cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Character and Chlorine Reactivity of Dissolved Organic Matter from a Mountain Pine Beetle Impacted Watershed

Lodgepole pine needle leachates from trees killed by the mountain pine beetle epidemic in Colorado were evaluated for dissolved organic matter (DOM) character, biodegradation, treatability by coagulation and disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation. An average of 8.0 (±0.62) mg-DOC/g-dry weight of litter was leached from three sets of needle samples representing different levels of forest floor degradation. Fluorescence analysis included collection of excitation and emission matrices, examination of peak intensities and development of a 4-component parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis model. Peak intensity and PARAFAC analyses provided complementary results showing that fresh leachates were initially dominated by polyphenolic/protein-like components (60–70%) and humic-like fluorescence increased (40–70%) after biodegradation. Humic-like components were removed by coagulation (20–64%), while polyphenolic/protein-like components were not, which may create challenges for utilities required to meet OM removal reg...
Effect of Malonate on Selected Body Defenses.

SummaryOur data fail to implicate an alteration in capacity of blood neutrophiles to ingest bacteria or in the bactericidal property of blood serum as a possible explanation for the mechanism by means of which malonate injections reduce survival time of experimentally infected rats.
The human zygote inherits its mitotic potential from the male gamete

The control of centrosome and centriole duplication and formation of a single bipolar spindle during syngamy is different from that of somatic cells. If centrosomes from both gametes become functional, mosaicism could be induced following the formation of abnormal spindles. The centrosome used for development in most species is paternally inherited, with the exception of the mouse. Single and double centrioles within centrosomes in human zygotes have been described. Interpretation of data suggests that sperm centrioles are associated with further development. Here we provide evidence that the human sperm centrosome controls the first mitotic divisions after fertilization. Mosaicism and ploidy were determined in blastomeres derived from four groups of embryos: (i) dispermic zygotes, (ii) enucleated dispermic zygotes, (iii) monospermic zygotes in which the second polar body was retained (digynic), and (iv) enucleated monospermic digynic zygotes. Results prove that dispermic zygotes do not have bipolar spindles and become mosaic. This is determined by an extranuclear factor, since removal of a single pronucleus does not correct the abnormal division. Monospermic digynic embryos become triploid, indicating that the three pronuclei are organized in a single spindle and a single centrosome is active. Removal of one pronucleus from such zygotes causes the embryo to revert to a normal diploid state. These findings have consequences for the study of parthenogenesis, androgenesis and gynogenesis in the human.
Parameter identification of heat transfer model based on adaptive ant colony optimization algorithm

For calibration of solidification and heat transfer model of billet,a parameter identification method based on adaptive ant colony optimization(AACO) algorithm was developed.Firstly,solidification shell thickness of billet was measured by nail shooting at different positions under different conditions.Following that,according to measured data set and numerical solution of solidification heat transfer model,parameter identification was carried out through adaptive ant colony optimization algorithm and heat transfer coefficient at any cooling segment of secondary cooling zone was determined.Finally,measuring temperature at exit of secondary cooling zone and shell thickness of billet were compared with calculation results of solidification heat transfer model with identified parameters.The results show that determined parameters are correct.The calibrated model has been used in several casters for optimization of distribution of secondary cooling water.
The DEAD-box Protein Rok1 Orchestrates 40S and 60S Ribosome Assembly by Promoting the Release of Rrp5 from Pre-40S Ribosomes to Allow for 60S Maturation.

DEAD-box proteins are ubiquitous regulators of RNA biology. While commonly dubbed “helicases,” their activities also include duplex annealing, adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent RNA binding, and RNA-protein complex remodeling. Rok1, an essential DEAD-box protein, and its cofactor Rrp5 are required for ribosome assembly. Here, we use in vivo and in vitro biochemical analyses to demonstrate that ATP-bound Rok1, but not adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-bound Rok1, stabilizes Rrp5 binding to 40S ribosomes. Interconversion between these two forms by ATP hydrolysis is required for release of Rrp5 from pre-40S ribosomes in vivo, thereby allowing Rrp5 to carry out its role in 60S subunit assembly. Furthermore, our data also strongly suggest that the previously described accumulation of snR30 upon Rok1 inactivation arises because Rrp5 release is blocked and implicate a previously undescribed interaction between Rrp5 and the DEAD-box protein Has1 in mediating snR30 accumulation when Rrp5 release from pre-40S subunits is blocked.
Low 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels in Children with Spina Bifida.

