cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Worth waiting for: increasing satisfaction by making consumers wait

A truism in the marketing literature, and among many marketing practitioners, is that requiring consumers to wait negatively impacts quality evaluations, purchase intentions and a range of other important outcomes. However, it is also true that consumer waiting or queuing has historically been considered from an operations perspective. The present research takes a different approach and examines waits in the context of their ability to function as a signal of quality. Four experiments demonstrate a required wait can indeed signal quality to consumers and increase, rather than decrease, both purchase intentions and actual experienced satisfaction. Three moderators of this effect are examined: preexisting knowledge, consumption motivations, and the extent to which quality is difficult to objectively determine. The results suggest in situations where quality is important, unknown or ambiguous, managers may increase consumer satisfaction by making consumers wait.
X-RAY EFFECTS ON SINGLE NERVE FIBERS

Electrophysiological responses of median and lateral giant nerve fibers of the earthworm were recorded during exposure, in vitro, to x-rays. In response to external stimulation, during x-irradiation, these nerve fibers showed initially an increase in conduction velocity, a rise in spike amplitude, a decrease in relative refractory period, and an increase in sensitivity. These responses represent an enhancement of activity, attributable to bombardment with x-rays, rarely found in other biological systems. They were followed by deterioration of activity and eventual block, representative of the lethal action of x-rays, commonly observed in other biological systems. Several properties of the enhancement of activity were noted: The time at which maximum activity of one factor occurred did not coincide with the time at which the maxima of other activities occurred; spike amplitude, for example, was observed to increase while conduction velocity had already reached its maximum and was rapidly declining. The energy supplied by bombardment with x-rays did not act synergistically during the time of the enhanced response; that is, concomitant irradiation was not necessary in order to produce the enhanced response, once the nerve had been altered by x-irradiation. Once the nerve was responding in an enhanced manner, cessation of irradiation for short periods of time had no effect on the response. The phenomenon was therefore due to an irreversible alteration of the nerve fiber itself.
Evaluation of luminol immobilization approaches for chemiluminescence determinations in flowing streams

Abstract Several solid supports and immobilization procedures are evaluated for use in containing luminol on particles in flow-through columns for use in determination of hydrogen peroxide. Covalent attachment (via glutaraldehyde and an aminoalkylsilane) on silica and on Ambersorb, adsorption on Ambersorb, and anion-exchange on a resin are considered. Amounts of luminol bounds (μmole g −1 ) support) are 29 for adsorption on Ambersorb, 82 for covalent attachment, and 875 for ion-exchange. These amounts are sufficient for hundreds of determinations with a single column. With the covalent and adsorption immobilizations, luminol is released into the flow stream by injection of an alkaline sample. This injected solution controls the flow stream pH with Ambersorb, but silica consumes hydroxide and leads to altered pH and degraded analytical performance. With ion-exchange immobilization the anionic concentration of the injected sample determines the amount of luminol released as well as the pH downstream of the column. The resulting hydrogen peroxide detection limits are 0.15 μM for adsorption, 1–2 μM for covalent, and 5–10 μM for ion-exchange immobilization. The near-neutral pH used with the ion-exchange immobilization is compatible with enzyme reactions, and determination of glucose is demonstrated in a single channel flow system using immobilized luminol, immobilized HRP, and immobilized glucose oxidase. High and variable sample ionic strengths can be dealt with (for the ion-exchange immobilization) by use of an ion-replacement sample pretreatment method.
Effect of carbohydrate intake on net muscle protein synthesis during recovery from resistance exercise

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of ingestion of 100 g of carbohydrates on net muscle protein balance (protein synthesis minus protein breakdown) after resistance exercise. Two groups of eight subjects performed a resistance exercise bout (10 sets of 8 repetitions of leg presses at 80% of 1-repetition maximum) before they rested in bed for 4 h. One group (CHO) received a drink consisting of 100 g of carbohydrates 1 h postexercise. The other group (Pla) received a noncaloric placebo drink. Leg amino acid metabolism was determined by infusion of 2H5- or 13C6-labeled phenylalanine, sampling from femoral artery and vein, and muscle biopsies from vastus lateralis. Drink intake did not affect arterial insulin concentration in Pla, whereas insulin increased several times after the drink in CHO (P < 0.05 vs. Pla). Arterial phenylalanine concentration fell slightly after the drink in CHO. Net muscle protein balance between synthesis and breakdown did not change in Pla, whereas it improved in CHO from -17 +/- 3 nmol.ml(-1).100 ml leg(-1) before drink to an average of -4 +/- 4 and 0 +/- 3 nmol.ml(-1).100 ml leg(-1) during the second and third hour after the drink, respectively (P < 0.05 vs. Pla during last hour). The improved net balance in CHO was due primarily to a progressive decrease in muscle protein breakdown. We conclude that ingestion of carbohydrates improved net leg protein balance after resistance exercise. However, the effect was minor and delayed compared with the previously reported effect of ingestion of amino acids.
Effects of Gender and Communication Content on Leadership Emergence in Small Task-Oriented Groups.

