cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contraceptive choices for females with congenital heart disease

Abstract The growing population of adults with congenital heart disease has resulted in the need for focused attention on female reproductive issues. Risk stratification is necessary to evaluate the safety of different contraceptive methods in these complex patients. Comprehensive patient education and counseling should begin in adolescence, focusing on the issues of menstruation, sexual activity, and contraception. Lines of communication should be kept open between the patient and their cardiologist or nurse specialist, so that individual contraceptive needs can be addressed on an ongoing basis. With few exceptions, modern hormonal contraception is safe for women with congenital heart disease, and carries many non-contraceptive benefits. If side effects or thromboembolic risks prohibit this form of contraception, then combined barrier methods, intrauterine devices, or sterilization can provide exceptional protection against pregnancy in properly screened patients.
A Structural Study of Talc and Talc-Tremolite Relations

About forty specimens of talc have been examined by X-ray powder methods. Variations in the degree of crystallinity of the mineral have been observed, but no evidence has been obtained for polymorphic structural varieties. Single-crystal data have confirmed the two-layer mono-clinic cell. Little evidence has been obtained of talcs containing mixed-layer sequences. Electron micrographs have revealed a variety of platy and fibrous forms, and in the latter a close structural relation between talc and tremolite has been established. Talcs prepared synthetically in the presence of aluminum showed small lattice parameter differences from talcs prepared in the absence of aluminum, and the results are consistent with the substitution of small percentages of A1 ions in the talc structure. New X-ray powder data and unit-cell parameters for talc and tremolite are listed.
SOS: an architecture for mitigating DDoS attacks

We propose an architecture called secure overlay services (SOS) that proactively prevents denial of service (DoS) attacks, including distributed (DDoS) attacks; it is geared toward supporting emergency services, or similar types of communication. The architecture uses a combination of secure overlay tunneling, routing via consistent hashing, and filtering. We reduce the probability of successful attacks by: 1) performing intensive filtering near protected network edges, pushing the attack point perimeter into the core of the network, where high-speed routers can handle the volume of attack traffic and 2) introducing randomness and anonymity into the forwarding architecture, making it difficult for an attacker to target nodes along the path to a specific SOS-protected destination. Using simple analytical models, we evaluate the likelihood that an attacker can successfully launch a DoS attack against an SOS-protected network. Our analysis demonstrates that such an architecture reduces the likelihood of a successful attack to minuscule levels. Our performance measurements using a prototype implementation indicate an increase in end-to-end latency by a factor of two for the general case, and an average heal time of less than 10 s.
The Change of Variables Formula

We shall study the manner in which area changes under an arbitrary mapping by approximating this mapping with a linear map. Therefore, first we study how area and volume change under a linear map, and this leads us to interpret the determinant as area and volume according as we are in R2 or R3.
Toward A Unified Approach to Privileges and Relevancy

Courts have made an increasing number of exceptions to traditional privileges. Traditional privileges such as those attorney-client privilege, physician-patient, and husband-wife are perceived as offering less protection. At the same time, courts and legislatures are recognizing a few “limited privileges” and literature is demanding more. This article argues that a more coherent and consistent approach to privileges could be developed if courts were willing to explore fully the relevancy analysis as it relates to privilege and thereby reassess the role of privilege. A relevancy approach is appropriate because traditional privilege analysis has several problems associated with it that do not allow an effective treatment of established privileges or the recognition of modern needs.
Vasopressin and ANG II in the control of ACTH secretion and arterial and atrial pressures

Hypotension stimulates the secretion of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and vasopressin (AVP) and increases plasma levels of angiotensin II (ANG II). Because AVP and ANG II increase ACTH secretion, the present experiments were performed to evaluate the role of these peptides in the increases in plasma ACTH and glucocorticoid concentrations produced by hypotension in conscious dogs. This was accomplished by determining whether administration of receptor antagonists to vasopressin, [1-(beta-mercapto-beta,beta-cyclopentamethylene propionic acid), 2-(O-methyl)tyrosine]Arg8-vasopressin, and ANG II (saralasin), reduced the ACTH and glucocorticoid responses to infusion of four doses of the vasodilator nitroprusside. Nitroprusside (NP) infusion produced dose-dependent decreases in mean arterial pressure. Larger decreases in arterial pressure were produced in dogs pretreated with the AVP antagonist or with both saralasin and the vasopressin antagonist. Left and right atrial pressures also fell with NP infusion, and larger decreases in atrial pressures were found in dogs pretreated with the AVP antagonist. Finally, NP infusion increased plasma glucocorticoid concentration and plasma ACTH concentration. Both the glucocorticoid and the ACTH responses to hypotension were reduced in dogs given the AVP antagonist and in dogs given both saralasin and the AVP antagonist, but there was no difference in the effect of AVP blockade alone vs. the effect of combined AVP and ANG II blockade. These data suggest that AVP, but not ANG II, is required for normal glucocorticoid and ACTH responses to hypotension. They also suggest that AVP is necessary for normal maintenance of arterial blood pressure and atrial pressures during NP infusion.
[4 + 3] Cycloaddition Reactions

