cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polymer Interdiffusion near an Attractive Solid Substrate

Neutron reflectometry is used to study interdiffusion in bilayers of hydrogenated and deuterated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) on silicon substrates where the polymer−substrate interaction energy is strongly attractive. The effect of the polymer−substrate interaction energy on the interdiffusion rate as a function of distance from the surface is investigated. Samples are prepared with lower layer thicknesses of the deuterated PMMA ranging from 35 to 335 A or 0.4 to 3.6 radii of gyration (Rg) of the bulk polymer chain. The rate of interdiffusion is found to be strongly dependent upon the lower film size. Polymers in films less than Rg in thickness have effective diffusion constants 2 orders of magnitude smaller than polymers in the thickest films. The effective range of the substrate on the interdiffusion dynamics is found to be between 300 and 400 A or 3 Rg and 4 Rg. The observed dynamics are attributed to the different polymer chain conformations at varying distances from the solid surface.
Macroeconomic consequences of the Russian mortality crisis

Abstract This paper examines macroeconomic consequences of the Russian mortality crisis. Life expectancy in Russia decreased from 70 to 65 years during the first half of the 1990s, which we estimate accounts for approximately 1.6 million excess deaths during 1990–1995. Coupled with its disproportionate impact on working age males, the large number of excess deaths suggests the crisis may have had a significant negative impact on the level and growth of Russia's per capita income. We estimate the economic cost of the crisis using two alternative approaches. First, we estimate the capitalized value of the income forgone due to the crisis, which represents between 1.8 and 2.7% of Russia's 1990 GDP. There are, however, both theoretical and empirical problems with this approach to estimating the cost of the crisis. Second, we estimate the parameters of a macroeconomic growth model and use it to calculate the effect of the crisis on Russia's rate of economic growth. Our calculations suggest that the net effect of the drop in life expectancy, the decline in the rate of total population growth, and the even larger decline in the rate of growth of the working age population have been to lower the annual rate of growth of income per capita in Russia by roughly one-third of one percentage point. Given that Russia's per capita income fell at an average annual rate of 9% during 1990–1995, we conclude that the mortality crisis — which has unquestionably been catastrophic in human terms — has been at most a small contributor to Russia's poor macroeconomic performance. The paper also discusses the effects of the crisis on other macroeconomic variables such as income inequality and the fiscal balance of the pension system. The paper concludes with a discussion of possible new approaches to modeling the two-way linkages between health status and economic growth.
Comparison of single and multiple-trait selected sires. Response in mastitis traits.

Estimated somatic cell counts and incidence of clinical mastitis were measured on 163 daughters of two groups of bulls selected by two alternative criteria. Yield bulls were selected solely on progeny test for milk in first lactation; Merit bulls were selected by independent culling levels on fat-corrected milk yield, percent daughters culled in first lactation, and udder type conformation of daughters. Daughters of Yield sires exceeded daughters of Merit sires by 685 kg milk in first lactation. Groups did not differ significantly in measures of clinical mastitis or in measures of estimated cell counts of milk. Also, groups did not differ in kilograms milk discarded because of antibiotic treatment for mastitis, in spite of the large difference in total milk yield. Mean milk discarded per lactation completed was 171 kg, representing 64,243, and 207 kg for parities one, two, and three.
Estimating Effective Capacity in Erlang Loss Systems under Competition

We consider an Erlang loss system (modem bank) with two streams of arriving customers, where arrival rates vary by time-of-day. We can observe one of the traffic streams (our customers), but we do not know how many servers the system has, or the characteristics of the other stream. Using detailed sample-path data, we construct a maximum likelihood estimator that makes good use of the data, but is slow to evaluate. As an alternative, we present an estimation system based on traffic data summarized by hour. This estimation system is much faster, and tends to produce good lower bounds on the size of the system and competing traffic.
THE ETHICS OF HIV/AIDS AND THE RISE OF ANAPOCALYPTIC MARIOLOGIST MOVEMENT FOR THERESTORATION OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

This article offers an assessment of the significance of The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God (MRTCG) in Uganda. It describes how the MRTCG leaders proposed celibacy and physical withdrawal from the supposed “corrupt, evil and damned world,” and urged their followers to wait for God to destroy the world and to save them through the Blessed Virgin Mary. Tragically, when their apocalyptic prophecies failed to materialize, the MRTCG leaders ritually killed hundreds of their followers in 2000 hoping to save them and through martyrdom, to deliver them directly to God in heaven. It suggests that this movement has to be understood within the context of the rise of HIV/Aids pandemic in Uganda. It describes the socio-economic, cultural, medical and political factors prevailing in Uganda (1981- 2000) and shows how the MRTCG responded to such circumstances. The final section sketches some of the subsequent developments concerning the fight against HIV/Aids in Uganda.
Classification-aware dimensionality reduction methods for explosives detection using multi-energy x-ray computed tomography

