cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feminist-Kaleckian macroeconomic policy for developing countries

This paper reviews evidence of the gender effects of globalization in developing economies. It then outlines a set of macroeconomic and trade policies to promote gender equity. The evidence suggests that while liberalization has expanded women's access to employment, the long-term goal of transforming gender inequalities remains unmet and appears unattainable without state intervention in markets. This paper sets forth some general principles that can produce greater gender equality, premised on shifting from economies that are profit led and export oriented to those that are wage led and full-employment oriented. The framework is Kaleckian in its focus on the relationship between the gender distribution of income and macroeconomic outcomes.
Pioglitazone Prevents Hypertension and Reduces Oxidative Stress in Diet-Induced Obesity

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of pioglitazone on blood pressure (BP) and oxidative balance in obese, hypertensive, Sprague-Dawley rats and to identify some of the molecular mechanisms involved. After 12 weeks of a moderately high-fat diet, rats diverged into obesity-prone (OP) and obesity-resistant (OR) groups (n=6 per group). At the end of the diet, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) mRNA expression and activity in the renal cortex and medulla of OP rats were significantly lower compared with that in OR rats. Pioglitazone treatment increased PPARγ expression and activity in OP rats, suggesting a possible direct ligand-related effect of pioglitazone. As opposed to the untreated OP group, which showed moderate hypertension (systolic BP=159±5.3 mm Hg) after 12 weeks, pioglitazone-treated rats were normotensive (systolic BP=123.9±2.7 mm Hg). Insulin production was reduced by 2-fold in the OP group treated with pioglitazone. Urinary isoprostanes and renal lipid peroxides were also reduced in OP rats treated with pioglitazone compared with untreated counterparts. Also, expression of p47 phox and gp91 phox , both increased in OP versus OR rats, was reduced in the former by pioglitazone treatment. In addition, pioglitazone treatment increased nitrate/nitrite excretion and expression of renal endothelial and neuronal nitric oxide synthase. Collectively, the results show that pioglitazone treatment prevented hypertension and renal oxidative stress both by reducing free-radical production and by increasing nitric oxide production/availability.
The Pseudohypoparathyroidism Type 1b Locus Is Linked to a Region Including GNAS1 at 20q13.3

Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is characterized by biochemical hypoparathyroidism with elevated parathyroid hormone levels owing to reduced target tissue responsiveness to parathyroid hormone. Patients with PHP la have somatic defects termed Albright's hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) and exhibit resistance to additional hormones because of heterozygous mutations in the GNAS1 gene that lead to a generalized deficiency of the a subunit of Gs, the heterotrimeric G protein that couples receptors to adenylyl cyclase. By contrast, patients with PHP 1b lack AHO and have selective parathyroid hormone (PTH) resistance, presumably because of an imprinting defect that impairs expression of G(s)alpha in the proximal renal tubule. Although an epigenetic defect in GNAS1 has been identified in subjects with PHP1b, the genetic defect is unknown. To define the genetic defect in PHP 1b, we performed a genome-wide linkage analysis in five multi-generational PHP lb families. Of the 408 polymorphic microsatellite markers examined, markers located on chromosome 20q13.3, the region containing GNAS1, demonstrated linkage to PHP lb. Fine-mapping and multipoint linkage analysis of this region demonstrated linkage to a 5.7-cM region between 907rep2 and the telomere. Haplotype analysis established that affected individuals shared a 5-cM region including part of the GNAS1 gene to the telomere. Our data confirm that PHP1b is linked to a region that includes GNAS1, and further refine the locus, although the primary genetic mutation(s) that causes defective imprinting of GNAS1 remains undefined.
Gain Modulation in the Central Nervous System: Where Behavior, Neurophysiology, and Computation Meet

Gain modulation is a nonlinear way in which neurons combine information from two (or more) sources, which may be of sensory, motor, or cognitive origin. Gain modulation is revealed when one input, the modulatory one, affects the gain or the sensitivity of the neuron to the other input, without modifying its selectivity or receptive field properties. This type of modulatory interaction is important for two reasons. First, it is an extremely widespread integration mechanism; it is found in a plethora of cortical areas and in some subcortical structures as well, and as a consequence it seems to play an important role in a striking variety of functions, including eye and limb movements, navigation, spatial perception, attentional processing, and object recognition. Second, there is a theoretical foundation indicating that gain-modulated neurons may serve as a basis for a general class of computations, namely, coordinate transformations and the generation of invariant responses, which indeed may underlie all t...
Biodiversity of Fungi in Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Mounds

