cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unusual Helicobacter Pylori in Gastric Resection Specimens: An Old Friend With a New Look

Immunohistochemical staining is useful in the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori-induced gastritis. The authors encountered gastric resection specimens with an unusual pattern of reactivity on H pylori immunostains where the typical morphology of the organism was not recognizable, but the characteristic chronic gastritis associated with infection was present. The authors sought to explore this phenomenon by retrospectively reviewing and immunostaining 28 gastric resection specimens for H pylori. Six cases with large clumps of immunohistochemically positive but morphologically unrecognizable material were identified on light microscopy, corresponding on electron microscopy to clusters of predominantly coccoid H pylori, some located intracellularly. Such organisms were not identifiable without immunohistochemistry, and the phenomenon was not encountered in gastric biopsies. The authors conclude that this staining pattern reflects true H pylori infection that is not diagnosable without immunohistochemistry. Based on its occurrence only in resections, it may be the result of hypoxic or other stress induced when the mucosa is not promptly fixed.
Comparison of the Pathogenesis of Two Genetically Different H3N2 Influenza A Viruses in Pigs

In 1997 and 1998, H3N2 influenza A viruses emerged among pigs in North America. Genetic analyses of the H3N2 isolates demonstrated that they had distinctly different genotypes. The most commonly isolated viruses in the United States have a triple-reassortant genotype, with the hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, and PB1 polymerase genes being of human influenza virus origin, the nucleoprotein, matrix, and nonstructural genes being of classical swine influenza virus origin, and the PA and PB2 polymerase genes being of avian influenza virus origin. In contrast, a wholly human H3N2 virus was isolated from a single baby pig in Ontario, Canada, in 1997, but it did not spread within the swine population. Genetic differences between this wholly human virus and the triple-reassortant viruses may affect their replication efficiencies in pigs. In the present study we compared the pathogenicities and replication kinetics of the wholly human virus and a triple-reassortant virus in 7-week-old pigs that were infected intranasally with 2 × 10 3 to 2 × 10 6 50% tissue culture infective doses of virus. Our results demonstrate that the wholly human virus replicated to significantly lower titers and that the onset of virus shedding was delayed compared to the replication titers and the time of onset of virus shedding in triple-reassortant viruses. In addition, infection with the triple-reassortant virus was associated with moderate to severe gross pathological and histological pulmonary lesions, while infection with the wholly human virus induced only mild pulmonary changes.
Effectiveness of Antiretroviral Therapy after Protease Inhibitor Failure: An Analytic Overview

To examine effectiveness of subsequent antiretroviral therapy (ART), studies published during the period of 1 January 1997 through 31 May 2003 involving patients who had failed a protease inhibitor (PI)-containing regimen and were switched to another regimen were reviewed. Twelve studies describing 1197 patients were analyzed. A total of 38% of patients had human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA levels of <500 copies/mL at 24 weeks. After adjustment for baseline HIV RNA level, the rate of virologic suppression ranged from 16% for patients switching drugs within previously failed classes to 54% for nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-naive patients switched to boosted PI- and NNRTI-containing regimens. ART regimens in patients who failed a PI-containing regimen provided virologic suppression only in a few patients. The best response was seen in NNRTI-naive patients receiving NNRTI- and boosted PI-containing regimens. New approaches are needed to achieve better suppression in pretreated HIV-infected patients.
Harmonic cancellation of power signals using voltage amplitude modulation by variable gain: applications to the AC-AC regulator

The authors describe a technique for removing voltage harmonic distortion encountered in uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) and active power line conditioners by variable voltage gain, with potential applications also in active filter design and arbitrary waveform synthesizers. They have adapted voltage amplitude modulation (double sideband, large carrier) for performing harmonic cancellation of power signals. They then validate the concept for power signals using a dynamic MOSFET tap switching autotransformer regulator under load for sinusoidal reconstruction and regulation. Alternative closed-loop AC switching regulator implementations are also mentioned. >
Creative expression of emotions in virtual humans

'Works of art (…) can be expressive of human qualities: one of the most characteristic and pervasive features of art is that percepts (lines, colors, progressions of musical tones) can be and are suffused with affect.'
Notes on Bound Functions

A bound function serves two purposes. First, it is used to show that a loop terminates. Secondly, it gives an upper bound on how many iterations can be executed before termination occurs, and thus can be used to approximate the time required to execute the program. Different bound functions may be used for the same program, depending on whether the programmer is interested in just showing termination or in showing that a program is almost optimal or faster than another one.
Priority event monitoring for interrupt-driven computer

