cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early impacts of hemlock woolly adelgid in Tsuga canadensis forest communities of the southern Appalachian Mountains1

Abstract Throughout much of its range, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. (eastern hemlock) is severely threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA; Adelges tsugae Annand), an exotic, invasive insect introduced from Japan. HWA causes defoliation and mortality, which presents a serious threat to the survival of T. canadensis in forests of eastern North America. Although HWA has been extensively studied in the forests of New England and the Mid-Atlantic, its spread into forested ecosystems throughout the southern Appalachian Mountains is relatively recent, and few studies have addressed the early impacts of this biological invasion. This study utilized forest inventory data collected in 2003, and again in 2008–2009 to quantify T. canadensis mortality and consequential shifts in species composition resulting from infestations of HWA throughout Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We observed significant decreases in the density of overstory and understory T. canadensis. The majority of the surviving overstory T. ...
Regulation of mucin and fluid secretion by conjunctival epithelial cells

Tears play a vital role in the health and protection of the cornea and conjunctiva. The tear film consists of multiple layers and different glands secrete each layer. Because of many and varied requirements of the ocular surface cells, the volume, composition and structure of the tear film must be exquisitely controlled. If any layer of the tear film is disrupted or altered, the entire tear film is affected, often with deleterious effects. This chapter reviews the current knowledge of the neural and growth factor regulation of electrolyte, water and protein secretion from the goblet and stratified squamous cells of the conjunctiva as well as the mechanisms used for fluid secretion. The evidence presented in this review suggests that parasympathetic nerves stimulate goblet, but not stratified squamous, cell secretion. Sympathetic nerves stimulate stratified squamous, but not goblet, cell secretion, while P2Y(2) agonists stimulate secretion from both cell types. Growth factors regulate goblet cell secretion, but their effects on stratified squamous cell secretion are unknown.
Mining sequence features for DNA-binding site prediction

Protein-DNA interactions play pivotal roles in gene regulation and DNA replication and repair. Since the 3-dimensional structure of most proteins is still unknown, computational methods which can identify DNA-binding sites from protein sequences are in demand. In this study, we used a greedy method to search for features that are useful for the identification of DNA-binding sites. 5 features were selected from a pool of 534 features. Using the selected 5 features, a Naive Bayes method achieved 0.31 Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC), which is an improvement over a previous method that used only 2 features as input. Since all of the 5 features can be derived from protein sequences, the proposed method can identify DNA-binding sites using only protein sequences as input.
Current Evidence on Healthy Eating

Large nutritional epidemiology studies, with long-term follow-up to assess major clinical end points, coupled with advances in basic science and clinical trials, have led to important improvements in our understanding of nutrition in primary prevention of chronic disease. Although much work remains, sufficient evidence has accrued to provide solid advice on healthy eating. Good data now support the benefits of diets that are rich in plant sources of fats and protein, fish, nuts, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables; that avoid partially hydrogenated fats; and that limit red meat and refined carbohydrates. The simplistic advice to reduce all fat, or all carbohydrates, has not stood the test of science; strong evidence supports the need to consider fat and carbohydrate quality and different protein sources. This article briefly summarizes major findings from recent years bearing on these issues.
On a New Collection of Stochastic Linear Programming Test Problems

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new test-problem collection for stochastic linear programming that the authors have recently begun to assemble. While there are existing stochastic programming test-problem collections, our new collection has three features that distinguish it from existing collections. First, our collection is web-based with free public access, and we intend to enrich it as new test problems become available. Indeed, we encourage submissions of new test problems. Second, along with the collection we provide documentation of the problems, so that researchers can quickly find information about each family without reading through the original source. Third, all of the data in our collection are provided in SMPS (Birge et al. 1987, Gassmann and Schweitzer 2001) format. In this paper, we provide an introduction to the stochastic linear program, give a brief description of each problem family currently in the test-problem collection, and describe the documentation that accompanies the collection.
Acceleration source spectra anticipated for large earthquakes in northeastern North America

A set of 16 large intraplate earthquakes are considered on the basis of their tectonic settings, compressive focal mechanisms, and shallow focal depths as possible analogs for large earthquakes that may be anticipated to occur in northeastern North America. The earthquakes range in seismic moment from 5 × 1023 to 3 × 1026 dyne-cm and include the mainshocks and largest aftershocks of the 1982 Miramichi, Canada, the 1985 to 1988 Nahanni, Canada, and the 1988 Tennant Creek, Australia, earthquake sequences. The teleseismic recordings of these earthquakes are spectrally analyzed by correcting the logarithmically averaged acceleration spectra for the frequency-dependent effects of attenuation and interference of the depth and direct phases. The resulting acceleration source spectra are generally flat at high frequencies; the mainshock spectra exhibit intermediate spectral falloffs (that is, | u α(ω)| ∝ ω−γ where γ ≈ 1) over frequencies that characteristically extend from 0.1 to 0.5 Hz. In contrast, the largest aftershocks of the three sequences named above exhibit ω2 spectral shapes. The high-frequency source spectral levels increase with seismic moment approximately as Ru α| ∝ M 1/3. The 1988 Saguenay, Canada, earthquake, which occurred significantly deeper than the other earthquakes, exhibits an anomalous spectral shape. Combining the teleseismic data with strong-motion recordings indicates that the intermediate spectral falloff for this earthquake extends from 0.2 to 3 Hz. The spectral amplitude at 3 Hz is a factor of 3 higher than the amplitude anticipated for an earthquake of this size from the other 15 earthquakes.
Experimentally Induced Malignant Hypertension in Beagle Dogs

