cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Can tropical seaweeds reduce herbivory by growing at night? Diel patterns of growth, nitrogen content, herbivory, and chemical versus morphological defenses.

Tropical seaweeds in the genus Halimeda reduce losses to grazing by capitalizing on diel patterns of herbivore activity. These seaweeds produce new, more herbivoresusceptible growth at night when herbivorous reef fishes are inactive. Plant portions more than 48 h old are low in food value, well defended morphologically (calcified and high in ash content), and relatively resistant to herbivory. Younger plant portions represent 3-4.5 times the food value (nitrogen or organic content) of older portions but are only moderately more susceptible to herbivores due to their high concentrations of the terpenoid feeding deterrents halimedatrial and halimedatetraacetate. Halimedatrial significantly deters grazing by both parrotfishes (Scaridae) and surgeonfishes (Acanthuridae) and occurs in high concentrations (2-4.5% of plant ash-free dry mass) in plant portions that are 4-12 h old, intermediate concentrations (0.3-2.3%) in portions that are 16-26 h old, and low concentrations (0.3%) in older plant portions. The related compound halimedatetraacetate is absent from the youngest plant portions, shows a rapid increase in concentration (from 0 to 1%) in plant material that is approximately 16 h old, and then rapidly declines to low levels (0.1 to 0.2%) in older plant portions. Thus, newly produced tissues are nutritionally valuable but contain high concentrations of defensive chemicals. As these tissues age, morphological defenses increase, the tissue becomes less valuable as a food for herbivores, and chemical defenses decrease. Additionally, new growth of Halimeda remains unpigmented until just before sunrise. Thus, the valuable, nitrogen-containing molecules associated with photosynthesis are not placed in the new, and more herbivore susceptible, growth until lights is available and they can start producing income for the plant.Experiments in a coral-reef microcosm, where diel patterns of light and water chemistry could be altered, indicated that Halimeda's growth pattern is cued by the timing of light-dark cycles rather than by co-occurring diel changes in water chemistry. Although the growth patterns of Halimeda seem unusual, similar patterns appear to occur in numerous other seaweeds and in microalgae such as diatoms and dinoflagellates.
Amperometric oxygen sensors based on dense Tb-Y-Zr-O electrodes

Abstract The fabrication and operation of a new type of amperometric linear response oxygen sensor is demonstrated that utilizes a 16 μm thick, dense Tb–YSZ film of composition Y 0.2 Tb 0.24 Zr 0.56 O 2− y as a solid state chemical oxygen diffusion barrier. The device exhibits a near linear response between 750 and 850°C between 0.2 and 4.5% O 2 in nitrogen. The effective linear range of operation at 800°C is extended to above 8.0% O 2 with the application of albite (Na–Al–Si–O) glass to limit leakage at the edges (gas–substrate-diffusion barrier interface) of the device. Thin film high temperature cyclic voltammetry performed on Tb–YSZ films of similar stoichiometry indicate thermodynamic stability to below 10 −30 atm p O 2 at 750°C. The initial performance of this device taken together with the inherent chemical stability of the diffusion barrier suggests that devices of this type may be suitable for use as control sensors for lean-burn internal combustion engines.
Encéphalopathie à Bartonella hensalae

Resume Introduction Bartonella hensalae est une cause peu connue d’encephalopathie du sujet jeune. Observation Il s’agit d’un patient de 17 ans hospitalise en urgence pour crises convulsives rapprochees avec somnolence intercritique. Le diagnostic d’encephalopathie a ete porte sur l’association de ces signes cliniques et des anomalies electroencephalographiques. L’existence d’un chat a la maison, d’une adenopathie axillaire droite apparue dans un contexte infectieux, d’une cinetique serologique positive ont permis de rapporter cette encephalopathie a une bartonellose. L’evolution a ete favorable. Commentaires Le diagnostic d’encephalopathie a Bartonella hensalae repose sur un faisceau d’arguments anamnestiques, cliniques et microbiologiques. L’interet probable d’une antibiotherapie et ses modalites restent a etablir.
Getting Under the Hood: How and for Whom Does Increasing Course Structure Work?

At the college level, the effectiveness of active-learning interventions is typically measured at the broadest scales: the achievement or retention of all students in a course. Coarse-grained measures like these cannot inform instructors about an intervention’s relative effectiveness for the different student populations in their classrooms or about the proximate factors responsible for the observed changes in student achievement. In this study, we disaggregate student data by racial/ethnic groups and firstgeneration status to identify whether a particular intervention—increased course structure—works better for particular populations of students. We also explore possible factors that may mediate the observed changes in student achievement. We found that a “moderate-structure” intervention increased course performance for all student populations, but worked disproportionately well for black students—halving the black–white achievement gap—and first-generation students—closing the achievement gap with continuing-generation students. We also found that students consistently reported completing the assigned readings more frequently, spending more time studying for class, and feeling an increased sense of community in the moderate-structure course. These changes imply that increased course structure improves student achievement at least partially through increasing student use of distributed learning and creating a more interdependent classroom community.
Phosphate-containing proteins and glycoproteins of the cell wall of Candida albicans.

