cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Divert: fine-grained path selection for wireless LANs

The performance of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)often suffers from link-layer frame losses caused by noise, interference, multipath, attenuation, and user mobility. We observe that frame losses often occur in bursts and that three of the five main causes of frame losses -- multipath, attenuation, mobility--depends on the transmission path traversed between an access point (AP)and a client station.In a typical WLAN deployment, different transmission paths to a client exist in places where overlapping coverage is provided by a set of neighboring APs. Using experimental measurements and analysis on a 802.11b testbed, we show that fine-grained path selection among a set of neighboring APs can significantly reduce path-dependent losses in WLANs.We design and implement a WLAN distribution system called Divert, which supports fine-grained path selection for downlink communications, on an 802.11b testbed. Divert reduces frame losses without consuming any extra bandwidth in the wireless medium. Our experimental results show that Divert can reduce frame loss rates in realistic scenarios by as much as 26% compared to a fixed-path scheme that uses the best available transmitter.
THE PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF PROAPORPHINES: A NEW ROUTE TO THE APORPHINES

Abstract Proaporphines undergo light catalyzed rearrangement. Pakistanamine ( 1 ) is thus converted into lumipakistanine ( 2 ), while pronuciferine ( 7 ) and N-acetylnorpronuciferine ( 8 ) afford the corresponding C-9 hydroxylated aporphines 9 and 10 . Possible biogenetic schemes for the formation of C-8, C-9-, and C-8,9-substituted aporphines are presented.
Epigenetic therapy upregulates the tumor suppressor microRNA-126 and its host gene EGFL7 in human cancer cells

Studies have shown that aberrant expression of miRNAs is involved in the initiation and progression of cancer, and several miRNAs have been characterized as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. Restoring the expression of tumor suppressor genes by epigenetic therapy has great potential in cancer treatment and it has been shown that some miRNAs can be directly regulated from their own promoters by epigenetic alterations in cancer cells. However, the majority of miRNAs are located within intronic regions of transcription units and it was unclear if intronic miRNAs can also be epigenetically regulated. Here we show that the tumor suppressor miR-126, which is located within an intron of the EGFL7 gene, is downregulated in cancer cell lines and in primary bladder and prostate tumors. Mature miR-126 can be generated from three different transcripts of EGFL7 with each one having its own promoter. Interestingly, miR-126 and one of the transcripts of EGFL7 that has a CpG island promoter are concomitantly upregulated in cancer cell lines by inhibitors of DNA methylation and histone deacetylation. These findings suggest that epigenetic changes can control the expression of tumor suppressor intronic miRNAs by directly controlling their host genes. Thus, epigenetic therapy not only directly activates miRNAs from their own promoters, but also activates intronic miRNAs together with their host genes. This reveals an additional mechanism and anticancer effect of epigenetic therapy.
Revision of the goldenrod-galling Rhopalomyia species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in North America

Goldenrods (Solidago and Euthamia species) are common herbs in the eastern United States that support a large and diverse community of highly specific gall-inducing insects. The majority of these insects are gall midges, of which 16 described species are bud, leaf, stem, rhizome, or flower-head gallers belonging to the large genus Rhopalomyia Rubsaamen. The present work is a taxonomic revision of the goldenrod-associated Rhopalomyia species, which includes a key to the identification of species based on their galls and host plants and descriptions of diagnostic characters for all species. Rhopalomyia lanceolata Felt is designated as a new synonym for R. lobata Felt, and R. albipennis Felt and R. carolina Felt are designated as new synonyms for R. solidaginis Loew. Neotypes are designated for R. hirtipes Osten Sacken and R. solidaginis, and two new species are described—R. gina Dorchin n.sp. and R. guttata Dorchin n.sp. Descriptions include illustrations of galls, male and female morphological characters, and the first description of pupae, where available. New or additional detailed information is also provided on gall structure, phenology, and life history of the gall midges.
Computer simulation of vapor-liquid equilibrium in mixed solvent electrolyte solutions

We review Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations of vapor-liquid equilibrium in pure water, water/NaCl, water/methanol and water/methanol/NaCl mixtures conducted in our laboratory. The intermolecular potentials used are taken directly from the published literature. For the cases in which interaction potentials between unlike species were not available in the literature, these were constructed using the Berthelot mixing rules. The Ewald sum method with tinfoil boundary conditions was used to take into account long range forces.
Near-Boom Oil-Slick Instability Criterion in Viscous Flows and the Influence of Free-Surface Boundary Conditions