A priority event monitor consisting of a monitor hardware, a small computer system interface (SCSI) bus link, and a host computer and its use are described. The architecture of the monitor hardware and the host and monitor interaction through the SCSI bus are discussed. The monitor uses event logging hardware and first-in first-out (FIFO) buffering for event storage and timestamping, and a direct memory access (DMA) controller and SCSI bus interface for sending the captured events to the host. The monitor is controlled by a local microcontroller. The microcontroller is a Motorola 68HC11 with embedded FORTH, and the FIFO buffers are AMD Am7200-80 FIFO memory. The Logic Devices 53C80 is used for interfacing with the SCSI bus, and application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) are used for the majority of the priority event logging and for the DMA controller. A PS/2 Microchannel machine serves as the host for controlling the monitor and for data storage. >
Graphs in theory

Graph theory has a humble beginning, as a solution to a puzzle. Residents of the Prussian city of Kongisberg, which was bisected by a river, had long pondered this puzzle. It took Leonard Euler, a mathematician, to not only solve the problem but to do so in such a novel way that his solution launched a new field of mathematics. This chapter reviews the early history of graph theory, starting with the famous story of the seven bridges of Konigsberg. It will also present other early and historically significant uses of graph theory such as Stanley Milgram’s landmark “small world problem” study. Some fundamental topics are introduced such as vertexes and edges. We close out the chapter with an exploration of the four color problem, which was explored and solved using a special type of graph called a planar graph. The four color theorem inspired a mathematician who today lends his name to a graph-inspired distance metric tracked by mathematicians, the Erdos number.
Gunshot Wounds of the Ureter: A 15-Year Review of 63 Consecutive Cases

We reviewed 63 consecutive cases of gunshot wounds of the ureter seen during a 15-year period. The importance of prompt recognition and aggressive surgical management is emphasized, with particular attention being placed on adequate debridement and spatulated splinted watertight ureteroureterostomy. Our philosophy of management for individual injuries is discussed along with our complications and results. This series is the largest reported to date of ureteral gunshot wounds.
Frictional behavior of atomically thin sheets: hexagonal-shaped graphene islands grown on copper by chemical vapor deposition.

Single asperity friction experiments using atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been conducted on chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene grown on polycrystalline copper foils. Graphene substantially lowers the friction force experienced by the sliding asperity of a silicon AFM tip compared to the surrounding oxidized copper surface by a factor ranging from 1.5 to 7 over loads from the adhesive minimum up to 80 nN. No damage to the graphene was observed over this range, showing that friction force microscopy serves as a facile, high contrast probe for identifying the presence of graphene on Cu. Consistent with studies of epitaxially grown, thermally grown, and mechanically exfoliated graphene films, the friction force measured between the tip and these CVD-prepared films depends on the number of layers of graphene present on the surface and reduces friction in comparison to the substrate. Friction results on graphene indicate that the layer-dependent friction properties result from puckering of the graphene...
Imaging of Dislocations and SUB–Grain Boundaries in Alumina Through Chromia – Vacancy and Molybdenum Solute Atmospheres

The phenomenon of plastic flow in alumina was previously [1 and 2] characterized using sintering models and transmission electron microscopy. Some of the findingsof the work were (a) near equality in the activation energy for volume diffusion and surface area reduction (82 kJ/mol), (b) a higher activation energy (440 kJ/mol) for Coble creep mechanism in the absence of gamma/alpha phase transformation and a lower activation energy (250 kJ/mol) when phase transformation was a part ofthe sintering process and, (c) presence of extended dislocations and deformed electron diffraction spots. In view of these results it was of interest to follow the effect of solute addition on plastic flow [ 3 ]. The solutes were incorporated in alumina through gel synthesis route and formed solid—solution systems of Cr 2 0 3 — A1 2 0 3 and MoO 3 — A1 2 O 3 at 1000°C. In the course of sintering there is partiai vaporization of caromiaand reduction of MoO 3 . The chromiavacancy and Mo metal thus impart an impurity decoration to the lattice. The scanning electron micrographs seem to show that they are segregated along grain boundaries, sub—grain boundaries and dislocations. With increase in temperature the linear vacancy segregations and the scattered vacancy clusters annihilate to form pores. These pores transform to creep cavities that extend from grain boundary to volume. The clustered occurrence of Mo at grain boundaries and its extended spacing in the subgrain boundary is perhaps indicative of a dislocation pipe model for its segregation. On the basis of these modeling and microstructural results a heuristic argument is presented in favor of kinetic equality among self diffusion, dislocation pipe diffusion and dislocation climb, and in favor of the commencement of Coble and Nabarros—Herring creep with severance of these equalities.
Temperature Effect on Pump Oil and Alkanes Evaporation

There are many products, including hard drives, which require trace amounts, on the order of several milligrams, of lubricants for proper operation. The following study investigated the evaporation rates of pump oil and several alkanes, which have a wide range of applications. Both static and dynamic temperature tests were conducted. The rate of evaporation of the test specimen was determined as the mass loss per unit time. Using the Arrhenius equation, the activation energy of the evaporation process, Ea, can be calculated as the slope of the best fit line for a plot of the ln(k) vs. 1/T (where k represents the evaporation rate). The alkanes were compared using the activation energy required for evaporation as model systems. Pump oil was also evaporated from two types of microchannels. Developed testing procedures help speed up new lubricant formulations qualification.
Social interaction in type 2 diabetes computer-mediated environments: How inherent features of the channels influence peer-to-peer interaction.