The red imported Þre ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, became established in North America more than 70 yr ago, and it currently occupies most of the southeastern United States. Fire ants change the physical and chemical components of soil, which likely insuence soil fungi in ant mounds. To determine the effects of Þre ants on soil fungi, we sampled soil from Þre ant mounds and the surrounding nonmound soil. In addition, we sampled soil from the nests of the native ant Aphaenogaster texana carolinensis Wheeler. We found that both Þre ant mounds and native ant nests had greater fungal abundance but lower species richness and diversity than nonmound soil. Fire ant mounds contained 19 times more colony forming units (cfu g 1 ) than adjacent soil; however, nonmound soil had more than twice the number of fungal species. Two species (Papulaspora byssina Hotson and Penicillium janthinellum Biourge) made up the majority (54.5 and 19.2% relative colony frequencies, respectively) of fungi in Þre ant mounds. These high proportions of limited numbers of fungal species in Þre ant mounds indicate that only some species are tolerant to and thrive in mound conditions. Alternatively, Þre ants might not selectively remove these fungi from their mounds. Given the high densities of Þre ants and their frequent mound movements, changes in soil fungal communities might have lasting impacts on soil conditions. In addition, we suggest that differences between fungal communities in soil from native and non-native ant colonies might indirectly insuence ant-mediated seed dispersal by affecting seedling survival.
Performance and time to market: accelerating cycle time with overlapping stages

Windows of opportunity and product life cycles have been shortening, placing pressure on firms to stay competitive. Many firms have responded to this pressure by setting goals of reducing new product development (NPD) cycle time and/or improving product performance, often by setting up fuzzy gates between stages, cross-functional teams, or both. This study examines the tradeoff between product performance and time to market, focusing on the effect of overlapping stages during which marketing, design, and manufacturing engineering are jointly working on performance improvement, An NPD process model comprising a design stage, a process stage, and an intermediary overlap stage representing the interaction between design and process personnel is developed. Key findings include the following. (1) Overlapping stages reduces time to market, but the marginal returns to lengthening the overlap stage yield progressively smaller improvements in time to market. (2) The longer the market window is open, the less is the pressure to rush the product to market, and product performance can be further improved by leaving the product longer in development. (3) It is better to keep the product longer in development rather than accelerate time to market if the base product performance is low. (4) If the productivity of the overlap stage is increased, it is more profitable to keep the product in development longer and boost product performance at launch than to rush the product to market quicker. (5) The greater the market power the firm possesses, the faster it should bring the product to market, as long as product performance and sustainability of market power are not substantially reduced. A set of propositions is derived from the model, and is tested in a small-scale empirical study on firms in the automobile and automotive supply industry. The results are largely supportive of the propositions. Management implications and recommendations for further research are presented.
Cutting Edge: Regulatory T Cells Do Not Mediate Suppression via Programmed Cell Death Pathways

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a critical role in the immune system to regulate peripheral tolerance and prevent autoimmunity. However, the relative importance of different mechanisms of Treg function remains obscure. In this article, we reveal a limited role for programmed cell death pathways in mediating Treg suppression of conventional T cells. We show that Tregs are able to suppress the proliferation of conventional T cells that are resistant to apoptosis (Bim(-/-), Bim(-/-)Puma(-/-), Bcl-2 transgenic) or receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase-dependent necrosis (also referred to as regulated necrosis or necroptosis) (Ripk3(-/-)) in several in vitro and in vivo assays. These data suggest that programmed cell death pathways, such as apoptosis and receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase-dependent necrosis, are not required for Treg-mediated suppression.
Expanding Theories of Career Development: Adding the Voices of African American Women in the White Academy

Many theorists have proposed models to explain career development. The appropriateness of these models for women and minority groups, however, has been widely criticized. Changes in the composition of the workforce, including the increased number of minority professionals in majority organizations, call for new ways of theorizing career development. Using a bicultural framework, this study examined the professional development history of five tenured African American women at a predominantly White university to explore how minority professionals develop competencies to meet career expectations in White organizational cultures. The findings indicate that race, culture, and identity play a vital role in the career development of minority professionals in majority organizations. An important finding is the way the women accessed the power of their bicultural life structure to develop strategies for maintaining successful careers in White organizational cultures.
Argon Beam Coagulator: An Effective Adjunct to Stapled Pulmonary Tractotomy to Control Hemorrhage in Penetrating Pulmonary Injuries

Stapled pulmonary tractotomy with selective vascular ligation is a rapid technique used to control hemorrhage in penetrating pulmonary injuries and has assumed an important role in the trauma surgical armamentarium for the management of these injuries. This technique was designed as tissue sparing to avoid complications well known to occur with extensive pulmonary resections. Multiple studies have validated and reported this technique to be both safe and effective. Here we present the use of the argon beam coagulator as a valid adjunct to stapled pulmonary tractotomy for the management of penetrating pulmonary injuries. To our knowledge, the use of this technique has not been reported for control of massive intraparenchymal pulmonary hemorrhage.
Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS)

The Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) was established in 2007 to promote public health by accrediting clinical science Ph.D. programs in university departments of psychology in the United States and Canada. PCSAS-accredited training programs are expected to benefit the public by increasing the number of integrative and transdisciplinary clinical scientists who develop and apply new knowledge bearing on the etiology, assessment, and treatment of psychopathology. The history and structure of PCSAS are described, as is its relationship with the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science (the Academy). PCSAS was recognized as an accrediting agency by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in 2012. Through the end of 2013, 21 programs have been accredited. Moving forward, those involved with PCSAS are committed to improving the quality of mental health services by infusing science into all aspects of research, education, and practice activities. Keywords: Academy of Psychological Clinical Science (APCS); Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA); accreditation; clinical science; doctoral training; research; social policy; training
Theory of Automatic Set Recognition

In this chapter I want to describe, both formally and informally, the process of algorithm development for set recognition tasks, including what are the essential components of this process and what are some of some of the techniques and strategies that can be used to improve results. The treatment given here will take the form of an overview; for certain topics additional detail will be found in Chapters 4 and 5, which describe the implementation and its current capabilities.
Examination of Two-Band $E(k)$ Relations for Band-to-Band Tunneling

Four different two-band $E(k)$ relations for band-to-band tunneling in the literature are examined. Three of them are continuous functions, from Franz, Kane, and Flietner, respectively. One is piecewise, consisting of two linear lines from the band edges in a $k^{2}$ versus $E$ plot. It is shown that while all three continuous models converge to the same function when the effective masses of the two bands are equal, they give different $k^{2}$ or mass-barrier products when the masses are unequal. In particular, Flietner’s model can result in a mass-barrier even higher than the piecewise linear model when the masses are highly mismatched. In addition to the four published models, a fifth, generalized power- $n~E(k)$ model is introduced, which covers both Franz’s model and the piecewise linear model as two special cases.
Interactions in entomology: aphids, aphidophaga and ants in pecan orchards.

Three methods for conserving aphidophaga were tested in multiple factor controlled field experiments over two seasons in four pecan, (Carya illinoensis Wangenheim (K. Koch)) orchards. Two of the orchards were planted in the 1920's and had closed canopies; and the other two were planted in 1976 and 1985 and had open canopies. Intercrops of hairy indigo (Indigofera hirsuta L.) and hemp sesbania (Sesbania exaltata [Rafinesque-Schmaltz] Cory), sown as summer annuals in strips between tree rows, a chemical barrier sprayed on the tree trunk preventing foraging of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) in the tree crown, and a predator attractant were tested in these experiments. Significant interaction effects were found in blackmargined aphid (Monellia caryella (Fitch)), ladybeetle (Coccinellidae), and red imported fire ant abundance. On most sample dates there were no differences among treatments in abundance of pecan aphids or aphidophaga, whereas, on certain sample dates aphids were significan...
Economic liberalisation, market institutions and labour rights

What effect do pro-market economic policies have on labour rights? Despite significant debate in policy and academic circles about the consequences of economic liberalisation, little is known about the labour rights effects of pro-market policies. Extant literature has focused only on the possible outcomes of market-liberalising policies, such as trade and investment flows, rather than directly assessing market-friendly policies and institutions. Moreover, this line of research has found mixed results on how these outcomes influence labour conditions. To provide a comprehensive assessment of this linkage, this article combines data on five distinct policy areas associated with economic liberalisation with data on labour rights for the period 1981–2012. The results indicate that pro-market policies – except the ones involving rule of law and secure property rights – undermine labour rights. Thus while there are some positive economic and political outcomes associated with market-supporting policies, economic liberalisation comes at the cost of respect for labour rights.
Cultivating American- and Japanese-Style Relatedness through Mother-Child Conversation

This study investigated whether European American and Japanese mothers' speech to preschoolers contained exchange- and alignment-oriented structures that reflect and possibly support culture-specific models of self-other relatedness. In each country 12 mothers were observed in free play with their 3-year-olds. Maternal speech was coded for linguistic framing and frame-function mapping, using a cross-linguistically informed coding scheme rooted in aspects of English and Japanese grammar. American and Japanese mothers were remarkably similar in the number of queries, declaratives, and imperatives they produced. At the same time, Americans tended to verbally frame the mother–child relationship in terms of idea exchange between allies with individual perspectives, whereas Japanese tended to frame it in terms of mutually shared points of view. These significant findings are consistent with the idea of independent and interdependent self-schemas in the United States and Japan and suggest that language socializa...
Effects of salinity on chlorophyll fluorescence and CO2 fixation in C4 estuarine grasses

