cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypercholesterolemia Among Children When Is It High, and When Is It Really High?

The rate of childhood obesity has at least tripled over the past 3 decades and has raised significant concerns about the cardiovascular health of America’s youth.1 Some fear that as a result of the obesity epidemic, a wave of debilitating chronic conditions will afflict America’s youth. We do not yet know when, or even if, the wave of cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypercholesterolemia and type 2 diabetes, will crash into the health of our country’s young adults. Perhaps the real question is the impact of childhood obesity, and the accompanying risk factors, on the health of Americans in their 30s and 40s. Article p 1108 The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition released new guidelines on the screening and treatment of high cholesterol in children and adolescents.2 The guidelines were an update from 1998 and were intended to define both a broad population approach and a targeted individual approach. The popular media focused on the message that statins could now be prescribed to obese children as young as 8 years of age, and they missed the message about population-based prevention through lifestyle changes in nutrition and physical activity. The concern for families and providers would be that any obese youth with elevated cholesterol would now need to start a medication that their grandparents also use. The public health and epidemiology community has recently provided data on the trends of a number of cardiovascular risk factors in youth. There needs to be more clarity in regard to the current health status of America’s children. There are significant differences in the rates of teens with an abnormal risk factor, such as impaired fasting glucose >100 mg/dL, and a clear clinical condition, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. Previous data showed that the US prevalence of type 2 diabetes …
A novel polarization diversity receiver for PMD mitigation

We present a novel polarization diversity receiver for mitigating polarization-mode dispersion (PMD). We show that with simple fixed optics and electronics we can significantly decrease the outage probability due to PMD and can achieve better performance than an electronic equalization solution using no diversity. By incorporating equalization into the diversity receiver structure, further performance improvements can be achieved and the intersymbol interference due to higher order PMD distortions can be reduced. We demonstrate the performance advantages of the proposed diversity receiver using importance sampling to accurately calculate the outage probability due to PMD.
Initial experience with robot-assisted varicocelectomy.

Aim: To determine if robot-assisted varicocelectomy can be safely and effectively performed when compared to microscopic inguinal varicocelectomy. Methods: Eight patients aged 29.1 ± 12.5 years underwent microscopic subinguinal varicocelectomies: seven patients with left-sided repair, and one patient with bilateral repair. Eight patients aged 22.0 ± 8.0 years underwent robot-assisted varicocelectomies: seven patients with left-sided repair and one patient with bilateral repair. Results: The average operative time for microscopic inguinal varicocelectomy was 73.9 ± 12.2 min, whereas the robot-assisted technique took 71.1 ± 21.1 min. There were no difficulties in identifying and isolating vessels and the vas deferens with robot-assisted subinguinal varicocelectomy. Hand tremor was eliminated using the robotic procedure. Patients who underwent either microscopic or robot-assisted varicocelectomies were able to resume daily activities on the day of surgery and full activities within 2 weeks. There were no complications or recurrences of varicocele. Conclusion: From our experience, compared to microscopic surgery, robot-assisted varicocelectomy can be safely and effectively performed, with the added benefit of eliminating hand tremor.
N14 nuclear quadrupole resonance in ferroelectric NaNO2

The N14 NQR frequency and linewidth have been measured in ferroelectric NaNO2 as a function of temperature. It is shown that the results can be explained by an order-disorder model where the NO2 ions are flipping between two equilibrium sites. Die Kernquadrupolfrequenz und -linienbreite von N14 wurden in ferroelektrischem NaNO2 als Funktion der Temperatur gemessen. Es wird gezeigt, das die Ergebnisse durch ein Ordnungs–Fehlordnungs-Modell erklart werden konnen, wobei die NO2-Ionen zwischen zwei Gleichgewichtsplatzen springen.
Ironing Out Deficiencies: Evidence from the United States on the Economic Effects of Iron Deficiency

Iron deficiency reduces productive capacity in adults and impairs cognitive development in children. In 1943, the United States government required the fortification of bread with iron to reduce iron deficiency in the working-age population during World War II. This nationwide fortification of grain products increased per capita consumption of iron by 16 percent. I find that areas with lower levels of iron consumption prior to the mandate experienced greater increases in income and school enrollment in the 1940s. A long-term followup suggests that adults in 1970 with more exposure to fortification during childhood earned higher wages.
ORGANELLES AND TRAFFICKING MACHINERY FOR POSTSYNAPTIC PLASTICITY

Neurons are among the largest and most complex cells in the body. Their immense size and intricate geometry pose many unique cell-biological problems. How is dendritic architecture established and maintained? How do neurons traffic newly synthesized integral membrane proteins over such long distances to synapses? Functionally, protein trafficking to and from the postsynaptic membrane has emerged as a key mechanism underlying various forms of synaptic plasticity. Which organelles are involved in postsynaptic trafficking, and how do they integrate and respond to activity at individual synapses? Here we review what is currently known about long-range trafficking of newly synthesized postsynaptic proteins as well as the local rules that govern postsynaptic trafficking at individual synapses.
Empirical Evaluation of a UML Sequence Diagram with Adornments to Support Understanding of Thread Interactions

