cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SEED PROTEIN QUANTITIES OF FIELD-GROWN SOYBEANS EXPOSED TO SIMULATED ACIDIC RAIN

Summary Analysis of seeds harvested from field-grown soybeans demonstrated that simulated acidic rainfalls from two experimental protocols can significantly decrease total protein contents of soybeans. Statistically significant differences in protein content per seed mass were obtained in three of four experiments at the field site. Mean protein contents of control plants for the three experiments reported herein were 33.0, 39.3 and 43.8 % and were comparable to protein yields obtained by commercial growers. When results were expressed as protein content per seed mass the changes were independent of reduction in seed mass per plant due to increased rainfall acidity. When results were expressed as protein contents per plant, decreases in protein of 20 % were common in plants exposed to rainfalls similar to ambient (pH 4.1) compared with experimental controls (pH 5.6).
Probing of PNA-DNA Hybrid Duplex Stability with AFM Force Spectroscopy

Peptide nucleic acids (PNA) are synthetic polymers the neutral peptide backbone of which provides elevated stability to PNA-PNA and hybrid PNA-DNA duplex. It was demonstrated recently (J.Org.Chem.2011, 76, 5614-5627) that additional modification of the backbone such as incorporation of diethylene glycol (miniPEG) further increases the duplex thermal stability, so the hybrid duplex with 10 miniPEG units (γ-PNA) has the melting temperature 23°C higher compared to the regular PNA-DNA duplex. Here we applied AFM force spectroscopy to probe the strength of the γ-PNA-DNA duplex (5′GAGTAG GTAG-3’) containing ten miniPEG-modified units. Single-stranded PNA and DNA oligonucleotides containing terminal thiol groups were immobilized on amino-functionalized AFM tip and mica substrate, respectively via bifunctional PEG tethers and the interaction between the DNA and γ-PNA polymers was analyzed by multiple approach retraction cycles over various locations on the mica substrate. Such single molecule probing experiments produced force curves with well-defined rupture events corresponding to the dissociation of the duplex formed during the approach step. The experiments were performed at various pulling rates (300-3000 nm/sec) enabled us to characterize the hybrid duplex stability using dynamic force spectroscopy (DFS) approach. The DFS measurements yielded rupture forces varying in the range 60-70 pN. The data analyzed in the framework of the Bell-Evans approach yielded a dissociation constant, koff ∼ 10−9 sec−1 and rupture distance x-1∼ 1.7 nm. Similar published DFS measurements of DNA duplex are characterized by koff with ∼ 108 times less values, which is in line with elevated stabilities of the γ-PNA-DNA duplexes compared with the DNA duplexes.The work was supported by NIH grants 5P01 GM091743-03 and 5R01 GM096039-04 to YLL. γ-PNA was synthesized at PNA innovation.
Anesthesiologists' interest in neonatal resuscitation certification.

Abstract Study Objective: To survey graduates from our residency program to determine their involvement and their interest in becoming certified in neonatal resuscitation. Design: Survey questionnaire Setting: Graduates from the University of Pennsylvania Anesthesia Program between 1989 and 1999 Subjects: 212 individuals completed the residency; addresses were available for 189 and the response rate for these individuals was 156. Results: Of the respondents with obstetric anesthesia responsibilities, 65% have been involved in resuscitation of the newborn. Sixteen percent were certified, but 81% were interested in certification. If the hospital had less than 1000 deliveries per year, the probability of the anesthesiologist having to perform neonatal resuscitation was 11.0 times greater than if the hospital had more than 1000 deliveries per year (confidence interval, 1.4–86). Conclusions: Despite guidelines recommending the contrary, anesthesiologists are involved in the resuscitation of the newborn. The majority of these individuals are not certified but are interested in becoming certified. The ASA should establish programs to offer the opportunity to learn and to reinforce these skills.
On some flow characteristics of conventional and excited jets

Improved correlations of jet centerline velocity and static temperature decay data for convergent nozzles are developed. From these empirical correlations, a relationship was devised by which the static temperature decay for a nonisothermal jet plume can be determined from cold-flow jet centerline velocity decay data or prediction. This relationship is shown to apply as well to jet plumes for various nozzle shapes. It is assumed, by analogy, that this relationship also applies to acoustically excited jet plumes. Jet plume spreading with and without excitation is discussed. Finally, the radial velocity and temperature profiles for conventional and enhanced mixing jet flows are shown and their implication for excited flows is discussed. Previously announced in STAR as N84-13922
Stock Splits And False Signaling Cost Within A Management Reputation Framework

