cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of the Peroxisome Proliferators Ciprofibrate and Perfluorodecanoic Acid on Eicosanoid Concentrations in Rat Liver

Several hypolipidemic drugs, plasticizers, perfluorinated fatty acids, and other chemicals induce hepatic peroxisomes and hepatocellular carcinomas when administered to rodents (Reddy and Lalwani, 1983). These agents cause hepatocellular carcinomas by an unknown mechanism, which may involve altered lipid metabolism. Peroxisome proliferators markedly increase lipid metabolism through increased expression of several proteins, including enzymes of the peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation pathway and cytochrome P4504A1 (Hawkins et al., 1987). Both of these pathways catalyze oxidation of metabolites of the arachidonate pathway. Exposure of rats to peroxisome proliferators enhances the rate of hepatic prostaglandin catabolism (Brass and Ruff, 1991) and co-oxidation of arachidonate metabolites (Capdevila et al., 1992). Several studies suggest that eicosanoids are involved in liver tumor promotion in tats fed a choline-deficient diet (Gupta et al., 1990) and phenobarbital promotion of hepatocarcinogenesis (Denda et al., 1989). Thus, alterations in eicosanoid metabolism may be involved in the promotion of hepatocellular carcinomas by peroxisome proliferators.
Approaches to cancer immunotherapy based on breaking tolerance to non-mutated antigens overexpressed on metastatic cancers

Multiple cancer-associated antigens recognized by human tumor infiltrating lymphocytes have been identified and characterized. The majority of these antigens are either non-mutated proteins overexpressed on cancers or are antigens expressed only on cancers and cells in the germ line. Substitution of anchor residues of the immunodominant peptides from these proteins results in increased peptide immunogenicity and following immunization with these modified peptides, high levels of circulating CD8+ antigen reactive T cells can be generated in patients with metastatic cancer. Tumor regressions in vivo are sporadic and unpredictable, however, and we have thus explored approaches to increase the anti-tumor potential of these immunologic approaches. In a clinical trial of patients with metastatic melanoma immunized with these melanoma peptides in conjunction with an antibody reactive against CTLA-4, objective cancer regressions were seen in patients associated with autoimmunity including autoimmune colitis and gastritis, autoimmune hepatitis, and autoimmune hypophysitis. We have conducted a clinical trial in which patients received a non-myeloablative chemotherapy followed by the adoptive transfer of tumor reactive cells plus high dose IL-2. Forty percent of patients, who were previously refractory to treatment with high dose IL-2 and many with chemotherapy, had objective regressions of metastatic cancer. Lymphocytosis, in vivo persistence and proliferation of the transferred cells and clonal repopulation of the transferred lymphocytes were seen in some patients associated with cancer regression and the occasional onset of autoimmunity to normal melanocytes. These approaches demonstrate that the development of strong reactivity against normal melanocyte melanoma antigens overexpressed on melanomas can result in tumor destruction and autoimmunity. This abstract was published in Cancer Immunity, a Cancer Research Institute journal that ceased publication in 2013 and is now provided online in association with Cancer Immunology Research.
A Heuristic Gap Filling Method for Daily Precipitation Series

The gap filling is common practice to complete hydrological data series without missing values for environmental simulations and water resources modeling in a changing climate. However, gap filling processes are often cumbersome because physical constraints, such as complex terrain and density of weather stations, often limit the ability to improve the performance. Although several studies of gap filling methods have been developed and improved by researchers, it is still challenging to find the best gap filling method for broad applications. This research explores a gap filling method to improve climate data estimates (e.g., daily precipitation) using gamma distribution function with statistical correlation (GSC) in conjunction with cluster analysis (CA). The daily dataset at the source stations (SSs) is utilized to estimate missing values at the target stations (TSs) in the study area. Three standard gap filling methods, including Inverse Distance Weight (IDW), Ordinary Kriging (OK), and Gauge Mean Estimator (GME) are evaluated along with cluster analysis based on statistical measures (RMSE, MAE, R) and skill scores (HSS, PSS, CSI). The result indicates that cluster analysis can improve estimation performances regardless of the gap filling methods used. However, the GSC method associated with cluster analysis, in particular, outperformed other methods when the performance comparison task was conducted under rain and no-rain conditions in the study area. The proposed method, GSC, therefore, will be used as a case toward advancing gap filling methods in the field.
Preanesthetic assessment of the patient with renal disease

Summary The patient with renal disease, whether acute or chronic, presents many challenges to the anesthesiologist. A high postoperative complication rate can be expected, although mortality rates are not increased substantially after elective surgery. Severe renal failure produces physiologic abnormalities that affect almost all organ systems. A thorough preoperative evaluation (history, physical examination, and appropriate laboratory testing) helps the anesthesiologist detect those abnormalities and then plan an appropriate anesthetic technique. In addition the preoperative evaluation will determine if the patient is in optimal condition for surgery or whether surgery should be postponed to improve the overall medical condition of the patient. An understanding of the physiologic derangements that develop in both acute and chronic renal failure help the anesthesiologist manage these interesting and difficult disease processes.
Effect of instructions upon a perspective illusion

