cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Insect rocks and insect clocks

Liebherr, J.K and KW.Will. 1998. Inferring phylogenetic relationships within Carabidae (Insecta, Coleoptera) from characters of the female reproductive tract. In Phylogeny and Classification of Caraboidea (Coleoptera: Adephaga). Proceedings of a Symposium XXInternational Congress of Entomology: 28 August, 1996; Florence Italy. Edited by G.E. Ball,A Casale, and A Vigna Taglianti. Museo Regionale di Scinze Naturali; pp.l07-170. Lindroth, C.H. 1974. On elytral microsculpture of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Entomologica Scandinavica 5: 251-264. Magallon, S. and M. J. Sanderson. 2001. Absolute diversification rates in angiosperm clades. Evolution 55: 1762-1780. Moreau, C.S., C.D. Bell, R. Vila, S. B. Archibald, and N.E. Pierce. 2006. Phylogeny of the Ants: Diversification in the Age of Angiosperms. Science 312: 101-104. Ober, K. A. 2002. Phylogenetic relationships of the carabid subfamily Harpalinae (Coleoptera) based on molecular sequence data. Mol.Phyla. Evol. 24: 227-247. Ober, K.A.and D.R.Maddison. 2008. Phylogenetic relationships oftribes within Harpalinae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as inferred from 28S ribosomal DNAand the wingless gene. J. Insect Sci.8(63): 1-32. Paradis, E.,J.Claude, and K Strimmer. 2004.APE: analyses ofphylagenetics and evolution in R language. Bioinformatics 20: 289-290. Ponomarenko, A. G. 1977. Suborder Adephaga. In Mezozoiskie Zhestkokrylye Akademiya Nauk SSSR,Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta. Volume 161. Edited by Arnold'di L.V,Zherikhin VV, Nikritin L.M.,and Ponomarenko AG. Moscow: Nauka Publishers; p.17 -104. Rabosky, D. 1. 2006. LASER:a maximum likelihood toolkit for detecting temporal shifts in diversification rates from molecular phylogenies. Evolutionary Bioinformatics Online 2: 257-260. Wilson, E.0., B.Holldobler. 2005. The rise ofthe ants: a phylogenetic and ecological explanation. PNASUSA102: 7411-7414.
Parasitism by Trichogramma minutum (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in the Spruce Budworm Outbreak in Maine

An analysis was made of the activity of the egg parasite Trichogramma minutum Riley during a 5-year period of a spruce budworm outbreak. No evidence of a population trend by the parasite or of a relationship in rate of attack to host density could be found. No distribution pattern of the parasite could be shown in the infested crown. There did not appear to be any relationship between rate of attack and egg-mass size.
High Temperature Elastomeric Compounds and Polymers

Abstract While special purpose elastomers for high temperature applications have been available since the introduction of the polyacrylates and silicones in the early 1940's, the intensive development and study of such materials really began in the early 1950's. Prior to that period, the major effort in the field of synthetic elastomers was directed toward development of general purpose polymers, principally for such applications as military and civilian tires, wire and cable, and other large volume uses. The extensive synthetic rubber development program sponsored by the U. S. Government during and following World War II is a matter of common knowledge to every rubber technologist and is well covered by Whitby. However, less well known because of restrictions on distribution of reports and technical data are the history and accomplishments of programs sponsored or motivated primarily by the Department of Defense on development of special purpose elastomers for varied and critical high temperature applica...
Metabolism of [p-18O]-phenacetin: the mechanism of activation of phenacetin to reactive metabolites in hamsters.

There are three different pathways by which phenacetin can be converted by liver enzymes to electrophilic reactive metabolites which may combine with glutathione to form an acetaminophen-glutathione conjugate: 1) Phenacetin is first deethylated to acetaminophen which is subsequently activated by cytochrome P-450. 2) Phenacetin is activated via an intermediate, possibly phenacetin-3,4-epoxide. 3) Phenacetin is first converted to N-hydroxyphenacetin, them activated by sulfation or glucuronidation. This paper shows that these three pathways can be distinguished by the disposition of 18O in the para position of the ring: 1) When [p-18O]-acetaminophen was activated in vitro and in vivo there was a negligible loss of 18O in the respective acetaminophen-glutathione conjugate and the urinary acetaminophen-mercapturic acid. 2) When [p-18O]-phenacetin was activated in vitro there was a 50% loss of 18O in the acetaminophen-glutathione conjugate. 3) When N-hydroxyphenacetin glucuronide was incubated with H218O there was a quantitative incorporation of 18O into the acetaminophen-glutathione conjugate. When N-hydroxyacetaminophen, the proposed intermediate in pathway 1, was incubated with glutathione and H218O there was no incorporation of 18O into the acetaminophen-glutathione conjugate. The relative in vivo importance of the three pathways was investigated by i.p. injection of 50 mg/kg of [p-18O]-phenacetin into two hamsters. The urinary acetaminophen mercapturic acid showed approximately a 10% loss of 18O label, indicating that deethylation of phenacetin to acetaminophen followed by activation of acetaminophen, pathway 1, is the predominant pathway in vivo.
Occupational Characteristics and the Obesity Wage Penalty

