cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Relationship between Equatorial Mixed Rossby–Gravity and Eastward Inertio-Gravity Waves. Part II

AbstractThe relationship between n = 0 mixed Rossby–gravity waves (MRGs) and eastward inertio-gravity waves (EIGs) from Matsuno’s shallow-water theory on an equatorial beta plane is studied using statistics of satellite brightness temperature Tb and dynamical fields from ERA-Interim data. Unlike other observed convectively coupled equatorial waves, which have spectral signals well separated into eastward and westward modes, there is a continuum of MRG–EIG power standing above the background that peaks near wavenumber 0. This continuum is also present in the signals of dry stratospheric MRGs. While hundreds of papers have been written on MRGs, very little work on EIGs has appeared in the literature to date. The authors attribute this to the fact that EIG circulations are much weaker than those of MRGs for a given amount of divergence, making them more difficult to observe even though they strongly modulate convection.Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and cross-spectral analysis of 2–6-day-filtered Tb iso...
How to Evaluate your Company Image

One of the most popular subjects among marketing men Is how to create the right kind of public image for their company.This article explains the highlights of a new and unique approach to this prob...
A Review of Myzocallis Species Inhabiting Alnus, with Description of a New Species (Homoptera, AphiidÆ).

The first Myzocallis species inhabiting Alnus was described by De Geer (10) in 1773 under the name Aphis alni, which is a common European species. Both, European and American aphidologists, attributed this species to Fabricius, citing to p. 215 of his Entomologia Systematica (8). This, no doubt, is an erroneous attribution, because Fabricius only listed the species with reference to De Geer, stating: “ Aphis alni flavescenti alba, tuberculata alni. Habitat in Betulae Alni foliis.” De Geer, on the other hand, gave an unmistakable description of the oviparous female, occupying three pages (47-49) of his second memoir with three figures. He not only described the insect, but gave a very interesting account of his observations as to oviposition and the role of the waxy secretion found on the ventro-lateral sides of posterior end of the abdomen. On the strength of this, this species should be ascribed to De Geer rather than to Fabricius.
Exploring the Effects of Lightweight Social Incentives on Learner Performance in MOOCs

We are exploring the effects of social incentives and motivation on learner performance in a massive open online course. In the preliminary study that we report here, we asked learners if they wanted to be considered for a community TAship in a subsequent offering of the course, if they finished in the top 20% of those who completed the current course instance. We prompted students near the beginning of the course and in the middle of the course. This prompt appears to have had a significant, albeit small effect on learner completion when given early in the course. The prompt had no significant effect when given later in the course. We also discuss our plans to follow-up this study.
Advanced Glycation Endproducts and Bone Material Strength in Type 2 Diabetes

Context: Skeletal deterioration, leading to an increased risk of fracture, is a known complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Yet plausible mechanisms to account for skeletal fragility in T2D have not been clearly established. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine whether bone material properties, as measured by reference point indentation, and advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), as determined by skin autofluorescence (SAF), are related in patients with T2D. Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Setting: The study was conducted at a tertiary medical center. Patients: Sixteen postmenopausal women with T2D and 19 matched controls participated in the study. Main Outcome Measures: Bone material strength index (BMSi) by in vivo reference point indentation, AGE accumulation by SAF, and circulating bone turnover markers were measured. Results: BMSi was reduced by 9.2% in T2D (P = .02) and was inversely associated with the duration of T2D (r = −0.68, P = .004). Increased SAF was as...
The Influence of Dies Tryout on Different Types of Press for Automotive Panels

By comparing the different working principle and specialty between hydraulic and mechanical press and analyzing the blank forming process on different types of press,this paper gives an introduction that several panel issues may be happened when the automotive panel dies transferred from hydraulic press to mechanical press,meanwhile the measures of modification were given.
Site Partition: Turning One Site into Two for Adsorbing CO2.

We propose the concept of site partition to explain the role of guest molecules in increasing CO2 uptake in metal–organic frameworks and to design new covalent porous materials for CO2 capture. From grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations of CO2 sorption in the recently synthesized CPM-33 MOFs, we show that guest insertion divides one open metal site into two relatively strong binding sites, hence dramatically increasing CO2 uptake. Further, we extend the site partition concept to covalent organic frameworks with large free volume. After insertion of a designed geometry-matching guest, we show that the volumetric uptake of CO2 doubles. Therefore, the concept of site partition can be used to engineer the pore space of nanoporous materials for higher gas uptake.
A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of head movements in cervical dystonia

