cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Growth-factor gene therapy for neurodegenerative disorders

Summary Preclinical neuroscience has advanced rapidly over the past two decades. New approaches for treating neurological disease, including gene-based therapies, nervous-system growth factors, stem cells, novel vaccines, and modulation of the immune system, offer the potential to prevent cell loss and degeneration in the brain, rather than attempting to compensate for loss after it has occurred. I will review one of these prospective therapies: growth-factor gene therapy for Alzheimer's disease, an approach that is currently the subject of a phase I clinical trial. Other disease targets for gene therapy will also be discussed, including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, inborn errors of metabolism, and cancer. The progress of gene-therapy clinical trials is aiding the transition to molecular and gene-targeted therapeutic approaches which have the potential to improve dramatically the prognosis of neurological disease.
Effect of metal complexation on the degradation of dithiocarbamate fungicides

When dithiocarbamate fungicides are released to the environment, it is assumed that they degrade within days to weeks via acid-catalyzed hydrolysis. However, the formation of complexes between dithiocarbamates and trace elements can slow transformation reactions. Experiments performed with a component of the fungicide Ziram, dimethydithiocarbamate (DMDC), indicate that complexation by cadmium, copper, or zinc inhibit acid-catalyzed hydrolysis. Evaluation of the stability constant for the complexes between the metal and DMDC indicate that copper is the only metal that is most likely to inhibit the transformation reactions under conditions encountered in the environment. Measurement of the transformation of DMDC and ethylenebis(dithiocarbamate) (EBDC) in the presence of trace amounts of Cu(II) yielded half lives greater than 2 weeks, irrespective of pH. Experiments performed in surface water samples indicate that, when DMDC is discharged to natural waters in an uncomplexed form, it may not be stabilized by the Cu(II) present in the water, possibly because natural organic matter outcompetes DMDC for Cu(II). When DMDC is complexed by Cu(II) before it is released to natural waters, the compound is more persistent because acid-catalyzed hydrolysis is inhibited.
Modeling and control of discrete event systems

Some important aspects of the behavior and control of physical systems can be studied using discrete event system models. One such model developed by Ramadge and Wonham is presented here with extensions to allow for partial observations and uncertainty in the state transitions. Although most of the paper is concerned with mathematical analysis, in particular the problem of controller synthesis, some remarks are devoted to clarify the important issues concerning the relations between the model and the real system. Finally, some suggestions are made concerning fruitful directions for further research.
Ocular rosacea, psoriasis, and lichen planus

Although the number of dermatologic conditions with ocular manifestations is relatively limited, these entities have a high prevalence and represent a large proportion of clinic visits to both dermatologic and ophthalmic practices. This contribution will review oculocutaneous diseases that are not part of the allergic or autoantibody-mediated spectrum.
Biological Characteristics of a South American Population of Voria ruralis (Diptera: Tachinidae), a Larval Parasitoid of the Soybean Looper (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Voria ruralis (Fallen) was collected in Uruguay and Argentina and imported into the United States, where studies were conducted to determine its developmental time, longevity, and other characteristics of its biology when reared on the soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker). Parasitoid developmental time from egg to pupation ranged from 7 to 9 days, and from pupation to adult emergence ranged from 7 to 8 days at 27 ± 2°C. Males reached the adult stage faster than females (15.43 and 16.12 days, respectively). Gregarious parasitism occurred frequently under our laboratory rearing conditions, and each parasitized host yielded an average of 2.15 puparia. Longevity of unmated adult males (ca. 20 days) was less than that of unmated or mated females (ca. 24 and 28 days, respectively). On the average, mated females lived 3 to 4 days longer than unmated females. More hosts were parasitized by V. ruralis in the morning (9 to 12 a.m.) than in the afternoon (1 to 4 p.m.).
Carotid intima-media thickness, carotid distensibility, and incident atrial fibrillation: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Purpose: Increased carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and decreased carotid distensibility are associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. It is unclear whether these carotid indices are associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) risk. In MESA, a multiethnic community-based cohort in the USA, we assessed whether carotid indices are associated with an increased risk and improve risk prediction of AF. Methods: We included 6,162 (mean age, 62.0±10.2 yrs; 48% male) subjects who were followed from 2000-02 through 2010. Maximal cIMT, distensibility coefficient, and Young's elastic modulus were measured using carotid ultrasound in 2000-02. Incident AF cases were identified from hospitalisation discharge codes. We used Cox proportional hazards model to assess association between carotid indices and AF. Using the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities AF score as the benchmark, we assessed improvement in model discrimination with inclusion of carotid indices by estimating the C statistic and the net reclassification improvement (NRI). Results: During follow-up (median 7.6 yrs), there were 207 incident AF cases. Higher cIMT, but not lower carotid distensibility, was associated with an increased risk of AF (Table). The addition of cIMT improved model discrimination marginally: C statistic (95% CI) improved from 0.800 (0.766-0.833) to 0.807 (0.774-0.841). NRI was 3% (P=0.21). View this table: Hazard ratio of AF by carotid indices Conclusions: Greater cIMT is associated with an increased risk of AF and modestly improves risk prediction of AF. This finding reinforces an emerging viewpoint on AF pathogenesis: AF is not purely an electrical disease, but is also a "vascular" disease.
Oxidation of Some Substituted Alcohols by Rat Liver

