cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of kinship on growth of a live-bearing reef fish

The influence of genetic relatedness on the individual performance (e.g. growth, development) of animals is often tied to agonistic or cooperative behaviors among conspecifics, and studies of the effects of kinship have produced mixed results. To explore genetic relatedness independent of these behaviors, we investigated the effects of kinship on the growth of the kelp perch Brachyistius frenatus, a live-bearing, planktivorous marine reef fish that is capable of only limited dispersal. Although juveniles occur in aggregations and compete for food resources, they do not exhibit overt aggressive or cooperative behavioral interactions. We hypothesized that under competition and in the absence of these behaviors, sibling and non-sibling groups of juvenile B. frenatus raised at the same densities in the field would not differ in average growth, but that siblings would exhibit lower variation in growth, simply due to genetic similarities in inherent growth rates. Pregnant, female kelp perch were collected and placed in cages until parturition was complete. Groups of young, recently born from the same mother or from different mothers, were then raised in the field for 9 wk. Our results revealed that average growth rates were similar between sibling and non-sibling treatments. While variation in growth increased initially in non-siblings, siblings showed little such variation. This divergence, however, was not consistent over the duration of the experiment, and variation in the growth of siblings ultimately converged with that of non-siblings. Effects of genetic relatedness would be most likely to manifest themselves early after birth, before environmental factors exert their influence, and this may explain the initial separation but eventual convergence in variation in growth between sibling and non-sibling treatments. For B. frenatus and other organisms that will encounter relatives and compete for resources without overt behavioral interactions, the degree of kinship may play a minor role in the demography of local populations.
Phylloquinone Absorption from Phylloquinone-Fortified Oil Is Greater than from a Vegetable in Younger and Older Men and Women

Studies that have compared the absorption of phylloquinone from green vegetables and oils have equivocal results. To address differences in approaches used to assess absorption of phylloquinone, a 24-h absorption study was conducted in 18 younger (20-40 y) and 18 older (60-80 y) men and women as part of a larger metabolic study that compared changes in vitamin K status in response to broccoli and phylloquinone-fortified oil (377 +/- 46 and 417 +/- 45 micro g/d, respectively). Absorption was defined as the 24-h area under the curve (AUC) for plasma phylloquinone concentrations (both unadjusted and adjusted for triglyceride concentrations). The mean AUC for plasma phylloquinone concentrations (both unadjusted and adjusted) were significantly greater after consumption of the phylloquinone-fortified oil diet compared with the broccoli diet (P < 0.001). However, there were no differences between the two treatments in 24-h fasting plasma phylloquinone concentrations. Although there were no age differences in the AUC for plasma phylloquinone adjusted for triglycerides, older adults had significantly higher plasma phylloquinone concentrations (both unadjusted and adjusted) at 0 and 24 h than the younger adults (P < 0.001). These data emphasize that the use of different approaches for the assessment of vitamin K absorption can result in disparate conclusions.
Amniotic fluid proteins: Maternal and fetal contributions

No fetal contribution to amniotic fluid orosomucoid or Gc-globulin is detectable by sensitive methods of phenotyping. These proteins have relatively low molecular weights and are readily cleared into urine and other body fluids. It would appear from this and from the close similarity of amniotic fluid to a passive filtrate of maternal serum that the adult-type plasma proteins found in amniotic fluid are almost entirely of matermal origin. α 1 -Fetoprotein probably enters the amniotic fluid predominately by a route other than renal excretion by the fetus. It appears highly unlikely that genetically determined abnormalities of most fetal plasma proteins can be detected by analysis of amniotic fluid.
Modeling Uncertainty and its Implications to Sophisticated Control in Tæms Agents

Open environments are characterized by their uncertainty and non-determinism. Agents need to adapt their task processing to available resources, deadlines, the goal criteria specified by the clients as well their current problem solving context in order to survive in these environments. If there were no resource constraints, then an optimal Markov Decision Process based policy would obviously be the best way for complex problem solving agents to make scheduling decisions. However in many agent systems, these scheduling decisions have to be made on-line or in soft real-time, making the off-line policy computationally infeasible in open environments. The hybrid planner/scheduler used to control Task Analysis, Environment Modeling, and Simulation (TAEMS) agents is the Design-to-Criteria (DTC) agent scheduler. Design-to-Criteria scheduling is the soft real-time process of custom building a plan/schedule to meet an agent's current objectives which are expressed as dynamic goal criteria (including real-time deadlines), using task models that describe alternate ways to achieve tasks and subtasks. Recent advances in Design-to-Criteria control include the addition of uncertainty to the TAEMS computational task models analyzed by the scheduler and the incorporation of uncertainty in the scheduling process. As we show, the use of uncertainty in TAEMS and Design-to-Criteria enables agents to make better control decisions in uncertain environments. Design-to-Criteria uses a heuristic approach for on-line scheduling of medium granularity tasks.It approximates the analysis used to generate an optimal policy by heuristically reasoning about the implications of uncertainty in task execution. The addition of uncertainty has also spawned a post-scheduling contingency analysis step for situations in which an agent must produce a result by a given deadline (deadline critical situations) and where the added computational cost is worth the expense. We describe the uncertainty representation in TAEMS and how it improves task models and the scheduling process, and provide empirical examples of reasoning about uncertainty in action. We also evaluate the performance of our heuristic-based approach to agent control using the performance of the policy generated by an optimal controller as the benchmark.
A Framework for Automated Enrichment of Functionally Significant Inverted Repeats in Whole Genomes

