cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Applications and limitations of tea extract as a virucidal agent to assess the role of phage predation in soils

In marine ecosystems, phage predation (phage-mediated cell lysis) is an important driver of bacterial mortality through host cell death and nutrient cycling through the release of cell contents. Both of these impacts increase marine microbial diversity by increasing interspecific competition. By contrast, very little is known about the role of phage predation in terrestrial ecosystems. A recent field study in Barrow, AK found phage predation to be a key factor controlling terrestrial bacterial population dynamics in Arctic soils. When phage abundance was artificially reduced using a tea extract, antiphage treatment, bacterial abundance, and respiration increased accordingly, suggesting top-down control by phages. The goal of this study was to examine the impact of phage predation in temperate soil ecosystems. Laboratory-scale experiments confirmed the potent antiphage properties of tea extracts. However, field experiments conducted at two discrete sites (upland and wetland) yielded little evidence that top-down control by phage predation was significant in temperate soils.
Electrophysiology of radiculopathies

The anatomy, pathophysiology, and clinical evaluation of radiculopathies are discussed. Defining whether root injury is present and which roots are involved can be difficult but critical for patient management. In conjunction with clinical and radiological information, studies that establish physiological abnormalities of roots should be helpful and important. Clinical neurophysiological studies for radiculopathies are performed frequently but have yet to achieve a universally accepted role in the evaluation of these patients. Electrophysiological techniques for the evaluation of radiculopathies are reviewed. Needle electromyography is the best established of these procedures but has the disadvantage of requiring injury to motor fibers of both a certain degree and distribution. Nerve conduction studies may rarely be abnormal in radiculopathies but are needed to be certain other conditions that may produce similar symptoms and signs are not present. H reflexes and F waves probably have roles in the evaluation of radiculopathies but published reports about F waves in radiculopathies have been marred by inadequate methodology. There is evidence based on large series of patients that somatosensory evoked potentials can be helpful for evaluating patients with multilevel injury such as spinal stenosis, patients where electrophysiological studies may have their greatest clinical utility. Further work using either electrical stimulation with needles or magnetic stimulation of roots seems warranted. The demonstration of meaningful electrophysiological changes with activities that reproduce radicular symptoms may be a promising experimental approach. Available information does not necessarily answer critical questions about the role of electrophysiology in patients with radiculopathies. This cannot be done using analyses based on current ideas about evidence based medicine given the absence of a 'gold standard' for defining radiculopathies as well the absence of blinded studies. The available information provides strong arguments for further investigations evaluating different clinical neurophysiological techniques in the same patient, and for evaluating the value of these techniques by concentrating on their clinical import.
Quality of life assessment in pregnant women with the human immunodeficiency virus.

Objective To describe the perceived quality of life and functional status of women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during the antenatal, perinatal, and postpartum periods. Methods Medical Outcome Survey—Short Form questionnaires were completed during antenatal visits, 24 hours after delivery, and 6 months postpartum by 21 HIV-positive women and 21 HIV-negative controls matched for age, race, parity, and education. The Medical Outcome Survey—Short Form measures subject perceptions of overall health, pain, physical role, social and cognitive function, mental health, energy/fatigue, health distress, quality of life, and health transition. Median scores between 0 and 100 (with 0 indicating poorest health) were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank and Kruskal Wallis/Dunn tests. Results All HIV-positive patients were asymptomatic; the median CD4 count was 386 on entry into the study. Seropositive patients reported increased health distress (50.0 versus 87.5; P P = .01) during antenatal visits. During the perinatal period, HIV-negative patients had a decreased sense of overall health (40 versus 80; P P = .04). Six months postpartum, the HIV-positive women reported decreased cognitive function (41.7 versus 62.5; P P = .02). In general, HIV-negative women reported better quality of life in the antepartum as compared with the perinatal or postpartum period. This overall trend was also seen in the HIV-positive population. Conclusions This is the first longitudinal evaluation of perceived quality of life in HIV-positive pregnant subjects. We conclude that perceived quality of life differs between HIV-positive and HIV-negative pregnant women. These differences may not be manifest during initial antenatal visits but may develop as pregnancy, the disease process, and other life events specific to delivery and the postpartum period interact and affect overall perceived quality of life. Longitudinal evaluation of quality-of-life issues may be important in the comprehensive care of HIV-positive women during pregnancy.
In vitro “responsive” methylmalonic acidemia: A new variant

Two infants with elevated levels of methylmalonic acid in plasma and urine were found to have abnormal metabolism of propionate-1- 14 C in cultivated skin fibroblasts and deficient activity of methylmalonyl CoA carbonyl mutase in homogenates of liver and fibroblasts. Addition of 5′-deoxyadenosylcobalamin to the assay systems corrected these defects. Despite the in vitro responses, parenteral treatment of the patients with high doses of vitamin B 12 failed to decrease plasma or urinary methylmalonic acid. One of the patients exhibited significant hyperammonemia but failed to develop acidosis or ketosis throughout her clinical course. The significance of this new variant of methylmalonic acidemia with respect to the enzymatic basis of this inborn error and with respect to prenatal detection and genetic counseling is discussed.
Remote lapse-rate sensing using atmospheric refraction over complex terrain.

