cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE CONTROL OF WIND BLOWN SAND AND MOVING DUNES: A REVIEW OF THE METHODS OF SAND CONTROL IN DESERTS, WITH OBSERVATIONS FROM SAUDI ARABIA

Summary In desert regions where unconsolidated surface sediments are mobilized by the wind, problems of controlling drifting sand and moving dunes can be severe. In the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia drift rates reach 30m 3 m width annually and barchan dunes, up to 25 m in height, have an average rate of movement of nearly 15 m per annum. The problems caused by wind blown sand can be tackled in four ways: (1) by enhancing its deposition, using ditches, fences or tree belts; (2) by enhancing its transport, using streamlining techniques, creating a smooth texture over the land surface, or by erecting panels to deflect the air flow; (3) by reducing the supply of sand upwind, using surface stabilizing techniques, fences or vegetation; (4) by deflecting the moving sand using fences or tree belts. Moving dunes can be dealt with in three ways: (1) by removing them mechanically; (2) by dissipating them using reshaping, trenching or surface stabilization techniques; (3) by immobilizing them through altering their aerodynamic form, by surface stabilization or by using fences. In Saudi Arabia stabilization of 2.0 m wide strips, laid perpendicular to the direction of dune movement, using oil-based materials, is being widely adopted.
The beta-3 adrenergic agonist (CL-316,243) restores the expression of down-regulated fatty acid oxidation genes in type 2 diabetic mice

The hallmark of Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is hyperglycemia, although there are multiple other metabolic abnormalities that occur with T2D, including insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. To advance T2D prevention and develop targeted therapies for its treatment, a greater understanding of the alterations in metabolic tissues associated with T2D is necessary. The aim of this study was to use microarray analysis of gene expression in metabolic tissues from a mouse model of pre-diabetes and T2D to further understand the metabolic abnormalities that may contribute to T2D. We also aimed to uncover the novel genes and pathways regulated by the insulin sensitizing agent (CL-316,243) to identify key pathways and target genes in metabolic tissues that can reverse the diabetic phenotype. Male MKR mice on an FVB/n background and age matched wild-type (WT) FVB/n mice were used in all experiments. Skeletal muscle, liver and fat were isolated from prediabetic (3 week old) and diabetic (8 week old) MKR mice. Male MKR mice were treated with CL-316,243. Skeletal muscle, liver and fat were isolated after the treatment period. RNA was isolated from the metabolic tissues and subjected to microarray and KEGG database analysis. Significant decreases in the expression of mitochondrial and peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation genes were found in the skeletal muscle and adipose tissue of adult MKR mice, and the liver of pre-diabetic MKR mice, compared to WT controls. After treatment with CL-316,243, the circulating glucose and insulin concentrations in the MKR mice improved, an increase in the expression of peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation genes was observed in addition to a decrease in the expression of retinaldehyde dehydrogenases. These genes were not previously known to be regulated by CL-316,243 treatment. This study uncovers novel genes that may contribute to pharmacological reversal of insulin resistance and T2D and may be targets for treatment. In addition, it explains the lower free fatty acid levels in MKR mice after treatment with CL-316,243 and furthermore, it provides biomarker genes such as ACAA1 and HSD17b4 which could be further probed in a future study.
Screen Printing to Achieve Highly Textured Bi4Ti3O12

The focus of this paper is to explore the efficacy of screen printing to generate crystalline texture in bismuth titanate through the orientation of highly anisotropic seed crystals. Seed crystals were grown through a molten salt flux technique with aspect ratios of ∼100:1, mixed with equiaxed powder of the same composition and oriented using screen printing, a high shear process. By printing on a flexible polymer substrate and using multiple print/dry cycles, it was possible to create pads with a thickness of several hundred micrometers and to remove the dried pads, creating free-standing samples. Upon sintering, the seed crystals grew at the expense of the matrix powder, a process known as templated grain growth. The degree of texture was analyzed using a variety of techniques including scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction.
Neuroblastoma grafts are noninvasively removed within mouse neocortex by selective laser activation of intracellular photolytic chromophore

Studies of neural cell transplantation would be aided by the ability to damage or destroy, noninvasively and extremely selectively, grafted cells at defined times following their initial implantation. Mechanisms of graft integration and performance could be investigated, also providing insight into natural injury and repair mechanisms. At long wavelengths between 650 and 850 nm, laser energy can penetrate several millimeters of brain tissue without absorption or damage to the unpigmented tissue. However, targeted cells are selectively damaged by illumination at these long wavelengths if they contain latex nanospheres with incorporated cytolytic chromophores (e.g., chlorin e6). Light penetration allows many thousands of cells to be lesioned simultaneously, noninvasively, and deep within a surrounding matrix of other tissue. Such laser-activated damage has been termed laser photolysis (PL). We studied damage to C1300 neuroblastoma (NB) cells grafted into mouse neocortex in vivo by this process of PL. NB cells provided a simple and reproducible model of neural grafting, allowing direct histologic assessment of cellular growth and viability by distinct morphologic and mitotic criteria. Cells were cultured by standard methods, labeled in vitro by brief exposure to nanospheres containing chlorin e6, and grafted to sites within deep layers of mouse neocortex. Mice were exposed to transcranial, fractionated, unfocused pulses of 670-nm-wavelength energy totaling 90–120 J/cm2. We histologically assessed graft growth and cellular viability over a period from 2 d to 4 weeks, measured graft volumes quantitatively during the period of early rapid growth in controls (2 and 7 d), and generated 3-D reconstructions from serial sections to assist in visual analysis.
Optimal estimation of cell movement indices from the statistical analysis of cell tracking data

