cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
China's Vision for Developing Sichuan's Post-Earthquake Countryside: Turning Unruly Peasants into Grateful Urban Citizens

In the aftermath of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, government officials, scholars and outside observers eagerly hoped that the emergency relief and reconstruction process would bring about the emergence of civil society and increase grassroots democratic participation. Contrary to this optimistic assessment, this article contends that the local state used the opportunity of the disaster as an experimental laboratory to implement an array of already existing national development plans. The urgency with which the reconstruction was to be completed and the opportunities to meet national development targets as well as access reconstruction funds were too tempting to resist. However, the ham-fisted Leninist implementation style met with local resistance and has contributed to a significant deterioration in local state–society relations. The fact that many local residents continue to question why, despite the huge resources invested by the state in the reconstruction project, they have yet to see any improvement in their economic and overall living conditions points to a deficit of local participation and a breakdown in political communication and trust. By focusing on the different political economies of disaster reconstruction, this article attempts to illuminate the regime's vision for developing the countryside, rural politics, and state–society relations in China more broadly. Unless the state is able to incorporate local needs into its development plans, it will not win the trust and support of local residents, regardless of the amount of money it invests or the benevolence of its intentions.
Superdistribution and the economics of bits

Why is the engineering and distribution of software fundamentally different from the engineering and distribution of other engineered objects? The author presents a unique answer to this question-an answer that could lead to a fundamental change in the way that software professionals view their creations and software marketers sell them. The infrastructure he proposes would make it feasible to buy and sell digital goods with any terms and conditions imaginable: pay-per-year, pay-per-minute, pay-per-save, pay-per-keystroke, and so on. Even today's pay-to-own terms and conditions would remain feasible, with ownership technologically enforced via invocation metering, but precisely which prices, terms and conditions should vendors offer, and which set of conditions would be most desirable to the buyers they hope to attract? Such questions are complicated, but answerable. Each is merely the electronic counterpart to questions we routinely confront in the tangible world of everyday experience, but cyberspace emerged less than a generation ago, which is not nearly enough time to even define-let alone build and deploy-a robust basis for the ownership of digital property. These technical issues are only the easy part compared to the social issues of building a true information-age economy.
CONSTRAINT PROPAGATION AND PROGRESSIVE VERIFICATION FOR COMPONENT-BASED PROCESS MODEL

System assembly is one of the major issues in engineering complex component-based systems. This is especially true when heterogeneous, COTS and GOTS distributed systems, typical in industrial applications, are involved. The goal of system assembly is not only to make constituent components work together, but also to ensure that the components as a whole behave consistently and guarantee certain end-to-end properties. Despite recent advances, there is a lack of understanding about software composability, as well as theory and techniques for checking and verifying component-based systems. A theory of software system constraints about components, their environment and about system as a whole is the necessary foundation toward solid understanding of the composability of component-based systems. In this paper, we present a systematic approach for constraint specification and constraint propagation in concert with design refinement with a novel technique to ensure consistency between system-wide and component constraints in a design composition process of component-based systems. The consistent constraint propagation is used in our approach to drive progressive verification of the design. It allows us to verify overall design composition without interference of internal details of component designs. Verification is done separately at architectural and component levels without having to compose results of component analyses. A component can be safely replaced with alternative design without re-verifying the overall system composition so long as the replacement conforms to the corresponding interface and component constraint(s).
Racemic ketamine in adult head injury patients: use in endotracheal suctioning

Endotracheal suctioning (ETS) is essential for patient care in an ICU but may represent a cause of cerebral secondary injury. Ketamine has been historically contraindicated for its use in head injury patients, since an increase of intracranial pressure (ICP) was reported; nevertheless, its use was recently suggested in neurosurgical patients. In this prospective observational study we investigated the effect of ETS on ICP, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), jugular oxygen saturation (SjO2) and cerebral blood flow velocity (mVMCA) before and after the administration of ketamine. In the control phase, ETS was performed on patients sedated with propofol and remifentanil in continuous infusion. If a cough was present, patients were assigned to the intervention phase, and 100 γ/kg/min of racemic ketamine for 10 minutes was added before ETS. In the control group ETS stimulated the cough reflex, with a median cough score of 2 (interquartile range (IQR) 1 to 2). Furthermore, it caused an increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) (from 89.0 ± 11.6 to 96.4 ± 13.1 mmHg; P <0.001), ICP (from 11.0 ± 6.7 to 18.5 ± 8.9 mmHg; P <0.001), SjO2 (from 82.3 ± 7.5 to 89.1 ± 5.4; P = 0.01) and mVMCA (from 76.8 ± 20.4 to 90.2 ± 30.2 cm/sec; P = 0.04). CPP did not vary with ETS. In the intervention group, no significant variation of MAP, CPP, mVMCA, and SjO2 were observed in any step; after ETS, ICP increased if compared with baseline (15.1 ± 9.4 vs. 11.0 ± 6.4 mmHg; P <0.05). Cough score was significantly reduced in comparison with controls (P <0.0001). Ketamine did not induce any significant variation in cerebral and systemic parameters. After ETS, it maintained cerebral hemodynamics without changes in CPP, mVMCA and SjO2, and prevented cough reflex. Nevertheless, ketamine was not completely effective when used to control ICP increase after administration of 100 γ/kg/min for 10 minutes.
Use of Galactose-Fermenting Streptococcus thermophilus in the Manufacture of Swiss, Mozzarella, and Short-Method Cheddar Cheese