Programs that use multithreaded concurrency are known to be difficult to design. Moreover, research in computer-science education suggests that concurrency and synchronization concepts are generally difficult to master. It stands to reason that comprehension tasks may be more complex for programs that employ concurrency than for sequential programs. We believe that external representations, specifically refinements to some of the popular UML modeling notations, should aid students in mastering fundamental concurrency/synchronization concepts and should enable practitioners to better comprehend the dynamically evolving nature of the these programs. In this paper, we present our synchronization adorned UML (saUML) sequence diagram notation that highlights aspects of thread interactions and describe an empirical study of whether these diagrams, as opposed to purely textual representations, help students to better understand concurrent executions and concurrency concepts, as measured by their ability to answer questions about a particular execution of a multi-threaded system. A statistically significant benefit was found from the study.
Core Concepts: Thermoregulation in the Newborn, Part II: Prevention of Aberrant Body Temperature

Newborns are uniquely at risk of abnormal body temperature, and susceptible to the potential ill effects of both hypo- and hyperthermia. Building on the understanding of the causes of temperature alteration and the physiologic mechanisms to prevent it, this review explores how both low and high body temperature may lead to severe injury, illness, or death. Support and regulation of the thermal environment of the newborn has long been recognized as a critical aspect of newborn care, and it has become increasingly important as smaller and less mature infants are able to survive. Because of their even more limited capacity for self-protection compared with term infants, the most immature infants can readily lose heat and body temperature, and succumb to the severe physiologic consequences of hypothermia. Hyperthermia, although much less common, may also have profound negative impact on the newborn, and in some ways poses a greater risk to term and late preterm infants. A variety of different methods are discussed as means to reduce heat loss from evaporation, convection, conduction, or radiation and protect an infant from hypothermia. A number of these modalities are specifically geared to the critical time period immediately after birth, including occlusive plastic wraps, exothermic mattresses, and augmented room temperatures. In other cases, such as the use of hats, the value extends from birth through the days immediately after, and still other care practices are primarily designed for use in the NICU or nursery. The effectiveness, advantages, and drawbacks of these different modalities are outlined.
Object recognition using geometric hashing on the Connection Machine

A parallel implementation of a system to recognize 2D objects under realistic scenarios (occlusion, rotation, translation, and perspective) is presented. A preprocessing phase and a recognition phase are used. Both phases have been implemented on the Connection Machine, achieving O(n/sup -x/) with n/sup x/ processors (x >
Reduction of surgical site infection in spine surgery: an opportunity for quality improvement and cost reduction

COMMENTARY ON Savage JW, Anderson PA. An update on modifiable factors to reduce the risk of surgical site infections. Spine J 2013;13:1017–1029 (in this issue).
The range and response of Neonicotinoids on hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae (Hemiptera: Adelgidae)

Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), Adelges tsugae Annand is a serious pest of eastern and Carolina hemlock in the eastern United States. A series of experiments compared commercially available and experimental insecticides, rates, application methods and timing for HWA control in Georgia and North Carolina. Safari 20 SG (dinotefuran) provided an average of 79 to 87% suppression of adelgid populations within one month after spring application. Arena 50 W (clothianidin) and Merit 75 WP (imidacloprid) were slower acting but provided longer-term adelgid suppression than dinotefuran. However, 26 months after application in spring 2006 HWA re-colonized trees treated with dinotefuran while imidacloprid treatments were still effective. High volume treatments like soil drenches of dinotefuran did not improve adelgid control over low volume applications such as soil injection. Evaluation in July 2008 of a fall 2007 application of Tristar 30 SG (acetamiprid) using arborjet trunk injectors showed no reduction of nymphal populations. Treatment timing and rates did not affect HWA relative to untreated check. The Xytect 75 WSP (imidacloprid) soil injection treatments applied during May, August, or November 2007 and Xytect root-fl are micro injection system treatment in November 2007 provided 99 to 100% control in all treatments.
Legislative Subsidy or Belief Diffusion? The Battle Over Housing Finance in the run-up to the Financial Crisis

