cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cautiousness and Visual Selective Attention Performance Among Older Adults

Abstract Cautiousness has been implicated in the literature as a possible factor responsible for observed performance decrements among older adults in a number of research paradigms. This study sought to assess whether the speed and accuracy of performance on a perceptual-cognitive task (the Stroop Color-Word Interference Test) differed significantly for more and less cautious older adults. The participants (N = 41), ranging from 55 to 81 years of age, were classified as either more cautious (N = 20) or less cautious (n = 21) on the basis of their responses on a personality test. Results indicated that cautiousness among older adults was manifested more in terms of the accuracy of response (fewer errors of commission) than in terms of the speed of response, and that level of cautiousness increased with increasing age.
Flooding Responses and Water-use Efficiency of Subtropical and Tropical Fruit Trees in an Environmentally-sensitive Wetland

Abstract Agriculture is often viewed as having a negative impact on natural ecosystems. However, agriculture can contribute to maintaining these ecosystems by serving as a buffer between natural and urban areas. If agriculture is to coexist with the natural environment, crop production practices must be profitable and sustainable. This often requires optimizing crop productivity while minimizing agricultural inputs. The largest wetland restoration project in history is underway in the Florida Everglades to restore the natural ecosystem by increasing water flows to re-establish the natural hydrology. This area is also agriculturally unique because it is the only region in the continental United States where several species of subtropical and tropical fruit crops are commercially grown. In agricultural areas adjacent to Biscayne and Everglades National Parks in southern Florida, studies with subtropical and tropical fruit trees are currently aimed at keeping agriculture viable whilst having no negative impact on the natural wetland ecosystem. Research has focused on determining the effects of continuous and cyclical flooding on physiology and growth of the major subtropical and tropical fruit tree species grown in south Florida. Furthermore, attempts are being made to increase crop water-use efficiency to reduce chemical leaching into the aquifer. This is being done by continuously monitoring soil water content with multi-sensor electrical capacitance probes and adjusting the soil water content to reduce drainage and leaching of agricultural chemicals below the root zone and to avoid the onset of plant water stress. Crop research methodologies used in south Florida should be applicable to other areas of the world where sustainable agriculture may be the ‘best neighbour’ to environmentally-sensitive natural habitats.
A low complexity, fixed point channel estimator for 802.11a transceivers

We consider a wireless network system based on the IEEE 802.11a standard and propose a fixed point algorithm that has low computational complexity and is statistically optimal in a white Gaussian noise environment (minimum variance unbiased estimator). Simulation results in an exponentially decaying Rayleigh multipath fading channel, show that 10 bit precision is sufficient for the channel estimation algorithm, in order to get practically the same performance (packet error rate) as the corresponding floating point algorithm. This is achieved using a frequency domain window resulting in a complexity reduction of about 70% w.r.t. straight matrix-vector estimation approach
Tellus in, tellus out: the chemistry of the vanadium bis(telluride) functionality.

Die Aktivierung von elementarem Tellur mit Vanadium lieferte den Vanadium-Bis(tellurid)-Komplex [(PNP)V(Te)2] (siehe Struktur). Seine terminalen Tellurideinheiten konnen als Abgangs- oder Schutzgruppen fungieren, und sie maskieren {(PNP)VI}- oder {(PNP)VIII}-Fragmente, wenn sie Oxidationsmitteln wie Aziden und Diphenyldiazomethan ausgesetzt sind. Isocyanide vermitteln die Eliminierung eines Te-Liganden unter Bildung eines VIII-Komplexes mit einem terminalen Telluridliganden.
A 275 Gbps AES encryption accelerator using ROM-based S-boxes in 65nm

The implementation of the SubBytes (or S-Box) step of the AES algorithm significantly contributes to the area, delay, and power of AES accelerators. Unlike typical logic gate S-Box implementations, we use full-custom 256×8-bit ROMs, which significantly improve performance and efficiency. We implemented a fully-unrolled, pipelined AES-128 encryption accelerator using ROM-based S-Boxes in 65nm bulk CMOS which operates at 2.2GHz and consumes 523mW at 1.0V, 27°C. In counter-mode operation (CTR), the throughput is 275.2Gbps, which is 5.2x higher than the highest ever reported in the literature to our knowledge.
XLIX.—Descriptions and records of bees.—LXXXII

(1918). XLIX.—Descriptions and records of bees.—LXXXII. Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Vol. 2, No. 12, pp. 476-482.
Visions: Bibliographic instruction? More than ever!

