cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lipoxins and aspirin-triggered 15-epi-lipoxins are the first lipid mediators of endogenous anti-inflammation and resolution.

Abstract Lipoxins (LXs) or the lipox ygenase in teraction products are generated from arachidonic acid via sequential actions of lipoxygenases and subsequent reactions to give specific trihydroxytetraene-containing eicosanoids. These unique structures are formed during cell–cell interactions and appear to act at both temporal and spatially distinct sites from other eicosanoids produced during the course of inflammatory responses and to stimulate natural resolution. Lipoxin A 4 (LXA 4 ) and lipoxin B 4 (LXB 4 ) are positional isomers that each possesses potent cellular and in vivo actions. These LX structures are conserved across species. The results of numerous studies reviewed in this work now confirm that they are the first recognized eicosanoid chemical mediators that display both potent anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving actions in vivo in disease models that include rabbit, rat, and mouse systems. LXs act at specific GPCRs as agonists to regulate cellular responses of interest in inflammation and resolution. Aspirin has a direct impact in the LX circuit by triggering the biosynthesis of endogenous epimers of LX, termed the aspirin-triggered 15-epi-LX, that share the potent anti-inflammatory actions of LX. Stable analogs of LXA 4 , LXB 4 , and aspirin-triggered lipoxin were prepared, and several of these display potent actions in vitro and in vivo. The results reviewed herein implicate a role of LX and their analogs in many common human diseases including airway inflammation, asthma, arthritis, cardiovascular disorders, gastrointestinal disease, periodontal disease, kidney diseases and graft-vs.-host disease, as well as others where uncontrolled inflammation plays a key role in disease pathogenesis. Hence, the LX pathways and mechanisms reviewed to date in this work provide a basis for new approaches to treatment of many common human diseases that involve inflammation.
Techniques for Measuring Carbonic Anhydrase Activity in Vitro

The isozymes of carbonic anhydrase (CA) (EC 4.2.1.1.) catalyze the reversible hydration—dehydration of carbon dioxide and water, with H+ ions being transferred between the active site of the enzyme and a surrounding buffer.3,16,17 This results in a change in pH as the reaction proceeds toward equilibrium. With the advent of rapid-responding pH and reference electrodes coupled to sensitive pH meters, these changes in H+ ion concentration could be accurately measured. That measurement, which can be performed either directly or indirectly, forms the underlying principle upon which the electrometric methods for the assay of CA activity are built.
Changing Lanes or Stuck in the Middle: Why Are Anocracies More Prone to Civil Wars?

Past research on regime type and civil war points to anocratic regimes as having a high probability of civil war onset. The specific characteristics of anocratic regimes that lead to their predisposition for civil war have been left unexplained. In this article, the authors examine how the transitional characteristics of anocracy explain the enhanced risk of civil war onset. The results point to three important conclusions. First, anocratic regimes are most likely to experience civil war in the first few years of their duration. Second, transitions into anocracy from democracy leave states at a higher risk of civil war. Third, the probability of civil war onset increases with the magnitude of a transition into anocracy.
Marital status and its effect on lung cancer survival

The purpose of this study was to determine if marital status, including specific types of single status categories, is associated with length of survival in lung cancer patients. Data from the 1996–2007 Florida Cancer Data System were linked with Agency for Health Care Administration data and U.S. Census data. Patients with both small cell and non-small cell lung cancer were identified (n = 161,228). Marital status was characterized by married, widowed, separated/divorced, and never married. We compared median survival time and 1, 3, and 5-year post diagnosis survival rates. Overall, 54.6% were married, 19.1% were widowed, 13.5% were separated/divorced, and 12.7% had never married. Median survival in months was longest for married (9.9) and widowed (7.7) patients, and shortest for never married (4.9) and separated/divorced (4.1) patients. Five-year survival rates were 14.2% for married, 10.7% for widowed, 8.9% for separated/divorced, and 8.4% for never married. In univariate Cox regression, marital status was a significant predictor of better survival for married (HR = 0.70; p < 0.001) and widowed (HR = 0.81; p < 0.001) patients compared with never married patients, but worse for separated/divorced patients (HR = 1.03; p = 0.003). Multivariate models demonstrated sustained survival benefits for married (HR = 0.86; p < 0.001) and widowed (HR = 0.88; p < 0.001) patients, and detriments for separated/divorced patients (HR = 1.05; p < 0.001) after adjusting for extensive confounders including demographics; tumor stage, grade, and morphology; comorbidities; treatment; and smoking status. Our study demonstrated that married or widowed lung cancer patients have better survival compared to patients who were never married or separated/divorced. Research to understand the mechanism of this effect, and how the beneficial effect can be extended to those who have never married or have had the marital relationship severed through divorce or separation is needed.
Test results of a HTS Reciprocating Magnetic Separator

