cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nucleic Acid Nanocapsules for Enzyme-Triggered Drug Release

Herein we describe a nucleic acid functionalized nanocapsule in which nucleic acid ligands are assembled and disassembled in the presence of enzymes. The particles are fully degradable in response to esterases due to an embedded ester cross-linker in the particle’s core. During synthesis the nanocapsules can be loaded with hydrophobic small molecules and post self-assembly undergo covalent cross-linking using copper catalyzed click chemistry. They can then be functionalized with thiolated DNA through stepwise thiolyne chemistry using UV light irradiation. Additionally, the capsule is compatible with enzyme mediated functionalization of a therapeutic mRNA-cleaving DNAzyme at the particle’s surface. The resulting particle is highly stable, monodisperse in size, and maximizes the therapeutic potential of both the particles interior and exterior.
Avenacosides: Metabolism, and potential use as exposure biomarkers of oat intake

cope : Exposure biomarkers used for objective estimation of whole-grain (WG) intake are essential for epidemiologic studies of WG consumption, however, up to now, no exposure biomarkers were developed for WG oat intake. This study investigates the potential of oat unique components, Avenacoside-B (AVE-B) and –A (AVE-A), as exposure biomarkers of oat intake. Methods and results : An in vivo study performed in mice and an in vitro batch fecalfermentation study were used to investigate the potential metabolic routes of AVE-B and -A. Twelve health volunteers were recruited in the human urinary pharmacokinetic study, each participant received a single dose of oat bran as breakfast, 24 h urine samples were collected at baseline and after treatment period, and AVE-B and -A were quantified by LC-MS/MS. Deglycosylation metabolic route was identified as the major metabolic path for AVE-B and -A. Urinary AVE-B and -A concentrations increased rapidly after oat ingestion, reached their maximum excretion rates (ERmax) fairly simultaneously within 5 hours, then decreased gradually. And the mean eliminate half-lives (T1/2) for AVE-B and -A were determined as 6.22 and 4.55 h, respectively. Conclusion : Oat AVE-B and -A have great potential to be used as specific exposure biomarkers to reflect oat intake. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Design of Ultrawideband Stepped-Frequency Radar for Imaging of Obscured Targets

A stepped-frequency radar that allows for adaptability in the radiated spectrum while maintaining high-resolution radar imagery has been developed. The spectrally agile frequency-incrementing reconfigurable (SAFIRE) radar system is a vehicle-mounted, ground-penetrating radar that is capable of producing high-resolution radar imagery for the detection of obscured targets (either buried or concealed surface targets). It can be easily transitioned between forward- and side-looking orientations. The SAFIRE system is capable of precisely excising subbands within its operating bandwidth, thus making the system “spectrally agile.” It is also highly reconfigurable thereby allowing for on-the-fly adjustment of many of the system parameters. The spectrally agile and reconfigurable aspects of the SAFIRE radar together with its enhanced IF processing scheme represent a novel contribution to the state of the art. This paper discusses the system design, implementation, and performance characteristics, and also presents preliminary high-resolution imagery.
A metal-organic framework as a flask: photophysics of confined chromophores with a benzylidene imidazolinone core.

Photophysics and dynamics of chromophores with a benzylidene imidazolinone core, responsible for emission of green fluorescent protein variants, were studied as a function of host topology by three approaches. Coordinative, non-coordinative, and “fastened” immobilization were utilized to study chromophore emission. Variable-temperature quadrupolar spin-echo 2H NMR spectra are reported.
Walk this way: a lightweight, data-driven walking synthesis algorithm

We present a novel, biomechanically-inspired, kinematic- based, example-driven walking synthesis model. Our model is ideally suited towards interactive applications such as games. It synthesizes motion interactively without a priori knowledge of the trajectory. The model is very efficient, producing foot-skate free, smooth motion over a large, continuous range of speeds and while turning, in as little as 5 μs. We've formulated our model so that an artist has extensive control over how the walking gait manifests itself at all speeds.
High content analysis of phagocytic activity and cell morphology with PuntoMorph

Background Phagocytosis is essential for maintenance of normal homeostasis and healthy tissue. As such, it is a therapeutic target for a wide range of clinical applications. The development of phenotypic screens targeting phagocytosis has lagged behind, however, due to the difficulties associated with image-based quantification of phagocytic activity.
Numerical model of two-dimensional heterogeneous combustion in porous media under natural convection or forced filtration

A novel mathematical model and original numerical method for investigating the two-dimensional waves of heterogeneous combustion in porous media are proposed and described in detail. The mathematic...
1622b Low back pain in health care workers: a growing focus on secondary prevention

