cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kinetics of First-Order Phase Transitions

The kinetics of first-order phase transitions is an active branch of research which deals with the dynamics of metastable and unstable states. In these lectures I wish to outline some of the basic experimental and theoretical developments in this field, where I will include computer simulation studies as “numerical” experiments. There are a large number of examples of the phenomena which I wish to describe. These include binary and ternary alloys, simple and binary fluids, polymer blends and many other systems. A general review of the literature has been given quite recently [1]. There has been relatively little attention given so far to magnetic systems. The bulk of the existing work involves computer simulation and theoretical studies of the kinetic Ising models of ferro- and antiferro-magnetism. Although such systems have not yet been studied experimentally, I will discuss them as prototypes of the general phenomena of interest. (It should be noted that these kinetic Ising models have been studied primarily as models of binary alloys such as Al–Zn, rather than magnetism). Other studies of the kinetics of magnetic systems far from equilibrium include models of magnetic alloys [2,3], tricritical metamagnets [4,5] and the clock model [6].
Open Repair of Femoral Hernia

Femoral hernias are more common in the female population. Repair of a femoral hernia is indicated whenever it is diagnosed, due to its high risk of incarceration and strangulation. This chapter lists indications, essential steps, technical variations, and complications of repair. It includes a detailed template operative note.
Retinal vascular patterns. VII. Acellular change.

The trypsin digestion technique has revealed a preferential loss of endothelial cells (in conditions other than diabetes) and eventually a total acellularity of many retinal capillaries. The surprise is that this may occur toithout recognized functional abnormality or without appreciable histologic change in the rest of the retina. Perhaps the retina has a large reserve capacity normally or perhaps the choroidal circulation compensates for loss of the retinal circulation. In any case the retina shows little reparative response to these capillary changes. Unlike what one expects in most other tissues, there is no formation of fibrous scar tissue, no infiltration with histiocytes, and no neovasculo genesis. Instead .Midler's cells fill up the tissue defect and their processes insinuate into what had been the capillary lumina.
Prostate cancer: diagnostic criteria and role of immunohistochemistry

The diagnosis of prostate cancer is based on microscopic criteria. Presently, prostate needle biopsy interpretation can be a challenge for the pathologist due to the increased number of specimens with limited amount of suspicious glands and minimal atypia. It is critical for the pathologist to have an organized methodical approach when considering the morphological features enabling a definitive diagnosis of prostate cancer. Although several diagnostic criteria and supportive features have been advocated, only few findings are absolutely specific and diagnostic of prostate cancer. The diagnosis of prostate cancer relies on a combination of architectural and cytological features that are reviewed in detail herein. Infiltrative growth pattern, prominent nucleoli and lack of basal cells are the most useful diagnostic criteria. Perineural invasion, glomerulation and mucinous fibroplasia are pathognomonic features of prostate cancer, although uncommon on small prostate cancer foci. The role of immunohistochemistry in establishing a diagnosis of limited prostate is addressed.
Schopenhauer, Schenker, and the Will of Music

Although not a theorist, Schopenhauer was a pivotal figure in the history of music theory. He articulated an original view of music that at once drew on and departed from the main theoretical traditions of his time, setting the foundation on which Heinrich Schenker later built his influential theory of music .
Exploring ship traffic variability off California

Abstract Seaborne trade continues to grow and is an important component of the global economy. Threats from shipping to marine ecosystems include oil spills and other water pollution, air pollution, anchor scouring, biological invasions, container loss, chronic noise, and collisions between ships and large whales. Shipping and its associated threats can be influenced by a suite of regulations and economic events. The dynamic nature of ship traffic can be characterized using ship tracking data from automatic identification system (AIS) technology. These data enhance our ability to analyze the ecological threats from commercial shipping as a component of spatially explicit risk assessments. We explore ship traffic variability using a case study in waters off California. AIS data from 2008 to 2015 were used to evaluate the role of vessel emission regulations and economic events on vessel routes and speeds. We document vessels navigating around emission control areas (ECAs) or reducing speed when traveling through them. Large freight vessels decreased speeds from 2008 to 2015 by about 3–6 knots in many areas, with lowered speeds observed in areas of both heavy and sparse vessel use. The timing and location of the speed reductions appear to be most influenced by state and international clean fuel standards, which required the use of more costly fuels. Therefore, the speed reductions may have provided a more cost-effective means of travel. We also found temporary speed increases off southern California when vessels used longer routes to avoid traveling through an ECA. We conclude that the establishment of ECAs had a profound influence on vessel routes and speeds, likely due to the higher costs of clean fuels. Proposals have come before the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to establish clean fuel requirements in various locations around the world to reduce air-borne emissions from vessels. Our research suggests such proposals, or other events that may affect marine fuel prices, can have key impacts on vessel behavior. Consequently, it is important to consider this variability when designing strategies to minimize threats from shipping to vulnerable biophysical systems.
Direct Analysis in Real Time-Mass Spectrometry and Kohonen Artificial Neural Networks for Species Identification of Larva, Pupa and Adult Life Stages of Carrion Insects.

