cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recurrence based deterministic trends in EEG records of epilepsy patients

Nonlinear EEG analysis has recently received increasing attention in an attempt to detect and predict seizures. This paper explores the deterministic trends in the epilepsypsilas EEG records by using quantitative recurrence methods. Two quantitative indexes, the recurrence rate (RR) and deterministic trends (DET) are introduced to investigate the hidden features in brain electrophysiological records. The analysis on both intracranial and scalp EEG recordings shows that the recurrence rate and the deterministic trends index tend to keep a low value 5-10 minutes before seizure onset. This preliminary study from 2 epilepsy patients suggests that RR and DET maybe useful in identifying a pre-ictal state. Future research will investigate these methods in a larger cohort of patients.
Performance of optimal digital page detection in a two-dimensional ISI/AWGN channel

The performance of maximum likelihood page detection (MLPD) of digital pages of data corrupted by intersymbol interference (ISI) and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) is derived. While the development concentrates on the linear ISI channel with AWGN, the results characterize the performance of the ML state estimator for a more general class of Markov random fields. Hence, while page detection in optical memory systems provides the motivation, the results are applicable to a broader class of problems including image de-blurring. While MLPD is infeasible, its performance provides a lower bound for the performance of practical data detection techniques. This utility is demonstrated through numerical examples.
An Experiential Investigation of Tax Professionals' Ethical Environments

This paper investigates the ethical environment in which tax professionals operate by eliciting practicing tax professionals' personal experiences with ethical dilemmas in tax engagements. Since organizational culture can play a role in creating an environment where ethical decision making is encouraged (Arnold et al. 1999, 2000; Booth and Schulz 2004), we expected that tax professionals' self‐identified ethical dilemmas would be related to their assessments of the ethical environments of their firms. Based on 146 responses from practicing tax professionals, most participants rated their ethical environment as very strong. Additionally, the 84 participants who did not describe a self‐identified ethical dilemma rated the ethical environment of their firms significantly stronger than the 62 who reported a dilemma. Implications of this study include an emphasis on in‐house ethics training and explicitly including rewards and sanctions regarding ethical behavior in performance evaluation systems.
Toward a theory of environmental satisfaction and human comfort: A process-oriented and contextually sensitive theoretical framework

Abstract This article proposes a new theoretical framework of environmental satisfaction and human comfort, highlighting the role of human agency in the interaction between humans and environment and the context within which such interactions occur. The framework is constructed by building on Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model and logically connecting existing theories in the broader area of social sciences. The proposed framework conceptualizes satisfaction and comfort as an optimization process accomplished through one's active perception, interpretation, and modification of his/her socio-physical environment. This optimization process is viewed as ongoing and cyclical. Four modes of optimization are proposed: environmental modification, behavioral adaptation, normative adaptation, and withdrawal. Three methodological implications are then discussed: using multiple sources of information to examine divergent worldviews amongst involved social groups; building case study profiles for each place type using the proposed theoretical framework; and employing multi-level, interdisciplinary approaches in both research and practices.
Pilot Study of a University Counseling Center Stress Management Program Employing Mindfulness and Compassion-Based Relaxation Training with Biofeedback

A pilot study was conducted with clients at a university student counseling center stress management and biofeedback clinic to determine whether mindfulness and compassion-based instruction in relaxation strategies, along with peripheral biofeedback, would reduce perceived stress, enhance perceived coping, and lead to improvement in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and academic distress. Results support that the inclusion of mindfulness and compassion-based biofeedback may enhance treatment efficacy for stress and its associated problems above and beyond that of mindfulness and compassion-based relaxation skills training provided in the absence of biofeedback.
Combining multiple lower-fidelity models for emulating complex model responses for CCS environmental risk assessment

Numerical modeling is essential to support natural resource management and environmental policy-making. In the context of CO2 geological sequestration, these models are indispensible parts of risk assessment tools. However, because of increasing complexity, modern numerical models require a great computational effort, which in some cases may be infeasible. An increasingly popular approach to overcome computational limitations is the use of surrogate models. This paper presents a new surrogate modeling approach to reduce the computational cost of running a complex, high-fidelity model. The approach is based on the simplification the high-fidelity model into computationally efficient, lower-fidelity models and on linking them with a mathematical function (linking function) that addresses the discrepancies between outputs from models with different levels of fidelity. The resulting linking function model, which can be developed with small computational effort, can be efficiently used in numerical applications where multiple runs of the original high-fidelity model are required, such as for uncertainty quantification or sensitivity analysis. The proposed approach was then applied to the development of a reduced order model for the prediction of groundwater quality impacts from CO2 and brine leakage for the National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP) project.
Differential diagnosis in cytopathology

The purpose of this workshop is to compare the eytomorphology of a large number of neoplastic and nonneoplastic lesions. Cytological and histological growth characteristics of various types of epithelial and non-cpithehal neoplasms will be presented. The role of aspiration and brush techniques in cytology will be discussed. A list of references will be provided for each registrant.
Influence of the Maternal Diet on Concentration of Hemoglobin of Nursing Young of Albino Rat.