Low back pain (LBP) is a ubiquitous problem affecting nearly half of all workers in the health care (HC) setting. Hospital nurses report a 35 percent point prevalence and a 55 percent annual prevalence of LBP. Nursing is among the occupations ranked highest in work-related LBP, so substantial research efforts have been dedicated to understanding the interactions between workplace demands and worker characteristics that increase risk of LBP. Patient lifting and transfer is clearly the most prominent causal factor, and usual interventions include lift/transfer devices, no-lift policies, and ergonomic assessments. Efforts to reduce physical ergonomic exposures in hospitals and nursing homes have met with some success, but engineering and policy solutions are only effective if coupled with sufficient worker training and participation. Besides the high physical exposures in the HC setting, research has also highlighted the importance of organisational and psychosocial factors in LBP incidence rates. These include high psychosocial demands (when paired with low job control), effort-reward imbalance, and low social support. Thus, LBP prevention efforts in the HC setting need to address psychosocial as well as physical job characteristics. Given the high prevalence of LBP among HC workers, one question is whether more efforts should be directed toward secondary prevention – focusing on job accommodation, return-to-work facilitation, and other aspects of organisational support to prevent long-term work absence and job loss after the initial report of LBP. Such disability prevention efforts, when instituted at the organisational level, have shown sizable cost benefits to employers and insurers, but their effects on long-term employee health and well-being lack sufficient evidence. These studies do, however, suggest that how HC organisations respond to individual workers with LBP may be equally important as their systemic efforts to reduce LBP incidence rates.
Discrete Time-to-Event and Rank-Based Methods with Application to Composite Endpoint for Assessing Evidence of Disease Activity

This chapter describes discrete time-to-event and rank-based statistical analyses methods for estimation of and inference about treatment effects on a composite measure of evidence of disease activity. The composite measure is a function of endpoints with known event times and another endpoint whose exact time of occurrence is unknown, but the endpoint is only known to have occurred within an interval. Unlike crude incidence rate approach that ignores subjects’ differential follow-up times and makes unverifiable assumptions about evidence of disease activity status of censored subjects, discrete time-to-event approaches allow incorporation of subjects’ differential follow-up times and appropriate handling of censoring. The rank-based method captures severity of disease activity that may be eluded by the collapsed binary composite outcome. Moreover, the rank-based method, besides providing crude estimates of proportion of subjects with no evidence of disease activity, also addresses possible clouding effect of any of the component endpoint that occurs with higher frequency.
Effects of route of inoculation and viral genetic variation on antibody responses to polyomavirus SV40 in Syrian golden hamsters.

Genetic variants of polyomavirus SV40 are powerful agents with which to define viral effects on cells and carcinogenesis pathways. We hypothesized that differences in biologic variation among viral strains affect the process of viral infection and are reflected in antibody responses to the viral nonstructural large T-antigen (TAg) protein but not in neutralizing antibody responses against the inoculated viral particles. We analyzed the production of TAg antibody and neutralizing antibody in Syrian golden hamsters that were inoculated with SV40 viral strains by intracardiac, intravenous, or intraperitoneal routes and remained tumor free. Compared with the intraperitoneal route, intravascular (that is, intravenous, intracardiac) inoculation resulted in increased frequency of responsiveness to TAg but not in higher TAg antibody titers. The intravascular route was superior both for eliciting neutralizing antibody responses and for higher titers of those responses. Viruses with complex regulatory regions induced TAg antibody more often than did viruses with simple regulatory regions after intraperitoneal but not intravascular injections, with no differences in antibody titers. This viral genetic variation had no effect on neutralizing antibody production after intraperitoneal or intravascular inoculations or on neutralizing antibody titers achieved. These findings confirm that SV40 variants differ in their biologic properties. Route of inoculation combined with viral genetic variation significantly influence the development of serum antibodies to SV40 TAg in tumor-free hamsters. Route of inoculation—but not viral genetic variation—is an important factor in production of neutralizing antibody to SV40.
Lower Extremity Venous Disease: Reflux Treatment

Lower extremity venous disease is extremely common where varicose veins remain the most frequently encountered venous condition followed by chronic venous insufficiency. Lower extremity venous disease comprises a clinical spectrum ranging from completely asymptomatic telangiectasias, to symptomatic varicose veins, to debilitating venous ulcers. Venous reflux, or venous insufficiency, is a condition in the veins where the one-way valves present within the lumen of the vessel no longer function properly, leading to valvular dysfunction and incompetence resulting in elevated venous pressure (venous hypertension). Venous reflux is most commonly found in the superficial venous system where the great saphenous vein is the most often affected vein. Endovenous thermal ablation of the superficial venous system utilizing radiofrequency or laser energy has become the preferred method to treat superficial venous insufficiency. This chapter describes the treatment of the most common sources of superficial venous reflux found in patients with symptomatic lower extremity venous disease.
EAP in Nepal

For centuries before the arrival of Europeans, the language ecology in South Asia was multilingual (see Canagarajah & Liyanage, 2012; Pollock, 2006). The geopolitical situation of Nepal and its long sociocultural ties with India played a key role in the introduction of English education, and, even today, ecological factors contribute greatly to Nepalese English for Academic Purposes (EAP).
Sayce, Archibald Henry, Reverend (1845–1933)

