cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biomechanics and anatomy of cladode junctions for two Opuntia (Cactaceae) species and their hybrid

Hybridization between the introduced arborescent Opuntia ficus -indica and the native shrubby O. littoralis has led to populations, referred to as O. ‘‘occidentalis,’’ which form thickets that can dominate hillsides of chaparral and that can survive fires. Because the thickets apparently develop via vegetative reproduction, O. ‘‘occidentalis’’ was hypothesized to have a greater ability than its parent species to reproduce vegetatively due to weaker cladode junctions. Of the three taxa, the junctions for O. ‘‘occidentalis’’ had the least amount of wood, despite having cladode masses and junction cross-sectional areas similar to those of O. littoralis. The cladodes of O. ‘‘occidentalis’’ resisted deflection about their junctions the least and their junctions required the least amount of applied mass and the smallest bending moment to fail mechanically. The junction wood for all three taxa consisted mostly of parenchyma, with lesser amounts of cells with thickened secondary cell walls, indicating that some junction strength depended on hydrostatic pressure, especially for terminal junctions. Libriform fibers, which contribute to support and resist bending moments, were about 80% less frequent in the sub-subterminal junctions of O. ‘‘occidentalis’’ than in O. ficus -indica and O. littoralis. Vascular tracheids, which probably reduced shear among cells in the wood, were 90% less frequent in the terminal and sub-subterminal junction wood of O. ‘‘occidentalis’’ compared to O. littoralis. Thus wood characteristics can account for the weaker junctions of O. ‘‘occidentalis’’ compared to those of O. ficus -indica and O. littoralis, which apparently increases the ability of the hybrid to reproduce vegetatively.
Velocity of transverse ultrasound in solid CD4

Abstract We have measured the velocity of 4 and 12 MHz transverse sound in solid CD 4 from 4 to 77 K. The phase transitions at 22.1 K and 27.0 K are marked by discontinuities in the slopes of these functions. Measured velocities are affected significantly by sample growth methods and the resulting degree of polycrystallinity.
Monitoring Silicon Quality From Diffusion Furnaces Using In-Line Measurements

Carrier lifetimes provide an excellent indication of the concentration of impurities and defects in semiconducting materials. This paper describes a non-contact technique for measuring generation and recombination lifetimes. This technique, which is incorporated into the KLATencor Quantox system, provides a highly sensitive method for monitoring the formation of defects or incorporation of impurities in silicon wafers during processing. Several applications of these measurements are investigated, such as monitoring the effects of various thermal cycles on the formation of a high-lifetime denuded zone near the wafer surface and monitoring diffusion furnace contamination after a quartz change.
An Updated List of Parasitoid Hymenoptera Reared from the Bemisia tabaci Species Complex (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

An updated list to the world fauna of parasitoid Hymenoptera reared from members in the Bemisia tabaci species complex (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is provided. In total, 112 parasitoid species in 5 families and 7 genera are tabulated along with their global distributions. Pertinent references are given to aid in the accurate identification of these minute insects. We also reviewed published host-genera associations and consider some dubious, possibly due to contamination of rearing vessels with non-target insects or to misidentification of the host whitefly or parasitoid species.
STATISTICAL THERMODYNAMIC APPROACH TO THE PREDICTION OF VAPOR-LIQUID EQUILIBRIA OF MULTI-COMPONENT MIXTURES

Abstract A Hard Sphere Expansion ( HSE ) conformal solution theory, which is a result of the application of statistical mechanics, is developed in order to predict the vapor-liquid equilibria properties of multicomponent mixtures. The HSE mixing rules are derived with consideration of the Kihara spherical-core function as the pair potential together with the 3-body potential function. Based on this HSE conformal solution theory, an equation of state for multi-component fluid is developed. In this conformal solution theory perturbation equation of state of pure fluids is used as the reference equation of state. The vapor-liquid equilibria properties of several properly chosen binary and ternary non-polar mixtures are predicted. These mixtures include: argon-krypton, argon-methane, methane-krypton, nitrogen-methane, nitrogen-argon, argon-neopentane, methane-neopentane, methane-perfluoromethane, carbon dioxideethylene, carbon dioxide-ethane, nitrogen-argon-oxygen, and nitrogen-argon-methane. The predicted results obtained in the present investigation compare quite favorably with the experimental vapor-liquid equilibria values. Furthermore, the present approach, being a purely molecular theory of fluid mixtures, provides detailed insight into the peculiar behavior of the azeotropic fluid mixture. It is shown that the vapor-liquid equilibria properties of multicomponent fluid systems may be predicted correctly through the present statistical mechanic approach provided that like- and unlike-interaction parameters of the species of the mixtures are known a priori . Generally, the present investigation shows that the use of the molecular theory of fluid mixtures in predicting the mixture properties is very promising.
Prenatal diagnosis of esophageal bronchus--first report of a rare foregut malformation in utero.

