cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Population variation in Dipodomys ordii from Western Texas.

Morphological and habitat variation was studied in four populations of the kangaroo rat ( Dipodomys ordii ) in western Texas. Twenty-six external, cranial, and ratio characters were analyzed in 536 specimens. The number of characters exhibiting secondary sexual dimorphism varied from 14 at Tahoka to five at Canadian and Kermit. In the two northern populations (Canadian and Needmore) females were larger than males, whereas males were larger than females in the southern populations (Tahoka and Kermit). Many of the characters studied had low coefficients of variation (CV) for mammals. Least supra-occipital width, however, showed an abnormally high CV, not only in D. ordii but also in three other species of this genus ( D. merriami, D. spectabilis , and D. deserti ). Despite large sample sizes and precautions against sampling bias, many variates did not fit a normal distribution but were skewed. Large correlation coefficients between certain variates suggest many of the characters studied represent a single adaptive complex and should not be considered independently. Factors that may have influenced the existing evolutionary diversity are discussed.
Developing sporophytes transition from an inducible to a constitutive ecological strategy of desiccation tolerance in the moss Aloina ambigua: effects of desiccation on fitness

Background and Aims Two ecological strategies of desiccation tolerance exist in plants, constitutive and inducible. Because of difficulties in culturing sporophytes, very little is known about desiccation tolerance in this generation and how desiccation affects sexual fitness. Methods Cultured sporophytes and vegetative shoots from a single genotype of the moss Aloina ambigua raised in the laboratory were tested for their strategy of desiccation tolerance by desiccating the shoot–sporophyte complex and vegetative shoots at different intensities, and comparing outcomes with those of undried shoot–sporophyte complexes and vegetative shoots. By using a dehardened clonal line, the effects of field, age and genetic variance among plants were removed. Key Results The gametophyte and embryonic sporophyte were found to employ a predominantly inducible strategy of desiccation tolerance, while the post-embryonic sporophyte was found to employ a moderately constitutive strategy of desiccation tolerance. Further, desiccation reduced sporophyte fitness, as measured by sporophyte mass, seta length and capsule size. However, the effects of desiccation on sporophyte fitness were reduced if the stress occurred during embryonic development as opposed to postembryonic desiccation. Conclusions The effects of desiccation on dehardened sporophytes of a bryophyte are shown for the first time. The transition from one desiccation tolerance strategy to the other in a single structure or generation is shown for only the second time in plants and for the first time in bryophytes. Finding degrees of inducible strategies of desiccation tolerance in different life phases prompts the formulation of a continuum hypothesis of ecological desiccation tolerance in mosses, where desiccation tolerance is not an either/or phenomenon, but varies in degree along a gradient of ecological inducibility.
Influence of Transplanting Date and Tobacco Budworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Treatment Threshold Density on Flue-Cured Tobacco Quality and Yield and Secondary Pests

The influence of transplanting date and treatment thresholds for tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.), on leaf quality and yield of flue-cured tobacco, Nico-tiana tabacum L., was examined in field plots during 1987-1989. Up to six insecticide applications were needed to maintain tobacco budwonn population densities of less than one per 20 plants in the early-transplanted tobacco (late March). Fewer insecticide applications were needed to maintain this pest population density in the middle- (mid-April) and late-planted (late April) tobacco. Transplanting date and tobacco budwonn treatment threshold level (I, 2, 4, or 8 budwonns per 20 plants) significantly affected tobacco quality, yield, and budworm damage. Higher damage and lower yield and quality (grade) were observed in later-planted tobacco, on which peak tobacco bud worm populations were higher but were present for fewer weeks during the season. Treatment thresholds of four or eight bud worm larvae per 20 plants and the untreated control also resulted in significantly more damage and lower yields and grade, regardless of transplanting date. Damage due to the tobacco aphid, Myws nicotianae Blackman, also was influenced by these two factors. More tobacco aphid damage was observed in late-planted tobacco and in plots treated when tobacco budworm densities were allowed to reach four or more larvae per 20 plants. Tobacco aphid damage was significantly correlated with tobacco budwonn damage. Significant linear contrasts, and in some instances quadratic contrasts, were obtained among the budworm treatment levels for yield, quality, tobacco budworm damage, and tobacco aphid damage. Significant planting date × threshold level interactions were observed. Yield and leaf quality were not significantly different for treatment thresholds of either one or two budworms per 20 plants.
Quantitative detection of the expression of drug resistant gene blaAmpC mRNA of enteropathogenic E.coli from sick deer

Ten Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli clinical isolates were isolated from sick deer and the expression of blaAmpC gene mRNA transcriptionnal level were detected by real-time fluore-scent quantitation RT-PCR,and the relationship between mRNA transcriptional level and drug resistance analyzed.The results showed that the level of resistance and the expression of mRNA was higher.It indicated that the expression level of blaAmpC gene mRNA in resistant E.coli strains was closely related with its drug resistance.
Analysis on causes of maternal death of 31 cases in Panzhihua city during 2008 ~ 2013