Archibald Henry Sayce is well known for his work in comparative philology as well as for his important contributions to Assyriology, Biblical archaeology, and the decipherment of Hittite hieroglyphic script and the Armenian of the Van inscriptions.
Developing a Mindset

A clear sense of direction is critical for everyone. Without a guide to get where we want to go, it is easy to be diverted or become lost on the way. One might say that one risk of not knowing where you are going is ending up in the wrong place. We hope to prevent that from happening to our readers by devoting this chapter to summarizing the philosophy, trends, and attitudes that reflect our current habilitation approach to adults with disabilities. Through this process, we hope you develop a mindset that will be current, optimistic, and influential in developing your attitudes and approaches to the habilitation needs of those persons introduced in Chapter 2.
A novel hybrid free-wake model for wind turbine performance and wake evolution

Abstract A new free-wake analysis for wind turbine aerodynamics is developed to accurately predict turbine performance and downstream wake evolution. A key feature is the Constant Circulation Contour Method (CCCM) which is a novel free-wake model for wind turbine wakes. This method characterizes a turbine wake by a number of resultant vortex filaments, avoiding the numeric artifact of a vortex lattice comprised of trailing and shedding vortices. The natural capture of wake roll-up and distortion using CCCM is illustrated and its computational complexity is demonstrated to be lower than Vortex Lattice Method (VLM). For accurate blade downwash calculation, a hybrid free-wake model is developed by combining CCCM with a VLM wake immediately behind turbine blades, which transitions to CCCM further downstream. Important properties of this hybrid wake are discussed and optimized to enhance model accuracy and efficiency. Blade static stall and unsteady effects are included. The hybrid model is validated through comparison to the wind tunnel experiments UAE Phase VI and MEXICO. Simulation examples are presented showing the utilization of this free-wake analysis to investigate wake steering, demonstrating the potential application of this method to wind farm scale wake simulations.
When to Choose Surgery in the Era of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Treatment of severe symptomatic aortic stenosis has undergone significant changes with the advent of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Initially reserved for inoperable patients, these devices have improved; outcomes now rival or outperform surgical treatment. TAVR is recommended for high-risk and certain intermediate-risk patients. As transcatheter aortic valve replacement becomes an option for younger, healthier patients, long-term planning and thoughtful considerations of potential subsequent interventions are paramount. A robust understanding of risks, benefits and expected outcomes with TAVR is critical to provide patients with the best treatment option.
Comprehending the Qing Empire: Building Multilingual Competence in an Age of Imperial Rivalry, 1792–1820*

AbstractEuropean knowledge of the four dominant languages of the Qing Empire, Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian, and Tibetan, was transformed between 1792 and 1820 as a consequence of the French Revolutio...
A CURIOUS CASE OF MYOPERICARDITIS

Myopericarditis is characterized by pericardial inflammation with myocardial involvement. Most cases are idiopathic in nature; however, infectious and non-infectious etiologies must be evaluated to guide treatment and prevent chronic complications such as heart failure and/or constrictive
The pre-service practicum experience and inquiry-oriented pedagogy: Evidence from student teachers׳ lesson planning

Abstract This paper addresses whether, how, and to what extent social studies student teachers who have been introduced to inquiry-oriented teaching (as manifest in the National Council for the Social Studies C3 Framework) in their secondary social studies methods course incorporate this approach into the planning for their practicum experience. Based on analysis of lesson plans used in the practicum and follow-up interviews with a small subset of student teachers, this paper analyzes the factors that promote or inhibit use of this approach to teaching in their practicum experience. Results indicate the C3-oriented teaching approach, as taught in the methods course, did appear in the student teachers’ lesson plans. A small subset of student teachers used the framework competently while two smaller subsets were less adept in their application. The degree of application was affected by student teachers’ perceptions of their school placements and students’ needs.
Proinflammatory Cytokines as Biomarkers for BOS, Death, or Retransplantation after Lung Transplantation