Booms are often used to contain oil spills prior to various oil removal techniques. Under certain conditions, the oil droplets can leave the oil slick and enter the water. A simple balance of hydrodynamic forces on a droplet results in an instability criterion which determines whether the droplet will be swept past the boom or not. For viscous flows, it is shown here that the instability criterion consists of a term proportional to the pressure gradient along the boom, as in the potential-flow case, and a term that is inversely proportional to the Reynolds number, although the magnitude of this new term is found to be very small. The solution of viscous flow past an oil boom is obtained using the fractional-step method in a curvilinear coordinate system and the instability criterion is estimated. The influence of the approximate free-surface conditions, such as the rigid-lid no-slip, rigid-lid free-slip, and the exact free-surface condition, on the instability criterion is also investigated. The different approximations of free-surface conditions are shown to influence the pressure distributions, thus resulting in different neutral stability curves.
Measuring Education and Skill

This article reviews recent developments in measuring education and skill that need to be taken into account in any new initiative to monitor social mobility. Over the past half-century, patterns of educational participation and attainment have become more heterogeneous, a trend that has been accompanied by increases in assessment and testing practices, and the availability of electronic data sources and other administrative records, including official school transcripts that are generally held indefinitely. This article describes the most promising approaches to measuring education and discusses some of the possible challenges for using the information to study social mobility. Measures of educational concepts fall along at least one of several dimensions: credentials earned, qualities of the schools attended, the amount and nature of curricular exposure, and the development and acquisition of skills. Selected data sources, with an emphasis on school transcripts and administrative records, and their poss...
Effects of vitamin D insufficiency on bone mineral density in African American men

In African American men serum, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) was below 30 ng/ml in 89% of subjects. In overall group, there was no correlation between 25-OHD and bone mineral density (BMD). A subgroup analysis of subjects with 25-OHD ≤15 ng/ml showed that serum 25-OHD was positively associated with BMD. This study examined the effects of low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) on bone mineral density (BMD) in African American (AA) men from the general medicine clinic at an inner city Veteran Administration medical center. The data for 112 AA males who had both 25-OHD levels and BMD of spine and hip were extracted and analyzed using SAS software. AA men were aged 38 to 85 years, with mean age of 62 years. Levels of 25-OHD ranged from 4 to 45 ng/ml, with mean 17.5 ng/ml, 24% and 89% of the subjects had 25-OHD below 10 and 30 ng/ml, respectively. In the overall group, there was no correlation between 25-OHD and BMD at any site. In a subgroup analysis of subjects with 25-OHD ≤15 ng/ml, in multiple adjusted models, 25-OHD was positively associated with BMD of spine (r = 0.26, p = 0.05), total hip (r = 0.27, p < 0.05), ward’s triangle (r = 0.25, p = 0.05), and trochanter (r = 0.30, p < 0.05). The negative effect of vitamin D insufficiency on bone was observed only at very low levels of 25-OHD, suggesting that AA male skeleton is relatively resistant to the effects of secondary hyperparathyroidism.
Musculoskeletal Mechanics: A Foundation of Motor Physiology

The design of the musculoskeletal system has always been a major consideration in the interpretation of experiments on the motor system. However, as motor physiology progresses toward a more comprehensive picture of motor behaviour, the study of the musculoskeletal system has of necessity, and of interest, come to depend more and more on the quantitative methods of biomechanics. Biomechanical studies have led to new hypotheses about the design of the motor system and biomechanical considerations have provided important tests of existing hypotheses concerning the neural control of movement. These hypotheses include global issues such as redundancy and encoded variables as well as specific hypotheses such as Stiffness Regulation, Selective Recruitment and the concept of Flexor Reflex Afferents.
Timing of birth: Parsimony favors strategic over dysregulated parturition.

Objectives The “dysregulated parturition” narrative posits that the human stress response includes a cascade of hormones that “dysregulates” and accelerates parturition but provides questionable utility as a guide to understand or prevent preterm birth. We offer and test a “strategic parturition” narrative that not only predicts the excess preterm births that dysregulated parturition predicts but also makes testable, sex-specific predictions of the effect of stressful environments on the timing of birth among term pregnancies. Methods We use interrupted time-series modeling of cohorts conceived over 101 months to test for lengthening of early term male gestations in stressed population. We use an event widely reported to have stressed Americans and to have increased the incidence of low birth weight and fetal death across the country—the terrorist attacks of September 2001. We tested the hypothesis that the odds of male infants conceived in December 2000 (i.e., at term in September 2001) being born early as opposed to full term fell below the value expected from those conceived in the 50 prior and 50 following months. Results We found that term male gestations exposed to the terrorist attacks exhibited 4% lower likelihood of early, as opposed to full or late, term birth. Conclusions Strategic parturition explains observed data for which the dysregulated parturition narrative offers no prediction—the timing of birth among gestations stressed at term. Our narrative may help explain why findings from studies examining associations between population- and/or individual-level stressors and preterm birth are generally mixed. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A comprehensive PHEMT core model for switch applications

