cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The successful management of portal vein thrombosis after hepatic transplantation with a splenorenal shunt

Portal vein thrombosis is an infrequent complication after hepatic transplantation, but is quite dramatic when it occurs. It is usually managed by retransplantation with a significant mortality rate. We present a patient in whom portal vein thrombosis after hepatic transplantation was ultimately managed by a splenorenal shunt. The portal vein thrombosis was manifested by bleeding esophageal varices and, yet, normal hepatic function obviated the need for a new graft (one was not readily available). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first presentation of a patient with a transplant of the liver with acute portal vein occlusion and maintained hepatic function who has been successfully managed by a portosystemic shunt.
Relevance of Nanotechnology in Modulating Oxidative Stress: An Overview

The emergence of nanotechnology has already had a groundbreaking impact in biomedical research. In recent years, there has been significant interest by researchers to use nanotechnology to treat various oxidative stress-related ailments. We have seen a paradigm change in delivery methods of natural antioxidants for the treatment and prevention of various diseases. The use of nanotechnology to deliver natural antioxidants is highlighted, and current and future prospects of nanotechnology are briefly discussed.
The Intratumoral Balance between Metabolic and Immunologic Gene Expression Is Associated with Anti–PD-1 Response in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma

Pretreatment tumor PD-L1 expression has been shown to correlate with response to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies. Yet, most patients with PD-L1(+) tumors do not respond to treatment. The current study was undertaken to investigate mechanisms underlying the failure of PD-1-targeted therapies in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) whose tumors express PD-L1. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded pretreatment tumor biopsies expressing PD-L1 were derived from 13 RCC patients. RNA was isolated from PD-L1(+) regions and subjected to whole genome microarray and multiplex quantitative (q)RT-PCR gene expression analysis. A balance between gene expression profiles reflecting metabolic pathways and immune functions was associated with clinical outcomes following anti-PD-1 therapy. In particular, the expression of genes involved in metabolic and solute transport functions such as UGT1A family members, also found in kidney cancer cell lines, was associated with treatment failure in patients with PD-L1(+) RCC. Conversely, tumors from responding patients overexpressed immune markers such as BACH2, a regulator of CD4(+) T-cell differentiation, and CCL3 involved in leukocyte migration. These findings suggest that tumor cell-intrinsic metabolic factors may contribute to treatment resistance in RCC, thus serving as predictive markers for treatment outcomes and potential new targets for combination therapy regimens with anti-PD-1. Cancer Immunol Res; 4(9); 726-33. ©2016 AACRSee related Spotlight by Ohashi, p. 719.
Abstract LB-315: Bone marrow adipocytes alter the metabolic phenotype of metastatic prostate cancer cells through the activation of HIF-1a

Bone is a preferential site of metastasis from prostate cancer (PCa). Age and obesity, conditions that increase adipocyte numbers in bone marrow, are risk factors for skeletal metastases from PCa. Research in our laboratory focuses on understanding the interactions between adipocytes and tumor cells that have infiltrated the bone marrow. Specifically, we are examining how the secretion, transport, and uptake of adipocyte-supplied factors promote metastatic progression in bone. We have previously shown that bone marrow adipocytes enhance a glycolytic phenotype in PCa cells through paracrine activation of glycolytic enzymes GLUT1, HK2, PDK1, ENO2, and LDHa at both the mRNA and protein levels. This correlated with an increase in glycolytic activity as measured by higher levels of lactate secretion and decreases in oxidative phosphorylation, indicative of an enhanced Warburg-like metabolic signature. We then assessed HIF-1a activity through mRNA analysis of HIF-1a target genes carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). We found that CA9 and VEGF had elevated expression levels in tumor cells exposed to adipocytes, indicative of enhanced HIF-1a activity. Notably, PCa cells exposed to bone marrow adipocytes had significantly enhanced presence of HIF-1a in the nucleus, result further confirming HIF-1α, activation in tumor cells exposed to marrow adipocytes. Hypoxia chamber experiments revealed that these effects were observable regardless of the presence or absence of oxygen, indicating the presence of oxygen-independent HIF-1a signaling or a state of pseudohypoxia in tumor cells. These results were further validated in multiple in vitro cell culture and in vivo mouse models, where an increased production of both glycolytic genes and HIF-1α target genes was shown to correlate with marrow adiposity. Our overall hypothesis is that bone marrow adipocyte-supplied lipids within the bone microenvironment cause HIF-1a activation and metabolic switch to glycolysis in metastatic PCa cells in bone, leading to their increased aggressiveness and resistance to therapy. Citation Format: Jonathan Diedrich, Erandi Rajagurubandara, Mackenzie Herroon, Izabela Podgorski. Bone marrow adipocytes alter the metabolic phenotype of metastatic prostate cancer cells through the activation of HIF-1a. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-315.
Recent Advances in Neonatal Seizures.

