cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Selective Management of the Urethra at Time of Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repair: An Assessment of Postoperative Incontinence and Patient Satisfaction

Purpose: Management of the urethra in women without stress urinary incontinence during pelvic organ prolapse repair can be approached selectively or with a prophylactic suburethral sling. We report on patient satisfaction and outcomes in patients who underwent selective urethral management during pelvic organ prolapse repair.Materials and Methods: Patients undergoing repair of advanced apical and/or anterior compartment pelvic organ prolapse underwent prolapse reduction to screen for stress urinary incontinence. Patients with clinical, occult and urodynamic stress urinary incontinence underwent a sling procedure. Those without stress urinary incontinence did not undergo sling surgery. Patients completed responses to the UDI-6 (Urogenital Distress Inventory, PGI-I (Patient Global Impression of Improvement) and MESA (Medical, Epidemiological, and Social Aspects of Aging). Cost analysis of selective urethral management was completed.Results: A total of 42 patients met the study inclusion criteria and 30 comp...
A COMBINED FEATURE ENSEMBLE BASED MUTUAL INFORMATION SCHEME FOR ROBUST INTER-MODAL, INTER-PROTOCOL IMAGE REGISTRATION

In this paper we present a new robust method for medical image registration called combined feature ensemble mutual information (COFEMI). While mutual information (MI) has become arguably the most popular similarity metric for image registration, intensity based MI schemes have been found wanting in inter-modal and interprotocol image registration, especially when (1) significant image differences across modalities (e.g. pathological and radiological studies) exist, and (2) when imaging artifacts have significantly altered the characteristics of one or both of the images to be registered. Intensity-based MI registration methods operate by maximization of MI between two images A and B. The COFEMI scheme extracts over 450 feature representations of image B that provide additional information about A not conveyed by image B alone and are more robust to the artifacts affecting original intensity image B. COFEMI registration operates by maximization of combined mutual information (CMI) of the image A with the feature ensemble associated with B. The combination of information from several feature images provides a more robust similarity metric compared to the use of a single feature image or the original intensity image alone. We also present a computer-assisted scheme for determining an optimal set of maximally informative features for use with our CMI formulation. We quantitatively and qualitatively demonstrate the improvement in registration accuracy by using our COFEMI scheme over the traditional intensity based-Mi scheme in registering (1) prostate whole mount histological sections with corresponding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) slices; and (2) phantom brain T1 and T2 MRI studies, which were adversely affected by imaging artifacts
The effects of predation and unionid burrowing on bivalve communities in a Laurentian Great Lake coastal wetland

Unionid (Mollusca: Unionidae) densities have declined dramatically throughout the Laurentian Great Lakes after the introduction of dreissenid mussels (Mollusca: Dreissenidae). Recent surveys in some Great Lake coastal wetlands have found abundant unionid populations, but the factors that reduce zebra mussels on unionids in these habitats are not well understood. In 2001–2002, we tested effects of predation and unionid burrowing on corbiculids, sphaeriids and dreissenids in a Great Lake coastal wetland in western Lake Erie. In one experiment, we reduced access by molluscivores using exclosures with two mesh sizes (1.3 cm × 1.3 cm; 5 cm × 10 cm) and sampled bivalves after 15 months. Small mesh exclosures had higher numbers of dreissenids, Corbicula fluminea and sphaeriids (54.9, 3.8, 22.6 individuals/m2, respectively) than large mesh exclosures (0.0, 1.13, 0.13 individuals/m2, respectively) or open controls (0.3, 1.0, 0.1 individuals/m2, respectively). Numbers of dreissenids on C. fluminea were higher in small mesh exclosures (3.8 dreissenids/Corbicula) than in large mesh exclosures (0.1 dreissenids/Corbicula) or cageless controls (0␣dreissenids/Corbicula). In a second experiment, we held two species of live unionids (Leptodea fragilis, Quadrula quadrula) and immobile Pyganodon grandis shells in exclosures (2.5 cm × 2.5 cm mesh) with either 5 cm, 10 cm, or 20 cm deep sediments and sampled bivalves after 2 months. There were fewer dreissenids on L. fragilis than P. grandis shells, but there was no difference in the number of dreissenids on Q. quadrula and P. grandis shells. Numbers of attached dreissenids were higher inside (189–494 dreissenids/unionid) than outside (8–11 dreissenids/unionid) exclosures, and densities of sphaeriid and C. fluminea clams were also higher inside (21.8, 4.7 individuals/m2, respectively) than outside (0.4, 0.9 individuals/m2, respectively) exclosures. Numbers of attached dreissenids were higher on unionids that could burrow below the sediments (20 cm depth) than unionids in shallow sediments (5 cm depth) for unexplained reasons. Our data suggest that molluscivores can play a pivotal role in limiting numbers of bivalves including dreissenids in coastal wetlands.
Determination of the pathway for rhamnose biosynthesis in mycobacteria : cloning, sequencing and expression of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene encoding α-D-glucose-1-phosphate thymidylyltransferase

