cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Grass Seedling Demography and Sagebrush Steppe Restoration

Seeding is a key management tool for arid rangeland. In these systems, however, seeded species often fail to establish. A recent study in Wyoming big sagebrush steppe suggested that over 90% of seeded native grass individuals die before seedlings emerged. This current study examines the timing and rate of seed germination, seedling emergence, and seedling death related to this demographic bottleneck. We seeded monocultures of two native perennial bunchgrasses, Pseudoroegenaria spicata (Pursh) ´ A. L ¨ ove and Elymus elymoides (Raf.) Swezey, and one introduced bunchgrass, Agropyron desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schult., in 2007, 2008, and 2009 and tracked sown seed and seedling fate. Across the study years and species we found that germination was rapid and high, with species obtaining 50% germination by December, less than 2 mo after planting. Emergence of germinated seed did not occur until late February for A. desertorum and March for the two native grasses. In 2007 the majority of emergence and death was constrained to several weeks, whereas in 2008 and 2009 emergence and death was distributed across several months. The timing of seedling emergence did not influence survival probability or midday plant water potential (probability of exceedance , 0.05). Survival probabilities once seedlings emerged were greater for native species (0.71) than A. desertorum (0.51) in 2 of the 3 study yr (probability of exceedance . 0.98). The early germination of grasses following fall seeding, and the long 2- to 3-mo period that germinated grass seed remain in the soil before emerging, support the hypothesis that seedling recruitment might be limited largely by ecological processes and conditions during winter or early spring (such as soil freeze–thaw events, seed pathogens, or physical crusts). Delaying seeding to early winter or spring and other management tools that mitigate these factors driving this bottleneck might greatly improve restoration outcomes in these systems.
Perceived Stigma and Barriers to Mental Health Care Utilization Among OEF-OIF Veterans

Objective: This study examined whether social support and beliefs about mental health care are associated with stigma, barriers to care, and mental health care utilization in a sample of veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF-OIF). Methods: A sample of 272 predominantly reservist and National Guard OEF-OIF veterans in Connecticut completed a needs assessment survey. Results: Negative beliefs about mental health care, particularly psychotherapy, and decreased perceived unit support predicted increased perceptions of stigma and barriers to care. Negative beliefs about mental health care were also associated with decreased likelihood of mental health counseling and medication visits in the past six months, even after adjustment for demographic characteristics, psychiatric disorders, and support variables. Conclusions: Educational interventions for modifying negative beliefs about mental health care and bolstering unit support may help decrease stigma and barriers to care and increase mental health treatment seeking among OEF-OIF veterans. (Psychiatric Services 60: 1118–1122, 2009)
Environment and health: an overview.

In the 1980s biologists began to observe startling declines in frog populations around the world, even in isolated and relatively pristine environments. It appears that no single factor is responsible. Rather, the health and reproductive success of amphibians is being damaged by an increase in the
Mandibular distraction osteogenesis used to treat upper airway obstruction.

Objective To evaluate whether mandibular distraction osteogenesis relieves tongue-based airway obstruction in patients with severe micrognathia. Design Retrospective medical review spanning a 7-year period in a tertiary care hospital. The inclusion criterion was defined as micrognathia associated with a severe tongue-based obstruction. The patients included 11 neonates and infants (mean age, 4.3 months) and 2 pediatric patients (mean age, 5.4 years). Two patients had already received tracheotomies, 11 had not. The intervention was bilateral mandibular osteotomies with distraction osteogenesis. The outcome measures were avoidance of tracheotomy and decannulation. Results Ten of 11 patients avoided tracheotomy. Two of 2 patients who had already undergone tracheotomies were successfully decannulated. Conclusion Mandibular distraction osteogenesis is an acceptable treatment alternative to tracheotomy in select pediatric patients with micrognathia and severe tongue-based obstruction.
Does neuronal synchrony underlie visual feature grouping

Previous research suggests that synchronous neural activity underlies perceptual grouping of visual image features. The generality of this mechanism is unclear, however, as previous studies have focused on pairs of neurons with overlapping or collinear receptive fields. By sampling more broadly and employing stimuli that contain partially occluded objects, we have conducted a more incisive test of the binding by synchrony hypothesis in area MT. We find that synchrony in spiking activity shows little dependence on feature grouping, whereas gamma band synchrony in field potentials can be significantly stronger when features are grouped. However, these changes in gamma band synchrony are small relative to the variability of synchrony across recording sites and do not provide a robust population signal for feature grouping. Moreover, these effects are reduced when stimulus differences nearby the receptive fields are eliminated using partial occlusion. Our findings suggest that synchrony does not constitute a general mechanism of visual feature binding.
An XML-based lightweight C++ fact extractor