The test results of a conduction-cooled High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) Reciprocating Magnetic Separator are reported. Reciprocating magnetic separators are used in the purification of kaolin clay. The HTS coil is 0.3 m in length and has a 0.25 m (cold) bore inner diameter. The central operating magnetic field is a nominal 3.0 T with a design operating current of 126 A. In terms of combined size and magnetic field strength, this is one of the largest HTS magnets ever fabricated, possessing a stored energy >0.1 MJ. The HTS magnet is conduction cooled via one single-stage G-M cryocooler with a nominal operating temperature of 30 K. The HTS conductor uses a stainless steel reinforced Bi-2223 material. Salient design features and test results of the HTS magnetic separator are discussed.
A new design procedure for optimum gain pyramidal horns

A procedure for designing optimum gain pyramidal horns has been developed. It offers exact dimensions with a simple and efficient numerical method, compared to a previous design method using geometrical approximations and a trial-and-error process. The technique has been validated both analytically and experimentally, and should prove useful for microwave antenna designers. >
Recovery in Mobile Database System

Mobile computing is a rapidly emerging trend in distributed computing. This new mobile computing environment poses challenging problems in designing fault-tolerant systems because of the dynamics of mobility, and limited bandwidth available on wireless links. Traditional fault-tolerance schemes, therefore, cannot be directly applied to these systems. Mobile systems are often subject to environmental conditions which can cause loss of communication or data. Presented here is a scheme for recovery upon failure of a mobile host. This paper portrays the limitations of the mobile wireless environment and improvement over existing recovery scheme is presented which suit the mobile environment.
Qualitative case studies of innovative pedagogical practices using ICT

Abstract The Second Instructional Technology in Education Study: Module 2 (SITES M2) is a series of qualitative studies that identify and describe innovative pedagogical practices in 28 participating countries that use technology. The project resulted in 174 case study reports of innovative practice that are currently being analysed. This paper describes the goals, research questions, and methodology for this study and provides a context for the other papers that are published in this issue. Given the large number of case studies, a combined qualitative and quantitative approach to the research is described.
Morphometric evidence that the total number of synapses on Purkinje neurons of old F344 rats is reduced after long-term ethanol treatment and restored to control levels after recovery.

Clinical symptoms of alcohol abuse may be confused with symptoms of age-related neuro- pathologies in human patients. It is important, therefore, to determine the relationships between alcohol abuse and changes in brain structures in well-controll ed studies of ageing subjects. Currently there is little well-documented information of this type available. The purpose of this study was to determine whether long-term ethanol treatment during ageing would lead to reductions in synaptic input to cerebellar Purkinjc neurons (PN) of old F344 rats that; (1) were more severe than those attributable to ageing alone; (2) might be responsible for an ethanol-related deletion of dendritic segments of PN in old F344 rats shown previously in this laboratory. The total number of synapses per PN dendritic arbor was determined after ethanol treatment of old F344 rats for 40 weeks between 12 and 22 months of age and in similarly treated rats given a subsequent 20-week period of recovery between 22 and 27 months of age. Groups of age-matched rats fed a chow diet and water and rats pair-fed an isocaloric liquid diet lacking ethanol served as controls. The volume of the molecular layer per PN arbor and the numerical density of synapses in the molecular layer was determined from light microscopic preparations of a fixed volume of the cerebellar cortex. Photographic montages of the ultrastructure of the molecular layer of the cerebellum were also prepared from each rat for measurements of synaptic numerical densities. From the volume of the molecular layer per PN arbor and the numerical density of synapses in the molecular layer, the total number of synapses per PN arbor was estimated for each rat. There was a significant reduction in synapses in the old ethanol-treated rats relative to age-matched chow-fed rats. There were also significant interactions between recovery and treatment prior to recovery During recovery, synaptic numbers in the old, ethanol-treated rats were restored to pre-recovery control levels whereas synaptic numbers in the old, chow-fed rats were significantly reduced during the same period of time. There were no significant diet- or age-related changes in synaptic numbers in the pair-fed control rats during treatment or recovery. The pattern of reduction in synaptic numbers during ethanol treatment and restoration of synaptic numbers during recovery from treatment paralleled the pattern of ethanol-relat ed segment loss and recovery-related segment regrowth noted earlier in PN arbors of old F344 rats, suggesting thai reductions in the numbers of synapses and deletion of terminal dendritic segments were causally related in this strain.
Anionische Übergangsmetallkomplexe mit terminalen Carbid-, Nitrid- und Phosphidliganden als Synthesebausteine für niederkoordinierte Phosphorverbindungen†

Anionische Komplexe mit terminalen einatomigen Nitrid-, Phosphid- und Carbidliganden sind ausgezeichnete Ausgangsmaterialien fur die Synthese von Liganden mit niederkoordinierten Phosphorzentren in der schutzenden Koordinationssphare eines Metallkomplexes. Salzeliminierungsreaktionen mit Chlorphosphanen fuhren zu Phosphaisocyanid-, Iminophosphinimid- und Diorganophosphanylphosphiniden-Komplexen, in denen die ungewohnlichen Phosphorliganden durch Koordination stabilisiert sind. Rontgenstrukturanalysen und Dichtefunktionalrechnungen erhellen die Bindungsverhaltnisse in diesen Verbindungen.
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry of Fluorocarbons 11 and 12 in Biologic Specimens

