cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE EFFECT OF BIDIRECTIONAL FLOW ON TIDAL CHANNEL PLANFORMS

Salt marsh tidal channels are highly sinuous. For this project, field surveys and aerial photographs were used to characterize the planform of tidal channels at China Camp Marsh in the San Francisco Bay, California. To model the planform evolution, we assume that the topographic curvature of the channel centreline is a key element driving meander migration. Extraction of curvature data from a planimetric survey, however, presents certain problems because simple calculations based on equally distanced points on the channel axis produce numerical noise that pollutes the final curvature data. We found that a spline interpolation and a polynomial fit to the survey data provided us with a robust means of calculating channel curvature. The curvature calculations, combined with data from numerous cross-sections along the tidal channel, were used to parameterize a computer model. With this model, based on recent theoretical work, the relationship between planform shape and meander migration as well as the consequences of bidirectional flow on planform evolution have been investigated. Bank failure in vegetated salt marsh channels is characterized by slump blocks that persist in the channel for several years. It is therefore possible to identify reaches of active bank erosion and test model predictions. Our results suggest that the geometry and evolution of meanders at China Camp Marsh, California, reflect the ebb-dominated regime. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Alternated duty cycle control method for half-bridge DC-DC converter

A control method, namely, alternated duty cycle (ADC) control, is presented in this paper. This method can achieve soft-switching for at least one switch of the two half-bridge switches. When soft-switching can be only achieved for one switch, ADC control alternates the soft-switching realization between the two switches so that each switch will be soft-switched during half of the time and hard-switched during the other half, keeping equal power losses distribution between the switches. Moreover, any asymmetry in the duty cycle will not cause asymmetric components stresses or transformer DC bias when ADC control is used. Theoretical analysis and implementation are presented along with experimental results.
Dynamic biomechanical examination of the lumbar spine with implanted total spinal segment replacement (TSSR) utilizing a pendulum testing system.

Background Biomechanical investigations of spinal motion preserving implants help in the understanding of their in vivo behavior. In this study, we hypothesized that the lumbar spine with implanted total spinal segment replacement (TSSR) would exhibit decreased dynamic stiffness and more rapid energy absorption compared to native functional spinal units under simulated physiologic motion when tested with the pendulum system. Methods Five unembalmed, frozen human lumbar functional spinal units were tested on the pendulum system with axial compressive loads of 181 N, 282 N, 385 N, and 488 N before and after Flexuspine total spinal segment replacement implantation. Testing in flexion, extension, and lateral bending began by rotating the pendulum to 5°; resulting in unconstrained oscillatory motion. The number of rotations to equilibrium was recorded and bending stiffness (N-m/°) was calculated and compared for each testing mode. Results The total spinal segment replacement reached equilibrium with significantly fewer cycles to equilibrium compared to the intact functional spinal unit at all loads in flexion (p 0.18). Conclusions Lumbar functional spinal units with implanted total spinal segment replacement were found to have similar dynamic bending stiffness, but absorbed energy at a more rapid rate than intact functional spinal units during cyclic loading with an unconstrained pendulum system. Although the effects on clinical performance of motion preserving devices is not fully known, these results provide further insight into the biomechanical behavior of this device under approximated physiologic loading conditions.
Identification of endothelial cell genes by combined database mining and microarray analysis.

Vascular endothelial cells maintain the interface between the systemic circulation and soft tissues and mediate critical processes such as inflammation in a vascular bed-selective fashion. To expan...
Halogen Overlayer Structures on Fe(110)

The overlayer structures formed with halogen adsorption on an Fe(110) surface have been investigated using LEED. The LEED patterns are described using variable, non-coincident nets of halogen adatoms. The adlayer nets rotate and contract with increasing halogen coverage. The structural changes within the adlayer are consistent with an adatom model developed for the Cl2/Br2/I2 Fe(110) systems. The internuclear spacings and geometry of the halogen overlayers on Fe(110) are shown to be consistent with previous work on Fe(110).
Self-Organization of Topographic Mixture Networks Using Attentional Feedback

This article proposes a neural network model of supervised learning that employs biologically motivated constraints of using local, on-line, constructive learning. The model possesses two novel learning mechanisms. The first is a network for learning topographic mixtures. The network's internal category nodes are the mixture components, which learn to encode smooth distributions in the input space by taking advantage of topography in the input feature maps. The second mechanism is an attentional biasing feedback circuit. When the network makes an incorrect output prediction, this feedback circuit modulates the learning rates of the category nodes, by amounts based on the sharpness of their tuning, in order to improve the network's prediction accuracy. The network is evaluated on several standard classification benchmarks and shown to perform well in comparison to other classifiers.
Toxopain-1 is critical for infection in a novel chicken embryo model of congenital toxoplasmosis

