cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pineal Function in Burns: Melatonin Is Not a Marker for General Sympathetic Activity

Burn injury in humans or rats is a model of marked elevation of general sympathetic activity for weeks, manifested in part by increased heart rate, metabolic rate, core temperature, and plasma and urinary catecholamines. Plasma melatonin was sampled at 2-h intervals for 24 h in 9 control subjects and 11 patients with severe burn injury. Daytime melatonin was not different between the groups, but nighttime values were significantly lower in the burn patients. A nocturnal surge was still significant in the patients. Resting heart rate and rectal temperature were elevated in the burn patients. In male Spraguc-Dawley rats, pineal melatonin content did not differ between controls and those with an experimental burn at 4 h into the light phase nor during the nocturnal surge. Male Syrian hamsters with burns had lower daytime pineal melatonin content than did controls, but the nocturnal surge in pineal melatonin was not significantly different between groups, nor was daytime morning serum melatonin. Sympathetic activity appears partitioned, with that controlling melatonin (nocturnal surge) regulated independently. In agreement with our previous findings in other models, melatonin is not a marker for general sympathetic activity, even following severe burn injury.
Effect of anti-inflammatory agents on ricin-induced macrophage toxicity

The toxicity of ricin in susceptible cells is well characterized biochemically, but the pathophysiological implications of its toxicity and the immune response to ricin challenge in the lung are unknown. Incubating macrophage cell line with ricin (1 pM-10 nM) for 4 hours markedly inhibited 3H-leucine incorporation (acid insoluble) into protein (> 95%, at 1 nM) without affecting the acid-soluble radioactivity. In spite of increased uptake of total thymidine (141 +/- 13.5%) and total uridine (135 +/- 17.2%), DNA synthesis in ricin-treated cells was progressively inhibited although RNA synthesis was not affected. Fluocinolone (an anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid) pretreatment increased the ricin-induced inhibition of protein synthesis. The synergistic effect of fluocinolone on ricin-induced protein synthesis inhibition was due to an increased binding (167%, p < 0.01) and internalization (134 +/- 12%, p < 0.025) of ricin. Partial protection from ricin-induced inhibition of protein synthesis by indomethacin (nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory agent) was due to decreased binding and internalization of ricin. These results show that macrophages are sensitive to ricin and that pharmacologically active drugs may regulate ricin's toxicity, perhaps by controlling synthesis and release of certain mediators of fast death.
Parental involvement in mathematics: giving parents a voice

Understanding why parents become involved in their children's education is crucial in strengthening the relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement. The present study focuses on the parental role construction and parental self-efficacy. The resulting trends suggest that parents, regardless of their self-efficacy, may assume the ‘equal partnership-focused’ parental role regarding their children's mathematics education. The results also demonstrate that there may be a conflict in the way parents and teachers construct this parental role. While parents assumed the ‘equally shared’ role, teachers maintained the belief that the responsibility, although shared to a certain degree, should be primarily on teachers.
Expanding New York State's Earned Income Tax Credit Program: The Effect on Work, Income, and Poverty

Given its favorable employment incentives and ability to target the working poor, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has become the primary antipoverty program at both the federal and state levels. However, when evaluating the effect of EITC programs on income and poverty, governments generally calculate the effect using simple accounting, where the value of the state or federal EITC benefit is added to a person's income. These calculations omit the behavioral incentives created by the existence of these programs, the corresponding effect on labor supply and hours worked, and therefore the actual effect on income and poverty. This paper simulates the full effect of an expansion of the New York State EITC benefit on employment, hours worked, income, poverty, and program expenditures. These results are then compared to those omitting labor supply effects. Relative to estimates excluding labor supply effects, the preferred behavioral results show that an expansion of the New York State EITC increases employment by an additional 14,244 persons, labor earnings by an additional $95.8 million, family income by an additional $84.5 million, decreases poverty by an additional 56,576 persons, and increases costs to the state by $29.7 million. These results emphasize the importance of modeling labor supply behavior when analyzing the impact of the EITC.
Endocytosis: Molecular Mechanism and Role in the Immune Response

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is responsible for selective and facilitated internalization of cell surface receptors (Brodsky, 1988). This process contributes to the uptake of nutrients and hormones and targets internalized proteins and their receptors to degradative and/or recycling intracellular compartments. Antigenic fragments of internalized proteins are generated as a byproduct of this pathway and bind to histocompatibility molecules which present them to T cells, thereby stimulating the immune response. The research summarized below investigates the molecular control of clathrin-mediated endocytosis and its participation in the intracellular events that lead to antigen processing and presentation.
Effects of isotropic and anisotropic slip on droplet impingement on a superhydrophobic surface