The mycobacterial cell wall core consists of an outer lipid layer of mycolic acids connected, via arabinogalactan polysaccharide, to an inner peptidoglycan layer. An α-L-rhamnopyranosyl residue has been shown to be a key component linking the mycolated arabinogalactan to the peptidoglycan and, therefore, the biosynthesis of L-rhamnose (Rha) in mycobacteria was investigated as the first step of developing inhibitors of its biosynthesis. Biochemical assays were used to show that dTDP-Rha was synthesized in Mycobacterium smegmatis from α-D-glucose 1-phosphate (α-D-Glc-1-P) and dTTP by the same four enzymic steps used by Escherichia coli and other bacteria. PCR primers based on consensus regions of known sequences of the first enzyme in this series, α-D-Glc-1-P thymidylyltransferase (RfbA) were used to amplify rfbA DNA from M. tuberculosis. The entire rfbA gene was then cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed a 31362 Da putative protein product which showed similarity to RfbA proteins of other bacteria (59% identity to that found in E. coli). Sequencing of DNA flanking the rfbA gene did not reveal any of the other rfb genes required for dTDP-Rha biosynthesis. Therefore, the four Rha biosynthetic genes are not clustered in M. tuberculosis. The enzymic activity of the sequenced gene product was confirmed by transformation of E. coli with pBluescript KS(–) containing the rfbA gene from M. tuberculosis. Analysis of enzyme extracts prepared from this transformant revealed an 11-fold increase in α-D-Glc-1-P thymidylyltransferase activity.
Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia, Osteopetrosis, Lymphedema, and Immunodeficiency in an Infant with Multiple Opportunistic Infections

Osteopetrosis, lymphedema, hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, and immunodeficiency (OL-HED-ID) is a rare X-linked disorder with only three reported prior cases in the English-language literature. We describe a case of OL-HED-ID in a male infant who initially presented with congenital lymphedema, leukocytosis, and thrombocytopenia of unknown etiology at 7 days of age. He subsequently developed gram-negative sepsis and multiple opportunistic infections including high-level cytomegalovirus viremia and Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia. The infant was noted to have mildly xerotic skin, fine sparse hair, and periorbital wrinkling, all features suggestive of ectodermal dysplasia. Skeletal imaging showed findings consistent with osteopetrosis, and immunologic investigation revealed hypogammaglobulinemia and mixed T- and B-cell dysfunction. Genetic testing revealed a novel mutation in the nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-KB) essential modulator (NEMO) gene, confirming the diagnosis of OL-HED-ID. Mutations in the NEMO gene have been reported in association with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia with immunodeficiency (HED-ID), OL-HED-ID, and incontinentia pigmenti. In this case, we report a novel mutation in the NEMO gene associated with OL-HED-ID. This article highlights the dermatologic manifestations of a rare disorder, OL-HED-ID, and underscores the importance of early recognition and prompt intervention to prevent life-threatening infections.
Least squares approach to constrained global optimization

The authors present a stochastic least squares approach to the problem of determining the global extremum of multivariable nonlinear objective functions subject to constraints. The approximate value of the global extremum is found by using a special transformation followed by least squares estimation. The corresponding optimal coordinates are derived by a neural network. >
Practical approach to MRI of female pelvic masses.

OBJECTIVE. Female pelvic masses have a broad differential diagnosis, including benign and malignant neoplasms and nonneoplastic entities. CONCLUSION. By using a systematic approach to the evaluation of a complex pelvic mass, including incorporating the clinical and surgical history, and by using multiparametric MRI to identify the anatomic origin, morphologic features, and tissue composition of a mass, a short meaningful differential diagnosis or definitive diagnosis can often be established.
The benefits and risks of aquacultural production for the aquarium trade

Production of animals for the aquarium hobbyist trade is a rapidly growing sector of the aquacultural industry, and it will continue to become more important as restrictions are placed on collecting animals for the wild. Currently, approximately 90% of freshwater fish traded in the hobbyist industry are captively cultured. However, for marine ornamentals, the reverse is true as only a handful of species is produced via aquaculture technology. Given the future importance of aquaculture production of ornamental species, it is important to elucidate the benefits and risks for this sector. Thus, here the production of ornamental species is compared to the production of food species. The most notable difference is that the marine coastal environment is not currently utilized in the production of ornamental species. Thus, public opposition will not be as great since there is no direct impact on the marine environment. In assessing the benefits and risks of ornamental aquaculture production, the cases where further development should and should not be pursued are developed. In general, aquaculture production of ornamental species should be pursued when species are difficult to obtain from the wild, breeding supports a conservation program, there is some environmental benefit or elimination of environmental damage via the breeding program, or to enhance the further production of domesticated species. Aquaculture production of ornamental species should be avoided when it would replace a harvest of wild animals that maintains habitat, a cultural benefit, or an economic benefit.
Fatigue damage control of mechanical systems