The pathology of malignant hypertension in dogs induced either purposely or inadvertently by the Goldblatt procedure has not been previously reported. Malignant hypertension was experimentally produced in beagle dogs by a modified Goldblatt procedure; in a single surgical procedure, one kidney was removed and the blood flow to the remaining kidney was reduced by 50%. A sudden onset of severe clinical signs developed within one to three weeks after surgery. The dogs were markedly depressed or in shock, were vomiting, and had either bloody feces or bloody diarrhea. Hematologic changes compatible with a diagnosis of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia consisted of hemolysis, thrombocytopenia, and the presence of burr cells and schistocytes. Some dogs had neutrophilia and slight to moderate increases in blood urea nitrogen and .creatinine. At necropsy, there were gross hemorrhages in the heart, brain, urinary bladder, and gastrointestinal tract. Histologic findings consisted of multifocal parenchymal hemorrhage, fibrinoid necrosis of arterioles, medial smooth muscle hyperplasia, adventitial fibroplasia and mononuclear cell infiltrates, and microthrombi. The vascular clamp most likely protected the kidney from the systemic hypertension since the remaining kidney was largely not remarkable by light or electron microscopy. The dog appears to be a good model to
Mental health and health care utilization in geriatric primary care patients.

Objective This study examines the effect of mental health factors on health care utilization in a group of community dwelling elderly subjects followed in a primary care setting. Method Data on utilization was obtained prospectively from computerized billing records for a one-year period following completion of a structured survey. Relationships between variables were characterized by Spearman's rank correlation. Multivariate linear regression modeling was employed to relate health care utilization, as measured by total cost, to the baseline variables. Results No significant relationship was found between mental health measures and health care utilization as measured by total costs in this elderly population. However, total costs were found to be related to medical comorbidity and total daily medication use. Conclusion The present study did not find the relationship of psychiatric distress and increased use of health care services to apply to a group of community dwelling elderly. Future research will need to focus on larger data sets and improvement of models that attempt to examine the relationships between mental health and health care utilization in the elderly.
In Vitro Dehalogenation of para-Substituted Aromatic Halides in Rat Liver Preparations

Abstract The in vitro dehalogenation of a series of para -substituted halo-benzenes was studied using HPLC separation followed by scintillation counting or neutron-activation analysis. Microsomal and cytosolic deiodination were established for iodobenzene substrates whose para -substituents were CO 2 H, CHO, NO 2 , OH, and C 6 H 5 but not for para -iodobenzonitrile. A nonglutathione cytosolic deiodinase was only indicated with 4-iodobiphenyl as the substrate. In vitro dehalogenation could not be established for 4-bro-mobiphenyl using neutron-activation analysis.
Cryogenic Cutting of AZ31B-O Mg Alloy for Improved Surface Integrity: Part II — Physics-Based Process Modeling of Surface Microstructural Alteration

This is the Part II of a two-part series numerical study which investigates the improvement of surface integrity of AZ31B-O magnesium (Mg) alloy by cryogenic cutting. In Part I, material constitutive behavior and grain refinement mechanism of AZ31B-O Mg alloy under cryogenic cutting conditions were modeled based on both slip and twinning mechanisms. In this study, the material model is implemented in the two-pass cryogenic cutting finite element simulations using a commercial machining simulation software package of AdvantEdge 6.4. The microstructural evolution by nanocrystalline grain refinement and other improvement of the surface integrity of AZ31B-O Mg alloy after cryogenic cutting are simulated. With quantitative assessments, simulation results are further discussed in grain refinement, microhardness change, residual stress, and slip/twinning mechanism in the machined surface of Mg alloy by cryogenic cutting. The results show that the surface integrity of Mg components can be significantly improved by using cryogenic cooling and a larger tool edge radius.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Ralph M. Reitan: A Founding Father of Neuropsychology