A comprehensive non-linear PHEMT core model for switch applications is described. The model combines an accurate description of CV below pinch-off and a 2D CV function above pinch-off for better charge and capacitance modeling. At the same time, more accurate is the model's IV prediction on the current in the near pinch-off region. The model has detailed leakage equations and dispersion function covering a wide range of operation, and taking gate lag into consideration. The model was verified by a variety of measured data, including IV/transfer curves, leakages, floating voltages and S-parameters/CV curves. In a switch application, comparison between modeled and measured data on harmonics, insertion loss and isolation regarding various driving power shows excellent and consistent agreement in both on-state and off-state.
Complexity of service value networks: conceptualization and empirical investigation

This paper explores how service value is created in a network context and how the structure and dynamics of the value network as well as customer expectations influence the complexity of the services ecosystem. The paper then discusses what transformative role information and communication technology (ICT) plays in coordinating and delivering value and managing this complexity. A conceptual model is developed for understanding and investigating the nature, delivery, and exchange of service value and assessing the complexity of a service value network. Three central arguments are presented. First, value in the services economy is driven and determined by the end consumer and delivered through a complex web of direct and indirect relationships between value network actors. Second, the complexity of service value networks not only depends on the number of actors but also on the conditional probabilities that these actors are involved in delivering the service to the consumer. Third, ICT plays a central role in reducing complexity for consumers by providing greater levels of value network integration, information visibility, and means to manage and anticipate change.
Reservoir Stress-Induced Formation Damage: Formation Compaction, Subsidence, Sanding Tendency, Sand Migration, Prediction and Control, and Gravel-Pack Damage

Characteristics of reservoir formations susceptible for deformation and sand production are reviewed. Stress-induced formation damage resulting from reservoir formation compaction, subsidence, and sanding processes is investigated. The mechanical and hydrodynamic processes causing sand production, migration, and retention in reservoir formations are described and modeled. Typical features of effective gravel pack designs are explained. The various parameters affecting the gravel-pack efficiency are discussed. The criteria available for effective selection of sand control techniques are reviewed. Predictive models for sand filtration and retention in gravel packs and applications by means of typical test data are presented.
Talker specificity and the perception of grammatical variation

Language processing has been shown to be affected by both recent exposure to linguistic structures (priming effects) and non-linguistic, indexical information (talker effects). Three experiments explored two hypotheses: that sociolinguistically variable subjectverb agreement constructions are susceptible to grammatical priming, and that comprehension of these constructions is susceptible to talker-specificity effects. Experiment 1 tested for grammatical priming effects on the interpretation of two subjectverb agreement constructions, there’sNPSG/PL and NPSG/PL don’t. In a forced choice task, participants chose which of two images represented the subject noun that was in a sentence; participants read an unambiguous prime sentence and then heard an ambiguous target sentence. Experiment 1 found a priming effect: nonstandard primes increased participants’ perception of nonstandard agreement in target sentences. Experiment 2 tested whether this priming could be modulated by non-linguistic cues by manipulating whether the prime and target sentence were spoken by the same talker or by different talkers, cued by voice and photograph. Experiment 2 did not find a talker specificity effect. In an alternative design using identical prime and target sentences, Experiment 3 tested for talker-specific lexical repetition of subject nouns across primes and targets separated by intervening trials. Experiment 3 found a talker effect: participants were better at matching a subject noun in the target block to the subject noun in the prime block when the talker was identical than when the talker differed. These results are discussed in terms of competing linguistic and non-linguistic cues during language processing, and the activation of sociolinguistic representations.
Near-Infrared-Excitation Resonance Raman Studies of Bacterial Reaction Centers

Resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopy has proven to be an effective probe of the structure of the bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) and bacteriopheophytin (BPh) pigments in bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) [1–3]. Most RR studies have been performed with excitation resonant with either the B-states or Qx-states of the pigments. Interpretation of the RR scattering observed with B-state excitation is complicated by the fact that the absorption bands of all six pigments overlap. This is not the case for the Qx region; however, these absorptions are relatively weak which leads to relatively poor quality RR spectra. In contrast, the Qy absorption bands of the special pair (P) BChls, the accessory BChls, and the BPhs are energetically better separated and relatively intense. The combination of these spectral characteristics makes the Qy region an attractive target for RR studies of RCs. Early Qy-excitation RR studies of RCs were hampered by the lack of suitable detectors or laser excitation sources [4]. However, with the advent of the charge couple device (CCD) and Ti:sapphire laser, this is no longer a problem. Regardless, the most serious impediment to Qy-excitation RR studies of RCs is the presence of strong fluorescence intrinsic to the RCs or from small amounts of exogenous pigments present in the preparations. Despite this limitation, high quality Qy-excitation RR spectra of RCs can be obtained [5–7].
Entrepreneurial Exploration and Exploitation in Family Business A Systematic Review and Future Directions

In entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial exploration and exploitation have been considered central activities for the survival, growth, and renewal of businesses. In this review we systematically examine research on these topics in family business. Our review comprises 59 publications examining exploration and/or exploitation in family firms published between 2001 and 2015 in 32 publications. The article highlights the contributions of family business in this area and reveals additional areas where a stronger connection between these concepts and the family business field could be developed. We suggest several new research directions that may enhance the understanding of these entrepreneurial activities in family business.
Factors Influencing Trainee Willingness to Disclose in Supervision

