cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interactive and Indirect Effects of Anxiety and Negative Urgency on Alcohol-Related Problems.

BACKGROUND: Although drinking for tension reduction has long been posited as a risk factor for alcohol-related problems, studies investigating anxiety in relation to risk for alcohol problems have returned inconsistent results, leading researchers to search for potential moderators. Negative urgency (the tendency to become behaviorally dysregulated when experiencing negative affect) is a potential moderator of theoretical interest because it may increase risk for alcohol problems among those high in negative affect. This study tested a cross-sectional mediated moderation hypothesis whereby an interactive effect of anxiety and negative urgency on alcohol problems is mediated through coping-related drinking motives. METHODS: The study utilized baseline data from a hazardously drinking sample of young adults (N = 193) evaluated for participation in a randomized controlled trial of naltrexone and motivational interviewing for drinking reduction. RESULTS: The direct effect of anxiety on physiological dependence symptoms was moderated by negative urgency such that the positive association between anxiety and physiological dependence symptoms became stronger as negative urgency increased. Indirect effects of anxiety and negative urgency on alcohol problems (operating through coping motives) were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: Although results of the current cross-sectional study require replication using longitudinal data, the findings suggest that the simultaneous presence of anxiety and negative urgency may be an important indicator of risk for alcohol use disorders via both direct interactive effects and indirect additive effects operating through coping motives. These findings have potentially important implications for prevention/intervention efforts for individuals who become disinhibited in the context of negative emotional states. Language: en
Multiple liver lesions in a patient with Budd-Chiari syndrome secondary to polycythemia vera

Focal nodular hyperplasia and nodular regenerative hyperplasia are occasionally seen in patients with hepatic venous outflow obstruction as a consequence of circulatory stress in the liver. In addition, neoplastic processes such as hepatic adenoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and metastatic disease may arise in these patients. Histologic evaluation is necessary when imaging modalities are unable to distinguish these lesions. We present a case of multiple hepatic lesions, suspicious for metastases, in a patient with Budd-Chiari syndrome secondary to polycythemia vera. However, the biopsy findings were consistent with focal nodular hyperplasia. Budd-Chiari syndrome may be associated with multiple nodules of focal nodular hyperplasia, which may be difficult to diagnose radiologically.
Performance measurement of high yield bond mutual funds

Purpose – The high yield debt market has evolved into a $1 trillion market over the last 25 years. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the risk‐adjusted performance of individual mutual funds that investors use to invest in this asset class.Design/methodology/approach – Conditional excess returns are calculated for individual high yield bond mutual funds. Performance persistence over time is measured and size, asset growth, asset duration, the expense ratio, turnover, and manager tenure are used to determine if differences across funds can be explained.Findings – Overall, high yield bond funds significantly underperform the CSFB high yield index by 1.6 percent on an annualized basis which is 0.5 percent more than the average expense ratio. Individually, funds do exhibit performance persistence and top ranked funds in one period outperform bottom ranked funds over the proceeding period by an average of 2.7 percent annually. However, except for the expense ratio, commonly used explanatory variables do n...
Heavy Metals, Bacterial Resistance

Essentially all bacteria with 2000 or more genes have genes for toxic metal ion resistances that include those for Ag+, AsO2−, AsO43−, Cd2+Cd2+, Co2+Co2+, CrO42−, Cu2+Cu2+, Hg2+Hg2+, Ni2+Ni2+, Pb2+Pb2+, TeO32−, Tl+Tl+, and Zn2+Zn2+. The largest group of resistance systems functions by energy-dependent efflux of toxic ions. Others involve enzymatic transformations (reduction, oxidation, methylation, and demethylation) or metal-binding proteins. Some of the efflux resistance systems are ATPases and others are chemiosmotic ion/proton exchangers. Resistance to inorganic Hg2+ and to organomercurials (such as CH3Hg+ and phenylmercury) involves a series of metal-binding and membrane transport proteins that pass Hg2+ to the enzymes mercuric reductase and organomercurial lyase, which overall convert them from more toxic to less toxic forms. Arsenic resistance and metabolizing systems occur in three patterns: the widely found ars operon that is present in most bacterial genomes, the arr genes for the periplasmic arsenate reductase that functions in anaerobic respiration as a terminal electron acceptor, and the aox genes for the periplasmic arsenite oxidase that functions as an initial electron donor in aerobic resistance to arsenite.
Anterior communicating artery aneurysm rupture after intravenous thrombolysis for acute middle cerebral artery thromboembolism: case report.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: The use of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV rtPA) has become an integral part of modern acute ischemic stroke management; however, its use has been associated with the development of intracranial hemorrhage in 6.4% of patients. It is possible that underlying and unsuspected vascular lesions, such as cerebral aneurysms, may lead to intracranial hemorrhage after IV rtPA thrombolysis. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We present a previously unreported case of a 51-year-old woman who presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage from an acutely ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm after IV rtPA treatment for acute left middle cerebral artery thromboembolism. The patient underwent mechanical thromboembolectomy of the left middle cerebral artery occlusion with resultant TIMI (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction) grade I recanalization, followed by coil embolization of the anterior communicating artery aneurysm. The patient never improved neurologically, and she ultimately died. CONCLUSION: Screening to identify patients at risk for development of hemorrhagic complications from underlying structural vascular lesions before the use of IV rtPA with computed tomography angiography should be considered.
War and the Intellectuals: Bourne, Dewey, and the Fate of Pragmatism

