cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Winter- and summertime continental influences on tropospheric O 3 and CO observed by TES over the western North Atlantic Ocean

Abstract. The distributions of tropospheric ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO), and the synoptic factors regulating these distributions over the western North Atlantic Ocean during winter and summer were investigated using profile retrievals from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) for 2004–2006. Seasonal composites of TES retrievals, reprocessed to remove the influence of the a priori on geographical and seasonal structure, exhibited strong seasonal differences. At the 681 hPa level during winter months of December, January and February (DJF) the composite O3 mixing ratios were uniformly low (~45 ppbv), but continental export was evident in a channel of enhanced CO (100–110 ppbv) flowing eastward from the US coast. In summer months June, July, and August (JJA) O3 mixing ratios were variable (45–65 ppbv) and generally higher due to increased photochemical production. The summer distribution also featured a channel of enhanced CO (95–105 ppbv) flowing northeastward around an anticyclone and exiting the continent over the Canadian Maritimes around 50° N. Offshore O3-CO slopes were generally 0.15–0.20 mol mol−1 in JJA, indicative of photochemical O3 production. Composites for 4 predominant synoptic patterns or map types in DJF suggested that export to the lower free troposphere (681 hPa level) was enhanced by the warm conveyor belt airstream of mid-latitude cyclones while stratospheric intrusions increased TES O3 levels at 316 hPa. A major finding in the DJF data was that offshore 681 hPa CO mixing ratios behind cold fronts could be enhanced up to >150 ppbv likely by lofting from the surface via shallow convection resulting from rapid destabilization of cold air flowing over much warmer ocean waters. In JJA composites for 3 map types showed that the general export pattern of the seasonal composites was associated with a synoptic pattern featuring the Bermuda High. However, weak cyclones and frontal troughs could enhance offshore 681 hPa CO mixing ratios to >110 ppbv with O3-CO slopes >0.50 mol mol−1 south of 45° N. Intense cyclones, which were not as common in the summer, enhanced export by lofting of boundary layer pollutants from over the US and also provided a possible mechanism for transporting pollutants from boreal fire outflow southward to the US east coast. Overall, for winter and summer the TES retrievals showed substantial evidence of air pollution export to the western North Atlantic Ocean with the most distinct differences in distribution patterns related to strong influences of mid-latitude cyclones in winter and the Bermuda High anticyclone in summer.
Virus-host interactions: new insights from the small RNA world

RNA silencing has a known role in the antiviral responses of plants and insects. Recent evidence, including the finding that the Tat protein of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can suppress the host's RNA-silencing pathway and may thus counteract host antiviral RNAs, suggests that RNA-silencing pathways could also have key roles in mammalian virus-host interactions.
Building the Case for Delivering Health Promotion Services Within the Vocational Rehabilitation System

Research studies report a negative relationship between employment and secondary conditions. Access to health promotion programs to manage secondary conditions, however, is limited for people with ...
Cloning and Characterization of Prunus serotina AGAMOUS, a Putative Flower Homeotic Gene

Members of the AGAMOUS subfamily of MADS-box transcription factors play an important role in regulating the development of reproductive organs in flowering plants. To help understand the mechanism of floral development in black cherry (Prunus serotina), PsAG (a putative flower homeotic identity gene) was isolated, and its MIKC-type structure was shown to be a homolog of the Arabidopsis thaliana AG gene. It was a single-copy gene in black cherry. A phylogenetic tree derived from the protein sequence indicated PsAG to be a C-function flower homeotic gene with a high similarity to other AG homologs, such as those from Prunus persica and Prunus mume. PsAG met the criteria for AG subfamily gene structure with a typical MIKC structure. In situ hybridization showed that PsAG was expressed mainly in the floral meristem, such as stamen and carpel primordia during the early stage of floral development, and transcript of PsAG accumulated in the tissues of the ovary, stigma, style, and stamens. When the flowers matured, PsAG had enhanced expression in ovary, style, and stigma, with decreased expression in the stamen. PsAG continued to be expressed in the ovule at the late stage of flower development. The developmental patterns of expression were consistent with those of AG and homologs from other species. Both phylogenetic analysis and expression-pattern data suggest that PsAG was the black cherry homolog of Arabidopsis AG. An RNAi construct with a partial PsAG gene was constructed for black cherry transformation.
Doxepin for radiation therapy-induced mucositis pain in the treatment of oral cancers

