cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Steep-front electric stress phenomena on the electric insulation in pulsed rotating generators incorporating fast magnetic flux compression

The effect of steep-front, very large electric stress phenomena on the dielectric insulation designs for pulsed rotating electrical generators, incorporating rapid magnetic flux compression features, powering hypervelocity electromagnetic accelerators for industrial metal deposition is of primordial importance for the insulation integrity, and could lead to a very early system failure. A transient, nonlinear electric field, Finite Element Method (FEM) has been demonstrated, in order to evaluate such complex dielectric stress occurrence. Formally and fundamentally, the magnetic flux compression rotating generators operate exclusively in fast transient regime. Transient surges appearing in the excitation generate extremely steep pulses at high frequencies, leading to high voltages in interplay with complex reflection and resonance effects in the magnetic flux compressor, hypervelocity accelerator and, due to impedance mismatch in the connections, and look amazingly similar to dielectric phenomena in electric machines, and systems struck by lightning. The large amount of data involving power systems under lightning conditions could be used as the other term in the treatment, for optimal design which represents the scope and the main contribution of this research.
CARBON CYCLING AND SOIL CARBON STORAGE IN MESIC TO WET HAWAIIAN MONTANE FORESTS

Global surveys have shown that increased precipitation in mesic to wet ecosystems increases soil carbon storage, but it is not clear how changes in water availability act to affect soil carbon since water is generally in excess of plant demand within these humid ecosystems. Differences in precipitation can affect soil carbon storage either by altering the biotic processes involved in carbon cycling or by altering abiotic processes such as carbon adsorption on soil minerals. We compared the relative effect of water on net primary productivity and decomposition, and on soil weathering and mineralogy in controlling soil carbon storage in forests. Patterns of ecosystem carbon cycling and soil carbon storage were measured in Hawaiian montane forest sites similar in temperature regime, parent material, ecosystem age, vegetation, and topographical relief, while mean annual precipitation alone varied from 2200 to .5000 mm/yr. Soil carbon storage ranged from 30.9 to 62.5 kg/m 2 and increased by a factor of 1.7 with increased precipitation across the gradient. Neither changes in total secondary minerals nor noncrystalline mineral content could explain increased soil carbon as both decreased with increasing precipitation. Above- ground net primary productivity, soil carbon dioxide flux, and plant litter decomposition rates also decreased with increased precipitation. These data suggest that increased soil carbon storage was not stimulated by an increase in net primary productivity, but instead by a decrease in decomposition rates. Decreased decomposition rates corresponded with low soil reduction-oxidation potentials, suggesting that soil oxygen availability was limiting to microbes. While soil oxygen did not appear to affect plant growth directly, the decline in net primary productivity corresponded with decreased nitrogen availability, a conse- quence of slower decomposition and nutrient release. Thus, in humid environments the most important effect of variation in water on carbon cycling appears to be its control on the diffusion of oxygen into the soil.
SYMPOSIUM INTERNATIONAL LAW AND THE CONSTITUTION: TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT FOREWORD

The Forward introduces a special volume, based on a symposium Fordham Law School’s Leitner Center for International Law and Justice hosted, International Law and the Constitution: Terms of Engagement. Domestic incorporation of international law goes back to the founding of the nation. Before the contemporary advent of the international law of human rights, many important figures in American history – such as Thomas Paine, Frederick Douglass, Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King – framed social justice issues in human rights terms. In fact, a strong bipartisan commitment to promoting human rights developed over the last several decades, because human rights reflect Americans’ deeply held values as well as United States national interests. Indeed, the United States was founded on the human rights idea – that is, the idea that, as the U.S. Declaration of Independence states, we all have certain basic, unalienable rights simply by virtue of our humanity. In the aftermath of the Holocaust and World War II, the United States again played a leadership role in promoting human rights. This proud tradition includes serving as the primary moving force behind the development of the United Nations and a range of other international institutions and regimes, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights sixty years ago, inspired in part by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech and drafted in part by Eleanor Roosevelt. Just as the New Deal redefined domestic economic security for Americans, these post-war international regimes redefined the notion of “security” internationally to include human security. For Americans, a recognition that gross human rights violations were intertwined with the Nazi threat to international peace and security underscored the marriage between American values and interests. At the same time, Americans have been engaged in several fundamental debates concerning the relationship between international law and the U.S. Constitution and the implications of this relationship for human rights.
Mining knowledge from interconnected data: a heterogeneous information network analysis approach

Most objects and data in the real world are interconnected, forming complex, heterogeneous but often semi-structured information networks. However, most people consider a database merely as a data repository that supports data storage and retrieval rather than one or a set of heterogeneous information networks that contain rich, inter-related, multi-typed data and information. Most network science researchers only study homogeneous networks, without distinguishing the different types of objects and links in the networks. In this tutorial, we view database and other interconnected data as heterogeneous information networks, and study how to leverage the rich semantic meaning of types of objects and links in the networks. We systematically introduce the technologies that can effectively and efficiently mine useful knowledge from such information networks.
Optimized scheduling and mapping of logarithm and arctangent functions on TI TMS320C67X processor

