cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling Stream Shade: Riparian Buffer Height and Density as Important as Buffer Width

DeWalle, David R., 2010. Modeling Stream Shade: Riparian Buffer Height and Density as Important as Buffer Width. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(2):323-333. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00423.x Abstract: A theoretical model was developed to explore impacts of varying buffer zone characteristics on shading of small streams using a path-length form of Beer’s law to represent the transmission of direct beam solar radiation through vegetation. Impacts of varying buffer zone height, width, and radiation extinction coefficients (surrogate for buffer density) on shading were determined for E-W and N-S stream azimuths in infinitely long stream sections at 40°N on the summer solstice. Increases in buffer width produced little additional shading beyond buffer widths of 6-7 m for E-W streams due to shifts in solar beam pathway from the sides to the tops of the buffers. Buffers on the north bank of E-W streams produced 30% of daily shade, while the south-bank buffer produced 70% of total daily shade. For N-S streams an optimum buffer width was less-clearly defined, but a buffer width of about 18-20 m produced about 85-90% of total predicted shade. The model results supported past field studies showing buffer widths of 9-11 m were sufficient for stream temperature control. Regardless of stream azimuth, increases in buffer height and extinction coefficient (buffer density) were found to substantially increase shading up to the maximum tree height and stand density likely encountered in the field. Model results suggest that at least 80% shade on small streams up to 6-m wide can be achieved in mid-latitudes with relatively narrow 12-m wide buffers, regardless of stream azimuth, as long as buffers are tall (≈30 m) and dense (leaf area index ≈6). Although wide buffers may be preferred to provide other benefits, results suggest that increasing buffer widths beyond about 12 m will have a limited effect on stream shade at mid-latitudes and that greater emphasis should be placed on the creation of dense, tall buffers to maximize stream shading.
Thermoviscoplastic Analysis of First Walls Subjected to Fusion Power Transients

Abrupt thermal fluxes on the first walls of fusion reactors represent a loading environment that requires advanced analytical capabilities. Solutions are needed to a wide range of postulated conditions to provide guidance for safety features and design modifications. A brief outline is given of a computer code that provides an integrated procedure for handling thermal stresses and large deformations under dynamic conditions. The code includes a new thermoviscoplastic constitutive equation that incorporates thermal softening, failure and strain rate. Solutions to several verification and illustrative problems are given.
The Adipocyte as an Active Participant in Energy Balance and Metabolism

Obesity is responsible for the mounting incidence of metabolic disease in adult and pediatric populations. Understanding of the pathogenesis and maintenance of the obese state has advanced rapidly over the past 10 years. Bodily energy reserves are managed actively by complex systems that regulate food intake, substrate partitioning, and energy expenditure. An underlying assumption that circulating factors released from storage organs were able to signal bodily energy reserves was confirmed with the discovery of the leptin system. This proof of concept has spurred on the discovery of a multitude of other adipocyte-generated factors. These circulating factors signal to the brain and other organs of metabolic importance, including adipose tissue, liver, muscle, and the immune system. Adipose-derived factors have numerous implications for the basic biology of obesity and provide prospective targets for the amelioration of obesity and its adverse metabolic consequences. In this review we detail the current understanding of leptin as a prototypical adipose tissue–derived hormone related to appetite and obesity. We also describe other important adipose-derived factors in relation to their metabolic effect.
Phototoxicity of individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and petroleum to marine invertebrate larvae and juveniles

Phototoxicity resulting from photoactivated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been reported in the literature for a variety of freshwater organisms. The magnitude of increase in PAH toxicity often exceeds a factor of 100. In the marine environment phototoxicity to marine organisms has not been reported for individual or complex mixtures of PAHs. In this study, larvae and juveniles of the bivalve, Mulinia lateralis, and juveniles of the mysid shrimp, Mysidopsis bahia, were exposed to individual known phototoxic PAHs (anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene), as well as the water-accommodated fractions of several petroleum products (Fuel Oil #2, Arabian Light Crude, Prudhoe Bay Crude, Fuel Oil #6) containing PAHs. Phototoxicity of individual PAHs was 12 to >50,000 times that of conventional toxicity. Three of the petroleum products demonstrated phototoxicity while the lightest product, Fuel Oil #2, was not phototoxic at the concentrations tested. The phototoxicity of petroleum products appears to be dependent on the composition and concentrations of phototoxic PAHs present: lighter oils have fewer multiple aromatic ring, phototoxic compounds while heavier oils have higher levels of these types of molecules. This study shows that phototoxicity can occur in marine waters to marine species. Further, the occurrence of oil in marine waters presents the additional risk of phototoxicity not routinely assessed for during oil spills.
Mitochondrial Nucleotide Variability in Invasive Populations of the Root Weevil Diaprepes abbreviatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) of Florida and Preliminary Assessment of Diaprepes sp. from Dominica