Objective To analyze causes of maternal death and summarize the problems in treatment process. Methods The causes of maternal death of 31 cases in Panzhihua city during 2008 ~ 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Results Maternal mortality was downward trending from 2008 to 2013. Maternal mortality of 2013 was lower than that of 2008( P 0. 05). 26 cases were direct obstetric causes accounting for 83. 9% and 5 cases were indirect obstetric cause accounting for 16. 1%. 18 cases were obstetric hemorrhage accounting for 69. 2% of direct obstetric causes. The maternal mortality of women with less than 5 times of antenatal examination was higher than women with over 5 times of antenatal examination( P 0. 05). The amount of maternal death in the provincial and municipal hospitals was more than that in the county and township hospitals( P 0. 05). Conclusion It's important to strengthen antenatal examination and management of high- risk pregnancy,to reinforce constructions of maternal emergency network and emergency green channel,to establish referral treatment system in order to give full play to the advantages of comprehensive hospital.
Conservative surgery for transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis

AbstractFrom 1972 to 1986, 14 patients underwent a conservative operation for transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis. Most of these patients had low grade (12), noninvasive (10) tumors involving a solitary functioning kidney (12). The operations performed were open pyelotomy with tumor excision and fulguration (8 patients), partial nephrectomy (5) and percutaneous nephroscopic fulguration (1). There was 1 operative death. Of the 13 surviving patients 8 (62 per cent) remained free of transitional cell carcinoma postoperatively, while 5 (38 per cent) had recurrent disease. Six patients (46 per cent) presently are free of tumor 6 months to 5 years postoperatively. Conservative surgical techniques can provide satisfactory treatment for selected patients with renal pelvic transitional cell carcinoma when preservation of functioning renal parenchyma is necessary to avoid kidney failure.
A Framework for Monitoring Progress Using Summary Measures of Health

Objective: Initiatives designed to monitor health typically incorporate numerous specific measures of health and the health system to assess improvements, or lack thereof, for policy and program purposes. The addition of summary measures provides overarching information which is essential for determining whether the goals of such initiatives are met. Method: Summary measures are identified that relate to the individual indicators but that also reflect movement in the various parts of the system. Results: A hierarchical framework that is conceptually consistent and which utilizes a succinct number of summary measures incorporating indicators of functioning and participation is proposed. Discussion: While a large set of individual indicators can be useful for monitoring progress, these individual indicators do not provide an overall evaluation of health, defined broadly, at the population level. A hierarchical framework consisting of summary measures is important for monitoring the success of health improve...
Varieties of Restriction Semigroups and Varieties of Categories

ABSTRACTThe variety of restriction semigroups may be most simply described as that generated from inverse semigroups (S, ·, −1) by forgetting the inverse operation and retaining the two operations x+ = xx−1 and x* = x−1x. The subvariety B of strict restriction semigroups is that generated by the Brandt semigroups. At the top of its lattice of subvarieties are the two intervals [B2, B2M = B] and [B0, B0M]. Here, B2 and B0 are, respectively, generated by the five-element Brandt semigroup and that obtained by removing one of its nonidempotents. The other two varieties are their joins with the variety of all monoids. It is shown here that the interval [B2, B] is isomorphic to the lattice of varieties of categories, as introduced by Tilson in a seminal paper on this topic. Important concepts, such as the local and global varieties associated with monoids, are readily identified under this isomorphism. Two of Tilson's major theorems have natural interpretations and application to the interval [B2, B] and, with ...
Liver Cancer Among Asian Americans

Asian Americans represent a highly heterogeneous racial group in the USA, defined by the US Census as persons having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. Currently accounting for 5.6 % of the US population, over two-thirds of the Asian American population is foreign born, and it has been the fastest-growing racial group with an average growth rate of 45.6 % between 2000 and 2010. The five largest Asian American subpopulations are those of Chinese (28 %), Filipino (19.7 %), Indian (18.3 %), Vietnamese (10 %), and Korean (9.8 %) origin. Just under half of the Asian American population resides in the Western USA, followed by 21 % in the South, 20 % in the Northeast, and 11 % in the Midwest.
Regulations Governing PET Radiopharmaceuticals

The use of PET radiopharmaceuticals is regulated for both pharmaceutical quality as well as radiation exposure. In the USA, the pharmaceutical quality (e.g., stability, biological safety, efficacy, etc.) of PET radiopharmaceuticals is regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whereas the radiation aspects are regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The following is a brief description of different regulations that affect the use of PET radiopharmaceuticals. Only the important points of the regulations are presented.
An analysis of the temporal correlation of interference in extended wireless networks

