cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of agricultural innovation adoption: a meta‐analysis

The impacts of adopting agricultural innovation and technology are widely examined. This paper synthesises 154 studies, which yielded a total of 600 estimates of the impact of adopting agricultural innovation and technology on production, social and economic outcomes. Using meta‐regression analysis, the empirical results show that the reported impact of adopting agricultural innovation and technology rises significantly over time, notwithstanding a significant publication bias. Whether studies find significant impacts of adopting agricultural innovation and technology depends on the use of experimental research designs, parametric method, endogenous switching regression and region. Our results show a large bias in the literature towards agricultural innovations and technologies that focus on high‐yielding varieties and thus, neglect other forms of complementary innovations and technologies.
Fluids with Internal Degrees of Freedom

The essential core of the modern integral equation approach to liquid state theory was arrived at nearly simultaneously in 1960 by a remarkable number of authors working independently [1], They found that the density expansion of the pair distribution function g(r) of a simple fluid with interatomic potential ϕ(r) could be grouped into infinite subsets of diagrams such that $$ g(r){e^{{\beta \phi (r)}}} = 1 + S(r) + P(r) + B(r) $$ (1) where, in the pictorial electrical language of M. S. Green [2], the diagrams of the series set S(r) resemble series circuits and those of the parallel set P(r) resemble parallel circuits; the remaining bridge set B(r) begins with a diagram that looks like a Wheatstone bridge. Further, the diagrams of P(r) could be summed in direct space to give P(r) = g(r) exp(βϕ(r)) - 1 - ln[g(r) exp(βϕ(r))], while those of S(r) could be summed in Fourier space to yield S(k) = c2(k)/[l-pc(k)], which is the Ornstein-Zernike (OZ) equation in Fourier transform representation. Here, c(r) = h(r) - S(r) is the sum of non-nodal graphs, or direct correlation function, while h(r) = g(r) - 1 is the total correlation function.
Accidental encounters: can accidents be adaptive?:

Accidents happen in nature, from simple incidents like bumping into obstacles, to erroneously arriving at the wrong location, to mating with an unintended partner. Whether accidents are problematic for an animal depends on their context, frequency, and severity. In this article, we investigate the question of how accidents affect the task performance of agents in an agent-based simulation model for a wide class of tasks called “multi-agent territory exploration” tasks (MATE). In MATE tasks, agents have to visit particular locations of varying quality in partially observable environments within a fixed time window. As such, agents have to balance the quality of the location with how much energy they are willing to expend reaching it. Arriving at the wrong location by accident typically reduces task performance. We model agents based on two location selection strategies that are hypothesized to be widely used in nature: best-of-n and min-threshold. Our results show that the two strategies lead to different ...
¿Qué Sistema de Salud? Broken Health Care in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico's politically liminal status as a US territory has dire consequences for Puerto Rico's economy: the island does not receive the same funding as states for health insurance. In addition, Puerto Rico's unraveling health care system, coupled with the island's high poverty rate and the medical brain drain, interact. I weave my research on depression into this article as an example of the ways in which political and economic factors aggravate disease.
The Potential of Plug-in Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicles as Grid Resources: the Case of a Gas and Petroleum Oriented Elecricity Generation System

Using data pertaining to the wholesale electricity market for Long Island, New York, a market unusually dependent on natural gas- and petroleum-fired generation, the article examines the potential uses of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles for various electricity grid services. The one area in which the vehicles could clearly play an economically favorable role is frequency regulation services, whereby the vehicles would minutely fluctuate the power they feed into the grid or take from it, in order to keep the total power being fed into the grid in constant balance with the total demand for power. The article also discusses the potential pitfalls in designing an institutional architecture for integrating the vehicles into the market for frequency regulation services.
Succinctness for Finite and Infinite Variants

In this chapter we study three strengthenings of limiting-recursive succinctness: = m -, =*-, and =∞-limiting-recursive succinctness. Recall from Definition 10.3 that if R is a two-place relation over partial functions, then, relative to so and s1, ψ1 is R-limiting-recursively more succinct than ψ0 for A if and only if, for every limiting-recursive h, there exists a ψ1-program p such that ψ 1 p ∈ A and $${\text{for all }}q{\text{ with }}s_0 \left( q \right) \leqslant h\left( {s_1 \left( p \right)} \right),\;not\;R\left( {\psi _q^0 ,\psi _p^1 } \right).$$ (1)
Fusing Complex Big Data Sets to Understand Consumer’s Online Relationships that Create In-Store Retail Bonding: An Abstract

In this exploratory study, multiple consumer online and offline actions, along with external factors were analyzed and then fused with existing and gathered in-store consumer behavioral data sets to develop a richer and more complete view of the various interactions which lead to consumer bonding to a retail chain. While the time period analyzed was limited, the richness and detail of the data enabled a more complete view of how online consumer activities interact with and explain in-store consumer behaviors and the sales results which occur. In addition, two other external variables, weather and adjacency of competitive retail facilities, were used to enhance the “real world” situation in which consumers operate. These provide additional insights into why consumers interact with retailers the way they do. This analysis provides guidelines and insights into the potential value of more detailed and complex retail store/consumer analyses going forward. Based on the results of this initial study, it appears the approaches used in this analysis are transferrable to other situations and might be used around the globe.
Persistent subcutaneous CSF leak after removal of epidural catheter.

