cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Amino Acid Substitutions at Conserved Tyrosine 52 Alter Fidelity and Bypass Efficiency of Human DNA Polymerase η

DNA polymerase η (Polη) is a member of a new class of DNA polymerases that is able to copy DNA containing damaged nucleotides. These polymerases are highly error-prone during copying of unaltered DNA templates. We analyzed the relationship between bypass efficiency and fidelity of DNA synthesis by introducing substitutions for Tyr-52, a highly conserved amino acid, within the human DNA polymerase η (hPolη) finger domain. Most substitutions for Tyr-52 caused reduction in bypass of UV-associated damage, measured by the ability to rescue the viability of UV-sensitive yeast cells at a high UV dose. For most mutants, the reduction in bypass ability paralleled the reduction in polymerization activity. Interestingly, the hPolη Y52E mutant exhibited a greater reduction in bypass efficiency than polymerization activity. The reduction in bypass efficiency was accompanied by an up to 11-fold increase in the incorporation of complementary nucleotides relative to non-complementary nucleotides. The fidelity of DNA synthesis, measured by copying a gapped M13 DNA template in vitro, was also enhanced as much as 15-fold; the enhancement resulted from a decrease in transitions, which were relatively frequent, and a large decrease in transversions. Our demonstration that an amino acid substitution within the active site enhances the fidelity of DNA synthesis by hPolη, one of the most inaccurate of DNA polymerases, supports the hypothesis that even error-prone DNA polymerases function in base selection.
Automated Microbiological Sampling of Broiler Carcasses

Abstract The accepted, highly accurate method of whole bird rinsing for microbiological sampling of processed poultry carcasses (particularly for Salmonella) was automated and standardized. A multiunit bird rinser was designed, fabricated, and compared microbiologically with the standard manual rinsing procedure. No major differences in total plate counts and Enterobacteriaceae counts were found, and Salmonella recovery by both procedures was identical.
MINIMIZING TOTAL WEIGHTED COMPLETION TIME ON A SINGLE BATCH PROCESSING MACHINE

We study the problem of scheduling jobs on a single batch processing machine to minimize the total weighted completion time. A batch processing machine is one that can process a number of jobs simultaneously as a batch. The processing time of a batch is given by the processing time of the longest job in the batch. We present a branch and bound algorithm to obtain optimal solutions and develop lower bounds and dominance conditions. We also develop a number of heuristics and evaluate their performance through extensive computational experiments. Results show that two of the heuristics consistently generate high-quality solutions in modest CPU times.
Modeling the effects of a solid barrier on pollutant dispersion under various atmospheric stability conditions

There is a growing need for developing mitigation strategies for near-road air pollution. Roadway design is being considered as one of the potential options. Particularly, it has been suggested that sound barriers, erected to reduce noise, may prove effective at decreasing pollutant concentrations. However, there is still a lack of mechanistic understanding of how solid barriers affect pollutant transport, especially under a variety of meteorological conditions. In this study, we utilized the Comprehensive Turbulent Aerosol Dynamics and Gas Chemistry (CTAG) model to simulate the spatial gradients of SF6 concentrations behind a solid barrier under a variety of atmospheric stability conditions collected during the Near Road Tracer Study (NRTS08). We employed two different CFD models, RANS and LES. A recirculation zone, characterized by strong mixing, forms in the wake of a barrier. It is found that this region is important for accurately predicting pollutant dispersion, but is often insufficiently resolved by the less complex RANS model. The RANS model was found to perform adequately away from the leading edge of the barrier. The LES model, however, performs consistently well at all flow locations. Therefore, the LES model will make a significant improvement compared to the RANS model in regions of strong recirculating flow or edge effects. Our study suggests that advanced simulation tools can potentially provide a variety of numerical experiments that may prove useful for roadway design communities to intelligently design roadways, making effective use of roadside barriers.
Integrating complex adaptive system simulation and evolutionary computation to support water infrastructure threat management

Threat management for water distribution infrastructure systems should develop plans for responding to hazards, including the presence of contaminants in the system and failure of physical components. In the event that the delivery of clean and reliable drinking water is threatened, the complex interactions among managers` operational decisions, consumers` water consumption choices, and the hydraulics and contaminant transport in the water distribution system will influence public health consequences. A Complex Adaptive System (CAS) approach is developed here to couple process models of the pipe network with agent-based models of consumers and public officials. Development of threat management strategies, which would prescribe a set of actions to mitigate the situation, is enabled through a simulation-optimization framework that couples heuristic search methods with the CAS model. The framework is demonstrated for an illustrative case study to identify efficient threat management strategies to achieve public health protection and maintain acceptable levels of service.
Day and overnight visitors to the Olympic Wilderness

