cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stochastic modeling of damage evolution in composites under environmental ageing

A mathematical model is proposed for predicting damage evolution and stiffness degradation in composite materials under environmental ageing. Environmental parameters such as moisture, temperature, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation cause hygrothermal loads on the structure, which leads to damage evolution. The present work establishes a constitutive model for treating the damage density as a random variable. A forward stochastic differential equation (FSDE) is proposed to predict the damage density evolution. Damage nucleation and annihilation rates are taken into consideration in terms of Brownian motions. A second-order damage tensor is developed using the solution of the FSDE. The damage tensor is incorporated into the constitutive model for predicting the elastic moduli. Finally, the proposed model is verified against experimental observations under certain hygrothermal conditions.
Characteristics of VCSEL arrays for parallel optical interconnects

The use of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs)in a parallel optical interconnect for Motorola's OPTOBUS/sup TM/ interconnect was made public over 1 year ago. This was the first time VCSELs were introduced into a product which took advantage of the excellent qualities of VCSELs over edge-emitting lasers. Motorola's OPTOBUS/sup TM/ interconnect is a ten channel parallel bi-directional data link based on two 10 channel multimode fiber ribbons. One of the key differences in this type of interconnect compared with previous data link designs is the use of the VCSELs as the optical source for the link's fiber optic transmitter. A single 1/spl times/10 VCSEL array from a GaAs wafer is die attached to a 10 channel GUIDECAST/sup TM/ optical interface unit which couples the emission from each laser device to its corresponding fiber ribbon channel and thus negates the use of expensive manufacturing techniques such as active alignment and pigtailing. The OPTOBUS/sup TM/ interconnect achieves its performance goals (which include low cost) via the unique characteristics of the GaAs VCSELs arrays. For example, the 850 nm devices produce a circular symmetric beam with a half angle of about 10 degrees allowing the coupling loss into the waveguide to be less than 3 dB. In addition, to maintain low manufacturing costs, each VCSEL array is individually and automatically probe tested (just as in the silicon industry) to verify that each VCSEL achieves the OPTOBUS/sup TM/ interconnect's stringent electrical, optical, thermal and mechanical specifications. Typical computer generated wafer maps from automated production tooling and statistical parametric results are discussed. The combination of low threshold currents with superior thermal and optical performance allow the devices to be modulated under fixed bias conditions. Typical drive currents of 3X threshold are used to obtain nominal FDA Class 1 safety optical power levels from the GUIDECAST/sup TM/ optical interface unit.
Sensitivity of fish embryos to weathered crude oil: Part I. Low‐level exposure during incubation causes malformations, genetic damage, and mortality in larval pacific herring (Clupea pallasi)

Pacific herring eggs were exposed for 16 d to weathered Alaska North Slope crude oil. Exposure to an initial aqueous concentration of 0.7 parts per billion (ppb) polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) caused malformations, genetic damage, mortality, and decreased size and inhibited swimming. Total aqueous PAH concentrations as low as 0.4 ppb caused sublethal responses such as yolk sac edema and immaturity consistent with premature hatching. Responses to less weathered oil, which had relatively lower proportions of high molecular weight PAH, generally paralleled those of more weathered oil, but lowest observed effective concentrations (LOECs) were higher (9.1 ppb), demonstrating the importance of composition. The LOEC for more weathered oil (0.4 ppb) was similar to that observed in pink salmon (1.0 ppb), a species with a very different development rate; by inference, other species may be similarly sensitive to weathered oil. Our methods simulated conditions observed in Prince William Sound (PWS) following the Exxon Valdezoil (EVO) spill. Biological effects were identical to those observed in embryolarval herring from PWS in 1989 and support the conclusion that EVO caused significant damage to herring in PWS. Previous demonstration by our laboratory that most malformed or precocious larvae die corroborates the decreased larval production measured after the spill. Keywords—Herring larvae Morphological damage Genetic damage Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons Exxon Valdez oil spill
Merger of ocean color information from multiple satellite missions under the NASA SIMBIOS Project Office

The purpose of data merger activities undertaken by the Sensor Intercomparison and Merger for Biological and Interdisciplinary Studies (SIMBIOS) Project is to create scientific quality ocean color data sets encompassing measurements from multiple satellite missions. To meet this goal, a number of image processing and data fusion methodologies have been developed within the Project Office. A backpropagation neural network has been employed to map ocean color products from one sensor along with extracted ancillary parameters into products from another sensor. This enabled seamless fusion of data from both sensors to improve ocean color daily global coverage. Concurrently, statistical objective analysis has been implemented to validate the neural network approach. Wavelet-based image multiresolution analysis has been used to merge measurements from sensors of different spatial resolutions and also to examine the prospect of enhancing oceanic features in lower resolution imagery through the use of higher resolution data. Finally, a merger of satellite and in situ measurements has been developed.
A Framework for Measuring Supercomputer Productivity