We tested the hypothesis that cathepsins and specifically toxopain-1, a cathepsin B, play a critical role in the pathogenesis of toxoplasmosis. We found that inhibiting the expression of toxopain-1-specific mRNA and protein by >60% significantly decreased the capacity of the parasites to multiply and invade in vitro. To relate these in vitro results to the role of toxopain-1 in pathogenesis in vivo, we developed a novel chicken embryo model of congenital toxoplasmosis. Inhibiting either toxopain-1 expression or specific cysteine proteinase activity significantly reduced congenital infection of chicken embryos, as determined by histopathology and by the number of parasites quantified by real-time PCR. Our new model provides key in vivo validation for the hypothesis that toxopain-1 is a potential drug target in Toxoplasma gondii and also provides a new animal model for rapid, inexpensive screening of antiparasitic compounds.
IS SEXUAL ORIENTATION A MATTER OF CHOICE

Ninety women in lesbian and heterosexual couples were compared on relationship values, views of same-gender and cross-gender intimate relationships, and perceived choice of sexual orientation. Both groups reported similar values, levels of self-esteem, and capacity for intimacy. The majority in both groups described their relationships with women as more emotionally and intellectually intimate than those with men. A majority of women in lesbian couples (58%) and a third of women in heterosexual couples reported choosing the orientation of their current sexual relationship. Women with male partners did not perceive major differences between homosexual and heterosexual relationships, citing sexual attraction as the primary reason they chose a male partner. In contrast, many women with female partners characterized lesbian relationships as more intimate and equal, and less gender-role stereotyped, frequently citing these characteristics, along with sexual attraction, as reasons for their relationship preference.
The Pathway of Oligomeric DNA Melting Investigated by Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Details of the reaction coordinate for DNA melting are fundamental to much of biology and biotechnology. Recently, it has been shown experimentally that there are at least three states involved. To clarify the reaction mechanism of the melting transition of DNA, we perform 100-ns molecular dynamics simulations of a homo-oligomeric, 12-basepair DNA duplex, d(A(12)).d(T(12)), with explicit salt water at 400 K. Analysis of the trajectory reveals the various biochemically important processes that occur on different timescales. Peeling (including fraying from the ends), searching for Watson-Crick complements, and dissociation are recognizable processes. However, we find that basepair searching for Watson-Crick complements along a strand is not mechanistically tied to or directly accessible from the dissociation steps of strand melting. A three-step melting mechanism is proposed where the untwisting of the duplex is determined to be the major component of the reaction coordinate at the barrier. Though the observations are limited to the characteristics of the system being studied, they provide important insight into the mechanism of melting of other more biologically relevant forms of DNA, which will certainly differ in details from those here.
Optimum feedback quantization in an opportunistic beamforming scheme

In recent years, digital beamforming has evolved into an excellent technology to improve wireless communications over fading channels. Especially in slow fading environments with a sufficient number of users in the system, opportunistic beamforming through multiuser diversity [1] has offered some advantages over true beamforming methods that rely on full channel feedback and/or robust channel estimation methods. Opportunistic beamforming achieves good throughput with only signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) feedback from the users. The quality of the SNR feedback such as the degree of SNR quantization is essential for opportunistic beamforming because the base station selects the best receiving user based on the SNR measurements sent by the users. In this paper, we develop an optimum SNR quantization method performed by the users and analyze its impact on the system throughput. While keeping the fairness among the users, we show that the opportunistic beamforming gain can still be realized with the help of the proposed quantization method. Theoretical analysis and computer simulation results show the feasibility and effectiveness of the method which provides insights for engineers to implement opportunistic beamforming in practice.
Epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a university medical center day care facility.

