cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Whose Fast and Whose Feast? Intrahousehold Asymmetries in Dietary Diversity Response Among East African Pastoralists

Thisarticleexploresintrahouseholddietarydiversityallocationwithinpastoralisthouseholdsineastern Africa.We estimate income elasticities of dietary diversity for demographic cohorts allowing asymmetric behavior depending on household circumstances.We find that household heads disproportionately bear the nutritional burden when household income is below mean,while other cohorts disproportionately enjoy the nutritional gains when it is above mean.The commonly assumed symmetric framework masks this intrahousehold behavior and produces biased elasticity estimates. Stochastic dominance tests show adult daughters as better-off than other household members in their dietary diversity, sons as worse off, and little difference between male heads and their wives. Nutritional welfare is an individual, not household, characteristic. While the average nutrient intake and dietary quality of the household can be one of the largest determinants of the well-being of its members, nutritional well-being is individually experienced. Therefore, development policies targeting nutrition are typically more concerned with their possible implications for individual welfare than for household-, community-, or national-level aggregates. The household, though, may be one of the most important institutions influencing individual nutritional welfare. Consequently, in order to evaluate income generation and pricing policies, it is essential to understand both how households allocate resources to individual members as well as how allocations
Posttraumatic Growth in Adolescent Survivors of Cancer and Their Mothers and Fathers

Objective To describe posttraumatic growth (PTG) following childhood cancer survival and its association with demographic and disease/treatment variables, perceived treatment severity and life threat, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Method Adolescent survivors of cancer (N = 150, ages 11-19), at least 1 year after treatment, and their mothers (N = 146) and fathers (N = 107) completed self-report measures of perceived treatment intensity and PTSS and a semistructured interview designed to identify posttraumatic responses and indicators of PTG including perceived positive changes for self, relationships, and life goals. Results A majority of adolescents and their mothers and fathers reported PTG. Greater perceived treatment severity and life threat, but not objective disease severity, was associated with PTG. PTG and PTSS were positively associated for the adolescent cancer survivors. Diagnosis after age 5 resulted in more perceived benefit and greater PTSS for adolescent survivors. Conclusion Clarification of the concept and measurement of PTG after childhood cancer is warranted, as are prospective studies of the association of PTG and PTSS and the role of demographic variables and illness-specific appraisals.
Regression Towards The Mean Versus Efficient Market Hypothesis: An Empirical Study

This study investigates the dominance of the statistical phenomenon, regression towards the means, against the market efficiency of capital markets. Using Fortune Magazine’s ranking of America’s most admired companies to distinguish positive from negative firms, and using the Standard and Poor Index as a surrogate for market, the authors demonstrated that: (1) a portfolio of least admired forms will outperform a portfolio of most admired firms, (2) a portfolio of most admired firms will outperform the market, and (3) a portfolio of least admired firms will outperform the market.
Spatial modeling for refining and predicting surface potential mapping with enhanced resolution

Quantitatively mapping surface properties with nanometer or even subnanometer resolutions is critical for advanced scanning probe microscopy (SPM) characterization. However, the characterization performance often suffers from noises and artifacts due to instrumentation or environmental limitations. In this paper, we proposed a novel statistical approach with bivariate spatial modeling to efficiently refine and predict surface property mapping. Scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) was selected as a representative example to test our proposed method on lateral nanowire assemblies. We revealed that the proposed method can effectively retrieve the artifact-free surface potential distribution by automatically identifying topological artifacts from surface potential maps. Furthermore, the statistical model built upon low spatial resolution was successfully used to predict the potential values from higher-resolution topography data. Compared to conventional regression model, our model is able to predict the surface potential distribution from less raw data but yields much higher accuracy. Through this means, the spatial resolution of SKPM surface potential maps can be significantly improved. This statistics-enabled predictive method opens a new route toward high-precision and high-resolution SPM characterizations without the enhancement of instrumentation capabilities.
Subtyping of children with developmental dyslexia via bootstrap aggregated clustering and the gap statistic: comparison with the double-deficit hypothesis

Background: The marked degree of heterogeneity in persons with developmental dyslexia has motivated the investigation of possible subtypes. Attempts have proceeded both from theoretical models of reading and the application of unsupervised learning (clustering) methods. Previous cluster analyses of data obtained from persons with reading disabilities have suffered from the inherent limitations of unsupervised learning methods. Specifically, the reliability and stability of cluster solutions have proven difficult to determine. Recent developments in the clustering literature have addressed these concerns by permitting checks on the internal validity of the solution. Resampling methods produce consistent groupings of the data independent of initialization effects, while the gap statistic provides a confidence measure for the determination of the optimal number of clusters present in the data. Combining these methods produces a robust data‐driven classification that can be compared with theoretically based s...
Seasonal Influence of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation on Stratospheric Jets and Rossby Wave Breaking