We propose a framework for measuring the productivity of high performance computing (HPC) systems, based on common economic definitions of productivity and on utility theory. We discuss how these definitions can capture essential aspects of HPC systems, such as the importance of time-to-solution and the trade-off between programming time and execution time. Finally, we outline a research program that would lead to the definition of effective productivity metrics for HPC that fit within the proposed framework.
Weight loss through ileal transposition is accompanied by increased ileal hormone secretion and synthesis in rats

Bariatric surgeries, such as gastric bypass, result in dramatic and sustained weight loss that is usually attributed to a combination of gastric volume restriction and intestinal malabsorption. However, studies parceling out the contribution of enhanced intestinal stimulation in the absence of these two mechanisms have received little attention. Previous studies have demonstrated that patients who received intestinal bypass or Roux-en-Y surgery have increased release of gastrointestinal hormones. One possible mechanism for this increase is the rapid transit of nutrients into the intestine after eating. To determine whether there is increased secretion of anorectic peptides produced in the distal small intestine when this portion of the gut is given greater exposure to nutrients, we preformed ileal transpositions (IT) in rats. In this procedure, an isolated segment of ileum is transposed to the jejunum, resulting in an intestinal tract of normal length but an alteration in the normal distribution of endocrine cells along the gut. Rats with IT lost more weight (P < 0.05) and consumed less food (P < 0.05) than control rats with intestinal transections and reanastomosis without transposition. Weight loss in the IT rats was not due to malabsorption of nutrients. However, transposition of distal gut to a proximal location caused increased synthesis and release of the anorectic ileal hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY; P < 0.01). The association of weight loss with increased release of GLP-1 and PYY suggests that procedures that promote gastrointestinal endocrine function can reduce energy intake. These findings support the importance of evaluating the contribution of gastrointestinal hormones to the weight loss seen with bariatric surgery.
Upward Labor Mobility: Opportunity or Incentive?

Introduction, 143. — Test structure, 146. — Data, 147. — Results, 148. — Summary and conclusions, 150.
TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AND RISK OF MALIGNANT MELANOMA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF COHORT STUDIES

Background: Epidemiology studies have demonstrated inconsistent associations between type 2 diabetes mellitus and the risk of malignant melanoma. To this end, the aim was to perform a meta-analysis of cohort studies. Method: Medline, PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched up to February 2014. Cohort studies addressing the relative risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus on malignant melanoma were included in this meta-analysis. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was applied for quality evaluation. The pooled relative risks with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated by using random-effects or random-effects model. Heterogeneity and publication bias were evaluated by I 2 and funnel plot analysis, respectively. Data was analyzed using STATA 11.0. Results: A total of 9 independent cohorts from 8 manuscripts were entered this meta-analysis. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was slightly associated with an increased risk of malignant melanoma, and the pooled relative risk was 1.15 (95% CI, 1.00-1.32) in diabetes compared with non-diabetes with significant evidence of heterogeneity among these studies (P=0.016, I 2 =57.6%). For the studies adjusted for age, gender and obesity, the relative risks were 1.21 (95% CI, 1.031.42), 1.17 (95% CI, 1.01-1.35) and 1.11 (95% CI, 1.00-1.24), respectively. For the population-based studies in which case cohort established, the relative risk was 1.85 (95% CI, 1.31-2.62). Conclusion: Type 2 diabetes might be an independent risk factor for malignant melanoma. Further studies are needed to specifically test the effect, and fully elucidate the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms.
Relationships Between Landscape Pattern and Space Use of Three Mammalian Carnivores in Central Mississippi

Abstract Space use and habitat selection have been studied extensively in mammalian carnivores, and it is widely accepted that many factors influence these parameters. Although landscape characteristics are perceived to be important in how carnivores use their environment, relatively few studies have evaluated influences of landscape features on carnivore behavior. We examined relationships between landscape pattern and space use in sympatric bobcats (Lynx rufus), coyotes (Canis latrans) and gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in central Mississippi during 1989–1997. We quantified landscape features within three different spatial scales (3000, 4500 and 6000 m) centered on home ranges of 46 bobcats, 12 coyotes and 22 gray foxes. We evaluated a suite of class- and landscape-level variables and their influence on space use of each species. Linear mixed models suggested that habitat interspersion (intermixing), patch shape (complexity) and edge contrast were important predictors of space use in bobcats. We ...
Insulin and Hypertension

Patients with hypertension have been shown to be resistant to insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and hyperinsulinemic when compared to matched control groups with normal blood pressure. In addition, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia have been demonstrated in rat models of hypertension-including SHR rats and Sprague-Dawley rats fed a fructose-enriched diet. Furthermore, fructose-induced hypertension can be attenuated by experimental interventions which decrease insulin resistance and/or hyperinsulinemia. These observations raise the possibility that insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia may play a role in blood pressure regulation. Finally, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia increase risk of coronary artery decrease in patients with hypertension, both directly, and indirectly by their influence on very low density and high density lipoprotein metabolism.
A Gender Bias in the Attribution of Creativity: Archival and Experimental Evidence for the Perceived Association Between Masculinity and Creative Thinking