Radiotherapy (RT), an integral part of the oncologic treatment for patients with head and neck cancer, can cause adverse side effects such as oral mucositis (OM). Pain from OM can impact a patient’s quality of life and interrupt RT treatment schedules, which decreases the probability for achieving cancer cure. Conventionally, RT-induced OM pain is treated with analgesics and/or mouthwash rinses. Doxepin, a traditional tricyclic antidepressant with analgesic and anesthetic properties when applied topically to the mucosa, has been shown to lower OM pain in multiple single-arm trials (Epstein et al.) and more recently, in a placebo-controlled crossover study (Leenstra and Miller et al.). Currently, a placebo-controlled study (Sio and Miller et al.) using doxepin for esophagitis pain caused by RT to the thorax is underway. Doxepin will also be further compared with magic mouthwash and a placebo solution in a three-arm trial (Miller and Sio et al.) with head and neck cancer patients with OM pain caused by RT. Doxepin may represent a new standard for treating RT-induced OM pain in the future.
Driver Distraction/Overload Research and Engineering: Problems and Solutions

Driver distraction is a topic of considerable interest, with the public debate centering on the use of cell phones and texting while driving. However, the driver distraction/overload issue is really much larger. It concerns specific tasks such as entering destinations on navigation systems, retrieving songs on MP3 players, accessing web pages, checking stocks, editing spreadsheets, and performing other tasks on smart phones, as well as, more generally, using in-vehicle information systems. Five major problems related to distraction/overload research and engineering and their solutions are addressed in this paper. Problems include (1) the misuse of the term distraction (and possible misdirection of effort), (2) driving performance measures and statistics that are either undefined or poorly defined (to be resolved by an SAE practice), (3) the workload of the driving task is not quantified (for which an equation is proposed), (4) the demand characteristics of in-vehicle tasks are not quantified (for which a scheme is proposed), and (5) too often, standards specify only measurement methods, not compliance criteria (which must be developed).
Dosimetric optimization method for cyberknife robotic radiosurgery system using a memetic algorithm

The CyberKnife Robotic RadioSurgery System is a robot controlled 6 MV linear accelerator based radiation delivery system with the linear accelerator attached to a six-axis robotic manipulator. Summation of all radiation beams creates a three-dimensional dose distribution within a patient. Each beam's direction, weight, and collimator size affect its contribution to the dose distribution. Hence, the CyberKnife treatment planning problem is to select a set of beams that produce a desired dose distribution. With a dose-based objective function and user-supplied weighted, dose-volume goals, a memetic algorithm is used to solve the CyberKnife treatment planning problem. Before optimization begins, two thousand radiation beams are generated, and for each beam, dose-deposition coefficients are calculated for all optimization points within the target(s) and critical structures. Then, the memetic algorithm optimizes beam weights using global and local operators and problem-specific knowledge within an evolutionary computation framework. Concurrently, beams are pared down to emphasize promising regions of the solution space and to generate clinically deliverable treatment plans. Algorithmic analysis is two-fold: parameter analysis and comparison to MultiPlan, the only commercially available CyberKnife treatment planning software. Parameter analysis optimizes and justifies parametric choices given hardware, optimization time, and treatment time constraints analogous to clinical limitations. Thereafter, MultiPlan and the memetic algorithm generate ten treatment plans and are evaluated based upon dose-volume histograms, target dose homogeneity, target dose conformality, dosimetric success rates, total beam-on time or MU, and total number of beams. Analysis shows the memetic algorithm is equivalent or superior for all metrics, and given that MultiPlan is the only available CyberKnife treatment planning software, the memetic algorithm is a state-of-the-art CyberKnife dosimetric optimization method.
Communicating the diagnosis of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: The patient perspective

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are a common cause of refractory seizures. Video-electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring has allowed PNES to be effectively distinguished from epileptic seizures. Once the diagnosis of PNES is established, neurologists face the challenge of explaining it to patients. Patients may not always receive the diagnosis well. The aim of this study is to evaluate how effectively patients receive and perceive the diagnosis of PNES. This prospective study was conducted in an eight-bed epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU). Adult patients with newly confirmed PNES were included. After receiving written consent, a self-administered questionnaire was given to patients after the attending physician had communicated the diagnosis of PNES. A total of 75 patients were recruited. All patients had their typical seizures recorded on video-EEG (range 1-12, mean 2.18). Seventy patients were satisfied with the diagnosis of PNES. Nine patients did not agree that PNES has a psychological cause. Nineteen patients thought that the EMU doctors had no clue as to the cause of their seizures and 20 thought that there was no hope for a cure of their seizures. A significant number of patients with PNES feel that there is no hope for cure of their seizures. Thorough education about PNES, properly preparing patients before discussing the diagnosis of PNES, and preferably earlier diagnosis may prevent this miscommunication and result in better outcomes. A comprehensive approach including psychological counseling and psychiatric input, evaluation and treatment, in order to bring the illness from the subconscious to the conscious level, and effective follow-up may be helpful.
Phase Change Pipe for Nonvolatile Routing