This investigation examined the role played by gender and communication content in the leadership emergence process in small, task-oriented groups. Six hours of transcribed group interaction from a...
The Effects Of Unions On Wages By Occupation In The Public Sector

This study examines union wage premiums by occupation in the public sector in the U.S. for the 2000-2004 period. In examining union-nonunion wage differences for public sector workers in occupations accounting for 66 percent of all public workers in the 2000-2004 Current Population Survey, we find positive and statistically significant union premiums for 27 out of 41 occupations examined. We also find large differences among occupations, with miscellaneous teachers and instructors receiving a 61 percent premium, secretaries and administrative assistants receiving a 5 percent premium, and 14 occupations receiving no statistically significant premium. In comparing union premiums by occupation between the private and public sectors, we find, in most cases, that private sector premiums are larger than public sector premiums. Finally, an Oaxaca decomposition shows that the majority of the differential between private sector union premiums and public sector union premiums appears to be due to differences in the way unions reward workers in the private and public sectors, not because of differences in the types of workers in the private and public sectors.
Kinematics modeling and simulating of grinding surface topography considering machining parameters and vibration characteristics

Grinding is applied widely in manufacturing of high-precision component. And, pursuing the forming mechanism, together with predicting topography characteristics and roughness of the grinding surface, is becoming more and more important in improving the grinding quality. The grinding surface is formed by the interaction between the grinding wheel and the workpiece. And, its topography is influenced by the grain shape, grinding wheel surface topography, and machining parameters. In this paper, the study started from establishing the topography of wheel surface. And, according to grinding kinematics, the grain trajectory equations were established. By applying the statistical screening methods, the actual cutting depth was determined. Then, the grinding surface topography was formed by simulating. Considering the influence of vibration in actual grinding, the surface topography of the workpiece under forced vibration was studied. The study results showed that the influence of grinding speed was significant for grinding surface topography, mainly in the influence for amplitude and frequency. Finally, the grinding experiments were used to verify the results of the simulation. The obtained experimental results confirmed that the as-proposed method worked efficiently and rapidly in simulating the grinding surface topography and predicting the grinding surface roughness.
Examination of a new DSMC Method for Modeling of Multiscale Flows in MEMS Devices.

The application of MEMS micro-propulsion devices promises technological advances for space vehicles. However, experimental data is still rare at these microscales. Hence, the validation of numerical methods against rarely available experimental data is crucial for accurate simulations of the flow properties in MEMS devices, since such simulations are necessary for assessing performance and improving system designs. A wide range of flow regimes occur in micronozzles, from the transitional to the continuum regime. This prevents the use of a single computational method, such as Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) or CFD/Navier-Stokes. The proposed statistical technique extends the applicability of DSMC to the continuum regime and can be used to solve the wide range of MEMS flows when it is coupled with the baseline DSMC. A comparison of the results obtained by the eDSMC technique 1 with new experimental data obtained by NASA Glenn, and with the NS results for the set of high pressure micronozzles presented in this paper, provides further justification for the eDSMC method.
Molière's Amphitryon

Lui-(. . . ) Il n'y a dans tout un royaume qu'un homme qui marche, c'est le souverain; tout le reste prend des positions. Moi.-Le souverain? Encore y a-t-il quelque chose a dire. Et croyez-vous qu'il ne se trouve pas, de temps en temps, a cote de lui, un petit pied, un petit chignon, un petit nez qui lui fasse faire un peu de la pantomime? Quiconque a besoin d'un autre est indigent et prend une position. Diderot, Le N even de Rameau As a foreword to Amphitryon Moliere might have selected the famous passage from Descartes's first Meditation: “Je supposerai donc qu'il y a non point un vrai Dieu, qui est la souveraine source de verite, mais un certain mauvais genie, non moins ruse et trompeur que puissant, qui a employe toute son industrie a me tromper” (Œuvres et Lettres, Pleiade, p. 272). The play is in large measure a working out of this hypothesis. Examination of the dramatic and symbolic functions of Jupiter reveals, however, that the wicked genius of Amphitryon is no spirit, but reason itself. Jupiter is not a hidden puppet-master, but an active participant in human affairs, seeking human ends and not just the pleasure of deluding people. His descent into the world of ordinary mortals provides the occasion for the dramatic action of the comedy: a world which has been well and securely ordered until then suddenly cracks open. Everything in it becomes potential illusion; nothing can be relied on any more; a man is no longer even sure if he is himself or what he is. Jupiter is a liberating force, dramatically and symbolically. His presence dissolves the world of conventional realities and reveals a new world of possibilities, but these possibilities never achieve substance or consistency, and in the end there is no brave new world, only the old one with all its patterns destroyed. The colorful kingdom of fantasy is suddenly abandoned at the end of the play and we find ourselves back in the world of everyday empirical reality. Jupiter, the brilliant magician, turns out to be an ordinary grand seigneur. All that has happened after all is that a false order has been exposed, vanquished, and replaced by blatant disorder. The rule of Amphitryon has yielded to the rule of Jupiter. But whereas Amphitryon ruled in the firm conviction that the order of things, which happened to suit him very well, was a necessary and just order, Jupiter is without illusions. There is no rational order, no just rule for him. There is only the right of the strongest. Jupiter's justification of his own violence at the end of the play is an obvious and deliberate piece of irony on the part of the author.
Europa ante la xenofobia y sus responsabilidades

