cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two-dimensional high spatial-resolution dosimeter using europium doped potassium chloride: a feasibility study.

Recent research has shown that KCl:Eu 2+ has great potential for use in megavoltage radiation therapy dosimetry because this material exhibits excellent storage performance and is reusable due to strong radiation hardness. This work reports the authors’ attempts to fabricate 2D KCl:Eu 2+ storage phosphor films (SPFs) using both a physical vapor deposition (PVD) method and a tape casting method. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that a 10 μm thick PVD sample was composed of highly crystalline KCl. No additional phases were observed, suggesting that the europium activator had been completely incorporated into the KCl matrix. Photostimulated luminescence and photoluminescence spectra suggested that F (Cl − ) centers were the electron storage centers post x-ray irradiation and that Eu 2+ cations acted as luminescence centers in the photostimulation process. The 150 μm thick casted KCl:Eu 2+ SPF showed sub-millimeter spatial-resolution. Monte Carlo simulations further demonstrated that the admixture of 20% KCl:Eu 2+ and 80% low Z polymer binder exhibited almost no energy-dependence in a 6 MV beam. KCl:Eu 2+ pellet samples showed a large dynamic range from 0.01 cGy to 60 Gy dose-to-water, and saturated at approximately 500 Gy as a result of KCl’s intrinsic high radiation hardness. Taken together, this work provides strong evidence that KCl:Eu 2+ -based SPF with associated readout apparatus could result in a novel electronic film system that has all the desirable features
Pivotal Advance: Activation of cell surface Toll-like receptors causes shedding of the hemoglobin scavenger receptor CD163

The hemoglobin scavenger receptor (HbSR) CD163 is a monocyte/macrophage-specific glycoprotein that binds and facilitates uptake of haptoglobin-hemoglobin (Hp-Hb) complexes, which are rapidly formed in the circulation upon hemolysis of red blood cells. Hemolysis can be caused by a diverse range of infectious agents and provides pathogens a source of iron to enhance their survival and replication. Previous work demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates monocytes to cleave cell-bound HbSR into a soluble mediator that retains the capacity to bind Hp-Hb complexes. We report that blocking LPS activation of Toll-like receptor 4 prevents LPS-mediated shedding of CD163. Furthermore, activation of two other cell surface Toll-like receptors (TLR), TLR2 and TLR5, induces shedding of the HbSR from human monocytes. In contrast, treatment of monocytes with intracellular TLR3, TLR7, and TLR9 agonists failed to cause HbSR shedding, suggesting that this shedding event is selective to cell surface TLR activation. These data demonstrate that the soluble HbSR is released from monocytic cells in response to TLR signaling as an acute innate immune response to extracellular pathogen infections.
Mapping Grounded Object Properties Across Perceptually Heterogeneous Embodiments

As robots become more common, it becomes increasingly useful for them to communicate and effectively share knowledge that they have learned through their individual experiences. Learning from experiences, however, is oftentimes embodiment-specific; that is, the knowledge learned is grounded in the robot’s unique sensors and actuators. This type of learning raises questions as to how communication and knowledge exchange via social interaction can occur, as properties of the world can be grounded differently in different robots. This is especially true when the robots are heterogeneous, with different sensors and perceptual features used to define the properties. In this paper, we present methods and representations that allow heterogeneous robots to learn grounded property representations, such as that of color categories, and then build models of their similarities and differences in order to map their respective representations. We use a conceptual space representation, where object properties are learned and represented as regions in a metric space, implemented via supervised learning of Gaussian Mixture Models. We then propose to use confusion matrices that are built using instances from each robot, obtained in a shared context, in order to learn mappings between the properties of each robot. Results are demonstrated using two perceptually heterogeneous Pioneer robots, one with a web camera and another with a camcorder.
Zombie Survival Optimization: A swarm intelligence algorithm inspired by zombie foraging

Search optimization algorithms have the challenge of balancing between exploration of the search space (e.g., map locations, image pixels) and exploitation of learned information (e.g., prior knowledge, regions of high fitness). To address this challenge, we present a very basic framework which we call Zombie Survival Optimization (ZSO), a novel swarm intelligence approach modeled after the foraging behavior of zombies. Zombies (exploration agents) search in a space where the underlying fitness is modeled as a hypothetical airborne antidote which cures a zombie's aliments and turns them back into humans (who attempt to survive by exploiting the search space). Such an optimization algorithm is useful for search, such as searching an image for a pedestrian. Experiments on the CAVIAR dataset suggest improved efficiency over Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Bacterial Foraging Optimization (BFO). A C++ implementation is available.
A longitudinal analysis of Hispanic youth acculturation and cigarette smoking: the roles of gender, culture, family, and discrimination.

