cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abiotic constraints on the competitive ability of exotic and native grasses in a Pacific Northwest prairie

In prairie ecosystems, abiotic constraints on competition can structure plant communities; however, the extent to which competition between native and exotic plant species is constrained by environmental factors is still debated. The objective of our study was to use paired field and greenhouse experiments to evaluate the competitive dynamics between two native (Danthonia californica and Deschampsia cespitosa) and two exotic (Schedonorus arundinaceus and Lolium multiflorum) grass species under varying nutrient and moisture conditions in an upland prairie in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. We hypothesized the two invasive, exotic grasses would be more competitive under high-nutrient, moderate-moisture conditions, resulting in the displacement of native grasses from these environments. In the field, the experimental reduction of competition resulted in shorter, wider plants, but only the annual grass, Lolium multiflorum, produced more aboveground biomass when competition was reduced. In the greenhouse, the two exotic grasses produced more total biomass than the two native grasses. Competitive hierarchies were influenced by nutrient and/or moisture treatments for the two exotic grasses, but not for the two native grasses. L. multiflorum dominated competitive interactions with all other grasses across treatments. In general, S. arundinaceus dominated when in competition with native grasses, and D. cespitosa produced the most biomass in monoculture or under interspecific competition with the other native grass, D. californica. D. californica, D. cespitosa, and S. arundinaceus all produced more biomass in high-moisture, high-nutrient environments, and D. cespitosa, L. multiflorum, and S. arundinaceus allocated more biomass belowground in the low nutrient treatment. Taken together, these experiments suggest the competitive superiority of the exotic grasses, especially L. multiflorum, but, contrary to our hypothesis, the native grasses were not preferentially excluded from nutrient-rich, moderately wet environments.
Leaf Wax of Durum Wheat

Abstract : Leaf waxes from durum wheat varieties Pelissier and Stewart 63 contained hydrocarbons (9%), esters (9%), alcohols (17%), acids (3%), beta-diketone (36%), hydroxy beta-diketone (9%) and unidentified material (17%). The major hydrocarbon was nonacosane, the C36-C56 esters were esters of C20-C28 alcohols with C16-C30 saturated acids and trans 2-docosenoic and 2-tetracosenoic acids, and the principal alcohol was octacosanol. The beta-diketone was hentriacontane-14,16-dione and the hydroxy beta-diketone was 25(S)-hydroxyhentriacontane-14,16-dione. (Author)
Distributed In Vivo Testing of Software Applications

The in vivo software testing methodology focuses on testing live applications by executing unit tests throughout the lifecycle, including after deployment. The motivation is that the "known state " approach of traditional unit testing is not always sufficient; deployed applications rarely operate under such conditions, and it may be more informative to perform the testing in live environments. One of the limitations of this approach is the high performance cost it incurs, as the unit tests are executed in parallel with the application. Here we present distributed in vivo testing, which focuses on easing the burden by sharing the load across multiple instances of the application of interest. That is, we elevate the scope of in vivo testing from a single instance to a community of instances, all participating in the testing process. Our approach is different from prior work in that we are actively testing during execution, as opposed to passively monitoring the application or conducting tests in the user environment prior to operation. We discuss new extensions to the existing in vivo testing framework (called Invite) and present empirical results that show the performance overhead improves linearly with the number of clients.
The Study of Accrual to Clinical Trials: Can We Learn From Studying Who Enters Our Studies?

Throughout the 1990s, less than 6% of all breast cancer patients and less than 3% of all adult cancer patients entered clinical trials in the United States. 1 At the same time, a number of well-designed, peer-reviewed clinical trials were accruing patients very slowly. The slow accrual is baffling, but even more concerning is the fact that few have studied the dynamics of clinical trials accrual in any cancer. At first glance, there are a number of reasons why a patient should want to enter a clinical trial. Clinical trials are mechanisms for testing new cancer therapies and for providing opportunities for patients to be exposed to state-ofthe-art treatments. 2 For the eligible patient, a cooperative group clinical trial and many cancer center-sponsored studies offer the patient a second or third opinion, as it is designed by a group of experts and is peer-reviewed. Unlike most cancer therapies, treatment in a clinical trial is given under conditions that are often audited, to assure it was given correctly. In contrast to adults, a high proportion of eligible children under 12 years of age are entered onto pediatric cancer studies. 3
VARIATION IN FORAGING BEHAVIOR AND BODY MASS IN BROODS OF EMPEROR GEESE (CHEN CANAGICA): EVIDENCE FOR INTERSPECIFIC DENSITY DEPENDENCE

