cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Testing the Bounds: Empirical Behavior of Target Zone Fundamentals

Abstract Standard target zone exchange rate models are based on nonlinear functions of unobserved economic fundamentals, which are assumed to be bounded, similarly to the target zone exchange rates themselves. Using a novel estimation and testing strategy, I show how this key but often overlooked assumption may be tested. Empirical results cast doubt on its validity in practice, providing a reason for well-documented empirical difficulties of these models in the literature.
Heavy Ion Injection from Tandems into an Isochronous Cyclotron

A design has been realized for tne injection of heavy ion beams generated by the BNL 3-stage tandem facility into a proposed isochronous cyclotron. The tandem beams are bunched into ± 10 R.F. phase (?10.5 nsec) in two stages. The beam is then injected into the cyclotron through a valley, past a hill, and into the nexT valley on to a stripper foil. Only a single steerer is required to make trajectory corrections for the different beams. Two achromats are used to regulate the tandem potential and to provide phase control. A final section of the injection optics provides matching of transverse phase space to the acceptance of the cyclotron. The calculations use realistic tandem emittances and magnetic fields for the cyclotron based on measurements with a model magnet.
Isotope identification in the GammaTracker handheld radioisotope identifier

GammaTracker is a portable handheld radioisotope identifier using position sensitive CdZnTe crystals. The device uses a peak-based method for isotope identification implemented on an embedded computing platform within the device. This paper presents the run-time optimized algorithms used in this peak-based method of analysis. Performance of the algorithms is presented using measured data from gamma-ray sources.
Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase C2β and TRIM27 function to positively and negatively regulate IgE receptor activation of mast cells.

Cross-linking of the IgE receptor (FceRI) on mast cells plays a critical role in IgE-dependent allergy, including allergic rhinitis, asthma, anaphylaxis, and immediate-type hypersensitivity reactions. Previous studies have demonstrated that the K(+) channel, KCa3.1, plays a critical role in IgE-stimulated Ca(2+) entry and degranulation in both human and mouse mast cells. We now have shown that the class II phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase C2β (PI3KC2β) is necessary for FceRI-stimulated activation of KCa3.1, Ca(2+) influx, cytokine production, and degranulation of bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC). In addition, we found that the E3 ubiquitin ligase, tripartite motif containing protein 27 (TRIM27), negatively regulates FceRI activation of KCa3.1 and downstream signaling by ubiquitinating and inhibiting PI3KC2β. TRIM27(-/-) mice are also more susceptible in vivo to acute anaphylaxis. These findings identify TRIM27 as an important negative regulator of mast cells in vivo and suggest that PI3KC2β is a potential new pharmacologic target to treat IgE-mediated disease.
The Weakness of Strong Social Movements: Models of Unionism in the East European Context:

Despite recent arguments that political and social movement unionism is the key to labour revitalization, this article shows that such strategies have been detrimental to labour in Eastern Europe, ...
Mashups for semantic user profiles

In this paper, we discuss challenges and provide solutions for capturing and maintaining accurate models of user profiles using semantic web technologies, by aggregating and sharing distributed fragments of user profile information spread over multiple services. Our framework for profile management allows for evolvable, extensible and expressive user profiles. We have implemented a prototype, targeting the retail domain, on the HP Labs Retail Store Assistant.
Impact of Cefepime Therapy on Mortality among Patients with Bloodstream Infections Caused by Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli

Extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing pathogens are associated with extensive morbidity and mortality and rising health care costs. Scant data exist on the impact of antimicrobial therapy on clinical outcomes in patients with ESBL bloodstream infections (BSI), and no large studies have examined the impact of cefepime therapy. A retrospective 3-year study was performed at the Detroit Medical Center on adult patients with BSI due to ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae or Escherichia coli. Data were collected from the medical records of study patients at five hospitals between January 2005 and December 2007. Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression. One hundred forty-five patients with BSI due to ESBL-producing pathogens, including K. pneumoniae (83%) and E. coli (16.5%), were studied. The mean age of the patients was 66 years. Fifty-one percent of the patients were female, and 79.3% were African-American. Fifty-three patients (37%) died in the hospital, and 92 survived to discharge. In bivariate analysis, the variables associated with mortality (P < 0.05) were presence of a rapidly fatal condition at the time of admission, use of gentamicin as a consolidative therapeutic agent, and presence of one or more of the following prior to culture date: mechanical ventilation, stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), and presence of a central venous catheter. In multivariate analysis, the predictors of in-hospital mortality included stay in the intensive care unit (odds ratio [OR], 2.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98 to 4.78), presence of a central-line catheter prior to positive culture (OR, 2.33; 95% CI, 0.77 to 7.03), presence of a rapidly fatal condition at the time of admission (OR, 5.13; 95% CI, 2.13 to 12.39), and recent prior hospitalization (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 0.83 to 4.09). When carbapenems were added as empirical therapy to the predictor model, there was a trend between empirical carbapenem therapy and decreased mortality (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.26 to 1.50). When added to the model, receipt of empirical cefepime alone (n = 43) was associated with increased mortality, although this association did not reach statistical significance (OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 0.71 to 3.87). The median length of hospital stay was shorter for patients receiving empirical cefepime than for those receiving empirical or consolidated carbapenem therapy. In multivariate analysis, empirical therapy with cefepime for BSI due to an ESBL-producing pathogen was associated with a trend toward an increased mortality risk and empirical carbapenem therapy was associated with a trend toward decreased mortality risk.
Qualitative Methods in Sociolinguistics

