cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CT and MRI Improve Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Compared With Ultrasound Alone, in Patients With Cirrhosis

BACKGROUND & AIMS: In patients with cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is detected by ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); US is recommended for screening and surveillance. We performed a retrospective analysis of the abilities of these crosssectional imaging modalities to detect HCC. METHODS: We analyzed data from 638 consecutive adult patients with cirrhosis who received liver transplants within 6 months of imaging at a tertiary care institution. Imaging reports and serum alphafetoprotein levels were compared with results from pathology analysis of explants as the reference standard. Sensitivities of US, CT, and MRI were calculated overall and in defined size categories. False-positive imaging results and patient-based specificities were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 638 patients, 225 (35%) had HCC, confirmed by pathology analysis of liver explants. In 23 cases, the lesions were infiltrative or extensively multifocal. In the remaining 202 explants (337 numerable, discrete nodules), respective lesion-based sensitivities of US, CT, and MRI were 46%, 65%, and 72% overall and 21%, 40%, and 47% for small (2 cm) HCC. The sensitivity of US increased with the availability of CT or MRI data (P .049); sensitivity values were 62% and 85% for lesions 2‐4 and 4 cm, respectively. Patientbased specificities of US, CT, and MRI were 96%, 96%, and 87%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: US, CT, and MRI did not detect small HCC lesions with high levels of sensitivity, although CT and MRI provide substantial improvements over unenhanced US in patients with cirrhosis who received liver transplants.
Reconciling Corporate Citizenship and Competitive Strategy: Insights from Economic Theory.

Neoclassical and Austrian/evolutionary economic paradigms have different implications for integrating corporate social responsibility (corporate citizenship) and competitive strategy. Porter’s “Five Forces” model implicitly rests on neoclassical theory of the firm and is not easily reconciled with corporate social responsibility. Resource-based models of competitive strategy do not explicitly embrace a particular economic paradigm, but to the extent their conceptualization rests on neoclassical assumptions such as imperfect factor markets and profits as rents, these models also imply a trade-off between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Differences in Austrian/evolutionary economic model’s assumptions about equilibrium, profits, and other economic concepts allow this paradigm to embrace alternative views of strategy such as the activities or dynamic capabilities views. These alternative views of strategy focus on learning and adaptation; they align more easily with corporate social responsibility. In practice this alignment comes about because social engagement facilitates the learning and adaptation that are a source of competitive advantage. Among the many business arguments for CSR such as improved employee morale/productivity or brand differentiation, this view prioritizes innovation.
Enhanced interpretability of the PFDI-20 with establishment of reference scores among women in the general population.

Aims To enhance the interpretability of the PFDI-20 by establishing a score distribution for women in the general population and to determine whether scores correspond with urinary and anal incontinence (UI and AI). Methods Subjects recruited during Twins Day Festivals from 2004 to 2009 completed a survey assessing for stress and urgency urinary incontinence (SUI and UUI) and AI of flatus and stool. Score distributions for the PFDI-20 and each of its subscales were determined for all subjects and for women with isolated forms of incontinence. Scores were compared between continent and incontinent women and between incontinent subtypes by Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Results One thousand three hundred seventy-six women completed the survey with PFDI-20 (Median = 8.9, IQR 31.3), POPDI-6 (Median = 0, IQR = 8.3), CRADI-8 (Median = 0, IQR = 10.7), and UDI-6 (Median = 0, IQR = 16.7). PFDI-20, POPDI-6, CRADI-8, and UDI-6 scores were significantly greater among women reporting isolated SUI (P < 0.0001, P = 0.04, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, respectively), UUI (P < 0.0001, P = 0.02, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, respectively), mixed UI (P < 0.0001 each), AI flatus (P < 0.0001 each), and AI stool (P < 0.0001 each) compared to those denying incontinence. Women with mixed UI had significantly greater PFDI-20 and UDI-6 scores compare to those with SUI (P < 0.0001) or UUI (P < 0.0001). Subjects with AI stool had significantly greater PFDI-20 and CRADI-8 scores compared to those with AI flatus (P = 0.01). Conclusions PFDI-20 scores from a sample of the general population correspond with the presence or absence of UI and AI. These normative and symptom-specific score distributions for the PFDI-20 provide reference points to gauge the effect of disease and intervention on quality of life for women with incontinence. Neurourol. Urodynam. 31:1252–1257, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Human Dignity: A Cornerstone of Doctoral Education in Nursing

Human dignity is foundational to nursing ethics in both the practice and educational arena. It is implicitly and explicitly woven throughout all ethical dialogue. This column offers insight into the ubiquitous nature of human dignity as it surfaced during a doctoral level ethics course. These examples are shared in light of the humanbecoming human dignity ethical tenets: reverence, awe, betrayal, and shame. The prevalence of dignity in ethical discussion serves as a reminder for nurses to carve out time for meaningful discussions regarding its importance to the nursing profession as a whole.
Dynamic Analysis of Posture Profiles in Quiet Stance on Carpets through Fractional Brownian Motion