Introduction Risk for smoking initiation increases as Hispanic youth acculturate to U.S. society, and this association seems to be stronger for Hispanic girls than boys. To better understand the influence of culture, family, and everyday discrimination on cigarette smoking, we tested a process-oriented model of acculturation and cigarette smoking. Methods Data came from Project RED (Reteniendo y Entendiendo Diversidad para Salud), which included 1,436 Hispanic students (54% girls) from Southern California. We used data from 9th to 11th grade (85% were 14 years old, and 86% were U.S. born) to test the influence of acculturation-related experiences on smoking over time. Results Multigroup structural equation analysis suggested that acculturation was associated with increased familismo and lower traditional gender roles, and enculturation was linked more with familismo and respeto. Familismo, respeto, and traditional gender roles were linked with lower family conflict and increased family cohesion, and these links were stronger for girls. Familismo and respeto were further associated with lower discrimination. Conversely, fatalismo was linked with worse family functioning (especially for boys) and increased discrimination in both the groups. Discrimination was the only predictor of smoking for boys and girls. Conclusions In all, the results of the current study indicate that reducing discrimination and helping youth cope with discrimination may prevent or reduce smoking in Hispanic boys and girls. This may be achieved by promoting familismo and respeto and by discouraging fatalistic beliefs.
Finite element analysis of coupled nanofluidic dynamics and silicon-on-insulator particle trapping

Applications in integrated optical/fluidic systems require a fundamental understanding of coupling between optical and fluid dynamics in nanoscale systems. We use finite-element methods to examine the coupling of a silicon-on-insulator waveguide in microfluidic channels.
Economic Development and Female Labor Force Participation: A Reconsideration

Despite theoretical arguments relating economic and industrial structures to female labor force participation cross-national studies have failed to empirically confirm such a relationship. This paper reconsiders the cross-national determinants of female labor force participation by examining 1) the curvilinear and interactive effects of economic development as properly specified from existing theories; and 2) a more complete set of explanatory variables than has been used in previous studies. Models are estimated using 1965 and 1970 data for 70 nations. The results show curvilinear effects of energy use on female labor force participation; development initially forces women out of the labor force but at advanced levels increases female participation. Other important determininants of female labor force participation include family size female education adult sex ratio economic dependency and labor force growth. Several of these variables have different effects by level of development. Thus the results affirm the curvilinear effects of economic development as a determinant of female labor force participation and suggest that they be considered with family social and demographic explanations of womens status. A major theoretical implication of this study is to reemphasize the importance of the structure of technology and work for the employment of women; a relationship holds cross-nationally between the kinds of industries and occupations that dominate an economy and the sex structure of the labor force. Future research needs to explore current trends in export nations such as Taiwan or South Korea in which the traditional relationship between the sexual division of labor and occupational structure is changing. (authors modified)
A New Multi-Antenna Based LOS - NLOS Separation Technique

This paper introduces a line-of-sight (LOS) and non-LOS (NLOS) separation technique based on the statistics of the phase difference of two received signals. The phase difference is achieved via a co-installed synchronized two-receiver system. The variance of the phase difference is used to separate LOS and NLOS. The probability-density-function (PDF) of the received signal phase generated by NLOS component is theoretically derived. The variance of the phase difference is calculated using the derived PDF numerically and verified via simulations. The LOS and NLOS separation performance versus signal power ratio of LOS to NLOS is evaluated via simulations.
Effects of distribution-based parameter aggregation on a spatially distributed agricultural nonpoint source pollution model

Accurate predictions of sediment yield from distributed models of runoff and sediment yield depends in part of how well matched the model structure is to input data spatial representation. This study investigated how model structure and input data representation affect sediment predictions made using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The study focused on the integration of two specific components of SWAT: the Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE) and the hydrologic response unit (HRU). MUSLE, a watershed erosion model, was applied to different levels of watershed partitioning and alternative HRU schemes for a watershed and its two subwatersheds over a 4-year period of measured stream flow and sediment yield. The results show that across different levels of watershed partitioning, HRUs do not conserve sediment. Instead, HRUs introduce almost half of the variability in sediment generation, which has previously been attributed solely to input data aggregation. This occurs for two reasons. First, MUSLE defines a nonlinear relationship between sediment generation and HRU area, but the sediment load is scaled linearly from the HRU level to the subwatershed level. Second, HRUs aggregate land areas without regard for the surface connectivity assumptions, which are implicit in MUSLE. These conflicts caused by the integration of HRU and MUSLE makes it difficult to determine the effect of different land use on soil erosion. This study indicates that greater attention should be made to structuring the data inputs to match the underlying assumptions of sub-models within SWAT.
Hydrodynamic stability and turbulence : beyond transients to a self-sustaining process