An eight-contact phase change data router is described. This device comprises a phase-change-material forming a short-pipe geometry with four metal contacts at each end. The device is configured to facilitate connection or isolation between two input and two output terminals ( $2 \times 2$ ) by amorphizing strips between pairs of “write” terminals. The short pipe geometry enables the implementation of a “swap” function in this 2-D thin-film device. The functionality of this device is demonstrated through 2-D electro-thermal simulations using Ge2Sb2Te5 parameters and field effect transistor access devices.
Growth of (001)-Oriented Sbn Thin Films by Solid Source MOCVD

By the solid source MOCVD technique, we have deposited 2000 - 3000 A thick single phase SrxBa1−xNb2O6 (SBN) films on (100) MgO substrates using tetramethylheptanedionate (thd) sources. X-ray diffraction (XRD) 2θ scans indicated that these films were completely (001) oriented. XRD Φ scans, however, showed the films contained four in-plane grain orientations whose volume fractions could be controlled by altering the Sr/(Sr+Ba) and Nb/(Sr+Ba) ratios in the source powders. The in-plane volume fractions did not change with the deposition rate or the cooling rate. Films with composition Sr0 58Ba0.42Nb1.94O6 had mainly two in-plane orientations. Optical waveguiding behavior was demonstrated in these films. Refractive indices were found to be no= 2.20 and ne = 2.13, as compared to no = 2.31 and ne = 2.27 for bulk SBN60.
DIE WEITERENTWICKELTEN 16V-ZETEC-E MOTOREN FUR DEN FORD FOCUS, MONDEO UND COUGAR

1992 erneuerte Ford sein Motorenprogramm mit den komplett neu entwickelten 16-Ventil-Zetec-E Ottomotoren mit Hubraumen von 1,6 bis 2,0 l. Nachfolgend setzten neue gesetzliche Anforderungen, gestiegene Kundenerwartungen und Erfahrungen aus der Serienproduktion Ziele zur Weiterentwicklung. Im Jahr 1998 bringt Ford eine verbesserte Generation der Zetec-E Motoren fur den Focus, Mondeo und Cougar auf den Markt. Dieser Artikel stellt die Ergebnisse der Weiterentwicklung dar. Das Vierventil-Konzept beweist mit diesem Schritt sein Entwicklungspotential im Hinblick auf gestiegene Kundenerwartungen und legislative Anforderungen.
A Modified Micromechanical Model of Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite Actuation

Recent ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) research efforts have been directed at developing optimized electrode configurations, using novel solvents and cations, and modeling the actuation response. A micromechanical model of IPMC actuation has been developed by Nemat-Nasser [1]. In this work a similar approach is taken to model the electrochemomechanical transduction mechanisms in IPMC’s, specifically IPMC’s with ionic liquid as the solvent. An analysis of the electrostatic interactions, which are dominant in determining actuation response, is conducted in order to gain further insight into the mechanisms behind actuation. The ultimate goal of this research is to model the underlying mechanisms of IPMC actuation in order to direct the development of new transducers consisting of novel polymers and solvents. Changes to the actuation model are also implemented to describe free air actuation and to account for the finite volume of the mobile cations. Results are presented from the different calculations and the implications are discussed.© 2008 ASME
Enclosure Smoke Filling and Fire-Generated Environmental Conditions

Fires in buildings and other structures are distinguished from outdoor fires by the confinement effects associated with enclosure boundaries and by the ventilation effects associated with openings in these boundaries. The confinement of heat and smoke released by a fire in an enclosure gives rise to the evolution of fire-generated environmental conditions that can threaten life safety and cause thermal and nonthermal damage to the structure and its contents. For performance-based building fire safety analysis and design, it is important to be able to calculate the environmental conditions generated by fires in enclosures in order to evaluate the threat levels posed by anticipated fire scenarios. This chapter addresses the enclosure smoke-filling process and the fire-generated environmental conditions that develop within an enclosure during this process.
A mathematical model for estimating in-production life of catalyzed epoxy systems used in vacuum pressure impregnation processing

A mathematical model has been devised for estimating in-production life of VPI resin systems. It is based on assuming that the viscosity changes with time according to a simple exponential function, that the components contribute to the viscosity of the mixture independently of one another and that a simple additivity rule is valid for logarithms of viscosity. The only parameters concerning the VPI facility are replenishment rate and the maximum acceptable viscosity. All the information concerning the resin systems behaving linearly which is necessary for these computations can be obtained in a matter of days. With non-linear systems, the measurements have to be carried to significantly longer periods of time.
Evaluation Method for Static Voltage Stability Probability Considering Correlation of Generated Power

