cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Arterial Pressure and Plasma Vasopressin: Regulation by Neurons in the Caudal Ventrolateral Medulla of the Rabbit

Experiments in the anesthetized rabbit have demonstrated that the caudal ventrolateral medulla oblongata contains tonically active vasodepressor neurons which are themselves inhibited by GABAergic and glycine-like inputs. Alteration of neuronal function in this region also elevates plasma vasopressin levels, contributing to, but not completely accounting for, the hypertension and pulmonary edema observed after destruction of neurons in the region.
Methanogenesis in marine shallow water sediments: The quantitative role of anaerobic protozoa with endosymbiotic methanogenic bacteria

Abstract Anaerobic ciliates with endosymbiotic methanogenic bacteria are sometimes responsible for a substantial fraction (15–90%) of the production of CH4 in anaerobic detrital sediments and in the anoxic water column. In sandy sediments anaerobic protozoa playa relatively smaller role (typically < 2%) due to their low numbers and limited vertical distribution and since there is a relatively large production of methane by free-living methanogens associated with detrital particles even in the upper, sulphate-rich layers of the sediment. Under all circumstances protozoa playa small role for the terminal mineralisation in anaerobic biota since phagotrophs represent a second trophic level in an ecosystem with low growth efficiencies. In sulphate-poor anoxic habitats endosymbiotic methanogenesis will therefore always playa relatively small quantitative role.
Attitudes toward immigrants and immigration policy in Asia and the Pacific: a quantitative assessment of current theoretical models beyond western countries

ABSTRACTThis article empirically assesses the validity of current theoretical models of attitudes toward immigrants and immigration policy in the Asia-Pacific region. This paper takes representative data from the World Values Survey and implements a multilevel model to test five of the main theories in the literature: the human capital theory, the social capital theory, the political orientation theory, the contact/group threat theory and the economic competition theory. The results from the analysis lend credence to the important effects of human capital, social capital and political-ideological variables on respondents’ attitudes toward immigrants and immigration policy. However, the results provide mixed and weak evidence for the contact/group threat theory and the role of economic determinants. Importantly, economic determinants tend to be more powerful in shaping people's attitudes toward immigration policy than shaping attitudes toward immigrants as people. Altogether, this article sheds new light o...
Blastogenic Responsiveness of Spleen Cells from Guinea Pigs Sensitized to Legionella pneumophila Antigens

AbstractAn in vitro leuckocyte blastogenic assay was utilized to establish an in vitro correlate of cell-mediated immunity to Legionella pneumophila antigen with spleen cells from sensitized guinea pigs. Incubation of spleen cells from sensitized but not normal guinea pigs with graded amounts of killed whole cell Legionella bacteria or sonicate derived from the bacteria resulted in an antigen-induced blast cell proliferation as evidenced by an increased uptake of [3H]-thymidine into spleen cell cultures. Peak responses occurred approximately 4-6 days after incubation of the spleen cells with antigen. Sensitivity of spleen cells from animals immunized with Legionella vaccine in adjuvant persisted for at least 150 days, while responses after infection of guinea pigs with viable bacteria persisted about 4-6 weeks. The blastogenic responses of the spleen cells to Legionella antigen appeared to be a correlate of cell-mediated immunity.
Attempts to produce lymphocytopenia in rabbits following the intravenous inoculation of certain viruses.

prevention of this response with typespecific immune serum has recently been reported by Harris and Henle.1 Similar lymphocytopenic responses were also demonstrated after the injection of mumps virus, rough pneumococci, and nucleoproteins derived from hemolytic streptococci, t The possibility existed that this phenomenon might be evoked by a wide number of infectious agents. Of particular interest to us was the consideration that it might be useful in the study of the causative agents of poliomyelitis, infectious hepatitis, and infectious mononucleosis. The purpose of this paper is to report the results of experiments with
Antenatal Betamethasone for Women at Risk for Late Preterm Delivery

BackgroundInfants who are born at 34 to 36 weeks of gestation (late preterm) are at greater risk for adverse respiratory and other outcomes than those born at 37 weeks of gestation or later. It is not known whether betamethasone administered to women at risk for late preterm delivery decreases the risks of neonatal morbidities. MethodsWe conducted a multicenter, randomized trial involving women with a singleton pregnancy at 34 weeks 0 days to 36 weeks 5 days of gestation who were at high risk for delivery during the late preterm period (up to 36 weeks 6 days). The participants were assigned to receive two injections of betamethasone or matching placebo 24 hours apart. The primary outcome was a neonatal composite of treatment in the first 72 hours (the use of continuous positive airway pressure or high-flow nasal cannula for at least 2 hours, supplemental oxygen with a fraction of inspired oxygen of at least 0.30 for at least 4 hours, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or mechanical ventilation) or still...
Parasitism by Trichogramma evanescens of Eggs from Tepa-Sterilized and Normal Retiothis zea