Fluorocarbons 11 and 12 were detected and identified in tracheal air, blood, liver, lung, and brain specimens by head-space analysis utilizing a GC-MS. The individual spectrum for each of the fluorocarbons was obtained. The method is easily adaptable to other volatiles.
Barriers to the Use of Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Therapies

Evidence from randomized clinical trials supports the use of tamoxifen, raloxifene, exemestane, and anastrozole for the reduction of risk of invasive breast cancer, predominately estrogen receptor-positive tumors. Revised clinical guidelines now strongly recommend that physicians offer high-risk women medication for breast cancer risk reduction. Although only a small portion of eligible women receive risk reduction medication, evidence suggests higher acceptance among women with atypical hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ. Among physicians, barriers for prescribing risk reduction medications include inadequate training in risk assessment, lack of reimbursement for prevention counseling, and the unavailability of easily accessible and user-friendly prediction tools for estimating risk/benefit profiles. Strategies to improve uptake among women have focused on providing education about breast cancer risk and information that accurately conveys the risks and benefits of risk reduction medications. Priority areas of research that have been identified to improve the use of risk reduction medications are the (1) development of risk assessment tools that more accurately identify women most likely to benefit, (2) identification of circulating or tissue biomarkers that can predict and monitor responsiveness of treatment, and (3) better understanding of patient-related barriers, including patients' subjective beliefs and experiences.
Affordable Design - A Methodology to Implement Process-Based Manufacturing Cost Models Into the Traditional Performance-Focused Multidisciplinary Design Optimization

The primary objective of this paper is to demonstrate the use of process-based manufacturing and assembly cost models in a traditional performance-focused multidisciplinary design and optimization process. The use of automated cost-performance analysis is an enabling technology that could bring realistic process-based manufacturing and assembly cost into multidisciplinary design and optimization. In this paper, we present a new methodology for incorporating process costing into a standard multidisciplinary design optimization process. Material, manufacturing processes, and assembly processes cost then could be used as the objective function for the optimization methods. A case study involving forty-six different configurations of a simple wind is presented, indicating that a design based on performance criteria alone may not necessarily be the most affordable as far as manufacturing and assembly cost is concerned.
Abandoned Consumers: Deregulation and Fraud in the California Auto Insurance Industry

This paper presents a case study of frauds committed by offshore companies in the California auto insurance market in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The opportunities for these crimes were created by two factors: the departure of legitimate insurance companies from the market and the adoption of deregulatory policies by state regulators. The case study illustrates some of the consequences of the increasingly common situation in the US in which consumers find themselves abandoned both by government and by legitimate providers of goods and services. The criminal consequences of this situation have also been observed in other markets.
The Effect of Charge Display on Cost of Care and Physician Practice Behaviors: A Systematic Review

While studies have been published in the last 30 years that examine the effect of charge display during physician decision-making, no analysis or synthesis of these studies has been conducted. We aimed to determine the type and quality of charge display studies that have been published; to synthesize this information in the form of a literature review. English-language articles published between 1982 and 2013 were identified using MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, ABI-Inform, and Academic Search Premier. Article titles, abstracts, and text were reviewed for relevancy by two authors. Data were then extracted and subsequently synthesized and analyzed. Seventeen articles were identified that fell into two topic categories: the effect of charge display on radiology and laboratory test ordering versus on medication choice. Seven articles were randomized controlled trials, eight were pre-intervention vs. post-intervention studies, and two interventions had a concurrent control and intervention groups, but were not randomized. Twelve studies were conducted in a clinical environment, whereas five were survey studies. Of the nine clinically based interventions that examined test ordering, seven had statistically significant reductions in cost and/or the number of tests ordered. Two of the three clinical studies looking at medication expenditures found significant reductions in cost. In the survey studies, physicians consistently chose fewer tests or lower cost options in the theoretical scenarios presented. In the majority of studies, charge information changed ordering and prescribing behavior.
On the uniqueness of the constrained space orbital variation (CSOV) technique

Several CSOV analyses are performed for the 1Sigma(+) state of NiCO, and it is shown that the importance of the CO sigma donation, Ni pi back donation, and interunit polarizations are virtually independent of the order of the CSOV steps, provided that the open-shell 3d sigma and 4s Ni orbitals are orthogonalized to the CO. This order of orthogonalization is consistent with the polarization of the Ni observed in the unconstrained SCF wavefunction. If instead the CO is orthogonalized to the open-shell Ni orbitals, the frozen orbital repulsion and entire CSOV analysis becomes unphysical. A comparison of the SCF and CAS SCF descriptions for the NiCO 1Sigma(+) state shows the importance of the s to d promotion and sd hybridization in reducing the repulsion and increasing the Ni to CO pi bonding. For LiF, CSOV analyses starting from both the neutral and ionic asymptotes show the bonding to be predominantly Li(+) - F(-). These examples show the uniqueness of the CSOV decomposition.
Alternative Therapies for Urinary Urgency Incontinence: Acupuncture and Herbology