Hace tiempo que Europa se viene desnudando de sus valores fundacionales, muchos de ellos desde hace tiempo por los suelos donde son pisoteados segun las necesidades de los Estados. El Plan de Accion conjunto acordado entre los gobierno de la UE y Turquia en la madrugada del 8 de marzo es un ejemplo mas del retroceso de Europa y su hundimiento en el fango de la xenofobia, el egoismo, la insolidaridad y el nacionalismo identitario europeo. Pero ese fango no surge de la nada.
Curative Effect of Psychological Intervention on Patients With AIDS-phobia

Objective To study the effect of psychological intervention in patients with AIDS-phobia.Methods Altogether 136 consulting clinic voluntary attenders with AIDS-phobia were divided into two groups,68 patients in each.HIV antibody test was conducted on both groups,and psychological intervention was carried out on experimental group.The effect of the two groups was investigated with SCL-90 after 3 months.Results Follow-up was conducted in 65 patients of the intervention group and 63 patients of control group.Total effective rate in the interventional group and the control group was 32.3% and 17.5%,respectively.The score of SCL-90 in the interventional group significantly decreased after psychological intervention.Conclusion Psychological intervention is effective for improving the mental symptoms in patients with AIDS-phobia.
Hypertension and Nutrition

No other chronic medical condition in the United States equals hypertension (HTN) in terms of prevalence and long-term health consequences. HTN will affect the majority of people living in the United States at some point. It results in more morbidity and mortality than any other preventable cause of death, with the exception of cigarette smoking. Yet, despite its high prevalence, our knowledge regarding the mechanisms underlying hypertensive disease remains incomplete. What we have learned, however, through epidemiologic and clinical studies, is that a number of environmental factors influence the development of HTN. Moreover, we have come to understand that specific dietary and lifestyle changes can both prevent and treat high blood pressure (BP).
Cell-mediated and humoral immune response to acute leukemia cells and soluble leukemia antigen--relationship to immunocompetence and prognosis.

During the past several years there has been increasing evidence that tumor-associated antigens are present in a variety of human neoplasms [25]. In studying the immunological response to human leukemia, Yosjid found that the sera of 71% of patients with acute leukemia gave a positive immune adherence reaction with autologous leukemia cells [46]. In contrast, Dore et al. found by similar methods that only 22% of 140 patients with acute leukemia had antibody to autologous leukemia cells [7]. Cell-mediated immunity was studied by Oren and Herberman who reported that the majority patients with acute leukemia had positive delayed hypersensitivity skin tests to membrane preparation of their own leukemia cells [34]. Cellular reactivity to acute leukemia cells in vitro has also been demonstrated by the mixed leukocyte culture technique (MLC) and lymphocyte cytotoxicity [9, 14, 28, 36, 44].
Involvement of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) in cardiac arrhythmias: Evidence from cyclophilin D knockout mice.

Abstract In the present study, we have used a genetic mouse model that lacks cyclophilin D (CypD KO) to assess the cardioprotective effect of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) inhibition on Ca2+ waves and Ca2+ alternans at the single cell level, and cardiac arrhythmias in whole-heart preparations. The protonophore carbonyl cyanide p-(trifluoromethoxy) phenylhydrazone (FCCP) caused mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization to the same extent in cardiomyocytes from both WT and CypD KO mice, however, cardiomyocytes from CypD KO mice exhibited significantly less mPTP opening than cardiomyocytes from WT mice (p
Assessing and Enhancing Psychosocial Functioning

Positive social experiences are essential to patient health and wellbeing. The primary care provider’s office is an important social environment for an adolescent with special healthcare needs as physicians serve as both social agents as well as medical providers for these young people. Attaining the age of majority accelerates the transition to adult healthcare, and occurs at a time when social interactions are of paramount importance and among these patients’ most salient preoccupations. In light of evidence suggesting that young people with chronic conditions are at-risk for problems in social competence and performance related to their illness, the adult Primary Care Provider (PCP) has a unique opportunity to detect and address problems in social functioning. Through strategic communication and appropriate use of external resources, the PCP can promote healthy social engagement and positive social behaviors. The following chapter will (1) review the most relevant aspects of social development during the young adult period; (2) discuss ways to identify barriers to optimal social functioning; and (3) provide strategies for the PCP to facilitate this aspect of patient care.
Evolution and the duration of a doomed population.

