cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cassini UVIS Observations of the Io Plasma Torus. III. Observations of Temporal and Azimuthal Variability

Abstract In this third paper in a series presenting observations by the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (UVIS) of the Io plasma torus, we show remarkable, though subtle, spatio-temporal variations in torus properties. The Io torus is found to exhibit significant, near-sinusoidal variations in ion composition as a function of azimuthal position. The azimuthal variation in composition is such that the mixing ratio of S II is strongly correlated with the mixing ratio of S III and the equatorial electron density and strongly anti-correlated with the mixing ratios of both S IV and O II and the equatorial electron temperature. Surprisingly, the azimuthal variation in ion composition is observed to have a period of 10.07 h—1.5% longer than the System III rotation period of Jupiter, yet 1.3% shorter than the System IV period defined by [Brown, M.E., 1995. J. Geophys. Res. 100, 21683–21696]. Although the amplitude of the azimuthal variation of S III and O II remained in the range of 2–5%, the amplitude of the S II and S IV compositional variation ranged between 5 and 25% during the UVIS observations. Furthermore, the amplitude of the azimuthal variations of S II and S IV appears to be modulated by its location in System III longitude, such that when the region of maximum S II mixing ratio (minimum S IV mixing ratio) is aligned with a System III longitude of ∼ 200 ° ± 15 ° , the amplitude is a factor of ∼4 greater than when the variation is anti-aligned. This behavior can explain numerous, often apparently contradictory, observations of variations in the properties of the Io plasma torus with the System III and System IV coordinate systems.
Characterization of a class of sigmoid functions with applications to neural networks

Abstract We study two classes of sigmoids: the simple sigmoids, defined to be odd, asymptotically bounded, completely monotone functions in one variable, and the hyperbolic sigmoids, a proper subset of simple sigmoids and a natural generalization of the hyperbolic tangent. We obtain a complete characterization for the inverses of hyperbolic sigmoids using Euler's incomplete beta functions, and describe composition rules that illustrate how such functions may be synthesized from others. These results are applied to two problems. First we show that with respect to simple sigmoids the continuous Cohen-Grossberg-Hopfield model can be reduced to the (associated) Legendre differential equations. Second, we show that the effect of using simple sigmoids as node transfer functions in a one-hidden layer feedforward network with one summing output may be interpreted as representing the output function as a Fourier series sine transform evaluated at the hidden layer node inputs, thus extending and complementing earlier results in this area. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd
Body scale and infant grip configurations

This study examined whether hand/object size ratios define common boundaries to the grip configuration patterns of infants and adults. A group of 5- to 8-month-old infants and a group of adults engaged in a displacement grasping task with inverted cups that varied in size. The findings showed that infant and adult grip configurations varied systematically with object size: More digits were brought into the contact grip configurations with increasing object size. Furthermore, when object size was scaled to hand size, common dimensionless ratios defined the grasping patterns and transitions between grasping patterns in a similar manner for both adults and infants. Consistent with a dynamical view of the development of coordination, the strong role of body scale on the developmental prehensile coordination pattern was observed for a given set of task constraints.
The role of attentional processes in children's prosocial behavior with peers: attention shifting and emotion.

This study evaluated the role of attentional shifting in children's prosocial behavior with peers. Participants were 27 aggressive/rejected and 27 nonaggressive/popular kindergarten and first grade boys and girls. Children's ability to shift attention from one affective state to another was assessed during: (a) a computerized task that required shifting attention between different affective events (i.e., the Children's Attentional Shifting Task, CAST) and (b) an analogue entry task with unacquainted peers. Children's latency for sharing with peers was assessed after they experienced failure during the entry task. Aggressive/rejected children had significant difficulty shifting attention from negative to positive affect during the CAST and were slower to share after experiencing entry failure. In general, aggressive/rejected children were less able to regulate their behavior effectively after experiencing social failure. Girls, regardless of status, had less difficulty than boys shifting attention from one affective state to another during the CAST. In addition, children's social status/aggressiveness, their ability to regulate emotional behavior after social failure and to shift attention effectively on the CAST predicted approximately 31% of the variance in their latency to share. These findings suggest that the ability to shift attention between different affective states plays a significant role in children's prosocial behavior with peers.
A Nonperturbation Approach to Quantum Electrodynamics

The equations governing the interaction of an electron with the electromagnetic fields are used in the form given by Schwinger to derive a linear integral equation for the function $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$, whose kernel is expressed as a power series in $\ensuremath{\alpha}$. The first approximation to this kernel is used and the resulting integral equation solved without recourse to perturbation theory. With the aid of the solution first approximations can be found for self-energy effects, which are now finite, and some discussion of the analytic behavior of these and related quantities is given. An application of the method to meson theory illustrates the classification of the types of integral equation which arise. The possibility of extending the method is discussed.
Mass Spectral Confirmation of Oosporein in Poultry Rations

