cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Persistence and smoothness of hyperbolic invariant manifolds for functional differential equations

The persistence and smoothness of hyperbolic invariant manifolds is established for small perturbations of retarded functional differential equations. Properties of exponential dichotomies and of spectra of invariant manifolds, which are established here for semiflows, form the basis for proving the results. The analysis uses a moving system of coordinates, around the original hyperbolic invariant manifold, consisting of coordinates along the tangential, unstable and stable manifolds of the linearized equation along solutions of the unperturbed equation which lie on the original hyperbolic manifold.
LC/MS characterization of undesired products formed during iodoacetamide derivatization of sulfhydryl groups of peptides.

Many undesired by-products have been noticed during alkylation with iodoacetamide, a widely used derivatization reaction in proteomics for the determination of sulfhydryl groups in peptides and proteins. We report here that iodoacetamide reacts with the N-terminal NH2 and the C-terminal carboxylic acid groups, in addition to the peripheral residues bearing protic functional groups. If sufficient reaction time is given, the N-terminal NH2 group is readily dialkylated by iodoacetamide. In fact, the N-terminal NH2 group reacts even faster than the reactive sites present in residues, such as tyrosine or histidine. LC/MS investigations with certain reactive peptides show that by-products are formed in a relatively short reaction time, even at room temperature. Interestingly, derivatives formed in this way are useful for sequence determination of peptides by MS since the intensities of y �� ions are highly suppressed in the spectra of N-terminus mono- and dialkylated peptides, whereas those of b-ions are significantly enhanced. For example, in the spectrum of N,N-dicarboxamidomethyl derivative of Val-Ala-Ala-Phe (VAAF), the y-series ions are virtually absent. On the other hand, when the derivatization takes place at the carboxylic group, the y-series ions are markedly observed in the spectra of these undesired O-carboxamidomethyl derivatives. Copyright  2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Phase-matched optical harmonic generation in liquid media employing anomalous dispersion

A discussion is given of the conditions for production of a phase-matched optical third harmonic of a high-powered laser source by introduction of anomalous dispersion into a liquid medium. In particular, the role of the concentration of absorbers and their optical oscillator strength is discussed. In addition, experimental results previously reported by the authors for generation of the third harmonic of the neodymium laser line in the dye fuchsin red dissolved in hexaflueroacetone sesquihydrate (HS) have been extended for the same dye in another solvent, hexa-fluoroisopropanol (HI). In the latter solvent, phase-matched third harmonic generation is achieved at appreciably lower dye concentrations-37.5 g/l HI versus 45.0 g/l HS. The magnitude of the third harmonic signals generated at the phase-matched dye concentrations is approximately the same in both solvents, corresponding to about 0.2 mW for a laser power of 10 MW. A discussion of these findings is given in terms of the two physically important parameters that enter into the problem-the third order nonlinear susceptibility, and the optical attenuation at the third harmonic frequency.
A very popular blog: The internet and the possibilities of publicity

This article outlines two modes of publicity, a publicity of promotion and a publicity of openness, and then considers their implications for traditional broadcast versus online communications. Although the structure of the internet makes it particularly good at developing a publicity of openness, the economics, regulatory structure and technology of the traditional broadcast media make them far better at developing promotional publicity. I trace a series of examples that demonstrate this inequality and discuss the implications of this disparity for the economics of attention. Ultimately, I argue, discussions of the democratic possibilities of the internet must take account of the relative lack of promotional publicity online.
Cognitive outcomes three years after coronary artery bypass surgery: a comparison of on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery and nonsurgical controls.

Background Coronary artery bypass grafting has been associated with both early and late postoperative cognitive decline, but interpretation of previous studies has been limited by lack of appropriate control groups. We compared changes in cognitive performance from baseline to 3 years in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting with those of a control group of patients with known risk factors for coronary artery disease but without surgery. Methods Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (n = 140) and a demographically similar nonsurgical control group with coronary artery disease (n = 92) completed baseline neuropsychological assessment and were followed up prospectively at 3, 12, and 36 months. Cognitive performance was assessed with a battery of neuropsychological tests, measuring the cognitive domains of attention, language, verbal and visual memory, visuospatial, executive function, and psychomotor and motor speed. The statistical analyses were performed in two ways: using data from all tested individuals, and using a model imputing missing observations for individuals lost to follow-up. Results Both the coronary artery bypass grafting and nonsurgical control groups improved from baseline to 1 year, with additional improvement between 1 and 3 years for some cognitive tests. The coronary artery bypass grafting group had statistically significantly greater improvement than the nonsurgical controls for some subtests, and had a comparable longitudinal course for the remainder of the subtests. Both study groups had a trend toward nonsignificant decline at 3 years on some measures, but the overall differences between groups over time were not statistically significant. Conclusions Prospective longitudinal neuropsychological performance of patients with coronary artery bypass grafting did not differ from that of a comparable nonsurgical control group of patients with coronary artery disease at 1 or 3 years after baseline examination. This finding suggests that previously reported late cognitive decline after coronary artery bypass grafting may not be specific to the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, but may also occur in patients with similar risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.
The Mouse Follicle Microenvironment Regulates Antrum Formation and Steroid Production: Alterations in Gene Expression Profiles