OBJECTIVE. Few data are available on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization in day care. We performed a study in a medical university child care center to study the epidemiology of MRSA in this population. DESIGN. Survey. SETTING. A child care center on the campus of a university medical center. METHODS. One hundred four children who attended the child care center and 32 employees gave samples that were cultured for MRSA. Seventeen household members of the children and employee found to be colonized with MRSA also gave samples that were cultured. Parents and employees completed questionnaires about demographic characteristics, medical conditions and treatments, and possible exposure risks outside the child care center. In addition, 195 environmental samples were taken from sites at the childcare center. Isolates were analyzed for relatedness by use of molecular typing, and statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS. The prevalence of MRSA in the children was 6.7%. One employee (3.1%) was colonized with MRSA. Cultures of samples given by 6 of 17 (35.3%) family members of these children and the employee yielded MRSA. MRSA was recovered from 4 of 195 environmental samples. Molecular typing revealed that many of the MRSA isolates were indistinguishable, and 18 of the 21 isolates were community-associated MRSA. Multivariable analysis revealed that receipt of macrolide antibiotics (P = .002; odds ratio, 39.6 [95% confidence interval, 3.4-651.4]) and receipt of asthma medications (P = .024; odds ratio, 26.9 [95% confidence interval, 1.5-500.7]) were related to MRSA colonization. CONCLUSIONS. There was a low prevalence of MRSA colonization in children and employees in the child care center but a higher prevalence of colonization in their families. Molecular typing showed that transmission of MRSA likely occurred in the child care center. The use of macrolide antibiotics and asthma medications may increase the risk of MRSA colonization in this population.
Contactless fluorescence imaging with a CMOS image sensor

In this work, we utilize a CMOS active pixel sensor in a fluorescence imaging setup. The ability to sense small light intensity changes on top of a large baseline with spatial resolution at the subcellular scale is required in fluorescence imaging. The CMOS imager presented in [1] is perfect for this application with the ability to resolve fine features coupled with high dynamic range. By using a custom imager with a relay lens we are able to realize a dramatic decrease in device size, cost and complexity of the whole system.
Navigation in 3D using the Flying Fish

We have developed a novel input device called the “Flying Fish” [2], which uses Electric Field (EF) sensing [10, 7] to interpret free-hand gestures as continuous controllers. Here we discuss some issues that arise when using this type of device for 3D navigation, particularly addressing the question of what it means for a gestural interface to feel “natural”.
Temporal changes of seismic velocity and anisotropy in the shallow crust induced by the 1999 October 22 M6.4 Chia-Yi, Taiwan earthquake

SUMMARY Observing temporal changes of material properties in the upper crust has been a long-sought goal within the geophysics community for many decades. A better quantification of temporal changes in the near-surface layers associated with nearby large earthquakes is crucial for improved understandings of rock rheology in the shallow crust, better characterization of site response, and accurate predictions of strong ground motions for future large earthquakes. We systematically analyse temporal changes of seismic velocity and anisotropy in the shallow crust in southwest Taiwan using local earthquakes recorded at a 200-m-deep borehole station CHY. This station is located directly above the hypocentre of the 1999 October 22, M6.4 Chia-Yi earthquake. Three-component seismograms recorded at this station show clear direct (upgoing) and surface-reflected (downgoing) P and S waves, and S-wave splitting signals. We use the time delays between the upgoing and downgoing waves in the autocorrelation functions as the proxies for the two-way traveltimes in the top 200 m. The S-wave traveltimes measured in two horizontal components increase by ∼1–2 per cent at the time of Chia-Yi main shock, and followed by a logarithmic recovery, while the temporal changes of S-wave splitting and P-wave traveltimes are less than 1 per cent and are not statistically significant. We obtain similar results by grouping earthquakes into clusters according to their locations and waveform similarities. This suggests that the observed temporal changes are not very sensitive to the seismic ray paths below CHY, but are mostly controlled by the variation of material properties in the top 200 m of the crust. We propose that strong ground motions of the Chia-Yi main shock cause transient openings of fluid-filled microcracks and increases the porosity in the near-surface layers, followed by logarithemic recovery processes. No clear change in the delay times of the shear wave anisotropy is found following the main shock, suggesting that cracks opened during the earthquake do not have a preferred orientation. Our results also show a gradual increase of time delays for both the fast and slow S waves in the 7y r prior to the Chia-Yi main shock. Such changes might be caused by variations of water table, sediment packing or other surficial processes.
Preventing Electrosurgical Energy–Related Injuries

Electrosurgery is used on a daily basis in the operating room, but it remains poorly understood by those using it. In addition, the physics of electrosurgery are far more complicated than those of laser. Common belief notwithstanding, electrosurgery has an enormous capacity for patient injury if used incorrectly, even though technology has markedly reduced the likelihood of patient or surgeon injuries. This article is intended to educate the clinician regarding the basis of electrosurgery and provide an explanation on how injuries may occur as well as how they may be prevented.
Benefits of understanding allergen thresholds.

