cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship of polymorphisms within metabolic genes and carcass traits in crossbred beef cattle.

Feed intake has been shown to alter neurological signaling related to feeding behavior and subsequent activation of adipogenic mechanisms. Fat characteristics are pivotal for carcass and meat quality, including marbling score, flavor, and tenderness. The objective of this study was to establish the association of SNP, from genes functionally related to fat metabo- lism and obesity, with growth, fat, and carcass traits in steers. A total of 33 informative SNP from candidate genes (cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART), DNA-protein kinase (DNA-PK), fatty acid synthase (FASN), and fat mass and obesity associated (FTO)) were used to genotype crossbred steers (n = 620), and associations with growth and carcass traits were assessed. Five markers within the DNA-PK gene were associated (P < 0.05) with fat thickness. One of these SNP was also associated (P < 0.05) with percent choice, yield grade, and retail product yield. Addition- ally, 2 unique DNA-PK SNP were associated (P < 0.05) with marbling score. Three haplotypes were observed using these SNP and were significantly (P = 0.0014) as- sociated with marbling score. Slaughter weight, ADG, and HCW were associated (P < 0.05) with SNP from CART, FTO, and FASN. Data from this study indi- cate that polymorphisms within candidate genes have an indirect relationship with lipogenesis. Replication of these results within other populations will be neces- sary to establish if these markers will be successful as predictors of fatness components and carcass traits in cattle.
Within- and between-day variability of respiratory impedance, using impulse oscillometry in adolescent asthmatics

The objectives of the present study were to: 1) assess spirometric indices and respiratory impedance with forced oscillation (FO), using impulse oscillometry (IOS) in clinically stable asthmatic children over 3 consecutive days; 2) assess FO reactance (X), using an integrated index and resistance (R) separately during inspiration and expiration; and 3) assess effects on FO of hand support of cheeks vs. no hand support. Our hypotheses were: 1) because of increased sensitivity, IOS manifests day-to-day variability not demonstrable by spirometry; 2) IOS R during expiration exceeds that during inspiration; and 3) hand support of cheeks affects IOS R and X only minimally. We obtained triplicate twice-daily measures of IOS R and X in asthmatic adolescents at summer camp, in a convenience sample of children willing, with parental permission, to undergo repeated testing on consecutive days. Subjects received all medications between 6:30-7:30 AM, and were bronchodilated at time of testing. Subjects underwent IOS tests without hand support of cheeks, followed by tests with both hands supporting cheeks. ANOVA and regression analyses were used to discern technique differences.Significant differences in IOS inspiratory R5, R5 - R15 (frequency dependence of R), and low frequency reactance area (AX) occurred across 3 days, but spirometric indices were unchanged. Inspiratory R at 5 Hz (R5) was significantly smaller than expiratory R5 (P < 0.0001). ANOVA revealed no significant differences between hand and facial muscle cheek support for IOS R and X below 15 Hz, but significant differences occurred above 15 Hz. In conclusion, inspiratory R5, R5 - R15, and AX are sensitive measures for detecting changes in bronchomotor tone in adolescent asthmatic subjects, while expiratory R5 may be influenced by additional factors. Manual support of cheeks does not appear to affect IOS indices of peripheral airway obstruction in adolescent asthmatics. IOS is a practical method for quantifying respiratory mechanics, and its potential role in disease management warrants further study.
High-level crosstalk defect Simulation methodology for system-on-chip interconnects

For system-on-chips (SoC) using nanometer technologies, buses and long interconnects are susceptible to crosstalk defects that may lead to functional and timing failures. Testing for crosstalk defects is becoming important to ensure error-free operation of an SoC. To efficiently evaluate crosstalk-defect coverage of existing tests and facilitate the development of new crosstalk test methodologies, effective crosstalk-defect coverage-analysis techniques are needed. In this paper, we present an efficient high-level crosstalk-defect simulation methodology for interconnects dominated by capacitive coupling effects. A novel coupling defect-simulation model was developed and implemented in hardware description languages. The high-level crosstalk-defect simulation methodology was examined by SPICE simulations. Experimental results show the crosstalk defect simulation methodology efficiently provides high-fidelity defect-coverage results. The proposed methodology enables fast exploration and evaluation of different tests, leading to high-quality, low-cost manufacturing tests for crosstalk-induced ac failures.
Are Women Better Bankers to the Poor? Evidence from Rural Microfinance Institutions