Abstract Aim of the Study Esophageal bronchus is a rare bronchopulmonary foregut malformation in which an isolated portion of the respiratory system communicates with the esophagus. There are no reports of prenatal diagnosis of an esophageal bronchus in the literature. We present 5 cases of esophageal bronchus and describe unique imaging findings. Methods Following IRB approval, 5 cases of pathologically proven esophageal bronchus were identified from a single center fetal therapy surgical database. Prenatal magnetic resonance and ultrasound studies were scored for the presence of bronchoceles, cysts, vascular feeders, and location. Five control cases were selected from a radiology database, with lesions determined to represent bronchial atresia prenatally and located at the lung bases. All imaging was reviewed blinded to outcome. Main results A tubular T2 hyperintense structure (bronchocele) directed from the lung lesion to the gastroesophageal junction was seen in all cases of esophageal bronchus, but in none of the control cases. In all control cases, the bronchocele was directed to the pulmonary hilum. The presence of cysts or vascular feeding vessels was not statistically significant in identifying an esophageal bronchus lesion. All patients were delivered at term and underwent surgical resection between 5 to 19weeks of age. No postoperative complications occurred. Conclusion Prenatal diagnosis of an esophageal bronchus can be strongly suggested by the presence of a T2 hyperintense structure arising from a lung lesion and directed towards the GE junction. These findings may be helpful for better counseling of parents and improved surgical planning.
Women and social class: a methodological study comparing individual, household, and census measures as predictors of black/white differences in reproductive history.

STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to compare four different measures of women's social class (interview and census based) as predictors of well known social gradients in reproductive outcomes. The intent was to address two obstacles that confront research in the United States regarding social gradients in women's health: how women's social class should be measured, and the absence of socioeconomic data in most health records. STUDY DESIGN--The study was a retrospective cohort analysis, using a community based random sample. Setting--Alameda County, California, 1987. SUBJECTS--51 black and 50 white women, ages 20 to 80 years, identified by random digit dialling, were interviewed by telephone. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--Census data were linked to individual records via the respondents' addresses. Using number of full term pregnancies as an example, multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated that individual class was not significantly associated with this outcome, whereas household class was: women from non-working-class households had 0.8 fewer such pregnancies than women from working class households (95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.4, -0.1). The block group measure functioned most like the household class measure (beta = -0.7, 95% CI = -1.4, 0.1), while the census tract measure was non-significant (beta = -0.4, 95% CI = -1.2, 0.4). Similar results were obtained for the outcomes: age at first full term pregnancy, percent of early terminated pregnancies, and yearly income. CONCLUSIONS--These results suggest block group data may offer a uniform source of social class information that can be appended to individual health records, and that this strategy is not invalidated by concerns regarding ecological fallacy.
Native Plants Dominate Understory Vegetation Following Ponderosa Pine Forest Restoration Treatments

Dense ponderosa pine forests in the southwestern United States inhibit understory production and diversity and are susceptible to high-severity wildfire. Restoration treatments involving overstory thinning and prescribed burning are being implemented to increase understory productivity and diversity and to reduce the risk of severe wildfire. However, disturbances associated with treatments may favor invasion of nonnative species, and the severity of the disturbance may be related to the level of nonnative species establishment. We examined understory community composition, species richness, and plant cover responses to 3 stand-scale replicates of 4 different tree-thinning intensities. Restoration treatments altered the composition of the understory community regardless of thinning intensity. Understory richness and cover were highly variable among experimental blocks, but we observed strong trends of increasing richness and cover in the treated stands. Immediately following restoration treatments, nonnative species cover comprised 6% of the total cover where treatment-induced disturbances were the greatest. However, the initial increase in nonnative species did not persist and was reduced by half 6 years after treatment. Plant community composition was still in flux by the sixth year after treatment, indicating that continued monitoring is necessary for evaluating whether restoration targets are maintained over time.
Estimators for the long-memory parameter in LARCH models, and fractional Brownian motion

This paper investigates several strategies for consistently estimating the so-called Hurst parameter H responsible for the long-memory correlations in a linear class of ARCH time series, known as LARCH(∞) models, as well as in the continuous-time Gaussian stochastic process known as fractional Brownian motion (fBm). A LARCH model’s parameter is estimated using a conditional maximum likelihood method, which is proved to have good stability properties. A local Whittle estimator is also discussed. The article further proposes a specially designed conditional maximum likelihood method for estimating the H which is closer in spirit to one based on discrete observations of fBm. In keeping with the popular financial interpretation of ARCH models, all estimators are based only on observation of the “returns” of the model, not on their “volatilities”.
The Need to Revise the Declaration of Helsinki

The Declaration of Helsinki requires revision because it is defective in two important respects. First, it relies on a distinction between therapeutic and nontherapeutic research; all documents that rely on this spurious distinction contain errors not intended by their authors.1 Second, it includes several provisions that are seriously out of touch with contemporary ethical thinking. As a consequence, many researchers routinely violate its requirements. Such routine violations and their associated attitudes rob the declaration of its credibility. Therapeutic and Nontherapeutic Research The nature of the errors that arise from a reliance on the distinction between therapeutic and nontherapeutic research is . . .
Assessment of Fast Multipole Method Formulations for Acoustic Scattering

