cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Expanding Boundaries of Whiteness? A Look at the Marital Patterns of Part‐White Multiracial Groups

Using a boundary perspective (Alba and Nee 2003), I examine the marital behavior of three self-identified multiracial groups: black/whites, American Indian/whites, Asian/whites. With a focus on marriage with whites, I assess whether the boundaries of whiteness are expanding to include these part-white multiracial groups. Marrying whites at a large scale may signify that part-white multiracial Americans are in the process of being accepted as “white.” At the same time, due to differences in the racial identity experiences of multiracial groups, marital patterns may differ by racial combination. Based on analysis of 2008–2012 American Community Survey data, I find that the majority of all three groups are married to whites, suggesting that most members in these groups are on the path to whiteness. On the other hand, multinomial logistic regression analysis demonstrates that American Indian/whites and Asian/whites are more likely than black/whites to have a white spouse, relative to spouses of another race/ethnicity. Moreover, separate regression analyses by multiracial group reveal gender differences in their likelihood of marrying whites for black/whites and Asian/whites. These results indicate racial stratification in the marriage market among part-white multiracial Americans, with further stratification by gender for some groups.
Rule of Law for Nature: The green economy will not build the rule of law for nature

In June 2012, the world returned to Rio for the 2012 Conference on Sustainable Development (the Rio 20 Conference). Marking the twentieth anniversary of the groundbreaking 1992 Rio Conference on the Environment and Development, Rio 20 aspired to build a more sustainable global society. This could have marked the rise of a different conception of sustainability; one recognizing nature the irreplaceable foundation upon which the human economy is built. But, with no political will to fulfill the Brundtland Commission’s demand that “human laws … be reformulated to keep human activities in harmony with the unchanging and universal laws of nature,” Rio 20 defaulted to embracing the “green economy” rather than seizing the opportunity to formulate a new Rule of Law for Nature.
Standardized Confusion? The Political Logic of China's Technology Standards Policy

Studying technology standards in emerging economies provides a unique opportunity to examine the comparative political economy of science, technology, and innovation, as well as to analyze how economic institutions from mature capitalist countries fare when planted in different institutional settings. Of the emerging economies, the largest and arguably most important for the international economy is China. Looking from the national systemic level we find a puzzle in explaining the Chinese policy: Why do domestic standards continue to proliferate and be led and supported by government even when there is evidence that standards policies are counterproductive in terms of fostering innovation, their political and economic raison d'etre? We argue that this is the outcome of a two steps self-reinforcing sequence dynamic. In the first stage the state initiates standards development in the hope of fostering technological independence by offering status and economic incentives. As standard development starts, however, an unintended consequence is that more and more organizations, fearing a loss of competitive advantage, begin competing standard development efforts, creating an innovation arms race and explosive growth in the number of standards. This proliferation is counterproductive, leading to more uncertainty and less innovation. Nonetheless, since this dynamic has been creating vested interests, they ensure the continuation of the current policy.
POST-DIURETIC COMPENSATORY SODIUM RETENTION IS NOT A PREVALENT FINDING IN PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE

One of the core principals in our understanding of diuretic resistance is that, during the post-diuretic period, the kidney will maximally reabsorb sodium in an effort to compensate for prior diuretic-induced sodium loss. Derived from studies of normal and hypertensive patients, this concept forms
Amplifications of learning Use of mobile media devices among youth

Smart mobile devices like the iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, and iPad have energized educators’ interest in using mobile media for education. Applications from clickers to games to augmented reality...
Graphene Growth Dynamics on Epitaxial Copper Thin Films

Graphene chemical vapor deposition on copper is phenomenologically complex, yielding diverse crystal morphologies, including lobes, dendrites, stars, and hexagons, of various orientations depending on conditions. We present a comprehensive study of the evolution of these morphologies as a function of the copper surface orientation, absolute pressure, hydrogen-to-methane ratio (H2:CH4), and nucleation density. Growth was studied on ultrasmooth, epitaxial copper films inside copper enclosures to minimize copper polycrystallinity and roughness and decrease the graphene nucleation density. At low pressure and low H2:CH4, circular graphene islands initially form. After exceeding ∼1.0 μm, Mullins-Sekerka instabilities evolve into dendrites extending hundreds of micrometers in the ⟨100⟩, ⟨111⟩, and ⟨110⟩ directions on Cu(100), Cu(110), and Cu(111), respectively, indicating mass transport limited growth. Twin boundaries perturb the preferential growth direction on Cu(111) and alter graphene morphology. Increasing...
Error Minimization via Adjoint-Based Anisotropic Grid Adaptation

