cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nitrotyrosinylation, remodeling and endothelial-myocyte uncoupling in iNOS, cystathionine beta synthase (CBS) knockouts and iNOS/CBS double knockout mice

Increased levels of homocysteine (Hcy), recognized as hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), were associated with cardiovascular diseases. There was controversy regarding the detrimental versus cardio protective role of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in ischemic heart disease. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the Hcy generated nitrotyrosine by inducing the endothelial nitric oxide synthase, causing endothelial-myocyte (E–M) coupling. To differentiate the role of iNOS versus constitutive nitric oxide synthase (eNOS and nNOS) in Hcy-mediated nitrotyrosine generation and matrix remodeling in cardiac dysfunction, left ventricular (LV) tissue was analyzed from cystathionine beta synthase (CBS) heterozygote knockout, iNOS homozygote knockout, CBS−/+/iNOS−/− double knockout, and wild-type (WT) mice. The levels of nitrotyrosine, MMP-2 and -9 (zymographic analysis), and fibrosis (by trichrome stain) were measured. The endothelial-myocyte function was determined in cardiac rings. In CBS−/+ mice, homocysteine was elevated and in iNOS−/− mice, nitric oxide was significantly reduced. The nitrotyrosine and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) levels were elevated in double knockout and CBS−/+ as compared to WT mice. Although MMP-2 levels were similar in CBS−/+, iNOS−/−, and CBS−/+/iNOS−/−, the levels were three- to fourfold higher than WT. The levels of collagen were similar in CBS−/+ and iNOS−/−, but they were threefold higher than WT. Interesting, the levels of collagen increased sixfold in double knockouts, compared to WT, suggesting synergism between high Hcy and lack of iNOS. Left ventricular hypertrophy was exaggerated in the iNOS−/− and double knockout, and mildly increased in the CBS−/+, compared to WT mice. The endothelial-dependent relaxation was attenuated to the same extent in the CBS−/+ and iNOS−/−, compared to WT, but it was robustly blunted in double knockouts. The results concluded that homocysteine generated nitrotyrosine in the vicinity of endothelium, caused MMP activation and endothelium-myocyte uncoupling. The generation of nitrotyrosine was independent of iNOS.
“Setting the river free”: The removal of the Edwards dam and the restoration of the Kennebec River

The Edwards Dam, located on the Kennebec River of Maine, in the state’s capitol city, was removed in 1999 to restore fisheries such as alewives, striped bass, American shad, and endangered short-nosed sturgeon. The dam removal was ordered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the express purpose of restoring fisheries, the first time ever this was done in American history. This article examines the local environmental advocacy for river and fisheries restoration and the process resulting in dam removal and fisheries restoration. It argues that the Edwards Dam removal was critical in proving the environmental benefits of river restoration through removal as well as some economic benefits. This contributed to other U.S. efforts to remove dams to restore fisheries and assisted the expansion of this stage of American environmentalism. The article uses a number of primary sources including local newspapers, environmental group materials, and a number of interviews collected by the author.
The synthesis and cationic polymerization of multifunctional silicon‐containing epoxy monomers and oligomers

Several series of multifunctional silicon-containing epoxide monomers and oligomers have been prepared using rhodium catalyzed hydrosilation reactions. Dialkyl and diarylsilanes can be condensed with vinyl epoxides to give high yields of the desired diepoxides while the hydrosilation of alkyl and aryl silanes yields a mixture of di and tri epoxy substituted products. The condensation of α,ω-Si-H difunctional compounds with vinyl epoxides can be carried out regioselectively to give α,-hydrogen-ω-epoxy intermediates, which can be further reacted with di and tri olefins bearing terminal double bonds to give a series of well characterized epoxy functional oligomers
Binge Eating at the Start of a Pediatric Weight Management Program

Obese youth are at increased risk for binge eating, which is associated with the development of full-syndrome binge eating disorder (BED) and further weight gain.1,2 Binge eating behavior can negatively impact the outcomes of pediatric weight management programs.3 Binge eating is also associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety in overweight and obese adolescents.4 The Optimal Weight for Life Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, a multidisciplinary stage 3 pediatric weight management program, undertook a clinical quality improvement (QI) project to better understand the behavioral and mental health problems that challenge newly referred families and could potentially pose barriers to successful program participation. The QI project targeted all newly referred patients and provided a program orientation and screening for significant psychosocial stressors and acute mental health problems (including BED). This study adds to the limited extant literature by further describing the outcomes of routine BED screening in newly referred treatment-seeking youth, which could have important treatment implications.
Noise Levels on Plate Boundary Observatory Borehole Strainmeters in Southern California