Abstract Galactose-fermenting (galactose-positive) strains of Streptococcus thermophilus , alone and combined with galactose-positive and galactose-negative strains of Lactobacillus bulgaricus , were used as starter cultures in the manufacture of Swiss and Mozzarella cheese and were paired with Streptococcus lactis (also galactose-positive) in short-method Cheddar cheese manufacture. Experimental Swiss cheese made with the galactose-positive Streptococcus thermophilus starter alone contained a large amount of galactose (ca. 26 to 28 µmol/g of curd) 28h after hooping compared with control Swiss ( Streptococcus thermophilus and a galactose-positive strain of Lactobacillus bulgaricus . Mozzarella and short-method Cheddar made with only galactose-positive Streptococcus thermophilus also contained large amounts of galactose. Swiss cheese made with a galactose-positive strain of Streptococcus thermophilus and a galactose-negative strain of Lactobacillus bulgaricus had little galactose remaining after 28h, indicating that the Lactobacillus had a stimulatory effect on galactose metabolism in Streptococcus thermophilus . These results indicate that galactose-fermenting Streptococcus thermophilus may have limited potential when used as single strain starter cultures in Swiss cheese, but may be useful when combined with galactose-positive Lactobacillus in the manufacture of Mozzarella cheese.
Fully-fuzzy supervised classification of sub-urban land cover from remotely sensed imagery: Statistical and artificial neural network approaches

Fully-fuzzy classification approaches have attracted increasing interest recently. These approaches allow for multiple and partial class memberships at the level of individual pixels and accommodate fuzziness in all three stages of a supervised classification of remotely sensed imagery. A fully-fuzzy classification strategy may be deemed more objective and correct than partially-fuzzy approaches where fuzziness is only accommodated in one or two of the three classification stages. This paper describes two approaches to the fully-fuzzy classification of remotely sensed imagery: a statistical approach based on a modified fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm performed in a supervised mode and an artificial neural network based approach. This is followed by the documentation of a case study using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data of an Edinburgh suburb. Both approaches were applied to derive fully-fuzzy classifications of land cover, with fuzzy ground data, critical for training and testing the classifications, derived from indicator kriging. Results confirmed the superiority of fully-fuzzy over their respective partially-fuzzy classification counterparts, which is beneficial given their more relaxed requirements for training pixels (i.e. training pixels need not be pure). Similar accuracies were obtained with the artificial neural network and statistical approaches to classification. It is suggested that due emphasis must be placed on derivation and analysis of fuzzy ground data as well as fuzzy classified data in order to further improve fully-fuzzy classifications.
Alternate tactics in male bladder grasshoppers Bullacris membracioides Orthoptera Pneumoridae

Summary Bladder grasshoppers (Orthoptera, Pneumoridae) are a unique group of nocturnal, specialized herbivores, endemic to coastal regions of Southern Africa. Adult males are characterized by an inflated abdomen, which develops at the final molt, and a signaling system capable of producing high intensity calls detectable by conspecifics at distances of up to 2 km. Female response to male calls leads to reciprocal duetting and pair formation. We have found an alternative form to the dominant inflated male tactic in three pneumorid species. These alternate males are incapable of flight and lack the air-filled abdominal bladder used in long-range acoustic communication; but may be found in copula with mature females in the field. Here we address the issue of neoteny/paedogenesis in the alternate male by comparing the morphology of inflated and uninflated adult male Bullacris membracioides with that of ultimate and penultimate nymphal instars, to determine whether these forms follow a common developmental trajectory. We then compare the behavioral responsiveness of inflated and noninflated morphs to conspecific advertisement calls, to ascertain whether alternate males have the potential to actively exploit the mate location system of duetting pairs. Morphometric analyses indicate that alternate males are a distinctly divergent form from the primary male developmental tactic. We conclude that males following the alternate tactic eavesdrop on the duets of inflated males and females to exploit the acoustic mate location system. This satellite tactic has potential impact on several aspects of pneumorid biology contributing to biasing sexual selection, sensory drive, and ultimately speciation events.
Felis catus (Domestic cat)

