cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The organization of roots of dicotyledonous plants and the positions of control points

Background The structure of roots has been studied for many years, but despite their importance to the growth and well-being of plants, most researchers tend to ignore them. This is unfortunate, because their simple body plan makes it possible to study complex developmental pathways without the complications sometimes found in the shoot. In this illustrated essay, my objective is to describe the body plan of the root and the root apical meristem (RAM) and point out the control points where differentiation and cell cycle decisions are made. Hopefully this outline will assist plant biologists in identifying the structural context for their observations. Scope and conclusions This short paper outlines the types of RAM, i.e. basic-open, intermediate-open and closed, shows how they are similar and different, and makes the point that the structure and shape of the RAM are not static, but changes in shape, size and organization occur depending on root growth rate and development stage. RAMs with a closed organization lose their outer root cap layers in sheets of dead cells, while those with an open organization release living border cells from the outer surfaces of the root cap. This observation suggests a possible difference in the mechanisms whereby roots with different RAM types communicate with soil-borne micro-organisms. The root body is organized in cylinders, sectors (xylem and phloem in the vascular cylinder), cell files, packets and modules, and individual cells. The differentiation in these root development units is regulated at control points where genetic regulation is needed, and the location of these tissue-specific control points can be modulated as a function of root growth rate. In Arabidopsis thaliana the epidermis and peripheral root cap develop through a highly regulated series of steps starting with a periclinal division of an initial cell, the root cap/protoderm (RCP) initial. The derivative cells from the RCP initial divide into two cells, the inner cell divides again to renew the RCP and the other cell divides through four cycles to form 16 epidermal cells in a packet; the outer cell divides through four cycles to form the 16 cells making up the peripheral root cap packet. Together, the epidermal packet and the peripheral root cap packet make up a module of cells which are clonally related.
Fever and neutropenia: the early years

The importance of neutropenia as a predisposing factor for infection in patients with haematological malignancies was not clearly appreciated until effective therapeutic agents became available. This led to the important advance of administering antibiotics promptly to neutropenic patients when they developed fever, before a diagnosis was established. Although some antibiotics available in the 1960s had activity against many pathogens in vitro, they were ineffective against infections in neutropenic patients. The development of methods to administer white blood cell transfusions along with antibiotics was beneficial to some patients. The development of new antibiotics was of critical importance, such as methicillin for treatment of Staphylococcus aureus and carbenicillin for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Prevention of infection was attempted, using isolation rooms, air filtration and prophylactic antibiotics. All of these early efforts laid the foundations for the many important current investigations.
False recognition in younger and older adults: Exploring the characteristics of illusory memories.

Roediger and McDermott (1995) demonstrated that when subjects hear a list of associates to a “theme word” that has itself not been presented, they frequently claim to recollect having heard the nonpresented theme word on the study list. In Experiment 1, we found that asking subjects to explain theirremember responses, by writing down exactly what they remembered about the item’s presentation at study, did not significantly diminish the rate ofremember false alarms to nonpresented theme words. We also found that older adults were relatively more susceptible than younger adults to this false-recognition effect. Subjects’ explanations suggested that both veridical and illusory memories were predominantly composed of associative information as opposed to sensory and contextual detail. In Experiment 2, we obtained quantitative evidence for this conclusion, using a paradigm in which subjects were asked focused questions about the contents of their recollective experience. Lastly, we found that both younger and older adults recalled more sensory and contextual detail in conjunction with studied items than with nonpresented theme words, although these differences were less pronounced in older adults.
Single-phase, unidirectional transducer design for charge transport devices

Expressions for calculating the per-stripe reflectivity of aluminum stripe and grooved reflectors as a function of stripe width and thickness are given. These results are used to predict the performance of unidirectional SAW (surface acoustic wave) transducers on gallium arsenide substrates for ACT and HACT (heterojunction acoustic charge transport) applications. The objective is to build the transducers using the same materials used for the NDS (nondestructive sense) Schottky barriers in (H)ACT devices, minimizing the number of photolithographic steps required and maintaining SAW equiphase front alignment to the NDS structures across the device's channel width. In turn, the optimization of the materials systems for large reflectivity in the SAW transducer structure dictates that the NDS structures be designed to minimize net acoustic reflections by these taps in order to maintain the low acoustic standing wave ratio required for high charge transfer efficiency. >
West Nile virus preferentially transports along motor neuron axons after sciatic nerve injection of hamsters