This paper presents the concept and architecture of a fatigue damage control system for mechanical structures. In contrast to the conventional cycle-based approach, fatigue damage is represented via nonlinear differential equations with respect to time in the state-variable setting. This damage model is compatible with the dynamic model of the plant, i.e. the process under operation and control, and the instantaneous damage rate depends on the current level of accumulated damage. The objective here is to achieve an optimized trade-off between dynamic performance and structural durability of the plant. This interdisciplinary effort requires augmentation of the system-theoretic techniques for decision making and control with governing equations and inequality constraints representing the fatigue damage properties of structural materials. The major challenge in the reported work is to characterize the fatigue damage generation process in mechanical structures and then utilize this information for synthesizing algorithms of performance optimization, robust control and risk assessment for plant operation.
Compiler-directed dynamic voltage/frequency scheduling for energy reduction in microprocessors

Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling of the CPU has been identified as one of the most effective ways to reduce energy consumption of a program. This paper discusses a compilation strategy that identifies scaling opportunities without significant overall performance penalty. Simulation results show CPU energy savings of 3.97%-23.75% for the SPECfp95 benchmark suite with a performance penalty of at most 2.53%.
Managing Software Assets in a Global Enterprise

The IBM Corp invents, develops and manufactures IT products, including computer systems and software, system networks, storage hardware and microelectronic products. The IBM CIO Global Infrastructure Architecture and Strategy (CIO GIAS) team is responsible for running and optimizing IBM's internal IT operations which include more than 500,000 users connecting to over 20,000 servers across 170 countries. The solution described below, implemented between 2008-2010, is a response to managing software licenses in one of the world's largest distributed enterprises.
Enzymatic Detachment of Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilms

The gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis is the most common cause of infections associated with catheters and other indwelling medical devices. S. epidermidis produces an extracellular slime that enables it to form adherent biofilms on plastic surfaces. We found that a biofilm-releasing enzyme produced by the gram-negative periodontal pathogen Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans rapidly and efficiently removed S. epidermidis biofilms from plastic surfaces. The enzyme worked by releasing extracellular slime from S. epidermidis cells. Precoating surfaces with the enzyme prevented S. epidermidis biofilm formation. Our findings demonstrate that biofilm-releasing enzymes can exhibit broad-spectrum activity and that these enzymes may be useful as antibiofilm agents.
CD11c+ CD11b+ Dendritic Cells Play an Important Role in Intravenous Tolerance and the Suppression of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

The central role of T cells in the induction of immunological tolerance against i.v. Ags has been well documented. However, the role of dendritic cells (DCs), the most potent APCs, in this process is not clear. In the present study, we addressed this issue by examining the involvement of two different DC subsets, CD11c+CD11b+ and CD11c+CD8+ DCs, in the induction of i.v. tolerance. We found that mice injected i.v. with an autoantigen peptide of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) developed less severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) following immunization with MOG peptide but presented with more CD11c+CD11b+ DCs in the CNS and spleen. Upon coculturing with T cells or LPS, these DCs exhibited immunoregulatory characteristics, including increased production of IL-10 and TGF-β but reduced IL-12 and NO; they were also capable of inhibiting the proliferation of MOG-specific T cells and enhancing the generation of Th2 cells and CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. Furthermore, these DCs significantly suppressed ongoing EAE upon adoptive transfer. These results indicate that CD11c+CD11b+ DCs, which are abundant in the CNS of tolerized animals, play a crucial role in i.v. tolerance and EAE and may be a candidate cell population for immunotherapy of autoimmune diseases.
Utilization of a Nonexplosive Test Bed for Flux-Compression-Generator Electroexplosive Opening Switches

Helical flux compression generators (HFCGs) of a 50-mm form factor have been shown to produce output energies on the order of ten times the seeded value and a typical deposited energy of 3 kJ into a 3-muH inductor. One way to drive a high-power microwave source with an HFCG is by power conditioning, such as an inductive energy storage system (IESS). The output performance of the IESS is contingent upon the opening switch scheme, usually an electroexplosive fuse. Our previous work involving fuse parameter characterization has established a baseline for potential fuse performance. In order to optimize the electroexplosive wire fuse, we have constructed a nonexplosive test bed which simulates the HFCG output with high accuracy. We have designed and implemented a capacitor-based magnetic switching scheme to generate the near-exponential rise of the HFCG. The use of the nonexplosive HFCG test bed will allow the verification of scalability of the fuse parameter model and also allow testing of exotic fuse materials. The nonexplosive test bed has provided a more efficient method for electroexplosive switch development and has allowed us to expand the study of opening switches. We will also discuss the a priori calculated baseline fuse design and compare the experimental results of the gold-wire-material with the silver-wire-material baseline design. With the results presented, an accurate PSpice model applicable to our 45-kA HFCG systems will be available.
Correlates of health promotion behaviors in low-income Black women and Latinas

