cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plain Talk on Stochastic Adaptive Control and Its Broader Impact Some Reflections from the IFAC Technical Board Liaison to Education.

Abstract This paper focuses on innovative methods of teaching stochastic adaptive control with students who represent all science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The Stochastic Adaptive Control course has been developed based on the author’s research area and it demonstrates the power, beauty and excitement of stochastic adaptive control as a field that spans STEM. Teaching is shown as a stochastic process that changes in time. The course has been taught at the mathematics department for the last 20 years by the team of mathematics and engineering faculty. The course is very popular, attracts junior and senior undergraduate and graduate students, and leads towards honors theses for undergraduates, and masters and doctoral theses for graduate students. Best practices leading to the success are presented. This paper provides also a sample of plain talk on stochastic adaptive control and broader impact best practices of control. The formation of IFAC Technical Committee (TC) Liaisons to Education was based on the concept of integrating research and education at all levels.
Memory devices and applications for in-memory computing

Traditional von Neumann computing systems involve separate processing and memory units. However, data movement is costly in terms of time and energy and this problem is aggravated by the recent explosive growth in highly data-centric applications related to artificial intelligence. This calls for a radical departure from the traditional systems and one such non-von Neumann computational approach is in-memory computing. Hereby certain computational tasks are performed in place in the memory itself by exploiting the physical attributes of the memory devices. Both charge-based and resistance-based memory devices are being explored for in-memory computing. In this Review, we provide a broad overview of the key computational primitives enabled by these memory devices as well as their applications spanning scientific computing, signal processing, optimization, machine learning, deep learning and stochastic computing. This Review provides an overview of memory devices and the key computational primitives for in-memory computing, and examines the possibilities of applying this computing approach to a wide range of applications.
Supportive care medications coinciding with chemotherapy among children with hematologic malignancy.

Pharmacokinetic (PK) conflicts can arise between supportive care medications (SCM) and chemotherapy in children with hematologic malignancy (HM). In this retrospective study, medical records for ch...
Thematic Analyses of the Laozi

This chapter looks at readings of the Laozi as thematically unified, either by key concepts or concerns that underlie its composition or collation. Concepts that have seen as key to unravelling the text include Dao, de, wuwei, and ziran. Concerns that have read as key themes include mystical knowledge, political strategy, views on gender, and significance for science and ecology. These thematic concerns often arise out of implicit comparisons with other traditions, and reflect particular views about the conditions of authorship or formation of the work. For this reason, positing thematic “unity” is usually an alternative to historical and critical approaches to the text that emphasize inconsistencies of voice or theme.
Point-of-care hip ultrasound leads to expedited results in emergency department patients with suspected septic arthritis.

Background The evaluation of septic hip arthritis often incorporates the utilization of hip ultrasonography to determine the presence of a hip joint effusion, as well as to guide arthrocentesis. Point-of-care (POC) hip ultrasound has previously been demonstrated to be accurate when performed by the emergency physician. Time to diagnosis and subsequent intervention in septic arthritis (SA) is critical to favorable outcomes. Methods Retrospective single-center study of all emergency department (ED) patients who had a POC or radiology hip ultrasound or arthrocentesis as part of their ED evaluation for SA in a 3-year period. We investigated the difference in time to obtain hip ultrasonography results and the time to arthrocentesis between radiology and emergency physician-performed studies in cases of suspected septic hip arthritis. Results Seventy-four patients met inclusion criteria. The median time to hip ultrasound completion was 68 (interquartile range [IQR], 38.8-132) minutes in the emergency physician-performed ultrasound group versus 208.5 (IQR, 163.8-301.3) minutes for the radiology group (P < 0.001). A total of 17 patients had a hip arthrocentesis performed. Time to arthrocentesis was 211 (IQR 141.3-321.5) minutes in the emergency physician-performed arthrocentesis group and 602 (IQR 500-692) minutes in the radiology arthrocentesis (P < 0.001). Conclusion There was a statistically shorter time to ultrasound result and arthrocentesis when POC hip ultrasound was utilized by the emergency physician. Given that unfavorable outcomes in SA are associated with delay in treatment, further study is warranted to determine if emergency physician-performed hip ultrasound and arthrocentesis could lead to improved patient-centered clinical end points.
Finding the right modes for communicating with optics

We show a simple and rigorous way of finding the strongest and lowest cross-talk channels for communicating with optics. This approach leads to several practical and fundamental results in classical and quantum optics.
Patient Management and Decision Models