Purpose of Review This article strives to review and summarize selected recent literature and topics contributing to a greater understanding of the diagnosis and treatments of neonatal seizures that have emerged in the past several years.
Regulatory fit : impact on anxiety, arousal and performance in college-level soccer players

Sport performance may be facilitated using regulatory fit, which is a match between individuals' situational strategy and their chronic self-regulatory strategy. However, researchers have not examined the impact of regulatory fit on psychological and physiological components of sport performance, such as anxiety and arousal. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychophysiological reactions to regulatory fit by examining anxiety, arousal, and sport performance. Female college-level soccer players (n = 25) were randomly assigned to the regulatory match or regulatory mismatch conditions and completed anxiety (Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory-2R, CSAI-2R) and underwent arousal (heart rate variability, HRV; pre-ejection period, PEP) measures pre- and post-regulatory focus manipulation. Subsequently, participants completed a sport performance task (10 penalty kicks). The impact of regulatory fit on the dependent variables was explored through repeated measures ANOVAs. Results revealed a significant time effect for cognitive anxiety and self-confidence subscales of the CSAI-2R, suggesting the penalty kicking task increased cognitive anxiety and reduced self-confidence in all participants. In addition, there was a significant interaction effect of condition on pre-ejection period (PEP), with a greater increase in PEP for those experiencing regulatory fit compared to those who were not. There were non-significant interaction and main effects for all other variables. Since PEP is an inverse measure of sympathetic (SNS) modulation, experiencing regulatory fit may reduce SNS involvement in the heartbeat. Thus, the current results indicate experiencing regulatory fit may influence arousal prior to athletic competition.
Extending Modal Vision

I offer a new technique for extending our knowledge of what is possible. The surest way to know that something is possible is to know that it is actually so. Yet it is notoriously more difficult to tell whether a state of affairs that has never obtained could obtain. To help us deal with such cases, I offer “continuity” principles that can extend our modal vision beyond the clear cases. These principles, if true, imply that certain “neighbors” of possible states of affairs are probably also possible. I then showcase some intriguing applications of these extension principles: I show how the principles can help us with ancient questions about the foundations of reality and with recent questions about parts and wholes.
Bone Marrow Connexin-43 Expression Is Critical for Hematopoietic Regeneration after Chemotherapy.

Contact between bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and osteoblast/stromal (OS) cells has been shown to be crucial in the regulation of hematopoiesis. However, very little is known about the regulatory mechanisms of direct cell-to-cell communication in the hematopoietic microenvironment. Gap junctions (GJs) represent the best described intercellular communication (IC) system, and they are characterized by the existence of plaques of narrow channels between contacting cells. Each cell contributes with one hemichannel, which is composed of six proteins, called connexins. Connexin 43 (Cx43) is expressed by BM OS cells. Cx43 has been associated with the cadherin/β-catenin signaling pathway, recently reported as relevant in the OS/HSC interaction at the stem cell niche. Multiple osteogenic defects have been reported in human Cx43 mutations and Cx43 has been shown to be essential in controlling osteoblast functions. BM Cx43 expression is up-regulated up to 100-fold by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) treatment. Due to the perinatal death of Cx43 germline null mice, a conditional genetic approach was employed to study the role of Cx43 in stem cell proliferation and differentiation. The interferon-inducible Mx1 gene is expressed by both hematopoietic and stromal BM cells. Therefore, we crossed Cx43 flox/+ mice with Mx1-Cre transgenic (Mx1-Cre Tg/− ) mice. Cx43 +/+ :Mx1-Cre Tg/− and Cx43 flox/flox :Mx1-Cre Tg/− littermates have been analyzed. Gene deletion was induced in vivo by injecting the interferon-inducer polyI:C (8 injections of 300 μg every other day), generating control (Cx43 + ) and Cx43-deficient (Cx43KO) mice. After one week, Cx43 + and Cx43KO mice were injected with 5-FU (150 mg/Kg i.v.). Cx43 expression in Cx43KO BM was markedly reduced (>80%) as analyzed on day +14 post-5-FU treatment. Cx43 deficiency did not induce a significant change in peripheral blood counts before 5-FU treatment, but the hematopoiesis recovery after 5-FU treatment was severely impaired as demonstrated by absence of recovery of peripheral blood counts, including profound neutropenia, anemia with reticulocytopenia, thrombocytopenia and a 5 to 8-fold decrease of cellularity and hematopoietic progenitor content (granulomacrophagic colony-forming-units -CFU-GM-, erythroid burst forming units (BFU-E) and mixed colony forming units -CFU-mix-) in BM and spleen on day +14 post-5-FU treatment. However, the femoral content of Lin − /c-kit + /Sca1 + cells in Cx43KO BM was maintained when compared to Cx43 + BM (139±19 vs 117±32 x 10 3 Lin − /c-kit + /Sca1 + cells per femur, respectively). Short-term competitive repopulation ability of Cx43KO BM cells was diminished as compared to Cx43 + mice (5.9±0.35% vs 22.2±4.6%, respectively, p
Infant Adiposity is Independently Associated with a Maternal High Fat Diet but not Related to Niacin Intake: The Healthy Start Study.