Ralph Reitan was introduced to neuropsychology as a recent college graduate in 1944, long before the term was commonly used. His first job, for which he received minimal training, involved working in an Armed Forces Induction Station, attempting to determine through interviews and tests whether illiterate inductees had the basic abilities to learn to read and write and thus be accepted into the army. We are not sure how accurate those predictions were, but one of the officers at the station was sufficiently impressed with Ralph that he recommended him for a job evaluating brain-injured soldiers at the Mayo Hospital in Galesburgh, Illinois. Ralph was fascinated by the difficulties and the recovery he observed in these patients, and struck by the lack of available publications in this area. He assembled a battery of measures that he hoped would capture the difficulties he was observing, and was able to enlist the help of his section chief, a neurologist named John Aita. Together, they published four articles in 1947–1948 on psychological consequences of brain injury.
Small-Fiber Polyneuropathy and Pain Syndromes

Investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, tested the hypothesis that acquired small-fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN) contributes to unexplained widespread pain syndromes in children and adolescents.
Assessing ureteral patency using 10% dextrose cystoscopy fluid: evaluation of urinary tract infection rates.

Background Intravenous indigo carmine has routinely been used to confirm ureteral patency after urogynecologic surgery. Recent discontinuation of the dye has altered clinical practice. In the absence of indigo carmine, we have used 10% dextrose in sterile water (D10) as cystoscopic fluid to evaluate ureteral patency. Glucosuria has been associated with urinary tract infection (UTI) in vivo and significantly enhanced bacterial growth in vitro. The concern is that the use of D10 would mimic a state of glucosuria albeit transient and increase the risk of postoperative UTI. Objectives The objectives of this study were to compare the rates of postoperative UTI and lower urinary tract (LUT) injuries between patients who underwent instillation of D10 vs normal saline at the time of intraoperative cystoscopy after urogynecological surgery. Study Design This was a retrospective cohort study of all women who underwent cystoscopic evaluation of ureteral patency at the time of urogynecological surgery from May through December 2014 at a tertiary care referral center. We compared patients who received D10 cystoscopy fluid vs those who used normal saline. Outcomes included UTI and diagnosis of ureteral or LUT injuries. UTI was diagnosed according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines by symptoms alone, urine dipstick, urinalysis, or urine culture. Descriptive statistics compared the rates of UTI between the 2 groups, and a multivariable model was fit to the data to control for potential confounders and significant baseline differences between the groups. Results A total of 303 women were included. D10 was used in 113 cases and normal saline (NS) was used in 190. The rate of UTI was higher in the D10 group than the NS group: 47.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 38.3–57.4) vs 25.9% (95% CI, 19.8–32.8, P P = .002) compared with NS. Overall, 3 cases of transient ureteral kinking (1.0%) and one cystotomy (0.3%) were identified intraoperatively. However, ureteral and LUT injuries were not different between groups. No unidentified injuries presented postoperatively. Conclusion Although the use of D10 cystoscopy fluid has been successful in identifying ureteral patency in the absence of indigo carmine, it is associated with an increased rate of postoperative UTI compared with NS.
Age of Entanglement: German and Indian Intellectuals across Empire. By Kris Manjapra. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2013. Pp. 454. $49.95.)

Examining Indo‐German interactions in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this new work provides important insights and deserves to become a landmark in the field as it both surveys existing sc...
Modeling Persuasion within Small Groups, with an Application to a Deliberative Field Experiment on U.S. Fiscal Policy

We evaluate the dynamics of persuasion within small groups using a large scale randomized deliberative experiment. In particular, we examine whether persuasion in this context is driven by the composition of small groups to which participants were randomly assigned. In these discussions focusing on U.S. fiscal policy, ideological persuasion occurs but does not tend to be polarizing, a result that is consistent with normative deliberative goals of cross-cutting discussion and inconsistent with the 'law' of polarization identified in small group research. In addition, the results demonstrate the presence of persuasion that is outside of ideological constraints, a form of persuasion that participants themselves tend to associate with informed discussion. The results show that small group dynamics depend heavily on the context in which discussion occurs and that deliberative institutions can ameliorate many of the pathologies that are often attributed to small group discussion.
The Regulatory Life of Threatened Species Lists

“The Regulatory Life of Threatened Species Lists” explores a prominent technology for the legal regulation of nonhuman life: the threatened species list. I argue that threatened species lists are biopolitical technologies: they produce and reinforce underlying species ontologies by creating, calculating, and governing the boundaries between various nonhuman species. Such a differentiated treatment of the life and death of nonhuman species through their en-listing, down- and up-listing, multi-listing, and un-listing translates into the positive protection and active governance of such species. Listing threatened species thus becomes a way to affirm — and to justify — which lives are more and most important to save, thereby reifying the distinction between those who save (humans) and those who can only be saved (nonhumans). Specifically, the last two decades have witnessed an explosion of national and global lists of threatened and endangered species. In 2010, at least 109 countries had produced a national list of threatened species and more than 25 listing systems of threatened species were used across North America alone. The IUCN Red List for Threatened Species is the first and most comprehensive attempt at the global listing of all threatened species and, increasingly, of all species. This chapter utilizes an empirical and ethnographic methodology to explore the nature of lists, and of the Red List in particular; it then proceeds to examine the biopolitical aspects of the Red List as well as its global, regulatory, scientific, and seductive powers.
Low back pain among workers in care facilities for the elderly after introducing welfare equipment.