DSP processors have gained more importance and popularity in implementing communication systems. Efficient implementation of logarithm and arctangent functions on DSP processors is necessary for applications such as digital receiver used in modern radar systems and digital communication systems. This paper presents a general scheduling and mapping optimization method based on grain packing to implement the two functions on TI TMS320C67X architecture with multiple parallel function units. Experimental results of our optimized implementation on TMS320C67x have achieved up to 79.5% performance improvement over TI C67x library functions. Our optimization method and techniques can also be applied to other DSP processors with parallel execution units.
Classroom Dynamics and the Development of Serious Emotional Disturbance

This study investigated classroom dynamics and young children identified as at risk for the development of serious emotional disturbance (SED) as compared to not-at-risk peers. Assessment of classroom dynamics included teacher (attitudes and perceptions), student (academic engagement and perceptions of teacher's expectations), and instructional factors (accommodations for at-risk students), as well as classroom interactions (teacher-student and peer). Results indicated that young children identified as at risk for the development of SED but not yet labeled by the school were experiencing a significantly different reality in the classroom than not-at-risk peers. Implications for effective classroom interventions for these young at-risk children include collaborative/consultation teacher models, task modifications, direct instruction, and cooperative learning and peer tutor programs.
Some biased estimates of the mean of the normal distribution

LetX be normally distributed with mean θ and variance σ2. We consider the problem of estimating θ with squared error as the loss function. A priori the true value of θ is known to be close to θ0, say. Several estimates are considered which might be preferred toX, the unbiased estimate of θ, as their risks are smaller in the neighborhood of θ0. The admissibility of these estimates is discussed in this paper.
Magneto-optical studies of excitons in single GaAs quantum dots

Summary form only given. The excitonic optical response of single quantum dots (QD) has recently been isolated by using high spatial resolution techniques. Photoluminescence (PL) magneto-optical studies of these confined systems have shown interesting physical phenomena such as Zeeman splittings, diamagnetic shifts and the Overhauser effect. Coherent nonlinear optical spectroscopy provides a powerful additional tool for the study of the interaction between magnetic substrates, as has been demonstrated for a single quantum dot. By directly probing the quantum dot resonances under the effect of a magnetic field we can obtain information about spin relaxation times and the presence of dark states. In this paper we show the effect of a magnetic field on single quantum dot resonances (i.e. Zeeman splitting and diamagnetic shift) and report the nonlinear optical response as a function of magnetic field.
TOWARD A DEFINITION OF POPULAR CULTURE

The most common definitions of popular culture suffer from a presentist bias and cannot be applied to pre-industrial and pre-capitalist societies. A survey reveals serious conceptual difficulties as well. We may, however, gain insight in two ways. 1) By moving from a Marxist model (economic/class/production) to a more Weberian approach (societal/status/consumption). 2) By looking to Bourdieu's "cultural capital" and Danto's and Dickie's "Institutional Theory of Art," and defining popular culture as "unauthorized culture.".
EFFECTIVENESS, PRODUCTIVITY AND DESIGN OF PURPOSEFUL SYSTEMS: THE PROFIT-MAKING CASE,

Abstract A generalized goat attainment model or effectiveness is presented and a measure of system effectiveness which indicates how close a technology comes to delivering operational goals Is developed. The operational goals themselves arc defined In relation to underlying values. The effectiveness measure Is then related to system efficiency (itself one effectiveness goal but also a determinant of effectiveness) measured here by total factor productivity. Improved system efficiency (productivity) control can result in an increase in effectiveness thereby facilitating goals/values adaptation. Two examples of this interaction are provided.
Bell and Banana Pepper Exhibit Mature-Plant Resistance to Tomato Spotted Wilt Tospovirus Transmitted by Frankliniella fusca (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Tomato spotted wilt virus (family Bunyaviridae, genus Tospovirus, TSWV) causes annual economic losses in pepper, Capsicum annuum L., across the southern United States and is transmitted by several species of thrips, including the tobacco thrips, Frankliniella fusca (Hinds). Reduced virus transmission and symptom severity as plant age increases is known as mature-plant resistance. TSWV transmission to pepper plants was examined in three and four age classes in field and greenhouse trials, respectively. In the field trial, 'Camelot' bell pepper plants were exposed to potentially viruliferous F. fusca 37, 51, or 65 d postsowing. Two greenhouse trials of Camelot bell and one trial each of 'Bounty' and 'Pageant' banana pepper plants were exposed to potentially viruliferous F. fusca, 43, 57, 71, or 85; 48, 62, 75, or 90; 42, 56, 70, or 84; and 43, 57, 71, or 85 d postsowing, respectively. Linear and hyperbolic regressions of percentage of infected plants per block on days postsowing indicated mature-plant resistance in all trials. All models were significant, but hyperbolic curves better fit the data than linear models. Hyperbolic models were used to calculate the number of days posttransplant at which a 50% decrease from the predicted percentage of infected plants at transplant age (42 d postsowing) was expected. This was referred to as days posttransplant-50 (DPT50). DPRT50 occurred within 9 days posttransplant age for all trials, indicating that early TSWV management in pepper is critical.
Low-Heat Rejection Engines — A Concept Review