Abstract The influence of the stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) on the polar night jets (PNJs), subtropical easterly jets (SEJs), and associated Rossby wave breaking (RWB) is investigated using global meteorological analyses spanning 10 recent QBO cycles. The seasonal dependence of the descent of the QBO is shown by using five layered shear indices. It is found that the influence of the QBO is distinctive for each combination of QBO phase, season, and hemisphere (NH or SH). The following QBO westerly (W) minus easterly (E) differences in the PNJs were found to be significant at the 97% level: When a QBO W (E) maximum is in the lower stratosphere (∼500 K or ∼50 hPa), the NH winter PNJ is stronger (weaker), in agreement with previous results (mode A). Mode A does not appear to operate in other seasons in the NH besides DJF or in the SH in any season. When a QBO W (E) maximum is in the middle stratosphere (∼700–800 K or ∼10–20 hPa), the PNJ in the SH spring is stronger (weaker), also in agreemen...
Relay Placement for Reliable Base Station Connectivity in Polymorphous Networks

With emerging demand for online surveillance and management, persistent and reliable connectivity to base stations (BSs) is indispensable so that network operators, which have access to all BSs, can collect measurements from all wireless terminals in the field, monitor their status and respond to critical incidents in real-time. However, disconnected networks make reliable BS connectivity problematic. Many papers have studied the problem of placing the minimum number of relays to retain connectivity. However, none of them considered polymorphous networks, which have multiple topologies, due to terminal movement, unsynchronized wakeup schedule and packet forwarding policy. Our paper makes the first attempt towards the study of relay placement problem in polymorphous networks. We propose two heuristic algorithms, topology stitch algorithm and topology iterative algorithm, which are built upon constrained relay placement algorithms for monomorphous networks with a single topology. Also, we propose the weigh-and-place algorithm (WPA), which optimizes relay placement across topologies with balanced load based on integer programming formulation. Evaluation shows that WPA places a smaller number of relays than the other two heuristic algorithms and achieves good load balance among multiple BSs.
Biosynthesis and characterization of copolymer poly(3HB-co-3HV) from saponified Jatropha curcas oil by Pseudomonas oleovorans

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are naturally occurring biodegradable polymers with promising application in the formulation of plastic materials. PHAs are produced by numerous bacteria as energy/carbon storage materials from various substrates, including sugars and plant oils. Since these substrates compete as food sources, their use as raw material for industrial-scale production of PHA is limited. Therefore, efforts have been focused on seeking alternative sources for bacterial production of PHA. One substrate that seems to have great potential is the seed oil of Jatropha curcas plant. Among other favorable properties, J. curcas seed oil is non-edible, widely available, and can be cheaply produced. In this study, Pseudomonas oleovorans (ATCC 29347) was grown in a mineral salt medium supplemented with saponified J. curcas seed oil as the only carbon source under batch fermentation. Optimum PHA yield of 26.06% cell dry weight was achieved after 72 h. The PHA had a melting point (T(m)) between 150 and 160 degrees C. Results of polymer analyses by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) identified only the methyl 3-hydroxybutanoate monomeric unit. However, electrospray ionization-time of flight mass spectroscopy (ESI-TOF MS) confirmed that the PHA was a copolymer with the characteristic HB/HV peaks at m/z 1155.49 (HB) and 1,169, 1,184-1,194 (HV). The data were further supported by 1H and 13C NMR analysis. Polymer analysis by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) indicated a peak molecular weight (MP) of 179,797, molecular weight (M(W)) of 166,838, weight number average mass (M(n)) of 131,847, and polydispersity (M(w)/M (n)) of 1.3. The data from this study indicate that J. curcas seed oil can be used as a substrate to produce the copolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), poly(3HB-co-3HV).
Coral population dynamics across consecutive mass mortality events