In a recent communication1 we have reported on “Blood Formation of the Albino Rat on a Standard Dietary Regime”, of the following composition: whole wheat, 25; rolled oats, 26; yellow corn, 25; oil meal, 15; commercial casein, 5; cod liver oil, 1; CaCO3, 0.5; NaCl, 0.5; and a liberal supply of whole milk daily. On that ration, designated as stock diet 1, we found the concentration of hemoglobin of nursing baby rats appreciably below that reported by Williamson and Ets.2 We are now finding considerably higher values on a different type of diet, designated as ration 1145, of the following composition: casein (purified) 20; dehydrated baker's yeast (Northwestern), 10; McCollum's salt mixture No. 185, 4; butter fat, 5; and dextrin, 61. Our findings are submitted graphically in Chart I.All the lactating mothers were raised on stock diet 1. During the reproduction period the females were divided into 3 groups. One group was mated and allowed to rear the young on stock diet 1; another group was transferred durin...
End effects in thin-walled beams

The nature of end effects for prismatic beams with thin-walled, open cross sections is analyzed by the variational-asymptotic method. This way, the decay rates for disturbances at the ends of prismatic beams are correctly evaluated. Thus, the foundations of Vlasov's theory, as well as restrictions on its applicability, are obtained from the variational-asymptotic point of view. Vlasov's theory is proved to be asymptotically correct for beams with thin-walled open cross-sections, such as I-beams. Finally, a generalization of Vlasov's theory for thin-walled anisotropic beams is provided.
Trauma, Technology, and Routine Outcome Measures.

This issue of the Journal highlights four issues: trauma, technology, routine outcome measurement, and cognitive remediation. We comment on the articles in that order.Tuliao, Jaffe, and McChargue (...
Study on High-yield Cultivation Techniques of Stronger Seedlings and Single Seedling Transplant in Rice

The result indicated that the cultivation experiment of different seed quantity and seedling age on CHAOCHAN2could clearly increase the quality of seedling with100g seed quantity per square metre and40～45d seedling age,and not only the root system of rice shoot developed flourish,having two tiller,the100-seedling dry weight reached7.7grams,the numbers of vascular bundle reached14,but also the panicles per square metre,the spikelets per panicle,the weight of total spikelets per pland and yield became better.The cultivation ex-periment of different seedling number per hill indicated that the method of Single Seedling Transplant could clearly increase the days of effective tillering,tillering ability and percentage of earbaring tiller,the spikelets per tiller,setting percentage and1000-grain weight.At the same time,this method improved the rate of spikelets to leaf per hill,productive leaf area,higher effective leaf area,and the productive ability of later population photosynthesis,gaining the high yield,and the yield reached11788.5kg /hm 2 ,increasing yield per mu more than23%than poly-seedling transplant.
New Method of Program Remote On-line Updating for Intelligent Electrical Power Equipments

Aiming at shortcomings of the existed methods,a new method of program remote on-line updating for in-telligent electrical power equipments was proposed,with using the non-response mechanisms and historical break point continue transmission technology to avoid repeatedly sending updating data files caused by link disruption or communication failures,and the main station system resources occupied by updating program,so then the efficiency and accuracy of data remote transmission was improved.Practice had proved that the proposed method had the char-acteristics of high updating efficiency,updating speed and good updating flexibility,and was very applicable to the power system of many terminal equipments,large updating data files and complex environment.
Resistivity study of Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1-x Y x Cu 2 O 8 single crystals

We have measured the resistivity \ensuremath{\rho}(T) on a number of high-quality single crystals of ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Ca}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Y}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{8}$ with x ranging from 0 to 0.50. The effects of increasing x are (1) ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ falls sharply and disappears at x=0.40\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05, (2) the onset of linear behavior in \ensuremath{\rho}(T) shifts to higher temperatures, (3) the high-temperature slope d\ensuremath{\rho}(T)/dT increases, and (4) the residual resistivity ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\rho}}}_{0}$ (normalized to the carrier density) satisfies Matthiessen's rule up to x=0.40. Localization effects sets in above this value.
Structure transformations in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+σ caused by oxygen ordering

Abstract Effect of the long-range interaction (screened Coulomb and strain-induced interactions) on the structure transformations is investigated in terms of the crystal lattice site diffusion theory for the specific generic case of YBa2Cu3O6+δ oxides. The computer simulation of oxygen ordering has demonstrated that oxygen-induced strain is accommodated by self-organized (110) twins which may strongly affect the crystallographic structure of ordered phases. Twin (110) boundaries and the atomic structures prove to be coupled by the long-range interaction. This interaction results in appearance of 2a0 × 2a0 and 2√2a0 × 2√2a0 superstructures. Existence of two types of new aperiodic mesoscopic metastable phases is also predicted. These phases, the secondary tweed and the “glassy” state, consist of mesoscale domains of the double-period orthorhombic O(II) phase. These domains belong either to the same orientation variant (the “glassy” state) or to two orientation variants (the ”secondary” tweed structure). Unlike conventional phases, the domains of the mesoscopic phases do not undergo coarsening. It is shown that at the exact stoichiometry of the O(II) phase, δ = 0.5, the ordering produces a conventional ordered O(II) phase whose antiphase domains undergo usual coarsening. The structures and morphologies generated in this computer simulation were reported in many experimental studies.
Friction Stir Welding—Overview

