cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: site of acquisition and strain variation in high-risk nursing home residents with indwelling devices.

Nursing home (NH) residents represent a unique, vulnerable, and growing population. Approximately 1.4 million people in the United States reside in over 15,000 NHs. These numbers are expected to increase due to an aging population and the rapid expansion of postacute care in NHs.1 Residence in a NH has long been identified as an important risk factor for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage, and MRSA carriage in NH residents is associated with increased morbidity.2-4 NH residents with an indwelling device, such as a urinary catheter or feeding tube, share many characteristics with high-risk hospitalized populations, because the improper maintenance of these devices presents opportunities for pathogen acquisition. NH residents typically exhibit multiple comorbidities and greater functional dependence, requiring more hands-on contact care from healthcare workers.5,6 There are 3 well-known carriage patterns for MRSA: persistent carriage, intermittent or transient carriage, and non-carriage.4,7 The transmission dynamics of MRSA are difficult to assess in acute care because of the short length of stay and the inherent variability within the population.8 Because residents typically reside in NHs longer than hospitalized patients reside in hospitals and are exposed to more healthcare worker interactions, they represent an ideal population for investigating the colonization patterns of MRSA. The goal of this study was to identify determinants of new MRSA acquisitions (persistent or transient carriage) among high-risk NH residents. We were particularly interested in defining the common anatomic sites of new MRSA acquisitions as well as the genotype of these pathogens. The clinical importance of understanding the relative contribution of different anatomic sites over time, along with the clone-specific patterns of colonization, lies in the ability to understand MRSA transmission in NHs as well as in other healthcare settings that care for older adults and to intervene through infection prevention programs.
Reliable first-principles alloy thermodynamics via truncated cluster expansions.

In alloys cluster expansions (CE) are increasingly used to combine first-principles electronic-structure calculations and Monte Carlo methods to predict thermodynamic properties. As a basis-set expansion in terms of lattice geometrical clusters and effective cluster interactions, the CE is exact if infinite, but is tractable only if truncated. Yet until now a truncation procedure was not well defined and did not guarantee a reliable truncated CE. We present an optimal truncation procedure for CE basis sets that provides reliable thermodynamics. We then exemplify its importance in ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{3}\mathrm{V}$, where the CE has failed unpredictably, and now show agreement to a range of measured values, predict new low-energy structures, and explain the cause of previous failures.
c-Src and Smooth Muscle NAD(P)H Oxidase Assembling a Path to Hypertrophy

Early studies of NAD(P)H oxidase in vascular tissue focused on the regulation of this complex enzyme and suggested its deleterious role in end-organ damage in hypertension and atherosclerosis.1,2⇓ The preponderance of data regarding the regulation of this enzyme and its similarity to the phagocyte prototype that mediates antimicrobial properties contributed to an impression that NAD(P)H oxidase played a similar toxic role in the vascular wall. Increasingly, reports challenge this notion and ascribe a very different role to the oxidase and ROS, demonstrating participation by angiotensin II–induced superoxide anion (O2−) in central nervous system signaling, and NAD(P)H oxidase as a critical player in growth factor–induced angiogenesis.3,4⇓ See page 981 Significant strides have been made recently in our understanding of the regulation of cardiovascular NAD(P)H oxidases, revealing elaborate control of these low-capacity NAD(P)H oxidases as generators of important signaling agents in cardiovascular disease including O2− and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). At the focus of the discussion, endothelial and adventitial cells appear to contain a functional phagocyte-like NAD(P)H oxidase including p22 phox , gp91 phox , p47 phox , and p67 phox .5–7⇓⇓ In contrast, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) appear to vary substantially in terms of the existence of homologues of gp91 phox (nox-1 and nox-4) and the absence of p67 phox .8–10⇓⇓ The upregulation of vascular p22 phox , p47 phox , p67 phox , and nox-2 has suggested that active de novo synthesis and assembly occur during hormonal stimulation.8,11,12⇓⇓ Angiotensin II (AngII) has been shown to cause phosphorylation and translocation of p47 phox in VSMCs, resulting in enhanced oxidase activity.13 Recently, substantial insight was gained from a thorough examination of the oxidase in human resistance VSMCs, which illustrated a striking …
Characterization of a Novel Bisacridone and Comparison with PSC 833 as a Potent and Poorly Reversible Modulator of P-Glycoprotein

