cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Photoperiodic effect on diapause induction and development in the predator Orius insidiosus (Heteroptera : Anthocoridae)

Photoperiod influenced nymphal development and diapause induction in a laboratory culture of Orius insidiosus (Say). At 20°C, development of nymphs was significantly faster at a photoperiod of 10:14 (L:D) than at 12:12, 13:11, 14:10, or 15:9. Subsequently, diapause induction exhibited a typical long-day response; nearly 100% of adult females entered reproductive diapause when reared under short photoperiods (10:14 [L:D]), whereas at longer photoperiods (12:12, 13:11, 14:10, 15:9 [L:D]), fewer insects initiated diapause (56.8, 29.7, 5.3, 12.9%, respectively). The critical photoperiod fell between 12:12 and 13:11 (L:D). Duration of the preoviposition period was inversely related to photoperiod.
Carbon Foam Cold Head Heat Exchanger for O2 Liquefaction

NASA proposed to develop a cryogenic system which incorporates integrated refrigeration with a Brayton cycle to liquefy and store oxygen for a sustainable consumables transfer station for use on the lunar surface. For this cryogenic system to be compact and lightweight, a very significant enhancement in gas side heat transfer coefficient is required. In this paper, heat transfer and pressure drop with carbon foam as a heat transfer medium was investigated both experimentally and numerically. It was demonstrated that porous carbon foam is very effective in increasing heat transfer but can also lead to a high pressure drop. With a corrugated configuration for the carbon foam, pressure drop can be significantly decreased without an appreciable change in heat transfer coefficient.
Parasitism and Nutrition of the Contact Mycoparasite Acladium Tenellum

Acladium tenellum is a contact, biotrophic mycoparasite deficient for thiamine and biotin but not mycotrophein. Nine Deuteromycetes, of 31 fungi tested, were hosts for two isolates of A. tenellum. Hook-shaped contact cells that partially encircled but did not penetrate host hyphae were formed by the parasite on all hosts. Generally, parasitism had no visible effect on host hyphae or colony growth. The mycelium of Bispora sp., a host fungus, contained thiamine and biotin, suggesting growth of the parasite on certain fungi may depend on its ability to obtain these required nutrients from host mycelium. Carbon sources, glucose, mannose, and galactose supported optimal axenic growth of both A. tenellum isolates. Fructose and cellobiose, however, supported optimal growth of one isolate, but less than optimal of the second. Nitrogen sources, casein hydrolysate, alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and glutamine supported optimal growth of both isolates.
Novel Technique for Epinephrine Removal in New Generation Autoinjectors

Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening, multisystem hypersensitivity reaction that can rapidly progress to hypotension and airway compromise. Successful management of anaphylaxis has been documented with the use of prescription intramuscular epinephrine pens that require only minimal training for safe use. The prior generations of these commercially available autoinjectors were produced for single use; however, safe removal of multiple doses has been demonstrated for use in dire situations. We aim to show a novel technique for removal and administration of additional doses of epinephrine from the new generation autoinjector, the Auvi-Q. There was a voluntary manufacturer recall of this product as of October 30, 2015, because of concerns about inaccurate dosing. However, an uncertain number of devices remain in public hands.
A Survey to Teaching Strategy on Students' to ward Studying in University

The changes of the attitudes towards studying among students in universities do not only reflect the basic feature of studying,but also illustrate the development of the students' attitudes towards studying and the future situation.The questionnaire survey shows a positive but healthy and multiple tendency among students,which should be instructed correctly.
The Impact of Virtual Customer Community Interactivity on Organizational Innovation: An Absorptive Capacity Perspective

Research problem: Organizations are increasingly investing in virtual customer communities that reduce communication barriers between organizations and customers. However, little is known regarding how virtual customer communities might affect a firm's learning and innovation activities. Research question: What effects do virtual customer communities have on the relationship between absorptive capacity and organizational innovation? Literature review: Research has shown that virtual customer communities promote knowledge creation and knowledge sharing by facilitating communication within a virtual customer community. We investigate the extent to which interactivity in virtual customer communities influences the relationship between a firm's absorptive capacity (the ability to identify, assimilate, and apply external knowledge) and the extent to which a firm develops incremental and radical innovations. Methodology: We test this model with a quantitative survey-based research design that involves 102 firm-sponsored virtual customer communities. We use hierarchical regression techniques to test our hypotheses. Results: Absorptive capacity is positively related to incremental innovation and negatively related to radical innovation. Furthermore, virtual customer community interactivity moderates the relationship between absorptive capacity and incremental innovation. Conclusions: Virtual customer communities are transforming communication relationships between organizations and customers in ways that influence a firm's learning and innovation activities. One limitation of our study is the use of a single respondent for our survey. We recommend that future research examine how virtual customer communities affect organization-customer communication channels.
A diversity defense for cloud computing systems

