cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional Analysis of Separate Topographies of Aberrant Behavior.

We conducted a functional analysis of distinct topographies of aberrant behavior displayed by 4 clients. We first analyzed the behaviors in an aggregate fashion and then separated the behaviors to formulate hypotheses about the maintaining variables for each behavior. The procedures were used in a two-phase experiment. During Phase 1, two extended functional analyses were completed, one in an inpatient unit and one in a special education classroom. During Phase 2, two brief functional analyses were completed in an outpatient clinic. Results indicated that hypotheses of separate functions for distinct behaviors can be generated using both extended and brief functional analyses when the results are graphed in the aggregate and are separated by response topography. The results also suggest that these methods can improve the accuracy of data interpretation and treatment selection.
Mechanism of imidazole catalysis in the curing of epoxy resins

The mechanism of imidazole catalysis in the curing of epoxy resins was studied using the PGE/1-methylimidazole, 2-methylimidazole, and 1,2-dimethylimidazole model systems and another model system based on trichloromethylethylene oxide. It was demonstrated that imidazolium systems, generated in the curing reaction, show an inherent instability leading to cleavage of an NC bond or the 2-CH bond (2-unsubstituted imidazoles). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was used to follow specific changes in the IR spectrum of the curing mixture during polymerization. The identification of carbonyl absorptions occurring during the polymerization led to the conclusion that ketone formation is a general occurrence in the cure of epoxides with nitrogen compounds. We have also shown that imidazoles are regenerated during the curing process by at least two routes. One pathway for the regeneration of the catalyst involves N-dealkylation of the imidazole via a substitution process. Another route, β-elimination, afforded carbonyl compounds, which account for the previously unexplained appearence of infrared bands in the 1650–1770 cm−1 region during the curing process. These investigations demonstrated the true catalytic function of the imidazole. Possible mechanisms for the regeneration of the catalyst are also suggested.
Disruption of the Aspergillus fumigatus Gene Encoding Nucleolar Protein CgrA Impairs Thermotolerant Growth and Reduces Virulence

Aspergillus fumigatus CgrA is the ortholog of a yeast nucleolar protein that functions in ribosome synthesis. To determine how CgrA contributes to the virulence of A. fumigatus, a ΔcgrA mutant was constructed by targeted gene disruption, and the mutant was reconstituted to wild type by homologous introduction of a functional cgrA gene. The ΔcgrA mutant had the same growth rate as the wild type at room temperature. However, when the cultures were incubated at 37°C, a condition that increased the growth rate of the wild-type and reconstituted strains approximately threefold, the ΔcgrA mutant was unable to increase its growth rate. The absence of cgrA function caused a delay in both the onset and rate of germination at 37°C but had little effect on germination at room temperature. The ΔcgrA mutant was significantly less virulent than the wild-type or reconstituted strain in immunosuppressed mice and was associated with smaller fungal colonies in lung tissue. However, this difference was less pronounced in a Drosophila infection model at 25°C, which correlated with the comparable growth rates of the two strains at this temperature. To determine the intracellular localization of CgrA, the protein was tagged at the C terminus with green fluorescent protein, and costaining with propidium iodide revealed a predominantly nucleolar localization of the fusion protein in living hyphae. Together, these findings establish the intracellular localization of CgrA in A. fumigatus and demonstrate that cgrA is required for thermotolerant growth and wild-type virulence of the organism.
The simplex method applied to wavelet decomposition

Wavelet decomposition problems have been modeled as linear programs - but only as extremely dense problems. Both revised simplex and interior point methods have difficulty with dense linear programs. The question then is how to get around that issue. In our experiments the standard method outperforms a revised implementation for these problems. Moreover, the standard method can be easily and scalably distributed. Hence the standard simplex method should be useful in solving wavelet decomposition problems.
The fish community of a newly restored southern California estuary: ecological perspective 3 years after restoration

Bays and estuaries are considered essential fish habitat, yet in many parts of the world, these areas have been degraded or destroyed. In southern California, habitat restoration has become a widely used approach for protecting coastal ecosystems; however, there is little information available on the success of these efforts. Monthly abundance surveys were employed to examine spatial and temporal trends in the fish assemblages 3 years after the restoration of the Bolsa Chica Full Tidal Basin (BCFTB). This was used as a short-term success assessment of the BCFTB restoration, as well as an important baseline against which future studies can determine the long-term trajectory of the restoration. Forty-four species of fish were caught inside the BCFTB, at an average density of 116.8 fish 100 m−2 and an average biomass of 4.2 kg 100 m−2. There was a seasonal pattern in fish abundances but no overall increase or decrease in abundances during the entire study period. Marine, estuarine and migrant fish species were found in the BCFTB, each showing different seasonal patterns in abundance, similar to nearby estuaries, with 14 species driving these patterns. Water temperature and season were the most influential factors on the species composition of the fish community in the BCFTB. Therefore, 3 years after restoration the BCFTB is providing habitat for coastal fish species where none existed previously, and shows a community structure similar to natural estuaries in southern California. The BCFTB restoration has been initially successful but needs to be monitored periodically to assess its long-term success.
Incorporating contextual character geometry in word recognition