Annual coral mortality events due to increased atmospheric heat may occur regularly from the middle of the century and are considered apocalyptic for coral reefs. In the Arabian/Persian Gulf, this situation has already occurred and population dynamics of four widespread corals (Acropora downingi, Porites harrisoni, Dipsastrea pallida, Cyphastrea micropthalma) were examined across the first-ever occurrence of four back-to-back mass mortality events (2009–2012). Mortality was driven by diseases in 2009, bleaching and subsequent diseases in 2010/2011/2012. 2009 reduced P. harrisoni cover and size, the other events increasingly reduced overall cover (2009: −10%; 2010: −20%; 2011: −20%; 2012: −15%) and affected all examined species. Regeneration was only observed after the first disturbance. P. harrisoni and A. downingi severely declined from 2010 due to bleaching and subsequent white syndromes, while D. pallida and P. daedalea declined from 2011 due to bleaching and black-band disease. C. microphthalma cover was not affected. In all species, most large corals were lost while fission due to partial tissue mortality bolstered small size classes. This general shrinkage led to a decrease of coral cover and a dramatic reduction of fecundity. Transition matrices for disturbed and undisturbed conditions were evaluated as Life Table Response Experiment and showed that C. microphthalma changed the least in size-class dynamics and fecundity, suggesting they were ‘winners’. In an ordered ‘degradation cascade’, impacts decreased from the most common to the least common species, leading to step-wise removal of previously dominant species. A potentially permanent shift from high- to low-coral cover with different coral community and size structure can be expected due to the demographic dynamics resultant from the disturbances. Similarities to degradation of other Caribbean and Pacific reefs are discussed. As comparable environmental conditions and mortality patterns must be expected worldwide, demographic collapse of many other coral populations may soon be widespread.
Caffeine and regional brain monoamine utilization in mice.

Caffeine (100 and 200 mg/kg, 30 min., i.p.) selectively altered the regional utilization of monoamines in the brains of mice. This depended upon the specific neurotransmitter and metabolite studied. Caffeine increased serotonin (5HT) utilization a dramatic ten-fold in the OB but decreased 5HT utilization in the HT. No 5HT changes were seen in other brain regions. Caffeine markedly increased norepinephrine (NE) utilization in the olfactory bulbs (OB), olfactory tubercles (OT), prefrontal cortex (PC), amygdala (AMY), hypothalamus (HT) and hippocampus (HC). Caffeine increased dopamine (DA) utilization in the OB, OT, PC, septum (SP), HT and thalamus (TH) but by various metabolic routes. The selective regional alterations in monoamine utilization produced by caffeine may be relevant to caffeine's central stimulatory effects. Limbic structures are predominantly involved. These changes may have important clinical and research implications. For example, the profound effect of caffeine on OB monoamines indicates that it may serve as a meaningful tool in olfactory research, including the bulbectomy model. Caffeine may also be useful in other limbic system behavioral models.
On Assembly Line Balancing

This paper gives a simple method for finding an optimal assignment of operations to work stations when the order of operations is specified. It is shown that the problem with a specific ordering can be formulated as an assignment problem or as a shortest-route problem for which an inspection-type solution is available. The more general problem, when it is possible to enumerate all feasible orderings of operations, can then be handled by repeating the required calculations for all such orderings.
Enhanced Design of OptoFluidic Microscopy

This paper presents an enhanced design of opto-fluidic microscopy (OFM) with significant improvement. OFM is a novel optical imaging device that can be directly integrated into a microfluidic network, and can therefore enable high resolution and on-chip imaging of biological samples that are flowing in microfluidic channels. The main advantages of OFM are its very compact miniaturized design, low cost, high throughput, and its non destructive nature of optical probing. But the key advantage of this optical imaging device is its ability to capture high resolution (750 nm) images although it is free from any bulk optics (lenses). Instead of bulk optics, OFM is based on a nanohole array defined in an opaque metallic layer that is patterned onto the floor of the microfluidic channel and then mounted on top of a one dimensional CCD or photodiode array.
Linear complexity algorithms for hierarchical routing

A hierarchical procedure for net routing on l*m*n grid-graphs, where l is the number of layers, m is the number of rows, and n is the number of columns, is presented. The hierarchy reduces the overall problem to a sequence of subproblems, where each subproblem works on an l*m'*n portion of the overall grid. For each subproblem, an initial constructive placement (CP) of as many nets as possible is used; then a generalized dynamic programming (DP) algorithm to solve the Steiner problem of an l*2*n grid-graph is used for any remaining nets. The CP procedure uses simplistic routing assumptions to route quickly as many nets as possible. If all nets are routed, the subproblem solution is (locally) optimal and the corresponding branch of the binary recursion tree generated by the hierarchy is pruned. For any unrouted nets, the generalized DP procedure is called to route each net, one at a time, with a run time complexity of O(K*n) where n is the number of columns and K is a function of the grid cross section and layer/wiring restrictions. There are no a priori layer restrictions or limitations on the number of layers used; three-layer cases and even some four-layer cases are feasible for the PYRAMID 90-X. >
On adaptive loop transfer recovery using Kalman filter-based disturbance accommodating control

