cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multimedia QoS for Satellite DVB Network with Fade Mitigation

Next generation satellite communication networks are being designed to be all IP-based and support multimedia traffic. Traditional satellite network protocol stack is based on independent layers, precluding the adaptation of each layer to dynamically changing system environment. Exploitation of cross-layer protocol optimization and engineering leads to efficient performance and to end-to-end QoS provisioning. In this paper we propose a cross-layer design approach, focusing on physical layer interaction with other layers, using OPNET simulation environment. Our major emphasis is on studying the effect of fading on dynamic resource allocation (PHY-MAC layer) and interaction of PHY and Transport layer using TCP/UDP protocols. Our system model includes a DVB-S2 for forward link and DVB-RCS for return link. The simulation results demonstrate the influence of fading on resource allocation, delay performance for multimedia traffic, e.g., video conferencing, voice and data.
Jet Printing of Copper Lines at 200°C Maximum Process Temperature

We describe a new technique for making copper lines by printing a precursor pattern that is converted to copper, at a maximum process temperature of 200°C. We formed copper metallization patterns on 80 µm thick Coming 0211 glass substrates by jet printing. Continuous lines of copper with resistivity of 10 µOcm have been obtained. We successfully applied this technique to the direct printing of copper source and drain contacts for amorphous silicon thinfilm transistors. The TFTs are bottom gate back-channel etched structures, with the silicon stack made by RF excited PE-CVD. The TFT process uses only printing for all masking steps, by employing laser-printed toner etch masks, and using the printed copper as the mask for the back channel etch. The transistor ON/OFF current ratio is 105. The process for copper printing represents a further step toward an all-printed TFT technology.
What Is a Case Study and What Is It Good for

This paper aims to clarify the meaning, and explain the utility, of the case study method, a method often practiced but little understood. A “case study,” I argue, is best defined as an intensive study of a single unit with an aim to generalize across a larger set of units. Case studies rely on the same sort of covariational evidence utilized in non-case study research. Thus, the case study method is correctly understood as a particular way of defining cases, not a way of analyzing cases or a way of modeling causal relations. I show that this understanding of the subject illuminates some of the persistent ambiguities of case study work, ambiguities that are, to some extent, intrinsic to the enterprise. The travails of the case study within the discipline of political science are also rooted in an insufficient appreciation of the methodological tradeoffs that this method calls forth. This paper presents the familiar contrast between case study and non-case study work as a series of characteristic strengths and weaknesses—affinities—rather than as antagonistic approaches to the empirical world. In the end, the perceived hostility between case study and non-case study research is largely unjustified and, perhaps, deserves to be regarded as a misconception. Indeed, the strongest conclusion to arise from this methodological examination concerns the complementarity of single-unit and cross-unit research designs.
Comparison of Anxiety Between Smokers and Nonsmokers With Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background Increased anxiety correlates with increased complications after acute myocardial infarction. Anxiety levels and use of anxiolytic agents have not been compared between smokers and nonsmokers hospitalized because of acute myocardial infarction. Objectives To compare anxiety level, sociodemographic factors, and clinical variables between smokers and nonsmokers hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction and to examine predictors of use of beta-blockers and anxiolytic agents among smokers and nonsmokers. Methods Secondary data analysis of a prospective multisite study on anxiety in 181 smokers and 351 nonsmokers with acute myocardial infarction. Anxiety was measured by using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory and the anxiety subscale of the Basic Symptom Inventory within 72 hours of admission. Results Smokers reported higher anxiety levels than nonsmokers reported on both anxiety scales. Female smokers reported the highest anxiety and peak pain levels of all, yet women were the least likely to receive anxiolytic agents. Smoking status was not a predictor for anxiety level when sex, peak pain, use of beta-blockers in the hospital, and age were controlled for. However, smokers were twice as likely as nonsmokers to receive an anxiolytic agent and 60% more likely to receive a beta-blocker in the emergency department, and smokers were 80% more likely than nonsmokers to receive an anxiolytic agent during hospitalization when these variables were controlled. Conclusions Older female smokers are at risk for complications because they are older than their male counterparts and less likely to receive beta-blockers and antianxiety medications in the emergency department.
On the penetration of a hot diapir through a strongly temperature-dependent viscosity medium