Contextual character geometry is the geometric information available only when a character presents in the context of a word. Such information includes the character's location and relative size in the entire word image, forming a bounding box of the character. The differences between the geometry of an image segment and the expected geometry of a candidate character are considered as additional features to refine the recognition of individual characters. A typical word recognizer based on over-segmentation and segment-combination is used to illustrate the use of these new features and experimental results have shown significant improvement of recognition accuracy, especially on large lexicons.
MODELING AND SIMULATION OF MULTIPLE BUBBLE ENTRAINMENT AND INTERACTIONS WITH A TRAVELING VORTEX RING

Bubble interactions with vortical structures are important to better understand the mechanisms of bubble induced boundary layer drag reduction and chemical mixing. Traditionally, many studies of disperse bubble or particle-laden flows have utilized an Euler-Lagrange two-way coupling approach, wherein the dispersed phase is assumed subgrid and its dynamics is modeled. In this work, results on full three-dimensional simulation of traveling vortex ring together with a few microbubbles are presented utilizing a volumetric coupling approach, wherein the displaced mass due to the presence of the bubbles is accounted for by using mixture theory based conservation laws in an Euler-Lagrange formulation. It is shown that the volumetric coupling approach is necessary to reproduce the experimental observations of Sridhar & Katz, JFM (1999). Experimental work by S&K on bubble entrainment into a traveling vortex ring has shown that the settling location of the bubble relative to the vortex core can be well predicted based on the ratio of the buoyancy force to the hydrodynamic pressure gradient. Additionally, the experimental results find that even at low volume fractions, bubble injection can significantly affect the structure of the vortex core. The two-way coupling model, wherein the fluid displacement due to bubble motion is neglected, of bubble-laden flows is unable to capture these effects on the vortical structure.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
The state of mentoring research: A qualitative review of current research methods and future research implications

Research regarding mentoring relationships has flourished during the past 20 years. This article reviews the methodology and content of 200 published mentoring articles. Some of the major concerns raised in this review include over reliance on cross-sectional designs and self-report data, a failure to differentiate between different forms of mentoring (e.g., formal versus informal), and a lack of experimental research. Implications and suggestions for future research are offered.
On Marx's “soulless conditions” and the fate and function of religion:

This review engages Berger M, Reichardt T and Stadtler M (eds) (2012) Der Geist geistloser Zustande: Religionskritik und Gesellschaftstheorie. The collection, along with each of the essays, is exam...
A History of Islamic Societies

This new edition of one of the most widely used course books on Islamic civilizations around the world has been substantially revised to incorporate the new scholarship and insights of the last twenty-five years. Ira Lapidus' history explores the beginnings and transformations of Islamic civilizations in the Middle East and details Islam's worldwide diffusion. The history is divided into four parts. Part I is a comprehensive account of pre-Islamic late antiquity; the beginnings of Islam; the early Islamic empires; and Islamic religious, artistic, legal and intellectual cultures. Part II deals with the construction in the Middle East of Islamic religious communities and states to the fifteenth century. Part III includes the history to the nineteenth century of Islamic North Africa and Spain; the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal empires; and other Islamic societies in Asia and Africa. Part IV accounts for the impact of European commercial and imperial domination on Islamic societies and traces the development of the modern national state system and the simultaneous Islamic revival from the early nineteenth century to the present.
Morphology and sensory modality of mushroom body extrinsic neurons in the brain of the cockroach, Periplaneta americana

Mushroom bodies are paired centers in insect brains that are thought to be crucial in olfactory learning and memory. Early neuroanatomical descriptions suggested that the mushroom bodies comprise rather simple arrangements of nerve cells. Intrinsic neurons within each mushroom body were believed to receive olfactory afferents and to supply long, branched axons to extrinsic neurons that lead from the mushroom body into the protocerebrum. More recent suggestions that the mushroom bodies integrate several sensory modalities find support from intracellular and extracellular recordings of extrinsic neurons in the brains of crickets, honey bees, and cockroaches. Here, we describe two major classes of extrinsic neurons, simple and complex cells, in the mushroom bodies of the cockroach Periplaneta americana. Each class is defined by its pattern of branching in the brain. Simple neurons correspond to extrinsic neurons described from other species that have one set of dendrites only within the mushroom bodies. Complex extrinsic neurons possess dendrite-like branches within and outside the mushroom bodies. This arrangement may account in part for their observed multimodality, as might newly identified afferent neurons that terminate in the mushroom body lobes among the dendrites of extrinsic neurons and that respond to multimodal stimuli. Organizational complexity within the mushroom bodies is suggested by the grouping of intrinsic cell axons into discrete laminae. These are intersected by the block-like arrangements of dendritic fields of extrinsic neurons in a manner reminiscent of Purkinje cell dendrites intersecting parallel fibers in the cerebellum. The present results demonstrate that the cockroach mushroom body processes multimodal sensory information and that its neural arrangements contribute to a precise architecture consisting of discrete longitudinal and transverse subdivisions. J. Comp. Neurol. 387:631–650, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Inertia coefficients for riser configurations

