cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Management of Unresectable Symptomatic Focal Nodular Hyperplasia with Arterial Embolization

Symptomatic focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) of the liver can usually be treated safely with liver resection. However, in those patients in whom resection is not possible because of the location or size of the tumor or other patient factors, selective arterial embolization should be considered. Herein, the authors describe the use of arterial embolization to treat three women with symptomatic FNH and provide a review of the literature.
An argument about free inquiry

In the mid- 1970s, a group of scholars, including prominent biologists as well as academics from other disciplines, wrote scathing indictments of conclusions they claimed to find in E.O. Wilson's much-lauded book, Sociobiology: The New Syn- thesis. The Sociobiology Study Group of Science for the People charged that these conclusions were both unwarranted and politically dangerous in their ap- parent support of reactionary policies. In two replies, Wilson disavowed many of the conclusions, claiming that his critics had misinterpreted his book, and he ended each article by recalling a traditional liberal theme. The linking of explic- itly political considerations to the scientific discussion represented, he claimed, "...the kind of self-righteous vigilantism which not only produces falsehood but also unjustly hurts individuals and through that kind of intimidation diminishes the spirit of free inquiry and discussion crucial to the health of the intellectual community".1 In a more expansive treatment, he closed a second reply with the following paragraph: All political proposals, radical and otherwise, should be seriously received and de- bated. But whatever direction we choose to take in the future, social progress can only be enhanced, not impeded, by the deeper investigation of the genetic constraints of human nature, which will steadily replace rumor and folklore with testable knowl- edge. Nothing is to be gained by a dogmatic denial of the existence of the constraints or attempts to discourage public discussion of them. Knowledge humanely acquired and widely shared, related to human needs but kept free of political censorship, is the real science for the people.2
HUMAN FACTORS INTEGRATION FOR HYPER-ENERGETIC MICROWAVE-BOOSTED AEROSPACECRAFT

The principal objective of this work is to investigate human factors integration for a .20-m diameter, hyper-energetic beam-boosted aerospacecraft capable of transporting 12 occupants around the planet (and back), into low Earth orbit, or directly to the moon — without resorting to refueling or staging. Designed for a 2025 Space Command mission, the vehicle must effectively evade & dodge 'unfriendly' directed-energy fire in the form of high power laser, microwave, and charged particle beams. While performing high G maneuvers (e.g., 50 Gs and beyond), each of the crew resides in a custom fitted 2.15-m long escape pod that enables a "standardized" 160-cm tall Space Command occupant to have super-human capabilities for short durations. Liquid immersion (1-cm thick layer) and a hybrid form of gaseous/liqui d ventilation is employed in these unique capsules to provide perfect support for the human body during ultra-high accelerations. BACKGROUND
A Microfluidic-Based Tactile Sensor for 3-DOF Force/Torque Detection

This paper reports on a microfluidic-based tactile sensor capable of detecting forces along two directions and torque about one direction. The 3-Degree-Of-Freedom (3-DOF) force/torque sensor encompasses a symmetric three-dimensional (3D) microstructure embedded with two sets of electrolyte-enabled distributed resistive transducers underneath. The 3D microstructure is built into a rectangular block with a loading-bump on its top and two microchannels at its bottom. Together with electrode pairs distributed along the microchannel length, electrolyte in each microchannel functions as a set of three resistive transducers. While a normal force results in a resistance increase in the two sets of transducers, a shear force causes opposite resistance changes in the two sets of transducers. Conversely, a torque leads to the opposite resistance changes in the two side transducers in each set. Soft lithography and CNC molding are combined to fabricate a prototype tactile sensor. The experimental results validate the feasibility of using this microfluidic-based tactile sensor for 3-DOF force/torque detection.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Arsenal of Armor: Arabic Script and Wrestling in Dakar

This paper focuses on the prominent use and role of Arabic writing in the contemporary arena event of lamb ji, wrestling in Wolof, where a profusion of amulets, bottles of saafara (writing designs that have been rinsed and stored for washing the body or drinking), and occasionally Arabic- and magic square-inscribed tunics all serve as the wrestler’s arsenal of armor vis-a-vis his opponent as well the spectators. These uses of Arabic writing are employed as protection and affect in everyday life by many people, however it is in the wrestling arena that this normally private, often hidden spiritual practice becomes explicitly visible, flaunted in a game of showmanship, and even used as overt intimidation. Wrestling, indisputably the most popular sport in Senegal, has grown in recent decades from its seasonal rural origins to become a year-round, weekly televised spectacle centered in Dakar, Senegal’s capital city. The employment of Arabic within the spectacle contributes significantly to the symbolic – and real – power each wrestler projects as well as to the character of Senegalese wrestling as a cultural event.
Joint power and rate control with constrained resources for underwater acoustic channels