In allusion to random and correlation of wind power and photovoltaic power generated output,an evaluation method for static voltage stability probability considering correlation of generated power was proposed. Probability distribution models for wind speed and light irradiance were established based on Latin hypercube sampling combing with Cholesky decomposition which might meet requirements for correlation. Extended power flowequation with random generated power was introduced to get voltage stability margin( VSM). Example simulation of IEEE 118 node testing system verifies that the referred method could effectively improve calculation efficiency on the premise of ensuring precision as well as conveniently consider correlation of random variables. Meanwhile,example results indicate that correlation of generated power would strengthen fluctuation of VSMprobability distribution which may cause increase of probability of low-valued VSM.
India’s Political Economy in a Global Context

This chapter provides a descriptive and historical overview of some of the elements of India's political economy in the post-independence period. It examines a number of political, economic and social themes in India beginning in the early 1980s, and the national and international economic policies and forms of state intervention that typified this era. It then considers the economic policy changes that were introduced in the 1980s and the early 1990s. These changes were related to and set the context for the policy changes for trade in services, telecommunications, computer software and audiovisual services, sectors that are examined in more detail in subsequent chapters.
A Tale of Two Transitions: 1980 and 1988

The 1980 Reagan transition and the 1988 Bush transition offer important case studies for understanding the challenges of presidential transitions. Although not without its shortcomings, the 1980 transition was, at least comparably, the most successful of the transfers in power since the modern era of presidential transitions commenced with the Carter effort in 1976. 1988 offers useful lessons about "friendly takeovers": the passing of power from a president to a president-elect of the same party. The 1988 transition is also of interest because it offers the only instance of a sitting vice president elected to the presidency since Martin Van Buren in 1836. The 1988 transition, moreover, marked the ascendancy of President George W. Bush's father to the office, and it was a transition in which he and several members of this administration participated, Chief of Staff Andrew Card most notably.
Depression in Chronic Kidney Disease and End-Stage Renal Disease: Similarities and Differences in Diagnosis, Epidemiology, and Management.

Depression is highly prevalent and is associated with poor quality of life and increased mortality among adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD), including those with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, there are several important differences in the diagnosis, epidemiology, and management of depression between patients with non−dialysis-dependent CKD and ESRD. Understanding these differences may lead to a better understanding of depression in these 2 distinct populations. First, diagnosing depression using self-reported questionnaires may be less accurate in patients with ESRD compared with CKD. Second, although the prevalence of interview-based depression is approximately 20% in both groups, the risk factors for depression may vary. Third, potential mechanisms of depression might also differ in CKD versus ESRD. Finally, considerations regarding the type and dose of antidepressant medications vary between CKD and ESRD. Future studies should further examine the mechanisms of depression in both groups, and test interventions to prevent and treat depression in these populations.
Non-invasive glucose monitoring

Several recent reports claim success in measuring blood glucose non-invasively in human subjects with near-infrared spectroscopy. A critical examination of these published results suggests more fundamental research is needed to verify the validity of these claims. In addition, progress continues in assessing the utility of near-infrared spectroscopy as a non-invasive probe for continuous bioreactor monitoring during fermentation processes. Recent work demonstrates that five critical fermentation components, including glucose, may be measured simultaneously.
A Test of an Evolutionary Hypothesis of Violence against Women: The Case of Sex Ratio

A low sex ratio, where there are fewer men than women, has been associated with increasing rates of men’s same-sex aggression. This is surprising, given the relative surplus of mates and presumably lowered mate competition in low sex ratio societies. Two competing hypotheses—a “culture of violence” hypothesis and a functional, evolutionary hypothesis—may account for this finding. The current research tests which of these hypotheses explains another facet of men’s aggression—violence against women. Correlations supported an evolutionary perspective of violence against women: higher sex ratio societies, where women are scarce, were significantly more likely to be tolerant toward rape and were significantly more likely to aggress against wives. These results suggest refinement of a culture of violence perspective. They also replicate and extend previous research on sex ratio imbalances and men’s aggression toward women.
Inter-Effector Influences in Operant Autonomic Control

Almost from the very beginning of research on operant reinforcement of autonomically mediated responses, the possibility has been considered that contingencies explicitly introduced in relation to a particular autonomic response might influence other autonomically mediated behaviors. For example, Shapiro, Crider, and Tursky (1964) examined skin potential levels and heart rates in conjunction with the administration of positive reinforcement contingent upon the frequency of skin potential responses. They concluded that their observed operant conditioning effect on skin potential response frequency was independent of changes in the other autonomic measures. Subsequently, Crider, Shapiro, and Tursky (1966) obtained quite similar results in a replication of their first study. In both of these studies, basal skin potential levels and heart rates actually declined during training in both experimental and control groups and skin potential levels tended to be slightly higher and heart rates slightly lower (the latter increasingly so) in the group reinforced for emitting spontaneous skin potential responses than in the control group. But these consistent differences were not statistically significant.
Prospective Grandfathering: Anticipating the Energy Transition Problem