Diaprepes abbreviatus (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a root weevil introduced into the United States from the Caribbean in 1964. It is associated with >300 plants, including citrus, sugarcane, and potatoes. D. abbreviatus is widespread in Florida, and it has recently been detected in limited areas of California and Texas. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the utility of 16S ribosomal (16S rRNA) and cytochrome oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial markers for the delineation of genetic populations of D. abbreviatus in Florida and for the characterization of patterns of dispersion among these populations. We also assessed these markers as genetic tools for the clarification of taxonomic uncertainties in specimens from Dominica (Lesser Antilles). We analyzed 111 weevils from six Florida populations and six specimens from Dominica. In Florida, we found three haplotypes with only one haplotype in each population. Florida haplotypes differed by one to three nucleotide substitutions, possibly the result of a recent divergence from one source population or three different introductions from closely related populations from the Caribbean. In contrast, specimens from Dominica showed a high genetic variability with three 16S haplotypes and six unique COI haplotypes, delineating two mitochondrial clades. We show that these mitochondrial markers are useful for phylogeographic studies of D. abbreviatus.
Gravitational, Symmetric, and Baroclinic Instability of the Ocean Mixed Layer

Abstract A hierarchy of hydrodynamical instabilities controlling the transfer of buoyancy through the oceanic mixed layer is reviewed. If a resting ocean of horizontally uniform stratification is subject to spatially uniform buoyancy loss at the sea surface, then gravitational instability ensues in which buoyancy is drawn from depth by upright convection. But if spatial inhomogeneities in the ambient stratification or the forcing are present (as always exist in nature), then horizontal density gradients will be induced and, within a rotation period, horizontal currents in thermal-wind balance with those gradients will be set up within the mixed layer. There are two important consequences on the convective process: Upright convection will become modified by the presence of the thermal wind shear; fluid parcels are exchanged not along vertical paths but, rather, along slanting paths in symmetric instability. Theoretical considerations suggest that this slantwise convection sets the potential vorticity of th...
The Role of Applied Research in Mobilizing Public Opinion: Drug use in Panama

If effectively used, prevalence surveys not only provide important information about the nature of drug use, but may also be powerful tools in mobilizing support for action among the public and opinion leaders. As such they are important policy tools with which to create a constituency, build coalitions for community-based prevention initiatives and legitimize policy measures. This paper examines the use of a prevalence survey in Panama for these purposes. It describes the survey, its main findings and policy implications. It then reports on the use of the survey results through a formally structured media strategy for mobilizing public opinion, influencing policymakers and building coalitions.
Developing calibration factors for crash prediction models with consideration of crash recording threshold change

The focus of this paper is on presenting a revised method to develop calibration factors (CFs) with consideration of the change in the crash recording threshold (CRT), which is a minimum value to report crashes. The higher the CRT, the fewer the number of recorded property damage only (PDO) crashes. In this paper, a threshold adjustment factor was defined and used to estimate the new CFs. Because the threshold change affects only the total number of crashes and the PDO crashes, the percentage of fatal and injury (F/I) crashes before the threshold change needs to be adjusted to properly estimate the total number of F/I crashes. The revised method was verified with case studies using Illinois data. Five years of crash data were gathered and used to develop CFs for five roadway types, including two-lane undivided (2U), two-lane with a two-way left-turn lane (3T), four-lane undivided (4U), four-lane divided (4D), and four-lane with a two-way left-turn lane (5T). Because of an increase in the CRT in 2009, a me...
Abstract 208: Hospital Readmissions After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Background: While implantation of left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) improves survival and quality of life in patients with advanced heart failure, very little is known about healthcare resource utilization, including hospital readmissions, post-LVAD. Methods: Administrative claims data from a large, national US health plan were used to identify privately insured and Medicare Advantage patients that received an LVAD (ICD-9-CM code 37.66) and survived to hospital discharge from January 1, 2006 through 31 August 31, 2013, and had at least six months coverage pre-LVAD. The individuals covered by this health plan, about 88 million in years 2003 to 2013, are geographically dispersed across the United States, with greatest representation in the South and Midwest census regions. Reasons for subsequent readmissions were categorized according to the AHRQ Clinical Classifications Software and risk factors for readmission analyzed using multiple failure Cox regression analysis. Patients were censored at the time...
Collisional molecular transport in pulsed optical lattices

