cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chemostratigraphy of Paleoproterozoic carbonate successions of the Wyoming Craton: tectonic forcing of biogeochemical change?

The Archean Wyoming Craton is flanked on the south and east by belts of Paleoproterozoic supracrustal successions whose correlation is complicated by lack of geochronologic constraints and continuous outcrop. However, carbonate units in these successions may be correlated by integrating carbon isotope stratigraphy with lithostratigraphy. The � /10 km thick Paleoproterozoic Snowy Pass Supergroup in the Medicine Bow Mountains was deposited on the present-day southern flank of the Wyoming Craton; it contains three discrete levels of glacial diamictite correlative with those in the Huronian Supergroup, on the southern margin of the Superior Craton. The Nash Fork Formation of the upper Snowy Pass Supergroup is significantly younger than the uppermost diamictite and was deposited after the end of the Paleoproterozoic glacial epoch. Carbonates at the base of the Nash Fork Formation record remarkable 13 Cenrichment, up to � /28 (V-PDB), whereas those from overlying members of the lower Nash Fork Formation have d 13 C values between � /6 and � /8. Carbonates from the upper Nash Fork Formation above the carbonaceous shale have carbon isotope values ranging between 0 and � /2.5. The transition from high carbon isotope values to those near 0 in the Nash Fork Formation is similar to that at the end of the ca. 2.2 � /2.1 Ga carbon isotope excursion in Fennoscandia. This chemostratigraphic trend and deposition of BIFs, Mn-rich lithologies, carbonaceous shales and phosphorites at the end of the global ca. 2.2 � /2.1 Ga carbon isotope excursion are likely related to ocean overturn associated with the final breakup of the Kenorland supercontinent. Correlative carbonates from the Slaughterhouse Formation in the Sierra Madre, WY, and from the Whalen Group in the Rawhide Creek area in the Hartville Uplift, WY, have highly positive carbon isotope values. In contrast, carbonates from other exposures of the Whalen Group in the Hartville Uplift and all carbonate units in the Black Hills, SD, have carbon isotope values close to 0. Combined with existing geochronologic and stratigraphic constraints, these data suggest that the Slaughterhouse Formation and the succession exposed in the Rawhide Creek area of the Hartville Uplift are correlative with the lower and middle Nash Fork Formation and were deposited during the ca. 2.2 � /2.1 Ga carbon isotope excursion. The Estes and Roberts Draw formations in the Black Hills and carbonates from other exposures in the Hartville Uplift postdate the ca. 2.2 � /2.1 Ga
The ICIDH in the USA: applications and relevance to ADA goals

SummaryThe measurements of disability and environmental barriers have received growing nationwide attention and dissemination in the United States, particularly since the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This article presents a brief overview of selected ICIDH uses and applications in the USA. Potential contributions of the ICIDH for ADA implementation are discussed, and parallel definitions of disability in the ICIDH and the ADA are cited.
Interracial Families and the Racial Identification of Mixed-Race Children: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study

In this article, a nationally-representative sample of kindergarten-aged children is used from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study to explore the structure of parental racial designation of mixed-race children. The variation in these parental designations of a variety of mixed-race children is described. Parental racial designations in the three most common majority-minority interracial couplings - White/Hispanic, Black/White and Asian/White - are predicted using multinomial logistic regression models. The results may indicate a movement by the parents of these multiracial children away from minority status through racial labeling and towards multiracial and White - movements that are predicated upon gender, class and context. Critical discussions of the implications of these results as well as directions for future research are offered.
Effects of ultraviolet radiation on corals and other coral reef organisms

The discovery of the importance of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) as a factor affecting the biology of coral reefs dates only to about 1980. Interest has heightened during the past five years owing to the demonstration of loss of stratospheric ozone through human activities. We have only begun to document gross, qualitative effects of UVR on coral reef organisms, usually in experiments comparing the biological response to the presence or absence of UVR through the use of UV-cutoff filters, or to varying levels of UVR in transplantation studies. Most such studies have not distinguished between the effects of UVA (320–400 nm) and those of UVB (290–320 nm), although in the context of global change involving stratospheric ozone loss, it is the latter wavelengths that are relevant. To date we have been addressing physiological and ecological questions, not yet attempting to evaluate quantitatively the impact of forecast increases in solar UVB penetration. Interacting and synergistic effects of UVR with increased temperature, pollutants, sedimentation, visible light, etc. have scarcely been studied but will be essential to understanding and predicting the fate of coral reefs under conditions of global change. Here we comprehensively review the effects of UVR on corals and other reef macroorganisms, mindful that although much is known of proximal effects, little of this knowledge is directly useful in making long-term predictions regarding the health of coral reefs. We conclude that even small anthropogenic increases in UVB levels will have sublethal physiological manifestations in corals and other reef organisms, but that this will have relatively small impact on the distribution of reef corals and coral reefs, perhaps affecting their minimum depths of occurrence.
Model Basin Tests of Ocean Wave Responses for a 40-MW OTEC Pilot Plant

