cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Literature Review of Gastrointestinal Physiology in the Elderly, in Pediatric Patients, and in Patients with Gastrointestinal Diseases

Oral bioavailability studies during the development of new medical entities or generic drugs are typically performed in healthy volunteers. Approved drug products are, however, used by patients with diverse disease backgrounds, and by pediatric and elderly patients. To provide the knowledge base for assessing the potential effects of age or co-morbidity on the in vivo performance of an orally absorbed, systemically active drug product, the literature regarding the gastrointestinal (GI) physiological characteristics (pH, permeability, and transit time) in children, in the elderly, and in patients with GI diseases (irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease) is reviewed herein, with the knowledge gaps highlighted.
'Is' to 'Was': Coordination and Commemoration in Posthumous Activity on Wikipedia Biographies

Following the deaths of notable people, Wikipedians incorporate this new knowledge by updating or creating biographical articles. Drawing on literature from death studies and peer production, we demonstrate how the creation of these "wiki-bituaries" requires complex coordination work and highlight processes of commemoration and memorialization within socio-technical systems. Using the corpus of 6,132 articles about people who died in 2012, we examine the network relationships and contribution dynamics of users who perform this work and identify behavioral and content dynamics on the biographical articles about the deceased. The collaborations that emerge from posthumous editing of these biographies are sites of significant activity that coalesce into complex but temporary collaborations. Based on these findings, we argue that Wikipedia has re-imagined the obituary into a genre for creating memory spaces in which the death of a subject prompts a form of "death work" involving the collective re-evaluation of article content and a transition into a new mode of data stewardship.
Aleurone Cell Identity Is Suppressed following Connation in Maize Kernels

Expression of the cytokinin-synthesizing isopentenyl transferase enzyme under the control of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) SAG12 senescence-inducible promoter reverses the normal abortion of the lower floret from a maize (Zea mays) spikelet. Following pollination, the upper and lower floret pistils fuse, producing a connated kernel with two genetically distinct embryos and the endosperms fused along their abgerminal face. Therefore, ectopic synthesis of cytokinin was used to position two independent endosperms within a connated kernel to determine how the fused endosperm would affect the development of the two aleurone layers along the fusion plane. Examination of the connated kernel revealed that aleurone cells were present for only a short distance along the fusion plane whereas starchy endosperm cells were present along most of the remainder of the fusion plane, suggesting that aleurone development is suppressed when positioned between independent starchy endosperms. Sporadic aleurone cells along the fusion plane were observed and may have arisen from late or imperfect fusion of the endosperms of the connated kernel, supporting the observation that a peripheral position at the surface of the endosperm and not proximity to maternal tissues such as the testa and pericarp are important for aleurone development. Aleurone mosaicism was observed in the crown region of nonconnated SAG12-isopentenyl transferase kernels, suggesting that cytokinin can also affect aleurone development.
Structure of a Yeast RNase III dsRBD Complex with a Noncanonical RNA Substrate Provides New Insights into Binding Specificity of dsRBDs.

dsRBDs often bind dsRNAs with some specificity, yet the basis for this is poorly understood. Rnt1p, the major RNase III in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, cleaves RNA substrates containing hairpins capped by A/uGNN tetraloops, using its dsRBD to recognize a conserved tetraloop fold. However, the identification of a Rnt1p substrate with an AAGU tetraloop raised the question of whether Rnt1p binds to this noncanonical substrate differently than to A/uGNN tetraloops. The solution structure of Rnt1p dsRBD bound to an AAGU-capped hairpin reveals that the tetraloop undergoes a structural rearrangement upon binding to Rnt1p dsRBD to adopt a backbone conformation that is essentially the same as the AGAA tetraloop, and indicates that a conserved recognition mode is used for all Rnt1p substrates. Comparison of free and RNA-bound Rnt1p dsRBD reveals that tetraloop-specific binding requires a conformational change in helix α1. Our findings provide a unified model of binding site selection by this dsRBD.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Burden, CMV End-Organ Disease, and Survival in Subjects with Advanced HIV Infection (AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 360)

We undertook a prospective study to analyze cytomegalovirus (CMV) end-organ disease (EOD) in subjects with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Of 403 individuals without prior CMV EOD who were followed up for a median of 151 weeks, 56 died and 21 developed CMV EOD. Twenty of the subjects with CMV EOD had CD4 cell counts of ≤50 cells/mm 3 and HIV RNA level of >10,000 copies/mL of plasma at baseline; in these 20 subjects, an increase of CMV DNA level to greater than the quantification limits was associated with CMV EOD. A CD4 cell count of ≤100 cells/mm 3 and an HIV RNA level of >10,000 copies/ mL of plasma at baseline, a CMV DNA level of >200 copies/mL of blood during follow-up, or development of CMV EOD were all associated with decreased survival. HIV-infected subjects with CD4 cell counts of ≤50 cells/mm 3 and HIV RNA levels of >10,000 copies/mL of plasma should have blood fractions screened for CMV DNA; if CMV DNA is detected, CMV prophylaxis might be considered.
Enhanced growth of sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in response to manipulated ecosystem warming