Recent studies published in the Journal have shed important light on the understanding of thresholds for patients with food allergy. In most clinical contexts, a threshold can be viewed as ‘‘the level that must be reached for an effect to be produced.’’ Because the effect in question for a subject with food allergy might be a potentially life-threatening reaction for which no preventative treatments are available, understanding threshold responses to allergen exposure undoubtedly benefits the management of patients. Thresholds have diagnostic importance as measures of allergen desensitization or therapeutic effect to immunotherapy and for identifying suitable candidates for therapy. Importantly, knowledge of thresholds might improve quality of life for patients by helping them understand their potential risk for reactions to everyday allergen exposures and helping them to make informed choices in their food avoidance practices. To date, however, deciphering what an allergen threshold clearly represents for individual patients has remained elusive. There are no simple diagnostic tests other than challenge to predict thresholds, and evidence shows that individual thresholds can be affected by various factors, such as exercise and infections, and might not be reproducible from one challenge to the next. Risk assessment approaches are being proposed to estimate thresholds for populations of allergic patients. For some allergens (ie, peanut, egg, milk, and hazelnut), there are now more than 200 individual data points on eliciting doses (EDs) from double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge studies using low-dose allergen protocols (of a few milligrams of protein or lower) from which to make population threshold risk predictions. Determining thresholds to lie within the interval between the ED and the highest challenge dose not to elicit a reaction, Allen et al modeled threshold dose distribution data from various population data sets to estimate reference doses, which are derived from the ED of allergen predicted to elicit a reaction in 1% (ED01) or 5% (ED05) of the population, for most major food allergens. Although the main focus of this analysis was to establish thresholds for precautionary allergen-labeling purposes, these data can also provide prognostic reaction-risk information for patients. For example, these data demonstrate
Model-Based Techniques for Data Reliability in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks are a fast-growing class of systems. They offer many new design challenges, due to stringent requirements like tight energy budgets, low-cost components, limited processing resources, and small footprint devices. Such strict design goals call for technologies like nanometer-scale semiconductor design and low-power wireless communication to be used. But using them would also make the sensor data more vulnerable to errors, within both the sensor nodes' hardware and the wireless communication links. Assuring the reliability of the data is going to be one of the major design challenges of future sensor networks. Traditional methods for reliability cannot always be used, because they introduce overheads at different levels, from hardware complexity to amount of data transmitted. This paper presents a new method that makes use of the properties of sensor data to enable reliable data collection. The approach consists of creating predictive models based on the temporal correlation in the data and using them for real-time error correction. This method handles multiple sources of errors together without imposing additional complexity or resource overhead at the sensor nodes. We demonstrate the ability to correct transient errors arising in sensor node hardware and wireless communication channels through simulation results on real sensor data.
Mycotoxicosis-like reactions in rats treated with Micropolyspora faeni.

Summary: Groups of rats previously sensitized by intramuscular administration of Micropolyspora faeni antigens, as well as control animals, were challenged intratracheally with live M. faeni. The animals were sacrificed at intervals and their lungs studied microbiologically and histopathologically. Previously sensitized animals developed precipitins to M. faeni and severe pulmonary lesions similar to those seen in myco toxicosis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Non-sensitized animals had no precipitins but developed pulmonary lesions of lesser severity. Zusammenfassung: Bei einigen Gruppen von Ratten, die vorher intramuskular mit Micropolyspora faeni - Antigenen sensibilisiert worden waren und nicht bei nicht sensibilisierten Kontrollgruppen wurde intratracheal eine Exposition mit lebenden M. faeni - Partikeln durchgefuhrt. Die Tiere wurden in verschiedenen Abstanden getotet. Ihre Lungen wurden mikrobiologisch und histopathologisch untersucht. Vorher sensibilisierte Tiere entwickelten Prazipitine gegen M. faeni und ausgepragte pulmonale Veranderungen wie sie auch bei Mycotoxicose oder bei Hypersensitivitatspneumonie gesehen werden. Nicht sensibilisierte Tiere entwickelten keine Prazipitinie, jedoch auch Lungenveranderungen, wenn auch von geringerer Auspragung.
Feedback Effects and the Laffer Landscape

This paper combines the dynamic scoring literature with Laffer curve analysis to reveal the relationship between feedback effects and the shape of the Laffer curve. A Neoclassical growth model with multiple government expenditures and revenues is used and the conditions under which a tax cut can be self-financing are explored. Steady state results indicate that fiscal regimes with a greater reliance on debt financing or lump-sum transfers are more likely to be self-financing than those with larger expenditures on government consumption and productivity-enhancing public capital.
From Ferguson’ Streets to Washington’s Marble Arches: Experiences with Legal Authorities, Group Identities, and African American Perceptions of Legal Legitimacy