A comprehensive review of low-heat rejection engine concepts is presented. Areas examined include the materials being considered for these engines; fuels including coal; the effects of high temperature upon emissions; tribology with ceramics; exhaust heat utilization systems; and applications of theses engines. Inconsistencies in the literature are discussed
DC/DC Power Converters

This chapter deals with three main topologies of DC/DC converters: buck, boost, and buck-boost. After a short presentation of linear conversion drawbacks, fundamentals on switching conversion are explained. The DC/DC converters are analyzed in continuous and discontinuous operating mode and main parameters as gain, critical inductance, and load voltage ripple are calculated. Then, state space averaging is studied and the transfer functions in terms of output voltage versus duty cycle and versus input voltage are obtained.
Cause-related sport marketing: an organizing framework and knowledge development opportunities

ABSTRACTResearch questions: How should cause-related sport marketing (CRSM) campaigns be conceptualized? How can they be made more effective? How can their performance be measured? In what ways are they different from general cause-related marketing (CRM) campaigns?Research methods: This paper provides a conceptual contribution through the introduction of an organizing framework to explore CRSM.Results and findings: This paper develops an organizing framework of CRSM, identifying and addressing gaps in the sport literature. Utilizing this framework, the paper introduces several propositions centered on the mediating effects of campaign-related consumer perceptions (i.e. perceived fit, perceived motivation, and hedonic and utilitarian values) that serve to highlight the unique nature of sport as a cause marketing context. Specifically, we propose that the higher levels of identification with sport brands and higher levels of participative involvement in sport as well as the hedonic (versus utilitarian) nat...
Legal Tools for Climate Adaptation Advocacy: Clean Water Act Permitting and Funding Programs

Climate change imperils the quality of water resources and aquatic ecosystems by introducing or exacerbating supply challenges and pollution threats. Existing legal frameworks, including permitting and grant programs, can incorporate climate change adaptation into the way we protect water. In particular, the Clean Water Act - the primary tool used nationwide to protect surface waters from pollutant discharges and fill activity - can be used to promote climate change adaptation in a number of ways.The Clean Water Act was enacted in 1972 and amended in 1977 and 1987. The statute is principally administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which issues regulations, brings enforcement actions, awards grants, and more. Clean Water Act permitting is often administered by the states, subject to EPA oversight. At the same time, states are able to enact their own water protection laws beyond the scope of federal law. In order to use the Clean Water Act to encourage adaptation to climate change, both federal and state authorities can reconsider how permits are issued and how grants are pursued and awarded.For instance, as climate change renders clean freshwater resources scarcer in many places, authorities can respond by imposing stricter pollution limits through the Clean Water Act where necessary to protect an increasingly stressed water supply, accounting for both current conditions and future trends. Furthermore, as climate change creates new or increased pollution threats for some waterways, Clean Water Act authorities can respond through permitting processes or strategic funding opportunities.
An error associated with graphical parametric operations

In grid and moire analyses, patterns developed in a deformed body are sometimes superposed to obtain the difference of their parameters, as when it is desired to obtain velocities by superimposing two isothetic patterns. In this operation, an inherent difficulty develops because, as a consequence of the deformation, not all points can be matched. An error follows which is analyzed here. Means to avoid or to compute the error are suggested.
Blood Plasma Levels of Cortisol, Insulin, Growth Hormone and Somatomedin in Children with Marasmus, Kwashiorkor, and Intermediate Forms of Protein-Energy Malnutrition

AbstractPlasma insulin, growth hormone, somatomedin, free and bound cortisol, and serum albumin were measured in human infants with protein-energy malnutrition and in age-matched control subjects. Insulin and somatomedin were reduced, growth hormone and free and total cortisol were elevated in malnourished infants. Free cortisol and somatomedin were negatively correlated (r = −0.78) and somatomedin and percentage weight deficit were negatively correlated in marasmus (r = −0.62) and kwashiorkor (r = −0.68). It is suggested that elevated plasma-free cortisol as well as depressed plasma insulin in protein-energy malnourished infants is partially responsible for the depressed plasma somatomedin and reduced protein synthesis and growth in children.
Review of Palle Yourgrau's Book: A World without Time: The Forgotten Legacy of Godel and Einstein