In order for signals to be informationally consistent in an efficient capital market, false signaling must be costly. To date researchers have been unable to identify any cost incurred by false signalers in the case of stock splits. This study identifies inhibited future ability to signal as a cost incurred by false signalers. False signalers are firms that announce stock splits and subsequently report earnings below pre-event Value Line forecasts. Ability to signal is monitored through observation of market reaction (abnormal daily returns generated under the mean adjusted returns model). The results indicate that previous false signalers experience less favorable market reaction to subsequent split announcements than a comparison group. Previous false signalers demonstrate positive earnings performance with subsequent split announcements, and weak evidence indicates earnings performance superior to the comparison group. The notion that previous false signalers attempt to reestablish their reputations when conveying future signals is supported.
Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI): Apprenticing Deaf Students in the Construction of English text

This study investigates the effects of using Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) with deaf, middle school students who use American Sign Language as their L1 and written English as L2. Using a pretest-posttest control group design, the research explores whether students receiving SIWI made significantly greater gains compared to those not receiving SIWI on a number of variables. There were 33 total students, 16 in the treatment group and 17 in the comparison group. The intervention lasted a total of 8 weeks, during which time the treatment group collaboratively constructed two report papers using SIWI components, and the comparison group continued with their typical literacy instruction. The pre and posttest measures were scored, according to rubrics, for evidence of primary traits, contextual language, and conventions. The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and follow-up univariate analyses were statistically significant. Furthermore, effect sizes (d) were large to very large, ranging from 1.27 to 2.65, indicating SIWI to be an effective approach with deaf L2 writers.
Transcripts (Coding and Analysis)

Transcription is the operation of transferring audio- or video-taped material into verbatim text documents. Other materials may also be transcribed into digital text format for convenient storage and analysis, such as researchers’ own fieldnotes, historical ephemera and archival data, photo descriptions, and participants’ handwritten materials (such as travel diaries). Transcription itself has some practical issues that researchers should consider when embarking on such a task, such as time commitments, equipment, and details of successful transcribing strategies. Transcripts can then be coded and analyzed, but this too brings up methodological and conceptual issues. A basic primer on coding is provided, as well as some examples to illustrate techniques, relevant software (CAQDAS), coding's strengths, and its challenges.
Phonetic Basis of Phonemic Paraphasias in Aphasia: Evidence for Cascading Activation

Phonemic paraphasias are a common presenting symptom in aphasia and are thought to reflect a deficit in which selecting an incorrect phonemic segment results in the clear-cut substitution of one phonemic segment for another. The current study re-examines the basis of these paraphasias. Seven left hemisphere-damaged aphasics with a range of left hemisphere lesions and clinical diagnoses including Broca's, Conduction, and Wernicke's aphasia, were asked to produce syllable-initial voiced and voiceless fricative consonants, [z] and [s], in CV syllables followed by one of five vowels [i e a o u] in isolation and in a carrier phrase. Acoustic analyses were conducted focusing on two acoustic parameters signaling voicing in fricative consonants: duration and amplitude properties of the fricative noise. Results show that for all participants, regardless of clinical diagnosis or lesion site, phonemic paraphasias leave an acoustic trace of the original target in the error production. These findings challenge the view that phonemic paraphasias arise from a mis-selection of phonemic units followed by its correct implementation, as traditionally proposed. Rather, they appear to derive from a common mechanism with speech errors reflecting the co-activation of a target and competitor resulting in speech output that has some phonetic properties of both segments.
Critical Evaluation of an in Vitro Model for Evaluation of Platelet Reactivity of Biomaterials

An in vitro model for measuring platelet reactivity to a variety of biomaterial candidates for vascular grafts is described. A model consisting of a standard area of test material exposed to freshly labeled In platelets in plasma was evaluated. The platelets were isolated from ACD anticoagulated blood and resuspended in ACD plasma. It has been previously demonstrated that platelets so treated circulate in the body and will deposit on biomaterials exposed to the blood in vivo. The in vitro test consisted of an incubation of the platelets and materials at 37°C for one hour. At the end of the incubation, the platelet rich plasma was removed and the materials washed and removed for gamma counting. Platelet reactivity was normalized as a percentage of the counts on the material to counts in an aliquot of the platelet-plasma incubation media. The maximum uptake of platelets occurred within one hour. Platelets from three species, human, baboon, and dog were tested. Platelet uptake by Dacron and PTFE were in the range of 30–40% and 1–5% respectively. This is in accord with the known reactivity of these two vascular graft materials in vivo. A second series of studies were conducted with physically and pharmacologically inactivated platelets and inert particles. Those studies suggest that the initial results do not represent a biologic event but may reflect the porosity of the materials. This emphasizes the necessity of adequately defining an in vitro model against known in vivo activity.
Shielding Effect Rule of Thermal Fatigue Crack Net and Calculating Method of Stress Intensity Factor of Main Crack