Random linear packet coding combined with adaptive power and rate control is being considered as an alternative to traditional ARQ techniques for the underwater acoustic channel. We first analyze a scheme where the number of coded packets to transmit is determined so as to achieve a pre-determined reliability at the receiver, and hence eliminate the need for explicit feedback. We next investigate joint power and rate control with constrained resources. Using the channel gain information which is obtained via feedback from the receiver, the transmitter adjusts its transmit power and the number of coded packets such that the average energy per bit is minimized. We impose two main constraints for the optimization: (a) the transmit power should be within a maximum available power, and (b) the number of coded packets should not exceed a maximum value. Under these constraints, we define adaptation policies to minimize the average energy per bit and show analytical results for average energy savings available from the adaptation policies. We also show experimental results obtained using the measured channel gains from the SPACE-08 experiment, an at-sea experiment conducted off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Sinusoidal Components Detection of Misical Signal Based on Phase Vocoder Method

A sinusoidal components detection method of misical signal based on phase vocoder is designed.It regards the STFT as a uniform filter bank by which the sinusoidal components are separated from each other,and their instantaneous frequency is estimated with the phase change rate of the STFT channals′output.To overcome the shortage of original phase vocoder,an advanced method is also proposed which is based on a multi-sampling rates and nonuniform filter bank.The experiment results show that this method has good performance in tracking instantaneous frequencies,so it can be used as the front-end of the melody line extraction system.
Clinical and Sonographic Evaluation of a Lower Extremity Angioleiomyoma in a 52-Year-Old Woman

Objective The purpose of this case study is to describe the role of sonographic examination in the initial evaluation of an angioleiomyoma and to discuss the characteristic findings associated with this soft tissue mass.
Surveillance of schistosomiasis after its transmission being interrupted in Chuxiong City

In Chuxiong City, schistosomiasis surveillance for 16 years showed that though there were no patients and livestock newly infected with schistosome, and no infected snails, the snail status rose again. It is suggested that the surveillance should still be strengthened.
Bacteria in Snow and Glacier Ice

R. Margesin et al. (eds.) Psychrophiles: from Biodiversity to Biotechnology. 31 © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008
Applications of Integral Equations

Integral equations arise in many scientific and engineering problems. A large class of initial and boundary value problems can be converted to Volterra or Fredholm integral equations. The potential theory contributed more than any field to give rise to integral equations. Mathematical physics models, such as diffraction problems, scattering in quantum mechanics, conformal mapping, and water waves also contributed to the creation of integral equations.
Shifts between Modes of Calcium Channel Gating as a Basis for Pharmacological Modulation of Calcium Influx in Cardiac, Neuronal, and Smooth-Muscle-Derived Cells

When Ca2+ channels open in response to an appropriate change in membrane potential, they allow Ca2+ ions to move down their electrochemical gradient into the cytoplasm. This inflow of Ca2+ not only transfers depolarizing charge into excitable cells but also carries a specific message to be decoded by Ca2+ receptor proteins. The signal leads to the initiation of contraction in heart and smooth muscle cells, transmitter release from nerve cell synaptic terminals, hormone secretion by gland cells, and other important cellular responses (Hagiwara and Byerly, 1981, 1983; Reuter, 1983; Tsien, 1983). In linking membrane potential changes to the delivery of a messenger substance, Ca2+ channels perform a function that is vital and possibly unique (Tsien et al., 1983; Hille, 1984).
Nonlinear dynamics as an engine of computation

Control of chaos teaches that control theory can tame the complex, random-like behaviour of chaotic systems. This alliance between control methods and physics-cybernetical physics-opens the door to many applications, including dynamics-based computing. In this article, we introduce nonlinear dynamics and its rich, sometimes chaotic behaviour as an engine of computation. We review our work that has demonstrated how to compute using nonlinear dynamics. Furthermore, we investigate the interrelationship between invariant measures of a dynamical system and its computing power to strengthen the bridge between physics and computation.This article is part of the themed issue 'Horizons of cybernetical physics'.
Development of solid materials for UF6 sampling: FY16 Annual Report

A handheld implementation of the ABACC-developed Cristallini method, which captures uranium hexafluoride samples as an inert salt, was organized in FY17 and succeeded in demonstrating the handheld sampler concept with reactive hexafluoride gases. The Cristallini method relies on the use of a hydrated substrate to react the incoming hexafluoride resulting in the formation of a stable uranyl fluoride salt. The Cristallini method has been demonstrated as a facility modification installed near the sampling tap of a gas centrifuge enrichment plant. While very successful in reducing the hazards of uranium hexafluoride sample, the method still takes a considerable amount of time and can only be used in facilities where the apparatus has been installed; this arrangement generally prohibits the sampling of filled cylinders that have already exited the facility and have been deposited in the on-site tank storage yard. The handheld unit under development will allow the use of the Cristallini method at facilities that have not been converted as well as tanks in the storage yard. The handheld system utilizes an active vacuum system, rather than a passive vacuum system in the facility setup, to drive the uranium hexafluoride onto the adsorbing media. The handheld unit will be battery operatedmore » for fully autonomous operation and will include onboard pressure sensing and flushing capability. To date, the system concept of operations was demonstrated with tungsten hexafluoride that showed the active vacuum pump with multiple cartridges of adsorbing media was viable. Concurrently, the hardened prototype system was developed and tested; removable sample cartridges were developed (the only non-COTS component to date); and preparations were made for uranium tests and a domestic field test.« less
Using mangroves to stabilize coastal historic sites: deployment success versus natural recruitment

