cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Mo on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Single Crystalline Nial

The room and elevated temperature (300°C and 600°C) tensile properties of single crystalline NiAl with and without molybdenum additions have been investigated. It is shown that 0.2at% molybdenum has a considerable influence on the mechanical properties of NiAl and this influence is sensitive to heat treatment. At room temperature, the ductility of the Mo-doped alloy was higher than the binary NiAl after appropriate heat treatment. Furthermore, the elongations observed are highest at 300°C and are related to greater uniformity of deformation.
Risk of recurrence of Barrett's esophagus after successful endoscopic therapy.

Background and aims Previous estimates of incidence of intestinal metaplasia (IM) recurrence after achieving complete remission of IM (CRIM) through endoscopic therapy of Barrett's esophagus (BE) have varied widely. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies to estimate an accurate recurrence risk after CRIM. Methods We performed a systematic search of multiple literature databases through June 2015 to identify studies reporting long-term follow-up after achieving CRIM through endoscopic therapy. Pooled incidence rate (IR) of recurrent IM, dysplastic BE, and high-grade dysplasia (HGD)/esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) per person-year of follow-up after CRIM was estimated. Factors associated with recurrence were also assessed. Results We identified 41 studies that reported 795 cases of recurrence in 4443 patients over 10,427 patient-years of follow-up. This included 21 radiofrequency ablation studies that reported 603 cases of IM recurrence in 3186 patients over 5741 patient-years of follow-up. Pooled IRs of recurrent IM, dysplastic BE, and HGD/EAC after radiofrequency ablation were 9.5% (95% CI, 6.7-12.3), 2.0% (95% CI, 1.3-2.7), and 1.2% (95% CI, .8-1.6) per patient-year, respectively. When all endoscopic modalities were included, pooled IRs of recurrent IM, dysplastic BE, and HGD/EAC were 7.1% (95% CI, 5.6-8.6), 1.3% (95% CI, .8-1.7), and .8% (95% CI, .5-1.1) per patient-year, respectively. Substantial heterogeneity was noted. Increasing age and BE length were predictive of recurrence; 97% of recurrences were treated endoscopically. Conclusions The incidence of recurrence after achieving CRIM through endoscopic therapy was substantial. A small minority of recurrences were dysplastic BE and HGD/EAC. Hence, continued surveillance after CRIM is imperative. Additional studies with long-term follow-up are needed.
Evolution of a Ritual: Pipes and Smoking in Etowah’s Realm

The reasons religions change and the processes by which those changes occur may be explored through the study of ritual. Here those issues are examined in the context of late prehistoric Mississippian societies (AD 900–1600) in the southeastern United States, specifically within the realm of Etowah, which was one of the preeminent political and religious centers of the region. A progression of changes in both the physical form of smoking pipes and their contexts of discovery reveals how the rite was differently controlled and performed in accordance with varying social, political, and economic circumstances.
An unbiased metric of antiproliferative drug effect in vitro

In vitro cell proliferation assays are widely used in pharmacology, molecular biology, and drug discovery. Using theoretical modeling and experimentation, we show that current metrics of antiproliferative small molecule effect suffer from time-dependent bias, leading to inaccurate assessments of parameters such as drug potency and efficacy. We propose the drug-induced proliferation (DIP) rate, the slope of the line on a plot of cell population doublings versus time, as an alternative, time-independent metric.
Epidemiology and Control of Parasites in Warm Climates

The kind of parasites a horse acquires depends upon its environment. Because patterns of transmission vary greatly with climate and management, no one worming program has universal applications. This article discusses epidemiology and control of equine parasites in the southern United States, where climates vary from warm temperate to subtropical and from humid in the southeast to arid in the southwest.
Functional bowel disorders in women with dysmenorrhea

OBJECTIVES The relationship between menstrual and bowel symptoms, the overlap between the diagnoses of dysmenorrhea (DYS) and functional bowel disorder (FBD), and markers that may be useful in discriminating functional bowel disorders from DYS were studied in 383 women (20-40 yr of age). METHODS All women completed the NEO Personality Inventory at intake and completed the Moos' Menstrual Distress Questionnaire and a bowel symptom inventory every 3 months for 12 months. Prostaglandin levels were measured in vaginal dialysate on the first day of menses. RESULTS DYS was diagnosed in 19.8% of the total sample. Functional bowel disorder, defined as abdominal pain with altered bowel function, was diagnosed in 61% of the DYS group compared with 20% of controls (p < 0.05). Neuroticism scores were significantly higher in subjects with functional bowel disorder with or without DYS. However, bowel symptoms were significantly correlated with menstrual symptoms even after statistically controlling for the effects of neuroticism. Painful menses and water retention distinguished the DYS group from the functional bowel disorder group. Prostaglandin levels were elevated in women with DYS, but did not consistently differentiate the diagnostic groups. CONCLUSIONS The strong covariation of menstrual and bowel symptoms, along with the overlap in diagnoses of DYS and function bowel disorder, suggest a common physiological basis.
Psychopharmacology in Primary Care Settings