By nature, cloud computing systems are static, homogenous entities. They consist of multiple layers of hardware and software resources. These resources are organized into stacks which provide services to end users. Many service stacks are built from a single template. As a result, they consist of identical resources with identical configurations. This gives potential attackers the asymmetric advantage of attack surface predictability. The lack of diversity means that potential exploitations can be replicated across a multitude of identical service stacks. It makes the cloud attack surface easy to infiltrate and compromise. To counter these risks, this research develops a method for implementing diversity defenses in cloud computing systems. The goal of the diversity defense is to present attackers with a varying and unpredictable attack surface, making it harder to predict the effect of malicious behavior. The proposed defense varies the configuration of cloud service stacks and boosts cloud resilience.
Software security in DevOps: synthesizing practitioners' perceptions and practices

In organizations that use DevOps practices, software changes can be deployed as fast as 500 times or more per day. Without adequate involvement of the security team, rapidly deployed software changes are more likely to contain vulnerabilities due to lack of adequate reviews. The goal of this paper is to aid software practitioners in integrating security and DevOps by summarizing experiences in utilizing security practices in a DevOps environment. We analyzed a selected set of Internet artifacts and surveyed representatives of nine organizations that are using DevOps to systematically explore experiences in utilizing security practices. We observe that the majority of the software practitioners have expressed the potential of common DevOps activities, such as automated monitoring, to improve the security of a system. Furthermore, organizations that integrate DevOps and security utilize additional security activities, such as security requirements analysis and performing security configurations. Additionally, these teams also have established collaboration between the security team and the development and operations teams.
New developments in polymers: conductive and active (magnetic, luminescent and electronic) applications

The advent of organic materials for electroluminescent devices has allowed a wide variety of applications in displays, communications, sensors, and the like. The demonstration of organic magnetic materials has offered the challenge of finding polymer (organic) materials in which there is sufficient electronic exchange as well as stability in both thermally and chemically. The intrinsically conductive and semiconductive polymers have allowed designers the liberties of flexibility and conductivity to meet needs from batteries to solar cells. This paper gives an overview of this search past, present, and future and the synthesis of promising new complex polymer building blocks which can yield conductive, magnetic, semiconductive and luminescent, materials for devices of the future in power, storage, displays, and communications devices. The use of these materials to produce electrically active polymeric materials has changed our way of thinking about how to fabricate devices with novel and useful properties and with properties heretofore unrealizable
The efficacy of cause-related marketing within a social network: The effects of congruency, corporate credibility, familiarity of cause brands, and perceived altruistic motive

AbstractThis study investigates the value of cause-related marketing (CRM) effects by constructing a theoretical model within a social network site. This study aims to evaluate the effects of congruence, brand credibility, and cause brand familiarity within consumer sentiment with regard to a brand collaborating with a cause. A 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment design was implemented to investigate the significance of the relationship between consumer attitudes toward a brand, perceived motives, and intention to spread the campaign. The study proposed a two-stage moderated mediation model. The study generated significant results from three-way interactions among the key variables on attitude toward a brand. For participants who were exposed to familiar cause brands, there existed an interaction between congruence and credibility, such that in conditions of high credibility, congruence led to a significantly higher attitude toward the brand than incongruence. However, in conditions of low credibility, attitud...
Emerging Opportunities with NMR

Several nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods with potential as tools for the study of neuromuscular fatigue are described briefly. 13C MR spectroscopy (MRS) is presented as a means of studying the regulation of substrate (fuel) flux into the citric acid cycle. 23Na and 39K MRS can be used to study the distribution of sodium and potassium ions across the cell membrane. 1H MR imaging (MRI) takes advantage of the relationship between the environment of water 1H and the mechanisms of nuclear spin relaxation to make static and cine images which present spatial (anatomical) information that can be tied to essential physiological, biochemical, or biophysical phenomena of fatiguing muscle.
Pathophysiology of the Underactive Bladder: Evolving New Concepts

Underactive Bladder (UAB) is an emerging concept of voiding dysfunction, building on a tradition of often overlapping and confusing terminologies describing the patient experience, urodynamic function, and pathophysiology. This confusion of symptoms with function with pathology has hampered development of an effective disease model. As with other urinary symptoms, the relationship of voiding symptoms to urodynamic dysfunction is variable. Efforts are underway to formally define UAB as a collection of symptoms related to voiding. Defined as voiding symptoms, UAB cannot be reliably linked to detrusor underactivity (DU) nor to detrusor weakness. Progress will be made by characterizing the functional disorders underlying UAB symptoms, examining the biology of these linkages, re-conceptualizing urinary control as one part of a more global biologic adaptive physiology, and determining the relationships of central and peripheral pathologies leading to disrupted control mechanisms.
Lipid specificity of the membrane binding domain of coagulation factor X.

