cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamical evolution of the Brillouin precursor in Rocard-Powles-Debye model dielectrics

When an ultrawide-band electromagnetic pulse penetrates into a causally dispersive dielectric, the interrelated effects of phase dispersion and frequency dependent attenuation alter the pulse in a fundamental way that results in the appearance of so-called precursor fields. For a Debye-type dielectric, the dynamical field evolution is dominated by the Brillouin precursor as the propagation depth typically exceeds a single penetration depth at the carrier frequency of the input pulse. This is because the peak amplitude in the Brillouin precursor decays only as the square root of the inverse of the propagation distance. This nonexponential decay of the Brillouin precursor makes it ideally suited for remote sensing. Of equal importance is the frequency structure of the Brillouin precursor. Although the instantaneous oscillation frequency is zero at the peak amplitude point of the Brillouin precursor, the actual oscillation frequency of this field structure is quite different, exhibiting a complicated dependence on both the material dispersion and the input pulse characteristics. Finally, a Brillouin pulse is defined and is shown to possess near optimal (if not optimal) penetration into a given Debye-type dielectric.
Comparison of telomere length of vocal folds with different tissues: a physiological measurement of vocal senescence.

Summary The objective of this article is to determine telomere length, a measure of biological age, in true vocal fold (TVF), false vocal fold (FVF), and five other tissue types, to ascertain whether there is tissue-specific telomere shortening. The study design is that of a prospective, basic science study. Tissue samples were obtained from the TVF, FVF, skin from the back of hand, skin from thigh, aorta, blood, and bone marrow from 12 patients ages 54 to 76 years. Genomic DNA was isolated from each sample, and telomere lengths were calculated with real-time polymerase chain reaction. In our small age group, age was not significantly associated with telomere length across tissue types, nor were there any linear correlations within tissue types and age. Controlling for age, significant differences were found between the following tissues: aorta and blood ( P P = 0.033), aorta and FVF ( P = 0.015), aorta and hand skin ( P = 0.004), blood and thigh skin ( P = 0.012), and blood and TVF ( P = 0.048). A significant linear correlation between telomere length and tissue type without considering donor age was established between bone marrow and hand skin ( P R 2 = 0.766), thigh skin and hand skin ( P R 2 = 0.926), TVF and blood ( P R 2 = 0.836), and thigh skin and TVF ( P R 2 = 0.624). Our findings indicate that surrogate tissue for measurement of telomere length of TVF includes FVF, bone marrow, skin, and aorta. These findings have implications for understanding vocal fold aging at the cellular level.
Reconstructing Free-Flight Angular Velocity from a Miniaturized Wireless Accelerometer

The theory governing the torque-free motion of a rigid body is well established, yet direct experimental measurement in the laboratory remains an obvious challenge. This paper addresses this challenge by presenting a novel miniature wireless inertial measurement unit (IMU) that directly measures the motion of a rigid body during free-flight. The IMU incorporates three-axis sensing of acceleration and three-axis sensing of angular velocity with a microcontroller and an RF transceiver for wireless data transmission to a host computer. Experiments consider a rigid body that is spun up by hand and then released into free-flight. The measured rotational dynamics from the IMU are carefully benchmarked against theoretical predictions. This benchmarking reveals that the angular velocity directly measured by the angular rate gyros lies within 6% of that predicted by the (Jacobi elliptic function) solutions to the Euler equations. Moreover, experimentally constructed polhodes elegantly illustrate the expected stable precession for rotations initiated close to the major or minor principal axes and the unstable precession for rotations initiated close to the intermediate axis. We then present a “gyro-free” design that employs a single, triaxial accelerometer to reconstruct the angular velocity during free-flight. A measurement theory is presented and validated experimentally. Results confirm that the angular velocity can be reconstructed with exceedingly small errors (less than 2%) when benchmarked against direct measurements using angular rate gyros. The simpler gyro-free design addresses restrictions imposed by rate gyro cost, size, and measurement range and may enable high-volume commercial applications of this technology in instrumented baseballs, basketballs, golf balls, footballs, soccer balls, softballs, and the like.
Intern Supervision in School Psychology: Practice and Process of Field-Based and University Supervisors

This research investigated the supervision practices of fieldbased and university supervisors of school psychology interns in the United States. A national sample of 239 field-based supervisors and 41 university supervisors completed questionnaires on various aspects of their supervision. In addition to descriptive statistics, comparisons were made between the two groups of supervisors. The findings revealed a highly qualified group of supervisors who met the standards set forth by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Although the field-based and university intern supervisors' shared many similar goals and practices, differences were evident. For example, field-based supervisors focused their supervision goals/activities toward the interns' skills and the impact of these skills on the client. While the university supervisors also emphasized skill development in their supervision goals, their supervision activities were more global and reflected the indirect nature of their supervision....
Use of augmented-reality in teaching energy efficiency: prototype development and testing