Cervical dystonia (CD) is a neurological disorder characterized by abnormal movements and postures of the head. The brain regions responsible for these abnormal movements are not well understood, because most imaging techniques for assessing regional brain activity cannot be used when the head is moving. Recently, we mapped brain activation in healthy individuals using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during isometric head rotation, when muscle contractions occur without actual head movements. In the current study, we used the same methods to explore the neural substrates for head movements in subjects with CD who had predominantly rotational abnormalities (torticollis). Isometric wrist extension was examined for comparison. Electromyography of neck and hand muscles ensured compliance with tasks during scanning, and any head motion was measured and corrected. Data were analyzed in three steps. First, we conducted within-group analyses to examine task-related activation patterns separately in subjects with CD and in healthy controls. Next, we directly compared task-related activation patterns between participants with CD and controls. Finally, considering that the abnormal head movements in CD occur in a consistently patterned direction for each individual, we conducted exploratory analyses that involved normalizing data according to the direction of rotational CD. The between-group comparisons failed to reveal any significant differences, but the normalization procedure in subjects with CD revealed that isometric head rotation in the direction of dystonic head rotation was associated with more activation in the ipsilateral anterior cerebellum, whereas isometric head rotation in the opposite direction was associated with more activity in sensorimotor cortex. These findings suggest that the cerebellum contributes to abnormal head rotation in CD, whereas regions in the cerebral cortex are involved in opposing the involuntary movements.
Socio-economic status and social isolation as determinants of survival in non-small cell lung cancer

B63 In the USA, African Americans have a higher burden of certain cancers and tend to have poorer outcomes. We hypothesized that the observed disparity by ethnicity in outcomes of patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer could be explained by socio-economic differences between ethnic groups. To identify the possible causes of these disparities we studied a cohort of 367 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients diagnosed in a tertiary institution in a Metropolitan area in the State of Maryland from January 1st, 1990 to December 31st, 1992 67.6 % of the patients were white Caucasians and 32.4% were African American. Based on the median incomes of their census tract of residence, 89 patients were classified as low income and 278 as higher income. Survival analysis, chi-squared tests and Cox-regression were used to study the effects of socio-economic status (SES), marital status, and racial composition of census tracts on survival. Among Stage I patients, 5 year survival for married patients was 55% compared to 25% for patients who were not married (p-value = 0.003). African Americans were 2.3 times more likely to be unmarried compared with Caucasians this difference was significant (p-value 85% African American residents, squamous histology, smoking history and residence in a low income census tract. Patients who were married had a significantly better survival than unmarried patients, harzard ratio was 0.29 (p-value 85% African Americans; were 71% more likely to die within 5 years of a NSCLC diagnosis. African American heritage was not found to be significantly associated with excess mortality after a NSCLC diagnosis. The results of our bi-racial cohort indicated that residents of highly segregated minority neighborhoods had an increased risk of death compared to all other patients. Unmarried patients also had a significantly increased risk of death after a NSCLC diagnosis. This suggests that some of the contributing factors to the disparities in NSCLC survival by ethnicity and income may be due to relative social isolation and residence in highly segregated minority meighborhoods.
Disciplinary Thinking, Computational Doing: Collaborating for Mutual Enrichment

A multi-year effort, led by the Union College computer science (CS) department, in collaboration with two dozen non-CS faculty, resulted in the infusion of a computational component in many non-CS courses and the development of a number of new intermediate-level CS courses. Many of these changes and additions have persisted well beyond the end of the official project period. In this chapter we explore the collaborative mechanisms and the kinds of course changes undertaken.
Why Consumers are Not Sovereign: The Socio-Economic Causes of Market Failure

According to mainstream economics, it is the self-interest motive (the invisible hand) that leads firms in competitive markets to supply what consumers want (consumer sovereignty). When markets function ideally, the result is said to maximize the net benefits to society. The purpose of this paper is to explain why, contrary to mainstream economics, competitive markets, for important noneconomic reasons, often fail to serve the best interests of society. Akerlof and Shiller (A&S) in Phishing for Phools (2015) have given considerable thought to why markets too often fail. They fail when business people behaving in a purely self-serving way utilize manipulation, deception, and trickery to take advantage of their customers. This happens when buyers act foolishly for psychological reasons, for lack of information, and because they do not know what they want. Businesses learn about these unsophisticated buyers, prime them, and set a trap for them. The result is behavioral market failure: consumers wind up paying too much for products they do not need. The A&S perspective needs integration with dual motive theory (DMT). According to DMT, self-interest derives from humans’ reptilian brain. Empathy derives from humans’ mammalian brain. According to a recent, important interpretation, self-interest is primal, and a person’s empathic capacity plays a restraining or conditioning role with respect to self-interest, especially when self-interest is excessive. Too often business people act out of excessive self-interest leading them to take unfair advantage of customers. The DMT perspective suggests this is not inevitable as humans can develop their empathic capacities and become less self-interested. If so, a business might develop a socially responsible orientation and overcome its negatively opportunistic orientation. Integrating the A&S and DMT perspectives improves greatly understanding of why markets often fail for behavioral reasons and what can be done about it.
Oblivious routing on node-capacitated and directed graphs