Prior findings led us to hypothesize that West Nile virus (WNV) preferentially transports along motor axons instead of sensory axons. WNV is known to undergo axonal transport in cell culture and in infected hamsters to infect motor neurons in the spinal cord. To investigate this hypothesis, WNV was injected directly into the left sciatic nerve of hamsters. WNV envelope-staining in these hamsters was only observed in motor neurons of the ipsilateral ventral horn of the spinal cord, but not in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). To evaluate the consequence of motor neuron infection by WNV, the authors inoculated wheat germ agglutinin—horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) 9 days after WNV sciatic nerve injection, and stained the spinal cord and the DRG for HRP activity 3 days later. The degree of HRP-staining in DRG was the same in WNV- and sham-infected animals, but the HRP-staining in the motor neuron in the ventral horn was considerably less for WNV-infected hamsters. To investigate the mechanism of WNV transport, hamsters were treated with colchicine, an inhibitor of membranous microtubule-mediated transport. The intensity of the WNV-stained area in the spinal cord of colchicine-treated hamsters at 6 days after WNV infection were significantly reduced (P≤.05) compared to the placebo-treated hamsters. These data suggest that WNV is preferentially transported through the motor axons, but not the sensory axons, to subsequently infect motor neurons and cause motor weakness and paralysis.
Approaches for Aggregating Heterogeneous Surface Parameters and Fluxes for Mesoscale and Climate Models

Land surface and climate processes possess dynamics and heterogeneities across a wide range of scales. This study explores the utility of, and procedures for, using local scale measurements to obtain large-scale information. An aggregation scheme is proposed to bridge the scale gap between the scale of measurements including remote sensors and climate and mesoscale models. The proposed scheme derives a set of effective parameters which obeys the energy balance equation exactly and partitions the surface fluxes accurately at different scales. It produces a unique set of aggregated land surface parameters that are easily measurable through remote sensing and have sound mathematical and physical basis. It is shown that aggregated ground heat flux, emissivity and albedo may be obtained by simple areally weighted averaging while temperature, aerodynamic and surface resistances require more involved aggregation operators. The effective surface temperature, although it requires a complicated operator involving subgrid-scale temperature and surface emissivity, is easily measurable through remote sensing. The proposed scheme was compared and contrasted with existing effective parameter approaches. It was shown that several effective parameters of the previous schemes can be easily derived from the proposed scheme by introducing additional assumptions and simplifications.
Hydrogenase-3 contributes to anaerobic acid resistance of Escherichia coli.

Background Hydrogen production by fermenting bacteria such as Escherichia coli offers a potential source of hydrogen biofuel. Because H2 production involves consumption of 2H+, hydrogenase expression is likely to involve pH response and regulation. Hydrogenase consumption of protons in E. coli has been implicated in acid resistance, the ability to survive exposure to acid levels (pH 2–2.5) that are three pH units lower than the pH limit of growth (pH 5–6). Enhanced survival in acid enables a larger infective inoculum to pass through the stomach and colonize the intestine. Most acid resistance mechanisms have been defined using aerobic cultures, but the use of anaerobic cultures will reveal novel acid resistance mechanisms.
The effect of H2O and CO2 on planetary mantles

The peridotite-H2O-CO2 system is discussed, and it is shown that even traces of H2O and CO2, in minerals or vapor, lower mantle solidus temperatures through hundreds of degrees in comparison with the volatile-free solidus. The solidus for peridotite-H2O-CO2 is a divariant surface traversed by univariant lines that locate the intersections of subsolidus divariant surfaces for carbonation or hydration reactions occurring in the presence of H2O-CO2 mixtures. Vapor phase compositions are normally buffered to these lines, and near the buffered curve for the solidus of partly carbonated peridotite there is a temperature maximum on the peridotite-vapor solidus. Characteristics on the CO2 side of the maximum and on the H2O side of the maximum are described.
Sensitivities of large, multiple-loop control systems

This paper describes a method of analyzing large, multiple-loop control systems which can be represented by simultaneous, linear, first-order, differential equations. The eigenvalues of the system are found using the QR transform. Next, the sensitivities of these eigenvalues to the system's parameters are found from the normal and transposed eigenvectors of the system. Results from a 51st-order system to which this method has been applied are given as an example.
Ammonia-oxidizing Archaea in the Arctic Ocean and Antarctic coastal waters.

Summary We compared abundance, distributions and phyloge- netic composition of Crenarchaeota and ammonia- oxidizing Archaea (AOA) in samples collected from coastal waters west of the Antarctic Peninsula during the summers of 2005 and 2006, with samples from the central Arctic Ocean collected during the summer of 1997. Ammonia-oxidizing Archaea and Crenarchaeota abundances were estimated from quantitative PCR measurements of amoA and 16S rRNA gene abundances. Crenarchaeota and AOA were approximately fivefold more abundant at com- parable depths in the Antarctic versus the Arctic Ocean. Crenarchaeota and AOA were essentially absent from the Antarctic Summer Surface Water (SSW) water mass (0-45 m depth). The ratio of Cre- narchaeota 16S rRNA to archaeal amoA gene abun- dance in the Winter Water (WW) water mass (45- 105 m depth) of the Southern Ocean was much lower (0.15) than expected and in sharp contrast to the ratio (2.0) in the Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) water mass (105-3500 m depth) immediately below it. We did not observe comparable segregation of this ratio by depth or water mass in Arctic Ocean samples. A ubiquitous, abundant and polar-specific crenarchaeote was the dominant ribotype in the WW and important in the upper halocline of the Arctic Ocean. Our data suggest that this organism does not contain an ammonia monooxygenase gene. In con- trast to other studies where Crenarchaeota popula- tions apparently lacking amoA genes are found in bathypelagic waters, this organism appears to domi- nate in well-defined, ammonium-rich, near-surface water masses in polar oceans.
tRNA Modification by S-Adenosylmethionine:tRNA Ribosyltransferase-Isomerase ASSAY DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE RECOMBINANT ENZYME

