cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Collaboration Policy Generation in Dynamic Collaborative SOA

Governance by policies is an important feature in service-oriented architecture (SOA). This paper introduces a collaboration policy generation technique to govern dynamic collaboration in SOA systems. Dynamic collaboration allows two parties not knowing each other establish their collaboration protocol at runtime. Traditional SOA allows parties to collaborate but with a known collaboration protocol before execution. In dynamic collaboration, as collaboration protocols will be negotiated and determined at runtime, policies need to be generated at runtime to manage the interaction. This paper presents the concepts, architecture, and illustrative examples that demonstrate the dynamic collaboration policy generation technique
Progestin inhibits and thrombin stimulates the plasminogen activator/inhibitor system in term decidual stromal cells: implications for parturition.

Objective Labor is associated with ‘decidual activation' with increased proteolysis and extracellular matrix degradation. The balance between plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and urokinase (uPA) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is an important determinant of proteolytic activity at the maternal-fetal interface. Thrombin released at the time of placental abruption (decidual hemorrhage) is known to promote decidual proteolysis and uterine contractions. This study investigates the separate and interactive effects of steroid hormones and thrombin on PAI-1, uPA, and tPA expression by term decidual cells (DCs). Study Design Term DCs were isolated by enzymatic digestion, purified, and depleted of leukocytes. Cells were treated with estradiol (10 −8 mol [E2]), medroxyprogesterone acetate (10 −7 mol [MPA]), both, or vehicle for 7 days. After 24-hour incubation with or without thrombin (0.1-2.5 U/mL), levels of PAI-1, uPA, and tPA in conditioned supernatant were measured by specific ELISA and Western blotting. Levels of PAI-1 and uPA mRNA were measured by quantitative RT-PCR. Results In the cultured term DCs, ELISA measurements indicated that basal output of PAI-1 was about 2 logs higher than that of either uPA or tPA (2.5 ± 0.7 ng/mL per μg protein, 13.4 ± 6.3 pg/mL per μg protein, and 25.4 ± 10.8 pg/mL per μg protein, respectively). Although E2 alone did not affect PAI-1 output, MPA and E2+MPA significantly enhanced PAI-1 production (2.5 ± 0.7 vs 8.2 ± 2.0 ng/mL per μg protein for E2+MPA [3.3-fold]; P P Conclusion Progestin enhanced PAI-1 and inhibited uPA expression by term DCs, which may explain in part the pregnancy-prolonging properties of progesterone as a consequence of inhibited proteolytic activity at the maternal-fetal interface. Thrombin augmented PAI-1 expression in the absence of increased uPA or tPA expression by term DCs, suggesting that abruption-associated decidual proteolysis and preterm labor is mediated primarily by thrombin-enhanced matrix metalloproteinase expression rather than an indirect effect on the plasminogen activator/inhibitor system.
The impact of five potential institutional barriers on park visitation

Much of the work on constraints in the park and recreation field has concentrated on structural constraints. However, relatively little has been reported on the sub-set of structural constraints that have been termed institutional constraints, i.e. practices of agencies that may contribute to inhibiting participation. This study examined the impact of five potential institutional constraints to park use. It used a probability sample of 458 residents in a city of 90,000. Results showed that no significant relationship existed between park use and traffic around a park; being well informed about neighborhood park plans; and communication with park leaders. The results suggested that these three potential institutional constraints were not impediments to park use in this community. There was a significant relationship between level of park use and perceived level of information about park facilities and recreation programs (p = 0.01) and to a lesser extent (p = 0.07) with perceptions of parks being well main...
PHASE-REFERENCED VERY LONG BASELINE ARRAY OBSERVATIONS OF OH MASERS AT 4765 MHz

We report Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of maser emission from the rotationally excited 2 � 1=2; J ¼ 1=2 state of OH at 4765 MHz. We made phase-referenced observations of W3(OH) at both 4765 and 1720 MHz and found emission in three fields within a � 2000 AU diameter region and verified that in two of the three fields, 4765 and 1720 MHz emission arise from the same position to within � 4 mas (� 8 AU). We imaged DR 21EX without phase referencing and detected six � 5 AU diameter emission regions along an approximately north-south arc with linear extent � 500 AU. In addition, we carried out phase-referenced observations of 4765 MHz emission from K3-50. We searched for the 4765 MHz line in W49 (without phase referencing) and W75N (phase-referenced to the strongest 4765 MHz maser feature in DR 21EX); we were unable to detect these sources with the VLBA. For 2 1 years (including the dates of the VLBA observations), we carried out monitoring observations of 4765 MHz emission with the Very Lary Array. Constraints on models for maser emission at 1720 and 4765 MHz are derived from the observations. These observations are then briefly compared with existing models. Subject headings: masers — techniques: interferometric — radio lines: general
Embryonic wound healing: A primer for engineering novel therapies for tissue repair