Oblivious routing algorithms for general undirected networks were introduced by Racke [17], and this work has led to many subsequent improvements and applications. Comparatively little is known about oblivious routing in general directed networks, or even in undirected networks with node capacities.We present the first non-trivial upper bounds for both these cases, providing algorithms for k-commodity oblivious routing problems with competitive ratio O(√klog(n)) for undirected node-capacitated graphs and O(√kn1/4log(n)) for directed graphs. In the special case that all commodities have a common source or sink, our upper bound becomes O(√nlog(n)) in both cases, matching the lower bound up to a factor of log(n). The lower bound (which first appeared in [6]) is obtained on a graph with very high degree. We show that in fact the degree of a graph is a crucial parameter for node-capacitated oblivious routing in undirected graphs, by providing an O( polylog(n))competitive oblivious routing scheme for graphs of degree. For the directed case, however, we show that the lower bound of Ω(√n) still holds in low-degree graphs.Finally, we settle an open question about routing problems in which all commodities share a common source or sink. We show that even in this simplified scenario there are networks in which no oblivious routing algorithm can achieve a competitive ratio better than Ω(log n).
Essential Role of Nr2f Nuclear Receptors in Patterning the Vertebrate Upper Jaw

Summary The jaw is central to the extensive variety of feeding and predatory behaviors across vertebrates. The bones of the lower but not upper jaw form around an early-developing cartilage template. Whereas Endothelin1 patterns the lower jaw, the factors that specify upper-jaw morphology remain elusive. Here, we identify Nuclear Receptor 2f genes (Nr2fs) as enriched in and required for upper-jaw formation in zebrafish. Combinatorial loss of Nr2fs transforms maxillary components of the upper jaw into lower-jaw-like structures. Conversely, nr2f5 misexpression disrupts lower-jaw development. Genome-wide analyses reveal that Nr2fs repress mandibular gene expression and early chondrogenesis in maxillary precursors. Rescue of lower-jaw defects in endothelin1 mutants by reducing Nr2f dosage further demonstrates that Nr2f expression must be suppressed for normal lower-jaw development. We propose that Nr2fs shape the upper jaw by protecting maxillary progenitors from early chondrogenesis, thus preserving cells for later osteogenesis.
Evaluation of DNA Extraction Methods from Waterlogged Bones: A Pilot Study

When deaths occur in water, soft tissue decomposes after a temperature-dependent period, making DNA identification dependent on bone. This study examined the effects of water on bone DNA purity and quantity, and determined the best of three extraction methods for isolating DNA. The organic phenol-chloroform method consistently extracted DNA approximating the accepted 260/280 purity value (~1.8); ChargeSwitch® gDNA Plant Kit and DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit produced fair and unacceptable values, respectively. The purity value for humerus and rib samples was consistent across accumulated degree days (ADD). Significant differences in quantification among extraction methods and between bone types were identified. Ribs and ChargeSwitch® gDNA Plant Kit samples produced the lowest mean Ct values of the bone types and the extraction methods, respectively. Therefore, this study proposes that magnetic bead technology extraction methods and ribs be considered when processing bones that have been submerged in water for any length of time.
State Habeas Relief for Federal Extra-judicial Detainees

Nearly 150 years ago, the United States Supreme Court rebuffed efforts by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to free an abolitionist and an unhappy teenage soldier from federal confinement. It has been widely understood ever since that state courts lack the power to grant habeas relief to individuals held in federal custody, even if those individuals are being detained without the review, approval, or participation of any court. This Article contends that it is time to restore state courts' ability to act as a primary protector of individuals' freedom. The Article first tells the story of a long-forgotten time when state courts routinely awarded habeas relief to federal extra-judicial detainees. The Article then argues that the Court erred when it held that state courts may never come to federal prisoners' aid. Although scholars today uniformly reject the Court's constitutional rationale for declaring federal detainees wholly beyond state courts' reach, they attempt to rationalize the Court's holding on other grounds. Specifically, scholars believe that Congress preempted the state habeas remedy for federal prisoners when it authorized federal courts to grant federal prisoners habeas relief in the Judiciary Act of 1789. This Article contends that Congress has neither explicitly nor implicitly preempted state courts' power to award the habeas remedy to persons extra-judicially held in federal confinement. In fact, the historical record strongly suggests that the Constitution's Suspension Clause was intended to guarantee both individuals and the states that, absent extraordinary circumstances, federal leaders could not strip state courts of their power to provide habeas relief to federal extra-judicial detainees. This Article contends that it is time to honor the Constitution's promise.
Summary and Future Processes

In this chapter I would like to restate the significant materials and processes which have aided the progress of semiconductor lithography. I shall also project into the future with processes for the next decade of submicrometer technology.
Laboratory based low dose combination chemotherapy + bevacizumab for recurrent refractory and unresectable gastric cancer