This paper demonstrates that obese women are more likely to work in jobs that emphasize physical activity, but they are less likely to work in jobs that emphasize public interaction. The same patterns in occupational characteristics do not exist for obese men. In light of prior literature finding an unexplained wage gap between obese women and non-obese women, these results are particularly relevant since physical activity jobs pay relatively less on average, while public interaction jobs pay relatively more. Moreover, the few obese women who work in public interaction occupations receive lower wages than non-obese women, and their wage penalty offsets the general premium to working in a job emphasizing public interaction. Together, these results suggest that taste-based discrimination may be driving occupational sorting among obese women and, as a result, is at least one source of the wage penalty experienced by obese women.
Building Library-Agency Partnerships

This is a work presented at the Proceedings of the 6th Annual Federal Depository Library Conference April 14-17, 1997 in Washington, D.C., By way of example, it provides guidance on how to develop Library-Agency Partnerships. It shows why it is necessary to seek win-win relationships for agencies and libraries in times marked by budget constraints, technology transitions, institutional re-organizations, and policy gaps. Commonly, libraries lose access and control of information in these situations, and agencies focus on re-organization rather than dissemination. Opportunities are created for both parties to solve their respective problems through cooperation and sharing of skills and technological know-how. It is important to share the burden and the risks of developing long-term policy solutions for information dissemination and access. It argues for enhancing reputations for efficiency and meeting bottom-line demands. Libraries need to seek additional public and private support. Maintaining a high profile through association with key agencies can help. Agencies need to demonstrate their ability to function in a cost-effective, efficient manner. By partnering with key libraries in possession of cutting edge technology and information skills, agencies prove themselves creative and innovative.
The kinetics of multi-body simulation of 1400 fracturing pump's power and the analyses of finite element method of pump cases

In the paper,Pro/MECHANICA module of Pro/E,a large-three-dimensional analysis software and kinetics of multi-body theory are used to count and check the pump case's performance.On the basis of the motion analyses of 1400 fracturing pump's power end and the simulation of kinetics about the pump,the loads that are required to count and check the pump case's performance were got.Then the complex construction of the pump case have been analyzed and studied by using finite-element method effectively.All of these can supply reference to designing and checking of the whole pump.This paper offers a kind of effective method to design and study the complex construction of the pump case.
Surveillance of AIDS high-risk people in Guangdong province,2009

Objective To determine the epidemiologic characteristics and the risk factors of HIV infection in the drug users,female commercial sex workers,homosexual male subjects and male STD patients.Methods Serum samples from 13 620 drug users,5 309 female commercial sex workers,970 homosexual male subjects and 4 273 male STD patients were analyzed according to the standard protocols.Results The positive rate of HIV infection in the drug users,female commercial sex workers,homosexual male subjects and male STD patients was 3.7%,0.2%,4.7% and 0.3%,respectively.The positive rate of syphilis in these 4 groups of patients was in the order of 4.5%,3.1%,12.0% and 6.5%;the positive rate of hepatitis C virus infection was in the order of 34.5%,0.6%,0.5% and 0.7%.The percentage of drug abuse patients in these 4 groups was in the order of 68.1%,0.7%,0.3% and 3.7%;and the percentage subjects with commercial sexual behavior in these 4 groups was 23.3%,100%,17.2% and 41.4%.The percentage of subjects had knowledge on HIV/AIDS in these 4 groups was 73.4%,69.4%,82.9% and 66.4%.The intervention coverage rate was 40.8%,47.0%,74.7% and 31.5%.Conclusion AIDS patients were identified in these four high-risk groups.The highest rate of infection was found in male STD patients,followed by the drug users.The lowest rate of infection was in the group of female commercial sex workers.The program of AIDS surveillance should be strengthened.
Assessing Stigma among African Americans Living with HIV.

Purpose In the present study, we validated a culturally adapted stigma scale designed to assess stigma among African Americans living with HIV.
Exploring identity construction of student teachers practicing ELF pedagogy in a microteaching course

This paper reports on the results of a qualitative study that explored the experiences of a group of student-teachers (STs) in Indonesia as they undertook a microteaching course as part of their undergraduate teacher training program. Grounded in the notions of ‘teacher identity as the process of becoming’ (Britzman, 2003) and ‘identity in practice’ (Varghese et al., 2005), the present paper examines how participation in a microteaching course that oriented STs to ELF pedagogy affected the formation of teacher identities amongst one group of STs in Indonesia. Data were gathered from three post-mini lesson interviews with individual STs and STs’ mini lessons. The findings show a positive relationship between ELF pedagogy, STs’ perception of their teacher role and their identity construction. Many STs’ identity construction appears to be informed by their concerns of the hegemonic presence of English in the local community and their role primarily as a revival of Indonesian cultures. Although the majority of STs showed a general agreement towards the need to construct a teacher identity independent of native-speaker norms, a few STs continued to believe the importance of teachers to speak Standard English due to its marketability potential.
Non-DLVO colloidal interactions: excluded volumes, undulation interactions, depletion forces and many-body effects