Scar is the default tissue repair used by the body in response to most injuries-a response that occurs in wounds ranging in seriousness from minor skin cuts to complete severance of the spinal cord. By contrast, before the third trimester of pregnancy embryonic mammals tend to heal without scarring due to a variety of mechanisms and factors that are uniquely in operation during development in utero. The goal of tissue engineering is to develop safe and clinically effective biological substitutes that restore, maintain, or improve tissue function in patients. This review provides a comparative overview of wound healing during development and maturation and seeks to provide a perspective on just how much the embryo may be able teach us in the engineering of new therapies for tissue repair.
Adaptive, or Stationary-Phase, Mutagenesis, a Component of Bacterial Differentiation in Bacillus subtilis

Adaptive (stationary-phase) mutagenesis occurs in the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Furthermore, taking advantage of B. subtilis as a paradigm for the study of prokaryotic differentiation and development, we have shown that this type of mutagenesis is subject to regulation involving at least two of the genes that are involved in the regulation of post-exponential phase prokaryotic differentiation, i.e., comA and comK. On the other hand, a functional RecA protein was not required for this type of mutagenesis. The results seem to suggest that a small subpopulation(s) of the culture is involved in adaptive mutagenesis and that this subpopulation(s) is hypermutable. The existence of such a hypermutable subpopulation(s) raises important considerations with respect to evolution, the development of specific mutations, the nature of bacterial populations, and the level of communication among bacteria in an ecological niche.
Preparation of Perovskite Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)03 Using Pb3Nb208 and MgO

The synthesis of perovskite Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 from an equimolar mixture of Pb3Nb208 and MgO was studied by solid-state reaction techniques. An addition of 1 wt% excess MgO to the stoichiometric composition enhances the formation of the cubic perovskite phase. The absence of free PbO in the initial starting materials minimizes the volatilization loss during firing, thereby reducing the possibility of any compositional change and resulting in a substantial improvement of the perovskite phase purity over the conventional mixed-oxide processing.
Schur multipliers of some sporadic simple groups

Abstract We determine the Schur multipliers of several of the sporadic simple groups, and in one case get an upper bound. The groups treated are those of Held, Suzuki, Fischer, and Conway.
Improving TCP Performance in Mobile Ad hoc Networks

The performance of transport layer protocols will be a key factor in the successful extension of Internet applications and services to mobile ad hoc networks. The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is the most commonly used transport protocol for the Internet [33], so providing a high level of TCP performance in MANETs is of particular importance. While TCP has been extensively tuned for wireline networks, in its current form TCP does not perform well when used in MANETs. In this chapter, we investigate ways to improve TCP performance in MANETs.
Substrate availability drives spatial patterns in richness of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in temperate forest soils

Abstract We sought to investigate the drivers of richness of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) in temperate forest soils. We sampled soils across four experimental watersheds in the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, North Carolina USA. These watersheds are geographically close, but vary in soil chemistry due to differences in land use history. While we found a positive relationship between soil pH and AOB richness in the soils we sampled, we provide evidence that this relationship is driven by the effects of soil pH on the availability of NH3, which is the substrate that is directly oxidized by AOB. Conversely, AOA richness responded to NH4+, which these organisms may access directly from the environment. Our results provide evidence that substrate availability may be a dominant driver of both AOA and AOB richness at local scales in forest soils.
An Investigation of Problem Formulation Comprehensiveness on Solution Novelty and Elegance in Team Collaboration

Multifarious problems present an ongoing challenge for organizations. Indeed, many of the important strategic problems facing organizations demonstrate complexity, interdependence, and are ill defined. Comprehensive problem formulation has been suggested as one way to enhance the generation of value-creating solutions to wicked problems. While proponents of this perspective highlight the value-creating advantages of increasing the number of problem formulations, few studies have empirically demonstrated its effect in a virtual team context. This study examines how comprehensive problem formulation influences the degree of novelty and value of solutions to complex problems in virtual team collaborations.
Noise in semiconductor diode lasers

Since the late 1970s, there has been considerable interest in using semiconductor sources in various forms of fiber-optic systems. This trend has not only been driven by the small-size low-power requirements, ruggedness, and (potential) low cost of these devices but by some of the intrinsic properties of these devices. These device parameters include short coherence length for gyro applications, single-frequency operation, frequency modulation capability for demodulating interferometric outputs, as well as ease of fiber-optic pigtailing to both conventional and polarization preserving fibers. However, these semiconductor devices also have a substantial 1/f noise contribution in the frequency regime below ~1 MHz. Many interesting feedback phenomena have also been noted including effects from fiber scattering. In this paper, the noise properties of semiconductor devices and these devices coupled to fiber systems will be reviewed.
Constriction, Aggression, and Assertive Training:

Pearsonian correlations were obtained between indices of motor and attitudinal aggression and Bates-Zimmerman constriction scores for 17 psychiatric patients selected for assertive training. Constriction appeared negatively related to motor components of aggression (assault, verbal aggression) but unrelated to attitudinal hostility.
Medical Technology Internship Matching Program of Michigan

