cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Amassing Power: J.B. Duke and the Saguenay River, 1897-1927

The damming of the Saguenay brought industrialisation on a grand scale to rural Quebec in the form of newsprint and aluminum manufacture. Tapping into rich and diverse sources in Canada, the United States, and Europe, Massell provides an interdisciplinary, cross-border study of American capital and Canadian resources. He shows us how ever-larger amounts of capital yielded increasingly massive and sophisticated applications of hydroelectric technology. Grand industrial plans, in turn, encroached upon provincial water rights and farmers' lands, which drew the attention of the state. He examines the protracted power struggle between public and private interests - between American capitalists and the nascent bureaucracy of the province of Quebec - and describes the origins and evolution of the events that led to state control over hydraulic resources in the province. In doing so he provides vivid portraits of Duke and of Quebec politicians of the period and gives a dramatic account of the protracted battle of wits between Duke's chief engineer, William States Lee, and Quebec's chief of Hydraulic Service, Arthur Amos. Amassing Power speaks to the integration of North American economies, vividly illustrating the process by which American capital drew Canada's resource-rich North into the economic orbit of the United States.
Indium Antimonide (InSb)

Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates various aspects of optical constants—namely, refractive index n and extinction coefficient k for indium antimonide (InSb). The high energy regime 155-14 eV is explored by Cardona et al who measured k by transmission, through evaporated thin films either freely suspended on copper mesh or on transparent substrates of carbon. A synchrotron source provided the wide range of photon energies. The films are polycrystalline but contain native oxide as some of the preparation is done outside of vacuum. Samples are presumably at the room temperature. These data show several peaks, including three in the 20 eV regions that are assigned to the interband transitions. The near infrared values for n are determined by Moss et al from interference fringe measurements. Additional results for k were provided by Kurnick and Powell just below the band gap near 0.2 eV for a temperature of 298 K. Elaborate mechanical polishing to keep the slab faces parallel produced free samples of thicknesses in the range 0.08 to 3 mm.
A Quantitative Evaluation of the Multiple Narratives of the Recent Sahelian Regreening

AbstractA spatial analysis is presented that aims to synthesize the evidence for climate and social dimensions of the “regreening” of the Sahel. Using an independently constructed archival database of donor-funded interventions in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Senegal in response to the persistence of drought in the 1970s and 1980s, the spatial distribution of these interventions is examined in relation to population density and to trends in precipitation and in greenness. Three categories of environmental change are classified: 1) regions at the northern grassland/shrubland edge of the Sahel where NDVI varies interannually with precipitation, 2) densely populated cropland regions of the Sahel where significant trends in precipitation and NDVI decouple at interannual time scales, and 3) regions at the southern savanna edge of the Sahel where NDVI variation is independent of precipitation. Examination of the spatial distribution of environmental change, number of development projects, and population densi...
Abstract A49: Inhibition of mTOR induces chemoresistance in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

B-ALL is the most prominent cancer in pediatric patients. Most patients are responsive to the current chemotherapy, but B-ALLs with activated oncogenic kinases including BCR-ABL, PDGFR and JAK have a high risk of relapse. Currently, patients with the BCR-ABL translocation are successfully treated when the BCL-ABL inhibitor dasatinib is added to their chemotherapy regimen. In accord, we found that dasatinib sensitizes B-ALL cell lines to drugs used during induction and consolidation phase of chemotherapy. However, dasatinib protects BCR-ABL leukemia cell lines from killing by maintenance phase drugs methotrexate and 6-mercaptopurine. This protection only occurs in cells where dasatinib reduces downstream mTOR activity. To directly test if reduced mTOR activity can account for the protection, we assessed the effects of the allosteric mTOR inhibitor rapamycin and active-site mTOR inhibitor MLN0128. Indeed, both mTOR inhibitors consistently protect B-ALL cells from killing by methotrexate and 6-mercaptopurine. Inhibitors of AKT and PI3K also result in varying degrees of chemoprotection, which correlates strongly with the degree to which they downregulate mTOR activity. The chemoprotective effect of mTOR inhibition correlates with cell cycle arrest but other mechanisms may also be involved. These data suggest that mTOR inhibition is detrimental in some chemotherapeutic combinations, whether by inhibitors directly targeting mTOR or indirectly targeting upstream effectors. The identification of such drug combination effects is an important consideration for the current use of dasatinib and future use of PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors. Citation Format: Thanh-Trang Vo, Duc Nguyen, Brandon Lui, Mengrou Lu, Sharmila Mallya, David Fruman. Inhibition of mTOR induces chemoresistance in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Targeting the PI3K-mTOR Network in Cancer; Sep 14-17, 2014; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(7 Suppl):Abstract nr A49.
Pretreatment of human cervicovaginal mucus with pluronic F127 enhances nanoparticle penetration without compromising mucus barrier properties to herpes simplex virus

