cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The kinetics of human sperm binding to the human zona pellucida and zona‐free hamster oocyte in vitro

In these experiments the mean number of sperm bound to the zonae pellucidae of immature human oocytes and to the vitelli of zona-free hamster oocytes were counted after centrifuging the oocytes through a discontinuous dextran gradient into a fixative. Sperm suspensions (107 sperm/ml) were preincubated in BWW medium containing 35 mg/ml of human serum albumin for 0 to 20 hr and coincubated with oocytes for 4 hr. The kinetics of sperm binding and sperm penetration were clearly different for the two types of oocytes in this system. Sperm binding to the zona pellucida appeared to be associated with zona penetration; when the zona was penetrated, many sperm were tightly bound and vice versa. A similar association between human sperm binding to the zonafree hamster oocyte and hamster oocyte penetration was not so apparent. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that all sperm which were “bound” to the hamster vitellus were acrosome reacted. On the surface of the human zona pellucida acrosome intact and acrosome reacted sperm were observed. These results suggest that tight binding of spermatozoa to the zona pellucida may be an important preliminary step in human fertilization. If this is true the activity of the sperm's “receptor for zona” may not be detected by the assay with zona-free hamster oocytes.
Amorphous Sb2S3 embedded in graphite: a high-rate, long-life anode material for sodium-ion batteries

Amorphous Sb2S3 embedded in a conductive graphite matrix is designed for sodium-ion batteries. Owing to the amorphous structure of the active phase and the conductive graphite matrix, the Sb2S3-graphite electrode exhibits a high initial Coulomblic efficiency, a high rate capacity, and stable cycle performance in sodium-ion batteries.
Peo-Based Polymer Electrolytes Containing Divalent Cations

Poly(ethylene oxide) is a non-aqueous solvent which can dissolve high concentrations of a wide variety of monovalent and divalent cation salts. The resulting solutions are generally heterogeneous mixtures of crystalline and amorphous regions. The amorphous components have relatively high ionic conductivities, and PEO ‘quasi-solid’ electrolytes and related polymer materials are arguably a new class of electrolyte, with properties in between those of true solids and true liquids. This paper briefly discusses the preparation and properties of PEO electrolytes containing Mg(II), Zn(II), and Pb(II) salts.
A wireless chemical and biological microsensor based on dissolvable membranes

We demonstrate a wireless bio/chemical microsensor based on dissolvable membranes. The dissolution of a target specific membrane enables fluid flow into an on-chip microcapacitor, thereby drastically changing its impedance. Here, this fact is used to generate large intrinsic amplification and thus, a large output voltage, which allows the microsensor to directly drive a microcontroller operating at 3.6964 MHz, without complex electronics. The electronic modules, operating at 5 V, have been integrated onto a printed circuit board of dimension 10.2 cm times 10.2 cm, consuming 135 mW of power. An automated procedure to estimate the concentration of the sensed species (here, dithiothreitol) and interface circuitry for wireless transmission at 916.48 MHz with a range of 150 ft in closed premises are realized
Sustained in situ measurements of dissolved oxygen, methane and water transport processes in the benthic boundary layer at MC118, northern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract Within months of the BP Macondo Wellhead blowout, elevated methane concentrations within the water column revealed a significant retention of light hydrocarbons in deep waters plus corresponding dissolved oxygen (DO) deficits. However, chemical plume tracking efforts were hindered by a lack of in situ monitoring capabilities. Here, we describe results from in situ time-series, lander-based investigations of physical and biogeochemical processes controlling dissolved oxygen, and methane at Mississippi Canyon lease block 118 (~18 km from the oil spill) conducted shortly after the blowout through April 2012. Multiple sensor arrays plus open-cylinder flux chambers (“chimneys”) deployed from a benthic lander collected oxygen, methane, pressure, and current speed and direction data within one meter of the seafloor. The ROVARD lander system was deployed for an initial 21-day test experiment (9/13/2010–10/04/2010) at 882 m depth before a longer 160-day deployment (10/24/2011–4/01/2012) at 884 m depth. Temporal variability in current directions and velocities and water temperatures revealed strong influences of bathymetrically steered currents and overlying along-shelf flows on local and regional water transport processes. DO concentrations and temperature were inversely correlated as a result of water mass mixing processes. Flux chamber measurements during the 160-day deployment revealed total oxygen utilization (TOU) averaging 11.6 mmol/m2 day. Chimney DO concentrations measured during the 21-day deployment exhibited quasi-daily variations apparently resulting from an interaction between near inertial waves and the steep topography of an elevated scarp immediately adjacent to the 21-day deployment site that modulated currents at the top of the chimney. Variability in dissolved methane concentrations suggested significant temporal variability in gas release from nearby hydrocarbon seeps and/or delivery by local water transport processes. Free-vehicle (lander) monitoring over time scales of months to years utilizing in situ sensors can provide an understanding of processes controlling water transport, respiration and the fate and impacts of accidental and natural gas and oil releases.
Environmental (and Genetic) Influences on Personality and Intelligence

