cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the Estrous Cycle in Octodon degus

We characterized the reproductive cycle of Octodon degus to determine whether reproductive maturation is spontaneous in juveniles and if ovarian cyclicity and luteal function are spontaneous in adults. Laboratory-reared prepubertal and adult females were monitored for vaginal patency and increased wheel-running. Sexual receptivity was assessed by pairing adult females with a male 1) continuously, 2) at the time of vaginal patency, or 3) following estradiol treatment. Blood samples were assayed for estradiol and progesterone concentrations on Days 1, 4, 8, and 16 relative to vaginal opening. Ovarian tissues were collected 6 and 16 days after behavioral estrus and 6 days after copulation for histology. In juveniles, the onset of cyclic vaginal patency and increased wheel-running activity was spontaneous, occurred in the absence of proximal male cues, and appeared at regular intervals (17.5 ± 1.4 days). In adults, vaginal patency and increased wheel-running occurred cyclically (21.2 ± 0.6 days) in the absence of proximal male cues, and these traits predicted the time of sexual receptivity. Corpora lutea develop spontaneously and are maintained for 12-14 days. The ovaries had well-developed corpora lutea 6 days after mating and 6 days after estrus without mating. Progesterone concentrations were highest in the second half of the cycle when corpora lutea were present and estradiol concentrations peaked on the day of estrus. Thus, female degus appear to exhibit a spontaneous reproductive cycle consistent with other Hystricognathi rodents. Octodon degus is a novel model with which to examine the mechanisms underlying different reproductive cycles.
Quantum dot solar cells

Abstract Quantum dot (QD) solar cells have the potential to increase the maximum attainable thermodynamic conversion efficiency of solar photon conversion up to about 66% by utilizing hot photogenerated carriers to produce higher photovoltages or higher photocurrents. The former effect is based on miniband transport and collection of hot carriers in QD array photoelectrodes before they relax to the band edges through phonon emission. The latter effect is based on utilizing hot carriers in QD solar cells to generate and collect additional electron–hole pairs through enhanced impact ionization processes. Three QD solar cell configurations are described: (1) photoelectrodes comprising QD arrays, (2) QD-sensitized nanocrystalline TiO 2 , and (3) QDs dispersed in a blend of electron- and hole-conducting polymers. These high-efficiency configurations require slow hot carrier cooling times, and we discuss initial results on slowed hot electron cooling in InP QDs.
Biomimetic Catalysis of Diketopiperazine and Dipeptide Syntheses

Entry for the Table of Contents Modular, supramolecular catalysts based on the coiled coil peptide scaffold and designed to mimic nonribosomal peptide synthetases are demonstrated to catalyze the formation of diketopiperazine and linear dipeptides for several aminoacyl substrates. We further demonstrate that the nature of the active site residues in the peptide catalysts can be used to effect directed intermodular aminoacyl transfer processes and govern the relative yields of diketopiperazine, linear dipeptide, and hydrolyzed substrate.
SOME CORIXIDAE FROM NORTHERN STATES AND CANADA

The following species are described as new: Arctocorixa compressoidea sp. n. Size : 5.4 mm. long. Color : Dark. Seven light bands of pronotum narrower than the dark ones and caudal ones deeply impressed; third and fourth bands often united on ends ; longitudinal median pale line on pronotum. Pale transverse bands of clavus oblique and entire on basal half ; apical ones slender, broken, crooked and few in number. Pale lines of corium also slender, broken, sometimes mere transverse dashes arranged in longitudinal series. Membrane smoky brown, pattern almost obliterated. Elytral suture, line between corium and membrane and embollium reddish yellow. Vertex in all my specimens more or less darkened. Limbs and venter pale.
GENCO's Risk-Based Maintenance Outage Scheduling

This paper presents a stochastic model for the optimal risk-based generation maintenance outage scheduling based on hourly price-based unit commitment in a generation company (GENCO). Such maintenance outage schedules will be submitted by GENCOs to the ISO for approval before implementation. The objective of a GENCO is to consider financial risks when scheduling its midterm maintenance outages. The GENCO also coordinates its proposed outage scheduling with short-term unit commitment for maximizing payoffs. The proposed model is a stochastic mixed integer linear program in which random hourly prices of energy, ancillary services, and fuel are modeled as scenarios in the Monte Carlo method. Financial risks associated with price uncertainty are considered by applying expected downside risks which are incorporated explicitly as constraints. This paper shows that GENCOs could decrease financial risks by adjusting expected payoffs. Illustrative examples show the calculation of GENCO's midterm generation maintenance schedule, risk level, hourly unit commitment, and hourly dispatch for bidding into energy and ancillary services markets.
Analysis and comparison of low cost gaming controllers for motion analysis

