cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increased efficacy of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki in combination with tannic acid

We identified tannic acid as an inexpensive additive that increased the efficacy of sublethal concentrations of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Berliner). Tannic acid mimicked the active constituents contained in an aqueous, tannin-rich extract of Taxus baccata (L.) bark that retarded development of Heliothis virescens (F.) larvae at 10,000 ppm; most larvae remained in first and second stage when treated with 250-10,000 ppm of tannic acid. Instar development of Trichoplusia ni (Hubner) larvae was affected in a concentration-dependent manner by 2.5-500 ppm of tannic acid. In subsequent bioassays, tannic acid at 25-500 ppm in combination with B. thuringiensis (1.63 micrograms [AI]/ml diet) yielded mean mortalities of 57-75%, whereas treatments with B. thuringiensis alone produced 10% mortality. Mean mortalities in the 3.0, 4.5, and 6.75 micrograms (AI) B. thuringiensis per milliliter of diet treatments (5.5; 8.0, and 30%, respectively) were significantly higher in the presence of 250 and 2,500 ppm tannic acid; in these treatments we observed 78-94% mortality. Addition of tannic acid increased the activity of concentrations of 3-4.5 micrograms (AI) B. thuringiensis per milliliter of diet to approximately that of a concentration of 13 micrograms (AI) B. thuringiensis per milliliter of diet alone (85-95% mortality). Although deaths caused by a formulation of B. thuringiensis + tannic acid occurred more slowly than with high rates of B. thuringiensis alone, such formulations would have the advantages of arresting development, minimizing foliar damage, and decreasing the concentration of B. thuringiensis used.
Inclusive cross section and single transverse-spin asymmetry of very forward neutron production at PHENIX

The cross section and xF dependence of AN of very forward neutron production in polarized p + p collisions at √s = 200 GeV were measured in the PHENIX experiment at RHIC. The measured cross sections were consistent with the xF scaling claimed by the ISR experiment. Significant negative AN was observed in the forward region, and no significant backward AN was observed. We also measured √s and pT dependence of AN of very forward neutron production at √s from 62.4 to 500 GeV.
Human Performance in Virtual Environments: Effects of Presence, Immersive Tendency, and Simulator Sickness

To better understand how performance on virtual environment (VE) tasks can be affected, four virtual environment constructs were studied and a model was generated to explain the relationships among...
Partial Epilepsy with Auditory Features

The clinical characteristics of 53 sporadic (S) cases of idiopathic partial epilepsy with auditory features (IPEAF) were analyzed and compared to previously reported familial (F) cases of autosomal dominant partial epilepsy with auditory features (ADPEAF) in a study at the University of Bologna, Italy.
Coherent Microwave Imaging for Buried Objects

Imaging objects embedded in lossy inhomogeneous media has a considerable range of applications in the domains of ground-probing practices and nondestructive evaluation of civil engineering structures. The most common problems encountered in these practices are the strong clutter noise [1], and, in many situations, the unknown host medium properties at the time of the measurement. Conventionally, a separate measurement in advance is required for providing information regarding the host medium. For example, an additional reflectometric measurement can be used to retrieve the permittivity of the host material. However, this exercise may not be feasible or practical in many applications. Consequently, most of the probing radar practices are performed with sensors placed very close or in contact with the surface to minimize the interference from strong surface echoes. But such an arrangement cannot be applied while there is no convenient access to the proximity of the host structure.
Defining Employee Benefits: A Managerial Perspective

“Benefits” are offered to employees because they promote job satisfaction and increase organizational commitment. They are generally defined as forms of indirect or non-wage compensation, conceptualizations that are principally useful for accounting and tax purposes. A definition of “benefits” from a managerial perspective can help to clarify how they can be used to achieve employee satisfaction and commitment. This article includes a brief history of benefits, an international comparison of their usage, and a review of their most widely accepted definitions. A new definition of employee benefits is proposed.
High-Resolution Mapping of Sources Contributing to Urban Air Pollution Using Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis: Benzene and Diesel Black Carbon

The adjoint of the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model at 1 km horizontal resolution is used to map emissions that contribute to ambient concentrations of benzene and diesel black carbon (BC) in the San Francisco Bay area. Model responses of interest include population-weighted average concentrations for three highly polluted receptor areas and the entire air basin. We consider both summer (July) and winter (December) conditions. We introduce a novel approach to evaluate adjoint sensitivity calculations that complements existing methods. Adjoint sensitivities to emissions are found to be accurate to within a few percent, except at some locations associated with large sensitivities to emissions. Sensitivity of model responses to emissions is larger in winter, reflecting weaker atmospheric transport and mixing. The contribution of sources located within each receptor area to the same receptor’s air pollution burden increases from 38–74% in summer to 56–85% in winter. The contribution of local sour...
The efficacy and morbidity of different surgical treatment techniques for chronic anal fissure: an academic colorectal experience.