Cycloaddition in its many manifestations represents one of the most powerful methods in organic chemistry for making cyclic structures. The high levels of convergency and stereoselectivity that frequently characterize these processes are particularly attractive from a preparative point of view. Five- and six-membered rings are typically made by the well-known 1, 3-dipolar and Diels–Alder cycloaddition reactions, respectively, and so-called higher-order cycloaddition processes have emerged recently as useful methodology for the construction of medium-sized carbocycles. Seven-membered ring systems, owing primarily to their broad occurrence as substructures in many classes of natural products, are particularly important targets for synthesis, but there are relatively few ways currently available for de novo synthesis of these ring systems. As a general solution to this problem, [4 + 3] cycloaddition between a 1, 3-diene and an allyl, or more frequently an oxyallyl, cation offers rapid access to functionalized seven-membered carbocycles with many of the attendant virtues of other cycloaddition processes. Considerable effort has been expended recently to exploit the synthetic utility of these reactions, and several informative reviews of the subject are currently available. Electronically, the process is quite similar to the Diels–Alder reaction and can be viewed as a [4π(4C) + 2π(3C)] combination in which the allyl cation participates as the reactive 2π component. Much of the developmental work associated with [4 + 3] cycloaddition has focused on approaches to the generation of the allyl or oxyallyl cation reaction partner, and a number of useful methods have emerged. While a wide range of 1, 3-diene partners have been employed in these reactions, π-excessive heterocycles such as furan and pyrrole have been shown to be particularly useful participants and, recently, intramolecular versions of the [4 + 3] process have been effectively applied to natural product synthesis. This chapter reviews the literature of [4 + 3] cycloadditions that involve allyl and oxyallyl cations and closely related 2π(3C) reactants to mid-1996. Those [4 + 3] cycloadditions previously compiled by Noyori and Hayakawa in their 1983 review of reductive dehalogenations of polyhaloketones are also included in the current review so that all relevant examples are located in one document. Other 4 + 3 annulation processes that afford seven-membered carbocycles but that employ other types of reactive intermediates are not covered in this survey. Keywords: [4 + 3] cycloaddition reactions; mechanism; stereochemistry; scope; limitations; reductive conditions; solvolysis conditions; base-mediated conditions; photochemical conditions; intramolecular conditions; synthesis applications; comparison of methods; experimental conditions; experimental procedures; tabular survey
Pre-Budgeting of Consumption: Implications for Asset Prices

I develop a representative agent model in which the purchase of consumption goods must be planned in advance. Volatility in the agent's portfolio increases the risk that a purchase cannot be implemented. This implementation risk causes the agent to make conservative consumption plans. In the model, this leads to persistent and negatively skewed consumption growth and a slow reaction of consumption to wealth shocks. The model proposes a novel explanation for the negative relation between volatility and expected utility. In equilibrium, prices of risky assets must compensate for the utility loss. Hence, the model suggests a new mechanism for generating the equity risk premium. Importantly, because implementation risk does not rely on the co-movement of asset prices with marginal utility, the resulting equity premium does not require concavity of the intratemporal utility function.
External fixation for pertrochanteric fractures.

To The Editor: We welcomed Dr. Baumgaertner's analysis of our paper1 in his commentary to “The Pertrochanteric External Fixator Reduced Pain, Hospital Stay, and Mechanical Complications in Comparison with the Sliding Hip Screw” (2002;84:1488) in the Evidence-Based Orthopaedics section of The Journal. However, certain questions raised in that commentary need to be answered. Exclusion of reverse obliquity and intertrochanteric fractures with a subtrochanteric extension should not be considered a limitation of our study. Since the sliding hip screw is known to perform … Corresponding author:, Ioannis C. Vossinakis, MD, 34 Kassaveti Street, 382 21 Volos, Greece, vossinakis{at}panafonet.gr
High-frequency borehole seismograms recorded in the San Jacinto Fault zone, Southern California. Part 1. Polarizations

Abstract Two borehole seismometer arrays (KNW-BH and PFO-BH) have been established in the Southern California Batholith region of the San Jacinto Fault zone by the U.S. Geological Survey. The sites are within 0.4 km of Anza network surface stations and have three-component seismometers deployed at 300 m depth, at 150 m depth, and at the surface. Downhole horizontal seismometers can be oriented to an accuracy of about 5° using regional and near-regional initial P -wave particle motions. Shear waves recorded downhole at the KNW-BH indicate that the strong alignment of initial S -wave particle motions previously observed at the (surface) KNW Anza site (KNW-AZ) is not generated in the near-surface weathered layer. The KNW-BH surface instrument, which sits atop a highly weathered zone, displays a significantly different (≈ 20°) initial S -wave polarization direction from that observed downhole and at KNW-AZ, which is bolted to an outcrop. Although downhole initial shear-wave particle motion directions are consistent with a shear-wave splitting hypothesis, observations of orthogonally polarized slow shear waves are generally elusive, even in seismograms recorded at 300 m. A cross-correlation measure of the apparent relative velocities of S fast and S slow horizontally polarized S waves suggests shallow shear-wave anisotropy, consistent with the observed initial S -wave particle motion direction, of 2.3 ± 1.7 per cent between 300 and 150 m and 7.5 ± 3.5 per cent between 150 and 0 m.
Procedural justice and prison violence: Examining complaints among federal inmates (2000–2007).