An overview of the friction stir welding process is presented in this chapter. This chapter introduces various zones in the FSW weld, common terminologies, along with a brief discussion of the material flow during FSW and possible defect formation in these welds.
Preventing Breakdowns in Communication: Teaching Patient-Centered Posthospital Care Transitions to Medical Students

Abstract Introduction Patient-centered discharge care is critical to teach in clerkships: Studies have shown that patient-centered discharge care may reduce rehospitalization rates as well as ensur...
The elderly are not so old anymore.

One of the greatest challenges in clinical medical practice isaltering it as new information becomes available. Theconstant drive to understand and then apply new material isan overwhelming task, especially in cardiovascular diseases,and far beyond the capacity of any single individual today.The amount of data (“data” in all its varieties and forms)that must be evaluated, reviewed, interpreted, adjusted,reinterpreted, and then carried forward into plannedchanged behavior require the talents of many individuals allworking together (1). This difﬁculty is in fact just therationale for forming clinical practice guidelines groups, an
Defining colloid osmotic pressure and the relationship between blood proteins and colloid osmotic pressure in dairy cows and calves.

Objective To establish the reference interval for colloid osmotic pressure (COP) in neonatal and adult cattle and to investigate associations between COP and total protein, albumin, or globulin in the two populations sampled. Design Cross-sectional observational study. Setting Animals were sampled on commercial dairy farms in Southern Wisconsin, and samples were processed and analyzed in a clinical pathology laboratory at a university teaching hospital. Animals Forty adult lactating Holstein cows between 2 and 4 years of age and 40 healthy Holstein calves of both sexes between 2 and 7 days of age. Interventions Adult cows were sampled by coccygeal venipuncture into standard heparinized vacutainer tubes, calves were sampled by jugular venipuncture also into heparinized vacutainer tubes. Measurements and main results For adult cows, the mean COP was 22.52 mm Hg, with a standard deviation of 1.0. For calves, the mean COP was 19.6 mm Hg, with a standard deviation of 1.9. Good correlation was demonstrated in adults between COP and albumin concentrations (r(2) = 0.72) and between COP and both total protein concentration (r(2) = 0.74) and globulin (r(2) = 0.65) in calves. For adults, regression plots established best fit relationships of COP = 0.472 (albumin) + 6.49, whereas for calves, two regression equations could be described; COP = 0.305 (globulin) + 8.62, and 0.268 (total plasma protein) + 2.73. Conclusions Suggested normal ranges (mean ± 2 standard deviations) for COP in adult lactating dairy cows and calves between 2 and 7 days of age were 21-25 mm Hg and 17-23 mm Hg, respectively.
Parallel adaptive finite element simulation for optical molecular imaging with simplified spherical harmonics approximation

Whole-body optical molecular imaging is rapidly developing for preclinical research. It is essential and necessary to develop novel simulation methods of light propagation for optical imaging, especially when a priori knowledge, large-volume domain and wide-range optical properties need to be considered in the reconstruction algorithm. In this paper, we develop a three dimensional parallel adaptive finite element method with simplified spherical harmonics (SP N ) approximation to simulate photon propagation in large-volume heterogeneous tissues. Simulation speed is significantly improved by a posteriori parallel adaptive mesh refinement and dynamic mesh repartitioning. Compared with the diffusion equation, SP N method shows improved performance and the necessity of high-order approximation in heterogeneous domains. Optimal solver selection and time-costing analysis in real mouse geometry further improve the performance of the proposed algorithm.
Elevated CO2 and nitrogen addition accelerate net carbon gain in a brackish marsh

Wetlands have an inordinate influence on the global greenhouse gas budget, but how global changes may alter wetland contribution to future greenhouse gas fluxes is poorly understood. We determined the greenhouse gas balance of a tidal marsh exposed to nine years of experimental carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N) manipulation. We estimated net carbon (C) gain rates by measuring changes in plant and soil C pools over nine years. In wetland soils that accrete primarily through organic matter inputs, long-term measurements of soil elevation, along with soil C density, provide a robust estimate of net soil C gain. We used net soil C gain along with methane and nitrous oxide fluxes to determine the radiative forcing of the marsh under elevated CO2 and N addition. Nearly all plots exhibited a net gain of C over the study period (up to 203 g C m−2 year−1), and C gain rates were greater with N and CO2 addition. Treatment effects on C gain and methane emissions dominated trends in radiative forcing while nitrous oxide fluxes in all treatments were negligible. Though these soils experience salinities that typically suppress methane emissions, our results suggest that elevated CO2 can stimulate methane emissions, overcoming positive effects of elevated CO2 on C gain, converting brackish marshes that are typically net greenhouse gas sinks into sources. Adding resources, either CO2 or N, will likely increase “blue carbon” accumulation rates in tidal marshes, but importantly, each resource can have distinct influences on the direction of total greenhouse forcing.
An earlier time of scan is associated with greater threat-related amygdala reactivity.