A technique for continuous remote lapse-rate measurements using atmospheric refraction over complex terrain has been developed. Using a vertically oriented 1024 element linear photodiode array at the focus of a C-90 Celestron to detect laser radiation, the lapse rate of the Big Sulfur Creek Valley was determined. (AIP)
Realized heritability of binary behavioral responses.

The distribution of a sample of binary responses, such asSCORE = the number of positive responses ofm trials, can be modeled by the betabinomial compound density. The heritability ofSCORE is estimated following the method detailed by W. G. Hill [(1972). Biometrics27:293–311], but the formula for the standard error is changed. The beta mixing density forp(response) allows for a variety of shapes for the distribution of individualp(response) values about the population mean. An example is provided in whichSCORE has a low heritability but the response to divergent selection can be seen clearly in the change in the shape of the distribution of individualp(response) values. These changes in shape can be diagnosed from sample estimates of the beta shape parameters, since these determine the mean, mode, and variance.
Distractions during resident handoffs: incidence, sources, and influence on handoff quality and effectiveness.

Importance Handoffs have significantly increased in number following Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) work-hour restrictions. Studies have shown correlations between the number of handoffs and errors/patient harm. Distractions are common during handoffs and may interfere with handoff quality and effectiveness. Objective To examine the frequency of distractions and their impact on handoff quality. Design, Setting, and Participants In this prospective observational study, a total of 214 surgical resident handoffs (residents = 184; Bay area residents [moonlighters] = 30) were observed over 18 months (July 11, 2012-December 19, 2014) by 2 independent observers in 3 teaching hospitals (university, county, and veterans). Main Outcomes and Measures Handoff quality (both giver and receiver) was assessed using a standardized scoring system. The number and types of distractions were recorded. Results Pages were the most common distraction (37.5%), followed by telephone calls (32.8%), residents/medical students (9.3%), talking (5.2%), and noise (4.1%). Distractions from attending physicians, electronics, nursing, consults, and room changes were less common (collectively 11%, each P = .01, junior vs moonlighter/senior). Distractions were more common during evening than morning handoffs (52% vs 36%; P = .045) and during team vs individual handoffs (58% vs 44%; P P P = .04). Handoff quality was not diminished by distractions, as measured by handoff giver score (15.41 without vs 15.47 with distractions; P = .90) and receiver score (7.42 without vs 7.25 with distractions; P = .45). Conclusions and Relevance To our knowledge, this is the largest study of distractions during surgical resident handoffs. Distractions were very common during handoffs; they were more common in the evening when junior residents more commonly performed the handoff and they increased the handoff length. However, distractions did not negatively affect the quality of resident handoffs. This may demonstrate the resilience of surgical residents to distractions.
Limiting spheroid size as a function of growth factor source location

Abstract Solutions C(r) of the time-independent nonhomogeneous diffusion equation for three different piecewise-uniform source terms are used to examine the limiting size of multicell spheroids using a simple model which reproduces concentration-dependent mitotic behavior. A condition is derived under which nontrivial solutions do not exist (in all three cases), and a condition for the existence of a unique nontrivial solution is established for the case of growth-modifying factor (GMF) production throughout the spheroid. Qualitative behavior of the limiting size is established as a function of various physiological parameters. Of fundamental importance is the assumed GMF concentration threshold θ, near which (i.e., as C → θ−) mitosis, and hence spheroid growth, is generally strongly inhibited.
Cells of the synovium in rheumatoid arthritis. Chondrocytes

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the inflammatory joint diseases in a heterogeneous group of disorders that share features of destruction of the extracellular matrices of articular cartilage and bone. The underlying disturbance in immune regulation that is responsible for the localized joint pathology results in the release of inflammatory mediators in the synovial fluid and synovium that directly and indirectly influence cartilage homeostasis. Analysis of the breakdown products of the matrix components of joint cartilage in body fluids and quantitative imaging techniques have been used to assess the effects of the inflammatory joint disease on the local remodeling of joint structures. The role of the chondrocyte itself in cartilage destruction in the human rheumatoid joint has been difficult to address but has been inferred from studies in vitro and in animal models. This review covers current knowledge about the specific cellular and biochemical mechanisms that account for the disruption of the integrity of the cartilage matrix in RA.
the myth of "moral panic": an alternative account of LSD prohibition