Abstract The distribution of phosphate, carbohydrate, and protein in the cell wall components extracted from intact yeast cells of Candida albicans by beta-mercaptoethanol (beta ME) at pH 8.6 was examined by analysis of the material separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. All protein peaks did not coincide with peaks of both carbohydrate and phosphate. Subsequent analysis was performed on material obtained from yeast cells and germ tubes which were grown in medium containing [32P]phosphate. Two extracts were obtained by treating cells with beta ME or with zymolyase following beta ME. The extracts were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, followed by autoradiography. beta ME-extracted material contained high-molecular-mass (HMM), greater than or equal to 200 kDa, polydisperse material and a major and minor band of 19 to 20 kDa, Zymolyase extracts contained (i) three components of less than or equal to 40 kDa, one of which may correspond to the major beta ME band; (ii) four bands within the HMM region which may correspond to previously reported bands; and (iii) one band of 100 to 120 kDa. After longer exposures, additional midrange bands were detected in the zymolyase extract. In extracts treated with endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H, the HMM polydisperse material increased in mobility although retaining sufficient radiolabel for detection. Western immunoblot analysis of extracts with germ tube-specific antiserum and a germ tube-specific monoclonal antibody and concanavalin A showed that not all components contained detectable phosphate, not all glycoproteins contained detectable phosphate, and at least one 19- to 20-kDa protein may be phosphorylated in the absence of carbohydrate.
Performance Evaluation of a Parallel Decoupled Data Driven Multiprocessor

The Decoupled Data-Driven (D3) architecture has shown promising results from performance evaluations based upon deterministic simulations. This paper provides performance evaluations of the D3 architecture through the formulation and analysis of a stochastic model. The D3 architecture is a hybrid control/dataflow approach that takes advantage of inherent parallelism present in a program by dynamically scheduling program threads based on data availability and it also takes advantage of locality through the use of conventional processing elements that execute the program threads. The model is validated by comparing the deterministic and stochastic model responses. After model validation, various input parameters are varied such as the number of available processing elements and average threadlength, then the performance of the architecture is evaluated. The stochastic model is based upon a closed queueing network and utilizes the concepts of available parallelism and virtual queues in order to be reduced to a Markovian system. Experiments with varying computation engine threadlengths and communication latencies indicate a high degree of tolerance with respect to exploited parallelism.
Brucellosis in Childhood

Brucellosis has always been an unusual disease in children and, concomitant with the control of the disease in domestic animals, reports have become sparse. The pediatrician, therefore, may not be aware of the protean clinical manifestations of childhood brucellosis. In 1973, nine cases occurred during a three-month period in El Paso, Texas. All cases were marked by spiking fevers and lethargy of four days to four weeks in duration. Tender hepatomegaly or splenomegaly was striking in seven patients. Other characteristics included epistaxis, arthralgia, myalgia, and weight loss. Leukopenia and leukemoid reaction were found in five patients. All of the patients tested had elevated liver enzymes. Febrile agglutinins were invaluable in screening for an early clue to diagnosis. When Brucella abortus antigen agglutinated serum from patients with a positive screen in dilutions greater than 1:320, a presumptive diagnosis of brucellosis was made. Brucella was isolated from the blood or bone marrow in seven patients and the time of incubation proved crucial for successful recovery. Bacterial blood cultures are usually discarded at ten days of age, as were cultures from the only two patients from whom the organism was not recovered. All of the cultures incubated for 12 to 15 days grew B. melitensis, an unusual causative species in the United States. However, several patients admitted eating cheese from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, made from unpasteurized goat9s milk, the presumed source of the infection. Within one to three days, all patients responded dramatically to antibiotics; tetracycline was given orally for 21 days and streptomycin intramuscularly for 14 days. Pediatricians caring for patients in areas where consumption of unpasteurized milk products is likely would do well to consider brucellosis in a child with obscure fever or toxic hepatosplenomegaly.
AF64A Produces Long-Term Cognitive Impairments Following Infusion into the Lateral Cerebral Ventricles or the Dorsal Hippocampus: Involvement of Hippocampal Cholinergic Processes in Learning and Memory

In summary, the data presented here suggest that depleting ACh in the HPC has long term consequences on cognitive behavior. It is suggested that HPC cholinergic processes are an important neurobiological substrate of cognitive behavior. Finally, AF64A seems a useful tool for elucidating the cholinergic mechanisms underlying the modulation of behavior.
An analytical proof on certain determinants connected with the collinear central configurations in the n-body problem