Purpose Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction (CLAD) is characterized by airway epithelial damage and fibrosis. The origin and initiation of fibrosis are poorly understood. We hypothesized that immune mediators in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) predict bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), a form of CLAD, and poor survival. In a multi-center observational study, we investigated the role of proinflammatory cytokines as biomarkers for poor outcome after lung transplant (LTx). Methods In a 24-month, prospective, observational multi-center study, 61 children were recruited between 7/2009 and 4/2013 at 6 US pediatric LTx centers (CTOTC-03; NCT00891865). The immune suppression regimen was standardized across sites. BAL and serum were obtained at specified intervals. The primary composite outcome included: incidence of BOS or its histological manifestation obliterative bronchiolitis (OB), retransplant, or death. Serum and BAL samples were assayed with Luminex panels to detect 78 antigens. Cytokine expression patterns were analyzed, BOS was graded per ISHLT criteria. Univariable linear, repeated measures mixed models were used to model the relationship of each Log10 transformed cytokine with (1) the composite endpoint and (2) BOS or OB without death. Values not adjusted for multiple comparisons. Results 28 children met the composite endpoint vs. 33 remained healthy. With BOS/OB considered alone (n=16), IL23 (p=0.05), EGF (p=0.04), IL31 (p=0.04) and EOX (p=0.02) were significantly increased, whereas IL23 was the only cytokine significantly correlated to the composite endpoint (p=0.02). Conclusion Cytokines IL23, EGF, IL31 and EOX are associated with BOS/OB and linked to airway epithelial cell injury, particularly alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells, suggesting dysregulated repair and chronic inflammation after LTx contribute to BOS. Consistent with other studies that suggest BAL eosinophilia is a major feature of lung allograft rejection, our results found that EOX, a recruiter of eosinophils and Th2 lymphocytes were highly associated with BOS. Finally, IL-23 is pro-inflammatory cytokine linked with chronic inflammation and were significant in both analyses. These data suggest specific inflammatory pathways may be targeted to prevent BOS and improve outcome after LTx in children.
Mental health and worries of pregnant women living through disaster recovery

The health and well-being of pregnant women during and after natural disasters remains an international concern. In this mixed methods study we described pregnant women’s mental health, psychosocial concerns and sources of stress living in New Orleans during long term recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Our survey of 402 pregnant women indicated poor social support was associated with higher levels of depression symptomology, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and stress. Women were interviewed and described seven common areas of worry. We concluded that pregnant women living in post-disaster communities have stressful lives years after the event, needing innovative models of care to build resilience.
Principles and practices of designing narrative distance for transformative learning experiences

ABSTRACTNarratives have a unique ability to grant listeners emotional and cognitive space in a way that encourages them to choose how they will make sense of a story. This effect, called narrative ...
On the derivatives of curvature of framed space curve and their time-updating scheme: Extended version with MATLAB code.

This paper deals with the concept of curvature of framed space curves, their higher-order derivatives, variations, and co-rotational derivatives. We realize that parametrizing rotation tensor using the Gibbs vector is effective in deriving a closed form formula to obtain any order derivative of the curvature tensor as the summation of functions of the parametrizing quantity and its derivatives. We use these results for formulating a linearized updating algorithm for curvature and its derivatives when the configuration of the curve acquires a small increment. Finally, the MATLAB code to obtain updated curvature (spatial and material) and its derivatives is presented.
Mild traumatic brain injury induced by primary blast overpressure produces dynamic regional changes in [18F]FDG uptake

Abstract Changes in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) measured by positron emission tomography (PET) can be used for the noninvasive detection of metabolic dysfunction following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This study examined the time course of metabolic changes induced by primary blast injury by measuring regional [18F]FDG uptake. Adult, male rats were exposed to blast overpressure (15 psi) or sham injury, and [18F]FDG uptake was measured before injury and again at 1–3 h and 7 days post-injury, using both volume-of-interest (VOI) and voxel-based analysis. VOI analysis revealed significantly increased [18F]FDG uptake in corpus callosum and amygdala at both 1–3 h and 7 days following blast, while a transient decrease in uptake was observed in the midbrain at 1–3 h only. Voxel-based analysis revealed similar significant differences in uptake between sham and blast-injured rats at both time points. At 1–3 h post-injury, clusters of increased uptake were found in the amygdala, somatosensory cortex, and corpus callosum, while regions of decreased uptake were observed in midbrain structures (inferior colliculus, ventrolateral tegmental area) and dorsal auditory cortex. At day 7, a region of increased uptake in blast-injured rats was found in a cluster centered on the cortex-amygdala transition zone, while no regions of decreased uptake were observed. These results suggest that a relatively mild primary blast injury results in altered brain metabolism in multiple brain regions and that post-injury time of assessment is an important factor in observing regional changes in [18F]FDG uptake.
The EPA Conventional Reduced Risk Pesticide Program

The Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996 initiated the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Conventional Reduced Risk Pesticide Program. Its purpose is to expedite the review and registration process of conventional pesticides that pose less risk to human health and the environment than existing conventional alternatives. Riskier conventional alternatives are those pesticides EPA deems as having neurotoxic, carcinogenic, reproductive, and developmental toxicity, or groundwater contamination effects. It serves as a means to ensure that reduced risk pesticides enter the channels of trade and are available to growers as soon as possible. This 11-page fact sheet was written by F.M. Fishel, and published by the UF Department of Agronomy, April 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi224
Selective laser melting of graphene oxide–reinforced Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb: Improved manufacturability and mechanical strength