Folliculogenesis is a coordinated process, and the genes that regulate development are difficult to investigate in vivo. In vitro culture systems permit the assessment of individual follicles during development, thereby enabling gene expression patterns to be monitored during follicle development. Mouse multilayered secondary follicles (150–180 μm in diameter) were cultured in three-dimensional matrices of varying physical properties for up to 8 days. During this period of follicle growth in vitro, antrum formation and steroid production were monitored, and mRNA was isolated. The expression levels of genes (Star, Cyp11a1, Cyp17a1, Hsd3b1, Cyp19a1, Fshr, Lhcgr, Aqp7, Aqp8, Aqp9, and Hif1a) were measured and correlated to follicle developmental status. Follicles that developed an antrum and produced appropriate levels of estrogen and progesterone had unchanging expression of Star, Aqp7, Aqp8, and Hif1a and a 34-fold increase in Cyp19a1 expression at Day 8 of culture and had elevated Lhcgr at Days 6 and 8 of culture. Follicles that were healthy but did not form an antrum or produce appropriate levels of steroids, however, demonstrated increasing levels of Star, Aqp7, Aqp8, and Hif1a and a 15-fold increase in Cyp19a1 at Day 8 of culture, and Lhcgr levels were not elevated until Day 8 of culture. To our knowledge, this study provides the first temporal analysis of gene expression using individual culture in alginate hydrogels that correlates growth and steroidogenesis during follicle development and identifies expression patterns in healthy follicles and in developmentally disadvantaged follicles.
Reference-free audio matching for rendezvous

We consider the problem of efficiently determining whether two microphones are listening to the same acoustic signal. This “reference free” acoustic match problem is useful, for example, for allowing networked computers or phones to automatically rendezvous and collaborate whenever they are within earshot. We describe how this problem differs from the well-studied music identification problem. We cast the problem as a hypothesis test, and argue that an effective test statistic may be found using frequency-domain inner products. We validate our approach using a set of 75 speech samples together with inexpensive microphones built in to notebook computers.
Development of novel hyper-spectral sensors and associated light sources

Hyper-spectral sensing strategies are surveyed and novel developments based on Fourier-domain techniques are presented.
Receiver functions in the western United States, with implications for upper mantle structure and dynamics

[1] Investigations into mechanisms driving surface tectonics commonly search for mantle sources, but few observations constrain flow in the upper mantle and transition zone. Here variations in the upper mantle discontinuities at 410 km and 660 km below the western United States are revealed through mapping depths of compressional-to-shear wave conversions recorded by broadband seismometers. The resulting image exhibits 20 and 30 km of topography on the 410- and 660-km discontinuities, similar depth variations to those seen where subducting slabs of lithosphere reach the transition zone. The pattern of discontinuity topography imaged here does not correlate with the surface tectonics of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Plateau, or Basin and Range Province, providing no support for upward and downward flow at transition zone depths controlling surface topography and deformation in this region, at least at scale lengths of a few hundred kilometers. Furthermore, we find no clear correlation between the depths of the 410- and 660-km discontinuities. Undulations on the surfaces of both discontinuities appear to be spaced at distances of ∼800 km. If the topography were due only to lateral temperature differences, such differences would be comparable to those where slabs sink and might suggest separate convective flow above and below the transition zone. Alternatively, the topography may reflect lateral variations in composition. Variations in the sharpness of converted phases across the region offer some support for compositional heterogeneity, but the lack of a correlation between sharpness and depth casts doubt on this explanation for the variations in depth.
Projection-based eigenvector decomposition for reduction of blocking artifacts of DCT coded image

We present a projection on convex sets (POCS)-based method for removing blocking artifacts in reconstructed DCT-encoded images at low-bit rate. Our method can be realized with reduced complexity by cancelling out IDCT and DCT pairs in the POCS iterations. Our key point is converting pixel-smoothness constraints across block-boundaries directly onto certain requirements for the DCT coefficients. This leads to new closed convex sets defined on an eigenvector decomposition of the projection-based matrix in the DCT domain. Experimental results show that our method achieves an enhanced decoding, both objectively and subjectively.
Virus Cross-Protection in Transgenic Plants