Species determination of the various life stages of flies (Order: Diptera) is challenging, particularly for the immature forms, because analogous life stages of different species are difficult to differentiate based on morphological features alone. It is demonstrated here that direct analysis in real time-high-resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS) combined with supervised Kohonen Self-Organizing Maps (SOM) enables accomplishment of species-level identification of larva, pupa, and adult life stages of carrion flies. DART-HRMS data for each life stage were acquired from analysis of ethanol suspensions representing Calliphoridae, Phoridae, and Sarcophagidae families, without additional sample preparation. After preprocessing, the data were subjected to a combination of minimum Redundancy Maximal Relevance (mRMR) and Sparse Discriminant Analysis (SDA) methods to select the most significant variables for creating accurate SOM models. The resulting data were divided into training and validation sets and then...
Soil and foliar nitrogen supply affects the composition of nitrogen and carbohydrates in young almond trees

SummaryJune-budded ‘Nonpareil/Nemaguard’ almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill) D. A. Webb) trees were fertigated with one of five nitrogen (N) concentrations (0, 5, 10, 15, or 20 mM) in a modified Hoagland’s solution from July to September. In October, the trees were sprayed twice with either water or 3% urea, then harvested after natural leaf fall and stored at 2°C. Trees were destructively sampled during winter storage to determine their concentrations of amino acids, protein, and non-structural carbohydrates (TNC). Increasing N supply either via N fertigation during the growing season or with foliar urea applications in the fall increased the concentrations of both free and total amino acids, but decreased their C/N ratios. Moreover, as the N supply increased, the proportion of nitrogen stored as free amino acids also increased. However, protein was still the main form of N used for storage. The predominant amino acid in both the free and the total amino-acid pools was arginine. Arginine N accounted for an incr...
Simple Elections II: Condorcet’s Method

We have already seen that, when there is no majority, different sensible-sounding electoral methods may produce different results. In 1785 Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet, a French mathematician and political theorist, proposed a technique involving multiple use of runoff elections. (A similar idea was proposed by Ramon Llull as long ago as 1299; see for example Bonner, Doctor illuminatus: a Ramon Llull reader. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1993.) Condorcet’s work appeared in an essay entitled Essai sur l’Application de l’Analyse a la probabilite des decisions rendues a la pluralite des voix (Essay on the Application of Analysis to the Probability of Majority Decisions) (de Condorcet, Essai sur l’Application de l’Analyse a la probabilite des decisions rendues a la pluralite des voix. Imprimerie Royale, Paris, 1785). This work also described several other results, including Condorcet’s paradox, which shows that majority preferences become intransitive with three or more candidates.
Millennial-scale denudation rates in the Himalaya of Far Western Nepal

Abstract. The Himalayas stretch ∼3000 km along the Indo-Eurasian plate boundary. Along-strike variations in the fault geometry of the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) have given rise to significant variations in the topographic steepness, exhumation rate, and orographic precipitation along the Himalayan front. Over the past 2 decades, the rates and patterns of Himalayan denudation have been documented through numerous cosmogenic nuclide measurements in central and eastern Nepal, Bhutan, and northern India. To date, however, few denudation rates have been measured in Far Western Nepal, a ∼300 km wide region near the center of the Himalayan arc, which presents a significant gap in our understanding of Himalayan denudation. Here we report new catchment-averaged millennial-scale denudation rates inferred from cosmogenic 10Be in fluvial quartz at seven sites in Far Western Nepal. The inferred denudation rates range from 385±31 t km −2 yr −1 ( 0.15±0.01 mm yr −1 ) to 8737±2908 t km −2 yr −1 ( 3.3±1.1 mm yr −1 ) and, in combination with our analyses of channel topography, are broadly consistent with previously published relationships between catchment-averaged denudation rates and normalized channel steepness across the Himalaya. These data show that the denudation rate patterns in Far Western Nepal are consistent with those observed in central and eastern Nepal. The denudation rate estimates from Far Western Nepal show a weak correlation with catchment-averaged specific stream power, consistent with a Himalaya-wide compilation of previously published stream power values. Together, these observations are consistent with a dependence of denudation rate on both tectonic and climatic forcings, and they represent a first step toward filling an important gap in denudation rate measurements in Far Western Nepal.
DEFINING LOWER EXTREMITY DOMINANCE: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PREFERRED LOWER EXTREMITY AND TWO FUNCTIONAL TASKS.