Inertia coefficients for arrays of cylinders, such as might be found in risers or conductor pipes, are determined. The method used is theoretical and does not take into account viscous-related phenomena. Values of the inertia coefficient for individual cylinders in three different geometrical arrays are determined using the method of images. It is shown quite vividly the effect the geometry can have on the individual cylinder values.
Group velocity dispersion measurements of microstructured fibers

Summary form only given. There has been great recent interest in microstructured fibers that consist of a regular arrangement of holes stretched along silica or air core. These fibers can guide light either by opening a photonic bandgap or, in the case of silica core, by total internal reflection. Microstructure fibers have unique dispersion properties that can be engineered by their structural parameters. It is important to have reliable theoretical model for successful design of fibers with desired properties. We measured GVD in three types of microstructured fibers and compared the data with the results from theoretical simulation made with MIT Photonic-Band package.
Direct Realism and Perceptual Consciousness

In The Problem of Perception, A.D. Smith’s central aim is to defend the view that we can directly perceive ordinary objects, such as cups, keys and the like. The book is organized around the two arguments that Smith considers to be serious threats to the possibility of direct perception: the argument from illusion, and the argument from hallucination. The argument from illusion threatens this possibility because it concludes that indirect realism is true. Indirect realism is the view that we perceive mind-independent ordinary objects, but can only do so indirectly, by perceiving mind-dependent objects: objects whose existence depends on being perceived or thought about. The argument from hallucination draws a similar conclusion: if we perceive mindindependent ordinary objects at all, then our perception of them is indirect in the same way. In responding to these arguments, Smith develops an account of perceptual consciousness. Perceptual consciousness is a kind of experience, distinct from what Smith calls ‘mere sensory experiences’, or equivalently, ‘mere sensation’. Perceptual consciousness is experience that is properly perceptual, in which one has the phenomenology of perceiving things in the external world (including one’s body) that exist independently of one’s mind. Perceptual consciousness on its own does not suffice for actually being in perceptual contact with mind-independent reality, although it suffices for it to seem as if one is . It follows that perceptual consciousness does not suffice for direct perception of ordinary objects, or for direct realism. Nevertheless, Smith holds that the correct account of perceptual consciousness is a crucial element in blocking the arguments from illusion and hallucination, and therefore in supporting the possibility of direct perception. This is an extraordinarily engaging book. Within a single, unified narrative, one encounters the views of many philosophers—Husserl, Fine, Broad, Sextus Empiricus, Loar, Schopenhauer, Meinong, Burge, Dilthey, Russell, Dennett, Sartre, O’Shaughnessy, Evans, Berkeley, Craig, Brentano and many
Charge-transfer Interactions of Octaethylporphycenatozinc(II) with 2,6-Dichloro-3,5-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone

Charge-transfer interactions of octaethylporphycenatozinc(II), (OEPc)Zn with 2,6-dichloro-3,5-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone, DDQ, in non-aqueous solvents are reported. Both optical absorption and cyclic voltammetry studies reveal the formation of stable charge-transfer complexes between (OEPc)Zn and DDQ. New redox couples corresponding to reduction of the charge-transfer complex have been electrochemically detected. The formation of charge-transfer complexes between (OEPc)Zn and doubly reduced DDQ is examined and the present electrochemical studies reveal the possible existence of such complexes in solution. Based on semiempirical AM1 and PM3 calculations, interaction through the zinc(II) metal center of (OEPc)Zn and cyanide nitrogen of the quinone is proposed.
A Text Analysis of the Poems of Sylvia Plath

Changes in the words used in the poems of Sylvia Plath were examined using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, a computer program for analyzing the content of texts. Major changes in the content of her poems were observed over the course of Plath's career, as well as in the final year of her life. As the time of her suicide came closer, words expressing positive emotions became more frequent, while words concerned with causation and insight became less frequent.
Emotional Energy as the Common Denominator of Rational Action

A solution is proposed to several long-standing problems in the theory of rational social action: emotional or altruistic behavior that escapes cost/benefit calculations; the lack of a common metric among different spheres of action; and naturalistic evidence that choice in real-life situations involves little calculation. Emotional, symbolic, and value-oriented behavior is determined by a social mechanism, the dynamics of interaction rituals (IRs). Because IRs vary in the amount of solidarity they provide, and in their costs of participating, there is a market for ritual participation that shapes the distribution of individual behavior. IRs generate a variable level of emotional energy (EE) in each individual over time, and EE operates as the common denominator in terms of which choices are made among alternative courses of action. Individuals apportion their investments in work and in ritual participation to maximize their overall flow of EE. The economy of participating in interaction rituals shapes in...
The synthesis of models to describe metabolism and its integration.