Abstract Wilderness visitors are comprised of day and overnight users. Research suggests that day use of wilderness is increasing and that day visitors may be different than more conventional overnight visitors in potentially important ways. This study examined this issue at Olympic National Park, USA. An on-site survey of wilderness visitors was conducted in the summer of 2012, achieving a response rate of 50.4% and yielding 1019 completed questionnaires. Four categories of variables were included in the survey: (1) demographic characteristics of visitors, (2) sensitivity to crowding, (3) preferences for wilderness conditions, and (4) support for wilderness management practices. T -tests of differences between means of day and overnight visitors and principal component analysis were used to analyze resulting data. The study found many similarities between day and overnight visitors. For example, there was little racial/ethnic diversity in either group and the vast majority of all visitors was highly educated. Both types of visitors reported an aversion to encountering other visitors on trails and at attraction sites, and most visitors tended to prefer some level of development that facilitated recreation use, such as bridges over streams. However, there were also some potentially important differences between day and overnight visitors. For example, day visitors were significantly less sensitive to crowding and more strongly supported management that allows access for recreation as opposed to providing opportunities for solitude. Moreover, day visitors constituted more than twice the number of overnight visitors, suggesting that day visitors represent a large majority of wilderness use. Study findings are being used to support development of a Wilderness Stewardship Plan for Olympic National Park and suggest that day use be given more explicit attention in wilderness planning and management. Management implications An important objective of wilderness and related outdoor recreation areas is to provide high quality visitor experiences. Thus, wilderness management must be informed by information about and from wilderness visitors. Day and overnight visitors constitute two important groups of wilderness users. Findings from this survey of visitors to the wilderness portion of Olympic National Park suggest that there are both similarities and differences between these groups. Day visitors tend to be less sensitive to crowding and less supportive of management that restricts wilderness use based on concerns for solitude. Day visitors also tend to report more favorable attitudes toward some types of recreation development (e.g., steel bridges over streams). These types of differences suggest that wilderness managers should consider providing a spectrum of wilderness recreation opportunities, some of which may be different than conventional interpretations of wilderness that emphasize solitude and naturalness. Study findings also suggest that day use be more explicitly addressed in wilderness planning and management.
The ICC and the US Global Military Command Structure: Is Cooperation Possible?

In this article, I argue that while there are a number of areas in which the United States and the ICC can be expected to clash, there are avenues worth exploring that may lead to a convergence of interests between the United States and the Court. Specifically, the U.S. military command structure, as defined by the Unified Command Plan, assigns command responsibility on a global scale to five regional combatant commands and four specialized functional commands. Through these regional commands, aided with technology in the hands of the specialized commands and other American assets, there are multiple possible avenues for a convergence of interests and even actual collaboration. As both the ICC and U.S. foreign policy envision a world in which the rule of law and human rights are respected, the possibilities of such cooperation are not as far-fetched as the casual observer might think.
Workplace violence: Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines for workers in health care and social services

Workplace violence has become a problem in modern American society. Health-care workers are particularly vulnerable because of the nature of their jobs dealing with clients, many of whom are emotionally disturbed. A brief review of the Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA) "Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence Among Health Care and Social Workers" that was published in 1996 is presented. Some sensible ways to implement the OSHA guidelines are also discussed.
Cultural Capital, Motherhood Capital, and Low-income Immigrant Mothers’ Institutional Negotiations

Complementing the research on immigrants’ exclusion from most U.S. service institutions as well as their “bureaucratic incorporation,” this study examines how and why immigrants’ negotiations with ...
Mand Training: An Examination of Response-Class Structure in Three Children With Autism and Severe Language Delays

Our primary purpose in this study was to examine the structure of a response class when new members are acquired through mand training. To do this, we replaced existing mands (e.g., reaching) in three children with autism with two new functionally equivalent mands. Next, we examined their responding under immediate- and delayed-reinforcement conditions. Then, we assessed generalization to novel social partners. We employed a reversal design to examine the effectiveness of mand training and to assess responding under both immediate- and delayed-reinforcement conditions. Our results suggest that all children acquired the new mands and that two of the children emitted these responses as replacements when the social partner did not provide access to the reinforcer contingent on the child's first mand. Generalization data indicate that all three children emitted the new mands and two of the children alternated between the new mands with novel social partners. We discuss the clinical implications and the conceptual significance of teaching multiple replacement mands to children with autism and severe language delays.
High molecular weight kininogen inhibits thrombin-induced platelet aggregation and cleavage of aggregin by inhibiting binding of thrombin to platelets.

