cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conservation genetics of two co-dominant grass species in an endangered grassland ecosystem

Summary 1. Global habitat fragmentation and loss of undisturbed grasslands has led to the use of non-local seed and cultivars in restoration. There is concern that these sources may be genetically depauperate and their introduction may lead to loss of unique local genotypes. Within this context we considered the issue with regard to the once widespread but now highly fragmented North American tallgrass prairie. 2. We characterized the genetic diversity and genetic relationships of the co-dominant species in this system, big bluestem Andropogon gerardii and Indian grass Sorghastrum nutans , from seven remnant and six restored local tallgrass prairies, a non-local remnant prairie, and five cultivated varieties. 3. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis of these grasses showed that genetic diversity was mostly retained within rather than among populations, and did not differ among restored or remnant populations or cultivars. 4. Genetic diversity estimates were not correlated with the area of the grassland, nor was there a clear association between diversity and species abundance. All of the restored grasslands in this study were established with seed from at least two local populations and were as genetically diverse as remnant sites. 5. Principal components analysis of RAPD band frequencies showed that the local remnant and restored populations were genetically different from the non-local remnant grasslands and were consistently different to the cultivars. The genetic relationships among local remnant and restored populations reflected biogeography and human activities. 6. Synthesis and applications. Restoration practitioners have often assumed that small populations are genetically depauperate and therefore the need for multiple seed sources to increase genetic diversity outweighs concerns over potential genetic differences among widespread species. Our research, however, indicates that genetic diversity is much less of an issue in these perennial outcrossing autopolyploid grasses than genetic differences among local and non-local or cultivar seed sources. Combining these results with our previous research, indicating differences in plant performance as a function of the source population, suggests that genetic differences and ecological performance among local and non-local seed sources are more of a concern than genetic diversity. Translocating non-local seed in order to increase diversity, or using cultivars, is likely to alter the genetic structure of remnant populations and potentially influence the associated community and affect ecosystem structure and function in unforeseen ways.
A Gendered Pipeline? The Advancement of State Legislators to Congress in Five States

The pipeline theory predicts that women serving in lower levels of political office will leverage political resources and experience gained at those levels to advance to higher office. On the basis of this theory, several prominent scholars have predicted that the election of increasing numbers of women to state legislatures will result in proportionate increases in women's representation in Congress. This study analyzes patterns of congressional advancement among state legislators in five states and finds that female state legislators are less likely to advance to Congress than their male colleagues. There are gender-related differences in the occupational backgrounds and family situations that hinder the advancement of female state legislators to Congress. In addition, female legislators are older and less likely to have a background in the “springboard” professions of business or law. Given these findings, the pipeline theory should be refined to better account for the impact of gender-based differences on congressional advancement.
Test Results of a VTOL Propulsion Concept Utilizing aTurbofan Powered Augmentor

Several questions relevant to the feasibility of achieving successful VTOL flight with thrust augmenting ejector wings are answered by the present experimental study. Tests were performed with a large-scale turbofan powered augmentor that embodied many of the problems encountered in the design of real flight hardware. The apparatus consisted of four separate and parallel ejector channels in each of two wings. Results were compared with data from other laboratory experiments using a single channel ejector of similar geometry. Over-all performance levels of the large multichannel apparatus correlated well with the single-channel results. Minor interactions between the four ejector channels on each wing had no significant effect on the over-all level of thrust augmentation. However, the distribution of thrust was affected and should be considered in future aircraft system designs. Operating as an air pump, the turbofan engine was maintained in its safe operating regime throughout all test configurations. Nomenclature
Mass Opposition to the Soviet Putsch of August 1991: Collective Action, Rational Choice, and Democratic Values in the Former Soviet Union

The attempted coup in August 1991 provides an acid test of whether a democratic political culture is emerging in the former Soviet Union. This paper considers the hypothesis that active resistance to the coup was partly a function of attachments to democracy. Relying heavily on earlier models of collective action, and based on a 1992 survey of mass opinion in all the republics, this hypothesis is tested within a broader theory of rational choice and expectancy theory. Generally, it seems that reactions to the coup were not based on strictly rational calculations and that basic commitments to the collective good of democracy motivated resistance. My general conclusion is that a mass culture has emerged in Russia that nurtures democracy. The 1991 coup demonstrates that for many people in the former Soviet states there is little alternative to democratic politics.
Efficient IR-style keyword search over relational databases