Novel compounds, composed of two acridone moieties connected by a propyl or butyl spacer, were synthesized and tested as potential modulators of P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated multidrug resistance. The propyl derivative 1,3-bis(9-oxoacridin-10-yl)-propane (PBA) was extremely potent and, at a concentration of 1 μm, increased steady state accumulation of vinblastine (VLB) ≈9-fold in the multidrug-resistant cell line KB8–5. In contrast to the readily reversible effects of VRP and cyclosporin A on VLB uptake and similar to the effects of the cyclosporin analog PSC 833, this modulation by PBA was not fully reversed 6–8 hr after transfer of cells to PBA-free medium. Continuous exposure to 3 μm PBA was nontoxic and could completely reverse VLB resistance in KB8–5 cells. Consistent with its effects on VLB transport, the drug resistance-modulating effect of PSC 833 was significantly more persistent than that of VRP. However, the effect of PBA was, like that of VRP, rapidly reversed once the modulator was removed from the extracellular environment. PBA was able to compete with radiolabeled azidopine for binding to P-gp and to stimulate P-gp ATPase activity. However, both the steady state accumulation of PBA and the rate of efflux of PBA were similar in drug-sensitive KB3–1 and drug-resistant KB8–5 cells, suggesting that this compound is not efficiently transported by P-gp. These results indicate that PBA represents a new class of potent and poorly reversible synthetic modulators of P-gp-mediated VLB transport.
Multicast authentication in fully adversarial networks

We study a general version of the multicast authentication problem where the underlying network, controlled by an adversary, may drop chosen packets, rearrange the order of the packets in an arbitrary way, and inject new packets into the transmitted stream. Prior work on the problem has focused on less general models, where random, rather than adversarially-selected packets may be dropped and altered, or no additional packets may be injected into the stream. We describe an efficient and scalable authentication scheme that is based on a novel combination of error-correcting codes with standard cryptographic primitives. We prove the security of our scheme and analyze its performance in terms of the computational effort at the sender and receiver and the communication overhead. We also discuss specific design and implementation choices and compare our scheme with previously proposed approaches.
Outsourcing home network security

The growth of home and small enterprise networks brings with it a large number of devices and networks that are either managed poorly or not at all. Hosts on these networks may become compromised and become sources of spam, denial-of-service traffic, or the site of a scam or phishing attack site. Although a typical user now knows how to apply software updates and run anti-virus software, these techniques still require user vigilance, and they offer no recourse when a machine ultimately becomes compromised. Rather than having individual networks managed independently, we propose to outsource the management and operation of these networks to a third party that has both operations expertise and a broader view of network activity. Our approach harnesses two trends: (1) the advent of programmable network switches, which offer flexibility and the possibility for remote management; and (2) the increasing application of distributed network monitoring and inference algorithms to network security problems (an appealing technique because of its ability to reveal coordinated behavior that may represent an attack).
Permitting Pluralism: The Seal Products Dispute and Why the WTO Should Permit Trade Restrictions Justified by Noninstrumental Moral Values

This Article examines the extent to which countries can use animal welfare concerns to justify placing restrictions on international trade, under the law of the World Trade Organization (WTO). We argue that non-instrumental moral and religious concerns should be a legitimate source of trade policy. To make this claim, we examine a current WTO dispute between the European Union (EU), Canada, and Norway. The EU has banned seal products from being sold in the EU, because of animal welfare concerns regarding how the animals are hunted and skinned. Canada and Norway have challenged this regulation at the WTO, arguing that animal welfare is not a legitimate rationale for restricting trade under the law of the WTO. First, we show that animal welfare has long been a motivation for legislation, both in Europe and elsewhere. Second, we demonstrate that the EU measure was taken because of the moral belief that animal welfare should be protected, a belief related both to avoidance of actual suffering of animals and about the appropriate human attitude toward their treatment. Third, we argue that the EU measure does not violate any WTO provisions and, even if it did, it could be justified under the General Exceptions clause (Article XX) of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (the primary source of WTO law). Finally, we argue that the WTO should not deny countries the ability to regulate for moral reasons. If the WTO were to do this, it would risk imposing a secular, materialist, instrumentally rational worldview on its member states. Instead, the WTO should permit pluralism – competing notions of righteousness. – and allow countries to regulate for moral reasons. The EU’s seal products ban should be upheld by the WTO. The WTO legal framework, moreover, must be able to accommodate and accept that animal welfare measures may have at the same time both a utilitarian or instrumental aspect (improving animal welfare outcomes) as well as an expressive aspect, indicating moral opprobrium at the inhumane treatment of animals.
Dual-polarized Mm-wave phased array antenna for multi-Gb/s 60GHz communication

The desire for higher data rates and spectrum limitation makes 60GHz the most promising technology to deliver multi-gigabit high throughput wireless communication. This is due to its abundant multiple gigahertz license-exempt spectrum frequency and particularly for WPAN and WLAN implementation. The 60GHz high path loss demands high directional gain antenna to balance system link budget. Antenna polarization design plays a critical role to minimize polarization mismatch at wave propagation between 60GHz transmitter and receiver link. This paper presents a dual polarized mm-wave antenna and phased array antenna design to provide robust communication link for 60GHz technology.
Psychometric Properties of Teacher SKAMP Ratings From a Community Sample