In this study we examine the dynamic characteristics of the center of pressure (COP) profiles in quiet stance on various carpets through the framework of fractional Brownian motion. Four different carpets plus the force platform (which served as a control floor) were tested. Six healthy young subjects stood stationary in bare feet on each flooring condition under both eyes- open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC) conditions. A sta- bilogram diffusion analysis (SDA) was conducted in both anteroposterior and mediolateral direc- tions to extract the dynamic features of the COP profiles. Two approximately linear regions (short- versus long-term regions) were found for all of the flooring conditions in the double logarithmic plot of the mean-square displacements versus time intervals, implying that a two-stage control scheme exists in regulating the posture. In general, a more compliant carpet was found to be associated with a shorter transitional time interval and a lower HL value (Hurst coefficient in the long-term region) under the EO condition, but to be correlated with a higher HS (Hurst coefficient in the short-term region) and a higher HL under the EC condition. While the hard floor of the force platform signifi- cantly decreased HL from the EO to the EC condi- tions, the alteration of visual environments did not substantially influence HL for a compliant carpet.
Incorporating forage grasses in riparian buffers for bioremediation of atrazine, isoxaflutole and nitrate in Missouri

Multi-species tree-shrub-grass riparian buffer systems have been recognized as one of the most cost-effective bioremediation approaches to alleviate nonpoint source agricultural pollution in heavily fertilized systems. However, highly concentrated herbicides in surface and subsurface water and shade cast by trees along the stream bank usually compromise the effectiveness of these systems. Greenhouse trials and field lysimeter studies were conducted to evaluate the tolerance of orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata), smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), timothy (Phleum pratense), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) ground covers to atrazine and Balance™ (isoxaflutole) plus their capacity to sequester and degrade these herbicides and their metabolites. Their ability to remove soil nitrate was also quantified. Concentrations of atrazine, Balance™ and their metabolites in the leachate, soil and plant samples were determined by solid phase extraction followed by high performance liquid or gas chromatographic analyses. Distribution of the herbicides and metabolites in the system was calculated using a mass balance approach. Herbicide bioremediation capacity of each lysimeter treatment was determined by the ratio of metabolites to parent herbicide plus metabolites. Bioremediation of nitrate was quantified by comparing nitrate reduction rates in grass treatments to the bare ground control. Based on this herbicide tolerance, bioremediation data and shade tolerance determined in a previous study, it was established that switch grass, tall fescue and smooth bromegrass are good candidates for incorporation into tree-shrub-grass riparian buffer systems designed for the bioremediation of atrazine, Balance™ and nitrate.
Dispersionless terahertz waveguides

We report a new type of quasi-optic waveguide for broadband terahertz pulses, which shows low loss, negligible group velocity dispersion, and remarkable structural simplicity. We characterize the spatial and temporal behavior of the guided mode.
Antibody formation and cell-mediated immunity to dog pulp tissue altered by eight endodontic sealers via the root canal.

The authors wish to thank Dr James Wolf, Daniel Green, Mr Buddy Hudson, and the entire staff of the Animal Surgical Research Laboratory, McGuire VA Hospital, Richmond, Virginia. This project was supported by Animal Surgical Research Funds, McGuire Veterans Hospital, Richmond, Virginia.
Teacher Self-Identification in Culture from Vygotsky's Developmental Perspective

Major changes have taken place in Russian education during the past eight years: new openness, new approaches, new recognition of deficiencies and needs. As teachers sought to throw of the regimentation of the past, they turned to the newly republished works of L. S. Vygotsky and his followers for ideas. This article contrasts the differing perspectives on a number of critical issues in Vygotsky's cultural-historical theory (zone of proximal development, action/act/activity, element/unit analysis, social situation of development/contextualism). The recent effort to design a teacher developmental education program based on the principles of Vygotsky's cultural-historical concept put the concept itself in question. The principles of such a program will be discussed, particularly the idea of teacher self-identification in culture. The aim of this article is to facilitate the debate about these important issues and to define the international perspectives in the development of the cultural-historical concept.
Oregon ‘Pinot noir’ grape anthocyanin enhancement by early leaf removal