A lightweight fact extractor is presented that utilizes XML tools, such as XPath and XSLT to extract static information from C++ source code programs. The source code is first converted into an XML representation, srcML, to facilitate the use of a wide variety of XML tools. The method is deemed lightweight because only a partial parsing of the source is done. Additionally, the technique is quite robust and can be applied to incomplete and noncompilable source code. The trade off to this approach is that queries on some low level details cannot be directly addressed. This approach is applied to a fact extractor benchmark as comparison with other, heavier weight, fact extractors. Fact extractors are widely used to support understanding tasks associated with maintenance, reverse engineering and various other software engineering tasks.
Epidemiological and Experimental Links between Air Pollution and Type 2 Diabetes

There is increasing evidence suggesting links between exposure to environmental toxins and susceptibility to type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). In this review, we summarize the experimental evidence to support this association that has been noted in many epidemiologic studies. Inflammation in response to particulate matter (PM(2.5)) exposure in air pollution represents a common mechanism that may interact with other pro-inflammatory influences in diet and life style to modulate susceptibility to cardiometabolic diseases. The role of innate immune cytokines released from macrophages in the lung is well known. In addition, chemokine triggers in response to air-pollution exposure may mediate a cellular response from the bone marrow/spleen through toll-like receptors (TLRs) and Nucleotide Oligomerization Domain receptors (NLRs) pathways to mediate inflammatory response in organs. Emerging data also seem to support a role for PM(2.5) exposure in endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis and in brown adipose tissue dysfunction. Decreased expression of UCP1 in brown adipose tissue may account for reduced thermogenesis providing another link between PM(2.5) and insulin resistance. The implications of an experimental link between air-pollution exposure and type 2 DM are profound as air pollution is a pervasive risk factor throughout the world and even modest alleviation in exposure may provide substantial public health benefits.
Rapid Thermal Annealing of Ion-Implanted Silicon and Gallium Arsenide

The annealing of ion implantation damage (in the form of amorphous layers and/or the layers containing only dislocation loops) in silicon and gallium arsenide have been investigated. The annealing of amorphous layers occurs by solid-phase-epitaxial growth and that of dislocation loops involves primarily loop-coalescence as a result of conservative climb and glide processes. The annealing of isolated loops occurs primarily by a bulk diffusion process. Almost a complete annealing of displacement damage is possible for shallow implants provided loop-coalescence does not lead to the formation of cross-grid of dislocations. For deep implants, the free surface cannot provide an effective sink for defects as in the case of shallow implants. Dopant profiles can be controlled to less than 1000 A in layers having good electrical properties. The enhanced diffusion of dopants is observed probably due to entrapment of point defects in the annealed regions. 17 references, 11 figures.
Favourable outcomes in episodes of Pseudomonas bacteraemia when associated with tunnelled cuffed catheters (TCCs) in chronic haemodialysis patients

Background. Pseudomonas is regarded as a particularly lethal bacterial isolate. High mortality rates have been reported in episodes of Pseudomonas sepsis when associated with visceral infections as seen in immuno-suppressed, hospitalized patients. In comparison, lower mortality rates have been reported with catheter-associated Pseudomonas bacteraemia in non-dialysis patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the risk factors and the outcomes for episodes of Pseudomonas bacteraemia associated with the use of tunnelled cuffed haemodialysis catheters (TCCs) in a chronic out-patient population. Methods. We performed a prospective observational study in seven chronic haemodialysis units over a 2.5 year period. Patients who were diagnosed as having their initial TCC-associated bacteraemia within the study period were followed for 3 months. All episodes of Pseudomonas TCC bacteraemia were identified, and univariate analyses were performed to compare Pseudomonas bacteraemia with non-Pseydinibas bacteraemia. Results. During the study period, 219 episodes of TCC bacteraemia were identified; 18 had a Pseudomonas isolate (8%). Pseudomonas bacteraemia episodes were associated with a significantly higher risk of not receiving appropriate initial antibiotics (odds ratio = 3.6, P=0.02). There were no deaths in the Pseudomonas bacteraemia group, whereas 19% died in the non-Pseudomonas group. The TCC was removed in 89% of Pseudomonas bacteraemias. There were no significant risk factors for acquiring a Pseudomonas isolate, and no difference in recurrent bacteraemia or infectious complication rates between the groups. Conclusions. In haemodialysis patients with a TCC-associated Pseudomonas bacteraemia, outcomes are remarkably good. This may be because the source of Pseudomonas infection was removed in most cases. Initial antibiotic coverage lacking anti-Pseudomonas activity was not associated with increased mortality.
Selective Depression of Organotypic Bioelectric Activities of CNS Tissue Cultures by Pharmacologic and Metabolic Agents

