cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
NATURE PRESERVES AND COMMUNITY CONFLICT: A CASE STUDY IN HIGHLAND ECUADOR

Studies of protected areas and their local communities are often framed in terms of "top-down" versus "bottom-up" development strategies. Such studies frequently emphasize the importance of grassroots involvement and organization on the part of local communities. Externally-driven, "top-down" models have been criticized as insensitive to local resource needs. This paper examines local participation in ecological preserve management in northern highland Ecuador and the limitations of development models as applied to the planning and management of protected areas. Local residents, preserve managers, and government officials were interviewed and census and archival research was conducted both in Ecuador and the U.S.A. In one preserve, locally-based, grassroots management has led to community factionalization and conflict regarding use of the protected area. At a second preserve, the "top-down" approach has resulted in a protected area which, while efficiently managed, is functionally isolated from its surrounding communities. It is argued here that an overemphasis on conventional grassroots and "top-down" development and management models is unsatisfactory. Managers of protected areas should look to the linkages between these approaches and attempt to build partnerships between large- and small-scale organizations and objectives.
Testing the Effects of People, Processes, and Technology on Ballistic Evidence Processing Productivity

Automated ballistic imaging technology is a potentially effective tool for improving the investigation and prosecution of violent crime involving guns. This technology enables crime laboratories an...
036 Development of A Statewide Guidelines Program Using The ADAPTE Framework

Background The legislature passed comprehensive health reform legislation in 2009 directing the state to “set standards for safe and effective care”, including development of “best practice guidelines and standards that can be uniformly applied across public and private health care”. Objectives Develop guideline methodology and guidelines for statewide clinicians and payers. Methods Employed ADAPTE framework for guideline development. Initial guidelines selected for development included three low back pain (LBP) topics: general evaluation and management of LBP (results described below), advanced imaging for LBP, and percutaneous interventions for LBP. Existing (seed) guidelines identified by searching 17 databases. Quality evaluated using modified AGREE II instrument. Multidisciplinary guideline development group selected and adapted seed guidelines. Stakeholder, peer review and public comments were solicited. Results Thirteen seed guidelines were identified and 10 met minimal inclusion criteria for LBP evaluation and management topic. Dual quality rating found five of good or fair quality. Final seed guideline selected based on quality and scope. Key recommendations were adopted for state Medicaid programme, including conservative and chiropractic care only in first month and no advanced imaging without clinical “red flags”. A consumer booklet was developed and distributed to consumer, provider, and payer groups. Over 2500 booklets were distributed, with over 11,000 page views on the website. The initial guideline process took over one year to complete. Discussion Starting a new multi-stakeholder guideline development programme requires substantial investments of methodological expertise, staff time, funds and political capital, but can substantially impact state health policy decisions.
Epidemiological Analysis of Measles in Chuzhou in 2004

Objective To understand characteristics of measles epidemiology in Chuzhou so as to find effective strategies for measles control.Methods Retrospective analysis of 175 measles cases in 2004 was made.Results The results showed that the average measles incidence rate in 2004 was 4.04 per hundred thousand,higher than that of 1999~2003.The prevalent season was from March to July.The incidence of measles between 0~2 years old and between 7~9 years old groups were higher than that of the other age groups.40.5% of the total measles cases were immunized,12.5%cases were not immunized and 44.0% had not vaccination records.Conclusion It was necessary to strengthen the basic and the intensive immunity of measles vaccine to improve the coverage.Expand immunity for the older group should also be considered.
Enhanced Sedimentation in Vessels Having Inclined Walls. The Boycott Effect

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the Boycott effect and discusses the enhanced sedimentation in vessels that have inclined walls. Sedimentation of a suspension in a settling vessel that has inclined walls can occur much faster than in a corresponding vertical system, especially when the aspect ratio of these vessels is large. The chapter presents a theoretical model based on the principles of continuum mechanics, which offers a basic understanding of the mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon. Following the test of the theoretical model, in particular, it has been seen that tall, narrow vessels not only give the largest enhancement in the settling rate but also significantly increase the stability of such systems. It has also been seen that in certain cases, the interface between the clear-fluid slit and the suspension becomes wavy. The occurrence of such instability limits the efficiency of the inclined settling process, especially when the waves break.
The Attouch-Wets and Hausdorff Metric Topologies

In the previous chapter we introduced the Wijsman topology on the closed subsets CL(X) of a metrizable space, which may be viewed as the topology that CL(X) inherits from (CX,R),equipped with the topology of pointwise convergence, under the identification A ↔ d(· ,A). By equicontinuity of distance functionals, no stronger subspace topology results if the compact-open topology replaces the topology of pointwise convergence. In this chapter, we consider stronger (metrizable) topologies on C(X,R) and the topologies they induce on CL(X) : the topology of uniform convergence and the topology of uniform convergence on bounded subsets of X. The resulting hyperspace topologies on CL(X) are called the Hausdorff metric topology and the Attouch-Wets topology.
Secondary organic aerosol formation by limonene ozonolysis: Parameterizing multi-generational chemistry in ozone- and residence time-limited indoor environments