A new adjoint-based grid adaptation methodology for solving steady and unsteady problems is presented. In contrast to conventional grid adaptation techniques utilizing the error equidistribution principle, the new approach directly solves an error minimization problem for which grid node coordinates are used as control variables. A minimum of the error functional is found using a gradient method based on the adjoint formulation. The mesh sensitivity derivatives required for solving the error minimization problem are computed using the solution of the corresponding adjoint equations. The key advantage of this formulation is that the adjoint equations are solved only once at each grid adaptation iteration regardless of the number of grid nodes, which makes this approach well suited for mesh adaptation. The new adjoint-based grid adaptation strategy is tested on several benchmark problems governed by the Euler and Poisson equations, and the numerical results are compared with those obtained on uniform meshes with the same number of grid points.
Chapter 12 – Structural and physical properties of boron nitride nanotubes and their applications in nanocomposites

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are a type of light, strong, thermally, and chemically stable tubular nanostructures, and hold promise for a number of applications in the fields of nanoscience and engineering. The extraordinary physical properties of BNNTs originate from their honeycomb lattices that are made of covalent sp2 and partially ionic BN bonds, and many of them are reportedly comparable or even superior to those of their pure carbon counterparts, carbon nanotubes (CNTs). In particular, BNNTs have better biocompatibility as compared with CNTs, and are garnering increasing attentions and interests for their biomedical applications. The longitudinally strong and transversely supple characteristics indicate that BNNTs are ideal reinforcing nanofiller materials for nanocomposite applications and also favorable for binding interactions with tissues and biomolecules, enabling a number of biomedical applications. The breakthrough in sizable synthesis of high-quality BNNTs has substantially fueled the fundamental research of their structural and physical properties, and the development of their applications. In this chapter, we survey the advances in synthesis and characterization of BNNTs and the pursuit of their applications, in particular, in nanocomposites, even for biomedical applications.
Survey on Indoor Radioactivity in Wuhan

Objective To find out the indoor gamma radioactivity level and gamma concentration in Wuhan and take preventive measures to control indoor pollution.~Methods Based on the current radioactiveity and radon criterion for building materials.~Results Indoor gamma radioactivity levels ranged from11.32±4.21 to 15.12±3.92; radon concentrations radged from19.24±5.83 to 34.47±5.74.Conclusion The Indoor gamma radioactivity level and radon concentration are the highest in houses built with bricks of waste materials; there is no significant difference in the level and concentration in different seasons and floors.
Detection of laughter in children's speech using spectral and prosodic acoustic features.

Laughter is an important para-linguistic cue that can be useful in gauging the affective state of the speaker. In this paper, we present an approach to detecting laughter in children’s speech using acoustic features in the spectral and prosodic domains. Feature selection was performed using the information gain-based technique and a speaker-independent validation using a support vector machine (SVM), an accuracy of 94.43% was observed, which was a 12.48% absolute improvement over the baseline result of 81.95%. For us to explore generalization properties, the models of speech and laughter were tested on a completely different database of adult-child interactions known as the Multimodal Dyadic Behavior Dataset (MDBD). The accuracy using the earlier trained models was 70.58%. Even though the children in this database were toddlers (less than three years old), the results suggest that the predictive power of the selected features generalizes well to different forms of children’s laughter.
On group rings of linear groups

Abstract Let H be a finitely generated group of matrices over a field F of characteristic zero. We consider the group ring KH of H over an arbitrary field K whose characteristic is either zero or greater than some number N = N ( H ) . We prove that KH is isomorphic to a subring of a ring S which is a crossed product of a division ring Δ with a finite group. Hence KH is isomorphic to a subring of a matrix ring over a skew field.
Vascular Complications During Catheter Ablation of Cardiac Arrhythmias: A Comparison Between Vascular Ultrasound Guided Access and Conventional Vascular Access

Ultrasound Guided Vascular Access for Electrophysiologic ProceduresIntroduction Vascular access related complications are the most common complications from catheter based EP procedures and have been reported to occur in 1–13% of cases. We prospectively assessed vascular complications in a large series of consecutive patients undergoing catheter based electrophysiologic (EP) procedures with ultrasound (US) guided vascular access versus conventional access. Methods and Results Consecutive patients undergoing catheter ablation procedures at VCU medical center were included. US guided access was obtained in all cases starting June 2015 (US group) while modified Seldinger technique without US guidance (non-US group) was used in cases prior to this date. All vascular complications were recorded for a 30-day period after the procedure. A total of 689 patients underwent 720 procedures. Ablations for ventricular tachyarrhythmias (ventricular tachycardia: VT, premature ventricular contractions: PVCs) accounted for 89 (12%) cases; atrial fibrillation (AF) ablations accounted for 328 procedures (46%) and other catheter based procedures accounted for 42% of cases. A significantly higher incidence of complications was noted in the non-US group compared with the US group (19 [5.3%] vs. 4 [1.1%], respectively, P = 0.002). Major complications were also higher among the non-US group (9 [2.5%] vs. 2 [0.6%], P = 0.03). Increasing age (P = 0.04) and non-US guided vascular access (P = 0.002) were associated with a higher risk of vascular access complications. Conclusion In a large series of patients undergoing catheter based EP procedures for cardiac arrhythmias, US guided vascular access was associated with a significantly decreased 30-day risk of vascular complications.
Certify— A characterization and validation tool for behavioral models