An adaptive loop transfer recovery (LTR) approach for uncertain systems using the Kalman filter-based disturbance accommodating control scheme is presented. This study shows that the full LTR property of disturbance accommodating control is invariant to system uncertainties and external disturbances acting on the system. Also presented here is an adaptive LTR scheme, where the system process noise intensity matrix is updated online to achieve full LTR. Numerical simulations are presented to verify the superiority of the approach compared to the traditional linear quadratic regulator/LTR.
A Scalable Parallel HITS Algorithm for Page Ranking

The Hypertext Induced Topic Search (HITS) algorithm is a method of ranking authority of information sources in a hyperlinked environment. HITS uses only topological properties of the hyperlinked network to determine rankings. We present an efficient and scalable implementation of the HITS algorithm that uses MPI as an underlying means of communication. We then analyze the performance on a shared memory supercomputer, and use our results to verify the optimal number of processors needed to rank a large number of pages for the link structure of the total University of Southern Mississippi (usm.edu domain) web sites.
Simultaneous calibration of a robot and a hand-mounted camera

A popular configuration widely used in a variety of robotic applications is to mount a camera on the robot manipulator hand. Before performing a measurement task using such a system, both the camera and the robot need to be calibrated. In this paper, a procedure is developed for simultaneous calibration of a robot and a monocular camera. Unlike conventional approaches based on first calibrating the camera and then calibrating the robot, the algorithm solves for the kinematic parameters of the robot and camera in one stage, thus eliminating error propagation and improving noise sensitivity. Only two parameters are added to a robot calibration model to represent camera geometry. With this addition, different levels of calibration can be done under a unified framework. An error model relating-image measurement residuals to kinematic parameter deviations is derived. Simulation and experimental studies have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of the proposed procedure. >
Mechanism of Combustion Instability in a Lean Premixed Dump Combustor

Results from an experimental study of the mechanism of unstable combustion in a coaxial, optically accessible, bluff-body-stabilizeddumpcombustorwithnaturalgasasthefuelarereported.Aparametricstudywasperformed to investigate the effects of equivalence ratio, inletvelocity, inlet fuel distribution, inlet swirl, and centerbody recess oncombustionstability. It wasfoundthatall of theseparametershadan effectonthestability characteristicsofthis combustor.Atselectedunstableoperatingconditions,phase-resolvedCHchemiluminescenceimageswerecaptured to study the heat-release structure during one period of pressure oscillation. The e ame‐ e owe eld interaction that is depicted in these images indicates that e ame‐ vortex interactions, and the resultant e ame area changes, play a signie cant role in the instabilities that occur when there is no swirl. A simple analysis of these images, however, showedthate uctuatinge ameareaandequivalenceratioe uctuationsbothcontributetotheheatreleasee uctuations that drive the instability. Unstable combustion with swirl appears to be fundamentally different from unstable combustion without swirl in that instabilities with swirl occur near lean blowout and appear to be associated with repeated detaching and reattaching of the e ame from the centerbody.
Ferroelectric Composite of Ba1−xSrxTiO3 With Al2O3 and MgO Synthesized by Sol-Gel Method

Barium strontium titanate with low dielectric constant, low loss tangent and high tunability, has unique application as phase shifter in radar and antenna. This work presents an alternative fabrication of the composite of barium strontium titanate with metal oxides such as Al 2 O 3 and MgO. Ba 1−x Sr x TiO 3 (BST), xergels of various compositions (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6) were prepared by sol-gel method. Xerogels were calcined at 800 °C. The structure of the final powders was investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD). The resultant BST was then mixed with metal oxides in the desired weight percentage and ball milled in an organic solvent (ethyl alcohol) with a binder (acrylic polymer). The final samples were sintered at 1250 °C in air. The dielectric properties of the composites were determined by using impedance analyzer at the frequency of 1MHz. This work has reported the effect of Al 2 O 3 and MgO, on the electronic behavior of the final BST-metal oxide composites.
Event History Models for Life Course Analysis

The questions posed by life course researchers often differ in fundamental ways from those posed by sociologists, developmental psychologists, or economists (Elder, 1998; Mayer & Tuma, 1990). For example, life course researchers often focus analytic attention on transitions marking adolescence or early adulthood and the roles and statuses accompanying such transitions (Hogan & Astone, 1986; Modell, Furstenberg, & Hershberg, 1976; Shanahan, 2000). Prototypical questions along these lines include whether certain social groups experience a more rapid transition to adulthood or whether the timing of such transitions (or the duration spent in selected life course statuses) has changed for successive cohorts (Winsborough, 1980). As Mayer and Tuma (1990) note, work in this vein often implicitly conceives of social structure as arising out of individual experiences of varying duration, as opposed to alternative perspectives that see social structure in terms of collectivities of persons with particular fixed attributes (Blau, 1977), as generated from relational networks (and resulting “structural holes”) among individual actors (White, Boorman, & Breiger, 1976) or from the aggregate behavior of rational actors (Becker, 1991).
Fermentation process kinetics