Applications in which plain text coexists with structured data are pervasive. Commercial relational database management systems (RDBMSs) generally provide querying capabilities for text attributes that incorporate state-of-the-art information retrieval (IR) relevance ranking strategies, but this search functionality requires that queries specify the exact column or columns against which a given list of keywords is to be matched. This requirement can be cumbersome and inflexible from a user perspective: good answers to a keyword query might need to be "assembled" -in perhaps unforeseen ways- by joining tuples from multiple relations. This observation has motivated recent research on free-form keyword search over RDBMSs. In this paper, we adapt IR-style document-relevance ranking strategies to the problem of processing free-form keyword queries over RDBMSs. Our query model can handle queries with both AND and OR semantics, and exploits the sophisticated single-column text-search functionality often available in commercial RDBMSs. We develop query-processing strategies that build on a crucial characteristic of IR-style keyword search: only the few most relevant matches -according to some definition of "relevance"- are generally of interest. Consequently, rather than computing all matches for a keyword query, which leads to inefficient executions, our techniques focus on the top-k matches for the query, for moderate values of k. A thorough experimental evaluation over real data shows the performance advantages of our approach.
Transport properties of normal liquid 3He in aerogel

The impregnation of aerogel by 3He provides a new opportunity to study the e!ects of disorder on the properties of liquid 3He. The transport coe$cients exhibit cross-over behaviour from the high-temperature regime, where inelastic 3He}3He scattering dominates, to a low-temperature regime dominated by elastic scattering of 3He o! the aerogel. Within the homogenous scattering model, analytical expressions for the thermal conductivity and viscosity can be derived and are shown in graphical form for 3He in aerogel. ( 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
DNA molecular configurations in flows near adsorbing and nonadsorbing surfaces

We investigate experimentally λ-phage and T2-coliphage DNA molecules near both non-adsorbing glass and adsorbing 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)-coated glass surfaces in a simple steady shearing flow generated by a torsional flow cell. The DNA molecular deformations near the surface are found to be considerably weaker than in bulk flow at the same shear rate. This affects the DNA molecule’s deposition and stretching on the adsorbing surface. Surprisingly, for a simple shearing flow in the torsional shearing device, the observed stretch, for molecules both near (<10 µm) the surface and adsorbed to it, is much less than predicted by simulations.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF INDEPENDENCE AND SOCIALISM IN NORTH PARE, TANZANIA, 1961–88

This article draws on archival sources and oral histories to describe changing post-colonial land management in the North Pare Mountains of Tanzania. The independent state transformed colonial institutions but did not maintain colonial common property regimes for water source, irrigation and forest management. Farmers responded by encroaching upon and dividing the commons. After 1967, Tanzania's socialist policies affected environmental conditions in North Pare indirectly by increasing the ambiguity and negotiability of resource entitlements. The material, social and cultural legacies of these processes include environmental change, declining management capacity and persistent doubt about the value of ‘conservation’.
Low Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Acute Kidney Injury in the Critically Ill

Given the importance of inflammation in acute kidney injury and the relationship between vitamin D and inflammation, we sought to elucidate the effect of vitamin D status on acute kidney injury. We hypothesized that deficiency in 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) prior to hospital admission would be associated with acute kidney injury in the critically ill.
Chemical Composition Dependence of Cu2ZnSnS4 Absorbers Fabricated by Sulfurization of Thermal Evaporated Metal Precursors and Solar Cell Performance

We investigate the synthesis of kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films using thermal evaporation from copper, zinc and tin pellets and post-annealing in a sulfur atmosphere. The effects of chemical composition were studied both on the absorber layer properties and on the final solar cell performance. It is confirmed that CZTS thin film chemical composition affects the carrier concentration profile, which then influences the solar cell properties. Solar cells using a CZTS thin film with composition ratio Cu/(Zn+Sn) = 0.87, and Zn/Sn = 1.24 exhibited an open-circuit voltage of 483 mV, a short-circuit current of 14.54 mA/cm2, a fill factor of 37.66 % and a conversion efficiency of 2.64 %. Only a small deviation from the optimal chemical composition can drop device performance to a lower level, which confirms that the CZTS solar cells with high conversion efficiency existed in a relatively narrow composition region.
Sensory ecology on the high seas: the odor world of the procellariiform seabirds