Attempts to describe and formalize the functions performed by the health care provider have been presented in a number of distinguished medical journals. Dudley, in 1968, in describing approaches to formalizing the diagnostic process stated: It can be argued that all that I have written here merely formalises well-known and self-evident truths. This is so, but formal statements are a necessary preliminary to the use of computers and the attraction of these processes is that the first two (pay-off and heuristics) and the dissective aspects of pattern recognition can all be handled by computer techniques. … the most important thing for the physician as a teacher to realise is that with or without the intervention of the computer the techniques described apply in clinical practice…. until the advent of the computer and the logical activity it demands we have not endeavoured to understand our actions in the diagnostic situation. It is scarcely surprising that the student is confused when, with his background of training in the formal deductive logic of the scientific laboratory, he sees the clinician adopt gaming, goal seeking, and pattern recognition. He is both confused and frustrated when in reply to his question—“why do you behave in such a way?”—the answer has been in the past, “this is the art of medicine. ”… if the techniques we use are analysable there exists the opportunity of creating repetitive educational situations which should lead to the more rapid attainment of diagnostic skills.
Printable and recyclable carbon electronics using crystalline nanocellulose dielectrics

Electronic waste can lead to the accumulation of environmentally and biologically toxic materials and is a growing global concern. Developments in transient electronics—in which devices are designed to disintegrate after use—have focused on increasing the biocompatibility, whereas efforts to develop methods to recapture and reuse materials have focused on conducting materials, while neglecting other electronic materials. Here, we report all-carbon thin-film transistors made using crystalline nanocellulose as a dielectric, carbon nanotubes as a semiconductor, graphene as a conductor and paper as a substrate. A crystalline nanocellulose ink is developed that is compatible with nanotube and graphene inks and can be written onto a paper substrate using room-temperature aerosol jet printing. The addition of mobile sodium ions to the dielectric improves the thin-film transistor on-current (87 μA mm−1) and subthreshold swing (132 mV dec−1), and leads to a faster voltage sweep rate (by around 20 times) than without ions. The devices also exhibit stable performance over six months in ambient conditions and can be controllably decomposed, with the graphene and carbon nanotube inks recaptured for recycling (>95% recapture efficiency) and reprinting of new transistors. We demonstrate the utility of the thin-film transistors by creating a fully printed, paper-based biosensor for lactate sensing. All-carbon thin-film transistors—made using crystalline nanocellulose as a dielectric, carbon nanotubes as a semiconductor and graphene as a conductor—can be printed onto paper substrates and the constituent materials subsequently recycled.
Decision fatigue in low-value prostate cancer screening.

BACKGROUND Low-value prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing is common yet contributes substantial waste and downstream patient harm. Decision fatigue may represent an actionable target to reduce low-value urologic care. The objective of this study was to determine whether low-value PSA testing patterns by outpatient clinicians are consistent with decision fatigue. METHODS Outpatient appointments for adult men without prostate cancer were identified at a large academic health system from 2011 through 2018. The authors assessed the association of appointment time with the likelihood of PSA testing, stratified by patient age and appropriateness of testing based on clinical guidelines. Appointments included those scheduled between 8:00 am and 4:59 pm, with noon omitted. Urologists were examined separately from other clinicians. RESULTS In 1,581,826 outpatient appointments identified, the median patient age was 54 years (interquartile range, 37-66 years), 1,256,152 participants (79.4%) were White, and 133,693 (8.5%) had family history of prostate cancer. PSA testing would have been appropriate in 36.8% of appointments. Clinicians ordered testing in 3.6% of appropriate appointments and in 1.8% of low-value appointments. Appropriate testing was most likely at 8:00 am (reference group). PSA testing declined through 11:00 am (odds ratio [OR], 0.57; 95% CI, 0.50-0.64) and remained depressed through 4:00 pm (P < .001). Low-value testing was overall less likely (P < .001) and followed a similar trend, declining steadily from 8:00 am (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.42-0.56) through 4:00 pm (P < .001; OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.18-0.30). Testing patterns in urologists were noticeably different. CONCLUSIONS Among most clinicians, outpatient PSA testing behaviors appear to be consistent with decision fatigue. These findings establish decision fatigue as a promising, actionable target for reducing wasteful and low-value practices in routine urologic care. LAY SUMMARY Decision fatigue causes poorer choices to be made with repetitive decision making. This study used medical records to investigate whether decision fatigue influenced clinicians' likelihood of ordering a low-value screening test (prostate-specific antigen [PSA]) for prostate cancer. In more than 1.5 million outpatient appointments by adult men without prostate cancer, the chances of both appropriate and low-value PSA testing declined as the clinic day progressed, with a larger decline for appropriate testing. Testing patterns in urologists were different from those reported by other clinicians. The authors conclude that outpatient PSA testing behaviors appear to be consistent with decision fatigue among most clinicians, and interventions may reduce wasteful testing and downstream patient harms.
Social Entrepreneur Servant Leadership and Social Venture Performance: How are They Related?