Multi-Energy X-ray Computed Tomography (MECT) is a non-destructive scanning technology in which multiple energyselective measurements of the X-ray attenuation can be obtained. This provides more information about the chemical composition of the scanned materials than single-energy technologies and potential for more reliable detection of explosives. We study the problem of discriminating between explosives and non-explosives using low-dimensional features extracted from the high-dimensional attenuation versus energy curves of materials. We study various linear dimensionality reduction methods and demonstrate that the detection performance can be improved by using more than two features and when using features different than the standard photoelectric and Compton coefficients. This suggests the potential for improved detection performance relative to conventional dual-energy X-ray systems.
The anergy panel: an ineffective tool to validate tuberculin skin testing.

During a 2-year period, the infection control practitioners at an acute care Department of Veterans Affairs health care system administered 440 tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) and 335 anergy panels. Each patient’s computerized medical record was reviewed retrospectively. Of patients, 79% (265/ 335) who received both PPD and anergy testing and 62% (23/37) who were PPD positive had no response to anergy. We conclude that using the anergy panel to validate PPD skin tests was not useful in our patient population. The tuberculin skin test with tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) is themost widely used screening test for latent tuberculosis. Anergy skin testing is used to assess cell-mediated, delayed-type hypersensitivity response to antigens and, thus, verify the validity of a negative PPD. The Food and Drug Administration has approved mumps and Candida antigen for intradermal delayed-type hypersensitivity testing. However, anergy testing has not been standardized, resulting in an assortment of antigens with varied interpretation of the results. In October 1995, 2 infection control practitioners (ICPs) assumed the responsibility for administering, reading, and documenting PPDs and anergy panels as ordered for all inpatients in an 140-bed acute care Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system to assure consistent reading and documentation of the skin tests. After several months, the ICPs noted that many patients including some patients who were PPD positive did not respond to anergy testing. Because anergy testing was a common practice, the validity of anergy testing was questioned.
Code requirements and standards for installations of photovoltaic systems in the US

Electrical code requirements and a broad base of standards for PV installations in the US have been written. The National Electrical Code® (NEC®) focuses primarily on electrical system installation requirements in the US. The NEC addresses both fire and personnel safety. This paper describes recent efforts of the PV industry in the US and the resulting requirements in the 1999 National Electrical Code-Article 690-Solar Photovoltaic Systems, It provides an overview of the most significant changes that appear in Article 690 of the 1999 edition of the NEC. A summary of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) PV standards and current standards development efforts is also provided. Related and coordinated efforts of the other standards-making groups are also briefly reviewed.
Recoil effects in heavy-ion reactions☆

Abstract Expressions for the recoil effects in single-nucleon transfer in heavy-ion reactions are obtained in first order in the mass ratio (m/M), where m is the mass of the transferred nucleon and M is the mass of either of the nuclear cores. The effect of recoil on the j-dependence, the energy dependence and angular momentum of the residual nucleus is predicted.
Microparticles impact coagulation after traumatic brain injury.

Abstract Background The pathophysiology that drives the subacute hypercoagulable state commonly seen after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not well understood. Alterations caused by TBI in platelet and microparticle (MP) numbers and function have been suggested as possible causes; however, the contributions of platelets and MPs are currently unknown. Materials and methods A weight-drop technique of TBI using a murine model of moderate head injury was used. Blood was collected at intervals after injury. MP enumeration and characterization were performed using Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, and platelet counts and coagulation parameters were determined using thromboelastometry. A MP procoagulant assay was used to compare activity between injured and sham mice. Results At 24 h after injury, there were no changes in circulating platelet numbers. However, there was a decrease in platelet contribution to clot formation. In contrast, there was a decline in circulating total MP numbers. When MPs from sham mice were added to the blood from head-injured animals, there was a normalization of platelet contribution to clot formation. Conversely, when MPs from TBI mice were added to sham blood, there was a significant decrease in platelet contribution to clot formation. Notably, there was an increase in MP procoagulant activity in head-injured mice. Conclusions MPs generated after TBI likely contribute to altered coagulation after head injury and may play a key role in the development of a posttraumatic hypercoagulable state in TBI patients.
A note on an information theoretic form of the uncertainty principle

It is pointed out than an inequality due to Hirschman (1957) makes it possible to express the Heisenberg uncertainty principle in the form of an additive inequality in terms of deviations. Application of the new inequality to the spreading of a wave packet is descrived.
A Panax-centric view of invasive species.