In 1989, Berry and Wilcox argued that the combination of America’s two party system, the 1960s decline in party organizations, and the 1974 changes in election law had placed interest group politics at the center of American policymaking. However, the evidence of any causal chain flowing from interest group donations to legislative votes remains enigmatic. Interest groups tend to support members whose roll–call votes are already predictable on the basis of ideology, which we would not expect in vote-buying scenarios. Some of this evidence suggests interest group resources simply provide a legislative subsidy to supportive members. On the other hand, much interest group influence occurs at the committee level, where members may self-select into smaller components of the ideological spectrum. Such scenarios might lead researchers to underestimate interest group influence. On either side, little of the existing literature addresses whether interest groups affect the way members understand and interpret policy-relevant information; it does not address whether interest groups affect the way members think about policy issues.This paper suggests a key mechanism for interest group influence is in the opportunity for donors to frame information and dominate the belief diffusion process in congressional committees. I develop hypotheses around the impact of interest group access on belief diffusion in a committee-level social network. I then use social network analysis and semantic network analysis to determine whether members with the same interest group donors develop statistically similar cognitive maps with respect to a complex policy issue. The study focuses on the 2000-2008 debate on reforming the regulatory structure for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which ended in one of the largest financial bailouts in American history.
Family Meal Frequency and Association with Household Food Availability in United States Multi-Person Households: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2010

Objective Family meals are associated with a healthier diet among children and adolescents, but how family meal frequency varies in the U.S. population overall by household food availability and sociodemographic characteristics is not well characterized. Design The U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2010 assessed the frequency of family meals eaten at home in the past week and the household availability of fruits, dark green vegetables, salty snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Setting Computer-assisted face-to-face interviews with a selected adult (≥18 years) who owned or rented the home (i.e., the household reference person). Subjects We analyzed information on family meal frequency for 18,031 participants living in multi-person households in relation to sociodemographic characteristics and food availability. Results Among the U.S. population living in households of two or more individuals, the prevalence (95% confidence interval) of having 0–2, 3–6 and ≥7 family meals/week was 18.0% (16.6–19.3), 32.4% (31.0–33.9), and 49.6% (47.8–51.4), respectively. Greater household availability of fruits and dark green vegetables and less availability of salty snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with more frequent family meals. Family meals were more prevalent in low-income households and those in which the reference person was ≥65 years, married, or had less than high school education. Conclusions About half of the US population living in households of 2 or more people shares meals frequently with their family at home. Family meal frequency was positively associated with a healthier pattern of household food availability.
Detailed Studies of Hydrocarbon Radicals: C2H Dissociation

A novel experimental technique was examined whose goal was the ejection of radical species into the gas phase from a platform (film) of cold non-reactive material. The underlying principle was one of photo-initiated heat release in a stratum that lies below a layer of CO2 or a layer of amorphous solid water (ASW) and CO2. A molecular precursor to the radical species of interest is deposited near or on the film's surface, where it can be photo-dissociated. It proved unfeasible to avoid the rampant formation of fissures, as opposed to large "flakes." This led to many interesting results, but resulted in our aborting the scheme as a means of launching cold C2H radical into the gas phase. A journal article resulted that is germane to astrophysics but not combustion chemistry.
Preclinical Evaluation of 18F-Labeled Anti-HER2 Nanobody Conjugates for Imaging HER2 Receptor Expression by Immuno-PET

The human growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in breast as well as other types of cancer. Immuno-PET, a noninvasive imaging procedure that could assess HER2 status in both primary and metastatic lesions simultaneously, could be a valuable tool for optimizing application of HER2-targeted therapies in individual patients. Herein, we have evaluated the tumor-targeting potential of the 5F7 anti-HER2 Nanobody (single-domain antibody fragment; ∼13 kDa) after 18F labeling by 2 methods. Methods: The 5F7 Nanobody was labeled with 18F using the novel residualizing label N-succinimidyl 3-((4-(4-18F-fluorobutyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)methyl)-5-(guanidinomethyl)benzoate (18F-SFBTMGMB; 18F-RL-I) and also via the most commonly used 18F protein–labeling prosthetic agent N-succinimidyl 3-18F-fluorobenzoate (18F-SFB). For comparison, 5F7 Nanobody was also labeled using the residualizing radioiodination agent N-succinimidyl 4-guanidinomethyl-3-125I-iodobenzoate (125I-SGMIB). Paired-label (18F/125I) internalization assays and biodistribution studies were performed on HER2-expressing BT474M1 breast carcinoma cells and in mice with BT474M1 subcutaneous xenografts, respectively. Small-animal PET/CT imaging of 5F7 Nanobody labeled using 18F-RL-I also was performed. Results: Internalization assays indicated that intracellularly retained radioactivity for 18F-RL-I-5F7 was similar to that for coincubated 125I-SGMIB-5F7, whereas that for 18F-SFB-5F7 was lower than coincubated 125I-SGMIB-5F7 and decreased with time. BT474M1 tumor uptake of 18F-RL-I-5F7 was 28.97 ± 3.88 percentage injected dose per gram of tissue (%ID/g) at 1 h and 36.28 ± 14.10 %ID/g at 2 h, reduced by more than 90% on blocking with trastuzumab, indicating HER2 specificity of uptake, and was also 26%–28% higher (P
PYROVALVE SIMULATION AND EVALUATION