Having been victimized by the abuses of individual peace-officers as well as discriminatory public policies such as “stop and frisk,” it is no surprise to find that considerable alienation seems to characterize the contemporary relationship between African Americans and the legal institutions that govern them. But have those attitudes poisoned more general views of legal institutions such as the U.S. Supreme Court? Using a nationally representative sample of African Americans, we assess whether blacks generalize from their experiences with local authorities to legal system fairness to institutional support for the high bench. While we find that perceptions of legal system fairness have not undermined Supreme Court legitimacy, all of the relationships we consider are hypothesized to be – and are found to be – conditional upon group attachments and senses of “linked fate.” Having a sense of linked fate, in particular, seems to provide a “glue” for connecting local and national legal attitudes.
Analysis of the Situation of Respiratory Infectious Diseases in a Military Area from 2001 to 2010

Objective To investigate the tendency and conditions of respiratory infectious diseases in a military area in the recent 10 years and to provide the scientific foundation for the prevention and control of these diseases.Methods With the help of Monitoring Management Information System for Troop Epidemic Situation and Excel software,statistical analysis on the reported cases of respiratory infectious diseases was conducted.Results Reports during 2001 and 2010 showed that the top five respiratory infectious diseases were: pulmonary tuberculosis,varicella,measles,mumps and rubella;the percentage of respiratory infectious diseases was the highest of all kinds of infectious diseases except that it was lower than that of digestive tract infectious diseases in 2001 and 2005 and lower than those of blood originated and sexually transmitted diseases in 2004.Conclusion Considering the tendency of infectious diseases and the features of respiratory infectious diseases,the prevention and control of respiratory infectious diseases should be highlighted.In addition,comprehensive precaution should be given to emerging infectious diseases to prevent diseases transmission in the military area.
The individual and social drivers of primate innovation

How does nonhuman primate innovation compare to our own? Many primates innovate, for example to get otherwise inaccessible food or to increase their social standing, and nonhuman primate innovation can be broken into three component steps. It begins with the initial invention, which is then transmitted to other members of the inventor’s group, and is then adopted by other individuals and maintained within the society. These three steps – invention, transmission, and maintenance – are all required for innovation and in this review, I discuss the factors (social, environmental, and cognitive) that influence each step. I also highlight the comparable and contrasting features between human and nonhuman primate innovation. In contrast to human innovations, primate innovations are relatively simple and are typically self-serving. Nonhuman primates do not invent new products explicitly for the use of others (although group members certainly copy others' innovations) and nor are their inventions artistic or abstract in nature. Intriguingly, although chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates appear to be expert at copying others’ inventions, there is far less evidence of their ability to build upon others’ inventions (i.e., to show cumulative culture). At the core of our complex cultural world is the fidelity with which we copy others and our specialism at building upon the ideas of others. Thus, it is the cumulative nature of our innovative process that has created our complex material cultural world and is a key difference between how we innovate, learn and transmit knowledge, and how our chimpanzee cousins copy one another. Another difference is our ability to work collaboratively in teams to innovate and develop new technologies, as well as our potential to cooperate in an altruistic way that allows for planning for future generations. In conclusion, perhaps primate innovation can be most usefully likened to human ‘user innovators’ who typically innovate products or techniques to fill a personal need, rather than by being driven to create a product to go to market.
Euthanasia and Laboratory Animal Welfare

Abstract The overwhelming majority of laboratory animals are killed in the laboratory. The goal of this chapter is to assist research and veterinary personnel in ensuring that most instances of killing truly qualify as euthanasia, a good death for the animal. A good death minimizes pain and distress to the animal and so requires careful assessment of how different methods may impact welfare by causing pain and/or distress. The chapter draws heavily on the 2013 American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals, explaining the rationale for developing those guidelines, and highlighting some new guidance since the previous edition. This chapter discusses three major welfare issues for animal euthanasia: decisions about when and whether to euthanize an animal; potential animal pain and distress in the minutes to hours preceding the euthanasia process; and pain and distress induced by the euthanasia process itself. The chapter discusses the importance of setting humane endpoints to guide the decision to euthanize, as well as alternatives to euthanasia. Finally, some specific recommendations are provided for how to make the euthanasia process as free of pain and distress as possible.
Computer Simulation and Digital Control

This chapter talks about two topics: simulation and digital control. Both simulation and digital control are extremely important in the development and design of drive systems and power electronics. Simulation and digital control technologies are going through a revolution mainly because of the availability of submicron and high speed very large scale integration (VLSI) chips. A simulation study can provide the steady-state, transient, and fault performance of the system, also in addition to helping in designing the system and its protection. There is no fear of any damage even if a simulated system behaves abnormally. A newly developed converter or control system, particularly if it is complex, should be simulated with a digital computer, considering the many user-friendly simulation languages currently available. Digital control normally means micro-computer or digital signal processor (DSP) based control, although it may also be discrete digital/analog Integrated Circuit (IC) or Application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip-based, which may include hardware and software control. The development of microcomputer control is time consuming and complex; however, it is almost universally utilized in drive systems and power electronics because of its many advantages.
Nezara viridula (L.)1 in Central Texas: II. Seasonal Occurrence of Black-Spotted Condition in Adult Females