In this paper, the authors call into question the idea of moral panic and delineate the rudiments of an alternate model of deviance construction and moral public discourse, using LSD prohibition as a working example. In developing their model, the authors draw on research on people in disasters and collective behavior. In keeping with these traditions, they argue that, when faced with emergent social threats, members of society seek to clarify ambiguous and often conflicting information about such threats through affiliation. The process through which ambiguous social information gets interpreted closely resembles the ways in which social movements arrive at interpretive frames that ready participants for action. Thus, whether or not a social object becomes deviantized depends on a complex process of social construction involving active, not merely reactive, efforts by social actors (contrary to traditional images of "panic"). Members of the mass media, as a special category of social actors, are seen as ...
Bayesian analyses for a multiple capture-recapture model

SUMMARY In multiple capture-recapture surveys, the probability of capture can vary between sampling occasions. The model accounting for this variation is known as At. Bayes, empirical Bayes, and Bayes empirical Bayes solutions are given to the problems of interval estimation, decision making, and point estimation of the population size N. When the number of sampling occasions is small to moderate and the number of recaptured units observed on each sampling occasion is moderate, estimates obtained from empirical Bayes and Bayes empirical Bayes methods compare closely to Bayesian methods using a reference prior distribution for the capture probabilities. However, when the number of sampling occasions is large and the number of recaptured units observed on each sampling occasion is small, inferences obtained using different reference priors can differ considerably.
The Effect of Spatial Heterogeneity and Mobility on the Performance of Social-Ecological Systems

Abstract We use an agent-based model to analyze the effects of spatial heterogeneity and agents’ mobility on social–ecological outcomes. Our model is a stylized representation of a dynamic population of agents moving and harvesting a renewable resource. Cooperators (agents who harvest an amount close to the maximum sustainable yield) and selfish agents (those who harvest an amount greater than the sustainable yield) are simulated in the model. Three indicators of the outcomes of the system are analyzed: the number of settlements, the resource level, and the proportion of cooperators in the population. Our paper adds a more realistic approach to previous studies on the evolution of cooperation by considering a social–ecological system in which agents move in a landscape to harvest a renewable resource. Our results conclude that resource dynamics play an important role when studying levels of cooperation and resource use. Our simulations show that the agents’ mobility significantly affects the outcomes of the system. This response is nonlinear and very sensible to the type of spatial distribution of the resource richness. In our simulations, better outcomes of long-term sustainability of the resource are obtained with moderate agent mobility and cooperation is enhanced in harsh environments with low resource level in which cooperative groups have natural boundaries fostered by agents’ low mobility.
Another Target for NO

Nitric oxide (NO) is a poisonous free radical made by phagocytic cells to combat pathogens. Richardson et al. (2011) show that the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium lipoamide dehydrogenase is a target for the nitrosative stress exerted by NO and related reactive nitrogen species.
Attracting and Retaining Quality Teachers Through Incentives

The use of incentives to attract and retain teachers has become an important policy issue in the reform movement in many states. Important though this reform may be, when districts design an incentive framework, few of the alternatives are based on teacher suggestions or needs.
The biology of preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a systemic disease that results from placental defects and occurs in about 5–8% of pregnancies worldwide. Preeclampsia is a disease of many theories, wherein investigators put forward their favorite mechanistic ideas, each with a causal appeal for the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. In reality, the patho-mechanism of preeclampsia remains largely unknown. Preeclampsia, as diagnosed in patients today, is likely a heterogeneous collection of disease entities that share some common features but also show important differences. Therefore, one single mechanism may never be found to explain all the variants of preeclampsia. Current research must focus on evaluating such diverse mechanisms, as well as the possible common effector pathways. Here, we provide a discussion of several possible mechanisms and putative theories proposed for preeclampsia, with particular emphasis on the recent discovery of a new genetic mouse model offering new opportunities to explore experimental therapies.
The relationship of the Quaternary structure of allophycocyanin to its spectrum.

Abstract Allophycocyanin II in its trimer form (α3β3) at pH 7.0 has an absorption maximum at 652 nm. This band is selectively reduced in intensity at pH 7.0 when various salts are added. The loss of 652 nm absorption follows the order: NaClO4 ⪢ NaNO3 > NaBr > NaCl. When the NaClO4 concentration is in the range 0.6-1.0 m the 652-nm band is entirely lost, and sedimentation equilibrium and velocity studies suggest that the trimer is completely dissociated to monomers (αβ). Hydrophobic interactions appear to be important in maintaining the trimer. The monomer absorption maximum is at 616 nm. A series of experiments using these salts demonstrated at intermediate 652-nm intensities and the two extrema that an isobestic point at 626 nm is present which indicates an equilibrium between two species. Corresponding to the loss of 652 nm absorption is the disappearance of 661 nm fluorescence emission and the appearance of a new band at 642 nm. Removal of the NaClO4 by dialysis essentially restores the 652-nm absorption and 661-nm emission and the trimeric protein structure. The near ultraviolet region is only slightly perturbed during the loss of 652 nm absorption. In the absence of any additional salts these spectral changes also occur in pH 7.0 buffer at very low protein concentrations.
Effect of Black Plate on Growth Action and Corrosion Resistance of Sn-Fe Alloy Film