OBJECTIVE To determine vitamin D status in children with spina bifida (SB). METHODS Charts of all patients with SB at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Houston, Texas, seen between July 2011 and June 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Daily intake of milk, vitamins, amount of screen time, and time spent outdoors were recorded along with height, weight, body mass index, and serum vitamin D levels. RESULTS A total of 38 patients were identified. The mean level of vitamin D was 58.8 nmol/L (23.5 ng/dL); 30 (81%) had insufficient levels, 50 to 75 nmol/L (20 to 30 ng/mL), or deficient levels, <50 nmol/L (<20 ng/mL). African American and Hispanic descent correlated with decreased levels (P = 0.017). Daily vitamin D supplementation correlated with increased levels (P = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS Most children with SB have suboptimal vitamin D levels. Despite living in a sunny climate and spending at least 15 minutes per day outdoors, children with SB have suboptimal vitamin D levels. Healthcare providers should consider the routine measurement of vitamin D levels and advise supplementation accordingly in this patient population.
Globalization, Institutions, and Domestic Territorial Politics: A Theoretical Framework

INTRODUCTION Burgeoning political economy research has probed the dynamics between global market integration and national political disintegration. In particular, prevailing economic theories forecast rising secessionism and inevitable state breakups, but they confront an ambivalent empirical record. Indeed, our replication exercise based on a large cross-national sample and reported later in this chapter furnishes little evidence that economic globalization is unambiguously linked to decline of national-level political authority. In this chapter, I highlight the utility of an approach privileging the national rulers. I argue that national political leaders who rule with the help of centralized political parties will resort to exerting tighter political control over the subnational governments in the winner regions of the global markets in order to facilitate resource extraction, mitigate regional disparity, and prolong their national rule. Centralized political parties governing at both the national and subnational levels impart to the national political leadership the institutional wherewithal to wield regionally selective political control – for instance, via personnel powers over copartisans staffing the subnational governments. Appointing agents who are more likely to comply with the policy preferences of their national superiors enables the center to exercise a greater degree of political control over the regional governments that these agents lead. Thus, national leaders who rule with the help of centralized political parties can exercise varying degrees of political control over the different subnational governments through appointing different types of officials to the regional government leadership positions.
A Review of the Course and Treatment of Non-Infectious Uveitis during Pregnancy

Inflammatory conditions such as autoimmune uveitis often occur in women of childbearing age. During pregnancy, women may experience exacerbations of their disease in the first trimester. In the later stages of pregnancy, however, the uveitis tends to remain less active. The management of uveitis during pregnancy is a challenging task, forcing the physician to re-evaluate the patient's current therapy and offer alternative options that pose the least risk to the patient and fetus. This article will review treatments widely used for uveitis, including corticosteroid therapy, anti-metabolites, calcineurin inhibitors, and biologic therapy. It will evaluate the use of these medications in pregnancy and the postpartum state.
A Case of Septic Shock Due to Serratia marcescens Pyelonephritis and Bacteremia in a Patient Receiving Empagliflozin

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been associated with serious urinary tract infections (UTIs) including pyelonephritis and urosepsis. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a label change to include this warning in December 2015 due to a small number of cases (n = 19) reported to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System. Details of these cases are limited and none involved empagliflozin. To date, there has been no published literature comprehensively describing serious UTIs attributed to empagliflozin. We describe a case of septic shock due to Serratia marcescens pyelonephritis and bacteremia that required intensive care unit admission in a well-controlled, type 2 diabetic patient who had begun taking empagliflozin 2 months prior. The patient was treated successfully with intravenous antibiotics followed by oral ciprofloxacin. After discontinuation of empagliflozin and completion of antibiotic therapy, no subsequent UTIs were documented in the following 4 months.
Storage-Efficient Batching for Minimizing Bandwidth of Fully-Connected Neural Network Layers (Abstract Only)

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are used to solve many challenging machine learning problems. These networks typically use convolutional layers for feature extraction and fully-connected layers to perform classification using those features. Significant interest in improving the performance of CNNs has led to the design of CNN accelerators to improve their evaluation throughput and efficiency. However, work on CNN accelerators has mostly concentrated on accelerating the computationally-intensive convolutional layers, while a major bottleneck of the existing designs arises due to the data-intensive fully-connected layers. Unfortunately, the leading approaches to reducing bandwidth of the fully-connected layers are limited by the storage capacity of the on-chip buffers. We observe that, in addition to the possibility of reducing CNN weight transfer bandwidth by adding more on-chip buffers, it is also possible to reduce the size of the on-chip buffers at the cost of CNN input transfer. Paradoxically, shrinking the size of the on-chip buffers costs significantly less input bandwidth than the weight bandwidth saved by adding more buffers. Leveraging these observations, we develop a design methodology for fully-connected layer accelerators that require substantially less off-chip bandwidth by balancing between the input and weight transfers. Using 160KB of BRAM enables the prior work to reduce off-chip bandwidth by 5x on the most bandwidth-intensive fully-connected layers of the popular AlexNet and VGGNet-E networks. With our newly proposed methodology, using the same 160KB of BRAM produces a design with 71x bandwidth reduction on the same networks.
Experimental Analysis of Human Control Strategies in Contact Manipulation Tasks