A long time ago, Stern noted that the traditional assumption that the ions interact only with a "mean" electrical field (the Poisson - Boltzmann approach) leads to an ionic density in the vicinity of the interface that exceeds the available volume. A simple way to avoid this difficulty is to consider that the ions are hydrated, and therefore there are fewer positions available to them in the vicinity of charged surfaces [4.1]. When compared to the traditional Poisson-Boltzmann result, this correction leads to an increase in the repulsive force at short separations [4.1]. This approach is extended to account for the ion competition for hydrating water molecules [4.2]. A position in the water lattice is considered available to an ion only when it is "free" and has a certain number of "free" neighboring water molecules (i.e., water molecules which do not participate in the hydration of other ions). Whereas at high surface potentials, this "excluded" volume effect increases the repulsion as compared to the traditional double layer force, at low surface potentials it can either increase or decrease the repulsion (the latter case occurs when the hydrated coion is larger than the hydrated counterion). The strong dependence of this effect on the hydration number of ions provides a possible explanation for ion-specific effects, which will be examined in the next chapter.
Respiration and Yield

A primary goal of crop physiology is to provide insights that can lead to effective plant selection and breeding strategies, and improved agronomic practices. A reason for studying crop-plant respiration is, therefore, to learn how manipulating it, either by management or breeding, might improve yield. An important qualification, however, is that changing one characteristic of a plant or crop may have effects on other characteristics. For example, increasing the sink strength of seeds during filling could result in increased lodging. Of course, the more we learn about all aspects of crop productivity, the better we will be able to evaluate such tradeoffs and focus on the critical aspects of crop production.
Josephson decoupling in single crystal Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4?y superconductors

Magnetization as a function of temperature and field has been measured with field parallel or close to ab-plane geometry in single crystals of Nd{sub 1.85}Ce{sub 0.15}CuO{sub 4-y}. For fixed magnetic fields, anomalous temperature dependence of magnetization is observed. For fixed temperatures, the magnetization shows abrupt changes to almost zero value above some critical field, an indication of magnetic transparent state. The data deviates from the conventional Abrikosov theory for type-II superconductors. Instead, the results support the picture of Josephson decoupling between the superconducting layers.
New quasi-deterministic approach to channel modeling in millimeter-wave bands

In this chapter, a novel quasi-deterministic modeling methodology for millimeterwave channels was proposed. The methodology is based on a number of previous experimental works and a few special measurement campaigns at 60 GHz performed during the MiWEBA project in different scenarios and environments. Since the 60 GHz band is exactly in the middle of the millimeter-wave frequency range of 30-90 GHz, the results presented in this work may be extrapolated in both directions, making the developed methodology applicable to this frequency range.
Egg Quality during the Pubertal Transition-Is Youth All It's Cracked Up to Be?

Although it is well-accepted that egg quality decreases with advanced maternal age, we do not know how it is affected at the earliest ages during the pubertal transition – likely because this young population is not typically reproducing. However, in the setting of fertility preservation more childhood cancer patients are surviving their diagnosis due to medical advances, forcing patients and their families to consider their future fertility at a very young age. Ex vivo in vitro maturation (IVM), in which cumulus oocyte complexes harvested from ovarian tissue are cultured to obtained mature gametes, is gaining traction as a fertility preservation method that is coupled to ovarian tissue cryopreservation. This method is particularly suitable for prepubertal and young adolescent girls, although live births have not yet been reported in gametes derived from females during the pubertal transition. Importantly, the period immediately following menarche in primate species (nonhuman primate and human) is characterized by relative subfecundity or sterility, and data from agricultural species and humans suggest that this may in part be due to increased chromosomal abnormalities in the egg. Together this data provides a compelling rationale for pushing the age boundary of when egg quality is considered, for performing further basic research to understand egg quality during this period, and for appropriately counseling patients.
Motion Planning for an Automated Pick and Place Robot in a Retail Warehouse

This paper describes the use of Moveit motion planning software for implementing an articulated robot based automatic pick and place system for a retail warehouse. The proposed system is expected to automatically pick things from a rack and place them in a tote and vice-versa, based on an order file. Currently, these tasks are carried out by humans leading to higher cost of operation. The motion planning methods are demonstrated through both simulation and real world experiments. We believe that the details provided in the paper will act as a tutorial for beginners and reference manual for experienced researchers and practising engineers.
Realism, critical theory, and the politics of peace and security: Lessons from anti-base protests on Jeju Island

