cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incorporating critical elements of city distinctiveness into urban biodiversity conservation

The conservation of biological diversity is closely linked with the fate of the world’s cities. While the protection of sensitive and threatened species and habitats has often taken place in natural landscapes largely devoid of people, strategies for preserving the Earth’s biodiversity that can be employed within cities are likely to become more common as urban areas continue to increase in size and number. Progress towards the development of effective conservation methods for working in urban areas is impeded by several factors, including the unfamiliarity that many conservation scientists have with urban landscapes, and the need to identify and incorporate elements of an urban area’s distinctiveness into biodiversity conservation projects. Even cities of the same size differ significantly in terms of their bio/geo/ecological realm or “natural” environment, their human communities, and their built environment, and these differences matter for the development of urban conservation strategies. Conservation practitioners can effectively incorporate information about these differences into their implementation efforts by: using a robust adaptive management framework that allows for an iterative approach in the development of strategies, employing the ecosystems concept when working in project areas that include urban spaces, incorporating pre-existing socioeconomic data into urban conservation planning, and harnessing technological and other resources readily available within urban areas to meet the needs of biodiversity conservation practitioners.
Implementations of randomized sorting on large parallel machines

Flashsort [RV83,86] and Samplesort [HC83] are related parallel sorting algorithms proposed in the literature. Both utilize a sophisticated randomized sampling technique to form a splitter set, but Samplesort distributes the splitter set to each processor while Flashsort uses splitter-directed routing. In this paper we present B-Flashsort, a new batched-routing variant of Flashsort designed to sort N>P values using P processors connected in a d-dimensional mesh and using constant space in addition to the input and output. The key advantage of the Flashsort approach over Samplesort is a decrease in memory requirements, by avoiding the broadcast of the splitter set to all processors. The practical advantage of B-Ftashsort over Flashsort is that it replaces pipelined splitter-directed routing with a set of synchronous local communications and bounds recursion, while still being demonstrably efficient. The performance of B-Flashsort and Samplesort is compared using a parameterized analytic model in the style of [BLM+91 ] to show that on a d-dimensional toroidal mesh B-Flashsort improves on Samplesort when (N/P) < P/(cllog P +c2dP1/d +C3), for machine-dependent parameters c1, C2, and C3. Empirical confirmation of the analytical model is obtained through implementations on a MasPar MP1 of Samplesort and two B-Fhtshsort variants. tEmail: prins(?cs. uric. edu. Supported in part by ONR contract NOO014-89-J-1873 and by DARPA/ISTO contract NOO014-91-C-0114. ~Email: reif@~~.duke.ed” Supported in part by DARPA/ISTO contracts NOO014-88-K-0458, NOOO14-91-J1985, and NOO014-91-C-01 14, and by NASA subcontract 55063 of prime contract NAS5-30428, and by US-Israel Binational NSF Grant 88-00282/2. Permission to copy without fee an or part of this materiat is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage, the ACM copyright notice and the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of the Association for Computing Machinery. To copy otherwise, or to republish, requires a fee andlor specific permission. SPAA ’9261921CA
Prediction of steady-state flow of real gases in randomly heterogeneous porous media

Abstract We consider steady-state flow of real gases through bounded, randomly heterogeneous porous media. Such flow is described by a nonlinear partial differential equation with the random coefficient (medium’s permeability) and source terms subject to randomly prescribed boundary conditions. Prior to applying stochastic analysis, the problem is linearized by means of the Kirchhoff transformation which allows us to obtain the exact expressions for an effective (upscaled) gas permeability. In particular, for one-, two-, and three-dimensional mean uniform flows in infinite, statistically homogeneous and isotropic domains the resulting effective permeability is given by harmonic, geometric, and arithmetic averages, respectively. The influence of statistical anisotropy of the random permeability field and domain’s boundaries on the effective gas permeability is also investigated.
Continual, Probabilistic Airspace Congestion Management

*En route congestion management is a challenging task, especially when convective weather is present. Decisions must be based on uncertain forecasts of weather and traffic demand, and few tools are available to aid humans in developing resolutions. A continual, probabilistic method for congestion management is proposed, in which traffic and weather forecast prediction uncertainty is quantified and explicitly used to develop efficient congestion resolution actions. The method is based on previous work using a Monte Carlo simulation of traffic and weather outcomes from a specific forecast, in which a tree of possible decision strategies was evaluated for effectiveness and efficiency. The tree-based approach was converted to a continual approach, in which new resolution actions are computed at standard intervals, thus maintaining an acceptable risk of congestion as the situation develops. Too-aggressive resolutions are alleviated through a delay recovery process. This method is evaluated through Monte Carlo simulation, and various decision strategies and options are compared. Congestion is managed through a sequence of flightspecific resolution actions (ground delays and reroutes) rather than large-scale reroutes or flow restrictions. The method is suitable for real-time computation on today’s computers, provided that a way to execute the resulting maneuvers is deployed as planned. Simulation results show the effect of varying-strength resolution strategies on congestion resolution effectiveness and cost, and the effect of varying quality weather forecasts is also simulated and studied.
The Emergence of Dual-Identity Social Entrepreneurship: Its Boundaries and Limitations