Active cell migration is essential in many physiological processes and in the function of some bioartificial tissues. Therefore, several investigators have recently attempted to quantitatively characterize random cell movement on isotropic substrata in vitro. A popular approach is to fit a theoretical expression for mean-squared cell displacement deriving from correlated random walk models to cell tracking data, yielding three objective cell movement indices: root-mean-squared speed, directional persistence time, and random motility coefficient (analogous to a molecular diffusion coefficient). The data are obtained typically by averaging cell displacements over a cell track composed of cell positions measured at equal time increments and frequently by further pooling such displacement data from tracks of different cells from the same population. We identify pitfalls introduced if an ordinary nonlinear least-squares regression analysis is used to fit the theoretical expression to the data as is commonly done and propose a generalized least-squares regression analysis as a remedy. This method estimates the cell movement indices and associated uncertainties much more accurately. It also predicts the precision of the indices based on their assumed true values and provides a means to address such issues as optimal sampling methods for data acquisition from cell tracks and handling errors associated with measuring cell position.
Noradrenergic Control of Thalamic Oscillation: the Role of α‐2 Receptors

The effects of alpha-adrenergic drugs on neocortical high voltage spike and wave spindles (HVS), reflecting thalamic oscillation, was investigated in freely moving rats. HVS occurred spontaneously in the awake but immobile animal. Peripheral administration of the alpha-1 antagonist, prazosin and alpha-2 agonists, xylazine and clonidine increased the incidence and duration of HVS in a dose-dependent manner. The alpha-2 antagonist, yohimbine and the tricyclic antidepressants, desipramine and amitriptyline, significantly decreased the incidence of the neocortical HVS. Bilateral microinjections of the alpha-2 agonists into the nucleus ventralis lateralis area of the thalamus, but not into the hippocampus or corpus callosum, was as effective as peripheral injection of these drugs. Xylazine was most effective in Fischer 344 rats that display high spontaneous rate of HVS and less effective in the Sprague - Dawley and Buffalo strains. The HVS-promoting effect of clonidine was antagonized by prior intrathalamic injection of the alpha-2 antagonist, yohimbine. The amplitude of the HVS was increased by picomole amounts of unilaterally-injected clonidine. Neurotoxic destruction of the thalamopetal noradrenergic afferents by intracisternal or intrathalamic injection of 6-hydroxydopamine, but not by peripheral administration of DSP-4, increased the incidence of HVS. Importantly, intrathalamic administration of xylazine continued to induce HVS after destroying the thalamic noradrenergic terminals. Following downregulation of the alpha-2 adrenoceptors by chronic administration (3 weeks) of amitriptylene the incidence of HVS decreased and the effectiveness of intrathalamic xylazine on the induction of HVS was significantly reduced. Based on these findings, we suggest that a major action of alpha-2 adrenergic drugs on thalamic oscillation may be mediated by postsynaptic alpha-2 adrenoceptors located on the thalamocortical neurons. We hypothesize that noradrenaline in the thalamus has a dual effect on the relay cells: blocking and promoting thalamic oscillation via alpha-1 and alpha-2 receptors, respectively. The final physiological effect is assumed to be a function of the relative density and affinity of these adrenergic receptor subtypes.
DOCUMENTATION OF AN URBAN WINTER ROOST OF THE SPOTTED BAT (EUDERMA MACULATUM)

We report the first documented use of a building as a winter roost by Euderma maculatum. We suggest that sufficient numbers of E. maculatum have been encountered in urban settings that researchers should consider these areas during the course of investigations of species occurrence. We recommend that urban settings in the vicinity of large cliff features be sampled systematically for the presence of E. maculatum.
Lidar observations of vertically organized convection in the planetary boundary layer over the ocean

Observations of a convective planetary boundary layer (PBL) were made with an airborne, downward-looking lidar system over the Atlantic Ocean during a cold air outbreak. The lidar data revealed well-organized, regularly spaced cellular convection with dominant spacial scales between two and four times the height of the boundary layer. It is demonstrated that the lidar can accurately measure the structure of the PBL with high vertical and horizontal resolution. Parameters important for PBL modeling such as entrainment zone thickness, entrainment rate, PBL height and relative heat flux can be inferred from the lidar data. It is suggested that wind shear at the PBL top may influence both entrainment and convective cell size.
Parametrized families of hard planning problems from phase transitions