Procellariiform seabirds wander the world's oceans aided by olfactory abilities rivaling those of any animal on earth. Over the past 15 years, I have been privileged to study the sensory ecology of procellariiforms, focusing on how olfaction contributes to behaviors, ranging from foraging and navigation to individual odor recognition, in a broader sensory context. We have developed a number of field techniques for measuring both olfactory- and visually based behaviors in chicks and adults of various species. Our choice of test odors has been informed by long-term dietary studies and geochemical data on the production and distribution of identifiable, scented compounds found in productive waters. This multidisciplinary approach has shown us that odors provide different information over the ocean depending on the spatial scale. At large spatial scales (thousands of square kilometers), an olfactory landscape superimposed upon the ocean surface reflects oceanographic or bathymetric features where phytoplankton accumulate and an area-restricted search for prey is likely to be successful. At small spatial scales (tens to hundreds of square kilometers), birds use odors and visual cues to pinpoint and capture prey directly. We have further identified species-specific, sensory-based foraging strategies, which we have begun to explore in evolutionary and developmental contexts. With respect to chemical communication among individuals, we have shown that some species can distinguish familiar individuals by scent cues alone. We are now set to explore the mechanistic basis for these discriminatory abilities in the context of kin recognition, and whether or not the major histocompatibility complex is involved.
Physiological Regulation of Membrane Protein Sorting Late in the Secretory Pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In mammalian cells, extracellular signals can regulate the delivery of particular proteins to the plasma membrane. We have discovered a novel example of regulated protein sorting in the late secretory pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In yeast cells grown on either ammonia or urea medium, the general amino acid permease (Gap1p) is transported from the Golgi complex to the plasma membrane, whereas, in cells grown on glutamate medium, Gap1p is transported from the Golgi to the vacuole. We have also found that sorting of Gap1p in the Golgi is controlled by SEC13, a gene previously shown to encode a component of the COPII vesicle coat. In sec13 mutants grown on ammonia, Gap1p is transported from the Golgi to the vacuole, instead of to the plasma membrane. Deletion of PEP12, a gene required for vesicular transport from the Golgi to the prevacuolar compartment, counteracts the effect of the sec13 mutation and partially restores Gap1p transport to the plasma membrane. Together, these studies demonstrate that both a nitrogen-sensing mechanism and Sec13p control Gap1p transport from the Golgi to the plasma membrane.
Differential fetal and maternal contributions to the cytokine milieu in a murine model of infection-induced preterm birth

Abstract Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the relative productions by maternal and fetal tissues of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in a murine model of infection-induced preterm delivery. Study Design: The right uterine horns of CD-1 female mice at 14.5 days of a 19- to 20-day gestation were inoculated with either sterile media or live Escherichia coli. The concentrations of cytokines within uteri, placentas, membranes, and fetal lower body segments were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at various times after inoculation. Results: All infected tissues showed large, time-dependent increases in interleukin 1α, interleukin 1β, and interleukin 6. These increases were maximal 13 hours after infection and were highest in uteri (15-60 times levels in uninfected tissues). Increases in tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 1 receptor antagonist were much smaller (3 to 5 times) and were confined to the uterus. Although the uterus contained the greatest concentrations of interleukin 1α, interleukin 1β, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor α, fetal bodies and placentas contained the highest levels of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist. Conclusions: Time-dependent increases in maternal and fetal cytokines occurred after acute bacterial infection in this murine model. The fetus and placenta may be the most significant sources of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 1 receptor antagonist during pregnancy, whereas the uterus appears to be a more important source of interleukin 1, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor α. Interleukin 1 receptor antagonist levels within uteri were insufficiently high to effectively inhibit interleukin 1 activity during infection. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;180:429-34.)
Recent Supreme Court Arbitration Rulings Affect Employment and Class Action Arbitrations

Short magazine piece on recent developments in arbitration law. Discusses how the Supreme Court's arbitration rulings affect the future of employment arbitration and class action arbitration.
Role of geobiology in the astrobiological exploration of the Solar System

Discoveries in geobiology have dramatically shaped our understanding of the nature, distribution, and evolutionary potential of terrestrial life, paving the way for new exploration strategies to search for life elsewhere in the Solar System. Genomic studies, applied over a broad range of geological environments, have revealed that the vast proportion of species on Earth are microbial. Studies of the fossil record indicate that this has been the case for >75% of our planet’s history. Microbial life has been shown to occupy a stunning array of environmental extremes, seemingly only limited by the distribution of liquid water and its chemical activity, nutrient availability, suitable energy sources, radiation, etc. Advances in geomicrobiology have revealed important contributions of microbial processes to many global biogeochemical cycles, and in the evolution of Earth’s atmospheric and surface composition. The discovery of a subsurface biosphere, fueled by inorganic chemical energy and able to tolerate extremes in temperature and salinity, has been especially important in opening up new horizons for the astrobiological exploration of Mars, as well as icy satellites of the outer Solar System. Although the environment of life’s origin remains uncertain, molecular studies suggest that the last common ancestor of life probably lived in hydrothermal environments where it utilized simple compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and sulfur as sources of chemical energy. This general view is consistent with what we know about late Hadean to early Archean environments on the Earth, as well as model-based interpretations of late, giant impacts that could have exterminated early mesophilic (and possibly photosynthetic) surface life forms, leaving behind only deep subsurface chemotrophic thermophilic microbial communities to re-populate the biosphere. These and related discoveries have contributed extensively to the view that life could be much more broadly distributed, within the Solar System and beyond, than once thought. We now believe it possible that life may have become established in surface environments on Mars during the fi rst half billion years of the planet’s history, when liquid water was widespread there. Furthermore, a subsurface hydrosphere on Mars (suggested by both models and geomorphic evidence) may have provided a continuously habitable zone for life over most of Martian history and could still support
Fabrication and failure of composite conical adapter