Plant virus diseases have traditionally been controlled by sanitary agronomic practices, use of virus-free propagates, controlling the insect vectors that spread the pathogen, and incorporating genes for disease resistance. These practices can, in most instances substantially reduce crop losses normally attributed to virus infections. However, changing agronomic practices and changes in virus strains often lead to significant disease losses, and the search for genetic resistance begins anew. In the majority of cases, sources of disease resistance are unavailable to the plant breeder, or if available, require many plant generations to incorporate the resistance trait into the desired cultivar. Furthermore, most of the resistance genes are effective against only a limited number of strains of the virus.
Food for War, War for Food, and War on Food

Food is a central element in the conduct and goals of warfare, whether of civilized states or the smallest scale societies known to anthropology. Warriors/soldiers need food not only to survive but also to maintain or enhance their mental and physical abilities. Thus, after weaponry, food is essential to the conduct of warfare—after all, ‘an army travels on its belly.’ Many archaeologists have found and some ethnologists have argued that intense periods of warfare are correlated with relative food deficits. It seems that ethnographically and in history, people everywhere often (mostly?) fight over the means of food production and distribution, whether these are water sources/routes, gathering patches, fishing stations, pastures, arable lands, or oil wells. One of the most common consequences of warfare, the capture of women, was not necessarily sexually motivated but also rooted in the substantial contribution of women to subsistence. The destruction of an enemy’s food stores and their means of producing food are far more universally hurtful and pacifying than merely killing or wounding people. Thus, food is essential for making war, and the means of producing it are one of the primary objects of warfare.
STRUCTURAL STUDIES ON LECTINS AND LECTIN-SACCHARIDE INTERACTIONS

Concanavalin A (Con A) is one of a large number of plant proteins, called lectins, that bind to specific carbohydrate-containing receptors on cell surfaces. This binding is associated with several biological activities, including mitogenesis, alteration of metabolism, and modulation of cell-surface receptor mobility, and these activities can be inhibited by specific monosaccharides related to D-mannose and D-glucose. We have determined the high-resolution crystal structures of Con A and its complex with a specific monosaccharide. A number of significant, reversible conformational changes are associated with carbohydrate binding, particularly in the metal and carbohydrate binding regions, where some groups move 4–6 A with respect to the rest of the molecule. The positions of residues associated with both of the large β-structures of the native molecule also appear to change. The saccharide is bound in a shallow depression in the molecular surface 10–13 A from the essential Mn 2+ and Ca 2+ ions. Interactions with the bound saccharide involve residues near positions 14–16, 97–99, 168–169, 207–208, 224–228, and 235–237. Several of these residues are also involved in coordination of the metal ions, consistent with the requirement that the metal ions be bound before saccharide binding can occur.
Brain levels of high-energy phosphate metabolites and executive function in geriatric depression.

Objectives Depression in late life has been associated with difficulties in cognitive processing, particularly in the domains of executive function, processing speed and memory, and increases the risk of developing dementia suggesting a neurodegenerative phenotype. Mitochondrial dysfunction is frequently an early event in neurodegenerative illnesses and may be operative in patients with late life depression. Phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P MRS) allows for the quantification of bioenergetic molecules produced by mitochondria. Methods Ten patients with late life depression and eight normal elderly controls were studied with Stroop color and interference tests, which are widely used measures of processing speed and executive function, respectively, followed by (31P) MRS 3-dimensional chemical-shift imaging measuring levels of adenosine triphosphate, phosphocreatine, inorganic phosphate, and pH over the whole brain. Results In all subjects, gray matter phosphocreatine was positively associated with Stroop interference. Levels of white matter adenosine triphosphate were associated with Stroop interference in subjects with late life depression but not normal elderly. There was also a complementary association between white matter inorganic phosphate and Stroop interference in late life depression patients. Conclusions These findings suggest two independent sources of executive function dependence on bioenergetic state in the aging brain. The dependence of executive function performance in subjects with late life depression on ATP in white matter may be associated with mitochondrial impairment and is consistent with predictions of the vascular depression hypothesis. Further research with wider neuropsychological testing targeting bioenergetic markers could help clarify the scope of these effects. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Sources of Power: Their Impact on Intrachannel Conflict:

The sources of power that auto manufacturers use to obtain control over their dealer network are shown to have a significant impact on the level of conflict that dealers have with their manufacture...
Copper Metallization Manufacturing Issues for Future ICs

Copper metallization for on-chip multilevel interconnects is receiving increasing attention for future generations of ICs, with advantages of low line resistance, low interconnect delay, high electromigration resistance and, possibly, overall back-end process simplicity. However, copper introduces a set of processing and manufacturing issues which must be addressed in the research and development phases of the technology. This paper summarizes the most likely processing steps for integrating copper metallization into IC technology and presents the manufacturing issues (materials, unit processing and process integration issues) that need to be addressed.
Defensive Secretion of the Southern Green Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) as an Alarm Pheromone