Psychopharmacology requires clinicians to stay current on the latest guidelines and to use dynamic treatment strategies. Psychiatric conditions are prevalent in the primary care population. Choice of treatment with psychopharmacology should be based on controlling the patient's predominant symptoms while taking into consideration patient age, treatment compliance, patient past response to treatments, dosing frequency, patient preference, medication side effects, potential medication interactions, drug precautions/warnings, and cost. Response to therapy, as well as side effects, needs to be evaluated at regular intervals. The goal is to minimize symptoms and return patients to their maximal level of functioning.
Cultivating Shalom: A Response to John Stackhouse’s Epistemology

John Stackhouse’s new book, Need to Know, takes up the complexity of the Christian pursuit of knowing and serving God in the fullest sense of those terms by attending to the Creation Mandate and the call to love God and one’s neighbor. He sees the problem as Christians either compartmentalizing or capitulating to culture in their thinking. The traditional Wesleyan Quadrilateral (Stackhouse calls it the Christian Quadrilateral) needs an upgrade, which Stackhouse seeks to provide. This involves an overview of current understandings of epistemology, including cognitive pluralism, and an engagement with intellectual resources (the pentalectic) through modes of apprehension. His most provocative conclusion, and a convincing one to me, is that now we know only in part, and God seems content with this state of affairs (17). The strengths of this book are many, including the following three items. First, Stackhouse demonstrates unwavering commitment to wrestle with the paradox of seeking to know that which in the end is perhaps beyond human understanding. Second, he makes a passionate plea for Christians to act boldly on what they have been given to know. Third, he integrates current concerns of our postmodern culture with the Christian vision for human and creation flourishing by offering an epistemology that is both responsive and responsible (18). He hopes his efforts will build community as all humans “seek the common good in global flourishing” (90). At first read, a weakness in his effort is the book’s organization, for in addressing the several components of vocation, epistemology and Christian calling, Stackhouse pursues several side issues or offers lengthy digressions that interrupt the argument’s march forward. Yet perhaps the very configuration of the book exhibits the spiral nature of knowing, for events inform beliefs, and new events and experiences further impact those beliefs, and subsequent actions and responses call for adjustments in our knowing and doing. Stackhouse moves the reader along, anticipating possible objections and encouraging new vistas as he pursues his “outline of just how Christians ought to think about whatever they are called to think about” (18).
Sumatriptan: A Clinical Standard?

See related article, p 464. [Stratton SJ: Sumatriptan: A clinical standard? Ann Emerg Med 1995;25:538-539.]
Automated Dental Identification Based on Orthogonal Locality Preserving Projectio

Major disasters have highlighted the significance of automated dental identification systems. For example in the 9/11 attacks, many victims were identifiable only from pieces of their jaw bones. This is the main motivation for building the Automated Dental Identification System (ADIS). The archiving and retrieving processes of dental records from large databases is a challenging task and has received inadequate attention in the literature. This paper presents a new technique for retrieving dental records for ADIS. Our approach consists of two main stages. The first stage is the preprocessing stage of the dental records that includes segmentation and teeth labeling classification in order to obtain reliable appearance-based, low computational-cost features. In the second stage we propose a technique based on using the Orthogonal Locality Preserving projection algorithm to produce a candidate list. The experiment results show that the proposed approach provides fast and effective results to search and retrieve a list of candidates from the database compared to other approaches suggested in the literature.
Chapter 6 – Blood Flow Through Capillary Networks

The equations governing steady and unsteady blood flow through a tree-like or area-filling capillary network are reviewed, pertinent numerical methods are developed and discussed and numerical simulations are presented. Tree-like networks exhibit divergent bifurcations toward the outer branches, whereas area-filling networks may exhibit divergent or convergent bifurcations from multiple inlets to multiple outlets. Under the assumption that blood behaves as a continuum with variable constitution, the blood viscosity and the discharge to tube hematocrit ratio are computed using available correlations. In the case of unsteady flow, the hematocrit varies along each capillary segment according to an evolution equation originating from a cell population balance. Results of numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate that the bifurcation law determining the partitioning of red blood cells at divergent bifurcations is an important parameter in statics and dynamics. The occurrence of a Hopf bifurcation where a steady flow spontaneously develops self-sustained oscillations at critical conditions is discussed and pertinent phase-state diagrams are established.
Engaging the Empathic Imagination to Explore Environmental Justice