Native Americans created shell middens along estuarine shorelines, and these archeologically significant sites are now threatened by erosion and sea level rise. We worked with Canaveral National Seashore to apply living shoreline techniques to protect middens using stabilized oyster shell, Spartina alterniflora, and Rhizophora mangle. Deployed mangroves were successful in terms of survival, growth, and reproduction, but natural recruitment following stabilization was minimal. After evaluating natural mangrove recruitment at stabilized and neighboring shorelines, we found propagule and seedling counts were significantly lower at stabilized shorelines. Third, we experimentally tested effects of varying sediment grain sizes on R. mangle. Overall, survival and growth were high in all treatments, suggesting that seedlings were not inhibited by the presence of large oyster shell fragments. Combined, this suggests that the retention and transition of the R. mangle propagule into a seedling is being limited in the field. Large shell potentially acts as a barrier for initial anchoring in the sediment or increasing likelihood of dislodgement during movement by boat or wind wakes. The human-altered substrate at shell middens may prevent natural recovery of vegetated shorelines, highlighting the need for on-going management for long-term protection of these archeological sites.
Ethnic Foodscapes: Foreign Cuisines in the United States

AbstractExisting scholarship on consumption has focused on how purchasing patterns vary by age, race, and socioeconomic status. This article opens a new perspective by asking how consumption is distributed geographically and how these patterns are associated with neighborhood characteristics. This paper departs from previous studies of consumption by concentrating on not just what is consumed but where. Merging data from Google Places with demographic data from the American Consumer Survey produced a data-set with occupations, ethnic composition, and incomes of neighborhood residents as well as the number and type of ethnic restaurants. Census tracts with high percentages of professionals and highly educated residents have a greater diversity of restaurant genres, whereas wealthier census tracts have less diversity. The share of residents in knowledge-intensive jobs impacts the number of ethnic cuisines in a census tract. So does the immigrant population, but this association takes on different forms for ...
CD4+ T cells dominate the leukocyte infiltration response initiated by intra-dermal injection of phytohemagglutinin into growing feathers in chickens.

ABSTRACT Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) is commonly used to evaluate cell-mediated immunocompetence. In chickens, PHA is typically injected intra-dermally (i.d.) into the skin (e.g., wing web, wattle, or footpad), and the tissue swelling response is monitored, whereby the extent of tissue swelling positively relates to the individual’s cell-mediated immune system capabilities. Although i.d. injected PHA was shown to stimulate mononuclear cell and basophil infiltration to the site of injection, reports on temporal, qualitative, and quantitative aspects of the local cutaneous PHA response are limited. The objective of this study was to use the growing feather (GF) as a cutaneous test site to assess and monitor the type and relative amounts of leukocytes present in the pulp of PHA-injected GF. For this study, male, non-vaccinated Light-brown Leghorn chickens reared at the Arkansas Experiment Station Poultry Health Laboratory were used. At 9 wk of age, the dermis of 20 18-day-old regenerating GF was injected with 10 μL of either PBS diluent or 300 μg/mL PHA-P (5 chickens per treatment). GF were collected from each chicken before (zero) and at 0.25, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 d post injection. At each time point, one GF was collected for immunofluorescent staining of pulp cell suspensions and leukocyte population analysis by flow cytometry, and another GF for histological analysis. Histological analysis confirmed participation of granulocytes and mononuclear cells, primarily lymphocytes, in the cutaneous PHA response. As revealed by flow cytometric cell population analysis, T cells, especially CD4+ T cells, constituted the major portion of the mononuclear cell infiltrate. Levels of CD4+ T cells were greatly elevated in PHA-injected GF within 6 h and remained elevated throughout the 7-day examination period. γδ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and B cells also infiltrated in response to PHA although at lower levels and with different time-course patterns from CD4+ T cells. The dominant presence of CD4+ T cells at the site of PHA injection further affirms this polyclonal response as an indicator of cell-mediated immunity.
Structural, Morphological, Optical and Electrical Properties of Bulk (0001) GaN:Fe Wafers

Characterization of three vendor’s bulk semi-insulating GaN:Fe wafers, grown by either hydride vapor phase epitaxy or the ammonothermal method, was performed using: scanning electron microscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, high resolution X-ray diffraction, cathodoluminescence, photoluminescence, and high voltage testing. Although the Fe doping level is significantly different for each growth method, both are promising for the fabrication of PCSS devices operating in the lock-on mode.
Self-Study Research as a Source of Professional Development and Learning Within a School of Education