We report the case of an 11-month-old boy with Wilm's tumor, who underwent nephrectomy. Postoperative pain was managed with a lumbar epidural for 3 days, with the formation of a persistent cerebral spinal fluid cutaneous fistula.
Effects of neuropeptide Y on the microvasculature of human skeletal muscle

Abstract Background Neuropeptide Y acts directly on the vasculature as a cotransmitter with norepinephrine for an augmented contraction. Little, however, is known about the effects of neuropeptide Y on the microvasculature of human skeletal muscle. Neuropeptide Y signaling has not been studied in the setting of cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass. We investigated the role of neuropeptide Y signaling on vasomotor tone in the microvessels of human skeletal muscle, as well as the effect of cardiopulmonary bypass on neuropeptide Y-induced responsiveness. Methods Specimens taken from intercostal muscles were collected from patients, pre- and post-cardiopulmonary bypass, undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting or cardiac valve surgery (n = 8/group). Microvessels (157 ± 47 microns) were isolated in vitro in a no-flow state. Arterial microvascular responses to a neuropeptide Y agonist, a Y1 receptor antagonist, phenylephrine, and the coadministration of neuropeptide Y and phenylephrine were examined. The abundance and localization of the Y1 receptor were measured using Western blot and immunofluorescence, respectively. Results Arterial microvessels showed responsiveness to the neuropeptide Y agonist (10–9 to 4 × 10–7 mol/L) both before and after cardiopulmonary bypass, reaching a 12.5% vasoconstriction from the baseline luminal diameter. With administration of the Y1 receptor antagonist after neuropeptide Y, the contractile response was eliminated (n = 3/group, P = .04). No difference in vasoconstriction was observed between pre- and post-cardiopulmonary bypass groups (P = .73). The coadministration of neuropeptide Y and phenylephrine (10–9 to 10–4 mol/L) elicited no difference in vasoconstriction (n = 7/group, P = .06 both pre- and post-cardiopulmonary bypass) when compared with phenylephrine alone (10–9 to 10–4 mol/L). No change in the protein expression or localization of the Y1 receptor was detected by Western blotting (n = 6/group, P = .44) or immunofluorescence (n = 6/group, P = .13). Conclusion Neuropeptide Y induced vasoconstriction, suggesting that neuropeptide Y may play an important role in the regulation of the peripheral microvasculature. There was no change in microvascular responsiveness to neuropeptide Y after cardiopulmonary bypass nor were there any synergistic effects of neuropeptide Y on phenylephrine-induced vasoconstriction in the skeletal muscle microvasculature.
Immigrant Sanctuary Policies and Crime-Reporting Behavior: A Multilevel Analysis of Reports of Crime Victimization to Law Enforcement, 1980 to 2004:

Sanctuary jurisdictions have existed in the United States since the 1980s. They have recently reentered U.S. politics and engendered contentious debates regarding their legality and influence on pu...
The Copernican Principle Rules Out BLC1 as a Technological Radio Signal from the Alpha Centauri System

Without evidence for occupying a special time or location, we should not assume that we inhabit privileged circumstances in the Universe. As a result, within the context of all Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars, the origin of a technological civilization on Earth should be considered a single outcome of a random process. We show that in such a Copernican framework, which is inherently optimistic about the prevalence of life in the Universe, the likelihood of the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, hosting a radio-transmitting civilization is $\sim 10^{-8}$. This rules out, \textit{a priori}, Breakthrough Listen Candidate 1 (BLC1) as a technological radio signal from the Alpha Centauri system, as such a scenario would violate the Copernican principle by about eight orders of magnitude. We also show that the Copernican principle is consistent with the vast majority of Fast Radio Bursts being natural in origin.
Advances in multimodal imaging in ophthalmology

Multimodality ophthalmic imaging systems aim to enhance the contrast, resolution, and functionality of existing technologies to improve disease diagnostics and therapeutic guidance. These systems i...
Sodium borohydride and thiol mediated nitrite release from nitroaromatic antibiotics.