Abstract Terpene ozonolysis reactions can be a strong source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) indoors. SOA formation can be parameterized and predicted using the aerosol mass fraction (AMF), also known as the SOA yield, which quantifies the mass ratio of generated SOA to oxidized terpene. Limonene is a monoterpene that is at sufficient concentrations such that it reacts meaningfully with ozone indoors. It has two unsaturated bonds, and the magnitude of the limonene ozonolysis AMF varies by a factor of ∼4 depending on whether one or both of its unsaturated bonds are ozonated, which depends on whether ozone is in excess compared to limonene as well as the available time for reactions indoors. Hence, this study developed a framework to predict the limonene AMF as a function of the ozone [O 3 ] and limonene [lim] concentrations and the air exchange rate (AER, h −1 ), which is the inverse of the residence time. Empirical AMF data were used to calculate a mixing coefficient, β , that would yield a ‘resultant AMF’ as the combination of the AMFs due to ozonolysis of one or both of limonene's unsaturated bonds, within the volatility basis set (VBS) organic aerosol framework. Then, β was regressed against predictors of log 10 ([O 3 ]/[lim]) and AER (R 2 = 0.74). The β increased as the log 10 ([O 3 ]/[lim]) increased and as AER decreased, having the physical meaning of driving the resultant AMF to the upper AMF condition when both unsaturated bonds of limonene are ozonated. Modeling demonstrates that using the correct resultant AMF to simulate SOA formation owing to limonene ozonolysis is crucial for accurate indoor prediction.
A fast algorithm for the elimination of common subexpressions

There is a class of flow charts called "reducible" for which many global code optimization algorithms have been recently written. As a practical matter, one may expect the flow chart of a program appearing "in nature" to be reducible with a probability over 90% [3], and those that are not can be made reducible by "node splitting" [10]. Unfortunately, the algorithms written for reducible graphs do not really take advantage of reducibility, since they require O(n2) bit vecter steps in worst case, the same as for the obvious general algorithms of these types. In this paper we give an O(n log n) bit vecter step algorithm to determine "available expressions," [7]. This information is essential for global elimination of common subexpressions. However, the ideas discussed here carry over to other global code optimization problems such as "reaching definitions" [1], "live variables" [9] and "very busy variables" [6].
SmartPin - An Automated Multi-Function Liquid Dispensing System

In this paper, the implementations of micro-line drawing function of the SmartPin is discussed. SmartPin is a self- sensing liquid aspiring/dispensing pin originally intended for DNA/protein microarray applications. For non-contact, computer controlled drawing of microlines and other features, two approaches, the spot-sequence and liquid-column-sweeping are considered and tested. Multi-threading real time control implementation is discussed along with operation specifics. Drawing capability of the SmartPin is experimentally verified by generating 2-mm lines and 1 mm-side squares with 3xSSC salt buffer solution of 0.3% fluorescent Cy-3 dye. Scan results confirm the non-contact, micron-sized drawing capability of the SmartPin.
Health Care Needs and Care Utilization Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations in New Jersey

The purpose of this study was to explore prevalent health issues, perceived barriers to seeking health care, and utilization of health care among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations in New Jersey. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 438 self-identified LGBT people. Results identified health needs, which included management of chronic diseases, preventive care for risky behaviors, mental health issues, and issues related to interpersonal violence. Barriers to seeking health care included scarceness of health professionals competent in LGBT health, inadequate health insurance coverage and lack of personal finances, and widely dispersed LGBT inclusive practices making transportation difficult. There is a need for better preparation of health care professionals who care for LGBT patients, to strengthen social services to improve access and for better integration of medical and social services.
Ultrahigh-Data-Rate Communication and Efficient Wireless Power Transfer at 13.56 MHz

Wireless power transfer (WPT) has gained renewed interest due to emerging low-power applications and high efficiency. Coupled with power in many applications is the need for communication, whether for regulation of power transfer or for transfer of information between the source and the load. Several communication methods have been proposed for use with WPT, including adjacent channel communication (non-WPT), as well as WPT-based methods, such as load modulation and passive backscattering. However, approaches using the WPT link have historically been low-speed (<;400 kb/s). In this letter, we report on an ultrahigh data-rate (3.39 Mb/s) communication method that utilizes the WPT link for both power and data transfer, operating at 13.56 MHz, capable of 3.39 Mb/s data transfer with an efficiency reduction of only <;2%.
Toughening of nanocelluose/PLA composites via bio-epoxy interaction: Mechanistic study