Prisons in the United States generally contain an internal administrative system for processing and responding to inmate complaints. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) launched a formal grievance system in 1975 with explicit goals of monitoring prison performance and alleviating inmate tension by resolving problems in a timely and just manner. These systems play an important role in prison administration and the lived experience of inmates, yet little is known about them. Little has been published in terms of basic descriptions of these systems (e.g., volume, outcomes, and processes), and the field knows even less about empirical relationships between outcome or process aspects of these systems and the inmate violence they were expected to reduce. This study draws on monthly panel data covering a 7-year period from all federal prisons—recording complaints, responses and misconduct for each prison. Drawing on a prison fixed-effects framework, the data show distributive outcomes (denial/grant) do not predict inmate violence within a given prison. However, violence within a given prison does increase significantly with the volume of late replies as well as substantive rejections of complaints. This latter finding is consistent with a procedural justice paradigm. Finally, an unexpected finding was that violence grew as the number of support staff per inmate (e.g., teachers, counselors) declined within a given prison. However, the opposite effect was found with respect to custody staff per inmate within a given prison.
Charge state dynamics of the nitrogen vacancy center in diamond under 1064-nm laser excitation

The photophysics and charge state dynamics of the nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond has been extensively investigated, but is still not fully understood. In contrast to previous work, we find that ${\mathrm{NV}}^{0}$ converts to ${\mathrm{NV}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ under excitation with low power near-infrared (1064-nm) light, resulting in increased photoluminescence from the ${\mathrm{NV}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ state. We used a combination of spectral and time-resolved photoluminescence experiments and rate-equation modeling to conclude that ${\mathrm{NV}}^{0}$ converts to ${\mathrm{NV}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ via absorption of 1064-nm photons from the valence band of diamond. We report fast quenching and recovery of the photoluminescence from both charge states of the NV center under low power 1064-nm laser excitation, which has not been previously observed. We also find, using optically detected magnetic resonance experiments, that the charge transfer process mediated by the 1064-nm laser is spin dependent.
Rapid Scheduling of Multi-tracking Sensors for a Responsive Satellite Surveillance Network

Satellites currently play a critical role in military operations, providing functions such as targeting, surveillance, communications and navigation. The Satellite Surveillance Network (SSN) is a small network of geographically distributed sites that provides tracking for all orbiting objects, and maintaining a Space Catalog of their orbits. The SSN currently tracks over 16,000 objects. For each object there is an associated priority (1 through 5) and a requisite number of tracks to obtain per day. Most SSN sites consist of sensors that can either track 1 object at a time (such as mechanically tracked parabolic dish radars) or that have a fixed field of view and can track many objects at a time such as phased array radars. But there are also interesting future sensor systems that can track multiple objects at a time and have a movable field of view. Scheduling of the observations of these types of assets is the emphasis of this paper. Examples include the Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) developed by DARPA and MIT/LL which is wide angle searching and tracking telescope and airborne and space-based phased array radars. The key scheduling task is to determine where the sensor should be aimed (i.e., what volume of the sky should be viewed) over time in order to ensure that they can obtain as many of the tracks with which they are tasked as possible, and that all the highest priority tracks are obtained. This is a difficult optimization problem in a continuous three-dimensional space (the coordinates are the azimuth and elevation at which to aim the sensor, and the time at which it should be aimed there). The objective is to maximize the number of targets visible at any given time so as to satisfy as many track requests as possible, while conforming to the requirements concerning priority, number of tracks and number of observations per track. We describe a new approach to this scheduling task that employs a novel data-driven approach to discretizing the search space. This approach results in rapid search of a tractable search space containing high-quality options that maximize the number of tracks that can be scheduled. Our approach defines techniques for clustering objects whose visibility sets intersect. These intersections are discrete subsets
A Comparative Study on the College Examination Systems in China and Korea

The purpose of the paper is to present and comparatively study college examination systems in China and South Korea in an effort to find out the similarities and differences in assessment of college students’ performance of both countries,therefore providing fresh standards for talents cultivation.
Compiling circumscriptive theories into logic programs: preliminary report

We study the possibility of reducing some special cases of circumscription to logic programming. The description of a given circumscriptive theory T can be sometimes transformed into a logic program II, so that, by running II, we can determine whether a given ground literal is provable in T. The method is applicable, in particular, to some formalizations of tree-structured inheritance systems with exceptions.
MRI-guided focused ultrasound ablation of lumbar medial branch nerve: Feasibility and safety study in a swine model.