In this paper we give a short analytical proof of the inequalities proved by Albouy–Moeckel through computer algebra, in the cases \(n=5\) and \(n=6\). These inequalities guarantee that, in the \(n\)-body problem, the family of mass vectors making a given collinear configuration a central configuration is 2-dimensional. The induction techniques here may be used to prove the inequalities for general \(n\) with more subtle estimation but currently the inequalities still remains unproved for \(n\ge 7\).
Defects in secretion, aggregation, and thrombus formation in platelets from mice lacking Akt2

Prior studies have shown that PI3Ks play a necessary but incompletely defined role in platelet activation. One potential effector for PI3K is the serine/threonine kinase, Akt, whose contribution to platelet activation was explored here. Two isoforms of Akt were detected in mouse platelets, with expression of Akt2 being greater than Akt1. Deletion of the gene encoding Akt2 impaired platelet aggregation, fibrinogen binding, and granule secretion, especially in response to low concentrations of agonists that activate the G(q)-coupled receptors for thrombin and thromboxane A(2). Loss of Akt2 also impaired arterial thrombus formation and stability in vivo, despite having little effect on platelet responses to collagen and ADP. In contrast, reducing Akt1 expression had no effect except when Akt2 was also deleted. Activation of Akt by thrombin was abolished by deletion of Galpha(q) but was relatively unaffected by deletion of Galpha(i2), which abolished Akt activation by ADP. From these results we conclude that Akt2 is a necessary component of PI3K-dependent signaling downstream of G(q)-coupled receptors, promoting thrombus growth and stability in part by supporting secretion. The contribution of Akt1 is less evident except in the setting in which Akt2 is absent.
Protein Arginine Methyltransferase Prmt5-Mep50 Methylates Histones H2A and H4 and the Histone Chaperone Nucleoplasmin in Xenopus laevis Eggs

Histone proteins carry information contained in post-translational modifications. Eukaryotic cells utilize this histone code to regulate the usage of the underlying DNA. In the maturing oocytes and eggs of the frog Xenopus laevis, histones are synthesized in bulk in preparation for deposition during the rapid early developmental cell cycles. During this key developmental time frame, embryonic pluripotent chromatin is established. In the egg, non-chromatin-bound histones are complexed with storage chaperone proteins, including nucleoplasmin. Here we describe the identification and characterization of a complex of the protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (Prmt5) and the methylosome protein 50 (Mep50) isolated from Xenopus eggs that specifically methylates predeposition histones H2A/H2A.X-F and H4 and the histone chaperone nucleoplasmin on a conserved motif (GRGXK). We demonstrate that nucleoplasmin (Npm), an exceedingly abundant maternally deposited protein, is a potent substrate for Prmt5-Mep50 and is monomethylated and symmetrically dimethylated at Arg-187. Furthermore, Npm modulates Prmt5-Mep50 activity directed toward histones, consistent with a regulatory role for Npm in vivo. We show that H2A and nucleoplasmin methylation appears late in oogenesis and is most abundant in the laid egg. We hypothesize that these very abundant arginine methylations are constrained to pre-mid blastula transition events in the embryo and therefore may be involved in the global transcriptional repression found in this developmental time frame.
Evaluating the impact of telepharmacy

Purpose The impact of remote pharmacist review of medication orders in three small community hospitals in California was evaluated. Methods A longitudinal study was conducted in three community hospitals without 24-hour pharmacy services before and after the implementation of telepharmacy services. Override reports from automated dispensing cabinets were reviewed. Charts were reviewed for errors and potential adverse drug events. Pharmacist interventions during times when the pharmacy was closed were evaluated. Cost estimates were based on a proprietary intervention tracking program. Surveys were administered to staff nurses and pharmacists to assess concerns about medication-use safety and job satisfaction. Results The number of times that nurses obtained and administered medications without pharmacist review declined by 35.3% after implementation of the telepharmacy service. There was a significant reduction in the percentage of high-risk medications obtained without a pharmacist review. Three potential adverse drug events were discovered before implementing remote order review versus none in the postimplementation period. The number of pharmacist interventions increased from 15 to 98 per week after implementing remote order review by pharmacists. Estimated cost savings resulting from preventing, identifying, and resolving medication-related problems were $261,109 per hospital in total cost saved or avoided. Nurses’ survey scores reflected increased comfort with the medication-use system, patient safety, and job satisfaction. Conclusion Remote review of medication orders by pharmacists when the hospital pharmacy was closed decreased the number of potential adverse drug events reported and improved job satisfaction among nurses.
Linguistic Science And Language Tests

