cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Innovation, multi-utility service businesses and sustainable cities: where might be the next breakthrough?

A Multi-sectoral Systems Analysis (MSA) model has been constructed for exploring and managing cross-sectoral impacts (both synergies and antagonisms) resulting from technology and policy interventions in the design and stewardship of city infrastructures. This MSA is based on Substance Flow Analysis. It accounts for the flows of water, nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, and energy into, around, and out of the water, energy, food, waste-handling, and forestry sectors of city-watershed systems. Applications of the MSA to two case studies of the Metropolitan Atlanta Area in Georgia, USA, and the Greater London Area, UK, are compared. The impacts and financial benefits are assessed for four candidate technological innovations in the water sector: urine-separating toilets; pyrolysis of sewage sludge; combined food-waste and wastewater conveyance/treatment; and production of algae-based biofuels from sewage. System-wide environmental sustainability is gauged on four accounts, of attaining progressively more ambitious targets of resource savings/recovery in respect of water, energy, and nutrients (both nitrogen- and phosphorus-based). The paper closes by demonstrating how the MSA can provide assistance in framing questions of a more financial and social nature, i.e., those of ‘Who reaps the rewards?’ and ‘Who bears the costs?’ of the various prospective technological changes and (possibly) breakthroughs.
Robust decentralized control laws for the ACES structure

Control system design for the Active Control Technique Evaluation for Spacecraft (ACES) structure at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center is discussed. The primary objective of this experiment is to design controllers that provide substantial reduction of the line-of-sight pointing errors. Satisfaction of this objective requires the controllers to attenuate beam vibration significantly. The primary method chosen for control design is the optimal projection approach for uncertain systems (OPUS). The OPUS design process allows the simultaneous tradeoff of five fundamental issues in control design: actuator sizing, sensor accuracy, controller order, robustness and system performance. A brief description of the basic ACES configuration is given. The development of the models used for control design and control design for eight system loops that were selected by analysis of test data collected from the structure are discussed. Experimental results showing that very significant performance improvement is achieved when all eight feedback loops are closed are presented. >
Cancer Therapy Costs Influence Treatment: A National Survey Of Oncologists

A national survey of medical oncologists indicates that rising cancer treatment costs are influencing clinical practice, even as oncologists tend not to communicate with patients about costs. The s...
Continuous chronic tension-type headache unaffected by two hours of frontalis and trapezius relaxation.

SYNOPSIS Fourteen patients with the continuous form of chronic tension-type headache maintained electromyographically documented relaxation of frontalis and trapezius muscles for two consecutive hours. The headache intensity of the group did not decrease from the beginning to the end of the recording session. This result is evidence against tonic muscle tension as the mechanism of this form of headache.
Pitfalls in the differential diagnosis of a pelvic cyst: Lessons from a post‐menopausal woman with bladder diverticulum

We present a case of non-obstructive bladder diverticulum in a 75-year-old post-menopausal woman. An ovarian cyst was previously suspected, which resulted in a futile exploratory laparotomy without making any definite diagnosis, 1 year earlier. During this admission, transvaginal ultrasound-guided cyst aspiration was arranged to determine the nature of the presumed 'recurrent' cyst and to relieve the symptoms. Prior to cyst aspiration, up to 700 ml of urine through urinary catheterisation and the gradual disappearance of the 'cyst' alerted us to the possibility of a bladder diverticulum, which was later confirmed by retrograde cystography. This case illustrates the lessons that despite considerable researches having been done on enhancing sonographic accuracy, diagnosis based on imaging alone is likely to be associated with multiple pitfalls. Recognising the common pitfalls and integrating clinical information and alertness with ultrasonic features remains the mainstay of sonographic differential diagnosis.
Adaptive sleep scheduling for energy-efficient movement-predicted wireless communication

Energy efficiency in network communication is critical for wirelessly connected small computing devices, which run on limited battery capacity. Under realistic movement scenarios (e.g., a person traveling at airplane, automobile, or biking speed), a mobile sender can track its own movement and postpone communication (subject to application deadline constraints) until it moves close to the communication target. This will save significant energy of sending, which grows superlinearly with the communication distance in, say, the single hop wireless context. However, movement tracking requires the mobile device to be turned on and hence consumes energy. Instead of continuous tracking, the mobile device should sample its movement and be allowed to sleep between the sampling instants (provided that the application also does not have work to do during the sleep). In this paper, we present an adaptive scheduler for determining an effective sampling schedule given changing operating conditions. Our experimental results show that the scheduler can achieve substantial energy savings over a device that is always on. Moreover, the scheduler's adaptivity allows it to outperform fixed sleep periods between tracking, since the "right" sleep period depends on dynamic system conditions and cannot be determined a priori.
Genomic Characterization of Mycobacteriophage Giles: Evidence for Phage Acquisition of Host DNA by Illegitimate Recombination