The effects of salinity (sea water at 0 ‰ versus 30 ‰) on gross rates of O2 evolution (JO2) and net rates of CO2 uptake (PN) were measured in the halotolerant estuarine C4 grasses Spartina patens, S. alterniflora, S. densiflora, and Distichlis spicata in controlled growth environments. Under high irradiance, salinity had no significant effect on the intercellular to ambient CO2 concentration ratio (Ci/Ca). However, during photosynthesis under limiting irradiance, the maximum quantum efficiency of CO2 fixation decreased under salinity across species, suggesting there is increased leakage of the CO2 delivered to the bundle sheath cells by the C4 pump. Growth under salinity did not affect the maximum intrinsic efficiency of photosystem 2, PS2 (FV/FM) in these species, suggesting salinity had no effect on photosynthesis by inactivation of PS2 reaction centers. Under saline conditions and high irradiance, PN was reduced by 75 % in Spartina patens and S. alterniflora, whereas salinity had no effect on PN in S. densiflora or D. spicata. This inhibition of PN in S. patens and S. alterniflora was not due to an effect on stomatal conductance since the ratio of Ci/Ca did not decrease under saline conditions. In growth with and without salt, PN was saturated at ∼500 µmol(quantum) m−2 s−1 while JO2 continued to increase up to full sunlight, indicating that carbon assimilation was not tightly coupled to photochemistry in these halophytic species. This increase in alternative electron flow under high irradiance might be an inherent function in these halophytes for dissipating excess energy.
Industrialization and Income Change: Rural-Urban Comparisons in a Decade of Affluence

Bluestone and Harrison's Deindustrialization of America (1982) focuses on the consequences for communities of industrial change. We explore this concern by examining the income implications of the ...
The Influence of Presidential Rhetoric on Public Perception of Drugs and the Government’s Handling of the "War on Drugs" in the United States

3 Introduction 4 Methodology 6 Methodology 1. Review of the Literature 6 Methodology 2. Analysis of the Rhetoric 7 Findings 8 Findings 1. Review of the Literature 9 Conclusion to Findings 1. Review of the Literature 14 Findings 2. Analysis of the Rhetoric 14 Conclusion to Findings 2. Analysis of the Rhetoric 25 Conclusion 26 References 29
Impact of the Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative on Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Practice

This paper describes the goals of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative (PPMI) and its recommendations for health-system pharmacy practice transformation to meet future patient care needs and elevate the role of pharmacists as patient care providers. PPMI envisions a future in which pharmacists have greater responsibility for medication-related outcomes and technicians assume greater responsibility for product-related activities. Although the PPMI recommendations have elevated the level of practice in many settings, they also potentially affect existing clinical pharmacists, in general, and clinical pharmacy specialists, in particular. Moreover, although more consistent patient care can be achieved with an expanded team of pharmacist providers, the role of clinical pharmacy specialists must not be diminished, especially in the care of complex patients and populations. Specialist practitioners with advanced training and credentials must be available to model and train pharmacists in generalist positions, residents, and students. Indeed, specialist practitioners are often the innovators and practice leaders. Negotiation between hospitals and pharmacy schools is needed to ensure a continuing role for academic clinical pharmacists and their contributions as educators and researchers. Lessons can be applied from disciplines such as nursing and medicine, which have developed new models of care involving effective collaboration between generalists and specialists. Several different pharmacy practice models have been described to meet the PPMI goals, based on available personnel and local goals. Studies measuring the impact of these new practice models are needed.
Effect of Protein Fortification on Texture Quality of Stirred Yogurt

The aim of this work was to study the effect of milk protein fortification on the sensory quality,viscosity and water holding capacity(WHC) of stirred yogurt,where reconstituted milk was fortified with skim milk powder(SMP) or whey protein concentrate(WPC-80) to different protein contents of 2.7%,3.1%,3.5% and 3.9%,respectively.The results showed that the quality,viscosity and WHC of stirred yogurt were significantly improved after protein fortification with SMP or WPC-80.Stirred yogurts fortified with different levels of SMP showed an obvious difference in texture,a slight difference in flavor,and no difference in color.Identical results were found for fortification with different levels of WPC-80.In addition,the viscosity and WHC of yogurt were both dramatically elevated as the fortification level increased.Protein fortification with SMP at 2.7% provided the best sensory quality of yogurt,and the amount of WPC-80 addition for the best sensory quality of yogurt was 3.5%.WPC-80 was more beneficial to the sensory quality and WHC of yogurt than SMP at the same fortification levels,while SMP fortification provided higher viscosity.Based on a comparison between perceived and instrumentally measured viscosity values,stirred yoghurt with higher viscosity did not necessarily have better quality,and the best viscosity was between 537 mPa·s and 712 mPa·s.It can be concluded from this study that the best protein fortification protocol for stirred yoghurt is adding WPC-80 at 3.5%.
Long-term outcomes of lung transplant recipients with hepatitis C infection: a retrospective study of the U.S. transplant registry.