Abstract Information competency involves more than computer literacy. It not only involves how to access information, wherever it is stored and how; it requires an awareness of what information is available, how it is organized, how it is intended to be used, and how it can contribute to wealth-generating efforts in specific situations. This is a cerebral activity that requires education and training— Paul G. Zurkowski, President, Information Industry Association .
Statistical Methods in Structural Fatigue

Because of the scatter of fatigue test data, statistical methods are required for the interpretation of the data. A method, which features the Weibull distribution as the basic statistical model, is analyzed. This point estimation method is applicable in cases where the sample sizes are relatively large. Methods for estimating the parameters for the two and three parameter Weibull distributions are summarized. Furthermore, estimates of the confidence intervals for the parameters in the case of the two-parameter family are presented. The paper is a state-of-the-art summary of the methods of employing the Weibull distribution for analysis of experimental data with emphasis on practical application.
Development of Regional Measurement Methods: The Context for Quantifying Influence and Impact

Many urban areas, in both developed and developing countries, have been subject to the forces of relatively uncontrolled expansion and sprawl. While the political, social and economic drivers of sprawl may not affect urban areas identically around the world, all urban areas rely on suburban, rural, and other less densely settled lands to supply the resources necessary for their existence. Sprawling land patterns have changed the regional balance between land dedicated to resource consumption (urban areas) and resource production (rural areas), a balance essential to the long-term sustainability of human systems.
Adaptive feedback linearization of a hypersonic vehicle using ES-MRAC

We apply a recently developed method of adaptive control known as Extremum Seeking Model Reference Adaptive Control (ES-MRAC) to a hypersonic vehicle model. The system under consideration is a two input, two output nonlinear model of a hypersonic vehicle. The method is based on the use of extremum seeking (ES) optimization for adaptation. Instead of deriving an adaptation law as in mainstream adaptive control methods, ES-MRAC calculates the update law in realtime. We investigate the behavior of the method in simulations.
Supersonic Retropropulsion Experimental Results from the NASA Ames 9- x 7-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel

Supersonic retropropulsion was experimentally examined in the Ames Research Center 9x7-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel at Mach 1.8 and 2.4. The experimental model, previously designed for and tested in the Langley Research Center Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at Mach 2.4, 3.5 and 4.6, was a 5-in diameter 70-deg sphere-cone forebody with a 9.55-in long cylindrical aftbody. The forebody was designed to accommodate up to four 4:1 area ratio nozzles, one on the model centerline and the other three on the half radius spaced 120-deg apart. Surface pressure and flow visualization were the primary measurements, including high-speed data to investigate the dynamics of the interactions between the bow and nozzle shocks. Three blowing configurations were tested with thrust coefficients up to 10 and angles of attack up to 20-deg. Preliminary results and observations from the test are provided
DIFFERENTIATION AND INTEGRATION OF THE GENOME IN POPULATIONS OF THE MARINE COPEPOD TIGRIOPUS CALIFORNICUS.

Geographically separated populations of the intertidal copepod Tigriopus californicus are sharply differentiated at several enzyme-encoding gene loci. Two studies were performed to investigate the extent to which the gene pools of local populations are organized into harmoniously interacting (or "coadapted") gene complexes. In the first, the effects of interpopulation hybridization on development time were assessed. Results showed that while F1 hybrids did not differ from parental lines, mean F2 developmental times were as much as 50% longer. The second study used two unlinked enzyme polymorphisms as genetic markers to determine the genotypic specificity of F2 hybrid breakdown. For two sets of parental populations, the relative viabilities of the different two-locus genotypes were determined from segregation ratios among the F2 progeny. Sharp deviations from Mendelian ratios were observed; in the extreme, a block of genes marked by the MeF allozyme from the LJ (La Jolla) population was found to be nearly lethal when homozygous in the F2 of LJ × AB (Los Angeles) crosses. This same block of genes had a tenfold higher viability in crosses between LJ and SC (Santa Cruz). In the AB × LJ crosses, the two marker loci had independent (multiplicative) effects on viability. In the SC × LJ crosses, deviations from the multiplicative model were observed; the data indicate that parental homozygous genotypes have higher viability than predicted by independence, while nonparental homozygotes have lower than predicted viability. These results suggest that substantial integration of the genome has occurred within natural T. californicus populations.
Management of Cancer of the Prostate

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer among men; 25 percent of men with prostate cancer die of the disease1. Moreover, many patients who do not die of prostate cancer require treatment to ameliorate symptoms such as pain, bleeding, and urinary obstruction. Thus, prostate cancer is also a major cause of suffering and of health care expenditures. The high rate of mortality from prostate cancer may be due to late detection. In recent studies, screening for prostate cancer has combined the measurement of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) -- the most accurate single test for the . . .
The conscience of a fugitive: sheldon wolin and the prospects for radical democracy