Effect of black plate on growth action and corrosion resistance of Sn-Fe alloy film was investigated by means of metallurgical microscope, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), salt spray corrosion test and electrochemistry methods. The results show that the different modes of annealing and rolling have a remarkably effects on the surface morphology and grain size of Sn-Fe alloys. Crystalline grain of Sn-Fe alloy film for T4-CA or T2.5-BA is relatively continues, homogeneous and denser, but that for DR materials exists obviously surface inhomogeneity sizes and even void space of interweave. Rust spot easily generate on discontinuous alloy films or void space of interweave growth and gradually cover on the surface of Sn-Fe alloy films without corrosion damage. Corrosion resistance of BA materials is better than that of CA materials. Under the same annealing mode, corrosion resistance of DR materials is worse.
SociaLite: Datalog extensions for efficient social network analysis

With the rise of social networks, large-scale graph analysis becomes increasingly important. Because SQL lacks the expressiveness and performance needed for graph algorithms, lower-level, general-purpose languages are often used instead. For greater ease of use and efficiency, we propose SociaLite, a high-level graph query language based on Datalog. As a logic programming language, Datalog allows many graph algorithms to be expressed succinctly. However, its performance has not been competitive when compared to low-level languages. With SociaLite, users can provide high-level hints on the data layout and evaluation order; they can also define recursive aggregate functions which, as long as they are meet operations, can be evaluated incrementally and efficiently. We evaluated SociaLite by running eight graph algorithms (shortest paths, PageRank, hubs and authorities, mutual neighbors, connected components, triangles, clustering coefficients, and betweenness centrality) on two real-life social graphs, Live-Journal and Last.fm. The optimizations proposed in this paper speed up almost all the algorithms by 3 to 22 times. SociaLite even outperforms typical Java implementations by an average of 50% for the graph algorithms tested. When compared to highly optimized Java implementations, SociaLite programs are an order of magnitude more succinct and easier to write. Its performance is competitive, giving up only 16% for the largest benchmark. Most importantly, being a query language, SociaLite enables many more users who are not proficient in software engineering to make social network queries easily and efficiently.
Surface lesions of corpus callosum.

Surface lesions of the corpus callosum, apparently hitherto unrecorded in the literature, are described. They were found in 17 cases among 168 consecutively examined brains. There was no correlation with clinical symptoms, or with general autopsy findings. Their morphology and relationship to neighboring structures suggest that they represent a form of physical trauma to the corpus callosum, but the exact mechanism of their production is not clear.
Dispersion of aminoalkylsilyl ester or amine alkyl-phosphonic acid side wall functionalized carbon nanotubes in silica using sol–gel processing

Aminopropyltriethoxysilane and aminopropyl-phosphonic ester modified carbon nanotubes were prepared by reacting fluorinated carbon nanotubes (F-CNTs) with the 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane or 3-aminopropyl-phosphonic acid reagents at 120 °C temperature, using pyridine as the base catalyst. These functionalized carbon nanotubes, APTES-CNTs, 1, and APPA-CNTs, 2, were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The homogeneous dispersion of these functionalized CNTs (0.1%) in silica were also accomplished by sol-gel processing. The TEM confirmed uniform dispersion of the functionalized CNT in silica.
Characterization of TiO2 surfaces active for novel organic syntheses

Quantitative distributions were determined for the oxidation states of titanium cations on TiO2(001) surfaces reduced by argon ion bombardment and reoxidized by thermal treatment. Information about the inhomogeneity of these distributions within the near-surface region sampled by XPS was obtained by angle-resolved measurements in which the position of the analyzer axis was varied with respect to the surface normal. These experiments demonstrated that (1) sputtering with 2 keV ions produced a surface containing Ti cations in the 1+, 2+, 3+, and 4+, but not 0 oxidation states; (2) these were reoxidized in a roughly sequential fashion as the surface was annealed to 750 K, at which temperature reoxidation to Ti4+ was complete; and (3) the average oxidation state of the topmost layers of the ion-bombarded surface was slightly higher than that determined from XPS spectra collected normal to the surface. Since the surfaces reduced by argon ion bombardment are active for organic assembly processes, including reductive coupling of aldehydes to form symmetric olefins, these surface characterization results demonstrate that Ti0 sites arenot required to effect reductive coupling, in contrast to conclusions from previous slurry-phase studies. These observations enhance the possibility that reductive carbonyl coupling might be rendered catalytic, since a smaller cycle of oxidation states is required than previously recognized.
The Grand Challenges [AP-S Turnstile]