Among the small submetacentrics (3 pairs), the largest pair (El) bears a deep secondary constriction on the short arm. This pair is present in karyotypes of all members of Felidae thus far analyzed.
Water Clarity and Diving Behavior in Wintering Common Loons

Abstract Studies of the Common Loon (Gavia immer) during its breeding season on northern freshwater lakes in North America have suggested that water quality has an influence on breeding and foraging success. Less is known, however, about the effects of water quality on loon behavior during the winter, which is spent in estuarine and marine environments. In this study, we investigated the effects of water clarity and tidal stage on loon diving behavior at seven sites along a Maryland estuary. At each site, the total number of loons observed and mean dive durations of individuals were measured and compared to various measurements of water clarity, including Secchi depth and turbidity, and to tidal stage. Dive durations were positively associated with Secchi depth, which indicates that birds dove for longer periods in areas with higher water clarity. Dives were also longer during low tide in comparison to other tidal stages. No relationship was found between aspects of water clarity and the distribution of w...
Alternative Pathway Analyses Indicate Bidirectional Relations between Depressive Symptoms, Diet Quality, and Central Adiposity in a Sample of Urban US Adults

Background: Temporality between socioeconomic status (SES), depressive symptoms (DS), dietary quality (DQ), and central adiposity (CA) is underexplored. Objectives: Alternative pathways linking SES to DQ, DS, and CA were tested and models compared, stratified by race and sex. Methods: With the use of data from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (baseline age: 30–64 y; 2 visits; mean follow-up: 4.9 y), 12 structural equation models (SM) were conducted and compared. Time-dependent factors included the Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression [CES-D total score, baseline or visit 1 (v1), follow-up or visit 2 (v2), mean across visits (m), and annual rate of change (Δ)], 2010 Healthy Eating Index (HEI) (same notation), and central adiposity principal components' analysis score of waist circumference and trunk fat (kg) (Adipcent) (same notation). Sample sizes were white women (WW, n = 236), white men (WM, n = 159), African American women (AAW, n = 395), and African American men (AAM, n = 274), and a multigroup analysis within the SM framework was also conducted. Results: In the best-fitting model, overall, ∼31% of the total effect of SES→Adipcent(v2) (α ± SE: −0.10 ± 0.03, P < 0.05) was mediated through a combination of CES-D(v1) and ΔHEI. Two dominant pathways contributed to the indirect effect: SES→(−)CES-D(v1)→(+)Adipcent(v2) (−0.015) and SES→(+) ΔHEI→(−)Adipcent(v2) (−0.017), with a total indirect effect of −0.031 (P < 0.05). In a second best-fitting model, SES independently predicted Adipcent(v1, −0.069), ΔHEI(+0.037) and CES-D(v2, −2.70) (P < 0.05), with Adipcent(v1) marginally predicting ΔHEI(−0.014) and CES-D(v2, +0.67) (P < 0.10). These findings were indicative of DS's and CA's marginally significant bidirectional association (P < 0.10). Although best-fit–selected models were consistent across race × sex categories, path coefficients differed significantly between groups. Specifically, SES→Adipcent[v1(+0.11), v2(+0.14)] was positive among AAM (P < 0.05), and the overall positive association of Adipcent(v1)→CES-D(v2) was specific to AAW (+0.97, P < 0.10). Conclusions: Despite consistent model fit, pathways linking SES to DQ, DS, and CA differed markedly among the race × sex groups. Our findings can inform the potential effectiveness of various mental health and dietary interventions.
Auditory dysfunction and rehabilitation.

L'atteinte de la discrimination verbale est une caracteristique de la presbyacousie: meme si l'intensite sonore est augmentee, un pourcentage important de mots restent inintelligibles. La surveillance est necessaire pour determiner si les protheses auditives sont utilisees convenablement et avec succes
Are two courses of chemotherapy required in phase II trials in acute leukemia

In most phase II studies, patients must receive two courses of chemotherapy in order to be judged evaluable for response. We reviewed the experience with six different phase II drugs given to patients with acute leukemia and found that the requirement of a second course may be unnecessary. Administration of second courses do not transform "ineffective" drugs into effective drugs. Furthermore, second courses lead to enhanced toxicity. We conclude that future trials with phase II agents in acute leukemia should be limited to the administration of one course.
Progressive Failure Mechanisms of a Commercial Silicon Diode