This chapter explores the evolving place of self-study within schools of education. It is written by the department chair who oversaw the formation of the self-study group featured in this section and who found ways to support the group over time. First, the author revisits his experience as a doctoral student at the University of Michigan, participating in a multi-tiered teacher education self-study (see Dinkelman T, Margolis J, Sikkenga K: Stud Teach Educ 2(1):5–23, 2006a; Dinkelman T, Margolis J, Sikkenga K: Stud Teach Educ 2(2):119–136, 2006b). Then, drawing from qualitative data sources (e.g., artifacts, emails, meeting minutes), he fast-forwards 15 years and reflects on being a department chair seeking to find a sanctioned space for self-study within the contemporary university landscape. Themes explored include (1) creating synergistic opportunities between teaching and research during a time when standards for faculty in both areas have increased; (2) facilitating authentic, dynamic program renewal; (3) finding opportunities to link self-study to mission; and (4) mining opportunities for community-building based on the lived experience of the work of teacher education rather than platitudes about collaboration. Additionally, this chapter explores the challenges and opportunities in creating a place for self-study research. Here, the processes of gaining institutional legitimacy, balancing insider vs. outsider expertise, and strategic budgeting will be analyzed.
Brief Announcement: Parallel Transitive Closure Within 3D Crosspoint Memory

The infamous memory-processor bottleneck has motivated the search for logic-in-memory architectures. In this paper, we demonstrate how the transitive closure problem can be solved through in-memory computing within a 3D crosspoint memory. The proposed architecture requires only two layers of 1-diode 1-resistor (1D1R) interconnects and external feedback loops.
Assessment of Healing

Assessment of pressure ulcer healing involves observation during a complex series of cellular and molecular events that result in repair and restoration of skin integrity and function. Although the most important endpoint in healing is complete wound closure, it may not be a practical measurement in most settings. Assessment, therefore, often relies on measurement of partial healing, including changes in size and other wound characteristics over time. With no consensus about the best method for measurement of healing, it is not surprising that rates of healing have been described in only a few research studies. The establishment of a universal method for wound healing measurement is needed urgently.
Sleep in the laboratory and sleep at home II: comparisons of middle-aged insomnia sufferers and normal sleepers.

Study Objectives: The study compared adaptation responses and sleep pattern differences shown by normal sleepers and insomnia sufferers during lab (LPSG) and home (HPSG) polysomnography. Design: A counter-balanc ed, matched-group design was used. Participants underwent 3 consecutive nocturnal LPSG’s and 3 consecutive nocturnal PSG’s in their homes (HPSG’s). Setting: The sleep disorders laboratories at affiliated VA and university medical centers. Participants: Thirty-five (18 women) middle-aged (40 to 59 years) noncomplaining normal sleepers and an age-matched sample of 33 (17 women) individuals who met structured interview criteria for persistent primary insomnia were the study participants. Measurements and Results: A series of multivariate and univariate analyses were conducted with 9 common sleep parameters to address study objectives. Bed partner influences were controlled by conducting separate sets of analyses for those with and without routine home bed partners. The interaction of participant type (normal vs. insomnia), sleep setting, and PSG sequence (HPSG 1st vs. LPSG 1st) affected first night values of sleep efficiency and stage 2 sleep among those without routine bed partners, and REM latency and sleep efficiency among those with routine bed partners. Analyses which controlled for first night and sequencing effects showed a significant participant type x sleep setting interaction among those with bed partners. These latter analyses suggested that LPSG’s may underestimate the home sleep time of insomnia sufferers and overestimate the sleep continuity of normal sleepers, at least among those who routinely sleep with a bed partner. Conclusions: The nocturnal recording site may influence adaptation effects and sleep pattern differences noted between insomnia sufferers and normal sleepers.
Kinetic studies of the reduction of Pseudomonasaeruginosa ferricytochrome c551 by Fe(EDTA)2

Abstract Kinetic studies of the reduction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ferricytochrome c 551 by Fe(EDTA)2− have been made. The reaction was found to follow a second-order rate law: k 4.2 × 103 M −1 s−1 [25°, μ 0.1 M , pH 7.0 (phosphate)]; ΔH ‡ 3.2 kcal/mol; ΔS‡ −30 cal/mol-deg. The electrostatics-corrected self-exchange rate constant (k11 corr) calculated for cytochrome c 551 based on the Fe(EDTA)2− cross reaction is 2 M −1 s−1, as compared to a value of 6 M −1 s−1 for horse heart cytochrome c . The close correspondence of the two k 11 corr values is taken as an indication that the two proteins employ very similar electron transfer mechanisms in their reactions with Fe(EDTA)2−. It is proposed that this mechanism involves reagent contact, but little protein conformational change, at the partially exposed heme edge.
Stimulation of bovine luteal oxytocin secretion in vitro by a phorbol ester and calcium ionophore.