Background A commonly utilized operational definition of lower extremity (LE) dominance assumes the LE with which a participant prefers to kick a ball with is the same preferred LE a participant would choose for a unilateral landing task. Hypothesis/Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the preferred lower extremity (LE) when performing a unilateral landing and kicking task. The authors hypothesized a strong correlation between the LE the participant chose for the landing task and the LE the participant chose for the kicking task would be evident. Study Design Repeated measures. Methods A convenience sample of 50 (age = 21.9 ± 0.9 years; sex = 27 female; 23 male; height = 170.6 ± 10.8 cm; weight = 73.3 ± 18.3 kg) healthy, recreationally active college aged students performed two tasks (kicking a ball; unilateral drop jump landing) in a counterbalanced order. Results Thirty-three participants kicked and landed with their right LE; 14 kicked with the right and landed on their left; two kicked and landed with their left and one participant kicked with their left and landed on their right LE. The Phi Coefficient (ϕ = 0.18; p = 0.18) indicated little to no relationship between the preferred LE for kicking a ball and landing from a drop jump. Similarly, the Chi-squared statistic revealed no differences between observed and expected frequencies (χ2 = 1.76; p = 0.23). Discussion When studying anterior cruciate ligament injury mechanisms in the laboratory, most investigators examine characteristics of the dominant LE. Dominance is frequently defined by which LE the individual kicks a ball with. The majority of ACL injuries however occur to the landing or plant LE. Hence, LE limb selection based on this approach may be flawed. Conclusion A significant relationship was not evident between the preferred LE for kicking a ball and a unilateral landing in a group of healthy recreationally active college aged students. The data suggests the preferred LE for kicking a ball and a unilateral landing task is not necessarily the same. Level of Evidence Level 3.
Group Homes as Sex Police and the Role of the Olmstead Integration Mandate

Adults with intellectual disabilities who live in group homes possess the same complex range of sexual desires and identities as all adults do. However, in group homes throughout the United States, these adults are denied the ability to express their sexuality. This Article addresses the systematic failure of group homes to modify punitive and overprotective policies and to provide services related to sex and intimacy, creating an environment of sexual isolation. Although legal scholars have explored the complexity of disability and sexual consent capacity and examined sexual rights in the context of institutionalized care, they have yet to explore the ramifications of policies and practices within group homes under federal disability rights law. This Article takes on that task and concludes that group homes have an affirmative duty to support intellectually disabled adults in exercising choices around sex and intimacy. In particular, this Article argues that Olmstead v. L.C. ex rel. Zimring and its mandate for community integration under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act provides the framework to challenge the sexual isolation of group home residents as disability-based discrimination under the ADA’s older integration mandate-sibling, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Some courts have begun to expand the reach of the integration mandate beyond the physical walls of confinement. It is through this lens that sexual rights can rise from the shadows as an essential aspect of full community integration alongside supports that include employment, education, and skills for daily living. The Article concludes by proposing reasonable modifications that group homes may undertake to avert sexual isolation, striving to balance the sexual rights of residents against the risk of exploitation and abuse that may arise in intimate relationships. A key modification would require group homes to create or adapt policies and procedures that begin to dismantle the bias, paternalism, and ableism that drives group-home decisions and perpetuates the sexual isolation of adults with intellectual disabilities.
Influence of Cementitious System Composition on the Retarding Effects of Borax and Zinc Oxide

This research investigated the retarding impact of zinc oxide (ZnO) and borax (Na2[B4O5(OH)4]·8H2O) on hydration of Portland cement, calcium aluminate cement (CAC), and calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA). Heat of hydration of cement paste samples with and without ZnO and borax was used to measure the influence of ZnO and borax on the set time of these cementitious systems. It was found that both ZnO and borax can retard the set time of Portland cement systems; however, ZnO was shown to be a stronger set time retarder than borax for these systems. ZnO did not show any retarding impact on CAC and CSA systems while addition of borax in these systems prolonged the set time. It was concluded that ZnO does not poison the nucleation and/or growth of CSA and CAC hydration products. We suggest that borax retards the cement set time by suppressing the dissolution of cement phases.
Characterizing Background Signals and Noise in Spaceborne GNSS Reflection Ocean Observations

This letter analyzes the background signals and thermal noise received over ocean scenes in spaceborne global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-reflectometry (GNSS-R) remote sensing using observations from the cyclone GNSS (CYGNSS) constellation. The measured noise floor contains a stable and predictable radiometric thermal noise component and a more variable background signal component from unintended specular reflections within the CYGNSS receive antenna pattern from all GNSS satellite constellations (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou, and all SBAS). The presence of SBAS reflections, in particular, is evident in the noise floor measurements, especially the U.S. wide area augmentation system (WAAS) satellites. The results show that the impact is negligible, since background signal contributions by other GNSS transmitters affect both the “signal” and “noise” portions of CYGNSS’s delay Doppler map measurements, and therefore cancel when the measured noise floor is subtracted from the desired signal. The potential increase in measurement uncertainty introduced by any residual background signal to the CYGNSS calibration is analyzed.
Free-Space-Impedance-Matched Composite Dielectric Metamaterial With High Refractive Index