Eggs from tepa-sterilized corn earworm moths, Helio-this zea (Boddie), were exposed to Trichogramma evanescens West wood. The effects of tepa sterilization on the suitability of the host eggs as an oviposition site and the parasite’s development were determined. Eggs from untrcated moths (normal) were used for comparison. Generally, parasites preferred eggs from normal moths for oviposition over eggs from T♂ × U♀ or U♂ × T♀. However, no difference in the suitability for the parasite’s development in the eggs from the various crosses was shown. Host eggs as much as 72-96 hours old from all crosses were accepted for oviposition and produced parasites. A preliminary comparison of the suitability of eggs from normal moths and eggs from cobalt-60-treated male crosses was made. The data indicate that eggs from the latter cross will perform similarly to eggs from tepa-sterilized moths.
The Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale: A Further Brief Report:

The Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale was administered by survey to 51 wives between the ages of 32 and 71 yr. Further support for the internal consistency reliability of the scale (α = 0.92) was obtained, and patterns of differences between the item means paralleled previous research. Evidence was found for the concurrent validity of the scale, which correlated significantly with six of seven items from the satisfaction subscale of Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment Scale.
The State of Abstracts in Educational Research

Background: There is a well-documented divide between education research and practice. In 2004, Mosteller, Nave, and Miech argued for a focus on the research abstract, particularly structured abstracts, to improve the translation of research into practice. Since their call, no study has systematically examined the quality of abstracts in education research or the degree to which structured abstracts are utilized. Purpose: This study addresses two questions. First, what are the characteristics of the research abstracts required by journals in the field of education research? Second, to what extent do research abstracts in the field of education research contain the basic components of a research study? Data: Original data are drawn from the top 150 education research journals. Data include the instructions to authors regarding abstracts for each journal (n = 150) and a random sample of abstracts (n = 189). Methods: Journal instructions and abstracts were coded. Codes included whether they were structured and whether they included components of a research study, such as the data or findings. Results: A nontrivial proportion of abstracts fail to include important components of a research study. More than one in three lacked information regarding the background, and a similar proportion lacked information on conclusions. Over one quarter omitted information regarding the data, and a similar proportion lacked information on methodology. Only 7% of the top 150 journals explicitly require a structured abstract. Conclusions: The quality of abstracts in educational research could be improved. Suggestions for improving abstracts, such as shifting toward structured abstracts, are offered.
Systematic psychosocial screening in a paediatric cardiology clinic: clinical utility of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist 17.

Objective To examine the clinical utility of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist 17 for identifying psychosocial concerns and improving access to psychology services within a paediatric cardiology clinic. Method Parents of 561 children (aged 4–17 years) presenting for follow-up of CHD, acquired heart disease, or arrhythmia completed the Pediatric Symptom Checklist 17 as part of routine care; three items assessing parental (1) concern for learning/development, (2) questions about adjustment to cardiac diagnosis, and (3) interest in discussing concerns with a behavioural healthcare specialist were added to the questionnaire. A psychologist contacted the parents by phone if they indicated interest in speaking with a behavioural healthcare specialist. Results Percentages of children scoring above clinical cut-offs for externalising (10.5%), attention (8.7%), and total (9.3%) problems were similar to a “normative” primary-care sample, whereas fewer children in this study scored above the cut-off for internalising problems (7.8%; p<0.01). Sociodemographic, but not clinical, characteristics were associated with Pediatric Symptom Checklist 17 scores. 17% of the parents endorsed concerns about learning/development, and 20% endorsed questions about adjustment to diagnosis. History of cardiac surgery was associated with increased concern about learning/development (p<0.01). Only 37% of the parents expressing psychosocial concerns reported interest in speaking with a psychologist. Conclusions The Pediatric Symptom Checklist 17 may not be sensitive to specific difficulties experienced by this patient population. A questionnaire with greater focus on learning/development and adjustment to diagnosis may yield improved utility. Psychology integration in clinics serving high-risk cardiac patients may decrease barriers to behavioural healthcare services.
Chromo Domain Proteins

The chromo domain is an evolutionarily conserved protein module of ca. 40–60 amino acids occurring among chromosomal proteins in diverse eukaryotes. The chromo domain fold consists of three antiparallel beta strands packed against an alpha helix. In many cases, chromo domains have been found to selectively recognize and bind methyllysine residues via an aromatic cage created by the chromo domain fold. Chromo domain proteins are implicated in a number of nuclear transactions, most often involving transcription, but also DNA repair. Mutations in and/or reduced dosage of chromo domain proteins have been implicated in human diseases. Recent efforts have identified molecules with therapeutic potential that target chromo domains or their binding targets.
Corrosion-induced microstructural developments in 316 stainless steel during exposure to molten Li2BeF4(FLiBe) salt