Abstract While PLA possesses modest to good strength and stiffness, broader application is hindered by its brittle nature. The aim of this study was to develop strong and tough polymeric materials from renewable biomaterials and understand the underlying interactions and mechanisms. Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) were compounded with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) to create a PLA-CNF-ESO tertiary nanocomposite system. Tensile and dynamic mechanical analyses were performed to see how variations in ESO and CNF content affect mechanical properties such as strength, modulus, ductility, and toughness. It was found that at low CNF levels (10 wt%) the addition of ESO can improve the ductility of the nanocomposites 5- to 10-fold with only slight losses in strength and modulus, while at higher CNF levels (20 and 30 wt%), ESO exhibited little effect on mechanical properties, possibly due to percolation of CNFs in the matrix, dominating stress transfer. Therefore, it is important to optimize CNF and ESO amounts in composites to achieve materials with both high strength and high toughness. Efforts have been made to understand the underlying mechanisms of the mechanical behavior of one class of these composites via thermal, dynamic mechanical, rheological, morphological, and Raman analyses.
The development of a relational orientation to consultants amongst project managers

This paper explores changes in the attitudes of managers at a state transportation agency towards working with professional service consultants over time. The development of a relational orientation amongst agency managers is explored, i.e. managerial styles recognizing greater interdependence and emphasizing trust, partnership and collaboration over formal procedures and monitoring. Case studies of two points in time (2003 and 2007) are presented using semi-structured interviews and survey data. The evidence demonstrates growing patterns of interdependence and the structural and procedural adaptations made by the agency. Corresponding difference in means tests demonstrate patterns of change in relational orientation over time.
Incorporating Critical Qualitative Inquiry in Nonprofit Management Education

Nonprofit Management Education has a unique opportunity to incorporate critical qualitative inquiry into curriculum to better prepare its graduates for civil society. Critical qualitative inquiry centers the role of power in understanding social situations through methodological approaches. Five elements of critical qualitative inquiry are presented: informed by past and present contexts, problematizing power, instruments for social change and action, methodological approaches for communities, and social just research. How to apply critical qualitative inquiry into nonprofit education curriculum is provided to support student learning, and encourage alternative and more critical approaches to the field.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Rediscovering the Importance of Noncoding RNA in Human Malignancy.

At the time of its construction in the 1950s, the central dogma of molecular biology was a useful model that represented the current state of knowledge for the flow of genetic information after a period of prolific scientific discovery. Unknowingly, it also biased many of our assumptions going forward. Whether intentional or not, genomic elements not fitting into this paradigm were deemed unimportant and emphasis on the study of protein-coding genes prevailed for decades. The phrase “Junk DNA,” first popularized in the 1960s, is still used with alarming frequency to describe the entirety of noncoding DNA. It has since become apparent that RNA molecules not coding for protein are vitally important in both normal development and human malignancy. Cancer researchers have been pioneers in determining noncoding RNA function and developing new technologies to study these molecules. In this review, we will discuss well known and newly emerging species of noncoding RNAs, their functions in cancer, and new technologies being utilized to understand their mechanisms of action in cancer. Cancer Res; 78(9); 2149–58. ©2018 AACR .
Posterior Leg Bruising After Sprinting

A 48-year-old male presented to the emergency department with enlarging regions of ecchymoses over the posterior aspect of both legs (Figure 1). Four days earlier he had the sudden onset of severe achy hamstring pain during a 50-yard sprint. He denied weakness, similar prior episodes, or bleeding abnormalities. Both lower extremities had full range of motion, no loss of strength, a normal knee exam, and moderate distal hamstring tenderness without swelling or palpable soft tissue defects. A complete blood cell count, prothrombin time, and partial thromboplastin time were all normal. Clinically, this patient had suffered a second-degree hamstring strain.
Kinetics of Biomass Pyrolysis with Radiant Heating

The objective of this work was to study the process of cellulose pyrolysis and to obtain useful values of the rate constant and the heat of reaction by using dynamic, radiantly heated thermogravimetric analysis.
Laguerre-Gauss Beams for Test Mass Thermal Noise Reduction

Test mass thermal noise was not a dominant noise source in the first generation of gravitational wave detectors. However, with the upgrade to second generation detectors, a factor of 10 increase in sensitivity in the whole frequency band is aimed for, and at such improved sensitivities thermal noise is expected to be one of the major limiting noise sources. The Brownian thermal noise in particular is expected to be of sufficient magnitude to obscure gravitational wave signals around the 100 Hz region in the advanced detectors, unless new techniques are employed to reduce the effect. This point is illustrated in the projected sensitivity of the Advanced LIGO detector, shown in Fig. 2.1. From the second generation onwards therefore, advancements in other areas of the interferometers, such as the implementation of higher laser powers, will make a limited impact in the 100 Hz region unless the thermal noise of the test masses can be reduced. Research into methods for reducing the effects of this noise source is therefore of paramount importance to the gravitational wave community.
TiO(OH)2 can exceed the critical limit of conventional CO2 sorbents: modification needed for high capacity and selectivity

High-performance CO2 sorbents typically contain both alkaline compounds and inert supporting materials. The convention is broken by TiO(OH)2. The CO2 sorption capacity of nanostructured TiO(OH)2 reaches 6.1 mmol g-1, while its CO2 sorption selectivity for CO2/N2 mixtures is much higher than that of state-of-the-art sorbents, activated carbon and zeolite, which is another surprise.
Improving informed breast cancer systemic treatment decision-making.