SummaryOf a series of substituted ethanols and ethanol derivatives, only ethylene chlorohydrin, ethylene glycol, and β-hydroxypropionitrile are oxidized by liver preparations containing an active alcohol oxidase.
Machismo and Politics in Ecuador The Case of Pancho Jaime

This article explores the political uses of machismo and dominant notions of masculinity as tools for constructing agendas for popular redemption in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The focus is on the life and...
The Use of Thermally Decomposable Ligands for Conductive Films of Semiconductor Nanocrystals

Poor conductivity is a bottleneck hindering the production of nanocrystal-based devices. In most nanocrystal syntheses, ligands with long alkyl chains are used to prepare monodisperse, crystalline particles. When these nanocrystals are incorporated into devices as films, the bulky ligands form an insulating layer that prevents charge transfer between particles. While annealing or post-deposition chemical treatments can be used to strip surface ligands, each of these approaches has disadvantages. Here we demonstrate the use of a novel family of ligands comprised of primary alkyl dithiocarbamates to stabilize PbSe/CdSe core-shell nanocrystals. Primary dithiocarbamates, which can bind to cadmium and lead, are known to decompose to the corresponding sulfides when heated under mild conditions. In our scheme, PbSe/CdSe core-shell nanocrystals are first synthesized with standard ligands. These ligands are then exchanged to short chain dithiocarbamates in solution. When a film is cast and annealed at low temperature, the dithiocarbamates are removed. Electron microscopy reveals that the particles move closer together, and, along with x-ray diffraction, shows that the nanocrystals remain quantum confined. Transport measurements show a 10,000-fold increase in conductivity after annealing.
Rapid range expansion of a newly formed allopolyploid weed in the genus Salsola

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Newly formed species (neospecies) can experience a variety of demographic fates, ranging from rapid invasive expansion to rapid extinction. Here we investigate the fate of the neospecies Salsola ryanii 10 years after its initial discovery in the Central Valley of California, USA. This species is an allopolyploid derived via hybridization between the invasive species, S. australis and S. tragus. METHODS We conducted a systematic collection of Salsola species from 53 sites in California. Species-specific intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to determine the species of each individual collected. The range of S. ryanii identified in this study was compared to the range in 2002 to determine how the range has shifted in the decade between surveys. KEY RESULTS In this survey, we identified 15 sites where S. ryanii was present (28% of sites), a significant population number increase since 2002. CONCLUSIONS Salsola ryanii has undergone a dramatic population number expansion in the decade since it was originally documented. We are not aware of any plant neospecies whose range spontaneously experienced such a dramatic expansion. Salsola ryanii has every indication of being just as invasive as its highly invasive parents.
Suppression of Postnatal Changes in Spermatogenesis, Size, and Nucleic Acid Content of Rat Testis by Chronic Administration of Isoproterenol

SummaryChronic administration of large doses of the catecholamine isoprotere-nol to immature rats suppressed the postnatal changes in testis size and spermatogene-sis that normally occur. Nucleic a...
Prevalence and consequences of sleep problems in military wives.

Abstract Study Objectives Despite the prevalence of sleep problems among service members, few prior studies have examined the rate of sleep problems among military spouses, who also face the stresses of deployment and military life. This is the first study of spouses of US service members to examine the prevalence of sleep disturbances, effect of service member deployment, and associated physical and psychosocial outcomes. Design Cross-sectional analysis of RAND Deployment Life Study data. Setting Self-report measures administered via telephone and web-based surveys in Fall 2012. Participants Female military spouses (n = 1805) aged 19 to 65 years (M = 33.5 [8.3]), married to service members across branches and components (73% previously, 10% currently, and 16% never deployed). Measurements Spouses self-reported sleep duration, sleep quality, daytime fatigue, and daytime impairment. Outcomes included self-rated health, marital satisfaction, and depressive symptoms. Results Eighteen percent of spouses reported extreme short sleep duration, which is higher than rates reported in the general population. Spouses indicated worse sleep when the service member was currently or previously deployed, although deployment status was not associated with sleep duration or daytime impairment. Greater sleep disturbances were significantly associated with all three outcomes, with the strongest association observed with greater depressive symptoms. Conclusions This is the first report to document high rates of short sleep duration and poor sleep quality among spouses of service members. Furthermore, sleep problems were independent correlates of poor mental and physical health. Findings highlight the importance of addressing sleep issues in military families as well as in service members.
Volatile and Non-Volatile Switching in Cu-SiO 2 Programmable Metallization Cells