In this letter, we present an all-dieletric metamaterial (ADM) design to achieve both free-space impedance matching and high refractive index in the X-band. This design is formed by two different-size of dieletric resonator cubes, which are made of strontium titanate, SrTiO3, with high permittivity and low loss. The Mie theory is used as theoretical framework to design high permittivity and high permeability, simultaneously. By scaling the size and lattice constant of the individual units, the first magnetic resonance of one cube (generating high permeability) and the first electric resonance of the other cube (generating high permittivity) can be colocated in order to achieve the free-space impedance matching. The S -parameters and the constitutive parameters are used to demonstrate that the composite cube/cube design has a transmission window with a high refractive index. Experimental measurements are carried out to verify the design concept. All-dieletric metamaterial can be presented as an alternative way to achieve the reflection-less surface, referred to as a Huygens’ surface, and create a high index of refraction at the same time.
The effects of remittances, foreign direct investment, and foreign aid on economic growth: An empirical analysis

The Sustainable Development Goals have refocused attention on ways of providing external finance to support development. Because they have different motivations and work through different modalities, remittances, foreign direct investment (FDI), and official development assistance may be expected to have different consequences for economic growth. Existing empirical evidence suggests that both positive and negative effects are associated with each source of finance. We use both a dynamic panel model and a fixed effects model to calculate the overall effects of each source of finance in isolation and taken together over the period 1976–2015. We include a range of control variables to allow for other potential influences on economic growth. We disaggregate the effects across geographical regions and income levels to test for heterogeneity. We also undertake a series of robustness checks. Our results suggest that FDI has a significant positive effect on economic growth, whereas remittances have a significant and negative effect. The effect of foreign aid is more ambiguous but is usually insignificant. The article offers an interpretation of the results drawing on ideas from the relevant theory.
A simple linear readout of MT supports motion direction-discrimination performance.

Motion perception depends on the ability to decode the activity of neurons in the middle temporal area. Theoretically optimal decoding requires knowledge of the sensitivity of neurons and interneur...
Rhode Island Human Papillomavirus Vaccine School Entry Requirement Using Provider-Verified Report.

Introduction Human papillomavirus vaccine school entry requirements may be an opportunity to improve the low rates of human papillomavirus vaccination among adolescents. This study evaluates changes in provider-verified human papillomavirus vaccine uptake by age 13 years for adolescents in Rhode Island compared with all other states from 2011 to 2017. Methods The National Immunization Survey-Teen 2011–2017, a population-based cross-sectional survey, was analyzed in 2019. The survey included telephone interviews and provider-verified reports of vaccination among U.S. adolescents aged 13–17 years. The sample was subset to participants with provider-verified human papillomavirus vaccination reports (n=145,153). A difference-in-differences approach evaluated the Rhode Island human papillomavirus vaccination school entry requirement enacted in 2015. The main outcome was provider-verified human papillomavirus vaccine uptake by age 13 years. Results Compared with boys in other states, boys in Rhode Island had an increase of 14 percentage points in the probability of uptake of human papillomavirus vaccination by age 13 years (β=0.139, 95% CI=0.073, 0.205). No such differences were observed on comparing girls in Rhode Island with girls in other states (β=0.009, 95% CI= −0.068, 0.086). Conclusions The Rhode Island school entry requirement for human papillomavirus vaccination improved rates of vaccine uptake among boys and may be a useful option for improving human papillomavirus vaccination nationally.
Expressions of IFN-γ receptor in neuroblastoma and their correlation to prognosis

Objective To detect the expressions of inteferon-γ receptor (IFN-γR) in neuroblastoma tissue and investigate their correlation to prognosis.Methods The expressions of IFN-γ R in neuroblastoma tissues were detected with SABC immunohistochemisty staining.The expressions of IFN-γR and interferon-γ(IFN-γ) were detected with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).The correlation among IFN-γR expressions in tumor tissue and their clinical stage,histological type,survival rate and the IFN-γexpressions were analyzed.Results The expressions of IFN-γR in tumor tissues without metastasis were higher than those with metastasis (P＜0.05).The expressions of IFN-γ R in favorable histological types were higher than those in favorable ones (P＜0.05).Patients with high IFN-γR expressions had higher survival rate (P＜0.05).The expressions of IFN-γR mRNA positively correlated with IFN-γ (r =-0.791,P＜0.05).Conclusions The up-regulated expression of IFN-γR suggested a low metastasis capacity and a favorable histological type in neuroblastoma and a better survival rate of patients.Therefore,it can be served as an potential marker candidates in biological evaluation of metastasis and prognosis in patient suffering from neuroblastoma.The potential mechanism may collate to IFN-γ function. Key words: Inteferon type Ⅱ; Receptors,interferon; Neuroblastoma; Immunohistochemisty; Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
Structural Design and Optimization of Slotted Waveguide Antenna Stiffened Structures under Compressive Load

