choice, etc. However, von Wright was also quick to point out that these groupings are not to be studied in total isolation of each other, since invariably one finds an overlapping between evaluative, normative and pragmatic concepts.5
Body mass index distribution affects discrepancies in weight classifications in children.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of body mass index (BMI) distribution, ethnicity and age at menarche on the consistency in the prevalence of underweight and overweight defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-off points in 2–17-year-old Chinese and US children. Methods: Data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) 1991 (n= 3895), CHNS 2004 (n= 1902), and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2004 (n= 3344) were used to define the prevalence of underweight and overweight using the CDC and IOTF BMI cut-off points. Results: An upward shift in the BMI distribution was observed from the CHNS 1991 to CHNS 2004, and between the CHNS and NHANES 2004. The prevalence of underweight defined by the IOTF cut-off points was higher than that obtained using the CDC cut-off points; absolute differences between IOTF and CDC classifiers were 7%, 5%, and 2% in boys, and 12%, 11%, and 4% in girls in the CHNS 1991, CHNS 2004, and NHANES 2004, respectively. There was a greater consistency in the prevalence of overweight. The consistency of the two classification systems increased with the higher BMI distribution and was not affected significantly by ethnicity or age at menarche. Conclusions: The BMI distribution of a population can affect the classification of childhood underweight and overweight differentially as defined by the CDC and IOTF cut-off points, and thus should be considered in the interpretation of results in clinical and population settings.
Identification of cis -suppression of human disease mutations by comparative genomics

Patterns of amino acid conservation have served as a tool for understanding protein evolution1. The same principles have also found broad application in human genomics, driven by the need to interpret the pathogenic potential of variants in patients2. Here we performed a systematic comparative genomics analysis of human disease-causing missense variants. We found that an appreciable fraction of disease-causing alleles are fixed in the genomes of other species, suggesting a role for genomic context. We developed a model of genetic interactions that predicts most of these to be simple pairwise compensations. Functional testing of this model on two known human disease genes3,4 revealed discrete cis amino acid residues that, although benign on their own, could rescue the human mutations in vivo. This approach was also applied to ab initio gene discovery to support the identification of a de novo disease driver in BTG2 that is subject to protective cis-modification in more than 50 species. Finally, on the basis of our data and models, we developed a computational tool to predict candidate residues subject to compensation. Taken together, our data highlight the importance of cis-genomic context as a contributor to protein evolution; they provide an insight into the complexity of allele effect on phenotype; and they are likely to assist methods for predicting allele pathogenicity5,6.
A Response to Restructuring: The Dilemmas of School Principals in a Process of Change.

An urban school district is undergoing a process of change as proposed in the educational reform agenda introduced by a new superintendent. This qualitative research study provides insight into the concerns of some elementary school principals in the district during the initial phase of the reform as they deal with the transition from a historically bureaucratic to a decentralized system, attempt to make sense of their dilemmas, and seek new ways of managing in a restructured environment. Major issues revealed in this study indicate there are some basic considerations to be addressed in initiating a districtwide process of change and eliciting site administrator support (i.e., understanding the dilemmas of managing in a different power structure, providing opportunities for sufficient input, and devising a sound professional development program for principals to assist in reconceptualizing administrative roles). Implications suggest that it is essential for top school executives initiating change processes to develop good communication processes and gain an understanding of the cultural norms of a school system to gain the commitment of school principals and school constituencies. This study, which contributes to the empirically based literature on school reform, also illustrates that initiation of structural changes needs to be clearly related to the ultimate goal of improving student achievement so that all school constituencies understand the focus of the reform agenda. Consideration of these issues in devising plans for educational change may enhance actualization of desired outcomes.
Cutaneous lipogenesis: III. The incorporation of valine carbons into the branched-chain fatty acids of rodent ear skin lipids

Abstract 1. 1. An ear skin-slice incubation technique was employed to study the utilization of valine carbons for fatty acid synthesis in rodent skin. Mouse and rat skin incorporated valine carbons at considerably higher rates than did guinea pig skin. Mouse skin was selected for more detailed studies. 2. 2. The incorporation rate of 14 C into mouse skin fatty acids from dl -[4- 14 C]-valine was twice that from [1- 14 C]isobutyrate. The incorporation rate from dl -[1- 14 C]-valine was only slightly lower than that from [1- 14 C]isobutyrate. 3. 3. The labeling patterns of the saturated fatty acids formed in mouse skin from dl -[4- 14 C]valine and [1- 14 C]isobutyrate were determined. In both cases, the radioactivity was concentrated in even-numbered, iso-branched fatty acids. 4. 4. Labeled isopalmitate, formed from dl -[4- 14 C]valine in mouse skin, was oxidized to remove the terminal branch. Tridecanedioate, a major oxidation product, contained only 24% of the total radioactivity of the isopalmitate.
Improving light load efficiency in a series capacitor buck converter by uneven phase interleaving