Do recent advances in linguistic science have any bearing on language tests? They do. But linguists like other scientists have a jargon all their own and their findings a re not easily interpreted. I explored the use of linguistic techniques and findings in tests in English a s a foreign language, 1 and found such promising results that a new movement in foreign language tests seems possible and worthwhile through a better understanding of linguistic science in that field. This article is only an introduction of course. It gives just enough of a view of what we mean by linguistic science to show how it can be used and what kind of a contribution it can make to language tests.
Partons and their applications at high energies

We discuss Feynman's parton model for deep inelastic weak or electromagnetic processes as an application of the impulse approximation to elementary particle interactions. The special features and conditions permitting this application are elaborated upon in some detail including the dependence of the parton model and the impulse treatment on an appropriate choice of coordinate frames and the role of the very soft or “wee” partons. Application of the parton model is made to the calculation of the cross section for massive lepton pair production in very high energy hadron-hadron collisions and compared with experiment. The conjectured role of light cone singularities in describing this and the other deep inelastic amplitudes is also discussed.
An adenosine A2A agonist injected in the nucleus of the solitary tract prolongs the laryngeal chemoreflex by a GABAergic mechanism in decerebrate piglets

Hyperthermic prolongation of the laryngeal chemoreflex (LCR) in decerebrate piglets is prevented or reversed by GABAA receptor antagonists and adenosine A2A (Ad-A2A) receptor antagonists administered in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that enhanced GABAA activity and administration of the Ad-A2A agonist, CGS-21680, would prolong the LCR in normothermic conditions. We studied 46 decerebrate piglets ranging from 3 to 8 postnatal days of age. Focal injection into the NTS of 100 nl of 0.5 m nipecotic acid, a GABA reuptake inhibitor, significantly (P < 0.05) prolonged the LCR in normothermic conditions in 10 of 11 animals tested. Injecting 100 nl of 5–12.5 μm CGS-21680 unilaterally or bilaterally into the NTS also prolonged the LCR in normothermic conditions (n= 15), but the effect was smaller than that of unilateral injection of nipecotic acid. Systemic administration of the GABAA receptor antagonist, bicuculline, prevented the CGS-21680-dependent prolongation of the LCR in normothermic animals (n= 11). We conclude that thermal prolongation of the LCR depends on a thermally sensitive process or set of neurons in the NTS, which, when activated by elevated brain temperature, enhances adenosinergic and GABAergic function in the region of the NTS. These results emphasize the importance of a thermally sensitive integrative site in the dorsal medulla that, along with sites in the ventral medulla, determine the response to laryngeal chemoreflex stimulation.
Understanding and treating various skin types: the Baumann Skin Type Indicator.

The categories used to describe skin types have changed little over the last century, whereas the skin care product market has undergone rapid innovation and exponential growth. There are four basic dichotomies or parameters that have recently been introduced in the Baumann Skin Type Indicator (BSTI) that more accurately characterize skin types. By evaluating skin according to these parameters—dry or oily, sensitive or resistant, pigmented or nonpigmented, and wrinkled or unwrinkled—and thus differentiating among the 16 permutations of possible skin types, consumers can more easily identify the most suitable topical treatments for their skin. This article describes the four parameters that make up the BSTI, focusing on basic science and defining characteristics and summarizing the 16 skin-type variations.
Sintering of Glass Powders During Constant Rates of Heating

Analytical expressions for the initial sintering of glass powders were developed to describe shrinkage of powder compacts at a constant rate of heating. Data describing sintering of soda-lime glass spheres as measured by shrinkage of powder compacts at rates of heating from 0.46 to 2.91°C/min are consistent with the model analytical expressions. Compacts of glass spheres decreased in size exponentially with increasing temperature as predicted by the model.
Analysis of repeat stereotactic radiosurgery for progressive primary and metastatic CNS tumors.

Abstract Purpose: To identify and evaluate the pretreatment and patient factors that would predict for complications after repeat radiosurgery. Methods and Materials: The data from 26 patients who underwent reirradiation with Gamma Knife surgery after a previous procedure in the same or subjacent location were available for evaluation. The range of follow-up was 1–45 months (mean 10). The mean minimal and maximal initial dose and volume for all 26 patients was 16.2 Gy (range 12–22), 31.0 Gy (range 22.2–40.0), and 12.4 cm 3 (range 1.20–70.84), respectively. The mean marginal and maximal repeated radiosurgery dose and volume for all 26 patients was 14.9 Gy (range 12–22.5), 29.7 Gy (range 18.0–45.0) and 12.8 cm 3 (range 1.10–39.20), respectively. Results: Tumor control was significantly better statistically ( p = 0.0129) for benign tumors (6 of 6, 100% actuarial rate at 4 years) compared with malignant tumors (7 of 20, 35% actuarial rate at 3 years, 3 of 4 metastatic tumors and 2 of 10 primary malignant gliomas). The retreatment volume for radiosurgery correlated significantly with the probability of neurologic decline (any cause) ( p = 0.0181). Conclusion: Repeat radiosurgery can be performed for recurrent tumors with minimal central nervous system toxicity, especially for benign tumors, with reasonable tumor control.
Or Best Offer: A Privacy Policy Negotiation Protocol

