cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deformation of nasal septal cartilage during mastication.

The cartilaginous nasal septum plays a major role in structural integrity and growth of the face, but its internal location has made physiologic study difficult. By surgically implanting transducers in 10 miniature pigs (Sus scrofa), we recorded in vivo strains generated in the nasal septum during mastication and masseter stimulation. The goals were (1) to determine whether the cartilage should be considered as a vertical strut supporting the nasal cavity and preventing its collapse, or as a damper of stresses generated during mastication and (2) to shed light on the overall pattern of snout deformation during mastication. Strains were recorded simultaneously at the septo-ethmoid junction and nasofrontal suture during mastication. A third location in the anterior part of the cartilage was added during masseter stimulation and manipulation. Contraction of jaw closing muscles during mastication was accompanied by anteroposterior compressive strains (around −1,000 μe) in the septo-ethmoid junction. Both the orientation and the magnitude of the strain suggest that the septum does not act as a vertical strut but may act in absorbing loads generated during mastication. The results from masseter stimulation and manipulation further suggest that the masticatory strain pattern arises from a combination of dorsal bending and/or shearing and anteroposterior compression of the snout. J. Morphol.
A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF BIOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT SUBSTANCES IN A PROFILE OFF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Detailed vertical profiles of salinity, temperature, 10 soluble inorganic and organic constituents and six particulate organic constituents have been determined at a station over the Santa Catalina Basin. Irregularities in the Profiles suggest nine “layers” in the 1,300 m column of water; four of the layers are clearly defined by physical properties and the remainder largely by variations in their dissolved organic matter and materials such as phosphate, nitrate, and silicate. The ratio of carbon oxidized to nitrate and to phosphate formed in the same water averaged 100 : 18.4 : 3.0 by weight, a ratio to be expected from the oxidation of oceanic phytoplankton. The average ratio by weight of carbon to nitrogen to phosphorus in dissolved organic compounds was 100 : 11 : 1, and the ratio for the particulate organic matter was similar. Except in the top 200 m, the amount of dissolved organic carbon was about 20% of the amount of carbon oxidized and the amount of particulate organic carbon was about 10% of the amount of dissolved organic carbon in the same water. Other ratios are given for silicate, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
Binding Kinetics, Structure-Activity Relationship, and Biotransformation of the Complement Inhibitor Compstatin

We have previously identified a 13-residue cyclic peptide, Compstatin, that binds to complement component C3 and inhibits complement activation. Herein, we describe the binding kinetics, structure-activity relationship, and biotransformation of Compstatin. Biomolecular interaction analysis using surface-plasmon resonance showed that Compstatin bound to native C3 and its fragments C3b and C3c, but not C3d. While binding of Compstatin to native C3 was biphasic, binding to C3b and C3c followed the 1:1 Langmuir binding model; the affinities of Compstatin for C3b and C3c were 22- and 74-fold lower, respectively, than that of native C3. Analysis of Compstatin analogs synthesized for structure-function studies indicated that 1) the 11-membered ring between disulfide-linked Cys2-Cys12 constitutes a minimal structure required for optimal activity; 2) retro-inverso isomerization results in loss of inhibitory activity; and 3) some residues of the type I β-turn segment also interact with C3. In vitro studies of Compstatin in human blood indicated that a major pathway of biotransformation was the removal of Ile1, which could be blocked by N-acetylation of the peptide. These findings indicate that acetylated Compstatin is stable against enzymatic degradation and that the type I β-turn segment is not only critical for preservation of the conformational stability, but also involved in intermolecular recognition.
Optimization of kinetic energy harvester for low amplitude vibration

This paper presents the steps involved in optimizing the design of an electromagnetic kinetic energy harvester (KEH). The KEH device is conceptually a highly non-linear device. There are numerous dependent variables involved in the design of a KEH which are reliant upon the specific environmental conditions in which the KEH will be deployed. Furthermore, the non-linear nature of the device leads to an iterative design process. The environment that the KEH is deployed into also dictates the overall design and power per volume achieved by the device.
Myenteric plexus abnormalities associated with epiphrenic diverticula

Objective: To (1) categorize histologic esophageal myenteric plexus abnormalities in patients undergoing surgical treatment for epiphrenic diverticulum, and (2) correlate histologic changes with associated esophageal motility disorders and hiatal hernia. Methods: From January 1987 to May 2008, 40 patients had surgery for epiphrenic diverticulum. Esophageal manometry was abnormal in 29 (73%); 23 (58%) had hiatal hernia. Esophageal muscle specimens were evaluated for ganglion cell number, myenteric inflammations and myenteric fibrosis. Results: Myenteric plexus abnormalities were present in 31 (78%). Ganglioncells were reducedin 8 (20%) and absent in 13 (33%). Myentericinflammation was present in 21 (53%) and myenteric fibrosis in 9 (23%). Abnormalities were seen in 10 (83%) with motility disorders only, 5 (83%) with hiatal hernia only, 13 (76%) with both, and3 (60%)with neither. Abnormalities in diffuseesophageal spasm(n = 3) weresimilarto thoseof achalasia (n = 14). Ineffective esophageal motility (n = 6) was strongly associated with hiatal hernia, and abnormalities were similar to those of hiatal hernia without motility disorders (n = 6). All patients with nutcracker esophagus (n = 3) had hiatal hernia and histologic abnormalities, and two patients with hypertensive lower esophageal sphincter (n = 3, hiatal hernia in 2) had myenteric inflammation. Conclusions: Myenteric plexus abnormalities predominate in epiphrenic diverticulum. Disease-specific patterns exist, but are incomplete. These associations and patterns point to causes of distal obstruction, with some commonality. In the absence of associated disorders, myenteric plexus abnormalities may be the sole finding. Isolated epiphrenic diverticulum is uncommon and may reflect an inability to detect abnormalities by current investigative techniques. # 2008 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Bestrophin-1 influences transepithelial electrical properties and Ca2+ signaling in human retinal pigment epithelium.