AbstractThis paper delineates the conceptual domain of dual-identity social entrepreneurship (DISE) and grounds its components theoretically. DISE entails the creation of ventures whose business model is designed by individual founders to create demonstrable and continued public value from strategic actions while simultaneously creating continued economic value. Because the growing interest in social entrepreneurship spans academic areas, boundaries are established among DISE and four related areas: i.e. conventional entrepreneurship, non-governmental organizations which engage in economic transactions, individual social activism, and corporate social performance. This paper proposes key research questions, discusses the conceptualization's theoretical implications and provides a research agenda.
Linkage of Higher Education with Agricultural Research, Extension and Development in Ethiopia

High-level agricultural manpower training in Ethiopian institutions of higher education specialising in agriculture and related fields was studied. The study reveals that high level agricultural manpower training began in the early 1950s and that, at present, the country has seven institutions of higher learning which train students in agriculture and related fields. The results of the study show that the agricultural institutions of higher education have made contribution to the agricultural sector through training high level agricultural professionals, enhancement of indigenous research capability and generation and dissemination of technologies. The study also reveals that a host of factors have put a stranglehold on the training process and the professional competence of agricultural graduates. Moreover, the results shed new light on the programmes of study which were found to be unable to respond to the labour market requirements and current rural realities due to lack of relevance o f the curricula, which are no longer able to produce graduates who could deal with the wider problems of rural development.
Utilization and Timing of Blood Transfusions Following Open and Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy

Abstract Introduction and Objectives: Radical prostatectomy (RP) is associated with a high risk of intraoperative blood loss and subsequent blood transfusions. The shift in surgical technique from open radical prostatectomy (ORP) to robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) has resulted in lower operative blood loss, and reduced the need for transfusions. We analyzed the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (ACS-NSQIP) database to compare real-world, contemporary trends in utilization and timing of blood transfusion following ORP and RARP. Methods: We identified men undergoing both RARP and ORP and then queried for patients who received a blood transfusion in the perioperative period. The outcomes of interest were need and timing of perioperative blood transfusion (PBT), which was categorized into early (postoperative day [POD] ≤1) or late (POD ≥2). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify variables associated with the need and timing for PBT. Results: A to...
In Vivo–Generated Antigen-Specific Regulatory T Cells Treat Autoimmunity Without Compromising Antibacterial Immune Response

Harnessing regulatory T (Treg) cells is a promising approach for treating autoimmune disease. However, inducing antigen-specific Treg cells that target inflammatory immune cells without compromising beneficial immune responses has remained an unmet challenge. We developed a pathway to generate autoantigen-specific Treg cells in vivo, which showed therapeutic effects on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and nonobese diabetes in mice. Specifically, we induced apoptosis of immune cells by systemic sublethal irradiation or depleted B and CD8(+) T cells with specific antibodies and then administered autoantigenic peptides in mice with established autoimmune diseases. We demonstrated mechanistically that apoptotic cells triggered professional phagocytes to produce transforming growth factor-β, under which the autoantigenic peptides directed naive CD4(+) T cells to differentiate into Foxp3(+) Treg cells instead of into T effector cells in vivo. These antigen-specific Treg cells specifically ameliorated autoimmunity without compromising immune responses to bacterial antigen. We have thus successfully generated antigen-specific Treg cells with therapeutic activity toward autoimmunity. The findings may lead to the development of antigen-specific Treg cell-mediated immunotherapy for multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes and also other autoimmune diseases.
The Benefits of Volume-Conditional Order-Crossing

We assess the role and viability of an order-crossing or market-clearing mechanism that is automatically triggered only when a minimum number of shares can be crossed. Such a mechanism is naturally more attractive to traders who do not require much immediacy for their trades, as liquidity is cheaper in this market than in a continuous-auction market. The volume condition that we propose is crucial to the effectiveness with which this market complements the continuous-auction market in two important ways. First, when appropriately set, the volume condition endogenously adjusts the probability that market-clearing is triggered and so keeps impatient traders and highly informed traders away. Second, because market-clearing with a large volume condition reduces the effects of adverse selection in this market, patient traders are more willing to place orders in it. As we show, these effects often combine into a Pareto-dominating equilibrium when the continuous-auction market and the crossing mechanism with the right volume condition are both open.
TIN2 Stability Is Regulated by the E3 Ligase Siah2

