cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variation in Biological Soil Crust Bacterial Abundance and Diversity as a Function of Climate in Cold Steppe Ecosystems in the Intermountain West, USA.

Biological soil crust (biocrust) is a composite of mosses, lichens, and bacteria that performs many important soil system functions, including increasing soil stability, protecting against wind erosion, reducing nutrient loss, and mediating carbon and nitrogen fixation cycles. These cold desert and steppe ecosystems are expected to experience directional changes in both climate and disturbance. These include increased temperatures, precipitation phase changes, and increased disturbance from anthropogenic land use. In this study, we assessed how climate and grazing disturbance may affect the abundance and diversity of bacteria in biocrusts in cold steppe ecosystems located in southwestern Idaho, USA. To our knowledge, our study is the first to document how biocrust bacterial composition and diversity change along a cold steppe climatic gradient. Analyses based on 16S small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequences identified the phylum Actinobacteria as the major bacterial component within study site biocrusts (relative abundance = 36–51%). The abundance of the phyla Actinobacteria and Firmicutes was higher at elevations experiencing cooler, wetter climates, while the abundance of Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Chloroflexi decreased. The abundance of the phyla Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria showed no significant evidence of decline in grazed areas. Taken together, results from this study indicate that bacterial communities from rolling biocrusts found in cold steppe ecosystems are affected by climate regime and differ substantially from other cold desert ecosystems, resulting in potential differences in nutrient cycling and ecosystem dynamics.
Constructing a Voice in English as a Foreign Language: Identity and Engagement

Situated in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context, this study navigates the intersection of language learner identity and foreign language engagement. Specifically, drawing on the concept of voice (Canagarajah, 2013; Johnstone, 1996; Kramsch, 2003), Bakhtin's (1981) theory of language, and the notion of investment (Darvin & Norton, 2015; Norton Peirce, 1995), it presents two case studies of voice construction by EFL learners in Iran. Through classroom observations, biographical and sociolinguistic interviews, and learner metalinguistic commentary, the study reveals how the two participants invest in two different voices that index their efforts toward the construction of a second language–mediated identity. The two learners are shown to gravitate toward informal and formal English words and use them in their speech in ways that are illustrative of how they envision their engagement with English both in the present and in the future. The pedagogical implications of the study are then discussed.
Peromyscus polionotus (Old field mouse)

The nomenclature system for the large submetacentric chromosomes (Group A) of Hsu and Arrighi (1968) cannot be applied to this species. However, there seems to be no question that the X is one of the longest submetacentrics. The identification of the Y is subjective.
High temperature hydrothermal vent fluids in Yellowstone Lake: Observations and insights from in-situ pH and redox measurements

Abstract ROV investigation of hydrothermal fluids issuing from vents on the floor of Yellowstone lake revealed temperatures in excess of 170 °C — the highest temperature yet reported for vent fluids within Yellowstone National Park (YNP). The study site is east of Stevenson Island at depth of approximately 100–125 m. In-situ pH and redox measurements of vent fluids were made using solid state sensors designed to sustain the elevated temperatures and pressures. YSZ membrane electrode with Ag/Ag 2 O internal element and internal pressure balanced Ag/AgCl reference electrode were used to measure pH, while a platinum electrode provided redox constraints. Lab verification of the pH sensor confirmed excellent agreement with Nernst law predictions, especially at temperatures in excess of 120 °C. In-situ pH values of between 4.2 and 4.5 were measured for the vent fluids at temperatures of 120 to 150 °C. The slightly acidic vent fluids are likely caused by CO 2 enrichment in association with magmatic degassing effects that occur throughout YNP. This is consistent with results of simple model calculations and direct observation of CO 2 bubbles in the immediate vicinity of the lake floor vents. Simultaneous redox measurements indicated moderate to highly reducing conditions (− 0.2 to − 0.3 V). As typical of measurements of this kind, internal and external redox disequilibria likely preclude unambiguous determination of redox controlling reactions. Redox disequilibria, however, can be expected to drive microbial metabolism and diversity in the near vent environment. Thus, the combination of in-situ pH and redox sensor deployments may ultimately provide the requisite framework to better understand the microbiology of the newly discovered hot vents on Yellowstone lake floor.
Geographic disparities in the distribution of the U.S. gynecologic oncology workforce: A Society of Gynecologic Oncology study.