Gaming controllers are attractive devices for research due to their onboard sensing capabilities and low cost. However, a proper quantitative analysis regarding their suitability for motion capture has yet to be conducted. In this paper, a detailed analysis of the sensors of two of these controllers, the Nintendo Wiimote and the Sony Playstation 3 Sixaxis is presented. The acceleration data from the sensors were plotted and compared with computed acceleration data derived from a high resolution encoder, then correlated to determine the performance of the gaming controllers. The results show high correlation between the acceleration data of the sensors and the computed acceleration, and more consistency in the sensors of the Sixaxis. The applications of the findings are discussed with respect to potential research ventures.
Maternal concentration of dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (DDE) and initiation and duration of breast feeding

Dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (DDE) has been shown to reduce the duration of breast feeding in two studies. In addition to duration, we examined whether DDE lowers the initiation of breast feeding. Between 1973 and 1991, the Michigan Department of Community Health conducted three surveys to assess polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and DDE serum concentrations in Michigan anglers. Through telephone interviews with parents, we retrospectively ascertained information on breast feeding. Based on repeated maternal serum measurements between 1973 and 1991, we arrived at the level of exposure at the time of delivery by extrapolating PCB and DDE serum levels. One mother may have contributed more than one child; however, serum concentrations varied between children from the same mother. The maternal DDE and PCB serum concentrations were categorised as follows: 0 to or=10 microg/L. Repeated measurement models and survival analyses were used to determine the relationship between DDE and PCBs and characteristics of breast feeding while controlling for cohort effects, maternal age at delivery, education, and smoking during pregnancy. We focused on 176 pregnancies of 91 mothers who had maternal exposure information and gave birth between 1969 and 1995. Initiation of breast feeding was lowered by 39.5% and duration shortened by 66.4% in children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy. In children of non-smoking mothers, the incidence ratio for breast-feeding initiation was 0.45 [95% CI 0.15, 0.94] and 0.42 [95% CI 0.10, 1.03] when maternal DDE concentrations were 5 to or=10 microg/L respectively, compared with the lowest DDE exposure group. In these offspring (of non-smoking mothers), breast-feeding duration was shorter when DDE concentrations were higher: 13 weeks for >or=10 microg/L DDE, compared with 21.7 weeks for lower DDE. We did not detect any association between PCBs and breast feeding. In the absence of the distorting effects of maternal smoking, DDE exposure may decrease initiation and duration of breast feeding.
mcaGUI: microbial community analysis R-Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Summary: Microbial communities have an important role in natural ecosystems and have an impact on animal and human health. Intuitive graphic and analytical tools that can facilitate the study of these communities are in short supply. This paper introduces mcaGUI, a graphical user interface (GUI) for the R-programming language (R Development Core Team, 2010). With this application researchers can input aligned and clustered sequence data to create custom abundance tables and perform analyses specific to their needs. This GUI provides a flexible modular platform, expandable to include other statistical tools for microbial community analysis in the future. Availability: The mcaGUI package and source are freely available as part of Bionconductor at http://www.bioconductor.org/packages/r elease/bioc/html/mcaGUI.html
BMP4 acts upstream of FGF in modulating thymic stroma and regulating thymopoiesis

Thymocyte development is a non–cellautonomous process that requires signals provided by the thymic stroma. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) derived from thymic stroma have been implicated as possible regulators of T-cell development. Using thymic organ culture, this study demonstrates that both BMP4 and FGF7/FGF10 arrest early T-cell development at the CD4CD8CD44CD25 (double-negative 1 [DN1]) population and at the CD4CD8 double-negative (DN) to CD4CD8 double-positive (DP) transition in a stromal compartment–dependent manner. Furthermore, BMP4 functions upstream of FGF7/FGF10, as the effects of BMP can be suppressed by cotreatment with an FGF receptor antagonist. BMP4 also acts directly on the thymic stroma to up-regulate the stroma-specific transcription factor Foxn1 and stroma-expressed chemokines. Taken together, the data in this report demonstrate that BMP acts upstream of FGF in the regulation of early T-cell development and that BMP4 acts primarily through the thymic stroma, thereby altering the thymic microenvironment and affecting thymopoiesis. (Blood. 2003;102:3947-3953)
Polymer Foams Stabilized by Particles Adsorbed at the Air/Polymer Interface

In aqueous systems, partially hydrophobic particles are known to stabilize foams even in the absence of any added surfactant. This paper shows that the same principle can be applied to polymeric systems: particles that are partially wetted by a polymer melt can stabilize a foam of that polymer. The foam stability is attributable to the adsorption of the particles at the air/polymer interface. Remarkably, stable foams are realized even from polymers that are liquid at room temperature, and hence are otherwise unfoamable. The implications of this result to practical foaming operations are discussed.
Cortico-limbic morphology separates tinnitus from tinnitus distress.

