cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Revised Artificial Insemination Schedule for Broiler Breeder Hens

Abstract Broiler type hens maintained in individual cages were artificially inseminated with either 0.023, 0.035, or 0.047 ml. of pooled semen. Insemination intervals were nine, nine, and ten days on a repetitive basis. This schedule was adopted because it allowed an extension of the conventional insemination interval and yet remained compatible with a five-day industrial work-week. The results demonstrated that maintaining broiler breeder hens in cages and utilizing artificial insemination as a means of obtaining fertile eggs were feasible. The data also indicated that extending the insemination interval to 10 days is possible providing the number of spermatozoa inseminated is increased.
448 EFFECTS OF HYPEROXIA WITH BRIEF ALTERNATING EPISODES OF HYPOXIA ON RETINAL VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR (VEGF), VEGF RECEPTORS, AND PIGMENT EPITHELIUM-DERIVED FACTOR IN RATS.

Down-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors during supplemental O2 administration in preterm infants leads to vaso-obliteration of the immature retina. Recovery in room air stimulates VEGF overproduction, causing vasoproliferation and neovascularization. Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is antiangiogenic, is up-regulated by hyperoxia, and plays a role in retinal development. We examined the hypothesis that repeated cycles of hyperoxia with brief episodes of hypoxia (simulating oxygen fluctuations seen in preterm infants) lead to altered retinal VEGF and PEDF expression prior to room air recovery. At birth (P0), newborn rats were exposed to alternating cycles of 50% oxygen with brief episodes of 12% oxygen for 7 and 14 days. Rats were sacrificed immediately following 7-day (7DO2) or 14-day (14DO2) hyperoxia or allowed to recover in room air until P21 (7DO2/14DRA and 14DO2/7DRA). Room air littermates were sacrificed at P7 (7DRA), P14 (14DRA), and P21 (21DRA). Retinal vasculature, VEGF protein, VEGF isoforms, VEGF receptors, and PEDF messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression were examined. All hyperoxia-exposed retinas displayed evidence of neovascularization with “plus disease.” Retinal VEGF protein was elevated in all hyperoxia exposed groups. VEGF164 was the predominant splice variant expressed in the retina and was suppressed in the 7DO2 (p
Time Resolution in the Auditory Systems of Anurans

In order for an animal to detect an acoustic signal, its ear must be sensitive to the frequency components in that sound. Any sounds that fall outside its audiogram will be inaudible. This is very obvious and has been the basis for most neuroethological studies of animal sound communication. In general, auditory nerve fibers have “V”-shaped frequency tuning curves and complex sounds produce various excitatory patterns of this peripheral array of frequency filters; the remainder of the frequency recognition process occurs centrally (Capranica and Moffat 1983). There is no doubt that studies of frequency processing in the auditory system have proven valuable. But studies of frequency processing by themselves are inadequate to fully understand the neural basis of species-specific acoustic communication. The simultaneous dimension of temporal processing must be included for such an understanding (Capranica and Rose 1983). In fact it may well be that the encoding of temporal features will be more crucial than frequency features in reaching that goal.
Two-Parameter Fracture Mechanics: A Comparison of Continuum and Micromechanics Approaches

Two-term asymptotic expansions of crack tip fields have recently been proposed as a means to characterize crack tip triaxiality. The T stress, which is the second term in an elastic analysis, is suitable only for contained yielding. The Q stress, which is a second-order correction to the HRR solution, is more widely applicable than the T stress approach, but neither method can predict the effect of triaxiality on fracture behavior. A micromechanics approach is introduced that makes such predictions possible. According to this approach, stress-controlled fracture mechanisms, such as cleavage, are highly sensitive to triaxiality, but micromechanisms that are predominantly strain controlled, such as microvoid coalescence, are relatively insensitive to triaxiality.
Hybrid thermoelectric piezoelectric generator

This work presents an integration of flexible thermoelectric and piezoelectric materials into a single device structure. This device architecture overcomes several prohibitive issues facing the combination of traditional thermoelectric and piezoelectric generators, while optimizing performance of the combined power output. The structure design uses a carbon nanotube/polymer thin film as a flexible thermoelectric generator that doubles as an electrode on a piezoelectric generator made of poly(vinylidene fluoride). An example 2 × 2 array of devices is shown to generate 89% of the maximum thermoelectric power, and provide 5.3 times more piezoelectric voltage when compared with a traditional device.
Development and preliminary testing of a flexible control system for powered knee-ankle prostheses