Environmental and genetic influences both overlap and permeate each other. To discuss one in the absence of the other is likely to lead to error. Accordingly, environmental influences will be examined in this chapter within the context of behavioral genetic research designed to consider genetic and environmental influences simultaneously. Studies of presumed environmental influences on personality and intelligence have rarely been conducted with appropriate controls for genetic influences. We shall argue that we know relatively little about the influence of the environment on intelligence and personality.
The Facebook of Unionism

Information Communication Technology ICT offers unions a greater capacity to build cohesion and expand membership. An important issue in assessing the potential benefits of ICT is the nature and scope of union members' use of this technology. Unions must have an Internet presence. Using data from a 2010 Current Population Survey CPS, the authors examine the extent to which union members have and use computers and the Internet. In addition, the authors review Facebook pages and Twitter accounts established by or for national labor organizations. The authors find that labor union usage of these social networks has not produced anticipated usage by members.
The Columbia Studies of Personal Influence: Social Network Analysis

In a strictly theoretical and methodological perspective, the Columbia studies of personal influence—conducted in the 1940s and early 1950s—are today of largely historical interest as particularly self-conscious and sophisticated examples of social-scientific discovery. Yet, there are indications that these studies are once more coming to scholarly attention and their long eclipse, so symptomatic of discontinuity in social-scientific research, may be coming to an end (Scheingold, 1973). There is a growing interest in describing and explaining electoral and related patterns of behavior in terms of the “social networks” to which people belong. The contribution of the Columbia studies to research on the effect of social networks in voting behavior and public affairs seems therefore worthy of retrospection.
Luminescence Properties of Periodic Disordered Thin Layer GaAs/AlAs Superlattices

Disordered thin layer GaAs/AlAs superlattices with various disorder periods have been grown using MBE. The disorder was introduced by varying the thickness of GaAs and AlAs layers in the growth direction in various specific but randomly generated finite disorder sequences. The photoluminescence spectra of these disordered superlattice samples showed a sharp peak at the high energy side and a broad peak at the low energy side. The temperature, excitation, and disorder sequence dependence of the photoluminescence spectra indicates that the sharp peak is due to the pseudo-direct exciton emission, and the broad peak is strongly related to the localized states induced by disorder. In addition, the results demonstrate that the luminescence intensity of disordered superlattices can be improved by up to two orders of magnitude over that of ordered short period superlattices. Finally, we propose a kinetic model for the state population and find that the photoluminescence spectra can be well described by this model.
EMBRYONIC CUTICLES OF ARTEMIA DURING DIAPAUSE AND HATCHING: INSIGHTS FROM COMPARISON WITH OTHER BRANCHIOPODA

The first embryonic cuticle molted by a developing Eulimnadia antlei (Conchostraca) is featureless and inelastic. The second molt produces an elastic cuticle with two pouches apparently developed over anlagen of the antennae. Comparison of this situation with the data available on embryonic development and eclosion in Artemia (Anostraca) indicates that the hatching membrane in Artemia also results from a second embryonic ecdysis. Observations on anostracan, conchostracan, and notostracan eggs indicate that the outer cuticular membrane in Artemia is part of the first embryonic cuticle. Morris and Afzelius (1967) described this structure, but could not determine whether it was part of the embryonically produced cuticle or the maternally produced tertiary envelope. Information currently available indicates anostracans in the family Chirocephalidae, unlike Artemiidae, molt only one embryonic membrane.
A Striking Characteristic of Innovators

A wide variety of sociological, psychological, and demographic characteristics have been hypothesized to describe the early triers of new consumer products, but have not been supported by subsequen...
Thinking of University's Training Modil of Accounting Talents based on "Stakeholders"

Accounting changes in the environment and The border expansion of accounting disciplines,demand that t the modern college accounting education is timely and dynamic,while the currently accounting talents training model in China's college is relatively static based on the professional schedule.The contradiction is the main causes of education seriously lagged behind economic development.This paper analysis the problems existed in China's accounting talents training in the college,and put forward a dynamic professionals talents training model based on "stakeholders".
Energy Efficient Job Co-scheduling for High-Performance Parallel Computing Clusters

Cost and environmental concerns continue to drive research in high performance computing (HPC) energy optimization. Commodity server platforms are increasingly deployed as compute clusters which have a variety of energy management control features. In this paper, we examine the energy reduction effect of different ways to co-schedule benchmark codes on a HPC cluster using different combinations of job queue control dimensions including, thread core affinity interleaving, Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS), and job re-ordering. The combination space of control parameters in conjunction with varying job queue depths is too large to explore using a direct measurement approach so we developed a scheduling simulator that can quickly and efficiently examine a large permutation space of job-spans to find the energy optimal order and control configuration. Equipped with the base time/energy profiles of the benchmark algorithms, the simulator can reliably predict the execution time and energy of all the job queue permutation (ordering) choices, including the optimal control parameter combinations within a 3% margin of error.
Clinical importance and public health concerns for the emergence of antibiotic resistant organisms in the human intestinal microflora.