Tinnitus is a common auditory disorder characterized by a chronic ringing or buzzing “in the ear.” Despite the auditory-perceptual nature of this disorder, a growing number of studies have reported neuroanatomical differences in tinnitus patients outside the auditory-perceptual system. Some have used this evidence to characterize chronic tinnitus as dysregulation of the auditory system, either resulting from inefficient inhibitory control or through the formation of aversive associations with tinnitus. It remains unclear, however, whether these “non-auditory” anatomical markers of tinnitus are related to the tinnitus signal itself, or merely to negative emotional reactions to tinnitus (i.e., tinnitus distress). In the current study, we used anatomical MRI to identify neural markers of tinnitus, and measured their relationship to a variety of tinnitus characteristics and other factors often linked to tinnitus, such as hearing loss, depression, anxiety, and noise sensitivity. In a new cohort of participants, we confirmed that people with chronic tinnitus exhibit reduced grey matter in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) compared to controls matched for age and hearing loss. This effect was driven by reduced cortical surface area, and was not related to tinnitus distress, symptoms of depression or anxiety, noise sensitivity, or other factors. Instead, tinnitus distress was positively correlated with cortical thickness in the anterior insula in tinnitus patients, while symptoms of anxiety and depression were negatively correlated with cortical thickness in subcallosal anterior cingulate cortex (scACC) across all groups. Tinnitus patients also exhibited increased gyrification of dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), which was more severe in those patients with constant (vs. intermittent) tinnitus. Our data suggest that the neural systems associated with chronic tinnitus are different from those involved in aversive or distressed reactions to tinnitus.
HORMONAL REGULATION OF MEMBRANE PHENOTYPE IN HEPATOMA CELLS

Glucocorticoids affect the composition and function of the plasma membrane in a variety of cell types.' Incubation of HTC cells, an established line of rat hepatoma cells in tissue culture, with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (DEX) alters several membrane properties characteristic of transformed cells, without affecting the growth rate of these cells. Dexamethasone rapidly and reversibly inhibits the active transport of selected amino increases the adhesiveness of the cells to a plastic or glass substrate by a process that requires macromolecular and rapidly and dramatically inhibits the activity of plasminogen activator (PA), a serine protease, which may itself modulate other membrane proper tie^.'^'^ HTC cells provide a favorable experimental system for the investigation of the hormonal regulation of membrane phenotype. The effects of individual hormones, either in isolation or in combination, can be studied in a fashion that is not possible in the intact animal. An established cell line offers the ease of experimental manipulation and stability under a variety of experimental conditions, not usually available in freshly-isolated dissociated cells or in primary cultures of liver cells. The ability to grow HTC cells in suspension culture reduces the need for manipulations such as trypsinization, which can affect transport and other membrane processes. HTC cells have been studied intensively with regard to glucocorticoid receptor function and induction of tyrosine aminotransferase which further enhances their usefulness for our studies. Finally, as discussed in this communication, it is possible to isolate steroid-resistant variant lines of HTC cells allowing the application of both genetic and biochemical techniques to the study of the hormonal regulation of membrane properties in these liver-derived cells.
Tunneling calculations for GaAs-Al/sub x/Ga/sub (1-x)/As graded band-gap sawtooth superlattices

The transmission resonance spectra and tunneling current-voltage characteristics for direct conduction band electrons in sawtooth GaAs-Al/sub x/Ga/sub (1-x)/As superlattices are computed. The authors use a transfer matrix method, working within the framework of the effective mass approximation; band nonparabolicity and band-bending at heterojunctions are neglected. Only direct-gap interfaces are considered. It is found that sawtooth superlattices exhibit resonant tunneling similar to that in step superlattices, manifested by correlation of peaks and regions of negative differential resistance in the current-voltage curves with transmission resonances. The step-barrier superlattice always presents some barrier to tunneling, no matter how high the electric field strength. >
Context effects in lexical access: A meta-analysis

The modularity hypothesis was evaluated in this review of 25 studies that investigated context effects in early lexical processing. Selection criteria restricted the review to priming studies and to studies that presented the target word before or at the end of the prime word. Meta-analysis was used to provide summary information about the 17 studies in the review for which effect sizes could be calculated. Overall, the analysis revealed a small effect of context on lexical access. Results provide a disconfirmation of the modularity hypothesis; although multiple interpretations of a word were sometimes accessed, the contextually appropriate interpretation was consistently more strongly activated. The lack of significant heterogeneity of variance suggests that the variability observed across studies was due to sampling error; however, task, timing of target presentation, meaning frequency, type of target, and type of context were identified as potential moderator variables.
SIBYLL: An event generator for simulation of high energy cosmic ray cascades.