Qualitative Methods in Sociolinguistics. Barbara Johnstone. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.164 pp.
A visualization environment for electron microscopy

Describes an environment for visualization and processing of low-dose, low-contrast electron micrographs of biological specimens. We focus on image selection, the first step in the process of reconstruction of the 3D structure of a specimen from its projections. Noise from a variety of sources makes automatic detection of particle positions a difficult task. New image acquisition devices and modern electron microscopy methods require the processing and rendering of very large images (50-100 million pixels). We describe techniques for processing large images, algorithms for detecting particle positions on compressed images using the crosspoint method, and methods for position refinement. EMMA, an interactive visualization environment for experimenting with particle identification methods is presented.
The moderating effects of insupplier/outsupplier status on organizational buyer attitudes

A conceptual model of the relationships among buyers’ perceptions of and attitudes toward elements of a vendor company’s marketing mix is developed and tested, and the moderating effects of insupplier/outsupplier status are assessed. Attitude centrality and self-perception theories predict that buyer perceptions of and attitudes toward the company, the salesperson, and the product will be more closely interlinked for insuppliers than for outsuppliers. Theory regarding category-based affect and attitude accessibility predicts that buyers will use extrinsic cues to a greater extent when making judgments about outsupplier as compared with insupplier salespeople. The results indicated significant moderating effects of insupplier/outsupplier status and generally validated predictions made on the basis of attitude theory. Perceived company reputation was more strongly related to salesperson and product attitudes for insuppliers than for outsuppliers. Extrinsic cues were used to a greater extent by buyers evaluating outsuppliers. Implications of the findings for management and a more complete understanding of organizational buying are discussed.
Enabling access through real-time sign language communication over cell phones

The primary challenge to enabling real-time twoway video conferencing on a cell phone is overcoming the limited bandwidth, computation and power. The goal of the MobileASL project is to enable access for people who use American Sign Language (ASL) to an off-the-shelf mobile phone through the implementation of real-time mobile video communication. The enhancement of processor, bandwidth, and power efficiency is investigated through SIMD optimization; region-of-interest encoding based on skin detection; video resolution selection (used to determine the best trade off between frame rate and spatial resolution); and variable frame rates based on activity recognition. Our prototype system is able to compress, transmit, and decode 12–15 frames per second in real-time and produce intelligible ASL at 30 kbps. Furthermore, we can achieve up to 23 extra minutes of talk time, or a 8% gain over the battery life of the phone, through our frame dropping technique.
Design and Characterization of an MFSK-Based Transmitter/Receiver for Ultrasonic Communication Through Metallic Structures

Some applications require wireless transmission of information to and from devices located inside metal enclosures, e.g., a closed shipping container in transit. However, traditional radio frequency (RF) communication schemes are not capable of transmitting signals through metal enclosures. As an alternative to RF, an ultrasonic communication system based on multitone frequency-shift keying (MFSK) has been developed and evaluated using the steel corner posts of shipping containers as the communication medium. Empirical studies have been performed on the steel channel. The communication system is configurable and consists of two or more modules. The modules are mounted to the metal posts and utilize an inexpensive ultrasonic transducer to send and receive modulated signals through the metal channel. A module also makes use of an inexpensive digital-signal-processing chip for modulating and demodulating MFSK signals. Two case studies for the shipping container application were evaluated: 1) communicating through one container and 2) communicating between stacked containers. Regarding the second case study, a key discovery was that each of the aggregate steel columns formed by a stack of shipping containers can serve as an ultrasonic communication channel that spans all containers in the stack.
Characterization of "blinking pixels" in CMOS Image Sensors

CMOS image sensors have increasingly replaced the use of charge coupled devices (CCD) in consumer devices because of lower power consumption, lower system cost, and the ability to randomly access data. However, one disadvantage of CMOS image sensors when compared to CCDs is increased noise signal, especially under low illumination conditions. Part of this noise is associated with leakage current or "dark current", the carrier generation that occurs when no illumination is present. Hence, minimizing and characterizing dark current is important for improving the performance of CMOS image sensors.
Regular Specifications of Resource Requirements for Embedded Control Software