Structural equation modeling was used to investigate an overarching model of the interrelationships among a combined set of variables (i.e., trainee anxiety, supervisory working alliance, and counseling self-efficacy) related to trainee willingness to disclose in supervision. A modified version of the model satisfied the predetermined criteria for good fit to the observed data. The findings provided further empirical support for the relationships between higher counseling self-efficacy and less trainee anxiety, stronger supervisory working alliance and less trainee anxiety, and stronger supervisory working alliance and higher willingness to disclose. Empirical support was not found for a relationship between trainee anxiety and willingness to disclose or a relationship between counseling self-efficacy and willingness to disclose. Implications for practice and future research directions are discussed.
Automatic Spraying Machine Based on PLC and Stepper Motor Control

In this paper,a set of automatic spraying machine using stepping motor control based on PLC is introduced.The system is based on Siemens PLC and stepping motor position control,and Siemens operator panel is used for man-machine interface,realizing automatic spraying of the engine inner wall coating,improving the uniformity of the coating,increasing work efficiency,and avoiding an injury from the volatile gas to human body.
Role of Thyrotropin Measurements in the Diagnosis and Management of Thryoid Disease

This article reviews the role of thyrotropin assays in clinical medicine and illustrates the advantages and limitations of assays that can measure subnormal concentrations. Analytic considerations that can significantly alter the performance of these assays are outlined. The concept of assay generations is defined, and the potential roles of third and fourth generation assays are postulated. In addition, a diagnostic strategy is presented for using TSH and other procedures in the diagnosis and management of thyroid disease.
Postnatal expression of the canalicular bile acid transport system of rat liver.

Canalicular plasma membrane (CPM) vesicles prepared by a Ca2+ precipitation method from developing (7 and 14 days old) and adult rat liver were used to directly examine the postnatal ontogenesis of taurocholate (TC) transport. The initial rate of 50 microM TC uptake by vesicles derived from 14-day-old and adult but not 7-day-old animals was markedly inhibited by the anion transport inhibitor 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS). DIDS-sensitive TC uptake was 21.6 +/- 5.6 (SE) at 14 days compared with 58.1 +/- 8.1 pmol.mg protein-1.5 s-1 in adults (P less than or equal to 0.01). Kinetic studies were performed by preloading these predominantly "right-side out" vesicles with TC (25-800 microM) and measuring the initial rate (5 s) of efflux into bile salt-free medium. Computer analysis of the DIDS-sensitive portion of efflux revealed saturable kinetics with a similar Vmax (2.72 +/- 0.36 vs. 1.97 +/- 0.17 nmol.mg protein-1.min-1; P = NS) but a threefold higher Km (0.35 +/- 0.09 vs. 0.11 +/- 0...
Partners in Immunization: 2010 Survey Examining Differences Among H1N1 Vaccine Providers in Washington State

Objectives.Emergency response involving mass vaccination requires the involvement of traditional vaccine providers as well as other health-care providers, including pharmacists, obstetricians, and ...
Nesting ecology of early-successional birds in restored longleaf and loblolly pine stands

ABSTRACT After historic declines in acreage and function, longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannah is considered one of the most important ecological communities in need of protection and restoration along the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains. Numerous state and federal programs are available to encourage restoration on private lands; however, the success of these programs in producing quality habitat for longleaf pine savannah specialist species is largely unknown. To assess quality of restored longleaf pine forests in east Texas, we compared nest success, nest survival, and nest site selection of Prairie Warblers (Setophaga discolor), Yellow-breasted Chats (Icteria virens), Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea), and Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), in young (0–5 years) and mid-aged (5–10 years) stands of longleaf pines to these same parameters in young, managed stands of loblolly pines (P. taeda). We monitored 65 nests for all four species combined, where 28 (43%) occurred in longleaf stands, an...
How to assess the accuracy of the individual tree-based forest inventory derived from remotely sensed data: a review

Effort has been devoted to automatic or semi-automatic individual tree detection and crown delineation from remotely sensed data, aiming at the effective creation of forest inventory, to assist forest management and ecosystem modelling. However, there is no uniform evaluation scheme to assess the resulting products. This paper reviews the available techniques and essential considerations for evaluating remote sensing-based forest inventory products, including detected individual tree locations, crown delineation maps, forest structure parameters, and species classification results. The reference data collection, individual tree matching method, mismatched individual tree crown treatment, and stratification criteria are summarized as four key factors in the evaluation process. Additionally, a discussion of future working directions, regarding limitations of existing techniques, multi-scale evaluation, sampling schemes, uncertainty analysis, and results interpretation, is also included. A new accuracy assessment framework is proposed, and an accuracy report example is provided.
Superconducting and normal state properties of the systems La 1 − x M x Pt 4 Ge 12 ( M = Ce , Th )