We describe the physical basis and some applications of an efficient event generator designed for Monte Carlo simulations of atmospheric cascades at ultrahigh energies. The event generator (sibyll) incorporates many features of the Lund programs, but emphasizes the fragmentation region and the production of minijets. A consistent treatment of hadron-hadron and hadron-nucleus interactions is emphasized. Examples of applications are the calculation of coincident muons observed in deep underground detectors and the simulation of the longitudinal development of air shower components in the atmosphere.
Predicting the discharge of global rivers

The ability to simulate coupled energy and water fluxes over large continental river basins, in particular streamflow, was largely nonexistent a decade ago. Since then, macroscale hydrological models (MHMs) have been developed, which predict such fluxes at continental and subcontinental scales. Because the runoff formulation in MHMs must be parameterized because of the large spatial scale at which they are implemented, some calibration of model parameters is inevitably necessary. However, calibration is a time-consuming process and quickly becomes infeasible when the modeled area or the number of basins increases. A methodology for model parameter transfer is described that limits the number of basins requiring direct calibration. Parameters initially were estimated for nine large river basins. As a first attempt to transfer parameters, the global land area was grouped by climate zone, and model parameters were transferred within zones. The transferred parameters were then used to simulate the water balance in 17 other continental river basins. Although the parameter transfer approach did not reduce the bias and root-mean-square error (rmse) for each individual basin, in aggregate the transferred parameters reduced the relative (monthly) rmse from 121% to 96% and the mean bias from 41% to 36%. Subsequent direct calibration of all basins further reduced the relative rmse to an average of 70% and the bias to 12%. After transferring the parameters globally, the mean annual global runoff increased 9.4% and evapotranspiration decreased by 5.0% in comparison with an earlier global simulation using uncalibrated parameters. On a continental basis, the changes in runoff and evapotranspiration were much larger. A diagnosis of simulation errors for four basins with particularly poor results showed that most of the error was attributable to bias in the Global Precipitation Climatology Project precipitation products used to drive the MHM.
Critical Criminological Understandings of Adult Pornography and Woman Abuse: New Progressive Directions in Research and Theory

There is a small, but growing, social scientific literature on the racist and violent nature of contemporary adult pornography. However, considerably more empirical and theoretical work needs to be done to advance a critical criminological understanding of how such hurtful sexual media contribute to various forms of woman abuse in intimate relationships. The main objective of this article is to briefly review the relevant literature and to suggest a few new progressive empirical and theoretical directions.
Preface to On the Origins of Money by Carl Menger

In his classic essay, Carl Menger provides a conjectural history of the emergence of money. His account serves as the foundation for modern monetary economics. After briefly describing Menger’s argument and its consistency with his broader methodological approach, I consider modern representations and extensions of the Mengerian view on the emergence of money.
Dams and population displacement on China’s Upper Mekong River: Implications for social capital and social–ecological resilience

Abstract China is home to nearly half of the world’s 50,000 large dams, which provide irrigation, flood protection, and hydroelectricity. Most of these projects involve substantial population displacement, which can disrupt social capital, the webs of interdependence and support that community members maintain with one another through relationships of trust and reciprocity. We use new empirical evidence to examine the association between dam-induced displacement and social capital in China and interpret our findings in the context of social–ecological resilience theory. Our focus is on agricultural households on the Upper Mekong River, where four large hydropower dams have been constructed over the past twenty years. Our broad finding is that resettlement is associated with diminished social capital, as measured by two key indicators: inter-household exchange of financial resources, and inter-household exchange of agricultural labor. These effects differ across the four dam sites in the study based on local economic conditions and changes in resettlement policy. We find that population resettlement is associated with markedly lower levels of agricultural labor exchange. In an economically under-developed setting, this reduces the depth and breadth of social support that agricultural households rely on to produce crops for subsistence and income. This in turn diminishes social–ecological resilience because social capital is a key factor that helps agricultural or resource-dependent communities manage risk and adapt to changes and stressors. We consider the policy implications of our findings in the context of scientific and industry efforts to minimize social harm, promote economic vitality, and improve the sustainability of hydropower as a form of renewable energy.
'An Inquiry Reasonable Under the Circumstance:' Applying Rule 11 to Local Counsel

Fed. R. Civ. P. 11 mandates that all attorneys certify that any documents they present to the court are neither frivolous nor interposed for an improper purpose. Courts often let local counsel, an attorney who typically only signs and files a document on behalf of an out-of-state attorney, off the hook in Rule 11 proceedings, refusing to apply any meaningful analysis to her actions. This article argues that this is not the correct approach for courts to take. Rather, courts should independently determine whether local counsel acted reasonably under the circumstances, as required by the Rule. The text of Rule 11 does not differentiate between local and out-of-state attorneys. Policy considerations support this argument as well. Local counsel should not be permitted to act solely as a “rubber stamp” who blindly follows other attorneys. As an individual with specialized knowledge, local counsel should not be able to claim ignorance for the documents she signs. Because Rule 11 sanctions only attorneys who have acted unreasonably or with an improper purpose, creating a loophole for local counsel goes against the purpose of Rule 11. Additionally, the approach will further deter frivolous filings. Finally, using “reasonable reliance” as a factor, along with the court’s discretion to decide whether and what sanction should be imposed, ensures that local counsel will be sanctioned only when it is fair to do so. There is currently a gap in legal scholarship concerning Rule 11 as it relates to local counsel. Additionally, this article is the first in the past twenty years to provide a case collection on the district court split in applying Rule 11 to local counsel.
Effect of cortisone and ACTH on eosinophils and anaphylactic shock in guinea pigs.