Device modeling plays an important role in VLSI circuit design because computer-aided circuit analysis results are only as accurate as the models used. This indicates a need for robust tools that can facilitate the testing, validation and characterization procedure of semiconductor device models. Certify, the graphical tool for model characterization and validation, is a step in this direction [1]. The software architecture and different modules of Certify have been described in this paper.
Green arithmetic logic unit

With the scaling of technology and the need for high performance and more functionality, power dissipation becomes a major bottleneck for microprocessor systems design. The power dissipation has become an obsessive concern in the design and implementation of VLSI circuits with the development of the technology. In this paper, conventional low-power design approaches are discussed, and a new design based on Chain structure is presented. It provides a green solution and an alternative way to solve the problems of power supply distribution, interconnection and interfacing in VLSI circuits and a comparison experiment was performed over two circuit layouts of 16bit ALU implementations and using standard CMOS that saves more than 30% of power consumption, and 0.423 mg of CO2 emission.
Developmental Expression of Na and K Channel Proteins in the Rat Renal Cortical Collecting Duct (CCD) † 1851

Growing organisms must retain Na and K. The final regulation of Na and K homeostasis occurs in the renal CCD where, in the adult, the amiloride-sensitive epithelial Na channel (ENaC) and low-conductance K-secretory (SK) channel constitute the rate-limiting steps for Na absorption and K secretion, respectively. Patch clamp analysis of principal cells in CCDs isolated from maturing rabbits identifies an increase in number of conducting apical Na channels after the 1st wk of postnatal life; a surge in SK channel activity, however, is not observed until after the 2nd wk of life. The purpose of the present study was to correlate the functional expression of channel activity with appearance of channel proteins in the developing kidney. To this end, we examined the nephron distribution and localization of ENaC and SK channels in cryosections of kidney using polyclonal antibodies raised against the α-, β-, and γ-subunits of rat ENaC (generously provided by P. Smith and C. Canessa) and the putative rat SK channel, ROMK (kindly provided by L. Palmer). Because the available antibodies did not recognize rabbit antigens, studies were performed in rat; Northern analyses revealed similar developmental patterns of expression of ROMK mRNA in rat and rabbit kidney. The identity of principal cells was confirmed by the selective binding of anti-aquaporin (AQP)-3 antibody; thick ascending limbs of Henle (TALHs) were identified with an anti-uromucoid antibody. Immuno-fluorescence studies using the anti-α ENaC antibody showed apical staining of a majority of cells in CCDs isolated from all animals >1 wk of age. Similarly, β- and γ-subunit expression was routinely detected, albeit in a predominantly cytoplasmic distribution, after the 1st wk of postnatal life. ROMK, absent in the mid-outer cortex of 1-wk-old animals, was observed in the inner cortex and medulla of these same animals, presumably in TALHs. By 3 wks of age, ROMK was easily detected along the apical membrane of a discrete population of TALH-negative cortical structures, believed to represent connecting and collecting tubules. Staining with immunoabsorbed serum or secondary antibody alone was negative. These results suggest that the postnatal surges in activity of principal cell Na and SK channels are mediated, in part, by increases in abundance of ENaC and ROMK proteins in the maturing CCD.
Comparing Opportunity Metrics and Locational Outcomes in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program:

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) has been criticized for concentrating units in poor minority neighborhoods. This study analyzes the distribution of LIHTC units in San Antonio and assesses...
Monolithic FFF-Printed, Biocompatible, Biodegradable, Dielectric-Conductive Microsystems

We report additively manufactured biodegradable microsystems composed of dielectric and electrically conductive layers. The devices were made via fused filament fabrication (FFF), which is arguably the simplest and cheapest commercial 3-D printing technology, done with the most inexpensive printing hardware. The base constitutive material is polylactic acid (PLA)–a biodegradable polymer made of cornstarch that can be doped with micro and nanoparticles to change its physical properties, e.g., become electrically conductive. The devices were monolithically manufactured using a commercial dual extruder 3-D-printer. The feature resolution and surface topography of the printing technology was characterized for both dielectric and conductive materials; their outgassing rates were measured and their cytotoxicity was investigated. The gauge factor of the conductive PLA was measured. Basic electrical components, cantilevers, and electrohydrodynamic liquid ionizers with integrated extractor electrode and threaded microfluidic port were demonstrated. [2017-0118]
Secondary Repair of Posttraumatic Enophthalmos and Extraocular Movement Disorders.