225Background: Decision making for adjuvant chemotherapy is increasingly complicated for women with a new diagnosis of early stage breast cancer. Few decision tools are designed to help support informed systemic treatment decision-making, by improving knowledge and decision quality. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a tailored, comprehensive (locoregional and systemic treatment) and interactive decision tool (iCanDecide), compared with static online information. 537 newly diagnosed, early stage breast cancer patients were enrolled from 22 surgical practices. Participants were surveyed 5 weeks (N = 496; RR 92%) and those eligible for systemic treatment (N = 358) again at 9 months (N = 307; RR 88%). The main outcome for this analysis was knowledge about systemic treatment using 4 true/false items, categorized into high (3- 4 correct) vs. low (0-2 correct). We also assessed subjective decision quality (SDQ) for chemotherapy on a 5-point scale and dichotomized into high (4-5) vs. lo...
First-principles study of phase stability of bcc X Zn ( X = Cu , Ag, and Au) alloys

First-principles density-functional theory is used to study the phase stability/instability and anomalies in the formation of the high-temperature bcc phases of $X\mathrm{Zn}$ ($X$ = Cu, Ag, and Au) alloys. Although from perhaps a naive point of view, their properties are expected to monotonically depend on the noble-metal ($X$) column position in the periodic table, this is not the case. For example, the middle-column AgZn alloy has a lower bcc order-disorder (critical) temperature than the CuZn and AuZn alloys above and below in the column. It is shown that this and other nonmonotonic behaviors can be explained in terms of a competition between atomic-size effects and $X$-atom $d$-orbital spatial extent. For example, charge-density studies and pair-potential modeling of $X\mathrm{Zn}$ alloys show that the effective Ag-Zn bond is significantly weaker than either the Cu-Zn or Au-Zn bond at their respective equilibrium lattice constants. We find that an increased atomic-core size effect initially weakens the $X$-Zn bonding as one goes from CuZn to AgZn, but then the larger $d$-orbital spatial extent for higher principal quantum numbers becomes a more dominant effect and increases the bonding from AgZn to AuZn. This study is focused on the highly symmetric cubic high-temperature phases, where relative bond-strength magnitudes should be far more important than any bond-directionality effects; the lattice parameters, bulk moduli, elastic constants, Debye temperatures, heats of formation, and order-disorder temperatures for the bcc phases of the three $X\mathrm{Zn}$ alloys are calculated and compared with experiment.
Prediction Models for Febrile Infants: Time for a Unified Field Theory

* Abbreviations: ANC — : absolute neutrophil count CBC — : compete blood count CRP — : C-reactive protein CSF — : cerebrospinal fluid ED — : emergency department IBI — : invasive bacterial infection PCT — : procalcitonin Clinicians caring for young febrile infants have struggled with risk stratification algorithms for invasive bacterial infections (IBIs) (bacteremia and/or bacterial meningitis) for decades1–5 because of the tension between not wanting to miss infants with IBIs yet not wanting to over-test and over-treat these vulnerable infants.6,7 Risk stratification algorithms using compete blood counts (CBCs) with or without cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) data, developed in the 1980s and 1990s, have several limitations: (1) laboratory thresholds were not derived by statistical methods, resulting in suboptimal test accuracies; (2) algorithm precision was limited by the relatively few infants with IBIs; (3) the epidemiology of IBIs has changed in the past decades8–10 with an increase in Escherichia coli and a decrease in group B Streptococcus infections due to perinatal screening; (4) algorithm specificity has been insufficient to limit the use of lumbar punctures, empirical antibiotics, and hospitalizations; and (5) newer biomarkers, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and particularly procalcitonin (PCT), are substantially more sensitive than the CBC for detecting infants with these infections.7,11,12 In a well-conducted retrospective case-control analysis from 11 emergency departments (EDs) between 2011 … Address correspondence to Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 2315 Stockton Blvd, PSSB Suite 2100, Sacramento, CA 95817. E-mail: nkuppermann{at}ucdavis.edu
Jupiter's Red Spot in 1966-1967

Abstract Photographic observations of Jupiter's Red Spot between 15 August 1966 and 13 June 1967 are reported. The 3-month oscillation of the Red Spot's longitude was again observed. An outbreak of activity on the South Equatorial and South Temperate Belts has caused the Red Spot to fade and decrease in size.
Effect of Purity, Surface Modification and Iron Coating on Ignition and Combustion of Boron in Air

Combustion characteristics of boron powders with varying purity, surface treatment and iron dopant loadings were investigated. Particles were ignited by a CO2 laser and burned in air. Commercial 95...
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation and current restricted food expenditures: implications for policy.