BACKGROUND: Factors associated with practicing five health promotion behaviors (sleeping 7-8 hours per night, eating break-fast, exercising three times per week, and abstaining from alcohol and tobacco use) were identified in 243 low-income Black and Latina women whose children were enrolled in Head Start programs in South Central Los Angeles. METHODS: Based on previous studies, interviews with community leaders and health personnel, and focus groups with community residents, I designed and administered surveys to identify correlates of health promotion behaviors. We assessed demographic variables; knowledge, attitudes, and perceived barriers to health promotion behaviors; perceived susceptibility to disease and efficacy in determining health outcome; social and family support for health promotion; sources of health promotion information; interactions with health care providers; and quality of life in the community. RESULTS: Being Latina, having a low perceived susceptibility to cancer, and using leaflets and flyers as sources of health promotion information were associated with practicing more health promotion behaviors. Exposure to violence (having a family member killed) and perceptions of community health care workers as uncaring were associated with practicing fewer health promotion behaviors. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that a range of factors may be related to healthy and unhealthy lifestyles in low-income, ethnic minority women and that environmental stressors, such as exposure to violence, may significantly affect health promotion behavior in these groups. Language: en
Phonological Neighborhood Effects in Spoken Word Perception and Production

Research on spoken word perception and production has identified two hallmarks of spoken word processing: multiple activation of representations of the sound patterns of words in memory and subsequent competition among these patterns. Evidence for this activation-competition process has come, in part, from experimental studies examining the effects of phonological neighborhoods, which are collections of similar-sounding words that are activated in memory during both perception and production. In this article, we review more than 20 years of research on phonological neighborhood effects in spoken word processing that has demonstrated that the speed and accuracy of spoken word perception and production are, in large part, a function of the density and frequency of neighborhoods of spoken words. We conclude our review with a discussion of new avenues of research—based on recent advances in network science—that hold the promise of deepening our understanding of the mental operations involved in our uniquely h...
High-Temperature Reliability of Direct-Bond-Copper Substrates with Sealed Edges

Recent reports have shown the reliability of direct-bond-copper (DBC) substrates was significantly improved by sealing their edges with polymeric materials. In this work, DBC substrates with and without sealed edges had been prepared. Parylene HT and Nusil R-2188 had been chosen as sealing materials. Parylene HT was applied to the edges of the DBC by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and Nusil R-2188 by programmable fluid dispensing. The DBC substrates with and without sealed edges were cycled between −55°C to 200°C. The cycled substrates were monitored by optical microscope and scanning electron. DBC substrates whose edges were not sealed were found to fail in approximately 100 cycles. No failure was observed in DBC substrates coated with parylene HT before 300 cycles. Samples whose edges were sealed with Nusil R-2188 exhibited the highest lifetime under the thermal cycling condition of −55°C – 200°C. After 300 cycles, neither detachment of Nusil from DBC surfaces nor failure at Cu/Al2O3 interface was det...
Kinetic Equations and Error Analysis for the Cholesterol—Sulfuric Acid Reaction

Quantitative data reported in an earlier paper have been used to evaluate kinetic equations for the reaction of cholesterol with sulfuric acid in acetic acid—acetic anhydride medium. The equations satisfy experimental observations to within 6% over a wide range of experimental conditions. The equations have been used to justify mathematically the empirically developed measurement procedures described earlier and to predict the errors that can be expected for time and temperature uncertainties.
Cutting pice and running away : discipline, education and choice at the UMCA Boys' Industrial House, Zanzibar, 1901-1905

Missionary schools in colonial contexts were sites of asymmetrical power. Missionary teachers believed that they could reshape the worldview of their students, and the disciplinary regimes put in place were often harsh. However, as we can learn through a careful reading of the log book of the Boys' Industrial House on Zanzibar in the early twentieth century, the teachers of the Universities' Mission to Central Africa did not always have as much control over the minds and bodies of their students as they wished. The boys could run away, steal or use the ties formed at school to actively change their situations. In examining moments when the power dynamics shifted, one can seek a fuller view of authority, historical agency and daily existence at the mission school, and use this method to ask similar questions in other missionary and colonial contexts.
Effects of Water Provision and Hydration on Cognitive Function among Primary-School Pupils in Zambia: A Randomized Trial