Notwithstanding Niels Bohr's warning that `prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future,? I am often drawn (a guilty pleasure?) to our professional colleagues' attempts to gaze into the crystal ball about the future of technologies. Because of my longstanding interest in biomedical applications, I was especially curious about what the distinguished Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) had to say about the future of those fields. The AIMBE (www.aimbe.org) celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2011 by undertaking to identify the major trends in the next twenty years. The results of the AIMBE Fellows' discussions were summarized in a recent report [1], which identified the following six overarching challenges: 1. Engineering safe and sustainable water and food supply, 2. Engineering personalized health care, 3. Engineering solutions to injury and chronic diseases, 4. Engineering global health through infectious disease prevention and therapy, 5. Engineering sustainable bioenergy production, 6. Engineering the 21st century US economy.
RESPONSE OF EVERGLADES PLANT COMMUNITIES TO NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS ADDITIONS

Nitrogen(N) and phosphorus(P) were applied to sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense), mixed sawgrass-cattail (Typha domingensis), and slough (shallow water communities dominated byUtricularia spp.,Eleocharis spp., andPanicum spp.) communities in the Everglades for two years to test for N or P limitations and to investigate the plant community response. Nitrogen (as NH4+) and P (as PO43−) were applied singly and in combination at rates of 0.6, 1.2, and 4.8 g P · m−2·yr−1 and 5.6 and 22.4 g N·m−2·yr−1. Plant response was quantified by measuring aboveground standing crop biomass and tissue N and P concentrations each year. Everglades plant communities are P limited. Phosphorus additions at the highest rate (4.8 g·m2-yr−1) resulted in increased P uptake and biomass production by emergent vegetation. Tissue P concentrations of sawgrass and cattail were significantly higher in response to the high P (329–684 μg·g−1) and high N+P (371–594 μg·g−1) treatments (control=94–256 μg·g−1) in both years after the initiation of nutrient additions. Aboveground biomass also increased in response to the highest rat of P at the sawgrass (2618–3284 g/m2; control=1158 g/m2) and mixed (1387–1407 g/m2; control=502 g/m2) communities, but only after two years. At the slough site, the high P and high N+P treatments resulted in a significant decline of theUtricularia periphyton mat after only one year of nutrient additions (16–74 g·m2−; control=364 g·m−2). During the second year, the macroalga,Chara, expanded in these plots and replaced the floating mat as the major nonemergent component of the plant community. In all three communities, P additions at the highest rate resulted in a significant increase in bicarbonate-extractable and total soil P (0–5 cm depth). There was no effect of N additions on biomass production, nutrient uptake, or N enrichment of the peat during the two-year study. We observed no significant change in macrophyte species diversity or expansion of cattail in plots receiving nutrient additions during the two year study. However, the decline of theUtricularia-periphyton mat (and the subsequent increase inChara) in slough plots receiving 4.8 g P·m−2·yr−1 may serve as an early indicator of P enrichment in the Everglades.
Microleakage of selected composite restorative resins.

Abstract Five selected composite restorative resins were used to restore Class V preparations in extracted human maxillary canine teeth. In addition, a low-viscosity bonding resin was used in conjunction with one of the restorative resins. Microleakage, at both the incisal and cervical margins of the restorations, was assessed by means of a radioisotope after the restored teeth had been subjected to 2500 cyclic temperature changes at 5° and 55°, respectively. Incisal microleakage was not significantly different but severe microleakage was recorded at the cervical margins of the restorations.
Tape edge wear and its relationship to lateral tape motion

The relationship between tape edge wear and lateral tape displacement is investigated for a typical 12.7 mm (1/2 inch) tape drive. Tape edge wear is measured using atomic force microscopy, while lateral tape displacement is measured using an optical edge sensor. The lateral displacement signal is high-pass and band-pass filtered to examine the effect of tape edge wear on the dynamics of lateral tape displacement. In addition, time frequency analysis of the lateral displacement signal is performed.
Comparison of Statistical Errors of the Median and Average Evoked Responses

It has previously been demonstrated that the median evoked response (MER) is appreciably less sensitive than the average evoked response (AER) to large artifactual disturbances [2]. It is shown here that for Gaussian noise, with artifactual noise absent, the confidence intervals of the median and average are comparable.
Evaluating effectiveness of down-sampling for stratified designs and unbalanced prevalence in Random Forest models of tree species distributions in Nevada

Random Forests is frequently used to model species distributions over large geographic areas. Complications arise when data used to train the models have been collected in stratified designs that involve different sampling intensity per stratum. The modeling process is further complicated if some of the target species are relatively rare on the landscape leading to an unbalanced number of presences and absences in the training data. We explored means to accommodate unequal sampling intensity across strata as well as the unbalanced species prevalence in Random Forest models for tree and shrub species distributions in the state of Nevada. For the unequal sampling intensity issue, we tested three modeling strategies: fitting models using all the data, down-sampling the intensified stratum; and building separate models for each stratum. We explored unbalanced species prevalence by investigating the effects of down-sampling the more prevalent response (presence or absence), and by optimizing the cutoff thresholds for declaring a species present. When modeling species presence with stratified data that was collected with different sampling intensities per stratum, we found that neither down-sampling the intensified stratum, nor fitting individual strata models, improved model performance. We also found that balancing the number of presences and absences in a training data set by down-sampling did not improve predictive models of species distributions, and did not eliminate the need to optimize thresholds. We then apply our final choice of model to the full raster layers for Nevada to produce statewide species distribution maps.
Testing psychological trivia