Essentials Membrane-binding GLA domains of coagulation factors are essential for proper clot formation. Factor X (FX) is specific to phosphatidylserine (PS) lipids through unknown atomic-level interactions. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to develop the first membrane-bound model of FX-GLA. PS binding modes of FX-GLA were described, and potential PS-specific binding sites identified. SummaryBackground Factor X (FX) binds to cell membranes in a highly phospholipid-dependent manner and, in complex with tissue factor and factor VIIa (FVIIa), initiates the clotting cascade. Experimental information concerning the membrane-bound structure of FX with atomic resolution has remained elusive because of the fluid nature of cellular membranes. FX is known to bind preferentially to phosphatidylserine (PS). Objectives To develop the first membrane-bound model of the FX-GLA domain to PS at atomic level, and to identify PS-specific binding sites of the FX-GLA domain. Methods Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to develop an atomic-level model for the FX-GLA domain bound to PS bilayers. We utilized a membrane representation with enhanced lipid mobility, termed the highly mobile membrane mimetic (HMMM), permitting spontaneous membrane binding and insertion by FX-GLA in multiple 100-ns simulations. In 14 independent simulations, FX-GLA bound spontaneously to the membrane. The resulting membrane-bound models were converted from HMMM to conventional membrane and simulated for an additional 100 ns. Results The final membrane-bound FX-GLA model allowed for detailed characterization of the orientation, insertion depth and lipid interactions of the domain, providing insight into the molecular basis of its PS specificity. All binding simulations converged to the same configuration despite differing initial orientations. Conclusions Analysis of interactions between residues in FX-GLA and lipid-charged groups allowed for potential PS-specific binding sites to be identified. This new structural and dynamic information provides an additional step towards a full understanding of the role of atomic-level lipid–protein interactions in regulating the critical and complex clotting cascade.
New insights into human female reproductive tract development.

We present a detailed review of the embryonic and fetal development of the human female reproductive tract utilizing specimens from the 5th through the 22nd gestational week. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) as well as immunohistochemical stains were used to study the development of the human uterine tube, endometrium, myometrium, uterine cervix and vagina. Our study revisits and updates the classical reports of Koff (1933) and Bulmer (1957) and presents new data on development of human vaginal epithelium. Koff proposed that the upper 4/5ths of the vagina is derived from Mullerian epithelium and the lower 1/5th derived from urogenital sinus epithelium, while Bulmer proposed that vaginal epithelium derives solely from urogenital sinus epithelium. These conclusions were based entirely upon H&E stained sections. A central player in human vaginal epithelial development is the solid vaginal plate, which arises from the uterovaginal canal (fused Mullerian ducts) cranially and squamous epithelium of urogenital sinus caudally. Since Mullerian and urogenital sinus epithelium cannot be unequivocally identified in H&E stained sections, we used immunostaining for PAX2 (reactive with Mullerian epithelium) and FOXA1 (reactive with urogenital sinus epithelium). By this technique, the PAX2/FOXA1 boundary was located at the extreme caudal aspect of the vaginal plate at 12 weeks. During the ensuing weeks, the PAX2/FOXA1 boundary progressively extended cranially such that by 21 weeks the entire vaginal epithelium was FOXA1-reactive and PAX2-negative. This observation supports Bulmer's proposal that human vaginal epithelium derives solely from urogenital sinus epithelium. Clearly, the development of the human vagina is far more complex than previously envisioned and appears to be distinctly different in many respects from mouse vaginal development.
Reversible Attachment with Tailored Permeability: The Feather Vane and Bioinspired Designs

In bird flight, the majority of the wing surface consists of highly refined and hierarchically organized feathers. They are composed of barbs that stem from the feather shaft and barbules that branch from barbs, forming a rigid feather vane. Barbules provide adhesion within the vane through an interlocking hook-and-groove mechanism to allow for the effective capture of air. This functional adhesive can reattach if structures unfasten from one another, preventing catastrophic damage of the vane. Here, using pelican primary feathers as a model material, we investigate the in-plane adhesion and stiffness of barbules. With guineafowl, pelican, and dove feathers, we determine the effect of barbules on the feather vane's ability to capture air. The vane is found to have directional permeability, and the effect of detaching barbules on the feather's competency is determined to be a function of barb dimensions. Interestingly, barbule spacing is found to vary within a narrow 8–16 µm range for birds weighing from 4–11 000 g (hummingbird to condor). Additionally, bioinspired barbules are fabricated through additive manufacturing to study the complexities of the vane. Barbules are underexplored structures imperative to the adeptness of the feather in flight, with the potential to provide bioinspired aerospace materials.
Eye‐specific segregation and differential fasciculation of developing retinal ganglion cell axons in the mouse visual pathway