The wide range of metabolic, nutritional and physiological information which must be integrated in analyses of animal metabolism and function indicates that modelling techniques can be utilized and contribute to the research process. Advantages gained through the use of modelling techniques in support of research include evaluations of available concepts and results for adequacy as quantitative and dynamic explanations of the behaviour of complex (metabolic, physiological) systems, evaluation of alternate hypotheses for probable adequacy, interpretation or extension or both of available information, and identification of critical experiments. Achievement of these objectives requires a close interaction of modelling and experimental analyses. Additional requirements imposed by these objectives are that the elements of research models represent specific biological entities (model must be causal), that the basic models be firmly based on established principles and contain no hypothetical elements, and that numerical inputs to the model derive directly from experimental measurements. Emphasis in developing this presentation was placed upon illustration of these principles and objectives of research modelling. Examples were drawn from three ongoing modelling analyses; animal metabolism, animal growth, and tissue metabolism. Models of whole animal metabolism The development of early models of animal metabolism required extensive searches of the literature and summarization and integration of a wide range of information. Results utilized included estimates of organ weights and energy expenditures, extracellular and intracellular pool sizes of metabolites, nutrient absorption, turnover and utilization rates, and oxidation rates of metabolites (Smith, 1971; Smith et al. 1975). Mathematical representations of tissue metabolism require consideration of energy requirements for basal metabolism and for variable biosynthetic and work functions, affinities of tissues for metabolites, biosynthetic and oxidative capacities of tissues and specific regulatory mechanisms. A generalized equation set for a typical tissue expressed in a modified FORTRAN format follows: DADP=ATPUSE- METOX:SATP,
Mapping GPS Radio Occultation Data by Bayesian Interpolation

Bayesianinterpolationformapping GPS radio occultation data on a sphereis exploredandits performance evaluated. Bayesian interpolation is ideally suited to the task of fitting data randomly and nonuniformly distributed with unknown error without overfitting the data. The geopotential height at dry pressure 200 hPa is simulated as data with theoretical distributions of the Challenging Mini-Satellite Payload (CHAMP) and of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC). The simulated CHAMP data are found to be best fit with a spherical harmonic basis of 14th degree; the COSMIC data with a spherical harmonic basis of 20th degree. The best regularizer mimics a splinefit, and relaxing the penalty for purely meridional structures or for the global mean yields little advantage. Climatologies are most accurately established by binning in ’2-day intervals to best resolve synoptic structures in space and time. Finally, Bayesian interpolation is shown to negate a source of systematic sampling error obtained in binning and averaging highly nonuniform data but to incur another systematic error due to incomplete resolution of the background atmosphere, notably in the Southern Hemisphere.
Modulation of the Visceromotor Reflex by a Lumbosacral Ventral Root Avulsion Injury and Repair in Rats

Increased abdominal muscle wall activity may be part of a visceromotor reflex (VMR) response to noxious stimulation of the bladder. However, information is sparse regarding the effects of cauda equina injuries on the VMR in experimental models. We studied the effects of a unilateral L6-S1 ventral root avulsion (VRA) injury and acute ventral root reimplantation (VRI) into the spinal cord on micturition reflexes and electromyographic activity of the abdominal wall in rats. Cystometrogram (CMG) and electromyography (EMG) of the abdominal external oblique muscle (EOM) were performed. All rats demonstrated EMG activity of the EOM associated with reflex bladder contractions. At 1 wk after VRA and VRI, the duration of the EOM EMG activity associated with reflex voiding was significantly prolonged compared with age-matched sham rats. However, at 3 wk postoperatively, the duration of the EOM responses remained increased in the VRA series but had normalized in the VRI group. The EOM EMG duration was normalized for both VRA and VRI groups at 8–12 wk postoperatively. CMG recordings show increased contraction duration at 1 and 3 wk postoperatively for the VRA series, whereas the contraction duration was only increased at 1 wk postoperatively for the VRI series. Our studies suggest that a unilateral lumbosacral VRA injury results in a prolonged VMR to bladder filling using a physiological saline solution. An acute root replantation decreased the VMR induced by VRA injury and provides earlier sensory recovery.
The possibilities of Incarnation: some radical Molinist suggestions