A drawing containing outline-perspective information was shown to 36 Ss and was identified to half as a flat figure, viz, a pennant (perspective-minimizing instructions) and to half simply as a figure (perspective-neutral instructions). All Ss were required to draw a line within the figure equal in length to a standard. A significant size-matching error was exhibited by each group, with a significantly smaller error for those Ss receiving the perspective-minimizing instructions. A replication involving 71 Ss confirmed this result. A third group of 32 Ss bisected a distance within the same figure under similar labeling conditions. The magnitude of the bisection error, although significant, was unaffected by instructions.
Effects of variation in inflorescence size and floral rewards on the visitation rates of traplining pollinators ofAralia hispida

In field experiments withAralia hispida inflorescences, the following variables were manipulated: number of umbels per inflorescence, number of flowers per umbel, and amounts of pollen and nectar per flower. Visitation rates by bumble bees, the principal pollinators, were then observed. In the reward-variation experiments, bees appeared to learn the positions of nectar-rich shoots, and visited them significantly more often than nectar-poor shoots. They did not respond to similar variation in pollen production. The nectar preferences developed slowly after the treatments were imposed, and bees continued to favor sites that had been occupied by nectar-rich shoots even after the treatments were discontinued. Visitation rate was approximately proportional to flower number, making it unlikely that increases in inflorescence size produced a disproportionate gain in male reproductive success (a necessary condition in certain models for the evolution of dioecy). For a fixed number of flowers per inflorescence, bees preferred inflorescences with more umbels. In pairwise choice tests of male-phase and female-phase umbels of various sizes, bees preferred male-phase umbels and larger umbels; the preference for male-phase umbels is stronger in bees that had previously fed on male-phase umbels.
Correlative Reasoning about Water in Mengzi 6A2

Mengzi 孟子 6A2 contains the famous (or infamous) water analogy for the innate goodness of human nature. Some evaluate Mengzi’s reasoning as strong and sophisticated; others, as weak or sophistical. I urge for more nuance in our evaluation. Mengzi’s reasoning fares poorly when judged by contemporary standards of analogical strength. However, if we evaluate the analogy as an instance of correlative thinking within a yin-yang 陰陽 cosmology, his reasoning fares well. That cosmology provides good reason to assert that water tends to flow downward, not because of available empirical evidence, but because water correlates to yin and yin correlates to naturally downward motion. Substantiating these contentions also gives occasion to better understand the nature of correlative reasoning in classical Chinese philosophy.
The engine of well-being.

The study of well-being is hampered by the multiplicity of approaches, but focusing on a single approach begs the question of what “well-being” really is. We analyze how well-being is defined accor...
The role of appraisals and coping in predicting posttraumatic stress following pediatric injury

OBJECTIVE: Given the millions of children who experience potentially traumatic injuries each year and the need to maximize emotional and physical health outcomes following pediatric injury, the current study examined the individual and collective contributions of the malleable variables of appraisals and coping in predicting posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in children following injury. METHOD: This study combined data from 3 prospective investigations of recovery from pediatric injury (N = 688) in which children ages 8-17 years were recruited shortly after an injury (within 4 weeks). At baseline (T1), children completed measures of their threat appraisals of the injury event and PTSS. Six to twelve weeks later (T2), children completed a measure of coping and PTSS. Finally, PTSS was assessed again 6 months post-injury (T3). RESULTS: Structural equation modeling analyses provide evidence that appraisals and coping contribute to PTSS. Furthermore, results suggest that escape coping mediates the relationship between threat appraisals and PTSS. CONCLUSIONS: Early interventions designed to prevent or reduce PTSS after pediatric injury may be more successful if they primarily target modifying escape coping behaviors. To best inform clinical practice, future research should examine factors influencing the development of children's appraisals and coping behaviors in the context of potentially traumatic events. (PsycINFO Database Record(c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved). Language: en
Put prevention into practice (PPIP): evaluating PPIP in two family practice residency sites.

Background and Objectives: The Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP) office system is a set of office tools designed to address physician, patient, and system barriers to the provision of clinical preventive services. This study evaluated the effect of using PPIP on the delivery of clinical preventive services at two family practice residency sites. Methods: After a careful planning process at each clinic, a 1-year trial was conducted with implementation of PPIP at two residency sites compared to two control residency sites. The subjects included adults age 19 and older. Data were collected via chart extraction on 300 randomly selected patients per clinic for the following three outcomes: health risk factor assessment (for limited physical activity, poor nutrition habits, and tobacco use), health promotion/counseling (for nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco use), and screening rates (clinical breast exam, cholesterol, fecal occult blood test, mammography, and Pap smear). Results: Only inconsistent or sporadic differences in risk factor assessment, health promotion counseling, and screening were seen when comparing implementation and control sites. Conclusions: PPIP had little effect on the delivery of clinical preventive services. Future research should include a careful analysis of the users of PPIP and the environments in which they practice.
Database Similarity Join for Metric Spaces