Prior to forming and refining synaptic connections, axons of projection neurons navigate long distances to their targets. While much is known about guidance cues for axon navigation through intermediate choice points, whether and how axons are organized within tracts is less clear. Here we analyze the organization of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons in the developing mouse retinogeniculate pathway. RGC axons are organized by both eye-specificity and topography in the optic nerve and tract: ipsilateral RGC axons are segregated from contralateral axons and are offset laterally in the tract relative to contralateral axon topographic position. To identify potential cell-autonomous factors contributing to the segregation of ipsilateral and contralateral RGC axons in the visual pathway, we assessed their fasciculation behavior in a retinal explant assay. Ipsilateral RGC neurites self-fasciculate more than contralateral neurites in vitro and maintain this difference in the presence of extrinsic chiasm cues. To further probe the role of axon self-association in circuit formation in vivo, we examined RGC axon organization and fasciculation in an EphB1-/- mutant, in which a subset of ipsilateral RGC axons aberrantly crosses the midline but targets the ipsilateral zone in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus on the opposite side. Aberrantly crossing axons retain their association with ipsilateral axons in the contralateral tract, indicating that cohort-specific axon affinity is maintained independently of guidance signals present at the midline. Our results provide a comprehensive assessment of RGC axon organization in the retinogeniculate pathway and suggest that axon self-association contributes to pre-target axon organization.
Conceptual Change: Creativity, Cognition, and Culture

Concept formation and change—what I here call “conceptual innovation”—is one of the most creative dimensions of scientific practice. Throughout the history of the sciences changes in representational structure have provided “revolutionary” understandings of nature. As with other creative outcomes, conceptual revolutions are still widely perceived to be the outcomes of mysterious acts of individual genius, such as represented by an Isaac Newton, a Charles Darwin, or an Albert Einstein. The object of this paper is to dispel this notion by establishing how to incorporate both the undoubtedly unique contributions of individual scientists and the inherently socio-cultural nature of all scientific creations into the analysis of conceptual innovation. The route to meeting this objective lies in interpreting the conceptual practices scientists employ as deriving both from aspects of mundane human cognitive capabilities and from the social and cultural contexts, scientific and ordinary, in which they are embedded. What is required to construct such an interpretation is 1) knowledge of pertinent aspects of human cognition, 2) knowledge of specific practices implicated in cases of conceptual innovation, and 3) an understanding of how social and cultural contexts provide conceptual, analytical, and material resources that shape such practices.
Psychometric evaluation of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems 32

The Inventory of Interpersonal Problems 32 (IIP-32; Horowitz, Aiden, Wiggins, & Pincus, 2000) is a brief, 32-item, self-report questionnaire used to screen for interpersonal problems. While studies of the IIP-32's psychometric properties have been conducted in other nations, and studies have examined the psychometric properties of the IIP-32's circumplex structure, no studies have examined the factor-analytic structure in the United States since the original standardization sample. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the IIP-32 in American college women for the first time and explore its structural validity as a circumplex measure and its concurrent validity with measures of attachment. The current study found that internal consistency estimates and interscale correlations were generally high and confirmed the proposed circumplex structure. In addition, concurrent validity was evidenced by confirming theorized relations between attachment and the IIP-32 subscales. However, IIP-32 subscales were limited with regard to divergent validity.
Farcical Jan, Pier the Droll: Steen and the Memory of Bruegel

Seventeenth-century memories of Pieter Bruegel the Elder fundamentally informed Jan Steen’s paintings and the earliest writings about his life and work. In 1721, Arnold Houbraken characterised Steen in the comic terms Karel van Mander had introduced for “Peasant Bruegel” or “Pier the Droll”. Houbraken’s borrowings of this vocabulary register his understanding of “Farcical Jan” as Bruegel redivivus. Steen’s early peasant themes partly prompted this identification. Most of Steen’s works do not represent peasants, however, but middle-class characters in urban settings. They resemble the cast of Dutch comic literature and theatre. To evoke Steen’s non-peasant production, Houbraken wrote his biography in farcical mode.
“A Shine on the Nose”: Sexual Metaphors in Surrealism

This essay explores a curious phenomenon in the work of several European surrealist artists, notably Hans Bellmer and Rene Magritte, from the late 1920s through the 1950s: In images of the body, a penis may appear in place of a nose; breasts, testicles, or buttocks stand in for the eyes of a face, a vaginal opening for the nostrils, an anus for the mouth. Alternatively, disembodied arms and legs or an elongated neck take on a phallic character, or the entire body becomes an erect penis. Aside from the shock value of these disconcerting substitutions, for which the Surrealists surely strove, what are we to make of them? Psychoanalytic accounts of fetishism point to castration anxiety as one explanatory factor in the creation of such metaphors-Freud's paradigmatic fetishist cathected a "shine on the nose" in place of the missing phallus, as described in the analyst's now-classic essay of 1927. Moreover, the aggression underlying an artist's disfiguring a face by adding genitalia is discussed in light of a general theory of caricature formulated by another contemporary of the Surrealists, Ernst Kris ("The Psychology of Caricature," 1936.) In light of a postwar social reality that included wounded bodies and widespread devastation, Surrealism can be said to reflect the experience of actual disfigurement and death. Additionally, however, biographical information on individual artists suggest possible intrapsychic sources for the hostility behind these sexualized representations.
The chromatographic separation and recovery of reduced and oxidized pyridine nucleotides.

