cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rapid Feedforward Inhibition and Asynchronous Excitation Regulate Granule Cell Activity in the Mammalian Main Olfactory Bulb.

Granule cell-mediated inhibition is critical to patterning principal neuron activity in the olfactory bulb, and perturbation of synaptic input to granule cells significantly alters olfactory-guided behavior. Despite the critical role of granule cells in olfaction, little is known about how sensory input recruits granule cells. Here, we combined whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology in acute mouse olfactory bulb slices with biophysical multicompartmental modeling to investigate the synaptic basis of granule cell recruitment. Physiological activation of sensory afferents within single glomeruli evoked diverse modes of granule cell activity, including subthreshold depolarization, spikelets, and suprathreshold responses with widely distributed spike latencies. The generation of these diverse activity modes depended, in part, on the asynchronous time course of synaptic excitation onto granule cells, which lasted several hundred milliseconds. In addition to asynchronous excitation, each granule cell also received synchronous feedforward inhibition. This inhibition targeted both proximal somatodendritic and distal apical dendritic domains of granule cells, was reliably recruited across sniff rhythms, and scaled in strength with excitation as more glomeruli were activated. Feedforward inhibition onto granule cells originated from deep short-axon cells, which responded to glomerular activation with highly reliable, short-latency firing consistent with tufted cell-mediated excitation. Simulations showed that feedforward inhibition interacts with asynchronous excitation to broaden granule cell spike latency distributions and significantly attenuates granule cell depolarization within local subcellular compartments. Collectively, our results thus identify feedforward inhibition onto granule cells as a core feature of olfactory bulb circuitry and establish asynchronous excitation and feedforward inhibition as critical regulators of granule cell activity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Inhibitory granule cells are involved critically in shaping odor-evoked principal neuron activity in the mammalian olfactory bulb, yet little is known about how sensory input activates granule cells. Here, we show that sensory input to the olfactory bulb evokes a barrage of asynchronous synaptic excitation and highly reliable, short-latency synaptic inhibition onto granule cells via a disynaptic feedforward inhibitory circuit involving deep short-axon cells. Feedforward inhibition attenuates local depolarization within granule cell dendritic branches, interacts with asynchronous excitation to suppress granule cell spike-timing precision, and scales in strength with excitation across different levels of sensory input to normalize granule cell firing rates.
Plasma Mode Trench Etching with Direct Hydrocarbon Injection

Planar plasma etching of silicon for fabrication of deep trenches has been studied using the method of factorial design. A highly anisotropic etching profile with a slight positive slope is obtained using SF6, C2C1F5, and CH4 in the low energy plasma etch mode. The anisotropy is attributed to the polymerization of CH4 molecules with the active species in the plasma. The polymer is removed preferentially in the vertical direction by energetic ions from the plasma, leaving the polymer layer on the side wall to inhibit lateral etching of silicon. Good uniformity across the wafer and smooth trench surfaces are obtained with this process. Trench depths of greater than 3µm with less than 0.24µm of undercut are observed. Etch rate measurements were made and found to be greater than 1000 angstroms/minute. Selectivity over the oxide mask is greater than 15:1. By using factorial design to statistically characterize this process, the effects of interactions between various process parameters are studied. Optimal etching conditions are obtained from the interaction terms for the process parameters. The ability to etch deep trenches with smooth surfaces, low damage, low linewidth degredation, and high selectivity make this process useful for many applications in VLSI devices.
Machinability of High-Strength Porous Silicon Nitride Ceramics