Legal change has the potential to disrupt settled expectations and property rights. The Takings Clause provides protection from the most significant costs by requiring compensation following a change in the law, but threats of takings claims can discourage policymakers from adopting sound laws and policies. If specific legal changes can be anticipated far enough in advance, are there tactics available to reduce the risk of takings claims and blunt their political force in the future? We identify innovative tools that preserve regulatory flexibility so that legal changes can avoid takings liability, and we do so specifically in the context of natural gas and the acute threat of climate change. Natural gas poses a particular challenge to policymakers today. Rapid and widespread proliferation of natural gas is essential if we are to make major progress in reducing carbon emissions, but natural gas is often referred to as a bridge fuel because we will eventually have to pivot away from fossil fuel-based electric generation to reduce the risk of catastrophic climate change. Without timely intervention, investments in natural gas infrastructure today may result in vested property rights that the Takings Clause may then protect against significant regulatory changes. We argue that developing a record that constrains the reasonable expectations of investments in natural gas will help to preserve regulatory flexibility in the future. More aggressively, we also propose “prospective grandfathering” as a regulatory innovation. Announcing but delaying the adoption of new regulations, combined with accelerated cost recovery for utilities, should immunize future governments from takings claims if and when climate change compels movement away from natural gas as part of the de-carbonization of our energy supply. These new tools offer promise beyond natural gas, however, and provide a new way of addressing anticipated legal change.
The effects of actors vocal exercises for relaxation on fluency: A preliminary study.

Abstract Purpose To determine the efficacy of treatment based on Kristin Linklater’s technique for vocal preparation for performance for use with people who stutter. Method A protocol for a treatment for stuttering involving breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, and focus on awareness was designed by the first author from Linklater’s published exercises in her book Freeing the Natural Voice (2006). Four adults who stutter participated in a 12-week, single-case reversal design study. Treatment efficacy was determined by baseline and post-treatment measures on the OASES, self-report naturalness, tension and severity scale, and percentage of stuttering-like disfluency (SLD). Qualitative measures included a daily tension and practice log, a program completion questionnaire, and accounts from the clinicians administering the treatment protocol. Results Three of four participants scored lower on the OASES post-treatment, suggesting that the impact of stuttering on their daily lives had decreased. All four experienced a reduction in the number of SLD counted throughout treatment sessions compared to baseline data. Conclusion A treatment for stuttering based on Linklater’s work including regulation of breathing, relaxation, and awareness of breath may be effective in improving fluency and decreasing the impact of stuttering and warrants further study.
Narrowing the nano discourse

Audiences for science and technology news in traditional news outlets are shrinking, and recent data suggest that citizens increasingly turn to online sources for information about emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology 1 . This raises a number of questions. How does the lay public approach this wealth of online information about nanotechnology? And what kinds of content are they likely to encounter based on these searches? Our results suggest that the terms audiences search for and the content they encounter during these searches increasingly shift the public debate about nanotechnology away from more economic or scientific considerations toward health and medical considerations.
Predicting hard failures and maximum usable range of sige HBTs

This paper presents an overview of the various failure mechanisms observed when a SiGe HBT is operated outside of traditionally-defined electrothermal safe operating areas (SOAs). The concepts of hard and soft safe operating area (SOA) boundaries are defined in this work. This provides two different viewpoints which determine the degradation and failure of a SiGe HBT as a function of bias conditions. Measurements were performed on state-of-the-art SiGe HBTs to measure the hard SOA boundaries in terms of physical parameters such as geometry, layout configuration, and temperature. The outcomes of this work can serve as the stepping-stone to a “red flag” warning mechanism for the detection of hard SOA boundaries within a circuit design environment.
Nanostructured substrates for multi-cue investigations of single cells

Cellular adhesion depends on the integration of numerous signaling inputs generated by the chemical and physical properties of the substrate. The complex coupling among inputs makes it challenging experimentally to deconvolve their individual contributions to the adhesion process. To address this roadblock, we have employed a combination of electron beam and optical lithographic techniques to fabricate substrates with independently tunable topographical and chemical signaling cues. Arrays of gold nanostructures were patterned atop quartz substrates, half of which were etched into gold-capped nanopillars. Individual A549 cells exposed simultaneously to Arg-Gly-Asp-functionalized etched and nonetched arrays exhibited strongly preferential adherence to the nanopillars.
Difficulty hearing in noise: a sequela of concussion in children.