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) provide financial services to the poor and in many ways resemble both banks and non-profit organizations. Many MFIs target women because more women than men are poor, especially in rural areas. Studies show that women manage money differently from men and have different leadership styles. Thus, in credit unions and financial firms, female and male managers achieve different results. In microfinance, gender diversity on the board of MFIs is beneficial, and loans authorized by female loan officers have lower default rates. Motivated by these findings, we ask whether MFIs with a female Chief Executive Officer (CEO) are more efficient at serving the poor without jeopardizing financial sustainability. We adapt the banking approach to managerial (in)efficiency to account for the outreach and sustainability goals of the MFIs, and evaluate whether MFIs' outreach efficiency differs by the gender of their respective CEOs. We estimate a stochastic frontier cost function using the Battese-Coelli (1995) model and the "true" random effects estimators using panel data from over 250 MFIs. We find that MFIs with female CEOs have significantly higher outreach efficiency than MFIs with male CEOs. Similar results are found with a two-step stochastic frontier approach. Overall, the results suggest that promoting gender diversity at the top levels of MFI management is likely to have both social and financial benefits.
V2Al5Ge5: first ternary intermetallic in the V–Al–Ge system accessible in liquid aluminium

The intermetallic compound V2Al5Ge5 grown from Al flux is reported. V2Al5Ge5: orthorhombic, Cmcm, a = 5.4072(10), b = 12.978(2), and c = 11.362(2) A, the structure features distorted pentagonal prismatic columns defined by Al and Ge atoms. Vanadium atoms occupy the central axis of columns forming a chain with long–short alternation of V–V bonds. This compound is resistant to air oxidation up to 500 °C.
Preventive War: Concept and Propositions

Preventive war is a state strategy to use military force to forestall an adverse shift in the distribution of power between two states. It is driven by the perception of a rising adversary, the ant...
Uncertainty in microscale gas damping: Implications on dynamics of capacitive MEMS switches

Effects of uncertainties in gas damping models, geometry and mechanical properties on the dynamics of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) capacitive switch are studied. A sample of typical capacitive switches has been fabricated and characterized at Purdue University. High-fidelity simulations of gas damping on planar microbeams are developed and verified under relevant conditions. This and other gas damping models are then applied to study the dynamics of a single closing event for switches with experimentally measured properties. It has been demonstrated that although all damping models considered predict similar damping quality factor and agree well for predictions of closing time, the models differ by a factor of two and more in predicting the impact velocity and acceleration at contact. Implications of parameter uncertainties on the key reliability-related parameters such as the pull-in voltage, closing time and impact velocity are discussed. A notable effect of uncertainty is that the nominal switch, i.e. the switch with the average properties, does not actuate at the mean actuation voltage. Additionally, the device-to-device variability leads to significant differences in dynamics. For example, the mean impact velocity for switches actuated under the 90%-actuation voltage (about 150 V), i.e. the voltage required to actuate 90% of the sample, is about 129 cm/s and increases to 173 cm/s for the 99%-actuation voltage (of about 173 V). Response surfaces of impact velocity and closing time to five input variables were constructed using the Smolyak sparse grid algorithm. The sensitivity analysis showed that impact velocity is most sensitive to the damping coefficient whereas the closing time is most affected by the geometric parameters such as gap and beam thickness.
Effects of increased heart rate and sympathetic tone on intraventricular electrogram morphology

Abstract Electrogram pattern recognition by way of morphologic analysis has been proposed as a technique that may improve discrimination of ventricular tachycardia from sinus rhythm by anti-tachycardia devices. The potential impact that increases in heart rate and sympathetic tone could have on such techniques, however, has not been previously determined. A comparative study was undertaken to quantify possible changes in ventricular electrogram morphology using correlation waveform, area of difference, and amplitude analyses in 6 patients during atrial overdrive pacing at cycle lengths of 600 and 400 ms (group A), in 13 patients during infusions of physiologic doses of epinephrine (group B), and in 20 patients undergoing infusions of isoproterenol (group C). Four patients were in both groups A and B. A bipolar intraventricular template of cardiac depolarization during sinus rhythm at rest was compared with depolarization during subsequent passages of sinus rhythm at rest and subsequently increased heart rate. In 36 of 39 patients, waveform configuration as assessed by correlation waveform analysis remained relatively stable during atrial overdrive pacing, epinephrine infusion, and isoproterenol infusion when compared with sinus rhythm at rest. The correlation value did not fall below 0.950 in any patient. Area of difference values for the same 36 patients changed by an average of 6 and 37% during atrial overdrive pacing at cycle lengths of 600 and 400 ms intervals, respectively, by 3% during epinephrine infusion, and by 17% during isoproterenol infusion. In these same patients, there was an average change in electrogram amplitude of −1% during atrial overdrive pacing at 600 ms, 26% during pacing at 400 ms, −1% during epinephrine infusion, and 12% during isoproterenol infusion. Little or no correlation was found between relative changes of amplitude and changes of correlation coefficient during any intervention. However, changes in amplitude and changes in area of difference exhibited weak to moderate correlation during infusion of epinephrine and isoproterenol. Despite some amplitude variation, overall waveform morphology remains relatively constant during increases in heart rate with or without concurrent changes in sympathetic tone. These findings suggest that heart rate increases are unlikely to confound time-domain detection schemes used in antitachycardia devices.
Alteration of extracellular calcium dependence in vascular tissue by reserpine