Plant-centric sampling provides a novel approach to quantifying the potential impact of invasive species on native plant species. The aim of this study was to determine the level of exposure of individuals and populations of Panax quinquefolius to invasive plant species using this approach in thirty natural ginseng populations. A high level of invasion was found with 63–70% of ginseng populations containing at least one invasive species. Approximately one-third of all individuals were found in close proximity to invasive plants. The most prevalent invasive species were Rosa multiflora and Berberis thunbergii. The exposure to invasives of plants in different size classes varied among populations. Invasive species presence increased with greater ginseng population sizes and presence of harvest. The abundance of invasives plants within forest interiors near this valuable medicinal herb suggests that the economic and ecological costs of competitive interactions with native species could be high.
Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide Contacts on Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurones Increase Following Puberty in Female Rats

Successful reproduction requires precise temporal coordination among various endocrine and behavioural events. The circadian system regulates daily temporal organization in behaviour and physiology, including neuroendocrine rhythms. The main circadian pacemaker in mammals is located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the anterior hypothalamus. The SCN sends direct efferents to the reproductive axis via monosynaptic projections to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurones. This communication generates circadian endocrine rhythms as well as the preovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surge necessary for successful ovulation. One SCN peptide thought to be important for the regulation of oestrous cycles is vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). VIP neurones from the SCN contact GnRH cells, and these cells are preferentially activated during an LH surge in rats. Unlike adult rats, prepubertal females do not exhibit oestrous cycles, nor do they exhibit an LH surge in response to oestradiol positive-feedback. The present study was undertaken to determine the extent to which the development of a 'mature' reproductive axis in female rats is associated with modifications in VIP contacts on GnRH neurones. The brains of diestrus adult (approximately 60 days of age) and prepubertal (21 days of age) female rats were examined using double-label fluorescence immunohistochemistry for VIP and GnRH, with light and confocal microscopy. Although the total number of GnRH-immunoreactive neurones did not differ between adult and prepubertal females, adults had a significant increase in the percentage of GnRH cells receiving VIP contacts compared to juveniles. These data suggest that the development of reproductive hormone rhythms and oestrous cyclicity may be, in part, due to modifications of VIP input to the GnRH system.
The Visual Arts and Cultural Migration in the 1930s and 1940s: A Literature Review

In 1932, the artist George Grosz offered an optimistic account of his arrival to the United States: It was really quite a change from Germany at that time, when you saw so few happy faces and heard so much complaining and quarreling. You had the impression that Americans of all races, classes, and occupations were satisfied with the world, and actually, in spite of the Depression, their American world was still much more colorful and richer than the German.
Field-Dependence/Independence, Movement-Based Instruction and Fourth Graders' Achievement in Selected Musical Tasks

The purpose of this study was 1) to examine the effect of psychomotor activities on achievement in temporal discrimination tasks; and, 2) to examine the interaction of this treatment with the cognitive style variable of field dependence/independence (FDI). A one-group pre-test-posttest design was utilized in the study. An intact class (n = 29) of normal fourth graders received eighteen class sessions in which musical concepts pertaining to tempo, meter and rhythm were reinforced through activities involving a psychomotor response. FDI was measured by means of the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT); subjects were classified as field dependent (FD) or field independent (FI) on the basis of a median split of the GEFT. The following standardized tests were used as both pre- and posttests; 1) Music Aptitude Profile (MAP)-Meter; 2) MAP-Tempo; and 3) Intermediate Measures of Music Audiation (IMMA)-Rhythm.Data were analyzed through repeated measures ANOVA procedures. Results indicated that pre- to posttest differ...
Soil carbon and microbial communities at mitigated and late successional bottomland forest wetlands

Abstract The practice of wetland mitigation has come into question during the past decade because the relative capacity of the mitigated wetlands to perform normal wetland functions is mostly unknown. In this study, we wanted to determine whether soil microbial communities were significantly different in early successional mitigated wetlands (<10 years) (ES) compared to late successional bottomland hardwood forest wetlands (LS) due to differences in soil properties, such as carbon quality and storage and water-holding capacity. Carbon storage in litter and soil was 1.5 times greater in LS wetlands than ES wetlands. Soil water-holding capacity was significantly greater in LS wetlands and was related to soil organic C content (r2=0.87, p-value=0.0007). Gravimetric water content was a moderately strong predictor of microbial respiration (r2=0.55–0.61, p-value=0.001–0.0004) and microbial biomass (r2=0.70, p-value=0.0019). Anaerobic microbial groups were enriched in soils from LS wetlands in both the dry and w...
Role of Extracellular Vesicles in De Novo Mineralization An Additional Novel Mechanism of Cardiovascular Calcification

Extracellular vesicles are membrane micro/nanovesicles secreted by many cell types into the circulation and the extracellular milieu in physiological and pathological conditions. Evidence suggests that extracellular vesicles, known as matrix vesicles, play a role in the mineralization of skeletal tissue, but emerging ultrastructural and in vitro studies have demonstrated their contribution to cardiovascular calcification as well. Cells involved in the progression of cardiovascular calcification release active vesicles capable of nucleating hydroxyapatite on their membranes. This review discusses the role of extracellular vesicles in cardiovascular calcification and elaborates on this additional mechanism of calcification as an alternative pathway to the currently accepted mechanism of biomineralization via osteogenic differentiation.
Immunohistochemical evidence for the NO cGMP signaling pathway in respiratory ciliated epithelia of rat.