Disparity in application procedures and acceptance dates for medical technology internships in Michigan led to confusion for students, advisors and hospital personnel. The key to solving the problem was to unify the colleges/universities and hospitals on these issues. This article describes the processes that led to unification and the development of a computerized system of matching medical technology students with available internships. This system has proven to be extremely successful and carries implications for expanded utilization in allied health fields other than medical technology.
Bubble Evolution and Growth in Fluids under Vacuum

Formation of vapor and gas bubbles and voids is normal and expected in flow processes involving extremely viscous fl uids in normal gravity. This paper is a follow -up of our previous paper AIAA 2009-1147. In that paper we reported on the effects of bubbles in extremely viscous fluids are epoxy-like filler materials before the epoxy fluids cure to their permanent form to create a mechanical bond between two substrates. When these fluids with a free liquid interface are exposed to vacuum, a rapid bubble expansion process may ensue. Bubble expansion might compromise the mechanical bond strength. In this paper, we use computational fluid dynamics to understand the bubble growth dynamics in constricted containers. The present analysis can be used to explain previous experiment data which deviated from Rayleigh-Plesset model. Nomenclature l = density of the liquid μ = liquid viscosity R = instantaneous radius of the bubble  = gas/liquid surface tension P = pressure of the gas inside the bubble P∞ = pressure in the liquid Ro = radius of the bubble at steady state Pi = initial pressure Ri = initial radius of the gas bubble I. Introduction Formation of vapor and gas bubbles and voids is normal and expected in flow processes involving fluids in normal gravity. In space and microgravity, the presence of bubbles in fluids may cause problems like bubble expansion especially when the fluid involved is intended to be an adhesive joining two solid materials upon bonding. On earth bubbles are widely used in industries where gas-liquid columns are important especially in chemical, petrochemical and biochemical industries. Important applications include oxidation processes, fermentation and waste water management. At times, bubbles are required for increasing the mixing processes as well as increasing the interfacial area between the phases leading to improved heat and mass transfer characteristics without the use of moving parts. In our previous studies, we determined analytically the bubble volume fraction that can be produced from different potential sources. We used experimentally methods to determine the dynamics of bubble expansion. In the present study, we have used numerical experiments to analyze bubble expansion under vacuum. The present study describes methods used to predict the behavior of gas and/or vapor bubbles in a fluid when the ambient pressure suddenly changes to vacuum. The study may be used to understand bubble distribution and void formation during the dispensing and precuring stages of epoxy-like adhesives in microgravity under vacuum. The following potential sources were identified for the origin of the gases, that encompass process variables as well as inherent phenomena in the curing process: (i) incomplete out-gassing, (ii) re-gasification due to leakage and off-gassing, (iii) leakage of pressurized gases used in the dispensing of the fluid, (iv) introduction of gases from other components required for adhesive bond strengthening, (v) volatiles evolved from cure reaction products (for example ethanol). Whereas voids and
Single-Molecule Interfacial Electron Transfer Dynamics of Porphyrin on TiO2 Nanoparticles: Dissecting the Complex Electronic Coupling Dependent Dynamics

The photosensitized interfacial electron transfer (ET) dynamics of the zinc(II)–5,10,15,20-tetra(3-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (m-ZnTCPP)–TiO2 nanoparticle (NP) system has been studied using single-molecule photon-stamping spectroscopy. The single-molecule fluorescence intensity trajectories of m-ZnTCPP on TiO2 NP surface show fluctuations and blinking between bright and dark states, which are attributed to the variations in the reactivity of interfacial ET, i.e., intermittent interfacial electron transfer dynamics. Comparing the results with that from our earlier studied p-ZnTCPP–TiO2 nanoparticle system, we show the effect of anchoring group binding geometry (meta or para), hence electronic coupling of sensitizer (m-/p-ZnTCPP) and TiO2 substrate, on interfacial ET dynamics. Compared to p-ZnTCPP on TiO2 NP surface, with m-ZnTCPP, dark states are observed to dominate in single-molecule fluorescence intensity trajectories. This observation coupled with the large difference in lifetime derived from bright and d...
F39@@@EVALUATION OF SELECTED AT-PLANT LIQUID IN-FURROW AND FOLIAR-APPLIED INSECTICIDES FOR CONTROL OF THRIPS IN COTTON, 2011