A characteristic feature of bacteriophage genomes is that they are architecturally mosaic, with each individual genome representing a unique assemblage of individual exchangeable modules. Plausible mechanisms for generating mosaicism include homologous recombination at shared boundary sequences of module junctions, illegitimate recombination in a non-sequence-directed process, and site-specific recombination. Analysis of the novel mycobacteriophage Giles genome not only extends our current perspective on bacteriophage genetic diversity, with more than 60% of the genes unrelated to other mycobacteriophages, but offers novel insights into how mosaic genomes are created. In one example, the integration/excision cassette is atypically situated within the structural gene operon and could have moved there either by illegitimate recombination or more plausibly via integrase-mediated site-specific recombination. In a second example, a DNA segment has been recently acquired from the host bacterial chromosome by illegitimate recombination, providing further evidence that phage genomic mosaicism is generated by nontargeted recombination processes.
Predictors of repeat Chlamydia trachomatis and/or Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections among African-American adolescent women.

Background Young African-American women have the highest rates of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the USA. The objective was to identify baseline predictors of repeat chlamydia and/or gonorrhoea infections among African-American adolescent women. Methods Sociodemographic, psychosocial and behavioural data were collected at baseline and every 6 months for 2 years from 701 African-American women (14–20 years) enrolled in an HIV prevention trial. Vaginal swabs were self-collected at each visit and assayed for chlamydia and gonorrhoea using DNA amplification. Among participants testing positive for chlamydia and/or gonorrhoea at baseline, logistic regression analyses assessed baseline predictors of repeat infection. Results Of 618 (88%) participants with ≥1 follow-up assessment, 123 (20%) had a positive chlamydia and/or gonorrhoea test result at baseline; 49 (40%) had a repeat infection during the study period. Of those with a repeat infection, 30 (61%) were positive at one follow-up visit, 18 (37%) at two visits and 1 (2%) at three follow-up visits. Controlling for age and intervention condition, impulsivity (AOR: 1.71, p=0.018) was associated with an increased likelihood, and having a boyfriend (AOR: 0.21, p=0.006) was associated with a decreased likelihood of repeat infection. Conclusions Repeat chlamydia and/or gonorrhoea infections are common among African-American adolescent women. Among young African-American women who test positive for chlamydia and/or gonorrhoea, tailored interventions for more impulsive adolescents and those not in a relationship may reduce risk of repeat infections. Given the high numbers of repeat infections after receipt of an evidence-based intervention, enhanced screening and treatment services for young men may be warranted. Clinical Trials Registration http://www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00279799)
Ozone treatment of carbon fiber for reinforcing cement

Abstract Ozone treatment of isotropic-pitch-based carbon fiber was found to increase the surface oxygen concentration and change surface oxygen from C–O to CO, thereby causing the contact angle between fiber and water to be decreased to zero. Thus, the bond strength between fiber and cement paste was increased and the tensile strength, modulus and ductility of carbon fiber reinforced cement paste were increased. Moreover, the degree of dispersion of fibers in mortar was increased and the effectiveness of the fibers for reducing the drying shrinkage was improved. As a consequence, the strain sensing ability of carbon fiber reinforced mortar was improved in terms of increased gage factor and better repeatability. The ozone treatment did not affect the morphology, tensile strength or volume electrical resistivity of the fiber itself.
IGHG3 G and the Pathogenesis of Hyperreactive malarious splenomegaly

Hyperreactive malarious splenomegaly is an aberrant response to chronic malarial infection, defined by persistent gross splenomegaly and elevated serum IgM and IgG. The populational and familial patterns of this disorder suggest genetically based, immune incompetence. In Papua New Guinea, the disease occurs among populations characterized by high frequencies of IGHG3 G haplotypes. Elsewhere, the distribution and prevalence of hyperreactive malarious splenomegaly is consistent with the distributions of IGHG3 alleles. Drawing upon this relationship, I suggest that expression of the G3M G phenotype is a necessary precondition for hyperreactive malarious splenomegaly, consistent with the pathogenesis of malaria and the functions of the immune system.
The impact of environmental stress on plant performance in mediterranean-climate ecosystems: Differing levels of analysis

Study of the effects of naturally-occurring environmental stress on the physiology of mediterranean-climate plants has a long history. Some contemporary approaches, such as assessing responses of photosynthesis of sclerophylls to the seasonal drought period, go back over half a century to the studies of Guttenberg and Buhr (1935), who found reductions in photosynthetic capacity and midday depression of rates. Many recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms by which mediterranean-climate plants tolerate seasonal drought stress are summarized in this volume.
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis after mastoid surgery in a child