A recent ASCO workforce study projects a significant shortage of oncologists in the U.S. by 2020, especially in rural/underserved (R/US) areas. The current study aim was to determine the patterns of distribution of U.S. gynecologic oncologists (GO) and to identify provider-based attitudes and barriers that may prevent GOs from practicing in R/US regions. U.S. GOs (n = 743) were electronically solicited to participate in an on-line survey regarding geographic distribution and participation in outreach care. A total of 320 GOs (43%) responded; median age range was 35-45 years and 57% were male. Most practiced in an urban setting (72%) at a university hospital (43%). Only 13% of GOs practiced in an area with a population < 50,000. A desire to remain in academics and exposure to senior-level mentorship were the factors most influencing initial practice location. Approximately 50% believed geographic disparities exist in GO workforce distribution that pose access barriers to care; however, 39% "strongly agreed" that cancer patients who live in R/US regions should travel to urban cancer centers to receive care within a center of excellence model. GOs who practice within 50 miles of only 0-5 other GOs were more likely to provide R/US care compared to those practicing within 50 miles of ≥ 10 GOs (p < 0.0001). Most (39%) believed the major barriers to providing cancer care in R/US areas were volume and systems-based. Most also believed the best solution was a hybrid approach, with coordination of local and centralized cancer care services. Among GOs, a self-reported rural-urban disparity exists in the density of gynecologic oncologists. These study findings may help address barriers to providing cancer care in R/US practice environments.
Probing Substrate Diffusion in Interstitial MOF Chemistry with Kinetic Isotope Effects.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have garnered substantial interest as platforms for site-isolated catalysis. Efficient diffusion of small-molecule substrates to interstitial lattice-confined catalyst sites is critical to leveraging unique opportunities of these materials as catalysts. Understanding the rates of substrate diffusion in MOFs is challenging, and few in situ chemical tools are available to evaluate substrate diffusion during interstitial MOF chemistry. Herein, we demonstrate nitrogen atom transfer (NAT) from a lattice-confined Ru2 nitride to toluene to generate benzylamine. We use the comparison of the intramolecular deuterium kinetic isotope effect (KIE), determined for amination of a partially deuterated substrate, with the intermolecular KIE, determined by competitive amination of a mixture of perdeuterated and undeuterated substrates, to establish the relative rates of substrate diffusion and interstitial chemistry. We anticipate that the developed KIE-based experiments will contribute to the development of porous materials for group-transfer catalysis.
Detecting ICMP Rate Limiting in the Internet

ICMP active probing is the center of many network measurements. Rate limiting to ICMP traffic, if undetected, could distort measurements and create false conclusions. To settle this concern, we look systematically for ICMP rate limiting in the Internet. We create FADER, a new algorithm that can identify rate limiting from user-side traces with minimal new measurement traffic. We validate the accuracy of FADER with many different network configurations in testbed experiments and show that it almost always detects rate limiting. With this confidence, we apply our algorithm to a random sample of the whole Internet, showing that rate limiting exists but that for slow probing rates, rate-limiting is very rare. For our random sample of 40,493 /24 blocks (about 2% of the responsive space), we confirm 6 blocks (0.02%!) see rate limiting at 0.39 packets/s per block. We look at higher rates in public datasets and suggest that fall-off in responses as rates approach 1 packet/s per /24 block is consistent with rate limiting. We also show that even very slow probing (0.0001 packet/s) can encounter rate limiting of NACKs that are concentrated at a single router near the prober.
"It Was Love in All the Buildings They Tore Down": How Caregiving Grandmothers Create and Experience a Sense of Community in Chicago Public Housing.

About 16,000 families residing in Chicago's public housing have been relocated over the last two decades through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Housing Opportunities for Peo...
A Model for the Molten Globule State of CTF Generated Using Molecular Dynamics

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a model for the molten globule state of C-terminal fragment (CTF) generated using molecular dynamics. A protein must assume a particular well-ordered conformation to be biologically active. Experimentally, it has proved very difficult to elucidate the structural details of the folding process. The chapter presents a study to explore this process using theoretical means, that is, to disrupt the structure of a protein and monitor its unfolding and the resulting partially unfolded state. The CTF of the L7/L12 ribosomal protein was chosen for study because it is small (68 residues) and has a high degree of regular secondary structure. The chapter focuses on performing a molecular dynamics simulation at high temperature in an attempt to denature the molecule. The main focus in this study is the characterization of the partially unfolded form reached with molecular dynamics. This same approach has been used for the bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor.
Considering Response Efficiency as a Strategy to Prevent Assistive Technology Abandonment.

Often, specialists in the field of Assistive Technology (AT) are presented with the challenge of teaching learners to utilize AT in order to increase, maintain, or improve their capabilities. Despi...
Crack Inspection of Railroad Wheel Treads by EMATs

Railroad safety depends on many factors. The integrity of the wheels on rolling stock is one that is subject to nondestructive evaluation. For some years, ultrasonic testing has been applied to the detection of cracks in wheel treads, with particular attention to automatic, in-rail, roll-by methods. We have begun constructing a system aimed at using relatively low frequency Rayleigh waves generated by electromagnetic-acoustic transducers (EMATs). The current design uses a permanent magnet to maintain a compact structure and minimize the size of the pocket machined into the rail. Measurements thus far indicate a responsiveness, even to small flaws. With the development of a signal processing and analysis system, field tests should soon be possible.
Concordance levels of PD-L1 expression by immunohistochemistry, mRNA in situ hybridization, and outcome in lung carcinomas