Structural design and optimization of slotted waveguide antenna stiffened structures (SWASS) are considered. Radio frequency (RF) performance was considered by modeling waveguide slots for an antenna imbedded in an aircraft panel subject to external loading. An equivalent two-dimensional plate model was shown to be adequate for simplifying the waveguide core as an equivalent plate layer; however, smearing the stiffness effect of the slots was shown to be inaccurate. For higher fidelity, plate finite elements were used in a three-dimensional model with slots to evaluate the mechanical failure. This modeling technique proved cost-effective, employing few elements compared with three-dimensional solid modeling found in the literature. Validation with published experiments and verification with other published simulations demonstrated that it was sufficiently accurate for design purposes. Four SWASS configurations were compared. A slotted metallic foil waveguide tube wrapped with glass fiber and a carbon fiber inner mold line face sheet was the most effective concept, followed closely by all carbon fiber construction with slots cut through the outer mold line face sheet. Glass fiber face sheets for both inner and outer mold lines were the least effective concepts, whether or not the waveguide tubes were constructed of metallic foil or carbon fiber.
Word and Nonword Reading Efficiency in Postlingually Deafened Adult Cochlear Implant Users.

Hypothesis: This study tested the hypotheses that 1) experienced adult cochlear implants (CI) users demonstrate poorer reading efficiency relative to normal-hearing controls, 2) reading efficiency reflects basic, underlying neurocognitive skills, and 3) reading efficiency relates to speech recognition outcomes in CI users. Background: Weak phonological processing skills have been associated with poor speech recognition outcomes in postlingually deaf adult CI users. Phonological processing can be captured in nonauditory measures of reading efficiency, which may have wide use in patients with hearing loss. This study examined reading efficiency in adults CI users, and its relation to speech recognition outcomes. Methods: Forty-eight experienced, postlingually deaf adult CI users (ECIs) and 43 older age-matched peers with age-normal hearing (ONHs) completed the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE-2), which measures word and nonword reading efficiency. Participants also completed a battery of nonauditory neurocognitive measures and auditory sentence recognition tasks. Results: ECIs and ONHs did not differ in word (ECIs: M = 78.2, SD = 11.4; ONHs: M = 83.3, SD = 10.2) or nonword reading efficiency (ECIs: M = 42.0, SD = 11.2; ONHs: M = 43.7, SD = 10.3). For ECIs, both scores were related to untimed word reading with moderate to strong effect sizes (r = 0.43-0.69), but demonstrated differing relations with other nonauditory neurocognitive measures with weak to moderate effect sizes (word: r = 0.11-0.44; nonword: r = (-)0.15 to (-)0.42). Word reading efficiency was moderately related to sentence recognition outcomes in ECIs (r = 0.36-0.40). Conclusion: Findings suggest that postlingually deaf adult CI users demonstrate neither impaired word nor nonword reading efficiency, and these measures reflect different underlying mechanisms involved in language processing. The relation between sentence recognition and word reading efficiency, a measure of lexical access speed, suggests that this measure may be useful for explaining outcome variability in adult CI users.
Reflections on the Impact of Teresa Amabile on the Development of the Field of Group Creativity

Teresa Amabile’s groundbreaking work on the social perspective of creativity provided inspiration to those interested in investigating group influences on creativity. The subsequent empirical and theoretical developments in that field are quite consistent with the componential model of creativity. This chapter highlights these connections and directions for future research.
Opening minds by supporting needs: do autonomy and competence support facilitate mindfulness and academic performance?

In a pair of studies, the present research examined mindfulness as a mediator through which perceived support for the basic psychological needs of autonomy and competence facilitate adaptive outcomes in a university classroom setting. In Study 1 (N = 199), dispositional mindfulness mediated the relation between perceived support for autonomy and competence in daily life and generalized test anxiety in college students. In Study 2 (N = 328), perceived support for autonomy and competence in the classroom predicted higher test performance and instructor evaluations among college students. Notably, perceived support for autonomy and competence in the classroom predicted increased state mindfulness minutes before a final exam, which in turn was associated with less test anxiety and better test performance, even after controlling for past academic achievement. In summary, instructor support of students’ basic needs for autonomy and competence in the classroom context predicted heightened states of mindful awareness prior to a final exam, which explained improvements in academic performance among students. This research represents a first step toward identifying situational factors that facilitate mindful awareness in academic contexts.
Immediate Impact of Hurricane Lane on Microbiological Quality of Coastal Water in Hilo Bay, Hawaii