Information on fermentation process kinetics is potentially valuable for the improvement of batch process performance; it is essential for continuous process design. An empirical examination of rate patterns in various fermentations discloses three basic types: (1) ‘growth associated’ products arising directly from the energy metabolism of carbohydrates supplied, (2) indirect products of carbohydrate metabolism and (3) products apparently unrelated to carbohydrate oxidation. Effects of operating variables on the primary kinetic processes, growth, sugar utilization and antibiotic formation, in the penicillin process, illustrate the special nature of this type.
Coastal Flows Driven by Alongshore Density Gradients

Abstract In this note we study the effect of an alongshore density gradient in driving the near-coastal circulation and determining the direction of the alongshore flow. We revisit and extend the results obtained by Malanotte-Rizzoli and Bergamasco (MRB) using the same simple analytical model but changing the longshore density distribution and examining the full solution, not only its far-field behavior as done by MRB. We find as a new result that the near-coastal flow is profoundly modified when passing from monotonic, northward increasing density profiles, the case studied by MRB, to double-ramp profiles with a density maximum. In particular, the reversal of the density gradient north of its maximum is a necessary condition for the creation of a strong southward flowing coastal cell. This cell does not exist when the density increases monotonically northward. The examples shown, even though idealized compare well both in flow direction and in order of magnitude with what is observed in winter in the nor...
Fundamentalism, Christian orthodoxy, and intrinsic religious orientation as predictors of discriminatory attitudes.

A dimension of religiousness alternately referred to as orthodoxy or fundamentalism correlates more strongly with prejudice than do other religiosity measures. Five samples of college students, representing three universities and colleges in the US and Canada (total N=426) completed several religion scales and measures of discriminatory attitudes toward blacks, women, homosexuals, and communists. Fundamentalism was correlated more positively than Christian orthodoxy with discriminatory attitudes toward all targets. In multiple regression equations, fundamentalism was positively related to all measures of discriminatory attitudes, whereas Christian orthodoxy and intrinsic religious orientation were either unrelated or negatively related to these variables
Enabling Technology Portfolio Selection through Quantitative Uncertainty Analysis

When aggressive performance goals for next generation aircraft systems are set, technology development programs must select the appropriate sub-set of technologies to achieve them. Evaluating technologies with respect to their performance when they are not fully developed is difficult because the results are the result of a forecasting exercise. Furthermore, the uncertainty surrounding each technology’s performance should be investigated to provide a clear picture to decision makers. This research provides processes for technology portfolio formulation and selection based upon quantitative, probabilistic performance assessments that incorporate advanced technology forecasting and uncertainty quantification techniques. The processes were tested on an environmentally-motivated case study through the use of a physics-based, aircraft design and analysis tool. The results of the implementation show that the impact a technology has on system performance metrics can be used for technology prioritization. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the probabilistic analysis procedure outlined for portfolio evaluation enables portfolio down-selection.
The Physiology of Aging and Exercise

Biological aging does not always align with chronological aging. Age-related alterations in the neuromuscular and cardiovascular systems may have the greatest impact on physical function. Disability and aerobic physical frailty are related and have profound effects upon outcomes important to older adults, such as nursing home residence and mortality. Physiologic aging mimics “disuse” syndromes. Exercise reverses many physiological changes commonly associated with aging. Disuse may actually be a key cause of primary aging.
Poor glycemic control is a strong predictor of postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing vascular surgery

Abstract Objective Hyperglycemia is a common occurrence in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. It has been identified in several surgical cohorts that improved perioperative glycemic control reduced postoperative morbidity and mortality. A significant portion of the population with peripheral arterial disease suffers from the sequelae of diabetes or metabolic syndrome. A paucity of data exists regarding the relationship between perioperative glycemic control and postoperative outcomes in vascular surgery patients. The objective of this study was to better understand this relationship and to determine which negative perioperative outcomes could be abated with improved glycemic control. Methods This is a retrospective review of a vascular patient database at a large academic center from 2009 to 2013. Eligible procedures included carotid endarterectomy and stenting, endovascular and open aortic aneurysm repair, and all open bypass revascularization procedures. Data collected included standard demographics, outcome parameters, and glucose levels in the perioperative period. Perioperative hyperglycemia was defined as at least one glucose value >180 mg/dL within 72 hours of surgery. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality, with secondary outcomes of complications, need to return to the operating room, and readmission. Results Of the total 1051 patients reviewed, 366 (34.8%) were found to have perioperative hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemic patients had a higher 30-day mortality (5.7% vs 0.7%; P Conclusions This study demonstrates a strong association between perioperative glucose control and 30-day mortality in addition to multiple other postoperative outcomes after vascular surgery.
A Century Later, the Hue-Heat Hypothesis: Does Color Truly Affect Temperature Perception?