In this letter, we propose a CMOS-compatible selector prototype based on a Cu-SiO2 programmable metallization cell. With a porous e-beam evaporated SiO2 switching layer, the filament ruptures in less than a millisecond. The device exhibits diode-like $I$ – $V$ characteristics with a selectivity of more than $10^{7}$ . This volatile PMC can be changed to a bipolar resistive memory switch if the SiO2 switching layer is thermally doped with Cu. Threshold switching is a result of filament dissolution caused by Cu diffusion in SiO2.
Refractoriness to muscarinic and adrenergic agonists in the rat parotid: responses of adenosine and guanosine cyclic 3', 5'-monophosphates.

Cyclic 39,59-AMP and cyclic 39,59-GMP elevations in response to various receptor agonists are reduced upon repeated stimulation in rat parotid. The concentration of cyclic AMP in rat parotid is elevated upon stimulation with either beta adrenergic or muscarinic receptor agonists, although the cholinergic receptor agonist carbachol produces only 1% of the maximal response to the beta adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol. In both cases the cyclic AMP elevation is transient, and readdition of the agent used to produce the stimulation does not lead to additional cyclic AMP accumulation, showing that the tissue has become refractory. Removal of extracellular calcium does not prevent elevations of cyclic AMP or refractoriness after stimulation with either norepinephrine or carbachol. The simultaneous addition of carbachol and norepinephrine in the presence and absence of calcium does not produce as great an elevation of cyclic AMP as can norepinephrine alone. Carbachol also produces a time- and calcium-dependent, nonspecific refractoriness to norepinephrine-mediated cyclic AMP accumulation. Cyclic AMP accumulation in the parotid therefore shows receptor-nonspecific refractoriness, since stimulation by any agent capable of elevating cyclic AMP leads to cyclic AMP accumulation refractory to all agonists. Cyclic GMP refractoriness can also be observed in the parotid. Carbachol and norepinephrine are able to stimulate the accumulation of cyclic GMP through muscarinic and alpha adrenergic receptors, respectively, while sodium azide stimulates its accumulation through a different mechanism. Extracellular calcium is required for carbachol or norepinephrine to stimulate cyclic GMP accumulation, although azide is effective in its absence. Unlike the interaction of carbachol and norepinephrine toward cyclic AMP concentration, the simultaneous addition of these drugs produces a cyclic GMP accumulation no different from the maximal response to either agent alone. Both carbachol and norepinephrine produce refractoriness to readdition of the same agent, but neither is capable of producing that state in response to drugs acting through receptors not originally involved. Extracellular calcium is not required for the induction of cyclic GMP refractoriness, and thus refractoriness is not triggered by the accumulation of cyclic GMP. Cyclic GMP refractoriness is receptor-specific in the same tissue in which cyclic AMP elevation exhibits a receptor-nonspecific refractory pattern.
Maternal Allostatic Load During Pregnancy: Predicting Length of Gestation

OF DISSERTATION MATERNAL ALLOSTATIC LOAD DURING PREGNANCY: PREDICTING LENGTH OF GESTATION Allostatic load, or the “wear and tear” on the body due to stress, is thought to have a negative impact on length of pregnancy and contribute to health disparities in preterm birth. However, the magnitude of the effect on birth outcomes is unknown, in part due to questions of timing of measurement of allostatic load during pregnancy. This study used linear regression analysis of data from 156 pregnant women to test whether allostatic load is a predictor of length of gestation in the study sample, finding that third trimester allostatic load predicted length of gestation among women with full-term births. The study also compared allostatic load in each trimester to determine an optimal time of measurement for prediction of preterm birth. Findings were inconclusive because regardless of trimester of measurement, allostatic load was not a significant predictor of gestational length in the sample. Finally, the study compared allostatic load with scores on the Everyday Stressors Index, a psychosocial measure, to understand the relative benefits of allostatic load measurement during pregnancy. Neither was found to be a statistically significant predictor of preterm birth, so direct comparisons were not possible. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Exploring Changes in Two Types of Self-Efficacy Following Participation in a Chronic Disease Self-Management Program.