Hurricanes and associated stormwater runoff events are expected to greatly impact coastal marine water quality, yet little is known about their immediate effects on microbiological quality of near-shore water. This study sampled Hilo Bay immediately after the impact of Hurricane Lane to understand the spatial and temporal variations of the abundance and diversity of fecal indicator enterococci, common fecal pathogens, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Water samples from seven sampling sites over 7 days were collected and analyzed, which showed that the overall microbiological water quality parameters [enterococci geometric mean (GM): 6-22 cfu/100 mL] fell within water quality standards and that the temporal dynamics indicated continuing water quality recovery. However, considerable spatial variation was observed, with the most contaminated site exhibiting impaired water quality (GM = 144 cfu/100 mL). The Enterococcus population also showed distinct genotypic composition at the most contaminated site. Although marker genes for typical fecal pathogens (invA for Salmonella, hipO for Campylobacter, mip for Legionella pneumophila, and eaeA for enteropathogenic Escherichia coli) were not detected, various ARGs (ermB, qurS, tetM, blaTEM, and sul1) and integron-associated integrase intI1 were detected at high levels. Understanding the temporal and spatial variation of microbiological water quality at fine granularity is important for balancing economic and recreational uses of coastal water and the protection of public health post the impact of major hurricane events.
Light chain myeloma and detection of free light chains in serum and urine of dogs and cats.

Background Detection of free light chains (fLC) in animals relies on protein electrophoresis or the Bence-Jones protein test on urine. Objective To describe the detection of both serum fLC (sfLC) and urine fLC (ufLC) in 8 dogs and 2 cats using a commercially available human immunofixation (IF) kit. Animals Archived serum or urine samples from 27 dogs and 2 cats submitted to the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for routine diagnostics. Methods Retrospective study evaluating the presence of fLC in dogs and cats using agarose gel electrophoresis and routine and fLC IF performed on serum and urine. The performance of the fLC IF reagents was evaluated using samples characterized by routine IF, tandem mass spectrometry, and a combination of fLC IF and western blotting. Free light chains were documented by paired electrophoresis and fLC IF. Results The fLC only myeloma case developed end-stage renal failure 5 months post initial diagnosis. All electrophoresis-defined urinary Bence-Jones proteins were labeled by the anti-free λ light chain (anti-fλ) reagent; none were labeled by the anti-free κ light chain (anti-fκ); 2 of these were identified as fκ by mass spectrometry. An electrophoretically identical protein restriction that was labeled by the anti-fλ reagent was present in the paired serum from 5/8 of cases, documenting sfLC. Conclusions and clinical importance Commercially available human IF reagents identified sfLC and ufLC in both dogs and cats. Free light chains may be nephrotoxic in dogs.
The 3-D Kinematics of the Orion Nebula Cluster: NIRSPEC-AO Radial Velocities of the Core Population

The kinematics and dynamics of stellar and substellar populations within young, still-forming clusters provides valuable information for constraining theories of formation mechanisms. Using Keck II NIRSPEC+AO data, we have measured radial velocities for 56 low-mass sources within 4' of the core of the ONC. We also re-measure radial velocities for 172 sources observed with SDSS/APOGEE. These data are combined with proper motions measured using HST ACS/WFPC2/WFC3IR and Keck II NIRC2, creating a sample of 136 sources with all three velocity components. The velocities measured are consistent with a normal distribution in all three components. We measure intrinsic velocity dispersions of ($\sigma_{v_\alpha}$, $\sigma_{v_\delta}$, $\sigma_{v_r}$) = ($1.76\pm0.12$, $2.16^{+0.14}_{-0.15}$, $2.54^{+0.16}_{-0.17}$) km s$^{-1}$. Our computed intrinsic velocity dispersion profiles are consistent with the dynamical equilibrium models from Da Rio et al. (2014) in the tangential direction, but not in the line of sight direction, possibly indicating that the core of the ONC is not yet virialized, and may require a non-spherical potential to explain the observed velocity dispersion profiles. We also observe a slight elongation along the north-south direction following the filament, which has been well studied in previous literature, and an elongation in the line of sight to tangential velocity direction. These 3-D kinematics, coupled with estimates of source masses, will allow future studies to determine the dominant formation mechanism, differentiating between models such as competitive accretion and turbulent fragmentation.
Coaching educators: Impact of a novel national faculty development program for didactic presentation skills.