The ascent of a hot spherical body through a fluid with a strongly temperature-dependent viscosity has been studied using an axisymmetric finite element method. Numerical solutions range over Peclet numbers of 0.1 - 1000 from constant viscosity up to viscosity variations of 100,000. Both rigid and stress-free boundary conditions were applied at the surface of the sphere. The dependence of drag on viscosity variation was shown to have no dependence on the stress boundary condition except for a Stokes flow scaling factor. A Nusselt number parameterization based on the stress-free constant viscosity functional dependence on the Peclet number scaled by a parameter depending on the viscosity structure fits both stress-free and rigid boundary condition data above viscosity variations of 100. The temperature scale height was determined as a function of sphere radius. For the simple physical model studied in this paper pre-heating is required to reduce the ambient viscosity of the country rock to less than 10 to the 22nd sq cm/s in order for a 10 km diapir to penetrate a distance of several radii.
Angiotensin II type 2 receptor gene transfer elicits cardioprotective effects in an angiotensin II infusion rat model of hypertension

The role of the angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R) in cardiovascular physiology remains elusive. We have developed an in vivo lentiviral vector-mediated gene transfer system to study the physiol...
Geographic disparity: the dilemma of lower socioeconomic status, multiple listing, and death on the liver transplant waiting list.

Due to the current regionally based allocation system, some patients list for and are transplanted away from home in regions with shorter waits and higher transplant rates. Of 147 included patients, 120 died waiting and 27 received transplants at outside centers during the study (32.5 months). Those transplanted elsewhere had higher median incomes than patients dying on the waitlist ($84 946 vs. $55 250, p = 0.0001). Those with median incomes $60 244 (94% vs. 70%, RR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.14-1.59). Patients with Medicaid were more likely to die waiting than those with other insurance (100% vs. 77%, RR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.18-1.44). Our analysis demonstrates that those who died waiting were more likely to have lower incomes and Medicaid compared with those transplanted elsewhere. Even when we controlled for Medicaid status, patients who died waiting had lower incomes compared with those transplanted elsewhere. Increased organ sharing over geographically broader regions, as recommended by the Institute of Medicine in 1999, may reduce incentives for patients to travel to receive a liver and reduce inequities. Current efforts to address this disparity continue to fall short of the Institute of Medicine recommendations, United States Department of Health and Human Services regulations and the Final Rule.
High rates of comorbidity are found in childhood-onset schizophrenia.

Abstract Background For adults with schizophrenia, comorbidity is common and contributes to impairment. Thus, there has been an increasing effort to identify and treat comorbid symptoms. This report extends that work by examining comorbidity in children and young adolescents with childhood-onset schizophrenia. Methods Eighty-two children, ages 4–15 years, with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder received structured diagnostic instruments for symptoms and pharmacological treatment history. DSM-IV diagnoses were identified using a non-hierarchical approach. Results Eighty-one (99%) of the children with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder had at least one comorbid psychiatric illness: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (84%), oppositional defiant disorder (43%), depression (30%), and separation anxiety disorder (25%) were the most common comorbid conditions identified. Pharmacological treatment of the comorbid conditions was uncommon. Discussion Comorbid syndromes are common in children and young adolescents with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Pharmacological treatment of the comorbid conditions is rare; however it is unclear if this is due to DSM-IVs hierarchical diagnostic system or to a lack of empirically driven guidelines for appropriate treatment. Additional efforts focused on comorbidity in very-early-onset schizophrenia are warranted.
Dilemmas of securitization and health risk management in the People’s Republic of China: the cases of SARS and avian influenza

Since the SARS epidemic in 2003, the international community has urged Chinese leaders to do more to address infectious diseases. This paper looks at two cases in which the Chinese government securitized infectious disease (SARS and avian influenza) and examines the pros and cons of securitization. It is argued that the reactive mobilization involved in a securitizing move runs counter to the preventive risk management strategy needed to address infectious diseases. Although the Copenhagen School favours desecuritization as a return to normal practices, in the Chinese cases desecuritizing moves proved detrimental, involving cover-ups and restrictions on activists pressing for greater information. The article begins by examining the contributions of the Copenhagen School and sociological theories of risk to conceptualizing the security challenges that pandemics pose. Although analysis of the cases of SARS and avian influenza gives credence to criticisms of this approach, securitization theory proves useful in outlining the different stages in China's reaction to epidemics involving reactive mobilization and subsequent efforts to return to politics as usual. The second section examines securitizing and desecuritizing moves in Chinese responses to SARS and avian influenza. Each case study concludes with an assessment of the consequences for health risk management in China. The reactive mobilization implicit in Chinese securitization moves in the two cases is contrasted with the preventive logic of risk management. A third section draws out the implications of these cases for theories of securitization and risk. It is argued here that when securitization has occurred, risk management has failed. Although Copenhagen School theorists see the return to politics as usual-what they call 'desecuritization'-as optimal, this turns out to be far from the case in China during SARS and avian influenza, where the process involved retribution against whistleblowers and new restrictions on health information. In conclusion, the article argues that alternatives to securitization, such as viewing health as a global public good, would require a prior commitment to risk management within affected states.
Synaptojanin Is Recruited by Endophilin to Promote Synaptic Vesicle Uncoating

