cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Engineering an RF antenna for use in Transparent Conducting Oxide deposition

Transparent Conducting Oxides (TCOs) are a class of materials that are playing a larger and larger role in society today due to their use in digital displays and touch-screen devices. TCOs are critical in such electronic devices because they have the electrical conductivity necessary for connecting the required circuitry while still allowing light to pass through. A drawback of typical TCO deposition methods is that they require elevated temperatures, either during the actual deposition or during a post-deposition anneal. These elevated temperatures, greater than 100 degrees Celsius, limit the type of substrates which can be deposited upon, such as thin flexible plastic rolls.
Diffuse cerebral ischemia in the cat: II. Regional metabolites during severe ischemia and recirculation

Metabolite levels were measured in seven brain regions in cats after 15 or 30 minutes of a severe ischemic insult and after a 90-minute period of recirculation following 15 or 30 minutes of ischemia. Brain levels of phosphocreatine were depleted after a 15- or 30-minute insult, and lactate levels were extremely high at both times. The adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content in many brain areas and the presence of microregions of low reduced nicotinamineadenine dinucleotide in the brains of the animals that had 15 minutes of ischemia suggested that the ischemia, though severe, was not complete. Recirculation following a 15-minute insult restored brain levels of ATP and phosphocreatine to 70 to 100% of control values in all regions analyzed. In contrast, metabolic recovery from a 30-minute insult was regionally heterogeneous. Thus, there was persistent depression of ATP and phosphocreatine and elevation of lactate, which was localized in discrete cortical foci near the longitudinal midline. The factors governing the localization of metabolic failure must have become manifest during the recirculation period since the ischemic insult itself caused similar metabolic perturbations in all cortical regions.
Are Current Measurements of Lower Extremity Muscle Architecture Accurate

Skeletal muscle architecture is defined as the arrangement of fibers in a muscle and functionally defines performance capacity. Architectural values are used to model muscle-joint behavior and to make surgical decisions. The two most extensively used human lower extremity data sets consist of five total specimens of unknown size, gender, and age. Therefore, it is critically important to generate a high-fidelity human lower extremity muscle architecture data set. We disassembled 27 muscles from 21 human lower extremities to characterize muscle fiber length and physiologic cross-sectional area, which define the excursion and force-generating capacities of a muscle. Based on their architectural features, the soleus, gluteus medius, and vastus lateralis are the strongest muscles, whereas the sartorius, gracilis, and semitendinosus have the largest excursion. The plantarflexors, knee extensors, and hip adductors are the strongest muscle groups acting at each joint, whereas the hip adductors and hip extensors have the largest excursion. Contrary to previous assertions, two-joint muscles do not necessarily have longer fibers than single-joint muscles as seen by the similarity of knee flexor and extensor fiber lengths. These high-resolution data will facilitate the development of more accurate musculoskeletal models and challenge existing theories of muscle design; we believe they will aid in surgical decision making.
Broken Symmetry, Ferroic Phase Transitions and Multifunctional Materials

A phase transition is associated with a change of certain symmetry. This symmetry change is captured by an order parameter which is zero above the transition temperature (or pressure) and non-zero below it. An important class of functional materials is that of ferroics which are characterized by two or more orientation states with the ability to switch between them via an applied field. In terms of broken spatial inversion and time reversal symmetry, there are four types of primary ferroics: ferroelectrics described by polarization (a polar vector with broken spatial inversion symmetry), ferromagnets described by magnetization (an axial vector with broken time reversal symmetry), ferrotoroidics described by torodization (an axio-polar vector with both spatial inversion and time reversal symmetries broken) and ferroelastics described by strain e (a symmetric second rank polar tensor with neither spatial inversion nor time reversal symmetry broken but with broken rotational symmetry). Materials possessing t...
Surgical excision margins: a pathologist's perspective.

Summary:The histopathologic status of excisional margins of malignant neoplasms has long been used as a potential indicator for recurrences and prognosis. The predictive ability of the margin, however, is far from satisfactory. Perhaps nowhere else in oncologic pathology has the significance of thes
3D Stabilization of an Optical Microscope to 0.1 nm at 1 Hz using an Array of Nano-Posts

We extended differential back-focal-plane detection to measure vertical motion. We achieved sub-nanometer vertical motion by intensity-stabilizing our detector laser and differentially amplifying the vertical signal. This process is enhanced by using nanoposts as fiducial marks.
EFFECT OF ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE AND MONOVALENT CATIONS ON BRAIN 5'-ADENYLIC ACID DEAMINASE.