A multi-level adaptive Fast Multipole Method (MLFMM) is used to accelerate the matrix-vector products arising from boundary integral equations formed in a Burton Miller Boundary Element Method. The partial wave expansion, rotation-coaxial translation and plane wave expansion formulations for the 3-D MLFMM are analyzed and their performances are assessed through simulations of acoustic scattering from bodies with rigid surfaces for a broad range of frequencies. Details on the implementation of the formulations are described. Results for engineering problems with complex geometries, such as a multi-element wing and an engine nacelle, are presented in order to assess the implemented capability. The plane wave expansion method presents the best performance for all frequencies analyzed providing a factor of two orders of magnitude reduction in the computational cost. However, for low frequencies, it can become unstable. The rotation-coaxial translation method presents a better performance compared to the partial wave expansion method and is stable for all frequencies.
Structure and Properties of Zirconia-Supported Molybdenum Oxide Catalysts for Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane

Oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of propane was studied on zirconia-supported molybdenum oxide catalysts. The structure of the ZrO2 support and of the dispersed MoOx species was characterized by X-ray diffraction and by Raman and UV–visible spectroscopies. The structure of dispersed molybdena depends on the Mo surface density and on the temperature at which catalyst precursors are treated in air. Polymolybdate domains were detected by Raman at Mo surface densities below 5 Mo/nm2. At higher surface densities, MoO3 and ZrMo2O8 are present; their relative concentrations depend on the pretreatment temperature. Below 773 K, MoO3 is the predominant structure at high surface densities, but ZrMo2O8 forms above 773 K. UV–visible edge energies decrease with increasing surface density for samples containing polymolybdate species, suggesting that MoOx domains become larger as the Mo surface density increases. ODH turnover rates decrease with increasing Mo surface density on samples containing polymolybdate species and MoO3. This trend is accompanied by an increase in the initial propene selectivity and in the vibrational frequency of Mo=O bonds. Higher Mo=O vibrational frequencies reflect stronger Mo=O bonds, which show lower ODH reactivity; therefore, the lower ODH reaction rates (per Mo atom) at higher Mo surface densities arise from the lower reactivity of Mo=O bonds, while higher initial propene selectivities arise either from the decrease of exposed Mo–O–Zr bonds or the lower reactivity of Mo=O bonds as the size of MoOx domains increases with increasing Mo surface density. At similar Mo surface densities, samples containing predominantly ZrMo2O8/ZrO2 show higher turnover rates and lower initial propene selectivities than those containing MoO3 species because the vibrational frequency of the Mo=O bond for ZrMo2O8/ZrO2 is lower than that for MoO3. ODH turnover rates over ZrMo2O8/ZrO2 also decreased with increasing Mo surface density, ultimately due to the increase of the particle size which leads to lower propane accessibility.
A Semantic-Based Approach for Context-Aware Service Discovery

The increasingly growing number of services available on the web, along with advances in information and communication technologies, has given rise to the development of new approaches for service discovery, devoted to retrieve services advertised by a service provider and satisfying users requests. Traditional service discovery attempts are devoted to enable a matching between advertised service names and the keywords of the user request. Some of these methods use also semantic approaches, however an improvement in terms of precision has been obtained with the adoption of a semantic-based approach, together with the use of contextual information. This research aims at facing the problem of discovering context-aware services by proposing a semantic similarity model for enabling the matching between advertisements and requests personalized according to the context information (such as user position, user preferences, available resources). The method proposed has been validated by performing a set of experiments for evaluating the recall and precision of the method.
Not There Yet Medicare Part D and Elimination of Cardiovascular Medication Usage Sociodemographic Disparities After Myocardial Infarction

In this issue of Circulation , Lauffenburger et al1 examine the effect of Medicare Part D implementation on statin, β-blocker, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) medication usage based on race/ethnicity and sex in the United States. The authors used Medicare service claims in 85 017 post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients aged ≥65 years. Their primary findings are that black women are 30% less likely to be adherent to ACEI/ARBs and statins at 1 year after MI compared with white men. Additionally, women and black/Hispanic men had 10% lower medication adherence rates compared with white men. Article see p 754 In general, Asian men and women had similar medication adherence rates as white men, except for a 17% lower use of β-blockers in Asian women. These findings were noted despite similar rates of prescription usage at 30 days by race/ethnicity and sex 30 days after MI. The authors are to be commended for this effort and, in particular, the thoughtful discussion of their findings. Their manuscript is extremely important because only national, retrospective database information will capture background nationwide trends. Because the analyses incorporate 12-month medication usage before the index MI event, the analysis perhaps unintentionally takes into account pre-MI event medication factors that could affect post-MI adherence. Nonetheless, some minor limitations of their manuscript are worthy of mention. First, as acknowledged by the authors, there is no information about aspirin use. Second, despite the “improvement” in accuracy of the Research Triangle Institute methodology to identify …
Presupposition and Anaphora: Remarks on the Formulation of the Projection Problem