SummaryGuinea pigs were used throughout this study. The number of eosinophils in the blood of males was significantly lower than that in females. Cortisone reduced the number of eosinophils in the blood of males and females. ACTH produced a pronounced eosinopenia in males and nonpregnant females. Pregnancy abolished the eosinopenic effect of ACTH. Neither cortisone nor ACTH had any effect upon the degree of anaphylactic shock produced in guinea pigs by the intravenous injection of the agent to which the animals had been sensitized.
The Problem of Response to Personality Frustration: A Concrete Example

of the simple symptomatic drinker. Treatment of true addictive drinking involves first of all the disruption of the vicious circle that is at the heart of the problem and after that has been accomplished the original basis for the earlier symptomatic drinking-often heavily overlaid and encrusted by years of dissipation-has to be dealt with. Although the psychiatrist has many powerful weapons in his armamentarium (psychological and occupational tools, conditioned reflex therapy, pharmacological agents, etc.) there is no more difficult treatment problem in psychiatry than that presented by the alcoholic addict. Two important generalizations with respect to addictive drinking demand particular emphasis: first, moderate drinking is forever impossible for the alcoholic addict: the only therapeutic objective that has any chance of success is total abstinence; secondly, anybody, if he drinks enough over a long enough period of time will become addicted: it takes some people longer than others to attain addiction but no human being can be regarded as immune.
Neonatal pulmonary hypertension--urea-cycle intermediates, nitric oxide production, and carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase function.

Background Endogenous production of nitric oxide is vital for the decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance that normally occurs after birth. The precursor of nitric oxide is arginine, a urea-cycle intermediate. We hypothesized that low concentrations of arginine would correlate with the presence of persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns and that the supply of this precursor would be affected by a functional polymorphism (the substitution of asparagine for threonine at position 1405 [T1405N]) in carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase, which controls the rate-limiting step of the urea cycle. Methods Plasma concentrations of amino acids and genotypes of the carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase variants were determined in 65 near-term neonates with respiratory distress. Plasma nitric oxide metabolites were measured in a subgroup of 10 patients. The results in infants with pulmonary hypertension, as assessed by echocardiography, were compared with those in infants without pulmonary hypertension. The frequencies of t...
Electron Diffraction Study of α- and α T -AlFeSi

Electron diffraction patterns from a-AIFeSi and αT-AlFeSi are compared. Unusual Kikuchi band patterns are found in both a and αT. Structure factor calculations can be used to explain these patterns. Additional higher order Laue zone (HOLZ) rings are seen in αT. Reflections located at n/9[521] are seen in some zero order Laue zones (ZOLZ) in αT. These additional reflections are responsible for the additional HOLZ rings found in αT. Most atomic positions in a and αT are similar. The specific structural feature which causes the additional reflections in αT is not known. Lattice imaging and image calculation will be necessary to determine the exact structure of αT.
EFFICACY OF SELECTED PYRETHROID ALTERNATIVES AGAINST BUDWORMS IN COTTON, 2000

Cotton was planted on 4 May into a Wicham loam soil in 38-inch rows in southeastern North Carolina near Richlands. The fertility and herbicide programs followed extension recommendations for cotton in this region. Temik at 5.0 lb (AI)/acre was used at planting. Plot size was 45 ft x 4 rows with four replications arranged in an RCBD. Insecticides were sprayed all four rows of each plot on 21 Jun. Treatments were applied with a CO2-pressurized back pack sprayer calibrated to deliver 8 gpa at 50 psi with a single Spraying Systems TX-8 hollow cone nozzle per row. On 26 Jun, 25 terminals and squares from each plot were examined for TBW terminal and square damage and larvae. Plots were harvested on 18 Oct with a 2row John Deere mechanical harvester. Data were entered into Gylling’s Pesticide Research Manager 5.0 software and analyzed via ANOVA and LSD (P = 0.05).
Who Files Suit? Legal Mobilization and Torture Violations in Europe

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is the most active international court. After decades with few allegations of human rights abuses, the ECHR docket expanded in the 1990s. Paradoxically, long-standing democracies can have standardized violation rates of the prohibition against torture that compare to transitional democracies that struggle to protect rights. Yet it is implausible that human rights abuses increased or that established democracies engage in more torture than new democracies. Instead variations in legal mobilization generate the surge and puzzling distribution of European judgments. I argue that discrepancies between the incidence of torture and litigation reflect variations in support structures, where declared violations can reflect the level of support that individuals receive in pursuing claims rather than the incidence of torture. This dynamic is most pronounced for foreign nationals, who typically possess fewer resources than citizens to access legal institutions and encounter popular and official hostility. As a result, much European litigation concerning torture in long-standing democracies is transnational in character.
Struggles to form business improvement districts (BIDs) in Los Angeles