The extracellular calcium dependence of isolated rabbit aortic strips for contractile responses induced by norepinephrine(NE) and KCl after pretreatment in vivo with reserpine (0.9 mg/kg, i.m; 24 hr) has been investigated. Strips were tested in normal or calcium-free Ringers solution. In normal Ringers, contractile responses of aortae from reserpine-pretreated animals to NE or KCl were significantly potentiated. In calcium-free Ringers, reserpine pretreatment reduced extracellular calcium dependence for contractions induced by NE but increased the extracellular calcium requirement for KCl induced contractions. Higher aortic calcium levels of strips incubated in calcium-free Ringers indicated that reserpine pretreatment significantly increased the affinity of aortic tissue for calcium. After incubation for four hours in calcium-free Ringers, such strips contained 33.5% of control tissue calcium, while only 13.9% of control tissue calcium remained in the normal strips. Thus reserpine pretreatment facilitates the accumulation of a tissue calcium pool and about 21% of this calcium is more firmly bound than normal tissue calcium. These data suggest that the increase in bound calcium is related to the development of supersensitivity and decreased extracellular calcium dependence of NE-induced contractions.
Harvesting CPU Waste Heat Through Pyroelectric Materials

Modern CPUs generate considerable wasted heat due to increased power dissipation from high-performance computation. Lots of research effort has extensively focused on using thermoelectric generators (TEGs) to harvest CPU waste heat to increase overall system energy efficiency. To harvest waste heat using TEGs requires a significant temperature differential between the processor as a heat source and the heat spreader/heat sink, as well as a high heat flow. However, the heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency is typically limited to 15 to 20 percent, due to large heat conductivity, low Seebeck coefficient, and low figure of merit of TEGs. In addition, TEGs on a CPU could significantly increase CPU junction temperature compared to the baseline CPU temperature due to its high thermal resistance. Contrary to using TEGs to harvest waste heat from a fixed, spatial temperature differential, this paper presents an approach to harvest CPU waste heat using pyroelectric (PE) materials from the time-varying, temporal temperature differential that is common in current processors. PE materials can generate electricity when subjected to a temporal temperature gradient. The operation of PE materials is distinctly different from TEGs and they have the following advantages. First, the theoretical efficiency is up to 50% using thin films. Second, the overall optimization of PE material is easier than thermoelectric material, since the conversion ratio, the ratio of net harvested energy divided by the heat taken from the hot reservoir, of PE material is independent of the material properties, whereas that of TEG is highly dependent on material properties. Although PE material is also a long-researched energy harvesting material, it is less explored by researchers compared to TEG in the application domain of processor waste heat management. In this paper, we review current PE materials in terms of pyroelectric coefficient and thermal conductivity, and also investigate the harvested power generation from CPU waste heat in a modern computing system.© 2015 ASME
Spinal Cord Stroke Presenting With Acute Monoplegia in a 17-Year-Old Tennis Player.

Abstract Background Acute monoplegia is a rare presentation for spinal cord stroke, which usually presents with paraplegia or paraparesis. Patient description We describe an athletic girl who presented after a week of heavy athletic activity complaining of back and left leg pain, followed by flaccid left leg paralysis. Results The prothrombotic evaluation was unremarkable. Cerebrospinal fluid studies demonstrated elevated myelin basic protein but no oligoclonal bands. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a lesion in the anterior cord from T9 to T11 with T2 hyperintensity, contrast enhancement, and diffusion restriction, suggesting infarction. There was a herniated disc at T10-T11 contacting the spinal cord and Schmorl's nodes at T11 and T12. Magnetic resonance angiography of the spinal cord was limited by movement artifact. Conclusions The combination of our patient's clinical presentation, imaging studies, and laboratory evaluation suggests that our patient had a spinal cord infarct. A fibrocartilaginous embolism was the likely mechanism of infarct due to the presence of Schmorl's nodes and disc herniation on imaging. In addition to spinal cord stroke, other possible mechanisms leading to presentation with monoplegia, such as transverse myelitis, neuromyelitis optica, and multiple sclerosis, are discussed.
Smooth Projective Noise Reduction for Nonlinear Time Series

Many nonlinear or chaotic time series exhibit an innate broad spectrum, which makes noise reduction difficult. Locally projective noise reduction using proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is one of the most effective tools. It works for both map-like and continuously sampled time series. However, it only looks at geometrical or topological properties of data and does not take into account temporal characteristics of time series. Here we present a new noise reduction method using smooth orthogonal decomposition (SOD) of bundles of locally reconstructed trajectory strands, which imposes temporal smoothness on the filtered time series. It is shown that SOD based noise reduction significantly outperforms the POD based method for the continuously sampled noisy time series.
Science Stories on Television