IT was recently reported that the adenylic acid deaminase from human erythrocytes required ammonia or a monovalent metal ion as an essential co-factor1. It has also been reported that ATP activates this enzyme from dog brain2 and beef brain3. In this report the effect of the simultaneous presence of ATP and a monovalent cation on the rabbit brain adenylic acid deaminase is presented.
Projection and restriction methods in geometric programming and related problems

Mathematical programming problems with unattained infima or unbounded optimal solution sets are dual to problems which lack interior points, e.g., problems for which the Slater condition fails to hold or for which the hypothesis of Fenchel’s theorem fails to hold. In such cases, it is possible to project the unbounded problem onto a subspace and to restrict the dual problem to an affine set so that the infima are not altered. After a finite sequence of such projections and restrictions, dual problems are obtained which have bounded optimal solution sets and interior points. Although results of this kind have occasionally been used in other contexts, it is in geometric programming (both in the original polynomial form and the generalized form) where such methods appear most useful. In this paper, we present a treatment of dual projection and restriction methods developed in terms of dual generalized geometric programming problems. Analogous results are given for Fenchel and ordinary dual problems.
Thromboembolism incidence and prophylaxis during vaginal delivery hospitalizations

Objective Although major international guidelines recommend venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis during vaginal delivery hospitalization for women with additional risk factors, US guidelines recommend prophylaxis for a very small number of women who are at particularly high risk for an event. The purpose of this study was to characterize practice patterns of VTE prophylaxis in the United States during vaginal delivery hospitalizations and to determine VTE incidence in this population. Study Design A population-level database was used to analyze VTE incidence and use of VTE prophylaxis during vaginal delivery hospitalizations in the United States between 2006 and 2012 (n = 2,673,986). We evaluated whether patients received either pharmacologic or mechanical prophylaxis. Hospital-level factors and patient characteristics were included in multivariable regression analysis that evaluated prophylaxis administration. Results We identified 2,673,986 women who underwent vaginal delivery. Incidence of VTE increased during the study period from 15.6-29.8 events per 100,000 delivery hospitalizations. Within the cohort, 2.6% of patients (n = 68,835) received VTE prophylaxis. Pharmacologic prophylaxis was rare; Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that the administration of VTE prophylaxis outside a small group of women at extremely high risk for VTE is rare during vaginal delivery hospitalization. Given that VTE incidence is rising in this population, further research to determine whether broadening prophylaxis for VTE may reduce severe maternal morbidity and death is indicated.
Mean beam length calculations for radiation from non-transparent gases☆

Abstract The mean beam length for radiation from a non-transparent gas may depend on the temperature, pressure and absorbing properties of the gas, as well as on the geometry of the enclosure. Mean beam lengths are studied for the following types of band structure: (1) bands composed of non-overlapping, collision-broadened lines; (2) bands which may be approximated by constant average absorption coefficients acting over effective band widths; and (3) bands composed of randomly distributed, collision-broadened lines. The temperature and pressure dependence of the mean beam length is studied for these types of band structure and expressions for the mean beam length are obtained for some simple enclosure geometrics.
APPLICATION OF DECISION ANALYSIS TO MANAGEMENT OF CEREBRAL ARTERIOVENOUS MALFORMATION

Abstract Consideration of cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) illustrates how decision analysis may be used to evaluate systematically two treatment options—surgery before bleeding occurs or conservative management. The analysis balances risk of immediate surgical mortality and morbidity against the delayed risks inherent in conservative management. Because the condition is rare and local experience therefore scant, probability estimates have to be obtained from the literature. From these probability estimates and from estimates of attractiveness of various outcomes (made in this study by a clinician) a quantitative assessment of the risks and benefits of surgical versus medical management can be calculated. The finding is that conservative treatment is preferable to surgery in patients who present with an AVM before bleeding occurs, even when the probability estimates used are those obtained under conditions more favourable to surgery. The decision also remains unchanged when different attractiveness values are assigned to possible outcomes.
Somitogenesis in cultured embryos of the Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica

The ability of unsegmented paraxial mesoderm from Japanese quail embryos to form somites was studied by culturing pieces of embryos, containing the segmental plates, on an agar medium. In the first experiments, two explants were prepared from each donor embryo. Both explants contained a segmental plate and neural tube, but only one contained notochord. The explants containing notochord formed 11.4 +/- 2.1 somites, while the explants without notochord formed 11.1 +/- 1.3 somites. It was concluded that explants containing Japanese quail segmental plates readily form somites in culture and that the continued presence of the notochord is not required for these somites to form. In a second series of experiments, one explant from each donor embryo contained neural tube and notochord along with the segmental plate, while the corresponding explant did not contain axial structures. The results, which were similar to those obtained in the first experiments, indicated that neither neural tube nor notochord is required for somitogenesis in vitro. Additional experiments demonstrated that bilateral symmetry extends to the unsegmented somite mesoderm, where there was a strong tendency for each segmental plate of a given embryo to form the same number of somites. It was also shown that over a three-fold range of segmental plate length, there was only a slight tendency for shorter segmental plates to make fewer somites. It was estimated that Japanese quail embryos having five to 21 pairs of somites have segmental plates that represent 11.3 +/- 2.9 prospective somites each.
Tamoxifen Therapy for Ovarian Cancer in the Adjuvant and Advanced Settings: Systematic Review of the Literature and Implications for Future Research