To establish noise levels for the borehole strainmeters of the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO), we have analyzed data recorded by eight of these instruments, all in the Anza region of southern California. We determine time-varying power spectra for frequencies from 10 � 3 to 10 Hz, using a new method that combines multitaper spectrum estimation, smoothing by local regression, and computation of cumulative distribution functions. From about 2 Hz to the Nyquist frequency of 10 Hz, the noise floor is set by instrument resolution; for frequencies between 0.1 Hz and 1 Hz, it is set by microseisms. The lowest noise level is between 0.01 and 0.1 Hz, with a rapid increase at lower frequencies. However, in most instruments this low-noise range also contains narrowband noise that appears to be caused by power supply fluc- tuations. We compare these results with noise spectra from other types of strainmeters, which suggest two conclusions: (1) they are in agreement with results for surficial, long-baseline instruments; and (2) other subsurface strainmeters have lower noise in the seismic band than the PBO instruments do. Online Material: Noise models and statistical variation.
Secure atomic multicast primitives for distributed information assurance applications

Distributed agreement protocols among a group of application processes are often built upon atomic multicast message delivery guarantees. Issues arise however when atomic multicast is employed in information assurance (IA) settings where extreme failure behaviors such as send-omission of processes and message timeliness violations are likely. The issues are compounded by security weaknesses in the communication software that make it easier for intruders to stage attacks. These issues impact the design of atomic multicast protocols, which have hitherto assumed only benign failures such as process crash and network message loss/delay. In this paper, we revisit atomic multicast protocols, taking into account the IA dimension as well. Our study reveals the need for a secure centralized entity to realize the multicast message delivery functions. Two functions are studied: dynamic membership management to exclude nonresponsive members from the group and security-reinforced communications to enforce mutual anonymity of members. Our paper walks through the design of a secure atomic multicast protocol and its use in IA applications.
EFFECTS OF LIGHT AND TEMPERATURE ON NET PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND DARK RESPIRATION OF GAMETOPHYTES AND EMBRYONIC SPOROPHYTES OF MACROCYSTIS PYRIFERA1

The rates of net photosynthesis as a function of irradiance and temperature were determined for gametophytes and embryonic sporophytes of the kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C. Ag. Gametophytes exhibited higher net photosynthetic rates based on oxygen and pH measurements than their derived embryonic sporophytes, but reached light saturation at comparable irradiance levels. The net photosynthesis of gametophytes reached a maximum of 66.4 mg O2 g dry wt−1 h−1 (86.5 mg CO2 g dry wt−1 h−1), a value approximately seven times the rate reported previously for the adult sporophyte blades. Gametophytes were light saturated at 70 μE m−2 s−1 and exhibited a significant decline in photosynthetic performance at irradiances 140 μE m−1 s−1. Embryonic sporophytes revealed a maximum photosynthetic capacity of 20.6 mg O2 g dry wt−1 h−1 (25.3 mg CO2 g dry wt−1 h−1), a rate about twice that reported for adult sporophyte blades. Embryonic sporophytes also became light saturated at 70 μE m−2 s−1, but unlike their parental gametophytes, failed to exhibit lesser photosynthetic rates at the highest irradiance levels studied; light compensation occurred at 2.8 μE m−2 s−1. Light-saturated net photosynthetic rates of gametophytes and embryonic sporophytes varied significantly with temperature. Gametophytes exhibited maximal photosynthesis at 15° to 20° C, whereas embryonic sporophytes maintained comparable rates between 10° and 20° C. Both gametophytes and embryonic sporophytes declined in photosynthetic capacity at 30° C. Dark respiration of gametophytes was uniform from 10° to 25° C, but increased six-fold at 30° C; the rates for embryonic sporophytes were comparable over the entire range of temperatures examined. The broader light and temperature tolerances of the embryonic sporophytes suggest that this stage in the life history of M. pyrifera is well suited for the subtidal benthic environment and for the conditions in the upper levels of the water column.
66 Changes in fecal lactobacilli after a concentrate meal

s / Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 35 (2015) 400e417 412 enumerations reported for both RM and DM. After only 2 h, there were >100-fold fewer cellulolytics in RT and 4C, with 10-fold fewer observed with 37C in comparison to initial (P < 0.05, in all cases). By 24 h of storage, 105-106-fold fewer cellulolytics were observed with 37C and RT (P < 0.05, in all cases). There were no detectable cellulolytics in 4C at 24 h. After only 2 h of storage, there were fewer lactobacilli in RT and 4C than in initial and continued to decrease until 8 h (P < 0.05, in all cases). In contrast, from 2 to 4 h 37C were similar to initial. However, after 8 h 37C had more lactobacilli than initial that continued to increase through 12 h (P < 0.05, in all cases). These results demonstrate that the sample handling factors, storage time and temperature, are important to consider when enumerating lactobacilli and cellulolytics from equine feces.
Mating flight initiation and nutritional status (protein and lipid) of Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) alates infected with Thelohania solenopsae (Microsporidia: Thelohaniidae).