Background Didactic lectures remain common in medical education. Many faculty physicians do not receive formal training on public presentations or leading instructional sessions. Coaching has emerged in medical education with the potential to positively impact skills. We sought to evaluate a novel, national faculty peer-coaching program created to improve lecture presentation skills and foster career development. Methods This was a mixed-methods study of participant and faculty perceptions after completing the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine Academy Coaching Program. Participants completed an online evaluative survey consisting of multiple choice and Likert-type items. Program coaches participated in semistructured interviews. Descriptive statistics were reported for survey data. Thematic qualitative analysis by two independent reviewers was performed on interview data. Results During 2012 to 2017, a total of 30 participants and 11 coaches from 37 residency programs across the United States engaged in the program. Twenty-four (80%) participants completed the survey. Eight (73%) coaches participated in semistructured interviews. Data were collected between October and December 2018. The mean ± SD numbers of national presentations participants had given before and after the coaching program were 6.92 ± 7.68 and 16.42 ± 15.43, respectively. Since their coaching, most participants (87.5%) have been invited to give a lecture at another institution. Many participants felt that the program improved their lecture evaluations, public speaking, ability to engage an audience, and professional development. Almost all (92%) would recommend the program to a colleague. The coaches perceived multiple benefits including improved skills, self-reflection, networking, career advancement, and personal fulfillment. Suggestions for improvement included improved administrative processes, more clear expectations, increased marketing, and increased participant and coach engagement. Conclusion Participants and coaches perceived multiple benefits from this novel, national faculty coaching program. With identification of the success, challenges, and suggestions for improvement, others may benefit as they develop coaching programs in medical education.
Leveraging Upward Social Comparison in Social Media to Promote Healthy Parenting

Children's health is heavily influenced by parenting practices that promote healthy eating and physical activities. The present study examined how upward social comparison in social media may facilitate parents' motivation to perform healthy parenting practices. We conducted a 2 (social comparison direction: upward vs. downward) x 2 (similarity: similar vs. dissimilar) experiment. The results indicated that parents who saw upward comparison targets, that is, other children with better eating and exercising practices on social media, were more likely to assimilate their own children with them than parents who saw downward comparison targets. This, in turn, increased the parents' self-evaluation and positively impacted their intention to engage in healthy parenting practices in the future. The study expands the research of social comparison to the domain of comparison of extended self. The empirical evidence demonstrates the positive impact of upward social comparison through assimilation and self-evaluation.
Cyclotrimerization of Acetylene under Thermal Conditions: Gas-Phase Kinetics of V+ and Fe+ + C2H2.

The kinetics of successive reactions of acetylene (C2H2) initiated on either vanadium or iron atomic cations have been investigated under thermal conditions using the variable-ion source and temperature-adjustable selected-ion flow tube apparatus. Consistent with the literature results, the reaction of Fe+ + C2H2 primarily yields Fe+(m/z = (C2H2)3); however, analysis via quantum chemical calculations and statistical modeling shows that the mechanism does not form benzene upon the third acetylene addition. The kinetics are more consistent with successive addition of three acetylene molecules, yielding Fe+(C2H2)3, followed by an addition of a fourth acetylene molecule, initiating cyclotrimerization, yielding either Fe+(C2H2) + neutral benzene or Fe+(Bz) + acetylene, where Bz is a benzene ligand. In contrast, the reaction of V+ + C2H2 yields products via successive associations V+(m/z = (C2H2)n) either with or without a bimolecular step involving loss of one H2 and V+C2(m/z = (C2H2)m), where n and m extend at least up to 11 under conditions of 0.32 Torr at 300 K. Stabilized V+(Bz) is not a significant intermediate in the association mechanism. We propose a plausible mechanism for the generation of neutral benzene in this reaction and compare with the Fe+ results. The reaction steps that produce benzene result in turnover of the single-atom catalyst, and the large hydrocarbons produced that remain associated to the catalyst are proposed to be polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Integration of Topological Constraints in Medical Image Segmentation

Topology is a strong global constraint that can be useful in generating geometrically accurate segmentations of anatomical structures. Conversely, topological “defects” or departures from the true topology of a structure due to segmentation errors can greatly reduce the utility of anatomical models. In this chapter we cover methods for integrating topological constraints into segmentation procedures in order to generate geometrically accurate and topologically correct models, which is critical for many clinical and research applications.
Tumor-specific immunity induced by somatic hybrids. III. Persistence of adoptively transferred immunity specific for TEPC-15 plasmacytoma in normal BALB/c mice

Abstract Immunity against TEPC-15 tumor cells was induced in BALB/c mice by injecting semi-allogeneic hybrid cells derived from fusion of TEPC-15 tumor cells with LM(TK − ) cells of the C3H origin. Adoptive transfer of spleen cells from the immune mice into normal BALB/ c recipients rendered them free from tumors following tumor challenge; the recipients were most significantly protected from the tumor when tumor cells were injected 7–14 days after the adoptive transfer of immune cells. Such immunity following adoptive transfer appeared to persist in the recipients for at least 60 days. Moreover, the tumor-specific immunity was consecutively transferable (more than nine passages) into normal BALB/c recipients by serially passing spleen cells from the recipients every 14 days, without further stimulation with the hybrid cells or inactivated TEPC-15 tumor cells. Such consecutive transfer of the immune spleen cells induced splenomegaly in the recipients: a two- to five-fold increase over normal spleen cell recipients. The ability of spleen cells to transfer immunity, but not splenomegaly, was abrogated by treatment with mitomycin C. These results suggest that proliferation of donor cells is necessary to transfer immunity, and that splenomegaly alone does not manifest such immunity in the recipients.
23 Extraction of Halophiles from Ancient Crystals

