cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Formation of Aluminum Hydride during Alkaline Dissolution of Aluminum

The role of hydrogen-containing surface species in the alkaline dissolution of aluminum was studied by secondary ion mass spectrometry SIMS and atomic force microscopy AFM. The measurements revealed quasi-periodic nucleation and dissolution of large number densities of 10–100 nm size particles, during open-circuit dissolution in 1 M NaOHD at room temperature. SIMS results using deuterated solutions, and prior Auger microprobe measurements, indicated that the particles were composed of aluminum hydride deuteride, with an aluminum hydroxide deuteroxide surface layer. The measured open-circuit potential during dissolution was close to the Nernst potential of hydride oxidation. It was concluded that AlH3 forms continuously during dissolution by reaction of cathodically generated hydrogen with the Al metal and is oxidized to aluminate ions AlOH4
Measuring the Perception of Facial Expressions in American Sign Language Animations with Eye Tracking

Our lab has conducted experimental evaluations of ASL animations, which can increase accessibility of information for signers with lower literacy in written languages. Participants watch animations and answer carefully engineered questions about the information content. Because of the labor-intensive nature of our current evaluation approach, we seek techniques for measuring user’s reactions to animations via eye-tracking technology. In this paper, we analyze the relationship between various metrics of eye movement behavior of native ASL signers as they watch various types of stimuli: videos of human signers, high-quality animations of ASL, and lower-quality animations of ASL. We found significant relationships between the quality of the stimulus and the proportional fixation time on the upper and lower portions of the signers face, the transitions between these portions of the face and the rest of the signer’s body, and the total length of the eye fixation path. Our work provides guidance to researchers who wish to evaluate the quality of sign language animations: to enable more efficient evaluation of animation quality to support the development of technologies to synthesize high-quality ASL animations for deaf users.
Improving Personal Characterization of Meaningful Activity in Adults with Chronic Conditions Living in a Low-Income Housing Community.

Purpose: To understand how adults living in a low-income, public housing community characterize meaningful activity (activity that gives life purpose) and if through short-term intervention, could overcome identified individual and environmental barriers to activity engagement. Methods: We used a mixed methods design where Phase 1 (qualitative) informed the development of Phase 2 (quantitative). Focus groups were conducted with residents of two low-income, public housing communities to understand their characterization of meaningful activity and health. From these results, we developed a theory-based group intervention for overcoming barriers to engagement in meaningful activity. Finally, we examined change in self-report scores from the Meaningful Activity Participation Assessment (MAPA) and the Engagement in Meaningful Activity Survey (EMAS). Results: Health literacy appeared to impact understanding of the questions in Phase 1. Activity availability, transportation, income and functional limitations were reported as barriers to meaningful activity. Phase 2 within group analysis revealed a significant difference in MAPA pre-post scores (p =0.007), but not EMAS (p =0.33). Discussion: Health literacy should be assessed and addressed in this population prior to intervention. After a group intervention, participants had a change in characterization of what is considered healthy, meaningful activity but reported fewer changes to how their activities aligned with their values.
A Biological Approach to Speech Analysis

The auditory periphery system receives a one dimensional acoustical signal that describes how the local pressure varies with time. One dimensional sound signal is unfolded into two dimensional time-frequency information. Some kind of time-frequency transformation is done in auditory signal processing.In this study a method based on auditory physiological process and Fourier Transform for speech analysis is introduced. Especially auditory time integration features and variable time and frequency resolution with the signal frequency are considered.
Patterns of travel for rural individuals hospitalized in New York State: relationships between distance, destination, and case mix.

: The travel patterns of individuals living in rural areas of New York State who were discharged from short-term general hospitals in New York State in 1983 are examined. Counties are used as the geographical unit, and rural individuals who cross geographic boundaries to obtain inpatient hospital care are compared with those who receive such care in their own geographic area. Hospitals serving the rural population of New York are classified into three types: urban, consisting of all hospitals located in MSAs; rural referral centers; and other rural hospitals. Next, the rural patients who are admitted to each of these three types of hospitals are characterized in terms of distance traveled, case mix, length of stay, and age. Individuals who travel beyond the counties adjacent to their county of residence had a higher case mix index but were less likely to be more than 75 years old. Distance traveled and the expected cost of care were strongly positively related for patients admitted to urban and rural referral center hospitals, but were only weakly related for other rural hospitals. Finally, comparisons of rural patients in these three types of hospitals were performed adjusting for DRG mix, a comparison which is relevant to hospital reimbursements under the Medicare Prospective Payment System. Using several measures of illness severity, rural patients in urban hospitals and rural referral center hospitals were more severely ill than rural patients in other rural hospitals after adjusting for DRG mix. We conclude that somewhat higher payments to urban hospitals and rural referral center hospitals in New York are justified based on the more severely ill patients which they treat.
Factors Associated With Survival in Patients With Oligometastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