Despite the availability of many excellent analytical procedures, no convenient method has been described for the separation and isolation of small amounts of the oxidized and reduced pyridine nucleotides from mixtures. This surprising situation became apparent when we were faced with the problem of preparing a micromole of pure tritium-labeled reduced triphosphopyridine nucleotide for use in stereochemical studies related to folate metabolism. This communication describes a method which makes possible the separation and quantitative recovery of diphosphopyridine nucleotide, reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide, triphosphopyridine nucleotide, and reduced triphosphopyridine nucleotide from diethylaminoethyl-cellulose columns. Quantities of the order of 1 pmole or less can be manipulated with ease. The method has been used for the preparation of enzymatically reduced triphosphopyridine nucleotide labeled with tritium.
10 Biodiversity and biocontrol: Lessons from insect pest management

Publisher Summary Agroecosystems are complex and dynamic systems subjected to a whole range of vegetational designs and management intensities depending on farmers' preferences, environmental factors and socioeconomic constraints. Changes in plant diversity, plant density, crop dispersion and patch size will increase or reduce resources for natural enemies. Therefore, the size and structure of natural enemy communities should be expected to vary according to the biodiversity and heterogeneity of specific agroecosystems. When considering ways of enhancing natural enemy diversity and efficiency, what is difficult is that each agricultural situation must be assessed separately. Diversified vegetational settings will generally result in enhanced diversity and abundance of predators and parasitoids, although specifically which species will be enhanced will vary depending on the diversity and availability of primary and alternative host preys, location and size of the field, plant composition, floral diversity and phenology, surrounding environments and management technologies. Manipulating agroecosystem components to provide the basic requirements needed by parasitoids and predators is an effective way to apply ecological theory to improve biological control in agroecosystems.
Follicular atresia in pigs: measurement and physiology.

The physiological regulation of follicular atresia was investigated during the early luteal phase after ovulation and during altrenogest-synchronized preovulatory maturation in pigs (gilts). Apoptosis in dispersed granulosa cells was determined by flow cytometry. Apoptotic (A0) cells contain low, subdiploid amounts of DNA fluorescence. Follicles were classified biochemically as atretic or nonatretic based on the percentage of A0 (% A0) cells, atretic with > or = 10%, and nonatretic with .9, n = 22, P 6 mm in diameter) follicles were atretic. Among medium-sized follicles (3 to 6 mm) on d 1 and 3 of preovulatory maturation, only 17% were atretic, in contrast with d 5 when 87% were atretic. During the early luteal phase, atretic follicles/pig increased from 6% on d 5 to 50% on d 7 after estrus. Follicular fluid estradiol-17 beta concentration was greater (P < .001) in nonatretic than in atretic follicles on d 5 and 6 after estrus, but by d 7 estradiol-17 beta had decreased to a mean < 1 ng/mL in nonatretic and atretic follicles. The increase in apoptosis in granulosa cells and loss of estradiol-17 beta production in vivo indicated a high incidence of atresia among the first group of follicles grown after ovulation in pigs. These results indicate that apoptotic cell death was involved in degeneration of granulosa cells and atresia during two different stages of follicular development.
The internal ear ofScoliodon sorrakowah (cuvier)

The author gives a careful and detailed account of the membranous labyrinth of the Indian sharkScoliodon sorrakowah, and both corrects and supplements the description of this organ given by Thillayampalam. Amongst the main inaccuracies in Thillayampalam’s account, may be mentioned the joining of the posterior and anterior semicircular canals dorsally to form a single tube, the position of the lagena distinctly ventral to the sacculus, the entire omission of therecessus utriculi and its nerve supply, the missing of the twoRamuli partis basilaris, and the notion that the posterior semicircular canal also, like the other two canals, communicates with the utriculus.
Consistency of patient classification in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning

The purpose of this study was to examine diagnosis and treatment planning categorizations used by experienced orthodontists. Thirty-nine clinicians were asked to evaluate six test cases and formulate a diagnosis and treatment plan for each. The information provided was categorized using a problem-oriented classification. The results indicate little agreement exists in diagnostic subcategories, such as molar relationship, degree of crowding, or the nature of skeletal discrepancies. There was also little agreement regarding some treatment strategies, such as extraction of teeth, the use of orthopedic appliances, or the use of surgery. A need exists for better definitions of diagnostic criteria and appropriate treatment options.
Streaming freedom in illiberal Eastern Europe

The article asks how we begin to assess the connections and mutual influences between television’s increasing globalisation facilitated by digital distribution platforms and the globalisation of cr...
Do brain mets grow while you wait? A volumetric natural history assessment of brain metastases from time of diagnosis to gamma knife treatment.