Abstract Background. Ovarian neoplasms frequently express hormonal receptors and are sensitive to hormonal manipulations, as shown by preclinical and clinical studies. However, despite the outstanding relevance of hormonal adjuvant therapy in breast cancer and the importance of receptor status as a predictive factor, few trials have addressed these issues in ovarian cancer. Methods. Computerized and manual searches were performed to identify preclinical and clinical studies evaluating single-agent tamoxifen activity in ovarian cancer or any kind of hormonal therapy employed as adjuvant therapy for ovarian cancer. Results. In advanced tumors, none of the trials was performed exclusively in chemonaive patients, but those including less heavily pretreated patients showed greater response rates. Some studies found a correlation between receptor status and activity (although differences were not significant), whereas other trials did not. Nevertheless, none were specifically designed to answer this question. Few randomized trials comparing hormonal treatment and chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone were identified. Although their results were negative, all were small, and none was designed with the rigor that allowed adjuvant hormonal therapy to become successfully established in breast cancer. Conclusion. The activity of tamoxifen in advanced ovarian cancer has not been adequately evaluated and its role may have been underestimated. Furthermore, the relevance of adjuvant hormonal therapy in ovarian cancer and the predictive value of hormonal receptors have never been studied in well-designed trials. Additional studies to clarify the role of tamoxifen for this indication are warranted.
Chest Pain Syndromes in Pregnancy

Chest pain syndromes in pregnancy include numerous catastrophic cardiovascular events. Acute myocardial infarction, aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, and amniotic fluid embolism are the most important causes of nonobstetric mortality and morbidity in pregnancy. Each of these could result in poor maternal and fetal outcomes if not diagnosed and treated in a timely fashion. However, their diagnosis and management is limited by fetal risks of diagnostic procedures, dangers of pharmacotherapy and interventions that have neither been widely studied nor validated. This article reviews the current literature on epidemiology, risk factors, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of 4 potentially lethal chest pain syndromes in pregnancy.
The Comparative Anticholinergic Activity of a Series of Derivatives of 3-Hydroxy Piperidine

Fourteen 3-hydroxy piperidine analogs have been compared to atropine and similar drugs for anticholinergic activity in six tests involving dog, rat, and rabbit. Two of these analogs, JB-323 (N-ethyl-3-hydroxy iperidine benzilate methobromide) and JB-340 (N-methyl-3-hydroxy piperidine Lnzilate methobromide), are approximately as active as atropine. The 3-hydroxy piperidines, in general, are relatively more active on the intestinal preparations than in inhibiting acetylcholine depressor responses, pilocarpine induced salivation, or β-methacholine induced lacrimation.
Surrogate markers of health after titanium dental implant placement.

Purpose We investigated the effects of dental implants on patient health, as measured by commonly used surrogates of human homeostasis, including hepatic metabolic and synthetic ability, renal regulatory functions, bone turnover, clotting, infection, and inflammation. Materials and methods Patients enrolled had 1 to 3 mandibular uncoated, endosseous titanium dental implants placed and restored. Patients were evaluated serially over 6 months. Blood and urine tests were collected immediately before and 6 months after implant placement. Paired student t tests were used to compare quantified laboratory values. Nonquantified values were evaluated using the McNamara chi square analysis to assess patterns of change. Results Thirty-one patients met the inclusion criteria. A total of 53 dental implants were placed. Three values were found to be significantly different between the 2 time periods: total protein ( P P P Conclusion No clinically significant effects on surrogate markers of health were found 6 months after placement of titanium dental implants. This series is the only one in the dental, craniomaxillofacial, and orthopedic literature showing a lack of adverse human health effects after dental implant placement, as measured by accepted surrogate measures of human homeostasis.
Predictors of gastrointestinal complications after conventional and beating heart coronary surgery

Background: Gastrointestinal complications after cardiac surgery remain a significant problem despite improvements in pre-operative, operative and post-operative care. The pathophysiology is uncertain, and their prevention remains suboptimal. This prospective, randomised study was designed to define the role of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and cardioplegic arrest in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal complications following coronary artery surgery. Methods and Results: Three hundred patients were prospectively randomised to (1) on-pump conventional coronary artery surgery [150 patients, 114 men, mean age 64 (45–75 years)] with mild hypothermic (32 c) CPB and cardioplegic arrest of the heart or (2) off-pump surgery [150 patients, 113 men, mean age 64 (38–66) years] on the beating heart. The association of perioperative factors with gastrointestinal complications was investigated by univariate analysis. Significant variables were then included into a stepwise logistic regression model to ascertain their independent influence on the occurrence of gastrointestinal complications. There were no significant baseline differences between the groups. Eleven patients in the on-pump group and one patient in the off-pump group had post-operative gastrointestinal complications. Univariate analysis showed that CPB inclusive of cardioplegic arrest, left ventricular ejection fraction
VNAV Tutor: system knowledge training for improving pilots' mode awareness