AbstractPurpose: About 10–40% of chronic low back pain cases involve facet joints, which are commonly treated with lumbar medial branch (MB) radiofrequency neurotomy. Magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS), a non-invasive, non-ionising ablation modality used to treat tumours, neuropathic pain and painful bone metastasis can also be used to disrupt nerve conduction. This work’s purpose was to study the feasibility and safety of direct MRgFUS ablation of the lumbar MB nerve in acute and subacute swine models.Materials and methods: In vivo MRgFUS ablation was performed in six swine (three acute and three subacute) using a clinical MRgFUS system and a 3-T MRI scanner combination. Behavioural assessment was performed, and imaging and histology were used to assess the treatment.Results and conclusions: Histological analysis of the in vivo studies confirmed thermal necrosis of the MB nerve could be achieved without damaging the spinal cord or adjacent nerve roots. MRgFUS did not cause chan...
Erratum to: Modeling and experimental study on breakdown voltage (BV) in low speed wire electrical discharge machining (LS-WEDM) of Ti-6Al-4V

In this study, the breakdown voltage behavior in low speed wire electrical discharge machining (LS-WEDM) of Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) in the deionized water is investigated. Firstly, the electric field distortion caused by impurity particles including TC4 or brass metal and bubbles is investigated. And then the breakdown voltage model of TC4 machined by LS-WEDM is established and the experimental verification result indicates that the model predicting results conforms to the actual processing and could be well follow experimental results. Second, the influence of breakdown voltage on surface roughness and kerf width has been revealed, it can be found that the kerf width decreases, and the surface roughness increases as breakdown voltage increased. Besides, the voids become bigger and the surface cracks become deeper and wider with the breakdown voltage increased based on analysis of experiment results but for microcracks distributed on spherical or irregular attachments are not influenced by breakdown voltage due to their randomness. Meanwhile, the transparent bubbles of diameter of 400 nm can be observed near the droplet on the machined surface and its major composing element is oxygen. Finally, internal voids can be found in the joint of deterioration layer and the substrate which will make the combination of deterioration layer and the substrate not strong and easy to fall off.
Tranexamic Acid Was Safe in Arthroplasty Patients With a History of Venous Thromboembolism: A Matched Outcome Study

Abstract Background In contemporary total hip arthroplasties (THAs) and total knee arthroplasties (TKAs), intravenous tranexamic acid (IV TXA) has proved efficacious in decreasing blood loss and transfusion. Interested in expanding the use of IV TXA to patients with a prior venous thromboembolic event (VTE), we sought out to determine the risk of recurrent VTE with TXA administration during primary THA and TKA. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 1262 patients (1620 cases) with a history of VTE who underwent primary THA or TKA between 2000 and 2012. IV TXA was given in 258 (16%) of the cases and not given in 1362 (84%). VTE rates were evaluated at 90 days postoperatively. Given the rarity of recurrent VTEs, patients who experienced a recurrent VTE were 2:1 retrospectively matched against patients in the cohort with a history of VTE who did not experience a recurrent VTE using age (±5 years), sex, body mass index (±5 kg/m 2 ), American Society of Anesthesiologist score, and type of chemoprophylaxis. Results VTE recurrence was not significantly greater in those who received TXA (2.3%; 6/258) compared to those who did not receive TXA (1.8%; 25/1362; P = .6). When the 31 patients who experienced a recurrent VTE were 2:1 matched to control patients, IV TXA was not associated with any increase in the risk of recurrent VTE (odds ratio, 0.9; P = .9). Conclusion Patients with a history of VTE had a low risk of recurrent VTE (2%) after contemporary THA and TKA, and that rate was not increased with the use of IV TXA.
River Management and Restoration: Addressing Yesterday’s Solutions

Homo sapiens have always managed water to satisfy perceived needs and desires. Human history is also a history of the effort to contain and control rivers, and hence this history is rife with examples of the problem-solution-problem cycle. River improvement programs in the nineteenth century are connected to flood control concerns in the early twentieth century, which are subsequently related to river restoration efforts in the twenty-first century. In each era, problems have been defined and subsequent “solutions” implemented, too often with little regard for the reality of how rivers function over both short and long temporal and spatial scales.
The Bigger Picture: Picking the Right Soap Box—Is it Possible to Connect with Different Audience Targets (Practitioners and Patients) from the Same Platform?