Here, we present insights into human contact-control strategies by defining conditions to determine whether a human controls a contact state, empirically analyzing object-to-environment contact geometry data obtained from human demonstrations in a haptic simulation environment, and testing hypothesess about underlying human contact-control strategies. Using haptic demonstration data from eleven subjects who inserted non-convex objects into occluded holes, we tested the following human contact-control hypotheses: (h1) humans follow a task trajectory that tracks pre-planned contact-state waypoints organized in a contact-state graph (contact-waypoint hypothesis); (h2) humans traverse the contact-state graph, explicitly controlling some contact states or subsets of contact states, in addition to the pre-determined initial and final goal states (controlled subgraph hypothesis); (h3) humans use a control policy where the only controlled states are the starting state for the task and the goal state (state policy hypothesis). Notably, we found that humans tend to visit a select few contact states once they enter each state’s vicinity in the graph, which is evidence against h3. Yet humans do not always visit said states (visit probability \(<40\%\)), which is, in addition, evidence against h1 provided different humans adopt similar strategies. We show that a classifier to determine when humans control their trajectories to visit specific contact states, when parameterized correctly, is invariant to graph aggregation operations across the false-positive to false-negative tradeoff spectrum. This indicates our results are robust given the data we obtained and suggests that efforts to characterize human motion should focus on h2.
Proteomic profiling of vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) under 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) stress

Vetiver grass is an ideal plant for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) phytoremediation, due to its ability to tolerate and metabolize TNT as previously reported. The current study is the first attempt to investigate the changes in the proteomic profile of a plant under TNT stress. Vetiver plants were grown in nutrient media with varying concentrations of TNT (0, 25, 50, and 100 mg L−1) for 10 days. Although the plants appeared healthy, significant biomass reductions (p = 0.0008) were observed in treated plants. Total proteins in the root decreased significantly (p = 0.0003). Proteomic analysis of root proteins revealed the downregulation of functional proteins involved in key cellular mechanisms such as transcription, ribosome biogenesis, nucleo-cytoplasmic transport of proteins, protein glycosylation, and translation. Growth-related proteins were downregulated; plant defense proteins were upregulated at lower TNT concentrations but downregulated at higher concentrations. Comprehensive understanding of changes in the proteomic profile provides important clues to the mechanism of TNT stress response and tolerance in vetiver.
Behavior and the Natural Environment. Irwin Altman and Joachim F. Wohlwill, Eds

(1986). Behavior and the Natural Environment. Irwin Altman and Joachim F. Wohlwill, Eds. Journal of Leisure Research: Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 133-136.
Relocating anti-racist science: the 1950 UNESCO Statement on Race and economic development in the global South.

This essay revisits the drafting of the first UNESCO Statement on Race (1950) in order to reorient historical understandings of mid-twentieth-century anti-racism and science. Historians of science have primarily interpreted the UNESCO statements as an oppositional project led by anti-racist scientists from the North Atlantic and concerned with dismantling racial typologies, replacing them with population-based conceptions of human variation. Instead of focusing on what anti-racist scientists opposed, this article highlights the futures they imagined and the applied social-science projects that anti-racist science drew from and facilitated. The scientific experts who participated in drafting the first UNESCO Statement on Race played important roles in late colonial, post-colonial and international projects designed to modernize, assimilate and improve so-called backward communities – typically indigenous or Afro-descendent groups in the global South. Such connections between anti-racist science and the developmental imaginaries of the late colonial period indicate that the transition from fixed racial typologies to sociocultural and psychological conceptualizations of human diversity legitimated the flourishing of modernization discourses in the Cold War era. In this transition to an economic-development paradigm, ‘race’ did not vanish so much as fragment into a series of finely tuned and ostensibly anti-racist conceptions that offered a moral incentive for scientific elites to intervene in the ways of life of those deemed primitive.
New systems for computational x-ray phase imaging with conventional sources (Conference Presentation)

Conventionally, the contrast of X-ray images is due to the attenuation of intensity of X-ray beams after penetrating materials, which is proportional to the imaginary part of the complex refractive index. Subtle density variations within soft tissue or other low-Z materials yield poor attenuation contrast. One method to improve the contrast of X-ray images is to utilize phase information since phase depends depend on the real part of the refractive index, which is typically 1000 times larger than the imaginary part. However, phase imaging relies critically on the spatial coherence of the X-ray beam which traditionally requires synchrotron sources, small-spot, low power laboratory sources, or precisely aligned gratings and multiple exposures. We will discuss two methods to achieve phase imaging with large-spot sources practical for clinical or security screening. The first method relies on using polycapillary optics to focus the beam and achieve the necessary coherence for traditional propagation-based phase imaging methods based on the transport of intensity equation. The second method relies on a coarse wire mesh which structures the illumination to enhance phase signatures and relax the coherence requirement. We will present recent results from both methods, including computational algorithms for phase contrast, phase retrieval and resolution enhancement.
Modeling spacecraft safe mode events