Recently developed motorized lower limb prostheses which provide joint power at the knee and/or ankle have been shown to assist users in performing a variety of ambulation tasks. Control of these devices, specifically creating seamless, natural, and accurate mode transitions, is challenging. The control system also needs to allow users the flexibility to perform these tasks with a wide range of variability. The goal of this study was to develop and test a flexible control system for a powered knee-ankle prosthesis. Specifically, a pattern recognition system was trained to recognize the transitions between six modes (standing, level-ground walking, ramp ascent, ramp descent, stair ascent, and stair descent) at various discrete time points during the gait cycle. Six transfemoral users were successful performing a variety of ambulation tasks including climbing a 3- and 4-step staircases, performing walking and standing transitions to and from the staircases, approaching the stairs and ramps at various angles, and ambulating at various speeds. Offline classification results demonstrate that system error rates 1.6% [1.0%], mean [standard deviation], at heel contact and 0.5% [0.2%] at toe off. The results of this study are encouraging and provide another step towards a clinically viable lower limb intent recognition system for a powered knee-ankle prosthesis.
Urothelial carcinoma with variant histology: Sarcomatoid, plasmacytoid, and micropapillary

Approximately 80 % of bladder cancer is diagnosed as “conventional” urothelial carcinoma (UC) with 10–25 % nonurothelial and “variants” of urothelial carcinoma (UC). For the current discussion, variant histology will refer to any bladder malignancy other than pure UC. Furthermore, we have limited our review to the specific histologic variants sarcomatoid, plasmacytoid, and micropapillary bladder cancer. Before we discuss each of these variants in detail, we should mention that each of these histologic descriptions is based on morphologic features from H&E pathologic sections with little insight into their biology. Moreover, mixed histologies are often present (including so-called urothelial and nonurothelial carcinomas), for which the term variant histology is generally used. Figure 6.1 describes the histological classification of tumors arising from the urinary tract and was adapted from the 2004 World Health Organization classification of tumors.
UNITY: Unified Memory and File Space

This paper describes the vision for UNITY, a new high-performance computing focused data storage abstraction that places the entire memory hierarchy, including both traditionally separated memory-and file-based data storage, into one storage continuum. Through the use of a novel API and a set of services centered around a smart runtime system, UNITY is able to provide a number of valuable and interesting benefits. The unified storage space provides a scalable and resilient data environment that dynamically manages the mapping of data onto available resources based on multiple factors, including desired persistence and energy budget considerations. By eliminating the need for high-performance computing domain scientists to develop architecture-dependent optimizations for rapidly evolving data storage technologies, UNITY addresses both ease-of-use and performance.
An extension of Free's extraction isotherm for the solvent extraction of cations using acidic extractants

Abstract A simple theoretical model has been developed for the solvent extraction of cations with different oxidation states varying from +1 to +4 using acidic extractants. The basic assumption behind this theoretical model is that the cationic species (Mn+) will exist in ionic form and not form any complexes in the aqueous phase. A direct relationship between the concentration of metal ions in the aqueous phase and that in the organic phase was developed for trivalent and tetravalent cationic species. Using this model, the distribution isotherms were plotted for a given set of conditions. The effect of pH and equilibrium constant on the distribution isotherms were represented in three-dimensional form for trivalent and tetravalent cationic species. Consistent with expectations, the results suggest that with increasing pH and an increasing equilibrium constant one finds an enhancement of the extraction of cationic species for a given set of conditions. The calculations were performed in the pH range of 1 through 3 because for higher pH values, the pH shift accompanying the extraction is significant and thereby affects the mass balance equations. A comparison of the distribution isotherms shows that the total metal ion concentration to extractant concentration ratio determines the distribution behavior of metal ions with different valency. At low total metal ion concentration to extractant concentration ratio, the distribution coefficient was higher for higher oxidation state cations under similar experimental conditions, and this trend started to reverse when the total metal ion concentration to extractant concentration ratio was increased.
Heading Off a Cliff

The major tax policy challenge of the 21st century is the need to address the nation’s fiscal condition fairly and in a manner conducive to economic growth. But since California adopted Proposition 13 nearly forty years ago, antipathy to taxes has served as the glue that has held the Republican coalition together. Even though our taxes as a percentage of our economy are low by OECD standards and low by our own historical experience, anti-tax attitudes have become even more important for Republicans politically, since they now find it hard to agree on almost anything else. So revenue-positive, or even revenue-neutral, forms of tax reform — at least as long as the GOP maintains its legislative majority — are politically impossible. The sad truth, of course, is that the coming tax cuts cannot possibly be the great and simplifying tax reform that the President and Sixers claim and that our nation so badly needs.
Accurate determination of density, surface tension, and vessel depth using a triple bubbler system