Abstract The microstructural developments in the near-surface regions of AISI 316 stainless steel during exposure to molten Li 2 BeF 4 (FLiBe) salt have been investigated with the goal of using this material for the construction of the fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (FHR), a leading nuclear reactor concept for the next generation nuclear plants (NGNP). Tests were conducted in molten FLiBe salt (melting point: 459 °C) at 700 °C in graphite crucibles and 316 stainless steel crucibles for exposure duration of up to 3000 h. Corrosion-induced microstructural changes in the near-surface regions of the samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in conjunction with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with EDS capabilities. Intergranular corrosion attack in the near-surface regions was observed with associated Cr depletion along the grain boundaries. High-angle grain boundaries (15–180°) were particularly prone to intergranular attack and Cr depletion. The depth of attack extended to the depths of 22 μm after 3000-h exposure for the samples tested in graphite crucible, while similar exposure in 316 stainless steel crucible led to the attack depths of only about 11 μm. Testing in graphite crucibles led to the formation of nanometer-scale Mo 2 C, Cr 7 C 3 and Al 4 C 3 particle phases in the near-surface regions of the material. The copious depletion of Cr in the near-surface regions induced a γ-martensite to α-ferrite phase (FeNi x ) transformation. Based on the microstructural analysis, a thermal diffusion controlled corrosion model was developed and experimentally validated for predicting long-term corrosion attack depth.
Empirical investigation of the low temperature energy function of the Restricted Boltzmann Machine using a 1000 qubit D-Wave 2X

D-Wave 2X with more than 1000 qubits was applied to the relatively rugged energy landscape of trained Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs). The D-Wave machine has a Chimera interconnect architecture. A native RBM restricted to the Chimera graph was found difficult to train for large number of RBM units. To overcome this difficulty, a RBM embedding that combined qubits in order to significantly increase the connectivity between hidden and visible units of the RBM was investigated. The results for the lowest-energy and some of the higher-energy states found by D-Wave 2X were compared with those of the classical simulated annealing (SA) algorithm. In many cases, the D-Wave machine successfully found the same RBM lowest energy state as that found by SA. In the relatively simple cases of training patterns investigated in this work, the lowest energy state also corresponded to one of the training patterns. Sometimes the D-Wave machine returned a state corresponding to one of the higher energy states found by SA. The inherently non-perfect embedding of the RBM into the Chimera lattice used in this work (i.e., multiple qubits combined into a single RBM unit were not guaranteed to have perfectly aligned qubits) and the existence of small bias fields in the D-Wave hardware were found to be responsible for the discrepancy in the D-Wave and the SA results. In some but not all of the investigated cases, introduction of a small bias field into the energy function or optimization of the chain-strength parameter in the D-Wave embedding successfully addressed difficulties of the particular RBM embedding.
New Process Research on Aluminium Production from Non-Traditional Aluminum Resource by Microwave Chlorination

A novel method was developed to prepare aluminium via fluidizing chlorination with untraditional aluminum resources as raw materials. The main steps in this method were: alumina transformed into aluminium chloride through fluidizing chlorination; aluminium chloride reacted with NaOH solution for aluminium hydroxide and NaCl; NaOH and Cl2 were recycled from NaCl solution by electrolytic process. The new process for preparing aluminium resources by fluidizing chlorination method was proposed to realize efficient separation of the valuable components in non-traditional aluminum resources such as fly ash or low grade bauxite, silicon in untraditional aluminum changed into SiCl4 in fluidizing chlorination which could be used as raw materials for high purity Si products. Furthermore, the tailings emission of this process was quite lower than that of Bayer process. This paper mainly introduce the principle of this new process, the thermodynamics of fluidizing chlorination is analysis as well.
Two-Level Additive Schwarz Methods for Discontinuous Galerkin Approximations of the Biharmonic Equation

We present some two-level non-overlapping and overlapping additive Schwarz methods for discontinuous Galerkin methods for the biharmonic equation. It is shown that the condition numbers of the preconditioned systems are of the order $$O\left( \left( \frac{H}{h}\right) ^3\right) $$ for the non-overlapping method, and of the order $$O\left( \frac{H}{h}+\left( \frac{H}{\delta }\right) ^3\right) $$ for the overlapping method, where h and H stand for the fine and coarse mesh sizes respectively, and $$\delta $$ denotes the size of the overlaps between subdomains. In particular, emphasis is placed on studying the influence of the penalty parameters and the choice of the coarse mesh bilinear form on the condition numbers. Numerical experiments are provided to gauge the efficiency of the methods and to validate the theory.
The “Third Rhythm”: Alpha-like Activity over the Midtemporal Region

In addition to the posterior alpha and the rolandic mu rhythm, there is a third alphoid rhythm, which is located over the midtemporal region. This rhythm cannot be detected in the scalp EEG unless ...
Surgical Considerations in the Optimal Management of Patients with Malignant Brain Tumors.