Writers on presupposition, and on the “projection problem” of determining the presuppositions of compound sentences from their component clauses, traditionally assign presuppositions to each clause in isolation. I argue that many presuppositional elements are anaphoric to previous discourse or contextual elements. In compound sentences, these can be other clauses of the sentence. We thus need a theory of presuppositional anaphora, analogous to the corresponding pronominal theory.
MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH RISING PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN AFTER RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY

During the past 12 years, routine use of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has resulted in a major rise in the proportion of patients initially diagnosed with clinically localized disease and the average age at diagnosis has declined. 1,2 These important demographic changes, coupled with major improvements in surgical technique, resulted in a sharp increase in the number of advocates for radical prostatectomy (RP) as definitive treatment for prostate cancer. 3,4 After curative RP, the serum PSA level should become undetectable, and the detection of elevated levels at any time after about 4 weeks postoperatively reflects evidence of disease recurrence. 5 The incidence of disease recurrence while PSA is undetectable is extremely low, although it might be observed in very poorly differentiated tumors or neoplasms of distinct histologic subtypes. 6,7 The first evidence of disease recurrence after RP is manifested by a consistent elevation of serial serum PSA tests, usually without any associated objective findings. 5 The probability of biochemical relapse at 5 and 10 years, reported in several large series, has ranged between 20% and 31% and 27% and 53%, respectively. 7‐10 Various factors, including differences in patient populations, duration of followup, and the definition of PSA recurrence (0.2 to 0.6 ng/mL), might account for the variance in the reported rates. On the basis of the number of RPs performed and the cumulative figures of biochemical relapse rates, it can be estimated that thousands of patients present annually to clinicians throughout the world with an elevated PSA level as the only evidence of disease. At present, the natural history of the patient with biochemical relapse after RP remains poorly defined, and no criteria are uniformly accepted for implementation of treatment for these patients. The management philosophy has been influenced primarily by physicians’ and patients’ biases, and it is becoming obvious that despite the lack of consensus, early interventions are more commonly applied than observation only. Our objective was to review the published reports dealing with the evaluation, natural history, and treatment of patients with a rising PSA after RP for clinically localized prostate cancer and to provide the necessary groundwork for the development of clinical research on this challenging problem.
A HISTORY OF DIVERSIFICATION, EXTINCTION, AND INVASION IN TROPICAL AMERICA AS DERIVED FROM SPECIES-LEVEL PHYLOGENIES OF CHIONINE GENERA (FAMILY VENERIDAE)

Phylogenetic reconstructions of two tropical American venerid genera, Chione and Chionopsis (subfamily Chioninae) were attempted at the species-level. The purposes of the analyses were to provide historical reconstructions of origination and extinction events in the two clades, as well as patterns of invasion and diversification. The analyses were based entirely on conchological characters to facilitate the inclusion of a substantial number of fossil taxa, but difficulties were encountered due to the quality of preservation and availability of material. Nevertheless the two genera were established as monophyletic clades, and the reconstructions yielded consid- erable insight into their histories in tropical America. The analyses suggest that both genera originated in the tropical western Atlantic, Chionopsis by at least the early Oligocene, and Chione in the early Miocene. Various branches of both genera subsequently invaded the tropical eastern Pacific several times prior to Seaway closure, with only one possible reciprocal invasion of the western Atlantic. Pliocene extinction affected both genera more significantly in the western Atlantic relative to the eastern Pacific, and diversity is higher today in the latter region. These conclusions are not entirely consistent with the fossil records of the genera, but this incongruency highlights the need for much more extensive sampling of the eastern Pacific Cenozoic record.
Inactivation of the Progesterone Receptor in Mx1+ Cells Potentiates Osteogenesis in Calvaria but Not in Long Bone

The effect of progesterone on bone remains elusive. We previously reported that global progesterone receptor (PR) knockout mice displayed high bone mass phenotype, suggesting that PR influences bone growth and modeling. Recently, Mx1+ cells were characterized to be mesenchymal stem cell-like pluripotent Cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the PR in Mx1+ cells regulates osteogenesis. Using the Mx1-Cre;mT/mG reporter mouse model, we found that the calvarial cells exhibited minimal background Mx1-Cre activity prior to Cre activation by IFNα treatment as compared to the bone marrow stromal cells. IFNα treatment significantly activated Mx1-Cre in the calvarial cells. When the PR gene was deleted in the Mx1-Cre;PR-flox calvarial cells in vitro, significantly higher levels of expression of osteoblast maturation marker genes (RUNX2, Osteocalcin, and Dmp1) and osteogenic potential were detected. The PR-deficient calvariae exhibited greater bone volume, especially in the males. Although Mx1-Cre activity could be induced on the bone surface in vivo, the Mx1+ cells did not differentiate into osteocytes in long bones. Bone volumes at the distal femurs and the bone turnover marker serum Osteocalcin were similar between the Mx1-Cre;PR-flox mutant mice and the corresponding wild types in both sexes. In conclusion, our data demonstrates that blocking progesterone signaling via PRs in calvarial Mx1+ cells promoted osteoblast differentiation in the calvaria. Mx1+ was expressed by heterogeneous cells in bone marrow and did not differentiate into osteocyte during long bone development in vivo. Selectively inactivating the PR gene in Mx1+ cells affected the membrane bone formation but did not affect peripheral skeletal homeostasis.
Mackenzie Delta flow during spring breakup: uncertainties and potential improvements