Similarity Joins are recognized among the most useful data processing and analysis operations. They retrieve all data pairs whose distances are smaller than a predefined threshold e. While several standalone implementations have been proposed, very little work has addressed the implementation of Similarity Join as a physical database operator. In this paper, we focus on the study, design and implementation of a Similarity Join database operator for any dataset that lies in a metric space DBSimJoin. We describe the changes in each query engine module to implement DBSimJoin and provide details of our implementation in PostgreSQL. The extensive performance evaluation shows that DBSimJoin significantly outperforms alternative approaches.
3D MEMS Fabrication Using Low-Temperature Wafer Bonding With Benzocyclobutene (BCB)

This paper reports the development of a new technology for batch fabrication of 3D microstructures and MEMS. A boron-doped perforated electrode is formed with an integrated back cavity by using a combination of DRIE and wet bulk micromachining. The 3D structure is produced by low-temperature bonding of two pre-processed silicon wafers using the Benzocyclobutene (BCB) polymer. Structure release and chip separation are realized by through-wafer DRIE. Multi-wafer high-aspect ratio structures as thick as 500–1000 µm can be fabricated for a variety of sensing and actuation applications. A high-density array of acoustic resonators and a high-sensitivity capacitive pressure sensor / microphone have been built using this technology.
Coumarin‐Induced DNA Ligation, Rearrangement to DNA Interstrand Crosslinks, and Photorelease of Coumarin Moiety

Coumarin moieties react with thymine and cytosine in DNA by photoinduced [2+2] cycloaddition, which allows quantitative DNA interstrand crosslink (ICL) formation. Here, we report the application of coumarin analogues for DNA photoligation and the rearrangement of coumarin-induced ligation to ICL products. Both DNA sequences and the linker units at position 4 of the coumarin moieties affected coumarin-induced DNA photoligation. A flexible linker unit favored DNA ICL formation but led to inefficient photoligation, whereas coumarins without linker units greatly increased DNA photoligation efficiency. DNA photoligation induced by the coumarin moiety was photoswitchable. Ligation products were formed between coumarin and dT or dC upon 350 nm irradiation but reverted to the original single-stranded oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs) upon 254 nm irradiation. Rearrangement of ligated ODNs into ICL products occurred during the switchable (350 nm/254 nm) processes. Additionally, photoinduced cleavage of coumarin 3 occurred with dC-3 cycloadducts upon 254 nm irradiation, which was confirmed by mass spectrometry analysis.
A Geodesign approach to environmental design education: Framing the pedagogy, evaluating the results

Abstract This paper examines the outcomes of a Geodesign approach to training undergraduates and graduate students in environmental design and related professions. The focus of this paper is on the role of Geodesign in generalist environmental design training. This paper is organized in three parts. First, it describes a conceptual framework for Geodesign that seats it within a context of theory and practice. Second, we present a case study of the University of Colorado Geodesign program, including, at the time under review in this case, undergraduate and masters programs in architecture, landscape architecture and planning. Third, we reflect back both on the conceptual framework and the experience of the University of Colorado. In this research we developed an instrument with which to evaluate final class projects, and assess learning outcomes of beginning and advanced studios, special topics classes and Geodesign modules. While a number of Geodesign programs are underway relatively little has been written about Geodesign pedagogy. This paper explores issues and opportunities in Geodesign education based on the University of Colorado case.
THEORY OF REGENERATION BASED ON MASS ACTION. II

1. Quantitative proof is furnished that all the material available for shoot and root formation in an isolated leaf of Bryophyllum calycinum flows to those notches where through the influence of gravity or by a more abundant supply of water growth is accelerated. As soon as the acceleration of growth in these notches commences, the growth of shoots and roots in the other notches which may already have started ceases. 2. It had been shown in a preceding paper that the regeneration of an isolated piece of stem may be and frequently is in the beginning not markedly polar, but that after some time the growth of all the roots except those at the base and of all the shoots except those at the apex is suppressed. This analogy with the behavior of regeneration in a leaf in which the growth in one set of notches is accelerated, suggests that in an isolated stem a more rapid growth is favored at the extreme ends (probably by a block of the sap flow at the extreme ends) and that when this happens the total flow of ascending sap goes to the most apical buds and the total flow of the descending sap goes to the most basal roots. As soon as this occurs, the growth of the other roots and shoots is suppressed.
The Educational Value of Case Reports

Case reports can produce substantial educational benefits. Readers of case reports gain a deeper understanding of the topic area and key insights into specific points of diagnosis and management. Case reports also create “recognition patterns” that readers can use to identify and treat rare and unexpected conditions in their own practices. For medical students and residents, writing case reports can improve scholarly writing, sharpen observation, pattern-recognition, and hypothesis-generating skills, increase understanding of patient-centered care, and give valuable experience with peer review and the publication process. Collaborative writing with faculty co-authors can lead to strong mentoring relationships. Writing case reports can help practicing physicians to share clinical observations and insights with others, build knowledge and expertise, and contribute to the medical literature.
Wildfires and geochemical change in a subalpine forest over the past six millennia

