cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regional variation in the particulate organic carbon to nitrogen ratio in the surface ocean

The concept of constant elemental ratios in plankton communities—the Redfield ratio—is of central importance to ocean biogeochemistry. Recently, several studies have demonstrated regional differences in the plankton C:P and N:P ratio. However, less is known about potential systematic variations in the C:N ratio. Here we present an analysis of the particulate organic carbon to nitrogen ratio of 40,482 globally distributed samples from the upper 200 m of the ocean water column. Particulate organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations are highly correlated (R 2 = 0.86) with a median value of 6.5. Using an artificial neural network analysis, we find regional variations in the C:N ratio linked to differences in environmental conditions. The ratio is lower in upper latitude cold water as well as upwelling regions in comparison to the warm oligotrophic gyres. We find substantial differences between ocean gyres that might be associated with differences in the nutrient supply ratio. Using cell sorting, we also quantified the C:N ratio of Prochlorococcus,Synechococcus, and picoeukaryotic field populations. The analysis demonstrates that picophytoplankton lineages exhibit a significantly higher ratio than the bulk particulate material but are only marginally significantly different from each other. Thus, the dominance of picophytoplankton in ocean gyres may contribute to the elevated ratios observed in these regions. Overall, the median C:N ratio derived from 40,482 samples is close to the canonical Redfield ratio, but significant regional deviations from this value are observed. These differences could be important for marine biogeochemistry and the regional coupling between the ocean's carbon and nitrogen cycles.
The equivalent circuit model in solid-state electronics&#8212;Part I: The single energy level defect centers

The equivalent circuit model is developed in this series of papers and applied to solid-state junction devices. In this paper, the exact equivalent circuit of a single energy level defect center in a semiconductor is developed based on the Shockley-Read-Hall model. It is then applied to the calculation of the steady-state lifetimes of electrons and holes and to the transient decay time constants. The transient decay time constants are obtained for arbitrary nonequilibrium, but steady-state, conditions and are presented as a function of the steady-state electron and hole concentrations by means of contour maps. Simple examples and gold in silicon are used for the construction of these maps. The general criteria of trapping, recombination, and generation are also obtained using the single energy level defect center model which divides the carrier concentration plane log 10 N versus log 10 P into four quadrants centered at the equality carrier concentrations p*and n*. At this equality point, the four rates of electron or hole capture or emission at the defect center are equal and the four quadrants represent regions where recombination, generation, electron trapping, or hole trapping dominates.
Development of an agricultural weather policy

Climate is one of the most important factors determining the sustainability of agricultural production systems. More emphasis must be placed on understanding the influence of changing climate conditions on sustainable agricultural systems, given the increasing limitations of the natural resource base. Agrometeorologists can play a leading role in bridging the gaps between the diverse multi-disciplinary fields of science, by reaching out to farmers, extension service personnel, and the agricultural business community. The farming community must cope with issues of climate variability and climate change, and, the challenge for agricultural meteorologists is to develop a coordinated national agricultural weather policy to assist agriculture as it deals with these issues. Agricultural weather policy must be formulated so that proactive long-term preparedness activities are strengthened to ensure agricultural sustainability and to preserve natural resources. Preparedness must be the essential foundation of an agricultural weather policy that builds upon mitigation measures and adaptation strategies to cope with climate variability and climate change as it affects agriculture, forestry, rangelands, and fisheries.
Affinity purification of cytosolic epoxide hydrolase from human, rhesus monkey, baboon, rabbit, rat and mouse liver

Abstract 1. 1. An affinity purification system based on elution of cytosolic epoxide hydrolase from a methoxycitronellyl thiol ligand with 4-azidochalcone oxide was applied to a variety of samples including liver from human, monkey, baboon, rabbit, rat and mouse as well as mammary gland from mouse. 2. 2. Hepatic tissues yielded a major 58 kDa band on SDS-PAGE, but the system had to be modified slightly to remove a 33 kDa band for rat. 3. 3. All of the affinity purified hydrolases showed similar properties with regard to substrate selectivity, pH dependence and mobilities on SDS-PAGE.
Gas Mixing Analysis in a Large-Scaled Saltstone Facility

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods have been used to estimate the flow patterns mainly driven by temperature gradients inside vapor space in a large-scaled Saltstone vault facility at Savannah River site (SRS). The purpose of this work is to examine the gas motions inside the vapor space under the current vault configurations by taking a three-dimensional transient momentum-energy coupled approach for the vapor space domain of the vault. The modeling calculations were based on prototypic vault geometry and expected normal operating conditions as defined by Waste Solidification Engineering. The modeling analysis was focused on the air flow patterns near the ventilated corner zones of the vapor space inside the Saltstone vault. The turbulence behavior and natural convection mechanism used in the present model were benchmarked against the literature information and theoretical results. The verified model was applied to the Saltstone vault geometry for the transient assessment of the air flow patterns inside the vapor space of the vault region using the potential operating conditions. The baseline model considered two cases for the estimations of the flow patterns within the vapor space. One is the reference nominal case. The other is for the negative temperature gradient between the roof inner and top grout surface temperatures intended for the potential bounding condition. The flow patterns of the vapor space calculated by the CFD model demonstrate that the ambient air comes into the vapor space of the vault through the lower-end ventilation hole, and it gets heated up by the Benard-cell type circulation before leaving the vault via the higher-end ventilation hole. The calculated results are consistent with the literature information. Detailed results and the cases considered in the calculations will be discussed here.
Monobit digital receivers for ultrawideband communications