Complete cluster zone leaf removal of ‘Pinot noir’ was initiated at three separate pre-veraison growth stages (bloom, grain-pea size, and bunch closure) and maintained leaf free until harvest, for four growing seasons (2008–2011). Fruit anthocyanin composition was examined at harvest for the last two vintages (2010 and 2011) and compared to a control-no cluster zone leaf removal. Experiments were conducted at two commercially operating Oregon vineyards (site A = 420 rootstock/‘Pinot noir’ 115 scion and site B = 3309C rootstock/‘Pinot noir’ 777 scion). All clusters contained the five anthocyanins typically found in ‘Pinot noir’. Leaf removal at bloom and maintained until harvest produced maximum anthocyanin accumulation in ‘Pinot noir’ grapes (site A = 85.24 mg/100 g and site B = 125.06 mg/100 g), compared to no leaf removal (control; site A = 57.91 mg/100 g and site B = 97.56 mg/100 g). Even leaf removal at bunch closure (last leaf removal initiation period) increased grape anthocyanin (site A = 73.22 mg/ 100 g and site B = 118.93 mg/100 g) compared to control, but total anthocyanins were lower than grapes from bloom leaf removal (first time period). Results differed slightly by vineyard site and rootstock/scion combination.
A bound on the values of independence polynomials at - 1 / k for k -degenerate graphs

An independent set of a graph G is a set of pairwise non-adjacent vertices. Let α ( G ) denote the cardinality of a maximum independent set and f s ( G ) for 0 ? s ? α ( G ) denote the number of independent sets on s vertices. The independence polynomial I ( G ; x ) = ? i = 0 α ( G ) f s ( G ) x s defined first by Gutman and Harary in 1983 has been the focus of considerable research. In 1995, Wingard bounded the function values obtained at - 1 for the independence polynomials for the tree T ; | I ( T ; - 1 ) | ? 1 . We generalize Wingard's result for a much larger class of graphs, k -degenerate graphs, a class which includes all k -trees. Wingard's result is the case when k = 1 .
Agent-Based Infrastructure for Data and Transaction Management in Mobile Heterogeneous Environment

Mobile technology and advances in databases have allowed users to access and manipulate data across multiple heterogeneous and autonomous data sources via wireless connection, namely mobile multidatabase system. Transaction management in this environment is non-trivial due to heterogeneity and autonomy of the participating data sources, frequent disconnections, and technological constraints of the access devices. Agent-based Transaction Management scheme for Mobile Multidatabase (AT3M) systems uses autonomous agents to enable a fully distributed transaction management, accommodates users' mobility, allows parallel execution of the global subtransactions, and responds to some of the limitations of the technology. The framework is augmented to support user connectivity and mobility in internetworking environment and to provide QoS-based services. The performance of the proposed AT3M is simulated and evaluated. The simulation study shows that the proposed scheme outperforms the V-locking and the Pre-Serialization schemes, as advanced in the literature.
Cautionary comments on the measurement of maximum locomotor capabilities

In recent years, laboratory measurements of locomotor performance of small organisms have been used increasingly to study questions in behavioural, physiological, and evolutionary ecology. Although a valuable tool that can provide insight into organismal function, behaviour, and adaptation, this approach is potentially limited by the quality of the data collected. Using the study of maximum sprint speed in lizards as an example, common problems in methodology that may confound interpretation of performance studies are discussed.
Influence of frequency on O2(a 1Δ) and oxygen atom production in transverse radio-frequency discharges

Experimental investigations of radio-frequency discharges in O2/He/NO mixtures in the pressure range 1–100 Torr and power range 0.1–1.2 kW have indicated that O2(a 1Δ) production is a strong function of geometry, excitation frequency, pressure and diluent ratio. The goal of these investigations was maximization of both the yield and the flow rate (power flux) of O2(a 1Δ) in order to produce favourable conditions for application to an electric oxygen–iodine laser (EOIL). At lower pressures, improvements in yield are observed when excitation frequency is increased from 13.56 MHz. As pressure is increased in the baseline 50 mm gap configuration, increasing excitation frequency becomes detrimental. O2(a 1Δ) yield performance is improved at high pressure by reducing the discharge gap and increasing the diluent ratio. Numerous measurements of O2(a 1Δ), oxygen atoms and discharge excited states are made in order to describe the discharge performance dependent on various parameters.
Stakeholder perceptions of scientists: Lake Tahoe environmental policy from 1984 to 2001

What factors explain stakeholders’ perceptions of scientists in environmental politics? Questionnaire data are used to examine stakeholders’ views of scientific experts in the context of Lake Tahoe environmental policy from 1984 to 2001. Stakeholders’ perceptions of scientists have remained the same over time – despite a shift from adversarial to collaborative policymaking and after decades of mounting scientific evidence showing water quality declines. On average, stakeholders perceive scientists with limited influence on Lake Tahoe environmental policy and view them with mixed levels of skepticism. Stakeholders’ evaluation of scientists is best explained by their beliefs about development versus the environment. Stakeholders in favor of more land development express distrust of scientists and negatively evaluate university researchers and consultants. Stakeholders in favor of environmental protection are more likely to trust scientists and positively evaluate university researchers and consultants.
Hybrid CMOS/Nanodevice Circuits: Architectures, Applications, and Device Needs

