cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A theoretical model coupling chemical weathering and physical erosion in landslide-dominated landscapes

A current theory that links the uplift of the Himalayas to the drawdown of atmospheric CO2 assumes that rates of chemical weathering are enhanced by accelerated physical erosion due to the increased exposure of fresh minerals. Although several studies have concluded that weathering rates do increase with erosion rates, there is disagreement over the form of that relationship. Some find a linear relationship between weathering rate and erosion rate; others, however, find that weathering is only approximately proportional to the square root of physical erosion such that changes in erosion rate are not matched by equivalent changes in weathering rate. Defining the nature of the relationship is critical because it determines the sensitivity of changes in weathering rate to changes in erosion rate. In this study, a theoretical model that couples erosion by landslides with chemical weathering processes was derived to explore the nature of this relationship in rapidly eroding landscapes. Results from the model suggest that, where landsliding is the dominant erosional process, the rate of chemical weathering is only proportional to the erosion rate raised to the ∼0.6 power. Therefore, even if weathering rate is wholly dependent on erosion rate, increases in erosion will not be matched by equivalent increases in chemical weathering. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Phase Transitions in Nuclei at Low Temperatures

The subject of these lectures is phase transitions in nuclei at low temperatures. For our colleagues in other branches of physics, this title might appear to contain a contradiction. We all learned that temperature and phase transition are concepts which apply to macroscopic systems. In what sense can they be used for a microscopic system, such as an atomic nucleus? I will try to address this question during the course of these lectures.
Proton‐Transfer Polymerization (HTP): Converting Methacrylates to Polyesters by an N‐Heterocyclic Carbene

A new polymerization termed proton (H)-transfer polymerization (HTP) has been developed to convert dimethacrylates to unsaturated polyesters. HTP is catalyzed by a selective N-heterocyclic carbene capable of promoting intermolecular Umpolung condensation through proton transfer and proceeds through the step-growth propagation cycles via enamine intermediates. The role of the added suitable phenol, which is critical for achieving an effective HTP, is twofold: shutting down the radically induced chain-growth addition polymerization under HTP conditions (typically at 80–120 °C) and facilitating proton transfer after each monomer enchainment. The resulting unsaturated polyesters have a high thermal stability and can be readily cross-linked to robust polyester materials.
Ultra slow-wave periodic transmission line using 3D substrate metallization

A novel ultra slow-wave transmission line structure using three-dimensional periodic substrate metallization is proposed, where each unit cell is made up of a multilayer loop as a series inductor and composite inter-digital strips as the shunt capacitor. Design trade-off between high slow-wave factor (SWF) and small group delay (dispersion) is addressed. A transmission line on a 4-layer FR4 substrate is shown with a slow-wave factor of 14. Using such an ultra slow-wave right-handed structure, a prototype of 2.4GHz branch-line coupler with 86% size reduction compared to the microstrip line implementation is fabricated and tested.
Iterative channel estimation for turbo codes over fading channels

A method for coherently detecting and decoding turbo coded BPSK signals transmitted over frequency-flat fading channels is discussed. Estimates of the complex channel gain and variance of the additive noise are derived first from known pilot symbols and an estimation filter. After each iteration of turbo decoding, the channel estimates are refined using information fed back from the decoder. Both hard-decision and soft-decision feedback are considered, and simulation results compare the proposed technique with DPSK, ideal BPSK, and non-iterative PSAM based reception.
UWB system based on energy detection of derivatives of the Gaussian pulse

A new method for energy detection ultra-wideband systems is proposed. The transmitter of this method uses two pulses that are different-order derivatives of the Gaussian pulse to transmit bit 0 or 1. These pulses are appropriately chosen to separate their spectra in the frequency domain. The receiver is composed of two energy-detection branches. Each branch has a filter which captures the signal energy of either bit 0 or 1. The outputs of the two branches are subtracted from each other to generate the decision statistic. The value of this decision statistic is compared to the threshold to determine the transmitted bit. This new method has the same bit error rate (BER) performance as energy detection-based pulse position modulation (PPM) in additive white Gaussian noise channels. In multipath channels, its performance surpasses PPM and it also exhibits better BER performance in the presence of synchronization errors.
Behind the inheritance relations in a semantic network

There are many confused meanings on the use of ISA (is-a), AKO (a-kind-of), and ISPART (is-part-of) relations. This problem can be solved only by defining the precise meaning of the ISA, AKO and ISPART relations, and by recognizing either a class node or an object node for a given node in a semantic network. The author makes clear, precise and consistent definitions for these inheritance relations based on the two fundamental types of information that these relations are intended to represent: classes and objects. The features explored from these relations explain the use of these three relations and what properties each has. By dividing the properties related by ISA, AKO and ISPART relations into property values and property attributes, it is found that a property value relates to a specific class or object only and is not an inheritable property, while a property attribute corresponds to the universal quantification in predicate logic and is inheritable by the descendants of a class or object. >
Biochemical Nature and Cellular Distribution of the Paired Immunoglobulin-like Receptors, PIR-A and PIR-B