We present a case of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis after mastoid surgery in an 11-year-old child. The aim of this paper is to increase awareness about a previously unreported and an unusual neurological complication of cholesteatoma and mastoid surgery.
Relations Among Gender Typicality, Peer Relations, and Mental Health During Early Adolescence

The current study examines whether being high in gender typicality is associated with popularity, whether being low in gender typicality is associated with rejection/teasing, and whether teasing due to low gender typicality mediates the association with negative mental health. Middle school children (34 boys and 50 girls) described hypothetical popular and rejected/teased peers, and completed self-report measures about their own gender typicality, experiences with gender-based teasing, depressive symptoms, anxiety, self-esteem, and body image. Participants also completed measures about their peers' gender typicality, popularity, and likeability. Results indicated that popular youth were described as more gender typical than rejected/teased youth. Further, being typical for one's gender significantly predicted being rated as popular by peers, and this relationship was moderated by gender. Finally, low gender typicality predicted more negative mental health outcomes for boys. These relationships were, at times, mediated by experiences with gender-based teasing, suggesting that negative mental health outcomes may be a result of the social repercussions of being low in gender typicality rather than a direct result of low typicality.
Timber Productivity Research Gaps for Extensive Forest Management

On extensive areas of small scale forests, significant opportunities for improving the value of future timber harvests while also improving other resource values are now being missed. A new focus on practical extensive management research is needed, especially as implementation of intensive practices has been declining in many areas, and new “close to nature” prescriptions are coming into more widespread use. This paper offers an extended definition of management intensity, and then discusses general research needs in regeneration, pest management, stand management guides, financial analysis, and nontimber values, and effects on ecosystem services. In this scheme, intensity is not directly related to management emphasis. In this study, research needs were assessed for timber productivity in four forest type groups in the Eastern USA: loblolly-slash pine, white red jack pine, northern hardwoods, and oak hickory in the North (details are given in Supplementary materials on SSFO website). Based on this preliminary assessment, general areas of research needs seem remarkably similar across all four types discussed. Further, it is likely that similar issues and needs occur in many parts of the world on small scale forest ownerships. Naturally their specific nature and importance will vary widely. Yet in most cases, preparing and updating existing guidelines and financial and silvicultural analyses, plus selective remeasurements of past long-term experiments, will likely prove important.
Ethnic and Geographic Variation in Stroke Mortality Trends

Background and Purpose—Magnitude, geographic, and ethnic variation in trends in stroke within the United States require updating for health services and health disparities research. Methods—Data for stroke were analyzed from the US mortality files for 1999 to 2007. Age-adjusted death rates were computed for non-Hispanic African Americans and European Americans aged ≥45 years. Results—Between 1999 and 2007, the age-adjusted death rate per 100 000 for stroke declined both in African Americans and in European Americans of both genders. Among African American females, European American females, and European American males, rates declined by at least 2% annually in every division. Among African American males, rates declined little in the East and West South Central divisions where disparities in trends by urbanization level were found. Conclusions—Between 1999 and 2007, the rate of decline in stroke mortality varied by geographic region and ethnic group.
Gender as Structure or Trump Card

In ‘‘An End to Gender Display Through the Performance of Housework?’’ in this issue, Oriel Sullivan has paid the compliment to Brines (1994); Greenstein (2000); Bittman, England, Folbre, Sayer, and Matheson (2003); Gupta (2007, 2008); and others to engage thoughtfully and critically with their work. In a nutshell, Sullivan’s thesis is that gender simply doesn’t matter as much as we have come to believe. Married and single women with high incomes are more autonomous and do less household work. Money matters. Men who are dependent on their wives’ income and have more time at home, or different time, do more household labor, even if some of them don’t want to admit it. The takehome message here is to scale back a gender lens on marriage and notice that other variables, such as time and money, actually predict husbands’ and wives’ household behavior. Is this a convincing argument, on the basis of a reanalysis of the empirical research? Partly. The evidence needs to be considered separately for women and men, and with close attention to historical context and class dynamics. Although Sullivan carefully and consciously integrates findings from quantitative and qualitative research, she does not pay enough systematic attention to change across historical era. The Atkinson and Boles (1984) research more than three decades ago presented convincing evidence that wives who were economically senior partners in their marriages indeed bent over backward, including picking up dust balls, to protect their husband’s pride. There is no reason to deny that, in the past, gender-structured
A systems biology approach to the identification and analysis of transcriptional regulatory networks in osteocytes

Background The osteocyte is a type of cell that appears to be one of the key endocrine regulators of bone metabolism and a key responder to initiate bone formation and remodeling. Identifying the regulatory networks in osteocytes may lead to new therapies for osteoporosis and loss of bone.
Mentoring New Legal Writers