Abstract The enzyme S-adenosylmethionine:tRNA ribosyltransferase-isomerase catalyzes the penultimate step in the biosynthesis of the hypermodified tRNA nucleoside queuosine (Q), an unprecedented ribosyl transfer from the cofactorS-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) to a modified-tRNA precursor to generate epoxyqueuosine (oQ). The complexity of the reaction makes it an especially interesting mechanistic problem, and as a foundation for detailed kinetic and mechanistic studies we have carried out the basic characterization of the enzyme. Importantly, to allow for the direct measurement of oQ formation, we have developed protocols for the preparation of homogeneous substrates; specifically, an overexpression system was constructed for tRNATyr in an E. coli queA deletion mutant to allow for the isolation of large quantities of substrate tRNA, and [U-ribosyl-14C]AdoMet was synthesized. The enzyme shows optimal activity at pH 8.7 in buffers containing various oxyanions, including acetate, carbonate, EDTA, and phosphate. Unexpectedly, the enzyme was inhibited by Mg2+ and Mn2+ in millimolar concentrations. The steady-state kinetic parameters were determined to beK m AdoMet = 101.4 μm,K m tRNA = 1.5 μm, andk cat = 2.5 min−1. A short minihelix RNA was synthesized and modified with the precursor 7-aminomethyl-7-deazaguanine, and this served as an efficient substrate for the enzyme (K m RNA = 37.7 μm and k cat = 14.7 min−1), demonstrating that the anticodon stem-loop is sufficient for recognition and catalysis by QueA.
Using S/P Amplitude Ratios to Constrain the Focal Mechanisms of Small Earthquakes

We test whether S-wave/P-wave amplitude ratio data can improve the computed focal mechanisms of small earthquakes, using events from two southern California aftershock sequences. The observed S/P ratios are generally consistent with the expected mechanisms, implying that S/P ratios can in fact be useful in constraining the focal mechanisms of small events. However, we also find that noise in the observations leads to scatter in the S/P ratios of factors of 2, and sometimes higher. This scatter limits the usefulness of the S/P ratios in two ways: (1) the focal mechanism cannot simply be fit to S/P amplitude data alone without accounting for the noise in a more sophisticated focal mechanism inversion process; (2) while the amplitude ratios may improve poorly constrained mechanisms, they are less useful in refining solutions that are already relatively well constrained.
Deficiency Citations for Mental Health Care in Nursing Homes

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) certifies approximately 17,000 nursing homes per year. When a facility does not meet a standard, a deficiency citation is issued. Using 1998 citations, we examined the structure and process characteristics of nursing homes that were associated with mental health deficiencies. Our findings showed that (a) some nursing homes have a high number of deficiencies in the area of mental health care; (b) these deficiencies do not appear to be associated with specific processes used in nursing homes; and (c) some structural factors such as staffing, private-pay occupancy, and Medicare occupancy appear to have an important influence on the number of mental health care deficiencies.
Multi-fisheye for interactive visualization of large graphs

By selectively zooming in and zooming out visualizations, the fisheye technique allows users to study details while maintaining context. In this paper, we introduce a multifisheye technique, which amounts to introducing several fisheyes in a visualization at the same time. Our multifisheye technique is based on partitioning the visualization's display area and applying a fisheye algorithm inside each partition. While we demonstrate the potential of applying our multifisheye technique using a social network, it clearly can be applied in other areas and types of networks, including in probabilistic graphical models such as Bayesian networks.
Factors Associated with Smoking Cessation in Pregnancy.

Objective The objective of this study was to quantify the influence of various patient characteristics on early smoking cessation to better identify target populations for focused counseling and interventions. Study Design This study was a population-based retrospective cohort study of 1,003,532 Ohio live births more than 7 years (2006–2012). Women who quit smoking in the first trimester were compared with those who smoked throughout pregnancy. Logistic regression estimated the strength of association between patient factors and smoking cessation. Results The factors most strongly associated with early smoking cessation were non-white race and Hispanic ethnicity, at least some college education, early prenatal care, marriage, and breastfeeding. Numerous factors commonly associated with adverse perinatal outcomes were found to have a negative association with smoking cessation: low educational attainment, limited or late prenatal care, prior preterm birth, age Conclusion Early prenatal care and initiation of breastfeeding before discharge from the hospital are associated with increased RR of quitting early in pregnancy by 52 and 99%, respectively. Public health initiatives and interventions should focus on the importance of early access to prenatal care and education regarding smoking cessation for these particularly vulnerable groups of women who are at inherently high risk of pregnancy complications.
A Statistical Model of the Demand for Soybeans