Objective The purpose of this study was to clarify the causes of low back pain among workers in care facilities for the elderly after the introduction of welfare equipment. Methods We conducted anonymous questionnaire surveys among administrators and care workers in eight elderly care facilities. The questionnaires were designed to investigate the status of both the care workers and facility. In reference to the care facility, the questionnaires were comprised items for investigating basic information, occupational safety, and health activities. For care workers, in addition to basic information, occupational safety, and health activities, the questionnaires also comprised items for investigating resident transfer and bathing methods, low back pain, and occupational stress. Results Completed questionnaires were returned by eight care facility administrators (response rate: 100%) and 373 care workers (response rate: 92.3%), among which 367 were used for analyses. Many care workers participated in a variety of occupational safety and health activities that were conducted in the facilities. Various types of welfare equipment were introduced into the care facilities and subsequently used by many care workers during resident transfer and bathing. As a result, 89.9% of the care workers reported having only slight or no low back pain. The remaining 10.1% reported having serious low back pain that interfered with their work. On the basis of logistic regression analysis, low back pain was associated with the following variables: failure to provide the appropriate method of care to each resident, failure of colleagues to discuss methods for improving care, lack of instructions regarding the use of welfare equipment, and inappropriate job rotation. An association was also found between low back pain and poor posture, poor resident-lifting technique, insufficient time to complete work, and a shortage of workers to assist with resident transfer or bathing. Conclusion Although care workers received instructions on the health and safety activities extracted from the surveys, an association was still found between these activities and low back pain. This was thought to result from some care workers not establishing the appropriate method of care for each resident, not discussing methods for improving care with other colleagues, not using the welfare equipment, and failing to practice appropriate job rotation. These results suggest that low back pain among care workers in the facilities for the elderly that have introduced welfare equipment is caused by a failure to sufficiently conduct appropriate care methods.
Abstract 253: Comparative Effectiveness of Clopidogrel in Medically Managed Patients with Unstable Angina and non-ST Segment Myocardial Infarction

Background: The CURE trial demonstrated improved outcomes with the addition of clopidogrel to aspirin in unstable angina (UA) or NSTEMI, leading to guideline adoption and widespread use. Although the role of clopidogrel after PCI is well studied, 40-50% of patients with UA/NSTEMI are medically managed, i.e., without revascularization during the index hospitalization. The effectiveness and optimal duration in real-world medically managed patients is unknown. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all adult members of Kaiser Permanente of Northern California, a large, integrated health care delivery system, without known CAD or prior clopidogrel use who presented with UA/NSTEMI from 2003-2008 and did not receive revascularization (PCI or CABG) during the index hospitalization or within 7 days post-discharge (i.e., “medically managed”). We measured the association between use of clopidogrel within 7 days of discharge with subsequent all-cause mortality and MI at 2 years of follow up. Outcomes ...
Identification of TMEM230 mutations in familial Parkinson’s disease (response to comments)

We recently reported mutations in TMEM230 in familial Parkinson disease (PD). Farrer et al raised the concern that mutations in TMEM230 may not be pathogenic to PD. We seriously evaluated this assertion. We obtained updated clinical information and performed several new experiments, including MegaEx chip screening of the family DNA samples with ~2 million SNPs for whole-genome linkage study and re-analysis of whole-exome sequencing data. We did not find any other locus more robust than the chromosome 20p (TMEM230), nor any other variants with better segregation than TMEM230-R141L to explain the inheritance of PD in the large Mennonite family. Based on the new genetic data from the Mennonite PD family, and the robust genetic data showing additional TMEM230 mutations in multiple PD families, we are confident to conclude that TMEM230 is a new PD-causing gene. Further studies of TMEM230 should provide important mechanistic insights into understanding the vesicle/endosome trafficking/recycling defects in the pathogenesis of PD.
Multitemporal field-based plant height estimation using 3D point clouds generated from small unmanned aerial systems high-resolution imagery