Female alates of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), infected with Thelohania solenopsae Knell, Allen, and Hazard (Microsporidia: Thelohaniidae) were found to be significantly less likely to be among the early alates to initiate a mating flight. If a flight was initiated, the infected females were significantly more likely to initiate the flight later in comparison with uninfected alates. In addition, many infected female alates seemed not to fly as a significantly greater proportion of the remaining females. Furthermore, infected females exhibited a significantly reduced body weight and a significantly reduced lipid titer, in comparison with uninfected individuals. However, there was no difference between the infected and uninfected alates in the amount of soluble protein. These results suggest that the low-weight, late flying-infected females may be less likely to reach a male mating swarm and less likely to outcompete uninfected females in mating and dispersing. Last, if mated or not, upon landing, the infected females may less likely have the needed energy to initiate a colony.
Nonadditive entropy maximization is inconsistent with Bayesian updating

The maximum entropy method---used to infer probabilistic models from data---is a special case of Bayes's model inference prescription which, in turn, is grounded in basic propositional logic. By contrast to the maximum entropy method, the compatibility of nonadditive entropy maximization with Bayes's model inference prescription has never been established. Here we demonstrate that nonadditive entropy maximization is incompatible with Bayesian updating and discuss the immediate implications of this finding. We focus our attention on special cases as illustrations.
Air impacts of increased natural gas acquisition, processing, and use: a critical review.

During the past decade, technological advancements in the United States and Canada have led to rapid and intensive development of many unconventional natural gas plays (e.g., shale gas, tight sand gas, coal-bed methane), raising concerns about environmental impacts. Here, we summarize the current understanding of local and regional air quality impacts of natural gas extraction, production, and use. Air emissions from the natural gas life cycle include greenhouse gases, ozone precursors (volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides), air toxics, and particulates. National and state regulators primarily use generic emission inventories to assess the climate, air quality, and health impacts of natural gas systems. These inventories rely on limited, incomplete, and sometimes outdated emission factors and activity data, based on few measurements. We discuss case studies for specific air impacts grouped by natural gas life cycle segment, summarize the potential benefits of using natural gas over other fossil ...
HIV-associated central nervous system tuberculosis

Central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS TB) represents one of the most devastating manifestations of TB. HIV dramatically increases the risk of TB disease, including CNS TB. Early recognition and treatment of CNS TB, and TB meningitis in particular, is of critical importance to reducing disability and death associated with CNS TB. The diagnosis and treatment of HIV-associated CNS TB presents particular challenges for clinicians due to the increased risk of other CNS infections and malignancies, atypical cerebrospinal fluid characteristics, drug-drug interactions, timing of antiretroviral therapy and immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, and the increased risk of poor clinical outcomes in HIV-infected compared with HIV-uninfected CNS TB patients. The authors review recent updates and highlight challenges specific to CNS TB in the HIV-infected patient.
Congenital abdominal wall defects.

Congenital abdominal wall defects are among the more common anomalies encountered by pediatric surgeons. The author's experience with omphalocele and gastrochisis is presented.
Immune surveillance: paraneoplastic or environmental triggers of autoimmunity.

Autoimmunity associated with tumor cell development seems an important mechanism by which to prevent progression to clinical cancer. In this brief review, tumor autoantigens associated with paraneoplastic syndrome, non-HLA- associated organ-specific autoimmune diseases, and the highly cell-specific autoimmune eradication of the islet beta cells in type I diabetes are compared and discussed. It is suggested that autoreactivity is important in preventing tumor formation; however, it may be at the expense of the development of autoimmune disease. Although the cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) induction by HLA class I has been studied and use in clinical trials, little is understood about the initiation and HLA class II mediated induction of an immune response to neoplastic cells. This induction apparently takes place because paraneoplastic disorders are often due to an immune response to the tumor cell resulting in a cross-reactivity with a normally expressed autoantigen on a remote nontumor-associated target cell. The problem of immune surveillance to eradicate neoplasm or downregulate pathological autoimmunity are therefore closely related phenomena. An improved understanding of immune mediated tumor suppression should therefore greatly benefit immunotherapy of type 1 diabetes, and the two areas of research would benefit from an interdisciplinary endeavor.
Outcomes of Surgical Management in Patients with Stress Urinary Incontinence and/or Neovesicovaginal Fistula after Orthotopic Neobladder Diversion

Purpose: To our knowledge there are no guidelines for the evaluation and management of incontinence in women with an orthotopic neobladder. We propose a treatment algorithm based on our experience with treating this patient population.Materials and Methods: We identified women in whom orthotopic neobladder diversion and surgery for incontinence were performed from January 1, 1995 to January 1, 2014. Charts were reviewed for management, outcomes and complications within 30 days of surgery.Results: At this institution 12 women with orthotopic neobladder diversion were treated with surgery for incontinence between 1995 and 2014. Six women (50%) had an undiagnosed neovesicovaginal fistula, of whom 3 (50%) underwent successful fistula repair. A total of 12 bulking agent injections were performed in 6 women (50%). The outcomes were continued dryness after 1 injection (8%), transient improvement after 9 (75%), immediate failure after 1 (8%) and secondary fistula development after 1 (8%). Four transobturator slin...
Growth and Equity in Agriculture-led Growth

