cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microwave background radiation anisotropy from scalar field gradients.

Analytic calculations of the cosmological density fluctuations and microwave background radiation anisotropies induced by gradients in a topologically trivial scalar field are presented. This anlaytic solution should provide a good test for numerical simulations of microwave anisotropy from scalar fields. To the extent that these results generalize to other scalar field models and configurations, they imply that (1) MBR measurements limit large-scale primordial variations greater than about 5[times]10[sup 16] GeV within our horizon, (2) the total scalar field variation is a fair predictor of the magnitude of the MBR anisotropy, but is only accurate to within a factor of about three, (3) scalar fields as well as other models of seeded perturbations produce a few times more anisotropy [Delta][ital T]/[ital T] for a given density fluctuation [delta][rho]/[rho] (on the same scale) than do primordial adiabatic perturbations, (4) models of scalar field seeds which produce a scale-invariant spectrum of perturbations seem to require galaxies to be more clustered than the mass on small scales, and (5) scalar fields do not tilt'' the Universe.
On-line battery state of charge estimation using Gauss-Hermite quadrature filter

In this paper, the Gauss-Hermite quadrature filter (GHQF) is introduced to estimate battery state of charge (SOC) based on a common electrical analogue battery model useful for realtime applications. A high fidelity circuit-based electrical analogue battery model was used with a new parameter estimation algorithm. When the model runs off-line, the terminal voltage estimation error is at the 30mV level for a battery module with 14.4V nominal voltage, which is more accurate than previously reported comparable behavioral models. However, the battery SOC is calculated based on coulomb-counting, which is considered inaccurate and has many drawbacks, such as the problem of estimating the initial SOC and the "current loss" problem. In this paper a filter is used to improve the SOC estimation accuracy for the battery model to be used for realtime applications. The extended Kalman filter (EKF), the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) and the Gauss-Hermite quadrature filter are all studied and compared in this work. The Gauss-Hermite quadrature filter excels among the commonly used filters when used with the high fidelity electrical analogue battery model. This conclusion is experimentally verified on a 6.8 Ah Lithium-ion battery module.
Roles and strategies of diabetes support group facilitators: an exploratory study.

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to explore the roles and strategies implemented by diabetes support group facilitators.MethodsA descriptive exploratory design that included 2 in-depth interview...
Energy dissipation rate surrogates in incompressible Navier–Stokes turbulence

High-resolution direct numerical simulations of isotropic homogeneous turbulence are used to understand the differences between the effects of spatial intermittency on the energy dissipation rate and on surrogates for the dissipation rate that are based on measurements of a subset of the strain rate tensor. In particular, the one-dimensional longitudinal and transverse surrogates, as well as a surrogate based on the asymmetric part of the strain rate tensor, are considered. The instantaneous surrogates are studied locally, locally averaged in space and conditionally averaged to see what statistics of the dissipation rate might accurately be inferred given measurements of the surrogates. The simulations with the Reynolds numbers based on the Taylor microscale of 102–235 are highly resolved for accurate evaluation of higher-order statistics. The probability densities of the local and locally averaged surrogates are significantly different from the corresponding statistics for the dissipation rate itself. All of the surrogates are more intermittent than the dissipation rate, the transverse surrogate is more intermittent than the longitudinal and these trends are still prominent even when the fields are spatially averaged at length scales close to the integral length scale. As a consequence, the intermittency exponent computed from the moments of the locally averaged longitudinal and transverse surrogates is approximately 1.5 and 2.2 times higher, respectively, than that computed by the same method from the dissipation rate field. In addition, while different methods of computing intermittency exponent from the dissipation rate field yield the same result, different methods applied to a surrogate are inconsistent.
Uptake of formaldehyde by sulfuric acid solutions: Impact on stratospheric ozone

Chemical reactions on sulfuric acid aerosols have recently been shown to play an important role in stratospheric chemistry. In particular, these reactions push odd-nitrogen compounds into HNO3 and thereby enhance the chlorine-catalyzed destruction of ozone. It has been suggested that our current set of heterogeneous reactions may be incomplete. Indeed we show that formaldehyde, CH2O, is rapidly and irreversibly taken up by stirred sulfuric acid solutions (60 to 75 wt % H2SO4 at −40° to −65°C) with uptake coefficients as large as γ = 0.08. If similar uptake occurs under stratospheric pressures of CH2O (that is, 1000 times lower than used in the present study), then the removal of CH2O from the gas phase can take away a significant source of odd hydrogen in the mid- and high-latitude lower stratosphere. We show here that with the inclusion of this reaction, concentrations of OH and HO2 are reduced by as much as 4% under background levels of aerosols and more than 15% under elevated (volcanic) conditions. Further, the accumulation of CH2O in stratospheric aerosols over a season may alter the composition and reactivity of these sulfuric acid-water mixtures.
Nonpoint Source and Carbon Sequestration Credit Trading: What Can the Two Learn from Each Other?