A machinability of porous Si3N4 ceramics composed of columnar β-Si3N4 grains was evaluated by turning and milling with cemented carbide cutting tools to investigate a possibility of application of the porous Si3N4 to machinable ceramic use. The porosity and the flexural strength of specimens were about 43% and 270MPa, respectively. The machinings were carried out with a cemented carbide throw-away tip of K-10 grade. The condition of turning was cutting speeds of 50 to 150m/min, feed rates of 0.05 to 0.40mm/rev, and a cutting depth of 0.5mm, and that of milling was cutting speeds of 20 to 200m/min, feed rates of 0.05 to 0.20mm/rev and a cutting depth of 0.5mm. Machinability was judged from the maximum surface roughness, Rmax, after machining; it was defined that a material was machinable when Rmax was below 10μm. In the case of turning, the Rmax increased with increasing cutting speed and feed rate. Rmax below 10μm was obtained under conditions that satisfied both a cutting speed of 50m/min and feed rates below 0.1mm/rev. In the case of milling, although the Rmax increased with increasing feed rate, serious cutting speed dependence of Rmax could not be seen. Rmax values below 10μm were obtained at feed rates below 0.1mm/rev, independent of cutting speed.
Independent Analysis of Albumin-Bilirubin Grade in a 765-Patient Cohort Treated with Transarterial Locoregional Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Abstract Purpose To assess validity of albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade as a predictor of survival in patients undergoing transarterial embolization for hepatocellular carcinoma. Materials and Methods Baseline albumin and bilirubin values of 765 consecutive patients treated with conventional transarterial chemoembolization or yttrium-90 ( 90 Y) radioembolization at a single institution were used to determine liver function according to ALBI grade. Survival outcomes were stratified by ALBI grade using Kaplan-Meier and stratified by Child-Pugh (C-P) class and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage. Discriminatory ability was assessed by C-index. Results For 428 patients receiving 90 Y radioembolization, ALBI grade yielded distinct survival curves ( P P = .001), BCLC A ( P P = .001), and BCLC C ( P P P = .02), BCLC B ( P = .001), and BCLC C ( P = .02). When substratified by BCLC stage, ALBI grade was a better discriminator of survival than C-P class (C-index 0.739, 0.735, respectively). Conclusions ALBI grade outperforms C-P class at discriminating survival in patients receiving transarterial chemoembolization or 90 Y radioembolization. ALBI grade is also valuable in patients with moderate liver dysfunction and BCLC B disease.
Separating the competitive and allelopathic components of interference : Theoretical principles.

The terms "competition" and "allelopathy" should be used in ways consistent with some set of criteria, perhaps those proposed in this discussion. Proposed proof of competitive interference includes: (1) identification of the symptoms of interference; (2) demonstration that the presence of the agent is correlated with reduced utilization of resources by the suscept; (3) demonstration of which resource(s) depleted by the agent are limiting resources; and (4) simulation of that interference (in the absence of the agent) by reduction of the supply of resources to levels that occur during interference. Proposed proof of allelopathic interference includes: (1) identification of the symptoms of interference; (2) isolation, assay, characterization, and synthesis of the toxin; (3) simulation of the interference by supplying the toxin as it is supplied in nature; and (4) quantification of the release, movement, and uptake of the toxin. It would be desirable but not essential to show that the selectivity of the toxin to various species corresponds to the range of species affected by the allelopathic agent. We propose that fulfillment of the above criteria would constitute proof of competitive or allelopathic interference. According to these criteria, it is possible that neither competitive nor allelopathic interference has been unequivocally proven at the present time. These criteria are proposed as a basis for evaluation of experimental evidence and as an indicator of deficiencies in our technology.
Using SEM to examine emotion regulation and revictimization in predicting PTSD symptoms among childhood abuse survivors.

Exposure to abuse in childhood has been associated with elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), as well as intimate partner (re)victimization in adulthood. Although research has examined these relationships separately, less is known about the underlying mechanisms, such as disruptions to emotion regulatory processes, which may link childhood maltreatment with adult victimization and PTSS. Using an ethnically diverse, high-risk community sample of 99 female survivors of childhood abuse and adulthood intimate partner violence (IPV), the current study used structural equation modeling to examine the direct effects of childhood maltreatment, adult IPV victimization, and emotion regulation difficulties on PTSS. The indirect effect of childhood maltreatment on PTSS symptoms through adult victimization and emotion regulation difficulties was also considered. Results supported the anticipated direct effects of childhood abuse on adult IPV victimization and emotion regulation difficulties. A significant direct effect of emotion regulation difficulties on PTSS was also observed. Whereas significant direct effects of childhood abuse on PTSS in adulthood were not observed, childhood maltreatment indirectly affected PTSS in adulthood through emotion regulation difficulties, as well as through IPV victimization in adulthood. These findings suggest dual pathways through which childhood maltreatment may contribute to PTSS in adulthood. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.
GPU acceleration for Bayesian control of Markovian genetic regulatory networks

A recently developed approach to precision medicine is the use of Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) on Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs). Due to very limited information on the system dynamics of GRNs, the MDP must repeatedly conduct exhaustive search for a non-stationary policy, and thus entails exponential computational complexity. This has hindered its practical applications to date. With the goal of overcoming this obstacle, we investigate acceleration techniques, using the Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) platform, which allows massive parallelism. Our GPU-based acceleration techniques are applied with two different MDP approaches: the optimal Bayesian robust (OBR) policy and the forward search sparse sampling (FSSS) method. Simulation results demonstrate that our techniques achieve a speedup of two orders of magnitude over sequential implementations. In addition, we present a study on the memory utilization and error trends of these techniques.
The pathophysiologic basis for wound healing and cutaneous regeneration

Abstract: In this chapter, essential aspects of cutaneous wound repair/scar formation, including the early response and the cellular phase, will be covered. Fundamental differences between wound repair and regeneration, with emphasis on fibroblast and endothelial cell contribution to respective dermal architecture, will be discussed. ‘Essential ingredients’ for cutaneous regeneration will be explored in detail. Lastly, issues regarding stem cells, progenitors and cellular ‘plasticity’, as they relate to cutaneous wound healing, will be examined.
Comparison of Clevidipine Versus Sodium Nitroprusside for the Treatment of Postoperative Hypertension in Cardiac Surgery Patients.