Mucosal drug delivery nanotechnologies are limited by the mucus barrier that protects nearly all epithelial surfaces not covered with skin. Most polymeric nanoparticles, including polystyrene nanoparticles (PS), strongly adhere to mucus, thereby limiting penetration and facilitating rapid clearance from the body. Here, we demonstrate that PS rapidly penetrate human cervicovaginal mucus (CVM), if the CVM has been pretreated with sufficient concentrations of Pluronic F127. Importantly, the diffusion rate of large polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated, nonmucoadhesive nanoparticles (PS-PEG) did not change in F127-pretreated CVM, implying that F127 did not significantly alter the native pore structure of CVM. Additionally, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) remains adherent in F127-pretreated CVM, indicating that the presence of F127 did not reduce adhesive interactions between CVM and the virions. In contrast to treatment with a surfactant that has been approved for vaginal use as a spermicide (nonoxynol-9 or N9), there was no increase in inflammatory cytokine release in the vaginal tract of mice after daily application of 1% F127 for 1 week. Pluronic F127 pretreatment holds potential as a method to safely improve the distribution, retention, and efficacy of nanoparticle formulations without compromising CVM barrier properties to pathogens.
An Intelligent Adaptive Filter for Elimination of Power Line Interference From High Resolution Electrocardiogram

Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a non-invasive method to monitor electric activities inside the heart. The signals observed on the surface of human body have very low amplitude, and thus, ECG is highly vulnerable to noise. One of the most devastating noise is power line interference (PLI) and its harmonics, which are interlaced with ECG signal even if the ECG equipment is operated on battery. The problem is further complicated when the frequency of PLI is not static, making the conventional notch filter completely ineffective. High-resolution electrocardiogram (HRECG) is a specialized technique in which higher frequency components present in the ECG signal are observed; here, we need to eliminate the harmonics of PLI as well. In this paper, we propose an intelligent adaptive noise rejection filter, which tracks and eliminates PLI as well as its harmonics. The proposed system can estimate the frequency of PLI and tune the adaptive filter for precise elimination of PLI as well as its harmonics without the requirement of an auxiliary reference input. The proposed system is based on recursive state space model, inherited with less computational complexity and performs well in a non-stationary environment. The proposed system responds well to the ongoing variations in amplitude and frequency of PLI present in the HRECG signal as well as intracardiac signal. The proposed system does not require any reference signal for tracking the PLI and its harmonics, and it is capable to self-adjust its tracking frequency for highly precise filtration of first, third, and fifth harmonics of PLI.
Spatial heterogeneity in invasive species impacts at the landscape scale

Invasive species have substantial impacts across the globe. While management efforts should aim to minimize undesirable impacts, we have a poor understanding of how impacts of a given invasive species vary spatially. Here, we develop a framework for considering heterogeneity of invasive species impacts that allows us to explore the range of possible spatial patterns of impact. This framework incorporates two factors—how invasive species abundance varies among sites (i.e., abundance distributions) and how invasive species impact varies as a function of abundance (i.e., abundance–impact curves). Combining these two factors allows for the creation of probability distributions that represent how invasive species impacts may vary spatially among sites. We used published abundance distributions and inferred abundance–impact curves to generate impact distributions for two problematic invasive species—zebra mussel and Eurasian watermilfoil—across lakes in Wisconsin, USA. Impact distributions of these species tended to be right-skewed (i.e., the majority of sites had low impacts), although the tail thickness varied. We also simulated how a broader range of combinations of invasive species abundance distributions and abundance–impact curves produce different patterns of invasive species impact. These simulations illustrate a remarkable diversity of invasive species spatial impact patterns—probability distributions of impact were left-skewed, right-skewed, bimodal, and normal. Total landscape-level impacts, estimated by summing site-level impacts, were similarly variable depending on the distribution of site-level impacts. Our results indicate that invasive species abundance and abundance–impact curves ultimately affect how invasive species impacts are distributed across the landscape, which has important implications for invasive species management.
Thin Film Epitaxial Oxide Optical Waveguides

One of the most challenging applications of ferroelectric thin films is the formation of technologically practical optical waveguideing devices, particularly in the context of a dynamically changing environment where competing light sources and optical materials simultaneously undergo rapid improvement. In order to assess the prospects of this technology, a fundamental understanding of waveguide loss is being pieced together. This includes the relative contributions of surface scattering, and grain boundary scattering to optical losses. With computational models, it is possible to predict the surface losses from measured topographic data. This tool provides a method to probe the residual effects of grain boundaries, defects and impurities on optical losses. A comparative anatomy of various thin film structures and their loss characteristics will be provided in the context of these experiments.
Genetic and Environmental Factors Associated with Cannabis Involvement

Approximately 50-70% of the variation in cannabis use and use disorders can be attributed to heritable factors. For cannabis use, the remaining variance can be parsed in to familial and person-specific environmental factors while for use disorders, only the latter contribute. While numerous candidate gene studies have identified the role of common variation influencing liability to cannabis involvement, replication has been elusive. To date, no genomewide association study has been sufficiently powered to identify significant loci. Despite this, studies adopting polygenic techniques and integrating genetic variation with neural phenotypes and measures of environmental risk, such as childhood adversity, are providing promising new leads. It is likely that the small effect sizes associated with variants related to cannabis involvement will only be robustly identified in substantially larger samples. Results of such large-scale efforts will provide valuable single variant targets for translational research in neurogenetic, pharmacogenetic and non-human animal models as well as polygenic risk indices that can be used to explore a host of other genetic hypotheses related to cannabis use and misuse.
Shake Rattle and Roll

This case discusses a pharmacokinetic interaction between lidocaine and cimetidine. Lidocaine is a cytochrome P450 3A4 substrate and cimetidine is a 3A4 inhibitor. Coadministration results in lidocaine toxicity.
Renal blood flow response to angiotensin II infusions in conscious pregnant rabbits.

