cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Concentration Effects on Competitive Sorption of Trichloroethylene and Tetrachloroethylene to the Roots of Typha latifolia: Implications for Phytomonitoring

Uptake of organic contaminants by plant roots consists of two consecutive steps: sorption to plant roots and entrance into root xylem tissues through epidermal and endodermic membranes. Most research pertaining to phytoremediation assumed that sorption to plant roots is linear and non-competitive. A growing body of evidence, however, is suggesting that sorption to plant roots is nonlinear and competitive. The objective of this study was to examine the concentration effects of chemical constituents on the competitive sorption of trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) to the roots of Typha latifolia. Competitive sorption was clearly demonstrated by the reduced sorption of TCE and PCE in bi-solute systems than in single-solute systems. Concentration is an important factor affecting the extent of competition. In bi-solute systems, the PCE/TCE ratio on root surface approximately reflected the contaminant footprints in solution. The result was attributed to limited high energetically favorable sorption sites on the root surface and similar sorption mechanisms of TCE and PCE. The results hold significant importance for the application of phytomonitoring of organic contaminant mixtures.
Comparative study of the luminescence and intrinsic point defects in the kesterite Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 and chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 thin films used in photovoltaic applications

The kesterite Cu${}_{2}$ZnSnS${}_{4}$ (CZTS) is attracting considerable interest because first-principles calculations predict that its electronic properties must be similar to their associated chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)Se${}_{2}$ (CIGS) compounds [Chen et al., Phys. Rev. B 81, 245204 (2010)]. Here, the authors report on first experimental evidence of the close resemblance in the luminescence of Cu-poor kesterites and Cu-poor chalcopyrites used in photovoltaic applications. Microluminescence measurements suggest that even the very distinct electronic structure of grain boundaries in CIGS is present, to some extent, in CZTS. The similarities between CIGS and CZTS become more pronounced as the efficiency of the CZTS solar cells gradually increases. The implications of these results for the future development of CZTS solar cells are discussed.
Impact of Body Habitus on Radiologic Interpretations

An enormous percentage of Americans are becoming overweight, obese, or morbidly obese (1). Obese population directly impacts the health care system with an increased incidence of diabetes and heart disease. The impact of obesity is also indirectly felt by radiology departments (4). Routinely used imaging modalities, for example, have limited ability to accommodate patients with very large body habitus. Loss of quality of images acquired from overweight patients is another problem faced by radiologists during clinical interpretations (2). In this issue of Academic Radiology, Larson et al. reported the impact of body mass index (BMI, the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) on the detection of pleural thickening in subjects who had prior asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a major cause of both benign and malignant pleural disorders (3). Although the role of asbestos as a health hazard has long been recognized (4), its use is not restricted in many countries (5). The identification of pleural thickening, either localized or diffuse, is important because it is a biomarker of prior significant asbestos exposure, which itself is a major risk factor for mesothelioma, an aggressive malignancy that has 5-year survival rates as low as 1% (6–8). The detection of pleural thickening is currently made on chest radiographs. However, Larson et al. have shown that this approach has limitations in subjects with high BMI. Studying patients who were imaged by radiographs and high-resolution computed tomography (median interval 30 days between imaging tests), the authors showed that elevated BMI (and the associated subpleural fat deposition) can actually result in a false-positive diagnosis of pleural thickening and therefore prior asbestos exposure. This is important because obesity is a rising epidemic worldwide and because a false-positive diagnosis of prior asbestos exposure could have critical implications for patients in terms of their future clinical management, medico-legally, and psychologically. Overall, Larson et al.’s study points toward the frequent issue in medicine of balancing the use of two-dimensional
Regulation of Gene Expression by Estrogen and Testosterone in the Proximal Mouse Reproductive Tract

The role of estrogen and testosterone in the regulation of gene expression in the proximal reproductive tract is not completely understood. To address this question, mice were treated with testosterone or estradiol, and RNA from the efferent ducts and caput epididymides was processed and hybridized to Affymetrix M430 2.0 microarrays. Analysis of array output identified probe sets in each tissue with altered levels in hormone-treated versus control animals. Hormone treatment efficacy was confirmed by determination of serum hormone levels before and after treatment and by observed changes in transcript levels of previously reported hormone-responsive genes. Tissue-specific hormone sensitivity was observed with 2867 and 3197 probe sets changing significantly in the efferent ducts after estrogen and testosterone treatment, respectively. In the caput epididymidis, 117 and 268 probe sets changed after estrogen and testosterone treatment, respectively, demonstrating a greater response to hormone in the efferent ducts than in the caput epididymidis. Transcripts sharing similar profiles in the intact and hormone-treated animals compared with castrated controls were also identified. Ontology analysis of probe sets revealed that a significant number of hormone-regulated transcripts encode proteins associated with lipid metabolism, transcription, and steroid metabolism in both tissues. Real-time RT-PCR was used to confirm array data and to investigate other potential hormone-responsive regulators of proximal reproductive tract function. The results of this work reveal previously unknown responses to estrogen in the caput epididymidis and to testosterone in the efferent ducts, as well as tissue-specific hormone sensitivity in the proximal reproductive tract.
Solving large-scale fuzzy and possibilistic optimization problems