The traditional doctrine of the Incarnation maintains that God became man. But was it necessary that God become the particular man He in fact became? Could some man or woman other than the man born in Bethlehem roughly two thousand years ago have been assumed by the Son to effect our salvation. This essay addresses such questions from the perspective of one embracing Molina's picture of divine providence. After showing how Molina thought his theory of middle knowledge helps alleviate a traditional Christological puzzle, the essay turns to the aforementioned questions concerning God's incarnational alternatives and suggests some fairly radical answers. Finally, the essay presents two substantial objections to these radical answers and argues that these objections fail.
Subduction of Decadal North Pacific Temperature Anomalies: Observations and Dynamics

Abstract Observations of oceanic temperature in the upper 400 m reveal decadal signals that propagate in the thermocline along lines of constant potential vorticity from the ventilation region in the central North Pacific to approximately 18°N in the western Pacific. The propagation path and speed are well described by the geostrophic mean circulation and by a model of the ventilated thermocline. The approximate southward speed of the thermal signal of 7 mm s−1 yields a transit time of approximately eight years. The thermal anomalies appear to be forced by perturbations of the mixed layer heat budget in the subduction region of the central North Pacific east of the date line. A warm pulse was generated in the central North Pacific by a series of mild winters from 1973 to 1976 and reached 18°N around 1982. After 1978 a succession of colder winters initiated a cold anomaly in the central North Pacific that propagated along a similar path and with a similar speed as the warm anomaly, then arrived in the west...
Development of independent ingestive responding to blockade of fatty acid oxidation in rats

The present studies examined the development of ingestive responsiveness to blockade of fatty acid oxidation in rat pups using 2-mercaptoacetate (MA), an inhibitor of mitochondrial acyl-coenzyme A ...
A New Species of Helicocephalum

The genus Helicocephalum was erected by Thaxter 1 in 1891 to make provision for a fungus that he found in a laboratory culture on carrion, and accordingly described under the appropriate binomial H. sarcophilum. In the brief discussion close resemblance to a large Mortierella or Syncephalis was pointed out, the similarity obviously applying more especially to the scattered distribu? tion of the plant on the substratum, to the small diameter and aseptate or rarely septate condition of the vegetative hyphae, to the pronounced differentiation of the simple erect sporiferous hypha, and to the presence on the latter of rhizoid-like supporting basal attachments. Features distinguishing the fungus from any of the known genera of Mucoraceae were recognized in the char? acter of the unusually large brown spores, as well as in their de? velopment through maturation of segments resulting from the insertion of septa at intervals in the helicoid distended terminal por? tion of the fertile hypha. Although more than four decades have elapsed since the appear? ance of Thaxter's publication, the mycological literature of the intervening period would seem to offer no record of any encounter at first hand either with Helicocephalum sarcophilum or with any form sufficiently similar to be recognized as a congener. It may therefore not be unprofitable to set forth the main characteristics of such a congeneric form that made its appearance early in 1933 on rather old maize-meal agar plate cultures originally planted with decaying rootlets. On the mycelia of various species of Pythium that first extended themselves through the substratum had become superimposed a mixture of plant and animal life including an abundance of bacteria, nematodes of various species evidently feeding on the bacterial slime, several fungi preying on the nematodes, 1 Thaxter, Roland. On certain new or peculiar North American Hyphomycetes. II. Bot. Gaz. 16: 201-205. 1891.
The Leakage Risk Monetization Model for Geologic CO2 Storage

We developed the Leakage Risk Monetization Model (LRiMM) which integrates simulation of CO2 leakage from geologic CO2 storage reservoirs with estimation of monetized leakage risk (MLR). Using geospatial data, LRiMM quantifies financial responsibility if leaked CO2 or brine interferes with subsurface resources, and estimates the MLR reduction achievable by remediating leaks. We demonstrate LRiMM with simulations of 30 years of injection into the Mt. Simon sandstone at two locations that differ primarily in their proximity to existing wells that could be leakage pathways. The peak MLR for the site nearest the leakage pathways ($7.5/tCO2) was 190x larger than for the farther injection site, illustrating how careful siting would minimize MLR in heavily used sedimentary basins. Our MLR projections are at least an order of magnitude below overall CO2 storage costs at well-sited locations, but some stakeholders may incur substantial costs. Reliable methods to detect and remediate leaks could further minimize MLR. For both sites, the risk of CO2 migrating to potable aquifers or reaching the atmosphere was negligible due to secondary trapping, whereby multiple impervious sedimentary layers trap CO2 that has leaked through the primary seal of the storage formation.
Work Life and Political Attitudes: A Study of Manual Workers