Yourgrau tells us that Godel was a philosophy-loving Platonist, and writes (page 23) on Platonists: "who like Plato believed in the objective, independent existence of ideal, disembodied forms, of which the natural numbers are a paradigm." Here truth discovered objectively becomes conflated with existence, while the person that discovers truth fades in importance. Godel would have been better served by resolving his issues with the "Dutch anti-Platonist, intuitionist mathematician L.E.J. Brouwer," who also visited Vienna as Yourgrau (page 29) indicates. Yourgrau (page 40) tells us that Einstein`s thinking impacted the Vienna Circle, as well as Godel: "It was precisely the hegemony of positivism, Godel wrote later, that allowed the members of the circle to mistake Einstein for an ally and to underestimate the difficulty of rendering mathematics empirically acceptable by reconstructing it as a system for formal manipulation of signs. Einstein himself would awaken the positivists from their misconceptions about the ultimate relationship between his thoughts and theirs. You can find this book at Amazon: A World Without Time: The Forgotten Legacy of Godel and Einstein .
Opening Up the Conversation on Genetics and Genomics in Families The Space for Communication Scholars

Advances in genetics and genomics research allow increasing numbers of family members to learn of their susceptibilities for inheriting genetic diseases. A family member diagnosed with a genetic disease is expected to notify other family members who may be at risk; these individuals confront the ongoing dilemmas of how to discuss familial genetic health. The complexities of family communication dynamics surrounding genetic health-related issues raise key challenges for many family members. Although communication-related research literature exists in genetic counseling, communication studies, and other social sciences, little scholarship integrates these findings. This chapter provides an interdisciplinary review of the available literature pertaining to the ways in which family members disclose and discuss genetic test results among family members; it discusses implications of genetic knowledge within the family and identifies areas of future related research. The authors call for increasing contributions...
Design study of an MRI compatible ultra-high resolution SPECT for in vivo mice brain imaging

This paper presents the design study of an MRI compatible, ultra-high resolution SPECT system. This system consists of multiple ultra-high resolution energy-resolved photon counting (ERPC) CdTe detectors that are currently development. This detector is based on a novel readout ASIC that is roughly 1.1times2.2 cm2 in size and has a 32times64 array of 350times350 um2 pixels. A prototype detector was tested inside a 4.7 Tesla MRI scanner for simple pinhole imaging. The results obtained have demonstrated the feasibility of simultaneous acquisition of SPECT and MRI data. Extensive Monte Carlo simulation was performed to evaluate a number of system configurations.
SCADA honeypots: An in-depth analysis of Conpot

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) honeypots are key tools not only for determining threats which pertain to SCADA devices in the wild, but also for early detection of potential malicious tampering within a SCADA device network. An analysis of one such SCADA honeypot, Conpot, is conducted to determine its viability as an effective SCADA emulating device. A long-term analysis is conducted and a simple scoring mechanism leveraged to evaluate the Conpot honeypot.
Scientific Closure and Research Strategies in Uzbekistan

Objectives Using the example of Uzbekistan, this article examines the challenges and opportunities for conducting field research in a context of tightened scientific closure in those countries with highly autocratic regimes. Methods Drawing on the author's own field experience conducting elite interviews in Uzbekistan in 2002 and 2003 (as well as many subsequent visits), it examines three strategies of field research that emerged in this context of tightening scientific closure. Results The article outlines several essential features of authoritarianism in Uzbekistan and tracks the regime's shift toward scientific closure over three distinct phases, tracing out the implications of this shift for those carrying out systematic field research. Conclusions Uzbekistan illustrates the challenges and opportunities facing researchers under conditions of scientific closure in the 20–30 other countries ruled by hard authoritarian regimes.
Target Intestinal Microbiota to Alleviate Disease Progression in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Abstract Purpose Emerging evidence has demonstrated that gut microbiome plays essential roles in the pathogenesis of human diseases in distal organs. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons. Treatment with the only drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in ALS, riluzole, extends a patient׳s life span by only a few months. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel interventions that for alleviate disease progression and improve quality of life in patients with ALS. Here we present evidence that intestinal dysfunction and dysbiosis may actively contribute to ALS pathophysiology. Methods We used G93A transgenic mice as a model of human ALS. The G93A mice show abnormal intestinal microbiome and damaged tight junctions before ALS disease onset. The mice were given 2% butyrate, a natural bacterial product, in the drinking water. Results In mice fed with butyrate, intestinal microbial homeostasis was restored, gut integrity was improved, and life span was prolonged compared with those in control mice. At the cellular level, abnormal Paneth cells—specialized intestinal epithelial cells that regulate the host–bacterial interactions—were significantly decreased in the ALS mice treated with butyrate. In both ALS mice and intestinal epithelial cells cultured from humans, butyrate treatment was associated with decreased aggregation of the G93A superoxide dismutase 1 mutated protein. Implications The findings from this study highlight the complex role of the gut microbiome and intestinal epithelium in the progression of ALS and present butyrate as a potential therapeutic reagent for restoring ALS-related dysbiosis.
Abstract P20: Exploring Psychosocial Pathways Between Neighborhood Characteristics and Stroke in Older Adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study