The semantic and algorithmic differences between fuzzy and possibilistic optimization methods are presented in the context of three methods for solving large fuzzy and possibilistic optimization problems. In particular, an optimization problem in radiation therapy with various orders of complexity, 1,000-55,000 constraints, possessing (i) soft constraints, (ii) fuzzy right-hand side values and (iii) possibilistic right-hand side values, are used to illustrate the semantics and to test the performance of the three fuzzy and possibilistic optimization methods. We focus on the uncertainty in the right side which arises, in the context of the radiation therapy problem, from the fact that minimal/maximal radiation tolerances are target values rather than fixed real numbers. The results indicate that fuzzy/possibilistic optimization is a natural way to model various types of optimization under uncertainty problems and large optimization problems can be solved efficiently.
Remembrance of everything past [Spectral Lines]

THE PURSUIT OF ENHANCED cognition–from sharper recall to more lucid reasoning–is now the greatest animating impulse behind innovative computer engineering. Across the world, clever designers are leveraging ever-expanding storage, processing power, and communications networks to build personalized encyclopedias that document all aspects of an individual's inner and outer lives. If the engineers have their way, every idea, memory, and feeling–the recorded consciousness of a single lifetime–will be stored in the cloud.
Science and technology advice to state legislatures

We examine technical information and decision making in state legislatures. Reporting on field work from eleven state legislatures, we examine: their need for science and technology policy support; internal and external sources of such support available to them; the characteristics of useful support; their use of computer technology; the role of technical information in a political environment; and their level of satisfaction with existing science and technology policy support. We find an increasing need for technical information and analysis and some satisfactory access to a variety of internal and external sources. A lack of specialized expertise among staff, scarce access to prospective analyses, and unfulfilled expectations for the informational role of state universities limit satisfaction. State legislatures should consider: improving internal staff expertise; increasing computer access, use, and training for staff and legislators; and facilitating access to state universities and inter-sectoral organizations.
The Hierarchical Model of Approach-Avoidance Motivation

Approach motivation is the energization of behavior by, or the direction of behavior toward, positive stimuli (objects, events, possibilities), whereas avoidance motivation is the energization of behavior by, or the direction of behavior away from, negative stimuli (objects, events, possibilities). In this article, I provide a brief overview of this distinction between approach and avoidance motivation. In addition, I provide a brief overview of a model of motivation in which this approach-avoidance distinction plays an integral role—the hierarchical model of approach-avoidance motivation.
Optimal pursuer and moving target assignment using dynamic Voronoi diagrams

We consider a Voronoi-like partitioning problem for a team of pursuers distributed in the plane. Each element of the partition is uniquely associated with a pursuer in the following sense: if a moving target at a given instant of time resides inside a particular member of the partition, then the pursuer associated with this set can intercept this moving target faster than any other pursuer. In our problem formulation, the moving target does not necessarily travel along prescribed trajectories, as it is typically assumed in the literature but, instead, it can apply an “evading” strategy in response to the actions of its pursuer. It is further assumed that the structure of the evading strategy of the target is only partially known to the pursuers. We characterize an approximate solution to this problem by associating it with a standard Voronoi partitioning problem. Simulation results are presented to highlight the theoretical developments.
New USDA school meal regulations are associated with children's increased fruit and vegetable selection but not consumption (384.3)

Increasing children’s consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) is an important goal of the National School Lunch Program. As of the 2012 school year, USDA requires children to select a fruit or ve...
Butterfly Response to Microclimatic Conditions Following Ponderosa Pine Restoration

Efforts to restore ponderosa pine ecosystems to open, park-like conditions that predominated prior to European-American settlement result in altered stand structure and increased landscape heterogeneity, potentially altering habitat suitability for invertebrates and other forest organisms. We examined the responses of two butterfly species, Colias eurytheme and Neophasia menapia , to microclimatic changes at structural edges created by experimental restoration treatments in northern Arizona. We monitored microclimate, including air temperature, light intensity, and vapor pressure deficit (VPD), on several mornings during butterfly releases. We placed adult butterflies at eastand west-facing edges approximately one half-hour before dawn to determine their behavioral response to microclimatic differences between east- and westfacing edges. After sunrise, all three microclimatic variables were higher at east-facing edges, and the difference in microclimate between the two edge orientations increased through early morning. For both species, butterflies placed at east-facing edges flew earlier than butterflies at west-facing edges. Colias eurytheme , an open-habitat species, tended to move toward the treated forest during initial flight, while movements of Neophasia menapia , a forest-dwelling species, did not differ from random flight. Our results indicate that butterflies respond to microclimatic factors associated with restoration treatments, while responses to structural changes in habitat vary among species, based on habitat and food plant preferences. These changes in forest structure and microclimate may affect the distribution of many mobile invertebrates in forested landscapes undergoing restoration treatments.
Characterization of increased drug metabolism activity in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-treated Huh7 hepatoma cells