For embedded control systems, a schedule for the allocation of resources to a software component can be described by an infinite word whose ith symbol models the resources used at the ith sampling interval. Dependency of performance on schedules can be formally modeled by an automaton (omega-regular language) which captures all the schedules that keep the system within performance requirements. We show how such an automaton is constructed for linear control designs and exponential stability or settling time performance requirements. Then, we explore the use of the automaton for online scheduling and for schedulability analysis. As a case study, we examine how this approach can be applied for the LQG control design. We demonstrate, by examples, that online schedulers can be used to guarantee performance in worst-case condition together with good performance in normal conditions. We also provide examples of schedulability analysis.
Reconstruction of Full-Thickness Scalp Defects Using a Dermal Regeneration Template

ImportanceLarge full-thickness scalp defects pose a reconstructive problem and commonly require microvascular free flap reconstruction. ObjectiveTo describe a novel and effective reconstructive tec...
Marital Discord and Children at Risk

The reader may initially wonder why a chapter on marriage is included in this book on children at risk. The reason for our focus on marriage stems from research indicating that marital conflict and dissolution pose a serious threat to the cognitive and emotional adjustment of children of these couples. The basic premise of this chapter is that growing up in a dysfunctional family environment is one of the major risk factors for future child psychopathology. The quality of parental relationship may cause, exacerbate, or heal child problems/Thus, the study of why marriages succeed and fail and how to prevent marital discord should be directly relevant to risk researchers.
La alfabetización y la tradición oral: un ejemplo del maya tojolabal

In this analysis of Tojolabal oral literature, Brody compares two versions of the same text about a fight between St. Bartholomew and St. Thomas, one written and one presented orally. She notes similarities and differences between the two forms. They both call the attention of the speaker, and the inclusion of all details is not considered highly important. As for differences, among others, she points out that hesitation words are used more often in the oral presentation to call the audience's attention, and that the average length of sentences is shorter than in the written version. In the Apendices, the texts are given in Tojolabal with a Spanish translation.
LHON Gene Therapy Vector Prevents Visual Loss and Optic Neuropathy Induced by G11778A Mutant Mitochondrial DNA: Biodistribution and Toxicology Profile

Purpose To demonstrate safety and efficacy of allotopic human ND4 for treatment of a Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) mouse model harboring the G11778A mitochondrial mutation. Methods We induced LHON in mice by intravitreal injection of mutant (G11778A) human ND4 DNA, responsible for most cases of LHON, that was directed to mitochondria using an AAV2 vector to which we appended a mitochondrial targeting sequence to the VP2 capsid. We then attempted rescue of visual loss using our test article (ScAAV2-P1ND4v2) containing a synthetic nuclear encoded G11778G ND4 gene that was allotopically expressed. Control mice either were uninjected or received AAV2-GFP or AAV2-mCherry. We performed RT-PCR and confocal microscopy at 2 weeks post injection. Pattern electroretinograms (PERGs), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), histology, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed. For toxicology and biodistribution studies, the test article was administered intravitreally to rats and rhesus macaques at different doses. Results Mutant and wild-type ND4 were efficiently expressed in the mitochondria of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Visual function assessed by serial PERGs and retinal structure by serial SD-OCT showed a significant rescue by the test article. Histology and ultrastructural analysis confirmed that loss of RGCs and demise of axons was prevented by ScAAV2-P1ND4v2. Rat and nonhuman primate biodistribution studies showed that vector spread outside the injected eye into spleen and lymph nodes was minimal. Histopathology of tissues and organs including the eyes was comparable to that of uninfected and saline-injected eyes. Conclusions Allotopically expressed wild-type ND4 prevents the phenotype induced by G11778A mitochondrial DNA with a toxicology profile acceptable for testing in a phase I clinical trial.
Exploring the necessity of others in human evolution.

“No mammal in the world has produced young that take longer to mature or depend on so many others for so long as did humans in the Pleistocene” (273). This fact, to Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, is an invitation to continue the “long argument” she began in 1991—Homo sapiens could only have arisen as a species, and proceeded to flourish, if they possessed a suite of mental abilities that both unite and separate us from the other Great Apes in ways that we are just now being to understand. Unlike many books that address the evolution of human behavior, this is not a book about competition and strife, but rather compassion and cooperation. Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding is, most of all, an attempt to describe and evidence the evolutionary emergence of emotionally modern humans. The “mothers” the title refers to are, mostly, mammals—what were the unique adaptations necessitated by the extreme dependence of mammalian offspring on their mothers for survival? The “others” are alloparents—Hrdy considers an alloparent to be any group member other than a parent who participates in the rearing of offspring. Hrdy evidences her argument that humans’ unique position among the Great Apes is a direct result of “mothers and others” by positing a series of logical questions, explaining why these questions are relevant to human evolutionary development, and then providing the best available evidence from historical and contemporary studies in animal behavior, primatology, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, human behavioral ecology, and cross cultural ethnographies. Key questions raised in her argument include: How did prosocial hunter-gatherers develop and flourish in ancient environments dominated by selfish apes? We know natural selection is not forward-looking—what was the initial benefit of prosociality? Directional selection pressure that favored empathy would have required immediate benefits; what are they (67)? Among the Great Apes, only humans exhibit spontaneous sharing and assistance (66). How did we develop from self-centered and hyper competitive chimpanzees? Hrdy believes we didn’t. In cognitive psychology, a “theory of mind” is defined as the ability to think about what someone else thinks. Hrdy prefers to use the term intersubjectivity as it places emphasis on a willingness to share in the emotional states and experiences of others—the foundation for humans’ advanced capabilities for mutual understanding (2). Anthropologists have itemized “unique” human attributes, but Hrdy claims these lists show our ignorance of our understanding of other species more than they express a
Lobular Carcinoma In Situ

Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is a high-risk indicator lesion for and a non-obligate precursor of the development of invasive breast carcinoma. Loss of E-cadherin is the hallmark pathological feature of lobular entities. Effective clinical management of LCIS requires good communication between the radiologist, surgeon, pathologist, and medical oncologist and entails surgical excision, subsequent surveillance, and systemic and surgical strategies to reduce the risk of future invasive cancer.
LATTICE EVOLUTION BASED ALGORITHM FOR SOLVING THE NONLINEAR POISSON EQUATION

The nonlinear Poisson equation play a fundamental role in many biochemical and biophysical processes, such as bio-macromolecules interactions in electrolyte solutions. This paper presents a new lattice evolution based algorithm, Lattice Poisson method (LPM), for solving the nonlinear Poisson equation without any linearization process. The high-order accurate boundary implements involving Dirichlet and Neumann boundaries are proposed in details. The LPM results agree well with the classical partial difference equation solutions, such as the multigrid solutions, for various cases with Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions. The present lattice evolution based method is suitable for parallel computing and can be easily extended to three dimensional cases.
Effects of different operation types for the children with V pattern strabismus

Objective:To study the effects of different operation types for the children with V pattern strabismus.Methods:15 cases were treated with medial rectus recession combined with lateral rectus shorten and one side or double sides inferior oblique muscle myectomy,3 cases with medial rectus recession and upward displacement with 5 mm,lateral rectus shortened upward displacement with 5 mm.20 cases with lateral rectus and downward displacement with 5 mm,medial rectus shortened upward displacement with 5 mm,8 cases were treated with lateral rectus recession combined with medial rectus shorten and one side or double sides inferior oblique muscle myectomy.Results:The effects of the four methods were all better,there were significant differences about the indexes of preoperative and postoperative(all P0.05).Conclusion:The selection of operations for the children with V pattern strabismus is according to etiology,in order to correct the eyes,and furthest establish binocular function.
Abstracts from the 2017 Research and Thesis Poster Session of the 52nd Annual American Dance Therapy Association Conference

The Research and Practice Committee of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) has sponsored the research poster session at each annual conference for the past 21 years. The studies represented in the current abstracts from the 2016 Research and Thesis Poster Session of the 51st Annual ADTA conference feature a wide range of scholarly works and thesis projects in current dance/movement therapy trends. The following 22 studies have been selected for their quality and contributions to dance/movement therapy research.
Identification of two zinc metalloendopeptidases in alveolar macrophages of rats, guinea pigs, and human beings

Neutral endopeptidases EC 3.4.24.11 and EC 3.4.24.15, widely distributed zinc metalloendopeptidases, degrade a number of biologically active peptides including substance P, bradykinin, neurotensin, and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone. In this study we measured EC 3.4.24.11 and EC 3.4.24.15 activity in alveolar macrophages, key inflammatory cells in the lung that produce and respond to a large number of bioactive substances including chemotactic peptides, with the substrates glutaryl-ala-ala-phe-2-naphthylamide and tertiary butoxycarbonyl-phe-ala-ala-phe-paraaminobenzoate, respectively. We found that specific activity of EC 3.4.24.15, defined as activity inhibited with N-[(1RS)-carboxy-3-phenylpropyl]-ala-ala-phe-paraaminobenzoate+ ++, was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in cells from Sprague-Dawley rats (485 +/- 123 nmol/mg protein.hr) than in cells from Hartley guinea pigs (138 +/- 94 nmol/mg protein.hr), healthy human male smokers (121 +/- 73 nmol/mg protein.hr) and healthy human male nonsmokers (94 +/- 12). In contrast, activity of EC 3.4.24.11, defined as activity inhibited with N-[(1RS)-carboxy-3-phenylpropyl]-phe-paraaminobenzoate, was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in cells from human smokers (689 +/- 167 nmol/mg protein.hr) and nonsmokers (762 +/- 136 nmol/mg protein.hr) than in cells from rats (52 +/- 12 nmol/mg protein.hr) and guinea pigs (34 +/- 14 nmol/mg protein.hr). An additional activity in alveolar macrophages toward tertiary butorycarbonyl-phe-ala-ala-phe-paraaminobenzoate was inhibited with L-3-carboxy-trans-2,3-epoxypropionyl-leucylamido-(4-guanido) butane, a specific inhibitor of cysteine proteinases, a finding of interest because in general enzymes in this class show little activity at neutral pH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Anesthesia for laparoscopic interventions