Chronic conditions and falls are related issues faced by many aging adults. Stanford’s Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) added brief fall-related content to the standardized 6-week workshop; however, no research had examined changes in Fall-related self-efficacy (SE) in response to CDSMP participation. This study explored relationships and changes in SE using the Self-Efficacy to Manage Chronic Disease Scale (SEMCD Scale) and the Fall Efficacy Scale (FallE Scale) in participants who successfully completed CDSMP workshops within a Southern state over a 10-month period. SE scale data were compared at baseline and post-intervention for 36 adults (mean age 74.5, SD ± 9.64). Principal component analysis (PCA), using oblimin rotation was completed at baseline and post-intervention for the individual scales and then for analysis combining both scales as a single scale. Each scale loaded under a single component for the PCA at both baseline and post-intervention. When both scales were entered as single meta-scale, the meta-scale split along two factors with no double loading. SEMCD and FallE Scale scores were significantly correlated at baseline and post-intervention, at least p<.05. A significant proportion of participants improved their scores on the FallE Scale post-intervention (p=.038). The magnitude of the change was also significant only for the FallE Scale (p=.043). The SEMCD Scale scores did not change significantly. Study findings from the exploratory PCA and significant correlations indicated that the SEMCD Scale and the FallE Scale measured two distinct but related types of SE. Though the scale scores were correlated at baseline and post-intervention, only the FallE Scale scores significantly differed post-intervention. Given this relationship and CDSMP’s recent addition of a10-minute fall prevention segment, further exploration of CDSMP’s possible influence on Fall-related SE would provide useful understanding for health promotion in aging adults.
The Actor-Infinitive Construction in Russian and Other Indo-European Languages

(1954). The Actor-Infinitive Construction in Russian and Other Indo-European Languages. WORD: Vol. 10, Slavic Word No. 3, pp. 442-456.
Foreskin and the molecular politics of risk

In this paper, I examine disputes over recent claims that male circumcision reduces HIV risk to suggest a complicated relationship between risk individualization and categorization. Whereas randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in sub-Saharan Africa appear to have provided key evidence for the World Health Organization's endorsement of male circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy, RCTs alone did not provide evidence for the underlying causal mechanism. For that, medical authorities have turned to histo-immunological studies of the foreskin's biomolecular vulnerability to HIV, thus molecularizing risk. Some actors used these studies both as a way of shoring up results of RCTs conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and as an important rationale in arguments for making neonatal circumcision more widely available. Others, however, resisted this move to generalize the RCT results to other parts of the world, citing both contextual differences in HIV transmission patterns and conflicting scientific details regarding the biomolecular basis of the foreskin's susceptibility. Nevertheless, by locating an abstract notion of relative risk in the body itself, I argue that histological studies of foreskin have played a key role in stabilizing male circumcision status as a new risk category, largely independent of a given individual's risk profile.
Real-Time, Non-instrusive Instrumentation and Monitoring of Standards-Based Event-Based Applications

This paper presents an approach for non-intrusively instrumenting standards-based event-based middle-ware. The approach has been realized in an open-source tool called Component Port Monitor (CPM). CPM uses dynamic binary instrumentation as a means to monitor events published between software components. This allows CPM to operate in contexts without any a priori knowledge of the concrete events in the system, or how the system is composed. We have applied CPM to applications implemented in the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). Our results show that once the application is completely instrumented, the performance impact of actually monitoring events is minimal, requiring an additional 2.5 milliseconds.
Refractory Causes of Kernicterus in Developed Countries: Can We Eradicate G6PD Deficiency Triggered and Low-Bilirubin Kernicterus?

Background Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency triggered and low-bilirubin kernicterus persist despite current prevention strategies. Objective Review efforts to eradicate bilirubin induced brain injury in these two conditions including novel approaches to risk assessment and hyperbilirubinemia evaluation. Result and conclusion In the case of G6PD deficiency, a heightened awareness of populations at risk and an expanded kernicterus prevention strategy focused on intensified parental engagement, education and counselling on neonatal jaundice is needed. In the case of low-bilirubin kernicterus, a renewed focus on identifying infants with hypoalbuminemia and implementation of hyperbilirubinemia treatment thresholds based on the bilirubin/albumin ratio is needed. Bilirubin binding panels when commercially available will prove valuable.
A 0.3–0.86V fully integrated buck regulator with 2GHz resonant switching for ultra-low power applications

A fully integrated buck regulator for ultra-low voltage application is presented featuring (1) an ultra-high switching frequency at 2GHz with small inductor size at low load current and (2) a resonant switching technique rendering significant efficiency improvement. With small on-chip inductors, the test chip shows a wide voltage tuning range of 0.3–0.86V, at 10–40mA low current, up to 73% efficiency and only occupies 0.073mm2 in a 65nm CMOS process.
Generalization of learned pain modulation depends on explicit learning.