Infections with antibiotic-resistant organisms clearly have an economic impact, although the extent remains uncertain. Major problems are: the problem of multiresistance, i.e., the mutation or rearrangement of a single gene to cause resistance to multiple antibiotics of several different classes at once; the linkage between virulence and resistance, and the influence of antibiotics on these two seemingly unrelated events; and the problem and consequences of gene dissemination. There are simply no data on antibiotic usage levels required for selection of some of these genetic events. This an area where much more information is needed.
Introduction and Fundamental Concepts

Dynamic stability or instability of elastic structures has drawn considerable attention in the past 30 years. The beginning of the subject can be traced to the investigation of Koning and Taub [1], who considered the response of an imperfect (half-sine wave), simply supported column subjected to a sudden axial load of specified duration. Since then, many studies have been conducted by various investigators on structural systems that are either suddenly loaded or subjected to time-dependent loads (periodic or nonperiodic), and several attempts have been made to find common response features and to define critical conditions for these systems. As a result of this, the term dynamic stability encompasses many classes of problems and many different physical phenomena; in some instances the term is used for two distincly different responses for the same configuration subjected to the same dynamic loads. Therefore, it is not surprising that there exist several uses and interpretations of the term.
SU-F-J-02: Flexible Training of MR-Guided Laser Ablation Models Via Global Optimization

Purpose: MR-guided laser ablation is currying interest in neurosurgery as a minimally invasive procedure. The procedure is planned via an assumed lesion overlaid on various anatomic and functional images. Computational models of heat transfer may further inform planning the intervention, reducing surgical morbidity and ensuring therapeutic effect. These models require physical parameter data, via less relevant literature values. Using commercialized laser ablation equipment combined with MR temperature imaging (MRTI) feedback, recent work has demonstrated the use of inverse problems as a means to gain the necessary information via retrospective analysis. Here, performance of a global inverse problem solution is explored that allows for simultaneous optimization of multiple objective functions. Methods: A steady state bioheat model is trained on MRTI patient datasets (n=20); the MRTI regions exceeding a 57°C threshold are considered lethally damaged. Optical and blood perfusion parameters are densely sampled, allowing for global optimization of the model. There are two objective functions to optimize with respect to damage prediction: Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and Hausdorff distance (HD). DSC is an overlap metric; HD is the distance-to-agreement in physical distance. Predictive performance is simulated via leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) and is compared to the same model using naive literature values. Results: Post-optimization and during LOOCV, mean and median DSC are 0.824 and 0.850 respectively; mean and median HD are 4.64mm and 4.03mm respectively. These compare favorably to the model using literature values. Mean and median DSC are 0.6685 and 0.6564 respectively; mean and median HD are 5.85mm and 5.58mm respectively. A two-tailed paired Student’s t-test for the mean DSC reported p=0.0002. For mean HD, p=0.0064. Conclusion: Clinical MRTI feedback provides useful information for designing optimized laser ablation models. Global optimization facilitates simultaneous optimization of multiple objective functions. Trained models are considerably more accurate than naive literature based models as measured by DSC and HD.
The periphrastic passive construction in Proto-Indo-European

(1984). The periphrastic passive construction in Proto-Indo-European. WORD: Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 125-161.
In-situ grain structure and texture evolution during friction stir welding of austenite stainless steel

Abstract The in-situ grain structure and texture evolution during the whole process of friction stir welding (FSW) are clarified. As the base material approached the probe, grains were compressed, forming compression zone (CPZ). The grains evolved to fine equiaxed grains mainly through discontinue dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) and twining as it approached the tool. As material in MFZ rotated around the probe, the fraction of low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) was reduced, the ratio of twin boundaries increased, and the grain size distribution became wider, while the average grain size was fairly constant despite the increase in strain. After the material was deposited behind the probe, the grains began to grow. Deformation caused by tool shoulder disrupted the twin boundaries and generated some segments of LAGBs. In the post-weld zone, some LAGBs disappeared and new twin boundaries developed as a result of elevated temperatures. The B component {112} 〈110〉 was developed and was sustained in the MFZ with its shear direction being consisted with the local probe rotation. The shear plan of B component maintained approximately 30 deg. away from the probe surface. In the weld zone behind the probe, the B component was weakened and evolved to a C component {001}〈110〉.
Abstract RAOS15-03: Pancreatic tumor stroma as a therapeutic target

