cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Beam propagation near the dispersionless wavelength at 790 nm in rubidium

Between any two resonance lines for an atomic medium there exists a dispersionless wavelength where the ac Stark shift from the two resonances cancel and the real part of the resonant susceptibility is 0. We experimentally demonstrate the effects of this wavelength in a pump-probe experiment in high-density atomic vapor. A strong pump field excites the medium, in which we counterpropagate a broadband probe field. In a long cell, only at the dispersionless wavelength will scattering and self-focusing or defocusing not cause attenuation, allowing a spectrometer to read off the dispersionless wavelength. We perform a propagation experiment that shows the passband centered around the 790-nm dispersionless wavelength between the ${D}_{1}$ and the ${D}_{2}$ lines of rubidium.
Toxic and behavioural effects of free fatty acids on western corn rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) larvae

Feeding behaviour, feeding intensity and staying behaviour of neonate western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) larvae were evaluated in response to synthetic feeding stimulant blends. All of the treatments contained a 3-sugar blend (glucose : fructose : sucrose, 30 : 4 : 4 mg/ml) and one of twelve free fatty acids. Each free fatty acid was tested in this blend at three different concentrations. The addition of the 12 : 0, 16 : 0, 16 : 1, 18 : 0, 18 : 1, 18 : 2 and 18 : 3 free fatty acids to the sugar blend significantly (P < 0.05) increased the percentage of larvae feeding, but did not increase food consumption per larva. Most of the free fatty acids elicited staying behaviour. At the lowest dose (0.1 mg/ml), all of the free fatty acids except the 18 : 0 and the 20 : 0 elicited staying by significantly more larvae than the sugar blend, and at the highest dose (1.0 mg/ml), eight free fatty acids (8 : 0, 10 : 0, 12 : 0, 14 : 0, 16 : 1, 18 : 1, 18 : 2 and 18 : 3) caused more larvae to stay compared to the sugar blend. Larvae were visibly impaired after exposure to some of the free fatty acids. At the highest dose, the 8 : 0, 10 : 0, 12 : 0, 14 : 0, 16 : 1, 18 : 1 and 18 : 2 free fatty acids were toxic to the larvae. At least 60% of larvae were impaired after exposure to the 12 : 0, 16 : 1 and 18 : 2 free fatty acids and the 8 : 0 and 10 : 0 free fatty acids caused 100% impairment or death. Synthetic blends were compared with liquid from crushed maize roots and with a methanol extract of maize roots. Feeding intensity and staying behaviour on the root liquid and the root extract were significantly greater than on any of the synthetic blends, suggesting the presence of additional compounds in maize roots that serve as feeding cues for western corn rootworm larvae.
Progress of the Cd-free Buffer Layers Used in Cu-based Film Solar Cells

The copper-based solar cells are the solar cells with chalcopyrite structure compounds absobers containing copper or with its derivatives as absorbers.Among them,the Cu(In,GA)Se2 solar cell have got the highest photoelectric conversion efficiency.The classical Cu-based solar cell contain a CdS buffer layer between the absorber layer and the window layers.But Cd is toxic,and the band gap of CdS is not enough to let the solar lights get through it.So the Cdfree buffer layer to Cu-based solar cells were widely studied After comparing the various deposition techniques and discussing the questions existing in the Cd-free buffer and the developing direction.We point out the structure and photoelectric requirements of the Cd-free buffer layers.The results showed that the bivalent zinc compounds is the most potential substitute for CdS buffer.
Using technology-based techniques to assess postural control and gait in older adults

Increasingly sophisticated instrumentation and techniques to assess gait and postural control in older adults are now available. These technology-based methods may be most useful in understanding the mechanisms underlying age-related and disease-related changes in gait and postural control. Further work is needed to ensure that these methods: (1) are used in a hypothesis-driven manner; (2) are made more simple, portable, and user friendly; and (3) are used in an appropriate and cost-effective manner.
What is abnormal about addiction-related attentional biases?

Abstract Background The phenotype of addiction includes prominent attentional biases for drug cues, which play a role in motivating drug-seeking behavior and contribute to relapse. In a separate line of research, arbitrary stimuli have been shown to automatically capture attention when previously associated with reward in non-clinical samples. Methods and results Here, I argue that these two attentional biases reflect the same cognitive process. I outline five characteristics that exemplify attentional biases for drug cues: resistant to conflicting goals, robust to extinction, linked to dorsal striatal dopamine and to biases in approach behavior, and can distinguish between individuals with and without a history of drug dependence. I then go on to describe how attentional biases for arbitrary reward-associated stimuli share all of these features, and conclude by arguing that the attentional components of addiction reflect a normal cognitive process that promotes reward-seeking behavior.
The Moral Sweet Spot