A description is provided of a test for general knowledge of obscure facts from the history of psychology. Included are 120 questions that comprise the test, along with their answers. The test contains such questions as “What was the name of Clever Hans’ owner?” “What researcher first coined the term ‘reaction time’?” “In what year did Pavlov receive the Nobel prize?” Important uses for the test are suggested. All proceeds from the test will be donated to The Psychonomic Society.
An evolutionary approach to swarm adaptation in dense environments

The ability for a swarm of mobile agents to quickly adapt in unknown environments and reach a goal while avoiding obstacles and maintaining a formation is extremely important in time critical tasks. We utilize a physics-based autonomous agent framework combined with our DAEDALUS paradigm which allows the agents to learn from the neighboring agents. In traditional approaches, a swarm of agents learn the task in simulation(offline) combined with an evolutionary/genetic algorithm, and a global observer optimizes the swarm performance. In real world(online), the swarm of agents may have to rapidly adapt in unfamiliar environments. When there is no global observer and the online(real world) environment is dense with obstacles compared to offline environment, the performance feedback may be delayed or perturbed by noise, and the rules learned in simulation(offline) may not be sufficient to overcome the navigational difficulties, leaving the swarm to rapidly adapt in new environment. DAEDALUS is a paradigm designed to address these issues, by mimicking more closely the actual dynamics of populations of agents moving and interacting in a task environment. This paper presents an analysis of swarm adaptation using DAEDALUS in high obstacle density environments where agent interactions could be obstructed by obstacles.
AndWellness: an open mobile system for activity and experience sampling

Advances in mobile phone technology have allowed phones to become a convenient platform for real-time assessment of a participants health and behavior. AndWellness, a personal data collection system, uses mobile phones to collect and analyze data from both active, triggered user experience samples and passive logging of onboard environmental sensors. The system includes an application that runs on Android based mobile phones, server software that manages deployments and acts as a central repository for data, and a dashboard front end for both participants and researchers to visualize incoming data in real-time. Our system has gone through testing by researchers in preparation for deployment with participants, and we describe an initial qualitative study plus several planned future studies to demonstrate how our system can be used to better understand a user's health related habits and observations.
Electrical termination of tachyarrhythmias by discrete pulses.

Reentrant tachycardias can often be terminated by discrete pacing stimuli that penetrate the reentrant circuit. The ability of discrete stimuli to terminate an arrhythmia depends on the timing of the stimulus, the distance from the site of reentry where the stimulus is applied, the electrophysiologic properties of the myocardium between the site of stimulation and the site of reentry, and the size of the reentrant circuit. Modes of pacing used to terminate tachycardia have included single or multiple timed extrastimuli, overdrive pacing, burst pacing and competitive asynchronous (underdrive) pacing. Patient-triggered devices that deliver asynchronous pacing stimuli are routinely available. Newer devices have been developed that automatically sense the onset of tachycardia and respond with pacing stimuli. These devices have been highly effective in selected patients with supraventricular tachycardia. The seriousness of occasional pacing-induced acceleration of ventricular tachycardia or conversion to ventricular fibrillation has limited the application of these devices in patients with ventricular arrhythmias. Pre-implantations electrophysiologic studies are necessary to document arrhythmia mechanisms and to determine the feasibility of various pacing modalities in treating the tachycardia. The potential for complicating arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation/flutter or ventricular fibrillation) must also be tested. Future devices designed for terminating tachycardias with discrete pulses should be capable of being programmed to respond with one or more of the various modalities available. These devices should automatically and reliably sense both tachycardia onset and termination, and should adjust their responses appropriately if initial stimulation sequences fail to terminate the arrhythmia.
Overtested: how high-stakes accountability fails English language learners

Overtested: how high-stakes accountability fails English language learners, by Jessica Zacher Pandya, New York, Teachers College Press, 2011, xvi + 143 pp., $62.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-8077-5248-...
Desorption and Transformation of Nitroaromatic (TNT) and Nitramine (RDX and HMX) Explosive Residues on Detonated Pure Mineral Phases