Abstract Nitroaromatic antibiotics are used to treat a variety of bacterial and parasitic infections. These prodrugs require reductive bioactivation for activity, which provides a pathway for the release of nitrogen oxide species such as nitric oxide, nitrite, and/or nitroxyl. Using sodium borohydride and 2-aminoethanol as model reductants, this work examines release of nitrogen oxide species from various nitroaromatic compounds through several characterization methods. Specifically, 4- and 5-nitroimidazoles reproducibly generate higher amounts of nitrite (not nitric oxide or nitroxyl) than 2-nitroimidazoles during the reaction of model hydride donors or thiols. Mass spectrometric analysis shows clean formation of products resulting from nucleophile addition and nitro group loss. 2-Nitrofurans generate nitrite upon addition of sodium borohydride or 2-aminoethanethiol, but these complex reactions do not produce clean organic products. A mechanism that includes nucleophile addition to the carbon βto the nitro group to generate a nitronate anion followed by protonation and nitrous acid elimination explains the observed products and labeling studies. These systematic studies give a better understanding of the release mechanisms of nitrogen oxide species from these compounds allowing for the design of more efficient therapeutics.
Review of obnoxious facilities location problems

Abstract In this paper we review research on the location of facilities that have a negative impact on surrounding communities which are defined in the literature, for example, as obnoxious, undesirable, or noxious facilities. Overall, the literature on obnoxious facility location is quite large, and because of this we have even been somewhat selective in that we emphasize here the types of problems that have emerged in the literature but not all of the algorithms and specialized heuristics that have been developed to solve these problems. We do, however, give details as to how specific problems have been approached as optimization problems. We have also attempted to cover the historical roots of this research field.
Generating possibilities

Our knowledge of the most basic alternative possibilities can be thought of as generated recursively from what we know about the actual world. But what are the generating principles? According to one view, they are recombinational: roughly, alternative possibilities are generated by “patching together” parts of distinct worlds or “blotting out” parts of worlds to yield new worlds. I argue that this view is inadequate. It is difficult to state in a way that is true and non-trivial, and anyway fails to account for our knowledge that there might have been other things, properties, relations, and combinations of these than there actually are. I sketch and defend an alternative view based on the distinction between determinable and determinate properties: roughly, alternative possibilities are generated by “intra-determinable” variation, variation from one determinate to another of the same determinable.
Guided Wave Studies for Enhanced Acoustic Emission Inspection

Fundamental elements of wave mechanics are covered with respect to Acoustic Emission (AE) analysis in Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) and Structural Health monitoring (SHM). Emphasis is placed on a...
The Staggered η' with Smeared Operators

Abstract We present a refined calculation of the η′ mass using staggered fermions and Wuppertal smeared operators to suppress excited state contributions. We use quenched and dynamical configurations of size 163 × 32, with Nf = 0, Nf = 2 and Nf = 4, and compare our results with the expected theoretical forms from quenched, partially quenched, and unquenched chiral perturbation theory.
SABRINA — An interactive solid geometry modeling program for Monte Carlo

SABRINA is a fully interactive three-dimensional geometry modeling program for MCNP. In SABRINA, a user interactively constructs either body geometry, or surface geometry models, and interactively debugs spatial descriptions for the resulting objects. This enhanced capability significantly reduces the effort in constructing and debugging complicated three-dimensional geometry models for Monte Carlo Analysis.
Three‐dimensional reconstructions from optical sections of thick mouse inner ears using confocal microscopy

Three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of the vertebrate inner ear have provided novel insights into the development of this complex organ. 3D reconstructions enable superior analysis of phenotypic differences between wild type and mutant ears but can result in laborious work when reconstructed from physically sectioned material. Although nondestructive optical sectioning light sheet microscopy may ultimately prove the ideal solution, these technologies are not yet commercially available, or in many instances are not monetarily feasible. Here we introduce a simple technique to image a fluorescently labelled ear at different stages throughout development at high resolution enabling 3D reconstruction of any component of the inner ear using confocal microscopy. We provide a step-by-step manual from tissue preparation to imaging to 3D reconstruction and analysis including a rationale and troubleshooting guide at each step for researchers with different equipment, protocols, and access to resources to successfully incorporate the principles of this method and customize them to their laboratory settings.
Aberrant methylation of the Cyclooxygenase 2 CpG island in colorectal tumors.

Cyclooxygenases (COXs) are key enzymes that convert arachidonic acid to prostaglandins. Overexpression of one of the COX isozymes, COX2, has been shown to play an important role in colorectal cancer progression. Recently, however, low expression of COX2 has been reported in a subset of colorectal and gastric cancers. Aberrant CpG island methylation and associated transcriptional silencing are common in colorectal cancer, and we therefore investigated the potential role of methylation in the transcriptional silencing of COX2. We examined the methylation status of the COX2 5′ CpG island in a series of tumor cell lines. Among the 33 cell lines examined, dense methylation (>70%) of COX2 was detected in 5 cell lines, and partial methylation was detected in 10 cell lines. Detailed methylation mapping using bisulfite genomic sequencing revealed that loss of expression of COX2 mRNA was closely correlated with methylation of a region upstream of exon 1, and expression could be restored by demethylation using the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-deoxycytidine. Aberrant methylation of COX2 was also detected in 12 of 92 (13%) unselected sporadic primary colorectal cancers and 7 of 50 (14%) colorectal adenomas. COX2 methylation was strongly associated with the presence of the CpG island methylator phenotype (P < 0.01), inversely related to p53 gene mutation (P < 0.01), and unrelated to microsatellite instability status. We propose that COX2 expression in colorectal tumors is modulated by functional factors that favor high expression and by the CpG island methylator phenotype that favors silencing in a subset of cases. These results raise the possibility that tumors with COX2 methylation may be less sensitive to treatment using specific COX2 inhibitors.
Gene targeting of ErbB3 using a Cre-mediated unidirectional DNA inversion strategy.