We propose that the propensity to think creatively tends to be associated with independence and self-direction-qualities generally ascribed to men-so that men are often perceived to be more creative than women. In two experiments, we found that "outside the box" creativity is more strongly associated with stereotypically masculine characteristics (e.g., daring and self-reliance) than with stereotypically feminine characteristics (e.g., cooperativeness and supportiveness; Study 1) and that a man is ascribed more creativity than a woman when they produce identical output (Study 2). Analyzing archival data, we found that men's ideas are evaluated as more ingenious than women's ideas (Study 3) and that female executives are stereotyped as less innovative than their male counterparts when evaluated by their supervisors (Study 4). Finally, we observed that stereotypically masculine behavior enhances a man's perceived creativity, whereas identical behavior does not enhance a woman's perceived creativity (Study 5). This boost in men's perceived creativity is mediated by attributions of agency, not competence, and predicts perceptions of reward deservingness.
Comparative effectiveness of anticoagulation on midterm infrainguinal bypass graft patency

Abstract Objective Therapeutic anticoagulation (AC) is used clinically for prolongation of infrainguinal bypass patency, but evidence for the efficacy of this practice is conflicting. The objective of our study was to determine the association of AC with bypass graft primary patency. Methods Clinical and comorbid data of patients undergoing infrainguinal bypass grafts to a below-knee target with at least 1 year of follow-up performed from 2003 to 2015 were obtained from the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative. Inverse propensity of treatment-weighted Cox regression was used to assess the effect of AC on patency in the total cohort while adjusting for clinical, operative, and comorbid differences between treatment groups. Subgroup analyses of distal targets and conduit type were performed. Perioperative complications were analyzed using propensity-weighted logistic regression. Results We identified 7612 bypass grafts with intact 1-year follow-up information from 2003 to 2015. The mean age was 67.5 ± 11.2 years; 30.5% (n = 2320) were female, and 28.6% (n = 2165) were discharged on therapeutic AC. The anticoagulated group had a higher rate of tibial, ankle, and pedal targets (52.1% [n = 1127] vs 47.6% [n = 2269]; P P P P P P = .8) but demonstrated a trend toward improvement of primary patency in those with a non-single-segment vein conduit to a below-knee popliteal target (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.80-1.02; P = .09). AC was associated with significantly improved secondary patency in those with prosthetic bypass grafts (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.62-0.96; P = .02) or prosthetic bypasses to an infrapopliteal target (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.54-0.97; P = .02). Odds of postoperative wound complications were significantly higher in those receiving AC (odds ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.11-1.61; P = .002). Conclusions This study does not demonstrate a significant impact of therapeutic AC on primary patency for infrainguinal bypass grafts. Treatment with AC may benefit secondary patency in those with a prosthetic bypass, especially to an infrapopliteal target, but at an increased risk of postoperative wound complications.
Ribosome-omics of the human ribosome

The torrent of RNA-seq data becoming available not only furnishes an overview of the entire transcriptome but also provides tools to focus on specific areas of interest. Our focus on the synthesis of ribosomes asked whether the abundance of mRNAs encoding ribosomal proteins (RPs) matched the equimolar need for the RPs in the assembly of ribosomes. We were at first surprised to find, in the mapping data of ENCODE and other sources, that there were nearly 100-fold differences in the level of the mRNAs encoding the different RPs. However, after correcting for the mapping ambiguities introduced by the presence of more than 2000 pseudogenes derived from RP mRNAs, we show that for 80%-90% of the RP genes, the molar ratio of mRNAs varies less than threefold, with little tissue specificity. Nevertheless, since the RPs are needed in equimolar amounts, there must be sluggish or regulated translation of the more abundant RP mRNAs and/or substantial turnover of unused RPs. In addition, seven of the RPs have subsidiary genes, three of which are pseudogenes that have been "rescued" by the introduction of promoters and/or upstream introns. Several of these are transcribed in a tissue-specific manner, e.g., RPL10L in testis and RPL3L in muscle, leading to potential variation in ribosome structure from one tissue to another. Of the 376 introns in the RP genes, a single one is alternatively spliced in a tissue-specific manner.
Populations of Certain Insects and Spiders on Cotton Plants Following Insecticide Applications

In 1959, 1960, and 1961 sweep-net collections were made in several field-plot experiments on cotton in the vicinity of Stoneville, Mississippi. The numbers of several species of insects and spiders were recorded following applications of various insecticides and insecticide mixtures. Early-season applications for thrips control had little effect on the insect populations studied several weeks later during the fruiting period. Applications made during the fruiting period of the cotton plant resulted in population reductions of many of the insect species and spiders studied. The species affected and the amount of reduction were quite variable, depending on the insecticide or mixture used, dosage, number of applications, and timing of applications. Insecticide mixtures containing DDT were in general more toxic to most species than any single insecticide.
Total Energy Calculation in α-SiO2 and β-Si3N4