Background: Studies have not investigated whether psychosocial pathways mediate the effect of neighborhood exposures on stroke. Methods: We used data from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a longitu...
Invasive earthworms in a Northern Great Plains prairie fragment

Although ample research exists on the ecological impacts of earthworm invasion in the Great Lakes region and northern hardwood forests, little data is available on the presence, distribution, and impact of earthworms in the prairies of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie. Sampling in a Northern Tallgrass Prairie fragment yielded three species of invasive earthworms occupying three different functional groups: surface and litter dwellers (epigeic), subsurface horizontal burrowers (endogeic), and deep vertical bore inhabitants (anecic). This research note illustrates the presence of non-native and potentially invasive earthworms in Northern Tallgrass Prairie.
Approaches to Measuring Defenses: The Defense Mechanisms Inventory

Since its appearance 21 years ago, the Defense Mechanisms Inventory (DMI; Gleser & Ihilevich, 1969; Ihilevich & Gleser, 1986) has been used as a personality measure in more than 40 published investigations. Despite some psychometric problems, its design—more projective than, for example, Haan’s (1965) MMPI-based scales, and more objective than Schafer’s (1954) approach to scoring defenses on the Rorschach—enhanced its appeal to clinical researchers. Although most DMI research has been carried out with clinical populations, it has also been adopted as a measure of defense change in the experimental laboratory. Considering the extensive use of this measure of defenses, a separate review of the DMI seems appropriate.
Integration of semantic and syntactic constraints for structural noun phrase disambiguation

A fundamental problem in Natural Language Processing is the integration of syntactic and semantic constraints. In this paper we describe a new approach for the integration of syntactic and semantic constraints which takes advantage of a learned memory model. Our model combines localist representations for the integration of constraints and distributed representations for learning semantic constraints. We apply this model to the problem of structural disambiguation of noun phrases and show that a learned connectionist model can scale up the underlying memory of a Natural Language Processing system.
The Neurodevelopmental Toxicity of Lead: History, Epidemiology, and Public Health Implications

Abstract Despite great successes in reducing children's exposure to lead, it remains the most important environmental contaminant in terms of impact on children's cognitive and behavioral development. In this chapter, we discuss what is known about the relationships linking greater lead exposure and neurodevelopmental impairment. Among most salient conclusions are that a “safe” level of lead exposure has not been identified, and that the inverse relationship between blood lead concentration and children's IQ scores is non-linear such that the rate of decline in IQ per μg/dL is greater for concentrations 10 μg/dL. Greater blood lead concentrations are also associated with reduced academic achievement, greater risk of ADHD, and greater propensity to engage in anti-social behaviors. Although data are limited, neuroimaging studies reveal persistent relationships between childhood blood lead concentration and alterations in brain structure and function in young adulthood. Although lead's effects on neurodevelopment are often described as “irreversible,” it is more appropriate to describe them as “persistent,” as few studies have evaluated whether interventions, such as the provision of increased neurodevelopmental supports, alters the time course of the deficits. Which genetic factors alter lead neurotoxicity is at present largely unknown but is a topic of much current work. It seems likely that the critical window of vulnerability to lead neurotoxicity is endpoint-specific. It is hoped that lessons learned over the course of the long history of research on lead can be applied proactively to other neurotoxic environmental contaminants so that the risks to children can be reduced more expeditiously.
Exports, foreign ownership, and firm-level efficiency in Ethiopia and Kenya: an application of the stochastic frontier model

Using the World Bank’s Enterprise Survey data for Ethiopia (2006 and 2011) and Kenya (2007 and 2013), this study empirically investigates the role of exports and foreign ownership in influencing firm-level efficiency. We use the stochastic frontier analysis to estimate a Cobb–Douglas production function with inefficiency introduced in the error term. We control for heterogeneity across firms by including firm size, type of industry, innovation activity, and employees’ characteristics in estimating the inefficiency equation. The results of the study show that, in both Ethiopia and Kenya, exporting helps firms lower technical inefficiency, whereas the share of foreign ownership has the expected positive sign but not statistically significant. The results also confirm that, in both countries, smaller firms and firms that employ temporary workers for a longer period tend to be less efficient. For Kenyan firms, years of work experience of managers help to lower technical inefficiency. However, innovation activities within a firm tend to raise technical inefficiency. For Ethiopian firms, years of work experience of managers do not lower inefficiency, and innovation activities do not appear to affect firms’ technical inefficiency. Our findings suggest that, even within Africa, not all policy tools result in similar outcomes. We conclude that policy-makers in Ethiopia and Kenya should look into implications of relevant respective variables of interest in designing appropriate industrial policy to improve firm efficiency in their industrialization endeavors.
A SOLID STATE DEVICE FOR THE DETERMINATION OF OSMOTIC AND INTERSTITIAL FLUID PRESSURES: CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL APPLICATIONS