The use of Internet and social media has skyrocketed in the past decade. It did not take long until physicians realized that they could use social media as a tool for communication with patients and colleagues. Since then use of social media has exploded and the information that has become available for physicians and their patients is remarkable. In addition, because of the immediacy of the platform, messages that are incorrect or not desired can be rapidly promoted, whether deliberately or accidentally. To obtain the best use of social media, the right platform should be chosen, and this varies depending on the group one is trying to reach, and the message or visibility desired. In this article, we review the variety of options available to users.
Measurement Principles for Gaming

This book chapter examines the rapidly emerging field of computer-based assessment for gaming from the perspective of sound measurement principles. In educational gaming, a variety of assessment approaches are being used to make inferences about the learner. Evidence is used in some settings to drive adaptive delivery of content, score interactions and gaming products, produce a variety of reports, and, increasingly, provide information for educational decision-makers that impacts students in a variety of subject matter areas and grade levels. In this chapter, we examine innovative approaches for use of assessment evidence through gaming. The principles of the Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment Research Center Assessment System are used as a framework of analysis for these products with respect to key measurement principles. Some directions of future game development are presented, particularly for problem-solving and other complex teaching and learning settings. Suggestions are provided of promising emerging avenues for game developers.
The Bare Theory and How to Fix It

In this paper I respond to recent objections to the bare theory of quantum mechanics then explain what I take to be wrong with the theory. The main problem is that the bare theory’s empirical predictions are too weak. Rather than predicting ordinary measurement results, the bare theory predicts that an observer would typically end up with what one might call disjunctive results, measurement results that fail to have any specific phenomenal content. Modal and hidden-variable theories can be thought of as alternative ways of fixing the bare theory. But they only succeed to the extent that they provide a satisfactory account of the actual experiences and beliefs of observers. I will discuss some of the problems faced by such theories.
Detailed Examination of Energy Flows and Entropy Generation in Low Pressure Binary Distillation Columns

Variations of the heat flows and entropy generation for binary distillation systems are investigated with varying feed composition, feed condition, and feed stage for a fixed number of stages and product purities, along with the effects of imposed irreversibilities. For ambient feed and products, both full system and column-only results were obtained using AspenPlus V9 for the systems benzene–toluene and methanol–water at one bar pressure. An optimum feed stage exists at the maximum driving force composition. Reboiler heat input is strongly correlated with reflux rate and with feed enthalpy. While system heat input is linearly correlated with entropy generation, the relation of reboiler heat to entropy generation depends on the selected material basis. Full system energy input and entropy generation are minimized for cold feed, though they are maximized when considering only the column. Entropy generation for heat transfer over a 5 K temperature difference is equivalent to tray efficiencies reduced to 60%.
Sleep Disturbance Among Firefighters: Understanding Associations with Alcohol Use and Distress Tolerance

Sleep disturbance is related to a variety of health issues and represents a prominent occupational concern among firefighters. Two potential predictors relevant to disturbed sleep are alcohol use and distress tolerance, which refers to the perceived ability to withstand negative emotional states. Main and interactive effects of alcohol use and distress tolerance on sleep disturbance were examined, after controlling for the covariates of service years and occupational stress. Participants included 652 firefighters (93.7% male; 77.9% white; Mage = 38.4 years), of whom 23.5% screened positive for hazardous alcohol use and 48.6% for disturbed sleep. Results indicated that higher alcohol misuse and lower distress tolerance were each significantly associated with greater sleep disturbance. Distress tolerance moderated the association between alcohol misuse and sleep disturbance, and the total model accounted for 28% of variance. Results indicate that firefighters with higher levels of hazardous alcohol use and lower levels of distress tolerance may exhibit higher levels of sleep disturbance.
Shopper Situational Attributes in India and the United States

Marketers are interested in the characteristics of consumers. Frequently, they possess knowledge concerning demographic traits of customers so that they can channel their efforts to those who might be most receptive to their products. In addition to gathering demographic information, suppliers can also consider consumers' situational attributes. Situational attributes were first reported by Belk (1974, 1975).
Earthquake Movement & Lot Lines

Analysis of a recent California decision dealing with the effect on lot lines of earth movements.
Recent development in chitosan nanocomposites for surface‐based biosensor applications

Recent years have witnessed ever expanding use of biosensors in the fields of environmental monitoring, homeland security, pharmaceutical, food and bioprocessing, and agricultural industries. To produce effective and reliable biosensors, good quality immobilization of biological recognition elements is critical. Chitosan and its nanocomposites emerge as an excellent immobilization matrix on biosensor surface. As a natural polysaccharide, chitosan has many useful characteristics, such as high permeability and mechanical strength, biocompatibility and non-toxicity, availability, and low cost. Due to the presence of amino and hydroxyl groups on chitosan, chitosan can easily crosslink with a variety of nanomaterials. This investigation of chitosan nanocomposite-based biosensors presents recent development and innovations in the preparation of chitosan nanocomposites in coordination with biosensors for various bio-detection applications, including chitosan nanocomposites formed with carbon nanomaterials, various inorganic and biological complexes. These chitosan nanocomposite based biosensors have demonstrated good sensitivity selectivity and stability for the detection of different types of targets ranging from glucose, proteins, DNAs, small biomolecules to bacteria. It is in our hope that this review will offer guidance for the development of novel biosensors and open up opportunities in the field of biosensor research.
Relative trajectory cost estimation for CTOP applications using multivariate nonparametric finite mixture logit