patients. The direction of changes in Q SPECT during RT was consistent with that of changes in PFTs FEV1, FVC, and DLCO at 3 mos post-RT in 46% (24 of 52), 52% (27 of 52), and 46% (24 of 52) of patients, respectively. Change in V SPECT during RT was on the same direction of changes in PFTs FEV1, FVC, and DLCO at 3 mos post-RT in 38% (20 of 52), 44% (23 of 52), and 42% (22 of 52) of patients, respectively. Change in Q SPECT during RT was predictive of change in Q SPECT 3 mos and 12 mos post-RT SPECT in 64% (14 of 22) and 59% (13 of 22) of patients respectively. Change in V SPECT during RT was predictive of change in V SPECT 3 mos and 12 mos post-RT in 45% (10 of 22) and 50% (11 of 22) of patients, respectively. Patients had greater than 10% reduction at 20 Gy on both Q and V SPECT during RT seemed to have a higher rate of clinical radiation pneumonitis and fibrosis than that of other levels of changes on SPECT. There were only weak (R ranges 0.20.4) and borderline significant relationship between dose response relationship on V/Q SPECT relationship and 3 mos and 12 mos post-RT reductions. Conclusions: Change in pulmonary function on SPECT scans is complicated during RT, may be not universally predictive of long term outcomes of toxicity, or change in regional or global lung function. More in-depth analysis may yield predictive value of these scans during RT for a subset of patients. Author Disclosure: P. Stanton: None. M. Matusak: None. T. Ritter: None. F. Kong: E. Research Grant; R01 CA142840.
Intactness of Useful Central Vision During Migraine Scotoma

SYNOPSIS From personal experience the author relates being able to perform venipuncture on a child, using his central vision, during a circumferential phase of migraine scotoma.
A Different Angle: Physician and Architect

There is increasing need for medical expertise within architecture, especially looking at the relationship between design and health outcomes, increasing financial constraints, and technological advances. Design considerations in healthcare include operational efficiency, patient safety, environmental issues, disaster planning, pandemic preparedness, and physiologic experience. Architectural education can be informal or require a formal degree, depending on your role and degree of involvement with design.
Analysis of shaking-induced cherry fruit motion and damage

High percentage of shaking-induced fruit damage is the major obstacle for mechanical harvesting of fresh-market sweet cherry. This study focused on the evaluation of the effect of vibration frequency on fruit motion, detaching time and damage during mechanical cherry harvesting with a shaker. A high-speed camera was used to capture the fruit trajectory on eighteen limbs excited at the frequencies of 10, 14 and 18 Hz. Fruit detaching time and number of fruit-to-fruit and fruit-to-limb impact were extracted from the high speed videos for determining the factors affecting fruit removal and damage. Results showed that the majority of the four identified motion patterns were tilting and beam-column motion, accounting for more than 70% of all patterns. Fruit detaching time was significantly affected by vibration frequency with fast detaching at high frequencies. Vibration frequency affected the overall fruit damage percentage substantially, with the lowest damage percentage of 47.1% in 14 Hz, which might be caused by high percentage of beam-column motion during vibration at the frequency. Meanwhile, 18 Hz vibration resulted in a higher percentage (35%) of unmarketable fruits than that of 10 Hz and 14 Hz. On average, a fruit experienced 3.8 impacts against limbs and other fruit at 18 Hz excitation, substantially lower than that of 11.8 impacts at 14 Hz or 11.7 impacts at 10 Hz excitation. Overall, the results indicate that shorter duration of high-level mechanical impacts could induce higher fruit damage.
Fabrication and Characterization of Two Compliant Electrical Contacts for MEMS: Gallium Microdroplets and Carbon Nanotube Turfs

Because of their high mechanical compliance and electrical properties, the idea of using Ga and CNTs for micro electrical relay contacts has been investigated to minimize damage from switching and make good electrical contacts. Ga was electroplated into droplets on the order of 50 μm in radius on single crystal Si to create a contact for a switch that can be annealed to recover its original electrical properties after mechanical damage. CNTs were grown on Si substrates, coated with a thin Au layer, and transferred to other Si or Kapton substrates through thermocompression bonding. In the case of the Ga contact, repeated switching led to an increase in the resistance, but the resistance recovered after a thermal reflow process at 120 °C. Longer term and larger area contacts were used to measure the contact behavior under switching conditions of up to 200 A/cm2. At moderate cycling conditions (on the order of 200 cycles) the adhesion began to significantly degrade the switch. The oxidation behavior of the Ga droplets was characterized for thermal reflow, suggesting a passivating 30 nm oxide forms at 100 °C. The oxide formed by the Ga is thin and fragile as demonstrated by its use in a switch. The Ga droplets were examined with electrical contact resistance nanoindentation and the loads at fracture and the onset of electrical contact were identified. CNT turfs were also tested for making patterned electrical contacts; turfs of lateral dimensions similar to the Ga droplets were tested using electrical resistance testing during nanoindentation and as macroscopic contacts, and shown to be able to carry similar current densities. The results will be compared between the two systems, and benefits and challenges of each will be highlighted for creating compliant electrical switches and contacts.
Investigating a Framework for Modeling and Analysis for Wound Progression