We describe the isolation and characterization of Drosophila synaptojanin (synj) mutants. synj encodes a phosphatidylinositol phosphatase involved in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. We show that Synj is specifically localized to presynaptic terminals and is associated with synaptic vesicles. The electrophysiological and ultrastructural defects observed in synj mutants are strikingly similar to those found in endophilin mutants, and Synj and Endo colocalize and interact biochemically. Moreover, synj; endo double mutant synaptic terminals exhibit properties that are very similar to terminals of each single mutant, and overexpression of Endophilin can partially rescue the functional defects in partial loss-of-function synj mutants. Interestingly, Synj is mislocalized and destabilized at synapses devoid of Endophilin, suggesting that Endophilin recruits and stabilizes Synj on newly formed vesicles to promote vesicle uncoating. Our data also provide further evidence that kiss-and-run is able to maintain neurotransmitter release when synapses are not extensively challenged.
Targeted, noninvasive blockade of cortical neuronal activity.

Here we describe a novel method to noninvasively modulate targeted brain areas through the temporary disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) via focused ultrasound, enabling focal delivery of a neuroactive substance. Ultrasound was used to locally disrupt the BBB in rat somatosensory cortex, and intravenous administration of GABA then produced a dose-dependent suppression of somatosensory-evoked potentials in response to electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve. No suppression was observed 1–5 days afterwards or in control animals where the BBB was not disrupted. This method has several advantages over existing techniques: it is noninvasive; it is repeatable via additional GABA injections; multiple brain regions can be affected simultaneously; suppression magnitude can be titrated by GABA dose; and the method can be used with freely behaving subjects. We anticipate that the application of neuroactive substances in this way will be a useful tool for noninvasively mapping brain function, and potentially for surgical planning or novel therapies.
Measuring Quality of Neurosurgical Care: Readmission Is Affected by Patient Factors

Objective The Hospital Readmission Reduction Program section of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act uses readmission rates as a proxy for measuring quality of care. Multiple studies have demonstrated that readmission rates are highly imprecise proxies for quality of care because readmission rates contain large amounts of statistical noise and are dependent on disease type, insurance type, severity, population, and a multitude of other factors. The current study was conducted to investigate characteristics associated with readmission and the quality of neurosurgical care. Methods Admissions data were gleaned from the University Health System Consortium database for neurosurgical patient (both cranial and spine) readmissions to assess patient-related factors relating to readmission from January 2011 to December 2014. Results Among 257,212 admissions for neurosurgical disease analyzed, patients with Medicaid and private payers as a primary insurance source had increased rates of readmission (odds ratio for readmission of 1.38 and 1.17, respectively) compared with patients with Medicare or other primary insurers. Patients with greater severity of disease and emergent or urgent admission also had statistically significant rates of readmission. Conclusions The findings suggest that readmission is affected by patient factors that are beyond the control of treating physicians. These findings also suggest that readmission rates may not be a good proxy for measurement of quality of care in neurosurgical patients.
Gene induction by interferons: functional complementation between trans-acting factors induced by alpha interferon and gamma interferon.

genefactors (ISGF) was undertaken. Byusing gelshift assays,itwas shownthattheactivation ofISGF3byalphainterferon treatment ofHeLaM cells had characteristics identical tothoseofinduced transcription: inhibition by2-aminopurine andtheneedfor ongoing protein synthesis which was obviated bypretreating thecells withgamma interferon. Uponmixing in vitro thecytoplasmic fraction ofgamma interferon-treated HeLaMcellswiththatofcells treated withalpha interferon andcycloheximide, active ISGF3was reconstituted, presumably through complementation oftwo components, ISGF3-y andISGF3a,present inthetworespective fractions. Because, unlike othercells, untreated HeLaMcells didnotcontain detectable levels ofeither component, we could induce themindividually andstudytheir independent properties. Induction ofISGF3-y butnotofISGF3at neededongoing protein synthesis andwas blocked by2-aminopurine. Onceinduced, ISGF3-y was active for24handwas present in boththenuclear andcytoplasmic fractions. Activated ISGF3a, on theotherhand,didnottranslocate tothe nucleus intheabsence ofISGF3-y, andinthecytoplasm itsactivity decayed within 2hofitsactivation. In reference toour working model, alloftheaboveobservations indicate thatISGF3yistheproduct ofsignal 1 andISGF3aistheproduct ofsignal 2.
The casein kinases Yck1p and Yck2p act in the secretory pathway, in part, by regulating the Rab exchange factor Sec2p

