cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determinants of triacylglycerol transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi in intestine

The ability of the intestinal cell to export triacylglycerol (TG) is a physiologically regulatable function. The intracellular site where this occurs is unknown, although available evidence suggests that the step between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi is the most likely. We studied this process in rat enterocytes that were isolated from the proximal intestine. A novel system was developed in which [3H]TG was transported from ER to the Golgi. This process was time, ATP, temperature, and cytosol dependent. The cytosolic factor(s) was heat and trypsin sensitive. TG transport was directly proportional to the amount of added nonradiolabeled acceptor Golgi. The rate of TG transported to the Golgi was the fastest in cells isolated from rats that had been intraduodenally infused in vivo with glyceryltrioleate (TO) plus phosphatidylcholine and slowest in cells isolated from bile-fistulated rats infused with TO in vivo compared with cells from in vivo TO-infused, bile duct intact rats, mimicking the relative transport rates seen in vivo. TG transport in vitro could not be quenched by adding TG emulsions, chylomicrons, liposomes, or guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate). Cytosol from the liver and kidney supported TG transport, but the Golgi from liver or kidney did not accept TG from intestinal ER. We conclude that an intestinally specific, active transport mechanism transports TG from the ER to the Golgi and that this might be a regulatory step in TG export from the intestinal cell.
Experimental investigation of butanol isomer combustion in Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engines

Abstract Longer chain alcohols, such as butanol, possess major physiochemical advantages over ethanol as bio-components for gasoline, including higher energy content, better engine compatibility, and less water solubility. In this study, two butanol isomers (n-butanol and isobutanol) are investigated as potential fuels for Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engines. Wide ranges of intake pressure and equivalence ratio are investigated and the results are presented in comparison to ethanol and gasoline as reference fuels. Under all tested conditions, the butanol isomers require lower intake temperatures for a fixed combustion phasing, indicating higher HCCI reactivity. Both isomers show single-stage ignition behavior at all test points and behave similarly in regard to the combustion stability. Engine operation using n-butanol is slightly more stable under all conditions and misfiring occurs slightly later under very lean and naturally aspirated conditions. Similar to gasoline, n-butanol shows a higher heat release rate (HRR) at the beginning of combustion. The intermediate temperature heat release (ITHR) lowers the coefficient of variation (CoV) of IMEPg (gross indicated mean effective pressure), especially at retarded combustion timing and lean mixtures. However, the knock resistance of n-butanol is lower compared to isobutanol and the other tested fuels. The exhaust emissions of the two butanol isomers are in the same range as the two reference fuels. Overall, the results indicate that butanol is suited for use as a fuel in HCCI engines, either in neat form or in blend with gasoline.
Adelinia and Andersonglossum (Boraginaceae), Two New Genera from New World Species of Cynoglossum

Abstract Recent phylogenetic evidence suggests that Cynoglossum (Boraginaceae), a cosmopolitan genus, is not monophyletic, but relationships among members of the genus remain uncertain. This is particularly the case for North American species of Cynoglossum. Utilizing DNA sequence data, a phylogeny has been reconstructed to investigate the evolutionary relationships among the New and Old World species of Cynoglossum and other members of Boraginaceae. The resulting phylogeny resolved that North American species of Cynoglossum are members of a clade distinct from the Old World species, and these North American species belong to two distinct lineages. Cynoglossum occidentale and C. virginianum are sister species, and C. grande is a member of a separate group. Given these evolutionary relationships in conjunction with diagnostic morphological features, two new genera are proposed for these species, Andersonglossum and Adelinia, with four name transfers: Andersonglossum boreale, Andersonglossum occidentale, An...
Marriage, race/ethnicity, and psychological distress among foreign-born Chinese, Korean, Mexican, and Vietnamese Americans

ABSTRACTThe association between marriage and psychological distress has been well documented; however, whether race/ethnicity moderates this relationship remains vastly understudied. Our study investigated the effect of race/ethnicity on relationship between marriage and psychological distress among four groups of foreign-born Americans. Using the data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey, we employed multivariate analyses to test the effect of interaction between marriage and race/ethnicity on psychological distress among foreign-born Mexicans (N=3,752), Chinese (N=812), Koreans (N=857) and Vietnamese (N=1,354). The analysis revealed that marriage significantly interacts with race/ethnicity in impacting psychological distress (F (7, 73) = 2.48, p < .01). Unmarried Mexicans (4.250, 95% CI = 3.566, 4.934) and unmarried Chinese (3.833, 95% CI = 2.738, 4.929) had a statistically greater average of psychological distress than married Mexicans (3.324, 95% CI = 3.124, 3.523) and married Chinese (2.5...
Toward a theory of entrepreneurial careers

Parallel streams of theory and research regarding entrepreneurship and careers has led to a dearth of comprehensive theories regarding the careers of entrepreneurs. This article describes four core...
Control Design for a Hand Tremor Suppression Pen