Normally open pyrovalves are often used explosive ordnance devices on space vehicles for closure of lines carrying fluids. The dynamics of this class of device are not fully understood and thus the margins of operation are unknown. Modeling allows insight into the physics of pyrovalve operation and provides a tool for the analysis of existing designs, the understanding of failures, and the timely assessment of corrective modifications. A 3-D model of a 2-way, normally open pyrovalve has been set up with LS-DYNA3D, a finite element solid mechanics code. The simulations show that pyrovalves perform their function due to shock loading from a detonating explosive. The valve's ram can be made to cut clear through the tube's cutout section with a combination of 50 mg RDX for initiator explosive and friction between the cutting ram and pyrovalve housing surfaces. The simulation provides for a better understanding of the dynamic behavior of normally open pyrovalves.
RARE ALLELES AS INDICATORS OF GENE FLOW

A. method for estimating the average level of gene flow in a subdivided population, as measured by the average number of migrants exchanged between local populations, Nm, is presented. The results from a computer simulation model show that the logarithm of Nm is approximately linearly related to the logarithm of the average frequency of private alleles, p(1), in a sample of alleles from the population. It is shown that this result is relatively insensitive to changes in parameters of the model other than Nm and the number of individuals sampled per population. The dependence of the value of p(1) on the numbers of individuals sampled provides a rough way to correct for differences in sample size. This method was applied to data from 16 species, showing that estimated values of Nm range from much greater than 1 to less than 0.1. These results confirm the qualitative analysis of Slatkin (1981). This method was also applied to subsamples from a population to show how to measure the extent of isolation of local populations.
Conventional Arms in Soviet Foreign Policy

Military relations between the United States and the Soviet Union over the past decade exhibit an apparent paradox: professed mutual interests in parity yielding in practice to a competitive military buildup. The paper examines four hypothetical explanations—denoted respectively as the hypotheses of mirage, momentum, victory, and spillover—in the context of conventional military force development. While certain valid elements are identified in each hypothesis, the author concludes that it is the appeal of spillover, the non-fighting functions of conventional military advantage, which despite a mixed payoff may be regarded as the most significant determinant of Soviet behavior. The evolution of force levels and military budgets, and the political purposes and activities of the U.S.S.R. in the First and Third Worlds, provide the data for analysis.
STUDY ON THE GENOTOXICITY OF GANTAIKANG

Purpose and Methods: The genotoxic activity of Gantaikang was studied by Ames test, micronucleus test of polychromatic erythrocytes in bone marrow and sperm shape abnormality test in mice to provide the data basis for its safety. Results and Conclusion: The results of the three tests were all negative, which suggested that Gantaikang is not mutagenic to tested strains, somatic cells and male germ cells in mice.
Construction of eukaryotic expression vector of avian influenza virus H5N1PA protein and expression of PA recombinant protein in mammalian eukaryotic cells

Objective To construct an eukaryotic expression vector of avian influenza virus(AIV)H5N1PA gene and express PA recombinant protein in 293Tcells.Methods AIV PA gene was amplified by RT-PCR and cloned into pMD18-T vector to construct pMD18-T-PA plasmid by T-A cloning.Double digestion of pMD18-T-PA and pXJ40-HA plasmids,followed by ligation of gel-purified fragments constructed pXJ40-HA-PA plasmid,which was verified by PCR,double digestion and sequencing analysis.pXJ40-HA-PA was transfected into 293Tcells.Expression of recombinant PA protein was confirmed by Western Blot analysis.Results Eukaryotic expression vector pXJ40-HA-PA was successfully constructed.A 75kD recombinant protein was expressed in mammalian eukaryotic cells,which was confirmed by Western Blot analysis.Conclusion The successful construction of AIV PA gene eukaryotic expression plasmid should lay a foundation for further research on PA gene function.
Visible Light Driven Nanosecond Bromide Oxidation by a Ru Complex with Subsequent Br-Br Bond Formation.

Visible light excitation of [Ru(deeb)(bpz)2]2+ (deeb = 4,4′-diethylester-2,2′-bipyridine; bpz = 2,2′-bipyrazine), in Br– acetone solutions, led to the formation of Br–Br bonds in the form of dibrom...
Human ehrlichiosis: More trouble from ticks

Human ehrlichiosis, whether monocytic or granulocytic, presents as a flulike illness that can be severe or even fatal. Diagnosis is often difficult and usually empiric: persistent fever and malaise, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, elevated liver enzyme levels, and tick exposure are clues. In cases treated early with doxycycline, the prognosis is good.
Membrane-Associated Processes

A major group of synthetic, nonbiological molecules that share a long and important relationship with membranes are known as anesthetics [1,2]. Anesthetics comprise a very large group of small organic compounds that cause anesthesia – defined as a loss of sensation [3,4]. There are two basic types of anesthetics: general and local. General anesthetics cause a reversible loss of consciousness, while local anesthetics cause a reversible loss of sensation over a limited region of the body but do not lead to unconsciousness. Of course, both types of anesthetics play preeminent roles in medicine and have for more than 160 years.
Effect of cracks on spatially resolved c-Si solar cell parameters