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of clevidipine (CLV) versus sodium nitroprusside (SNP) for the treatment of hypertension (HTN) in postoperative cardiac surgery patients at a community hospital. Methods: This single-center, retrospective, cohort study included cardiac surgery patients treated with CLV or SNP for postoperative systolic blood pressure (SBP) control. The primary efficacy outcome was defined as the mean number of times the SBP rose above 140 mm Hg. Secondary outcomes included a comparative cost analysis and a safety analysis. Results: Forty patients were included in each arm. Patients who received CLV had a higher incidence of SBP readings greater than 140 mm Hg (p < .05). There were no differences in safety outcomes, number of patients who received as-needed (PRN) antihypertensives, or mean number of PRN antihypertensives required. There were differences in infusion duration (22.4 hours CLV vs 15.6 hours SNP; p = .035), number of infusions dispensed (2.8 CLV vs 1.3 SNP...
Skene’s Gland Abscess: Detection With Transperineal Sonography

Skene’s glands are glands situated in the caudal two-thirds of the urethra. Infection of the gland by bacteria leads to inflammatory obstruction of the paraurethral ducts, causing the formation of ...
Discriminating Between Fatigue and Sleepiness in the Naval Operational Environment.

Objective: To assess the similarities and differences between reported levels of fatigue and sleepiness as a consequence of working at sea. Participants: 767 crewmembers of a U.S. Navy ship. Methods: Retrospective analysis of a survey to include questions about demographics, caffeine consumption, sleep adequacy, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Results: ESS scores (8.41 ± 4.66) indicated that 32% of the participants had excessive daytime sleepiness (ESS score > 10), while approximately 7% had an ESS score of 16 or more. FSS scores (average FSS = 3.01 ± 1.37) indicated that 28% of the participants had elevated fatigue (FSS score ≥ 4). Even though ESS and FSS scores were correlated (r = 0.39), their association explained only 15% of the variability observed. In terms of behavioral and lifestyle patterns, crewmembers with elevated fatigue (FSS ≥ 4) reported getting less exercise than those reporting less fatigue. Individuals with excessive sleepiness (ESS > 10) report...
Chitosan for bone and cartilage regenerative engineering

The future of regenerative engineering holds significant promise for the successful treatment and effective management of musculoskeletal injuries. Chitosan is a natural polymer that has received significant attention in recent years due to its versatility and great potential for bone and cartilage tissue engineering. These tissues are commonly compromised, and through medical therapy or surgical intervention involving chitosan scaffolds there is great potential to improve patient outcomes. Chitosan is bioactive, biocompatible, and possesses mechanical and functional properties that support bone and cartilage tissue regeneration. Its impressive versatility allows its properties to be tuned for specific applications through the manipulation of its functional groups, through the formation of composite scaffolds involving other biomaterials, and through its incorporation into a variety of three-dimensional scaffold types, including hydrogels, sponges, microsphere scaffolds, and nanofiber networks. Researchers have conducted in vitro and in vivo experiments that demonstrate the versatility of this material and its benefit in bone and cartilage tissue regeneration when applied in concert with stem cells, growth factors, and various other biomaterials.
Time-dependent Schrödinger equation for molecular core-hole dynamics

X-ray spectroscopy is an important tool for the investigation of matter. X rays primarily interact with inner-shell electrons, creating core (inner-shell) holes that will decay on the time scale of attoseconds to a few femtoseconds through electron relaxations involving the emission of a photon or an electron. The advent of femtosecond x-ray pulses expands x-ray spectroscopy to the time domain and will eventually allow the control of core-hole population on time scales comparable to core-vacancy lifetimes. For both cases, a theoretical approach that accounts for the x-ray interaction while the electron relaxations occur is required. Here we describe a time-dependent framework, based on solving the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation, that is suitable for describing the induced electron and nuclear dynamics.
Potential CO2 Emission Reduction and H2 Production Using Industrial Slag Wastes Originating from Different Industrial Sectors