Abstract Brain metastasis (BM) is a common neurologic complication of cancers such as lung, breast, and melanoma. Recently, there has been a shift in treatment of BM from whole brain radiation therapy to stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and the success is dependent on tumor volume. While most metastases grow over time, data on growth rate is lacking. Therefore, we document volume changes of metastases before treatment. We retrospectively reviewed MRI imaging records of 82 patients with a total of 294 BMs, treated in our cancer center by one neurosurgeon and one radiation oncologist with Gamma Knife SRS over a three-year period. We measured tumor volume at the time of diagnosis and compared with tumor volume on the day of treatment. Volumes were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Lung, melanoma and breast made up the majority of metastases diagnosed. More than 75% of tumors grew and these changes in volume and percent changes in volume were statistically significant. Thirty percent of tumors doubled in size before treatment. Patients with the largest mean pretreatment tumor size were urgently treated within 6 days, yet still demonstrated the largest change in volume. This study is one of the first to document volume changes of brain metastases from the time of diagnosis to SRS treatment. Our results indicate that brain metastases can grow rapidly and it is imperative that we streamline patient management processes to minimize delays in treating patients with SRS, since outcomes are dependent on tumor size.
Comparison of Bidirectional Transmittance Distribution Function (BTDF) Measurements on Fused Silica and Sintered Polytetrafluoroethylene Diffusers

Accurate determination of the bidirectional transmittance distribution function (BTDF) of transmissive diffusers is critical for the on-orbit spectral radiance calibration of several satellite-based, Earth remote sensing instruments. This study presents the results of the comparison of BTDF measurements by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Diffuser Calibration Laboratory and the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Spectral Tri-function Automated Reference Reflectometer facility on two transmissive diffusers: HOD-500, a synthetic fused silica sample manufactured by Hereaus Quarzglas and Spectralon-250, a sintered polytetrafluoroethylene sample manufactured by Labsphere, Incorporated. BTDF measurements were acquired at seven wavelengths from 290 nm to 740 nm, at incident elevation angles of 0° and 30°, and at scatter elevation angles from 1° to 15°. Comparison of the measurements made by the two facilities revealed excellent agreement within their combined standard uncertainties. NASA chose the parameters for the BTDF measurements to be identical to those NASA used when measuring the BTDF of the flight diffusers to be flown onboard the Tropospheric Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) and the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) satellite instruments. Successful agreement between NASA and NIST of BTDF results, therefore, effectively validates the BTDF measurements NASA made for these satellite flight programs.
Impact of Student Perceptions of the Educational Program on Burnout in Medical School

Burnout is considered to be at the opposite end of the continuum from engagement. People who experience burnout first go through various intermediate patterns that lead to burnout, which in medical students is associated with reduced empathy, intention to leave school, and suicidal ideation. Thus, understanding how to mitigate burnout is of primary importance. In this study, we investigate if students’ positive perceptions of the educational program’s alignment with adult education principles decreased symptoms suggestive of typical patterns of intermediate burnout. We conducted a cross-sectional survey study of all currently enrolled Duke-NUS Medical School students in Singapore (n = 238). An electronic questionnaire contained demographic questions and additional measures for factors known to be associated with burnout, including depression, anxiety, social support, and workload. In addition, we measured students’ perceptions of how well the educational program aligned with adult learning principles by using a modified version of the Andragogical Practices Inventory (API) to suit medical education. An intermediate pattern of burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Using logistic regression, we then assessed the unique association between the presence of an intermediate pattern of burnout with students’ perceptions of the educational program’s alignment with adult learning principles. The survey response rate was 52%. Overall, 76% (95% CI 67–84%) displayed symptoms suggestive of an intermediate pattern of burnout. Perceptions of the educational program’s alignment with adult learning principles were found to be inversely related to the pattern of burnout after controlling for depression, anxiety, and subjective workload. Though adult learning theory is the subject of rich debate, the results of this study suggest that promoting educational activities that are aligned with adult learning principles may help to ultimately reduce the risk of burnout in medical school students.
Preliminary validation of the dropout risk inventory for middle and high school students