There are two complementary ways to evaluate planning algorithms: performance on benchmark problems derived from real applications and analysis of performance on parametrized families of problems with known properties. Prior to this work, few means of generating parametrized families of hard planning problems were known. We generate hard planning problems from the solvable/unsolvable phase transition region of well-studied NP-complete problems that map naturally to navigation and scheduling, aspects common to many planning domains. We observe significant differences between state-of-the-art planners on these problem families, enabling us to gain insight into the relative strengths and weaknesses of these planners. Our results confirm exponential scaling of hardness with problem size, even at very small problem sizes. These families provide complementary test sets exhibiting properties not found in existing benchmarks.
Creating Curriculum Within the Context of an Enterprise

Curricula of the twenty first century promote the development of critical skills, content knowledge, expertise, and literacies for the twenty-one-century learner. Creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration, initiative and self-direction, social and cross-cultural skills, and leadership and responsibility are among the most critical elements a contemporary curriculum should embrace. This chapter provides insights on how to create and sustain an enterprise-based curriculum as an alternative curricular model for educating the twenty-one-century instructional designer. Alternative teaching approaches to instructional design and the experiential learning framework are discussed, as well as the rise of entrepreneurism in education. The chapter concludes with a comprehensive discussion of a case of an enterprise-based curriculum implementation that resulted in the creation of a self-sustaining instructional design consulting organization.
Long-Term Geochemical Evaluation of the Coastal Chicot Aquifer System, Louisiana, USA

Summary Groundwater is increasingly being overdrafted in the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal regions of the United States. Geochemical data associated with groundwater in these aquifers can provide important information on changes in salinity, recharge, and reaction pathways that can be used to improve water management strategies. Here we evaluated long-term geochemical changes associated with the 23,000 km2 Chicot aquifer system in Louisiana, USA. The Chicot aquifer is currently being overdrafted by about 1,320,000 m3 per day. We compiled selected bulk geochemical data from samples collected from 20 wells in the Chicot aquifer from 1993 to 2015. Oxygen and hydrogen isotope measurements were additionally completed for the 2014 samples. We identified three zones of groundwater with distinctive geochemical character; (1) A groundwater recharge zone in the northern part of the study area with low pH, low salinity, and low temperature relative to other groundwater samples, (2) a groundwater recharge zone in the southeastern part of the study area with low temperature, high alkalinity, and higher Ca and Mg concentrations compared to the other groundwater samples, and (3) groundwater in the southwestern part of the aquifer system with high salinity, high temperature, and a ∼1:1 Na/Cl ratio. The geochemistry of these regions has been relatively stable over the last ∼20 years. However, in the drought year of 2011, the estimated extent of zones with elevated salinity increased substantially. Geochemical evidence suggests that there was increased infiltration of deeper, more salt-rich waters into the shallower Chicot aquifer.
Low-Volatility Model Demonstrates Humidity Affects Environmental Toxin Deposition on Plastics at a Molecular Level.

Despite the ever-increasing prevalence of plastic debris and endocrine disrupting toxins in aquatic ecosystems, few studies describe their interactions in freshwater environments. We present a model system to investigate the deposition/desorption behaviors of low-volatility lake ecosystem toxins on microplastics in situ and in real time. Molecular interactions of gas-phase nonylphenols (NPs) with the surfaces of two common plastics, poly(styrene) and poly(ethylene terephthalate), were studied using quartz crystal microbalance and sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy. NP point sources were generated under two model environments: plastic on land and plastic on a freshwater surface. We found the headspace above calm water provides an excellent environment for NP deposition and demonstrate significant NP deposition on plastic within minutes at relevant concentrations. Further, NP deposits and orders differently on both plastics under humid versus dry environments. We attributed the unique deposit...
Short-term patient-centered nutrition counseling impacts weight and nutrient intake in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus:

BackgroundPatients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are at a high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to increased prevalence of traditional and nontraditional CVD risks factors.Object...
Flexible binding of PNP pincer ligands to monomeric iron complexes.

Transition metal complexes supported by pincer ligands have many important applications. Here, the syntheses of five-coordinate PNP pincer-supported Fe complexes of the type (PNP)FeCl2 (PNP = HN{CH2CH2(PR2)}2, R = iPr (iPrPNP), tBu (tBuPNP), or cyclohexyl (CyPNP)) are reported. In the solid state, (iPrPNP)FeCl2 was characterized in two different geometries by X-ray crystallography. In one form, the iPrPNP ligand binds to the Fe center in the typical meridional geometry for a pincer ligand, whereas in the other form, the iPrPNP ligand binds in a facial geometry. The electronic structures and geometries of all of the (PNP)FeCl2 complexes were further explored using 57Fe Mossbauer and magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy. These measurements show that in some cases two isomers of the (PNP)FeCl2 complexes are present in solution and conclusively demonstrate that binding of the PNP ligand is flexible, which may have implications for the reactivity of this important class of compounds.
University-Based Training Programs for Local Elected Officials in the Southeast

trators carry out the public will. Yet, consid eration also should be given to elected office holders, who may not have the knowledge and skills necessary to discharge their respon sibilities effectively. To this end, university based training programs have been designed to equip state and local elected officials with the tools they need to better perform their duties, including oversight of unelected gov ernment employees. In linking practice and theory, academic institutions can play an im portant role in advancing the goal of respon sible government. This essay reviews the ef forts of several universities in the Southeast to
Floats and f/H