Environmental justice refers to the fair treatment of individuals across sociodemographic categories with regard to exposure to environmental pollution and equal involvement in determining environmental policies. The global environmental justice movement has become a significant area for environmental activism, policy, and development in the early twenty-first century, but individual college students may sometimes struggle to fully understand the impacts of pollution and other environmental challenges far from their own experiences. This activity is designed to help students empathetically encounter individuals experiencing different levels of environmental injustice by considering the stories of others. In this exercise, students attempt (as much as possible) to imagine themselves in the embodied, lived experiences of persons different from themselves by reading biographies of others struggling with environmental injustices and evaluating a given issue from that perspective. Students engage their empathetic imagination to step out of their own assumptions, lived experiences, and worldviews and imagine new perspectives, narratives, and experiences surrounding issues of environmental justice. After completing this activity, students should be able to (1) describe an environmental issue from a perspective different from their own, (2) analyze the influences of sociodemographic factors such as race, gender, class, and ability (among others) on the experiences of environmental harms and benefits among diverse individuals, and (3) assess the value of empathizing with the experiences of others to develop solutions to problems of environmental injustice.
727. Characterizing the Adeno-Associated Virus 1 Sialic Receptor Binding Site and Its Overlap with Antigenic Epitopes

Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are being development as gene delivery vectors and have shown promise in several clinical trials. And an AAV1-based vector has been approved by the European Commission for the treatment of lipoprotein lipase deficiency disease. However, limitations in tissue transduction specificity as well as neutralization by pre-existing antibodies remain are two major obstacles. To overcome these problems, it is important to characterize functional capsid regions that dictate virus binding to cellular receptors during infection and the potential overlap(s) of these regions with capsid antigenic epitopes. In this study, the sialic acid (SIA) binding site on AAV1 was determined by solving the structure of the AAV1-SIA complex using X-ray crystallography. Residues that form the SIA binding pocket are identical between AAV1 and AAV6; hence, structurally predicted SIA binding sites were mutated on both serotypes to confirm their role in the SIA interaction. Binding and transduction assays with these mutants in CHO cell lines Pro5, Lec2, Lec8, and Lec1, which display different terminal glycans, confirmed the structurally mapped binding pocket. Furthermore, native dot blot showed that several of the AAV1 SIA binding mutants can escape from antibody recognition. This finding is consistent with the overlap between the SIA binding site and the previously mapped AAV1 epitopes. Significantly, a glycan binding mutant with slightly reduced transduction ability is able to escape from antibody recognition. This study identifies an overlap between receptor recognition and antibody reactivity and provides amino acid level information for rational capsid engineering of AAV vectors for improved therapeutic efficacy.
Abstract 3355: Are cancer cells redefining macrophages’ aggressiveness

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Breast cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the United States. One in 5 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime and about 1 in 8 will develop invasive breast cancer. It has been shown that breast tumor's microenvironment contains large amounts of immune cells. In some cases macrophages account for up to 50% of the tumor mass. Macrophages belong to the innate immune response, and are mainly responsible for initiating the inflammatory response and engulfing foreign particles and cellular debris. They respond to multiple signals, which means they can perform a variety of functions ranging from phagocytosis to tissue repair. Classically-activated macrophages, referred as M1, are responsible for a pro-inflammatory response. Alternatively activated macrophages or M2 macrophages secrete anti-inflammatory cytokines, help in tissue repair, and are often involved in angiogenesis. In this project, we studied the effects of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines on macrophages. We stimulated U937 cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) for 24 hours. We checked for differentiation, morphology changes, and adhesion at 24 hours. We incubated 500,000 differentiated U937 cells with 500,000 cells (either MCF-7 or MDA-MB-231) or 500uL spent media from either MCF-7 or MDA-MB-231 cells for 48 hours. After the 48 hour incubation period, fluorescent microspheres were added to the macrophages and incubated for 1 hour to allow for phagocytosis. Macrophages were ran in a flow cytometer to quantify microsphere engulfment. We found about 50% decrease in engulfment activity in macrophages exposed to MCF-7 or MDA-MB-231 cells or media. When we analyzed the population of macrophages that engulfed 3+ beads, for MDA-MB-231 treatment, we found a 57% and 79% engulfment reduction in macrophages for media and cells respectively. For the MCF-7 treatment, the population of macrophages that engulfed 3+ beads was reduced 54% and 65.4% for media and cells respectively. We also studied gene expression of these macrophages to account for macrophage phenotype (M1 or M2). We found up-regulation on IL-10, down-regulation on TNF-α, and down-regulation on IL-12 suggesting that macrophages show a M2-like phenotype. This proposes that the tumor microenvironment (including cells, cytokines, cell vesicles, etc.) may be influencing the decrease in macrophage aggressiveness. Further studies will allows us to learn more in depth all of the interaction of cancer cells, their microenvironment, and macrophages. Citation Format: Elias Inga Jaco, Evita G. Weagel, Nicholas B. Anderson, Wei Meng, Joshua J. Davis, Richard A. Robinson, Kim L. O'Neill. Are cancer cells redefining macrophages’ aggressiveness. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3355. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3355
The effects of virtualness on teamwork behavioral components: The role of shared mental models