Abstract A triple bubbler sensor was developed for use in high temperature molten salt systems used in pyroprocessing to determine the density, surface tension, and depth of the molten salt. Preliminary bubbler testing was performed in aqueous solutions to calibrate and validate the bubbler sensor. Independently determined fluid property values and depths were compared to the calculated values and the percent differences were less than 0.16%, 3.38%, and 0.31% for density, surface tension, and depth, respectively. In addition, uncertainties were within 0.04%, 1.25%, and 0.15% for density, surface tension, and depth, respectively.
Stroke Risk Factors Unique to Women.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in women in the United States and is a leading cause of disability. Each year 55 000 more women than men have a stroke, a discrepancy largely driven by longer life expectancy in women (www.stroke.org). Although the majority of stroke incidence can be attributed to traditional vascular risk factors that occur in both men and women, including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and atrial fibrillation, there are several stroke risk factors that are specific to women. Specifically, differences in sex hormones, exogenous estrogens, and pregnancy exposures are factors exclusively experienced by women. In this review, we will summarize the current state of the literature with regards to women-specific factors, such as endogenous hormone levels, exogenous hormone therapy, pregnancy, parity, timing of age at menarche, and menopause in relation to stroke risk. The following terms were searched with women and stroke in PubMed and Google Scholar, mainly for original articles and meta-analysis/systematic reviews: estrogens, estradiol, testosterone, DHEAS, menarche, menopause, oophorectomy, postmenopausal hormone therapy, oral contraception, transgender, transmen, transwomen, pregnancy, peripartum, postpartum, and parity The following search was also performed: therapy OR treatment OR secondary prevention AND pregnancy AND stroke. The resultant literature was reviewed by the authors, and the data covering the topics outlined below were reviewed in this manuscript. ### Endogenous Hormone Levels Data on the relationship of endogenous sex hormones and risk of stroke in women are relatively limited. Estrogen levels fluctuate dramatically in women with the menstrual cycle and then drop dramatically in the menopausal transition and in post-menopause. In data from the Copenhagen City Study, neither high nor low estradiol levels were associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke.1 In premenopausal women, those in the lowest 10th percentile of estradiol had a >2-fold increased risk of ischemic stroke, but this was based on …
The proteome of fetal fluids in mares with experimentally-induced placentitis.

Abstract Introduction Placental inflammation (placentitis) is one of the leading causes of late-term abortion in mares. Although prognosis is good assuming early diagnosis and treatment, diagnostics are limited. Methods To better characterize the disease and identify potential biomarkers, we analyzed the proteome of fetal fluids (amniotic and allantoic) in both control mares (n = 5) and mares with experimentally-induced placentitis (n = 5) using LTQ-Orbitrap mass-spectrometry. Placentitis was induced via trans-cervical inoculation of Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus. Results In total, 130 proteins were identified in either amniotic fluid, allantoic fluid, or both, with amniotic proteins being more prevalent and better conserved across samples. A total of 18 proteins were up-regulated in amniotic fluid during placentitis, including haptoglobin, plasminogen isoform X2 and plasminogen-like isoform X1 which were found exclusively in samples from mares with placentitis. Five allantoic proteins were up-regulated, of which four were also found to be up-regulated in amniotic fluid, including alpha-1-antiproteinase and transferrin family members. A total of 19 proteins were down-regulated in amniotic fluid, with none decreasing significantly in allantoic fluid. Discussion We have performed the first proteomic analysis of amniotic and allantoic fluid during placental infection in any domestic livestock species. We identified a number of proteins with significantly altered expression, primarily those related to immune function. These findings provide information on the physiology of placentitis as well as identify potential biomarkers for future diagnostic work.
Race affects SVR12 in a large and ethnically diverse hepatitis C-infected patient population following treatment with direct-acting antivirals: Analysis of a single-center Department of Veterans Affairs cohort.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease. HCV cure has been linked to improved patient outcomes. In the era of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), HCV cure has become the goal, as defined by sustained virological response 12 weeks (SVR12) after completion of therapy. Historically, African-Americans have had lower SVR12 rates compared to White people in the interferon era, which had been attributed to the high prevalence of non-CC interleukin 28B (IL28B) type. Less is known about the association between race/ethnicity and SVR12 in DAA-treated era. The aim of the study is to evaluate the predictors of SVR12 in a diverse, single-center Veterans Affairs population. We conducted a retrospective study of patients undergoing HCV therapy with DAAs from 2014 to 2016 at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. We performed a multivariable logistic regression analysis to determine predictors of SVR12, adjusting for age, HCV genotype, DAA regimen and duration, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status, fibrosis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) fibrosis score, homelessness, mental health, and adherence. Our cohort included 1068 patients, out of which 401 (37.5%) were White people and 400 (37.5%) were African-American. Genotype 1 was the most common genotype (83.9%, N = 896). In the adjusted models, race/ethnicity and the presence of fibrosis were statistically significant predictors of non-SVR. African-Americans had 57% lower odds for reaching SVR12 (adj.OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 1.5-4.1) compared to White people. Advanced fibrosis (adj.OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.26-0.68) was also a significant predictor of non-SVR. In a single-center VA population on DAAs, African-Americans were less likely than White people to reach SVR12 when adjusting for covariates.
Post-ischemic administration of 5-methoxyindole-2-carboxylic acid at the onset of reperfusion affords neuroprotection against stroke injury by preserving mitochondrial function and attenuating oxidative stress