Although EL images of modules with cracked cells may initially show no sign of power loss; closed cracks tend to progressively open up in the field, causing various levels of power loss revealed in the various shades of regions bound by cracks. This work investigates the effect of cracks on spatially-resolved non-encapsulated solar cell electrical parameters and to show how these relate to the observed power loss. We rely on bias-PL and EQE measurements to map out solar cell electrical parameters of cracked solar cells. The main findings were that the severity of the crack impacted solar cell parameters in different ways. Such novel approaches to looking at cracks may provide a path and classify the criticality of cracks early in the process.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Longitudinal Patterns of Family Mealtimes: Link to Adolescent Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Abstract Objective To examine the longitudinal patterns of family mealtimes across racial/ethnic groups and to investigate whether the associations between longitudinal patterns of family mealtimes, baseline family and demographic characteristics, and healthy food consumption in adolescence differ by race/ethnicity. Methods Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study spanning from kindergarten to eighth grade were used for this study. Longitudinal patterns of family mealtimes and their link to baseline characteristics and healthy food consumption in adolescence, as defined by fruit and vegetable intakes, were determined using latent growth curves. Results From childhood to adolescence, family mealtimes were stable among Asian families. Although Hispanic families displayed a downward pattern, mealtimes declined more steeply in non-Hispanic white and black families. The links among family mealtimes, baseline characteristics, and healthy food consumption were not observed equally across racial/ethnic groups. Conclusions and Implications Differences in longitudinal patterns of family mealtimes and in the association between family mealtimes and adolescent healthy food consumption across racial/ethnic groups call for targeted intervention in this nutritionally vulnerable period.
Manganese superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase-1 contribute to the rise and fall of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species which drive oncogenesis ☆

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) largely originating in the mitochondria play essential roles in the metabolic and (epi)genetic reprogramming of cancer cell evolution towards more aggressive phenotypes. Recent studies have indicated that the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD2) may promote tumor progression by serving as a source of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). H2O2 is a form of ROS that is particularly active as a redox agent affecting cell signaling due to its ability to freely diffuse out of the mitochondria and alter redox active amino acid residues on regulatory proteins. Therefore, there is likely a dichotomy whereas SOD2 can be considered a protective antioxidant, as well as a pro-oxidant during cancer progression, with these effects depending on the accumulation and detoxification of H2O2. Glutathione peroxidase-1 GPX1, is a selenium-dependent scavenger of H2O2 which partitions between the mitochondria and the cytosol. Epidemiologic studies indicated that allelic variations in the SOD2 and GPX1 genes alter the distribution and relative concentrations of SOD2 and GPX1 in mitochondria, thereby affecting the dynamic between the production and elimination of H2O2. Experimental and epidemiological evidence supporting a conflicting role of SOD2 in tumor biology, and epidemiological evidence that SOD2 and GPX1 can interact to affect cancer risk and progression indicated that it is the net accumulation of mitochondrial H2O2 (mtH2O2) resulting from of the balance between the activities SOD2 and anti-oxidants such as GPX1 that determines whether SOD2 prevents or promotes oncogenesis. In this review, research supporting the idea that GPX1 is a gatekeeper restraining the oncogenic power of mitochondrial ROS generated by SOD2 is presented. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Mitochondria in Cancer, edited by Giuseppe Gasparre, Rodrigue Rossignol and Pierre Sonveaux.
Evolution of a split RNA polymerase as a versatile biosensor platform

Biosensors that transduce target chemical and biochemical inputs into genetic outputs are essential for bioengineering and synthetic biology. Current biosensor design strategies are often limited by a low signal-to-noise ratio, the extensive optimization required for each new input, and poor performance in mammalian cells. Here we report the development of a proximity-dependent split RNA polymerase (RNAP) as a general platform for biosensor engineering. After discovering that interactions between fused proteins modulate the assembly of a split T7 RNAP, we optimized the split RNAP components for protein-protein interaction detection by phage-assisted continuous evolution (PACE). We then applied the resulting activity-responsive RNAP (AR) system to create biosensors that can be activated by light and small molecules, demonstrating the 'plug-and-play' nature of the platform. Finally, we validated that ARs can interrogate multidimensional protein-protein interactions and trigger RNA nanostructure production, protein synthesis, and gene knockdown in mammalian systems, illustrating the versatility of ARs in synthetic biology applications.
The effects of growth regulators, temperature, and drying on Vitis vinifera buds