Emission trading programs have been discussed with respect to achieving water quality objectives and future caps on carbon emissions. A significant part of this literature explores the institutional and technical design issues associated with trades involving nonpoint effluent sources and carbon sequestration. This paper explores conceptual linkages between the nonpoint and carbon sequestration programs and identifies potential areas where cross fertilization can benefit research and policy design of trading programs for environmental protection.
Quantification of oxygen release by bulrush (Scirpus validus) roots in a constructed treatment wetland

Amount of oxygen released by bulrush (Scirpus validus) roots has been quantified based on the radial oxygen loss (ROL) exhibited by the roots, the number and the length of active lateral roots, and the field plant density. It was found that wetland bulrush contains two types of active lateral roots (showing ROL), viz., laterals of brown and white main roots. The two laterals have distinct oxygen release characteristics. Based on the dissolved oxygen (DO) microprofiles of brown and white laterals, the ROLs were found to be approximately 61 ng O2 cm(-2) root surface min(-1) and approximately 68 ng O2 cm(-2) root surface min(-1), respectively, at bulk 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) of 76 mg L(-1). The respective average active root lengths of the brown and the white laterals were approximately 40 and approximately 1676 microm. Based on field and laboratory measurements, the average amount of oxygen released by bulrush was found to be 2.30 mg O2 m(-2) wetland surface d(-1); of this approximately 71% is from the white roots. The results of this study indicate that plants do not release enough oxygen to meet the total oxygen demand of bulk wastewater, and therefore, constructed wetlands should be designed as an anaerobic or an aerobic-anaerobic hybrid system rather than as an aerobic system. However, the results of this study should be viewed in the background of possible errors (including a reactor design flaw), which might have made the measured oxygen release significantly lower than what plant roots actually release. Further studies are needed to quantify wetland plant oxygen release based on micro-scale measurements.
Modality interactions alter the shape of acoustic mate preference functions in gray treefrogs

Sexual selection takes place in complex environments where females evaluating male mating signals are confronted with stimuli from multiple sources and modalities. The pattern of expression of female preferences may be influenced by interactions between modalities, changing the shape of female preference functions, and thus ultimately altering the selective landscape acting on male signal evolution. We tested the hypothesis that the responses of female gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor, to acoustic male advertisement calls are affected by interactions with visual stimuli. We measured preference functions for several call traits under two experimental conditions: unimodal (only acoustic signals presented), and multimodal (acoustic signals presented along with a video-animated calling male). We found that females were more responsive to multimodal stimulus presentations and, compared to unimodal playbacks, had weaker preferences for temporal call characteristics. We compared the preference functions obtained in these two treatments to the distribution of male call characteristics to make inferences on the strength and direction of selection expected to act on male calls. Modality interactions have the potential to influence the course of signal evolution and thus are an important consideration in sexual selection studies.
Reactive (AA) Amyloidosis in a 14 Year Old with No Predisposing Disease

Reactive (AA) amyloidosis usually occurs in relation to chronic inflammation or infection. It also occurs in individuals with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and occasionally in asymptomatic individuals within FMF kindreds. Infrequently, adults present with AA amyloidosis without predisposing disease, but such cases are extremely rare in children. We report the case of a 13 year old Caucasian male who presented with weakness, lethargy, and an abdominal mass. Resection of the mass revealed mesenteric lymph nodes heavily infiltrated with amyloid. Liver, gastric, duodenal, and rectal biopsies were positive for amyloid. Immunohistochemistry of the resected lymph nodes with monoclonal antibody to human AA was positive. Amyloid fibrils isolated from the nodes were solubilized, fractionated, and digested with trypsin. Amino acid sequence analysis of tryptic peptides confirmed the AA structure with predominance of SAAl-derived AA. Complete patient history and physical exam elicited no evidence of infection, inflammation, or family history of FMF type illness. We report this as a case of spontaneous reactive (AA) amyloidosis in the pediatric age group.
Regulation of neurogenesis in adult mouse hippocampus by cAMP and the cAMP response element-binding protein.

The cAMP cascade, including the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), is known to play an important role in neuronal survival and plasticity. Here the influence of this cascade on neurogenesis in adult hippocampus was determined. Activation of the cAMP cascade by administration of rolipram, an inhibitor of cAMP breakdown, increased the proliferation of newborn cells in adult mouse hippocampus. In addition, rolipram induction of cell proliferation resulted in mature granule cells that express neuronal-specific markers. Increased cell proliferation is accompanied by activation of CREB phosphorylation in dentate gyrus granule cells, suggesting a role for this transcription factor. This possibility is supported by studies demonstrating that cell proliferation is decreased in conditional transgenic mice that express a dominant negative mutant of CREB in hippocampus. The results suggest that the cAMP–CREB cascade could contribute to the actions of neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors on adult neurogenesis.
Halite Tomb Fillings and a Distinctive Halite-Cemented Sandstone in the Middle Eocene Gehannam Formation, Egypt