PIR-A and PIR-B, paired immunoglobulin-like receptors encoded, respectively, by multiple Pira genes and a single Pirb gene in mice, are relatives of the human natural killer (NK) and Fc receptors. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies produced against a recombinant PIR protein identified cell surface glycoproteins of ∼85 and ∼120 kD on B cells, granulocytes, and macrophages. A disulfide-linked homodimer associated with the cell surface PIR molecules was identified as the Fc receptor common γ (FcRγc) chain. Whereas PIR-B fibroblast transfectants expressed cell surface molecules of ∼120 kD, PIR-A transfectants expressed the ∼85-kD molecules exclusively intracellularly; PIR-A and FcRγc cotransfectants expressed the PIR-A/ FcRγc complex on their cell surface. Correspondingly, PIR-B was normally expressed on the cell surface of splenocytes from FcRγc−/− mice whereas PIR-A was not. Cell surface levels of PIR molecules on myeloid and B lineage cells increased with cellular differentiation and activation. Dendritic cells, monocytes/macrophages, and mast cells expressed the PIR molecules in varying levels, but T cells and NK cells did not. These experiments define the coordinate cellular expression of PIR-B, an inhibitory receptor, and PIR-A, an activating receptor; demonstrate the requirement of FcRγc chain association for cell surface PIR-A expression; and suggest that the level of FcRγc chain expression could differentially affect the PIR-A/PIR-B equilibrium in different cell lineages.
Bone marrow morphology predicts additional chromosomal abnormalities in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome with del(5q).

Summary The current World Health Organization classification considers myelodysplastic syndrome with isolated del(5q) a distinct entity owing to its characteristic clinical and pathologic features. Recently, several studies have examined survival, leukemic transformation, and various prognostic factors in these patients. However, there is a lack of detailed comparative pathologic analysis of myelodysplastic syndrome cases in which del(5q) is present in association with additional cytogenetic abnormalities. We studied 26 cases of myelodysplastic syndrome at initial diagnosis with 5q− alone, 5q− plus 1 additional abnormality, and 5q− as part of a complex karyotype. Four of 17 patients had evidence of JAK2 V617F mutation. In contrast to cases of myelodysplastic syndrome with isolated 5q−, patients with additional abnormalities had normal mean corpuscular volume and decreased platelet counts ( P
Nurture trumps nature in a longitudinal survey of salivary bacterial communities in twins from early adolescence to early adulthood.

Variation in the composition of the human oral microbiome in health and disease has been observed. We have characterized inter- and intra-individual variation of microbial communities of 107 individuals in one of the largest cohorts to date (264 saliva samples), using culture-independent 16S rRNA pyrosequencing. We examined the salivary microbiome in up to three time-points during 10 yr spanning adolescence, and determined the influence of human genotype, gender, age, and weight class. Participants, including 27 monozygotic and 18 dizygotic twin pairs, were sampled mainly at ages 12–13, 17–18, and 22–24, with a few sampled as early as 8 yr of age. In contrast to gut or skin microbiomes, there is a core genus-level salivary microbiome. Individuals are more similar to themselves and their co-twins in the 12–17 and in the 17–22 cohorts than to the whole sample population, but not over the 10 yr from 12 to 22; and monozygotic twin pairs are statistically not more similar than dizygotic twin pairs. The data are most consistent with shared environment serving as the main determinant of microbial populations. Twins resemble each other more closely than the whole population at all time-points, but become less similar to each other when they age and no longer cohabit. Several organisms have age-specific abundance profiles, including members of the genera Veillonella, Actinomyces, and Streptococcus. There is no clear effect of weight class and gender. The results of this work will provide a basis to further study oral microbes and human health.
Results of a prospective randomized clinical trial of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) followed by radiation therapy (RT) versus ABVD alone for stages I, II, and IIIA nonbulky Hodgkin disease.

To determine whether combined modality therapy (CMT) is superior to chemotherapy (CT) alone, 152 untreated Hodgkin disease patients with clinical stages (CSs) IA, IB, IIA, IIB, and IIIA without bulk disease were prospectively randomized to 6 cycles of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (ABVD) alone or 6 cycles of ABVD followed by radiation therapy (RT) (3600 cGy: involved field for 11 patients, modified extended field for the rest). Of 76 patients randomized to receive RT, 65 actually received it, and 11 did not (4 progressed, 1 had bleomycin toxicity, 6 refused). For ABVD + RT, the complete remission (CR) percentage was 94% and no major response, 6%. For ABVD alone, 94% achieved a CR; 1.5%, a partial response (PR); and 4.5%, no major response. At 60 months CR duration, freedom from progression (FFP), and overall survival (OS) for ABVD + RT versus ABVD alone are 91% versus 87% (P = .61), 86% versus 81% (P = .61), and 97% versus 90% (P = .08), respectively (log-rank). The 95% confidence intervals for CR duration, FFP, and OS differences at 5 years were –8% to 15%, –8% to 18%, and –4% to 12%, respectively. Although significant differences were not seen, it is possible that a benefit in outcome of less than 20% for CMT might be seen in a larger trial.
The histopathology of mastoidectomy cavities, with particular reference to persistent disease leading to chronic otorrhoea