Wounds are as unique as a fingerprint. A wound can be a tear, scrape or cut — simply anything that damages the protective layer of skin. Wounds occur anywhere on the body from a small paper cut to a large gash. Because the topology of a wound varies so significantly, current tracing and modeling methods fail to adapt to the changing environment. Similarly, traumatic wounds are a greater challenge to heal without infection due to their nature, size, depth and moisture. Presently, tracing and modeling methods are inaccurate and unreliable for wounds that exceed a certain depth. With any wound, non-invasive, full field methods are necessary to effectively measure and assess the severity of the wound. Due to lack of diagnosis options, wounds are expensive to treat and heal. There are few methodologies that exist to help affect the decision for clinicians regarding wound care, how wounds are evaluated, and how wounds are created. In the U.S., there are an estimated 2.5 million pressure ulcers treated each year in acute care facilities. The epidemiology of pressure wounds result in particular physiological principles that we can use to quantify and determine a baseline wound condition. At the moment, the physician and his experience rather than a standard diagnostic system determines the wound condition. This paper presents methods of quantifying wound progression and their impact thus far on patient care. It also provides open-ended research issues that support the need for a structured, systematic methodology for the modeling and analysis of wound progression. The purpose of this paper is also to disseminate a preliminary epistemology on wound progression and modeling in a quantifiable manner.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
The man-pocalpyse: Doomsday Preppers and the rituals of apocalyptic manhood

ABSTRACTThis essay argues that recent male performances of disaster preparedness in reality television recuperate a preindustrial model of hegemonic masculinity by staging the plausible “real world” conditions under which manly skills appear necessary for collective survival. Representations of masculinity in uncertain times intensify the masculinity-in-crisis motif to cultivate anticipation of an apocalyptic event that promises a final resolution to male alienation. An examination of Nat Geo's Doomsday Preppers illustrates how these staged performances of everyday life cultivate a dangerous vision of apocalyptic manhood that consummates a fantasy of national virility in the demise of feminine society.
Growth of transplanted and native shoots in perennials with contrasting genet architecture

Summary Seedlings and young shoots from rhizome cuttings of Aster lanceolatus , a species with spreading genet architecture, and of Solidago canadensis , a species with compact genet architecture, were transplanted to the field and observed together with shoots produced from rhizomes in situ and still connected to parent clones (“native” shoots). No differences in growth were found between transplants derived from seeds or from rhizomes in either species, indicating that they were of similar genetic and physiological quality. Accordingly, home- and away-transplants had similar performance among both sexual and clonal progeny. The native shoots grew much faster than transplants. The rapid growth of native shoots was very likely made possible by parental support via clonal integration from perennating below-ground organs (rhizomes, roots). This effect was larger in S. canadensis than in A. lanceolatus. Furthermore, most native shoots of S. canadensis completed their life cycle with the production of seeds and rhizomes whereas those of A. lanceolatus usually did not. We suggest that, due to the compact genet architecture, clonal integration is stronger and therefore parental support more effective in S. canadensis than in A. lanceolatus .
Three-dimensional modeling of grain structure evolution during welding of an aluminum alloy

Abstract The structure and properties of welded and additively manufactured alloys are affected by the microstructural evolution in the fusion zone (FZ) and heat affected zone (HAZ). The motion of the liquid pool and the interdependence of grain growth in both the solid and liquid regions are important in the evolution of the final grain structure. Previous investigations of microstructure evolution have been limited to either the HAZ or the FZ and in many cases in idealized isothermal systems. Here we report the evolution of grain structure and topology in three dimensions in both the FZ and the HAZ considering the motion of the liquid pool. Temporal and spatial distributions of temperature obtained from a well-tested heat transfer and liquid metal flow calculation are combined with Monte Carlo and topology calculations in a computationally efficient manner. The computed results are tested against independent experimental data for arc welding of an aluminum alloy. The average size of the columnar grains in the FZ and the equiaxed grains in the HAZ are shown to decrease with increasing scanning speed. For a given weld, the size and aspect ratio of the columnar grains in the longitudinal and horizontal planes are shown to decrease with distance from the weld interface. It is further shown that the grain size distributions and topological class distributions in the HAZ are largely unaffected by the temporal and spatial variations of the temperature created by different welding parameters.
Urbanization & Sustainable Development: Evolution and Contemporary Challenges