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a series of steps and considerations to provide a reasonable level of evidence to support a conclusion that microbes do indeed survive within the marvelous salt rocks. Laboratories utilize the appropriate methods for selecting and sampling primary salt crystals in order to isolate enough microbes for detailed analyses and comparison. The chapter initially discusses basic geological principles; Steno's principles. It then incorporates an additional brief description (on a microbiology level) of some geochemical analyses that might be applied and concludes with a description of each of the techniques that have been successfully used by various research groups. Steno's three stratigraphic principles are: first, the principle of superposition; second, the principle of original horizontality; and third, the principle of original lateral continuity. Each of these principles directly impact examination of ancient saline formations for trapped microbes and are considered when selecting samples for use. Once the surface of a crystal has been adequately sterilized, any extraction technique can be used to extract the samples inside. The decision is made largely on the basis of the sizes of the inclusions and number of inclusions present. Regardless of the technique chosen, all sampling should be performed inside a treated class II or better laminar flow hood, inside a US BSL-3 facility.
Of Stasis and Movements: Climate Legislation in the 111th Congress

The 2008-2010 campaign to pass climate legislation was one of the largest efforts in the history of energy and environmental politics. Yet despite initial legislative success in the House of Representatives in early 2009 and the strong forces arrayed in support of a climate bill, the Senate dropped the issue from consideration in the summer of 2010. Such a high profile defeat might be expected to attract substantial academic attention. However, nearly three years out little analysis has been forthcoming. This paper addresses that gap in current scholarship, seeking to both inform academic understanding of climate politics and provide insights to practitioners and policymakers. The analysis is structured into two main sections. The first section examines four key barriers that protected the policy status quo: partisan polarization, political geography, energy interests and the recession. Through comparison with the Affordable Care Act and the history of U.S. environmental policymaking, the second section suggests three political forces that might have helped strength the climate campaign: public opinion, grassroots mobilization and presidential leadership. It further suggests that the failures of the climate campaign to pay sufficient attention to opinion and mobilization are symptomatic of broader challenges facing an increasingly professionalized and Washington-based environmental movement.
Computational analysis of meditation

Meditation training has been shown to improve attention and emotion regulation. However, the mechanisms responsible for these effects are largely unknown. In order to make further progress, a rigorous interdisciplinary approach that combines both empirical and theoretical experiments is required. This dissertation uses such an approach to analyze electroencephalogram (EEG) data collected during two three-month long intensive meditation retreats in four steps. First, novel tools were developed for preprocessing the EEG data. These tools helped remove ocular artifacts, muscular artifacts, and interference from power lines in a semi-automatic fashion. Second, in order to identify the cortical correlates of meditation, longitudinal changes in the cortical activity were measured using spectral analysis. Three main longitudinal changes were observed in the retreat participants: (1) reduced individual alpha frequency after training, similar reduction has been consistently found in experienced meditators; (2) reduced alpha-band power in the midline frontal region, which correlated with improved vigilance performance; and (3) reduced beta-band power in the parietal-occipital regions, which correlated with daily time spent in meditation and enhanced self-reported psychological well-being. Third, a formal computational model was developed to provide a concrete and testable theory about the underlying mechanisms. Four theoretical experiments were run, which showed, (1) reduced intrathalamic gain after training, suggesting enhanced alertness; (2) increased cortico-thalamic delay, which strongly correlated with the reduction in individual alpha frequency (found during spectral analysis); (3) reduction in intrathalamic gain provided increased stability to the brain; and (4) anterior-posterior division in the modeled reticular nucleus of the thalamus (TRN) layer and increased connectivity in the posterior region of TRN after training. Fourth, correlation analysis was performed to ground the changes in cortical activity and model parameters into changes in behavior and self-reported psychological functions. Through these four steps, a concrete theory of the mechanisms underlying focused-attention meditation was constructed. This theory provides both mechanistic and teleological reasoning behind the changes observed during meditation training. The theory further leads to several predictions, including the possibility that customized meditation techniques can be used to treat patients suffering from neurodevelopmental disorders and epilepsy. Lastly, the dissertation attempts to link the theory to the long-held views that meditation improves awareness, attention, stability, and psychological well-being.
Investigating the Phenotypes and Genotypes of Breast Cancer in Women with African Ancestry: The Need for More Genetic Epidemiology

Disparities in incidence, mortality, and age of onset of breast cancer between women of African ancestry and women of other racial/ethnic backgrounds are poorly understood. A more comprehensive elaboration of genetic variants that occur in African women may facilitate a better understanding of the disease in African American women and explain the role of genetic admixture on the variation in the expression of the disease. Large-scale, population-based databases that document the cancer burden of Africa are lacking because of financial and infrastructural limitations. The development of such programs would represent an important cancer control and research strategy.