The objective of this study was to characterize Huh7 cells' baseline capacity to metabolize drugs and to investigate whether the drug metabolism was enhanced upon treatment with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of major Phase I and Phase II enzymes were determined by quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and activities of major drug-metabolizing enzymes were examined using probe drugs by analysing relevant metabolite production rates. The expression levels of drug-metabolizing enzymes in control Huh7 cells were generally very low, but DMSO treatment dramatically increased the mRNA levels of most drug-metabolizing enzymes as well as other liver-specific proteins. Importantly, functionality assays confirmed concomitant increases in drug-metabolizing enzyme activity. Additionally, treatment of the Huh7 cells with 3-methylcholanthrene induced cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1 expression. The results indicate that DMSO treatment of Huh7 cells profoundly enhances their differentiation state, thus improving the usefulness of this common cell line as an in vitro hepatocyte model.
A clinician in the classroom: using a reflective practice paradigm to learn to teach

There is an ongoing debate in the social work profession about the value of faculty with practice experience. Many doctoral students begin teaching with significant practice experience but limited preparation for teaching. Schon’s reflective practice paradigm describes how new instructors can trust their existing social work skills and values, as well as cultivate the ability to reflect on their developing teaching practice. Drawing on the authors’ own experiences as new doctoral-level instructors, and referring to the literature on teaching effectiveness, this paper suggests that practice experience and clinical skills can be an invaluable resource for new instructors in social work.
Byte unidirectional error correcting codes

Efficient byte unidirectional error correcting codes that are better than byte symmetric error correcting codes are presented. The encoding and decoding algorithms are discussed. Lower bounds on the number of check bits for byte unidirectional error correcting codes are derived, and it is shown that the codes given here are close to optimal. Codes for asymmetric errors are also described. >
Empirical analysis of Bayesian kernel methods for modeling count data

Bayesian models are used for estimation and forecasting in a wide range of application areas. One extension of such methods is the Bayesian kernel model, which integrate the Bayesian conjugate prior with kernel functions. This paper empirically analyzes the performance of Bayesian kernel models when applied to count data. The analysis is performed with several data sets with different characteristics regarding the numbers of observations and predictors. While the size of the data and number of predictors is changing across data sets, the predictors are all continuous in this study. The Poisson Bayesian kernel model is applied to each data set and compared to the Poisson generalized linear model. The measures of goodness of fit used are the deviance and the log-likelihood functional value, and the computation is done by dividing the data into training and testing sets, for the Bayesian kernel model, a tuning set is used to optimize the parameters of the kernel function. The Bayesian kernel approach tends to outperform classical count data models for smaller data sets with a small number of predictors. The analysis conducted in this paper is an initial step towards the validation of the Poisson Bayesian kernel model. This type of model can be useful in risk analysis applications in which data sources are scarce and can help in analytical and data-driven decision making.
Genetic Predisposition to Dyslipidemia and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Two Prospective Cohorts

Dyslipidemia has been associated with type 2 diabetes, but it remains unclear whether dyslipidemia plays a causal role in type 2 diabetes. We aimed to examine the association between the genetic predisposition to dyslipdemia and type 2 diabetes risk. The current study included 2,447 patients with type 2 diabetes and 3,052 control participants of European ancestry from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Genetic predisposition to dyslipidemia was estimated by three genotype scores of lipids (LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides) on the basis of the established loci for blood lipids. Linear relation analysis indicated that the HDL cholesterol and triglyceride genotype scores, but not the LDL cholesterol genotype score, were linearly related to elevated type 2 diabetes risk. Each point of the HDL cholesterol and triglyceride genotype scores was associated with a 3% (odds ratio [OR] 1.03 [95% CI 1.01–1.04]) and a 2% (1.02 [1.00–1.04]) increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, respectively. The ORs were 1.39 (1.17–1.65) and 1.19 (1.01–1.41) for type 2 diabetes by comparing extreme quartiles of the HDL cholesterol genotype score and triglyceride genotype score, respectively. In conclusion, genetic predisposition to low HDL cholesterol or high triglycerides is related to elevated type 2 diabetes risk.
Checkable answers: Understanding student behaviors with instant feedback in a blended learning class

Online learning platforms can provide automatic instant feedback on students' activities with formative assessment tasks such as homework assignments. However, the various ways that students interact with feedback features add to the uncertainty of the effectiveness of automatic immediate feedback on student learning. We study student behavioral patterns with an instant feedback feature: “checkable answers,” powered by the edX learning platform. We show how these behavioral patterns are related to student course performance and other factors such as self-efficacy and student perceptions of the utility of the course for their future.
A Classification of Enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture

Enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture (ESOA) style defines the principles and guidelines for designing and implementing complex business processes and systems. This paper classifies ESOA style to six substyles based on a domain model of service-oriented enterprise and an abstract model we proposed. The definition of each style is provided. A comparison of parts and constraints of five basic ESOA styles is also presented. Finally, we conclude by comparing related work of ESOA style classification and discussing the benefits of our research work for both research and practice in ESOA.
The Survival of Non-Marital Relationship Statuses in the Same-Sex Marriage Era: A Proposal

Based on recent achievements by the same-sex marriage movement and current societal attitudes, it seems clear that it is only a matter of time before same-sex marriage is recognized by the majority of jurisdictions within the United States. When this occurs, society will be left with an important decision regarding whether the widespread legalization of same-sex marriage marks the beginning or the end of the discussion in this country regarding adult relationship recognition. Hopefully, it will mark the beginning of the discussion. Individuals face incredibly limited options when it comes to legal recognition of their important relationships. The federal government and the majority of states recognize only one relationship status, marriage, leaving couples with the narrow choice of marriage or non-recognition. It is time for the United States to follow the lead of other countries in creating an effective and comprehensive system of adult relationship recognition that does not depend solely upon marriage. There is ample evidence that marriage is in trouble in the United States. Increasing numbers of individuals are eschewing marriage for non-marital cohabitation, those who marry do so later in life, and the divorce rate continues to hover around fifty percent. As marriage rates decrease, increasing numbers of individuals are left in the unfortunate position of having inadequate legal protections for their relationships. Many people likely would benefit from the introduction of a third option; namely, a state-based non-marital relationship status that offered a true alternative to marriage and was recognized by the federal government. This article offers an innovative proposal for a new system of non-marital relationship recognition in the United States.
ANALYSIS OF FRACTURE ACTIVE STAGES, HEAT FLUID NATURE AND THE PROCESS OF FORMING RESERVOIR IN WESTERN SICHUAN SAG

The cause of forming many oil and gas pools from the terrestrial facies stratum of Mesozoic Era in the western Sichuan sag is closely related with the following three aspects the important tectonic (inversion) from continuous tectonic sinking to vibrant upwraping in the western Sichuan sag, many times fracture activities in process of tectonic upwraping, and heat fluid movement. According to the (comprehensive) studies of standard characteristics and ESR dating of secondary quartz and calcite, (homogeneous) temperature, salinity and density of fluid inclusions developed from the secondary minerals, reflectivity of pitch inclusions, and isotope analysis of carbon and oxygen of secondary quartz and calcite filling in fractures and solution holes of different tectonic active stages and referring to many formers' (studies), the authors have drawn the following conclusions: First, the fracture activities from early (Cretaceous) Epoch to Miocene Epoch in the western Sichuan sag, may be mainly divided into five stages: early time (Stage Ⅰ, 125~110 Ma) and late time (Stage Ⅱ, 94~82 Ma) of late phase of Yanshanian Movement, early phase of Himalayan Movement (Stage Ⅲ, 63~53.7 Ma), early time (Stage Ⅳ, 45~21.6 Ma) and late time (Stage Ⅴ, 14.9 Ma) of middle phase of Himalayan Movement; Second, in the gradually open system, the heat fluid moving along tectonic fractures of each stage is mainly oil field water carrying with hydrocarbon, but in Stage Ⅲ and late time of Stage Ⅳ, some high salty water from deep stratum was mixed up in this kind of oil field water; Third, tectonic fractures provided important tunnel conditions for oil and gas in respect of migration, accumulation and function of forming pools; Finally, (relative) processes of forming pools are as follows: Stage Ⅰ is the petroleum window stage, Stage Ⅱ is the primitive oil and gas pool stage, Stage Ⅲ is destruction of primitive oil and gas pool and forming the early epigenetic oil and gas pool forming stage, Stage Ⅳ is the main stage of forming the larger epigenetic oil and gas pools, Stage Ⅴ is the gas pool stage with the characteristics of "shallow layer, far from source and (secondary)", what's more, Stage Ⅳ and Ⅴ are the two most crucial stages of accumulating petroleum in the western Sichuan sag.
The role of preoperative angiography in the management of giant meningiomas associated to vascular malformation.