Experiments were conducted to examine the in vitro effects of a phorbol ester and a calcium ionophore on bovine luteal oxytocin (OT) secretion and synthesis and progesterone secretion. Corpora lutea removed from beef heifers on d 8 of an estrous cycle were sliced and incubated for 2 h with .81 nM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), 1.62 nM TPA or .3 microM calcium ionophore A23187. Both concentrations of TPA increased (P less than .01) OT secretion (ng.g-1.2 h-1; control, 407.1; .81 nM TPA, 494.7; 1.62 nM TPA, 528.1; SE = 21.2). Increased secretion of OT was accompanied by a corresponding increase (P less than .02) in synthesis of the hormone (ng.g-1.2 h-1; control, 368.5; .81 nM TPA, 427.6; 1.62 nM TPA, 492.1; SE = 25.7). Phorbol ester also induced (P less than .025) progesterone secretion (ng.g-1.2 h-1; control, 1,056.2 vs .81 nM TPA, 1,333.3; SE = 86.4). Calcium ionophore increased (P less than .01) OT secretion (ng.g-1.2 h-1; control, 248.9 vs A23187, 327.4; SE = 16) and there was a trend (P = .09) toward increased synthesis of OT in response to the ionophore (control, 124.4 vs A23187, 165.6; SE = 16.4). Because TPA can activate protein kinase C and A23187 increases intracellular calcium, these intracellular constituents probably are involved in promoting secretion of OT and progesterone.
Control of nonlinear optical excitation with multiphoton intrapulse interference

This chapter presents the latest results focused on the design of tailored femtosecond pulses to achieve control of nonlinear optical excitation in large molecules based on the concept of multiphoton intrapulse interference (MII). This chapter aims to elucidate well-defined and reproducible pulse shapes that can be used to enhance or suppress particular nonlinear optical transitions in large molecules such as laser dyes and proteins in solution. Further, this chapter demonstrates the use of MII to probe the local and microscopic environment of molecules by selective two-photon laser induced fluorescence (LIF).This chapter discusses the MII method, which couples the sensitivity of multiphoton excitation on the spectral phase of the laser pulses to probe microscopic chemical environment induced changes in the multiphoton excitation spectrum of sensitive reporter molecules. The optimization of the required phase functions in solution is carried out and theoretical simulations are provided. The chapter also presents experimental images, whereby the pH-selective two-photon microscopy is achieved. The chapter demonstrates how selective excitation can be used to enhance contrast and, consequently, to achieve functional imaging, using fluorescent probes sensitive to changes in their local environment.
Toward Lab Automation Drones for Micro-plate Delivery in High Throughput Systems

In this paper, the author presents a lab automation drone concept design for high throughput systems(HTS). A 6 degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) parallel manipulator and parallel sensorized gripper are affixed together to a rotorcraft. The manipulator-gripper allows dexterously delivery of micro-plates broadly used for sample-testing in high throughput systems. For testing and evaluation, the concept design is deployed in two pick-and-place experiments using micro-plates. First the manipulator-gripper system is attached to a gantry crane system, then it is tested on a quadcopter under manual flight within motion capture space. The results demonstrate the viability of the design and point towards future work on stability controls for autonomous flight.
Progress Toward a Compact Fusion Reactor Using the Sheared-Flow-Stabilized Z-Pinch

The sheared-flow-stabilized (SFS) Z-pinch is a promising confinement concept for the development of a compact fusion reactor. The Z-pinch has been theoretically and experimentally shown to be stabl...
New genetic sources for orange color in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit flesh

Most cucumber varieties have fruits with white flesh, which is devoid of {beta}-carotene and has a low concentration of total carotenoids. Carotenoids are important nutrients for humans and animals. Thus, developing cucumber varieties with orange flesh could provide a new nutritionally enhanced food source. Some cucumbers with yellow and orange flesh have been described, but there are others that have not been studied. Here, we used three cucumber PI lines, reported to produce colored fruits, from the USDA National Plant Germplasm System to generate three F2 populations. Fruits from the F2 populations with colored flesh (green, yellow, or orange) were pooled, and an equal number of fruits with white flesh were pooled. RNA was isolated from the pools and used for RNA sequencing to determine gene expression differences and to identify SNPs in each pool. The orange color of the cucumber fruits was confirmed to be due to {beta}-carotene. There were no clear expression patterns for genes of the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway that would suggest that their expression controlled the coloration of fruits. Mutations in carotenoid biosynthesis genes also did not explain the variation. However, we detected a SNP in the homolog of the Or gene that is responsible for {beta}-carotene accumulation in orange cauliflower. This genetic basis is different from that of previously studied orange cucumbers, but our results suggest that Or is not the only factor. These results provide the basis for future studies for breeding orange cucumbers for commercial or home garden production.
The uterine myocyte, contractile machinery and proteins of the myometrium and their relationship to the dynamic nature of myometrial function

The molecular mechanisms of regulation of myometrial contractility, and, hence, the mechanisms of regulation of the onset of labor and delivery during pregnancy have been an understudied area of research. This review covers recent advances in this field and summarizes the current knowledge of the role of pregnancy-dependent changes in the regulation of myometrial signaling pathways in the setting of maintenance of pregnancy and the subsequent onset of labor. Lastly, areas where future studies are needed are discussed.
Asthma and Attendance in Urban Schools.