Active feedback control is utilized in this study in order to regulate pen-tip deviations in a novel pen design with the aim to minimize the effects of hand tremors on handwriting. The pen comprises a pendulum-like pen-rod that swings inside a tubular shaped pen casing, and between the pen and the casing, certain compliance and active actuation is considered. Since by the nature of the system dynamics, arbitrary pole placement is not possible in the design of the controller, a nonlinear optimization scheme is constructed to design the controller gains. With these gains, pen-tip deviations are minimized (≈ −47 dB) when the pen casing is subjected tremor-induced cyclic disturbances, and pen-tip response against impulsive perturbations is satisfactorily improved (settling time ≈ 1 sec) while keeping the controller effort around 2 N. Simulation studies are presented comparing the efficacy of the proposed controller with respect to a passively controlled pen, along with trade-offs within the design parameter space.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Reformulations and Branching Methods for Mixed-Integer Programming Chemical Production Scheduling Models

Mixed-integer programs for chemical production scheduling are computationally challenging. One characteristic that makes them hard is that they typically have many symmetric solutions, that is, solutions that are different in terms of the values of the decision variables but have the same objective function value, which means that the algorithms used to solve these models must search through all such solutions before improving the bound on the objective. To address this challenge, we propose three reformulations of the widely used state–task network formulation. Specifically, we introduce additional constraints to define the number of batches of each task as an integer variable. Branching on this new integer variable quickly eliminates schedules that have the same number of batches, which, in turn, leads to the elimination of many symmetric solutions. We also study different branching strategies and variable selection rules and compare them. The proposed solution methods lead to orders-of-magnitude reduct...
Building Cultural Capital in ­First-Year ­Students at ­Residential Colleges and ­Universities

College student persistence continues to be a vexing problem for colleges and universities. In Rethinking College Student Persistence (2014), Braxton, Doyle, Hartley, Hirshy, Jones, and McLendon explored the indirect role between cultural capital and first-year student persistence. The significance of this role becomes more important when one considers the impact first-year persistence has on the likelihood of graduation. The current article begins with an exploration of the indirect role of cultural capital in the persistence of first-year students, then shifts focus to examining currently-implemented practices and procedures at colleges and universities that are explicitly or implicitly designed to facilitate the development of cultural capital. These practices are recommended for institutions seeking to increase first-year persistence, especially primarily residential institutions.
A SURVEY OF WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK ARCHITECTURES

A wireless sensor network (WSN) consists of spatially distributed autonomous sensors that cooperatively monitor physical or environmental conditions, such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure, motion, or pollutants, at different locations. Recent advances in low-power highly-integrated electronics, advances in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), rapid growth in the type and quality of available sensors, and progress in communication have allowed WSNs to achieve an unprecedented growth in commercial, industrial and military applications. In order to better understand WSNs, we look at their network architectures. In this survey, we classify existing WSN architectures into specific groups based on WSN behaviour and data flow characteristics. Existing architectures are described and presented along with their advantages and disadvantages. The existing architectures are also evaluated in terms of most common WSN performance parameters such as network lifetime, latency, reliability, quality of service (QoS), fidelity, scalability, modularity, and ease of deployment.
Bilateral internal iliac (hypogastric) artery ligation to control obstetric and gynecologic hemorrhage. A ten-year review at the community hospital level.

Abstract Bilateral internal iliac artery ligation was used to control life-threatening hemorrhage on 4 occasions in 30,948 obstetric and gynecologic admissions to a community hospital. The 4 cases are briefly presented. A further review of the experience of 265 physicains in the Southern California area, practicing at the community level and limiting their practice to obstetrics and gynecology, revealed that only 17 had performed the procedure during the same 10 year period. Opinions expressed in the literature that internal iliac artery ligation should be electively performed for teaching purposes are questioned; alternatives to this are suggested.
Effects of xanthine oxidase inhibition with febuxostat on the development of nephropathy in experimental type 2 diabetes.

Background and Purpose Elevated serum uric acid (UA) is a risk factor for the development of kidney disease. Inhibitors of xanthine oxidase (XOi), an enzyme involved in UA synthesis, have protective effects at early stages of experimental diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, long-term effects of XOi in models of DN remain to be determined. Experimental Approach The development of albuminuria, renal structure and molecular markers of DN were studied in type 2 diabetic Zucker obese (ZO) rats treated for 18 weeks with the XOi febuxostat and compared with vehicle-treated ZO rats, ZO rats treated with enalapril or a combination of both agents, and lean Zucker rats without metabolic defects. Results Febuxostat normalized serum UA and attenuated the development of albuminuria, renal structural changes, with no significant effects on BP, metabolic control or systemic markers of oxidative stress (OS). Most of these actions were comparable with those of enalapril. Combination treatment induced marked decreases in BP and was more effective in ameliorating structural changes, expression of profibrotic genes and systemic OS than either monotherapy. Febuxostat attenuated renal protein expression of TGF-s, CTGF, collagen 4, mesenchymal markers (FSP1 and vimentin) and a tissue marker of OS nitrotyrosine. Moreover, febuxostat attenuated TGF-s- and S100B-induced increased expression of fibrogenic molecules in renal tubular cells in vitro in UA-free media in an Akt kinase-dependent manner. Conclusions and Implications Febuxostat is protective and enhances the actions of enalapril in experimental DN. Multiple mechanisms might be involved, such as a reduction of UA, renal OS and inhibition of profibrotic signalling.
Hearsay and the Confrontation Clause