Science is a collection of stories and television is an important medium through which these stories are retold, in various ways and using various characters. The chapter examines the natures of science that are constructed on television on different genres of programmes such as citizen science, children’s educational programming, documentaries, and entertainment-education. A review of studies that inform our understanding of how we learn from the science we view on television is presented. Science communicators, including those involved in constructing science on television, need to work in collaboration with each other in order to most effectively present science that is both engaging and is in keeping with citizen science and inquiry science perspectives.
The Treatment or Mistreatment of Disease?: Comments on Ronn Pineo’s “Misery and Death in the Pearl of the Pacific: Health Care in Guayaquil, Ecuador, 1870-1925”

I read with considerable interest Ronn Pineo's article on health care in Guayaquil, Ecuador, between 1870 and 1925 (HAHR, November 1990). Pineo provides a succinct discussion of the institutional difficulties in providing health care in a rapidly growing and overcrowded urban center in the tropics. However, the author's characterization of medicine and his notions of the social history of disease control are incomplete and provide only a partial understanding of the causes and responses to the unlhealthy conditions in the city. Medicine in the eighteenth and early and middle nineteenth centuries was, as Pineo points out, still based on the humoral and miasma theories (p. 62o). However, despite a lack of understanding of the origin of disease, doctors and public officials developed effective measures to control the two greatest killers in preindustrial Europe, bubonic plague and smallpox. According to historical demiiographer Michael Flinn, evidence from Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries suggests that quarantine measures gradually eliminated bubonic plague by limiting its spread. In the early eighteenth century smallpox accounted for some 1015 percent of all deaths in Europe. The use of inoculation by variolationand later the Jenner cowpox vaccine reduced the impact of smallpox. For example, between the late eighteenth century and the i8ios smallpox mortality in Sweden dropped from 278 per ioo,ooo population to 15 per 10,0ooo population.' Control of disease, either through quarantine measures or vaccines, took effect gradually. One of the most important aspects of the social his-
Protein Kinase Cα Mediates Erlotinib Resistance in Lung Cancer Cells

Overexpression and mutational activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are given as a primary therapy for advanced patients with EGFR-activating mutations; however, the majority of these tumors relapse and patients eventually develop resistance to TKIs. To address a potential role of protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes in the resistance to TKIs, we used the isogenic NSCLC H1650 cell line and its erlotinib-resistant derivative H1650-M3, a cell line that displays a mesenchymal-like morphology driven by transforming growth factor-β signaling. We found that H1650-M3 cells display remarkable PKCα upregulation and PKCδ downregulation. Notably, silencing PKCα from H1650-M3 cells using RNA interference caused a significant reduction in the expression of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers vimentin, Zeb2, Snail, and Twist. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition or PKCα RNA interference depletion and PKCδ restoring sensitized H1650-M3 cells to erlotinib. Whereas ectopic overexpression of PKCα in parental H1650 cells was not sufficient to alter the expression of EMT genes or to confer resistance to erlotinib, it caused downregulation of PKCδ expression, suggesting a unidirectional crosstalk. Finally, mechanistic studies revealed that PKCα upregulation in H1650-M3 cells is driven by transforming growth factor-β. Our results identified important roles for specific PKC isozymes in erlotinib resistance and EMT in lung cancer cells, and highlight PKCα as a potential target for lung cancer treatment.
Neurological complications in Scheuermann's disease. A case report and review of the literature.

A sixteen-year-old boy with Scheuermann's disease and a spastic paraplegia secondary to a herniated thoracic disc at the apex of the kyphosis is presented. Removal of the disc resulted in complete cure. Neurological complications associated with Scheuermann's disease are discussed.
Canopy Leaf Area Index in Non-Forested Marshes of the California Delta

Leaf area index (LAI, one-sided leaf area per unit ground area) is an important parameter in models of canopy-atmosphere carbon exchange and greenhouse gas fluxes that has been disproportionately under-studied in wetland ecosystems. This study assessed variation in LAI and its sensitivity to canopy height, structure and remotely sensed normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the California Delta, USA in July–August 2014. Plant area index (PAI), an optically measured LAI proxy, significantly varied among wetland sites and vegetation types (p < 0.001). PAI significantly correlated with leaf inclination angle and above-water heights of canopy and standing litter, being on average higher in taller freshwater reeds with steeper leaf angles. Presence of litter contributed to within-site heterogeneity and overestimation of PAI at direct green LAI < 3. Although satellite-based NDVI strongly correlated with PAI (R2 = 0.63, p < 0.001), its application was constrained by presence of water and other non-vegetated backgrounds in wetland pixels. Overall, high within-site variation in LAI resulting from structural heterogeneity and/or vegetation diversity limits representativeness of mean LAI for ecosystem models. This constraint calls for more in-depth future analyses of the effects of vertical and horizontal wetland complexity on LAI measurements and performance as an indicator of light interception and canopy-based ecosystem function.
Influence of the Feedstock on Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis with a Solid Acid Catalyst