Open cavity mastoidectomy remains the principal surgical treatment of middle ear cholesteatoma in the United Kingdom. A significant proportion of mastoid cavities are prone to intermittent or continuous discharge. In this study the histopathological features of material removed from 159 mastoid cavities at revision surgery were reviewed. Findings included squamous epithelium with acute and chronic inflammation, foreign body granuloma and aural polyps. Of particular note was the very infrequent finding of discharging cavities lined with respiratory epithelium, suggesting that retained mucosa in mastoid air cells is not a common cause of persistent otorrhoea.
Memory-Based Human Motion Simulation for Computer-Aided Ergonomic Design

A novel memory-based motion simulation (MBMS) model was developed as a general framework for simulating natural human motions for computer-aided ergonomic design. The MBMS model utilizes real human motion samples recorded in motion capture experiments as templates for simulating novel motions. Such human motion samples are stored in a motion database. When a user submits an input simulation scenario to the model, a motion search engine termed the ldquoroot motion finderrdquo in the model searches the motion database and retrieves the motion samples that closely match the given scenario. The retrieved motions, referred to as root motions, may significantly differ from one another in the underlying movement technique. Such variability within the root motion set is analyzed and graphically summarized by a model component termed the motion variability analyzer. This analysis helps users rapidly identify alternative movement techniques for the given input simulation scenario and simulate human motions based on alternative movement techniques. Since root motions do not exactly satisfy but only closely match the input simulation scenario, a motion modification (MoM) algorithm adapts them to fit the scenario by systematically deforming them in the joint angle-time domain. The MoM algorithm retains the root motions' fundamental spatial-temporal structure and minimizes deviations from the root motions during such deformations. The MBMS model overcomes limitations of existing simulation models and achieves the following: 1) simulation of categorically different motions based on a single unified model; 2) simple and efficient learning of new motion behaviors; and 3) representation and simulation of human motion variability.
Quantifying aerosol mixing state with entropy and diversity measures

Abstract. This paper presents the first quantitative metric for aerosol population mixing state, defined as the distribution of per-particle chemical species composition. This new metric, the mixing state index χ, is an affine ratio of the average per-particle species diversity D α and the bulk population species diversity D γ , both of which are based on information-theoretic entropy measures. The mixing state index χ enables the first rigorous definition of the spectrum of mixing states from so-called external mixture to internal mixture, which is significant for aerosol climate impacts, including aerosol optical properties and cloud condensation nuclei activity. We illustrate the usefulness of this new mixing state framework with model results from the stochastic particle-resolved model PartMC-MOSAIC. These results demonstrate how the mixing state metrics evolve with time for several archetypal cases, each of which isolates a specific process such as coagulation, emission, or condensation. Further, we present an analysis of the mixing state evolution for a complex urban plume case, for which these processes occur simultaneously. We additionally derive theoretical properties of the mixing state index and present a family of generalized mixing state indexes that vary in the importance assigned to low-mass-fraction species.
Non-newtonian thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication

A numerical solution to the problem of thermal and non-Newtonian fluid model in elastohydrodynamic lubrication is presented. The generalized Reynolds equation was modified by the Eyring rheology model to incorporate the non-Newtonian effects of the fluid. The simultaneous system of modified Reynolds, elasticity and energy equations were numerically solved for the pressure, temperature and film thickness. Results have been presented for loads ranging from W = 7 × 10−5 to W = 2.3 × 10−4 and the speeds ranging from U* = 2 × 10−11 to U* = 6 × 10−11 at various slip conditions. Comparison between the isothermal and thermal non-Newtonian traction force has also been presented.
Sodium supplementation and exercise-associated hyponatremia during prolonged exercise.