Publisher Summary Classical equations from nonequilibrium thermodynamics describe the fundamental parameters that govern the movement of solvent and solute across the semipermeable walls of the microrirculatory system. Two of these parameters that have been difficult to quantitate are the colloid osmotic pressure of the interstitial fluid (IFCOP) and the hydrostatic interstitial fluid pressure (IFP). If the lymph flowing from an organ is considered to have the same protein concentration as interstitial fluid, normal techniques for colloid osmometry may be utilized when a sufficient lymph volume can be obtained. Two major problems exist with this method of recording IFP: (1) the frequency response of the polyethylene capsule and fluid filled catheter is too low to be used in muscular organs undergoing contraction, and (2) when chronically implanted in a contracting muscle, such as the heart, there is a strong tendency for the capsule to be pumped out of the muscle. This chapter presents a device that can determine the colloid osmotic pressure of small volumes of interstitial fluid of lymph and when chronically or acutely implanted within the interstitium can record IFP with great fidelity at high physiologic frequencies.
Multilingual Code-Stitching in Ultraminor World Literatures: Reading Abhimanyu Unnuth’s Lāla Pasīnā (1977) with Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies (2008)

This essay explores strategies of world literary comparison when ultraminor literatures are juxtaposed with dominant literary traditions such as the global Anglophone. By bringing an English and a Hindi novel in conversation, the essay underlines their “multilingual” composition, whereby one language becomes a vehicle for several other languages, dialects, sociolects, regional linguistic variations and creole, thus calling for a new critical framework of evaluation within the national and the world-literary sphere. The essay engages with a new theoretical term in world literary studies, “ultraminor literature” in order to re-evaluate two other terms: the “great unread,” and the “untranslatable.” The essay argues that the idea of “untranslatability” denies any room for multi-locational and multilingual histories of linguistic traditions. Furthermore, untranslatability creates hierarchies of readerships and access, which can be confronted by engaging with linguistic code-stitching and the multilingual composition of ultraminor literatures.
Coagulation Laboratory Testing Is Predictive of Wound Complications Following Microdiscectomy.

Study Design:Retrospective review.Objective:To determine whether abnormal preoperative testing is associated with postoperative complications in patients undergoing a microdiscectomy.Methods:Patien...
Nonprofits and park equity in Los Angeles: a promising way forward for environmental justice

ABSTRACTDisparities in park provision raise environmental and health justice concerns. With public agencies stepping back from providing environmental amenities in increasingly neoliberal urban reg...
Pediatric Health Disparities and Place-Based Strategies

Healthy development for children consists of interrelated components such as physical development, social competence, emotional maturity, academic learning, general knowledge, and communication [1]. These exposures have implications for both present health and long-term productivity during adulthood [2–5]. A large body of research demonstrates that environmental factors influence health behaviors and health outcomes [6–11]. Inequities in access to healthy environments lead to disparities in health [12–14]. Residents in resource poor neighborhoods typically experience inadequate housing, noise, air pollution, and violent crime which all contribute to poor health.
Abstract 405: Antioxidant Treatment Prevents Profibrotic Changes And Cardiac Dysfunction In Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

Prenatal ethanol exposure is often associated with cardiac defects. Our studies focus on the role of cardiac fibroblasts in the developing heart, and how they are affected by prenatal ethanol expos...
Improving Comprehension of Large Taxonomic Graphs

Taxonomic trees have been used for decades to visualize taxonomies; however, taxonomies involving many taxa may be difficult to interpret due to problems related to over- plotting. This problem can manifest itself in metagenomics studies, where the set of detected taxa can have a cardinality in the hundreds or thousands. We present a method by which a phylogenetic tree’s complexity may be reduced by removing nodes with little support or with trivial out-degree (as defined by the user). A diffusive model is then used to color the nodes based on their taxonomic proximity; the color of ancestor nodes are a mixture of their descendents. This method results in compact taxonomic trees whose color gradually diffuses to white at the root. Our second example application of the technique is a more generalized structure of pedigrees. We show that related taxa can be easily located by reducing the complexity of the graph via pruning and coloring of related vertices.
Engaging the Client Who Hoards in the Harm Reduction Approach