Objective: National concerns over food insecurity and obesity have prompted legislation seeking to further restrict Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purchases. The objective of this study is to provide insight on the potential impact of proposed purchase restrictions by comparing SNAP participant and income-eligible non-participants’ expenditures on current SNAP-restricted foods, that is, hot foods, prepared foods, alcohol, vitamins and meal supplements. Design: Cross-sectional study. Bivariate analysis and multivariable regression analysis with an instrumental variables approach were employed to compare the probability of purchasing and expenditures on current SNAP-restricted foods among SNAP participants and income-eligible non-participants. Setting: National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey, 2012–2013. Participants: 2513 households, of which 1316 were SNAP participants and 1197 were income-eligible non-participants. Results: Both the share of households purchasing and household expenditures on current SNAP-restricted foods were similar among SNAP participants and income-eligible non-participants. Conclusions: Results provide further empirical evidence that proposed SNAP purchase restrictions on sugar-sweetened beverages, snack foods and luxury foods are unlikely to have a meaningful effect on SNAP household food purchases.
New robust self-consistent homogenization schemes of elasto-viscoplastic polycrystals

Abstract Three novel and robust homogenization schemes for polycrystals deforming in the elasto-viscoplastic regime are proposed, two of them of the self-consistent type and the other combining self-consistent and Mori-Tanaka methods. In addition, a non-incremental interaction equation for an elasto-viscoplastic inhomogeneity problem is also derived. Second moments of stress and strain field distributions within the grains are estimated using the algorithms developed for linear heterogeneous materials. A thorough description of the approximations, methodology and algorithms involved is given, and, using the case of a copper polycrystal, it is shown that the proposed methods obey the elastic and viscoplastic limits. The new homogenization schemes are then applied to the case of tension of stainless steel, including the prediction of intragranular averages and standard deviations of lattice strains. These predictions are compared to published experimental measurements and corresponding full-field polycrystal plasticity results. Acceptable agreement of the predicted grain-averaged lattice strains with both experiments and full-field results was observed, while the calculated standard deviations of lattice strains matched well only with the full-field predictions.
A Mixed-Methods Assessment of Health Care Providers' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Around Fertility Awareness-Based Methods in Title X Clinics in the United States.

Objective: To understand how Title X providers currently engage with fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) for pregnancy prevention in Title X clinics across the United States. Materials and Methods: We developed a survey to assess knowledge of fertility for purposes of pregnancy prevention, attitudes toward FABMs use for pregnancy prevention, and practices when patients request FABMs for pregnancy prevention. Results: In total, 329 participants who met all inclusion criteria completed the survey. Respondents were generally highly knowledgeable on fertility, felt neutrally toward FABMs or thought they were a nonviable option for most women, and were likely to respond to patient requests for FABMs for pregnancy prevention by providing information. Qualitative responses included several barriers to provision of FABMs for pregnancy prevention and few successes to provision. Conclusions: Fertility knowledge and discussion of specific methods increased with the number of methods included in the clinic's written materials or with the number of different FABMs someone at that clinic had been trained on. Significant clinician or administrative barriers may exist to offering FABMs to patients. Incorporating up-to-date information on a range of FABMs-rather than treating them as one method-into contraceptive counseling represents an opportunity to increase the contraceptive offering for clients who want them, leading to increased patient satisfaction and successful family planning outcomes.
A case of withheld defibrillator treatment for 9 minutes of ventricular tachycardia.

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) reduce mortality in high-risk populations by sensing and appropriately treating ventricular tachyarrhythmias with either antitachycardia pacing or high-voltage shock.1 An adverse effect of ICD implantation is inappropriate therapy for supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). ICD shocks for those non-life-threatening arrhythmias may increase mortality and cause psychological harm.2,3 At the most basic level, ventricular tachyarrhythmia detection is based on sensing consecutive R-R intervals of a preset cycle length for a prespecified duration. In addition, algorithms have been developed to better differentiate between ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias. These algorithms can decrease the delivery of inappropriate therapy for SVT but may result in withholding of appropriate therapy for life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias. We describe a case of withheld, appropriate ICD therapy due to an SVT discriminator algorithm.
Brain Science Under the Swastika: Ethical Violations, Resistance and Victimization of Neuroscientists in Nazi Europe: Lawrence A. Zeidman. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020. 757 pp. $50 (hardcover). ISBN-10: 0198728638.

There is an apocryphal story of a historian who told his father he had been appointed to a university for a lifetime of research on the Nazi leadership. His father countered by asking why he would ...
Withaferin A and Ovarian Cancer Antagonistically Regulate Skeletal Muscle Mass.