In this study we show that high molecular weight kininogen (HK) inhibited alpha-thrombin-induced aggregation of human platelets in a dose-dependent manner with complete inhibition occurring at plasma concentration (0.67 mumol/L) of HK. HK (0.67 mumol/L) also completely inhibited thrombin-induced cleavage of aggregin (Mr = 100 Kd), a surface membrane protein that mediates adenosine diphosphate (ADP)- induced shape change, aggregation, and fibrinogen binding. The inhibition of HK was specific for alpha- and gamma-thrombin-induced platelet aggregation, because HK did not inhibit platelet aggregation induced by ADP, collagen, calcium ionophore (A23187), phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), PMA + A23187, or 9,11-methano derivative of prostaglandin H2 (U46619). These effects were explained by the ability of HK, at physiologic concentration, to completely inhibit binding of 125I-alpha-thrombin to washed platelets. As a result of this action of HK, this plasma protein also completely inhibited thrombin-induced secretion of adenosine triphosphate, blocked intracellular rise in Ca2+ in platelets exposed to alpha- and gamma-thrombin, inhibited thrombin- induced platelet shape change, and blocked the ability of thrombin to antagonize the increase in intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels induced by iloprost. Because elevation of cAMP is known to inhibit binding of thrombin to platelets, we established that HK did not increase the intracellular concentration of platelet cAMP. Finally, HK did not inhibit enzymatic activity of thrombin. To study the role of HK in the plasma environment, we used gamma-thrombin to avoid fibrin formation by alpha-thrombin. Platelet aggregation induced by gamma- thrombin was also inhibited by HK in a dose-dependent manner. The EC50 (concentration to produce 50% of the maximum rate of aggregation) of gamma-thrombin for washed platelets was 7 nmol/L and increased to 102 nmol/L when platelets were suspended in normal human plasma. The EC50 for platelet aggregation induced by alpha-thrombin in plasma deficient in total kininogen was 40 nmol/L. When supplemented with HK at plasma concentration (0.67 mumol/L), the EC50 increased to 90 nmol/L, a value similar to that for normal human plasma. These results indicate that (1) HK inhibits thrombin-induced platelet aggregation and cleavage of aggregin by inhibiting binding of thrombin to platelets; (2) HK is a specific inhibitor of platelet aggregation induced by alpha- and gamma- thrombin; and (3) HK plays a role in modulating platelet aggregation stimulated by alpha-thrombin in plasma.
A Tale Of Two States: Mississippi, West Virginia, And Exemptions To Compulsory School Vaccination Laws

School-based compulsory vaccination laws have provoked debates over the legitimacy of government coercion versus the scope of parental rights. A key point of contention in these school vaccination laws are provisions known as exemption clauses that allow some parents to enroll their children in school unimmunized for reasons other than medical conditions. For more than three decades Mississippi and West Virginia stood apart as the only two US states that did not offer nonmedical exemptions to school vaccination laws. But other states seem to be moving in this direction, such as California, which in 2015 eliminated nonmedical exemptions following the Disneyland measles outbreak. The apparent shift creates an opportune moment to look at the experiences of Mississippi and West Virginia. Through a review of legislative histories, legal rulings, media accounts, and interviews with health officials in the two states, we consider the reasons for and consequences of their allowing only medical exemptions and the ...
Cumene oxidation by cis-[RuIV(bpy)2(py)(O)]2+, revisited.

cis-[RuIV(bpy)2(py)(O)]2+ oxidizes cumene (2-phenylpropane) in acetonitrile solution primarily to cumyl alcohol (2-phenyl-2-propanol), α-methylstyrene, and acetophenone. Contrary to a prior report, the rate of the reaction is not accelerated by added nucleophiles. There is thus no evidence for the hydride transfer mechanism originally proposed. Instead, the results are consistent with a mechanism of initial hydrogen atom transfer from cumene to the ruthenium oxo group. This is indicated by the correlation of rate with C−H bond strength and by the various products observed. The formation of acetophenone, with one carbon less than cumene, is suggested to occur via a multistep pathway involving decarbonylation of the acyl radical from 2-phenylpropanal. An alternative mechanism involving β-scission of cumyloxyl radical is deemed unlikely because of the difficulty of generating alkoxyl radicals under anaerobic conditions and the lack of rearranged products in the oxidation of triphenylmethane by cis-[RuIV(bpy)...
Antagonistic activity of Pseudohalonectria and Ophioceras.

In vitro antagonistic activity of species of two closely related freshwater, lignicolous, ascomycete genera, Pseudohalonectria and Ophioceras, was studied. Species were tested in paired cultures on agar against representatives of a wide array of fungal taxa. Percent inhibition was measured and species were ranked according to their ability to inhibit and to resist inhibition. Species in all fungal taxa tested were inhibited to some extent by all species of Pseudohalonectria. Growth of most species of filamentous fungi tested was strongly inhibited at a distance by species of Pseudohalonectria. Species of Ophioceras were generally less inhibitory, especially at a distance. Stimulation of growth of Pseudohalonectria species was observed in some interactions. Growth ofa yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and two bacteria, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, were unaffected by species in both genera. Spore germination of Cylindrocarpon ianthothele was not greatly inhibited by species of Pseudohalonectria or Ophioceras, while germ tube elongation was inhibited by Pseudohalonectria species. Culture filtrates of P. longirostrum were inhibitory to Pachysolen tannophilus, a yeast used as a bioassay organism.
Properties of Serum Fractions Derived from Wheal Reactive Diphtheria Antitoxin.