We previously reported that 5-methoxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (MICA) could induce preconditioning effect in the ischemic brain of rat. In the present study, we addressed the question of whether MICA could also trigger a postconditioning effect in ischemic stroke. To this end, MICA (100 mg/kg body weight) was injected intraperitoneally at the onset of 24 h reperfusion following 1 h ischemia in rat brain. Results indicate that stroked animals treated with MICA showed less brain infarction volume than that of vehicle-treated animals. Further experiments revealed that brain mitochondrial complexes I and IV showed elevated enzymatic activities in MICA treated group and the elevation in complex I activity was likely contributed by seemingly enhanced expression of many complex I subunits, which was determined by mass spectral peptide sequencing. When compared with vehicle-treated rats, the preservation of complexes I and IV activities was shown to be accompanied by enhanced mitochondrial membrane potential, increased ATP production, and decreased caspase-3 activity. Additional studies also indicate the involvement of NQO1 upregulation by the Nrf2 signaling pathway in this MICA postconditioning paradigm. Consequently, attenuated oxidative stress in the MICA treated group reflected by decrease in H2O2 production and protein carbonylation and lipid peroxidation was detected. Taken together, the present study demonstrates that MICA can also induce a postconditioning effect in the ischemic brain of rat and the underlying mechanism likely involves preservation of mitochondrial function, upregulation of cellular antioxidative capacity, and attenuation of oxidative stress.
Cutting Out Polygons.

In this paper, we present approximation algorithms for the problem of cutting out a convex polygon P with n vertices from another convex polygon Q with m vertices by a sequence of guillotine cuts of smallest total length. Specifically, we give an O(n + m) running time, constant factor approximation algorithm, and an O(n+m) running time, O(log n)-factor approximation algorithm for cutting P out of Q. We also discuss some negative results for the case when guillotine cuts are replaced by ray cuts.
Differences in Types and Amounts of Financial Aid by Institutional Category and Sex.

Rationale Financial aid as it relates to college attendance is becoming an important issue as colleges and universities face dwindling enrollments and subsequent decreases in supportive funding. If need based financial aid were withdrawn from the campuses, those students dependent on aid to meet their educational costs would be forced to withdraw. This could result in dramatic enrollment decreases for the . institutions of higher education. The administration of these student aid programs becomes important in reference to Public Law 92-318, the Higher Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX of this law states that, "No person in the United States shall be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education programs or activity receiving federal financial assistance." Regulations regarding Title IX specify financial aid as one area of academe which is particularly vulnerable. Given this federal mandate of nondiscrimination and the need for colleges and universities to continue providing assistance to their students, it is important to look at any differences in financial aid awards for men and women attending the same or similar types of institutions and differences among the various institutional types.
Comparison of the active site specificity of the aspartic proteinases based on a systematic series of peptide substrates.

The first crystal structures of members of the aspartic proteinase family were discussed at the 1976 Conference in Norman, Oklahoma [1]. Since that time, an increasingly rapid stream of structural information has issued from the crystallography groups [2]. At this point it is clear that members of this family are closely related structurally, with a central core composed of two domains, each of which has a two-layered β-sheet arrangement (see Figure 1 for an overall representation of a typical aspartic proteinase).
The Effect of Pre-Stressing on the Static Indentation Load Capacity of the Superelastic 60niti

Superelastic nickel-titanium alloys, such as 60NiTi (60Ni-40Ti by wt.%), are under development for use in mechanical components like rolling element bearings and gears. Compared to traditional bearing steels, these intermetallic alloys, when properly heat-treated, are hard but exhibit much lower elastic modulus (approx.100 GPa) and a much broader elastic deformation range (approx.3 percent or more). These material characteristics lead to high indentation static load capacity, which is important for certain applications especially space mechanisms. To ensure the maximum degree of elastic behavior, superelastic materials must be pre-stressed, a process referred to as "training" in shape memory effect (SME) terminology, at loads and stresses beyond expected use conditions. In this paper, static indentation load capacity tests are employed to assess the effects of pre-stressing on elastic response behavior of 60NiTi. The static load capacity is measured by pressing 12.7 mm diameter ceramic Si3N4 balls into highly polished, hardened 60NiTi flat plates that have previously been exposed to varying levels of pre-stress (up to 2.7 GPa) to determine the load that results in shallow but measurable (0.6 m, 25 in. deep) permanent dents. Hertz stress calculations are used to estimate contact stress. Without exposure to pre-stress, the 60NiTi surface can withstand an approximately 3400 kN load before significant denting (>0.4 m deep) occurs. When pre-stressed to 2.7 GPa, a static load of 4900 kN is required to achieve a comparable dent, a 30 percent increase. These results suggest that stressing contact surfaces prior to use enhances the static indentation load capacity of the superelastic 60NiTi. This approach may be adaptable to the engineering and manufacture of highly resilient mechanical components such as rolling element bearings.
Hungary since 1945

Lying on the political fault line between East and West for the past seventy-five years, the significance of Hungary in geopolitical terms has far outweighed the modest size of its population. This book charts the main events of these tumultuous decades including the 1956 Uprising, the end of Hungarian communism, entry into the European Union and the rise to power of Viktor Orban and the national-conservative ruling party Fidesz.
Comparative brain exposure to (-)-carbovir after (-)-carbovir or (-)-6-aminocarbovir intravenous infusion in rats.