Social capital seems to make people happy. Because of this, it can be important for utilitarian ethics. In this chapter, I describe some of the social science findings with respect to social capital, happiness and well-being. For these purposes, the terms happiness and well-being are used interchangeably. Subjective well-being refers to a person’s own appraisal of their happiness and well-being. It turns out that social relations are important, not only because people are happier when they have good, meaningful ties with others, but also because of the phenomenon of emotional contagion. Happiness spreads through social networks; so too for other emotions such as depression. Social capital may be the moral sweet spot, an effective mechanism for maximizing happiness, overriding self-interest and overcoming homophily — social capital’s dark side.
Overview of the Leukoencephalopathies

Many forms of inherited leukodystrophies are now known, each characterized by specific biochemical and molecular abnormalities. The end result may be hypomyelination, i.e., the failure to form specific myelin proteins; delay in myelination attributable to an inadequate supply of myelin precursors or accumulation of substances toxic to oligodendroglia; demyelination with loss of normally formed myelin; vacuolating myelinopathy, wherein degenerating white matter is replaced by fluid and vacuolization; and secondary demyelination with destruction of both axons and myelin. Clinical signs may develop after a period of normal development. These can include abnormalities in behavior, cognition and memory, long tract signs, optic atrophy, peripheral neuropathy and macro- or microcephaly. Their clinical delineation is facilitated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including the use of diffusion-weighted imaging and MR spectroscopy (MRS). Genetic leukodystrophies are progressive and can produce specific patterns of abnormality on MRI that help to distinguish them. The loss of myelin is accompanied by an increase in water, causing a decrease in the white matter signal on T1-weighted images and an increase on T2-weighted images. The finding of a leukodystrophy by MRI presymptomatically can provide the clinician with a window of opportunity to intervene therapeutically prior to overt clinical signs. This is particularly relevant for metachromatic leukodystrophy, globoid cell leukodystrophy, and X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, each of which may respond to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation if treated early in the clinical course.
Stem Cell Research and Social Justice: Aligning Scientific Progress with Social Need

As stem cell research moves toward clinical translation and therapeutic application, ethical focus must be broadened to include questions about the interface of science and society. Among these societal questions is how to conduct this research in a socially just manner, as well as how and why stem cell research ought to be used as a vehicle to advance social justice imperatives. This article provides an overview of justice as a social and philosophical construct, and how it can be incorporated into science discussions. This review then addresses prominent social justice challenges, especially as they relate to biomedical research and healthcare, and how stem cell research might be a mechanism to reduce the burden of these injustices. Finally, this article concludes with ways to structure our ethical thinking and scientific debate in order to determine if stem cell research is being pursued in a socially just manner.
Fiber Optic Communication Links for Millimeter Wave Phased Array Antennas

For large, complex millimeter wave systems, such as phased array antennas employing monolithic T/R modules, the signal distribution presents a formidable challenge. Conventional feeds using waveguides and coaxial cables are not practical. Fiber optic (FO) links offer an attractive alternative for the distribution of control and communication signals in a phased array system. The control signals are responsible for the frequency synchronization of the independent slave oscillators to the master, beam forming and beam steering. The synchronization of the distributed local oscillators is particularly important to assure coherent wave combining. This paper is concerned with a fiber optic communication link for a millimeter wave phased array antenna. The feed to each individual T/R module is comprised of two FO links. The first link is responsible for the synchronization of the local oscillator by indirect optical injection locking. A semiconductor laser is directly modulated in a large signal mode from a master oscillator at 3.246GHz. In this mode of operation the laser generates higher order harmonics which are transmitted through the fiber and detected by a high speed PIN diode. In particular in these experiments the fourth order harmonic, at 12.986GHz, is detected, amplified and used to subharmonically injection lock an IMPATT oscillator at 38.96GHz. A locking range of over 100MHz was achived. The second fiber carries the communication signal which has a bandwidth of 1GHz. The two signals are mixed resulting in a 1GHz communication signal on top of a 38.986GHz millimeter wave carrier.
The Intelligible Universe

Early in the 20th century, Peirce began a paper on the foundations of mathematics which would validate a new approach in mathematics education. He titled his paper, “Kαινὰ στοιχeῖα” or “New Elements,” conjoining his project with the work of Euclid. Peirce never finished this paper and it remains one of his most problematic and obscure unfinished writings. Not long into his composition, Peirce surprisingly moved into semiotics and even turned to metaphysics and cosmological speculations. Peirce’s cosmological story is the subject of this study. According to Peirce, our universe is the natural outgrowth of the influx of a symbol into the primeval chaos from which the world emerged. Peirce’s acceptance of absolute chance as a factor in the development of the universe and its laws was a pioneering step for cosmology. Another pioneering step was his recognition of the power of symbols to affect the course of actual events and his bold inclusion of semiosis as an operative form of final causation. Peirce’s emphasis on the primeval role of semiosis puts biosemiotics on a cosmic scale and raises the question whether it is viable to regard the emergence of semiosis as virtually synonymous with the emergence of life, as many suppose. Peirce’s scientific philosophy, far from being a relic of 19th century thought, continues to be a rich resource for cosmologists and biosemioticians.
Phosphoketolase overexpression increases biomass and lipid yield from methane in an obligate methanotrophic biocatalyst