Author(s): Gohar, Amir | Abstract: This research starts with the evolution of urbanization from the pre-industrial revolution to the contemporary era. It elaborates on the contemporary sustainability challenges followed by a review of the recent concepts with an objective to get closer to partially identifying the balance that sustainable development may achieve. It concludes with the following contemporary sustainable development challenges: Changing of planners’ skills over time; the change in framing the discipline; influence by non-planners on the discipline; the ongoing change of the built environment; introduced sustainable development solutions are not on-size-fit-all and the relatively weak connection between science and practice.
The immune response in pregnancy and in cancer is active and supportive of placental and tumor cell growth not their destruction

While many investigators have described the biochemical and physiological similarities between tumor cells and trophoblast cells, in this discourse we will compare primarily their leucocytes, which constitute a large portion of the tumor and its microenvironment as well as the placenta and its microenvironment. There is a remarkable similarity between the cells that support placental growth and development and tumor growth and development. In many cases over half of the cells present in the tumor and the placenta are non-tumor or nontrophoblast cells, immune cells. Most of these immune cells are prevented from attacking the fetal derived placental cells and the self-derived tumor cells. Nevertheless, these leucocytes, in our opinion, are very active and support tumor and placental cell growth through the production of growth factors and angiogenic factors. These cells do this by activating the portion of the immune response which initiates and helps control tissue repair.
Gastroduodenal and pancreatic surgeries: indications, surgical techniques, and imaging features

This review article focuses on gastroduodenal and pancreatic surgeries with the goal of identifying radiologic findings that translate to important surgical considerations. The topics covered include partial gastrectomy with reconstruction techniques, total gastrectomy, pancreaticoduodenectomy, and pancreaticojejunostomy. Indications, contraindications, surgical techniques, and postoperative imaging are described within each of these topics. Knowledge of these surgical techniques is extremely helpful for the interpreting radiologists to identify expected postoperative anatomy and related complications that would remain clinically relevant to our surgical colleagues and direct timely patient management.
Validating Software Reliability Models

Abstract This paper focuses on the various classes of software reliability models, their similarities, and the state of their validation. The most popular software reliability models the so called macro (black box) models treat all errors alike. The paper shows that under certain assumptions, the three most popular models are identical. It then discusses micro models which are based on the software path structure, Markov software availability models, probability of residual errors models, and software redundancy models. The paper concludes with a discussion of which models have been validated (the macro models), which are now undergoing validation (the micro models), and which have yet to be validated (the remaining models).
Photoreactivation of potentially lethal, UV-induced damage to boreal toad (Bufo boreas boreas) tadpoles

Abstract Tadpoles exposed daily to UV-B (290–315 nm) enhanced radiation developed an anomalous, concave curvature of the spine at an early stage of development. They also developed abnormally thick, pigmented corneas. The radiation damage to the dorsal surface of the tadpoles was severe, resulting in epidermal hyperplasia and desquamation. The survival rate was also reduced. Daily exposure to photoreactivating radiation (> 315 nm) following UV-B insult mitigated the potentially lethal damage to the tadpole population.
Seeking Policies for Cultural Democracy: Examining the Past, Present, and Future of U.S. Nonprofit arts

Against a backdrop exploring the relationships between cultural democracy and nonprofit arts funding policies, this article describes the impact of unwritten arts funding policies that are manifest in tax breaks for individuals, foundations, and corporations as well as federal contributions to nonprofit arts organizations in the United States. We argue that such funding policies, both explicit and implicit, are impoverishing the local arts in the US, and by extension, democratic participation, including education, in the arts. We further probe the relationship of art education and democratic practices, suggesting that a vibrant U.S. democracy is related to interrupting cycles of cultural reproduction, particularly at the nonprofit arts funding policy level.
Experimental measurements of thermal conductivity of alumina nanofluid synthesized in salt melt

Nanoparticles were synthesized in-situ using a simple one-step synthesis protocol from a cheap additive, mixed apriori in a high temperature salt melt (solar salt, NaNO3-KNO3). The thermal conductivity of the nanofluid was measured using a standardized concentric cylinder (annulus) test apparatus under steady-state conditions. The thermal conductivity of the salt melt was enhanced by 20∼ 25% due to generation of nanoparticles in-situ from the additive. The level of enhancement was found to be insensitive to temperature but significantly exceeded the predictions from models in the literature. Materials characterization (using electron microscopy) showed the formation of percolation networks by secondary nanostructures in the molten salt nanofluid samples (that were induced by the nanoparticles generated in-situ). The enhancement in the thermos-physical properties of the salt-melt nanofluids can be attributed to the formation of these secondary nanostructures (which form a third phase).
A Human Rights Perspective on the Protection of Christians and Other Minorities in the Middle East and North Africa