This study examines the basic psychometric properties of the Swanson, Kotkin, Agler, M-Flynn, and Pelham Scale (SKAMP), a measure intended to assess functional impairment related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, in a sample of 1,205 elementary students. Reliability, factor structure, and convergent, discriminant and predictive validity are evaluated. Results provide support for two separate but related subscales, Attention and Deportment, and provide evidence that the SKAMP predicts school functioning above and beyond symptoms alone. Boys, African American children, and children living in poverty are rated as having higher impairment scores than girls, Caucasian children, and more advantaged peers. Norm-referenced data are provided by gender, race, and parental concern level. This study supports the reliability and validity of the SKAMP in a large, diverse community sample and broadens its clinical utility.
"Care-getting": a conceptual model of marshalling support near the end of life.

This paper offers a conceptual framework that focuses on “care-getting”, a proactive means of insuring responsive and high quality care that is necessary for maintenance of good quality of life during the final years of life. Unlike traditional formulations and empirical studies that consider end of life issues among the terminally ill, we call for a broader consideration of the final years of life among older adults experiencing different health trajectories. We expect frail older adults dispositions, proactive adaptations, and responsiveness of their informal and formal social resources, to play key roles in achieving good quality of life close to the end of life. Such positive outcomes near the end of life help preserve the integrity of the person and contribute to a sense of being cared for [1]. The conceptual framework we propose is a necessary next step for social gerontology, in order to incorporate preparation for dying into the life course. This important final life stage has been previously neglected in gerontological life course theory. Cross-cultural considerations in getting responsive care close to the end of life are discussed.
A divide-and-merge methodology for clustering

We present a divide-and-merge methodology for clustering a set of objects that combines a top-down "divide" phase with a bottom-up "merge" phase. In contrast, previous algorithms either use top-down or bottom-up methods to construct a hierarchical clustering or produce a flat clustering using local search (e.g., k-means). Our divide phase produces a tree whose leaves are the elements of the set. For this phase, we use an efficient spectral algorithm. The merge phase quickly finds an optimal tree-respecting partition for many natural objective functions, e.g., k-means, min-diameter, min-sum, correlation clustering, etc., We present a meta-search engine that uses this methodology to cluster results from web searches. We also give empirical results on text-based data where the algorithm performs better than or competitively with existing clustering algorithms.
Structural Correlates of Apathy in Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: Apathy is the most common noncognitive symptom inAlzheimer’s disease (AD). The structural correlates of apathy in AD have not yet been described. Methods:</i
Self-Describing Data Transfer Methodology for Intelligent Transportation Systems Applications:

The wide variety of remote sensors used in intelligent transportation systems (ITS) applications (loops, probe vehicles, radar, cameras, etc.) has created a need for general methods by which data can be shared among agencies and users who own disparate computer systems. In this paper a methodology is presented that demonstrates that it is possible to create, encode, and decode a self-describing data (SDD) stream using existing data description language standards, parsers to enforce language compliance, a simple content language that flows out of the data description language, and architecture neutral encoders and decoders based on Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1). Further, it documents a reference implementation of an SDD receiver.
After thought. Devotion, Teresa de Jesús, and Miguel de Cervantes

ABSTRACTThis article explores the complex landscape of devotion in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spain, comparing the legislated Christian-only history of Counter-Reformation with the various alternative strands of belief, faith, and devotion present in a variety of areas of cultural production. The article first examines representations of devotion—and methodologies of reading such representations—in areas of production such as architecture, dictionaries, literature, and the arts; at the end of this first section, it coins the concept of “After Thought” as a reading tool to better comprehend and possibly experience devotion in ways particular to early modern Spain, not merely en cristiano but in multiconfessional forms. “After Thought,” both the tool and the article, follow intellectual engagements with Andalusi (not merely Andalusian) past, present, and future environments in early modern Spain. They also engage alternative somatic dimensions of a different “entendimiento” of Christianity, as descr...
Leap, Bridge, or Ride? Ontogenetic Influences on Positional Behavior in Cebus and Alouatta

Adult-like locomotor behavioral patterns were found to develop at an earlier age in C. capucinus than in A. palliata. By 5 months of age, young Cebus resemble adults in the frequency of positional behaviors while young Alouatta individuals vary significantly from the adult condition. Young Alouatta (6–24 months of age) differed from adult Alouatta in leaping, bridging, and climbing. Leaping modes significantly decreased during ontogeny in Alouatta while bridging modes increased significantly during ontogeny. Cebus was observed leaping between gaps more often (juveniles and adults) than howlers, but did not exhibit significant changes in gap crossing behaviors beyond the infant stage of development. These data suggest that in a comparison of these New World monkeys, interspecific ontogenetic differences in linear growth, body mass, and life history timing did not predictably influence locomotion.
Failure of direct fluorescent antibody staining to detect Chlamydia trachomatis from genital tract sites of prepubertal children at risk for sexual abuse.