RNA transcripts from genomic sequences showing dyad symmetry typically adopt hairpin-like, cloverleaf, or similar structures that act as recognition sites for proteins. Such structures often are the precursors of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) sequences like microRNA (miRNA) and small-interfering RNA (siRNA) that have recently garnered more functional significance than in the past. Genomic DNA contains hundreds of thousands of such inverted repeats (IRs) with varying degrees of symmetry. But by collecting statistically significant information from a known set of ncRNA, we can sort these IRs into those that are likely to be functional. A novel method was developed to scan genomic DNA for partially symmetric inverted repeats and the resulting set was further refined to match miRNA precursors (pre-miRNA) with respect to their density of symmetry, statistical probability of the symmetry, length of stems in the predicted hairpin secondary structure, and the GC content of the stems. This method was applied on the Arabidopsis thaliana genome and validated against the set of 190 known Arabidopsis pre-miRNA in the miRBase database. A preliminary scan for IRs identified 186 of the known pre-miRNA but with 714700 pre-miRNA candidates. This large number of IRs was further refined to 483908 candidates with 183 pre-miRNA identified and further still to 165371 candidates with 171 pre-miRNA identified (i.e. with 90% of the known pre-miRNA retained). 165371 candidates for potentially functional miRNA is still too large a set to warrant wet lab analyses, such as northern blotting, on all of them. Hence additional filters are needed to further refine the number of candidates while still retaining most of the known miRNA. These include detection of promoters and terminators, homology analyses, location of candidate relative to coding regions, and better secondary structure prediction algorithms. The software developed is designed to easily accommodate such additional filters with a minimal experience in Perl.
Triple benefits from spatial resource management

Standard fishery management models suggest that regulations designed to produce maximum rent should reduce effort – and thus employment – from its open-access level. Using a simple diffusion model, we show that the opposite can be true when the spatial distribution of effort, as well as the total amount of effort, can be controlled. Under certain ecological and economic circumstances that we describe, optimal spatial management can produce “triple benefits” compared to open access: an increase in rent, an increase in standing stock, and an increase in employment.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in obese patients: improved outcome after endovascular treatment compared with open surgery.

Purpose: To investigate outcomes in obese patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) treated with elective open or endovascular repair (EVAR).Study Design: We compared the outcomes of obese patients with AAA treated with elective open repair and EVAR. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m 2.Results: A total of 56 patients with a BMI ≥30 kg/m2 were identified for analysis (mean age 70 ± 8 years; mean BMI 34 ± 4 kg/m2, and 95% [n = 53] were male). Open surgery was performed in 55% (n = 31). The in-hospital complication rate (including nonsurvivors) was significantly increased after open repair compared with EVAR (26% vs 4%, P = .033). Mortality did not differ significantly during 3 years of follow-up (P = .816). Length of stay, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and need for ventilation were significantly increased after open surgery compared with EVAR.Conclusions: We observed improved short-term outcomes among obese AAA patients after EVAR compared to open repair. Endovascular repair may ...
Postharvest characteristics of cut Camellia japonica L. 'Kumasaka'

Open flowers of cut Camellia japonica L. ‘Kumasaka’ placed in deionized water at 20°C and 60% RH wilted after only two days; unopened flower buds lasted longer under these conditions, but failed to open. When open flowers were placed at high humidity, the vase life was four days, and was terminated by petal abscission. Petal wilting resulted from the failure of the cut stem to replace water lost mainly through the flower petals, and was associated with a fall in water potential, reduced fresh weight, and reduced xylem conductivity. Flower abscission was preceded by petal browning and necrosis and these symptoms occurred concomitant with the development of a sharp rise in ethylene production. Treatment of cut flowers with 0.2 mM silver thiosulfate for 24 h prevented flower abscission, but did not delay the occurrence of necrotic brown spots.
Tight Junction Pore and Leak Pathways: A Dynamic Duo