Spacecraft enter a ‘safe mode’ to protect the vehicle when a potentially harmful anomaly occurs. This minimally-functioning state isolates faults, establishes contact with Earth, and orients the vehicle into a power positive attitude until operators intervene. Though ‘safings’ are inherently unpredictable, mission teams build in time margin during operations to determine root causes and restore functionality. Planning and managing this margin is both critical and enabling on mission architectures dependent on near-continuous operability — such as low-thrust electric propulsion missions. To better quantify the occurrences and severity of safe mode anomalies, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has assembled a database of safings from past and active missions. Currently nearly 240 records are captured from 21 beyond-Earth missions, stemming from a collaboration between teams at JPL, Ames Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. This paper discusses the event database, explores a statistical approach in modeling the occurrences and severity of safing events, presents a simulation technique, and details recommendations to benefit future concepts.
Coherence in the Cytoskeleton: Implications for Biological Information Processing

Frohlich’s model of coherent excitations in biological systems can provide mechanisms for long-range order and cooperativity, factors useful for biomolecular communication and information processing. Frohlich’s coherence is based on oscillating dipoles in a voltage field, and has been applied primarily to biological membranes (Frohlich 1970, 1975, 1986). Relatively overlooked, the interiors of living cells contain parallel networks of dynamic protein filamentous polymers which organize and regulate intracellular activities and whose properties strongly suggest communication and intelligence. These networks are collectively termed the cytoskeleton because they were originally thought to provide merely structural bone-like support to living cells. It is now recognized that the cytoskeleton is a dynamic information-processing system capable of organizing cell movement, division, growth and behavior. Thus the cytoskeleton may be described as the nervous system within all cells, ranging from single cell organisms like amoeba and paramecium, to nerve cells (neurons) within the human brain. In neurons, the cytoskeleton accounts for formation and rearrangements of neuronal form and synaptic connections, factors implicated in wide ranges of cognitive functions including neural networking, learning, memory, and consciousness. Components of the cytoskeleton (microtubules, actin and intermediate filaments, microtrabecular lattice) are oriented assemblies of “polar” subunits and have been accordingly described as electrets. The characteristics of polar electrets have been considered sufficient to support Frohlich-type coherent excitations in the cytoskeleton (Del Giudice et al. 1983c).
USE OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE-LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY TO DETERMINE PATULIN IN APPLE JUICE

Patulin, a mycotoxin produced by some molds in the genus Penicillium and by some other molds, sometimes occurs in apple products. Until recently, thin-layer chromatography was used to test apple juice for presence and amount of patulin. Now two methods using high-performance-liquid-chromatography are available. The first method employs silica gel as the packing material for the analytical column and patulin is quantified by absorbance of ultraviolet light at 254 nm. A reverse-phase column and measurement of patulin by determining absorbance of ultraviolet light at 280 nm are employed in the second method.
Bell, Book, and Locomotive: Communicating Abolition in and out of Concord, Massachusetts

“Bell, Book, and Locomotive” explores the print culture of abolitionism in Concord, Massachusetts by focusing on a confluence of communication technologies: town bells, printing presses, and the ra...
PSV-6 A survey of New England sheep producers.

Maternal nutrition during gestation impacts offspring BW, body composition, and metabolism, thereby affecting productivity. Several sources of information are available to producers for guidance in managing their breeding flocks; however, it is unknown if sheep producers in New England utilize these resources. In previous USDA surveys of sheep producers, New England was not included, thus leaving a gap of knowledge. Our objective was to conduct a survey of New England sheep producers to determine flock size, breeds, pregnancy detection methods, feeding management practices, and producer learning styles. In particular, we wanted to determine if flock size influenced management practices, and if flock purpose (eg., meat, fiber) and feed type (eg., hay) influenced feed management. A 12-question survey was developed and disseminated via Qualtrics using e-mail survey links, with a 33.2% response rate (n = 96 responses). Data were analyzed using SPSS. Of the respondents, 61.5% had flocks sizes of 11 to 50 sheep. Most producers (63.5%) maintain 1 breed of sheep; however, larger flocks (> 50 sheep) are more likely to maintain multiple breeds (P < 0.05). The majority (79.2%) use their sheep for meat production, 61.5% for fiber, and 37.1% manage sheep for both. Spring (January to May) is the primary (59.4%) lambing season. The majority (76.0%) of New England sheep producers do not analyze their feed, which presents an opportunity for improved outreach. There were correlations (P < 0.05) between flock size and flock purpose, flock size and number of breeds owned, flock size and feed type, feed types and number of feed types used, feed type and feed analysis, and source of feed information. In conclusion, New England sheep producers have flocks of varying size and purpose, and would likely benefit from outreach education on the benefits of diet analysis and formulation for their breeding flocks.
Are Emergently Placed Nephrostomy Tubes Suitable for Subsequent Percutaneous Endoscopic Renal Surgery