My purpose here, apart from convincing you that John Dewey was quite possibly right about American entry into World War I, is to address the repression and mutilation of pragmatism by left-wing intellectuals in the twentieth century. These would seem to be very different purposes, but in fact they are the same. If we are to understand how pragmatism acquired its unsavory reputation among leftists everywhere, we must go back to 1917, when Randolph Bourne denounced not only Dewey's decision in favor of American entry but also pragmatism itself as the source of that decision. These almost ancient denunciations would not matter very much, except that they are repeated in every subsequent account of the American Left in World War I, and are recalled if not reiterated in every subsequent critique of pragmatism – they still determine our thinking about Dewey, about pragmatism, and about the war. Revisiting this primal scene allows us to ask why. It allows us to convert the following statement, which still serves as a left-wing credential, into a question: Dewey's support for American entry into the Great War demonstrates that pragmatism is a philosophy of acquiescence to “the existing fact,” a philosophy that must validate capitalism, accept imperialism, and repudiate socialism.
Community-Based Interventions to Decrease Obesity and Tobacco Exposure and Reduce Health Care Costs: Outcome Estimates From Communities Putting Prevention to Work for 2010-2020.

Introduction In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW), a $485 million program to reduce obesity, tobacco use, and exposure to secondhand smoke. CPPW awardees implemented evidence-based policy, systems, and environmental changes to sustain reductions in chronic disease risk factors. This article describes short-term and potential long-term benefits of the CPPW investment. Methods We used a mixed-methods approach to estimate population reach and to simulate the effects of completed CPPW interventions through 2020. Each awardee developed a community action plan. We linked plan objectives to a common set of interventions across awardees and estimated population reach as an early indicator of impact. We used the Prevention Impacts Simulation Model (PRISM), a systems dynamics model of cardiovascular disease prevention, to simulate premature deaths, health care costs, and productivity losses averted from 2010 through 2020 attributable to CPPW. Results Awardees completed 73% of their planned objectives. Sustained CPPW improvements may avert 14,000 premature deaths, $2.4 billion (in 2010 dollars) in discounted direct medical costs, and $9.5 billion (in 2010 dollars) in discounted lifetime and annual productivity losses through 2020. Conclusion PRISM results suggest that large investments in community preventive interventions, if sustained, could yield cost savings many times greater than the original investment over 10 to 20 years and avert 14,000 premature deaths.
A spontaneous epidemic among laboratory rabbits caused by a paratyphoid B. bacillus related to the rodent group

According to the available information, epidemics among rabbits caused by this group of organisms are rare. Uhlenhuth and Hiibner8 mention, in their summary on the paratyphoid group, that Hoist and Hottinger determined bacteria of this group to be the cause of spontaneous epizootics among rabbits. Also Pfeiler3 expresses the same idea in a short sentence in one of his recent reviews. A perusal of the articles of Hoist and Hottinger referred to did not inform us of the facts on which these statements are based. In his complete review Loelei does not mention Hoist and Hottinger. A definite description of paratyphoid fever in rabbits as a disease entity is therefore not available although Morgan6 obtained three cultures of an organism like paratyphoid A from rabbits' feces, an observation that we were able to confirm. In 1914 Ferrye made an intensive study of the causative organisms found in B. bronchisepticus epidemics among laboratory animals. In a few cases he was able to isolate an organism of the partyphoid B. enteritidis group; he considered these bacteria to be secondary invaders superimposed on an infection with B. bronchisepticus or B. cuniculisepticus. Krumwiede, Valentine and KohnT have recently published an article in which they show that paratyphoid strains isolated from guineapigs, mice, rabbits and cats differ antigenically based on specific absorption tests from human paratyphoid B. or B. schottmulleri-strains. A distinct type or group, the so-called "rodent paratyphoid," is according to their views encountered in spontaneous infections of laboratory animals, especially rodents.
Hepatic Excretion in the Dog Following Oral Administration Various Bile Acids

SummaryOral administration of large amounts of the various bile acids to dogs with a common duct fistula indicate that, from the point of view of largest excretion of bile acids in most concentrated form, the natural bile acids of the dog were probably the most efficient. Under the conditions of these experiments pure ox bile salts and glycocholic acid were found to be more efficient than the unconjugated cholic and desoxycholic acids. The natural bile acids (cholic and desoxycholic acids, and their various conjugated forms) were more effective than dehydrocholic acid.
LLC-PK1 mutant with increased Na+-H+ exchange and decreased sensitivity to amiloride.