Purpose Mutations in BEST1, encoding Bestrophin-1 (Best1), cause Best vitelliform macular dystrophy (BVMD) and other inherited retinal degenerative diseases. Best1 is an integral membrane protein localized to the basolateral plasma membrane of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Data from numerous in vitro and in vivo models have demonstrated that Best1 regulates intracellular Ca2+ levels. Although it is known from in vitro and crystal structure data that Best1 is also a calcium-activated anion channel, evidence for Best1 functioning as a channel in human RPE is lacking. To assess Best1-associated channel activity in the RPE, we examined the transepithelial electrical properties of fetal human RPE (fhRPE) cells, which express endogenous Best1. Methods Using adenovirus-mediated gene transfer, we overexpressed Best1 and the BVMD mutant Best1W93C in fhRPE cells and assessed resting transepithelial potential (TEP), transepithelial resistance, short circuit current (Isc), and intracellular Ca2+ levels. Cl- currents were directly measured in transfected HEK293 cells using whole-cell patch clamp. Results Best1W93C showed ablated Cl- currents and, when co-expressed, suppressed the channel activity of Best1 in HEK293 cells. In fhRPE, overexpression of Best1 increased TEP and Isc, while Best1W93C diminished TEP and Isc. Substitution of Cl- in the bath media resulted in a significant reduction of Isc in monolayers overexpressing Best1, but no significant Isc change in monolayers expressing Best1W93C. We removed Ca2+ as a limit on transepithelial electrical properties by treating cells with ionomycin, and found that changes in Isc and TEP for monolayers expressing Best1 were absent in monolayers expressing Best1W93C. Similarly, inhibition of calcium-activated anion channels with niflumic acid reduced both Isc and TEP of control and Best1 monolayers, but did not notably affect Best1W93C monolayers. Stimulation with extracellular ATP induced an increase in TEP in control monolayers that was greater than that observed in those expressing Best1(W93C). Examination of [Ca2+]i following ATP stimulation demonstrated that the expression of Best1W93C impaired intracellular Ca2+ signaling. Conclusions These data indicate that Best1 activity strongly influences electrophysiology and Ca2+ signaling in RPE cells, and that a common BVMD mutation disrupts both of these parameters. Our findings support the hypothesis that Best1 functions as an anion channel in human RPE.
Incorporating Ethnic-Specific Measures of Immigration in the Study of Lethal Violence:

The growing body of research on immigration and crime consistently finds that immigration, contrary to both criminological theory and popular sentiment, is not related to higher levels of lethal violence. Instead, a common finding in the literature is that immigration predicts lower levels of violence, and homicide in particular. The primary objective of the present study is an initial test of hypotheses associated with the Latino paradox, by focusing on the degree to which the impact of immigration operates differentially as a product of ethnicity. Using neighborhood-level homicide data and ethnically disaggregated indicators of immigration, these are consistent with the expectations of the Latino paradox.
A Critical Soil Moisture Condition Affecting Buried Transmission Cables [includes discussion]

By experiment it was found, in an idealized soil, that a critical moisture content of approximately 4 per cent by weight separated two distinctly different phenomena whereby heat is dissipated from buried transmission cables or other heat sources. Above this moisture content relatively large quantities of heat per lineal foot can be dissipated by what appears to be a circulation phenomenon. Below this moisture content the soil rapidly dries out, materially decreasing the quantity of heat that can be dissipated. This last phenomenon may be the explanation of the so-called "runaway condition" observed in practice in connection with buried transmission cables.
Ocean Current Kinematic Effects on Pitch–Roll Buoy Observations of Mean Wave Direction and Nondirectional Spectra

Abstract The effects of ocean surface current Doppler frequency shifting on nondirectional spectra and mean wave direction are modeled. The model does not consider physical wave–current interactions. Model values for both ideal surface-following and 10-m-diameter discus hulls are computed. Unusual wave data reported by a 10-m-diameter discus buoy moored in a strong current in the eastern Gulf of Mexico are also analyzed using the model. Results indicate that the unusual characteristics of the measured data can be explained, at least in part, by the observations being made in a frame of reference (the buoy frame) in motion relative to that in which no ocean current would be observed (the frame moving with the current), provided hull response functions are included and reasonable current directions and speeds are assumed.
A school-based intervention for diabetes risk reduction.