The self-consistent electronic structures and total energies for the crystalline α-SiO 2 and β-Si 3 N 4 are studied by means of the first-principles orthogonalized linear combination of atomic orbitals method. The calculated band structures are compared with the earlier non-self consistent results. The total energies in the local density approximation are evaluated as a function of lattice parameters. Reasonable values of equilibrium lattice constants and cohesive energies are obtained but the bulk modulus for α-SiO 2 is overestimated.
Studies on thrombopoiesis. I. A factor in normal human plasma required for platelet production; chronic thrombocytopenia due to its deficiency.

1. A case of chronic thrombocytopenic purpura has been presented in which the pathogenesis appears to be due to congenital deficiency of a platelet-stimulating factor. 2. The factor exists in normal plasma and is stable on storage under normal blood banking conditions and on freezing. 3. The factor appears to act by stimulating megakaryocyte maturation and platelet production in an orderly and sequential manner.
Bone lesions in growing swine fed 3% cement kiln dust as a source of calcium.

Cement kiln dust (CKD) samples of which have been reported to stimulate growth in cattle and sheep, was fed to weanling pigs in a 42-d experiment. CKD at levels of 1.5 and 3.0% was added to a corn-soybean meal-oats-whey-type diet containing inadequate amounts of Ca (.4% of the diet) to provide final dietary Ca levels of .85 and 1.3%. A diet containing 3% limestone (1.3% dietary Ca) served as a positive control. Body weight gain was depressed by 3.0% CKD, and histopathological lesions of the humerus, not typical of nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism or rickets, were observed. The lesions detected were osteonecrosis, thinning of the cortex and reduction in the width of the epiphyseal cartilage. Width of the proximal epiphyseal plate and cortical index of the humerus (width of cortex divided by total diameter at narrowest point of diaphysis) were smaller in pigs fed 3% CKD than in pigs fed 3% limestone. CKD contained 2.3% A1, 15 ppm Cd and 110 ppm Pb, providing 690, .45 and 3.3 ppm of A1, Cd and Pb, respectively, in the diet containing 3% CKD. Kidney, liver and bone ash concentrations of these three minerals were not increased by CKD, and typical toxicity signs were absent. It is concluded that CKD may contain one or more factors that interfere with normal bone metabolism in growing pigs when the diet contains 3.0% CKD.
Ethnic/racial identity and academic achievement: A meta-analytic review.

Abstract Over the last 20 years, ethnic/racial identity (ERI) has been regarded as a component central to identity for minority students, and often proposed to be positively associated with academic achievement. However, the findings of individual studies scattered across the literature suggest that the size and direction of the correlation is somewhat inconsistent, prompting the meta-analysis of 47 studies reported herein. The authors gave particular attention to specific moderator variables that might explain differences across these studies. Results demonstrated that the overall effect size for ERI and academic achievement was small but significant in the positive direction. Effect sizes varied according to participant race and the dimension of ERI used in the analysis. Theoretical and future research implications are discussed.
Direct measurements of thermal sensitivities for frequency conversion of 1.064-µm laser light in lithium triborate

We have made direct measurements of the thermal dependence of the phase- matching angle (θpm) in lithium triborate (LBO) for Types I and II second-harmonic generation (SHG/2ω I and II) and sum- frequency generation (SFG/3ω I & II) of Nd:YAG laser light (1.064 μm) to wavelengths of 0.532 μm and 0.355 μm, respectively. These measurements were made over a temperature range of 24-50°C using the technique discussed in Ref. 1. To our knowledge, this is the first such measurement for 3ω I at these wavelengths. The results of these measurements are shown in Fig. 1.
Applications of Behavior Analysis to Improve Safety in Organizations and Community Settings

Safety is a large concern in organizational and community settings. Behavioral safety, the application of behavioral principles to safe performance, has contributed to safe practices in many ways. This chapter first describes behavioral safety, briefly reviews its history, and then notes some of the target behaviors and industries in which it has been applied. Assessment and intervention methods in behavioral safety are then described. The chapter concludes with a description of root causes of injuries, suppression of safety data, privacy issues, and union criticisms of behavioral safety, which are topics of current interest in the field.
INTERSTELLAR PICKUP ION ACCELERATION IN THE TURBULENT MAGNETIC FIELD AT THE SOLAR WIND TERMINATION SHOCK USING A FOCUSED TRANSPORT APPROACH