Objectives Over-nutrition during pregnancy resulting from maternal obesity or an unhealthy diet can lead to excess infant adiposity at birth. Specific dietary macro- and micronutrients have been shown to increase fat cell development in both in-vitro and in-vivo models and may therefore link maternal diet to increased infant adiposity. We hypothesized that high maternal dietary niacin intake during pregnancy, especially in combination with a high-fat diet (HFD) would increase infant adiposity. Methods We included 1040 participants from a pre-birth cohort of mother-infant pairs. Maternal diet was assessed using multiple 24-hour dietary recalls. HFD was defined as ≥30% of calories from fat and ≥12% of fat calories from saturated fat. Neonatal body composition (% fat mass [%FM], fat mass [FM], fat-free mass [FFM]) was measured by PEAPOD. We used multivariate regression to assess the joint effect of maternal dietary niacin and maternal HFD on neonatal body composition. Results Dietary niacin was not associated with neonatal body composition, and maternal HFD did not modify this finding. However, maternal HFD was independently associated with %FM (β = 0.8 [0.1, 1.4]%, p < 0.01] and FM (β = 32.4 [6.7, 58.0] g, p < 0.01). Conclusions for Practice Our results suggest that a HFD during pregnancy may increase infant adiposity, therefore supporting the need for improved diet counseling of pregnant women at both the clinical and community levels.
Magnetic mobile microrobots for mechanobiology and automated biomanipulation

Abstract This chapter presents our recent efforts on developing a micro-force sensing mobile microrobot (μFSMM ). The design consists of a planar, vision based micro-force sensor end-effector attached to a magnetic microrobot body. The body is made of chemically etched nickel and is driven by an exterior magnetic field. With a known stiffness, the manipulation forces can be determined from observing the deformation of the end-effector through a camera attached to an optical microscope. After analyzing and calibrating the stiffness of a micromachined prototype, the mobility and in-situ force sensing capabilities are verified through force controlled manipulation tests. With our current experimental testbed, this micro-scale μFSMM is able to translate with the speed up to 3 mm/s in an oil environment. The calibrated stiffness of the micro-force sensor end-effector is on the order of 10 − 2 N/m . The force sensing resolution is approximately 100 nN .
ISLA: Temporal Segmentation and Labeling for Audio-Visual Emotion Recognition

Emotion is an essential part of human interaction. Automatic emotion recognition can greatly benefit human-centered interactive technology, since extracted emotion can be used to understand and respond to user needs. However, real-world emotion recognition faces a central challenge when a user is speaking: facial movements due to speech are often confused with facial movements related to emotion. Recent studies have found that the use of phonetic information can reduce speech-related variability in the lower face region. However, methods to differentiate upper face movements due to emotion and due to speech have been underexplored. This gap leads us to the proposal of the Informed Segmentation and Labeling Approach (ISLA). ISLA uses speech signals that alter the dynamics of the lower and upper face regions. We demonstrate how pitch can be used to improve estimates of emotion from the upper face, and how this estimate can be combined with emotion estimates from the lower face and speech in a multimodal classification system. Our emotion classification results on the IEMOCAP and SAVEE datasets show that ISLA improves overall classification performance. We also demonstrate how emotion estimates from different modalities correlate with each other, providing insights into the differences between posed and spontaneous expressions.
The effects of the interface on microstructure and rheo-mechanical properties of polyamide 6/cellulose nanocrystal nanocomposites prepared by in-situ ring-opening polymerization and subsequent melt extrusion

Abstract Polyamide 6 (PA6) nanocomposites containing cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were prepared via a multi-step process consisting of in-situ anionic ring-opening polymerization and subsequent melt extrusion. The effect of surface modification of the CNCs with aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APS) was studied in detail using microscopic, mechanical and rheological techniques and compared with that of the neat CNC nanocomposites. Solid-state 29 Si NMR analysis was used to confirm the interfacial bond formation between the PA6 matrix and surface modified CNCs. SEM images showed that upon surface modification, the morphology of CNCs within the matrix transformed from a fibrillar structure towards more individually dispersed nanocrystals with enhanced dispersion and higher interfacial area. The matrix-particle interphase was further investigated using quantitative nanomechanical mapping (QNM) to study the role of interfacial modification on thickness of interphase and development of a broader modulus gradient across the interface. The quality of dispersion and development of the rigid interfacial layer in the modified system resulted in significant improvement in solid-state mechanical properties of the nanocomposites. In addition, melt rheological studies showed significant improvements of melt elasticity and strength in shear and elongational flow in the nanocomposites systems.
Analyzing the existing noninvasive hemoglobin measurement techniques