Lattice structures that are made of carbonfiber-reinforced plastics have been commonly used for inter-stage structures in launch vehicles because of their high axial compressive strength-to-weight ratio. The purpose of this research is to investigate the failure behavior of filament wound lattice to demonstrate that these structures can be fabricated and formed precisely and automatically. For the failure modes, the general buckling as a shell and excessive stress are considered. Various types of lattice shells under axial compressive loads are presented and the optimal constraint with the highest compressive failure load is found. The main emphasis is placed on the effects of geometrical configuration of the structure and the manufacturing process. The main geometrical characteristics that effect failure are the winding pattern, winding angle, and the slenderness of the members. The primary advantage of a filament wound lattice structure is that fibers are wound continuously and aligned with the load direction. The manufacturing process includes automated winding, winding path control, bridging effects and the winding tension force. It is shown that these structures can be constructed by filament winding, the process can be automated, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
HIGH STRAIN RATE PROPERTIES OF IM7/977-3 GRAPHITE/EPOXY COMPOSITES

Excellent mechanical properties such as high-strength , low-weight, fatigue life, and impact resistance, as well as advanced manufacturing methods and tailor ability of the lay-up make polymer matrix composites attractive candidates for use in several performance-oriented structures. However, not much is known of these composites' response to impact loading, which usually occurs at much higher strain rates than the strain rates used to measure the quasi-static mechanical properties of materials. Because mechanical properties vary with strain rates, it is necessary to know the properties of composites at the strain rates necessary for various applications to ensure that designs are optimized for structural integrity and weight efficiency including a dynamic loading of the structure. In this study, the split-Hopkinson bar is used to examine the dynamic properties of unidirectiona l, cross-ply, and angle-ply laminates of IM7/977-3 graphite/epoxy composites under compressive loading. The specimens were approximately 3/8" cubes, and were prepared using a water-cooled diamond grit blade. Dynamic tests were conducted in all the primary directions. Quasi-static tests were also done for comparison purposes. The high strain rate values vary from 200 - 1000 /s. The dynamic data of IM7/977-3 graphite/epoxy composites were obtained from 36 tests for the unidirectional composites and 24 tests for both the cross-ply and angle-ply composites. The data were statistically analyzed and discussed in some detail. There were significant increases in the dynamic ultimate strength values from the quasi-static values for all types of stacking sequences and directions; however, the strength values did not show any significant variation in the high strain rate region. The strain values did not show any trend in these tests.
Significance of Visualization of Bacteria in Blood Smears

The mortality rate is considered to be very high when bacteria are visualized on a patient’s peripheral blood smear. Four patients are presented in whom bacteria were visualized on peripheral smears, two patients who survived and two who did not. The patients who died developed a rapidly progressive septicemia due to Streptococcus pneumoniae . One of the survivors had a septicemia due to Staphylococcus aureus , and the other had a septicemia due to multiple gram-negative bacilli. Finding microorganisms on peripheral blood smears is unusual and should be confirmed by a Gram’s stain. When bacteria are present, the clinician should be notified immediately because early antibiotic therapy is critical.
Simultaneous determination of barbital,phenobarbital,amobarbital and secobarbital in human urine using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Objective:To establish the high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS) with high sensitivity and lower detection for the determination of barbiturates [barbital(bar),phenobarbital(phe),amobarbital(amo) and secobarbital(sec)] in urine.Methods: The human urine was processed by liquid-liquid extraction(LLE),concentrated by nitrogen and analyzed by HP LC-MS/MS.Results: 4 kinds of barbiturates in urine showed good linearity in the concentration range of 0.01 mg/L~0.2 mg/L and the linear correlation coefficient was over 0.99.The recovery was between 91.3% and 106.8%.The detection limit of bar was 0.005 mg/L.The limit of detection of phe,amo and sec were all 0.002 mg/L.Conclusion: This method can be used for determination of barbital in human urine with wide linear range,short analytical time and low detection limit.
ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF METHADONE MAINTENANCE THERAPY AMONG HEROIN-ADDICTS IN JIANGMEN URBAN