Citation: Berangere Leys and Philip E Higuera and Kendra K McLauchlan and Paul V Dunnette. (2016). Wildfires and geochemical change in a subalpine forest over the past six millennia. Environmental Research Letters, 11(12), 125003.
Low-rank matrix recovery with poison noise

In this paper, we present a regularized maximum likelihood estimator to recover an approximately low-rank matrix under Poisson noise. We also establish performance bounds for the proposed estimator, by combining techniques for recovering sparse signals under Poisson noise [2], and methods for recovering low-rank matrices [3]. Our bound demonstrates that as the overall intensity of the signal increases, the upper bound on the risk performance of proposed estimator decays at certain rate depending how well the image can be approximated by a low-rank matrix. On the other hand, our bound also indicates there is certain threshold effect such that the risk might not monotonically decrease with respect to the number of measurements, in line with the result in compressed sensing.
Dietary Composition of Four Stocks of Pacific Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) In the Northern California Current Large Marine Ecosystem As Synthesized From Historical Data, 1931–2013

Abstract I conducted a literature review of Harbor Seal dietary composition within the northern California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME). Papers examining quantitative dietary information from stomach contents and fecal hard-part analyses were used to create a comprehensive list of Harbor Seal prey in the northern California Current System. The study regions included Washington, Oregon, and the Columbia River, and were divided by Harbor Seal stock. Fourteen papers from the years 1931 to 2013 were compiled to obtain a comprehensive and quantitative evaluation of Harbor Seal dietary composition. Harbor Seals consumed a seasonally and spatially-varied diet, including fish, invertebrates, mammals, and birds of 120 species or genera from 37 taxonomic orders and 62 families. The Hood Canal, Oregon-Washington Coastal, and Southern Puget Sound Stocks of Harbor Seals were well-represented. Salmonids were detected in 13.3% of samples collected in Oregon, 27.8% in Washington, and 23.74% of samples overall. ...
Aperture interference and the volumetric resolution of light field fluorescence microscopy

Light field microscopy (LFM) is an emerging technique for volumetric fluorescence imaging, but widespread use is hampered by its poor spatial resolution. Using diffraction-based analysis we show how this degraded resolution arises because conventional LFM aims to sample four dimensions of the light field. By instead prioritizing 3D volumetric information over 4D sampling, we can optically interfere certain redundant angular samples to allow higher spatial resolution while maintaining enough angular information for depth discrimination. With this in mind, we design a number of aperture plane sampling schemes, characterize their frequency support and invertibility, and describe how their relative performance depends on the operating signal-to-noise regime. With simulations and a prototype, we demonstrate a time-sequential amplitude mask-based acquisition approach that outperforms conventional LFM in terms of both spatial resolution and axial field of view.
Recommending Services for New Mashups through Service Factors and Top-K Neighbors

One of the most interesting research directions in service computing is to leverage current recommendation system solutions to suggest web services for a mashup application. Existing approaches are mainly based on collaborative filtering techniques, which can suffer from the heavy rely on human input, data sparsity and cold start issues, resulting in low accuracy. In this paper, we leverage advanced probabilistic model based approaches to tackle these issues. Our solution is to make service recommendation based on the service features and historical usage. We use the Hierarchical Dirichlet Process (HDP), a nonparametric Bayesian approach to intelligently discover the functionally relevant services based on their specifications. We leverage Probabilistic Matrix Factorization (PMF) to recommend services based on historical usage and tackle the cold start issues for new mashups through their top-K neighbors. We integrate the suggesting results from these two approaches through the Bayesian theorem and take the indicator of quality of service into account to make the final suggestion. We compared our approach with some existing approaches using a real world data set and the result indicates that our approach performs the best.
Zebrafish as a model to study neuroblastoma development

Neuroblastoma is a pediatric solid tumor arising from embryonic neural crest progenitor cells that normally generate the peripheral sympathetic nervous system. As such, the location of neuroblastoma tumors is correlated with the distribution of major post-ganglionic clusters throughout the sympathetic chain, with the highest incidence in the adrenal medulla or lumbar sympathetic ganglia (~65%). Neuroblastoma is an enigmatic tumor that can spontaneously regress with minimal treatment or become highly metastatic and develop resistance to aggressive treatments, including radiation and high-dose chemotherapy. Age of diagnosis, stage of disease and cellular and genetic features often predict whether the tumor will regress or advance to metastatic disease. Recent efforts using molecular and genomic technologies have allowed more accurate stratification of patients into low-, intermediate- and high-risk categories, thereby allowing for minimal intervention in low-risk patients and providing potential new therapeutic targets, such as the ALK receptor tyrosine kinase, for high-risk or relapsed patients. Despite these advances, the overall survival of high-risk neuroblastoma patients is still less than 50%. Furthermore, next-generation sequencing has revealed that almost two-thirds of neuroblastoma tumors do not contain obvious pathogenic mutations, suggesting that epigenetic mechanisms and/or a perturbed cellular microenvironment may heavily influence neuroblastoma development. Understanding the mechanisms that drive neuroblastoma, therefore, will likely require a combination of genomic, developmental and cancer biology approaches in whole animal systems. In this review, we discuss the contributions of zebrafish research to our understanding of neuroblastoma pathogenesis as well as the potential for this model system to accelerate the identification of more effective therapies for high-risk neuroblastoma patients in the future.
Spinodal Curve of a Model Ternary Solution