Global models project impending climate changes that could significantly alter plant species composition in ecosystems. Climate manipulation experiments provide an opportunity to investigate such effects. Here we describe and apply a method for extracting the age-detrended growth rate of sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) and show that experimental ecosystem warming enhances the growth rate of this shrub. Snowmelt date, not soil temperature or moisture, is demonstrated to be the dominant climate variable controlling the observed effect. Our findings suggest that global climate change will result in increased growth and range expansion of sagebrush near northern or high-elevation range boundaries in the Western United States.
GMAT And Other Determinants Of GPA In An MBA Program

This paper reports on the influence of waiving the GMAT requirement on academic performance as measured by grade-point-average at graduation for 833 University of Hartford MBA students who graduated between 2003 and 2009. In seeking to better understand what factors might be influencing graduation GPA, we examined a variety of traditional attributes. In addition, we examined the potential influence of GMAT Waivers on graduation GPA because there was some thought that students who waived this test might have lower graduation GPAs than those who took the examination. The results of this study indicated that the most important factor for determining MBA graduation GPA was an individual’s undergraduate GPA, with higher undergraduate GPAs being associated with higher MBA graduation GPAs. Marginally significant differences in graduation GPA were also found based on the number of credits waived at entry into the MBA program, with more credits being waived contributing to a higher graduation GPA. We also found that women graduated with higher GPAs than men. Of particular interest to us in this study, however, was whether or not our GMAT Waiver policy was influencing graduation GPAs. In this case, we found no significant difference in graduation GPA, regardless of whether or not the GMAT requirement was waived. These results were confirmed using chi-square tests and two-sample t-tests. To gain additional insights into these issues, we estimated a regression model to explain graduation GPA using several attributes as independent variables. The regression results indicate that undergraduate GPA and gender seemed to most reliably predict differences in graduation GPA.
Application of Cross-Sectional Single-Fiber Microchemistry to the Study of Motor-Unit Fatigability

The glycogen-depletion technique for histologically identifying physiologically defined motor units, as proposed by Krnjevic and Miledi (1958) and first used by Edstrom and Kugelberg (1968), has provided a means of demonstrating associations between the physiological and biochemical properties of single motor units. Such associations have been demonstrated using largely qualitative histochemistry (e.g., Burke et al., 1971; Edstrom and Kugelberg, 1968; for review. Burke, 1981) but, most recently, quantitative biochemistry (Nemeth et al., 1981). The latter approach provides the advantage of yielding quantitative information on biochemical activites suitable for detailed comparison with physiological parameters. We have recently reported the development of a technique which permits biochemical analysis of cross-sections of fibers belonging to single mammalian motor units (Nemeth et al., 1985).
Desoxyribonucleic acid synthesis by bone marrow cells in vitro.

The incorporation of C14-formate into thymine is described as a method for measuring desoxyribonucleic acid synthesis by bone marrow cells in vitro. The method is satisfactorily reproducible and permits measurement of DNA synthesis over short periods of time with small amounts of bone marrow. Normal serum was found to be essential for rapid rates of DNA synthesis and could not be replaced by supplemented media. The rate of DNA synthesis was almost constant during the first 4-6 hours of incubation, but fell off rapidly thereafter. The ability to promote DNA synthesis was found to differ from one normal serum to another. The optimal pH for DNA synthesis was approximately 7.8. Because DNA synthesis is vitally concerned with cell duplication, measurement of the rate of its synthesis should be a valuable tool for measuring viability of those marrow cells young enough to proliferate.
A Tale of Two Crises

The savings and loan debacle of the 1980s was the worst financial scandal in U.S. history. The estimated present value cost to the taxpayers was $150-175 billion ($1993). The debacle was a major contributor to a sharp recession in real estate values in the Southwest. However, it had only a negligible effect on the general economy. The Japanese economy, the second largest in the world, also experienced a crisis in the 1980s. Twin “bubbles” in its stock and real estate markets hyper inflated for most of the decade of the 1980s. In general, the bigger the bubble, the worse the ultimate effects on the general economy. When the bubbles burst in 1990 Japan was thrust into recession. Real estate values have continued to fall – for twelve years! The stock market collapse was equally sharp. The general economy has never recovered.This paper explains that one major reason the Japanese financial crisis proved so much more severe than the contemporaneous U.S. savings and loan debacle was the quality of leadership in the financial regulatory ranks in the two countries.
The Auto-Lite Strike and the Fight Against Wage Slavery