Laparoscopic techniques are used in many surgical disciplines and have partially become a standard procedure. Cholecystectomy is performed laparoscopically in 90% of cases. During a pneumoperitoneum changes occur which have a large influence on physiological homeostasis. Furthermore there are specific complications of laparoscopy which can have severe consequences. For adequate management the anesthetist has to be aware of both in order to react in the correct way.
Graph-based path selection and power allocation for relay-aided transmission

In this paper, we study path selection and power allocation problems for relay-aided systems with multiple source, relay, and destination nodes. To take fairness among different links into account, we aim at maximizing the minimum source-relay-destination link rate performance. We consider the scenario that the source node can be paired with any destination node. For this scenario, we decouple the original path selection and power allocation problem as two graph-based matching problems and develop algorithms to solve the formulated matching problems with and without sum power constraint, respectively. Numerical results show that our proposed algorithms outperform random matching algorithms in all scenarios and the corresponding performance gains increase with the number of nodes.
Precast Gelatin-Based Molds for Tissue Embedding Compatible with Mass Spectrometry Imaging.

Preparation of tissue for matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) generally involves embedding the tissue followed by freezing and cryosectioning, usually between 5 and 25 μm thick, depending on the tissue type and the analyte(s) of interest. The brain is approximately 60% fat; it therefore lacks rigidity and poses structural preservation challenges during sample preparation. Histological sample preparation procedures are generally transferable to MALDI-MSI; however, there are various limitations. Optimal cutting temperature compound (OCT) is commonly used to embed and mount fixed tissue onto the chuck inside the cryostat during cryosectioning. However, OCT contains potential interferences that are detrimental to MALDI-MSI, while fixation is undesirable for the analysis of some analytes either due to extraction or chemical modification (i.e., polar metabolites). Therefore, a method for both fixed and fresh tissue compatible with MALDI-MSI and histology is desirabl...
The Tax Classification of Snuggies, Tomatoes, and Beans (Oh My!)

This article discusses Allstar Marketing Group, LLC v. United States, in which the Court of International Trade ruled, in 2017, on a question of cosmic significance: whether, for purposes of computing the tariff due on importation, a Snuggie is a blanket or a garment. The stakes were significant, with a six percentage point difference in the rates applicable to the two categories. Along the way the court considered whether sleeves convert what would otherwise be a blanket into a garment and derived guidance about the nature of garments from an earlier decision involving the characterization of Halloween costumes. Allstar Marketing, also provided the opportunity to revisit some classic Supreme Court decisions — yes, Supreme Court decisions — dealing with whether, for tariff purposes, a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable, a bean is a seed or a vegetable, and knit woolen undershirts, drawers, and hosiery are “wool wearing apparel” or “knit fabrics made on frames.” The excitement builds.
The God Commitee: Likeness & Dichotomy

In the 1960s, The God Committee was a group of seven everyday citizens, not doctors, given a trolley problem: they were tasked with selecting which people could receive costly renal failure treatment and turning the rest away. Because dialysis was new and only available in Seattle, if the committee did not select you for the procedure, you were as good as dead. As one could imagine, choosing who lives and who dies was not an easy task, nor was it free of societial values. Racism, ageism, sexism, ableism and classism were all evident within the decisions made by these individuals. Whether the decisions were based on pure prejudice or justified using the monetary disadvantages caused by these values being institutionalized is debatable, however. Unfortunately, while it does not take place in this exact form today, morality within science is still a contemporary issue.
Depressed mood during the menopausal transition: is it reproductive aging or is it life?

Although there has been noteworthy attention to both depressed mood symptoms and majordepressive disorder during the menopausal transition (MT), recently investigators have questioned whether there is an over-pathologizing of the MT by emphasizing hormonal effects on depression and deflecting attention from the everyday conditions of women’s lives as they relate to depressed mood. In addition, fluctuation of mood over short periods of time may not be captured by measures of depressed mood symptoms such as the CESD, especially when administered using a reference period such as a week or more. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of menopausal transition factors, health-related factors, stress factors, social factors and symptoms with repeated measures of depressed mood reported for a 24 h period. Seattle Midlife Women’s Health Study participants (n = 291, 6977 observations) provided data from 1990 to 2013 including annual questionnaires, symptom diaries and urine specimens assayed for hormones several times per year. Multilevel modeling was used to test bivariate and multivariable models accounting for depressed mood severity. In individual models with age as the measure of time, being in early postmenopause, exercising more, and being partnered were associated with less severe depressed mood; greater perceived stress, having a history of sexual abuse, difficulty getting to sleep, early awakening, and awakening at night were each associated with higher depressed mood severity. In a multivariable model (n = 234, 6766 observations), being older, being in the early postmenopause, exercising more, being partnered, were associated with less severe depressed mood; reporting greater perceived stress, history of sexual abuse, difficulty getting to sleep and early awakening were associated with more severe depressed mood. Clinicians need to consider the context in which midlife women experience the menopausal transition and mood symptoms as well as hormonal transitions during this part of the lifespan.
Light in the darkness: New perspective on lanternfish relationships and classification using genomic and morphological data