Azzam discusses the human rights which provide the framework for a set of standards to monitor the needed protection for minorities of the Middle East and North Africa. While it is true that the Christians’ dhimmi status was a contractual understanding that the state would protect them and they would enjoy full cultural and religious freedom, this status also set them apart from other citizens. He argues that only the principles of human rights and their treaties and conventions offer an approach that will provide protection for religious and other minorities on the basis of the inherent dignity of all humanity. Realization of these principles will require mobilization and advocacy.
Development of Auditory Coding as Reflected in Psychophysical Performance

Behavioral response to sound can be consistently elicited by 28 weeks of gestational age (Birnholz and Benacerraf 1983), and yet performance on some auditory tasks continues to mature into early adolescence even for relatively simple stimuli (Fior 1972; Maxon and Hochberg 1982; Fischer and Hartnegg 2004). This protracted auditory development could be affected by a number of factors, including anatomical, neural, and cognitive maturation.
Role of disc area and trabecular bone density on lumbar spinal column fracture risk curves under vertical impact.

Abstract While studies have been conducted using human cadaver lumbar spines to understand injury biomechanics in terms of stability/energy to fracture, and physiological responses under pure-moment/follower loads, data are sparse for inferior-to-superior impacts. Injuries occur under this mode from underbody blasts. Objectives: determine role of age, disc area, and trabecular bone density on tolerances/risk curves under vertical loading from a controlled group of specimens. T12-S1 columns were obtained, pretest X-rays and CTs taken, load cells attached to both ends, impacts applied at S1-end using custom vertical accelerator device, and posttest X-ray, CT, and dissections done. BMD of L2-L4 vertebrae were obtained from QCT. Survival analysis-based Human Injury Probability Curves (HIPCs) were derived using proximal and distal forces. Age, area, and BMD were covariates. Forces were considered uncensored, representing the load carrying capacity. The Akaike Information Criterion was used to determine optimal distributions. The mean forces, ±95% confidence intervals, and Normalized Confidence Interval Size (NCIS) were computed. The Lognormal distribution was the optimal function for both forces. Age, area, and BMD were not significant (p > 0.05) covariates for distal forces, while only BMD was significant for proximal forces. The NCIS was the lowest for force-BMD covariate HIPC. The HIPCs for both genders at 35 and 45 years were based on population BMDs. These HIPCs serve as human tolerance criteria for automotive, military, and other applications. In this controlled group of samples, BMD is a better predictor-covariate that characterizes lumbar column injury under inferior-to-superior impacts.
Social Interaction Needs and Entertainment Approaches to Pregnancy Well-Being in mHealth Technology Design for Low-Income Transmigrant Women: Qualitative Codesign Study.

Background: Low-income Caribbean transmigrant women face unique health challenges during pregnancy that set forth multidimensional implications for the design of mobile health (mHealth). Acknowledgment of the unique health needs of low-income Caribbean immigrant women in the United States and what that entails regarding technology design remains rarely examined in the literature of mHealth technologies. Objective: The goal of this study was to reveal the needs and gaps in mHealth interventions for pregnant immigrant women not yet realized in this field. These understandings reveal design opportunities for mHealth. Methods: The use of the qualitative participatory action research approach of codesign workshops in this study resulted in design solutions by the participants after reflecting on their earlier focus group discussions. The highlights are not the resulting designs per se but rather the inferences derived from the researcher reflecting on these designs. Results: The designs exposed two themes relevant to this paper. First, the participants desired the inclusion and rebuilding of social and organizational relationships in mHealth. The resulting designs formulate an understanding of the women’s health-related social support needs and how technology can facilitate them. Second, the participants wanted entertainment with an element of social participation incorporated in mHealth pregnancy management interventions. This brings attention to the role entertainment can add to the impact mHealth can deliver for pregnancy well-being. Conclusions: The study concluded with an examination of social and entertainment design implications that reveal pregnant immigrant women’s virtual health-related sharing habits, choice of sharing interaction scenarios during pregnancy (eg, local, long distance, one-way, two-way, and many-many), and choice of sharing media (eg, text, voice, and video). Additionally, the study revealed exclusions to social sharing capabilities in health technologies for these women. [JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2018;6(4):e61]
Least-Squares Regression Under Convexity and Higher-Order Difference Constraints with Application to Software Reliabiilty

The isotone regression problem of finding a least squares isotone sequence is extended by imposing order restrictions also on higher order differences of the sequence. This new problem has a number of applications, and one example in the area of software reliability is presented.
Child and Day Care, Effects of

Childcare participation has both positive and negative consequences for children’s development. In the area of intellectual development, children in high-quality childcare centers perform better on cognitive tests than children at home or in low-quality centers, and this is especially true for children from impoverished backgrounds. Children in childcare also have advanced peer interaction skills. However, children in childcare, especially those who spend large amounts of time in care of poor quality, may display more behavior problems than children who remain at home. Childcare effects are modest in size and must be considered in conjunction with the family environment.
The Xanthines (Caffeine) and Nicotine