Recent work on devices, circuits and architectures for possible hybrid semiconductor/nanodevice integrated circuits is reviewed, especially those based on nanowire crossbars, with similar, simple, two-terminal devices formed at each crosspoint. A rotation of the nanowire crossbar by a certain, well-defined angle with respect to the interface pin grid allows the CMOS subsystem to address each and every of the crosspoint devices, even with no nanoscale alignment between the CMOS and crossbar subsystems. This feature liberates the high-resolution patterning technologies from the burden of overlay requirements and may enable their fast scaling beyond the 10-nm frontier. However, these and other demonstrated devices with similar functionality can hardly be scaled below 10 nm.
Efficient non-linear model reduction via a least-squares Petrov–Galerkin projection and compressive tensor approximations

The first author acknowledges the partial support by a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship and the partial support by a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. The second and third authors acknowledge the partial support by the Motor Sports Division of the Toyota Motor Corporation under Agreement Number 48737, and the partial support by a research grant from the Academic Excellence Alliance program between King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Stanford University. All authors also acknowledge the constructive comments received during the review process.
Phosphorus transformations as a function of pedogenesis: A synthesis of soil phosphorus data using Hedley fractionation method

Abstract. In spite of the importance of phosphorus (P) as a limiting nutrient in terrestrial ecosystems, our understanding of terrestrial P dynamics and our ability to model P cycling are hampered by the lack of consistent measurements of soil P. The Hedley fractionation method provides a comprehensive assessment of soil P and has been widely used in recent decades. Here we expand an earlier study that summarized Hedley P data from the literature to create a larger Hedley P database and further investigate the relationships between distributions of different forms of P and the stages of soil development. Our expanded Hedley P database generally supports what the Walker and Syers (1976) conceptual model predicts: the gradual decrease and eventual depletion of primary mineral P (mainly apatite P); the continual increase and eventual dominance of occluded P; and the overall decrease of total P during soil development. However the analysis disagrees with Walker and Syers (1976) in that we found labile inorganic P(Pi) and secondary mineral Pi (non-occluded P in Walker and Syers' model) to be a significant fraction of total P throughout all soil orders with different weathering stages. By analyzing the Hedley-labile P and vegetation P demand, we found that the amount of labile P is much greater than vegetation demand, even in highly weathered soils commonly considered P limited. We conclude that labile P measured by Hedley fractionation method should not be defined as plant available P since most of this labile P likely ends up as immobilized by microbes. Our analysis of the database also shows that carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in soil organic matter are closely linked in all soil orders, but P is decoupled from C and N in highly weathered soils with larger variations of nitrogen:organic P (N:Po) ratio and higher mean values of N:Po ratio, compared to slightly and intermediately weathered soils.
Displacement damage in irradiated metals and semiconductors

This chapter discusses displacement processes in energetic cascades. It describes the fundamental mechanisms of producing atomic rearrangements and point defects in cascades, the configurations of defects in their primary state of damage, and the fates of these defects as they migrate away from their nascent locations. When energetic particles penetrate solids, they lose their energy through a series of elastic two-body nuclear collisions with target atoms and through excitation of the electronic system. It is the elastic collisions that are of primary interest for damage creation in metals and most semiconductors because they lead to the production of Frenkel pairs, which are vacancies and self-interstitial atoms, and to rearrangements of atoms on their lattice sites. The atomic displacement process begins with the creation of a primary knock on atom (PKA), which is any target atom struck by the irradiation particle. Displacements in energetic cascades are a part of a complex dynamics that involves both energetic recoils, which are characterized by binary collisions, and intense local heating.
Sleep estimation using wrist actigraphy in adolescents with and without sleep disordered breathing: a comparison of three data modes.

INTRODUCTION Adolescence is a time of rapid changes in sleep habits and rising prevalence of sleepiness. The importance of measuring sleep in this population is increasingly recognized. In adults, measurements of sleep by actigraphy correlate well with sleep data from EEG recordings. Since actigraphy is increasingly utilized in adolescent sleep studies, more information is needed about reliability in this age group. This analysis investigated which actigraphy data mode is optimal for data collection in adolescents and explored the level of agreement between actigraphy and polysomnography (PSG) in population subgroups. METHODS 181 adolescents aged 12-16 years were concurrently monitored with PSG and wrist actigraphy (measured in 3 data modes: Time Above Threshold [TAT], Zero Crossing Mode [ZCM], and Proportional Integration Mode [PIM]) to measure total sleep time (TST). RESULTS The sample was 50% male, 55% African American, 9% with sleep disordered breathing (SDB; apnea-hypopnea index > or = 5). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for TST between actigraphy and PSG were low to moderate and were highest for TAT (0.41) compared to ZCM (0.32) and PIM (0.34). Subgroup analyses revealed that ICCs were higher among those without SDB (0.55) than those with SDB (0.00), and for girls (0.66) compared with boys (0.31). CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that actigraphy provides a reasonably good estimate of TST in adolescents without SDB. Recognition of the variation in sleep estimates among different data collection modes, among population subgroups, and across the age spectrum, may be of fundamental importance in the interpretation of actigraphy data for sleep duration estimation.
In defense of cell volume