Abstract Objective To determine the percentage of emergently placed nephrostomy tubes (NT) that were subsequently deemed usable for definitive percutaneous nephrolithotomy or percutaneous antegrade ureteroscopy in patients presenting with nephrolithiasis. Methods A multi-institutional retrospective database review was completed to identify patients who underwent emergent NT placement and then subsequent percutaneous nephrolithotomy or percutaneous antegrade ureteroscopy. Demographic, operative, and postoperative data were collected. Complications were classified using the Clavien-Dindo system. Results A total of 36 patients with 41 NTs met inclusion criteria. Indications for emergent NT placement were: obstruction with evidence of urinary tract infection/pyelonephritis (61%) and obstruction with acute kidney injury (39%). After recovery from the acute event and NT placement and during subsequent percutaneous surgical procedures, 9 NTs (22%) were sufficient without need for additional percutaneous access, 2 NTs (5%) were partially sufficient and were used in conjunction with an additional percutaneous access tract, and 30 NTs (73%) were unusable. Conclusion In this multi-institutional review, only 22% of NTs placed for emergent indications were sufficient for subsequent percutaneous surgery without the creation of additional percutaneous tracts. Urologists should be prepared to obtain additional access during definitive percutaneous renal surgery in patients who have had a tube placed under emergent conditions.
Induction of ELF transmembrane potentials in relation to power-frequency electric field bioeffects in a plant root model system. I. Relationship between applied field strength and cucurbitaceous root growth rates.

Seminal roots ofCucumis sativus andCucurbita maxima were exposed to 60 Hz electric fields of 100–500 V⋅m−1 in a conducting aqueous inorganic growth medium. Root growth rates were measured to produce a dose-response relationship for each species. The species were selected for study because of their familial relationship, reported sensitivity to 60 Hz, 360 V⋅m−1 electric fields, and differing average root cell sizes. The latter characteristic influences the magnitude of ELF membrane potentials induced by constant-strength applied electric fields, but does not affect the magnitude of the electric field strength tangent to the cell surface. The difference in average root cell size betweenC. sativus (smaller cells) andC. maxima (larger cells) was used to evaluate two alternate hypotheses that the observed effect on root growth is stimulated by [1] the electric field tangent to the cell surface, or (2) a field-induced perturbation in the normal transmembrane potential of the cells.
Alterations in White Matter Microstructure and Connectivity in Young Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder.

BACKGROUND Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have shown differences in volume and structure in the brains of individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Most research has focused on neuropathological effects of alcohol that appear after years of chronic alcohol misuse. However, few studies have investigated white matter (WM) microstructure and diffusion MRI-based (DWI) connectivity during early stages of AUD. Therefore, the goal of this work was to investigate WM integrity and structural connectivity in emerging adulthood AUD subjects using both conventional DWI metrics and a novel connectomics approach. METHODS Twenty-two AUD and 18 controls (CON) underwent anatomic and diffusion MRI. Outcome measures were scalar diffusion metrics and structural network connectomes. Tract-Based Spatial Statistics was used to investigate group differences in diffusion measures. Structural connectomes were used as input into a community structure procedure to obtain a coclassification index matrix (an indicator of community association strength) for each subject. Differences in coclassification and structural connectivity (indexed by streamline density) were assessed via the Network Based Statistics Toolbox. RESULTS AUD had higher fractional anisotropy (FA) values throughout the major WM tracts, but also had lower FA values in WM tracts in the cerebellum and right insula (pTFCE < 0.05). Mean diffusivity was generally lower in the AUD group (pTFCE < 0.05). AUD had lower coclassification of nodes between ventral attention and default mode networks and higher coclassification between nodes of visual, default mode, and somatomotor networks. Additionally, AUD had higher fiber density between an adjacent pair of nodes within the default mode network. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that emerging adulthood AUD subjects may have differential patterns of FA and distinct differences in structural connectomes compared with CON. These data suggest that such alterations in microstructure and structural connectivity may uniquely characterize early stages of AUD and/or a predisposition for development of AUD.
Love conquers all

Fancy nanobots crawling over your brain to find your perfect partner? That is the premise of Netflix's latest dystopian sci-fi thriller Osmosis, where people spend most of their time dating in virtual reality. Chelsea Whyte tunes in
The Power of Orthogonality