As a rapidly growing field of study, social entrepreneurship is increasingly receiving attention from scholars and practitioners because social ventures have the potential to contribute to economic growth and social innovation. Surprisingly, the role of leadership in social venture growth has received very limited attention. One reason for this omission may be that entrepreneurship and leadership evolved as separate domains. Applying leadership theory to social ventures can help scholars and managers understand how social entrepreneurs can manage the environmental risks, dual mission, and legitimacy issues of social ventures. Our goal for this conceptual paper is to describe how social entrepreneurs can align employees with the seemingly inconsistent goals of social and economic value creation to improve venture performance. We do so by concentrating on a leadership style applicable to their dual mission—servant leadership. Drawing from theoretical underpinnings and examples from single case studies, we offer a research framework and related propositions that delineate how servant leadership style affects social venture performance through the perception of work meaningfulness, well-being, and job engagement. We contribute to theory building by uncovering how social entrepreneurs can share their personal passions, values, and obligations with their employees and inspire them to meet their dual mission, paying attention to the context of social ventures and the attributes of the employees they attract. We also discuss theoretical and practical implications for social entrepreneurship and offer future research directions.
Speed-Up Theorems in Type-2 Computation

A classic result known as the speed-up theorem in machine-independent complexity theory shows that there exist some computable functions that do not have best programs for them [2][3]. In this paper we lift this result into type-2 computation under the notion of our type-2 complexity theory depicted in [15][13][14]. While the speed-up phenomenon is essentially inherited from type-1 computation, we cannot directly apply the original proof to our type-2 speed-up theorem because the oracle queries can interfere the speed of the programs and hence the cancellation strategy used in the original proof is no longer correct at type-2. We also argue that a type-2 analog of the operator speed-up theorem [16] does not hold, which suggests that this curious phenomenon disappears in higher-typed computation beyond type-2.
“You see the whole tree, not just the stump:” Religious fundamentalism, capital and public schooling

ABSTRACTThis article draws on data from a larger collective case study which focused on the transition to college for Latino/a students at a prestigious, public, predominantly White institution. Here, I focus on one student and analyze interview and field note data to examine this transition for Jasmine, a fundamentalist Christian who identifies as a Mexican–American. Specifically, I apply the notion of familial capital (Yosso, 2005, 2006), which is based on critical race theory, to Jasmine's case. Through an examination of the ways in which her fundamentalist background and her Liberal Arts College education interact, I discuss implications for the use of familial capital and call for further study of fundamentalism and public education as well as for a nuanced expansion of concept of “multiculturalism.”
A Developmental Approach to Prevention Research: Configural Antecedents of Early Parenthood

A developmental framework emphasizing the combined impact of correlated constraints within and without the individual was applied to a prospective longitudinal study of early parenthood. The purpose was to use a person-approach to the analysis of longitudinal data to clarify risk for early parenthood and to generate hypotheses about potentially useful intervention strategies. Respondents were 475 youth who were assessed annually from seventh grade through the end of high school and, again, at ages 20 and 24. The risk patterns associated with parenthood were the same for both sexes. Individuals with a middle-school configuration of low socioeconomic status, high aggression, low academic skills, low popularity, and prior grade failure were most likely to become parents by early adulthood. Risk for early parenthood increased substantially for respondents who dropped out of school early, regardless of their initial risk status.
The Return of the Nervous Liberals: Market Fundamentalism, Policy Failure, and Recurring Journalism Crises

By providing historical context for the recurring regulatory retreat in the face of structural problems in the news media, this study examines the policy discourse that continues to define the US journalism crisis and government’s inability to confront it. To contextualize this pattern, I compare two historical junctures, the first occurring in the 1940s, exemplified by the Hutchins Commission, and the second occurring in the more recent policy debates during the years 2009–2011, exemplified by the Waldman Report. Both of these historical moments represented a societal response to a journalism crisis, and both entailed deeply normative discussions about the role of media in a democratic society and government’s role in managing that relationship. A comparison of these historical case studies brings into focus recurring weaknesses in liberal reform efforts. Specifically, it highlights what I refer to as the “discursive capture” reflected in common assumptions about the proper relationship between media and...
Do Foreign-owned Subsidiaries in China Follow a Distinctive Pattern of Technological Knowledge Sourcing?

This study investigates the China-located subsidiaries of foreign-owned multinational corporations (MNCs) for patterns of intra-firm and interorganizational technological knowledge accumulation. We analyze US patents attributed to those subsidiaries between 1996 and 2005 and argue that MNCs have recently tended toward open network structures, enabling subsidiaries in emerging markets to develop technological capabilities by searching for diversified inter-organizational knowledge sources beyond geographically local contexts to compensate for local limitations and deficiencies. Findings show that subsidiaries in China have gradually developed their technological capabilities through non-localized searches beyond their organizational, technological, and geographical boundaries. The study contributes to the literature on MNC organizational restructuring, subsidiary evolution, and subsidiary-level non-localized knowledge searches. The findings also have important implications for knowledge spillovers, MNC knowledge management, and government policies. 摘要 本文研究外资跨国公司在中国通过内部及外部途径进行科技知识积累的模式。经过分析这些企业在美国专利局1996到2005年间的专利数据，我们认为跨国公司近年来向开放型网络结构的转变使这些公司在发展中国家的分公司能够克服内部及外部环境的不足，从而有机会发展科技能力。我们的研究结果表明跨国公司在中国的分公司通过非本地式知识积累已经逐渐开始具备科技能力。非本地式知识积累包括跨越地域的，跨越组织界限的，跨越科技界限的知识积累。因此，本文在以下领域有所贡献：跨国公司结构转型，分公司进化论，分公司非本地式知识积累。我们的研究结果在知识外溢，跨国公司知识管理和政府政策方面也有实际意义。
The persistence of real estate cycles