AB Purpose: This work examines whether sodium supplementation is important in prevention of hyponatremia during continuous exercise up to 30 h and whether any distinguishing characteristics of those developing hyponatremia could be identified. Methods: Participants of the 161-km Western States Endurance Run underwent body weight measurements before, during, and after the race, completed a postrace questionnaire about drinking strategies and use of sodium supplementation during four race segments, and underwent analysis of postrace serum sodium concentration. Results: The postrace questionnaire was completed by 74.5% of the 376 starters, a postrace blood sample was provided by 61.1% of the 296 finishers, and 53.0% of finishers completed the postrace survey and also provided a postrace blood sample. Among this population, the incidence of hyponatremia among finishers was 6.6% and sodium supplements were used by 93.9% of the runners. Postrace serum sodium concentration was found to be directly related to the rate of sodium intake in supplements (r = 0.24, P = 0.0027) and indirectly related to the percentage change in body weight from immediately before the race start (r = -0.19, P = 0.010). There was no difference in rate of sodium intake in supplements between the hyponatremic and normonatremic finishers, and none of the hyponatremic finishers lost >4.3% body weight. Hyponatremic finishers were not distinguished from normonatremic or hypernatremic finishers by other runner characteristics considered, drinking strategies, or gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Conclusions: We conclude that a low sodium intake in supplements has minimal responsibility for development of hyponatremia during continuous exercise up to 30 h, whereas overhydration is the primary characteristic of those developing hyponatremia. Therefore, avoiding overhydration seems to be the most important means for preventing hyponatremia under these conditions.
A Time-Dependent Collision Probability Method for One-Dimensional Space-Time Nuclear Reactor Kinetics

A time-dependent collision probability method has been developed for the solution of neutron transport and nuclear reactor kinetics problems in one-dimensional slab geometry. The time-dependent collision probabilities permit the solution of time-dependent neutron transport problems involving general source distributions over an indefinite time period and an infinite number of collision generations. The method is based on the analytic integration of the time-dependent integral transport kernel involving purely real cross sections. The neutron time-of-flight and causality considerations lead to a number of complex formulas involving exponential and exponential integral functions. Occasional conflicts between the regular grid in time and space and the causality considerations lead to some formulas that are inexact. It is shown that these inexact formulas are terms of the third order in the time-step length, and thus the method has overall second-order accuracy in time. The method has been used to solve two types of neutron transport problems. The first, a pulsed, planar, fixed-source problem, yielded a flux solution with a root-mean-square relative difference of 0.94% from a benchmark analytic solution. The second problem solved was a pair of multigroup nuclear reactor kinetics problems. While the kinetics results were not conclusive, they suggest that diffusion theory may yield results that underestimate the amplitude and deposited energy of certain reactor transients.
Attributing One Party’s Contacts with the Forum State to Another: Conspiracy Jurisdiction in Alabama

You don’t reside in the forum state. You have no office there, no personal representative to receive service on your behalf, no advertising targeted toward the forum state and you have not personally conducted business in the forum state. But you have a business associate who has. When your business associate is sued, can the court attribute his contacts with the forum state to you? What if the claimant alleges that you and your business associate conspired or are agents of one another? In other words, what effect does one defendant’s personal relationship with a foreign defendant have on the constitutional limits articulated in the “minimum contacts” analysis?Attributing the jurisdictional contacts of one conspirator to his co-conspirator as an independent source of jurisdiction is deceptively attractive. It greatly simplifies the jurisdictional analysis. Instead of evaluating contacts under due process standards (International Shoe etc.), the court simply decides whether there was a conspiracy – a question more easily answered. But serious constitutional questions cloud its validity.
The age of dependency of enzymes in reactive glia.

ConclusionsStudies of experimental central nervous system lesions in the immature rat indicate that the morphologic and enzymic alterations of reactive gliosis are not observed prior to 10 days of age. The absence of reactive gliosis in the newborn animal may be due to immaturity of glial cells, absence of specific inducing agents, or some combination of the two factors. It is suggested that absence of certain inducing substances found in, but not limited to, the myelin sheath may be the determining factor.
Megadose Vitamins in Bladder Cancer: A Double-Blind Clinical Trial

AbstractEpidemiological and laboratory studies suggest that vitamin supplements may be helpful in the prevention of some cancers but clinical trials to date have failed to demonstrate protection with naturally occurring vitamins. Without substantiation of the highly touted benefits of vitamins, few physicians who care for cancer patients have recommended their use. A total of 65 patients with biopsy confirmed transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder enrolled in a randomized comparison of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) with or without percutaneous administration was also randomized by closed envelope to therapy with multiple vitamins in the recommended daily allowance (RDA) versus RDA multivitamins plus 40,000 units vitamin A, 100 mg. vitamin B6, 2,000 mg. vitamin C, 400 units vitamin E and 90 mg. zinc.The addition of percutaneous BCG did not significantly lessen tumor recurrence but recurrence after 10 months was markedly reduced in patients receiving megadose vitamins. The 5-year estimates...
Surplus-producing labour as a capability: a Marxian contribution to Amartya Sen’s revival of classical political economy