Two‐stage least squares estimates of a six‐equation model of the annual markets for U.S. soybeans and soybean products suggest that simultaneous measurement of important price‐making forces is feasible when the joint product and multimarket aspects of soybeans, meal, and oil are considered. Domestic markets for meal and oil and the export market for beans are considered. Implied direct price flexibilities are −1.30 for farm level soybeans, −1.12 for meal at wholesale, and −.52 for oil at wholesale. Although the predictive value of the estimated model is not yet clear, the empirical results can be used to evaluate the nature and relative magnitude of adjustments in the soybean market as changes occur in market conditions, market structure, and government programs. Both the analytical method and empirical estimates may be useful to price analysts and commodity specialists.
Why No Deference Is Due: The Illegitimacy of the Board of Immigration Appeals' Legitimation Jurisprudence

Countless derivative citizenship cases turn on the question whether an out-of-wedlock child qualifies as “legitimated” under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and state or foreign family law. Whether a child is “legitimated” determines whether she automatically obtains citizenship upon a parent’s naturalization under the INA’s derivative citizenship provisions. Currently, the circuits are split on the level of deference owed to the Board of Immigration Appeals’ interpretation of derivative citizenship statutes. Within this debate, the courts have assumed that Chevron deference applies to the Board’s interpretation of the term “legitimated,” perhaps because the provisions defining “legitimated” do not relate exclusively to citizenship. As indicated above, however, whether a child is “legitimated” is often outcome-determinative in a citizenship claim; such fundamental issues should not be abdicated to the Board of Immigration Appeals. Thus, no deference is owed to the Board’s interpretation of derivative citizenship statutes, or of the term “legitimated” in the INA and under state and foreign law.
Engineering geology mapping of depositional environments in the lower mississippi alluvial valley

Floodplains are highly utilized for agriculture, industry, and urban centers with the rivers serving as water transportation routes. Because of these activities, sites for structures must be selected, channels maintained for navigation, and the area must be protected from flooding. Alluvial depositional environments are valuable indicators of natural conditions that can assist the engineer for project planning, design, and construction in floodplains. Principal depositional environments (exclusive of deltas) are meander belts (natural levees, abandoned channels, abandoned courses, and point bar deposits), backswamp, and braided stream deposits. Each depositional environment or feature has predictable characteristics that can be related to its behaviour as engineering materials. These features are readily recognizable and can be mapped from their unique patterns formed on the land surface. The value of identifying these features has been proven by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers where major drainage basins in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley have been mapped at a scale of 1∶62,500. These maps have applied to engineering problems concerned with erodibility of river banks, areas most susceptible to underseepage, foundation conditions, suitable sources of borrow material for levee construction, and others.
Host Relationships and Determination of Larval Instars of the Locust Twig Borer Ecdytolopha insiticiana

Studies of the locust twig borer, Ecdytolopha insiticiana (Zell.), were conducted in 2 geographic regions of Maryland which differed sizeably in elevation and length of growing season. The number of larval instars was established. Head capsule dimensions were statistically analyzed and grouped into 7 separable categories, representing 7 probable larval instars. Compared within instars, the larvae mined greater distances upward from the point of attack than downward. Distances of attacks from the tip of the tree stem were significantly greater with advanced larval instars. Larvae per burrow averaged 1.41 for the entire study and numbers per burrow were not significantly different for different instars.
Development of real-time reverse transcriptase qPCR assays for the detection of Punta Toro virus and Pichinde virus

Research with high biocontainment pathogens such as Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) and Lassa virus (LASV) is expensive, potentially hazardous, and limited to select institutions. Surrogate pathogens such as Punta Toro virus (PTV) for RVFV infection and Pichinde virus (PICV) for LASV infection allow research to be performed under more permissive BSL-2 conditions. Although used as infection models, PTV and PICV have no standard real-time RT-qPCR assays to detect and quantify pathogenesis. PTV is also a human pathogen, making a standardized detection assay essential for biosurveillance. Here, we developed and characterized two real-time RT-qPCR assays for PICV and PTV by optimizing assay conditions and measuring the limit of detection (LOD) and performance in multiple clinical matrices. Total nucleic acid from virus-infected Vero E6 cells was used to optimize TaqMan-minor groove binder (MGB) real-time RT-qPCR assays. A 10-fold dilution series of nucleic acid was used to perform analytical experiments with 60 replicates used to confirm assay LODs. Serum and whole blood spiked with 10-fold dilutions of PTV and PICV virus were assessed as matrices in a mock clinical context. The Cq, or cycle at which the fluoresce of each sample first crosses a threshold line, was determined using the second derivative method using Roche LightCycler 480 software version 1.5.1. Digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) was utilized to quantitatively determine RNA target counts/μl for PTV and PICV. Optimized PTV and PICV assays had LODs of 1000 PFU/ml and 100 PFU/ml, respectively, and this LOD was confirmed in 60/60 (PTV) and 58/60 (PICV) positive replicates. Preliminary mock clinical LODs remained consistent in serum and whole blood for PTV and PICV at 1000 PFU/ml and 100 PFU/ml. An exclusivity panel showed no cross reaction with near neighbors. PTV and PICV Taq-man MGB based real-time RT-qPCR assays developed here showed relevant sensitivity and reproducibility in samples extracted from a variety of clinical matrices. These assays will be useful as a standard by researchers for future experiments utilizing PTV and PICV as infection models, offering the ability to track infection and viral replication kinetics during research studies.
Circadian clocks, diets and aging