9has provided a means to determine whether oosporein is present in grains and determine if it is a causative factor in renal disease in poultry. In this paper, we report on chemical ionization (CI) mass spectral investigations of oosporein for the purpose of confirming TLC tests for the presence of oosporein in samples of poultry rations. Mass spectrometry (MS) has recently become a routine tool for confirmation and identification of various toxicants encountered by Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories (F. Ross, personal communication). Most reports 2,4
Allergic contact dermatitis from chloromethyl heterocyclic intermediate the synthesis of a histamine antagonist

Case reports of 3 chemists who worked in a laboratory where heterocyclic chloromethyl compounds, used as intermediates in the synthesis of a histamine antagonist, were being prepared, are here presented. The results of suitable patch tests which were applied arc reported and it is concluded from the results that 3 chemical intermediates were responsible for the allergic contact dermatitis in the 3 cases.
Modern software product support processes and the usage of multimedia formats

Despite being an important channel for end-user assistance, few studies have directly investigated the interactions that occur in modern-day practice of software product support. We present results from a multi-dimensional analysis of product support activities at a leading design software company. We carried out a quantitative analysis of existing support requests, a survey with product support specialists, and follow-up interviews to understand the current practices in product support. In particular, we investigated the utility of different multimedia formats that modern web-based support systems enable. Our results showed that despite the value that these formats bring to support tasks, support specialists still face bottlenecks in remotely resolving software problems. We conclude by highlighting several opportunities in HCI for improving diagnosis and resolution of software issues over the web.
Fuel price impacts and compliance costs associated with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)

Abstract US policy instruments concerning vehicle biofuels are currently being revisited. For example, as part of an on-going annual Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) implementation, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requests stakeholder feedback/analysis of programmatic effects, including impacts on gasoline/diesel prices and compliance costs. Motivated by the need for regulatory-specific feedback, a novel regional market model is developed that quantifies price impacts across different regional markets for a number of market variables, including several types of compliance certificates known as Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs). An analysis of the most recent EPA proposal suggests that the D4 (biodiesel) RIN price could rise to >$1.00/RIN. Sensitivity results show that the D4 RIN price is highly sensitive to soybean oil prices, while D5/D6 RIN prices are most sensitive to the volume of E85 consumed. It was found that the projected costs associated with the RFS in 2017 could be reduced by approximately 50% if an additional 600 million gallons of E85 were consumed. The analysis also suggests that the RFS does not dramatically affect the retail price of either gasoline and diesel fuels paid by consumers.
Human Genetic Disorders

The field of genetics continues to evolve at a rapid pace. The completion of the Human Genome project coupled with advancing scientific techniques has led to the explosion of genetic information and testing capabilities ranging from rare genetic conditions to common and sometimes preventable conditions. The Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man® (OMIM) found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim contains information on over 12,000 genes with known sequence. Another online resource, GeneTests, found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/GeneTests provides reference for nearly 1,500 diseases in which clinical laboratory testing is available. This chapter reviews a variety of genetic conditions categorized by primary mode of inheritance (i.e., chromosomal, single gene, and mitochondrial disorders) and is further subcategorized by disease process (i.e., metabolic, familial cancer syndromes, hematologic disorders). For each disorder, the chromosome, gene location, inheritance pattern, incidence, clinical phenotype, laboratory findings, and treatment options are reviewed. The chapter does not encompass all known genetic conditions, but provides a general overview of a wide range of genetic conditions and various inheritance patterns extending across multiple subspecialties. The suggested reading section provides key text books and peer reviewed references for those desiring more in-depth information.
EFFICACY OF A FAT-SUPPLEMENTED DIET ON MUSCLE GLYCOGEN CONCENTRATIONS IN EXERCISING THOROUGHBRED HORSES MAINTAINED IN VARYING BODY CONDITIONS

Abstract In a switchback experiment, twelve mature Thoroughbreds were randomly divided into three groups; each group was fed to achieve moderately low (ML), moderate (M) or moderately high (MI-I) body-fat content. Following a 28-day aerobic conditioning period, two horses from each group were fed a conventional, control diet and the other two were fed a fat-supplemented diet for a 21-day adaptation period. During the adaptation period, aerobic work continued as before, and the horses were also worked at a level to achieve anaerobiosis twice per week. After the adaptation period, horses performed a standardized exercise test consisting of four, 600-m sprints. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the biceps femoris before and after the test, and blood samples were taken before, during and throughout recovery from the test. Then, the horses were switched to opposite diets and the procedures were repeated. Muscle biopsies were obtained from biceps femoris before and after the exercise test, and blood samples were taken before, during and throughout recovery from the test. Pre-test muscle-glycogen concentrations were similar (P .05) in horses on all treatments. Thus, adapting Thoroughbred horses to a fat-supplemented diet inereased utilization of muscle glycogen, which may enhance performance that requires anaerobic energy production.
Return-to-zero technique for eliminating wavelength abnormalities in high-power DBR lasers

The characteristics of the longitudinal mode hops of 1060-nm high-power DBR lasers are studied. We demonstrate a return-to-zero technique for eliminating large mode hops and wavelength hysteresis caused by the photon-induced gain saturation effect.
Radial shortening for Kienböck disease.