IntroductionInterventions via the internet provide support to individuals managing chronic illness. The purpose of this integrative review was to determine how the features of a computer-mediated e...
Development and Test of Rogowski Coil in Lightning Current Transducer

Based on the theoretical analysis of Rogowski coil and the restrictions of its installation,the paper designs a Rogowski coil for lightning current transducer.Similation results show that the designed coil can meet the requirements of self-integral coil;and its performance test shows that the accuracy and linearity of lightning current measured with the coil are good enough to meet the requirements of lightning current measurement.
Raising Large Quantities of Drosophila for Biochemical Experiments

Publisher Summary Mass cultures of Drosophila have been used in the preparation of a variety of cellular components, including RNA, proteins, DNA, and nuclei. This chapter describes the system used to rear and maintain a population of about 400,000 flies capable of producing 100 g of embryos a day. The minimal requirements for growth of the flies are simple and can be easily met. However, to obtain maximum yield of embryos, proper environmental conditions should be maintained: humidity of 70%, temperature of 25oC, and a constant 24-hr light-dark cycle. The adult flies are fed yeast food. A single strip of yeast paste is spread on a grape plate and the whole plate is placed inside the fly cage. Although the grape plate is probably fed on lightly, its predominant purpose is to stimulate egg laying on its surface as a consequence of the attractive aroma and high surface humidity. The washed embryos can be used immediately for experimental purposes or to continue the population; alternatively, they can be frozen at –80°C for future experiments.
Socioeconomic status, psychological resources, and inflammatory markers: Results from the MIDUS study.

OBJECTIVE Our objective was to investigate interactions of psychological resources and socioeconomic status (SES)-as well as potential gender differences and the explanatory role of childhood and adult stress exposures, health behaviors, and negative and positive affect-in predicting markers of systemic inflammation. METHOD We utilized a sample of adults from the Midlife Development in the U.S. (MIDUS) study who provided biomarker data (N = 1,152). SES was operationalized as a composite of education, income, and occupational prestige, and the psychological resources construct was operationalized as a latent factor measured with optimism, perceived control, and self-esteem. Linear regression models examined these 2 factors and their interaction in predicting interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) measured on average 2 years later, as well as 3-way interactions involving gender and the impact of covariate adjustment. RESULTS Psychological resources interacted with SES in men (for IL-6: p < .001; for CRP: p = .04) but not in women. In men, greater psychological resources was associated with lower concentrations of IL-6 at lower levels of SES but higher concentrations of both markers at higher levels of SES. The inverse association between resources and IL-6 at low SES was moderately attenuated upon adjustment for negative affect. CONCLUSION Socioeconomic status might modulate the linkage between psychological resources and systemic inflammation in men. At lower levels of SES, resources may be related to lower inflammation in part through lower negative affect. Associations with higher inflammation at higher SES add to growing evidence suggesting that adaptive psychological characteristics may be associated with markers of poorer physiological function under certain conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record
Virtual Detection at Intersections using Connected Vehicle Trajectory Data

Performance measures and adaptive control methodologies for traffic signal systems currently require intersections to be instrumented with vehicle detectors and communication equipment, which can require substantial engineering resources to deploy and maintain. Recent studies have explored the use of Connected Vehicle (CV) data for signal performance measures at various levels of market penetration, with some results showing possibilities for analyzing coordinated operations with penetration rates as low as 1–5%. The current study explores whether CV trajectory data (based on the crowdsourcing of timestamped vehicle and mobile device locations) can currently be used for this purpose. The study compares in-pavement detector data with “virtual” detector line data based on geo-fencing of trajectory splines. The Purdue Coordination Diagram (PCD), arrival flow profile, and cumulative arrival performance measures are used to assess and compare both data sources. The comparisons indicate that percent on green (POG) estimates from CV trajectories come within 0.1 to 15.7% of the in-pavement detector data, with the highest accuracy attributing to time-of-day periods with moderate traffic and high POG. Market penetration rate of CV in this study vary between approximately 0.6 to 2%.
Recognizing opinion sources based on a new categorization of opinion types

Recognizing sources of opinions is an important task in sentiment analysis. Different from previous works which categorize an opinion according to whether the source is the writer or the source is a noun phrase, we propose a new categorization of opinions according to the role that the source plays. The source of a participant opinion is a participant in the event that triggers the opinion. On the contrary, the source of a non-participant opinion is not a participant. Based on this new categorization, we classify an opinion using phrase-level embeddings. A transductive learning method is used for the classifier since there is no existing annotated corpora of this new categorization. A joint prediction model of Probabilistic Soft Logic then recognizes the sources of the two types of opinions in a single model. The experiments have shown that our model improves recognizing sources of opinions over baselines and several state-of-the-art works.
Surgical Intensive Care Medicine

By John M. O'Donnell, MD, and Flavio E. Nacul, MD, eds. Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001; 918 pp; $150.00
Insulin action in intact mouse diaphragm. II. Inhibition of endogenous protein phosphorylation.