Transition from laminar to turbulent flows has generally been studied by considering the linear and weakly nonlinear evolution of small disturbances to the laminar flow. That approach has been fruitless for many shear flows, and a last hope for its success has been the existence of transient growth phenomena. The physical origin of those linear transient effects is elucidated, revealing serious limitations both of previous analyses and of the phenomena themselves, which preclude them from causing direct transition. Nonetheless, some transient effects are symptomatic of one element of a nonlinear process that becomes self-sustaining at a small enough dissipation. The process is identified, and its description requires a departure from the traditional focus on the laminar flow. A theory is outlined in which the mean flow has an intrinsic spanwise variation. Evidence indicates this is also the central mechanism in the near wall-region of fully turbulent shear flows.
Impact response of CFRP laminates with CNT buckypaper layers

In this work, the impact behavior of the electrified carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites with carbon nanotube (CNT) buckypaper layers has been studied. A custom-built experimental setup that allows for real time measurements of pulsed electric current, voltage, load, and velocity during coordinated application of a current pulse with an impact load was utilized. The experimental setup included a current pulse generator capable of producing a 30 millisecond current pulse with an amplitude of up to 2500 A. The application of the peak of the current pulse was coordinated with the peak of the impact load. A series of electrical, impact, and coordinated electrical-impact characterization tests were performed on three types of samples: 16-ply IM7/977-3 unidirectional laminates; laminates containing four layers of buckypaper (BP) and 12 unidirectional IM7/977-3 layers arranged as CF2/BP/CF4/BP/CF4/BP/CF4/BP/CF2; and laminates containing seven layers of buckypaper and nine unidirectional IM7/977-3 layers arranged as [CF2/BP]7/CF2. The results show that addition of buckypapers can lead to the increased impact resistance of CFRP composites.
Thermal Properties of β-Ga2O3 from First Principles

The thermal conductivity, bulk modulus, thermal expansion and heat capacity for bulk β-Ga2O3 are calculated from lattice dynamics using both a quasi-harmonic approximation and an anharmonic force-constant approach involving a solution of the linearized Boltzmann transport equation. The role of anharmonicity in β-Ga2O3 is determined to be small, which leads to the weak volume dependence of the calculated thermal conductivity. The negligible anharmonic contribution to the overall thermal conductivity is consistent with both thermal expansion measurements and also with comparisons between the quasi-harmonic and anharmonic methods. Phonon-mode-dependent Gruneisen parameters are found to be weakly dependent on temperature. Negative values of the mode Gruneisen parameters are found for certain low energy optical modes, but their net effect on the overall thermal expansion is insignificant. Bulk modulus as well as heat capacity are also given and found to be in agreement with experimental results.
Corticosteroid Treatment and Growth Patterns in Ambulatory Males with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Objectives To evaluate growth patterns of ambulatory males with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) treated with corticosteroids compared with ambulatory, steroid-naive males with DMD and age-matched unaffected general-population males and to test associations between growth and steroid treatment patterns among treated males. Study design Using data from the Muscular Dystrophy Surveillance, Tracking, and Research Network, we identified a total of 1768 height, 2246 weight, and 1755 body mass index (BMI) measurements between age 2 and 12 years for 324 ambulatory males who were treated with corticosteroids for at least 6 months. Growth curve comparisons and linear mixed-effects modeling, adjusted for race/ethnicity and birth year, were used to evaluate growth and steroid treatment patterns (age at initiation, dosing interval, duration, cumulative dose). Results Growth curves for ambulatory males treated with corticosteroids showed significantly shorter stature, heavier weight, and greater BMI compared with ambulatory, steroid-naive males with DMD and general-population US males. Adjusted linear mixed-effects models for ambulatory males treated with corticosteroids showed that earlier initiation, daily dosing, longer duration, and greater dosages predicted shorter stature with prednisone. Longer duration and greater dosages predicted shorter stature for deflazacort. Daily prednisone dosing predicted lighter weight, but longer duration, and greater dosages predicted heavier weight. Early initiation, less than daily dosing, longer duration, and greater doses predicted greater BMIs. Deflazacort predicted shorter stature, but lighter weight, compared with prednisone. Conclusion Prolonged steroid use is significantly associated with short stature and heavier weight. Growth alterations associated with steroid treatment should be considered when making treatment decisions for males with DMD.
Investigation of Surface Laser-Ablation Plumes Using High-Sensitivity Cavity-Enhanced Detection

Cavity-enhanced detection is used to monitor minute vapor plumes produced by focusing a pulsed laser beam onto a surface placed inside a resonant optical cavity.
Romanian Spirituality in Ceauşescu’s ‘Golden Epoch’: Social Scientists Reconsider Atheism, Religion, and Ritual Culture