Microbial conversion of methane to high-value bio-based fuels, chemicals, and materials offers a path to mitigate GHG emissions and valorize this abundant-yet -underutilized carbon source. In addition to fermentation optimization strategies, rational methanotrophic bacterial strain engineering offers a means to reach industrially relevant titers, carbon yields, and productivities of target products. The phosphoketolase pathway functions in heterofermentative bacteria where carbon flux through two sugar catabolic pathways to mixed acids (lactic acid and acetic acid) increases cellular ATP production. Importantly, this pathway also serves as an alternative route to produce acetyl-CoA that bypasses the CO2 lost through pyruvate decarboxylation in the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway. Thus, the phosphoketolase pathway can be leveraged for carbon efficient biocatalysis to acetyl-CoA-derived intermediates and products. Here, we show that the industrially promising methane biocatalyst, Methylomicrobium buryatense, encodes two phosphoketolase isoforms that are expressed in methanol- and methane-grown cells. Overexpression of the PktB isoform led to a 2-fold increase in intracellular acetyl-CoA concentration, and a 2.6-fold yield enhancement from methane to microbial biomass and lipids compared to wild-type, increasing the potential for methanotroph lipid-based fuel production. Off-gas analysis and metabolite profiling indicated that global metabolic rearrangements, including significant increases in post-translational protein acetylation and gene expression of the tetrahydromethanopterin-linked pathway, along with decreases in several excreted products, coincided with the superior biomass and lipid yield observed in the engineered strain. Further, these data suggest that phosphoketolase may play a key regulatory role in methanotrophic bacterial metabolism. Given that acetyl-CoA is a key intermediate in several biosynthetic pathways, phosphoketolase overexpression offers a viable strategy to enhance the economics of an array of biological methane conversion processes.
Autoantibodies in Melanoma-Associated Retinopathy Recognize an Epitope Conserved Between TRPM1 and TRPM3.

Purpose Melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR) is a paraneoplastic syndrome associated with malignant melanoma and the presence of anti-retinal autoantibodies, including autoantibodies against transient receptor potential melanopsin 1 (TRPM1), a cation channel expressed by both melanocytes and retinal bipolar cells. The goal of this study was to further map the antigenic epitope. Methods Patient sera were tested by immunofluorescence and Western blotting on HEK293 cells transfected with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-TRPM1 fusion constructs and mouse retina sections. Results The epitope recognized by MAR patient sera was mapped to a region encoded by exons 9 and 10 of the human TRPM1 gene. This region of TRPM1 is highly conserved with TRPM3, and indeed MAR sera were found to cross-react with TRPM3, a closely related channel expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Conclusions These results indicate that TRPM1 autoantibodies in MAR patient sera recognize a short, intracellular segment of TRPM1. Cross-reactivity with TRPM3 in the RPE may account for other visual symptoms that are experienced by some MAR patients such as retinal and RPE detachments. We propose that TRPM1 autoantibodies are generated in response to abnormal TRPM1 polypeptides encoded by an alternate mRNA splice variant expressed by malignant melanocytes.
Un-servile Servants: Misfits of the Azorean Diaspora in Charles Expilly’s Le Brésil tel qu’il est (1862)

Focusing on the “problem” of domestic un-governability in mid-century Brazil, this essay discloses early stereotypes of white (Portuguese Azorean) servants as arrogant, lazy and self-interested. If, on one hand, such degrading stereotypes provided elite Brazilians with what Michael Pickering has called a “comfort of inflexibility,” on the other hand, these representations also shed light on the vulnerability of employers’ domestic authority and social-conflict management in post-colonial Brazil, particularly in the decades leading up to the abolition of slavery in 1888.
Wealth Whiteness and the Matrix of Privilege: The View from the Country Club, J.H. Sherwood. Lexington Books, Lanham, Maryland (2013)

Jessica Sherwood has produced a book that is worthy of serious attention. Sherwood has given us a green light rare look at the privileged lives of people who belong to elite country clubs; she focu...
Force-Feedback Instruments for the Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana

Digital musical instruments yielding force feedback were designed and employed in a case study with the Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana. The advantages of force feedback are illuminated through the creation of a series of musical compositions. Based on these and a small number of other prior music compositions, the following compositional approaches are recommended: providing performers with precise, physically intuitive, and reconfigurable controls, using traditional controls alongside force-feedback controls as appropriate, and designing timbres that sound uncannily familiar but are nonetheless novel. Video-recorded performances illustrate these approaches, which are discussed by the composers.
Synthesis of thin films with highly tailored microstructures

We report a new methodology to synthesize thin films with exceptional microstructural control via systematic, in-situ seeding of nanocrystals into amorphous precursor films. When the amorphous film...
Investors’ Limited Attention: Evidence from REITs

This paper examines the degree to which the market prices of publicly traded firms reflect and respond to new information regarding the economic viability and vitality of organizations to which they are strategically linked. More specifically, we exploit the uniquely transparent nature of the lessor-lessee relationship across commercial real estate markets to evaluate whether future returns to real estate investment trusts (REITs) are systematically affected by the financial return performance and/or operational opacity of the tenants who lease their investment properties. Using a hand collected data set identifying the principal tenants of 96 publicly traded REITs, we find those firms with the best performing tenants generate annualized abnormal returns which are approximately six percentage points higher than those realized by REITs with the worst performing tenants. These results are robust to a variety of model specifications, and a closer inspection of the results reveals these performance differentials are consistent with emerging evidence across the literature suggesting investors’ limited attention materially influences the return predictability of assets. We thus conclude investors’ limited attention leads to the failure of REIT prices to fully reflect the valuation implications of their tenants’ return performance.
Spectroscopic analysis (FT-IR) of polysaccharide degradation in a bench-scale solid waste treatment (composting) system

Abstract Polysaccharide degradation in composting process was quantitatively measured by FT-IR analysis with an internal standardization method. The change of polysaccharides carbon content was also verified by wet chemistry measurement. The polysaccharides decreased 31.1, 54.4, 66.0 and 16.8% respectively under 40, 50, 60 and 70°C. The degradation of polysaccharides was associated with increasing microbial activity and ATP concentration. The highest polysaccharides degradation rate (9.45×10 −3 h −1 ) was observed under 60°C.
Conceptual Perspectives: Emerging Changes in the Assessment Paradigm

Standardized testing and methods, such as the use of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) introduced in the 1950s, have undergone progressive development and refinement over the years but have also fed an increased realization that the focus of education and assessment has rested more on factual knowledge and problem solving and less on proficiency in the real-world application of those and other skills and behaviors in the daily run of settings that constitute the workplace. Emerging trends in assessment in the workplace setting is the focus of this chapter and the authors examine parallels across professions. While competence testing that predicts aspects of performance will undoubtedly continue and be further refined, explicitly designed performance assessment holds considerable promise for contributing to improvements in healthcare delivery. Measurement in other related and essential domains such as communication skills, professionalism, teamwork, leadership, and cultural sensitivity has lagged, yet researchers and practitioners increasingly have begun to explore assessment of such areas more systematically. The introduction of comprehensive measurement methods for both competence and performance across the full spectrum of knowledge, skills, and behaviors highlights the need for tighter coordination of the processes of education and assessment.
Effects of antenatal betamethasone on preterm human and mouse ductus arteriosus: comparison with baboon data.

Although studies involving preterm infants ≤34 weeks gestation report a decreased incidence of patent ductus arteriosus after antenatal betamethasone, studies involving younger gestation infants report conflicting results. We used preterm baboons, mice, and humans (≤276/7 weeks gestation) to examine betamethasone’s effects on ductus gene expression and constriction both in vitro and in vivo. In mice, betamethasone increased the sensitivity of the premature ductus to the contractile effects of oxygen without altering the effects of other contractile or vasodilatory stimuli. Betamethasone’s effects on oxygen sensitivity could be eliminated by inhibiting endogenous prostaglandin/nitric oxide signaling. In mice and baboons, betamethasone increased the expression of several developmentally regulated genes that mediate oxygen-induced constriction (K+ channels) and inhibit vasodilator signaling (phosphodiesterases). In human infants, betamethasone increased the rate of ductus constriction at all gestational ages. However, in infants born ≤256/7 weeks gestation, betamethasone’s contractile effects were only apparent when prostaglandin signaling was inhibited, whereas at 26–27 weeks gestation, betamethasone’s contractile effects were apparent even in the absence of prostaglandin inhibitors. We speculate that betamethasone’s contractile effects may be mediated through genes that are developmentally regulated. This could explain why betamethasone’s effects vary according to the infant’s developmental age at birth.
‘Šrdn from the Sea’: The Arrival, Integration, and Acculturation of a ‘Sea People’