Interaction of an optical lattice created by two counter-propagating laser elds with gas molecules is studied numerically with the direct simulation Monte Carlo method. Molecular trapping by an optical lattice potential well in a collisional regime is demonstrated. Energy and momentum deposition from lattice to gas is examined, and the ability of a lattice to increase gas temperature to thousands of K in a single pulse is shown. The formation and development of an acoustic signal created by the lattice is investigated.
Investigation of fundamental physical mechanisms in coupling photonic crystal waveguiding structures

Efficient coupling of light between different photonic crystal waveguiding structures (i.e., between a slab waveguide and a photonic crystal waveguide (PCW)) is essential for integration of optical functionalities in photonic crystals. In this talk, we explain the main physical mechanisms involved in such coupled structures.
Contribution of collagen matrix to passive left ventricular mechanics in isolated rat hearts

Although it makes up only 2-6% of left ventricular dry weight, collagen is thought to be the major structural protein determining passive ventricular stiffness. However, the relationship between st...
Effect of Benzene Series at Low Concentration on Health of Exposed Workers

[Objective]To explore the low concentration of benzene series(benzene,toluene and xylene) on the health of exposed workers.[Methods]186 workers exposed to benzene series in an optoelectronic enterprise in Zhangzhou city were selected as the exposed group,and 106 employees in the catering industry in same area were collected as the control group,routine medical health examination and laboratory indexes test were carried out.The personal sampler was applied to sample,and the concentration of benzene series in the air was tested and analyzed by gas chromatography.[Results]The detection rate of hypertension and leucopenia of workers exposed to low concentration benzene series was higher than that of the control group(P0.05).[Conclusion]Long-term exposure to benzene series may lead to elevation of blood pressure and leucopenia.
AN APPROACH TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOLID COMPONENTS IN SLURRY OF ABSORBTIVE TOWER AND DEHYDRATION OF GYPSUM IN THE DESULPHURIZATION SYSTEM

The influence of solid components in slurry of abosorbtive tower,including the particle size of gypsum,the content of residual lime-stone,the content of CaSO3,and inert impurities etc.,upon dehydration of gypsum has been analysed,and the measures for enhancing the dehydration rate of gypsum,such as increasing particle size of the gypsum,decreasing content of the residual lime-stone,lowering the content of CaSO3 and the content of inert impurities etc.,being put forward.
Edward T. Tyler Prize Oration: LH-releasing hormone and its analogues: recent basic and clinical investigations.

Literature on luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) and its analogues is reviewed. LH-RH which stimulates the release of both luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is active in numerous species. It has been postulated that the release and synthesis of FSH and LH is mediated by an interaction between sex steroids and hypothalamic LH-RH. Administration of antiserum to LH-RH has been shown to block the preovulatory LH surge and ovulation in laboratory animals which suggests an immunological approach to fertility control. It appears that LH-RH is rapidly broken down by dispersed liver anterior pituitary and kidney cells. Cyclic AMP has been shown to act as a mediator of LH-RH and FSH release. Although LH-RH has potential diagnostic value its effectiveness in differentiating various types of hypogonadism is not clearly established. Generally sex steroids diminsh the responses to LH-RH though estrogens have both a stimulatory and inhibitory effect. Glucocorticoids have been shown to suppress the LH response to LH-RH. LH-RH has been effective in inducing ovulation in anovulatory women and in treating men with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Stimulatory and inhibitory analogues of LH-RH and their clinical application are reviewed.
Unifying Geometric Features and Facial Action Units for Improved Performance of Facial Expression Analysis.

Previous approaches to model and analyze facial expression analysis use three different techniques: facial action units, geometric features and graph based modelling. However, previous approaches have treated these technique separately. There is an interrelationship between these techniques. The facial expression analysis is significantly improved by utilizing these mappings between major geometric features involved in facial expressions and the subset of facial action units whose presence or absence are unique to a facial expression. This paper combines dimension reduction techniques and image classification with search space pruning achieved by this unique subset of facial action units to significantly prune the search space. The performance results on the publicly facial expression database shows an improvement in performance by 70% over time while maintaining the emotion recognition correctness.
Risk of cardiovascular events after initiation of long-acting bronchodilators in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease: A population-based study