This speech was delivered to the Wicomico Co. Bar Association on October 28th, 2016. It is an updated version of the 2012 speech, SSRN abstract number 2030313. http://ssrn.com/abstract=2030313Overview: Only an out-of-court statement ("OCS") offered for the truth of the matter that was being asserted by the out-of-court declarant ("declarant") at the time when s/he made the OCS ("TOMA") = hearsay ("HS"). If evidence is not HS, the HS rule cannot exclude it. The Confrontation Clause also applies only to HS, but even then, only to its subcategory comprising "testimonial hearsay." Cross-references to "MD-EV" are to section numbers of L. MCLAIN, vols. 5, 6, and 6A of the Maryland Practice Series, MARYLAND EVIDENCE: STATE AND FEDERAL (Thomson Reuters 3d ed. 2013 and 2015-2016 pocket parts, which were compiled by Leonard Stamm, Esq.), which is available hardbound or on Westlaw. The books are most easily found on Westlaw by searching for "McLain" under "Secondary Sources" in the Maryland database. They contain much more detail than does vol. 7, which is softbound and provides a short overview of the Maryland Rules of Evidence. An earlier version of the charts in this handout is found in section 800:0 of the treatise. That version may be accessed on Westlaw by clicking on the PDF icon for each particular chart.
New enzymatic method for measurement of paraldehyde: correlation of effects with serum and CSF levels.

Abstract An enzymatic method for the microanalysis of paraldehyde which is simple, rapid, and highly reproducible has been developed. Since it is specific for acetaldehyde, the method lends itself ideally to studies of the intermediary metabolism of paraldehyde. In addition, vital signs and depth of hypnosis were assessed in 21 children with two dosage levels of paraldehyde, 0.25 and 0.33 ml. per kilogram by intramuscular injection. With the new method, these clinical effects have been correlated with spinal fluid and serial serum levels in another 5 children. From the data, the biological half-time and volume of distribution of paraldehyde after intramuscular injection have been determined. Such information is useful when paraldehyde is used in the management of prolonged convulsions in infants and children.
COMPARISON OF 3H-ETORPHINE AND 3H-DIPRENORPHINE RECEPTOR BINDING IN VIVO AND IN VITRO

Following 3 H-etorphine and 3 H-diprenorphine injections (s.c.) cerebral stereospecific high affinity binding in vivo was determined in rats using a rapid membrane filtration technique performed immediately after brain homogenization. Profound differences were noted in the binding characteristics of the agonist 3 H-etorphine and the antagonist 3 H-diprenorphine. Comparison of in vivo and in vitro tracer dissociation curves suggest that Na + and GTP are major regulators of opiate receptor binding in vivo , that could account for differences among agonist and antagonist binding in relationship to their pharmacological effect.
Kernelization of edge perfect code and its variants

Abstract We show that the three problems Edge Perfect Code , Edge Weakly-Perfect Code , and Edge Semi-Perfect Code are all fixed-parameter tractable (with the solution size k as parameter) by obtaining various kernelization results. In general graphs, Edge Perfect Code admits a problem kernel with O ( k 2 ) vertices and O ( k 3 ) edges, Edge Weakly-Perfect Code admits a problem kernel with O ( k 3 ) vertices and O ( k 3 ) edges, and Edge Semi-Perfect Code admits a problem kernel with O ( 2 k ⋅ k ) vertices and O ( 2 k ⋅ k ) edges. In planar graphs and in graphs without small cycles or large stars, the kernel sizes for the three problems can be significantly reduced, to O ( k 2 ) and in some cases even to O ( k ) . On the other hand, all three problems remain NP-complete in grid graphs of maximum degree 3 and arbitrarily large girth. Moreover, Edge Semi-Perfect Code does not admit any polynomial kernel in bipartite graphs unless NP ⊆ coNP/poly.
Head Impact Density: A Model To Explain the Elusive Concussion Threshold.