Incubation of intact mouse diaphragms with insulin in the absence of glucose resulted in a rapid inhibition of the subsequent cell-free phosphorylation of endogenous protein substrates in tissue extracts. The phosphorylation of added histone was inhibited to a lesser extent. The inhibition was observed both in the absence and in the presence of added cyclic 3′5′ adenosine monophosphate. Acrylamide gel electrophoresis of phosphorylation products revealed a number of major phosphorylated polypeptides. The phosphorylation of several polypeptides was inhibited following short treatment with insulin. These results represent a novel experimental approach to the elucidation of the mechanism of the action of insulin and are consistent with our hypothesis that the inhibition of protein kinase activities in the tissue may be the first step in this mechanism.
Compassion Fatigue: Exploring Early-Career Oncology Nurses' Experiences .

Background Oncology nurses have a higher risk and rate of compassion fatigue (CF) compared to professionals in other specialties. CF exhibits tangible negative outcomes, affecting nurses' health and professional practice. . Objectives Early-career oncology nurses' unique CF experiences lack thorough scientific exploration. This secondary analysis seeks to qualitatively augment this paucity and illuminate targeted interventions. . Methods Open-ended interviews were conducted with five early-career inpatient oncology nurses. Subsequent transcripts were explored for CF themes secondarily using thematic analysis. . Findings Themes indicate that early-career oncology nurses enjoy connecting with patients and families, but over-relating, long patient stays, and high patient mortality rates trigger CF. Symptoms include internalizing patients' and families' pains and fears, being haunted by specific patient deaths, feeling emotionally depleted, assuming that all patients will die, and experiencing burnout, physical exhaustion, and hypervigilance protecting loved ones.
γ‐Secretase inhibitors in cancer clinical trials are pharmacologically and functionally distinct

γ-Secretase inhibitors (GSIs) are being actively repurposed as cancer therapeutics based on the premise that inhibition of NOTCH1 signaling in select cancers is therapeutic. Using novel assays to probe effects of GSIs against a broader panel of substrates, we demonstrate that clinical GSIs are pharmacologically distinct. GSIs show differential profiles of inhibition of the various NOTCH substrates, with some enhancing cleavage of other NOTCH substrates at concentrations where NOTCH1 cleavage is inhibited. Several GSIs are also potent inhibitors of select signal peptide peptidase (SPP/SPPL) family members. Extending these findings to mammosphere inhibition assays in triple-negative breast cancer lines, we establish that these GSIs have different functional effects. We also demonstrate that the processive γ-secretase cleavage pattern established for amyloid precursor protein (APP) occurs in multiple substrates and that potentiation of γ-secretase cleavage is attributable to a direct action of low concentrations of GSIs on γ-secretase. Such data definitively demonstrate that the clinical GSIs are not biological equivalents, and provide an important framework to evaluate results from ongoing and completed human trials with these compounds.
Fiber taper characterization by optical backscattering reflectometry.

Fiber tapers provide a way to rapidly measure the spectra of many types of optical microcavities. Proper fabrication of the taper ensures that its width varies sufficiently slowly (adiabatically) along the length of the taper so as to maintain single spatial mode propagation. This is usually accomplished by monitoring the spectral transmission through the taper. In addition to this characterization method it is also helpful to know the taper width versus length. By developing a model of optical backscattering within the fiber taper, it is possible to use backscatter measurements to characterize the taper width versus length. The model uses the concept of a local taper numerical aperture to accurately account for varying backscatter collection along the length of the taper. In addition to taper profile information, the backscatter reflectometry method delineates locations along the taper where fluctuations in fiber core refractive index, cladding refractive index, and taper surface roughness each provide the dominant source of backscattering. Rayleigh backscattering coefficients are also extracted by fitting the data with the model and are consistent with the fiber manufacturer’s datasheet. The optical backscattering reflectometer is also used to observe defects resulting from microcracks and surface contamination. All of this information can be obtained before the taper is removed from its fabrication apparatus. The backscattering method should also be prove useful for characterization of nanofibers.
Laos and Core Areas in the Upper Mekong Valley