Objectives:Long-acting bronchodilators are mainstay treatment for moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A growing body of evidence indicates an increased risk of cardiovascular ...
PD-1 blockade induces remissions in relapsed classical Hodgkin lymphoma following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and checkpoint blockade therapy are immune-based therapies that have activity in selected refractory hematologic malignancies. Interest has developed in combining these treatments for high-risk hematologic diseases. However, there is concern that checkpoint blockade could augment graft-versus-host disease, and very few studies have evaluated the safety of checkpoint blockade in the post-allogeneic setting. Here, we report the outcomes of three patients with relapsed classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma following allogeneic transplant that were treated with the anti-PD-1 antibody, nivolumab. Three patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma relapsed following allogeneic transplant received nivolumab therapy at our institution. All patients were free of graft-versus-host disease and were off of all systemic immunosuppressive medications at the time of nivolumab treatment. Nivolumab was well-tolerated in two of the patients. However, nivolumab had to be discontinued in one patient due to development of immune-related polyarthritis requiring treatment with systemic corticosteroids and methotrexate. Objective responses were observed in all three patients. Our case series demonstrates that anti-PD-1 therapy with nivolumab can be highly effective following allogeneic transplant for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but serious immune-related adverse events can occur, requiring very close monitoring and interruption of therapy.
A Dual Non-Banking System? Or a Non-Dual Non-Banking System? Considering the OCC's Proposal for a Non-Bank Special Purpose National Charter for Fintech Companies, against an Alternative Competitive Federalism System, for an Era of Fintech Banking

This Article examines the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) proposal to grant special purpose national bank charters to rapidly emerging financial technology (fintech) companies. The Article contemplates the particular dynamics of the OCC’s proposal in light of recent court decisions such as Madden v. Midland Funding, LLC and CashCall that have called certain aspects of the fintech-bank partnership model (bank partnership model) historically favored by fintech companies. This Article reviews how the dual banking system has functioned historically, and uses this analysis to predict how the OCC’s proposal would be expected to operate. After detailing potential issues posed by the OCC’s federal solution, the Article puts forth a more effective alternative to the OCC’s proposal in the form of a competitive state fintech chartering system modeled on the competitive state chartering system for corporations. The Article also briefly considers whether the OCC could establish a hybrid approach in which national bank charters might incorporate elements of state competition. The Article concludes with a consideration of complications that will continue to inhibit the promise of a fintech charter under a competitive federalism inspired system of state fintech chartering competition.
Review of Robotic Infrastructure Inspection Systems

AbstractIn order to minimize the costs, risks, and disruptions associated with structural inspections, robotic systems have increasingly been studied as an enhancement to current inspection practic...
Discovering a Voice: 1992

As is characteristic of Totagadde, all four index families have relatives in urban areas. Kinship relationships provide entrees throughout the world while preserving a sense of family. Daughters-in-law have gained ascendency over their mothers-in-law. Elders determined to maintain their power discover autocracy leads to rebellion. Mothers take pride in their urban-employed children and feel especially useful when a daughter or daughter-in-law works, as then they have a purpose for their visits. The increased respect for autonomy has extended to marital options. Women are discovering their voices, and in doing so are generating changes throughout Totagadde society. Educational options, professional careers, discretion in ritual observance, decreased stigmatization of widowhood, and marital choice suggest that the move toward self-expression for women is having a profound impact.
A cluster randomized control trial to assess the impact of active learning on child activity, attention control, and academic outcomes: The Texas I-CAN trial.

Abstract Background Active learning is designed to pair physical activity with the teaching of academic content. This has been shown to be a successful strategy to increase physical activity and improve academic performance. The existing designs have confounded academic lessons with physical activity. As a result, it is impossible to determine if the subsequent improvement in academic performance is due to: (1) physical activity, (2) the academic content of the active learning, or (3) the combination of academic material taught through physical activity. Methods/design The Texas I-CAN project is a 3-arm, cluster randomized control trial in which 28 elementary schools were assigned to either control, math intervention, or spelling intervention. As a result, each intervention condition serves as an unrelated content control for the other arm of the trial, allowing the impact of physical activity to be separated from the content. That is, schools that perform only active math lessons provide a content control for the spelling schools on spelling outcomes. This also calculated direct observations of attention and behavior control following periods of active learning. Discussion This design is unique in its ability to separate the impact of physical activity, in general, from the combination of physical activity and specific academic content. This, in combination with the ability to examine both proximal and distal outcomes along with measures of time on task will do much to guide the design of future, school-based interventions.
Conexões Atlânticas: redes comerciais entre o Rio da Prata e os Estados Unidos (1790-1822)

This article examines the United States commercial presence in Rio de la Plata, specifically in Montevideo, between 1790 and 1722. In the first decades of the nineteenth century, US commercial presence grew in American territories under the control of Iberian monarchies in the South Atlantic. United States merchants used different commercial strategies to penetrate the Spanish markets of Rio de la Plata using commercial networks built in the context of Iberian colonialism. During the decade of 1810, the North American merchants maintained their connections with the Spanish and Portuguese monarchies, obtaining legal access to the Ibero-American ports.
Human trafficking education for nurse practitioners: Integration into standard curriculum.