SummaryProperties of fractions of diphtheria antitoxic wheal reactive serum have been described. The ability of these fractions to sensitize human skin has been related to their protein and antitoxin content. Two methods of cold ethanol fractionation were employed to obtain serum components, some of which were then subfractionated electrophoretically in a starch supporting medium. The results of passive transfer tests suggest that skin sensitization is best expressed in fractions which contain gamma globulin and a non-gamma (β or α2) globulin. The point of view is adopted that the serum under consideration contains antitoxic reagins, and that they represent antitoxin whose behavior is modified by the coexistence of a labile protein protective serum factor.
Reproductive and Growth Toxicity of Chlorination Disinfection By-products

The chlorination is used worldwide as an important measure of water disinfection.It is important to pay enough attention to the health effects of by-products yielded from chlorination.The reproduction and growth toxicity of these by-products were reviewed here from the viewpoint of toxicology and epidemiology research.
Tobacco quitline outcomes by service type.

BACKGROUND Tobacco use is a burden in terms of mortality, chronic disease, and economic impact. Effective treatments exist to aid tobacco users who are motivated to quit. The South Dakota QuitLine provides coaching to all participants and the option of a cessation product (nicotine replacement therapy [NRT], or the prescription medications, varenicline or bupropion) at no cost. This study describes the types of services requested by South Dakota QuitLine participants and the associated cessation outcomes across service types. METHODS Data from South Dakota QuitLine enrollees during a four year period (2008 to 2011) were included. Enrollment data (demographics and tobacco use) and outcome evaluation data (30 day point prevalence - abstinence) collected seven months later were accessed (N = 11,603/26,876 enrollees, 43.2 percent response). The frequency of requests for each type of cessation service and associated cessation outcomes are reported. Abstinence at seven months was compared for the different services. RESULTS Frequencies of cessation services requested were coaching/varenicline (64.6 percent), coaching/bupropion (5 percent), coaching/NRT (22.6 percent), and coaching only (5.4 percent). Overall abstinence at seven months was 47.2 percent. Abstinence rates for service types were the following: coaching/varenicline (49.8 percent), coaching/bupropion (47.3 percent), coaching/NRT (42.9 percent), and coaching only (40.3 percent). Chi-square analysis and confidence interval comparisons identified significantly higher abstinence (p < .05) for varenicline/coaching in comparison to coaching only or coaching/NRT. CONCLUSIONS All service options available from the South Dakota QuitLine result in cessation rates of 40 percent or greater. Providers should assess tobacco use, advise users to quit, and refer to the South Dakota QuitLine.
Pressure techniques for the prevention of hypertrophic scar.

Abstract No ideal or all-purpose method of scar control exists. Successful management of hypertrophic scar depends on early and aggressive treatment. The creative use of available products facilitates the production of a cosmetic and functional scar. Selection of the appropriate contact media will be influenced by the size, location, and depth of the injury; the scar's ability to tolerate shear and pressure; the availability of various products; and, most importantly, the patient's involvement in his or her own rehabilitation. The use of pressure is only one segment of the total rehabilitation of the thermally injured patient. Its use in conjunction with exercise, splinting, positioning, and reconstructive surgery allows an optimal level of function and cosmesis to be achieved.
Film thickness measurements around curved surfaces using a microscope-based reflectometer

A commercial microscope-based reflectometer was modified and a custom measurement protocol and analysis regimen were developed for characterization of coatings around curved surfaces.
Platelets: New Bricks in the Building of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps

In addition to being key elements in hemostasis and thrombosis, platelets have an important role in the inflammatory and innate immune response. This activity is associated with their capability to recognize pathogens through the expression of toll-like receptors, the secretion of various cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors stored within their granules, and the expression of cell adhesion molecules that allows interaction with other immune cells, mainly neutrophils and monocytes. As part of the first line of defense, neutrophils control invading pathogens by phagocytosis, the release of antimicrobial proteins during degranulation, or through the formation of web-like structures named neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NETs are formed by chromatin, proteases, and antimicrobial proteins, and their main function is to trap and kill bacteria, virus, and fungi, avoiding their dissemination. Besides microorganisms, NET formation is also triggered by proinflammatory molecules and platelets. The uncontrolled formation of NETs might exert tissue damage and has been involved in a pathogenic mechanism of autoimmune and prothrombotic clinical conditions. In this review, we discuss the role of platelets in NET generation highlighting the mediators, stimuli, and molecular mechanisms involved in this phenomenon, both in human and murine models.
Spatially homogeneous entanglement for matter-wave interferometry created with time-averaged measurements