Author(s): HEALTHY Study Group; Foster, Gary D; Linder, Barbara; Baranowski, Tom; Cooper, Dan M; Goldberg, Linn; Harrell, Joanne S; Kaufman, Francine; Marcus, Marsha D; Trevino, Roberto P; Hirst, Kathryn | Abstract: BackgroundWe examined the effects of a multicomponent, school-based program addressing risk factors for diabetes among children whose race or ethnic group and socioeconomic status placed them at high risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes.MethodsUsing a cluster design, we randomly assigned 42 schools to either a multicomponent school-based intervention (21 schools) or assessment only (control, 21 schools). A total of 4603 students participated (mean [+/- SD] age, 11.3 [+/- 0.6 years; 54.2% Hispanic and 18.0% black; 52.7% girls). At the beginning of 6th grade and the end of 8th grade, students underwent measurements of body-mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and fasting glucose and insulin levels.ResultsThere was a decrease in the primary outcome--the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity--in both the intervention and control schools, with no significant difference between the school groups. The intervention schools had greater reductions in the secondary outcomes of BMI z score, percentage of students with waist circumference at or above the 90th percentile, fasting insulin levels (P=0.04 for all comparisons), and prevalence of obesity (P=0.05). Similar findings were observed among students who were at or above the 85th percentile for BMI at baseline. Less than 3% of the students who were screened had an adverse event; the proportions were nearly equivalent in the intervention and control schools.ConclusionsOur comprehensive school-based program did not result in greater decreases in the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity than those that occurred in control schools. However, the intervention did result in significantly greater reductions in various indexes of adiposity. These changes may reduce the risk of childhood-onset type 2 diabetes. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00458029.)
Factors Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease Self-Management

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affected 26 million U.S. adults. Many end-stage CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis experience self-management challenges. However, factors associated with CKD self-management are under-identified. This article describes a mixed-methods study to identify factors associated with self-management in end-stage CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis. A total of 107 patients age 50 and older were interviewed. Overall, participants had low mean scores for exercise (2.46), communication with physicians (2.50), and cognitive symptom management (0.89) and were adherent for greater than 11 days in a 2-week period with fluid (11.86) and diet (11.65) regimens. There were statistically significant age group differences in the self-management behavior of fluid adherence (p < .05) and communication with physicians (p = .05). None of the respondents discussed communicating with their physicians or cognitive symptom management, yet 90% and 77% of the respondents reported engaging in these behaviors, respectively. The findings from this study support the need for public health social work interventions aimed at increasing self-management behaviors in end-stage CKD patients.
The Breakthrough in Sales Forecasting

The techniques described in this article show how time series analysis can be used in sales forecasting.For several years experiments have been conducted in using time series analysis in forecastin...
Computing Shortest Paths in Networks

The finding of shortest paths in networks is one of the most basic combinatorial optimization problems, and the algorithms for solving these problems are among the most widely used. The reader is probably aware that a variety of optimization problems, some of which appear to have little to do with paths in networks, can be formulated as shortest path problems.
Male and Female Fashion Innovativeness and Opinion Leadership: A Research Note

This paper assesses the relationship between self-reported fashion apparel innovativeness and opinion leadership, as well as these two traits' association with a wide variety of consumer variables for both male and female samples. Evidence was found that fashion innovativeness and opinion leadership function differently in male and female populations. Also, within each sex a wide variety of differing correlate traits were established for both innovativeness and opinion leadership.
Application of Wide-area Situational Awareness Technology to Smart Grid

The development of power grid and advancement of technology lead to the scale expansion and the complex structure of power grid,which has raised new requirements for the safe and stable grid operation. Wide-area situational awareness( WASA) technology,capable of gathering information,analyzing information and forecasting situation,can be widely used in power system so as to enhance the ability to control the power grid and improve the safe and stable operation level of the power grid. This paper analyzes the application prospects,current implementation and relevant standards of WASA in smart grid according to the research and application status of WASA technology. Finally,in combination with the development trends of WASA and development requirements of smart grid,the mid / long-term development roadmap of WASA application in smart grid is forecasted.
STUDY OF THE SOLID PRECIPITATION DETER-MINED BY ULTRASONIC

Up to now the way of measuring solid precipitation temperature is by the laser. This way is only fit to the light and transparence oil, but can not measure the black oil because the light is not able to penetrate it. The solid precipitation determined by ultrasonic was studied in the paper, using diesel oil as the solvent, measuring its separating temperature in the diesel oil with the different consistency after the paraffine being heated and dissolved in the diesel oil. Discovering by the experiment that was the paraffine's precipitation temperature increases with its consistency increasing, on the other hand, the velocity of ultrasonic spreading in the oil increased with the paraffine's consistency increasing and decreased with the temperature increasing. The experiment also discovered that the temperature decreased very slowly and even didnt decline because that the wax precipitation was a exothermic process, and the length of horizontal beeline was appeared on the curve of ultrasonic spreading time.
Impact of Space-Charge Layers on Sudden Death in Li/O2 Batteries