Telomeres are coated by shelterin, a six-subunit complex that is required for protection and replication of chromosome ends. The central subunit TIN2, with binding sites to three subunits (TRF1, TRF2, and TPP1), is essential for stability and function of the complex. Here we show that TIN2 stability is regulated by the E3 ligase Siah2. We demonstrate that TIN2 binds to Siah2 and is ubiquitylated in vivo. We show using purified proteins that Siah2 acts as an E3 ligase to directly ubiquitylate TIN2 in vitro. Depletion of Siah2 led to stabilization of TIN2 protein, indicating that Siah2 regulates TIN2 protein levels in vivo. Overexpression of Siah2 in human cells led to loss of TIN2 at telomeres that was dependent on the presence of the catalytic RING domain of Siah2. In contrast to RNAi-mediated depletion of TIN2 that led to loss of TRF1 and TRF2 at telomeres, Siah2-mediated depletion of TIN2 allowed TRF1 and TRF2 to remain on telomeres, indicating a different fate for shelterin subunits when TIN2 is depleted posttranslationally. TPP1 was lost from telomeres, although its protein level was not reduced. We speculate that Siah2-mediated removal of TIN2 may allow dynamic remodeling of the shelterin complex and its associated factors during the cell cycle.
Hot-carrier degradation of LDD MOSFET's with gate oxynitride grown in N/sub 2/O

Hot carrier immunity (HCI) of single drain (SD) and lightly doped drain (LDD) n-MOSFET's with gate oxide and N/sub 2/O gate oxynitride was compared. Gate oxynitride shows better HCI than gate oxide in SD devices but comparable in LDD devices. We show that oxide grown during the poly-silicon oxidation process after gate poly-silicon definition plays an important role in determining the hot carrier resistance of LDD n-MOSFET's with N/sub 2/O gate oxynitride. >
Current theoretical perspectives on adolescent pregnancy and childbearing in the United States.

"The purpose of this article is to synthesize and place in perspective contemporary theories and explanations of the high rates of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing in the United States. The study examined the strengths and weaknesses of the more prominent explanations of adolescent pregnancy and childbearing in light of current research.... This article casts doubt on the hypothesis that the lack of reproductive information is in and of itself an important determinant of adolescent pregnancy in the United States. Many other factors are discussed that intervene to negate the effect of reproductive knowledge alone as a deterrent to adolescent pregnancy and childbearing. Suggestions for an integrative research agenda, as well as educational and health strategies focusing on adolescent pregnancy and childbearing are proposed."
Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes: Clinical Outcomes of Late-Preterm Infants

Objective: To determine gestational age-specific neonatal outcomes of late preterm infants delivered as a consequence of premature rupture of membranes (PROM). Methods: Retrospective cohort study of infants born to women delivered electively due to preterm PROM between 340/7 and 366/7 weeks of gestation. Neonatal outcomes were compared between those delivered at 340/7 to 34 6/7 weeks, at 350/7 to 356/7 weeks, and at 36 0/7 to 366/7 weeks. Results: 192 infants were identified. The 340/7 to 346/7 week infants had significantly higher neonatal intensive care admission rate (72.5%) compared to those at 35 0/7 to 356/7 weeks (22.8%) and at 36 to 366/7 weeks (17.8%) (P < .05). Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome was significantly higher at 340/7 to 346/7 weeks (35.4%) compared with 350/7 to 356/7 week and 360/7 to 36 6/7 week infants (10.5% and 4.1%; P < .05). The longest hospitalization occurred in the 340/7 to 346/7 week infants (248.5 ± 20.0 hours). Conclusion: Substantial short-term morbidity occurred in...
Experimental demonstration of bandwidth provisioning in a heterogeneous optical CDMA system transporting gigabit Ethernet traffic

We demonstrate bandwidth provisioning in a robust and asynchronous optical CDMA system that implements polarization insensitive transmitter and wavelength-aware receiver. The system accommodates heterogeneous gigabit Ethernet traffic, and the performance is characterized by power penalty from normalized multiple access interference power.
Characterization of Human Milk Donors

The primary objective of this research was to create a detailed characterization of human milk donors, including descriptive information about demographics and lifestyle, involvement with the milk bank, reasons for donating, problems encountered while breastfeeding and pumping milk, barriers to donating milk, affective experiences, and personal values. Data were collected via telephone interview of 87 donors and 19 nondonor controls. Few relationships were found between the descriptive information and amount of milk donated. Donors reported fewer problems pumping milk than nondonors. Strategies for recruiting new donors and strategies for increasing donation amounts are presented. J Hum Lact. 23(4):350-357.
Relationships of diversity, disparity, and their evolutionary rates in squirrels (Sciuridae)

Several theories predict that rapidly diversifying clades will also rapidly diverge phenotypically; yet, there are also reasons for suspecting that diversification and divergence might not be correlated. In the widely distributed squirrel clade (Sciuridae), we test for correlations between per lineage speciation rates, species richness, disparity, and a time-invariant measure of disparity that allows for comparing rates when evolutionary modes differ, as they do in squirrels. We find that species richness and speciation rates are not correlated with clade age or with each other. Disparity appears to be positively correlated with clade age because young, rapidly diversifying Nearctic grassland clades are strongly pulled to a single stable optimum but older, slowly diversifying Paleotropical forest clades contain lineages that diverge along multiple ecological and morphological lines. That contrast is likely due to both the environments they inhabit and their phylogenetic community structure. Our results argue against a shared explanation for diversity and disparity in favor of geographically mediated modes of speciation and ecologically mediated modes of phenotypic evolution.
Comparison of stratified and non-stratified most similar neighbour imputation for estimating stand tables