Passive solar and energy efficiency concepts are usually taught through lectures, textbooks, or hands-on experimentation, but the relationship between these concepts istypically not effectively visualized. To address this, this paper reports on the design, development and preliminary testing of a prototype Augmented Reality (AR) application for residential energy use education. This tablet-based AR application simulates the impact of different residential building design characteristics on both indoor temperature (for passiveheating/cooling) and annual energy use and cost (for mechanical HVAC). The application was developed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers/educators from three related fields: architecture, interdisciplinary education, and computer science. AR consists of additional information that is visible through a technology interface, shown on top of the images of the real world under study within a digital 3D space. The interdisciplinary model presented in this paper integrates three distinct lenses: 1) passive design and energy efficiency education 2) ARas an interactive modality and 3) a computationally complex building performance simulation model. In particular, the paper reports on the results of an experiment in which junior-level university students in a school of architecture used the prototype. Results from the pre and post knowledge surveys conducted within the experiment show consistent and high improvement in the students’ confidence in their knowledge of the topics following the use of the prototype. Student feedback was also generally positive but some issues were identified which may indicate that this prototype would be more effective at the freshmen level. Plans for future development phases for this project include focusing on this new population. The project described in this paper also illustrates the considerable potential that interdisciplinary collaboration offers for architectural research through enabling architectural researchers to tackle more complex issues and developing a better understanding of the research approaches and expectations in other disciplines.
Age-Related Changes in Memory for Visual Hierarchical Stimuli

A test of memory for visual hierarchical stimuli was given to normal volunteers from three age groups (21 to 78 years old). Significant age‐related declines were found in recall of global‐ and local‐level stimuli on three immediate recall trials and on a 20‐min delayed recall trial. On delayed recognition testing, older subjects chose significantly more false‐positive items that were correct at the global level only. When younger subjects were equated for initial recall of global‐level stimuli, the older subjects were deficient in immediate recall of local‐level stimuli. These results suggest that memory for hierarchical stimuli declines with age and that aging may disproportionately affect memory for local‐level stimuli.
Routing Bottlenecks in the Internet: Causes, Exploits, and Countermeasures

How pervasive is the vulnerability to link-flooding attacks that degrade connectivity of thousands of Internet hosts? Are some geographic regions more vulnerable than others? Do practical countermeasures exist? To answer these questions, we introduce the notion of the routing bottlenecks and show that it is a fundamental property of Internet design; i.e., it is a consequence of route-cost minimizations. We illustrate the pervasiveness of routing bottlenecks in an experiment comprising 15 countries and 15 cities distributed around the world, and measure their susceptibility to scalable link-flooding attacks. We present the key characteristics of routing bottlenecks, including size, link type, and distance from host destinations, and suggest specific structural and operational countermeasures to link-flooding attacks. These countermeasures can be deployed by network operators without needing major Internet redesign.
N‐Methylation and N‐Formylation of a Secondary Amine Drug (Varenicline) in an Osmotic Tablet

Significant degradation of the amine-based smoking cessation drug varenicline tartrate in an early development phase osmotic, controlled-release (CR) formulation yields predominantly two products: N-methylvarenicline (NMV) and N-formylvarenicline (NFV). NMV is produced by reaction of the amine moiety with both formaldehyde and formic acid in an Eschweiler-Clarke reaction, while NFV is formed by reaction of formic acid alone with varenicline. This represents the first report of these reactions occurring on storage of solid pharmaceutical formulations. Both formaldehyde and formic acid are formed from oxidative degradation of polyethylene glycol (PEG) used in an osmotic coating through a process heavily dependent on the physical state of the PEG. When the concentration of PEG in the coating is sufficiently low, the PEG remains phase compatible with the other component of the coating (cellulose acetate) such that its degradation (and the resulting drug reactivity) is effectively eliminated. Antioxidants in the coating and oxygen scavengers in the packaging also serve to prevent the PEG degradation, and consequently provide for drug stability.
Role of financial relationships in economic analyses of targeted therapies in oncology remains unclear.

TO THE EDITOR: In their systematic review of financial relationships and their effects on the results of cost-effectiveness studies, Valachis et al examined the qualitative conclusions of such studies and determined that funding from manufacturers introduces bias. However, conclusions of cost-effectiveness analyses depend on both the calculated cost outcome (eg, cost per quality-adjusted life year) and the threshold value used as the reference standard. Conceivably, two cost-effectiveness analyses could report the same cost per qualityadjusted life year for a new therapy, but arrive at contradictory conclusions on the basis of their concept of what should be considered cost-effective. Valachis et al do not provide data relating to the opportunity cost estimates determined by their included studies. So readers are left wondering whether a sufficient fundamental research bias exists in industry-sponsored cost-effectiveness analyses to support the authors’ call for so-called balanced funding for future analyses, or if this favorable difference merely represents enthusiastic conclusions from those who support higher cost-effectiveness thresholds.
On the relationship between QBO and distribution of tropical deep convection