BACKGROUND The role of preoperative digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in meningiomas is currently under discussion because of the introduction of noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) angiography to study vascular anatomy associated to the tumor. Preoperative DSA is mainly performed to obtain embolization of the lesion, although a number of complications have been reported after this procedure. Nonetheless, the coexistence of meningiomas with vascular malformations has previously been reported and it has been evidenced that this event could be underestimated because of neglect of preoperative DSA. Here, we report on two challenging cases of giant meningiomas associated to vascular malformations and we discuss the pertinent literature. CASE DESCRIPTIONS In the first case: A large right temporal meningioma with erosion of the sphenoid greater wing and extension toward infratemporal fossa and right orbit - a large pseudoaneurysm of right middle cerebral artery branch was found end embolized during DSA. In the second case: A giant parieto-temporal meningioma - DSA permitted the full visualization of an abnormal drainage of superior sagittal sinus like a "sinus pericranii" that was respected during the following surgery. CONCLUSION We think that MRI angiography is the exam of choice to study vascular anatomy in meningiomas. Nonetheless, DSA remains a useful tool in giant meningiomas not only to embolizate the lesion but also to treat tumor associated vascular malformation and to achieve the full knowledge of vascular anatomy. We think that a wide communication between interventionalist and surgeon is essential for the optimal management of these patients.
Missing the Boat–Impact of Just Missing Identification as a High-Performing School

ABSTRACTThis study capitalizes on the performance identification system under the No Child Left Behind waivers to estimate the school-level impact of just missing formal state recognition as a high-performing school. Using a fuzzy regression-discontinuity design and data from the early years of waiver implementation in Rhode Island, we find that, when schools that just missed achieving status as a high-performing school (i.e., leading) were located in districts with a large proportion of schools achieving this status, they performed better in subsequent years. Alternatively, when similar schools were in districts with few leading schools, we find no effects.
Abstract P033: Acute Intravenous Glucose Injection Inhibits Tubuloglomerular Feedback and Increase Glomerular Filtration Rate

Hyperfiltration is considered a risk factor for diabetic nephropathy, but the mechanism for alterations in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in diabetes has not been clarified. Nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1) highly expresses in the macula densa (MD) and NO inhibits tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF). TGF is one of the major mechanisms for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) regulation. It is not clear whether glucose itself filtered into the tubules has any effect on GFR. We hypothesized the glucose enhances NOS1 activity in the MD, which blunts TGF and increases GFR. First, we measured GRF in conscious mice by plasma FITC-inulin clearance. Three min after an intravenous infusion of 50μl of 4M glucose in wild type mice, GFR was increased by 19.1% from 236±9.7 to 281±13.4 μl/min. Intravenous saline infusion had no effect on GFR. NO generation by the MD was then measured in isolated perfused juxtaglomerular apparatus with fluorescent probe DAF-2DA. In response to an increase in tubular glucose concentration from 0 to 300 mg/dl, NO production was increased by 78.4%. TGF, assessed in vivo by measuring the change in proximal tubular stop flow pressure (Δ) induced by an increase of perfusion rate in late proximal tubules from 0 to 40 nl/min, was significantly blunted from 6.5±0.9 to 5.0±1.6 mmHg when tubular perfusate glucose concentration was increased 0 to 300 mg/dl. To determine whether the glucose-induced changes were mediated by NOS1 in MD, we repeated the experiments in MD specific NOS1 KO (MD-NOS1KO) mice. Intravenous glucose infusion did not significantly increase GRF (from 203±15.7 to 220±6.9 μl/min) in the KO mice. Elevating glucose content in tubular perfusate did not alter the TGF response (Δ was from 7.8±1.3 to 7.3±2.1 mmHg) in MD-NOS1KO mice. We concluded that increase of tubular glucose concentration increases GFR by inhibiting TGF response, which is mediated by NO production from NOS1 in the MD.
What Barriers and Facilitators Do School Nurses Experience When Implementing an Obesity Intervention

A recent evaluation of a school nurse-led obesity intervention demonstrated a 5% implementation rate. The purpose of this study was to explore school nurses' perceived barriers to and facilitators of the intervention in order to understand reasons for the low implementation rate. Methods included semi-structured individual interviews with school nurses. Data were analyzed using content analysis and heat mapping. Nineteen nurses participated and eight themes were identified. Parental and administrative gatekeeping, heavy nurse workload, obesogenic environments, and concerns about obesity stigma were barriers to implementation. Teamwork with parents and school staff was a key facilitator of implementation. Nurses also noted the importance of cultural considerations and highlighted the need to tailor the intervention to the unique needs of their school environment and student population. These findings suggest that for school nurses to play a key role in school-based obesity interventions, barriers must be identified and addressed prior to program implementation.
A Novel Function for the Streptococcus pneumoniae Aminopeptidase N: Inhibition of T Cell Effector Function through Regulation of TCR Signaling.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) causes a variety of disease states including fatal bacterial pneumonia. Our previous finding that introduction of Spn into an animal with ongoing influenza virus infection resulted in a CD8+ T cell population with reduced effector function gave rise to the possibility of direct regulation by pneumococcal components. Here we show that treatment of effector T cells with lysate derived from Spn resulted in inhibition of IFNγ and TNFα production as well as of cytolytic granule release. Spn aminopeptidase N (PepN) was identified as the inhibitory bacterial component and surprisingly, this property was independent of the peptidase activity found in this family of proteins. Inhibitory activity was associated with reduced activation of ZAP-70, ERK1/2, JNK, and p38, demonstrating the ability of PepN to negatively regulate TCR signaling at multiple points in the cascade. These results reveal a novel immune regulatory function for a bacterial aminopeptidase.
Chapter 21 – Performance – Descent