A 1/30th-scale model of a floating 40-MW OTEC pilot plant has been subjected to wave conditions that the prototype would experience as a plant moored off Puerto Rico or Hawaii, or as a cruising plantship in the South Atlantic Ocean east of Brazil. The model, in its unmodified baseline configuration, survived the design wave conditions for the three sites, with more than adequate stability margins. A modified configuration was also tested to reduce the possibility of taking on “green water” which was a concern at the Puerto Rico and Hawaii sites. Additional data were obtained on seawater system parameters, cold water pipe motions, and mooring forces.
Analysis and simulation of same cycle transient control (SCTC) for application in voltage regulator modules (VRM)

A method to improve the transient response of a VRM is developed in this paper through Pspice simulation. By using another compensator converter with very quick response, a compensation current is injected or extracted according to the transient type. This compensation is triggered by comparators monitoring the output voltage to accomplish the same cycle transient control. The compensation current can be tailored for the main converter for best possible transient response. Each of these converters are optimized for a different purpose to obtain optimum overall performance. The tradeoff of speed, efficiency, and stability is thus resolved.
A randomized trial comparing endoscopic stenting to a sham procedure for chronic pancreatitis.

Background A number of studies support the use of endoscopically placed pancreatic duct (PD) stents to decrease pain in chronic pancreatitis (CP). Nevertheless, flaws in study design have prevented experts from reaching a consensus.Purpose (1) Evaluate the efficacy of PD stenting to ameliorate abdominal pain in patients with CP and ductal strictures; (2) evaluate the placebo response rate from sham endoscopic therapy; (3) compare pain medication usage, healthcare utilization, psychological distress, and quality of life before and after endoscopic stenting; (4) prospectively evaluate the durability of the response.Methods Patients with typical abdominal pain, imaging confirmation of CP and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) confirmation of PD stricture will complete questionnaires to assess quality of life, psychological distress, pain intensity/unpleasantness, pain medication usage, and healthcare utilization. Enrolled patients will be randomized to ERCP with sphincterotomy and PD stent...
Efficient instruction schedulers for SMT processors

We propose dynamic scheduler designs to improve the scheduler scalability and reduce its complexity in the SMT processors. Our first design is an adaptation of the recently proposed instruction packing to SMT. Instruction packing opportunistically packs two instructions (possibly from different threads), each with at most one non-ready source operand at the time of dispatch, into the same issue queue entry. Our second design, termed 2OP/spl I.bar/BLOCK, takes these ideas one step further and completely avoids the dispatching of the instructions with two non-ready source operands. This technique has several advantages. First, it reduces the scheduling complexity (and the associated delays) as the logic needed to support the instructions with 2 non-ready source operands is eliminated. More surprisingly, 2OP/spl I.bar/BLOCK simultaneously improves the performance as the same issue queue entry may be reallocated multiple times to the instructions with at most one non-ready source (which usually spend fewer cycles in the queue) as opposed to hogging the entry with an instruction which enters the queue with two non-ready sources. For the schedulers with the capacity to hold 64 instructions, the 2OP/spl I.bar/BLOCK design outperforms the traditional queue by 11%, on the average, and at the same time results in a 10% reduction in the overall scheduling delay.
The Least Restrictive Alternative: Implications for Service Providers

The phrase "least restrictive alternative" has repeatedly appeared in professional literature and in legislation. Despite the prevalence of the phrase, there is reason to believe that the concept is neither well defined nor simple to implement properly. This article traces the probable history of the least restrictive alternative and relates some concerns about actual implementation. A number of specific problems are recounted, particularly the field's reliance on administrative-determined norm-based special placements. Similarly, some ameliorative alternatives are suggested, chief among them the need to determine restriction based on the likelihood of achieving ecologically determined goals. Finally, the authors conclude that conflict between norm placement and individual achievement must be resolved before least restriction can truly occur.
Three Different Behaviors of Liquid Water Path of Water Clouds in Aerosol-Cloud Interactions

Abstract Estimates of the indirect aerosol effect in GCMs assume that either cloud liquid water path is constant (Twomey effect) or increases with increased droplet number concentration (drizzle-suppression or Albrecht effect). On the other hand, if cloud thermodynamics and dynamics are considered, cloud liquid water path may also decrease with increasing droplet number concentration, which has been predicted by model calculations and observed in ship track and urban influence studies. This study examines the different changes of cloud liquid water path associated with changes of cloud droplet number concentration. Satellite data (January, April, July, and October 1987) are used to determine the cloud liquid water sensitivity, defined as the ratio of changes of liquid water path and changes of column droplet number concentration. The results of a global survey for water clouds (cloud-top temperature >273 K, optical thickness 1 ≤ τ < 15) reveal all three behaviors of cloud liquid water path with aerosol ch...
Dietary Choline Reverses Some, but Not All, Effects of Folate Deficiency on Neurogenesis and Apoptosis in Fetal Mouse Brain

