cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Star Valuations and Dual Mixed Volumes

Since its creation by Brunn and Minkowski, what has become known as the Brunn Minkowski theory has provided powerful machinery to solve a broad variety of inverse problems with stereological data. The machinery of the Brunn Minkowski theory includes mixed volumes (of Minkowski), symmetrization techniques (such as those of Steiner and Blaschke), isoperimetric inequalities (such as the Brunn Minkowski, Minkowski, and Aleksandrov Fenchel inequalities), integral transforms (such as the cosine transform), and important auxiliary bodies associated with these transforms (such as Minkowski's projection bodies). Schneider's recent book [22] on the Brunn Minkowski theory is the best available introduction to the subject. While the Brunn Minkowski theory has proven to be of enormous value in answering inverse questions regarding projections of convex bodies onto subspaces, the theory has been of little value in answering inverse questions with data regarding intersections with subspaces. However, recent advancements have been made in the development of a dual Brunn Minkowski theory [3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 16, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29] which has been tailored specifically for dealing with such questions. In contrast to the Brunn Minkowski theory, in the dual theory convex bodies are replaced by star-shaped sets, and projections onto subspaces are replaced by intersections with subspaces. The machinery of the dual theory includes dual mixed volumes (introduced by Lutwak [15, 16]), dual isoperimetric inequalities ([16]), and important auxiliary bodies known as intersection bodies (first introduced by Busemann for special centered convex bodies in [1]; later defined for star-shaped sets by Lutwak [16]. See also [9]). A comprehensive introduction to geometric tomography, including the dual Brunn Minkowski theory, may be found in Gardner's book [17]. Unfortunately, there still remain fundamental and foundational problems with the dual Brunn Minkowski theory. One of the most beautiful and article no. 0048
A Tenth-Century "Emperor Michael of Constantinople"

THE pontificate of John XII (955-964) witnessed a major development in papal foreign policy. Repeating the actions of his predecessors two centuries earlier, John called a powerful northern ruler King Otto I of Germany to his aid against his Italian enemies. In the eighth century, however, the popes had had little choice, for the Byzantine Empire was entangled in its life-and-deathstruggle with the Arabs and the Bulgarians. But by the mid-tenth century, Byzantium had surmounted the crisis, and entered a new era of vigorous expansion on all fronts, including Italy. It has occurred to modern investigators that John XII may have considered calling in Byzantine aid, before he eventually threw in his lot with the Germans. Was there any evidence for this? The French scholar, Jules Gay, thought he had indeed discovered indications that John XII had made friendly overtures to Byzantium. In his work on southern Italy and the Byzantine Empire, published in 1904, but still regarded as definitive, Gay states that the official acts of Pope John XII, "following the former protocol, which had been abandoned under [Pope] Hadrian I [772-775], bore the regnal year of the [Byzantine] basileus."' By 1922, the error had taken root deeply enough to become entrenched in the Cambridge Medieval History. C. W. Previte-Orton remarks in the third volume of that work that "it is significant that he [John XII] renewed the long-forgotten habit of dating by the years of the Byzantine Emperor."2 The fallacy was current as late as 1962, for George Every, in his book on the Patriarchate of Constantinople, writes that the popes of the first half of the tenth century "preferred the more distant protection of Byzantium [to that of the Germans]. John XII even dated his acts by the regnal year of the Byzantine Emperor."3 All three authors strongly imply that a large number of official papal acts was involved. But in fact, their assertion rests on the evidence of a single document. The dating of a unique source by the reign of the basileus can scarcely be said to constitute a trend. The document is brief enough to be quoted in toto:4
Radiative corrections to neutralino and chargino masses in the minimal supersymmetric model

We determine the neutralino and chargino masses in the MSSM at one loop. We perform a Feynman diagram calculation in the on-shell renormalization scheme, including quark-squark and lepton-slepton loops. We find generically the corrections are of the order of 5%. For a 20 GeV neutralino the corrections can be as large as 20%. The corrections change the region of \ensuremath{\mu}, ${\mathit{M}}_{2}$, tan\ensuremath{\beta} parameter space which is ruled out by CERN LEP data. We demonstrate that, e.g., for a given \ensuremath{\mu} and tan\ensuremath{\beta} the lower limit on the parameter ${\mathit{M}}_{2}$ can shift by 20 GeV.
Vertical Integration in a Lean Supply Chain: Brazilian Automobile Component Parts*

Abstract: Brazil's automobile component parts industry shows that vertical integration and scale economies endure within flexible production systems. Recent neoliberal economic reforms propelled vehicle assemblers to adopt flexible modes of production and subcontract component manufacturing. However, transactional hazards in supply chains escalated as first-tier subsystem assemblers had to rely on small, opportunistic, and inefficient parts makers. Large tier one suppliers purchased existing parts makers and invested in greenfield facilities to service both new flexibly organized vehicle assembly plants in southern Brazil and Argentina and restructured assembly plants in the traditional automobile complex of Sao Paulo. We focus on Dana Corporation, Bradesco Bank, and British Tyre and Rubber Corporation—firms that assemble chasses, engines, and body subsystems, respectively. These companies dominate their segment of the parts industry, delivering subsystems to a growing network of flexible vehicle assembly plants throughout Brazil. Large-batch parts production, subsystem assembly by a few major multinational tier one suppliers, and ownership consolidation underscore the continued role of vertical integration and scale economies in automobile production chains.
Worst-case and distributional robustness analysis of the full molecular weight distribution during free radical bulk polymerization