Time-dependent variability in mood and anxiety suggest that related neural phenotypes, such as threat-related amygdala reactivity, may also follow a diurnal pattern. Here, using data from 1,043 young adult volunteers, we found that threat-related amygdala reactivity was negatively coupled with time of day, an effect which was stronger in the left hemisphere (β = -0.1083, p-fdr = 0.0012). This effect was moderated by subjective sleep quality (β = -0.0715, p-fdr = 0.0387); participants who reported average and poor sleep quality had relatively increased left amygdala reactivity in the morning. Bootstrapped simulations suggest that similar cross-sectional samples with at least 300 participants would be able to detect associations between amygdala reactivity and time of scan. In control analyses, we found no associations between time and V1 activation. Our results provide initial evidence that threat-related amygdala reactivity may vary diurnally, and that this effect is potentiated among individuals with average to low sleep quality. More broadly, our results suggest that considering time of scan in study design or modeling time of scan in analyses, as well as collecting additional measures of circadian variation, may be useful for understanding threat-related neural phenotypes and their associations with behavior, such as fear conditioning, mood and anxiety symptoms, and related phenotypes.
Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Genotype and Gait Speed Changes over 10 Years in Older Adults

Objectives To determine the association between catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genotype and 6-m walk time and to determine whether these associations are quadratic in nature, similar to previously reported U-shaped associations between dopamine and gait and cognition. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. Participants Black (n = 850) and white (n = 1,352) men and women with a mean age of 73.5 ± 2.85 at baseline. Measurements Mixed models were used to assess the association between the COMT genotype and 6-m walk time, cross-sectionally and longitudinally over 10 years. Models were assessed unstratified and stratified according to race because allele distributions were different between white and black participants. Results There was a significant U-shaped association between COMT genotype and 6-m walk time: those with higher (Val/Val) and lower (Met/Met) dopamine slowed more over 10 years (0.22 ± 0.02 seconds per visit and 0.23 ± 0.02 seconds per visit, respectively) than those with the intermediate (Met/Val) dopamine (0.20 ± 0.02 seconds per visit) (P = .005). Stratified results showed a significant relationship in black (P = .01) but not white (P = .15) participants. Conclusion These findings indicate a role of dopaminergic regulation of gait speed in community-dwelling older adults and of prefrontal cortex involvement in gait performance. Future work should investigate the molecular integrity of dopaminergic networks and gait changes over time and structural changes in the brain with COMT and gait decline in older adults.
Preliminary evaluation of serum total cholesterol concentrations in dogs with osteosarcoma.

Objectives To determine if total serum cholesterol concentrations were altered in dogs with osteosarcoma. To evaluate association of total serum cholesterol concentration with clinical outcomes in dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma. Materials and Methods Retrospective, multi-institutional study on 64 dogs with osteosarcoma. Control population consisted of dogs with traumatic bone fractures (n=30) and healthy patients of similar age and weight as those of the osteosarcoma cases (n=31). Survival analysis was done on 35 appendicular osteosarcoma patients that received the current standard of care. Statistical associations were assessed by univariable and multi-variable analysis. Information about age, sex, primary tumour location, total cholesterol concentration, monocytes and lymphocyte counts and alkaline phosphatase were also included. Results Total cholesterol was elevated above the reference interval (3·89 to 7·12 mmol/L) (150 to 275 mg/dL) in 29 of 64 (45·3%) osteosarcoma-bearing dogs, whereas similar elevations were found in only 3 of 30 (10%) fracture controls (P<0·0001) and 2 of 31 (6·5%) similar age/weight controls (P=0·0002). Elevated total cholesterol was significantly associated with a reduced hazard ratio (0·27, P=0·008) for overall mortality in dogs with osteosarcoma. Clinical Significance These results suggest that elevated total cholesterol is associated with canine osteosarcoma and may have prognostic significance.
Exotic Arteriovenous Graft Creation

Vascular access in long-term hemodialysis patients is an evolving and increasingly complex situation facing vascular access surgeons. Central stenosis from repeated and long-term catheter use is the primary complication necessitating new techniques and technology to provide reliable and durable long-term internal access for these patients. This chapter will focus on several new advancements and highlight preexisting, but less commonly used, techniques to provide long-term hemodialysis access in this challenging patient population.
A Conceptual Falsetto: Re-imagining Black Childhood Via One Girl’s Exploration of Prince