In mice, maternal dietary folate, a cofactor in 1-carbon metabolism, modulates neurogenesis and apoptosis in the fetal brain. Similarly, maternal dietary choline, an important methyl-donor, also influences these processes. Choline and folate are metabolically interrelated, and we determined whether choline supplementation could reverse the effects of folate deficiency on brain development. Timed-pregnant mice were fed control (CT), folate-deficient (FD), or folate-deficient, choline-supplemented (FDCS) AIN-76 diets from d 11 to 17 (E11-17) of pregnancy, and on E17, fetal brains were collected for analysis. Compared with the CT group, the FD group had fewer neural progenitor cells undergoing mitosis in the ventricular zones of the developing mouse brain septum (47%; P < 0.01), hippocampus (29%; P < 0.01), striatum (34%; P < 0.01), and anterior and mid-posterior neocortex (33% in both areas; P < 0.01). In addition, compared with CT, the FD diet almost doubled the rate of apoptosis in the fetal septum and hippocampus (P < 0.01). In the FDCS group, the mitosis rates generally were intermediate between those of the CT and FD groups; mitosis rates in the septum and striatum were significantly greater compared with the FD group and were significantly lower than in the CT group only in the septum and neocortex. In the FDCS group, the hippocampal apoptosis rate was significantly lower than in the FD group (P < 0.01) and was the same as in the CT group. In the septum, the apotosis rate in the FDCS group was intermediate between the CT and FD groups' rates. These results suggest that neural progenitor cells in fetal forebrain are sensitive to maternal dietary folate during late gestation and that choline supplementation can modify some, but not all, of these effects.
Increasing Cotton Carding Production

Means for obtaining a 50% increase in cotton carding production rates w ithout lower ing quality are described. Test results for cotton yarns carded at rates up to 100 lb./hr. are given.
A Theory of Allocation of Time in Markets for Labour and Marriage

This paper analyzes the interdependence between labor and marriage markets. It is argued that market conditions concerning marriage influence the value of time in the home. According to this economic view marriage involves an exchange of household labor between individual men and women. Wages in labor markets affect marital behavior and conditions in the markets for household labor influence labor supply. Single persons must decide whether to marry and if so how much work to invest and employ in the framework of marriage. In monogamous societies marriage tends to occur when a man demands the amount of household labor a woman wants to supply and a woman demands the amount of labor supplied by the man. However changing outside factors can disrupt this equilibrium and produce changes in income redistribution between the spouse new marital labor relations or divorce. This approach diverges from the traditional theory of labor supply in the way the value of time in the home is determined. Awareness that the supply of labor can shift following changes in a market determined wage for household labor opens new avenues for research in labor economics and studies of female labor supply. A change in sex ratio is likely to increase the proportion of women who marry and decrease the number of hours women work outside the home. Group differences in patterns of division of household labor further influence the elasticity of female labor supply. A positive correlation between achievements in markets for labor and household labor can provide an additional explanation for the backward-bending supply of labor. Finally the relative position of husbands and wives in their respective marriage markets has implications for their consumption patterns and fertility. This theory could provide a useful framework for analyzing the consequences of public policy for production reproduction and the distribution of wealth.
Stress and female reproductive function: A study of daily variations in cortisol, gonadotrophins, and gonadal steroids in a rural Mayan population

We report here on a longitudinal study of stress and women's reproduction in a small Kaqchikel Mayan community in rural Guatemala. Current understanding of the effects of stress on the reproductive axis in women is mostly derived from clinical studies of individual stressors. Little is known, however, about the cumulative effects of “real life” stress. Cortisol increases in response to a broad variety of individual stressors (Tilbrook et al., 2002). In this article, we evaluate the association between daily fluctuations in women's urinary cortisol and reproductive hormones: estrone conjugates (E1C), pregnandiol glucuronide (PdG), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). To assess the association between daily changes in cortisol levels and changes in the profiles of the reproductive hormones, we used a random coefficients model based on polynomial regression. The sample includes 92 menstrual cycles provided by 24 participants over a year-long prospective study. Increases in urinary cortisol levels were associated with significant increases in gonadotrophin and progestin levels during the follicular phase. Also, in a time window between days 4 and 10 after ovulation, increased cortisol levels were associated with significantly lower progestin levels. These results are significant because untimely increases in gonadotrophins and low midluteal progesterone levels have previously been reported to impinge on the ovulatory and luteinization processes and to reduce the chances of successful implantation (Ferin, 1999; Baird et al., 1999). Future research should consider the possibility that stress may affect fecundability and implantation without necessarily causing amenorrhoea or oligomenorrhoea. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 16:523–532, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
New onset atrial fibrillation after initiating amphetamine-dextroamphetamine therapy for ADHD: A case report

Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia in the general population, and is expected to significantly increase in prevalencein the near future. This case illustrates a 50-year-old male who developed atrial fibrillation after starting amphetaminedextroamphetaminefor attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with no previous history of structural heart disease. Central nervous system stimulant medications have significant cardiovascular implications and at risk patients should be monitoredclosely. Additionally, identifying causative agents for atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias is imperative, as there is a significantassociation with morbidity and mortality.
Wittgenstein and the genesis of neo-pragmatism in American thought

SUMMARYWhile commentators have noted that the revival of pragmatism in recent decades can be understood in the context of a larger turn towards anti-foundational thought, they have largely ignored the important and complicated role that Ludwig Wittgenstein's ideas about foundationalism played in that revival. By tracing Wittgenstein's influence on the philosophers Stanley Cavell and Thomas Kuhn, the author first suggests that the revival of neo-pragmatism is better understood in the context of mid-century analytic philosophy they inherited, as well as Wittgenstein's unique contribution and challenge to that tradition. Next, by showing how the Wittgensteinian ideas of Cavell and Kuhn played an important role in the decades-long debate between Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam, arguably the most important catalyst of neo-pragmatist thought, the author shows that Wittgenstein's reframing of Kantian epistemology places the emergence of neo-pragmatism in a larger context of Enlightenment thought in the United St...
Use of collateral airways to assess airway reactivity

We investigated the correlation between collateral airway reactivity and other indexes of lung reactivity in response to aerosol and intravenous (iv) challenges. In four anesthetized mongrel dogs, we measured the peripheral airway resistance (Rp) to gas flow out of a wedged lung segment in different lobes on multiple occasions. We obtained dose-response curves of peripheral airways challenged with iv histamine or aerosols through the bronchoscope. During the same iv bolus challenge, whole lung airway pressure (Paw) responses to histamine were also measured. On separate occasions, changes in lung resistance (RL) were measured after the whole lung was challenged with a histamine aerosol. Reactivity was assessed from the dose-response curves for Rp and RL as the PD50 (dose required to produce a 50% increase); for changes in Paw we calculated the PD15 (dose required to produce a 15% increase over baseline). Results for Rp showed considerably more variability among different lobes in a given animal with the aerosol challenge through the bronchoscope than with the iv challenge. With aerosol challenge there were no significant differences in the mean PD50 for Rp among any of the animals. However, with the iv challenge two of the dogs showed significant differences from the others in reactivity assessed with Rp (P less than 0.01). Moreover, the differences found in the peripheral airways with iv challenge reflected differences found in whole lung reactivity assessed with either iv challenge (Paw vs. Rp, r2 = 0.96) or whole lung aerosol challenge (RL vs. Rp, r2 = 0.84). We conclude that the measurement of the collateral resistance response to iv challenge may provide a sensitive method for assessing airway reactivity.
Medicinal Cannabis in California: An Interview with Igor Grant, MD

Abstract Dr. Igor Grant, MD, is distinguished professor and chair of psychiatry and director of the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program and the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the Univer...
Case study: the crude MCHM chemical spill investigation and recovery in West Virginia USA

Several recent chemical spills have caused large-scale drinking water contamination incidents in Canada and the USA. The study goal was to identify key decisions and actions critical to incident investigations using the 2014 crude MCHM chemical spill in West Virginia USA as a case study. Environmental testing records, scientific reports, government documents, and communication records were reviewed. Results showed that thorough characterization of the spilled liquid and impacted source water is critical to assessing potential public health risks, estimating chemical fate, and designing infrastructure decontamination procedures that can restore infrastructure use. Premise plumbing water testing was not carried-out by responders but testing conducted by other organizations identified the decontamination procedures issued by responders and drinking water screening levels were not adequate to protect public health. Rapid bench-scale tests should be considered to (1) examine water treatment breakdown products, (2) evaluate chemical sorption and leaching by infrastructure materials (i.e., activated carbon, plastics), (3) predict water heater decontamination, and (4) estimate chemical volatilization during fixture use. Key actions to support an effective response and research needs were identified.
Asymptotic Expansions of the Non-Null Distribution of the Likelihood Ratio Criterion for Multisample Sphericity

SYNOPTIC ABSTRACTLet λ* be the modified likelihood ratio criterion for testing the multisample sphericity hypothesis H: Σj = σ2I, j = 1, …, k, where Σj is the positive definite covariance matrix of the jth normal population. Asymptotic expansions for the distribution of λ* are derived, under two classes of local alternatives. The results are an extension of those in Khatri and Srivastava (1974) in multisample sphericity.
Stimulating Creativity and Innovation in Laboratory Science Students