Purpose. Evaluate the ability of (-)-6-aminocarbovir ((-)-6AC) to improve the CNS exposure to (-)-carbovir ((-)-CBV).
Deep Learning-Based Semantic Segmentation of Microscale Objects

Accurate estimation of the positions and shapes of microscale objects is crucial for automated imaging-guided manipulation using a non-contact technique such as optical tweezers. Perception methods that use traditional computer vision algorithms tend to fail when the manipulation environments are crowded. In this paper, we present a deep learning model for semantic segmentation of the images representing such environments. Our model successfully performs segmentation with a high mean Intersection Over Union score of 0.91.
The challenges of elastic in situ analysis and visualization

In situ analysis and visualization have been proposed in high-performance computing (HPC) to enable executing analysis tasks while a simulation is running, bypassing the parallel file system and avoiding the need for storing massive amounts of data. One aspect of in situ analysis that has not been extensively researched to date, however, is elasticity. Current in situ analysis frameworks use a fixed amount of resources and can hardly be scaled up or down dynamically throughout the simulation's run time as a response to changes in the requirements.In this paper, we present the challenges posed by elastic in situ analysis and visualization. We emphasize that elasticity can take various forms. We show the difficulties of supporting each form of elasticity with the state-of-the-art HPC technologies, and we suggest solutions to overcome these difficulties. The resulting four-way classification can be seen as a taxonomy for future elastic in situ analysis and visualization systems.
Highest Maximum Power Point of Radially Distant Inductively Coupled Power Receivers With Deep Submicron CMOS

Inductively coupled power receivers for embedded microsensors are often tiny and distant from their transmitting sources. To sustain microsensors as long as possible, the power receiver should draw power whenever possible and output the highest power possible. Of reported state-of-the-art technologies, switched resonant half-bridges require fewer components, are less breakdown-limited, and output as much or more power than the others. This paper derives and shows with measurements the highest possible maximum power point (MPP) for switched resonant half-bridges. The theory predicts the optimal time, duration, and frequency of the energy transfers that charge the battery. Measurements of a 0.18-μm CMOS power receiver demonstrate that the receiver outputs more than 98.7% of the actual MPP at the predicted settings when the coupling factor between the transmitting and the receiving coils is 0.15%–1.14%.
One-Pot C-H Arylation/Lactamization Cascade Reaction of Free Benzylamines.

An efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of seven-membered biaryl lactams involving Pd-catalyzed, native amine-directed, ortho-arylation of benzylamines followed by in situ lactamiz...
Cystocerebral Syndrome: An Updated Review and a New Proposed Mechanism for an Often Forgotten Cause of Delirium.

Cystocerebral syndrome is an often forgotten cause of delirium in elderly males, which is quite easily treated. We reviewed the current body of literature documenting cystocerebral syndrome and proposed a new mechanism of action explaining why all patients identified thus far have been male. Data was obtained from articles describing cases of cystocerebral syndrome, urinary retention, and confusion in addition to delirium via a PubMed database search. We reviewed all articles describing cases of cystocerebral syndrome via the PubMed database using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) keywords of "cystocerebral syndrome,” urinary retention and confusion," and "delirium and urinary retention or cystocerebral syndrome," and identified eight cases of cystocerebral syndrome including the original publication by Blackburn and Dunn. We found that all patients reported in the literature were males older than 70 years and often with concomitant benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) who presented with acute episodes of delirium that rapidly responded to bladder decompression. The authors seek to update the medical community regarding this uncommon phenomenon of delirium in elderly male patients. We also propose that the lack of female patients in the literature is reflective of their decreased intraurethral flow resistance as is currently being described in other avenues of research in the field of urodynamics.
SPACES OF RANDOM VARIABLES

This chapter presents several different definitions for the stochastic convergence of a sequence of random variables. Convergence in probability is compatible with the metric of Ky Fan. The convergence in probability is in general incompatible with the existence of a norm. The chapter discusses certain possibilities where certain convergence is incompatible with a metric and an exceptional case in which a metric is compatible with almost certain convergence.
Predictive processing during a naturalistic statistical learning task in ASD