The stress intensity factor of the main crack in crack net can reflect the damage degree of components.However,it is difficult to calculate the stress intensity factor directly due to the shielding effect between cracks.It is supposed that the main crack cannot locate in the edge of the crack net,and the cracks in the net parallel to each other and perpendicular to constraint direction.The shielding residual percent s of main crack,the cracks' space ratio n and the crack length radio f are defined.The rule of shielding effect between two same length cracks,two random cracks,three cracks and multi-cracks is studied.The relation of s-f-n is definitive,and it is independent of the boundary conditions,size of cracks and other factors.The stress intensity factor of main crack can be calculated by the factor of single crack by using this rule when shielding effect happens.The example shows that this method is accurate,simple,convenient and fast.
Design of a miniature LTCC 3-way power splitter

According to a compact LTCC circuit for 3-way power splitter presented here,a miniature physical LTCC model of the components was established and simulated.Adverse effect of the coupling between the embedded inductors is offset by changing the value of the middle one in the three parallel inductors,thus the amplitude unbalance is decreased.The optimized result of the model was realized,resulting in a 3-way power splitter with a size of 3.2mm × 1.6 mm × 1.3mm and a center frequency of 2.45GHz.As the isolation resistors are embedded in the device,much mount area can be saved for application.
Use of a physiologic oral glucose solution for screening for impaired glucose tolerance and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Objective To evaluate a lower osmolar, more physiologic oral glucose solution as part of an oral glucose tolerance test and to compare it to the standard glucose solution to see if it could serve as an effective screening agent for patients with impaired glucose tolerance or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Methods A total of 100 subjects were given both the standard (1.38 mol/L) 75-g oral glucose tolerance test solution and the lower osmolar (0.62 mol/L) 50-g glucose solution. Each test was separated by at least 3 days. Blood samples were drawn at baseline and 30, 60, and 120 minutes after ingestion of each glucose solution. The 1- and 2-hour blood glucose values obtained using the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test beverage were used as the gold standard to diagnose diabetes according to World Health Organization criteria. Results Both solutions were shown to have a high sensitivity and specificity for detecting diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance at 30 and 60 minutes. Conclusions The physiologic 50-g solution uses less glucose, is highly palatable, and is similar in sweetness and carbohydrate concentration to commonly consumed soda beverages. A larger study including more patients with impaired glucose tolerance will need to be performed to verify our conclusions. The ability to perform high-sensitivity and high-specificity screening for patients with diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance with a single timed blood sample could make mass screening more practical.
Private Fund Investor Due Diligence – Evidence from 1995 to 2015

The importance of private fund investor due diligence in the investment allocation process, in capital formation, and in private fund litigation has reached unprecedented levels and is further increasing. To provide the industry with data, data trend analyses, and guidance on applicable legal standards, the author examines two datasets: (1) private investment fund advisers’ SEC Form ADV II filings from 2007 to 2014 (N=100392), and (2) the publicly available litigation record pertaining to private fund investor due diligence from 1995 to 2015 (N=572). After highlighting important changes in the quality and quantity of private fund investor due diligence in SEC Form ADV Part II, the author evaluates the corresponding litigation record and analyzes expert guidance on applicable best practices.
Lactate Sensors on Flexible Substrates

Lactate detection by an in situ sensor is of great need in clinical medicine, food processing, and athletic performance monitoring. In this paper, a flexible, easy to fabricate, and low-cost biosensor base on lactate oxidase is presented. The fabrication processes, including metal deposition, sol-gel IrOx deposition, and drop-dry enzyme loading method, are described in detail. The loaded enzyme was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Cyclic voltammetry was used to characterize the sensors. Durability, sensibility, and selectivity of the biosensors were examined. The comparison for different electrode sizes and different sensing film materials was conducted. The sensor could last for four weeks with an average surface area normalized sensitivity of 950 nA/(cm2 mM) and 9250 nA/(cm2 mM) for Au-based electrodes, and IrOx-modified electrodes respectively, both with an electrode size of 100 × 50 μm. The self-referencing method to record noises simultaneously with the working electrode greatly improved sensor sensitivity and selectivity. The sensor showed little response to interference chemicals, such as glutamate and dopamine.
Mémoir(e) and Mémoire(s)

Drawing on Jacques Derrida’s distinction between memoir(e) and memoire(s), the chapter considers the psychological concept of autobiographical memory in terms of its historical formation and cultural ramifications, and questions the three components: life story, self and memory. The chapter considers the frisson between memories and life stories by examining four artworks by US artist Kerry Tribe. In her work, Tribe explores the tension between the psychological and cultural articulation of memories and the circumstantial and unstable narratives of the self that unfold at the boundaries of remembering and forgetting, evincing the intrinsic and irreconcilable relation that binds remembering and narrating in the psychological concept and its cultural articulations. Tribe’s artworks position the viewer at the affective intersection of memory and narrative.
Electrophysiological properties of neurons derived from human stem cells and iNeurons in vitro.