Urinary urgency is defined by the International Continence Society as a sudden and compelling desire to pass urine that is difficult to defer [1] . In both sexes the symptoms tend to increase as one ages, but in women they are more often associated with urge urinary incontinence (UUI). The overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) is defined as urgency usually accompanied by urinary frequency and nocturia, with or without UUI, and is widely prevalent among women, affecting nearly 17% of the overall female population [2] . Symptoms and signs of urgency and UUI become more evident after menopause, increasing with advancing age [3] . It is estimated that the number of American women aged 65 years and older will double in the next 25 years to more than 40 million women by 2030 [4] , which will further increase the already high cost of OAB to society and impairment of quality of life for the individual [5] . Up to 39% of new admissions to long-term care facilities report having urinary incontinence, of which nearly two thirds had objectively documented involuntary bladder contractions [6] . Effective first-line treatments for the OAB syndrome are nonsurgical, such as pharmacotherapy, behavioral therapy, and pelvic floor electrical stimulation. Behavior modification includes fluid and dietary changes, bladder drill entailing scheduled voiding to restore normal cortical control over micturition, and exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles for patients with mixed incontinence. The combination of these behavioral treatment modalities may improve symptoms by 75–80% [7] . Antimuscarinic pharmacotherapy has become the mainstay for persistent OAB symptoms [5] . Goode et al. [8] found that objective bladder capacity improved significantly with antimuscarinic therapy compared to a group receiving behavioral therapy [8] , but nocturia was better treated by combined behavioral therapy and pharmacological treatment [9] . There is evidence that the placebo effect plays a major role in the treatment of UUI [10] . Overall reduction in UUI with placebo alone is believed to reach about 40% [11] . As effective as antimuscarinic drugs may be, they fail to adequately resolve symptoms in a substantial number of cases, and their use is frequently limited by side effects. The elderly are especially susceptible to serious anticholinergic CNS side effects such as significant memory impairment and hallucinations [12] . Although significant CNS reactions are not common, it generally is encouraged to avoid prescription of antimuscarinic medications that cross the blood–brain barrier in the elderly whenever possible [13] . For nonresponders to these interventions, and as first-line therapy for selected cases, a variety of nonpharmacological alternatives with documented efficacy have been developed. The potential benefits of complementary therapies are that they have few, if any, adverse effects compared with antimuscarinic pharmacotherapy [14] . Acupuncture generally is well tolerated and is Chapter 16 Alternative Therapies for Urinary Urgency Incontinence: Acupuncture and Herbology
Recombinant protein blends: silk beyond natural design

Recombinant DNA technology and new material concepts are shaping future directions in biomaterial science for the design and production of the next-generation biomaterial platforms. Aside from conventionally used synthetic polymers, numerous natural biopolymers (e.g., silk, elastin, collagen, gelatin, alginate, cellulose, keratin, chitin, polyhydroxyalkanoates) have been investigated for properties and manipulation via bioengineering. Genetic engineering provides a path to increase structural and functional complexity of these biopolymers, and thereby expand the catalog of available biomaterials beyond that which exists in nature. In addition, the integration of experimental approaches with computational modeling to analyze sequence-structure-function relationships is starting to have an impact in the field by establishing predictive frameworks for determining material properties. Herein, we review advances in recombinant DNA-mediated protein production and functionalization approaches, with a focus on hybrids or combinations of proteins; recombinant protein blends or 'recombinamers'. We highlight the potential biomedical applications of fibrous protein recombinamers, such as Silk-Elastin Like Polypeptides (SELPs) and Silk-Bacterial Collagens (SBCs). We also discuss the possibility for the rationale design of fibrous proteins to build smart, stimuli-responsive biomaterials for diverse applications. We underline current limitations with production systems for these proteins and discuss the main trends in systems/synthetic biology that may improve recombinant fibrous protein design and production.
Cognitive Therapy An Overview

In the past several years, cognitive therapy has emerged as one of the more powerful models of psychotherapy (Smith, 1982). There are two interactive reasons for its emergence and popularity. First, cognitive therapy has been demonstrated to be an efficacious model of treatment. Second, a number of practitioners, impressed by the available outcome studies, have learned more about cognitive therapy and have been impressed by the results in their own practice.
Teaching data analytics across the computing curricula

The Economist calls data analytics "a golden vein" [6], and many business experts now say it is the "new science of winning" [7]. Business and technologists have many names for this new science, "business intelligence" (BI), "data analytics," and "data mining" are among the most common. For these reasons, colleges are rushing to develop curriculums, courses, and teaching methods to prepare students for this field. However teaching students this new science is challenging since it involves a variety of disciplines, and teaching to different disciplines must be done in such a manner as to focus on that discipline's main contribution to this inter-disciplinary topic. For example, the Computing Curriculum 2005 [1] provides undergraduate guidelines for five defined sub-disciplines of computing. This paper describes a general approach that was developed that provides intuitive and interactive learning of data analytics core principles while also providing for extensions relevant for each discipline. That general approach is illustrated with the popular data analytics affinity analysis algorithm.
EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION OF LAMB WAVES PROPAGATING WITH A NEGATIVE GROUP VELOCITY