Explosive compounds, including known toxicants 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), are loaded to soils during military training. Their fate in soils is ultimately controlled by soil mineralogical and biogeochemical processes. We detonated pure mineral phases with Composition B, a mixture of TNT and RDX, and investigated the fate of detonation residues in aqueous slurries constructed from the detonated minerals. The pure minerals included Ottawa sand (quartz and calcite), microcline feldspar, phlogopite mica, muscovite mica, vermiculite clay, beidellite (a representative of the smectite clay group), and nontronite clay. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and gas adsorption surface area measurements were made of the pristine and detonated minerals. Batch slurries of detonated minerals and deionized water were sampled for 141 days and TNT, RDX, and TNT transformation products were measured from the aqueous samples and from the mineral substrates at day 141. Detonated samples generally exhibited lower gas adsorption surface areas than pristine ones, likely from residue coating, shock-induced compaction, sintering, and/or partial fusion. TNT and RDX exhibited analyte loss in almost all batch solutions over time but loss was greater in vermiculite, beidellite, and phlogopite than in muscovite and quartz. This suggests common phyllosilicate mineral substrates could be used on military training ranges to minimize off-site migration of explosive residues. We present a conceptual model to represent the physical and chemical processes that occurred in our aqueous batches over time.
Class and cleats: Community college student athletes and academic success

This chapter examines the impact of athletic participation on community college students through reflective commentaries provided by current and former community college student athletes.
Directed Colloidal Assembly of Linear and Annular Lead Zirconate Titanate Arrays

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) arrays for ultrasonic sensing applications in the 2–30-MHz frequency range were fabricated by robocasting, a directed colloidal assembly technique. Both linear and annular arrays were produced by robotically depositing a concentrated PZT gel-based ink to create high-aspect-ratio PZT elements (thickness ∼ 130 μm and height ∼1–2 mm) of varying pitch (∼250–410 μm). The arrays were densified and infiltrated with an epoxy resin to fabricate PZT–polymer composites with 2–2 connectivity. Their dielectric and piezoelectric constants were measured and compared with values obtained for bulk PZT and those predicted theoretically.
What next for preimplantation genetic screening? Randomized clinical trial in assessing PGS: necessary but not sufficient

The randomized clinical trial (RCT) is a powerful experimental design that when properly executed produces generalizable results. Conducting a RCT becomes complex when technical skills are required. Without requisite skills, a RCT may yield misleading results, an elegant RCT unwittingly generating spurious results due to technical inexperience. This pitfall is applicable to procedures used to evaluate assisted reproductive technologies. RCTs assessing the value of preimplantation genetic screening, also called preimplantation genetic diagnosis for aneuploidy testing--require three general prerequisites--proper study design, skilled operators (embryo biopsy), and skilled laboratory cytogeneticists (diagnosis). Lacking either of the latter two, even an elegantly designed RCT is not necessarily valid.
On the Value of Diversity

In “Imposing Genetic Diversity,” Robert Sparrow (2015) compels us to think about the value of diversity and about how much we are willing to sacrifice in order to achieve a diverse world. He conclu...
Induction of CYP2E1 in Liver, Kidney, Brain and Intestine During Chronic Ethanol Administration and Withdrawal: Evidence That CYP2E1 Possesses a Rapid Phase Half-Life of 6 Hours or Less

Controversy exists as to whether the induction of CYP2E1 by ethanol occurs via increased protein synthesis or protein stabilization. To address these issues in vivo, we chronically administered ethanol to rats and determined levels of immunoreactive CYP2E1 in liver, kidney, brain and upper gastro-intestinal tract (GI). Our data shows that chronic ethanol administration induces hepatic (5-6-fold over pair-fed controls) and extra-hepatic CYP2E1, an effect which is strikingly absent 12 hours after ethanol withdrawal. No changes in CYP2E1 mRNA were observed at any time, suggesting these changes are mainly post-translational at a blood ethanol concentration of 0.15% w/v. Our experimental data indicates that CYP2E1 possesses a half-life of 6 hours or less in the liver and is rapidly degraded following the removal of ethanol. This pattern of CYP2E1 turnover was also observed in other tissues, suggestive of a similar mode of regulation.
Brief report: identifying a proxy for health care as part of routine medical inquiry.

BACKGROUND: Physician-initiated advance care planning is desirable, effective, and routinely indicated for competent adult patients, but doctors are often reluctant to begin the necessary conversations.
High resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of lactoperoxidase.