ABSTRACT Halite cement in a coarse sandstone channel-fill and long curving ribbons of fibrous halite have been observed during investigations of archaeology and geology in the Fag-el-Gamous area in the eastern Fayum depression, west of the Nile Valley, 100 km south of Cairo, Egypt. Curved ribbons of sodium chloride found in tombs are tens of centimeters long and are highly unusual halite crystal forms. The salt has several possible origins: 1) it may have been leached from surrounding Eocene formations, 2) it may be related to shore-line evaporation of Holocene lakes in the Fayum depression, 3) it may have been concentrated from wind-transported salt from the west and northwest, or 4) it may be the result of deliberate human activities. None of these possibilities can be clearly disregarded or proven, but the salt is interpreted as probably a result of human activities. Salt may have been used to stabilize sand in the area of chamber tombs cut into deposits of the Eocene Gehannam Formation. It may also have been used to seal the tombs to all but aggressive plunderers, and against moisture.
Raexplore: Enabling Rapid, Automated Architecture Exploration for Full Applications

We present Raexplore, a performance modeling framework for architecture exploration. Raexplore enables rapid, automated, and systematic search of architecture design space by combining hardware counter-based performance characterization and analytical performance modeling. We demonstrate Raexplore for two recent manycore processors IBM BlueGene/Q compute chip and Intel Xeon Phi, targeting a set of scientific applications. Our framework is able to capture complex interactions between architectural components including instruction pipeline, cache, and memory, and to achieve a 3–22% error for same-architecture and cross-architecture performance predictions. Furthermore, we apply our framework to assess the two processors, and discover and evaluate a list of architectural scaling options for future processor designs.
Clinical Applications of Nuclear Cystography

AbstractNuclear cystography is a sensitive test for detection of vesicoureteral reflux. The value of this sensitivity has not always been appreciated fully. A significant degree of reflux that warrants surgical repair seems readily demonstrable by conventional x-ray methods. Our experience with x-ray and nuclear cystography illustrates the frequent inadequacies of the conventional x-ray study. In 15 of 86 patients reflux of significant clinical degree was demonstrated by the nuclear study alone. This information has proved valuable in the eventual management of these patients.
Integrative Learning: Making Liberal Education Purposeful, Personal, and Practical.

This chapter explores three key features of integrative learning practice that play a vital role in fostering student success: guidance and support through critical transitions; entire development of the student; and engagement in project-based learning that connects learning to complex, real-world problems, and opportunities that can have practical application to careers and citizenship. The chapter focuses on examples from liberal arts colleges that can serve as models for any institution of higher learning.
Characterization of the sleep-wake patterns in mice lacking fatty acid amide hydrolase.

Study Objectives: Oleamide and anandamide are fatty acid amides implicated in the regulatory mechanisms of sleep processes. However, due to their prompt catabolism by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), their pharmacologic and behavioral effects, in vivo, disappear rapidly. To determine if, in the absence of FAAH, the hypnogenic fatty acid amides induce an increase of sleep, We characterized the sleep-wake patters in FAAH-knockout mice [FAAH (-/-)] before and after sleep deprivation. Design: FAAH (-/-), FAAH (+/-), and FAAH (+/+) mice were implanted chronically for sleep, body temperature (Tb), and locomotor activity (LMA) recordings. Sleep-wake states were recorded during a 24-hour baseline session followed by 8 hours of sleep deprivation. Recovery recordings were done during the 16 hours following sleep deprivation. Total amount of wake, slow-wave sleep, and rapid eye movement sleep were calculated and compared between genotypes. The electroencephalographic spectral analysis was performed by fast Fourier transform analysis. Telemetry recordings of Tb and LMA were carried out continuously during 4 days under baseline conditions. Setting: N/A. Patients or Participants: FAAH (-/-) mice and their heterozygote (+/-) and control (+/+) littermates were used. Interventions: Sleep deprivation. Measurements and Results: FAAH (-/-) mice possess higher values of slow-wave sleep and more intense episodes of slow-wave sleep than do control littermates under baseline conditions that are not related to differences in Tb and LMA. A rebound of slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep as well an increase in the levels of slow-wave activity were observed after sleep deprivation in all genotypes. Conclusion: These findings support the role of fatty acid amides as possible modulators of sleep and indicate that the homeostatic mechanisms of sleep in FAAH (-/-) mice are not disrupted.
Use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, estrogen, or a combination to increase releasable pituitary luteinizing hormone in early transitional mares.