Of all the mainland countries of Southeast Asia, Laos is the least populated and militarily least powerful.1 It is also the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, as it is surrounded by other countries and does not have an oceanic outlet. Though the Gulf of Tonkin is only 40 miles (64 km) east of its nearest border, it does not have any rail or all-weather bituminous roadlink to connect the populated areas of the coastal parts of the east (Figs. 11–1 and 11–2). The north-south running Annamite Cordillera, which fringes the eastern part of the country, act as a significant barrier to regular communication. A discussion of geographic features of Annamite Cordillera and northern mountainous regions of Laos has already been made in Chapter 9. The river Mekong cannot be used as a through traffic route in Laos because of the presence of three sets of cataracts (near Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and south of Savannakhet).
Heavy Flavored Jets with CMS

The energy loss of jets in heavy-ion collisions is expected to depend on the mass and flavor of the initiating parton. Thus, measurements of jet quenching with tagged partons place powerful constraints on the thermodynamic and transport properties of the hot and dense medium. Furthermore, recent results that constrain the jet production mechanism will shed additional light on the contributions of leading and next-to-leading order heavy flavor jet production with regard to the global energy loss picture. To this end, we present recent results measuring spectra and nuclear modification factors of jets associated to charm and bottom quarks in both pPb and PbPb collisions, as well as measurements of dijet asymmetry of pairs of b-jets in PbPb collisions.
Si doping enhances the thermal stability of diamond-like carbon through reductions in carbon-carbon bond length disorder

Abstract Low thermal stability is a major limitation of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films, especially amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films, inhibiting their use in several applications. Adding silicon and oxygen to a-C:H increases thermal stability, but mechanisms for this increase are unknown. Reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the ReaxFF potential were performed on undoped a-C:H and a-C:H containing Si and O (a-C:H:Si:O). As in experiments, the simulated a-C:H:Si:O demonstrated increased thermal stability compared to a-C:H. Atomistic thermal degradation pathways were examined to understand the origins of the enhanced thermal stability of a-C:H:Si:O compared to a-C:H. The primary thermal degradation pathway in undoped a-C:H was the breaking of tensile strained C-C bonds resulting in a transformation of sp3 to sp2-hybridized carbon. The presence of Si suppresses this mechanism by decreasing the frequency of occurrence of highly strained C-C bonds in the unannealed structure. This is due to the longer C-Si equilibrium bond length compared to C-C bonds, which allows the Si-doped films to accommodate higher structural disorder.
High Performance 7 $\times$ 8 Ge-on-Si Arrayed Waveguide Gratings for the Midinfrared

Ge-on-Si low-loss waveguides and 7 $\times$ 8 arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs) are presented for operation near 4.7 $\mu$ m wavelength. Propagation loss in the range of 3 dB/cm for fully etched waveguides and 1 dB/cm for shallow-etched waveguides is reported. 200 GHz AWGs in a 7 $\times$ 8 configuration with various waveguide aperture widths and etch depths are designed and characterized. For fully etched AWGs, the insertion loss values as low as $-$ 2.34 and 3 dB mean cross talk of $-$ 29.63 dB are achieved. The shallow-etched AWG has an insertion loss of $-$ 1.52 dB and crosstalk of $-$ 28 dB.
Salivary Cortisol Does Not Correlate with Metabolic Syndrome Markers or Subjective Stress in Overweight Children.

Objective: Being overweight is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome in children, but not all overweight children develop metabolic syndrome. Cortisol excess from chronic psychological stress has been proposed as an independent risk factor for metabolic syndrome in this already at-risk population. The present study assesses the relationship of biochemical and body composition radiographic markers of metabolic syndrome to salivary cortisol and self-reports of chronic psychological stress in a cohort of overweight children. Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional study took place in a multi-disciplinary pediatric obesity clinic at a tertiary care hospital, and involved fifteen children with BMI at or above the 85th percentile for age and sex, 10 of whom provided salivary cortisol samples. The main outcomes measured were salivary bedtime cortisol, first-waking cortisol, and cortisol awakening response (CAR-the rise in cortisol in the first half hour after waking); fasting serum triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, glucose and insulin for HOMA-IR; the ratio of abdominal fat to total body fat by DXA scan; and scores of validated stress and bullying questionnaires (PANAS-C, PSS, and SEC-Q). Results: In this pilot study, no correlation was found between salivary cortisol measures and questionnaire scores of subjective stress or bullying, and no correlation was found between any of these measures and markers of metabolic syndrome (dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, increased abdominal fat). Conclusions: These results suggest that measures of psychological stress, whether biochemical or subjective, do not appear to predict risk of metabolic syndrome in overweight children. While ease of collection and demonstrated utility both in detection of pediatric Cushing disease and in adult psychological research make salivary cortisol assessment an attractive clinical tool, further investigation into the value of salivary measures in pediatric stress research is needed.
Surveying the spatial distribution of feral sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and its sympatry with johnsongrass (S. halepense) in South Texas