Functional studies of neurons have traditionally used nervous system tissues from a variety of non-human vertebrate and invertebrate species, even when the focus of much of this research has been directed at understanding human brain function. Over the last decade, the identification and isolation of human stem cells from embryonic, tissue (or adult) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has revolutionized the availability of human neurons for experimental studies in vitro. In addition, the direct conversion of terminally differentiated fibroblasts into Induced neurons (iN) has generated great excitement because of the likely value of such human stem cell derived neurons (hSCNs) and iN cells in drug discovery, neuropharmacology, neurotoxicology and regenerative medicine. This review addresses the current state of our knowledge of functional receptors and ion channels expressed in neurons derived from human stem cells and iNeurons and identifies gaps and questions that might be investigated in future studies; it focusses almost exclusively on what is known about the electrophysiological properties of neurons derived from human stem cells and iN cells in vitro with an emphasis on voltage and ligand gated ion channels, since these mediate synaptic signalling in the nervous system and they are at the heart of neuropharmacology.
Chemical Anchoring of Noble Metal Amine Precursors to Silica: An in Situ UV Diffuse Reflectance Study

Abstract The effect of pretreatment on the dispersion of supported noble metal catalysts was studied using in-situ diffuse UV reflectance spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The following amine precursors were used in this study: Pt(NH 3 ) 4 (NO 3 ) 2 , Pd(NH 3 ) 4 (NO 3 ) 2 , Ru(NH 3 ) 6 Cl 3 and [Rh(NH 3 ) 5 Cl]Cl 2 . Pretreatment in oxygen prior to reduction in H 2 at 400C resulted in poor dispersion for Ru and Rh, moderate dispersions for Pd and high dispersions for Pt. Direct reduction in H 2 resulted in poor dispersions for Pt and Pd but high dispersions for Ru and Rh. These results are explained by considering the surface chemistry of the oxidation and reduction process as studied using in-situ diffuse UV reflectance spectroscopy.
Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validation of the Korean version of the identification functional ankle instability (IdFAI).

Purpose: To cross-culturally adapt the Identification Functional Ankle Instability for use with Korean-speaking participants.Methods: The English version of the IdFAI was cross-culturally adapted into Korean based on the guidelines. The psychometric properties in the Korean version of the IdFAI were measured for test-retest reliability, internal consistency, criterion-related validity, discriminative validity, and measurement error 181 native Korean-speakers.Results: Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC2,1) between the English and Korean versions of the IdFAI for test–retest reliability was 0.98 (standard error of measurement = 1.41). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.89 for the Korean versions of IdFAI. The Korean versions of the IdFAI had a strong correlation with the SF-36 (rs = −0.69, p 10 was the optimal cutoff score to distinguish between the group memberships. The m...
Privacy Issues for Transportation Cyber Physical Systems

Transportation Cyber-Physical Systems (TCPS) developed a lot with the advancement of the transportation industry worldwide. The rapid proliferation of TCPS provides rich data and infinite possibilities for us to analyze and understand the complex inherent mechanism that governs the novel intelligence world. Also, TCPS open a range of new application scenarios, such as vehicular safety, energy efficiency, reduced pollution, and intelligent maintenance services. However, while enjoying the services and convenience provided by TCPS, users, vehicles, and even the systems might lose privacy during information transmission and processing. This chapter summarizes the state-of-art research findings on TCPS in a broad sense. First, we introduce the typical TCPS model and their basic mechanism of data communication. Secondly, considering the privacy issues of TCPS, we give a bird’s-eye view of the up-to-date literature on the problems and privacy protection approaches. Thirdly, we point out the most recently emerging challenges and the potential resolutions for privacy issues in TCPS.
Doppler Sonography: A Brief History

The origins of modern medical technology may be traced to nineteenth-century europe, when the industrial revolution ushered in sweeping changes in every aspect of life. Of all the momentous discoveries and inventions of this period, there was one relatively obscure scientific event that laid the foundation for the subsequent development of Doppler technologies in the twentieth century — the discovery of a natural phenomenon that came to be known as Doppler effect. Another critical event was the discovery of the piezoelectric phenomenon by Pierre Curie and Jacques Curie, which enabled the development of ultrasonic transducers many decades later. This chapter briefly describes the origin of the Doppler theory during the nineteenth century and traces the development of diagnostic Doppler ultrasound technology during the second half of the twentieth century to the present.
Physician profiles in Africa.