Abstract Up to 40 per cent of chronic fissures will fail to heal with medical treatment alone. Open (OLIS) and closed (CLIS) lateral internal sphincterotomies are considered by many to be the treatment of choice for chronic anal fissures (CAF). The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and clinical outcomes of different surgical techniques for treatment of CAF. We performed a retrospective chart review of 387 patients with CAF who underwent surgical intervention performed by colorectal surgeons between 2006 and 2012 at Greenville Hospital System. Of 387 patients, 199 underwent OLIS, 124 CLIS, and 64 patients underwent fissurectomy alone (FE). We investigated the effect of the surgical technique on time of healing, rate of flatus incontinence, wound infection, recurrence, and the need for additional intervention. There was no statistically significant difference among patients undergoing OLIS, CLIS, and FE in demographic characteristic, time of healing, rate of wound infections, and fecal continence, or recurrence rate. Comparison of a combined lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) group with FE showed that there is similar time of healing (P = 0.58), no statistical difference in flatus incontinence rate (P = 0.61), urinary retention (P = 1.0), fissure recurrence (P = 0.11), and prolonged healing (P = 0.2). Patients in FE group more likely required additional treatment to complete wound healing (P = 0.02). LIS is a safe and effective technique for treatment of CAF. Although there was no difference in complications rate and healing time, patients in the FE group required additional surgical or medical treatment more frequently to achieve complete healing.
Financial incentives for improving the quality of primary care.

Financial incentives are associated with minimal, if any, improvements in quality of care provided by primary care physicians. It is uncertain whether financial incentives are cost-effective relative to other types of quality-improvement interventions.
Resistance mechanisms to targeted therapies in ROS1+ and ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer.

9065Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients (pts) harboring ROS1 (ROS1+)and ALK gene fusions (ALK+) treated with oncogene-directed therapies experience significant improvements in r...
Ein Ansatz zur Ermittlung von Erfolgsfaktoren beim Management von Softwareprojekten

Waren fruher die Hardwarekosten der grosere Anteil an den DV-Gesamtkosten, so verschob sich die Relation in der Folgezeit in Richtung des Softwarekostenanteils. Die heutige Situation ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, das haufig bis zu 80% des EDV-Budgets fur Softwareerstellung aufgewendet wird. Eine kostengunstigere Erstellung von Software gewinnt aus diesem Grunde in zunehmendem Mase an Bedeutung. Neben der Verbesserung von Softwareengineering-Methoden (Tools, etc.) ist ein weiterer Ansatzpunkt zur kostengunstigeren Erstellung von Software die Verbesserung des Projektmanagements. In dieser Arbeit wird der Versuch unternommen, mogliche Erfolgsfaktoren bezuglich des Projekterfolges, gemessen durch verschiedene Variable, wie Termin- und Budgeteinhaltung, Anwenderzufriedenheit, etc., mit Methoden der explorativen Datenanalyse zu ermitteln. Hierzu wurde eine empirische Pilot-Untersuchung an einer bezuglich der groberen Entwicklungsumgebung homogenen Gruppe von 15 Projekten durchgefuhrt, die alle eine innovative Softwareerstellung zum Inhalt hatten.
Dynamics of wave–current–surge interactions in Lake Michigan: A model comparison

Abstract Wave, storm surge dynamics, and wave–current–surge interactions (WCSI) were investigated by applying a pair of unstructured-grid-based models to Lake Michigan under two strong wind events. The effects of wind field sources, wind drag coefficient bulk formula, and parameterizations of the bottom friction term were explored to understand lake dynamics. Two wave models were calibrated by using alternative wave physics settings under the 2011 northeasterly wind event. Forced by the southwesterly wind event in 2013, the calibrated models using the atmosphere–ocean fully coupled Climate Forecast System Version 2 wind field were further validated. It is found that the northwesterly winds induced 0.57 m setup near the southwestern coast, whereas the southwesterly winds produced 0.28 m setup and –0.43 m setdown near the northern and southwestern coasts, respectively. The WCSI mostly influence waves and storm surge in shallow-water areas near coasts and islands through depth-induced breaking, current-induced frequency shift and refraction, and wave-induced setup/setdown through wave radiation stress. Owing to the adoption of different discretization algorithms and bottom friction formulations, the modeled storm surge and waves exhibit some variation between the paired models. Even though the storm surge difference with and without WCSI is smaller than that between the two WCSI-coupled models, both circulation models adopt WCSI considering their consistent improvement on model accuracy under both wind events. The analysis of water transport indicates that wind speed, direction, and coastal geometry and bathymetry are also important factors in storm surge.
Double-stranded RNA delivery through soaking mediates silencing of the muscle protein 20 and increases mortality to the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri.