Abstract The experience of pain is strongly influenced by contextual and socio-affective factors, including learning from previous experiences. Pain is typically perceived as more intense when preceded by a conditioned cue (CS HIGH ) that has previously been associated with higher pain intensities, compared to cues associated with lower intensities (CS LOW ). In three studies (total N = 134), we tested whether this learned pain modulation generalizes to perceptually similar cues (Studies 1 and 2) and conceptually similar cues (Study 3). The results showed that participants report higher pain when heat stimulation was preceded by novel stimuli that were either perceptually (Studies 1 and 2) or conceptually (Study 3) similar to the previously conditioned CS HIGH . In all three studies, the strength of this generalization effect was strongly correlated with individual differences in explicitly learned expectations. Together, these findings suggest an important role of conscious expectations and higher-order conceptual inference during generalization of learned pain modulation. We discuss implications for the understanding of placebo and nocebo effects as well as for chronic pain and anxiety.
"Chondroblastoma-like" epithelioid fibrous histiocytoma: A previously undescribed and potentially confusing variant.

Background Epithelioid benign fibrous histiocytoma has been considered a variant of fibrous histiocytoma, but is now considered a distinct entity, typically showing ALK expression. Most show typical morphological features, including an epidermal collarette and large, bland, epithelioid cells. We have recently encountered 2 examples showing an unusual pattern of pericellular calcification, a previously unreported finding. Methods Available slides were reviewed and clinical follow-up was obtained. Results These lesions occurred on the chins of a 16-year-old and 19-year-old female and showed prominent pericellular calcification in addition to otherwise-typical features of epithelioid fibrous histiocytoma. By immunohistochemistry, both lesions were intensely positive for ALK protein. Clinical follow-up (available for 1 case) showed the patient to be disease-free 5 months after excision. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, epithelioid fibrous histiocytomas showing "chondroblastoma-like" calcification have not been previously reported. The chief significance of this finding seems to be in its potential for confusion with other calcifying tumors of the skin and subcutis. Awareness that epithelioid fibrous histiocytomas may show this unusual morphological finding, careful morphological evaluation and ancillary immunohistochemical studies, including ALK protein, should allow for their confident diagnosis in essentially all instances.
Characterizing Brittle-Fracture Resistance of Steel

The description of fracture resistance of steel in the ductile/ brittle transition region is treated as a multi-parameter problem. Some metallurgical factors influencing two of the parameters (lower- shelf toughness and sharpness of the transition) are discussed. For a series of HSLA steels which are variants on ASTM A710A, removal of Cu increased the lower-shelf toughness and tended to sharpen the transition. Ni removal also tended to sharpen the transition, while C and Nb additions tended to smooth it.
Occipitocervical Instability After Far-Lateral Transcondylar Surgery: A Biomechanical Analysis.

Background After a far-lateral transcondylar approach, patients may maintain neutral alignment in the immediate postoperative period, but severe occipitoatlantal subluxation may occur gradually with cranial settling and possible neurological injury. Previous research is based on assumptions regarding the extent of condylar resection and the change in biomechanics that produces instability. Objective To quantify the extent of bone removal during a far-lateral transcondylar approach, determine the changes in range of motion (ROM) and stiffness that occur after condylar resection, and identify the threshold of condylar resection that predicts alterations in occipitocervical biomechanics. Methods Nine human cadaveric specimens were biomechanically tested before and after far-lateral transcondylar resection extending into the hypoglossal canal (HC). The extent of condylar resection was quantified using volumetric comparison between pre- and postresection computed tomography scans. ROM and stiffness testing were performed in intact and resected states. The extent of resection that produced alterations in occipitocervical biomechanics was assessed with sensitivity analysis. Results Bone removal during condylar resection into the HC was 15.4%-63.7% (mean 35.7%). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that changes in biomechanics may occur when just 29% of the occipital condyle was resected (area under the curve 0.80-1.00). Conclusion Changes in occipitocervical biomechanics may be observed if one-third of the occipital condyle is resected. During surgery, the HC may not be a reliable landmark to guide the extent of resection. Patients who undergo condylar resections extending into or beyond the HC require close surveillance for occipitocervical instability.
High-definition transcranial direct-current stimulation of the right M1 further facilitates left M1 excitability during crossed facilitation.

Cabibel et al. (J Neurophysiol 119: 1266–1272, 2018) report non-polarity-specific effects of high-definition direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) on crossed facilitation (CF), demonstrated by compl...
Curriculum and Context: Trends in Interventions With Transition-Age Students With Severe Disabilities:

The purpose of this systematic literature review was to determine trends in the curricular focus and instructional context of intervention research conducted with transition-age students with severe disabilities between 1975 and 2014. A total of 138 studies met inclusion criteria. Across the last three decades, interventions focused on functional skills declined while academic interventions increased. The most frequently used instructional contexts were special education classrooms, simulated activities, mass trials, and either a researcher or nonresearcher as the instructor. Differences in instructional context were present according to curricular focus. Findings suggest the need for interventions that span the breadth of curriculum promoted in the literature with specific emphasis on increasing interventions in areas predictive of positive post-school outcomes. Interventions are also needed that reflect instructional contexts that align more strongly with contexts valued within the field of severe disab...
Changing Is Surviving: Transformation as Resistance in the Ojibwe Stories of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft

Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, or Bamewawagezhikaquay, wrote brilliantly fashioned Ojibwe stories. Focusing on four of her contributions to the Muzzeniegun, including a letter to the editor (her husband, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft), the author argues for Schoolcraft’s adherence to Ojibwe aesthetic traditions. This approach is important because three of the stories above were republished by H. R. Schoolcraft (Indian Agent for the Andrew Jackson administration) in his anthropological Algic Researches (1839) and Oneota (1844). In these works, Schoolcraft’s husband provides an interpretive lens for his wife’s stories that construes change as indicative of the tragedy and victimization associated with the Euro-American myth of the “vanishing Indian.” Read within their original publication and (multi)cultural context, however, Schoolcraft’s stories emphasize an active and dynamic sense of native presence through the use of liminality. As such, her stories express resistance to the categorical distinctions of settler colonialism and embrace liminal transformation as a means of survival.
Parenteral Nutrition in Interventional Radiology: Consideration and Management of the Patient

The approach for patients on parenteral nutrition is typically multidisciplinary. Catheters for parenteral nutrition are primarily placed by interventional radiologists under image guidance. Therefore, adequate knowledge of different catheters, including their indications and complications, as well as management of the complications is exceptionally important for interventional radiologists as well as the referring service. In this review, we discuss different aspects of parenteral nutrition, including infectious complications and the strategy for their prevention and management.
A basic training program for forensic drug chemists.

Probably every forensic drug laboratory has at one time or other, faced the problem of training a new chemist. His prior experience varies from a recent college graduate to a transferee from another laboratory. The latter person would only require instruction on the use of instruments he did not have in his former laboratory, a briefing on such matters as degree of analytical effort applied, laboratory personnel policies, and an introduction to the laboratory staff. However, it is the training of the new graduate of an accredited college with a baccalaureate degree in chemistry, and no professional work experience which will be discussed here.
Culture Systems: Embryo Culture and Monozygotic Twinning

The incidence of monozygotic twinning in pregnancies achieved with assisted reproductive technologies (ART) is significantly higher than spontaneously conceived pregnancies. The factors associated with ART that predispose the embryos to splitting are not well-characterized. Assisted hatching and extended embryo culture are two ART laboratory methods that have been risk factors for monozygotic twinning. The methods and strategies that may be employed to avoid monozygotic twinning are discussed in this chapter.
Modified State Observer Based Decentralized Neuroadaptive Controller for Large Scale Interconnected Uncertain Systems

A decentralized neural network controller design for large scale system with multiple uncertainties is presented in this paper. Controller synthesis relies primarily on an observer design, called the modified state observer (MSO). The uncertainties in the system are calculated online with the MSO. The MSO formulation of uncertainty estimation has two tunable gains which allow for fast estimation of the uncertainties and yet avoid high frequency oscillations that are usually observed with typical model reference adaptive controllers. Lyapunov analysis is used to show the stability of the system. Efficacy of the proposed controller is demonstrated using a bench mark numerical example.
The PGI2 Analog Cicaprost Inhibits IL-33–Induced Th2 Responses, IL-2 Production, and CD25 Expression in Mouse CD4+ T Cells

IL-33 has pleiotropic functions in immune responses and promotes the development of allergic diseases and asthma. IL-33 induces Th2 differentiation and enhances type 2 cytokine production by CD4+ T cells. However, the regulation of IL-33-driven type 2 cytokine responses is not fully defined. In this study, we investigated the effect of PGI2, a lipid mediator formed in the cyclooxygenase pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism, on naive CD4+ T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation by IL-33. Using wild-type and PGI2 receptor (IP) knockout mice, we found that the PGI2 analog cicaprost dose-dependently inhibited IL-33-driven IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 production by CD4+ T cells in an IP-specific manner. In addition, cicaprost inhibited IL-33-driven IL-2 production and CD25 expression by CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, IP knockout mice had increased IL-5 and IL-13 responses of CD4+ T cells to Alternaria sensitization and challenge in mouse lungs. Because IL-33 is critical for Alternaria-induced type 2 responses, these data suggest that PGI2 not only inhibits IL-33-stimulated CD4+ Th2 cell responses in vitro but also suppresses IL-33-induced Th2 responses caused by protease-containing allergens in vivo.
A wedge or a weight? Critically examining nuclear power’s viability as a low carbon energy source from an intergenerational perspective