Tissue barriers that restrict passage of liquids, ions, and larger solutes are essential for the development of multicellular organisms. In simple organisms this allows distinct cell types to interface with the external environment. In more complex species, the diversity of cell types capable of forming barriers increases dramatically. Although the plasma membranes of these barrier-forming cells prevent flux of most hydrophilic solutes, the paracellular, or shunt, pathway between cells must also be sealed. This function is accomplished in vertebrates by the zonula occludens, or tight junction. The tight junction barrier is not absolute but is selectively permeable and is able to discriminate between solutes on the basis of size and charge. Many tight junction components have been identified over the past 20 years, and recent progress has provided new insights into the proteins and interactions that regulate structure and function. This review presents these data in a historical context and proposes an integrated model in which dynamic regulation of tight junction protein interactions determines barrier function.
False Alarm in Satellite Precipitation Data

Evaluation of satellite precipitation algorithms is essential for future algorithm development. This is why many previous studies are devoted to the validation of satellite-based observations . For instance, Tian et al. (2009) analyzed the error of six high-resolution satellite products versus a gauge-based estimate, and reported regional and seasonal variations of error patterns in the contiguous US. They conclude that satellite products tend to overestimate rainfall in the summer and underestimate it in the winter. Sapiano and Arkin (2009) also confirmed that satellites overestimate summertime convective storms over the US. Using Volumetric False Alarm Ratio, AghaKouchak et al. (2011) showed that several satellite products exhibit high false alarm rate for rainfall, especially at high quantiles of observation.
Why commercial surrogate motherhood unethically commodifies women and children: Reply to McLachlan and Swales

McLachlan and Swales dispute my arguments against commercial surrogate motherhood. In reply, I argue that commercial surrogate contracts objectionably commodify children because they regard parental rights over children not as trusts, to be allocated in the best interests of the child, but as like property rights, to be allocated at the will of the parents. They also express disrespect for mothers, by compromising their inalienable right to act in the best interest of their children, when this interest calls for mothers to assert a custody right in their children.
SAPKs regulation of ischemic preconditioning.

The role of stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs), c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, in preconditioning (PC) was examined with the use of isolated r...
Leadership Research Part #2

Many articles, books, and reports have been written on the subject of leadership. Since individuals organized into a business unit will always require a vision to succeed, the requirement of having a leader is assured. From a historical point of view, leadership is a continuously developing process. As we learn more about leadership we also learn how to effectively and efficiently motivate people toward success in a chaotic environment.
Nanopublication beyond the sciences: the PeriodO period gazetteer

The information expressed in humanities datasets is inextricably tied to a wider discursive environment that is irreducible to complete formal representation. Humanities scholars must wrestle with this fact when they attempt to publish or consume structured data. The practice of “nanopublication,” which originated in the e-science domain, offers a way to maintain the connection between formal representations of humanities data and its discursive basis. In this paper we describe nanopublication, its potential applicability to the humanities, and our experience curating humanities nanopublications in the PeriodO period gazetteer. Subjects Digital Libraries, World Wide Web and Web Science
Behavioral Symptoms in Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Relation to Fatigue and Cognitive Impairment

The emotional and behavioral problems associated with pediatric multiple sclerosis remain unclear. Participants with pediatric multiple sclerosis or clinically isolated syndrome (n = 140; ages 5-18 years) completed self- and parent ratings using the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, neurologic exam, the Fatigue Severity Scale, and neuropsychological assessment. Mean self- and parent-ratings on the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, were in the typical range across all scales. However, 33.1% indicated a clinically significant problem on a least 1 scale. Although the type of clinical problems varied across participants, attention problems, somatization, and anxiety were found to be most common. Disease features including duration, age of onset, neurologic disability, and fatigue did not distinguish those with and without clinical problems. However, cognitive functioning significantly predicted the presence of a clinical problem (P =02). Pediatric multiple sclerosis is associated with a range of nonspecific emotional and behavioral clinical problems, occurring more frequently in those patients with cognitive involvement.
Buckeye Poisoning of the Honeybee A Progress Report

The poisonous effect of the California buckeye on the honeybee was shown to have a cumulative effect on the queen to the extent of either preventing the egg from hatching or so weakening the larva that it died soon after hatching. All queens of the same race or of hybrid stock were not affected alike as some showed greater resistance than others. The sap of the buckeye was shown to be poisonous to bees but no bees were observed to gather it after it had oozed from punctures made in the stems by lrbisia solani Heid.
Developing Commercial Crew Transportation Capability through Technological Milestone Targets