Most cells react vigorously to perturbations in their fluid volume. Although the responses themselves have been well described, little is known about how the volume stimulus is detected and transduced. The relevance of volume-activated phenomena in vitro to volume homeostasis in vivo is not clear. It can be debated whether cells are truly responding to changes in their volume. Perhaps they are reacting to changes in the concentration of a cytoplasmic constituent. This review calls attention to recent literature bearing on these subjects and concludes that, in most cases, cells are not defending their volume but their concentration of cytosolic macromolecules.
Optimal Criteria Survey for Preresuscitation Delivery Room Checklists.

Objective To investigate the optimal format and content of delivery room reminder tools, such as checklists. Study Design Voluntary, anonymous web-based surveys on checklists and reminder tools for neonatal resuscitation were sent to clinicians at participating hospitals. Summary statistics including the mean and standard deviation of the survey items were calculated. Several key comparisons between groups were completed using Student t -test. Results Fifteen hospitals were surveyed and 299 responses were collected. Almost all (96%) respondents favored some form of a reminder tool. Specific reminders such as “check and prepare all equipment” (mean 3.69, SD 0.81) were ranked higher than general reminders and personnel reminders such as “introduction and assigning roles” (mean 3.23, SD 1.08). Rankings varied by profession, institution, and deliveries attended per month. Conclusions Clinicians perceive a benefit of a checklist for neonatal resuscitation in the delivery room. Preparation of equipment was perceived as the most important use for checklists.
Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction: Shakespeare at 400

The year 2016 is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. His plays are read, interpreted, and performed throughout the United States and the world, and from the early seventeenth century onward, the praise bestowed on him is hyperbolic, as if he were superhuman, even divine. Biographies of Shakespeare abound and often are informative, but not about Shakespeare himself, for we know very little about his day to day activity. Biographers thus imagine and invent the life, using speculation and conjecture as substitutes for evidence and fact. We do know much about the Elizabethan and Jacobean theater and about London acting companies. We know too that for his company, Shakespeare was an actor and a sharer (an investor who shared in the profits) as well as a playwright. But none of the original scripts that Shakespeare wrote or co-wrote has survived. There are no manuscripts in Shakespeare’s hand, nor did he prepare and authenticate any of the published texts we possess. Hence we do not know for certain what the world’s greatest writer actually wrote. Shakespeare’s plays are a supreme fiction, and this more than anything explains his astonishing longevity and renown.
Similarity of Properties of Metamaterial Slow-Wave Structures and Metallic Periodic Structures

A study of the evolution of wave dispersion in systems of all-metallic periodic structures with increasing corrugation depth shows a similarity of the properties of waves in metamaterial slow-wave structures (MSWSs) and traditional metallic SWSs used in high-power microwave sources. We show that the main properties of MSWSs, such as the existence of a lowest order negative dispersion wave below cutoff, also appear in ordinary metallic periodic systems with deep corrugations. Furthermore, we find that the appearance of negative dispersion in all-metallic periodic structures with increasing corrugation depth is accompanied by a hybrid mode being identified as the lowest order negative dispersion mode.
Using Zinc Formalin as a Routine Fixative in the Histology Laboratory

We report our 2-year experience using buffered aqueous zinc formalin (ZF) as the routine fixative in the histology laboratory. This fixative replaced neutral buffered formalin in our automated tissue processor after some modifications. No added steps were necessary in handling or disposal. We compared the results of routine and special stains (including immunostains) using ZF and neutral buffered formalin, and found that ZF improved morphologic detail. All special stains yielded good results, and immunostainingfor certain lymphoid markers was enhanced in particular. We suggest consideration of the use ofZF as a routine fixative in the general histology laboratory
An Exploration of Teacher Retention in Rural School Districts in Eastern Kentucky

OF DISSERTATION AN EXPLORATION OF TEACHER RETENTION IN RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN EASTERN KENTUCKY Teacher retention rates are staggeringly low across the United States. Nearly 20% of public school teachers leave their position from one year to the next, a majority of schools have a turnover rate of 50% every three years, and over 50% of teachers leave the education field within the first five years of employment. This retention problem impacts all type of public school systems—urban, suburban, and rural school districts. This study examined teacher retention in elementary and secondary schools in three rural school districts in eastern Kentucky. Review of district and school documents about teacher retention informed the selection of participants. School districts and specific schools in rural eastern Kentucky with higher retention rates than the average teacher retention of public schools in Kentucky were study sites. Data were collected through individual interviews with superintendents and principals and through focusgroup interviews with teachers to gain their perspectives about what influenced the higher teacher retention. Analysis of data identified themes for high teacher retention. The findings suggest that a strong familial school culture among teachers and with school administrators positively impacts teacher retention. High teacher retention is also influenced by Appalachian culture and teachers' desires to contribute to the local community beyond the school building and have a positive impact on the future of the local community’s youth.
Pregnancy augments uteroplacental vascular endothelial growth factor gene expression and vasodilator effects.