Electrophysiologic studies of fetal rodent cerebral cortex and spinal cord explants have demonstrated that small fragments (ca. 1 cu mm) of these tissues can generate progressively more complex organotypic bioelectric activities as they mature in culture (e.g. Fig. 1; Crain, 1966, 1969; Crain and Bornstein, 1964; Crain and Peterson, 1964, 1967). The present studies emphasize the pharmacologic properties of these CNS explants, and they illustrate the value of this model system to supplement analyses of factors which regulate excitability of the central nervous system in situ especially during development. Attention will be focused primarily on two groups of chemical agents: a) those which depress all types of Ca++-dependent, synaptically mediated activities by decreasing availability of Ca++ to the neural tissue; and b) those which depress synaptic network discharges by selective effects at inhibitory receptor sites, e.g., hyperpolarization or increased membrane conductance, in mimicry of inhibitory transmitters.
A Hepatitis C Virus Envelope Polymorphism Confers Resistance to Neutralization by Polyclonal Sera and Broadly Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies.

UNLABELLED Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a global health problem, with millions of chronically infected individuals at risk for cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV vaccine development is vital in the effort toward disease control and eradication, an undertaking aided by an increased understanding of the mechanisms of resistance to broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). In this study, we identified HCV codons that vary deep in a phylogenetic tree of HCV sequences and showed that a polymorphism at one of these positions renders Bole1a, a computationally derived, ancestral genotype 1a HCV strain, resistant to neutralization by both polyclonal-HCV-infected plasma and multiple broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies with unique binding epitopes. This bNAb resistance mutation reduces replicative fitness, which may explain the persistence of both neutralization-sensitive and neutralization-resistant variants in circulating viral strains. This work identifies an important determinant of bNAb resistance in an ancestral, representative HCV genome, which may inform HCV vaccine development. IMPORTANCE Worldwide, more than 170 million people are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver transplantation in the United States. Despite recent significant advances in HCV treatment, a vaccine is needed. Control of the HCV pandemic with drug treatment alone is likely to fail due to limited access to treatment, reinfections in high-risk individuals, and the potential for resistance to direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) block infection by diverse HCV variants and therefore serve as a useful guide for vaccine development, but our understanding of resistance to bNAbs is incomplete. In this report, we identify a viral polymorphism conferring resistance to neutralization by both polyclonal plasma and broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, which may inform HCV vaccine development.
Analysis of Heart Rate Variability

Analysis of heart rate variability—the magnitude and subtle patterns of variation in length of the cardiac cycle from one heartbeat to the next—continues to yield new insights into the role of regulatory mechanisms in acute inflammation and other pathophysiology of critical illness. However, diverse methods of calculating heart rate variability and a large body of literature spanning many application domains can make selection of a particular technique and interpretation of results difficult for newcomers to the field. This chapter serves as a brief introduction for those beginning to undertake heart rate variability analyses, with emphasis on applications to the study of inflammation and critical care. It covers the biological basis and rationale for measuring heart rate variability in these domains and introduces several popular analytic methods and freely available tools for implementing these techniques. Finally, ongoing research efforts are briefly reviewed that may lead to novel diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities for improving the management of acute inflammation and other aspects of critically ill patient care.
Design of a 10 bit 50MS/s SAR ADC in 14nm SOI FinFET CMOS

This paper presents a 10-bit Successive Approximation Register (SAR) Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) with 60.9 dB SNDR at 50MS/s while with 41.3uW power consumption. Several techniques were used to decrease the power consumption. First, Segmented architecture was used to decrease the total number of capacitance. Aligned switching with skip (ASS) method was used during copy MSB bits from coarse to fine, which saves 58% switching power. Second, the normal SAR switching is based on VCM-based switching algorithm; it saves 85.72% power compared with traditional SAR. Third, dual supply mode with analog at 0.8V and digital at 0.4V was used to decrease the digital logic power consumption, simulation results show that it saves 23% total power consumption at dual supply mode. Differential architecture was used to minimize the commode non-idealities. The proposed ADC achieved a peak figure of merit (FoM) of 0.93 fJ/Conv with simulation results in 14nm SOI FinFET technology.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation: an adjunct in the pain management of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation was applied in the pain management of a patient with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. As subjectively reported by the patient, her back and lower extremity pain was significantly decreased although her foot paresthesia was not decreased. The program was continued for an 11-day period because TENS was considered a valuable adjunct for the patient's comfort. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is a valuable addition to our repertoire of available physical therapy modalities. We hope that as clinical experience with TENS increases, fellow clinicians will volunteer the experiences of their endeavors.
Conceptual design and modeling of a six-dimensional bunch merging scheme for a muon collider