Renal blood flow (RBF) was measured in conscious rabbits while nonpregnant and during pregnancy using chronically implanted ultrasonic transit-time flow probes. The effects of the cyclooxygenase inhibitor meclofenamate (5 mg/kg) and the angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor captopril (5 mg/kg) on basal RBF and on RBF responses to systemic angiotensin II infusions (2.5-80 ng.kg-1.min-1) were determined. Basal RBF declined (P less than 0.001 to P less than 0.005) with meclofenamate by 9-16% in pregnant (n = 7) and by 10% in nonpregnant (n = 7) rabbits. Captopril increased (P less than 0.05 to P less than 0.01) RBF by 9-11% in pregnant (n = 5) and by 12% in nonpregnant (n = 5) rabbits. There was no effect of the vehicle (normal saline) on RBF. The reduction in RBF (% from baseline) in response to infused angiotensin II was attenuated in pregnant compared with nonpregnant rabbits. Pretreatment with meclofenamate enhanced the renal vasoconstrictor action of angiotensin II in a similar fashion in both pregnant and nonpregnant rabbits. Captopril or saline did not alter the RBF responses to angiotensin II infusions. Mean arterial pressure was lower in pregnant (78 +/- 3 mmHg, n = 7) vs. nonpregnant (88 +/- 5 mmHg, n = 10) rabbits, suggesting lower total peripheral resistance. The data indicate 1) chronically implanted ultrasonic flow probes can be an effective tool for monitoring RBF in conscious rabbits, 2) prostaglandins and the renin-angiotensin system influence basal RBF in conscious rabbits, and 3) the renal vasoconstrictor effect of angiotensin II is blunted in pregnant rabbits and this attenuated response appears to be independent of prostaglandins.
The Racial Structure of Economic Inequality in the United States: Understanding Change and Continuity in an Era of “Great Divergence”*

The “great divergence” of America's rich from its middle class and poor has led some observers to see a country increasingly stratified by income and wealth, more so than by race. In this article, the first in a two-part series, we argue that this conclusion overlooks the persistent importance of the racial “structure” of inequality. A decomposition of income inequality between 1980 and 2010 using the Theil Index shows that inequality between racial groups accounts for a rising share of total income inequality over this period nationally and in most states. We also demonstrate that within-state trends in the between-race component of inequality are not fully accounted for by trends in income inequality and racial diversity per se. These findings lay the groundwork for a forthcoming companion piece in Social Science Quarterly that shows that between-race inequality is strongly linked to welfare policy outcomes in the United States.
Pancytopenia in a Patient with Rendu-Osler-Weber Syndrome and Uncommon Vascular Abnormalities

Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome, or hereditary hemorrhagic teleangiectasia (HHT), is a rare autosomal dominant vascular disorder, characterized by multiple mucocutaneous teleangiectases with recurrent nasal and gastrointestinal bleedings and/or solid-organ arteriovenous shunts. We describe the first case to our knowledge of pancytopenia in a 53-year-old patient, with a known history of HHT and recurrent nasal and gastrointestinal bleedings, who was found to have a major splenic artery aneurysm and other uncommon vascular abnormalities. In the absence of other evident causes of pancytopenia, hypersplenism was diagnosed. The patient underwent coil embolization of the splenic artery aneurysm, followed by rapid and sustained increase of white blood cell and platelet count. Splenic artery aneurysms are extremely uncommon in HHT as only anecdotal cases have been reported to date. However, we believe that the aneurysm critically contributed to the progression of splenomegaly and the development of pancytopenia.
Spine, Back, and Musculoskeletal

Musculoskeletal pain can be caused by disorders of bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, bursa, or in combination. The human spine is formed by 30 vertebrae including: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacrum (fused together), and 1 coccygeal vertebrae along with intervertebral discs. The spine protects the spinal cord and issues 31 pairs of spinal nerves that innervate trunk and all extremities. The brain and spinal cord comprise the “central nervous system” and both innervate the whole body.
Fusarium Species and Their Associated Mycotoxins

The genus Fusarium includes numerous toxigenic species that are pathogenic to plants or humans, and are able to colonize a wide range of environments on earth. The genus comprises around 70 well-known species, identified by using a polyphasic approach, and as many as 300 putative species, according to phylogenetic species concepts; many putative species do not yet have formal names. Fusarium is one of the most economically important fungal genera because of yield loss due to plant pathogenic activity; mycotoxin contamination of food and feed products which often render them unaccep for marketing; and health impacts to humans and livestock, due to consumption of mycotoxins. Among the most important mycotoxins produced by species of Fusarium are the trichothecenes and the fumonisins. Fumonisins cause fatal livestock diseases and are considered potentially carcinogenic mycotoxins for humans, while trichothecenes are potent inhibitors of protein synthesis. This chapter summarizes the main aspects of morphology, pathology, and toxigenicity of the main Fusarium species that colonize different agricultural crops and environments worldwide, and cause mycotoxin contamination of food and feed.
Effects of f-number on the histotripsy intrinsic threshold and cavitation bubble cloud behavior.