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) occurs in the context of an exuberant desmoplastic response that produces a ‘living chimera’ of tumor and activated stromal components. A prominent feature of the stromal response is the transformation of the Vitamin A storing pancreatic stellate cell (PSC) to activated myofibroblasts. We hypothesized that restoration of the quiescent PSC phenotype could disrupt tumor-stroma crosstalk and thus improve response to chemotherapy. Recently, we have shown that the vitamin D receptor (VDR) is expressed at high levels in activated human pancreatic tumor stroma and, in response to ligand, acts as a master transcriptional regulator of PSCs to reprise the quiescent state. In vivo, a synthetic VDR agonist (Cal) induced signal-dependent transcriptional remodeling of tumor stroma, enhancing the anti-tumor effects of gemcitabine by increasing intra-tumoral concentration 5-fold to reduce tumor growth. A survival study in KPC mice shows that addition of CAL results in a 57% increase in lifespan relative to Gemcitabine treatment alone. An approved IND enables the exploration of CAL in the neo-adjuvant setting in patients with resectable PDAC. This Phase I trial is designed to establish whether CAL (Zemplar) is able to reach the tumor and alter genes and other measurable responses linked to stromal reprogramming. Citation Format: Ronald M. Evans. Pancreatic tumor stroma as a therapeutic target. [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 RAOS15-03. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-RAOS15-03
Effects of confinement and concrete nonlinearity on transfer length of prestress in concrete

Abstract Accurate prediction of strand transfer length is important for prestressed concrete members when calculating anchorage zone stresses and shear capacity. Currently, most design specifications oversimplify strand transfer length due to the large number of factors affecting it. This research investigated two of these factors to better understand strand-concrete bond and to improve transfer length predictions: 1) concrete nonlinearity due to concrete plastic strains surrounding prestressing strands, and 2) strand confinement due to groups of strands, concrete, or reinforcement. Nonlinear finite element analyses (FEA), which were calibrated using test data, were used to study material nonlinearity and confinement. Transfer length was investigated using models of both a simple prismatic beam with 25 strands commonly used in laboratory research and a bulb-tee girder with 40 strands commonly used in bridge construction. The results show that strand-concrete bond and transfer length are strongly influenced by concrete nonlinearity. Confinement affects transfer length because of its influence on plastic strains in concrete.
Fuzzy fine-grained code-history analysis

Existing software-history techniques represent source-code evolution as an absolute and unambiguous mapping of lines of code in prior revisions to lines of code in subsequent revisions. However, the true evolutionary lineage of a line of code is often complex, subjective, and ambiguous. As such, existing techniques are predisposed to, both, overestimate and underestimate true evolution lineage. In this paper, we seek to address these issues by providing a more expressive model of code evolution, the fuzzy history graph, by representing code lineage as a continuous (i.e., fuzzy) metric rather than a discrete (i.e., absolute) one. Using this more descriptive model, we additionally provide a novel multi-revision code-history analysis --- fuzzy history slicing. In our experiments over three real-world software systems, we found that the fuzzy history graph provides a tunable balance of precision and recall, and an overall improved accuracy over existing code-evolution models. Furthermore, we found that the use of such a fuzzy model of history provided improved accuracy for code-history analysis tasks.
DNA and Histone Methylation in Prostate Cancer

As a model of “epigenetic catastrophe”, prostate cancer is driven by progressive epigenetic changes that arise early in carcinogenesis and persist throughout disease progression. In this chapter, two common epigenetic modifications, DNA methylation and histone methylation, are reviewed regarding their up-to-date roles in the disease. DNA hypermethylation at certain promoter regions is an early event during prostate tumorigenesis and epigenetically silences tumor suppressor genes. Genome-wide DNA hypomethylation is thought to activate oncogenes and becomes more extensive as the tumors become metastatic and aggressive. Dynamic regulation of histone methylation patterns leads to cancer-specific transcriptional profiles, and histone-modifying enzymes closely crosstalk with critical biological pathways such as the androgen receptor (AR) signaling. The functions and features of these two epigenetic programs make them highly promising as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers or new therapeutic targets for prostate cancer. However, epigenetic therapy is still in its infancy and imposes a lot of challenging issues such as specificity, toxicity and potency. Therefore, we need to comprehensively understand the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms of prostate cancer development and progression, identify the pharmacodynamics and biomarkers of the epigenetic drugs targeting DNA methylation or histone methylation to better stratify patient populations who will likely benefit from the precision medicine.
Conclusion: Assessing Second-Wave Historiography

In her concluding chapter, Lisa Corrigan confirms the initial claim made by Sara M. Evans: that the wave metaphor should be replaced by a broader, more-inclusive history that accurately depicts the continuous and overlapping efforts of women activists. And our work is just beginning, notes Corrigan. Now, with the gift of hindsight and the awareness of the mistakes and the limitations of the Second Wave, is the time to reflect on the feminist cause in America and to chart its path forward.
Effects of trigeminal nerve stimulation on regional brain activity in depression