We consider an extended wireless network, in which nodes arrive in the network according to a joint spatio-temporal (possibly non-homogenous) Poisson process. We assume that each node remains active for a random duration of time with a certain distribution, independent of the arrival process. During the activity period, each node transmits a signal from a Gaussian alphabet at a fixed power (variance) level. We derive the autocovariance function of the interference experienced by a node located at any given point in the network. We show that, the spatial and the temporal components of the autocovariance function are separable and they take effect in the form of a product. Also, somewhat surprisingly, the “shape” of the autocovariance function is dictated by the service distribution of a single node. Hence, the bandwidth of the cumulative interference is identical to that, caused by a single node. Finally, if duration of the activity period is heavy tailed, then the interference process becomes long range dependent.
White matter volumes in youth offspring of bipolar parents

Abstract Background Studying youth at high risk of developing bipolar disorder may clarify neurobiological factors associated with vulnerability to this illness. We present here a baseline characterization of brain structure in youth at-risk for bipolar disorder. Methods Magnetic resonance images were obtained from 115 child and adolescent offspring of bipolar disorder type I subjects and 57 healthy child and adolescent offspring of healthy parents (healthy control offspring). Offspring of parents with bipolar disorder were divided into healthy bipolar offspring (n=47) or symptomatic bipolar offspring (n=68), according to presence or absence of childhood-onset psychopathology. All bipolar offspring were free of major mood and psychotic disorders. Gray (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes were compared between groups using voxel-based morphometry. Results No differences in GM volumes were found across groups. Healthy bipolar offspring presented with decreased WM volumes in areas of the right frontal, temporal and parietal lobes, and in the left temporal and parietal lobes compared to healthy control offspring. Symptomatic bipolar offspring did not present with any differences in WM volumes compared to either healthy bipolar offspring or healthy control offspring. Limitations Cross-sectional design and heterogeneous sample of symptomatic bipolar offspring. Conclusions WM volume decreases in areas of the frontal, occipital, and parietal lobes are present in bipolar offspring prior to the development of any psychiatric symptoms, and may be a correlate of familial risk to bipolar disorder. In this large cohort, we have not found evidence for regional GM volume abnormalities as an endophenotype for bipolar disorder.
Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Updates and Nuances

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a heterogeneous, clonal stem cell disorder of the blood and marrow typically diagnosed based on the presence of persistent cytopenia(s), dysplastic cells, and genetic markers. Common issues that arise in the clinical management include difficulty confirming MDS diagnosis, lack of a standard approach with novel agents in MDS, and few prospective long-term, randomized controlled MDS clinical studies to guide allogeneic blood and marrow transplant. With the recent genetic characterization of MDS, certain aspects of these issues will be better addressed by integrating genetic data into clinical study design and clinical practice.
Prioritized Luby Transform (LT) Codes

This viewgraph presentation describes a prioritized Luby Transform coding scheme that seeks to decode high priority data with high reliability, when decoders fail.
On optimal decentralized control

In this paper, decentralized robust stabilization and performance of two-channel interconnected systems are studied. Necessary and sufficient conditions for decentralized robust stability and robust performance are derived.
Cancer Pain in the Urogenital Region

Cancer pain syndromes in the urogenital region may be related to diagnostic procedures, antineoplastic treatments, or tumors themselves. Evaluation of cancer pain, in general, is multidimensional, involving subjective and objective data, as well as giving attention to psychosocial and spiritual factors. Management of cancer pain requires a multimodal, multidisciplinary approach. Medications are the mainstay of cancer pain treatment, with nerve blocks and radiation being important considerations in a comprehensive pain plan.
The Neurosurgery Match: A Bibliometric Analysis of 206 First-Year Residents

Background and Objective An important component of the residency application for neurosurgery is research experience and the subsequent number of produced publications. Bibliometrics research has been developed to establish quantitative methods for the standardization of publishing impactful research. This study aims to quantify the research productivity of medical students who successfully matriculated into a Neurosurgery residency program. Methods We initially identified first-year neurosurgery residents for the 2016–2017 academic year of all U.S. neurosurgical residency programs through departmental websites. The Scopus database was then queried for all articles published in the years 2006 to 2015 by first-year residents and bibliometric variables, such as publication count, journal impact factors, and author h-index, were extracted. The main outcome measured was residency program, tiered 1–5 by total departmental faculty research output. Results Two hundred six (206) Scopus records for first-year neurosurgery residents were identified in 99 programs nationwide. Multivariate ordinal regression demonstrated that only h-index was independently associated with tier of matriculation (P = 0.043). H-index was observed to strongly correlate with the number of original research articles (P = 0.005), years since first publication (P Conclusions H-index is a powerful research predictor of matching into neurosurgical research institutions and can be improved by starting research early, targeting high impact journals, and participating in original clinical and laboratory investigations.
DESENVOLVIMENTO E PRODUÇÃO DE SOJA CO-INOCULADA COM AZOSPIRILLUM BRASILENSE EM SEMEADURA DIRETA SOBRE PALHIÇO DE CANA CRUA