Privacy policy languages, such as P3P, allow websites to publish their privacy practices and policies in machine readable form. Software agents designed to protect users' privacy follow a "take it or leave it" approach that is inflexible and gives the server ultimate control. Privacy policy negotiation is one approach to leveling the playing field by allowing a client to negotiate with a server to determine how that server collects and uses the client's data. We present a privacy policy negotiation protocol, "or best offer", that includes a formal model for specifying privacy preferences and reasoning about privacy policies. The protocol is guaranteed to terminate within three rounds of negotiation while producing policies that are Pareto-optimal, and thus fair to both the client and the server.
140: Effects of low pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain on neonatal outcomes

140 Effects of low pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain on neonatal outcomes Milana Berguig, Julia Timofeev, Helain Landy MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington, DC, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington, DC OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of low pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and low gestational weight gain on neonatal outcomes as compared to parturients with normal BMI and normal or excessive weight gain. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review of a multicenter cohort of deidentified data in the Consortium on Safe Labor (NICHD). This database includes information on 233,844 births from 228,668 deliveries from 2002-2008. Maternal factors and neonatal outcomes were analyzed by BMI (low BMI 18.5 kg/m, normal 18.5-24.9 kg/m) and weight gain during gestation as recommended by the Institute of Medicine 2009 guidelines (normal weight gain of 28-40lbs for women with low BMI, and 25-35lbs for women with normal BMI). Chi square and Fisher’s exact tests were used for statistical analysis, with significance determined at two-tailed 0.05. RESULTS: Low pre-pregnancy BMI showed statistically significant increases in the risk of small for gestational age (SGA) infants (OR 1.96, CI 1.93 2.00), NICU admission (OR 1.24, CI 1.21 1.26), and neonatal death (OR 1.62, CI 1.47 1.79). No statistically significant differences were seen in gestational age at delivery or need for newborn resuscitation. When considering recommended weight gain, women who gained less weight ( 28 lbs for low BMI, and 25 lbs for normal BMI) had higher risks of poor pregnancy outcomes (SGA, 5-minute Apgar score 7, NICU admission, antepartum and intrapartum stillbirth (Table). CONCLUSION: Pregnancy outcomes are influenced by both pre-pregnancy BMI and weight gain during pregnancy. These findings suggest that women can minimize their risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality by optimizing their weight prior to conception and gaining the recommended weight amount throughout the pregnancy.
Inhibiting leukocyte recruitment to the brain by IVIg: is it relevant to the treatment of demyelinating CNS disorders?

Recruitment and migration of activated leukocytes into the brain is a fundamental process in the induction of various autoimmune CNS disorders, most notably multiple sclerosis. Although not all tissues use the same molecules for leukocyte recruitment (Alter et al ., 2003; Ransohoff et al ., 2003), the information derived from experimental allegic encephalomyelitis (EAE), a T-cell-mediated animal model that resembles multiple sclerosis, has provided useful data on the key molecules associated with T-cell transmigration into the brain. The initial contact between a leukocyte and an endothelial cell is referred to as ‘tethering’, while the immediate subsequent interaction is described as ‘rolling’ \[Fig. 1(1) and (2)\] (von Andrian and MacKay, 2000). These steps, which allow the leukocyte to slow down and roll along the vascular wall, are mediated predominantly by selectins and facilitated by two α-4 integrins, α4β1 [very late antigen-4 (VLA-4)] and αLβ2 [lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1)]. The rolling leukocyte can stop only if it receives an activating signal, such as that provided by a chemokine on the endothelial surface. This signal switches the two α-4 integrins to a high affinity state [Fig. 1(3)]. Thereafter, the α-4 integrins bind to the counter-receptors vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM) on the endothelial cells and adhere irreversibly [Fig. 1(4)]. Leukocytes can then transmigrate out of the microvasculature. Fig. 1 The CNS microvasculature constitutively expresses selectins, such as P selectin, low levels of adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM, and immobilized chemokines; the activated T cells that enter the CNS express selectin ligands, α-4 intergrins such as α4β1 (VLA-4) and αLβ2 (LFA-1) and various …
Markov Chain Monte Carlo Calculations Allowing Parallel Processing Using a Variant of the Metropolis Algorithm

A variant of the Metropolis algorithm is proposed that allows parallel processing. Rather than generating a sin- gle candidate point, as in the Metropolis algorithm, for each chain iteration a number of candidates are generated. Energy calculations for each of these candidates can be carried out in parallel. This algorithm would be advantageous in fitting model parameters to data in a Bayesian context, where the forward model calculations (the analog of the energy calcula- tions), are time consuming.
The economics of infancy: a review of conjugate reinforcement.