This paper presents a model that attempts to explain the underlying causes of the prolonged cycles observed in real estate markets. In addition, the paper characterizes the features that make some property types more prone to such boom-and-bust behavior. The combination of demand uncertainty, adjustment costs, and construction lags leads to two phenomena that may help explain market persistence. The first phenomenon is the reluctance of owners to adjust occupancy levels, even in the face of large shifts in renter demand. The second phenomenon is the occurrence of periods of sustained overbuilding: the addition of new supply in the face of already high vacancy rates.
A quantitative study of a crystalline aggregate model

Abstract A discrete aggregate model is applied to the study of theoretical macroscopic response of f.c.c. Metal polycrystals. General, dual inequalities of macroscopic plasticity theory are reviewed and exhibited on subsequent yield surfaces in both stress and strain space as calculated for aluminum under biaxial straining. Predicted stressstrain curves are shown corresponding to a partial cycle of loading and reverse loading. The aggregate model contains several thousand crystallographic slip systems, and all quantitative results are obtained through sequential solution of constrained quadratic programming problems governing the incremental crystal shears.
NATURALISM AND THE NORMATIVITY OF EPISTEMOLOGY

Epistemology plays a central and indisputably normative role in our lives. Like ethics, it is concerned with evaluating the rightness or wrongness of human activity. We turn to it for advice concerning how we ought to regulate belief. We appeal to it when appraising the worth of belief, evidential norms, or cognitive practices. We enlist its help when criticising our own or other's cognitive performances. It would seem then that a plausible account of epistemology should both preserve and explain the normative character of our epistemic practices. It is precisely the normative character of epistemology that is commonly said to prevent its naturalization. After all, if epistemic concepts are essentially descriptive, if epistemic judgments are primarily factual, or if epistemic properties are reducible to or identical with descriptive ones, then how can they play a normative role in our cognitive affairs? If epistemic value is a species of descriptive fact, how can it motivate or direct cognitive conduct? Naturalism needs to explain how normativity can be preserved within an epistemology that is continuous with natural science if it is to provide us with a plausible alternative to nonnaturalism and non-cognitivism. 1 In this essay I put forward a definitional form of naturalized epistemology (which I call naturalist epistemological realism) and show how the normative office of epistemology is preserved and made intelligible on this view. Section I reviews two central claims of non-naturalist views of epistemology. Section II sketches the broad outlines of naturalist epistemological realism. Section III argues that epistemology is normative only within the framework of instrumental reason and that its normativity is parasitic upon that of the latter. Epistemology is intimately connected with human conduct and motivation -- and hence normative -- by virtue of its central and enduring importance to the satisfaction of our various contingent ends. Yet this intimacy and hence
A Comprehensive Software System For Image Processing And Programming

XVision is an example of a comprehensive software system dedicated to the processing of multidimensional scientific data. Because it is comprehensive it is necessarily complex. This design complexity is dealt with by considering XVision as nine overlapping software systems, their components and the required standards. The complexity seen by a user of XVision is minimized by the different interfaces providing access to the image processing routines as well as an interface to ease the incorporation of new routines. The XVision project has stressed the importance of having; 1) interfaces to accommodate users with differing preferences and backgrounds and 2) tools to support the programmer and the scientist. The result is a system that provides a framework for building a powerful research, education and development tool.
Hemoglobin tetramers stabilized by a single intramolecular cross-link.