The sensitivity of oceanic float dispersion to f/H, where H is a spatially filtered representation of the water depth, is examined with floats from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The first and second moments of the displacements relative to flH were found and compared to those for zonal and meridional displacements. In all cases, the moments relative to f/H display equal or greater anisotropy than those relative to geographical coordinates, suggesting a preferred tendency for spreading along f/H. In regions where the topography is flat (at the equator, in the interior South Atlantic and in the North Pacific), transport is much greater along than across latitude lines, and the moments relative to f/H are essentially the same. But the results differ where the topography is steep (the North Atlantic and near the western boundary in the Equatorial and South Atlantic), where anisotropic spreading relative to f/H occurs even though the geographical moments are isotropic or meridionally-enhanced. Only in the North Pacific, where the topography is smaller scale and less steep, is the spreading more anisotropic in geographical coordinates. The present method is tested using trajectories from a stochastic model, and correctly shows that no such tendency for spreading along f/H exists. Mean and eddy effects are discussed, but are not believed to be well resolved.
Use of Small Logistics Containers for Crewed Lunar Exploration Campaigns

The capability to deliver pressurized logistics to the lunar surface is key to the success of any lunar exploration campaign. A driving factor for this is the choice of the container system for delivering pressurized supplies. This paper is focused on efficiency and flexibility as major metrics for the container system. The efficiency of a container system can be measured through use of an effective tare factor, which is the ratio of aggregated container mass to aggregated useful cargo mass. The flexibility of a container system can be measured based on the number and type of flights in a given campaign that pressurized logistics can be delivered on. NASA’s current plan for the container system is to use Pressurized Logistics Modules (PLMs), which are similar to the Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules (MPLMs) used to supply the International Space Station (ISS). This is a relatively efficient concept for delivery of cargo to the ISS, but is relatively inflexible when used for the lunar campaign. The authors introduce an alternative concept to the PLM called the Small Logistics Container (SLC). This concept is meant to counter the inflexibility of the PLM by creating a container that has a mass of less than 300 kg fully loaded and can be delivered to the lunar surface on any flight in the campaign. The disadvantage of the SLC concept is that the efficiency of the system is less due to its higher tare factor. A hybrid option for logistics delivery, which uses both PLMs and SLCs, is presented at the end of the paper as an approach for a container system that is both highly flexible and efficient. The use of a hybrid strategy that uses a mix of PLMs and SLCs gives a 10% reduction in overall container mass for a given amount of pressurized cargo during a 21 flight lunar campaign, compared to a PLM-only strategy.
The Second Exchange: Managing Customer Information in Marketing Relationships

The paper introduces the concept of the second exchange in customer relationships that is distinct from the first exchange of goods or services. The second exchange is based on the information consumers disclose in the course of a marketing transaction where personal information is exchanged for benefits derived from the use of the information. Propositions developed from our model demonstrate how strategically managing the benefits and risks (invasion of privacy) of this exchange process can impact customer acquisition and retention and thus, the firm's bottom line.
Effect of increasing ruminal butyrate on portal and hepatic nutrient flux in steers.

Six Holstein steers (mean +/- SE BW = 344 +/- 10 kg) fitted with hepatic, portal, and mesenteric vein and mesenteric artery catheters and a ruminal cannula were used in a 6 x 6 Latin square design to evaluate the effects of increasing ruminal butyrate on net portal-drained visceral and hepatic nutrient flux. Steers were fed a 40% brome hay, 60% concentrate diet in 12 portions daily at 1.25 x NEm. Water (control) or butyrate at 50, 100, 150, 200, or 250 mmol/h was supplied continuously via the ruminal cannula. Simultaneous arterial, portal, and hepatic blood samples were taken at hourly intervals from 15 to 20 h of ruminal infusion. Portal and hepatic blood flow was determined by continuous infusion of P-aminohippurate, and net nutrient flux was calculated as the difference between venous and arterial concentrations times blood flow. Ruminal and arterial concentrations and total splanchnic flux of butyrate increased (P less than .01) with increased butyrate infusion. Arterial concentrations of acetate (P less than .10), alpha-amino-N (P less than .05), and glucose (P less than .01) decreased with increased butyrate, whereas arterial beta-hydroxybutyrate (P less than .01) and acetoacetate (P less than .05) increased. Increased butyrate produced an increased portal-drained visceral flux of acetoacetate and an increased net hepatic flux of beta-hydroxybutyrate. Urea N and glucose net portal and hepatic fluxes were not affected by ruminal butyrate. Alpha-amino-N uptake by the liver decreased with increased butyrate (P less than .10). Simple linear regression (r2 = .985) indicated that 25.8% of ruminally infused butyrate appeared in portal blood as butyrate. Only 14% could be accounted for as net portal-drained visceral flux of acetoacetate plus beta-hydroxybutyrate.
Diagnosis and treatment of allergic angiitis (anaphylactoid purpura).