To meet the potential research challenges, such as cost, accuracy, and portability, a number of research has been conducted around the world in the domain of noninvasive measurement techniques. In this paper, we explored, analyzed, and critiqued concurrent research approaches that endeavored to meet the research challenges in noninvasive hemoglobin (Hb) measurement. Here, besides the conventional invasive Hb measurement methods, we covered the Hb measurement techniques based on various scientific contribution and advancement. We studied smartphone-image, IR-LED, and spectra-based solutions as well as noninvasive point-of-care (POC) devices. From that insight, in this paper, we delineated the novel smartphone-based approaches to measure hemoglobin level noninvasively that can leverage the computation, portability, and affordability of smartphone devices, and assure the desired accuracy and consistency. Apart from that, this paper describes how these novel proposals can overcome the limitations of the data collection and analysis in the state-of-the-art approaches in this domain.
The Inflammatory Process in Nasal Polyposis: Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Electrophysiology

Nasal polyposis is the ultimate manifestation of chronic inflammation in the lateral wall of the nose. At least two factors that may lead to the development of inflammation in the lateral wall of the nose are (1) genetic polymorphism of inflammatory genes, particular the A allele at position −308 in the promotor region of the TNF-α gene and (2) the production of exotoxins by Staphylococcus aureus and their ability to upregulate the variable β (Vβ) region of the TCR of lymphocytes. Cytokines in nasal polyps drive the inflammatory response. TNF-α can upregulate VCAM-1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule-1), which is a major counterreceptor for the integrins on the surface of both lymphocytes and eosinophils. TNF-α can also be released by eosinophils, resulting in an autocrine upregulation of eosinophils into the nasal polyp. Eosinophils release major basic protein, a granular protein that is capable of increasing net sodium flux across the apical surface of the nasal polyp epithelium, resulting in increased water absorption and the ultimate development of edema, a major histopathological feature of polyposis. The increased number of open sodium channels, known to exist in both CF epithelium and non-CF polyp epithelium, can be abrogated by the use of topical diuretics such as amiloride and furosemide.
Pseudo-classical nonseparability and mass politics in two-party systems

We expand the substantive terrain of QI's reach by illuminating a body of political theory that to date has been elaborated in strictly classical language and formalisms but has complex features that seem to merit generalizations of the problem outside the confines of classicality. The line of research, initiated by Fiorina in the 1980s, seeks to understand the origins and nature of party governance in two-party political systems wherein voters cast partisan ballots in two contests, one that determines partisan control of the executive branch and another that determines party control of a legislature. We describe how research in this area evolved in the last two decades in directions that bring it now to the point where further elaboration and study seem natural in the more general formalistic and philosophical environments embraced in QI research. In the process, we find evidence that a restriction of a classical model that has animated work in the field appears violated in a form that leads one naturally to embrace the superposition principle. We then connect classical distinctions between separable and nonseparable preferences that are common in political science to their quantum and quantum-like counterparts in the QI literature, finding special affinity for a recently-introduced understanding of the distinction that provides a passageway into the boundary between fully quantum and fully classical views of the distinction and thereby provides new leverage on existing work germane to the theory.
A course in advanced operating systems using MPI for projects

This paper describes the development of a course in advanced operating systems that uses C/C++ and the Message Passing Interface (MPI) for programming projects. While MPI has been well accepted as a programming library for parallel and high performance computing, its acceptance in advanced operating systems courses is varied. By providing exposure to an accepted standard message passing library such as MPI, students can engage in other courses or commercial applications where data communication is required. The structure of a course advanced operating systems and a list learning outcomes are presented. The basics of MPI are also discussed. Project ideas in advanced operating systems utilizing MPI are also presented.
Tests: A Comprehensive Reference for Assessments in Psychology, Education, and Business (2nd ed.) by Richard C. Sweetland and Daniel J. Keyser (Eds.) / Test Critiques, Vol. 5 by Daniel J. Keyser and Richard C. Sweetland (Eds.) / Testing Children: A Reference Guide for Effective Clinical and Psychoeducational Assessments by S. Joseph Weaver (Ed.)

(1988). Tests: A Comprehensive Reference for Assessments in Psychology, Education, and Business (2nd ed.) by Richard C. Sweetland and Daniel J. Keyser (Eds.) / Test Critiques, Vol. 5 by Daniel J. Keyser and Richard C. Sweetland (Eds.) / Testing Children: A Reference Guide for Effective Clinical and Psychoeducational Assessments by S. Joseph Weaver (Ed.) Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development: Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 187-188.
Irrigation management for arsenic mitigation in rice grain: Timing and severity of a single soil drying.