BA at 1,000 ppm hastenecl termination of bucl rest in 'St. Emilion' cuttings, but ethephon at 2,000 ppm ancl morphactin at 20, 200, and 2,000 ppm markedly clelayecl rest. With nonresting buds, SADH at 20 and 200 ppm hastened time of bud break, but ABA at 1,000 ppm clelayed bucl break. A basal treatment of the cuttings with ABA was less effective than immersion of entire cuttings. BOA, ethephon, KGA3 , ancl a morphactin all clelayed bud break of nonresting bucls, at least when used at high concentrations. BOA was effective in clelaying bud break. When resting cuttings were subjectecl to temperatures ranging from 38 to 49 °C for 6 to 24 hr, many of the treatments hastened termination of rest. Drying resting cuttings for 5 clays at 24-27 °C was very effective in breaking rest; but after 20 days of clrying, no cuttings grew. Die Wirkung von Wachstumsregulatoren, Temperatur und Trocknen auf Knospen von Vitis vinifera 1.000 ppm BA beschleunigte die Beendigung der Knospenruhe von Stecklingen der Sorte „St. Emilion", wahrend 2.000 ppm Ethephon und 20, 200 oder 2.000 ppm Morphaktin die Knospenruhe merklich verzogerten. Bei Knospen auserhalb der Dormanz beschleunigten 20 oder 200 ppm SADH die Zeit des Austriebs, 1.000 ppm ABA dagegen verzogerte den Austrieb. Basale Behandlung des Holzes mit ABA war weniger wirksam als das Tauchen ganzer Stecklinge. BOA, Ethephon, KGA3 und ein Morphaktin verzogerten alle den Austrieb nichtruhender Knospen, zumindest in hohen Konzentrationen. BOA war bei der Verzogerung des Austriebs wirksam. Wenn dormante Stecklinge 6 bis 24 Stunden lang Temperaturen von 38 bis 49 °C ausgesetzt wurden, beschleunigten viele Behandlungen die Beendigung der Knospenruhe. 5 Tage dauerndes Trocknen ruhender Stecklinge bei 24-27 °C brach sehr wirksam die Ruhe; nach 20tagigem Trocknen jedoch wuchsen keine Stecklinge mehr.
AFRL Commander's Challenge 2015: stopping the active shooter

In this work, we describe a rapid-innovation challenge to combat and deal with the problem of internal, insider physical threats (e.g., active shooters) and associated first-responder situation awareness on military installations. Our team’s research and development effort described within focused on several key tech development areas: (1) indoor acoustical gunshot detection, (2) indoor spatial tracking of first responders, (3) bystander safety and protection, (4) two-way mass alerting capability, and (5) spatial information displays for command and control. The technological solutions were specifically designed to be innovative, low-cost, and (relatively) easy-to-implement, and to provide support across the spectrum of possible users including potential victims/bystanders, first responders, dispatch, and incident command.
A deep subsurface ice probe for Europa

This paper describes work on a concept for a probe that would be capable of km-scale deep subsurface ice penetration on Europa or other Ocean World. Penetrating deep into or through the ice cap over the liquid ocean is the best way to establish if life has evolved there. A central thesis of this work is that we must start by addressing the Planetary Protection constraints, and not to try to add them on at the end. Specifically, all hardware in the probe would be designed to survive heat sterilization at 500C for extended periods, as required to meet the COSPAR 1-in-10,000 probability per mission of biological contamination of the ocean. The baseline concept features a heat source containing plutonium-238 encased within a stainless Dewar so that the heat is not lost by conduction into the ice. A circular saw blade sticks out through a slot in a hemispherical turret dome at the bottom of the Dewar such that the blade cuts the ice as it spins. The turret also rotates slowly to cause the saw blade to make a hemispherical cut in the ice. The ice chips would be thrown up through the slit into the turret and would be melted by the heat source. The meltwater drains into sumps on either side of the sawblade, from which the meltwater would be pumped out to the rear of the probe. The main body of the probe contains a spool of aluminum tubing that would be dispensed from within the probe all the way back to the lander. This tubing is nominally 1–3 mm in outside dimension with integral insulated electrical wires around the center hole. This tube would pneumatically transport small (mm-scale) single-use canisters containing meltwater samples from the probe to the surface for analysis. Surface analysis allows use of instruments that can be neither miniaturized nor sterilized sufficiently to go down-hole. Dry inert gas would be used to push the canister down from the lander and back up. The dry gas would be re-compressed and re-used. During a portion of the cruise to the outer solar system, the heat source would heat the entire probe, including the coiled tubing inside as well as all the canisters and inert gas, to 500C to destroy any lingering organisms and to decompose any complex organic molecules. The paper describes analysis, design, and preliminary testing, as well as plans for building a prototype and testing it in an “ice treadmill” where a plug of ice is created inside a vertical LN2 cold jacket, pushed up by water pumped below so that the ice plug rises at the same rate that the probe penetrates the ice.
A conservative, second order, unconditionally stable artificial compression method