Airway epithelia play a crucial role in protecting the lung from the external environment. Ciliated airway epithelial cells contribute to mucociliary transport systems via ciliary beating and electrolyte transport mechanisms to defend against respiratory tract infection. Both of these activities are regulated by nitric oxide (NO)-dependent mechanisms. To better understand the role of the NO-cGMP signal transduction cascade in these responses, we investigated the localization of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) I-α, and PKG I-β in the tracheas and lungs of normal rats by immunohistochemistry. Mouse anti-eNOS, rabbit anti-sGC, PKG I-α, and PKG I-β antibodies were used. Strong immunostaining for eNOS was detected in ciliated tracheal, bronchial, and bronchiolar epithelia, in Clara cells, and in Type II alveolar cells. The pattern of sGC and PKG I-β immunostaining showed striking parallels with that of eNOS staining. No staining was ...
Nitric oxide mediates the effect of fluvastatin on intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 expression on human endothelial cells.

Leukocyte and platelet adhesion to endothelial cells, an early step in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, is mediated through adhesion molecules. It has been shown that statins decrease adhesion molecule expression. We examined the hypothesis that fluvastatin decreased intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) expression through a nitric oxide-mediated pathway. Human iliac artery endothelial cells were exposed to fluvastatin in the presence or absence of 2 mM N-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). Flow cytometry analysis was used to measure ICAM-1 and PECAM-1 expression. In a separate experiment, confluent cell cultures were exposed in a serum-free medium to fluvastatin 20 microM, and the supernatant was collected for nitrate/nitrite determination after 6 and 48 hr of incubation. Protein was isolated and processed for immunoblotting with monoclonal antibodies specific for endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), Ser(1177)-phosphorylated eNOS, and AMP kinase. Relative band intensity was assessed with densitometry. Results are presented as the mean +/- standard deviation (SD), and p 0.05 for all comparisons of the control FI versus 2 mM L-NMMA mean FI). After a 48 hr incubation with 20 microM fluvastatin there was a 219 +/- 35% increase in the cell eNOS protein content (p = 0.01) and a 170 +/- 26% increase in the cell AMPK protein content (p = 0.02). Ser(1177)-phosphorylated eNOS protein levels were increased by 41 +/- 8% (p = 0.03). The nitric oxide concentration in the medium of the HIAEC treated with 20 microM fluvastatin for 48 hr was significantly higher than that in the control (p = 0.0004), pointing to increased production during the incubation period. Fluvastatin thus decreases basal expression of ICAM-1 and PECAM-1. Competitive inhibition of eNOS with L-NMMA abolishes the effect of fluvastatin on ICAM-1 and PECAM-1 expression. The statin up-regulates eNOS and AMP kinase, one of the enzymes that activates eNOS via phosphorylation at Ser(1177). We have shown that after a 48-hr exposure to fluvastatin there is an increased amount of the phosphorylated enzyme in the endothelial cells.
Classification of discourse coherence relations: an exploratory study using multiple knowledge sources

In this paper we consider the problem of identifying and classifying discourse coherence relations. We report initial results over the recently released Discourse GraphBank (Wolf and Gibson, 2005). Our approach considers, and determines the contributions of, a variety of syntactic and lexico-semantic features. We achieve 81% accuracy on the task of discourse relation type classification and 70% accuracy on relation identification.
Progesterone Regulates Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor on Mucous Secreting Cells in the Rabbit Endocervix

During postnatal differentiation, epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor is expressed by all major cell types of the cervix. Computer-assisted image analysis confirmed the highest concentration of EGF receptor is in the epithelial cells. Flow cytometric analysis of subpopulations of epithelial cells from estrous rabbits showed the mucous secreting cells had the highest concentration of EGF receptor, i.e. 1-1.5 x 10(5) receptors per cell. Because the mucous secreting cells are targets for steroid hormones it seemed likely that steroids regulate EGF receptor expression. To investigate this possibility, hormone-dependent changes in EGF receptor expression were quantified by flow cytometry. Ovariectomy and the treatment of ovariectomized animals with estradiol altered forward angle light scatter and side scatter signals which correlated with cell size and secretory granule content, respectively. However, the number of epithelial cells and the number of EGF receptors per cell were unaffected. Progesterone treatment of ovariectomized animals dramatically reduced the number of EGF receptors on the mucous secreting cells, accounting for a 43% reduction in the total EGF receptor content of the epithelium. The treatment of neonates with diethylstilbestrol did not change the number of EGF receptors in endocervical epithelial cells when examined in adulthood. However, the number of mucous secreting cells was decreased, thereby reducing the EGF receptor content of the epithelium 19-36% compared to estrous and estradiol-treated animals. These results provide the first evidence that progesterone regulates EGF receptor on mucous secreting cells in the endocervix and that diethylstilbestrol treatment alters the EGF receptor content of the epithelium by altering its cellular composition.
Application-aware Overlay Networks for Data Dissemination