Abstract Concussion is a heterogeneous injury occurring throughout a range of impact magnitudes. Consequently, research focusing on a single or set of variables at the time of injury to understand concussive biomechanics has been thwarted by low injury prediction sensitivity. The current study examined the role of Impact Density in estimating concussive injury risk. Head impact data were collected across seven high school football seasons with the Head Impact Telemetry System (HIT System). Over the study period, 29 concussions were included for data analysis. The linear acceleration of the concussive impact was matched to a Control athlete, along with impacts in the 24 h before. Linear and rotational acceleration for the 19 impacts leading into the final event and the cumulative accelerations over time were evaluated. Analyses indicated no difference in impact counts within the final 24 h, or impact magnitudes for linear and rotational acceleration among the final 20 impacts (p > 0.05). A novel metric, Im...
Abstract 667: The Effects of a High-Fat Diet (HFD) on Blood Pressure in Pregnant Rats

While obesity is a major risk factor for preeclampsia (PE), the mechanisms whereby obesity increases the risk for developing pregnancy-induced hypertension are unclear. Since blood pressure regulation during gestation relies greatly on the nitric oxide (NO) system, we aimed to determine the effects of a HFD on blood pressure and fetal outcomes in pregnant rats treated with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a non-specific inhibitor of NO synthases. Twelve-week-old Sprague-Dawley female rats were fed a normal diet (ND, 13% fat kcal) or a HFD (40% fat kcal) ad libitum. Body weight (BW) and total fat mass (FM, measured by EchoMRI) were recorded weekly. After 9 weeks of diet treatment, rats were allowed to breed. On gestation day (GD) 14, L-NAME at the concentration 100 mg/L was added to the drinking water of a sub-group of animals (ND + water, n=5; ND + L-NAME, n=6; HFD + water, n=18; HFD + L-NAME, n=16). On GD 19, mean arterial pressure (MAP) was assessed consciously via carotid catheters. Animals were then euthanized and tissues were harvested. Initial BW and FM were similar in ND + water, ND + L-NAME, HFD + water, and HFD + L-NAME (BW: 239.5±4.1 vs. 241.2±4.8 vs. 238.2±2.5 vs. 241.4±2.5 g and FM: 20.4±2.9 vs. 17.9±2.2 vs. 18.2±1.8 vs. 17.4±2.0 g, respectively). By the end of the study, HFD had no effects on BW and FM in pregnant rats (BW: 472.3±5.2 vs. 468.0±10.1 vs. 461.6±12.2 vs. 462.4±8.9 g and FM: 97.5±2.4 vs. 87.3±9.3 vs. 103.3±7.3 vs. 97.5±6.0 g, respectively). Although MAP was elevated in L-NAME treated pregnant rats, HFD did not alter MAP or exacerbate the effect of L-NAME on MAP (106.6±5.0 vs. 131.3±4.9 vs. 116.0±2.7 vs. 130.2±2.8 mmHg, respectively; P
Cytomegalovirus viral load in cord blood and impact of congenital infection on markers of hematopoietic progenitor cell potency.

BACKGROUND The low incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in neonates decreases the risk of viral transmission with cord blood transplantation. Cord blood donors are screened by testing the maternal sample for total antibodies to CMV. Some cord blood banks also screen cord blood for CMV-DNA. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assay to measure CMV viral load in cord blood from asymptomatic infants with congenital CMV infection and to assess the impact of CMV infection on cord blood hematopoietic progenitor cell concentrations and colony-forming unit functionality. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS CMV infection was evaluated in two groups of cord blood donors: 1) 30,308 neonates prospectively screened by saliva culture, including 41 positive cases (0.14%), all from mothers with total antibodies to CMV; and 2) 4712 newborns from mothers with total antibodies to CMV who were screened retrospectively by polymerase chain reaction, including 18 positive cases (0.38%). All 59 infants with CMV were asymptomatic at birth. RESULTS Among the 59 positive cases, the average CMV viral load in cord blood was 20.6 × 104 viral copies (vc)/mL; seven of 59 mothers (12%) had CMV-DNA detected, however, with no association to their newborns' CMV viral load. Levels of colony-forming units, CD34+/CD45+ cells, and total nucleated cells measured in a cohort of CMV-positive cord blood samples were higher than those in the matched control group. CONCLUSION We developed and validated a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assay to detect CMV-DNA in cord blood. In our study, maternal total antibodies to CMV or CMV-DNA at birth were poor predictors of infection in cord blood donors. Furthermore, our results suggest that CMV congenital infection impacts CD34+/CD45+ cells and some hematopoietic progenitor cells toward higher proliferation.
Magnificence: On the Appearance of the Baths of Caracalla

Late in his career, architectural historian James Ackerman shifted his attention to the role of magnificence in the work of Michelangelo and Palladio.1 Ackerman reflected on magnificence in terms o...
Quality Improvement Summit 2016: Shared Decision Making and Prostate Cancer Screening

AbstractIntroduction: The American Urological Association Quality Improvement Summit occurs regularly to provide education and promote dialogue around the issues of quality improvement and patient ...
Temperature and humidity based projections of a rapid rise in global heat stress exposure during the 21st century