The role of agriculture in inducing industrial growth has been widely recognised by economists. Among economic historians, this includes the seminal studies of Bairoch (1973) on Europe, Ohkawa and Rosovsky (1964) on Japan, Dobb (1966) on the Soviet Union, and Johnston and Kilby (1975) on Taiwan and South Korea. Among economic theorists, fundamental contributions were made by Lewis (1958), Jorgenson (1969), Fei and Ranis (1964), Lele and Mellor (1981), and Adelman (1984), each stressing different aspects of the relationship between agriculture and industry. In a separate stream of thought, agricultural economists have addressed the issue of the sources of agricultural growth. Prominent are the studies of technological change by Hayami and Ruttan (1985), land tenure by Dorner (1972), and price policy by the World Bank (1986). Rarely have these two streams of thought been integrated in the sense of tracing the feedback between industrial development and sustained sources of agricultural growth. Missing, in particular, is knowledge of how shifts in demand for agricultural products allow protection of the level of agricultural prices and the profitability of investment in agriculture in spite of rapid agricultural growth and a generally inelastic demand.
Teaching Strategies to Promote Imagination and Creativity Through Student Choice

High-agency learning activities empower students to take more active roles in their own learning, directed by their interests, curiosities, and choices. Educators, particularly K-12, have long asserted that student choice of learning activities encourages a greater degree of personal engagement with instructional content, leading to more confident, interested, imaginative, and creative students (e.g., Kohn, 1993; Ronan, 2015).AÂ However, implementing these strategies at the college level often proves challenging as course instructors merge learner engagement strategies, such as student choice, while still sufficiently addressing course objectives and content. Additionally, creating AÂ supportive classroom environments that promote A¢â¬Aopen-endedA¢â¬Â assignments at times are met with student resistance. This session is designed to provide ideas and tips to instructors wishing to employ student choice to enhance active learning, imagination, and creativity in their courses.AÂ Presenters will share best practices for implementing student choice in learning activities and assignments, primarily using examples from asynchronous and synchronous online courses across various disciplines at George Mason University. We also will encourage participants to reflect on how learning activities and assignments in their own courses might be adapted to include student choice to promote imagination and creativity in university-level learning across course delivery formats.ReferencesKohn, A. (1993). Choices for Children: Why and How to Let Students Decide. The Phi Delta Kappan, 75(1), 8A¢â¬â20. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20405017Ronan, A. (2015, March 20). 7 Ways to Hack Your Classroom to Include Student Choice. Retrieved March 16, 2016, from http://www.edudemic.com/7-ways-to-hack-your-classroom/
The importance of the pharmacology of luciferin and its effect on bioluminescent endpoints when conducting in vivo and in vitro experiments

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 3834 Bioluminescent imaging of luciferase in genetically engineered cells is an emerging technology. Luciferase catalyzes conversion of the substrate luciferin + O2 into oxyluciferin (ATP is reduced) and a photon of light is emitted. The amount of light emitted is proportional to enzymatic activity and quantitative. Sensitive CCD cameras detect bioluminescence within the tissues of live animals and special software quantitates the signal. Thus, total tumor burden can be determined in mice inoculated with luciferase transfected cell lines and monitored for bioluminescence. By comparing bioluminescence at various time points during growth/treatment studies one can determine whether the tumor mass is increasing, decreasing or remaining stable. While this is an important tool in biological studies, the pharmacology of luciferin and its impact on the assay methodology has not been fully elucidated. A sensitive detection assay was developed and validated and the pharmacologic profile of luciferin following IP and IV administration was assessed. At the standard dose of 150 mg/kg given IP or IV, our studies demonstrate that luciferin is still detectable more than 8 hours post-dosing. In fact, plasma levels of 1 uM or greater can be detected 8 hr following a single IP administration of 150 mg/kg. This may explain, at least in part, the quenching of signal that is seen with repeated luciferin doses. The residual luciferin may be affecting tumor signaling for several reasons including continued consumption of ATP and O2 in the target cells, enzyme saturation/loss, altered pharmacokinetics due to repeated luciferin doses resulting in accumulation. Concurrent with the pharmacologic evaluations, we determined the minimum luciferin concentration needed to yield significant measurements. Initially, in vitro experiments were conducted to determine the minimum concentration required under optimal imaging conditions. Luciferase transfected cells (PC3M-Luc-C6) were seeded into 96 well plates 24 hours prior to the addition of luciferin. Cell density ranged from about 1000 cells to 0.5 cell/well. Varying concentrations of luciferin were added. The concentrations of luciferin ranged from 471 uM (standard used) to 0.094 uM. For this cell line, 125 cells can be detected with 0.094 uM luciferin and 1 cell can be measured at 0.188 uM luciferin. In vivo studies demonstrate a luciferin dose/luminescence sensitivity relationship as well. These experiments suggest that the optimal concentration of luciferin must be determined depending on the experimental design (imaging frequency, number and location of tumor cells, etc.) and goals (high sensitivity vs. repeated dosing). Because the substrate, luciferin, is costly it may be economically advantageous as well as scientifically justified to use lower concentrations where possible. This work was supported by NCI Contract NO1-CO-12400.
Major choice in first-year engineering program