Histotripsy is an ultrasound ablation method that depends on the initiation of a cavitation bubble cloud to fractionate soft tissue. Although previous work has provided significant insight into the process of intrinsic threshold histotripsy, the majority of these studies have used highly focused (i.e. f-number < 0.6) transducers. In this study, we investigate the effects of f-number on the histotripsy intrinsic threshold and cavitation bubble cloud behavior using a 500 kHz array transducer, with the effective f-number of the transducer varied from 0.51 to 0.89. The intrinsic threshold did not significantly change with f-number, with the threshold remaining ~27-30 MPa for all conditions. The predictability of intrinsic threshold histotripsy was further demonstrated by experiments comparing the predicted and experimentally measured bubble cloud dimensions, with results showing close agreement for all f-numbers. Finally, the effects of f-number on 'bubble density' and tissue fractionation efficiency were investigated, with results supporting the hypothesis that the density of the bubbles within the bubble cloud significantly decreases at higher f-numbers, resulting in decreased fractionation efficiency. Overall, this study provides significant insight into the effects of f-number on intrinsic threshold histotripsy that will help to guide the development of histotripsy for specific clinical applications.
Memoirs: The Formation of Melaniridosomes in healing wounds of Haemulidae

A description is given of the formation of a simple type of chromatic organ or melaniridosome occurring during the healing of experimental wounds in two species of grunt (Bathystoma aurolineatum and Haemulon sciurus). Newly formed melanophores and iridocytes in the substance of the wound became attracted to each other, and group themselves into permanent masses known as chromatic organs or melan-iridosomes. Chromatic organs of this type were observed in later stages of wound healing (6-10 days) when epithelialization and formation of the new corium were well advanced.
Modeling phase transformation kinetics during homogenization of aluminum alloy 7050

Abstract Microstructural evolution and the changing kinetics of the phase transformations during homogenization of Al-Zn-Cu-Mg-Zr alloys are studied. The phase transformations kinetics during the process is modeled using a novel approach, coupled with Thermo-Calc™. A model for evolution of interdendritic phases which predicts transformation of the as-cast η to S phase and subsequent dissolution of the S phase is coupled with a model for precipitation of dispersoids of Al3Zr dispersoids across the grains. The η to S phase transformation is predicted to be interface reaction rate controlled while all the other phase transformations are diffusion controlled. Based on the numerical study, which is verified through SEM, EDS, XRD and DSC measurements, a three step homogenization process for aluminum alloy 7050 (Al-6.2Zn-2.3Cu-2.35Mg-0.13Zr) is proposed. Homogenization at 420 °C for 10 h, followed by steps at 470 °C for 4 h and 480 °C for 15 h, precipitates numerous nanosized Al3Zr dispersoids and minimizes the volume of the η and S phases. This microstructure is attractive because it is easy to extrude and does not readily recrystallize. The model provides a cost effective tool for optimizing the heat treatment schedules for 7050 and similar 7XXX alloys.
Fc RECEPTOR MEDIATED INCREASES IN INTRACELLULAR cAMP

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the Fc-receptor-mediated increases in intracellular cAMP. A study described in the chapter analyzed the intracellular levels of cAMP in mouse spleen cells in the presence and absence of immobilized antigen–antibody complexes. cAMP was measured in in spleen cells that were allowed to interact with plastic dishes containing immobilized antigen–antibody complexes. A sensitive radioimmunoassay was used to measure cAMP after TCA extraction, purification, and acetylation. A rapid rise in intracellular cAMP was noted, which usually peaked by 30 min and which gradually fell to baseline. It was also observed that cAMP appeared to leak into the medium in the absence of added serum. The chapter presents the kinetics of this leakage. It is important to measure cAMP in both the cellular and supernatant fractions. Extracellular cAMP does not appear to be significant if measured less than 15 min after incubation. When control experiments were done using immobilized complexes prepared from F(ab′)2 fragments, no significant increase in intracellular cAMP was noted. It was concluded that an intact Fc fragment was necessary to enable the complexes to deliver a signal to the cells.
BAG3 (Bcl-2-Associated Athanogene-3) Coding Variant in Mice Determines Susceptibility to Ischemic Limb Muscle Myopathy by Directing Autophagy.