This study examined a potential role for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in uterine artery remodeling and vasodilation during pregnancy. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (R...
Phylogeny and Species Diversity of Gulf of California Oysters (Ostreidae) Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA

Abstract. The Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida Carpenter, 1864, is the only native oyster on the west coast of temperate western North America and a conservation target for native species restoration throughout much of its known range, from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico. This species was recently demonstrated to be genetically distinct from its southern congener, O. conchaphila Carpenter, 1857, but our new sampling, combined with previously published data, supports a tentative allopatric pattern, with the southern and northern species restricted to either side of Punta Eugenia in Baja California, Mexico, a known biogeographic boundary. We collected O. conchaphila and multiple co-occurring oyster species at 11 sites along the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur or within the Gulf of California, Mexico. Oyster surveys revealed at least six other co-occurring species, including two exotics, of Ostreidae Rafinesque, 1815 that were identified by sequencing 16S ribosomal DNA (16S) and cytoch...
Autophagy deficiency in macrophages enhances NLRP3 inflammasome activity and chronic lung disease following silica exposure

Autophagy is an important metabolic mechanism that can promote cellular survival following injury. The specific contribution of autophagy to silica-induced inflammation and disease is not known. The objective of these studies was to determine the effects of silica exposure on the autophagic pathway in macrophages, as well as the general contribution of autophagy in macrophages to inflammation and disease. Silica exposure enhanced autophagic activity in vitro in Bone Marrow derived Macrophages and in vivo in Alveolar Macrophages isolated from silica-exposed mice. Impairment of autophagy in myeloid cells in vivo using Atg5(fl/fl)LysM-Cre(+) mice resulted in enhanced cytotoxicity and inflammation after silica exposure compared to littermate controls, including elevated IL-18 and the alarmin HMGB1 in the whole lavage fluid. Autophagy deficiency caused some spontaneous inflammation and disease. Greater silica-induced acute inflammation in Atg5(fl/fl)LysM-Cre(+) mice correlated with increased fibrosis and chronic lung disease. These studies demonstrate a critical role for autophagy in suppressing silica-induced cytotoxicity and inflammation in disease development. Furthermore, this data highlights the importance of basal autophagy in macrophages and other myeloid cells in maintaining lung homeostasis.
Program counter based techniques for dynamic power management

Reducing energy consumption has become one of the major challenges in designing future computing systems. We propose a novel idea of using program counters to predict I/O activities in the operating system. We present a complete design of program-counter access predictor (PCAP) that dynamically learns the access patterns of applications and predicts when an I/O device can be shut down to save energy. PCAP uses path-based correlation to observe a particular sequence of program counters leading to each idle period, and predicts future occurrences of that idle period. PCAP differs from previously proposed shutdown predictors in its ability to: (1) correlate I/O operations to particular behavior of the applications and users, (2) carry prediction information across multiple executions of the applications, and (3) attain better energy savings while incurring low mispredictions.
Biliary atresia and liver transplantation: results and thoughts for primary liver transplantation in select patients

Biliary atresia (BA) is one of the most common indications for liver transplantation in children. Despite advances in biliary atresia surgical techniques, most children will ultimately require liver transplantation. Possible pre-operative predictors of outcome after the Kasai operation are: 1. Age at operation 2. Presence of the biliary atresia splenic malformation syndrome (BASM) 3. Center specific factors 4. Liver histology and 5. Anatomic pattern of bile ducts found at surgery.Age at surgery is considered a strong predictor of success after portoenterostomy. In a recent study, age of 75 days or more at surgery was associated with less frequent resolution of jaundice and decreased transplant free survival. Similarly, the Ohi type II or III anatomy was associated with a higher risk of transplantation or death than type I. Inflammatory findings on pre-operative biopsy predicted a pooreroutcome after a Kasai procedure than obstructive changes. Nodularity of the liver at surgery as well as ascites was associated with a poorer prognosis.Primary transplantation is rarely done despite excellent outcome. Deaths on the waiting list also have improved with routine use of split and live donor transplantation. The Kasai operation has the highest failure rate in its stated objective than any other operation in pediatric surgery. Failure to achieve any improvement in jaundice occurs in over 30% of all cases, even in the best of hands, and transplantation or listing for transplantation occurs in over half the children with type II and III BA by one year of age in countries where liver transplantation is readily available.There are almost no studies in children with BA that compare the outcome after liver transplantation for BA with or without a prior Kasai procedure. It is postulated that a prospective trial in children predicted to have a poor prognosis after the Kasai procedure based on anatomic pattern, liver histology and presence of BASM, would yield improved care, spare some infants needless surgery, and quite possibly result in diminished morbidity and mortality following liver transplant.
Crystal structures and transformations in indium-thallium solid solutions