Abstract. Southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.), plagues cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., and other row crops annually after successfully overwintering in the Cotton Belt of the southeastern United States. A physiological marker — black-spotted condition — alluding to overwintering status, or preparation for overwintering, was previously reported in the female reproductive system, and a similar marker was found in southern green stink bug adults collected in Central Texas. This report expands the latter finding through clearer identification and discussion regarding the potential origin of the marker. Additionally, the seasonal occurrence of the black-spotted condition is identified relative to associated host plant species. In five plant species, the condition was observed primarily during late season, with frequencies ranging from 3.0–10.0% of samples possessing the blackspotted condition. This report sheds new insight into biology and ecology and presents a tool to aid producers in making decisi...
Chemical Characterization of Water-Soluble Organic Aerosol in Contrasting Rural and Urban Environments in the Southeastern United States.

We developed a novel system for direct and online characterization of water-solubility of organic aerosol (OA) by coupling a Particle Into Liquid Sampler (PILS) to a High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS). We showed that approximately 88% and 77% of OA are water-soluble in rural Centreville, Alabama and urban Atlanta, Georgia, respectively. The water-solubility of OA factors, resolved with Positive Matrix Factorization analysis of AMS data, is directly investigated for the first time. Above 80% of isoprene-derived OA is water-soluble and its water-soluble fraction has the least variability among all OA factors. This is consistent with that the majority of this factor represents OA formed through the aqueous-phase reaction of isoprene epoxydiols. More-oxidized oxygenated OA is dominantly water-soluble, consistent with this factor representing highly oxidized compounds. Less-oxidized oxygenated OA has the lowest water-solubility among all secondary OA factors, which agrees wit...
Melting Down the Family Unit: A Neuroqueer Critique of Table-Readiness

This chapter utilizes a combination of family studies, queer theory, and disability theory, as well as anthropological observations and phenomenology to place the orienting device of the table as a central site for heteronormative and ableist discipline over generally neurodivergent and more specifically autistic bodies. In reversing the argument that claims autistic symptoms cause divorces, this chapter argues that the demand of normalization as it echoes through a heteropatriarchal infrastructure inflicts extra labors of discipline upon multiple members of the family unit and often breaks relations when rehabilitation becomes a greater priority than intimacy. As part of a consideration of temporality and heteronormativity, the therapeutic project of “table-readiness” is then a project that aims to repair the family unit through a purging of symptoms of dissimilarity. To answer this critique of heteronormative ableist social structures, this chapter uses Sinclair’s idea of communication intermediated by objects or sense data that is exciting as an alternative to the hierarchical parallelism of the heteronormative table.
Strain-specific programming of prenatal ethanol exposure across generations.

Abstract Behavioral consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can be transmitted from in utero -exposed F1 generation to their F2 offspring. This type of transmission is modulated by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. This study investigated the intergenerational consequences of prenatal exposure to a low ethanol dose (1 g/kg) during gestational days 17–20, on ethanol-induced hypnosis in adolescent male F1 and F2 generations, in two strains of rats. Adolescent Long-Evans and Sprague-Dawley male rats were tested for sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis at a 3.5-g/kg or 4.5-g/kg ethanol dose using the loss of righting reflex (LORR) paradigm. We hypothesized that PAE would attenuate sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis in the ethanol-exposed animals in these two strains and in both generations. Interestingly, we only found this effect in Sprague-Dawley rats. Lastly, we investigated PAE related changes in expression of GABA A receptor α1, α4, and δ subunits in the cerebral cortex of the PAE sensitive Sprague-Dawley strain. We hypothesized a reduction in the cerebral cortex GABA A receptor subunits' expression in the F1 and F2 PAE groups compared to control animals. GABA A receptor α1, α4, and δ subunits protein expressions were quantified in the cerebral cortex of F1 and F2 male adolescents by western blotting. PAE did not alter cerebral cortical GABA A receptor subunit expressions in the F1 generation, but it decreased GABA A receptor α4 and δ subunits' expressions in the F2 generation, and had a tendency to decrease α1 subunit expression. We also found correlations between some of the subunits in both generations. These strain-dependent vulnerabilities to ethanol sensitivity, and intergenerational PAE-mediated changes in sensitivity to alcohol indicate that genetic and epigenetic factors interact to determine the outcomes of PAE animals and their offspring.
Plaster Casts after Antique Sculpture: Their Role in the Elevation of Public Taste and in American Art Instruction.