Many populations are doomed to extinction but little is known about how evolution contributes to their longevity. We address this by modeling an asexual population consisting of genotypes whose abundances change independently according to a system of continuous branching diffusions. Each genotype is characterized by its initial abundance, growth rate, and reproductive variance. The latter two components determine the genotype's ‘risk function’ which describes its per capita probability of extinction at any time. We derive the probability distribution of extinction times for a polymorphic population, which can be expressed in terms of genotypic risk functions. We use this to explore how spontaneous mutation, abrupt environmental change, or population supplementation and removal affect the time to extinction. Results suggest that evolution based on new mutations does little to alter the time to extinction. Abrupt environmental changes that affect all genotypes can have more substantial impact but, curiously, a beneficial change does more to extend the lifetime of thriving than threatened populations of the same initial abundance. Our results can be used to design policies that meet specific conservation goals or management strategies that speed the elimination of agricultural pests or human pathogens. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Accessing multiple polyethylene grades via a single redox-active olefin polymerization catalyst

The ability to control catalytic activity via redox-activity has had a significant impact on the field of polymerization catalysis. Herein, we describe the synthesis of three unique Ni-based olefin polymerization catalysts bearing redox-active α-diimine ligands. We will demonstrate that catalysts bearing butanedione- or glyoxal-derived ligands display little to no differentiation as a function of redox-state. However, in stark contrast we will show that the catalyst bearing an acenaphthenequinone-derived ligand is capable of producing either medium-density or very-low-density polyethylene based purely on its ligand-based redox-state. This ability to access more than one polyethylene grade via a single redox-active catalyst is unprecedented.
Stability of the Severity of Intimate Partner Violence.

Prior research with a sample of male probationers indicates severity levels of one arresting intimate partner violence (IPV) offense are predictive of future frequency of such offenses and treatmen...
Reverberation suppression using dictionary learning in optical resolution photoacoustic microscopy

Photoacoustic Microscopy (PAM) offers a unique combination of high contrast from endogenous optical absorbers, and increased penetration to image microvasculature. However, images of the vasculature at increased depth are often corrupted by acoustic reverberation from superficial layers. In this paper, we present an algorithm using dictionary learning to remove the reverberant signal while preserving underlying microvascular anatomy. The algorithm was validated in vitro, using dyed beads embedded polydimenthylsiloxane (PDMS). Subsequently, we demonstrate suppression of reverberant artifacts by 20 ± 0.2 dB using in vivo PAM data acquired in a mouse brain.
Is a Pathological Complete Response Following Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Associated With Prolonged Survival in Patients With Pancreatic Cancer

Objectives:To describe the survival outcome of patients with borderline resectable or locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (BR/LA-PDAC) who have a pathologic complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant chemoradiation.Background:Patients with BR/LA-PDAC are often treated with neoadjuva
Impacts of Salmonella Enteritidis Infection on Liver Transcriptome in Broilers

Salmonella is a bacterium that can infect chickens, contaminating meat and eggs, resulting in production losses and illness in consumers. This study was designed to analyze the metabolic effects of Salmonella infection in broilers. Livers were harvested from broilers at ten days post-infection with Salmonella. RNA was isolated and then transformed into cDNA. Genes were analyzed on a global level using microarray technology. Among the differentially expressed genes with known function, gene expression of 29 out of 30 genes was lower in Salmonella-challenged birds than non-challenged birds. Genes associated with the cell cycle along with DNA replication, recombination, and repair functions were the most significantly differentially expressed genes. Salmonella infection resulted in reduced expression of genes involved in cell death, protein recycling, blood pressure increase, cell proliferation, extracellular kinase activation and suppression of immune signaling. The revealed pathways help to determine the systemic effects of Salmonella infection, which may lead to genome-directed methods of disease control in poultry.
Too Much of a Good Thing? Self-Esteem and Latinx Immigrant Youth Academic Achievement.

Self-esteem is often invoked in scholarly literature and popular belief alike as contributing positively to academic achievement in immigrant youth. Yet, research exploring this link is sparse and ...
Metagenomic analysis of the RNA fraction of the fecal virome indicates high diversity in pigs infected by porcine endemic diarrhea virus in the United States