One of the major tasks of pilots in the modern glass cockpit is monitoring and understanding the status and behavior of the flight management (FM) system, i.e., mode awareness. Control modes of the FM system can change due to pilot commands (manually) or certain flight control events (automatically). The flexible and dynamic nature of the FM system increases both the functionality of the control system and the cognitive demands placed on the pilot. Without accurate and complete system knowledge the pilot is more likely to misunderstand the control modes. Vertical path navigation (VNAV) is often cited by pilots as an FM system function that surprises them. To address this problem a computer-based training system, called the VNAV Tutor, has been developed. This tutor was designed to improve the pilot's understanding of VNAV control modes and the interaction of the mode control panel functions with the FM system during VNAV usage. The VNAV Tutor and empirical results of its evaluation using line pilots are presented. >
Watering America’s Religious Roots: The Case for Religious Pluralism in American Public Schools

The longest lasting and most intimate interaction with government for most Americans takes place in US public schools. The Court’s choice to enter into the national religious debate intensified the rhetoric and polarized many Americans into opponents and proponents of increasing religious instruction in public schools. This work narrates the positions of Christian Americanists, pluralists, and secularists in this debate. It argues that court-originated policy governing religion in schools is a failure. A return to Constitutional Pluralism would benefit all people in the United States.
Growth and welfare effects of business cycles in economies with idiosyncratic human capital risk

Abstract This paper uses a tractable macroeconomic model with idiosyncratic human capital risk and incomplete markets to analyze the growth and welfare effects of business cycles. The analysis is based on the assumption that the elimination of business cycles eliminates the variation in idiosyncratic risk. The paper shows that a reduction in the variation in idiosyncratic risk decreases the ratio of physical to human capital and increases the total investment return and welfare. If the degree of risk aversion is less than or equal to one, then economic growth is enhanced. This paper also provides a quantitative assessment of the macroeconomic effects of business cycles based on a calibrated version of the model. Even for relatively small degrees of risk aversion (around one) the model implies that the elimination of business cycles has substantial effects on investment in physical and human capital, economic growth, and welfare.
Tradeoffs between predation risk and fruit resources shape habitat use of landbirds during autumn migration

ABSTRACT While foraging, animals often trade off between food and safety, reducing feeding in response to increased predation risk. This response, however, may not be a viable option for animals that are energetically compromised. Many single-species studies have shown that hungry animals select habitats within which foraging opportunities are greater even if predation pressures are higher, but it is unclear whether these patterns can be extrapolated to entire communities. Here, we examined the stopover habitat use of 28 frugivorous landbird species along the coast of Maine, USA, during an energetically demanding period of the annual cycle, fall migration. Across 6 stopover sites, we determined whether or not a tradeoff existed between using safe habitat patches (patches with high woody plant stem density) and patches with high food resources (patches with high fruit abundance). Controlling for raptor abundance at a site, landbird migrants were captured at higher rates in sites where no tradeoff existed, ...
Determinants of cerebral perfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass

The risk of postoperative neurologic dysfunction in patients undergoing cardiac surgery remains high despite continued improvements in myocardial protective strategies. Part of this neurologic morbidity can be attributed to patients' increased age and underlying pathology, but other factors adversely affecting cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolism during cardiopulmonary bypass may also contribute. Particulate microembolization during cardiopulmonary bypass appears to be a major cause of postoperative neurologic dysfunction and the pH-stat method of carbon dioxide management during hypothermia may potentiate neurologic damage by allowing a greater embolic load to be delivered to the brain. Echocardiography and transcranial Doppler methods may contribute to reducing the incidence of cerebral embolization by recognizing the timing and number of microemboli. Although hypothermia confers cerebral protection, rewarming may unmask and perhaps potentiate any ischemic damage that occurred with embolization during hypothermia. Both the degree and speed of rewarming may be important factors contributing to the extent of ischemic damage and ultimately neurologic function. In addition, many other factors related to cardiopulmonary bypass can alter cerebral perfusion and metabolism, such as nonpulsatile flow, hemodilution, pressure autoregulation, anesthetic and cerebroprotective drugs, and the neuroimmune response to bypass. In this review, the major factors affecting cerebral blood flow during cardiopulmonary bypass are discussed and their relative importance evaluated with regard to postoperative neurologic function.
High-fluorine rhyolite: An eruptive pegmatite magma at the Honeycomb Hills, Utah