BACKGROUND Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, is the most important economic pest of citrus because it transmits Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the causal agent of huanglongbing (HLB). Silencing genes by RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising approach for controlling D. citri. RNAi-based insect management strategies depend on the selection of suitable target genes. RESULTS The muscle protein 20 gene DcMP20 was characterized from D. citri in an effort to impair proper muscle development through RNAi. Phylogenetic analysis showed that DcMP20 was more closely related to MP20 from Drosophila compared with its counterpart from other insect species. Developmental expression analysis revealed that transcription of DcMP20 was development dependent and reached a maximum level in the last instar (fourth–fifth) of the nymphal stage. The extent of RNAi in D. citri was dose dependent, with dsRNA-DcMP20 at 75 ng µL−1 being sufficient to knock down endogenous DcMP20 expression, which resulted in significant mortality and reduced body weight that positively correlated with the silencing of DcMP20. No effect was found when dsRNA-GFP or water was used, indicating the specific effect of dsRNA-DcMP20. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that dsRNA can be delivered to D. citri through soaking, and DcMP20 is an effective RNAi target to be used in the management of D. citri. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Voltage tunable magnetoelectric devices

Multiferroic materials have provided more and more opportunities for improving the performance of voltage tunable RF/microwave devices. The coexistence of electric polarization and magnetization in multiferroic materials provides realization of the electric control of magnetism. Strong ME coupling has been the enabling factor for different multiferroic devices, especially at RF/microwave electronics frequencies. In this paper, we will mainly discuss about the basis of voltage tunable RF/microwave devices and multiferroic materials. We will show results of tunable RF devices, such as integrated non-reciprocal tunable bandpass filter with ultra-wideband isolation. These novel magnetics and multiferroic devices show great promise for applications compact, lightweight and power efficient sensing, memory, RF and microwave integrated electronics.
Families by Law: An Adoption Reader

Since the mid-19th century, American law has recognized adoption as a way to create parent-child relationships. As the product of law, rather than blood, adoptive families have become a focal point for debates about the meaning of family, the rights and responsibilities of parents, and the best interests of children. Families by Law brings together diverse perspectives on contemporary aspects of adoption law and practice. Following a historical overview of adoption in American law and society, the reader presents different responses to concerns about who may place children for adoption, the status of birth parents, who may adopt, and the legal and psychosocial consequences of adoption. The new frontiers of adoption are explored: from transracial and intercountry adoption, adoption by same sex couples, and the adoption of children with special needs, to the movements for opening records and maintaining post-adoption contact between adoptive and birth families. The relationship between adoption and assisted reproductive technologies is discussed, as are feminist, economic, and philosophical perspectives on adoption and procreation. The volume includes statutes and cases, advocacy organization statements, and pieces from legal scholars, social scientists, philosophers, psychologists, and sociologists in order to provide a wealth of information about the contemporary dimensions of adoption. Families by Law provides undergraduates, as well as law, social welfare, and public policy graduate students and others interested in family relationships with a multifaceted context for understanding the complexities of contemporary family life.
Towards a Stronger Conceptualization of the Maker Mindset: A Case Study of an After school Program with Squishy Circuits

This study investigates the theoretical conception of the maker mindset in a making and tinkering afterschool program using Squishy Circuits. With a qualitative case study methodology, we analyzed the discourse and interaction of one learner guided by two analytical frameworks. Our finding shows the importance of providing making activities with various learning orientations (design, technology, collaboration, play) that challenge learners beyond their preferred engagement style to foster the development of all aspects of the maker mindset. Our finding highlights the need for a more nuanced analytical framework for characterizing how the three dimensions of a maker mindset interlock and diverge through making activities.
Is cardiovascular risk factor knowledge sufficient to influence behavior

This paper examines the level of cardiovascular risk knowledge in the general population and the relationship between such knowledge and behavior. The following questions are addressed: (1) How informed is the general population about what persons can do to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease? (2) How do sociodemographic factors, self-perceptions of health, and cardiovascular risk factors relate to knowledge? (3) Is there a relationship between knowledge and behavior? (4) What might explain apparent inconsistencies between knowledge and behavior? The data used in this paper derive from a random sample of 732 men and women form the greater Boston area. We assessed cardiovascular risk factor knowledge by asking respondents what specific steps a person could take to make a heart attack or stroke less likely. Risk factors (including physiological measures), sociodemographic factors, and self-perceptions of health also were measured. Results showed that respondents were most knowledgeable about the relationships of exercise and cholesterol to heart disease. Knowledge was related positively to education, being female, and exercising. When we compared knowledge with behavior, results showed that for smokers and those who were overweight, risk was related to awareness, thus suggesting that knowledge does not lead necessarily to risk-reducing behavior. Implications of these results in terms of education and prevention are discussed.
Constructing Predictive Cancer Systems Biology Models

Systems biology combines computational modeling with quantitative experimental measurements to study complex biological processes. Here, we outline an approach for parameterizing and validating a systems biology model to yield predictive tool that can generate testable hypotheses and expand biological understanding.
Wilfred Dolfsma: Government failure: society, markets, and rules