Despite a broad temporal presence in Egyptian records, the association of the Sherden with another ‘Sea Peoples’ group – the better known and archaeologically-attested Philistines – has led to several assumptions about this people, their culture, and the role they played in the various societies of which they may have been a part. This article separates the Sherden from the Aegean migration and greater ‘Sea Peoples’ phenomenon of the Late Bronze–Early Iron Age transition and focuses on the aspect of this people for which we have the best evidence: their role in Egyptian society. Once those layers have been peeled away, a close reading of the extant literary and pictorial evidence from the New Kingdom and beyond reveals the evolving role of the Sherden in Egypt, from adversarial origin, through a phase of combined military cooperation and social exclusion, to a final, multigenerational period marked by rapid and enduring acculturation and assimilation. DOI:10.2458/azu_jaei_v05i1_emanuel
The role of depression, eating disorder symptoms, and exercise in young adults' quality of life

Abstract Objective Eating disorder (ED) symptoms are negatively associated with quality of life (QOL), while exercise is typically positively associated with QOL. Past studies have not examined the relative contribution of depression to this outcome. This study examined the influence of ED symptoms, exercise frequency, and exercise motivation on global QOL in undergraduates while accounting for the shared relationship between ED symptoms and depression. Method Students (N = 851) completed the EDE-Q, Reasons for Exercise Inventory, BDI-II, Quality of Life Inventory, and a 1-month exercise timeline followback calendar. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the relative contributions of ED symptoms, depression, and exercise variables to QOL. Results Shape concern and BDI-II scores accounted for significant variance in QOL scores. Depressive symptoms, however, accounted for 9.55% of the unique variance in QOL, while shape concern accounted for only 0.77%. Exercise frequency did not explain significant variance in QOL. The motivations of exercising for mood improvement and for enjoyment explained significant variance in QOL. No interactions between exercise frequency and exercise motivations were significant. In the final model, identifying as a woman was associated with decreased QOL. Discussion Results suggest that studies examining the impact of disordered eating and exercise on QOL should account for depression due to depression's high comorbidity with EDs and its influence on exercise behavior and motivation. Additionally, results support findings that factors such as exercise motivation may better account for differences in QOL than exercise frequency.
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps

County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, provides data, evidence, guidance, and examples that youth development professionals can use in their work to improve community health and well-being. The Rankings use a population health model to describe the multiple factors that contribute to health and equity. The information and resources available at the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps website is useful to youth development organization leaders, as it provides guidance for taking action to improve the well-being of youth and communities. Key resources available at www.countyealthrankings.org are discussed.
Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T Cells for Leukemias in Adults: Methods, Data and Challenges

Within the past several years, renewed interest in immunotherapy has been observed in multiple fields of oncology, including antibody-based therapeutics (e.g., checkpoint blockade) and adoptive cellular therapies. In the field of adult leukemias, such interest has been driven by the limitations of presently available therapies to induce durable remissions reliably in patients with relapsed and refractory leukemia. The adoptive transfer of genetically modified autologous T-cells aims to rapidly establish specific antitumor activity. This strategy requires targeting of autologous T-cells by means of a transgene-encoded antigen receptor, consisting of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), as will be discussed herein, or T-cell receptor (TCR) chains. CD19 is nearly universally expressed by B-ALL, CLL, and hairy cell leukemia, while not expressed on normal tissues other than B-cells, including multipotent hematopoietic progenitor cells. Multiple generations of CARs have been developed and investigated in clinical studies and will be discussed in this review. In this chapter, we review clinical outcomes of adults with leukemia treated with CAR T-cells, toxicities associated with CAR T-cell administration, present challenges limiting therapeutic efficacy, and future directions, including novel targets and enhancements to improve antileukemic activity.
Financial Stability Rearticulated: Institutional Reform, Post-Crisis Governance, and the New Regulatory Landscape in the United States

The recent financial crisis was a powerful reminder that the inherent instability of the monetary-financial system is likely to entail serious consequences for the real economy. In the U.S., the monumental Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (“Dodd-Frank Act”) has provided legislation that aims to institutionalise several aspects a new thinking on financial stability. In addition to the interagency Financial Stability Oversight Council (“FSOC”), the creation of the The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) marks an important departure from the U.S. regulatory tradition of de-centralized agencies whereby the institutional locus of financial oversight depended on the precise nature of the legal structure of and business activities pursued by individual financial intermediaries. In its mandate and institutional structure, the CFPB unifies both “micro-prudential” and “macroprudential” principles of financial regulation to enhance overall financial stability. From an historical perspective, the creation of the CFPB does not change the regulatory landscape to the same extent as did the creation of the Federal Reserve after the Panic of 1907 or the creation of the FDIC after the 1933 Banking Crisis. At the same time, however, the CFPB represents an important historical shift in the policy focus of U.S. financial regulation away from bank stability bank to a broad notion of financial stability that recognises the increased financialisation of households’ welfare.
Some Ethical Reasons for Eliminating the Common Body of KnowledgeRequirement for the MS Degrees in Accounting and Taxation