Drawing on insights from International Relations and social movement theories, I explore anti-base protests on Jeju Island and the ensuing politics of peace. I find that the clash between activists and policymakers is fundamentally tied to different views regarding the legitimacy of state actions on security policy and whether actors see states or people as the primary object of security. These real-world differences are mirrored in realist and critical perspectives of international politics. Policymakers tend to view the naval base as a means of protecting national interests and enhancing maritime security. Meanwhile, anti-base activists seek emancipation from an illegitimate state project uprooting a peaceful community. However, the perpetuation of a powerful realist discursive structure within the South Korean security and foreign policy establishment presents significant hurdles for anti-base movements in advancing their cause. My findings are based on ethnographic research in Gangjeong village in July 2012, interviews with activists and policymakers in South Korea, and an analysis of state and activist discourse in both Korean and English language sources.
Gun Talk Online: Canadian Tools, American Values*

Objective The objective of this study is to address the following question: Why has the United States been so reluctant to embrace the type of comprehensive gun control that is in place in every other developed democracy? Method The method used to address this question is a computerized content analysis on nearly 18 million words that were extracted from online political discussions of Canadian and American gun enthusiasts. A comparison of these discussions was guided by three theories on the character and origins of Canadian–American political difference. Results The results demonstrate that the instrumental components of gun ownership are more relevant for Canadian gun enthusiasts, while American gun enthusiasts view their arms as physical manifestations of political values. These values are consistent with a widely perceived American ideology that centers on individual freedom and antipathy toward government. Conclusion This leads to the conclusion that U.S. gun rights groups are naturally advantaged in the gun control debate because their rhetoric finds fertile soil beyond the gun enthusiast segment, and helps explain the intensity of their opposition to gun control.
Reconstruction for chronic Achilles tendinopathy: comparison of flexor hallucis longus (FHL) transfer versus V-Y advancement.

Several operative techniques exist for Achilles tendinopathy. The purpose of our study was to compare the clinical and functional outcomes of flexor hallucis longus (FHL) transfer and V-Y advancement for the treatment of chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy. Retrospective chart review from 2010 to 2016 of patients that underwent FHL transfer or V-Y advancement for chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy. Outcome measures were compared for these two procedures. In total, 46 patients (49 ankles) with a mean age of 55.0 (range 33–73) years. Mean follow-up time 44.7 +/− 25.5 months. FHL group had 21 patients (21 ankles) with 89% satisfaction, 14% complication rate, final VAS of 0.4, final VISA-A of 89.1, subjective strength improvement following surgery of 78%, and 94% would recommend the procedure. V-Y group had 25 patients (28 ankles) with 74% subjective satisfaction, 21% complication rate, final VAS of 1.4, final VISA-A of 78.4, subjective strength improvement following surgery of 67%, and 84% would recommend the procedure. There was no significant difference in any of the results rates between the two groups (p > .05). V-Y advancement is comparable to FHL transfer for the operative management of insertional Achilles tendinopathy. Though our results trend towards less satisfactory results following V-Y advancement, we found high satisfaction rates with similar functional outcomes and complication rates in both operative groups. We suggest considering V-Y advancement as a viable option for the primary treatment of chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy in patients who may not be an ideal candidate for FHL transfer.
Fatty-acid-binding protein 5 controls retrograde endocannabinoid signaling at central glutamate synapses.

Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are lipid-signaling molecules involved in the regulation of numerous behaviors and physiological functions. Released by postsynaptic neurons, eCBs mediate retrograde modulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity by activating presynaptic cannabinoid receptors. While the cellular mechanisms by which eCBs control synaptic function have been well characterized, the mechanisms controlling their retrograde synaptic transport remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that fatty-acid–binding protein 5 (FABP5), a canonical intracellular carrier of eCBs, is indispensable for retrograde eCB transport in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRn). Thus, pharmacological inhibition or genetic deletion of FABP5 abolishes both phasic and tonic eCB-mediated control of excitatory synaptic transmission in the DRn. The blockade of retrograde eCB signaling induced by FABP5 inhibition is not mediated by impaired cannabinoid receptor function or reduced eCB synthesis. These findings indicate that FABP5 is essential for retrograde eCB signaling and may serve as a synaptic carrier of eCBs at central synapses.
Gut microbiota utilize immunoglobulin A for mucosal colonization

The immune system responds vigorously to microbial infection while permitting lifelong colonization by the microbiome. Mechanisms that facilitate the establishment and stability of the gut microbiota remain poorly described. We found that a regulatory system in the prominent human commensal Bacteroides fragilis modulates its surface architecture to invite binding of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in mice. Specific immune recognition facilitated bacterial adherence to cultured intestinal epithelial cells and intimate association with the gut mucosal surface in vivo. The IgA response was required for B. fragilis (and other commensal species) to occupy a defined mucosal niche that mediates stable colonization of the gut through exclusion of exogenous competitors. Therefore, in addition to its role in pathogen clearance, we propose that IgA responses can be co-opted by the microbiome to engender robust host-microbial symbiosis.
Interleukin-1 inhibits growth of normal human endometrial stromal cells.