Recombinase-mediated unidirectional DNA inversion and transcriptional arrest is a promising strategy for high throughput conditional mutagenesis in the mouse. Banks of mouse embryonic stem cells with defined, transcriptionally silent insertions that can be activated by Cre recombinase would take advantage of existing transgenic Cre lines to rapidly produce hundreds of lineage specific and temporally controlled knockout mice for each gene, thereby introducing significant parallelism to functional gene annotation. However, the extent to which this strategy results in effective gene knockout has not been established. To test the feasibility of this strategy we targeted ErbB3, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase receptors, using this strategy. Insertion of a reversed “flipflox” vector consisting of a gene inactivation cassette (GI) and an internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-GFP reporter into intron 1 of ErbB3 was transcriptionally silent and did not affect ErbB3 expression. Crosses with ubiquitous and lineage specific Cre recombinase expressing lines permanently inverted the inserted GI cassette and blocked ErbB3 expression. Unidirectional DNA inversion by in vivo recombination is an effective strategy for targeted or ubiquitous gene knockout. genesis 44:477–486, 2006. Published 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Treatment for Primary Pulmonary Hypertension: Back to the Future

The purpose of this discussion is to address the classification, morphology, clinical features, and pathophysiology of PPH, with special attention to their impact on vasodilatator trials/therapy. Incorporation of these principles in the design of future studies is vital to ensure clinically significant results
Berry-esseen bound for the kaplan-meier estimator

The Berry-Esseen bound for U-statistics, established by Helmers and Van Zwet (1982), is combined with the Breslow-Crowley (1974) bounds for the difference between the empirical cumulative hazard and the Kaplan-Meier cumulative hazard estimators of the survival function to derive a Berry-Esseen bound for the Kaplan-Meier estimator. We show that there exists an absolute quantity K such that the absolute difference between the standardized distribution function of Kaplan-Meier estimator at a fixed time point t and the standard normal cumulative distribution function is bounded above by where S(·) is the survival function and σ1is defined in Lemma 1.
Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome: A review of 36 patients

The Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome is an uncommon condition of uncertain pathogenesis and cause. The classic triad of signs includes recurrent orofacial edema, recurrent facial nerve palsy, and lingua plicata. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 36 patients (24 women and 12 men) with elements of the Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. The complete triad was present in 9 (25%) patients. Orofacial involvement was the dominant feature; it occurred in all 36 patients and was the presenting sign in 15 (42%). Lingua plicata occurred in 18 (50%) patients, and peripheral facial paralysis was present in 17 (47%). Fourteen biopsy specimens were obtained, all from the orofacial region. Eight specimens revealed the classic pathologic picture of granulomatous cheilitis. No etiologic agent was identified in any of the patients. Diagnosis is difficult when all features of the triad are not present. A conservative treatment approach is recommended.
Line bundles and spin-statistics of solitons

Abstract Spin and statistics of soliton solutions in quantum field theory are discussed. The role of line bundle structure on the configuration space is emphasized. It is also explained how spin-statistics of solitons can avoid Wigner's fermion and boson dichotomy in higher dimensions.
Obtaining attosecond X-ray pulses using a self-amplified spontaneous emission free electron laser

We describe a technique for the generation of a solitary attosecond X-ray pulse in a free electron laser (FEL), via a process of self-amplified spontaneous emission. In this method, electrons experience an energy modulation upon interacting with laser pulses having a duration of a few cycles within single-period wiggler magnets. Two consecutive modulation sections, followed by compression in a dispersive section, are used to obtain a single, sub-femtosecond spike in the electron peak current. This region of the electron beam experiences an enhanced growth rate for FEL amplification. After propagation through a long undulator,this current spike emits a {approx}250 attosecond X-ray pulse whose intensity dominates the X-ray emission from the rest of the electron bunch.
Phase 2 Evaluation of Topotecan Administered on a 3-Day Schedule in the Treatment of Platinum- and Paclitaxel-Refractory Ovarian Cancer

Abstract Purpose. The aim of this study was to investigate the toxicity and efficacy of a more convenient topotecan administration schedule (in contrast to the "standard" 1.5 mg/m 2 /day × 5 days q 21 days) in the management of platinum- and paclitaxel-refractory ovarian cancer. Methods. Patients with clinically defined platinum- and paclitaxel-refractory ovarian cancer participating in this phase 2 trial conducted by the Gynecologic Cancer Program of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center received topotecan at a dose of 1.5 mg/m 2 /day × 3 days on a 21-day schedule. Both dose escalations and reductions were permitted in the protocol design. Results. A total of 29 patients (median age: 61; range: 43–80) were treated with this modified topotecan schedule. These individuals had received a median of two prior regimens (range: 1–4) (retreatment with a platinum agent or paclitaxel considered a single regimen). The median number of topotecan courses delivered was 3 (range: 1–7). Major toxicity included grade 4 neutropenia (24% of patients); neutropenic fever (10%); grade 3 thrombocytopenia (10%); and requirement for blood transfusion (14%). Dose escalation was possible, and dose reductions required, in 14 and 28% of patients, respectively. Two patients exhibited evidence of a clinically relevant response to treatment. Conclusion. This 3-day topotecan program is more convenient and less toxic than the standard 5-day regimen. The limited level of activity observed is not inconsistent with that previously reported for the 5-day topotecan infusion schedule in platinum/paclitaxel-refractory ovarian cancer. Further investigation will be required to document the clinical utility of a 3-day topotecan schedule in a less heavily pretreated and more chemosensitive patient population.
Federally regulated corporate communication: an analysis of dominant values