There is a well-established link between hydration and improved cognitive performance among adults, with evidence of similar findings among children. No trials have investigated the impact of water provision on cognitive performance among schoolchildren in hot and arid low-resource settings. We conducted a randomized-controlled trial in five schools with limited water access in Chipata district in Eastern province, Zambia, to assess the efficacy of water provision on cognition. Pupils in grades 3–6 were randomly assigned to either receive a bottle of drinking water that they could refill throughout the day (water group, n = 149) or only have access to drinking water that was normally available at the school (control group, n = 143). Hydration was assessed in the morning before provision of water and in the afternoon through urine specific gravity (Usg) measured with a portable refractometer. In the afternoon we administered six cognitive tests to assess short-term memory, concentration, visual attention, and visual motor skills. Morning prevalence of dehydration, defined as Usg≥1.020, was 42%. Afternoon dehydration increased to 67% among the control arm and dropped to 10% among the intervention arm. We did not find that provision of water or hydration impacted cognitive test scores, although there were suggestive relationships between both water provision and hydration and increased scores on tests measuring visual attention. We identified key improvements to the study design that are warranted to further investigate this relationship. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01924546
Suppression with Acaricides of Twospotted Spider Mite Populations on Florida Strawberries

Suppression of Tetranychus urticae Koch populations on strawberries by acaricides was studied during the 1969, 1970, and 1971 seasons. Classes of compounds used were cyclic carbonate, organic phosphate, chlorinated hydrocarbon, carbamate, formamidine, sulfite, and Organotin. Superior population suppression was achieved with cyclic carbonate, sulfite, and organotin compounds at 4 ounces active ingredient per acre. The poor performance of chlorinated hydrocarbon and Organic phosphate compounds in suppressing populations suggests field resistance is present in the mites.
Abstractions for Practical Virtual Machine Replay

Efficient deterministic replay of whole operating systems is feasible and useful, so why isn't replay a default part of the software stack? While implementing deterministic replay is hard, we argue that the main reason is the lack of general abstractions for understanding and addressing the significant engineering challenges involved in the development of a replay engine for a modern VMM. We present a design blueprint---a set of abstractions, general principles, and low-level implementation details---for efficient deterministic replay in a modern hypervisor. We build and evaluate our architecture in Xen, a full-featured hypervisor. Our architecture can be readily followed and adopted, enabling replay as a ubiquitous part of a modern virtualization stack.
The Status That Troubled Me: Re-Examining Work With Black Boys Through a Culturally Sustaining Pedagogical Framework

To understand how one participant “engage[s] in social action to solve problems,” this research utilizes critical narrative analysis to illustrate how researchers may re-enter into critical convers...
Testing Social Norms as an Incentive to Active Transportation Behavior

Research exploring the behavioral dimensions that drive travel (Carrel, Ekambaram, Gaker, Sengupta, & Walker, 2012; Dugundji & Walker, 2005; Jariyasunant et al., 2015) has shown that social and psychological forces often play a role equal to price and economic levers (Ariely, 2008; Heyman & Ariely, 2004; Lin & Wang, 2014; Riggs, 2014, 2015; William Riggs & Kuo, 2015; Riggs & Kuo, 2014; Sherwin, Chatterjee, & Jain, 2014). Yet, more work is needed to evaluate how market vs. social nudges work together to influence active transportation decisions. For this study, roughly 500 participants were offered differing incentives in four identical trials. These randomly assigned incentives included various monetary amounts, a free gift, or a social nudge tapping into altruistic values (in this case, benefits to the environment). After tests for homogeneity, the results showed the social nudge had a high degree of effectiveness, when compared to both the financial incentives and gifts. Furthermore, the results indicated that mixing market and social norms caused both to be less effective. These findings suggest that fiscal incentive programs used to influence travel decisions may be lacking. In fact, this research suggests a focus on social norms and value provides alternative tools to facilitate greater changes in travel behaviors that nudge individuals to more healthy and climate-sensitive modes of travel.
The Limits of Relative Internalism

Relative views of practical reasoning are plausible because they intuitively explain how a reason belongs to, and can come to motivate, an agent. Because relative reasons are aligned so closely with desires, which are often taken to be either contrary to or outside the scope of reason, relative views have the heavy burden of providing a normative gap between reasons and the very desires they are relative to. Without that gap, it is not at all clear how a relative reason could guide or constrain action and not merely cause it. Relative reasons can seem like introspective thoughts about the desires one already has, which leaves proponents of relative views in the position of having to explain why one should satisfy one’s desires. After all, just because an agent has a desire, does not mean that he should satisfy it, and he will most likely admit this to himself in cases where he feels he is being tempted to do something that he should not do.
Keats and the Impersonal Craft of Writing