At RTI, we are developing a catalytic fast pyrolysis process with a new solid acid catalyst, the performance of which has been evaluated in a pilot-scale reactor using loblolly pine. More robust technology development requires a deeper understanding of the influence of the feedstock properties of process performance defined by the organic liquid yield and composition. Seven types of woody and herbaceous biomass were tested in a 2.54 cm diameter fluidized-bed reactor. This study shows that the product distribution and biocrude composition vary widely with different feedstocks. The yield of organic biocrude is in the range of 14.0–20.8 wt % for the tested feedstocks. The yields of incondensable gases and carbonaceous solids vary significantly from feedstock to feedstock, which may be because of the variation of the ash content in the feedstock. A feedstock with a higher ash content generates more gases; specifically more CO2 but not necessarily more CO. The chemical composition, which includes lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose, also affects the biocrude composition and the yield of gases. We also demonstrated a positive correlation between the cellulose content and CO yield and a negative correlation between the hemicellulose content and CO yield.
High-Resolution Impedance Manometry Metrics of the Esophagogastric Junction for the Assessment of Treatment Response in Achalasia.

High-Resolution Impedance Manometry Metrics of the Esophagogastric Junction for the Assessment of Treatment Response in Achalasia
Dynamics on Linear Influence Network Games Under Stochastic Environments

A linear influence network is a broadly applicable conceptual framework in risk management. It has important applications in computer and network security. Prior work on linear influence networks targeting those risk management applications have been focused on equilibrium analysis in a static, one-shot setting. Furthermore, the underlying network environment is also assumed to be deterministic. In this paper, we lift those two assumptions and consider a formulation where the network environment is stochastic and time-varying. In particular, we study the stochastic behavior of the well-known best response dynamics. Specifically, we give interpretable and easily verifiable sufficient conditions under which we establish the existence and uniqueness of as well as convergence with exponential convergence rate to a stationary distribution of the corresponding Markov chains.
Focus scanning with feedback control for fiber-optic nonlinear endomicroscopy (Conference Presentation)

Publisher’s Note: This conference presentation, originally published on 19 April 2017, was withdrawn per author request.
Lossless turn-off switching projection of lateral and vertical GaN power field-effect transistors

New physical insights into switching loss evaluation are applied to GaN power field-effect transistors, including p-AlGaN gate HEMTs, MOS channel HEMTs, and vertical UMOSFETs. Internal channel current is used to calculate true switching loss values for both turn-on and -off. In contrast to conventional terminal current-based loss calculations, energy stored in device output capacitances during turn-off and dissipated during turn-on is counted as turn-on loss rather than turn-off loss. At appropriate RG and off-state VG values, lossless turn-off can be achieved for MOS channel HEMTs and UMOSFETs, but not for p-AlGaN gate HEMTs. In appropriate circuit applications, near zero total switching loss can be realized by combining lossless turn-off and zero-voltage turn-on.
Medicaid Patients Experience Longer Wait Times at Academic Urology Clinics Compared to Patients with Medicare

AbstractIntroduction: It has been established that Medicaid patients face unequal access to health care. There is a paucity of literature comparing wait times for Medicaid patients to those of patients with other types of insurance. We determined whether Medicaid patients experience longer wait times at academic urology clinics compared to patients with Medicare.Methods: A prospective cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted in October 2016. The study involved collection of data from multiple academic centers with telephone interviews conducted from a single institution. Calls were made to all accredited urology residency programs (131). Earliest appointment times were established for fictional patients with Medicaid and then Medicare. The main outcome was the difference in wait times for a new patient appointment in a urology clinic for Medicaid vs Medicare patients. The wait time in days was the difference between the date of the appointment and the date of the telephone call.Results: There were 1...
Data for: The Impact of an “Aha” Moment on Gender Biases: Limited Evidence for the Efficacy of a Game Intervention that Challenges Gender Assumptions

Abstract In two studies, the present research tested whether a paper-based game intervention that guides participants into understanding and questioning their assumptions about gender can decrease biases. Participants in Study 1 (N = 143 college students) and Study 2 (N = 341 high school students) played a game in which they either had to realize that a scientist character was a woman (Intervention condition) or a professor (Control condition) to solve the mystery. Across both studies, in a game with a storyline that included both male and female scientists, the vast majority of students who used gendered pronouns assumed that non-gendered scientist characters were men. In Study 1, playing the Intervention version of the game had no effect on college students' explicit or implicit attitudes toward women in science. In Study 2, there was a positive effect of the Intervention condition on implicit attitudes: participants in the Intervention condition were less likely to describe a female professor as a man than were participants in the Control condition. However, there was a negative effect of the Intervention condition on explicit attitudes toward women in science. Taken together, the present research points to the continued need for research on raising awareness of bias and developing interventions that can decrease biases while avoiding defensiveness.
Negotiated Transactions as Conflict Resolution Mechanisms: Water Bargaining in the U.S. West