Abstract Plant breeders and agronomists are increasingly interested in repeated plant height measurements over large experimental fields to study critical aspects of plant physiology, genetics and environmental conditions during plant growth. However, collecting such measurements using commonly used manual field measurements is inefficient. 3D point clouds generated from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) images using Structure from Motion (SfM) techniques offer a new option for efficiently deriving in-field crop height data. This study evaluated UAS/SfM for multitemporal 3D crop modelling and developed and assessed a methodology for estimating plant height data from point clouds generated using SfM. High-resolution images in visible spectrum were collected weekly across 12 dates from April (planting) to July (harvest) 2016 over 288 maize ( Zea mays L.) and 460 sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor L.) plots using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS. The study compared SfM point clouds with terrestrial lidar (TLS) at two dates to evaluate the ability of SfM point clouds to accurately capture ground surfaces and crop canopies, both of which are critical for plant height estimation. Extended plant height comparisons were carried out between SfM plant height (the 90th, 95th, 99th percentiles and maximum height) per plot and field plant height measurements at six dates throughout the growing season to test the repeatability and consistency of SfM estimates. High correlations were observed between SfM and TLS data (R 2 = 0.88–0.97, RMSE = 0.01–0.02 m and R 2 = 0.60–0.77 RMSE = 0.12–0.16 m for the ground surface and canopy comparison, respectively). Extended height comparisons also showed strong correlations (R 2 = 0.42–0.91, RMSE = 0.11–0.19 m for maize and R 2 = 0.61–0.85, RMSE = 0.12–0.24 m for sorghum). In general, the 90th, 95th and 99th percentile height metrics had higher correlations to field measurements than the maximum metric though differences among them were not statistically significant. The accuracy of SfM plant height estimates fluctuated over the growing period, likely impacted by the changing reflectance regime due to plant development. Overall, these results show a potential path to reducing laborious manual height measurement and enhancing plant research programs through UAS and SfM.
Atmospheric Correction of Hyperspectral GCAS Airborne Measurements Over the North Atlantic Ocean and Louisiana Shelf

The Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events Airborne Simulator (GCAS) instrument has been used as a precursor for a hyperspectral instrument on the future geostationary satellite, yet its ability to “measure” ocean reflectance needs to be evaluated. Here, we demonstrate its capacity through vicarious calibration and atmospheric correction of data collected during flight campaigns over the Louisiana shelf in September 2013 and over the North Atlantic Ocean in November 2015. GCAS-measured at-sensor radiance was first vicariously calibrated using concurrent measurements by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) and radiative transfer simulations with the MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmission (MODTRAN). Then, atmospheric correction has been implemented using MODTRAN-developed lookup tables and the traditional Gordon and Wang “black pixel” approach but with nonzero water-leaving radiance in the near-infrared accounted for through iteration. The atmospheric correction algorithm was applied to the vicariously calibrated GCAS imagery, with resulting $R_{\mathrm{ rs}}$ compared with concurrent MODIS $R_{\mathrm{ rs}}$ and in situ $R_{\mathrm{ rs}}$ . The comparison shows a mean relative difference of about 25% ( $N = 11$ ) between GCAS and in situ $R_{\mathrm{ rs}}$ in the blue–green bands for clear to moderately turbid waters.
Results for the energy of a finite one-dimensional ionic crystal

Abstract We consider a one-dimensional ionic crystal consisting of an arbitrary number of alternating positive and negative ions. We calculate exactly the energy per ion and uncover some interesting patterns. It is found that the energy per ion remains constant each time the size of the system increases by one ion if addition of such an ion leads to a system with a nonzero total charge. On the other hand, the energy per ion always decreases if addition of such an ion leads to a charge neutral system with a zero total charge. Explicit analytical results are provided.
Midostaurin and emerging FLT3 inhibitors for the treatment of adults with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia with the FLT3 mutation

Introduction: FLT3 internal tandem duplication mutations are independent risk factors for worse overall survival (OS) and increased relapse risk in AML patients and thus are an attractive target fo...
Improvement in Context: Exploring Aims, Improvement Priorities, and Environmental Considerations in a National Sample of Programs Using “Small Data”

ABSTRACT Background In 2013, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) transitioned into a new accreditation system to reduce burden, focus on outcomes, and promote innovation and improvement. One component is a self-study that includes aims, an environmental assessment, and setting improvement priorities. The ACGME initiated voluntary site visits following the self-study. Objective We explored common themes in program aims and assessment of their environment. Methods Using grounded theory, inductive and deductive qualitative methods, and truth grounding, we analyzed data from voluntary site visits of 396 core and subspecialty programs between June 2015 and September 2017, with a focus on common themes. Results We report common themes for aims and the dimensions of the environmental assessment. Themes for strengths include a collegial, supportive learning environment; responsive leaders; and experiences that prepare residents for unsupervised practice. Improvement priorities encompa...
Short-term responses to warming vary between native vs. exotic species and with latitude in an early successional plant community.