[1] There have been several observational and modeling analyses that have indicated that the stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) significantly affects the tropical troposphere. This article aims to identify the QBO signal in tropical deep convection. Some difficulties in previous studies were ambiguities in the identification of tropical deep convection in observations, and also in separating the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and other tropospheric signals from QBO influences. We use a recent cluster analysis of 21.5 years of International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project tropical weather states to identify tropical deep convection and cirrus clouds, as well as 32.25 years of precipitation data as proxies for deep convection. Correlations between the QBO, ENSO, and other tropospheric patterns such as the tropospheric biennial oscillation and Pacific decadal oscillation are taken into account to isolate the influence of the QBO. Whereas tropical deep convection is mostly related to ENSO and the annual cycle, the QBO westerly phase, independent of the annual cycle as well as linear and nonlinear impacts of ENSO, leads to an eastward shift in the strength of meridional overturning contributions to the Hadley circulation over the Pacific and thus also affects the subtropical circulation. For deep convective clouds, relative differences in convective cloud cover between the QBO easterly and QBO westerly phases can be as large as 51% ± 7% of the annual average over isolated regions in the tropical west Pacific and 103% ± 35% over the east Pacific, where the absolute values are lower and where notable deviations occur during the QBO westerly phase.
Evaluation of brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy for early stage, node-negative uterine carcinosarcoma.

Abstract Purpose There is limited evidence to guide treatment decision making for patients with early stage uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS) regarding the use of pelvic external beam radiation therapy (RT) vs. vaginal brachytherapy (BT) after hysterectomy. We analyzed a population-based database to compare survival outcomes after adjuvant BT vs. pelvic external beam RT for patients with Stages I–II UCS. Methods and Materials We searched the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry to identify a cohort of patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics I/II UCS diagnosed during 1998–2010, who received a total hysterectomy and for whom radiotherapy type was known. χ 2 tests were used to test associations between patient characteristics and radiotherapy type. Overall and cancer-specific survival, measured from date of diagnosis, were summarized within each covariate. Cox proportional hazards models were used to model the impact of RT type on survival while adjusting for other factors. Results A total of 1581 subjects were identified, including 803 (50.8%) no radiotherapy; 636 (40.2%) external beam radiotherapy ± BT; and 142 (9.0%) BT alone. The use of BT alone increased from 4.5% in 1988–1999 to 12.5% in 2005–2010. Multivariate models of overall and cause-specific survival showed that radiotherapy type was not associated with survival after adjustment for other covariates. Conclusions For patients with Stages I–II UCS, adjuvant radiotherapy type did not influence survival after hysterectomy. This study addresses an existing evidence gap and identifies a trend toward increasing utilization of BT alone. Prospective trials are warranted to provide high-quality evidence to guide adjuvant therapy decisions for these patients.
THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCHER'S GENDER IN THE IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW:: Evidence from Two Case Studies of Male Nurses

Sociologists who use in-depth interview methods have become sensitized to the ways that race-ethnicity and class can form barriers to rapport with respondents, but the question of gender has been largely unexamined. This article compares data from two independently conducted in-depth interview studies of male nurses: one by a female researcher and one by a male researcher. Observed differences in how the men in the samples framed their responses to questions in the two studies are discussed. It is argued that in-depth interviewers can and should become sensitized to respondents' negotiation of the gendered context of the interaction, but the existing proscriptions against cross-gender research are challenged.
The wear of polished and glazed zirconia against enamel

Statement of problem The wear of tooth structure opposing anatomically contoured zirconia crowns requires further investigation. Purpose The purpose of this in vitro study was to measure the roughness and wear of polished, glazed, and polished then reglazed zirconia against human enamel antagonists and compare the measurements to those of veneering porcelain and natural enamel. Material and methods Zirconia specimens were divided into polished, glazed, and polished then reglazed groups (n=8). A veneering porcelain (Ceramco3) and enamel were used as controls. The surface roughness of all pretest specimens was measured. Wear testing was performed in the newly designed Alabama wear testing device. The mesiobuccal cusps of extracted molars were standardized and used as antagonists. Three-dimensional (3D) scans of the specimens and antagonists were obtained at baseline and after 200 000 and 400 000 cycles with a profilometer. The baseline scans were superimposed on the posttesting scans to determine volumetric wear. Data were analyzed with a 1-way ANOVA and Tukey Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) post hoc tests (α=.05) Results Surface roughness ranked in order of least rough to roughest was: polished zirconia, glazed zirconia, polished then reglazed zirconia, veneering porcelain, and enamel. For ceramic, there was no measureable loss on polished zirconia, moderate loss on the surface of enamel, and significant loss on glazed and polished then reglazed zirconia. The highest ceramic wear was exhibited by the veneering ceramic. For enamel antagonists, polished zirconia caused the least wear, and enamel caused moderate wear. Glazed and polished then reglazed zirconia showed significant opposing enamel wear, and veneering porcelain demonstrated the most. Conclusions Within the limitations of the study, polished zirconia is wear-friendly to the opposing tooth. Glazed zirconia causes more material and antagonist wear than polished zirconia. The surface roughness of the zirconia aided in predicting the wear of the opposing dentition.
Perioperative cardiac risk reduction: doing it right