The performance of Li/O2 batteries is thought to be limited by charge transport through the solid Li2O2 discharge product. Prior studies suggest that electron tunneling is the main transport mechanism through thin, compact Li2O2 deposits. The present study employs a new continuum transport model to explore an alternative scenario, in which charge transport is mediated by polaron hopping. Unlike earlier models, which assume a uniform carrier concentration or local electroneutrality, the possibility of nonuniform space charge is accounted for at the Li2O2/electrolyte and Li2O2/electrode interfaces, providing a more realistic picture of transport in Li2O2 films. The temperature and current-density dependences of the discharge curves predicted by the model are in good agreement with flat-electrode experiments over a wide range of rates, supporting the hypothesis that polaron hopping contributes significantly to charge transport. Exercising the model suggests that this mechanism could explain the observed enha...
An Efficient Heuristic for Solving an Extended Capacitated Concentrator Location Problem

In this paper, a mathematical model and a solution algorithm are developed for solving an extended capacitated concentrator location problem. Our model extends the conventional formulation by simultaneously addressing the two capacity constraints, total connection ports and maximum data processing rate, on each concentrator to be selected for satisfying the communication demands of the given end-user nodes. Since the problem is NP-complete, an efficient and effective Lagrangian heuristic is developed and tested by solving 100 randomly generated test problems with sizes ranging from 30(nodes)×30(concentrators) to150×30. Altogether 58% of the tested problems are solved optimally with an average solution gap 0.36% from the optimality and average solution times are from a few seconds to one half of a minute.
Stapling Technique for Primary and Secondary Rectal Anastomoses

The EEA stapler now offers an alternative to hand-sewn techniques for primary and staged low colorectal anastomoses. The stapler may allow a safer and lower resection than was previously possible. A review of 52 primary and 8 staged EEA anastomoses is presented, with emphasis on the combined stapler technique.
Review: noninvasive positive pressure ventilation reduces intubation and length of ICU stay in acute respiratory failure.

Source Citation Keenan SP, Sinuff T, Cook DJ, Hill NS. Does noninvasive positive pressure ventilation improve outcome in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure? A systematic review. Crit Care Med. 200...
VENACULAR POETS IN BEDE AND MUIRCHÚ A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EARLY INSULAR CULTURAL HISTORIES

This comparative study examines the treatment of named vernacular poets from the Gaelic and Anglo-Saxon worlds in the subsequent literary cultural histories of their traditions. Both societies developed sophisticated bilingual intellectual cultures. After a brief survey of historical poets and anonymous secular texts from both vernacular literatures, this essay examines two accounts that involve vernacular poets from Latin texts written by clerics. Muirchu maccu Machtheni wrote Vita Sancti Patricii (ca. 690) and briefly mentioned the presence of the poets Dubthach maccu Lugair and Fiacc Finn Sleibte at the pagan court of Loegaire mac Neill in Tara in the fifth century. Bede devoted a full chapter of his Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (ca. 731) to the poet Caedmon at the monastery of Whitby sometime in the second half of the seventh century. The presence of these three vernacular poets in the works of two clerics suggests their perceived potential contributions to the Church. But their treatment in later cultural history differs markedly between the self-referential Gaelic world and more reticent Anglo-Saxons. In the Gaelic tradition Dubthach and Fiacc are recorded in law tracts, hagiography, martyrologies, genealogies, prose narratives, and poems. In the Anglo-Saxon tradition Caedmon does not exist outside of Bede's account. It is suggested that the legally recognized social rank, formal training, and professional status of poets in Gaelic society helps explain the discrepancy in subsequent cultural acknowledgement.
Colloids make ultrafast optical devices

A Group at the University of Pittsburgh in the US has created a new class of materials that could herald another generation of devices for optical communications and computing. Sanford Asher and colleagues combined polymer chemistry with the unique properties of colloids to make three-dimensional gratings with striking optical properties. Beams of light can switch the diffractive properties of the gratings on and off, transforming the material in nanoseconds from a glass-like transparency to an iridescence similar to that observed in opals (G Pan et al. 1997 Phys. Rev. Lett.20 3860).
Abstract 111: Elevated Sympathetic Drive to the Bone Marrow Contributes to the Inflammatory Response and Dysfunctional Endothelial Progenitor Cells in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat

Introduction: Bone marrow (BM)-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) contribute to the repair of vasculature, whereas the inflammatory cells (ICs) contribute to the vascular damage. Thus, imbalanced EPC/IC ratio, coupled with dysfunctional EPCs, are key in the vascular pathophysiology of hypertension. We demonstrated that SHR, which have elevated sympathetic drive, exhibit a significantly lower BM EPC/IC ratio due to lower EPCs and higher ICs. The inverse relationship between the sympathetic drive and EPC/IC ratio is supported by our data showing that elevation in the overall sympathetic drive in the WKY, as a result of the light:dark cycle, decreases the EPC/IC ratio. This has led us to propose that the SHR exhibit chronically elevated sympathetic drive to the BM, which contributes to the impaired EPC/IC ratio and EPC dysfunction. Methods: Femur from 21-week old SHRs (MAP=∼145 mmHg) and WKYs (MAP=∼100 mmHg) were used to determine norepinephrine (NE) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) levels. Femur BMs were flushed, and cell supernatants collected for NE measurements (ELISA). Femurs from a separate group of rats were fixed and used for TH quantification (IHC). Additional WKY and SHR were used for BM injection of GFP-tagged pseudorabies virus (GFP-PRV) to compare the extent of retrograde labeling from the femur BM to the brain autonomic areas (SFO, PVN, RVLM, NTS). Results: We observed a ∼80% higher NE levels, and a ∼2.1 fold higher TH density, in the BM of SHR compared to WKY. This was accompanied by a ∼52% decrease in EPC/IC ratio and a ∼44% decrease in EPC function in the SHR compared to the WKY. Additional evidence for the increased sympathetic communication between the SHR autonomic brain areas and the BM was provided by PRV-GFP retrotracing. The data showed a profound labeling of the PVN neurons in the SHR compared to WKY, 7 days post-PRV-GFP injection. Less significant labeling was observed in other autonomic areas (RVLM>NTS>SFO) under similar conditions. Conclusion: These observations demonstrate, for the first time, that there is an elevated sympathetic drive to the BM in the SHR. This is associated with an impaired BM activity, reflecting a decrease in EPCs and increase in ICs, which may contribute to the vascular pathophysiology in neurogenic hypertension.
Contagious Investor Sentiment and International Markets

The authors use a new index of investor sentiment for six developed stock markets to determine how the correlations of sentiment impact future market return correlations. Statistical analysis reveals three findings. First, sentiment is more correlated during periods when both market returns are declining. Second, the correlations of sentiment can significantly forecast future one-year stock market return correlations. Third, the correlations of sentiment have stronger predictive power for future return correlations during bear periods than they do during bull periods for the United States and other market pairs. The authors’ findings provide a partial explanation of why return correlations between different markets increase during financial crises.
Polyampholyte Hydrogels in Biomedical Applications

Polyampholytes are a class of polymers made up of positively and negatively charged monomer subunits. Polyampholytes offer a unique tunable set of properties driven by the interactions between the charged monomer subunits. Some tunable properties of polyampholytes include mechanical properties, nonfouling characteristics, swelling due to changes in pH or salt concentration, and drug delivery capability. These characteristics lend themselves to multiple biomedical applications, and this review paper will summarize applications of polyampholyte polymers demonstrated over the last five years in tissue engineering, cryopreservation and drug delivery.
Bodily Matters: Creative Agency in Frances Burney’s Life Writing

ABSTRACTFrances Burney has a rich and extensive collection of life writing consisting of conventional letters and diaries as well as “journal letters,” documents Burney wrote over a span of several...
Xeroderma Pigmentosa Group A (XPA), Nucleotide Excision Repair and Regulation by ATR in Response to Ultraviolet Irradiation

The sensitivity of Xeroderma pigmentosa (XP) patients to sunlight has spurred the discovery and genetic and biochemical analysis of the eight XP gene products (XPA-XPG plus XPV) responsible for this disorder. These studies also have served to elucidate the nucleotide excision repair (NER) process, especially the critical role played by the XPA protein. More recent studies have shown that NER also involves numerous other proteins normally employed in DNA metabolism and cell cycle regulation. Central among these is ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR), a protein kinase involved in intracellular signaling in response to DNA damage, especially DNA damage-induced replicative stresses. This review summarizes recent findings on the interplay between ATR as a DNA damage signaling kinase and as a novel ligand for intrinsic cell death proteins to delay damage-induced apoptosis, and on ATR’s regulation of XPA and the NER process for repair of UV-induced DNA adducts. ATR’s regulatory role in the cytosolic-to-nuclear translocation of XPA will be discussed. In addition, recent findings elucidating a non-NER role for XPA in DNA metabolism and genome stabilization at ds-ssDNA junctions, as exemplified in prematurely aging progeroid cells, also will be reviewed.
Rethinking the Mini-Map: A Navigational Aid to Support Spatial Learning in Urban Game Environments

Players in computer games continue to rely on assistance for navigation in the game environment, even after hours of gameplay. This behavior is in contrast to the real world where spatial knowledge of an unfamiliar environment develops with experience and reliance on navigational assistance declines. The slow development of spatial knowledge in virtual environments can be attributed to the use of turn-by-turn navigational aids. In the context of computer games, the most common form of these aids is a “mini-map.” The use of such aids in computer games is necessitated by the demands of immersion and entertainment and, hence, they cannot be entirely discarded. The need, then, is to design navigational aids that support, rather than inhibit, the development of spatial knowledge. The authors propose landmark-based verbal directions as an alternative to mini-maps and report the results of a randomized comparative study conducted to examine the impact of mini-maps and their proposed aid on the developmen...
Rebel Natural Resource Exploitation and Conflict Duration