Cachexia is a complex wasting syndrome that overwhelmingly affects the majority of late-stage cancer patients. Additionally, there are currently no efficacious therapeutic agents to treat the muscle atrophy induced by the cancer. While several preclinical studies have investigated the molecular signals orchestrating cachexia, very little information exists pertaining to ovarian cancer and the associated cachexia. Work from our lab has recently demonstrated that the steroidal lactone Withaferin A (WFA) is capable of attenuating the atrophying effects of ovarian cancer in a preclinical mouse model. However, it remained to be determined whether WFA's effect was in response to its anti-tumorigenic properties, or if it was capable of targeting skeletal muscle directly. The purpose of this study was to uncover whether WFA was capable of regulating muscle mass under tumor-free and tumor-bearing conditions. Treatment with WFA led to an improvement in functional muscle strength and mass under tumor-bearing and naive conditions. WFA and ovarian cancer were observed to act antagonistically upon critical skeletal muscle regulatory systems, notably myogenic progenitors and proteolytic degradation pathways. Our results demonstrated for the first time that, while WFA has anti-tumorigenic properties, it also exerts hypertrophying effects on skeletal muscle mass, suggesting that it could be an anti-cachectic agent in the settings of ovarian cancer.
Nicotinamide mononucleotide prevents cisplatin-induced cognitive impairments

Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI) is often reported as a neurotoxic side effect of chemotherapy. Although CICI has emerged as a significant medical problem, meaningful treatments are not currently available due to a lack of mechanistic understanding underlying CICI pathophysiology. Using the platinum-based chemotherapy cisplatin as a model for CICI, we show here that cisplatin suppresses nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels in the adult female mouse brain in vivo and in human cortical neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells in vitro. Increasing NAD+ levels through nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) administration prevented cisplatin-induced abnormalities in neural progenitor proliferation, neuronal morphogenesis, and cognitive function without affecting tumor growth and antitumor efficacy of cisplatin. Mechanistically, cisplatin inhibited expression of the NAD+ biosynthesis rate-limiting enzyme nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase (Nampt). Selective restoration of Nampt expression in adult-born neurons was sufficient to prevent cisplatin-induced defects in dendrite morphogenesis and memory function. Taken together, our findings suggest that aberrant Nampt-mediated NAD+ metabolic pathways may be a key contributor in cisplatin-induced neurogenic impairments, thus causally leading to memory dysfunction. Therefore, increasing NAD+ levels could represent a promising and safe therapeutic strategy for cisplatin-related neurotoxicity. SIGNIFICANCE: Increasing NAD+ through NMN supplementation offers a potential therapeutic strategy to safely prevent cisplatin-induced cognitive impairments, thus providing hope for improved quality of life in cancer survivors. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/81/13/3727/F1.large.jpg.
Obese Adipose Tissue as a Driver of Breast Cancer Growth and Development: Update and Emerging Evidence.

Obesity is an established risk factor for breast cancer growth and progression. A number of advances have been made in recent years revealing new insights into this link. Early events in breast cancer development involve the neoplastic transformation of breast epithelial cells to cancer cells. In obesity, breast adipose tissue undergoes significant hormonal and proinflammatory changes that creates a mitogenic microenvironment. Many factors that are produced in obesity have also been shown to promote tumorigenesis. Given that breast epithelial cells are surrounded by adipose tissue, the crosstalk between the adipose compartment and breast epithelial cells is hypothesized to be a significant player in the initiation and progression of breast cancer in individuals with excess adiposity. The present review examines this crosstalk with a focus on obese breast adipose-derived estrogen, pro-inflammatory mediators and adipokines, and how they are mechanistically linked to breast cancer risk and growth through stimulation of oxidative stress, DNA damage, and pro-oncogenic transcriptional programs. Pharmacological and lifestyle strategies targeting these factors and their downstream effects are evaluated for feasibility and efficacy in decreasing the risk of obesity-induced breast epithelial cell transformation and consequently, breast cancer development.
Post-Populist Politics: Lobbying, Third Parties, and the Victories and Defeats of the New Repertoire, 1900–1932

After the failed Populist movement, Midwestern farmers adopted the repertoire of the broader business community. Though third-party movements such as Socialism and Communism remained popular in the Midwest, lobbying’s success in creating change and the changing identity of farmers helped make that form of collective action dominant. The farm crisis of the 1920s illustrated the limitations of this change. The government treated suffering farmers and their communities like any other business, which focused not on providing relief but on improving farmers’ business methods. Farmers learned that the benefits of their transformation came with large costs, prompting a moment of reflection about whether the change in the economy, political system, and their political actions were worth the simultaneous change in the morals of the social system.
Agency and goal-directed choice

In philosophy, agency is construed in terms of desires and means-end beliefs as reasons for actions. Psychological theories of goal-directed behavior provide a formal bridge between objective contingency knowledge and subjective beliefs, missing from such accounts. In this review, I argue that, because they conflate contingency and reward, theories of goal-directed behavior are nonetheless themselves unsuitable as accounts of agency. I then review behavioral and neuroscientific data suggesting that the recently proposed construct of instrumental divergence might serve as a normative and descriptive psychological index of agency that constrains and motivates goal-directed choice.
Erythrocyte Long-Chain ω-3 Fatty Acids Are Positively Associated with Lean Mass and Grip Strength in Women with Recent Diagnoses of Breast Cancer