Disputes prompted by competition for scarce water supplies have proliferated worldwide, generating enormous costs and uncertainties for affected parties. Economists have extolled the virtues of markets and voluntary transactions for well over a century as a means to achieve efficient resource allocation. This chapter examines voluntary water transfers from a somewhat different perspective than that of allocative efficiency. It explores negotiated transactions as a tool for resolving water disputes through analysis of conflicts in the American West. The study of mechanisms to successfully resolve water disputes is a field of inquiry in its own right, one in which economics is just beginning to play a role (xcDinar and Loehman, 1995). Interesting challenges arise in applying economic paradigms to evaluate dispute resolution processes. Conflicts over water often are difficult to evaluate using economic efficiency constructs because the baseline entitlements from which costs and benefits should be measured are themselves the subject of contention. While allocative efficiency is problematic in such situations, other economic criteria can be used to compare the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to resolving water disputes.
Source-Coupled Logic Circuits

We recall from Chapter 2 that the threshold voltage of a GaAs MESFET is the difference of the Schottky barrier voltage and the pinch-off voltage, the latter being proportional to the square of the thickness of the active layer, so that the threshold voltage is very sensitive to geometric variations. At the present time, the processing technology is such that it is difficult to limit the variation of the threshold voltage to within ±20 mV while its nominal value is 0.1 V for an enhancement transistor and approximately −1.0 V for a depletion transistor. From Chapters 3 and 5, we saw how the transfer curve and noise margins are affected by variations of the threshold voltage. In all cases, the circuit threshold shifts by an amount approximately equal to the change in the threshold voltage.
Review of Production Functions and their Properties

The basic results of the theory of the firm under perfect competition are summarized in this chapter. The analysis will be confined to the situation in which there are two variable factors of production or inputs and a single commodity produced or output. Output is determined by the aggregate production function represented by the relation Y = F(K, L) where Y is aggregate output, K is a variable factor of production labeled Capital and L is Labor, the other variable factor of production.1 The form of the production function is determined by the nature of the technology which combines labor and capital to produce the commodity. It may be possible to combine given levels of capital and labor in several ways to generate different levels of output. The production function defined above presupposes technical efficiency and stands for the maximum possible output for specified levels of the two inputs. Thus the function F(K, L) is single-valued, i. e. for given levels of labor and capital there is a unique level of output.
Raynaud’s Disease and Phenomenon

The primary symptom of Raynaud’s phenomenon is episodic digital vasospasms provoked by exposure to cold and/or emotional stress (Freedman & Ianni, 1983a). Attacks generally last for several minutes and consist of blanching followed by cyanosis and rubor. The disorder is four times more common in women than in men and has an estimated prevalence of 4.3% in the United States (Weinrich, Marieg, Keil, McGregor, & Diat, 1990). The term Raynaud’s disease denotes the primary form of the disorder in which symptoms are not the result of an identifiable disease process, such as scleroderma or other collagen vascular diseases. When the symptoms occur secondarily to another disease, we use the term Raynaud’s phenomenon.
Information Source Tracking

The problem of representing and processing inaccurate data is the subject of the study in [31, 32, 33, 34, 35]. The approach used was not only to keep tack of information, but also to keep track of sources confirming a piece of data along with the data and use that additional information in all data manipulation activities. In particular, the information about the source is used to query data. To this end, author had extended the relational algebra operators and used those extended operators to produce the answer to the query as well as the information regarding the sources contributed to the answers to the query.
Decision to Fight

Even in an atmosphere of mutual suspicion, the two governments were able to craft a political-military agreement that would be the basis of their alliance. Marshall noted that he had relieved and transferred officers who grew overly concerned about the Brazilians. He deplored that it was “increasingly apparent that the Brazilians are not seriously cooperating with us to secure that vital area, sea and land, against Axis aggression.” He told Brazilian Chief of Staff Goes Monteiro that in return for Brazil’s offered cooperation he would provide arms, but was certain that Goes understood that he had to meet the minimum requirements of our own forces as well as of other forces in actual combat with the Axis. Marshall replaced General Miller as military attache in Rio with his close friend Claude M. Adams.
Graphoto: Aesthetically Pleasing Charts for Casual Information Visualization