Abstract Children’s sensitivity to regularities within the linguistic stream, such as the likelihood that syllables co-occur, is foundational to speech segmentation and language acquisition. Yet, little is known about the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying speech segmentation in typical development and in neurodevelopmental disorders that impact language acquisition such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we investigate the neural signals of statistical learning in 15 human participants (children ages 8–12) with a clinical diagnosis of ASD and 14 age-matched and gender-matched typically developing peers. We tracked the evoked neural responses to syllable sequences in a naturalistic statistical learning corpus using magnetoencephalography (MEG) in the left primary auditory cortex, posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG), and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), across three repetitions of the passage. In typically developing children, we observed a neural index of learning in all three regions of interest (ROIs), measured by the change in evoked response amplitude as a function of syllable surprisal across passage repetitions. As surprisal increased, the amplitude of the neural response increased; this sensitivity emerged after repeated exposure to the corpus. Children with ASD did not show this pattern of learning in all three regions. We discuss two possible hypotheses related to children’s sensitivity to bottom-up sensory deficits and difficulty with top-down incremental processing.
Using Computational Text Analysis Tools to Study African Online News Content

After radio and television, online media are fast becoming a primary source of information for many Africans. With this increase, it is becoming necessary for media researchers to explore ways to b...
A topological degree theory for constrained problems with compact perturbations and application to nonlinear parabolic problem

Abstract Let X be a real locally uniformly convex reflexive Banach space with locally uniformly convex dual space X ∗ . Let T : X ⊇ D ( T ) → 2 X ∗ be maximal monotone, S : X → 2 X ∗ be bounded of type ( S + ) and C : X ⊇ D ( C ) → 2 X ∗ be compact with D ( T ) ⊆ D ( C ) . A degree theory is developed for operators of the type T + S + C . In general, the operator S + C : D ( C ) → 2 X ∗ is not necessarily an operator of type ( S + ) because D ( C ) is neither convex nor closed. Thus developing a degree theory for these class of operators is relevant as it generalizes the theories for operators of the type T + S . A new existence theorem is given for the solvability of the constrained problem T u + S u + C u ∋ 0 u ∈ D ( T ) . The case C = { 0 } gives those theories and existence theorems for operators of the type T + S . An application on the existence of solution for a nonlinear parabolic variational inequality problem is provided.
The Orbit and Companion of Probable γ-Ray Pulsar J2339–0533

We have measured dramatic flux and spectral variations through the 0.193 day orbit of the optical counterpart of the unidentified {gamma}-ray source 0FGL J2339.8-0530. This compact object companion is strongly heated, with T{sub eff} varying from {approx}6900 K (superior conjunction) to <3000 K at minimum. A combined fit to the light curve and radial velocity amplitudes imply M{sub 1} Almost-Equal-To 0.075 M{sub Sun }, M{sub 2} Almost-Equal-To 1.4M{sub Sun }, and inclination i Almost-Equal-To 57 Degree-Sign . Thus, this is a likely 'black widow' system with a E-dot {approx}10{sup 34-34.5} erg s{sup -1} pulsar driving companion mass loss. This wind, also suggested by the X-ray light curve, may prevent radio pulse detection. Our measurements constrain the pulsar's reflex motion, increasing the possibility of a pulse detection in the {gamma}-ray signal.
Review article: potassium-competitive acid blockers for the treatment of acid-related disorders.

Background Potassium-competitive acid blockers (P-CABs) are a novel group of acid-suppressing medicines for the management of acid-related disorders. Aims To review published clinical pharmacology studies and clinical trials of P-CABs. Methods We conducted a comprehensive literature search including Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library from inception until November 2020, for studies of the clinical pharmacology of P-CABs and relevant clinical trials of those that are currently licensed or in development. Results Most publications concerned vonoprazan, which forms the bulk of this review. It is currently licensed in some Asian and South American countries and is being developed for North America. In clinically relevant doses, P-CABs have produced more rapid and profound suppression of intragastric acidity than proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Vonoprazan was non-inferior to lansoprazole in healing erosive oesophagitis (2 randomised controlled trials [RCTs] in 1137 subjects) and superior in maintaining remission (1 RCT; 607 subjects). In 2 RCTs (1120 total subjects), both vonoprazan and tegoprazan were non-inferior to lansoprazole for healing peptic ulcers. Three RCTs and numerous non-randomised studies have compared vonoprazan-based and PPI-based regimens for Helicobacter pylori infection; vonoprazan-based triple or dual regimens have been highly effective. Conclusions P-CABs have some potential advantages over PPIs. To date, most research has been conducted in Asia; results of clinical trials that are underway in the United States and Europe are anticipated in 2021.
Scaling of subcellular structures with cell length through decelerated growth

How cells tune the size of their subcellular parts to scale with cell size is a fundamental question in cell biology. Until now, most studies on the size control of organelles and other subcellular structures have focused on scaling relationships with cell volume, which can be explained by limiting pool mechanisms. Here, we uncover a distinct scaling relationship with cell length rather than volume, revealed by mathematical modeling and quantitative imaging of yeast actin cables. The extension rate of cables decelerates as they approach the rear of the cell, until cable length matches cell length. Further, the deceleration rate scales with cell length. These observations reveal a new mode of scaling that senses the linear dimensions of a cell.
Change in Service Provision Networks: The Case of Animal Welfare Services:

This research focuses on change within informal service provision networks, specifically examining the impact that changes within a key organization can have on the larger network. Employing a befo...
Increased duration of pollen and mold exposure are linked to climate change.