Introduction Asthma is linked to student absenteeism, a risk factor for poor achievement and school dropout. Studies of asthma and absenteeism have common limitations, including relying on parent-reported asthma, which may be unreliable and prone to selection, and inadequately accounting for confounding health and social risks. Therefore, the rate of absenteeism attributable to asthma and the extent to which better asthma control would translate into better attendance remain unclear. Methods Participants were 1,194 students in 2 large urban US schools (1 elementary, 1 middle) in 2016-2018. Student asthma was assessed based on parent report on health forms, student-reported asthma-related emergency department/hospitalization or medication use, and school health center record of asthma. Multiple imputation was used to reduce selection from missing asthma reports. The relationship between asthma and school district-reported days absent was estimated using Poisson random intercept regression, accounting for health and demographic covariates. Results Parent-reported ever asthma (27%) was not associated with absenteeism in adjusted models. Student-reported asthma health care or medication use (16%) and school health center record of asthma (17%) were associated with higher absenteeism (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.35 and IRR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.09-1.34, respectively). Student-reported asthma and school health center record of asthma were associated with 1.9 and 1.5 absences per year, respectively. Conclusion Student-reported and school health center record of asthma explained 14% to 18% of student absenteeism, even after accounting for other health and social risks. When possible, student reports should supplement parent reports to ensure that students with asthma are identified and obtain access to care.
Relational aggression and victimization during adolescence: A meta-analytic review of unique associations with popularity, peer acceptance, rejection, and friendship characteristics.

Abstract Introduction This meta-analysis includes 46 studies including 35,468 adolescents (M age = 12.4 years) with a mean sample ages between 10 and 17 years. Just over half of the studies include samples drawn from the U.S. with the remaining samples representing 11 different countries. Method We examined the magnitude of overlap between relational aggression and relational victimization and, using infrequently used semipartial correlations as effect sizes, we examined unique associations of each with peer acceptance, peer rejection, popularity, and positive friendship characteristics. Results & conclusions Results indicate a strong intercorrelation between relational aggression and victimization ( r ‾ = .48). We found no mean level gender difference in experiences of relational aggression or relational victimization. Relational aggression is positively associated with popularity; victimization is negatively associated with peer acceptance and friendship characteristics. Both, aggression and victimization are positively associated with rejection. We explored method of assessment as a potential source of variability of effect sizes as well as potential publication bias. Future research and implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.
Conditional Up-Regulation of SERCA2a Exacerbates RyR2-Dependent Ventricular and Atrial Arrhythmias

Ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2) and SERCA2a are two major players in myocyte calcium (Ca) cycling that are modulated physiologically, affected by disease and thus considered to be potential targets for cardiac disease therapy. However, how RyR2 and SERCA2a influence each others’ activities, as well as the primary and secondary consequences of their combined manipulations remain controversial. In this study, we examined the effect of acute upregulation of SERCA2a on arrhythmogenesis by conditionally overexpressing SERCA2a in a mouse model featuring hyperactive RyR2s due to ablation of calsequestrin 2 (CASQ2). CASQ2 knock-out (KO) mice were crossbred with doxycycline (DOX)-inducible SERCA2a transgenic mice to generate KO-TG mice. In-vivo ECG studies have shown that induction of SERCA2a (DOX+) overexpression markedly exacerbated both ventricular and atrial arrhythmias in vivo, compared with uninduced KO-TG mice (DOX-). Consistent with that, confocal microscopy in both atrial and ventricular myocytes demonstrated that conditional upregulation of SERCA2a enhanced the rate of occurrence of diastolic Ca release events. Additionally, deep RNA sequencing identified 17 downregulated genes and 5 upregulated genes in DOX+ mice, among which Ppp1r13l, Clcn1, and Agt have previously been linked to arrhythmias. Our results suggest that conditional upregulation of SERCA2a exacerbates hyperactive RyR2-mediated arrhythmias by further elevating diastolic Ca release.
Does harvest affect genetic diversity in grey wolves

Harvest can affect vital rates such as reproduction and survival, but also genetic measures of individual and population health. Grey wolves (Canis lupus) live and breed in groups, and effective population size is a small fraction of total abundance. As a result, genetic diversity of wolves may be particularly sensitive to harvest. We evaluated how harvest affected genetic diversity and relatedness in wolves. We hypothesized that harvest would (a) reduce relatedness of individuals within groups in a subpopulation but increase relatedness of individuals between groups due to increased local immigration, (b) increase individual heterozygosity and average allelic richness across groups in subpopulations and (c) add new alleles to a subpopulation and decrease the number of private alleles in subpopulations due to an increase in breeding opportunities for unrelated individuals. We found harvest had no effect on observed heterozygosity of individuals or allelic richness at loci within subpopulations but was associated with a small, biologically insignificant effect on within-group relatedness values in grey wolves. Harvest was, however, positively associated with increased relatedness of individuals between groups and a net gain (+16) of alleles into groups in subpopulations monitored since harvest began, although the number of private alleles in subpopulations overall declined. Harvest likely created opportunities for wolves to immigrate into nearby groups and breed, thereby making groups in subpopulations more related over time. Harvest appears to affect genetic diversity in wolves at the group and population levels, but its effects are less apparent at the individual level given the population sizes we studied.
Neural Control of Airway Smooth Muscle