Abstract Virtual teams are an essential part of work organizations. They help organizations utilize skills and expertise regardless of where they are located. The virtual team literature suggests that these teams often experience process losses compared to their face-to-face counterparts. In this paper we propose that as virtualness increases, a team's shared mental models become more complex; this limits the effectiveness of particular teamwork behaviors: mutual performance monitoring, backup behavior and adaptation. We identify specific factors that are reflected in increased mental model complexity of virtual teams. Further we examine the moderating role that the accuracy and similarity of these shared mental models as well as the level of virtualness has on the relation between complexity and teamwork behaviors. Finally, we examine the effects of training inventions on mental model accuracy. To this end, we review the existing literature to develop a model and specific propositions.
Fetal QT Interval Estimation Using Sequential Hypothesis Testing

Objective : Recent studies utilizing fetal magnetocardiography have demonstrated the efficacy of corrected QT interval (QTc) measurement for in utero diagnosis and prognosis of long QT syndrome, a leading cause of sudden death in early life. The objective of the study was to formulate and test a novel statistical estimation method to detect the end of the fetal T-wave and thereby improve the accuracy of fetal QT interval measurement. Methods : To detect the end of the T-wave, we apply a sequential composite hypothesis test to decide when the T-wave has returned to baseline. The method uses the generalized likelihood ratio test in conjunction with a low-rank spatiotemporal model that exploits the repetitive nature of cardiac signals. The unknown model parameters are determined using maximum likelihood estimation. Results : In realistic simulations, the detector was shown to be accurate to within 10 ms (95% prediction interval), even at noise-to-signal ratios as high as 6. When applied to real data from normal fetuses, the detector agreed well with measurements made by cardiologists ( $-$ 1.4 $\pm$ 6.9 ms). Conclusions : The method was effective and practical. Detector performance was excellent despite the continual presence of strong maternal interference. Significance : This detector serves as a valuable adjunct to traditional measurement based on subjective assessment.
Evidence for a functional vasoconstrictor role for ATP in the human cutaneous microvasculature

NEW FINDINGS What is the central question of this study? In young adults, about half of the cold-related reduction in skin blood flow during cold exposure is mediated by noradrenaline, while the remainder is attributable to other substances co-released with noradrenaline that have yet to be identified. What is the main finding and its importance? Purinergic receptor blockade blunted the vasoconstriction response to whole-body cooling and to intradermal administration of tyramine. These results indicate that ATP is necessary to vasoconstrict blood vessels in the skin adequately and prevent heat loss in a cold environment. Noradrenaline is responsible for eliciting ∼60% of the reflex cutaneous vasoconstriction (VC) response in young adults, while the remainder is attributable to one or more unidentified co-released sympathetic adrenergic neurotransmitter(s). Inconsistent evidence has placed neuropeptide Y in this role; however, other putative cotransmitters have yet to be tested. We hypothesize that ATP contributes to the reflex cutaneous VC response. Two protocols were conducted in young adults (n = 10); both involved the placement of three microdialysis probes in forearm skin and whole-body cooling (skin temperature = 30.5°C). In protocol 1, the following solutions were infused: (i) lactated Ringer solution (control); (ii) 10 mm l-NAME; and (iii) purinergic receptor blockade with 1 mm suramin plus l-NAME. In protocol 2, the following solutions were infused: (i) lactated Ringer solution; (ii) suramin plus l-NAME; and (iii) suramin plus l-NAME plus adrenoreceptor blockade with 5 mm yohimbine plus 1 mm propranolol. Laser Doppler flux (LDF) was measured over each microdialysis site, and cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) was calculated (CVC = LDF/MAP) and expressed as percentage changes from baseline (%ΔCVCBASELINE ). l-NAME was used to block the vasodilatory influence of ATP and unmask the P2 X-mediated VC response to exogenous ATP infusion (-21 ± 6%ΔCVCBASELINE ). During cooling, the VC response (control, -39 ± 8%ΔCVCBASELINE ) was attenuated at the suramin site (-21 ± 4%ΔCVCBASELINE ) and further blunted with combined adrenoreceptor blockade (-9 ± 3%ΔCVCBASELINE ; P < 0.05). Compared with the control site (-22 ± 5%ΔCVCBASELINE ), suramin inhibited pharmacologically induced VC to tyramine (-12 ± 6%ΔCVCBASELINE ; P < 0.05), which displaces adrenergic neurotransmitters from axon terminals. These data indicate that ATP contributes to the cutaneous VC response in humans.
Care in Chronic Fatal Genetic Disease