We demonstrate a method to generate spatially homogeneous entangled, spin-squeezed states of atoms appropriate for maintaining a large amount of squeezing even after release into the arm of a matter-wave interferometer or other free-space quantum sensor. Using an effective intracavity dipole trap, we allow atoms to move along the cavity axis and time average their coupling to the standing wave used to generate entanglement via collective measurements, demonstrating 11(1) dB of directly observed spin squeezing. Our results show that time averaging in collective measurements can greatly reduce the impact of spatially inhomogeneous coupling to the measurement apparatus.
Genetic Background Limits Generalizability of Genotype-Phenotype Relationships.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified numerous loci that influence risk for psychiatric diseases. Genetically engineered mice are often used to characterize genes implicated by GWASs. These studies are based on the assumption that observed genotype-phenotype relationships will generalize to humans, implying that the results would at least generalize to other inbred mouse strains. Given current concerns about reproducibility, we sought to directly test this assumption. We produced F1 crosses between male C57BL/6J mice heterozygous for null alleles of Cacna1c and Tcf7l2 and wild-type females from 30 inbred laboratory strains. We found extremely strong interactions with genetic background that sometimes supported diametrically opposing conclusions. These results do not negate the invaluable contributions of mouse genetics to biomedical science, but they do show that genotype-phenotype relationships cannot be reliably inferred by studying a single genetic background, and thus constitute a major challenge to the status quo. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
Numerical modeling of amplitude-to-phase conversion in modified uni-traveling carrier (MUTC) photodetector

We calculate the amplitude-to-phase noise conversion in a MUTC photodetector. We obtained two nulls as measured in the experiments, and we explain their origin.
Economic adaptive decision processes

A sequential adaptive economic decision process can generally be broken down into three interrelated sequential processes. The first is a stochastic environmental process; the second is a historical process which generates a record of the past environmental events; and the third is the decision process itself. Many different kinds of historical processes are possible. Heuristic processes are briefly considered but this paper is mainly concerned with the Bayesian process. Assuming a beta a priori probability function a maximum liklihood estimate function or subjective probability function can be developed for the decision maker's use. A decision process generally implies that the decision maker will display some optimal behavior pattern. It will be assumed that the decision maker seeks to maximize the rate of growth of his personal resources. This assumption leads to the formulation of the sequential adaptive process as a dynamic programming problem. The solution of the dynamic programming problem leads to an optimal policy for the decision maker which is the "best" he can do with only limited information about his environmental process. As time passes the optimal policy improves and approaches, in the probability limit, the "best" that can be done having full information about the environmental process. The expected rate of growth of the decision maker's resources is a function of his subjective view of the entropy of the environment and as time passes this expected rate of growth approaches, in the probability limit, a function of the actual entropy of the environment.
Feasibility of using pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) to monitor vertical movement of a Sebastes: A case study

Abstract Pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) were deployed on eight blackspotted rockfish ( Sebastes melanostictus ) (37–54 cm fork length) caught in southeast Alaska at depths from 148 to 198 m. Six of these fish were tagged and released immediately after capture in a commercially available inverted, weighted crab ring, descended quickly to what was assumed to be the seafloor, and remained at that depth until the PSATs released early (after 12–14 days). The remaining two fish were held in a laboratory after capture, one for 8 months and one for 46 months, and were then released at the surface nearby the capture site. One of these two tags released after 12 days while the tag deployed on a 37 cm fish was retained for 190 days. Both fish moved to deeper depths initially and then moved back to more shallow depths, indicating that rockfish may require time to acclimate to increased pressure if the swim bladder is not currently ruptured. For the tag that was retained for 190 days, we identified six phases of vertical movement behavior. During the longest phase (122 days) the fish made rapid descents, sometimes in less than 15 min, which were deeper during the day and during high-tide, but more frequent at night. During some of the shorter phases (lasting from 8 to 28 days) the fish was more sedentary or was deeper at night. Our results show that it is possible to tag a deepwater rockfish with a PSAT.
The Quality of Quality Metrics

To the Editor: Perhaps the most important skills the respiratory care profession offers the medical community are those associated with life support: resuscitation and mechanical ventilation. We might wonder, therefore, why we have such high expectations[1][1] and yet so few metrics of quality
The View from Over the Hill: Regional Research in a Post-Demographic Transition World

Regional science came of age in the post-World War II era, when rapid advances were being made in many fields of science and computational technologies were blossoming; large-scale urban and regional modeling and normative approaches to planning were in vogue. The multidisciplinary field has perhaps been most closely associated with its methods. But the topics of regional science research have also reflected conditions extant in a world undergoing a profound demographic transformation. The most developed countries have now completed their long-term fertility transitions, and most of the still-developing countries have now moved out of the early expanding stage. At a regional and local scale, settlement patterns in much of the developed world have been characterized by urban sprawl and suburbanization, as well as periodic counter-urbanization starting the 1970s, while in the developing world rapid urbanization has been the norm with the growth of many new mega-cities. These trends all reflect the changing age composition attendant to demographic transition. In this chapter, we attempt to lay out some of the changing needs and issues for regional research as world population growth slows, as labor forces age in both more developed and rapidly developing countries, as advances in gender equality proceed apace, and when, in many regions, little population change or even population losses become as likely as continued population growth. We offer some provocative thoughts on nine broad topics where we think looking through the lens of demographic aging can help scope out policy concerns and research needs for the future.
Eastboro Machine Tools Corporation