Enophthalmos, or recession of the eye posteriorly and inferiorly, is a potential sequela of orbital trauma and a source of significant cosmetic and functional concern. Late enophthalmos occurs when early reconstruction of the bony orbit fails to completely restore normal orbital shape and volume, resulting in aesthetic deformity and persistent diplopia. In this article, we provide a framework for evaluation of posttraumatic enophthalmos and outline the surgical principles of secondary repair necessary to optimize globe position. With implementation of proper craniofacial exposure, osteotomy, and orbital reconstruction, surgeons may achieve significant improvement in both the aesthetic and functional sequelae of enophthalmos.
Isolating Lymphocytes from the Mouse Small Intestinal Immune System

The intestinal immune system plays an essential role in maintaining the barrier function of the gastrointestinal tract by generating tolerant responses to dietary antigens and commensal bacteria while mounting effective immune responses to enteropathogenic microbes. In addition, it has become clear that local intestinal immunity has a profound impact on distant and systemic immunity. Therefore, it is important to study how an intestinal immune response is induced and what the immunologic outcome of the response is. Here, a detailed protocol is described for the isolation of lymphocytes from small intestine inductive sites like the gut-associated lymphoid tissue Peyer's patches and the draining mesenteric lymph nodes and effector sites like the lamina propria and the intestinal epithelium. This technique ensures isolation of a large numbers of lymphocytes from small intestinal tissues with optimal purity and viability and minimal cross compartmental contamination within acceptable time constraints. The technical capability to isolate lymphocytes and other immune cells from intestinal tissues enables the understanding of immune responses to gastrointestinal infections, cancers, and inflammatory diseases.
CRT-100.50 Outcomes Of Patients With Left Main Disease Who Underwent Rotational Atherectomy

Significant coronary calcification is a challenge for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Rotational atherectomy is useful for plaque modification prior to stent delivery. In the present study, we report our experience with left main disease and rotational atherectomy. From January 2008 to
Communication Complexity and Lower Bounds for Sequential Computation

Information-theoretic approaches for lower bound problems are discussed and two applications of Communication Complexity are presented.
BFA1 has multiple positive roles in directing late mitotic events in S. cerevisiae

The proper regulation of cell cycle transitions is paramount to the maintenance of cellular genome integrity. In budding yeast, the mitotic exit network (MEN) is a Ras-like signaling cascade that effects the transition from M phase to G1 during the cell division cycle in budding yeast. MEN activation is tightly regulated. It occurs during anaphase and is coupled to mitotic spindle position by the spindle position checkpoint (SPoC). Bfa1 is a key component of the SPoC and functions as part of a two-component GAP complex along with Bub2. The GAP activity of Bfa1-Bub2 keeps the MEN GTPase Tem1 inactive in cells with mispositioned spindles, thereby preventing inappropriate mitotic exit and preserving genome integrity. Interestingly, a GAP-independent role for Bfa1 in mitotic exit regulation has been previously identified. However the nature of this Bub2-independent role and its biological significance are not understood. Here we show that Bfa1 also activates the MEN by promoting the localization of Tem1 primarily to the daughter spindle pole body (dSPB). We demonstrate that the overexpression of BFA1 is lethal due to defects in Tem1 localization, which is required for its activity. In addition, our studies demonstrate a Tem1-independent role for Bfa1 in promoting proper cytokinesis. Cells lacking TEM1, in which the essential mitotic exit function is bypassed, exhibit cytokinesis defects. These defects are suppressed by the overexpression of BFA1. We conclude that Bfa1 functions to both inhibit and activate late mitotic events.
OpenCV.js: computer vision processing for the open web platform

The Web is the world's most ubiquitous compute platform and the foundation of digital economy. Ever since its birth in early 1990's, web capabilities have been increasing in both quantity and quality. However, in spite of all such progress, computer vision is not mainstream on the web yet. The reasons are historical and include lack of sufficient performance of JavaScript, lack of camera support in the standard web APIs, and lack of comprehensive computer-vision libraries. These problems are about to get solved, resulting in the potential of an immersive and perceptual web with transformational effects including in online shopping, education, and entertainment among others. This work aims to enable web with computer vision by bringing hundreds of OpenCV functions to the open web platform. OpenCV is the most popular computer-vision library with a comprehensive set of vision functions and a large developer community. OpenCV is implemented in C++ and up until now, it was not available in the web browsers without the help of unpopular native plugins. This work leverage OpenCV efficiency, completeness, API maturity, and its communitys collective knowledge. It is provided in a format that is easy for JavaScript engines to highly optimize and has an API that is easy for the web programmers to adopt and develop applications. In addition, OpenCV parallel implementations that target SIMD units and multiprocessors can be ported to equivalent web primitives, providing better performance for real-time and interactive use cases.
A Pneumatic Materials Test System for Low-Temperature Applications

Often in the characterization of the mechanical properties of materials at low temperatures, difficulties are encountered in the mating of the Dewar/cryostat to the mechanical test facility. Considerable frustration arises from the fact that common hydraulic or electrohydraulic, servo-controlled testing machines will not accommodate the bulk of a cryostat. Similarly, the actuator position of most testing devices does not lend itself easily to the task of load-frame design and materials testing. There are two design alternatives when setting up a test system for the characterization of low-temperature material response: modification of the testing machine to accommodate an existing research Dewar or fabrication of a special Dewar to mate with an existing mechanical testing system. Either of these processes can be extremely expensive and often results in a final system with limited capability.
P-Protein Trafficking Through Plasmodesmata