AbstractAmidst increasing and seemingly intransigent inequalities, unresponsive institutions, and illegible patterns of social change, political theorists are increasingly faced with questions about the viability of democracy in the contemporary age. One of the most prominent voices within this conversation has been that of Sheldon Wolin. Wolin has famously argued that democracy is a ‘fugitive’ experience with an inherently temporary character. Critics have pounced on this concept, rejecting it as an admission of defeat or despair that is at odds with the formation of democratic counter-power. In this article, I push back against this view of fugitive democracy. I do so by contextualizing the idea within Wolin’s broader democratic theory, and especially his idea of the ‘multiple civic self’, in order to give a more coherent form to a conception of citizenship often concealed by the attention given to the supposedly momentary nature of democracy. This all too common misreading of fugitive democracy has sig...
Improving Cancer Risk Awareness Including Obesity as a Risk Factor for Cancer in a Small U.S. Community

Obesity is a risk for certain types of cancer; however, awareness of obesity as a risk factor for cancer is low. This study evaluated increases in cancer risk awareness, including obesity as a risk factor for cancer, from a quasi-experimental intervention that provided educational materials and community reinforcement for healthy living. The study uses data on participant’s awareness of cancer risk factors along with sociodemographic variables collected from in-person surveys (N = 863) at baseline (June 2011) and post intervention (June 2012). The average awareness that overweight and obesity are risk factors for cancer was low (35 %) compared to chewing tobacco (92 %), using tanning bed (73 %), and sunburn (97 %) at baseline. The intervention significantly increased participants’ awareness that overweight and obesity are risk factors for cancer. Based on regression analysis, the unadjusted intervention effect on cancer risk awareness was significant: 0.392 ± 0.165 (p value = 0.020) for matched participants and 0.282 ± 0.125 (p value = 0.024) for community participants. The adjusted intervention effect was significant in the matched participants (0.528 ± 0.189, p value = 0.006). Education, income, gender, and age had a significant impact on cancer risk awareness for the community participants. The results show that community intervention that incorporates community reinforcement can have the desired effect regardless of differences at participant level. Such interventions could be used to prevent cancer risk in communities that are at high risk.
Multiple Threats to Child Health from Fossil Fuel Combustion: Impacts of Air Pollution and Climate Change

Background:Approaches to estimating and addressing the risk to children from fossil fuel combustion have been fragmented, tending to focus either on the toxic air emissions or on climate change. Ye...
The Wagers of Whiteness, The Wagers of Blackness Gambling and Race in Pudd'nhead Wilson

"The Wagers of Whiteness, The Wagers of Blackness" analyzes the late nineteenth-century erosion of African Americans' newly acquired citizenship rights by turning to the relationship between gambling, property, and slavery in Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894). Tom Driscoll's ever-present gambling debts turn him into a thief, and his thefts not only make him unfit to inherit the Driscoll fortune, but also ultimately unmask him as, in Twain's words, "a negro and a slave." Tom's thefts come to constitute blackness as the theft of whiteness, and the novel thus renders racial difference visible through property relationships. This connection prompts a reinterpretation of Plessy v. Ferguson specifically as a property claim: Homer Plessy argued that segregation deprived him of the property of his reputation of being a white man. Juxtaposing Plessy's denied property claim to the Supreme Court's commitment at the close of the nineteenth century to the protection of property rights, this paper shows how race remained articulated in and through a language of property even as biological discourses about racial difference came to the fore.
Characterization of the cutaneous mycobiota in healthy and allergic cats using next generation sequencing.

Background Next generation sequencing (NGS) studies have demonstrated a diverse skin-associated microbiota and microbial dysbiosis associated with atopic dermatitis in people and in dogs. The skin of cats has yet to be investigated using NGS techniques. Hypothesis/Objectives We hypothesized that the fungal microbiota of healthy feline skin would be similar to that of dogs, with a predominance of environmental fungi, and that fungal dysbiosis would be present on the skin of allergic cats. Animals Eleven healthy cats and nine cats diagnosed with one or more cutaneous hypersensitivity disorders, including flea bite, food-induced and nonflea nonfood-induced hypersensitivity. Methods Healthy cats were sampled at twelve body sites and allergic cats at six sites. DNA was isolated and Illumina sequencing was performed targeting the internal transcribed spacer region of fungi. Sequences were processed using the bioinformatics software QIIME. Results The most abundant fungal sequences from the skin of all cats were classified as Cladosporium and Alternaria. The mucosal sites, including nostril, conjunctiva and reproductive tracts, had the fewest number of fungi, whereas the pre-aural space had the most. Allergic feline skin had significantly greater amounts of Agaricomycetes and Sordariomycetes, and significantly less Epicoccum compared to healthy feline skin. Conclusions The skin of healthy cats appears to have a more diverse fungal microbiota compared to previous studies, and a fungal dysbiosis is noted in the skin of allergic cats. Future studies assessing the temporal stability of the skin microbiota in cats will be useful in determining whether the microbiota sequenced using NGS are colonizers or transient microbes.
Emotional Modulation of the Late Positive Potential during Picture Free Viewing in Older and Young Adults.