IIn mid September 2001, Jennifer Campbell, the chief financial officer of this large CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and manufacturing) equipment manufacturer must decide whether to pay out dividends to the firms shareholders, or repurchase stock. If Campbell chooses to pay out dividends, she must also decide on the magnitude of the payout. A subsidiary question is whether the firm should embark on a campaign of corporate-image advertising and change its corporate name to reflect its new outlook. The case serves as an omnibus review of the many practical aspects of the dividend and share buyback decisions, including: (1) signaling effects, (2) clientele effects, and (3) finance and investment implications of increasing dividend payout and share repurchase decisions. This case can follow a treatment of the Miller-Modigliani dividend irrelevance theorem and serves to highlight practical considerations in setting dividend policy.
Neural Correlates of Social Influence on Risk Taking and Substance Use in Adolescents.

Adolescents often engage in elevated levels of risk taking that give rise to substance use. Family and peers constitute the primary contextual risk factors for adolescent substance use. This report reviews how families and peers influence adolescent neurocognitive development to inform their risk taking and subsequent substance use. Developmental neuroscience using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has identified regions of the brain involved in social cognition, cognitive control, and reward processing that are integrally linked to social influence on adolescent risk taking. These neural mechanisms play a role in how peer and family influence (e.g., physical presence, relationship quality, rejection) translate into adolescent substance use. Peers and families can independently, and in tandem, contribute to adolescent substance use, for better or for worse. We propose that future work utilize fMRI to investigate the neural mechanisms involved in different aspects of peer and family influence and how these contexts uniquely and interactively influence adolescent substance use initiation and escalation across development.
LGBTQ-Inclusive hospice and palliative care: A practical guide to transforming professional practice

Acquaviva, K. D. (2017). LGBTQ-inclusive hospice and palliative care: A practical guide to transforming professional practice. New York: Harrington Park Press. 272 pp, ISBN: 9781939594143, $16.99 (...
A generalized linear time algorithm for an optimal k-distance dominating set of a weighted tree

Abstract The new algorithm finds an optimal k-distance dominating set D in a weighted trees T = ( V , E ) with link-weights w ( x , y ) > 0 in time O ( | V | ) . It generalizes a previous linear time algorithm for an optimal k-hop dominating set for an unweighted tree. This significantly increases the applications of dominating sets in trees.
Calculated Impacts of Diluents on Flame Temperature, Ignition Delay, and Flame Speed of Methane–Oxygen Mixtures at High Pressure and Low to Moderate Temperatures

Oxy-fuel combustion is one method to produce concentrated streams of carbon dioxide for subsequent sequestration. An additional benefit of oxy-firing is a reduction in NOx formation. The high combustion temperatures resulting from oxy-firing are typically controlled by exhaust gas recirculation. In this work, we performed chemical kinetic (CHEMKIN) calculations using a mechanism validated for these conditions to study the effects of dilution by either carbon dioxide or water vapor on methane oxy-combustion, and to compare the results with methane air-combustion (N2 as the diluent). The study was performed under adiabatic conditions at a pressure of P = 30 atm, an equivalence ratio of φ = 1, and initial temperatures of T = 800–1200 K, which mimic the inlet conditions of many gas turbines and flameless combustors. The calculations show that H2O addition at low initial temperatures and high pressure leads to considerable reduction in the ignition delay time. This result is mainly due to changes in the radica...
Patterns of concordance with clinical algorithms for survivors of head and neck cancers.

26Background: Research indicates survivors of head and neck cancers (HNC) are at greater risk for recurrences and adverse late effects. HNC survivorship algorithms are available to provide consiste...
Nonlinear inverse heat conduction problem of surface temperature estimation by calibration integral equation method

A calibration integral equation method is proposed for estimating the surface temperature in the context of a nonlinear inverse heat conduction problem. The temperature-dependent thermophysical pro...
Previous Evaluations of Sensitivity of Southern Soils

Several studies have provided information on changes in soil chemistry for specific sites in the South, and others have evaluated the regional sensitivity of soils to strong acid inputs. In this chapter, we discuss the site-specific studies and then examine the previous investigations that have assessed the regional sensitivity of soils in the South to acidic deposition. We conclude by considering the criteria that have been used to define sensitive soils, and we develop our own definitions for use in the computer simulation runs in chapter 7.
Platinum Compounds in Lung Cancer: Current Status