LLC-PK1 cells contain a well-characterized Na+-H+ antiporter that is sensitive to ethylisopropylamiloride (EIPA) in the submicromolar range. Using a modification of the method of Franchi et al. (J. Biol. Chem. 261: 14614-14620, 1986), we have selected mutants that can recover from an acid load in the presence of 100 microM EIPA. One such mutant, designated PKE20, has been studied in detail. The maximal velocity (Vmax) for the Na+-H+ antiporter, assayed as EIPA-sensitive 22Na+ uptake, has increased from 44 nmol.min-1.10(6) cells-1 in the parent cells to 106 nmol.min-1.10(6) cells-1 in PKE20. No detectable change has occurred in the Km for Na+ (118 mM in the parent, 111 mM in the mutant) or in the dependence of Na+ uptake on intracellular pH. However, the PKE20 antiporter exhibits a greatly decreased sensitivity to amiloride and its derivatives, with drops in inhibitory potency ranging from 25-fold (amiloride) to 100-fold (EIPA). The mutation is specific for the antiporter; measurements of Na+-K+ pump and Na+-dependent amino acid uptake show only small changes, which appear to result from minor antiporter-induced alterations in internal Na+ concentration. PKE20 cells should prove useful in experiments to identify and isolate the antiporter protein.
Labile Low-Molecular-Mass Metal Complexes in Mitochondria: Trials and Tribulations of a Burgeoning Field

Iron, copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, and molybdenum play important roles in mitochondrial biochemistry, serving to help catalyze reactions in numerous metalloenzymes. These metals are also found in labile “pools” within mitochondria. Although the composition and cellular function of these pools are largely unknown, they are thought to be comprised of nonproteinaceous low-molecular-mass (LMM) metal complexes. Many problems must be solved before these pools can be fully defined, especially problems stemming from the lability of such complexes. This lability arises from inherently weak coordinate bonds between ligands and metals. This is an advantage for catalysis and trafficking, but it makes characterization difficult. The most popular strategy for investigating such pools is to detect them using chelator probes with fluorescent properties that change upon metal coordination. Characterization is limited because of the inevitable destruction of the complexes during their detection. Moreover, probes likely...
The Preparation and Reactions of Atomic Carbon

Atomic carbon is one of the most fascinating intermediates encountered in chemistry. There are very few intermediates that possess more energy than a carbon atom. The 3P ground state has a heat of formation of 171 kcal/mol, while two low-lying metastable singlets, C1D) and C(1S), have ΔH f of 201 and 233 kcal/mol, respectively.1 As a consequence of this high energy, carbon atoms are difficult to generate and the design of systems for their production has challenged the ingenuity of many chemists. The rewards for investigators in this area are great, however; the high chemical potential of atomic carbon causes it to undergo a wide variety of interesting and unusual reactions.
Wellness programs: legality, fairness, and relevance.

Wellness programs and health plan incentives may not be effective means for combating addiction and other lifestyle-related conditions. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Addressing Assurance for Self-Adaptive Systems in the Face of Uncertainty

This presentation will overview several research projects that investigate novel ways to model, analyze, and mitigate uncertainty for self-adaptive cyber-physical systems, with a particular focus on assurance. First, uncertainty about the physical environment can lead to suboptimal, and sometimes catastrophic, results as the system tries to adapt to unanticipated or poorly-understood environmental conditions. Second, uncertainty in the cyber environment can lead to unexpected and adverse effects, including not only performance impacts (load, traffic, etc.) but also potential threats or overt attacks. Finally, uncertainty can exist with the components themselves and how they interact upon reconfiguration, including unexpected and unwanted feature interactions. Each of these sources of uncertainty can potentially be identified at different stages, respectively design time and run time, but their mitigation might be done at the same or at a different stage. Based on the related literature and our investigations, we argue that the following three overarching techniques are essential and warrant further research to provide enabling technologies to address uncertainty during both stages: model-based development, automated assurance techniques, and self-adaptation. Furthermore, we posit that in order to go beyond incremental improvements to current software engineering techniques, we need to infuse these three areas with successful techniques and inspirations from other disciplines, such as control theory, machine learning, and biology.
Analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans innate immune response to Coxiella burnetii