Electrical resistivity, magnetization, and specific heat measurements were performed on polycrystalline samples of the filled-skutterudite systems ${\mathrm{La}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{M}_{x}{\mathrm{Pt}}_{4}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{12}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}(M=\text{Ce}$ and $\mathrm{Th})$. Superconductivity in ${\mathrm{LaPt}}_{4}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{12}$ was quickly suppressed with Ce substitution and no evidence for superconductivity was found down to 1.1 K for $xg0.2$. Temperature-dependent specific heat data at low temperatures for ${\mathrm{La}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Ce}}_{x}{\mathrm{Pt}}_{4}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{12}$ show a change from power-law to exponential behavior, which may be an indication for multiband superconductivity in ${\mathrm{LaPt}}_{4}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{12}$. A similar crossover was observed in the ${\mathrm{Pr}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Ce}}_{x}{\mathrm{Pt}}_{4}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{12}$ system. However, the suppression rates of the superconducting transition temperatures ${T}_{c}$($x$) in the two systems are quite disparate, indicating a difference in the nature of superconductivity, which is conventional in ${\mathrm{LaPt}}_{4}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{12}$ and unconventional in ${\mathrm{PrPt}}_{4}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{12}$. In comparison, a nearly linear and smooth evolution of ${T}_{c}$ with increasing Th was observed in the ${\mathrm{La}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Th}}_{x}{\mathrm{Pt}}_{4}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{12}$ system, with no change of the superconducting energy gap in the temperature dependence of the specific heat, suggesting similar types of superconductivity in both the ${\mathrm{LaPt}}_{4}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{12}$ and ${\mathrm{ThPt}}_{4}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{12}$ compounds.
Low temperature oxidation and pyrolysis of n-heptane in nanosecond-pulsed plasma discharges

Abstract The present study seeks to explore the parametric effects of oxygen concentration, argon dilution and plasma discharge frequency on pyrolytic and oxidative reaction pathways of n-heptane assisted by non-equilibrium plasma discharge. Low temperature reaction pathways of n-heptane/O 2 /Ar mixtures with a nanosecond repetitively pulsed plasma discharge are experimentally investigated in both in situ time-dependent TDLAS and steady state gas sampling diagnostics. Fuel consumption is found to be more effective in higher argon than higher oxygen concentrations, indicating higher electron number densities with argon dilution is more effective than direct electron impact dissociation of oxygen. Steady state sampling results suggest a linear trend of n-heptane dissociation and product species formation with increasing plasma frequency, with different major product species for oxidation and pyrolysis. In the time-dependent measurements, the comparison between experiments and numerical modeling show that formation of a major intermediate species, formaldehyde, is significantly under-predicted while fuel and water production are over-predicted. This discrepancy suggests missing reactions in the current model, possibly involving excited alkyl peroxide radicals.
Transformative Pilgrimage Learning and Spirituality on the Caminio de Santiago

There are many conceptualizations of transformative learning. Most relevant to this chapter is the literature that connects to the spiritual/cultural perspectives on transformative learning (Taylor, 2008), which merges Mezirow’s (1991) conception of transformative learning with spiritual and cultural dimensions discussed by numerous authors (Brooks, 2000; Charaniya, 2012; Tisdell, 2003).
Does Situationism Threaten Free Will and Moral Responsibility

The situationist movement in social psychology has caused a considerable stir in philosophy. Much of this was prompted by the work of Gilbert Harman and John Doris. Both contended that familiar philosophical assumptions about the role of character in the explanation of action were not supported by experimental results. Most of the ensuing philosophical controversy has focused upon issues related to moral psychology and ethical theory. More recently, the influence of situationism has also given rise to questions regarding free will and moral responsibility. There is cause for concern that a range of situationist findings are in tension with the reasons-responsiveness putatively required for free will and moral responsibility. We develop and defend a response to the alleged situationist threat to free will and moral responsibility that we call pessimistic realism. We conclude on an optimistic note, exploring the possibility of strengthening our agency in the face of situational influences.
Conceptual Foundations of Public Interest Communications

This article argues that public interest communications (PIC) fundamentally emerges from public relations (PR) scholarship. PIC addresses paradigm anomalies of the excellence and relationship management theories of public relations in the specific case of activism and communication for the common good. It posits that PIC is structurally different from non-profit public relations and examines several key conceptual differences between PR and PIC.
Neurovascular toxicity of N-methyl-d-aspartate is markedly enhanced in the developing mouse central nervous system