La decouverte d'un Chlamydia trachomatis dans les voies genitales de l'enfant avant la puberte serait revelateur d'un contact sexuel et serait utile dans le depistage des abus sexuels. Etude d'une methode par immunofluorescence pour la detection du Chlamydia trachomatis. Ce test se revele inadequat
Gold nanoparticles-coated chemically-reactive polymer colloids and the study of their catalytic kinetics

Raspberry-like composite spheres based on chemically-reactive poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) colloids as the cores coated with tunable size of gold nanoparticles were synthesized via a controlled assembly method. Kinetic study of 4-nitrophenol reduction by NaBH4 in the presence of poly(allylamine hydrochloride)-modified PGMA composite with tunable size of AuNPs (PGMA@PAH@AuNPs) was demonstrated. Effects of gold nanoparticles size and PGMA colloid diameter on the reaction time, average reaction rate and average turnover frequency (TOF), order of reaction (n) and apparent rate constant (kapp) were systematically investigated. Experimental results of our study showed composites with 3.4 ± 0.9 nm AuNPs have the best catalytic efficiency with the highest reaction order and apparent rate constant. The poisoning of product 4-aminophenol on PAH-modified PGMA colloid-supported gold nanocatalysts was evaluated using 4-nitrophenol/NaBH4 reduction reaction for the reaction time, average reaction rate, average TOF, order of reaction and apparent rate constant.
Human genome structural variation and disease

Structural variation of the genome is an important aspect in our understanding of the molecular basis of neurocognitive disease and has provided a model where rare variants individually or in concert with other mutations contribute to neurological disease. The lecture will compare the copy number mutational landscape from one of the largest cohorts of children with developmental delay and multiple congenital abnormalities to that of normal adult individuals. I will show how structural variants can be used to discover the molecular basis for more complex neurocognitive disease based on a genomic hotspot model of rare and recurrent copy number variants (CNVs). I will present a two-hit CNV model to explain variability in disease phenotypes and show how the evolution of diverse structural haplotypes can act as a premutation state predisposing to recurrent rearrangement. I will contrast these results with more recent exome sequencing from parent–child trios where offspring are diagnosed with sporadic autism and/or developmental delay. Our analyses suggest that rare CNVs are collectively common in the population and the presence of multiple events may help to explain the variability in disease manifestation. Combined with exome-based sequencing of patients, we predict that 30% of sporadic cases of disease may be explained. The analyses are converging on a finite number of neurodevelopmental pathways where gene dosage imbalance in the heterozygous state is sufficient to create a neurological disease state.
The Paradox of Novice Contributions to Collective Production: Evidence from Wikipedia

This study uses the online encyclopedia Wikipedia to examine the links between expert producers of collective goods, demand for such goods, and good quality. Since collective production settings lack a price-like mechanism, producers do not have direct information about demand for goods so they may fail to produce goods that are needed. In this study I identify a social mechanism through which producers receive, and respond to information about consumer needs across a set of heterogeneous collectively produced goods. Using a longitudinal dataset of 187 million contributions to Wikipedia articles and article demand between October 2008 and February 2009, I model the contributions of novice and expert producers to article quality, and evaluate the relationship between consumer need and novice and expert contributions. Findings show that novice contributors have a direct negative effect on good quality, but their participation in producing a good motivates experts to contribute and increase the quality of the good, thus mediating the relationship between need for goods and expert contributions. These results provide evidence that collective goods fail to satisfy consumer needs in the absence of direct information from consumers, and highlight the paradoxical role of novices in providing a cue about these needs.
Impacting Factors of Farmers' Purchasing Wooden Building Materials Products:Based on Survey Data in 12 Pilot Provinces and Municipality City

The project of subsidies for farmers to purchase wooden building materials is one of the measures taken by Chinese government to deal with the economic crisis.It can thrive rural consumer market just like the project of subsidies for farmers to purchase household appliances.Based on survey data of 958 households in 12 provinces and municipality city,this paper uses Logistic regression model to find out the key factors which impact on farmers' purchase behavior on wooden building materials.The research results show that some variables have significant positive impact on purchase behavior,such as household's education level,average annual income,house structure,product quality,the tedious application procedure or not,the length of getting subsidies,free commission charge or not,and geographic position of house.Suggestions are given for smoothly implementing the project of subsidies for farmers to purchase wooden building materials.
Automatic Detection of Speaker Attributes Based on Utterance Text.