Ultrawideband systems employ short low-power pulses. Analog receiver designs can accommodate the required bandwidths, but they come at a cost of reduced flexibility. Digital approaches, on the other hand, provide flexibility in receiver signal processing but are limited by analog-to-digital converter (ADC) resolution and power consumption. In this paper, we consider reduced complexity digital receivers, in which the ADC is limited to a single bit per sample. We study three one-bit ADC schemes: 1) fixed reference; 2) stochastic reference; and 3) sigma-delta modulation (SDM). These are compared for two types of receivers based on: 1) matched filtering; and 2) transmitted reference. Bit-error rate (BER) expressions are developed for these systems and compared to full-resolution implementations with negligible quantization error. The analysis includes the impact of quantization noise, filtering, and oversampling. In particular, for an additive white Gaussian noise channel, we show that the SDM scheme with oversampling can achieve the BER performance of a full-resolution digital receiver.
Bridging the qualitative-quantitative divide: guidelines for conducting mixed methods research in information systems

Mixed methods research is an approach that combines quantitative and qualitative research methods in the same research inquiry. Such work can help develop rich insights into various phenomena of interest that cannot be fully understood using only a quantitative or a qualitative method. Notwithstanding the benefits and repeated calls for such work, there is a dearth of mixed methods research in information systems. Building on the literature on recent methodological advances in mixed methods research, we develop a set of guidelines for conducting mixed methods research in IS. We particularly elaborate on three important aspects of conducting mixed methods research: (1) appropriateness of a mixed methods approach; (2) development of meta-inferences (i.e., substantive theory) from mixed methods research; and (3) assessment of the quality of meta-inferences (i.e., validation of mixed methods research). The applicability of these guidelines is illustrated using two published IS papers that used mixed methods.
Orientation-specific self-assembly at air-water interface using magnetic field

This paper presents a novel method, supported by numerical and statistical analysis, to achieve orientation-specific self-assembly of millimeter-scale thin silicon parts from an air-water interface. Surface functionalized silicon parts (2000×2000×100 µm3) are assembled in preprogrammed hydrophilic locations on a substrate with self-alignment and unique orientation by a magnetic field.
A Polarized Epithelium Organized by β- and α-Catenin Predates Cadherin and Metazoan Origins

A fundamental characteristic of metazoans is the formation of a simple, polarized epithelium. In higher animals, the structural integrity and functional polarization of simple epithelia require a cell-cell adhesion complex that contains a classical cadherin, the Wnt-signaling protein β-catenin and the actin-binding protein α-catenin. We show that the non-metazoan Dictyostelium discoideum forms a polarized epithelium that is essential for multicellular development. Although D. discoideum lacks a cadherin homolog, we identify an α-catenin ortholog that binds a β-catenin–related protein. Both proteins are essential for formation of the epithelium, polarized protein secretion, and proper multicellular morphogenesis. Thus, the organizational principles of metazoan multicellularity may be more ancient than previously recognized, and the role of the catenins in cell polarity predates the evolution of Wnt signaling and classical cadherins.
The Early Afterglows

We calculate the expected spectrum and light curves of the early afterglow. For short GRBs the peak of the afterglow will be delayed, typically, by a few dozens of seconds after the burst. The x-ray and gamma-ray characteristics of this delayed emission provide a way to discriminate between late internal shocks emission (part of the GRB) and the early afterglow signal. Detection of this delayed emission will prove the internal shock scenario as producing the GRB, and will pinpoint the initial Lorentz factor gamma_0. In the optical band, the dominant emission arises from the reverse shock. This shock, carries an energy comparable to that of the forward shock. It radiates this energy at much lower frequencies, producing a short optical flash of 15th magnitude or brighter.
Epigenetic Regulation of Mammalian Genomes by Transposable Elements

Transposable element (TE) sequences make up a substantial fraction of mammalian genomes and exert a variety of regulatory influences on mammalian genes. We explore the contributions of TEs to the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate mammalian genomes, emphasizing nucleosome positioning and epigenetic histone modifications. A link between TEs and epigenetics rests on the fact that underlying genetic sequences partially mediate the nature and identity of epigenetic modifications. Here, we review the studies that have uncovered histone modifications that are targeted to mammalian TE sequences and propose a series of hypotheses regarding the potential epigenetic regulatory effects of mammalian TEs. We propose that mammalian TE sequences have specific nucleosome binding properties with regulatory implications for nearby genes, are involved in the phasing of nucleosomes, and recruit epigenetic modifications to function as enhancers; that epigenetic modifications at TE sequences affect the regulation of nearby genes; and that TEs serve as epigenetic boundary elements. It is hoped that these proposed scenarios may help to serve as a roadmap for future investigations into the epigenetic regulatory effects of mammalian TEs.
COMPARISON OF URINARY AND SERUM AMYLASE VALUES FOLLOWING PANCREATIC STIMULATION IN PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT PANCREATIC DISEASE.