Climate change is expected to favor exotic plant species over native species, because exotics tend to have wider climatic tolerances and greater phenological plasticity, and also because climate change may intensify enemy release. Here, we examine direct effects of warming (+ 1.8 °C above ambient) on plant abundance and phenology, as well as indirect effects of warming propagated through herbivores, in two heavily invaded plant communities in Michigan, USA, separated by approximately three degrees latitude. At the northern site, warming increased exotic plant abundance by 19% but decreased native plant abundance by 31%, indicating that exotic species may be favored in a warmer world. Warming also resulted in earlier spring green-up (1.65 ± 0.77 days), earlier flowering (2.18 ± 0.92 days), and greater damage by herbivores (twofold increase), affecting exotic and native species equally. Contrary to expectations, native and exotic plants experienced similar amounts of herbivory. Warming did not have strong ecological effects at the southern site, only resulting in a delay of flowering time by 2.42 ± 0.83 days for both native and exotic species. Consistent with the enemy release hypothesis, exotic plants experienced less herbivory than native plants at the southern site. Herbivory was lower under warming for both exotic and native species at the southern site. Thus, climate warming may favor exotic over native plant species, but the response is likely to depend on additional environmental and individual species’ traits.
LINEARIZED D-MAPPING FOR STIFF COMPUTATIONS

In this work a linearized convergence analysis for solution of nonlinear systems using functional iterations with an application to a stiff model has been discussed. The numerical algorithm uses a unique convex-type parameter which may be computed in a subroutine for each unknown at each iteration.
Allelopathic Effects of Common Landscape and Nursery Mulch Materials on Weed Control

Use of organic mulch materials such as pinebark, pinestraw, or various hardwood chips for weed control is a common practice in residential and commercial landscapes. Mulch can inhibit weed seed germination and growth through light exclusion, acting as physical barrier, reducing available moisture to weed seeds within the mulch layer, and through release of allelochemicals that may inhibit germination or growth of some weed species. Previous and current research on allelopathic chemicals present in mulch have focused on cover crops and their residues with an emphasis on agronomic crops. These materials would not be suitable in a landscape setting due to rapid decomposition, lack of commercial availability, and little aesthetic appeal. Research is needed concerning identification, quantification, extraction, mechanism of release, persistence, selectivity, genetic regulation, and mode of action of potential allelochemicals present in mulch materials used for landscape purposes. More knowledge of these natural chemicals could aid practitioners and homeowners in the selection of mulch and identify potential new mulch materials that could be utilized in these industries. The purpose of this review is to summarize previous research pertaining to allelopathic compounds present in commonly used mulch materials and identify new potential mulch materials that could be utilized in the landscape sector based upon allelopathic properties. Current areas where additional research is needed are also identified.
Increased Efficiency of Leukocyte Collection by the Addition of Hydroxyethyl Starch to the Continuous Flow Centrifuge

A total of 67 leukaphereses were performed with the continuous-flow centrifuge (CFC) on 27 healthy donors for the purpose of obtaining increased yields of granulocytes for infusion into septic patients with acute leukemia accompanied by severe granulocytopenia. The addition of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) to the input line of the CFC significantly (p
The relationship of alexithymia to pain severity and impairment among patients with chronic myofascial pain: comparisons with self-efficacy, catastrophizing, and depression.

Objective: Alexithymia is elevated among patients with chronic pain, but the relationship of alexithymia to the severity of pain among chronic pain patients is unclear. Also, studies have rarely examined whether alexithymia is unique from other, more widely studied constructs in the chronic pain literature (i.e., self-efficacy, catastrophizing, and depression), and research has not examined how alexithymia relates to the sensory versus affective dimensions of pain. Methods: Among 80 patients with chronic myofascial pain, we tested how alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20) was related to three competing constructs—self-efficacy, catastrophizing, and depression—and to the sensory and affective dimensions of pain as well as physical impairment. We then determined whether alexithymia remained correlated with pain and impairment when tested simultaneously with each of the three competing constructs. Results: Analyses controlled for patients' sex, age, marital status, and duration of pain. Alexithymia was moderately correlated with less self-efficacy and greater catastrophizing, and substantially correlated with greater depression. Alexithymia was positively related to both affective pain and physical impairment, but was unrelated to sensory pain, whereas all three of the competing constructs were related to both types of pain as well as physical impairment. Regression analyses indicated that alexithymia remained a significant and independent correlate of affective pain severity while controlling for either self-efficacy or catastrophizing, but depression accounted for alexithymia's relationship with affective pain. Also, alexithymia was no longer related to physical impairment, after controlling for any of the other three constructs. Conclusion: Although alexithymia is not related to the sensory component of pain, it is correlated positively with the affective or unpleasantness component of pain, independent of self-efficacy or catastrophizing. The emotional regulation deficits of alexithymia may lead to depression, which appears to mediate alexithymia's relationship to affective pain. Alexithymia's relationship with physical impairment appears to be better accounted for by self-efficacy or catastrophizing.
Nanoscale Wetting and Energy Transmission at Solid/Liquid Interfaces.