Advances in technology are revolutionizing medicine and the limits of what we can offer to our patients. In neurosurgery, technology continues to reduce morbidity, increase surgical accuracy, facilitate tissue acquisition, and promote novel techniques for prolonging survival in patients with neuro-oncologic disease. Surgery has been the backbone of glioma diagnosis and treatment by providing adequate, high quality material for precise histologic diagnosis, and genomic characterization in the setting of significant intratumoral heterogeneity, thus allowing personalized treatment selection in the clinic. The ability to obtain and accurately measure the maximal extent of resection in glioma surgery also remains a central role of the neurosurgeon in managing this cancer. To meet these goals, today’s operating room has transformed from the traditional operating table and anesthesia machine to include neuronavigation instrumentation, intraoperative computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging scanners, advanced surgical microscopes fitted with fluorescent light filters, and electrocorticography machines. While surgeons, oncologists, and radiation oncologists all play unique critical roles in the care of patients with malignant gliomas, familiarity with developing techniques in complimentary subspecialties can enhance coordination of patient care, research productivity, professional interactions, and patient confidence and comfort with the physician team. Herein, we provide a summary of the advances in the field of neurosurgical oncology which allow more precise and optimal surgical resection for patients with malignant gliomas.
Enhancement of Nucleopolyhedrovirus Activity in Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and Pseudoplusia includens (Walker) Larvae with a Fluorescent Brightener

The enhancement of nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) activity by Tinopal® LPW (Tinopal), a stilbene fluorescent brightener, was compared in Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and Pseudoplusia includens (Walker) using an on-diet bioassay method. Enhancement of the homologous NPV of each species was compared with three heterologous NPV that have a broad host range. In H. zea, the LC50 of H. zea NPV (HzSNPV) alone was 128 occlusion bodies (OBs)/cup, and the LC50 of it and Heliothis armigera NPV (HaMNPV) did not differ significantly. The activity of both viruses improved 18.6 fold when the OB suspension contained 1.0% Tinopal. The LC50s of Autographa californica NPV (AcMNPV) and Anagrapha falcifera NPV (AfMNPV) without Tinopal in H. zea were greater than that of HzSNPV. However, the increase in activity of AcMNPV and AfMNPV at the highest concentrations of Tinopal was two to three fold greater than the increase in activity of HzSNPV. The LC50 of P. includens NPV (PiSNPV) (856 OBs/cup) alone in P. includens was similar to that...
On binding energy of trions in bulk materials

Abstract We study the negatively T − and positively T + charged trions in bulk materials in the effective mass approximation within the framework of a potential model. The binding energies of trions in various semiconductors are calculated by employing Faddeev equation in configuration space. Results of calculations of the binding energies for T − are consistent with previous computational studies and are in reasonable agreement with experimental measurements, while the T + is unbound for all considered cases. The mechanism of formation of the binding energy of trions is analyzed by comparing contributions of a mass-polarization term related to kinetic energy operators and a term related to the Coulomb repulsion of identical particles.
flowHDBSCAN: A Hierarchical and Density-Based Spatial Flow Clustering Method

Understanding the patterns and dynamics of spatial origin-destination flow data has been a long-standing goal of spatial scientists. This study aims at developing a new flow clustering method called flowHDBSCAN, which has the potential to be applied to various urban dynamics issues such as spatial movement analysis and intelligent transportation systems. Flows entail origin and destinations pairs, at the exclusion of the actual path in-between. The method combines density-based clustering and hierarchical clustering approaches and extends them to the context of spatial flows. Not only can it extract flow clusters from various situations including varying flow densities, lengths, directions, and hierarchies, but it also provides an effective way to reveal the potentially hierarchical data structure of the clusters. Common issues such as the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP) of flow endpoints, false positive errors on short flows, and loss of spatial information are well handled. Moreover, the sole-parameter design guarantees its ease of use and practicality. Experiments are conducted with both a synthetic dataset and an eBay online trade flow dataset in the contiguous U.S.
The group psychotherapy movement at the millennium: some historical perspectives.

ABSTRACTAlthough almost a century old, group psychotherapy has experienced an unprecedented expansion over the last 50 years. By the 1970s, human helping groups had found application in virtually all the human services, including the media. The growth of professional organizations for group work specialists was accompanied by a burgeoning literature and by accelerated research endeavors. The recent advent of the managed health care “revolution” has shaken the very foundations of this prospering group psychotherapy movement. Undue pressure from third-party payers for greater accountability and for cost-containment has come to threaten the traditional autonomy and dedication to quality of care by group therapy practitioners. Professional organizations have begun to meet these challenges by educational endeavors addressed at insurers, legislators, and the public. Current training programs and literature for clinicians have focused on the need for a new “business orientation” and on less costly group treatmen...
Upper Airway Neurostimulation to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract Upper airway neurostimulation of the hypoglossal nerve (Cranial Nerve XII) is a newly available therapy for a select group of patients suffering from moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea who cannot tolerate positive airway pressure treatment. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by recurrent episodes of reduced or absent airflow during sleep due to partial or complete collapse of the upper airway. Left untreated, pathophysiologic sequelae of OSA increase risk for systemic hypertension, cardiovascular morbidity, glucose intolerance, and neurocognitive impairment. Traditionally offered therapies of positive airway pressure, oral appliances, and surgery provide a structural enhancement of upper airway stability, yet are not uniformly effective or tolerated. Upper airway neurostimulation functionally addresses upper airway collapsibility by reversing inadequate muscle activation. This chapter reviews relevant clinical background of OSA, physiological studies supporting neurostimulation, efficacy, and safety from clinical trials, and future directions for neurostimulation treatment approaches for OSA.
Social, Legal, and Ecological Capacity for Adaptation and Transformation in the Everglades