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of a community methadone maintenance treatment(MMT) pilot study carried out in Jiangmen,thus providing supports for adopting MMT in larger extent.Methods All subjects were interviewed during their treatment in MMT Centers of Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Jiangmen City between September,2006 and October,2007 with a minimum treatment period of 6 months.Results Compared with heroin-addicts without MMT:①MMT decreased the drug injection rate;②MMT enhanced the family relationship of addicts;③MMT improved the health status of addicts.Conclusion MMT is effective in reducing the detrimental effects of drugs and improving the social function of drug-addicts.Hence,it is strongly suggested to promote MMT and provide more convenience as well as support of work and life quality for drug-addicts.
Contextual Legal Criticism: A Demonstration Exploring Hierarchy and Feminine Style

Videotaped student performances in simulation exercises are analyzed to consider the effects of dominant and deferential discourse styles.
Hematopoietic cell phosphatase associates with erythropoietin (Epo) receptor after Epo-induced receptor tyrosine phosphorylation: identification of potential binding sites

Erythropoietin (Epo) binding to its receptor (EpoR) induces tyrosine phosphorylation in responsive cells and this ability is required for a mitogenic response. One of the substrates of tyrosine phosphorylation is the Epo receptor (EpoR). The carboxyl region of EpoR cytoplasmic domain is required for EpoR phosphorylation and has been shown to negatively affect the response to Epo both in vivo and in cell lines. Hematopoietic cell phosphatase (HCP) has also been hypothesized to negatively regulate erythropoiesis, based on the hypersensitivity to Epo of erythroid lineage cells in moth-eaten mice that genetically lack HCP. In the studies presented here, we show that HCP binds the tyrosine phosphorylated Epo receptor through the amino-terminal src-homology 2 (SH2) domain of HCP. Using a series of phosphotyrosine-containing peptides, potential HCP binding sites in the cytoplasmic domain of the EpoR are identified. The results support the concept that, after Epo stimulation, phosphorylation of EpoR provides a docking site for HCP in the receptor complex. Recruitment of HCP to the complex and its subsequent dephosphorylation of substrates and/or associated kinases may be important to mitigate the ligand-induced mitogenic response.
Evolution of High Cellulolytic Activity in Symbiotic Streptomyces through Selection of Expanded Gene Content and Coordinated Gene Expression

The evolution of cellulose degradation was a defining event in the history of life. Without efficient decomposition and recycling, dead plant biomass would quickly accumulate and become inaccessible to terrestrial food webs and the global carbon cycle. On land, the primary drivers of plant biomass deconstruction are fungi and bacteria in the soil or associated with herbivorous eukaryotes. While the ecological importance of plant-decomposing microbes is well established, little is known about the distribution or evolution of cellulolytic activity in any bacterial genus. Here we show that in Streptomyces, a genus of Actinobacteria abundant in soil and symbiotic niches, the ability to rapidly degrade cellulose is largely restricted to two clades of host-associated strains and is not a conserved characteristic of the Streptomyces genus or host-associated strains. Our comparative genomics identify that while plant biomass degrading genes (CAZy) are widespread in Streptomyces, key enzyme families are enriched in highly cellulolytic strains. Transcriptomic analyses demonstrate that cellulolytic strains express a suite of multi-domain CAZy enzymes that are coregulated by the CebR transcriptional regulator. Using targeted gene deletions, we verify the importance of a highly expressed cellulase (GH6 family cellobiohydrolase) and the CebR transcriptional repressor to the cellulolytic phenotype. Evolutionary analyses identify complex genomic modifications that drive plant biomass deconstruction in Streptomyces, including acquisition and selective retention of CAZy genes and transcriptional regulators. Our results suggest that host-associated niches have selected some symbiotic Streptomyces for increased cellulose degrading activity and that symbiotic bacteria are a rich biochemical and enzymatic resource for biotechnology.
Mobility Models for Ad Hoc Networks

Network simulators emerged as the most common method of evaluating the performance of large and complex networking systems. However, for systems involving mobile nodes, the movement of the mobile nodes has a significant influence on the results of the simulation. Therefore, in the past decade, a significant amount of research was devoted to develop mobility models suitable for evaluating the performance of wireless networks. Existing mobility models vary widely in their realism, from completely artificial to very realistic as well as in their statistical properties. In this chapter we provide an overview of those mobility models and their most important properties.
IoT Networking: From Coexistence to Collaboration (Invited Paper)

Internet of Things (IoT) is founded on the unprecedented proliferation of heterogeneous wireless technologies. However, dense deployment of such devices intensify the interference, which has become a major cause of performance degradation. This paper first introduces schemes for harmonious coexistence. Our designs effectively enhance diverse existing protocols via a complementing middle layer that enables real-time adaptation to the spatial and temporal dynamics of interferences. Further, a technique to explore the opportunity behind heterogeneous wireless technologies is introduced. By extending direct connectivity between heterogeneous technologies, the design uniquely enables their collaboration to reach beyond the capabilities of each technology.
ASC 820 level 3 net assets and goodwill impairment losses

Ramanna and Watts (2012) suggest that firms with more unverifiable or unobservable net assets have greater incentives to reduce goodwill impairment losses. This study complements Ramanna and Watts (2012) by providing an additional test in a unique setting because level 3 assets and liabilities under ASC 820 are unverifiable or unobservable in nature. Using 701 firm-year observations from 2008 to 2013, we document a significant and negative relation between level 3 net assets of acquiring firms and goodwill impairment losses, supporting Ramanna and Watts (2012).
Public referendum on drug prices in the US: will it bring relief?