arious interventions to reduce the risk of cardiac complications during surgery have been proposed. This article evaluates the evidence for these preventive approaches, examines methods of incorporating new and conflicting evidence into a coherent clinical approach, and reviews systems for successfully implementing evidence-based interventions in the hospital. ■ APPROACHES FOR PREVENTING CARDIAC COMPLICATIONS With revascularization reserved as a preventive measure for those patients at extremely high risk of cardiac complications, other less invasive preventive approaches should be considered. Maintenance of normothermia One preventive approach is maintenance of normal body temperature. In a randomized, controlled clinical study of 300 patients with or at high risk for coronary disease who underwent major abdominal or vascular surgery, supplemental warming care was associated with a significant (P = .02) reduction in perioperative morbid cardiac events compared with routine thermal care. 1 The risk of supplemental warming is low and the potential reward is high; in addition to the reduction in cardiac complications, patients randomized to normothermia in this study had a lower rate of surgicalsite infections, less nausea, and better pain control. Calcium channel blocker therapy A recent meta-analysis 2 demonstrated a significant reduction in adverse coronary endpoints with the use of calcium channel blockers, compared with placebo, as preventive therapy in patients undergoing various types of surgery. This reduction in the risk of events, however, was driven entirely by a significant reduction in the incidences of ischemia and supraventricular tachycardia, with no effect of calcium channel blockers on perioperative myocardial infarction (MI) or death. The largest reductions in risk with calcium channel blockers occurred in patients undergoing thoracic surgery. In most of the studies in which a favorable effect of calcium channel blockers was observed, patients were on concomitant beta-blockade that was not adequately controlled for, which obscures interpretation of the meta-analysis. For these reasons, calcium channel blockers should not be considered firstline therapy as a preventive strategy.
Investment Criteria in Development Programs

Introduction, 38. — I. The capital-intensity criterion, 38. — II. The nature of the product, 42; real income increases, money income stable, 43; money income increases to the extent of the incremental output, 44; the tautology of the "type III" criterion, 45; the advantages of home market industries, 46. — III. Direct vs. indirect foreign exchange requirements, 48. — IV. Practical value of the rejected criteria, 50. — V. The hazards of international financing, 53. — VI. Conclusion, 60.
Calibration of Probabilistic Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts

Abstract From 1 August 1990 to 31 July 1995, the Weather Service Forecast Office in Pittsburgh prepared 6159 probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecasts. Forecasts were made twice a day for 24-h periods beginning at 0000 and 1200 UTC for two river basins. This is the first in a series of articles devoted to a comprehensive verification of these forecasts. The property verified herein is calibration: a match between forecast probabilities and empirical frequencies of events. Monthly time series of calibration statistics are analyzed to infer (i) trends in calibration over time, (ii) the forecasters’ skill in quantifying uncertainty, (iii) the adaptability of forecasters’ judgments to nonstationarities of the predictand, (iv) the possibility of reducing biases through dynamic recalibration, and (v) the potential for improving calibration through individualized training.
Guaranteed Collision Avoidance for Autonomous Systems with Acceleration Constraints and Sensing Uncertainties

A set of cooperative and noncooperative collision avoidance strategies for a pair of interacting agents with acceleration constraints, bounded sensing uncertainties, and limited sensing ranges is presented. We explicitly consider the case in which position information from the other agent is unreliable, and develop bounded control inputs using Lyapunov-based analysis, that guarantee collision-free trajectories for both agents. The proposed avoidance control strategies can be appended to any other stable control law (i.e., main control objective) and are active only when the agents are close to each other. As an application, we study in detail the synthesis of the avoidance strategies with a set-point stabilization control law and prove that the agents converge to the desired configurations while avoiding collisions and deadlocks (i.e., unwanted local minima). Simulation results are presented to validate the proposed control formulation.
Abstract 17726: Comprehensive Evaluation of QT Interval During Abrupt Changes in Heart Rate and Associated Neurohormonal and Inflammatory Markers