The cases of twenty-nine consecutive patients (thirty wrists) who had radial shortening for the treatment of stages I through IIIB Kienbock disease were reviewed to assess the results of this procedure. Thirteen patients (45 per cent) had a history of trauma, and all thirty wrists had a negative ulnar variance (average, 2.8 millimeters) on radiographs. All wrists were re-examined after an average follow-up of 3.8 years (minimum, two years). At that time, the pain had decreased in 87 per cent of the wrists. Extension of the wrist had improved an average of 32 per cent; flexion, 27 per cent; radial deviation, 30 per cent; ulnar deviation, 41 per cent; and grip strength on the affected side, 49 per cent. Analysis of the radiographs by computer digitization showed no significant changes in the amount of collapse of the lunate at the latest follow-up. In two wrists, there were complications at follow-up (excessive shortening of the radius and non-union of the radial osteotomy). Radial shortening is an effective treatment for Kienbock disease in wrists that do not have degenerative changes in adjacent carpal joints. Pain, range of motion, and strength can be expected to improve, but the radiographic appearance of the lunate changes little, if any.
Research strategies in technical communication

Introduction to Research Idea Generation as You Begin Your Research Planning Research: Documentation Plans Ethics Computerized Information Retrieval from Libraries Computerized Secondary Sources of Information Personal Experience and Knowledge Informational Interviews Letters of Inquiry Questionnaires and Surveys Empirical Experimentation Evaluation of Sources Statistics and Measurements Usability Testing and Validation Query Letters, Proposal Letters and Prospects Abstracts Bibliographies and the Documentation of Sources Conducting Additional Research.
Diagnostic Evaluation of Osteoporosis

An approach to the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with osteoporosis is described. A system of classification of vertebral fractures is outlined, and the relative merits of different techniques for bone mineral density are discussed. The importance of identifying factors that accelerate bone loss is stressed. The value of optimizing treatment by using bone histomorphometry and biochemical markers to measure bone turnover is discussed. Finally, a plan is outlined for the timing of follow-up bone mineral density measurements.
High-dose therapy with autologous or allogeneic transplantation as salvage therapy for small cleaved cell lymphoma of follicular center cell origin.

Between 1985 and 1996, 51 patients with relapsed or refractory small cleaved cell lymphoma (SCCL) received high-dose chemotherapy +/- TBI in conjunction with autologous (ABMT) (36 patients) or allogeneic transplantation (15 patients). Patients were eligible for ABMT if the bone marrow biopsy done prior to the planned transplant did not reveal microscopic involvement with SCCL. Patients receiving ABMT had a median age of 48 years, had received a median of 2.5 chemotherapy regimens prior to transplantation, and were transplanted a median of 35.5 months from diagnosis. Among patients receiving ABMT, 5 year actuarial survival was 56+/-11%. Median survival was 126+ months, and median survival from diagnosis was 191 months. Univariate and multivariate analysis identified sensitive disease as the best predictor of a favorable response. Five-year actuarial survival was 66+/-12% for patients with sensitive disease at the time of transplant as compared to 29+/-17% for patients with resistant disease, P = 0.015. Median survival in patients with sensitive disease at the time of ABMT was 126+ months. By univariate analysis, survival was significantly better for patients receiving ABMT as compared to patients receiving allogeneic transplants. Median survival following allogeneic transplantation was 5 months; 5 year actuarial survival was 15+/-13%. In a multivariate analysis, which considered autologous vs allogeneic transplantation, sensitive vs resistant disease, or = 3 prior treatments, and prior bone marrow involvement, allogeneic transplantation was significantly associated with poor survival. Treatment-related mortality occurred in eight of 15 patients receiving allogeneic transplantation and limited the effectiveness of this therapy. High-dose therapy in conjunction with ABMT is effective therapy for patients with SCCL whose disease is sensitive to chemotherapy and whose marrows are microscopically free of disease. Because of possible selection bias, it has not been proven that this approach increases survival in these patients. Treatment-related mortality limits the effectiveness of allogeneic transplantation in SCCL.
Experimental Evidence for Coherent Perfect Absorption in Guided-Mode Resonant Silicon Films

We experimentally verify a new class of coherent absorbers based on guided-mode resonance effects in periodic thin films. We design a silicon-based resonant absorber that is fabricated and tested near the 1300-nm wavelength. Implementing phase control, the device can, in principle, be switched between full absorption and full scattering. The first experimental prototype presented herein shows ∼78% absorption in the in-phase state. Nearly total scattering is realized in the out-of-phase state. The experimental results agree reasonably well with theory.
A New Leafhopper Attacking Prunes in California