The Honeycomb Hills rhyolite dome in western Utah displays chemical and mineralogical features characteristic of a rare-element pegmatite magma. The lavas show extreme enrichments in such trace elements as Rb (≤1960 ppm), Cs (≤78), Li (≤344), Sn (≤33), Be (≤270), and Y (≤156). Phenocrysts (10%-50% by volume) include sanidine (Or 66-70 ), plagioclase (Ab 83-92 ), quartz, biotite approaching fluorsiderophyllite, and fluortopaz, as well as accessory phases common to highly differentiated granites and pegmatites, including zircon, thorite, fluocerite, columbite, fergusonite, and samarskite. Low temperatures (600 to 640 °C), coupled with high phenocryst and silica content, might normally preclude eruption due to the extremely high viscosity of the melt. However, high concentrations of fluorine (2%-3%) could domal lavas significantly reduce viscosity and allow eruption of domal lavas even after dewatering of the mama during the initial pyroclastic phase of the eruptive cycle. Fractionation of phenocrysts and accessory phases, for which partition coefficients have been measured, is sufficient to account for most compositional gradients inferred in the preeruptive magma body, although transport by a fluid phase formed a may have caused upward enrichments in Li, Be, and Cs. If the Honeycomb Hills magma had crystallized at depth, it would have formed a rare-element pegmatite.
In-line control of nonlinear pH neutralization based on fuzzy logic

pH control is important to semiconductor manufacturing, with some common applications including etching, acid treating, and wastewater neutralization. In particular, pH neutralization is notorious for its severe process nonlinearity, which is reflected in the titration curve and shows process gain change of up to 10000 to 1 over a very small region. In this paper, we describe a new technique of in-line control of pH neutralization based on fuzzy logic. The unique features of this fuzzy control technique include 1) a wider operation range for handling a nonlinear process, 2) robustness for dealing with random disturbances and possible system parameter drafting, and 3) relatively simple implementation. Laboratory experiments are performed demonstrating that the controller works well over a wide operational range. >
A Trip Through my Life With an Immunological Theme

In this essay, I make four points about the operation of the immune system. First, thanks to the innate immune system's regulation of the main costimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86, the immune system rarely mistakes a pathogen for a self-antigen. Second, the adaptive immune system consisting of T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes can mistake self for non-self because adaptive immunity is selected in single somatic cells. Third, the adaptive immune system of T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes is always referential to self, as it is selected on self-ligands; it persists in the periphery on self-ligands; and at least for T cells, it is dependent on self-ligands to be able to mount a response. Fourth, it is becoming clear that regulatory or suppressor T cells are our main defense against autoimmunity, as my first boss, Richard Gershon, had predicted. These cells recognize antigen as do all T cells, but they secrete the immunoregulatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF beta.
Chemotactic behaviour of Strongyloides stercoralis infective larvae on a sodium chloride gradient

Chemotactic responses of Strongyloides stercoralis infective larvae (L3) to sodium chloride (NaCl) were investigated by recording larval tracks on a saline gradient in agarose. On agarose, larvae migrated randomly, whereas when placed at 0.01 m NaCl larvae moved to approximately 1.1 m NaCl where they turned, headed down the gradient and eventually remained circling at a favoured salinity (0.03-0.07 m). Conversely, when placed at 2.85 m NaCl, the L3 larvae moved unidirectionally to lower, more favoured salt concentrations. Here they circled, changing directions frequently while making 'loop-like' tracks. Larvae were immobilized within 5 min at salt concentrations exceeding 3 m NaCl. When placed at 0.01 m NaCl, 51.1% +/- 26.9 migrated to 1.1 m NaCl after 2 min, and 80% +/- 18.7 did so after 8 min, at an average velocity of 4.1 +/- 1.4 mm/min. Larvae (53.6% +/- 21.6) were repelled from 2.85 m NaCl to lower concentrations after 2 min. After 8 min, 95% +/- 11.1 were repelled, moving at an average velocity of 6.2 +/- 1.1 mm/min. Using this bioassay, the influence of neuronal control over chemotactic behaviour of S. stercoralis and other parasitic nematodes can be elucidated.
Rural sex education: assessment of programs and interagency collaboration

The purposes of this study were to assess the sex education programs offered in three rural Ohio counties, the agencies involved, and the extent to which agencies collaborated, and to compare interagency collaboration across counties. This cross-sectional study occurred in two phases. Using key-informant interviews (n = 85), Phase 1 identified current programs. Phase 2 assessed interagency collaboration via a mailed survey (n = 116). Results indicated that there were five to nine sex education programs per county, each involving five to eight agencies. Sex education was offered inside and outside of schools; programs were available to keep pregnant/parenting youth in school, enhance self-esteem, provide parenting education to teens, and advocate for abstinence. Sex education also occurred via a newsletter and an adolescent health conference, and in various clinics. Minimal collaboration was noted among agencies providing these programs. Public health nurses are ideally situated to identify current programs and agencies involved and form an interagency group to plan and implement comprehensive, collaborative sex education programs for youth. Further research is needed to longitudinally assess the impact of such program development on interagency collaboration, teen sexual activity, and pregnancy rates.
Corneal thickness measurements and frequency doubling technology perimetry abnormalities in ocular hypertensive eyes.