X-ray diffraction and metallographic studies of the indium-thallium system have shown the existence of a transformation from face-centered tetragonal to face-centered cubic in the indium-rich solutions. The equilibrium diagram has been revised to conform with these measurements and published thermal data.
Earning Trust Through Empathy as a Young Interventionalist: “Is This Your First Time Doing This?”

One year ago, on a September night, I was called to the emergency room to take care of a 65-year-old woman who presented with inferolateral ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. As a new interventional attending physician, I was nervous, but fairly confident of my skills. As I was driving in,
Inductor loss estimation of a single phase 3-level gallium nitride inverter under cryogenic conditions

Cryogenic cooling of power converters has been proposed as a method to increase power density and efficiency. In addition to the reduction in copper conduction losses at low temperatures, prior work has shown that the conduction loss of GaN devices also decreases under dc test conditions as the device temperature is lowered. In order to optimize the design of the full power converter at near-cryogneic operating temperatures, the impact of temperature on the losses of passive components must be understood. This paper outlines a method of estimating the losses of inductors at low temperature operation. Although the copper losses in the inductors clearly decrease with decreasing temperature, it was found that the overall losses remained relatively constant for a composite powdered iron inductor over the temperature range of 20° C to − 100° C.
Robot as the “mechanical other”: transcending karmic dilemma

As the artificial intelligence of computers grows ever-more sophisticated and continues to surpass the capacities of human minds in many ways, people are forced to question alleged ontological categories that separate humans from machines. As we are entering the world which is populated by non-enhanced and enhanced humans, cyborgs, robots, androids, avatars, and clones among them, the desire for evolutionary mastery of the natural world has taken on the two main directions: merging with machines in (1) disembodied forms or (2) embodied forms. As a path to breaking past the discontinuity between humans and machines and enter into a world beyond the “fourth” discontinuity, machines are viewed as an evolutionary step toward the “perfection” or “immortality” of humans. However, this popular, instrumental views of machines, stemming from the existential death anxiety and the hope for transcending mortality, reveals the karmic dilemma of desiring or grasping something. We shall discuss the possibility that machines can present, ultimately, a revolutionary step rather than an evolutionary step toward understanding “who we are.” The path toward a continuity with machines lies not in our desire for merging with the robots, but in recognizing the arbitrary nature of all such identity categories. This radical understanding of the self-identity can be seen as a facet of enlightened experience.
Space Charge Polarisation

Space charge polarisation is first defined and those aspects of it which will and will not be considered at length are distinguished. Basic equations of charge motion in solids and liquids are discussed for the situation where a single mobility is an adequate approximation for each mobile species. Rather general boundary conditions at the interface between the material of interest and its electrodes are introduced and intrinsic-carrier recombination is considered. Theoretical results are first discussed for quasi-static differential capacitance as a function of applied dc potential, both without and with some account of specific adsorption. Small-signal ac results and analysis methods are then described. After consideration of Maxwell-Wagner interfacial polarisation, the remainder of the paper deals with detailed ac response results for a homogeneous material and shows how bulk, surface reaction, recombination, and diffusion effects may be differentiated and analyzed.
The Distribution and Evolution of C1 Transfer Enzymes and Evolution of the Planctomycetes

When the first genome sequence of a Planctomycete became available (in 2003), it revealed the presence of genes encoding a pathway for a tetrahydromethanopterin-mediated transfer of C1 units between the oxidation levels of formaldehyde and formate, resembling a pathway for methanogenesis being carried out by a specialized group of Archaea and a pathway for formaldehyde oxidation employed by some methylotrophic bacteria, the latter pathway acting in reverse to methanogenesis. This discovery was of importance as the presence of the genes in question in the Planctomycetes has challenged the assumption of a limited distribution of these genes/pathways in the microbial world, at the same time suggesting novel scenarios for the evolution of C1 transfer pathways in microbes and providing support for the potential antiquity of these pathways. In this chapter, I review the early work on the discovery and analysis of the genetic determinants of C1 functions in Planctomycetes and the significance of these discoveries in interpreting the emergence and the evolution of C1 metabolism in Prokaryotes. This is followed by a review of the continuously emerging new genomic data suggesting a much wider distribution of the tetrahydromethanopterin-linked functions in Prokaryotes, further supporting the hypothesis of the long evolution for these functions. While the Planctomycetes provide these important insights into the evolution of specific biochemical pathways as well as the evolution of Prokaryotes in general, the exact function of the tetrahydromethanopterin-linked C1 transfer pathway in Planctomycetes and in many other phyla remains unknown.
Assessing the Use of Influenza Forecasts and Epidemiological Modeling in Public Health Decision Making in the United States