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is well established as a system for characterization and discovery of molecular mechanisms mediating microbe-specific inducible innate immune responses to human pathogens. Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes a flu-like syndrome in humans (Q fever), as well as abortions in domesticated livestock, worldwide. Initially, when wild type C. elegans (N2 strain) was exposed to mCherry-expressing C. burnetii (CCB) a number of overt pathological manifestations resulted, including intestinal distension, deformed anal region and a decreased lifespan. However, nematodes fed autoclave-killed CCB did not exhibit these symptoms. Although vertebrates detect C. burnetii via TLRs, pathologies in tol-1(–) mutant nematodes were indistinguishable from N2, and indicate nematodes do not employ this orthologue for detection of C. burnetii. sek-1(–) MAP kinase mutant nematodes succumbed to infection faster, suggesting that this signaling pathway plays a role in i...
Do microglia play a role in sex differences in TBI

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality for both males and females and is, thus, a major focus of current study. Although the overall death rate of TBI for males is roughly three times higher than that for females, males have been disproportionately represented in clinical and preclinical studies. Gender differences are known to exist in many neurologic disorders, such as multiple sclerosis and stroke, and differences appear to exist in TBI. Furthermore, it is known that microglia have sexually dimorphic roles in CNS development and other neurologic conditions; however, most animal studies of microglia and TBI have focused on male subjects. Microglia are a current target of many preclinical and clinical therapeutic trials for TBI. Understanding the relationship among sex, sex hormones, and microglia is critical to truly understanding the pathophysiology of TBI. However, the evidence for sex differences in TBI centers mainly on sex hormones, and evidenced-based conclusions are often contradictory. In an attempt to review the current literature, it is apparent that sex differences likely exist, but the contradictory nature and magnitude of such differences in the existing literature does not allow definite conclusions to be drawn, except that more investigation of this issue is necessary. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Characterization of the adsorption ability of silk-derived activated carbon fibers using X-ray analysis and camera imaging methods

Abstract Activated carbon fibers (ACFs) are novel materials that are attracting significant attention as adsorbents. We developed a nondestructive method of evaluating the adsorption performance of ACFs using digital data obtained from digital-camera images of samples. We also focused on ACFs’ sulfur content because it is known to be directly related to their adsorption ability. The sulfur contents of ACF cloths were investigated using wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) spectrometry. We investigated the correlation between the adsorption ability of ACFs and their sulfur content and the correlation between their adsorption ability and the gray intensity (GI) obtained from digital photographs. Although the method is currently primitive, we speculate that, in the future, GI may represent an effective and nondestructive method of evaluating ACF adsorbents.
Preserving the Cutting Edge: Traveling Woodblocks, Material Networks, and Visualizing Plants in Early Modern Europe

This study examines changes in the epistemic status of recycled botanical woodblocks brought about by shifts of social, economic, and intellectual purpose. Unmoored from their original intent, some woodblocks, once created, began to travel, finding their way into sites remote from their places of origin, and influencing processes of visualizing the world by fitting, with renewed purpose, into the space between the objects of nature and the imagination. As traveling objects of representation and as embodiments of plant depictions, woodblocks figure into the material culture of shared practices in the early modern era, transmitting specific images for diverse purposes while communicating the artistic and artisanal practices embedded in them as artifacts. They constitute in this way a relatively stable material source of visual imagery; physically fixed but culturally mutable objects that help revise and reshape the perception of the natural world.
Subjective estimates of sleep differ from polysomnographic measurements in obstructive sleep apnea patients

It is well established that, as a group, insomnia patients overestimate sleep onset latency (SOL) and underestimate total sleep time (TST) when compared to objective polysomnographic (PSG) findings. Whether a similar phenomenon occurs with other sleep disorders is not fully established. We compared the PSG sleep of 84 patients with suspected sleep apnea (SA) to their subjective experience of sleep reported on a sleep diary the morning after PSG testing. Both patients with SA (SA+) and those without (SA-) tended to overestimate SOL, but the SA+ group (n = 50) made larger overestimations (p < 0.02). The SA+ and SA- groups also differed in their accuracy at estimating TST, with SA+ patients underestimating TST (p < 0.05). These findings support the premise that marked discrepancies between subjective and PSG-determined sleep may not be limited to insomnia, but present in other sleep disorders as well, and should be appreciated by practitioners when obtaining sleep histories.
Integrated Assessment of Diclofenac Biotransformation, Pharmacokinetics, and Omics-Based Toxicity in a Three-Dimensional Human Liver-Immunocompetent Coculture System