Summary Background Chronic hepatitis C patients in need of a lung transplant are often considered ineligible due to their infection. Aim To assess the association of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with long-term outcomes of lung transplants. Methods From the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (1995–2011), we selected all adults with and without HCV infection who underwent lung transplantation. Results A total of 17 762 lung transplant recipients were included (55.5% bilateral). Of those, 319 (1.83%) had positive HCV serology. The HCV-positive recipients were 1.6 years younger, less Caucasian and more African-American, and had a significantly higher rate of co-infection with hepatitis B virus (all P 0.05), but at post-transplant year 3 year, mortality rate in HCV+ became significantly higher (42.5% vs. 36.4%, P = 0.04) and remained higher for the duration of the follow-up (mean 9.1 years, max 18.4 years). In multivariate survival analysis, after adjustment for confounders, being HCV+ was associated with higher mortality: adjusted hazard ratio 1.24 (1.04–1.46), P = 0.01. No association of HCV infection with time to graft loss was found (P = 0.92). Conclusions Chronic HCV infection is associated with a moderate increase in post-lung transplant mortality. Treatment of HCV in lung transplant recipients may, therefore, result in improvement of post-transplant outcomes.
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of trimethylsilyl derivatives of amino acids.

The fragmentation of 58 N-trimethylsilyl amino acid trimethylsilyl esters, including those of α-, β-, γ-, and α-methyl-amino acids and related compounds, upon electron impact was investigated to provide a spectral basis for further studies of physiological samples, and to look into the possibility of selective identification and ultramicrodetermination of amino acids by mass fragmentography. It was found that the ion at m/e 73 or m/e (M-117) is the base peak common to most of the amino acids. The results obtained in this study suggest that this derivative can be used for the ultramicrodetermination and selective identification of amino acids by mass fragmentography because this derivative produces characteristic ions such as m/e (M-117), (M-15), 174, 218 and 232. The fragmentations of N-trimethylsilyl n-butyl esters and N-trimethylsiyl l-methyl esters of six amino acids were also studied.
Model-based study of the Effectiveness of Reporting Lists of Small Feature Sets using RNA-Seq Data

Ranking feature sets for phenotype classification based on gene expression is one of the most challenging issues in bioinformatics. When the number of samples is small, all feature-selection algorithms are known to be unreliable and error estimators suffer to different degrees of imprecision. The problem is compounded by the fact that the accuracy of classification depends on the manner in which the phenomena are transformed into data by the measurement technology. Because Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies amount to a nonlinear transformation of the actual gene or RNA concentrations, they could potentially produce less discriminative data than the actual gene expression levels. Here, we focus on the implications of the non-linear transformation of gene concentrations by the sequencing machine and the choice of error estimators on feature set ranking.
Increased Risk of Epstein-Barr Virus Associated Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (EBV-PTLD) after Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (ATG) Non-Myeloablative (NMA) Conditioning for Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation (UCBT).

EBV-PTLD is a known complication of alternative donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) particularly when used in combination with HSC T-cell depletion and ATG. Initial reports in the setting of UCBT suggested a low incidence of EBV-PTLD (2–5%). We reviewed 335 consecutive patients (pts) who underwent UCBT at our institution between 7/19/94 and 3/29/05. Median age, weight, and follow-up were 16 years (0.2–69), 53.7kg (3.8–134.0) and 1.2 years (77 days9.2 years), respectively. Equine ATG (ATGAM) was used as part of a myeloablative (MA, Cy 120 mg/kg and TBI 1320–1375 cGy ± Flu 75 mg/m2) and non-myeloablative (NMA, Cy 50 mg/kg, Flu 200 mg/m2 and TBI 200 cGy) preparative regimen in 175/240 and 30/95 patients, respectively. As previously reported the overall incidence of EBV viremia and EBV-PTLD remained low. Overall, use of ATG lead to an increase in the incidence of EBV viremia (defined as > 1,000 copies of EBV DNA per mL of whole blood) and EBV-PTLD (14/205 [7%] with vs. 1/130 [0.7%] without ATG [p=0.16]), but this was not statistically significant. In recipients of a MA preparative regimen, EBV viremia or EBV-PTLD was observed in 8/175 (5%) who received ATG and in 0/65 who did not (p=0.81). However, a higher risk of EBV viremia and PTLD was observed in recipients of ATG and a NMA preparative regimen. EBV viremia or EBV-PTLD after NMA preparative regimen was observed in 6/30 (20%) pts who received ATG and 1/65 (2%) who did not (p<0.01) For the whole group, median time to development of EBV-PTLD was 133 days (54–407) with no difference between the MA and NMA groups [132 days (92–407) vs. 133 days (54–247)]. Among 9 pts who developed EBV-PTLD, 5 are alive (2 MA and 3 NMA) 113-1668 days after UCBT. Therefore, we conclude that patients undergoing a NMA UCBT with ATG are at uniquely higher risk for the development of EBV reactivation or EBV primary infection and EBV-PTLD. Routine monitoring of EBV viral load and pre-emptive treatment of patients who develop a positive viral load must be considered for this group of patients.
Neuroendocrine Control of the Ovarian Cycle of the Rat

Since the early twentieth century, the laboratory rat has provided us with information about its reproductive biology that we could use to study other mammals. As a result, we not only have a great understanding of the complexities of regulation of ovarian cyclicity in the rat, but we have taken the rat's clues and followed them in studying the controls of the ovarian cycle in domesticated food- and clothing-producing mammals, our pets, and ourselves. In addition, the rat and its laboratory animal cousin, the mouse, have allowed us to delve deep into the molecular, genetic, cellular, and physiological mechanisms that mediate the neuroendocrine control of the ovarian cycle. This chapter takes a comprehensive approach in describing our understanding and, in some cases, our misunderstanding of the control of the ovarian cycle by the brain and its interaction with the anterior pituitary gland and ovaries.
Return to Play and Prior Performance in Major League Baseball Pitchers After Repair of Superior Labral Anterior-Posterior Tears.