XPORT (eXtensible Profile-driven Overlay Routing Trees) is a generic data dissemination system that supports an extensible set of data types and profiles, and an optimization framework that facilitates easy specification of a wide range of useful performance goals. XPORT implements a tree-based overlay network, which can be customized per application using a small number of methods that encapsulate application-specific data-profile matching, profile aggregation, and cost optimization logic. The clean separation between the "plumbing" and "application" enables XPORT to uniformly and easily support disparate dissemination-based applications, such as content-based data dissemination and multicast-based content distribution. In this short paper, we provide a high-level overview of XPORT. We also discuss its current implementation status, applications we built using XPORT, and some preliminary experimental results from the prototype. We finalize the paper by summarizing our future directions
Potential for measurement of the distribution of DNA folds in complex environments using Correlated X-ray Scattering

In vivo chromosomal behavior is dictated by the organization of genomic DNA at length scales ranging from nanometers to microns. At these disparate scales, the DNA conformation is influenced by a range of proteins that package, twist and disentangle the DNA double helix, leading to a complex hierarchical structure that remains undetermined. Thus, there is a critical need for methods of structural characterization of DNA that can accommodate complex environmental conditions over biologically relevant length scales. Based on multiscale molecular simulations, we report on the possibility of measuring supercoiling in complex environments using angular correlations of scattered X-rays resulting from X-ray free electron laser (xFEL) experiments. We recently demonstrated the observation of structural detail for solutions of randomly oriented metallic nanoparticles [D. Mendez et al., Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B 360 (2014) 20130315]. Here, we argue, based on simulations, that correlated X-ray scattering (CXS) has the potential for measuring the distribution of DNA folds in complex environments, on the scale of a few persistence lengths.
Inventing Baseball Heroes: Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, and the Sporting Press in America

The careers of Detroit Tigers slugger Ty Cobb and New York Giants hurler Christy Mathewson are well known among sports historians and baseball enthusiasts. As two of the greatest players of the Dea...
Expanding Student Access to and Success in Higher Education: Confronting Systemic Inequities

After addressing the growing interconnections - or linkages - between K-12 education and higher education in the United States, this paper surveys five illustrative examples of inequities in access to and success in education that link the two levels of education. These examples concern: racial and ethnic minority students, low socio-economic status students, English language learners (ELL students), undocumented foreign students, and students with disabilities. The paper then considers how structures and processes of governance for both K-12 education and higher education inhibit the capacities of both levels to collaborate on inequities and other matters of mutual interest, thus prompting a need to reform governance structures. Next, the paper explores developments regarding two particularly important inequities - inequities in governmental funding of public K-12 education and inequities caused by racial and ethnic resegregation in public K-12 education. Both types of inequities have corrosive effects on K-12 education and on higher education and present great challenges for the future of American education. Both levels of education have a strong mutuality of interest regarding these challenges and other endemic problems of inequity in access to and success in education. Last, the paper provides numerous examples of “pockets of progress” - collaborative initiatives that are now under way to address concerns and challenges of the type the paper has identified - followed by various examples of societal developments that make this work even more crucial than earlier discussion in the paper may have suggested.
Assessing Performance of Irregular Microvoids in Electrophoresis Separations

Within the past decade, novel gel materials with a modified internal morphology have been synthesized and are available for a wide range of applications including drug delivery and separation of biomolecules with relevance in clinical diagnostics, electrokinetic pumping, and sensors.1−3 One way to achieve this internal modification is to embed nanoparticles into the polymer matrix so that when an electrical field is applied to the system, the presence of these particles can change the biomacromolecule transport through the gel, possibly altering the separation.4 As a result, gaining a very deep understanding of the role that these nanoparticles can have in the separation efficiency in terms of electrophoresis techniques becomes very important. To the best of our knowledge, this contribution is the first effort that examines the role of morphology (in the form of an axially diverging microdomain) on the prediction of optimal separation times for two protein models when they are subjected to electrophoresis...
Belowground impacts of perennial grass cultivation for sustainable biofuel feedstock production in the tropics