We study the physics of locally born interstellar pickup proton acceleration at the nearly perpendicular solar wind termination shock (SWTS) in the presence of a random magnetic field spiral angle using a focused transport model. Guided by Voyager 2 observations, the spiral angle is modeled with a q-Gaussian distribution. The spiral angle fluctuations, which are used to generate the perpendicular diffusion of pickup protons across the SWTS, play a key role in enabling efficient injection and rapid diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) when these particles follow field lines. Our simulations suggest that variation of both the shape (q-value) and the standard deviation (σ-value) of the q-Gaussian distribution significantly affect the injection speed, pitch-angle anisotropy, radial distribution, and the efficiency of the DSA of pickup protons at the SWTS. For example, increasing q and especially reducing σ enhances the DSA rate.
Epidemiology of Pediatric HIV Infection

As a result of the scale-up of wider prevention efforts, increased HIV testing and increased access to more potent combination antiretroviral therapy treatment, great progress has been made in stabilizing the global AIDS epidemic resulting in fewer new infections, better health outcomes and fewer AIDS-related deaths. Children however have lagged behind adults in access to HIV care and treatment resulting in new HIV infections among infants, children and youth, incomplete access to treatment and ongoing mortality. Further scale-up of prevention of mother-to-child transmission efforts, increasing access to lifesaving antiretroviral medications, addressing the complex psychosocial and medical needs of children, adolescents, and young adults infected with HIV and preventing new infections in adolescents and young adults remain critical steps in reaching the goal of an AIDS-free generation.
Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Model of Neonatal Stroke in P10 Rats

A number of animal models have been used to study hypoxic-ischemic injury, traumatic injury, global hypoxia, or permanent ischemia in both the immature and mature brain. Stroke occurs commonly in the perinatal period in humans, and transient ischemia-reperfusion is the most common form of stroke in neonates. The reperfusion phase is a critical component of injury progression, which occurs over a period of days to weeks, and of the endogenous response to injury. This postnatal day 10 (p10) rat model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) creates a unilateral, non-hemorrhagic focal ischemia-reperfusion injury that can be utilized to study the mechanisms of focal injury and repair in the full-term-equivalent brain. The injury pattern that is produced by tMCAO is consistent and highly reproducible and can be confirmed with MRI or histological analyses. The severity of injury can be manipulated through changes in occlusion time and other methods that will be discussed.
Pan American Women: U.S. internationalists and revolutionary Mexico, by Megan Threlkeld

In the 2016 presidential election in the United States, the issues of gender and U.S.–Mexico relations received significant attention. One candidate was a misogynist who regularly insulted Mexico a...
The Role of Behavioral Mindsets on Auditors’ Professional Skepticism

Auditing standards require auditors to maintain a skeptical mindset throughout an audit. However, research indicates that mindsets are flexible such that cognitive procedures (e.g., bolstering or providing counterarguments) activated when performing a particular task can carryover and influence subsequent task performance. We examine whether natural features within the audit environment, such as routine planning tasks, can create a mindset that influences evidence evaluation and skeptical judgments in a second, unrelated audit task. In an experiment, auditors who developed a counterarguing mindset during a planning meeting and subsequently evaluated internal control evidence potentially indicative of a significant deficiency (moderate severity) were more skeptical of management’s explanation for the control deficiency and rated the deficiency more severe than auditors who initially developed a bolstering mindset. This effect diminished when the severity rose to potentially indicate a material weakness (high severity), as there were no differences in ICFR assessments between auditors who developed a counterarguing or a bolstering mindset. Path analyses confirm that the moderate severity condition processed client persuasive communications by utilizing a strategy consistent with previously developed mindsets which, in turn, influenced ICFR assessments. The high severity condition, instead, followed a content-focused processing strategy that focused on items indicative of increased risk which was invariant to the mindset condition. Thus, the flexibility of auditor mindsets can impact professional skepticism and have efficiency and effectiveness consequences under certain conditions. These results have implications for audit training and for improving regulators’ understanding of why auditors do not always exhibit adequate skepticism.
Metabolic Correlates of Focal Ischemia

Stroke in humans is a syndrome consisting of the abrupt onset of a focal neurological deficit. The etiology of stroke is varied, but the majority of strokes are due to brain infarction from arterial occlusion (Walker et al., 1981; Robins and Baum, 1981). The rest are attributed to infarction, intracerebral hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Experimental focal ischemia produced by intracranial vessel occlusion closely resembles the clinical manifestations of cerebral ischemia presenting as stroke. The presence of different perfusion zones following vessel occlusion is responsible for the unique characteristics of focal, as opposed to global, ischemia. The variability of the collateral circulation and of tissue perfusion renders the experimental investigation of focal ischemia inherently more difficult than the investigation of global ischemia. The complexity of focal stroke is further compounded by an incomplete understanding of the control mechanisms regulating blood flow of the brain under normal and pathological conditions. Our working hypothesis is that the normal coupling mechanisms among function, blood flow, and metabolism are perturbed during and after ischemia and, furthermore, that the pathophysiologies in the focal and perifocal regions are distinct. For this reason, the results discussed in this chapter are prefaced by an overview of the physiology of energy metabolism and blood flow in the brain. The chapter will then briefly review the clinical significance of stroke in an attempt to underscore the importance of, and the problems with, focal ischemia models; finally, the biochemical correlates to brain injury following irreversible focal ischemia will be described in some detail.
STUDIES ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF CHOLESTEROL, PHOSPHOLIPID, AND PROTEIN IN THE HUMAN AND BOVINE LENS