Diets and feeding regimens affect many physiological systems in the organism and may contribute to the development or prevention of various pathologies including cardiovascular diseases or metabolic syndromes. Some of the dietary paradigms, such as calorie restriction, have many well-documented positive metabolic effects as well as the potential to extend longevity in different organisms. Recently, the circadian clocks were put forward as integral components of the calorie restriction mechanisms. The circadian clocks generate the circadian rhythms in behavior, physiology, and metabolism; circadian disruption is associated with reduced fitness and decreased longevity. Here we focus on recent advances in the interplay between the circadian clocks and dietary paradigms. We discuss how the regulation of the circadian clocks by feeding/nutrients and regulation of nutrient signaling pathways by the clocks may contribute to the beneficial effects of calorie restriction on metabolism and longevity, and whether the circadian system can be engaged for future medical applications.
A Least Squares Method For Objective Determination of Earthquake Source Parameters

A method is presented for the determination of earthquake source parameters from Fourier spectra. This approach provides an objective and efficient way of processing large amounts of digital data. The method assumes that the Brune model (an omega-squared fall-off of the high frequency spectrum above a single corner frequency) is an adequate description of the earthquake source. The model is parameterized in terms of the seismic moment, corner frequency, and kappa, the high frequency decay constant due to attenuation. This model is fit to the observed spectrum using a least squares minimization technique. The parameters which give the smallest misfit between the observed spectrum and the model spectrum are assumed to be those corresponding to the source. This technique is tested using a suite of synthetically derived acceleration time histories to obtain statistical characteristics of the derived parameters. The seismic moment, the corner frequency, and the stress drop obey a log-normal distribution; the kappa value obeys a normal distribution in these experiments. The performance of the method is also examined using time series that have been rounded to the nearest 1 cm/sec 2 to simulate the effect of analog to digital conversion that occurs in actual recording on one particular type of instrument, a non-gain ranged strong motion accelerograph. The results show that for records with sufficient signal to noise ratio, all of the spectral parameters can be resolved for events with moment magnitudes in the range M W = 3 - M W = 6. For smaller events (M W = 1 - M W = 2), moment and spectral decay parameter are still well determined from low frequencies in the data. The average corner frequency is stil reasonable in this case, but the uncertainties are much larger than for the larger magnitude earthquakes because the corner frequency occurs at a frequency where attenuation has a strong effect on the spectrum. Strong motion data recorded on the fixed gain instruments at a distance of 25 kilometers have adequate resolution of source parameters in the range M W = 4 - M W = 6. The useful range is somewhat smaller for data recorded at 50 kilometers.
Cocoa Flavanol Intake and Biomarkers for Cardiometabolic Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Cocoa flavanols may improve cardiometabolic health. Evidence from small short-term randomized clinical trials (RCTs) remains inconsistent, and large long-term RCTs testing the efficacy of cocoa flavanols are still lacking. Objective: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs to quantify the effect of cocoa flavanol intake on cardiometabolic biomarkers. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for RCTs that evaluated the effects of cocoa flavanols on biomarkers relevant to vascular disease pathways among adults. Data were extracted following a standardized protocol. We used DerSimonian and Laird random-effect models to compute the weighted mean differences (WMDs) and 95% CIs. We also examined potential modification by intervention duration, design, age, sex, comorbidities, and the form and amount of cocoa flavanol intake. Results: We included 19 RCTs that comprised 1131 participants, and the number of studies for a specific biomarker varied. The amount of cocoa flavanols ranged from 166 to 2110 mg/d, and intervention duration ranged from 2 to 52 wk. Cocoa flavanol intake significantly improved insulin sensitivity and lipid profile. The WMDs between treatment and placebo were −0.10 mmol/L (95% CI: −0.16, −0.04 mmol/L) for total triglycerides, 0.06 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.02, 0.09 mmol/L) for HDL cholesterol, −2.33 μIU/mL (95% CI: −3.47, −1.19 μIU/mL) for fasting insulin, −0.93 (95% CI: −1.31, −0.55) for the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, 0.03 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.05) for the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index, 2.54 (95% CI: 0.63, 4.44) for the insulin sensitivity index, −0.83 mg/dL (95% CI: −0.88, −0.77 mg/dL) for C-reactive protein, and 85.6 ng/mL (95% CI: 16.0, 155 ng/mL) for vascular cell adhesion molecule 1. No significant associations were found for other biomarkers. None of the modifiers seemed to qualitatively modify the effects of cocoa flavanol intake. Conclusions: Our study suggests that cocoa flavanol intake has favorable effects on select cardiometabolic biomarkers among adults. These findings support the need for large long-term RCTs to assess whether cocoa flavanol intake reduces the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular events.
Mining big data to support decision making in healthcare