Applying Sekhar’s system of values that governs ethical choices in business, this study examines two sets of data. The first is Regulation S‐P, recently instituted by the Securities and Exchange Commission to regulate the use of confidential client information by providers of financial services in the USA. The second set consists of the resulting corporate communications that were issued by ten organizations in compliance with the regulation. Findings indicate that dominant values expressed explicitly in the regulation itself differ from those that dominate corporate communications. In Regulation S‐P itself, the right to privacy and the right of individual choice dominate, while the tests of universalisability and the greatest good for the greatest number, as well as the values of truth, transparency and honesty, trust and cooperation, and respect for law are implied. In corporate communications, consumer protection, trust and confidence, value, respect, and satisfaction are dominant themes and values.
Use of digital aroma technology and SPME GC-MS to compare volatile compounds produced by bacteria isolated from processed poultry†

Digital aroma technology, solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) and gas chromatographic mass spectral (GC-MS) analysis of the headspace volatile organic compounds were used to compare bacterial species important for food safety and common to biofilms in the poultry processing environment. The instrument for digital aroma technology, called the electronic nose, measured changes in resistance of polymer sensors caused by volatile gases from the headspace of samples. Graphical output by the Sammon mapping technique produced patterns of differences or similarities among the samples. Artificial neural network software was used to model groups of samples and classify subsequent unknowns. Compounds isolated from the headspace of sealed cultures using polydimethylsiloxane SPME fibres and identified by GC-MS analyses were predominantly alcohols and indole. These qualitative profiles were repetitive for specific organisms in relation to purity and repeatability of the cultures, differed by species and were used as objective standards to compare the graphical outputs of the electronic nose. © 1998 Society of Chemical Industry.
Time-resolved diagnostics for concrete target response

In order to facilitate the design of advanced penetrating weapons for defeating land targets, the interaction of concrete with high-velocity penetrators needs to be better characterized. To aid in this effort, three new types of time-resolved diagnostics are being developed and have been used in two experiments and one demonstration: fiber optic arrays to localize penetrators in space and time, Fabry-Perot velocimetry to record the concrete particle velocity, which is related to the pressure, at specific locations within concrete targets, and micropower impulse radar to provide a non-intrusive measure of the penetrator position-time history in a target. The two experiments used the fiber optic array and the Fabry-Perot velocimeter to diagnose the response of concrete to penetration by a Viper shaped charge jet. The results were analyzed using the CALE continuum mechanics simulation program, for which a preliminary model of the material properties of concrete was developed. The fiber optic arrays recorded the bow shock at locations 6.4 and 16.9 cm from the front surfaces. The Fabry-Perot velocimeter measured a free-surface velocity of 0.13 km/s at a distance of 3 cm and obliquity 70° from the jet, which was moving at an interface velocity of 4.0 km/s at a depth of 29 cm. These values imply a pressure of about 6.6 kbar at that location. The demonstration used micropower impulse radar with a pulse repetition frequency of 0.25 MHz and a cell size of 30 ps to detect and record the motion of a metal penetrator simulant moving inside a cylindrical concrete target.
Reproductive synchrony in captive macaques.

Captive bonnet macaques housed at the California Primate Research Center reproduce seasonally. The chances of producing surviving infants were substantially reduced among females who conceived at the peak of the mating season compared with females whose conceptions were more isolated in time. Primiparous females and low ranking females were most consistently affected by the extent of reproductive synchrony. Behavioral data suggest that harassment of conceiving and pregnant females may have contributed to the correlation between the extent of reproductive synchrony and infant mortality as the levels of aggression toward females were highest during the months in which conceptions were most common.
Towards Efficient Designs for In-network Computing with Noisy Wireless Channels

In this paper we study distributed function computation in a noisy multi-hop wireless network, in which $n$ nodes are uniformly and independently distributed in a unit square. We adopt the adversarial noise model, for which independent binary symmetric channels are assumed for any point-to-point transmissions, with (not necessarily identical) crossover probabilities bounded above by some constant &#949;. Each node holds an m-bit integer per instance and the computation is started after each node collects N readings. The goal is to compute a global function with a certain fault tolerance, in this distributed setting; we mainly deal with divisible functions, which essentially covers the main body of interest for wireless applications. We focus on protocol designs that are efficient in terms of communication complexity. We first devise a general protocol for evaluating any divisible functions, addressing both one-shot (N = O(1)) and block computation, and both constant and large $m$ scenarios; its bottleneck in different scenarios is also analyzed. Based on this analysis, we then endeavor to improve the design for two special cases: identity function, and some restricted type-threshold functions, both focusing on the constant m and N scenario.
Increased dose of echinocandins for invasive fungal infections : bonanza for the patient or the pharmaceutical industry?