Abstract Objective It has been suggested that some patients currently diagnosed with ocular hypertension (OHT) may have thicker than average corneas that result in an overestimation of their true intraocular pressure. Consequently, patients with OHT with greater corneal thickness may be at a lower risk for functional glaucomatous damage, including visual field loss measured with frequency doubling technology (FDT) perimetry. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of FDT perimetry deficits in patients with OHT and to correlate these findings with central corneal thickness (CCT) measurements. Design Observational case control study. Participants and controls Sixty-five patients with OHT with normal optic discs and normal standard achromatic automated perimetry (SAP) visual fields and 52 normal control subjects. Methods All participants underwent SAP, FDT perimetry, and CCT measurements using ultrasound pachymetry. Main outcome measures CCT measurements in patients with OHT with abnormal repeatable FDT test results were compared with CCT measurements in patients with OHT with normal FDT results. In addition, CCT measurements in patients with OHT were compared with CCT measurements in normal control subjects. Results Fourteen of 65 patients with OHT (21.5%) demonstrated repeatable FDT abnormalities. The mean CCT of patients with OHT with abnormal FDT results was significantly lower than the mean CCT of patients with OHT with normal FDT results (542±35 μm versus 575±35 μm; P = 0.003). The mean CCT in the normal control group was 556±36 μm. The mean CCT in patients with OHT with normal FDT results was significantly higher than in normal subjects ( P = 0.008). No statistically significant difference was found between mean CCT in normal subjects and in patients with OHT with abnormal FDT results ( P = 0.18). Conclusions Patients currently diagnosed with OHT, but with visual field loss detected by FDT perimetry, had significantly lower CCT measurements than patients with OHT with normal FDT results. These findings suggest that patients with OHT with thinner corneas are more likely to develop early glaucomatous functional damage and that CCT measurements should be taken into account when assessing risk for the development of glaucoma among OHT subjects.
Building community, credibility and knowledge: the third US National Climate Assessment

Assessments that are designed to be credible and useful in the eyes of potential users must rigorously evaluate the state of knowledge but also address the practical considerations— politics, economics, institutions, and procedures—that affect real-world decision processes. The Third US National Climate Assessment (NCA3) authors integrated a vast array of sources of scientific information to understand what natural, physical and social systems are most at risk from climate change. They were challenged to explore some of the potentially substantial sources of risk that occur at the intersections of social, economic, biological, and physical systems. In addition, they worked to build bridges to other ways of knowing and other sources of knowledge, including intuitive, traditional, cultural, and spiritual knowledge. For the NCA3, inclusion of a broad array of people with on-the-ground experience in various communities, sectors and regions helped in identifying issues of practical importance. The NCA3 was more than a climate assessment; it was also an experiment in testing theories of coproduction of knowledge. A deliberate focus on the assessment process as well as the products yielded important outcomes. For example, encouraging partnerships and engagement with existing networks increased learning and made the idea of a sustained assessment more realistic. The commitment to building an assessment focused on mutual learning, transparency, and engagement contributed to the credibility and legitimacy of the product, and the saliency of its contents.
Assessing acute toxicities of pre‐ and post‐treatment industrial wastewaters with Hydra attenuata: A comparative study of acute toxicity with the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas

This study was undertaken to (a) determine wastewater treatment effectiveness using two freshwater organisms (b) compare acute toxicity results from the two species exposed to the wastewaters, and (c) link acute and potential develop mental toxicity of wastewaters in one organism The acute toxicities of several pretreatment and post treatment industrial waste water samples were evaluated with adult Hydra attenuata (92 or 96 h exposure) and fathead minnows (96 h exposure) The acute LC50s agreed closely when results in Hydra attenuata were compared with those from fathead minnow tests Acute LC50s ranged from 3 to > 100% of sample with hydra, and from 1 0 to > 100% of sample with fathead minnows The results provided strong evidence of treatment effectiveness because toxicity decreased with progressive stages of treatment Previously the Hydra Developmental Toxicity Assay (Hydra Assay) was used as a prescreen mainly for in vitro assessment of developmental toxicity with pure compounds and to prioritize toxicants according to selective toxicity to the developing embryo (A/D ratio) Recently we modified the assay for testing natural waters and wastewaters, hence, some of the wastewater samples also were tested for their developmental toxicity In this case, the relative selective toxicity (A/D ratio) of these wastewater samples ranged from 0 7 to 2 1, indicating that no sample was uniquely toxic to the developing embryo, although acute toxicity was manifested Over all, our results indicate the Hydra Assay functions appropriately in assessments of acute and developmental toxicity of industrial wastewaters and may be a simple and useful tool in a battery of tests for broader scale detection of environmental hazards
Microfabricated reciprocating micropump for intracochlear drug delivery with integrated drug/fluid storage and electronically controlled dosing