Massive parallel sequencing allows scientists to gather DNA sequences composed of millions of base pairs that can be combined into large datasets and analyzed to infer organismal relationships at a genome-wide scale in non-model organisms. Although the use of these large datasets is becoming more widespread, little to no work has been done in estimating phylogenetic relationships using UCEs in deep-sea fishes. Among deep-sea animals, the 257 species of lanternfishes (Myctophiformes) are among the most important open-ocean lineages, representing half of all mesopelagic vertebrate biomass. With this relative abundance, they are key members of the midwater food web where they feed on smaller invertebrates and fishes in addition to being a primary prey item for other open-ocean animals. Understanding the evolution and relationships of midwater organisms generally, and this dominant group of fishes in particular, is necessary for understanding and preserving the underexplored deep-sea ecosystem. Despite substantial congruence in the evolutionary relationships among deep-sea lanternfishes at higher classification levels in previous studies, the relationships among tribes, genera, and species within Myctophidae often conflict across phylogenetic studies or lack resolution and support. Herein we provide the first genome-scale phylogenetic analysis of lanternfishes, and we integrate these data from across the nuclear genome with additional protein-coding gene sequences and morphological data to further test evolutionary relationships among lanternfishes. Our phylogenetic hypotheses of relationships among lanternfishes are entirely congruent across a diversity of analyses that vary in methods, taxonomic sampling, and data analyzed. Within the Myctophiformes, the Neoscopelidae is inferred to be monophyletic and sister to a monophyletic Myctophidae. The current classification of lanternfishes is incongruent with our phylogenetic tree, so we recommend revisions that retain much of the traditional tribal structure and recognize five subfamilies instead of the traditional two subfamilies. The revised monophyletic taxonomy of myctophids includes the elevation of three former lampanyctine tribes to subfamilies. A restricted Lampanyctinae was recovered sister to Notolychninae. These two clades together were recovered as the sister group to the Gymnoscopelinae. Combined, these three subfamilies were recovered as the sister group to a clade composed of a monophyletic Diaphinae sister to the traditional Myctophinae. Our results corroborate recent multilocus molecular studies that infer a polyphyletic Myctophum in Myctophinae, and a para- or polyphyletic Lampanyctus and Nannobrachium within Lampanyctinae. We resurrect Dasyscopelus and Ctenoscopelus for the independent clades traditionally classified as species of Myctophum, and we place Nannobrachium into the synonymy of Lampanyctus.
Conceiving of the Sabbath in 17th-century Kampen: ‘Disorderly,’ ‘Public’ and ‘Scandalous’ Desecration

Proper observance of the Sabbath was an important aspect of Christian piety in the early modern Dutch Reformed Church. As evidenced by local church records in the Dutch city of Kampen, known as con...
Applications of polymer/graphene nanocomposite membranes: a review

Progress in graphene-based materials have led to the development of polymer/graphene membranes. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art in the polymer/graphen...
The Metaphysical Foundations of Contemporary Neuroscience: A House Built on Sand

Abstract This paper presents a review of certain basic concepts that underlie contemporary neuroscience and neurophilosophy. The discussion covers three topics: the cosmological theory assumed (i.e., Newtonian or special relativity), the theory of perception (i.e., naive realism or the representative theory), and the theory proposed for the relation of the neural correlates of consciousness and phenomenal events (i.e., the Identity theory or causal theories). The conclusion suggested is that all three of these positions need radical revisions.
Integrin and ligand-independent PDGFr signaling synergistically contribute to directional migration of Xenopus mesendoderm