The dynamics of single droplet impingement on micro-textured superhydrophobicsurfaces with isotropic and anisotropic slip are investigated. While several analytical models exist to predict droplet impact on superhydrophobicsurfaces, no previous model has rigorously considered the effect of the shear-free region above the gas cavities resulting in an apparent slip that is inherent for many of these surfaces. This paper presents a model that accounts for slip during spreading and recoiling. A broad range of Weber numbers and slip length values were investigated at low Ohnesorge numbers. The results show that surface slip exerts negligible influence throughout the impingement process for low Weber numbers but can exert significant influence for high Weber numbers (on the order of 102). When anisotropic slip prevails, the droplet exhibits an elliptical shape at the point of maximum spread, with greater eccentricity for increasing slip and increasing Weber number. Experiments were performed on isotropic and anisotropic micro-structured superhydrophobicsurfaces and the agreement between the experimental results and the model is very good.
Mathematics Teaching and Learning of Immigrant Students

This chapter is based on a paper I presented at the 11th International Congress on Mathematical Education as part of Survey Team 5: Mathematics education in multicultural and multilingual environments, chaired by Alan Bishop. Our team ended up dividing the survey team theme into four topics and I was in charge of surveying research related to the mathematics teaching and learning of immigrant students. The other topics were: Multicultural teacher education, particularly with indigenous teachers (Maria do Carmo Domite); A review of research on multilingualism in mathematics education in Africa, 2000–2007 (Mamokgethi Setati); Cultural conflicts, ethnomathematical developments, and marginalized learners (Alan Bishop). To address my topic, I drew on proceedings of recent international conferences that I knew had presentations related to mathematics education and immigrant students.
Variability in integration of mechanisms associated with high tolerance to progressive reductions in central blood volume: the compensatory reserve

High tolerance to progressive reductions in central blood volume has been associated with higher heart rate (HR), peripheral vascular resistance (PVR), sympathetic nerve activity (SNA), and vagally mediated cardiac baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). Using a database of 116 subjects classified as high tolerance to presyncopal-limited lower body negative pressure (LBNP), we tested the hypothesis that subjects with greater cardiac baroreflex withdrawal (i.e., BRS > 1.0) would demonstrate greater LBNP tolerance associated with higher HR, PVR, and SNA. Subjects underwent LBNP to presyncope. Mean and diastolic arterial pressure (MAP; DAP) was measured by finger photoplethysmography and BRS (down sequence) was autocalculated (WinCPRS) as ∆R-R Interval/∆DAP. DownBRS : ms/mmHg) was used to dichotomize subjects into two groups (Group 1 = DownBRS > 1.0, N = 49, and Group 2 = DownBRS 1.0) had lower HR (107 ± 19 vs. 131 ± 20 bpm), higher stroke volume (45 ± 15 vs. 36 ± 15 mL), less SNA (45 ± 13 vs. 53 ± 7 bursts/min), and less increase in PVR (4.1 ± 1.3 vs. 4.5 ± 2.6) compared to Group 2 (DownBRS < 1.0). Both groups had similar tolerance times (1849 ± 260 vs. 1839 ± 253 sec), MAP (78 ± 11 vs. 79 ± 12 mmHg), compensatory reserve index (CRI) (0.10 ± 0.03 vs. 0.09 ± 0.01), and cardiac output (4.5 ± 1.2 vs. 4.7 ± 1.1 L/min) at presyncope. Contrary to our hypothesis, higher HR, PVR, SNA, and BRS were not associated with greater tolerance to reduced central blood volume. These data are the first to demonstrate the variability and uniqueness of individual human physiological strategies designed to compensate for progressive reductions in central blood volume. The sum total of these integrated strategies is accurately reflected by the measurement of the compensatory reserve.
Updated Seismic Hazard in the Southern Illinois Basin: Geological and Geophysical Foundations for Use in the 2002 USGS National Seismic-hazard Maps

East of the Rocky Mountain front, recurrence intervals of most large earthquakes are long compared to the historical earthquake record. Information about longer-term, prehistoric earthquake histories can reduce the resulting uncertainty in hazard assessments. Accordingly, paleoseismological results and selected aspects of bedrock geology, such as the boundary between the craton and adjacent Phanerozoic terranes, were incorporated into the 1996 USGS national seismic-hazard maps to extend the total record of seismicity back into prehistory. We identify post-1996 findings that should be incorporated during updating of the central U.S. part of the 1996 maps for publication in 2002. A companion paper (Cramer et al. , 2002) determines the impact of each new finding on the calculated hazard. We propose three adjustments to the largest moment magnitude, M (max), that is assumed to occur within a specified area. (1) Throughout the slightly active central craton of the central and eastern United States, paleoseismological evidence from the Illinois basin and global seismological evidence require that M (max) be increased above the value of M 6.5 assumed for the 1996 maps, to M 7.0. (2) We recommend increasing M (max) from M 6.5 to M 7.5 within the Rough Creek graben of western Kentucky and southeastern Illinois, the Rome trough in eastern Kentucky, and the Grayville graben of Illinois and Indiana. The increases would achieve geological and logical consistency with M (max) values in other parts of the central and eastern U.S. (3) Two prehistoric earthquakes of estimated M 7.1 and M 7.5 near the Illinois-Indiana border occurred within the craton. Absent evidence to justify raising the cratonic M (max) to 7.5, we specify a zone surrounding the two prehistoric earthquakes where M (max) could be locally raised to M 7.5.
Metal-chelating active packaging film enhances lysozyme inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes

Several studies have demonstrated that metal chelators enhance the antimicrobial activity of lysozyme. This study examined the effect of metal-chelating active packaging film on the antimicrobial activity of lysozyme against Listeria monocytogenes. Polypropylene films were surface modified by photoinitiated graft polymerization of acrylic acid (PP-g-PAA) from the food contact surface of the films to impart chelating activity based on electrostatic interactions. PP-g-PAA exhibited a carboxylic acid density of 113 ± 5.4 nmol cm−2 and an iron chelating activity of 53.7 ± 9.8 nmol cm−2. The antimicrobial interaction of lysozyme and PP-g-PAA depended on growth media composition. PP-g-PAA hindered lysozyme activity at low ionic strength (2.48-log increase at 64.4 mM total ionic strength) and enhanced lysozyme activity at moderate ionic strength (5.22-log reduction at 120 mM total ionic strength). These data support the hypothesis that at neutral pH, synergy between carboxylate metal-chelating films (pKabulk 6.4...
Structural Water Cluster As a Possible Proton Acceptor in the Adduct Decay Reaction of Oat Phototropin 1 LOV2 Domain

LOV domains (Light, Oxygen, Voltage) are the light-sensory modules of phototropins, the blue-light photoreceptor kinases in plants, and of a wide variety of flavoproteins found in all three domains of life. These 12 kDa modules bind a flavin chromophore (FMN or FAD) noncovalently and undergo a photochemical activation in which the sulfur atom of a conserved cysteine forms an adduct to the C(4a) carbon of the flavin. The adduct breaks spontaneously in a base-catalyzed reaction involving a rate-limiting proton-transfer step, regenerating the dark state in seconds. This photocycle involves chromophore and protein structural changes that activate the C-terminal serine/threonine kinase. Previous studies (Biochemistry 2007, 46, 7016-7021) showed that decreased hydration obtained at high glycerol concentrations stabilizes the adduct state in a manner similar to that attained at low temperatures, resulting in much longer adduct decay times. This kinetic effect was attributed to an increased protein rigidity that hindered structural fluctuations necessary for the decay reaction. In this work, we studied the adduct decay kinetics of oat phototropin 1 (phot1) LOV2 at varying hydration using a specially designed chamber that allowed for measurement of UV-visible and FTIR spectra of the same samples. Therefore, we obtained LOV protein concentrations, adduct decay kinetics, and the different populations of bound water by deconvolution of the broad water absorption peak around 3500 cm(-1). A linear dependence of the adduct decay rate constant on the concentration of double and triple hydrogen-bonded waters strongly suggests that the adduct decay is a pseudo-first-order reaction in which both the adduct and the strongly bound waters are reactants. We suggest that a cluster of strongly bound water functions as the proton acceptor in the rate-limiting step of adduct decay.
Pharmacological Observations on the Desheathed Last Abdominal Ganglion of the Cockroach

The unstabilizing action of very low concentrations of anticholinesterase agents on the cereal nerve-giant fiber synapses in the last abdominal ganglion of the roach, Periplaneta americana (L.) (Roeder, Kennedy and Samson, 1947; Roeder, 1948 and Roeder and Kennedy, 1955) as well as identification of acetylcholine in insect nervous tissue (Lewis, 1953; Augustinsson and Grahn, 1954;) suggest that acetylcholine is involved in synaptic transmission in insects. However, although low concentrations of acetylcholine have been shown to increase the rhythmic contractions of the roach heart (Krijgsman and Krijgsman, 1950) and intestine (Kooistra, 1950), even very high concentrations (1.0%) of acetylcholine had no consistent effects when applied directly to the last ganglion (Roeder, 1948). Tobias, Kollros and Savit (1946) found that between 7 and 10 gms. acetylcholine must be injected per kg. of roach to produce convulsions and death. Demonstration by Hoyle (1952, 1953) that the connective tissue sheath which envelops the insect nervous system restricts the diffusion of potassium ions lent support to a hypothesis that externally applied or injected acetylcholine may fail to reach the interior of the ganglion in effective quantities rapidly enough to stimulate. Recent studies (Twarog and Roeder, 1956) indicate that the sheath surrounding the abdominal cord of the roach is indeed a barrier to the diffusion of acetylcholine as well as sodium and potassium ions. In connection with these last studies, a method was developed for the simple and effective desheathing of ganglia and connectives of the roach abdominal cord.
Ethnic Identity, Identity Coherence, and Psychological Functioning: Testing Basic Assumptions of the Developmental Model