This paper is a work in progress analysis of major choices by first-year engineering students in the General Engineering (GE) program at Virginia Tech. A series of surveys are administered to GE students at three times over the course of their first year: in August at the beginning of the fall semester; in December at the end of the fall semester; and in April at the end of the spring semester. The surveys collect data about which majors GE students are interested in pursuing at the three points of administration. Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) can be used to make inferences about how students declare their majors and why students decide to switch within or out of engineering. Using SCCT as the theoretical underpinning for this paper, we seek to gain better understanding of the relationships between the confidence of first year engineering students and their major choices, specifically as it pertains leaving the College of Engineering.
Early low-dose hydrocortisone: is the neurodevelopment affected?

Prognosis; exploratory secondary analysis of an interventional randomized controlled trial. In extremely preterm infant (<28 weeks), is early low-dose hydrocortisone compared to placebo associated with neurodevelopmental impairment at 2 years of age? Patients: Surviving infants enrolled in the PREMILOC trial conducted in France between 2008 and 2014. Intervention: Double-blind, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of infants born between 24 0/7 weeks and 27 6/7 weeks of gestation and before 24 h of postnatal age, assigned to receive either placebo or low-dose hydrocortisone (0.5 mg/kg twice per day for 7 days, followed by 0.5 mg/kg per day for 3 days). For the pre-specified exploratory outcome, the distribution of patients without neurodevelopmental impairment (73% in the hydrocortisone group vs. 70% in the placebo group), with mild neurodevelopmental impairment (20% in the hydrocortisone group vs. 18% in the placebo group), or with moderate to severe neurodevelopmental impairment (7% in the hydrocortisone group vs. 11% in the placebo group) was not found to be statistically significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.33). Qualitative assessment of patients using standardized neurological examination also was not statistically significantly different between groups (p = 0.87). In this follow-up study of premature infants who were randomly assigned at birth to receive low-dose hydrocortisone or placebo for 10 days, hydrocortisone treatment was not associated with any adverse effects on neurodevelopmental outcome at 22 months of corrected age.
Attitudes of Radiology Program Directors Toward MD-PhD Trainees, Resident Research Productivity, and Dedicated Research Time.

Rationale and Objectives The percentage of clinical scientists in radiology has historically been low. Increasing the pipeline of trainees interested in research could occur by recruiting MD-PhD trainees and providing protected research time during residency. The purpose of this work is to assess the attitudes of radiology program directors toward MD-PhD trainees, resident research productivity, and dedicated research time. Methods An online survey was sent to residency program directors of all diagnostic radiology departments that received National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards in 2014 (n = 63). Survey questions included program size; perception of overall performance, clinical performance, and research productivity of MD-PhD residents compared to non-PhD residents; and presence of dedicated research time. Responses comparing MD-PhD residents to non-PhD residents were reported as a five-point Likert scale. Student t test was used to assess for significance (alpha = 0.05). Results Response rate was 37%. Clinical performance of MD-PhD residents was judged inferior (P Conclusions Survey results suggest that clinical performance during residency and research involvement is often individually based and difficult to generalize based on prior PhD training. All programs offered dedicated research time, and the vast majority of residents were reported to engage in research during residency, which may increase the pipeline of trainees interested in an academic career.
Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. (1992). The Disuniting of America

(1993). Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. (1992). The Disuniting of America. Journal of Leisure Research: Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 220-224.
Ecosystem responses to elevated CO 2 using airborne remote sensing at Mammoth Mountain, California

Abstract. We present an exploratory study examining the use of airborne remote-sensing observations to detect ecological responses to elevated CO2 emissions from active volcanic systems. To evaluate these ecosystem responses, existing spectroscopic, thermal, and lidar data acquired over forest ecosystems on Mammoth Mountain volcano, California, were exploited, along with in situ measurements of persistent volcanic soil CO2 fluxes. The elevated CO2 response was used to statistically model ecosystem structure, composition, and function, evaluated via data products including biomass, plant foliar traits and vegetation indices, and evapotranspiration (ET). Using regression ensemble models, we found that soil CO2 flux was a significant predictor for ecological variables, including canopy greenness (normalized vegetation difference index, NDVI), canopy nitrogen, ET, and biomass. With increasing CO2 , we found a decrease in ET and an increase in canopy nitrogen, both consistent with theory, suggesting more water- and nutrient-use-efficient canopies. However, we also observed a decrease in NDVI with increasing CO2 (a mean NDVI of 0.27 at 200 g m −2 d −1 CO2 reduced to a mean NDVI of 0.10 at 800 g m −2 d −1 CO2 ). This is inconsistent with theory though consistent with increased efficiency of fewer leaves. We found a decrease in above-ground biomass with increasing CO2 , also inconsistent with theory, but we did also find a decrease in biomass variance, pointing to a long-term homogenization of structure with elevated CO2 . Additionally, the relationships between ecological variables changed with elevated CO2 , suggesting a shift in coupling/decoupling among ecosystem structure, composition, and function synergies. For example, ET and biomass were significantly correlated for areas without elevated CO2 flux but decoupled with elevated CO2 flux. This study demonstrates that (a) volcanic systems show great potential as a means to study the properties of ecosystems and their responses to elevated CO2 emissions and (b) these ecosystem responses are measurable using a suite of airborne remotely sensed data.
EFFECTS OF CHRONIC HALOPERIDOL TREATMENT ON NIGRAL DOPAMINERGIC CELL ACTIVITY