Background: Critical limb ischemia is a manifestation of peripheral artery disease that carries significant mortality and morbidity risk in humans, although its genetic determinants remain largely unknown. We previously discovered 2 overlapping quantitative trait loci in mice, Lsq-1 and Civq-1 , that affected limb muscle survival and stroke volume after femoral artery or middle cerebral artery ligation, respectively. Here, we report that a Bag3 variant (Ile81Met) segregates with tissue protection from hind-limb ischemia. Methods: We treated mice with either adeno-associated viruses encoding a control (green fluorescent protein) or 2 BAG3 (Bcl-2–associated athanogene-3) variants, namely Met81 or Ile81, and subjected the mice to hind-limb ischemia. Results: We found that the BAG3 Ile81Met variant in the C57BL/6 (BL6) mouse background segregates with protection from tissue necrosis in a shorter congenic fragment of Lsq-1 (C.B6– Lsq1-3 ). BALB/c mice treated with adeno-associated virus encoding the BL6 BAG3 variant (Ile81; n=25) displayed reduced limb-tissue necrosis and increased limb tissue perfusion compared with Met81- (n=25) or green fluorescent protein– (n=29) expressing animals. BAG3 Ile81 , but not BAG3 Met81 , improved ischemic muscle myopathy and muscle precursor cell differentiation and improved muscle regeneration in a separate, toxin-induced model of injury. Systemic injection of adeno-associated virus–BAG3 Ile81 (n=9), but not BAG3 Met81 (n=10) or green fluorescent protein (n=5), improved ischemic limb blood flow and limb muscle histology and restored muscle function (force production). Compared with BAG3 Met81 , BAG3 Ile81 displayed improved binding to the small heat shock protein (HspB8) in ischemic skeletal muscle cells and enhanced ischemic muscle autophagic flux. Conclusions: Taken together, our data demonstrate that genetic variation in BAG3 plays an important role in the prevention of ischemic tissue necrosis. These results highlight a pathway that preserves tissue survival and muscle function in the setting of ischemia.
An RFI detection algorithm for microwave radiometers using sparse component analysis

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) is a threat to passive microwave measurements and if undetected, can corrupt science retrievals. The sparse component analysis (SCA) for blind source separation has been investigated to detect RFI in microwave radiometer data. Various techniques using SCA have been simulated to determine detection performance with continuous wave (CW) RFI.
Management of Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency

Limbal stem cell deficiency is one of the most visually significant ocular surface diseases. It rarely presents in isolation and is always associated with tear film dysfunction and inflammation which can be subclinical. The more severe cases likewise involve conjunctival and eyelid disease. A comprehensive treatment approach that addresses all of the associated diseases of the ocular surface is crucial for achieving long-term success. Of particular importance is improving the environment for the limbal stem cells, specifically the limbal niche. The following cases highlight the medical and surgical treatment options for patients with various etiologies and severity of limbal stem cell deficiency.
SEARCH FOR DEVIATIONS FROM FERMI LIQUID BEHAVIOR IN 2D REPULSIVE AND ATTRACTIVE HUBBARD MODELS

We review two very different approaches to the problem of the breakdown of Fermi liquid theory (FLT) in 2D Fermi systems. (I) First we discuss the repulsive Hubbard model. A low density expansion is shown to yield unexpected non-perturbative bound state formation, and yet FLT is robust in this regime. We also briefly review other calculations which address similar issues. (II) Next we turn to the attractive Hubbard model above its superconducting T c . With increasing attraction the normal state is shown to deviate from a Fermi liquid with pseudo-gaps in the charge and spin excitation spectrum.
Abstract 21016: Left Atrial Dysfunction Persists After Transapical but Not Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement and is Associated With Worse Outcomes

Introduction and Aims of The Study: The relief of outflow obstruction after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is expected to improve cardiac output, LV systolic and diastolic function and to regress left ventricular (LV) mass. The impact of these changes on left atrial (LA) reservoir, conduit and contractile function remains unknown. Our aims were to compare LA functions in patients with transfemoral (TF) vs transapical (TA) TAVR and test whether they have an impact on patient outcomes. Methods: Retrospective analysis of LA deformation by speckle tracking strain echocardiography in 54 patients with TA TAVR and 54 TF TAVR, matched for age, sex and STS score. Measurements were performed pre TAVR and 1 month and 1 year post TAVR. Follow up data was available up to 5 years. Results: At baseline, there were no significant differences between the TF and TA groups with regard to patient age (81 ± 8 vs 82 ± 8 years), male gender (44% vs. 44%) or STS score (8.3 ± 4.4 vs 9.7 ± 4.5, respectively). LV filling pressures (E/e’) at baseline and 1 month were higher in TA vs. TF group (see table). LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) were similar at baseline and improved at 1 month only in the TF group (p=0.0001), while in the TA group it showed an improvement only at 1 year. LA reservoir, conduit and contractile functions improved within 1 month post TAVR in the TF group. In contrast, despite similar baseline LA functions in both groups, no improvement was observed in the TA group (see Table). At Cox proportional hazard analysis, lower LA reservoir function predicted major adverse events (death, cardiac rehospitalization or stroke) even after adjusting for age, gender and group allocation (p=0.034; risk ratio per unit decrease in LA function 1.04). Conclusion: These findings suggest that patients with TA TAVR have poor (if any) recovery of LA functions post TAVR. Presence of a stiff LA, best reflected by a persistently reduced LA reservoir strain, may contribute to the excess morbidity seen in TA patients.
The Role of the Field Instructor in the Socialization of Students