Abstract Broods of geese spend time feeding according to availability and quality of food plants, subject to inherent foraging and digestive constraints. We studied behavioral patterns of broods of Emperor Geese (Chen canagica) on the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, and examined how feeding and alert behavior varied in relation to habitat and goose density. During 1994–1996, time spent feeding by Emperor Goose goslings and adult females was positively related to multispecies goose densities near observation blinds, and not to just Emperor Goose density. Similarly, body mass of Emperor Goose goslings was more strongly related (negatively) to multispecies goose densities than intraspecific densities. A grazing experiment in 1995 indicated that most above ground primary production by Carex subspathacea, a preferred food plant, was consumed by grazing geese. Those results demonstrate that interspecific competition for food occurred, with greatest support for goslings whose behavioral repertoire is limited prim...
Self-assembly of superparamagnetic magnetite particles into peapod-like structures and their application in optical modulation

Superparamagnetic Fe3O4/SiO2/TiO2 peapod-like nanostructures have been successfully synthesized by using Fe3O4/SiO2 core/shell particles as building blocks and TiO2 as the adhesive without the need of any hard or soft templates. The fabrication process involves chaining the Fe3O4/SiO2 cores during magnetic stirring and subsequent fixing of the chain structure during TiO2 coating. The number of Fe3O4/SiO2 cores arranged linearly in the chains could be effectively controlled by tuning the amount of titanium precursor or the magnetic stirring rate. The double layer coating of SiO2 and TiO2 enhances thermal and chemical stability of the nanopeapods, and the one-dimensional chain structure produces interesting properties that enable applications not possible with conventional magnetite materials. As a demonstration, we show here the use of these superparamagnetic peapod-like nanostructures for low-frequency optical modulation.
Guaranteeing application-to-application deadlines in distributed real-time systems

We address the issue of guaranteeing application-to-application deadlines of messages in distributed real-time systems. Most of the previous studies have focused on either host subsystem or network subsystem. Our study considers the entire integrated system. We develop two methods to test whether the message deadlines are met. The first method called the independent method, obtains conservative estimates of message delays by independently analyzing each subsystem. This method is easy to use and efficient, but may sometimes give pessimistic results. The second method called the integrated method, computes the delays more accurately by modeling interactions among the subsystems in greater detail. Performance of the two methods is evaluated an terms of the probability of guaranteeing message sets for given host utilization.
Inducing deterministic prolog parsers from treebanks: a machine learning approach

This paper presents a method for constructing deterministic Prolog parsers from corpora of parsed sentences. Our approach uses recent machine learning methods for inducing Prolog rules from examples (inductive logic programming). We discuss several advantages of this method compared to recent statistical methods and present results on learning complete parsers from portions of the ATIS corpus.
Employment Discrimination, Local School Boards, and LGBT Civil Rights: Reviewing 25 Years of Public Opinion Data

Over the past few decades, scholars from a variety of disciplines have devoted considerable attention toward studying evolving public attitudes toward a whole range of LGBT civil rights issues including support for open service in the military, same-sex parent adoption, employment non-discrimination, civil unions, and marriage equality. In the last 10 years in particular, the emphasis has shifted toward studying the various factors that best explain variation in support for same-sex marriage including demographic considerations, religious and ideological predispositions, attitudes toward marriage and family, and social contact (Baunach, 2011, 2012; Becker, 2012a, 2012b; Becker & Scheufele, 2009, 2011; Becker & Todd, 2013; Brewer, 2008; Brewer & Wilcox, 2005; Lewis, 2005, 2011; Lewis & Gossett, 2008; Lewis & Oh, 2008). Interest in documenting what some have deemed ‘‘a sea change in public opinion’’ toward same-sex marriage has prevailed, leaving concerns about employment discrimination, military service, and other civil rights issues behind as vestiges of a bygone era. A corresponding, almost exclusive focus on efforts to legalize same-sex marriage at both the federal and state levels has dominated the activities of issue advocacy, legal, and grassroots organizations. In truth, these other LGBT civil rights issues that have been eclipsed by the singular focus on same-sex marriage remain important legal ‘‘matters.’’ For example, employment discrimination has actually long been a relevant LGBT civil rights concern, first attracting considerable attention in the 1970s and 1980s given efforts by Anita Bryant and others to strike down anti-discrimination laws at the state-level through grassroots activism campaigns (Brewer, 2008). At present writing, 29 US states still allow individuals to be fired because of their sexual orientation (Dowd, 2013). While the U.S. Senate recently voted in November of 2013 to support extending the Employment Nondiscrimination Act to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
Effect of interface states on sub-threshold response of III-V MOSFETs, MOS HEMTs and tunnel FETs

The effect of interface states on the current–voltage characteristics in the sub-threshold region of three different types of III–V based transistor architectures has been studied using a drift–diffusion based numerical simulator. Experimentally extracted interface state density profile is included in the simulation to analyze their effect on the sub-threshold response of InGaAs based MOSFETs, MOS HEMTs and tunnel FETs. Based on the Fermi-level position at the oxide/semiconductor interface and the corresponding interface state density (Dit), the sub-threshold response for the three devices can vary, with tunnel FETs having the least sub-threshold degradation due to Dit.
Touring the Hidden City: Walking Tour Guides in Deindustrializing Genoa

Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Genoa, a northern Italian city whose deindustrialization process began in the early 1970s, this paper explores how the city's high levels of intellectual unemployment have given rise to the profession of walking tour guides. These are highly educated women, and more rarely men, who, working independently of the financial and political powers that usually drive urban revitalization processes, utilize their cultural capital and talents to spin itinerant tales of concealment and discovery around the master narrative of Genoa's decline and its tourist potential. Through an analysis of their professional histories and experiences as well as the ways they present the city, I argue that the guides comprise a sui generis “creative class” (Florida 2012) that helps transform Genoa into a city worth visiting. In their attempt to boost cultural tourism, tour guides inhabit a liminal space from where they vie for legitimacy, build professional personas that both challenge and reinforce gender norms, and straddle contested lines between high and popular culture, and between amateurism and professionalism. I contend that, compared with Richard Florida's (2012) upwardly mobile “talents,” Genoa's walking tour guides form a residual creative class that emerges out of necessity and struggles to survive by creatively exploiting the “hiddenness” of a densely layered cityscape.
A reliable in vivo measurement of bone-mineral content.

The adverse effects of osteoarthritis on the quality of life for tens of millions of people and on the costs of health care and economic productivity make it a major health problem that will increase in incidence and impact with the aging of the population. Although in most patients the cause of osteoarthritis remains unknown and no cure has been identified, appropriate diagnosis and treatment, including education of the patients, can minimize symptoms and help patients maintain active and productive lives. Accomplishing this aim requires that physicians have an understanding of the pathophysiology of joint degeneration and the relationships between joint degeneration and the clinical syndrome of osteoarthritis. Although much remains to be learned about the development and progression of the joint degeneration responsible for osteoarthritis, it is clear that the loss of articular cartilage results from disruption of the structural integrity of the articular cartilage coupled with or caused by an imbalance in the anabolic and catabolic activity of the tissue. The progression of joint degeneration varies considerably among patients. In some individuals the joint degenerates rapidly; in others the degenerative changes progress slowly over decades and in others the disease may remain stable. In rare patients, the joint degenerative changes spontaneously improve. Although joint degeneration is the underlying cause of the symptoms of osteoarthritis, including joint pain and loss of joint function, not all patients with joint degeneration have symptoms of osteoarthritis. Future therapeutic approaches may include disease-modifying drugs and surgical procedures that correct mechanical abnormalities, debride joints, and replace degenerated articular cartilage with implants that stimulate restoration of a cartilaginous joint surface. Development of methods to detect and monitor subtle changes in cartilage metabolism and identify the joint changes that precede loss of articular cartilage may make it possible to detect the earliest signs of osteoarthritis, when therapeutic interventions have the greatest potential for preventing progression of the disease.
Treatment of recurrent and refractory pediatric solid tumors with high-dose busulfan and cyclophosphamide followed by autologous bone marrow rescue.

PURPOSEThe purpose of this study was to determine the toxicities of and responses to high-dose busulfan and cyclophosphamide with autologous bone marrow transplant (ABMT) in patients with recurrent or refractory pediatric solid tumors.PATIENTS AND METHODSWe treated 18 patients (ages, 2 to 38 years; median, 14) who had tumors that were resistant to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy with busulfan 16 mg/kg and cyclophosphamide 200 mg/kg. Seventeen patients received bone marrow purged with 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide; one received unpurged marrow.RESULTSDespite extensive prior treatment, including radiotherapy in 16 patients, toxicity generally was acceptable. For seven patients with measurable disease, there were three partial responses of 2, 10, and 20 months' duration, three patients with stable disease (SD), and one early, toxic death. Of the 11 patients with no measurable disease at the time of transplantation, one patient with osteosarcoma continues in remission at 57+ months and one third of...
Machine Learning for High-Throughput Stress Phenotyping in Plants

Advances in automated and high-throughput imaging technologies have resulted in a deluge of high-resolution images and sensor data of plants. However, extracting patterns and features from this large corpus of data requires the use of machine learning (ML) tools to enable data assimilation and feature identification for stress phenotyping. Four stages of the decision cycle in plant stress phenotyping and plant breeding activities where different ML approaches can be deployed are (i) identification, (ii) classification, (iii) quantification, and (iv) prediction (ICQP). We provide here a comprehensive overview and user-friendly taxonomy of ML tools to enable the plant community to correctly and easily apply the appropriate ML tools and best-practice guidelines for various biotic and abiotic stress traits.
Evaluating competitive game balance with restricted play