Being creative on the job is one of the many skills required of the laboratory professional. In addition, having a high level of competency in innovation skills and technical knowledge is necessary. Teaching these skills through competency-based instruction gives today’s students, who are tomorrow’s professionals, the autonomous ability to process information and seek solutions.
Is Synthetic Composite Bone a Substitute for Natural Bone in Screw Bending Tests

Composite replica bones have been used extensively for biomechanical studies. These studies normally rely upon the overall tensile, compressive, and bending strength of large replica bones, such as the tibia and femur. In this study, highly localized behavior of composite bone was scrutinized by examining the material’s response to cortical screws in bending. Of interest was localized deformation of the composite material as compared to the response of natural bone under similar loading conditions. Cortical screw deflection in a laminated composite bone was compared to deflection in a bovine bone under quasi-static loading. The laminated composite bone consisted of short glass fiber reinforced epoxy as a cortical bone substitute, while polyurethane foam was used as a cancellous bone substitute. A new laser projection method was used to make comparative measurements of the slope of the screw head near to the applied load. Initial results indicate that composite bone is a reliable substitute for natural bone in quasi-static studies of cortical screw deflection.© 2011 ASME
Hepatitis C testing in substance use disorder treatment: the role of program managers in adoption of testing services.

Health care organizations do not adopt best practices as often or quickly as they merit. This gap in the integration of best practices into routine practice remains a significant public health concern. The role of program managers in the adoption of best practices has seldom been investigated. We investigated the association between characteristics of program managers and the adoption of hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing services in opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Data came from the 2005 (n = 187) and 2011 (n = 196) National Drug Abuse Treatment System Survey (NDATSS). We used multivariate regression models to examine correlates of the adoption of HCV testing. We included covariates describing program manager characteristics, such as their race/ethnicity, education, and their sources of information about developments in the field of substance use disorder treatment. We also controlled for characteristics of OTPs and the client populations they serve. Program managers were predominantly white and female. A large proportion of program managers had post-graduate education. Program managers expressed strong support for preventive services, but they reported making limited use of available sources of information about developments in the field of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. The provision of any HCV testing (either on-site or off-site) in OTPs was positively associated with the extent to which a program manager was supportive of preventive services. Among OTPs offering any HCV testing to their clients, on-site HCV testing was more common among programs with an African American manager. It was also more common when program managers relied on a variety of information sources about developments in SUD treatment. Various characteristics of program managers are associated with the adoption of HCV testing in OTPs. Promoting diversity among program managers, and increasing managers’ access to information about developments in SUD treatment, may help foster the adoption of best practices.
Epidemiological Analysis of Food Poisoning on Collective Canteen in City

Objective To understand the epidemiological analysis of food poisoning on collective canteen in order to provide basis for the control and prevention of food poisoning.Method Data of food poisoning on collective canteen from 2001 to 2007 in a city were collected and analyzed.The statistical analysis was used by the soft of SPSS 10.0.Results ① A total of 65 food poisoning incidents on collective canteen occurred from 2001 to 2007,and 1 785 persons were stricken by food poisoning.② Food poisoning events on collective canteen and the number of poisoned persons were involved in downward trends.The peak occurrence period was from May to November per year.③ 75.38% food poisoning on collective canteens were caused by bacteria,and the major pathogens were Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Proteus mirabilis.The main botanical food poisoning was kidney bean.④ Poisoning persons had a high degree of aggregation in eating places and eat meals,while the age,gender and profession were without specificity.⑤The shortest incubation period was 12 minutes with an average of 11 hours 10 minutes,and abdominal pain,diarrhea,nausea,vomiting and dizziness were main clinical symptoms.⑥ The most frequent foods caused food poisoning on collective canteen were salad vegetables,beans,ducks and Baiqieji.⑦ More than half of the business units did not have a sanitation license.A considerable part of the employees did not have health permits,and most of the kitchen environments and facilities did not comply with health requirements.Conclusion There were peak seasons and risk foods of food poisoning on collective canteen in a city,and lasting and widely strengthening of propaganda and education of food safety knowledge for government departments,enterprises and consumers could be the effective methods for the control and prevention of food poisoning.
Choanal atresia. Clinical considerations for management.