OBJECTIVE To understand growth regulation of the endometrium by studying the effect of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1) on human endometrial stromal cell proliferation in vitro. METHODS Endometrial stromal cells from human endometrium were separated and purified and placed in culture. Fresh and first- and sixth-passage cells were incubated with IL-1 (0.025, 0.25, and 2.5 ng/mL) for 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively. Proliferation as a function of DNA synthesis was assessed by measuring 3H-thymidine incorporation. Experiments were then repeated in the presence of indomethacin to determine whether IL-1 effects were dependent upon prostaglandin synthesis. We evaluated overall growth by adding IL-1 to cell cultures of sixth-passage stromal cells every 3 days and by performing cell count studies. RESULTS Interleukin-1 beta significantly inhibited 3H-thymidine uptake in freshly explanted endometrial stromal cells at all doses in a dose-dependent manner; a 44% inhibition was seen at 2.5 ng/mL IL-1 after 72 hours of incubation. In first- and sixth-passage cells, 3H-thymidine uptake was inhibited only at intermediate and high doses of IL-1. Cell count studies showed that sixth-passage cells were significantly inhibited by IL-1 after 23 days of growth (22%; P less than .01). Adding indomethacin did not affect inhibition of growth. CONCLUSION Interleukin-1 beta inhibits growth of normal human endometrial stromal cells in vitro and does not appear to be mediated by arachidonic acid metabolites. This inhibition of growth may be important for maintenance of a normal endometrial phenotype.
Introduction: Chaucerotics and the Problem of Medieval Pornography

The Introduction to Gust’s book addresses the age-old scholarly debate concerning the meaning and significance of bawdy elements in Geoffrey Chaucer’s narrative poetry. Gust contends that the provocative potential of Chaucer’s ribald passages has consistently been undersold by scholars, and that the Middle English poet presents readers with various features of medieval erotica and considerable voyeuristic, quasi-pornographic imagery. Hence, the chapter works to historicize and theorize the topic of medieval pornography, offering extensive commentary on premodern obscenity, erotica, and early forms of pornography. It illustrates that there are distinct strands of historical connection between pre- and post-modern pornographic artistry, and introduces the concept of Chaucerotics as a way of understanding the salacious sexual material found in Chaucer’s verse.
The use of silver nanoparticles for the recovery of uranium from seawater by means of biofouling mitigation

Research currently being carried out by a consortium of national laboratory and university partners is leading to the development of advanced adsorbent materials suitable for the industrial-scale recovery of the essentially limitless supply of uranium naturally contained within the worlds oceans. Experiments have shown however that marine biofouling has decreased the uranium capacity of these adsorbent fibers by approximately 30%. Given the commensurate impact adsorbent capacity has on the projected cost of seawater uranium, this work seeks to mitigate the effects of marine biofouling in order to restore capacity to that of the unfouled fibers. A review of antifouling strategies showed that just one, incorporation of silver nanoparticles into the adsorbent matrix, was likely to meet cost and practicality goals. The ability of silver doped adsorbents to restore capacity to that of the unfouled adsorbents is quantified by means of a capacity restoration factor, seen to increase with silver content in the adsorbent. These results showed that the silver nanoparticles are extremely effective at eliminating the ca. 20% share of capacity loss that is directly attributed to the biological organisms. This work also identified the a-biotic conditioning film as a primary driver of loss in uptake due to biofouling, which provides finer resolved data and a deeper understanding of uranium uptake experiments, conducted externally, that showed a constant reduction in uptake at all measured data points, the smallest of which was 7 days. Data reduction showed that under the most extreme fouling conditions, approximately 80% of the uptake loss was ascribable to the fast-developing film, against which silver is observed to have little effect. Therefore this work was significant in proving that seawater uranium recovery efforts need to refocus on halting the formation of this abiotic film to improve uranium capacity.
On a Game Theoretic Approach to Detect the Low-Rate Denial of Service Attacks

The Low-Rate DoS attacks such as “Shrew” and “New Shrew” attacks, unlike the high rate attacks, are hard for the router to detect. Attackers choose a malicious low-rate bandwidth to exploit the TCP's congestion control window algorithm and the transition time-out mechanism. By using a game theoretic approach, we focus on the best strategy and solution for a computer network to detect the Low-Rate Denial of Service attacks. In our experiments we simulated the network congestion attacks and we proposed a practical solution by using a sigmoid filter. The proposed solution is to create a threshold bandwidth filter at the router that allows a specific bandwidth, so when traffic exceeds the threshold it will be dropped, or if the traffic is below the threshold, it will be redirected to a honeypot server. In our game theory approach, we considered the game players in a static simultaneous game. The defender's strategy is to determine an optimal firewall option to detect the attacker traffic, and the attacker's strategy is to find the low rate to exploit the retransmission time-out mechanism and elude the detector. We calculated the payoff for the each player and for each strategy. We solved the game by finding the Nash Equilibrium where players do not have any profit in using any other strategy. Our experiments and calculations lead to the conclusion that a mixed strategy will the best response for an organization which will be using the proposed approach.
Influence of sample collection tube method, anticoagulant-containing plasma versus serum, on influenza virus hemagglutination inhibition titer and microneutralization titer serological assays

The hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) assay is a critical component for measurement of immunogenicity in influenza vaccine development. It is unknown if the results can be influenced by sample type and anticoagulants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of different sample collection methods, in particular different anticoagulants, and choice of plasma or serum, on influenza virus serological assays. Blood samples from thirty donors previously immunized against influenza viruses were collected using six different types of blood collection tubes, two of which collect serum and four of which contain various anticoagulants for collecting plasma. Serum: (1) serum separator tubes (SST); and (2) Plus Plastic serum “red-top serum” tubes. Plasma: (3) spray-coated K2 ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) tubes: (4) Sodium Heparin tubes; (5) Citrate tubes with 3.2% sodium citrate solution; and (6) Glass Blood Collection tubes with acid citrate dextrose. Samples were tested against three different influenza viruses (A/California/07/2009 (H1N1pdm09), A/Texas/50/2012 (H3N2), and B/Massachusetts/2/2012) for hemagglutination inhibition titer and virus neutralization titer via a microneutralization (MN) assay, and data compared to that obtained for standard serum sample collected in SST. HAI and MN titers against type A viruses were within two dilutions compared to SST collection method over 96% of the time irrespective of sample type or anticoagulant. However, HAI titers for type B virus were more variable across different collection methods. EDTA plasma samples were greater than two dilutions higher than SST serum samples 70% (21 of 30 samples) of the time. In contrast, MN titers were within two dilutions over 96% of the time, with the highest deviation noted in acid citrate dextrose plasma samples (3 of 30 samples tested, 10%). These data provide useful guidelines for sample collection and serology testing when screening: (i) influenza vaccine immunogenicity antibody response; (ii) antibody responses to newly emerging viral strains; and (iii) clinical samples for anti-influenza antibody activity.
Pirates vs. Press Gangs: The Battle for the Atlantic

Abstract Pirates in the Atlantic Ocean have excited imaginations ever since they stole from merchant ships and battled naval vessels in the Age of Sail. But pirates also illustrate an underappreciated process in the development of modern states and empires: the struggle between state and non-state actors to establish a monopoly of violence on the high seas. This essay traces this contest over violence in three stages: (1) the challenge posed by English pirates to Europe’s dominant imperial power, Spain, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; (2) the threat made by these same pirates to the emerging British Empire in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries; and (3) the successful efforts of the British state to exert control over the Atlantic through state-sponsored forms of piracy, privateers and press gangs, in the eighteenth century. The British established naval supremacy and consolidated imperial control over the Atlantic by monopolizing the same violent methods once used by pirates.
Writing agential landscapes: making history through materiality in the poetry of Derek Walcott and Audre Lorde

This essay examines poetry by Derek Walcott and Audre Lorde, two poets rarely compared despite their biographic and poetic common ground. By reading them in conversation with one another, the essay...
An Exploratory Study of the Qualities that Distinguish Potential from Realized Innovators

This study explored the similarities and differences between 36 accomplished and 36 hopeful innovators in a large midwestern city in the United States.A‚ Both groups reported a higher frequency of recognized ideas when creative thinking occurred in the morning and under conditions of a state of calm. Realized Innovators uniquely approached the ideation process by intentionally applying a set of processes they found reliably effective.A‚ Potential Innovators were less deliberate in their approach to idea generation and were more likely to pursue activities with weak associations to creative outputs.
Global exponential convergence of gradient methods over the nonconvex landscape of the linear quadratic regulator

In large-scale and model-free settings, first-order algorithms are often used in an attempt to find the optimal control action without identifying the underlying dynamics. The convergence properties of these algorithms remain poorly understood because of nonconvexity. In this paper, we revisit the continuous-time linear quadratic regulator problem and take a step towards demystifying the efficiency of gradient-based strategies. Despite the lack of convexity, we establish a linear rate of convergence to the globally optimal solution for the gradient descent algorithm. The key component of our analysis is that we relate the gradient-flow dynamics associated with the nonconvex formulation to that of a convex reparameterization. This allows us to provide convergence guarantees for the nonconvex approach from its convex counterpart.
Know Your Exotic

This article contains a quiz on exotic household pets for the benefit of students of the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Aumento en la positividad del biomarcador galactomanano durante la pandemia de COVID-19 en la Quinta Región: Valparaíso.