In April, 1934, workers at the Auto-Lite plant went on strike, demanding that their employer recognize their union and engage in collective bargaining with them. Despite the ill effects of the Depression on Toledo and an unemployment rate of over 50%, workers at the Auto-Lite transmission plant risked their jobs and the possibility of employment at other factories for what they believed were fundamental rights - the rights to organize into a union, engage in collective bargaining, and strike. With help from the Toledo Central Labor Union and the AWP, the Auto-Lite workers resisted an injunction and enforced their right to organize on their own through collective action. As of 1934, the Constitution had yet to emerge as a major public issue. Unlike the sit-down strikers in 1936 and 1937, a period in which the courts considered the constitutionality of the NLRA, the Toledo strikers rarely raised constitutional issues. Nevertheless, we conclude that the Toledo strike was one episode in a long-term popular movement for constitutional change. In later interviews, those workers stressed that the deplorable conditions and the way that their employer treated them that led them to strike. While most leaders of the Auto-Lite strike did not mention the Thirteenth Amendment, a number of them invoked opposition to wage slavery in their speeches and leaflets to rally their supporters. In this manner, the workers on the Auto-Lite picket line carried on labor's tradition of recognizing the right to organize as a human right as well as an economic right. This article thus considers an important chapter in the history of American popular constitutionalism, the belief of labor activists that they had a fundamental right to organize into a union, and Congress' codification of that belief in the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.
Air-Water Interactions that Generate Large Water Lift through Vertical Shafts in Stormwater Conduits

Storm and combined sewer collection systems can fill rapidly during large precipitation events leading to a dynamic condition referred to as geysering in which…
Coexistence and extinction in the Volterra-Lotka competition model with nonlocal dispersal

Coexistence and extinction for two species Volterra-Lotka competition systems with nonlocal dispersal are investigated in this paper. Sufficient conditions in terms of diffusion, reproduction, self-limitation, and competition rates are established for existence, uniqueness, and stability of coexistence states as well as for the extinction of one species. The focus is on environments with hostile surroundings. In this case, our results correspond to those for random dispersal under Dirichlet boundary conditions. Similar results hold for environments with non-flux boundary and for periodic environments, which correspond to those for random dispersal under Neumann boundary conditions and periodic boundary conditions, respectively.
Fibril Elongation by Aβ17–42: Kinetic Network Analysis of Hybrid-Resolution Molecular Dynamics Simulations

A critical step of β-amyloid fibril formation is fibril elongation in which amyloid-β monomers undergo structural transitions to fibrillar structures upon their binding to fibril tips. The atomic detail of the structural transitions remains poorly understood. Computational characterization of the structural transitions is limited so far to short Aβ segments (5–10 aa) owing to the long time scale of Aβ fibril elongation. To overcome the computational time scale limit, we combined a hybrid-resolution model with umbrella sampling and replica exchange molecular dynamics and performed altogether ∼1.3 ms of molecular dynamics simulations of fibril elongation for Aβ17–42. Kinetic network analysis of biased simulations resulted in a kinetic model that encompasses all Aβ segments essential for fibril formation. The model not only reproduces key properties of fibril elongation measured in experiments, including Aβ binding affinity, activation enthalpy of Aβ structural transitions and a large time scale gap (τlock/τ...
To Depict the Specialty and Unity of Character

To depict the specialty and unity of character harmoniously and perfectly can make figure's character vivid and harmonious.
Improved Staging for Testicular Cancer Using Biologic Tumor Markers: A Prospective Study

AbstractThe effective use of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy for patients with testicular cancer requires accurate staging for therapy and/or interpretation of end results. The conventional staging parameters, including the lymphangiogram, inferior venacavogram and excretory urogram, often yield a considerable staging error.With sensitive and specific radioimmunoassays of serum alpha-fetoprotein and human chorionicgonadotropin in 118 patients with embryonal carcinoma with or without teratoma undergoing clinical and surgical staging the staging errors have decreased to 9 to 14 per cent in stage I and 5 to 10 per cent in stage II cases. Various clinical observations have been made in this group of patients: 1) persistently elevated serum markersafter orchiectomy for testicular cancer invariably indicate stage II or III disease, 2) persistently elevated serum markers after positive lymphadenectomy usually suggest stage III disease and 3) persistently elevated serum markers after lymphadenectomy n...
Respiratory care in cardiac failure and pulmonary embolism.