A co-inoculacao e uma tecnologia inovadora, atual e em sintonia com o contexto de sustentabilidade ambiental. Sendo assim, objetivou-se neste trabalho avaliar o desenvolvimento da cultura da soja, em semeadura direta sobre palhico de cana crua submetida a co-inoculacao das sementes com Azopirillum brasilense e doses variadas de inoculante a base de bacterias do genero Bradyrhizobium, bem como, quantificar a produtividade neste sistema alternativo e sustentavel de cultivo. O experimento foi instalado na safra 2015/16, em talhao com cinco cortes, pertencente ao Polo Regional Centro Norte, Pindorama, SP, sendo o mesmo conduzido em faixas/parcelas, conhecidas tecnicamente como “Strip Test’, de aproximadamente 280 metros de comprimento e 3,60 metros de largura e espacamento entre linhas de 0,45 m. A cultivar testada foi a NS 7667 IPRO, em dez tratamentos: controle; 120 mL/60 kg de sementes de inoculante com Azospirillum brasilense estirpe Ab-V5 (A); 25 mL/60 kg de sementes de inoculante com Bradyrhizobium japonicum estirpes SEMIA 5079 + SEMIA 5080 (B); 25 mL de B+ 120 mL de A; 50 mL de B; 50 mL de B + 120 mL de A; 75 mL de B; 75 mL de B + 120 mL de A; 100 mL de B e 125mL de B. Avaliou-se em cada Strip Teste alguns parâmetros atraves da coleta de 10 plantas em 5 repeticoes no estadio fenologico R2, sendo: numero de nodulos viaveis e nao viaveis por planta, massa fresca de nodulos totais, comprimento da raiz principal, massa fresca do sistema radicular e da parte aerea. Em R8, determinou-se altura de planta, de insercao da 1a vagem e produtividade de graos. Pelos resultados obtidos verificou-se que o tratamento que envolveu a co-inoculacao (75 mL de B + 120 mL de A) foi equivalente aos tratamentos em que se fez uso das maiores doses, 3 vezes ou mais, de inoculante contendo somente Bradyrhizobium para os parâmetros de fixacao biologica de nitrogenio, altura de plantas e produtividade de graos.
Formal Labeling, Deviant Peers, and Race/Ethnicity: An Examination of Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Process of Secondary Deviance:

The present study examines racial and ethnic variation in the intervening effects of deviant peers on the relationship between receiving a formal label and subsequent deviance. We build on earlier ...
Gun retailers as storage partners for suicide prevention: what barriers need to be overcome?

Introduction Safe storage of guns outside the household while someone is at risk for suicide is important for suicide prevention. Some gun retailers offer temporary firearm storage as a community resource. Others may be willing if perceived barriers can be addressed. Methods We invited all gun retailers in eight Mountain West states to respond to a questionnaire about the barriers they perceive in offering temporary, voluntary gun storage for community members. Results Ninety-five retailers responded (25% response rate). Fifty-eight percent believed federal laws make it harder to store guns and 25% perceived state laws to be obstacles. Over 60% cited legal liability in storing and returning guns as barriers. Other important barriers included cost, space and logistical issues of drop off and pick up. Conclusions Strategies to reduce legal and other barriers will need to be addressed to better engage gun retailers as a community resource for safe gun storage.
Reflections on Schema Mappings, Data Exchange, and Metadata Management

A schema mapping is a high-level specification of the relationship between two database schemas. For the past fifteen years, schema mappings have played an essential role in the modeling and analysis of data exchange, data integration, and related data inter-operability tasks. The aim of this talk is to critically reflect on the body of work carried out to date, describe some of the persisting challenges, and suggest directions for future work. The first part of the talk will focus on schema-mapping languages, especially on the language of GLAV (global-and-local as view) mappings and its two main sublanguages, the language of GAV (global-as-view) mappings and the language of LAV (local-as-view) mappings. After highlighting the fundamental structural properties of these languages, we will discuss how structural properties can actually characterize schema-mapping languages. The second part of the talk will focus on metadata management by considering operators on schema mappings, such as the composition operator and the inverse operator. We will discuss why richer languages are needed to express these operators, and will illustrate some of their uses in schema-mapping evolution. The third and final part of the talk will focus on the derivation of schema mappings from semantic information. In particular, we will discuss a variety of approaches for deriving schema mappings from data examples, including casting the derivation of schema mappings as an optimization problem and as a learning problem.
ULTRASONIC SIGNAL CLASSIFICATION USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS

Ultrasonic Methods of Nondestructive Evaluation find widespread application in industry owing to the versatility and inherent advantages associated with the technique. A crucial step in the defect characterization process lies in the development of techniques for the classification and/or sizing of defects based on information contained in the return echoes. This paper presents two techniques involving the use of neural networks for the classification of ultrasonic signals. A major advantage associated with Neural Networks lies in the fact that the method does not require any apriori statistical information and the fact that the discriminatory information does not have to be explicitly coded in. These networks also offer the advantage of speed when the signals are actually classified.
A case for including transactions in OpenMP II: hardware transactional memory

We present recent results using Hardware Transactional Memory (HTM) on IBM's Blue Gene/Q system. By showing how this latest TM system can significantly reduce the complexity of shared memory programming while retaining efficiency, we continue to make our case that the OpenMP language specification should include transactional language constructs. Furthermore, we argue for its support as an advanced abstraction to support mutable shared state, thus expanding OpenMP synchronization capabilities. Our results demonstrate how TM can be used to simplify modular parallel programming in OpenMP while maintaining parallel performance. We show performance advantages in the BUSTM ( B enchmark for U n S tructured-mesh T ransactional M emory) model using the transactional memory hardware implementation on Blue Gene/Q.
Natural products and their derivatives as cancer chemopreventive agents

This review summarizes currently available data on the chemopreventive efficacies, proposed mechanisms of action and relationships between activities and structures of natural products like vitamin D, calcium, dehydroepidandrosterone, coenzyme Q10, celery seed oil, parsley leaf oil, sul-foraphane, isoflavonoids, lignans, protease inhibitors, tea polyphenols, curcumin, and polysaccharides from Acanthopanax genus.
Modeling Fire Pathways in Montane Grassland-Forest Ecotones

Fire plays a key role in regulating the spatial interactions between adjacent vegetation types from the stand to the landscape scale. Fire behavior modeling can facilitate the understanding of these interactions and help managers restore or maintain fire’s natural role. The Valles Caldera National Preserve (VALL), in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico, USA, contains one of the largest montane grasslands in North America and extensive areas of grassland-forest ecotone. We used the Minimum Travel Time (MTT) module in FlamMap to investigate the primary fire-growth vectors on the VALL landscape for the 50th, 90th, and 99th percentile of fire weather conditions. We evaluated whether modeled fire-growth vectors tended to follow the grassland-forest ecotone or if fire traveled directly across the grasslands and over the upland forest with a chi-square test. Our results indicated that the ecotone is a primary corridor for fire growth on the VALL landscape. Regular fire spread along the grassland-forest ecotone may help stabilize the boundary zone between these two dynamic communities by preventing forest encroachment into the grassland and maintaining an open stand structure. Identifying the dominant fire corridors will help land managers re-establish the spatial and process dynamics of the natural fire regime.
The critical contribution of chemical engineering to a pathway to sustainability

Abstract The vision of a pathway to a sustainable society is based on the three-pillar conception of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social) that is expected to result in a significant improvement in the reliability, security, and affordability of energy, materials, water, and food. This pathway should include launching a multidisciplinary and least-cost strategy to move from today’s carbon-based economy toward a sustainable economy and, at the same time, to provide the needed energy, water, food, and materials for present and future generations. It is imperative that chemical engineers do not relinquish their leadership role in research and development as global energy systems continue to evolve in a historical cycle from primary reliance on wood to coal and oil, to current reliance on natural gas as a transitional fuel in contributing to a pathway to sustainable global energy systems. Although multidisciplinary research and development is needed to move forward on a pathway to sustainability, in this paper, specific areas of research and development are discussed in which chemical engineers should assume a leadership role or become major contributors in this critical initiative. These areas include, but are not limited to: carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration; process intensification; material recycling; water management and desalination; biofuel; natural gas production and conversion; energy storage; and renewable energy, including concentrated solar energy use in chemical, pharmaceutical, and biological processes, and advanced materials for photovoltaics.
Progesterone for Threatened Abortion.

Threatened abortion is defined as bleeding through the vagina, with a closed cervix, that occurs before the gestational age at which a fetus would be viable ex utero. Beyond this simple definition,...
Molecular Basis of Neuromuscular Disease

For many neuromuscular disorders, the chromosomal location is known, the causal gene has been identified, and direct application of this knowledge may be made in a clinical setting. The benefits resulting from molecular-based methods include improved diagnostic accuracy and genetic counseling for patients and other at risk family members. This chapter discusses in detail four of the most frequently encountered neuromuscular disorders. These diseases include spinal muscular atrophy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy, Duchenne/Becker type muscular dystrophy, and myotonic dystrophy.
Multi-omic analysis of medium-chain fatty acid synthesis by Candidatus Weimerbacter bifidus, gen. nov., sp. nov., and Candidatus Pseudoramibacter fermentans, sp. nov.