Taking cognizance of the embryology and newer diagnostic techniques, the trans-palatal route is strongly recommended as the optimal surgical procedure for the management of choanal atresia. It should be performed as soon as general anesthesia can be safely administered. In selected instances, but particularly when a patient is at increased surgical risk, necessitating surgical brevity, the endonasal puncture technique should be considered as the initial procedure. Parents must be appraised of the potential for subsequent growth deficiencies, mental retardation, and crossbite.
Distributed Path Planning for Collective Transport Using Homogeneous Multi-robot Systems

We present a scalable distributed path planning algorithm for transporting a large object through an unknown environment using a group of homogeneous robots. The robots are randomly scattered across the terrain and collectively sample the obstacles in the environment in a distributed fashion. Given this sampling and the dimensions of the bounding box of the object, the robots construct a distributed configuration space. We then use a variant of the distributed Bellman-Ford algorithm to construct a shortest-path tree using a custom cost function from the goal location to all other connected robots. The cost function encompasses the work required to rotate and translate the object in addition to an extra control penalty to navigate close to obstacles. Our approach sets up a framework that allows the user to balance the trade-off between the safety of the path and the mechanical work required to move the object. The path is optimal given the sampling of the robots and user input parameters. We implemented our algorithm in both simulated and real-world environments. Our approach is robust to the size and shape of the object and adapts to dynamic environments.
Pancreatic islet discrimination of hexose anomers. II. Transient computer simulation

We have previously modeled pancreatic islet glycolysis under idealized steady-state conditions where the input is a pure hexose anomer and there is no mutarotation and reproduced the known preference for the alpha-anomers of glucose and mannose as substrates. This model is here extended to simulate real experiments, where the hexoses mutarotate and measurements may be taken over time. The behavior of our model system agrees with available experimental data. The hexose diphosphate activators of phosphofructokinase, whose effect was seen as not important in the preceding steady-state analysis, are found here to have a modest (approximately 10–15%) effect on its flux. The previous conclusion that the anomeric preference of the glycolytic pathway follows from that of glucokinase continues to hold in the real experimental situation.
The Final Years: 1751–4

Fielding’s last years were typical of his earlier life, full of energy well used, both in his work and in the pleasures and pains of living. Despite severe illness and other troubles, he never lost his zest for the day or his sense of humour. Nevertheless the vision which accounts for the serious regard of a wide range of social issues in Amelia also controls his last important works: An Enquiry into the Causes of the Eate Increase of Robbers (1751), The Covent-Garden Journal (1752), Examples of the Interposition of Providence in the Detection and Punishment of Murder (1752), A Proposal for Making an Effectual Provision for the Poor (1753), A Clear State of the Case of Elizabeth Canning (1753), the revised Life of Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great (1754), and The Journal of a Voyage to Lisbon (1755). Though Fielding was never a pessimist, his view of the world took on a sober colouring as he kept watch over the human condition. His intense vision of things and his implicit belief that it was his responsibility to observe and to comment on what he saw were mutually nourishing aspects of his deepest being.
RAP: Scalable RPCA for Low-rank Matrix Recovery

Recovering low-rank matrices is a problem common in many applications of data mining and machine learning, such as matrix completion and image denoising. Robust Principal Component Analysis (RPCA) has emerged for handling such kinds of problems; however, the existing RPCA approaches are usually computationally expensive, due to the fact that they need to obtain the singular value decomposition (SVD) of large matrices. In this paper, we propose a novel RPCA approach that eliminates the need for SVD of large matrices. Scalable algorithms are designed for several variants of our approach, which are crucial for real world applications on large scale data. Extensive experimental results confirm the effectiveness of our approach both quantitatively and visually.
11 – Ecology of Viruses of Cold-Blooded Vertebrates

This chapter deals with the ecology of viruses of cold-blooded vertebrates. Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites whose survival is dependent on how successfully they interact with their host at both the cellular and organismic levels. To complete their “life cycle,” viruses must attach to and replicate within permissive cells, spread from the site of primary infection to specific target tissues, evade the host immune response, and successfully infect another host. The mechanisms by which viruses accomplish these diverse tasks comprise the subject of viral ecology. The host immune response contributes significantly to the success or failure of a given pathogen because virus replication occurs within cells of an infected organism. Too vigorous an immune response eliminates the virus before it has the opportunity to ensure its efficient transmission, whereas too slow an immune response may lead to the death of the host and loss of the species required to sustain its continued existence.
Molecular conformations of DNA targets captured by model nanoarrays