Game balancing is the fine-tuning phase in which a functioning game is adjusted to be deep, fair, and interesting. Balancing is difficult and time-consuming, as designers must repeatedly tweak parameters, and run lengthy playtests to evaluate the effects of these changes. If designers could receive immediate feedback on their designs, they could explore a vast space of variations, and select only the most promising games for playtesting. Such automated design feedback has been difficult to achieve, as there is no mathematical formulation of game balance that unifies many of its forms. We argue for a formulation in which carefully restricted agents are played against standard agents. We develop this restricted-play balance framework, and evaluate its utility by building a tool capable of calculating measures of balance for a large family of games. By applying this tool to an educational card game, we demonstrate how the framework and tool allow designers to rapidly evaluate and iterate on the balance of their games.
Ethical Issues of Behavioral Interventions for HIV Prevention

The world was shocked by the accounts of the experiments conducted by Nazi physicians on concentration camp prisoners. These experiments included the exposure of prisoners to cold water and to extremely low air pressure,1 the injection of dye into persons’ eyes in an attempt to change their eye color, and the inoculation of prisoners with typhus bacilli.2 These events provided the impetus for the formulation of the Nuremberg Code, which enumerated ten principles to be universally applied to research involving human participants: 1 The voluntary consent of the prospective participant is essential. 2 The experiment must be expected to produce results beneficial, for society that cannot be obtained by any other means. 3 The study should be based on the results of animal experimentation and a knowledge of the natural history of the disease in question so that the anticipated results justify conducting the experiment. 4 All unnecessary physical or mental suffering or injury should be avoided during the course of the experiment. 5 No experiment should be conducted where it is believed that death or disabling injury will occur, except where the research physicians also serve as subjects. 6 The degree of risk should not exceed the humanitarian importance of the problem to be solved. 7 The participant should be protected against death or injury through the use of adequate facilities and preparations. 8 The experiment should be conducted only by scientifically qualified persons. 9 The participant has the right to end his or her participation in the experiment if he or she has reached a point where continuation seems to be impossible. 10 The scientist in charge must be prepared to terminate the experiment if he or she has probable cause to believe that continuation would be likely to result in the injury, disability, or death of the research participant.3
The Changing Face of Interventional Cardiology Training: A Fellow's Perspective.

The adoption of healthier lifestyles, better strategies for risk stratification, and the advancement of medical therapies have led to the decline in incidence and prevalence of ischemic heart disease in the United States over the last decade [(1)][1]. This, in turn, has led to a decline in the
‘War on Terror’ in our backyard: effects of framing and violent ISIS propaganda on anti-Muslim prejudice

ABSTRACTFraming metaphors for counterterrorism have been analyzed theoretically but their effect has not yet been fully understood empirically. One framing metaphor that has been employed for counterterrorism is a ‘War on Terror’. The present study examined the effect of using the phrase ‘War on Terror’ on support for security policies that unfairly target Muslims. We manipulated the frame to make federal action or community action salient. Additionally, we tested the effect of the release of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS/Daesh, hereafter ISIS) propaganda films by collecting data before and after the February 2015 video featuring the execution of 21 Egyptian Copts by a Libyan ISIS group. We found that, after the video was released, a community-based framing of the ‘War on Terror’ significantly increased support for anti-Muslim security policies. We also examined the demographics of those who had seen ISIS videos versus those who had not and the factors that predicted whether participants...
Sweetness of Diet and Food Consumption by Infants

AbstractNormal female infants were studied from 8 to 112 days of age to determine the effect on food consumption of feeding formulas that differed widely in sweetness. One formula contained sucrose and the other a bland-tasting cornstarch hydrolysate. In a balanced, crossover design, it was found that food consumption was significantly greater during intervals in which the sweeter formula was fed.
On the Synthesis of Taurine from Sulfate by the Chick I. Influential Dietary Factors.

SummaryMany tissues in the chick are equipped with the enzymes necessary for conversion of sulfate-S35 into taurine. Supplementation of a low sulfur amino acid diet with serine, glycine, ethanolamine, sodium ise-thionate, methionine, or cysteine enhanced sulfate-S35 incorporation into liver taurine. Addition of the sodium salts of thiosulfate, sulfate, or sulfite to the ration increased liver taurine-S35 and bile taurocholate-S35. The optimum level of sodium sulfate supplementation was 0.7% of the diet. Incorporation into taurine of labeled carbons occurred when cys-teine-3-C14, alanine-C14-UL, ethanolamine-1-2-C14, serine-3-C14, serine-C14-UL, and sly-cine-1-C14 were administered.
Growth and differentiation factor 9 promotes oocyte growth at the primary but not the early secondary stage in three-dimensional follicle culture

Purpose Factors that differentially regulate oocyte and granulosa cell growth within the early preantral follicle and how these factors differ at each stage of follicle growth remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to isolate and evaluate the effect of recombinant growth and differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) on oocyte and granulosa cell growth at the primary and early secondary stages of preantral follicle growth during in vitro culture.
Study on inhibitory effect of CuSO_4 on Magnaporthe grisea