A specific intramolecular cross-link was introduced into bovine and human hemoglobin by reaction of the deoxyhemoglobin with the dialdehyde, bispyridoxal tetraphosphate (bisPL)P4, followed by reduction with NaBH4. The yield of cross-linked hemoglobin is 80% in both cases, using 1 mol of (bisPL)P4 per mol of Hb. The crosslink is confined to the β chains, where it connects the N-terminal residue (valine and methionine, respectively) to a lysine on the other β chain across the central cavity. The stereochemical requirements for the reaction were probed by using a rigid analogous cross-linking reagent, as well as with a mutant Hb, which has a shorter distance between the residues to which the cross-link is attached. Introduction of the cross-link into human and bovine Hb results in a five-fold and four-fold reduction in the oxygen affinity and a decrease in the Bohr Effect by 1/3 and 1/2, respectively. Oxygenation remains cooperative, albeit with a decreased Hill coefficient. The cross-linked hemoglobins are oxidized more rapidly to the ferric form, but their resistance to heat denaturation is increased. The stability of the link between the β chains and their hemes is 10 times greater in both cross-linked hemoglobins that in their native counterparts. The possible application of this chemical modification for the preparation of hemoglobin-based blood substitutes is discussed.
Mechanical Strain Delivers Anti-apoptotic and Proliferative Signals to Gingival Fibroblasts

Physical forces play a critical role in the survival and proliferation of many cell types, including fibroblasts. Gingival fibroblasts are exposed to mechanical stress during mastication, orthodontic tooth movement, and wound healing following periodontal surgery. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of mechanical strain on human gingival fibroblasts (hGF). Cells were subjected to short-term (up to 60 min) and long-term (up to 48 hrs) 20% average elongation at 0.1 Hz. We monitored survival signaling by evaluating the phosphorylation status and localization of Forkhead box (FoxO) family members, which are mediators of apoptosis. We also examined strain-induced proliferation by measuring the level of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). We observed that cyclic strain caused the phosphorylation and retention in the cytoplasm of FoxO family members. Moreover, mechanical strain resulted in increased ERK kinase phosphorylation and PCNA expression. In conclusion, cyclic strain delivers anti-apoptotic and proliferative stimuli to hGF.
Safety of Improved Milbond-TX® when fed in broiler diets at greater than recommended levels

A maize-soybean meal diet was supplemented with Improved Milbond-TX® (IMTX), a hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS), in two experiments to determine product safety at elevated levels for broilers fed for 21 days. In Experiment 1, IMTX was incorporated into isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets at 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 g/kg. In Experiment 2, IMTX was added to the finished feed at 10 or 20 g/kg by weight to simulate a feed mixing error. There was generally a linear (P 0.10) in any blood components due to treatment. Improved Milbond-TX® appears to be safe for broilers when added at levels up to eight times the recommended amount.
Pivotal Advance: Tumor-mediated induction of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and M2-polarized macrophages by altering intracellular PGE2 catabolism in myeloid cells

Recent studies suggest that tumor-infiltrated myeloid cells frequently up-regulate COX-2 expression and have enhanced PGE₂ metabolism. This may affect the maturation and immune function of tumor-infiltrated antigen-presenting cells. In vitro studies demonstrate that tumor-derived factors can skew GM-CSF-driven differentiation of T(h)1-oriented myeloid APCs into M2-oriented Ly6C(+)F4/80(+) MDSCs or Ly6C(-)F4/80(+) arginase-expressing macrophages. These changes enable myeloid cells to produce substantial amounts of IL-10, VEGF, and MIP-2. The tumor-mediated inhibition of APC differentiation was associated with the up-regulated expression of PGE₂-forming enzymes COX-2, mPGES1 in myeloid cells, and the simultaneous repression of PGE(2)-catabolizing enzyme 15-PGDH. The presence of tumor-derived factors also led to a reduced expression of PGT but promoted the up-regulation of MRP4, which works as a PGE₂ efflux receptor. Addition of COX-2 inhibitor to the BM cell cultures could prevent the tumor-induced skewing of myeloid cell differentiation, partially restoring cell phenotype and down-regulating the arginase expression in the myeloid APCs. Our study suggests that tumors impair the intracellular PGE(2) catabolism in myeloid cells through simultaneous stimulation of PGE(2)-forming enzymes and inhibition of PGE₂-degrading systems. This tumor-induced dichotomy drives the development of M2-oriented, arginase-expressing macrophages or the MDSC, which can be seen frequently among tumor-infiltrated myeloid cells.
Pheromone trailing in male European whip snake, Hierophis viridiflavus

The ability of snakes to follow conspecific pheromone trails during the breeding season is of primary importance to locate potential mates, and also to elicit and maintain courtship or other reproductive behaviours, such as agonistic behaviour. Despite the recent increased knowledge on snake chemical ecology, yet little information is available on European species and nothing is known about chemical communication in European colubrid species. The aim of this study was to characterise the pheromone-mediated trailing behaviour in male European whip snake, Hierophis viridiflavus . When tested in trailing experiments using a Y-maze, male European whip snakes displayed the ability to trail both male and female pheromones when presented versus a blank arm of the maze. Moreover, adult males followed the female pheromone trail when presented simultaneously with the male trail. Our study demonstrated that male Hierophis viridiflavus rely on chemical cues for the location and the sexual discrimination of conspecifics during the breeding season. Convergence between different mating systems and chemical communication ability in distantly related species is discussed.
Effect of starch granule size on physical properties of starch-filled polyethylene film