14133 Twenty consecutive prospectively registered patients with refractory or Stage IV gastric cancer were treated with GFLIP (Bruckner el al ASCO 2002;2005). The last 10 upon relapse were treated with GFL[OX]T and Bevacizumab, substituting oxaliplatin (OX) 30→40 mg/M2, taxotere (T) 30→40 mg/M2 for cisplatin in the q2wk schedule. One or both regimens produced; objective responses for 15 patients including 5 complete (radiologic, tumor markers, PET responses) and 2 surgical downstaging resulting in resection or successful completion surgery; 3 patients had stable disease greater than 4 months with subjective benefit, gemcitabine was given at 400→500 mg/M2 as tolerated (→), 2 failed both regimens. One-year actuarial survival was 75%, two-year survival was 25%. All 20 lived more than six months. The level of activity, multiple crossover responses, responses with both regimens, a number of long remissions (long survival after 5FU cisplatin and GFLIP failed) and clinical downstaging allowing further surgery id...
Molecular Signaling Pathways in Pancreatic Cancer

The pancreas is an extremely intriguing organ that has been the topic of discussion and study since its first description by the Greek anatomist and surgeon Herophilus around 300 BC . It is a retroperitoneal gland involved in various processes of human physiology, including blood glucose homeostasis, and secretion of digestive enzymes. In the context of the field of oncology, cancers of the pancreas can be divided into those of exocrine and those of endocrine lineages. The most common tumor of the pancreas is pancreatic adenocarcinoma, responsible for an estimated 37,680 newly diagnosed cases in 2008 with an associated 34,290 deaths from the disease in the same year ( www.cancer.org ). These numbers are a staggering example of the poor prognosis associated with this disease.
The effects of septal myectomy and alcohol septal ablation for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy on the cardiac conduction system

AV conduction abnormalities are observed in 15–30% of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy but are usually not severe enough to require permanent pacemaker implant. Both septal myectomy and alcohol septal ablation are effective options to relieve symptoms due to left ventricular outflow tract gradient in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy but have procedure-specific effects on AV conduction and the His Purkinje system. Septal myectomy is associated with the development of LBBB in 50–100% of patients, while alcohol septal ablation is associated with RBBB in 37–70% of patients. Baseline abnormalities in the contralateral bundles and the presence of conduction disease have an important impact on the likelihood of the development of AV block for both of these therapies. AV block requiring permanent pacing occurs in approximately 2–3% of patients after septal myectomy and 10–15% of patients after alcohol septal ablation. Permanent pacemaker implant after alcohol septal ablation is more common in older patients (> 55 years old 13 vs. < 55 years old 5%; p = 0.06). Improved outcomes for septal myectomy and alcohol septal ablation are observed in experienced centers. Septal reduction therapies should be performed at medical centers with a dedicated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy program using a multidisciplinary approach.
Multi-Site Evaluation of Community-Based Efforts to Improve Engagement in HIV Care Among Populations Disproportionately Affected by HIV in the United States.

Abstract This study assesses effects of a community-based intervention across seven sites in the United States on HIV care utilization and study retention, among people living with HIV (PLWH). A tw...
New Hybrid Method for the Calculation of the Solvation Free Energy of Small Molecules in Aqueous Solutions.

The ability to accurately predict the solvation free energies of ionic species using the appropriate thermodynamic cycle is of great importance in many areas of chemistry and biochemistry. To improve the accuracy of calculating solvation free energies, we devised a hybrid cluster-continuum approach, where explicit solvent molecules are added to the traditionally employed continuum model. Our computational workflow consists of the following steps: First, the minimum number of explicit water molecules beyond which additional water molecules no longer improve the accuracy of the cluster-continuum model is carefully established. Next, the convergence values for fully relaxed molecular configurations are compared with those obtained by sampling thermally disordered configurations using single-point calculations. We find that the dielectric constant does not have a significant influence on the solvation free energy, while accounting for the placement of a counterion is necessary for the accurate calculation of ...
Measuring Mental Stress During Otologic Surgery Using Heart Rate Variability Analysis.

Objectives Healthy individuals have significant beat-to-beat variability in heart rate, and this variability decreases with mental stress. We aim to use heart rate variability (HRV) to objectively compare mental stress levels in otologic surgeons at rest and during key portions of procedures. Design Pilot study. Setting Operating room and laboratory. Participants Two neurotology fellows performed six mastoidectomy and facial nerve (FN) dissections in the operating room and six in a cadaver lab while continuous electrocardiograms were measured wirelessly. Five-minute samples were recorded during resting, preoperative, mastoidectomy, and FN dissection. Beat-to-beat time intervals were analyzed in time and frequency domains. The standard deviation of normal beat-to-beat intervals (SDNN) and the ratio of low frequency to high frequency power (LF/HF, measure of sympathetic tone) were calculated. Decreases in SDNN and increases in LF/HF indicate elevated mental stress. Results Mean resting SDNN was 43.9 ± 9.2 ms, not statistically different from preoperative SDNN (34.1 ± 8.2 ms, p = 0.13). SDNN decreased during mastoidectomy (29.4 ± 11.7 ms) and FN dissection (22.8 ± 3.1 ms), which was significant compared to preoperative values (p = 0.03). Intraoperative LF/HF increased for FN dissection (6.8 ± 2.6) compared to resting (2.2 ± 0.7, p = 0.004), indicating increased sympathetic tone. Mastoid and FN cadaveric procedures resulted in SDNN of 33.6 ± 3.8 and 32.9 ± 4.7 ms, respectively, not statistically different from preoperative values (p = 0.82 and p = 0.94, respectively). Cadaveric FN dissection did not result in increased LF/HF (2.4 ± 0.9) compared to resting (p = 0.94). Conclusions Decreased HRV and increased sympathetic tone were observed intraoperatively, indicating high levels of mental stress, particularly with FN dissection. Similar changes were not found during cadaveric dissections.
Complete Genome Sequence of "Candidatus Thioglobus sp." Strain NP1, an Open-Ocean Isolate from the SUP05 Clade of Marine Gammaproteobacteria.