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is an important grain and forage crop grown across the US. In some areas, sorghum can become feral along roadsides and other ruderal areas, as a result of seed spill during harvest or transport. In some of these situations, feral sorghum grows in or near established johnsongrass (S. halepense) populations. Johnsongrass, a wild relative of sorghum and an incredibly noxious weed, is capable of hybridizing with cultivated sorghum. Because commercial hybrid sorghum cultivars are produced with cytoplasmic male sterility, progeny of the hybrid crop which compose the founder feral populations also segregate for male sterility. Consequently, male sterility in feral sorghum may increase the risk of outcrossing with johnsongrass. Using field surveys and spatial modelling, the present study aimed at documenting the occurrence of feral sorghum and understanding the anthropogenic and environmental factors that influence its distribution. Further, this research documented the sympatry of feral sorghum and johnsongrass in the roadside habitat. A total of 2077 sites were visited during a systematic field survey conducted in fall 2014 in South Texas. Feral sorghum and johnsongrass were found in 360 and 939 sites, while the species co-existed at 48 sites (2.3% of all surveyed sites). The binary logistic analysis showed a significant association between the presence of feral sorghum and road type, road body-type, micro-topography of the sampling site, nearby land use, and the presence of johnsongrass, but no association with the distance to the nearest grain sorting facility. The probability of finding feral sorghum away from johnsongrass patches was generally higher than finding them co-occur in the same location. A probability map for spatial distribution of feral sorghum was developed using the nearby land use type and the regional habitat suitability for johnsongrass as two key predictors. Overall, results show that feral sorghum and johnsongrass co-occur at low frequencies in the roadside habitats of South Texas, but these low levels still present a significant opportunity for hybridization between the two species outside of cultivated fields.
The Role of Iron in Retinal Diseases

Iron is a potent free radical generator in a number of tissues including the retina. Iron levels build up in the macula with age, exacerbating age-related oxidative damage. Several retinal diseases are associated with elevated systemic and local iron levels, and intraocular iron foreign bodies can lead to retinal degeneration. Retinal degenerations have also been observed in hereditary diseases of iron homeostasis, such as aceruloplasminemia, Friedreich’s ataxia, and pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration resulting in iron overload. Similarly, mice with targeted mutations resulting in age-dependent retinal iron overload have features resembling age-related macular degeneration. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have demonstrated iron in the retinal pigment epithelium and retina is chelatable, protecting against cell damage or death. This has potential clinical applications in the treatment and prevention of age-related macular degeneration.
The limits of heredity: nature and nurture in American eugenics before 1915.

While frequently acknowledging the role that environmental concerns played in various national eugenics movements, historians generally have underestimated and downplayed the role of nurture in early American eugenics. In his 1963 book, Mark Haller explained that eugenicists often suggested that environmental and hereditary reform "should work together for the betterment of man." In spite of this explanation, however, throughout his book Haller focused on the hereditarian aspects of eugenics, thereby blazing the trail that most historians have followed.' Subsequent studies, including Kenneth Ludmerer's monograph Genetics in American Society and Daniel Kevles's book In the Name of Eugenics, emphasized the biological focus of the American movement as well. Edward Larson's recent Sex, Race, and Science expands the geographical understanding of American eugenics by studying the Deep South but also focuses on efforts to "breed better people" and downplays environmental concerns.2 The history of American eugenics, as Grant Rodwell has noted, has been "heavily skewed towards a history of hereditarian eugenics." In this paper I illustrate the importance of environmental reform in early American eugenics.3
Digital Copyright and the Parody Exception in Hong Kong: Accommodating the Needs and Interests of Internet Users

On 11 July 2013, the Hong Kong government released a consultation document on the treatment of parody under the copyright regime. Building on two earlier consultations on digital copyright reform launched in December 2006 and April 2008, this latest consultation identified three legislative options: (1) clarifying the existing general provisions for criminal sanctions; (2) introducing a specific criminal exemption for parody; and (3) introducing a fair dealing exception for parody. In addition to parodies, these options may cover satires, caricatures, pastiches and other forms of imitations.Commissioned by the Journalism Media Studies Centre of the University of Hong Kong and submitted to the Hong Kong government as part of its consultation exercise, this position paper asserts that none of the three identified options alone can adequately address the needs, interests and concerns of internet users. Each option has its strengths and weaknesses, and each serves its own purpose. Because these options are not mutually exclusive, this paper recommends the adoption of all three options in combination with a fourth unidentified option – an exception for predominantly noncommercial user-generated content (UGC). The last option is badly needed because even a broad, unlimited copyright exception for parody, satire, caricature or pastiche would not cover most of the derivative creations generated by internet users.This position paper begins by examining each individual option identified in the consultation document. It argues that both civil and criminal exceptions, with appropriate qualifications, should be created for parodies, satires, caricatures and pastiches. It also explains why a separate criminal exception will be needed even if a fair dealing exception is to be adopted. The paper then articulates the need for the introduction of a predominantly noncommercial UGC exception, similar to the one Canada recently adopted. It further explains why creating exceptions in the copyright regime would benefit both copyright owners and internet users. The paper concludes by identifying four related issues that deserve legislative attention.
Family functioning moderates the impact of psychosis-risk symptoms on social and role functioning.