Sec2p is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor that activates Sec4p, the final Rab GTPase of the yeast secretory pathway. Sec2p is recruited to secretory vesicles by the upstream Rab Ypt32p acting in concert with phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PI(4)P). Sec2p also binds to the Sec4p effector Sec15p, yet Ypt32p and Sec15p compete against each other for binding to Sec2p. We report here that the redundant casein kinases Yck1p and Yck2p phosphorylate sites within the Ypt32p/Sec15p binding region and in doing so promote binding to Sec15p and inhibit binding to Ypt32p. We show that Yck2p binds to the autoinhibitory domain of Sec2p, adjacent to the PI(4)P binding site, and that addition of PI(4)P inhibits Sec2p phosphorylation by Yck2p. Loss of Yck1p and Yck2p function leads to accumulation of an intracellular pool of the secreted glucanase Bgl2p, as well as to accumulation of Golgi-related structures in the cytoplasm. We propose that Sec2p is phosphorylated after it has been recruited to secretory vesicles and the level of PI(4)P has been reduced. This promotes Sec2p function by stimulating its interaction with Sec15p. Finally, Sec2p is dephosphorylated very late in the exocytic reaction to facilitate recycling.
The ergativity option: an alternative way of viewing the grammar of Dari

AbstractM. A. K. Halliday's ergative view of language based on ± agency is an insightful one that gives us a useful tool in the analysis of any language. This ergative model has proven particularly fruitful in the investigation of Dari (Afghan Persian), where agentivity is both semantically narrower and grammatically more limited than is the notion in English. Because Dari has no active/passive contrast, clauses are either middle voice or active voice. If there is an agent, it is always the subject of the clause. This restricted realization of agency makes the notion of passive moot and casts the language in an ergative light where the affected participant is more typically in focus than is an agent.
Utilization of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) in patients diagnosed with diabetes: Analysis from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

Objective The objective of this study was to determine if a difference exists in the proportion of visits for the prescribing of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in diabetic patients during 2007–2010.
Unfairness in Advertising Revisited

The 1980 FTC Amendments Act prohibits the Commission from using “unfairness” as the basis for promulgating trade regulation rules on advertising until 1982, at which time it will be decided whether or not unfairness should be fully reinstated in the FTC statute. To provide insight into the relevant issues, this paper examines the challenges and defenses to the unfairness doctrine and its significance to marketers and public policy makers.
Informal Science: Family Education, Experiences, and Initial Interest in Science.

Recent research and public policy have indicated the need for increasing the physical science workforce through development of interest and engagement with informal and formal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics experiences. This study examines the association of family education and physical scientists’ informal experiences in science along with the association of informal family science experiences and early initial interest in science through multiple and logistic regression analyses. Research questions addressed are as follows: Controlling for demographic variables, do physical scientists parents’ level of education associate with participation in informal family science experiences? And which informal family science experiences are associated with physical scientists that report an initial personal interest in science by elementary school? These questions are analyzed with survey data from Project Crossover (N = 4,285), a sequential mixed-methods study that examines factors influencing ...
On Becoming an Involuntary Member in the Antepartum Unit

In this essay, I articulate the ways in which my scholarship and personal life collided when I became an involuntary member in the antepartum unit of a major university hospital. I draw on research examples taken from my dissertation work in prison and my time in the hospital to illustrate the interconnectedness of these involuntary experiences. After I share these stories, I offer a brief interlude to reflect on the meaningfulness of approaching membership from a continuum-based perspective and the relative implications for health communication scholars, before ending with an articulation how this experience brought me to a more crystallized view of involuntary membership.
Water quality analysis of the mixed bed effluent

The influences of positive and negative resin separation of the mixed bed of boiler water supply and demineralization system and mixed condition on water quality and operation attention to enhance the water quality of the mixed bed effluent are expounded.
Therapy of in situ cancer

In situ carcinoma of the breast is divided into ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). These two entities have different morphologic appearances and natural histories. The traditional treatment of DCIS has been mastectomy, which has been shown to yield a very high cure rate. Other options include excision with or without radiotherapy. Preliminary evidence suggests that these techniques can be successful in the great majority of patients, with most treatment failures being manageable by salvage mastectomy. Careful observation of these patients appears associated with a low risk of breast cancer mortality and is generally the recommended policy.
Blood glutathione in aging calves.