Autonomous efforts to improve local business environments have become an increasingly important impetus for economic development. Business improvement districts (BIDs), as one of such autonomous organisations, have clearly demonstrated benefits for promoting commercial areas over the last two decades. When BIDs spread over a city, however, not every commercial district succeeds in establishing BIDs despite some initial efforts. This research examines the types of challenges that these neighbourhoods experience in order to form BIDs. This study is based on census data analyses and in-depth interviews with city employees, BID consultants, executive directors of BIDs and community stakeholders in Los Angeles. The results show that the areas with unsuccessful attempts of BID formation in Los Angeles are relatively low-income immigrant neighbourhoods. Some of these neighbourhoods have struggled with disengaged property owners, spatial conflicts among diverse ethnic groups, immigrants’ skepticism towards govern...
Clinical features of tuberous sclerosis complex in children with epilepsy

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical features of tuberous sclerosis complex(TSC) inchildren with epilepsy.MethodsThe clinical data of 36 TSC children complicated with epilepsy wereanalyzed retrospectively.ResultsAll children had epilepsy as first symptom:23 cases of seizureshappened on age less than one year old(63.89%),8 cases on age 1-3 years old(22.22%),and 5 cases onage more than 3 years old(13.89%).Main attack types were as follows:12 cases with focal seizures(33.33%),5 cases with generalized seizures(13.89%),7 cases with spasms(19.44%) and 12 cases(33.33%) with mixed seizures.Mental retardation was found in 19 cases(67.86%).Among 30 cases whoreceived brain MRI examination,all had subependymal nodules,26 cases(86.67%) were complicated withcortical and subcortical nodules,2 cases(6.67%) with subependymal giant cell astrocytoma(SEGA),onecase(3.33%) with pachygyria.EEG examination showed interictal epileptiform discharges in 34 cases(94.44%),including multifocal discharges in 12 patients(35.29%),generalized discharges in 8 patients(23.53%),focal discharges and hypsarrhythmia in 7 patients(20.59%) respectively.Seizures weremonitored in 8 patients,and the types included spasms in 4 cases,focal seizures in 3 cases,and myoclonicseizures in one case.Seventeen cases(47.22%) took one single antiepileptic drug,12 cases(33.33%) tooktwo drugs,and 7 cases(19.44%) took three drugs,while one of them underwent surgical treatment.After0.50-10 year follow-up,seizures free happened in 7 cases(19.44%),improved in 16 cases(44.44%),andinvalid in 13 cases(36.11%).ConclusionsEpilepsy is the most common nervous system performance inchildren TSC,and most seizures begin to happen in infants.The main types of onset are partial seizuresand spasms.Most of the patients get improved with antiepileptic drugs.
The occurrence and distribution of Tuckerella japonica (Acari: Tuckerellidae) on tea bushes, Camellia sinensis and C. assamica, in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, USA

Adults, immatures and eggs of Tuckerella japonica (Ehara) were collected from unknown clones or varieties of Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze tea bushes in the Clemson University Farm, Coastal Research and Education Center, Charleston, South Carolina; from Assam hybrids in The Caw Caw Nature Preserve in Ravenel, SC; from C. sinensis and C. assamica (Masters) in the Charleston Tea Plantation on Wadmalaw Island, SC; C. sinensis in the Fairhope Tea Plantation in Fairhope, Alabama; and from C. sinensis ‘Rosea’ and a C. sinensis and C. assamica hybrid in Savannah and Ellabell, Georgia, between 1994 and 2015. This mite was consistently collected from 1-, 2- and 3+-year-old wood of tea plants with significantly greater numbers collected from 2-year-old wood. All stages of the mite were found within longitudinally split areas of the wood where underlying green bark tissues were exposed. As 1-year-old wood matured, there was increased splitting of the bark with increased mite presence. Mature green fruit (= developing seed pods) of tea were also frequented by T. japonica between June–July and October and their numbers were no greater than those on 1- or 3+-year wood. When the fruit were small (March–May) or as they hardened in late fall, they were not suitable feeding sites for this mite. Very few T. japonica were collected from 50 mature, inner or outer leaf samples with none usually found. Tuckerella japonica has multiple, overlapping generations and occurs on tea throughout the year in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, USA.
Changes in quality of life after radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer after dissemination of intensity modulated radiation therapy

Objective It is unclear whether the adoption of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer is associated with improved health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Therefore, we examined the HRQOL of elderly patients who had undergone external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) during two eras: 1998–2001, when 3D-CRT was the standard of care for EBRT, and 2006–2009, when IMRT was the dominant form of EBRT.
Location Efficiency and Affordability: A National Analysis of Walkable Access and HUD-Assisted Housing

AbstractAs walkable neighborhoods are rapidly gaining popularity, these location-efficient areas are becoming less affordable to low-income tenants. We ask to what extent project- and tenant-based federal housing assistance is keeping these areas affordable and whether tradeoffs exist. Using descriptive statistical and logistic regression analysis for a data set of 3.8 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) tenants and a variety of neighborhood-level indicators, we find that HUD assistance provides tenants with differential access to walkable neighborhoods. Tenants who are senior, Asian, White, or have disabilities have higher chances of living in higher opportunity walkable areas. However, for those tenants with the greatest disadvantages (African American and Hispanic tenants), neighborhood quality remains compromised by higher poverty, segregation, and worse school quality, even in walkable neighborhoods. We identify the type of assistance (public housing, project-based rental a...
Effects of Polyfluorene Polyelectrolyte Interfacial Layers on Selectivity and Recombination Measured Using the Interdigitated Back-Contact Solar Cell