In vitro hepatocyte culture systems have inherent limitations in capturing known human drug toxicities that arise from complex immune responses. Therefore, we established and characterized a liver immunocompetent coculture model and evaluated diclofenac (DCF) metabolic profiles, in vitro-in vivo clearance correlations, toxicological responses, and acute phase responses using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. DCF biotransformation was assessed after 48 hours of culture, and the major phase I and II metabolites were similar to the in vivo DCF metabolism profile in humans. Further characterization of secreted bile acids in the medium revealed that a glycine-conjugated bile acid was a sensitive marker of dose-dependent toxicity in this three-dimensional liver microphysiological system. Protein markers were significantly elevated in the culture medium at high micromolar doses of DCF, which were also observed previously for acute drug-induced toxicity in humans. In this immunocompetent model, lipopolysaccharide treatment evoked an inflammatory response that resulted in a marked increase in the overall number of acute phase proteins. Kupffer cell-mediated cytokine release recapitulated an in vivo proinflammatory response exemplified by a cohort of 11 cytokines that were differentially regulated after lipopolysaccharide induction, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-1Ra, IL-6, IL-8, IP-10, tumor necrosis factor-α, RANTES (regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, macrophage colony-stimulating factor, macrophage inflammatory protein-1β, and IL-5. In summary, our findings indicate that three-dimensional liver microphysiological systems may serve as preclinical investigational platforms from the perspective of the discovery of a set of clinically relevant biomarkers including potential reactive metabolites, endogenous bile acids, excreted proteins, and cytokines to predict early drug-induced liver toxicity in humans.
Yeast stability tests on dessert wines

California musts were fortified at various stages of fermentation to test the applicability of the DELLE equation, i. e., dependency of inhibition of fermentation on the sum (DELLE units) of the percentage of sugar plus 4.5 times the percentage of alcohol, by volume. For fortification, alcohol was added to fermenting musts to give final concentrations from 11 to 19 percent. The resultant DELLE units, calculated from chemical analyses of lots in which fer,mentation was inhibited, were dependent upon stage of fermentation at which .fortified, variety of must, and strain of wine yeast. Higher DELLE units were required for stabiHty when the fortification was made in the late stages of fermentation, compared to early stages, and Chardonnay must required !higher DELLE units for stability than did Sauvignon blanc or Semillon musts. Montr,achet and Champagne strains of Sacchiaromyces cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus required lower DELLE units to give complete inhibition of fermentation than did Burgundy strain.
Social Integration and Support

The importance of social relationships in the lives of human beings is an idea as old as the written word. In Genesis (2:18), the Lord judges, “It is not good that [one] be alone,” and philosophers from Aristotle to Martin Buber have emphasized that the essence of human existence is expressed in our relations with others. In sociology, patterns of human contact, processes of social interactions, and the subjective valences of personal relationships have been central foci of theory and research since the inception of the field. Over the last quarter century, a substantial portion of the variegated sociological literature in this area has focused on the role of the presence and quality of social relationships in health and illness. Social support has become the most widely used phrase to refer to the salutary content of these relationships.
Certification of Cash Registers Software

This paper presents the Italian scenario of cash register software certification. The basic concepts of certification are introduced together with involved actors, requirements and possible objects to be certified. Subsequently, the specific kind of fiscal device running fiscal software, that is the cash register, is outlined, and its certification process is described. The current technological adjustments of the cash register software according to the Italian legislation modifications are introduced and discussed.
The Theory and Practice of Case-In-Point Teaching of Leadership in Human Resource Development

CASE IN POINT TEACHING 2 Abstract Leadership Education and Development programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels are implemented with an overall objective to prepare students for the dynamic ‘complex global working’ environment. Case-In-Point teaching in leadership education is an emerging pedagogy that is gaining ascendancy and relevance both in theory and practice. The pedagogy is predicated on the conception that leadership is a function of self awareness and knowing oneself, ability to articulate one’s vision, capacity to create a community of trust among colleagues, and the ability to take effective action to realize one’s own potential; and that linear epistemology as a dominant and prevailing epistemology in leadership education can no longer be the dominant epistemology. This paper discusses how Case-In-Point Pedagogy can be used in teaching leadership in Human Resource Development. The discussions are based on Ron Heifetz’ Case-In-Point Pedagogy as situated in the realist ontological frameworks of teaching leadership outlined in Sharon Parks’
Refined conservation strategies for Golden-winged Warblers in the West Virginia highlands with implications for the broader avian community

ABSTRACT Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) populations in the Appalachian Mountains region of North America are imperiled, warranting species-specific conservation. However, management for Golden-winged Warblers can affect both early-successional and forest species, many of which are also declining in the region. We conducted point counts in sites representing a range of successional stages within the Golden-winged Warbler's breeding range in West Virginia, USA, during 2008–2015. We identified plausible models of Golden-winged Warbler density using covariates at 4 spatial scales representing annual dispersal (5-km radius), extraterritorial movement (1.5-km radius), intraterritorial movement (100-m radius), and local resource utilization (11.3-m radius). Golden-winged Warbler density peaked at an intermediate elevation at the 1.5-km radius scale, but was negatively associated with 100-m radius minimum elevation. Density was positively associated with 100-m radius shrubland cover. Southerly lati...
Enhancing anaerobic fermentation performance through eccentrically stirred mixing: Experimental and modeling methodology