The spring flow of the Mackenzie River into its delta drives the breakup ice jamming and consequent flooding and replenishment of the thousands of lakes on the delta plain. Daily flows for related ...
Total Avulsion of the Scalp

MANY cases of total avulsion of the scalp have been reported in the medical literature, and the treatment has been extremely varied. Formerly, these large wounds were allowed to granulate and gradually to epithelialize spontaneously from the edges. The wounds became severely infected, and the healing period was greatly protracted. Many of the patients treated in this fashion became debilitated from chronic sepsis; some suffered osteomyelitis of the calvarium, and others intracranial complications by extension of the infection through diploetic channels. The end result in those who survived was poor, the thin scar epithelium constantly breaking down, and the contracting . . .
Salmonellosis in dogs. II. Prevalence and distribution in greyhounds in Florida.

are located in the major population centers, with four in the Miami area and two in Jacksonville. Several hundred greyhounds are in the state for a part or all of the year. The observations reported here were made chiefly in Jacksonville, where the Central State Public Health Laboratory is located. For comparative purposes some cultures were obtained in Miami. Greyhounds are well disciplined and carefully controlled dogs. Most of their lives are spent in kennel units. From the time of their birth they are handled, trained and managed on a fixed schedule. Feeding, exercise, sleep and even the passing of stool and urine occur at regular hours of the day and night. Except when the greyhound is ill, no excrement is passed in the kennel itself. In general, the dogs of each owner or trainer are a well isolated group, except when participating in racing schedules. The animals are then taken to the tracks, housed in individual kennel units in a
Exploitation of Canada thistle by the weevil Rhinocyllus conicus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in northern Utah

A census was taken of a stand of Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense , in northern Utah throughout the growing seasons of 1991 and 1992 to determine the degree to which this weed was attacked by the weevil Rhinocyllus conicus , originally introduced to the region to attack musk thistle, Carduus nutans. Overall, the weevil oviposited on 34–37% of Canada thistle flowering stems (both sexes combined); male and female flower heads appeared equally suitable for oviposition and larval maturation. However, relatively few large flower heads (6–10%) with potential to produce seed were oviposited on by the weevil. The seasonal timing of weevil oviposition versus host maturation suggested that low rates of attack derived primarily from few overwintered weevil females persisting long enough into the growing season to oviposit on large flower heads (preferred oviposition sites) as these became available. Field experiments in which the rate of plant maturation was hastened, or in which comparisons were made among plants differing naturally in seasonal timing of development, confirmed that overwintered weevil females oviposited much more heavily on early versus later maturing flower heads. Thus, as has been found for other thistle species, the impact of the weevil on Canada thistle at the study site appears limited by poor synchronization between insect and host life cycles. Nevertheless, field results indicate that considerable numbers of the weevil develop in Canada thistle flower heads at the study site each year, and thus the weed may serve as an important alternate host in maintaining naturalized populations of the insect in northern Utah.
The Wind Energy Sector in India

India is a world leader in the wind sector of renewable energy, but the unique challenges stemming from India's own development make this layperson's 'how-to' guide particularly engaging. This paper transitions from a broad overview of India's burgeoning wind sector of renewable energy into a deeper analysis of relevant considerations, including regulation, financing, ambiguities, and case studies. Rhetoric is tailored to the lay reader without prior knowledge of law, finance, or infrastructure development.
The Bonferroni Method for Multiple Comparisons

When the differences of average levels among several groups are statistically significant, the multiple comparisons should be carried out. Using α=0.05 directly as significance level in comparison between each pair may result in too high typeⅠ error probability. Bonferroni method is one of the most common methods for multiple comparisons, which could reduce the accumulated typeⅠ error probability by adjusting α level. In this report, the fundamental principle of Bonferroni method is explained and examples are presented in some specific situations. This article is supposed to guide researchers to utilize Bonferroni method correctly in multiple comparisons.
Relationships between Pregnancy and Vitamin B-6 Nutriture on Brain 3-Hydroxykynurenine Concentrations in Mice