Summary Serum amylase concentrations and urinary amylase excretion rates were studied before and after pancreatic stimulation in 23 controls and 31 patients with pancreatic disease. The urinary amylase excretion rate increased substantially after stimulation in 20 of 31 patients with pancreatic disease, or 65%, while serum amylase increases were found in only 6 of the 31, or 19%.
The 'Myth of Parity' Revisited: An Empirical Test of Whether Federal Courts Protect Rights More Vigorously Than State Courts

This paper focuses on judicial federalism - the sharing of judicial power between the 50 states and the federal government - by probing whether federal courts protect individual rights more vigorously than state tribunals. Fully integrated models of federal- and state-appellate-court treatment of lesbian-and-gay-rights claims in a comprehensive collection of 372 decisions from 46 states, 12 federal circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court between 1982 and 1998 are developed to investigate whether federal courts are superior to state courts for rights vindication. Judicial-federalism variables in logit regression analysis disclose no support for the hypothesis that federal judges are in an institutionally better position compared to state jurists to resist majoritarian forces opposing minority rights. Indeed, the combination of presidential appointment and life tenure of federal judges does not necessarily improve the probability that their policymaking will be more favorable to disfranchised minorities than that of state counterparts selected by other methods or for shorter terms of office. In fact, lesbian-and-gay litigants have experienced substantially greater success in state courts than in federal fora. In particular, state appellate courts interpreting their own state constitutions enhanced the rights and liberties of lesbians and gay men far more than federal and state decisions construing the federal Constitution, with a state-supreme-court rate three times more favorable than that of the U.S. Supreme Court. The results support the notion that a new judicial federalism has been at work in the nation.
Damages vs. Rent in Tenant Abandonment Situations

A recent California decision (now depublished) held that a tenant could offet the landlord’s subsequent profits from reletting against its earlier losses after the tenant abandoned.
Isoforms p69 and p100 of 2′,5′-Oligoadenylate Synthetase Induced Differentially by Interferons In Vivo and In Vitro

ABSTRACT Four isoforms of 2′,5′-oligoadenylate (2-5A) synthetase have been identified (40, 44, 69, and 100 kD). The 40and 44-kD enzymes are encoded by the same gene, probably different from the gen...
Malignant melanoma of the esophagus: first reported case in a child.

Malignant melanoma of the esophagus is rare. Only 29 cases have been reported since the first description in 1906, and none in children have been documented. Surgical and necropsy findings of a primary esophageal malignant melanoma in a 7-year-old boy are described. We believe this is the first published report of an esophageal malignant melanoma in a child.
Expanding the Study of International Relations: The French Connection

The study of international relations has been dominated by scholars working in the United States and has concentrated on questions that have been important to the U.S. as it emerged as the leading international power after 1945. These tendencies have limited the questions asked, the concepts generated, and the perspectives relevant to theory building. These limits can only be overcome by integrating the work of specialists from other countries. To this end, recent contributions by a number of French scholars are examined through a review of four publications. They provide a deeper sense of the options open to lesser states than is usually found in American contributions, a greater acceptance of flux and change in the international system, with less weight given to external influences on foreign policy formation and more to domestic politics and to personal relations among political leaders.
Effect of postischemic hypoperfusion on vasodilatory mechanisms in cats

We addressed the mechanism for reduced pial vascular reactivity to muscarinic stimulation by evaluating pial vessel responses to receptor-dependent [10(-5) M acetylcholine (ACh)] and independent (10(-5) M A-23187) agonists and the endothelium-independent nitric oxide (NO) donor [10(-5) M nitroprusside (NP)]. Cerebral blood flow (CBF, microspheres) and pial arteriolar diameters (intravital microscopy) were measured in halothane-anesthetized cats. Cats (n = 13) were treated with 12 min of near-complete global cerebral ischemia, whereas control animals (n = 9) were identically instrumented but were not submitted to ischemia. Postischemic hypoperfusion was evident in most animals at 60 min of reperfusion, accompanied by attenuated pial arterial dilation to topical ACh (baseline dilation 23 +/- 4% vs. postischemia 11 +/- 3%) and A-23187 (16 +/- 4 vs. 0 +/- 3% dilation). Dilation to NP was unaffected. CBF response to intravenous administration of the muscarinic receptor agonist oxotremorine was also decreased throughout the forebrain (162 +/- 12 vs. 116 +/- 6% increase in flow) in these cats. These data suggest that endothelium-dependent vasodilation with topical muscarinic agonists is impaired during hypoperfusion, but vascular smooth muscle responsivity to NO remains intact. We conclude that the defect in the signal transduction pathway is not limited to the receptor and may involve an abnormality with NO synthesis or its destruction within endothelium.
Screening for high blood pressure.