A high luminosity muon collider requires single, intense, muon bunches with small emittances: just one of each sign. An efficient front end and a cooling channel have been designed and simulated within the collaboration of the Muon Accelerator Program. The muons are first bunched and phase rotated into 21 bunches, and then cooled in six dimensions. When they are cool enough, they are merged into single bunches: one of each sign. The bunch merging scheme has been outlined with preliminary simulations in previous studies. In this paper we present a comprehensive design with its end-to-end simulation. The 21 bunches are first merged in longitudinal phase space into seven bunches. These are directed into seven ``trombone'' paths with different lengths, to bring them to the same time, and then merged transversely in a collecting ``funnel'' into the required single larger bunches. Detailed numerical simulations show that the 6D emittance of the resulting bunch reaches the parameters needed for high acceptance into the downstream cooling channel.
Monthly differences in distributions of sex and asymmetry in a looking-glass copepod, Pleuromamma xiphias, off Hawaii

ABSTRACT We studied frequencies of several attributes of the reproductive cycle of Pleuromamma xiphias, an oceanic, calanoid copepod taken in replicate monthly samples over a 13-month period at a station off Hawaii. Large numbers of late copepodids in these samples allowed us to confidently describe monthly changes in these frequencies despite variability among replicate samples taken within 36 h. The percentage of males among different copepodids of P. xiphias decreased from copepodid stage IV to CV and from CV to CVI. The percentage of left females, a sex-limited dimorphism in the condition of asymmetry of an animal, increased from CIV to CV but decreased from CV to CVI. The magnitude of the changes in the percentage of left females was not as great as changes in the percentage of males. Monthly averages for these attributes suggested differential recruitment to CVI males and left females in May when the percentage of CVI females without a dark mass in the genital opening also was high, but when abundances of CVI, CV, and CIV animals were low; the percentage of CVI males with a spermatophore in the spermatophore sac reached a maximum earlier, in February. We compared our data about the percentage of males to similar information for other calanoid copepods, and conclude that documenting the ranges of this attribute among consecutive copepodid stages is more useful in describing the seasonal distribution of sex than calculating an average value for adults.
Computerized imaging techniques for hemifacial microsomia.

Hemifacial microsomia is a congenital underdevelopment of one side of the face which affects multiple structures at one time. Evaluation includes orthodontic and surgical measurements for planned c...
Using Citation Checking of Undergraduate Honors Thesis Bibliographies to Evaluate Library Collections

This study utilizes citation checking of advanced undergraduate research papers as a method for evaluating library collections at an institution with growing undergraduate and graduate research demands. A random sample of 101 honors thesis bibliographies from the period 1993–2002 was examined for format, discipline, and local availability rates. The proportion of journal citations in relation to books increased slightly over the period, but no other clear trends emerged. The incidence of Web citations began during the period but did not steadily increase. The study highlighted specific use patterns and collection weaknesses. Results serve as a baseline for further study of the library’s undergraduate user population; further citation studies are encouraged to assess continued use of online resources as the Internet and electronic technologies evolve.
Heading for the Exits: Comparing Characteristics of Leavers from Charter Schools to Traditional Public Schools in Denver Public Schools

Recent discussion about charter schools has focused on whether these public schools of choice "push out" low performing students in order to improve the schools' performance profile. To examine if this is a systematic phenomenon, this paper compares student exit rates in charter schools to traditional public schools in Denver, Colorado. Results indicate no significant differences in exit rates between school types. This suggests concerns about charters "pushing out" students are, at least, overstated.
“That’s Not in My Job Description!” Personnel Management in the Accountability Era

This case examines the challenges facing a high school principal in a struggling suburban district in the Rust Belt. This school is faced with declining achievement of entering students and a loss ...
Fast balancing method for an AC bridge based on a novel phase matching technique

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a method of balancing an AC bridge with minimum computation time. The applications envisioned are in power system monitoring and sensing Design/methodology/approach – The method is based on a recursive algorithm, first matching the phase followed by that of amplitude. Each phase step requires three samples per steps.Voltage matching is based on halving the range of measured amplitudes in each step, resulting in an n-step recursive algorithm. Findings – Computation is minimal – only requires four phase matching steps for an error of 1°. Further steps improve on this error. Matching of amplitude is equally fast. The resolution in amplitude is directly proportional to the number of steps. An example and experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the method. Research limitations/implications – Balancing of AC bridges in conjunction with automated measurement systems is a fairly complex process requiring either extensive computation or dedicated hardwar...
The effect of cardiac output on intraoperative blood loss during total hip arthroplasty.