A young Prince scoffed at a single story of identity, i.e., dominant social constructions of race, class, gender, and youth associated with inadequacy and confinement. Inspired by Prince, this autoethnography introduces a conceptual falsetto framework (CFF). Like Prince’s falsetto which resists the constraints of his tenor voice, CFF resists the tenor of a single story of Black childhood—it goes higher. CFF calls Black scholars to (re)imagine Black childhood into ideologies of love (Delgado 1995 in The Rodrigo Chronicles; Dumas and Nelson, 86(1), 27–47, 2016; Duncan, 8(1), 85–104, 2002), by using reflexive practices to write about one’s own childhood on multiple tracks. Identifying and examining the social/cultural and political material of their childhoods, Black scholars can produce new ideas and approaches to research on Black childhood more generally—swelling a new discourse on Black childhood from the margins of society into the public discourse. “Many feminist writers advocate starting research from one’s own experience… using personal knowledge to help them in the research process” (Ellis 2004:48). I illustrate CFF by analyzing my childhood journal (1986–1988) which examines and emulates Prince’s artistry. Findings reveal Black childhoods are spent resisting, creating symbolic universes, being in relationship, bonding around intellectuality and abstract ideas—choosing to love something and being in pursuit of it.
The use of intraoperative cholangiogram during laparoscopic double cholecystectomy

Double gallbladder is a rare finding in patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis or acute cholecystitis. The incidence has been described as 1 in every 4000-5000 patients during autopsy. To identify the gallbladder (GB) duplication prior to surgical removal of the GB is of upmost importance. It is not unusual to identify this diagnosis intraoperatively, but by using US, ERCP or MRCP more than 50% of the cases are diagnosed preoperatively. The use of intraoperative cholangiogram helps to identify the anatomy and confirm the diagnosis during laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with gallbladder duplication.
Max Wertheimer 1880–1943

Max Wertheimer is generally regarded as the founder of Gestalt psychology, beginning with a 1912 article on apparent motion. He developed the Gestalt approach to music, perception, and problem solving, culminating in his posthumous book Productive Thinking . Gestalt theory maintains that most natural wholes are not merely the sum of their constituent elements, nor the sum of these elements plus some additional emergent element, but rather dynamic and internally structured entities that are entirely different from a mere sum of parts. Wholes are prior to their parts, and determine the role, place, and function of each part in the whole.
Demand-Side Gatekeepers in the Market for Home Loans

The market for home loans has changed dramatically over the past thirty years, due, in large part, to the development of a market for asset-backed securities. Encouraged through the creation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - government-sponsored entities created to purchase and package small-to-medium-sized “conforming” mortgages - that effort had appeared until recently to be a success. A robust market for real estate mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”) developed and then expanded well beyond the market for “prime” “conforming” mortgages that could be handled by Fannie and Freddie. The development of a secondary market for both conforming and nonconforming home loans increased the availability of mortgage credit to consumers with lower income levels and with worse credit histories than ever before. But, as recent events have demonstrated, this increased liquidity came at a high price. In this article, we identify market failures both on the supply side and the demand side of the home mortgage market. On the supply side, the problem lies in imperfect incentive structures for the various supply-side gatekeepers. On the demand side, our concerns lie principally in the cognitive biases of consumer borrowers and the absence of demand-side institutions to either constrain or debias consumer choice. We then explain why shifts in the nature of mortgage finance led to a greater need for consumer protection. We examine various demand-side gatekeeping institutions, exploring their interrelationships, as well as their relative strengths and weaknesses. As noted above, supply-side gatekeepers face, as of yet, unchecked incentives to maximize the amount of lending without also looking to minimize consumers’ risk of default. Gatekeepers on the demand side generally do not face the same conflicts. However, we identify a different set of institutional impediments and conclude that none of the existing institutions are well equipped to debias consumers’ decision-making processes. Finally, we conclude by emphasizing the need to explore the contours of institutional structure and regulatory options. While it suggests a framework for evaluating legislative reforms, we leave the development of this topic for future research.
The Role of Paradigms in Science and Theory Construction

The purpose of this introduction is to lay out the background for the chapters in this volume. The major issue discussed in this chapter, within the whole context of this volume, concerns the role of paradigms in the construction of any scientific or even artistic theory. What does it take to make a theory artistically and scientifically acceptable? Consequently, the first part of this chapter will cover how we should view the whole scientific enterprise. The second part will cover how paradigms need to be included within a hierarchical framework that clarifies how paradigms are related to theories, models, and dimensions (L’Abate, 2009a, 2009b).
Gene isolation and characterization of two acyl CoA oxidases from soybean with broad substrate specificities and enhanced expression in the growing seedling axis.