Bordeaux mixture is a broad-spectrum protective fungicide.This article is based on the mechanism of Bordeaux mixture and uses its active ingredient——CuSO4,then studies the inhibition effect of CuSO4 on Magnaporthe grisea.The result showed that even a low concentration of CuSO4 was effective.This consequence will help us find an effective method with low cost to control rice blast.And this means will also has less environmental pollution.
The Influence of the Two World Wars on the Development of Rehabilitation for Spinal Cord Injuries in the United States and Great Britain

During World War I, physical and occupational therapies became important adjuncts to surgical practice, particularly for orthopedic casualties, but there was little progress in the management of severe brain and spinal cord injuries (SCIs), largely because of the very high mortality of such injuries at that time. During World War II (WWII), rehabilitation was greatly expanded into an integrated, comprehensive multidisciplinary program in the U.S. military, largely because of the efforts of Howard Rusk (1901-1989), initially in the Army Air Corps and later across all of the services. With Bernard Baruch's (1870-1965) assistance, Rusk was also successful in swaying President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) to support rehabilitation for injured veterans and to give official standing to rehabilitation medicine in the military and the Veterans Administration after WWII. Such WWII developments in rehabilitation medicine had a profound effect on the care, functional outcomes, and survival of veterans with SCIs. Neurosurgeon Donald Munro's (1898-1978) prototype SCI unit at Boston City Hospital in 1936 influenced the U.S. Army to establish several SCI centers during WWII and influenced urologist Ernest Bors (1900-1990) to pioneer SCI care in Veterans Administration medical centers after WWII. In Britain, the organizational leadership of George Riddoch (1888-1947) led to the development of SCI units that saw their greatest development by Ludwig Guttmann (1899-1980) at Stoke-Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, near London. These SCI centers provided a comprehensive spectrum of care, including medical, neurological, and surgical management; psychological counseling; and rehabilitation focused on improving self-care, mobility, and re-assimilation into society. After WWII, military developments in comprehensive rehabilitation were promulgated to and developed in the revitalized Veterans Administration and then disseminated to civilian populations.
Anemia, hypertension, and myocardial dysfunction in end-stage renal disease

Cardiovascular disease remains the major cause of mortality in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). The pathophysiology of cardiac dysfunction in ESRD is complex and not fully understood. However, it appears that the two major determinants of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and dysfunction are anemia and hypertension, both of which are very common in ESRD patients. Early and aggressive correction of anemia and hypertension may have a significant impact on cardiac disease in ESRD patients. This article presents a discussion on the management of anemia and hypertension, and the current information available on the pathogenesis and management of LV dysfunction in ESRD.
Immersion Pulmonary Edema in the setting of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

Immersion Pulmonary Edema (IPE) is a unique medical condition being increasingly described in the medical literature as sudden-onset pulmonary edema in the setting of scuba diving and/or swimming. We report on three patients with unique presentations of IPE with associated development of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC). All three cases occurred in Oahu, Hawaii and were seen by the same cardiologist within a span of seven years. Each patient was scuba diving with sudden onset dyspnea with pulmonary edema on chest x-ray. Cardiac catheterization revealed no significant epicardial stenosis or thrombosis. EKGs showed typical evolution of symmetric T wave inversion. Wall motion abnormalities resolved. IPE and TTC may occur together and may be more common than initially thought. Physical and emotional stressors are known to trigger TTC. TTC should be considered as a possible complication of IPE. Initial workup should include EKGs, cardiac enzymes, echocardiogram and, in the appropriate situation, cardiac catheterization.
On the symmetric travelling salesman problem: A computational study

The symmetric travelling salesman problem has been formulated by Dantzig, Fulkerson and Johnson in 1954 as a linear programming problem in zero-one variables. We use this formulation and report the results of a computational study addressing itself to the problem of proving optimality of a particular tour. The empirical results based on a total of 74 problems of sizes ranging from 15-cities to 318-cities lend convincing support to the hypothesis that inequalities defining facets of the convex hull of tours are of substantial computational value in the solution of this difficult combinatorial problem.
A Patient with Bone Metastases from Follicular Carcinoma of the Thyroid

A 55-year-old man presents with widespread bone metastases and markedly elevated serum thyroglobulin from a follicular thyroid carcinoma. He has already undergone thyroidectomy, radioiodine ablation, external radiation therapy, and surgical procedures for spinal metastases and also has been on inadequate doses of levothyroxine based on several measurements of TSH levels that were inappropriately within the normal range. Questions faced included how to best demonstrate the sites and extent of residual disease and how to most effectively treat them. The approach included iodine-124 PET scanning and associated iodine-124 lesional dosimetry followed by treatment with relatively high activity iodine-131 that resulted in a good clinical response. Based upon risk stratification according to the 2014 ATA Guidelines, this patient was clearly a high-risk patient with a poor predicted outcome, and imaging studies confirmed a structurally incomplete response to his initial therapy. While full cure of this patient’s disease is unlikely, the plan for dosimetric radioiodine activities and other adjunctive therapies is presented which should both reduce morbidity from his bone lesions and delay his mortality from the disease.
What Works to Reduce Unnecessary Care for Bronchiolitis? A Qualitative Analysis of a National Collaborative