Hedonic bias during free viewing of novel emotional and neutral scenes was investigated in older adults and college students. A neurophysiological index of emotional picture processing–the amplitude of the centroparietal late positive potential (LPP)–was recorded from the scalp using a dense sensor array while participants (29 older adults; 21 college students) viewed emotionally engaging or mundane natural scenes that varied in specific content. Both students and older adults showed LPP enhancement when viewing affective, compared to neutral, scenes, and there was no difference in LPP amplitude between older individuals and college students when viewing neutral everyday scenes. However, compared to the college students, older individuals showed attenuated LPP amplitude when viewing emotional scenes, regardless of hedonic valence or specific content. Age related differences could be mediated by a reduction in reactive emotional arousal with age, possible mediated by repeated life exposure to emotional stimuli.
Raising the Bar on Teacher Quality: Assessing the Impact of Increasing Licensure Exam Cut-Scores.

State policy makers are constantly looking for ways to improve teacher quality. An oft tried method is to increase the rigor of licensure exams. This study utilizes state administrative data from A...
On Their Own: Freelance Photojournalists in Conflict Zones

The recession increased media organizations' reliance on freelance photojournalists, while affecting the support they receive covering conflict zones. This study investigates freelance and staff photojournalists' perception of support they receive and whether that affects content produced. Grounded theory was used to analyze nine in-depth interviews with freelance and staff photojournalists. The research found that freelance photojournalists receive less than sufficient support. Both believe that support systems improve their coverage in conflict zones.
Household air pollution as a silent killer: women’s status and solid fuel use in developing nations

Household air pollution is a leading cause of death globally, as 4.3 million people die prematurely each year from illness attributable to use of solid fuels (WHO 2016a). Many studies contend that gender inequalities are likely to greatly shape the global distribution of solid fuel use and its negative health consequences. We conduct an analysis of 91 developing nations using structural equation models on the prevalence of female indoor air pollution deaths among women and the ratio of female to male indoor air pollution deaths. The results illustrate that women’s status is a robust predictor of solid fuel use, and that improved women’s status also correlates directly with lower female to male indoor air pollution deaths ratios and indirectly with reduced female death prevalence through lower solid fuel dependence. Women’s status additionally mediates the effects of some other notable predictors, such as economic development. Overall, the results bring attention to a “silent killer” in less-developed nations and illustrate that greater female empowerment is an important avenue in addressing this global pandemic.
Effect of dust dispersion on particle breakage and size distribution in the minimum ignition energy apparatus

Abstract For dust explosion studies, some of the standard parameters are the maximum overpressure (P max ) and deflagration index (K st ). These parameters are typically measured with a 20-L dust explosion apparatus in accordance with ASTM standard (ASTM E 1226). Another important parameter is the minimum ignition energy (MIE), which is found using the MIKE3 MIE apparatus, according to the ASTM E2019-03 (2013) standard. Recent studies have shown that the dispersion system for the required dust cloud formation in the standard 20-L apparatus induces significant mechanical shear, resulting in breakage of dust particles. Therefore, the explosion parameters obtained (P max and K st ) are not representative of the original dust size distribution prior to testing. In this work, the influence of dust dispersion on particle size distribution and particle breakage in a standard minimum ignition energy apparatus (Kuhner MIKE3) is presented and compared to a 36-L dust explosion apparatus. The 36-L dust explosion apparatus was developed at the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center, Texas A&M University to give similar P max , K st results to that of a standard 20-L apparatus. Previous work has shown that similar particle breakage occurs in 36-L and 20-L apparatus. Anthraquinone, Ascorbic Acid, and Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) were used to achieve the goals of the current study. The results show particle breakage due to dispersion does not occur in the MIKE3 MIE apparatus. However, a minor portion of smaller particles can escape the Hartmann tube through the top lid, stick to the Hartmann tube and become trapped in the crevasses around and under the electrode. Additionally, it was found that for electrostatic materials such as Acetaminophen, the particle size distribution shifts significantly as the particles stick to the Hartmann tube. Thus, these particles are not part of the dust cloud, which can lead to erroneous minimum ignition energy results.
JOINT FACULTY APPOINTMENTS: AN ADMINISTRATIVE DILEMMA IN CHICANO STUDIES

A comprehensive proposal for an academic program in Chicano Studies for the University of California, Santa Barbara, was submitted to the Executive Committee of the College of Letters and Science on April A, 1969. The program evolved from an extensive investigation of the assessed needs of the local Chicano community, the role of the University toward that community, and the general responsibility of the University to the student community with respect to educational and research endeavors related to the Chicano.
Backsourcing: Failure of Strategy Change or Signal of Strategic Flexibility