As a result of global increases in both temperature and specific humidity, heat stress is projected to intensify throughout the 21st century. Some of the regions most susceptible to dangerous heat and humidity combinations are also among the most densely populated. Consequently, there is the potential for widespread exposure to wet bulb temperatures that approach and in some cases exceed postulated theoretical limits of human tolerance by mid- to late-century. We project that by 2080 the relative frequency of present-day extreme wet bulb temperature events could rise by a factor of 100 - 250 (approximately double the frequency change projected for temperature alone) in the tropics and parts of the mid-latitudes, areas which are projected to contain approximately half the world's population. In addition, population exposure to wet bulb temperatures that exceed recent deadly heat waves may increase by a factor of five to ten, with 150 - 750 million person-days of exposure to wet bulb temperatures above those seen in today's most severe heat waves by 2070 - 2080. Under RCP 8.5, exposure to wet bulb temperatures above 35°C - the theoretical limit for human tolerance - could exceed a million person-days per year by 2080. Limiting emissions to follow RCP 4.5 entirely eliminates exposure to that extreme threshold. Some of the most affected regions, especially Northeast India and coastal West Africa, currently have scarce cooling infrastructure, relatively low adaptive capacity, and rapidly growing populations. In the coming decades heat stress may prove to be one of the most widely experienced and directly dangerous aspects of climate change, posing a severe threat to human health, energy infrastructure, and outdoor activities ranging from agricultural production to military training.
Intracranial malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor variant: an unusual neurovascular phenotype sarcoma case invading through the petrous bone.

Intracranial malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is exceedingly rare. Previously reported cases of intracranial MPNST have been associated with development within a prominent cranial nerve. This is the first report of an MPNST with both nerve sheath and vascular phenotype that follows the neurovascular bundle, without arising in a major cranial nerve or in the setting of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). The patient is a 14-year-old boy with a history of worsening headaches for the past several months, left-sided hearing loss, nausea, vomiting, and vertigo. MRI was performed that demonstrated a large extra-axial tumor compressing the left infratemporal posterior temporal region. The tumor was associated with significant destruction of the superior portion of the petrous bone and extension through the petrous into the upper posterior fossa, immediately below the tentorium. The patient underwent surgical debulking and adjuvant chemotherapy with doxorubicin and ifosfamide. Pathology demonstrated a variant malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor with both nerve sheath and vascular phenotype by immunostains. The patient’s symptoms improved following treatment. We present the first reported case of an intracranial MPNST variant that developed along the neurovascular bundle as a sarcoma with both nerve sheath and vascular phenotype through the petrous bone and not associated with a major cranial nerve or with stigmata of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Although this is an extremely unusual presentation due to location and lack of prominent cranial nerves in that location, it is not unusual for benign nerve sheath tumors to follow the neurovascular bundle through foramen of cortical long bone or pelvis. This case suggests that physicians should incorporate intracranial MPNST variant into their differential diagnosis in the cranium, even when tumor is not located near a prominent cranial nerve. Surgical debulking and adjuvant chemotherapy with doxorubicin and ifosfamide has led to improvement in patient symptoms.
Ctrl+ALT-RIGHT: reinterpreting our knowledge of white supremacy groups through the lens of street gangs

For the last 30 years, gang scholars have explicitly disregarded white youth who are active in groups with overt or implicit ties to neo-Nazi/skinhead or white power ideologies from street gang res...
Image analytic algorithms for automated cell segmentation quality control

High quality Single cell segmentation is vital for accurate single cell analysis in tissue and cell research. Visual evaluation of single cell segmentation quality is subjective and time consuming. Therefore, we present two different approaches for automated quality control of single cell segmentation results. One approach relies on a generic segmentation similarity metric that can be used with any segmentation problem. The second relies on annotated examples of segmented cells to build a model of correctly segmented cells in an active learning fashion. Our results show high (89%) accuracy in classifying correctly and incorrectly segmented cells. This approach may have significant value for large research studies where the time savings can be transferred for more biological analysis time.
Grammars and Machines

In Chapter 1 we had a first look at context-free grammars and context-free languages, and we had a glimpse at two areas of practical interest—parsing and natural language processing—where formal grammatical descriptions play an important role.
Integrated Learning and Feature Selection for Deep Neural Networks in Multispectral Images

The curse of dimensionality is a well-known phenomenon that arises when applying machine learning algorithms to highly-dimensional data; it degrades performance as a function of increasing dimension. Due to the high data dimensionality of multispectral and hyperspectral imagery, classifiers trained on limited samples with many spectral bands tend to overfit, leading to weak generalization capability. In this work, we propose an end-to-end framework to effectively integrate input feature selection into the training procedure of a deep neural network for dimensionality reduction. We show that Integrated Learning and Feature Selection (ILFS) significantly improves performance on neural networks for multispectral imagery applications. We also evaluate the proposed methodology as a potential defense against adversarial examples, which are malicious inputs carefully designed to fool a machine learning system. Our experimental results show that methods for generating adversarial examples designed for RGB space are also effective for multispectral imagery and that ILFS significantly mitigates their effect.
Enhancing Forest and Shrubland Mapping in a Managed Forest Landscape with Landsat–LiDAR Data Fusion