Blood glutathione and haemoglobin concentrations were measured in calves at 1, 6 and 12 weeks of age. Glutathione decreased significantly with age but, in contrast to another report, there was no relationship between glutathione levels and feed efficiency.
Endogenous Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase N-Terminal Tagging Affects Human Telomerase Function at Telomeres In Vivo

Telomerase action at telomeres is essential for the immortal phenotype of stem cells and the aberrant proliferative potential of cancer cells. Insufficient telomere maintenance can cause stem cell and tissue failure syndromes, while increased telomerase levels are associated with tumorigenesis. Both pathologies can arise from only small perturbation of telomerase function. To analyze telomerase at its low endogenous expression level, we genetically engineered human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to express various N-terminal fusion proteins of the telomerase reverse transcriptase from its endogenous locus. Using this approach, we found that these modifications can perturb telomerase function in hPSCs and cancer cells, resulting in telomere length defects. Biochemical analysis suggests that this defect is multileveled, including changes in expression and activity. These findings highlight the unknown complexity of telomerase structural requirements for expression and function in vivo.
Growth of high purity N-polar (In,Ga)N films

Abstract In this work, secondary ion mass spectroscopy was used to study carbon and oxygen impurity incorporation in N-polar [000–1] GaN films grown by MOCVD. The effects of growth temperature, V/III ratio, and precursor flows were studied within a regime relevant to low temperature (In,Ga)N:Mg growth for device structures containing high indium concentrations. For films grown without magnesium, oxygen levels were between 3 and 8×10 16 cm −3 and did not depend strongly on the growth conditions. Mg-doped films yielded higher oxygen concentrations ranging from 8×10 16 to 4×10 17 cm −3 depending on the gallium and magnesium precursor flow rates. The carbon concentration in the films varied significantly with different growth conditions, and was most affected by the growth temperature and the V/III ratio. With careful tuning of the growth parameters carbon and oxygen concentrations of 2 and 4×10 16 cm −3 , respectively, were achievable under a wide range of conditions.
Evaluation of a semi-quantitative method for rapid screening of plant phenolic content

A rapid method for screening phenolic content in leaves is described and evaluated. The method is based on a treated paper strip that is squeezed around a leaf with pilars. Weaknesses of the method are some subjectivity, lack of precision, and apparent insensitivity to phenolics present as glycosides. Strengths include its speed and independence of laboratory facilities. Immediate testing of leaves following detachment appears to be essential. The crude extraction in the field compares favorably with a more conventional extraction technique. The method is recommended for use in preliminary screening of plant material when a large number of species must te examined within a short time and when laboratory facilities are not available at the field site.
Microbial ice nucleators scavenged from the atmosphere during simulated rain events

Abstract Rain and snow collected at ground level have been found to contain biological ice nucleators. These ice nucleators have been proposed to have originated in clouds, where they may have participated in the formation of precipitation via ice phase nucleation. We conducted a series of field experiments to test the hypothesis that at least some of the microbial ice nucleators (prokaryotes and eukaryotes) present in rain may not originate in clouds but instead be scavenged from the lower atmosphere by rainfall. Thirty-three simulated rain events were conducted over four months off the side of the Smart Road Bridge in Blacksburg, VA, USA. In each event, sterile water was dispensed over the side of the bridge and recovered in sterile containers in an open fallow agricultural field below (a distance of ∼55 m). Microbes scavenged from the simulated rain events were cultured and their ice nucleation activity was examined. Putative microbial ice nucleators were cultured from 94% (31/33) of the simulated rain events, and represented 1.5% (121/8331) of the total colonies assayed. Putative ice nucleators were subjected to additional droplet freezing assays, and those confirmed through these repeated assays represented 0.4% (34/8331) of the total. Mean CFUs scavenged by simulated rain ranged from 2 to 267 CFUs/mL. Scavenged ice nucleators belong to a number of taxa including the bacterial genera Pseudomonas , Pantoea , and Xanthomonas , and the fungal genera Fusarium , Humicola , and Mortierella . An ice-nucleating strain of the fungal genus Penicillium was also recovered from a volumetric air sampler at the study site. This work expands our knowledge of the scavenging properties of rainfall, and suggests that at least some ice nucleators in natural precipitation events may have been scrubbed from the atmosphere during rainfall, and thus are not likely to be involved in precipitation.
Religious and Spiritual Traditions of Altruism, Community Service, and Activism

Many faith communities have traditions of altruism, community service, and/or social activism, e.g., socially engaged Buddhism and liberation theology. This chapter provides an overview of such precepts and traditions. The role of the social worker engaged in community organization is explored in the context of these varied perspectives.
Value of Information and Cost of Privacy in the Internet of Things

Will the Internet of Things happen? Clearly, the hardware and software components comprising the Internet of Things are technologically feasible, but the sweeping adoption we envision might not take place. The success of technological innovations depends on the creation of a business model that both customers and providers perceive as beneficial. As the recently abandoned Google Glass project shows, privacy concerns can kill an otherwise technologically feasible product. On the other hand, the example of Twitter illustrates that very popular products might fail to make money. Both academic researchers and businesses are becoming increasingly aware that we need to reason about the economic and social implications of provided value and privacy in a rigorous, quantitative way. In this article we call these quantities value of information, which appears to both the service providers and the customers, and cost of privacy, which normally is only relevant to the customers. We describe the importance of assessing these values in the context of the Internet of Things, possible directions of their formalization, their relationships to other problems, and related areas as well as future directions of the field.
Use of ferrets for electrophysiologic monitoring of ion transport