Publisher Summary Conjugate reinforcement has been used successfully with both normal and impaired organisms of all ages. It programs a variety of reinforcing consequences, both social and nonsocial, in a manner that simulates the natural patterns of interaction between organisms and their environments. With infants it has been particularly successful, sustaining high and stable response rates for relatively long time periods. This has made possible the use of individual baselines in addition to the use of standard control groups. It has also permitted more reliable observations of the short- and long-term influences of the independent variables than have been possible with either episodic schedules or techniques, which do not rely on motivated behavior. Further, the rapidity with which even the youngest infants acquire conjugately reinforced responses has eliminated the necessity for lengthy shaping or training periods. A major requirement of the free-operant method is that the response be a recurrent behavior, which can be produced over long periods without fatigue. The main limitation that the conjugate paradigm imposes upon the selection of responses and reinforcers is that they be sufficiently variable to permit the infant to discover the proportionality relationship between them.
RESISTING TRACING'S SIREN SONG

Drunk drivers and other culpably incapacitated wrongdoers are often taken to pose a problem for reasons-responsiveness accounts of moral responsibility. These accounts predicate moral responsibility upon an agent having the capacities to perceive and act upon moral reasons, and the culpably incapacitated wrongdoers lack exactly those capacities at the time of their wrongdoing. Many reasons-responsiveness advocates thus expand their account of responsibility to include a tracing condition: The culpably incapacitated wrongdoer is blameworthy despite his incapacitation precisely because he is responsible for becoming incapacitated. As some skeptics have suggested, it is not clear that we need tracing. Here, however, I make a stronger case against tracing: I show that tracing gets things wrong. I consider a new sort of case, the case of the Odysseus agent, whose incapacitation is non-culpable (sometimes merely permissible and sometimes praiseworthy). Tracing would have us hold responsible and therefore blame unlucky Odysseus agents, Odysseus agents who commit a wrongdoing in the throes of their non-culpably induced incapacitation. But we should not hold these unlucky Odysseus agents responsible for their incapacitated wrongdoing. Because tracing gets these cases wrong, we should reject tracing.
Deposition of Mercury in Forests along a Montane Elevation Gradient.

Atmospheric mercury (Hg) deposition varies along elevation gradients and is influenced by both orographic and biological factors. We quantified total Hg deposition over a 2 year period at 24 forest sites at Whiteface Mountain, NY, USA, that ranged from 450 to 1450 m above sea level and covered three distinct forest types: deciduous/hardwood forest (14.1 μg/m2-yr), spruce/fir forest (33.8 μg/m2-yr), and stunted growth alpine/fir forest (44.0 μg/m2-yr). Atmospheric Hg deposition increased with elevation, with the dominant deposition pathways shifting from litterfall in low-elevation hardwoods to throughfall in midelevation spruce/fir to cloudwater in high-elevation alpine forest. Soil Hg concentrations (ranging from 69 to 416 ng/g for the Oi/Oe and 72 to 598 ng/g for the Oa horizons) were correlated with total Hg deposition, but the weakness of the correlations suggests that additional factors such as climate and tree species also contribute to soil Hg accumulation. Meteorological conditions influenced Hg d...
PARTIAL LEADING EDGE FORCING OF A DELTA WING AT HIGH ANGLES OF ATTACK

Wind and water tunnel measurements investigating periodic forcing along sections of the leading edge of a 70° delta wing were conducted. Previous research had shown that forcing along the entire leading edge is effective in increasing lift and delaying stall. The current investigations compare forcing along the front half, rear half and entire leading edge with no forcing at all. All investigations were conducted at a nondimensional frequency F+ of 1.75 and a momentum coefficient of 0.004. The wind tunnel investigations were used to determine the effect of forcing the flow along parts of the leading edge on the normal force. They show that forcing is most effective along the rear portion of the delta wing leading edge, downstream of vortex breakdown. At 35° angle of attack an increase in normal force coefficient of about 25% was achieved using either the entire leading edge or the rear portion only, while the front portion forcing showed only minor improvement. PIV measurements in a low speed water tunnel revealed that this increase is due to a shear layer vortex carrying high momentum fluid into the wake downstream of the vortex breakdown. Since the shear layer vortex only reaches the wake in the entire leading edge and rear half of the leading edge cases, the front half forcing does not show this normal force increase.
The Contribution of Measurement in a Cross-Device, Data-Driven, Real-Time Marketing World