ABSTRACT “Candidatus Thioglobus sp.” strain NP1 is an open-ocean isolate from the SUP05 clade of Gammaproteobacteria. Whole-genome comparisons of strain NP1 to other sequenced isolates from the SUP05 clade indicate that it represents a new species of SUP05 that lacks the ability to fix inorganic carbon using the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle.
Influence of residency training on the clinical reasoning development of Kenyan physiotherapists.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the clinical reasoning development of physical therapists participating in an 18-month orthopaedic residency program in Nairobi, Kenya.Methods: A...
Geospatial Big Data Handling with High Performance Computing: Current Approaches and Future Directions.

Geospatial big data plays a major role in the era of big data, as most data today are inherently spatial, collected with ubiquitous location-aware sensors such as mobile apps, the global positioning system (GPS), satellites, environmental observations, and social media. Efficiently collecting, managing, storing, and analyzing geospatial data streams provide unprecedented opportunities for business, science, and engineering. However, handling the “Vs” (volume, variety, velocity, veracity, and value) of big data is a challenging task. This is especially true for geospatial big data since the massive datasets must be analyzed in the context of space and time. High performance computing (HPC) provides an essential solution to geospatial big data challenges. This chapter first summarizes four critical aspects for handling geospatial big data with HPC and then briefly reviews existing HPC-related platforms and tools for geospatial big data processing. Lastly, future research directions in using HPC for geospatial big data handling are discussed.
Accuracy of protein-level disorder predictions

Experimental annotations of intrinsic disorder are available for 0.1% of 147 000 000 of currently sequenced proteins. Over 60 sequence-based disorder predictors were developed to help bridge this gap. Current benchmarks of these methods assess predictive performance on datasets of proteins; however, predictions are often interpreted for individual proteins. We demonstrate that the protein-level predictive performance varies substantially from the dataset-level benchmarks. Thus, we perform first-of-its-kind protein-level assessment for 13 popular disorder predictors using 6200 disorder-annotated proteins. We show that the protein-level distributions are substantially skewed toward high predictive quality while having long tails of poor predictions. Consequently, between 57% and 75% proteins secure higher predictive performance than the currently used dataset-level assessment suggests, but as many as 30% of proteins that are located in the long tails suffer low predictive performance. These proteins typically have relatively high amounts of disorder, in contrast to the mostly structured proteins that are predicted accurately by all 13 methods. Interestingly, each predictor provides the most accurate results for some number of proteins, while the best-performing at the dataset-level method is in fact the best for only about 30% of proteins. Moreover, the majority of proteins are predicted more accurately than the dataset-level performance of the most accurate tool by at least four disorder predictors. While these results suggests that disorder predictors outperform their current benchmark performance for the majority of proteins and that they complement each other, novel tools that accurately identify the hard-to-predict proteins and that make accurate predictions for these proteins are needed.
H5PV2Mo10O40 Polyoxometalate Encapsulated in NU-1000 Metal-Organic Framework for Aerobic Oxidation of a Mustard Gas Simulant

The immobilization of H5PV2Mo10O40 polyoxometalates (POMs) in the in the mesoporous channel-type metal–organic framework (MOF), NU-1000, via simple impregnation method is reported here. Characteriz...
CHAPTER 1 – PROGRAMMING ENVIRONMENT

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses how to with the Turbo BASIC programming environment to enter and run programs. Normally, a computer will be off when one is about to use Turbo BASIC. The process of entering the Turbo BASIC environment is called booting up Turbo BASIC. When the user is asked to boot up Turbo BASIC, they should turn on the computer and the monitor, if necessary, with the Turbo BASIC Work Disk in drive A. A list of available programs is viewable in the load screen. The right arrow keys need be employed in selecting the desired one. Help is available on many aspects of Turbo BASIC. To see just one of the many help screens, press any key to return to the Main menu bar. The user can exit Turbo BASIC from the Main menu bar. In the file menu, pressing [Q] results in a quit. Changes to the program can be made by using the editing features of the user's computer implemented in the Turbo BASIC environment. A program that is in memory can be saved to a diskette. As a program is developed, frequently saving it to the diskette (using an appropriate name) is important as to not lose the work if a power failure occurs. If the program is not saved to diskette, then it will be lost when the computer is turned off.
Ferro-hydrodynamic interactions between ferrofluid droplet pairs in simple shear flows