Abstract Purpose The aim of the present study is to describe the Dropout Risk Inventory (DRI) and provide preliminary validation of its psychometric properties using a normative sample. Method Participants were recruited from a large urban southwestern U.S. district with diverse demographics. Across the 343 students included in the analytic sample, the participants were primarily male (61.22%, n = 210) and Hispanic (44.02%, n = 151). We conducted factor analytic, reliability (including test–retest), and predictivity validity tests were conducted. Results Results of factor analyses found the support for the sub-scale structure of the DRI composed of 58 items and nine subscales (student-teacher relationships, behavioral disengagement, psychological engagement, academic and cognitive engagement, self-efficacy, economic stress, positive and negative peer influences, and goal-setting and problem solving). Most sub-scales possessed good internal consistency reliability (α > 0.80) and test-retest reliability from grade 9 to subsequent grades. Predictive validity tests indicated consistent relationships (e.g., r’s between 0.10 and 0.40, p Conclusions Findings provide initial evidence for the Dropout Risk Inventory for use with middle and high school students. Findings suggest that the DRI is reliable and possesses useful predictive validity with respect to behavioral and academic risk.
Ideal Number of Computers for Real-Time Underwater Computing Systems

Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) suffer from low bandwidth and high propagation delay especially when heavily data (big data) to be transmitted. As a consequence, end to end delay and power consumption are high in such systems. Group of researchers at the University of Connecticut came up with a noval idea for minimzing the end to end delay and power consumption in Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks. They plant a computer in the deepest layer for processing collected data. Then, the beneficial information gets transmitted from that computer to a surface gateway. In this paper, we discuss the idea of deploying more than one computer and come up with a framework that helps us determining the ideal number of computers needed. Therefore, We propose three different topologies to fulfill the requirements. A framework is proposed to find the ideal number of computers needed. We conduct simulations to show the merits of our system.
Neuron-specific cilia loss alters locomotor responses to amphetamine

The neural mechanisms that underlie responses to drugs of abuse are complex, and impacted by a number of neuromodulatory peptides. Within the past ten years it has been discovered that several of the receptors for neuromodulators are enriched in the primary cilia of neurons. Primary cilia are microtubule-based organelles that project from the surface of nearly all mammalian cells, including neurons. Despite what we know about cilia, our understanding of how cilia regulate neuronal function and behavior is still limited. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the contributions of primary cilia on specific neuronal populations to behavioral responses to amphetamine. To test the consequences of cilia loss on amphetamine-induced locomotor activity we selectively ablated cilia from dopaminergic or GAD2-GABAergic neurons in mice. Cilia loss had no effect on baseline locomotion in either mouse strain. Both female and male mice lacking cilia on dopaminergic neurons showed significantly reduced responses to acute administration of 3.0 mg/kg amphetamine compared to wildtype mice. In contrast, changes in the locomotor response to amphetamine in mice lacking cilia on GAD2-GABAergic neurons were primarily driven by reductions in locomotor activity in males. Following repeated amphetamine administration (1.0 mg/kg/day over 5 days), mice lacking cilia on GAD2-GABAergic neurons exhibited enhanced sensitization of the locomotor stimulant response to the drug, whereas mice lacking cilia on dopaminergic neurons did not differ from their wildtype controls. These results indicate that cilia play neuron-specific roles in both acute and neuroplastic responses to psychostimulant drugs of abuse.
Elucidating Potential Profibrotic Mechanisms of Emerging Biomarkers for Early Prognosis of Hepatic Fibrosis

Hepatic fibrosis has been associated with a series of pathophysiological processes causing excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins. Several cellular processes and molecular mechanisms have been implicated in the diseased liver that augments fibrogenesis, fibrogenic cytokines and associated liver complications. Liver biopsy remains an essential diagnostic tool for histological evaluation of hepatic fibrosis to establish a prognosis. In addition to being invasive, this methodology presents with several limitations including poor cost-effectiveness, prolonged hospitalizations, and risks of peritoneal bleeding, while the clinical use of this method does not reveal underlying pathogenic mechanisms. Several alternate noninvasive diagnostic strategies have been developed, to determine the extent of hepatic fibrosis, including the use of direct and indirect biomarkers. Immediate diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis by noninvasive means would be more palatable than a biopsy and could assist clinicians in taking early interventions timely, avoiding fatal complications, and improving prognosis. Therefore, we sought to review some common biomarkers of liver fibrosis along with some emerging candidates, including the oxidative stress-mediated biomarkers, epigenetic and genetic markers, exosomes, and miRNAs that needs further evaluation and would have better sensitivity and specificity. We also aim to elucidate the potential role of cardiotonic steroids (CTS) and evaluate the pro-inflammatory and profibrotic effects of CTS in exacerbating hepatic fibrosis. By understanding the underlying pathogenic processes, the efficacy of these biomarkers could allow for early diagnosis and treatment of hepatic fibrosis in chronic liver diseases, once validated.
Bayesian model averaging for analysis of lattice field theory results

Statistical modeling is a key component in the extraction of physical results from lattice field theory calculations. Although the general models used are often strongly motivated by physics, many model variations can frequently be considered for the same lattice data. Model averaging, which amounts to a probability-weighted average over all model variations, can incorporate systematic errors associated with model choice without being overly conservative. We discuss the framework of model averaging from the perspective of Bayesian statistics, and give useful formulas and approximations for the particular case of least-squares fitting, commonly used in modeling lattice results. In addition, we frame the common problem of data subset selection (e.g., choice of minimum and maximum time separation for fitting a two-point correlation function), as a model selection problem and study model averaging as a straightforward alternative to manual selection of fit ranges. Numerical examples involving both mock and real lattice data are given.
Biomonitoring of emerging DINCH metabolites in pregnant women in charleston, SC: 2011-2014.