Labour is construed as an income-generating capacity or as creative activity in the capabilities approach. This rendition misses a vital capability that Marx articulates: labour as a potential to produce surplus. Accordingly, following Marx, I define labour as the ability, freedom and willingness to produce more than what labourers deem necessary to sustain themselves. I argue each has this capability and should willingly realise it in accordance with their ability. With this definition, additional questions arise as to who should appropriate the surplus or receive a portion of it. I contend that each, irrespective of their role in production, should have the capability to appropriate surplus, just as each should have the capability to claim and receive a portion of the surplus according to their needs. I finish by showing the prevalent normative framework of the capitalist economy, ‘equal rights and equal exchange’, is nothing other than exclusive rights (capabilities) and unequal exchange, which results in exploitation, now defined as a violation of capabilities equality. By contrast, I call for a non-exclusive, ‘radical equality’ a la Sen: no one is excluded from participating in or having access to any moment of this surplus economy, one that is non-exploitative and communal, as each capability is extended to each individual.
Lidar-generated artificial guidestars for atmospheric turbulence compensation

Atmospheric turbulence severely limits the resolution of ground-based astronomical telescopes. In good seeing conditions at the best observatory sites, resolution at visible wavelengths is typically limited to ~1 sec of arc. During the past 15 yr, adaptive optical systems using electrically deformable mirrors have been developed to compensate for turbulence. Unfortunately, these systems require bright reference sources adjacent to the object of interest and can only be used to observe the brightest stars.
Renin–Angiotensin Blockade: Therapeutic Agents

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the therapeutic use of rennin–angiotensin blockade. Several drug classes are known to interfere with renin–angiotensin system (RAS) activity including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), and direct rennin inhibitors, with the greatest treatment experience existing for ACE inhibitors. The first orally active ACE inhibitor was the drug captopril, which was commercially released in 1981. Captopril is a sulfhydryl-containing compound, with a rapid onset and not particularly prolonged duration of action. The more long-acting ACE inhibitor enalapril maleate became available shortly thereafter. Enalapril is a prodrug requiring in vivo hepatic and intestinal wall esterolysis to produce the active diacid inhibitor enalaprilat. All ACE inhibitors are administered in their prodrug forms, with the exception of lisinopril and captopril. It was initially thought that prodrug conversion of an ACE inhibitor to an active diacid form would be hindered in the presence of hepatic impairment, such as in advanced heart failure (HF); however, this has proven not to be the case. The extent of absorption, the degree of hydrolysis, and the bioavailability of the prodrug enalapril in HF patients are comparable to values observed in normal subjects other than the rates of absorption and ester hydrolysis being somewhat slower in HF.
Recent Precision Mass Measurements at Princeton

A description of the principles of operation and essential elements of the rf spectrometer was presented in 1967(1). Further details of procedures, a discussion of precision, and measurements of sixteen doublets yielding the mass excesses of H, D, 14N, 16O, 35C1 and 37C1 were given in a recent paper (2). It has been shown: (a)that, with the technique of visual peak matching, the standard “setting” error of a single reading is about 1/2500 of the half-width of a peak; and (b) that the frequency ratio (f2/fl) may easily be determined within a few parts in 1010 so that no calibration uncertainty arises from equating this to the mass ratio (M1/M2) for the highest precision attainable. Thus, in the absence of other, greater sources of error, masses should be determinable for resolutions achieved (2–4x105) from the mean of ten readings with an accuracy between 3 and 6 parts in 1010. After elimination of a number of purely instrumental sources of error, the primary known remaining sources that limit precision are small electric fields that do not shift with the applied voltages in inverse proportion to the two masses being compared. Their presence is readily shown by the study of wide “calibration” doublets for which the differences in mass numbers are one or two units. Considerable progress in neutralizing the effects of these fields has been made by applying small adjustable d.c. voltages in series with the high voltage applied to the ion source and with the lesser voltages applied to one of each pair of external deflectors and to each internal deflector as explained in reference (2).
Quantitative Driven Optimization of a Time Warp Kernel

The set of events available for execution in a Parallel Discrete Event Simulation (PDES) are known as the pending event set. In a Time Warp synchronized simulation engine, these pending events are scheduled for execution in an aggressive manner that does not strictly enforce the causal relations between events. One of the key principles of Time Warp is that this relaxed causality will result in the processing of events in a manner that implicitly satisfies their causal order without paying the overhead costs of a strict enforcement of their causal order. On a shared memory platform the event scheduler generally attempts to schedule all available events in their Least TimeStamp First (LTSF) order to facilitate event processing in their causal order. By following an LTSF scheduling policy, a Time Warp scheduler can generally process events so that: (i) the critical path of the event timestamps is scheduled as early as possible, and (ii) causal violations occur infrequently. While this works effectively to minimize rollback (triggered by causal violations), as the number of parallel threads increases, the contention to the shared data structures holding the pending events can have significant negative impacts on overall event processing throughput. This work examines the application of profile data taken from Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) models to drive the simulation kernel optimization process. In particular, we take profile data about events in the schedule pool from three DES models to derive alternate scheduling possibilities in a Time Warp simulation kernel. Profile data from the studied DES models suggests that in many cases each Logical Process (LP) in a simulation will have multiple events that can be dequeued and executed as a set. In this work, we review the profile data and implement group event scheduling strategies based on this profile data. Experimental results show that event group scheduling can help alleviate contention and improve performance. However, the size of the event groups matters, small groupings can improve performance, larger groupings can trigger more frequent causal violations and actually slow the parallel simulation.
The role and use of examples in learning to prove