Increased dose of echinocandins for invasive fungal infections: bonanza for the patient or the pharmaceutical industry?
Strain splitting of 1s yellow orthoexciton of epitaxial orthorhombic Cu2O films on MgO [110]

We investigated the optical properties of epitaxial orthorhomic cuprous oxide films grown on MgO@110#. Absorption measurements show clear excitonic peaks up to n55p. Photoluminescence at 2 K shows several sharp emission peaks in the vicinity of 610 nm associated with a splitting of various 1 s orthoexciton energy levels. The evolution of the peaks with temperature indicates that three peaks at higher energy are due to direct recombination of 1s yellow orthoexcitons and three corresponding peaks at lower energy are their phonon replicas. The symmetry of each level is identified by the polarization properties of their photoluminescence emissions. The observed splitting of the energy levels is used to calculate the coherency strain based on an earlier-parametrized theory for the level splitting by Waters et al. based on the known symmetry of the electronic states. This predicted strain is compared with that determined by x-ray diffraction measurements of the measured lattice parameters.
Differential Response of Common Bean Cultivars to Phakopsora Pachyrhizi

Soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) has been reported on common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) in Asia, South Africa, and the United States. However, there is little information on the interaction of individual isolates of Phakopsora pachyrhizi with common bean germplasm. A set of 16 common bean cultivars with known genes for resistance to Uromyces appendiculatus, the causal agent of common bean rust, three soybean accessions that were sources of the single gene resistance to P. pachyrhizi, and the moderately susceptible soybean 'Ina' were evaluated using seedlings inoculated with six isolates of P. pachyrhizi. Among the common bean cultivars, Aurora, Compuesto Negro Chimaltenango, and Pinto 114, were the most resistant to all six P. pachyrhizi isolates, with lower severity, less sporulation, and consistent reddish-brown (RB) lesions associated with resistance in soybean. A differential response was observed among the common bean cultivars, with a cultivar-isolate interaction for both severity and sporulation levels, as well as the presence or absence of the RB lesion type. This differential response was independent of the known genes that condition resistance to U. appendiculatus, suggesting that resistance to P. pachyrhizi was independent of resistance to U. appendiculatus.
Therapeutic neural transplantation: Boon or boondoggle?

Despite reports of recovery of function after neural transplantation, the biological interactions between transplanted neurons and the host brain that are necessary to mediate recovery are unclear at present. One source of confusion is in the variety of models and protocols used in these studies. It is suggested that multisite experimentation using standard protocols, models, and recovery criteria would be helpful in moving neural transplantation from the laboratory to the clinic.
Assessing UV- and fluorescence-based metrics as disinfection byproduct precursor surrogate parameters in a water body influenced by a heavy rainfall event

Although disinfection byproducts (DBPs) were discovered decades ago and surrogate parameters have been developed to track their precursors, the accuracy of these metrics in waters impacted by heavy rainfall events is largely unknown. We measured DBPs and their precursor surrogate parameters in a water body impacted by 28 cm of rain between 4/24/11 and 4/26/11. Raw waters collected from four locations within the water body from April to August 2011 were treated by coagulation and anion exchange. Ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UV 254 ) and fluorescence excitation-emission pairs (I Ex/Em ) were measured. Excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) were processed with parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis, which resulted in six component fluorophore groups (C1-C6), each with a maximum intensity (F MAX ). DBP formation potential (DBPFP) with free chlorine was used to assess the precursor concentrations. Chloroform (TCM) was the predominant DBP formed, and 37–63% of its precursors were removed by treatment. The trichloromethane formation potential (TCMFP)-UV 254 correlation was poor ( r 2 = 0.25) and adversely impacted by the influx of dissolved iron from the heavy rainfall event; in contrast, correlations with fluorescence-based metrics were strong – TCMFP-I 278/506 ( r 2 = 0.88) and TCMFP-C1 F MAX ( r 2 = 0.87) – illustrating the accuracy of these precursor surrogate parameters in waters impacted by a heavy rainfall event.
Toll‐like receptor 3 in viral pathogenesis: friend or foe?