Severe cracking and unsatisfied mechanical performance are the major challenges of manufacturing titanium aluminide (TiAl) components by selective laser melting (SLM). In this work, graphene oxide (GO) sheets were introduced onto the metal powder surface to improve the manufacturability of SLM of a Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb (at.%) alloy and enhance the mechanical strength of the laser-fabricated parts. The effect of laser power and GO content on the macromorphology of single-track processing was investigated, showing that the crack-free track could be obtained with the addition of 0.1–0.5 wt.% GO under a laser power of 110 W. In addition, the characterization of multilayer buildups via electron backscatter diffraction and backscatter electron imaging reveals the grain refinement during SLM of GO/TiAl nanocomposites. Finally, the strength of the as-built samples was examined using micro-hardness test, showing a maximal increase of 21.9% by adding 0.3 wt.% GO into the TiAl powders from laser-fabricated samples without GO.
Appealing for Liberty: Freedom Suits in the South, by Loren Schweninger

This book is an outgrowth of The Race and Slavery Petitions Project at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Over 18 years project staff located, archived and digitized 2,023 freedom suit...
Exposure to organophosphorus insecticides and increased risks of health and cancer in US women

Abstract Results of this paper provide evidence that chronic long-term exposure to organophosphorus insecticides poses a significantly higher health risk for US women than for men, based on dialkylphosphate biomarker data from NHANES cycles 2003-2012. The risk of cardiovascular disease for female non-smokers aged 60-85 years in the highest dimethylthiophosphate (DMTP) urinary concentration quartile is 3.0 (odds ratio, OD = 3.0, 95%CI 1.4-6.4) times higher than that in the lowest quartile. Women with higher urinary DMTP concentrations also have significantly higher risk of asthma at the ages 6-39 years and an apparently higher risk of chronic bronchitis at the ages 60-85. Overall cancer risk is significantly higher for female non-smokers aged 60-85 years in the higher urinary DMTP quartiles (OD = 2.7, 95% CI 1.3-5.9). Increasing risks of breast cancer for female smokers and prostate cancer for male smokers aged 60-85 years with higher exposure to organophosphorus insecticides in the US are also significant.
A Low-Power and Area-Efficient Analog Duty Cycle Corrector for ADC's External Clocks

This paper presents an analog duty cycle corrector with feedback. A differential charge pump with fast startup is used to detect the duty cycle error and outputs a control voltage for current-starved inverters to adjust the pulse width. The pump current is designed to be adaptive to the input frequency, so a wide frequency range is achieved without requiring a large load capacitor. The circuit is designed in a 130nm CMOS process and can correct 4–100 MHz clocks with 25–75% duty cycle range. The simulation results show that output error is limited to 1.5% and the power consumption is 50 μW at 100 MHz.
Social Cognitive Theory as a Theoretical Framework to Predict Sexual Risk Behaviors among Older Adults.

Objectives Older adults vary in their safe and unsafe sexual behaviors. While researchers are beginning to understand more about the sexual and intimate expression of older adults, only recently are they beginning to understand how older adults make decisions about sexual risk. Bandura's social cognitive theory offers a frame for understanding how self-efficacy, environmental factors, and goal motivation are related to sexual risk behaviors for older adults, including the interplay between these variables. Methods Using a diverse sample of older adults (n = 720) age 50+ years, social cognitive theory was modeled to determine the relationship between environment variables (age, gender, and sexual health conversations with practitioners), behavioral variables (self-efficacy), and cognitive variables (importance of sexual wellness goals) with the outcome variable of sexual risk behaviors. Results Self-efficacy had an indirect effect on sexual risk via sexual wellness goal motivation. Healthcare provider conversations had both direct and indirect effects on older adults' sexual risk through sexual wellness goal motivation. Models were similarly predictive for older men and women. Conclusions Sexual risk behaviors among older adults are more influenced by environmental factors in their healthcare settings and their perception and prioritization of sexual wellness goals. Clinical implications Providers play a key role in initiating and maintaining sexual health discussions with older patients, potentially mitigating sexual risk and bolstering self-efficacy.
Figuring Out Preference or Balancing Out Effort: Do Inferences From Incentives Undermine Post-Incentive Motivation?

Do financial rewards undermine motivation by prompting people to infer from their incentivized choices that they only did a task because of the incentive? We examine this prediction of the overjustification hypothesis by manipulating the salience and availability of initial (i.e., pre-incentive) task attitudes in repeated choices between tasks. While reminding people about their initial task attitude prior to the incentive arrested post-incentive disengagement, we fail to find persistent disengagement after an incentive ends, when initial attitudes are not salient. Contrary to the prediction of overjustification that the negative longerterm effects of incentives will be magnified when all of a person’s initial choices to do a task were incentivized, we also find no evidence of any post-incentive reduction in that case. Overall, our results contradict inferential accounts of post-incentive behavior and instead point to the role of perceived effort and justification. We discuss implications for dynamic consumer responses to promotions.
Transportation Becomes a Partisan Issue