Selected insecticides applied as a liquid into the seed furrow at planting and foliar treatments were evaluated for control of thrips in cotton. ‘PHY 499 WRF’ cotton was planted 2 May at the Virginia Tech Tidewater Agric. Res. & Ext. Ctr., Suffolk, VA, using 36inch row spacing. Liquid in-furrow (IF) Admire Pro and Verimark treatments were applied into the seed furrow at 5 gpa using a microtube mounted between the disc openers, pressurized by CO2 at 51 psi. Foliar Benevia and Orthene treatments were broadcast at first true leaf stage (BC @ 1 tl) on 20 May with a CO2-pressurized backpack sprayer at 14.3 gpa and 16.8 psi through 8002VS nozzles spaced 18 inches apart on the spray boom. A RCBD was used with 4 replicates; plots were 4 rows by 35 ft. Thrips injury to plants was determined by visually rating injury using a 0 to 5 scale, where 0=no thrips induced plant injury, 1=10% injured leaves, no bud injury; 2=25% injured leaves, no bud injury; 3=75% injured leaves, and 0 to 25% buds injured; 4=90% injured leaves, and greater than 25% buds injured; and 5=dead plants. Thrips counts were taken from selected treatments on four dates by collecting five plants per plot in Mason jars containing approximately 500 ml soapy water. Thrips were counted under a stereoscope following suction filtration. Yield was determined by harvesting 2 rows of each plot (70 row ft) using a commercial 2-row cotton picker. Sub-samples were ginned to determine lint versus seed and trash weight (42.1% lint, 57.9% seed and trash). Data were analyzed using ANOVA and LSD statistical procedures.
Inspired by Princess Isabelle

Gerson first fully embraced the feminine and embodied subject position implied by the university’s royally granted title, the Daughter of the King, in the course of defending the university’s rights during the summer of 1404. That summer, violence broke out between members of a university procession and the household of a well-connected member of the king’s council. In an characteristically aggressive attempt to assert its privileges, the university sought the punishment of this highly-placed aristocrat, Duke Charles of Savoisy, in addition to the punishment of the members of his household who were directly involved in the violence.1
Enantioselective Aza-Sakurai Cyclizations: Dual Role of Thiourea as H-Bond Donor and Lewis Base

An enantioselective, catalytic aza-Sakurai cyclization of chlorolactams has been developed as an efficient entry into indolizidine and quinolizidine frameworks. Structure-enantioselectivity relationship studies and mechanistic analysis point to a dual role of the catalyst wherein the thiourea moiety of the catalyst is engaged in both anion binding and Lewis base activation of a substrate.
Abstract 4888: Clinical sequencing in the National Institute of Health's Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research (CSER) Program

To evaluate best uses of and support the integration of genomic sequencing into the clinical workflow, the National Human Genome Research Institute and National Cancer Institute co-fund the Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research (CSER) project. This initiative aims to 1) leverage NHGRI9s experience in genomic sequencing and analysis to facilitate adoption of these methods into patient care, 2) develop and disseminate best practices for the integration of genomic sequencing into clinical care, and 3) research the ethical, legal, and psychosocial (ELSI) implications of bringing broad genomic data into the clinic. The CSER Consortium includes nine multi-disciplinary projects, nine ELSI-specific projects, a Coordinating Center and NHGRI9s Intramural ClinSeq program. Four of the multi-disciplinary projects and one ELSI project have a specific focus on cancer settings and outcomes: CanSeq (Dana-Farber Cancer Inst.), BASIC3 (Baylor College of Med.), ONCOSEQ (Univ. of Michigan), and NEXT Medicine (Univ. of Washington) are developing robust frameworks for the integration of whole exome sequencing (WXS) in tumor and germline samples. By measuring the effectiveness of novel platforms for returning results, analyzing the costs and benefits of using sequencing technology to identify rare variants, and evaluating patient experiences, these projects will help define best practices for incorporating WXS into cancer management. As of August 2014, these projects had collected WXS data from 415 patients (269 adults and 146 children). The CSER consortium also has nine working groups that strive to advance best practices and communicate lessons learned to the community regarding the use of genomic sequence data in the clinical workflow. The Tumor Working Group explores the unique technical, interpretive, and ethical challenges involved in clinical sequencing of both somatic and germline cancer genomes. This presentation will highlight progress to date, anticipated products and results, and the relationship between these cancer sequencing projects and broader CSER consortium efforts. Citation Format: Catherine Crawford, Charlisse Caga-Anan, Dave Kaufman, Alexander Lee, Jean Mcewen, Sheri Schully, Carolyn Hutter, Lucia Hindorff. Clinical sequencing in the National Institute of Health9s Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research (CSER) Program. [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 4888. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4888
Understanding the Differences in Hemispherical Dome and Biaxial Test During Equi-Biaxial Tension on Cruciform

One metal manufacturing process which uses thousands of processes to trim, stretch, draw, bend etc. under a big umbrella is sheet metal forming. Using heavy equipment, the sheet metal parts are deformed into complex geometries. The complexity in these parts produces multi-axial stress and strain, a state for which it is critical to analyze using conventional tools. Traditionally, the mechanical properties of materials have been characterized using the uniaxial tension test. This test is considered adequate for simple forming operations where single axis loading is dominant. Previous studies, however, have noted that the data acquired from this type of testing is not enough and additional details in other axes under simultaneous deformation conditions are important. To analyze the biaxial strain, some studies have suggested using the limiting dome height test and bulge test. However, these tests limit the extent of using multi-axial loading and the resulting stress pattern due to contact surfaces. Therefore, researchers devised the biaxial machine which is designed specifically to provide biaxial stress components using multiple and varying loading conditions.The idea of this work is to evaluate the relationship between the dome test data and the biaxial test data. For this comparison, cruciform specimens with a diamond shaped thinner gage in the center were deformed with biaxial stretching on the biaxial testing machine. In addition, the cruciform specimens were bi-axially stretched with a hemispherical punch in a conventional die-punch setting. Furthermore, in each case, the process was simulated using a 3D model generated on ABAQUS. These models were then compared with the experimental results. The forces on each arm, strain path, forming and formability was analyzed. The differences between the processes were detailed. It was found that biaxial tests eliminated the pressurization effect which could be found in hemispherical dome tests.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Antibiotics reduce genetic diversity of core species in the honeybee gut microbiome.