Physical properties of blown films (25-60-μm thickness) from compounded mixtures of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and starch were investigated. As starch content increased, tensile strength, percent elongation, and light transmittance decreased and film thickness increased. Among the tested films, small-particle corn starch (2-μm average diameter) film had the highest elongation rate and tensile and yield strength (560%, 3.15 kg/mm2, and 1.07 kg/mm2, respectively, at 15% starch content). Potato starch (35-μm average diameter) film had the lowest values (508%, 1.52 kg/mm2, and 0.55 kg/mm2, respectively, at 15% starch content). Potato starch-LLDPE film had the highest light transmittance and film thickness; small-particle corn starch had the lowest. Tensile and yield strength of the films had strong negative correlations with average starch granule diameter (R=0.99 and-0.94, respectively). Film thickness and light transmittance were linearly correlated with starch granule size (R=0.93 and 0.87, respectively). Using small-particle corn starch substantially increased incorporated starch level in the film while maintaining the film quality.
Food availability and foraging near human developments by black bears

Understanding the relationship between foraging ecology and the presence of human-dominated landscapes is important, particularly for American black bears (Ursus americanus), which sometimes move between wildlands and urban areas to forage. The food-related factors influencing this movement have not been explored, but can be important for understanding the benefits and costs to black bear foraging behavior and the fundamental origins of bear conflicts. We tested whether the scarcity of wildland foods or the availability of urban foods can explain when black bears forage near houses, examined the extent to which male bears use urban areas in comparison to females, and identified the most important food items influencing bear movement into urban areas. We monitored 16 collared black bears in and around Missoula, Montana, during 2009 and 2010, while quantifying the rate of change in green vegetation and the availability of 5 native berry-producing species outside the urban area, the rate of change in green vegetation, and the availability of apples and garbage inside the urban area. We used parametric time-to-event models in which an event was a bear location collected within 100 m of a house. We also visited feeding sites located near houses and quantified food items bears had eaten. The probability of a bear being located near a house was 1.6 times higher for males, and increased during apple season and the urban green-up. Fruit trees accounted for most of the forage items at urban feeding sites (49%), whereas wildland foods composed <10%. Black bears foraged on human foods near houses even when wildland foods were available, suggesting that the absence of wildland foods may not influence the probability of bears foraging near houses. Additionally, other attractants, in this case fruit trees, appear to be more important than the availability of garbage in influencing when bears forage near houses.
Natural language interface for information management on mobile devices

A natural language interface (NLI) enables the ease-of-use of information systems in performing sophisticated human - computer interaction. To address the challenges of mobile devices to user interaction in information management, we propose an NLI as a promising solution. In this paper, we review state-of-the-art NLI technologies and analyse user requirements for managing notable information on mobile devices. To minimize any technical difficulties arising from developing and improving the usability of NLI systems we develop general principles for NLI design, which fills in a gap in the literature. In order to satisfy user requirements for information management on mobile devices, we innovatively design NLI-enabled information management architecture. It is shown from two usage scenarios that the architecture could lead to reduced effort in user navigation and improved efficiency and effectiveness of managing information on mobile devices. We conclude the article with the implications of this study and suggestions for future direction.
Sperm storage in the spermatheca of the red‐back salamander, Plethodon cinereus (Amphibia: Plethodontidae)