Abstract Background Youth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis often experience difficulties in social and role functioning. Given evidence that family stress and support can impact psychosis-risk symptoms, as well as an individual's ability to fulfill social and role functions, family dynamics are hypothesized to moderate the effect of psychosis-risk symptoms on functioning. Methods Participants at CHR (N = 52) completed the clinician-administered Structured Interview for Psychosis-risk Syndromes (SIPS) and the Family Assessment Device (FAD) General Functioning Scale, a self-report measure of family functioning including cohesion and support. Interviewers rated participants' current social and role functioning using the Global Functioning: Social and Role Scales. Results Regression results indicated that positive symptoms, but not ratings of family functioning, statistically predicted social and role functioning. Perceived family functioning, however, moderated the effect of symptoms on social/role functioning. For individuals who perceived lower levels of family functioning, symptoms were moderately associated with social and role functioning (f2 = 0.17 and f2 = 0.23, respectively). In contrast, psychosis-risk symptoms were not significantly associated with social/role functioning for individuals with higher levels of perceived family functioning. Notably, positive symptoms and perceived family functioning were not associated with one another, suggesting that perceived family functioning did not directly impact symptom severity, or vice versa. Conclusions Findings support the notion that family functioning may be a clinically meaningful factor for individuals at CHR. Although this cross-sectional data limits our discussion of potential mechanisms underlying the pattern of findings, results suggest that familial support may be beneficial for individuals at risk for psychosis.
Experimental Comparison of FB-MC-SS and DS-SS in HF Channels

This paper presents a comparison of direct sequence spread spectrum (DS-SS) and filter bank multi carrier spread spectrum (FB-MC-SS) systems when applied for communications over HF channels. Such systems by their spread spectrum nature are, clearly, broadband. On the other hand, noting that the presence of narrowband interferers are inevitable in HF channels, interference suppression performance has to be given a special consideration when such systems are designed. In this paper DSSS and FB-MC-SS are compared using measured HF interference data. FB-MC-SS is shown to have very good performance while using a low complexity and robust maximum ratio combining receiver. The partitioned structure of the FB-MC-SS waveform enables this implementation. Among the DS-SS receivers in the literature, we find that only the highly complex minimum mean square error (MMSE) receiver can provide a comparable performance to its FB-MC-SS counterpart. Considering the receiver complexity, it becomes obvious that FB-MC-SS is the right choice for further developments of HF spread spectrum modems in the future.
Damage control orthopedics applied in an 8-year-old child with life-threatening multiple injuries: A CARE-compliant case report.

Rationale Damage control is a staged surgical approach to manage polytraumatized patients. The damage control approach comprises three steps. First, bleeding is controlled and fractures are stabilized temporarily; second, vital parameters are stabilized and the child is rewarmed in the intensive care unit; and third, the child is reoperated for definitive repair of injuries. We aimed to describe the feasibility of the damage control orthopedic approach in a child. Patient concerns An 8-year-old girl fell from the balcony of the 5th floor onto concrete pavement and was admitted to our accident and emergency ward in a stable cardiorespiratory state, but with gross deformity of the lower limbs, left thigh, and forearm. Diagnoses The child had sustained multiple injuries with severe bilateral lung contusion, pneumothorax, fracture of first rib, liver laceration, stable spine fractures, transforaminal fracture of sacrum, pelvic ring fracture, displaced baso-cervical femoral neck fracture, displaced bilateral multifragmental growth plate fractures of both tibiae, fractures of both fibulae, displaced fracture of left forearm, and displaced supracondylar fracture of the humerus. Intervention In the initial operation, we performed closed reduction and K-wire fixation of the right tibia, closed reduction and external fixation of the left tibia, open reduction and screw osteosynthesis of the femoral neck fracture, closed reduction and K-wire fixation of the radius, and closed reduction of the supracondylar fracture. Subsequently, we transferred the girl to the pediatric intensive care unit for hemodynamic stabilization, respiratory therapy, rewarming, and treatment of crush syndrome. In a third step, 10 days after the injury, we managed the supracondylar fracture of the humerus by closed reduction and K-wire fixation. Outcomes Growth arrest of the left distal tibial growth plate and osteonecrosis of the femoral head and neck, slipped capital femoris epiphysis (SCFE), and coxa vara of the right femur led to balanced leg length inequality 2 years after the injury. The lesion of the left sciatic nerve improved over time and the girl walked without walking aids and took part in school sports but avoided jumping exercises. Lessons We emphasize the importance of damage control principles when managing polytraumatized children.
Decentralized Task Allocation in Lossy Networks: A Simulation Study