Diagnosis of allergic angiitis depends on clinical recognition of the entity and histopathologic examination of the skin. The cause is rarely identified.Acute forms of allergic angiitis require vigorous treatment, including rest in bed; transfusions; removal of all questionable chemicals or drugs from the patient's environment and elimination of foods known to produce or aggravate the condition; antihistamine therapy, and usually steroid therapy.In its chronic form, the disease may be managed conservatively.
AXE: a language for the simulation of digital hardware first place

Axe is a new simulation language built upon the foundations of C language. It allows a designer to hierarchically describe and simulate a digital system at the procedural level, gate level, or switch level. The Axe compiler and the simulation code it gen erates require minimal computer system resources and execute in an efficient manner. This results from the use of the module concept as the central modeling device and by employing a stan dard C compiler as the "backend" of the Axe compiler. In con junction with the C compiler, Axe allows the user to have access to a full-fledged general-purpose programming language which also supports the simulation of digital systems. This flexibility allows Axe to generate simulations which can be used and modi fied to meet several needs. In addition, Axe allows modification of the timing parameters of system components in order to gauge the effects upon system performance. A complete example ofthe use of Axe is given, and several larger simulations are described.
How to use implantable intrathecal drug delivery systems for refractory cancer pain.

Dr. Smith is Professorand Chair of theDivision of Hematology/Oncology and PalliativeCare at the VirginiaCommonwealth UniversityHealth System, Richmond,Virginia.Mr. Coyne is Director ofClinical Services on theThomas Palliative CareUnit of the VirginiaCommonwealth UniversityHealth System, Richmond,Virginia.Correspondence to: Thomas J. Smith, MD, Division ofHematology/Oncology, Virginia CommonwealthUniversity, MCV Box 980230, Richmond, VA 23298-0230;telephone: (804) 828-9723; fax: (804) 828-8079;e-mail: tsmith@hsc.vcu.edu
First experimental measurement of calcium diffusion in magnesium using novel liquid-solid diffusion couples and forward-simulation analysis

Abstract A novel liquid-solid diffusion couple enables effective measurements of composition profiles at high temperatures. A forward-simulation analysis is then performed to extract both interdiffusion and impurity diffusion coefficients. The combined method enables measurement of the first ever set of impurity diffusion coefficients of Ca in Mg and reliable high-temperature diffusion data of Al in Mg. The results show that Ca diffuses faster than the Mg self-diffusion which is faster than the Al impurity diffusion in Mg; thus Ca may not be an ideal element for the enhancement of high-temperature creep strength of Mg alloys as has been often assumed.
Green manufacturing process — surface pre-treatment with micro bubble cavitation

In this paper, an innovative process, which utilizes micro-bubble cavitation in water for surface roughening pre-treatment prior to plating or laminating, is presented. No hazardous chemical is employed to comply with green process. In semiconductor industry, this surface damaging mechanism or surface roughening is a required process with chemicals. Massive amount of water were polluted and extra time was wasted on cleaning and rinsing the roughened surfaces in post-etching process. Cavitation is the bubble generation and collapsing process observed in common water. The most critical event is that shock wave is created during collapsing and attacks nearby object or surface to cause micro-scale erosion or etching. In real world, bubble cavitation, which damages the underwater hydraulic devices such as propeller, is the most unwanted phenomena but almost unavoidable. However, the proposed process is not only an ideal alternative without chemical release to satisfy green process requirements but also a cost-effective technology on TPT (throughput time) optimization and water consumption.
88 EFFECT OF BICARBONATE/CO2 LEVEL DURING EMBRYO CULTURE ON EQUINE BLASTOCYST RATE AFTER INTRACYTOPLASMIC SPERM INJECTION