This paper assesses the state of the launch vehicle industry since NASA started funding three commercial providers (Boeing, Space X, and Sierra Nevada) under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability Program (CCICap) using Space Agreement Acts (SAAs) instead of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FARs). Commercialization of the spaceflight industry has resulted in successful private space system cargo transport to ISS; a burgeoning demand for both suborbital space tourism and scientific payloads of microgravity experiments; and, the ongoing Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Program for the satellite industry. The Space Act Agreements facilitating the industry’s development target not only performance but reliability and safety milestones of the propulsion subsystem, in particular. Propulsion subsystems represent over half of the launch vehicle subsystem failures (1). The high levels of complexity associated with propulsion subsystems often provide opportunities for failure. Many of these failures can be prevented through proper design, testing, and operation (2).
Attitude Control and Stabilization of Spacecraft with a Captured Asteroid

National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) aims to capture a Near Earth Orbit (NEO) asteroid or a piece of a large asteroid and transport it to the Earth{Moon system. In this paper, we provide a detailed analysis of one of the main control challenges for the first ARM mission concept, namely despinning and three-axis stabilizing the asteroid and spacecraft combination after the ARM spacecraft captures the tumbling NEO asteroid. We first show that control laws, which explicitly use the dynamics of the system in their control law equation, encounter a fundamental limitation due to modeling uncertainties. We show that in the presence of large modeling uncertainties, the resultant disturbance torque for such control laws may well exceed the maximum control torque of the conceptual ARM spacecraft. We then numerically compare the performance of three viable control laws: the robust nonlinear tracking control law, the adaptive nonlinear tracking control law, and the simple derivative plus proportional-derivative linear control strategy. We conclude that under very small mod- eling uncertainties, which can be achieved using online system identification, the robust nonlinear tracking control law guarantees exponential convergence to the fuel-optimal reference trajectory and hence consumes the least fuel. On the other hand, in the presence of large modeling uncertainties, measurement errors, and actuator saturations, the best strategy for stabilizing the asteroid and spacecraft combination is to first despin the system using a derivative (rate damping) linear control law and then stabilize the system in the desired orientation using the simple proportional-derivative linear control law. More-over, the fuel consumed by the conceptual ARM spacecraft using these control strategies is upper bounded by 300 kg for the nominal range of NEO asteroid parameters. We conclude this paper with specific design guidelines for the ARM spacecraft for efficiently stabilizing the tumbling NEO asteroid and spacecraft combination.
An image interpolation algorithm based on wavelet transform

In this paper a new image interpolation algorithm based on wavelet transform and spline function is proposed. We interpolate the image with bicuibc spline function at first. Secondly, we do wavelet transform to the interpolated image. Thirdly, we do Haar transform to all the high frequency subbants. Then, we modify the high frequency subbant coefficients. Lastly, we rebuilt image with modified high frequency subbant coefficients to get ultimate interpolated image. The results of the interpolated images using this algorithm are good, and the resolution of the interpolated image are improved.
The different methods of surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass for ascending aorta and partial aortic arch aneurysm replacement

Objective:To summarize cardiopulmonary bypass of ascending aorta and partial aortic arch aneurysm replacement.Method:All surgeries were performed through a median sternotomy. Arterial perfusion was done via the femoral artery, axillary artery, innominate artery or a combination of both. Only deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) was induced in 8 cases; it was associated with antegrade selective cerebral perfusion (ACP) in 15 patients, antegrade selective cerebral perfusion associated with continuous perfusion of the lower body by means of cross-clamp the aorta between left common carotid artery and innominate artery in 5 cases.Result:One patient died from cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardium infarction on postoperative day 1. Postoperative complications included cerebral infarction in 2 patients, reoperation to control hemorrhage in 1 patient, respiratory insufficiency in 1 patient, and hypernatremia in 1 patient need continuous renal replacement therapy.Conclusion:DHCA and ACP are all safe and effective methods for the surgery of hemiarch rreplacement.Surgical and perfusion types depend on the nature of aneurysm, acute or chronic dissection, location of intimal tear, and the skill of the surgeon.
Design and Application of county-level Mountain Torrent Monitoring and Warning Decision Support System in Hainan Province

The development background and significance for county-level mountain torrent monitoring and warning decision support system are introduced,and the definition of mountain torrent monitoring and warning decision support system is developed in this paper.The design principles,main design structure that is based on combination between the C/S mode and B/S mode and in which the B/S mode is primary,and the unique advantages of county-level mountain torrent monitoring and warning decision support system in which mountain torrent monitoring and warning decision support is realized by the B/S mode and computer supervisory control of gates and pumps is realized by the C/S mode are explained.The database design of the system is introduced in brief.The main functions of the system in which visual query for monitoring information is realized by forms such as tables,pictures and electronic maps of GIS,in which the warning decision support is realized by the flow navigation of early warning and responding,in which 64-bit DES encrypt arithmetic is adopted in system management are explained.The successful application in 6counties or cities of Hainan province and integrated design of using the Faraday cup in monitoring stations is discussed.The application the county-level mountain torrent monitoring and warning decision support system in Hainan province provide a reference for development,design,and implementation of the automation systems,such as auto-monitoring system of water regime,automation system for reservoir regulation,automation system of monitoring,control and precaution for freshet disaster,and decision-support system for flood control.
Role of ATP-sensitive K+ channels in cGMP-mediated pial artery vasodilation