Previous empirical research demonstrated that by mixing gasification and metallurgical slags at a specific composition in a CO2 enriched environment, enough exothermic heat would be generated to transform CO2 to CO. The process capacity may be limited by the availability of the slags, however, it could be used to supplement existing energy or chemical production to reduce overall carbon emission. In this study, computational simulations were performed to explore optimal process conditions based on effects of individual slag constituents and thermal input for maximal gas conversion rate, heat production, and volume increase. In simulated conversions of CO2 to CO and H2O to H2 , comparisons were made by varying CaO, FeO, versus V2O3 slag constituents. The result indicated the optimal slag composition may be obtained by appropriate source selection and mixing of gasification and metallurgical slags in order to maximize carbon reduction and/or H2 production.
AN 1870 CORPORATE AUDIT COMMITTEE

Board of directors' audit committees are becoming an increasingly popular vehicle for enhancing the objectivity and independence of auditors and overseeing the financial information generating process. This is occurring at a time when directors and auditors are facing criticism and increased litigation due to corporate failures and disclosures of illegal or questionable payments. This article examines the workings of a corporate audit committee that operated in the mid-nineteenth century. The committee functioned as “auditor” for the company since there was no established public accounting profession in the U.S. at that time. They disentangled the financial affairs of the company and probably directly contributed to the replacement of the President of the company. Although the activities of corporate audit committees have changed or evolved considerably through the years, both the 1870 corporate audit committee and modern corporate audit committees have pursued a common goal of achieving accuracy and comp...
Nonunions of the Tibial Plateau and Proximal Tibial Metaphysis

Nonunion of the proximal tibia is relatively rare. For purposes of evaluation and treatment, these injuries are best divided into intra-articular and proximal metaphyseal types. Before proceeding with treatment, there must be a thorough workup for possible infectious and metabolic causes of nonunion. The appraisal also demands a thorough assessment of deformity in all planes. Definitive treatment is dictated by the location and presumed cause of nonunion, but options include plate and screw fixation for articular nonunions, and ring fixators, plate and screws, or intramedullary nailing for proximal metaphyseal nonunions. Autogenous autograft is a mainstay of treatment and will be utilized in most cases. There are scarce definitive outcomes data, but surgical intervention that includes correction of the mechanical axis, compression, and bone grafting will most often yield satisfactory functional results. This chapter reviews the patient evaluation, the assessment of deformity, and definitive treatment options.
Control of Postbuckling Mode Transitions Using Assemblies of Axially Loaded Bilaterally Constrained Beams

AbstractMultistable structural members are extensively used in various fields, including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuation, sensing, and energy harvesting. The multistable configurati...
Indications and Methods of Anticoagulation Reversal

The use of anticoagulation in the prevention of strokes due to atrial fibrillation or the treatment of venous thromboembolic disease has been on the rise. With the advent and proliferation of direct oral anticoagulation medications, the management of anticoagulation reversal has become increasingly complex, especially when urgent or emergent reversal is required. This review details the commonly used parenteral and oral anticoagulants, the treatment strategies necessary for their reversal, and therapies still in development.
A Note on Weighted Approximations to the Uniform Empirical and Quantile Processes

Recently, M. Csorgő, S. Csorgő, Horvath and Mason (1986a) obtained a weighted approximation to the uniform empirical and quantile processes by a sequence of Brownian bridges. The purpose of this note is to give a short and elementary proof of their weighted approximation to the uniform quantile process. Their corresponding weighted approximation to the uniform empirical process follows in a direct fashion from that of the imiform quantile process. The present proof, as was the former, is based on the Komlos, Major and Tusnady (1976) strong approximation to the partial sum process. It is shown, however, that almost the same weighted approximation to the uniform empirical and quantile processes can be derived from the older Skorokhod (1965) embedding. This alternate weighted approximation, obtained via the Skorokhod embedding, is likely to be sufficient for nearly all applications of the weighted approximation methodology and has the advantage that its proof is more suitable for instructional purposes.
Detection of CO J = 1→0 Emission from an IRAS Selected Sample of S0 Galaxies

We have obtained CO fluxes or upper limits for eleven SO galaxies with IRAS 100 µm flux density ≥ 3 Jy. The observations were made with the NRAO 12m antenna at Kitt Peak. Five of eleven galaxies were detected at levels of 5σ or greater in integrated line intensity. These observations contradict the traditional view of SO galaxies as being devoid of molecular gas. The ratios of FIR to CO luminosity among the sample are similar to those among normal spirals. The major difference between SO and spiral galaxies is the smaller spatial extent of the SO’s CO emitting region. The molecular gas traced by the CO emission presumably fuels the star formation inferred from IRAS observations. The origin of the molecular gas is uncertain at present.
From Reductionism to Instrumentalism

Reductionism in biology never really recovered from chapter one of David Hull’s Philosophy of Biological Science.1
Effect of amplification of xenobiotic detoxification pathways genes on survival in lung adenocarcinoma versus squamous cell carcinoma bases on the Cancer Genome Atlas provisional database.

e14093Background: Ral interacting protein (RLIP76) is a stress-responsive anti-apoptotic efflux transporter of the mercapturic acid pathway (MPy). The MPy enzymes are an essential component of the ...
PTSD and Physical Health.