Background and Objectives. It is not clear whether cardiac output affects intraoperative blood loss under epidural hypotensive anesthesia. Methods. Thirty patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty were randomly assigned to receive intravenous infusions of either low-dose epinephrine or phenylephrine to maintain mean arterial pressure at 50 to 60 mm Hg throughout surgery under lumbar epidural anesthesia. Patients were monitored with radial artery and thermodilution pulmonary artery catheters. Hemodynamic parameters were measured every 10 minutes during surgery, and blood loss was estimated by a blinded observer weighing sponges. Results. Mean arterial pressure was similar between groups. Cardiac output remained unchanged in patients receiving low-dose epinephrine but declined significantly in patients receiving phenylephrine ( p = 0.0001). Blood loss was 228 and 236 mL in patients receiving low-dose epinephrine and phenylephrine, respectively ( p = 0.86). No correlation was observed between cardiac output and blood loss at any point during surgery. Conclusions. Cardiac output is not a factor influencing blood loss during hypotensive epidural anesthesia in elderly patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty.
Complications of Pulmonary Artery Catheterization in Obstetric Patients

Twenty-one obstetric patients in whom pulmonary artery catheters had been inserted were studied. Complications were minor in nature and unassociated with adverse sequelae. They included transient premature ventricular contraction on insertion of the catheter in two cases and a ruptured balloon and a positive culture of the catheter tip in one case.
Intracranial hemorrhage in hemophiliacs with AIDS.

In the past 5 years we have had 18 cases of AIDS in hemophiliacs in our patient population of over 200 hemophiliacs. Four instances of spontaneous ICH occurred in these 18 patients
Glioproliferative Lesion of the Spinal Cord as a Complication of “Stem-Cell Tourism”

A primitive neoplasm composed predominantly of nonhost cells was detected in the thoracic spinal cord and thecal sac of a 66-year-old man who had received experimental stem-cell treatment from commercial clinics.
Goethe-Wörterbuch. Ed. by Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften: I. vol., 1. fascicle: A—abrufen. Stuttgart-Berlin-Köln-Mainz: W. Kohlhammer, 1966. Pp. xv, 127.

(1968). Goethe-Worterbuch. Ed. by Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen, Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 228-230.
The Early Human Occupation of the Bonneville Basin

Abstract No direct evidence exists that people once occupied the shores of Lake Bonneville, but well-dated sites along coastal South America and overlooking a pluvial lake in the northwestern Great Basin suggest early foragers had reached the Bonneville Basin (BB) at least by ~ 14–15 cal ka. Dated hearths in cave sites overlooking the wetlands that developed during the regressive phase of Lake Bonneville indicate Paleoarchaic foragers, characterized by a variety of stemmed points and crescents, were definitely living in the BB by ~ 13.5–13.0 cal ka. Their subsistence and settlement apparently focused on extensive wetland ecosystems, where the highest number of Paleoarchaic sites is found. The largest of these wetlands, ~ 2600 km 2 , formed at the terminal end of the Old River Bed (ORB) river that once flowed from Lake Gunnison in the Sevier basin north to the Great Salt Lake. More than 500 Paleoarchaic sites have been recorded in the ORB delta wetlands, and as many as 4–5000 may have been created during the ~ 2500 years or longer these wetlands were occupied. Geochemical sourcing of toolstone and intensive use of manufactured tools suggest these foragers stayed in the ORB wetlands for extended periods, perhaps moving about within the wetlands during the prolonged stays. When they did leave the wetlands they primarily moved about in a narrow ~ 400 km long north–south corridor within the BB. After the regression of Great Salt Lake from the Gilbert level by ~ 11 cal ka, the ORB wetlands were supported by groundwater flow supplied by stored Lake Bonneville water. Between ~ 9.5 and 9.0 cal ka this groundwater ceased to flow, the ORB wetlands dried up, BB foragers began to adapt to those changes, and the Paleoarchaic period effectively ended. These changes included a more intensive use of upland habitats, a seasonal reliance on pine nuts, and the development of grinding to process a variety of seeds. However, these Archaic foragers and later groups continued to seasonally occupy the many caves and rockshelters created by Lake Bonneville and the lake's impact on the people of the BB has never entirely disappeared.
Dynamical and Physical Processes Associated with Orographic Precipitation in a Conditionally Unstable Uniform Flow: Variation in Basic Wind Speed

AbstractA series of systematic two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D, respectively) idealized numerical experiments were conducted to investigate the combined effects of dynamical and physical processes on orographic precipitation with varying incoming basic-flow speed U in a conditionally unstable uniform flow. In addition to the three moist flow regimes found in Chu and Lin at lower wind speeds, a new flow regime, regime IV, is found for higher wind speeds (U > 36 m s−1) and is characterized by gravity waves and heavy precipitation and lack of upper-level wave breaking and turbulence over the lee slope. The transition from regime III to regime IV at 36 m s−1 is explained by the transition from upward-propagating gravity waves to evanescent flow, which can be predicted with a modified mountain wave theory. Although the basic features are captured well in low grid resolution (Δx = 1 km), high-resolution (Δx = 100 m) 2D and 3D simulations are required to resolve precipitation distribution and intensity at ...
A neuropsychological perspective on the role of the prefrontal cortex in reward processing and decision-making