Abstract The first high resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra are reported for the native ferric and ferric cyano complexes of bovine lactoperoxidase. The spectrum of the native species exhibits broad heme signals in a far downfield region characteristic of the high-spin ferric state. The lowspin cyano complex yields a proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum with signals as far as 68.5 ppm downfield and as far as −28 ppm upfield of the tetramethylsilane reference. These peak positions are anomaious with respect to those seen only as far as 35 ppm downfield in other cyano hemoprotein complexes. An extreme asymmetry in the unpaired spin delocalization pattern of the iron porphyrin is suggested. The unusual proton nuclear magnetic resonance properties parallel distinctive optical spectral properties and the exceptional resistance to heme displacement from the enzyme. Lactoperoxidase utillized in these studies was isolated from raw milk and purified by an improved, rapid chromatographic procedure.
Survival of Adult Red-Throated Loons (Gavia stellata) May be Linked to Marine Conditions

Abstract. Large variations in the summering population size of Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) have occurred in recent decades in Alaska. Little information exists about annual or seasonal survival rates of adult Red-throated Loons. This study used tracking data from satellite transmitters implanted into 33 Red-throated Loons captured on breeding areas in Alaska to estimate annual survival with the sampling effort split between two study periods: 2000–2002 and 2008–2010. Mortality was inferred from transmitted sensor data that indicated body temperature of the Red-throated Loon and voltage of the transmitter's battery. Two definitive mortalities occurred, resulting in an annual survival estimate of 0.920 (SE = 0.054). The fates of two additional Red-throated Loons were ambiguous and, when treated as mortalities, the annual survival estimate was 0.838 (SE = 0.074). All four putative mortalities occurred during the non-breeding season in the early study period. Oceanic conditions, indexed by the Pacific...
Virtual local area network technology and applications

The paper gives the details of VLAN technology and explains not only how it works, but also explains the different types of VLANs and where they should be in a network. Some real world networks and some of the common problems associated with those traditional layouts are discussed. The author then integrates switches into those problem networks and examines the effect.
Stochastic approximation and large deviations: upper bounds and w.p.1 convergence

With probability one convergence results are obtained for stochastic recursive approximation algorithms under very general conditions. The gain sequence $\{ a_n \} $ can go to zero very slowly and state-dependent noise, discontinuous dynamical equations, and the projected or constrained algorithm are all treated. The basic technique is the theory of large deviations. Prior results obtained via this theory are extended in many directions. Let $\dot x = \bar b(x)$ denote the “mean” equation for the algorithm, let $\delta > 0$ be given, and let $G(\theta )$ be a neighborhood of a stable point $\theta $ of that ordinary differential equation. Then, asymptotic upper bounds to $a_N \log P\{ X_n \notin G(\theta ),n \geqq N\mid | {X_N - \theta } | \leqq \delta \} $, are obtained. These are often more informative than the usual classical rate of convergence results (that use a “local linearization”) and, furthermore, are obtained for the constrained and nonsmooth cases, for which there are no “rate of convergence”...
Future Directions for Cognitive Behavior Modification Research: The Quest for Cognitive Change

Cognitive behavior modification (CBM) techniques have been successful in changing the behavior of learning disabled children in specific situations. Little success, however, has been achieved in changing the cognitions of learning disabled children. Reasons for lack of evidence that CBM brings about cognitive change are explored. It is suggested that CBM researchers now need to assess CBM programs that are designed to have broader cognitive impact. Some conceptual and programmatic guidelines for what constitutes a greater cognitive emphasis are presented.
Ghost- and Guest-Authored Pharmaceutical Industry–Sponsored Studies: Abuse of Academic Integrity, the Peer Review System, and Public Trust

Industry-sponsored ghost- and guest-authored clinical research publications are a continuing problem in medical journals. These communications are written by unacknowledged medical communication companies and submitted to peer-reviewed journals by academicians who may not have participated in the writing process. These publications, which are used for marketing purposes, usually underestimate the adverse effects and medical risks associated with the products evaluated. Since peer-reviewed data are used to develop health care paradigms, misleading information can have catastrophic effects. A failure to curb ghost and guest authorship will result in an erosion of trust in the peer-review system, academic research, and health care paradigms.
Why We Are Here: A Review of the Literature on Motivations for Postdoctoral Appointments

This paper reviews the academic literature, government and professional association reports, and publicly available data to summarize what we know about who becomes a postdoc. As scientists become more likely to participate and persist in postdoctoral appointments, scientists and those who employ, fund, organize, and support them would like to better understand who becomes a postdoc and why. Although many of the most talented new PhDs become postdocs, there is concern that their talents are not fully utilized in these appointments. One way to approach the question of who becomes a postdoc is by examining individual characteristics like personal motivation, human capital, and demographics. Another approach considers the role of characteristics of the doctoral institution. This review considers both approaches to integrate our knowledge of individual and institutional determinants of postdoctoral study.
The Two-Field Theory of Language

At the heart of Buhler’s language theory lies the distinction between the Zeigfeld, or index field, and the Symbolfeld, or symbol field. This distinction points to the autonomous and separate functions of “intuitive pointing and presenting” and the abstract, conceptual grasping of the world. The two fields are “the two sources out of which in every case the precise interpretation of linguistic utterances is nourished” (ST 149), namely, the situation (which as intuitive is determined through deixis in all forms, thus generating the Zeigfeld) and the context (the syntactic matrix in which symbols are to be situated) . In the case of language, Bu hler thought, the radical distinction between these two fields cannot be overcome, nor can one be derived from the other.