ABSTRACTObjective: Concussions can result in auditory processing deficits even in the absence of hearing loss. In children and adolescents, the extent to which these impairments have functional consequences for everyday listening, such as the ability to understand speech in noisy environments, is unknown.Research design: Case-control study.Subjects and methods: Forty youth comprised the participants: 20 had sustained a concussion and were recovering from their injury, and 20 controls had sustained non-concussive orthopaedic (e.g. musculoskeletal) injuries. All were evaluated on the Hearing in Noise Test, an audiologic index of the ability to hear sentences in adverse listening conditions.Results: Children and adolescents recovering from concussions demonstrated an overall impaired ability to perceive speech in noisy backgrounds compared to a peer control group. This deficit also emerged across trials in the most taxing listening condition, and with respect to published, age-normative values.Conclusions: F...
Genetic structure and environmental niche modeling confirm two evolutionary and conservation units within the western spadefoot ( Spea hammondii )

The western spadefoot (Spea hammondii) is a Species of Special Concern in California and is now under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for listing under the Endangered Species Act. We delineated potential conservation units within S. hammondii by analyzing spatial genetic structure across the species’ range using five nuclear and one mitochondrial loci. For both nuclear and mitochondrial markers we found that S. hammondii consists of two genetically distinct, allopatric clusters divided by the Transverse Ranges. To corroborate the northern and southern genetic clusters as conservation units from an ecological perspective, we applied a niche identity test to environmental niche models of the two groups. We found that the niche models of the northern and southern clusters were significantly different, suggesting they may be ecologically non-exchangeable. Given our demonstration of significant genetic and ecological differentiation between allopatric clusters of S. hammondii, we recommend that ongoing conservation efforts consider each as a separate unit with potentially unique management needs.
Health at every size: toward a new paradigm of weight and health.

Promoting weight loss through exercise, dietary restriction, and behavior modification rarely succeeds. It often results in cycles of weight loss and gain, with the potential for serious physical and psychological health risks, and contributes to body hatred, dangerous eating disorders, and exercise addiction.[1,2] Yet we believe that if we continue to use the same approaches, we will somehow obtain different results. Indeed, this is the definition of insanity put forth by Alcoholics Anonymous. There is, however, an exciting, effective, alternative approach to this problem. It is called Health At Every Size (HAES). The basic conceptual framework of this approach includes acceptance of the: Natural diversity in body shape and size Ineffectiveness and dangers of dieting for weight loss Importance of relaxed eating in response to internal body cues Critical contribution of social, emotional, and spiritual as well as physical factors to health and happiness. The Table contrasts the underlying assumptions of traditional weight management approaches with those of HAES.[3] Table Comparing the Underlying Assumptions
Practical Implications of Real Time Business Intelligence

The primary purpose of business intelligence is to improve the quality of decisions while decreasing the time it takes to make them. Because focus is required on internal as well as external factors, it is critical to decrease data latency, improve report performance and decrease systems resource consumption. This article will discuss the successful implementation of a BI reporting project directly against an OLTP planning solver. The planning solver imports data concerning supply, demand, capacity, bill of materials, inventory and the like. It then uses linear programming to determine the correct product mix to produce at various factories worldwide. The article discusses the challenges faced and a working model in which real-time BI was achieved by providing data to a separate BI server in an innovativeway resulting in decreased latency, reduced resource consumption and improved performance. We demonstrated an alternative approach to hosting data for the BI application separately by loading BI and solver databases at the same time, resulting in faster access to information.
A new statistical method to test equivalence: an application in male and female eastern bluebird song

Understanding complex natural systems requires approaches with minimal statistical limitations and biases. Previously, however, the fields of behaviour, ecology and evolution generally have been restricted to evaluating differences between statistical distributions. This framework can be very powerful. Unfortunately, it has also created a bias in these, and many other, fields towards publications focusing only on phenomena for which there are statistically significant differences. However, there is a wide range of questions that would benefit from reversing the existing paradigm and testing, instead, for equivalence. We have adapted the two one-sided test (TOST), also known as equivalence testing, from pharmaceutical science to be applicable to behavioural and ecological studies. We created a repeated measures analysis that allows researchers to statistically examine similarities between distributions. We compared song structure in male and female eastern bluebirds, Sialia sialis, as a case study for this method. We failed to find significant differences between male and female songs via a more traditional test, repeated measures ANOVA. Therefore, no definitive conclusion could be drawn about the similarities or differences in song structure. However, our repeated measures equivalence test showed that, based on five standard measures of song variation, male and female eastern bluebirds sing statistically equivalent songs. Our study highlights the presence of complex female song in a temperate songbird species. Additionally, we provide a new statistical test useful for expanding the statistical toolbox to assess new behavioural and ecological questions, and to help counteract publication bias in our fields.
Comprehensive analysis of oxylipins in human plasma using reversed-phase liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry with heatmap-assisted selection of transitions