Abstract Airway smooth muscle (ASM) is the primary effector cell responsible for controlling airway caliber and thus the resistance to airflow of the entire tracheobronchial tree. ASM tone is regulated by the autonomic nervous system involving parasympathetic, sympathetic, and nonadrenergic, noncholinergic mechanisms. Bronchoconstriction is an important component of airway defense reflexes elicited by activation of airway sensory nerves that are sensitive to inhaled irritants and endogenous inflammatory mediators. Hypersensitivity of these sensory nerves and/or dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system play an essential role in the pathogenesis of bronchospasm, a common symptom of airway inflammatory and infectious diseases.
Trends and outcomes of non-primary PCI at sites without cardiac surgery on-site: The early Michigan experience.

INTRODUCTION Non-primary percutaneous coronary intervention (non-PPCI) recently received certificate of need approval in the state of Michigan at sites without cardiac surgery on-site (cSoS). This requires quality oversight through participation in the BMC2 registry. While previous studies have indicated the safety of this practice, real-world comprehensive outcomes, case volume changes, economic impacts, and readmission rates at diverse healthcare centers with and without cSoS remain poorly understood. METHODS Consecutive patients undergoing non-PPCI at 47 hospitals (33 cSoS and 14 non-cSoS) in Michigan from April 2016 to March 2018 were included. Using propensity-matching, patients were analyzed to assess outcomes and trends in non-PPCI performance at sites with and without cSOS. RESULTS Of 61,864 PCI's performed, 50,817 were non-PPCI, with 46,096 (90.7%) performed at sites with cSoS and 4,721 (9.3%) at sites without cSoS. From this cohort, 4,643 propensity-matched patients were analyzed. Rates of major adverse cardiac events (2.6% vs. 2.8%; p = 0.443), in-hospital mortality (0.6% vs. 0.5%; p = 0.465), and several secondary clinical and quality outcomes showed no clinically significant differences. Among a small subset with available post-discharge data, there were no differences in 90-day readmission rates, standardized episode costs, or post-discharge mortality. Overall PCI volume remained stable, with a near three-fold rise in non-PPCI at sites without cSoS. CONCLUSIONS Non-PPCI at centers without cardiac SoS was associated with similar comprehensive outcomes, quality of care, 90-day episode costs, and post-discharge mortality compared with surgical sites. Mandatory quality oversight serves to maintain appropriate equivalent outcomes and may be considered for other programs, including the performance of non-PPCI at ambulatory surgical centers in the near future.
Agricultural workers’ participation in certification as a mechanism for improving working conditions: The Equitable Food Initiative

The Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) is a third-party certification program seeking to improve agricultural working conditions as well as food safety practices, environmental stewardship, and farm v...
Progress in Asian Social Psychology: Conceptual and Empirical Contributions

The article presents a review of the book “Progress in Asian Social Psychology: Conceptual and Empirical Contributions,” edited by Kuo-Shu Yang, Kwang-Kuo Hwang, Paul B. Pederson, and Ikuo Daibo.
Deep Learning based Optical Inspection with Centralized Analysis for High Volume Smart Manufacturing

Increased capabilities in data storage and exploration provide significant insights for quality assurance in a high volume manufacturing environment. However, these opportunities are associated with great challenges in analytical model development, application deployment, system throughput and reliability. While no commercial software system fully meets the needs of recording head factories in Seagate, a novel strategy named optical inspection with centralized analysis has been developed to detect defects of trailing edges of the recording heads of hard disk drives, and fail the parts when necessary. Leveraging the state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technologies, a deep learning based semantic segmentation engine is built using convolutional neural networks for optical inspection. It has shown an improved accuracy to that of visual inspection performed by human. Meanwhile, a high performance computation engine has been built as a Kubernetes cluster with multiple GPU and CPU units. It is able to achieve the target throughput of three million high-resolution images in each day (i.e., 12 TB image data and 35 images per second). With the high fidelity offered by Kubernetes cluster, the developed applications (inference engine, preprocessor, postprocessor, etc.) serve as containerized microservices independently. Such an architecture ensures the vertical and horizontal scalabilities according to the computation of each individual deployment, while all deployments communicate through an Advanced Message Queuing Protocol cluster without human interference. This analytic framework enables Industry 4.0 recording head manufacturing by integrating advanced AI technologies with a robust edge computation architecture.
Changes in urban land use throughout the Edwards Aquifer: A comparative analysis of Austin, San Antonio, and the Interstate–35 corridor