This essay for the Kansas Bar Association Journal explains why novice legal writers struggle to apply skills they learned in law school to even very similar assignments in their clerkships, externships, and first years of practice. First, the essay explains how lawyer-mentors can help their mentees to recognize and overcome the “transfer of learning” barrier that keeps them from recognizing that they bring valuable skills to their new jobs. Second, the essay encourages patience among mentors in understanding that many contemporary law students need professional customs and behaviors to be defined more explicitly because they do not as often have business experience. Third, the essay provides basic techniques that mentors can use to triage and critique common legal writing problems in structure, proof, and style.
Drafting with Style

This article addresses stylistic considerations in drafting a legal document such as organization, clarity, and plain language.
Technology Champions: A Theory-Based Intervention to Improve Adoption of Occupational Safety Innovations

ABSTRACTPrevention-through-design (PtD) is a new initiative to reduce occupational risks by developing lower-risk tools, equipment, methods, and materials. Once PtD innovations have been developed, the challenge is to have them adopted by industry. A theory-based intervention involving the creation of “technology champions” to improve construction firm adoption of a PtD innovation was developed, implemented, and tested. Technology Champions were created in firms through a methodology entitled “enhanced trialability.” In a controlled pre-test/post-test experimental design, firm decision-maker (n=40) readiness to adopt the PtD innovation was assessed using a validated survey instrument. Enhanced trialability was successful in producing technology champions. Also, gain-score t-test analysis found significant improvements in ‘innovation adoption readiness’ among firms with technology champions, when compared to firms with no technology champions (p = .01). This intervention can be used by future researchers a...
Absolute Configuration of 7-epi-Sesquithujene

7-epi-Sesquithujene (1) is a bicyclic sesquiterpene isolated from phoebe oil, an essential oil of the Brazilian walnut tree, Phoebe porosa. It is also produced by stressed ash trees and has been shown to elicit strong electrophysiological responses on emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, antennae. In the course of the development of a synthetic 7-epi-sesquithujene lure for field testing against the emerald ash borer, we found that the absolute configuration of this compound had not been determined. We isolated >95% pure 7-epi-sesquithujene from phoebe oil via successive fractionation and conventional and argentation (HPLC) chromatographies. The specific optical rotation of this compound matched that of a synthetic product of known configuration. We also synthesized two other stereoisomers of sesquithujene and developed a chiral GC method to separate all four. Based on the specific rotation, stereoselective syntheses, and chiral GC analyses, 7-epi-sesquithujene present in phoebe oil and white ash was fo...
Glucose and outcome after cardiac surgery: what are the issues?

Hyperglycemia frequently occurs during the conduct of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for cardiac surgery. In addition to the exogenous administration of glucose containing solutions [most notably with dextrose containing cardioplegia as well as variably in the pump prime] (1), the stress response to both surgery and CPB marked by significant increases in circulating catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine) and cortisol (2) results in significant peripheral insulin resistance and marked increases in blood glucose concentrations (3–5). Hyperglycemia, defined arbitrarily as a serum glucose >200 mg/dL occurs in as many as 75% of patients during surgery with patients with pre-existing diabetes mellitus having an even higher incidence (6).
Effects of Pb++ and other divalent cations on ouabain binding to E. electricus electroplax (Na+ + K+)-adenosinetriphosphatase.

PbCl2 reduces the level of [3H]ouabain binding to (Na+ + K+)-adenosinetriphosphatase in E. electricus electroplax microsomal preparations in the presence of Mg++ and ATP with or without Na+. The inhibition is competitive with ATP, and Na+ is cooperative with Pb++ in reducing the affinity for ATP at a site involved in ouabain binding. The ATP site involved in ouabain binding is not the substrate site since no such cooperative interactions among Pb++, Na+, and ATP could be observed with regard to phosphorylation or inhibition of hydrolysis. ADP also stimulates ouabain binding, which is inhibited competitively by Pb++. Cd++, Cu++, Hg++, and Zn++ also inhibit ouabain binding in the presence of Mg++, ATP, with or without 50 mM Na+ but only the inhibition by Cd++ is potentiated by 50 mM Na+. BaCl2, FeCl2, CaCl2, MnC12, NiCl2, CoC12, and SrCl2 at concentrations of 60 µM did not inhibit drug binding.
TMDs and GPDs at a future Electron-Ion Collider