Those who pursue an MS degree in accounting or taxation at an AACSB accredited school must fulfill a Common Body of Knowledge (CBOK) requirement in addition to their accounting or tax coursework. The CBOK requirement can double the price of the degree and can lengthen the time the degree takes to complete without adding much in terms of quality to the final degree. This article applies utilitarian ethical theory to this situation and finds that requiring a CBOK is unethical because it is inefficient.
Patient preparedness for chemotherapy, an unmet need.

e20681 Background: Efforts to educate cancer patients on treatment side effects are highly endorsed by professional societies including ASCO. While most physicians discuss treatment toxicities (T) ...
Medical Management of Gastroparesis

Gastroparesis is a chronic neuromuscular disorder that can be disabling with significant impact on patient’s quality of life. Medical management is the cornerstone of treating patients with gastroparesis. The goals should focus on symptom control, maintenance of adequate weight, and prevention of nutritional deficiencies. Gastroparesis is part of a spectrum of functional diseases, which include functional dyspepsia, chronic unexplained nausea and vomiting, and cyclic vomiting syndrome. The delay in gastric emptying as a physiologic metric separates gastroparesis from these other functional illnesses. While gastric emptying as the disease-defining metric has been the traditional treatment target, the correlation between emptying delay and symptom severity is poor. Pharmacotherapy is thus shifting from an emphasis on prokinetics and changes in gastric emptying to agents that improve overall symptoms and quality of life independent of the underlying mechanism. There is only one FDA-approved medication for treatment of gastroparesis, and therefore most of the agents are used “off-label” for this condition. The components of medical management include nutritional and fluid management and pharmacotherapy with a combination of antiemetics, prokinetics, and neuromodulators. There is also renewed interest in non-pharmacologic treatments as well.
Detection of Sensor Attacks in Uncertain Stochastic Linear Systems

A novel attack detection scheme is developed for linear discrete-time systems with unknown dynamics that are subject to the additive process and output measurements noise. A novel stochastic adaptive observer is proposed to estimate the state vector in the presence of noisy sensor measurements and uncertain dynamics, and also to generate the innovation signal to detect attacks using a modified $\chi^{2}$ detector. It has been shown that the innovation signal, which is defined as the difference between the measured and the estimated output from the observer, has a Gaussian distribution with non-zero mean. The modified $\chi^{2}$ detector uses the steady-state bound of the innovation signal. Not only this detector can detect false data injection attacks, but also sophisticated attacks like replay attacks can be detected. The learning involved in the system acts as a watermarking signal, which helps in the detection of stealthy attacks. Simulation results are presented to support the theoretical claims.
Beliefs About Finding a Compatible Partner in Three Settings

Single adults often exert considerable energy searching for a compatible partner. Until recently, people met partners primarily through everyday activities (work, school) and through friends. These ways of meeting partners are still common, although Internet dating sites have also become a main way for couples to meet. The current study was conducted to examine people’s attitudes about finding a compatible partner in three different settings: online dating, the social network (e.g., friends of friends), and everyday activities. A sample of 702 single (unpartnered) adults (ages 18 to 40) completed a survey that included items that measured their attitudes about finding a compatible partner in the three different ways. Participants believed they would be less likely to find a compatible partner through online dating than either through friends or in everyday activities. Age and shyness were negatively associated with optimism of finding a partner, particularly in the traditional settings of everyday activities and through one’s social network.
Treatment-Related Changes in Heart Rate Variability in Children with Sleep Apnea.

ObjectiveHeart rate variability (HRV), a noninvasive indicator of autonomic regulation of cardiac rhythm, may represent the physiologic burden of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We hypothesized that...
Early Versus Delayed Mobilization Postoperative Protocols for Lateral Ankle Ligament Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background:The majority of patients with an acute lateral ankle ligamentous injury are successfully treated nonoperatively with functional rehabilitation; however, a small proportion of these patie...
Prostate-Specific Antigen Concentrations in Response to Testosterone Treatment of Severely Hypogonadal Men.