Emergence and re-emergence of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in North America, Asia and Europe has caused severe economic loss to the global swine industry. However, the virome of PEDV infected pigs and its effect on disease severity remains unknown. The advancements of sequencing technology have made it possible to characterize the entire microbiome of different body sites for any host. The objective of this study was to characterize the RNA virome in PEDV-positive pigs using the hypothesis-free metagenomics approach based on next-generation sequencing. Specifically, 217 PEDV-positive swine fecal swab samples collected from diarrheic piglets over 17 US states during 2015–2016 were analyzed. A Kraken algorithm-based bioinformatics analysis revealed the presence of up to 9 different RNA genera besides PEDV (Alphacoronavirus genus), including Mamastrovirus (52%, 113/217), Enterovirus (39%, 85/217), Sapelovirus (31%, 67/217), Posavirus (30%, 66/217), Kobuvirus (23%, 49/217), Sapovirus (13%, 28/217), Teschovirus (10%, 22/217), Pasivirus (9%, 20/217), and Deltacoronavirus (3%, 6/217). There were 58 out of 217 piglets (27%) have PEDV infection alone whereas the remaining 159 (73%) shed 2 up to 9 different viruses. These findings demonstrated that PEDV infected diarrheic pigs had an extensive RNA viral flora consisting of four different families: Astroviridae, Picornaviridae, Caliciviridae, and Coronaviridae.
Seeing the Same Thing

It was clear in the preceding chapter that if one interpreted “seeing the sun” as “having a normal retinal reaction to the sun,” then our thirteenth and twentieth century astronomers do indeed see the same thing. But we noted a good many objections to interpreting seeing in this way. We found many cases where it could be established that a person’s retinal reaction to the sun was altogether normal, and yet the person would not be said to be seeing the sun—because of distraction, hypnosis, intoxication, somnambulism, paresis, etc.
Spherical aberration, coma, and the Abbe sine condition for physicists who don't design lenses

Treatments of lens aberrations tend to be either short and descriptive surveys or detailed theoretical treatments. In this article, we take an intermediate approach, showing that the mechanism of spherical aberration can be easily understood on a qualitative level by comparing a sphere with the ideal lens shape prescribed by the Principle of Least Time, and by using a similar argument to understand coma aberration. We also use a simple argument from radiant flux conservation to explain why aberration-free imaging of finite-sized flat objects (as opposed to discrete points or curves) is impossible with just a single thin lens, and we provide a simple explanation of the Abbe Sine Condition as a figure of merit in aberration correction.
Methods for Studying Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels in Heterologous Expression Systems

The discovery that oocytes of the frog Xenopus laevis can be induced to express working membrane ion channels by introducing channel mRNA into their cytoplasm (heterologous expression) has greatly impacted the field of ion channel physiology. With the addition of site-directed mutagenesis techniques, the functional consequences of virtually any mutation can now be specifically and easily assessed. Here, we describe an effective procedure for investigating cardiac sodium channel gating (hNaV1.5) both in Xenopus oocytes, and in a mammalian expression system, human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells. We describe cell attached patch clamp for oocytes, and whole cell voltage clamp in HEK 293 cells.
Recent Developments in the Theoretical Aspects of Linkage Analysis

The phenomenal pace of development of the genome project in recent years has been most beneficial to the field of linkage analysis. Many exciting theoretical and practical developments would not have been possible without the advances in molecular genetics. Presumably, the prospect that a complete human linkage map of approximately 2 cM resolution will soon be available will also have far reaching effects on society. In the not too distant future much of the genetic make-up of an individual may be recognized at birth. It is timely and demonstrates Haldane’s foresight that he envisioned this situation a long time ago. In an article entitled The future of biology written before 1927, he wrote of what are now called genetic markers and predicted that “we could use them, by a method worked out on flies by Morgan of New York and his associates, as landmarks for the study of such characters as musical ability, obesity, and bad temper. When a baby arrived we should have a physical examination and a blood analysis done on him, and say something like this: ‘He has got— from his father, so it’s twenty to one that he will get the main gene that determined his father’s mathematical powers; but he’s got— from his mother— so it looks as if her father’s inability to keep away from alcohol would crop up in him again; you must look out for that.”
Nutrition and Metabolism

Like studies on isolated cells and tissues studied under hypoxic conditions, studies on men and women at altitude show a preference for carbohydrate-derived fuel energy sources (glycogen, glucose, and lactate). When dietary energy is adequate to cover need, at altitude working muscle utilizes little lipid. Classical concepts of a “Lactate Paradox” invoking a “Pasteur Effect” of presumed anaerobic metabolism are not supported by studies utilizing contemporary techniques. If anything, lactate shuttling is prominent at altitude, with lactate being produced in diverse tissue beds and serving at least two functions at altitude: lactate is a preferred fuel in working muscle and lactate is the major gluconeogenic precursor in support of glycemia at altitude. A third role of lactate, i.e., that of promoting cellular adaptations at altitude by increasing HIF-1 expression, is also suggested in the literature. While controlled laboratory studies show clear preference for carbohydrate-derived fuels under hypoxic conditions, cachexia is common among mountaineers. Under the stresses of altitude, loss of appetite and dietary energy insufficiency result in body wasting. Relative to energy content, carbohydrate foods are less efficient to carry or transport and CHO foods typically require water for cooking. Consequently, the tendency is to carry energy-dense, high-fat and protein foods at altitude. Because of the disparity between needs of the CNS and peripheral nerves and working muscles for CHO energy sources and dietary CHO supply, at altitude lean tissue is mobilized to supply gluconeogenic precursors and adipose is mobilized for glycerol (a lesser gluconeogenic precursor) and fatty acids (a less-preferred, but available energy substrate). The accomplishments of mountaineers are remarkable in many ways. That mountaineers accept and manage the challenge of working under multiple stresses, while having to rely on less-preferred fuel energy substrates is one more example of their extraordinary accomplishments.
Ultrasonic Techniques for Imaging and Measurements in Molten Magnesium Using Clad Buffer Rods