1288 Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate effects on regional cerebral blood flow of trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS), an investigational neuromodulation intervention, in treatment-resistant epilepsy and depression patients. Methods A total of 24 [O15]water-PET scans from 4 depressed adults (mean±SD, age: 46.9±5.8, yrs of education: 17.3±1.5, 2M:2F, all right-handed, severity of the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 19.5±4.4) were examined. Half of the scans for each subset were acquired while receiving 60 seconds of TNS at maximally tolerated current intensity, and half were acquired while the same apparatus was in place but current was set to zero. During each scan, the onset of TNS occurred at the time the [O15]water bolus was pushed. PET data were analyzed by standardized volume of interest (sVOI) and statistical parametric mapping (spm) methods. Results The bilateral temporo-occipital cortex (TOC) (in the vicinity of Brodman’s areas 37 and 39) was the brain region demonstrating the most significant decrease in blood flow during TNS (right TOC p Conclusions TNS was associated with deactivation in TOC, superior parietal, and sensorimotor cortex, and activation in medial frontal cortical areas. Though effects were bilateral, all of the major changes occurring in regional cerebral blood flow during TNS were more striking in the right hemisphere
P1: CD47 drives pulmonary hypertension through coordinate regulation of c-Myc and endothelin-1

Background Pulmonary hypertension (PH), regardless of etiology, remains progressive and incurable despite intensive research for over half a century. Existing therapies have only modestly enhanced survival with the only available “cure” being lung transplantation. The reasons for lack of progress in this area remain unknown but suggest a deficit in understanding the overarching mechanism (s) that drive PH. Recently we reported that the thrombospondin-1 (TSP1)-CD47 ligand receptor pathway is induced in multiple pre-clinical models of PH and human disease. Mice lacking secreted TSP1 are protected from PH. Methods Wild type and CD47 null mice were challenged with hypoxia and cardiopulmonary assessment performed. Likewise, in cell culture experiments pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle cells were exposed to hypoxia and molecular signal transduction assessed. Results We know report that mice mutated to lack cell receptor CD47 are highly resistant to hypoxia-mediated PH with minimal evidence of pulmonary arterial overgrowth and no right ventricular hypertrophy compared to controls. Hypoxic CD47 null mice demonstrated increased stroke volume and cardiac output compared to a significant deterioration of these functional parameters in wild type controls. Hypoxic wild type animals also displayed concurrent loss of cMyc and upregulation of endothelin-1. In contrast, hypoxic CD47 null animals demonstrated cMyc-mediated suppression of endothelin-1 signaling. Impressively, under basal conditions endothelin-1 and the cognate receptors ETA and ETB where nearly undetectable in CD47 null lungs. Disrupting TSP1-mediated activation of CD47 in monocrotaline treated rats, and in hypoxic pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell cultures, upregulated cMyc, inhibited endothelin-1 signaling and corrected established PH. Finally, antibody blocking CD47 in lungs from patients with end-stage PH normalized the vasodilation profile of distal pulmonary arteries to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside. Conclusions The above preclinical results suggest CD47 is an important and proximate promoter of PH through cMyc-mediated inhibition of endothelin-1, while results in diseased human PH lung arterioles suggest that CD47 is a clinical target to restore end-stage pulmonary arteriole function. Disclosure J.S.I. is Chair of the Scientific Advisory Boards and has equity interest in Vasculox, Inc. (St. Louis, MO) and Radiation Control Technologies, Inc. (Rockville, MD).
Responsibility and Public Policy in Health Care: Commentary on Essays by Williams and Rich

The many nuances of the idea of responsibility in health care are evident in the essays in this volume. When issues of public policy are added to responsibility and health care, the problems engendered by their inclusion become staggeringly complex. To eliminate some of this complexity, a few preliminary definitions and distinctions seem in order.
Foreign Direct Investment in China's High‐technology Manufacturing Industries

This paper provides a survey of foreign investment activity in China's high‐technology manufacturing industry. In addition, we closely examine the relationship between industrial policy, foreign investment and China's high‐technology export success using the development of an indigenous integrated circuits industry as a case study. This paper finds that China's efforts to raise the productivity and innovative capacity of indigenous enterprises is consistent with rising domestic shares of high‐technology assets and profits. Nevertheless, foreign‐funded enterprises remain the source of most high‐technology manufactured exports, primarily from wholly foreign‐owned firms. In sum, despite indigenous development, Chinese high‐technology manufacturing and exports remain deeply tied to foreign investment.
High Frequency Transformer Insulation in Medium Voltage SiC enabled Air-cooled Solid-State Transformers

The high frequency transformer is a critical component of the isolated DC-DC converters in high-frequency, medium-voltage solid-state transformer. The adoption of wide band gap semiconductor allows for devices to switch at much higher frequencies. The size-reduction potential enabled by the high frequency is limited by the loss, cooling rate, and insulation level. The insulation plays an especially important role when high isolation level is needed. In this paper, the design and impact of the insulation on the performance of the high-frequency, medium-voltage transformers will be analyzed. A high-frequency transformer insulation design will be proposed, which can be used in SiC-based solid state transformers for 13.8 kV AC grid. With a shielded, partial-discharge-free design, polymer/inorganic insulation system, basic insulation level (BIL) of ±95 kV have been demonstrated and the effective thermal conductivity at least 0.8 W/m-K, which is about 2–3 times higher than polymer materials capable of reaching similar BIL levels.
We Can Do Something! Caring for the Ongoing Needs of an Undocumented Patient

When cases involving undocumented immigrants first started coming to the attention of hospital administrators in the mid to late 1990s, it was easy to see them as anomalies. The difficult cases wer...
Impact of radiation dose during neoadjuvant chemoradiation on postoperative complications in esophageal (EC) and gastroesophageal junction cancers (GEJC).