Government Failure is a compellation of work from Wilfred Dolfsma on the topics of market and society, government failure, and institutional analysis. It consists of eleven chapters from introduction to conclusion that introduce the concept of government failure and provide applications to policy issues related to intellectual property rights and healthcare. He starts with an outline of the book, and notes several philosophers and economists who have historically addressed the issue of the role of government or government failure. He highlights Hobbes, Macchiavelli, More, Popper, Mill, and Locke on their views of government. He cites Hayek and Mises on their distrust of government and its inability to centrally plan an economy. Dolfsma argues that the role of government is to set the rules, by which we are governed. He suggests economists look beyond public expenditures for examples of government failure. Instead, he proposes that government fails when setting the rules. However, there is no mention of the public choice concept of government failure developed over the last half of the twentieth century including Coase (1964) and Buchanan (1983). Dolfsma explains the relationship between markets and society offering three possibilities: (1) markets and society are separate, (2) markets are embedded in society, and (3) society is embedded in the market. He argues the first case is orthodox economics, and we should be using the second or third cases to examine reform. He uses the case of healthcare reform to demonstrate how treating markets and society separately creates problems. I found the example to be difficult to follow and I was unsure which of the three models he was suggesting for healthcare. I agree that markets and society are embedded, but it is not clear whether he thinks model 2 or 3 is a more realistic view of the world. He never defines market and society, and leaves readers questioning in which of these sectors government resides. On the subject of private incentives and public virtues, he draws on the work of Amartya Sen. Dolfsma focuses on the public good, but the discussion goes back and forth between the provision of public goods and generating private incentives that promote the
Experimental brain ischaemia: assessment of injury by magnetic resonance spectroscopy and histology.

Phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) was made to measure changes in brain high energy phosphate compounds, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and phosphocreatine (PCr), inorganic phosphorus (Pi) and intracellular pH (pHi) during a prolonged period of incomplete brain ischaemia produced, in anaesthetized dogs, by bilateral carotid occlusion together with haemorrhagic hypotension for intervals of up to 300 min. Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) was lowered in a stepwise fashion, until signs of metabolic decompensation (as estimated by MRS) occurred. At that point MABP was varied against further evidence of metabolic decompensation in an attempt to maintain a more constant degree of insult. At the end of the ischaemic period MABP was restored and the animals observed during a3h recovery period. At the end of the recovery period the brains were perfusion-fixed for histological examination. A semi-quantitative method of histological evaluation was used to determine the degree of histological damage...
Photoprotective Role of Melanin (Eumelanin) in Human Skin

Natural light and UV radiation (UVR) from artificial sources has always been recognized for and endowed with health-giving powers as well as for its tonic value of generating a feeling that it is good for our psyche and contributes to the synthesis of vitamin D essential for maintaining calcium and phosphorus homeostasis and a healthy skeleton. It provides the healthy looking tan that enhances the photoprotective properties of our skin against skin cancer and photoaging.
Big Tex is burning: performing iconicity by means of collaborative directing

This essay highlights the creative process of creating Big Tex is Burning, a devised and collaboratively created performance about the destruction and resurrection of Big Tex at the Texas State Fai...
Anatomical Basis of the Gastroepiploic Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer: A Radiographic Evaluation Using Computed Tomographic Angiography.

Background The omentum, nourished by the gastroepiploic vessels, has gained popularity as an option for vascularized lymph node transfer. The anatomy of the gastroepiploic vessels, omentum, and lymph nodes has not been investigated. The purpose of this article is to describe the right gastroepiploic artery and related structures by using computed tomographic angiography. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 34 patients who underwent computed tomographic angiography. Statistical models were applied to identify right gastroepiploic artery and lymph node anatomical characteristics. Results The right gastroepiploic artery was identified in 33 of 34 patients. It was found to have a diameter of 2.49 ± 0.66 mm at its origin. The gastroduodenal artery length before right gastroepiploic artery takeoff was 3.09 ± 1.31 cm. Twenty-five patients had lymph nodes in the right gastroepiploic artery lymphosome. There were 2.7 ± 2.12 lymph nodes identified per patient. The distance from the right gastroepiploic artery origin to the most proximal lymph node was 3.99 ± 2.21 cm. The distance from the gastroepiploic artery origin to the third lymph node was 9.12 ± 5.06 cm. Each lymph node was within 7.00 ± 6.2 mm of the right gastroepiploic artery. Conclusions When using the right gastroepiploic artery donor site for vascularized lymph node transfer, the plastic surgeon should anticipate using a pedicle length of 4 cm, a total flap length of 9 cm, and 3 cm of surrounding tissue to obtain at least three lymph nodes for transfer. Computed tomographic angiography is an effective imaging modality that can be used for patient-specific surgical navigation before vascularized lymph node transfer.
El lenguaje visual innovador de Pere Joan: el pictograma analógico frente a la cultura digital en el cómic español contemporáneo