Thomas Hwang and Aaron Kesselheim assess how California’s proposed new law on drug pricing could affect healthcare costs in the US and beyond Concerns over the rising cost of new medicines have prompted calls for a more sustainable system of drug pricing.1 2 3 Public unease is particularly acute in the US, where brand name drug prices are the highest in the world and the costs are increasingly being passed on to patients.4 This has led to federal and state policy efforts seeking to tackle high drug prices.5 6 In November, one such policy initiative will be put to a vote: voters in California will decide whether preferential pricing provided to the US Department of Veterans Affairs should also be available to other public payers in the state. Successful ballot measures in California have historically triggered national reforms (box 1). The outcomes of the California referendum are also likely to have global implications, because attempts to reduce drug prices in the US could have a ripple effect on the prices negotiated by other countries.7 We examine the potential savings from the proposed change. #### Box 1: Importance of policy reforms in California California has a long history as a laboratory for national policy reforms. It is the most populous US state (about 39 million people), accounting for roughly 12% of the US population. California also grants its voters the power to initiate or repeal legislation by referendum. Examples of influential health policy changes in California include:
The Limits of Hacking Composition Pedagogy

Abstract In recent decades, the term hacking has ceased referring exclusively to illegal computing, and is regularly used in reference to practices that are considered virtuous in composition classrooms, such as collaboration, open access, subversion of hierarchies, and exploratory learning. Of late, hacking has begun to serve as an appealing metaphor for the work we aim to do in 21st century composition classrooms. However, as with any metaphor, the origin term might bring unwanted associations from its history and its contemporary evolutions. This essay synthesizes a survey of literature in the field with the history of hacking and its contemporary practices in open-ended competitions known as hackathons. Based on interviews of eight undergraduate hackathon competitors, in which the virtues of hacking appear to be quickly undercut by dubious ethical and political practices, the essay ultimately presents a caution against adopting hacking as a metaphor for composition.
Tax Effects on the Net Income of Wives in Dual-Earner Households, 1980–1983

The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of changes in the federal income tax structure on net income of wives in dual-earner households between 1980 and 1983. Utilizing the second-earner net income model (SENIM), simulation distributions of net income of married full-time women workers, representing six occupational categories, are calculated for alternative spouse income levels and for households of different sizes. The resulting net income distributions are analyzed by paired comparison t-tests to determine the effects of tax changes on dual-earner households during the first Reagan administration. The findings indicate that the tax changes benefit dual-earner households at all income levels, but that lower-income households receive the least benefit, so that the effects are inequitable.
Perioperative Care of the Congenital Cardiac Patient in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory

New innovative techniques in cardiac catheterization (cath) procedures and advances in technology in the field have created an environment in which the primary objective has advanced from diagnostics to a minimally invasive therapeutic intervention. These advances and new devices have provided nonsurgical alternatives for the treatment of congenital heart disease which in many instances have replaced open cardiac surgery and decreased the morbidity and mortality for multiple goals of therapy. While the ultimate outcome for the patient is a more minimally invasive therapy, the catheterization lab has taken on more of an operating room setting requiring more intensive monitoring and higher-acuity anesthetic management. With the survival of congenital heart patients increasing and creating a situation in which there are more adults with congenital heart disease than pediatric patients, the patient population of the pediatric cath lab reflects the demographics of the specialty. The pediatric cath lab is now more correctly referred to as the congenital cardiac cath lab with the capability of caring for all patients, irrelevant of age by a single group of providers.
Targeted Drugs as Maintenance Therapy after Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Mantle Cell Lymphoma

The treatment landscape for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is rapidly evolving toward the incorporation of novel and biologically targeted pharmaceuticals with improved disease activity and gentler toxicity profiles compared with conventional chemotherapeutics. Upfront intensive treatment of MCL includes autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) consolidation aimed at deepening and lengthening disease remission, but subsequent relapse occurs. Maintenance therapy after autologous SCT in patients with MCL in remission features lower-intensity treatments given over extended periods to improve disease outcomes. Targeted drugs are a natural fit for this space, and are the focus of considerable clinical investigation. This review summarizes recent advances in the field and their potential impact on treatment practices for MCL.
The new global economy, information technology and restructuring education