Recently, the utilization of magnesium (Mg) alloys for structural applications in manufactures, especially in the automobile industries, has been increased rapidly. Processing Mg alloys in molten state is often necessary for the refining and recycling, and for the casting to achieve the net shape forming. The quality of molten Mg is frequently and critically associated with inclusions of intermetallic and/or non-metallic materials within the molten Mg during manufacturing steps [1, 2]. The presence of these inclusions affects the mechanical properties of metals and results in deterioration of product quality. The particle sizes can vary from less than 1 µm to greater than 100µm [2]. Ideally, evaluation of cleanliness of molten metals is preferred to be conducted in large quantities, which can be swiftly analyzed with little or no sample preparation. This may be achieved by analyzing the metal while it is still in the molten state. However, little sensors and techniques have been reported due to harsh conditions such as high temperature, corrosiveness, flammability and opaqueness of molten Mg.
A Generalization of Conway Number Games to Multiple Players

We define an analogue of the the concept of J. H. Conway’s number games for games of multiple players. We define the value of such number game as an element of a vector space over the Conway field. We interpret the value in terms of the strategy of the game, and prove that all possible values in the vector space can occur.
Carolyn Maureen Clancy, MD: a conversation with the editor.

Carolyn Maureen Clancy, MD (Figure), was appointed director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) on February 5, 2003. Prior to her appointment, she had served as AHRQ's acting director since March 2002 and previously was director of the agency's Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research. Dr. Clancy, who is a general internist and health services researcher, is a Figure. graduate of Boston College and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Following clinical training in internal medicine, Dr. Clancy was a Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. She was also an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond before joining AHRQ in 1990. Dr. Clancy is a clinical associate professor (Department of Medicine) at the George Washington University School of Medicine and serves as a senior associate editor of Health Services Research. She has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and has edited or contributed to 7 books. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine and was elected a master of the American College of Physicians in 2004. Her major research interests include various dimensions of health care quality and primary care, access to care services, and the impact of financial incentives on physicians' decisions. Dr. Clancy lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, with her husband, Bill. She enjoys jogging, watching movies, and spending time with her extended family.
Combined Cognitive Therapy and Pharmacotherapy of Depression

Cognitive therapy and pharmacotherapy have originated from competing etiological theories of mental disorders. However, they are lrequently used together in treatment of a wide variety of clinical conditions (Wright, 1987; Wright & Schrodt, 1989). This case report will illustrate how different forms of therapy can complement one another in the treatment of severe depression.
Importance of Balance-Gait Disorder as a Risk Factor for Cognitive Impairment, Dementia and Related Non-Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease

BACKGROUND In Parkinson's disease (PD), postural instability-gait disorder (PIGD) has been associated with more rapid cognitive decline, dementia, and greater non-motor symptom (NMS) burden. OBJECTIVE To assess the importance of balance-gait disorder, relative to and in combination with other clinical measures, as a risk factor for cognitive impairment, dementia and NMS burden in PD. METHODS 164 PD subjects were evaluated in a retrospective cross-sectional study using the MDS-UPDRS scale, MMSE and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale. Using univariate comparisons followed by multiple stepwise regression, we identified factors most closely associated with NMS burden and concurrent dementia. Nominal logistic regression and linear discriminant analysis was used to compute receiver operating characteristic curves and to measure sensitivity and specificity of predictors of dementia. RESULTS Dementia was more frequent in those with the PIGD phenotype (χ2 = 11.49, p = 0.003). The MDS-UPDRS balance-gait measure, excluding freezing of gait, was the single best predictor not only of concurrent cognitive impairment and dementia (F = 37.16, p < 0.001) but also of NMS burden, predicting 29% of the MDS-UPDRS total non-motor experiences of daily living score (F = 67.14, p < 0.0001). This measure, together with combined severity of hallucinations/psychosis, daytime sleepiness and urinary problems, a closely correlated symptom cluster (r = 0.63 p < 0.0001), accurately classified 84% of patients with dementia. CONCLUSIONS In PD, balance-gait impairment is closely associated with dementia and NMS burden, particularly the linked symptoms of cognitive impairment, psychosis, daytime sleepiness and urinary dysfunction. This phenotype characterizes patients likely to require closer surveillance and more comprehensive care. Confirmation of these findings in prospective longitudinal studies might help refine predictive algorithms designed to identify PD patients more likely to progress from mild cognitive impairment to dementia.
A Convergent Immunological Holy Trinity of Adaptive Immunity in Lampreys: Discovery of the Variable Lymphocyte Receptors.