Phloem tissue in flowering plants has a distinctive cellular composition in which the conducting elements are a complex of two unique cell types, sieve elements (SE) and companion cells (CC), that are developmentally related and functionally dependent upon one another. The sieve element-companion cell complex (SE-CC) of angiosperms originates from cambial derivatives as the result of an unequal cell division forming the undifferentiated SE and CC (reviewed in Schulz 1998). The differentiating SE undergoes selective autophagy of organelles resulting in apparent loss of the cell’s ability for transcription and translation. Mature SEs are characteristically enucleate and lack ribosomes. Reorganization of the endomembrane system results from degeneration of the tonoplast and dictyosomes and changes in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that are distinct enough, according to some authors, to merit the special term sieve element reticulum or SER (Sjolund and Shih 1983). SER, plastids, and mitochondria are retained in a parietal position in close contact with the plasma membrane of the mature SE (Evert 1990).
It Was as Big as My Head, I Swear! Biased Spider Size Estimation in Spider Phobia

The current study tested the association between fear and perception in spider phobic individuals (n = 57) within the context of a treatment outcome study. Participants completed 5 post-treatment Behavioral Approach Tasks (BATs) in which they encountered a live spider and were asked to provide spider size estimates. Consistent with predictions, results indicated that high levels of fear were associated with magnified perception of phobic stimuli. Specifically, we found a significant positive correlation between size estimates and self-reported fear while encountering spiders. Together with previous findings, these results further support the notion that fear is involved in the encoding and processing of perceptual information.
Expanding the scope and content of morality policy research: lessons from Moral Foundations Theory

Scholars have not precisely defined morality policy, and Smith (Policy Stud J 30(3):379–395, 2002) urged an empirical taxonomy be used to identify those policies. We argue that Moral Foundations Theory offers a methodology for empirically identifying issues with moral content. We inventory 15 issues in parliamentary studies of “conscience” voting, 14 morality policies in western democracies compiled by Studlar (in: Mooney (ed) The public clash of private values: the politics of morality policy, Chatham House Publishers, New York, 2001), and then survey MFT empirical studies to identify 22 issues with moral content. Based on this universe of 37 issues, three journals are content analyzed to determine the coverage given them and to outline productive lines for future research.
CHAPTER 10 – Biological Weed Control

This chapter on biological weed control explores the advantages and disadvantages of using living organisms to reduce another organism's population to a lower average density than would occur in their absence. The importance of specificity in development of biological control strategies is emphasized. The chapter examines the different kinds of organisms that have been used for biological control of weeds, as well as the ways that biological weed control can be used. In addition, there is a discussion of the integration of biological and other weed control methods.
Proprioceptor organs in the antennae of decapoda crustacea

In the antennae of the spiny lobsterPanulirus interruptus (Randall), two major distal joints share a single chordotonal organ. This complex proprioceptor, termed the J2–J3 chordotonal organ, has two groups of bipolar sensory neurons, each associated with a separate elastic strand. Measurements indicate that one of these elastic strands (St. 1) is elongated and relaxed by movements of the third segment; the other (St. 2) by movements of both the third segment and the flagellum. Electrophysiological recordings reveal that most neurons associated with St. 1 are specific, signalling only movements (flexion and extension) of segment three. On the other hand, neurons associated with St. 2 are not segment specific, responding to movements of both segment three and the flagellum. No phasic units specifically signalling movements (flexion and extension) of the flagellum have been found. Small tonic units found in the St. 1 nerve are specific for segment three position, and those of the St. 2 nerve are specific for flagellar position.
Études de phase 1/2 et d’extension en ouvert du Givosiran, un agent thérapeutique ARNi expérimental chez des patients atteints de porphyrie aiguë intermittente