AbstractThis study demonstrates an application of data mining in the analysis of big healthcare data. Considering the significant impact of obesity on the ever-rising healthcare costs in the United States, this study identifies key demographic and lifestyle characteristics associated with adult obesity. The sample for this study was drawn from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data base of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Using SAS Enterprise Miner, two predictive models are built to create a profile of an adult population group who are at risk of being obese. The models provide support for early intervention strategies and policymaking decisions for healthcare administrators and professionals.
The Wertheim hysterectomy: Development, modifications, and impact in the present day

Ernst Wertheim was a pioneer in the history of the surgical treatment of cervical cancer. His English-language manuscript "The extended abdominal operation for carcinoma uteri (based on 500 operative cases)," which was published in 1912, detailed his standardization of the radical hysterectomy and formed the basis of the current treatment for early stage cervical cancer. We contextualize the Wertheim hysterectomy, emphasizing medical advances that allowed for its development and subsequent modification. We then discuss modifications to the originally proposed procedure, including a maximally extended parametrical resection pioneered by Takayama, and the addition of the Taussig en bloc lymph node dissection by Meigs, both of which afforded an improved mortality profile due to decreased disease recurrence. Finally, we discuss progress that has been made in the present day, such as the development of nerve-sparing and fertility-sparing surgeries, as well as the introduction of the robotic platform. In this way, we hope to provide a historical background for the Wertheim hysterectomy-a cornerstone of gynecologic oncology.
Laser-Fabricated Plasmonic Nanostructures for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of Bacteria Quorum Sensing Molecules.

A laser deposition technique, based on the photo-reduction of silver ions from an aqueous solution, was used to fabricate silver nanostructure surfaces on glass cover slips. The resulting silver nanostructures exhibited plasmonic properties, which show promise in applications towards surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Using the standard thiophenol, the enhancement factor calculated for the deposits was approximately ~106, which is comparable to other SERS-active plasmonic nanostructures fabricated through more complex techniques, such as electron beam lithography. The silver nanostructures were then employed in the enhancement of Raman signals from N-butyryl-L-homoserine lactone, a signaling molecule relevant to bacteria quorum sensing. In particular, the work presented herein shows that the laser-deposited plasmonic nanostructures are promising candidates for monitoring concentrations of signaling molecules within biofilms containing quorum sensing bacteria.
Hereditary implications of somatic tumor testing.

1523 Background: Approximately 5-10% of all cancers are due to hereditary causes. Panel testing for somatic alterations to identify therapeutic targets has gained widespread use. Germline (heritabl...
Three hypotheses for explaining the so-called oppression of men

Are men oppressed as men? The evidence given in support of affirmative responses to this question usually consists in examples of harms, limitations, or requirements masculinity imposes on men: men are expected to pay on dates, men must be breadwinners for their families, men can be drafted for war, and so forth. This article explicates three hypotheses that account for the harms, limitations, and requirements masculinity imposes on men and, drawing on the work of Alison Jaggar, seeks to show that these hypotheses collectively are explanatorily superior to the hypothesis the men are oppressed as men.
Greenhouse gas emissions of local wood pellet heat from northeastern US forests

Abstract We explored greenhouse gas (GHG) implications of locally-sourced and produced wood pellets to heat homes in the US Northern Forest region. Using data from regional pellet industries, forest inventories and harvests, we analyzed pellet GHG emissions across a range of harvest and forest product market scenarios over 50 years. We expanded an existing life cycle assessment (LCA) tool, the Forest Sector Greenhouse Gas Assessment Tool for Maine (ForGATE) to calculate GHG balances associated with the harvest, processing, and use of wood pellets for residential heating vs. alternative heating fuels. Market assumptions and feedstock mix can create diverging GHG emission profiles for pellet heat. Outcomes are predominantly influenced by biogenic carbon fluxes in the forest carbon pool. An industry-average pellet feedstock mix (50% sawmill residues, 50% pulpwood) appeared to generate heat that was at least at parity with fossil-fuel heating alternatives when harvest levels remain unchanged due to pellet production. If harvest levels increase due to pellet production, using pellet heat increased GHG emissions. If baseline harvest levels drop (e.g., following the loss of low-grade markets), GHG emissions from pellet heat would at least remain stable relative to fossil alternatives.
Effect of picric and picramic acids on growth of rainbow trout () and American oysters ()