The regional distribution of cholesterol, phospholipid and protein content was determined on pools of human lenses ranging from 13 to 68 years old. The study was undertaken to establish age matched controls for comparison with cataractous lenses. Future spectroscopic structure analysis of human lenses will be performed and the results related to chemical composition. The molar cholesterol to phospholipid ratio was 3.5 +/- 0.3 for human lens. This ratio is high for human tissue. The lens ratio increased from 2.2 +/- 0.3 in the equatorial region to 9.2 +/- 1.6 in the nuclear region. This trend was also observed in the bovine lens. The relative amount of protein increased concomitantly from 0.13 +/- 0.02 Kg protein per gram lipid in the equatorial region to 0.33 +/- 0.06 in the nucleus. The cholesterol to protein ratio remained constant throughout the lens at 0.073 +/- 0.003 Kg suggesting cholesterol could be associated with the crystallin proteins. In partially purified membrane preparations the cholesterol to phospholipid molar ratio was 2.6 +/- 0.2 and 3.2 +/- 0.2 for the cortex and nucleus respectively, three times lower than for the whole tissue. The high cholesterol content could account for the observed rigidity of membranes measured by infrared spectroscopic examination of the CH stretching band.
Hybrid hysteresis current control and low-frequency current harmonics mitigation based on proportional resonant in dc/ac inverter

In the two-stage photovoltaic (PV) micro-inverters, the bipolar hysteresis current control with soft switching for dc/ac inverter can achieve fast dynamic response, robust current regulation and high efficiency even with higher switching frequency. To further reduce the switching losses, unipolar hysteresis current control is desirable. However, it suffers from zero-crossing distortions and low frequency harmonics in the grid current. To solve those problems, this paper proposes a combined proportional resonant (PR) and hybrid hysteresis current control strategy. By investigating the reasons for zero-crossing distortions, hybrid hysteresis current control is applied to enable bipolar modulation around the zero-crossing zone and unipolar modulation in all other zones of the line period. At the same time, due to the wide hysteresis bands for soft switching, low output inductance and non-negligible sampling intervals from the digital controller, there will be many low frequency harmonics in the spectrum of output inductor current which deteriorates the quality of power absorbed by the grid. Therefore, the PR control may be used as well to mitigate the low frequency harmonics. The theoretical analysis of the proposed solutions are explained in this paper. Detailed simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the feasibility of the proposed control strategy.
Explicit and implicit memory for music in healthy older adults and patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Previous studies have found that music paired with lyrics at encoding may improve the memory performance of patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To further explore memory for ...
Impact of MMP-2 and MMP-9 enzyme activity on wound healing, tumor growth and RACPP cleavage

Matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 (MMP-2/-9) are key tissue remodeling enzymes that have multiple overlapping activities critical for wound healing and tumor progression in vivo. To overcome issues of redundancy in studying their functions in vivo, we created MMP-2/-9 double knockout (DKO) mice in the C57BL/6 background to examine wound healing. We then bred the DKO mice into the polyomavirus middle T (PyVmT) model of breast cancer to analyze the role of these enzymes in tumorigenesis. Breeding analyses indicated that significantly fewer DKO mice were born than predicted by Mendelian genetics and weaned DKO mice were growth compromised compared with wild type (WT) cohorts. Epithelial wound healing was dramatically delayed in adult DKO mice and when the DKO was combined with the PyVmT oncogene, we found that the biologically related process of mammary tumorigenesis was inhibited in a site-specific manner. To further examine the role of MMP-2/-9 in tumor progression, tumor cells derived from WT or DKO PyVmT transgenic tumors were grown in WT or DKO mice. Ratiometric activatable cell penetrating peptides (RACPPs) previously used to image cancer based on MMP-2/-9 activity were used to understand differences in MMP activity in WT or knockout syngeneic tumors in WT and KO animals. Analysis of an MMP-2 selective RACPP in WT or DKO mice bearing WT and DKO PyVmT tumor cells indicated that the genotype of the tumor cells was more important than the host stromal genotype in promoting MMP-2/-9 activity in the tumors in this model system. Additional complexities were revealed as the recruitment of host macrophages by the tumor cells was found to be the source of the tumor MMP-2/-9 activity and it is evident that MMP-2/-9 from both host and tumor is required for maximum signal using RACPP imaging for detection. We conclude that in the PyVmT model, the majority of MMP-2/-9 activity in mammary tumors is associated with host macrophages recruited into the tumor rather than that produced by the tumor cells themselves. Thus therapies that target tumor-associated macrophage functions have the potential to slow tumor progression.
An Exploration of the Effects of Managerial Intervention on Engineering Design Team Performance

Engineering is often done in teams, but teams are not always efficient and maximally proficient. This work explores whether a portion of the resources used for solving a problem could instead be used to manage and control the design process of the remainder of a team. Consequently, this research begins to investigate whether a manager can improve the collective performance of engineering design teams.
Transpedicular lag screw placement in traumatic cervical spondylolisthesis: Case report and systematic review of the literature.