Background:The published return-to-play (RTP) rates for Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers who have undergone surgical repair of superior labrum anterior-posterior (SLAP) tears vary widely and ar...
Network delay modeling in Mobile Wireless Mesh Networks using Network Tomography

Network Tomography is a statistical inverse problem which estimates the traffic intensities in the network for a dynamic environment using a probabilistic approach. Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) is very strongly perceived as the future of wireless networking technology. The WMNs have a stable topology. However, Mobile Clients (MCs) in general are very active between Mobile Routers (MRs) which is referred as Mobile WMN (MWMN). It is the normal tendency of the nodes in WMNs to select the path with minimum number of hops or the shortest possible path to carry out their transmissions but still it doesn't give full proof guarantee that the path being efficient and of good quality. In order to avoid this, we will require routing metric for choosing the most efficient path. Using Network Tomography which is a methodology for estimating the intensities of traffic for source-destination from link data to obtain end-to-end delay measurements with minimal or no co-operation from nodes is expected, we carry out NS2 simulations. These simulations gives the results of the proposed inverse problem approach that estimates the network performance parameter such as network delay and prefatory results for network tomography application in MWMN's in dynamic environment.
Protein-Based Drug-Delivery Materials

There is a pressing need for long-term, controlled drug release for sustained treatment of chronic or persistent medical conditions and diseases. Guided drug delivery is difficult because therapeutic compounds need to survive numerous transport barriers and binding targets throughout the body. Nanoscale protein-based polymers are increasingly used for drug and vaccine delivery to cross these biological barriers and through blood circulation to their molecular site of action. Protein-based polymers compared to synthetic polymers have the advantages of good biocompatibility, biodegradability, environmental sustainability, cost effectiveness and availability. This review addresses the sources of protein-based polymers, compares the similarity and differences, and highlights characteristic properties and functionality of these protein materials for sustained and controlled drug release. Targeted drug delivery using highly functional multicomponent protein composites to guide active drugs to the site of interest will also be discussed. A systematical elucidation of drug-delivery efficiency in the case of molecular weight, particle size, shape, morphology, and porosity of materials will then be demonstrated to achieve increased drug absorption. Finally, several important biomedical applications of protein-based materials with drug-delivery function—including bone healing, antibiotic release, wound healing, and corneal regeneration, as well as diabetes, neuroinflammation and cancer treatments—are summarized at the end of this review.
Pediatric coblation total tonsillectomy: intracapsular or extracapsular?

OBJECTIVES To compare the results of coblation intracapsular total tonsillectomy (CITT) with those of conventional coblation extracapsular total tonsillectomy (CETT) in the treatment of tonsillar hypertrophy in children with regards to efficacy and complications. METHODS Ninety children with adenotonsillar hyperplasia underwent tonsillectomy ± adenoidectomy (48 CITT and 42 CETT). Intraoperative situation was observed and recorded. Patients were reexamined regarding recovery condition and tonsil regrowth, and were followed for at least one year. RESULTS Significant differences were observed in four clinical features when the CITT group was compared with the CETT group: intraoperative bleeding score, intraoperative tonsillar fossa score, color of white membrane one day postoperatively, and visual analogue scale (VAS) value one week postoperatively (p < .05). There were statistical correlations between intraoperative bleeding score and age, course of disease, surgery method, number of acute tonsillitis attacks per year, and intraoperative tonsillar fossae score (p < .05). Two significant differences were noted when the tonsil hypertrophy group was compared with the chronic tonsillitis group: color of white membrane at one day and one week postoperatively (p < .05). No regrowth of tonsil was found. CONCLUSIONS Compared with conventional extracapsular tonsillectomy, CITT has the advantages of decreased pain and bleeding, and promote healing of wounds. No tonsillar regrowth was observed after at least one year of follow-up.
Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging for transition zone prostate cancer: essential findings, limitations, and future directions

Review the multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) findings of transition zone (TZ) prostate cancer (PCa) using T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI and to integrate mpMRI findings with clinical history, laboratory values, and histopathology. TZ prostate tumors are challenging to detect clinically and at MRI. mpMRI using the combination of sequences has the potential to improve accuracy of TZ cancer detection and staging.
Ultra-sensitive probe of spectral line structure and detection of isotopic oxygen