The world economy underwent a radical transformation in the 1970s and 1980s. The transformation has affected long–term national growth possibilities, the actual and potential roles that countries play in the world economy, and the strategies that governments must pursue to ensure growth. Because the use and production of information is so important to these changes, education has been particularly impacted. The experience of both developed and newly industrialising countries suggests that not only has education's importance as a source of growth increased, but that new educational policy approaches are required to realize this growth in an era of greater resource constraints and changing demands for labour skills. This essay describes the main characteristics of the economic changes taking place, assesses the corresponding changes in the international division of labour and its effects on configuration of schooling in various countries, and explores the need to respond to such changes through new educational investment strategies and restructuring the process of education itself.
Modulation of mesenteric collecting lymphatic contractions by σ1-receptor activation and nitric oxide production.

Relatively little is known about the mechanisms that govern contractions of lymphatic vessels. σ1-Receptor activation has been shown to reduce the fractional pump flow of isolated rat mesenteric co...
Current control and PWM dimming in an automotive LED driver based on a Ćuk converter

This paper presents a current controller for an automotive LED driver based on a zero-voltage switching (ZVS) Cuk converter using planar integrated magnetics. The driver outputs regulated dc current through a string of N = 1–12 LED's, which implies the need to operate over a wide output voltage range (approximately 3–40 V). It is found that the low-frequency gain of the duty-cycle-to-output-current transfer function exhibits weak dependence on the output voltage, which simplifies the controller design. A simple integral compensator is used to achieve wide-bandwidth control of the output current. PWM dimming is performed by turning the converter on and off, eliminating the need for any additional circuitry or lossy linear current regulators. Converter turn-on and turn-off strategies are introduced to speed up the on/off transients and facilitate high-resolution PWM dimming. Closed-loop current regulation performance and PWM dimming are verified by averaged circuit simulations including a Spice model of the planar integrated magnetics structure extracted by a 3D FEM tool. The controller is implemented digitally and experimental results are presented for a 0.5 A, 3–40 V prototype operating at 2 MHz.
Comparing self-directed video prompting to least-to-most prompting in post-secondary students with moderate intellectual disabilities

Objectives: This study compared the effects of self-directed video prompting with error correction using an iPod Touch to least-to-most prompting on teaching vocational skills to two post-secondary students with moderate intellectual disabilities.Methods: Students were first taught to use the inPromptu mobile application on the iPod Touch. They were then taught to collate and pack a large envelope and to tri-fold papers and pack a business envelope. The two tasks were counterbalanced across students in an adapted alternating treatments design. Students were instructed to use self-directed video prompting with error correction to teach themselves one skill, and an instructor used least-to-most prompting to teach the second skill. Data were also collected on sessions to criterion and maintenance of the skills over time.Results: Results demonstrated that both instructional techniques were effective in teaching the skills, and students generalized their use of the technology to learn a new skill with no addit...
Persistent pit viper envenomation in a cat.

Case summaryA 4-year-old female spayed, indoor/outdoor domestic mediumhair cat presented with multiple bleeding puncture wounds and hemorrhagic shock. The cat was diagnosed with suspected pit viper...
Microbiome-Mediated Upregulation of MicroRNA-146a in Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease.

The first indication of a potential mechanistic link between the pathobiology of the human gastrointestinal (GI)-tract microbiome and its contribution to the pathogenetic mechanisms of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD) came a scant 4 years ago.* Ongoing research continues to strengthen the hypothesis that neurotoxic microbial-derived components of the GI tract microbiome can cross aging GI tract and blood-brain barriers and contribute to progressive pro-inflammatory neurodegeneration, as exemplified by the AD-process. Of central interest in these recent investigations are the pathological roles played by human GI tract resident Gram-negative anaerobic bacteria and neurotropic viruses – two prominent divisions of GI tract microbiome-derived microbiota - which harbor considerable pathogenic potential. It is noteworthy that the first two well-studied microbiota - the GI tract abundant gram-negative bacteria Bacteroides fragilis (B. fragilis) and the neurotropic herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) both share a final common pathway of NF-kB (p50/p65) activation and microRNA-146a induction with ensuing pathogenic stimulation of innate-immune and neuro-inflammatory pathways. These appear to strongly contribute to the inflammation-mediated amyloidogenic neuropathology of AD. This communication: (i) will review recent research contributions that have expanded our understanding of the nature of the translocation of microbiome-derived neurotoxins-across biophysiological barriers; (ii) will assess multiple-recent investigations of the induction of the pro-inflammatory pathogenic microRNA-146a by these two prominent classes of human microbiota; and (iii) will discuss the role of molecular neurobiology and mechanistic contribution of polymicrobial infections to AD-type neuropathological change.
Calibration free, user-independent gaze estimation with tensor analysis