Background: QT interval prolongation and risk of torsades de pointes have been associated with abrupt heart rate (HR) slowing after cardioversion from atrial fibrillation (AF) or AV nodal ablation. The degree to which the QT interval prolongs with abrupt changes in HR, and the underlying mechanisms, are poorly understood. We quantified ΔQT interval during cessation of rapid pacing and examined the relationship between QT and circulating neurohormonal and inflammatory markers. Methods: Eleven subjects with dual chamber pacemakers and intact AV conduction were atrially-paced at 90/min for 10 min, 60 min, and 1 week (Figure). Biomarkers were sampled during and after pacing. The relationships between QT, pacing stage, and biomarker levels were analyzed with a mixed effect model. QT intervals were compared for the 20 RR intervals before and 100 RR intervals after each pacing stage. Results: QT intervals prolonged after cessation of rapid pacing: 6.4 ms (95% confidence interval 4.9-7.8 ms) after 10 min (P<0.000...
Testing for Asymmetric Information Using “Unused Observables” in Insurance Markets: Evidence from the U.K. Annuity Market: TESTING FOR ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION USING “UNUSED OBSERVABLES” IN INSURANCE MARKETS

This paper tests for asymmetric information in the U.K. annuity market of the 1990s by trying to identify 'unused observables,' attributes of individual insurance buyers that are correlated both with subsequent claims experience and with insurance demand but that insurance companies did not use to set insurance prices. Unlike the widely-used positive correlation test for asymmetric information, which searches for a positive correlation between insurance demand and risk experience, the unused observables test is not confounded by heterogeneity in individual preference parameters that may affect insurance demand. We identify residential location as an unused observable in the U.K. annuity market of this period, and show that this variable was correlated both with annuity demand and with prospective mortality. Thus even though residential location was observed by all market participants, the decision not to condition prices on it created the same types of market inefficiencies that arise when annuity buyers have private information about mortality risk. Our findings raise interesting questions about how insurance companies select the set of buyer attributes that they use in setting policy prices. In the decade following the period that we study, U.K. insurance companies changed their pricing practices and began to condition annuity prices on a buyer's postcode.
''The Most Liberal Senator''?: Analyzing and Interpreting Congressional Roll Calls

The non-partisan National Journal recently declared Senator John Kerry to be the ‘‘top liberal’’ in the Senate based on analysis of 62 roll calls in 2003. Although widely reported in the media (and the subject of a debate among the Democratic presidential candidates), we argue that this characterization of Kerry is misleading in at least two respects. First, when we account for the ‘‘margin of error’’ in the voting scores -- which is considerable for Kerry given that he missed 60 % of the National Journal’s key votes while campaigning -- we discover that the probability that Kerry is the ‘‘top liberal’’ is only.30, and that we cannot reject the conclusion that Kerry is only the 20 th most liberal senator. Second, we compare the position of the President Bush on these key votes; including the President’s announced positions on these votes reveals the President to be just as conservative as Kerry is liberal (i.e., both candidates are extreme relative to the 108 th Senate). A similar conclusion holds when we replicate the analysis using all votes cast in the 107 th Senate. A more comprehensive analysis than that undertaken by National Journal (including an accounting of the margins of error in voting scores) shows although Kerry belongs to the most liberal quintile of the contemporary Senate, Bush belongs to the most conservative quintile.
Measurement-based control design for unknown systems

This chapter outlines an approach to control design for an unknown system, that is, a system whose model or parameters are unknown. We show that a few strategic measurements processed appropriately can determine the control parameters for the otherwise unknown system. A linear circuit and a block diagram example are presented to illustrate the approach.
Trends in treatment of infectious parapneumonic effusions in U.S. children's hospitals, 2004–2014

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine trends in the treatment of patients with infectious parapneumonic effusions in U.S. children's hospitals over the past decade. Methods The PHIS database was queried for patients younger than 18years old with pneumonia and pleural effusion in three yearlong periods over the past decade. Variables included age, gender, payer, race/ethnicity, hospital region, hospital type, markers of illness severity, and treatment group (antibiotics alone, chest tube thoracostomy±thrombolytics, video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS), or thoracotomy). Results 5569 patients were included in the final analysis. The proportion of patients treated with antibiotics alone increased from 62% to 74% from 2004 to 2014 (p Conclusion In a select cohort of free-standing, tertiary care U.S. children's hospitals, antibiotic administration alone remains the most common treatment approach to infectious parapneumonic effusions. VATS treatment for those patients requiring pleural space drainage is being gradually supplanted by thoracostomy tube placement with instillation of fibrinolytics.
Effects of Heat and Light Crossed Gradients Room Testing on the Growth and Performance of Broiler Type Chicks