Two forms of progressive degradation of a commercial silicon signal diode have been stuided as a function of various stress and measurement variables. One mode results from reverse bias at high temperature, and the second is caused by prolonged stressing with high forward current. For both modes the rate of degradation can be greatly increased by raising the ambient temperature; and therefore, accelerated testing is useful in both cases. The maximum acceleration is limited only by the onset of catastrophic failure mechanisms, which supersede the progressive mechanisms at sufficiently high stress levels. The reverse current characteristic is the principal degrading parameter for both modes. Models are presented to relate the stress-induced increases in IR to physical and chemical changes taking place in the diode. The reverse bias degradation mode may be readily explained by a model based on the drift of impurity ions in the silicon oxide and the resultant inversion of the epitaxial n layer. The actual source of the reverse current is space charge generation in the stress-induced inversion layer. There is a well-defined time constant for the degradation rate, and its temperature dependence is found both experimentally and theoretically to be of the Arrihenius type. The excess reverse current resulting from forward bias stressing may be attributed to a form of surface breakdown caused by a stress-induced accumulation layer on the n-type epitaxial material.
Stacking the Deck for Efficiency: RF- to Millimeter-Wave Stacked CMOS SOI Power Amplifiers

The emerging demand for high-capacity wireless mobile communication and the advent of the Internet of Things and fifthgeneration communication standards have motivated the development of high-performance transceivers. The power amplifier (PA) is the most critical part in the transmit path and dominates the transceiver's performance, including coverage range, data rate, spectrum compliance, and dc power dissipation. Integration capability and the relatively low cost of complementary?metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, on the other hand, have propelled it into the wireless market. CMOS technology enables complete system-on-chip solutions, resulting in a simple front-end assembly process, straightforward testing, and improved reliability. Today, in addition to the baseband, including the modulator/demodulator circuit, a big portion of the RF front end of the transceiver circuit is implemented in CMOS technology.
Lifetesting for Matched Pairs

Suppose a drug or chemical is to be tested for its effect on a group of lab animals. Because of the great variability between responses of lab animals it may be desirable to form matched pairs and give one animal in a given pair the treatment while the other animal serves as control. One simple way of obtaining matched pairs is described by Mantel et al. [10] where rats may be bought from a breeder in pairs of littermates of male (and female) rats.
Polyphosphate granule biogenesis is temporally and functionally tied to cell cycle exit during starvation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Polyphosphate (polyP) granule biogenesis is an ancient and ubiquitous starvation response in bacteria. Although the ability to make polyP is important for survival during quiescence and resistance to diverse environmental stresses, granule genesis is poorly understood. Using quantitative microscopy at high spatial and temporal resolution, we show that granule genesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is tightly organized under nitrogen starvation. Following nucleation as many microgranules throughout the nucleoid, polyP granules consolidate and become transiently spatially organized during cell cycle exit. Between 1 and 3 h after nitrogen starvation, a minority of cells have divided, yet the total granule number per cell decreases, total granule volume per cell dramatically increases, and individual granules grow to occupy diameters as large as ∼200 nm. At their peak, mature granules constitute ∼2% of the total cell volume and are evenly spaced along the long cell axis. Following cell cycle exit, granules initially retain a tight spatial organization, yet their size distribution and spacing relax deeper into starvation. Mutant cells lacking polyP elongate during starvation and contain more than one origin. PolyP promotes cell cycle exit by functioning at a step after DNA replication initiation. Together with the universal starvation alarmone (p)ppGpp, polyP has an additive effect on nucleoid dynamics and organization during starvation. Notably, cell cycle exit is temporally coupled to a net increase in polyP granule biomass, suggesting that net synthesis, rather than consumption of the polymer, is important for the mechanism by which polyP promotes completion of cell cycle exit during starvation.
Lnc’ing Id2 to ILC1

The transcriptional repressor Id2 is constitutively expressed in all innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and is required for their development. In this issue of Immunity, Mowel et al. (2017) demonstrate that Id2 expression is regulated by a cell type-specific cis-regulatory element in group 1 ILCs that is demarcated by a long non-coding RNA.
Arterial Duplex Imaging of Lower-Extremity Arteries and Interventions:

The application of duplex ultrasound for the evaluation of patients with lower-limb arterial occlusive disease provides the clinician with detailed information on its location, extent, and severity...
Critical contact angles for liquid drops on inclined surfaces

The contact angles of liquid drops on inclined plane surfaces have been investigated at critical conditions of sliding. Drops of two liquids were tested on eight surfaces covering a wide range of advancing and receding contact angles. Contact angles and contact line dimensions were observed for various drop sizes and surface inclination angles. The contact-angle variation along the circumference of the drop was best fit by a third-degree polynomial of the azimuthal angle. The findings lead to the development of a general relation between the advancing contact angle, the receding contact angle, and the maximum Bond number for a liquid–surface combination. This relation is well supported by data from the literature. The new relation allows the characterization of a surface by its advancing contact angle for a given liquid, and prediction of the corresponding receding angle and maximum drop size.
Verification of a Modern Processor