The kynurenine (KYN) pathway of tryptophan metabolism produces several neuroactive metabolites, including 3-hydroxykynurenine (3HK). The pathway is subject to regulation by a number of effectors including pregnancy and availability of vitamin B-6. Vitamin B-6 depleted humans and animals excrete abnormally high concentrations of KYN metabolites in urine. In pregnancy, vitamin B-6 deficiency is commonly seen, and tryptophan metabolism is often found to be altered. We measured concentrations of 3HK in brains of DBA/2Ibg and A/Ibg mice as functions of pregnancy and dietary level of vitamin B-6. Pregnant DBA mice are more susceptible to flurothyl-induced seizures than controls, pregnant A mice are not. Significant elevations of 3HK were found in brains of pregnant mice, and the increases were greater in the pregnancy-associated seizure prone DBA, than in the A mice. In the A mice, brain 3HK concentrations were negatively correlated with dietary vitamin B-6 levels, as expected; however, in the DBA mice these correlations were positive, indicating an unusual response to vitamin B-6 restriction. The accumulation of a cytotoxic, excitatory metabolite, 3HK, in brain may contribute to the increased seizure susceptibility of susceptible pregnant mice, perhaps though its effects as an endogenous modulator of excitatory amino acid receptor systems.
Hemoglobinuria Is a Risk Factor For Kidney Disease Progression In Sickle Cell Anemia

![Graphic][1] Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a frequent complication of sickle cell anemia (SCA) and is a predictor of early mortality. To determine the predictors of deteriorating kidney function in SCA, we followed 164 patients treated at the University of Illinois at Chicago for a median of 32 months (range 3-88 months). Steady-state estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR), albuminuria, and hemoglobinuria assessments were obtained at baseline and during the follow-up period. Steady-state was defined as greater than four weeks from a vaso-occlusive pain episode or a red blood cell transfusion. Hemoglobinuria was defined as positive for blood on dipstick and 300mg/g creatinine) or microalbuminuria to macroalbuminuria was also higher in patients with baseline hemoglobinuria (42%, 11/26) versus without hemoglobinuria (13%, 9/67) (HR 3.1, 95%CI: 1.3-7.7; logrank p=0.004) ([Figure 3][2]). In conclusion, hemoglobinuria determined by urinalysis at steady-state is a valid assessment of increased urine cell-free hemoglobin concentration and is fairly consistent on repeat testing at steady-state visits. The presence of hemoglobinuria is significantly associated with a greater risk for progression of CKD and albuminuria. Our findings are consistent with the possibility that cell-free hemoglobin contributes to the progression of kidney disease in SCA. Further research including measures to decrease cell-free hemoglobin exposure to preserve kidney function are warranted. ![Figure 1][3] Figure 1 ![Figure 2][3] Figure 2 ![Figure 3][3] Figure 3 Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-2.gif [2]: #F1 [3]: pending:yes
Foucault in Iran: Islamic Revolution after the Enlightenment

The historiography of the 1979 revolution in Iran is shifting. After a generation of scholarship emphasizing elite manipulation through charismatic appeals to presumably static cultural norms, scho...
How Much Is Too Much?: Excessive Gun License Fees and Constitutional Rights

Most states charge fees for either concealed carry licenses or gun possession licenses. The range of those fees is quite dramatic. At what point does such a fee constitute an infringement of the Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms because it renders the right too expensive to exercise, especially for the poor?
A network neuroscience of neurofeedback for clinical translation

In the emerging field of network neuroscience, the brain is represented as a network of discrete yet functionally and structurally interconnected areas. Mathematical and computational tools to characterize the organization of this network can provide insights into the principles guiding brain structure and function, and can pinpoint differences between healthy individuals and individuals suffering from psychiatric disease or neurological disorders. The field is now faced with the question of how to devise clinical interventions that target these network alterations. Potential solutions to this question include the combination of emerging theories of network control with cutting-edge interventions such as neurofeedback. Each of these techniques may now be mature enough to combine to obtain a theoretically-motivated framework informing viable neuropsychiatric therapies.
Abstract 234: MyD88 and TRIF Mediate Divergent Responses Following Skeletal Muscle Ischemia

Introduction: We have shown that TLR2 mediates muscle regeneration and angiogenesis after muscle ischemia, independent of TLR4. Downstream signaling of TLR2 and TLR4 include MyD88 (TLR2 and 4) and TRIF (TLR4 and 3) pathways. We hypothesize that MyD88 is required for normal angiogenesis and muscle regeneration following ischemia while TRIF is not. Methods: MyD88 -/- (KO), TRIF KO and control C57B6 mice (WT) (N=4-7) underwent femoral artery ligation on the right hindlimb, and sham operation on the left. LDPI was performed at day 14 and anterior tibialis muscle was collected to quantify muscle necrosis and regeneration. Vascular structures were identified with CD31 staining. Results: MyD88 KO and WT mice demonstrated partial perfusion recovery by 14 days while TRIF KO had minimal recovery. Despite this, there were significantly fewer vascular structures in MyD88 KO mice while TRIF KO had the greatest (17.9±1.5 MyD88 KO; 55.3±6.8 WT; 69.1±5.2 TRIF KO; p Conclusions: Contrary to our hypothesis, TRIF appears to be required for normal muscle regeneration and functional angiogenesis after ischemia, while MyD88 is an important mediator of hypoxic injury. These results, along with our prior findings that muscle regeneration is independent of TLR4, suggest that TLR3 may play a key role in ischemic muscle recovery independent of angiogenesis.
Natural history of the proximal aorta in patients with descending thoracic aortic disease.