Context Clinical guidelines recommend measurement of the serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentration during testosterone treatment of hypogonadal men to determine whether the increase is sufficiently high to warrant urologic referral. Prior studies of the effect of testosterone treatment on PSA concentrations have been conducted in men who were mildly to moderately hypogonadal. Objective The objective of this work is to determine the PSA response to testosterone treatment of men who are severely hypogonadal. Design and setting This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single academic medical center. Participants Eighty-five men participated who were severely hypogonadal as a result hypothalamic-pituitary or testicular disease. Main outcome measure Changes in serum PSA concentrations were measured during testosterone treatment for up to 18 months. Results Testosterone treatment increased the median serum testosterone concentration from 36 ng/dL (interquartile range [IQR], 20-91 ng/dL) at baseline to 395 ng/dL (IQR, 266-542 ng/dL) at 6 to 18 months. This treatment resulted in a median increment in PSA above baseline of 0.70 ng/mL (IQR, 0.10-1.85 ng/mL) at 6 to 18 months. Apropos current Endocrine Society clinical guidelines, 31% of the men experienced a PSA increase above baseline greater than 1.4 ng/mL, and 13% reached an absolute PSA concentration of greater than 4.0 ng/mL. Four men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Conclusions The PSA response to testosterone replacement in men who are severely hypogonadal as a result of pituitary or testicular disease is greater than that previously reported in men with mild to moderate hypogonadism. These results suggest the magnitude of the PSA response to testosterone replacement is related to the degree of hypogonadism.
Abstract P177: Provider Perspectives on Improving Telestroke Usability - A Qualitative Study

Background: Telestroke is an integral part of acute stroke systems of care. To further grow telestroke and maintain quality, we surveyed telestroke stakeholders’ experience. Methods: We conducted o...
Impact of information display on worker performance for wood frame wall assembly using AR HMD under different task conditions

Abstract Augmented Reality (AR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) provide users with an immersive virtual experience in the real world. The portability of this technology affords various information display options for construction workers that are not possible otherwise. However, the impact of these different information presentation options on human performance should be carefully evaluated before such technology is deployed in the jobsite. In this paper, we describe a research effort examining how different information displays presented via AR HMD influence task performance when assembling three sized wooden wall frame assembly tasks. We asked 18 construction engineering students with framing experience to finish three wood frame assembly tasks (large, medium, and small) using one of the three information displays (AR 3D conformal, AR 2D tag-along, and paper blueprints). The task performance was measured by time of completion and framing errors, which were analyzed and compared among each factor.
Application of Big Data Analysis Technology in Cross-Border E-Commerce

Under the background of national development strategy in the new era, cross-border e-commerce with the help of Internet platform can realize the interconnection between producers and consumers, and gradually expand the influence of international trade. Based on big data technology, this paper builds an industry chain with cross-border e-commerce members' participation, and analyzes the specific application of big data in the product support, internal operation, external marketing, logistics service and service evaluation of cross-border e-commerce industry chain. The purpose is to effectively promote the healthy development of cross-border e-commerce and improve China's trade and economic level.
Challenges in Evaluating Single-Sex Education

As a conclusion to the two-part special issue on single-sex education in Sex Roles (Signorella and Bigler 2011, 2013a), this Feminist Forum opens with a concluding commentary by Liben (2015), followed by commentaries on Liben’s paper from three different perspectives. Liben provides an historical overview of gender and education in the U.S. to the present and identifies different approaches to the role of gender in cognition and behavior (essentialist, environmentalist, constructivist). She also reviews evidence on the impact of single-sex education in the U.S. in the context of these and other differing perspectives. She concludes by examining the role of values in drawing conclusions about single-sex education. Three comments on the matters raised by Liben explore the biological (Fine and Duke 2015), legal (Sherwin 2015), and public policy (Huston 2015) aspects of the single-sex education controversy, with the latter two focusing on U.S. laws and public policy issues. I use a recent news article concerning legal changes in the U.S. to exemplify the ongoing disputes in this arena. The papers in this collection provide important directions for future research, as well as guidelines for researchers who wish to communicate their findings effectively to the public and to policymakers.
Pattern Queries for Mobile Phone-Call Databases

Call Detail Record (CDR) databases contain many millions of records with information about mobile phone calls, including the users’ location, when the call was made/received, and call duration, among other data. This huge amount of spatio-temporal data opens the door for the study of human trajectories on a large scale without the bias that other sources, like GPS or WLAN networks, introduce in the population studied. Furthermore, it provides a platform for the development of a wide variety of studies ranging from the spread of diseases to planning of public transportation. Nevertheless, previous work on spatio-temporal queries does not provide a framework flexible enough for expressing the complexity of human trajectories. In this chapter, we present Spatio-Temporal Pattern System (STPS) to query spatio-temporal patterns in very large CDR databases. STPS uses a regular-expression query language that is intuitive and that allows for any combination of spatial and temporal predicates with constraints, including the use of variables. The design of the language takes into consideration the layout of the areas being covered by the cellular towers, as well as “areas” that label places of interested (e.g. neighborhoods, parks). An extensive performance evaluation of the STPS shows that it can efficiently find very complex mobility patterns in large CDR databases.
The rule of law in the Arab world: Egyptian courts, 1971–1996: the reemergence of liberal legality