Penumbral perfusion is critical to brain viability. Proximal arterial occlusion and deep brain stroke has variable effect on cortical dysfunction. Cortical microvessel collaterals may be recruited and at times sufficient for partial parenchymal perfusion. Postnatal neural and endothelial cells are markedly vulnerable to glutamate excitotoxicity. Early vascular cell stress may promote partial protective neural preconditioning though postnatally a developmental window of the cerebral microvasculature may be particularly vulnerable to injury. We tested the hypothesis that postnatal NMDA excitotoxic injury, when cerebral endothelial cells' central energy source is via glycolysis, is age specific. Neurovascular responses of cortical viability were directly identified with diffuse reflectance patterns of perfusion properties in a non-invasive manner, over time. Histological evaluation for neural and vascular cytoarchitectonic abnormalities were evaluated 4- 7days post injury. Optical diffuse reflectance recordings were obtained at the injection site prior to, immediately after and 48h post injury. Extent of neurovascular injury at the infarct zone was greatest at PND 5 and cortical perfusion responses identified with recordings of pattern change. These data further suggest excitotoxic injury to both neural and vascular cells, in vivo, can enhance CNS injury in the young and neuroprotective strategies may benefit from vascular directed therapies.
The Drosophila melanogaster tribbles pseudokinase is necessary for proper memory formation

The tribbles (trbl) pseudokinases play important roles in signaling and physiology in multiple contexts, ranging from innate immunity to cancer, suggesting fundamental cellular functions for the trbls' gene products. Despite expression of the trbl pseudokinases in the nervous systems of invertebrate and vertebrate animals, and evidence that they have a function within mouse and human dopamine neurons, there is no clear case for a function of a Trbl protein that influences behavior. Indeed, the first and only evidence for this type of function comes from Drosophila melanogaster, where a mutation of the single trbl gene was identified in a genetic screen for short-term memory mutant flies. The current study tested flies containing multiple trbl mutant alleles and potential transgenic rescue in both operant place memory and classical olfactory memory paradigms. Genetic complementation tests and transgenic rescue of memory phenotypes in both paradigms show that the D. melanogaster trbl pseudokinase is essential for proper memory formation. Expression analysis with a polyclonal antiserum against Trbl shows that the protein is expressed widely in the fly brain, with higher expression in the cellular rind than the neuropil. Rescue of the behavioral phenotype with transgenic expression indicates the trbl function can be localized to a subset of the nervous system. Thus, we provide the first compelling case for the function of a trbl pseudokinase in the regulation of behavior.
Microstructures and Microhardness Properties of CMSX-4 ® Additively Fabricated Through Scanning Laser Epitaxy (SLE)

Epitaxial CMSX-4® deposition is achieved on CMSX-4® substrates through the scanning laser epitaxy (SLE) process. A thorough analysis is performed using various advanced material characterization techniques, namely high-resolution optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and Vickers microhardness measurements, to characterize and compare the quality of the SLE-fabricated CMSX-4® deposits to the CMSX-4® substrates. The results show that the CMSX-4® deposits have smaller primary dendritic arm spacing, finer γ/γ′ size, weaker elemental segregation, and higher microhardness compared to the investment cast CMSX-4® substrates. The results presented here demonstrate that CMSX-4® is an attractive material for laser-based AM processing and, therefore, can be used in the fabrication of gas turbine hot-section components through AM processing.
DNA Barcoding of the Banded Mystery Snail, Viviparus georgianus in the Adirondacks with Quantification of Parasitic Infection in the Species

The banded mystery snail, Viviparus georgianus (Lea, 1834) is an invasive freshwater mollusc of the northeastern United States, where it has become the dominant fauna in many lakes and rivers of upstate New York (NY). Despite a series of comprehensive taxonomic studies carried out in the early 1990s on molluscs in the region, this species was never genetically confirmed in NY. In addition, its invasive potential had never approached that of the notorious zebra and quagga mussels. In this study, we report a new population of V. georgianus from the Adirondacks (northern NY) and genetically confirm its identity for the first time using Bayesian analysis. Based on field observations, we also investigated trematode infection in 200 snails and quantify their prevalence and intensity over four months in the summer of 2016 (May–August). Our results found that V. georgianus serves as the intermediate host of an echinostomatid trematode species with an overall prevalence of 66.7% (N=177). We discuss the implications of these results within the context of the snail's invasive status in NY and provide a framework for future research on the species.
Genomic integration and expression of the Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans catalase gene in Aggregatibacter aphrophilus