A Peace Corps physician in Africa profiles some of his physician colleagues working in Africa in his most recent online journal entry and encourages others to step into the field of international health. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Preferring Stronger Parties to Weaker Parties: Majorization

Majorization is an order relation for the comparison of two apportionment methods. Some method A is majorized by some other method B when every group of stronger parties garners under A at most as many seats as it garners under B. Specifically, a divisor method is majorized by another divisor method if and only if their signpost ratios are increasing. The family of stationary divisor methods is monotonic with regard to majorization, as is the family of power-mean divisor methods.
Rethinking the political economy of slavery: the hacienda aesthetic at the Jesuit vineyards of Nasca, Peru

SUMMARY: Traditional political economy has a number of limitations that make it ill-suited for exploring the nuances of cultural communication in colonial cultural contexts, and for elucidating the specific ways in which meaning is produced within the dialectics of power. Following the pragmatic turn in archaeology, this paper suggests a revaluation of the political economy of early modern slavery, describing and employing aesthetic and semiotic tools to render the processes of enslaved subject formation, meaning-making and quotidian conditions within the 17th- and 18th-century institution of the Jesuit hacienda through recent archaeological explorations at two Jesuit vineyards in Nasca, Peru.
INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN, SOCIAL NORMS, AND THE FEASIBILITY ISSUE

The “new institutionalist revolution” in social sciences has led to a repositioning of social norms to the forefront of the pre-analytic vision in institutional theory and to the consolidation of the contextual analysis approach. That has significant epistemological, methodological, and political philosophy implications. This essay follows the logic of these developments showing: (a) why they inherently lead to the feasibility problem, the key of applied theory, toward which both contemporary philosophy and institutional analysis converge from different venues; (b) how feasibility is a nexus of empirical, counterfactual, normative, and contextual elements, that is, something more complex than a mere matching between empirical reality and institutional design; (c) what are the governance implications of all of the above, with an emphasis on an alternative approach (distinctive enough to circumvent both the conservative averseness to intervene and progressive drastic interventionism) and in which the public choice process is seen mainly as endogenized, socialized, and institutionalized, as opposed to formalized, intellectualized, and externalized.
Crossroads and Blind Alleys: A Critical Examination of Recent Writing About Race

In recent years, idealist approaches and discourse analysis have moved to the fore. Perhaps inspired by Continental philosophers such as Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault, and by trends in literary criticism and theory, many contemporary critical race theorists work almost entirely in the realm of discourse. Although the occasional realist work does make an appearance, Critical Race Theory today is almost entirely dominated by the analysis of text, discourse, and mindset. The study of "race" has supplanted the study of race. A new collection illustrates this shift. Crossroads, Directions, and a New Critical Race Theory, edited by three members of the new generation of critical theorists, brings the ascension of discourse analysis into bold relief. With essays on narrative, voice, the heroic, essentialism, anti-essentialism, and the black/white binary paradigm of race, Crossroads, which grew out of a recent Critical Race Theory conference at Yale Law School, constitutes a major, implicit statement in favor of discourse analysis and against the materialist/realist approaches of the movement's founding figures. This Essay begins in Part II by outlining the history of Critical Race Theory and showing how a little recognized split between the two types of theories developed. Part III summarizes Crossroads and shows how it falls almost entirely on the side of discourse analysis. Part IV explains the limits of this approach and how it fails to even explain changes in the very racial consciousness it seeks to understand. Part V offers a materialist explanation for the recent turn. Part VI describes a radically different book written recently by Derrick Bell, one of the movement's founding figures; and Part VII concludes by sketching some issues that the next major volume of critical race writing should address.
Understanding parents' informational needs in the pediatric intensive care unit: A qualitative study

Abstract Objective Information provided to parents in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) is often complex and uncertain. Our objective is to gain a better understanding of parents' informational needs regarding their child's critical illness, and their sources and mechanisms for gaining information. Patients and methods Parents whose children were discharged from a Midwestern university-affiliated children's hospital PICU in the prior 30 days, and health professionals who worked in the PICU for at least one year were eligible. Semi-structured audio-recorded interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed using established qualitative methods. Results Of 40 participants, 28 were parents and 12 were health professionals. Types of information needed by parents included information related to their child's PICU stay and hospitalization (e.g., diagnosis, prognosis, treatment plans), and post-discharge care (e.g., home instructions, warning signs, emergency plans). Some parents reported wanting to know everything about their child's condition whereas others reported little to no need for information. Sources of information included health professionals, Internet, family, and other parents. Mechanisms of gaining information included interpersonal interactions between parents and health professionals (e.g., asking questions, rounds, family conferences, modeling, hands-on learning, knowledge testing) and materials that could be viewed independently (e.g., printed materials, parent diaries, videos, white boards, patient portals). Conclusions Types and amount of information needed by parents of critically ill children are wide ranging and include details of their child's immediate condition and long-term post-discharge care. Parents use many sources and mechanisms to gain health information and most parents use more than one source or mechanism.
Acute alcohol consumption alters the peripheral cytokines IL-8 and TNF-α