A novel approach is proposed to quantify the effects of parameter uncertainties on state distributions in finite-time nonlinear distributed parameter systems, and this approach is applied to a free radical bulk polymerization reactor. For worst-case uncertainty descriptions, parameters are computed that result in worst-case deviations in the monomer conversion, average molecular properties, and the full molecular weight distribution. For probabilistic uncertainty descriptions, a constructive procedure is provided for computing the stochastic distribution of the state distribution. This more sophisticated robustness analysis enables a deep investigation into the effects of parameter uncertainties, control implementation uncertainties, and disturbances for systems with state distributions.
Global Governance Beyond State Sovereignty: Public Access to Lawmaking and Administration

The chapter examines efforts to engage non-state actors in the work of international environmental institutions as a means of making those institutions more responsive to the broader constituencies that they, and their states parties, serve. The author is concerned not simply with non-state actors as collaborators who support institutional goals and implement institutional projects, but as meaningful participants in deliberative decision-making processes traditionally seen as the prerogative of states. The chapter reviews the history of non-state access to international lawmaking across disciplines and examines how participation has worked specifically in the international environmental field. It then describes practices of international institutions drawing on data gathered from recent global, European and Inter-American experiences. It offers a basic taxonomy of access mechanisms on the basis of these data and outlines some of the questions scholars, practitioners, and advocates might ask as they examine whether these approaches serve to make international institutions more democratic. The chapter also outlines potential opportunities and challenges faced by those who study and engage with international institutions on the question of non-state access.
Phylogenetics and Occurrence

The purpose of this section is to examine the extent to which there is a correlation between lipid biochemistry and organismic affinities deduced by taxonomy, in the hope of tracing familial lines (phylogenetics). Implicit in the discussion is the tentative assumption that the manner in which a cell handles lipids is a phenotypic expression of the genotype and that it is the genotype we wish to trace. Certain biochemical characteristics seem to be common to all organisms. All, for instance, seem to have ATP. This is a fairly large and complex molecule, yet apparently all cells biosynthesize it either de novo or from ingested parts, e.g., nicotinamide, and do not vary its structure to the exclusion of ATP itself. Such is not the case with many other molecules that as a class may be present or wholly absent or may be present but in limited and organismically varied form. These molecules would seem to be appropriate as phylogenetic markers, and many are lipids. We will first review the structural aspects and then examine biosynthesis, etc. The large amount of information now available forces us to restrict ourselves in a chapter such as this only to some of the more salient features of the subject. Instead of taking organisms one by one and summarizing their lipids, or conversely, taking molecular classes one by one and reviewing the organisms they occur in, we will ask and attempt to answer some direct questions about familial relationships.
Quantifying pretreatment degradation compounds in solution and accumulated by cells during solids and yeast recycling in the Rapid Bioconversion with Integrated recycling Technology process using AFEX™ corn stover

Effects of degradation products (low molecular weight compounds produced during pretreatment) on the microbes used in the RaBIT (Rapid Bioconversion with Integrated recycling Technology) process that reduces enzyme usage up to 40% by efficient enzyme recycling were studied. Chemical genomic profiling was performed, showing no yeast response differences in hydrolysates produced during RaBIT enzymatic hydrolysis. Concentrations of degradation products in solution were quantified after different enzymatic hydrolysis cycles and fermentation cycles. Intracellular degradation product concentrations were also measured following fermentation. Degradation product concentrations in hydrolysate did not change between RaBIT enzymatic hydrolysis cycles; the cell population retained its ability to oxidize/reduce (detoxify) aldehydes over five RaBIT fermentation cycles; and degradation products accumulated within or on the cells as RaBIT fermentation cycles increased. Synthetic hydrolysate was used to confirm that pretreatment degradation products are the sole cause of decreased xylose consumption during RaBIT fermentations.
Chapter Three – Stoichiometry

Publisher Summary All analytical procedures are based on either stoichiometric or nonstoichiometric methods. In a stoichiometric analytical procedure, the constituent whose amount is being measured undergoes a reaction with another substance. Nonstoichiometric methods are based on a measurement of a physical property that changes in proportion to the concentration of the desired constituent. Because many of these physical properties are easily measured with great accuracy, it is necessary to calibrate the procedure. The calibration empirically defines the relationship between the concentration of the desired constituent and the magnitude of the physical property for a given set of conditions. The chapter also explains that wet chemical methods—such as gravimetric and volumetric methods—and certain types of separation techniques are stoichiometric, while most instrumental methods, including optical and electrical techniques, are nonstoichiometric. The three most useful ways of expressing concentration in stoichiometric reactions are molarity, normality, and formality.
Understanding In-Cylinder Flow Variability Using Large-Eddy Simulations