Abstract Objective To test the hypothesis that virulence genes of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans can be expressed and confer fitness advantages in the closely related Aggregatibacter aphrophilus. Design Clinical isolates of A. aphrophilus were screened for natural competence with marked genomic DNA from A. actinomycetemcomitans and A. aphrophilus. The gene katA of A. actinomycetemcomitans D7S-1 and its flanking regions were constructed and inserted into a comparable locus in the genome of a naturally competent A. aphrophilus strain by a markerless protocol via natural transformation. Mutants of A. actinomycetemcomitans with or without katA were also constructed by a similar protocol. Discs soaked with either 0.03% hydrogen peroxide or broth culture of Streptococcus gordonii Challis were placed on the agar with cultures of A. actinomycetemcomitans or A. aphrophilus. The size of the growth inhibition zone associated with the disc was measured after 2-day culture. Results Five of the 13 A. aphrophilus strains exhibited a transformation frequency of 10−6 or higher. The intra- and inter-species transformation frequencies were comparable. The inhibition zones for katA-negative strains of A. actinomycetemcomitans or A. aphrophilus were 3- to 7-fold larger than those associated with katA-positive strains (p Conclusions There was no apparent species barrier for the transfer and expression of A. actinomycetemcomitans katA in A. aphrophilus. The inserted A. actinomycetemcomitans-specific katA gene in A. aphrophilus strain NJ8700 conferred resistance to inhibition by hydrogen peroxide or S. gordonii. The potential to swap genes between these two closely related oral species may be an alternative approach for investigating the virulence determinants of A. actinomycetemcomitans.
Scalar bispectrum beyond slow-roll in the unified EFT of inflation

We present a complete formulation of the scalar bispectrum in the unified effective field theory (EFT) of inflation, which includes the Horndeski and beyond-Horndeski Gleyzes-Langlois-Piazza-Vernizzi classes, in terms of a set of simple one-dimensional integrals. These generalized slow-roll expressions remain valid even when slow-roll is transiently violated, and encompass all configurations of the bispectrum. We show analytically that our expressions explicitly preserve the squeezed-limit consistency relation beyond slow-roll. As an example application of our results, we compute the scalar bispectrum in a model in which potential-driven G-inflation at early times transitions to chaotic inflation at late times, showing that our expressions accurately track the bispectrum when slow-roll is violated and conventional slow-roll approximations fail.
Open source barriers to entry, revisited: a sociotechnical perspective

Research has revealed that significant barriers exist when entering Open-Source Software (OSS) communities and that women disproportionately experience such barriers. However, this research has focused mainly on social/cultural factors, ignoring the environment itself --- the tools and infrastructure. To shed some light onto how tools and infrastructure might somehow factor into OSS barriers to entry, we conducted a field study with five teams of software professionals, who worked through five use-cases to analyze the tools and infrastructure used in their OSS projects. These software professionals found tool/infrastructure barriers in 7% to 71% of the use-case steps that they analyzed, most of which are tied to newcomer barriers that have been established in the literature. Further, over 80% of the barrier types they found include attributes that are biased against women.
Intracytoplasmic Injection with Suboptimal Spermatozoa

In vitro fertilization has been extensively used for the alleviation of human infertility since the late 1970s. However, because spermatozoa failed to fertilize in many cases of male factor indication, a number of gamete manipulation techniques emerged to overcome this inability. The implementation of microsurgical techniques, particularly ICSI, has made possible to overcome defects in male gamete production and dysfunction to allow male partners to fertilize oocytes at rates that previously would have been deemed unachievable. In the last 19 years at Cornell, we have performed thus far a total of 34,425 ART cycles by ICSI and in vitro insemination. To evaluate differences in performance between these most common insemination methods, we compared embryological outcomes and clinical pregnancy rates between standard in vitro insemination and ICSI. While it appeared that fertilization was lower in IVF than with ICSI, this was confirmed even after correcting fertilization for retrieved oocytes. ICSI still yielded more oocytes fertilized than IVF (60.5 % vs. 67.6 %; P = 0.0001) as well as higher term pregnancies (P = 0.0002). The origin of the spermatozoa used for ICSI was also described and outcomes compared. In addition, considerations on the efficacy of current methods to select the ideal male gamete are elucidated and concerns related to the offspring generated from couples with severe male factor are discussed.
Vocational Interests, Values, and Preferences, Psychology of

Interests, values, and preferences are constructs used to operationalize ‘motivation’ in the classic formula: PERFORMANCE=ability × motivation. Preferences, the basic concept, involve cognition (content) and affect (like/dislike for interests, important/unimportant for values). These constructs are measured primarily by self-report questionnaires Factorial structures of interests have converged on the Holland hexagon of six types A parallel (but different) six-factor structure is proposed for values. Measurements of interests and values are best interpreted in relation to measurements of corresponding environmental conditions, the correspondence between person and environment being the primary explanation for predictions of (a) occupational membership, tenure, and satisfaction; (b) job satisfactoriness and satisfaction; and (c) career development and satisfaction. Interests and values correlate poorly with abilities and personality traits, thus meriting study in their own right. There are interesting differences in interests and values among different demographic segments of the general population. The origins and development of interests, values, and preferences is poorly understood, but it is known that they have a significant heritability component.
Additional procedures performed at time of penile prosthesis implantation: a review of current literature