Understanding the effects and limitations of solid/liquid interfaces on energy transport is crucial to applications ranging from nanoscale thermal engineering to chemical synthesis. Until now, the majority of experimental evidence regarding solid/liquid interactions has been limited to macroscale observations and experiments. The lack of experimental works exploring nanoscale solid/liquid interactions has been accentuated as the body of knowledge from theory and simulations at these scales has exploded in recent years. In this study, we expand on current nanoscale thermal measurement techniques in order to more fully understand solid/liquid interfacial energy transport. We use thermal ablation threshold measurements on thick Au films in various liquids as a metric to describe thermal transport at the Au/liquid interface. Furthermore, using ultrafast pump–probe experiments, we gain insight into this transport through picosecond ultrasonic coupling at solid/liquid interfaces with known macroscopic observati...
Inhabiting Mutuality—The Mutuality of Vulnerable States in Psychotherapy: A Discussion of “Did You Say He Has a Hitler Mustache?: Analytic Vulnerability and Destabilization in the Face of Trauma”

This discussion of Sandy Silverman’s clinical vignette explores the realm of mutual vulnerability in working in realms of trauma and dissociation, where internal bad objects threaten the physical a...
Does social capital affect dividend policy

Abstract Recent studies find that nonmonetary values such as culture, norm, or religion affect corporate payout policies. Thus, this study introduces a “social capital” factor and examines its effect on the decisions to pay dividends. I argue that social capital influences the dividend policy through two channels: directly by affecting behavior and indirectly by reducing opportunity cost. First, in a region with high social capital, a board better caters with the investors’ preference for a “bird-in-the-hand” dividend. Second, social capital reduces the capital cost that then lowers the incentive to hoard cash for security reasons, which thus increases the incentive to pay dividends. I find a positive association between social capital and dividends, and this association is stronger for firms with weak governance. The results hold after several robustness checks. Furthermore, a proportional hazard model indicates that firms located in high social capital areas are more likely to initiate dividends sooner.
A Dinuclear Mechanism Implicated in Controlled Carbene Polymerization.

Carbene polymerization provides polyolefins that cannot be readily prepared from olefin monomers; however, controlled and living carbene polymerization has been a long-standing challenge. Here we report a new class of initiators, (π-allyl)palladium carboxylate dimers, which polymerize ethyl diazoacetate, a carbene precursor in a controlled and quasi-living manner, with nearly quantitative yields, degrees of polymerization >100, molecular weight dispersities 1.2–1.4, and well-defined, diversifiable chain ends. This method also provides block copolycarbenes that undergo microphase segregation. Experimental and theoretical mechanistic analysis supports a new dinuclear mechanism for this process.
We See a Rainbow: Resource Sharing and Reference Services Working Together

The University of Massachusetts Boston, Joseph P. Healey Library, Resource Sharing and Document Delivery Department and Reference, Outreach and Instruction Department, established a cross-interdepa...
Performance Limits of Graphene Hot Electron Emission Photoemitters

Hot electron emission from waveguide-integrated graphene has been recently shown to occur at optical power densities multiple orders of magnitude lower than that of metal tips excited by sub-work-function photons. However, the experimentally observed electron emission currents are small, which limits the practical uses of such a mechanism. Here, we explore the performance limits of hot electron emission in graphene through experimentally calibrated simulations. Two regimes of nonequilibrium emission in graphene are identified, (i) single particle hot electron emission, where an electron is excited by a photon and emitted before losing significant energy through scattering; and (ii) ensemble hot electron emission, where the photon source causes nonequilibrium heating of the electron population beyond the electron lattice temperature. It is shown that, through appropriate selection of photon energy, optical power density, and applied electric field, hot electron emission can be used to create ultrahigh current electron emitters with ultrafast temporal responses in both the single particle and ensemble heating regimes. These results suggest that, through appropriate design, hot electron emitters may overcome the limitations of thermionic and field emitters.
The NMR structure of a vestigial nuclease provides insight into the evolution of functional transitions in viral dsDNA packaging motors

SummaryDouble-stranded DNA viruses use ATP-powered molecular motors to package their genomes. To do so, these motors must efficiently transition between initiation, translocation, and termination modes. Here, we report structural and biophysical analyses of the C-terminal domain of the bacteriophage phi29 ATPase (CTD) that suggest a structural basis for these functional transitions. Sedimentation experiments show that the inter-domain linker in the full-length protein promotes dimerization and thus may play a role in assembly of the functional motor. The NMR solution structure of the CTD indicates it is a vestigial nuclease domain that likely evolved from conserved nuclease domains in phage terminases. Despite the loss of nuclease activity, fluorescence binding assays confirm the CTD retains its DNA binding capabilities and fitting the CTD into cryoEM density of the phi29 motor shows that the CTD directly binds DNA. However, the interacting residues differ from those identified by NMR titration in solution, suggesting that packaging motors undergo conformational changes to transition between initiation, translocation, and termination.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.View Full Text
Participation in the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus Initiative