It has been characteristic of most commentary on Keats since Leigh Hunt described The Eve of St. Agnes in 1820 as a “picture” rather than a “story” to take recourse to some form to the language of the visual—painting, sculpture, particularly the genre of ekphrasis, and cinema (Matthews 172). While there are numerous studies investigating the lines of influence between Keats and the visual arts, the inclination to draw the parallel between Keats’s style and the various isual media is actually more fundamental and transpires almost inevitably and repeatedly in criticism.1 In addition to being filled with passing descriptions of and references to “tableaus” or “stills” in the poems, criticism on Keats often also makes recourse to the visual at the level of thesis. Christopher Ricks, for instance, writes of Keats’s “scopophilia”; Marjorie Levinson of his writing in “word-pictures”; Charles Rzepka of the “statuesque” quality of his figures; Jerome McGann of the way “To Autumn,” for instance, aspires to “pictorial silence”; Geoffrey Hartman of “frames” in the ode; Michael O’Neill of Keats’s “poetic cinema”; Helen Vendler regularly of “friezes” in all of the Odes; and Grant Scott of the way in which the genre of ekphrasis eventually becomes indistinguishable from Keats’s style and poetic point of view itself (Ricks 89; Levinson, Allegory 143; Rzepka 231; McGann 59; Hartmann, “Poem and Ideology” 130; O’Neill 117; Scott xiv).
Comparison of Spontaneous and Impulsive Stimulated Resonance Raman Excitation Profiles

Frequency-domain and time-domain resonance Raman spectroscopies are compared, with specific application to I3 - in acetonitrile.
Rare-Earth Dopant Effects on the Structural, Energetic, and Magnetic Properties of Alumina from First Principles

Density functional theory was used to study the effect of rare-earth dopants on the structure, phase stability, and magnetic properties of α- and θ-Al2O3. Lanthanide series rare-earth dopants (Pr, Nd, Gd, Er, and Yb) were considered at a doping concentration of 0.83 at.%. Incorporation of rare-earth dopants was found to increase the lattice parameters and exaggerate the local structural distortion around the dopant. The extent of local lattice distortion was correlated with the dopant ionic radii. The phase stability of rare-earth-doped Al2O3 was assessed by comparing cohesive and defect formation energies for doped and undoped α- and θ-Al2O3. Rare-earth dopants increased the relative stability of the metastable θ-Al2O3, although doped α-Al2O3 remained more stable. The total magnetic moment of the doped Al2O3 was shown to correlate with the number of unpaired electrons. The magnetic moment was also found to be strongly localized on the rare-earth dopant for Er, Gd, Nd, and Pr-doped Al2O3. In contrast, the Yb dopant induced a delocalized magnetic moment on ~80% of the oxygen atoms. These results further the understanding of dopant incorporation mechanisms, as well as the doping effect on phase stability and magnetic properties that may be applied to advanced field-assisted material synthesis and processing for enhanced properties.
Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration Pharmacology

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common form of irreversible blindness in the industrially developed world, can present years before a patient begins to lose vision. For most of these patients, AMD never progresses past its early stages to the advanced forms that are principally responsible for the vast majority of vision loss. Advanced AMD can manifest as either an advanced avascular form known as geographic atrophy (GA) marked by regional retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell death or as an advanced form known as neovascular AMD marked by the intrusion of fragile new blood vessels into the normally avascular retina. Physicians have several therapeutic interventions available to combat neovascular AMD, but GA has no approved effective therapies as of yet. In this chapter, we will discuss the current strategies for limiting dry AMD in patients. We will also discuss previous attempts at pharmacological intervention that were tested in a clinical setting and consider reasons why these putative therapeutics did not perform successfully in large-scale trials. Despite the number of unsuccessful past trials, new pharmacological interventions may succeed. These future therapies may aid millions of AMD patients worldwide.
4.20 – Alcohol Abuse: Endocrine Concomitants

Alcohol intake is a socially acceptable form of substance use. However, even moderate levels of intake are associated with changes in hormonal levels due to changes in production and clearance. Elevations in estradiol in premenopausal and postmenopausal women using hormone replacement therapy are well documented. Such changes may be responsible, in part, for elevated rates of breast cancer seen in women who drink alcohol. In addition, changes in the adrenal axis and prolactin levels have been described, but the effect of such alterations is unclear. Teratogenesis associated with alcohol use during pregnancy is common knowledge; however, even low levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy may have adverse effects on the fetus. In men, alcohol intake interferes with optimal testicular function, and in severe cases of alcohol use hypogonadism occurs. More work is needed to further elucidate the effect of alcohol on hormonal function in men and women.
The effects of single-walled carbon nanotubes on cancer cell migration using a pancreatic tumor model

Non-invasive laser immunotherapy (NLIT) is a viable alternative to traditional cancer treatment because it combines the photothermal and immunological effects of non-invasive laser irradiation and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) with an immunoadjuvant, glycated chitosan (GC). This combination forms SWNT-GC, a photosensitive immunoadjuvant, which creates a tumor-specific immunity that targets both the primary tumor and any metastasis. It is known that NLIT induces anti-tumor as well as anti-metastatic immune responses, but its immunological mechanism is not clear. The objective of this study is to clarify the role of SWNT-GC in cancer cell migration. Panc02 (non-metastatic) and Panc02-H7 (metastatic) pancreatic cancer cells were used in two-dimensional elastomer plug assays to observe the restriction of cell migration induced by SWNT, GC, and SWNT-GC individually. To replicate a three-dimensional in vivo study, a similar assay was repeated using embedded collagen lattices. Both the 2D and the 3D studies confirmed previous results indicating that GC inhibits cancer cell motility. The 2D and 3D studies also showed that SWNT-GC inhibited the migration of cancer cells, but a discrepancy was observed regarding the effect of SWNT alone. The 2D model concluded that SWNT inhibited migration while the 3D model determined that SWNT promoted migration. The results of this study will guide future work to determine the mechanism behind NLIT, including how metastases are eradicated and how the tumor specific immunity is created.
Utility of ultrasound examination at 10-14 weeks prior to cell-free DNA screening for fetal aneuploidy.