Plaster casts of famous works of ancient sculpture are rarely encountered today in American art museums and art schools. Nevertheless, for almost two hundred years, plaster casts were used in this country to transmit the artistic and cultural values of Western civilization to generations of Americans. This paper examines some of the social and ideological forces surrounding the introduction of these once-important art instructional aids into public institutions.
Disparities Between Black and White Women in Assisted Reproductive Technology

Racial minorities are known to have more severe disease and poorer outcomes throughout the US health care system. Accumulating evidence suggests that black race/ethnicity is associated with lower clinical pregnancy and live birthrates following assisted reproductive technology (ART) even after adjusting for many confounders. It is likely that some combination of genetic factors, environmental influences, socioeconomic status, and behavioral differences contributes to such disparities in ART outcomes.
Morbidity in the Sleep-Related Movement Disorders

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sleep-related movement disorder. Previous studies have shown that individuals with RLS have a significantly higher prevalence of several chronic conditions, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, erectile dysfunction, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety disorder, and a lower mental health score relative to those without RLS. However, these studies are predominantly cross-sectional, which limits the ability to draw conclusions about direction or causality of observed associations. Large-scale prospective studies are warranted to examine whether RLS is a potential risk factor for these chronic conditions, which would improve our understanding of the pathogeneses of RLS-related morbidities.
Association Between Sleep Duration and Body Mass Index Among US Low-Income Preschoolers.

Objective To verify whether sleep duration was related to body mass index z scores (zBMI) and whether bedtimes or ethnicity was a moderator of the sleep duration-zBMI association among preschoolers from low-income families. Methods Two hundred twenty-eight African American and Hispanic parents and their preschoolers were recruited from Head Start Centers. Parents reported their preschoolers' sleep duration and bedtimes (using the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire) and their television watching. Food intake was measured using multiple days of digital photography to estimate energy intake at dinner. The Parenting Stress Index and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale were used to measure stress and depression. Parents' and preschoolers' height and weight were measured by trained staff. Results Longer sleep duration was significantly associated with lower zBMI when controlling for demographics, bedtimes, energy intake at dinner, and television watching, but not when also controlling for parents' demographics, BMI, stress, and depression. Preschoolers' sleep duration-zBMI association was not moderated by bedtimes or ethnicity. Conclusions Longer sleep duration was associated with lower zBMI among low-income preschoolers when controlling for preschoolers' characteristics, but this was no longer the case when also controlling for parents' characteristics. Additional studies are needed on the moderators of the sleep duration-zBMI association among low-income preschoolers.
Using Honey Bee Cell Lines to Improve Honey Bee Health

Through their pollination services, honey bees serve an essential role in sustaining the nutrition, health, and shelter of humans and other animals. Because of the demand for their pollination services, beekeepers strive to keep honey bees healthy and productive. Unfortunately, many factors commonly found throughout the USA can detract from honey bee health. For example, infections with pathogens such as viruses and Nosema spp. pose a significant threat to honey bee survival. Viruses and Nosema spp. must invade cells of their host to reproduce and complete their development. To better understand the interaction between intracellular pathogens and honey bee cells, tools are needed that allow examination of infection at fine resolution and under controlled, aseptic conditions. One tool that has been underutilized in honey bee biology is cell culture; therefore, the focus of this chapter is to discuss the technique and use of honey bee cells in culture. Infection of honey bee cells in culture with the fungal pathogen, Nosema ceranae, is used as an example to demonstrate how cell culture can be a powerful tool to explore the process of infection and the negative impact pathogens may have on honey bee biology and health.
The role of perceived threat during emergency department cardiac evaluation and the age-posttraumatic stress disorder link.

Evaluation for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) can trigger posttraumatic stress symptoms (PSS). Research suggests that younger, versus older, individuals may be at elevated risk for PSS after ACS evaluation. It has been proposed that younger individuals may be at greater risk because they perceive the suspected ACS event as more threatening than their older counterparts; however, this has yet to be tested. We examined whether perceived threat during ACS evaluation mediated the association between age and PSS after ACS evaluation in an observational cohort study of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with suspected ACS. Demographics and perceived threat were assessed in the ED. PSS were measured upon inpatient transfer or by phone 3 days later. The analytic sample comprised 871 adult participants. Multiple linear regression was used to examine (1) associations of age and perceived threat with PSS and (2) whether perceived threat mediated the association. Bootstrapping with percentile-based confidence intervals (CIs) was used to test the indirect effect. Each year of age was associated with lower PSS (b = - 0.12, p < .001), independent of covariates. Older age was associated with lower perceived threat during ACS evaluation (b = - 0.05, p < .001). Greater threat perceptions predicted greater PSS (b = 0.94, p < .0001). The indirect effect (- 0.04) was statistically significant (95% CI - 0.07, - 0.02). Younger, versus older, individuals are at risk for greater PSS after ACS evaluation, and elevated perceived threat partially mediated this association. Understanding age differences in PSS development risk and the potential impact of age on threat perceptions may help inform ED treatment.
The Interplay of Product Involvement and Sustainable Consumption: An Empirical Analysis of Behavioral Intentions Related to Green Hotels, Organic Wines and Green Cars