Highways have contributed tor the geographic polarization of American partisans for the last fifty years. Up to this point, I have not delved into how geographic polarization matters for specific political and policy outcomes. Past work has suggested that migration into the suburbs and the associated suburban context drove suburban Americans to adopt more conservative policy attitudes tied to their material interests as suburbanites and their experience in the suburban social milieu (Gainsborough, 2001). Without seeking to resolve longstanding and unresolved debates over the nature of contextual and neighborhood effects, we can establish the degree to which partisanship (whatever its foundations) has become more strongly tied to policy attitudes, and how this has taken on distinctly geographic character. While urban–suburban polarization is likely to have consequences in numerous political domains, I focus on a public opinion topic germane to the idea of “policy feedback” implied in past scholarship: that highways have created locally focused issue publics that support specifically urban and suburban policies. Transportation policy itself seems most likely to lend itself to interest-based explanations for policy attitudes. We might expect support for different transportation policies to be associated with residence in a city, suburban, or rural area, and for place of residence to matter as much to opinions on these policy matters as their partisanship or ideology. However, this traditional view becomes more difficult to substantiate as partisan geographic polarization increases and Democrat and Republican political elites adopt more polarized rhetoric around transportation policy. To address the changing roles of partisan attitudes and economic interest in transportation policy attitudes, I assembled historical survey data and collected original surveys measuring support for policies related to highways and mass transit, the two general categories of programs widely seen as competing transportation policy alternatives. These two issues have been marked by disagreement along the urban–rural divide and by partisanship, with mostly suburban and rural Republican voters endorsing highway spending to the exclusion of mass transit and other, nonhighway urban transportation investments (Grunwald, 2015; MacGillis, 2016).
In-situ detection of Anomalies in the Acoustic Signal using Neural Network Approach

Neural network with two hidden layer is used in the process of detecting the anomalies in the input audio signal. Three types of input signals (Diesel engine sound, musical instruments, speech signal through microphone) are considered in the studies. Five different features (Wavelet, Spectral centroid, Pitch, MFCC, Phase shifted band) are extracted in the form of spectrogram images from the 1D subsampled speech signal. Later, the processing of spectrogram images by the neural network is carried out. It resulted in a prediction rate of 98.4%, 95.5% and 97.4%, for an input audio signal from diesel engines, musical instruments and speech signal, respectively. Real-time implementation of anomaly detection in audio signal is carried out using a raspberry pi board with 4 GB RAM. Average training time reported on a raspberry pi board is of 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
Dogs: Domestication and the Development of a Social Bond

This book traces the evolution of the dog, from its origins about 15,000 years ago up to recent times. The timing of dog domestication receives attention, with comparisons between different genetics-based models and archaeological evidence. Allometric patterns between dogs and their ancestors, wolves, shed light on the nature of the morphological changes that dogs underwent. Dog burials highlight a unifying theme of the whole book: the development of a distinctive social bond between dogs and people; the book also explores why dogs and people relate so well to each other. Though cosmopolitan in overall scope, the greatest emphasis is on the New World, with an entire chapter devoted to dogs of the arctic regions, mostly in the New World. Discussion of several distinctive modern roles of dogs underscores the social bond between dogs and people.
Behavior of prophage P1 in bacterial matings. I. Transfer of the defective prophage P1 dl.

Abstract Matings of F − lac − recipient bacteria with F + or Hfr donor bacteria E. coli lac − (P1 dl ) yield lac + recombinants, which have received the lac + genes from the P1 dl prophage. The frequency, kinetics of formation, and genetic constitution of the lac + recombinants are analyzed. Transfer of P1 dl from donor to recipient bacteria starts early after mating and exhibits relatively little linkage with the transfer of other genetic markers that are also transferred early from donor to recipient cells. Some features of the recombination process suggest that prophage P1 dl , and possibly also P1, may enter the recipient bacteria separately from the bacterial chromosome of the donor cells. The relation of these observations to other peculiarities of phages P1 and P1 dl is discussed.
The Effect of Bargaining Power on Contract Design

Over the past forty years, an irrelevance proposition has been prevalent in law-and-economics scholarship: bargaining power should affect only price and not nonprice terms of a contract. In contrast, practitioners and commentators in industry regularly invoke bargaining power to explain static and dynamic variance in nonprice contract terms. This Article unpacks and analyzes the assumptions of the strong- and weak-versions of this bargaining power irrelevance proposition to bridge the gap between theory and the real world. In the first half of the Article, we identify and discuss a variety of explanations for the effect of bargaining power on contract design. These include the effects of shifts in market supply and demand and the effect of negotiating price first and nonprice terms later. In the second half of the Article, we present an in-depth examination of one set of explanations, concerning the impact of bargianing power and information asymmetry on nonprice terms, when the value and cost of nonprice terms vary across contracting parties. In the extreme cases in which one or the other party enjoys overwhelming bargaining power, the efforts of that party to capture a larger share of the surplus by screening or signaling may compromise the efficiency of the nonprice terms. We show that this incentive disappears or is mitigated when bargaining power is more evenly shared between the parties: for example, when a monopolist faces the threat of competition, when the parties can renegotiate, or when they engage in bilateral bargaining with more even bargaining power. As a whole, the Article provides a theoretical basis for interpreting the intuition among market participants that the impact of bargaining power extends beyond price terms. Before concluding, we briefly suggest implications for legal policy, particularly the contract law doctrine of unconscionability.
Motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease.