The anatomical and pharmacological inaccessibility of the inner ear is a major challenge in drug-based treatment of auditory disorders. This also makes pharmacokinetic characterization of new drugs with systemic delivery challenging, because efficacy is coupled with how efficiently a drug can reach its target. Direct delivery of drugs to cochlear fluids bypasses pharmacokinetic barriers and helps to minimize systemic toxicity, but anatomical barriers make administration of multiple doses difficult without an automated delivery system. Such a system may be required for hair-cell regeneration treatments, which will likely require timed delivery of several drugs. To address these challenges, we have developed a micropump for controlled, automated inner-ear drug delivery with the ultimate goal of producing a long-term implantable/wearable delivery system. The current pump is designed to be used with a head mount for guinea pigs in preclinical drug characterization experiments. In this system, we have addressed several microfluidic challenges, including maintaining controlled delivery at safe, low flow rates and delivering drug without increasing the volume of fluid in the cochlea. By integrating a drug reservoir and all fluidic components into the microfluidic structure of the pump, we have made the drug delivery system robust compared to previous systems that utilized separate, tubing-connected components. In this study, we characterized the pump's unique infuse-withdraw and on-demand dosing capabilities on the bench and in guinea pig animal models. For the animal experiments, we used DNQX, a glutamate receptor antagonist, as a physiological indicator of drug delivery. DNQX suppresses compound action potentials (CAPs), so we were able to infer the distribution and spreading of the DNQX over time by measuring the changes in CAPs in response to stimuli at several characteristic frequencies.
SUNLIGHT AND CATARACT: AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC INVESTIGATION

Cataract prevalence data from two large U.S. sources were divided according to small geographic areas for which average annual sunlight hours were determined from a map prepared by the U.S. Weather Bureau. Several non-cataract disease controls were chosen from the same geographic locations (separately for each data set). It was found that the cataract-to-control ratios for persons aged 65 years or older were significantly larger in locations with large amounts of sunlight compared to those in locations with small amounts (P less than .05). Discussion of some possible biases in the data leads to the conclusion that the biases, if they exist, are probably not large. The authors believe, however, that more research should be done before the association between sunshine and cataract is considered established.
Teaching to the data collection? (Un)intended consequences of online child assessment system, “Teaching Strategies GOLD”:

Drawing on a qualitative case study of four Head Start sites, this article analyzes a number of governing patterns that have emerged and grown in the field of early childhood education and care in ...
Social Support and Risky Sexual Behavior among Adolescents: The Protective Role of Parents and Best Friends:

Parents and best friends provide social support to adolescents that can protect them from risky sexual behaviors. Although past research has examined various factors related to parents, the benefit...
An Entropy Measure of Flow Dominance for Predicting Operations Performance

The flow of jobs within a system is an important operating characteristic that influences system performance. While the majority of previous studies on manufacturing performance consider product flows only as an implicit parameter of the design, we introduce an explicit measure of flow dominance based on entropy and test its efficacy in predicting the performance of manufacturing systems. In computing entropy flow dominance (EFD), we aggregate information embedded in the routings of all products within a system into a single measure. EFD is designed to indicate on a 0-1 scale the level of flow dominance, where 1 represents a pure flow shop and 0 represents a pure job shop. The result is a simple measure that provides managers a way to explain and predict complex phenomena. Our experimental results indicate that EFD is a statistically significant determinant of manufacturing system performance. Furthermore, the model including EFD as an independent variable accurately predicts manufacturing system performance as measured by job flow time, flow time standard deviation, and work in process. We note that the same results can also apply to service systems, such as the "back-room" low-contact type systems, that have similar characteristics as manufacturing systems.
THE OLIVOCOCHLEAR EFFERENT BUNDLE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY OF THE INNER EAR TO ACOUSTIC INJURY

1. The role of the efferent olivocochlear bundle (OCB) in protecting the inner ear from acoustic injury was studied in the anesthetized cat. Middle-ear muscles (MEM) were cut to eliminate possible effects of this feedback system on the auditory periphery. In each of a series of animals, the OCB was unilaterally transected. The animal was then exposed binaurally to an intense pure tone, and the resultant damage to the two sides compared by measuring threshold shifts in the compound action potential from each ear. Data from each animal provide one control measurement (threshold shift with an intact OCB) and one experimental measurement (threshold shift without a functional OCB). 2. Two experimental series were analyzed. In one the OCB was electrically stimulated, providing maximal firing rates in the efferents projecting to the control ear. In another series the OCB was not electrically stimulated: thus any OCB activity to the control ear was only that evoked by the acoustic stimulation itself. 3. In neither experimental series was there evidence that activity in the OCB provides protection from acoustic injury. These results are in disagreement with conclusions drawn from experiments with acoustic overstimulation of guinea pigs. 4. Interpretations for the discrepancy between the present study and those on guinea pigs include interspecies differences and the possible contribution of the MEM reflex or cochlear blood-flow changes to previously observed effects.
Ultralow threshold currents (<0.1 mA) in InGaAs quantum well lasers by low-temperature operation