The prune leafhopper, Typhlocyba prunicola Edwds, is a common pest of prunes in California, but it was not recognized until Oman (1948) first recorded it from prunes in California. Heagele (1980) had previously reported the species from prunes in Oregon and Idaho. Since the biology of this species was not known, studies were begun in California during the latter part of 1952.
Optimization and performance evaluation of a conical mirror based fluorescence molecular tomography imaging system

We performed numerical simulations and phantom experiments with a conical mirror based fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) imaging system to optimize its performance. With phantom experiments, we have compared three measurement modes in FMT: the whole surface measurement mode, the transmission mode, and the reflection mode. Our results indicated that the whole surface measurement mode performed the best. Then, we applied two different neutral density (ND) filters to improve the measurement's dynamic range. The benefits from ND filters are not as much as predicted. Finally, with numerical simulations, we have compared two laser excitation patterns: line and point. With the same excitation position number, we found that the line laser excitation had slightly better FMT reconstruction results than the point laser excitation. In the future, we will implement Monte Carlo ray tracing simulations to calculate multiple reflection photons, and create a look-up table accordingly for calibration.
Static detection of access control vulnerabilities in web applications

Access control vulnerabilities, which cause privilege escalations, are among the most dangerous vulnerabilities in web applications. Unfortunately, due to the difficulty in designing and implementing perfect access checks, web applications often fall victim to access control attacks. In contrast to traditional injection flaws, access control vulnerabilities are application-specific, rendering it challenging to obtain precise specifications for static and runtime enforcement. On one hand, writing specifications manually is tedious and time-consuming, which leads to non-existent, incomplete or erroneous specifications. On the other hand, automatic probabilistic-based specification inference is imprecise and computationally expensive in general. This paper describes the first static analysis that automatically detects access control vulnerabilities in web applications. The core of the analysis is a technique that statically infers and enforces implicit access control assumptions. Our insight is that source code implicitly documents intended accesses of each role and any successful forced browsing to a privileged page is likely a vulnerability. Based on this observation, our static analysis constructs sitemaps for different roles in a web application, compares per-role sitemaps to find privileged pages, and checks whether forced browsing is successful for each privileged page. We implemented our analysis and evaluated our tool on several real-world web applications. The evaluation results show that our tool is scalable and detects both known and new access control vulnerabilities with few false positives.
Have human societies evolved? Evidence from history and pre-history

I ask whether social evolutionary theories found in sociology, archaeology, and anthropology are useful in explaining human development from the Stone Age to the present-day. My data are partly derived from the four volumes of The Sources of Social Power, but I add statistical data on the growth of complexity and power in human groups. I distinguish three levels of evolutionary theory. The first level offers a minimalist definition of evolution in terms of social groups responding and adapting to changes in their social and natural environment. This is acceptable but trivial. The hard part is to elucidate what kinds of response are drawn from what changes, and all sociology shares in this difficulty. This model also tends to over-emphasize external pressures and neglect human inventiveness. The second level of theory is “multilineal” evolution in which various paths of endogenous development, aided by diffusion of practices between societies, dominate the historical and pre-historical record. This is acceptable as a model applied to some times, places, and practices, but when applied more generally it slides into a multi-causal analysis that is also conventional in the social sciences. The third level is a theory of general evolution for the entire human experience. Here materialist theories are dominant but they are stymied by their neglect of ideological, military, and political power relations. There is no acceptable theory of general social evolution. Thus the contribution of social evolutionary theory to the social sciences has been limited.
Congenital Disorders of the Cervical Spine

Radiological interpretation of the infant’s spine may be difficult and a clear understanding of its appearance at different ages is essential if deformity and malalignment are to be recognized. Normal development of the cervical spine is discussed in the section on cervical trauma.
Synergistic and Selective Copper/ppm Pd-Catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura Couplings: In Water, Mild Conditions, with Recycling

Copper-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura couplings can be carried out exclusively on aryl iodides under very mild conditions, which is made possible by synergistic effects due to the presence of ppm levels of palladium as cocatalyst. The coupling requires a hemilabile P(O)-N ligand, together with the benefits of micellar catalysis using water as the recyclable reaction medium.
The New Spectrum of the Cross-Enterprise Solution: The Integration of Supply Chain Management and Enterprise Resources Planning Systems

Supply chain management (SCM) is the process of optimizing a company's internal practices and improving the interaction with its suppliers and customers. The philosophy of SCM is to have the right product in the right place, at the right price, at the right time, and in the right condition. The major business value of an enterprise resources planning (ERP) system lies in its ability to integrate information across an organization and to model and automate its fundamental processes. ERP systems improve the efficiency of management decisions and operation plans and increase the flexibility with adjustments of functionality to react to changes in business needs. This research aims to compare SCR with ERP in terms of their evolution, application and functionality, investigate their relationship, and explore their potential system integration. This study is concluded with the future implications of SCM and EPR systems and the industrial trend toward their integration.
Charcot-Leyden crystals in T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma.