Although few people with severe hoarding have received treatment or a cleanout intervention for the problem, many if not most have experienced years of pressure from family members, friends, clinicians, and other professionals to discard possessions and accept help. This, along with the limited insight they may have about the problem, makes engagement, even in the service of harm reduction (HR), a difficult task.
Strong Association of Unesterified [3H]Docosahexaenoic Acid and [3H-Docosahexaenoyl]Phosphatidate to Rhodopsin During In Vivo Labeling of Frog Retinal Rod Outer Segments

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), the most prevalent fatty acid in phospholipids of rod outer segments (ROS), is essential for visual transduction and daily renewal of ROS membranes. We investigated the association of [3H]DHA-lipids to rhodopsin in ROS from frogs (Rana pipiens) after in vitro (4 hrs) and in vivo (1 day and 32 days) labeling. Lipids from lyophilized ROS were sequentially extracted with hexane (neutral lipids), chloroform:methanol (phospholipids) and acidified chloroform:methanol (acidic phospholipids). After in vitro labeling, free [3H]DHA was easily extracted with hexane (66% of total ROS free DHA), implying a weak association with proteins (rhodopsin). In contrast, after in vivo labeling free [3H]DHA was mainly recovered in the acidic solvent extract (89–99%). Of all phospholipids, [3H-DHA]phosphatidic acid (PA) displayed the highest binding to rhodopsin after both in vitro (43% in acidic extract) and in vivo (>70%) labeling suggesting a possible modulatory role of free DHA and DHA-PA in visual transduction.
Submental island flap vs free tissue transfer in oral cavity reconstruction: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background The submental island flap (SMIF) is frequently utilized as an alternative to free tissue transfer (FTT) in oral cavity reconstruction. Methods Studies directly comparing SMIF and FTT for oral cavity defects were included. Data were pooled with random-effects meta-analysis to calculate standardized mean differences and risk differences. Heterogeneity was evaluated with the I2 statistic. Results Five studies were included in the analysis. The aggregate sample sizes for SMIF and FTT cohorts were 122 and 127, respectively. SMIF was correlated with both reduced operative time and hospitalization by a large effect size. The rate of total flap loss was comparable. SMIF was associated with lower donor site morbidity. There was no difference in the rate of disease recurrence between the two procedures. Conclusions SMIF is associated with less operative time, shorter hospitalization, fewer perioperative complications, and potentially similar disease recurrence rates compared to FTT for the reconstruction of oral cavity defects.
Clinical and MRI phenotypes of sarcoidosis-associated myelopathy.

Objective To determine the characteristic clinical and spinal MRI phenotypes of sarcoidosis-associated myelopathy (SAM), we analyzed a large cohort of patients with this disorder. Methods Patients diagnosed with SAM at a single center between 2000 and 2018 who met the established criteria for definite and probable neurosarcoidosis were included in a retrospective analysis to identify clinical profiles, CSF characteristics, and MRI lesion morphology. Results Of 62 included patients, 33 (53%) were male, and 30 (48%) were African American. SAM was the first clinical presentation of sarcoidosis in 49 patients (79%). Temporal profile of symptom evolution was chronic in 81%, with sensory symptoms most frequently reported (87%). CSF studies showed pleocytosis in 79% and CSF-restricted oligoclonal bands in 23% of samples tested. Four discrete patterns of lesion morphology were identified on spine MRI: longitudinally extensive myelitis (n = 28, 45%), short tumefactive myelitis (n = 14, 23%), spinal meningitis/meningoradiculitis (n = 14, 23%), and anterior myelitis associated with areas of disc degeneration (n = 6, 10%). Postgadolinium enhancement was seen in all but 1 patient during the acute phase. The most frequent enhancement pattern was dorsal subpial enhancement (n = 40), followed by meningeal/radicular enhancement (n = 23) and ventral subpial enhancement (n = 12). In 26 cases (42%), enhancement occurred at locations with coexisting structural changes (e.g., spondylosis). Conclusions Recognition of the clinical features (chronically evolving myelopathy) and distinct MRI phenotypes (with enhancement in a subpial and/or meningeal pattern) seen in SAM can aid diagnosis of this disorder. Enhancement patterns suggest that SAM may have a predilection for areas of the spinal cord susceptible to mechanical stress.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Geography, GIS, and Education

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the education sector in profound ways. Particularly in the fields of geography and geographic information systems (GIS), educators are responding by using modern, web-enabled GIS with spatial analytical tools, streaming data services, maps and web mapping applications, and virtualization techniques to teach these subjects online. They are also expanding their collaboration with colleagues since increased awareness and use of interactive maps and dashboards by the general public stimulated interest in spatial thinking with a result of GIS technologies being newly incorporated into several academic disciplines. In fact, COVID-19 itself offers a rich opportunity for meaningful lessons in the value of interactive mapping and analytical tools. Outside of the educational process, the pandemic has also inspired increased use of geographic perspectives and technologies in decisions about when, where, and at what scale to reopen educational institutions.
What can you do with twenty years of water column sonar data? Plenty!