Abstract The accumulation of arsenic (As) in rice grain is a public health concern since As is toxic to humans; in particular, inorganic As can cause many chronic diseases including cancer. Rice crops are prone to accumulating As, in part, due to the anaerobic soil conditions triggered by the traditional continuously flooded irrigation practice. The objective of this study was to determine how the severity and the timing (i.e. crop stage) of a single soil drying period impact total As concentration and As speciation within the rice (both white and brown) grain, compared to a continuously flooded (CF) control. Drying the soil until the perched water table reached 15 cm below the soil surface (same severity as in the “Safe Alternate Wetting and Drying”), which in this study corresponded to a soil (0–15 cm) water potential of ~0, did not decrease grain As concentrations, regardless of timing. Drying the soil to Medium Severity [MS: soil (0–15 cm) water potential of −71 kPa] or High Severity [HS: soil (0–15 cm) water potential of −154 kPa] decreased total As by 41–61%. However, inorganic As did not always decrease because the severity and the timing of soil drying affected As speciation within the grain. Overall, the soil had to be dried to HS and/or late in the growing season (i.e., at booting or heading instead of at panicle initiation) to decrease inorganic As concentration in the rice grain. This study indicates that the imposition of a single soil drying period within the growing season can mitigate As accumulation in rice grain, but it depends on the severity and timing of the drying period. Further, irrigation management affects As speciation within the rice grain and this must be considered if regulations on inorganic As are based on a percentage of total As measured.
Morphology, zoospore ultrastructure, and molecular position of taxa in the Asterophlyctis lineage (Chytridiales, Chytridiomycota).

The purpose of our research is to investigate morphology, zoospore ultrastructure, and molecular placement of six strains in the Asterophlyctis (Chytridiales) lineage. In previous molecular analyses strain JEL 186, putatively Asterophlyctis sarcoptoides, placed as basal in family Chytriomycetaceae. Recent sampling for chytrids resulted in isolation of five strains (WJD 209, MP 058, JEL 524, JEL 857, and JEL 885) molecularly related to strain JEL 186. Our morphological evaluations reveal that strains JEL 186 and WJD 209 are members of Asterophlyctis. Strain WJD 209 is considered representative of the type, A. sarcoptoides, and strain JEL 186 a new species, Asterophlyctis michiganensis. The four strains MP 058, JEL 524, JEL 857, and JEL 885 are distinct from Asterophlyctis, and we consider them as members of a new genus, Wheelerophlyctis, composed of two species, Wheelerophlyctis interior and Wheelerophlyctis interiexterior. Asterophlyctis and Wheelerophlyctis are sister taxa and we demarcate that lineage as Asterophlyctaceae. The two genera also have similar zoospore ultrastructure, which is unique among strains in Chytridiales. In consideration of their molecular position and zoospore ultrastructure, we hypothesize that Asterophlyctis and Wheelerophlyctis represent a bridge between Chytriomycetaceae and Chytridiaceae. This research expands our concepts of systematics and zoospore ultrastructural variation in Chytridiales.
CADET: a multi-view learning framework for compromised account detection on Twitter

Social media has become a valuable tool for hackers to disseminate misleading content through compromised accounts. Detecting compromised accounts, however, is challenging due to the noisy nature of social media posts and the difficulty in acquiring sufficient labeled data that can effectively capture a wide variety of compromised tweets from different types of hackers (spammers, vandals, cybercriminals, revenge hackers, etc). To address these challenges, this proposal presents a multi-view learning framework that employs nonlinear autoencoders to learn the feature embedding from multiple views, such as the tweets' content, source, location, and timing information and then projects the embedded features into a common lower-rank feature representation. Suspicious user accounts are detected based on their reconstruction errors in the shared subspace. Our empirical results show the superiority of CADET compared to several existing representative approaches when applied to a real-world Twitter dataset.
Telemedicine vs Office Visits in a Movement Disorders Clinic: Comparative Satisfaction of Physicians and Patients

Objective To compare patient and physician satisfaction between home-based telemedicine visits and office visits for follow-up care within a movement disorders program. Methods Patients were offered telemedicine visits as follow-up care. After telemedicine visits, a questionnaire of items along a 10-point Likert Scale (10 = most satisfied) assessed patient and overall physician satisfaction, comparing the experience to past in-office visits. Results Patients and physicians were highly satisfied with the telemedicine experience, both groups having median endorsement scores of 9.25 and 10.0, respectively (response range 6-10), and furthermore, favoring future telemedicine visits when feasible. Although some assessments could not be performed (postural stability, rigidity), physicians likewise favored having future telemedicine visits (median score 10, range 5.0-10). Conclusions This direct comparison of patient satisfaction with telemedicine visits to previously experienced office visits strongly supports telemedicine care, with patients highlighting convenience, time, and expense. Despite some limitations with telemedicine, physicians expressed highly rated quality-of-service provided.
Impacts of Subsurface Tile Drainage on Age—Concentration Dynamics of Inorganic Nitrogen in Soil