We consider a lattice model for ternary solutions in which the lattice bonds are covered by molecules of types AA, BB, and AB, and the only interactions are between the molecular ends of a common lattice site. Using its equivalence with the standard Ising model for magnets, we derive the spinodal curve of the three-component model on the honeycomb lattice in the mean-field and Bethe-lattice approximations. The spinodal and the coexistence curves of the ternary solution are drawn at different values of the reduced temperature, the only parameter of the model. The particular case of a binary solution is also illustrated.
Two Person Zero-Sum Differential Games-General Case

The object of this Chapter is to present the concept of strategies and solutions as well as existence and uniqueness results for the two person zero-sum stochastic differential games. First, we will discuss some definitions and a brief survey of earlier works. Then, we will present the earlier work on stochastic differential games using martingale methods. Almost all of the material on this subsection comes from Elliott [47]. In the next subsection, we will briefly mention the recent results obtained on two person zero-sum stochastic differential games using the concept of viscosity solutions, Souganidis [181]. There are various other methods used in studying stochastic differential games. In Bensoussan and Lions [22], two player stochastic differential games with stopping is analyzed using the method of two sided variational inequalities.
Biological agents like threat causing ones or tools for detecting hazards

Greater and greater demand is needed to detect and identify the new emerging biological agents in drinking water supply. The so called indicator organisms like bacteria (E. coli, coliform bacteria etc.) often do not indicate the real danger for human health because of their higher sensitivity to chlorination for e.g. The other pathogen organisms like Cryptosporidia, Giardia, Cyanobacteria and their toxins, viruses, Legionella, fungi have higher resistance in other words lower sensitivity to chlorine. So some water borne disease can emerge beside the indicator parameters are satisfying. A case study in Hungary could prove this. Calicivirus caused outbreak in two villages spreading by the network of potable water. There are some indicators in legislation used in Hungary with similar sensitivity like pathogens to point out the possibility of occurrence of pathogens. These organisms are not pathogens but their appearance indicate the neglected condition of the network and the procedure of treatment plant. On the other hand the organisms can be used for detecting hazards like chemicals, genotoxic agents etc. Two technical workshops were organised on Toxicity for Biodefense in Oregon State University, USA and University of Pecs, Hungary. Both of the workshops were organised on the idea that each participant/group brought were given identical samples, and results were compared. Both toxicity and
Biomarkers in Asthma: A Real Hope to Better Manage Asthma

Diagnosis and treatment of asthma are currently based on assessment of patient symptoms and physiologic tests of airway reactivity. The morbidities and costs associated with the over and/or under treatment of this common disease, as well as the growing numbers of biologically-specific targeted strategies for therapy, provide a rationale for development of biomarkers to evaluate the presence and type of inflammation in individuals with asthma in order to optimize treatment plans. Research over the past decade has identified an array of biochemical and cellular biomarkers, which reflect the heterogeneous and multiple mechanistic pathways that may lead to asthma. These mechanistic biomarkers offer hope for optimal design of therapies targeting the specific pathways that lead to inflammation. This article provides an overview of blood, urine and airway biomarkers, summarizes the pathologic pathways that they signify, and begins to describe the utility of biomarkers in the future care of patients with asthma.
Single-particle electron cryotomography (cryoET).

Abstract Electron cryotomography (cryoET) is capable of yielding 3D reconstructions of cells and large-macromolecular machines. It does not depend on fixing, staining, or embedding, so the contrast is related to the mass density of the specimen. The 3D reconstruction itself does not require that the specimen consist of identical, conformationally homogeneous units in random orientations, as is the ideal case for single-particle reconstruction from 2D images. However, if the specimen contains multiple copies of a macromolecular assembly, these copies can be extracted as 3D subvolumes from the tomographic reconstruction, aligned to each other, and averaged to achieve higher signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios and higher resolution. If conformational variability is present, it is more straightforward to separate the conformational heterogeneity from the orientation of the particles using the 3D information from the subvolumes than it is for single-particle reconstructions. This chapter covers the techniques of detecting, classifying, aligning, and averaging subvolumes (subtomograms) extracted from cryoET reconstructions. It considers methods for dealing with the unique problems encountered in tomographic analysis, such as the absence of data in the “missing wedge,” and the overall extremely low S/N ratio inherent in cryoET. It also reviews applications of the inverse problem, that of orienting a template back into a tomogram, to determine the position of a molecule in the context of a whole cell.
Factors in cattle affecting embryo transfer pregnancies in recipient animals