Although forecasts and other mathematical models have the potential to play an important role in mitigating the impact of infectious disease outbreaks, the extent to which these tools are used in public health decision making in the United States is unclear. Throughout 2015, we invited public health practitioners belonging to three national public health organizations to complete a cross-sectional survey containing questions on model awareness, model use, and communication with modelers. Of 39 respondents, 46.15% used models in their work, and 20.51% reported direct communication with those who create models. Over half (64.10%) were aware that influenza forecasts exist. The need for improved communication between practitioners and modelers was overwhelmingly endorsed, with over 50% of participants indicating the need for models more relevant to public health questions, increased frequency of telecommunication, and more plain language in discussing models. Model use for public health decision making must be improved if models are to reach their full potential as public health tools. Increased quality and frequency of communication between practitioners and modelers could be particularly useful in achieving this goal. It is important that improvements be made now, rather than waiting for the next public health crisis to occur.
The Instructive Role of the Bone Marrow Niche in Aging and Leukemia

In this review, we aim to discuss the role of the bone marrow microenvironment in supporting hematopoiesis, with particular focus on the contribution of the endothelial niche in dictating hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) fate. Evidence gathered in the past two decades revealed that specific cell types within the bone marrow niche influence the hematopoietic system. Endothelial cells have emerged as a key component of the HSC niche, directly affecting stem cell quiescence, self-renewal, and lineage differentiation. Physiological alterations of the bone marrow niche occurring in aging have been described to be sufficient to promote functional aging of young HSCs. Furthermore, a growing body of evidence suggests that aberrant activation of endothelial-derived signaling pathways can aid or trigger neoplastic transformation. Several groups have contributed to the characterization of the different cell types that comprise the complex bone marrow environment, whose function was long perceived as an undiscernible sum of many parts. Further studies will need to uncover niche cell-type-specific pathways, in order to provide new targets and therapeutic options that aim at withdrawing the microenvironmental support to malignant cells while sparing normal HSCs.
Nanospectroscopic imaging of vibrational excitons as a molecular ruler

We demonstrate infrared vibrational nano-spectroscopy and -imaging using the evolution of vibrational marker resonances as a molecular ruler to map nanoscale crystallinity in molecular electronic materials. © 2019 The Author(s)
Assessing the roles of seed bank, seed dispersal and historical disturbances for metapopulation persistence of a pyrogenic herb

Seed bank, seed dispersal and historical disturbance are critical factors affecting plant population persistence. However, because of difficulties collecting data on these factors they are often ignored. We evaluated the roles of seed bank, seed dispersal and historical disturbance on metapopulation persistence of Hypericum cumulicola, a Florida endemic. We took advantage of long‐term demographic data of multiple populations (22 years; ~11 K individuals; 15 populations) and a wealth of information on burn history (1962–present), and habitat attributes (patch specific location, elevation, area and aggregation) of a system of 92 patches of Florida rosemary scrub. We used previously developed integral projection models to assess the relative ability of simulations with different levels of seed dormancy for recently produced and older seeds and different dispersal kernels (including no dispersal) to predict regional observed occupancy and plant abundance in patches in 2016–2018. We compared a simulation with this model using historical burn history to 500 model simulations with the same average fire regime (using a Weibull distribution to determine the probability of ignition) but with random ignition years. The most likely model had limited dispersal (mean = 0.5 m) and the highest dormancy (field estimates × 1.2 %) and its predictions were associated with observed occurrences (67% correct) and densities (20% of variance explained). Historical burn synchrony among neighbouring patches (skewness in the number of patches burned by year = 1.79) probably explains the higher densities predicted by the simulation with the historical fire regime compared with predicted abundances after simulations using random ignition years (skewness = 0.20 + SE = 0.01). Synthesis. Our findings demonstrate the pivotal role of seed dormancy, dispersal and fire history on population dynamics, distribution and abundance. Because of the prevalence of metapopulation dynamics, we should be aware of the significance of changes in the availability and configuration of suitable habitat associated with human or non‐human landscape changes. Decisions on prescribed fires (or other disturbances) will benefit from our knowledge of consequences of fire frequency, but also of location of ignition and the probability of fire spread.
All-optical XOR gates based on dual semiconductor optical amplifiers

Recent progress of high-speed all-optical logic gates based on dual semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) has been reviewed in this article. These schemes include using quantum-dot semiconductor ...