This chapter deals with the most culturally accepted legal drugs. As might be expected, these relatively mild (per usual dose) and highly attractive psychoactive substances have the widest use in our society. Despite the relatively benign effects that can be expected at low doses, the high prevalence of use results in frequent morbidity and (for tobacco) even a high level of mortality. These substances are discussed here because of the interaction between their use and various psychiatric disorders, as well as because of medical complaints that can be seen in emergency settings. The chapter first deals with the xanthines, including caffeine, and then goes on to a discussion of nicotine.
CELL DAMAGE/EXCITOTOXICITY | Basic Mechanisms of Neuronal Injury from Seizures and Status Epilepticus

Many studies suggest that the majority of seizure-induced cell death is associated with status epilepticus (SE); in contrast, spontaneous recurrent epileptiform discharges (SREDs) associated with epilepsy do not cause neuronal death. Extracellular factors affecting neuronal responsiveness, and compensatory changes in brain physiology, complicate assessment of cell death in vivo as the result of seizures. Our laboratory used well-characterized hippocampal neuronal culture models of SE and SREDs to investigate the direct effects of continuous and episodic epileptiform discharges on cell death in a controlled extracellular environment. The results from this study indicate that low Mg2+-induced SE, as confirmed by occurrence of high-frequency spiking, can cause neuronal death in a time-dependent manner. SE-induced cell death was found to be dependent upon extracellular calcium that enters cells primarily through the N-methyl-d-aspartate channel. In contrast, episodic seizure activity occurring for the life of the neurons in culture, as confirmed by occurrence of SREDs, was not associated with increased cell death. Further, we also observed that buildup of glutamate in the culture media, as a result of seizure activity, was not responsible for cell death. Our data confirm clinical and animal observations that SREDs do not initiate cell death. This model provides a powerful in vitro tool for carefully evaluating the effects of seizure activity on neuronal viability in the absence of various confounding factors, and may provide insights into the development of novel therapeutic agents to prevent neuronal injury during continuous seizure activity.
Phonetic structure of Intonational prominence in 3 Dene/Athabasakn (ISO den) languages

In this paper, we examine the prosodic structure of Y/N Q’s and focus constructions in three related Dene/Athabaskan tone languages spoken in North American: Navajo, Dene Sųline, and North Slavey (Deline), known for their complex polysynthesis, representing a geographically widespread language family, from the American Southwest (Navajo), to northern Alberta (Dene Sųline) to the arctic (North Slavey). These languages share a strikingly similar phonetic inventory and morphological structure. One interesting feature is the phonotactic structure of the morphology—the monosyllabic verb stem is the location of phonemic contrasts: outside the stem the contrasts are severely reduced, making the stems phonemically and phonetically prominent. The stems are the rightmost elements in the verbal complex and in a sentence (verb final). Navajo has been argued to lack any kind of intonational prominence, but the northern languages show more typical prominence marking. In this study we lay out the difference associated to the demarcation of boundaries and prominence: duration and the acoustic correlates of pitch accent events associated with focus and YN/Q’s and boundary marking. Data is taken from conversation games models on map tasks. Findings indicate while phonetically and morphologically similar great variety is found in the prosody.In this paper, we examine the prosodic structure of Y/N Q’s and focus constructions in three related Dene/Athabaskan tone languages spoken in North American: Navajo, Dene Sųline, and North Slavey (Deline), known for their complex polysynthesis, representing a geographically widespread language family, from the American Southwest (Navajo), to northern Alberta (Dene Sųline) to the arctic (North Slavey). These languages share a strikingly similar phonetic inventory and morphological structure. One interesting feature is the phonotactic structure of the morphology—the monosyllabic verb stem is the location of phonemic contrasts: outside the stem the contrasts are severely reduced, making the stems phonemically and phonetically prominent. The stems are the rightmost elements in the verbal complex and in a sentence (verb final). Navajo has been argued to lack any kind of intonational prominence, but the northern languages show more typical prominence marking. In this study we lay out the difference associated ...
The influence of STEM definitions for research on women’s college attainment