How does natural resource wealth influence the duration of civil conflicts? We theorize that the exploitation of natural resources can strengthen rebels’ “power to resist” the government, but this depends on how rebels earn funding from those resources. Distinguishing between the extortion and smuggling of natural resources, we posit that smuggling in particular is more likely to give rebels the flexibility and mobility needed to effectively resist government repression. We then test this proposition empirically using new data that identify not only whether rebels profit from resources but also how they do so. We find that only when rebels smuggle natural resources do civil conflicts last significantly longer. In contrast, conflicts in which rebel groups earn money from extorting natural resource production are not significantly more likely to endure. This finding is of special interest because past work has largely ignored how rebels earn income from natural resources and the implication this distinction...
Uncivil and personal? Comparing patterns of incivility in comments on the Facebook pages of news outlets:

Social media and its embedded user commentary are playing increasingly influential roles in the news process. However, researchers’ understanding of the social media commenting environment remains ...
Florida wildfires during the Holocene Climatic Optimum (9000–5000 cal yr BP)

Fire is a key ecological driver in terrestrial ecosystems of the southeastern United States. The combination of plant species composition and fire poses the possibility of positive feedback loops in a landscape. How fire regimes will change in the future with global warming is uncertain. To better understand the main factors that control fire, Holocene fire history was studied using macroscopic charcoal (as a fire proxy) in sediment cores from two shallow lakes in north Florida, USA. Following the onset of lacustrine sedimentation in the early Holocene, there was a 95% decline in average charcoal concentration, from 28.3 to 1.4 charcoal particles cm−3, at ~ 7500 cal yr BP in a 3.9-m core from Newnans Lake (basal age: 8870 cal yr BP). At ~ 7000 cal yr BP in a 5.4-m core from nearby Lochloosa Lake (basal age: 9280 cal yr BP), particle density declined by 99%, from 113.8 to 1.4 charcoal particles cm−3. These declines in charcoal concentration are not artifacts of changes in bulk sedimentation, i.e. dilution, but instead reflect lower charcoal production. Newnans Lake and Lochloosa Lake averaged ~ 8.93 and ~ 40.42 charcoal particles cm−3, respectively over their entire records. Pollen records from the two study lakes do not display the Quercus to Pinus shift during the Holocene Climatic Optimum (9000–5000 cal yr BP) observed previously in cores from many studied lakes in the region. Instead, pine pollen, as a percentage of total oak and pine pollen, was high (> 50%) through the entire Holocene. Pine and oak pollen counts and the variety of arboreal pollen, however, were lower in early Holocene deposits. No relation was found between pine and oak percentages and macroscopic charcoal quantity, i.e. before, during, or after charcoal peaks. There were, however, qualitative differences between pollen assemblages within charcoal-rich and charcoal-poor depth intervals. Early to middle Holocene sediments contained pollen of Quercus spp., Pinus spp., Ambrosia sp., Amaranthaceae, Cyperaceae and Poaceae. Late Holocene sediments contained hydric and mesic pollen types including Taxodium spp., Carya sp., Ilex sp., and Liquidambar styraciflua. The flat, poorly drained topography around both lakes played a role in shaping Holocene plant communities and probably explains why a Quercus-to-Pinus shift seen elsewhere in Florida did not occur in the study region.
Quantified exponence constraints and the typology of exponence

Both phonologically conditioned suppletive allomorphy (PCSA) and multiple exponence (ME) involve one-to-many mapping between morphosyntactic information and phonological representations. Though they are usually viewed as separate phenomena, the plural marking of Lower Jubba Maay exhibits properties of both PCSA and ME, indicating that they are inherently related. This paper argues that PCSA, ME, and other types of exponence can be analyzed in a unified way given two GEN functions and two novel exponence constraints, i.e. Max-∀LE(F) and Max-∃LE(F), which are used to quantify the number of exponents that are realized in the surface. The proposed mechanism can predict the full range of typology.
The Game of Thrones Small Council and Doctoral Training in Qualitative Inquiry

This article moves toward the continued creation of spaces and places to share, discuss, argue, challenge, and celebrate the profound number of theories and methodologies within qualitative inquiry...
Effect of Hatchery Rearing Environment on Survival an Performance of Outplanted Wetslope Cutthroat Trout Used for Population Recovery

Management of fish populations in Hauser Reservoir, Montana, is hindered by undesirable and unpredictable downstream fish entrainment through Hauser Dam. We quantified fish entrainment through the dam using hydroacoustics at turbine intakes from July 2007 to November 2008 and over the spillway from 21 May to 18 July 2008. Species composition was characterized using multiple netting gears. Total estimated entrainment was 145,470 ± 6,204. Annual entrainment from summer to autumn was higher in 2007 (n = 79,031 ± 4378) than in 2008 (n = 52,513 ± 3,966). Spillway entrainment was 19 percent of annual entrainment in 2008 and was correlated with spillway discharge; turbine entrainment was not. Turbine entrainment increased from summer to autumn in both years, probably in response to autumn turnover and releases of hatchery rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Spill entrainment in 2008 resulted in similar entrainment between summer and autumn, but autumn turbine entrainment increased in 2008. About 60 percent of entrained fish were smaller than 220 mm. We applied species composition by size to the hydroacoustic data to identify fish species entrained, but many fish (n = 55,529 ± 4,397) could not be reliably assigned to species because concurrent net catches did not include individuals of similar size. Total entrainment of identified fish was made up of mostly rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss; 33.3%) and walleye (Stizostedion vitreum; 30.2%). Identification of patterns in spatial and temporal fish losses affords fishery managers the ability to make more informed decisions about operation of this dam.
Costs of cancer care: is the community setting different than the academic?