Collection of multifrequency fisheries acoustic data began at the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) in 1998. Over the past 20 + years, data have been collected on the NOAA fisheries survey vessels as well as commercial vessels during numerous surveys and research cruises. Many lessons in cooperation, initiative, persistence, and compromise have been learned, resulting in data sets with plenty of potential. Some of these data have been rejected and then resuscitated for stock assessments, used to estimate biomass of undersampled biota, and used to study catchability of commercial species. Until recently, data were limited to those at the NEFSC with sufficient expertise and access to the data—i.e., me, which has restricted application of the data. But now the data are searchable and available to the world via NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI). The evolution of acoustic technology and software from costly and proprietary to inexpensive and open-source has expanded the utility of these, and other long-term, data sets to the broader scientific community. An overarching goal has been to collect consistently high-quality data, yet only through incorporating innovation can long-term data collection survive in a dynamic environment and ever-changing scientific landscape.
Reprogramming Metabolic Networks and Manipulating Circadian Clocks for Biotechnological Applications

Cyanobacteria have two unique characteristics that distinguish them from all other prokaryotes – being able to perform oxygenic photosynthesis and having a circadian clock. Because cyanobacteria have a relatively simple genetic background and usually grow much faster than higher plants, they have become promising microbial hosts to produce biofuels and chemicals directly from sunlight and CO2. Recent advances in synthetic biology and systems biology not only have provided impetus for reprogramming metabolic networks of cyanobacterial host cells, but also have greatly expanded our knowledge of the genetics, physiology, and regulatory mechanisms of cyanobacteria. The plasticity of cyanobacterial central metabolism allows researchers to reprogram the metabolic networks to enhance the production of chemicals, but the metabolic regulation that prevents maximizing chemical production is still poorly understood. The cyanobacterial circadian clock exerts global gene regulations and oscillates intracellular metabolism. Manipulation of the circadian clock genes has proven to be an effective strategy for modulating the expression patterns of both endogenous and exogenous genes, driving either constant up- or down-regulation, which might be leveraged to enhance the production of biofuels and chemicals in cyanobacteria.
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Simultaneously Monitoring Real-Time Neuronal Activity and Pain Behaviors During Optogenetic Stimulation of Brain Neurons in Freely Moving Mice

Background Highlighted by the current opioid epidemic, identifying novel therapies to treat chronic trigeminal neuropathic pain is a critical need. To develop these treatments, it is necessary to have viable targets in the brain to act on. Historically, neural tracing studies have been extremely useful in determining connections between brain areas but do not provide information about the functionality of these connections. Combining optogenetics and behavioral observation allows researchers to determine whether a particular brain area is involved in the regulation of such behavior. The addition of multi-channel electrophysiological recording provides information on real-time neuronal activity in the specific neuronal pathway. Methods Male C57/BL/6J mice (8-week-old) underwent either chronic constriction injury of infraorbital nerve (CCI-ION) or a sham surgery and were injected with either channelrhodopsin (ChR2) or a control virus in the hypothalamic A11 nucleus. Two weeks after CCI-ION, they were tested in real-time place preference (RTPP), while neuronal activity in the spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis (Sp5C) was recorded. Results Optogenetic excitation of the A11 neurons results in more time spent in the stimulation chamber during RTPP testing. Additionally, stimulation of the A11 results in a greater number of neuronal activity increase in the Sp5C in animals with the injection of AAV carrying ChR2 compared to animals injected with a control virus or that underwent a sham surgery. Conclusion In vivo multi-channel electrophysiological recording, optogenetic stimulation, and behavioral observation can be combined in a mouse model of chronic trigeminal neuropathic pain to validate brain areas involved in the modulation of such pain.
Open Action, Utility, and Utilitarianism

This essay is another installment in a continuing examination of the logical foundations of utilitarianism.1 Here we discuss act-utilitarianism.
Pituitary–Ovarian Interrelationships in the Rat*

Publisher Summary The estrous cycle of the rat and its extension, pseudopregnancy—comparable to the estrous cycle in most mammals—encompass two signal events: (1) release of the ovum at ovulation and (2) function of the corpus luteum. These two primal events are not only intimately involved in producing a cycle but, more importantly, also underlie the reproductive process itself. They result from pituitary–ovarian interactions. In the absence of the pituitary, the ovaries become quiescent; in the absence of the ovaries, the pituitary secretes gonadotropins at a rapid and relatively constant rate. This chapter discusses some recent advances made in understanding of pituitary–ovarian interrelationships in the rat arising, mostly, from measurements of the involved hormones by radioimmunoassay. It also explains the secretion of prolactin, its regulation, and the role it plays in controlling corpus luteum function during pseudopregnancy and pregnancy.