Abstract The use of embryo transfer (ET) in cattle is important for profitability and improved genetic gains. The advent of the commercial embryo collection and transfer industry has led to advancements in multiple techniques and practices. Specific variables, however, have historically affected pregnancy rates but an understanding of the magnitude of these effects in the current industry is limited. Transfer location (cranial, middle, or caudal third of the uterine horn ipsilateral to the ovary with a CL), transfer score (range of 1–3 with 1 being excellent and 3 poor, based on difficulty of accessing the site of embryo deposition), and amount of time to complete a transfer, therefore, were recorded. These variables were collected in a setting designed to mimic commercial production practices as well as exaggerated time (due to data collection) to assess effects on pregnancy rates. Fresh and frozen in vivo-derived embryos (n = 256) from Bos taurus cows were transferred to Bos taurus recipients. There tended to be more pregnancies when embryos were deposited in the cranial part of the uterus (P = 0.08) compared to the middle and caudal third of the uterus. With a lesser degree of difficulty in transfers (score 1), there tended to be more pregnancies established (P = 0.07). When lesser time was needed for transferring embryos and collecting data, there were greater pregnancy rates (P = 0.03). Thus, these traditionally accepted variables of influence (site of embryo placement in uterus, difficulty, and time) continue to influence ET pregnancy success.
State-of-the-Art Monolithic Switched-Capacitor Voltage Regulators for Ultra-Low Power Internet of Things

The feasibility of monolithic integration together with low EMI and simple control makes switched-capacitor (SC) voltage regulator an attractive power solution to Internet of Things (IoTs). Recent research studies have demonstrated that ultra-low power SC voltage regulators can effectively reduce system cost, operate in wide input range and interface with energy harvesters. This paper presents an overview on state-of-the-art design techniques for these SC voltage regulators, including the solutions of self-startup with very low input voltage, reconfigurable SC topologies and energy harvesting implementations. The review aims to serve as a reference for future’s IoT power supply designs.
Determinants of voice recognition in monolingual and bilingual listeners

Recent findings demonstrate a bilingual advantage for voice processing in children, but the mechanism supporting this advantage is unknown. Here we examined whether a bilingual advantage for voice processing is observed in adults and, if so, if it reflects enhanced pitch perception or inhibitory control. Voice processing was assessed for monolingual and bilingual adults using an associative learning identification task and a discrimination task in English (a familiar language) and French (an unfamiliar language). Participants also completed pitch perception, flanker, and auditory Stroop tasks. Voice processing was improved for the familiar compared to the unfamiliar language and reflected individual differences in pitch perception (both tasks) and inhibitory control (identification task). However, no bilingual advantage was observed for either voice task, suggesting that the bilingual advantage for voice processing becomes attenuated during maturation, with performance in adulthood reflecting knowledge of linguistic structure in addition to general auditory and inhibitory control abilities.
Radical Cystectomy: Robotic, Laparoscopic, Open and Partial

Open radical cystectomy (ORC) has evolved over the past 60 years and currently represents the gold standard for the treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer. The utilization of robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) has been steadily growing since 2003 with acceptable outcomes. The goal of this chapter is to assess peri- and post-operative outcomes of robot-assisted radical and partial cystectomy compared with open radical cystectomy for the treatment of bladder cancer. Most series report decreased blood loss, return of bowel function, and shorter length of stay, while complication rates have been shown to be similar to open series. Intermediate-term oncologic outcomes appear to be favorable, and several prospective, randomized trials comparing the two approaches are currently underway with recurrence free survival as the primary endpoint.
A restructured freshman history course: The evolution of a librarian’s role

In 2012 the history department at the University of Oklahoma (OU) received a mandate from the university’s president to overhaul its U.S. history survey courses. Part of the mandate was that only tenured or tenure-track faculty would teach the survey, and though the classes would be large (around 200 students), there would also be required discussion sessions led by graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). Writing and critical thinking were also to be incorporated. The department decided to fulfill this mandate by reconstructing the survey classes around primary source-based research and looked to other departments on campus, such as the Center for Teaching Excellence, the Expository Writing Program, and the University Libraries, for support. This article describes how the librarian for history has worked with numerous stakeholders to support this ambitious and constantly evolving project, which attempts to bring historical inquiry to the freshman level.
Practice theory and conservative thought

The concept of practice is thematically central to modern conservative thought, as evident in Edmund Burke’s writings on the aesthetic and his diatribe against the French Revolution. It is also the...
Effects of B7.2 −/− Mature Dendritic Cells on Tolerance Induction to Alloantigens in Fetal Mice Following In Utero Transplantation with Lineage Depleted Bone Marrow.