The author discusses the role of the field instructor as an agent of socialization into the social work profession. A self-assessment profile is presented to help students and field instructors ide...
Next generation sequencing analysis of double-stranded RNAs from sweet cherry powdery mildew fungus Podosphaera prunicola

Fungal viruses (mycoviruses) are frequently found in several plant pathogenic fungi. This study was aimed at examining mycoviral sequences in the fungus Podosphaera prunicola, the causal agent of powdery mildew disease in sweet cherry. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) preparations of fungal conidia and mycelium scraped from infected cherry leaves were subjected to next-generation sequencing (NGS). The quality filtered NGS reads were assembled de novo into contigs and subjected to BLASTn and BLASTx analyses against sequences available in public databases. The results showed the presence of mycovirus-related RNA sequences. Four of these sequences, ranging in size between 1915 and 2334 nucleotides (nt), contained a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding a protein with similarity to the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of viruses in the family Partitiviridae. Three additional sequences, ranging in size between 1736 and 2104 nt, contained a single ORF encoding a putative protein similar to the capsid protein of viruses in the family Partitiviridae. Another sequence of 11,449 nt containing four putative ORFs showed similarity to the genome of Macrophomina phaseolina tobamo-like virus, an unclassified mycovirus in the family Virgaviridae. These analyses lead to the conclusion that the eight sequences represent genome segments of five novel mycoviruses.
Methods for Ambulatory Monitoring of Blood and Urine

Most laboratory chemistries are obtained at the doctor’s office or at the hospital. Such settings are efficient because of the presence of trained personnel and proximity to the medical laboratory. Furthermore, such studies are appropriate because most clinical chemistries focus on the overall level of a compound in blood or urine and are less oriented toward sampling a compound that fluctuates substantially over the day.
Thermohaline Data and Ocean Circulation on the Ross Sea Continental Shelf

The ocean station data base on the Ross Sea continental shelf includes measurements from more than fifty cruises, and a few observations through ice holes. Using representative salinity and temperature transects from the summers of 1962-63, 1976-77 and 1983-84, we briefly review the ocean stratification and circulation, identifying five primary water masses. Year-round salinity.profiles at a single location in 1960-61 and early winter temperature profiles along the dateline in 1995 are discussed in relation to anticipated seasonal changes. A strong zonal salinity gradient and substantial differences between two representations of the shelf data base reveal the need for caution in modelling and bottom water investigations. Long term observations of shelf water salinity and studies of the inflow of modified deep water would help in the evaluation of recent evidence for marked interannual and decadal variability on the continental shelf.
Managing Ecosystems Sustainably: The Key Role of Resilience

The goal of ecosystem management is to provide a sustainable flow of multiple ecosystem services to society today and in the future. As an integral component of natural resource stewardship, ecosystem management recognizes the integrated nature of social-ecological systems, their inherent complexity and dynamics at multiple temporal and spatial scales, and the importance of managing to maintain future options in the face of uncertainty (Christensen et al. 1996; Table 2.1)—i.e., many of the factors governing the resilience and vulnerability of social-ecological systems.
Schizophrenia: developmental, degenerative or both?

The fundamental cause or causes of schizophrenia are unknown in a majority of cases. As accepted by most neurologists, developmental disorders include a diversity of developmental malformations and diseases acquired during the intrauterine period of life (Adams and Victor 1977). In contrast degenerative disorders include “an inexplicable decline from a previous level of normalcy to a lower level of function” (Adams and Victor 1977). A change in our understanding of the etiology of many genetic, metabolic, toxic, and nutritional disorders has changed the definition of some disorders formerly deemed degenerative to one or more of these designations. What about schizophrenia? Clinical and pharmacological data suggest that schizophrenia results from an imbalance between specific excitatory and inhibitory systems in specific brain regions that occurs most frequently but not exclusively during adolescence and young adult life (Stevens 2002).
Dental Cleaning, Community Water Fluoridation and Preterm Birth, Massachusetts: 2009-2016.