In 1969, Egypt's political leaders made the decision to bring the judiciary under executive domination. More than any specific rulings made by the courts, the move seemed to stem from the corporate independence of the judges coupled with the ideological clash between the liberal legality of the judiciary and the aspirations of the regime for socialist transformation. Yet the commitment of the regime to socialist ideology was never unqualified, and it began to diminish rapidly in the 1970s. Indeed, official ideology gradually placed greater emphasis on the rule of law, democracy, and the independence of the judiciary. From 1971 on, the several measures taken during the massacre of the judiciary were either undone or transformed beyond recognition. By the mid-1980s, Egypt's judges had gained more ground than they had lost in 1969 in their efforts to assert their independence and corporate interests. While the impact of the measures taken in 1969 were potentially farreaching, the actual institutional changes were fairly modest; they were therefore not difficult to reverse. Yet the reemergence of liberal legality on an institutional level was still a very gradual process and it remains incomplete. In this chapter, the historical record of the reassertion of liberal legality will be followed by an analysis of the limitations of the current institutional structure of Egypt's judiciary from a liberal standpoint. The chapter will conclude with a consideration of the nature of liberal legality in Egypt on an ideological level, its meaning, and the reasons for its reemergence.
An Improved Ferrous Metal Detection Reagent

Recently the authors' laboratory reported on the use of a newly developed ferrous detection reagent [1]. This reagent, 3-(2-pyridyl)-5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazine-p,p'-disulfonic acid, disodium salt trihydrate (PDT), reacts with ferrous ion to give a magenta complex, and the reaction is sufficiently sensitive to be used to determine if an individual has recently handled a steel object such as a firearm.
Historical Overview of Electronics and Automobiles: Breakthroughs and Innovation by Electronics and Electrical Technology

This chapter describes the relationship between automobiles and electronics. The fledgling automotive technology that sprung up in Germany in the 1880s took shape as an industrial product in the form of the Model T Ford released in 1908. This vehicle was entirely made up of mechanical parts and epitomized the mechanical engineering trends of the day. Although the age of electronics was heralded by the invention of the transistor by William Shockley, this was not until 1947, some 40 years after the Model T. The electronics industry then began to take off with the practical application of diodes and transistors, the invention of the integrated circuit by Jack Kilby, and the development of the microcomputer by Intel Corporation. Rapidly adopted in vehicles, these innovations quickly became indispensable for reducing emissions and fuel consumption, as well as for improving safety and usability. Electronics are continuing to evolve and are already finding new applications in automotive communication technologies. Keywords: Ford Model T ; semiconductor; William Shockley; Jack Kilby; microcomputer; Moore's law; LSI ; feedback control; EFI ; semiconductor sensor; software; ECU ; ITS
UTILIZATION OF CELLULOSE OLIGOSACCHARIDES BY CELLVIBRIO GILVUS.

Schafer, Marion L. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg), and Kendall W. King. Utilization of cellulose oligosaccharides by Cellvibrio gilvus. J. Bacteriol. 89:113–116. 1965.—The hypothesis that oligosaccharides of the cellulose polymer series can be absorbed by cellulolytic bacteria, prior to hydrolysis to the level of glucose or cellobiose, has been tested. Resting-cell suspensions of Cellvibrio gilvus removed oligosaccharides of one to six monomer units from solution at a rate providing the cells with 37 × 106 to 42 × 106 molecules of glucose per cell per minute. There was no concurrent extracellular hydrolysis of the oligosaccharides. The fact that the rate of uptake was constant indicates that an active absorption system is involved. Filtrates from washed-cell suspensions before or after exposure to the oligosaccharides were incapable of hydrolyzing the sugars. In media where the carbohydrate concentration was growth-limiting, the larger members of the oligosaccharide series supported greater final cell densities than the smaller sugars, but there were no recognizable differences in the growth rates during the logarithmic-growth phase.
Rational Krylov reduced order modeling of frequency selective surfaces through the blazing onset using Woodbury singularity extraction

The authors use rational Krylov model order reduction (RKMOR) to find the TE and TM copolarized reflection coefficients for both the specular and first blazing modes (four coefficients in all) for a FSS when excited by a plane wave travelling with /spl theta/8=30/spl deg/ and /spl phi/=0/spl deg/. The power reflection coefficients generated by the MoM and an order ten reduced order model versus the "normalized frequency" are shown. It was notice that though the FSS blazes at a normalized frequency of 0.667, the RKMOR technique interpolates well in that neighborhood.