This chapter examines efforts to create a socialist spiritual culture in Ceaușescu’s Romania. During the 1970s, professional atheists and social scientists began to speak of religion as a form of spirituality that fulfilled abiding human existential needs and as a complex social phenomenon that needed to be discovered empirically. The shift away from the ideological stereotypes of the Dej period brought on the transformation of the atheist project and ushered in socialist ritual reform by the end of the decade. The party-state also embraced the cultivation of a so-called Romanian spirituality to provide citizens with properly atheist, yet nationally authentic, ways to find existential meaning and self-transcendence. I argue that while these transformations were a response to the broader questioning of Marxist humanism in the 1960s and echoed post-Stalinist revisionism in the East bloc, socialist spiritual culture in the Ceaușescu period ultimately retained the hallmarks of a quintessentially national-Stalinist regime.
B Lymphocyte Activation

The adaptive immune system produces antibodies to a large variety of foreign pathogens. The acceptance of the clonal selection theory of antibody formation and the division of lymphocytes into functional populations of T and B lymphocytes spurred studies on the mechanism of antibody formation by B lymphocytes. At a minimum, B lymphocytes must recognize the foreign antigen through a membrane-bound immunoglobulin, the B cell receptor. For a few T-independent antigens this interaction is sufficient to induce an IgM response. The response to most antigens, however, requires the interaction of B lymphocytes with antigen plus a second signal. A two-signal model of B lymphocyte activation was initially proposed by Peter Bretscher and Melvin Cohn in 1968. By the late 1960s, immunologists knew that optimal antibody formation required help from T lymphocytes. During the 1970s and 1980s evidence showed that this help came from two sources: direct interaction between T and B lymphocytes and through the intermediary of soluble cytokines. The T lymphocyte-derived signals activate synthesis and secretion of antibody and induce genetic changes, leading to the synthesis of five different isotypes (classes) of antibody possessing a variety of effector functions, all with the same antigenic specificity.
Abstract 2589: Dissecting extrinsic and intrinsic cancer risk

Cancers were once thought to originate from mature tissue cells that underwent dedifferentiation in response to cancer progression. Today, cancers are proposed to originate from the malignant transformation of normal tissue progenitor and stem cells, although this is not uniformly accepted. Nevertheless, recent research has highlighted a strong correlation between tissue-specific cancer risk and the lifetime population size and cumulative number of cell divisions of tissue-specific stem cells. However, there has been extensive controversy regarding the conclusion that this correlation implies that there is a very high unavoidable risk for many specific cancers that are due solely to the intrinsic baseline population size of tissue-specific stem cells. This issue has become a key public health debate with dissemination of the ‘bad luck’ hypothesis. Here we provide strong evidence that unavoidable intrinsic risk factors contribute only modestly ( Citation Format: Song Wu, Scott Powers, Wei Zhu, Yusuf Hannun. Dissecting extrinsic and intrinsic cancer risk. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2589.
Immigrants and Firm Performance: Effects on Foreign Subsidiaries versus Foreign Entrepreneurs

Prior studies have demonstrated that foreign firms co-locate with immigrants from their home countries, but whether this improves profitability is unclear. We demonstrate that co-national immigrant...
Tunable Surface and Matrix Chemistries in Optically Printed (0-3) Piezoelectric Nanocomposites.

In this work, the impacts of varying surface modification, matrix parameters, and fabrication conditions on the performance of optically printed (0–3) piezoelectric polymer nanocomposites are examined. For example, we find that a 75% reduction in nanoparticle edge-length boosted the piezoelectric coefficient (d33) by over 100%. By optimizing the composition and fabrication conditions, 10% by mass loading barium titanate nanocomposites are able to yield d33 values of ∼80 pC/N compared to <5 pC/N when parameters are not optimized. With a more complete understanding of how to enhance the performance of (0–3) piezoelectric polymer nanocomposites, these materials should find use in a wide range of applications.
The City as a Law and Economic Subject

Local government law has fallen behind the times. Over the past two decades, economists have developed a deep understanding of 'agglomeration economics,' or the study of how and why mobile citizens and firms locate in cities. Their work argues that people decide to move to cities because of the reduced transportation costs for goods, increased labor market depth, and intellectual spillovers cities provide - that is, individuals and firms locate in cities in order to get the benefits of being near one another. Economically-minded local government law scholars have ignored this burgeoning literature and instead have continued to examine exclusively a separate set of benefits people get from their location decisions, the gains from 'sorting.' As analyzed in the well-known Tiebout model, individuals move between local governments in a region in order to receive public policies that fit their preferences.This paper seeks to develop the framework for a modern law and economic method for analyzing local governmental law. Specifically, it claims that there is an inverse relationship between the gains from agglomeration and sorting. Having many small local governments, and enabling individuals to choose their local public policies by sorting among them, affects the organization and density of people in metropolitan areas, creating movement away from economically-optimal location decisions. Sorting thus reduces agglomerative efficiency. Similarly, the existence of agglomerative gains means that individuals are making location decisions for reasons other than matching their preferences for public policies. Agglomeration therefore causes a reduction in the efficiency of sorting.States face a tradeoff between maximizing agglomerative and sorting efficiency in deciding how much power, and which responsibilities, to allocate to local governments. The need to balance these two conflicting sources of efficiency and changes in the nature of agglomerative gains over the last hundred years explains a great deal about the history of American local government law, current allocations of power between local governments and state legislatures, judicial decisions about local governmental power and the proper role for the federal government in policy areas, like housing and transportation, that are primarily regulated at the local level.
Locating alternative-fuel refueling stations on a multi-class vehicle transportation network