ABSTRACTOEste articulo explora la creacion de un lenguaje iconico innovador por parte del artista grafico Pere Joan en su obra 100 pictogramas para un siglo (XX) (2014). Su trabajo critico-visual refleja el estatus contemporaneo de los emoticonos y los emoji, signos de una creciente integracion de lo digital en la vida cotidiana. Entendido a la luz de la produccion reciente del artista, el lenguaje analitico visual de Pere Joan funciona como una aceptacion de las posibilidades formales senaladas por lo digital y a la vez como una reivindicacion de la cultura analogica y la reflexion historica. Ademas, la estructura innovadora de las paginas del libro pone de manifiesto la relacion entre el comic y el arte grafico puro. Al fin y al cabo, mas que una celebracion de la era digital, 100 pictogramas recupera un impulso ensayistico analogico para recalcar el potencial critico de toda imagen. Desde el minimalismo formal, eco grafico de los emoticonos, Pere Joan hace posible una toma de conciencia historica que s...
Cycles of external dependency drive evolution of avian carotenoid networks

All organisms depend on input of exogenous compounds that cannot be internally produced. Gain and loss of such dependencies structure ecological communities and drive species’ evolution, yet the evolution of mechanisms that accommodate these variable dependencies remain elusive. Here, we show that historical cycles of gains and losses of external dependencies in avian carotenoid-producing networks are linked to their evolutionary diversification. This occurs because internalization of metabolic controls—produced when gains in redundancy of dietary inputs coincide with increased branching of their derived products—enables rapid and sustainable exploration of an existing network by shielding it from environmental fluctuations in inputs. Correspondingly, loss of internal controls constrains evolution to the rate of the gains and losses of dietary precursors. Because internalization of a network’s controls necessarily bridges diet-specific enzymatic modules within a network, it structurally links local adaptation and continuous evolution even for traits fully dependent on contingent external inputs. The mechanisms that accommodate variable external dependencies in evolution are not clear. Here, the authors show that switches between external and internal metabolic controls of carotenoid-producing networks in birds are linked to shifts in evolutionary rates, with internalization of control resulting in bursts of evolutionary diversification.
A Defense Of Model Averaging

Model averaging of partial regression coefficients has been criticized for averaging over a set of models with coefficients that are either incommensurable or describe fundamentally different things if there is any correlation (multicollinearity) among the predictors. It is easy to show that partial regression coefficients conditional on different covariates are commensurable. And, partial regression coefficients from different models can have the same meaning if they are used to estimate the effects in a causal model, which derive their meaning from the specified paths and not from the set of covariates. A multiple regression model implicitly specifies a causal model with direct, causal paths from each predictor to the response. Consequently, the partial regression coefficient for a predictor has the same meaning across all sub-models if the goal is estimation of the causal effects that generated the response. In order to clarify the effects of multicollinearity on model-averaged estimates, I compare effect estimates using a small Monte-Carlo simulation. The simulation results show that model-averaged and ridge estimates have increasingly better performance, relative to model selection and full model estimates, as multicollinearity increases.
Reheating constraints to WIMP inflation

Analyses of inflation models are usually conducted assuming a specific range---e.g., ${N}_{k}\ensuremath{\simeq}50--60$--of the number ${N}_{k}$ of $e$-folds of inflation. However, the analysis can also be performed by taking into account constraints imposed by the physics of reheating. In this paper, we apply this analysis to a class of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP-)inflation models in which the inflaton also plays the role of dark matter. Our analysis also updates prior WIMP-inflation work with more recent Planck 2018 data. With this new analysis, inflaton potentials $V(\ensuremath{\phi})=\ensuremath{\lambda}{\ensuremath{\phi}}^{4}$ and $\ensuremath{\lambda}{\ensuremath{\phi}}_{0}^{4}[1\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{cos}(\ensuremath{\phi}/{\ensuremath{\phi}}_{0}){]}^{2}$ are ruled out, while $V(\ensuremath{\phi})=\ensuremath{\lambda}{\ensuremath{\phi}}_{0}^{4}{1\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{exp}[\ensuremath{-}(\ensuremath{\phi}/{\ensuremath{\phi}}_{0}{)}^{2}]{}}^{2}$ is slightly disfavored, and $V(\ensuremath{\phi})=\ensuremath{\lambda}{\ensuremath{\phi}}_{0}^{4}{\mathrm{tanh}}^{4}(\ensuremath{\phi}/{\ensuremath{\phi}}_{0})$ is only viable for certain reheating conditions. We verify that the results are insensitive to the WIMP or inflaton mass, for these potentials, as long as it is in the range ${m}_{\ensuremath{\phi}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}100\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$. In addition, we also discuss for the first time the effect of post-reheating entropy production (from, e.g., cosmological phase transitions) in this reheating-physics analysis. When accounted for, it decreases the number of $e$-folds through $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{N}_{k}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}\ensuremath{-}(1/3)\mathrm{ln}(1+\ensuremath{\gamma})$, where $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\equiv}\ensuremath{\delta}s/s$ is the fractional increase in entropy. We briefly discuss the possible impact of entropy production on inflation-model constraints in earlier work.
ON DISSIPATIVE NONLINEAR HAMILTONIAN SYSTEMS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses two approximation techniques for studying the dynamics of weakly nonlinear Hamiltonian systems; the mean square linearization method and the super convergent method of Chirikov. These techniques are of interest because solving the equations of motion directly, for any but the simplest nonlinear system, is a notoriously difficult task. Both of these approximation techniques involve averages; the former uses ensemble averages of the equation of motion; the latter employs phase averages of the system Hamiltonian. The chapter discusses the use of a fairly general model Hamiltonian to display the two methods. The model system is nonlinear, dissipative, and stochastic and has many degrees of freedom. A general description of such a system is provided by the generalized Langevin equation. The first approximation technique applied to this model is that of mean square linearization. In this method, the nonlinear interaction is replaced by a linear one in such a way that the mean square error induced by this replacement is a minimum. The second technique is based on Hamilton–Jacobi theory and has been called super convergent by Chirikov.
Cox-nnet v2.0: improved neural-network based survival prediction extended to large-scale EMR data.