Case study: A.R. is a healthy 30-year-old man who recently obtained health insurance through his new job. His last physical examination was more than 10 years ago. Because you are a friend and a family physician, he asks you whether he should have his blood pressure checked.
Sequential loss of self-control: Exploring the antecedents and consequences of student credit card debt

Self-control lapses not only impact credit card debt, but combined with this debt lead to further self-control lapses and life stressors for consumers. A causal model is developed and tested exploring college students’ pre-/post-debt decisions as a series of sequential losses in self-control, and how initial and post-failure decisions impact financial anxiety. Pre-debt loss of control takes on two forms: materialism and impulsivity. Locus of control theory is used to test how post-failure self-control lapses negatively impact the psychological well-being of consumers. A better understanding of these time-ordered self-control mechanisms offers insights for developing educational and policy interventions useful for staving off self-control lapses early in the decision-making process.
Social risk, stigma and space: key concepts for understanding HIV vulnerability among black men who have sex with men in New York City

AbstractBlack men who have sex with men in the USA face disproportionate incidence rates of HIV. This paper presents findings from an ethnographic study conducted in New York City that explored the structural and socio-cultural factors shaping men’s sexual relationships with the goal of furthering understandings of their HIV-related vulnerability. Methods included participant observation and in-depth interviews with 31 Black men who have sex with men (three times each) and 17 key informants. We found that HIV vulnerability is perceived as produced through structural inequalities including economic insecurity, housing instability, and stigma and discrimination. The theoretical concepts of social risk, intersectional stigma, and the social production of space are offered as lenses through which to analyse how structural inequalities shape HIV vulnerability. We found that social risk shaped HIV vulnerability by influencing men’s decisions in four domains: 1) where to find sexual partners, 2) where to engage ...
Signal Optimization in Intraoperative Neuromonitoring

Signal optimization in neuromonitoring attempts to make neuromonitoring data as close a representation of the neurologic state as possible to improve our ability to accurately identify new deterioration in neurologic function. This process depends on the correct identification of suboptimal signals, identification of underlying causes for suboptimal signals, and the implementation of steps to best counter the identified causes. A step-wise and logical approach to this process allows an efficient process that can meet the time-pressured needs of the typical surgical environment.
The effect of concomitant fields in fast spin echo acquisition on asymmetric MRI gradient systems.

Purpose To investigate the effect of the asymmetric gradient concomitant fields (CF) with zeroth and first-order spatial dependence on fast/turbo spin-echo acquisitions, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of their real-time compensation. Methods After briefly reviewing the CF produced by asymmetric gradients, the effects of the additional zeroth and first-order CFs on these systems are investigated using extended-phase graph simulations. Phantom and in vivo experiments are performed to corroborate the simulation. Experiments are performed before and after the real-time compensations using frequency tracking and gradient pre-emphasis to demonstrate their effectiveness in correcting the additional CFs. The interaction between the CFs and prescan-based correction to compensate for eddy currents is also investigated. Results It is demonstrated that, unlike the second-order CFs on conventional gradients, the additional zeroth/first-order CFs on asymmetric gradients cause substantial signal loss and dark banding in fast spin-echo acquisitions within a typical brain-scan field of view. They can confound the prescan correction for eddy currents and degrade image quality. Performing real-time compensation successfully eliminates the artifacts. Conclusions We demonstrate that the zeroth/first-order CFs specific to asymmetric gradients can cause substantial artifacts, including signal loss and dark bands for brain imaging. These effects can be corrected using real-time compensation. Magn Reson Med, 2017. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Co and Neonatal Cerebral Circulation

The gas, carbon monoxide (CO), is produced physiologically by catabolism of heme to CO, free iron, and biliverdin.1 This reaction is catalyzed by heme oxygenase with reduction of NADPH. Heme oxygenase (HO) is expressed as three known iso-forms that are attached to the endoplasmic reticulum by a hydrophobic sequence near the carboxy terminus of the protein:1 the easily inducible HO-1, the constituitively expressed poorly inducible HO-2 and a third isoform with much lower heme degrading activity.2CO can be a vascular paracrine factor. HO-1 and HO-2 have been identified in vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells, with HO-2 being constituitively expressed.1,3,4,5 HO-2 is expressed in highest concentration in the brain5,9 where it resides in neurons, vascular endothelium and smooth muscle.1,6 CO can cause increases in cGMP in both autocrine and paracrine fashions3,7,8,9 and can hyperpolarize vascular smooth muscle via modification of a histidine residue on the external membrane side of the large conductance Ca activated potassium channel (Kca).9,10,11 By either of these mechanisms CO could cause endothelial independent dilation of arteries and arterioles.
Sidewalls of Gram-Negative Rod-Shaped Bacteria