Abstract The existing literature regarding the location of alternative fuel (AF) refueling stations in transportation networks generally assumes that all vehicles are capable of traveling the same driving range and have similar levels of fuel in their tanks at the moment they enter the network and when they exit it. In this article, we relax these assumptions and introduce a multi-class vehicle transportation network in which vehicles have different driving ranges and fuel tank levels at their origins and destinations. A 0-1 linear programming model is proposed for locating a given number of refueling stations that maximize the total traffic flow covered (in round trips per time unit) by the stations on the network. Through numerical experiments with the 2011 medium- and heavy-duty truck traffic data in the Pennsylvania Turnpike, we identify the optimal sets of refueling stations for AF trucks on a multi-class vehicle transportation network.
Analysis and Understanding of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993

This article looks at the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and focuses on certain issues of the legislation.
From Microarrays to Gene Networks

Understanding the roles and functions of genes and proteins through their interactions with each other and the environment has been reshaped with technological advancements such as gene chips and protein arrays. These techniques simultaneously probe thousands of molecules at any given time. Interrogating the network as opposed to a single entity as in traditional methods necessitates a departure from reductionism and requires developing biological insight in a networks setting. A fundamental challenge is to develop computational methods to analyze this vast amount of data and transform it into meaningful biological knowledge. Because of the nature of the data and the system under investigation, this goal can be accomplished by considering high-throughput data analysis in the context of biological networks. In this chapter, we describe the foundations of this methodology through an overview of the problems encountered along the way and a summary of basic biological and mathematical concepts.
A Mediaeval Persian Treatise on Coloured and Enamelled Glass: Bayan Al-Sana'at

AbstractThis paper presents and interprets the terms and concepts described by Hobaysh Teflisi in the twelfth century AD for making Islamic coloured and enamelled glass and lustre decorations. These descriptions comprise the fourth and fifth chapters of Bayan al-Sana'at, a book for “explaining crafts”. The instructions contained in these chapters can be considered as one of the first references on glass making and enamelling on glass in Persian literature. Although the recipes suggested by Teflisi demonstrate fairly accurate methods, materials and techniques, they are sometimes misleading and need to be interpreted based on technological and scientific investigations. The current paper provides an English translation of the two chapters of Bayan al-Sana'at and discusses the less common terms in another section of the paper—“Commentary on the translated chapters”. Another section of the paper—“Technical description of methods and materials”—is devoted to the technical contextualisation of the chapters.
Elucidating Solvation Structures for Rational Design of Multivalent Electrolytes—A Review

Fundamental molecular-level understanding of functional properties of liquid solutions provides an important basis for designing optimized electrolytes for numerous applications. In particular, exhaustive knowledge of solvation structure, stability, and transport properties is critical for developing stable electrolytes for fast-charging and high-energy-density next-generation energy storage systems. Accordingly, there is growing interest in the rational design of electrolytes for beyond lithium-ion systems by tuning the molecular-level interactions of solvate species present in the electrolytes. Here we present a review of the solvation structure of multivalent electrolytes and its impact on the electrochemical performance of these batteries. A direct correlation between solvate species present in the solution and macroscopic properties of electrolytes is sparse for multivalent electrolytes and contradictory results have been reported in the literature. This review aims to illustrate the current understanding, compare results, and highlight future needs and directions to enable the deep understanding needed for the rational design of improved multivalent electrolytes.
The Mobile Vertebra: Height Restoration

A 65-year-old man presented with new, severe back pain after a minor fall. The patient was known to have ankylosing spondylitis. The pain was so severe that the patient was confined to bed. The pain was focal at the thoracolumbar junction region, and there was no associated motor dysfunction. An initial trial of analgesics and bed rest was unsuccessful, and subsequently the primary care physician ordered magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Remote Task Mapping