![Figure][1] A 49-year-old man presented with a 3-month history of generalized body pain, 40-lb weight loss, night sweats, fevers, chills, and osteolytic lesions. Complete blood count showed anemia (hemoglobin of 7.5 g/dL); there was no eosinophilia. Bone marrow aspirate revealed blue-gray
Full length article: Sampling in reproducing kernel Banach spaces on Lie groups

We present sampling theorems for reproducing kernel Banach spaces on Lie groups. Recent approaches to this problem rely on integrability of the kernel and its local oscillations. In this paper, we replace these integrability conditions by requirements on the derivatives of the reproducing kernel and, in particular, oscillation estimates are found using derivatives of the reproducing kernel. This provides a convenient path to sampling results on reproducing kernel Banach spaces. Finally, these results are used to obtain frames and atomic decompositions for Banach spaces of distributions stemming from a cyclic representation. It is shown that this process is particularly easy, when the cyclic vector is a Garding vector for a square integrable representation.
Abstract 62: Loss of PERP p53/p63 target gene may indicate tumorigenesis at the margin and local recurrence

Objectives: PERP (p53 apoptosis effector related to PMP22) localizes to the desmosomal adhesion complexes and is involved in suppressing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) development. Loss of PERP expression leads to destabilization of desmosome complexes, resulting in enhanced tumor aggressiveness and worse local control in head and neck SCC (HNSCC). We had previously examined PERP loss at surgical margins in a small cohort of HNSCC patients. Results suggested that the loss of PERP may serve as a marker for persistent tumor and predictive of local relapse. Here we validate these findings in an independent patient cohort and report on the combined results of both groups. Materials and Methods: We previously examined the PERP protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the surgical mucosal margins of 17 HNSCC patients. The validation cohort consists of 31 patients (15 oral cavity, 11 hypopharynx, 5 larynx). PERP expression was similarly assessed by IHC in the surgical margins of these patients. Finally, we combined the results of both groups to yield 48 patients with HNSCC (18 oral cavity, 12 hypopharynx, 4 oral pharynx, 14 larynx) for competing risk analysis. The relationship between local relapse and PERP expression (positive or negative) was analyzed in a competing risk model with death as a competing risk. Results: In the initial cohort, the 2-year cumulative incidence rate of local relapse was 37.5% for the negative PERP group compared to a 20% for the positive PERP group (p = 0.177). In the validation cohort, the 2-year cumulative incidence rate of local relapse was 50% for the negative PERP group compared to a 15% for the positive PERP group (p = 0.063). Since the results were similar between two groups, we combined them together for additional analyses. In this combined dataset, PERP expression was negative in 18, positive in 26, and not assessable in three patients. Of the 45 analyzable patients, the 2-year cumulative incidence rate of local relapse was 44.4% for the negative PERP group compared to a 16.4% for the positive PERP group (p = 0.010). There was also a trend for worse progression-free survival (p = 0.059) and overall survival (p = 0.085) with the loss of PERP. Conclusions: PERP loss at the surgical margins appears to be associated with a higher risk of local recurrence in HNSCC. These promising results need to be tested in a larger prospective study. Citation Format: Amanda Simmons, Christina Kong, Rie von Eyben, Laura Attardi, Xiaohui Ma, Quynh-Thu Le, Cherie-Ann Nathan. Loss of PERP p53/p63 target gene may indicate tumorigenesis at the margin and local recurrence [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-AHNS Head and Neck Cancer Conference: Optimizing Survival and Quality of Life through Basic, Clinical, and Translational Research; April 23-25, 2017; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2017;23(23_Suppl):Abstract nr 62.
Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities to Cope in Middle School

The purpose of this article is to explore how to teach students with learning disabilities (LD) to cope effectively, so that they may develop self-determination (independence) skills in middle scho...
Wafer-Level Vacuum-Packaged Flexible and Bendable Micro Accelerometer

This paper presents a wafer-level vacuum-packaged z-axis capacitive micro accelerometer fabricated on a flexible polyimide substrate and encapsulated by another polyimide superstrate enabling the flexibility, bendability, and portability of both the device and the package. The novel low-cost and low-temperature encapsulation procedure requires a fewer fabrication steps than the processes, where a thin epitaxial Si layer or a full Si wafer with cavity is used as a superstrate. It also provides a better pliability. The fabricated micro accelerometers demonstrated excellent integrity when bowed down to 2-cm radius of curvature with the sensitivity varying between 139 and 174 fF/g, depending on the design, under the application of ±4 g of acceleration. The resonant frequencies varied from 800 Hz for the largest device to 1050 Hz for the smallest device. The results reported here represent the best performing, wafer-level-packaged flexible micro accelerometers to date.
A Product Formula for Certain Quadratic form Perturbations

We introduce the notion of a regularization of a quadratic form, and use this to obtain a version of the Trotter product formula that is valid in case one of the summands fails to correspond to an operator on the ambient Hilbert space.
Complex Abdominal Wall Reconstruction: The Plastic Surgeon’s Perspective

Abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) requires a coordinated effort between general surgeons and plastic surgeons to re-establish and restore the boundaries of the abdominal cavity. Given the nature of the patient population and disease states that require AWR there is an inherent deficiency of healthy and robust tissue to support the abdominal viscera without herniation. As a result, mesh materials are often sought to enhance the structural integrity of the abdominal wall. The type of mesh material and plane of mesh placement are at the discretion of the surgeon. Surgical techniques have evolved to enable improved outcomes in AWR. Component separation through open or minimally invasive techniques provides the ability to re-approximate the rectus muscles bundles in the midline allowing a second layer of dynamic reconstruction to the underlying mesh construct. These techniques avoid bridging mesh repairs which have a greater risk of hernia recurrence. By optimizing patient selection criteria, mesh selection, and surgical technique as outlined in this chapter, superior outcomes can be achieved in even the most challenging abdominal wall reconstructions.
Changes in summertime ozone in Colorado during 2000–2015

In 2016, the Denver Metro Area (DMA)/Northern Colorado Front Range (NCFR) was reclassified from a Marginal to a Moderate O3 Non-Attainment Area due to the prevalence of high summer ozone (O3) occurrences. Hourly surface O3 data collected during 2000–2015 from a total of 80 monitoring sites in the State of Colorado were investigated for geographical features in O3 behavior and O3 changes over time. We particularly focus on summer O3 (June, July, August), which is the time when most exceedances of the O3 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) have been recorded. Variables investigated include the statistical (5th, 50th (median), and 95th percentile) distribution of O3 mixing ratios, diurnal amplitudes, and their trends. Trend analyses were conducted for 20 site records that had at least ten years of data. The majority of Colorado ozone monitoring sites show an increase of the 5th (16 total; 11 of these are statistically significant (p-value ≤ 0.05) trends) and 50th (15 total; 4 statistically significant trends) percentile values. Changes for the 95th percentile values were smaller and less consistent. One site showed a statistically significant declining trend, and one site an increasing trend; the majority of other sites had slightly negative, albeit not statistically significant declining O3. Ozone changes at the two highest elevations sites (>2500 m asl) are all negative, contrasting increasing O3 at U.S. West Coast sites. NCFR urban sites do not show the rate of decreasing higher percentile O3 as seen for the majority of urban areas across the U.S. during the past 1–2 decades. The amplitudes of diurnal O3 cycles were studied as a proxy for nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions and the diurnal O3 production chemistry. The majority of sites show a decrease in the median summer O3 diurnal amplitude (19 total/10 statistically significant). This is mostly driven by the increase in nighttime O3 minima, which is most likely a sign for a declining rate of nighttime O3 loss from titration with nitric oxide (NO), indicating a change in O3 behavior from declining NOx emissions. Since median and upper percentile surface O3 values in the DMA have not declined at the rates seen in other western U.S. regions, thus far the reduction in NOx has had a more pronounced effect on the lower percentile O3 distribution than on high O3 occurrences that primarily determine air quality. An assessment of the influence of oil and gas emissions on Colorado, and in particular DMA O3, is hampered by the sparsity of monitoring within oil and gas basins. Continuous, long-term, high quality, and co-located O3, NOx, and VOC monitoring are recommended for elucidating the geographical heterogeneity of O3 precursors, their changing emissions, and for evaluation of the effectiveness of O3 air quality regulations.
O espaço como representação dos personagens em Chove nos campos de cachoeira, de Dalcídio Jurandir

Na obra de Dalcidio Jurandir, o espaco se sobressai particularmente, a ponto de se tornar a representacao das sutilezas psicologicas dos personagens. Na perspectiva da imaginacao espacial de Bachelard, este artigo tem por objetivo demonstrar de que forma as descricoes da paisagem falam sobre personagens presentes em Chove nos campos de cachoeira e, ao mesmo tempo, evidenciam os contornos tipicos do Para. O referencial teorico contempla, ainda, Oziris Filho.
Vertical transmission rates of Borrelia miyamotoi in Ixodes scapularis collected from white-tailed deer.