The Florida Everglades is a subtropical wetland in the southeastern USA that has been hydrologically modified to protect urban and agricultural lands from flooding, while supplying water for urban interests and Everglades National Park. The social-ecological system has sought control over the surface water through infrastructure of canals, levees, and pumps to direct water movement, managed by a complex institutional arrangement of federal, state, and local governments. Water control has been largely achieved through adaptation and transformation to unforeseen environmental events, too much or too little rainfall and nutrient movement across the wet landscapes. Law has provided both the resources to foster economic and conservation objectives but also resulted in rigid planning and continuing litigation, constraining the adaptive capacity of the social-ecological system of the Florida Everglades to respond to seen and unforeseen environmental changes. Rigid management at higher levels and failure to balance stability of economic investment and varied stakeholder values of the Everglades with flexibility to adjust management measures have limited the emergence of adaptive governance.
Images in COPD: Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema.

Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) is a disease characterized by both centrilobular emphysema (usually in the upper lobes) and fibrosis (typically in the lower lobes) (Figure 1). CPFE is believed to be distinct from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients with CPFE tend to be older males with significant smoking histories. This disease is important clinically because of the increased risk for lung cancer and poor overall survival. Open in a separate window Case Studies The Mount Sinai Interstitial Lung Disease registry contains over 400 patients of which 124 have a usual interstitial pneumonitis (UIP) pattern on computed tomography (CT). Seven of 124 patients (6%) have a working diagnosis of CPFE. Six out of the 7 patients with CPFE are male. The group’s average age is 68 years old. We reviewed all available CT scans of these 7 patients and found that 2 of the 7 (29%), developed lung cancer during the course of their follow-up. For both of these patients the extent of their fibrosis and the size of their pulmonary arteries increased during the course of their disease. For some patients their fibrosis and pulmonary artery size increased without them developing lung cancer while still others remained relatively stable over the course of observation.
Business Process Execution Based on Map Reduce Architecture

Map Reduce is a programming model and software framework for writing applications that rapidly process vast amounts of data in parallel on large clusters of compute nodes. Users define a map function with key/value parameters to generate a set of intermediate key/value pairs and a reduce function that merges all intermediate values associated with the same intermediate key. At the same time, the business process execution of web services has the same context with map reduce. It can be integrated with map reduce which will be the basic infrastructure. Business process is automatically parallelized and executed on a large cluster of web services. This paper takes care of the details of partitioning the input data, definite map function, compare function, reduce function and analysis functions. On the other hand, map reduce functions are also responsible to realize statistical analysis to provide services’ QoS data. We can finally know that this model can improve efficiency and is easy to realize the dynamic replacement of web services based on the generated QoS data.
The Human Subject

As the chapters of this volume and others (e.g., Davey & Cullin, 1988; Hayes & Hayes, 1992) attest, there are many important questions to be asked of and about human behavior. And as is the case with questions about animal responding, the natural science strategies of behavior analysis are particularly well-suited to identifying the variables of which human behavior is a function (e.g., Johnston & Pennypacker, 1993). Still, the translation of a research question and a scientific strategy into an actual experiment requires many practical decisions.
Sustainable Universities: Rhetoric Versus Facts

This chapter summarizes several recent calls for higher education to adopt more sustainable, environmentally friendly practices, policies, and environmental literacy courses. It then reviews nine pledges and scorecards that contain metrics to determine if the university is making progress toward sustainability goals. Most of the scorecards consider only environmental policy, and only two include any social policy recommendations. In addition, cultural systems, specifically the concepts that underpin capitalism and consumerism, are problematic when used to structure both universities and their environmental policy. Specific questions and recommendations with respect to underlying issues are provided to get at whether university policies embrace both social and environmental issues. Higher education needs to address both environmental policy and social policy to achieve genuine sustainability goals.
Nicotine dependence and the Fagerström Tolerance Questionnaire: a brief review.

The Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire (TQ) is widely used in both clinical and research settings as a measure of physiological dependence on nicotine. In the light of claims that the efficacy of nicotine gum is related to degree of dependence and that outcomes can be improved by tailoring gum strength to degree of dependence, the availability of a simple, noninvasive test of dependence assumes additional importance. Recently, a number of articles have expressed reservations about various aspects of the TQ: 1) Several TQ items suffer from flaws or ambiguities that undermine their usefulness, and 2) the TQ may not measure what it purports to measure. The present paper reviews these issues, assembles data and observations that bear on the problems, and makes suggestions that may help in refining the TQ or producing a better instrument.
Snitching: Criminal Informants and the Erosion of American Justice

Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: The Real Deal Chapter 2: To Catch a Thief: The Legal Rules of Snitching Chapter 3: Beyond Unreliable Chapter 4: Secret JusticeChapter 5: Snitching in the 'Hood Chapter 6: "Stop Snitching" Chapter 7: How the Other Half Lives: White Collar and Other Kinds of Cooperation Chapter 8: Reform Conclusion Notes Index About the Author
Non-invasive Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopic Biomarkers in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Other Cardiometabolic Diseases Associated with Ectopic Fat Deposition

Obesity is associated with ectopic fat deposition in various organs and tissues that may adversely affect their structure, and their metabolic function. In the context of developing new drugs for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and related cardiometabolic conditions (obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome), non-invasive quantitative imaging biomarkers have been developed to estimate hepatic steatosis, percentage and type of fat accumulation in skeletal muscle, and absolute and relative amounts of muscle, and subcutaneous and visceral body fat. Advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely considered to be well suited, and the preferred non-invasive method to estimate proton density fat fraction (PDFF), an accurate and precise biomarker of hepatic steatosis. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is currently the only non-invasive method to assess intramyocellular lipid (IMCL), a biomarker of fat accumulation within skeletal muscle cells. Finally, semi-automated MRI is emerging as the leading method to formulate an overall body composition profile (BCP), which provides a snapshot of fat and muscle composition in the body.
Recruitment strategies for predominantly low-income, multi-racial/ethnic children and parents to 3-year community-based intervention trials: Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR) Consortium.

The recruitment of participants into community-based randomized controlled trials studying childhood obesity is often challenging, especially from low-income racial/ethnical minorities and when long-term participant commitments are required. This paper describes strategies used to recruit and enroll predominately low-income racial/ethnic minority parents and children into the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR) consortium. The COPTR consortium has run four independent 3-year, multi-level (individual, family, school, clinic, and community) community-based randomized controlled trials. Two were prevention trials in preschool children and the other two were treatment trials in pre-adolescents and adolescent youth. All trials reported monthly participant recruitment numbers using a standardized method over the projected 18–24 months of recruitment. After randomization of participants was completed, recruitment staff and investigators from each trial retrospectively completed a survey of recruitment strategies and their perceived top three recruitment strategies and barriers. Recruitment was completed in 15–21 months across trials, enrolling a total of 1745 parent-child dyads- out of 6314 screened. The number of children screened per randomized child was 4.6 and 3.5 in the two prevention trials, and 3.1 and 2.5 in the two treatment trials. Recruitment strategies reported included: (1) careful planning, (2) working with trusting community partners, (3) hiring recruitment staff who were culturally sensitive, personality appropriate, and willing to work flexible hours, (4) contacting potential participants actively and repeatedly, (5) recruiting at times and locations convenient for participants, (6) providing incentives to participants to complete baseline measures, (7) using a tracking database, (8) evaluating whether participants understand the activities and expectations of the study, and (9) assessing participants’ motivation for participating. Working with community partners, hiring culturally sensitive staff, and contacting potential participants repeatedly were cited by two trials among their top three strategies. The requirement of a 3-year commitment to the trial was cited by two trials to be among the top three recruitment barriers. Comprehensive strategies that include community partnership support, culturally sensitive recruitment staff, and repeated contacts with potential participants can result in successful recruitment of low-income racial/ethnic minority families into obesity prevention and treatment trials. NET-Works trial: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01606891 . Registered on 28 May 2012. GROW trial: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01316653 . Registered on 16 March 2011. GOALS trial: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01642836 . Registered on 17 July 2012. IMPACT trial: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01514279 . Registered on 23 January 2012.
A Geometric Interpretation of Certain Sums.

terms of geometric figures. Karl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855) is credited with using an idea, at an early age, that is now used to find an answer to such sums asl + 2 + 3 + 4 + ...+ 100. Such a sequence is called an arithmetic progression. As is frequently the case with bright, inquisitive children, Gauss was troublesome for his teachers. On one occasion, his teacher assigned the following addition problem, believing that it would keep the young Gauss occupied for a considerable period of time: Find the sum of the counting numbers from one to one hundred inclusive. We could approach this problem in an obvious way, as shown in figure 1. This is a tedious method, and an elementary school child is likely to make an error. Purportedly, Gauss did not use this method. He gave the correct answer after just a moment's thought. His method may be visualized as shown in figure 2. To use Gauss's method, we write the numbers to be added twice, once in increasing order and once in decreasing order. Reading across, we see that each pair has a sum of 101 and that there are 100 such p irs. The um of the right-hand column, hen, is found by the product 100 times 101, or 10,100. This sum, however, is twice the desired sum, si ce the right-hand column represents adding each number twice.
Central compartment involvement in aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease: the role of allergy and previous sinus surgery.