An open question in single molecule nanoarrays is how the chemical and morphological heterogeneities of the solid support affect the properties of biomacromolecules. We generated arrays that allowed individually-resolvable DNA molecules to interact with tailored surface heterogeneities and revealed how molecular conformations are impacted by surface interactions.
Cost Sharing of Disease-Modifying Treatments (DMTs) as Policy Lever to Improve DMTs’ Access in Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract Objectives To understand the nonlinear relationship between out-of-pocket (OOP) payments and disease-modifying treatment (DMT) use and adherence, primarily to pinpoint the threshold at which the use of DMTs becomes price sensitive. Methods Individuals with more than two multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnoses ( International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code 340) were identified from the MarketScan database (2006–2009). Heterogeneity in treatment was normalized by calculating an annual OOP payment as the average OOP payment for purchasing a fixed basket of DMTs at the insurance plan level. A local linear regression with a model-based recursive partitioning algorithm was applied to explore the relationship between OOP and consequently lower DMT use and adherence as measured by days covered by DMT. Results We identified the inflection points in annual OOP payments as $442 for DMT use and $890 for DMT adherence. For patients with annual OOP payments of more than $442, a $100-increase in OOP payment was associated with a decline of 0.6% in DMT use; for annual OOP payments of more than $890, a $100-increase in OOP payment was associated with two fewer days of DMT treatments. Conclusions Although the use of DMTs and DMT adherence appeared unassociated with OOP payment below $442 and $890, respectively, an excessive OOP payment was a barrier to DMT access. This information can inform maximum monthly and yearly payment caps when designing valued-based insurance plans.
The Role of Immersivity in Three-Dimensional Mental Rotation

Recently, more realistic 3D displays have been designed as new, more ecologi-cally valid alternatives to conventional 2D visual displays. However, research has thus far provided inconsistent evidence regarding their effectiveness in promoting learning and task performance. We are interested in the contribution of immersion to 3D image transformations and compare subjects’ performance on mental rota-tion tasks in traditional 2D, 3D non-immersive (3DNI - anaglyphic glasses), and 3D-immersive (3DI - head mounted display with position tracking) environments. Our findings suggest that 2D and 3DNI environments might encourage the use of more “artificial” encoding strategies where the 3D images are encoded with re-spect to a scene-based frame of reference (i.e. computer screen). On the other hand, 3D immersive environments can provide necessary feedback for an individ-ual to use the same strategy and egocentric frame of reference that he/she would use in a real-world situation. Overall, the results of this study suggest that immer-sion might be one of the most important aspects to be considered in the design of learning and training environments.
The Molecular Mechanisms of Mutations in Actin and Myosin that Cause Inherited Myopathy

The discovery that mutations in myosin and actin genes, together with mutations in the other components of the muscle sarcomere, are responsible for a range of inherited muscle diseases (myopathies) has revolutionized the study of muscle, converting it from a subject of basic science to a relevant subject for clinical study and has been responsible for a great increase of interest in muscle studies. Myopathies are linked to mutations in five of the myosin heavy chain genes, three of the myosin light chain genes, and three of the actin genes. This review aims to determine to what extent we can explain disease phenotype from the mutant genotype. To optimise our chances of finding the right mechanism we must study a myopathy where there are a large number of different mutations that cause a common phenotype and so are likely to have a common mechanism: a corollary to this criterion is that if any mutation causes the disease phenotype but does not correspond to the proposed mechanism, then the whole mechanism is suspect. Using these criteria, we consider two cases where plausible genotype-phenotype mechanisms have been proposed: the actin “A-triad” and the myosin “mesa/IHD” models.
Teaching software development by example

We have been teaching a course in client-server application development since 1998. We have introduced certain pedagogical strategies to enable our students to more successfully develop their own client/server application by the conclusion of the course. This paper explores these innovations and discusses how student success has improved as a result. This paper covers reusable components for client-server communication and design-by-example techniques used in this course. We also discuss how we model evolutionary application development throughout the course.
PATHOLOGY OF CANINE SPIROCERCOSIS

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the pathology of canine spirocercosis. The pathogenesis of the granulomatous lesions has been studied carefully in dogs killed at monthly intervals infection. Marked lesions of the aorta were produced by one month after the infection. At two months, changes were much more pronounced, with considerable granulomatous proliferation of connective tissue cells. Smooth muscle cells of the media were undergoing necrosis, or metaplastic change into chondrocytes which were observed on the 3rd month of infection. The chondrocytes later became calcified. There followed ossification characterized by bony trabeculae along the edges of calcified areas. On the 4th and 5th months of infection, the aortic wall was very thick and the intima was rough, but most of the worms had moved to the esophagus and the lesions were well healed. The normal architecture remained obscured by fibrotic tissue or bone.
Ideologically Liberal and Formally Conservative: Satire, News, and Truthiness

This chapter analyzes the satirical performances of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, delving into the way their coverage of Iraq War created community through comedy. For a public grappling with “affect fatigue” and powerlessness in the face of wars they didn’t support, these shows opened a space for the public to feel—and yet, I argue that this space was ultimately conservative in nature. Satire skewers but also forecloses the possibility of meaningful action. Satire follows—it comes after events and comments on them—but it does not lead. Looking at language, images, and character in segments from both programs, this chapter posits that while these satiric performances were needed for public healing, they also stymied more active forms of intervention in war.
Asymmetric Loss Functions and Deep Densely Connected Networks for Highly Imbalanced Medical Image Segmentation: Application to Multiple Sclerosis Lesion Detection