Limited success achieved in translating basic science discoveries into clinical applications for chronic airway diseases is attributed to differences in respiratory anatomy and physiology, poor approximation of pathologic processes, and lack of correlative clinical endpoints between humans and laboratory animal models. Here, we discuss advantages of using ferrets (Mustela putorus furo) as a model for improved understanding of human airway physiology and demonstrate assays for quantifying airway epithelial ion transport in vivo and ex vivo, and establish air-liquid interface cultures of ferret airway epithelial cells as a complementary in vitro model for mechanistic studies. We present data here that establishes the feasibility of measuring these human disease endpoints in ferrets. Briefly, potential difference across the nasal and the lower airway epithelium in ferrets could be consistently assessed, were highly reproducible, and responsive to experimental interventions. Additionally, ferret airway epithelial cells were amenable to primary cell culture methods for in vitro experiments as was the use of ferret tracheal explants as an ex vivo system for assessing ion transport. The feasibility of conducting multiple assessments of disease outcomes supports the adoption of ferrets as a highly relevant model for research in obstructive airway diseases.
Conservation and the Theory of Exhaustible Resources

Conservationists have long argued that the free market neglects the needs of future generations. Economists who have examined this argument have stressed the dubious realism of any rigorous formulation of the conservationist position, but relatively little attention has been paid to the implications of policies designed to increase the weight given to future demands. Scott has conjectured that such policies might speed exhaustion of mineral resources. If he is correct, the usual conservationist argument that neglect of the future is equivalent to a too rapid use of resources would no longer hold. This article seeks to provide a rigorous proof of Scott's hypothesis. The economic literature has shown that all rigorous definitions of neglect of the future involve the use of higher than “desirable” interest rates. To explore the consequences of such interest rates, one requires a theory of how resource producers act. Such guidance is provided by the Gray-Hotelling pure theory of exhaustion. A simple test of the basic question is provided by showing how an industry that behaves according to theory would alter its actions if interest rates were lowered. Section III of this paper provides such a test. The first two sections provide the necessary preliminaries—examination of the justifications given for the contention that interest rates are too high, and a brief explanation of the pure theory of exhaustion. The final section discusses further implications of the basic theorem set out in Section III.
Essential Tetraspanin Functions in the Vertebrate Retina

This chapter summarizes current knowledge and reviews recent findings regarding the structure, function and importance of tetraspanins in the vertebrate neural retina. Since inherited defects in several human tetraspanins, including tetraspanin12 and peripherin-2/rds, are well documented to cause sight-robbing ocular diseases, these molecules are of significant interest from both basic science and clinical perspectives. In the retina, as is the case more generally, tetraspanin superfamily members serve diverse biological functions, but have in common the capacity to organize lateral interactions within cellular membranes. Proteins characterized to date can also display several distinctive properties, including: a high degree of cell-type specificity, a reduced tendency to participate in interaction webs, and an inability to compensate for one another functionally. Moreover, these features have facilitated the production of mouse models with robust and predictable phenotypes, and the biophysical/biochemical characterization of individual proteins. The resultant advances demonstrate essential roles for these molecules in building specialized membrane features and facilitating Wnt/β-catenin signaling for angiogenesis. Since tetraspanins are increasingly viewed as potential therapeutic targets, lessons learned from superfamily members with well-documented and essential functions in the retina may prove useful for understanding the roles tetraspanins play in disease more generally.
Rationalities and Metarationalities in Organizational Decision Making

In this chapter the metasystem paradigm elaborated in chapters 14 and 15 is applied to decision making in real-worlds situations
Native Chemical Ligation: SemiSynthesis of Post-translationally Modified Proteins and Biological Probes

Native chemical ligation (NCL) is a chemoselective reaction that joins synthetic or recombinant peptide and protein fragments through a native peptide bond. Advances in generating the required peptide and protein components for NCL have enabled the homogeneous incorporation of unnatural amino acids, fluorescent probes, and other modifications into protein domains and full-length proteins. The resulting semisynthetic proteins, which can be made in multi-milligram quantities, may be used in biophysical and biochemical studies to address challenging biological problems not accessible with traditional methods. This chapter provides an overview of NCL, B. Imperiali Department of Chemistry and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA, e-mail: imper@mit.edu
Evaluation of carbon tetrafluoride as a xenon surrogate for underground gas transport