The gut microbiome plays a key role in animal health, and perturbing it can have detrimental effects. One major source of perturbation to microbiomes, in humans and human-associated animals, is exposure to antibiotics. Most studies of how antibiotics affect the microbiome have used amplicon sequencing of highly conserved 16S rRNA sequences, as in a recent study showing that antibiotic treatment severely alters the species-level composition of the honeybee gut microbiome. But because the standard 16S rRNA-based methods cannot resolve closely related strains, strain-level changes could not be evaluated. To address this gap, we used amplicon sequencing of protein-coding genes to assess effects of antibiotics on fine-scale genetic diversity of the honeybee gut microbiota. We followed the population dynamics of alleles within two dominant core species of the bee gut community, Gilliamella apicola and Snodgrassella alvi, following antibiotic perturbation. Whereas we observed a large reduction of genetic diversity in G. apicola, S. alvi diversity was mostly unaffected. The reduction of G. apicola diversity accompanied an increase in the frequency of several alleles, suggesting resistance to antibiotic treatment. We find that antibiotic perturbation can cause major shifts in diversity, and that the extent of these shifts can vary substantially across species. Thus, antibiotics impact not only species composition, but also allelic diversity within species, potentially affecting hosts if variants with particular functions are reduced or eliminated. Overall, we show that amplicon sequencing of protein-coding genes, without clustering into operational taxonomic units (OTUs), provides an accurate picture of the fine-scale dynamics of microbial communities over time.
Building and Being a Community Control

“In the end, Luciano triumphantly asserted, ‘We’re building our own community. Don’t fuck with us. It’s as simple as that.’”—Wanzer-Serrano 131The epigraph—a quotation buried deep within chapter 4—...
Reporting and Non-Reporting Incentives in Leasing

ABSTRACT This study sheds light on the extent to which the use of operating leases depends on reporting incentives, such as understating liabilities, and non-reporting incentives that partly arise ...
(194) Epidermal Axon Changes in Patients with Prediabetes: The PACMAN Study

Pain is a tremendous health care burden associated with prediabetes and diabetes. However, not everyone with prediabetes or diabetes develops pain and the factors that increase susceptibility to painful neuropathy remain elusive. The epidermis is innervated by both peptidergic and nonpeptidergic axons and our studies in mice reveal that mechanical allodynia induced by consuming a high fat diet increases peptidergic epidermal axons. We hypothesize that patients with prediabetes and painful neuropathy have an abnormal proportion of epidermal peptidergic axons. We are carrying out an ongoing clinical study in which patients are recruited into 3 groups based on their metabolic status: 1) normal (n=6), 2) prediabetes (n=7), or 3) prediabetes with neuropathic symptoms (n=5). Metabolic status (healthy vs. prediabetic) is determined using the 2016 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Guidelines associated with A1c (5.7-6.4%), fasting glucose (100-125 mg/dl), or oral glucose tolerance (140-199 mg/dl). Data (vitals, demographic, social/lifestyle, medical history) is collected, and fasting patients undergo a blood draw (insulin, lipid panel, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and HBA1c) and a glucose tolerance test and to identify their metabolic status. In a second visit, patients undergo a clinical evaluation of their sensory status (Brief Pain Inventory for Diabetic Neuropathy (BPI-DPN), Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument, Utah Early Neuropathy Scale) and an ankle skin biopsy is obtained to quantify intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD). PGP 9.5 is used to identify all axons, and TrkA+ fibers are used to identify peptidergic axons. Our primary analysis will compare differences in peptidergic fiber measures to neuropathy symptoms among the 3 groups. Our goal is to identify risk factors that modify peripheral innervation and increase the risk of pain associated with neuropathy. The status of this ongoing clinical study will be presented at the meeting and include discussions of the translational approaches driving this clinical study.
Increased baseline ECG R-R dispersion predicts improvement in systolic function after atrial fibrillation ablation.