Backsourcing is the full or partial reinternalization of a firm’s previously outsourced activity. This phenomenon occurs when the firm terminates its outsourcing contract before completion or does ...
Cardiometabolic outcomes and mortality in medically treated primary aldosteronism: a retrospective cohort study

Summary Background Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists are the recommended medical therapy for primary aldosteronism. Whether this recommendation effectively reduces cardiometabolic risk is not well understood. We aimed to investigate the risk of incident cardiovascular events in patients with primary aldosteronism treated with MR antagonists compared with patients with essential hypertension. Methods We did a cohort study using patients from a research registry from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and their affiliated partner hospitals. We identified patients with primary aldosteronism using International Classification of Disease, 9th and 10th Revision codes, who were assessed between the years 1991–2016 and were at least 18 years of age. We excluded patients who underwent surgical adrenalectomy, had a previous cardiovascular event, were not treated with MR antagonists, or had no follow-up visits after study entry. From the same registry, we identified a population with essential hypertension that was frequency matched by decade of age at study entry. We extracted patient cohort data and collated it into a de-identified database. The primary outcome was an incident cardiovascular event, defined as a composite of incident myocardial infarction or coronary revascularisation, hospital admission with congestive heart failure, or stroke, which was assessed using adjusted Cox regression models. Secondary outcomes were the individual components of the composite cardiovascular outcome, as well as incident atrial fibrillation, incident diabetes, and death. Findings We identified 602 eligible patients with primary aldosteronism treated with MR antagonists and 41 853 age-matched patients with essential hypertension from the registry. The two groups of patients had comparable cardiovascular risk profiles and blood pressure throughout the study. The incidence of cardiovascular events was higher in patients with primary aldosteronism on MR antagonists than in patients with essential hypertension (56·3 [95% CI 48·8–64·7] vs 26·6 [26·1–27·2] events per 1000 person-years, adjusted hazard ratio 1·91 [95% CI 1·63–2·25]; adjusted 10-year cumulative incidence difference 14·1 [95% CI 10·1–18·0] excess events per 100 people). Patients with primary aldosteronism also had higher adjusted risks for incident mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1·34 [95% CI 1·06–1·71]), diabetes (1·26 [1·01–1·57]), and atrial fibrillation (1·93 [1·54–2·42]). Compared with essential hypertension, the excess risk for cardiovascular events and mortality was limited to patients with primary aldosteronism whose renin activity remained suppressed ( Interpretation The current practice of MR antagonist therapy in primary aldosteronism is associated with significantly higher risk for incident cardiometabolic events and death, independent of blood pressure control, than for patients with essential hypertension. Titration of MR antagonist therapy to raise renin might mitigate this excess risk. Funding US National Institutes of Health.
sp3 C–H activation via exo-type directing groups

The application of exo-type directing groups (DGs) has led to the discovery of a wide range of novel C(sp3)–H activation methods, which allow efficient and site-selective functionalization of alcohol and amide derivatives. In this mini-review we discuss the challenges of this field and summarize the achievements, including DG designs, reaction discoveries and mechanistic studies.
Rolling and scrolling: The portrayal of marijuana cigars (blunts) on YouTube.

Background: Blunts are partially or fully hollowed-out cigars or cigarillos that are filled with marijuana. Despite the high prevalence of blunt use, very few studies assess this specific method of...
A novel paternally-inherited MYH7 gene variant in brothers with left ventricular non-compaction

Abstract We report the cases of two Caucasian brothers who both have the same paternally-inherited heterozygous MYH7 gene variant, R1832H. The defect was detected by whole exome sequence analysis. Both brothers presented with varying degrees of skeletal myopathy and left ventricular non-compaction. Variants in the MYH7 gene are associated with autosomal dominant forms of skeletal and cardiac myopathies. And in silico models predict this specific R1832H variant has a deleterious effect on protein structure suggesting it is likely disease-causing.
Highly Stretchable Supercapacitors Enabled by Interwoven CNTs Partially Embedded in PDMS

We present flexible and stretchable supercapacitors composed of interwoven carbon nanotubes (CNTs) embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates. CNTs are grown using atmospheric-pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) on a Si/SiO2 substrate and then partially embedded into PDMS. This unique process permits a rapid and facile integration of the interwoven CNT–PDMS structure as a flexible and stretchable supercapacitor electrode with a high level of integrity under various strains. The electrochemical properties of the supercapacitors are measured in 30% KOH solution and with a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)–KOH gel electrolyte (i.e., all-solid-state flexible supercapacitor). The measured capacitance of the supercapacitor is 0.6 mF/cm2 in 30% KOH solution and is 0.3 mF/cm2 with a PVA–KOH gel electrolyte at a scan rate of 100 mV/s, showing a consistent performance under stretching from 0% to 200% and bending/twisting angles from 0° to 180°. The stretching test is performed for 200 cycles from 0% to 100%,...
Efficient spectrum summarization using compressed spectrum scans