Widespread deployment of wireless LANs offer opportunities for users of handheld devices to access not only public information over the internet but also resources on their own desktop computers or trusted servers. Such resources include data, storage, and CPU, among others. The discussion in this chapter focuses on the issue of remote task mapping for the purpose of offloading computational tasks from the resource-constrained handheld devices to the resourcerich desktop computers and servers. The main objective is to reduce both the time and energy required to accomplish the tasks. Compiler techniques used to analyze an ordinary program before transforming it into an efficient client-server distributed program are presented, along with a set of experimental results.
Die Parabel als Bild der ganzen Funktion

Die Parabel habe in bezug auf das System O′ (Abb. 63) die Gleichung y′ = ax′ 2., Wir verschieben das Koordinatensystem parallel nach dem Punkte O (−h; −k), dann lautet die Gleichung der Parabel in bezug auf das Parallelsystem $$y - k = a{(x - h)^2}$$ (1) .
Trends in vital signs for Greater Yellowstone: application of a Wildland Health Index

The Earth's remaining tracts of wildlands are being altered by increased human pressure and climate change. Yet, there is no systematic approach for quantifying change in the ecological condition of wildland ecosystems. This paper applies a Wildland Health Index (WHI) to evaluate trends in ecological vital signs in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Components of the WHI include criteria for judging ecosystem health, vital signs consistent with these criteria, monitoring at spatial scales relevant to the ecosystem, evaluating trends in condition, and communicating with decision makers. The GYE, while large, intact, and with substantial management capacity, is undergoing increasing human pressure and climate change. Thus, assessment of trends in ecological health is needed to prioritize management. We synthesized current knowledge to evaluate trends in stressors and vital signs of ecosystem function, composition, and structure for 1970 to present and forecasted to 2100. Results were summarized in a WHI Scorecard to illustrate trends in the higher level vital signs of interest to policy makers. We found that human population has doubled, and housing density has tripled in the GYE since 1970 and both are projected to double again by 2050. Human development is now estimated to cover 31% of the GYE. Temperature has warmed 0.8°C since 1950 and is projected to increase 2.5–5.3°C by 2100. These changes in land use and climate have reduced snowpack and stream flows, increased stream temperatures, favored pest outbreaks and forest die‐off, fragmented habitat types, expanded invasive species, and reduced native fish populations. Large mammal populations, in contrast, have been increasing in numbers and expanding in range. These trends differ among land allocation types. The WHI Scorecard rated 6 of 9 vital signs as relatively stable or improving in national parks and designated wilderness. On private lands, in contrast, five vital signs were rated as deteriorating. Confidence in our evaluation is not high because of lack of monitoring across the full GYE. While the National Park Service has a rigorous monitoring program, fewer vital signs are tracked on other federal lands and still fewer on private lands. Thus, trends in ecological condition are not evaluated across the entire GYE nor widely reported in the media. We recommend that the WHI approach be systematically applied across the GYE and other large wildland ecosystems in the United States to better inform management to sustain these wildlands.
Total Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Target Identification of Rare Abies Sesquiterpenoids

Abiespiroside A (1), beshanzuenone C (2), and beshanzuenone D (3) belong to the Abies sesquiterpenoid family. Beshanzuenones C (2) and D (3) are isolated from the critically endangered Chinese fir tree species Abies beshanzuensis and demonstrated weak inhibiting activity against protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). We describe herein the first total syntheses of these Abies sesquiterpenoids relying on the sustainable and inexpensive chiral pool molecule (+)-carvone. The syntheses feature a palladium-catalyzed hydrocarbonylative lactonization to install the 6,6-fused bicyclic ring system and a Dreiding–Schmidt reaction to build the oxaspirolactone moiety of these target molecules. Our chemical total syntheses of these Abies sesquiterpenoids have enabled (i) the validation of beshanzuenone C’s weak PTP1B inhibiting potency, (ii) identification of new synthetic analogs with promising and selective protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 inhibiting potency, and (iii) preparation of azide-tagged probe molecules ...
How Does One Live the Good Life?: Assessing the State of Intersectionality in Public Policy

Public policy as an interdisciplinary science has enjoyed growth in its influence, stature in academia, and methodological sophistication. Public policy scholars have advanced knowledge in how we understand the emergence, determinants, and impacts of policy across a wide variety of geo-political, nation-state, and institutional contexts. The author contends that these scholars should more fully integrate an intersectional lens—one that would help elucidate how people see themselves, how they envision their life options, why they respond to public policies in the manner in which we observe in our empirical work, and, sometimes, how they emerge and function as leaders in their communities. The author reviews the origins of intersectionality as a conceptual and analytical framework, discusses why interest in it is growing among scholars, and provides two applied policy examples to illuminate how the field might benefit from deploying an intersectional lens.
Role of silicon in diatom metabolism. A silicon requirement for deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis in the diatom Cylindrotheca fusiformis Reimann and Lewin.