Graphoto is a framework that automatically generates a photo or adjusts an existing one to match a line graph. Since aesthetics is an important element in visualizing personal data, Graphoto provides users with aesthetically pleasing displays for casual line graph information visualization. More specifically, after creating a line graph of the input data, a photo that resembles the input data on the line graph is selected from a photo archive. If a selected photo does not match the line graph, we deform the photo to match the line graph. Once the photo matches the line graph of the data, the line graph is superimposed on the photo using different colors and styles depending on the user's artistic preferences. Additional embellishments are integrated into Graphoto, such as tick marks and text labels. We further present a user study to show the effectiveness of Graphoto in terms of data interpretation and aesthetics.
Chapter 2 – Mechanical Elements

This chapter introduces the basic mechanical elements that are used as building blocks for translatory and/or rotary mechanical systems. These elements are the springs, the heavy solids, and the viscous dampers, which qualify a widely used type of energy losses through damping coefficients. The stiffness, mass (or mass moment of inertia), and damping coefficient are formulated as lumped-parameter (or pointlike) element properties in terms of the related forces, as well as in terms of the associated energy. Flexible, distributed-parameter stiffness and inertia of members such as bars and beams are rendered into equivalent, lumped-parameter elements. Examples are also offered of transferring basic lumped-parameter mechanical element properties into equivalent ones through motion transformers such as levers and gears.
First report of quality of life in adults with neurofibromatosis 2 who are deafened or have significant hearing loss: results of a live-video randomized control trial

To test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a mind–body program for patients with neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) who are deaf or have significant hearing loss (d3RP-NF2) against an attention placebo control (dHEP-NF2) in a single-blind randomized control trial. Both were delivered using Communication Access Real-Time Translation and live group videoconferencing. Forty-five adults with NF2 were randomized. Co-primary outcomes were physical quality of life (QoL) and psychological QoL and secondary outcomes were social QoL and environmental QoL, all measured with the World Health Organization Quality of Life Abbreviated Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF). Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment, and six-month follow-up. Forty-one participants (91%) completed the intervention, and 29 (64%) completed the six-month follow up. Participants in the d3RP-NF2 showed significantly greater improvements from baseline to post-treatment on physical QoL (14.79, 95% CI 5.41–24.18; p ≤ 0.001), psychological QoL (18.77, 95% CI 7.09–30.44, p ≤ 0.001), and environmental QoL (13.25, 95% CI 1.10–25.39, p = 0.03) compared to the dHEP-NF2. Social QoL also significantly increased in the d3RP-NF2 (16.32, 95% CI 6.66–25.97, p = 0.001), but improvement was not beyond the dHEP-NF2. Gains in QoL were clinically meaningful and maintained at the 6-month follow-up for d3RP-NF2 participants across all QoL domains. There were more treatment responders in the d3RP-NF2 compared to the dHEP-NF2. The d3RP-NF2 was well accepted, highly feasible, and resulted in sustained improvements in QoL in patients with NF2 who are deaf or have significant hearing loss.
Review of Yuval Shany, The Competing Jurisdictions of International Courts and Tribunals (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003)

Shane Darcy's Collective Responsibility and Accountability Under International Law is a good primer on a pressing judicial problem. The book is a balanced account of one of the more controversial principles in international criminal law today, collective responsibility.
Early Onset Exodeviations

Forty-nine consecutive patients with intermittent or constant exotropia were examined by twenty-six months of age. No exophoria patients or patients with incomitant strabismus were included. Thirty...
DETECTING OBJECTS MOVING IN SPACE FROM A MOBILE VISION SYSTEM

Context. In the study, the task of identifying objects moving in space from a mobile system of technical vision is considered. The analysis of the modern methods of dynamic object identification from both stationary and moving platforms is conducted. The need to create a new method for the identification of dynamic objects with a mobile optical-electronic system, which is adaptive to changing observation conditions, is identified. This is a relevant scientific and technical problem. The object of the study is the model of moving object detection from a mobile vision system. Objective. The objective of this article is the analysis of the modern methods of moving object identification and the creation of a new method. The method must allow observation from a mobile vision system and must be able to adapt to changing observation conditions. Method. A method for identifying objects moving in space from a mobile vision system is proposed, which allows to automatically detect moving objects, determine their three-dimensional coordinates with a given accuracy, and adapt to changing observation conditions. This method is based on the developed mathematical model of stereoscopic determination of motion parameters of objects in space, which allows us to increase the detection accuracy. Results. The proposed method is implemented in software. An experiment confirming the adequacy of this mathematical model was conducted. As the result of the experiment, data on the movement of the object and the mobile coordinate system were obtained. Conclusions. The experiments have confirmed the performance of the proposed method and allow us to recommend it when building mobile automatic tracking and identification systems for objects. The method allows automatic isolation of the moving objects, determining their three-dimensional coordinates, and adapting to changing observation conditions. Prospects for further research may be in the creation of hardware tools for the selection of moving objects, allowing to improve the accuracy of the selection.
Religion, nationalism, and gender: Perspective from South Asia:

Religious mobilization often takes the form of engagement with “the woman question”: how should women as carriers of culture comport themselves? This article shows that many of the debates over the...
Creep and Shrinkage Modeling of Concrete Using Solidification Theory

AbstractA new semiempirical creep and shrinkage model is proposed wherein basic creep, drying creep, and drying shrinkage are all considered to age according to solidification theory. Applied to ba...
Long-term Outcomes After Reoperative Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

Background Reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery has an established increased operative risk with worse perioperative morbidity and mortality. However, contemporary propensity-matched outcomes are limited in the existing literature. Methods All patients who underwent CABG from 2011 to 2017 at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania were included. Propensity matching yielded risk-adjusted patient populations. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of 30-day, 1-year, and 5-year mortality and readmission. Results The total population consisted of 7615 patients who underwent CABG; 7265 of these patients had first-time CABG, and 350 patients had reoperative CABG. After propensity score matching, blood product transfusion (45.5% vs 56.4%; P = .002) and delayed sternal closure (0.2% vs 2.5%; P Conclusions After propensity score matching, there was no difference in postoperative mortality or readmission for reoperative CABG up to 1-year. This trend continued for 5-year readmissions; however, 5-year mortality was higher for the reoperative cohort. Risk adjustment did not identify reoperative CABG as a risk factor for long-term mortality.
Native Acts, Immigrant Acts: Citizenship, Naturalization, and the Performance of Civic Identity during the Progressive Era

This article reveals the complicity of immigration restriction laws and federal Indian policy with organized Americanization in legislating an imagined, desirable “new American” at the beginning of the twentieth century, when resurgent nationalism threatened to restrict undesirable immigrants as it also sought to assimilate Indigenous people into a mass of Americanism. While the immigrant has figured in the U.S. national imaginary as someone who desires America, the American Indian was not desired to enter into political membership—although Native land was desired, and subsequently taken by settlers through strategies of dispossession written into federal Indian law. This essay argues that the Indian—read as an imagined category with little connection to the lives of Native people—occupies an anomalous position in the legal history of naturalization, finalized with the passing of the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924, at the same time that racist immigration restriction quotas also limited the entrance of new immigrants into the United States through the 1924 Johnson-Reed Immigration Act. For Native people, Americanization and the imposition of citizenship were extensions of colonialism, adding one civic status over another—domestic dependent, ward, or U.S. citizen. For new immigrants hailing from southern and eastern Europe, forced by economic and cultural constraints to relocate to the United States, in contrast to their Anglo-Saxon or Nordic settler predecessors, Americanization meant a renunciation of political allegiance to other sovereigns, the acquisition of English, and civic education for citizenship. This essay challenges the myth of America as a “nation of immigrants,” and the settler colonial nation-state's ongoing infatuation with its colonial project as it continues to erase Indigenous presence and sovereignty.
Abstract 112: Telomere proteins coordinate intracellular signaling to control telomere maintenance mechanism selection and metastatic recurrence

The relationship between telomere homeostasis and the development of cancer remains incompletely understood. In breast cancer (BC), these knowledge gaps are magnified by the fact that distinct telomere maintenance mechanisms (TMMs) are utilized across different disease subtypes and stages of progression. Accordingly, we have found that TMM identity in BC possesses an inherent plasticity that portends important prognostic and therapeutic insight, events regulated in part by SLX4-interacting protein (SLX4IP). To better understand how SLX4IP regulates TMM identity in BC, we employed proteomics of isolated chromatin segments (PICh) to capture the telomere proteomes of BC cells harboring differential SLX4IP expression. These analyzes revealed that SLX4IP blocks recruitment of the shelterin protein telomere repeat-binding factor 2-interacting protein (TERF2IP, also known as RAP1) to telomeres. Moreover, telomeres lacking RAP1 were able to be extended via the homologous recombination-based Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) pathway. Mechanistically, SLX4IP disrupted the interaction between RAP1 and telomere repeat-binding factor 2 (TRF2), which facilitated the nuclear export of RAP1 and its binding to and activation of the NF-κB regulatory kinase, IKKβ. Activated IKKβ phosphorylated both NF-κB and β-catenin, thereby coordinating a transcriptional network of genes that are essential in promoting ALT. Conversely, loss of SLX4IP yielded telomeric retention of RAP1 with concomitant diminution of IKKβ activity, resulting in β-catenin-dependent stimulation of telomerase. Notably, telomerase was sufficient to drive the metastatic outgrowth of cells that were previously reliant upon ALT independent of its ability to extend telomere DNA. These findings shed new light on the functions of SLX4IP and the myriad roles of telomere proteins in influencing TMM plasticity and disease progression. Citation Format: Nathaniel J. Robinson, Derek J. Taylor, William P. Schiemann. Telomere proteins coordinate intracellular signaling to control telomere maintenance mechanism selection and metastatic recurrence [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 112.