In this paper, we present models for detecting various attributes of a speaker based on uttered text alone. These attributes include whether the speaker is speaking his/her native language, the speaker’s age and gender, and the regional information reported by the speakers. We explore various lexical features as well as features inspired by Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count and Dictionary of Affect in Language. Overall, results suggest that when audio data is not available, by exploring effective feature sets only from uttered text and system combinations of multiple classification algorithms, we can build high quality statistical models to detect these attributes of speakers, comparable to systems that can exploit the audio data.
Inactivation of penicillins by the isolated rat liver.

Abstract Prolonged ampicillin blood levels have been attributed to recycling through the biliary system. The present study was undertaken to make specific measurements of the role of inactivation and biliary excretion of penicillin G and ampicillin by the liver with an isolated rat liver preparation. Varying amounts of the drugs were circulated through the rat liver, antibiotic concentrations were measured, and inactivation rates were calculated. Radioactive penicillins were also administered to determine the fate of degradation products. Ampicillin was inactivated only half as rapidly as penicillin G. Small, but equal amounts of each drug were excreted in the bile. Thus, the higher and more prolonged blood levels of ampicillin appear to be due to a lower rate of inactivation by the liver rather than to recycling through the biliary system.
Magnetic Resonance Enterography Healing and Magnetic Resonance Enterography Remission Predicts Improved Outcome in Pediatric Crohn Disease

ABSTRACTBackground:Mucosal healing predicts clinical remission and improved outcomes in patients with Crohn disease (CD). Magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) is a noninvasive imaging modality that can assess small and large bowel wall inflammation. Evidence suggests that MRE may be an acceptable a
Isolation of Salmonella serotypes from feces of pigs raised in a multiple-site production system

Objective To determine the prevalence and serotypes of Salmonella organisms in feces of pigs raised in a modern, multiple-site production system. Design Cross-sectional study of prevalence. Sample population Swine housed on 7 farms (1 gilt development farm, 2 breeding farms, 1 nursery farm, and 3 finishing farms) that formed a multiplesite production system. Procedure Fecal samples were obtained from 792 pigs (96 to 202/farm) and submitted for bacteriolgic culture of Salmonella organisms. Results Salmonellae were isolated from pigs on all 7 farms and from 95 of 792 (12%) fecal samples. Prevalence ranged from 3.4% at the gilt development farm to 18 and 22% at the breeding farms. Serotypes identified were Salmonella derby, S typhimurium var. copenhagen, S heidelberg, S typhimurium, S mbandaka, S worthington, and S tennessee. No single serotype was not isolated from all the farms of the production system and the most prevalent serotypes at the 3 finishing farms (S typhimurium or S typhimurium var. copenhagen) were not isolated from the breeding or nursery farms. Clinical implications Upstream infection (pigs infected before arriving at finishing farms) appears to be an unimportant source of Salmonella infection of finished hogs in multiple-site systems. High prevalence of Salmonella shedding in breeding animals suggests that food products derived from culled breeding livestock may be an important source of foodborne disease.
Impaired polysaccharide responses in immunodeficient patients: relevance to bone marrow transplant patients.

Bone marrow transplant patients are at increased risk for pneumococcal and H. influenzae type b (HIB) infections. These polysaccharide encapsulated bacteria are also pathogens for young healthy children. In healthy children age related susceptibility has been associated with poor response to polysaccharides and low serum IgG2 subclass antibody concentrations. Of note, immune reconstitution following bone marrow transplantation has been characterized by slow return of both the response to polysaccharides and IgG2 serum concentrations. Thus immune reconstitution following bone marrow transplantation is similar to the maturation that occurs in healthy children. In addition to transplant patients, we have identified five groups of immunodeficient patients who are at increased risk for polysaccharide encapsulated pathogens. IgG2 subclass deficient patients were shown to have impaired responses to polysaccharide antigens. We have also defined "Selective Antibody Deficiencies" which are individuals with normal IgG subclass concentrations but poor responses to polysaccharide antigens. Next, patients who developed HIB disease in spite of immunization (i.e. HIB vaccine failures) were demonstrated to have lower serum IgG2 and IgG4 subclass concentrations compared to controls. Finally, Native Americans (an ethnic group with an increased incidence of pneumococcal and HIB infections) were shown to be poor responders to polysaccharide antigens and have significantly lower concentrations of serum IgG2 and IgG4 as compared to controls. New HIB polysaccharide vaccines linked to protein antigens (conjugate vaccines) have been developed that are more immunogenic in healthy young children. In addition, these conjugate vaccines have resulted in protective responses in each of the newly described immunodeficient groups. We therefore now propose to evaluate bone marrow transplant patients' response to HIB conjugate vaccine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A review of the eastern and southern African blind-snakes (Serpentes: Typhlopidae), excluding Letheobia Cope, with the description of two new genera and a new species