SUMMARY Cox-nnet is a neural-network based prognosis prediction method, originally applied to genomics data. Here we propose the version 2 of Cox-nnet, with significant improvement on efficiency and interpretability, making it suitable to predict prognosis based on large-scale population data, including those electronic medical records (EMR) datasets. We also add permutation-based feature importance scores and the direction of feature coefficients. When applied on a kidney transplantation dataset, Cox-nnet v2.0 reduces the training time of Cox-nnet up to 32 folds (n = 10,000) and achieves better prediction accuracy than Cox-PH (p < 0.05). It also achieves similarly superior performance on a publicly available SUPPORT data (n = 8,000). The high efficiency and accuracy make Cox-nnet v2.0 a desirable method for survival prediction in large-scale EMR data. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION Cox-nnet v2.0 is freely available to the public at https://github.com/lanagarmire/Cox-nnet-v2.0. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Can normalized carcinoembryonic antigen following neoadjuvant chemoradiation predict tumour recurrence after curative resection for locally advanced rectal cancer

Aim The aim of this work was to evaluate whether normalized carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) following neoadjuvant chemoradiation predicts the prognosis following curative resection in locally advanced rectal cancer. Method Patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation and curative resection for locally advanced rectal cancer between 2010 and 2015 were divided into three groups: Group A (n = 119, normal-to-normal): normal CEA before and after neoadjuvant chemoradiation; Group B (n = 37, high-to-normal): elevated CEA before and normal CEA after neoadjuvant chemoradiation; Group C (n = 36, high-to-high): elevated CEA before and after neoadjuvant chemoradiation. Overall and disease-free survival were compared. Univariate and multivariate analyses identified potential predictors for recurrence. Results One hundred and ninety two patients [median age 59 years (range 31-87), 65.1% male] were identified: 54.7% had low rectal cancer: 12.5% were clinical stage T4 and 70.3% were clinically node positive; 21.9% achieved complete pathological response; 24.5% had abdominoperineal resection (APR); and 70.3% underwent adjuvant chemotherapy following curative resection. Significantly more patients in Group C underwent APR (p = 0.0209), had advanced pathological T stage (P = 0.0065) and a higher prevalence of perineural invasion (p = 0.0042). Overall and disease-free survival were significantly higher for Group A than for Group C [hazard ratio (HR) = 4.32, 95% CI = 1.66-11.21, p = 0.0026 and HR=2.68, 95% CI = 1.33-5.40, p = 0.0057, respectively]. No significant difference was noted between Groups A and B for overall (p = 0.0591) or disease-free (p = 0.2834) survival. Another risk factor associated with recurrence and death was clinical T4 stage; nodal positivity was a risk factor only for recurrence. Conclusion Elevated CEA after neoadjuvant chemoradiation and clinical stage T4 disease were unfavourable predictors for overall and disease-free survival. Normalized CEA during neoadjuvant chemoradiation may serve as a prognosticator, although pretreatment CEA may significantly affect survival.
Combined SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification testing and respiratory virus panel RT-PCR on the Hologic Panther Fusion system.