Background: The current pandemic due to SARS-CoV-2 has caused a high burden on health. Cases and series of invasive aspergillosis associated with COVID-19 patients (CAPA) on mechanical ventilation have been described. Aim: To describe the increase in the positivity of the galactomannan (GM) biomarker during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Fifth Region: Valparaiso. Method : Retrospective descriptive study. The GM results in both broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) and serum and the BAL cultures that were sent to the Mycology Laboratory of the University of Valparaiso from January to September 2020 were reviewed; then they were compared with the examinations of the same period of 2019. Results : There was a significant increase in GMs carried out in LBA during the pandemic, concentrating mainly between the months of July-September. Conclusions : There was a significant increase in GM carried out in LBA during the pandemic, concentrating mainly between the months of July-September
Sentiment Analysis with Cognitive Attention Supervision

Neural network-based language models such as BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) use attention mechanisms to create contextualized representations of inputs, conceptually analogous to humans reading words in context. For the task of classifying the sentiment of texts, we ask whether BERT’s attention can be informed by human cognitive data. During training, we supervise attention with eye-tracking and/or brain imaging data and combine binary sentiment classification loss with these attention losses. We find that attention supervision can be used to manipulate BERT attention to be more similar to the ground truth human data, but that there are no significant differences in sentiment classification accuracy. However, models with cognitive attention supervision more frequently misclassify different samples from the baseline models–they more often make different errors–and the errors from models with supervised attention have a higher ratio of false negatives.
Refining the Nuclear Auxin Response Pathway Through Structural Biology

Auxin is a key regulator of plant growth and development. Classical molecular and genetic techniques employed over the past 20 years identified the major players in auxin-mediated gene expression and suggest a canonical auxin response pathway. In recent years, structural and biophysical studies clarified the molecular details of auxin perception, the recognition of DNA by auxin transcription factors, and the interaction of auxin transcription factors with repressor proteins. These studies refine the auxin signal transduction model and raise new questions that increase the complexity of auxin signaling.
Enzymes that destroy blood group specificity. I. Purification and properties of alpha-L-fucosidase from Clostridium perfringens.

Abstract An α-l-fucosidase was purified approximately 600-fold from Clostridium perfringens; it is free of other glycosidases present in the crude extract. The fucosidase occurs in multiple "isozymic" forms with molecular weights greater than 200,000. It is an α-(1 → 2)-specific l-fucosidase with action on oligosaccharides and glycoproteins, but with no action on simple methyl or nitrophenyl fucosides. Action on the H-specific hog submaxillary glycoprotein results in the loss of the serological specificity. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 6.0, with a Km of 0.175 mm and its activity is enhanced by the presence of salts, the most effective being calcium chloride.
Large bursts don't cause instability [queueing network]

It is shown that if a queueing network is stable with fluid arrival processes, then it is also stable for deterministically constrained bursty arrival processes of the same or smaller long-term rate. The purpose is to reduce the question of stability for networks with input traffic satisfying deterministic constraints in the sense of Cruz (see IEEE IT Transactions, January 1991) to a question of stability for a fluid model.
Intractable congestive heart failure following brachiocephalic interposition saphenous vein arteriovenous fistula.

Abstract An illustrative case of intractable congestive heart failure, following construction of a saphenous vein interposition brachiocephalic fistula, is described. Proximal fistulas employing saphenous vein segments must be used with caution in patients with history of cardiac decompensation. Preservation of the dialysis portal and amelioration of symptoms of congestive heart failure followed banding of the saphenous segment.
Recent Studies of Models for Unstable Stars

Recent studies of stellar models have uncovered instabilities associated with helium and hydrogen shell burning. The present paper describe some calculations of stellar models that include these unstable stages and discusses some of their possible consequences.
Integrating Incremental Analysis with Version Management

In an interactive software development environment, incremental algorithms are used to restore consistency to structured, annotated documents after they have been modified. Versioning expresses the relationship of a document's content to its modification history. We present a means of integrating these formerly separate concerns; the analyses and transformations used both for updates and for consistency restoration are implemented using a fine-grained model of object versioning.
Development and characterization of a pulsatile-flow bioreactor for Vascular Graft studies

Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts aim to mimic the physiological environment, structure, and function of a native vessel. In order to investigate the effects of a poly(□-caprolactone) (PCL) biomimetic graft, a bioreactor system was developed to provide pressurized, pulsatile flow through the graft. The bioreactor system was calibrated for flow and pressure profiles to target physiological shear stresses on the walls of the lumen of the graft. In future studies, the bioreactor system will allow for dynamic co-culture of smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells on the PCL bilayer vascular graft.
Beyond the Archive: Cultural Memory in Dance and Theater