Summary Many growth and yield simulators require a stand table or tree-list to set the initial condition for projections in time. Most similar neighbour (MSN) approaches can be used for estimating stand tables from information commonly available on forest cover maps (e.g. height, volume, per cent canopy cover and species composition). Simulations were used to compare MSN (using an entire database) with two stratifi ed MSN approaches. The fi rst stratifi ed MSN approach used species composition to partition the population into two inventory type strata, while the second stratifi ed MSN approach used average stand age to partition the data into two stand development stages (strata). The MSN approach was used within the whole population and within each stratum to select a reference stand and to impute the ground variables of the reference stand to each target stand. Observed vs estimated stand tables were then compared for the stratifi ed and non-stratifi ed simulations. The imputation within a stratum did not result in better estimates than using the MSN approach within the whole population. Possible reasons for poor performance of stratifi ed MSN are provided.
Finished Product Inventories and Price Expectations in the Softwood Lumber Industry

A monthly model is presented of the U.S. softwood lumber sector. Price expectations and beginning-period inventories have important roles in producers' production, sales, and inventory decisions. Cross-price effects among domestic producing regions are minimal. However, there is substantial competition between U.S. and Canadian producers. Our model produces supply elasticities, demand elasticities, and inventory response parameters that are different from and more comprehensive than those obtained in previous work.
Relationship between blood harmane and harmine concentrations in familial essential tremor, sporadic essential tremor and controls

Introduction Harmane, a potent tremor-producing β-carboline alkaloid, may play a role in the etiology of essential tremor (ET). Blood harmane concentrations are elevated in ET cases compared with controls yet the basis for this elevation remains unknown. Decreased metabolic conversion (harmane to harmine) is one possible explanation. Using a sample of >500 individuals, we hypothesized that defective metabolic conversion of harmane to harmine might underlie the observed elevated harmane concentration in ET, and therefore expected to find a higher harmane to harmine ratio in familial ET than in sporadic ET or controls.
Balancing Competing Needs: A Meta-Ethnography of Being a Partner to an Individual With a Mood Disorder.

BACKGROUND: More than 20% of individuals experience a mood disorder in their lifetime. Qualitative studies have explored the experience of being a partner to an individual with a mood disorder, but these studies remain isolated pieces of a larger puzzle. AIMS: In this metasynthesis, I aimed to integrate current qualitative research to describe the experience of being a partner to an individual with a mood disorder. METHOD: A systematic search was conducted to identify qualitative research. Noblit and Hare’s meta-ethnography was used to translate key metaphors from individual studies into a single set of metaphors to describe the experience. RESULTS: Results indicated that these partners are disenfranchised caregivers balancing their own needs with partners’ perceived and reported needs to strive for a stasis of guarded stability. CONCLUSIONS: Future research must explore ways to support these partners and include them in the health care team.
Endoscopic fluorescein angiography of the ciliary body in glaucoma management.

. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE : The laser endoscopy system has been modified to permit high-resolution intraoperative fluorescein angiograms. Because the ciliary processes can be directly viewed and photocoagulated from a limbal wound in the phakic, aphakic, or pseudophakic eye in virtually any patient, the novel opportunity to angiographically study the ciliary processes before and after various forms of ablation was created. . PATIENTS AND METHODS : Eighty patients were divided into four groups and were studied under various conditions. . RESULTS : The ciliary processes normally fill with fluorescein early in the angiogram and maintain hyperfluorescence throughout. Functional ciliary processes (or portions of them) are hyperfluorescent ; ablated processes are densely hypofluorescent. This technique can delineate inadequately treated zones, permitting appropriate correction at the time of initial surgery. Eyes with previous transscleral cyclodestruction did not experience the degree of ciliary process ablation that the surgeon reported. . CONCLUSION : Intraoperative delineation of treated and untreated ciliary processes permits accurate correlation with observed intraocular pressure response.
Suspended 60 GHz phased array antenna with high efficiency

This paper presents 5×5 aperture coupled microstrip patch phased array antenna with suspended radiating elements operating at 60 GHz. A novel microfabrication technique enables separation of radiating elements from a lossy substrate. It was found that suspended elements improve efficiency and scanning range without sacrificing gain of the array by decreasing trapped energy at air dielectric boundary (surface waves). The array has a bandwidth of 7.5 GHz (12.5%) and capable of scanning ±60° in both E and H planes. Total array efficiency is calculated to be >90%. Simulation results show 18.6 dB gain with −12 dB sidelobe level at boresight. Furthermore, array gain is 15 dB and 14.5 dB when scanning ±60° in E and H-planes, respectively.
Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase upregulates E2F-1 promoter activity and DNA pol α expression during early S phase