It has been established theoretically that a certain propagation mode of Lamb waves exhibits a negative group velocity for a particular range of fd, where f is the ultrasonic frequency and d is the plate thickness. The present paper demonstrates experimental evidence for the existence of such a propagation characteristic. Observations of negative group velocity for Lamb waves were made on a brass plate immersed in water in the fd range of 2.05 - 2.30 MHz-mm for the A 1 and S 1 modes. The measured values of phase and group velocities were compared to theoretical values for the cases under consideration. The observed signal amplitude is discussed in the light of possible noise factors.
Cytological evidence of transient sex chromatin decondensation during compensatory hypertrophy in rat livers

The left lateral lobes were surgically removed from livers of female rats. The number of cells containing sex chromatin bodies was counted in the surgically removed lobes and compared with counts from the remaining lobes removed at various intervals after the operation. The proportion of cells showing positive sex chromatin was found to decrease to nearly one-half the initial preoperative value by four days after partial hepatectomy. Sex chromatin frequency returned to near preoperative levels by 21 days. A 3H-thymidine autoradiography showed that the number of cells in the S-phase was less than 5 percent at the postoperative time when sex chromatin frequency was lowest, thus ruling out the possibility that the decreased numbers of sex chromatin positive cells was related to genome replication. These data show that condensation of the late-replicating, and, presumably, inactive X-chromosome is not permanent, a fact that may relate to X-inactivation observed in embryogenesis.
Macromolecular Engineering by Carbocationic Techniques: New Polymers That Contain Elastomeric Sequences

Abstract The aim of this review was to outline some key concepts the macromolecular engineer can utilize in the task of assembling useful polymers. In addition to useful ultimate properties, conven...
Review of Bruce Bartlett, 'The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform — Why We Need It and What It Will Take'

Alan D. Viard of American Enterprise Institute reviews, "The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform -- Why We Need It and What It Will Take" by Bruce Bartlett. According to Viard, the book offers a highly readable overview of the federal tax system and key tax policy issues. While experts will already be familiar with most of the material in the book, readers with less background will be able to obtain helpful guidance on many aspects of the current tax system and reform proposals. Unfortunately, those readers will need to proceed with caution, as the book contains a significant number of factual and economic errors.
Automatic detection of ureter lesions in CT urography

We are developing a CAD system for automated detection of ureter abnormalities in multi-detector row CT urography (CTU). Our CAD system consists of two stages. The first stage automatically tracks the ureter via the previously proposed COmbined Model-guided Path-finding Analysis and Segmentation System (COMPASS). The second stage consists of lesion enhancement filtering, adaptive thresholding, edge extraction, and noise removal. With IRB approval, 36 cases were collected from patient files, including 15 cases (17 ureters with 32 lesions) for training, and 10 abnormal cases (11 ureters with 17 lesions) and 11 normal cases (22 ureters) for testing. All lesions were identified by experienced radiologists on the CTU images and COMPASS was able to track the ureters in 100% of the cases. The average lesion size was 5.1 mm (range: 2.1 mm – 21.9 mm) for the training set and 6.1 mm (range: 2.0 mm – 18.9 mm) for the test set. The average conspicuity was 4.1 (range: 2 to 5) and 3.9 (range: 1 to 5) on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 very subtle), for the training and test sets, respectively. The system achieved 90.6% sensitivity at 2.41 (41/17) FPs/ureter for the training set and 70.6% sensitivity at 2 (44/22) FPs/normal ureter for the test set. These initial results demonstrate the feasibility of the CAD system to track the ureter and detect ureter cancer of medium conspicuity and relatively small sizes.
GENE FLOW, EFFECTIVE POPULATION SIZES, AND GENETIC VARIANCE COMPONENTS IN BIRDS.

The genetic structure of natural populations is of general interest because many current models in ecology and evolution involve assumptions about the viscosity of breeding populations. For instance, theories of group and kinship selection, local adaptation, and speciation all depend on the magnitude of an among-deme component of genetic variance. In spite of this, information on genetic population structure is not available for most taxa. Such information can be obtained through two general classes of analysis. One approach is to analyze genotypic frequencies in populations to obtain direct estimates of genetic population structure using F statistics (Cockerham, 1969, 1973). This has been attempted for a few taxa with electrophoretic data (Hedgecock, 1978; Smith et al., 1978). A second approach is to infer the theoretically expected among-deme variance component using estimates of dispersal parameters in a fashion analogous to that used by Dobzhansky and Wright (1943, 1947). This approach has not been widely used, but this is certainly due in pdrt to the difficulty of obtaining quantitative estimates of dispersal distributions for natural populations. Some effort has been devoted to this method, however, in Drosophila (Crumpacker and Williams, 1973; Powell et al., 1976), a lizard (Kerster, 1964), and a snail (Greenwood, 1974). It is somewhat surprising, though, that this type of analysis has not been extended to avian species; banding, population, and behavioral studies have generated dispersal information that could be used in such a way. The objective of this paper is to estimate gene flow, effective population sizes and genetic variance components for several avian species using available dispersal data. To do this it
Newton's nth Root Method Without Derivatives