We review evidence linking PTSD to physical health symptoms and specific disorders, highlighting areas with multiple studies and objective measures of disease states when available. We also examine evidence for biological, behavioral, and psychosocial mechanisms underlying these associations and discuss the clinical implications of recent research. Recent meta-analyses have found that evidence is particularly strong for increased risk of cardiovascular, metabolic, and musculoskeletal disorders among patients with PTSD. Numerous studies have found alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, sympathetic nervous system, inflammation, and health behaviors that could increase risk of illness, but few studies have simultaneously incorporated measures of mechanisms and disease outcomes. Future research should focus on expanding the diversity of populations studied, particularly with respect to underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Longitudinal studies that incorporate repeated measures of PTSD, pathogenic mechanisms of disease, and physical health outcomes and the addition of physical health outcomes to PTSD treatment trials will be most informative for the field.
Power and Agency in Post-Conquest England: Elite Women and the Transformations of the Twelfth Century

Decades of research on women in Norman and Angevin England challenge both the McNamara and Wemple thesis on declining female power in the Central Middle Ages and the prevailing political narrative for that kingdom. Elite women were empowered by their status and claims to property and wealth. If widowed or divorced, they had control of their dowry and dower. Their claims to inherit from their natal families increased with the adoption of parceny. The rise of administrative kingship and legal and judicial innovations limited some options for elite women to exercise power but enhanced or safeguarded others. The policies of individual kings varied. Evidence is presented to argue against absolute royal control over the remarriage of elite widows, although Kings Richard I and John may have exerted greater pressure on them to marry royal nominees or purchase their marriage rights.
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Developmental Abnormalities in the Brain

Abstract Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy can significantly impact the developmental trajectory of the offspring, resulting in lifelong alterations to brain anatomy, function, and behavior. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term used to describe the range of phenotypes that are observed in children who have been exposed to alcohol during the prenatal period. In this chapter, we highlight details from research focused on identifying alcohol’s effects on the developing brain and the mechanisms through which alcohol alters brain development. This chapter provides a discussion of the results from structural and functional brain imaging studies that reveal broad changes in anatomy and function of the brain in FASD patients as well as important data from animal research studies that address potential mechanisms underlying alcohol’s damaging effects.
A Southern Ocean Mechanism for the Interhemispheric Coupling and Phasing of the Bipolar Seesaw

The last glacial period is punctuated by abrupt changes in Northern Hemisphere temperatures that are known as Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) events. A striking and largely unexplained feature of DO events is an interhemispheric asymmetry characterized by cooling in Antarctica during periods of warming in Greenland and vice versa—the bipolar seesaw. Methane-synchronized ice core records indicate that the Southern Hemisphere lags the Northern Hemisphere by approximately 200 years. Here, we propose a mechanism that produces observed features of both the bipolar seesaw and the phasing of DO events. The spatial pattern of sea ice formation and melt in the Southern Ocean imposes a rigid constraint on where water masses are modified: waters are made denser near the coast where ice forms and waters are made lighter farther north where ice melts. This pattern, coupled to the tilt of density surfaces across the Southern Ocean and the stratification of the ocean basins, produces two modes of overturning corresponding to different bipolar seesaw states. We present evolution equations for a simplified ocean model that describes the transient adjustment of the basin stratification, the Southern Ocean surface density distribution, and the overturning strength as the ocean moves between these states in response to perturbations in North Atlantic Deep Water formation, which we take as a proxy for Greenland temperatures. Transitions between different overturning states occur over a multicentennial time scale, which is qualitatively consistent with the observed Southern Hemisphere lag. The volume of deep density layers varies inversely with the overturning strength, leading to significant changes in residence times. Evidence of these dynamics in more realistic circulation models is discussed.
Multi-methods Research to Examine External HMI for Highly Automated Vehicles

Will other road users know how to interact safely and effectively with highly automated and driverless vehicles (HAV’s), especially in situations where there may be uncertainty, such as turn-taking and stop intersections? Focusing on interaction-rich, urban contexts, we studied roadway practices among todays’ drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. Based on results from these field studies, we have been developing and testing concepts for using external Human-Machine Interfaces to signal intent. In this paper we provide a summary of this work based on a multi-methods program of research.
Peritoneal metastases from malignant degeneration of ectopic gastric epithelium in Meckel's diverticulum: A case report.