Abstract Background Human trafficking is a crime resulting in serious negative health outcomes for the victims. To provide optimal care, thus improving health outcomes, healthcare providers must be able to identify victims as they seek care for acute and chronic physical illness, communicable diseases, sexually transmitted infections, and mental health disorders (Lederer and Wetzel, 2014; Oram et al., 2012). Unfortunately, healthcare providers lack appropriate knowledge of clues that would lead to victim identification. This may result in a failure to identify victims (Beck et al., 2015; Ross et al., 2015; Konstantopoulos et al., 2013; Chisolm-Straker et al., 2012). Increasing the number of healthcare providers able to identify, treat, and refer victims of trafficking for further care is imperative. Objectives The study evaluated the knowledge level of student nurse practitioners enrolled in an adult, family, or pediatric clinical course. Knowledge domains included the definitions, laws, prevalence, identification, treatment, and community and social service resources. Design/Setting/Participants The study was designed as a non-probability sampling of adult, family, and pediatric nurse practitioner students (n = 73). Participants included students enrolled in the Adult & Older Adult I or the Primary Care of the Child & Adolescent I course at a large public university. Methods The study was designed as a one hour educational intervention intended for presentation in a lecture-style format. The educational intervention included a PowerPoint lecture and embedded videos. The pre-survey, designed as a paper survey, contained a demographic section followed by six survey questions covering the six domains of interest. Following the intervention, participants completed the post-survey prior to leaving the classroom. Results Pre-survey results pinpointed knowledge gaps across all six domains under investigation. Post-survey results revealed an increase in knowledge across all six domains of interest. Conclusions The educational intervention increased knowledge of human trafficking among students enrolled in a nurse practitioner program. Informed nurse practitioners have the ability to identify, treat, and refer victims of trafficking. As an integral part of the health care team, nurse practitioners should receive trafficking education as part of the standard course curricula.
Assessing the efficiency of local open space provision

Abstract This paper tests the efficiency of local provision of land conservation. I examine how housing prices, which capitalize open space amenities and future tax obligations, change after municipalities vote on referendums for conservation spending. Using a dynamic regression discontinuity based on voting outcomes, results suggest that average housing prices increase about 0.68–1.12% for every $1000 per household of open space spending authorized, which indicates inefficiency and underprovision of conservation. I also examine tax capitalization and supply side explanations for estimated capitalization.
Memorable messages and the evaluation of relational transgressions

A memorable messages framework was used to examine evaluations of relational transgressions. One hundred and fifty-eight participants described a relational transgression, and then provided a memor...
The Deification of Mao

This chapter explains that the myth has been perpetuated, despite being untrue, because it served the interests of numerous stakeholders. As some examples, for Mao and the Chinese government, promoting Mao’s importance helped them contest the Soviet Union’s ideological leadership of the Communist World and bolster the legitimacy of their non-democratic regime. For insurgents, claiming to follow a famous external model added credibility to their cause, which helped with recruitment and with inspiring fear amongst their enemies. For governments facing rebellions, suggesting that their enemy’s strategy was Chinese in origin allowed them to brand their opponents as foreign interlopers rather than local heroes. Finally, some Western analysts have misused selections from Mao’s texts as a shortcut for quickly assessing the complex behaviours of various insurgent groups.
Cranial computed tomography in Whipple's disease.

Abstract Cranial computed tomography (CT) in a 58-year-old man disclosed enhancing lesions in the medial right temporal lobe and the right pons. Biopsy of the sural nerve was positive for Whipple's disease, and one of the temporal lobe lesions showed unprecedented histological findings. This case, to our knowledge, is unique in its demonstration of cranial CT findings in association with Whipple's disease. It is suggested that a cranial CT scan with the use of intravenous contrast material should be performed in patients presenting with the signs or symptoms of Whipple's disease.
Nicotine acts through the perifornical hypothalamus

Intermittent administration of nicotine (NIC) decreases food intake (FI) and body weight (BW). Infusion of the NIC antagonist mecamylamine into the 4thventricle reduced this effect, suggesting NIC ...
PLAGIARISM - NOT JUST AN "ACADEMIC" PROBLEM

This article addresses the problem of plagiarism in business and business education. It discusses the issues involved in determining whether plagiarism has actually occurred and a range of alternatives for preventing, detecting and dealing with plagiarism. The article concludes by discussing the relevance of plagiarism for businesses students, and suggesting ways that business managers and educators can prevent, detect, assess and respond to plagiarism in business practice and education.
The Contribution of Feminism to an Understanding of Leisure Constraints

The purpose of this paper is to provide a feminist analysis of the literature concerning leisure constraints. The assumptions of the paper are that a “leisure gap” exists in many women's lives and ...
Family Life Education in China

Education about families in China has evolved in essence from ancient family rules for maintaining its members’ roles and responsibilities based on Confucius philosophy, parenting and parent education, to the recent emergence of relational skill training. This chapter aims to first illuminate the evolutional processes of family life education (FLE) and the FLE in the social, economic, historical, and cultural context of Chinese families today. The chapter specifically focuses on stresses and challenges that families face during Chinese economic and social reforms and the FLE development in both practice and theory that intend to address these stresses. China has introduced policies to promote healthy relationship, increase awareness of child and woman abuse, and protect the elderly through education. Chinese FLE has challenges in development and limitations in implementation. Lessons may be learned from Hong Kong’s successes. Chinese FLE programs have been created, mainly with focus on early childhood education and parenting. The chapter concludes that systematic family life education will eventually emerge as a professional field.
Analysis of Publication Trends for the 2011-2015 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting Abstracts.