The noted immunological sage Jan Klein ([1][1]) rendered the MHC comprehensible to our community in the 1970s and 1980s with lucid reviews on the history of the MHC, the purging of unsubstantiated MHC loci and functions, and emerging paradigms. Late in his career, Jan Klein began studies of MHC
The rarefied (non-continuum) conditions of tracer particle transport in soils, with implications for assessing the intensity and depth dependence of mixing from geochronology

Abstract. We formulate tracer particle transport and mixing in soils due to disturbance-driven particle motions in terms of the Fokker–Planck equation. The probabilistic basis of the formulation is suitable for rarefied particle conditions, and for parsing the mixing behavior of extensive and intensive properties belonging to the particles rather than to the bulk soil. The significance of the formulation is illustrated with the examples of vertical profiles of expected beryllium-10 ( 10Be ) concentrations and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) particle ages for the benchmark situation involving a one-dimensional mean upward soil motion with nominally steady surface erosion in the presence of either uniform or depth-dependent particle mixing, and varying mixing intensity. The analysis, together with Eulerian–Lagrangian numerical simulations of tracer particle motions, highlights the significance of calculating ensemble-expected values of extensive and intensive particle properties, including higher moments of particle OSL ages, rather than assuming de facto a continuum-like mixing behavior. The analysis and results offer guidance for field sampling and for describing the mixing behavior of other particle and soil properties. Profiles of expected 10Be concentrations and OSL ages systematically vary with mixing intensity as measured by a Peclet number involving the speed at which particles enter the soil, the soil thickness, and the particle diffusivity. Profiles associated with uniform mixing versus a linear decrease in mixing with depth are distinct for moderate mixing, but they become similar with either weak mixing or strong mixing; uniform profiles do not necessarily imply uniform mixing.
Influence of Total Body Irradiation Dose Rate on Idiopathic Pneumonia Syndrome in Acute Leukemia Patients Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Purpose To determine the relationship between dose rate and other factors in the development of idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS) in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia or acute myeloid leukemia who are undergoing total body irradiation (TBI)–based myeloablative conditioning for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Methods and Materials From 2006 to 2016, 202 patients with acute leukemia (111 acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 91 acute myeloid leukemia) ranging in age from 1 to 57 years (median, 25 years) underwent allogeneic HCT at University of Minnesota. Pretransplantation conditioning included cyclophosphamide (120 mg/kg) with (68%) or without fludarabine (75 mg/m2) followed by 13.2 Gy TBI given in 8 twice-daily fractions of 1.65 Gy over 4 days. Dose rate varied based on linear accelerator availability and ranged from 8.7 to 19.2 cGy/min. Patients were stratified by receipt of high-dose-rate (HDR; >15 cGy/min; 56%) or low-dose-rate (LDR; ≤15 cGy/min; 44%) TBI for all 8 fractions. IPS was defined as pulmonary injury based on clinical symptoms, radiographic evidence, or pulmonary function testing within 100 days of HCT in the absence of concurrent infection. Results IPS developed in 42 patients (21%) between 4 and 73 days (median, 16 days) after transplantation. HDR TBI was associated with a higher rate of IPS compared with LDR TBI (29% vs 10%; P Conclusions TBI dose rates ≤15 cGy/min reduce the risk of posttransplantation IPS and improve overall survival. LDR TBI should be strongly considered as an easily implemented parameter to improve the safety of pretransplantation TBI-based conditioning.
Music in the Time of Vergil

The twenty-eight papers delivered at a symposium entitled “Music in the Time of Vergil”, sponsored by the Vergilian Society in June 2016, suggest a number of areas where promising research can continue to be done in the field of Roman music. These include the Realien of Roman music, the role of musical imagery in Latin poetry, Greek elements in Roman music, Roman attitudes to music and musical change, musical responses to political developments, and the influence of Rome on the music of the modern world.
Quantitative evaluation of a high resolution lipidomics platform