Abstract A numerical investigation on the interactions between a pair of equal-sized ferrofluid droplets in a simple shear flow subjected to uniform magnetic fields is carried out in this paper. Our numerical model utilizes a finite element method based level set algorithm to trace the topological changes along the droplet interface in two phase flows by coupling the flow and magnetic fields. Systematic numerical simulations with a well-resolved droplet interface are carried out in the Stokes flow limit (i.e., Re = 0.03 ) to explore the effects of magnetic field direction, strength, and initial vertical offset on the pairwise interactions between the droplets. The findings indicate that in a solitary shear flow, a critical capillary number Ca cr exists, beyond which the droplets exhibit separation through a sliding-over motion, instead of coalescence. Applying a uniform magnetic field along α = 0 ° (i.e., parallel to the flow direction) results in a faster coalescence between the droplets. At α = 90 ° , a critical magnetic bond number Bo cr appears where the droplets show a reversing motion behavior, instead of a passing-over motion leading to coalescence. In contrast, at α = 45 ° , the droplets separate away from each other, following a reversal motion at a capillary number where the droplets usually coalesce with each other in a solitary shear flow. Moreover, the effect of initial vertical offset on the interaction behavior of the droplets is examined, and it is found that the collision event is dependent on the initial vertical separation distance between the droplets. Increasing the vertical separation distance along α = 0 ° initiates faster coalescence, while at α = 90 ° , coalescence is delayed. Furthermore, at α = 45 ° , the droplets undergo a reversing motion and experience larger migration at increased vertical separation distances.
PSC and Overlap Syndromes

Overlap syndromes show concomitant or sequential findings of two or more autoimmune liver diseases. Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is rare and PSC-overlap syndromes are much rarer. There is limited data in PSC-overlap syndromes which pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for this condition. We summarized the published data in this review to update the management strategies in PSC-overlap syndrome. PSC incidence is 0.77–1 per 100,000 person/years, of which 2–10% are reported to have PSC-autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) overlap syndrome. The incidence of PSC-primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is extremely rare. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is more common in classic PSC than in PSC-AIH patients (80% vs. 63%) and unusual in PSC-PBC. PSC can present with a more hepatocellular form of injury in children, also called autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis (ASC) rather than the typical classic cholestatic presentation in the adults. The presence of overlap syndrome can be diagnosed concomitantly or sequentially during the disease course in an individual. Liver fibrosis progression in PSC-AIH overlap syndrome is similar to classic PSC but hepatobiliary malignancy is reportedly infrequent. Diagnostic scoring criteria are not recommended and clinical diagnosis relies primarily on liver biochemistry, cholangiography and liver biopsy. Ursodeoxycolic acid and immunosuppressive therapy is beneficial in some patients with PSC-overlap syndrome. The biochemical response to pharmacotherapy is higher in PSC-overlap syndrome when compared to classic PSC but lower than that observed in classic AIH. PSC overlap syndromes are poorly understood. Current evidence is based on data compiled from case reports and series. This review provides an updated summary that could assist in the clinical management of patients with this complex disorder.
Gender Differences in the Clinical Management of clinical T1a Renal Cell Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate gender differences in the management of clinical T1a (cT1a) renal cell carcinoma (RCC) before and after release of the AUA guidelines for management in 2009, which prioritized nephron-sparing approaches. METHODS Patients aged ≥66 years diagnosed with cT1a RCC from 2004 to 2013 in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare were analyzed. Multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to evaluate factors associated with radical nephrectomy (RN) for cT1a RCC before (2004 to 2009) and after (2010 to 2013) guidelines release. Predictors of pathologic T3 upstaging and high grade pathology in the postguidelines period were examined using multivariable logistic regression among patients who underwent RN or partial nephrectomy. RESULTS Twelve thousand four hundred and two patients with cT1a RCC were identified, 42% of whom were women. Overall, the likelihood of RN decreased postguidelines (odds ratio [OR] = 0.44, P 2 cm was also associated with increased likelihood of RN before and after guidelines (OR = 2.61, P CONCLUSION Gender differences persist in the management of cT1a RCC, with women having higher odds of undergoing RN, even after release of AUA guidelines and despite having lower odds of pathologic upstaging and high-grade disease.
Targeting CXCR4 in AML and ALL

The interaction of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) blasts with the bone marrow microenvironment regulates self-renewal, growth signaling, as well as chemotherapy resistance. The chemokine receptor, CXC receptor 4 (CXCR4), with its ligand chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), plays a key role in the survival and migration of normal and malignant stem cells to the bone marrow. High expression of CXCR4 on AML and ALL blasts has been shown to be a predictor of poor prognosis for these diseases. Several small molecule inhibitors, short peptides, antibodies, and antibody drug conjugates have been developed for the purposes of more effective targeting and killing of malignant cells expressing CXCR4. In this review we will discuss recent results and strategies in targeting CXCR4 with these agents in patients with AML or ALL.
The Bezold-Jarisch Reflex in a Patient With Stanford Type A Acute Aortic Dissection.