A lack of pituitary LH stores has been implicated as the cause of seasonal anestrus and failure to ovulate during the spring transition period in mares. In this experiment, 40 mares were used to study the effects of GnRH, estrogen, and an estrogen-GnRH combination on increasing releasable pituitary LH. Mares were stratified based on their ability to secrete LH in response to a 950-micrograms challenge of GnRH (n = 10 per group) and then assigned to one of four treatment groups: 1) controls, given no treatment; 2) 1 mg of estradiol-17 beta in oil i.m. daily for 8 d; 3) 200 micrograms of GnRH analogue des-Gly10, [D-ala6]-LHRH ethylamide in saline i.m. twice daily for 8 d; or 4) estradiol for 4 d then estradiol plus GnRH for four subsequent days. Blood was collected on d 1, 3, 5, and 7 of treatment, and serum was assayed for LH. On d 10 after initiation of treatment, mares were again challenged with GnRH (950 micrograms), and blood was collected for 4 h. Concentrations of serum LH did not vary significantly in control, estradiol-treated, or estradiol plus GnRH-treated mares among treatment days. In contrast, administration of GnRH alone increased (P < .05) concentrations of LH on d 5 and 7. Response to GnRH challenge, as measured by area under the LH curve (AUC) and peak LH, was greater (P < .05) for mares administered GnRH (7,307.1, 67.6 ng/mL, respectively) and GnRH plus estradiol (5,691.4, 60.3 ng/mL) than for mares given estradiol alone (1,519.4, 22.1 ng/mL) or no treatment (1,213.8, 19.4 ng/mL.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
University and Corporate Interface: An International Perspective

Increasingly business schools are utilizing private corporations as a source of external funding for academic programs and research. As part of this university and corporate interface, many business schools conduct management development programs. This paper reports on an innovative program that is being conducted by a major business school in Brazil.
A Hierarchal Cascaded Multilevel Converter for uniform SOC battery management

This paper presents a Hierarchal Cascaded Multilevel Converter (HCMC) for continuous uniform SOC operation. The proposed HCMC has a hybrid structure of half-bridge converters and H-bridge converters and the voltage can be cascaded to reach a high level at two hierarchical levels: the half-bridge level and H-bridge level. The converter has the features of high voltage and high power application capability and modular design for cost reduction and reliability improvement. Continuous uniform SOC operation can be achieved via the proposed converter without adding additional balancing circuits. Simulation studies have been carried out to verify the performance of the proposed converter.
Gender in Engineering Education Research: A Content Analysis of Research in JEE, 1998–2012

Background The participation of women in engineering education has increased only slightly since the 1980s, despite the publication of many research studies on gender in engineering education. We think that these studies have not affected practice because researchers have focused too narrowly on how gender relates to engineering education. Purpose This article investigates whether there is indeed a narrow focus by analyzing how articles published in JEE investigate gender. We asked, What are the dominant themes and patterns in the structure of gender research published in JEE? We wanted to see how engineering education research articles incorporated gender theory and research methods from the social sciences and education to explore the relationships between gender and engineering education. Design/Method We conducted a content analysis of gender-related research published in JEE between 1998 and 2012. We developed scientometric and other classification categories and applied them quantitatively. Results Articles related to gender are predominantly quantitative studies that focus on undergraduate students in formal university settings, and incorporate participant identities in the groups of women and men (together) or women, men, and racial minorities (together). Researchers used varied theories of gender, but most of those theories were not used again in later research in the articles analyzed. Conclusions A greater diversity of theories and designs should lead to a better understanding of gender in engineering education. We suggest areas for future research.
Standards and Public Policy: The economic realities of open standards: black, white, and many shades of gray

Open standards have long been popular among buyers of goods and services in the information technology sector. Self-interested buyers and sellers, however, have had incentives to overstate (or understate) the openness of various standards. This paper rejects the simplified view that there is a single model of an open standard, as well as the assumption that a fully open solution is always an optimal (or even a feasible) outcome. The author analyzes various economic and technological forces that make standards more or less open and how these economic forces are affected by the policy choices available to firms, standards setting organizations, and regulators. The author uses this analysis to suggest objective measures for standards openness and a typology of common bundles of standards rights; he also notes the practical limits to open standards. * Joel West is Associate Professor of Technology Management, College of Business, San Jose State University. He can be reached at Joel.West@sjsu.edu ; http://www.joelwest.org. The author would like to thank Donald Deutsch, Phil Gross and Andy Updegrove for sharing their experience and depth of knowledge of standardization processes. The discussions with Ken Krechmer and Tim Simcoe regarding their own evolving ideas on open standards, and comments on earlier versions by Scott Gallagher and Kai Jakobs were also greatly appreciated. Finally, the author thanks the editors for their invaluable guidance, encouragement, and patience.
Age Effects on Inattentional Blindness: Implications for Driving

We may fail to notice things in our environment because our attention is directed somewhere else, a phenomenon called inattentional blindness. Our susceptibility to inattentional blindness increases as we age. We explored three potential moderators of the age and inattentional blindness relationship: (1) the spatial proximity of the unexpected object to our focus of attention; (2) the match between the features of the unexpected object and those we have prioritized—our attention set; and (3) the salience of the unexpected object. Using a large sample of participants, we found no evidence that any of these moderate the effect that age has on inattentional blindness; the effect of age is robust. We discuss the implications for older drivers.
Evaluation of the CROPGRO-Soybean model over a wide range of experiments