This section covers five situations in surgical respiratory care that the busy surgeon may encounter only a few times each year. The authors are experts on the modern understanding of these conditions. The practice of pediatric surgery and neonatal intensive care is approaching the point at which a surgeon will deal with neonates all the time or not at all. Nonetheless, many of the respiratory care techniques that are currently routine procedures in adults came directly from the neonatal intensive care unit, so that every reader serves to gain by careful study of the clear descriptions by Philippart, Sarnaik, and Belenky. Likewise, patients with smoke inhalation and burns are usually referred to burn care centers, which are familiar with Moylan’s work. However, there are important lessons in his article for anyone who deals with disorders of the airway. By contrast, every surgeon lives with major trauma, aspiration, pulmonary embolism, and cardiac failure. Every reader will remember the last patient seen with these problems and anticipate the next with concern. These solid practical reviews will make that experience easier.
The impact of workplace spirituality on food service worker turnover intention

AbstractIn 2015, employee turnover was a significant problem in the food service industry. In order to reduce employee turnover, researchers have examined the relationship between workplace spirituality and turnover intention in limited industries and geographic areas. The purpose of this quantitative experimental two group pretest–posttest study was to determine whether the implementation of a workplace spirituality program impacted turnover intention in food service organizations. The sample consisted of 53 employees of a multi-location quick-service restaurant in the state of Florida. An ANCOVA showed that when controlling for pretest, the effect of a workplace spirituality program on turnover intention was not significant (p = .274), suggesting workplace spirituality interventions may not be an appropriate turnover intention mitigation method within the food service industry. The current findings add to the literature suggesting industry differences should be considered when examining the impact of wo...
Transplantation: Utilizing the transcriptome to predict allograft fibrosis.

A new study has identified a gene set that might predict the development of renal allograft fibrosis. This finding represents a leap forward in transplant diagnostics, but further studies are needed to demonstrate that interventions based on this gene set can prevent fibrosis before it can be utilized to inform therapeutic decisions.
A systematic review of parent and family functioning in pediatric solid organ transplant populations

The process of pediatric solid organ transplantation (SOT) places new and increased stressors on patients and family members. Measures of family functioning may predict psychological and health outcomes for pediatric patients and their families, and provide opportunity for targeted intervention. This systematic review investigated parent and family functioning and factors associated with poorer functioning in the pediatric SOT population. Thirty-seven studies were identified and reviewed. Studies featured a range of organ populations (eg, heart, liver, kidney, lung, intestine) at various stages in the transplant process. Findings highlighted that parents of pediatric SOT populations commonly report increased stress and mental health symptoms, including posttraumatic stress disorder. Pediatric SOT is also associated with increased family stress and burden throughout the transplant process. Measures of parent and family functioning were associated with several important health-related factors, such as medication adherence, readiness for discharge, and number of hospitalizations. Overall, findings suggest that family stress and burden persists post-transplant, and parent and family functioning is associated with health-related factors in SOT, highlighting family-level functioning as an important target for future intervention.
The acute effects of bodyweight suspension exercise on muscle activation and muscular fatigue.

AbstractThis investigation examined effects of two exercise modes (barbell, BB; bodyweight suspension, BWS) on muscle activation, resistance load, and fatigue. During session one, nine resistance-trained males completed an elbow flexion one-repetition maximum (1RM). During sessions two and three, subjects completed standing biceps curls to fatigue at 70% 1RM utilizing a randomized exercise mode. Surface electromyography (sEMG) recorded muscle activation of the biceps brachii, triceps brachii, anterior deltoid, posterior deltoid, rectus abdominis, and erector spinae. BWS resistance load was measured using a force transducer. Standing maximal voluntary isometric contractions of the elbow flexors recorded at 90° were used to determine the isometric force decrement and rate of fatigue (ROF) during exercise. sEMG and resistance load data were divided into 25% contraction duration bins throughout the concentric phase. BWS resulted in a 67.7 ± 7.4% decline in resistance load throughout the concentric phase (p ≤ ...
Olfactory Neuroepithelial Neural Progenitor Cells from Subjects with Bipolar I Disorder.

Background: Research into the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD) is limited by the inability to examine brain cellular processes in subjects with the illness. Methods: Endoscopic biopsy was performed in subjects with bipolar I disorder to establish olfactory neural progenitor (ONP) cell lines. Olfactory function was assessed prebiopsy and postbiopsy using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT). Cells were characterized to determine their lineage. Results: There were no significant complications associated with the biopsy procedure, including olfaction. Outpatient olfactory neuroepithelial biopsy yielded ONP cells in three out of 13 biopsy attempts (23.1%). ONPs were positive for neuron-specific proteins (β-tubulin III, nestin, hexaribonucleotide binding protein-3, and peripherin) and glia-specific proteins (glial fibrillary acidic protein and myelin basic protein). Conclusions: ONP cells can be obtained safely from awake outpatients and are potentially useful for pathophysiological studies of bipolar illness and perhaps other neuropsychiatric conditions. Such cells allow for the investigation of potential pathological cellular processes without the confounding factors of genetic manipulation, which is required for induced pluripotent cells.
Reactivity effects of the random dispersal of nuclear materials