The wall of Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria can be divided into three regions: poles, sidewall, and forming poles. The completed poles are inert, they do not turn over, and they function to mechanically support the elongation of the sidewall at constant diameter. The subject of the present chapter is to describe an analysis by labeling and staining of old murein with a method that does not stain the new and, by the use of computer methods, to analyze the images. The murein of cells that had been labeled with d-Cysteine and then further grown (chased) in the presence of an antibiotic that blocks cell division has only recently become possible. In these studies, sacculi were prepared and visualized with a fluorescent antibody. One critical finding is that the central septating or constricting part is entirely new.
EFFECT OF EXERCISE AND PHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTIONS ON CORONARY COLLATERAL BLOOD FLOW

Coronary artery occlusion results in remarkably rapid development of an effective intercoronary collateral circulation. If occlusion proceeds gradually, sufficient collateral vessel recruitment and growth may occur to allow progression to total arterial occlusion with little or no infarction of the dependent myocardium. In this situation the collateral vessels are able to provide adequate arterial inflow to maintain myocardial integrity during resting conditions, but the ability to augment blood flow in response to exercise or other stress may be limited and develop only gradually. This chapter will consider studies of the coronary vascular system in the intact heart which contains a region of collateral dependent myocardium. Emphasis will be placed on studies in which the response of the coronary collateral system is integrated into the overall response of the heart to exercise.
The effect of pre-transplant JAK 1/2 inhibitors on outcomes of myelofibrosis patients who receive allogeneic stem cell transplant.

7072Background: The use of JAK 1/2 inhibitors (JAKi) for myelofibrosis (MF) treatment is becoming commonplace, but their impact on outcomes after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (SCT) is not wel...
Writing after betrayal: Desahogarse, street outreach, and ethnography:

Ethnographers may experience troubling relationships while conducting research. Strained interpersonal relationships with members of the communities where ethnographers work can be caused by emotio...
Eumycetoma caused by Cladophialophora bantiana in the United States.

A female presented in the sixth decade of life with a history of undifferentiated small cell carcinoma of the right breast in clinical remission, status-post chemotherapy and resection 6 years previously, presented with a chronic anterior knee skin nodule that grew in size over the prior 5–6 weeks. She had no history of opportunistic infections or recent immunosuppression. As it grew, the nodule became tender to touch. Examination revealed a 4–6 mm superficial purple-red nodule. Also, a similar lesion was present on the dorsum of her left foot for the past year, which also recently grew and became tender. The patient did report frequently kneeling on soil when gardening in Florida. She reported no other symptoms. Due to a concern for cutaneous metastasis of the patient’s previously diagnosed small cell carcinoma of the breast, the anterior knee lesion was biopsied. Histology revealed histocyte-rich inflammation with foci of acute inflammation as well as pigmented fungal forms. Subsequent fungal culture of excised tissue grew Cladophialophora bantiana, identified by ribosomal gene DNA sequencing.
Photopigment genes, cones, and color update: disrupting the splicing code causes a diverse array of vision disorders.

The human long-wavelength and middle-wavelength sensitive cone opsin genes exhibit an extraordinary degree of haplotype diversity that results from recombination mechanisms that have intermixed the genes. As a first step in expression, genes—including the protein coding exons and intervening introns—are transcribed. Next, transcripts are spliced to remove the introns and join the exons to generate a mature message that codes for the protein. Important information necessary for splicing is contained within exons, and is overlaid by the protein code. Intermixing the long-wavelength and middle-wavelength sensitive cone opsin genes has disrupted the splicing code, leading to exclusion of some exons from the mature message and is associated with several vision disorders including nearsightedness, cone dystrophy, and color vision deficiencies.
Toward A New Evolutionary Synthesis.

This essay responds to Peter T. Saunders's call to go Beyond the neo-Darwinist Paradigm. While there is much to commend in his analysis, especially his suggestion that the extended evolutionary synthesis (EES) may not go far enough, he leaves the question of whether this should involve mere revision or total replacement open. A historiographical review reveals significant problems stemming from certain positivist assumptions and commitments within neo-Darwinian orthodoxy and the EES over and above any scientific considerations. As such, mere tweaking of the existing paradigm or its extension will do little to remedy the intellectual prejudices currently plaguing it. A complete overhaul is suggested by applying the Lopez Ontological Demarcation Design (LODD) principle with biology in a multidisciplinary, non-reductionist philosophical framework. Building on the concept of Organismic-Systems Biology (OSB), a component of General Systems Theory (GTS) associated with polymathic biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901-1972), and cosmic evolution (CE) proposed by UCLA philosopher John Elof Boodin (1869-1950), the outline of a new evolutionary synthesis is offered as a prolegomenon to further study and evaluation.
Association of Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Nighttime Blood Pressure in African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study.