BACKGROUND Evidence for a relationship between allergy and chronic rhinosinusitus with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is equivocal. Central compartment (CC) atopic disease is a nasal inflammatory condition related to inhalant allergy. CC involvement is common in aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), a subset of CRSwNP, and we hypothesize it is related to allergic status. METHODS This study was a retrospective analysis of a single-institution database for the January 2016 to February 2019 time period. Data regarding endoscopic CC findings, clinical allergy history, and results of allergy testing were collected. Statistical analysis was performed, with significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS Seventy-two AERD patients met the inclusion criteria. Fifty-nine patients had CC involvement (53 bilateral, 6 unilateral). For patients with documented allergy status, 100% of patients with endoscopic CC disease had clinical allergic rhinitis (AR), and 45 of 48 (93.8%) had positive allergy testing. Thirteen patients had no CC involvement (4 with clinical AR; 3 of 7 with positive allergy testing). CC endoscopic findings in AERD were significantly associated with clinical allergy (p < 0.0001, phi = 0.771). Overall, patients with CC involvement averaged 3.8 surgeries vs 3.2 for those without CC involvement (p = not statistically significant). However, patients with septal involvement averaged 4.2 surgeries vs 2.0 for those without septal involvement (p = 0.004). As the number of sinus surgeries increases, middle turbinate (MT) resection (r = 0.300, p = 0.022) and septal involvement (r = 0.372, p = 0.004) significantly increase. All patients with MT resection had septal disease, whereas none without CC disease had MT resection. CONCLUSION Most AERD patients exhibit AR, and this correlates with CC disease. As the number of surgeries increases, MT resection may predispose to polyposis of the septum.
δ subunit-containing GABAA IPSCs are driven by both synaptic and diffusional GABA in mouse dentate granule neurons.

Key points Current views suggest γ2 subunit-containing GABAA receptors mediate phasic IPSCs while extrasynaptic δ subunits mediate diffusional IPSCs and tonic current. We have re-examined the roles of the two receptor populations using mice with picrotoxin resistance engineered into receptors containing the δ subunit. Using pharmacological separation, we find that in general δ and γ IPSCs are modulated in parallel by manipulations of transmitter output and diffusion, with evidence favouring modestly more diffusional contribution to δ IPSCs. Our findings also reveal that spontaneous δ IPSCs are mainly driven by channel deactivation, rather than by diffusion of GABA. Understanding the functional contributions of the two receptor classes may help us understand the actions of drug therapies with selective effects on one population over the other. Abstract GABAA receptors mediate transmission throughout the central nervous system and typically contain a δ subunit (δ receptors) or a γ2 subunit (γ2 receptors). δ IPSCs decay slower than γ2 IPSCs, but the reasons are unclear. Transmitter diffusion, rebinding, or slow deactivation kinetics of channels are candidates. We used gene editing to confer picrotoxin resistance on δ receptors in mice, then pharmacologically isolated δ receptors in mouse dentate granule cells to explore IPSCs. γ2 and δ components of IPSCs were modulated similarly by presynaptic manipulations and manipulations of transmitter lifetime, suggesting that GABA release recruits δ receptors proportionally to γ2 receptors. δ IPSCs showed more sensitivity to altered transmitter release and to a rapidly dissociating antagonist, suggesting an additional spillover contribution. Reducing GABA diffusion with 5% dextran increased the peak amplitude and decreased the decay of evoked δ IPSCs but had no effect on δ or dual-component (mainly γ2-driven) spontaneous IPSCs, suggesting that GABA actions can be local for both receptor types. Rapid application of varied [GABA] onto nucleated patches from dentate granule cells demonstrated a deactivation rate of δ receptors similar to that of δ spontaneous IPSCs, consistent with the idea that deactivation and local GABA actions drive δ spontaneous IPSCs. Overall, our results indicate that δ IPSCs are activated by both synaptic and diffusional GABA. Our results are consistent with a functional relationship between δ and γ2 GABAA receptors akin to that of slow NMDA and fast AMPA EPSCs at glutamate synapses.
Using Satellite AIS to Analyze Vessel Speeds Off the Coast of Washington State, U.S., as a Risk Analysis for Cetacean-Vessel Collisions