Abstract Juvenile rainbow trout ( Salmo gairdneri ) and American oyster spat ( Crassostrea virginica ) were exposed to sublethal concentrations of picric acid (2,4,6-trinitrophenol) and picramic acid (2-amino-4,6-dinitrophenol) for 42 days. No significant inhibition of growth was observed for rainbow trout exposed to 0.45 and 0.05 mg/L picric acid or 0.23 and 0.02 mg/L picramic acid; however, trout exposed to both compounds developed petechial hemorrhages along the abdomen with > 80% possessing lesions by the end of 42 days. American oysters exposed to 0.45 and 0.05 mg/L picric acid and 0.24 and 0.02 mg/L picramic acid showed significant inhibition of shell deposition during the 42 days of exposure. In addition discoloration of the nacre layer of the shell and body mass was observed in oysters exposed to both compounds by the end of the 42 days. The results of this study show that concentrations
Supported Decision-Making: Theory, Research, and Practice to Enhance Self-Determination and Quality of Life

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) recognized that people with disabilities should have the right to exercise their legal capacity and identified 'supported decision-making' as a means by which people with disabilities can be directly involved in decisions that impact their lives. Offering an overview of its emergence in the disability field and highlighting emerging research, theory, and practice from legal, psychology, education, and health fields, this volume provides a much-needed theoretical and evidence base for supported decision-making. Evidence and strengths-based frameworks for understanding disability, supports, and their roles in promoting supported decision-making are synthesized. The authors describe the application of a social-ecological approach to supported decision-making, and focus on implications for building systems of supports based on current environmental demands. This volume introduces and explains empirical research on critical elements of supported decision-making and the applications of supported decision-making that enhance outcomes, including self-determination and quality of life.
Survey of the Field of Empirical Research on Scientific Methods in STEM

Research shows that being versed in scientific modeling is a precursor to succeed in engineering modeling and might be a factor attracting students to engineering. This finding suggests that STEM activities that develop the skills of modeling should not only focus on students’ mathematical and scientific reasoning skills but also provide an environment where students would feel comfortable and encouraged to continue these enterprises in their college and professional careers. One of the main obstacles in adopting inquiry-based learning projects in mathematics is the gap between problem-solving in mathematics and inquiry in science. It appeared worthy to search the literature on STEM education to determine what the research findings in this domain are. The synthesis of the survey findings will support multidisciplinary STEM framework developed in Chap. 6.
Ultra Deep Reactive Ion Etching of High Aspect-Ratio and Thick Silicon Using a Ramped-Parameter Process

This paper reports an advanced deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process for realizing ultra-deep (>500- $\mu \text{m}$ ) and ultra-high aspect-ratio (UHAR) silicon structures (AR > 40 for 1-mm through-trench etch, $\text {AR}\approx 80$ for 500- $\mu \text{m}$ through-trench etch, and AR > 20 for 500- $\mu \text{m}$ through-hole etch), with straight sidewalls across a wide range of feature sizes. The challenges of making such structures are overcome by continuously ramping critical parameters of the Bosch DRIE process throughout the process, including the 380-kHz bias power during etch step, the etch/passivation step duration, and the chamber pressure. The masking material capable of enduring the long DRIE process is also discussed; 10- $\mu \text{m}$ and 25- $\mu \text{m}$ wide trenches are etched to a depth of >750- $\mu \text{m}$ and >1000- $\mu \text{m}$ , respectively, in 1-mm-thick silicon wafers with straight sidewall profiles and flat trench bottoms. Deeper trenches are expected to be etched beyond a 1-mm thick wafer with thicker and/or higher selectivity masking materials. We have also demonstrated etching of circular holes of diameters as small as 25- $\mu \text{m}$ to a depth of >500- $\mu \text{m}$ , and potentially with 10–15 $\mu \text{m}$ diameter holes. This advanced DRIE process offers opportunities for applications ranging from through-silicon via in 3-D CMOS integration to emerging micro- and meso-scale microelectromechanical system applications that demand ultra-deep and UHAR DRIE. [2017–0298]
Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Merkel cells are neural crest-derived cells found in the basal layer of the epidermis and tactile hair discs of Pinkus that serve as mechanoreceptors. Ultrastructurally, they demonstrate neuroendocrine differentiation with membrane-bound dense core neurosecretory granules. Primary neuroendocrine carcinomas of the skin are thought to derive from Merkel cells and have thus been designated Merkel cell carcinoma.
A Modified Lactose Broth for use in the Presumptive Test