We discuss a new method of investigating and obtaining quantitative behavior of higher harmonic (> 2f) wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) based on the signal structure. It is shown that the spectral structure of higher harmonic WMS signals, quantified by the number of zero crossings and turnings points, can have increased sensitivity to ambient conditions or line-broadening effects from changes in temperature, pressure, or optical depth. The structure of WMS signals, characterized by combinations of signal magnitude and spectral locations of turning points and zero crossings, provides a unique scale that quantifies lineshape parameters and, thus, useful in optimization of measurements obtained from multi-harmonic WMS signals. We demonstrate this by detecting weaker rotational–vibrational transitions of isotopic atmospheric oxygen (16O18O) in the near-infrared region where higher harmonic WMS signals are more sensitive contrary to their signal-to-noise ratio considerations. The proposed approach based on spectral structure provides the ability to investigate and quantify signals not only at linecenter but also in the wing region of the absorption profile. This formulation is particularly useful in tunable diode laser spectroscopy and ultra-precision laser-based sensors where absorption signal profile carries information of quantities of interest, e.g., concentration, velocity, or gas collision dynamics, etc.
Loosely-bound low-loss surface plasmons in hyperbolic metamaterial

Surface plasmons (SPs) carry electromagnetic energy in the form of collective oscillation of electrons at metal surface and commonly demonstrate two important features: strong lateral confinement and short propagation lengths. In this work we have investigated the trade-off relationship existing between propagation length and lateral confinement of SP fields in a hyperbolic metamaterial system, and explored loosening of lateral confinement as a means of increasing propagation length. By performing finite-difference time-domain analysis of Ag/SiO2 thin-film stacked structure we demonstrate long range (~ 100 mm) propagation of SPs at 1.3 µm wavelength. In designing low-loss loosely-bound SPs, our approach is to maximally deplete electric fields (both tangential and normal components to the interface) inside metal layers and to support SP fields primarily in the dielectric layers part of metamaterial. Such highly-localized field distributions are attained in a hyperbolic metamaterial structure, whose dielectric tensor is designed to be highly anisotropic, that is, low-loss dielectric (Re(e) > 0; Im(e) ~ 0) along the transverse direction (i.e., normal to the interface) and metallic (large negative Re(e)) along the longitudinal direction, and by closely matching external dielectric to the normal component of metamaterial’s dielectric tensor. Suppressing the tangential component of electric field is shown to naturally result in weakly-confined SPs with penetration depths in the range of 3–10 µm. An effective-medium approximation method is used in designing the metamaterial waveguide structure, and we have tested its validity in applying to a minimally structured core-layer case (i.e., composed of one or two metal layers). Low-loss loosely-bound SPs may find alternative applications in far-field evanescent-wave sensing and optics.
Utilitarianism, Prioritarianism, and Climate Change: A Brief Introduction

This chapter compares prioritarianism and utilitarianism as frameworks for evaluating climate policies. Prioritarianism is an ethical view that gives greater weight to well-being changes affecting worse-off individuals. This view has been much discussed in recent moral philosophy but, thus far, has played little role in scholarship on climate change—where the utilitarian approach has, to date, been dominant. Prioritarianism and utilitarianism can be operationalized as policy-evaluation methodologies using the formalism of the “social welfare function” (SWF). Outcomes are converted into vectors (lists) of well-being numbers, one for each person in the population of concern. These lists are then ranked using some rule. The dominant approach in climate economics is to employ a discounted-utilitarian SWF. Well-being numbers are multiplied by a discount factor that decreases with time; these discounted numbers are then summed. The discounted-utilitarian SWF is problematic, both in incorporating an arbitrary preference for earlier generations, and in ignoring the well-being levels of individuals affected by policies. By contrast, the non-discounted prioritarian SWF eschews a discount factor, and adjusts well-being numbers so as to give priority to the worse off. This chapter describes the discounted-utilitarian and nondiscounted-prioritarian SWFs, and compares them with reference to three important topics in climate policy: the Ramsey formula, the social cost of carbon, and optimal mitigation.
Intraoperative ICG-fluorescence imaging for robotic-assisted urologic surgery: current status and review of literature.

With the availability of near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging using indocyanine green dye (ICG) to the robotic platform, utility of this imaging technology has evolved significantly across the board for ablative and reconstructive procedures. Herein, we describe the potential indications of indocyanine green for both oncologic and non-oncologic applications in robot-assisted laparoscopic urologic surgery. A narrative mini-review was performed in November 2018 using PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases utilizing the following search phrase: “indocyanine green fluorescence robotic surgery” resulting in 104 articles of which 30 articles had urologic-pertinent applications. All 30 articles, and the references within, were reviewed and judged for scientific integrity and merit. Articles with non-novel findings or similar conclusions to original papers were omitted. ICG does not have a urologic FDA indication, though it has been used off-label for urologic surgery since 2006. Fluorescence-augmented surgery with ICG can facilitate oncologic surgery in the adrenal gland, kidney, bladder, prostate, and retroperitoneum, in addition to lymph node dissection for various malignant pathologies. ICG-NIRF can enhance non-oncologic surgery including ureterolysis, ureteroureterostomy, ureteral re-implantation, pyeloplasty, and urinary diversion in both the adult and pediatric populations. Although it is not necessary to utilize fluorescence-enhanced surgery in all cases, the authors find the utilization of ICG-NIRF in complex and highly technical surgeries useful.
Invited Paper: A Service-Oriented Approach for Assessing the Quality of Data for the Internet of Things