Multi-cycle Large-eddy simulations (LES) of motored flow in an optical engine housed at the University of Michigan have been performed. The simulated flow field is compared against particle image velocimetry (PIV) data in several cutting planes. Circular statistical methods have been sued to isolate the contributions to overall turbulent fluctuations from changes in flow direction or magnitude. High levels of turbulence, as indicated by high velocity root-mean square (RMS) values, exist in relatively large regions of the combustion chamber. But, the circular standard deviation, a measure of the variability in flow direction independent of velocity magnitude, is much more limited to specific regions or points, indicating much of the turbulence is from variable flow magnitude rather than variable flow direction. Using the circular standard deviation is also a promising method to identify critical points, such as vortex centers or stagnation points, within the flow, which may prove useful for future engine designers.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Hydrogen bonding in cubic ( H 2 O ) 8 and OH ∙ ( H 2 O ) 7 clusters

A systematic study is presented for $\mathrm{OH}∙{({\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O})}_{7}$ clusters derived from the cubic ${({\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O})}_{8}$ octamer by replacing one water with a hydroxyl radical. The system is a prototype for atmospheric water clusters containing the environmentally important OH species, and for OH adsorbed at the surface of ice. The full set of 39 symmetry-distinct cubic $\mathrm{OH}∙{({\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O})}_{7}$ clusters is enumerated, and the structures are determined using ab initio quantum chemical methods. Graph invariants are employed to obtain a unified analysis of the stability and structure of cubic ${({\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O})}_{8}$ and $\mathrm{OH}∙{({\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O})}_{7}$, relating these physical properties to the various hydrogen-bond topologies present in these clusters. To accomplish this the graph invariant formalism is extended to treat a hydrogen bonding impurity within a pure water network.
STROKE AND SYSTEMIC EMBOLISM PROPHYLAXIS IN NON-VALVULAR ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: A NETWORK META-ANALYSIS COMPARING WARFARIN, NOVEL ORAL ANTICOAGULANTS AND WATCHMAN DEVICE

There is no direct or indirect evidence available for relative efficacy and safety of WATCHMAN device as compared to Novel oral anticoagulants. All major databases were searched for randomized controlled trials comparing factor Xa inhibitors, Dabigatran, the WATCHMAN device, and warfarin for
High-resolution records detect human-caused changes to the boreal forest wildfire regime in interior Alaska:

Stand-replacing wildfires are a keystone disturbance in the boreal forest, and they are becoming more common as the climate warms. Paleo-fire archives from the wildland–urban interface can quantify the prehistoric fire regime and assess how both human land-use and climate change impact ecosystem dynamics. Here, we use a combination of a sedimentary charcoal record preserved in varved lake sediments (annually layered) and fire scars in living trees to document changes in local fire return intervals (FRIs) and regional fire activity over the last 500 years. Ace Lake is within the boreal forest, located near the town of Fairbanks in interior Alaska, which was settled by gold miners in AD 1902. In the 400 years before settlement, fires occurred near the lake on average every 58 years. After settlement, fires became much more frequent (average every 18 years), and background charcoal flux rates rose to four times their preindustrial levels, indicating a region-wide increase in burning. Despite this surge in bu...
A New Interpretation on Yuan Heng Li Zhen in the Zhouyi

There are always various interpretations on the four characters "yuan heng li zhen" which is in the text of hexagram Qian. In the Record of Wen Yan,the four characters was punctuated separately and formed the famous theory of four virtues,that is,"the first and chief quality of goodness","assemblage of excellences","the harmony of all that is right" and "the faculty of action". By contrast,some scholars punctuate the four characters into two parts-"yuan heng" and "li zhen". But this doesn't reach a consensus. For example,ZHU Xi interpreted "li zhen" as "li zai yu zheng" (the advantageous lies in the right),and GAO Heng said,"li zhen means beneficial to divine". This paper proposes that the four characters should be punctuated into two parts,yet different from that of ZHU Xi and GAO Heng. Firstly,we prove that the character heng is derived from the character 饗 (entertain) so "yuan heng" means the prayer of the divination is enjoyed by the spirits. Then we believe that li zhen means beneficial to divine. Superficially,it seems to be an anomaly if the first divine result asks the diviner to make a divination again. However,this paper proves that ancient Chinese divination always make xi zhen (make a second divination).Li zhen is to guide the diviner to make a second divination.
Causes of and countermeasures to admixture and degeneration of japonica cytoplasmic-genetic male sterility

Genetic stability of BT type and Dian type cytoplasmic-genetic male sterility was analysied in the article.The three factors including:①mechanical mixture of maintainer line; ②migration and transference of restoring genes of hybrid rice; ③transference and reaction of the cytoplasmic male sterility gene of traditional cultivar were considered to be the key causes of miture and degeneration of cytoplasmic male sterility .New original seed production program "artifical backcross plant-line cycle method" was designed to solve the problems in production of cytoplasmic male sterility .
The Future of Media