The effects of chronic haloperidol treatment (CHAL) on the activity of rat nigral dopaminergic (DA) neurons was determined using extracellular single unit recording techniques. The number of active DA cells found in CHAL animals was markedly decreased when compared to controls. Subsequent studies suggest that the decrease in the number of active DA cells in CHAL animals is due to an increased striato-nigral excitatory input to these cells which maintains them in a state of tonic depolarization inactivation. These findings provide a possible new mechanism to explain the delayed onset of neurological side effects induced clinically by these drugs.
Rethinking the diffusion of renewable energy policies: A global assessment of feed-in tariffs and renewable portfolio standards

Abstract This article examines the global diffusion of two dominant renewable energy policies: feed-in tariffs (FIT) and renewable portfolio standards (RPS). It focuses on four mechanisms of policy diffusion: emulation, suasion, learning and competition. The findings of quantitative methods (logistic regression models and event history analysis) show strong support for emulation mechanisms in the diffusion of FIT and RPS. In the diffusion of FIT and RPS there is some support for learning and suasion. There is a robust finding of support that the competition mechanism does not explain diffusion of RPS and FIT.
The development of understanding of the spatial terms front and back.

Publisher Summary Children, even very young ones, can distinguish between the front and back and sides of things. It is interesting to study how and when do children make these judgments. It is well known that children frequently confuse left and right, and this chapter covers an experiment aimed to evaluate the explanation of this confusion proposed by Piaget. Piaget asked 4- to 12-year-old children several multipart questions about left and right. Only by 11 years could the children perform his most difficult task, which required that they grasp that the middle object of a three-object row was simultaneously to the right of one object and to the left of the other. Young, still egocentric, children thus ought to be equally stymied if questioned about the middle object of a three-object array whether the array is aligned right to left, front to back, or top to bottom. Piaget proposed that the children's confusion of left and right is logical—“egocentrism” prevents them from understanding relations or from grasping the relativity of notions or ideas—and the growing appreciation of left-right directionality therefore could be equated with growing ability to place themselves “at the point of view of others with regard to left and right.”
The Analysis of AS/RS Performance

Automated material handling equipment can contribute significantly to productivity improvements, but only if the system is well planned. An important contribution to the system planning is a thorough analysis of the performance of the AS/RS equipment.
GENOME ARCHAEOLOGY: DETECTING ANCIENT POLYPLOIDY IN CONTEMPORARY GENOMES

Many present-day organisms are descendants of ancient polyploids. While recently generated polyploids are easily detected due to the presence of a complete set of duplicated chromosomes, the footprint of ancient polyploidy may be more subtle. After many generations of gene deletion, divergence of paralogous genes, and chromosomal rearrangements, an ancient polyploid comes to resemble a nonpolyploid genome that has experienced multiple local duplication events. Here we simulate genomes evolving under these conditions and monitor the resultant distances between paralogous pairs of genes, as measured by the number of intervening genes in each genome. Some measures of this nearest neighbor distribution decay very slowly following polyploidy and thus may offer a means of experimentally testing alternative hypothesis concerning ancestral ploidy. The nearest neighbor distribution for yeast appears consistent with the proposed ancient tetraploidy of this genome. We briefly review empirical data relevant to these processes and suggest areas for future research.
Future Directions in Reconstructive and Regenerative Surgery

Over the last 5 years, major biomedical, technological, and manufacturing advances have helped reshape the therapeutic potential of gene therapies and facilitate their translation to clinical care. This chapter aims to provide brief insights on some of the innovations that are impacting the field, the CRISPR/Cas9 system and the therapeutic use of micro-RNAs are worth mentioning.
Extreme asymmetry of Néel domain walls in multilayered films of the dilute magnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)(As,P)

We report on unconventional perfectly shaped, fully asymmetric $\ensuremath{\sim}{90}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ N\'eel domain walls in multilayered films of the diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)(As,P) with a stepwise variation of P doping. Our results contradict micromagnetic calculations, which favor symmetric domain walls due to crystallographic anisotropy and stray field energy. We demonstrate that both the puzzling uniaxial in-plane anisotropy in the tetragonal multilayered film and the asymmetry of the domain walls could result from Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions that are enhanced by the multiple sharp interfaces between the layers and from anisotropic nonrelativistic exchange coupling. Our finding shows that digital variations of composition during the molecular beam epitaxy can be used to tune the anisotropy and chirality of magnetic multilayers.
Fluid Management in Children Undergoing Surgery and Anesthesia