BACKGROUND Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), nocturnal hypertension, and nondipping systolic blood pressure (BP) are each highly prevalent among African Americans. However, few data are available on the association between OSA and nighttime BP in this population. METHODS We examined the association of OSA with nighttime BP among African Americans who completed 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) at Exam 1 (2000-2004) of the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) and subsequently participated in the JHS Sleep Study (2012-2016). Type 3 home sleep apnea testing was used to assess OSA measures, including respiratory event index (REI4%) and percent sleep time <90% oxygen saturation (nocturnal hypoxemia). Nocturnal hypertension was defined as mean asleep systolic BP (SBP) ≥120 mm Hg or diastolic BP (DBP) ≥70 mm Hg. Multivariable linear regression models were fit to estimate the association between each OSA measure and nighttime SBP and DBP. RESULTS Among 206 participants who completed ABPM and participated in the Jackson Heart Sleep Study, 50.5% had nocturnal hypertension and 26.2% had moderate to severe OSA (REI4% ≥15 events/hour). After multivariable adjustment, each SD (13.3 events/hour) increase in REI4% was associated with 1.75 mm Hg higher nighttime DBP (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.38, 3.11) and a prevalence ratio of 1.11 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.24) for nocturnal hypertension. Each SD (10.4%) increase in nocturnal hypoxemia was associated with a 1.91 mm Hg higher nighttime SBP (95% CI: 0.15, 3.66). CONCLUSIONS Severity of OSA and nocturnal hypoxemia were associated with high nighttime BP in African American participants in the JHS.
Treatment and Outcomes of Early Stage Breast Cancer in Patients with Hepatic Dysfunction.

Abstract Background There exists a dogma of surgical nihilism for patients with cirrhosis and breast cancer causing de-escalation of surgery and impacting survival. We hypothesized that breast cancer surgery would not result in a significant change in the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-Sodium (MELD-Na) scores before and after surgery. Methods We performed a single institutional retrospective review of medical records between January 2013 and July 2019 of patients with concurrent cirrhosis and breast cancer. We used the nonparametric Friedman test to compare differences in MELD-Na scores. Results Eight patients with both cirrhosis and breast cancer were identified. Median follow-up was 30.5 mo. Half of the patients had Child-Pugh class A cirrhosis and half had Child-Pugh class B cirrhosis. Six (75%) patients underwent lumpectomy and two (25%) underwent mastectomy. There was no statistically significant difference (P = 0.66) in median MELD-Na score before surgery (16) and after surgery (18). Two (25%) patients experienced postoperative complications. Three patients were listed for liver transplantation. Of three listed patients, two (25%) patients underwent successful liver transplantation after breast surgery. One (12.5%) patient died without transplant. Three (37.5%) patients were alive for more than 5 y after breast cancer diagnosis without evidence of cancer recurrence. The eighth patient has remained breast cancer free for more than 6 mo since her surgery. Conclusions Surgery for patients with Child-Pugh class A and B cirrhosis and early stage breast cancer did not result in a significant change in MELD-Na score before and after surgery, suggesting that selected patients may benefit from breast cancer surgery with curative intent.
Influence of lasalocid level on forage intake, digestibility, ruminal fermentation, liquid flow and performance of beef cattle grazing winter range.

Three experiments were conducted to study the effects of lasalocid level on performance, intake, digestibility, ruminal fermentation and fluid flow of beef cattle grazing dormant, tallgrass prairie. In Exp. 1, 120 pregnant, mature beef cows of primarily Hereford breeding (avg wt = 471 kg) were randomly assigned to received 0, 100, 200 or 300 mg lasalocid X head-1 X d-1 in 1.82 kg supplement. Weight changes at 30, 60 or 90 d, condition score change and calf birth weight were not affected (P greater than .10) by lasalocid level. In Exp. 2, estimates of intake and digestibility were obtained with 40 pregnant, mature Hereford cows (avg wt = 474 kg) and 12 esophageal-cannulated, Hereford X Angus steers (avg wt = 225 kg), using Yb and indigestible acid detergent fiber as markers for fecal output and digestibility, respectively. Levels of lasalocid provided to cows and steers were similar, on a body weight (BW) basis, to those in Exp. 1 and corresponded to approximately 0, .22, .44 or .66 mg lasalocid/kg BW. Total diet and forage organic matter digestibility for beef cows decreased (P less than .01) at the .22 mg/kg BW level, but increased at the .44 and .66 mg/kg BW levels. Organic matter intake was not influenced (P greater than .10) by lasalocid addition. In Exp. 3, 16 ruminal-cannulated, Hereford X Angus steers (avg wt = 227 kg) were given the same lasalocid dosages per kg BW as in Exp. 2, and were used to study the effects of lasalocid on ruminal fermentation and fluid flow characteristics.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Emergent Literacy in Spanish-Speaking Children With Developmental Language Disorder: Preliminary Findings of Delays in Comprehension- and Code-Related Skills