Robert Louis Stevenson, who had pulmonary tuberculosis at the time, wrote that life is not a matter of holding good cards but of playing a poor hand well. Perhaps that was a typical perspective of someone with chronic illness, albeit nongenetic. The treatment of the fatally ill child calls for special perspectives and insights into normal child development. A clear perception of expected and achieved milestones of development is critical to care, whether it be provided by the nurse, physician, or any other health personnel. It is important to recognize, for example, the stage at which a child becomes aware of death and how he/she thinks of death.
Planktic Foraminifera and Calcareous Nannoplankton Biostratigraphy of the Neogene of Mexico Part II- Lower Pliocene

Six outcrop localities in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico, are assigned to the Lower Pliocene Zones N. 18 or N. 19 on the basis of concurrent range zones of planktic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils. Beds at one of the localities have been referred to the Encanto "Formation" by Mexican geologists. Microfossil lists for the localities follow the taxonomic procedures of Kennett and Srinivasan (1983) or Haman et al. (1980), differing only when in- 29 consistent with the experience or interpretations of this writer. Illustrations have been included for taxa that were not identified from the Middle Pliocene of Mexico in this series (Akers, 1979).
Using Planar Phi29 pRNA Three-Way Junction to Control Size and Shape of RNA Nanoparticles for Biodistribution Profiling in Mice

RNA is rapidly emerging as a versatile building block for nanoparticle assembly due to its simplicity in base pairing, while exhibiting diversity in function such as enzymatic activity similar to some proteins. Recent advances in RNA nanotechnology have generated significant interests in applying RNA nanoparticles for various applications in nanotechnology and nanomedicine. In particular, assessing the effect of size and shape on cell entry and intracellular trafficking as well as in vivo biodistribution of nanoparticles is challenging due to the lack of nanoparticles rich in structure while varying in size and shape. RNA nanotechnology exemplified by the packaging RNA (pRNA) of bacteriophage phi29 DNA packaging motor has provided a different prospect in nanoparticle designs. Of note, there is a robust three-way junction (3WJ) motif in pRNA which can serve as an adaptable scaffold to construct thermodynamically stable 2D planar and 3D globular RNA architectures with tunable shapes and sizes, and harboring various targeting, therapeutic, and imaging modules. This chapter focuses on the methods for constructing pRNA-3WJ based nanoparticles with controllable sizes and shapes, and assessment of their biodistribution profiles in cancer mouse models after systemic injection and ocular mouse models following subconjunctival injection.
Assessing aquifer storage and recovery feasibility in the Gulf Coastal Plains of Texas

Abstract Study region The Gulf Coast and Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer systems in the Gulf Coastal Plains of Texas. Study focus Aquifer storage and recovery is a water storage alternative that is underutilized in Texas, a state with both long periods of drought and high intensity storms. Future water storage plans in Texas almost exclusively rely on surface reservoirs, subject to high evaporative losses. This study seeks to identify sites where aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) may be successful, especially in recovery of injected waters, by analyzing publicly-available hydrogeologic data. Transmissivity, hydraulic gradient, well density, depth to aquifer, and depth to groundwater are used in a GIS-based index to determine feasibility of implementing an ASR system in the Gulf Coast and Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer systems. New hydrological insights for the region Large regions of the central and northern Gulf Coast and the central and southern Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer systems are expected to be hydrologically feasible regions for ASR. Corpus Christi, Victoria, San Antonio, Bryan, and College Station are identified as possible cities where ASR would be a useful water storage strategy.
Anticonvulsants in the treatment of bipolar disorder.

In the last decade, a proliferation of research has emerged concerning the use of somatic treatments with anticonvulsant properties, e.g., carbamazepine, valproate, clonazepam, oxcarbazepine, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), for patients with bipolar disorder. A sufficient number of controlled studies have been conducted to allow critical review of the evidence supporting the efficacy of these treatments for acute bipolar manic and depressive episodes, as well as for the prevention of subsequent episodes. Further research is needed to establish the prophylactic efficacy of anticonvulsants as maintenance therapies and, perhaps most importantly, to provide clinical and biological predictors of response.
Endoscopic ultrasound for staging gastric cancer

Although the incidence of gastric cancer is declining, it remains a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Prognosis in gastric cancer is highly correlated with tumor stage. Surgical therapy remains the definitive therapy. Accurate pre-operative staging is essential, especially in patients who may be marginal surgical candidates. Accurate staging also is of particular importance in early gastric cancer in which select lesions confined to the mucosa may be treated with local endoscopic mucosal resection. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) currently is the most accurate test in the local-regional staging of gastric cancer. Advanced gastric cancers should be staged with a combination of EUS and computed tomography (CT). Local therapy can be appropriately applied to early gastric cancers that have no nodal involvement and are limited to the muscularis mucosa. The additional use of EUS-fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for lymph nodes distant from the primary tumor may improve staging accuracy.
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Clinical Considerations