Abstract Six experiments, each involving from 100 to 120 one-day-old chicks for periods of either 4 or 5 weeks duration, were conducted in the crossed gradients room of the University of Wisconsin’s Biotron to study some of the effects of various heat and light combinations on chick growth and performance. The initial trials revealed tendencies for chicks which were reared under continuous lighting and which were free to select their own environments to prefer warm (32–35°C.) darker (1 f./c.) areas in which to sleep, eat and drink. Given a 10-hour period of darkness in which to sleep, these same chicks then utilized the cooler zones for feed and water intake much more freely and utilized the warmer dark areas mainly for sleep. With the addition of wire cages to confine the chicks to given environments, second week body weights showed highly significant growth depression resulting from initial brooding temperatures of 36°C. and 39°C. Initial temperatures of 30°C. for only the first two weeks followed by 24°C. the next two weeks required the utilization of too much additional feed for heat energy to promote efficient growth. Neither feed efficiency nor rate of gain at either two or four weeks of age was significantly affected by the light levels tested (0.5 f./c.–5.5 f./c.). Further studies (Exps. 5 and 6) were conducted in which treatments showing deterimental effects were removed and the number of test groups within the satisfactory brooding temperature range increased. It can be concluded that under the described conditions, the recommended brooding program should begin and remain at 30°C. for the first three weeks. Weekly 3°C. decreases for each of the following two weeks will perpetuate the action of greater and more efficient gains. A light intensity of .5 to 5.5 f./c. appears to be preferential to chicks at this age and to show no differences in its effects on gain or feed efficiency.
Characterization of Site Dependent Pumping in EDFA

Site Dependent Pumping in EDFA has similar nature to Spectral Hole Burning effect, thus similar approach for characterization and modeling can be used. The wavelength selective effect on gain can reach several dB in EDFA.
A Case of a Papillary Thyroid Cancer with Lymph Node Metastases Found on Prophylactic Central Neck Dissection (Subclinical Disease, Micrometastases)

Occult papillary thyroid carcinoma (OPTC) has been defined as a PTC with a maximal tumor dimension of 1.5 cm or less with or without neck nodal metastases (NNM). It is increasingly prevalent, now accounting for the majority of PTCs diagnosed in the twenty-first century. About one in four is multicentric and one in three node-positive at presentation. Ninety-six percent are noninvasive and 99.5 % are localized to the neck. The majority are treated initially with near-total or total thyroidectomy, a minority by unilateral lobectomy. Therapeutic nodal dissection is performed for N1b disease. Controversy surrounds the role of prophylactic central compartment dissection with removal of subclinical level VI nodal metastases. Also, there is ongoing controversy regarding the acceptability of unilateral lobectomy as a definitive primary surgical procedure for OPTC. Radioiodine remnant ablation was performed in the 1980s in almost 50 % of OPTC patients, but currently, most (>80 %) do not receive ablative therapy, since it does not reduce recurrence rates at any site. Patients treated conventionally for OPTC can be reassured that they will enjoy a normal life expectancy and 90 % will never see a neck nodal recurrence during 40 years after initial surgery. It is probable that the observed excellent outcomes relate more to the indolent biologic nature of OPTC, rather than the efficacy of the variable initial management policies.
Relaxin up-regulates rat uterine vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA in vivo

Relaxin, a member of the insulin-like growth factor family, has long been know to play a key role in numerous species in the alteration of the female reproductive tract prior to parturition [1]. Most of these well-established effects of relaxin have been characterized with regard to relaxin’s systemic effects as a circulating factor released from the corpus luteum during pregnancy and prior to parturition [2,3]. Many of relaxin’s acute effects, however, may result from the local production and action of relaxin in the reproductive tract. Regardless of the source, relaxin has been found to induce a doubling of uterine wet weight in immature ovariectomized rats within 6 h as well as increases in uterine glycogen content and protein synthesis [4–7]. Furthermore, this increase in uterine wet weight can be blocked by ICI 182, 780, a highly specific estrogen receptor inhibitor [8]. This finding classifies relaxin as a ligand-independent activator of estrogen receptors.
Laser Performance and Optical Properties of LiSrGaF6:Cr3+

The laser-pumped laser performance of the new material LiSrGaF6:Cr3+ has been characterized. The laser results indicate that the material operates with a high slope efficiency of 50% due to the low passive, and pump-induced, loss levels. The optical and laser properties of Cr3+-doped LiSrGaF6 are similar to those of the LiSrAlF6 host previously investigated, although the magnitude of the expansion coefficients of the gallium analog are more favorable.
THE RESEARCH METHOD

This chapter discusses the research techniques and methodological considerations used in the survey of Edinburgh University, Durham University, and Newcastle University. The chapter discusses how the findings in the survey have come about and for what purpose, and how much reliance can be put upon them. The chapter discusses the research methods and procedures, outlining the difficulties and drawbacks as well as the successes and achievements. The survey was carried out in each of the three universities by means of postal questionnaires and intensive follow-up interview. This method was supplemented by long periods of participant observation preparatory to the collection of statistical data. The main methods used were participant observation; informal and formal interviews; the keeping of a daily fieldwork diary; and study of all current documentation of the student body including student newspapers, handbooks, and minutes of meetings.
Serologische Reaktionen mit künstlichen Komplexantigenen und einfachen chemischen Substanzen