Background:Academic conferences are sources of novel research that can influence clinical decision making. Orthopaedic surgery maintains a relatively high rate of publication compared with other su...
RNF167 activates mTORC1 and promotes tumorigenesis by targeting CASTOR1 for ubiquitination and degradation

mTORC1, a central controller of cell proliferation in response to growth factors and nutrients, is dysregulated in cancer. Whereas arginine activates mTORC1, it is overridden by high expression of cytosolic arginine sensor for mTORC1 subunit 1 (CASTOR1). Because cancer cells often encounter low levels of nutrients, an alternative mechanism might exist to regulate CASTOR1 expression. Here we show K29-linked polyubiquitination and degradation of CASTOR1 by E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF167. Furthermore, AKT phosphorylates CASTOR1 at S14, significantly increasing its binding to RNF167, and hence its ubiquitination and degradation, while simultaneously decreasing its affinity to MIOS, leading to mTORC1 activation. Therefore, AKT activates mTORC1 through both TSC2- and CASTOR1-dependent pathways. Several cell types with high CASTOR1 expression are insensitive to arginine regulation. Significantly, AKT and RNF167-mediated CASTOR1 degradation activates mTORC1 independent of arginine and promotes breast cancer progression. These results illustrate a mTORC1 regulating mechanism and identify RNF167 as a therapeutic target for mTORC1-dysregulated diseases.
Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Glioblastoma: A Single-Center Experience.

Background Surgical resection has been shown to prolong survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), although this benefit has not been demonstrated for reoperation following tumor recurrence. Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a minimally invasive ablation technique that has been shown to effectively reduce tumor burden in some patients with intracranial malignancy. The aim of this study was to describe the safety and efficacy of LITT for recurrent and newly diagnosed GBM at a large tertiary referral center. Methods Patients with GBM receiving LITT were retrospectively analyzed. Overall survival from the time of LITT was the primary end point measured. Results There were 69 patients identified for inclusion in this study. The median age of the cohort was 56 years (range, 15–77 years). Median tumor volume was 10.4 cm3 (range, 1.0–64.0 cm3). A Kaplan-Meier estimate of median overall survival for the series from the time of LITT was 12 months (95% confidence interval 8–16 months). Median progression-free survival for the cohort from LITT was 4 months (95% confidence interval 3–7 months). Adjuvant chemotherapy significantly prolonged progression-free survival and overall survival (P Conclusions LITT can safely reduce intracranial tumor burden in patients with GBM who have exhausted other adjuvant therapies or are poor candidates for conventional resection techniques.
Differential surface competition and biofilm invasion strategies of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 and PA01

Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains PA14 and PAO1 are among the two best characterized model organisms used to study the mechanisms of biofilm formation, while also representing two distinct lineages of P. aeruginosa. Our previous work showed that P. aeruginosa PA14 and PAO1 use distinct strategies to initiate biofilm growth. Using differentially-labeled strains and microfluidic devices, we show that PAO1 can outcompete PA14 in a head-to-head competition during early colonization of a surface, can do so in constant and perturbed environments, that this advantage is specific to biofilm growth and requires production of the Psl polysaccharide. In contrast, the P. aeruginosa PA14 exhibits a competitive fitness advantage when invading a pre-formed biofilm and is better able to tolerate starvation than PAO1 in the biofilm context. These data support the model that while P. aeruginosa PAO1 and PA14 are both able to effectively colonize surfaces, these strains use distinct strategies that are advantageous under different environmental settings. ImportanceRecent studies indicate that P. aeruginosa PAO1 and PA14 use distinct strategies to initiate biofilm formation, with PAO1 committing to the surface through a processive mode of attachment, while PA14 uses a non-processive surface engagement strategy. We investigated whether their respective colonization strategies impact their ability to effectively compete under different biofilm-forming regimes. Our work shows that these different strategies do indeed impact how these strains colonize the surface: PAO1 dominates during colonization of a naive surface, while PA14 is more effective in colonizing a pre-formed biofilm or withstanding starvation conditions. These data suggest that even for very similar microbes there may be distinct strategies to successfully colonize and persist on surfaces during the biofilm life cycle.
Comparison of Two Different Types of Yeast vs Controls on Stressed Dairy Cows

Purpose of this study is to compare milk yield of cows fed yeast, (Cel Con 5a or YeaSacc 1026b) or no yeast (control) during heat stress conditions to post-partum cows.
The Estimated Cost of Maintenance of Certification.