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the pathophysiological mechanisms and the clinical features of motor manifestations of Parkinson's disease (PD). The most typical and easily recognized symptom of PD is unilateral, 4–6 Hz, rest tremor. This is differentiated from the typical 5–8 Hz postural tremor of essential tremor (ET), enhanced physiologic tremor (8–12 Hz), and cerebellar outflow tremor (2–5 Hz). The rest tremor characteristically disappears with action (a feature differentiating it from ET) and during sleep. Stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN), which is typically hyperactive in PD, can also normalize the amplitude and frequency of PD tremor towards physiologic ranges. In PD, the rigidity is usually accompanied by a “cogwheel” phenomenon, probably a manifestation of underlying tremor. Rigidity often increases with reinforcing maneuvers such as voluntary movements of the contralateral limb. This examination technique can greatly assist in the diagnosis of early PD, as the rigidity is ipsilateral to the rest tremor, if present.
Stable Isotopes and Human Water Resources: Signals of Change

Publisher Summary Freshwater is among the most critical natural resources that humans rely on, impact, and manage. Although stocks of freshwater are continuously renewed by the climate system, the rate of this renewal is finite and largely beyond human control. Humans do, however, have the capacity to exert powerful influence on a range of other hydrologic fluxes. Urban development creates impermeable surfaces, reducing infiltration and enhancing runoff. Surface impoundments capture runoff, raise the water table, and may increase infiltration and recharge. Impounded water can be diverted for uses such as agricultural irrigation that may increase the evapotranspiration flux to the atmosphere. The extraction of groundwater from deep aquifers circumvents established pathways of circulation within the water cycle, and may significantly reduce the residence time of groundwater, while temporarily increasing runoff and/or evapotranspiration fluxes where the extracted water is used. As stewards of, and stakeholders in, continental ecosystems, humans must learn to manage a finite supply of freshwater with the common goals of meeting our immediate needs and sustaining the many other natural systems that depend on this supply. In order to support the development and assessment of such management practices, a comprehensive understanding of the water cycle is needed, including the capacity to both monitor and model fluxes of water along the many pathways that define the continental water cycle. Because the water cycle interacts dynamically with a host of other earth systems, including the atmosphere and climate system, the biosphere and the lithosphere, the inventory and complexity of mechanisms and feedbacks that can affect hydrologic fluxes, are enormous. Thus, the toolbox of the water cycle scientist must include tools for measuring and partitioning water fluxes in and among a range of systems. Natural variation in the stable isotope ratios of water represents one such tool.
Low power camera-on-a-chip using CMOS active pixel sensor technology

A second generation image sensor technology has been developed at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a result of the continuing need to miniaturize space science imaging instruments. Implemented using standard CMOS, the active pixel sensor (APS) technology permits the integration of the detector array with on-chip timing, control and signal chain electronics, including analog-to-digital conversion. This paper describes the technology for implementing a low power camera-on-a-chip.
Bedside Injection Medialization Laryngoplasty in Immediate Postoperative Patients

ObjectivesThe morbidity of glottic insufficiency resulting from unilateral vocal fold immobility may significantly compromise postoperative recovery in patients with decreased pulmonary reserve or inability to protect their airway. Injection medialization laryngoplasty is an effective means of treating glottic insufficiency due to unilateral vocal fold immobility. The purpose of this study is to present our experience with bedside transoral injection medialization laryngoplasty in the immediate postoperative period.Study DesignCase series with chart review.SettingAcademic tertiary care hospital.Subjects and MethodsPatient demographics, clinical characteristics, procedural details, and short-term outcome measures of oral intake were recorded in a cohort of 68 patients over 5 years with unilateral vocal cord paralysis who underwent injection medialization as a bedside procedure in the immediate postoperative period.ResultsMean time to injection was 8.2 days postoperatively. At the time of injection, 40 of 6...
Too Much Free Speech