ABSTRACT Chain elongation is emerging as a bioprocess to produce valuable medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA; 6 to 8 carbons in length) from organic waste streams by harnessing the metabolism of anaerobic microbiomes. Although our understanding of chain elongation physiology is still evolving, the reverse β-oxidation pathway has been identified as a key metabolic function to elongate the intermediate products of fermentation to MCFA. Here, we describe two chain-elongating microorganisms that were enriched in an anaerobic microbiome transforming the residues from a lignocellulosic biorefining process to short- and medium-chain fatty acids. Based on a multi-omic analysis of this microbiome, we predict that Candidatus Weimerbacter bifidus, gen. nov., sp. nov. used xylose to produce MCFA, whereas Candidatus Pseudoramibacter fermentans, sp. nov., used glycerol and lactate as substrates for chain elongation. Both organisms are predicted to use an energy conserving hydrogenase to improve the overall bioenergetics of MCFA production. IMPORTANCE Microbiomes are vital to human health, agriculture, environmental processes, and are receiving attention as biological catalysts for production of renewable industrial chemicals. Chain elongation by MCFA-producing microbiomes offer an opportunity to produce valuable chemicals from organic streams that otherwise would be considered waste. However, the physiology and energetics of chain elongation is only beginning to be studied, and we are analyzing MCFA production by self-assembled communities to complement the knowledge that has been acquired from pure culture studies. Through a multi-omic analysis of an MCFA-producing microbiome, we characterized metabolic functions of two chain elongating bacteria and predict previously unreported features of this process.
Riboflavin Deficiency and Congenital Malformations

Experimental riboflavin deficiency has served as a useful tool of teratologic research in mammals. It had been possible for over 100 years to produce congenital malformations in chicks by various environmental disturbances, and for many years a variety of monstrosities had been produced experimentally in amphibia and fishes. Eggs and embryos of animals of lower classes are easily accessible to modification, but mammalian ova that develop in the mother’s body are well protected against adverse influences of the outside world. It was generally assumed until 35 years ago that environmental insults to pregnant mammals terminate in death of the embryos—or leave them morphologically intact, resulting in the birth of normal young. It was believed, and often dogmatically stated, that in mammals and in man systemic and internal congenital malformations must be genetically determined and hereditary, since, with the exception of rare amputations by mechanical intrauterine disturbances, no exogenous factors were known that could bring about prenatal deformities in embryos and fetuses. It was thought in particular that in mammals symmetrical and serial malformations (that is, defects involving upper and lower extremities) must be hereditary. This belief was expressed not only in the medical literature but also incorporated in the German Law of 1933 for Prevention of Offspring with Heritable Diseases.(59,65)
Age-related differences to neck muscle activation latency as a potential risk factor to fall-related traumatic brain injuries.

Abstract This investigation examined age-related differences in neck muscle activation latency in response to anterior and posterior postural perturbations to understand the potential implications in fall-related traumatic brain injuries. 57 adults were recruited and categorized into 3 groups based on age: Young (18–30 years old), Young-Old (60–74 years) and Old-Old (75–89 years) group. Study participants underwent six anterior and posterior postural perturbations while bilateral sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, and splenius capitis electromyography was collected. Muscle activation latency time was calculated with established procedures. During anterior translations, a significant group effect for muscle activation latency of the right SCM (F(2,43) = 8.786, p
Urine Dipstick: Proteinuria – Causes, Consequences and Diagnostic Approach

The urine is typically void of protein due to a complex filtration barrier in the glomerulus. Urine dipstick detection of protein is usually an indication that this glomerular barrier is compromised. Quantifying the amount of urine protein is a vital part of the work-up and management of proteinuria. Both nephrotic and nephritic glomerular diseases can cause proteinuria. A nephrologist should be consulted when an intrinsic kidney pathology is suspected as the cause of proteinuria as a kidney biopsy may be indicated. Certain patient populations should be routinely screened for proteinuria as early detection and treatment may mitigate kidney disease progression.
Effects on Landscapes

Large drill rigs, earthmovers, tons of gravel, and dozens of hauling, monitoring, and pump trucks are needed to drill and frack a well, but these are only temporary. Nevertheless, well construction can be quite disruptive to the neighborhood. Oil and gas drilling of both conventional and unconventional wells is a 24 hours per day, seven days a week business. Crews live in trailers on site, and work around the clock in 12-hour shifts. The noise, lights, and traffic ensure that anyone living across the street from one of these operations is not going to get much sleep. Shale gas and tight oil wells require a standard pad size of about five acres (2 ha) to provide room for equipment and materials to carry out drilling and fracking operations. During a boom period when operators are pushing to get as many wells in the ground as possible, the construction of pads, access roads, and pipelines can be extremely hectic, not carefully planned, and poorly executed by hastily recruited, inexperienced crews. Many local residents of areas that received the brunt of these construction booms are still seething a decade later about the environmental damage done to their landscapes in the name of profit. Engaging local citizens and governments in pre-planning and communication prior to drilling and fracking shale wells can provide a valuable “social license” for a company to operate. Activities like flaring stranded gas, injecting produced water down disposal wells, constructing large, impervious pads in sensitive watersheds, and bulldozing access roads up stream valleys all require discussions with local citizens, who may be able to suggest viable alternatives that allow fracking while protecting the landscape.
Book Review: Adventure Capital. By Julie Kleinman.