The defensive secretion of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.), was found to function as an alarm pheromone by inducing an orthokinetic, nontactic response. Actively secreting individuals and thoracic-gland extracts significantly increased the rate of movement in conspecific individuals, although the response was not oriented with respect to the source of the defensive secretion. The accelerated movement lasted for 2 min, and gland extracts caused a direct dose/response relationship. The rate of turning and net movement were not affected by the scent. A synthetic scent composed of six of the seven major (>1%) components of the defensive secretion significantly increased movement of N. viridula during the first minute of exposure. The single components, E -2-hexenal and E -2-hexenyl acetate, significantly increased movement during the first minute of exposure at doses of 0.1 and 1.0 ¼l, respectively. E -2-hexenal showed an inverse dose/response relationship. The unoriented, increased movement induced by the defensive secretion of N. viridula apparently functions to take the alarmed bug out of the immediate vicinity of the source of the scent, thereby reducing the chance of encounter with the threatening stimulus.
Living library and its development in China

After the background and development of living library were briefly described,some suggestions,including expanding activity field,strengthening resource development,standardizing and perfecting lending rules,and attaching importance to the need and assessment of readers,were put forward for carrying out living library activities according to the practical conditions and characteristics of living library activities in China.
A Topological Model of the Hippocampal Cell Assembly Network

It is widely accepted that the hippocampal place cells' spiking activity produces a cognitive map of space. However, many details of this representation's physiological mechanism remain unknown. For example, it is believed that the place cells exhibiting frequent coactivity form functionally interconnected groups-place cell assemblies-that drive readout neurons in the downstream networks. However, the sheer number of coactive combinations is extremely large, which implies that only a small fraction of them actually gives rise to cell assemblies. The physiological processes responsible for selecting the winning combinations are highly complex and are usually modeled via detailed synaptic and structural plasticity mechanisms. Here we propose an alternative approach that allows modeling the cell assembly network directly, based on a small number of phenomenological selection rules. We then demonstrate that the selected population of place cell assemblies correctly encodes the topology of the environment in biologically plausible time, and may serve as a schematic model of the hippocampal network.
The Afghan Intra-Mujahedin War, 1992–1998

The idea that large groups of armed men bent on killing each other can be persuaded to change sides may seem fanciful at first. It is this book's primary objective to show that it is not fanciful at all. Specifically, in Afghanistan's intra-mujahedin civil war, which lasted from 1992 to 1998 and is the motivating case of this book, the heads of mujahedin groups constantly changed their allegiances as shifts in the balance of power demanded a strategic realignment. More than the fighting, it was this flipping that decided major outcomes – it kept people alive while allowing their groups to stay in power. Meanwhile, these elites came up with vivid stories to justify their behavior. The analysis of the 1992–1998 Afghan civil war that follows brings the mujahedin's civil war machinations to life by drawing on a diverse set of mostly primary data collected in the field. These range from semi-structured interviews with Afghan warlords and mujahedin who took part in the conflict to wartime fatwas, declarations, and Taliban decrees; coverage in the local and international press; and U.S. Freedom of Information Act declassified documents – including Guantanamo Bay testimony of Afghan detainees and U.S. diplomatic wires. Afghan culture is largely an oral one, compounding the typical data scarcity that characterizes civil wars. This was particularly a challenge in trying to systematically capture the changes in power over the war years and their resultant effect on alliance formation and group fractionalization. For that I rely on interviews and other pertinent primary and secondary sources to territorially trace the power and alliance/group shifts throughout the civil war's trajectory. In that regard, I use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to geo-reference and digitize Soviet declassified maps on the provincial level for the whole of Afghanistan. I use these maps to quantify and spatially project territorial changes over time as a way to test the extent to which the empirical evidence corresponds to the proposed theoretical framework, complementing the rich qualitative data analysis. The stories of alliance switches and group fractionalization, and the ensuing victories and defeats, are told on the level of the various warring groups/subgroups and their leaders that were in the heart of this ethnic conflict.
Maternal trajectories of cigarette use as a function of maternal age and race