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction which may improve after AF ablation. We hypothesised that increased ventricular irregularity, as measured by R-R dispersion on the baseline ECG, would predict improvement in the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) after AF ablation. Methods Patients with LVEF 7.5%. Multivariable logistic regression (restricted to echocardiographic/ECG variables) was performed to evaluate predictors of LVEF improvement. Results Fifty-two patients were included in this study. LVEF improved in 30 patients (58%) and was unchanged/worsened in 22 patients (42%). Those with versus without LVEF improvement had an increased baseline R-R dispersion (645±155 ms vs 537±154 ms, p=0.02, respectively). The average baseline heart rate in all patients was 93 beats per minute. After multivariable logistic regression, increased R-R dispersion (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.55, p=0.03) predicted LVEF improvement. Conclusions Increased R-R dispersion on ECG was independently associated with improved systolic function after AF ablation. This broadens the existing knowledge of arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy, demonstrating that irregular electrical activation (as measured by increased R-R dispersion on ECG) is associated with a cardiomyopathy capable of improving after AF ablation.
Dehydration and Estrous Staging in the Rat Larynx: an in vivo Prospective Investigation.

Summary Objective This novel study sought to untangle the association between hydration state and the estrous cycle in the vocal folds, since the voice is reported to negatively change in speakers during the estrous cycle and with dehydration. We hypothesized that there would be alterations in vocal fold tissue morphology depending on hydration state and that these changes would vary with the estrous cycle. Study Design Prospective, in vivo study design. Methods Female Sprague Dawley rats (n = 30) were used in this study. Sixteen rats were systemically dehydrated to an average of 10% reduction in body weight by withholding water (range of body weight loss: 8%–13%). Fourteen rats were assigned to euhydrated, control condition. Estrous stage of female Sprague Dawley rats (n = 30) was determined via cytological evaluation of vaginal smears. Following euthanization, larynges were prepared for histological staining with hematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome and alcian blue (pH 2.5). To quantify hyaluronan, alcian blue staining was completed pre- and posthyaluronidase incubation. The change in staining percent was quantified with image analysis algorithms and reported as the hyaluronan quantity. Relative collagen distribution (index of dehydration), hyaluronan quantity, and tissue morphology were the outcome measures. Results Systemic dehydration was associated with changes in hyaluronan quantity in the rat vocal fold lamina propria. Dehydration did not significantly affect the collagen distribution nor the tissue morphology. Estrous stage alone does not impact the quantity of vocal fold hyaluronan, alter tissue morphology, or change collagen distribution. Conclusion Decreases in hyaluronan quantity in the lamina propria of the rat vocal fold may play a role in tissue fluid balance during systemic dehydration. Future studies will expand this work to investigate additional components of the vocal fold extracellular matrix to fully elucidate the impact of hydration state on the vocal fold.
Oral Health Behavior Change in Mexican-American Caregivers: A Community-Based Intervention Study

An oral health prevention intervention was conducted with Mexican-American (MA) caregivers, focused on improving their oral health knowledge, behavior, and self-efficacy. Five in-person intervention sessions were conducted with caregivers, followed by a 15 min skill-building exercise. A goal-setting sheet was provided, and two goals were chosen for fulfilment during the three month intervention period. The data on parental oral health knowledge, behavior, and self-efficacy were collected pre- and post-intervention using a portion of Basic Factors Research Questionnaire (BRFQ). Paired t-tests were conducted to test significant differences in the means of pre- and post-intervention oral health behavior, knowledge, and self-efficacy scores, and pre- and post-intervention individual item scores. Forty six primary caregivers were enrolled. There were significant differences in the means of pre- and post-intervention oral health knowledge (p = 0.003), oral health behavior (p = 0.0005), and self-efficacy scores (p = 0.001). The individual item mean scores showed that there was a significant increase in the number of times caregivers checked for spots (p = 0.016) and a significant decrease in the consumption of sweet or sugary drinks (p = 0.032) post-intervention. Most of the caregivers believed that cavities were caused by germs in the mouth (p = 0.001), sharing utensils with children was bad for their teeth (p < 0.001), and fluoride toothpaste was best for a child’s teeth (p < 0.001). The intervention resulted in improved caregiver oral health knowledge, behavior, and self-efficacy.
Improved Terahertz Effective Media Models for Mixtures of Polar Liquids

We present two improved mixed media models for solutions of polar liquids in the THz regime. Simple effective media models do not consider intermolecular interactions or hydrogen bond network distributions in polar liquid solutions, and therefore yield inaccurate estimates of the effective dielectric functions. We present two new models: a volumetric modification to the Bruggeman equation and an effective time constant calculation in Debye-like relaxations. Furthermore, we will discuss the limitations of each model in predicting the dielectric functions.
Association Discrimination Under the Americans with Disabilities Act: Another Uphill Battle for Potential Ada Plaintiffs

This article discusses the association provision of the ADA, which gives plaintiffs a cause of action when they are discriminated against because of an association or relationship with a disabled individual. Typical plaintiffs in this situation include the spouses, caregivers and advocates for disabled patients. Although President Bush praised the ADA as a "landmark" piece of legislation, it has accomplished practically nothing to help association plaintiffs seeking relief from their employers.In almost all association cases, plaintiffs' claims have fallen well before trial on the merits. The article discusses how various association claims under the ADA have failed, but similar claims under the FMLA and ERISA have proven at least somewhat successful. The author suggests these statutes - as well as state anti-discrimination laws - as avenues for bringing future association claims.
Effects of Self-Recording for On-Task and Academic Responding: A Long Term Analysis.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the immediate and long term effects of self-recording for on-task responding. Data were taken for both on-task and accuracy of performance in handwri...
Parenting Stress Moderates the Relation between Parental Trauma Exposure and Child Anxiety Symptoms