Abstract Proof is central to mathematical practice, yet a perennial concern is that students of all ages struggle in learning to prove. Mathematics education scholars have suggested that overreliance on examples to justify the truth of statements is a contributing factor for students’ difficulties. While example-based reasoning has typically been viewed as a stumbling block to learning to prove, we view example-based reasoning as an important object of study and posit that examples play both a foundational and an essential role in the development, exploration, and understanding of conjectures, as well as in subsequent attempts to develop proofs of those conjectures. In this paper, we provide an overview of our project whose goals were to (a) investigate the nature of middle school and high school students’, undergraduate students’, and mathematicians’ thinking about the examples they use when developing, exploring, and proving conjectures; and (b) investigate ways in which thinking about and analyzing examples may facilitate the development of students’ learning to prove.
Understanding and Promoting Birth Satisfaction in New Mothers.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of select maternal psychosocial and experiential factors on birth satisfaction of new mothers during early postpartum. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS This is a descriptive correlational study exploring the relationships among birth satisfaction, breastfeeding self-efficacy, and perceived stress in 107 new mothers in the first 4 days postpartum. Instruments used included the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form, and a researcher-generated demographic form. Quantitative analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation, one-way Analysis of Variance, and multiple linear regression. RESULTS Birth satisfaction was negatively correlated with perceived stress (r = -.299, p < .05) and positively correlated with feeling prepared for birth (rho = .243, p < .05) and breastfeeding self-efficacy (r = .226, p < .05). The predictive model for birth satisfaction was significant (R = .204, F [6, 99] = 4.225, p = .001), explaining approximately 20.4% of variance in birth satisfaction in the sample. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Stress reduction and management, establishment of realistic expectations for labor and birth, and promotion of togetherness with newborn immediately after birth are nursing priorities to promote birth satisfaction.
Synthesis and characterization of amide linked triazolyl glycolipids as molecular hydrogelators and organogelators

Carbohydrate based small molecular gelators are important classes of compounds which can form useful soft materials with many practical applications. Although many different types of effective gelators have been reported, the rational design of a molecular hydrogelator is still challenging. In this research, we combined the structural features of two classes of monosaccharide based molecular gelators and obtained a new class of glycolipids that can function as molecular gelators. These new compounds were synthesized by introducing a triazole functional group to a protected 2-glucosamine through Cu(I) catalyzed azide/alkyne cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC). A series of eighteen new glycolipids containing 4,6-O-benzylidene acetal protected D-glucosamide and triazole were synthesized and characterized. The self-assembling properties of these compounds were screened in several organic solvents, aqueous solutions, and water. All eighteen compounds are effective molecular gelators for at least one solvent and, more significantly, eleven compounds are hydrogelators with minimum gelation concentrations of 0.15–1.0 wt%. The hydrogels are suitable carriers for sustained release of chloramphenicol, and for the entrapment of toluidine blue dye. These results indicate that the D-glucosamide triazoles are effective templates for small molecular hydrogelators and are useful in designing sugar based soft materials.
Enzalutamide and metformin combination therapy to overcome autophagy resistance in castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC): Current results from a phase I study.

281Background: Preclinical models have shown that autophagy is a resistance mechanism of enzalutamide (enza), a small molecule suppressing the androgen pathway approved for treatment of CRPC. Metformin, an autophagy inhibitor, enhances preclinical therapeutic responses when combined with Enza, thus prompting a Phase I clinical trial evaluating the combination. We present results to date. Methods: Eligible patients (pts) had established CRPC, ECOG 0-2, adequate hematologic and organ function, and ≤ 2 prior treatments for CRPC. Major exclusion criteria included prior enza or metformin treatment, presence of brain metastases, history of DM2 or seizures. An initial cohort of 3 pts were treated with enza 160 mg PO qdaily and metformin 500 mg PO bid (DL1), with metformin dose escalated to 1000 mg PO bid (DL2) in subsequent 3 pts if dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was observed in ≤1 pt in DL1. Primary objective was to establish the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), with secondary objectives of evaluating PSA response o...
“Being a Presence to Each Other”: Adult Educators Who Foster Empowerment With Incarcerated Women:

Our research explored the experiences of educators who teach in a gender-responsive program for women in a jail. We interrogated how educators fostered empowerment in their classes, what their motivations were for teaching in the program, and the tensions that existed for them when using emancipatory teaching practices in jail. Findings indicate that educators used Freirean concepts to foster empowerment, were motivated to share their knowledge, were motivated to counter dehumanization, and recognized their commonalities and privilege. Trust and agency created tensions while using an emancipatory pedagogy at a jail. Findings have implications for educators teaching marginalized populations.
Pseudolinear spin-2 interactions