Advances in hardware, software and sensing are bringing swarms of robots to daily life. A major challenge in enabling such applications is multi-robot coordination. Most multi-robot coordination algorithms are developed under the assumption of perfect communication, which does not hold in practical wireless networks. To understand the consequences of this, we investigate the performance of a representative task allocation algorithm for multi-robot systems, namely, the Asynchronous Consensus Based Bundle Algorithm (ACBBA), in realistic network conditions. We show that the ACBBA deviates from its desired theoretical behavior when deployed in a realistic network. This manifests in the form of redundant task assignments across agents, which violates the algorithm’s "conflict-free" assignment constraint and degrades the task allocation efficiency. We explore several network-based mitigations to this problem.
Next‐Generation Genotoxicology: Using Modern Sequencing Technologies to Assess Somatic Mutagenesis and Cancer Risk

Mutations have a profound effect on human health, particularly through an increased risk of carcinogenesis and genetic disease. The strong correlation between mutagenesis and carcinogenesis has been a driving force behind genotoxicity research for more than 50 years. The stochastic and infrequent nature of mutagenesis makes it challenging to observe and to study. Indeed, decades have been spent developing increasingly sophisticated assays and methods to study these low-frequency genetic errors, in hopes of better predicting which chemicals may be carcinogens, understanding their mode of action, and informing guidelines to prevent undue human exposure. While effective, widely used genetic selection-based technologies have a number of limitations that have hampered major advancements in the field of genotoxicity. Emerging new tools, in the form of enhanced next-generation sequencing platforms and methods, are changing this paradigm. In this review, we discuss rapidly evolving sequencing tools and technologies, such as error-corrected sequencing and single cell analysis, which we anticipate will fundamentally reshape the field. In addition, we consider a variety emerging applications for these new technologies, including the detection of DNA adducts, inference of mutational processes based on genomic site and local sequence contexts, and evaluation of genome engineering fidelity, as well as other cutting-edge challenges for the next 50 years of environmental and molecular mutagenesis research. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 61:135-151, 2020. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Environmental Mutagen Society.
Selective laser melting of 304L stainless steel: Role of volumetric energy density on the microstructure, texture and mechanical properties

Abstract The role of volumetric energy density on the microstructural evolution, texture and mechanical properties of 304L stainless steel parts additively manufactured via selective laser melting process is investigated. 304L is chosen because it is a potential candidate to be used as a matrix in a metal matrix composite with nanoparticles dispersion for energy and high temperature applications. The highest relative density of 99 %±0.5 was achieved using a volumetric energy density of 1400 J/mm3. Both XRD analysis and Scheil simulation revealed the presence of a small trace of the delta ferrite phase, due to rapid solidification within the austenitic matrix of 304L. A fine cellular substructure ranged between 0.4–1.8 μm, was detected across different energy density values. At the highest energy density value, a strong texture in the direction of [100] was identified. At lower energy density values, multicomponent texture was found due to high nucleation rate and the existing defects. Yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and microhardness of samples with a relative density of 99 % were measured to be 540 ± 15 MPa, 660 ± 20 MPa and 254 ± 7 HV, respectively and higher than mechanical properties of conventionally manufactured 304L stainless steel. Heat treatment of the laser melted 304L at 1200 °C for 2 h, resulted in the nucleation of recrystallized equiaxed grains followed by a decrease in microhardness value from 233 ± 3 HV to 208 ± 8 HV due to disappearance of cellular substructure.
Dynamic Operation of Batch Reverse Osmosis and Batch Pressure Retarded Osmosis

Optimal control theory is applied to dynamic operation of batch reverse osmosis (RO) for seawater desalination and batch pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) for power generation. It is proved that the water flux should be constant during the entire operation in order to minimize specific energy consumption (SEC) in RO or to maximize specific energy production (SEP) in PRO. A dimensionless parameter $\gamma = A_m L_p\pi_0t_f/V_0$, similar to the one used in continuous osmotic membrane processes, is proposed to characterize the energy performance. While the SEC in RO is a monotonic function of recovery and $\gamma$, the SEP in PRO is solely a monotonic function of $\gamma$. It is shown that batch RO/PRO excels continuous RO/PRO because it mitigates the spatial variation of flux in a long pressure vessel observed in the latter. The batch operation provides an elegant way to implement continuous multi-stage RO with interstage pumps and an energy recovery device (ERD) as well as continuous multi-stage PRO with int...