Publisher Summary The aim of this chapter is to highlight insights from the field of neuropsychology into prefrontal brain functions such as reward processing and decision-making. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPC) in humans plays important roles in cognition and emotion regulation. Lesions of the human ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPC) have been shown to impair higher-order behavioral guidance, social conduct, and emotional regulation, even though functions such as language, movement, and perception are spared. When the VMPC is damaged, patients fail to appreciate and take into account the long-term consequences of their decisions. Lesions of the VMPC also lead to an increase in utilitarian moral judgments and irrational responses to unfair social interactions, both of which have been attributed to emotional dysregulation. Aging has been shown to cause similar decision-making deficits in a substantial subset of older adults, suggesting that the VMPC region can be disproportionately affected by neurological aging.
Estimating individual-level interaction effects in multilevel models: a Monte Carlo simulation study with application*

Moderated multiple regression provides a useful framework for understanding moderator variables. These variables can also be examined within multilevel datasets, although the literature is not clea...
Crystal truncation rods from miscut surfaces

Crystal truncation rods are used to study surface and interface structure. Since real surfaces are always somewhat miscut from a low index plane, it is important to study the effect of miscuts on crystal truncation rods. We develop a model that describes the truncation rod scattering from miscut surfaces that have steps and terraces. We show that nonuniform terrace widths and jagged step edges are both forms of roughness that decrease the intensity of the rods. Nonuniform terrace widths also result in a broad peak that overlaps the rods. We use our model to characterize the terrace width distribution and step edge jaggedness on three ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$ (001) samples, showing excellent agreement between the model and the data, confirmed by atomic force micrographs of the surface morphology. We expect our description of terrace roughness will apply to many surfaces, even those without obvious terracing.
Identifying and addressing themes of job dissatisfaction for secondary principals

ABSTRACTSecondary principals serve in important roles that are complex, high-stress, and include demanding job responsibilities. Key stakeholders such as superintendents, school board members, and legislators must understand the challenges facing secondary principals in order to address the current themes of job dissatisfaction. Using new survey data compiled from 176 secondary principals across a state in the Midwest United States, this study shows four themes of job dissatisfaction are plaguing secondary principals: high job demands with unreasonable expectations, managing difficult stakeholders, problematic work/life balance, and lack of support. This study concludes with practical suggestions to address each theme of job dissatisfaction.
Improving workload management for reducing readmissions and follow-up visits in outpatient practice using a novel application — Cohort Knowledge Solutions (CKS)

Outpatient practice forms an integral part of medical care for patients needing care who are not admitted into the hospital, but receive the needed care and are discharged the same day which also largely includes primary care service. The growing demand for primary care physicians added by the complexity in managing outpatient practice effectively demands an optimized practice management system to coordinate care between different departments and provide high quality care on a timely fashion. The advent of health information technology has rapidly changed the way how outpatient practice has been done especially with the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR). Efficient use of such EHR has always been challenging, and several commercial software applications are available to facilitate outpatient practice management such as Microsoft's Amalga. However, commercial software does not aptly fit the needs of dynamically changing requirements in a hospital setting. Hence, the outpatient practice management department in Mayo Clinic which consistently ranks at the top in providing high quality care developed a custom outpatient practice application called Cohort Knowledge Solutions (CKS) to optimize the practice workflow and hence needs of the patients. This paper describes the design and development of CKS system, and its application in CTP/palliative care department and heart clinic which improved workload management, reduced follow up visits and readmission of patients using CKS.
Buddhist nuns in Nepal and women's empowerment: A biographical approach

Abstract While biographies of monks have proliferated over the centuries, there has been precious little writing on the life stories of the female members of the monastic community. Addressing the need for biographies about contemporary Buddhist nuns, and on helping these women to find their voices, this biographical narrative study documents and explores the life stories of a group of Vajrayana nuns residing in a Buddhist abbey in Kathmandu, Nepal. This study centers on concepts of empowerment but aims to explore how a group of contemporary nuns are utilizing and redefining their situated empowerment within their religious community and beyond. Through in-depth interviews, this research examines ways in which these contemporary nuns exercise and contest power within a Buddhist institution, predicated on core religious teachings that profess egalitarianism yet situated within a larger sociocultural milieu that is notoriously oppressive to women and girls. It explores what empowerment opportunities and challenges they face as twenty-first century nuns, and how their roles and identities as Buddhist nuns are evolving in increasingly empowering ways.
Molecular Dynamics of Oxazole Yellow Dye in its Ground and First Excited Electronic States in Solution and when Intercalated in dsDNA