Abstract Background Acute alcohol consumption triggers release of cytokines, which are immune signaling molecules. Dysregulated cytokine levels are associated with impaired immune function, and peripheral cytokine levels may communicate with the brain to propagate drinking-related behaviors. This exploratory study aims to characterize the peripheral cytokine response to an alcohol challenge in a well-controlled laboratory setting. Methods Moderate alcohol drinkers (n = 17), abstinent for >5 days, consumed alcohol calibrated to achieve blood concentrations of 120 mg/dL. Serum cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α) were measured prior to drinking, 6 h after drinking, and 24 h after drinking. Linear mixed models evaluated within-subject differences in cytokine levels over time. Results The pro-inflammatory chemokine IL-8 significantly increased 6 h after alcohol [F(1,34) = 4.13, p = 0.0002, d′ = 0.5]. In contrast, the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α significantly decreased 6 h after alcohol [F(1,34) = −3.07, p = 0.004, d′ = 0.3]. No cytokines were significantly different from baseline 24 h after alcohol. Conclusions In our exploratory data, acute alcohol challenge (120 mg/dL) elicits dynamic changes in the pro-inflammatory molecules IL-8 and TNF-α. The findings help inform the temporal profile of cytokine response to alcohol, and identify IL-8 as a cytokine of interest for future studies of periphery-brain immune communication.
Using writing in science class to understand and activate student engagement and self-efficacy

Writing is an active learning strategy strongly linked to student engagement. Student-authored learning narratives can reveal powerful self-beliefs that can either activate or inhibit success. In this targeted study of the aspect of student engagement most associated with self-beliefs (i.e., self-efficacy), students in separate sections of an introductory college biology course taught by the same professor were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in an additional 1-unit required study skills component featuring writing-to-learn and self-efficacy development strategies. One hundred forty “pre” and “post” student self-efficacy narratives written in both cohorts were scored and also thematically coded. Scoring revealed a Cohen’s effect size d = 0.63 for the experimental group, but only d = 0.28 for control. Thus, writing appears to activate student self-efficacy most if it is part of a deliberate and sustained campaign. Gains seemed particularly impactful for struggling students, as the experimental group also saw significantly fewer students, with unmet fundamental skills, earning Ds and Fs in the course than those in the control group. Subsequent student interviews were also analyzed and informed recommendations for future research and pedagogical practice.
Endoscopic Treatments for Obesity: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

In the current setting of an obesity pandemic, there is an urgent need for minimally invasive, safe, and effective interventions for weight loss. Endoscopic bariatric procedures have been developed as an alternative to more traditional medical and surgical therapies. Multiple options are undergoing evaluation or are already available for clinical use. This review aims to describe these treatments, including their mechanisms of action, efficacy, safety and the knowledge gaps regarding their use.
Elevated pH Conditions Associated With Microcystis spp. Blooms Decrease Viability of the Cultured Diatom Fragilaria crotonensis and Natural Diatoms in Lake Erie.

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (CyanoHABs) commonly increase water column pH to alkaline levels ≥ 9.2, and to as high as 11. This elevated pH has been suggested to confer a competitive advantage to cyanobacteria such as Microcystis aeruginosa. Yet, there is limited information regarding the restrictive effects bloom-induced pH levels may impose on this cyanobacterium’s competitors. Due to the pH-dependency of biosilicification processes, diatoms (which seasonally both precede and proceed Microcystis blooms in many fresh waters), may be unable to synthesize frustules at these pH levels. We assessed the effects of pH on the ecologically relevant diatom Fragilaria crotonensis in vitro, and on a Lake Erie diatom community in situ. In vitro assays revealed F. crotonensis monocultures exhibited lower growth rates and abundances when cultivated at a starting pH of 9.2 in comparison to pH 7.7. The suppressed growth trends in F. crotonensis were exacerbated when co-cultured with M. aeruginosa at pH conditions and cell densities that simulated a cyanobacteria bloom. Estimates demonstrated a significant decrease in silica (Si) deposition at alkaline pH in both in vitro F. crotonensis cultures and in situ Lake Erie diatom assemblages, after as little as 48 h of alkaline pH-exposure. These observations indicate elevated pH negatively affected growth rate and diatom silica deposition; in total providing a competitive disadvantage for diatoms. Our observations demonstrate pH likely plays a significant role in bloom succession, creating a potential to prolong summer Microcystis blooms and constrain diatom fall resurgence.
Downstream Cascades of Care Following High-Sensitivity Troponin Test Implementation