Pollen and molds are environmental allergens that are affected by climate change. As pollen and molds exhibit geographical variations, we sought to understand the impact of climate change (temperature, carbon dioxide (CO2), precipitation, smoke exposure) on common pollen and molds in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the largest urban areas in the United States. When using time-series regression models between 2002 and 2019, the annual average number of weeks with pollen concentrations higher than zero increased over time. For tree pollens, the average increase in this duration was 0.47 weeks and 0.51 weeks for mold spores. Associations between mold, pollen and meteorological data (e.g., precipitation, temperature, atmospheric CO2, and area covered by wildfire smoke) were analyzed using the autoregressive integrated moving average model. We found that peak concentrations of weed and tree pollens were positively associated with temperature (p < 0.05 at lag 0-1, 0-4, and 0-12 weeks) and precipitation (p < 0.05 at lag 0-4, 0-12, and 0-24 weeks) changes, respectively. We did not find clear associations between pollen concentrations and CO2 levels or wildfire smoke exposure. This study's findings suggest that spore and pollen activities are related to changes in observed climate change variables.
Homing in on genomic instability as a therapeutic target in cancer.

While genomic instability is a hallmark of cancer, its genetic vulnerabilities remain poorly understood. Identifying strategies that exploit genomic instability to selectively target cancer cells is a central challenge in cancer biology with major implications for anti-cancer drug development.
Urinary Thromboxane B2 and Lethal Prostate Cancer in African American Men.

Background Thromboxane A2 (TXA2) is a platelet- and cyclooxygenase-derived eicosanoid that has been linked to metastasis. We investigated the role of TXA2 in the development of lethal prostate cancer in African American (AA) and European American (EA) men. Methods We measured urinary 11-dehydrothromboxane B2 (TXB2), a stable metabolite of TXA2, with mass-spectrometry. Samples were obtained from 977 cases and 1022 controls at time of recruitment. We applied multivariable logistic and Cox regression modeling to examine associations of TXB2 with prostate cancer and patient survival. Median survival follow-up was 8.4 years with 246 deaths among cases. Aspirin use was assessed with a questionnaire. Race/ethnicity was self-reported. Results Urinary TXB2 was inversely associated with aspirin use. High (> median) TXB2 was associated with prostate cancer in AA (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.50, 95% confidence interval [CI]= 1.13-2.00) but not EA men (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.82-1.40), suggesting upregulated TXA2 synthesis in AA men with prostate cancer. High TXB2 was positively associated with metastatic prostate cancer (OR = 2.60, 95%CI = 1.08-6.28), compared with low (≤ median) TXB2. Furthermore, high TXB2 was also associated with all-cause (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.06-2.40) and prostate cancer-specific mortality (hazard ratio = 4.74, 95%CI = 1.62-13.88 in AA men only. Conclusion We report a distinct association of TXB2 with prostate cancer outcomes in AA men. In this high-risk group of men, upregulation of TXA2/TXB2 synthesis may promote metastasis and lethal disease. Our observation identifies a potential benefit of aspirin in preventing lethal prostate cancer through inhibition of TXA2 synthesis.
Inflammatory breast cancer appearance at presentation is associated with overall survival

BACKGROUND Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a clinical diagnosis. Here, we examined the association of a "classic" triad of clinical signs, swollen involved breast, nipple change, and diffuse skin change, with overall survival (OS). METHOD Breast medical photographs from patients enrolled on a prospective IBC registry were scored by two independent reviewers as classic (triad above), not classic, and difficult to assign. Chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used to assess differences between patient groups. Kaplan-Meier estimates and the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard regression were used to assess the OS. RESULTS We analyzed 245 IBC patients with median age 54 (range 26-81), M0 versus M1 status (157 and 88 patients, respectively). The classic triad was significantly associated with smoking, post-menopausal status, and metastatic disease at presentation (p = 0.002, 0.013, and 0.035, respectively). Ten-year actuarial OS for not classic and difficult to assign were not significantly different and were grouped for further analyses. Ten-year OS was 29.7% among patients with the classic sign triad versus 57.2% for non-classic (p < 0.0001). The multivariate Cox regression model adjusting for clinical staging (p < 0.0001) and TNBC status (<0.0001) demonstrated classic presentation score significantly associated with poorer OS time (HR 2.6, 95% CI 1.7-3.9, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS A triad of classic IBC signs independently predicted OS in patients diagnosed with IBC. Further work is warranted to understand the biology related to clinical signs and further extend the understanding of physical examination findings in IBC.
Pancreatic duct glands (PDGs) are a progenitor compartment responsible for pancreatic ductal epithelial repair