In the U.S., an Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) of energy \( \sqrt{s}=20\)-100 GeV is under design, with two options studied at Brookhaven National Lab and Jefferson Laboratory. The recent 2015 US Nuclear Science Long-Range Planning effort included a future EIC as a recommendation for future construction. The EIC will be unique in colliding polarised electrons off polarised protons and light nuclei, providing the spin degrees of freedom essential to pursue its physics program driven by spin structure, multi-dimensional tomographic images of protons and nuclei, and discovery of the role of collective effects of gluons in nuclei. The foreseen luminosity of the EIC, coupled with its energy variability and reach, will allow unprecedented three-dimensional imaging of the gluon and sea quark distributions, via both TMDs and GPDs, and to explore correlations amongst them. Its hermetic detection capability of correlated fragments promises to similarly allow for precise tomographic images of the quark-gluon landscape in nuclei, transcending from light few-body nuclei to the heaviest nuclei, and could uncover how the TMD and GPD landscape changes when gluons display an anticipated collective behavior at the higher energies.
Identifying thematic roles from neural representations measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging

The generativity and complexity of human thought stem in large part from the ability to represent relations among concepts and form propositions. The current study reveals how a given object such as rabbit is neurally encoded differently and identifiably depending on whether it is an agent ("the rabbit punches the monkey") or a patient ("the monkey punches the rabbit"). Machine-learning classifiers were trained on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data evoked by a set of short videos that conveyed agent-verb-patient propositions. When tested on a held-out video, the classifiers were able to reliably identify the thematic role of an object from its associated fMRI activation pattern. Moreover, when trained on one subset of the study participants, classifiers reliably identified the thematic roles in the data of a left-out participant (mean accuracy = .66), indicating that the neural representations of thematic roles were common across individuals.
Intercolony fusion suggests polyembryony in Paleozoic fenestrate bryozoans

Fusion occurred between pairs of conspecific colonies of Permian fenestrate bryozoans that were of approximately equal radius at time of contact. In contrast, no fusion occurred in pairs of conspecific colonies that were of unequal radius at time of contact. It is suggested that histologically compatible colonies developed from larvae that settled essentially simultaneously and that the larvae were siblings, lecithotrophic with low mobility, and of the same genotype (i.e., polyembryonic). Thus polyembryony appears to have existed as a reproductive “strategy” for at least 275 Myr, and its scarcity in modern taxa cannot be due to recentness of evolution.
Mental Representations of Persons and Personality

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the contemporary research in social cognition which bears directly on the mental representation of other persons and their personalities. Social cognition began to make closer contact with the emerging cognitive psychology. Cognitive psychology is concerned with mental representations of the world and the mental processes that operate on these representations in the course of acquiring, manipulating, and utilizing knowledge stored in the mind. The idea of a cognitive psychology is almost redundant. Cognitive psychology does not abjure an interest in behavior, but it does assume that a complete understanding of behavior requires an explication of the mental structures and processes that mediate between stimulus and response. The study of social cognition is simply the study of social entities and the interpersonal behavior. It is concerned with the structure of mental representations of these social entities as they are currently perceived or retrieved from memory. These representations are constructed, reconstructed, and used to guide thought, and action in social domains. The result has been that the study of social cognition is characterized by sophisticated concepts, theories, and methodologies which are used in the fields of personality psychology.
Iron piano-stool complexes containing NHC ligands outfitted with pendent arms: synthesis, characterization, and screening for catalytic transfer hydrogenation

Two iron piano-stool complexes containing NHC ligands equipped with hydroxyl-containing pendent arms (aliphatic and aromatic) have been prepared via deprotonation of the imidazolium salts with a strong base. Access to the anionic ligand is afforded with an additional equivalent of base when the wingtip contains a bulky phenol group. X-ray crystallography and DFT calculations demonstrate an apparent delocalization of the resulting negative charge, which evidently stabilizes the complex. The strongly donating ligands affect the electronic environment at the Fe center to a degree measurable using FTIR spectroscopy. The complexes were screened for catalytic transfer hydrogenation of benzaldehyde, acetophenone and benzophenone using 2-propanol as a solvent and hydrogen donor. The molecular complexes under visible light do not show reactivity towards reduction of carbonyls. Attempts to boost catalyst turnover under in situ conditions using UV light resulted in an unwanted photo-induced pinacolization of acetophenone in both cases and decomposition of the aromatic-containing NHC complex to an iron mirror.
Unrestricted sociosexuality predicts preferences for extraverted male faces

Abstract Human facial structures communicate health, thus indicating one's suitability as a potential mating partner. However, facial structures also communicate information about one's personality, which allows for inferences about a target's behavioral intentions. A target's relative level of extraversion can be reliably inferred from facial structural features. Because past research has found an association between extraversion and greater interest in short-term mating, particularly for men, we hypothesized that women with an unrestricted sociosexual orientation, which is geared toward short-term mating, would demonstrate heightened preferences for extraverted faces, particularly male faces. Participants viewed face pairs of various individuals manipulated to be highly extraverted versus highly introverted while indicating their preferences among the pairs; participants also completed the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory-Revised. Independent of sociosexuality, participants preferred extraversion (relative to introversion) in female faces; conversely, participants demonstrated a stronger preference for introverted male faces. However, more sociosexually unrestricted women and men exhibited a greater preference for extraverted male faces. Whereas unrestricted women's preferences may be related to identifying mating opportunities, men's preferences for extraverted male faces may reflect an enhanced sensitivity to detecting same-sex individuals who would represent a heightened intrasexually competitive threat.
The Use of Prophylactic Mesh in the Prevention of Incisional and Parastomal Hernia Repair