Equine embryos appear to require a high glucose concentration for development to the blastocyst stage. The complete cell-culture medium, DMEM/F-12 (DM), which contains 17 mM glucose, has been widely used for equine embryo culture; however, in other species, high glucose during the early stages of embryo development is detrimental. To avoid this, we initiated a 2-step system using a low-glucose human embryo culture medium (Global) from Days 0 to 5 [Day 0 = day of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)], with glucose (20 mM) added to the medium in the second step (Days 5 to 10; Choi et al. 2015 Reproduction 150, 31–41). We noted a high pregnancy loss rate (20%) in our clinical ICSI program (Hinrichs et al. 2014 J. Equine Vet. Sci. 34, 176), which used this 2-step Global system. Limited data are available on pregnancy with DM-produced embryos, but in one study, the loss rate was 1/13 (7.7%; Choi et al. 2011 Reproduction 142, 529–538). It is possible that use of DM in the second step of culture would better support normal blastocyst development than does Global with added glucose. However, DM is typically used at 5% CO2, and Global at 6% CO2, so use of both media would necessitate 2 sets of incubators. In the present study, we explored the use of DM in the second step of a two-step equine embryo culture system, under different CO2 environments. Oocytes were collected from research mares via follicle aspiration and were held overnight before being matured in vitro for 30 h. All media included 10% fetal bovine serum. On Days 0 to 5 after ICSI, all embryos were cultured in Global under 6% CO2 in mixed gas (5% O2 and remainder N2) at 38.2°C. In Experiment 1, on Day 5, embryos were transferred to DM prepared according to our standard method, with 14.3 mM NaHCO3 and 5 mM NaOH, and were cultured in mixed gas at either 5% CO2 or 6% CO2. Five replicates were performed. In Experiment 2, DM was prepared by our standard method, or with 24.2 mM bicarbonate and no NaOH. When pH was measured using a pH meter after media were equilibrated overnight, this higher bicarbonate provided the same pH at 6% CO2 (pH 7.3), as was achieved with the standard DM preparation at 5% CO2. Six replicates were performed. In both experiments, blastocyst development was assessed on Days 7 to 10, and blastocyst rates were compared between treatments by Fisher’s exact test. In Experiment 1, blastocyst rates were 43%, 13/30 and 27%, 8/30 for the standard DM preparation in 5% and 6% CO2, respectively (P > 0.05). In Experiment 2, the blastocyst rates were 34%, 14/44 for the standard DM preparation at 5% CO2 and 43%, 19/44 for the high-bicarbonate DM at 6% CO2 (P > 0.05). We conclude that a 2-step Global-DM system can support equine blastocyst production under a consistent CO2 environment (6%) if DM bicarbonate levels are adjusted to balance the increased CO2. This work was supported by the Clinical Equine ICSI Program, Texas A&M University, and by the Link Equine Research Endowment Fund, Texas A&M University.
On the stability and Hopf bifurcation of the non-zero uniform endemic equilibrium of a time-delayed malaria model

This article considers a time-delayed mathematical model of immune response to Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria. Infected red blood cells display a wide variety of surface antigens to which the body in turn responds by mounting specific immune responses as well as cross-reactive immune responses. The model studied here tracks these infected red blood cells as well as the two types of immune responses. It is assumed that the immune responses are time-delayed, and hence a system of nonlinear delay differential equations is considered. The goal of the paper is to provide a vigorous analysis of the stability and Hopf bifurcation of the non-zero uniform endemic equilibrium of the mathematical model.
Peripheral Blood Absolute Lymphocyte/Monocyte Ratio Recovery During RCHOP Treatment Cycles Predicts Clinical Outcomes In Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

The peripheral blood absolute lymphocyte/monocyte ratio at diagnosis (ALC/AMC-DX) predicts survival in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, a limitation of the ALC/AMC-DX is its inability to sequentially assess the host/tumor interaction during treatment. Therefore, we studied the ALC/AMC ratio, as a surrogate marker of host immunity (i.e., ALC) and tumor microenvironment (i.e., AMC), at each RCHOP treatment cycle as a predictor for clinical outcomes. From 2002 until 20011, 107 DLBCL patients originally diagnosed, treated with six cycles of RCHOP, and followed at Mayo Clinic qualified for the study. Using the receiver operating characteristic and internally validated using the k-fold cross validation; an ALC/AMC ratio ≥ 1.1 was identified as the cut-off value at each RCHOP treatment cycle to discriminate for the binary clinical outcome of death/survival. Univariate analysis revealed the ALC/AMC ratio ≥ 1.1 at each RCHOP treatment cycle was a predictor for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). To explore whether the patterns of ALC/AMC ratio recovery during the RCHOP treatment cycles had a prognostic value, we performed an unsupervised hierarchical clustering on the studied ALC/AMC ratio and identified four patient clusters, A-D. Eighty percent of patients in cluster C had an ALC/AMC ratio ≥ 1.1 during all the cycles, the other 20% had an ALC/AMC ratio ≥1.1 in one cycle; in cluster D patients, the ALC/AMC ratio was ≥ 1.1 between cycles 2 and 5 and none had an ALC/AMC ratio Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
“The Ideology of All Democratic Nations”: World War II and the Rise of Religious Instruction in Ontario and Victoria*

This chapter examines the establishment of legally mandated Protestant training in both Ontario and Victoria. Fearing moral decay at home and a menacing world environment seemingly unfavorable to the ‘British way of life’ in the 1940s, educators asserted that religion, and specifically Protestant Christianity, was the only means by which the moral core of democracy could be preserved. Legislation passed in Ontario and Victoria mandated that time be set aside for religious instruction. This was especially complicated for Victorian educators because, since its inception in 1872, the education system was legally secular. The solution reached was to allow an outside organization, the Council for Christian Education in Schools, to legally administer religious education in public schools. In both places religious minorities, particularly Catholics and Jews, opposed the legislation but were largely marginalized.
Nausea and Vomiting in Cancer