We study airline decision-making in response to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airspace Flow Program (AFP) to empirically describe policy-relevant behavioral strategies and preference structure of air carriers. Using observed responses made by airlines, we infer utility functions of different route options in AFP with respect to flight time and arrival delay using a finite mixture latent class choice model. We empirically describe the trade-off that airlines face between flight time and departure or arrival delay. The average estimated cost of airborne delay is 24 times greater than the cost of ground delay. Airborne cost per minute is over 100 greater than ground delay cost for large carriers and 4–20 times greater for small airlines. The results are applicable to future traffic flow management programs, such as Collaborative Trajectory Options Program (CTOP).
Impact of external resistance acclimation on charge transfer and diffusion resistance in bench-scale microbial fuel cells.

Abstract Reducing the external resistance (Rext) for microbial fuel cell (MFC) acclimation can substantially alter the anode performance in terms of charge transfer (RCT), diffusion (Rd) and total anode resistance (RAn). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to quantify anode impedance at different set potentials. Reducing Rext from 50 Ω to 20 Ω during acclimation reduced RCT by 31% (from 6.12 ± 0.09 mΩ m2 to 4.21 ± 0.03 mΩ m2) and Rd by 18% (from 3.4 ± 0.2 mΩ m2 to 2.8 ± 0.1 mΩ m2) at a set anode potential of −115 mV during EIS. Overall RAn decreased by 27%, to 5.13 ± 0.02 mΩ m2 for acclimation at 20 Ω, enabling the anode to achieve 38% higher current densities of 29 ± 1 A m−2. The results show a clear dependence of acclimation procedures and external resistance on kinetic and diffusion components of anode impedance that can impact overall bioelectrochemical performance.
FAST Performance in a Stationary versus In-Motion Military Ambulance Utilizing Handheld Ultrasound: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Objective: On-scene prehospital conditions and patient instability may warrant a during-transport ultrasound (US) exam. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of ambulance turbulence on the performance of the Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) with a handheld US device. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial in which participants were randomized to perform a FAST in either a stationary or an in-motion military ambulance. Participants were physicians and physician assistants (PAs) with previous FAST training. All exams were performed on an US phantom model. The primary outcome was FAST completion time, reported as a mean, in seconds. Secondary outcomes included image acquisition score (range of 0-24, reported as a mean), diagnostic accuracy (reported as sensitivity and specificity), and a post-participation survey with five-item Likert-type scales. Results: Twenty-seven participants performed 27 FASTs, 14 in the stationary ambulance and 13 in the in-motion ambulance. All participants obtained the four requisite views of the FAST. A significant difference was detected in image acquisition scores in favor of the stationary ambulance group (19.4 versus 16.7 [95% CI for difference, 0.9-4.4]; P <.01). Significant differences in survey items between groups were related to obtaining and maintaining US images and the exam conditions. There was not a difference in FAST completion time between groups (98.5 seconds versus 78.7 seconds [95% CI for difference, -13.5 seconds to 53.1 seconds]; P = .23). Sensitivity and specificity of FAST in the stationary ambulance was 85.7% (95% CI, 67.3%-96.0%) and 96.4% (95% CI, 81.7%-99.9%) versus 96.2% (95% CI, 80.4%-99.9%) and 100.0% (95% CI, 86.8%-100.0%) in the in-motion ambulance group (P = .21). Conclusion: Vehicular motion did not affect FAST completion time and diagnostic accuracy; however, it did reduce FAST image acquisition scores. The results suggest timely and diagnostically accurate FASTs may be completed by experienced sonographers during moderate levels of ambulance turbulence. Further investigation assessing the utility and limitations of newer handheld US devices in various prehospital conditions is warranted.
Neuro-Ophthalmological Manifestations of Craniosynostosis: Current Perspectives

Craniosynostosis, a premature fusion of cranial sutures that can be isolated or syndromic, is a congenital defect with a broad, multisystem clinical spectrum. The visual pathway is prone to derangements in patients with craniosynostosis, particularly in syndromic cases, and there is a risk for permanent vision loss when ocular disease complications are not identified and properly treated early in life. Extensive advancements have been made in our understanding of the etiologies underlying vision loss in craniosynostosis over the last 20 years. Children with craniosynostosis are susceptible to interruptions in visual input arising from strabismus, refractive errors, and corneal damage; any of these aberrations can result in understimulation of the visual cortex during childhood neurodevelopment and permanent amblyopia. Elevated intracranial pressure resulting from abnormal cranial shape or volume can lead to papilledema and, ultimately, optic atrophy and vision loss. A pediatric ophthalmologist is a crucial component of the multidisciplinary care team that should be involved in the care of craniosynostosis patients and consistent ophthalmologic follow-up can help minimize the risk to vision posed by such entities as papilledema and amblyopia. This article aims to review the current understanding of neuro-ophthalmological manifestations in craniosynostosis and explore diagnostic and management considerations for the ophthalmologist taking care of these patients.
Ligand Binding Prolongs Androgen Receptor Protein Half-Life by Reducing its Degradation