Abstract Background Patterns of smoking vary as a function of age and race. The goals of this study were to identify trajectories of maternal cigarette use over a 17-year span, and to determine if maternal age at first birth and race were associated with smoking trajectories. Methods Pregnant women (N = 690) were recruited at an urban prenatal clinic. The women (13–42 years old; 62% African-American, 38% White) were interviewed about cigarette use during pregnancy and 6, 10, 14, and 16 years postpartum. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) was used to identify trajectories. Regressions were used to determine if maternal age at first birth and race predicted trajectory class membership. Results A GMM of maternal cigarette use delineated 5 groups: none/unlikely to use (33%), decreasing likelihood of use (6%), late desistance (5%), increasing likelihood of use (17%), and chronic use (39%). Women who became mothers at a younger age were more likely to be classified as late desisters or increasingly likely to smoke. White mothers were more likely to be chronic smokers. Different smoking trajectories and predictors of trajectories were identified for the African-American and White mothers. Covariates including prenatal substance use, hostility, education, and economic hardship also differentiated smoking trajectories. Conclusions Both prevention and treatment of smoking should be targeted to specific groups by age of first pregnancy and race. Pregnant smokers should be provided with more information and resources to help them avoid cigarettes during pregnancy and maintain abstinence after pregnancy.
Connectivity maps of different types of epileptogenic patterns

EEG functional connectivity maps, showing the interactions between brain areas in context to the placement of electrodes, were used for the investigation and comparison of three different types of epileptiform activity defined as single spike, spike followed by slow wave and repetitive spike. A nonlinear data-driven method was used to extract connectivity matrices that helped to identify network synchronization based on the number of connections for all brain regions, as represented by the 10–20 EEG system. This quantification was used to assess these three types of spike patterns in relation to the type of seizure, focal or generalized. Results showed some differences between connectivity patterns of single spikes related to focal epilepsy and connectivity patterns of repetitive spikes related to generalized epilepsy. The variance statistical analysis reported a significant difference (P — value ≪ 0.001) between single spike connectivity maps and other spike types. The results obtained, augment the prospects for diagnosis and enhance recognition of disease type via EEG-based connectivity maps.
Silver-cotton nanocomposites: Nano-design of microfibrillar structure causes morphological changes and increased tenacity

The interactions of nanoparticles with polymer hosts have important implications for directing the macroscopic properties of composite fibers, yet little is known about such interactions with hierarchically ordered natural polymers due to the difficulty of achieving uniform dispersion of nanoparticles within semi-crystalline natural fiber. In this study we have homogeneously dispersed silver nanoparticles throughout an entire volume of cotton fiber. The resulting electrostatic interaction and distinct supramolecular structure of the cotton fiber provided a favorable environment for the controlled formation of nanoparticles (12 ± 3 nm in diameter). With a high surface-to-volume ratio, the extensive interfacial contacts of the nanoparticles efficiently “glued” the structural elements of microfibrils together, producing a unique inorganic-organic hybrid substructure that reinforced the multilayered architecture of the cotton fiber.
Chemical vapor deposited MoS2/electrospun carbon nanofiber composite as anode material for high-performance sodium-ion batteries

Abstract Due to its high theoretical capacity and unique layered structure, MoS2 has attracted attention as a sodium-ion battery anode material. However, the electrochemical performance of MoS2 based anodes is hindered by their low intrinsic conductivity and large volume change during cycling. In this report, nano-sized MoS2 sheets are synthesized using a scalable chemical vapor deposition method on the surface of electrospun carbon nanofibers (CNFs). The morphology of the resultant MoS2@CNFs is investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, while their electrochemical performance is studied using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge. The results demonstrate that a strong interconnection between MoS2 nanosheets and CNFs is formed and the conductive network of CNFs is beneficial for the sodium ion kinetics. When investigated as an anode for sodium-ion batteries, a high reversible capacity of 380 mA h g−1 is obtained after 50 cycles with good cycling stability. In particular, MoS2@CNFs can deliver a capacity of 198 mA h g−1 under a high current density of 1 A g−1 after 500 cycles, indicating their great potential as anode material for long-life sodium-ion batteries.
A Typical Patient Simulation and Dosimetry Data Sheet

Abstract A typical, comprehensive “Patient Simulation & Dosimetry Data” sheet has been developed. It contains all essential patient simulation, treatment and radiation dosimetry parameters and also relevant anatomical diagrams. The form can be used for any radiation therapy modality.
When to pray to the angels for funding: The seasonality of angel investing in new ventures

Abstract Business angel (BA) investors – private individuals who make investments in new ventures – represent a significant economic impact contributing to the survival of new firms. BAs contribute billions of investment dollars to new ventures, positively influencing their growth, their ability to procure further financing, and their successful harvest. While recent research has examined BAs and their investment decision making, no research to date has examined the presence of a seasonal trend to their investment patterns even though research on other types of investments often follow seasonal trends. Utilizing a sample of 2558 independent early-stage angel investment deals over a nine-year period, we analyze the monthly total of investment deals, the average funding amount, and the monthly total volume of angel investment activity. Results suggest a seasonal trend in angel investment deals comprised of specific peaks and valleys in activity. Practical implications include a preparation time for entrepreneurs and new venture teams prior to seeking BA investment, optimal seasons for pitch competitions, and the importance of financial planning for new ventures. Theoretical implications include the potential for punctuated equilibrium in new venture teams. Finally, we contribute by identifying a novel phenomenon ripe for future research.
Genomics: Drugs, diabetes and cancer