PURPOSE Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) is the largest test of primary care payment and delivery reform. This program aims to strengthen primary care via enhanced and alternative payment, data feedback, learning, and health information technology support for practice transformation for more than 3,000 practices. We analyzed participation rates and how CPC+ practices differ from other primary care practices in CPC+ regions. METHODS We assembled a unique data set describing all US primary care practices and compared primary care practices in CPC+ regions, CPC+ applicants, and CPC+ participants. Among CPC+ participants, we compared across 2 model tracks. RESULTS Of the primary care practices in CPC+ regions, 22% applied for CPC+ and 15% participated. Practices that applied to CPC+ were diverse, but they were generally larger, more sophisticated electronic health record users, more likely to be owned by a hospital or health system, more likely to have experience with transformation efforts, and more likely to be in urban areas than practices that did not apply. Applicants also generally served slightly healthier and more advantaged Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. Differences between practices that applied but did not join CPC+ and CPC+ participants were smaller yet systematic. CONCLUSIONS Participants in CPC+ are diverse but not representative of all primary care practices, underscoring the need to further engage practices that are small, independent, in rural areas, and lack experience with practice and payment transformation models, as well as the need to extrapolate evaluation results carefully.
Ask Only What Your Country Can Do for You: Group Interests, Constituency Characteristics and Demands for Representation:

Providing representation entails making choices about prioritizing the needs of diverse groups within one’s constituency. While citizens cannot reasonably expect that representatives will cater to ...
“The One Who Decides on the Exception”: The Sovereign and Sovereignty in Slavoj Žižek’s Political Theology after Carl Schmitt and Giorgio Agamben

At the intersection of “the theological” and “the political,” the situatedness of the sovereign dictates the task and method of political theology. It is the sovereign, in particular, positioned between “the theological” and “the political,” that is responsible for existentializing what is theologized and what is politicized through the power of sovereignty. Through this sovereignty, the sovereign creates, defines, and oversees all the existential dimensions of a theological-political environment, especially with respect to exclusiveness and inclusiveness, marginalization and belongingness, and what is accomplished by the state of exception. To understand the nuances of what a sovereign is and how sovereignty operates, as the one that develops the state of exception through an act of exception, this essay will examine the explicit and implicit political theologies articulated by Carl Schmitt and Giorgio Agamben, in an effort to construct Slavoj Žižek’s political theology from Schmitt’s sentiment about “the one who decides on the exception” and Agamben’s conceptualization of “ zoē ” and “ bios. ” From Schmitt and Agamben, Žižek’s political theology makes use of the dialectic and references to notions of symptom and trauma, which ultimately culminates in a religious-oriented understanding of the sovereign's act of exception as the “theologico-political suspension of the ethical.”
Aberrant levels of cortical myelin distinguish individuals with unipolar depression from healthy controls

The association of unipolar depression (UD), relative to healthy controls (HC), with cortical myelin is underexplored, despite growing evidence of associations with white matter tract integrity. We characterized cortical myelin in the 360 Glasser atlas regions using the T1w/T2w ratio in 39 UD and 47 HC participants (ages=19-44, 75% female). A logistic elastic net regularized regression with nested cross-validation and a subsequent linear discriminant analysis conducted on held-out samples were used to classify UD vs. HC. True-label model performance was compared against permuted-label model performance. Cortical myelin distinguished UD from HC with 68% accuracy (p<0.001; sensitivity=63.8%, specificity=71.5%). Consistently selected regions were located in the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, extended visual, and auditory cortices, and showed statistically significant both decreases and increases in myelin levels in UD vs. HC. The patterns of cortical myelin in these regions may be a biomarker of UD.
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

This chapter describes the diagnostic criteria, work-up, differential diagnoses, treatment, and treatment response monitoring of chronic myeloid leukemia. The chapter also emphasizes the practical up-to-date cytogenetic aspects of chronic myeloid leukemia, including BCR-ABL1 fusion transcript subtype, variant Philadelphia chromosome (Ph), additional chromosomal abnormalities in both Ph-positive and Ph-negative cells, de novo Ph-positive acute leukemia, and Ph acquired during therapy of hematopoietic neoplasms. In addition, preleukemic phase, the early stage of chronic myeloid leukemia not included in the current WHO Classification but not uncommonly encountered during daily practice, is also emphasized in the “Case Presentations”.
Compiler blockability of numerical algorithms

An attempt was made to determine whether a compiler can automatically restructure computations well enough to avoid the need for hand blocking. To that end, programs in LAPACK were studied for which it was possible to examine both the block version and the corresponding point algorithm. For each of these programs, it was determined whether a plausible compiler technology could succeed in obtaining the block version from the point algorithm. The results are encouraging: one can block triangular and trapezoidal loops, and many of the problems introduced by complex dependence patterns can be overcome by the use of the transformation known as index-set splitting. In addition, it was shown that knowledge about which operations commute can enable a compiler to succeed in blocking codes that could not be blocked by any compiler based strictly on dependence analysis.