The present study aims to determine whether color has an impact on temperature perception, a paradigm known as the hue-heat hypothesis. Our results shows that a color-temperature association exists since the participants hold a hot vessel longer when associated with blue and similarly a cold vessel longer when paired with red. Participants' ratings of the perceived temperature were also influenced by crossmodal interaction between color and temperature confirming the effect of color on temperature perception. These findings are consistent with previous studies and validates the hue-heat hypothesis that was first investigated almost a century ago.
Proteomic Analysis of Unbounded Cellular Compartments: Synaptic Clefts

Cellular compartments that cannot be biochemically isolated are challenging to characterize. Here we demonstrate the proteomic characterization of the synaptic clefts that exist at both excitatory and inhibitory synapses. Normal brain function relies on the careful balance of these opposing neural connections, and understanding how this balance is achieved relies on knowledge of their protein compositions. Using a spatially restricted enzymatic tagging strategy, we mapped the proteomes of two of the most common excitatory and inhibitory synaptic clefts in living neurons. These proteomes reveal dozens of synaptic candidates and assign numerous known synaptic proteins to a specific cleft type. The molecular differentiation of each cleft allowed us to identify Mdga2 as a potential specificity factor influencing Neuroligin-2′s recruitment of presynaptic neurotransmitters at inhibitory synapses.
A Novel Glucan-Sulforaphane Combination Stimulates Immune Response to Influenza in Mouse Model

Influenza remains a serious health problem and causes approximately 500,000 deaths world-wide. With current available treatments offering neither dependable protection nor a rapid cure, many have focused their attention to alternative treatments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effect of a novel maitake glucan-sulforaphane combination on immune response against influenza challenge in mice. We evaluated the effects of a glucan-sulforaphane combination on basic immune reactions, virus titre and overall survival after influenza infection. Results: We found 2 weeks supplementation with this glucan-sulforaphane combination significantly improved immunosuppression caused by the viral infection. Based on these results, we conclude that the significant immunostimulation caused by this combination helps to overcome virus-dependent suppression of defense reactions and that addition of sulforaphane to glucan can improve already established biological effects of glucan.
Physical Activity and Kidney Injury in Pediatric and Young Adult Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Objectives To quantify physical activity and grip strength in pediatric kidney transplant recipients and describe attitudes about exercise and exercise counseling given concerns about allograft injury. Study design This was a cross-sectional analysis of 101 kidney transplant recipients (7-21 years old) >6 months post-transplant. Patients completed the Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ). Grip strength was measured with a dynamometer. We asked about activity limitations and provider counseling. Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression were used to determine independent predictors of PAQ score and grip strength z score. Results We enrolled 101 of 122 eligible patients. Median PAQ score was 2.2 (range 0-5) and was lower compared with controls ( P P = .036), non-African American race ( P = .029), lower height z score ( P = .010), and longer percentage of lifetime with kidney disease ( P = .029). Although 49% and 67% limited exercise before and after transplant, respectively, 67% reported increased activity after transplant. By parent report, provider counseling included limiting certain activities (71%) and encouraging regular exercise (45%). Conclusion Physical activity and grip strength are low after kidney transplant. Patients perceive an emphasis on exercise limitations rather than the benefits of regular exercise. Interventions that encourage physical activity may be beneficial.
Writing the Desire that Fire Bore: Emergent Motherhood in Hélène Cixous's The Book of Promethea

ABSTRACTUnderstood as a socially expected and historically significant event in most societies, motherhood signifies women’s adulthood, a time of life shaped by matrimony and child-rearing within heteropatriarchy. Motherhood may be a cause for celebration for women who identify with their procreative role; however, as a normative institution it limits the range of our understanding of potential maternal experiences. In the face of such oppressive maternal codes, I propose an emergent motherhood: a nonbiological, nonessentialist, and inherently queer concept that challenges fundamental assumptions about maternity and empowers women to sound their own politics of procreative desire through embodied practices of writing. I anchor my argument on the French psychoanalytic feminist standpoint that exposes the unconscious role of language in women’s ideological suppression, particularly as explicated in Helene Cixous’s work. I take Cixous’s The Book of Promethea—primarily a work of love relishing the complexitie...
Induction of CYP2D6 Expression during Pregnancy Is Associated with an Increased Activity of Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4α

Clinical evidence indicates increased metabolism of CYP2D6 substrates during pregnancy; the underlying mechanisms are unknown. The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the utility of CYP2D...
Influence of Particle Morphology on the Friction and Dilatancy of Sand