Variation in a genomic region that contains the cancer-a ssociated gene ATM affects a patient’s response to the diabetes drug metformin. Two experts discuss the implications for understanding diabetes and the link to cancer.
Natural history of pain and disability among African–Americans and Whites with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis: A longitudinal study

Summary Objective Compare knee pain and disability between African Americans (AAs) and Whites (WHs), with or at risk of knee osteoarthritis (KOA), over 9 years, and evaluate racial disparities in KOA-related symptoms across socioeconomic and clinical characteristics. Design Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) participants were evaluated annually over 9 years for pain and disability, assessed by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and a numerical rating scale (NRS) for knee pain severity. Mean annual WOMAC pain, NRS pain, and WOMAC disability levels were estimated by race using mixed effects models, adjusted for age, sex, education, marital status, body mass index (BMI), depression, and baseline Kellgren–Lawrence grade score. Race-specific mean WOMAC pain scores were also estimated in analyses stratified by socioeconomic and clinical characteristics. Results AAs reported worse mean WOMAC pain compared to WHs at baseline (3.69 vs 2.20; P ≤ 0.0001) and over 9 years of follow-up, with similar disparities reflected in NRS pain severity and WOMAC disability. Radiographic severity did not account for the differences in pain and disability, as substantial and significant racial disparities were observed after stratification by Kellgren–Lawrence grade. Depression and low income exacerbated differences in WOMAC pain between AAs and WHs by a substantial and significant magnitude. Conclusions Over 9 years of follow-up, AAs reported persistently greater KOA symptoms than WHs. Socioeconomically and clinically disadvantaged AAs reported the most pronounced disparities in pain and disability.
Wide-Range Displacement Sensor based on a Hollow Coaxial Cable Fabry-Perot Resonator

This paper reports a novel hollow coaxial cable Fabry-Perot resonator for wide-range displacement measurements, up to meter range. The sensor is based on a novel and homemade sensing platform, hollow coaxial cable, in which the traditional insulating layer is replaced by air. The diameter of the inner conductor and outer conductor of the hollow coaxial cable are designed to be 6 mm and 14 mm respectively, to achieve an impedance of 50 Ohm. Two highly reflective reflectors, including a fixed one and a movable one, are engineered on a hollow coaxial cable to form a Fabry-Perot resonator (HCC-FPR). A measurement handgrip is permanently connected to the second reflector. Based on this design, the displacement of the measurement handgrip can be transferred to the cavity length change of the HCC-FPR. The change in the cavity length can be determined by tracking the shift in the reflection spectrum. The physics of the sensor was described, and the displacement response of the sensor was tested.
Does Selective Sales Force Training Work

Abstract Companies spend billions of dollars annually on sales force training, often carried out as off-site, multiday training events. However, numerous challenges involved in training an entire sales group forces many retailers to selectively train only a subset of their salespeople. Crucial to know is when selective training can be more effective and what composition of salespeople should be trained to benefit the entire group. This study addresses these questions using data from several stores of a retailer with different sales force training policies (full-, selective-, and no-training [control]). The degree to which salespeople applied a customer relationship-building strategy taught in the training is tracked along with more than 30 store- and salesperson-level covariates and various analyses are performed to correct for selection issues. The authors find that (1) selective training can be highly effective in stores with low performance diversity, (2) training salespeople with diverse tenures helps...
Mermaid: A New Decision Support Tool for Managing Shellfish Growing Areas

Mermaid is a new decision support tool for managing shellfish growing areas. It is written in Visual Basic for Application (VBA) language and uses Microsoft Excel for input, calculation, and output modules. The program automatically imports the regulatory agency's data and generates scattergrams that can be used as decision support tools to help decide which shellfish growing areas should be closed and which ones should be open for harvest. The Mermaid program uses the equations developed by the Pearl model that provide more sensitive and accurate measures of sanitation safety for consumption of shellfish, and are more accurate than the U.S. National Standards.
Neuropharmacology and Brain Damage

Until recently there has been little in the scientific literature regarding the psychopharmacologic treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). To some extent this is due to the late clinical recognition of TBI as an important and distinct syndrome from a neurobehavioral (as well as a neurosurgical) perspective. A preliminary nosology of TBI has not been adequately developed to allow necessary syndrome discrimination in studies of drug effect. For TBI studies, there has, to date, been a lack of double-blind techniques.
The HOL/NuPRL Proof Translator