Abstract Nuclear reactors are in general deterministic with respect to the distribution of materials, consequently the reactivity of their configurations are fixed (disregarding the fluctuations of the number of neutrons per fission). This is not the case of High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactors (HTGCR), where the fuel is constructed with a random distribution of fuel kernels with positions at random; additionally the pebble version of the HTGCR is build with the pebbles positions at random therefore having two degrees of randomness. In this study we analyze the fuel cell with one pebble at its center, an ensemble of fuel cells is constructed by the simulation for each pebble of the random dispersal of the several thousands fuel kernels per pebble. The objective is to calculate the width of the random dispersal of k eff ; a simple model that simulates the effects of the random dispersal on the space averaged thermal cross sections was developed for this purpose. A limited set of calculations with the continuous energy Monte Carlo code MCNP gives a reactivity width compatible with the results of the simple model. Deterministic versions of the random dispersal are proposed to calculate the ensemble average k eff based on the positioning of the kernels according to cubic and hexagonal lattices.
People's English: code-meshing, code-switching, and African American literacy, by V.A. Young, R. Barrett, Y. Young-Rivera, and K.B. Lovejoy

In Other People's English, Vershawn Ashanti Young, Rusty Barrett, Y'shanda Young-Rivera, and Kim Brian Lovejoy examine the pitfalls of code-switching as pedagogy for teaching literacy to African-Am...
Cluster Preface: Catalytic Aerobic Oxidations

Shannon S. Stahl was an undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a graduate student at Caltech (PhD, 1997), where he worked with Professor John Bercaw. He was an NSF postdoctoral fellow with Professor Stephen Lippard at Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1997–1999. He is currently a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he began his independent career in 1999. His research group specializes in catalysis, with an emphasis on aerobic oxidation reactions and oxygen chemistry related to energy conversion. Tomislav Rovis was born in Zagreb in former Yugoslavia but was largely raised in southern Ontario, Canada. He earned his PhD degree at the University of Toronto (Canada) in 1998 under the direction of Professor Mark Lautens. From 1998–2000, he was an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University (USA) with Professor David A. Evans. In 2000, he began his independent career at Colorado State University and was promoted in 2005 to Associate Professor and in 2008 to Professor. His group’s accomplishments have been recognized by a number of awards including an Arthur C. Cope Scholar, an NSF CAREER Award, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a ­Katritzky Young Investigator in Heterocyclic Chemistry. In 2016, he moved to Columbia University where he is currently Professor of Chemistry.
Correlation Between Placental Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Protein Expression Throughout Gestation in Normal Human Pregnancy:

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), specifically MMP-9 plays a role in human placentation. The enzyme confers an invasive ability to cytotrophoblasts and degrades the endometrial matrix as the cells infiltrate the decidua to keep up with placental growth. Since tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) can induce the synthesis of MMP-9, we investigated the patterns of changes in and correlation between placental villous MMP-9 and TNF-α expressions throughout normal human gestation. Placentas were obtained from 179 normal pregnant women who underwent elective abortion or term delivery. Chorionic villi isolated from placental samples were grouped as first, second, and third trimester (70/7-130/7, 131/7-236/7, and 370/7-424/7 weeks, respectively). Chorionic villous TNF-α and MMP-9 proteins were assayed using enzyme immunoassay kits. There were significant differences in MMP-9 and TNF-α protein expressions among the trimester groups ( P = .001). The MMP-9 protein increased progressively with an increase in gestational age (GA), but TNF-α peaked in the second trimester. Within each trimester group, we searched for the effects of variation of GA in days on the 2 variables. A significant positive correlation between MMP-9 and GA was noted in the first trimester ( r = 0.364, P = .005). No other comparisons were significant. When GA was controlled for, partial correlation revealed a significant positive correlation between TNF-α and MMP-9 only in the second trimester ( r = 0.300, P = .018). We hypothesize that the TNF-α peak and the positive correlation between TNF-α and MMP-9 in the second trimester of normal human gestation could contribute toward a successful pregnancy outcome.
Heart Rate Variability: A Neuroscientific Perspective for Further Studies

Heart rate variability (HRV) has proven to be a useful tool for studies of autonomic control and its central integration. Technical and analytical developments continue to advance the available methods for extracting accurate estimates of the components of heart rate variability, and two international committees of scientists have now recognized the potential utility of these measures for both research and clinical applications [1,2]. Additional research is necessary, however, to more fully elucidate the mechanisms of HRV and to re~ne approaches to the interpretation of these measures.
NEW CHONDRICHTHYES FROM THE MAZON CREEK FAUNA (PENNSYLVANIAN) OF ILLINOIS