For centuries men have speculated about the human consequences of work. Slowly, a considerable body of information has begun to accumulate concerning the relationships between people's jobs and other aspects of their lives. Investigators have pointed out the connections between certain types of jobs and certain personality disorders, job satisfaction, productivity, attitudes toward union and management, social relations on the job, leisure activities, and other things.' Extending such findings, this study concludes that a particular job situation can have important effects on a man's political outlook. Political studies have long classified individuals according to occupation, yet there have been extremely few efforts to penetrate within specific occupational categories to discover the causal triggers of occupational attitude differ-
The Reaction to Rules and Dispersion of Conduct

Rules that threaten penalties for their violation influence conduct. This article examines how different types of rules seek to reduce or increase conduct. Rules differ, ranging from taxes to penalties imposed for violating precise or vague limits. Rules' consequences are felt differently, depending on whether the penalties they impose are fixed or variable. Variable penalties depend on the degree of the violation. The shape of trial procedure also influences the way rules deter. The dispersions of the conduct these rules induce have significantly different features.
Investigation for infection rate of rabies virus among formosan ferret badger in Liandu

Objective:To investigate the infection of rabies virus among the formosan ferret badger and to provide the scientific evidence for the prevention and control of rabies.Methods:Brain specimens of the formosan ferret badger were collected from the pestilential region of Liandu city.Rabies virus antigen was detected by direct fluorescent antibody method(DFA) and its nucleic acid was measured by nest polymerase chain reaction(PCR).Results:150 the Formosan ferret badger were captured from Lian du city.One specimen was positive.The positive rate was 0.67%.Conclusion:Rabies virus transmission was occurred among the Formosan ferret badger in the pestilential region.
Sentiment Toward Same-Sex Divorce

The legalization of same-sex marriage in some American states has brought about another legal issue: same-sex divorce. This chapter examines that topic through an investigation of the community sentiment of judges, legislators, and rank-and-file citizens with a particular focus on the degree and patterns of change in sentiment. We pay particular attention to patterns in those states where same-sex marriages are not recognized and find some evidence that judges may have slightly more positive sentiment than the mass public. Through a survey in a non-marriage equality state, we find evidence that the variables linked to marriage attitudes are in step with those regarding divorce. This survey also shows evidence that such attitudes are impervious to priming effects. As same-sex marriage evolves in law and public opinion, we anticipate that divorces will continue to play a central role in the debate.
Modeling birth in a space-object CPHD filter using the probabilistic admissible region

This paper presents a measurement-based birth model with the Cardinalized Probabilistic Hypothesis Density (CPHD) filter using the probabilistic admissible region (PAR) for tracking space objects. Insufficient information content in a short-duration time series of observations makes track instantiation for space objects difficult. Models based on the admissible region define the initial probability density function for a target's kinematic state using a single tracklet. The measurement-based, partially-uniform birth model in the CPHD assumes independence between the measurement density and the probabilistic representation of the single-target state in unobserved directions. Previous applications of the admissible region for modeling new-target birth define the probability density in the unobserved directions as a function of the realized observation, thereby violating the birth model's assumption. Combining a uniform distribution over the sensor field of view with a PAR-based model ensures independence with realized measurements and enables its use in a partially-uniform birth model. This paper presents the proposed birth model and demonstrates filter performance in a simulation for tracking space objects via optical observations.
Racial and ethnic differences in preterm birth: A complex, multifactorial problem

Preterm birth remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among nonanomalous neonates, and is a major public health problem. Non-Hispanic black women have a 2-fold greater risk for preterm birth compared with non-Hispanic white race. The reasons for this disparity are poorly understood and cannot be explained solely by sociodemographic factors. Underlying factors including a complex interaction between maternal, paternal, and fetal genetics, epigenetics, the microbiome, and these sociodemographic risk factors likely underlies the differences between racial groups, but these relationships are currently poorly understood. This article reviews the epidemiology of disparities in preterm birth rates and adverse pregnancy outcomes and discuss possible explanations for the racial and ethnic differences, while examining potential solutions to this major public health problem.
Massive tongue edema from an allergic reaction to an antibiotic: epinephrine may avert need for endotracheal intubation

Massive tongue edema from allergic reaction to medications raises a serious concern for maintaining adequate respiration as well as establishing endotracheal intubation. The necessity for airway intervention depends on the extent of airway edema, particularly the involvement to the laryngeal areas. Administration of subcutaneous epinephrine may rapidly decrease swelling of the tongue and may avert complications of airway intervention.
Doing things twice (or differently): Strategies to identify studies for targeted validation

The "reproducibility crisis" has been a highly visible source of scientific controversy and dispute. Here, I propose and review several avenues for identifying and prioritizing research studies for the purpose of targeted validation. Of the various proposals discussed, I identify scientific data science as being a strategy that merits greater attention among those interested in reproducibility. I argue that the tremendous potential of scientific data science for uncovering high-value research studies is a significant and rarely discussed benefit of the transition to a fully open-access publishing model.
Transferability in Machine Learning for Electronic Structure via the Molecular Orbital Basis.