Abstract Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disabilities, which typically first appear in childhood and are characterized by significant difficulties in social, communicative, and behavioral functioning. Although no one single cause has been found, it is suspected that many etiologies have a common final pathway within early neurologic development. Bearing a diagnosis of an ASD typically causes an individual and his family difficult financial, emotional and, at times, physical burdens over the individual’s lifespan. New burdens are being experienced by state and federal agencies as communities seek ways to medically and financially support the increasing volume of adults with ASD. Consequently, research continues to better understand the complex process of ASD, to find disease-specific interventions, and better ways to enable communities to provide resources for families.
Selecting the Most Competent Embryo

With improvements in implantation potential, and the compelling need to reduce the likelihood of multiple pregnancies resulting from in vitro fertilization (IVF), efforts have continued to focus on developing methods to select the most competent embryo for transfer. For the first 15 years or so of human IVF, embryo selection methodologies exclusively involved morphological assessment of the embryo at a single time-point, immediately prior to transfer. Despite considerable efforts to define those characteristics predictive of high implantation potential, the implantation rate of selected embryos is typically only around 30%. More recent attempts to improve selection have assessed characteristics of the oocyte along with those of the embryo at specific times during culture in order to derive a cumulative score. However, these studies have led to conflicting results regarding the worth of cumulative scoring. These conflicting results are likely associated with various study limitations including small sample sizes, a preponderance of retrospective studies combined with variation in timing of evaluations and, in some cases, the use of transfer cohorts in which not all embryos have known implantation fate. While culture to the blastocyst stage has been used in attempts to improve selection, this approach is beneficial for only selected, good prognosis patients, and it is unlikely that even the best current culture media precisely mimic the uterine environment.
Blockchain-Empowered Secure Internet -of- Battlefield Things (IoBT) Architecture

Internet of Things (IoT) technology is emerging to advance the modern defense and warfare applications because the battlefield things, such as combat equipment, warfighters, and vehicles, can sense and disseminate information from the battlefield to enable real-time decision making on military operations and enhance autonomy in the battlefield. Since this Internet-of-Battlefield Things (IoBT) environment is highly heterogeneous in terms of devices, network standards, platforms, connectivity, and so on, it introduces trust, security, and privacy challenges when battlefield entities exchange information with each other. To address these issues, we propose a Blockchain-empowered auditable platform for IoBT and describe its architectural components, such as battlefield-sensing layer, network layer, and consensus and service layer, in depth. In addition to the proposed layered architecture, this paper also presents several open research challenges involved in each layer to realize the Blockchain-enabled IoBT platform.
Speaking welcome: A discursive analysis of an immigrant mentorship event in Atlantic Canada:

This article offers an analysis of a business mentorship event in Fredericton, NB, which targeted immigrants sponsored through the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP)—an economic revit...
Shedding light on a Group IV (ECF11) alternative σ factor.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of σ70 as a protein factor that was needed for bacterial RNA polymerase to accurately transcribe a promoter in vitro. It was 25 years later that the Group IV alternative σs were described as a distinct family of proteins related to σ70 . In the intervening time, there has been an ever-growing list of Group IV σs, numbers of genes they transcribe, insight into the diverse suite of processes they control, and appreciation for their impact on bacterial lifestyles. This work summarizes knowledge of the Rhodobacter sphaeroides σE -ChrR pair, a member of the ECF11 subfamily of Group IV alternative σs, in protecting cells from the reactive oxygen species, singlet oxygen. It describes lessons learned from analyzing ChrR, a zinc-dependent anti-σ factor, that are generally applicable to Group IV σs and relevant to the response to single oxygen. This MicroReview also illustrates insights into stress responses in this and other bacteria that have been acquired by analyzing or modeling the activity of the σE -ChrR across the bacterial phylogeny.
Minimum Price Increment, Competition for Liquidity Provision, and Price Discovery

This paper studies the effects of a recent tick size reduction in the U.S. Treasury securities market. We find significantly narrower bid-ask spreads, increased trading activity, improveddepth within one old tick despite lower overall market depth, and improved price efficiency.Moreover, slow traders become more competitive in liquidity provision and price improvement.Finally, high-frequency price discovery shifts to the smaller-tick cash market from the associatedfutures market, supporting the idea that a finer pricing grid allows traders to act promptly on even small information signals otherwise not profitable. Overall, we conclude that the tick sizereduction improves market quality.
Conclusion: Toward a New Cultural Politics for Spain

This concluding chapter addresses the scope of a cultural politics that is aware of the challenges we currently face. Instead of being a handicap, the authors believe the diversity of existing definitions and descriptions of the term “culture” opens the possibility of combining the knowledge attained by many disciplines. All aspects of human life are involved in cultural analysis, including life’s biological and ecological foundations. This is a challenge we need to assimilate, supplementing it with the necessary attention to time frames and geocultural units. Multiple temporalities interact with the manifoldness of sociospatial scales producing a great variety of power configurations that need to be explored empirically, particularly in terms of the degree of dispersion and overlap of subjective, economic, cultural and political power.
Projected Population Benefit of Increased Effectiveness and Coverage of Influenza Vaccination on Influenza Burden in the United States