In 1992, shortly after the election of President William Jefferson Clinton, a government led initiative for health care reform was begun. Driving factors included considerations related to both costs and access - unabated increases in health care costs, accounting for 12% of the Gross National Product, 30 million Americans without health care, employers’ health care contributions continuously rising, and health care insurance plans that were not portable and were difficult or very expensive for individuals with pre-existing illnesses. The Federal health care reform initiative began in 1993 with a series of closed meetings, with a plan presented to Congress in 1994. The Clinton plan called for “managed competition” by health care insurers, health maintenance organizations (HMO’s), and the creation of hospital-physician networks that would compete with one another in the marketplace. A decrease in health care costs would be possible through efficiencies in medical care, decreased administrative costs, reduced variations in care, and improved outcomes. New buzzwords including clinical protocols, continuous quality improvement, total quality management, and managed care were being incorporated into the health care reform lexicon. Despite the tremendous amount of time and effort devoted to the reform package, the Federal initiative failed.
Determination of number and locations of ultrasound sensors needed to accurately track scapular motion in vivo

ABSTRACTUltrasonic imaging is a safe, established and non-invasive method to visualise the position of tissues within the body. Coupling existing skin mounted motion capture markers to ultrasound s...
Venoarterial ECMO for Adults: JACC Scientific Expert Panel

Abstract Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a rescue therapy that can stabilize patients with hemodynamic compromise, with or without respiratory failure, for days or weeks. In cardiology, the main indications for ECMO include cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, post-cardiotomy shock, refractory ventricular tachycardia, and acute management of complications of invasive procedures. The fundamental premise underlying ECMO is that it is a bridge—to recovery, to a more durable bridge, to definitive treatment, or to decision. As a very resource- and effort-intensive intervention, ECMO should not be used on unsalvageable patients. As the use of this technology continues to evolve rapidly, it is important to understand the indications and contraindications; the logistics of ECMO initiation, management, and weaning; the general infrastructure of the program (including the challenges associated with transferring patients supported by ECMO); and ethical considerations, areas of uncertainty, and future directions.
A Greedy Approach for Vehicle Routing When Rebalancing Bike Sharing Systems

With the bloom of the sharing economy, bike sharing systems have earned increasing attention, and a great amount of bike sharing systems have been established in major cities. Users of these systems mainly conduct one-way trips, which leads to an unbalanced distribution of the bikes over time and space. The system operators could hire a fleet of vehicles to move bikes among bike stations for rebalancing. We focus on a routing schedule problem for each vehicle used in the rebalancing process and aims to minimize its moving distance. For the problem, we propose a greedy algorithm which can be easily extended to a parallel version. The scheduled route for a vehicle is adapted from the Hamiltonian path covering all unbalanced bike stations. The algorithm greedily adjusts the route if the vehicle cannot moving along the Hamiltonian path due to capacity limitation violation. Different from previous approaches, our algorithm has a more flexible tradeoff between running time consumption and optimality of the output. Finally, we conduct experiments on both real-world and synthetic datasets and compare the performance of our algorithm with a classic approach.
3541 The association of corticosteroid use with inpatient mortality in acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Objective: To assess the impact of corticosteroid therapy on in-hospital mortality in IPF patients admitted with acute respiratory failure. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Methods: Patients with IPF were retrospectively identified in the University of California San Francisco medical center’s electronic health records from January 1, 2010 to June 1, 2018. Cases with IPF were defined as age 50 years or older, having at least two codes one month apart for idiopathic fibrosing alveolitis or post-inflammatory fibrosis (ICD-9 516.3, 516.31 or 515.0 or ICD-10 codes J84.9, J84.10, J84.111 or J84.112), and a subsequent hospitalization for acute respiratory failure or acute respiratory symptoms. The prevalence of pre-selected co-morbidities, clinical events (ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, lung transplantation) and clinical outcomes were assessed. A propensity score model for corticosteroid use was constructed using a multivariable logistic regression with inclusion of corticosteroid-associated demographic and baseline variables (univariate p-value < 0.25). A marginal structural model (MSM) was used to address time-dependent confounding and mediating effects of ICU admission and mechanical ventilation by applying inverse probability weighting for receipt of corticosteroid treatment. Secondary outcome analysis was performed on patients who survived hospital admission. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Results: A total of 132 patients with IPF and an acute respiratory admission were identified. 48 patients (36%) received corticosteroids during their admission. Applying inverse weighting to time-dependent co-variates (ICU admission and invasive mechanical ventilation) in a MSM, corticosteroid therapy was not associated with risk of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 1.82; 95% CI, 0.47-6.99; p = 0.39). After adjusting for corticosteroid therapy using a propensity score, corticosteroid therapy remained unassociated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.37, 6.29; p = 0.55). There was no difference in discharge disposition or time to hospital readmission by corticosteroid treatment. There was a possible increase in time to death following discharge in patients receiving corticosteroids (Figure). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Conclusions: This study suggests that treatment of acute exacerbations of interstitial lung disease with corticosteroids does not improve short-term outcomes, including in-hospital mortality, all-cause non-elective re-hospitalization or death within 6 months of discharge. Further research in larger cohorts is needed to more definitively assess this relationship.
Electronic Ligand Modifications on Cobalt Complexes and Their Application toward the Semi-Hydrogenation of Alkynes and Para-Hydrogenation of Alkenes