Abstract Given the general importance of lipids in health and disease, there is a need for efficient technology that broadly profiles and quantitates the lipid composition of complex mixtures. In this study, we developed and quantitatively evaluated a platform that simultaneously profiles both lipids and polar metabolites from the same sample. This method was achieved by using a methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) extraction and employing two liquid chromatography methods coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). This workflow enabled detection and semi-quantitation of over 300 polar metabolites as well as over 300 lipids with comprehensive coverage of diverse chemical classes. Using cultured mammalian cells as an example, we report the quantitative properties of the platform including the sensitivity and linear range. The lipidomics strategy was further applied to characterize changes to lipid metabolism upon treatment with metformin to human ovarian cancer cells. Of the 256 detected lipids, 99 lipids (39%) significantly increased, 11 lipids (4%) were significantly reduced and 146 lipids (57%) remain unchanged in metformin-treated cells. Stable isotope tracing of carbon into lipids using [13C6]-glucose further measured the contribution of de novo fatty acid synthesis to the total fatty acid pool. In summary, the platform enabled the semi-quantitative assessment of hundreds of lipid species and associated carbon incorporation from glucose in a high throughput manner.
Abstract 3657: Defining the role of the RNA-binding protein MSI2 in neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood with a 5-year survival rate approaching 50% in high-risk patients and like other pediatric cancers, lacks many targetable mutations. Thus, novel therapeutic approaches are needed. Previous research has shown that the RNA-binding protein (RBP), LIN28B, enhances MYCN expression and induces NB formation. Additionally, we previously demonstrated that LIN28B-RAN-AURKA signaling drives NB oncogenesis. These results highlight the role of RBPs in modulating NB tumorigenesis. The Musashi family includes RBPs that have been previously shown to be associated with worse prognosis in adult malignancies, including colon cancer and pancreatic cancer, among others. Thus, we speculated that the Musashi family might influence aggressive phenotypes in pediatric tumors, such as neuroblastoma. MSI2 is robustly expressed in neuroblastoma tumors, and, indeed, increased levels of Musashi-2 (MSI2) correlate with worse NB prognosis. In order to begin to elucidate its role in NB tumorigenesis, we knocked-down MSI2 in human NB cell lines using multiple independent short hairpin RNAs (shRNA) and small interfering RNAs (siRNA) and examined the impact on proliferation, survival, and downstream target genes relative to scrambled control RNA-treated cells. From these experiments, we observed decreased colony formation in clonogenic assays, increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation. To gain an initial understanding of the downstream targets that MSI2 influences, we performed Nanostring analysis in 2 human NB cell lines, Kelly and SK-N-DZ and found that knocking down MSI2 led to a downregulation of many cancer-related genes including IDH2 and other metabolic targets. IDH2 is a mitochondrial enzyme and its mutant is known to be involved in gliomagenesis. Changes in IDH2 expression have also been linked to epigenetic alterations. Finally, wild-type IDH2is upregulated in lung cancer and contributes to tumor growth. Therefore, we are currently examining the functional relationship between MSI2 and IDH2 in NB. Citation Format: Adeiye Pilgrim, Selma Cuya, Dongdong Chen, Robert Schnepp. Defining the role of the RNA-binding protein MSI2 in neuroblastoma [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 3657.
Some Remarks on Three-Dimensional Fracture

In this paper, the author presents the effect of specimen thickness on the stress concentration factor of a plate that has been weakened by a circular hole. The results compare very well with existing results on thin and very thick plates and bridge the data gap between them. Furthermore, the solution is shown to be derived from the same general solution from which the three-dimensional crack problem solution can be derived. The author also, by analogy, draws some conclusions regarding the behavior of the stress intensity factor.
Measuring Nanoparticle Polarizability Using Fluorescence Microscopy

Using a novel method developed to quantify the polarizability of photoluminescent nanoparticles in water, we present experimental observations of the extraordinary polarizability exhibited by nanop...
Effect of Stimulus-Dependent Spike Timing on Population Coding of Sound Location in the Owl’s Auditory Midbrain

Abstract In the auditory system, the spectrotemporal structure of acoustic signals determines the temporal pattern of spikes. Here, we investigated this effect in neurons of the barn owl’s auditory midbrain (Tyto furcata) that are selective for auditory space and whether it can influence the coding of sound direction. We found that in the nucleus where neurons first become selective to combinations of sound localization cues, reproducibility of spike trains across repeated trials of identical sounds, a metric of across-trial temporal fidelity of spiking patterns evoked by a stimulus, was maximal at the sound direction that elicited the highest firing rate. We then tested the hypothesis that this stimulus-dependent patterning resulted in rate co-modulation of cells with similar frequency and spatial selectivity, driving stimulus-dependent synchrony of population responses. Tetrodes were used to simultaneously record multiple nearby units in the optic tectum (OT), where auditory space is topographically represented. While spiking of neurons in OT showed lower reproducibility across trials compared with upstream nuclei, spike-time synchrony between nearby OT neurons was highest for sounds at their preferred direction. A model of the midbrain circuit explained the relationship between stimulus-dependent reproducibility and synchrony, and demonstrated that this effect can improve the decoding of sound location from the OT output. Thus, stimulus-dependent spiking patterns in the auditory midbrain can have an effect on spatial coding. This study reports a functional connection between spike patterning elicited by spectrotemporal features of a sound and the coding of its location.
Applications of a Pulsed Waveform to a Substrate: Pulsed Bias Sputtering

In this chapter we address the application of a pulsed waveform to a substrate during the sputter deposition of a film. Through the proper application of the pulse (the amplitude, the frequency, and the duty), control of the ion flux to a non-conducting surface can be achieved. The major focus of the chapter is the illustration of the effectiveness of the pulsed biasing technique through the discussion of experimental results.