Fasting is minimized in children to reduce anxiety and irritability as well as physiologic and metabolic derangements. Fasting times have been shortened in children to 6 h for solids, 4 h for formula milk, and 1 h for clear fluids. Fasting from breast milk for 3 h is acceptable, although this may vary between centers. Neonates have low glucose stores and are at risk of hypoglycemia during fasting. It can be difficult to quantify the degree of dehydration in children, and emphasis has instead shifted to detecting ‘red flags’ warning of serious dehydration or shock. Hyponatremia is a risk of hypotonic, glucose-containing intravenous fluids, and now isotonic fluids are standard for children. Fluid therapy for neonates continues with high-glucose, low-sodium fluids because of their predisposition to hypoglycemia and poor renal concentrating ability. Blood transfusion is uncommon in children, but many recent changes in the management of critical bleeding in adults have been adapted to children.
Large-sample evidence of income inequality in resource-rich nations

It is commonly presumed that economies specializing in mining and oil production have high national income inequality. The research testing this proposition is equivocal, no doubt because of small sample sizes and missing inequality data for the majority of mining and oil economies. This paper makes use of a large sample of income inequality data that is comprehensive in its coverage of mining and oil economies. Mine production is found to cause higher national income inequality on a gross, pre-tax basis and a net, post-tax and post-redistribution basis. Botswana is prime example of a mining economy having both high gross and net income inequality. Oil production, on the other hand, does not cause higher gross or net income inequality. If anything, oil is associated with reduced gross and net income inequality. The mechanism for this difference from mining is not clear.
DIFFERENCES IN BONE AGE READINGS BETWEEN PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AND RADIOLOGISTS.

Objective: Pediatric endocrinologists (PEs) have historically read their own bone age (BA) X-rays based on the belief that radiologists do not accurately interpret these tests. Whether there are significant differences in BA interpretations between these two groups has not been systematically explored. The objectives of the study were to compare BA readings performed by PEs and radiologists and determine whether clinical variables were associated with discrepancies in readings. Methods: A retrospective chart review of children presenting for initial evaluation of short stature (SS) or precocious puberty (PP) who had a BA X-ray completed was performed. Clinical variables analyzed included age, gender, ethnicity, Tanner stage, body mass index, reason for referral, radiologist location (Children's vs. outside hospital), and PE and radiologist BA readings using the Greulich and Pyle method. Results: Of 103 patients aged 9 ± 3.66 years, there was a discrepancy between the PE and radiologist readings on 70 images (68%). Discrepancy ranged from -1.5 to 3.5 years, with a mean of 4 ± 12 months. Patients referred for PP were more likely to have discrepant interpretations than those referred for SS (8.4 months vs. 0.8 months; P = .007). No differences were seen in interpretations between in-house radiologists and those at outside hospitals. Conclusion: Radiologists interpreted BAs differently than PEs in the majority of images. In patients referred for PP, BAs were interpreted as being older by radiologists than by PEs, perhaps due to bias from the reason for referral. Our results provide support for continued independent BA interpretations by PEs. Abbreviations: BA = bone age; GP = Greulich and Pyle; PE = pediatric endocrinologist; PP = precocious puberty; SS = short stature.
An Estimate of the Influence of Breaking Waves on the Dynamics of the Upper Ocean

The influence of breaking waves on the dynamics of the upper ocean is estimated using the concept of an energy balance between the wind and waves. The rate of energy release from wave breaking is calculated by the statistical model proposed by Longuet-Higgins (1969). It is found that the result of this calculation depends only on one parameter, the significant slope, defined and used by Huang and Long (1980). Treating the energy released from the breaking waves as the sole source of turbulent energy, various models are constructed to simulate a wide variety of dynamical phenomena in the upper ocean layer. The quantities calculated from these models include surface drift, whitecapping percentage, and mixing efficiency. This treatment using breaking waves as the sole turbulent energy source is only a first-order approximation to reality but the technique does result in the first quantitative estimates of the effect of breaking waves on upper ocean layer dynamics. One of the advantages of using the present approach is that the inputs to the models are all obtainable from remote sensors. Possible future extensions and improvements to the models are also discussed. It is believed that the models presented here offer a new look for the study of the dynamics of the upper ocean. Additional studies and the attention of future investigators are required to bring this technique to full fruition.
RARTS: a Relaxed Architecture Search Method

Differentiable architecture search (DARTS) is an effective method for data-driven neural network design based on solving a bilevel optimization problem. In this paper, we formulate a single level alternative and a relaxed architecture search (RARTS) method that utilizes training and validation datasets in architecture learning without involving mixed second derivatives of the corresponding loss functions. Through weight/architecture variable splitting and Gauss-Seidel iterations, the core algorithm outperforms DARTS significantly in accuracy and search efficiency, as shown in both a solvable model and CIFAR-10 based architecture search. Our model continues to out-perform DARTS upon transfer to ImageNet and is on par with recent variants of DARTS even though our innovation is purely on the training algorithm.
A review of the evolution of the nanostructure of SiCN and SiOC polymer derived ceramics and the impact on mechanical properties

Polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) are fabricated through the controlled pyrolysis of silicon-based polymeric precursors. Their structure, and subsequent material responses, are highly dependent on the chemistry of the pre-ceramic polymer, the pyrolysis atmosphere, and the pyrolysis or annealing temperatures. Future development of PDCs and their integration into society will rely heavily on understanding the connection between these variables and their subsequent material performance. In this review, the nanostructural development of silicon carbonitride (SiCN) and silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) ceramics, along with a selection of their chemically or physically modified structures, is presented. The chemistry and processing parameters of these PDCs will be explored in relation to their amorphous and crystalline characteristics, including phase transitions and transition temperatures. The microstructure of these systems is also presented in conjunction with the nanostructure where necessary. The structural properties of SiCN and SiOC PDCs are related to the mechanical responses of these systems, which provides an overview of the design parameters needed to realize a PDC from theory to application.
Association of PARP1-specific polymorphisms and haplotypes with non-small cell lung cancer subtypes.

Objective The carcinogenesis role of PARP1 in lung cancer is still not clear. Analysis at allelic levels cannot fully explain the function of PARP1 on lung cancer. Our study aims to further explore the relation between PARP1 haplotypes and lung cancer. Materials and methods DNA and RNA were extracted from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor and adjacent normal fresh frozen tissue. Five PARP1-SNPs were genotyped and PARP1-specific SNPs were imputed using IMPUTE and SHAPEIT software. The SNPs were subjected to allelic, haplotype and SNP-SNP interaction analyses. Correlation between SNPs and mRNA/protein expressions were performed. Results SNP imputation inferred the ungenotyped SNPs and increased the power for association analysis. Tumor tissue samples are more likely to carry rs1805414 (OR = 1.85; 95% CI: 1.12–3.06; P-value: 0.017) and rs1805404 (OR = 2.74; 95%CI 1.19–6.32; P-value: 0.015) compared to normal tissues. Our study is the first study to show that haplotypes comprising of 5 SNPs on PARP1 (rs1136410, rs3219073, rs1805414, rs1805404, rs1805415) is able to differentiate the NSCLC tumor from normal tissues. Interaction between rs3219073, rs1805415, and rs1805414 were significantly associated with the NSCLC tumor with OR ranging from 3.61–6.75; 95%CI from 1.82 to 19.9; P-value<0.001. Conclusion PARP1 haplotypes may serve as a better predictor in lung cancer development and prognosis compared to single alleles.
Evaluation of dosing strategies and trough concentrations of vancomycin in patients undergoing continuous venovenous hemofiltration.

STUDY OBJECTIVE Recommendations regarding vancomycin dosing in critically ill patients on continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) are limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate current dosing practices of pharmacists for patients treated with CVVH, develop guidelines for optimal dosing and monitoring of vancomycin to improve target trough attainment, and reduce pharmacist workload. DESIGN A retrospective cohort study. was performed of critically ill adult patients from January 2015 to December 2018. Patients were included if they received vancomycin during CVVH for at least 48 h. Patients with significant residual kidney function, defined as daily urine output >400 ml or significant fluctuations (≥1000 ml/h in a 24-h period) in their hemofiltration rates, were excluded. Interruptions in CVVH up to 6 h/day were permitted. Dosing strategies with two dosing categories were defined: (1) dosing based on random serum levels (dosing by level, DBL) or (2) scheduled vancomycin dosing (SD). SETTING Academic medical center in Detroit, Michigan. PATIENTS Critically ill adult patients. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS During the study period, 942 patients were evaluated and 200 met inclusion criteria, for a total of 586 serum vancomycin levels. There were 141 patients with 443 random vancomycin serum levels in the DBL group and 59 patients with143 vancomycin trough levels in the SD group. Mean vancomycin trough levels were similar between groups (17.1 ± 6 vs. 16.5 ± 4 mcg/ml) for the DBL and SD groups, respectively. For the primary end point of overall target trough achievement of 15-20 mcg/ml, significantly more trough levels in the SD group were in the 15-20 mcg/ml range compared with the DBL group, 50% vs. 38%; p < 0.001, respectively. When target trough range was extended to 10-20 mcg/ml, success rates were similar between groups (74% DBL vs. 82% SD, p = 0.021). The number of interventions required by the pharmacist, including notes per day and orders per day, were reduced by approximately 50% when the SD strategy was utilized. Scheduled vancomycin dosing regimens of 15-22 mg/kg every 12-24 h were required to yield trough levels in the 15-20 mcg/ml range. CONCLUSIONS Target vancomycin trough achievement of 15-20 mcg/ml occurred more frequently when vancomycin was scheduled at a dose of 15-22 mg/kg every 12-24 h based on ultrafiltration rate and may alleviate the time and cost associated with frequent vancomycin serum monitoring.