Androgens are important in female reproduction, but the molecular actions of androgens in female reproductive tissues are not fully understood. We investigated the androgen-responsive transcriptome in human and mouse granulosa cells (GCs) and surprisingly found that the gene-regulation activity of androgen receptor (AR) in these cells is negligible. We then investigated extranuclear actions of AR and found that in human and mouse GCs, as well as in prostate cancer cells, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) dramatically increases the half-life of its own receptor protein. Using the human granulosa-like KGN cells, we show that this effect is not the result of increased AR gene transcription or protein synthesis, nor is it fully abrogated by proteasome inhibition. Knockdown of PTEN, which contributes to degradation of cytoplasmic AR, did not diminish AR accumulation in the presence of DHT. Using immunofluorescence cellular localization studies, we show that nuclear AR is selectively protected from degradation in the presence of DHT. Knockdown of importin 7 expression, a potential regulator of AR nuclear import, does not affect DHT-mediated nuclear accumulation of AR, suggesting importin 7-independent nuclear import of AR in GCs. Further, DNA binding is not required for this protective mechanism. In summary, we show that ligand binding sequesters AR in the nucleus through enhanced nuclear localization independent of DNA binding, thereby protecting it from proteasome degradation in the cytoplasm. This phenomenon distinguishes AR from other sex steroid receptors and may have physiological significance through a positive feedback loop in which androgen induces its own activity in male and female reproductive tissues.
Polymerase-guided base editing enables in vivo mutagenesis and rapid protein engineering.

Random mutagenesis is a technique used to generate diversity and engineer biological systems. In vivo random mutagenesis generates diversity directly in a host organism, enabling applications such as lineage tracing, continuous evolution, and protein engineering. Here we describe TRIDENT (TaRgeted In vivo Diversification ENabled by T7 RNAP), a platform for targeted, continual, and inducible diversification at genes of interest at mutation rates one-million fold higher than natural genomic error rates. TRIDENT targets mutagenic enzymes to precise genetic loci by fusion to T7 RNA polymerase, resulting in mutation windows following a mutation targeting T7 promoter. Mutational diversity is tuned by DNA repair factors localized to sites of deaminase-driven mutation, enabling sustained mutation of all four DNA nucleotides at rates greater than 10−4 mutations per bp. We show TRIDENT can be applied to routine in vivo mutagenesis applications by evolving a red-shifted fluorescent protein and drug-resistant mutants of an essential enzyme. Existing in vivo mutagenesis tools are limited by low mutation diversity and mutation rates. Here the authors present TRIDENT for targeted, continual and inducible diversification of genes of interest using deaminases fused to T7 RNA polymerase.
Treating Girls Like Boys: The Juvenile Court and the Burden of Gender Neutral Programming

Just as delinquency case rates skyrocketed more for girls than boys in the 80s and 90s, recent declines show, yet again, that advances in youth intervention favor boys over girls. Given that boys c...
Making it official: The institutionalization of the hegemony of English

Drawing upon Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as theoretical framework and methodological tool, the present paper critically examines the legislation that has established English as official language in 30 states. This study captures the motivation and rationale of the policies, their stated outcomes and educational implications. The analysis situates the discourse embedded in official language policies within its socio-historical context and the conceptualization of race and language in the US. The results indicate that official English legislation responds to a conservative raciolinguistic ideology that seeks to reaffirm the hegemony of English as a mechanism of internal colonization. Official English attempts to establish monolingual educational and governmental practices that serve as an instrument to protect the status quo and, thus, perpetuate the privilege of whiteness and the subordination of immigrants, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
Quantification of brainstem norepinephrine relative to vocal impairment and anxiety in the Pink1-/- rat model of Parkinson disease.

Abstract Vocal communication impairment and anxiety are co-occurring and interacting signs of Parkinson Disease (PD) that are common, poorly understood, and under-treated. Both vocal communication and anxiety are influenced by the noradrenergic system. In light of this shared neural substrate and considering that noradrenergic dysfunction is a defining characteristic of PD, tandem investigation of vocal impairment and anxiety in PD relative to noradrenergic mechanisms is likely to yield insights into the underlying disease-specific causes of these impairments. In order to address this gap in knowledge, we assessed vocal impairment and anxiety behavior relative to brainstem noradrenergic markers in a genetic rat model of early-onset PD (Pink1-/-) and wild type controls (WT). We hypothesized that 1) brainstem noradrenergic markers would be disrupted in Pink1-/-, and 2) brainstem noradrenergic markers would be associated with vocal acoustic changes and anxiety level. Rats underwent testing of ultrasonic vocalization and anxiety (elevated plus maze) at 4, 8, and 12 months of age. At 12 months, brainstem norepinephrine markers were quantified with immunohistochemistry. Results demonstrated that vocal impairment and anxiety were increased in Pink1-/- rats, and increased anxiety was associated with greater vocal deficit in this model of PD. Further, brainstem noradrenergic markers including TH and α1 adrenoreceptor immunoreactivity in the locus coeruleus, and β1 adrenoreceptor immunoreactivity in vagal nuclei differed by genotype, and were associated with vocalization and anxiety behavior. These findings demonstrate statistically significant relationships among vocal impairment, anxiety, and brainstem norepinephrine in the Pink1-/- rat model of PD.
Do efforts to reduce packaging waste impact preferences for meal kits