Introduction Les porphyries hepatiques aigues (PHA) sont des maladies genetiques rares de la synthese de l’heme liees a une accumulation des precurseurs neurotoxiques : acide aminolevulinique (ALA) et porphobilinogene (PBG). Objectifs Le Givosiran est un agent therapeutique ARNi experimental, qui cible l’acide aminolevulinique synthase 1 (ALAS1) hepatique afin de reduire l’accumulation d’ALA et de PBG chez les patients atteints de PHA et d’ameliorer les manifestations de la maladie. Patients et methodes Etude de phase 1, multinationale, randomisee, controlee contre placebo, a ete conduite en 3 parties A, B et C pour evaluer la securite d’emploi, la tolerance, la pharmacocinetique et la pharmacodynamie du Givosiran administre par voie sous-cutanee a des patients atteints de porphyrie aigue intermittente (PAI). Resultats L’administration mensuelle a reduit d’environ 60 a 70 % de l’ARNm d’ALAS1. Dans la phase 1/OLE, l’administration continue du Givosiran a 2,5 mg/kg conduit a une diminution > 80 % de l’ALA et du PBG. Les patients traites ont presente des reductions moyennes de 93 % du taux annualise de crises et de 94 % de l’utilisation annualisee d’hemine, observees dans la periode d’extension en ouvert (OLE) comparativement a la periode de pre-inclusion de la phase 1. Discussion Givosiran a entraine une diminution rapide, dependante de la dose et durable des precurseurs ALA et PBG neurotoxiques. Cette diminution des ALA et PBG a ete associee a des reductions marquees du taux annualise de crises (AAR) et de l’utilisation annualisee d’hemine. Conclusion Dans l’etude de phase 1, le traitement par Givosiran a diminue l’ALAS1 induit, avec des reductions correspondantes des taux eleves d’ALA et de PBG, ainsi qu’une reduction des crises et de l’utilisation d’hemine chez les patients presentant des crises recurrentes.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinomas of the lung develop through phases of morphologic alterations that involve the pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium of the bronchial tree. These changes cover a wide spectrum that includes squamous metaplasia, varying degrees of dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, and early invasion. The development of carcinoma occurs over a prolonged period of time, specifically in chronic tobacco smokers. The cytopathologic changes that represent the preinvasive phases of squamous carcinoma may be detected in sputum several months prior to clinical manifestation of an invasive lesion in screening of high-risk patients. The preinvasive and early invasive changes typically involve large airways and segmental bronchi, and they are not detected radiologically. Patients are often asymptomatic, but they may present with cough and hemoptysis. Early invasive cancers that are not detected radiographically are referred to as occult carcinomas.
Downstream Studies Following the Use of Bone Scan in the Staging of Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer.

OBJECTIVE To quantify the use of downstream studies following staging bone scans in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Bone scans may be obtained in high-risk bladder cancer patients prior to radical cystectomy to exclude bone metastases. However, false-positive bone scans can occur, resulting in the need for additional studies. PATIENTS AND METHODS Using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data, we identified 4404 patients diagnosed with muscle-invasive bladder cancer from 2004 to 2011. We further identified those who underwent a bone scan prior to treatment within 6 months of diagnosis and prior to any treatment with cystectomy, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. We determined the proportion of patients who underwent a subsequent study (bone X-ray, bone CT, bone MRI, and/or bone biopsy) within 3 months of the bone scan and prior to treatment. RESULTS Among patients diagnosed with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, 1373 (31%) had a staging bone scan of whom 26% received a downstream study (n = 213). Overall, 61 patients (7%) received downstream bone-specific X-rays, more than 141 patients (>17%) received bone-specific CTs, and 28 patients (3%) received bone-specific MRIs. The use of bone biopsy was rare (n < 11; <1%). The total cost of all downstream studies was $103,468. Furthermore, there was a one-month delay in treatment for those who received a downstream study compared to those who did not (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Use of bone scan in the staging of muscle-invasive bladder cancer often results in the need for additional downstream studies. The delay in treatment and cost burden of downstream studies highlights a potential disadvantage of the routine use of this staging modality.
Analysis of recombinant inbred line populations derived from wheat landraces to identify new genes for wheat stem sawfly resistance

Wheat landrace accessions were chosen from areas of the world with historical European wheat stem sawfly (Cephus pygmaeus L.) selection pressure to develop six recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations. Molecular maps were constructed, and resistance due to antibiosis and antixenosis was assessed at sites in Montana naturally infested by Cephus cinctus Norton, the wheat stem sawfly (WSS). Novel QTLs were identified along with QTL previously identified in elite germplasm. A newly identified QTL on chromosome 1B provided a new source for pith-filled solid stems. An allele for resistance on chromosome 4A unrelated to solid stems was identified in four of the six RIL populations. A landrace from Turkey, PI 166471, contained alleles at three QTLs causing high levels of larval mortality. None of the QTLs were related to stem solidness, but their combined effect provided resistance similar to that observed in a solid-stemmed check cultivar. These results show the utility of genetic populations derived from geographically targeted landrace accessions to identify new alleles for insect resistance. New PCR-based molecular markers were developed for introgression of novel alleles for WSS resistance into elite lines. Comparison of results with previous analysis of elite cultivars addresses changes in allele frequencies during the wheat breeding process.
Associations Between Chronic Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Health Indices in Gulf of Mexico Tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) Post Deepwater Horizon

A time series of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) data was collected for Gulf of Mexico demersal fishes in the years following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (2012-2017). Tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) were sampled via demersal longline at repeat stations in the northern Gulf of Mexico in 2012 to 2015 and 2017. Bile samples (n = 256) were analyzed via high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection for PAH metabolites as a biomarker of exposure to PAHs. Liver tissues (n = 230) were analyzed for accumulation of PAHs and alkylated homologs via quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extractions and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry quantification. Over the 6-yr time series, exposure to petrogenic PAHs increased by an average of 178%, correlating with an average 22% decline in Fulton's condition factor. The decline in Fulton's condition factor was positively correlated with a 53% decline in percentage of liver lipid. There was no accumulation of PAHs in liver tissue over time. Together, these results suggest that increasing and chronic PAH exposure and metabolism may be taxing the energy budgets of tilefish, particularly adult females, with potentially negative impacts on fitness. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2659-2671. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.
Low-dose material-specific radiography using monoenergetic photons.