Despite improvements in surgical techniques and technology, the incidence of incisional and parastomal hernias remains unacceptably high. Recently a renewed interest in hernia prevention has emerged as improvements in methods of fascial closure and the concept of prophylactic mesh augmentation (PMA) has been applied for high-risk laparotomy closures and in the creations of stomas. As with any prophylactic strategy, evaluation of the risk of the preventive treatment must be carefully weighed against the potential benefit. Outcome measures should not be limited to hernia recurrence but should also include quality of life, infectious complications, and cost. To date, several studies have reported the benefit of PMA in clinical scenarios where patients are at high risk for incisional or parastomal hernias. Further research is required, specifically well-designed comparative effectiveness studies, which assess various techniques and meshes across different patient populations to determine optimal benefit from PMA. Widespread adoption of proven techniques will require well-designed pragmatic research, strong evidence-based guidelines, coding and reimbursement efforts, and education. Risk reduction techniques hold great promise to reduce the incidence of incisional and parastomal hernia.
School Personnel-Student Racial Congruence and the Achievement Gap.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between student achievement and racial congruence of school personnel and students to help educators and policy makers narrow the achievement gap. Design/methodology/approach This quasi-experimental, correlational study used publicly available data from 158 elementary schools in the Houston Independent School District. The authors analyzed the level of congruence of school personnel and students in relation to reading, math and science scores with the fifth-grade students. Findings Controlling for the percentage of economically disadvantaged students, separate univariate ANCOVAs on the outcome variables revealed significant effects of racial congruence levels on reading scores, F(2, 153) = 3.73, p = 0.026 and math scores, F(2, 153) = 3.977, p = 0.02. Research limitations/implications The operationalization of racial congruence had not been previously used. African-Americans and Hispanics were labeled as non-white, Asian-Americans (who do not show the achievement gap) were grouped with white students, and other minority groups were excluded. The study was a natural experiment without randomization or intervention. Practical implications Findings can be used to narrow the achievement gap by encouraging recruitment of Hispanics and African-Americans educators and influencing administrators as they decide where to place hired personnel. Originality/Value Using a much larger sample size than previous studies, this study found a factor to narrow the achievement gap.
Neotropical peatland methane emissions along a vegetation and biogeochemical gradient

Tropical wetlands are thought to be the most important source of interannual variability in atmospheric methane (CH4) concentrations, yet sparse data prevents them from being incorporated into Earth system models. This problem is particularly pronounced in the neotropics where bottom-up models based on water table depth are incongruent with top-down inversion models suggesting unaccounted sinks or sources of CH4. The newly documented vast areas of peatlands in the Amazon basin may account for an important unrecognized CH4 source, but the hydrologic and biogeochemical controls of CH4 dynamics from these systems remain poorly understood. We studied three zones of a peatland in Madre de Dios, Peru, to test whether CH4 emissions and pore water concentrations varied with vegetation community, soil chemistry and proximity to groundwater sources. We found that the open-canopy herbaceous zone emitted roughly one-third as much CH4 as the Mauritia flexuosa palm-dominated areas (4.7 ± 0.9 and 14.0 ± 2.4 mg CH4 m-2 h-1, respectively). Emissions decreased with distance from groundwater discharge across the three sampling sites, and tracked changes in soil carbon chemistry, especially increased soil phenolics. Based on all available data, we calculate that neotropical peatlands contribute emissions of 43 ± 11.9 Tg CH4 y-1, however this estimate is subject to geographic bias and will need revision once additional studies are published.
Chronic versus acute aneurysmal disease of the pancreaticoduodenal arcade: A case-based discussion

We report a 67-year-old female with chronic aneurysmal disease of the pancreaticoduodenal arcade due to complete celiac occlusion. The chronic aneurysm had no associated bleeding and was nonemergently embolized. Aneurysms in this location may present acutely with bleeding. A companion case of a 62-year-old male with ruptured aneurysmal disease of the pancreaticoduodenal arcade is also included in this manuscript. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Medical knowledge, Patient care.
Regulatory Aspects of the Antitumor Immune Response