(1987). Newton's nth Root Method Without Derivatives. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 18, No. 5, pp. 403-406.
Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cell and Growth Factor Delivery on Cartilage Repair in a Mini-Pig Model

ObjectiveWe have recently shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) embedded in a hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel and exposed to chondrogenic factors (transforming growth factor–β3 [TGF-β3]) produce a cartilage-like tissue in vitro. The current objective was to determine if these same factors could be combined immediately prior to implantation to induce a superior healing response in vivo relative to the hydrogel alone.DesignTrochlear chondral defects were created in Yucatan mini-pigs (6 months old). Treatment groups included an HA hydrogel alone and hydrogels containing allogeneic MSCs, TGF-β3, or both. Six weeks after surgery, micro-computed tomography was used to quantitatively assess defect fill and subchondral bone remodeling. The quality of cartilage repair was assessed using the ICRS-II histological scoring system and immunohistochemistry for type II collagen.ResultsTreatment with TGF-β3 led to a marked increase in positive staining for collagen type II within defects (P < 0.05), while delivery of MSC...
A 74.6GHz–83.6GHz digitally controlled oscillator with 370kHz frequency resolution in 65nm CMOS

All-digital PLLs promise flexible and precise FMCW radar signal generation for 77GHz radar applications. Such PLLs require digitally-controlled oscillators (DCO) with wide frequency tuning range (FTR) and high resolution to address a range of applications and low phase noise requirements. In this work, novel resonator structures with fine capacitance/inductance switching are embedded in a wide FTR common-source Colpitts DCO to achieve <1MHz DCO frequency resolution at 78GHz. The proposed structures also reduce dependence on switch-position for frequency step size, simplifying calibration. The DCO implemented in 65nm CMOS occupies 0.1mm2 and consumes 15.6mW to achieve 74.6GHz–83.6GHz FTR (11.4%) with 370kHz resolution, phase noise of −115dBc/Hz at 10MHz offset at 80GHz and state-of-the-art mm-wave DCO FoM-T of −182dBc/Hz.
Prognostic Importance of Comorbidity and the Association Between Comorbidity and p16 in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Importance Comorbidity affects the prognosis of patients with cancer through the direct effects of the comorbid illness and by influencing the patients’ ability to tolerate treatment and mount a host response. However, the prognostic importance of comorbidity in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is not well characterized in the era of human papillomavirus infection. Objective To determine the prognostic importance of comorbidity in both p16-positive and p16-negative oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and to explore the relationship between comorbidity and p16. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective cohort study of 305 patients at a single tertiary referral center diagnosed as having oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma between June 1996 and June 2010, but without a history of head and neck cancer or distant metastasis at time of diagnosis. The data were analyzed from August 1, 2014, through April 30, 2015. Exposures Patients were grouped according to p16 status. Main Outcomes and Measures Overall survival, defined as the time from diagnosis to death from any cause. Disease-free survival, defined as the time from diagnosis to either death from any cause or the first documented local, regional, or distant recurrence. Results Of the 305 patients who met eligibility criteria, 230 were p16-positive, 70 were p16-negative, and 5 were not evaluable for p16 status. The final cohort of 300 patients had a mean (SD) age of 56.3 (9.3) years and 262 (87%) were male. In Kaplan-Meier analysis, the 5-year overall survival rates were 71% (95% CI, 65%-76%) for 232 patients with no comorbidity to mild comorbidity and 49% (95% CI, 36%-61%) for 63 patients with moderate to severe comorbidity. In multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, moderate to severe comorbidity was associated with an increased risk of death from any cause (adjusted hazards ratio [aHR], 1.52 [95% CI, 0.99-2.32]) and increased risk of death or recurrence (aHR, 1.71 [95% CI, 1.13-2.59]). After stratifying by p16 status and controlling for other variables, moderate to severe comorbidity was significantly associated with increased risk of death from any cause among p16-negative patients (aHR, 1.90 [95% CI, 1.03-3.50]) but not among p16-positive patients (aHR, 1.11 [95% CI, 0.61-2.02]). Conclusions and Relevance Comorbidity is important to consider when assessing the prognosis of patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and is of greater prognostic value in p16-negative than p16-positive cancer.
Kinetic mechanism of Clostridium perfringens phospholipase C. Hydrolysis of a thiophosphate analogue of lysophosphatidylcholine.