The book concludes with a chapter discussing the rapid rate of change and what that change will turn into in the future. The book will conclude with a discussion of the quality of news online both for the media outlets and the voters, the candidates and the elected officials.
Multisensor Fusion Algorithms for Tracking

In this paper we extend a multitarget tracking algorithm for use in multisensor tracking situations. The algorithm we consider is Joint Probabilistic Data Association (JPDA). JPDA is extended to handle an arbitrary number of sensors under the assumption that the sensor measurement errors are independent across sensors. We also show how filtering can be handled in multisensor JPDA (MSJPDA) without leading to an exponential increase in filtering complexity. Simulation results are presented comparing the performance of the MSJPDA with another multisensor fusion algorithm and with the single-sensor JPDA algorithm.
Traveling Internal Plane-wave Synthesis (TIPS) for uniform B1 in high field MRI

A new target-field approach to generating uniform radio frequency (RF) fields within the human body for high field MRI is described. The method involves producing a set of external fields which, after interaction with a dielectric object, superimpose to produce a traveling plane wave, exposing all spins to the same RF amplitude (B1) over a cycle of the harmonic field. Conceptually this is similar to conventional RF shimming, but uses a different RF source design, input data, and objective function. The method requires a detailed knowledge of the coupling between exterior field modes, produced by an array of RF sources, and field modes within the body. Given an estimate of the coupling matrix, the linear superposition of external modes that produces a desired internal target field can be determined. The new method is termed Traveling Internal Plane-wave Synthesis (TIPS). A simple design of a coil array is described that can, in principle, generate the required field modes. Simulations demonstrate that radio frequency magnetic fields of nearly uniform (<1% variation) magnitude can be produced within dielectric objects larger than a wavelength in size. If the dielectric medium has non-zero conductivity, traveling waves are attenuated as they traverse the object, but field uniformity within planar slices is preserved. For general 3D imaging, a superposition of plane waves can provide field focusing to balance conductive losses, thereby achieving nearly uniform-magnitude B1+ magnetic fields over a volume of interest.
Neighbors of registered sex offenders: A qualitative analysis of their lived experiences

Abstract The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of those individuals who live next to or in the same neighborhood (area) as a registered sex offender (RSO) in Arkansas. The themes were safety of children, personal knowledge about the offender and or offense, extra precautions, perceptions about the notification process, and effect on lifestyle. The 20 participants were accepting of the situation, but expressed concern and the need to function rationally and with caution, particularly in terms of children. Conclusions also included the need to assess risk levels in terms of recidivism, registration requirements, and RSO policy effectiveness and providing accurate offender information.
680. Optimization of rAAV-Mediated Expression for Large Transgenes Using a Synthetic Promoter and Tandem Array Enhancers

rAAV is a widely used viral vector for the human gene therapy, but its inherently small 4.679kb genome is a significant challenge for delivering effective expression of a large gene. Our main goal is to develop rAAV vectors for delivering the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) for cystic fibrosis lung disease gene therapy. To express the CFTR gene of 4.43kb coding sequence from a rAAV vector, a short promoter well functioned in airway epithelium is required. In the present study, we screened a set of 100-mer synthetic enhancer elements for their ability to augment CFTR expression from a short 83-bp synthetic promoter. With an empirical approach, screening for their effectiveness in the delivery of reporter gene expression were conducted in step-wise fashion – in plasmids, proviral vectors, and rAAV vectors. Our initial studies in monolayer (non-polarized) cultures of human airway cell lines and primary ferret airway cells revealed that three of these synthetic enhancers (F1, F5, and F10) significantly promoted transcription of a luciferase transgene in the context of plasmid transfection. Analysis in polarized cultures of human and ferret airway epithelia at an air-liquid interface (ALI) in the context of AAV vector infection found that the combination of F5tg83 (183bp) is the most efficient promoter in both ALI cultures, leading to 19.6-fold and 57.5-fold increases reporter expression, respectively, over the enhancer-less counterpart. We also demonstrated that the F5tg83 promoter produced the highest level of transgene expression in the ferret airway in vivo. Since rAAV-CFTR vectors greater than 5.0kb in size are dramatically impaired with respect to vector efficacy, we utilized a shortened ferret CFTR minigene with a 159 bp deletion in the R-domain to construct a rAAV vector (AV2/2. F5tg83-fCFTRDR). This vector yielded an ≈17-fold increase in vector derived CFTR mRNA transcription and significantly improved Cl- currents in human CF ALI cultures when the vectors were administrated through basolateral infection. We also tested the F5tg83 promoter activity in the context of rAAV/HBoV1 vector, which packages an oversized rAAV genome up to 5.5kb in human bocavirus virus 1 (HBoV1) caspid and efficiently transduces HAE-ALI from apical membrane. We found that the F5tg83 promoter delivered robust and persistent expression of different reporter genes (firefly luciferase or the secreted guassia luciferase) from the HAE-ALI following apical infections of the AV2/HBoV1 chimeric vectors. The expanded package capacity of rAAV2/HBoV1 vector makes it possible to further optimize the F5tg83 promoter directed CFTR gene expression with the full-length CFTR gene. In summary, our study has identified a small enhancer/promoter combination that may have broad utility for rAAV-mediated CF gene therapy to the airway.Furthermore, the enhancer screening approach may be useful for rAAV applications in other organs that seek to deliver large transgenes that approach the packing capacity of rAAV.
Illness Experience, Self-Determination, and Recreational Activities in Pediatric Asthma