Abstract This report presents a new artificial compression method for incompressible, viscous flows. The method has second order consistency error and is unconditionally, long time, energy stable for the velocity and, weighted by the timestep, for the pressure. It uncouples the pressure and velocity and requires no artificial pressure boundary conditions. When the viscosity ν = 0 the method also exactly conserves a system energy. The method is based on a Crank–Nicolson Leapfrog time discretization of the slightly compressible model ( 1 − e 1 grad div ) u t + u ⋅ ∇ u + 1 2 ( div u ) u − ν Δ u + ∇ p = f and e 2 p t + div u = 0 . This report presents the method, gives a stability analysis, presents numerical tests and gives a preliminary analysis with tests of the non-physical acoustic waves generated. Consideration of the physical fidelity of the artificial compression method leads to a related method.
Corticothalamic network dysfunction and Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by progressive cognitive decline and a prominent loss of hippocampal-dependent memory. Therefore, much focus has been placed on understanding the function and dysfunction of the hippocampus in AD. However, AD is also accompanied by a number of other debilitating cognitive and behavioral alterations including deficits in attention, cognitive processing, and sleep maintenance. The underlying mechanisms that give rise to impairments in such diverse behavioral domains are unknown, and identifying them would shed insight into the multifactorial nature of AD as well as reveal potential new therapeutic targets to improve overall function in AD. We present here several lines of evidence that suggest that dysregulation of the corticothalamic network may be a common denominator that contributes to the diverse cognitive and behavioral alterations in AD. First, we will review the mechanisms by which this network regulates processes that include attention, cognitive processing, learning and memory, and sleep maintenance. Then we will review how these behavioral and cognitive domains are altered in AD. We will also discuss how dysregulation of tightly regulated activity in the corticothalamic network can give rise to non-convulsive seizures and other forms of epileptiform activity that have also been documented in both AD patients and transgenic mouse models of AD. In summary, the corticothalamic network has the potential to be a master regulator of diverse cognitive and behavioral domains that are affected in AD.
A Life-Course Perspective on Incarcerated Women’s Views on Adulthood

Drawing on 35 in-depth interviews with incarcerated women, supplemented by mail correspondence with a sub-sample of these women, I explore how the participants interpret their early life-course experiences when reflecting on their transition to adulthood and, subsequently, their views on adult roles and responsibilities. The women’s narratives indicate that early experiences with trauma, along with premature entries into adult roles, result in a disorganized transition to adulthood. The findings also suggest that the women’s accelerated transitions to adulthood shape their views on adult roles, pointing to a need to incorporate discussions of age-normative timetables in efforts to assist at-risk and incarcerated women.
Sports Participation in Youth With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: The Role of Disease Activity and Subjective Physical Health Symptoms.

Background Physical activity is important for youth with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), and sports participation is a common way in which youth are physically active. Yet, studies examining sports participation in youth with IBD and barriers to sports participation are lacking. This study examined the role of disease complications, body mass index (BMI), subjective physical health, and psychosocial functioning in influencing sports participation in a large sample of youth with IBD participating in the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America Partners (CCFA Partners) Kids and Teens Registry. Methods CCFA Partners Kids and Teens is an internet-based cohort study in which participants and their parents self-report demographics, disease characteristics, anthropometrics, and validated assessments of physical health, psychosocial functioning, and perceived impairment in sports participation. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 450 cohort participants, age 12-17 years. Results Nearly two-thirds of the sample reported that their IBD resulted in some impairment in sports participation. IBD disease activity was associated with perceived impairment in sports participation. In a forward regression analysis controlling for disease activity, fatigue, pain, and past IBD-related surgery emerged as the most salient correlates of impairment in sports participation. Conclusions Disease activity and subjective physical health symptoms were the most salient correlates of impairment in sports participation. Whether these barriers interfere with physical activity more generally deserves further study, as does replication of these findings longitudinally. Ultimately, a greater understanding of potential barriers to sports participation may be useful for generating targeted physical activity recommendations for youth with IBD.
Quality Metrics: Definition, Creation, Presentation, and Use

Advances in diagnostic imaging have helped revolutionize the practice of medicine. These advances have enhanced physicians’ understanding of diseases, improved diagnostic accuracy, and contributed tremendously to patient care. However, heterogeneity and on warranted variation in practice of radiology exists locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. Variations in diagnostic radiology practices are well-documented numerous. Even in a single radiology practice substantial unexplained variation exists in how imaging tests are requested, scheduled, performed, reported, communicated, and how frequently appropriate follow-up diagnostic and therapeutic tests and procedures are performed. Such unexplained words and variations in practice of diagnostic radiology can lead to some optimal quality of care, waste, and a diminished patient experience of care. Initiatives to close such performance gaps enhance the value of radiologists and diagnostic imaging to individual patients and to the healthcare system.
Monoclonal Antibodies as Physiologic Probes

Clinicians and research scientists alike have for years utilized the immune response to generate antibodies to probe physiologic and biochemical systems. Polyclonal antibody found in the course of the humoral response to an antigen may detect, quantify, and localize small amounts of material in complex mixtures. Were it not for the heterogeneity and unpredictability of the immune reponse, immunologic assays might have had an even greater application. With the introduction of somatic cell fusion most of the problems associated with polyclonal antisera and their application to basic and clinical questions are likely to be overcome.
Dynamic firm behavior under uncertainty