We have developed a proof translator from HOL into a classical extension of NuPRL which is based on two lines of previous work. First, it draws on earlier work by Doug Howe, who developed a translator of theorems from HOL into a classical extension of NuPRL which is justified by a hybrid set-theoretic/computational semantics. Second, we rely on our own previous work, which investigates this mapping from a proof-theoretic viewpoint and gives a constructive meta-logical proof of its soundness. In this paper the logical foundations of the embedding of HOL into this classical extension of NuPRL as well as technical aspects of the proof translator implementation are discussed.
The Key Math Diagnostic Arithmetic Test

(1981). The Key Math Diagnostic Arithmetic Test. Measurement and Evaluation in Guidance: Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 108-111.
Critical Incidents in Practicum Supervision: Supervisees' Perspectives

Trainees (N= 25) were asked to describe a critical incident occurring during practicum supervision that contributed to their growth as a counselor. Categories of themes and resulting subthemes emer...
Finding Love in the Wreckage: Parsing Two Occupant Auto Accident Results as Products of a Dictator Game to Find Relative Altruism for Spouses

This paper uses auto accident outcomes for cars with two occupants to estimate how much more a driver loves his or her spouse than another passenger. To isolate the distributive preferences, only cars where a driver or passenger dies are used. To compare the behavior of drivers with spouses to drivers with non-spouses, a proxy based on occupants' relative genders and ages is used. Interpreting driver morbidity as manifestation of risk distribution, the paper applies the classical dictator game framework to real data. It finds that spouses are loved 4.11 times more than other passengers, and finds significant evidence that in an average accident, as the driver's control increases, the proportion of risk borne by the driver decreases.
Influence of Occupational Socialization on Elementary Physical Education Teachers’ Beliefs and Curricula

Purpose: Most research examining the effects of socialization on physical education teachers’ curricula is dated, has been incidental, and conducted in secondary schools. The purpose of this study ...
NADH dehydrogenases contribute to extracellular electron transfer by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 in bioelectrochemical systems

Abstract Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is quickly becoming a synthetic biology workhorse for bioelectrochemical technologies due to a high level of understanding of its interaction with electrodes. Transmembrane electron transfer via the Mtr pathway has been well characterized, however, the role of NADH dehydrogenases in feeding electrons to Mtr has been only minimally studied in S. oneidensis MR-1. Four NADH dehydrogenases are encoded in the genome, suggesting significant metabolic flexibility in oxidizing NADH under a variety of conditions. Strains containing in-frame deletions of each of these dehydrogenases were grown in anodic bioelectrochemical systems with N-acetylglucosamine or D,L-lactate as the carbon source to determine impact on extracellular electron transfer. A strain lacking the two dehydrogenases essential for aerobic growth exhibited a severe growth defect with an anode (+0.4 VSHE) or Fe(III)-NTA as the terminal electron acceptor. Our study reveals that the same NADH dehydrogenase complexes are utilized under oxic conditions or with a high potential anode. Understanding the role of NADH in extracellular electron transfer may help improve biosensors and give insight into other applications for bioelectrochemical systems. TOC Graphic
Peirce, Pragmatism and the Logic of Scripture: Pragmatic methods of reading and interpretation

This is a technical chapter, for specialists in epistemology. General readers may prefer to move ahead to chapter 3, to take up the actual story of Peirce's intellectual struggles. This chapter addresses concerns the epistemologist may have about how I go about telling this story. Am I presenting an intellectual biography or a philosophic analysis? Why have I chosen this method of analysis? How are my claims about the development of Peirce's thought warranted? In responding to these questions, I will describe a pragmatic method of reading and interpreting a modern philosopher's writings. The rest of the book should exemplify the method, as applied to Peirce's writings. I argue that this method is a token of Peirce's pragmaticism, but I will be able to defend my argument only at the end of the book, after having performed it. In other words, this study itself belongs to what I will label a Method of Interpretation and Repair: which is to interpret a philosopher's thought according to a critically refined principle of his or her own thinking. Pragmatic reading in the Cartesian–Kantian tradition of epistemology Peirce addressed his writings on pragmatism primarily to communities of epistemologists. In this chapter, I also describe the pragmatic method of reading primarily in the language of what I call the Cartesian–Kantian tradition of epistemology. Peirce presented his earliest work in pragmatism as a critique of what he called “Cartesianism” and as a revision of Kant's critical philosophy.
Lagrangian-type submanifolds of G2 and Spin(7) manifolds and their deformations