Contemporary losses of early-successional young forest and shrubland habitat have resulted in range-wide population declines of numerous wildlife species, establishing shrubland conservation as a high priority in the eastern United States. However, the extent and spatial distribution of shrubland habitat is lacking for many locations. The Landsat program is an important resource for quantifying vegetation and land cover, but recent applications indicate that divergent structural characteristics between certain feature classes, such as vegetation height, are not readily captured by spectral response alone. The fusion of Landsat imagery with light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data at the pixel level into existing supervised classification schemes may offset this discrepancy. We used multispectral images from Landsat 8′s Operational Land Imager (OLI) to compare Landsat OLI and Landsat OLI-LiDAR fusion data in the classification of 10 vegetation and land cover types across a ∼5000 km2 area in southeastern Ohio at the native 30-m Landsat resolution. Fusion data produced a 12% increase in overall classification accuracy from the Landsat OLI model and met minimum mapping accuracy standards in remote sensing. Importantly, LiDAR textural bands in the fusion model improved discrimination of forest and shrubland classes with the most dramatic difference manifesting as a 75% increase in shrubland user's accuracy. We demonstrate that Landsat OLI–LiDAR fusions are valuable for accurate shrubland mapping in forestlands. Additionally, we show that vegetation and land cover modeling can be easily integrated into existing wildlife monitoring programs by simultaneously sampling vegetation classes and wildlife communities from similar locations.
Impact of 21-Gene Expression Assay on Staging Estrogen Receptor–Positive HER2-Negative Breast Cancer

Abstract Purpose The 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) breast cancer staging system requires histologic grade (GR), estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and stage (assessed by the tumor, node, metastasis classification system). For T1-2 N0, ER+/HER2− tumors, if the 21-gene expression assay is ordered and Oncotype DX (ODX) recurrence score (RS) is 0 to 10, the stage is IA. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the ODXRS on staging ER+/HER2− tumors. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective review of ER+/HER2− invasive breast cancer (BC) with ODXRS results from 2 institutions (n = 816) between 2006 and 2018. Stage based on the AJCC 7th and 8th editions, and stage using the 8th edition with and without ODXRS were compared. Significant associations among pathologic parameters and ODX risk groups were determined. Clinical histories were reviewed. Results Nearly half of the patients (43%) had a change in BC stage using the new staging system. Only 4 patients changed stage as a direct result of ODXRS. Influence of ODXRS on staging is limited to T2N0 tumors that are either GR 3 and strongly ER+ and PR+ or GR 1-2 and ER+/PR−. Sixty-one percent of cases of recurrence (11/18) were downstaged using the new staging system. Conclusion ODXRS has little influence on staging, thus supporting the view of the AJCC 8th edition expert panel that ODX is not required for staging. Downstaging of more than half of cases of recurrence suggests that continued refinement of the staging system, as proposed by the expert panel, could be beneficial in this subgroup of patients.
Self-insurance and self-protection in weed control: implications for nonpoint source pollution

This dissertation investigates producer's weed control decisions in three papers. Using an endogenous risk framework, the papers model weed control decisions as they are affected by uncertainty and as they are affected by policies aimed at reducing nonpoint source pollution;The first paper adapts the theory of self protection and self insurance to weed control decisions in order to model substitutions between fertilizer and herbicides. Our results suggest that an increase in the probability of weed damage will generally decrease both herbicide and fertilizer application rates. We also show that increased probability of weed damage leads to use of less persistent herbicides and less fertilizer. Also, nonpoint pollution policies which restrict fertilizer quantities will tend to reduce herbicide rates and herbicide persistence, while policies which restrict herbicide rates or herbicide persistence will tend to reduce fertilizer rates;The second paper models weed control decisions using the concepts of self insurance and self protection to model substitutions among the types and quantities of herbicides used. Our results indicate that policies which restrict herbicide rates likely lead to use of more persistent herbicides, while policies which restrict the use of persistent herbicides likely lead to increased application rates. We also provide conditions to unambiguously sign the effects of increased application or effectiveness risk on optimal herbicide choices. Generally, risk leads to a tradeoff between herbicide rates and herbicide persistence;The third paper uses a biophysical modeling approach to construct and evaluate the environmental and economic effects of alternative nonpoint source pollution policies. Environmental and economic tradeoffs are compared for six sets of policies including five sets of tax policies and one set of bans. Generally, herbicide targeted tax policies which are based on groundwater exposure values are most cost-efficient for producing relatively small improvements in water quality, while broad-based policies such as flat taxes and bans are most cost-efficient for producing larger improvements in water quality.
Neurosurgical applications of MRI guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT)

MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is the selective ablation of a lesion or a tissue using heat emitted from a laser device. LITT is considered a less invasive technique compared to open surgery that provides a nonsurgical solution for patients who cannot tolerate surgery. Although laser ablation has been used to treat brain lesions for decades, recent advances in MRI have improved lesion targeting and enabled real-time accurate monitoring of the thermal ablation process. These advances have led to a plethora of research involving the technique, safety, and potential applications of LITT. LITT is a minimally invasive treatment modality that shows promising results and is associated with decreased morbidity. It has various applications, such as treatment of glioma, brain metastases, radiation necrosis, and epilepsy. It can provide a safer alternative treatment option for patients in whom the lesion is not accessible by surgery, who are not surgical candidates, or in whom other standard treatment options have failed. Our aim is to review the current literature on LITT and provide a descriptive review of the technique, imaging findings, and clinical applications for neurosurgery.
Chemical structure of medium-scale liquid pool fires

Abstract This work documents a series of time-averaged local gas species measurements made throughout the centerline profile of 30 cm methanol, ethanol, and acetone pool fires steadily burning in a quiescent environment. All gas species measurements were obtained using extractive sampling, then analyzed using a gas chromatograph equipped with a mass spectrometer detector (GC/MS). The volume fraction of each species was calculated via the number of moles identified by the GC/MS at each location along the fire's centerline. Soot mass fractions were also measured during the gas-sampling process. The gas species and soot mass fractions were compared at different locations for fires burning three fuels.
Zoning and affordability: A reply to Rodríguez-Pose and Storper:

Would increasing allowable housing densities in expensive cities generate more housing construction and make housing more affordable? In a provocative article, Andres Rodriguez-Pose and Michael Sto...
Educating rural migrant children in interior China: The promise and pitfall of low-fee private schools

Abstract Scholars disagree on the extent to which low-fee private schools can adequately supply education to poor children in developing countries. This article contributes to the debate with a qualitative study in the Chinese context where privatization of education intersects with rural-urban migration. Using grounded theory approach, I examine how these schools aid or hinder migrant children’s settlement and integration in the host city. Fieldwork in the country’s interior region reveals that migrant schools are oriented toward meeting the immediate needs of migrant families but at the cost of children’s future prospects. The conclusion discusses implications for equitable urbanization.
Interprofessional collaboration associated with frequency of life-saving links to HIV continuum of care services in the urban environment of Newark, New Jersey

HIV continuum of care has been used as a strategy to reduce HIV transmission rates, with timely engagement in HIV testing being the first and most critical step. This study examines interprofessional-collaboration (IPC) after controlling for agency/ provider demographics, provider training and self-efficacy as a significant predictor of how frequently HIV service providers link their clients to HIV testing. Multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the effects of IPC on links to HIV testing while controlling for demographic and agency information, provider training, and standardized measures of providers’ feelings, attitudes, and opinions about IPC. Cross-sectional data from 142 providers in 13 agencies offering treatment and prevention services for HIV and substance-use disorders were collected via a survey. Those who scored higher on the IPC scale reported significantly higher rates of linkages to HIV testing. Compared to the null model (i.e., no predictor model), the final multilevel binary logistic regression model showed a significantly improved likelihood of linkage to HIV testing by 11.4%, p. < .05. The final model correctly classified 90.2% of links to HIV testing. Providers in agencies with smaller budgets and in agencies offering substance use disorder services were more likely to link clients to HIV testing. Younger providers who received HIV training were also more likely to link clients to HIV testing. Findings suggest IPC training as a potential strategy to improve linkages to HIV testing for clients at risk for HIV infection. Future research is recommended to identify specific areas of IPC that might have differential effects on links to HIV testing.
Business Strategists and Election Commissioners: How the Meaning of Loyalty Varies with the Board's Distinct Fiduciary Roles

For twenty years, Delaware courts have been developing special standards to review board decisions that interfere with hostile bids for control or the exercise of the shareholder franchise. These "Unocal" and "Blasius" doctrines seem to fit uneasily with theories of the board's role in corporate governance, constraining board discretion too little for shareholder primacy theories and too much for board autonomy theories. Nor have the Delaware courts succeeded in fitting Unocal and Blasius comfortably with their treatment of board decisions in other contexts. In this article, I propose that these special doctrines reflect the difference between two separate functions of the board of directors, which I term "operating power" and "coordinating power". The board's operating power is its familiar power to manage the operations of the corporate enterprise. The board's coordinating power, which is at issue in Unocal and Blasius cases, is its power to manage collective actions by the shareholders. With the difference in fiduciary purpose comes a difference in fiduciary duty. In the operating context, the prototypical breach of fiduciary duty is a decision that does not pursue the interests of the corporate enterprise. In the coordinating context, the prototypical breach of fiduciary duty is a decision to force the outcome of a decision the governance scheme allocates to shareholder collective action. A further implication of the operating/coordinating distinction is that coordinating power is more amenable to fixed rules of decision. Delaware statutory rules governing the administration of shareholder voting reflect this difference and the courts' preference for voting over tender offers seems to follow this statutory difference.
Managing Fungal Infections in Cystic Fibrosis Patients: Challenges in Clinical Practice