ABSTRACT Five new chondrichthyans from the Pennsylvanian Mazon Creek fauna are described. Two are elasmobranchs, belonging to the order Ctenacanthoidei. The remainder belong to that varied group of cartilaginous fishes that are clearly not elasmobranchs, and for which the traditional group name Holocephali is no longer applicable. For this group, the sister group of the Elasmo-branchii, the name Subterbranchialia is proposed. Of the three forms in the Mazon Creek fauna that belong to this group, one is interpreted as a chimaeroid, one a very juvenile individual of a bradyodont species, and one, Polysentor gorbairdi, does not have any close relatives among the presently known Subterbranchialia. Of the ctenacanthoid sharks, one is another species of the genus Bandringa, also of this fauna, the other is a species with morphological features that clearly indicate an evolutionary trend within this group toward the hybodont level of organization.
Operationalizing relational turbulence theory: Measurement and construct validation

This study assessed measures operationalizing concepts in relational turbulence theory (Solomon, Knobloch, Theiss, & McLaren, 2016). Studies of relational turbulence in marriage have used measures developed in research on dating couples; therefore, one goal was evaluating these variables in a general population sample of married individuals (N = 1,469). A second goal addressed problems in measures of relational uncertainty by assessing alternative scales. Third, associations between relational turbulence theory variables and measures of cognitive, emotional, and communicative phenomena were estimated. Fourth, the distinctiveness of relational turbulence measures relative to measures of other relational qualities was assessed. The conclusions advance new, Likert relational uncertainty scales and highlight the validity of relational turbulence constructs as distinctive predictors of cognitions, emotions, and communication.
Meteorologic, oceanographic, and geomorphic controls on circulation and residence time in a coral reef-lined embayment: Faga'alu Bay, American Samoa

Water circulation over coral reefs can determine the degree to which reef organisms are exposed to the overlying waters, so understanding circulation is necessary to interpret spatial patterns in coral health. Because coral reefs often have high geomorphic complexity, circulation patterns and the duration of exposure, or “local residence time” of a water parcel, can vary substantially over small distances. Different meteorologic and oceanographic forcings can further alter residence time patterns over reefs. Here, spatially dense Lagrangian surface current drifters and Eulerian current meters were used to characterize circulation patterns and resulting residence times over different regions of the reefs in Faga’alu Bay, American Samoa, during three distinct forcing periods: calm, strong winds, and large waves. Residence times varied among different geomorphic zones of the reef and were reflected in the spatially varying health of the corals across the embayment. The relatively healthy, seaward fringing reef consistently had the shortest residence times, as it was continually flushed by wave breaking at the reef crest, whereas the degraded, sheltered, leeward fringing reef consistently had the longest residence times, suggesting this area is more exposed to land-based sources of pollution. Strong wind forcing resulted in the longest residence times by pinning the water in the bay, whereas large wave forcing flushed the bay and resulted in the shortest residence times. The effect of these different forcings on residence times was fairly consistent across all reef geomorphic zones, with the shift from wind to wave forcing shortening mean residence times by approximately 50%. Although ecologically significant to the coral organisms in the nearshore reef zones, these shortened residence times were still 2–3 times longer than those associated with the seaward fringing reef across all forcing conditions, demonstrating how the geomorphology of a reef environment sets a first-order control on reef health.
Non-uniform evolutionary response of gecko eye size to changes in diel activity patterns

Geckos feature a large range of eye sizes, but what drives this phenotypic diversity is currently unknown. Earlier studies point towards diel activity patterns (DAPs) and locomotory mode, but phylogenetic comparative studies in support of the proposed adaptive mode of eye evolution are lacking. Here, we test the hypothesis of DAPs as the driver of eye size evolution with a dataset on 99 species of gecko. Results from phylogenetic generalized least-square analysis (PGLS) and multivariate model-fitting reveal smaller eyes in diurnal geckos consistent with different phenotypic optima. However, Bayesian analyses of selective regime shifts demonstrate that only two of nine transitions from nocturnal to diurnal activity are coupled with decreases in eye size, and two other regime shifts are not associated with DAP transitions. This non-uniform evolutionary response suggests that eye size is not the only functionally relevant variable. Evolutionary adaptations may therefore include different combinations of several traits (e.g. photoreceptors), all with the same functional outcome. Our results further demonstrate that DAP only partially explains eye size diversity in geckos. As open habitats favour the evolution of large eyes while obstructed habitats favour small eyes, the degree of habitat clutter emerges as another potential axis of eye diversification.
The Elasticity of Franchising