The first committed step in the β-oxidation of fatty acids is catalyzed by the enzyme acyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX), which oxidizes a fatty acyl-CoA to a 2-trans-enoyl-CoA. To understand the role of β-oxidation during seedling growth in soybean, two ACOX cDNAs were isolated by screening a seedling library with a DNA fragment obtained by RT-PCR by using degenerate oligonucleotides. The two cDNAs (ACX1;1 and ACX1;2) are 86% identical to each other at the nucleotide and the amino acid level. Their deduced amino acid sequences share significant homology with known acyl-CoA oxidases, including the conserved CGGHGY motif, a putative flavin mononucleotide binding site. In both sequences, the last three amino acids, ARL, represent a putative peroxisome targeting signal. The mRNA and protein of both cDNAs accumulated in all seedling tissues, with relatively stronger expression in the growing seedling axis and hypocotyl, and weaker expression in the cotyledon. Immunolocalization studies indicated that the two proteins were localized in the phloem cells of hypocotyl tissue. The two cDNAs were expressed in Escherichia coli and shown to possess acyl-CoA oxidase activity. With fatty acyl-CoA substrates of varying chain lengths, it was demonstrated that both ACX1;1 and ACX1;2 have broad substrate specificities (C8–C18). The stronger expression of ACX1;1 and ACX1;2 in the axis and hypocotyl tissue, the weaker expression in the oil-rich cotyledon tissue, and the broad substrate specificities suggest that the two acyl-CoA oxidases might play a general house-keeping role during soybean seedling growth, such as the turnover of membrane lipids.
Countering Unprofessional Behaviors Among Nurses in the Workplace.

OBJECTIVE This study investigates the association of authentic leadership (AL) and perceived organizational support to workplace bullying among a sample of licensed practical nurses (LPNs). BACKGROUND Workplace bullying is a serious problem in the workplace that harms nurses' physical and psychological well-being. METHODS A cross-sectional survey design was implemented. A simple random sample of 855 was drawn from a population of 4306 LPNs in a single US Midwestern state. A total of 168 usable questionnaires were returned (19.65% response rate). RESULTS Forty-three percent of nurses experienced at least 2 negative behaviors on a weekly/daily basis; 12% self-identified as a victim. The moral component of AL was a major determinant of overall workplace bullying (β = -.59), person-related bullying (β = -.70), and physical intimidation (β = -.58). Perceived support was a major determinant of work-related bullying (β = -.40). CONCLUSIONS Organizational support initiatives and AL training for nurse leaders should be considered to reduce bullying.
Viable cell culture in PDMS-based microfluidic devices.

Microfluidics has played a vital role in developing novel methods to investigate biological phenomena at the molecular and cellular level during the last two decades. Microscale engineering of cellular systems is nevertheless a nascent field marked inherently by frequent disruptive advancements in technology such as PDMS-based soft lithography. Viable culture and manipulation of cells in microfluidic devices requires knowledge across multiple disciplines including molecular and cellular biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. There has been numerous excellent reviews in the past 15 years on applications of microfluidics for molecular and cellular biology including microfluidic cell culture (Berthier et al., 2012; El-Ali, Sorger, & Jensen, 2006; Halldorsson et al., 2015; Kim et al., 2007; Mehling & Tay, 2014; Sackmann et al., 2014; Whitesides, 2006; Young & Beebe, 2010), cell culture models (Gupta et al., 2016; Inamdar & Borenstein, 2011; Meyvantsson & Beebe, 2008), cell secretion (Schrell et al., 2016), chemotaxis (Kim & Wu, 2012; Wu et al., 2013), neuron culture (Millet & Gillette, 2012a, 2012b), drug screening (Dittrich & Manz, 2006; Eribol, Uguz, & Ulgen, 2016; Wu, Huang, & Lee, 2010), cell sorting (Autebert et al., 2012; Bhagat et al., 2010; Gossett et al., 2010; Wyatt Shields Iv, Reyes, & Lopez, 2015), single cell studies (Lecault et al., 2012; Reece et al., 2016; Yin & Marshall, 2012), stem cell biology (Burdick & Vunjak-Novakovic, 2009; Wu et al., 2011; Zhang & Austin, 2012), cell differentiation (Zhang et al., 2017a), systems biology (Breslauer, Lee, & Lee, 2006), 3D cell culture (Huh et al., 2011; Li et al., 2012; van Duinen et al., 2015), spheroids and organoids (Lee et al., 2016; Montanez-Sauri, Beebe, & Sung, 2015; Morimoto & Takeuchi, 2013; Skardal et al., 2016; Young, 2013), organ-on-chip (Bhatia & Ingber, 2014; Esch, Bahinski, & Huh, 2015; Huh et al., 2011; van der Meer & van den Berg, 2012), and tissue engineering (Andersson & Van Den Berg, 2004; Choi et al., 2007; Hasan et al., 2014). In this chapter, we provide an overview of PDMS-based microdevices for microfluidic cell culture. We discuss the advantages and challenges of using PDMS-based soft lithography for microfluidic cell culture and highlight recent progress and future directions in this area.
Reproductive surgery: decreasing skills and advancing technology—an existential conundrum