Summary Targeted inhibition of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) has emerged as first-line therapy for advanced non–small cell lung cancer. Although patients with high PD-L1 expression have improved outcomes with anti–PD-1/PD-L1–directed therapies, use as a predictive biomarker is complicated by robust responses in some patients with low-level expression. Furthermore, reported PD-L1 levels in lung cancers vary widely, and discrepancies exist with different antibodies. PD-L1 expression was thus compared by immunohistochemistry (IHC) versus RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) in 112 lung cancers by tissue microarray: 51 adenocarcinoma, 42 squamous cell carcinoma, 9 adenosquamous carcinoma, 5 carcinoid, 3 undifferentiated large cell carcinoma, 1 large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, and 1 small cell carcinoma. At least 1% tumor cell staining was considered positive in each modality. A positive concordance of only 60% (67/112) was found between IHC and ISH. Fifty percent (56/112) were positive by IHC and 50% (56/112) by ISH; however, 20% (22/112) were ISH positive but IHC negative. Conversely, 21% (23/112) were IHC positive but ISH negative. There was no significant stratification of PD-L1 positivity by histologic subtype. A trend of more PD-L1–positive stage I cancers identified by ISH versus IHC was observed but was not statistically significant (50% [27/54] by IHC and 64% [35/55] by ISH, P = .18). No significant difference in survival was identified, with an average of 5.3 months in IHC versus 5.2 months in ISH-positive cases. The results demonstrate discordance between PD-L1 RNA levels and protein expression in non–small cell lung cancers, warranting comparison as predictive biomarkers.
A prospective study on conversion from sandimmune to neoral in stable adult liver transplant recipients.

Neoral is a microemulsion formulation ofcyclosporin (CyA), which has more consistent and betterpharmacokinetics parameters with improvedbioavailability compared to conversional formulation ofSandimmune. Sixty-four stable adults (age >18 years),who had received liver transplants (LTx) and were onSandimmune-based immunosuppression, were converted toNeoral on milligram for milligram basis. Mean age was 52.5 ± 13.5 years and male/femaledistribution was 22/42. Mean interval from LTx toconversion was 109.2 ± 136 months. In 13 patients(20% ) the dose of Neoral was reduced because of anincrease in serum creatinine (N = 9), hyperkalemia (N =1), headache (N = 1), peripheral parasthesia (N = 1),and a general sense of discomfort (N = 1).Interestingly, in two patients a decrease in the troughconcentration was observed with the increase in liverenzymes. Both patients responded to an increase inNeoral dose. The present study suggests while themajority of the stable liver transplant patients (77%)can be safely converted to Neoral from Sandimmune ona milligram to milligram basis, they need to becarefully monitored for renal function, liver function,and trough concentration of CyA.
Learning High-Dimensional Generalized Linear Autoregressive Models

Vector autoregressive models characterize a variety of time series in which linear combinations of current and past observations can be used to accurately predict future observations. For instance, each element of an observation vector could correspond to a different node in a network, and the parameters of an autoregressive model would correspond to the impact of the network structure on the time series evolution. Often, these models are used successfully in practice to learn the structure of social, epidemiological, financial, or biological neural networks. However, little is known about statistical guarantees on the estimates of such models in non-Gaussian settings. This paper addresses the inference of the autoregressive parameters and associated network structure within a generalized linear model framework that includes Poisson and Bernoulli autoregressive processes. At the heart of this analysis is a sparsity-regularized maximum likelihood estimator. While sparsity-regularization is well-studied in the statistics and machine learning communities, those analysis methods cannot be applied to autoregressive generalized linear models because of the correlations and potential heteroscedasticity inherent in the observations. Sample complexity bounds are derived using a combination of martingale concentration inequalities and modern empirical process techniques for dependent random variables. These bounds, which are supported by several simulation studies, characterize the impact of various network parameters on the estimator performance.
Participatory networking

Software Defined Networks, which provide a programmable, logically centralized abstraction of network control, offer an escape from the current state of enterprise and datacenter network configuration, plagued by brittle, static solutions involving manual setting of myriad devices. But if SDNs provide an operating system for the network, we are missing the analog to system calls - an API for end-users and their applications to take part in network configuration. In response, we propose participatory networking, a new paradigmfor network configuration in which users submit requests or hints for current and future network properties such as quality of service, access control, and path selection.We describe the initial design and implementation of a participatory networking system, PANE, and its solutions to the challenges of resource arbitration and privilege delegation.
Exploring Mechanisms of Action in Exposure-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders: The Role of Eating-Related Fears and Body-Related Safety Behaviors

Evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders includes a component of exposure therapy, which involves patients confronting feared eating and body-related stimuli while preventing safety behaviors. With recent research demonstrating that eating-related fears and safety behaviors are central to eating disorder pathology, there is increased emphasis on improving the efficacy of exposure therapy in eating disorders. Doing so will require a better understanding of important mechanisms of action in this treatment. The present study explored how changes during treatment in eating-related fears and avoidance as well as body-related safety behaviors influence overall treatment outcomes. Individuals with eating disorders (N = 71) receiving exposure-based treatment completed measures of global eating disorder severity at admission and discharge. Hypothesized mechanisms of action were also assessed at admission and discharge as well as at a 2-week time point after beginning treatment. Path modeling analyses showed that decreased eating-related cognitions (feared concerns about eating) and emotions (anxiety about eating) at the 2-week time point were prospectively predictive of lowered global eating disorder symptom severity at discharge. Additionally, reduced body checking and avoidance behaviors after 2 weeks of treatment were also associated with lower eating disorder severity at discharge. These findings highlight the importance of exposure-based therapy in eating disorders and the need to uniquely address eating-related fears and safety behaviors.
Work in Progress: Curricular STEMification, In-Service Teacher Education, and Course Development in a Semi-Periphery Country: An American and Chinese Collaboration

This paper discusses a collaboration between an American university and a newly designed American high school in China. The demand for STEM education has been a growing concern and demand for Chinese nationals. To answer this demand, the Chinese Ministry of Education has stated curricular units need to include innovative, creative, and student inquiry centered learning activities. Integrative STEM education is well suited as a platform to facilitate such learning objectives. However, current curriculum often teaches STEM content separately. This collaboration outlines a framework to STEMify existing curriculum, enhance teacher preparedness with STEM, and STEM education course design.
“Her sentence is correct, isn't it?”: Regulative Discourse in English Medium Classrooms

Abstract Research on discourse in African classrooms has shown the predominance of teacher centered instructional practices. Teacher centered discourse patterns have been blamed for student passivity and disengagement in knowledge production. In this article, we investigate teachers' use of the invariant tag isn't it in Kenyan primary classrooms during ELA and math lessons. Using Bernstein's pedagogical device theory, we submit that the tag plays a regulative function in classroom discourse. Based on our findings, we argue for greater attention to teachers' language choices and discuss implications for classroom discourse practice and research.
Bargaining with Confucian Patriarchy: Money, Culture, and Gender Division of Labor in Taiwanese Immigrant Families

Previous studies of immigrant families have reported consistent findings concerning the positive effects of employed wives’ financial contributions and Western gender ideologies on women’s bargaining power in the family. This paper revisits this thesis. Data presented in this article are derived from a larger project based on 45 life-history interviews with Taiwanese immigrant women in a Midwest urban region. Findings suggest that women’s employment does not serve as a key factor that shapes spousal power relations in Taiwanese immigrant families. Rather, gendered work-family boundaries and individuals’ abilities construct main rationales in women’s interpretations of their division of labor at home and their dominance in financial management. None of the women interviewed consider Western culture as an inspiration for egalitarian gender ideology. In contrast, Confucian culture is often used by husbands and mothers-in-law to demand traditional gender practice, which is further reinforced and surveilled by the Taiwanese ethnic community. Therefore, the interconnections of work, family, money, culture, and power and their interactive effects on spousal relations are more complicated than previously suggested. This study also reveals varied forms of patriarchal bargaining in Taiwanese immigrant families. Married women tend to accommodate patriarchy in their housework assignment, but actively bargain in their management of family finances and persistence to seek employment. The findings suggest that heterogeneity within the research sample, household structure, and individuals’ subjectivities must be examined to understand the nuances and complexity of women’s gender strategies and bargaining power in immigration families. Theoretical implications of the study are also discussed.
The Gustatory World

The chemical senses are routinely underappreciated by humans. Our social world is geared toward stimulating our eyes and ears and ignores our noses and tongues. Survey after survey reveals that humans rank the chemical senses as the least important sense, and a majority of people feel that life would be fine without these senses. More detailed research displays that the sense of taste is relegated even lower than olfaction on this ranking. This ranking is further exacerbated by the knowledge that the flavor from our foods is mainly aromas being detected by our olfactory system. No longer really used for survival function, except for taste testers and cup bearers, taste really only serves for pleasure purposes during our meals. For humans, at least, our taste buds are a minor addition to our perceptual toolbox.
Chlorella vulgaris bioaccumulates excess manganese up to 55× under photomixotrophic conditions