Organic semiconductors have been widely studied as interfacial layers to improve the performance of photovoltaics based on emerging absorber materials, such as organic bulk heterojunctions or methylammonium lead halide perovskites. Despite the intense practical interest, fundamental insight into how such interfacial layers affect the interfacial charge-transfer processes underlying selectivity and recombination is more limited. We use the silicon interdigitated back-contact (IBC) solar cell to determine well-defined measures of the selectivity and recombination for organic semiconductor contacts to silicon and to separate the contributions of electron/hole charge-transfer velocities and barrier heights in determining the selectivity. Two primary parameters are measured: R = (Jon/Jon*)(Jop/Jop*) and Sh = Jop/Jon, where Jon and Jop are the exchange current densities for electrons and holes at the interface and the starred quantities are maximum reference values given by ideal thermionic emission theory. The...
On Pruning with the MDL Score

The space of Bayesian network structures is forbiddingly large and hence numerous techniques have been developed to prune this search space, but without eliminating the optimal structure. Such techniques are critical for structure learning to scale to larger datasets with more variables. Prior works exploited properties of the MDL score to prune away large regions of the search space that can be safely ignored by optimal structure learning algorithms. In this paper, we propose new techniques for pruning regions of the search space that can be safely ignored by algorithms that enumerate the k-best Bayesian network structures. Empirically, we show that these techniques allow a state-of-the-art structure enumeration algorithm to scale to datasets with significantly more variables.
Pavlov and the Rockefeller foundation

Despite the tension between the United States and the Soviet Union in the early 1920’s, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research found ways to assist I. P. Pavlov. In addition to providing scientific literature and financial aid, these institutions and their officers rendered important moral support to the scientific career of Pavlov during his later years. In 1923, as a guest of the Rockefeller Institute, Pavlov visited American scientific laboratories. In 1924, he requested and received a number of books on physiology, and during the 1930’s the Foundation helped him to acquire equipment for his Leningrad laboratory.
Post-Storm Middle and Low-Latitude Ionospheric Electric Fields Effects

The Earth’s upper atmosphere and ionosphere undergoes large and complex perturbations during and after geomagnetic storms. Thermospheric winds driven by enhanced energy and momentum due to geomagnetic activity generate large disturbance electric fields, plasma drifts and currents with a broad range of temporal and spatial scales from high to equatorial latitudes. This disturbance dynamo mechanism plays a fundamental role on the response of the middle and low-latitude ionosphere to geomagnetic activity. In this review, we initially describe the early evidence for the importance of this process and the first simulation study which already was able to explain its main effects on the electrodynamics of the middle and low-latitude ionosphere. We then describe the results of more recent simulations and the extensive experimental work that highlights the importance of this mechanism for ionospheric space weather studies extending to post-storms periods, and present some suggestions for future studies.
Cyclic Voltammetry Probe Approach Curves with Alkali Amalgams at Mercury Sphere-Cap Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy Probes.

We report a method of precisely positioning a Hg-based ultramicroelectrode (UME) for scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) investigations of any substrate. Hg-based probes are capable of performing amalgamation reactions with metal cations, which avoid unwanted side reactions and positive feedback mechanisms that can prove problematic for traditional probe positioning methods. However, prolonged collection of ions eventually leads to saturation of the amalgam accompanied by irreversible loss of Hg. In order to obtain negative feedback positioning control without risking damage to the SECM probe, we implement cyclic voltammetry probe approach surfaces (CV-PASs), consisting of CVs performed between incremental motor movements. The amalgamation current, peak stripping current, and integrated stripping charge extracted from a shared CV-PAS give three distinct probe approach curves (CV-PACs), which can be used to determine the tip–substrate gap to within 1% of the probe radius. Using finite element simula...
Abstract P5-07-03: GD2-mediated FAK signaling regulates breast cancer stem cell function in triple negative breast cancer