E2F-1, a transcription factor implicated in the activation of genes required for S phase such as DNA pol α, is regulated by interactions with Rb and by cell-cycle dependent alterations in E2F-1 abundance. We have shown that depletion of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) by antisense RNA expression downregulates pol α and E2F-1 expression during early S phase. To examine the role of PARP in the regulation of pol α and E2F-1 gene expression, we utilized immortalized mouse fibroblasts derived from wild-type and PARP knockout (PARP−/−) mice as well as PARP−/− cells stably transfected with PARP cDNA [PARP−/−(+PARP)]. After release from serum deprivation, wild-type and PARP−/−(+PARP) cells, but not PARP−/− cells, exhibited a peak of cells in S phase by 16 h and had progressed through the cell cycle by 22 h. Whereas [3H]thymidine incorporation remained negligible in PARP−/− cells, in vivo DNA replication maximized after 18 h in wild-type and PARP−/−(+PARP) cells. To investigate the effect of PARP on E2F-1 promoter activity, a construct containing the E2F-1 gene promoter fused to a luciferase reporter gene was transiently transfected into these cells. E2F-1 promoter activity in control and PARP−/−(+PARP) cells increased eightfold after 9 h, but not in PARP−/− cells. PARP−/− cells did not show the marked induction of E2F-1 expression during early S phase apparent in control and PARP−/−(+PARP) cells. RT – PCR analysis and pol α activity assays revealed the presence of pol α transcripts and a sixfold increase in activity in both wild-type and PARP−/−(+PARP) cells after 20 h, but not in PARP−/− cells. These results suggest that PARP plays a role in the induction of E2F-1 promoter activity, which then positively regulates both E2F-1 and pol α expression, when quiescent cells reenter the cell cycle upon recovery from aphidicolin exposure or removal of serum.
Effects of Group Influences on Consumer Brand Preferences

The exploratory study reported here attempts to identify if and how informal social groups influence the brand preferences of their members. The results suggest, first, that consumers are influence...
Suggestion on Developing the Centralization of Freight Transportation in Changsha Railway Joint Terminal

Based on a resume to the current status and problems in Changsharailway joint terminal, this paper analyzes the feasibility of developing central-ization for freight transport and carries out a further study on its counter-measurements. For this goal, the paper puts forward the following counter-measurements: to realize a unified management upon all freight stations withinthe joint terminal, to define the location of central freight station and to opti-mize the configuration of station units, to construct an on-line collecting center,to massively receive freights and to optimize loading operation; to create stor-age and distribution center in order to assign the responsibilities of storage,distribution and transportation to dedicated departments, to lower costs and toimprove service quality, etc.
Effects of metal and predator stressors in larval southern toads (Anaxyrus terrestris)

Natural and anthropogenic stressors typically do not occur in isolation; therefore, understanding ecological risk of contaminant exposure should account for potential interactions of multiple stressors. Realistically, common contaminants can also occur chronically in the environment. Because parental exposure to stressors may cause transgenerational effects on offspring, affecting their ability to cope with the same or novel environmental stressors, the exposure histories of generations preceding that being tested should be considered. To examine multiple stressor and parental exposure effects we employed a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design in outdoor 1000-L mesocosms (n = 24). Larval southern toads (Anaxyrus terrestris), bred from parents collected from reference and metal-contaminated sites, were exposed to two levels of both an anthropogenic (copper—0, 30 µg/L Cu) and natural (predator cue − present/absent) stressor and reared to metamorphosis. Toads from the metal-contaminated parental source population were smaller at metamorphosis and had delayed development; i.e., a prolonged larval period. Similarly, larval Cu exposure also reduced size at metamorphosis and prolonged the larval period. We, additionally, observed a significant interaction between larval Cu and predator-cue exposure on larval period, wherein delayed emergence was only present in the 30-µg/L Cu treatments in the absence of predator cues. The presence of parental effects as well as an interaction between aquatic stressors on commonly measured endpoints highlight the importance of conducting multistressor studies across generations to obtain data that are more relevant to field conditions in order to determine population-level effects of contaminant exposure.
Decision Making and Sustainability in Built Environments

Sustainability in the built environment is the result of choices make by those who plan, build, own, and use our urban spaces. This chapter seeks to detail how human choice shapes our built environment, as well as tools that can be used to create more sustainable urban futures. These tools include: (1) analytical forecasting models that are based upon urban economic theory and data provided by geotechnologies such as geographic information systems and remote sensing; (2) traditional zoning and other local land use policies that focus on protecting human health and property values that have resulted in an urban system that favors the private automobile as the dominate form of transportation and limits the viability of other forms of transportation such as mass transit, walking, and biking; (3) alternatives to traditional zoning such as mixed use and Form Based zoning practices that seek to improve quality of life and the sustainability of the built environment; and (4) the role that our individual and collective decisions play in the sustainability of our built environment. The concentration of people in urban areas places a strain on resources, both natural and built, that must be evaluated and balanced in order to maintain a sustainable habitat that not only provides all basic human necessities but respects the natural environment as well. Ultimately, the degree to which our built environment is sustainable has been and will continue to be the result of our individual and collective decisions that we make.
Perceptions of emerging tobacco products and nicotine replacement therapy among pregnant women and women planning a pregnancy.