The purpose of the present study was to test three fundamental theoretical propositions from Phinney’s (1990) developmental model about the relations among ethnic identity, identity coherence, and psychological functioning: (a) ethnic identity is more strongly related to identity coherence for ethnic minorities than for Whites; (b) ethnic identity is more strongly related to psychological functioning for ethnic minorities than for Whites; and (c) identity coherence mediates the association between ethnic identity and psychological functioning for ethnic minorities, but not for Whites. These hypotheses were tested in three independent samples of ethnically diverse youth. In general, we found weak to moderate support for these three hypotheses, suggesting that the theoretically proposed differences in ethnic identity between ethnic minorities and Whites may not be supported by data. Implications for theory and measurement of ethnic identity are discussed.
The inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilms using low-power argon plasma in a layer-by-layer approach

The direct application of low power argon plasma for the decontamination of pre-formed Staphylococcus aureus biofilms on various surfaces was examined. Distinct chemical/physical properties of reactive species found in argon plasmas generated at different wattages all demonstrated very potent but very different anti-biofilm mechanisms of action. An in-depth analysis of the results showed that: (1) the different reactive species produced in each plasma demonstrated specific antibacterial and/or anti-biofilm activity; and (2) the commonly associated etching effect could be manipulated and even controlled, depending on the experimental conditions. Under optimal experimental parameters, bacterial cells in S. aureus biofilms were killed (> 99.9%) by plasmas within 10 min of exposure and no bacteria nor biofilm regrowth from argon discharge gas treated biofilms was observed for 150 h. The decontamination ability of plasmas for the treatment of biofilm related contaminations on various materials was confirmed an...
Analysis on Climatic Change Trend of Cold/Warm Seasonal Characteristics in Ebinur Lake Basin from 1960 to 2006

The trend,periodicity and abrupt change of cold-warm seasonal and annual mean air temperatures,precipitations and sunshine duration were analyzed in Ebinur Lake Basin with methods of line analyze,annual anomalies,wavelet analyze and Mann-Kendall test during the recent 47 years.The results indicate that: The temperatures and precipitations trend is increased in Ebinur Lake Basin during 47 years,the average trends are 0.43 ℃/10 a and 12.02 mm/10 a;and the sunshine duration trend is decreased with-22.30 h/10 a.In view of the spatial distribution pattern,average annual temperature of the stations in the Ebinur Lake Basin all increases to different extent.The growth of Tuoli is the maximum and that of Wenquan is the minimum.The annual precipitation of Tuoli tends to decrease,while the annual precipitation of the other stations all increases.The decreasing of annual sunshine duration in cold season was stronger than in the warm season,which led to most stations in the study area show trends of decreasing.The time series of temperatures,precipitations and sunshine duration in cold-warm seasonal and annual all have long cycles,which contain some short ones.There are all obvious periodicity of 8 years and the long periodicity of 14 and 20 years respectively for precipitations and sunshine duration;but the time series of mean air temperatures is complex and has cycles around 11 and 22 years.The change years,which happen in the 1980s,of climate factors with methods of annual anomalies and Mann-Kendall test are identical.Along with the precipitations change from drought to rainy,the climate in the Ebinur Lake Basin became wet in 1986.The temperatures change from cold to hot in 1988.The growth of sunshine duration stopped and the total number of sunshine duration began to decrease around 1984.
Clinical experience of laparoscopy in diagnosis and treatment of 38 cases of Meckel′s diverticulum in children

[Objective] To investigate the clinical feature, the therapeutic laparoscopy and curative effect. [Methods] 38 cases of Meckel′s diverticulum in children were analyzed retrospectively. [Resu1ts] All the patients were diagnosed definitely and recovered well postoperatively. The mean of postoperative hospital stay was 6.7 days. No operative complications occurred in the near future. [Conclusions] The therapeutic laparoscopy in Meckel′s diverticulum in children is still of important clinical significance .
The Riemann Hypothesis for Elliptic Curves

tion of the exact number of primes < x, which is denoted by n(x), from the estimate x/ log x that had been conjectured by Gauss, Legendre, and others. Riemann alluded to returning to this matter later by saying that he was "setting it aside for the time being." Apparently Riemann did not live long enough to do that. To this day, no one has been able to prove the Riemann hypothesis despite overwhelming numerical evidence in its favor. However, many generalizations and analogs of the Riemann zeta function have been formulated by, among others, Dirichlet, Dedekind, E. Artin, F. K. Schmidt, and Weil, and the Riemann hypothesis has been shown to be true in some of these cases. One such case is the Riemann hypothesis for elliptic curves, originally conjectured by E. Artin (see [1, pp. 1-94]) and proved by Hasse, and therefore also known as Hasse's theorem. We begin by laying out the statement of this result in Section 2 below. We then turn to the two main topics of this article: (i) a brief explanation of the fact that these two Riemann hypotheses are not only closely analogous, but indeed two examples of a single more general framework; and (ii) an elementary proof of the Riemann hypothesis for elliptic curves over finite fields. This is carried out in Sections 3 and 4 respectively, and these may be read independently of one another. Our proof is based on an idea of Manin. The presentation is self-contained except for an appeal to the "Basic Identity," which is a technical lemma stated in (19) be low. The proof of the Basic Identity, although somewhat complicated, is completely elementary (see [5]) and is the least illuminating part of our proof of this Riemann hypothesis.
Seasonality and partitioning of root allocation to rhizosphere soils in a midlatitude forest