Abstract Due to the mounting evidence that phthalates, specifically di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate, produce adverse endocrine effects in humans and wildlife, the use of other chemicals as replacements has increased. One of the most commonly encountered phthalate replacements is di(isononyl)cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate (DINCH). Currently, little is known about the prevalence of human exposure, bioactivity, and endocrine disrupting potential of DINCH. We sampled urine from 100 pregnant women during the second trimester of pregnancy living in Charleston, SC between 2011 and 2014 and measured the following DINCH metabolites by LC-MS/MS: cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid-mono(hydroxy-isononyl) ester (OH-MINCH), cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid-mono(oxo-isononyl) ester (oxo-MINCH), and cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid-monocarboxy isooctyl ester (cx-MINCH). These metabolites were also tested on human estrogen receptor alpha and progesterone receptor beta transactivation assays in vitro. OH-MINCH was detected in 98% of urine samples. The specific gravity-adjusted median (interquartile range) OH-MINCH concentration was 0.20 (0.25) ng/mL, and concentrations were significantly higher in African American women compared to Caucasian women (p = 0.01). DINCH metabolite concentrations were consistent between years, and they did not exhibit estrogenic or progestogenic activity in vitro. Human exposure to these emerging compounds should continue to be monitored, especially in vulnerable populations, to ensure the replacement of phthalates by DINCH is not a case of regrettable substitution.
Utility of oxcarbazepine in the treatment of childhood and adolescent psychiatric symptoms

The primary aims of this study were to determine if oxcarbazepine is a safely tolerated option for treatment of psychiatric symptoms in children and whether its use facilitates dose modification of other psychotropic medications. A retrospective chart review was completed using data extracted from the electronic medical record of a large outpatient child psychiatry clinic. A total of 507 of 740 children prescribed oxcarbazepine for psychiatric indications for 3 months or more had adequate data to assess clinical responses and medication outcomes. Most patients prescribed oxcarbazepine experienced clinically significant control of irritability/anger, mood stabilization, aggressive outbursts, impulsivity, or anxiety, with over 80% achieving at least maintenance symptom control. In all, 51% and 25% fully discontinued second- or third-generation antipsychotic or antidepressant medication, respectively, after starting oxcarbazepine; 8% discontinued oxcarbazepine for nonresponse, while 9% stopped oxcarbazepine because of emergent side effects. In patients fully discontinuing or reducing the second- or third-generation antipsychotic dose by 50% or more, improvements in body mass index were observed. Oxcarbazepine may prove to be an appropriate alternative to antipsychotic and antidepressant medications for treating psychiatric symptoms in children and adolescents. In particular, it may be a more metabolically neutral psychotropic medication.
Biomechanical control of paretic lower limb during imposed weight transfer in individuals post-stroke

Stroke is a leading cause of disability with associated hemiparesis resulting in difficulty bearing and transferring weight on to the paretic limb. Difficulties in weight bearing and weight transfer may result in impaired mobility and balance, increased fall risk, and decreased community engagement. Despite considerable efforts aimed at improving weight transfer after stroke, impairments in its neuromotor and biomechanical control remain poorly understood. In the present study, a novel experimental paradigm was used to characterize differences in weight transfer biomechanics in individuals with chronic stroke versus able-bodied controls Fifteen participants with stroke and fifteen age-matched able-bodied controls participated in the study. Participants stood with one foot on each of two custom built platforms. One of the platforms dropped 4.3 cm vertically to induce lateral weight transfer and weight bearing. Trials involving a drop of the platform beneath the paretic lower extremity (non-dominant limb for control) were included in the analyses. Paretic lower extremity joint kinematics, vertical ground reaction forces, and center of pressure velocity were measured. All participants completed the clinical Step Test and Four-Square Step Test. Reduced paretic ankle, knee, and hip joint angular displacement and velocity, delayed ankle and knee inter-joint timing, increased downward displacement of center of mass, and increased center of pressure (COP) velocity stabilization time were exhibited in the stroke group compared to the control group. In addition, paretic COP velocity stabilization time during induced weight transfer predicted Four-Square Step Test scores in individuals post-stroke. The induced weight transfer approach identified stroke-related abnormalities in the control of weight transfer towards the paretic limb side compared to controls. Decreased joint flexion of the paretic ankle and knee, altered inter-joint timing, and increased COP stabilization times may reflect difficulties in neuromuscular control during weight transfer following stroke. Future work will investigate the potential of improving functional weight transfer through induced weight transfer training exercise.