Fully convolutional deep neural networks have been asserted to be fast and precise frameworks with great potential in image segmentation. One of the major challenges in training such networks raises when the data are unbalanced, which is common in many medical imaging applications, such as lesion segmentation, where lesion class voxels are often much lower in numbers than non-lesion voxels. A trained network with unbalanced data may make predictions with high precision and low recall, being severely biased toward the non-lesion class which is particularly undesired in most medical applications where false negatives are actually more important than false positives. Various methods have been proposed to address this problem, including two-step training, sample re-weighting, balanced sampling, and more recently, similarity loss functions and focal loss. In this paper, we fully trained convolutional deep neural networks using an asymmetric similarity loss function to mitigate the issue of data imbalance and achieve much better tradeoff between precision and recall. To this end, we developed a 3D fully convolutional densely connected network (FC-DenseNet) with large overlapping image patches as input and an asymmetric similarity loss layer based on Tversky index (using $F_\beta $ scores). We used large overlapping image patches as inputs for intrinsic and extrinsic data augmentation, a patch selection algorithm, and a patch prediction fusion strategy using B-spline weighted soft voting to account for the uncertainty of prediction in patch borders. We applied this method to multiple sclerosis (MS) lesion segmentation based on two different datasets of MSSEG 2016 and ISBI longitudinal MS lesion segmentation challenge, where we achieved average Dice similarity coefficients of 69.9% and 65.74%, respectively, achieving top performance in both the challenges. We compared the performance of our network trained with $F_\beta $ loss, focal loss, and generalized Dice loss functions. Through September 2018, our network trained with focal loss ranked first according to the ISBI challenge overall score and resulted in the lowest reported lesion false positive rate among all submitted methods. Our network trained with the asymmetric similarity loss led to the lowest surface distance and the best lesion true positive rate that is arguably the most important performance metric in a clinical decision support system for lesion detection. The asymmetric similarity loss function based on $F_\beta $ scores allows training networks that make a better balance between precision and recall in highly unbalanced image segmentation. We achieved superior performance in MS lesion segmentation using a patch-wise 3D FC-DenseNet with a patch prediction fusion strategy, trained with asymmetric similarity loss functions.
Explaining the Current Innovative R&D Outsourcing to Developing Countries

While multinational firms from developed countries have used researchers from emerging areas to assist in the adaption of an existing product, few multinational firms have carried out innovative R&D, or R&D for the creation of a new product, in these areas. Using the threat of imitation and wage differences of researchers across regions, this study proposes a partial equilibrium model to explain the lack of innovative R&D in developing countries. I build a North-South model examining a single firm’s choice of research locations. The model predicts that weak IPR-protection in developing countries does not necessarily explain the lack of Southern research. In some situations, reduced IPR-protection can even increase Southern research. Harsh competition resulting from information leaks coupled with weak IPR-protection can explain much of the lack of innovative research investment in the developing world. My model also predicts that firms with low research needs, or firms in low-tech industries, locate their R&D in the North. Firms with medium research need locate in both countries while the firms with the largest research needs, or firms in high-tech industries, locate research in just the South.
Reevaluating Current Cutoffs for Acute Periprosthetic Joint Infection: Current Thresholds Are Insensitive.

Abstract Background Diagnosing acute periprosthetic joint infection remains a challenge. Several studies have proposed different acute cutoffs resulting in the International Consensus Meeting recommending a cutoff of 100 mg/L, 10,000 cell/μL and 90% for serum C-reactive protein (CRP), synovial white blood cell count (WBC), and polymorphonuclear percentage (PMN%), respectively. However, establishing cutoffs are difficult as the control group is limited to rare early aseptic revisions, and performing aspiration in asymptomatic patients is difficult because of a fear of seeding a well-functioning joint arthroplasty. This study (1) assessed the sensitivity of current thresholds for acute periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) and (2) identified associated factors for false negatives. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients with acute PJIs (n = 218), defined as less than 6 weeks from index arthroplasty, treated between 2000 and 2017. Diagnosis of PJI was based on 2 positive cultures of the same pathogen from the periprosthetic tissue or synovial fluid samples. Sensitivities of International Consensus Meeting cutoff values of CRP, synovial WBC, and PMN% were evaluated according to organism type. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine associated factors for false negatives. Results Overall, the sensitivity of CRP, synovial WBC, and PMN% for acute PJI was 55.3%, 59.6%, and 50.5%, respectively. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) demonstrated the lowest sensitivity for both CRP (37.5%) and WBC (55.6%). CNS infection was identified as an independent risk factor for false-negative CRP. Conclusions Current thresholds for acute PJI may be missing approximately half of PJIs. Low virulent organisms, such as CNS, may be responsible for these false negatives. Current thresholds for acute PJI must be reexamined.