Root growth, respiration, and exudation are important components of biogeochemical cycles, yet data on the timing and partitioning of C to these processes are rare. As a result, it is unclear how the seasonal timing, or phenology, of root C allocation is affected by the phenology of its component processes: growth of root tissue, respiration, mycorrhizal allocation, and exudation of labile C. The objective of this study was to estimate the phenology and partitioning of C belowground across the growing season in a midlatitude forest located in central Massachusetts. Fine and coarse root production, respiration, and exudation were summed to estimate a monthly total belowground C flux (TBCF) in two hardwood stands dominated by Quercus rubra and Fraxinus americana, respectively, and one conifer stand dominated by Tsuga canadensis. We observed significant stand-level differences in belowground C flux and the partitioning of C to root growth, mycorrhizal fungi, exudation, and respiration. The deciduous hardwood stands allocated C belowground earlier in the season compared to the conifer-dominated stand. The deciduous stands also allocated a greater proportion of TBCF to root growth compared to the conifer-dominated hemlock (T. canadensis) stand. Of the three stands, red oak partitioned the greatest proportion of TBCF (~50%) to root growth, and hemlock the least. Low root growth rates in hemlock may be related to the arrival and spread of the invasive pest, hemlock wooly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), during the study period. Ongoing research in the eastern hemlock stand may yet determine how whole tree allocation and partitioning change as a result of this infestation.
State estimation in stochastic hybrid systems with quadratic guard conditions

Stochastic hybrid systems (SHS) represent a class of dynamical systems that involve the interaction of continuous and discrete dynamics with uncertainty. In SHS, the evolution of continuous states is described by stochastic differential equation (SDE), and discrete dynamics are modeled via a random process. In this paper, our focus is on a specific type of SHS in which the discrete state transitions depend on the continuous dynamics, referred to as guard conditions. Specifically, we develop and analyze state estimation strategies for SHS with guard conditions described via a quadratic form of continuous states. Approximate analytical results on the performance of the estimator are derived and validated using simulations. These results show that the proposed estimation strategy outperforms existing approaches in terms of estimation accuracy.
Green Fluorescent Protein Labeling of Dopaminergic Neurons in Zebrafish for the Study of Parkinson s Disease

The loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra is the pathological hallmark of Parkinson s disease PD associated with the characteristic motor deficits Despite all the recent progress in the identification of genes and pathways associated with PD we still lack a complete understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning the disease Our goals were to develop a new transgenic zebra fish line where tyrosine hydroxylase TH positive neurons were labeled with green fluorescent protein EGFP under the control of the zebra fish tyrosine hydroxylase th promoterand to demonstrate the usefulness of the model for the study of the mechanisms underlying cell death in a toxininduced model of PD A kb gene fragment of the th promoter was isolated and cloned into a mini Tol vector followed by EGFP and microinjected to originate the Tg th EGFP zebra fish line Tg th EGFP were visualized by fluorescence microscopy for EGFP and TH expression during development The levels of EGFP mRNA were detected by RT qPCR and protein expression was examined by western blot analysis The model of neurotoxicity was generated by treating transgenic zebra fish with hydroxydopamine OHDA followed by the analysis of cell death markers and behavior EGFP expression was detected mainly in the posterior tuberculum of the ventral diencephalon vDC In the vDC TH labeled neurons of groups were correctly labeled with EGFP Further we demonstrated that these neurons in larvae and adultsare sensitive to OHDA treatment resulting in cell loss and behavioral deficits In conclusion this transgenic line constitutes a powerful tool to visualize and study dopaminergic neurons throughout the zebra fish life cycle and enables high throughput screening of molecules of interest for PD
Interfacial Activity of Nonamphiphilic Particles in Fluid-Fluid Interfaces.

Surfactants can adsorb in fluid–fluid interfaces and lower the interfacial tension. Like surfactants, particles with appropriate wettability can also adsorb in fluid–fluid interfaces. Despite many studies of particle adsorption at fluid interfaces, some confusion persists regarding the ability of (simple, nonamphiphilic) particles to reduce the interfacial tension. In the present work, the interfacial activity of silica nanoparticles at air–water and hexadecane–water interfaces and of ethyl cellulose particles at the interface of water with trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate was analyzed through pendant drop tensiometry. Our measurements strongly suggest that the particles do significantly affect the interfacial tension provided that they have a strong affinity to the interface by virtue of their wettability and that no energy barrier to adsorption prevents them from reaching the interface. A simplistic model that does not explicitly account for any particle–particle interactions is found to yield surpris...
An Introduction to Superconducting Qubits and Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics

Superconducting qubits have matured from platforms demonstrating and manipulating macroscopic coherent quantum states to realizing exotic quantum states, running surface error correction codes, and single photon detection to name a few recent milestones. This article will review the fundamentals of circuit QED related to the design and simulation of superconducting qubits.
Distributed mobile devices caching over edge computing wireless networks