Geraume Zeit nach der Entdeckung der serologischen Phanomene fehlte es trotz der Fulle von Beobachtungen an einer Methode, die Spezifizitat der Serumreaktionen von chemischen Gesichtspunkten aus systematisch zu untersuchen. Es war wohl klar, das die serologischen Reaktionen irgendwie von der chemischen Beschaffenheit der reagierenden Stoffe abhangen, obwohl auch dies bezweifelt wurde1, aber die unzulangliche chemische Kenntnis der zur Verfugung stehenden Antigene und die vollige Unkenntnis der Natur der Antikorper machten es unmoglich, den Zusammenhang naher zu analysieren. Bei dieser Sachlage ist es verstandlich, wenn Morgenroth (3), obwohl auf dem Boden der Ehrlichschen Anschauungen stehend, den Stand der Frage mit den Worten kennzeichnete, die Serologie sei ein Gebiet, „zu dem vorlaufig keine Brucke aus der Chemie fuhrt“.
Petroleum refinery optimization

In the face of lower margins, stiffer competition, and ever more stringent product and environmental specifications, petroleum refineries have increasingly relied on optimization approaches to maintain their survival and competitive edge. In this paper, we present a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art role of optimization methods in refineries for wide-ranging multiscale applications and activities spanning the traditional planning linear programming to supply chain that extends to outside-the-fence considerations. The paper aims to provide an integrated treatment of techniques and tools, and a survey of representative work in the burgeoning literature of this field with an emphasis on comparisons between industrial practices and academic research.
Diversity of the initial rocky planetary building materials at the edge of the solar system

Asteroids and comets are surviving members of the vast planetesimal population that was distributed across the early solar system. They appear to be a diverse set of bodies but we present evidence from comet samples that the body-to-body diversity of the initial rocky component mix in planetesimals may have declined with distance from the Sun. Laboratory measurements of the minor element Mn in olivine collected from Comet Wild 2 suggests that the micron-sized rocky crystalline contents of this comet formed in numerous inner solar system environments. The results are consistent with a scenario where silicates such as olivine form at incandescent temperatures in multiple environments and then mix as they are transported to distant cold regions where silicates could accrete with ice and organics to form comets. Accreting far from silicate formation regions, many ice-rich planetesimals are likely to have started with similar complex mixtures of diverse rocky components formed in various high-temperature environments. This contrasts with asteroidal meteorite parent bodies whose silicates retain regional properties that give different chondrite classes their distinctive properties.
Abstract 232: Minimizing Bleeding Complications in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab

Background: Bleeding complications related to invasive procedures significantly increase costs, length of stay, morbidity and mortality risk. The cardiac catheterization lab [CCL] is a high risk, h...
“I Ask the Profession to Stand Still”: The Evolution of American Public Accountancy, 1927–1962

This paper traces the emergence of the AICPA as an effective national representative of the American profession. Central to this evolution was a broadening of the Institute's outlook to encompass all practicing CPAs and to embrace the benefits of public relations and lobbying. The paper begins with the Wall Street elite that dominated the Institute's predecessor, the AIA, and describes the pressures for reform that culminated in the Securities Acts of 1933 and 1934 and set this evolution in motion. The final section makes use of former AICPA president Marquis Eaton's papers to show how pressure from the Securities and Exchange Commission, from competing professions, and from a geometric increase in the profession's numbers brought a more pragmatic and aggresive leadership to the Institute, one that more closely resembles the modern AICPA.
Climbing Fiber Development Is Impaired in Postnatal Car8 wdl Mice

The cerebellum is critical for an array of motor functions. During postnatal development, the Purkinje cells (PCs) guide afferent topography to establish the final circuit. Perturbing PC morphogenesis or activity during development can result in climbing fiber (CF) multi-innervation or mis-patterning. Structural defects during circuit formation typically have long-term effects on behavior as they contribute to the phenotype of movement disorders such as cerebellar ataxia. The Car8 wdl mouse is one model in which early circuit destruction influences movement. However, although the loss of Car8 leads to the mis-wiring of afferent maps and abnormal PC firing, adult PC morphology is largely intact and there is no neurodegeneration. Here, we sought to uncover how defects in afferent connectivity arise in Car8 wdl mutants to resolve how functional deficits persist in motor diseases with subtle neuropathology. To address this problem, we analyzed CF development during the first 3 weeks of life. By immunolabeling CF terminals with VGLUT2, we found evidence of premature CF synapse elimination and delayed translocation from PC somata at postnatal day (P) 10 in Car8 wdl mice. Surprisingly, by P15, the wiring normalized, suggesting that CAR8 regulates the early but not the late stages of CF development. The data support the hypothesis of a defined sequence of events for cerebellar circuits to establish function.
ERβ alters the chemosensitivity of luminal breast cancer cells by regulating p53 function.