Abstract Some integrated assessment studies of climate change have concluded that nuclear energy has a large potential impact on carbon abatement costs. However, these studies have often modeled the cost of nuclear waste management very simply or neglected it entirely. Common difficulties with existing studies include the use of simplistic nuclear waste management cost models and implicitly minimizing costs in the distant future by using discount rates that are arguably inappropriate for intergenerational cost-benefit analysis. These difficulties lead to results that may underestimate the cost of nuclear waste management – and therefore overestimate the value of nuclear energy as a low carbon energy technology. Here, we consider how a more realistic treatment of the nuclear waste disposal problem than has been used in previous studies could affect the viability of nuclear power in the context of integrated assessments of climate change. We construct a generic nuclear waste management cost model to develop cost estimates for nuclear waste management based on current policy, practice, and cost estimates for storage and disposal technologies. Our cost estimates are discounted using conventional constant exponential discounting as and a declining discount rate scheme. Results suggest that the optimism reflected in previous works is fragile: More realistic nuclear waste management cost models and uncertainty-appropriate intergenerational discount rates produce many more scenarios in which nuclear waste management costs are higher than previously assumed. As a consequence, nuclear energy’s economic attractiveness as a low carbon energy option is appears to be lower than earlier works suggested.
Suspect CEOs and Corporate Misbehavior

We identify CEO of questionable character as those who appear to have systematically engaged in stock option backdating. Firms with suspect CEOs are more likely to just meet or beat analysts’ forecasts and have larger discretionary accruals in the quarters when they meet these thresholds. Further consistent with elevated earnings management, these firms are more likely to restate financials because of accounting irregularities. Firms with a suspect CEO at the helm also make more value-decreasing acquisitions of private targets, whose opaqueness may provide flexibility to divert corporate resources or hide accounting manipulations. These results are concentrated in firms whose suspect CEOs were outside hires, consistent with adverse selection in the market for chief executives.
Navigating Muslim Identity and Customs in Online Dating

Marriage is at a constant intersection: it is the intersection of lives and families; it is at the intersection of the private and public spheres, personal life and larger society; and as life and technology become further intertwined, marriage becomes the intersection of tradition, religion, and technology. This paper will study Muslim dating and matrimony websites and how the use of such websites interacts with religious and social customs regarding courting and marriage. This paper is broken into three sections: the reasons for which people join Muslim matchmaking websites; how online matchmaking presents a new framework in which people can articulate and express their identity; and how matchmaking websites can either alter or reinforce traditional courtship and marriage norms. This paper found that Muslim dating websites created a compelling technological framework of choice for individual articulation of identity, relationship needs, and optional integration of traditional courtship norms. Speaking to the adaptability of identity and custom, this study directly counters the ideation of religion, in this example Islam, and modernity as opposing ends of a societal binary.
Prospects for the Sustainable Management of Public Oyster Resources

Common-pool resources such as public oyster grounds are especially vulnerable to overexploitation and habitat loss. Like those elsewhere, oyster populations and habitat of Louisiana public grounds are in decline. To maintain reef habitat and increase oyster abundance, a sustainable harvest model is applied, which allows harvest above that required to maintain reef cultch stasis. The model is restrained to promote shell gain by limiting fishing by area, type (sack versus seed), effort, and season. Harvest quotas and cultch removal rates derived from shell-budget–based modeling are a foundation for sustainable management of public oyster resources.
Crack formation during solid pyrolysis: evolution, pattern formation and statistical behaviour

As solids pyrolyse during combustion, they lose chemical and structural integrity by gradually degrading into residual char and forming defects such as voids, fissures and cracks. The material degr...
Numerical Evaluation of Singular and Near-Singular Potential Integrals in Layered Uniaxial Media

Scattering of electromagnetic waves by arbitrary objects in layered media has attracted great attention of researchers due to its wide applications, such as the geophysical exploration and printed microwave circuit analysis. Many realistic problems also involve anisotropy in layered media, e.g., in geophysical applications the underground structure is treated as uniaxial media. Therefore, the solution of electromagnetic scattering for 3D objects embedded in layered uniaxial media is of great importance.
Understanding Social Equity

Understanding Social Equity is a compilation of viewpoints from various authors with diverse backgrounds. From attorneys, policy analysts, and journalists to advocates, business owners, and social equity applicants, my goal was to provide as many perspectives as possible – some of which may conflict with other authors to provide regulators a wide range of respected opinions about social equity programs. Together, we believe this compilation can be used as a guide for drafters and regulators when determining minute details about how they would like to create or improve their social equity program. The goal of this book can further be defined into four objectives: ● Educate regulators on what social equity programs are and their importance. ● Why certain criteria should be used to define social equity applicant eligibility. ● An analysis of prior social equity programs. ● Key factors for social equity programs.
The Entrepreneurial Business Judgment Rule

This chapter offers a new account of the business judgment rule based on its facilitation of entrepreneurial action. Connections between the business judgment rule and innovation have long been recognized. The rule is often understood to avoid hindsight bias, permit risk-taking, and address concerns about judicial lack of expertise, and these features in turn encourage innovation. I will focus here on the way that the business judgment rule responds to problems of uncertainty. It is uncertainty – and not merely risk – that entrepreneurs must confront. The business judgment rule is also notable for how it evolves. In theory, it should be possible to adopt benchmarks that provide a cabined, predictable means to review director decision making (e.g., courts might look to objective standards for excessive risk; to industry custom; or to shareholder preferences). Such benchmarks could supply exceptions to the business judgment rule, yet they are generally rejected. If our goal is to facilitate entrepreneurship, however, this judicial reluctance is readily justified.
Moving the Science of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Forward: Measuring Fatigue in Hemodialysis Patients.