Many transplantable animal tumors, by virtue of their possession of tumor-specific transplantation antigens, are capable of evoking an antitumor immune response in their syngeneic hosts. The existence of tumor-specific antigens has been revealed by demonstrating that the tumors that possess them are capable of specifically immunizing their hosts against the growth of a subsequent implant of tumor cells. Thus, the method for determining whether or not a murine tumor is immunogenic has been a transplantation rejection assay that cannot be used in humans. Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, there is no justification for the statement that human tumors are nonimmunogenic. In fact, on the basis of studies prompted by results first obtained with murine tumors (Rosenberg et al. 1986), it has recently been demonstrated (reviewed by Itoh et al. 1988) that certain human tumors contain specifically sensitized, tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TIL) that can be expanded in number in vitro under the influence of interleukin 2 and used for therapy. This procedure for expanding tumor-sensitized T cells in vitro is likely to supply a great deal of additional evidence to support the view that many human tumors are capable of inducing a T cell-mediated immune response in their autochthonous hosts.
Impact of Exercise, Reactive Oxygen and Reactive Nitrogen Species on Tumor Growth

Physical activity results in numerous health benefits. Specifically, regular exercise reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and cancer. The exercise-induced health benefits are attributed to alterations in hormone levels, growth factors, decreased obesity, and/or decrease in pro-inflammatory mediators. In addition to these factors, exercise-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) production has drawn a lot of attention in recent years. In this regard, during exercise the production of ROS and RNS increases in the body. It is now well accepted that physiological levels of ROS/RNS produced during exercise play an important role in cells including the control of gene expression and regulation of cell signaling pathways. However, high levels of ROS/RNS can damage cellular components. For example, excessive ROS and RNS can directly damage DNA by causing DNA base modifications leading to carcinogenesis. Although the production of ROS/RNS increases during muscular contractions, exercise also promotes the upregulation of several antioxidant enzymes that can counteract the increased production of these oxidants. Therefore, exercise can have differential effects on carcinogenesis. For example, moderate physical activity increases the expression of endogenous antioxidants that may protect against a carcinogenic event. In contrast, regular bouts of exhaustive exercise have been shown to impair the immune system and could reduce immune-surveillance and increase the risk of some cancers. Therefore, identifying the optimal amount of physical activity that can lead to cancer-preventive effects is of paramount importance.
Legal Theory and Semiotics: Semiotics, Theory and Practice of Law

Structuralism appears to remain one of the basic philosophies that come nearest to the semiotic understanding of reality and the many movements of the human psyche. Already Paracelsus mentioned how the signatura is an expression for a scientific approach to order what is hidden as the constitutive secret of things, denotes the science of understanding the markers of reality, and expresses the very act of marking itself.He viewed the act of understanding of how things are signed, what signator exists, and how signs are taken into consideration.That is a truly early program for semiotics, showing how structuralism and semiotics are tied together.Genetics is an example: there exists a common metaphor in the concept of a Text, or a Book that is written along the lines of the Grammar of Language.Variations in sequences, which define and sustain our understanding of their interaction and their circuitry, are modern expressions for old ideas, as is conceivable in the works of De Saussure as in many other semioticians. Is indeed the Book of Nature written in Circles, Triangles, Pyramids, Cones and Squares?
PART I. PREPARATION OF LANTHANIDE SINGLE CRYSTALS. PART II. ELASTIC MODULI AND THERMAL EXPANSION OF LUTETIUM SINGLE CRYSTALS FROM 4.2 TO 300$sup 0$K.

A study has been made on three methods that could be used in preparing large single crystals, approximately 1.25 cm (0.500 inch) in diameter and in length, of the light lanthanide metals, praseodymium and neodymium, and the heavy lanthanide metal, lutetium. The strain-anneal process with its variations has been successfully applied in preparing lutetium crystals. The electron-beam-floating-zone technique and the crystallographic tansformation method have shown the greatest promise for praseodymium and neodymium. The adiabatic elastic moduli and linear thermal expansion coefficients of lutetium single crystals have been calculated from 4.2 to 300 degreesK, from position technique has been employed to determine transit times, and a linear-variable-differential-transformer dilatometer to determine densities. The Debye characteristic temperature and the bulk elastic properties (Youn's modulus, Poisson's ration, the shear modulus, and the bulk modulus) have been calculated from the elastic moduli.
Reliability-based design optimization in offshore renewable energy systems

Abstract Offshore wind farm operations and maintenance costs currently total 6 m€/year, or 25–28% of total costs. For wave and tidal energy converters, this cost is projected to be twice that of offshore wind, but has high levels of uncertainty. As the wave and tidal energy industries mature, decreasing O&M costs through reliability-based design optimization is critical to increasing feasibility and competitiveness with other energy technologies. In this paper, we will synthesize existing information on reliability-based optimization in systems analogous to offshore renewable energy systems. We will conclude by highlighting opportunities for future work in this field.
Fruit and Vegetable Preferences and Practices May Hinder Participation in Community-Supported Agriculture Among Low-Income Rural Families