Abstract Background Meckel’s diverticulum is the most common congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract, resulting from incomplete obliteration of the omphalomesenteric duct in early fetal development. The diverticulum frequently contains ectopic gastrointestinal epithelial tissue, most commonly gastric or pancreatic. Adenocarcinoma can arise from either of these epithelia but is extremely rare, with less than 50 cases reported in the world literature. Methods In a patient with peritoneal metastases from ectopic gastric mucosae in a Meckel’s diverticulum a multidisciplinary treatment plan was initiated. Results Diagnosis was evident from study of the resected specimen of small bowel in a patient with acute abdominal pain. A multiagent chemotherapy regimen using oxaliplatin, mitomycin C, doxorubicin, and capecitabine (O-Max) resulted in a clinical and radiologic response. A second surgery with extensive sampling of tissues from the abdomen and pelvis confirmed a complete response to systemic chemotherapy. At four years from onset of disease the patient has no evidence of recurrence. Conclusions Peritoneal metastases from malignant degeneration of ectopic gastric epithelium in a Meckel’s diverticulum was reported. Multidisciplinary treatments were beneficial.
The Role of Cardiac Transplantation in Reversing Fontan Associated Liver Disease: A Case Report

Introduction: Chronic liver disease is a known complication of the Fontan surgery, thought to be due to chronic liver congestion and low cardiac output. However, the optimal treatment modality remains unclear. Cases in Fontan patients with concomitant heart and liver dysfunction have been particularly problematic; it is unclear if heart transplant alone or combined heart and liver transplant is the optimal strategy. Here, we present a case of a …
Social-Ecological Processes and Impacts Affect Individual and Social Well-Being in a Rural Western U.S. Landscape

To achieve agroecosystem conservation strategies while balancing the needs of people who live and work across rural landscapes, it is critical to understand what people need to improve and sustain their quality of life and well-being. Research that is designed to connect social-ecological dynamics, landscape change, and human impacts to human well-being and ecosystem health is well-suited to inform land management strategies and decision-making for agricultural production policies. We asked livestock producers, public land and resource managers, recreation users, conservationists, and wilderness advocates who live and work among rural communities in southwestern Idaho to describe social-ecological conditions that support and degrade their well-being. Using grounded theory methodology, we analyzed semi-structured interviews to discover meanings of well-being and to understand how people experience changes to their quality of life in an arid rangelands context. Our findings support previous research that suggests well-being is experienced at both individual and community scales, with sense of well-being influenced by ecological, economic, and socio-cultural processes. Specifically, our findings illuminate the role of social interactions as processes that support agroecosystem conditions and functions to the benefit or detriment of human well-being and ecosystem health. Community is not just a geographic territory; it is a process of social interactions through which people build, improve, or damage relationships that support or degrade well-being. By integrating scholarship on social change processes, ecosystem services, and impacts to human well-being, we contribute an integrated framework with a comprehensive set of social-ecological concepts to be used as a common language and synthesis guide for agroecosystem researchers and practitioners. We discuss our findings in the context of the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s national network for Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR). The LTAR network is charged with identifying strategies for sustainable intensification that support agricultural productivity, environmental quality, and rural well-being. Our research sheds light on the functions of agroecosystem stakeholders and rural communities beyond their adoption (or not) of new technologies and management practices. Future assessments of environmental change and impacts must adequately address social processes that, alongside ecological processes, affect well-being for rural communities and landscapes.
WiFiMon: a mobility analytics platform for building occupancy monitoring and contact tracing using wifi sensing: poster abstract

With the current COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing and building occupancy tracking are key components of re-opening policies and quickly containing virus outbreaks. WiFiMon is a network-centric contact tracing method that uses enterprise WiFi networks logs for tracking devices and inferring building occupancy and building contact tracing reports in office and campus settings. We have built WiFiMon on an analytics platform that leverages the popular open source ELK stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash and Kibana) to process syslog data at large scale and offer users dashboards to quickly monitor building occupancy and generate contract tracing reports. WiFiMon has been deployed at several UMass campuses gathering daily data from over 5,000 WiFi access points and tens of thousands of users. Our software is freely available for anyone to use and can be found at https://github.com/umassos/elastic-wifitrace.
Deep phenotyping in 3q29 deletion syndrome: recommendations for clinical care.