Oxylipins, a subclass of lipid mediators, are metabolites of various polyunsaturated fatty acids with crucial functions in regulation of systemic inflammation. Elucidation of their roles in pathological conditions requires accurate quantification of their levels in biological samples. We refined an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-multiple reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MRM-MS)-based workflow for comprehensive and specific quantification of 131 endogenous oxylipins in human plasma, in which we optimized LC mobile phase additives, column, and gradient conditions. We employed heatmap-assisted strategy to identify unique transitions to improve the assay selectivity and optimized solid phase extraction procedures to achieve better analyte recovery. The method was validated according to FDA guidelines. Overall, 94.4% and 95.7% of analytes at tested concentrations were within acceptable accuracy (80–120%) and precision (CV 0.99. The method was also validated using a standard reference material—SRM 1950 frozen human plasma to demonstrate inter-lab compatibility.
Who Is Exposed to News? It Depends on How You Measure: Examining Self-Reported Versus Behavioral News Exposure Measures

Despite the importance of news exposure to political outcomes, news consumption is notoriously difficult to measure, and misreporting news exposure is common. In this study, we compare participants...
Blockchain, Digital Identity, E-government

This chapter examines the legal and technical implications of the application of blockchain technology to authenticate and verify identity for e-Government services and transactions.
What explains gender differences in food insecurity

Abstract There is a rich literature devoted to the role women play in ensuring the food security of the household and other household members. However, relatively little attention has been paid to their own food security situation. The challenge with investigating the food security of women is that most surveys collect food security data at the household level making inferences about individual-level food security difficult. Using a large international sample of individual-level data and the first global experiential measure of food insecurity, I show that women have a higher probability of being food insecure relative to men. The magnitude of the gender gap in food insecurity varies across regions and varies by the severity level of food insecurity. In the developed countries of the European Union, women are 4.7 percentage points more likely than men to experience some form of food insecurity. In the poor countries of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, women are two percentage points more likely than men to be severely food insecure. Using a modification of the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique, I find that gender differences in household income, educational attainment, and social networks explain the majority of the gender gap in food insecurity. However, in some regions, namely South Asia and Australia/New Zealand, gender differences in observable characteristics fail to account for gender differences in food insecurity. This analysis suggests that policies that address gender inequality in employment opportunities and educational attainment may also impact food insecurity.
Effect of Polycrystallinity and Presence of Dielectric Phases on NC-FinFET Variability

A Monte Carlo TCAD simulation study of the impact of polycrystallinity and dielectric phases of the ferroelectric film on an 8/7 nm node NC-FinFET is presented. The study considers the random variation of ferroelectric remnant polarization $(\boldsymbol{P_{r}})$ and the presence of dielectric phases. In order to keep the ferroelectric-film induced device variability less than those induced by other sources (RDF, GER, FER, and MGG), we found that the DE content must be less than 20%, which is theoretically possible, and the grain to grain $\boldsymbol{P_{r}}$ variations less than 27%. While uniform single-crystalline ferroelectric film would provide the least device variation, we found 4 nm grains to produce less device variability than 5.3 nm grains due to the larger number of grains in the channel area.
Reliability of 3D dental and skeletal landmarks on CBCT images

ABSTRACT Objectives: To quantify reliability of three-dimensional skeletal landmarks and a comprehensive set of dental landmarks in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and to determine the shapes ...
[5.3] to [5.4] Transition Publications from the Moderate Version of the Inflection Point (and Positive Derivative) to the Radical Version

The issues of ethics, morality, limits, purpose, meaning, significance, and the process of science bring us to the crossroads where the moderate version [5.1 to 5.4] of the inflection point will cross over to the radical version [5.5 and >] of the curvature and towards the activities and literature that will propel the movement onward to Post Ageing (ageing as an artifact). But the crossing over is not a simple bridge or even necessarily a smooth transition. Furthermore, we do not want to leave the reader with the impression that there is necessarily a demarcation between the moderate and radical versions of the curvature; rather, the incremental points ([5.1], [5.2], [5.3], [5.4] and so on) noted in the literature represent significant precursors or “portals” toward the radical version and not just a separate category of technology and ageing issues.
Rights as Logistics: Notes on the Right to Food and Food Retail Liberalization in India