Fabrication of low threshold current semiconductor lasers are of great importance for optical interconnects and other applications. Specially, integration of ultralow semiconductor lasers and superconducting electronic devices and operating them at low temperature will be necessary in high performance systems. These are also attractive for applications in space where the low temperatures are easy to achieve.
Elements of Experimentation

Conducting data analysis is like drinking a fine wine. It is important to swirl and sniff the wine, to unpack the complex bouquet and to appreciate the experience. Gulping the wine doesn't work.
Soft Error Effect Tolerant Temporal Self-Voting Checkers: Energy vs. Resilience Tradeoffs

Achieving high reliability against transient faults poses significant challenges due to the trends of technology and voltage scaling. Thus, numerous soft error mitigation techniques have been proposed for masking Soft Error Rate (SER) in logic circuits. However, most soft error suppression approaches have significant overheads in terms of area, power consumption, and speed performance degradation. Herein, we propose two circuit-level techniques, namely Temporal Self-Voting Logic (TSVL) and Hybrid Spatial and Temporal Redundancy Double-Error Correction (HSTR-DEC), to prevent the effects of soft errors in logic circuits, occurring due to Single Event Upset (SEU) or Single Event Transient (SET). TSVL and HSTR-DEC circuits can be utilized to improve the reliability of a logic path with minimal impact on circuit delay while achieving a complete and cost-effective SEU handling as compared to traditional spatial or temporal redundancy approach. The primary contribution of the TSVL approach is that it eliminates error masking from the critical datapath, thus, area and energy overheads are significantly reduced. A transient gate-level fault injection and analysis is used to evaluate the capability of soft errors suppression of the proposed hardening approach. Experimental results indicate that TSVL can cover soft errors, on average, roughly by 99% while realizing an amelioration of 22.02% and 2.15% for area and speed degradation as compared to the previous Self-Voting DMR approach. Meanwhile, HSTRDEC approach realizes a complete coverage for single and double SEUs while incurring comparable area and delay overheads as compared to the prior hybrid redundancy approach.
Mlkl Pores Release Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Necroptotic Neutrophils

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are networks of extracellular nuclear DNA and microbicidal proteins released from neutrophils in response to tissue damage and infection. Despite evidence of pathogenic roles for NETs in systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, artherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease, the major biochemical pathways controlling their formation remains poorly understood. Apoptosis does not contribute to NET formation but the role of regulated non-apoptotic cell death pathways such as necroptosis is not known. We have investigated the role of positive and negative regulators of necroptosis including receptor-interacting protein kinase-3 (RIPK3), mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL), receptor-interacting protein kinase-1 (RIPK1) and Caspase-8. Using immunogold electron microscopy, flow cytometry, imaging flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy, we demonstrate that necroptosis can drive NET formation via MLKL pore formation at the cell surface. This process is caspase-independent but reactive oxygen species-dependent. Genetically-modified mouse peripheral blood and bone marrow neutrophils were used to show that Caspase-8 and RIPK1 negatively regulate NET formation driven by RIPK3 and MLKL. Mice that lack MLKL are deficient in necroptosis and NET formation, and were sensitive to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Neutrophil-specific Caspase-8-deficiency also leads to increased susceptibility to MRSA due to increased rates of necroptotic neutrophil death. Killing of MRSA by necroptotic neutrophils is sensitive to DNase, and is dependent on MLKL, suggesting that necroptosis-driven NET formation contributes to the bactericidal activity of neutrophils. Human peripheral blood neutrophils also generate NETs that are sensitive to pharmacological inhibitors of necroptosis, suggesting that targeting necroptosis in general may help combat autoimmune responses to DNA. This study provides a framework to investigate the role of extracellular DNA release and cell death in the setting of infection, autoimmunity and autoinflammatory disease. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Reproducibility of High-Throughput Plate-Reader Experiments in Synthetic Biology

Plate-reader assays are commonly conducted to quantify the performance of synthetic biological systems. However, on the basis of a survey of 100 publications, we find that most publications do not report critical experimental settings of plate reader assays, suggesting widespread issues in their reproducibility. Specifically, critical plate reader settings, including shaking time and covering method, either vary between laboratories or are not reported by the publications. Here, we demonstrate that the settings of plate reader assays have a significant impact on bacterial growth, recombinant gene expression, and biofilm formation. Furthermore, we show that the plate reader settings affect the apparent activity, sensitivity, and chemical kinetics of synthetic constructs, as well as alter the apparent effectiveness of antibiotics. Our results suggest the critical need for consistent reporting of plate reader protocols to ensure the reproducibility of the protocols. In addition, our work provides data for th...