Background Vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza; however, greater benefits could be achieved. To help guide research and policy agendas, we aimed to quantify the magnitude of influenza disease that would be prevented through targeted increases in vaccine effectiveness (VE) or vaccine coverage (VC). Methods For 3 influenza seasons (2011-12, 2015-16, and 2017-18), we used a mathematical model to estimate the number of prevented influenza-associated illnesses, medically attended illnesses, and hospitalizations across 5 age groups. Compared with estimates of prevented illness during each season, given observed VE and VC, we explored the number of additional outcomes that would have been prevented from a 5% absolute increase in VE or VC or from achieving 60% VE or 70% VC. Results During the 2017-18 season, compared with the burden already prevented by influenza vaccination, a 5% absolute VE increase would have prevented an additional 1 050 000 illnesses and 25 000 hospitalizations (76% among those aged ≥65 years), while achieving 60% VE would have prevented an additional 190 000 hospitalizations. A 5% VC increase would have resulted in 785 000 fewer illnesses (56% among those aged 18-64 years) and 11 000 fewer hospitalizations; reaching 70% would have prevented an additional 39 000 hospitalizations. Conclusions Small, attainable improvements in effectiveness or VC of the influenza vaccine could lead to substantial additional reductions in the influenza burden in the United States. Improvements in VE would have the greatest impact in reducing hospitalizations in adults aged ≥65 years, and VC improvements would have the largest benefit in reducing illnesses in adults aged 18-49 years.
Severity of illness and the weekend mortality effect: a retrospective cohort study.

Weekend admission to the hospital has been found to be associated with higher in-hospital mortality rates, but the cause for this phenomenon remains controversial. US based studies have been limited in their characterization of the weekend patient population, making it difficult to draw conclusions about the implications of this effect. A retrospective cohort study, examining de-identified, patient level data from 2015 to 2017 at US academic medical centers submitting data to the Vizient database, comparing demographic and clinical risk profiles, as well as mortality, cost and length of stay, between weekend and weekday patient populations. Between-group differences in mortality were assessed using the chi-square test for categorical measures and Wilcoxon rank-sum test for continuous measures. Logistic regression models were used to test the multivariate association of weekend admission and other patient-level factors with death, LOS, etc. We analyzed 10,365,605 adult inpatient encounters. Within the weekend patient population, 30.6% of patients were categorized as having either a major or extreme risk of mortality on admission, as compared to 23.7% on weekdays (p < 0.001). We found a significantly increased unadjusted mortality rate associated with weekend admission (OR 1.46; 95% CI 1.45–1.47) which was substantially attenuated after adjusting for disease severity and other demographic covariates, though remained significant (OR 1.05; 95% CI 1.04–1.06). In the subgroup of non-elective admissions, the unadjusted OR for death was 1.14 (95% CI 1.13–1.15), and the adjusted OR was 1.04 (95% CI 1.03–1.05). Weekend admission was associated with a longer median LOS (4 vs 3 days in the weekday group; p < 0.01), but a lower median cost ($8224 vs $9999 dollars in the weekday group; p < 0.01). The patient population admitted on weekends is proportionally higher risk than the population admitted on weekdays, and the observed weekend mortality effect is largely attributable to this risk imbalance.
Making Doctors Effective Managers and Leaders: A Matter of Health and Well-Being.

The COVID-19 crisis has forced physicians to make daily decisions that require knowledge and skills they did not acquire as part of their biomedical training. Physicians are being called upon to be both managers-able to set processes and structures-and leaders-capable of creating vision and inspiring action. Although these skills may have been previously considered as just nice to have, they are now as central to being a physician as physiology and biochemistry. While traditionally only selected physicians have received management training, either through executive or joint degree programs, the authors argue that the pandemic has highlighted the importance of all physicians learning management and leadership skills. Training should emphasize skills related to interpersonal management, systems management, and communication and planning; be seamlessly integrated into the medical curriculum alongside existing content; and be delivered by existing faculty with leadership experience. While leadership programs, such as the Pediatric Leadership for the UnderServed Program at the University of California, San Francisco, and the Clinical Process Improvement Leadership Program at Mass General Brigham, may include project work, instruction by clinical leaders, and content delivered over time, examples of leadership training that seamlessly blend biomedical and management training are lacking. The authors present the Leader and Leadership Education and Development curriculum used at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, which is woven through 4 years of medical school, as an example of leadership training that approximates many of the principles espoused here. The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched the logistical capabilities of health care systems and the entire United States, revealing that management and leadership skills-often viewed as soft skills-are a matter of life and death. Training all physicians in these skills will improve patient care, the well-being of the health care workforce, and health across the United States.
How First-Year College Women Construct Identity Through Cocurricular Involvement