ABSTRACT Objective Describe fruit and vegetable (FV) preferences and other factors that may influence participation in community-supported agriculture (CSA). Design In-depth, semi-structured interviews. Setting Eight rural/micropolitan communities in 4 US states. Participants There were 41 caregivers and 20 children (8–12 years of age) from low-income, English-speaking households. Phenomena of Interest Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding FVs; perceived barriers to CSA participation. Analysis Transcribed verbatim and iteratively coded. Results Caregivers and children believed FVs were important to health, yet FVs were not featured in dinners or snacks and consumption was challenged by limited preferences and neophobia. Few caregivers and children knew about the seasonality of FV. Most caregivers were unfamiliar with CSA and had concerns about CSA cost, accessibility, produce quality, and selection. Conclusions and Implications These qualitative data support improvements in: 1) CSA distribution practices to offer flexible payment and pick-up options, more fruits, and self-selection of FV; 2) public awareness of produce seasonality and the CSA distribution model as necessary precursors to participation, and lower cost for low-income families who highlighted this barrier; and 3) capacity to prepare FV by enhancing skills and providing time-saving kitchen tools. Approaches to aligning CSA practices with the needs and preferences of low-income families warrant further research.
Dehydroepiandrosterone inhibits ICa,L and its window current in voltage-dependent and -independent mechanisms in arterial smooth muscle cells.

Dehydroepiandrosterone, the most abundantly released adrenal steroid hormone with dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, inhibited L-type Ca2+ current and its window current in aortic smooth muscle cells....
RecWalk: Nearly Uncoupled Random Walks for Top-N Recommendation

Random walks can provide a powerful tool for harvesting the rich network of interactions captured within item-based models for top-n recommendation. They can exploit indirect relations between the items, mitigate the effects of sparsity, ensure wider itemspace coverage, as well as increase the diversity of recommendation lists. Their potential however, is hindered by the tendency of the walks to rapidly concentrate towards the central nodes of the graph, thereby significantly restricting the range of K-step distributions that can be exploited for personalized recommendations. In this work we introduce RecWalk; a novel random walk-based method that leverages the spectral properties of nearly uncoupled Markov chains to provably lift this limitation and prolong the influence of users' past preferences on the successive steps of the walk--allowing the walker to explore the underlying network more fruitfully. A comprehensive set of experiments on real-world datasets verify the theoretically predicted properties of the proposed approach and indicate that they are directly linked to significant improvements in top-n recommendation accuracy. They also highlight RecWalk's potential in providing a framework for boosting the performance of item-based models. RecWalk achieves state-of-the-art top-n recommendation quality outperforming several competing approaches, including recently proposed methods that rely on deep neural networks.
The diels-alder reaction of cyclopentadiene and methyl acrylate on γ,-alumina

Abstract The Diels-Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene and methyl acrylate has been run on γ-alumina. The ratio of endo to exo products is strongly dependent on the activity of the alumina. The exo adduct was also found to epimerize slowly to the endo adduct by a mechanism involving the retro-Diels-Alder reaction of the exo adduct.
Noninvasive Respiratory Support in Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is the predominant mode of respiratory support for children with acute respiratory failure and PARDS, but potential risks including ventilator-associated lung injury, nosocomial infections, airway complications, and need for potentially harmful neurosedatives and muscle relaxants make consideration of alternative, noninvasive modes of respiratory support especially important. The use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in pediatric acute respiratory failure has significantly increased over the last two decades. Children successfully managed with NIV have shorter lengths of stay, shorter duration of ventilatory support, and decreased mortality compared to children treated with invasive ventilation. Noninvasive respiratory support is provided using either positive pressure or negative pressure ventilation. Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is commonly provided using an interface that delivers continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or bilevel intermittent positive airway pressure (BiPAP). Negative pressure ventilation (NPV) refers to the application of a constant or biphasic negative pressure above the chest wall using a cuirass. In both instances, air flows into the lungs, resulting in lung recruitment and improvement of gas exchange. Careful patient selection is paramount for the success of NIV in children. Team approach and familiarity with different modalities of NIV is critical. In this chapter, we describe the different modalities of NIV used to support children with acute respiratory failure and PARDS and the most pertinent evidence supporting their efficacy, advantage, disadvantages, and outcomes.
Optical Sorting at the Single-Particle Level with Single-Nanometer Precision Using Coordinated Intensity and Phase Gradient Forces

Position-controlled sorting of colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) at the single-particle level is a challenge in nanoscience. Optofluidic potential wells can partially address this challenge, but they h...