This essay uses the concept of the constellation to characterize the relations among interdisciplinarity, cultural memory, and comparative literature. To do so entails: (a) reviewing the paradoxical interdisciplinarity of comparative literature, (b) tracing its establishment at a liberal arts college (Bryn Mawr College, USA), and (c) describing a course on “The Cultural Politics of Memory” that tested the limits of scholarship and testimony. The discussion includes an account of an unusual conference on cultural memory: that is, the ways in which different cultural groups identify and describe their shared pasts. The informality and collegial dialogue of the conference were associated with a liberal arts context. It then turns to the question of theorizing aspects of cultural memory that are conveyed at the margins of conventional discourse: by what is largely unsaid, or represented in dance or pantomime. Because each of the performances discussed here is related in a distinct way to a preceding historical trauma (the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, African American slavery in the USA, the terrorism of the Shining Path in Peru), it was important to determine what source of memory, what archival materials, could persist through traumas that often suppress memory. Traditional archives consist of written documents. Moreover, they often support or represent official histories. New ways of thinking about archives--their composition, their place in cultural history, and their theoretical dimensions--have suggested new approaches to cultural memory. The essay ends with accounts of three forms of dance or pantomime that convey cultural histories informed by trauma in significantly different ways. A narrative thread foregrounds the close relations between scholarship and pedagogy.
Current status of oral contraceptives.

81 sources are cited in a brief review of the types modes of action and possible side effects of oral contraceptives. The three major classes of oral contraception are combined sequential and continuous progestin. The hormones may act to varying degrees at the hypothalamus the pituitary gland the endometrium the cervical mucus the ovum and the sperm. Areas under investigation in which the pill may exert an adverse effect include carbohydrate metabolism liver function thyroid function post-pill menstrual control (amenorrhea) blood coagulation and thromboembolic disease. The risks of contraceptive therapy may be lessened by new developments in the study of low-dose progestins immunological methods for conception control and nonsteroidal antifertility agents.
Complications of Electromechanical Morcellation Reported in the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) Database

Abstract Study Objective To evaluate adverse events associated with electromechanical morcellation as reported to the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database. Design Retrospective analysis of an established database (Canadian Task Force classification III). Intervention A search of the MAUDE database for terms associated with commercially available electromechanical morcellation devices was undertaken for events leading to injury or death between 2004 and 2014. Data, including the types of injury, need for conversion to open surgery, type of open surgery, and clinical outcomes, were extracted from the records. Measurements and Main Results Over a 10-year period, 9 events associated with death and 215 events associated with patient injury or significant delay of the surgical procedure were recorded. These involved 137 device failures, 51 organ injuries, and the morcellation of 27 previously undiagnosed malignancies. Of the 9 deaths, 1 was associated with organ injury, and the other 8 were associated with morcellation of cancer. Of the 27 undiagnosed cancers, 5 were reported by the manufacturer, 8 were reported by the patient or family, 9 were reported by medical or news reports, 2 were reported by medical professionals, and 3 were due to litigation. Morcellation of an undiagnosed malignancy was first reported to the database in December 2013. Conclusions The MAUDE database appears to detect perioperative events, such as device failures and organ injury at the time of surgery, but appears to be poor at detecting late events after surgery, such as the potential spread of cancer. Outcome registries are likely a more efficient means of tracking potential long-term adverse events associated with surgical devices.
The Effects of Wal-Mart on the Profitability and Investor Valuation of Its Suppliers

The U.S. retail market exhibits increasing buyer concentration among larger retailers. As a result, the increasing clout may enable larger retailers to dictate terms from their suppliers. We utilize the major customer disclosure (SFAS 131) and focus on 150 suppliers who identify Wal-Mart as a major customer. We find that supplier gross margins increase, while return on assets deteriorates. Days' sales in inventory lengthened as expected; however, the effect was offset by an increase in days' purchases in accounts payable. We also observe negative valuation implications separate from the effects of lower earnings that are consistent with greater risk for suppliers from their Wal-Mart relationship. Supplier power mitigates some of the negative effects. The findings provide insight on financial and valuation implications of supply chain dynamics where one firm has an economic dependence upon a major customer.
Is There Any Logic to Using Logit Finding the Right Tool for the Increasingly Important Job of Risk Prediction

A discussion of the relative merits of statistical techniques, specifically, random forests, stochastic gradient boosting, and logistic regression. Language: en
EXPERIENCE AFFECTS HUNTING BEHAVIOR OF THE WASP, PEPSIS MILDEI STÅL (HYMENOPTERA: POMPILIDAE)

Abstract Experiments were conducted to determine whether previous encounters with host spiders would affect hunting behavior in females of the spider wasp, Pepsis mildei. Each wasp was subjected to 3 encounters with a different spider (Aphonopelma steindachneri) in an experimental chamber. The mean time required for wasps to orient their bodies and approach the host decreased significantly by the second encounter (546.1 sec ± 15.2 SD) as compared to that required by naive wasps on their first encounter (972.4 sec ± 19.3). In a similar fashion, mean time required to paralyze the host decreased from 198.5 sec ± 13.3 SD on the first encounter to 156.7 sec ± 10.2 by the second encounter. The mean number of movements of the antennae by these wasps for various time intervals during the hunting sequence (interval between the initial orientation of wasp toward the spider, and first contact; and between last bout of antennation of host and insertion of stinger) also decreased significantly between the first and se...