AbstractThe shear strength of granular materials is influenced by many factors that include particle morphology, gradation, mineralogy, fabric, material density, applied stresses, boundary conditio...
Bridging a Bridge: Bringing Two HCI Communities Together

ACM SIGCHI is the largest association for professionals in HCI that bridges computer science, information science, as well as the social and psychological sciences. Meanwhile, a parallel HCI community was formed in 2001 within the Association of Information Systems (AIS SIGHCI) community. While some researchers have already bridged these two HCI sub-disciplines, the history and core values of these respective fields are quite different, offering new insights for how we can move forward together to sustain the future of HCI research. The main goal of this workshop is to begin building a bridge between these two communities to maximize the relevance, rigor, and generalizability of HCI research.
A 128 Gb/s PAM4 Silicon Microring Modulator

We report a silicon microring modulator with 128 Gb/s PAM4 data rate, 0.52 V·cm phase efficiency, 50 GHz electro-optic bandwidth, and a full-FSR tunability using an integrated heater with efficiency <20mW/π-phase shift.
The Dynamics of Chemical Reactions: Atomistic Visualizations of Organic Reactions, and Homage to van 't Hoff.

Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff was the first Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. He pioneered in the study of chemical dynamics, which referred at that time to chemical kinetics and thermodynamics. The term has evolved in modern times to refer to the exploration of chemical transformations in a time-resolved fashion. Chemical dynamics has been driven by the development of molecular dynamics trajectory simulations, which provide atomic visualization of chemical processes and illuminate how dynamic effects influence chemical reactivity and selectivity. In homage to the legend of van 't Hoff, we review the development of the chemical dynamics of organic reactions, our area of research. We then discuss our trajectory simulations of pericyclic reactions, and our development of dynamic criteria for concerted and stepwise reaction mechanisms. We also describe a method that we call environment-perturbed transition state sampling, which enables trajectory simulations in condensed-media using quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics (QM/MM). We apply the method to reactions in solvent and in enzyme. Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff (1852, Rotterdam-1911, Berlin) received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1901 "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the laws of chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions". van 't Hoff was born the Netherlands, and earned his doctorate in Utrecht in 1874. In 1896 he moved to Berlin, where he was offered a position with more research and less teaching. van 't Hoff is considered one of the founders of physical chemistry. A key step in establishing this new field was the start of Zeitschrift fur Physikalische Chemie in 1887.
CD44-dependent inflammation, fibrogenesis, and collagenolysis regulates extracellular matrix remodeling and tensile strength during cutaneous wound healing.

Abstract Cutaneous wound healing consists of three main phases: inflammation, re-epithelialization, and tissue remodeling. During normal wound healing, these processes are tightly regulated to allow restoration of skin function and biomechanics. In many instances, healing leads to an excess accumulation of fibrillar collagen (the principal protein found in the extracellular matrix - ECM), and the formation of scar tissue, which has compromised biomechanics, tested using ramp to failure tests, compared to normal skin (Corr and Hart, 2013 [1]). Alterations in collagen accumulation and architecture have been attributed to the reduced tensile strength found in scar tissue (Brenda et al., 1999; Eleswarapu et al., 2011). Defining mechanisms that govern cellular functionality and ECM remodeling are vital to understanding normal versus pathological healing and developing approaches to prevent scarring. CD44 is a cell surface adhesion receptor expressed on nearly all cell types present in dermis. Although CD44 has been implicated in an array of inflammatory and fibrotic processes such as leukocyte recruitment, T-cell extravasation, and hyaluronic acid (the principal glycosaminoglycan found in the ECM) metabolism, the role of CD44 in cutaneous wound healing and scarring remains unknown. We demonstrate that in an excisional biopsy punch wound healing model, CD44-null mice have increased inflammatory and reduced fibrogenic responses during early phases of wound healing. At wound closure, CD44-null mice exhibit reduced collagen degradation leading to increased accumulation of fibrillar collagen, which persists after wound closure leading to reduced tensile strength resulting in a more severe scarring phenotype compared to WT mice. These data indicate that CD44 plays a previously unknown role in fibrillar collagen accumulation and wound healing during the injury response.
Virus Transmission Genetic Algorithm

In this paper we propose a novel Virus Transmission Genetic Algorithm, which is inspired by the evolution of immune defense and the infection transmission model. Containing one virus population and one host population, the VTGA simulates biological infections by using new operators such as virus infection and virus spread. To study the effectiveness, we apply the algorithm to several function optimization problems, several travelling salesman problems and a forest planning problem. Results of the experiments show that the VTGA performs well at searching for optimal solutions and preserving diversity of population.
Concentration Fluctuations in Plumes: Observations and Models