Abstract Background Significant overlap exists between the symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses. This poses a serious challenge to clinical diagnosis, laboratory testing, and infection control programs. Objectives To evaluate the performance of the Hologic Panther Fusion Respiratory Assays (RA) compared to the GenMark ePlex Respiratory Pathogen Panel (RPP) and to assess the ability of the Panther Fusion to perform parallel testing of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses from a single sample. Study design A diagnostic comparison study was carried out using 375 clinical nasopharyngeal specimens. Assay performance was assessed by overall, positive, and negative percent agreement and Cohen’s kappa coefficient. Results Overall agreement between the Fusion RA and ePlex RPP was 97.3 % (95 % CI 96.3−98.0), positive percent agreement was 97.2 % (95 % CI 93.0−99.2), negative percent agreement was 97.3 % (95 % CI 96.3−98.0), and the kappa coefficient was 0.85 (95 % CI 0.81−0.89). Forty additional viruses in 30 specimens were detected by Fusion that were not detected by ePlex. The maximum specimen throughput for parallel testing of the Fusion Respiratory Assays with SARS-CoV-2 was 275 samples in 20.7 h for Fusion SARS-CoV-2 and 350 samples in 20.0 h for Aptima Transcription Mediated Amplification SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion Fusion RA demonstrated substantial agreement compared to the ePlex RPP. However, the Fusion detected respiratory viruses not identified by ePlex, consistent with higher clinical sensitivity. Workflows for parallel testing of respiratory pathogens and SARS-CoV-2 demonstrate that the Panther Fusion instrument provides a flexible, moderate to high throughput testing option for pandemic and seasonal respiratory viruses.
The Violating Assumptions Series: Simulated demonstrations to illustrate how assumptions can affect statistical estimates

When teaching and discussing statistical assumptions, our focus is oftentimes placed on how to test and address potential violations rather than the effects of violating assumptions on the estimates produced by our statistical models. The latter represents a potential avenue to help us better understand the impact of researcher degrees of freedom on the statistical estimates we produce. The Violating Assumptions Series is an endeavor I have undertaken to demonstrate the effects of violating assumptions on the estimates produced across various statistical models. The series will review assumptions associated with estimating causal associations, as well as more complicated statistical models including, but not limited to, multilevel models, path models, structural equation models, and Bayesian models. In addition to the primary goal, the series of posts is designed to illustrate how simulations can be used to develop a comprehensive understanding of applied statistics.
Quantifying changes in glioma biology with treatment using modeling of edema formation and clinical imaging

Glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of primary brain tumor, is predominantly assessed with gadolinium‐enhancedT1‐weighted (T1Gd) and T2‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Pixel intensity enhancement on the T1Gd image corresponds to the contrast agent leaking from the tumor‐induced neovasculature, while hyperintensity on theT2/FLAIR images represents a mix of edema and infiltrated tumor cells. None of these modalities directly show tumor cells; rather, they capture abnormalities in the microenvironment caused by the presence of tumor cells. Thus, clinical assessment of disease response after treatments impacting the microenvironment remains challenging through the obscuring lens of MR imaging. Anti‐angiogenic therapies have been used in the treatment of gliomas with spurious results ranging from no apparent response to significant imaging improvement with the potential for extremely diffuse patterns of tumor recurrence on imaging and autopsy. Anti‐angiogenic treatment normalizes the vasculature, effectively decreasing vessel permeability and thus reducing tumor‐induced edema, drastically altering T2‐weighted MRI. We extend a previously developed mathematical model of glioma growth to explicitly incorporate edema formation allowing us to directly characterize and potentially predict the effects of anti‐angiogenics on imageable tumor growth. A comparison of simulated glioma growth and imaging enhancement with and without bevacizumab supports the current understanding that anti‐angiogenic treatment can serve as a surrogate for steroids and the clinically driven hypothesis that anti‐angiogenic treatment may not have any significant effect on the growth dynamics of the overall tumor cell populations. However, the simulations do illustrate a potentially large impact on the level of edematous extracellular fluid, and thus on what would be imageable on T2/FLAIR MR. Additionally, by evaluating virtual tumors with varying growth kinetics, we see tumors with lower proliferation rates will have the most reduction in swelling from such treatments.
A GESTÃO POR COMPETÊNCIAS COMO FERRAMENTA PARA O DESENVOLVIMENTO DOS SERVIDORES TÉCNICO-ADMINISTRATIVOS: CASE DA UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO TOCANTINS

In a context of constant changes, the differential to the organizations success lays on the ability to innovate. In this scenario, human capital plays a fundamental role, because it is the one who thinks and executes the organizations’ strategies. The competency management has been identified as an alternative management model that proposes to manage the skill gaps, thus reducing the gap between the skills needed to achieve the organizational goals and those already available among the company staff. The public sector has also sought to follow this trend, seeking to adopt a more strategic, flexible and entrepreneurial management. Aiming to verify the application of modern management models, such as competency management, in public organizations, is why this research was developed, through a study case at the Federal University of Tocantins - UFT. From this case study’s collected data, one can observe that one of the public organizations challenges is the encouragement and creation of mechanisms that facilitate the professional development, promoting learning and offering the servers real professional growth opportunities. It was concluded that the competency management applicability in public organizations provide the support necessary to the development and training actions, satisfying the Ministry of Education – MEC - demands, complying with the Law 11091/2005, which established the Members Positions of Career Technical Administrators in Education Development Plan - MPCTAEDP; being, therefore, a servers and public organizations development tool. Key-Words: Performance measure. Competency management. Public management.
The Geoscience of Climate and Energy 7. The Oceanic Climate Capacitor