In utero hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (IUT) has the potential to cure a variety of marrow stem cell defects without using marrow ablative therapy. However IUT for diseases other than SCID has been unsuccessful. To better understand the barriers to successful IUT we wanted to define the role of the B7.1/B7.2 co-stimulatory molecules in inducing tolerance to allogeneic donor bone marrow cells in the fetal murine recipient. We studied the relative role of B7.1 and B7.2 expression on dendritic cells (DC) on engraftment and in generating donor specific tolerance in fetal mice. Mature DC (mDC) from B7.1 −/− or B7.2 −/− donors and wild type (wt) lineage depleted (lin − ) C57Bl/6 (B6) bone marrow (BM) were injected into gestational day (GD) 14 Balb/c fetuses. Recipients of lin − wt BM and B7.1 −/− mDC had a significantly lower survival (47.4%, p −/− mDC and lin − BM (82.3%) where none developed GvHD. Engraftment results in blood at 6 weeks post IUT showed, B7.1 −/− recipients had multilineage engraftment (4.7±0.8% T cells and 5.7± 1.1% granulocytes) in their blood, but by 12 weeks, only donor CD3+ (predominantly CD8 + ) cells (2.1±1.3%) were present. The percent H2Kb + (donor) T cells (predominantly CD4 + ) in the blood of recipients of lin − wt BM and B7.2 −/− was 11.8±8.5% at 6 weeks p + cells were Th2 (CD4 + CD25 − IL4 + IL10 + ) and Treg (CD4 + CD25 + IL4 − IL10 − ). Both fractions inhibited the T cell proliferative response in the MLR. Long term engraftment in thymic tissues was found in the tolerant recipients of lin − wt BM and B7.2 −/− mDC (13.4±8.3% donor CD3+ T cells). We also found prolonged (rejection by day 36) acceptance of donor skin grafts in 7 of 12 recipients of B7.2 −/− mDC and 2 of 5 recipients of B7.2 −/− mDC and lin − BM. All third party C3H grafts were rejected by day 14 and 80% of the Balb/c (self) skin grafts were permanently accepted. We hypothesized that tolerized animals would behave similarly to recipients of megadoses of syngeneic BM with an increase in multilineage engraftment. We injected a total of 200x10 6 male wt B6 lin − BM cells over 5 days into adult IUT recipients of B7.1 −/− or B7.2 −/− mDC ± lin − wt BM and wt age-matched allogeneic and syngeneic (female) controls. Mice that had received B7.2 −/− mDC + lin − BM in utero showed multi-lineage engraftment in the blood. In contrast, the in utero recipients of B7.1 −/− mDC + lin − BM showed no significant engraftment (p −/− mDC and lin − BM appear to be mediated by both Th2 and Treg donor cells.
Ultrasound-induced remediation of the second-generation antihistamine, Cetirizine

Abstract Cetirizine, a second-generation antihistamine, has been detected in surface water and wastewater treatment eluent. The presence of Cetirizine and personal care products in the sources for drinking water is a serious concern. Cetirizine in aqueous media is readily degraded over a wide range of concentrations (4.3 to 65 μmol/L) upon ultrasonic treatment at 640 KHz. When the concentration of CET was below 21.7 μmol/L, more than 50 % of the initial concentration was degraded within 12 min. The degradation is effectively modeled at individual concentrations by pseudo first order kinetics, however the rate constants varied from 0.148 to 0.025 min−1 as a function of initial concentration. The degradation kinetics are effectively modeled by Langmuir-Hinshelwood heterogeneous kinetics. Application of the L=H model to the ultrasonic induced degradation of Cetirizine yields a reactivity constant, kL-H-rxn = 1.64 μmol· L−1· min−1 and the partitioning constant, KL-H = 0.10 L/μmol. Ultrasonically induced degradation of Cetirizine was faster under argon and oxygen saturated conditions compared to air saturation. Addition of an equimolar concentration of the hydroxyl radical scavenger, coumarin, during ultrasonic treatment lead to decreased degradation rates by 46 %, demonstrating that pyrolysis and hydroxyl radical oxidation significantly contribute to the degradation process. The primary degradation reaction products, 1-((4-chlorophenyl)(phenyl)methyl)piperazine, 2-(2-(piperazin-1-yl)ethoxy)acetic acid, 2-(4-((4-chlorophenyl)(phenyl)methyl)piperazin-1-yl)ethanol, and ortho, meta and para hydroxylation of the aromatic ring of CET were identified by LC–MS. Ultrasound induced remediation is a rapid and effective method for remediation of Cetirizine from water.
Absorbance-temperature profile of ribosomes from seeds of Pinus lambertiana

Abstract The absorbance (260 nm)-temperature profile of ribosomes from seeds of Pinus lambertiana , in the temperature range of about 25 – 60° was observed to be biphasic. When r-proteins in ribosomes were dansylated by 5-dimethylamino-1-naphthalenesulfonyl chloride dispersed on celite (180 molecules of 5-dimethylamino-1-naphthalenesulfonyl chloride per one ribosome particle), each transition midpoint was lowered by 2 – 3° and the sharpness of the transition of each phase was increased. The result of the present work suggests discrete cooperative transitions of the conformation of r-RNAs in ribosomes and its control by r-proteins.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) authorization of discount variety stores: leveraging the private sector to modestly increase availability of healthy foods.