Abstract Manganese is a transition metal that can accumulate in waterways in concentrations above natural abundance due to the mining, metallurgy, and agricultural industries. While chemical technologies for manganese removal are abundantly available, the high solubility of manganese in aqueous solutions causes steep decreases in removal efficiency and generates hazard waste that can be problematic to store. Chlorella vulgaris, a robust, unicellular green alga, offers an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical methods with the added economic potential of generating value-added products. In this study, C. vulgaris was exposed to increasing concentrations of manganese and monitored for bioaccumulation and adsorption. Additionally, cells were monitored for biochemical changes by assaying for terminal biochemical composition and determining photosynthetic activity throughout the life cycle of the culture. Evidence suggests that C. vulgaris can bioaccumulate manganese to an intracellular concentration of 733.3 mM and remove up to 56.74% of the manganese from highly concentrated media through both intracellular bioaccumulation and membrane-bound adsorption. Interestingly, the cultures exposed to high concentrations were able to accumulate manganese up to 55× the external concentration without experiencing inhibitory effects resulting from metal toxicity. Furthermore, cultures exposed to increased manganese displayed higher amounts of protein biosynthesis and an increase in photosynthetic capacities, potentially related to structural changes in the light harvesting antenna complexes of photosystem II.
Abstract P480: The Distinct Role of Occupational Therapy in Addressing the Self-care Management Needs of Patients With Heart Failure

Introduction: Hospitalizations for heart failure (HF) are the highest single Medicare expenditure. This cost primarily results from readmissions linked to failed self-care. Evidence suggests that e...
Sildenafil Recovers Burn-Induced Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Severe burn injury initiates a feedback cycle of inflammation, fibrosis, oxidative stress and cardiac mitochondrial damage via the PDE5A-cGMP-PKG pathway. Aim: To test if the PDE5A-cGMP-PKG pathway may contribute to burn-induced heart dysfunction. Methods: Sprague–Dawley rats were divided four groups: sham; sham/sildenafil; 24 h post burn (60% total body surface area scald burn, harvested at 24 h post burn); and 24 h post burn/sildenafil. We monitored heart function and oxidative adducts, as well as cardiac inflammatory, cardiac fibrosis and cardiac remodeling responses in vivo. Results: Sildenafil inhibited the burn-induced PDE5A mRNA level and increased the cGMP level and PKG activity, leading to the normalization of PKG down-regulated genes (IRAG, PLB, RGS2, RhoA and MYTP), a decreased ROS level (H2O2), decreased oxidatively modified adducts (malonyldialdehyde [MDA], carbonyls), attenuated fibrogenesis as well as fibrosis gene expression (ANP, BNP, COL1A2, COL3A2, αSMA and αsk-Actin), and reduced inflammation and related gene expression (RELA, IL-18 and TGF-β) after the burn. Additionally, sildenafil treatment preserved left ventricular heart function (CO, EF, SV, LVvol at systolic, LVPW at diastolic and FS) and recovered the oxidant/antioxidant balance (total antioxidant, total SOD activity and Cu,ZnSOD activity). Conclusions: The PDE5A-cGMP-PKG pathway mediates burn-induced heart dysfunction. Sildenafil treatment recovers burn-induced cardiac dysfunction.
Reducing needlestick injuries in the operating room: Efficacy of wound closure with operative Armour™ as compared with traditional methods

Introduction: Sharp injuries continue to pose a significant safety issue in the clinical setting with 385,000 injuries occurring annually among the United States health-care workers. In the operating room (OR), a majority of the needlestick injuries are due to frequent passing of contaminated needles. Operative Armour™ is a novel arm guard enabling surgeons to independently self-secure and self-dispose needles. We hypothesized that the use of Operative Armour™ as compared to the standard technique of sequentially passed needles would reduce the number of sutures passes. Methods: A 12 cm incision was made through an anterior and posterior approach to the ankle in three cadavers. In Group A (standard technique), 2-0 vicryl suture was used. In Group B (Operative Armour™), 2-0 vicryl suture packs, containing five sutures, were used. Three participants completed three trials for each group. Outcomes included wound closure time and the number of dropped and passed needles. Results: Wound closure time for Group A was 16:35 ± 0.2 min and 16:33 ± 0.1 min for Group B (P > 0.05). No needles were dropped in either group. Suture passes averaged 52 ± 8.9 in Group A compared to 5.3 ± 0.7 in Group B (P Conclusions: Use of the Operative Armour™compared to the standard technique demonstrated a statistically significant decreased number of suture passes but no change in total closure time. Given the large reduction in suture passes, the use of the Operative Armour™ could lead to a significant reduction in the number of needlesticks in the OR during wound closure. Clinical Significance: Compared to current standard techniques, the use of Operative Armour™ could increase safety in the OR by decreasing the number of suture passes. By reducing the demands on the surgical technician, this device could also decrease OR turnaround time and enhance overall efficiency.
Hepatotoxicty of Agents Used in the Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: a 2020 Update.