Domain-wall memory (DWM), also known as Racetrack memory, is a new kind of spintronic memory that extends the concept of spin-transfer torque magnetic memory, a high storage capacity and high speed, comparable with STT-RAM. Using the novel Transverse Read (TR), this paper presents new and rising possibilities for DWM.
Male Age and Andropause

It has long been presumed that a decline in testosterone occurs with increased male age. This notion is now definitively recognized and its impact on men’s health and fertility can be quite significant. The decline in androgens with age is likely multifactorial and can result in a collection of symptoms including fatigue and decreased libido. This collection of symptoms occurring with advanced male age has been termed andropause and can significantly impact male fertility, metabolic health, and quality of life. What was once considered a recent trend toward delayed parenthood has now become an established norm within modern society. Although maternal age has been well established as a strong predictor for fertility success, attention has been increasingly diverted toward the role that paternal age plays as well. Sperm DNA fragmentation, age-related endocrine changes, and increased susceptibility to reactive oxygen species have all been linked to age-related infertility. In addition to the effect advanced paternal age has on fertility, it has also been shown to play a role in the genetic health of future offspring. Recent studies demonstrate that the variability in the mutation rate in offspring is closely associated with the age of the father at time of conception.
Percolating ideas: The effects of caffeine on creative thinking and problem solving.

Abstract Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychotropic drug in the world, with numerous studies documenting the effects of caffeine on people’s alertness, vigilance, mood, concentration, and attentional focus. The effects of caffeine on creative thinking, however, remain unknown. In a randomized placebo-controlled between-subject double-blind design the present study investigated the effect of moderate caffeine consumption on creative problem solving (i.e., convergent thinking) and creative idea generation (i.e., divergent thinking). We found that participants who consumed 200 mg of caffeine (approximately one 12 oz cup of coffee, n = 44), compared to those in the placebo condition (n = 44), showed significantly enhanced problem-solving abilities. Caffeine had no significant effects on creative generation or on working memory. The effects remained after controlling for participants’ caffeine expectancies, whether they believed they consumed caffeine or a placebo, and changes in mood. Possible mechanisms and future directions are discussed.
The Partner Relay Communication Network: Sharing Information During Emergencies with Limited English Proficient Populations.

Sharing information with people with limited English proficiency is a universal challenge. The County of San Diego has a diverse population and, as a result, language and access barriers present se...
On Ideal Elements in Poe-AG-groupoid

In this paper we introduce the concept of ideal elements in poe-AG-groupoid and give some characterizations and properties of their ideal elements. So we consider some results concerning ideals in poe-semigroups and investigate them in poe-AG-groupoids. Also, the class of ideal elements of poe-AG-groupoids are studied, certain intrinsic and basic properties of poe-AG-groupoids including: ideal, bi-ideal, interior ideal, prime, semiprime, intra-regular elements and etc. are studied as well. The corresponding results on poe-semigroups can be also obtained as application of the results of this paper.
Dexmedetomidine on the clinical studies of cerebral injury affect in infant after cardiopulmonary bypass

Objective To observe the effect of application of dexmedetomidine on cerebral injury in infants after cardiopulmonary bypass.Methods 60 cases of congenital heart disease were divided into 3 groups,each group 20 infants,namely D1,D2 and N group.Group D1 dexmedetomidine 1.0μg/kg,in 0.2μg · kg-1 · h-1 intravenous infusion,until the end of operation; group D2 with dexmedetomidine 0.5 μg/kg,in 0.1 μg · kg-1 · h-1,drug concentration and injection speed was the same as the group D1.Group N intravenous normal saline in the whole operation process,infusion speed was the same as the experimental group,anesthesia and experimental group agreement.Take blood samples sent to laboratory before the operation (T1),at the end of CPB (T2),after CPB 2 h (T3),6 h (T4),24 h (T5) respectively,colleced records of perioperative data.Results There were no significant in 3 groups,for infant's age,weight,operation time,CPB time difference (P ＞0.05).In T1,there was no statistical difference between the 3 groups in S-100β protein and NSE (P ＞ 0.05).In group N,S-100β protein and NSE in T2,T3,T4,T5 were increased significantly than the level in T1 (P ＜ 0.05).In T2,compared with group D2,S-100β and NSE increased significantly in group N and D1 (P ＜ 0.01),and there were more in D2 than D1 group.Differences in heart rate,blood pressure and hemodynamics were observed in infant during perioperative period was not significant (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Dexmedetomidine can reduce the ascensional range of S-100β and NSE in infant after cardiopulmonary bypass,and relieve the cerebral injury. Key words: Dexmedetomidine; Infant ; Child ; Cardiopulmonary bypass; Brain injuries
Cross sections for electron capture and loss. I. H+ and H- impact on H and H2.