We show how the pseudolinear interactions for spin-2 particles can be straightforwardly extended to include multiple massive and massless fields without introducing ghosts. When massive spin-2 fields are included, these give simple analogues of bigravity and multigravity theories with mass terms that break linear gauge symmetries. The interactions containing only massless particles cannot be written in terms of linearized curvature tensors and are gauge invariant only up to a total derivative. These correspond to known theories that exist in more than four dimensions and evade the no-go results on interacting massless spin-2 particles.
NUCLEAR FUSION, WORLD ENVIRONMENT, AND THE ENERGY PROBLEM: THE PATH OF MINIMUM RISK

The generation of energy by fusing together the isotopes of hydrogen, namely deuterium and tritium, is an objective pursued for the past 50 years by virtually all nations. In principle, it is the same process occurring in the sun and the stars, which has naturally powered the universe for billions of years. The need for pursuing this objective on Earth is compelling. As Fig. 1 shows, if we assume that the world population stabilizes at 10 billion, consuming energy at 2/3 of the U.S. 1985 rate, the energy available from fossil, hydro, and non-breeder fission will suffice approximately until the year 2030. After that, the shortfall will be increasing, and must be made up by other sources. The only alternative is fusion energy.
Unmeasured and Unknown Confounders

Confounding occurs when the effect of the exposure of interest mixes with the effects of other variables that are causes of the exposure or that share common causal ancestors with the exposure (Kleinbaum et al.,1982). Understanding and adjusting for confounding in epidemiologic research is central to addressing whether an observed association is indeed causal. It is imperative to control confounding because it can make an association appear greater or smaller than it truly is, and can even reverse the apparent direction of an association. Confounding can also make a null effect (i.e., no causal relation between the exposure and the disease) appear either causal or preventive. For a covariate variable to induce confounding, there must be a relation between both the exposure and the covariate in the source population and between the covariate and the disease (among those unexposed). In addition, the covariate must not be affected by the exposure. In nonrandomized epidemiologic studies, confounding can be controlled by design or in the analysis, but only for known and measured confounders.
Tissue blood flow and oxygenation during large vessel surgery.

Tissue PO2 and blood flow through gastrocnemius muscle and overlying subcutis were continuously determined in patients undergoing major vascular surgery for abdominal aneurysm or arteriosclerotic occlusive disease. Polarographic oxygen detection using paired flow-dependent and independent electrodes in each tissue allowed on-line computation of blood flow during the intraoperative and immediate perioperative periods.
The effects of three phthalate esters on the larval development of the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio (Holthuis)

The effects of three phthalic acid esters, dimethyl phthalate (DMP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) on survival and development rate of larvae of the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio were investigated. Only 100 ppm DMP and 10 to 50 ppm DBP were acutely toxic to the larvae. DMP at a concentration of 100 ppm significantly increased the duration of larval development to the first postlarval stage. DEHP concentrations up to 1 ppm (the solubility limit of this ester) were without effect on either survival or development rate of the larvae. Phthalate esters were not detectable at or above the 2 ppm level in the tissues of larvae chronically exposed to phthalates for the duration of larval development, suggesting active metabolism of phthalates by this species.
Optimal Structures and Laminates

In this book, two approaches will be examined to obtain the upper bounds of the quasiconvex envelope QF(v). The first approach is discussed in this chapter. It is based on a straightforward construction of the minimizing sequences. The second approach is discussed in Chapter 9; it is based on necessary conditions of optimality.
Short-term, spatial regeneration patterns following expanding group shelterwood harvests and prescribed fire in the Central Hardwood Region.

Abstract Throughout eastern North America, oaks (Quercus) are a foundational tree species, but are regenerating poorly, particularly on mesic sites. This regeneration failure has spurred development of new management practices that create heterogeneous regeneration conditions that better match oak’s response to disturbances such as surface fire and windthrow. Expanding group shelterwood systems are designed to produce diverse regeneration conditions and have a high edge-to-forest interior ratio, where intermediate light levels may be beneficial for oak regeneration. We present data on early regeneration patterns from a large-scale experiment designed to assess the combined effects of these silvicultural systems and prescribed fire on oak regeneration, ecosystem resilience, and spatial and compositional heterogeneity in the Central Hardwood Region. Using transect-based surveys, we investigated the spatial patterns of woody regeneration within and outside of burned and unburned 2- or 3-stage group shelterwoods in factorial replicates at two different sites. Two years following the initial harvest, the south-facing site had substantial competitive oak regeneration just outside of the harvested groups on the northern, eastern, and western sides, but the east-facing site did not. On a stand level, tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) and sassafras (Sassafras albidum) regeneration increased in both sites, oak increased in the south-facing site, hickory (Carya) increased in the east-facing site, and maple (Acer) was relatively unaffected by the treatments. Competitive oak regeneration in the forest matrix just outside of the harvested groups in the south-facing site holds promise to regenerate a stand with a substantial oak component and high overall diversity, given the shelterwood groups will be expanded outward in successive entries and burned repeatedly over time.
A rat model of organophosphate-induced status epilepticus and the beneficial effects of EP2 receptor inhibition.