Background Sarcopenia may hasten the risk of mortality in women with breast cancer. Long-chain omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3PUFAs) may favor muscle mass which, in turn, could enhance resilience of cancer patients toward cancer treatment. Objectives The objective of this study was to measure the relation of erythrocyte LCn-3PUFA concentrations with lean mass, grip strength, and postprandial energy metabolism in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. Methods This cross-sectional analysis evaluated women (n = 150) ages 65 y and younger who were recently diagnosed with breast cancer (stages I-III). Erythrocyte LCn-3PUFA composition was measured using GC. Body composition was measured by DXA. Grip strength was assessed at the same visit. Postprandial energy metabolism was measured for 7.5 h after the consumption of a high-calorie, high-saturated-fat test meal using indirect calorimetry. Associations of fatty acids with outcomes were analyzed using multiple linear regression models and linear mixed-effects models. Results The ω-3 index, a measurement of LCn-3PUFA status, was positively associated with appendicular lean mass (ALM)/BMI (β = 0.015, P = 0.01) and grip strength (β = 0.757, P = 0.04) after adjusting data for age and cancer stage. However, when cardiorespiratory fitness was also included in the analyses, these relations were no longer significant (P > 0.08). After a test meal, a higher ω-3 index was associated with a less steep rise in fat oxidation (P = 0.02) and a steeper decline in glucose (P = 0.01) when adjusting for age, BMI, cancer stage, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Conclusions The ω-3 index was positively associated with ALM/BMI and grip strength in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and was associated with altered postprandial substrate metabolism. These findings warrant further studies to determine whether enriching the diet with LCn-3PUFAs during and after cancer treatments is causally linked with better muscle health and metabolic outcomes in breast cancer survivors.
An enhanced recovery protocol decreases complication rates in high-risk gynecologic oncology patients undergoing non-emergent laparotomy.

Objective Enhanced recovery protocols are now established as the standard of care leading to improved perioperative outcomes and associated cost-benefits. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an enhanced recovery program on complication rates in high-risk gynecologic oncology patients undergoing surgery. Methods This retrospective cohort study included gynecologic oncology patients with pathology-proven malignancy undergoing non-emergent laparotomy from October 2016 to December 2018 managed on an enhanced recovery protocol, and a control group from October 2015 through September 2016 prior to enhanced recovery protocol implementation. The primary outcome was complication rates in a high-risk population pre- and post-enhanced recovery protocol. High-risk patients were defined as those with obesity (body mass index >30 kg/m2) and/or age ≥65 years. Analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) v.24. Results A total of 363 patients met the inclusion criteria: 104 in the control group and 259 in the enhanced recovery protocol group. Patient demographics, including age, body mass index, diagnosis, and performance status, were similar. Overall complication rates were less in the enhanced recovery protocol group (29% vs 53.8%; p Conclusions Implementation of an enhanced recovery protocol decreases complication rates and length-of-stay in morbidly obese and geriatric patients with gynecologic malignancy without an increase in readmission rates.
On Quiver Representations over F 1 $\mathbb {F}_{1}$

We study the category $\text {Rep}(Q,\mathbb {F}_{1})$ of representations of a quiver Q over “the field with one element”, denoted by $\mathbb {F}_{1}$ , and the Hall algebra of $\text {Rep}(Q,\mathbb {F}_{1})$ . Representations of Q over $\mathbb {F}_{1}$ often reflect combinatorics of those over $\mathbb {F}_{q}$ , but show some subtleties - for example, we prove that a connected quiver Q is of finite representation type over $\mathbb {F}_{1}$ if and only if Q is a tree. Then, to each representation $\mathbb {V}$ of Q over $\mathbb {F}_{1}$ we associate a coefficient quiver ${\Gamma }_{\mathbb {V}}$ possessing the same information as $\mathbb {V}$ . This allows us to translate representations over $\mathbb {F}_{1}$ purely in terms of combinatorics of associated coefficient quivers. We also explore the growth of indecomposable representations of Q over $\mathbb {F}_{1}$ - there are also similarities to representations over a field, but with some subtle differences. Finally, we link the Hall algebra of the category of nilpotent representations of an n-loop quiver over $\mathbb {F}_{1}$ with the Hopf algebra of skew shapes introduced by Szczesny.
The Ins and Outs of School Provider Literature: A Multi-Year Content Analysis on LGBT Youth