The present study was designed to investigate the role of ATP-sensitive K+ channels in guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP)-mediated pial artery vasodilation in newborn pigs equipped with a ...
Pushing the Weed: The Editorializing and Advertising of Tobacco in the Lancet and the British Medical Journal, 1880–1958

L'A. presente le contenu editorial et informatif de Lancet et du British Medical Journal envers les produits derives du tabac de 1880 a 1958. Il analyse les accords et les contradictions entre d'une part les attitudes des journaux envers le tabac et d'autre part leurs acceptations d'avertir les compagnies du tabac
Building a Question-Answering Corpus Using Social Media and News Articles

Is it possible to develop a reliable QA-Corpus using social media data? What are the challenges faced when attempting such a task? In this paper, we discuss these questions and present our findings when developing a QA-Corpus on the topic of Brazilian finance. In order to populate our corpus, we relied on opinions from experts on Brazilian finance that are active on the Twitter application. From these experts, we extracted information from news websites that are used as answers in the corpus. Moreover, to effectively provide rankings of answers to questions, we employ novel word vector based similarity measures between short sentences (that accounts for both questions and Tweets). We validated our methods on a recently released dataset of similarity between short Portuguese sentences. Finally, we also discuss the effectiveness of our approach when used to rank answers to questions from real users.
Verification Of Composed Hardware Systems Using CCS

This paper describes extensions to the interpreter model for verifying a system of (independently verified) components. We propose using a process algebra to specify and reason about the requirements of composed systems. An example is presented to demonstrate how the system synchronization requirements can be specified using CCS. Preliminary work to embed a simple finite sequence variation of CCS within HOL is also presented.
136. Nuclease-Assisted Vector Integration (NAVI): A Robust Platform for Multiplexed Targeted Genome Engineering

The expansion of genome engineering spurred by CRISPR/Cas9 continues to accelerate. While mutagenesis generated via NHEJ remains a highly efficient and effective strategy for select applications, the insertion of large or complex sequences and the ability to easily select for modified cells often necessitates the use of homology directed repair (HDR) based strategies. The time-consuming construction of donor vectors for HDR gene editing is often technically challenging, costly, and leads to poor modification rates. By using customized single-stranded oligonucleotides (ssODN) the efficiency of gene editing increases, but the scale of possible genetic changes is greatly diminished. Additionally, as both donor vectors and ssODN require two discontiguous regions of homology, neither is well suited to multiplexing. Here, we present Nuclease-Assisted Vector Integration (NAVI) as a unique strategy to bypass HDR and the need for customized donor vectors required for traditional genome editing technologies. We demonstrate, through multiplexed insertion of a single plasmid into multiple loci, that NAVI eliminates the need for homologous sequence within donor vectors. Furthermore, by employing a single and universal guide-RNA, multiple vectors harboring different selection markers were integrated into distinct loci simultaneously, greatly facilitating production of isogenic mammalian cell lines. We were able to integrate sequences ranging from 3-50 kbp, but no upper limit was identified. Through the elimination of the HDR bottleneck and increased efficiency of editing, generation of double knockouts within two loci using NAVI takes approximately 3 weeks from design to completion, at minimal cost. Additionally, as NAVI is independent of homology, vector integration at double strand breaks occurs in either the plus or minus orientation. Finally, the resulting sequence of the juncture of genomic DNA with the vector is variable. We conclude that NAVI, despite sacrificing single base pair resolution, can be readily adapted for use in a variety of research and therapeutic platforms, due to its greatly enhanced versatility, ease of use, efficiency, and robust multiplexing capabilities for targeted integration of large sequences within mammalian genomes.
Strategies to prevent infections associated with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices

Infections involving cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIED) are associated with high morbidity and mortality and substantial financial cost. In the past two decades, the rate of CIED infections has increased disproportionate to the number of devices implanted, likely due to aging patient population with multiple comorbidities. Microbial contamination of the generator pocket and or leads by skin flora at the time of implantation is a major mechanism for early CIED infections. Due to resistance to host immune cells and antibiotics caused by biofilm formation, complete removal of the device generator and leads is required to achieve cure. Areas covered: In this manuscript, we review the published literature regarding epidemiology, risk factors, and pathogenesis of CIED infections with primary focus on the preventative strategies to reduce the incidence of device infections. Expert commentary: Strict adherence to infection control measures at the time of CIED implantation is critical in reducing the risk of device infection while adjunctive strategies such as use of antimicrobial envelopes might help in certain high-risk individuals. Technological advances in device manufacturing with availability of subcutaneous devices without transvenous leads and self-contained intracardiac devices without leads and generator show promise with lower risk of infection.
A Revisionist Note on the Methodological Significance of Galilean Mechanics