Perennial grasses can sequester soil organic carbon (SOC) in sustainably managed biofuel systems, directly mitigating atmospheric CO2 concentrations while simultaneously generating biomass for renewable energy. The objective of this study was to quantify SOC accumulation and identify the primary drivers of belowground C dynamics in a zero-tillage production system of tropical perennial C4 grasses grown for biofuel feedstock in Hawaii. Specifically, the quantity, quality, and fate of soil C inputs were determined for eight grass accessions – four varieties each of napier grass and guinea grass. Carbon fluxes (soil CO2 efflux, aboveground net primary productivity, litterfall, total belowground carbon flux, root decay constant), C pools (SOC pool and root biomass), and C quality (root chemistry, C and nitrogen concentrations, and ratios) were measured through three harvest cycles following conversion of a fallow field to cultivated perennial grasses. A wide range of SOC accumulation occurred, with both significant species and accession effects. Aboveground biomass yield was greater, and root lignin concentration was lower for napier grass than guinea grass. Structural equation modeling revealed that root lignin concentration was the most important driver of SOC pool: varieties with low root lignin concentration, which was significantly related to rapid root decomposition, accumulated the greatest amount of SOC. Roots with low lignin concentration decomposed rapidly, but the residue and associated microbial biomass/by-products accumulated as SOC. In general, napier grass was better suited for promoting soil C sequestration in this system. Further, high-yielding varieties with low root lignin concentration provided the greatest climate change mitigation potential in a ratoon system. Understanding the factors affecting SOC accumulation and the net greenhouse gas trade-offs within a biofuel production system will aid in crop selection to meet multiple goals toward environmental and economic sustainability.
Gamma-Glutamyl Transpeptidase Expression in Neoplasia and Development

Since the discovery (34) that gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) can serve as a positive histochemical marker of putative preneoplastic hepatocyte foci and of hepatocellular carcinomas in rats treated with aflatoxin B1, this enzyme has assumed greater and greater importance as a marker of neoplasia in liver and in several other tissues. The present paper reviews some of the proposed functions of GGT, recent findings on its regulation, characteristics of its expression during carcinogenesis, and recent evidence implicating GGT as a marker of cell differentiation or aging in normal tissues.
What Is Different about Deaf Education? The Effects of Child and Family Factors on Educational Services.

Deaf education is characterized by several distinctive aspects, beginning with qualities unique to deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and their families. Consisting of approximately 1.2% of the special education K-12 population, educational and disability systems often struggle to meet the unique challenges that these children and their families present. The result is that services and practices may be atypical and unlike those found to be successful with other populations. Despite new technological and personnel accommodations, far greater numbers placed in general education classrooms, and access to the general education curriculum, these children remain unable to perform commensurate with their abilities or at levels equivalent to their peers either with or without disabilities. Achievement has improved little over four decades, further attesting to the complexity of successfully mitigating the effects of early childhood hearing loss and that educating DHH children is different.
Reason, Impartiality and Utilitarianism

During the last thirty years R. M. Hare has developed and defended a meta-ethical view about the meaning of moral language which he calls “universal prescriptivism”.1 During this time Hare has also professed allegiance to a normative theory which constitutes a version of preference utilitarianism. What has never been made entirely clear, however, is his conception of the relationship between those two theories. In his earlier writings Hare maintained that: Ethical theory… provides only a clarification of the conceptual framework within which moral reasoning takes place; it is therefore, in the required sense, neutral as between different moral opinions… On my view, there is absolutely no content for a moral prescription that is ruled out by logic or by the definition of terms (FR, pp. 89, 195).
Innovations in irregular meshing to improve the performance of 2D finite volume flood simulation

There are now many successful applications of 2D finite difference flood simulations on rectangular grids. However, finite volume algorithms are now starting to take over as the preferred choice for simulating flood inundation. The use of finite volume algorithms allows the simulation to be based on irregular meshes. Yet many users are not convinced of the benefits of irregular meshing. This is partly because meshing adds a rather unwelcome extra process to the modelling. But it is more likely because the process of generating irregular meshes has been problematic and time consuming. In the rush to develop excellent finite volume flow engines, meshing has been rather left behind. Yet the quality of the flow modelling depends on the quality of the meshing. The authors have been working on innovative mesh generation techniques. The aim has been to come up with a faster, more reliable mesh generation process. But also to improve the resulting mesh in order to speed up the hydraulic simulation and to generate better quality flood inundation results. This paper discusses and illustrates these advances in meshing. Results are presented to show how well the meshing techniques deal with problematic boundaries. The resulting meshes are applied to test cases to show the impact of either grids or different qualities of mesh on flood inundation results for a variety of circumstances.
Prevalence, risk factors and attenuators of patient-reported concerns among breast cancer survivors.