Abstract Human gaze directly signals visual attention, therefore, estimation of gaze has been an important research topic in fields such as human attention modeling and human-computer interaction. Accurate gaze estimation requires user, system and even session dependent parameters, which can be obtained by calibration process. However, this process has to be repeated whenever the parameter changes (head movement, camera movement, monitor movement). This study aims to eliminate the calibration process of gaze estimation by building a user-independent, appearance-based gaze estimation model. The system is ideal for multimodal interfaces, where the gaze is tracked without the cooperation from the users. The main goal is to capture the essential representation of the gaze appearance of the target user. We investigate the tensor analysis framework that decomposes the high dimension gaze data into different factors including individual differences, gaze differences, user-screen distances and session differences. The axis that is representative for a particular subject is automatically chosen in the tensor analysis framework using LASSO regression. The proposed approaches show promising results on capturing the test subject gaze changes. To address the estimation shift caused by the variations in individual heights, or relative position to the monitor, we apply domain adaptation to adjust the gaze estimation, observing further improvements. These promising results suggest that the proposed gaze estimation approach is a feasible and flexible scheme to facilitate gaze-based multimodal interfaces.
Effect of forward-directed aiding force on gait mechanics in healthy young adults while walking faster.

Abstract Background Forces can be applied to people while they are walking on a treadmill in different ways that aid individuals to walk at faster walking speeds with potentially less effort. Forward-directed aiding forces (FAF) are a special class of aiding forces where “push” or “pull” forces are mechanically applied to the person’s pelvis in the forward direction. Objective To determine if FAF, applied by a robotic interface, can be effective in providing assistance to walk at a faster walking speed with reduced kinetic requirements. Methods Twenty non-neurologically impaired physical active young adults were recruited and biomechanical gait mechanics were measured during walking at two constant treadmill belt speeds (1.0 m/s and 1.6 m/s), with the robotic device in aiding mode to provide FAF (FAF), and also outside of the robotic device (no-FAF). The spatiotemporal gait parameters, anterior-posterior force, sagittal impulse, and hip, knee and ankle power and net work were calculated from kinematic and kinetic data, comparing changes in parameters from slower to faster speeds within each mode, and then, comparing values between each mode. Results The spatiotemporal gait parameters were not different between conditions, but in FAF condition, the propulsive force impulse change was not increased, there was smaller propulsion increase, and smaller maximal power generation and ankle work done at the faster speed, whereas all of these parameters were appropriately increased in the no-FAF condition. Conclusions These results indicate that providing FAF at the pelvis is an effective means for reducing the amount of mechanical effort required to walk faster and thus could be used as a training tool to improve walking ability.
The Intrapleural Route as a Means for Estimating Carcinogenicity

Intrathoracic tumors have been reported from several laboratories after intrapleural injection of various preparations of mineral substances into experimental animals. Application of information from such studies to problems of pulmonary carcinogenesis involves consideration of whether tumors so induced arise from mesothelial cells of the pleura or from other cells of the lungs or thoracic cage. Another question stems from the fact that direct introduction of test substances into the pleural space does not reproduce natural routes of exposure to inhaled carcinogens, however, the intrapleural route may serve a useful role as a convenient screening procedure in comparison to laborious, repeated intratracheal injections or the large space requirements of inhalation exposures.
Identifying High-z Gamma-Ray Burst Candidates Using Random Forest Classification

The growing number of observed Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) necessitates a more efficient use of follow-up resources in order to maximize the expected scientific returns. Studying the most distant (highest redshift) events, for instance, remain a primary goal for many in the field. Toward this goal of optimal resource allocation, we have created the Random Forests Automated Triage Estimator for GRB redshifts (RATE GRB- z) to identify high-redshift (z > 4) candidates using rapidly available metrics from the Swift satellite. Using a training set of 136 GRBs, 17 of which are high-z, our cross-validated performance metrics suggest that following up on just 20% of the GRBs will yield roughly 55% of all high-redshift events.
Joint Map and Symmetry Synchronization

Most existing techniques in map computation (e.g., in the form of feature or dense correspondences) assume that the underlying map between an object pair is unique. This assumption, however, easily breaks when visual objects possess self-symmetries. In this paper, we study the problem of jointly optimizing symmetry groups and pair-wise maps among a collection of symmetric objects. We introduce a lifting map representation for encoding both symmetry groups and maps between symmetry groups. Based on this representation, we introduce a computational framework for joint symmetry and map synchronization. Experimental results show that this approach outperforms state-of-the-art approaches for symmetry detection from a single object as well as joint map optimization among an object collection.