BACKGROUND Maintenance of Certification (MOC) is a controversial topic in medicine for many different reasons. Studies have suggested that there may be associations between fewer negative outcomes and participation in MOC. However, MOC still remains controversial because of its cost. We sought to determine the estimated cost of MOC to the average orthopaedic surgeon, including fees and time cost, defined as the market value of the physician's time. METHODS We calculated the total cost of MOC to be the sum of the fees required for applications, examinations, and other miscellaneous fees as well as the time cost to the physician and staff. Costs were calculated for the oral, written, and American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Web-based Longitudinal Assessment (ABOS WLA) MOC pathways based on the responses of 33 orthopaedic surgeons to a survey sent to a state orthopaedic society. RESULTS We calculated the average orthopaedic surgeon's total cost in time and fees over the decade-long period to be $71,440.61 ($7,144.06 per year) for the oral examination MOC pathway and $80,391.55 ($8,039.16 per year) for the written examination pathway. We calculated the cost of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery web-based examination pathway to be $69,721.04 ($6,972.10 per year). CONCLUSIONS The actual cost of MOC is much higher than just the fees paid to organizations providing services. The majority of the cost comes in the form of time cost to the physician. The ABOS WLA was implemented to alleviate the anxiety of a high-stakes examination and to encourage efficient longitudinal learning. We found that the ABOS WLA pathway does save time and money when compared with the written examination pathway when review courses and study periods are taken. We believe that future policy changes should focus on decreasing physician time spent completing MOC requirements, and decreasing the cost of these requirements, while preserving the model of continued evidence-based medical education.
Scaling Solder Micro-Bump Interconnect Down to $10\ \mu\mathrm{m}$ Pitch for Advanced 3D IC Packages

This paper discusses the efforts to shrink the micro-bump pitch to $20\ \mu\mathrm{m}$ and then $10\ \mu\mathrm{m}$ with solder micro-bumps for silicon-on-silicon 3D assembly by leveraging alternate solder diffusion barrier metals and tuning the assembly process to realize both good yield and reliable interconnects. Specifically in this paper, the assembly process challenges are detailed and the impact of our barrier metal assessment and process optimization to resolve these technical challenges are discussed through the study of solder joint reliability results using internal $20 \mu \mathrm{m}$ pitch and $10\ \mu\mathrm{m}$ pitch solder micro-bump test-vehicles (TV).
Avoiding Collateral Damage in Alzheimer's Disease Treatment

Although-secretase has been considered a relatively harmless target for drugs against Alzheimer9s disease, such drugs may damage nearby nerves.
Acid-Base Titration of Streptococci and the Physical States of Intracellular Ions

Acid titrations of intact and butanol-treated cells of Streptococcus faecalis revealed that nearly all of the intracellular K(+) ions could diffuse into the suspending medium in association with small anions, including ribonucleic acid breakdown products, when the cell membrane was damaged. In contrast, nearly all of the intracellular Mg(2+) ions appeared to be firmly bound to stable internal cell components but could be displaced reversibly by hydronium ions. The cell membrane acted as a barrier to ion movements, and Mg(2+) displacement from intact cells required more acid conditions, by as much as 2.5 pH units, than did displacement from butanol-damaged cells. Some 15 to 20% of the cell magnesium appeared to be associated with surface structures in that it could be removed at pH 7 with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or displaced by Co(2+), Ni(2+), Sr(2+), or La(3+). Magnesium could be displaced from isolated cell walls and membranes by hydronium ions in the pH range from 5 to 3, over which carboxyl groups were titrated. Displacement of magnesium from ribosomes also took place between pH 5 and 3, but it was more difficult to identify the magnesium-releasing groups because both protein carboxyl groups and purine and pyrimidine ring nitrogens can become protonated in this pH range. Isolated protoplast membranes remained structurally intact when completely depleted of magnesium. Furthermore, protoplasts isolated from intact cells were found to have greatly enhanced resistance to osmotic shock in acid media, even when solute loss was not extensive. Osmotic resistance was lost when the protoplasts were again placed in neutral media, and this reversibility suggested that acidification caused changes in the physical properties of membranes as well as solute leakage from cells.
The cosmological constant and the pulsating universe