Penile prosthesis implantation for treatment of medical refractory erectile dysfunction remains the gold standard. However, some men have additional pathology present such as Peyronie's Disease, penile shortening, penoscrotal webbing, buried penis or other penoscrotal anatomical abnormalities that may be addressed at the time of prosthesis implantation. Although several techniques are described, there remains a lack of data regarding the outcomes. We sought to identify the results of available literature regarding the additional procedures performed at the time of penile prosthesis implantation that provide defined surgical outcomes rather than merely describe surgical techniques. Surgical outcomes to procedures provide more realistic clinical outcome for readers than simply the description of novel techniques or expert opinions. We performed a review of the MEDLINE database to identify additional procedures performed in conjunction with penile prosthesis placement. Many procedures are described in review articles, however, with limited data regarding their outcomes. The included articles must describe additional procedures performed in conjunction with penile prosthesis placement. Perioperative office techniques and management were included if it changed the surgical technique. All abstracts obtained through search criteria were reviewed. Only articles written in English, on human subjects with documented surgical results and relevant articles were included in this study. After a thorough literature search, a total of 24 articles were identified. Penile lengthening procedures at the time of penile prosthesis comprise most of the literature on this subject. Lengthening procedures are as simple as Peyronie's plaque excision and grafting to complex sliding and lengthening procedures requiring complete neurovascular bundle and partial urethral mobilization. Additionally, aggressive cylinder sizing and prolonged postoperative cycling at home are also described. Glanulopexy may be necessary when malpositioning of the glans is present. Other options such as scrotoplasty are also available options for those patients with scrotal webs. Notably there is a paucity of published literature regarding girth enhancement, buried penis repair, hernia repair, and vasectomy at time of penile prosthesis placement. There are numerous procedures that can be performed in the same operative setting as penile prosthesis. Although the procedures do have a common goal to provide optimal postoperative natural appearance, length, straightness, girth and function, the techniques employed must be tailored to each patient as there is not a one-procedure fits all in this patient population.
Evaluation of a Multidisciplinary Team Approach for Generating Survivorship Care Plan Treatment Summaries in Patients With Breast Cancer.

INTRODUCTION:The optimal structure for survivorship care plan (SCP) programs and methodology for generating treatment summaries (TSs) has not yet been defined, but the Commission on Cancer and the ...
The History of Hiatal Hernia and Antireflux Surgery

The history of diaphragmatic hernias dates back as far as the sixteenth century. Interestingly, hiatal hernia was thought to be clinically irrelevant. The link between hiatal hernia and gastroesophageal reflux did not warrant any attention until the mid-twentieth century. This understanding seemed to be biphasic; the first being in the 1950s and the second in the era of laparoscopic surgery where visualization of the hiatus was unprecedented. The revitalization of laparoscopic fundoplication spurred a resurgence of interest and research in the pathophysiology of reflux disease. This chapter will outline the evolution of hiatal hernia and antireflux surgery from thoracic to abdominal to laparoscopic and endoscopic approaches.
But What Was "It"? Talking to Parents About BRUE.

There has been a paradigm shift in pediatrics. In 1986, the concept of “near-miss sudden infant death syndrome” was replaced by the term “apparent life-threatening event” (ALTE).1 The goal was to clearly distinguish that which was uniformly fatal—sudden infant death syndrome—from that which was seldom so. Thirty years later, research has shown that ALTE is rarely life-threatening. Two prospective studies involving >1100 infants with ALTE found no mortality during hospitalization or within 72 hours of discharge from the emergency department.2,3 Thus, the terminology has changed again, and the concept of ALTE has been retired by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Now called a “brief resolved unexplained event” (BRUE), the wording is purposeful in its intent to highlight the benign nature of these events.4 Regardless of what they are called by clinicians and researchers, these events remain frightening and anxiety provoking for parents and caregivers. That is, after all, why they seek care for their infant. Now, when infants come to medical attention after these odd events, clinicians call it a BRUE, which is exactly what the name implies: a transient alteration in an infant’s color, tone, mental status, or breathing whose etiology remains unclear after a detailed history and physical examination. These well-appearing infants are classified in the AAP clinical practice guideline (CPG) as being at lower or …
Roxadustat and Anemia of Chronic Kidney Disease

Until 1989, when recombinant erythropoietin therapy was first approved, anemia of chronic kidney disease could be treated only symptomatically with blood transfusions. Erythropoiesis-stimulating ag...
The Impact of Economic Factors and Governance: On Greenhouse Gas Emission

Governance is a basic factor explaining the poor economic, social and environmental performance of many developing countries. Since good governance impacts the environment and management of carbon emissions, in this study, we examine the relationship between governance and economic performance and its impact on CO2 emissions, employing the World Bank’s Aggregate Governance Indicators. To this end, data from Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries over 8 years (from 2006 to 2015) is analyzed through spatial econometric techniques for panel data. The results show that the governance index (with a negative sign) and GDP growth variable (with a positive sign) have the greatest impact on carbon dioxide emissions. The inflation rate, exports, imports, foreign investment, and employment also have an impact on CO2 emissions. The policy recommendations of this research are that governments can help protect the environment by adopting better governance practices, improving the governance structure, and implementing a clean technology strategy in production to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.