**** Note that the pagination of this article has been adjusted due to resolving a production error in another article in this issue.***
Carbon Nanotube–Liposome Complexes in Hydrogels for Controlled Drug Delivery via Near-Infrared Laser Stimulation

Externally controllable drug delivery systems are crucial for a variety of biological applications where the dosage and timing of drug delivery need to be adjusted based on disease diagnosis and pr...
COVID-19 vaccine testing in pregnant females is necessary.

Limited evidence exists regarding the use of the currently approved COVID-19 mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNtech BNT162b2 and Moderna mRNA-1273) during pregnancy. In this Viewpoint, Klein et al. discuss gaps in knowledge and make recommendations to incorporate age, sex, and pregnancy in the preclinical and clincal vaccine development pipeline.
Unpicking Knit and Natter: Researching an Emerging Christian Community

The article explores an emerging ecclesiology of ‘fresh expressions’ of church by focusing on the example of Knit and Natter, a group founded in 2008 and based in a Methodist church in Ellesmere Port near Liverpool, England. The study draws on a period of participant-observation within the group and on interviews with its members. It locates this particular case study within the wider context of the Fresh Expressions movement, and deploys thematic analysis to establish the reasons why members of this group have chosen to connect with a Christian community through the shared practice of knitting. The article also examines Knit and Natter’s own emerging identity as a church, the use of knitting as an aid to prayer, and the ways in which this activity as an application of the gospel serves as a starting point for the faith of many women who have not previously had a church connection. It illustrates how, as the group’s members pray and serve together, as new members are baptised and celebrate communion, the breadth of their ecclesiological experience is strengthened and they can begin to explore in practice what it means to follow Christ in community.
Review of nonlinear electrokinetic flows in insulator-based dielectrophoresis: From induced charge to Joule heating effects

Insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) has been increasingly used for particle manipulation in various microfluidic applications. It exploits insulating structures to constrict and/or curve electric field lines to generate field gradients for particle dielectrophoresis. However, the presence of these insulators, especially those with sharp edges, causes two nonlinear electrokinetic flows, which, if sufficiently strong, may disturb the otherwise linear electrokinetic motion of particles and affect the iDEP performance. One is induced charge electroosmotic (ICEO) flow because of the polarization of the insulators, and the other is electrothermal flow because of the amplified Joule heating in the fluid around the insulators. Both flows vary nonlinearly with the applied electric field (either DC or AC) and exhibit in the form of fluid vortices, which have been utilized to promote some applications while being suppressed in others. The effectiveness of iDEP benefits from a comprehensive understanding of the nonlinear electrokinetic flows, which is complicated by the involvement of the entire iDEP device into electric polarization and thermal diffusion. This article is aimed to review the works on both the fundamentals and applications of ICEO and electrothermal flows in iDEP microdevices. A personal perspective of some future research directions in the field is also given.
APPLICATIONS OF QUANTITATIVE ULTRASONICS

Practical applications of quantitative ultrasonic techniques are discussed. After a review of the role of nondestructive evaluation in the life cycle of structural components, attention is focussed on several specific examples. Included are discussions of uses of models in designing for inspectability and validating proposed procedures for flaw detection, techniques for measurements of deformation and fracture related material properties, and techniques for measurement of stress. References to more detailed review articles are provided.
A review of "Modern Genocide," Edited by Paul R. Bartrop and Steven L. Jacobs: Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2015, 4 vols. (ISBN: 978-1-61069-363-9)

Paul Bartrop is professor of history at Florida Gulf Coast University and Steven Jacobs holds the Aaron Aronov Endowed Chair of Judaic Studies at the University of Alabama. They write, “Genocide is...
Reasoning about the Beliefs of Agents in Multi-agent Domains in the Presence of State Constraints: The Action Language mAL

Reasoning about actions forms the basis of many tasks such as prediction, planning, and diagnosis in a dynamic domain. Within the reasoning about actions community, a broad class of languages called action languages has been developed together with a methodology for their use in representing dynamic domains. With a few notable exceptions, the focus of these efforts has largely centered around single-agent systems. Agents rarely operate in a vacuum however, and almost in parallel, substantial work has been done within the dynamic epistemic logic community towards understanding how the actions of an agent may affect the knowledge and/or beliefs of his fellows. What is less understood by both communities is how to represent and reason about both the direct and indirect effects of both ontic and epistemic actions within a multi-agent setting. This paper presents a new action language, m $\mathcal{AL}$ , which brings together techniques developed in both communities for reasoning about dynamic multi-agent domains involving both ontic and epistemic actions, as well as the indirect effects that such actions may have on the domain.
SU-E-I-79: Source Geometry Dependence of Gamma Well-Counter Measurements