Abstract Background The Bezold-Jarisch reflex is a depressor reflex of the heart due to the preferential distribution of vagal nerves in the inferior wall of the left ventricle. We report a case of Stanford type A acute aortic dissection, in which coronary spastic angina caused the Bezold-Jarisch reflex in the acute phase. Case Report A 53-year-old man presented with left chest pain and cold sweating. An electrocardiogram was normal and the high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T level was negative. A diagnosis of Stanford type A acute aortic dissection was made based on computed tomography (CT); there was no evidence of ischemic heart disease on coronary CT angiogram obtained simultaneously. While waiting for emergency surgical repair, chest pain worsened, followed by bradycardia and hypotension, along with ST-segment elevations in the inferior leads, all of which were resolved by conservative treatment. During surgery, no evidence to suggest an extension of the dissection to the ostium of the right coronary artery was observed. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? The present case highlights the importance of recognizing the Bezold-Jarisch reflex because this depressor reflex may require different management than other conditions.
The Role of MRI in Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer

Approximately one in seven American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, and at least 50 % of newly diagnosed patients will present with low-risk disease. In the last decade, the decision-making paradigm for management has shifted due to high rates of disease detection and overtreatment, attributed to prostate-specific antigen screening, with more men deferring definitive treatment for active surveillance. The advent of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MP-MRI) and MRI/ transrectal ultrasound-guided fusion-guided prostate biopsy has refined the process of diagnosis, identifying patients with clinically-significant cancer and larger disease burden who would most likely benefit from intervention. In parallel, the utilization of MP-MRI in the surveillance of low-grade, low-volume disease is on the rise, reflecting support in a growing body of literature. The aim of this review is to appraise and summarize the data evaluating the role of magnetic resonance imaging in active surveillance for prostate cancer.
Pavlov’s pea plants? Not so fast. An attempted replication of Gaglianoet al. (December 2016)

Abstract Gagliano et al. (Learning by association in plants, 2016) reported associative learning in pea plants. Associative learning has long been considered a behavior performed only by animals, making this claim particularly newsworthy and interesting. In the experiment, plants were trained in Y-shaped mazes for three days with fans and lights attached at the top of the maze. Training consisted of wind consistently preceding light from either the same or the opposite arm of the maze. When plant growth forced a decision between the two arms of the maze, fans alone were able to influence growth direction, whereas the growth direction of untrained plants was not affected by fans. Importantly, some plants were trained to grow towards the fan and others to grow away, demonstrating the flexibility of associative learning. However, a replication of their protocol failed to demonstrate the same result, calling for further verification and study before mainstream acceptance of this paradigm-shifting phenomenon. This replication attempt used a larger sample size and fully blinded analysis.
Acute myocardial infarction associated with unconventional natural gas development: A natural experiment.

Abstract Background Whereas it is plausible that unconventional natural gas development (UNGD) may adversely affect cardiovascular health, little is currently known. We investigate whether UNGD is associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods In this observational study leveraging the natural experiment generated by New York's ban on hydraulic fracturing, we analyzed the relationship between age- and sex-specific county-level AMI hospitalization and mortality rates and three UNGD drilling measures. This longitudinal panel analysis compares Pennsylvania and New York counties on the Marcellus Shale observed over 2005–2014 (N = 2840 county-year-quarters). Results A hundred cumulative wells is associated with 0.26 more hospitalizations per 10,000 males 45-54y.o. (95% CI 0.07,0.46), 0.40 more hospitalizations per 10,000 males 65-74y.o. (95% CI 0.09,0.71), 0.47 more hospitalizations per 10,000 females 65-74y.o. (95% CI 0.18,0.77) and 1.11 more hospitalizations per 10,000 females 75y.o.+ (95% CI 0.39,1.82), translating into 1.4–2.8% increases. One additional well per square mile is associated with 2.63 more hospitalizations per 10,000 males 45-54y.o. (95% CI 0.67,4.59) and 9.7 hospitalizations per 10,000 females 75y.o.+ (95% CI 1.92,17.42), 25.8% and 24.2% increases, respectively. As for mortality rates, a hundred cumulative wells is associated with an increase of 0.09 deaths per 10,000 males 45-54y.o. (95% CI 0.02,0.16), a 5.3% increase. Conclusions Cumulative UNGD is associated with increased AMI hospitalization rates among middle-aged men, older men and older women as well as with increased AMI mortality among middle-aged men. Our findings lend support for increased awareness about cardiovascular risks of UNGD and scaled-up AMI prevention as well as suggest that bans on hydraulic fracturing can be protective for public health.
Energy Read-out as a Probe of Kinetically Hidden Transition States

The initial energy in a reactive intermediate is derived from the transition state before the intermediate but can affect selectivity after the intermediate. In this way an observable selectivity can report on a prior, kinetically hidden mechanistic step. This new type of mechanistic probe is demonstrated here for the oxidation of 1-methylcyclobutanol by phthaloyl peroxide/Bu4N+Br-, and it supports a hypobromite chain mechanism in place of the previously proposed hydrogen atom transfer mechanism.
Dopamine D3 Receptor Plasticity in Parkinson's Disease and L-DOPA-Induced Dyskinesia.