Randomized clinical studies and meta-analyses of the literature have confirmed the improved survival of platinum-based chemotherapy doublets, that are considered standard therapy in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a good performance status. The use of platinum compounds have also demonstrated a slight survival advantage over nonplatinum-based chemotherapy. Cisplatin remains the platinum agent of choice in the management of patients with NSCLC in both the advanced and adjuvant setting based on the results from recent meta-analyses. However, carboplatin may be offered to patients in advanced stages of the disease due to its more favorable toxicity profile. To date, four targeted agents (bevacizumab, cetuximab, erlotinib and gefitinib) have been studied in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced NSCLC. Only bevacizumab has been shown to significantly prolong survival when added to carboplatin/paclitaxel as demonstrated in a large phase III study. However, issues of toxicity limit this treatment regimen to selected patients. The combination of bevacizumab with cisplatin and gemcitabine appears promising but is still awaiting the final results of the unpublished survival data. Preliminary studies indicate that molecular tumor markers may be able to identify tumors that are more likely to respond to chemotherapy. Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) and Ribonucleotide Reductase M1 (RRM1) are two such genes critical to DNA synthesis and DNA damage repair pathways that have been studied. The results from the first prospective phase III randomized trial suggest that customizing chemotherapy based on ERCC1 expression in patients with advanced NSCLC is a feasible approach. In the future, selection of patients based on pharmacogenetics may help identify patients who will optimally benefit from specific therapies.
Collision on the High Seas: The Negative Impact of Asylum and Human Rights Restraints on the Suppression of Piracy, and How a Successful Resolution Creates an Informative Case Study for the Development of Counter-Terror Principles

Current trends in asylum and human rights law present an obstacle to the exercise of a traditional international law duty to suppress piracy. An examination of the historical precedents of the duty to suppress piracy and recent problems encountered in the Somalia Case Study provide the opportunity to extend the principles of any successful solution to the oft-cited counter-terror corrolary.
Association of mood disorders with cardiovascular disease risk factors in overweight and obese youth with elevated blood pressure.

The American Heart Association defines mood disorders (MDO) as a tier-II cardiovascular disease risk factor in children. Cross-sectional analysis of overweight/obese children referred to an obesity hypertension clinic revealed 37% had a MDO (defined by clinical diagnosis or Patient Health Questionnaire-9/-A score ≥10), 55% had confirmed hypertension, and 75% left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Children with MDOs were older, had greater measures of adiposity, and had a greater prevalence of hypertension (78%) than those without MDOs (42%; P = .04). Hypertensive children were 2.8 times more likely to have a MDO than those without (52% vs 18%; P = .02). Multivariable logistic regression revealed a statistically significant independent association of MDOs with hypertension (Odds Ratio [OR] 6.3, P = .048), but not LVH (LVMI ≥ 51 g/m2.7 ; OR 1.13, P = .88). Overall, the prevalence of MDOs in this group of overweight/obese children with elevated blood pressure was well above national averages, suggesting that at-risk youth, particularly those with confirmed hypertension, should be regularly screened for MDOs.
A New Paradigm for the MSF Programs

MSF stands for the Master of Science in Finance. In this paper, we propose a new scheme for the next-generation MSF programs. Here, the term of MSF is used to represent many similar programs, such as Master Degree of Financial Engineering, Quantitative Finance, Risk Management, Computational Finance and the like. Our approach could be summarized by three features: 1) replace C with Python or R plus SAS, 2) focus on data analytics, especially on financial data analytics, and 3) borrow a few courses from Business Analytics programs. In a sense, the new design could be viewed as the inter-join between the current MSF programs and Business Analytics programs. Alternatively, just remember three words: finance, programming and data.
Structural changes associated with the conversion of pepsinogen to pepsin. II. The N-terminal amino acid residues of pepsin and pepsinogen; the amino acid composition of pepsinogen.

Abstract 1. 1. The N-terminal amino acids of pepsinogen, pepsin, and the inhibitor were determined using the dinitrophenol technique of Sanger and found to be leucine, isoleucine, and leucine respectively. 2. 2. The sequence of amino acids at the N-terminal position of pepsinogen, pepsin, and the inhibitor are different; hence, neither pepsin nor the inhibitor can occupythe N-terminal position in pepsinogen. 3. 3. The precursor, enzyme, and inhibitor were each found to have one N-terminal residue, indicating that these molecules are composed of single peptide chains. 4. 4. The ϵ-amino groups of the eleven lysines of pepsinogen and the two in pepsin are free to react with dinitrofluorobenzine. 5. 5. A DNP analysis of the neutral fraction of the TCA-soluble components of the activation mixture shows that it consists of five peptides having an average molecular weight of 1000. 6. 6. The amino acid composition of pepsinogen has been determined using the ino-exchange resin, Dowex-50-X4. It contains considerably more lysine than pepsin. The sum of the residue weights agrees with the molecular weight obtained by chemical and physical methods. 7. 7. The amino acid composition of the remainder of pepsinogen (miscellaneous peptides) was determined by subtracting the amino acid composition of pepsin and the inhibitor from pepsinogen.
Hospital factors strongly influence robotic use in general surgery.