All eastern and southern African species of Typhlopidae (excluding Letheobia) are reviewed with synonymies, diagnoses, and distribution maps. The 27 species from this region are arranged as follows: three species remain in Typhlops (with T. cuneirostris calabresii elevated to full species status), 16 species are transferred from Typhlops to a new genus endemic to Africa (including a new species described from Kenya), three species remain in Rhinotyphlops, four species are transferred from Rhinotyphlops to a new genus endemic to Africa (with R. schlegelii brevis and R. s. mucruso elevated to full species status), and one invasive species of Ramphotyphlops is included, which has been established in a few areas. Keys to the included species and all six African typhlopid genera are provided. A current taxonomic synopsis is provided for extralimital African and Southwest Asian typhlopid species.
Incubating snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus) exhibit site-specific patterns of disturbance from human activities

Context. Many shorebirds are threatened by human-caused disturbance. For snowy plovers, disturbance within nesting habitats has been implicated as a major contributing factor in their population decline through deleterious effects on breeding success. Very little is known about site specificity of disturbance from human activities for this species.Aims. We examined the disturbance of incubating snowy plovers to determine if nesting shorebirds within one breeding population exhibited site-specific patterns of disturbance from human activities.Methods. We recorded flush (i.e. flight or escape from a perceived threat) distances and time spent off the nest following approach by a single person on Sanibel and Cayo Costa Islands, two islands in south-west Florida that differ in daily human visitation, and by a person walking a dog on Sanibel. We used a Bayesian model framework to determine effects of location and approach type on flush distance and time spent off of the nest.Key results. Birds nesting on Sanibel flushed at shorter distances from a solitary person without a dog than did birds nesting on Cayo Costa, but spent similar amounts of time off of nests following a flush. On Sanibel, nesting birds also flushed at significantly greater distances and spent significantly more time off of nests when flushed by a person walking a dog rather than by a person alone.Conclusions. Within a population, nesting snowy plovers exhibit site- and stimulus-dependent patterns of disturbance. The intraspecific variation falls within the range of variation recorded among species of birds studied elsewhere. Although we cannot determine causation, we suggest habituation to human activities from a combination of high beach usage, smaller nesting exclusion zones, and narrower beach width on Sanibel compared to Cayo Costa as a likely explanation for this difference.Implications. Set-back distances for symbolic fencing have been generalised across species and nesting locations. Our results suggest that disturbance of nesting shorebirds can be site-dependent even within one breeding population of a species. Set-back distances around shorebird nests must account for location and types of activities encountered, implying the need for more conservative implementation of set-back distances.
Multi‐trophic impacts of an invasive aquatic plant

Summary Natural resource agencies are increasingly required to prioritise management of multiple non-native aquatic plants (macrophytes) in freshwater ecosystems. Characterising the consequences of invasions for ecological processes and corresponding ecosystem services is fundamental to this decision-making process, but requires an understanding of impacts across physical, chemical, and biological responses. Accordingly, we evaluated the multi-trophic impacts of the invasive macrophyte Myriophyllum aquaticum (Haloragaceae; parrotfeather) along the mainstem Chehalis River, Washington, U.S.A. We examined invertebrate, plant and fish community responses to varying degrees of parrotfeather abundance and simultaneously characterised variation in physical structure and dissolved oxygen (DO) across the dominant native and non-native plant species. DO concentrations were significantly reduced and approached hypoxic levels in areas dominated by parrotfeather compared with native vegetation. Increased structural complexity, volume and biomass of parrotfeather was associated with increased diversity of epiphytic invertebrates. However, these more diverse invertebrate assemblages were dominated by amphipods, whereas native macrophytes were characterised by cladocerans, chironomids and gastropods. Non-native fishes (primarily centrarchid species) were more strongly associated with sites where parrotfeather was present and diversity of non-native fishes was positively correlated along a gradient of parrotfeather abundance. Native fish associated with parrotfeather areas were those that tend to be tolerant of degraded or lower quality habitats. We saw little evidence of exclusion of other macrophytes; native and non-native plant diversity and abundance were positively correlated with the parrotfeather gradient. This may reflect that analysis was done at a site level, and competitive dominance might be apparent by changes in species richness at smaller (plot) scales or over longer periods. Alternatively, parrotfeather may demonstrate minimal effects on native plant composition. Given the effects observed across multiple habitat characteristics and biota, parrotfeather appears to be a highly impactful invader where it establishes. Many of the changes we observed appear to derive from the emergent leaves and dense mat formation of parrotfeather compared with a submersed structure more typical of the native community. Our results suggest that managers should specifically consider contrasting characteristics between non-native and native physical structure when assessing and prioritising threats of invasive macrophytes.
Management of hybrid energy storage systems for MVDC power system of all electric ship