Abstract The hydrolysis of S-[2-(hexadecanoyloxy)ethyl]thiophosphocholine (I), an analogue of lysophosphatidylcholine, by Clostridium perfringens phospholipase C, was followed at pH 7.5, 37 degrees C and I 1.0 (maintained with KCl), in a continuous assay, by monitoring the reduction of 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) at 412 nm. Simple saturation kinetics are observed with linear mixed-type slope-intercept effects for the hydrolysis of compound (I) with variable [Ca2+] at fixed concentrations of compound (I) and a simple slope effect as [compound (I)] is varied at fixed concentrations of Ca2+. These data are consistent with a simple ordered rapid-equilibrium mechanism in which Ca2+ binds to the enzyme first followed by substrate. The observed kinetic constants at pH 7.5, 37 degrees C and I 1.0 are K1 = 12.0 mM (Ca2+ dissociation), K2 = 36 microM [compound (I) dissociation] and Vmax. = 552 microM.min-1.mg-1. Alkane diammonium salts inhibit the enzyme by a non-competitive mechanism that involves binding to free enzyme, E.Ca2+ and E.Ca2+.S. The use of the simple micellarized substrate under these conditions allows the determination of kinetic and inhibition constants without complications arising from enzyme-micelle interactions.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and transoral surgery as a definitive treatment for oropharyngeal cancer: A feasible novel approach.

Background The purpose of this study was to present our evaluation of the outcome of oropharyngeal cancer managed with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and transoral surgery (TOS) with neck dissection as definitive treatment. Methods This is a case series of 17 patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer who were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by TOS. The treatment details and oncologic outcome are reported. The volumetric response of the tumor to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is evaluated and validated by histopathology. Results Seventeen patients with TNM stages III and IV oropharyngeal cancer constitute this series for survival analysis. On a median and mean follow-up of 31 and 40 months, respectively, 16 of the 17 patients were alive without recurrence. Disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) at 3 years were 94.1%. Conclusion Adjuvant chemotherapy followed by TOS and neck dissection is a feasible and efficacious novel therapeutic approach for definitive management of moderately advanced oropharyngeal cancer, reserving radiotherapy (RT) for salvage or adverse features. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1837–1846, 2016
Assessing the Risk of Institutional Entry: A Semi-nonparametric Framework Using a Population-based Sample of Older Women

Abstract Objective Institutional entry or long-term care (LTC) is an important area to investigate owing to global aging. This study examines which types of disabilities lead to institutionalization for older White and Black women in the United States. Methods Using the 3-year (2009–2011) American Community Survey cross-sectional data, this study applies semi-nonparametric maximum likelihood estimation methods to examine the association between disability and institutional entry on a sample of 222,562 older White women and 19,229 older Black women. This approach provides consistent estimators because no assumptions are made about the distribution of the error terms. Results For older White women, the risk of entering LTC is high in the presence of self-care and independent living difficulties (1.10 [ p p p p Conclusions Disability, marital status, and race are important considerations for assessing the risk of institutional entry. Impairments that limit personal hygiene and self-care are associated with increased risk for older women. Additionally, limitations that affect reasoning and memory are associated with increased risk for older Black women.
The Battle of the Golden Spurs: Enlistment Propaganda and The Front Movement

Belgium’s pivotal role in World War I hinged upon the “mere scrap of paper,” the Treaty of 1839, which mandated that Belgium function as a neutral nation. The country was forbidden to pledge an alliance with Prussia, Russia, Austria, Great Britain and France, which was to guarantee a degree of stability within the area. But, because of that very idea of neutrality, the modern nation of Belgium thus began its existence exposed on three borders and sandwiched between two ancient opponents, France and Prussia. Very few steps were taken for the fortification of Belgian borders. All political parties resisted any defense spending, especially in the building of armies. The few forts that were built provided a false sense of security and the weaponry was soon outdated. Belgium only supported its first conscription law in 1909.
When the sky is the limit on scale: From temporal to multiplicative scaling in process-based technologies

Abstract The design evolution of two important process-based technologies, PCR DNA amplification and ERP software, was punctuated by discrete leaps in scale. From comparison of these technologies we distill a stage model centering on the phenomenon of increasing scale while clarifying just what the concept of scale means in the context of process-based technologies. Process-based technologies turn out to be distinctive because of the temporal aspect of scaling; although scaling up usually refers to spatial dimensions of scale, this research highlights the temporal dimension to scale. Temporal scaling can be complemented by multiplicative scaling, a design innovation enabling multiple processes to be performed in parallel. After highlighting different patterns of innovation from those that characterize manufactured products as conveyed by classic product-process lifecycle models, we reconcile our stage model with these classic lifecycle models: although the sequence of innovation phases is different, the overall evolution of the underlying economic logic motivating technology developers is actually rather similar.
Financial Sovereignty and the Possibility of Full Employment in Saudi Arabia