The effect of the electronic modification of a bis(carbene) pincer ligand, (MesCCCR), on cobalt catalysis has been investigated. The pincer ligand was modified in the para position of the aryl back...
Comparing remission and recurrence of hypertension after bariatric surgery: vertical sleeve gastrectomy versus Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

Abstract Background Bariatric surgery results in rapid weight loss and resolution of many co-morbidities including hypertension. Objectives To investigate the association of the 2 most common bariatric surgical procedures, vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), with sustained remission from hypertension, and evaluate other independent predictors of sustained remission. Setting Privately insured patients with hypertension in the United States undergoing bariatric surgery. Methods A cohort of hypertensive bariatric patients was created using detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria. Remission was defined as no refill of antihypertensive medication for 30 days after patients’ medication was expected to run out, and recurrence as medication refill after at least 90 days of remission. Results Of 7006 patients in our cohort, 5874 experienced remission of their hypertension (83.8%). 745 of the 5874 (12.7%) patients later experienced recurrence. The adjusted hazard ratio of remission for VSG compared with RYGB was 1.06 (95% confidence interval [CI]; 1.0, 1.11). The adjusted hazard ratio of recurrence for VSG compared with RYGB was .84 (95% CI; .71, .97). A higher number of medications at the time of surgery was associated with a decreased likelihood of remission and an increased risk of recurrence of hypertension. Conclusion There was no difference in the likelihood of remission of hypertension between VSG and RYGB. The number of medications at the time of surgery was the most important predictor of remission and recurrence of hypertension after surgery.
A hominid-specific shift in cerebellar expression, upstream retrotransposons, and a potential cis-regulatory mechanism: bioinformatics analyses of the mu-opioid receptor gene.

The mu-opioid receptors (MOR, OPRM1) mediate the effects of beta-endorphin and modulate many biological functions including reward processing and addiction. The present study aimed to use bioinformatics to determine OPRM1 brain expression profiles in higher primates and to look for regulatory mechanisms. We used the same computational pipeline to analyze publicly available expression data from postmortem brain regions across humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques. The most intriguing finding was high OPRM1 cerebellar expression in humans and chimpanzees and low expression in macaques. Together with previous reports of low cerebellar OPRM1 expression in mice, this suggests an evolutionary shift in the expression profiles. Bioinformatic analysis of the OPRM1 upstream region revealed a functional CTCF-binding region that evolved from tandem insertions of retrotransposons L1P1 and L1PA1 upstream (−60 kb) of OPRM1. The insertions arose in different time points after the split of small apes from great apes, and their combined sequence is unique. Furthermore, the derived G allele of SNP rs12191876, in the inserted region, is associated with an increased OPRM1 expression in the cerebellum of postmortem human brains (p = 4.7e–5). The derived G allele became the major allele (60–90%) in the populations represented in the 1000 Genomes Project and may be beneficial. This study provides a foundation for building new knowledge about evolutionary differences in OPRM1 brain expression. Further investigations are needed to elucidate the role of the inserted region and its SNPs in OPRM1 expression, and to assess the biological function and relevance of OPRM1 expression in the cerebellum.
Spatiotemporal Characterizations of Spontaneously Beating Cardiomyocytes with Adaptive Reference Digital Image Correlation

We developed an Adaptive Reference-Digital Image Correlation (AR-DIC) method that enables unbiased and accurate mechanics measurements of moving biological tissue samples. We applied the AR-DIC analysis to a spontaneously beating cardiomyocyte (CM) tissue, and could provide correct quantifications of tissue displacement and strain for the beating CMs utilizing physiologically-relevant, sarcomere displacement length-based contraction criteria. The data were further synthesized into novel spatiotemporal parameters of CM contraction to account for the CM beating homogeneity, synchronicity, and propagation as holistic measures of functional myocardial tissue development. Our AR-DIC analyses may thus provide advanced non-invasive characterization tools for assessing the development of spontaneously contracting CMs, suggesting an applicability in myocardial regenerative medicine.