Abstract Borrelia miyamotoi is a relapsing fever spirochete transmitted by ticks in the Ixodes ricinus complex. In the eastern United States, B. miyamotoi is transmitted by I. scapularis, which also vectors several other pathogens including B. burgdorferi sensu stricto. In contrast to Lyme borreliae, B. miyamotoi can be transmitted vertically from infected female ticks to their progeny. Therefore, in addition to nymphs and adults, larvae can vector B. miyamotoi to wildlife and human hosts. Two widely varying filial infection prevalence (FIP) estimates - 6% and 73% - have been reported previously from two vertically infected larval clutches; to our knowledge, no other estimates of FIP or transovarial transmission (TOT) rates for B. miyamotoi have been described in the literature. Thus, we investigated TOT and FIP of larval clutches derived from engorged females collected from hunter-harvested white-tailed deer in 2015 (n = 664) and 2016 (n = 599) from Maine, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. After engorged females oviposited in the lab, they (n = 492) were tested for B. miyamotoi infection by PCR. Subsequently, from each clutch produced by an infected female, larval pools, as well as 100 individual eggs or larvae, were tested. The TOT rate of the 11 infected females was 90.9% (95% CI; 57.1–99.5%) and the mean FIP of the resulting larval clutches was 84.4% (95% CI; 68.1–100%). Even though the overall observed vertical transmission rate (the product of TOT and FIP; 76.7%, 95% CI; 44.6–93.3%) was high, additional horizontal transmission may be required for enzootic maintenance of B. miyamotoi based on the results of a previously published deterministic model. Further investigation of TOT and FIP variability and the underlying mechanisms, both in nature and the laboratory, will be needed to resolve this question. Meanwhile, studies quantifying the acarological risk of Borrelia miyamotoi disease need to consider not only nymphs and adults, but larval I. scapularis as well.
Call Me Educated: Evidence from a Mobile Phone Experiment in Niger?

Abstract Teacher absenteeism is an important obstacle to sustained learning gains in many developing countries. We report the results from a randomized evaluation of an adult education program in Niger, which included an additional intervention designed to improve teacher accountability and students’ learning. Villages were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first was a two-year adult education program, with normal visits by non-governmental organization (NGO) and Ministry staff. The second included the same curriculum and visits as the first, but villages also received a mobile intervention: weekly phone calls to the teacher, village chief and two randomly selected students. The third was a pure control group, with no adult education program or calls. We find that both interventions improved students’ learning outcomes: across both years of the program, students in the standard adult education program increased their math and reading test scores by 0.19–0.22 s.d, respectively. The mobile phone intervention led to an additional increase in math and reading test scores of 0.12 and 0.15 s.d., with stronger effects amongst called students. We also address alternative threats to identification, namely, differential attrition and baseline imbalance, and find that the math results are robust across these different specifications. This suggests that using mobile phone technology as a means to communicate with teachers and students can improve learning outcomes, beyond its use as a pedagogical tool within the classroom.
Wave propagation effects possible in solid composite materials by use of stabilized negative-stiffness components

Abstract Effects possible on wave propagation in solid composite materials by use of a stabilized negative stiffness phase are explored. One composite treated is an infinite periodic laminate comprised of two different homogeneous, isotropic linear elastic phases, for which uniaxial strain perpendicular to the laminae applies. Longitudinal plane wave propagation in this direction is analyzed, showing that the composite is stable provided both phases have merely strongly elliptic moduli. By tuning the negative bulk modulus thus permitted in one phase, the no-pass zones between dispersion curves can be substantially enlarged, the initiation frequency of the lowest no-pass zone can be made to approach zero, and the bands of permitted propagating frequencies can be substantially diminished, as can the phase and group velocities of long-wavelength waves. When material damping is added via linear viscoelasticity, a tuned negative bulk modulus dramatically enhances wave amplitude attenuation. The second composite considered is a matrix containing a random distribution of spherical inclusions, both materials being homogeneous, isotropic and linear elastic. Applying our recent demonstration for dilute distributions that such inclusions can have a negative bulk modulus while the overall composite remains stable, J. R. Willis’ variational approach is employed to analyze mean longitudinal plane waves. For low frequency/long wavelength waves, a dilute distribution of such inclusions can significantly reduce the wave speed. The next order correction in a regular perturbation analysis in frequency captures wave amplitude attenuation. It shows that at a mere 3.6% volume fraction of inclusions having a negative bulk modulus well within the stable range, the attenuation term (appearing in an exponential) has over twice the value attainable by a random distribution of rigid spherical particles of any volume fraction. These results suggest an effective and efficient means of attenuating waves in elastic solids via elastic wave scattering, even without use of material damping.
A Truncating Germline Mutation of TINF2 in Individuals with Thyroid Cancer or Melanoma Results in Longer Telomeres.

Background: Our genome sequencing analysis revealed a frameshift mutation in the shelterin gene TINF2 in a large family with individuals affected with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and melanoma. Here, we further characterized the mutation and screened for coding variants in the 6 shelterin genes in 24 families. Methods: Sanger sequencing was performed to screen for the TINF2 mutation in the key family. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for TINF2 gene expression analysis. Exogenous expression and co-immunoprecipitation techniques were used for assessing TINF2 binding to TERF1. Relative telomere length (RTL) was quantified in DNAs from lymphocytes by using quantitative real-time PCR. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed in seven families with individuals affected with PTC and other cancer types. Screening for DNA variants in shelterin genes was performed by using whole genome sequencing data from 17 families and WES data from 7 further families. Results: The TINF2 mutation (TINF2 p.Trp198fs) showed complete co-segregation with PTC and melanoma in the key family. The mutation is not reported in databases and not identified in 23 other families we screened. The expression of TINF2 was borderline reduced in individuals with the mutation. The truncated TINF2 protein showed abolished binding to TERF1. The RTL in the individuals with the mutation was significantly longer when compared with those without the mutation from the same family as well as compared with 62 healthy controls. Among the 24 families, we identified 3 missense and 1 synonymous variant(s) in 2 shelterin genes (TINF2 and ACD). Conclusions: The rare frameshift mutation in the TINF2 gene and the associated longer telomere length suggest that dysregulated telomeres could be a mechanism predisposing to PTC and melanoma. DNA coding variants in shelterin genes are rare. Further studies are required to evaluate the roles of variants in shelterin genes in thyroid cancer and melanoma.
Association of relative brain age with tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and genetic variants