Detection of radioxenon is a critical component of underground nuclear explosion monitoring. Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) has historically served as a Xe tracer. This work explores the use of carbon tetrafluoride (CF4) as an alternative for field tests given its general suitability as a tracer and reduced greenhouse gas potential compared to SF6. Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry measurements characterized the diffusive behavior of CF4 in a 2-bulb apparatus to determine how well int approximates Xe. The measured diffusion coefficient of SF6 was 78% of that of Xe, agreeing with literature values, while CF4 diffused at 97% the rate of Xe.
Evaluation of the Inclusion of Studies Identified by the FDA as Having Falsified Data in the Results of Meta-analyses: The Example of the Apixaban Trials

This study evaluates the inclusion of studies identified by the FDA as having falsified data in the results of meta-analyses.
You Will Respect My Authoritah!? A Reply to Botting

In a paper (Mizrahi 2013a) and a reply to critics (Mizrahi 2016a) published in Informal Logic, I argue that arguments from expert opinion are weak arguments. To appeal to expert opinion is to take an expert’s judgment that p is the case as (defeasible) evidence for p. Such appeals to expert opinion are weak, I argue, because the fact that an expert judges that p does not make it significantly more likely that p is true or probable, as evidence from empirical studies on expert performance suggests (Mizrahi 2016a, pp. 246-247). Unlike other critics of this argument (e.g., Seidel 2014 and Walton 2014), who take issue with the empirical evidence on expert performance, David Botting (2018) says that he wants to take issue with the premise that reliability is a necessary condition for the strength of appeals to expert opinion. I respond to Botting’s objections and argue that they miss their intended target. I also argue that his attempt to show that arguments from expert opinion are strong is unsuccessful.
Properties of Pseudoholomorphic Curves

Let (W, J) be an almost complex manifold, i.e. J is a section in End (TW) with J2 = −Id. Let D ⊂C be the closed unit disk.
The Victimization of Muslim American Women and the Challenges of Imperial Feminism in Comparative Context

The Breadwinner, a critically acclaimed animated film with a world premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, dramatically portrays Muslim women’s lived experiences under Taliban rule immediately prior to the United States (US) invasion in Afghanistan in 2001. Nominated for best animated feature by the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards, the film focuses on the experiences of Parvana, the girl child protagonist, as she struggles with, adapts to and challenges the ultra-conservative group’s extreme interpretation of Islamic law. Indeed, The Breadwinner both reinforces and complicates a familiar Orientalist narrative and advances imperial feminism in so far as Muslim women are portrayed as victims, the Taliban as savages and US military forces as saviors. While the Taliban oppressed, tyrannized and tormented many Muslim women, did the US military invasion save Aghan women? Is the US a savior for Muslim women, more generally? This chapter explores the status of American Muslim women in comparative context to further interrogate the imperial feminist agenda. To contextualize the inquiry, the analysis begins by identifying several prominent anti-Muslim stereotypes, canards and tropes manifesting contemporary Orientalism. The following two sections examine human rights themes frequently highlighted with respect to Muslim women: the right to education and employment, respectively. A related discussion regarding imperial feminism follows separately.
7 – Data Communications

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the evolution of the field of data communications. The chapter reviews how computers communicate with one another, and discusses the various arrangements of communication networks and their advantages and disadvantages. Data communications is the transmission of computer data between computer systems and terminals. Computers transmit bits of digital data. Telephone lines transmit analog data—continuous waveforms. A modem—modulator/demodulator—is used to convert digital data into analog data for transmission over phone lines. Transmitted data travels over the telephone network to the main computer, where another modem converts the analog data back to digital data. Modems with acoustic couplers are used when terminals are connected to the standard dial-up telephone network. Data may be carried on many different media, such as, twisted-pair wire, cable containing many twisted-pair wires, coaxial cable, microwave transmission, satellite transmission, and fiber optic glass cable. Microwave transmission does not use cables or wires. Signals are transmitted through the air between microwave stations.
The application of fiber bronchoscope in children with severe pneumonia: a review

Fiber bronchoscopy has been used in pediatric for decades, and has became the important diagnostic tools in pediatric respiratory diseases.With the improvement of fiber bronchoscope equipment and the advancement of operation technology, fiber bronchoscope has been expanded unceasingly in pediatric, especially in the critically ill children.As a common critical disease in pediatric, severe pneumonia is urgent, serious and high rate of mortality.As the effect of conventional antibiotic treatment is not ideal in current, while fiber bronchoscopy with the dual function of examination and treatment makes it use more and more widely in children with severe pneumonia.Fiber bronchoscopy can improve the effect of treatment in children with severe pneumonia, short the course of the disease, improve the prognosis of children, reduce the rate of mortality. Key words: Pneumonia; Fiber bronchoscopy; Alveolar lavage; Children
Influence of intermediate temperature heat release on autoignition reactivity of single-stage ignition fuels with varying octane sensitivity