10092Background: Cleveland Clinic breast cancer patients have routinely been offered survivorship visits since 2009. In addition to receiving treatment summaries and follow-up care plans, survivors...
Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the prostate: A case series from Johns Hopkins Hospital.

e16105 Background: Sarcomatoid prostate cancer is a rare malignancy representing < 1% of all prostate neoplasms and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Limited data is available regarding su...
Superresolution phase retrieval from non-sinusoidal structure illumination

We demonstrate a superresolution phase imaging method based on structure illumination. Phase variations beyond the diffraction limit is coupled to multiple orders of harmonics of the structure illumination generated by a 2D Ag dot array.
Lifestyle Modulators of Neuroplasticity: How Physical Activity, Mental Engagement, and Diet Promote Cognitive Health during Aging.

The number of the elderly across the globe will approximate 2.1 billion by 2050. Juxtaposed against this burgeoning segment of the population is evidence that nonpathological aging is associated with an increased risk for cognitive decline in a variety of domains, changes that can cause mild disability even before the onset of dementia. Given that pharmacological treatments that mitigate dementia are still outstanding, alternative therapeutic options are being investigated increasingly. The results from translational studies have shown that modifiable lifestyle factors—including physical activity, cognitive engagement, and diet—are a key strategy for maintaining brain health during aging. Indeed, a multiplicity of studies has demonstrated relationships between lifestyle factors, brain structure and function, and cognitive function in aging adults. For example, physical activity and diet modulate common neuroplasticity substrates (neurotrophic signaling, neurogenesis, inflammation, stress response, and antioxidant defense) in the brain whereas cognitive engagement enhances brain and cognitive reserve. The aims of this review are to evaluate the relationship between modifiable lifestyle factors, neuroplasticity, and optimal brain health during aging; to identify putative mechanisms that contribute positive brain aging; and to highlight future directions for scientists and clinicians. Undoubtedly, the translation of cutting-edge knowledge derived from the field of cognitive neuroscience will advance our understanding and enhance clinical treatment interventions as we endeavor to promote brain health during aging.
Chapter 10 – Epilogue: What is new in this book

Publisher Summary The space plasma physics community is active in extending the knowledge of plasma physics to the Sun, and other objects in astrophysics. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) panel on Sun-Solar System Connection 2005–2035 devoted to that aim suggested four fundamental processes as the critical immediate steps: magnetic reconnection, particle acceleration, the physics of plasma and neutral interactions, and the generation and variability of magnetic fields with their coupling to structures throughout the heliosphere. Each of these research focus areas involve the universal themes of energy conversion and transport, cross-scale coupling, turbulence, and nonlinear physics—concepts that are fundamental to the understanding of space and planetary systems. Understanding the origins and manifestations of solar variability and the influence of the Sun on the Earth's atmosphere and geospace is a scientific pursuit driven both by intellectual inquiry and by societal needs. Magnetic reconnection allegedly occurs in highly localized regions when interacting magnetic fields “snap” to a new, lower energy configuration. Magnetic reconnection is supposed to release vast amounts of stored energy responsible for solar flares, CMEs, and geospace storms. The Sun–Solar System Connection requires understanding of the fundamental physics of plasma and neutral particle coupling. This coupling encompasses a variety of mechanisms and regions from turbulence and charge exchange in the solar wind to gravity waves and chemical/collisional interactions in planetary atmospheres. Space plasmas are often in a non-equilibrium state and they can be a highly nonlinear medium.
Spectres, virtual ghosts, and hardware support

Side-channel attacks, such as Spectre and Meltdown, that leverage speculative execution pose a serious threat to computing systems. Worse yet, such attacks can be perpetrated by compromised operating system (OS) kernels to bypass defenses that protect applications from the OS kernel.This work evaluates the performance impact of three different defenses against in-kernel speculation side-channel attacks within the context of Virtual Ghost, a system that protects user data from compromised OS kernels: Intel MPX bounds checks, which require a memory fence; address bit-masking and testing, which creates a dependence between the bounds check and the load/store; and the use of separate virtual address spaces for applications, the OS kernel, and the Virtual Ghost virtual machine, forcing a speculation boundary. Our results indicate that an instrumentation-based bit-masking approach to protection incurs the least overhead by minimizing speculation boundaries. Our work also highlights possible improvements to Intel MPX that could help mitigate speculation side-channel attacks at a lower cost.
13 – Electrophoretic approaches to sample collection and preparation for nucleic acids analysis

: Gel electrophoresis has been an integral part of molecular biology labs for decades, finding utility in analysis, separation, molecular engineering and clean-up of nucleic acids. It continues to be refined, and emerging technologies are allowing fine control of DNA and RNA in a gel. One of these technologies, SCODAphoresis, even provides superior separation from common inhibitors such as soil humic acids, enabling DNA extraction and analysis from previously un-extractable sample matrices. The electrophoretic sample separation of nucleic acids will continue to be an important part of the sample-to-answer workflow, providing cleaner analytes for downstream assays like clinical diagnostics, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing.
Effects of 3,4-Diaminopyridine in Cynomolgus Monkeys Poisoned with Type A Botulinum Toxin