Author(s): Woo, DK; Kumar, P | Abstract: We explore the impacts of tile drains in agricultural fields on the coupled age and concentration dynamics of nitrate, immobile ammonium, mobile ammonia and ammonium, and nonreactive tracers such as chloride.We implement two mobile interacting pore domains to capture matrix and preferential flow paths in a coupled ecohydrology and biogeochemistry model, Dhara. We apply this model to an agricultural farm that utilizes a corn-soybean rotation in the Midwestern United States located in the Intensively Managed Landscapes Critical Zone Observatory. In general, we observe both low concentration and age of nitrate in the areas that are classified as topographic depressions even with the presence of tile drains. Also, an increase in the age of mobile ammonia/ammonium is observed after installing tile drains. This is in contrast to the cases for nitrate, immobile ammonium, and nonreactive tracer. These results arise because the depletion of mobile ammonia/ammonium due to tile drainage causes a high mobility flux from immobile ammonium to mobile ammonia/ammonium, which also carries a considerable amount of relatively old age of nitrogen from immobile ammonium to mobile ammonia/ammonium. These results illustrate how storm event scale dynamics impact spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability of the efflux, which helps in disentangling the complexity of nitrogen dynamics in the soil. This understanding can contribute to precision agriculture for nitrogen applications to reduce environmental impacts.
Low-temperature heat utilization with vapor pressure-driven osmosis: Impact of membrane properties on mass and heat transfer

Abstract The emerging vapor pressure-driven osmosis (VPDO) membrane technology enables direct conversion of abundant low-temperature (
Bedouin “Settlement” in the Tell el-Hesi Region in the Late Islamic to British Mandate Period

Combining historical sources with the survey data we document the Bedouin transition from pastoralism to an economy based more on agriculture than animal husbandry. The construction of structures, first baikas and later houses, is evidence for a presumed reduction in mobility. This shift towards an agricultural economy was in part facilitated by the Fellahin/villagers who were hired by the Bedouin to assist in the harvest. This shift and consequential decline in mobility, however, is voluntary and not a result of direct coercion by the Mandate government.
Sampling insects and decision-making

Abstract Sampling (a.k.a. scouting) is the only way to know the abundance, location, and timing of activity of insects and mites in urban landscapes. In Chapter 2 , you learned the terms density and distribution as important descriptions for populations. All sampling and eventual pest management decisions are made at the population level. Sampling techniques for pests and beneficial insects in urban landscapes are not expensive or difficult yet they are not commonly used. This may be due to several reasons; outbreaks are not as predictable as problems with annual or perennial weeds, insecticides on average are less expensive than fungicides or herbicides, and plant professionals typically do not know how to sample. In urban landscapes, insects and mites can be found above the ground, in the soil, or inside the plant (e.g., leafminers, borers). In the following sections, you will learn the common methods for sampling arthropods in the landscape and what you could do with that information once you have it. The resources section at the end of this chapter provides a list of sources for sampling equipment and links to online resources for sampling.
New Concepts of Management of Corn Belt Soils

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the objectives underlying the new tillage and cultural practices being tested for cultivated crops in the Midwest. It also evaluates the concepts on which these objectives are based. In specific, the new tillage implements and management practices being tested in the Midwest represent a philosophy in land use and a philosophy of maximum crop production per acre of land with a minimum of soil deterioration. The philosophy is based on the concepts that high production is good for the soil, minimum tillage promotes soil tilth and conserves soil organic matter, high fertility promotes high yields and lessens the losses of soil humus, large amounts of decomposable organic matter in the soil are essential to good soil tilth and good soil physical conditions, and cover in the form of both living and trash mulches is good protection against all forms of erosion. The philosophy of maximum production with minimum soil deterioration is dependent on the assumption that adequate supplies of commercial fertilizers are available for implementation.
CHAPTER 4 – GRAPHICS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the elements of computer graphics needed to treat simple examples and problems in the calculus. As the graphical capabilities of popular computers and computer terminals are very diverse, the various graphical functions that are machine-dependent are given in subroutine form. To plot the graph of a function, it must be ensured that the entire graph fits on the display region. To do this, all of the values of the function must be computed, and then the max and min must be found so that the function values must be scaled to fit in the display. A major problem with graphics displays is the presence of gaps in lines. The chapter describes a simple line drawing subroutine. The goal is to write a program that draws a line from one graphics point (XO,Y0) to another point (X1,Y1). It is assumed that X0 and Y0, and X1 and Yl, are legitimate values for the display coordinates.
Adjustment of young adults with mental retardation in community settings: comparison of parametric and nonparametric statistical techniques

The impact of four different statistical techniques on the interpretive process using data obtained from young adults with mental retardation in applied settings was evaluated. Our hypothesis was that no difference exists across levels of mental retardation for four dependent variables, jointly or separately, using (a) parametric multivariate analysis of variance, (b) nonparametric multivariate analysis of variance, (c) multiple nonparametric analyses of variance, and (d) multinomial logistic regression. The pattern of significance remained the same across the three classical and quasi-classical designs. Substantive differences were found using the fourth technique, multinomial logistic regression. The four techniques were compared using interpretational as well as statistical criteria.
Mesoscopic to Macroscopic Electron Transfer by Hopping in a Crystal Network of Cytochromes

Rapid and directed electron transfer (ET) is essential for biological processes. While the rates of ET over 1-2 nanometers in proteins can largely be described by simplified non-adiabatic theory, i...
Of coccus, Rocco and scores: pneumococcal disease, Rocky Graziano and pneumonia severity scoring systems.