Abstract Objective Unnecessary care is well established as a quality problem affecting acute viral bronchiolitis, one of the most common pediatric illnesses. Although there is an extensive quality improvement literature on the disease, published work primarily reflects the experience of freestanding children's hospitals. We sought to better understand the specific barriers and drivers for successful quality improvement in community and nonfreestanding children's facilities. Methods We undertook a mixed methods study to identify correlates of success in a bronchiolitis quality improvement collaborative of community hospitals and children's hospitals within adult hospitals. We assessed site demographic characteristics, compliance with project interventions, and team engagement for association with end of project performance. We then used performance quartiles on a composite assessment of project measures (use of bronchodilators and steroids) to design a purposive sample of sites approached for qualitative interviews. Results Team engagement was the only factor quantitatively associated with better performance in the overall cohort. Fifteen sites, from the total cohort of 21, completed qualitative interviews. Qualitative themes around team engagement, including the presence of buy-in for successful sites and the inability to engage colleagues at unsuccessful sites, were important differentiating factors between top and bottom performance quartiles. Regardless of performance quartile, most programs cited intrainstitutional competition for limited resources to do quality improvement work as a specific barrier for pediatrics. The ability to overcome such barriers and specifically garner information technology (IT) resources also differentiated the top and bottom performance quartiles. Conclusions Team engagement showed a consistent association with success across our quantitative and qualitative evaluations. Competition for limited resources in this cohort of nonfreestanding children's programs, particularly those in hospital IT, was a key qualitative theme.
Similar Populations, Differing Service Levels Exploring Factors That Drive Variability in the Provision of Speech-Language Services

This research contrasts two urban school districts that serve similar populations yet vary notably with respect to the provision of speech and language services. The results suggest that variation in the provision of speech-language services is driven by district-level variations in budgetary and legal contexts as well as procedural differences. This article explores how federal and state education policies, district policies, budgetary and legal pressures, as well as procedural differences work in concert to shape the implementation of Individuals With Disabilities Education Act with respect to the provision of services to students with speech-language impairments.
Discrimination Between Competing Model Structures of Biological Systems in the Presence of Population Heterogeneity

Computational models are useful for quantitative elucidation of the dynamical behavior of biological systems. Oftentimes, several competing models (i.e., hypotheses) are proposed to describe the underlying molecular mechanisms of a biological system. Selecting the most representative model is imperative for obtaining meaningful quantitative insights into the dynamics of the system of interest. However, discrimination between competing models poses a significant challenge due to heterogeneity that is intrinsic to biological systems. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of a probabilistic approach to optimal experiment design for model discrimination in the presence of time-invariant, cell-to-cell differences within a cell population. The JAK2/STAT5 signaling pathway, which is involved in proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells, is used as a case study.
The expression and significance of c-Ski in kidney of diabetic rats

Objective To observe the expressions of c-Ski in renal tissue of diabetic nephropathy rats, and discuss its significance. Methods Wistar male rats were randomly assigned to 3 groups: Control group, diabetic group and treatment group. Rats were killed at the 16th week after experiment. Histopathologic changes,in renal tissue were observed and immunohistochemistry was performed to investigate the expression of TGF-β1, α-SMA and c-Ski. Results The expression of c-Ski had a negative correlation with TGF-β1 and α-SMA. Compared to diabetic group, the expression of c-Ski was significantly increased in treatment group. Conclusion c-Ski may be a protective factor of tu-bular epithelial-myofibroblast transformation. Key words: Diabetic nephropathies/ME; Kidney tubules; Gene expression; Transforming growth factor beta; Actinin
Factors Affecting the Acceptance of Telehealth Services by Heart Failure Patients: An Integrative Review.