Ganglioside GD2 identifies breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs, Battula et al., JCI, 2012) and expression of GD2 is tightly regulated by GD3 synthase (GD3S). GD3S is highly expressed in GD2 + cells and inhibition of GD3S inhibits tumor formation and metastasis of breast cancer cells. However, the mechanism of GD2-mediated regulation of BCSC function is not known. Here we hypothesize that GD2 regulates signaling pathways involved in cell adhesion, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. To identify these signaling pathways, antibody micro-arrays were used with 850 validated antibodies specific to total or phosphorylated proteins. Interestingly, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) was the most significantly phosphorylated protein in GD2 + compared to GD2 - cells (S910 and S722). In addition, expression of FAK downstream mediators including Csk, PKCq, PKCl/I, Pyk2, and p38MAPK, was up-regulated in GD2 + compared to GD2 - cells. Western blot analysis of FACS sorted SUM159 cells also revealed increased phosphorylation of FAK >80% at Y397 and >25% at Y861 in GD2 + compared to GD2 - cells. FAK downstream targets including paxillin, p130 Cas, pERK were also up-regulated in GD2 + cells compared to GD2 - cells indicating definitive activation of FAK signaling in GD2 + BCSCs. To investigate the functional role of GD2 in FAK mediated functions, we genetically deleted GD3S using the CRISPR knock-out system in SUM159 cells. only 20% in parental cells was observed. GD3S-KO cells grew 5-10% slower in cell culture mostly because of the reduction (15±5%) in adherence. Trans-well assays revealed 3-5 fold reduction in migration and invasion of GD3S-KO compared to parental cells. These data indicate that GD2 and GD3S are not only the markers of BCSCs but also regulators of their function. Finally, we tested the effect of FAK inhibitor (PF-573228) against GD2 + BCSCs and GD3S-KO SUM159 cells. PF-573228 treatment decreased the number of mammospheres generated by GD2 + cells 3-4 fold in a dose dependent manner (100nM-1µm). In addition, treatment of PF-573228, inhibited migration and invasion of GD2 + cells 2 and 3 fold, respectively. However, treatment with PF-573228 on GD3S-KO cells further reduced their ability to migrate and invade by over 70% compared to untreated cells. In addition, GD3S-KO cells failed to form any mammospheres when cultured under low adherence conditions (p + cells but that FAK inhibition alone may not be sufficient to inhibit BCSC function. Combined FAK and GD3S inhibition may exert highly synergistic effects against BCSCs. Citation Format: Nguyen K, Sun JC, Hortobagyi GN, Andreeff M, Battula VL. GD2-mediated FAK signaling regulates breast cancer stem cell function in triple negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-07-03.
Improvement in Gastrointestinal Symptoms After Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Refractory Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Background & Aims There is an urgent need for safe treatments for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) that relieve treatment-refractory symptoms and their societal and economic burden. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment that has not been broadly adopted into routine clinical practice. We performed a randomized controlled trial to assess clinical responses to home-based CBT compared with clinic-based CBT and patient education. Methods We performed a prospective study of 436 patients with IBS, based on Rome III criteria, at 2 tertiary centers from August 23, 2010, through October 21, 2016. Subjects (41.4 ± 14.8 years old; 80% women) were randomly assigned to groups that received the following: standard-CBT (S-CBT, n = 146, comprising 10 weekly, 60-minute sessions that emphasized the provision of information about brain-gut interactions; self-monitoring of symptoms, their triggers, and consequences; muscle relaxation; worry control; flexible problem solving; and relapse prevention training), or 4 sessions of primarily home-based CBT requiring minimal therapist contact (MC-CBT, n = 145), in which patients received home-study materials covering the same procedures as S-CBT), or 4 sessions of IBS education (EDU, n = 145) that provided support and information about IBS and the role of lifestyle factors such as stress, diet, and exercise. The primary outcome was global improvement of IBS symptoms, based on the IBS-version of the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale. Ratings were performed by patients and board-certified gastroenterologists blinded to treatment allocation. Efficacy data were collected 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment completion. Results A higher proportion of patients receiving MC-CBT reported moderate to substantial improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms 2 weeks after treatment (61.0% based on ratings by patients and 55.7% based on ratings by gastroenterologists) than those receiving EDU (43.5% based on ratings patients and 40.4% based on ratings by gastroenterologists) (P Conclusions In a randomized controlled trial, we found that a primarily home-based version of CBT produced significant and sustained gastrointestinal symptom improvement for patients with IBS compared with education. Clinicaltrials.gov no.: NCT00738920.
Chaotic Motion in Dissipative Systems

In Section 7.6 we showed how a crisis can cause a strange attractor to disappear, leading to a motion that can be transiently chaotic. A necessary condition for transient chaos, that the motion near a perturbed separatrix be chaotic, was described in Section 7.7. In this section, we consider the phenomenon of transient chaos, including a calculation of the transient distribution using a Fokker-Planck equation, and a calculation of the absorption rate into stable attracting fixed points. We also describe the transition from transient chaos to a steady state chaotic attractor due to a crisis. We defer consideration of steady state distributions for chaotic attractors to Section 8.2.
Coma and Other Pathological Disorders of Consciousness

Coma is an unconscious brain state produced by a variety of acute or chronic brain insults. Coma is distinct from vegetative state, minimally conscious state, and akinetic mutism – conditions that are sometimes confused with coma. Mechanisms underlying coma are reviewed in this article, with an emphasis on the neuronal circuits supporting forebrain arousal. Specific time frames and probabilities of recovery from coma and vegetative state differ considerably depending on the nature of the underlying brain injury. Comparisons of pathological coma and general anesthesia (pharmacologically induced coma) suggest some overlap in the anatomical substrates and mechanisms at the neuronal circuit level.