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a study to analyze the effects of 3,4-diaminopyridine (3,4-DAP) in cynomolgus monkeys poisoned with type A botulinum toxin. In this study, six male cynomolgus monkeys were poisoned i.v. with 100 to 350 mouse LD50/kg of type A botulinum toxin. The onset of signs of botulism paralleled those reported in man and correlated with the dosage of toxin, ranging in time of first appearance from 10.5 to 31 h. 3,4-DAP was administered as multiple doses of 1.1 to 2.6 mg/kg and/or as a continuous i.v. drip of 0.78 to 0.95 mg/kg per hour. Treatment was intentionally delayed from 3 to 6 h after appearance of the first signs of botulism. The interval between the first and second treatment was 2 to 5 h. All poisoned monkeys responded favorably within 2 to 10 min after treatment with 3,4-DAP at 1.1 to 2.6 mg/kg. Muscle tone returned, ptosis was reduced or negated, respiratory patterns improved unequivocally; prostrate animals were able to stand; and mobility was restored in all treated monkeys. Within 2 h after initial treatment, the signs of paralysis again appeared. Treatment with a second dose induced a response considerably less dramatic than that observed after the initial dose.
Qualcomm v. Broadcom: Implications for Electronic Discovery

Electronic discovery has been the source of difficult challenges for courts, lawyers, and litigants from the beginning. The methods, document formats, and scope of electronic discovery have all contributed to the difficulties encountered. The seminal case in the United States that underscores the nature of the difficulties and challenges facing lawyers and courts in electronic discovery is Qualcomm v. Broadcom. While the case has been cited as an example of the ethical issues facing lawyers who do not follow the rules of discovery, the lessons go well beyond ethical issues. All major common law countries, including Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, and the United States have recently updated their rules of civil procedure regarding the electronic discovery process in order to facilitate the electronic discovery process. The authors offer five key lessons to be drawn from this case including the importance of efficiently managing electronic discovery, the importance of the meet-and-confer discovery conference, the importance of retaining an electronic discovery expert, the importance of being proactive in the discovery process, and recognizing the limitations of relying entirely on key word searches.
Targeting Conceptual Understanding: How to Improve Learning and Course Retention in Research Methods Courses

AbstractIn the summer of 2015, I conducted a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) experiment in my quantitative methods for political science class. The experiment tested if, during instruct...
Dresses, Cassocks, and Coats: Costuming Restoration Gender Fantasies in La Señora

In his chapter, Wolters analyzes the wardrobe used to “dress up” the protagonists and narrative of TVE’s award-winning series La Senora (2008–2010). In its reimagining of the final years of the Bourbon Restoration, the show reanimates the past in the form of well-established gender tropes like the fashionable heiress and the enamored priest canonized in texts like Clarin’s La Regenta. By focusing on mise-en-scene and dialogues with Restoration texts, Wolters argues that the TVE drama candidly transforms nineteenth- and early twentieth-century aesthetics to satisfy the expectations of its twenty-first-century audiences. However, even as La Senora revises and reimagines Restoration gender tropes with its predominantly non-literary source material and an eye to contemporary aesthetic concerns, Wolters concludes that the show’s creators nostalgically embrace their literary-visual precedents.
Acoustic Actuation of Integrin-Bound Microbubbles for Mechanical Phenotyping during Differentiation and Morphogenesis of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Early human embryogenesis is a dynamic developmental process, involving continuous and concomitant changes in gene expression, structural reorganization, and cellular mechanics. However, the lack of investigation methods has limited the understanding of how cellular mechanical properties change during early human embryogenesis. In this study, ultrasound actuation of functionalized microbubbles targeted to integrin (acoustic tweezing cytometry, ATC) is employed for in situ measurement of cell stiffness during human embryonic stem cell (hESC) differentiation and morphogenesis. Cell stiffness, which is regulated by cytoskeleton structure, remains unchanged in undifferentiated hESCs, but significantly increases during neural differentiation. Further, using the recently established in vitro 3D embryogenesis models, ATC measurements reveal that cells continue to stiffen while maintaining pluripotency during epiblast cyst formation. In contrast, during amniotic cyst formation, cells first become stiffer during luminal cavity formation, but softens significantly when cells differentiate to form amniotic cysts. These results suggest that cell stiffness changes not only due to 3D spatial organization, but also with cell fate change. ATC therefore provides a versatile platform for in situ measurement of cellular mechanical property, and cell stiffness may be used as a mechanical biomarker for cell lineage diversification and cell fate specification during embryogenesis.
RESPONSE: What’s App, Doc?

The authors of this innovative approach for case-based clinical education are to be commended. Using WhatsApp showed not only an original methodology for medical education, but also a conscientious desire to be inclusive and interactive with clinical case vignettes. Millennials are inherently