Trauma exposure can lead to poor psychological health not only for those directly affected, but also for their children. Additional research is needed to understand mechanisms in the intergenerational sequelae of traumatic stress. The current study examined parenting stress as a moderator of the association between parents’ lifetime trauma exposure and school-aged children’s internalizing symptoms (N = 139 dyads). Results of multiple regression analyses showed that the relationships between parental trauma exposure and child separation anxiety and harm avoidance were significant when parenting stress was moderate to high, but not when parenting stress was low. Parental trauma exposure was not significantly associated with child depressive symptoms. Clinical implications include the importance of screening and addressing parents’ trauma exposure and parenting stress in the context of child and family mental health services. Further research is needed to explicate the mechanisms linking parents’ trauma exposure with child anxiety symptoms.
Through the looking glass: Reflections of a writing scholar

The Acquired Wisdom series provides veteran academics, like myself, a soapbox from which to brandish their accomplishments, failures, and lessons they presumably learned. It can be foolish and maybe a tad dangerous to offer an old dog a platform from which to bark. But here we are. I will try my best not to be dangerous. I make no promises about folly and banality. Start at the Beginning In the 1951 movie, Alice in Wonderland , the March Hare and the Mad Hatter give advice about how to tell a story – simply put: “Start at the beginning.” So here we go. (Hopefully the folly meter is not ticking upward yet.)
What are We Measuring? Evaluations of Items Measuring Task Performance, Organizational Citizenship, Counterproductive, and Withdrawal Behaviors

This study investigated whether the items on commonly used scales measuring task performance, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), counterproductive work behavior (CWB), and work withdrawal w...
Developmental Programming: Prenatal Testosterone Excess on Liver and Muscle Coding and Non-Coding RNA in Female Sheep.

Prenatal testosterone (T)-treated female sheep manifest peripheral insulin resistance, ectopic lipid accumulation and insulin signaling disruption in liver and muscle. This study investigated transcriptional changes and transcriptome signature of prenatal T excess-induced hepatic and muscle-specific metabolic disruptions. Genome-wide coding and non-coding (nc) RNA expression in liver and muscle from 21-month-old prenatal T-treated (T propionate 100mg intramuscular twice weekly from days 30 to 90 of gestation; Term: 147 days) and control females were compared. Prenatal T (1) induced differential expression of mRNAs in liver (15 down, 17 up) and muscle (66 down, 176 up) (FDR 0.5); (2) downregulated mitochondrial pathway genes in liver and muscle; (3) downregulated hepatic lipid catabolism and PPAR signaling gene pathways; (4) modulated ncRNA metabolic processes gene pathway in muscle and (5) downregulated 5 uncharacterized long ncRNA (lncRNA) in the muscle but no ncRNA changes in the liver. Correlation analysis showed downregulation of lncRNAs LOC114112974 and LOC105607806 was associated with decreased TPK1, and LOC114113790 with increased ZNF470 expression. Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures Discriminant Analysis identified mRNAs HADHA and SLC25A45, and miRNAs MIR154A, MIR25 and MIR487B in liver and ARIH1 and ITCH and miRNAs MIR369, MIR10A and MIR10B in muscle as potential biomarkers of prenatal T-excess. These findings suggest downregulation of mitochondria, lipid catabolism, and PPAR signaling genes in liver and dysregulation of mitochondrial and ncRNA gene pathways in muscle are contributors of lipotoxic and insulin resistant hepatic and muscle phenotype. Gestational T excess programming of metabolic dysfunctions involve tissue-specific ncRNA modulated transcriptional changes.
Active Feedback Controller Design for a Thin Airfoil

In this paper we study the problem of active feedback controller design for a thin airfoil, whose mathematical model is derived from classical Theodorsen's formulation. A finite dimensional controller stabilizing the original infinite dimensional model is obtained using H? control techniques. We also consider the gust alleviation problem, and show that it can be formulated as a disturbance attenuation problem in the mixed H2/H? control framework. We use existing results on H? and mixed H2/H? control to illustrate our approach with a numerical example.
War Correspondents, the Military, and Propaganda: Some Critical Reflections