Objectives Data on the potential effect of dental cleaning and community water fluoridation (CWF) on pregnancy outcomes are scarce. While numerous studies confirm the cost-effectiveness of fluoride in preventing dental caries, the benefit of CWF during pregnancy has not been well established. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from 2009 to 2016 Massachusetts Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and restricted to singleton live births (n = 9234, weighted response rate = 64.3%). Our exposures were: (1) dental cleaning alone during pregnancy; (2) CWF alone; and (3) dental cleaning and CWF combined (DC-CWF). Women without dental cleaning during pregnancy and CWF comprised our reference group. The outcome was preterm birth, (birth < 37 weeks gestation). This study used multivariate logistic regression modeling, controlling for maternal sociodemographic characteristics, previous medical risk and behavioral factors, and calculated adjusted risk ratios (aRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results During 2009-2016, the prevalence of preterm birth among women with a singleton live birth was 8.5% in Massachusetts. Overall, 58.7% of women had dental cleaning during pregnancy, and 63.6% lived in CWF. After adjusting for potential confounders, the associations between dental cleaning alone and preterm birth (aRR = 0.74 [95% CI 0.55-0.98]), and DC-CWF and preterm birth (aRR = 0.74 [95% CI 0.57-0.95]) were significant, while the association between CWF alone and preterm birth was not significant (aRR = 0.81 [95% CI 0.63-1.05]), compared to women without dental cleaning and CWF. Conclusions for Practice This study shows that the prevalence of preterm birth was lower among women with DC only and DC-CWF.
The role of individual financial contributions in the formation of entrepreneurial teams

Abstract This paper studies how entrepreneurs, limited in how much they are able to contribute to a joint business, organize in partnerships, and how this process is impacted by the frictions common for team production. It demonstrates that moral hazard and reliance on simple equity sharing contracts create incentives for the entrepreneurs making large contributions to team up together, even if the production technology exhibits decreasing returns to scale to total investment. The paper formalizes this novel mechanism in a matching model and illustrates that the model’s predictions regarding co-owners’ financial contributions and ownership shares are consistent with the empirical evidence from the Kauffman Firm Survey data.
Real-World Experience with Tofacitinib in IBD at a Tertiary Center

Many inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients do not respond to medical therapy. Tofacitinib is a first-in-class, partially selective inhibitor of Janus kinase, recently approved for treating patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). We describe our experience with the use of tofacitinib for treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe IBD. This is a retrospective, observational study of the use of tofacitinib in IBD. Patients with medically resistant IBD were treated orally with 5 mg or 10 mg twice daily. Clinical response and adverse events were assessed at 8, 26, and 52 weeks. Objective response was assessed endoscopically, radiologically, and biochemically. 58 patients (53 UC, 4 Crohn’s, 1 pouchitis) completed at least 8 weeks of treatment with tofacitinib. 93% of the patients previously failed treatment with anti-TNF. At 8 weeks of treatment, 21 patients (36%) achieved a clinical response, and 19 (33%) achieved clinical remission. Steroid-free remission at 8 weeks was achieved in 15 patients (26%). Of the 48 patients followed for 26 weeks, 21% had clinical, steroid-free remission. Of the 26 patients followed for 12 months, 27% were in clinical, steroid-free remission. Twelve episodes of systemic infections were noted, mostly while on concomitant steroids. One episode of herpes zoster infection was noted during follow-up. In this cohort of patients with moderate-to-severe, anti-TNF resistant IBD, tofacitinib induced clinical response in 69% of the patients. 27% were in clinical, steroid-free remission by 1 year of treatment. Tofacitinib is an effective therapeutic option for this challenging patient population.
Convexification of Power Flow Equations in the Presence of Noisy Measurements

This paper is concerned with the power system state estimation (PSSE) problem that aims to find the unknown operating point of a power network based on a given set of measurements. We first study the power flow (PF) problem as an important special case of PSSE. PF is known to be nonconvex and NP-hard in the worst case. To this end, we propose a set of semidefinite programs (SDPs) with the property that they all solve the PF problem as long as the voltage angles are relatively small. Associated with each SDP, we explicitly characterize the set of all the complex voltages that can be recovered via that convex problem. As a generalization, the design of an SDP problem that recovers multiple nominal points and a neighborhood around each point is also cast as a convex program. The results are, then, extended to the PSSE problem, where the measurements used in the PF problem are subject to noise. A two-term objective function is employed for each convex program developed for the PSSE problem: 1) the first term accounting for the nonconvexity of the PF equations and 2) other one for estimating the noise levels. An upper bound on the estimation error is derived with respect to the noise level, and the proposed techniques are demonstrated on multiple test systems, including a 9241-bus European network. Although the focus of this paper is on power networks, yet the developed results apply to every arbitrary state estimation problem with quadratic measurement equations.
Kickball and Its Underappreciated Pediatric Injury Burden: An 18-Year Retrospective Epidemiological Study.

Background:Kickball is a popular childhood game most frequently played during gym class or recess at schools throughout the United States (US). Despite this, the national health burden of injuries ...
1789: The French Revolution Begins

The French Revolution marks the beginning of modern politics. Using a diverse range of sources, Robert H. Blackman reconstructs key constitutional debates, from the initial convocation of the Estates General in Versailles in May 1789, to the National Assembly placing the wealth of the Catholic Church at the disposal of the nation that November, revealing their nuances through close readings of participant and witness accounts. This comprehensive and accessible study analyses the most important debates and events through which the French National Assembly became a sovereign body, and explores the process by which the massive political transformation of the French Revolution took place. Blackman's narrative-driven approach creates a new path through the complex politics of the early French Revolution, mapping the changes that took place and revealing how a new political order was created during the chaotic first months of the Revolution.
Do reproductive hormones control Gulf toadfish pulsatile urea excretion

Gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) can excrete the majority of their nitrogenous waste as urea in distinct pulses across their gill. Urea pulses are controlled by cortisol and serotonin (5-HT) and are believed to contain chemical signals that may communicate reproductive and/or social status. The objectives of this study were to determine if reproductive hormones are involved in controlling pulsatile urea excretion, and if toadfish respond to prostaglandins as a chemical signal. Specifically, 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), estradiol (E2), and the teleost pheromone prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were investigated. Castration during breeding season did not affect pulsatile urea excretion but serial injections of 11-KT outside of breeding season did result in a 48% reduction in urea pulse size in fish of both sexes. Injections of E2 and PGE2, on the other hand, did not alter urea excretion patterns. Toadfish also did not pulse urea in response to waterborne exposure of PGE2 suggesting that this compound does not serve as a toadfish pheromone alone. Toadfish have significantly higher plasma 5-HT during breeding season compared to the months following breeding season. Future research should focus on the composition of the chemical signal in toadfish and the potential importance of seasonal changes in plasma 5-HT in toadfish pulsatile urea excretion and teleost reproduction in general.
Wild-Orchid Trade in a Chinese E-Commerce Market

Wild-Orchid Trade in a Chinese E-Commerce Market. Globally, the unsustainable trade in wildlife has been recognized as a major factor of biodiversity loss. Monitoring and regulating wildlife trade has not been an easy task, and new challenges have been encountered as some of the trade moves onto virtual markets on the Internet. In this study, we carried out a 1-year survey on the most popular online market platform in China, i.e., Taobao.com, and determined the extent and nature of the Chinese virtual wild-orchid trade. This is among the first online studies of richness in the wild-orchid trade. We found that a total of 97 wild-sourced orchid species were offered by 53 online vendors. When the sales data were available and with all species pooled, a total of 90,714 individual plants were sold over the initial 7-month period. Four Cymbidium species were the top-traded species in terms of volume, which reflects the high demand on Cymbidium spp., a group with significance in Chinese culture. During our surveys, we encountered clear indications that the website has developed an algorithm to identify buyers’ location (in this case, the U.S.A.) and disabled the potential cross-border transactions, perhaps in an effort to enforce the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species regulations. However, this enforcement on Taobao.com was applied to only a few species and five genera. The high volume and the potential for cross-border trade occurring on Taobao.com call for stronger collaboration among government agencies, NGOs, and national and international industries. It also calls for more consistent law enforcement measures and the promotion of a voluntary code of conducts among different stakeholders to effectively curb the wild-orchid trade online as well as in physical markets in China and beyond. Domestically, China needs to strengthen its legal protection of wild orchids and effective promotion of modern propagation technique among orchid growers.
Mitigating write disturbance in phase change memory architectures: work-in-progress

Phase Change Memory (PCM) is seen as a potential candidate that can replace DRAM as main memory, due to its better scalability. However, writing `0s' in PCM cells requires high-temperature RESET operations, which induce write disturbance errors in neighboring idle PCM cells due to excessive heat dissipation. This paper introduces low-temperature partial-RESET operations for writing `0s' in PCM cells. Compared to traditional RESET operations, partial-RESET operations dissipate negligible heat, and therefore, do not cause disturbance errors in neighboring cells during PCM writes.
Recording and Archiving Conservation Education Approaches in Iraq, 2008–2017

ABSTRACTIn 2008, the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage (IICAH) was established in Erbil, Iraq, as part of the US State Department’s Iraq Cultural Heritage Program (IC...
Economics of energy subsidy reforms in Bangladesh

Abstract As in many countries around the world, subsidies to energy in Bangladesh impose a significant fiscal burden, with benefits that disproportionately accrue to high-income households. Using a computable general equilibrium model, this study investigates the economy-wide impacts of the removal of direct subsidies in the electricity sector and indirect subsidy in natural gas in Bangladesh. The study finds that the removal of energy subsidies would be beneficial to the economy and would increase GDP. The magnitude of the economic impact depends on how the budgetary savings from the removal of electricity subsidy and the increased revenues due to the removal of indirect subsidies to natural gas are reallocated to the economy. Recycling the savings (or the new revenues) to fund investment would benefit the country most, followed by the case of utilizing them to fund cuts in income taxes, and finally to fund cuts in indirect taxes. While the reallocation of budgetary savings to households through lump-sum transfers is found inferior to other recycling options considered, it could be the preferred from the distributional perspective. However, further analysis is needed to confirm this.
DEVELOPMENT AND EXTERNAL VALIDATION OF A NOVEL CLINICAL SCORE TO QUANTIFY THE PRESENCE OF INSTABILITY CHARACTERISTICS IN PATIENTS WITH BORDERLINE ACETABULAR DYSPLASIA

BackgroundTreatment of borderline acetabular dysplasia (BD) is controversial with some patients having primarily instability-based symptoms while others have impingement-based symptoms. The existin...