We present AirPress, a spectrum scan compression method that leverages wavelet decomposition for lossy compression of spectrum data and allows up to 64:1 compression ratio of power spectral density traces without adversely impacting the spectrum summarization accuracy. We demonstrate the utility of AirPress on real-world spectrum measurements and show that it enables high-accuracy spectrum summarization of real-world transmitters while reducing the corresponding trace by 94%.
Role of Brain Microenvironment in Brain Metastases

The development of brain metastasis portends a grave prognosis for patients with systemic cancer. Efforts to alter the course of this disease have been hampered by a poor understanding of the biology of the metastatic process. Recent insights into the biologic determinants of this process aided by advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have altered the basic concepts of our understanding of how cancer cells metastasize to distant organs. These findings have validated and extended the “seed and soil” hypothesis emphasizing a critical role for the microenvironment of the target organ in the development of metastatic lesions. The brain microenvironment has unique characteristics that distinguish it from other organs of the body. Hence, therapeutic strategies to target the interaction between the metastatic tumor cell and the brain require a clear understanding of the molecular and anatomic features that influence this process. Recent studies have revealed an intricate and often facilitatory interaction between these elements of the brain metastatic process. These findings may allow the development of targeted therapies that in combination with therapeutic strategies against systemic malignancies hold promise to improve the prognosis of patients with brain metastases.
Hunting by the Hunted: Optimal Prey Selection by Foragers under Predation Hazard

In nature, foraging animals are members of food webs, in which a given forager seeks to consume other organisms, and might itself be eaten by other predators. Studies of diet choice usually focus on a forager and “lower” levels in the web, i. e. the forager and its potential prey. This focus on the forager and its prey has indeed been a very effective line of research. In particular, the classic model based on the premise of maximizing the long-term rate of energetic gain (Equation 1, below) has been especially useful in empirical work (Stephens and Krebs 1987), and energy maximization remains a cornerstone of heuristic and practical approaches to predicting habitat and diet choice.
Testing Language Proficiency in India: Some Problematic Issues

This paper discusses some important issues associated with language testing in multilingual and pluricultural India. It attempts to cover some of the pedagogic and sociolinguistic issues confronting language testing in India. This is not to suggest that all problematic issues have been taken care of here. In addition, some problems are general in nature and refer to different languages and some are specific only to Hindi. Although the discussion centers around Hindi, it applies equally well to other Indian languages. We have tried to refer to other language situations wherever it is relevant.
Daily Shortwave Energy Budget over the Ocean from Geostationary Satellite Measurements

Gautier et al, 1980 have developed a physical model to estimate the incident solar radiation at the surface (insolation) from geostationary satellite visible brightness measurements in clear and cloudy conditions. This model, initially developed for estimating insolation over land, uses well calibrated high resolution hourly visible images. Here we present some preliminary results obtained by applying this model to the SMS-1 data over the GATE area where ship shortwave radiation measurements are available for comparison. These preliminary satellite estimates of hourly and daily shortwave energy budget compare favorably with the ship measurements. The results presented show the potential of such a technique to derive the climatology of insolation and shortwave energy budget over the tropical oceans.
Microvascular Permeability and Tumor Metastasis

Angiogenesis and microvascular hyperpermeability are two critical processes for tumor growth and metastasis. Although various anti-angiogenic therapies have been postulated to inhibit tumor growth and intravasation since the early 1970s, strategies targeting at microvascular hyperpermeability to prevent tumor cell adhesion and extravasation have not been well developed. The vascular endothelium forming the microvessel wall and the glycocalyx layer at its surface are the principal barriers to, and regulators of, the material exchange between circulating blood and body tissues. The cleft between adjacent endothelial cells (interendothelial cleft) is the principal pathway for water and solute transport through the microvessel wall in health. It is also suggested to be the pathway for high molecular weight plasma proteins, leukocytes, and tumor cells across microvessel walls in disease. Thus this review first introduces the mathematical models for transport of water and solutes through the interendothelial cleft. These models, combined with the experimental results from in vivo animal studies and electron microscopic observations, are used to evaluate the role of the endothelial surface glycocalyx, the junction strand geometry in the interendothelial cleft, and the surrounding extracellular matrix and tissue cells, as the determinants of microvascular transport. The second part of the review demonstrates how changes in microvascular permeability and blood flow affect tumor cell adhesion in in vivo and in vitro model systems. The role of integrin signaling during tumor cell adhesion is also discussed.
History, development, and current status of food safety systems worldwide.