Prior research has not fully shown how type and level of product involvement can have different effects on behavioral intentions regarding different green products. The purpose of this study is to examine how consumer involvement affects purchase intentions, willingness to pay more and willingness to sacrifice for three green products – green hotels, organic wines and green cars. By applying consumer involvement and elaboration likelihood theory, this study investigates whether significant differences exist between high‐ and low‐involvement consumers' behavioral intentions for these three environmental products. Results reveal that consumers' behavioral intentions depend strongly on the type of environmental product considered and the underlying type and extent of involvement associated with the product category. As products can be distinctly different depending on the associated involvement, consumption dynamics and attributes, it is important for marketers to take note of the differences when designing marketing campaigns for green products. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
Review of modifications to indirect land use change modeling and resulting carbon intensity values within the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard regulations

Abstract The California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) regulations were recently re-adopted (2015) with numerous revisions to the 2009 LCFS. Many aspects of the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) approach to modeling indirect land use change (ILUC) emissions have changed, including significant updates to the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) agro-economic model and use of a new emission factor (EF) database derived from the Agro-Economic Zone Emission Factor (AEZ-EF) model. These revisions have resulted in significantly reduced Carbon Intensity (CI) values for many biofuel pathways, making them more attractive to meet greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. The objective of this work was to investigate the most significant changes made to CARB's approach of modeling ILUC, the reasons for these changes, and their impacts on calculated CI values of biofuels. In this effort, land use change (LUC) estimates from GTAP and the AEZ-EF emission factors (EF) were compared to previous values. A new subset of land type, referred to as "cropland-pasture" has been incorporated into the GTAP-BIO model, and now constitutes the bulk of LUC for corn ethanol, soy biodiesel and sugarcane ethanol. However, since EFs of cropland-pasture are not well established, the AEZ-EF model simply applies an EF that is equivalent to 50% of the EF for conversion of pasture to cropland for the same AEZ region. In addition, differences in carbon accounting between perennial crops and annual crops contribute significantly to large reductions in sugarcane CI. These influential assumptions require further investigation.
Abstract P056: Prognostic Cut-Points of Prediabetic Plasma Glucose and HbA1c Values in Predicting Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Prediabetes are often characterized by various measurements of elevated but non-diabetic glucose values, including impaired fasting glucose (IFG), 2-hour impaired glucose tolerance (IGT...
Case Study: Integrating Cultural Competence and Health Equity in Nursing Education

Academic programs preparing nurses for the future must ensure that nurses are prepared to be culturally competent. Achieving this goal requires a multifaceted curricular, student, faculty, and infrastructure approach. This case study summarizes the strategies taken by one school to move from an implicit understanding of the importance of cultural competence to explicit changes that were made to achieve this outcome
Cognitive Deficits in Schizophrenia

Cognitive deficits are extremely disabling manifestations of schizophrenia that often predate the onset of illness and persist throughout its course. They are also present in the healthy relatives of individuals with schizophrenia suggesting that they are markers of genetic vulnerability to illness or “endophenotypes.” This article describes the cognitive deficits that are most central to schizophrenia and that hold the most promise for shedding light on its pathophysiology. Challenges to the quest to identify specific cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are addressed and integrative explanations of cognitive dysfunction are proposed. Finally, recent advances in genetics and neuroimaging that may illuminate the mechanisms of both cognitive deficits and schizophrenia are discussed.
Organisation der Unternehmensplanung

Versteht man die Planung als Subsystem des soziotechnischen Systems Unternehmung 1, so sind neben internen Bedingungen auch Umweltbedingungen systembestimmend.
When Judges Scold Lawyers

From time to time a judge castigates a lawyer for sloppy (or atrocious) research or writing. These biting passages can be entertaining (if they aren't directed at you). They can also be useful teaching tools. So how do you find them? This article presents a number of research techniques and, along the way, provides examples of judicial scoldings – for instance, for failure to shepardize, failure to find relevant authorities, poor brief-writing.