The chapter is split into two parts. The first one develops fundamental relationships required to evaluate the characteristics of gliding flight. The second one develops an assortment of methods to predict a number of descent characteristics of an airplane.
Lock-Free Transactional Transformation for Linked Data Structures

Nonblocking data structures allow scalable and thread-safe access to shared data. They provide individual operations that appear to execute atomically. However, it is often desirable to execute multiple operations atomically in a transactional manner. Previous solutions, such as Software Transactional Memory (STM) and transactional boosting, manage transaction synchronization separately from the underlying data structure’s thread synchronization. Although this reduces programming effort, it leads to overhead associated with additional synchronization and the need to rollback aborted transactions. In this work, we present a new methodology for transforming high-performance lock-free linked data structures into high-performance lock-free transactional linked data structures without revamping the data structures’ original synchronization design. Our approach leverages the semantic knowledge of the data structure to eliminate the overhead of false conflicts and rollbacks. We encapsulate all operations, operands, and transaction status in a transaction descriptor, which is shared among the nodes accessed by the same transaction. We coordinate threads to help finish the remaining operations of delayed transactions based on their transaction descriptors. When a transaction fails, we recover the correct abstract state by reversely interpreting the logical status of a node. We also present an obstruction-free version of our algorithm that can be applied to dynamic execution scenarios and an example of our approach applied to a hash map. In our experimental evaluation using transactions with randomly generated operations, our lock-free transactional data structures outperform the transactional boosted ones by 70% on average. They also outperform the alternative STM-based approaches by a factor of 2 to 13 across all scenarios. More importantly, we achieve 4,700 to 915,000 times fewer spurious aborts than the alternatives.
The Relevance of Hierarchy Theory to Biogeography and Paleobiogeography

One of the strengths of paleobiogeography as a discipline is that it sits at the nexus or intersection of biological and geological research. Major conceptual advances in both of these subjects critically impact research in paleobiogeography. It is the association of the changing and coevolving spiral between life and geology, mediated by geography, that makes biogeography a very broad field (Brown and Lomolino, 1998). In this way it is similar to evolutionary biology, and Simpson’s (1944) statement about that field also applies to biogeography: “the basic problems of evolution are so broad that they cannot hopefully be attacked from the point of view of a single scientific discipline” (Simpson, 1944, p. XV). I first want to demonstrate why this statement is true of evolutionary biology, and then I will go on to show why it is also true of biogeography.
Manipulation of the Predacious Mite, Euseius tularensis (Acari: Phytoseiidae), with Pruning for Citrus Thrips Control

The interior and exterior of citrus trees were pruned in late winter or summer to manipulate the timing and population development of the predacious mite, Euseius tularensis Congdon, and reduce scarring caused by citrus thrips, Scirtothrips citri. Pruning the interior of trees in late winter almost doubled the number of predacious mites in spring on the exterior of the trees where citrus thrips are most active. Pruning the interior or exterior of trees in summer resulted in higher predacious mite densities in the fall and accelerated population development by 2 wk in spring the following year. Pruning the exterior of trees in late winter did not affect mite densities until a year later. Pruning significantly lowered the percentage of heavy thrips scarring only in the winter-exterior treatment. E. tularensis may play a significant, however, not always regulatory role in reducing citrus thrips scarring damage. Pruning may be a more practical method of managing mite populations than mass-rearing and releases.
The Ideal Integration

How would an ideal integration world look? We can construct an ideal integration world and, based on these results, determine what would remain to be done in integration if there were an ideal integration world. Therefore the discussion is specifically and intentionally carried to the extreme in order to explain the main intent of the presented conceptual model in this book and to clearly identify the integration concepts presented in Chapt. 7.
Molecular Imaging of Cancer Gene Therapy

Applications of noninvasive imaging in cancer gene therapy research and clinical practice fall into three categories. First, “tagged” tumor cells can be used to monitor cell fates in vivo. Target tumor cells can be labeled for noninvasive imaging, either by transfer of ex vivo-labeled tumor cells to host animals or by the development of transgenic animal models in which target tumor cells express reporters that can be noninvasively imaged. The response of imagable target tumor cells to chemotherapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy, cell therapy, and multimodality therapies can then be noninvasively monitored (1). Although an important tool in preclinical cancer research studies in general and gene therapy research in particular, the use of noninvasive imaging to monitor the fate of tagged target tumor cells is not extensively reviewed here.
Eighteenth-Century Views of Ancient Astronomy