Abstract The food industry has been innovative in developing new products and services in response to the increasing demand for healthy and convenient food. Meal kits, a growing segment in the market, provide pre-measured bundles of raw ingredients with recipe cards for a complete home-cooked meal. However, to ensure food safety and quality, meal kits sold online come with a lot of packaging, creating waste. This study examines the market for meal kits as an example of healthy and convenient food, paying particular attention to the impact of packaging waste on consumer behavior. First, the willingness to pay for key attributes of meal kits is estimated, including whether the meal kit is ordered on meal kit websites or purchased at grocery stores. Second, the impact of providing eco-friendly packaging on the choice of purchasing platforms (online vs. offline) is investigated. Based on 1,217 primary grocery shoppers in the US, results reveal that consumers have a higher willingness to pay for meal kits sold at grocery stores, with organic, local, and pre-cut ingredients. The provision of fully recyclable insulation packaging helps consumers feel more positive regarding online meal kit packaging. However, it does not lead to any changes in the preference of purchasing platforms, showing a robust preference for buying meal kits at grocery stores.
Language diversity and thought: Approaches in anthropological linguistics: theoretical and methodological advances

Introduction The previous chapter characterized direct empirical research on the linguistic relativity issue within anthropological linguistics. This chapter reviews later achievements within this tradition which have attempted to provide solutions or new perspectives on crucial theoretical and methodological problems in previous research. Although this work explicitly addresses Whorf's formulations, it has yet to give rise to direct empirical evaluations of the linguistic relativity issue itself. But the work does provide the foundation for such research by providing an improved understanding of the structure and functioning of the linguistic analysis of experience. Advances have been made in three areas. First, more refined approaches to comparing the diversity of classifications across languages have emerged. This work both provides the foundation for a new empirical comparison and clarifies the way in which linguistic classifications are distinctively “linguistic” in nature. Second, the earlier interest in the diversity of linguistic classifications (structure) has been supplemented by an increasing emphasis on the diverse uses (functions) of language not only across language groups but even within a single language community. This work opens up an entirely new dimension of the relativity problem. Third, more specific content has been given to the notion that speakers have differential awareness of their various language categories. This work illuminates the process by which language categories influence thought and, in conjunction with the work on the diverse uses of language, suggests another new dimension of the relativity problem.
Oxygen transfer from bleomycin-metal complexes.

Abstract Both Fe(III) and Cu(II) complexes of bleomycin (BLM), but not N-acetyl BLM . Fe(III), mediated the transfer of oxygen from iodosobenzene to organic substrates. In analogy with results obtained using certain cytochrome P-450 analogs, cis-stilbene was converted cleanly to the respective oxide, while no more than traces of trans-stilbene oxide were formed from trans-stilbene under identical conditions. The possible relevance of these observations to the degradation of DNA by bleomycin was also studied. In both the presence and absence of O2, BLM . Cu(II) . C6H5IO effected DNA degradation, as judged by the release of [3H]thymine from radiolabeled Escherichia coli DNA. These findings provide a valuable new assay system for the study of bleomycin analogs and suggest the possibility that bleomycin may function as an "oxygen transferase" in its degradation of DNA in situ.
Rare B decays and new physics studies

I present a review of using rare B decays to search for physics beyond the Standard Model. B decays that proceed either through annihilation or loop topologies at leading order in the Standard Model provide unique probes in the search for new physics. The latest experimental results from the B factories (Babar and Belle) and the Tevatron experiments (CDF and D0) on rare decays and their impact on various scenarios for new physics will be presented.
On the power efficiency of sensory and ad-hoc wireless networks

We consider the power efficiency of a communications channel, i.e., the maximum bit rate that can be achieved per unit power (energy rate). For AWGN channels, it is well known that power efficiency is attained in the low SNR regime where capacity is proportional to the transmit power. In this paper we show that for a sensory wireless network with n nodes, or for an ad-hoc wireless network with n users and up to /spl radic/n transmit/receive pairs, the power efficiency scales at least by a factor of /spl radic/n. In other words, each user in a wireless channel with n nodes can support the same communications rate as a single user system, but by expending only 1/(/spl radic/n) the energy. We also give a description of how to achieve these gains.