Abstract Although asthma self-management depends on ongoing and accurate self-assessment by the patient, pediatric asthma patients have weak skills in the area of symptom perception. Before developing an asthma game targeted to improving asthma self-management and improved symptom awareness, we sought to identify gaps in existing games. To clarify the role of relatedness and autonomy in asthma health game design, we investigated symptom awareness, vocabulary, and self-determination through a series of semi-structured interviews with children suffering from asthma. Using self-determination theory as a framework, interviews were oriented to patients' illness experience and vocabulary related to symptomatology, as well as to recreational activities. Formative analysis of the interviews reveals attitudes, perceptions, and motivational factors arising in the context of childhood asthma, and it elucidates the images and vocabulary associated with both illness experience and recreational activities. Qualitative ...
Thermogenesis by THADA

THADA has been associated with cold adaptation and diabetes in humans, but the cellular and molecular basis of its function has been unknown. Moraru and colleagues (2017) report in this issue of Developmental Cell that it triggers thermogenesis by uncoupling ATP hydrolysis from calcium transport into the endoplasmic reticulum.
How might corneal elasticity help us understand diabetes and intraocular pressure

PURPOSE To determine how changes in corneal elasticity/stiffness might influence intraocular pressure (IOP) readings in diabetic patients. METHODS A systematic review of the literature was performed to understand the conflicting relationship between diabetes, elevated IOP, and glaucoma progression. RESULTS Diabetic patients have been found to have statistically significant higher IOP readings in some population-based studies compared to non-diabetics. Insulin resistance states, hyperglycemia and glycosylated hemoglobin have been correlated with higher IOP (1 mmHg) measurements in diabetic patients. In the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS), a self reported history of diabetes was found to be protective against the progression of primary open-angle glaucoma. Small differences in IOP measurements in diabetic patients may be due to corneal stiffening, as demonstrated by the protective effect of glucose-mediated collagen cross-linking against the manifestation and keratometric progression of keratoconus. Different collagen cross-linking agents may induce different degrees of corneal stiffening, which can result in differences in measured IOP. CONCLUSIONS Glucose-mediated corneal stiffening due to collagen cross-linking might be responsible for IOP overestimation in diabetic patients. Corneal stiffening might explain why diabetic eyes tend to have higher IOP readings in large population-based studies and why those with ocular hypertension have a reduced risk for glaucoma progression.
Justice and Race

This chapter begins by describing a philosophy class discussion of a recently enacted Texas Voter Identification law. The class (mostly Republicans, but for one black female who is president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)) is divided by disagreement rooted in cultural difference, the same differences that divide American cultural and political worlds. The same cultural difference finds a home in confrontations between police and black men and boys; these confrontations I describe in some detail. Amadou Diallo appears, as do also Michael Brown and Darren Wilson, along with other instances of police shootings/killings of black men and boys. Justice questions get precise focus in all these situations of conflict. Western traditions of thought about justice find their way into virtually all our conversations about these particular situations that evoke judgments of justice and injustice.
Geologic CO2 sequestration monitoring design: A machine learning and uncertainty quantification based approach