The increasing availability of emerging non-combusted tobacco products (snus, dissolvables, and electronic nicotine delivery systems or ENDS) may have implications for pregnant women and women of reproductive age. We conducted 15 focus groups to explore how women perceive emerging non-combusted tobacco products and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in general, and during pregnancy. Sessions were held in 2013 in four U.S. cities. Participants were 18–40 years old and were pregnant smokers, pregnant quitters, or smokers planning a pregnancy. Responses were coded and analyzed to identify key themes using NVivo 10.0 qualitative software (QSR). Several themes emerged from focus groups. Participants generally found snus unappealing, but viewed dissolvables as a discreet and stigma-free way to use tobacco during pregnancy. Participants perceived NRT as ineffective and having undesired side effects. ENDS were thought to offer advantages over cigarettes, including use in smoke-free areas, lower cost, appealing flavors, and fewer health effects, and were seen by some as a potential quit aid. Some participants, however, worried that the lack of natural stopping point could lead to excessive use. Many participants felt that the use of any tobacco or NRT product is harmful during pregnancy. Women seeking to reduce health risks or stigma related to smoking during pregnancy may perceive advantages of using some emerging products over cigarettes. These findings can inform future public health efforts to reduce risks associated with tobacco product use among women of reproductive age.
On Brunovský's example

The example due to Brunovský [Eq. (1)] is analyzed, and further paradoxical properties are exhibited.
Algorithmic performance of receding horizon sliding control for engine emission reduction

This paper presents a performance assessment of the recently developed receding horizon sliding control (RHSC) algorithm. The RHSC strategy is extended to multi-input multi-output systems and will be evaluated using a model predictive control (MPC) approach as a benchmark. The focus of this investigation is on comparing performance in computational logistics and output-tracking between the two control strategies. We show that RHSC can improve the level of tracking accuracy when compared to classical MPC. At the same time, it is on average more computationally efficient. The case study for evaluation is a nonlinear automotive engine cold-start emissions system.
Natural Toll-like Receptor Agonists for in Situ Vaccination Lymphoma Immunotherapy

Introduction: There is an unmet need for novel and effective treatments for lymphoma, the fifth most common malignancy in the US. In situ vaccination-an immunotherapeutic maneuver involving local irradiation, intratumoral (i.t.) injections of Flt3L and Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist-has been shown in recent clinical trials (NCT00185965, NCT00880581, NCT00226993) to induce partial and complete remissions in patients with low-grade lymphoma. The strength of anti-tumor response correlates with the potency of immunogenic dendritic cells (DCs) to efficiently uptake and present tumor antigens to T cells. While the latest clinical trial NCT01976585 employs Poly-ICLC-a synthetic TLR3 agonist-to activate DCs, we hypothesize that "natural" TLR agonists (nTLRa) contained within prophylactic vaccines (e.g. live/attenuated bacteria or viruses) could simultaneously target multiple TLRs and be repurposed as clinical-grade DC activators for the in situ vaccination maneuver. Methods: Twenty-four prophylactic vaccines from our hospital9s pharmacy were screened using in vitro assays for TLR ligand activity. DC subsets CD11c+ MHC-II+, CD11c+ CD11b+, and CD11c+ CD103+ were gated for flow-cytometric readouts of: (i.) activation markers (e.g. CD40, CD80, CD86, MHC class I and II), (ii.) ability to co-stimulate T cells in the context of TCR activation, as assessed by T cell activation markers (e.g. CD69, intracellular IFNγ), and (iii.) ability of nTLRa-activated DCs to induce T cell proliferation. TLR knock-out cell lines were used for dissecting the mechanistically-distinct properties of each prophylactic vaccine. Best single and combination nTLRa candidates were evaluated with the in situ vaccination maneuver in an in vivo A20 murine lymphoma model. Results: We identify a combination of vaccines Typhim, BCG-TICE, and MMR that demonstrates the ability to induce high expression of costimulatory molecules on DCs (Figure A) in vitro, as well as possessing the ability to co-stimulate in vitro T cell activation and proliferation. DC costimulation of T cell activation and proliferation is highly dependent on the "live" status of several vaccines, including BCG, MMR, Zostavax, which suggests the involvement of other pattern-recognition receptors in addition to TLRs. Cohorts of mice implanted with A20 lymphoma tumors that received i.t. injections of Typhim, BCG, MMR demonstrated slower A20 growth status post in situ vaccination maneuver, as compared to the control cohort receiving only Flt3L and irradiation (XRT). Conclusion: Prophylactic vaccines contain natural ligands to TLRs and are immediately translatable as sources of clinical-grade stimulators of dendritic cells. Combinations of the best nTLRa candidates display synergistic activation of DCs and demonstrate in vivo anti-A20 murine lymphoma immunity. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Tn916-mediated plasmid transfer in Bacillus subtilis