Abstract Objective This study investigated the growth and behavior of the ascending aorta in patients with descending thoracic aortic disease. Methods We examined 200 patients with descending thoracic aortic disease including acute type B dissection (n = 95), chronic type B dissection (n = 38), intramural hematoma (n = 23), and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (n = 44). Images from computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were evaluated after three-dimensional reconstruction to examine the growth rate in those with >1 year of imaging follow-up (n = 108). Survival data were derived from all 200 patients in this study. Results Average proximal aortic dimensions at the index image were relatively small, measuring 3.65 ± 0.51 cm in the root, 3.67 ± 0.48 cm in the ascending aorta, and 3.50 ± 0.44 cm in the proximal arch. Average growth rate was low for the aortic root, ascending aorta, and proximal arch at 0.36 ± 0.64 mm/y, 0.26 ± 0.44 mm/y, and 0.25 ± 0.44 mm/y, respectively. There was no difference in baseline proximal aortic dimensions and growth rate between the four subgroups. An index aortic diameter ≥4.1 cm grew faster than those P = .028) and proximal arch ( P = .019). There was no difference in aortic growth rates at the aortic root ( P = .887). After the index scan, five patients underwent six ascending aortic replacement procedures, leading to a 3% ascending aortic intervention rate. Overall median life expectancy was 86.15 years. Conclusions Native ascending aortic growth in patients with descending thoracic aortic disease is slow. We suggest regular follow-up for index ascending aorta ≥4.1 cm because of its larger initial size and more rapid growth.
Exploring the effects of anodal and cathodal high definition transcranial direct current stimulation targeting the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex

The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) has been identified as a core region affected by many disorders, representing a promising target for neuromodulation. High Definition-transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that has already shown promising outcomes and has been tested to engage deeper structures. This study investigates whether it is possible to modulate dACC activity using anodal and cathodal HD-tDCS. Furthermore, it examines what effects anodal and cathodal HD-tDCS targeting dACC have on cognitive and emotional processing. Forty-five healthy subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: anodal, cathodal, and sham. Resting-state electroencephalography (rsEEG) and a cognitive and emotional Counting Stroop task were administered before and after HD-tDCS. RsEEG showed changes: anodal HD-tDCS showed significant increase in beta frequency band activity in dACC, while cathodal HD-tDCS led to significant increase in activity at dorsal and rostral ACC in the theta frequency band. Behavioral changes were also found after anodal HD-tDCS in the cognitive Counting Stroop for incongruent trials and after cathodal HD-tDCS in the emotional Counting Stroop for emotional trials. This study demonstrated that HD-tDCS is able to modulate dACC activity, suggesting that it has the potential to be used as a treatment tool.
Rocksalt nitride metal/semiconductor superlattices: A new class of artificially structured materials

Artificially structured materials in the form of superlattice heterostructures enable the search for exotic new physics and novel device functionalities, and serve as tools to push the fundamentals of scientific and engineering knowledge. Semiconductor heterostructures are the most celebrated and widely studied artificially structured materials, having led to the development of quantum well lasers, quantum cascade lasers, measurements of the fractional quantum Hall effect, and numerous other scientific concepts and practical device technologies. However, combining metals with semiconductors at the atomic scale to develop metal/semiconductor superlattices and heterostructures has remained a profoundly difficult scientific and engineering challenge. Though the potential applications of metal/semiconductor heterostructures could range from energy conversion to photonic computing to high-temperature electronics, materials challenges primarily had severely limited progress in this pursuit until very recently. In this article, we detail the progress that has taken place over the last decade to overcome the materials engineering challenges to grow high quality epitaxial, nominally single crystalline metal/semiconductor superlattices based on transition metal nitrides (TMN). The epitaxial rocksalt TiN/(Al,Sc)N metamaterials are the first pseudomorphic metal/semiconductor superlattices to the best of our knowledge, and their physical properties promise a new era in superlattice physics and device engineering.
Congress and War Powers: Symbolism and Nondecisions in the Struggle for Influence

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on war powers issues during the Clinton presidency to test the theory of nondecision-making as developed by Bachrach and Baratz (1970) and Lukes (1974). The first secti...
Advances in targeted nanotherapeutics: From bioconjugation to biomimicry.