Abstract This review describes an adult rat model of status epilepticus (SE) induced by diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP), and the beneficial outcomes of transient inhibition of the prostaglandin-E2 receptor EP2 with a small molecule antagonist, delayed by 2–4 h after SE onset. Administration of six doses of the selective EP2 antagonist TG6-10-1 over a 2–3 day period accelerates functional recovery, attenuates hippocampal neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, gliosis and blood-brain barrier leakage, and prevents long-term cognitive deficits without blocking SE itself or altering acute seizure characteristics. This work has provided important information regarding organophosphate-induced seizure related pathologies in adults and revealed the effectiveness of delayed EP2 inhibition to combat these pathologies.
After Paris a new period for mankind

Abstract. Planet Earth now enters a new era characterized by the fight against global warming and it's consequences. Can countries or individuals adapt resiliently? Or will international governance finally make progress at COP 25 in Glasgow? We will soon reach more than 1.5 degrees plus. . Keywords. Keeling curve, greenhdeouse gases, coal fired power plants, temperature rise, irreversible transformation. JEL. Q10, O31, O33, Q01, Q16, Q18.
Pasteurella Multiocida infection resulting in a descending thoracic aorta mycotic pseudoaneurysm

Objective Highlight our management of a Pasteurella Multiocida-infected descending thoracic aorta mycotic pseudoaneurysm. Methods Report a case of a canine bite resulting in a P. Multiocida descending thoracic aorta mycotic pseudoaneurysm. Results We present a 61-year-old gentleman who was initially seen in an emergency department after a canine bite. He was admitted and treated with a course of IV antibiotics for P. Multiocida bacteremia and discharged. Three weeks after discharge, he continued to feel generalized malaise and work-up was significant for a descending thoracic aorta mycotic pseudoaneurysm. The patient underwent a low left posterior lateral thoracotomy and femoral-femoral cardiopulmonary bypass for complete pseudoaneurysm resection and aortic replacement with a 24-mm Gelweave graft. Given purulence and gross infection, we planned for a staged approach, with a secondary washout and omental flap for biologic coverage of the graft. The patient did well clinically and was discharged at 14 days to rehabilitation with 6-week intravenous course of antibiotics. Conclusions The patient's clinical course with subsequent follow-up suggest that complete resection of the mycotic pseudoaneurysm, followed by omental flap coverage is a viable strategy to manage mycotic aortic infections with virulent organisms.
Ultrasensitive and Wide-Bandwidth Thermal Measurements of Graphene at Low Temperatures

Graphene is a material with remarkable electronic properties[1] and exceptional thermal transport properties near room temperature, which have been well examined and understood[2, 3]. However at very low temperatures the thermodynamic and thermal transport properties are much less well explored[4, 5] and somewhat surprisingly, is expected to exhibit extreme thermal isolation. Here we demonstrate an ultra-sensitive, wide-bandwidth measurement scheme to probe the thermal transport and thermodynamic properties of the electron gas of graphene. We employ Johnson noise thermometry at microwave frequency to sensitively measure the temperature of the electron gas with resolution of 4mK/√Hz and a bandwidth of 80 MHz. We have measured the electron-phonon coupling from 2-30 K at a charge density of 2 •10^(11)cm^(-2). Utilizing bolometric mixing, we have sensed temperature oscillations with period of 430 ps and have determined the heat capacity of the electron gas to be 2 • 10^(-21)J/(K •µm^2) at 5 K which is consistent with that of a two dimensional, Dirac electron gas. These measurements suggest that graphene-based devices together with wide bandwidth noise thermometry can generate substantial advances in the areas of ultra-sensitive bolometry[6], calorimetry[7], microwave and terahertz photo-detection[8], and bolometric mixing for applications in areas such as observational astronomy[9] and quantum information and measurement[10].
Functional Immune Deficiency Syndrome via Intestinal Infection in COVID-19

Using a Systems Biology approach, we integrated genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and molecular structure information to provide a holistic understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic. The expression data analysis of the Renin Angiotensin System indicates mild nasal, oral or throat infections are likely and that the gastrointestinal tissues are a common primary target of SARS-CoV-2. Extreme symptoms in the lower respiratory system likely result from a secondary-infection possibly by a comorbidity-driven upregulation of ACE2 in the lung. The remarkable differences in expression of other RAS elements, the elimination of macrophages and the activation of cytokines in COVID-19 bronchoalveolar samples suggest that a functional immune deficiency is a critical outcome of COVID-19. We posit that using a non-respiratory system as a major pathway of infection is likely determining the unprecedented global spread of this coronavirus.