By the end of the 1740s the existence of the moon’s secular acceleration was widely accepted among astronomers. The magnitude of the acceleration, however, remained unknown, excepting William Whiston’s rushed and unjustified claim that it caused of correction to the time of an eclipse in the past, which increases at rate of 1 minute in 54 years. Between 1749 and 1757 three attempts were made to determine the magnitude of the moon’s secular acceleration by Richard Dunthorne, Tobais Mayer, and Jerome Lalande after which attention shifted to trying to account for the acceleration theoretically. Dunthorne, Mayer and Lalande’s study of the moon’s secular acceleration relied upon the interpretation and exploitation of ancient astronomical records. How to interpret ancient astronomical observations and which sources of ancient records could be relied upon had been a controversial issue since the Renaissance and would require Dunthorne, Mayer, and Lalande to make decisions that would have a direct impact upon their estimates of the size of the secular acceleration.
Problems of developing and transition economies

ABSTRACTThe Solow growth model was extended to account for the graft by corrupt individuals from domestic savings, which could have been used for productive capital accumulation, the productive sto...
Treatment of Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) was first described in the 1960s after the introduction of the dopamine receptor-blocking antipsychotic agents. Any drug with this pharmacologic profile, including the modern atypical antipsychotic agents and the antiemetic agent metoclopramide, can cause the typical syndrome consisting of all or some of the classical clinical features of hyperthermia, muscle rigidity, autonomic disturbance, and mental status changes. An almost identical syndrome, Parkinson-hyperpyrexia syndrome, can result from abrupt reduction or withdrawal of dopaminergic therapy in Parkinson’s disease patients. Although there are few formal studies assessing the efficacy of proposed treatments for NMS, bromocriptine and dantrolene are the most widely accepted medical treatments for this condition. Electroconvulsive therapy is useful in intractable cases. Most patients should be cared for in an ICU to adequately treat autonomic, respiratory, and renal complications. With treatment, most patients with NMS recover in 1–2 weeks, but recent surveys show an overall mortality of 5%.
Personality and substance use correlates of e-cigarette use in college students

Abstract Many studies have examined psychological and substance use correlates of e-cigarette use. However, several potentially important personality and substance use variables have yet to be considered. In an effort to remedy this omission, we studied the associations among e-cigarette use, personality, and substance use in a sample of 380 college students. All associations were examined for both weekday and weekend e-cigarette use. The mean age of the sample was 19.1 with a standard deviation of 1.7. Regarding current e-cigarette use, 11.8% of participants reported using e-cigarettes on weekdays and 13.9% reported weekend use. The variables most strongly associated with being an e-cigarette user versus non-user were amount of tobacco cigarette smoking, being male, taking a prescribed stimulant medication for a diagnosed medical condition, and low levels of forgiveness toward others. Two of the variables (taking a prescribed stimulant medication and low forgiveness) are novel predictors that appear to have not been previously examined. Implications of the results for understanding e-cigarette use are discussed and directions for future research are considered.
Abstract P109: Hypertension in a Large Cohort of Patients With Lipoprotein(a) at a Tertiary Academic Center

Background: Recently, guidelines have recognized elevated Lp(a) as a clinical risk factor significantly and independently associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Another important CVD risk fa...
Perioperative Chlorhexidine Gluconate Wash During Joint Arthroplasty Has Equivalent Periprosthetic Joint Infection Rates in Comparison to Betadine Wash.

Abstract Background Dilute betadine wash has been used for the prevention of prosthetic joint infection (PJI). Appropriateness for this purpose has recently come into question as the Food and Drug Administration determined that several commercial products did not pass the standards of proper sterility. The goal of this study is to determine if change in our institution’s perioperative infection protocol to sterile chlorhexidine gluconate wash affected rates of PJI. Methods This is a retrospective study of prospectively collected data for patients who underwent unilateral primary total knee arthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty. Chart review was performed to determine 90-day and 1-year readmissions and the development of PJI as per the diagnostic criteria of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society. Results A total of 2386 consecutive patients were included in this study. There were no significant demographic differences between the 2 groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of PJI requiring a return trip to the operating room between the 2 cohorts: 4 in chlorhexidine vs 7 in betadine at 3 months (P = .61); and 9 in chlorhexidine and 14 in betadine at 1 year (P = .48, respectively). There was also no difference in the rate of wound complications between the betadine and chlorhexidine use (P = .93). Conclusion When comparing patients who received a betadine wash intraoperatively to those who received a chlorhexidine gluconate wash, there were no statistically significant differences in the rate of postoperative PJIs or return trips to the operating room. Although chlorhexidine gluconate and betadine have equal efficacy in the prevention of PJI, betadine is a far less expensive alternative if their sterility concerns are unwarranted Level of Evidence Therapeutic Level III.
Analysis of breathiness as an acoustic correlate of nasality in Hindi