Abstract Anaerobic hydrogen production (AHP) is a biochemical process capable of producing hydrogen and fatty acids from organic substrates in acidogenic phase. Currently, almost all of anaerobic systems use centrally stirred mixing where the flow is essentially rotated uniformly in the radial direction. Given the high energy requirement of mixing and the urgent needs for enhancing the contact between microbial particles and substrates, a new type of mixing strategy should be developed. This study focused on the enhancement of biogas production and organic removal efficiency in AHP systems through a novel chaotic mixing regime. The stirring impeller was operated eccentrically with the stirring center eccentrically located 2 and 4 cm off the center, respectively and at different heights (5, 10.5 and 16 cm). The eccentrically stirred mixing was expected to enhance the mixing efficiency and accelerate the contact between biomass and organic substrates in the AHP system. A numerical finite element model was developed to simulate the flow patterns and the biomass distribution, through which the Lyapunov exponent λ values were calculated in order to assess the strength of eccentrically stirred mixing at different mixing eccentricities. The model simulations showed that at the height of 10.5 and 16 cm, the Lyapunov exponent λ increased as the mixing eccentricity increased. This corresponded well with the experimental results, which showed that the organic removal efficiency and biogas production increased with the mixing eccentricity. Compared with centrally stirred mixing, eccentrically stirred mixing enhanced the interaction of flow and biomass particles and ultimately enhanced the biogas production and organic removal in AHP systems.
ECOLOGY AND LATE-QUATERNARY HISTORY OF THE KURDO-ZAGROSIAN OAK FOREST NEAR LAKE ZERIBAR, WESTERN IRAN

The ecology and distribution of Quercus aegilops ssp. brantii and the associated Pistacia atlantica var. mutica and P. khinjuk are examined as a basis for explaining the Late Quaternary history of the forest in the Zagros mountains. The three species are tolerant of aridity and low temperatures but sensitive to heavy snowfall. In most of the area, summer rain does not occur. Forest expansion is generally limited by the inability of seedlings to survive the four-month summer drought. Pollen diagrams from Lake Zeribar, Kurdistan show the absence of trees during the last glacial period and the migration of forest into the region between 10 000 and 5 500 B.P. This has been interpreted as indicating aridity during the Pleistocene with gradually increasing precipitation in the late glacial and Holocene. However, the sensitivity of these species to snow and their tolerance of low overall precipitation implicate higher snowfall rather than lower precipitation as the cause of absence during the Pleistocene. The inability of seedlings to survive the present summer-dry conditions suggests that summer rainfall, and not higher total precipitation, was the factor that finally allowed migration. These conclusions are supported by independent evidence of increased winter precipitation during the pleniglacial and a period of summer rainfall but low annual precipitation during forest expansion.
Irreversible thermodynamics and Shockley recombination velocity: Application to photoabsorption near a surface

We apply the method of irreversible thermodynamics to obtain, for a semiconductor with electron and hole carriers adjacent to a single-carrier material, the recombination velocity and the rate of surface heating. The lack of equilibrium across the interface drives both a charged number current flux (the difference between electron and hole fluxes) and an uncharged number current flux (the sum of electron and hole fluxes). The latter provides a generalization of Shockley's recombination velocity. There are two contributions to the surface heating rate, one proportional to the charged number current flux times a difference in electrochemical potentials across the interface, and the other proportional to the uncharged number current flux times its associated difference in electrochemical potential. We apply our results to photoabsorption at a uniform volume rate $G$ within a distance $d$ of a vacuum semiconductor surface, finding the distributions of number current density, charge, and voltage as a function of position.
Theory of Distributions

In the study of boundary integral equations, the theory of distributions naturally comes into use. This theory began with the use of the Dirac delta function by the British physicist P.A.M. Dirac during the 1930s and 1940s. It was found to be extremely useful in solving ordinary and partial differential equations and became very popular, but was rejected by many mathematicians because it was not a classical function and its usage lacked mathematical rigor. In 1950–51, the French mathematician L. Schwartz published Theorie des Distributions [168], making rigorous the theory concerning the usage of the delta function and other distributions. Today, this theory is fundamental in the study of partial differential equations. For a detailed account of the theory of distributions, we refer the reader to [27, 76, 107].
Hierarchy, Sovereignty, and Adaptation in the Eastern Mediterranean