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by a mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. Impairment of the CFTR protein in the respiratory tract results in the formation of thick mucus, development of inflammation, destruction of bronchial tissue, and development of bacterial or fungal infections over time. CF patients are commonly colonized and/or infected with fungal organisms, Candida albicans or Aspergillus fumigatus, with prevalence rates ranging from 5% to 78% in the literature. Risk factors for acquiring fungal organisms include older age, coinfection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, prolonged use of oral and inhaled antibiotics, and lower forced expiratory volume (FEV1). There are limited data available to differentiate between contamination, colonization, and active infection. Furthermore, the pathogenicity of colonization is variable in the literature as some studies report a decline in lung function associated with fungal colonization whereas others showed no difference. Limited data are available for the eradication of fungal colonization and the treatment of active invasive aspergillosis in adult CF patients. In this review article, we discuss the challenges in clinical practice and current literature available for laboratory findings, clinical diagnosis, and treatment options for fungal infections in adult CF patients.
The Challenges of Achieving Equity Within Public School Gifted and Talented Programs

K–12 gifted and talented programs have struggled with racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, native language, and disability inequity since their inception. This inequity has been well documented in public...
Gamified Education in K-12

The lack of engagement throughout a traditional education process is a regular concern among all the educators. Gamification is the application of game-like elements and game principles in non-game contexts. The purpose of this study is to identify key steps to adopt a better gamification method in K-12 educational schools. According to a case study, this research presents a gamification proposition that aims to promote learning engagement in K-12 education with the use of Gamification methods. Six stages compose the method: understand students; find resources; select right resources; students' feedback; cluster students; and customize gamification. To validate the method, we developed an initial experiment in a high school environment. The results is successful.
Bridge-to-Transplant External-Beam Radiation Therapy in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Utilization Analysis of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Database.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) External-beam radiation therapy (EBRT), and more explicitly stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), is a safe and effective bridging therapy to liver transplantation for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the national prevalence and clinicopathologic parameters of patients receiving EBRT as a bridging modality in the United States are unknown. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a non-profit organization that manages the national liver transplant waiting list in the United States. Our aim was to determine the national prevalence of EBRT in patients with HCC waitlisted for liver transplantation in the United States. MATERIALS/METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the UNOS dataset from 10/2013 - 6/2020 and identified adults waitlisted for HCC who had applied for Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) exceptions to receive waiting list prioritization. The primary outcome was the period prevalence of EBRT (coded as EBRT by UNOS, inclusive of all dose and fractionation schedules). Clinicopathologic parameters, defined as the earliest available recorded value starting from waiting list registration, were compared in patients receiving or not receiving EBRT using Kruskal-Wallis or chi-square tests, as applicable. RESULTS We identified 18,447 HCC patients who submitted MELD exception applications during the study period. Ultimately, 11,171 patients received a liver transplant (60.6%) at a median of 7 months (IQR: 4-11) from exception application. 15,759 (85.4%) patients received any liver-directed therapy (LDT). A total of 658 patients received EBRT either alone or in combination with other LDTs (3.6% of the overall cohort). EBRT utilization among all patients increased over time, with an average annual percent increase of 14%. Use of EBRT significantly differed by region, with region 10 (MI, OH, IN) having the largest proportion of patients receiving EBRT (8.7%) compared to region 3 (FL, GA, MS, AL, LA, AR) having the lowest (1.7%, P 0.05). CONCLUSION In this first study evaluating national data for the use of EBRT as a bridging therapy for HCC patients awaiting liver transplantation, EBRT was used rarely compared to other LDTs. Although it is becoming more prevalent over the last decade, EBRT continues to be under-utilized relative to other LDTs. As an established safe and effective bridging therapy for HCC, low national utilization of EBRT (and in turn, SBRT) highlights a real-world gap in the treatment armamentarium for HCC and an opportunity to improve the care of patients with advanced liver disease needing liver transplantation.
An acute care surgery model improves timeliness of care and reduces hospital stay for patients with acute cholecystitis.

In October 2009, an acute care surgery (ACS) model was implemented to facilitate urgent surgical consults. This study examines the impact of ACS on the timeliness of care and length of hospitalizat...
Being Fair to Religion: Rumsfeld v. Fair's Impact on the Associational Rights of Religious Organizations

Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc. (FAIR) garnered much political attention because of the issue underlying the case: whether “don’t ask, don’t tell” is a sound policy.1 However, that question was not before the Supreme Court. The Court considered only whether law schools’ protests against the policy - refusing military recruiters access to students - were constitutionally protected speech.2 The Court was not sympathetic; in ruling against FAIR, a consortium of law schools, it limited a protection that it had greatly expanded only six years earlier: the right to expressive association.The effects of this limitation are yet to be seen, but will likely come as a disappointment to libertarians who saw great promise in the broad association rights set forth in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale.4 Interestingly, the impact of FAIR may be felt most by religious organizations - groups that have traditionally had their own associational protections, but which today may rely only on the right of expressive association. The irony of this is that FAIR, a case noted for its defense of an anti-homosexual policy, may have its greatest impact on religious organizations that seek to keep homosexuals out.