Oxazole yellow (YOPRO), a cyanine dye consisting of benzoxazole and quinoline rings connected by a linker, is almost nonfluorescent in water, but its fluorescence is greatly enhanced after intercalation in double-stranded DNA, forming the basis of DNA concentration assays. To explore this difference, new potential energy surfaces for the two linker dihedral angles in the ground S0 and first excited S1 electronic states are developed. Umbrella sampling molecular dynamics is used to obtain the free energy of rotation around the two dihedral angles of the linker. The two-dimensional free energy surface of the S1 state, spanning the Franck–Condon transition point from the S0 electronic state minimum (dihedral 1 around 180°, dihedral 2 around 0°) to the S1 state minimum (∼90, ∼0), is obtained in water and when intercalated. In water, YOPRO’s S1 free energy surface is completely downhill from the Franck–Condon point, whereas when intercalated, there is a barrier on the path. Thus, when intercalated in DNA, S1 Y...
Physical and Functional Differences in Youth Baseball Players With and Without Throwing-Related Pain

Background:Identifying risk factors that contribute to shoulder and elbow pain within youth baseball players is important for improving injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies.Hypothesis:Di...
Epidemiological Study Designs: Traditional and Novel Approaches to Advance Life Course Health Development Research

The central focus of life course epidemiology and life course approaches to health development is on the complex processes underlying the occurrence and accrual of risks at multiple levels and their impact on the developing individual. Reflecting the multilevel and integrated features of human health development that are at the centre of life course health-development (LCHD) principles, study designs seek better understanding of social, familial, and genetic contributions to the aetiology of health conditions, exploring the timing and interactions of different experiences and risks in relationship to the natural course of disorders in different populations and examining the time-specific and cumulative impacts of social and environmental factors. Many different study designs can advance a life course health-development framework. In this chapter we review common epidemiologic study designs including (i) cohort studies (general prospective cohort studies, perinatal/birth cohorts, twin studies, and high-risk cohort studies); (ii) case–control studies, including nested case–control studies within larger cohorts; (iii) cross-sectional studies; (iv) quasi-experimental designs; and (v) randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Although certain design strategies, namely, cohort studies, lend themselves more readily to the life course approach—examining the process of health development and its emphasis on emergent, person-context relations, and plasticity across the lifespan—we also describe other study designs that can be used to further our understanding of health and the development of different disorders and diseases from the life course perspective. The benefits and limitations of alternative design approaches are discussed using one study question as an example—investigating the relationship between traumatic experience and the development of a substance use disorder.
Molecular weights of wheat γ1- and γ3-gliadins in various solvents

Abstract The molecular weights of wheat gliadin and its components were determined by a computer technique from sedimentation equilibrium data obtained in an ultra-centrifuge equipped with photoelectric scanner. The solvents included 3 M urea plus 0.15 M KCl at pH 6.3, 1 M acetic acid plus 0.01 M KCl at pH 3.0, 0.01 M HCl plus 0.05 M KCl at pH 2.2, 1 M acetic acid plus 0.05 M KCl at pH 3.0, 6 M guanidine · HCl at pH 4.6, 0.0167 M aluminum lactate buffer at pH 3.1, 6 M guanidine · HCl at pH 2.9, 8 M urea plus 0.15 M KCl at pH 6.3 and 3.0, and 3 M urea plus 0.15 M KCl at pH 3.1. The minimum molecular weights for γ1- and γ3-gliadins, obtained in 3 M urea plus 0.15 M KCl at pH 3.1, were 30 300 and 34 700, respectively. The respective molecular weights of gliadin and low molecular weight gliadin (gliadin with the high molecular weight component removed by a crosslinked dextran column) were 49 200 and 30 300 in 3 M urea plus 0.15 M KCl at pH 3.1. The molecular weights of γ1- and γ3-gliadins are determined for the first time.
Urinary and caudate nuclei catecholamine levels in stress-susceptible and normal swine.

Eight stress-susceptible and eight normal pigs were used in the first portion of the study. Urine samples were collected for 24 hr over 4 consecutive days while the pigs were kept in metabolism cages. Each 24-hr sample was assayed for epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. Urinary levels of dopamine were lower (P < .01) in the stress-susceptible pigs. No significant differences in urinary epinephrine or norepinephrine were observed. The second portion of the study evaluated the catecholamines in the caudate nucleus of the brain. Six stress-susceptible and six control pigs were examined. Immediately after exsanguination, caudate nuclei were excised and frozen in liquid nitrogen. The caudate nuclei were assayed for catecholamines within 2 to 3 days of freezing. Caudate nuclei dopamine levels were lower (P < .01) in stress-susceptible pigs (5,961 ng/g) than in control pigs (10,878 ng/g). No significant differences in norepinephrine levels of the caudate nuclei were observed between the two groups.
Crack growth in lamellar titanium aluminides containing beta phase precipitates