Purpose This exploratory study describes the emergent literacy skills of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) who speak Spanish, a language with a simple phonological structure and t...
How Predatory Informal Rules Outlast State Reform: Evidence from Postauthoritarian Guatemala

The coexistence of predatory informal rules alongside formal democratic institutions is a defining, if pernicious, feature of Latin America’s political landscape. How do such rules remain so resilient in the face of bureaucratic reforms? This article explicates the mechanisms underlying the persistence of such rules and challenges conventional explanations through process-tracing analysis in one arena: Guatemala’s customs administration. During Guatemala’s period of armed conflict and military rule, military intelligence officers introduced a powerful customs fraud scheme that endured for more than 20 years, despite state reforms. Its survival is best attributed to the ability of the distributional coalition underwriting the predatory rules to capture new political and economic spaces facilitated by political party and market reforms. This illustrates that distributional approaches to institutional change must attend to how those with a stake in the status quo may continue to uphold perverse institutional arrangements on the margins of state power.
Long-Term Influence of Concussion on Cardio-Autonomic Function in Adolescent Hockey Players.

CONTEXT Concussion may negatively influence cardiovascular function and the autonomic nervous system, defined by alteration in heart rate variability (HRV). Differences in HRV most commonly emerge during a physical challenge, such as the final steps of the return-to-sport progression. OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of concussion history on aspects of cardio-autonomic function during recovery from a bout of submaximal exercise in adolescent male hockey athletes. DESIGN Case-control study. SETTING Research laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Thirty-three male athletes participating in Midget-AAA hockey were divided into those with (n = 15; age = 16 ± 1 years, height = 1.78 ± 0.06 m, mass = 73.9 ± 7.4 kg, 10.5 ± 1.6 years of sport experience, 25.2 ± 18.3 months since last injury) or without (n = 18; age = 16 ± 1 years, height = 1.78 ± 0.05 m, mass = 74.8 ± 7.6 kg, 10.6 ± 1.9 years of sport experience) a concussion history. Those with a concussion history were binned on total count: concussion) or 2 or more concussions. INTERVENTION(S) All athletes underwent 5 minutes of resting HRV assessment, followed by 20 minutes of aerobic exercise at 60% to 70% of their maximal target heart rate and a 9-minute, postexercise HRV assessment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Heart rate variability measures of mean NN interval, root mean square of successive differences, and standard deviation of NN interval (SDNN). RESULTS Group demographic characteristics were not different. When the control and concussed groups were compared, group and time main effects for heart rate recovery, root mean square of successive differences, and SDNN (P values < .01), and an interaction effect for SDNN (P < .05) were demonstrated. Recovery trends for each group indicated that a history of 2 or more concussions may negatively affect cardio-autonomic recovery postexercise. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that those with more than 1 previous concussion may be associated with a greater risk for long-term dysautonomia. Future use of HRV may provide clinicians with objective guidelines for concussion-management and safe return-to-participation protocols.
The effect of natural sugar and sweeteners on normal and cancerous human fibroblasts

Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) have seen increasingly common usage amongst foodstuffs in the westernized diet in the past few decades, including processed foods and flavored beverages. Recently, an increasing body of research has been evaluating the potential of NNS for alternative uses in healthcare and medicine. Some of these sweeteners, such as stevioside, have been implicated as being anti-hypertensive, anti-carcinogenic, and antiinflammatory in several contexts. To examine the potential of NNS such as stevioside as an anti-carcinogenic agent, cellular behavior of HFF-1 human foreskin fibroblasts (ATCC SCRC-1041) & COLO-829 human melanoma fibroblasts (ATCC CRL-1974) was observed in the presence of sucrose, sucralose, and stevioside on collagen. This study examined the impact of NNS on initial adhesion, cellular proliferation, and integrin expression on healthy and cancerous fibroblast cell lines. The results indicate that 5 mg/mL stevioside caused more than 2-fold decrease in the initial adhesion of healthy cells but caused more than 4-fold increase in the initial adhesion of cancerous cells. In terms of proliferation, stevioside at 5 mg/mL caused a 13-fold decrease in cancer cell proliferation, proportional to concentration, but a 1.5-fold increase in proliferation for healthy cells.
Challenges and Open Problems

From the discussion of the current key technologies and research of the computing system for autonomous driving, we find that there are still many challenges and open issues for the research and development of L4 or L5 autonomous driving vehicles. In this chapter, we summarize twelve remaining challenges and discuss the challenges with our visions for autonomous driving.
Hilbert–Schmidt Cohomology of Weyl Systems