Abstract Monitoring is a crucial aspect of geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration risk management. Effective monitoring is critical to ensure CO2 is safely and permanently stored throughout the life-cycle of a geologic CO2 sequestration project. Effective monitoring involves deciding: (i) where is the optimal location to place the monitoring well(s), and (ii) what type of data (pressure, temperature, CO2 saturation, etc.) should be measured taking into consideration the uncertainties at geologic sequestration sites. We have developed a filtering-based data assimilation procedure to design effective monitoring approaches. To reduce the computational cost of the filtering-based data assimilation process, a machine-learning algorithm: Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines is used to derive computationally efficient reduced order models from results of full-physics numerical simulations of CO2 injection in saline aquifer and subsequent multi-phase fluid flow. We use example scenarios of CO2 leakage through legacy wellbore and demonstrate a monitoring strategy can be selected with the aim of reducing uncertainty in metrics related to CO2 leakage. We demonstrate the proposed framework with two synthetic examples: a simple validation case and a more complicated case including multiple monitoring wells. The examples demonstrate that the proposed approach can be effective in developing monitoring approaches that take into consideration uncertainties.
Long-Term Outcomes of Pedicled Gastrocnemius Flaps in Total Knee Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND Deficient soft tissue following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can jeopardize outcome. The gastrocnemius flap is an important means of providing coverage of a knee with deficient soft tissue. There is a paucity of long-term studies on the use of the gastrocnemius flap in the setting of TKA. The purpose of this study was to review the outcomes after the use of pedicled gastrocnemius flaps for coverage of a soft-tissue defect at the time of TKA. METHODS Eighty-three patients in whom a gastrocnemius flap had been used to cover the site of a primary (n = 18) or revision (n = 65) TKA over a 25-year period were identified. There were 48 women (58%) and 35 men (42%) with a mean age and body mass index (BMI) of 65 years and 32.6 kg/m. The mean wound size was 49 cm, and the wound was most commonly located over the anterior aspect of the knee/patellar tendon (n = 33). Patients were followed to the time of implant or flap revision, amputation, or death or for a minimum of 2 years (mean, 8 years). Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Knee Society Score (KSS) for pain and the KSS for function. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess revision and amputation-free survival. Risk factors for amputation and revision were identified with Cox regression. RESULTS The 10-year revision and amputation-free survival rates following gastrocnemius flap coverage were 68% and 79%, respectively. The risk of implant failure was increased by morbid obesity (BMI of ≥40 kg/m) (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09 to 7.32, p = 0.03) and ≥5 prior surgical procedures on the knee (HR = 2.68, 95% CI = 1.04 to 6.88, p = 0.04). The risk of amputation was increased in patients with ≥5 prior surgical procedures (HR = 10.76, 95% CI = 2.38 to 48.58, p = 0.002), an age of ≥65 years (HR = 4.94, 95% CI = 1.10 to 22.09, p = 0.03), and a wound size of ≥50 cm (HR = 3.29, 95% CI = 1.14 to 9.53, p = 0.02). Preoperatively the mean KSSs for pain and function were 46 and 28, and these scores significantly (p < 0.05) improved to 78 and 43, respectively, at the time of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS The gastrocnemius flap reliably provides coverage of components used in complex knee reconstruction. A history of multiple surgical procedures on the knee and larger soft-tissue defects increase the risk of revision TKA and of amputation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Maintaining Ties and Reaffirming Unity: Family Rituals in the Age of Migration

This ethnographic study examines the forms and functions of ritualizing in migrant families, using Chinese rural-urban migrant workers’ annual Spring Festival family reunions as a case study. In-depth interviews with migrant workers and participant observations of family reunions in rural China reveal that both celebratory and non-celebratory family activities are ritualized. In particular, the study suggests that the Spring Festival family reunion has transformed into a meta-ritual comprised of five categories of ritual activities: festival rituals, reunion rituals, patterned interactions, reunions with friends, and communal rituals. These rituals constitute both the internal and external identities of migrant families, but may also remind them of the traumatic reality of family separation or trigger hidden tensions within the family. Implications for studying family communication in times of mobility and family diversity are discussed.
The Nucleon-Nucleon Interaction and Nucleon-Nucleus Scattering

A derivation of a t-matrix interaction from the free nucleon-nucleon amplitudes is sketched and some of the most important characteristics of this operator for the excitation of spin modes are described. The nucleon and electromagnetic couplings to spin and current modes of the nucleus are cast in a longitudinal-transverse representation which displays explicitly the common and distinctive aspects of these interactions in the study of nuclear structure. A current 0 spin coupling present in the effective nucleon-nucleon interaction due to non-locality is described briefly and some of its possible implications for spin-observables are discussed. The derived nucleon-nucleon interaction is compared with the coupling predicted by a π+ρ exchange model and a few applications of the t-matrix interaction are made to transitions which illustrate some specific aspects of the coupling.
21-Hydroxylase Deficiency, Genetics of

Most cases of congenital adrenal hyperplasia, the inherited inability to synthesize cortisol, are caused by a deficiency of the 21-hydroxylase activity required to convert 17-hydroxyprogesterone to 11-deoxycortisol. Poor synthesis of cortisol results in chronic stimulation of the adrenal cortex by corticotropin with consequent overproduction of cortisol precursors. Some of these precursors are shunted into the androgen biosynthetic pathway causing signs and symptoms of androgen excess, including ambiguous genitalia in affected females, rapid somatic growth during childhood in both sexes with premature closure of the epiphyses, and short adult stature. The disease occurs in a wide spectrum of clinical variants. The most severely affected patients have a concurrent defect in aldosterone biosynthesis (salt wasting type); if untreated, such patients may die soon after birth from renal sodium loss, potassium retention, and shock. Less severely affected patients have apparently normal aldosterone biosynthesis (simple virilizing type). A mild nonclassic form exists that may be asymptomatic or associated with symptoms of androgen excess developing during childhood or at puberty. Classic disease (of which two-thirds of cases are the salt wasting form and one-third the simple virilizing form) occurs in approximately 1/16,000 births, whereas nonclassic disease occurs in approximately 0.2% of the general population.
A hypercaloric load induces thermogenesis but inhibits stress responses in the SNS and HPA system