Prior research has inconsistently operationalized Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, presenting an interpretation challenge. A content analysis of 51 quantitative, gender-focused, higher education-oriented, STEM-related studies in the ERIC database published between January 2010 and July 2018 revealed that only 13 articles used an existing STEM definition. In 15, STEM was not explicitly defined, and others defined STEM independently. This wide range of definitions may lead to confusion or misrepresentation of findings for interventions and practices to support women in STEM. To illustrate the issue and prompt recommendations for future research, this study uses data from the United States National Center for Education Statistics’ Education Longitudinal Study (ELS:2002/12) to investigate the connection between STEM definition and the outcome of college degree completion, comparing results by gender for five ways of operationalizing STEM fields. We found the size, direction, and significance of the gender gap depended on STEM operationalization. When STEM was defined as high paradigm fields, the odds of women attaining a non-STEM degree were higher than otherwise. When social science fields were included in STEM, there was no statistically significant difference by gender. When looking specifically at fields considered related to science and engineering, the direction of the relationship was reversed. While our findings follow expectations about social science fields and gender, it is noteworthy that results regarding STEM degree completion by gender for science and engineering-related fields were opposite those of high paradigm STEM fields. This result highlights that the definition of STEM matters, and inconsistent operationalization in the literature presents an interpretation challenge. We argue the field should strive to find common categorizations of STEM that retain the legitimate variation in how STEM can and should be defined, while providing a basis for consistent comparison. We recommend researchers and practitioners developing research-based practices: 1) interpret research findings understanding potential inconsistency from different STEM operationalizations, 2) explicitly describe STEM operational definitions to enable comparing findings, 3) routinely analyze sensitivity to alternate STEM definitions, and 4) find common STEM categorizations that retain legitimate variation while providing a basis for consistent comparison.
Regulating the Energy “Free Riders

This Article explores "free rider" arguments in energy policy. It focuses on the use of free rider arguments in three types of contemporary public utility regulatory proceedings—ratepayer funded energy efficiency programs, utility compensation for customer-generated rooftop solar energy, and utility investments in electric vehicle ("EV") charging infrastructure. It shows how the term "free rider" is used quite differently in each type of proceeding—as a helpful metric to determine program cost-effectiveness in the energy efficiency context, as a pejorative term synonymous with unfair cross subsidies in the rooftop solar context, and for both purposes in EV charging infrastructure proceedings. This Article claims that in evaluating free rider arguments, regulators and the public should consider the source and motivations of parties making free rider arguments and, more importantly, both the present and future benefits of the program in question. This is particularly true for programs designed to support energy transition. In other words, if the goal of the program is to reduce barriers to building the infrastructure required to shift to cleaner energy resources or reduce overall energy demand, program evaluators should consider future program beneficiaries in addition to current program beneficiaries. Moreover, regulators should use a range of tools to develop appropriate metrics to determine cost-effectiveness of programs related to both distributed solar energy and EV charging investments that builds on work done over the past decades in the energy efficiency context. Finally, this Article suggests that regulators can and should use the precautionary principle in developing these programs. Use of the precautionary principle is justified due to the potential for significant harm associated with continued reliance on fossil fuels in the energy sector and the potential for significant benefits to utility customers and the public resulting from increased use of distributed solar and transportation electrification. Finally, use of the precautionary principle can address many of the fairness and cross subsidy concerns raised in these regulatory proceedings.
Abstract P291: High Fat Diet Promotes Hypertension and Vascular Remodeling but Not Vascular Fibrosis or Altered Contractility in Dahl Salt Sensitive Rats

Obesity associated hypertension in rodent models is commonly associated with altered vascular reactivity to sympathetic neurotransmitters and inflammation-induced vascular remodeling/fibrosis. Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats exhibit elevated sympathetic activity and vascular remodeling. We hypothesized that diet-induced obesity in Dahl SS rats would promote hypertension, vascular dysfunction and remodeling/fibrosis. Male Dahl SS rats were placed on high fat diet (HFD, 60% kcal from fat with final concentrations of 0.33% NaCl and 1% K+, n=5) or normal-fat diet (NFD; 10% kcal from fat, 0.24% NaCl, 0.36% K+, n=5) for 24-26 weeks after weaning (3 weeks of age). Compared with NFD rats, HFD rats displayed severe hypertension (MAP, 165±4 mmHg vs 133±6 mmHg, P<0.05), higher body-weight (470±6g vs 433±7g, P<0.05), and hyperlipidemia (cholesterol, 211±22 mg/dl vs 138±23 mg/dl, P=0.05). HFD rats did not show significant changes in plasma levels of fasting glucose (85±5 mg/dl vs 75±5 mg/dl), insulin (2.6±0.8 ng/ml vs 2...
Extraction of the permanent His bundle pacing lead: Safety outcomes and feasibility of reimplantation.