An integral component of nearly all Internet of Things (IoT) systems or applications relies on the deployment and utilization of sensors which often yield massive volumes of disparate and distributed heterogeneous data. This sensor data is often transformed into usable information that can provide valuable insights for further facilitating the decision making process or enforcing strategic policies. Managing this raw data generated by IoT sensors while enforcing a certain level of quality is becoming a challenging task particularly for mission critical applications (e.g. homeland security, disaster preparedness, etc.). In this paper, we introduce the Quality of Data for IoT Devices (QoDID) framework that attempts to address key challenges associated with the collection and processing of raw sensor data used in IoT systems or applications. Throughout the paper, we discuss the overall architecture, use cases and implementation details of QoDID. We further use our QoDID framework to provide insights on improving the data acquisition processes involving devices and sensors in IoT systems.
The asymptotic solution of the ion-damped acoustic-gravity wave equation

In his classic work Hydrodynamics, Horace Lamb devoted a significant amount of effort to the mathematical analysis of atmospheric waves, i.e. waves in a compressible medium under the influence of a local gravitational field and a variable temperature (and hence sound speed) profile. In so doing, he derived equations for both the divergence and the curl of the velocity field, yielding expressions of considerable mathematical beauty and complexity. Eight decades later, Derek Moore and Edward Spiegel extended Lamb’s analysis to include an arbitrary external applied force in the equations of motion. By a suitable choice of such force, the governing wave equations for a wide variety of Lorenz force/Coriolis force-induced wave motions can be derived. However, they chose to investigate the radiation field resulting from the application of a concentrated vertical force. In so doing, they were able to utilize an important theorem by James Lighthill concerning the asymptotic radiation field from a source with compact support, using the concept of a wavenumber surface. This paper has two main components: the first is to extend the work of Moore and Spiegel to ion-damped acoustic-gravity waves in the ionospheric F-region, based on the seminal work of C. H. Liu and K. C. Yeh. The second part is a consequence of the first: the corresponding wavenumber surface becomes complex, and so Lighthill’s method has to be modified to account for the effects of this. Furthermore, a significant inconsistency in the formulation of the physical problem by Liu and Yeh has been corrected and the corresponding derivations have been reformulated. Some graphical information has also been provided in special cases to illustrate the comparative effects of damping on the asymptotic behaviour of the acoustic-gravity radiation field. A final feature of the paper is that the equations derived are very general and can provide the basis for investigation of more realistic atmospheric temperature profiles in future work.
A robust diving response in the laboratory mouse

The diving response is a coordinated physiological response to submersion under water and has been documented amongst all mammals tested to date. The physiological response consists of three primary reflexes: an immediate bradycardia, apnea, and selective constriction of peripheral blood vessels. We hypothesized that mice would exhibit a diving response upon voluntary submersion into water typically seen in other mammals. In this study, telemeters that measure arterial pressure were implanted into male and female C57Bl/6J mice. These mice were trained to voluntarily dive underwater for a distance of 40 cm over a 4–6 s period. Just before the dive, the interbeat interval (IBI) was 87 ± 6 ms (mean ± SD) and diastolic pressure was 99 ± 14 mmHg. Underwater submersion caused (1) a dramatic bradycardia immediately at the onset of each dive, as IBI increased to 458 ± 104 ms, and (2) a large drop in diastolic pressure, to 56 ± 16 mmHg despite the elevation in peripheral resistance. Mice experienced a short bout (~ 2 s) of hypertension (diastolic pressure rose to 131 ± 17 mmHg) upon emergence. The bradycardia and hypotension appeared to be vagally mediated, since both these responses were blocked with atropine pre-treatment. These data demonstrate that the mouse exhibits a robust diving response upon voluntary submersion into water.
SEDIMENTARY PIPE FLOW

Extending from previous studies of the fully developed flow of a suspension of particles in gravitational and electric fields, the effect of sedimentation is taken into account. Additional considerations from previous studies are: diffusion and settling under field forces, the sticking probability of a particle at the wall and that to a bed of similar particles. The transient condition gives the rate of build-up of a bed of deposited particles. The conditions of a fully developed flow including a moving bed sliding along with the fluid particle suspension and pulsating flow are discussed. The method is applicable to pipes at any inclination to the direction of gravity.
The Promise of Imaging in MINOCA.

![Figure][1] Advances in technology have continuously helped us clarify etiology and mechanisms of disease in patients originally classified as “idiopathic.” Imaging, particularly cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), has been especially effective in identifying unique diagnostic tissue