BACKGROUND Many lower-income communities in the United States lack a full-line grocery store. There is evidence that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) increases the availability of healthy foods in stores. One national discount variety store chain (DVS) that is often located in low-income neighborhoods became an authorized WIC vendor in 8 pilot stores. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to evaluate how implementing WIC in DVS pilot stores affected sales of healthy, WIC-eligible foods. METHODS We used DVS sales data and difference-in-differences regression to evaluate how WIC authorization affected sales of WIC-eligible foods in 8 DVS pilot stores, compared with 8 matched comparison stores. RESULTS DVS added 18 new WIC-approved foods to become an authorized vendor. Results indicate that becoming a WIC vendor significantly increased sales of healthy, WIC-eligible foods that DVS carried before authorization. WIC implementation in DVS led to a 31-unit increase in sales of the original WIC foods per week on average (P < 0.01). Lower socioeconomic status, assessed using a summary measure, is associated with increased sales of WIC foods. Yet sales of non-WIC eligible foods (e.g., salty snack foods, candy bars, soda, and processed meats) were not affected by WIC authorization. CONCLUSIONS Encouraging DVS stores to become WIC-authorized vendors has the potential to modestly increase DVS sales and the availability of healthy foods in low-income neighborhoods. If WIC authorization is financially viable for small-format variety stores, encouraging similar small-format variety stores to become WIC-authorized has the potential to improve food access.
Effect of sarcopenia on systemic targeted therapy response in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Sarcopenia is an independent prognostic indicator for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our objective was to determine the effect of sarcopenia on response to systemic targeted therapy in patients with advanced HCC. This was a retrospective, Institutional Review Board approved study of 36 patients on systemic targeted therapy with immune checkpoint blockade (n = 25) or tyrosine kinase inhibitor (n = 11) for biopsy-proven advanced HCC. Skeletal muscle index (SMI) was calculated from erector spinae muscle area (SMA) at the level of T12 on pretreatment CT: [SMI = SMA (cm2)/height (m2)]. SMI was compared to treatment response defined as overall survival ≥ 1 year (nonsurgical patients) or > 50% HCC necrosis (surgical patients). Receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve was used for analysis with p < 0.05 for statistical significance. Median age of men and women was 66.5 years (range 32–83) and 70 years (range 54–78), respectively. Liver disease etiology was nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (n = 9), hepatitis C (n = 10), hepatitis B (n = 5), alcohol (n = 3) and unknown (n = 9). Mean (± SD) height and SMI for men were 1.7 m (± 0.1) and 11.4 (± 3.6); values for women were 1.7 m (± 0.1) and 8.2 (± 1.9). Treatment was withdrawn in five patients due to treatment intolerance. Response occurred in 10/31 (32.3%) patients (23 men, 8 women). T12SMI correlated with treatment response using a threshold of 7.21-8.23 for women (AUC = 1; p = 0.037), and 11.47 for men (AUC = 0.83; p = 0.015); correlation was increased for men ≥ 60 years, (AUC = 0.87; p = 0.023). Sarcopenia was associated with reduced survival and HCC necrosis in patients treated with systemic targeted therapy. Sarcopenia may help in predicting outcomes to targeted therapy in advanced HCC.
Exploring the performance of latent moderated structural equations approach for ordered-categorical items

Latent moderated structural equations (LMS) is a popular method in estimating latent interaction effects. Mplus has implemented a variant of LMS (LMS-cat) that uses categorical confirmatory factor ...
A fast work-efficient SSSP algorithm for GPUs

This paper presents a new Single Source Shortest Path (SSSP) algorithm for GPUs. Our key advancement is an improved work scheduler, which is central to the performance of SSSP algorithms. Previous GPU solutions for SSSP use simple work schedulers that can be implemented efficiently on GPUs but that produce low quality schedules. Such solutions yield poor work efficiency and can underutilize the hardware due to a lack of parallelism. Our solution introduces a more sophisticated work scheduler---based on a novel highly parallel approximate priority queue---that produces high quality schedules while being efficiently implementable on GPUs. To evaluate our solution, we use 226 graph inputs from the Lonestar 4.0 benchmark suite and the SuiteSparse Matrix Collection, and we find that our solution outperforms the previous state-of-the-art solution by an average of 2.9×, showing that an efficient work scheduling mechanism can be implemented on GPUs without sacrificing schedule quality. While this paper focuses on the SSSP problem, it has broader implications for the use of GPUs, illustrating that seemingly ill-suited data structures, such as priority queues, can be efficiently implemented for GPUs if we use the proper software structure.
Religion and progressive activism: new stories about faith and politics: edited by Braunstein, Ruth; Todd Nicholas Fuist and Rhys H. Williams, New York, NY, New York University Press, 2017, viii + 388 pp., $30.00 USD (paperback), ISBN 978-1-4798-5290-1

The seeds of this edited volume began with a conversation at an American Sociological Association meeting focusing on the relationship between what the editors call the four dimensions of progressi...
What Does It Mean to Be a Clinical Track Faculty Member in Public Health? A Survey of Clinical Track Faculty Across the United States.

ObjectivesThe clinical professor track has expanded and reflects a trend toward hiring non–tenure-track faculty in public health; however, little is known about this track. We documented characteri...