This project investigates the perceived breathiness of nasal segments than non-nasal sonorants like [l] in Hindi. Shared acoustic correlates between nasality and breathiness (like wider F1 bandwidth, appearance of additional poles and zeros in the acoustic spectrum) lead to perceptual consequences that both allow erroneous perception of breathiness as nasality (Ohala and Busa, 1995) or enhanced perception of nasality (Arai, 2006). Breathiness has been observed to co-occur with nasality in French (Styler, 2017) and some Yi languages (Garellek et al., 2016). Effects of breathiness on perception of nasality have also been reported in Hindi (Ohala and Ohala, 1993)—vowels that were produced with a relatively open glottis were perceived to be more nasal than their non-breathy counterparts. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that Hindi speakers use breathiness for enhanced perception of nasality. This was tested using the following acoustic parameters of breathiness: Difference between 1st and 2nd harmonic (H1-H2), Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPP), Spectral tilt and Harmonic to Noise Ratio (HNR). The results demonstrated that the nasals were significantly breathier than the non-nasal sonorants, suggesting that breathiness might be used as a cue to enhance the perception of nasality in Hindi.This project investigates the perceived breathiness of nasal segments than non-nasal sonorants like [l] in Hindi. Shared acoustic correlates between nasality and breathiness (like wider F1 bandwidth, appearance of additional poles and zeros in the acoustic spectrum) lead to perceptual consequences that both allow erroneous perception of breathiness as nasality (Ohala and Busa, 1995) or enhanced perception of nasality (Arai, 2006). Breathiness has been observed to co-occur with nasality in French (Styler, 2017) and some Yi languages (Garellek et al., 2016). Effects of breathiness on perception of nasality have also been reported in Hindi (Ohala and Ohala, 1993)—vowels that were produced with a relatively open glottis were perceived to be more nasal than their non-breathy counterparts. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that Hindi speakers use breathiness for enhanced perception of nasality. This was tested using the following acoustic parameters of breathiness: Difference between 1st and 2nd harmonic...
Automatic feedback systems for code: what can they tell the busy instructor?

CodeLab, an automatic exercise and coding practice system was introduced into a university's CS1-style introductory programming course across several terms. CodeLab question bank items, and instructor-authored exercises and programming assignments were used, complementing conventional face-to-face class lectures, labs, and quizzes. Grading data from CodeLab describes for each problem and student how many attempts were needed before correct completion. Analysis indicates students persevered with the exercises, with many doing more problems than they received grade credit for. Observations were also obtained on problem suitability and relationships between exercise effort and course grades. Such findings show how autograder data can be used to facilitate awareness and improvement efforts within the time-resource envelope of typical instruction.
Ranolazine may exert its beneficial effects by increasing myocardial adenosine levels.

Ranolazine is a drug used for treatment of angina pectoris in patients with ischemic heart disease. We discovered a novel mechanism by which this drug may exhibit its beneficial effects. It increas...
The limits of endoscopic endonasal approaches in young children: a review.

The endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) provides visualization of four deep surgical corridors (transcribiform, transtubercular, transsellar, and transclival) with superior illumination and specialized deep-reaching instruments, as compared to microscopic techniques. Several studies have evaluated EEAs in children but do not stratify for the very young of age, whose particularly small nares and developmental anatomy may limit endonasal instrumentation. A comprehensive review of EEAs in infants and children to age 4 was performed to determine the limitations in this age group. Eighteen studies were identified describing this approach for pediatric patients and the surgical caveats and limitations were reviewed. In very small children, CSF leaks, meningioencephaloceles, tumors of the anterior skull base, and lesions at the rostral cervical spine have been successfully treated endonasally. While newer studies advocate using 2.7-mm diameter (18-cm length) lenses, 4-mm diameter rigid lenses have been used without technical difficulty. The youngest patient in whom an EEA was used was a 6-week-old for a dermoid resection. Some have advocated that due to the small nares, approaches via bilateral entry are optimal for multiple instruments, however, others, including authors of a series of 28 repaired CSF leaks demonstrate successful single nare access. EEAs are associated with less blood loss, are less likely to hinder normal growth of the skull and midface, and allow for the resection of even malignant lesions. Despite the limitations of the frontal, ethmoid, and sphenoid sinuses before age 3, reports have not documented insurmountable difficulty with EEAs even in infants. 2.7-mm diameter endoscopes are favored unilaterally or bilaterally to treat both benign and malignant lesions and preserve the young patient’s facial anatomy better than older methods. Ever improving technology has facilitated the use of this approach in patients it would otherwise be infeasible for in the past, but it still cannot overcome the anatomical constraints of certain young patients in which this approach remains unindicated. Patient selection is therefore of utmost importance and the risks and benefits of more extensive approaches in these cases must be considered.