Abstract Background We hypothesized that general surgeons are more likely to use a robotic surgical platform at hospitals where more urologic and gynecologic robotic operations are performed, suggesting that hospital-related factors are important for choice of usage of minimally invasive platforms. Methods We queried the National Inpatient Sample from 2010 to 2014 for patients who underwent stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, colon and rectum, or hernia (general surgery), prostate or kidney (urologic surgery), and ovarian or uterine surgery (gynecologic surgery). Hospitals were grouped into quartiles according to percent volume of robotic urologic or gynecologic operations. Multivariable logistic regression modeling determined independent variables associated with robotics. Results Survey-weighted results represented 482,227 open, 240,360 laparoscopic, and 42,177 robotic general surgical operations at 3,933 hospitals. Robotics use increased with each year studied and was more likely to be performed on younger men with private insurance. The odds of a general surgery patient receiving a robotic operation increased with urologic and gynecologic use at the hospital. Patients at top quartile hospitals for robotic urologic surgery had 1.34 times greater odds of receiving robotic general surgery operations (confidence interval 1.15–1.57, P Conclusion Use of robotics in general surgery is independently associated with use in urologic and gynecologic surgery at a hospital, suggesting that institutional factors are important drivers of use when considering laparoscopy versus robotics in general surgery.
Scanning probe microscopy based characterization of battery materials, interfaces, and processes

Abstract Increasing demand for sustainable battery technologies has necessitated substantive global research efforts towards delivering improvements in terms of both, the underlying battery materials and processes. Due to favorable attributes such as high gravimetric energy density, batteries based broadly on inorganic-ion, and more specifically on Lithium-ion (Li-ion), electrochemistry have emerged as the technologies of choice for current and next-generation consumer electronic devices and electric automobiles. Improvements in critical system metrics such as energy/power density, cycle-life, cost, safety, and technological sustainability rely heavily on multi-parameter, multi-scale, and multi-physics optimization of the materials, interfaces, and processes that constitute a battery system. Over the past decade, Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) techniques have delivered important solutions for addressing these technological challenges through new characterization tools at the atomic-to-nanoscale. This article presents a comprehensive review of these SPM techniques of relevance for the battery systems. Specifically, each SPM operation mode of relevance, which include atomic force microscopy, electrochemical atomic force microscopy, Kelvin probe force microscopy, electrochemical strain microscopy, scanning ion conductance microscopy, and scanning electrochemical microscopy, have been discussed in terms of their state-of-the-art, applications, advantages, limitations, and future directions. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the following information and insights revealed by these methodologies has been provided: ionic transport and diffusion dynamics, electrochemical activity, surface and interfacial studies, morphological and dimensional changes, and evolution of mechanical properties/their degradation.
In praise and in search of highly-polarizable semiconductors: Technological promise and discovery strategies

The dielectric response of materials underpins electronics and photonics. At high frequencies, dielectric polarizability sets the scale for optical density and absorption. At low frequencies, dielectric polarizability determines the band diagram of junctions and devices, and nonlinear effects enable tunable capacitors and electro-optic modulators. More complicated but no less important is the role of dielectric response in screening bound and mobile charges. These effects control defect charge capture and recombination rates, set the scale for insulator-metal transitions, and mediate interactions among charge carriers and between charge carriers and phonons. In this perspective, we motivate the discovery of highly polarizable semiconductors by highlighting their potential to improve existing and enable new optoelectronic device technologies. We then suggest discovery strategies based on solid state chemical principles and building on recent efforts in computational materials screening.The dielectric response of materials underpins electronics and photonics. At high frequencies, dielectric polarizability sets the scale for optical density and absorption. At low frequencies, dielectric polarizability determines the band diagram of junctions and devices, and nonlinear effects enable tunable capacitors and electro-optic modulators. More complicated but no less important is the role of dielectric response in screening bound and mobile charges. These effects control defect charge capture and recombination rates, set the scale for insulator-metal transitions, and mediate interactions among charge carriers and between charge carriers and phonons. In this perspective, we motivate the discovery of highly polarizable semiconductors by highlighting their potential to improve existing and enable new optoelectronic device technologies. We then suggest discovery strategies based on solid state chemical principles and building on recent efforts in computational materials screening.
A Virtual Tour of Shiloh

In this article the author discusses a virtual field trip lesson created to assist his high school history students. By using pictures, videos hosted via youtube, and actual battlefield artifacts, the teacher was allowed to better explore the history surrounding the Civil War battle.