Over the past four decades, microprocessors have come to be a vital and inseparable part of the modern world, becoming the digital brain of numerous electronic devices and gadgets that make today’s lifestyle possible. Processors are capable of performing computation at astonishingly high speeds and are extremely integrated, occupying only a few square centimeters of silicon die. However, this computational power comes at a price: the task of verifying a modern microprocessor and guaranteeing the correctness of its operation is increasingly challenging, even for most established processor vendors. To deliver always higher performance to end-users, processor manufacturers are forced to design progressively more complex circuits and employ immense verification teams to eliminate critical design bugs in a timely manner. Unfortunately, too often size doesn’t seem to matter in verification, as schedules continue to slip, and microprocessors find their way to the marketplace with design errors. In this chapter we overview the life-cycle of a microprocessors, discuss the challenges of verifying these devices, and show examples of hardware errors that have escaped into production silicon because of insufficient validation an d their impact.
The Impact of Timing of Tympanostomy Tube Placement on Sequelae in Children With Cleft Palate

Objective:To describe the impact of timing of tympanostomy tube insertion on the number of tubes received and complications in children with routine tube placement.Design:Retrospective case series....
Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Distribution System Fault Classification

Faults happen very frequently in distribution systems. Identifying fault types and phases are of critical importance for outage management, fault location, and service restoration. However, this task becomes very challenging due to measurement scarcity in distribution systems. This paper is among the first few that applies deep learning techniques in distribution system fault classification. Specifically, a sequential Convolutional Neural Network(CNN)-based classifier is developed to identify fault buses and phases. The input to the CNN is the steady-state voltage and current data measured at substations. The fault identification is modeled as a multi-label classification problem. Training data under various fault scenarios are obtained in OpenDSS and Gaussian noises are added to mimic measurement errors. A case study in IEEE 13-feeder test system is conducted with single and multiple bus faults scenarios. Numerical results demonstrate the high accuracy and fast computation of the proposed deep CNN-based fault classification.
The potentiometric titration of iron(II)/HCl solutions with permanganate

Reagents other than the Zimmerman-Reinhardt reagent have been used to minimize the errors incurred when Fe(II)/HCl systems are titrated with MnO4−. Potentiometric studies made of the effect of these additives on the initial and equivalence point potentials show that salts whose anions stabilize the Mn(III) state affect the equivalence point potential more than those containing Mn(II). The cation also affects the result, e.g., H2SO4− and Na2SO4-containing solutions show a greater equivalence potential change than do those containing (NH4)2SO4 and K2SO4. Ce2(SO4)3, reportedly an effective inhibitor, does not affect the equivalence point potential. Less titrant is required for 6 M HCl-containing Fe(II) solutions than for 1 M HCl-containing solutions-a result opposite to that expected and only partially explained by a more rapid air-oxidation of Fe(II) in 6 M HCl. The Pt electrode is not “inert” in this system.
CLOUDS AND FOG | Climatology

Synopsis A cloud climatology describes the time-averaged geographical distribution of cloud properties and their diurnal, seasonal, and interannual variations. Visible and infrared radiation measurements from space are used to obtain cloud top height, cloud optical thickness, and droplet sizes. Visual reports from surface observers on land and sea are used to obtain the frequency of occurrence and the amount of sky covered by each of the various cloud types such as cumulus, stratus, and cirrus. This article summarizes results from both analyses, emphasizing the half-century period of record available from the surface-based climatology.
Discrete dislocation dynamics

Abstract In crystalline metals, dislocations movement, nucleation, and interaction with one another and free surfaces govern the material behavior. One can study the size effects in crystalline metals using the discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) simulation which directly includes dislocations as discrete line defects. Accordingly, the dislocations motion can be obtained by integration of equations of motion which include their interactions with other dislocations. Historically, similar to many other computational material science methods, DDD has been introduced in a 2-dimensional framework where dislocations are simplified as straight lines with infinite length. The next generation of DDD model commonly known as 2.5-dimensional have been introduced in which some of the general 3-dimensional dislocation patterns including dynamic dislocation sources and obstacles and dislocation junction formation are incorporated in the 2-diemnsional model. Although simplified DDD simulation methods can provide valuable insight into many aspects of dislocations mechanisms, a true DDD simulation should be used to handle 3-dimensional dislocation mechanisms. Accordingly, 3-dimensional DDD models have been introduced in which dislocation loops can be discretized as a set of connected straight lines, which can be defined as pure edge or screw dislocations or mixed edge and screw dislocations, or curved splines. Different 3-dimensional DDD codes have been developed to capture the 3D mechanisms of dislocations. The theory of DDD simulation have been described in previous works (see, e.g., Zbib, 2012 ; Sills et al., 2016 ). In this chapter, the focus is on the application of DDD to capture size effect in crystalline metals. First, the investigation of size effects in crystalline metals using DDD simulation is extensively addressed here during micropillar compression test. In the last sections, the size effects during other experiments of microbending and nanoindentation are also briefly presented.
The economic contribution of logging, forestry, pulp & paper mills, and paper products: A 50-state analysis