This ethnographic study relies on a combination of participant observation and 43 in-depth interviews to explore how first-year college women construct identities in cocurricular settings. Findings...
Effect of air pollution on house prices: Evidence from sanctions on Iran

Abstract We analyze the causal effect of air pollution on Iran's housing market by exploiting increases in air pollution due to sanctions that targeted gasoline imports. In response to the sanctions, Iran converted petrochemical plants into refineries that produced low-quality gasoline, which led to a drastic and heterogeneous increase in air pollution across neighborhoods in Tehran. Using unique administrative data on Tehran's housing market, we estimate a fixed effects model that exploits this variation in air pollution and compares housing values within neighborhoods over time. We find that a 10 ​% increase in the outdoor concentration of nitrogen dioxide leads to a decrease in housing prices of around 0.6 ​%–0.8 ​%.
Pepsin Inhibitors from Ascaris lumbricoides PEPSIN-INHIBITOR COMPLEX: STOICHIOMETRY OF FORMATION, DISSOCIATION, AND STABILITY OF THE COMPLEX

Abstract Each of the four Ascaris pepsin inhibitors forms a stoichiometric complex with porcine pepsin between pH 2 and 5 with an apparent dissociation constant, Ki, of 10-10 m, when free pepsin was determined with hemoglobin, or 9.1 x 10-10 m when free pepsin was determined with N-acetyl-l-phenylalanyl-l-diiodotyrosine. Each inhibitor forms a stoichiometric complex with human pepsin and with porcine gastricsin with dissociation constants for the complexes of the order of 10-9 m but does not react with human gastricsin. All of the inhibitors delayed milk-clotting activity of porcine pepsin at pH 5.3. The pepsin-inhibitor complex forms between pH 2 and 5 in less than 20 s and is completely dissociated in 30 min at pH 8.8 and 37°. The fully active inhibitor is recovered at low pH, but pepsin is denatured. No evidence could be obtained to suggest that the inhibition of pepsin by these Ascaris inhibitors is a recognizable case of "temporary inhibition."
Late-Quaternary climate in the Ridge and Valley of Virginia, U.S.A.: Changes in vegetation and depositional environment. A contribution to the 'North Atlantic seaboard programme' of IGCP-253, 'Termination of the Pleistocene'

Abstract Browns Pond, Virginia, in the Ridge and Valley physiographic province, contains a record of changing vegetational and depositional environments that dates to 17,130 BP. Six cores were retrieved in a transect of the pond. Pollen and macrofossils were identified from the longest central core and a series of AMS radiocarbon dates obtained from identified macrofossils and sediment. The pollen and macrofossil record combined with laterally consistent changes in lithostratigraphy reveal a changing climate. From 17,300 to 14,100 BP, a closed boreal forest of Pinus-Picea-Abies grew at the site. Pinus dominates the pollen assemblage while Picea and Abies dominate the macrofossil assemblage. Subtle increases in more thermophilous and mesophytic taxa indicate gradual climate amelioration after the full-glacial. A marked increase in Alnus at 14,100 BP signals an increase in moisture, possibly related to the global evidence for rapid climate change at 14,000 BP. At this central Appalachian site, Abies and Alnus are found in relatively greater amounts in the late-glacial forest than previous studies indicated. Low organic contents and evidence of gleyed conditions, seen in the core transect from 10,000 to 8000 BP, point towards low-water levels in the early Holocene—approximately coincident with the expansion of Quercus .
Separating the wheat from the chaff: practical anomaly detection schemes in ecological applications of distributed sensor networks

We develop a practical, distributed algorithm to detect events, identify measurement errors, and infer missing readings in ecological applications of wireless sensor networks. To address issues of non-stationarity in environmental data streams, each sensor-processor learns statistical distributions of differences between its readings and those of its neighbors, as well as between its current and previous measurements. Scalar physical quantities such as air temperature, soil moisture, and light flux naturally display a large degree of spatiotemporal coherence, which gives a spectrum of fluctuations between adjacent or consecutive measurements with small variances. This feature permits stable estimation over a small state space. The resulting probability distributions of differences, estimated online in real time, are then used in statistical significance tests to identify rare events. Utilizing the spatio-temporal distributed nature of the measurements across the network, these events are classified as single mode failures - usually corresponding to measurement errors at a single sensor - or common mode events. The event structure also allows the network to automatically attribute potential measurement errors to specific sensors and to correct them in real time via a combination of current measurements at neighboring nodes and the statistics of differences between them. Compared to methods that use Bayesian classification of raw data streams at each sensor, this algorithm is more storage-efficient, learns faster, and is more robust in the face of non-stationary phenomena. Field results from a wireless sensor network (Sensor Web) deployed at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge are presented.