Crop simulation models are increasingly being used to predict yield responses to soil, weather, and management conditions. This requires that the models be evaluated for their abilities to accurately respond to those factors. Our objective in this paper was to evaluate the recently released CROPGRO-Soybean model for its ability to simulate soybean growth, seed yield, flowering dates, and season lengths over a wide range of conditions. Inputs (weather, soil characteristics, management practices) and data on growth and yield were assembled for several cultivars from various locations in the USA. The Bragg cultivar was evaluated in multiple years at Gainesville under varying water supply and showed the model ability to predict water limitations on growth. The Williams cultivar was evaluated in multiple years at sites in Iowa, Ohio, and Florida and illustrated CROPGRO ability to predict in different locations and climatic environments. Planting date studies were simulated for three cultivars in North Carolina to evaluate model ability to predict yield response to planting date. Model ability to predict growth and yield in two ‘on-farm’ soybean trials was evaluated. Three of the experiments (Williams cultivar in Florida, planting date trials, and on-farm trials) represent independent data never used in model calibration and illustrate the ability of CROPGRO to predict growth and yield in new locations and environments. We conclude that CROPGRO-Soybean gives reasonable predictions under a wide range of environmental conditions.
TCT-292 Comparison of Adenosine and Regadenoson for Measurement of Fractional Flow Reserve: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is useful in defining the physiological significance of intermediate stenosis, and requires measurement of pressure proximal to and distal to the stenosis in conditions of maximal hyperemia. This is induced by intracoronary or intravenous (IV) adenosine. Regadenoson,
Nucleus Accumbens Shell Dopamine Preferentially Tracks Information Related to Outcome Value of Reward

Effective decision-making requires organisms to predict reward values and bias behavior toward the best available option. The mesolimbic dopamine system, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell and core, is involved in this process. Although studies support a role of the shell and core in specific aspects of decision-making (e.g., risk, effort, delay), no studies have directly compared dopamine release dynamics in these subregions to cues exclusively signaling the availability of different reward magnitudes. Here, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry was used to compare rapid dopamine release dynamics in the NAc subregions during a magnitude-based decision-making task. Rats learned that distinct cues signaled the availability of either a small or large reward (one or two sugar pellets), and then were given an opportunity to choose their preferred option. We found that peak dopamine release tracked the more preferred (higher-magnitude) option in both core and shell subregions. Critically, however, overall (i.e., global) dopamine release was significantly higher and longer lasting in the shell and tracked the preferred magnitude during the entire cue period. Further, in the shell (not core), dopamine signaling significantly declined immediately at the lever press for reward but increased during the period of reward consumption. Collectively, the results indicate that although dopamine release in both the core and shell are activated by cues signaling the opportunity to respond for rewards of different magnitudes, dopamine release in the shell plays a differential and unique role in tracking information related to the outcome value of reward.
A Direct Flux Reconstruction Scheme for Advection–Diffusion Problems on Triangular Grids

The direct flux reconstruction (DFR) scheme is a high-order numerical method which is an alternative realization of the flux reconstruction (FR) approach. In 1D, the DFR scheme has been shown to be equivalent to the FR variant of the nodal discontinuous Galerkin scheme. In this article, the DFR approach is extended to triangular elements for advection and advection–diffusion problems. This was accomplished by combining aspects of the SD–RT variant of the spectral difference (SD) scheme for triangles, with modifications motivated by characteristics of the DFR scheme in one dimension. Von Neumann analysis is applied to the new scheme and linear stability is found to be dependent on the location of internal collocation points. This is in contrast to the standard FR scheme. This analysis indicates certain internal point sets can result in schemes which exhibit weak stability; however, stable and accurate solutions to a number of linear and nonlinear benchmark problems are readily obtained.
Use of testosterone gel compared to intramuscular formulation for puberty induction in males with constitutional delay of growth and puberty: a preliminary study.

Constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP) treatment include observation or therapy with intramuscular testosterone (IMTT). No data are available about transdermal testosterone gel (TTG). The aim of our study was to analyze the use of TTG in males with CDGP. 73 boys with CDGP were divided into three groups: IMTT treated with 50 mg i.m. testosterone; TTG with 10 mg daily 2% testosterone transdermal gel, and no treatment (CNT). All subjects were observed at baseline and after 6 months. The height velocity after treatment were statistically higher in both IMTT and TTG compared to CNT, while CNT showed higher increase of the testicular volume. No other differences were recorded between IMTT and TTG. To our knowledge this is the first study on use of TTG for pubertal activation on CDGP population. Our preliminary data confirm the efficacy of short-term Testosterone gel treatment to induce puberty compared to conventional treatment.
Effects of high oleic acid soybean on seed yield, protein and oil contents, and seed germination revealed by near-isogeneic lines