Abstract Background Patients with chest pain are often evaluated for acute myocardial infarction through troponin testing, which may prompt downstream services (cascades) of uncertain value. Objectives This study sought to determine the association of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assay implementation with cascade events. Methods Using electronic health record and billing data, this study examined patient-visits to 5 emergency departments from April 1, 2017, to April 1, 2019. Difference-in-differences analysis compared patient-visits for chest pain (n = 7,564) to patient-visits for other symptoms (n = 100,415) (irrespective of troponin testing) before and after hs-cTn assay implementation. Outcomes included presence of any cascade event potentially associated with an initial hs-cTn test (primary), individual cascade events, length of stay, and spending on cardiac services. Results Following hs-cTn implementation, patients with chest pain had a 2.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72% to 4.9%) net increase in experiencing any cascade event. They were more likely to have multiple troponin tests (10.5%; 95% CI: 9.0% to 12.0%) and electrocardiograms (7.1 per 100 patient-visits; 95% CI: 1.8 to 12.4). However, they received net fewer computed tomography scans (−1.5 per 100 patient-visits; 95% CI: −1.8 to −1.1), stress tests (−5.9 per 100 patient-visits; 95% CI: −6.5 to −5.3), and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (−0.65 per 100 patient-visits; 95% CI: −1.01 to −0.30) and were less likely to receive cardiac medications, undergo cardiology evaluation (−3.5%; 95% CI: −4.5% to 2.6%), or be hospitalized (−5.8%; 95% CI: −7.7% to −3.8%). Patients with chest pain had lower net mean length of stay (−0.24 days; 95% CI: −0.32 to −0.16) but no net change in spending. Conclusions Hs-cTn assay implementation was associated with more net upfront tests yet fewer net stress tests, PCI, cardiology evaluations, and hospital admissions in patients with chest pain relative to patients with other symptoms.
Assessing Public Sector Reform Impacts on Domestic Violence Service Delivery

Representative bureaucracy is a theory that scholars use to suggest that diversity in public organizations may lead to representative decision-making, or active representation in public service delivery. In the case of domestic violence, many agencies – governmental and non-governmental- have unique roles, which can be considered as gendered, in addressing domestic violence. While men may be victims of domestic violence, policymakers craft legislation to prevent violence against women and to provide services to the victims suggesting that (1) the state recognizes the potential victimhood of women and that (2) the government is responsible for contributing to gendered policymaking. This research applies the theoretical notions of representative bureaucracy and the feminization of poverty to explore how states may adequately address the needs of women in cases of domestic violence and how partnerships with non-governmental units may meet the needs of vulnerable populations. Public organizations and states have begun to collaborate and outsource with various agencies and organizations in attempt to achieve active representation, or assist the victims adequately, a goal that is commonly associated with non-profit or community organizations. This work contributes to a growing understanding of how gendered public service delivery may be impacted by public sector reform measures such as having a representative bureaucracy and creating partnerships with non-governmental units to deliver services adequately.
Validation study of Doppler-derived transmitral valve gradients compared to near simultaneously obtained directly measured catheter gradients immediately after mitral valve repair surgery.

Objective To evaluate the accuracy of Doppler-derived transmitral valve gradients immediately after mitral valve repair by comparing them with near simultaneously obtained direct catheter gradients. Design A prospective study. Setting A tertiary care medical center. Participants Twenty elective adult surgical patients presenting for mitral valve repair surgery. Methods Mitral valve surgery proceeded in standard fashion except for the use of a smaller than usual left ventricular vent catheter (Medtronic DLP 10 French left heart vent catheter). After completion of the mitral valve repair and subsequent cardiac de-airing, the patient was weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass. Immediately after separation, the study period began. Near simultaneous transmitral Doppler gradients were obtained with directly measured catheter gradients via the vent catheter. Results While the mean peak gradient difference of 1.1 mmHg was small (p-value 0.18, 95% CI: −0.54 to 2.73 mmHg), the correlation between Doppler and catheter gradient measurements (Pearson correlation coefficient r = 0.54, p = 0.055) only approached statistical significance due to the large variance associated with the small sample size. In all patients with a peak gradient greater than 10 mmHg (4 of the 20 patients), overestimation of catheter gradients by Doppler occurred, with two showing a 62% to 73% discrepancy. In these two cases, there was also evidence for elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) along with high transmitral blood flow velocities. Conclusion Doppler-derived transmitral gradients provide a simple, safe, and reliable measure of the true physiologic transmitral valve gradient. At the same time, it is important to recognize that significant Doppler over-estimation of catheter gradients may occur in patients with elevated Doppler transmitral velocities. The causes of these overestimations are unknown. They may be related to technical recording errors. They may also be related to an inherent weakness in Doppler technology—its inability to account for any distal recovery of pressure, which in a select group of patients could be significant. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12125 (J Card Surg 2013;28:329–335)
How Well Do U.S. Judgments Fare in Europe