Considering the advanced algorithms of programmatic advertising, its great efficiencies and its advanced capabilities to address consumers at the point of decision during their purchase journey, one could argue that third party advertising effectiveness measurement is not needed any more. Some believe that programmatic is a magic solution, that finally liberates the advertising industry from cumbersome measurement exercises.
Reduced sleep spindle activity point to a TRN-MD thalamus-PFC circuit dysfunction in schizophrenia

Sleep disturbances have been reliably reported in patients with schizophrenia, thus suggesting that abnormal sleep may represent a core feature of this disorder. Traditional electroencephalographic studies investigating sleep architecture have found reduced deep non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, or slow wave sleep (SWS), and increased REM density. However, these findings have been inconsistently observed, and have not survived meta-analysis. By contrast, several recent EEG studies exploring brain activity during sleep have established marked deficits in sleep spindles in schizophrenia, including first-episode and early-onset patients, compared to both healthy and psychiatric comparison subjects. Spindles are waxing and waning, 12-16Hz NREM sleep oscillations that are generated within the thalamus by the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), and are then synchronized and sustained in the cortex. While the functional role of sleep spindles still needs to be fully established, increasing evidence has shown that sleep spindles are implicated in learning and memory, including sleep dependent memory consolidation, and spindle parameters have been associated to general cognitive ability and IQ. In this article we will review the EEG studies demonstrating sleep spindle deficits in patients with schizophrenia, and show that spindle deficits can predict their reduced cognitive performance. We will then present data indicating that spindle impairments point to a TRN-MD thalamus-prefrontal cortex circuit deficit, and discuss about the possible molecular mechanisms underlying thalamo-cortical sleep spindle abnormalities in schizophrenia.
Identifying misconceptions associated with inaccurate survey reporting in the combined use of caffeine and alcohol

IDENTIFYING MISCONCEPTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH INACCURATE SURVEY REPORTING IN THE COMBINED USE OF CAFFEINE AND ALCOHOL By Kathryn Polak, B.S. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016 Director: Dace S. Svikis, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychology Research on college student use of caffeine combined with alcohol (CAC) and public health concern over such use has been hampered by the absence of psychometrically sound measures of caffeine and CAC use. The present study examined agreement between survey (CAS) and interview (TLFB) methods for collecting data on caffeine, alcohol and CAC use. Participants were N=50 college students randomized to complete CAS followed by TLFB or the reverse. Qualitative follow-up interviews with N=15 participants were used to identify factors contributing to CAS-TLFB discrepancies. Responses varied by method of administration, with largest discrepancy magnitudes found for CAC, followed by caffeine, then alcohol use. Rates of reporting use by only one method were highest for CAC (65.5%). Lack of knowledge about caffeine was common, with over half (56%) having at least one caffeine misreport. Largest discrepancies were found for CAC use, an area of public health concern, particularly among college students.
Using tabu search to determine the number of kanbans and lotsizes in a generic kanban system

A generic kanban system designed for non-repetitive manufacturing environments is described. The purpose of this paper is to determine the number of kanbans and lotsizes to maximize system performance. System objectives include minimizing cycle time, operation costs and capital losses. A scalar multi-attribute utility function is constructed and a tabu search algorithm is proposed to search for the optimal utility value. Simulation is used to generate objective function values for each system setup. Four different variations of tabu search are employed. It is shown that a random sampling of the neighborhood provides good results with the shortest computation time. The tabu search algorithm proposed performs much better than a local search. The results are then compared to those from a modified simulated annealing algorithm. Due to the planar nature of the objective function, it is shown that tabu search can provide excellent results, yet a simulated annealing approach provides the same results with better computation time.
Adaptive Search Method for Multi-Objective Optimization

This chapter provides an overview of the adaptive search method for multi-objective optimization. The multi-objective programming problem can be seen as a variant of the stochastic optimization problem, which is amenable to solution by an adaptive procedure called the method of local improvements. Adaptive methods are seen as most effective for solving multi-objective programming problems because they involve reciprocal training toward the selection of an optimal decision. Adaptive procedures are particularly well suited to the peculiarities of multi-objective problems and to handling uncertainty through the use of probability distributions that can be iteratively modified in the course of solving a problem. Combining an adaptive search procedure with a stochastic formulation of the multi-objective problem allows a global scalarizing function to be postulated whose form is modified from iteration to iteration based on the preferences of the decision maker and the chance occurrence of the particular events being modeled. Random variables are used in the stochastic formulation of the multi-objective problem to capture the uncertainty surrounding the relative importance of objectives and any indeterminacy inherent in the actual phenomena being studied.
Achiral nanoprobes extract chiral signals from within chiral metamaterials