Caloric overingestion generates a sympathetic nervous system (SNS)-mediated increase in brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis; its effect on the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is unknown. To determine whether metabolic activation affects the HPA axis, male rats were provided palatable sucrose ad libitum. After 5 or 10 days of sucrose ingestion, BAT and basal and restraint-induced HPA variables were measured. Some rats were instrumented with temperature probes. BAT temperature and HPA axis responses to restraint were measured. Although caloric intake increased > or = 18%, body weight gain did not change after sucrose ingestion; DNA, protein, and uncoupling protein increased in BAT depots, and white adipose tissues were heavier after both 5 and 10 days. During days 5-10, the BAT-core temperature difference was +0.30 degrees C in sucrose rats and -0.46 degrees C in controls (P < 0.05); this, together with the biochemical changes, shows persistent activation of BAT by excess calories. Basal HPA measures were not altered. The sucrose group exhibited smaller BAT temperature and HPA responses to restraint on day 10; there was no HPA difference on day 5. We conclude that calorically mediated increases in BAT thermogenesis are independent of basal HPA activity; however, both systems respond concordantly to restraint stress. The diminished response to restraint in both systems in sucrose-fed rats may result from signals indicating increased energy stores.
Excess release of ferriheme in G6PD-deficient erythrocytes: possible cause of hemolysis and resistance to malaria.

Hemoglobin in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD)-deficient erythrocytes is abnormally vulnerable to oxidative denaturation, which may release ferriheme, a known cytolytic agent. We found 13.3 nmol of ferriheme in G6PD-deficient erythrocyte membranes (per gram of total erythrocyte hemoglobin) using a spectrophotometric assay, as compared to 9.8 in normal membranes (P less than .05). After incubation of erythrocytes with 250 mumol/L menadione, an oxidant drug, the values increased by 37.4 nmol in G6PD-deficient membranes and by 26 in normal membranes (P less than .005), indicating increased hemoglobin denaturation. To verify that hemoglobin denaturation in G6PD-deficient erythrocytes releases ferriheme in a form available to interact with other ligands, [14C]-chloroquine binding to intact erythrocytes was measured. With an initial concentration of 5 mumol/L chloroquine in a medium containing no menadione, an excess of 14.8 nmol of chloroquine was bound in G6PD-deficient erythrocytes (per gram of hemoglobin) as compared to normal erythrocytes (P less than .005). In the presence of 250 mumol/L menadione, chloroquine binding increased by 17.9 nmol in G6PD-deficient and by 7.2 in normal erythrocytes (P less than .005). These results indicate that ferriheme becomes available to interact with endogenous ligands and, thus, to mediate menadione-induced hemolysis in patients with G6PD deficiency. Furthermore, the increase in ferriheme may mediate the selective toxicity of menadione for Plasmodium falciparum parasites growing in G6PD-deficient erythrocytes. Ferriheme release in response to the intraerythrocytic oxidant stress introduced by malaria parasites also may account for the resistance to malaria afforded by G6PD deficiency. This is a US government work. There are no restrictions on its use.
Constrained Markov Decision Process Modeling for Sequential Optimization of Additive Manufacturing Build Quality

Additive manufacturing (AM) provides a greater level of flexibility to produce a 3-D part with complex geometries directly from the design. However, the widespread application of AM is currently hampered by technical challenges in process repeatability and quality control. To enhance the in-process information visibility, advanced sensing is increasingly invested for real-time AM process monitoring. The proliferation of in situ sensing data calls for the development of analytical methods for the extraction of features sensitive to layer-wise defects, and the exploitation of pertinent knowledge about defects for in-process quality control of AM builds. As a result, there are increasing interests and rapid development of sensor-based models for the characterization and estimation of layer-wise defects in the past few years. However, very little has been done to go from sensor-based modeling of defects to the suggestion of in situ corrective actions for quality control of AM builds. In this paper, we propose a new sequential decision-making framework for in situ control of AM processes through the constrained Markov decision process (CMDP), which jointly considers the conflicting objectives of both total cost (i.e., energy or time) and build quality. Experimental results show that the CMDP formulation provides an effective policy for executing corrective actions to repair and counteract incipient defects in AM before completion of the build.
The Thermodynamics of Ligand Binding to the Aminoglycoside O-Nucleotidyltransferase(4') and Variants Yields Clues about Thermophilic Properties