It has long been common for scholars to maintain that the science of Galileo posed most of the central philosophical and methodological problems for early modern philosophy. Historians as diverse in orientation as Whewell and Mach, Koyre, and Cassirer have seen in Galilean physics the roots of the major philosophical problems of early modern science.1 Doubtless, there are some very important philosophical issues raised by Galilean physics (among them: why nature is quantifiable, the role of ideal cases in physical theory, the character of thought experiments). But it is seriously misleading historically to assert that the philosophical issues implicit in Galileo’s mechanics — or in any science like Galileo’s mechanics — were the central source of intellectual Angst for scientifically-minded philosophers of the 17th and early 18th centuries. I shall suggest briefly and tentatively that we must look elsewhere in the scientific revolution to find those doctrines about nature which were responsible for the chief features of the ‘epistemological revolution’ of the early modern era.
Design of an improved decision search system for missing aircrafts: MH370 case study the deconstruction of houdini's greatest act

Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 disappeared on March 8th, 2014 with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board. The flight departed from Kuala Lampur, Malaysia at 16:42 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on what was scheduled to be a five hour and thirty-four-minute flight. During the flight, at 17:21 UTC, the communication system became inactive and all communication with the air traffic control ceased. The aircraft has not been found, therefore a new search tool is developed as a stochastic decision-based software that incorporates airplane dynamics, oceanic flow, and recorded searched areas to determine a probable resting location. The system makes a recommendation with minimal inputs but becomes more accurate as information is processed, weighed and calculated. The decision-based system uses the search for the MH370 plane as a trial to measure the effectiveness and precision of the system. The system functions on a personal computer and is comprehensible to a ‘non-expert’ running a scenario.
LibAbs: An Efficient and Accurate Timing Macro-Modeling Algorithm for Large Hierarchical Designs

The ever-increasing design complexity is driving the need of fast and accurate macro-modeling algorithms to accelerate the hierarchical timing. We introduce LibAbs, an effective macro-modeling algorithm that efficiently supports high accuracy, high compression rate, and multi-threading. LibAbs applies tree-based graph reduction techniques to reduce the model size with comparable accuracy values to the flat model under multi-threaded environment. LibAbs outperforms existing tools including top winners from TAU 2016 macro-modeling contest in terms of model size, accuracy, and runtime on industry benchmarks. The in-context usage of our abstracted model has also demonstrated promising performance for timing-driven optimizations in large hierarchical designs.
Family Coaching as a delivery modality for evidence-based prevention programs:

Family Coaching is proposed as a new delivery format for evidence-based prevention programs (EBPPs). Three recent developments in health promotion support the potential efficacy of Family Coaching: (1) renewed interest in integrated prevention programs for multiple risk factors and behavior changes, (2) broad and long-term impacts of family-based interventions, and (3) popular acceptance of "coaching" as a nonstigmatizing, goal-focused intervention strategy. Family coaches are community members and paraprofessionals trained in common elements of EBPP. Family Coaching has specific goals, is short term, and has definable outcomes. Coaches frame the program's goals to be consistent with the family's values, normalize the family's experience, assess their strengths, and help the family set goals and develop skills and routines to problem solve challenging situations. Broad dissemination of EBPP will be facilitated with delivery formats that are flexible to meet families' priorities and providers' desires and capacities to tailor programs to local contexts.
Variable Recovery and Adaptation Connectors for Dynamic Software Product Lines

This paper describes the design of variable adaptation and recovery connectors used in the software adaptation of dynamic software product lines. The approach integrates software product line and feature modelling concepts with autonomic properties of self-healing and self-adaptation. The feature model and variable software architecture of the variable connectors are described as well as a validation of the dynamic adaptation approach.
Sequential Salt Extractions for the Analysis of Bulk Chromatin Binding Properties of Chromatin Modifying Complexes

Elucidation of the binding properties of chromatin-targeting proteins can be very challenging due to the complex nature of chromatin and the heterogeneous nature of most mammalian chromatin-modifying complexes. In order to overcome these hurdles, we have adapted a sequential salt extraction (SSE) assay for evaluating the relative binding affinities of chromatin-bound complexes. This easy and straightforward assay can be used by non-experts to evaluate the relative difference in binding affinity of two related complexes, the changes in affinity of a complex when a subunit is lost or an individual domain is inactivated, and the change in binding affinity after alterations to the chromatin landscape. By sequentially re-suspending bulk chromatin in increasing amounts of salt, we are able to profile the elution of a particular protein from chromatin. Using these profiles, we are able to determine how alterations in a chromatin-modifying complex or alterations to the chromatin environment affect binding interactions. Coupling SSE with other in vitro and in vivo assays, we can determine the roles of individual domains and proteins on the functionality of a complex in a variety of chromatin environments.
The Characteristics of Adults with Severe Hearing Loss