Immediately following the 1993 Jack-in-the-Box outbreak caused by Escherichia coli O157:H7, the United States began to look for a more robust regulatory food safety system than previously employed. In the same time frame in the United Kingdom, an outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) eroded public trust in the food safety systems of Western Europe. As a result, there was increased interest in implementing the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system worldwide. Although the ideas incorporated into HACCP principles were developed decades earlier, the 1990s saw a focus on implementation of the system throughout developed food production systems based on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF)’s seven principles which were subsequently mostly adapted by Codex Alimentarious. During this period of time, there were increased governments and private companies that required HACCP implementation. In the United States alone, HACCP was estimated to reduce foodborne illness by 20% during the 7 yr after its implementation. During HACCP adoption, many food retail and foodservice purchasers also developed additional unique specifications that suppliers had to adhere to in order to market their products, the idea being to improve consumer confidence in food safety management systems. This resulted in creation of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) system for benchmarking additional voluntary food safety management standards against preferred methods for reducing foodborne illnesses (first in Europe, and later adopted in the United States and globally) which reduced redundancy and helped us to bring global consistency to food safety. Although developed countries now mostly all adhere to core HACCP principles of food safety, ideas dealing with traceability, vulnerability to food fraud, and intentional adulteration are now being considered to further bolster food safety. On the other hand, developing countries appear to have had varied success in implementing similar food safety management systems, and many countries still struggle with high numbers of foodborne illnesses. At the broadest level, the HACCP system is a preventive-based method for assuring food product safety. Biological, physical, and chemical hazards can be prevented, reduced, or eliminated through this system. In addition to the management of hazards, record keeping demonstrating adherence to HACCP is included in the system.
Parenting in the Context of Children's Chronic Pain: Balancing Care and Burden

Parents of youth with chronic health conditions encounter numerous challenges in supporting their children across pediatric treatment contexts. Structural barriers to care, such as access issues and coordinating care across school, health, and family settings, can exacerbate challenges to daily functioning. Parents are often concomitantly managing their child’s chronic condition, their own health care needs, work and family demands. For these parents, accomplishing a manageable “work-life balance” feels elusive, if not impossible, when a chronic health condition is part of family life. Based on a recent symposium presentation, combined perspectives from the disciplines of pediatric psychology, parenting, and human development and family studies consider key challenges and opportunities to assist parent coping with stress associated with caregiving amidst pervasive changes in healthcare service delivery. Two innovative interventions to support parents in both an outpatient (“Parents as Coping Coaches”) and an inpatient (“Putting Parents FIRST”) context are described, with commonalities and unique aspects highlighted for each. These programs are considered in reference to a rapidly changing healthcare landscape, growing focus on the family as a core context for care, and importance of parent/caregiver self-care and crucial role in supporting children’s long-term health and resiliency.
“Music is life”: Identity, challenge, and passion in the occupational patterns of male young adult rock musicians

This qualitative study examined the occupational experiences of young adult rock musicians using first-hand accounts solicited through semi-structured interviews. Participants included nine male ro...
Sino-Russian cooperation against liberal hegemony

Sino-Russian security and economic cooperation has broadened and deepened in nonlinear but progressive fashion since the late 1990s. Contra realism, it is not simply American material power that drives this increasing cooperation; US power has at best remained constant. Instead, two conditions combine to deepen Sino-Russian cooperation. First, enduring liberal hegemony, or a combination of material power, prestige, and the ability to set and enforce rules, makes America threatening, under broad conditions, to any authoritarian regime’s domestic power and foreign influence. Hegemony is an interaction of material power and ideas; each augments the other. Second is the steady 20-year movement of Russia’s regime under Vladimir Putin away from liberal democracy. These two conditions make cooperation on either side of the liberal–nonliberal ideological divide increasingly easier than cooperation across it. Several types of qualitative evidence support these claims, including: (1) private and public statements from both Beijing and Moscow on the liberal-democratic threat; (2) specific deepening of bilateral cooperation after the Ukrainian revolution of 2014; (3) efforts by Moscow and Beijing to counter liberal hegemony’s spread in their regions; (4) the tendency for anti-liberal elites in neighboring states to cooperate more with China or Russia. I address realist counter-arguments skeptical of any systematic causal role for ideology. Insofar as America tires of its role as liberal hegemon, or the “China Model” becomes so prestigious as to threaten the Putin regime, the impetus to Sino-Russian cooperation identified here will fade.
Chapter 113 – Store-Operated Calcium Channels