The aminoglycoside nucleotidyltransferase(4') is an enzyme with high substrate promiscuity and catalyzes the transfer of the AMP group from ATP to the 4'-OH site of many structurally diverse aminoglycosides, which results in the elimination of their effectiveness as antibiotics. Two thermostable variants carrying single-site mutations are used to determine the molecular properties associated with thermophilicity. The thermodynamics of enzyme-ligand interactions showed that one variant (T130K) has properties identical to those of the mesophilic wild type (WT) while the other (D80Y) behaved differently. Differences between D80Y and the T130K/WT pair include the change in heat capacity (Δ Cp), which is dependent on temperature for D80Y but not for WT or T130K. The change in Δ Cp with temperature (ΔΔ Cp) with D80Y is dependent on aminoglycoside only in H2O and remains the same with all aminoglycosides in D2O. Furthermore, the offset temperature ( Toff), the temperature difference that yields identical enthalpies in H2O and D2O, becomes larger with an increase in temperature for WT and T130K but remains mostly unchanged for D80Y. Studies in H2O and D2O revealed that solvent reorganization becomes the major contributor to ligand binding with an increase in temperature for WT and T130K, but changes in low-frequency vibrational modes are the main contributors with D80Y. Data presented in this paper suggest that global properties associated with the enzyme-ligand interactions, such as the thermodynamics of ligand binding, may yield clues about thermophilicity and permit us to distinguish those variants that are simply a more thermostable version of the mesophilic protein.
Recovery of soils and vegetation in a Mojave desert ghost town, Nevada, U.S.A

Recovery rates of vegetation and compacted soil were studied at the Wahmonie ghost town in southwestern Nevada. Soil in the town site has not completely recovered from compaction in the 51 years since the site was abandoned; recovery trends indicate a recovery time on the order of a century. The composition of vegetation in the town site consists of short-lived perennials whereas the surrounding undisturbed vegetation consists mainly of long-lived perennials. Comparison of the vegetation recovery in the town site with recovery in little-used streets shows that soil compaction is a major limiting factor on the revegetation of disturbed desert areas; the recovery rate of vegetation in compacted soil is too low to allow prediction of a full-recovery time.
Design Implications for Surveys to Monitor Monarch Butterfly Population Trends

The Iowa Multiple Species Inventory and Monitoring (MSIM) Program includes a protocol for monitoring butterfly density on conservation lands using transects. Most data are collected from sites chosen randomly; additional sites are chosen non-randomly for other reasons. We analyzed a 12-year dataset for monarchs to address how density (per 50 m2 transect section) responded to site selection (random versus non-random), latitude, and measures of the amount of milkweed and canopy cover on survey transects. Between 2006 and 2017, we conducted 2,328 surveys on 420 sites and detected a total of 2,757 adult monarchs. Monarch densities peaked in 2010 for random sites and 2012 for non-random sites, but densities were lowest in 2013 for both site types. The density of monarchs at non-random transects (0.047, 95% CI = 0.031, 0.623)) was higher than that at random transects (0.029, 95% CI = 0.019, 0.044) and the temporal trends of density for random and non-random sites were significantly different. Monarch density was positively correlated with UTM northing, suggesting that monarch density increases from south to north in Iowa. The percent of plots containing milkweed was positively correlated with monarch density whereas percent tree canopy cover was negatively correlated with monarch density. Our results show that non-random transects had more monarchs, which may be a concern when interpreting findings from some citizen science efforts that used non-probabilistic sampling designs. Collectively, the MSIM program data provide a comprehensive assessment of monarch densities statewide as well as the first empirically-derived density estimates for monarchs on the breeding grounds and may prove helpful when refining future monitoring efforts.
Oral Agents in the Treatment of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy

Abstract Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is a condition that presents with subretinal or sub-RPE fluid and can be sight-threatening in its chronic form. Established effective therapies include photodynamic therapy and focal laser, however, these treatments are not always feasible in diffuse or recurrent disease, nor are they without risk. Oral therapies provide an appealing alternative in cases of diffuse, refractory, recurrent, or bilateral disease. As understanding of the pathophysiology behind CSCR continues to evolve, the use of oral therapies with various targeted mechanisms has reflected this progress. This chapter outlines existing oral agents used in the treatment of CSCR, reviews the mechanisms of action and rationale for these treatments, and summarizes the existing data about these therapies.
Multi-Criteria Applications in Renewable Energy Analysis, a Literature Review

Energy impacts so many aspects of our lives. This makes it necessary to evaluate multiple aspects when we are evaluating energy alternatives. This chapter introduces us to a spectrum of tools for this evaluation.
Depression and Neurovascular Disease

In older adults with vascular disease, depression is common, both in individuals with chronic microvascular disease and following a cerebrovascular accident (stroke). In this chapter, we will summarize the seminal work in this field together with an emphasis on the most recent findings as they pertain to the pathophysiology, assessment, and treatment of depression within the context of cerebrovascular disease. Evidence from clinical, neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and post-mortem studies supports vascular depression as a distinct clinical entity and phenotype of late-life depression. Cognitive impairments, particularly in processing speed and executive functions, appear to be a core feature of vascular depression. Non-pharmacologic approaches including noninvasive brain stimulation are promising avenues for treating vascular depression. Post-stroke depression is common, persistent, and predicts poor short-term and long-term functional outcome. Structural and functional brain changes are associated with post-stroke depression. The assessment and diagnosis of post-stroke depression, particularly in the acute period, remains challenging because of the overlap between symptoms of depression and stroke. There is mixed evidence for pharmacotherapy. Behavioral and skills-based psychotherapies that incorporate psychoeducation, problem-solving, behavioral activation, and family support have demonstrated efficacy as alternative treatments for post-stroke depression.