Abstract Background: While telehealth has been shown to improve heart failure patients' health outcomes, patients' acceptance of telehealth at the point of referral is reported to be low. Little is known about the factors related to patients' initial acceptance or refusal of telehealth services. The aim of this review was to synthesize evidence on the factors affecting heart failure patients' decision making to accept telehealth services in a home setting. Methods: An integrative literature review was conducted. Six electronic databases and three grey literature sites were searched. Two reviewers independently reviewed articles for inclusion. Articles were included if they reported original data related to the acceptance of telehealth services among heart failure patients at home. Results: Five studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Key findings indicated that patients generally hold positive views about telehealth. Factors that may affect the adoption of telehealth include co...
The Role of Lysosomal Hydrolases in Molluscan Cellular Response to Immunologic Challenge

Although considerable new information has been contributed in recent years to our knowledge of the biochemistry and physiology of phagocytosis by invertebrate hemocytes, especially those of insects and molluscs (see Cheng, 1975, and Anderson, 1977, for reviews), little new information has been contributed to our understanding of what is generally considered a second type of cellular reaction in molluscs to invading nonself materials, i. e., encapsulation or granuloma formation. Since the comprehensive review of what is known about this process and related phenomena in molluscs by Cheng and Rifkin (1970), new inf ormat ion has been contributed only by Harris and Cheng (1975a,b), Harris (1975), Rachford (1976), Krupa et al. (1977), Cheng and Garrabrant (1977), and Cheng (1978).
Sensitivity of Numerical Simulations of a Mesoscale Convective System to Ice Hydrometeors in Bulk Microphysical Parameterization

Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) and their associated cloud properties are the important factors that influence the aviation activities, yet they present a forecasting challenge in numerical weather prediction. In this study, the sensitivity of numerical simulations of an MCS over the US Southern Great Plains to ice hydrometeors in bulk microphysics (MP) schemes has been investigated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. It is found that the simulated structure, life cycle, cloud coverage, and precipitation of the convective system as well as its associated cold pools are sensitive to three selected MP schemes, namely, the WRF single-moment 6-class (WSM6), WRF double-moment 6-class (WDM6, with the double-moment treatment of warm-rain only), and Morrison double-moment (MORR, with the double-moment representation of both warm-rain and ice) schemes. Compared with observations, the WRF simulation with WSM6 only produces a less organized convection structure with a short lifetime, while WDM6 can produce the structure and length of the MCS very well. Both simulations heavily underestimate the precipitation amount, the height of the radar echo top, and stratiform cloud fractions. With MORR, the model performs well in predicting the lifetime, cloud coverage, echo top, and precipitation amount of the convection. Overall results demonstrate the importance of including double-moment representation of ice hydrometeors along with warm-rain. Additional experiments are performed to further examine the role of ice hydrometeors in numerical simulations of the MCS. Results indicate that replacing graupel with hail in the MORR scheme improves the prediction of the convective structure, especially in the convective core region.
Genetic recombination of phage S13 in a recombination-deficient mutant of Escherichiacoli K12

Abstract The primary recombination mechanism for phage S13 is blocked in a recombination-deficient mutant of E. coli K12. When the primary mechanism is eliminated, a secondary mechanism is revealed. Crosses can be grouped into at least two classes on the basis of the relative contributions of the primary and secondary mechanisms to the recombination frequencies; the classification depends on the mutants crossed.
Interpreting Microarray Results With Gene Ontology and MeSH

Methods are described to take a list of genes generated from a microarray experiment and interpret these results using various tools and ontologies. A workflow is described that details how to convert gene identifiers with SOURCE and MatchMiner and then use these converted gene lists to search the gene ontology (GO) and the medical subject headings (MeSH) ontology. Examples of searching GO with DAVID, EASE, and GOMiner are provided along with an interpretation of results. The mining of MeSH using high-density array pattern interpreter with a set of gene identifiers is also described.
Insights on victim testimony and transitional justice: A response to Angelina Snodgrass Godoy

A judicial process does more than hold perpetrators accountable. It also allows victims to speak. (Samantha Power, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations1)On May 22, 2014, the United Nations Securit...
Proximal Hamstring Injuries: Review of Operative and Nonoperative Management

While uncommon, proximal hamstring injuries can result in significant pain and dysfunction, while also posing considerable treatment dilemmas due to the spectrum of injury that exists. Recent literature suggests that outcomes are improved with acute surgical repair of complete proximal hamstring avulsions, highlighting the importance of timely management of these unique injuries. While chronic repair or reconstruction can result in predictable improvements in pain and function postoperatively, the results are less predictable than acute surgical repair. Nonoperative management should be considered as the initial treatment strategy for patients with proximal hamstring tendinopathy or partial tears, as delayed surgical intervention in this setting has not been shown to significantly affect outcomes. Although current evidence is limited, evolving therapeutic techniques, including biologic injections and endoscopic repair techniques, need to be carefully evaluated to determine their role moving forward. This review aims to provide updated information on the relevant anatomy, mechanism of injury, diagnosis, and management of proximal hamstring injuries, with a specific focus on surgical indications, techniques, and outcomes.
Solid-State Characterization of Three Polymorphs of an Orally Available Analog of Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic Acid