Abstract Due to the vulnerability of the Edwards Aquifer to urban development, policy measures have been implemented to protect the important water resource in South–Central Texas. This paper analyzed land use change trends across different portions of the Edwards Aquifer to better understand the degree to which protective measures influenced aquifer urbanization rates. Specifically, the National Land Cover Database was used to quantify urban development within the contributing and recharge zones of the Edwards Aquifer across Bexar, Travis, Williamson, Comal, and Hays counties for three time periods: 2001–2006, 2006–2011, and 2011–2016. Bexar County exhibited the greatest reduction in the rate of urbanization within the recharge zone although the percentage of the zone developed remained the highest. Conversely, the pace of recharge zone development in Travis and Williamson County decreased less rapidly, but the percentage of the zone urbanized was lower. Limited urban development was observed across the aquifer in Comal and Hays County during the study period. Overall, the consistent declining rate of urbanization throughout the sensitive Edwards Aquifer recharge zone suggests that the policies protecting the aquifer were largely effective, particularly given the rapid pace of urban growth throughout the region.
Plant Species Composition and Interactions within Communities Invaded by Persicaria perfoliata (Polygonaceae)

Persicaria perfoliata (Mile-a-Minute Weed), an invasive vine, forms monocultural patches of various sizes within infested landscapes among patches also containing other plants. We compared the species composition of P. perfoliata-dominated patches and adjacent nondominated patches in 2 topographically homogeneous sites using 20 paired plots, nonmetric multidimensional scaling, multi-response permutation procedure, and indicator species analyses. Richness and diversity were lower in the P. perfoliata-dominated patches but both patch types had uncommon native plants present. The patch types differed significantly in composition, and the nondominated patches were dominated by another nonnative invader, Microstegium vimineum (Japanese Stiltgrass), or a native weed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Common Ragweed). Documenting potentially interacting native and exotic species within an invaded landscape will help predict likely restoration success in response to targeted nonnative-invasive plant removal.
Activation of mTORC1 by Free Fatty Acids Suppresses LAMP2 and Autophagy Function via ER Stress in Alcohol-Related Liver Disease

Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is characterized by accumulation of hepatic free fatty acids (FFAs) and liver injury. The present study aimed to investigate if mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) plays a role in FFA-induced organelle dysfunction, thereby contributing to the development of ALD. Cell studies were conducted to define the causal role and underlying mechanism of FFA-activated mTORC1 signaling in hepatocellular cell injury. C57BL/6J wild-type mice were subjected to chronic alcohol feeding with or without rapamycin to inhibit mTORC1 activation. We revealed that palmitic acid (PA)-induced ER stress and suppression of LAMP2 and autophagy flux were mTORC1-dependent as rapamycin reversed such deleterious effects. C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) was downstream of ATF4 which partially modulated LAMP2. Supplementation with rapamycin to alcohol-fed mice attenuated mTORC1 activation and ER stress, restored LAMP2 protein, and improved autophagy, leading to amelioration of alcohol-induced liver injury. Induction of mTORC1 signaling and CHOP were also detected in the liver of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis. This study demonstrates that hepatic FFAs play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of ALD by activating mTORC1 signaling, thereby inducing ER stress and suppressing LAMP2-autophagy flux pathway, which represents an important mechanism of FFA-induced hepatocellular injury.
Summer Accumulation of Tall Fescue at Low Elevations in the Humid Piedmont: II. Fall and Winter Changes in Nutritive Value

The mild but variable temperatures and predominant rainfall during the winter could reduce the nutritive value in the winter of summer-accumulated tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). The objective of our 3-yr study was to determine the nutritive value of tall fescue accumulated from 1 June, 1 July, 1 July + N (67 kg N ha -1 ), 1 August, and 1 September and sampled from October to March. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Delaying accumulation from 1 June to 1 September increased in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) linearly (P ≤ 0.05) at each monthly sampling from October to March. Highest IVDMD (717 g kg -1 ) was obtained from the 1 September accumulation sampled in October and declined to 623 g kg -1 in March. Forage accumulated from 1 June and 1 July was lowest in IVDMD and averaged 590 g kg -1 in October and declined to 539 g kg - in March. Crude protein (CP) concentrations showed little change from November to March (mean = 121 g kg -1 ). Green tissue in accumulated forage retained high IVDMD (mean = 714 g kg -1 ) throughout the winter, but the proportion shifted from about 73% green in November to 36% in January. Dead tissue, consistently low in IVDMD (mean = 393 g kg -1 ), reduced canopy IVDMD from 26 to 55 g kg -1 for each 10 percentage unit increase. Tall fescue can be accumulated during the summer in the Piedmont and can provide forage of high nutritive value until January or until dead tissue dominates in the forage.
Semantic query expansion combining association rules with ontologies and information retrieval techniques

Query expansion techniques are used to find the desired set of query terms to improve retrieval performance. One of the limitations with the query expansion techniques is that a query is often expanded only by the linguistic features of terms. This paper presents a novel semantic query expansion technique that combines association rules with ontologies and information retrieval techniques. We propose to use the association rule discovery to find good candidate terms to improve the retrieval performance. These candidate terms are automatically derived from collections and added to the original query. Our method is differentiated from others in that 1) it utilizes the semantics as well as linguistic properties of unstructured text corpus and 2) it makes use of contextual properties of important terms discovered by association rules. Experiments conducted on a subset of TREC collections give quite encouraging results. We achieve from 15.49% to 20.98% improvement in term of P@20 with TREC5 ad hoc queries.