Mode-I fracture behavior of fully-lamellar polycrystalline γ-TiAl + α2-Ti3Al intermetallic alloys and the role of Ti-V base β-phase precipitates of different thermodynamic stability have been studied using a finite element method. A rate-dependent, finite-strain, crystal-plasticity based materials constitutive model is used to represent the deformation behavior of both the γ-TiAl + α2-Ti3Al lamellar matrix and the β-phase precipitates. Within the matrix colonies, fracture is assumed to take place throughout the α2-Ti3Al lamellae. In addition, fracture along colony boundaries and matrix/precipitate interfaces is considered. The constitutive behavior of all fracture interfaces is modeled using a cohesive-zone formulation. The analysis is carried out using the commercial finite element program Abaqus/Standard within which the material state is integrated using an Euler-backward implicit formulation. The results obtained show that the main mechanism of crack growth is nucleation of secondary cracks along α2-Ti3Al lamellae ahead of the main crack and their subsequent link-up with the tip of the main crack. The resulting fracture resistance curve acquires the characteristic step-wise shape. Both stable and metastable β-phase precipitates are found to have a beneficial effect on the fracture resistance of the material. However, the effect is not very significant and metastable β-phase precipitates appear to be a little bit more beneficial. All these findings are consistent with their experimental counterparts.
BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF ESTERASE ISOZYMES OF THE MARINE SNAIL, LITTORINA LITTOREA

ABSTRACT . Littorina littorea is a hardy intertidal snail which can withstand a broad range of environmental conditions, including pollution of various kinds. Its enzymes are being studied as part of an exploration of this adaptability. The esterases of L.littorea have been characterized according to substrate and inhibitor specificities and are evaluated as potential markers for population studies involving this organism. Eight regions of esterase activity are described, five of which are biochemically unique and at least seven of which are polymorphic. The phenotypes of these regions are presented and possible interpretations discussed.
Complications of cervicofacial rhytidectomy.

With more aggressive methods in which the surgeon elevates the S MAS, including platysmal and subplatysmal flaps, dissection is deeper in the face and neck. Consequently, there may be a higher risk of complication. The surgeon must be familiar with both minor and major complications and present them to the patient preopera-tively in a realistic manner.
Do we CARE about the quality of case reports? A systematic assessment.

Abstract Background Clinical case reports are important sources of information on the identification and treatment of new or rare diseases. The CAse REport (CARE) Statement and Checklist represents consensus-based guidelines for clinical case reports. How well case reports adhere to these guidelines is unknown. Material and methods A systematic PubMed and OVID search was used to identify case reports on isolated splenic metastasis from 2007 to 2017 in English language journals. MeSH search terms included “(isolated splenic metastasis OR solitary splenic metastasis) AND case report.” We retrieved 79 articles and 55 directly addressed the topic of interest. Each was scored dichotomously using the 13 categories with 36 item descriptors on the CARE checklist. Results Of the 55 case reports, none fully followed the CARE guidelines; only 56.4% met 23 descriptors and none had more than 29 of 36 descriptors. Patient symptoms were not described in 40.0%, and in 47.3%, the abstract did not identify the main outcomes. All reports included patient's age and diagnostic methods. Most case reports reported the type of intervention (96.4%) and effect of the intervention (96.4%). None included patient-assessed outcomes or the patient's perspective. Only 49.1% included strengths and limitations of patient management, stating that the most effective treatment is unknown. Conclusions None of the case reports on isolated splenic metastasis completely followed the CARE guidelines. Most reports did cover diagnostic workup and therapeutic interventions and gave a summary of the literature. Higher quality case reports would be useful in facilitating recognition of rare disease processes and informing clinical practice.
Maize Kernel Development Stage the Primary Factor in Differential Gene Expression in Response to Two Methods of Field Inoculation with Aspergillus flavus

Abstract Background Aflatoxins, produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, often contaminate preharvest maize (Zea mays L.) grain under heat and drought stresses, posing serious health hazards to humans and livestock, and resulting in significant costs to identify and dispose of contaminated grain. This study was designed to investigate the changes in differential gene expression during seed morphogenesis and maturation in the “aflatoxin resistant” Argentinian inbred line Tx772 when challenged by the introduction of A. flavus through two different methods of ear inoculation; non-wounding (silk channel, used to select Tx772), wounding (side needle) and a non-inoculated control. Method and Findings Grain maturity had the largest effect on overall RNA-Seq differential gene expression (DGE) as measured by edgeR of the Bioconductor platform. However, within each stage of development, ranging from blister to dent, similar up-regulation in expression of many maize genes following inoculation with either method was observed; a total of 16 genes previously associated with resistance to pathogens were identified among the transcripts differentially expressed (DE) at p ≤ .05, FDR ≤ .10, and fold change ≥ 2.0 over all stages. The side needle technique produced a larger effect of infection as evidenced by 6,324 fungal reads versus 518 in silk channel and a higher level of aflatoxin. Correlations between approximately 7,000 fungal reads and the number of maize DE genes for each of the eight treatment groups was 0.56 (p = .152) and was 0.65 (p Conclusion These correlations provided an internal measure of effectiveness of inoculation methods that were associated with the mostly up-regulation of defense-related genes in response to the presence of Aspergillus flavus in a unique maize genetic background.