Objective To estimate the frequency of unexpected first-trimester ultrasound findings that would alter prenatal management in pregnant women eligible for cell-free (cf) DNA screening because of advanced maternal age (AMA). Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of all AMA women at a tertiary care center who had a 10–14-week ultrasound examination between 1 January 2012 and 27 April 2015. Information on pregnancy dating, obstetric ultrasound examination, prenatal screening and genetic testing were collected from a perinatal database. The primary outcome was an unexpected ultrasound finding in the first trimester that would alter the prenatal screening/testing strategy. Results In total, 2337 women met the inclusion criteria, with a total of 2462 fetuses. Sixty-eight (2.9%) women had an anomalous fetus, of which 44 (64.7%) had diagnostic testing. In the entire cohort, a non-viable pregnancy was identified in 153 (6.5%) women. Multiple gestation was identified in 32 (1.4%) women; five had a cotwin demise. Gestational dating was revised for 126 (5.4%) women. Among those who opted for aneuploidy screening (n = 1806), 68.5% had cfDNA screening and 31.5% had first-trimester screening by analysis of maternal serum biomarkers and nuchal translucency thickness. Among those eligible for cfDNA screening, 16.1% (95% CI, 15.0–18.0%; 377/2337) had an ultrasound finding (anomaly, incorrect dating, multiple gestation, non-viable pregnancy) at the time of testing that would have altered the provider's counseling regarding the prenatal screening/testing strategy. Conclusions A substantial proportion of AMA women eligible for cfDNA screening have fetal ultrasound findings that could alter genetic testing strategy and clinical management. This study recommends ultrasound examination prior to cfDNA screening in AMA women. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
When asteroids attack: an introduction to see to develop student interest in HLA

The Simulation Exploration Experience (SEE) is an annual, inter-university, distributed simulation challenge led by NASA. A primary objective is to provide a platform for college students to work in highly dispersed teams to design, develop, test, and execute a simulated lunar mission using High Level Architecture. During the SEE in 2016, 19 federates developed by student teams from three continents successfully joined the federation and collaborated to accomplish a lunar mission. The MWSU team first participated in SEE 2016 by developing a communication satellite federate which broadcast an alert about the incoming of an asteroid to physical entities on the surface of the moon. This paper describes SEE, High Level Architecture, the NASA and other team federates, the MWSU Sim Team experience, lessons learned and recommendations for future teams.
Gold Nanoclusters: Size-Controlled Synthesis and Crystal Structures

One of the major goals in nanoparticle research is to investigate their unique properties not seen in bulk materials or small molecules. In this chapter, we focus on a new class of gold nanoparticles (often called nanoclusters) that possess atomic precision (as opposed to conventional nanoparticles with a size distribution). The synthetic methods for obtaining atomically precise thiolate-protected gold nanocluters are first discussed, followed by the anatomy of the X-ray crystal structures of gold nanoclusters.
Rainfall Excess Model from Soil Water Flow Theory

The complex computer-dependent solution of the partial differential equation for unsaturated soil moisture flow (often called Richard) equation has been used to develop a relatively simple parametric description of the performance of a variety of soils under various rainfall input rates and patterns, and initial moisture contents. This equivalent parameterized description is expressed in terms of an infiltration model, termed SEQM, that is dependent on accumulated soil water. The SEQM model is incorporated in a kinematic model of 6 x 12 ft. plot rainfull-runoff response, and its predictions are compared with those of an empirical model of infiltration (INFIL) developed by the USDA Hydrograph Laboratory. The results emphasize: the practical utility of the model and its potential advantages over comparable empirical models; and the inadequate sensitivity of equipment currently used to measure rainfull and runoff from small plots.
SP0049 Head games with gca and gcs