We present a machine learning (ML) method for predicting electronic structure correlation energies using Hartree–Fock input. The total correlation energy is expressed in terms of individual and pair contributions from occupied molecular orbitals, and Gaussian process regression is used to predict these contributions from a feature set that is based on molecular orbital properties, such as Fock, Coulomb, and exchange matrix elements. With the aim of maximizing transferability across chemical systems and compactness of the feature set, we avoid the usual specification of ML features in terms of atom- or geometry-specific information, such atom/element-types, bond-types, or local molecular structure. ML predictions of MP2 and CCSD energies are presented for a range of systems, demonstrating that the method maintains accuracy while providing transferability both within and across chemical families; this includes predictions for molecules with atom-types and elements that are not included in the training set. ...
Sheldon’s Synthetic Metaphysics

Wilmon Sheldon has known better than most contemporary philosophers the art of surveying reality from an inclusive point of view. In a number of previous valuable volumes he has argued for a synthetic metaphysics which finds its full expression in his recent major work, God and Polarity.1 Sheldon’s thesis is that metaphysical systems “are in the main correct—except when they think they have refuted the others. It may be that if the onlooker would dig beneath the surface, he would see that the quarrels are needless, that each type of metaphysics has shown its truth—though not always in the way it supposes—that the warring factions can pool their results without any being relegated to inferior grade”.2 As long as philosophers continue their exclusive love and mutual refutations, their quest “cannot command the respect of earnest souls who have the good of humanity deeply at heart; nor does it deserve the same”.3 Philosophers must set their house in order. United “they may stand, divided they must fall”.4 Sheldon in developing this high purpose presents one of the most impressive contemporary metaphysical systems. It is rich in insights and vast in scope. I shall first state his metaphysics in large outline, and then estimate some of his basic ideas.
PeerMon: a peer-to-peer network monitoring system

We present PeerMon, a peer-to-peer resource monitoring system for general purpose Unix local area network (LAN) systems. PeerMon is designed to monitor system resources on a single LAN, but it also could be deployed on several LANs where some inter-LAN resource sharing is supported. Its peer-to-peer design makes Peer-Mon a scalable and fault tolerant monitoring system for efficiently collecting system-wide resource usage information. Experiments evaluating PeerMon's performance show that it adds little additional overhead to the system and that it scales well to large-sized LANs. Peer-Mon was initially designed to be used by system services that provide load balancing and job placement, however, it can be easily extended to providemonitoring data for other system-wide services. We present three tools (smarterSSH, autoMPIgen, and a dynamic DNS binding system) that use PeerMon data to pick "good" nodes for job or process placement in a LAN. Tools using PeerMon data for job placement can greatly improve the performance of applications running on general purpose LANs. We present results showing application speed-ups of up to 4.6 using our tools.
Adhesive—Adherend Interface and Interphase

The science of adhesion is multidisciplinary in scope. Both chemical and physical forces contribute to adhesion and lack of adhesion. It is impossible to understand adhesive forces without an appreciation of both chemical and physical interactions. It is a goal of adhesion research to separate and measure the individual factors which lead to adhesion. This commendable goal has been attempted by some and achieved by few. Two difficulties have always hampered such a correlation. First, it is difficult to develop physical test methods which scientifically measure adhesive forces. Second, it has required decades for the development of analytical techniques which can begin to provide researchers with information about the nature of the chemical and physical forces at work at an interface or in an interphase.
Behavioral Teratology of Industrial Solvents

Industrial solvents appear to have a larger exposure population than any other class of environmental chemicals (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health—NIOSH, 1980), but their reproductive hazard has not generally been evaluated (e.g., Wilson, 1977). The thalidomide tragedy shockingly demonstrated the need for reproductive toxicity assessment, as the more usual toxicity determinations failed to predict such adverse outcomes. Indications that only a few chemicals, including solvents, have been tested for reproductive toxicity have been provided by a well-known occupationally related source. Each year, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH, 1983) recommends exposure standards for industrial agents. In examining the bases for these standards, one finds very few that identify reproductive effects. More specifically, the latest issuance lists mutagenic or teratogenic effects for only 6 chemicals, and only 12 of approximately 600 chemicals reviewed for standards in 1982 referred to reproductive effects of any kind (Anger, 1984). As evidence that the ACGIH considers reproductive effects important, it recently reduced the recommended exposure limit to a class of solvents when experimental evidence was gathered that the glycol ethers (two of which are discussed in this chapter) are reproductive toxins. Thus, it would appear that the most probable reason that reproductive effects are not cited more frequently is that information on reproductive toxicity—including teratogenicity—is not available for most industrial solvents.
Pulmonary Artery Pressure Changes Detected by CardioMEMS in Temporal Relation to Hemodialysis in Heart Failure Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease

Background Cardiorenal syndrome impacts many heart failure (HF) patients, and the need for hemodialysis (HD) is associated with worsening HF and increased risk of death. The CardioMEMS system (Abbott Medical) was shown to have efficacy in the CHAMPION trial, but cardiorenal patients were excluded from enrollment. Our aim is to determine pulmonary artery (PA) pressure characteristics for HF outpatients receiving routine HD. Methods Eight HD-HF patients (54 ± 9 yrs, male =4, LVEF = 28 ± 8%) received the CardioMEMS system and were prospectively followed on an outpatient basis. PA pressures were transmitted twice on HD days (pre- and post- HD), and once on non-HD days. PA pressure was monitored weekly to observe long-term characteristics of parameter changes occurring at baseline and during meaningful clinical events (defined as emergent HD sessions or hospital encounter for volume overload). PA pressure was considered baseline if >21 days prior to clinical event or post-medication change. Paired t-test was used for comparisons; P-value Results PA pressures were elevated at implant (mean PA diastolic pressure [PADP] = 29 ± 10 mmHg), remained consistently high even though patients were at "dry weight," and were highest on HD days prior to dialysis ( Figure 1 ). There were significant differences in PA pressure in temporal relation to HD schedule ( Figure 2 A), with the exception of PADP when compared between non-HD vs post-HD values. 3 patients had a HF event (3 emergent HD, 1 hospitalization) and, compared to patients without HF events, PA pressures exhibited loss of cyclical pressure variation with progressive elevation prior to decompensation ( Figure 2 B). Conclusions HF outpatients with cardiorenal syndrome demonstrate elevated PA pressures at "dry weight." CardioMEMS reveals expected PA pressure changes in temporal association with HD-related fluid removal. Those experiencing HF decompensation do not demonstrate this pattern. Future studies are needed to determine if PA pressures can be used to determine HD-related fluid removal protocols to avoid HF decompensation in these patients.
A Photocrosslinking-Based RNA Chemical Proteomics Approach to Profile m6A-Regulated Protein-RNA Interactions

Post-transcriptional modifications play an important role in RNA biology. In particular, the addition of small chemical groups to the nucleobases of mRNA can affect how modified transcripts are processed in the cell, thereby impacting gene expression programs. In order to study the molecular mechanisms underlying these modifications, it is necessary to characterize their 'readers', that is, proteins that directly bind to these modifications to mediate their functional consequences; this is a major challenge because we lack approaches to precisely manipulate RNA chemistry in the cell and because protein-modified RNA interactions can be low affinity. In this unit, we describe in detail a photocrosslinking-based RNA chemical proteomics approach to profile the protein-modified RNA interactome modulated by N6 -methyladenosine (m6 A), the most abundant internal modification in eukaryotic mRNA. First, we present protocols for the synthesis and characterization of short, diazirine-containing synthetic RNA probes, followed by a description of their use in mass spectrometry-based proteomics with HeLa cell lysate and a short commentary on data analysis and result interpretation. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Depression-like behavior corresponds with cardiac changes in a rodent model of spinal cord injury.

Abstract In previous studies we have shown that approximately 1/3 of male Sprague Dawley rats develop symptoms of depression following a spinal cord injury (SCI). Using established behavioral tests to measure depression in rodents, we found that after SCI, subjects characterized as depressed had decreased sucrose preference, open field activity, social exploration, and burrowing behavior. As some of these tests of depression could be affected by the compromised motor function inherent to the SCI condition, the current study examined whether non-subjective, physiological differences in heart rate and heart rate variability were also associated with depression, as seen in humans. Male Sprague Dawley rats were implanted with radiotelemetry devices and either received a moderate contusion injury or remained intact. The implanted telemetry devices recorded home cage activity, body temperature, heart rate, and heart rate variability for 5 min/h throughout a 30-day post-injury assessment period. Depression behavior was evaluated using a battery of tests conducted on days 9–10 and 19–20 post-injury. Locomotor recovery and pain reactivity were also examined. Hierarchical clustering, based on the behavioral scores collected on the tests of depression, revealed that 28% of the SCI subjects displayed symptoms of depression, relative to the remaining 72% of SCI subjects. The subjects characterized as depressed had significantly lower social interaction and burrowing activity than the group that was not depressed. Interestingly, the subjects behaviorally characterized as depressed also had significantly lower heart rate variability than the not-depressed intact group. There was no difference between not-depressed SCI and intact rats on this measure. Therefore, in addition to behavior, depressed and not-depressed rats differ on measures of physiological function that are associated with depression in humans. These physiological differences further validate the rodent model of depression after SCI.