Abstract Traumatic spondylolisthesis of C2-C3 is an unstable fracture. Posterior fixation techniques can be employed with intraoperative navigation, however this tool is not available to all spine surgeons. Furthermore, the evidence for posterior surgical stabilization of C2, while adhering to motion preservation principles is currently unknown. The authors describe a patient who had fractures of the pedicle and vertebral body of C2 and C3, which was successfully stabilized with freehand placement of C2 pedicle lag screws and subsequent C2-C5 fixation. Subsequently, a systematic review was performed to evaluate studies that utilized C2 lag screw placement in patients with traumatic spondylolisthesis of the axis (TSA). Eight retrospective case series were identified (N = 63 patients). Five studies evaluated an open posterior cervical approach and 3 investigated a percutaneous approach. Follow-up time ranged from 2 to 48 months and fusion was successful in most cases. No intra-operative complications were reported. On final follow-up, 2 patients had unintentional C2-C3 fusion, and 3 had C2-C3 instability. Three minor complications (urinary tract infection, surgical site hematoma, respiratory infection) were also reported, that resolved with medical management. Freehand placement of C2 pedicle lag screws may be a viable option in select cases. While posterior C2 lag-screw fixation demonstrated successful fusion in most patients with TSA, the supporting evidence is limited to level IV studies.
Investigation of novel trochoidal toolpath strategies for productive and efficient directed energy deposition processes

Abstract Directed energy deposition (DED) is an additive manufacturing technology where a moving energy source creates a meltpool on the surface of a substrate into which feedstock material is deposited to form the final part geometry. Maintenance of the meltpool during deposition requires very high intensity energy flux to overcome thermal losses to the surroundings and substrate. Trochoidal toolpaths are investigated using numerical simulation and DED experiments as a means of increasing the efficiency of the DED process. Trochoidal laser motion during DED was found to increase the material addition rate by 17% and powder catchment efficiency by 15%.
Building realistic assemblages with a Joint Species Distribution Model

1. Species distribution models (SDMs) can be used to predict how individual species---and whole assemblages of species---will respond to a changing environment. Until now, these models have either assumed (1) that species' occurrence probabilities are uncorrelated, or (2) that species respond linearly to preselected environmental variables. These two assumptions currently prevent ecologists from modeling assemblages with realistic co-occurrence and species richness properties. 2. This paper introduces a stochastic feedforward neural network, called mistnet, which makes neither assumption. Thus, unlike most SDMs, mistnet can account for non-independent co-occurrence patterns driven by unobserved environmental heterogeneity. And unlike recently proposed Joint SDMs, mistnet can also learn nonlinear functions relating species' occurrence probabilities to environmental predictors. 3. Mistnet makes more accurate predictions about the North American bird communities found along Breeding Bird Survey transects than several alternative methods tested. In particular, typical assemblages held out of sample for validation were nearly 50,000 times more likely under the mistnet model than under independent combinations of single-species models. 4. Apart from improved accuracy, mistnet shows two other important benefits for ecological research and management. First: by analyzing co-occurrence data, mistnet can identify unmeasured---and perhaps unanticipated---environmental variables that drive species turnover. For example, mistnet identified a strong grassland/forest gradient, even though only temperature and precipitation were given as model inputs. Second: mistnet is able to take advantage of incomplete data sets to guide its predictions towards more realistic assemblages. For example, mistnet automatically adjusts its expectations to include more forest-associated species in response to a stray observation of a forest-dwelling warbler.
Twist, slip, and circular dichroism in bilayer graphene

Stacking atomically thin two-dimensional materials with a rotational misalignment between their layers produces a van der Waals bilayer in which all mirror symmetries can be broken. A fundamental experimental signature of a twisted multilayer is circular dichroism (CD): the conversion of a linearly polarized incident optical field to an elliptically polarized field in transmission. This work investigates the relations between CD, the twist angle, and interlayer slip. In experiments where bilayers are formed by contacting one layer with another, the relative rotation angle between the symmetry axes of each sheet are controlled, but the lateral shifts between the layers are not. Accounting for the lateral shift between the layers expands the configuration space of twisted bilayer structures. Here we demonstrate how the symmetry constraints in this expanded configuration space are expressed in the CD spectrum of twisted bilayer graphene as a function of the rotation angle and interlayer slip.
Natural gas infrastructure development in North America under integrated markets