THE INS AND OUTS OF SCHOOL PROVIDER LITERATURE: A MULTI-YEAR CONTENT ANALYSIS ON LGBT YOUTH By Caitlin Conor Ryan, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006 Major Director: Robert D. Holsworth, Ph.D. Dean, College of Humanities and Sciences This study is based on a content analysis of two primary sources: 1) literature published on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth in professional journals for school providers (school counselors, nurses, psychologists and social workers) over more than a 30-year period; and 2) materials developed for school providers on LGBT youth by states with laws, regulations and professional policies related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity in schools. Fifteen professional journals were identified that serve as primary and secondary journals for school providers. A total of 41 articles were published in these journals on LGBT youth between 1937 and 2005. Journal articles were coded by the investigator and a second coder, with an inter-rater reliability rate of .97. Most articles focused on identity development, and a majority provided information on developing a supportive school environment for LGB youth. Few focused on issues of salience for contemporary generations of LGBT adolescents, such as resiliency and strength or positive youth development. Only one article focused on youth of color, one on lesbian youth and none on transgender youth. Less than one-third included HIV/AIDS, only 7% mentioned HIV counseling and testing, and 2% mentioned lesbians’ risk for STDs. Nearly three-fourths of articles (71%) focused on interventions with LGB youth (few included transgender youth), including the need to promote a safe school environment. Few empirical articles (19.5%), a handful of training articles (7.3%) no theoretical and very few review articles (2.2%) were published during this period. Although nearly one-third of the states had adopted laws, regulations or professional standards to prohibit discrimination of students on the basis of sexual orientation (and 4 included gender identity), no states other than Massachusetts had developed training materials for school providers on LGBT youth. However, Massachusetts’ materials were never used since their program was defunded in 2002. Several states made training on LGBT adolescents available to school providers through professional and community organizations. Coupled with limited and outdated content in professional journals, school providers lack access to current multidisciplinary research, theoretical literature and information reviews needed to inform their work with LGBT students and their families.
Soft error-aware power optimization using gate sizing

Power consumption has emerged as the premier and most constraining aspect in modern microprocessor and application specific designs. Gate sizing has been shown to be one of the most effective methods for power (and area) reduction in CMOS digital circuits. Recently, as the feature size of logic gates (and transistors) is becoming smaller and smaller, the effect of soft error rates caused by single event upsets (SEU) is becoming exponentially greater. As a consequence of technology feature size reduction, the SEU rate for typical microprocessor logic at the sea level will go from one in hundred years to one every minute. Unfortunately, the gate sizing requirements of power reduction and resiliency against SEU can be contradictory. 1) We consider the effects of gate sizing on SEU and incorporate the relationship between power reduction and SEU resiliency to develop a new method for power optimization under SEU constraints. 2) Although a non-linear programming approach is a more obvious solution, we propose a convex programming formulation that can be solved efficiently. 3) Many of the optimal existing techniques for gate sizing deal with an exponential number of paths in the circuit, we prove that it is sufficient to consider a linear number of constraints. As an important preprocessing step we apply statistical modeling and validation techniques to quantify the impact of fault masking on the SEU rate. We evaluate the effectiveness of our methodology on ISCAS benchmarks and show that error rates can be reduced by a factor of 100% to 200% while, on average, the power saving is simultaneously decreased by less than 7% to 12% respectively, compared to the optimal power saving with no error rate constraints.
Genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) in engineering electromagnetics

Modern antenna designers are constantly challenged to seek for optimum solutions for complex electromagnetic device designs. The temptation has grown because of ever increasing advances in computational power. The standard brute force design techniques are systematically being replaced by the state-of-the-art optimization techniques. The ability of using numerical methods to accurately and efficiently characterizing the relative quality of a particular design has excited the EM engineers to apply stochastic global optimizers. The genetic algorithm (GA) is the most popular of the so-called evolutionary methods in the electromagnetics community. Recently, a new stochastic algorithm called particle swarm optimization (PSO) has been shown to be a valuable addition to the electromagnetic design engineer's toolbox. In this paper we provide an overview of both techniques and present some representative examples. Most of the material incorporated in this invited plenary session paper is based on the earlier publication work by the author and his students at UCLA.
A quantitative analysis of robotic languages

The RCX is a programmable brick that can be used to control LEGO Mindstorms Robots. The default programming environment for the RCX programmable brick is a graphic user interface that is very limited. A considerable number of alternative programming environments and firmware are available to enhance the performance of a robot's given set of instructions. The objective of the research projects is to analyze the execution of specific tasks implemented by various programming languages. These languages include: Not Quite C (NQC), ROBOLAB, Spirit.ocx with Visual Basic, and LeJOS (Lego Java Operating System).Each author preformed a series of individual experiments testing different facets and limitations of the RCX programmable brick. Arnold Vento analyzed the differences of speed and accuracy of a light sensing navigation algorithm in NQC and LeJOS. Cindy Beltran examined the length of byte code and performance time of tasks both in ROBOLAB and NQC. Emi Taniuchi researched the performance of accuracy and responsiveness of touch and light sensing algorithms with Spirit.ocx using Visual Basic and ROBOLAB. Differences in the size of RCX code generated (in bytes) were also measured. This paper describes the results of the experiments performed by each researcher.