In edge computing wireless networks, popular data contents can be stored in mobile devices to provide the local data resources services, so that a mobile user can obtain these data contents directly from its nearby mobile devices instead of the remote service provider. Even though each mobile device's caching memory can be limited, caching in mobile devices offers the great potential of caching capability because of the massive mobile devices. In this paper, we focus on a single cellular network where mobile users' requested data contents are cached in nearby peer mobile devices and are served by device-to-device (D2D) communications. We propose the caching in mobile devices schemes through deriving the minimum distance between two actively offloaded mobile user receivers to optimize the D2D throughput while guaranteeing the D2D channel quality. We also quantify the improvements of this offloading supported cellular network in terms of (1) the upper and lower bound of offloading probability, (2) average throughput of offloaded traffic, (3) average content downloading delay, and (4) variance of total number of potential D2D links, which result in more superior network performances than pure cellular networks. Finally, we evaluate and validate the network improvements using our proposed mobile devices caching framework through numerical analyses.
Molecular Embryology of Flowering Plants: Megasporogenesis and megagametogenesis

The carpel is the gross morphological part of the flower concerned with female sporogenesis and gametogenesis and is the homologue of the stamen. In its simplest form, the carpel is a leaflike organ composed of the ovary, style, and stigma, although various kinds of fusions between carpels have produced a complex organ in the modern flower. As is well known, along its margins the ovary encloses ovules, which become seeds in the mature fruit. In its role of sheltering the progenitors of seeds, the carpel determines the extent of physical and chemical influences that regulate the transformation of ovules into seeds. Tissues constituting the wall of the carpel serve as supporting structures when the ovary becomes the fruit. The ovule is functionally a megasporangium because it defines the structural unit of the carpel in which sporogenesis and subsequent differentiation of the female gamete, or the egg, take place. In the context of the reproductive biology of angiosperms, the functional unit of the plant that produces the egg for fusion with the sperm is the megagametophyte or the female gametophyte. The megagametophyte is a highly reduced group of cells dependent upon the sporophytic plant for its nurture and nutrition; it is generally equated with the embryo sac.
Rationing in the ICU: Fear, Fiction and Fact

The ‘R’ word, or rationing brings fear to the hearts of clinicians, politicians, administrators and patients. Politicians fear for their political life, administrators fear for the life and reputation of their institution, clinicians fear for their clinical practice and ethical beliefs, and patients simply fear for their lives. Accordingly, the hospital administrators, physicians, nurses, and, indeed, the public, in general, have been successful at avoiding discussions about rationing [1]. If ignoring the problem were all that was required to make this thorny issue disappear, then patients, clinicians, politicians and administrators would have nothing to fear. Unfortunately, this refl exive avoidance behavior does not lead to the abandonment of the practice of rationing. Only public discussion and debate about rationing is abandoned. And, rationing is driven underground, into whispered hallway conversations, and out to the bedside in a subjective, uncontrolled fashion. As intensive care unit (ICU) costs continue to explode, the need to bring this discussion out into a public forum, where the practice can be examined and evaluated becomes very clear. This discussion will start fi rst with a defi nition of rationing, and then evaluate whether rationing is necessary, if it is happening, how it is currently happening and, fi nally, offer a proposal how guidelines for rationing might be developed.
Electrophilic Addition of X Y Reagents to Alkenes and Alkynes

Electrophilic addition of the halogens and related XY reagents to alkenes and alkynes has been a standard procedure since the beginning of modern organic chemistry.1Anti electrophilic bromination of such simple compounds as cyclohexene and (E)- and (Z)-2-butene, and variants of this reaction when water or methanol are solvents (formation of halohydrin or their methyl ethers, respectively), are frequently employed as prototype examples of stereospecific reactions in elementary courses in organic chemistry. A simple test for unsaturation involves addition of a dilute solution of bromine in CCl4 to the compound in question: alkenes and alkynes discharge the color. Prior to the development of modern analytical methods, quantitative analysis of alkenes was performed by titration with bromine, thiocyanogen or related interhalogens. Spurred by interest in biologically active organofluorine compounds, methods have recently been developed for controlled addition of highly reactive elemental fluorine and fluorine-containing interhalogens to alkenes and alkynes. Regio- and stereo-specific addition of sulfenyl halides and reagents with nitrogen–halogen bonds to alkenes and alkynes have been used for many years for controlled introduction of sulfur and nitrogen, respectively, as well as for other more general synthetic purposes. More recently, electrophiles containing selenium and tellurium have been added to the list of synthetically useful reagents that undergo stereocontrolled addition to π-bonds.
Skin Disorders in Patients with Primary Immunodeficiencies

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) are conditions caused by molecular defects in the genes required for normal immune function. PIDs are rare, with a prevalence of approximately 1 in 25,000. Though much remains to be explored in the field of PIDs, over 185 distinct defects have been described. Infections are generally the most pronounced feature of PIDs. However, PIDs have many non-infectious sequelae also. Cutaneous involvement, infectious and non-infectious, is prominent in many cases. In fact, cutaneous manifestations precede immunologic diagnosis in 79 % of PID patients.
Platelet Transcriptomics Following Mechanical Unloading