Though not indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean, the national state model has had enormous impact in shaping the trajectory of political and social change within the region (Tilly 1992). Political entrepreneurs in this region have responded to the emergence of national states in a number of ways and experimented with a plethora of understandings of nationhood and statehood. They have tried to sequence state-building, nation-building, and territorializing policies in ways that at once paralleled and diverged from their counterparts in Western Europe (Kitromilides 1989; Mylonas 2013). Novel institutional designs for sovereignty continue to appear to this day. Some of these designs, such as the emergence of the Islamic State, an unbounded but still territorial de facto state, were seen as direct challenges and dangers to the international system. Others, such as the development of a vast channel of refugees and migrants connecting the region with the capital centers of EU member states, have been even more difficult to assess.
Separation of individual kinds of cells from tumors.

Cancers are composed of malignant cells and many different kinds of stromal and infiltrating host cells. In the past, the biochemical investigation of cancers has been based predominately upon the analysis of homogenates of whole tumors. The biochemical characterization of malignant cells from tumors would be facilitated if methods could be developed for the purification of malignant cells from tumors to be studied. Similarly, study of the host’s infiltrating cells would be greatly facilitated by the development of methods for the purification of host cells from cancers. The culture of malignant cells from solid tumors has often been complicated by overgrowth of the malignant cells by host fibroblasts (Chaudhuri et al., 1974; Feller et al., 1972; Halpern et al.,1975; Herberman and Oldham, 1975; Lasfargues et al., 1972; Mavligit et al., 1975); presumably, this difficulty could be circumvented by the culture of malignant cells purified from tumors. Since 1969 (T. G. Pretlow and Boone, 1969), our laboratory has been interested in the development of methods for the purification of single kinds of cells from cancers. While we have had some experience in the separation of individual kinds of cells from transplantable tumors of experimental animals (T. G. Pretlow and Boone, 1970; Stewart et al., 1972; Zettergren et al., 1973; T. P. Pretlow et al., 1977a,b), there are several aspects of transplantable tumors which make their separation a much easier problem than the purification of cells from primary autochthonous tumors. In this review, we shall emphasize the purification of cells from autochthonous tumors. In addition, we shall emphasize work with human tumors. Rather than review the purification of cells from tumors in general, we shall focus on those techniques that are currently used in our laboratory,i.e., sedimentation and electrophoresis.
Free-energy surfaces for superconducting Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7

Magnetization studies were undertaken to determine the change in free energy of the superconducting state of ${\mathrm{Y}}_{1}$${\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$ ${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ with changes in magnetic field and temperature. Close to the transition temperature ${T}_{c}$ magnetic flux moves easily and reversibly in these materials so that magnetization is a thermodynamically reversible variable. Hence, the free-energy surfaces can be measured and quantities such as entropy and specific heat can be derived. Magnetization is found to be linear in ${({T}_{c}\ensuremath{-}T)}^{2}$ near ${T}_{c}$. The free-energy surface shows substantial changes with magnetic field all the way up to 92 K, well outside the usual ${H}_{c2}$ vs $T$ plots derived from resistivity or ac susceptibility data.
Representation and Manipulation of Spatial Data

In this chapter we present a number of methods for spatial data representation and manipulation. In keeping with the classification scheme of application domains into field and object-based applications, we divide these methods into field and object-based representation and manipulation methods. In field-based representation, the geographic space is partitioned (tessellated) into cells that are disjoint and that collectively cover the entire geographic region under study. Geographic objects are embedded in the space, and are described as well as manipulated in terms of the individual cells. For example, in this representation scheme, a lake would be described by the cells that cover its interior, rather than the polyline constituting its boundary. In this sense, the tessellation model is area oriented where the emphasis is on the content of the area rather than its boundary. Tessellation models can be further subdivided into fixed and variable spatial resolution models [Laurini and Thompson, 1992]. Fixed spatial resolution models use a geographic data structure called a raster, which consists of polygonal units of equal size. These units are used to describe geographical features. Variable spatial resolution models use units of variable sizes at a given level of resolution.
Novel therapies for diabetes mellitus in pregnancy

Diabetes is a common complication of pregnancy, and the prevalence of all types of the disease is increasing worldwide. Diabetes in pregnancy is associated with short term and long term adverse effects for mother and child. The goal of treatment of diabetes in pregnancy is to minimize maternal and fetal adverse events related to hyperglycemia. Treatment options vary by type of diabetes, from a focus on lifestyle modifications in gestational diabetes to continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pumps in pregestational diabetes. Nevertheless, given the commonality of hyperglycemia, considerable overlap exists in the treatment of different types of diabetes in pregnancy. Also, despite ongoing research on treatment of diabetes in pregnancy for decades, changes in the characteristics of the patient population have highlighted the limited effectiveness of different therapies. Specifically, despite the co-occurrence of obesity and diabetes, treatment recommendations including glycemic targets are not altered in such cases and a single optimal treatment strategy for each type of diabetes in pregnancy does not seem to exist. Rather, the approach to treating pregnant women with diabetes likely needs to be individualized to maximize the short term and long term health of mother and child. This article will review recent clinical studies to summarize established treatment strategies and introduce novel therapies for diabetes in pregnancy.
Frenchness: Boundary Figures and Figuring Boundaries in Alfonso Hernández-Catá’s El ángel de Sodoma