Pancreatic duct glands (PDGs) have molecular features known to mark stem cell niches, but their function remains to be determined. To investigate the role of PDGs as a progenitor niche, PDGs were analyzed in both humans and mice. Cells were characterized by immunohistochemistry and microarray analysis. In vivo proliferative activity and migration of PDG cells were evaluated using a BrdU tag-and-chase strategy in a mouse model of pancreatitis. In vitro migration assays were used to determine the role of trefoil factor (TFF) -1 and 2 in cell migration. Proliferative activity in the pancreatic epithelium in response to inflammatory injury is identified principally within the PDG compartment. These proliferating cells then migrate out of the PDG compartment to populate the pancreatic duct. Most of the pancreatic epithelial migration occurs within 5days and relies, in part, on TFF-1 and -2. After migration, PDG cells lose their PDG-specific markers and gain a more mature pancreatic ductal phenotype. Expression analysis of the PDG epithelium reveals enrichment of embryonic and stem cell pathways. These results suggest that PDGs are an epithelial progenitor compartment that gives rise to mature differentiated progeny that migrate to the pancreatic duct. Thus PDGs are a progenitor niche important for pancreatic epithelial regeneration.
Lung Concentric Laminar Organelle HYDROLASE ACTIVITY AND COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS

An analytical study was made of the concentric lamellar organelles (CLO) isolated from rabbit lung. These subcellular structures, which are normally located in the type II cells of mammalian lungs, were purified by flotation using a discontinuous sucrose density gradient. Electron microscopy of the isolated CLO revealed many intact structures about 1 µm in diameter with densely packed trilaminar membranes having, also, a granular core and an outer limiting membrane. The CLO contained a preponderance of polar lipids, mostly as phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, with trace amounts of neutral lipid. A phospholipid to protein ratio of approximately 12:1, was repeatedly obtained and served as a criterion for organelle purification. Acrylamide gel electrophoresis of the detergent-solubilized CLO revealed a prominent staining band migrating with albumin. These structures had numerous hydrolases similar to those observed in lysosomes. High specific activities were observed for such enzymes as acid phosphatase, aryl sulfatase and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase. Multiple forms of the latter enzyme were observed in zonal electrophoresis studies. Purification of the CLO resulted in a 20- to 40-fold increase in specific activity over homogenates for most of the hydrolases. Cathepsin D, acid DNase, acid RNase and neuraminidase, other lysosome-associated hydrolases, were not detected in the CLO fraction. It is suggested from these and other studies that CLO are secreted to the acellular lining of lung where they contribute surfactant phospholipids, and possibly, functional hydrolases. The lung CLO also appear to have many properties in common with those subcellular structures associated with certain human genetic lipidoses.
Earthquake potential in and around China: Estimated from past earthquakes

[1] We present an earthquake potential estimate for magnitude 5.4 or larger earthquakes for China. The potential is expressed as the rate density, or the probability per unit area, magnitude and time, and it is based on smoothed seismicity. We constructed a special earthquake catalog, which combines previous catalogs covering different times. After deriving regression relationships, we estimated moment magnitudes for some events. Then we used the special catalog for constructing our smoothed seismicity model and testing it retrospectively. Using maximum likelihood we estimated the completeness threshold, the b-value, and the corner magnitude. We adopted a kind of Gutenberg-Richter distribution with modifications at higher magnitude and assumed a uniform b-value and upper magnitude limit derived from the special catalog. From smoothed seismicity, we estimated local “a-values”. We have begun a “prospective” test, finding that earthquakes since the beginning of 2000 are quite compatible with the model.
Static bifurcation in induction generators

Summary form only given. A simplified approach to studying the phenomenon of self-excitation in induction generators, based on the concept of static bifurcation and the q-d equivalent circuit equation in the synchronous reference frame, is proposed. This approach provides the necessary framework for identifying the boundary of possible self-excitation for a generalized load comprising both resistive and inductive loads. Example of these boundaries are shown. The limitation of capacitive self-excited induction generator operation has been determined, and suggestions as to how constant voltage and frequency power can be attained have been derived on the basis of the bifurcation fields. For the cases in which the reactive power is provided from a pulsewidth-modulated inverter, it has been shown how the switching frequency and the effective value of the inverter capacitance can be appropriately and structurally manipulated to obtain constant voltage and constant frequency power from the generator. >
Why Do Parents Become Involved? Research Findings and Implications

Abstract A decade ago, Hoover‐Dempsey and Sandler offered a model of the parental involvement process that focused on understanding why parents become involved in their children’s education and how their involvement influences student outcomes. Since then, we and others have conducted conceptual and empirical work to enhance understanding of processes examined in the model. In this article (companion to Walker and colleagues’ article about scale development on the model in this issue), we review recent work on constructs central to the model’s initial question: Why do parents become involved in children’s education? Based on this review, we offer suggestions for (1) research that may deepen understanding of parents’ motivations for involvement and (2) school and family practices that may strengthen the incidence and effectiveness of parental involvement across varied school communities.