This chapter presents estimates for the economic cost of unemployment and the financial cost of a Job Guarantee program in Saudi Arabia. The analysis demonstrates that while the Job Guarantee option is a cheaper and far more effective choice, one has to carefully address the institutional features of the Saudi economy, workforce readiness, and labor market regulations. The paper also presents a set of financing mechanisms ranging from a full-scale MMT-style financing to more hybrid versions of private–public partnerships, social venture partnerships, and social impact bonds. The paper will close with a set of strategic industries that should be prioritized in the process of diversifying the structure of the Saudi economy and ensuring not only full employment and price stability, but also sustainable prosperity.
Globalization and the Politics of Pay: Policy Choices in the American States, Susan B. Hansen. Georgetown University Press, Washington, DC (2006), 231 pages

Conventional wisdom is a convenient tool. Adhering to the conventional wisdom simplifies the world. Decisions and judgments are easier to make. It cuts through the complexities of complicated socia...
Stop blocking postdocs’ paths to success

Lab heads should let junior researchers take their projects with them when they start their own labs — it drives innovation and discovery, argues Ben A. Barres.
The universality of religious beliefs

There is a near universality of religious beliefs throughout the history of civilization, a highly puzzling cultural observation that is still true in the twenty-second century. However, reasonable explanations for this universality can be derived by considering the origin of such beliefs. Since religions were an essential cultural element for primitive humans, the practice of imprinting them during early childhood was never abandoned, and religions became an integral component of most civilizations. The practices of religions have changed, but their moral teachings are still based on the Golden Rule, which was already known to Confucius, several centuries before the arrival of the Christian and Moslem prophets. The main religious denominations, however, have lost their unity because they have divided into smaller groups. The varieties of religious beliefs contradict each other, and they also contradict the unity of truth.
Recursive List Decoding for Reed-Muller Codes and Their Subcodes

We consider recursive decoding for Reed-Muller (RM) codes and their subcodes. Two new recursive techniques are described. We analyze asymptotic properties of these algorithms and show that they substantially outperform other decoding algorithms with nonexponential complexity known for RM codes. Decoding performance is further enhanced by using intermediate code lists and permutation procedures. For moderate lengths up to 512, near-optimum decoding with feasible complexity is obtained.
Gamma-Ray Bursts in Circumstellar Shells

It is now generally accepted that long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are due to the collapse of massive rotating stars. The precise collapse process itself, however, is not yet fully understood. Strong winds, outbursts, and intense ionizing UV radiation from single stars or strongly interacting binaries are expected to destroy the molecular cloud cores that give birth to them and create highly complex circumburst environments for the explosion. Such environments might imprint features on GRB light curves that uniquely identify the nature of the progenitor and its collapse. We have performed numerical simulations of realistic environments for a variety of long-duration GRB progenitors with ZEUS-MP, and have developed an analytical method for calculating GRB light curves in these profiles. Though a full, three-dimensional, relativistic hydrodynamical computational model is required to precisely describe the light curve from a GRB in complex environments, our method can provide a qualitative understanding of these phenomena. We find that, in the context of the standard afterglow model, massive shells around GRBs produce strong signatures in their light curves, and that this can distinguish them from those occurring in uniform media or steady winds. These features can constrain the mass of the shell and the properties of the wind before and after the ejection. Moreover, the interaction of the GRB with the circumburst shell is seen to produce features that are consistent with observed flares that are often attributed to delayed energy injection by the central engine. Our algorithm for computing light curves is also applicable to GRBs in a variety of environments such as those in high-redshift cosmological halos or protogalaxies, both of which will soon be targets of future surveys such as JANUS or Lobster.
Enhanced hydrogen storage by a variable temperature process

Abstract We present a simple method of variable temperature process that can potentially enhance the hydrogen storage properties of a large variety of solid state materials. In this approach, hydrogen gas is first introduced at about room temperature, which is followed by a gradual increase to a preset maximum temperature value, Tmax. Using this approach, we investigated hydrogen absorption properties of vertically aligned arrays of magnesium nanotrees and nanoblades fabricated by glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique, and conventional Mg thin film. Weight percentage (wt%) storage values were measured by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). After exposing Mg samples to H2 at 30 bar and 30 °C, dynamic absorption measurements were conducted as the temperature was increased from 30 °C to maximum values of Tmax = 100, 200, and 300 °C all within 150 min. QCM measurements revealed that variable temperature method results in significant improvements in hydrogen storage values over the ones obtained by conventional constant temperature process. At a low effective temperature Teff = 165 °C (Tmax = 300 °C), we achieved storage values of 6.19, 4.76, and 2.79 wt% for Mg nanotrees, nanoblades, and thin film, respectively.
Navigating Housing Instability and Substance Use: Hidden Tensions Facing Youth in Small Town America

Recent scholarship indicates that youth homelessness is a significant problem outside urban areas. However, previous studies have not examined how local contexts shape the experiences of youth who ...
Brain and lesion segmentation in multiple sclerosis using fully convolutional neural networks: A large-scale study.

Objective:To investigate the performance of deep learning (DL) based on fully convolutional neural network (FCNN) in segmenting brain tissues in a large cohort of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.M...