Abstract Purpose To understand the consequences of the 3q29 deletion on medical, neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, brain structural, and neurological sequalae by systematic evaluation of affected individuals. To develop evidence-based recommendations using these data for effective clinical care. Methods Thirty-two individuals with the 3q29 deletion were evaluated using a defined phenotyping protocol and standardized data collection instruments. Results Medical manifestations were varied and reported across nearly every organ system. The most severe manifestations were congenital heart defects (25%) and the most common were gastrointestinal symptoms (81%). Physical examination revealed a high proportion of musculoskeletal findings (81%). Neurodevelopmental phenotypes represent a significant burden and include intellectual disability (34%), autism spectrum disorder (38%), executive function deficits (46%), and graphomotor weakness (78%). Psychiatric illness manifests across the lifespan with psychosis prodrome (15%), psychosis (20%), anxiety disorders (40%), and attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (63%). Neuroimaging revealed structural anomalies of the posterior fossa, but on neurological exam study subjects displayed only mild or moderate motor vulnerabilities. Conclusion By direct evaluation of 3q29 deletion study subjects, we document common features of the syndrome, including a high burden of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Evidence-based recommendations for evaluation, referral, and management are provided to help guide clinicians in the care of 3q29 deletion patients.
“They’re Not Closing This School, We Won’t Let Them”

This autoethnography details the story of my personal experience in the field as a social work MSW and Ph.D. student, working as the facilitator of a human rights-based after-school and summer program at an urban high school set for permanent closure in a structurally oppressed community, and my journey to the realization that I was witnessing genocide in the form of structural violence. One purpose in writing this narrative is to provide a social and cultural context to the ubiquity of structurally violent policies, such as closing public schools. This story also testifies to the wealth of strengths that youth possess to resist even the most severe human rights abuses. I also write to show the inextricable political link between individuals and societal structures and systems and to challenge social workers to actively oppose structural violence and its genocidal effects. As I reflect on the genocidal conditions I witnessed, I will at the same time critically consider the profession of social work’s role in responding to structural violence, as well as the great potential that our profession has to meaningfully address crises like these.
Optimal Transmit Coil Design for Wirelessly Powered Biomedical Implants Considering Magnetic Field Safety Constraints

This article presents an investigation on the optimal design of a transmit coil for a wireless power transfer system (WPTS) for biomedical implants with the goal of maximizing the magnetic flux density (B-field) at the location of the implant while not violating magnetic field exposure limits. Maximizing the B-field correlates to higher transferable electric power for certain WPTSs, such as those that use magnetoelectric receivers. While previous works have optimized the thermal efficiency, or system efficiency, to our knowledge no one yet has developed the procedure to optimize the transmitter to maximize the B-field subject to an imposed safety limit constraint for magnetic field exposure. In addition to this safety constraint, the optimal design of the transmitter is considered when the system geometry or the input current is constrained. Equations for determining the design parameters of an optimal solenoid transmitter are derived subject to constraints on either transmitter size or electric current. If a certain magnetic field strength is required, solutions to the size and current of the transmitter are presented, which allow the desired fields without violating the safety constraint. The mathematical model is experimentally validated, and a case study is described that illustrates the optimal design rules.
Comparison of Approaches to Social Choice

When a new view is proposed to study a problem, this view will be better understood if it is contrasted with the views previously proposed to attack the same problem. To this end a very schematic summary of the main approaches that have been proposed to deal with the problem of social choice will be presented in this chapter and these approaches contrasted with the system to be offered in this monograph.
Manufacturing Decline, Housing Booms, and Non-Employment

We assess the extent to which manufacturing decline and housing booms contributed to changes in U.S. non-employment during the 2000s. Using a local labor market design, we estimate that manufacturing decline significantly increased non-employment during 2000-2007, while local housing booms decreased non-employment by roughly the same magnitude. The effects of manufacturing decline persist through 2011, but we find no persistent non-employment effects of local housing booms, most plausibly because housing booms were associated with subsequent busts of similar magnitude. We also find that housing booms significantly reduce the likelihood that displaced manufacturing workers remain non-employed, suggesting that housing booms "mask" non-employment growth that would have otherwise occurred earlier in the absence of the booms. Applying our estimates to the national labor market, we find that housing booms reduced non-employment growth by roughly 30 percent during 2000-2007 and that roughly 40 percent of the aggregate increase in non-employment during 2000-2011 can be attributed to manufacturing decline. Collectively, our results suggest that much of the non-employment growth during the 2000s can be attributed to manufacturing decline and these effects would have appeared in aggregate statistics earlier had it not been for the large, temporary increases in housing demand.Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.
History dependent crystallization of Zr41Ti14Cu12Ni10Be23 melts

The crystallization of Zr41Ti14Cu12Ni10Be23 (Vit 1) melts during constant heating is investigated. (Vit 1) melts are cooled with different rates into the amorphous state and the crystallization temperature upon subsequent heating is studied. In addition, Vit 1 melts are cooled using a constant rate to different temperatures and subsequently heated from this temperature with a constant rate. We investigate the influence of the temperature to which the melt was cooled on the crystallization temperature measured upon heating. In both cases the onset temperature of crystallization shows strong history dependence. This can be explained by an accumulating process during cooling and heating. An attempt is made to consider this process in a simple model by steady state nucleation and subsequent growth of the nuclei which results in different crystallization kinetics during cooling or heating. Calculations show qualitative agreement with the experimental results. However, calculated and experimental results differ quantitatively. This difference can be explained by a decomposition process leading to a nonsteady nucleation rate which continuously increases with decreasing temperature.
Performance of Commercial and Research Grade SiC Whiskers in a Borosilicate Glass Matrix