119Background: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation (nCRT) followed by resection is standard of care for operable stage II-III EC and GEJC; however, it can be associated with significant risk of postoperativ...
Online Availability and Accessibility of Local Government Financial Statements: Is the Public Interest Being Served?

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of online availability and the ease of accessibility of U.S. municipality, county, school district, and special district audited fi...
Feminismus und Sexualpolitik: Die #MeToo-Bewegung und ihre Kritiker_innen

Dieser Aufsatz zieht eine Bilanz der ersten zwei Jahre der Debatten rund um die #MeToo-Bewegung in den USA. Die Autorin dokumentiert viele Erfolge der Bewegung – bezuglich der Sensibilisierung der Offentlichkeit und Entwicklung von Solidaritaten, der Strafverfolgung von Tatern oder dem Erzwingen ihres beruflichen Rucktritts, sowie der Anderung von Gesetzen und Richtlinien. Der Aufsatz untersucht aber auch die Bedenken vieler sexpositiver feministischer, antirassistischer und queerer Kritiker_innen der Bewegung und ihre Uberlegungen zu den tieferliegenden Problemen in der US-Sexualkultur, die die Bewegung aufgedeckt hat. Des Weiteren analysiert der Aufsatz unter den Rubriken von Enterotisierung, Instrumentalisierung sowie Verdrangung und Verschiebung, wie die Existenz der #MeToo-Bewegung insbesondere von Antifeminist_innen innerhalb parteipolitischer Konflikte immer mehr als Waffe benutzt werden konnte. Die Autorin unterstreicht, wie wichtig es ist, die Diskussion uber #MeToo in einen breiteren Kontext der Arbeitsrechte und der aktuellen wirtschaftlichen und politischen Bedingungen in den USA zu stellen.
The Promise of Pickles: Hydroponics in the classroom

“I just wanted to reach out and thank you for turning my child into a lettuce guru. He critically evaluates and taste tests the lettuce that we serve at dinner each night. I can't believe that my s...
“I thought I was supposed to get an A in PE!” Successes and challenges of teachers and administrators implementing standards-based grading in physical education

Abstract The purpose of this research was to understand the initial successes and challenges of physical educators’ implementation of standards-based grading (SBG) practices. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, the researchers interviewed four physical educators and two school administrators from a rural K-12 school in the Midwest. Although participants expressed a “building the plane as we fly it” mindset towards the training and implementation so far, benefits included a better roadmap to improving instruction and assessment to enhance student motivation. The participants in this study did not report much formal SBG training, yet their efforts to implement these practices created a PE environment in which some students were motivated to participate and extend their learning at home.
Schulpolitik im deutschen Föderalismus

Die Schulpolitik in den deutschen Bundeslandern erscheint oft schwerfallig mit Blick auf die pfadabhangigen Entwicklungen in der Schulstruktur. Jedoch wurden in den letzten Jahren auch betrachtliche Veranderungen in der Steuerung der Schulsysteme vorgenommen. Das Grundgesetz eroffnet Bund und Landern vielfaltige Gestaltungsmoglichkeiten. Jedoch erschweren die komplexe Akteurskonstellation in der Schulpolitik und die zum Teil widerstreitenden Interessen, dass sich die Bundeslander und der Bund in aktuellen Herausforderungen abstimmen und zusammenarbeiten.
United States–Canada Relations

Contemporary works on Canadian foreign policy toward the United States show scholars still grappling with the implications of two major events that altered the relationship profoundly: the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA) and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States (9/11). These two events shifted the agendas of both countries and led to a reappraisal of the potential of cooperation between the two countries. Neither event, nor the policy responses that followed were uncontroversial.
Reducing Inequality in High School Students’ College Knowledge: The Role of School Counselors:

This study examined inequalities in college knowledge across the high school years. Twelfth graders had significantly more college knowledge than ninth and 10th graders. Although college knowledge ...
Willingness to travel for CAR-T: A choice-based conjoint analysis.

e18503Background: Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) is a novel therapy only available at specialized centers. Because patients prefer treatment close to home and provider continuity,...
Concomitant opioid and benzodiazepine use and risk of suicide attempt and intentional self-harm: Pharmacoepidemiologic study.