Although almost everyone knows the feeling of fatigue, few people experience it as often as patients with ESKD on maintenance hemodialysis (HD). A majority of HD patients report feeling fatigued on a regular basis ([1][1]), affecting their ability to accomplish the tasks they want and need to do,
Dynamic Data-Driven Self-healing Application for Phasor Measurement Unit Networks

This paper describes an approach to apply the dynamic data-driven applications systems (DDDAS) paradigm to enhance cyber security and resilience of wide-area monitoring systems in electrical grids. In particular, we explore a DDDAS-aware application to self-heal phasor measurement unit (PMU) networks that monitor the states of power systems in real-time. The application is built on top of a novel software-defined networking (SDN) architecture. The main components include a dynamic data-driven model that efficiently abstracts the PMU network behavior at run time and an optimization-based solution to quickly reconfigure network connections to restore the power system observability. The application also compresses network updates of the recovery plan to further reduce the recovery time. We develop a prototype system in a container-based network testbed and evaluate the recovery time of the self-healing application using the IEEE 30-bus system.
Global software development using the 24-Hour Knowledge Factory paradigm

The 24-Hour Knowledge Factory is a paradigm in which globally distributed teams work on the same software development task in a sequential manner. It provides a service-oriented architecture model that facilitates round-the-clock operations through the deployment of multiple development teams around the globe. Complex projects are iteratively broken down into simpler modules with a 'Composite Persona' (CP) being responsible for each such module. In this paper, we delineate the key challenges that are encountered in the establishment of 24-Hour Knowledge Factories. We present potential solutions to these problems and describe how some of these solutions have been validated with concept demonstration prototype systems.
Predicting the Path of Technological Innovation: SAW Versus Moore, Bass, Gompertz, and Kryder

Competition is intense among rival technologies and success depends on predicting their future trajectory of performance. To resolve this challenge, managers often follow popular heuristics, generalizations, or “laws” like the Moore’s Law. We propose a model, Step And Wait (SAW), for predicting the path of technological innovation and compare its performance against eight models for 25 technologies and 804 technologies-years across six markets. The estimates of the model provide four important results. First, Moore's Law and Kryder's law do not generalize across markets; none holds for all technologies even in a single market. Second, SAW produces superior predictions over traditional methods, such as the Bass model or Gompertz law, and can form predictions for a completely new technology, by incorporating information from other categories on time varying covariates. Third, analysis of the model parameters suggests that: i) recent technologies improve at a faster rate than old technologies; ii) as the number of competitors increases, performance improves in smaller steps and longer waits; iii) later entrants and technologies that have a number of prior steps tend to have smaller steps and shorter waits; but iv) technologies with long average wait time continue to have large steps. Fourth, technologies cluster in their performance by market.
Development of FDM 3D-printed tablets with rapid drug release, high drug-polymer miscibility and reduced printing temperature by applying the acid-base supersolubilization (ABS) principle

Abstract Some of the major issues with the development of FDM 3D printed tablets are slow drug release, lack of drug-polymer miscibility, high processing temperature, and poor printability. In this investigation, these issues were addressed by using a novel physicochemical principle called acid-base supersolubilization (ABS) previously developed in our laboratory. The aqueous solubility of a basic drug, haloperidol, was increased to ~300 mg/g of solution by adding glutaric acid, and, upon drying, the concentrated solutions produced amorphous materials. Similar amorphous systems could also be produced by heating haloperidol-glutaric acid mixtures. Filaments for 3D printing were prepared by melt extrusion of formulations containing 15% w/w haloperidol and 10.5% glutaric acid (1:2 M ratio) along with 74.5% polymers, such as Kollidon® VA64 alone or its mixtures with Affinisol™ 15cP. Filaments could be extruded and printed at low temperatures of 115 and 120 °C, respectively. Haloperidol was fully miscible in the formulations because of the acid-base interaction and formed amorphous systems even at higher drug loads. Although filaments of haloperidol-Kollidon® VA64 mixtures by themselves cannot be printed, the printability of formulation improved such that those containing glutaric acid were printable. Drug release rates from the formulations at pH 2 and 6.8 were rapid and complete.