This chapter examines right-to-food jurisprudence and activism in India. When Indian jurists and policymakers recognized a right to food, they were mindful of rights critique and did not articulate a narrow juridical entitlement that an individual, with sufficient resources, could attempt to vindicate only in court. Instead, they crafted a range of directives for regulators to translate the right to food from legal enactment to effective social action through the creation of new food supply chains governed by technology-enabled logistics and audit practices. In a volume devoted to the future of social and economic rights, we explore the double-edged potential of such techniques designed to narrow the gap between aspiration and implementation. In so doing, we illustrate how legal entitlements meant to put a break on market processes simultaneously illuminate ongoing struggles over how food markets should be constituted as new economic actors vie with indigenous capital for ownership and control.
Distal Biceps Tendon Repair Using A Single-incision Approach With Unicortical Intramedullary Button Fixation: Report Early Post-operative Outcomes And Complications:

Objectives:While various techniques for distal biceps repair have been described, biomechanical studies have shown cortical button fixation to outperform bone tunnels, intraosseous screws, and sutu...
Losing a Family, Gaining a Church

This chapter examines how journalistic and literary reactions to the prominent separation of converts Pierce and Cornelia Connelly used marital breakup as a metaphor for the threat Catholic conversion posed to the English nation. Elizabeth Shipton Harris, a convert disappointed with Catholicism, fictionalized one such depiction of a broken marriage in From Oxford to Rome, an 1847 tale of the tragic disappointment suffered by Catholic converts that provided a launching point for John Henry Newman’s pro-conversion novel, Loss and Gain. I argue that Newman co-opted Harris’ connection of conversion and homelessness in order to claim that the transnational home and cosmopolitan identity found in Catholicism were superior to a narrow conception of English identity centered on the Anglican Church.
Real-Time Marine Radar Observations of Nearshore Waves and Flow Structures from Shore-based Towers

Herein, we describe the design and operation of a real-time marine radar observing system operating from shore-based towers. Novel aspects include a solar powered, mobile, telescoping 100-ft tower for improved imaging range via enhanced signal-to-noise ratio, as well as real-time data products available via mobile device. The mobile radar system has been successfully deployed at two recent major field experiments. These experiments were coordinated efforts with a large number of investigators and the radar observations were used in real time to identify and track features of interest and to guide ship-based sampling. In addition, we present some data examples that show nearshore & estuarine dynamical features and some poorly understood phenomena in greater detail than can be achieved by in situ sampling. These include a set of rip currents interacting with internal waves at a site in California and interactions between the Connecticut River plume and Long Island Sound.
Integrin Affinity Modulation Critically Regulates Atherogenic Endothelial Activation in vitro and in vivo

While vital to platelet and leukocyte adhesion, integrin activation9s role in adherent cells remains controversial. In endothelial cells, atheroprone hemodynamics and oxidized lipoproteins promote endothelial integrin activation in vitro, and integrin inhibitors reduce endothelial activation to these stimuli in vitro and in vivo. However, integrin activation9s importance to endothelial phenotype remains unknown. We now show that integrin activation-deficient endothelial cells (talin1 L325R) adhere and spread, suggesting that integrin activation is dispensable for endothelial cell adhesion. However, talin1 L325R endothelial cells fail to support integrin activation, fibronectin deposition, and proinflammatory responses to atheroprone hemodynamics and oxidized lipoproteins. Rescuing integrin activation in talin1 L325R cells partially restores fibronectin deposition, whereas NF-kB activation and maximal fibronectin deposition require both integrin activation and other integrin-independent signaling. Similarly, atheroprone hemodynamics fail to promote inflammation and macrophage recruitment in endothelial-specific talin1 L325R mice. These studies demonstrate a vital role for integrin activation in regulating endothelial phenotype.
Size matters only sometimes: the energy-risk trade-offs of Holocene prey acquisition in the Bonneville basin, western USA

This paper presents new zooarcheological data examining the relative abundances of artiodactyl and leporid remains from Holocene-aged sites in the Bonneville basin. Prior scholarship derived largely from sheltered sites suggests favorable climate conditions during the late Holocene increased foraging efficiency and supported a focus on hunting high-value artiodactyls. Using theoretical rationale from foraging theory and empirical data, we re-evaluate the trade-offs between the risk of hunting failure and energetic returns associated with the procurement artiodactyls and leporids, the two most common prey groups found in the regional zooarcheological record. The trade-offs between risk and energy show that while small in body size, leporids are a low risk, reliable food source rather than an inefficient resource targeted only when high-ranked prey are unavailable. We present faunal data from more than 80 open contexts in the Bonneville basin dating to the late Holocene that show a relatively stable exploitation strategy centered on leporids, especially hares (Lepus sp.). Additional data from open and sheltered sites in neighboring areas show a similar pattern. The prehistoric reliance on small game is consistent with divergent labor patterns observed in the ethnographic and historic records of the area. We advocate for the evaluation of the trade-offs between risk and energy of different sized prey within a regional context, and the use of zooarcheological data derived from a large number of sites and different site types to infer prey exploitation patterns.