Transnational cases have become a prominent part of the litigation landscape in the United States. Class actions against foreign defendants are widespread, the Alien Tort Claims Act has emerged as a mainstay of proceedings to enforce international human rights law in U.S. courts, and the globalization of the economy has led to an increase in transnational regulatory litigation. In all these cases, however, the parties need to ask themselves whether an ensuing judgment or settlement can be recognized or enforced abroad. For quite some time, the perception in the United States has been that U.S. judgments do not fare very well when the time comes to recognize or enforce them abroad. If so, the resolution of a considerable number of transnational cases in this country would have no effect abroad, not exactly the result that lofty talk about "transnational adjudication" would seem to entail. In this paper, I intend to provide some answers to the question how well U.S. judgments really fare in Europe, where many of the important trading partners of the United States are located. I conclude that, on average, the recognition and enforcement of U.S. judgments does indeed face more obstacles in Europe than do European judgments in the United States. However, much depends on the country, the subject matter involved, the person of the defendant, and the connection of the dispute to the recognition state, among other things. Thus, a multilateral judgments convention, such as the one initiated by the United States in 1992, could indeed bring similar improvements as have resulted from various conventions and EC regulations adopted by the Europeans regarding their own judgments. The same goes for the federal recognition statute recently proposed by the American Law Institute.
SBAP: software-based attestation for peripherals

Recent research demonstrates that adversaries can inject malicious code into a peripheral's firmware during a firmware update, which can result in password leakage or even compromise of the whole host operating system. Therefore, it is desirable for a host system to be able to verify the firmware integrity of attached peripherals. Several software-based attestation techniques on embedded devices have been proposed as potentially enabling firmware verification. In this work, we propose a Software-Based Attestation technique for Peripherals that verifies the firmware integrity of a peripheral and detects malicious changes with a high probability, even in the face of recently proposed attacks. We implement and evaluate SBAP in an Apple Aluminum Keyboard and study the extent to which our scheme enhances the security properties of peripherals.
Lowering the cost of pollution control versus controlling pollution

Economists have long argued that the market-incentive approach to pollution control would achieve that control at least cost. The political rejection of the market-incentives approach and embrace of the far more costly command-and-control approach has been explained in terms of the tendency in the political process to favor the interests of organized groups over those of the unorganized public. But because of this tendency, it may be that a move to the market-based approach to pollution control would result in less pollution control and be less efficient than the existing command-and-control approach.
VNA Measurement Systems

A clear understanding of the underlying architecture of a vector network analyzer (VNA) is necessary to understand the full capabilities and limitations of the modern VNA. This chapter deconstructs the VNA to discuss the individual block diagram elements, their attributes and deficiencies, and how they operate together to provide the capability and applications. It describes the wide range of measurements and characteristics that can be derived from the basic measurements. The chapter also describes the basic functionality for making measurements along with real‐world issues and errors that affect these measurements. It discusses the fundamentals of making microwave measurements for a variety of parameters, along with the consequences of the practical limitations of the radio frequency hardware. S‐parameter measurements provide substantial information about the qualities of a device‐under‐test (DUT). In many cases, the transformation and formatting of these parameters is necessary to more readily understand the intrinsic attributes of the DUT.
Cost Estimation of System Test and Evaluation of DOD Aircraft: Cost Drivers and Parametric Equations

Abstract This paper is part of a research sponsored by the Chief of Naval Research, Arlington, VA. 22217, N0001486WR35065, June 1987.
Hypoxic Regulation of Blood Flow in Humans

Acute exposure to hypoxia evokes changes in local vasodilator and neural vasoconstrictor factors that significantly influence vascular tone. In humans, the net effect of acute systemic hypoxia is limb vasodilation despite significant reflex increases in muscle sympathetic vasoconstrictor nerve activity and norepinephrine spillover. In this context, some studies in experimental animals and humans have documented that hypoxia can reduce the vasoconstrictor responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation, as well as exogenous α-adrenergic agonist administration (functional sympatholysis). In contrast, other studies have provided evidence that sympathetic vasoconstriction is well preserved during hypoxia. Recently, our laboratory demonstrated that local blockade of α-adrenergic receptors significantly augments the forearm vasodilator response to hypoxia, indicating that sympathetic vasoconstriction persists and can restrain skeletal muscle blood flow under these conditions. Therefore, we revisited this issue and performed a study designed to test the hypothesis that forearm vasoconstrictor responses to local endogenous norepinephrine release are not reduced during systemic hypoxia in humans. To do so, we used selective intra-arterial infusions tyramine to evoke local endogenous norepinephrine release and measured the forearm vasoconstrictor responses during various levels of hypoxia (85, 80, and 75 % O2 saturation). Our findings demonstrate that forearm post-junctional a-adrenergic vasoconstrictor responsiveness is well preserved during systemic hypoxia in healthy humans. The implications of these findings with respect to arterial blood pressure regulation and functional sympatholysis in skeletal muscle are discussed.