Both PDGF signaling and adhesion to fibronectin (FN) matrix have been implicated in the directional collective migration of Xenopus mesendoderm cells at gastrulation. However, mesendoderm explants cultured on FN-coated substrates migrate directionally even in the absence of a source of PDGF. Integrin adhesion has been reported to up-regulate PDGF ligand-independent signaling through the PDGF receptor (PDGFr) in cultured mammalian cells. In order to address whether a similar mechanism stimulates PDGFr signaling in the absence of PDGF-A ligand in amphibian mesendoderm, isolated cells were cultured on bacterial fusion proteins containing the Type-III repeats 9-11 of FN (GST-9.11). Type III9-11 contains the RGD and synergy (PPSRN) sites required for integrin α5β1 adhesion and activation but lacks the PDGF-A ligand-binding site present in the full-length FN protein. In order to ensure mesendoderm was not exposed to PDGF in vivo prior to removal and culture in vitro, antisense morpholinos were used to inhibit normal expression of PDGF-A ligand in embryos. P-Akt levels were reduced two-fold when either the PDGFr-α was knocked down or when cells were plated on GST-9.11a, which contains a point mutation (PPSRN>PPSAN) that prevents both full activation of integrin α5β1 and cell spreading. Reduced expression of PDGFr-α was accompanied by perturbations in tissue migration, cytoskeletal organization, polarity of cell protrusions, and focal adhesion area. Mesendoderm cells became rounded, and the actin and cytokeratin filaments appeared collapsed and often colocalized near the cell center. Taken together, these findings suggest that integrin adhesion to FN, acting in synergy with PDGFr-α, is sufficient to elevate PI3K-Akt signaling in the mesendoderm even in the absence of the PDGF-A ligand, and to promote forward-directed protrusions and directional tissue migration.
Mechanisms of Axon Regeneration

The inability of injured central neurons to regenerate their axons and rebuild their functional connections leads consequently to permanent loss of function following injury of central nervous system (CNS). The consequences of injury are not just a break in communication between neurons but also a cascade of events leading to neuronal degeneration and cell death. Thus, regeneration in the adult CNS requires multistep processes. First, the injured neurons must survive and then the damaged axons must extend to innervate their original targets. Once the contact is made, the axons need to be remyelinated and functional synapses need to form on the surface of the targeted neurons. Several strategies could be considered to achieve these objectives such as cell replacement, neurotrophic factor delivery, removal of the inhibitory molecules at the site of injury, bridging the lesion gap with artificial substrates, and modulation of the immune responses. In this chapter, we will focus our discussion on the issues relevant to extracellular impediments and intracellular mechanisms for neuritogenesis, which results in axon regeneration, particularly in the CNS.
Abschätzung der Gewinnquote

Wie einsam ist die Erde? Wir sind am Ende einer langen Einkaufsliste von Dingen, die man braucht, damit es auf einem Planeten von Leben wimmelt. Auf der Liste stehen Materialien, Zeit und gluckliche Zufalle. In diesem Kapitel wollen wir versuchen, die Wahrscheinlichkeiten der verschiedenen Faktoren und ihre relative Bedeutung einzuschatzen. In manchen Fallen besitzen wir daruber schon Kenntnisse, in anderen wiederum liegen noch gar keine Forschungsergebnisse vor. Unsere Fragen sind, wie in den obigen Zitaten, schlicht wie die Fragen von Kindern — doch selbst auf diese Fragen fehlen haufig Antworten. Manche der Fragen konnen deshalb nur mit Hilfe unserer Fantasie gelost werden. Andere werden mit Hilfe der Raumfahrtmissionen und der astronomischen Methoden beantwortet, die im letzten Kapitel vorgestellt wurden.
In sickness and in health

Abstract It is estimated that approximately 1,000,000 elderly men care for spouses with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of cognitive impairment, yet we have only a limited understanding of their work, and central questions arise. What do men caregivers do, and what meanings do they ascribe to their work? What are their distinctive strengths and vulnerabilities, and what can we learn about men and caregiving from their stories? This qualitative study was based on in-depth, open-ended interviews with 14 elderly men who are primary caregivers to wives with dementia. All interviews were taped, transcribed, and manually coded. The resulting information then underwent analysis from which three major themes emerged: feelings of isolation and invisibility of their care work, a style of caregiving that jointly utilizes management and nurturing, and feelings of commitment, responsibility, and devotion.
Towards Software-Defined Massive MIMO for 5G&B Spectral-Efficient Networks

As a key enabling technology for 5G&B systems, massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO) allows the system capacity to be theoretically increased by simply installing additional antennas to remote radio heads (RRHs). However, this innovative technology cannot support higher data capacity without accurate channel state information and interference handling, especially for multi-cell scenarios. In this paper, the dynamic macro- diversity (i.e., network) massive MIMO is treated from the perspective of software-defined cellular architecture. The so-called software-defined massive MIMO is introduced, which dynamically coordinates highly-deployed RRHs equipped with massive antennas so that the maximum spectral efficiency is achieved. First, the software- defined cellular architecture is presented, where distributed massive antenna systems with centralized control and time-division duplexing massive MIMO are investigated. Next, in this considered architecture, a rigid analysis of achievable ergodic user sum-rates is given for macro-diversity massive MIMO schemes. An optimization framework of software-defined massive MIMO is further proposed that optimizes RRH clustering pattern and RRH-user associations while satisfying system-level constraints. To address the NP-complete problem of the optimal framework design, an iterative, global search algorithm is developed that exploits genetic algorithms and yields satisfactory solutions in only few rounds. Performance evaluation validates the efficacy of our solution which facilitates universal frequency reuse for 5G&B wireless networks.
Modeling and Simulation of Novel Ferroelectric Gate Stack in MOSFET for Enhanced Device Performance