Purpose: To determine the effect of liquid sample volume and geometry on counting efficiency in a gamma well-counter, and to assess the relative contributions of sample geometry and self-attenuation. Gamma wellcounters are standard equipment in clinical and preclinical studies, for measuring patient blood radioactivity and quantifying animal tissue uptake for tracer development and other purposes. Accurate measurements are crucial. Methods: Count rates were measured for aqueous solutions of 99m- Tc at four liquid volume values in a 1-cm-diam tube and at six volume values in a 2.2-cm-diam vial. Total activity was constant for all volumes, and data were corrected for decay. Count rates from a point source in air, supported by a filter paper, were measured at seven heights between 1.3 and 5.7 cm from the bottom of a tube. Results: Sample volume effects were larger for the tube than for the vial. For the tube, count efficiency relative to a 1-cc volume ranged from 1.05 at 0.05 cc to 0.84 at 3 cc. For the vial, relative count efficiency ranged from 1.02 at 0.05 cc to 0.87 at 15 cc. For the point source, count efficiency relative to 1.3 cm from the tube bottom ranged from 0.98 at 1.8more » cm to 0.34 at 5.7 cm. The relative efficiency of a 3-cc liquid sample in a tube compared to a 1-cc sample is 0.84; the average relative efficiency for the solid sample in air between heights in the tube corresponding to the surfaces of those volumes (1.3 and 4.8 cm) is 0.81, implying that the major contribution to efficiency loss is geometry, rather than attenuation. Conclusion: Volume-dependent correction factors should be used for accurate quantitation radioactive of liquid samples. Solid samples should be positioned at the bottom of the tube for maximum count efficiency.« less
Alkaloid Production and Chinch Bug Resistance in Endophyte-Inoculated Chewings and Strong Creeping Red Fescues

Four Chewings fescue and two strong creeping red fescue selections that had been artificially inoculated and stably maintained with four different endophytes were evaluated in feeding trials with chinch bugs (Blissus leucopterus hirtus). Significant differences in survival were found between the endophyte-inoculated plants and their endophyte-free counterparts. After seven days, 54.2% of chinch bugs were alive on endophyte-free tillers versus only 7.4% of chinch bugs fed tillers from endophyte-inoculated plants. Some differences were also found among the various plant–endophyte combinations. In Petri dish preference trials, chinch bugs showed a preference for the CA endophyte (obtained from a Chewings fescue) over the RC endophyte (obtained from a strong creeping red fescue) in Chewings fescue selection C1117. Only the inoculated plants produced erogvaline, peramine, and lolitrem B; moreover, significant differences were found among the plant–endophyte combinations in the levels of these alkaloids. The Chewings selections C1117 and C1090 produced more ergovaline, and C1090 more lolitrem B, than other plants, regardless of endophyte source. In the presence of the RC endophyte, more ergovaline and lolitrem B was produced than in the presence of the CA endophyte regardless of plant genotype. Both host plant and endophyte, therefore, contributed factors that determined alkaloid production. No significant correlations between chinch bug survival and alkaloid levels were found, however, and overall, no one plant genotype or endophyte source proved to be significantly more toxic than another to chinch bugs. Nevertheless, the results clearly demonstrated that artificial inoculations of endophyte-free fescue genotypes can produce plants with increased toxicity to chinch bugs.
Token-level interpolation for class-based language models

We describe a method for interpolation of class-based n-gram language models. Our algorithm is an extension of the traditional EMbased approach that optimizes perplexity of the training set with respect to a collection of n-gram language models linearly combined in the probability space. However, unlike prior work, it naturally supports context-dependent interpolation for class-based LMs. In addition, the method works naturally with the recently introduced wordphrase- entity (WPE) language models that unify words, phrases and entities into a single statistical framework. Applied to the Calendar scenario of the Personal Assistant domain, our method achieved significant perplexity reduction and improved word error rates.
Cubic Silicon Carbide (β-SiC)

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the optical constants of high-quality, large-area, cubic silicon carbide (-SiC) epitaxially grown films on polished silicon wafers. This epitaxy and the advance in associated technology is a relatively recent development and permits electronic application using these materials. The chapter presents a list of index of refraction of epitaxially grown cubic SiC. This list contains original, unpublished data that is taken by variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) on a few samples. Measurements at up to five angles of incidence are used for each wavelength. A model of a single film on a substrate is used, ignoring the possibility of an interface between the film and the substrate or of an overlayer. The refractive index of these cubic materials is assumed to be isotropic. The chapter presents the results on two samples—a thick film of order 10 m and a film apporiximately 6000 A thick.