Severe hearing loss impairs communication in a wide range of listening environments. However, we lack data as to the specific objective and subjective abilities of listeners with severe hearing loss. Insight into those abilities may inform treatment choices. The primary goal was to describe the audiometric profiles, spectral resolution ability, and objective and subjective speech perception of a sample of adult listeners with severe hearing loss, and to consider the relationships among those measures. We also considered the typical fitting received by individuals with severe loss, in terms of hearing aid style, electroacoustic characteristics, and features, as well as supplementary device use. A within-subjects design was used. Participants included 36 adults aged 54–93 yr with unilateral or bilateral severe hearing loss. Testing included a full hearing and hearing aid history; audiometric evaluation; loudness growth and dynamic range; spectral resolution; assessment of cochlear dead regions; objective and subjective assessment of speech recognition; and electroacoustic evaluation of current hearing aids. Regression models were used to analyze relationships between hearing loss, spectral resolution, and speech recognition. For speech in quiet, 60% of the variance was approximately equally accounted for by amount of hearing loss, spectral resolution, and number of dead regions. For speech in noise, only a modest proportion of performance variance was explained by amount of hearing loss. In general, participants were wearing amplification of appropriate style and technology for their hearing loss, but the extent of assistive technology use was low. Subjective communication ratings depended on the listening situation, but in general, were similar to previously published data for adults with mild-to-moderate loss who did not wear hearing aids. The present data suggest that the range of abilities of an individual can be more fully captured with comprehensive testing. Such testing also offers an opportunity for informed counseling regarding realistic expectations for hearing aid use and the availability of hearing assistive technology.
Loneliness in Multiple Sclerosis: Possible Antecedents and Correlates.

AbstractPurpose:The prevalence and possible antecedents and correlates of loneliness in multiple sclerosis (MS) was examined.Design:Cross-sectional, comparative study of MS (n = 63) and healthy adults (n = 21).Methods:Data were collected using self-reports of loneliness and antecedents and correlate
Effects of past and projected river discharge variability on freshwater production in an anadromous fish

Knowledge about population responses to environmental variability, including extreme climatic events, is crucial for understanding their current status and likely fate under future environmental change. The frequency and intensity of extreme events is projected to increase, especially in freshwater ecosystems. Anadromous fishes depend on freshwater habitats for spawning and juvenile rearing, making them sensitive to altered hydrologic regimes. Here, we evaluate the effect of past and projected variability in river hydrology on freshwater production of naturally spawning coho salmon populations from coastal river systems in Washington, USA. Using a stage‐based life‐cycle model, we show that juvenile production during freshwater residence depends on river flow characteristics. Most importantly, juvenile production is reduced by low minimum stream flows during summer. Based on climate model projections suggesting more extreme summer droughts in the region, we then simulate changes in river flow characteristics and quantify the effects of more frequent and severe low flows during summer on juvenile production as well as the harvest that can be sustained in these populations. Our results demonstrate that changes in hydrologic regimes due to environmental change, especially extreme low flows during summer, may significantly affect juvenile production in anadromous fishes such as coho salmon and the services these populations provide to their ecosystems and humans. Understanding population responses to extreme climatic events is thus essential for improving species conservation and risk assessments.
Relative Neutralizing Value as an Indicator of Actual Liming Ability of Limestone and Byproduct Materials

Methods used to compare the effectiveness of liming materials (e.g., relative neutralizing value, RNV; effective calcium carbonate equivalent, ECCE) were developed for ground limestone. This method...
Predictors of bleeding complications after rescue coronary interventions.