Abstract Background Overdose due to concomitant use of opioids and benzodiazepines has been raised as a major public health concern, although little research has examined whether this risk extends to intentional overdose or other self-harm. This study examined whether prescription opioids and benzodiazepines interact to increase the rate of suicide attempt and intentional self-harm. Methods The study analyzed 4,762,438 users of opioids, benzodiazepines, both drugs concomitantly, or neither drug from the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters databases (2014–2016). The four groups were matched using inverse probability of treatment weighting and a difference in difference design was used to examine associations with risk of suicide attempt, intentional self-harm and drug overdose, including suicide death resulting in a medical claim. Results There was a small association for opioids (HR=1.23; 95% CI 1.06–1.43) but a larger association for benzodiazepines (HR=2.55; 95% CI 2.12–3.05) with suicide attempt, intentional self-harm, and drug overdose. The medication interaction was opposite to the expected direction (HR=0.70; 95% CI 0.55–0.89), indicating that risk associated with concomitant use was lower than would be expected on an additive basis. Sensitivity analyses found no evidence of increased risk due to interaction between the two drug classes. Conclusions Increased risk of suicide attempt, intentional self-harm and drug overdose for concomitant use of opioids and benzodiazepines is in large part attributable to benzodiazepine use alone. In typically prescribed quantities, opioids and benzodiazepines may not represent a drug interaction in terms of yielding increased risk of suicide attempt and intentional self-harm resulting in medical care.
Pharmacologic predictors of benzodiazepine response trajectory in anxiety disorders: a Bayesian hierarchical modeling meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Despite frequent benzodiazepine use in anxiety disorders, the trajectory and magnitude of benzodiazepine response and the effects of benzodiazepine potency, lipophilicity, and dose on improvement are unknown. METHODS We performed a meta-analysis using weekly symptom severity data from randomized, parallel group, placebo-controlled trials of benzodiazepines in adults with anxiety disorders. Response was modeled for the standardized change in continuous measures of anxiety using a Bayesian hierarchical model. Change in anxiety was evaluated as a function of medication, disorder, time, potency, lipophilicity, and standardized dose and compared among benzodiazepines. RESULTS Data from 65 trials (73 arms, 7 medications, 7110 patients) were included. In the logarithmic model of response, treatment effects emerged within 1 week of beginning treatment (standardized benzodiazepine-placebo difference = -0.235 ± 0.024, CrI: -0.283 to -0.186, P < .001) and placebo response plateaued at week 4. Doses <6 mg per day (lorazepam equivalents) produced faster and larger improvement than higher doses (P = .039 for low vs medium dose and P = .005 for high vs medium dose) and less lipophilic benzodiazepines (beta = 0.028 ± 0.013, P = .030) produced a greater response over time. Relative to the reference benzodiazepine (lorazepam), clonazepam (beta = -0.217 ± 0.95, P = .021) had a greater trajectory/magnitude of response (other specific benzodiazepines did not statistically differ from lorazepam). CONCLUSIONS In adults with anxiety disorders, benzodiazepine-related improvement emerges early, and the trajectory and magnitude of improvement is related to dose and lipophilicity. Lower doses and less lipophilic benzodiazepines produce greater improvement.
Current Delivery of Gas-Puff Z-Pinches on the Ceszar Linear Transformer Driver

Thorough understanding of current delivery in Z-pinch implosions is of key importance to attaining high neutron or x-ray yield. The current distribution of gas-puff Z-pinches has not yet been investigated on low impedance, fast current drivers such as linear transformer drivers. Such knowledge will facilitate understanding of the pinch dynamics and energy coupling. Here, we report results on the current distribution by measuring local magnetic field measurements using emission spectroscopy. The oxygen gas-puff experiments were performed on the 500-kA peak current, 180 ns rise time linear transformer driver (LTD) CESZAR. Azimuthal magnetic field measurements were made using ultraviolet emission from oxygen in a liner-on-target configuration, exploiting the polarization properties of the Zeeman effect. The fusion-relevant liner-on-target arrangement allowed for measurements of B θ at the liner-target interface when oxygen was used as the inner target gas, resulting in values of B θ of up to 4 T. Local measurements at the plasma-vacuum interface when oxygen was used as the shell liner resulted in measured values of B θ ranging from 2 – 8 T. In addition to the magnetic field diagnostic, a multi-frame XUV pinhole camera was utilized, providing information of the implosion dynamics which are corroborated by doppler measurements of the velocity recorded on the high-resolution spectrometer. Experimental results are compared with calculated values of B θ and discrepancies are discussed.
Chronoamperometry of polymer-modified electrodes

Abstract A theoretical analysis of charge-transport phenomena due to both diffusion and electrostatic migration in a polymer-modified electrode is presented for chronoamperometry. Concentration distributions and current-time curves were derived for the simple case of a constant electric field in the polymer film.
Low-temperature superlattice in monoclinic PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3