In order to maintain the bus voltage of a medium voltage DC (MVDC) shipboard power system within the allowable margin with the operation of different types of loads, the energy storage has become an indispensable part of all electric ship (AES). In this paper, a PI controller based energy storage management (ESM) system is designed to control the charging and discharging of the hybrid energy storage systems (HESS) for supporting the MVDC system with the operation of the electric weapons. The HESS consists of a high energy density storage (battery) and a high power density storage (supercapacitor). Dual active bridge (DAB) converters with bi-directional capability are used to interface the HESS with the MVDC system. The ESM system generates instantaneous storage reference power with the change of the bus voltage and load power demand. A low pass filter is used to separate the total storage reference power between the battery and the supercapacitor. The reference powers of the battery and the supercapacitor are sent to the controllers of the DAB converters to control the power exchange between the HESS with the MVDC system. The MVDC shipboard power system with different loads, DAB converter with battery and superconductor are modeled in Matlab/Simulink environment. Simulation results are shown to show the performances of the PI controller based ESM system in different scenarios.
Measures of uniformity for space-filling uniform designs in a spherical region

The focus of this paper is to present and discuss new discrepancy measures of uniform designs (UDs) in the two- and three-dimensional spherical design regions B2 and B3. The good lattice point (glp) method is used to construct the UDs in B2 and B3 because it generates good space-filling designs with low discrepancy and designs having small distance-based measures of uniformity. The best UDs were found in B2 and B3 for newly proposed discrepancy criteria. Best UDs based on three distance-based assessment criteria are also included for comparison. Distance-based criteria are alternative measures for design generation in higher-dimensional spherical regions with an example of design generation presented for B4.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting Zika

The 2015 emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas brought new attention to this previously obscure virus. Experimental model systems have been instrumental in rapidly advancing our understanding of ZIKV pathogenesis. Here, Lazear looks back on the events leading to the development of the ZIKV mouse model reported in Cell Host & Microbe.
Observing Facts and Values: A Brief Theory and History

Not acknowledging the history and metaphysics of the fact/value distinction has led to confusion about the difference between the normative and the cognitive, and disputes on whether there are ways to move from one side, facts, to the other, values. One solution is to recognize values as more “objective” than facts, and thus blur the common way of drawing this distinction. The origin of the distinction between facts and values appears in the space between them, when and where it is uncertain whether an observation becomes fact or value. Once values turn into subjective beliefs, the entire distinction collapses, and modernity begins to end.
Introduction to FDA-regulated products

Abstract Products regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) represent close to one-fifth of all products sold in the country or more than $2.4 trillion. With the continuing growth of this sector, the globalization of the industry, and the challenges of meeting complex regulatory requirements, the need for trained professionals in this field is increasing. A product is considered regulated if a government authority determines when and how the product is allowed to be commercialized. In the United States, the FDA separates products into specific categories: food, dietary supplements, cosmetics, drugs, biologics, medical devices, veterinary products, and tobacco. The main law that governs these products is the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, which provides definitions for the different product categories along with allowable claims. Although the major legislations during the FDA’s first 100 years followed on the heels of high-profile incidents, more recent legislations have been spurred by calls for the agency to actively promote innovation, expand earlier access to therapies, and engage patients as key stakeholders.
Radioimmunoconjugates in Renal Cell Carcinoma

The long-awaited clinical benefits of radioimmunoscintigraphy (RIS) and radioimmunotherapy (RIT) are being realized in a slow but steadily progressive fashion [1]. The visualization of tumor foci no longer requires extensive manipulative steps to discriminate uptake of radiolabeled antibody by the tumor from that of the blood pool or normal tissues, and in therapeutic regimens significant tumor responses are becoming more common. However, the past decade of animal studies and clinical efforts utilizing radionuclide conjugated monoclonal antibodies (MAb) has demonstrated the vast complexities of the task at hand, and even as enthusiasm is growing, significant hurdles remain to be cleared if RIS and RIT are to achieve their anticipated clinical potential. We have been actively exploring the use of RIS and RIT in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) xenografts for 5 years and in clinical trials for approximately 2 years. This report will briefly review the progress to date and then in more detail will provide an overview of the key RIS and RIT issues that are being addressed by the scientific community.
Reflex Control of Gastric Secretion

Without considering the possibility of any alternative, nineteenth-century physi­ologists assumed that gastric secretion is exclusively under nervous control, and that it is under reflex control was amply demonstrated toward the end of the century by Ivan Petrovich Pavlov and his students. The doctrine of exclusive nervous con­trol was shattered by William Bayliss and Ernest Starling’s discovery on the after­noon of 16 January 1902 that a “chemical reflex” originating in the intestinal mucosa mediates stimulation of pancreatic secretion by acid in the upper intestinal tract. Spurred by this discovery, J. S. Edkins thought that he had identified a cor­responding humoral agent, gastrin,in the antral mucosa that mediates stimulation of acid secretion in the stomach. The twin discoveries that histamine is a powerful stimulant of acid secretion and that histamine is present in tissue extracts raised doubts about the reality of gastrin. Confusion on this point continued until just before the Second World War, when Simon Komarov presented some proof of the existence of gastrin, and beginning shortly after the end of the war, study of stim­ulating and inhibiting hormones dominated the problem of the control of gastric secretion. Toward the end of the period under consideration here, the interaction of nerves, histamine, and hormones in control of gastric secretion began to be understood.
APP-induced patterned neurodegeneration exacerbated by APOE4 in C. elegans