22 Introduction 23 Materials and Methods 24 Results 26 Discussion 31 Acknowledgements 36 References 36 CHAPTER 3. FUNCTIONAL COMPARISON OF CONJUGATIVE TRANSPOSONS Tn916 AND Tn925 50 Abstract 50 Introduction 51 Materials and Methods 5250 Introduction 51 Materials and Methods 52
SOFTWARE FOR THE SPECTRAL ANALYSIS OF SCALAR AND VECTOR FUNCTIONS ON THE SPHERE

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses several software packages that can be used to analyze both scalar and vector functions on the sphere. The analysis of scalar functions on the sphere is significantly different from the analysis on the plane and in Cartesian coordinates. The interpolation problem on the sphere does not have a solution. Nevertheless, analyses can be performed on the sphere and the coefficients determined as the solution to a weighted least-squares problem. Analysis of a vector function on the sphere cannot be performed in terms of components using the spherical harmonics. As the spherical harmonics are smooth at the poles, they do not provide a suitable set of functions for the components of the vector function. The vector spherical harmonics provide a suitable set of vector basis functions. Like vector functions in general, the vector spherical harmonics include functions that are discontinuous at the poles. The use of spectral methods for solving partial differential equations (PDEs) on the sphere is particularly attractive as many of the terms in the PDEs are unbounded in the neighborhood of the poles.
Disturbance Decoupling for Open Quantum Systems: Quantum Internal Model Principle

Summary. Decoherence, which is caused due to the interaction of a quantum system with its environment plagues all quantum systems and leads to the loss of quantum properties that are vital for quantum computation and quantum information processing. In this chapter we propose a novel strategy using techniques from systems theory specifically classical disturbance decoupling to completely eliminate decoherence and also provide conditions under which it can be done so. A novel construction employing an auxiliary system, the bait, which is instrumental to decoupling the system from the environment will be found useful. Almost all the earlier work on decoherence control employ density matrix and stochastic master equations to analyze the problem. Our approach to decoherence control involves the bilinear input affine model of quantum control system which lends itself to various techniques from classical control theory, but with non-trivial modifications to the quantum regime. The elegance of this approach yields interesting results on open loop decouplability and Decoherence Free Subspaces (DFS). Additionally, the feedback control of decoherence may be related to disturbance decoupling for classical input affine systems, which entails careful application of the methods by avoiding all the quantum mechanical pitfalls. The two concepts are contrasted and an improved theory of disturbance decoupling for general input affine systems is developed. In the process of calculating a suitable feedback the system has to be restructured due to its tensorial nature of interaction with the environment, which is unique to quantum systems. Finally the results are also shown to be superior to the ones obtained via master equations.
Describing Music Materials: A Manual for Resource Description of Printed and Recorded Music and Music Videos [review]

Describing Music Materials: A Manual for Resource Description of Printed and Recorded Music and Music Videos, fourth edition, was first published in 1983, updated and expanded in 1986, published wi...
Health Care Market Concentration Trends In The United States: Evidence And Policy Responses

Policy makers and analysts have been voicing concerns about the increasing concentration of health care providers and health insurers in markets nationwide, including the potential adverse effect on the cost and quality of health care. The Council of Economic Advisers recently expressed its concern about the lack of estimates of market concentration in many sectors of the US economy. To address this gap in health care, this study analyzed market concentration trends in the United States from 2010 to 2016 for hospitals, physician organizations, and health insurers. Hospital and physician organization markets became increasingly concentrated over this time period. Concentration among primary care physicians increased the most, partially because hospitals and health care systems acquired primary care physician organizations. In 2016, 90 percent of Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) were highly concentrated for hospitals, 65 percent for specialist physicians, 39 percent for primary care physicians, and 57 ...
VIP and its homologues increase vascular conductance in certain endocrine and exocrine glands

The effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and related structural homologues on tissue vascular conductances were investigated in anesthetized male rats. VIP, peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI), secretin, growth hormone-releasing factor (GHRF), gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP), or saline was infused intravenously over 4 min. Tissue blood flows were measured during this time by use of 141Ce-labeled microspheres. Regional blood flows were normalized for any change in mean arterial blood pressure during infusions, and results were expressed in terms of tissue vascular conductance (C). Circulating thyrotropin (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) levels were determined before and at 20 min and 2 h after treatment. Marked increases in thyroid, pancreatic, and salivary gland vascular Cs occurred during peptide infusions with the order of potency (VIP greater than PHI greater than secretin greater than GHRF greater than GIP) correlating with the degree of structural homology to VIP. PHI and secretin produced maximal increases in vascular Cs, which were the same as those obtained with VIP. Circulating TSH, T3, and T4 levels were not different from values in saline-infused rats after peptide treatments that caused striking increases in thyroid vascular C. In the adrenal, kidney, and testis, VIP and its homologues had little to no effect on vascular Cs. We subsequently measured regional vascular Cs during VIP infusions in the presence or absence of secretin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Ignition of a Combustible Solid with Variable Activation Energy