The present work investigated the physical and thermal characteristics of three polymorphic forms (namely, PF1, PF2, and PF3) of a diethyl ester analog of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (C2E2) produced under varying conditions. The identity of each form of C2E2 was confirmed by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and mass spectroscopy. The different polymorphic forms exhibited solubilities ranging from 40 to 150 mg/mL. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and electron microscopy confirmed that all three forms were crystalline, two of which being scaly, and the third being well-formed. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy revealed differences in the C = O bonding region while differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) showed widely different melting points with only one thermal event for each compound. The comparison of the melting points and heats of fusion show that the PF1 is monotropically related to both PF2 and PF3, while PF2 and PF3 are enantropically related. Our finding indicates that PF3 is the thermodynamically stable polymorph and will be used for in vitro and in vivo experiments.
Enhancement in fatigue performance of metastable austenitic stainless steel through directed energy deposition additive manufacturing

Abstract The effect of the as-built microstructure and defect distribution on the fatigue performance of a metastable austenitic stainless-steel fabricated by directed energy deposition was analyzed in two fatigue regimes. Strain localization, porosity, microstructural response, and deformation induced phase transformation were studied for samples parallel and perpendicular to the build direction using digital image correlation, optical surface imaging, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and electron back scatter diffraction. Pore area fractions between 0.3 and 0.6% played a negligible role in overall fatigue life. Anisotropic fatigue behavior and strain ratcheting were discovered in both fatigue regimes and connected to a high 〈100〉 texture and αMsbcc formation in deformed samples with parallel orientations. Areas of localized strain and slip traces were linked to eventual crack initiation sites, and ultimate fatigue failure. Improved fatigue life by as much as 25% that of standard wrought and DED LENS® material was observed in the transitional fatigue regime (N ≈ 104–106). In the high cycle fatigue regime (N > 106), parallel orientations performed identical to wrought while perpendicular orientations observed a 7% lower fatigue (endurance) limit. In conclusion, metastable 304L produced by directed energy deposition has shown exceptional fatigue life compared to wrought AISI 304L in the as-built condition.
Abstract 3471: Mutual regulation of MDM4 and TOP2A in cancer cell proliferation

MDM4 and topoisomerase IIα (TOP2A) are important cancer-related factors. MDM4 acts as an oncoprotein promoting cancer progression by inhibiting tumor suppressor p53. As a DNA replication- and cell division-regulating enzyme, TOP2A is the main target of many anticancer therapy regimens, even though the exact role of TOP2A in cancer remains elusive. Herein we report that MDM4 and TOP2A bind to each other and are mutually upregulated at the post-translational level, leading to enhanced TOP2A catalytic activity, inhibition of p53, and increased tumor-cell proliferation. We demonstrate that the C-terminal region (CTR) of TOP2A binds to a unique sequence (residues 188-238) of MDM4, which contains an auto-inhibitory segment regulating MDM4-p53 interaction. TOP2A binding in turn activates MDM4 for p53 binding, resulting in enhanced inhibition of p53 and cancer cell proliferation. Conversely, binding of the MDM4 sequence to the CTR of TOP2A upregulates TOP2A protein expression. This in turn interferes with TOP2A DNA-decatenating activity. These results reveal novel functions of MDM4 and TOP2A as well as their interactions in oncogenesis, suggesting that inhibition of the MDM4-TOP2A interaction may represent a novel strategy in specifically and simultaneously targeting TOP2A and MDM4 for cancer treatment. Citation Format: Tao Liu, Hailong Zhang, Sha Yi, Lubing Gu, Muxiang Zhou. Mutual regulation of MDM4 and TOP2A in cancer cell proliferation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3471.
Exploring methods of measuring CO2 degassing in headwater streams

Carbon dioxide (CO2) degassed from ungauged, headwater streams has a significant role in carbon cycling and climate change, making the precise measurement of the degassing of critical importance. Although methods exist for quantifying degassing rates in large bodies of water (seawater, lakes), these methods are often considered invalid for measuring degassing rates in small, turbulent, groundwater fed headwater streams. This manuscript reviews the physics of gas transfer across the stream-atmosphere interface and provides an in-depth critical review of the available methods of measuring CO2 degassing. Further, it discusses applications for some of these methods in small headwater streams and other low-order streams that are dominated by discharged groundwater. Of the methods reviewed, almost all produce fairly low precision and do not compare well with other methods tested in the same location. We suggest much more work is needed to improve the precision and accuracy of field-measured gas transfer coefficients, both by applying multiple methods in the field and by controlled laboratory experiments.
Identifying psychosocial deficits and interventions impacting work for stroke survivors: a scoping review

Date Presented 04/06/19 Work supports individual health and well-being, and loss of work often leads to lower life satisfaction. Psychosocial factors can impact an individual’s ability to work. The purpose of this scoping review is 1) to identify the psychosocial deficits that impact a stroke survivor’s ability to return to work (RTW) or maintain employment; and 2) to identify the evidence-based interventions that support stroke survivors to RTW or maintain employment. Primary Author and Speaker: Deborah Haynes Contributing Authors: Koob Moua, Michelle Doering, Alex Wong