Genetic and epidemiological studies have found that variations in the amyloid precursor protein ( APP ) and the apoliopoprotein E ( APOE ) genes represent major modifiers of the progressive neurodegeneration in Alzheimer9s disease (AD). An extra copy or gain-of-function mutations in APP lower age of AD onset. Compared to the other isoforms ( APOE3 and APOE2 ), the e4 allele of APOE ( APOE4 ) hastens and exacerbates early and late onset forms of AD. Convenient in vivo models to study how APP and APOE4 interact at the cellular and molecular level to influence neurodegeneration are lacking. Here, we show that the nematode C. elegans can model important aspects of AD including age-related, patterned neurodegeneration that is exacerbated by APOE4 . Specifically, we found that APOE4 , but not APOE3 , acts with APP to hasten and expand the pattern of cholinergic neurodegeneration caused by APP . Molecular mechanisms underlying how APP and APOE4 synergize to kill some neurons while leaving others unaffected may be uncovered using this convenient worm model of neurodegeneration.
The relationship between invader abundance and impact

The impacts of invasive species generally increase with their abundance, but the form of invader abundance–impact relationships remain poorly described. We highlight the utility of abundance–impact curves for three questions. First, abundance–impact relationships can clarify whether prevention and management should focus on the species likely to become abundant or those likely to cause large impacts per individual. Second, comparing abundance–impact relationships between native and exotic species can reveal any systematic differences in their effects on ecological systems. Third, identifying any thresholds in the relationship between invader impact and abundance can be used to select management targets and design invasive species control strategies. With increasing extent and resolution of datasets of invasive organisms worldwide, we now have the opportunity to explore in detail the form and context dependence of the abundance–impact relationship. Doing so provides opportunities to improve the prediction of invader impact, to better understand the differences between exotic and resident organisms, and to scale the impacts of invasive species from localities to ranges.
Why This Book

The Earth is facing huge challenges, in spite of great achievements in economy, finance, and medical innovations, which improve health and extend life. The current big challenge is a strong population growth compared to a much slower tendency in agricultural production increase. These phenomena have already strongly affected food security, since more than one billion people, nearly a sixth of the world’s population, are currently suffering from chronic hunger and malnutrition due to a lack of food. Future prospects are also challenging since feeding nine billion people, the number expected by 2050, would require world agricultural to produce nearly 70% more food, which is practically not feasible. In the efforts to produce more food agriculture has put considerable strain on the environment in overexploiting soil fertility, causing land degradation, diminishing fresh water, deteriorating ecosystems, which in turn are affecting climate. Besides these problems, a warmer climate itself is likely to constrict stronger agricultural production due to an expected increase in severity and frequency of large-scale weather extremes, especially drought. These global changes put additional strain on food security. This chapter explains the principles of this book, focusing on prediction of food security (FS) based on monitoring environmental factors, deteriorating FS, from operational satellites. A short description of remaining chapters is provided with a specific focus on the new satellite-based vegetation health (VH) method for high-resolution monitoring of environmental impacts on crops and pasture, drought detection and prediction and climate change contribution to food security. The material presented in the book is unique, since it is based on nearly four decades of the author’s experience in developing and applying satellite-based VH method for crop modeling in nearly 30 countries, global drought detection and monitoring (area, intensity, duration, etc.), climate change impacts consequences for land cover and vegetation, losses in agricultural production and food security prediction. In addition, the presented material is also based on experience of nearly 70,000 customers who are using VH-based products for monitoring earth surface and environmental impacts on crops.
Imprecise Navigation

Conventional models of navigation commonly assume a navigation agent’s location can be precisely determined. This paper examines the more general case, where an agent’s actual location cannot be precisely determined. This paper develops a formal model of navigation under imprecision using a graph. Two key strategies for dealing with imprecision are identified and defined: contingency and refinement. A contingency strategy aims to find an instruction sequence that maximizes an agent’s chances of reaching its destination. A refinement strategy aims to use knowledge gained as an agent moves through the network to disambiguate location. Examples of both strategies are empirically tested using a simulation with computerized navigation agents moving through a road network at different levels of locational imprecision. The results of the simulation indicate that both the strategies, contingency and refinement, applied individually can produce significant improvements in navigation performance under imprecision, at least at relatively fine granularities. Using both strategies in concert produced significant improvements in performance across all granularities.