Typical soybean oil is composed of palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids. High oleic acid content in soybean seed is a key compositional trait that improves oxidative stability and increases oil functionality and shelf life. Using a marker-assisted selection method, near-isogenic lines (NILs) of G00-3213 for the high oleic trait were developed and yield tested. These NILs have various combinations of FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B alleles that were derived from the same backcrossing populations. The results indicated that G00-3213 NILs with both homozygous mutant FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B alleles produced an average of 788 g/kg oleic acid content. The results also demonstrated that possessing these mutant alleles did not cause a yield reduction. Furthermore, seed germination tests across 12 temperatures (12.8–32.0°C) showed that modified seed composition for oleic acid in general did not have a major impact on seed germination. However, there was a possible reduction in seed germination vigour when high oleic seeds are planted in cold soil. The mutant FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B alleles did not hinder either seed or plant development.
Progress in Public Health Emergency Preparedness-United States, 2001-2016.

Objectives. To evaluate the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program’s progress toward meeting public health preparedness capability standards in state, local, and territorial health departments.Methods. All 62 PHEP awardees completed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s self-administered PHEP Impact Assessment as part of program review measuring public health preparedness capability before September 11, 2001 (9/11), and in 2014. We collected additional self-reported capability self-assessments from 2016. We analyzed trends in congressional funding for public health preparedness from 2001 to 2016.Results. Before 9/11, most PHEP awardees reported limited preparedness capabilities, but considerable progress was reported by 2016. The number of jurisdictions reporting established capability functions within the countermeasures and mitigation domain had the largest increase, almost 200%, by 2014. However, more than 20% of jurisdictions still reported underdeveloped coordination between t...
Spinal Cord Stimulation for Treating Chronic Pain: Reviewing Preclinical and Clinical Data on Paresthesia‐Free High‐Frequency Therapy

Background Traditional spinal cord stimulation (SCS) requires that paresthesia overlaps chronic painful areas. However, the new paradigm high-frequency SCS (HF-SCS) does not rely on paresthesia. Study design A review of preclinical and clinical studies regarding the use of paresthesia-free HF-SCS for various chronic pain states. Methods We reviewed available literatures on HF-SCS, including Nevro's paresthesia-free ultra high-frequency 10 kHz therapy (HF10-SCS). Data sources included relevant literature identified through searches of PubMed, MEDLINE/OVID, and SCOPUS, and manual searches of the bibliographies of known primary and review articles. Outcome measures The primary goal is to describe the present developing conceptions of preclinical mechanisms of HF-SCS and to review clinical efficacy on paresthesia-free HF10-SCS for various chronic pain states. Results HF10-SCS offers a novel pain reduction tool without paresthesia for failed back surgery syndrome and chronic axial back pain. Preclinical findings indicate that potential mechanisms of action for paresthesia-free HF-SCS differ from those of traditional SCS. Conclusions To fully understand and utilize paresthesia-free HF-SCS, mechanistic study and translational research will be very important, with increasing collaboration between basic science and clinical communities to design better trials and optimize the therapy based on mechanistic findings from effective preclinical models and approaches. Future research in these vital areas may include preclinical and clinical components conducted in parallel to optimize the potential of this technology.
Cabot rings and marked anisopoikilocytosis in Imerslund-Gräsbeck syndrome.

![Figure][1] A 12-year-old female presented with fatigue and weight loss. She appeared pale and had gray streaks in her hair. She had a history of chronic anemia, and some family members also had anemia. Laboratory tests showed macrocytic anemia (hemoglobin 5.2 g/dL, MCV 107.3 fL) and
Improvement of the chemical, thermal, mechanical and morphological properties of polyethylene terephthalate–graphene particle composites

The graphene powder was used as a reinforcement in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with various weight percentages 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 wt%. To prepare PET/graphene powder composites, melt-mixing process was followed. The crosslinking degree between PET and functionalized graphene increased, which was indicated by carbonyl indexes (Fourier transform infrared spectra) when interfaced with PET. The results of thermal properties showed that adding 2 wt% of graphene composites improved the thermal stability, transition glass temperature $$T_\mathrm{g}$$ , crystallinity temperature point and chemical properties of PET. The results of thermal gravimetric analysis showed that the highest addition of graphene (2 wt%) into the PET slightly improves both the residue yields and thermal stability. The tensile strength of PET was highly increased with the increased loading of graphene, and the elongation was reduced, compared with PET without filler. The results of X-ray diffraction curves showed that 2% incorporation of graphene into PET has good interfacial interaction and higher intensity. The scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed a high compatibility between the pure PET and graphene composite chains.
Green’s functions for problems that simulate potential fields in thin-walled structures of irregular configuration