Viral infections frequently induce acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, yet the contribution of the innate immune response to a detrimental host response remains poorly understood. In virus-infected cells, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is generated as an intermediate during viral replication. Cell necrosis (and the release of endogenous dsRNA) is a common event during both sterile and infectious inflammatory processes. The discovery of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) as an interferon-inducing dsRNA sensor led to the assumption that TLR3 was the master sentinel against viral infections. This simplistic view has been challenged by the discovery of at least three members of the DExd/H-box helicase cytosolic sensors of dsRNA that share with TLR3 the Toll–interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) -adapter molecule TIR domain-containing adaptor protein interferon-β (TRIF) for downstream type I interferon signalling. Data are conflicting on the role of TLR3 in protective immunity against viruses in the mouse model. Varying susceptibility to infection and disease outcomes have been reported in TLR3-immunodeficient mice. Surprisingly, the susceptibility to develop herpes simplex virus-1 encephalitis in humans with inborn defects of the TLR3 pathway varies, and TLR3-deficient humans do not show increased susceptibility to other viral infections. Therefore, a current challenge is to understand the protective versus pathogenic contribution of TLR3 in viral infections. We review recent advances in the identification of TLR3-signalling pathways, endogenous and virus-induced negative regulators of the TLR3 cascade, and discuss the protective versus pathogenic role of TLR3 in viral pathogenesis.
Memory access reduction method for efficient implementation of vector-radix 2D fast cosine transform pruning on DSP

In this paper, we propose a novel memory access reduction method to minimize the memory accesses due to weighting factors (cosine coefficients in the computation diagram of vector-radix 2D FCT pruning) and input points for implementing vector-radix 2D FCT pruning on DSP processors. The proposed method reduces the number of memory accesses in two steps: 1) Reduce the number of weighting factors and 2) Combine butterflies at two stages in vector-radix 2D FCT pruning diagram to form an efficient butterfly structure in one stage and calculate them. The proposed method is applied to implement vector-radix 2D FCT pruning on TI TMSC320C64x DSP. Experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve average of 47.2% memory access reduction, average of 58.2% clock cycle reduction and average of 20% memory space saving for weighting factors to compute vector-radix 2D fast cosine transform pruning on DSP comparing with the conventional implementation.
147 Microwave-assisted drying of viruses: A new approach to enable vaccine transport and storage in the dry state

Vaccines have had a profound effect on mortality reduction in both humans and animals throughout the world. The efficacy of live attenuated vaccines depends on the viability of the infectious biological agents of which they are comprised. Preservation is often achieved through refrigerated storage that must remain uncompromised from the site of production to the site of inoculation. Breaking the cold chain requirements for vaccines would not only reduce equipment and energy costs, but could increase the availability of live-attenuated vaccines throughout the world. The current work explores the utility of a microwave drying process to dehydrate a series of viruses for the ultimate purpose of storing them in a dry state. Vaccinia virus, an enveloped poxvirus, and an adenovirus, an icosahedral non-enveloped (“naked”) virus, were studied, as these DNA viruses have recently been shown to remain viable in a dehydrated state. Drying and storage studies were also performed on two enveloped RNA viruses, vesicular stomatis virus (VSV) and Sendai virus (SeV). All tested viruses have served as vaccine vectors. The primary objective was to demonstrate that viruses of relevance to vaccine production can be dried by microwave assisted processing and stored in a dry state while maintaining a suitable level of infectivity. Using microwave processing to achieve the dry state we were able to achieve long-term storage of vaccinia and an adenovirus (up to 3 months) at temperatures up to 45 °C. VSV and SeV were considerably less stable than the reference viruses, and could not be stored long-term without considerable loss of titer. These are enveloped viruses and thus likely to be more sensitive to processing stresses. Source of funding: This work was funded by a grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. Conflict of interest: None declared. gdelliot@uncc.edu
Play and Energy Regulation in Mammals

Analysis of ecological constraints on juvenile mammals suggests that energy expended in play behavior does not reduce fitness, but actually increases it. When viewed as a promoter of adaptive energy loss, play can be considered an antipredator strategy. In addition, it may balance a low-protein diet in favor of growth, as well as increase resistance to pathogens and to cold exposure. These short-term benefits result from activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which is hypothesized to occur during play. SNS activation increases heat production in brown adipose tissue. The energy-regulation approach generates many predictions that are supported in the literature, and others that can be empirically tested.
Modeling metabolic systems: the need for dynamics

Living organisms exhibit dynamic shifts of metabolic pathways to cope with various perturbations. Such temporal change of modus operandi is one of the key mechanisms characterizing metabolic behavior. In this review, we highlight the importance and potential of dynamic modeling in understanding and harnessing metabolic systems, in particular, for bioprocess optimization and metabolic engineering. In a field that harbors a variety of approaches, their relative assessment calls for appropriate quantitative measures. Toward this, we present rational criteria for the evaluation of metabolic models, and recent advances in dynamic modeling that include accounting for dynamic regulation at the whole network level, development of frameworks able to handle large-scale networks on the basis of pathway analysis, and whole-cell modeling of a simple microbe.
Potency, selectivity, and consequences of nonselectivity of PDE inhibition.

Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) play a decisive role in cyclic nucleotide-mediated intracellular signaling. As PDEs are expressed in a variety of tissues, selectivity is a prerequisite for a therapeutically applicable PDE inhibitor. Sildenafil, vardenafil, and tadalafil are selective for PDE5, with vardenafil exhibiting the highest potency and minimal inhibition of other PDEs, with the exception of PDE6. Tadalafil is extremely selective for PDE5, but also potently inhibits PDE11, an enzyme with unknown physiological function. As PDE1 is expressed in the brain, myocardium, and vascular smooth muscle cells, nonselectivity with respect to this enzyme (selectivity: tadalafil>vardenafil>sildenafil) may result in vasodilation and tachycardia. Inhibition of PDE6 (selectivity: tadalafil>vardenafil≅sildenafil), which is expressed only in retina and functions in visual transduction, can transiently disturb vision. PDE5 inhibitors may also indirectly inhibit PDE3 by increasing cyclic guanosine monophospate levels, thereby elevating heart rate and vasodilation while inhibiting platelet aggregation.
Desorption from non-equilibrium island-forming adlayers

Abstract If an island-forming adlayer remains equilibrated during desorption, as often assumed, then the density of the more readily desorbing “gas phase” adspecies remains constant in the coexistence region (at fixed temperature). This dramatically influences the desorption kinetics. However for strongly clustering adlayers, “condensed phase” adspecies mobility is limited, and “gas phase” adspecies may desorb too quickly for adlayer equilibrium to be maintained. An irreversible model is proposed to describe this desorption regime. Its analysis for isothermal desorption shows effective desorption energy and desorption order behavior quite different from the corresponding equilibrated process. General criteria for the occurence of such non-equilibrium behavior are also presented.
Complement-dependent hemodynamic and hematologic changes in the rabbit.

The intravenous injection of the anticomplementary protein from cobra venom, cobra factor (CoF), induces decreases in mean arterial blood pressure and circulating platelets in rabbits. The changes are rapidly reversed. Both changes require the presence of C3 and occur in rabbits genetically deficient in the sixth component of complement. The hypotensive effects of CoF were blocked by the histamine H2-receptor antagonist burimamide. An acute C3-dependent change in blood pressure and circulating platelets also was demonstrated following the intravenous injection ofS. marcescens endotoxin. However, abrogation of these acute changes by C3 depletion did not alter the extent of a second, prolonged fall in blood pressure and platelets induced byS. marcescens endotoxin occurring after 60–90 min. C3 depletion also did not alter the lethal effects of theS. marcescens endotoxin.
Left ventricular volume and mass and their significance in heart disease

Abstract Methods are now available for determining left ventricular chamber dimensions, volume, volume curves, wall thickness and mass. These observations, when taken together with left ventricular pressure, can be used to characterize the left ventricle as a pump and determine end-diastolic volume, stroke volume, ejection fraction, rates of ejection and filling, mass, work and work components and power. Methods for deriving these values and their significance in the evaluation of the functional state of the left ventricle in patients with heart disease are discussed.
No association between Apoε4 alleles, HIV infection, age, neuropsychological outcome, or death.

The e4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene may have important interactions with physical health and cognitive function among individuals with HIV disease. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between e4, HIV disease, age, neuropsychological impairment, and death in a large, well-characterized study sample. A total of 2846 men participating in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study had ApoE genotyping and neuropsychological test data available for analysis. We found a significant association between HIV infection and time to death (from any cause), as well as older age, race, and education. But, ApoE status was not significantly associated with time to death. Similarly, we found a significant association between HIV infection and time to incident cognitive impairment, as well as age, education, and HIV serostatus; Apoe4 status was not related to incident cognitive impairment. There were no significant interactions between ApoE, HIV infection, and age on cognitive impairment. These data replicate and strengthen prior findings of the lack of association between ApoE e4 and cognitive outcomes in HIV disease. We conclude that within the specific constraints of an exclusively male study in which the majority of participants were less than 65 years of age (range 22–87 years), it appears reasonable to conclude that the e4 allele is not significantly interacting with HIV serostatus.
Tectonic and sedimentary significance of Cretaceous Tekenika Beds of Tierra del Fuego

STRATA called Tekenika Beds have been considered the oldest post-orogenic rocks within the southernmost Andean Cordillera. Their significance in terms of regional tectonic history outweighs their small outcrop area on the east side of Hardy Peninsula on Hoste Island, Chile, about 160 km north-northwest of Cape Horn (Fig. 1). The Tekenika Beds, which are 2–3 km thick, are best known on Burleigh Peninsula on the south side of Tekenika Bay (Tekenika derives from two Yahgan Indian words Teke uneka1), where they are largely sandstone and conglomerate (Figs 1 and 2). The basal contact has not been seen; however, the strata, although folded (ref. 2 and unpublished reports of Empresa National del Petroles), are less deformed than the tightly folded Lower Cretaceous Yahgan Formation just north of Tekenika Bay less than 5 km away. Therefore an unconformity is implied. Coarseness of the strata, fossil wood (some bored by worms or molluscs), thin lignitic coal beds, shallow marine molluscs and presence of some plutonic clasts led to the view that the Tekenika is a nearshore, post-orogenic sequence2. Suarez and Pettigrew recognise it as pre-orogenic, but still interpret it as a shallow marine deposit3. We report here structural evidence indicating that the Tekenika Beds are pre-orogenic and deep water deposits.