A substitute for or modification of the standard lactose broth used in sanitary water analysis which will reduce the number of false positive presumptive tests and yet exert no inhibition on the development of colif orm bacteria is much to be desired. Numerous preparations have been suggested and tried. Of these some have given initial promise, but for one reason or another have failed to fulfill all requirements. The medium described herein may well have a similar fate, but tentative tests have suggested that it has distinct possibilities, and a description of it is given in the hope that it will be tried out and its merits and defects determined. Standard lactose broth is used for the basic medium, and to this is added a small amount of an alkyl sulfate. The alkyl sulfates seem to prevent, by and large, the growth of Gram-positive organisms, including the lactose-fermenting aerobes and anaerobes, while the Gram-negatives are, in general, able to develop in the presence of relatively high concentrations of these substances. Studies of this problem will appear in a later paper. Sodium lauryl sulfate is the most readily obtained pure compound, and most supply houses can furnish it for about $1.50 per pound. To each liter of standard lactose broth, 0.2 g. of the sulfate are added and the pH adjusted to 7.2 before tubing and autoclaving. Ordinary "Drene" shampoo can be substituted in an amount of 1.0 cc. per liter, adjusted to pH 7.4, and there is some evidence, in fact, that results with "Drene" are better. The finished medium looks exactly like the standard broth, but can easily be distinguished from it by the
Surface Texturing Using Gold Nanoparticles to Reduce Adhesion in MEMS

Since the advent of Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, researchers have used surface texturing as one of the approaches to alleviate unintentional adhesion in MEMS. However, the conventional methods used for surface texturing are reported to reduce apparent in-plane adhesion only by a factor of 20. Further, the test surfaces used to-date are inherently rough, as a result of which, the effects of surface texturing could not be studied independently. We report on a novel method of texturing inherently smooth Si(100) surfaces by depositing dodecanethiol capped gold nanoparticles using a gas-expanded liquid technique. The dodecanethiol capping ligands are removed by exposing the treated surfaces to UV-Ozone atmosphere for an hour and the textured surfaces thus obtained are characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The textured Si(100) surfaces exhibit a significant reduction in apparent in-plane work of adhesion, which is determined using the cantilever beam array (CBA) technique, compared to untextured smooth Si(100) surfaces having only native oxide on them.
The Problem of Religious Pluralism

Much of the current discussion in the philosophy of religion concerning religious pluralism has resulted from the continuing revelations by the social sciences of the tremendous diversity among the belief systems of different peoples of the world. The development of the social sciences in the early part of the twentieth century and the ever increasing expanse and variety of data from the study of other cultures have resulted from technological innovations in both communication and transportation. The study of cultures that were once remote, unknown, or inaccessible is now commonplace, and the results are available, through television, video, and the print media, on a scale that has certainly been unequaled before in human history. The diversity of different peoples takes many forms, both ethnic and cultural, and the plethora of different religious practices and beliefs now known to exist among peoples of the world has naturally given rise to many questions about if and how such diverse beliefs systems might be related.
Safe Transferable Regions

There is an increasing interest in alternative memory management schemes that seek to combine the convenience of garbage collection and the performance of manual memory management in a single language framework. Unfortunately, ensuring safety in presence of manual memory management remains as great a challenge as ever. In this paper, we present a C#-like object-oriented language called Broom that uses a combination of region type system and lightweight runtime checks to enforce safety in presence of user-managed memory regions called transferable regions. Unsafe transferable regions have been previously used to contain the latency due to unbounded GC pauses. Our approach shows that it is possible to restore safety without compromising on the benefits of transferable regions. We prove the type safety of Broom in a formal framework that includes its C#-inspired features, such as higher-order functions and generics. We complement our type system with a type inference algorithm, which eliminates the need for programmers to write region annotations on types. The inference algorithm has been proven sound and relatively complete. We describe a prototype implementation of the inference algorithm, and our experience of using it to enforce memory safety in dataflow programs.
Ionic liquid metallurgy: novel electrolytes for metals extraction and refining technology

Ionic liquids (ILs) are molten salts that are liquid at or below room temperature. ILs have some unique properties compared to aqueous solution and regular organic liquids. These properties include very low vapor pressures and not emitting organic vapor to the environment; low melting points and wide temperature ranges for the liquid phase (up to 400°C); and broad electrochemical windows, and they are environmentally benign. In this paper, a number of potential applications of ionic liquids in materials and metallurgical fields are investigated. Their application in the extraction of metals from primary and secondary sources was particularly emphasized. These applications include electro deposition of metals/alloys, electrolytic extraction of active metals at room temperature, liquid-liquid extraction of metals and electrorefining of metals. Along with physical, chemical and thermodynamic properties of ionic liquids, the paper also discusses the merits and demerits of using ionic liquids in extraction of metals from various sources.
Externally TriggeredHeat and Drug Release from MagneticallyControlled Nanocarriers

Nanoscaled drug carriers have been developed to accumulate in tumors and release a drug cargo either passively or in response to a local stimulus. However, strategies that rely on passive release o...