Abstract This study investigates the effects of intermediate temperature heat release (ITHR) on autoignition reactivity of full boiling range gasolines with different octane sensitivity through intake temperature and simulated exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) sweeps in a homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine. To isolate the ITHR effects, low temperature reactivity was suppressed through the use of high intake temperature and low intake oxygen mole fraction. For quantification of ITHR, a new method was applied to the engine data by examining the maximum value of the second derivative of heat release rate. Combustion phasing comparisons of fuels with octane sensitivity showed that fuel with less octane sensitivity became more reactive as intake temperature and simulated EGR ratio decreased, while fuel with higher octane sensitivity had a reverse trend. For all of the fuels that were tested, the amount of ITHR increased as the intake temperature and oxygen mole fraction increased. These ITHR trends, depending on octane sensitivity, were almost identical with the trends of combustion phasing, showing that ITHR significantly affects fuel autoignition reactivity and determines octane sensitivity.
Impact of Deceased Donor Kidney Procurement Biopsy Technique on Histologic Accuracy.

Introduction The factors that influence deceased donor kidney procurement biopsy reliability are not well established. We examined the impact of biopsy technique and pathologist training on procurement biopsy accuracy. Methods We retrospectively identified all deceased donor kidney-only transplants at our center from 2006 to 2016 with both procurement and reperfusion biopsies performed and information available on procurement biopsy technique and pathologist (n = 392). Biopsies were scored using a previously validated system, classifying “suboptimal” histology as the presence of at least 1 of the following: glomerulosclerosis ≥11%, moderate/severe interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy, or moderate/severe vascular disease. We calculated relative risk ratios (RRR) to determine the influence of technique (core vs. wedge) and pathologist (renal vs. nonrenal) on concordance between procurement and reperfusion biopsy histologic classification. Results A total of 171 (44%) procurement biopsies used wedge technique, and 221 (56%) used core technique. Results of only 36 biopsies (9%) were interpreted by renal pathologists. Correlation between procurement and reperfusion glomerulosclerosis was poor for both wedge (r2 = 0.11) and core (r2 = 0.14) biopsies. Overall, 34% of kidneys had discordant classification on procurement versus reperfusion biopsy. Neither biopsy technique nor pathologist training was associated with concordance between procurement and reperfusion histology, but a larger number of sampled glomeruli was associated with a higher likelihood of concordance (adjusted RRR = 1.12 per 10 glomeruli, 95% confidence interval = 1.04−1.22). Conclusions Biopsy technique and pathologist training were not associated with procurement biopsy histologic accuracy in this retrospective study. Prospective trials are needed to determine how to optimize procurement biopsy practices.
Comparison of morphine, oxycodone and the biased MOR agonist SR-17018 for tolerance and efficacy in mouse models of pain

The mu opioid receptor-selective agonist, SR-17018, preferentially activates GTPS binding over beta-arrestin2 recruitment in cellular assays. In mice, SR-17018 stimulates GTPgammaS binding in brainstem and produces antinociception with potencies similar to morphine. However, it produces much less respiratory suppression and mice do not develop antinociceptive tolerance in the hot plate assay upon repeated dosing. Herein we evaluate the effects of acute and repeated dosing of SR-17018, oxycodone and morphine in additional models of pain-related behaviors. In the mouse warm water tail immersion assay, an assessment of spinal reflex to thermal nociception, repeated administration of SR-17018 produces tolerance as does morphine and oxycodone. SR-17018 retains efficacy in a formalin-induced inflammatory pain model upon repeated dosing, while oxycodone does not. In a chemotherapeutic-induced neuropathy pain model SR-17018 is more potent and efficacious than morphine or oxycodone, moreover, this efficacy is retained upon repeated dosing of SR-17018. These findings demonstrate that, with the exception of the tail flick test, SR-17018 retains efficacy upon chronic treatment across several pain models.
Requiring Majority Winners for Congressional Elections: Harnessing Federalism to Combat Extremism

Congress should enact a law requiring a candidate for a seat in Congress to receive a majority of votes in order to win the election. Congress should let states determine what particular procedure to use to determine whether a candidate wins a majority, as there are significantly different methods of identifying a majority winner. While this simple piece of legislation might seem inconsequential—many Americans assume, erroneously, that elections already require majority winners—it in fact would cause states to undertake a form of experimentation in the details of electoral system design that would have the effect of counteracting the threat that anti-democracy extremism currently poses in America.