Matrices of Green’s type are targeted, for the first time, for a specific class of boundary–contact value problems which arise in studying potential fields induced in thin plate and shell assemblies of irregular configuration. A specific semi-analytic approach is proposed for evaluation of such matrices. It is based on our modification of the classical Kupradze’s method of functional equations. The approach appears workable for a broad range of the indicated problem settings. Representing the key component in the approach, matrices of Green’s type are analytically constructed to a number of boundary–contact value problems stated for relevant compound regularly configurated assemblies. This is accomplished prior to the actual computer work maintaining a solid background for fast and accurate solution of targeted problems.
Hydrometeorological Characteristics of Flash Floods

Throughout the world, flash floods rank as one of the deadliest weather phenomena. In developed countries like the United States, flash floods have claimed more lives over the last 30 years than hurricanes, tornadoes, or winter storms. As this paper was being compiled, flash floods in northern Venezuela claimed at least 15,000 lives on the night of 15-16 December 1999.
CALCIUM ANTAGONISTS AND THE PROGRESSION OF CHRONIC RENAL FAILURE

End-stage renal disease, which signifies irreversible renal failure, constitutes a major and growing public health problem worldwide. The striking increase in end-stage renal disease has catalyzed clinical and investigative focus on pharmacologic interventions to retard progression to this condition. Increasing evidence indicates that some classes of antihypertensive medications may confer a greater effect than others in slowing progression of renal disease despite similar levels of blood pressure reduction. Substantive data indicate that angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition preferentially retards the progression of renal disease, primarily by protecting the injured kidney from hemodynamically mediated glomerular damage. Newer studies suggest that calcium antagonists also have diverse properties, which are independent of their renal microcirculatory effects that might afford renal protection.
History of Women in Medicine

Women have been in medicine for a long time. In ancient Egypt there were many women students and women professors in the medical schools and both Moses and his wife were students of medicine about 1500 B.C.1 There has also been a long history of discrimination, which was recorded at least as early as 1421 when a petition was presented to King Henry V to prevent women from practicing medicine.2 Supposedly the first formal medical degree awarded to a woman was to Constanza Collendain 1431.3
Early Experience and Cognitive-Intellectual Development

A third component of the environment encountered by the young infant resides in the affect and attitudes of those around him. The study of the relationships between parental affect-attitudes and development has had a long history. This is particularly so in the area of personality development, with many of the classic longitudinal studies of development (i.e., Fels, Berkeley) falling within this model. Happily, many of these studies were also extended to the cognitive as well as to the personality domain.
Fenmetozole in acute alcohol intoxication in man

Forty healthy adult male volunteers were studied to determine the efficacy of fenmetozole to antagonize the effects of acute alcohol intoxication. Twenty subjects received placebo and 20 fenmetozole in dosage of 100 mg and 200 mg in a double-blind paradigm. Pretreatment with fenmetozole failed to antagonize or attenuate cognitive, perceptual, motor and affective changes associated with acute alcohol intoxication.
Relationship Between Select Variables and Teacher Retention

The major purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between selected variables and teacher retention. 503 students who had passed the Professional Development (PD) Examination for Certification of Educators in Texas (ExCET) between September 1, 1996 and August 30, 2000 were identified. Five research questions were developed for the study. Research questions numbers one, two, three, and four addressed descriptive characteristics of different groups of participants. Research question number five addressed the relationship between the selected variables and teacher retention. A point-biserial correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the following variables and teacher retention: PD ExCET scores, age, TASP reading scores, and GPA; and a phi coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the following variables and teacher retention: ethnicity, teacher education program completed and gender. The results of the study show that there is no relationship between the selected variables and teacher retention.
Genetics of Carotid Disease

The development of carotid atheroma results in stenosis, which has been shown to increase the risk of ischemic stroke. This chapter summarizes cerebrovascular atherosclerotic phenotypes and the genetic behind those phenotypes.
Hyperlipidemic endothelial injury and angiogenesis

Hypercholesterolemia is associated with endothelial cell dysfunction which may in part be related to an accumulation of toxic lipoprotein degradation products in artery walls. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and its products have been incriminated in impairing various endothelial functions including G-protein-dependent transmembrane signaling, calcium regulation, phosphoinositide turnover, protein kinase C activation and others. Modification of such cell regulatory functions may alter the responsiveness of endothelial cells to angiogenic (mitogenic) stimuli. Endothelial cell replication is necessary for the growth of preexisting arterial channels and the formation of new microvessels (angiogenesis). Experiments in intact rabbits indicate that endothelial replication necessary for vascular growth is markedly impaired in the presence of hypercholesterolemia, a defect that could play an important role in the pathophysiology of occlusive atherosclerotic disease.
Myasthenia Gravis and Thymoma Surgery: A Clinical Update for the Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a rare neuromuscular disorder characterized by skeletal muscle weakness. Patients with MG who have thymoma and thymic hyperplasia have indications for thymectomy. The perioperative care of patients with MG scheduled for thymus resection should be focused on optimizing their neuromuscular function, identifying factors related to postoperative mechanical ventilation, and avoiding of triggers associated with myasthenic or cholinergic crisis. Minimally invasive surgical techniques, use of regional analgesia, and avoidance or judicious administration of neuromuscular blocking drugs (NMBs) is recommended during the perioperative period. If NMBs are used, sugammadex appears to be the drug of choice to restore adequately the neuromuscular transmission. In patients with postoperative myasthenic crisis, plasma exchange or intravenous immune globulin and mechanical support is recommended.
Reforming disease classification system-are we there yet?