As treatment options for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) continue to expand, the opportunity for hepatotoxicity remains a clinical concern. This review looks to update the current literature on drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and liver-related complications from current and emerging treatments for Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). An extensive literature review on currently used medications to treat IBD and their liver-related side effects that includes mesalamine, thiopurines, certain antibiotics, methotrexate, anti-TNF agents including recently introduced biosimilars, anti-integrin therapy, anti-IL 12/IL 23 therapy, and small molecule JAK inhibitors. Hepatotoxicity remains an important clinical issue when managing patients with IBD. Clinicians need to remain aware of the potential for liver-related adverse events with various medication classes and adjust their clinical monitoring as appropriate based on the agents being used.
Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, weight gain, and risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in Asia: a systematic review.

Context The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is increasing in Asia and several countries are adopting preventive policies to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). However, evidence on the relation between SSB consumption and cardiometabolic health in Asian populations has not been summarized. Objective In this systematic review, the associations between consumption of SSBs and cardiometabolic outcomes, including obesity, T2DM, and CVD, are examined in Asian populations. Data sources The PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, and gray literature were searched up to October, 2020 to identify relevant articles. Data extraction Two investigators independently extracted data from included studies. Data analysis When sufficient studies were available, a random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate the pooled estimates (expressed as risk ratio [RR] and 95% confidence interval [CI]). Heterogeneity was tested and quantified using the Cochrane Q test and I2 statistic, respectively. Results Of the 17 studies included, 8 provided results about measures of adiposity (3 on weight change, 4 on body mass index (BMI), 2 on percent body fat, and 1 on abdominal obesity), 6 reported results about T2DM, and 3 reported on different CVD outcomes. High SSB consumption was significantly associated with greater weight gain and with a higher risk of selected CVD outcomes as compared with low consumption. In the meta-analysis, high SSB consumption was associated with greater T2DM risk before (RR, 1.51; 95%CI, 1.15-1.98 for highest vs lowest category; I2 = 76%) and after (RR, 1.38; 95%CI, 1.09-1.73; I2 = 56%) adjustment for BMI. Conclusions These findings suggest that high SSB consumption is directly associated with weight gain, risk of T2DM, and, possibly, selected CVD outcomes in Asian populations. Public health strategies to reduce SSB consumption in Asian countries are warranted. Systematic review registration PROSPERO registration no. CRD42019129456.Keywords: adiposity. cardiovascular disease, Asia, sugar-sweetened beverages, type 2 diabetes.
Association Between Walking Energetics and Fragmented Physical Activity in Mid- to Late-Life.

Background Physical activity becomes increasingly fragmented with age, which may be an early marker of functional decline. Energetic cost of walking and energy capacity are also linked with functional decline, but their associations with activity fragmentation, and the potential modifying roles of total daily physical activity and age, remains unclear. Methods 493 participants (50-93 years) from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging underwent measures of: energetic cost of usual-paced overground walking (ml/kg/m), energy demand during slow walking (ml/kg/min) on a treadmill (0.67 m/s, 0% grade),m/s, 0% grade), and average peak walking energy expenditure (ml/kg/min) during a fast-paced 400-m walk. A ratio of slow walking to peak walking energy expenditure ("cost-to-capacity ratio") was calculated. Activity fragmentation was quantified as an active-to-sedentary transition probability (ASTP) using Actiheart accelerometer data. Linear regression models with ASTP as the dependent variable were used to test whether poorer energy cost and capacity were associated with higher ASTP and whether the associations differed by daily physical activity or age. Results After adjusting for demographics, body composition, comorbidities and daily physical activity, every 10% higher cost-to-capacity ratio was associated with 0.4% greater ASTP (p=0.005). This association was primarily driven by the least active participants (pinteraction=0.023). Peak walking energy expenditure was only associated with ASTP among participants aged ≥70 years. Conclusions Higher cost-to-capacity ratio and lower energy capacity may manifest as more fragmented physical activity, especially among those less active or aged ≥70 years. Future studies should examine whether an increasing cost-to-capacity ratio or declining energy capacity predicts subsequent activity fragmentation.
Competitive Patent Law

Can U.S. patent law help American businesses compete in global markets? In early 2011, President Barack Obama argued that, to obtain economic prosperity, the United States must “out-innovate . . . the rest of the world,” and that patent reform is a “critical dimension[]” of this innovation agenda. Soon thereafter, Congress enacted the most sweeping reforms to U.S. patent law in more than half a century, contending that the changes will “give American inventors and innovators the 21st century patent system they need to compete.” Surprisingly, no legal scholar has assessed whether patent reform is capable of making American firms more competitive in global markets. This Article begins to fill this void by examining whether U.S. patent law can provide U.S. innovators with enhanced incentives to invent. The Article argues that traditional approaches to improving U.S. patent law, including the recent patent reform act, likely will do little to help Americans invent more than their foreign rivals. Nevertheless, helping U.S. businesses compete in global markets is vital to our economic prosperity, as we face a crippling recession, declining innovation capacity, and increasing pressure from foreign competition. Accordingly, this Article argues that federal lawmakers should consider nontraditional approaches to U.S. patent law, including using law to foster a culture in the United States that promotes innovation.
Evidence-Based Therapies for Enuresis and Encopresis