The author's recently described method for obtaining an upper bound for a recollapsing, closed universe with a positive cosmological constant is extended to obtain a lower bound for a negativeA. The bounds are readily generalized to cosmologies of higher dimensions. As the radius of recollapse becomes infinite and the metric Minkowskian, the bounds shrink to zero. It is inferred that in a special relativistic theory, the cosmological term should vanish. A special relativistic proof of this is given based on requiring invariance under the «tilting» of the spacelike hypersurface. There is a discussion of the significance of this «guardian symmetry» for the self-stress problems of classical electron theory as well as the possibility of breaking supersymmetry without engendering a cosmological term. A brief application is given to the regularization of the Casimir effect. Some of the remaining problems and possible successes of the pulsating universe are also described. In the appendix, the well-known instability of the Einstein universe is briefly treated by the method used here to obtain bounds on the cosmological constant.
On the variance of time and frequency averages over modified periodograms

Expressions of a common form will be given for the variance of spectral estimators which are either time or frequency averages over modified periodograms. A modified periodogram is a generalization of the usual periodogram in which the time sample is premultiplied by a data window. Such estimates include almost all in common use and this discussion should clarify the relationships between practical alternatives.
An active rule-based fuzzy XML database system

XML databases have been widely used for web applications to facility data exchanges through internet. Traditional database systems, including XML systems, usually handle precise and well-defined data. In the real world, there exist data that is uncertain and ambiguous. Fuzzy logic reflects human nature to express and evaluate the world in a vague manner. This paper describes our approach of incorporating fuzzy logic into XML database systems. Our system is built on top of an existing XML database management system, which allows the definition and storage of fuzzy data in addition to crisp information. We defined a query language based on the XQuery standard that allows users to query the underlying database using fuzzy expressions. Another important issue in a database system is integrity constraint management. Active rules, also named Event-Condition-Active rules, have mainly been used in relational database systems for integrity control, which are promising features for XML databases. Our fuzzy system includes an active rule-based subsystem that supports the specification and execution of active rules. Users can use fuzzy expressions in the rule definition to declaratively define business logic. The system supports different types of events, including temporal events and composite events, in addition to traditional mutation events.
Compulsive behavior in the 5-HT2C receptor knockout mouse.

Abstract The efficacy of serotonergic pharmacotherapy indicates that serotonin (5-HT) plays a role in the treatment, if not the etiology, of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). While some clinical evidence implicates 5-HT 2C receptors in this disorder, a definitive function has yet to be validated. We hypothesized that 5-HT 2C receptor knockout (KO) mice may display compulsive-like behavior. This paper describes characterization of several distinct, highly organized behaviors in mice lacking functional 5-HT 2C receptors, which supports a compulsive-like syndrome. Compulsive-like behavior was assessed in male 5-HT 2C receptor KO and wildtype (WT) mice. Chewing of non-nutritive clay, chewing patterns on plastic-mesh screens, and the frequency of head dipping were measured. 5-HT 2C receptor KO mice chewed more clay, produced a distinct pattern of “neat” chewing of plastic screens and exhibited reduced habituation of head dipping activity compared to WT mice. We conclude that the 5-HT 2C receptor null mutant mouse provides a promising model of compulsive behavior and a means to further explore the role of 5-HT in OCD.
Improved Birth Outcomes Associated With Enhanced Medicaid Prenatal Care in Drug-Using Women Infected With the Human Immunodeficiency Virus☆

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention designed to enhance Medicaid prenatal care in improving birth outcomes of drug-using women infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Methods: Medicaid and vital statistics records were linked for 353 HIV-infected drug-using women delivering in 1993 and 1994 while enrolled in New York State Medicaid. Of these, 68% were treated by providers participating in the Prenatal Care Assistance Program, designed to provide case management, improved continuity, referral services, and behavioral risk reduction counseling. In a series of logistic models, we estimated adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of low birth weight (less than 2500 g) and preterm delivery (before 37 weeks), comparing women using and not using the program. Results: Women using the Prenatal Care Assistance Program were significantly less likely, after adjustments were made for maternal characteristics, to have low birth weight infants and preterm deliveries (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.31, 0.89; and OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.34, 0.97, respectively). Adding measures of greater adequacy and continuity of prenatal care to the models explained just over 20% of the Prenatal Care Assistance Program’s protective effect. The addition of maternal high-risk behavior, HIV-focused care, and drug use treatment variables altered program effect estimates less profoundly (together accounting for 4 and 9% of the program’s protection against low birth weight and preterm delivery, respectively). Conclusion: The Prenatal Care Assistance Program appeared to be successful in reducing the incidence of low birth weight and preterm delivery in this high-risk population. The program’s success can be attributed, in part, to increased adequacy and continuity of prenatal care and, to a lesser extent, to more frequent receipt of special services and reduced maternal high-risk behaviors.