Transmission-electron microscopy has shown that the strongly piezoelectric material ${\mathrm{PbZr}}_{0.52}{\mathrm{Ti}}_{0.48}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ separates into two phases at low temperatures. The majority phase is the monoclinic phase previously found by x-ray diffraction. The minority phase, with a nanoscale coherence length, is a slightly distorted variant of the first resulting from the antiphase rotation of the oxygen octahedra about [111]. This work clears up a recent controversy about the origin of superlattice peaks in these materials, and supports recent theoretical results predicting the coexistence of ferroelectric and rotational instabilities.
The Effects of Nicotine on Learning and Memory

Acetylcholine is involved in cognitive processes, and the ability of nicotine to modulate nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptor function contributes to the effects of tobacco on learning and other cognitive processes. The capacity of nicotine to alter learning and cognition may facilitate the development and maintenance of nicotine addiction. Nicotine may enhance the formation of strong but yet maladaptive drug-stimuli associations that can trigger cravings and drug-seeking behavior upon reexposure to the stimuli. In addition, deficits in cognition during periods of abstinence may contribute to smoking relapse. Nicotine may initially alter cell-signaling cascades involved in learning and synaptic plasticity to facilitate cognition, but continued use may lead to compensatory adaptations in nicotinic receptor function, such as receptor desensitization and upregulation that contribute to tolerance and withdrawal deficits in cognition. The effects of nicotine on cognition are influenced by the brain regions involved in the cognitive tasks and by both genetics and developmental stage.
A Bayesian Approach to the Analysis of Split-Plot Combined and Product Arrays and Optimization in Robust Parameter Design

The authors present a Bayesian approach to process optimization for a general class of RPD models in the split-plot context using an empirical approximation of the posterior distribution for an objective function of interest.
Development of a brief measure of attitudes towards polyamory

Due to its increasing popularity as a relationship style, empirical research on polyamory and its practitioners has flourished over the past decade. More recently, researchers are beginning to explore others’ attitudes towards polyamory. To support future work in this area, we created a 7-item measure of attitudes towards polyamory and validated it in three samples. Sample 1 used 100 US adults to create the initial version of the Attitudes Towards Polyamory (ATP) Scale. In Sample 2, the responses of 134 US college students were used to revise the scale and to obtain evidence for construct validity and test–retest reliability. Sample 3 employed 196 US adults to confirm the factor structure of the scale and to further establish convergent and divergent validity. As expected, participants who held more traditional beliefs (such as favourable attitudes towards monogamy, politically conservative beliefs and fundamentalist religious beliefs) were more likely to have negative attitudes towards polyamory, whereas...
Determination of penicillin G in beef and pork tissues using an automated LC cleanup

A procedure previously described for determination of β-lactam antibiotics in milk was modified for use with tissues. Tissues were extracted directly with acetonitrile (procedure I) to avoid degradation of penicillin G in water homogenates. Recovery of penicillin G in acetonitrile extracts of tissues was improved by addition of tetraethylammonium chloride and, in some cases, pH adjustment. The acetonitrile extracts were concentrated by evaporation and filtered. For cleanup, an automated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fractionation was used. The fraction corresponding to penicillin G was tested by a rapid screening test and, if positive, was analyzed by HPLC. For analysis, an Inertsil ODS-2 column was used with a mobile phase of 0.0067 M KH2PO4, 0.0033 M H3PO4−acetonitrile (68 + 32) with UV detection at 215 nm. For confirmation by treatment with β-lactamase, tissues were homogenized in water. An aliquot of the water homogenate was treated with β-lactamase prior to extraction with acetonitril...
Is HIV superinfection worrisome

Recent publications report that individuals previously infected with one HIV strain can be superinfected by another strain. These findings raise concern among some investigators that the development of an effective AIDS vaccine is impossible if natural HIV infection cannot ward off reinfection. (excerpt)
Differences in carbon and nutrient fractions among arctic growth forms

In a survey of 28 plant species of 6 major growth forms from Alaskan tundra, we found no consistent difference among growth forms in the chemical nature of stored reserves except for lichens and mosses (which stored C primarily as polysaccharides) and shrubs (which tended to store C more as sugars than as polysaccharides). Forbs and graminoids showed particularly great diversity in the chemical nature of stored reserves. In contrast, C, N, and P chemistry of leaves was strikingly similar among all species and growth forms. Concentrations of stored reserves of C, N, and P were highest and showed greatest seasonal fluctuations in forbs and graminoids but were relatively constant in evergreen shrubs. From this information, we draw three general conclusions: (1) the photosynthetic function of leaves strongly constrains leaf chemistry so that similar chemical composition is found in all species and growth forms: (2) the chemical nature of storage reserves is highly variable, both within and among growth forms; (3) the concentration and seasonal pattern of storage reserves are closely linked to growth-form and reflect growth-form differences in woodiness, phenology, and relative dependence upon concurrent uptake vs. storage in support of growth.