Abstract The existing forest economics literature contains relatively few economic contribution studies at the state level in the U.S. While some prior studies have aggregated the economic contribution of forest sector activities at the regional or multi-state level, none have specifically calculated this in a comprehensive, homogeneous manner across all 50 U.S. states. Utilizing aggregation schemes in the existing literature, this research computes the economic contribution of multiple sectors of the commercial logging, forestry products, pulp & paper mills, and paper products for all 50 states. These findings have important implications, as strengthening these primary sectors of commercial logging and pulp & paper can help enhance wood products industry clusters and their individual industry sectors throughout the U.S. and breed strong regional economies.
Metabolic Syndrome Impairs 3D Mitochondrial Structure, Dynamics, and Function in Swine Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Transplantation of autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is an effective therapy for several diseases. Mitochondria modulate several important aspects of MSC function, but might be damaged by comorbidities and cardiovascular risk factors. We hypothesized that metabolic syndrome (MetS) compromises 3D mitochondrial structure, dynamics, and function in swine adipose tissue-derived MSCs. Domestic pigs were fed a Lean or MetS diet (n = 6 each) for 16 weeks. MSCs were collected from subcutaneous abdominal fat and their mitochondria analyzed using state-of-the-art Serial Block Face Electron Microscopy and 3D reconstruction. Mitochondrial dynamics (fusion/fission) were assessed by mRNA sequencing and Western blotting, and bioenergetics by membrane potential (TMRE), cytochrome-c oxidase (COX)-IV activity, and Seahorse Analyzer. Expression of mitochondria-associated microRNAs (mitomiRs) was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). MetS pigs developed obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia. Mitochondrial density was similar between the groups, but 3D mitochondrial and matrix volumes were lower in MetS-MSCs versus Lean-MSCs. Mitochondrial fission was higher, but fusion lower in MetS-MSCs versus Lean-MSCs, as were membrane potential, COX-IV activity, and ATP production. Contrarily, expression of the mitomiRs miR15a, miR-137, and miR-181c, which target mitochondrial genes that support mitochondrial structure, energy pathways, and dynamics, was higher in MetS-MSCs compared to Lean-MSCs, suggesting a potential to modulate their expression. MetS damages MSC 3D mitochondrial structure, dynamics, and function, and may modulate genes encoding for mitochondrial proteins. These observations support development of mitoprotective strategies to preserve the regenerative potency of MSCs and their suitability for autologous transplantation in patients with MetS.
Oral and IUD emergency contraception provision among a national sample of obstetrician-gynecologists.

Abstract Objective To assess obstetrician–gynecologists’ practices related to emergency contraception (EC). We performed a survey of ACOG Fellows and Junior Fellows between August 2016 and March 2017. Results The final sample was 1280 respondents (52.2% response rate). The majority (84%) reported offering at least one form of EC, with 18% offering ulipristal acetate and 29% offering copper IUDs. Fifty-seven percent of those offering IUDs reported recommending them in the last 12 months. Few had placed IUDs for EC. Half of ob–gyns reported not recommending copper IUDs because patients rarely seek EC. Conclusion Many obstetrician–gynecologists are not offering the most effective forms of EC. Implications Both patients and clinicians need more outreach about the most effective methods of emergency contraception.
Unusual Presentation of Renal Medullary Carcinoma With Undiagnosed Sickle Cell Trait.

Renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) is an extremely rare malignancy that has been described in younger male patients of African descent with a history of sickle cell disease or trait. We describe a rather unique case of RMC in an older male patient who initially presented with acute on chronic urinary retention and concern for infection. Further investigation revealed a history of hematuria and long-standing microcytic anemia, and the patient was found to have sickle cell trait (SCT) as part of a workup for malignancy of unknown primary. Imaging findings initially interpreted as hydronephrosis later characterized a mass in the renal pelvis concerning for a genitourinary malignancy, later biopsy-proven RMC. RMC typically presents in its advanced stages, with associated poor prognosis, and treatment options are limited and have been extrapolated from standard regimens for other genitourinary malignancies. Therefore, early clinical suspicion in patients with microcytic anemia, flank pain, hematuria, and urinary symptoms, can aid in the diagnosis of RMC and allow for prompt intervention.
Causal factors affecting gross motor function in children diagnosed with cerebral palsy

Abstract Cerebral palsy (CP) is a complex neuromuscular condition which may negatively impact gross motor function. Children diagnosed with CP often exhibit spasticity, weakness, reduced motor control, contracture, and bony malalignment. Despite many previous association studies, the causal impact of these impairments on motor function is unknown. In this study, we propose a causal model for motor function as measured by the 66-item Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66), and estimate the direct and total effect sizes of these common impairments using linear regression based on covariate adjustment sets implied by the causal model. We evaluated 300/314 consecutive subjects with cerebral palsy who underwent routine clinical gait analysis. The largest effect sizes, as measured by standardized regression coefficients (standard error), were for static motor control (direct = 0.35 (0.04), total = = 0.40 (0.04)) and dynamic motor control (direct = 0.26 (0.04), total = 0.31 (0.04)), followed by strength (direct = 0.23 (0.04), total = 0.26 (0.04)). The next largest effect was found for gait deviations (direct = total = 0.15 (0.04)). In contrast, common treatment targets, such as spasticity (direct = 0.05 (0.03), total = 0.08 (0.03)) and orthopedic deformity (direct = 0.00 (0.03) to 0.08 (0.03), total = −0.01 (0.03) to 0.11 (0.03)), had relatively small effects. We also show that effect sizes estimated from bivariate models, which fail to appropriately adjust for other causal factors dramatically overestimate the total effect of spasticity (510%), strength (271%), and orthopedic deformity (192% to -2017%). Understanding the relative influences of impairments on gross motor function will allow clinicians to direct treatments at those impairments with the greatest influence on gross motor function and provide realistic expectations of the anticipated functional changes.
Determining Moral and Legal Responsibility in Patients with Behavioral-variant Frontotemporal Dementia (P7.339)

OBJECTIVE: To review the determination of responsibility in patients with behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) BACKGROUND: Persons are absolved of criminal responsibility if they can demonstrate impaired moral knowledge or an inability to reason through the consequences of their actions. bvFTD patients challenge the assumption that moral knowledge and conscious reasoning are sufficient for normal moral judgments. How such patients should be treated in the current legal system remains uncertain. DESIGN/METHODS: Behavioral data and neuropsychological assessments in patients with bvFTD performing moral and legal transgressions are reviewed. These abnormalities are then discussed in the context of current philosophical and legal frameworks of free will and responsibility. RESULTS: 45-59[percnt] of bvFTD patients have committed an illegal action, compared with 4-7[percnt] of patients with AD. bvFTD patients have intact knowledge of moral rules and are able to reason through the negative consequences of their actions. bvFTD patients have deficits in theory of mind, affect-based decision-making, social emotions, and abnormal performance on hypothetical moral dilemmas. The majority of philosophers and legal scholars hold a compatablist view of free will and responsibility, where persons are held responsible if they are able to reason through the consequences of their decisions, and as such bvFTD patients would be viewed as responsible for their actions. A variation of this view is that subjects must be “reason-responsive”, or demonstrate the ability to change their behavior in response to morally-relevant reasons, in order to be held responsible. bvFTD patients may not be reason-responsive as a result of their impaired social cognition. CONCLUSIONS: bvFTD patients do not have diminished responsibility according to the current legal definitions. Reason-responsiveness may more appropriately reflect neuropsychological data regarding moral decision-making and better determine how to address responsibility in bvFTD patients. More work is necessary to determine which neuropsychological functions are necessary for reason-responsiveness. Disclosure: Dr. Darby has nothing to disclose.
Chronos: a CRISPR cell population dynamics model

Abstract CRISPR loss of function screens are a powerful tool to interrogate cancer biology but are known to exhibit a number of biases and artifacts that can confound the results, such as DNA cutting toxicity, incomplete phenotype penetrance and screen quality bias. Computational methods that more faithfully model the CRISPR biological experiment could more effectively extract the biology of interest than typical current methods. Here we introduce Chronos, an algorithm for inferring gene knockout fitness effects based on an explicit model of the dynamics of cell proliferation after CRISPR gene knockout. Chronos is able to exploit longitudinal CRISPR data for improved inference. Additionally, it accounts for multiple sources of bias and can effectively share information across screens when jointly analyzing large datasets such as Project Achilles and Score. We show that Chronos outperforms competing methods across a range of performance metrics in multiple types of experiments.
S-100-negative, GNA11 mutation-positive intramedullary meningeal melanocytoma of the thoracic spine: A radiographic challenge and histologic anomaly.