The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of bleeding complications after current rescue coronary interventions including stenting and adjunctive platelet inhibitors. Previous studies of rescue angioplasty for thrombolytic failure have identified variable rates of bleeding complications with balloon angioplasty alone. Although coronary stents and glycoprotein 2b/3a inhibitors have been shown to improve outcome in a wide variety of coronary interventions, the impact of these therapies on bleeding complications after rescue coronary intervention has not been determined. From 1996 through 1998, we treated 108 consecutive patients with rescue coronary intervention (defined as attempted coronary intervention within 12 hours of thrombolysis for ongoing symptoms or electrocardiogram [ECG] changes) including conventional percutaneous transluminal coronary artery (PTCA), stenting (n=45), and glycoprotein 2b/3a inhibitor use (n=31). In-hospital clinical outcomes were obtained in all patients, and univariate and multivariate predictors of bleeding complications were identified. In hospital, moderate to severe bleeding complications occurred in 17.6% of the cohort, but the rate of severe bleeding complications (2.7%) and vascular repair (1.9%) were low. Independent predictors of bleeding complications were age >60y, female gender, cardiogenic shock, and streptokinase use. Neither the delayed use of abciximab (on average 4 hours after thrombolytic therapy initiation) nor the use of rescue stenting were predictors of increased moderate to severe bleeding complications. Current rescue coronary intervention, including stents and platelet inhibitors, is associated with a low rate of severe bleeding complications. Moderate to severe bleeding complications were more common in selected subgroups of patients but not increased significantly by stenting or delayed abciximab use.
Advances in the scientific study of craving for alcohol and tobacco.

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews contemporary empirical research on craving for alcohol and tobacco toward and explores its relationship to alcohol and tobacco dependence. The emphasis of the chapter is on advances in understanding the determinants, phenomenology, and neurobiology of craving through human and animal laboratory approaches. Complementing neurotransmitter-level findings, neuroimaging studies of alcohol and tobacco craving have commonly revealed selective activation of the anterior cingulate, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex from a neuroanatomical standpoint. The research is further advanced by studies indicating that genetic variation responsible for functional differences in the preceding neurotransmitter systems is associated with differences in the expression of craving. The data suggests that craving is significantly associated with alcohol and tobacco use, and post-treatment relapse. The associations range from modest to moderate magnitudes, suggesting that craving is far from the sine qua non of alcohol or tobacco use. The application of a coordinated and integrated transdisciplinary approach to understanding the role of craving in alcohol and tobacco use, and addictive behavior in general is emphasized in the chapter.
E-Mail and the Rip Van Winkle of Agencies: The NLRB's Register-Guard Decision

The National Labor Relations Board has never been an agency known for its ability to adapt quickly to changing times. So, it is perhaps no surprise that when the Board finally decided to address its regulation of e-mail and other electronic communications in its 2007 Register-Guard decision, it sounded like an agency still stuck in the New Deal era. The Board's e-mail decision was a missed opportunity. Instead of adapting its regulations to the modern economy, the Board looked backward and made itself and the act it enforces even less relevant than they were before.Although a relatively new phenomenon, employee use of e-mail and other electronic communications for collective purposes implicated an issue that has existed since the early days of the National Labor Relations Act: the conflict between employers' property rights and employees' right to engage in collective action. The Board's decision in Register-Guard is significant, as well as troubling, because it ignored long-established precedents in both labor and property law by elevating in virtually all instances employers' personal property interests in their computer systems above employees' NLRA rights. Moreover, in an aspect of Register-Guard that was less anticipated than the e-mail issue but ultimately more far-reaching, the Board modified its general approach to all communication policy cases - even those not involving e-mail - by implementing an extraordinarily narrow definition of unlawful "discrimination". Register-Guard's rulings on e-mail usage and discriminatory restrictions on workplace communications represent a sea change in how the Board regulates employees' ability to discuss collective issues at work. Whether the case survives long enough for these rulings to make a lasting impact is unclear. What is more obvious, however, is that the Register-Guard Board further cemented its image as an agency mired in the past. A future Board that wishes to shed this persona must find a way to give electronic communications and unequal access rules the respect that they deserve under the NLRA.
Bi-submodular Optimization (BSMO) for Detecting Drug-Drug Interactions (DDIs) from On-line Health Forums

Online health discussion forums as information exchange repository are used by different patient groups for sharing experience and seeking advice. Their accessibility is tremendously expanded in the last decade with the rapid growth of mobile internet. Among many popular topics, “drug-drug interactions” (DDIs) forum embeds a large number of DDIs hazards patient experienced however not published. In this paper, we intend to uncover the potential DDIs from the online forums and formulate the task as a sub-graph detection problem, such that co-mentioned drugs and symptoms are modeled as vertices, along with the occurrences are modeled as weighted edges. Therefore, a connected sub-graph consisting of both symptoms and drug vertices reveals DDIs occurrence. We then propose a novel bi-submodular function to characterize the likelihood of DDI occurrence within a connected sub-graph and apply an approximated algorithm to resolve the bi-submodular optimization (BSMO). The complexity of the algorithm is nearly linear. Our extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach.
Implementing and analyzing a distress screening tool (DST) in a community oncology setting: Breaking down barriers to comprehensive medical and psychosocial (PS) care—The Kaiser Permanente Lone Tree, CO (KP-LT) experience.

e21553Background: PS distress (D) in cancer patients is an underestimated barrier to optimal care. The NCCN recommends D screening and intervention for D scores (DS) ≥4. KP is an ideal environment ...