The reader of Infectious Diseases can find in this issue an interesting analysis by Lyere Serrano Fernandez et al. [1] on general characteristics and early predictive factors of poor outcome in non...
Functional analysis of Medicago-derived pathogen-induced gene promoters for usage in transgenic alfalfa

Three gene promoters from the model legume species Medicago truncatula and Medicago sativa (alfalfa) pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins (MtPR5, MtPR10, and MsPR10) were isolated and investigated using in silico and in situ approaches. For the functional analysis of these promoters, plant transformation vectors linking promoter sequences with the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene were constructed and utilized to generate transgenic alfalfa. Histochemical GUS staining established that the PR5 and both PR10 promoters were functional in alfalfa and induce GUS expression primarily in the root tissue. When transgenic alfalfa leaves were inoculated with a diverse set of alfalfa pathogens, either Phoma medicaginis, Colletotrichum trifolii, or Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae, the promoters were responsive to induction by both bacterial and fungal pathogens. Gene expression analysis also indicated that all three PR promoters were pathogen-induced and upregulate transgene expression. Additionally, several putative transcription regulator elements (REs) responsible for the observed pathogen-induced promoter activity were predicted in each of the promoter sequences. These characterized Medicago PR promoters may be a unique and valuable tool for pathogen-induced transgenic expression of antimicrobial proteins or other genes enhancing disease resistance in alfalfa.
Development and validation of a finite element model of a small female pedestrian

Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road user and represent about 23% of the road traffic deaths in the world. A finite element (FE) model corresponding to a 5th percentile female pedestrian (F05-PS) was developed by morphing the Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) 50th percentile male pedestrian (M50-PS) model to the reconstructed geometry of a recruited small female subject. The material properties of the pedestrian model were assigned based on GHBMC M50-PS model. In model validation, the knee lateral stiffness and force time histories of F05-PS upper body showed similar trends, but softer responses than the corresponding data recorded in post mortem human surrogate (PMHS) tests and linearly scaled to average male anthropometry. Finally, the pedestrian model was verified in a Car-to-Pedestrian Collison (CPC) simulation. The marker trajectories recorded in simulation were close to the data recorded on small PMHS in testing and the model predicted typical knee ligament ruptures. Therefore, we believe the F05-PS model, the first FE model developed based on a female reconstructed geometry, could be used to improve vehicle front-end design for pedestrian protection and/or to investigate various pedestrian accidents.
Predatory Rulers, Credible Commitment and Tax Compliance: How War Does Not Make the State Under Weak Rule of Law

This paper explores an underappreciated factor which can be necessary for warfare to strengthen fiscal capacity. It argues that in contexts with lower respect for the rule of law and worse private property rights, rulers' predatory behavior should incline wealth holders to shelter their wealth and therefore tax compliance should be lower. This will make it unlikely that during armed warfare, when rulers engage in more predatory behavior such as confiscation, there will be any property or income to be taxed and hence states will be unlikely to invest in fiscal capacity. Under stronger rule of law and better private property rights, the constraints on the rulers' predatory behavior should provide higher security for wealth holders and they should be less likely to shelter wealth, bringing higher tax compliance. Such compliance makes it more likely that states can increase fiscal revenues during war and therefore will be more likely to invest in fiscal capacity. These expectations are tested with an original dataset of Ottoman waqfs in modern-day Greece between 1600 and 1912 in addition to annual Ottoman fiscal revenue data. Results indicate that wars increase wealth sheltering under lower rule of law, while it does not under higher rule of law. Furthermore, while wars do not increase fiscal revenues under lower rule of law, they increase fiscal revenues under higher rule of law.
Vulnerability Detection Methodology for a Digital Signal Processor Micro-Controller at Edge Level Distributed Energy Resource Controller

Integration of renewable energy and energy storage based Distributed Energy Resource (DER) assets to the grid has seen an upsurge over the past few decades. Traditionally, energy would be generated at a thermal or nuclear power plant and then transmitted over long distance through the transmission grid and then supply to the customers at the distribution grid. Modern renewable energy based DER assets have brought energy production at the edge of distribution grid, which has made the grid vulnerable to cyber intrusion as the power flow controllers for such DER assets are now distributed across the grid from distribution level to transmission level. This paper discusses the vulnerability posed by such power flow controllers of DER assets and demonstrates a detection methodology for unauthorized access and manipulation of system configuration for Digital Signal Processor based Microcontrollers. Experimental results proving efficacy of the methodology have been shown in paper.
How the ‘New Brandeis Movement’ Already Overshoots the Mark: Sketching an Alternative Theory for Understanding the Sherman Act as a Consumer Welfare Prescription