Abstract The exploitation of low-cost shale gas in the Marcellus Formation, the deregulation initiatives in the U.S. and Mexico, and the emergence of natural gas as a bridging fuel to a low-carbon economy has fueled the growth of North American natural gas production, which is projected to keep growing in the mid-term to support the increasing LNG exports. Greater introduction of renewables and deeper electrification suppress both supply and demand for natural gas in the long-term. The long lead times of pipeline operation and field exploitation render the timing of natural gas abatement critical to natural gas infrastructure stakeholders. Full integration of the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican natural gas markets implies that the abatement trajectories of the three countries are tightly linked. This paper studies the development of the integrated North American natural gas markets and infrastructure under different assumptions on resource availability, technological progress, and global crude oil prices. We quantify the impact of each scenario by using the North American Natural Gas Model. Our analysis shows that cross-border U.S.-Mexico trade is more resilient under all three shocks compared to U.S.-Canada trade. Increasing Mexican production could drive the growth of the domestic Mexican market instead of reducing U.S.-Mexico trade.
Addressing Barriers to Healthcare for Refugee and Immigrant Children

Background: Children of refugee and immigrant families continue to face significant challenges in terms of accessing healthcare in the United States. From a healthcare systems standpoint, very few states offer medical coverage to children regardless of immigration status. Additional obstacles that hinder healthcare accessibility for this population include disparities in health literacy, language barriers, lack of trust in the healthcare system, cultural differences, and financial constraints. This poses challenges, as the risk for children developing chronic diseases is higher in the refugee and immigrant population. Healthcare systems need to …
Head/Neck and Truncal Blocks

As discussed in previous chapters, accurately diagnosing neuropathic pain can prove to be a difficult task and nerve blocks of the head, neck, and trunk can serve as both a diagnostic and therapeutic measure for these pain disorders. Similarly, sympathetic blocks can be utilized to diagnose sympathetic-mediated pain and potentially provide treatment. Knowledge of when to perform these procedures, knowing how to perform them, and being able to utilize the patient’s response to the blockade can assist providers in the management of these pains.
Adverse childhood experiences and adult psychopathological symptoms: The moderating role of dispositional mindfulness

Abstract Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a common occurrence that increase risk for psychopathological symptoms in adulthood. Dispositional mindfulness is modifiable and inversely related to childhood adversity, adult psychopathology, and mechanisms that account for this relationship. Objective This study examined mindfulness as a moderator of relationships between ACEs and adult psychopathological symptoms. Method Participants were undergraduate students (N = 560, Mage = 18.5 years, 69% female, 71% White) at a large southwestern public university. Students were recruited from Introductory Psychology courses to complete an online survey and received research credit for participating. The survey assessed ACEs, mindfulness, and symptoms of depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and eating pathology. Results Moderator analyses revealed that mindfulness moderated the ACEs-generalized anxiety relationship, F (6, 552) = 48.55, p Conclusions Mindfulness may be a useful target for generalized anxiety treatment or prevention for individuals who have experienced ACEs.
Pre-capture multiplexing provides additional power to detect copy number variation in exome sequencing.

As exome sequencing (ES) integrates into clinical practice, we should make every effort to utilize all information generated. Copy-number variation can lead to Mendelian disorders, but small copy-number variants (CNVs) often get overlooked or obscured by under-powered data collection. Many groups have developed methodology for detecting CNVs from ES, but existing methods often perform poorly for small CNVs and rely on large numbers of samples not always available to clinical laboratories. Furthermore, methods often rely on Bayesian approaches requiring user-defined priors in the setting of insufficient prior knowledge. This report first demonstrates the benefit of multiplexed exome capture (pooling samples prior to capture), then presents a novel detection algorithm, mcCNV (“multiplexed capture CNV”), built around multiplexed capture. We demonstrate: (1) multiplexed capture reduces inter-sample variance; (2) our mcCNV method, a novel depth-based algorithm for detecting CNVs from multiplexed capture ES data, improves the detection of small CNVs. We contrast our novel approach, agnostic to prior information, with the the commonly-used ExomeDepth. In a simulation study mcCNV demonstrated a favorable false discovery rate (FDR). When compared to calls made from matched genome sequencing, we find the mcCNV algorithm performs comparably to ExomeDepth. Implementing multiplexed capture increases power to detect single-exon CNVs. The novel mcCNV algorithm may provide a more favorable FDR than ExomeDepth. The greatest benefits of our approach derive from (1) not requiring a database of reference samples and (2) not requiring prior information about the prevalance or size of variants.
Detrimental Association: An Epistemological Connection of Dysfunction Within and Across Paradigms

The notion of common factors in counseling and psychotherapy theory is not new. This article contends that detrimental associations are the root of dysfunction and are common to all theories of counseling and psychotherapy. The article defines detrimental associations as organic or auxiliary connections formed by clients that lead to dysfunction. Associations deemed detrimental include a variety of aspects of a client's life, depending upon the theoretical lens through which dysfunction is viewed. The article explores how detrimental associations are conceptualized by level and across theories and paradigms and discusses implications for professional counseling.