Abstract Three-dimensional Harvey-Lawson submanifolds were introduced in an earlier paper by Akbulut and Salur [1] , as examples of Lagrangian-type manifolds inside a G 2 manifold. In this paper, we discuss these as well as two other similar types of submanifolds of G 2 and S p i n ( 7 ) manifolds and their deformations. We first show that the space of deformations of a smooth, compact, orientable Harvey-Lawson submanifold HL in a G 2 manifold M can be identified with the direct sum of the space of smooth functions and closed 2-forms on HL. We then introduce a new class of Lagrangian-type four-dimensional submanifolds of M, call them RS-submanifolds, and prove that the space of deformations of a smooth, compact, orientable RS-submanifold of a G 2 manifold M can be identified with the space of closed 3-forms on RS. Finally, we describe an analogous setting for S p i n ( 7 ) manifolds by defining a new class of Lagrangian-type four-dimensional submanifolds of a S p i n ( 7 ) manifold N, which we call L-submanifolds. We show that the space of deformations of a smooth, compact, orientable L-submanifold of N can be identified with the space of closed 3-forms on L.
Association of Laboratory Methods, Colonization Density, and Age With Detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the Nasopharynx

Culture-based methods for detecting Streptococcus pneumoniae in the nasopharynx lack sensitivity. In this study, we aimed to compare the performance of culture and molecular methods in detecting pneumococcus in the nasopharynx of healthy individuals and to evaluate the associations of age and colonization density with detection. Between 2010 and 2012, nasopharyngeal specimens were collected from healthy individuals living on Navajo Nation and White Mountain Apache Tribal lands in the United States. Pneumococci were detected by means of broth-enrichment culture and autolysin-encoding gene (lytA) quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Among 982 persons evaluated (median age, 18.7 years; 47% male), 35% were culture-positive and an additional 27% were qPCR-positive. Agreement between culture and qPCR was 70.9% but was higher among children (age <18 years) (75.9%-84.4%) than among adults (age ≥18 years) (61.0%-74.6%). The mean density of colonization was lower for culture-negative samples (3.14 log10 copies/mL) than for culture-positive samples (5.02 log10 copies/mL), overall and for all age groups. The percent culture-positive increased with increasing density, exceeding 80% at densities of ≥10,000 copies/mL. Mean colonization density decreased with age. Use of qPCR improved detection of pneumococcus in the nasopharynx of healthy individuals. This finding was most notable among adults, probably because of improved detection of low-density colonization.
From Earl Grey to Boris Johnson: Brexit and the Anglo-American Constitutional Model

Trump and Brexit are at the forefront of political discussions around the world. Many treat them as symptoms of the same phenomenon: the rise of populism, nationalism, and xenophobia towards immigrants and refugees. Both seem to repeatedly challenge constitutional limits on a variety of fronts. Brexit was approved in a referendum by a slim majority, with wavering public support and in spite of a reluctant Parliament. Yet, all British political players feel bound by its results and have taken steps to withdraw from the EU, absorbing the costs of trillions of dollars to their economy. Exclusionary policies may not be enough to explain the extraordinary politics involved. This Article argues that the forces affecting Brexit are rooted in nineteenth century Britain. It deconstructs the familiar narrative that casts the US as the archetype of a constitutional model, with a formal supreme Constitution, judicial review, and popular sovereignty. In that narrative, the UK is cast as the antithesis, because Parliament reigns supreme, it has no formal Constitution, and it lacks a doctrine of judicial review. This Article reveals that, even as this narrative was becoming orthodoxy during the nineteenth century, the UK was already operating under a model similar to the US, demonstrating a continued commitment to popular, rather than parliamentary, sovereignty. The fact that Parliament refers major decisions to the People and carries out those decisions, as exemplified in the British determination to go ahead with Brexit, signals that the People is the sovereign, not Parliament. The challenges encountering popular sovereignty have remained the same over the past two centuries though gaining new dimensions: enfranchisement, protectionism, territorial divisions, and allocation of legislative power. This Article demonstrates how Britain has been operating under a common Anglo-American constitutional model for the past 200 years and highlights its implications for comparative constitutional law. The common Anglo-American model sheds new light on the meaning of the government’s mandate at elections, the rise of party power, and the conditions that would legitimize packing the courts.
A Model for Nitrogen Fixation in Cereal Crops

Nitrogen-fixing microbial associations with cereals have been of intense interest for more than a century (Roesch et al., Plant Soil 2008;302:91–104; Triplett, Plant Soil 1996;186:29–38; Mus et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2016;82:3698–3710; Beatty and Good, Science 2011;333:416–417). A recent report demonstrated that an indigenous Sierra Mixe maize landrace, characterized by an extensive development of aerial roots that secrete large amounts of mucilage, can acquire 28–82% of its nitrogen from atmospheric dinitrogen (Van Deynze et al., PLoS Biol. 2018;16:e2006352). Although the Sierra Mixe maize landrace is unique in the large quantity of mucilage produced, other cereal crops secrete mucilage from underground and aerial roots and we hypothesize that this may represent a general mechanism for cereals to support associations with microbial diazotrophs. We propose a model for the association of nitrogen-fixing microbes with maize mucilage and identify the four main functionalities for such a productive diazotrophic association.