In 2000 former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, age 80, died, and was remembered in a televised state funeral in his native Montreal after four days of vigils and round-the-clock coverage. Trudeau had dominated the Canadian political scene over three decades, launching into it in 1968 on a wave of what was described then and since as Trudeaumania. Some dubbed the public response to his death as a new, more subdued version of Trudeaumania. It was deemed to be unprecedented, both in its scale and its emotional intensity. Based on a large sample of both English and French-language newspaper, magazine, and television coverage, this paper uses the media coverage of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s death and funeral to investigate contemporary rites of national mourning, their representation by the press, and their evaluation by scholars. The concern was voiced by some at the time of Trudeau’s death that for funerals of public figures like these the news media drop even the pretense of objectivity, and slip into “memorial broadcasting.” My analysis leads me to argue that, generally speaking, the news coverage of the Trudeau funeral framed the event as a time of national mourning and idealized Canadian emotional unity in remembering Trudeau, while simultaneously acknowledging the political dissent and division that he inspired. Despite divided opinion about what exactly Trudeau had meant for Canada, he provided a common object of attention and memory – “everyone” participated in the remembering, even if they came to different conclusions about the same events. The felt obligation or compulsion to remember and observe did not necessarily indicate reverence and respect for the man and his policies, but acknowledgement of his relevance to national group membership, even when that group membership was resented (as for many Quebecois). I suggest that both the way the events were covered in the press and scholarly responses to these kinds of rites of national mourning point to a distrust of the emotional authenticity of ritualized crowd response. The prominence of emotional scripts in public mourning creates doubt about the authenticity of the motivations or emotions of mourners, leading to an insistence upon the spontaneity and voluntary nature of crowd participation by reporters and commentators. This paper argues that critiques of political spectacles and their media representations need to go beyond suspicion of ritualized group emotion, and attend to the conditions of crowd production and the nature of its media representation.
Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein Interactions with a G quadruplex structure in the 3′-Untranslated Region of NR2B mRNA

Fragile X syndrome, the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability, is caused by a trinucleotide CGG expansion in the 5'-untranslated region of the FMR1 gene, which leads to the loss of expression of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP, an RNA-binding protein that regulates the translation of specific mRNAs, has been shown to bind a subset of its mRNA targets by recognizing G quadruplex structures. It has been suggested that FMRP controls the local protein synthesis of several protein components of the post synaptic density (PSD) in response to specific cellular needs. We have previously shown that the interactions between FMRP and mRNAs of the PSD scaffold proteins PSD-95 and Shank1 are mediated via stable G-quadruplex structures formed within the 3'-untranslated regions of these mRNAs. In this study we used biophysical methods to show that a comparable G quadruplex structure forms in the 3'-untranslated region of the glutamate receptor subunit NR2B mRNA encoding for a subunit of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors that is recognized specifically by FMRP, suggesting a common theme for FMRP recognition of its dendritic mRNA targets.
Scrubbing the Wash Sale Rules

Loss limitations are an ugly but inevitable feature of any realization-based income tax. In essence, because the system mismeasures gains, it also has to mismeasure losses. Otherwise, the timing option inherent in the realization rule would allow taxpayers to defer gains (thereby reducing the tax's present value) while accelerating losses (thereby preserving the deduction's present value). The wash sale regime of Section 1091 is one of our system's most important brakes on the timing option. Yet it is only a slight exaggeration to say that compliance with the regime is voluntary for very wealthy taxpayers - or, at least, for those who are willing to take aggressive positions. In response, this Article flags seven glitches in the regime that, at least arguably, permit perfect end runs. As used here, this phrase refers to strategies in which taxpayers can deduct losses while effecting virtually no change in their economic position. The essential point is that, if we are going to have a wash sale regime, these end runs should not be allowed. This Article also takes a more controversial position: Losses should still be deferred - even when taxpayers make meaningful changes in their economic position - as long as they keep material elements of their old return. The policy goal here is to ensure that, on average, taxpayers expect losses to be deferred as long as gains. This Article proposes concrete modifications in the regime to implement this goal, while also offering a caveat: The case for a strong wash sale regime is less strong if the regime can never be tough enough to stop loss harvesting. If so, other constraints on the timing option may be preferable, including accelerated timing for gains or a broader capital loss regime.
Lasing in amplifying random media

Summary form only given. In this presentation we compute the emission properties from a colloidal suspension of titania particles in a Rhodamine 640 in methanol dye solution. Since feedback is negligible in these samples, wave interference is ignored in computing average transport within the medium. Consequently, the migration of pump and emitted photons is modeled as a random walk.
Two-sided pyramid wavefront sensor in the direct phase mode

The two-sided pyramid wavefront sensor has been extensively simulated in the direct phase mode using a wave optics code. The two-sided pyramid divides the focal plane so that each half of the core only interferes with the speckles in its half of the focal plane. A relayed image of the pupil plane is formed at the CCD camera for each half. Antipodal speckle pairs are separated so that a pure phase variation causes amplitude variations in the two images. The phase is reconstructed from the difference of the two amplitudes by transforming cosine waves into sine waves using the Hilbert transform. There are also other corrections which have to be applied in Fourier space. The two-sided pyramid wavefront sensor performs extremely well: After two or three iterations, the phase error varies purely in y. The twosided pyramid pair enables the phase to be completely reconstructed. Its performance has been modeled closed loop with atmospheric turbulence and wind. Both photon noise and read noise were included. The three-sided and four-sided pyramid wavefront sensors have also been studied in direct phase mode. Neither performs nearly as well as does the two-sided pyramid wavefront sensor.