Purpose End-stage heart failure (HF), including patients supported by left ventricular assist devices (LVAD), is associated with dysregulated thrombo-inflammatory responses which are mediated, in part, by platelets. While functional studies of platelet activation have been undertaken in HF patients, changes in the platelet transcriptome in LVAD patients have not previously been investigated. Methods We prospectively enrolled 32 patients receiving durable continuous flow LVADs and 20 donors without HF. We longitudinally measured platelet transcriptional changes by next-generation RNA-sequencing in patients prior to and following LVAD implantation. Results Patients were followed for a mean of 57 months post-LVAD implantation. Platelets were hyperactive in HF patients, pre-LVAD, as evidenced by significantly increased formation of circulating platelet-monocyte aggregates. Transcriptional profiling identified numerous genes (n=588) that were significantly (FDR angiogenesis , immune and inflammatory responses, apoptosis , and cardiac muscle contraction . The majority (80%) of genes in HF patients normalized by 90-days following LVAD implantation. There were 108 transcripts that remained altered and 50 transcripts that were newly differentially expressed at 90 days, all involved in the aforementioned pathways (Figure). Conclusion In this first report of longitudinal changes in platelet gene expression prior to and following LVAD support, we found that HF is associated with marked alterations in the platelet transcriptome. While mechanical circulatory support results in significant resolution in the majority of differentially expressed genes, a subset of the platelet transcriptome remains persistently activated. Further studies will delineate whether or not this latter group is involved with and potentially predictive of LVAD-related adverse events.
Spectral and Scattering Theory for Propagative Systems

We discuss a system of equations that describes many (if not most) wave propagation phenomena of classical physics. We consider spectral and scattering theory under minimal assumptions on the coefficients.
Information seeking and evacuation decision making in hypothetical hurricane events in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas

This study analyses how information is accessed and gathered in hurricane and inland flooding prone areas. The analysis reviews different information seeking behaviours, sources of information, and...
Roots of Formal Power Series and New Theorems on Riordan Group Elements

Elements of the Riordan group $\cal R$ over a field $\mathbb F$ of characteristic zero are infinite lower triangular matrices which are defined in terms of pairs of formal power series. We wish to bring to the forefront, as a tool in the theory of Riordan groups, the use of multiplicative roots $a(x)^\frac{1}{n}$ of elements $a(x)$ in the ring of formal power series over $\mathbb F$ . Using roots, we give a Normal Form for non-constant formal power series, we prove a surprising simple Composition-Cancellation Theorem and apply this to show that, for a major class of Riordan elements (i.e., for non-constant $g(x)$ and appropriate $F(x)$), only one of the two basic conditions for checking that $\big(g(x), \, F(x)\big)$ has order $n$ in the group $\cal R$ actually needs to be checked. Using all this, our main result is to generalize C. Marshall [Congressus Numerantium, 229 (2017), 343-351] and prove: Given non-constant $g(x)$ satisfying necessary conditions, there exists a unique $F(x)$, given by an explicit formula, such that $\big(g(x), \, F(x)\big)$ is an involution in $\cal R$. Finally, as examples, we apply this theorem to ``aerated" series $h(x) = g(x^q),\ q\ \text{odd}$, to find the unique $K(x)$ such that $\big(h(x), K(x)\big)$ is an involution.
A Typology of State Financial Aid Grant Programs Using Latent Class Analysis

State financial aid grant programs are commonly categorized as either need-based, merit-based, or both, but their initial eligibility requirements include many more factors than just financial need and academic merit. A categorization of programs that accounts for all requirements would facilitate a more nuanced and precise understanding of state grant programs. We used latent class analysis to organize 354 grant programs into a five-category typology to better understand the variations and patterns in programs. Need and merit proved important in the typology, but two of the new categories of programs were defined by other eligibility requirements. Implications for future research and policymaking are discussed.
Catalytic Production of Glucose‐Galactose Syrup from Greek Yogurt Acid Whey in a Continuous Flow Reactor

The hydrolysis of lactose in aqueous solutions and dairy waste streams was studied using Amberlyst 70 as a heterogeneous acid catalyst in a continuous-flow packed-bed reactor. The catalyst was stable during hydrolysis of an aqueous lactose feed but deactivated owing to mineral poisoning when the dairy waste Greek yogurt acid whey (GAW) was used as the feedstock. A catalyst deactivation model was developed and showed that the deactivation of the Amberlyst 70 catalyst was proportional to the amounts of cations, urea and amino acids flowing through the catalyst bed. The Amberlyst 70 catalyst was regenerable with an aqueous acid regeneration treatment. Based on the experimental data, a rigorous technoeconomic analysis was performed for the production of glucose-galactose syrup (GGS) via lactose hydrolysis of GAW using three different catalysts. This approach shows that the GGS produced from GAW could become a valuable revenue stream for Greek yogurt manufacturers.
Sequence and transcript expression of the super-kdr locus of the horn fly, Haematobia irritans