Among the most common, persistent, and stressful presenting complaints in primary medical care for children are two disorders involving developmentally inappropriate elimination of waste–enuresis (urine) and encopresis (feces). The author emphasizes that, although evaluation and treatment of these conditions absolutely requires the direct involvement of a physician, ideal management involves a partnership between the physician, therapist, and family. This united, empirically supported, biobehavioral approach can alleviate incontinence and eliminate or at least minimize the possibility of the damaging overinterpretation and dangerous forms of treatment that blemished the approach to enuresis and encopresis from antiquity throughout large portions of the twentieth century. Enuresis and encopresis are among the most treatable of all child behavior problems. The most effective treatments for enuresis and encopresis are multicomponent and effortful and therefore motivation to participate in treatment, by parents and children, is a significant concern. The chapter outlines the essential components of successful treatments following the evidence-base in the professional literature.
Electrophoretic and kinetic properties of Rana pipiens lactate dehydrogenase isozymes.

Lactate dehydrogenase of Rana pipiens exists in at least three isozymic forms. Extracts from heart tissue contain all three isozymes, and extracts from the gastrocnemius muscle contain only one isozyme. LDH extracted from testis is identical to that from the heart. The isozymes are tetramers of about 140,000 molecular weight. The five possible tetramers of LDH are not formed in frog preparations by the freeze-thaw method applied so successfully to mammalian LDH. Kinetic data show that heart LDH exhibits substrate inhibition at lower substrate levels than does muscle LDH and that all the isozymes have a lower apparent Km value for pyruvate than for lactate. Thermal inactivation is a first order, unimolecular event with more heat energy required to inactivate the heart extract. Since inactivation of heart LDH occurred at a lower temperature and with considerably greater disruption of the molecule, the isozyme of muscle LDH has the more stable conformation. Synthesis of lactate dehydrogenase in this species appears to differ from the usual case of random association of subunits into tetramers. Homodimers may be formed first and then randomly associate to form homo- or hetero-tetramers.
Computing a perfect matching in a line graph

We show in this paper that a perfect matching of a line graph can be computed in NC. A necessary and sufficient condition for a line graph to have a perfect matching is an even number of vertices. To compute the perfect matching, we use a technique of dividing the graph into kingdoms. This result is equivalent to partitioning the edge set of a graph into edge disjoint paths of even length.
Inorganic carbon in the Indian Ocean: Distribution and dissolution processes

[1] This study uses nearly 25,000 carbon measurements from the WOCE/JGOFS global CO2 survey to examine the distribution of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA) in the Indian Ocean. Shallow and intermediate distributions of inorganic carbon do not strictly follow temperature and salinity because of differing surface gradients and vertical biological processes that work to modify the circulation derived features. Anthropogenic CO2 has increased the shallow DIC by as much as 3%, decreasing the vertical DIC gradient. Deep ocean DIC and TA increase toward the north because of the decomposition and dissolution of organic and inorganic particles. Calcite saturation depths range from 2900–3900 m with the deepest saturation depth in the central Indian Ocean. Variations of aragonite saturation depth (200–1400 m) are similar to calcite, but the deepest saturations are in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The shallowest aragonite saturation depths are found in the Bay of Bengal. In the northern Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, the current aragonite saturations are 100 and 200 m shallower, respectively, than in preindustrial times. Estimates of carbonate dissolution rates on isopycnal surfaces range from 0.017 to 0.083 μmol kg−1 yr−1 in deep waters. Upper water column dissolution rates range from 0 to 0.73 μmol kg−1 yr−1, with a local maximum occurring in intermediate waters just below the aragonite saturation horizon. Dissolution is also generally higher north of the Chemical Front at 10–20°S. There is some evidence for significant sedimentary sources in the northern Indian Ocean.
3-D modeling of the dynamics and heat transfer characteristics of subcooled droplet impact on a surface with film boiling

Abstract The impact of a subcooled water and n-heptane droplet on a superheated flat surface is examined in this study based on a three-dimensional model and numerical simulation. The fluid dynamic behavior of the droplet is accounted for by a fixed-grid, finite-volume solution of the incompressible governing equations coupled with the 3-D level-set method. The heat transfer inside each phase and at the solid–vapor/liquid–vapor interface is considered in this model. The vapor flow dynamics and the heat flux across the vapor layer are solved with consideration of the kinetic discontinuity at the liquid–vapor and solid–vapor boundaries in the slip flow regime. The simulated droplet dynamics and the cooling effects of the solid surface are compared with the experimental findings reported in the literatures. The comparisons show a good agreement. Compared to the water droplet, it is found that the impact of the n-heptane droplet yields much less surface temperature drop, and the surface temperature drop mainly occurs during the droplet-spreading stage. The effects of the droplet’s initial temperature are also analyzed using the present model. It shows that the droplet subcooling degree is related closely to the thickness of the vapor layer and the heat flux at the solid surface.
The intensity of electrodeless discharge lamps containing cadmium, mercury, and manganese