What constitutes a disease? How similar is one disease to another? How is a disease of one patient similar to a disease of another patient? These questions are probably as old as the medical practice itself. Answering them would allow for better understanding of underlying mechanisms, guide diagnosis, improve prognosis, justify drug repurposing.
Social Fragmentation and the Decline of American Democracy: The End of the Social Contract.

In Social Fragmentation and the Decline of American Democracy: The End of the Social Contract, Robert E. Denton, Jr., and Benjamin Voth argue that American society is extremely divided these days d...
From water's ephemeral dance, a new order emerges.

The freezing of a liquid into a crystalline solid is a ubiquitous and familiar phase transition that affects many aspects of our daily life. The crystallization of water, for example, has broad implications for our planet’s climate and geography, and for diverse applications ranging from food and energy production to pharmaceutical formulation (1, 2). Nevertheless, numerous facets of crystallization remain incompletely understood because of the limited ability of experiments to resolve the molecular processes that initiate freezing in liquids. One particularly intriguing mystery is the possible connection between freezing and the dramatic changes observed in the dynamics of liquids cooled below their melting temperature, T m (3, 4). In PNAS, Fitzner et al. (5) report results from computer simulations that offer a revealing glimpse into the microscopic connection between these phenomena in water. The immutable laws of thermodynamics dictate that a liquid will freeze when cooled below T m, but they do not specify how, or on what time scale, this process will occur (1). Our experiences with liquid water, which readily freezes in the environment when cooled below its melting point T m = 0 °C at ambient pressure, may suggest that crystallization is relatively swift. Yet, it is often delayed, or arrested indefinitely, in other scenarios. Without impurities or surfaces to promote crystallization, gentle cooling below T m produces a supercooled liquid phase that can survive in a state of precarious metastable equilibrium (1, 6). Rapid cooling below the glass transition temperature T g ≪ T m, by contrast, produces an amorphous solid known as a glass that will not crystallize on experimentally observable time scales (6, 7). For water, the supercooled liquid has been studied down to −46 °C (8); at atmospheric pressure, it can exist as a glass below T … [↵][1]1Email: jcpalmer{at}uh.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Supporting Those Who Provide Support: Work-Related Resources and Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Victim Advocates.

Abstract Background/Aims Victim advocates are at risk of developing secondary traumatic stress (STS), which can result from witnessing or listening to accounts of traumatic events. This study investigated the relationship between victim status, years of experience, hours of direct contact with victims, and availability of workplace supports in the development of STS. Results Of the 142 victim advocates, 134 were women. Regression analyses revealed that the only significant predictor of STS was the number of direct hours of victim services provided. Conclusion The findings from this study found that women have high rates of STS and that more workplace support needs to be implemented.
Efficacy of Trypsin in Treating Coral Snake Envenomation in the Porcine Model.

Antivenom is the definitive treatment for venomous snakebites. Alternative treatments warrant investigation because antivenom is sometimes unavailable, expensive, and can have deleterious side effects. This study assesses the efficacy of trypsin to treat coral snake envenomation in an in vivo porcine model. A randomized, blinded study was conducted. Subjects were 13 pigs injected subcutaneously with 1 mL of eastern coral snake venom (10 mg/mL) in the right distal hind limb. After 1 min, subjects were randomized to have the envenomation site injected with either 1 mL of saline or 1 mL of trypsin (100 mg/mL) by a blinded investigator. Clinical endpoint was survival for 72 h or respiratory depression defined as respiratory rate <15 breaths per minute, falling pulse oximetry, or agonal respirations. Fisher’s exact t test was used for between group comparisons. Average time to toxicity for the saline control was 263 min (191–305 min). The development of respiratory depression occurred more frequently in control pigs than treated pigs (p = 0.009). Four of the six pigs that received trypsin survived to the end of the 3-day study. No control pigs survived. Two of the trypsin treatment pigs died with times to toxicity of 718 and 971 min. Survival to 12 and 24 h was significantly greater in the trypsin treatment group (p = 0.002, p = 0.009, respectively). Local injection of trypsin, a proteolytic enzyme, at the site of envenomation decreased the toxicity of eastern coral snake venom and increased survival significantly. Further investigation is required before these results can be extended to human snakebites.