This study examines and compares the behavior of forward-looking and myopic expected-utility-maximizing competitive firms. The first scenario analyzed is that of a speculative storing firm in the absence of forward markets. It is shown that there are important differences between forward-looking and myopic firms in that the former may store more or less than otherwise identical risk-neutral firms, whereas the latter will always store less than risk-neutral ones. If the forward-looking firm is constant absolute risk averse (CARA) and sufficiently risk averse, at low storage levels it will store more than if it were risk neutral. So long as the firm is CARA, storage is negatively related to current price and the interest rate and is independent from beginning stocks, irrespective of myopic or forward-looking attitudes;The second section introduces forward markets and shows that the speculative storing firm separates storage from hedging. Storage is independent of random variables, risk aversion levels, and forward-looking or myopic attitudes. Under unbiased forward prices, full hedging is optimal for a myopic risk-averse firm but suboptimal for a forward-looking firm. If certain conditions hold, the optimal forward-looking CARA hedge under unbiased forward prices will be less than a full hedge;Next, the model is modified to allow for production without storage. Most of the findings from the speculative storage framework apply to this case if the production function is nonstochastic Leontief, and if output and material input prices are positively related. Under certain conditions, the forward-looking CARA firm will produce more than the risk-neutral one at sufficiently low output levels;The final model considers the most general situation, in which firms are allowed to produce and to store and trade forward both output and material input. The results show that the firm separates "physical" decisions from hedging decisions regardless of forward-looking or myopic attitudes. Physical decisions depend only on current forward and cash prices, the interest rate, and the storage and production cost functions. A model of the soybean-processing sector is developed that supports the hypotheses advanced and shows that forward prices better explain processor behavior than either naive price expectations or perfect foresight.
Stem and Progenitor Cells of the Airway Epithelium

This chapter argues that the hierarchical stem cell model should be adapted to reflect the specialized progenitor cell types that maintain the conducing airway epithelium. The conducting airway epithelium serves as the interface between the lung and the environment. Basic epithelial functions, such as barrier maintenance, are characteristic of all airway regions. However, other epithelial activities that are necessary to protect the lung from the environment vary along the proximal to distal axis of the airway. These adaptive modifications are manifest as differences in cellular composition and in the structure/function of specific cell types. Studies in humans and mice suggest that this specialization is a consequence of distinct progenitor cell pools. Each pool includes a tissue-specific stem cell and one or more facultative progenitor cell types. Facultative progenitors perform differentiated functions in the steady state but maintain the ability to proliferate in response to cellular injury. We propose that the facultative progenitor cells comprise a unique tier(s) within distinct stem cell hierarchies that maintain the proximal and distal conducing airway epithelium
The fine line between regional and metastatic pelvic lymph nodes in rectal cancer: Patterns of care among U.S. radiation oncologists.

758Background: Management of rectal cancer with involved lateral pelvic lymph nodes (LPLNs) at the time of diagnosis – the stage we refer institutionally to as Stage 3.5 – is controversial. Asian i...
Pathogens, parasites, and parasitoids of ants: a synthesis of parasite biodiversity and epidemiological traits

1. Abstract Ants are among the most ecologically successful organisms on Earth, with a global distribution and diverse nesting and foraging ecologies. Ants are also social organisms, living in crowded, dense colonies that can range up to millions of individuals. Understanding the ecological success of the ants requires understanding how they have mitigated one of the major costs of social living-infection by parasitic organisms. Additionally, the ecological diversity of ants suggests that they may themselves harbor a diverse, and largely unknown, assemblage of parasites. As a first step, we need to know the taxonomic and functional diversity of the parasitic organisms infecting ants. To that end, we provide a comprehensive review of the parasitic organisms infecting ants by collecting all extant records. We synthesize major patterns in parasite ecology by categorizing how parasites encounter their ant hosts, whether they require host death as a developmental necessity, and how they transmit to future hosts. We report 1,415 records of parasitic organisms infecting ants, the majority of which come from order Diptera (34.8%), phylum Fungi (25.6%), and order Hymenoptera (25.1%). Most parasitic organisms infecting ants are parasitoids (89.6%), requiring the death of their host as developmental necessity and most initially encounter their hosts in the extranidal environment (68.6%). Importantly, though most parasitic organisms infecting ants only need a single host to complete their life cycle (89.2%), the vast majority need to leave the nest before transmission to the next ant host can occur (88.3%), precluding ant-to-ant transmission within the nest. With respect to the host, we only found records for 9 out of 17 extant ant sub-families, and for 82 out of the currently recognized 334 ant genera. Though there is likely bias in the records reported, both host and parasite ecological traits and evolutionary histories underlie the pattern of ant-parasite association reported here. This work provides a foundation for future work that will begin to untangle the ecological drivers of ant-parasite relationships and the evolutionary implications thereof.