Navarro-Ayala’s second chapter establishes Frenchness as part of the Hispano-American imaginary at the beginning of the twentieth century, as shown in Alfonso Hernandez-Cata’s El angel de Sodoma (1928). It draws attention to Yuri Lotman’s notion of semiospheric boundary and its paradoxical double-functionality to establish the main character as a boundary figure, since the main character is both inside and outside of national culture. Navarro-Ayala argues that the writer creates a spatial system which blurs the private and the public. Here, the public is private, and the private is public. With no privacy or space for othered bodies or marginalized sexualities in this Ibero-American nation, Navarro-Ayala’s argument refers to the dangerous contact with the Other, particularly the French, as homosexually threatening.
An Environmental History of India: From Earliest Times to the Twenty-First Century

India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh contain one-fifth of humanity, are home to many biodiversity hotspots, and are among the nations most subject to climatic stresses. By surveying their environmental history, we can gain major insights into the causes and implications of the Indian subcontinent's current conditions. This accessible new survey begins roughly 100 million years ago, when continental drift moved India from the South Pole and across the Indian Ocean, forming the Himalayan Mountains and creating monsoons. Coverage continues to the twenty-first century, taking readers beyond independence from colonial rule. The new nations of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have produced rising populations and have stretched natural resources, even as they have become increasingly engaged with climate change. To understand the region's current and future pressing issues, Michael H. Fisher argues that we must engage with the long and complex history of interactions among its people, land, climate, flora, and fauna.
Single-port Robotic Intracorporeal Ileal Conduit Urinary Diversion During Radical Cystectomy Using the SP Surgical System: Step-by-step Technique.

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the step-by-step technique for robotic intracorporeal ileal conduit urinary diversion (ICUD) following radical cystectomy performed by using the novel da Vinci SP surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA). METHODS Four consecutive patients (2 males and 2 females) were initially counseled for robotic cystectomy with ICUD performed by using the da Vinci SP surgical system. Surgeries were performed by duplicating the steps of the institutional approach for intracorporeal ICUD performed with the multiarms robotic platform. Perioperative outcomes were analyzed. Data were collected under institutional review board approval (IRB 13-780). RESULTS Single-port robot-assisted radical cystectomy with ICUD was successfully completed in 3 patients (2 males and 1 female). Mean robotic operative time for ICUD was 75 minutes (range 67-90). There was no conversion to standard multiarms robotic approach. One patient needed to be converted to extracorporeal urinary diversion due to severe adhesions of small bowels. No additional ports were placed. Neither transfusions nor intraoperative complications occurred. All patients were discharged on postoperative day 5. One patient reported self-limited nausea and vomiting after discharge (Clavien grade I). CONCLUSION In our preliminary experience, ICUD after robot-assisted radical cystectomy is feasible using the da Vinci SP surgical system. Further comparative studies with open and multiarms robotic approaches are warranted.
Food Biotechnology: Sculpting Genes with Genetic Engineering

Almost 200 years ago, Mary Shelley wrote her iconic book about Frankenstein’s monster, highlighting the unforeseen risks of new scientific and technological advances. This chapter describes the exciting advances that have been made in biotechnology that now allow us to precisely sculpt the genes of the plants, animals, and microbes we rely on to produce our foods. These genetic tools have the potential to revolutionize our food supply, enabling us to increase yields, enhance resilience, reduce waste, decrease pollution, and improve the nutritional profile of our foods. The principles behind the exciting new gene editing tool known as CRISPR are discussed. In addition, the way that this tool is being used by agricultural scientists to revolutionize our food supply by making precise edits in the genetic codes of living creatures are highlighted. CRISPR and other genetic tools will be critical for addressing global food challenges related to the growing global population and climate change. However, there are risks associated with developing and employing these powerful new biotechnologies that have to be recognized and discussed by all stakeholders, including consumers, scientists, industry, and governments. This chapter therefore ends in a discussion of the potential safety concerns and ethical issues associated with using genetic engineering, as well as its benefits.
Measuring the Multidimensional Nature of Sporting Event Performance Consumption

Sporting events are a type of unscripted skill performance that are bound by a set of rules and are contested so as to produce an outcome wherein one performer can claim an unequivocal victory over...