This paper introduces a technique to improve light load efficiency in a two-phase, series capacitor buck converter. A unique aspect of the series capacitor buck topology is that if conventional, even phase interleaving is used in discontinuous current mode (DCM), negative inductor current can be generated in one of the phases. The negative current increases power loss and creates an unwanted offset in the series capacitor voltage. Uneven phase interleaving avoids this by overlapping the high side switch on-time of one phase with the positive, decreasing current interval of the other phase. Experimental results from a 12 V input, 1.8 V output hardware prototype demonstrate that this simple technique increases light load efficiency by up to 13 percentage points and reduces power loss by up to 42% as compared to forced continuous conduction mode and conventional, frequency modulated DCM.
Digital Information and Knowledge Management : New Opportunities for Research Libraries

* Introduction (Sul H. Lee) * It's Not Your Parents' Library Anymore: Challenges and Opportunities in the New Webs of Complexity (Paula Kaufman) * Google, Libraries, and Knowledge Management: From the Navajo to the National Security Agency (Dennis Dillon) * The Scholarly Work of Digital Libraries (Judith M. Panitch and Sarah Michalak) * New Opportunities for Research Libraries in Digital Information and Knowledge Management: Challenges for the Mid-Sized Research Library (Shirley K. Baker) * Is There a Digital Purgatory? (Charles T. Cullen) * Digital Libraries and Librarians of the 21st Century (Nancy Davenport) * Toward a Topography of Library Collections (Gary M. Shirk) * Index * Reference Notes
Paraoxon-induced release of β-glucuronidase from rat hepatocytes in vitro

Abstract A suspension culture of isolated rat hepatocytes was used to reproduce in vitro the paraoxon-induced release of hepatic β-glucuronidase observed in vivo. After a short latent period, exposure of hepatocytes to paraoxon at 10−7 to 10−4 M resulted in a typical dose-dependent response, with highest release occurring at 10−4 M paraoxon. With 10−3 M paraoxon, however, response was anomalous with a much-decreased enzyme release. As expected from earlier results in vivo, SV1-oxon exhibited less effect than paraoxon.
A Perspective on the Toxicity of Petrogenic PAHs to Developing Fish Embryos Related to Environmental Chemistry

ABSTRACT Numerous studies demonstrate polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) dissolved from weathered crude oil adversely affect fish embryos at 0.5 to 23 μg/l. This conclusion has been challenged by studies that claim (1) much lower toxicity of weathered aqueous PAHs; (2) direct contact with dispersed oil droplets plays a significant role or is required for toxicity; (3) that uncontrolled factors (oxygen, ammonia, and sulfides) contribute substantively to toxicity; (4) polar compounds produced by microbial metabolism are the major cause of observed toxicity; and (5) that based on equilibrium models and toxic potential, water contaminated with weathered oil cannot be more toxic per unit mass than effluent contaminated with fresh oil. In contrast, several studies demonstrate high toxicity of weathered oil; shifts in PAH composition were consistent with dissolution (not particle ablation), embryos accumulated dissolved PAHs at low concentrations and were damaged, and assumed confounding factors were incon...
An Economic Investigation of Interstate Variation in Legislative Turnover

The explanations of turnover in legislatures developed by political scientists are combined with an economic cartel model of the organization of legislatures to explain interstate variation in turnover in the period 1972-1986. Few robustly significant determinants are found and the results question the applicability of the theory of industrial organization to this area of political organization.
J‐Integral Measurements of the Fracture of 50% Alumina Refractories

The J-integral experimental technique was used to study fracture initiation in burned refractory bricks and refractory casta-bles of the 50% alumina variety. In a comparison of JIc and GIc, and 2ywof it is consistently observed that GIc<JIc<2ryWof. The quantities (JIc-GIc) or (JIC/GIC), as well as (2ywof/GIc), can be applied to estimate the inelastic energy contribution to the crack-tip process zone of these refractories. The latter two parameters distinctly classify the burned bricks and the casta-bles into different fracture characteristics. As such, these parameters are potentially very useful in the microstruetural design of refractories.