Abstract There are a number of experimental parameters which have been found to affect the intensity and lifetime of microwave excited electrodeless discharge lamps (EDL's). A full experimental investigation of the effect on EDL intensities of the following parameters is discussed; weight of the material introduced into the lamp; nature of the fill gas; pressure of the fill gas; and applied microwave power. Three model elements were chosen for this study, mercury, cadmium, and manganese (as its bichloride), in order to determine if any general behaviors could be observed. Optimum construction and operation conditions are given for these specific cases. Some general conclusions regarding the mode of operation of EDL's have been drawn. The directly measured EDL intensities are compared to atomic fluorescence measurements in order to describe the relationship between the integrated line intensity and the intensity at the line center.
Balsam Fir on Isle Royale: Effects of Moose Herbivory and Population Density

Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) population parameters were analyzed in Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, to assess moose (Alces alces andersoni) herbivory in relation to the population density of both fir and moose. Fir population parameters were determined at nine study sites, each representing a different combination of relative fir and moose density (high, medium, and low levels, respectively). In general, moose suppression of fir height growth and recruitment to the canopy increased with increasing moose density and decreasing fir density. Where fir densities were low, sapling heights were restricted to < 1 m regardless of moose density. In such sites, sapling growth suppression has been continuous since a peak in the moose population in the late 1920s. Canopy fir trees at most sites established prior to arrival of moose on Isle Royale around 1910. At high fir density release from growth inhibition was common following a period of low moose numbers from the mid- 1970s to early 1 980s. Here this release should facilitate recruitment of fir and effect replacement of canopy losses due to senescence. In other areas, however, continuing canopy losses and lack of recruitment due to intensive herbivory by moose will greatly reduce the fir component of the canopy, effectively preventing any return to the fir- dominated forests of the past.
Beckford's Inversion of Romance in Vathek

The contradiction between escapism and didacticism in Beckford's Vathek has long troubled its readers. While the eighteenth century accepted the tale's moral conclusion as justification for its sensual excess and grotesque humor, modern readers are likely to reject that interpretation, concluding that the tale's ironies serve a frivolous rather than a serious end. Yet the elements of parody, such as stylistic and imaginative exaggeration, are contained by a rigidly architectonic form that inverts the triadic principle of romance. This essay explores Vathek's progress through the stages of romance - agon, pathos, and anagnorisis - to document Beckford's careful manipulation of a familiar convention. The novel retains the structure of romance, but inverts the hero's progress. The result is a linear descent: aesthetically, from the Hill of Pied Horses to the Hall of Eblis; psychologically, from wish-fulfillment to frustration; and metaphysically, from a vision of humanity as unlimited potentiality to humanity as finite actuality in an alien world. This inversion not only unifies aesthetics and ethics, or orientalism and protestantism, but also complicates the moral vision of romance by presenting a dark vision of the human condition.
Re-definition of the genus Acanthamoeba with descriptions of three species.

SYNOPSIS. Ten strains of Acanthamoeba from freshwater habitats were isolated in clonal cultures. Studies were made of trophic structure, nuclear division, cyst structure, some aspects of cytochemistry, and other characteristics. One strain was identified as A. castellanii (Douglas, 1930), one as A. astronyxis (Ray and Hayes, 1954), and 8 as A. polyphaga (Puschkarew, 1913). Strains of Acanthamoeba isolated by other workers were also examined comparatively. The pattern of nuclear division in all strains resembled that in metazoan cells, with the exception that centrioles were never found. Trophic amoebae had a PAS-positive surface outline. Cyst walls were strongly PAS-positive and also gave a positive test for cellulose with zinc chloroiodide. The genus Acanthamoeba Volkonsky, 1931 is re-defined, being distinguished from Hartmannella Alexeieff, 1912, emend. Volkonsky, chiefly by the formation of tapering, hyaline pseudopods (acanthopodia) and by a cyst made up of an ectocyst and a polyhedral or stellate endocyst, with excystment by removal of opercula. Other characteristics found in all strains include a distinctive food cup, the presence of many small refractile globules in the cytoplasm of trophic amoebae, and a cyst wall containing cellulose. The degree of spindle convergence, employed by Volkonsky as a generic criterion, was unusable. Differential diagnoses based principally on cyst structure are offered for A. castellanii, A. astronyxis, and A. polyphaga. The strain previously called Mayorella palestinensis Reich, 1933 is a distinct species of Acanthamoeba.