The electron-capture cross sections for H/sup +/ impact on H and H/sub 2/ and the electron-loss cross sections for H/sup -/ impact on H and H/sub 2/ have been measured for projectile energies between 2.0 and 0.063 keV. Relative cross-section values for all these reactions were measured directly, and placed on an absolute scale by adopting a standard value of 6.95 x 10/sup -16/ cm/sup 2/ for the electron-capture cross section for H/sup +/+H/sub 2/ collisions at 2.0-keV H/sup +/ energy. A crossed-beam technique was used, and the reaction-product H atoms were measured by a secondary-electron-emission detector. The techniques used to make the measurements are described, and the results are compared with other experimental and theoretical data.
Utilization and survival outcomes between definitive versus conservative treatments among elderly men with high-risk prostate cancer.

204Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer death in men > 80 years old. However, studies have shown that older men are less likely to undergo curative treatment for ...
322 Melanoma-intrinsic hypoxia-inducible factor-1α results in diminished T cell accumulation within the tumor microenvironment

Background The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) system, consisting of the transcription factors HIF-1α and HIF-2α, mediates cellular adaptation to hypoxia, and can promote cancer progression, invasion, and metastasis. HIF pathway activation in the tumor microenvironment has been implicated in cancer immune evasion; however, a direct causal role for tumor cell-intrinsic HIF-1α and HIF-2α activation in mediating T cell exclusion and cancer cell resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy has not been demonstrated. Methods We performed gene expression analysis of melanoma tumors in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data set to determine whether increased HIF-1α pathway activation correlated with reduced T cell-based inflammation. The magnitude of HIF-1α pathway activation across melanoma samples was determined by applying a quantitative scoring system on the expression of a melanocyte-specific hypoxia-induced, HIF-1α-target gene signature consisting of 81 genes. The Pearson correlation test was used to compare the HIF-1α activation score and our 160-gene T-cell-inflamed gene signature. To determine the impact of cancer cell-intrinsic HIF-1α or HIF-2α activation on the endogenous anti-tumor T cell response, we developed an inducible autochthonous mouse melanoma model driven by BRAFV600E expression and PTEN-deletion, with or without inducible expression of either a stabilized variant of HIF-1α or HIF-2α. These murine tumor models are being used to determine the impact of cancer cell-intrinsic HIF-1α or HIF-2α activation on tumor sensitivity to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4 treatment. Results Gene expression analysis of human melanomas in the TCGA demonstrated a statistically significant inverse correlation between the HIF-1α activation score and T cell-inflammation score. Braf/PTEN murine melanomas with and without stabilized HIF-1α expression developed with comparable tumor onset and growth kinetics. Multiparameter immunofluorescence staining of melanoma tissue revealed a significant decrease in tumor-infiltrating T cells within Braf/PTEN melanoma tumors expressing stabilized HIF-1α compared to control Braf/PTEN melanomas. Conclusions Our data demonstrate that tumor-cell intrinsic HIF-1α activation leads to diminished T cell accumulation within the tumor microenvironment, which has implications for cancer immunotherapy. The mechanism of this effect is being elucidated. These novel murine models will help elucidate the roles of cancer cell-intrinsic HIF-1α and HIF-2α activation in modulating the anti-tumor T cell response, providing mechanistic insight that will inform the evaluation of novel selective HIF inhibitors, which are showing promising anti-tumor activity in clinical trials in patients with advanced solid tumors.
Performance of Memory Expansion Technology (MXT)

A novel memory subsystem called Memory Expansion Technology (MXT) has been built for fast hardware compression of main memory contents. This allows a system with memory expansion to present a real memory larger than the physically available memory. This chapter provides an overview of the memory compression architecture, the OS support, and an analysis of the performance impact of memory compression while running multiple benchmarks. Results show that the hardware compression of main memory has a negligible penalty compared to an uncompressed memory, and for memory starved applications it increases performance significantly. We also show that an applications’ memory contents can be compressed usually by a factor of 2.
Coherence and interference enhanced nonlinearities in a four-level system

Summary form only given. Nonlinear optical properties of an atomic medium can be modified by coherence and quantum interference that utilizes electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Because of the vanishing linear absorption and large enhancement of nonlinearities in an EIT medium, nonlinear optics may be studied at low light levels. We report studies of light absorption and parametric amplification based on the EIT enhanced third-order nonlinearity in a four-level atomic system. We have observed the enhanced nonlinear absorption when two coupling lasers and one probe laser are present. We are in the process of preparing the experiments for the double EIT demonstration and observation of the efficient parametric amplification in the four-level system. Because the experimental system is essentially free of Doppler broadening, quantitative comparisons between the experimental measurements and the theoretical calculations can readily be achieved.
Pedestrian system planning for high rise buildings