Dry blending of the whiskers and glass powder yielded composites of satisfactory, but not optimum, homogeneity. The whiskers inhibited composite densification, but this could be remedied by modifying the hot-pressing conditions. All types of whiskers produced improvements in the flexural strength of the composites, with the highest value achieved with the smallest diameter whiskers. The composites displayed a 4- to 5-fold increase in fracture toughness compared to that displayed by the unreinforced glass, but definitive trends could not be related to the whisker size characteristics.
A Libertarian Perspective on Political Economy

In this Essay I shall try to set out the basic premises of libertarianism, and to apply them to issues such as socialism, capitalism, unionism, free trade, pay equity, minimum wages, underdeveloped countries and pollution. It is important that this be done since if we are to discuss this philosophy, we do well to have a clear account of it before us. In that way, whether we accept it or not, we shall not have to fear talking at cross purposes; we will at least all be undertaking a dialogue on the same issue. Perhaps we shall only achieve informed disagreement, but this is a far better result than misunderstanding, the condition that plagues much of dialogue on economic questions.
Differential Biological Activity of Estradiol Metabolites

Assessment of the biological potency of an estrogen in the human has been and remains a formidable task. The problem arises not only from the lack of a readily distinguished physiological endpoint, but also from the diversity of the biological actions of the estrogens. Estrogens exert proliferative effects in recognized target tissues such as endometrium, vagina, and breast,1 and this action is the one commonly associated with the term "estrogenicity." Estrogens, however, also participate in inducing a host of other peripheral responses in tissues such as blood, bone, skin, and others.2 More importantly, the estrogens also exercise major regulatory functions in the central nervous system, including control of pituitary hormone secretion3 and influencing behavior such as food intake4 and sexual receptivity.5 Much attention had been devoted to the design of estrogen structures that would exhibit a specific type of estrogenic activity, such as gonadotropic regulation, without retaining any uterotropic action. Despite the vast numbers of structures synthesized, little clear-cut separation of these activities has been achieved, suggesting that these dual actions of estrogens may be inextricably linked to each other. On the other hand, much effort has also gone into the study of the mechanism of estrogen action in the uterus and in the central nervous system; despite much progress in both directions, little evidence of a commonality between these two responses to estradiol has so far emerged, suggesting that they may not be directly linked. In our studies, we sought to examine whether estradiol metabolism may play a critical role in the expression of the biological activity of the female sex hormone.
Thinking about Space-Time Connections: Spatiotemporal Scheduling of Individual Activities

This article presents a spatiotemporal model for scheduling applications that is driven by the events and activities individuals plan and manage every day. The framework is presented using an ontological approach where ontologies at different levels of generalization, e.g. domain, application, and task ontologies, are linked together through participation and inheritance relationships. S_Events are entered into a schedule as a new S_Entry, or modifications can be made to existing entries including reschedule, postpone, change location, and delete as schedules vary over time. These schedule updates are formalized through changes to planned start and end times and the planned locations of S_Entries are expressed using SWRL, a semantic web rule language. SWRL is also used for reasoning about schedule changes and the space-time conflicts that can occur. The sequence of entries in a schedule gives rise to S_trajectories representing the locations that individuals plan to visit in order to carry out their schedule, adding an additional spatial element to the framework. A prototype Geoscheduler application maps S_Entries against a timeline, offering a spatiotemporal visualization of scheduled activities showing the evolution of a schedule over space-time and affecting spatiotemporal accessibility for individuals.
Effective Community Listening: A Case Study on Photovoice in Rural Nicaragua

Before beginning a service learning project, students and researchers must listen to the communities with whom they intend to work. By engaging in practical community listening activities, researchers can better understand local contexts and effectively solicit a community’s development needs. Photovoice is a very simple method that can be applied in service learning projects to help researchers understand the realities associated with their partner community. For service learning projects in unfamiliar settings, researchers should work closely with an experienced partner organization that understands a given community’s customs and culture. Applying Photovoice to development projects will facilitate problem identification, promote community empowerment, and assist in developing mutually-beneficial community partnerships. Photovoice creates a platform within a community for candid discussion about relevant issues, challenges, and needs for community-based development. In addition to improving the sustainability of service learning community partnerships, these activities enhance the resiliency of the projects that develop through community empowerment. This article outlines the significance of community listening in service learning projects, and it provides a case study of the Photovoice method that student researchers used when engaging with a rural Nicaraguan community.