This paper creates a model to test whether franchising functions as product differentiation and estimates its elasticity. Using data on the average franchisee in thirty restaurant chains, the elasticity of franchising is measured at 0.252, which is similar in magnitude to values found in previous research for the elasticity of advertising of consumer product goods. The results suggest that, at least for some franchisees, the franchise system is providing product differentiation.
A Subpopulation of Amygdala Neurons Mediates the Affective Component of Itch

Itch consists of both sensory and affective components. For chronic itch patients, the affective component of itch affects both quality of life (leading to psychological comorbidities) and disease prognosis (by promoting scratching of itchy skin). We found that acute itch stimuli, such as histamine, induced anxiety-like behavior and increased activity (c-Fos expression) in the amygdala in adult male C57BL/6 mice. Itch stimuli also increased activity in projection areas to the amygdala, suggesting that these regions form a circuit for affective itch processing. Electrophysiological characterization of histamine-responsive amygdala neurons showed that this population was active on a behaviorally relevant timescale and partially overlapped with pain signaling. Selective optogenetic activation of histamine-responsive amygdala neurons in adult male and female Fos:CreERT2;R26Ai14 mice using the Targeted Recombination in Active Populations system enhanced both scratching and anxiety-like behavior. These results highlight the importance of itch-responsive amygdala neurons in modulating itch-related affect and behavior.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The sensation of itch includes an affective component that leads to stress and anxiety in chronic itch patients. We investigated the neuronal basis of affective itch in mice, with a focus on the amygdala, the key brain region for the generation of anxiety. A subpopulation of amygdala neurons responded to itch stimuli such as histamine. Optogenetic activation of histamine-responsive amygdala neurons affected both scratching and anxiety-like behavior. Therefore, this population appears to be important for mediating the affective component of itch.
LSTMs and Neural Attention Models for Blood Glucose Prediction: Comparative Experiments on Real and Synthetic Data

We have shown in previous work that LSTM networks are effective at predicting blood glucose levels in patients with type I diabetes, outperforming human experts and an SVR model trained with features computed by manually engineered physiological models. In this paper we present the results of a much larger set of experiments on real and synthetic datasets in what-if, agnostic, and inertial scenarios. Experiments on a more recent real-patient dataset, which we are releasing to the research community, demonstrate that LSTMs are robust to noise and can easily incorporate additional features, such as skin temperature, heart rate and skin conductance, without any change in the architecture. A neural attention module that we designed specifically for time series prediction improves prediction performance on synthetic data; however, the improvements do not transfer to real data. Conversely, using time of day as an additional input feature consistently improves the LSTM performance on real data but not on synthetic data. These and other differences show that behavior on synthetic data cannot be assumed to always transfer to real data, highlighting the importance of evaluating physiological models on data from real patients.
Preliminary assessment of connected speech and language as marker for cognitive change in late middle-aged Black/African American adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease

Background: Connected speech-language (CSL) has been a promising measure of assessing cognitive decline in populations at-risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) populations. A co...
Structural transformations of metal alloys under electrocatalytic conditions

Abstract Nanostructured alloys are efficient catalysts for mediating renewable energy storage and recovery reactions. The morphology and composition of an alloy can change during catalysis; particularly for potentials more oxidizing than the reversible hydrogen electrode. The formation of noble-metal shells covering an alloy core, or bi-continuous nanoporosity, is a common way an alloy can evolve by a corrosion mediated process. Recently, it was found that alloys can reconstruct within the bulk and form an ordered intermetallic material with different crystal structures and compositions than the starting material during corrosion. This review will discuss the different pathways alloys can be altered by electrochemistry. We will discuss the mechanisms which cover known structural changes and the more recently discovered process involving electrochemically driven incongruent phase transformations. Insights into the transformation of alloy materials are important for understanding how to prepare catalysts with improved electrochemical stability, and for synthesizing materials.
Self-localization of buoyless fishing gear and other objects on the sea floor

End lines used in commercial trap/pot fishing pose a significant entanglement risk to whales, sea turtles, and sharks. Removal of these ropes for buoyless fishing is being considered by the United States and Canadian governments, but a method to systematically locate the gear without an attached buoy is required. A method was developed for an acoustic modem to self-localize and broadcast its location to nearby ships to minimize gear conflict, optimize power consumption, and reduce lost gear. This method was implemented using a research modem that self-localized to within 5 m of its estimated location on the sea floor.
Graphene electro-optic modulator with 30 GHz bandwidth

Scientists have realized a graphene electro-optic modulator operating with a 30 GHz bandwidth and with a state-of-the-art modulation efficiency of 1.5 dB V−1, paving the way for fast digital communications.
Steady-State Model of Chemical Migration in a Sediment Cap