Cargo containers constitute the most critical component of global trade: 108 million containers represent the movement of about 95% of the world’s manufactured goods. The steady increase in cargo container shipments has had a profound effect on world security: the threat associated with smuggling of shielded special nuclear material is elevated every year. Containers reaching the borders of the U.S. are currently not radiographically inspected due to time and dose considerations stemming from the use of bremsstrahlung beams for imaging. Bremsstrahlung spectra are low-energy peaked, resulting in low penetration values, especially through dense cargoes. The use of monoenergetic radiography beams could alleviate many of these problems due to higher energy and low background continuum. Using Monte Carlo simulations of a realistic imaging scenario with support from previous experimental measurements, we demonstrate how the use of monoenergetic photon beams in radiography can simultaneously reduce the radiation dose imparted to the cargo and any potential stowaways while increasing image quality. Dual-energy methods are leveraged to calculate material atomic number. Image quality is evaluated by measuring the noise standard deviation, contrast-to-noise ratio, and the pixel error as the dose is decreased.
Exhaled CO2 as COVID-19 infection risk proxy for different indoor environments and activities

CO2 is co-exhaled with aerosols containing SARS-CoV-2 by COVID-19 infected people and can be used as a proxy of SARS-CoV-2 concentrations indoors. Indoor CO2 measurements by low-cost sensors hold promise for mass monitoring of indoor aerosol transmission risk for COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases. We derive analytical expressions of CO2-based risk proxies and apply them to various typical indoor environments. Contrary to some earlier recommendations setting a single indoor CO2 threshold, we show that the CO2 level corresponding to a given infection risk varies by over 2 orders of magnitude for different environments and activities. Although large uncertainties, mainly from virus exhalation rates, are still associated with our infection risk estimates, our study provides more specific and practical recommendations for low-cost CO2-based indoor infection risk monitoring.
Method for Inkjet-printing PEDOT:PSS polymer electrodes on piezoelectric PVDF-TrFE fibers

We present a method for printing conductive polymers onto P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers to create all-polymer piezoelectric devices. Inkjet printing is an attractive fabrication approach for rapid prototyping of flexible electronics, but until now with limited applications in developing P(VDF-TrFE) nanofiber-based devices. We have demonstrated an approach to infill the void space within a piezoelectric nanofibrous matrix to allow for the inkjet printing of aqueous inks while avoiding leakage that typically leads to electrical shorting and without significant loss of voltage output. This was done using a diluted PDMS solution and a commercially available conductive ink. The 1 cm2 devices showed peak-peak voltages greater than 0.5 V and a 259 mV/N sensitivity. Using these techniques, flexible piezoelectric sensing can be done in an array format, paving the way for unique forms of wearable physical biomarker sensing.
Impact of cascading faults on mega-constellation-augmented GNSS PPP integrity

In this paper, we quantify integrity for a GNSS-PPP system when augmented with mega-constellation satellites (GNSS-MC). The geometric diversity provided by signals from fast-moving LEO satellites is exploited for rapid estimation of floating valued cycle ambiguities. Further, the improved redundancy provided by mega-constellation satellite signals in addition to GNSS enable e cient fault detection using carrier phase Advanced Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (ARAIM). The proposed framework assumes that mega-constellation (MC) satellite orbit and clock determination is based on their spaceborne GNSS receivers. We quantify the impact on integrity of GNSS faults, which not only a ect the potential users on earth, but also the spaceborne MC receiver data. Given that GNSS faults can cascade to constellation-wide MC faults, this work determines the conditions where GNSS-MC improves integrity, and quantifies this improvement as compared to GNSS only.
The Culture of High Crime Societies. Some Preconditions of Recent 'Law and Order' Policies

In a continuing attempt to explain the emergence of new strategies of crime control in the UK and USA, a theory of cultural adaptation is developed. The paper argues that the political and policy shifts of recent years have been conditioned by prior changes that have occurred at the level of social structures and cultural sensibilities. A historical account of these changes is outlined, together with a characterization of the culture of high crime societies.
Chapter 36 – Local and Systemic Factors in the Pathogenesis of Osteoporosis