Silicon deprivation of young cells of C. fusiformis in light-dark synchronized cultures completely inhibited mitosis without affecting normal increase in volume. During the first 12 h of silicon starvation, all major cell constituents, including ribonucleic acid, increased by at least 75%; deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), however, increased by only 10%. Reintroduction of silicic acid to 12 h silicon-starved cells resulted in immediate stimulation of net DNA synthesis followed by mitosis, cytokinesis, cell wall formation and cell separation in 85% of the population. The cells were sensitive to inhibition of DNA synthesis during the first half of their division cycle. Approx. 50% of the silicon required for cell wall formation was sufficient to reverse the inhibition. Low concentrations of germanium inhibited mitosis and cell wall formation, but not DNA synthesis; high concentrations inhibited overall growth.
Carbon Influence on Fracture Toughness of Niobium Carbides

Abstract This paper explores the fracture behavior of niobium carbides of varying compositions between NbC1.0 and NbC0.5. The surface crack in flexure (SCF) method was used to evaluate the fracture toughness as a function of carbon concentration. Additionally, hardness measurements were conducted with a Knoop indenter, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to identify the phase content and microstructures. As the carbon content decreased, the hardness increased from 8 GPa for NbC1.0 to 12 GPa for NbC0.5 and the fracture toughness decreased from 2.5 MPa m to 0.44 MPa m . Notably, the NbC0.67 sample exhibited a secondary precipitate lath-like microstructure with the laths indexed to β-Nb2C and a KIC near 2 MPa m . Though similar lath like structures in tantalum carbides have been reported to yield a KIC of approximately 15 MPa m , the laths in these two materials have fundamentally different structures where bonding in the former is comprised of β-Nb2C and the latter of ζ-Ta4C3-x. This results in the observed different fracture properties, which can be explained through concepts of microstructural toughening.
Pioglitazone activates paraoxonase-2 in the brain: A novel neuroprotective mechanism.

Abstract Paraoxonase-2 regulates reactive oxygen species production in mitochondria. Stimulating its expression has therapeutic potential for diseases where oxidative stress plays a significant role in the pathology. Evidence suggests that the anti-diabetic drug pioglitazone may provide neuroprotection in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, brain trauma and ischemia, but the biochemical pathway(s) responsible has not been fully elucidated. Here we report that pioglitazone (10 mg/kg/day) for 5 days significantly increased paraoxonase-2 expression in mouse striatum. Thus, this result highlights paraoxonase-2 as a target for neuroprotective strategies and identifies pioglitazone as a tool to study the role of paraoxonase-2 in brain.
Effects of integrated application of plant-based compost and urea on soil food web, soil properties, and yield and quality of a processing carrot cultivar.

Soil nutrient management system characterized by reduced input of inorganic fertilizers integrated with organic amendments is one of the alternatives for reducing deleterious environmental impact of synthetic fertilizers, suppressing soil-borne pests and diseases, and improving soil health and crop yield. A hypothesis of the present study was that lower rates of urea mixed with higher rates of plant compost (PC) would improve nematode community structure, soil food web condition, soil biological, and physiochemical properties, and yield and quality of a processing carrot (Daucus carota) cultivar. Urea and PC were each applied at 135 kg nitrogen (N)/ha alone or at 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3 ratios annually during the 2012 to 2014 growing seasons. A non-amended check served as a control. Nematode community was analyzed from soil samples collected approximately 4-week intervals from planting to 133 days after planting each year. Soil respiration, as a measure of soil biological activity, and soil physiochemical properties were determined from soils collected at planting and at harvest in 2012 and 2013. Results showed that PC alone, and U1:PC1 resulted in soil food web structure significantly above 50 at harvest in 2014. Urea significantly decreased end-of-season soil pH, but increased NO3-N compared with the other treatments. While the herbivore population density was low, abundances of Tylenchus and Malenchus were negatively correlated with carrot fresh weight of marketable carrot. Overall, results suggest that integrating lower rates of urea and higher rates of PC are likely to increase soil biological activity, soil pH, and phosphorus content.
Psychiatric Presentations of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: A Case Report.