Since the emergence of cancer nanomedicine, researchers have had intense interest in developing nanoparticles (NPs) that can specifically target diseased sites while avoiding healthy tissue to mitigate the off-target effects seen with conventional treatments like chemotherapy. Initial endeavors focused on the bioconjugation of targeting agents to NPs, and more recently, researchers have begun to develop biomimetic NP platforms that can avoid immune recognition to maximally accumulate in tumors. In this review, we describe the advantages and limitations of each of these targeting strategies. First, we review developments in bioconjugation strategies, where NPs are coated with biomolecules such as antibodies, aptamers, peptides, and small molecules to enable cell-specific binding. While bioconjugated NPs offer many exciting features and have improved pharmacokinetics and biodistribution relative to unmodified NPs, they are still recognized by the body as “foreign”, resulting in their clearance by the mononuclear phagocytic system (MPS). To overcome this limitation, researchers have recently begun to investigate biomimetic approaches that can hide NPs from immune recognition and reduce clearance by the MPS. These biomimetic NPs fall into two distinct categories: synthetic NPs that present naturally occurring structures, and NPs that are completely disguised by natural structures. Overall, bioconjugated and biomimetic NPs have substantial potential to improve upon conventional treatments by reducing off-target effects through site-specific delivery, and they show great promise for future standards of care. Here, we provide a summary of each strategy, discuss considerations for their design moving forward, and highlight their potential clinical impact on cancer therapy.
Female Reproductive System

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on normal histology of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, vagina, and vulva in the actively cycling adult mouse and human female. The female genital system is dynamic in both the mouse and the human, with varying morphologic appearance based on hormonal influences during estrus/menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and ovarian senescence. Although both humans and mice are mammals with similar ovaries, fallopian tubes, uteri, and placentation, there are several structural and functional differences. In particular, the gross anatomy between the two species varies considerably, whereas the histologic appearance and basic functions tend to be more similar.
Data Fusion for Environmental Process Control: Maximizing Useful Information Recovery under Data Limited Constraints

Real-time sensing of minor, or difficult to measure, components in complex systems is a challenge faced across disciplines. For environmental applications, this often entails measurement of target chemicals-that may be harmful and/or of interest at very low concentrations - in a complex medium (tens to thousands of constituent components). Sensor arrays and machine learning (ML) approaches have demonstrated some success but remain limited by the application context and high labor costs of chemical assays for creating large training datasets. This article explores a lower overhead approach, employing data fusion techniques to extract information from a relatively small training dataset. Creation of statistically relevant synthetic training samples is utilized to reduce dependence on costly analysis of samples from the target system. Samples were characterized using eight sensor modalities to create a training set for several ML algorithms, namely artificial neural networks (ANN), support vector regression (SVR), and random forests (RF), to measure NH 4 + concentrations (≤50 μM) online in a game-changing wastewater treatment process. Hyperparameters for each method were tuned using a particle swarm optimization approach, and both the accuracy and consistency of results were evaluated. ANN achieved the lowest mean absolute error (MAE) of ~6 μM, but all methods had a minimum MAE within 20% of this value. When evaluated on computational demand, SVR outperformed other approaches. ANN and RF showed wide variation in resulting MAE for a given parameterization, demonstrating strong dependence on initialization and training process. Overall RF provided the best balance of accuracy and consistency, and therefore, in applications where data are expected to be updated frequently or computational resources are not infinite, RF may provide the best tradeoff in speed, accuracy, and consistency.
Implantable optoelectronic systems for neuroscience research (Conference Presentation)

Advanced optoelectronic systems that intimately integrate with the brain and the peripheral nervous system have the potential to accelerate progress in neuroscience research and to spawn new therapies in clinical medicine. Specifically, capabilities for injecting electronics, light sources, photodetectors, multiplexed sensors, programmable microfluidic networks and other components into precise locations of the deep brain and for softly laminating them onto targeted regions of the surfaces of the brain or the peripheral nerves will open up unique and important opportunities in stimulation, inhibition and real-time monitoring of neural circuits. In this talk, we will describe foundational concepts in materials science and assembly processes for these types of technologies.
Applying Observations from Technological Transformations in Complex Adaptive Systems to Inform Health Policy on Technology Adoption

Many complex markets such as banking and manufacturing have benefited significantly from technology adoption. Each of these complex markets experienced increased efficiency, quality, security, and customer involvement as a result of technology transformation in their industry. Healthcare has not benefited to the same extent. We provide initial findings from a policy analysis of complex markets and the features of these transformations that can influence health technology adoption and acceptance.
The Newark Earthworks: Enduring Monuments, Contested Meanings

Lindsay Jones and Richard D. Shiels, eds. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2016. xi and 318 pp., index. $35.00 paper (ISBN 978-0-8139-3778-6).The necessity for ruins, argued Jacks...
Microenvironment meets lineage complexity in junctional tumorigenesis.

Using a sensitizing genetic model, Moon and colleagues provide compelling data for a determinant role of microenvironment in tumorigenesis, and lend support to the notion that such influences can be pharmacologically dampened to reduce the onset of cancers.
Tensile Properties of Ultrathin Bisphenol-A Polycarbonate Films

The mechanical properties of bisphenol-A polycarbonate (BPA PC) have been extensively studied; however, measurement of these properties as sample dimensions approach the size scale of an individual...