Dispersion in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is a random process caused by the stochastic nature of turbulence. As a result, the fluctuating concentration observed downwind of a source is typically of the same order as the ensemble-mean concentration 〈c〉; the fluctuation is characterized by its root-mean-square value σ c ,. This paper discusses the nature of the fluctuations—σ c and the probability distribution of concentration—as observed in laboratory and field experiments and predicted by models. The focus is on point-source plumes in the ABL. Models for σ c , range from simple methods useful in applications to more research oriented approaches. The first group includes Gifford’s (1959) meandering plume model and ensemble-closure approaches. The research models include large-eddy simulations and Lagrangian stochastic models, which offer promise for obtaining fundamental information about the behavior of the fluctuations; these models have been corroborated in part by wind-tunnel measurements.
The Global Digital Seismograph Network: A Status Report

A global, digital seismograph network is being established to provide high-quality digital data for seismological research. It comprises several different types of seismograph systems plus data management and distribution facilities. Most of the Seismic Research Observatories, which are major elements of the digital network, have been operational for several years. Design objectives have been met for these observatories, but there are limits to the application of the data for analysis of large signals. The capabilities of the Seismic Research Observatories are not fully utilized at present and the potential exists to record additional data including broadband and very-long-period signals. Digital recorders are being installed at selected WWSSN stations to augment the geographical coverage of the existing digital network. They will also extend the capacity of the network to record large-amplitude signals. Data collected from the digital network are organized onto network-day tapes. These data files contain station and calibration information as well as waveform data.
Optimizing Pesticide Safety With Closed Mixing and Handling Systems

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses optimizing pesticide safety with closed mixing and handling systems. There are several important contributing factors that bear on the apparent increase in worker illness from pesticide exposure. The first has been documented by investigation, but other factors are increased use of highly toxic, so-called Category I and II chemicals, which have replaced the low mammalian toxicity hydrocarbons, and the increased use of pesticides which have shown about a 10%–15% per year growth over the past few years in California. The California Physicians Reporting Service indicates that from 1949–1959, an average of 1–25 workers per year were being treated for pesticide illnesses. In the survey described in the chapter, after January 1, 1977, no handheld or backpack devices shall be fitted with straps of absorbent materials when used with Category I and II materials. An examination and review of the problems with various California and national spray equipment suppliers indicated that closed mixing entailed four basic requirements, all of which have been used separately. These were entry to shipping container, metered extraction or other metering procedures, rinsing of the then empty shipping container with fresh water and transfer of the effluent to the mixing tank, and resealing of the shipping container.
Thermischer Wirkungsgrad des Siemens-Martin-Ofens

Der Einsatz des Siemens-Martin-Ofens besteht aus kaltem Roheisen und Schrott, heisem Ferromangan, sowie aus kaltem Kalkstein und Erz. Dem Ofen wird kalte Luft und masig warmes Generatorgas zugefuhrt; er liefert flussigen Stahl und flussige Schlacke von Abstichtemperatur.
3 Gbps Free Space Optical Link based on Integrated Indium Phosphide Transmitter

In the last half century, advances in radio frequency (RF) and microwave technology have paved the way for space communications. Then in 2013, NASA demonstrated a two-way laser link between earth and a satellite in lunar orbit over 239,000 miles at a data rate of 622 Mbps, which is more than six times faster than previous state-of-the-art radio systems deployed to the moon [1]. The free space optical systems can be assembled with commercial-off-the-shelf(COTS) components. However, for deployment on small spacecraft, lower cost, size, weight and power (CSWaP) is required, while still demonstrating high output optical power and power-efficient modulation formats [2]. The indium phosphide (InP) photonic integrated circuit (PIC) platform is attractive for free space links since it enables complex single-chip implementations of advanced transmitters and receivers [3]–[5]. In this work, a free space optical link based on an InP PIC transmitter has been demonstrated. The transmitter is tunable from 1521 nm to 1565 nm, covering the entire C band. Error-free operation was achieved at 3 Gbps for an equivalent link length of 180 m (up to 300 m with forward error correction), and this distance can scale with the use of a high-power amplifier at the output.
Fake News as Discursive Integration: An Analysis of Sites That Publish False, Misleading, Hyperpartisan and Sensational Information

After the 2016 US presidential election, the concept of fake news captured popular attention, but conversations lacked a clear conceptualization and used the label in elastic ways to describe vario...
Patricia A. Ybarra. Latinx Theater in the Times of Neoliberalism

A tour-de-force critical overview of fifty years of Latinx performance-making in the United States that is as astutely attuned to the contemporary political moment as it is to playwriting’s importa...