It is emphasized that the pedestrian systems have become an important factor in high rise planning because the high rise concentrates the population of a small city within a limited ground space already intensively utilized. The relationship of the pedestrian system to the form and function of the city is discussed. The basic elements of the high rise pedestrian system are described. Language: en
High speed lateral trench detectors with a junction substrate

In this paper, we propose a junction-substrate LTD structure. Two-dimensional device simulations indicate that the built-in electric field created by the buried junction can effectively block the deep carriers and increase the bandwidth. The buried p-n junction can be realized by conventional techniques such as epitaxy. Preliminary experimental results show significant enhancement in bandwidths in such devices. Further device simulations show that a 50/spl mu/m diameter device can achieve a transit time limited bandwidth in excess of 10GHz with an optimized design.
Long-Term Patency and Clinical Analysis of Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene-Covered Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Stent Grafts.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate long-term patency and symptomatic recurrence rates following transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE)–covered stent grafts and to determine the necessity of extended clinical follow-up beyond 2 years after TIPS creation. Materials and Methods A retrospective review including 262 TIPSs created with ePTFE-covered stent grafts between July 2002 and October 2012 was performed. Primary, primary assisted, and secondary patency rates were calculated. Assessment of clinical data included technical, hemodynamic, and clinical success rates, as well as mortality after TIPS creation. Results Primary patency rates at 2, 4, and 6 years were 74%, 62%, and 50%, respectively. Primary assisted patency rates at 2, 4, and 6 years were 93%, 85%, and 78%, respectively. Secondary patency rates at 2, 4, and 6 years were 99%, 91%, and 84%, respectively. Technical and hemodynamic success rates were 99% and 93%, respectively. Clinical success rates for refractory ascites were 66% (complete response) and 90% (partial response); clinical success rate for bleeding/varices was 90%. Mortality rates at 2, 4, and 6 years after TIPS creation were 27%, 38%, and 46%, respectively. At the median wait time until transplantation, patients had an 84% chance of being alive. TIPS dysfunction developed in 21% of patients; 30% of revisions occurred later than 2 years during follow-up. Conclusions Beyond 2 years after TIPS creation, patency rates gradually decrease, mortality rates continue to increase, and the chance of recurrent ascites or bleeding remains present. Together, these findings suggest that continued clinical follow-up beyond 2 years is necessary in patients with a TIPS created with an ePTFE-covered stent graft.
Lessons from Autoimmunity

Autoimmunity is a common occurrence as shown by the human potential to make autoantibodies. New syndromes resembling clinical autoimmune diseases and arising from presumed immunotoxic exposure are presented. Future experimentation should attempt to harness this autoimmune potential to create more effective anticancer vaccines.
Asset Prices And Federal Reserve Behavior

The legislated goals of monetary policy are price stability and maximum employment; asset price stability is not a direct goal of monetary policy. In setting monetary policy, does the Fed also consider the level of the stock market? This paper examines empirically if monetary policy, since the October 19, 1987 stock market crash, has been influenced by high valuations of the stock market. A close examination of the data, a careful reading of the FOMC available transcripts and various econometric estimations of an augmented Taylor rule lead to the conclusion that the Fed has accommodated the high valuations of the stock market as measured by the S&P500 Index.
Canals in the Mekong Delta: A Historical Overview from 200 C.E. to the Present

The Mekong Delta is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. It supports more than 20 million people living in a dense network of canals and creeks that today irrigate more than 2 million hectares of rice paddy. This landscape of dense settlement and intensive irrigated agriculture is relatively recent, although the earliest canal projects date to “Fu Nan” or Oc Eo culture circa 200 c.e. Today's water regime is not so much a single water system as it is a landscape built of multiple layers of canals in various stages of development and degradation. Some waterways continue to serve as primary transportation and irrigation works: others lie abandoned, their traces sometimes only visible through analysis of aerial photography or historical reports. This overview describes these historical layers of canalization and the context for some of the major projects in each period. Keywords: Mekong Delta; Vietnam; canals; dredging; dredges; hydraulic engineering; hydrology; rice agriculture; floods; flooding; flood plains; acid sulfate; acidification; Fu Nan; history; archeology; colonialism
Optimal Antitrust Enforcement, Dynamic Competition, and Changing Economic Conditions

The recent financial crisis and recession provide an opportunity to reexamine the dynamic versus static efficiency tradeoff in antitrust enforcement policy. We examine implications of the optimal antitrust enforcement model when dynamic efficiency is incorporated. The “dynamic enforcement model” examined here provides a positive theory of Section 2 doctrine, some suggestions for modifying enforcement in light of its dynamic costs, and implies antitrust enforcers should put a greater weight on dynamic efficiency during recessions.
Women in the Presence: Constructing Community and Seeking Spirituality in Mainline Protestantism

Women in the Presence: Constructing Community and Seeking Spirituality in Mainline Protestantism. Jody Shapiro Davie. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995.163 pp.