Background Intramedullary melanocytomas are exceedingly rare and their management is largely based on case reports and small clinical series. They have characteristic imaging and histologic findings that can aid in their diagnosis. Genetic testing may be required for definitive diagnosis and management guidance in ambiguous cases. Case description We present the case of a thoracic intramedullary meningeal melanocytoma in a patient unable to undergo an MRI. Conclusion This is the first reported S-100-negative case with genetic testing to support the diagnosis of a rare intramedullary melanocytoma.
LABORATORY STUDY OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURING

Laboratory tests on Teton Dam soil were performed by increasing the water pressure in model bore holes and in simulated rock joints. The water pressure required to cause hydraulic fracturing was found to depend on soil density, water content, confining stress and test duration. On the basis of the test results it was hypothesized that: (1)Hydraulic fracturing is a weak link phenomenon, in that fracturing will occur in the least resistant soil subjected to increased water pressure; and (2)hydraulic fracturing can probably occur only in the presence of a discontinuity, within which the water pressure can act to create a wedging mechanism, thus creating tensile stresses in the soil.
Permalloy loaded transmission line for high-speed interconnects

In this work, we demonstrate: (1) permalloy can be incorporated with planar transmission lines using CMOS compatible process. Patterning the permalloy structures can extend its application well into the microwave frequency range, (2) the transmission line characteristics do not change under up to 50 mA current excitations, (3) the patterned permalloy reduces the magnetic coupling between two adjacent transmission lines by approximately 10 dB. The demonstrated operation frequency range, current drivability and magnetic field shielding property show that the lines can be used for high-speed interconnect applications in CMOS technologies.
Chapter 14 Storage and price stabilization

Abstract Commodity storage models, developed first within agricultural economics in the tradition of Gustafson (1958) , are valuable in helping us understand how prices of storable commodity markets behave, and how they respond to policy interventions. They show that the policy-relevant dynamic effects of storage-increasing policies are quite different from comparative statics, and generally less favorable to consumers. They help us understand the implications of price controls, price supports, buffer stocks, speculative attack, and “convenience yield,” and have great potential for assessing various econometric methodologies used for studying market efficiency and bias, and supply response. However, more attention should be paid to appropriate commodity market interventions in times of rapid productivity change, and in extremely depressed markets such as those of the 1930s, that influenced the course of agricultural policy in the United States over the next half-century.
Multi-level filters for a Web-based e-mail system

With spams becoming an ever increasing problem, different strategies have been used to fight against these junk e-mails, including feature-based and statistic approaches. Although these approaches are effective in filtering out the junk e-mails, they frequently generate false positives. In this paper, we describe a multilevel cascading filter approach for a Web-based email system. The system allows the deployment of any combination of three filtering levels: a cascade of individual filters, a rule-based filter, and a naive Bayesian filter. The first level of individual filters reduces the rate of false positives and false negatives, while the latter two levels increase the efficiency of the filter system. Preliminary tests on a corpus of spam and nonspam e-mails yield some satisfactory results. Additionally, a set of e-mail delivery agents is also implemented in the Web email system.
Magnetic Modeling, Hysteresis

Magnetic modeling can be carried out at the physical level or the phenomenological level. At both levels, the models are coupled to Maxwell's equations, which characterize the working relationships in the fields. In physical modeling, the parameters are dependent upon the choice of materials and the physical principles involved. In phenomenological modeling, the material behavior is identified parametrically using mathematical formulas which characterize the material's behavior. The latter method gives general physical insights into the magnetization process and is computationally much more efficient, but not every parameter has a physical meaning. Keywords: magnetic hysteresis; magnetic modeling; Preisach model
A comparison of ampicillin and chloramphenicol therapy in Hemophilus influenzae meningitis.

A comparison was made of the clinical courses of 37 patients treated for H. influenzae meningitis with either ampicillin or chloramphenicol. The only significant difference noted in the courses of the two groups of patients was a prolonged duration of fever in the ampicillin-treated patients. The prolonged febrile course was not accompanied by any evidence that the antibiotic had failed to eradicate the infection. Neither could the fever be explained on the basis of subdural effusion, intercurrent infections, phlebitis, or drug fever. In all other respects, the H. influenzae meningitis patients treated with either ampicillin or chloramphenicol had similar responses to therapy. The mortality rate and the incidence of neurological sequelae were the same for both groups of patients. These findings indicate that a prolonged febrile course may be expected during the effective treatment of H. influenzae meningitis with ampicillin. This persistent fever is, in itself, no indication for the replacement of ampicillin therapy as long as other criteria show evidence of a favorable response to therapy.