In Too Much Free Speech?, Randall P. Bezanson takes up an essential and timely inquiry into the Constitutional limits of the Supreme Court's power to create, interpret, and enforce one of the essential rights of American citizens. Analyzing contemporary Supreme Court decisions from the past fifteen years, Bezanson argues that judicial interpretations have fundamentally and drastically expanded the meaning and understanding of "speech." Bezanson focuses on judgments such as the much-discussed Citizens United case, which granted the full measure of constitutional protection to speech by corporations, and the Doe vs. Reed case in Washington state, which recognized the signing of petitions and voting in elections as acts of free speech. In each case study, he questions whether the meaning of speech has been expanded too far and critically assesses the Supreme Court's methodology in reaching and explaining its expansive conclusions. Bezanson's measured approach and deep insights reveal the complexities of speech in the realms of human behavior and constitutional law. His wide-ranging analysis of relevant Supreme Court cases arms readers with the facts and perspectives necessary to reach independent conclusions about whether the Court's conduct befitted the independent judicial branch and to understand the consequences of its decisions for a representative democracy.
A nonstorm time enhancement of relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt

[1] Despite the lack of a geomagnetic storm (based on the Dst index), relativistic electron fluxes were enhanced over 2.5 orders of magnitude in the outer radiation belt in 13 h on 13–14 January 2013. The unusual enhancement was observed by Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS), onboard the Van Allen Probes; Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope Integrated Little Experiment, onboard the Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment; and Solid State Telescope, onboard Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS). Analyses of MagEIS phase space density (PSD) profiles show a positive outward radial gradient from 4 < L < 5.5. However, THEMIS observations show a peak in PSD outside of the Van Allen Probes' apogee, which suggest a very interesting scenario: wave-particle interactions causing a PSD peak at ~ L* = 5.5 from where the electrons are then rapidly transported radially inward. This letter demonstrates, for the first time in detail, that geomagnetic storms are not necessary for causing dramatic enhancements in the outer radiation belt.
Fibronectin Induces Beta2-Integrin-Mediated Neutrophil Haptokinesis Independent of Chemoattractant

Neutrophils are mediators of innate immunity and inflammation and motility is critical to their function. The relationship between the presentation and identity of adhesive ligands and the dynamics of neutrophil motility is facilitated by the ability to manufacture well-defined adhesive surfaces that microcontact-printing affords. Here we show that by presenting fibronectin (FN) on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrates, neutrophils are motile. This motility is haptokinetic and does not require prior or co-stimulation by chemoattractant. On printed fields of FN, the motility is phenotypically reminiscent of keratocytes and dependent upon the αMβ2 (Mac-1) integrin receptor. The phenotype observed contrasts with the classical hourglass morphology of neutrophils on FN adsorbed to glass. The addition of exogenous formylated chemoattractant increased the basal FN-induced motility in a dosage-dependent manner only when the FN concentration was below a critical threshold. These results suggest that neutrophils are capable of displaying multiple modes of motility as dictated by their adhesive environment. The exquisite cell-FN specificity demonstrated of neutrophils on printed PDMS makes the technique amenable to the future study of motility on more complex patterns of adhesive ligands as well as traction force mapping via micropost arrays.
Receptor for epidermal growth factor retains normal structure and function in aging cells.

Abstract Cellular responsiveness to epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the structure of the receptor for epidermal growth factor (EGF-R) were compared in young and senescent human fibroblast (HF) cells. Biosynthetic labeling of HF cells with [ 35 S]methionine followed by immunoprecipitation with EGF-R antibody revealed the presence of M r 170 000 EGF-R in cells from both stages. Autophosphorylation of EGF-R in response to EGF was identical in young and senescent cells. Phosphoamino acid analysis of the autophosphorylated EGF-R indicated that tyrosine residues were phosphorylated in each preparation. Two-dimensional peptide mapping of [ 125 I]EGF-R from young and senescent cells showed essentially the same pattern, indicating the EGF-R does not apparently undergo detectable changes in senescent human fibroblasts. The responsiveness of aging HF cells to EGF for the induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity and for the production of secretory proteins was measured. Young and senescent HF cells showed about a three-fold induction of collagenase activity upon addition of EGF. Ornithine decarboxylase activity was also stimulated by EGF to a comparable level in young and senescent cells. Our results indicate that the responsiveness of HF cells to EGF for these two biochemical parameters does not decline with the loss of proliferative activity.
Comparison of mutant forms of the green fluorescent protein as expression markers in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells

Several green fluorescent protein (Gfp) mutants with increased cellular fluorescence compared to the wildtype protein have recently been generated. We have expressed and compared wildtype Gfp and mutants S65T, F100S/ M154T/V164A, F64L/S65T, and S65A/V68L/S72A under identical growth conditions in CHO and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. The results suggest that the last two Gfp mutants are the best candidates as reporter proteins, and they provide a high signal-to-noise ratio in both systems. Single gene copy expression of these mutant forms is easily detectable over background autofluorescence. All Gfps are highly stable within cells, with an estimated 1/2-life between 7 h (wildtype) and 70 h (F100S/M154T/V164A) in S. cerevisiae cells. Although this limits their use in examining rapid cellular events without further modification, Gfp is expected to be a useful marker for monitoring the physiological state of cells in bioreactors using on-line probes.