In horn flies, Haematobia irritans irritans (Diptera: Muscidae) (Linnaeus, 1758), target site resistance to pyrethroids can be diagnosed by an allele-specific PCR that genotypes individual flies at both the super-kdr (skdr) and the knock down resistance (kdr) associated loci. When this technique uses genomic DNA as template, modifications, such as alternative RNA splicing and RNA editing are not specifically detected. Alternative splicing at the skdr locus has been reported in Dipterans; thus, the genomic DNA-based allele-specific PCR may not accurately reflect the frequency of the skdr mutation in horn fly field populations. To investigate if alternative splicing occurs at the skdr locus of horn flies, genomic DNA and cDNA sequences isolated from two wild populations and two laboratory-reared colonies with varying degrees of pyrethroid resistance were compared. There was no indication of alternative splicing at the super-kdr locus neither in the wild populations nor in the laboratory-reared colonies.
Assessing e-government capacity to increase voter participation: Evidence from the U.S.

Abstract One of the great promises of e-democracy is the potential it holds for increasing citizen participation. Much of the research related to this topic has focused on inputs, identifying the tools and technologies of e-democracy, or factors associated with adoption and/or diffusion of these technologies across units of governments or public organizations. By contrast there has been less research examining how these inputs translate into outcomes, or impacts that e-democracy has on changes in civic behavior or citizen engagement. Our study helps fill this knowledge gap by examining the impact that a specific set of information communication technologies (ICTs) have on a common form of civic engagement: voting. This research creates and tests two unique measures, the online election information index (OEII) and the e-registration service index (ERSI) to examine the extent to which local governments offer online information and utilities that help to educate voters and promote turnout. The index is tested on a sample of 396 county governments in the US to examine the extent to which governments' use of voting ICTs impacts voter participation, while accounting for other institutional and demographic factors that are known to shape voter turnout. We find that voter turnout is indeed higher in communities where local governments offer more voting ICTs, and the availability of these online resources may be particularly influential in boosting turnout in places where state policies serve to constrain or limit turnout.
Surgical management of benign thyroid disease in children.

Abstract Benign thyroid disease in children represents a wide spectrum of disease. While most benign thyroid disorders may be either monitored or managed medically, surgery is an important treatment, particularly for Graves’ disease or large multinodular goiters. Multidisciplinary teams including specialists in pediatric endocrinology, genetics, radiology, pathology and surgery at high volume centers offer the safest and most effective management.
Gastrostomy tube placement in neonates undergoing tracheostomy: an opportunity to coordinate care?

To describe variations in timing of gastrostomy tube (GT) placement for neonates undergoing tracheostomy. Database study of neonates undergoing tracheostomy and GT placement using the Pediatric Health Information System (2012–2015). The primary outcome was timing of GT relative to tracheostomy. Logistic regression evaluated associations of patient- and hospital-level characteristics with GT timing. Of 1156 patients undergoing GT and tracheostomy placement, 42.4% had concurrent GT placement, 23.3% GT placement prior to tracheostomy, and 34.3% GT placement after tracheostomy. The proportion of patients undergoing concurrent placement ranged from 0 to 80% among 47 hospitals. Neonates born at 31–35 weeks, having cardiovascular comorbidities, history of diaphragmatic hernia repair, or gastroesophageal reflux disorder were more likely to receive GT placement prior to tracheostomy. Significant variability exists in the timing of neonatal tracheostomy and GT placement. Opportunities may exist to optimize coordination of care for neonates and reduce anesthetic exposure and hospital resource utilization.
I Have an Idea I Need to Share: Using Technology to Enhance Brainstorming:

Technology can be used to enhance the popular ideation strategy of brainstorming by increasing the number of responses students produce and delaying their evaluation of responses. Padlet and Post-i...
Multi-objective forest planning at tree-level combining mixed integer programming and airborne laser scanning

Abstract The development of forest planning at tree-level is nowadays feasible due to the advances in laser scanning. Tree-level data remains still not fully utilized in the context of tree selection mechanisms and harvest-scheduling models. Using spatial optimization with tree-level data can shift the situation. The research presented a decision-support model set based on mixed integer programming (MIP) to select trees based on economical and spatial goals. Trees were represented as polygons to conduct spatial optimization and account for perimeter boundary minimization while establishing adjacency constraints. The proposed model framework method was tested in a Stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) stand of almost 4400 trees in Spain where individual tree detection with airborne laser scanning data was conducted. The MIP-based tree selections were presented using different priorities for single and multi-objective optimizations to demonstrate the potential of spatial goals to make forest management planning more efficient when controlling the spatial arrangement of solutions. The results showed the general MIP formulation is feasible and all presented combinatorial problems reached global optimality fast. The use of MIP formulations to schedule tree-level decisions has positive cascading effects towards operational forest planning while expanding the current frontiers of tree-level forest planning based on heuristic optimization.