Background Permanent His bundle pacing (HBP) is a physiological alternative to right ventricular pacing. However, concerns remain about the feasibility and safety of lead extraction from the His bundle region. Objective The aim of our study was to assess the safety and feasibility of extraction of chronically implanted permanent HBP leads in addition to report on the feasibility of reimplanting in the His bundle region. Methods Patients undergoing extraction of leads from the His bundle location for standard indications were studied. The primary outcomes were removal success rates, need for extraction tools, and feasibility of reimplantation in the His bundle region. Results Thirty patients (male 23 (27%); mean age 73.3 ± 14 years) with permanent HBP leads of at least 6-month duration were included. The indications for removal of the HBP leads were infection (n = 3), lead failure (n = 22), nonfunctional lead (n = 3), and upgrade to implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (n = 2). The mean duration of the implanted leads was 25 ± 18 months (range 6–72 months). Removal of HBP leads was successful in 8 of 8 patients (100%) with ≤12-month duration and 21 of 22 patients (95%) with >12-month duration. Extraction tools were used in 4 patients, while manual traction was successful in the remaining patients. Reimplantation in the His-Purkinje conduction system was successful in 19 of 22 patients (86%). Conclusion In this largest study of HBP lead extractions, the overall success rate of extraction of chronically implanted HBP leads was high with a low complication rate. The need for mechanical extraction tools was low, and reimplantation in the His-Purkinje conduction system was feasible.
Abstract 4521: Mutant Kras expression triggers clonal acinar cell expansion as an early step in pancreas cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States with the lowest 5-year survival rate of any major cancer, in part due to late detection of the disease. Studies indicate that pre-invasive lesions - pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs) - progress to PDA. The cell of origin for PDA is still under debate. While lineage-tracing experiments in mice indicate that PanINs originate from acinar cells, cell culture studies suggest that ductal cells can give rise to PanINs. In addition to these important questions regarding cancer initiation, mechanisms of cellular renewal in the exocrine pancreas remain poorly understood. The enzyme telomerase is intimately associated with cancer, and with stem cells and tissue renewal. Telomerase is required for long-term cell proliferation through its critical role in maintaining telomeres. The core enzyme consists of the RNA component TERC and the reverse transcriptase TERT. Moreover, telomerase is activated in over 90% human cancers and genome wide association studies have linked polymorphisms in the Tertgene with an increased risk of pancreas cancer. To analyze the role of TERT-expressing cells in the pancreas during homeostasis, regeneration and tumorigenesis, we generated a mouse line that expresses the regulated CreERT2 recombinase under the endogenous TERT promoter (TertCreERT2/+). Crossing these mice to a reporter strain enables the permanent labeling of TERT-expressing cells and their progeny upon tamoxifen injection. We find that rare TERT+ cells exist throughout the pancreas within the acinar and islet cell populations, but not in ductal cells. We show that rare TERT+ acinar cells clonally expand to renew the acinar compartment during homeostasis and during pancreas injury. To understand how these TERT+ acinar progenitor cells respond to mutant Kras, we crossed TertCreERT2/+mice with KrasLoxStopLox-G12D/+mice. We find that activation of KrasG12D in TERT-expressing cells in adult mice promotes accelerated acinar clone formation and these acinar lesions ultimately convert to PanIN pre-invasive lesions. Our data indicate that TERT-expressing cells represent an acinar progenitor cell population. Furthermore, these progenitor cells respond to mutant Kras first through a regenerative response yielding expanding acinar clones, followed by conversion to ductal PanIN lesions. We propose that acinar cell expansion is an early step in pancreatic tumorigenesis that precedes ADM and PanIN formation. Citation Format: Steven E. Artandi, Patrick Neuhofer, Caitlin M. Roake, Stewart Kim, Ryan Lu, Greg Charville. Mutant Kras expression triggers clonal acinar cell expansion as an early step in pancreas cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4521.
An Intelligent Distributed Feeder Automatic Strategy for Active Distribution Network and Its Implementation

With the large-scale integration of distributed generations (DGs) and microgrids, the distribution network has been transformed from a traditional single-supply network to a multi-supply active distribution network. Thus, the traditional fault location technology becomes unsuitable for the new active distribution network, which only considers the single power flow direction of the system with breakers and the local self-healing strategy without power balancing. This paper proposes an intelligent distributed feeder automation implementation method for active distribution network. Based on real-time neighborhood message sharing, self-healing and high-speed real-time communication technology, an intelligent fault isolation strategy is introduced for rapid fault locating, isolating and self-healing in active power distribution network without relying on the primary station. The intelligent distribution automation terminal based on SOC chip is also developed and applied to implement this strategy, which provides an automatic solution for rapid fault location, isolation and self-healing of active distribution network.
Parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone–related protein actions on bone and kidney

Abstract Bone and kidney form a mineral-ion storage depot and regulatory axis that assures normal skeletal growth and development. Parathyroid hormone–related protein (PTHrP) is a major hormonal regulator of bone formation, while PTH (parathyroid hormone) contributes to postnatal skeletal integrity and extracellular mineral-ion homeostasis. PTHrP effects on the kidney are associated with controlling vascular tone, whereas PTH regulates phosphate and calcium absorption and the biosynthesis of vitamin D. Despite these distinct actions and tissue effects, PTH and PTH receptor operate through a single canonical PTH/PTHrP receptor. This chapter reviews both well-accepted and recent advances in our understanding of PTH and PTHrP actions and considers controversial and unsettled elements of their effects.