Publisher Summary Many signaling pathways involve the generation of cytoplasmic Ca2+ signals. These Ca2+ signals arise as a result of the Ca2+-mobilizing actions of the intracellular messenger, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. A variety of mechanisms are responsible for this entry of Ca2+. The physiological mechanism for depleting stores and activating capacitative calcium entry generally involves IP3-mediated discharge of Ca2+ stores; a number of experimental manipulations can bypass receptor activation to empty Ca2+ stores. There is very strong evidence that the signaling pathway for Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel activation begins with the Ca2+ sensor, Stim1, and culminates in the activation of channels composed partly or wholly of Orai subunits. The precise means of communication between Stim1 and Orai channels is presently unknown. Studies provide evidence that Orai brings to the complex with Stim1 an additional but mysterious protein that is considerably larger than either Orai or Stim1. This key issue will no doubt be the focus of intense investigation in the near future.
After Ethnos: by Tobias Rees, Durham and London, Duke University Press, 2018, $24.95 (paperback), ISBN: 9781478000808

After Ethnos represents a self-consciously provocative intervention, announcing nothing less than a far-reaching ‘metamorphosis’ of the discipline of anthropology (11). Rees proclaims the exhaustio...
Research on Risk Assessment Method of Distribution Network with Distributed Generation Based on Latin Hypercube Sampling

With the access of distributed generation (DG), the structure of distribution network will be changed. Due to intermittent and randomness of the output of DG, it will bring risk to distribution system. In order to realize risk quantitative assessment of distribution network with DG, the outage model of DG and other component of distribution network are built firstly. Second, Latin hypercube sampling method which has smaller variance and faster convergence is proposed to sample and sort the system states. Then a risk assessment process with island isolation of distribution network with DG is proposed. According to the sampling result, the risk indexes are calculated and the risk level classification criteria is proposed in the paper. Finally, the rationality and effectiveness of blackout risk assessment method is verified with IEEE 39-bus distribution network. The simulation results show that the proposed method has smaller variance and faster convergence.
Child and adolescent asynchronous technology competencies for clinical care and training: Scoping review.

Objective: Asynchronous technologies such as mobile health, e-mail, e-consult, and social media are being added to in-person and synchronous service delivery. To ensure quality care, clinicians need skills, knowledge, and attitudes related to technology that can be measured. This study sought out competencies for asynchronous technologies and/or an approach to define them. Methods: This 6-stage scoping review of Pubmed/Medline, APA PsycNET, PsycINFO and other databases was based on a broad research question, "What skills are needed for clinicians and trainees to provide quality care using asynchronous technologies for children and adolescents, and how can they be made measurable to implement, teach and evaluate?" The search focused on key words in 4 concept areas: (a) competencies; (b) asynchronous technology; (c) synchronous telepsychiatry, telebehavioral or telemental health; and (d) clinical. The screeners reviewed the full-text articles based on inclusion (mesh of the key words) and exclusion criteria. Results: From a total of 5,877 potential references, 2 authors found 509 eligible for full text review and found 110 articles directly relevant to the concepts. Clinical studies discuss clinical, technical and administrative workflow rather than competencies, though behavioral health professions' position statements advise on adapting care and training. Existing technology competencies for video, social media, mobile health, and other asynchronous technologies were used to build a framework. Training, faculty development, and organizational suggestions are suggested. Conclusions: Research is needed on how to implement and evaluate asynchronous competencies to ensure quality clinical care and training, which is a paradigm shift for participants. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Epidemiology of gallbladder cancer in the Unites States: a population-based study

Background Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most common neoplasm of the biliary tract with the lowest rates of survival. Most GBCs are adenocarcinomas that arise from the epithelial lining of the gallbladder. There are limited data in the literature regarding the epidemiology of GBC. Using a large database, we aim to describe the epidemiology using a US population database. Methods A multi-institutional database (Explorys Inc., Cleveland, OH, USA) was surveyed. A cohort of patients with a primary malignant neoplasm of gallbladder between 1999-2019 was identified. The prevalence rate was calculated and age-, race-, and sex-based distributions were described. Multivariate analysis was done to evaluate underlying associations. Results Of the 56,197,690 individuals in the database, 4,790 individuals with GBC were identified with a prevalence rate of 8.5 per 100,000. Asian race has the highest prevalence of GBC (13.6/100,000). Patients with GBC were also more likely to be smokers, have a history of alcohol abuse, obesity, diabetes, cholelithiasis, chronic cholecystitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and chronic viral hepatitis. Conclusions This is one of the largest US population studies to date evaluating the epidemiology of GBC. The 20-year period prevalence rate of GBC was 8.5 per 100,000. Patients with GBC were more likely to be elderly, females, obese, diabetic, and have chronic hepatobiliary disorders.