Ferroelectric (FE) materials have seen increasing interest from the semiconductor industry with a focus to utilize their high permittivity and polarization properties. Of particular interest is the integration of high-k FE dielectrics in the gate structure of transistors to improve their performance. This work proposes a novel MOSFET in 45 nm technology, which integrates a thin layer of BaTiO3 (BTO) in the gate structure to significantly improve the drain current in saturation region without adverse effects to sub-threshold slope. A finite element TCAD model of the proposed transistor is developed to analyze the device performance and investigate the effects in threshold voltage and gate capacitance. The integration of the BTO layer in combination with a Hafnium Oxide (HFO2) buffer layer in the device minimized the hysteresis effect and exhibited a 43% improvement in drain current while lowering sub-threshold gate leakage. A Spice simulation based on the TCAD model was performed to demonstrate the impact of the reported performance gains in the context of an inverter. The results indicate promising application of the proposed transistor model in high performance logic designs.
Predictors of Overnight Admission After Laparoscopic Myomectomy in a High-Volume Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Setting.

ABSTRACT Study Objective Our primary goal was to uncover preoperative and intraoperative risk factors that prevented same-day discharge (SDD) after myomectomy in a setting where SDD was the standard of care. Uncovered predictors would serve to enhance patient counseling and medical optimization before surgery. Design Single-center retrospective cohort study. Setting Urban university hospital center, by fellowship-trained minimally invasive gynecologic surgeons. Patients A total of 315 consecutive patients undergoing minimally invasive myomectomy between March 2012 and May 2018. Intervention Minimally invasive myomectomy. Measurements and Main Results Preoperative and intraoperative characteristics were collected for analysis as predictors of SDD vs overnight admission. Comparisons of demographic, clinical, imaging, and operative characteristics were made using appropriate statistical methods for normally distributed, skewed, and categorical variables. Length of stay was analyzed as a categorical variable, SDD vs overnight admission. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate SDD vs any overnight stay. Out of the 315 patients undergoing laparoscopic myomectomy, 208 (66.03%) were discharged on the same day, and 107 (33.96%) were admitted for at least 1 day after surgery. The patients were more likely to be admitted overnight if they were of Asian ethnicity (p = .01), or if they had a lower preoperative Hct (36.15 vs 37.57; p 1 L (p Conclusion Perioperative factors, such as preoperative hematocrit, and myoma characteristics, as well as intraoperative factors, such as prolonged operative time and surgery end-time, are independent predictors of overnight hospital admission after minimally invasive myomectomy. Our present data can be used to provide better patient counseling before surgery.
Predicting hydrologic disturbance of streams using species occurrence data

Aquatic organisms have adapted over evolutionary time-scales to hydrologic variability represented by the natural flow regime of rivers and streams in their unimpaired state. Rapid landscape change coupled with growing human demand for water have altered natural flow regimes of many rivers and streams on a global scale. Climate non-stationarity is expected to further intensify hydrologic variability, placing increased pressure on aquatic communities. Using a machine learning approach and georeferenced species occurrence data, we modeled and mapped spatial patterns of hydrologic disturbance for streams in Arkansas, Missouri, and eastern Oklahoma. Random forest (RF) models trained on fish community data, hydrologic, and landscape metrics for gaged streams in the National Hydrography (NHDPlusV2) database were used to predict a hydrologic disturbance index (HDI) for ungaged streams. The HDI is part of the USGS Geospatial Attributes of Gages for Evaluating Streamflow (GAGESII) database and is a composite index of watershed-scale disturbance from anthropogenic stressors. Fish presence/absence data had similar overall model prediction accuracy (77%; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.80) as flow variables (76%; CI: 0.73, 0.80). Including topographic variables increased the RF prediction accuracy of both the fish (90%; CI: 0.88, 0.92) and flow models (86%; CI: 0.84, 0.89). Spatial patterns of hydrologic disturbance suggest distinct ecohydrological regions exist where conservation actions may be focused. Streams with low HDI were predominately located in the Ozark Highlands, Boston Mountains, and Ouachita Mountains. Correlation analysis of HDI by flow regime showed groundwater stable streams had the lowest disturbance frequency, with over 50% of stream reaches with low HDI located in forested land cover. HDI was highest for big rivers, intermittent runoff streams and streams in areas of agricultural land use. Our results show long-term georeferenced biological data can provide a valuable resource for predictive modeling of hydrologic disturbance for ungaged rivers and streams.
Characterizing traveling fans: a workflow for event-oriented travel pattern analysis using Twitter data

Characterizing event attendees’ travel patterns is key to understanding the dynamics of social events in cities. However, the scientific investigation of event travel patterns has been hindered by ...