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes current evidence that supports a role for local factors acting both directly and as mediators of systemic hormones. Differences in the production of, or response to, local factors are important in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Since these local factors often act in concert and are often coordinately regulated, it seems likely that the relevant differences will involve multiple local factors in most patients. This hypothesis is particularly attractive because there is so little difference in the levels of systemic hormones in osteoporotic patients compared to that seen in age-matched controls. A plausible hypothesis would be that the production or activity of local factors changes to varying degrees with age and estrogen deficiency and that the individuals with severe osteoporosis are those who have large increases in bone resorbing factors; loss of inhibitors of resorption; large increases in inhibitors of formation; and loss of stimulators of bone formation. Another critical factor in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis is peak bone mass. It is quite possible that the genetic determinants of peak bone mass involve effects on local factors, particularly growth factors. Moreover, the effect of weight-bearing activity on peak bone mass is likely to be mediated by local factors. Regulation involves contributions from marrow cells of both the hematopoietic and the mesenchymal lineages as well as bone cells themselves. There is some evidence for a decrease in the number of osteogenic stem cells in the marrow with age, and this could account in part for age-related decreases in bone formation. It is likely that the pathogenesis of severe osteoporosis will be heterogeneous; that is, there will be patients with different patterns of abnormalities involving different systemic hormones and local factors.
Laparoscopic Management of Cesarean Scar Pregnancy

Study Objective To present a case and surgical video of a laparoscopic excision of a cesarean scar pregnancy at 12 weeks and review the literature regarding cesarean scar pregnancy management. Design Case report and surgical video. Setting Tertiary care hospital. Patients or Participants One patient. Interventions 23 y/o G5P0131 at 7 weeks 1 day with history of obesity and a 31-week low transverse cesarean delivery presented for initial prenatal care to an outside OB. Cesarean scar pregnancy diagnosis was not recognized until patient presented for a nucal translucency to maternal fetal medicine at 11 weeks and 3 days where suspicion for scar pregnancy was raised. Patient was referred to our institution where cesarean scar pregnancy was confirmed at 11 weeks and 6 days and laparoscopic excision was recommended, as it was felt that pregnancy was too large and advanced in gestational age for medical management to be successful. Patient underwent uterine artery embolization and fetal intra-cardiac KCl injection the day prior to procedure to prevent hemorrhage during surgery, then patient underwent laparoscopic excision of cesarean scar pregnancy. Measurements and Main Results Laparoscopic excision of cesarean scar pregnancy was completed successfully with no intra or post-operative complications. Surgical techniques are reviewed in the surgical video. Patient had a good surgical recovery. Conclusion Laparoscopic excision of a cesarean scar pregnancy can be accomplished successfully with good outcomes when preventative measures to achieve good hemostasis such as pre-operative uterine artery embolization and fetal intra-cardiac KCl injection are used.
Fully Integrated Electronic–Photonic Biosensor for Label-Free Real-Time Molecular Sensing in Advanced Zero-Change CMOS-SOI Process

Label-free miniaturized optical sensors can have a tremendous impact on highly sensitive and scalable point-of-care (PoC) diagnostics by monitoring in real-time molecular interactions without any labels. However, current biophotonic platforms are limited by complex optical and external readout equipment, precluding their use in a PoC setting. In this work, we address this challenge by using a first of its kind fully integrated biosensing electronic–photonic system-on-chip (EPSoC) utilizing microring resonators (MRRs) co-integrated with on-chip electronics in a high volume advanced electronic process. We demonstrate the sensing capabilities of the EPSoC, implemented in GF 45-nm RFSOI, by monitoring real-time binding events of streptavidin molecules, unlocking the door toward true monolithic lab-on-chip (LoC) photonic sensors for PoC applications.
The Jazz of the Southwest: An Oral History of Western Swing

* Preface * Note to the Reader * Introduction: Western Swing and the Texas Mystique * Chapter 1. Western Swing: Description and Development * Chapter 2. Western Swing Fiddlers * Chapter 3. Western Swing Guitarists * Chapter 4. The Steel Guitar in Western Swing * Chapter 5. The Western Swing Rhythm Section: Banjo and Bass * Chapter 6. The Western Swing Rhythm Section: Piano and Drums * Chapter 7. The Rest of the Western Swing Band: Horn Players and Vocalists * Conclusion * Notes * Works Cited * Index
Understanding Material Culture

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Ian Woodward Year: 2007 Pages: 200 Publisher: Sage Publications ISBN: 9780761942252 (hard cover). Prices: £60.00(hard cover).
Investor Uncertainty and Order Flow Information

This paper proposes an alternative explanation for the price impact of trades created by information that is carried in the order flow. Unlike models that consider information asymmetry about the future cash flows (or liquidation value) of the asset, the approach here postulates uncertainty about the distribution of preferences and endowments of investors. This investor uncertainty results in prices moving on trades and therefore creates a spreadbetween the bid and the ask. Greater investor uncertainty increases the spread, decreasesexpected trading volume, and lowers the welfare of all investors in the market. Hence, all investors are better off if market makers are expert in assessing the distribution of preferences and endowments of the investor population. The information content of the order flow is further investigated by applying an econometric spread decomposition procedure to data generated by simulating the model. The results indicate that a significant adverse selection component of the spread can arise solely due to the informational effects of investor uncertainty.