Brain age is a metric that quantifies the degree of aging of a brain based on whole-brain anatomical characteristics. While associations between individual human brain regions and environmental or genetic factors have been investigated, how brain age is associated with those factors remains unclear. We investigated these associations using UK Biobank data. We first trained a statistical model for obtaining relative brain age (RBA), a metric describing a subject’s brain age relative to peers, based on whole-brain anatomical measurements, from training set subjects (n = 5,193). We then applied this model to evaluation set subjects (n = 12,115) and tested the association of RBA with tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and genetic variants. We found that daily or almost daily consumption of tobacco and alcohol were both significantly associated with increased RBA (P < 0.001). We also found SNPs significantly associated with RBA (p-value < 5E-8). The SNP most significantly associated with RBA is located in MAPT gene. Our results suggest that both environmental and genetic factors are associated with structural brain aging.
Perioperative Outcomes for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair Based on Aneurysm Diameter

Background:Guidelines from the Society for Vascular Surgery recommend elective repair in asymptomatic patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) only if their diameter is greater than or equa...
A 0.5V-to-0.9V 0.2GHz-to-5GHz Ultra-Low-Power Digitally-Assisted Analog Ring PLL with Less Than 200ns Lock Time in 22nm FinFET CMOS Technology

This paper presents an ultra-low power digitally-assisted analog ring phase-locked loop (PLL) with a tunable switched capacitor loop filter. The PLL achieves a power efficiency of 0.213mW/GHz and FoM of -234.4dB at. 08V supply with only 200ns lock time at 100MHz reference clock. All the components are using a single supply voltage and it can operate from 0.5V to 0.9V supply with a wide output clock frequency range from 0.2GHz to 5GHz. At 0.5V supply, it can support 1.6GHz operation with very high power efficiency of 0.08m W/GHz. It can also support a wide reference clock frequency range from 20MHz to 200MHz. This low power design is suitable for System-on-Chip (SoC) and Internet-of- Things (IoT) processors.
MR-detectable metabolic biomarkers of response to mutant IDH inhibition in low-grade glioma.

Author(s): Molloy, Abigail R; Najac, Chloe; Viswanath, Pavithra; Lakhani, Aliya; Subramani, Elavarasan; Batsios, Georgios; Radoul, Marina; Gillespie, Anne Marie; Pieper, Russell O; Ronen, Sabrina M | Abstract: Mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1mut) are reported in 70-90% of low-grade gliomas and secondary glioblastomas. IDH1mut catalyzes the reduction of α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) to 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG), an oncometabolite which drives tumorigenesis. Inhibition of IDH1mut is therefore an emerging therapeutic approach, and inhibitors such as AG-120 and AG-881 have shown promising results in phase 1 and 2 clinical studies. However, detection of response to these therapies prior to changes in tumor growth can be challenging. The goal of this study was to identify non-invasive clinically translatable metabolic imaging biomarkers of IDH1mut inhibition that can serve to assess response. Methods: IDH1mut inhibition was confirmed using an enzyme assay and 1H- and 13C- magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) were used to investigate the metabolic effects of AG-120 and AG-881 on two genetically engineered IDH1mut-expressing cell lines, NHAIDH1mut and U87IDH1mut. Results: 1H-MRS indicated a significant decrease in steady-state 2-HG following treatment, as expected. This was accompanied by a significant 1H-MRS-detectable increase in glutamate. However, other metabolites previously linked to 2-HG were not altered. 13C-MRS also showed that the steady-state changes in glutamate were associated with a modulation in the flux of glutamine to both glutamate and 2-HG. Finally, hyperpolarized 13C-MRS was used to show that the flux of α-KG to both glutamate and 2-HG was modulated by treatment. Conclusion: In this study, we identified potential 1H- and 13C-MRS-detectable biomarkers of response to IDH1mut inhibition in gliomas. Although further studies are needed to evaluate the utility of these biomarkers in vivo, we expect that in addition to a 1H-MRS-detectable drop in 2-HG, a 1H-MRS-detectable increase in glutamate, as well as a hyperpolarized 13C-MRS-detectable change in [1-13C] α-KG flux, could serve as metabolic imaging biomarkers of response to treatment.