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the Hilbert-Schmidt cohomology of Weyl systems. In connection with the correspondence principle for the deduction of quantum hamiltonians from classical ones, there is often some a priori ambiguity in the resulting operators. A similar situation arises in the treatment of local products of quantum fields. Sufficiently high commutators of these putative operators with Heisenberg variables may be unique and serve to characterize the operators modulo a precise indeterminacy, which on occasion may be removed by ancillary considerations. For Weyl systems the present direction can be interpreted mathematically as the study of the cohomology of certain unitary representations of the Heisenberg group. As a nilpotent group, the semisimple theory is inapplicable, and for greater completeness and directness, no use will be made of the general treatment of the cohomology of unitary representations. The Heisenberg group is fundamental in certain mathematical and physical respects, and is treated in its own right.
The Value of Knowledge and the Pursuit of Understanding: The Value of Justification

Recent discussions of the nature of knowledge have yielded two divergent paths to follow. On the one hand are reliabilists and other externalists, and on the other hand are justificationists and internalists. Sometimes members of the former camp claim to be offering a theory of justification, but for present purposes I am going to treat such claims as idle explanatory wheels of their theoretical machine. If they turn out to be right, it will make their theories no better than they would have been as theories of knowledge, and if they are wrong, their theories of knowledge might still survive the amputation of this aspect. We shall see in this chapter that ordinary reliabilist theories of knowledge cannot explain the value of knowledge over true belief, but this point is not my ultimate target. My ultimate target is to determine whether a justificationist account of knowledge can do any better. I will argue that it can, but that the picture of justification required for success is quite unusual. The conclusion will be a slightly disturbing account of what a theory of justification must look like if it is to have a chance of accounting for the value of knowledge. EXTERNALIST ACCOUNTS To see the difficulty of providing a good answer to the question of the value of knowledge over true belief, consider the following theory of knowledge. On this theory, what closes the gap between true belief and knowledge is objective likelihood of truth for belief.
Correlation between ultrasonic velocity and density of ceramic turbine blades

A computer-aided ultrasonic velocity measurement system to detect small density variations in structural ceramic materials has been developed. Longitudinal wave ultrasonic velocity and density of ceramic turbine blades and bars were measured and statistically correlated. Density variations of 1 to 2 percent were reliably detected. Burst speed of ceramic blades was inversely proportional to the grain size of the material.
Robust constrained model predictive control using linear matrix inequalities

The primary disadvantage of current design techniques for model predictive control (MPC) is their inability to explicitly deal with model uncertainty. In this paper, the authors address the robustness issue in MPC by directly incorporating the description of plant uncertainty in the MPC problem formulation. The plant uncertainty is expressed in the time-domain by allowing the state-space matrices of the discrete-time plant to be arbitrarily time-varying and belonging to a polytope. The existence of a feedback control law minimizing an upper bound on the infinite horizon objective function and satisfying the input and output constraints is reduced to a convex optimization over linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). It is shown that for the plant uncertainty described by the polytope, the feasible receding horizon state feedback control design is robustly stabilizing.
Scalable and energy efficient medium access control protocol for wireless sensor networks

Scalable and efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol has been of the paramount significance for boosting the performance of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this paper, scalable and efficient medium access control (SE-MAC) protocol is introduced for WSNs. The Goal of SE-MAC is to reduce the communication delay time, channel delay time and control delays caused by acknowledgment packets, request-to-send (RTS), clear-to-send (CTS) etc. Thus, reducing the delays, SE-MAC incorporates the adaptable application independent aggregation (AAIA) model to achieve the expected goals. Furthermore, SE-MAC is supported with handoff process feature, which helps extend the network lifetime. AAIA model for SE-MAC plays a role of cross-layering that extensively reduces the different delays incurred at MAC sub-layer and network layer. Evaluation of SE-MAC is conducted using network simulator-2 (NS2) then compared with known MAC protocols: Zebra medium access control (Z-MAC), receiver-initiated asynchronous duty cycle MAC (RI-MAC) and an energy-efficient multi-channel mac (Y-MAC). Based on the initial Simulation results, we demonstrate that SE-MAC protocol saves extra 9.8–15% time and energy resources for channel delays as compared with other MAC protocols.
On Vertical Mergers

Vertical mergers have long been viewed as suspicious by antitrust enforcers and as anomalous by economists. During the last decade, however, appealing rationales for vertical integration have been advanced, both within and beyond the neoclassical framework, and their implications are here extended to the analysis of vertical mergers. The neoclassical approach to vertical integration (and hence to vertical mergers) is based on the existence of market power in the intermediate product market.' The exercise of market power is supposed to imply a divergence between the value of the marginal product of the input and its marginal cost. By eliminating that divergence vertical integration increases the profitability of the combined enterprise.2 Economists have also advanced rationales for vertical integration such as economies of scope between successive stages of production (Chandler),