Case 1: This is a 65 y/o woman with osteoporosis, depression and recently diagnosed polymyalgia rheumatica characterised by shoulder and hip girdle pain and stiffness with elevated inflammatory markers. She developed recurrent symptoms and new-onset jaw and tongue claudication in the setting of a prednisone taper. She was found to have a bulging right temporal artery and biopsy confirmed giant cell arteritis. She was placed on prednisone 60 mg daily with resolution of her symptoms, but developed worsening symptoms of depression and anxiety with insomnia on high dose prednisone. She subsequently attempted suicide by intentional medication overdose and carbon monoxide poisoning. She was admitted to the psychiatry ward and additionally found to have a varicella zoster skin rash. Upon resolution of the zoster infection she was started on tocilizumab by subcutaneous injection weekly and prednisone was successfully tapered over 4.5 months without recurrence of symptoms. Case 2: This is a 63 y/o man with ITP on monthly rituximab and chronic prednisone 10 mg daily, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and osteoarthritis who developed worsening shoulder and neck pain for two months with more recent onset of scalp tenderness and left-sided vision changes for two weeks. He was found to have left optic neuropathy, elevated inflammatory markers, and an MRI demonstrating enhancement of the left temporal artery. Left temporal artery biopsy was normal. He was given pulse dose intravenous methylprednisolone for suspected giant cell arteritis and transitioned to high dose oral prednisone with improvement in musculoskeletal symptoms, inflammatory markers and stabilisation of his vision. He subsequently developed insomnia, hyperactivity and talkativeness and was diagnosed with steroid-induced mania, which improved with antipsychotics and benzodiazepines as per the psychiatry service. He was discharged home and after three days developed new vision loss of the right eye on prednisone 60 mg daily. On exam, he was found to have progressive visual field loss of the left eye and new inferior visual field loss of the right eye with disc oedema of the right optic nerve. Right temporal artery biopsy was negative. He was again given pulse dose intravenous methylprednisolone followed by oral methylprednisolone and ultimately received tocilizumab intravenously prior to discharge. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Firm Performance in the Hospitality Industry: Do CEO Attributes and Compensation Matter?:

Past research has shown mixed results regarding the role CEO compensation plays in influencing firm financial performance in the hospitality industry. To explore this relationship further, we conco...
Citizenship and Education in Post-industrial Societies

As societies around the world grow ever more diverse with respect to ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds of their members, a common civic identity becomes the tie that holds them together in democratic polities. Civic identity is not to be confounded with national citizenship, which is based on the place of a person’s birth (jus soli) or derived from the citizenship of one’s parents (jus sanguinis), respectively acquired by people without a birthright to national citizenship through naturalization. By contrast to such a legal construct of citizenship, civic identity emanates from the commitment that members of society make to commonly accepted values and virtues. From a legal standpoint, one can distinguish between the status of citizens and other residents, mostly with respect to the right to vote and to be elected to certain offices. Civic identity, however, has to be acquired by both categories of residents in a dynamic process of personal development if it should become the glue that holds political communities together. In this respect, one has to differentiate between formal citizenship, understood as a legal status, and realized citizenship as full participation in a democratic polity (Wagner, 2008a). It is through education—both formal and informal—that people living together in a society learn to effectively identify with their role asmembers of a polity and to access the resources necessary to realize their citizenship. As a lever for social inclusion, realized citizenship requires active participation in society, rather than merely passive membership. Hence, all residents of a country should become involved in an arduous learning process, through which they acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to become effective and active citizens in the family, at school, on the job, and through leisure and cultural activities. Over the last couple of years, the idea that citizenship and education are intertwined concepts has got increasing recognition, not only from national governments but also in the arena of international institutions. The Council of
Chapter 1 Developmental instability and phenotypic variation in neural organization

Abstract Developmental instability (DI), the imprecise expression of the genetic plan for development due to the introduction of developmental noise, appears to contribute substantially to individual variations in handedness, functional hemispheric asymmetries for cognitive tasks, and cortical asymmetries, including atypical asymmetry of the planum temporale. The nature of the genetic and environmental factors underlying developmental instability provides insights into the selection factors that maintain population genetic diversity related to individual variation in functional and anatomic asymmetry. The DI perspective helps account for associations between atypical asymmetries and neurodevelopmental disorders, and more generally, offers a genetic and evolutionary framework for understanding individual variation in human brain organization.
Health, Disease, and Persons: Well-Being in a Post-Modern World

There is no generic human well-being. All actual human well-being has content and is specific. This is the case because well-being is contextual and there are numerous contexts within which human well-being can be defined. This is also the case because well-being must be specified in terms of a particular content-full understanding of values or human flourishing. To talk concretely of well-being is to specify a context and to accent some values over others, to endorse certain notions of appropriate human projects over others. Because there are divergent contexts within which to understand human well-being and because there are diverse accounts, understandings, and rankings of values and of appropriate human projects, a scrutiny of notions of health and disease reveals that they are in the plural.1 There are numerous competing accounts of the good life and of human flourishing. This plurality is reflected in the numerous understandings and construals of health and disease.2 The role of culture-dependent values in these differences is accented when particular understandings of disease and health are incorporated with health-care systems that must inevitably embody decisions as to what states of affairs should be the focus of appropriate medical concern and medical treatment.3 The framing of an all-encompassing societal health care system inevitably discloses tensions among competing accounts of health and disease.