Capping with clean media represents one of the few available means of reducing exposure and risk to contaminated sediments in situ. Effective design of a chemical isolation cap layer requires modeling tools capable of describing the operative processes in a cap and the resulting chemical fate and transport processes. An analytical model developed by the lead author is commonly used for this purpose but is limited in the types of capping scenarios that can be evaluated. In particular, the standard model cannot deal with multiple layers in the cap with different transport rates and sorption coefficients. This is especially important in estimating surficial sediment concentrations in the presence of bioturbation. Additional analytical and numerical models are described that can relax the assumptions of the existing model. The models are compared and recommendations are provided to guide model usage for various cap simulation needs. A simple model employing conservative steady-state assumptions is proposed specifically for the case of predicting long-term containment by a cap and surficial sediment concentrations. The simple model is compared to more sophisticated numerical models that can deal with a wide range of conditions.
The Law, Economics and Politics of Retaliation in WTO Dispute Settlement: The economics of permissible WTO retaliation

WTO arbitrators rely on economics to establish the permissible retaliation limits authorized by the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) which arguably serves to enforce the overall agreement. We examine how theoretical and quantitative economic analysis has and can be used in this stage of the DSU process. First, we identify, characterize, and categorize the major classes of disputes - e.g., those affecting import protection versus export promotion - and use the Bagwell and Staiger interpretation of the WTO principle of reciprocity to provide a theoretical framework that arbitrators can use to identify the maximum level of retaliatory countermeasures. Second, we allocate each of the ten DSU arbitrations that have taken place thus far into one of these categories and compare the arbitrators' actual approach with the theory. Third, we use this framework to identify three crucial elements to the arbitrators' decision-making process for each case: i) the formula that they decide to adopt for identifying appropriate countermeasures, ii) their political-legal-economic decision on a WTO consistent counterfactual to use to implement the formula, and iii) the quantitative methods they use to necessarily construct the (unobserved) WTO-consistent counterfactual. We examine not only the arbitrations that have taken place thus far, but our approach also illustrates a template for many additional types of arbitrations likely to take place under the DSU. Finally, in the disputes in which this reciprocity approach has not been used, we identify procedural difficulties that arbitrators confront thus highlighting the constraints that hinder their use of economic analysis in practice.
Reinventing Government in the Information Age

From the Publisher: This work reviews the role of information systems in public sector reform, including practical guidance and analytical insights. It discusses key topics, drawing on case studies from the US, UK, Europe and developing countries.
The Ability of Actinic Light to Modify the Bacteriorhodopsin Photocycle

The focus of this paper is on the established observation that the bacteriorhodopsin (BR) photocycle responds to the level of actinic light by altering the proportions of two forms of the M intermediate. The first form of M, called M-fast or MF, decays to the O intermediate. In contrast, the second form of M, called M-slow or MS, decays directly to the ground state, and its decay rate is slower than that of MF. Any proposed scheme for the BR photocycle must account for this light-dependent phenomenon. Several papers have attempted to explain the observation on the basis of photocooperativity, or on the basis of heterogeneous populations. In this paper, we test previously proposed cooperative models with experimental data, and find those models to be inadequate. We show that two new models, one purely cooperative, the other purely heterogeneous, can both fit the data, hence such modelling will not resolve the mechanism. Taking into account the demonstration of heterogeneity, the trimer structure of BR, and certain experimental evidence in favor of cooperativity, it appears likely that both heterogeneity and cooperativity are involved in the adaptation of the BR photocycle to different levels of actinic light.
Freeform Extrusion of High Solids Loading Ceramic Slurries, Part II: Extrusion Process Control

Abstract : A novel, solid freeform fabrication method has been developed for the manufacture of ceramic-based components in an environmentally friendly fashion. The method is based on the extrusion of ceramic slurries using water as the binding media. Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) is currently being used as the part material and solids loading as high as 60 vol. % has been achieved. This paper describes a novel manufacturing machine that has been developed for the extrusion of high solids loading ceramic slurries. A critical component of the machine is the deposition system, which consists of a syringe, a plunger, a ram actuated by a motor that forces the plunger down to extrude material, and a load cell to measure the extrusion force. An empirical, dynamic model of the ceramic extrusion process, where the input is the commanded ram velocity and the output is the extrusion force, is developed. Several experiments are conducted and curve fitting techniques are utilized to construct the dynamic model. The results demonstrate that the ceramic extrusion process has a very slow dynamic response, as compared to other non-compressible fluids such as water. A substantial amount of variation exists in the ceramic extrusion process, most notably in the transient dynamics, and a constant ram velocity may either produce a relatively constant steady-state extrusion force or it may cause the extrusion force to steadily increase until the ram motor skips. The ceramic extrusion process is also subjected to significant disturbances such as air bubble release, which causes a dramatic decrease in the extrusion force, and nozzle clogging, which causes the extrusion force to slowly increase until the clog is released or the ram motor skips.