// Igor Bado 1 , Eric Pham 2 , Benjamin Soibam 3 , Fotis Nikolos 1 , Jan-Ake Gustafsson 1, 4 and Christoforos Thomas 1 1 Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA 2 Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA 3 Department of Computer Science and Engineering Technology, University of Houston-Downtown, Huston, Texas, USA 4 Center for Innovative Medicine, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden Correspondence to: Christoforos Thomas, email: thomaschristoforos@gmail.com Keywords: estrogen receptor β; p53; breast cancer; DNA damage response; therapy response Received: September 27, 2017 Accepted: March 21, 2018 Published: April 27, 2018 ABSTRACT Estrogen receptor α (ERα)-positive breast cancers tend to develop resistance to both endocrine therapy and chemotherapy. Despite recent progress in defining molecular pathways that confer endocrine resistance, the mechanisms that regulate chemotherapy response in luminal tumors remain largely elusive. Luminal tumors often express wild-type p53 that is a major determinant of the cellular DNA damage response. Similar to p53, the second ER subtype, ERβ, has been reported to inhibit breast tumorigenesis by acting alone or in collaboration with p53. However, a synergistic mechanism of action has not been described. Here, we suggest that ERβ relies on p53 to elicit its tumor repressive actions in ERα-positive breast cancer cells. Upregulation of ERβ and treatment with ERβ agonists potentiates the tumor suppressor function of p53 resulting in decreased survival. This effect requires molecular interaction between the two proteins that disrupts the inhibitory action of ERα on p53 leading to increased transcriptional activity of p53. In addition, we show that the same interaction alters the chemosensitivity of endocrine-resistant cells including their response to tamoxifen therapy. Our results suggest a collaboration of ERβ and p53 tumor suppressor activity in breast cancer cells that indicates the importance of ligand-regulated ERβ as a tool to target p53 activity and improve the clinical management of resistant disease.
The Carbon, Oxygen, and Clumped Isotopic Composition of Soil Carbonate in Archeology

The stable isotopic composition of soil carbonate is a powerful means of reconstructing past environments. Carbon isotopes allow archeologists to reconstruct the proportions of C 3 and C 4 plants, from which the overall extent of woody cover can be calculated, at least at lower latitudes. Oxygen isotopes provide a view of past climate, including moisture sources, soil evaporation, and, in some cases, paleotemperature. Clumped isotopes also allow soil temperatures to be reconstructed, which in modern soils and under seasonal climates reflect the warmest months of the year. On archeological (Quaternary) timescales, the isotopic composition of soil carbonate is very resistant to alteration and should be a robust, albeit low-resolution source of paleoenvironmental information for archeologists.
The sickle erythrocyte in double jeopardy: autoxidation and iron decompartmentalization.

Despite its obvious utility and normal resilience, Hb poses a potential hazard through its latent ability to deliver heme or iron to susceptible cellular sites. For the sickle RBC this risk is derived from the instability of HbS, which not only subjects the cell to accelerated generation of oxygen radicals, but also results in decompartmentalization of cellular iron
Beyond Biological Chelation: Coordination of f-Block Elements by Polyhydroxamate Ligands

The promise of polyhydroxamic acid ligands for the selective chelation of the f-block elements is becoming increasingly more apparent. The initial studies of polyhydroxamic acid siderophores showed the formation of highly stable complexes with PuIV , but a higher preference for FeIII hindered effective applications. The development of synthetic routes toward highly pure and customizable ligands containing multiple hydroxamic acids allowed for the growth of new classes of compounds. Although the first round of these ligands focused on the incorporation of siderophore-like frameworks, the new synthetic strategies led to small molecules of various frameworks and even resins for applications in the field of f-block element separations and biological desorption. Unfortunately, a lack of consistent stability-constant data makes direct comparisons across this body of work difficult. More studies into the stability constants and separations of the f-block elements in a variety of pH ranges is necessary to truly realize the potential for polyhydroxamic acid ligands.
Estrogen-Based Hormone Therapy for Depression Related to Reproductive Events

In this review, we provide an overview of recent literature on the use of estrogen-based hormone therapy to treat depression related to reproductive events, like postpartum and perimenopause. Women are two to four times more likely to become depressed in the perimenopausal stage of life and as many as 14.5% of women develop postpartum depression. It is hypothesized that these depressive symptoms are a result of fluctuations in hormone levels during these windows of vulnerability. To broaden treatment options beyond psychotherapy and antidepressants, researchers considered the role that estrogen-based hormone therapy can play during these periods of fluctuation. Research on the use of estrogen-based therapy to treat depression in premenstrual syndrome, postpartum, perimenopause, and postmenopause is varied and even contradictory at times. Overall, literature suggests that the right combination, dose, and duration of estrogen therapy can have positive effects on depressive symptoms related to reproductive events. In the past, estrogen-based hormone therapy has faced controversy regarding safety and efficacy, but researchers have since conducted trials that resulted in improved mood symptoms without significant side effects or risks. However, many experts caution against long-term use of estrogen therapy and emphasize the importance of prescribing a dose and method of delivery that best suits each individual patient.