For the past several decades, the antitrust laws have been expressly understood as a consumer welfare prescription. Known as the “New Brandeis Movement,” an increasingly vocal group of commentators have made arguments suggesting that the Sherman Act should be enforced commensurate with social and political values. By applying contemporary insights from the “new originalism,” this short article sketches a legal theory for confirming consumer welfare as the Sherman Act’s raison d’etre. The Sherman Act should be “interpreted” as an open-textured statute protecting competition from restraints of trade – be they agreements or firms with monopoly power – that satisfy a criterion of unreasonableness. In determining whether a restraint of trade is unreasonable, the Sherman Act should be “constructed” according to the consumer welfare standard set forward by the Supreme Court.
Traumatic Cochlear Implant Electrode Extrusion: Considerations, Management, and Outcome

Cochlear implantation is the mainstay for patients with severe to profound hearing loss that do not benefit from hearing aids. Falls and head trauma can cause direct damage to the implant, of which hard failure is the most common complication. Traumatic electrode migration is an uncommon occurrence. Our patient underwent successful electrode advancement of a partially migrated, normal functioning electrode two months after head injury. We discuss the factors influencing the decision-making process, progress, and outcomes.
Association of Patient Characteristics With Delivery of Ophthalmic Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance Telemedicine has been shown to have had reduced uptake among historically marginalized populations within multiple medical specialties during the COVID-19 pandemic. An evaluation of health disparities among patients receiving ophthalmic telemedical care during the pandemic is needed. Objective To evaluate disparities in the delivery of ophthalmic telemedicine at Massachusetts Eye and Ear (MEE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design, setting, and participants This retrospective, cross-sectional study analyzed clinical visits at a single tertiary eye care center (MEE) from January 1 to December 31, 2020. Patients who had ophthalmology and optometry clinical visits at the MEE during the study period were included. Exposures Telemedicine vs in-person clinical encounters. Main outcomes and measures Variables associated with use of ophthalmic telemedicine during the study period. Results A total of 2262 telemedicine ophthalmic encounters for 1911 patients were included in the analysis. The median age of the patients was 61 (interquartile range, 43-72) years, and 1179 (61.70%) were women. With regard to race and ethnicity, 87 patients (4.55%) identified as Asian; 128 (6.70%), as Black or African American; 23 (1.20%), as Hispanic or Latino; and 1455 (76.14%), as White. On multivariate analysis, factors associated with decreased receipt of telemedical care included male sex (odds ratio [OR], 0.86; 95% CI, 0.77-0.96), Black race (OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.56-0.86), not speaking English (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.48-0.81), educational level of high school or less (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.71-0.97), and age (OR per year of age, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.989-0.998). When comparing telephone- and video-based telemedicine visits, decreased participation in video-based visits was associated with age (OR per year of age, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.94-0.98), educational level of high school or less (OR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.29-0.99), being unemployed (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.12-0.68), being retired (OR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.10-0.42), or having a disability (OR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.04-0.23). Conclusions and relevance The findings of this cross-sectional study, though limited to retrospective data from a single university-based practice, suggest that historically marginalized populations were less likely to receive ophthalmic telemedical care compared with in-person care during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Understanding the causes of these disparities might help those who need access to virtual care.
Scalable and efficient reasoning for enforcing role-based access control

Today, many organizations generate large amount of data and have many users that need only partial access to resources at any time to collaborate in making critical decisions. Thus, there is a need for a scalable access control model that simplifies the management of security policies and handles the heterogeneity inherent in the information system. This paper proposes an ontology-based distributed solution to this problem, with the benefits of being scalable and producing acceptable response times.
Sojourner Children’s Developmental Understanding of Nationality

A developmental model of children's understanding of nationality (Nationality PerspectiveTaking Ability or NPTA) was proposed and evaluated in this study. The NPTA model expands extant definitions and provides a theoretical foundation for the developmental progression of national identity. Children (Mean age = 9.33 years) from Latin American and Asian countries who were sojourners in the U. S. for an average of 20.70 months were administered the NPTA assessment and scored according to the NPTA model. Results indicated children's understanding of nationality was predicted by children's chronological age and by the amount of their crossnational exposure. Additionally, the relative importance of children's identification with their national, racial and linguistic status was explored. A developmental trend revealed that children's identification with nationality increases across age while identification with racial status declines across age.
The Entrepreneurial Army: A Survey of West Point Graduates

Is the U.S. Army is an entrepreneurial organization? Are the most innovative officers recognized, promoted, and retained by the Army personnel system? Despite its capacity to attract and train superior leaders, the Army has been bleeding talent for decades. This paper reports the results of a survey of 250 West Point graduates which reveals the personnel problems are widespread. Over 90 percent of respondents believe the U.S. Army fails to retain half or more of its best officers, and a majority believes this harms national security and creates a less competent general officer corps.
A Review of “Alone Together: How Marriage in America Is Changing”

Marriage has been a central feature of adult life throughout most of American history. Amato, Booth, Johnson, and Rogers point out, however, that the increased percentage of children born outside m...