Our article endeavors to be both a review of the recent past and a preview of the future of reproductive surgery. By reflecting on the rate of technological advancement over the past decade, we attempt to predict the trajectory of the next. We also delve into the changing nature and practical challenges of the practice of gynecologic surgery for the reproductive endocrinology and infertility subspecialist. We will explain how technological advances may alter our perception and expectations regarding the indications, timing and extent of surgical intervention in the infertile patient and in the patient seeking preservation of fertility. This review does not aim to be comprehensive, choosing instead to focus on those innovations that hold, in our view, true potential to shape the future of surgical practice. Ours is primarily a technology review. As such, it does not focus on novel surgical techniques, including uterine transplantation and ovarian tissue transplantation.
Plasmonic Aluminum Nanohole Arrays as TransparentConducting Electrodes for Organic Ultraviolet Photodetectors withBias-Dependent Photoresponse

Electrodes consisting of plasmonic Al nanohole arrays (Al-NHAs) were incorporated into organic ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors that exhibited bias-dependent photoresponse. Al-NHAs were designed by ...
Characterization of Safety and Conditional Invariance for Nonlinear Systems

This paper investigates sufficient and necessary conditions for safety (equivalently, conditional invariance) in terms of barrier functions. Relaxed sufficient conditions concerning the sign and the regularity of the barrier function are proposed. Furthermore, via a counterexample, the lack of existence of an autonomous and continuous barrier function certifying safety in a class of autonomous systems is shown. As a consequence, guided by converse Lyapunov theorems for only stability, time-varying barrier functions are proposed and infinitesimal conditions are shown to be both necessary as well as sufficient, provided that mild regularity conditions on the system's dynamics holds. Examples illustrate the results.
Differential Morbidity by Ethnicity in Long-Term Survivors of Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT): A Report from the Bone Marrow Transplant Survivor Study (BMTSS)

Abstract Improvement in transplantation strategies have contributed to incremental change in post-HCT survival rates of 10% per decade; but this improvement is not enjoyed equally by all. Data from the CIBMTR (J Clin Oncol 2005; 23:7032–42) found Hispanics to be at a higher risk of treatment failure (relapse or death: hazard ratio [HR]=1.3, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–1.5), when compared to non-Hispanic whites. According to the 2005 census, Hispanics form the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S., constituting 14.4% of the entire population. Compared to non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics are considered to be a vulnerable population for adverse health outcomes, due to reasons that include socioeconomic, cultural, and language barriers as well as barriers within the healthcare system. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for chronic health conditions in a large population of Hispanic and non-Hispanic white HCT survivors. The BMTSS (a collaborative effort between City of Hope National Medical Center and University of Minnesota) examined self-reported chronic health conditions in individuals who underwent HCT between 1976 and 1998, and survived two or more years. A severity score (grade 1 through 4, ranging from mild to life-threatening or disabling) was assigned to each health condition according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 3). Some of the conditions graded as severe (grade 3) or life-threatening (grade 4) in this study included congestive heart failure, second malignant neoplasms, cerebrovascular accident, renal failure, and active chronic graft vs. host disease (GvHD). Adverse psychosocial outcomes were not included. Cox proportional-hazard models were used to estimate HR and 95% CI. The current study included 984 HCT survivors (443 [45.0%] allogeneic HCT and 541 [55.0%] autologous HCT recipients; 825 [83.8%] non-Hispanic whites and 159 [16.2%] Hispanics). Median age at study participation was 44.5 years (range, 18.2–73.0) for whites and 41.5 years (range 20.0–67.4) for Hispanics, and median follow-up was 7.3 years (range 2.0–27.8) and 8.0 years (range 2.5–25.2), respectively. There were no differences with respect to gender, BMI, presence of active chronic GvHD, relapse risk, and cancer surveillance practices, between the two ethnic groups. Hispanics were significantly less likely to have completed high school (55.1% vs. 96.6%, p
Disentangling resource acquisition from interspecific behavioral aggression to understand the ecological dominance of a common, widespread temperate forest ant

Ant communities are structured, in part, by competition between related and unrelated ant species for territories and food resources. In eastern deciduous forests of the United States, a single ant genus (Aphaenogaster) appears ecologically dominant with high abundance and opportunistic foraging. However, Aphaenogaster ants are not particularly behaviorally aggressive toward co-occurring ants, making it unclear as to how they might sustain dominance. We offered myrmecochorous seeds and termite carrion at bait stations and quantified ant aggression, food selection and recruitment. We conducted the experiments throughout the natural seed-release window to determine how the abundance of low- and high-quality food items impacted behavior. We found evidence that Aphaenogaster ants dominate the retrieval of both seeds and insect carrion (dead termites). Aphaenogaster foraging dominance did not appear driven by superior fighting or recruitment abilities but simply by having more foragers on the ground, essentially achieving control of different types of food resources through numerical dominance. Moreover, though they are the dominant effective seed dispersers in the system, A. picea exhibited a much greater affinity for termites than seeds, and the desirability of termites decreased in the presence of seeds. Overall, our results suggest that high numbers of foragers—as opposed to aggressive territoriality—can be an effective ecological strategy for sustaining ecological dominance through resource acquisition.
'Informed and empowered': a mixed-methods study of crowdsourcing contests to promote uptake of HIV self-testing kits among African Americans.