Abstract An investigation is made into the ignition of a combustible solid due to surface heating when the activation energy is not constant. The physical process is modelled by a one-dimensional reaction-diffusion system in a semi-infinite slab. The activation energy associated with the Arrhenius reaction is allowed to be temperature dependent. The results indicate that if the activation energy significantly increases with rising temperature then ignition does not occur.
Lightweight Multitenancy at the Network’s Extreme Edge

Many Internet services require lower latency, greater responsiveness, and more efficient use of network bandwidth. As a result, researchers have espoused the need for edge computing, which distributes services closer to user devices. ParaDrop is an edge-computing platform that allows users and developers to deploy diverse services in homes and enterprises.
Creation of a Ureterocystostomy in a Transplanted Cadaveric Kidney with the Use of a Radiofrequency Guide Wire

A duplicated collecting system (DCS) is a common anatomical variant of the kidney. As surgeons now perform more donor cadaveric transplants than in the past, the discovery of an occluded DCS may occur in the post-transplant setting. Over a dozen articles have reported on the use of DCS in the renal transplant setting. However, to our knowledge, this case report is the first to describe the creation of a ureterocystostomy with the use of a radiofrequency (RF) guide wire, involving a previously unidentified DCS in a transplanted kidney.
Secure parameter estimation: Fundamental tradeoffs

The problem of parameter estimation in an adversarial setting, in which an active adversary might decide to compromise the data for the purpose of subverting the estimation decisions, is considered. Forming secure estimation decisions entails two intertwined inference decisions. Specifically, on one hand, deciding whether the data is compromised, like any detection decision, is never perfect. On the other hand, missing any attack translates to degradation in the estimation quality. Based on these two observations, the paper aims to characterize the interplay between two figures of merit q and s, where q captures how much estimation quality degrades when the objective is to miss the presence of an attacker with a probability not exceeding s. The paper characterizes the optimal decision rules and compares the results with the existing literature.
Socialist Senses: Film, Feeling, and the Soviet Subject, 1917–1940

Socialist Senses is a groundbreaking work in every sense of the term. It offers a richly detailed analytical narrative of the first 20 years of Soviet cinema that makes what once seemed to be a fam...
Thin-Film Architectures with High Spectral Selectivity for Thermophotovoltaic Cells

Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems are a promising technology for distributed conversion of high-temperature heat to electricity. To achieve high conversion efficiency, the transport of sub-bandgap radiation between the thermal emitter and PV cell should be suppressed. This can be achieved by recycling sub-bandgap radiation back to the emitter using a spectrally selective cell. However, conventional TPV cells exhibit limited sub-bandgap reflectance. Here we demonstrate thin-film In0.53Ga0.47As-based structures with high spectral selectivity, including record-high average sub-bandgap reflectance (96%). Selectivity is enabled by short optical paths through a high-quality material fabricated using epitaxial lift-off, high-reflectance back surfaces, and optimized interference. In addition, we use a parallel-plate TPV model to evaluate the impact of specific structural features on performance and to optimize the cell architecture. We show that a dielectric spacer between InGaAs and the Au back surface is an impo...
Operator decomposab1lity: a new type of problem structure

This paper describes a structural property of problems that allows an efficient strategy for solving a large number of problem instances to be based on a small amount of knowledge. Specifically, the property of operator decomposability is shown to be a sufficient condition for the effective application of the Macro Problem Solver, a method that represents its knowledge of a problem by a small number of operator sequences. Roughly, operator decomposability exists in a problem to the extent that the effect of an operator on each component of a state can be expressed as a function of only a subset of the components, independent of the remaining state components.
Growing Pains: The Cytoskeleton as a Critical Regulator of Pain Plasticity

Inflammatory mediators act on peripheral sensory neurons to produce pain and hypersensitivity after tissue injury. In this issue of Neuron, Dina et al. report that inflammatory mediators, such as epinephrine and prostaglandins, appear to couple to specific G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathways through plastic interactions with the cytoskeleton.
Percutaneous Stone Removal: Case Discussion on Stones in a Horseshoe Kidney

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) occupies a central place in the management of kidney as well as large proximal ureteral stones. Advances in equipment and technology with utilization of balloon dilatation, newer digital rigid and flexible nephroscopes, intracorporeal lithotripters, and stone retrieval systems have revolutionized patient care. In this chapter we focus on the technique of percutaneous stone removal and the equipment required to perform PNL successfully including different devices for intracorporeal lithotripsy.