Abstract Background Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is part of a group of rapidly progressive incurable neurodegenerative disorders. CJD is commonly thought of as a neurological disorder but has a wide variety of clinical phenotypes including an initial presentation with psychiatric symptoms. Methods The authors describe a case of probable CJD with an atypical presentation of major depressive disorder (MDD). The literature surrounding the diagnosis and psychiatric manifestations of CJD is briefly reviewed. The following search terms were used: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, depression, catatonia, diagnosis. Approximately 30 sources were reviewed, 6 of which were cases of CJD mimicking depression and catatonia. Results A 61 year-old female presented with abrupt onset of MDD with psychosis and catatonic features, as well as broad cognitive deficits. Pharmacotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy were ineffective, with worsening of symptoms during hospitalization. Neurological workup was notable for basal ganglia and cortical abnormalities on magnetic resonance sequences and the presence of tau and 14-3-3 proteins in cerebrospinal fluid, consistent with probable CJD. Discussion CJD typically presents as a rapidly progressive dementia accompanied by myoclonus, pyramidal or extrapyramidal symptoms, visual/cerebellar dysfunction, or akinetic mutism. Diagnosis is made through clinical features and supporting findings on MRI, EEG, and CSF assays. Psychiatric and behavioral symptoms are now increasingly recognized as part of the clinical presentation. Hallucinations, paranoia, depression, and catatonia are some common manifestations, and often fail to respond to standard therapies.discussion Conclusion This case highlights the importance of maintaining a broad differential and consideration of CJD in late onset intractable psychiatric symptoms.
Novel homozygous variant in BMP1 associated with a rare osteogenesis imperfecta phenotype.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is characterized by bone fragility and increased fracture susceptibility. BMP1 variants have been reported in the rare OI type XIII, specifically referred to herein as BMP1-associated autosomal recessive (AR) OI. We report the clinical presentation and diagnostic evaluation of a patient found to have a novel homozygous variant in BMP1. We also provide an overview of reported BMP1 variants to date, with discussion focusing on the use of bisphosphonate therapy in these patients. A 7-year-old male with speech and motor delay sustained five bilateral tibial fractures with minimal trauma since age 2.5 years. At age 6, he developed severe back pain after a fall. Diffuse spinal osteopenia and multiple vertebral compression fractures (VCF) at T9, L1, L3, and L5 were identified. Total hip BMD was generous (adjusted Z-score* = 1.76), and femoral neck BMD was high (adjusted Z-score* = 2.67). VCFs precluded assessment of lumbar spine BMD. Genetic analysis identified a homozygous missense variant in exon 4 of BMP1 (c.C505T; p.Arg169Cys). Unlike most forms of OI, patients with BMP1-associated AR OI may have normal or paradoxically increased BMD, making BMD and fracture risk correlation difficult. While bisphosphonates (BP) may help reduce recurrent fractures and provide symptomatic relief, the broad phenotypic spectrum and underlying bone pathology, often in the setting of increased BMD, complicate management. HR-pQCT assessment of bone microarchitecture and quality may aid in the decision of BP therapy and subsequent monitoring. Evidence is limited with respect to the effectiveness of BP in this rare form of OI. *Z-score was adjusted for height Z-score.
We Can Do This: The Institute for Healthcare Improvement Adverse Drug Events Collaborative

Rewind to 1995, before Annenberg and the NPSF. “Patient safety” was not on many agendas, but methods to change systems to improve quality of care were beginning to be developed. Policy-makers and the healthcare establishment were slow to respond to the new information on the extent of medical error and our calls for a new approach, but one person instantly recognized the challenge: Don Berwick of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).
Changes Associated With the Entry of a Biosimilar in the Insulin Glargine Market.

This study explores the shifts in total US sales and net prices for all 3 insulin glargine products from quarter 1 of 2010 through quarter 2 of 2020.
Incidence of Burnout Among Female and Minority Faculty in Radiation Oncology and Medical Oncology.

Purpose/Objective(s) Physician burnout is a growing concern in medical practice with deleterious effects on physician wellbeing and patient outcomes. Multiple studies have shown an association between physician burnout and medical errors, lower patient satisfaction, and decreased professional work effort. The presence of burnout in oncology is well documented, however it is unclear if burnout affects gender and racial subgroups similarly in academic oncology. Materials/Methods We obtained Faculty Burnout data from a survey conducted between 2017-2020 by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The survey includes data from 19,363 faculty respondents (representing a 64% response rate). Data specific to radiation oncologists (RO) and medical oncologists (MO) were identified. Subgroup categories assessed were gender, race, and academic rank. A 2-tailed Z proportional test was utilized for statistical comparisons. Results There were 519 oncologists identified representing 45.8% RO and 54.2% MO. Effort distribution was noted to be similar between RO and MO specialties: patient care (47-56%), research (22-28%), teaching (9-10%), and administrative service/work (12-16%). Overall, 21% of RO and 26% of MO reported burnout symptoms; 43% of RO and 41% of MO reported feeling under stress; and 36% of RO and 33% of MO reported enjoying their work. Female RO reported burnout more often than their male counterparts (26% vs 18%; P Conclusion This modern-era study showed that symptoms of burnout were prevalent among RO and MO, with a low proportion of oncology faculty reporting satisfaction in their roles. We found an alarmingly higher incidence of burnout among female oncology physicians, and among minority faculty in RO. Our findings suggest that burnout mitigation interventions in oncology departments are either lacking or inadequate, with potentially adverse implications for faculty attrition among women and minorities.