Nausea is a subjective phenomenon of an unpleasant, wavelike sensation experienced in the back of the throat and/or the epigastrium often culminating in vomiting (emesis). Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of the stomach, duodenum, or jejunum through the oral cavity. Vomiting can serve the function of emptying a noxious chemical from the gut, and nausea appears to play a role in a conditioned response to avoid ingestion of offending substances.
Arbitration and Free Agency

The first collective bargaining agreement was negotiated in 1968 and has been modified over time. The current agreement in Major League Baseball was negotiated to expire after the 2011 season. In this chapter, we analyze arbitration cases and nontendered free agents. In most cases, after the player or team files for arbitration, a settlement is reached, negating the need for a hearing.
Gender and the Give and Take of Emotions in the Workplace

This paper focuses on the role of gender in shaping emotional expressions and alignment–the tendency for people to match the emotional expressions of their conversation partners in language-based c...
High-Performance Computational Grids

A computational grid, like its namesake the electric power grid, provides quasi-ubiquitous access to capabilities that cannot easily be replicated at network endpoints. In the case of a high-performance grid, these capabilities include both high-performance devices (networks, computers, storage devices, visualization devices, etc.) and unique services that depend on these devices, such as smart instruments, collaborative design spaces, and metacomputations. In my presentation, I review some of the technical challenges that arise when we attempt to build such grids: in particular, the frequent need to meet stringent end-to-end performance requirements despite a lack of global knowledge or control. I then introduce the Globus project, a multi-institutional effort that is developing key grid infrastructure components, for authentication, resource location/allocation, process management, communication, and data management. I conclude with a discussion of our experiences developing testbeds and applications based on Globus components.
Development of a cognitive diagnosis system for intelligent tutoring: an application to transportation problem-solving

The purpose of this study is to design and develop a cognitive diagnosis system for intelligent tutoring. The cognitive diagnosis system proposed in this dissertation is called PSCD (Production System for Cognitive Diagnosis). PSCD is intended for intelligent tutoring with possible relevance to decision aiding. This dissertation is based on two assumptions. First, it is assumed that perspectives and methodologies of cognitive science provide a starting point for integrating decision-making studies and cognitive studies (Simon, 1979). Second it is assumed that integrating theories and building an integrated theory or theories into a cognitive architecture provide opportunities to realize practical applications (Newell, 1990). Basing on these two assumptions, the study attempts to integrate three theories of human information processing and to build the integrated theory into PSCD. Three theories considered in this study are heuristic search, production systems architecture, and constructivism. These three theories act as constraints in setting the design specification of PSCD in the huge space of alternative designs. PSCD that are developed henceforth is applied to a counting task for initial validation, and to a transportation problem solving task which is the main task of this dissertation.
The effect of CAFE standards on vehicle sales projections: A Total Cost of Ownership approach

Abstract We conduct a Total Cost of Ownership analysis to estimate the impacts that the 2017–2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards will have on sales of light duty vehicles (cars and light trucks). Vehicle sales are an important macroeconomic indicator that can impact both the economic outlook of the automobile industry as well as the efficacy of the CAFE standards. Our analysis focuses on the relative impacts of three determinants of the net premium consumers' face when deciding whether to purchase a new vehicle, namely: 1) consumers' valuation of fuel savings, 2) fuel price variation over time, and 3) gross price premium of the vehicle due to the Federal Standards. We find that uncertainty about consumers’ valuation of fuel savings leads to greater variation in estimated vehicle sales impacts than uncertainty about the gross price premium or fuel prices. Specifically, the estimated sales impacts for model year 2025 range from −7% to +3% and −4% to +5% for cars and light trucks, respectively, when we vary assumptions about valuation of fuel savings. The range of estimates is −6% to −2% and −2% to 0.5% for cars and light trucks, respectively, when we vary the gross price premium and −4% to +1% and −1% to +3% for cars and light trucks, respectively, when we vary fuel prices for model year 2025. These percentages are computed relative to a baseline scenario where CAFE standards remain fixed at 2016 levels. Our findings highlight the importance of more carefully examining the uncertainty introduced through consumer valuation of fuel economy in the mid-term reviews of the CAFE standards.
Effects of tibiofemoral compression on ACL forces and knee kinematics under combined knee loads.

Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) can occur during landing from a jump or changing direction during a cutting maneuver. In these instances, the knee is subjected to combined forces and moments as it flexes under tibiofemoral compression force (TCF). We hypothesized that TCF would increase ACL forces and tibiofemoral motions under isolated and combined modes of loading relevant to knee injury. ACL force and knee kinematics were recorded in human cadaveric specimens during knee flexion from 0° to 50° under the following test conditions (alone and in combination): 2 N-m internal tibial torque (IT), 5 N-m valgus moment (VM), and 45N anterior tibial force (AF). Knees were tested with 25N (baseline), 250N, and 500N TCF. ACL force increased with knee flexion during all tests. As the knee was flexed, VM produced a coupled internal tibial rotation, and IT produced a coupled valgus rotation. ACL forces with IT + VM were significantly higher than with IT alone (beyond 10° flexion) or VM alone (at all flexion angles). Increasing the level of TCF above baseline did not significantly change valgus or tibial rotations for any loading condition, but did significantly increase anterior tibial translation (ATT) at all flexion angles and ACL force at flexion angles beyond 5° to 15°. Addition of AF to tests with IT + VM significantly increased ATT and ACL force without significantly altering internal and valgus rotations. The mechanism of high ACL force generation from increased TCF was related to ATT and not internal or valgus rotations of the tibia. © 2019 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res.
Socially transmitted placebo effects

Medical treatments typically occur in the context of a social interaction between healthcare providers and patients. Although decades of research have demonstrated that patients' expectations can dramatically affect treatment outcomes, less is known about the influence of providers' expectations. Here we systematically manipulated providers' expectations in a simulated clinical interaction involving administration of thermal pain and found that patients' subjective experiences of pain were directly modulated by providers' expectations of treatment success, as reflected in the patients' subjective ratings, skin conductance responses and facial expression behaviours. The belief manipulation also affected patients' perceptions of providers' empathy during the pain procedure and manifested as subtle changes in providers' facial expression behaviours during the clinical interaction. Importantly, these findings were replicated in two more independent samples. Together, our results provide evidence of a socially transmitted placebo effect, highlighting how healthcare providers' behaviour and cognitive mindsets can affect clinical interactions.
Trusts and the Origins of Antitrust Legislation

Between 1888 and 1890, thirteen states and the federal government enacted antitrust legislation criminalizing combinations among competitors intended to control prices in the marketplace. These laws were a reaction to the increasing formation of horizontal combinations, large and small, throughout the economy in the wake of dramatically changing economic conditions since the Civil War. Through most of this period, combinations struggled to find structures that would enable them to operate effectively. Simple combinations of independent firms, although neither criminal nor tortious, were often undermined because state common law refused to enforce the contractual arrangements that would prevent members from deviating from the rules that would give a combination the power to control price. Nor could early combinations avail themselves of a unitary ownership structure, since state corporation law restricted the corporate form in ways that made it largely unworkable as a combination structure. In the early 1880s, however, some combinations, beginning with Standard Oil, adopted a new form of organization, the trust proper, which had the command and control attributes of a corporation without being subject to the restrictions of state corporation law. Shortly thereafter, some states, notably New Jersey, liberalized their corporation laws, making corporations suitable as a vehicle for housing a business combination. States and the federal government responded with legislation that adopted the common law prohibitions against combinations in restraint of trade, extended these prohibitions to combinations organized as trusts proper and holding companies, and criminalized violations in order to enable government challenges. Despite these extensions of the law, early enforcement was virtually nonexistent, even against most combinations that had achieved widespread public notoriety. After the turn of the last century, however, the new laws set the stage for an aggressive enforcement policy following a massive horizontal consolidation movement that began in 1895.
Fertility-sparing surgery and survival among reproductive-age women with epithelial ovarian cancer in 2 cancer registries.

Background This study examined predictors of fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) among reproductive-age women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). In addition, relationships between FSS and survival were assessed in models stratified by tumor characteristics. Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program and the National Cancer Database (NCDB) were queried for women 44 years old or younger with a primary EOC. FSS included unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and uterine preservation, whereas surgeries including bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and hysterectomy were categorized as non-FSS. Logistic regression was used to estimate multivariable-adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between clinical characteristics (eg, age at diagnosis and race) and FSS odds. Multivariable Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for FSS and overall survival in subgroups defined by stage and grade or by stage and histology. Analyses were stratified by database (SEER vs NCDB). Results This analysis included 9017 women (SEER, n = 3932; NCDB, n = 5085) with EOC diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 44 years. In both cohorts, factors associated with significantly higher FSS odds included a younger age, a more recent ovarian cancer diagnosis, and no adjuvant chemotherapy. FSS was significantly associated with lower overall survival among women with stage II to IV, serous EOC (SEER HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.22-2.12). Significant associations between FSS and survival were not observed in other subgroups defined by stage and grade or by stage and histology. Conclusions FSS appears to be safe for certain women with EOC but was related to poor survival among women with advanced-stage, serous EOC. Confirmatory studies with information on fertility intentions are needed.
The Scrambling Paradox

It has been commonly observed that scrambling and wh-movement share sensitivity to strong movement constraints (Webelhuth 1989, Saito 1992, Bailyn 1995). At the same time, the two processes clearly...
Can the Issuance of Hazardous-Weather Warnings Inform the Attribution of Extreme Events to Climate Change?

Capsule SummaryErrors are unavoidable in both hazardous-weather forecasts and in the attribution of extreme events to climate change. We explore commonalities in the errors arising in both endeavors.