In northern Indiana, the mating season of Plethodon cinereus occurs after hibernation from March until June, when oviposition begins. During the mating season, a female stores sperm in its spermatheca, a compound tubular gland in the roof of the cloaca. The apical cytoplasm of the spermathecal epithelium is filled with large secretory vacuoles whose product is released while sperm are stored. Females induced to oviposit in June and July by injections of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) still retain much sperm 1 month after oviposition, but secretory vacuoles are absent in all specimens sacrificed in July and August. Instead, some sperm are embedded in the spermathecal epithelium with resultant spermiophagy involving lyso- somes. A female sacrificed in September 2 months after oviposition possesses scant sperm, but spermiophagy alone does not seem extensive enough to account for the decrease in sperm numbers. Females sacrificed in October prior to hibernation lack sperm in their spermathecae; some secretory vacu- oles are present, but they are not as numerous or as enlarged as in specimens collected in March and May. Inter- and intrafamilial differences in the cytology of sperm storage may not be phyletically informative at the family level but related to species-specific reproductive adaptations. J. Morphol. 234:131-146, 1997. r 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Analysis of atrazine-degrading microbial communities in soils using most-probable-number enumeration, DNA hybridization, and inhibitors.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was an association between kinetics of atrazine mineralization, the number and type of atrazine-degrading microorganisms, and the presence of three genes representing different steps in the degradative pathway of atrazine in three soils with different histories of atrazine application. Composite soil samples were collected from two agricultural fields and one riparian zone soil. The samples were amended with atrazine, and mineralization was measured in biometers as 14 CO 2 evolution in samples spiked with [ring-U- 14 C]-labeled atrazine. Atrazine-degrading microorganisms were enumerated by a most-probable-number (MPN) method, which was based on loss of atrazine (HPLC assay) in acetate media. Dot-blot hybridization assays were performed on total DNA extracted from the MPN samples. The DNA probes used in dot-blot assays were the genes atzA (atrazine chlorohydrolase from Pseudomonas ADP), atrA (cytochrome P-450 from Rhodococcus TE1), and trzD (cyanuric acid amidohydrolase from Pseudomonas NRRLB-12228). The herbicide amendment enhanced the subsequent rate of mineralization of atrazine in all three soil samples. The MPN numbers were in the range of 10 0 –10 2 cells g −1 dry wt. soil, indicating that atrazine-degrading microorganisms could not be quantitatively enumerated by this technique. Positive hybridization signals of DNA extracted from MPN samples were frequent with the atzA probe; the atrA dot blots had fewer positive signals. The trzD signals were negligible or undetectable, although the parallel mineralization studies showed fast and extensive 14 CO 2 evolution from [ring-U- 14 C]-atrazine. The results suggested that trzD , the only gene known to encode s -triazine ring-cleavage, is not dominant among the atrazine-degrading populations of these soils. Streptomycin and cycloheximide were added to soil samples in biometers to determine the relative contributions of bacteria and fungi in the soils to the mineralization of atrazine. The relative suppression of mineralization in the presence of the bacterial or fungal specific inhibitor was approximately the same, indicating that both groups contributed to the mineralization of atrazine.
Peroxiredoxin in Bovine Ocular Tissues: Immunohistochemical Localization and In Situ Hybridization

Peroxiredoxins are widely distributed in nature and constitute a molecular family of antioxidant enzymes which decompose hydrogen peroxide and alkyl hydroperoxides. We have previously characterized a peroxiredoxin from bovine ciliary body and deduced its amino acid sequence from analysis of cDNA clones encoding the protein. In this work, we investigated the immunolocalization of this novel antioxidant enzyme and its mRNA expression in bovine eye tissues. High levels of immunoreactivity and mRNA for the enzyme were detected in corneal epithelium. Distinct immunoreactivity and mRNA expression for peroxiredoxin were also detected in uveal tissues, some of the retinal cell layers and ocular vasculature.
The Benefits of Expressive Writing on Autobiographical Memory Specificity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study provided a preliminary investigation of an expressive writing intervention, which has been found to reduce rumination and avoidance, in reducing overgeneral memory among 207 non-depressed college students. Participants were randomized to one of three writing conditions: traditional expressive writing, specific expressive writing, or control writing. Study results showed that compared to participants in the control writing condition, participants in the traditional and specific expressive writing conditions demonstrated significantly greater autobiographical memory specificity at the 6-month follow-up. Results revealed that the effect of the traditional expressive writing intervention on increased autobiographical memory specificity was partially mediated by a reduction in avoidance, but not rumination.
Structural analysis of affinity maturation: the three-dimensional structures of complexes of an anti-nitrophenol antibody.

Abstract Affinity maturation of the immune response to nitrophenol-containing antigens has been extensively investigated. Significant strides made during the past several years with the advent of PCR technology have provided a wealth of biochemical knowledge. Structural investigations of the phenomena have however been limited. We have determined the three-dimensional structure of the Fab fragment of 88C6 12 , an anti-4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl acetic acid antibody complexed with the immunizing hapten and with a heteroclitic iodinated hapten. The crystallographic structure of the complexes reveals that the binding is stabilized by a number of hydrogen bonds and extensive van der Waals interactions between the hapten and the antibody. In addition, the Fab binding pocket contains a region of positive electrostatic potential well suited for interaction with the predominant resonance form of the nitrophenyl ring system. The observed heteroclicity towards the iodinated hapten is not a direct result of iodine-protein interactions, but results from the enhanced stability in the iodinated ring of the resonance form that binds the antibody. In addition this investigation provides a rationale for the strong preference for the substitution in the heavy chain from the germline gene encoded Trp 33 to Leu 33 in the mature anti-nitrophenol response.
Potent, stereoselective, and brain region selective modulation of second messengers in the rat brain by (+)LY354740, a novel group II metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist

LY354740 is a highly potent and selective agonist for recombinant Group II mGlu receptors (mGlu2 and mGlu3), which has anxiolytic and drug withdrawal alleviating properties when administered systemically in rats and mice. The modulation of second messengers by LY354740 in rat brain tissues was investigated to understand the cellular basis for the pharmacological and potential therapeutic actions of LY354740. LY354740 potently decreased forskolin-stimulated cAMP formation in slices of the adult rat hippocampus (EC50=22+/-3 nM) in a stereoselective manner. LY354740 (at 1 microM) greatly (>90%) suppressed forskolin-stimulated cAMP in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and striatum, while producing only partial suppression (about 50%) in midbrain regions and olfactory bulb, and no significant cAMP alterations in the cerebellum and brainstem regions. Inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP formation was antagonized by (+)-alpha(-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine [(+)MCPG], a competitive mGlu receptor antagonist. LY354740 did not alter phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the rat hippocampus per se, but potentiated stimulation of phophoinositide hydrolysis by the Group I mGlu receptor selective agonist 3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) or stimulation of cAMP formation by the adenosine receptor agonist 5'-N-ethylcarboxamideoadenosine (NECA). These data indicate that LY354740 is a highly potent, efficacious, and selective Group II mGlu receptor (mGlu 2/3) agonist in the rat brain. The potent, stereoselective, and brain region selective actions of LY354740 on mGlu receptor linked second messenger systems likely underlie the in vivo potency and stereoselectivity of this compound in animal models.
The aromaticity of heterocycles containing the imine nitrogen

Abstract The method of predicting aromaticity based on simple Huckel calculations is applied to heterocyclic systems which contain the imine nitrogen. The necessary heteroatom integrals were determined from thermochemical data. Replacement of C by N in alternant systems produced no dramatic changes, but in nonalternants the effect can be large and unexpected as in the azapentalenes where interesting synthetic possibilities are suggested.
Review: SSRIs somewhat improve dependence and disability after stroke

Source Citation Mead GE, Hsieh CF, Lee R, et al. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for stroke recovery. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;(11):CD009286. 23152272
Self-reference and recursive forms

Introduction The purpose of this essay is to sketch a picture of the connections between the concept self-reference and important aspects of mathematical and cybernetic thinking . In order to accomplish this task, we begin with a very simple discussion of the meaning of self-reference and then let this unfold into many ideas . Not surprisingly, we encounter wholes and parts, distinctions, pointers and indications, local-global, circulation, feedback, recursion, invariance, self-similarity, re-entry of forms, paradox, and strange loops . But we also find topology, knots and weaves, fractal and recursive forms, infinity, curvature and imaginary numbers! A panoply of fundamental mathematical and physical ideas relating directly to the central turn of self-reference .
Reply to Joseph

to the editor: Many thanks to Dr. Joseph ([1][1]) for requesting clarification of methods used to measure metabolic rate of the rodent in our recent study ([3][2]). Measurements of Vo2 and Vco2 in the rat do indeed require a great deal of precision, given that the differences between inspired
Fitting differential equation models to observed economic data—I. quasilinearization

This paper discusses the fitting of differential equation models to economic data. In particular, it treats the problem of describing the growth of capital in terms of a differential equation containing several parameters. The parameters are to be estimated on the basis of data. This estimation problem is formulated as a nonlinear boundary value problem. The rapidly convergent successive approximation method of quasilinearization is described and applied. Representative results of numerical experiments are presented, showing the effectiveness of the approach. Suggestions for additional studies are made.
Integrating population smoking cessation policies and programs.

Wayne F. Velicer, PhD* Historically, clinical trials for smoking cessation were evaluated by their efficacy, measured as the percentage of participants who were abstinent at long-term follow-up. If one smoking cessation program generated abstinence rates of 30%, it would be judged to be 50% more efficacious than a program generating only 20% abstinence. The problem was that the best practices in smoking cessation as measured by efficacy typically generated 1 % or less participation, even when offered for free.1 Such programs could have little impact on the overall population smoking rates, one of the most important behaviors for chronic disease prevention and control. Impact is defined as the participation rate multiplied by efficacy.2,3 If a pro gram resulting in 30% abstinence generates 5% participation, its impact is 1.5% (30% X 5% = 1.5%). This impact translates into a 1.5% reduction in smoking prevalence rates if the program is offered to the entire at-risk popula tion. If an alternative program with 20% abstinence generates 75% participa tion, its impact is 15% (20% X 75% = 15%). The program with the lower abstinence rate actually has 10 times the impact in reducing the population prevalence of smoking.
Evidence for calcium mediation of gonadotropin releasing hormone action in the pituitary

Abstract Despite the relatively long time since the isolation, characterization, and complete chemical synthesis of the gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), very little information has become available which has elucidated the manner by which this hormone evokes gonadotropin release from the pituitary. Recently, a line of evidence has developed which suggests that calcium (Ca 2+ ) may play a central role in GnRH stimulation of gonadotropin release from cultured rat pituitary cells.
A normal coordinate analysis of cyclopentane

Abstract A normal coordinate analysis of cyclopentane is carried out using the rigid body translations, rotations, and internal motion of CH2 groups to describe internal motions of the molecule. The potential energy is written in terms of valence-like coordinates for the framework of the molecule and only interactions between similar coordinates are retained. Force constants for these valence-like coordinates are calculated from a tentative assignment of the observed vibrational frequencies.