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is characterized by primary and secondary plasticity that occurs in response to progressive degeneration and long-term L-DOPA treatment. Some of this plasticity contributes to the detrimental side effects associated with chronic L-DOPA treatment, namely L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID). The dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) has emerged as a promising target in LID management as it is upregulated in LID. This upregulation occurs primarily in the D1-receptor-bearing (D1R) cells of the striatum, which have been repeatedly implicated in LID manifestation. D3R undergoes dynamic changes both in PD and in LID, making it difficult to delineate D3R’s specific contributions, but recent genetic and pharmacologic tools have helped to clarify its role in LID. The following review will discuss these changes, recent advances to better clarify D3R in both PD and LID and potential steps for translating these findings.
The relation between farm size and farm productivity: The role of family labor, supervision and credit constraints

Abstract The paper shows that if the performance of hired farmhands is affected by supervision from family members, and if the availability of credit is dependent on the amount of land owned, then a systematic (positive or negative) relationship between per-acre yields and farm size will prevail. A model with no supervision effects on labor productivity would predict that yields are unaffected by farm size. The paper also investigates the relation between land utilization and owned holding size when land rental possibilities are limited. Results are shown to be compatible with various observed patterns in LDCs.
A temperature-sensitive phenotype of avian myeloblastosis virus: determinants that influence the production of viral mRNAs

The oncogene v-myb of avian myeloblastosis virus is expressed from an mRNA that arises by splicing of the viral genome. In previous work, we described a mutant strain of avian myeloblastosis virus (tsAMV) that elicits temperature-sensitive transformation and suggested that the mutation affects production of the mRNA for v-myb. We now report that the principal determinant of the biochemical phenotype of tsAMV is a point mutation located in a crucial region of the splice acceptor site for v-myb mRNA. The mutation reduces v-myb mRNA production but could account for the conditional phenotype only in combination with an independent effect of temperature on the splicing of both wild-type and mutant viral RNAs, which we also describe here. Our findings dramatize the manner in which retroviruses normally control the splicing of their RNAs and implicate the sequence of the splice acceptor site in the control.
Metabolism of cysteine, cysteinesulfinate and cysteinesulfonate in rats fed adequate and excess levels of sulfur-containing amino acids

The oxidation of cysteine, cysteinesulfinate and cysteinesulfonate labeled with 14C in the 1- and 3-positions was studied in rats that had been fed diets with adequate or excess cysteine. Consumption of excess cysteine for 5 or 10 days resulted in an increase in hepatic cysteine dioxygenase activity and a decrease in hepatic cysteinesulfinate decarboxylase activity but had no effect on the oxidation of the C-1 or C-3 of cysteine, cysteinesulfinate or cysteinesulfonate. When the labeled compounds were administered by intraperitoneal injection, 41% of cysteine, 100% of cysteinesulfinate and 37% of cysteinesulfonate were oxidized over an 8-hour period. The percentage of the oxidized cysteine, cysteinesulfinate and cysteinesulfonate that was converted to taurine was calculated to be 83, 70 and 100%, respectively. When these same compounds were administered intragastrically, the relative flux to taurine was lower for all compounds; 41% of the oxidized cysteine, none of the cysteinesulfinate and 11% of the oxidized cysteinesulfonate appeared to be converted to taurine. Metabolism of intragastrically administered cysteine may be more indicative of what happens to dietary cysteine, whereas metabolism of intraperitoneally administered cysteine and cysteinesulfinate may be more indicative of liver metabolism and of the metabolism of endogenous cysteine and cysteinesulfinate.
The Role of Spouses and Extended Family Members as Primary Caretakers of Children During a Parent's Drug Addiction

Abstract This qualitative study explores the experiences of five men and one woman who were parents, substance dependent, and receiving treatment at a year-long drug treatment program. The qualitative research methods of observation and in-depth interviewing were used to collect and analyze information about their experiences. This paper discusses themes related to the role of spouses and extended family members who assumed primary responsibility for children during a parent's drug addiction. Participants reported how, when they were unable to care for their children, these responsibilities fell to other family members, giving rise to many conflicts. Initially they were grateful for the support, especially while the participants were actively using drugs, because this provided them with more opportunities to continue their addictive lifestyle. Eventually, power struggles emerged when the participants were in recovery and attempted to reenter their children's lives as parental figures.