Abstract Objective HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits are a viable alternative to testing in clinical settings, but research on the effective ways of promoting uptake of HIVST kits has been lacking. The present study examines crowdsourcing contests as community engagement to promote uptake of HIVST kits among African Americans in the southern region of the US. Methods This mixed-methods study design evaluated two contests through qualitative assessment of contest entries. The first contest elicited ideas on how to promote HIVST kits. The second contest sought branding ideas for a pop-up HIVST booth. Qualitative data were digitally transcribed and analysed using MAXQDA software and axial coding. Results The study participants (n = 296) were mostly African American (n = 258, 87%) and between 18 and 25 years of age (n = 84, 28%). Contestants suggested making HIVST kits available in community sites and highlighting kits as potential sources of knowledge, relief and empowerment. Conclusion Crowdsourcing contests are a beneficial community engagement tool to identify new ways to promote uptake of HIVST kits.
Resilience of Canadian homes and small buildings to the effects of climate change - Risk of deterioration due to condensation within wall assemblies

The objective of this study was to assess the potential effects of climate change on the moisture performance and durability of typical Canadian wood-frame walls using hygrothermal simulations, with a particular attention to the risk of condensation. To reduce the risk of condensation, the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) recommends a maximum air leakage rate of 0.10L/sm2 at 75 Pa in buildings with interior relative humidity not greater than 55%. This leakage rate was evaluated in five cities across Canada for a wood-frame wall having brick cladding, with and without outdoor insulation and both walls meeting the minimum insulation requirements given in NBCC. It is found that the risk of condensation will be reduced in the future in all 5 cities analysed. The reduction in the risk of condensation is slightly higher for the wall with no exterior insulation than for the wall with exterior insulation. This reduction in the risk of condensation means that the limit of 0.10L/(sm2 ) for building having a warm side relative humidity of less than 55% may be reconsidered in the future. There may however be some risks associated with the increase in rain in some cities.
Pain and symptom burden in patients with CKD and ESRD

Abstract Pain is one of the most common symptoms reported by patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Unfortunately, it remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in the vast majority of patients. Oftentimes, pain is highly correlated and coexists as symptom clusters with fatigue and depression. Pain negatively impacts health-related quality of life and has been associated with increased hospitalizations and mortality in these patients. Pain assessment and treatment are challenging in patients CKD/ESRD due to a number of reasons including varying etiology of pain, existence of correlated symptoms (depression, fatigue, etc.), lack of validated and easily implementable assessment tools, limited training of renal providers in pain management, limited evidence regarding efficacy of various pharmacological and nonpharmacological pain treatments in CKD/ESRD, lack of safe nonopioid analgesics, and increased harms associated with opioid use in patients with kidney disease. A stepped approach to pain management with an individualized treatment plan including pharmacological and nonpharmacological options should be implemented after collaborative decision-making with the patient. Steps should be taken to optimize opioid use and safety. Further research on effective assessment and treatments and guidelines for health-care providers are needed to optimize pain management in patients with kidney disease.
METHOD RESEARCH OF FORECASTING OIL AND GAS USING HIGHER-ORDER STATISTICS

Based on the higher-order statistics property being insensitive to Gaussian noise and containing more information than power spectra, and higher-order spectral attributes of seismic signal, we propose a new approach to forecast oil and gas with the higher-order spectral parameter. The results of the theoretic model and the test on practical data not only prove the geological meaning of higher-order spectra, but also draw a change role of higher-order spectra between water-containing and oil-containing sandstone. It can be used to forecast oil and gas directly. Further more, its prediction results are more effective than that of regular amplitude attributes.
Non-Destructive Spatial Mapping of Glycosaminoglycan Loss in Native and Degraded Articular Cartilage Using Confocal Raman Microspectroscopy.

Articular cartilage is a collagen-rich tissue that provides a smooth, lubricated surface for joints and is also responsible for load bearing during movements. The major components of cartilage are water, collagen, and proteoglycans. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of articular cartilage, in which an early-stage indicator is the loss of proteoglycans from the collagen matrix. In this study, confocal Raman microspectroscopy was applied to study the degradation of articular cartilage, specifically focused on spatially mapping the loss of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Trypsin digestion was used as a model for cartilage degradation. Two different scanning geometries for confocal Raman mapping, cross-sectional and depth scans, were applied. The chondroitin sulfate coefficient maps derived from Raman spectra provide spatial distributions similar to histological staining for glycosaminoglycans. The depth scans, during which subsurface data were collected without sectioning the samples, can also generate spectra and GAG distributions consistent with Raman scans of the surface-to-bone cross sections. In native tissue, both scanning geometries demonstrated higher GAG content at the deeper zone beneath the articular surface and negligible GAG content after trypsin degradation. On partially digested samples, both scanning geometries detected an ~100 μm layer of GAG depletion. Overall, this research provides a technique with high spatial resolution (25 μm pixel size) to measure cartilage degradation without tissue sections using confocal Raman microspectroscopy, laying a foundation for potential in vivo measurements and osteoarthritis diagnosis.