In this study, 14C age dating of biogenic carbonates in high-deposition-rate marine sediment cores from the Pacific Ocean is used to establish the relative phasing of low and high latitude ocean warming at the beginning of the last glacial termination. The results indicate the Southern Ocean began to warm as much as 1000 years before deglacial warming began in the western tropical Pacific Warm Pool region. Importantly, it appears that much of the deep Pacific warming occurred between 19 and 14 ky BP, prior to the major deglaciation of the northern hemisphere ice sheets. These results further indicate that d18O stratigraphies from deep sea carbonates are not synchronous throughout the oceans over a glacial/interglacial termination and. therefore, d18O stratigraphies are not precise enough to establish temporal phase relationships. SOMMAIRE Dans la presente etude, on a utilise la datation par 14C de carbonates biogeniques, sur des carottes de sediments marins de milieux a forts taux de sedimentation du Pacifique, dans le but de quantifier la progression relative du rechauffement a basse et a haute latitude, a partir de la fin de la derniere glaciation. Les resultats indiquent que le sud de l’ocean a commence a se rechauffer jusqu’a 1 000 ans avant que le rechauffement de deglaciation ne debute dans la portion ouest tropicale du Bassin d’eau chaude du Pacifique. On notera qu’il semble qu’une grande portion du rechauffement des couches profondes du Pacifique se soit produite entre 19 ka et 14 ka avant le present, soit avant le gros de la deglaciation des calottes glaciaires. Les resultats montrent aussi que les stratigraphies etablies par δ18O sur les carbonates des fonds marins ne sont pas synchrones au travers des fonds marins durant la periode glaciaire terminale et inter-glaciaire, ce qui indique que les stratigraphies etablies par δ18O ne sont pas assez precises pour permettre d’etablir des relations de phases temporelles.
Constraint Lingo: A Program for Solving Logic Puzzles and Other Tabular Constraint Problems

Constraint Lingo is a high-level language for specifying and solving tabular constraint problems [FMT01]. We show the syntax of this language through examples. Our software translates Constraint Lingo programs into a variety of back-end logic formalisms, including smodels [NS00], dlv [ELM+98], ECLiPSe [WNS97] and aspps [ET01]. The associated logic engine then generates a set of answers, each of which our software converts to a human-readable table.
Learning search control knowledge: An explanation-based approach

Learning Search Control Knowledge is a well-written and thorough discussion of both the nature of explanation-based learning and its application to problem-solving. The discussion is replete with detail, stocked with examples and well-supported by empirical evidence. It is recommended both for its comprehensive overview and comparison of EBL-based efforts and for its detailed discussion of EBL implementation issues and techniques. This is the clearest and most understandable description of EBL theory and implementation which I have encountered. Newcomers will welcome its overview of EBL and its literature; practitioners will find the discussion of the learning system refreshingly clear. The result is a well-rounded discussion with something to offer to everyone concerned with machine learning.
Patterns of nucleotide variation and reproductive isolation between a Mimulus allotetraploid and its progenitor species.

Here we report our characterization of a widespread, highly selfing Mimulus allotetraploid formed by interspecific hybridization between M. nasutus and M. guttatus. Nucleotide variation at two nuclear loci (mCYCA and mAP3) within and among tetraploid populations resolves two haplotype clusters for each locus: one shares near identity with sequences from M. nasutus and the other group shares substantial variation with M. guttatus. With respect to the two loci studied, each allotetraploid individual is a ‘fixed heterozygote’ carrying sequences from both clusters. Moreover, mCYCA variation is consistent with at least two evolutionary origins for the Mimulus allotetraploid. We show that the allotetraploid is strongly reproductively isolated from M. nasutus and M. guttatus; interploidy crosses produce almost no viable seeds. By extension, we infer strong triploid block and argue that Mimulus allotetraploid formation might proceed in one step via the union of unreduced gametes in an M. nasutus–M. guttatus F1 hybrid. We also discuss the potential roles of mating system and flowering asynchrony in allotetraploid establishment.
Growth of Saprophytic and Pathogenic Leptospira: Evaluation of Medium, Temperature, Inoculum, and Cost

Of four media tested, a tissue culture medium supplemented with a bovine serum albumin-oleic acid complex provided the best leptospiral growth and cost efficiency.
Peer Collaboration: Accommodating Students with Mild Learning and Behavior Problems

This study examined the effectiveness of a structured problem-solving process, peer collaboration, as a means of assisting classroom teachers in developing and implementing alternative interventions for students with mild learning and behavior problems. The study included 48 elementary and junior high school teachers in the intervention group and 43 elementary school teachers in a comparison group. Results indicate that teachers in the intervention group increased their tolerance for the range of students' cognitive abilities. These teachers reconceptualized their understandings of classroom problems and successfully implemented interventions for 86% of the 70 problems they attempted to solve.