Most species of whales are vulnerable to vessel collisions, and the probability of lethality increases logistically with vessel speed. Spatially explicit risk assessments can inform the marine management process about the potential for vessel collisions. We used Satellite Automatic Identification Systems (SAIS) data from 2013 and 2014 to calculate vessel speed over ground around the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Nearby shipping lanes connecting the Ports of Vancouver, Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland have the greatest density of vessel traffic arriving and departing, and these densely traveled routes continue outside the US Exclusive Economic Zone. We characterized speed and density based on vessel type and for areas of interest, including NOAA’s Cetacean Density and Distribution Working Group’s Biologically Important Areas. Cargo and tanker vessels constitute the majority of distance traveled at the greatest speeds. We found that calculated speed based on SAIS is higher and less variable than broadcast speed for most vessel types. It is important to use calculated speed over ground (SOG) in any analysis so that the risk from potential vessel collisions is not underestimated by using broadcast SOG. Temporal gaps in the SAIS data led to a resulting systematic underestimation of vessel speed in calculated speed over ground. In that case, SAIS can be helpful in documenting minimum vessel speeds across large geographic areas, especially beyond the reach of terrestrial AIS receivers. Satellite AIS is useful in examining vessel density at broad scales, and could be used to assess basin-wide open ocean routes. Future use of additional satellite platforms with AIS receivers will only increase the quality of SAIS data and decrease the amount of temporal gaps.
Double K-shell ionization in the electron capture decay of /sup 85/Sr

The probability per K capture for double K-shell ionization in the electron capture decay of /sup 85/Sr has been studied by recording coincidences between Rb K x rays and Rb K..cap alpha.. x rays produced when the two K-shell vacancies are filled. The probability for this decay was found to be (6.0 +- 0.5) x 10/sup -5/, which is a factor of 0.64 +- 0.05 times the recent theoretical prediction by Suzuki and Law. The energy shift of the hypersatellite Rb K..cap alpha../sup H/ x ray was found to be 385 +- 28 eV, in agreement with the calculation of Chen, Craseman, and Mark.
Valid or voodoo? A qualitative study of attorney perceptions of risk assessment in sentencing and plea bargaining.

Prior research largely has explored judicial perceptions of risk assessment in sentencing. Little is known about how other court actors, specifically, prosecutors and defense attorneys, perceive risk assessments in the sentencing process. Here, we report a qualitative study on the use of risk assessment by prosecutors and defense attorneys in Virginia. A prior survey (n = 70) pointed to a statistically significant difference in how prosecutors and defense attorneys view the role of recidivism risk in sentencing. On the basis of the results of this quantitative study, we collected follow-up qualitative data via interview (n = 30) to explain this unexpected difference. Analysis confirmed the survey findings that prosecutors and defense attorneys differ in their perceptions of risk assessment in sentencing. Results suggest that court actor perceptions vary as a function of professional role in the service of the identified client (the community or the defendant) and their interests. Although perceptions diverged on utility risk assessment in sentencing, both prosecutors and defense attorneys were outspoken in their skepticism of the Nonviolent Risk Assessment instrument that is used to predict recidivism risk in Virginia. This latter finding identifies obstacles that may emerge as jurisdictions adopt a risk-based approach to sentencing. We conclude with recommendations for addressing these barriers that may provide useful guidance on the implementation process.
Insomnia with objective short sleep duration is associated with cognitive impairment: a first look at cardiometabolic contributors to brain health

Study objectives Insomnia with objective short sleep duration has been previously associated with adverse cardiometabolic health outcomes as well as poorer cognitive performance in otherwise noncognitively impaired adults. However, studies demonstrating an increased prevalence of cognitive impairment (CI) in this insomnia phenotype are lacking. Methods We analyzed data from Penn State Adult Cohort (N = 1,524; 48.9 ± 13.4 years; 53.4% women). Self-reported sleep difficulty was defined as normal sleep (n = 899), poor sleep (n = 453), and chronic insomnia (n = 172). Objective short sleep duration was defined as less than 6-h of sleep, based on in-lab, 8-h polysomnography. CI (n = 155) and possible vascular cognitive impairment (pVCI, n = 122) were ascertained using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Analyses adjusted for age, sex, race, education, body mass index, apnea/hypopnea index, smoking, alcohol, psychoactive medication, and mental and physical health problems. Results Participants who reported poor sleep or chronic insomnia and slept objectively less than 6 hours were associated with a 2-fold increased odds of CI (OR = 2.06, 95% confidence limits [CL] = 1.15-3.66 and OR = 2.18, 95% CL = 1.07-4.47, respectively) and of pVCI (OR = 1.94, 95% CL = 1.01-3.75 and OR = 2.33, 95% CL = 1.07-5.06, respectively). Participants who reported poor sleep or chronic insomnia and slept objectively more than 6 hours were not associated with increased odds of either CI (OR = 0.72, 95% CL = 0.30-1.76 and OR = 0.75, 95% CL = 0.21-2.71, respectively) or pVCI (OR = 1.08, 95% CL = 0.42-2.74 and OR = 0.76, 95% CL = 0.16-3.57, respectively). Conclusions Insomnia with objective short sleep duration is associated with an increased prevalence of CI, particularly as it relates to cardiometabolic health (i.e. pVCI). These data further support that this insomnia phenotype may be a more biologically severe form of the disorder associated with cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and neurocognitive morbidity.