Resonant plasmonic nanostructures amplify chirally modified, nonlinear signals from quantum emitters. Nonlinear emission signals are enhanced by 40× that of the emitters not embedded.
Serving with engineering skills within 15 miles of campus: The Scholars of Excellence in Engineering and Computer Science program

The Scholars of Excellence in Engineering and Computer Science (SEECS) program initiated its first cohort of 20 students in fall 2009. Funded for two, five-year awards through a National Science Foundation (NSF) S-STEM grant, the interdisciplinary, multi-year, mixed academic-level program offers scholarships to students based on academic merit and financial need. The goals of the scholarship program are (1) to increase the number of academically talented, but financially disadvantaged students in the stated majors, (2) to assist students to be successful in their undergraduate education, and (3) to foster professional development for careers or graduate education.
Racial and Ethnic Minorities at Increased Risk for Gastric Cancer in a Regional US Population Study.

Background and Aims Limited data are available on risk factors for gastric cancer in the United States. We aimed to characterize risk for gastric cancer based on race/ethnicity and additional established risk factors. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study from 2008 to 2014 from an integrated health care system in Southern California to assess incidence of gastric cancer by race/ethnicity. We then conducted an age- and sex-matched case-cohort study to evaluate additional risk factors: Helicobacter pylori infection, tobacco use, family history, obesity, language, and socioeconomic status. Subgroup analysis was performed for language and socioeconomic status by race/ethnicity. Results The incidence of gastric cancer in the reference (non-Hispanic white) population was 8.2 (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.7–8.7) cases per 100,000 person-years. Incidence values for Asians, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic black persons were higher: 12.7 (95% CI, 11.1–14.3), 12.7 (95% CI, 11.7–13.7), and 11.8 (95% CI, 10.3–13.2) cases per 100,000 person-years, respectively (all P P P P H pylori (OR, 4.6; 95% CI, 3.8–5.7), smoking history (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.3–1.6), and family history of gastric cancer (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 2.6–4.4) (all P P = .05). Higher annual median income was associated with reduced risk (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.75–0.95; P = .0004). Conclusions In a population study in Southern California, we found racial/ethnic minorities to have a 40%–50% increase in risk of gastric cancer compared with the non-Hispanic white population. In addition to H pylori infection, smoking, family history, and low socioeconomic status were also associated with increased risk. Further characterization of high-risk groups may identify populations appropriate for targeted screening.
Constructing one-parameter families of elliptic curves with moderate rank

Abstract We give several new constructions for moderate rank elliptic curves over Q ( T ) . In particular we construct infinitely many rational elliptic surfaces (not in Weierstrass form) of rank 6 over Q using polynomials of degree two in T. While our method generates linearly independent points, we are able to show the rank is exactly 6 without having to verify the points are independent. The method generalizes; however, the higher rank surfaces are not rational, and we need to check that the constructed points are linearly independent.
Effects of orally administered Augmentin on glutamate transporter 1, cystine-glutamate exchanger expression and ethanol intake in alcohol-preferring rats

Alcohol dependence is associated with deficits in glutamate uptake and impairment of glutamate homeostasis in different brain reward regions. Glutamate transporter subtype 1 (GLT-1), cystine-glutamate exchanger (xCT) and glutamate/aspartate transporter (GLAST) are one of the key players in regulating extracellular glutamate concentration in the brain. Parenteral treatment with ceftriaxone, β-lactam antibiotic, has been reported to attenuate ethanol consumption and reinstatement to cocaine-seeking behavior, in part, by restoring the expression of GLT-1 and xCT in mesocorticolimbic brain regions in rats. In this study, we focused to test Augmentin (amoxicillin/clavulanate), which can be administered orally to subjects. Therefore, we examined the effects of orally administered Augmentin on ethanol intake as well as GLT-1, xCT and GLAST expression in male alcohol-preferring (P) rats. We found that orally administered Augmentin significantly attenuated ethanol consumption in P rats as compared to the vehicle-treated group. Importantly, the attenuation in ethanol consumption was associated with a significant upregulation of GLT-1 and xCT expression in nucleus accumbens (NAc) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). There was no effect of orally administered Augmentin on GLAST expression in either NAc or PFC. These findings present strong evidence that oral administration of Augmentin can be used as an alternative to parenteral treatment.
Transducers’ Range Modeling

Transducers have been proposed for many unattended surveillance applications, forest fire detection, and healthcare monitoring. As we use a thermometer to measure temperature, the reading represents for the whole body and there is no need to use a second thermometer.
Work and Life and Death: A Law School Dean's Perspective

Everyone’s life is intimately involved with living and dying. But, I daresay that it’s a more present, persistent, and perennial aspect of the life of a dean. That’s because of two things. One is that we are visibly and intimately connected in a rich network of interactions with the people who work with us and the people we engage within our broader communities, and many of those folks are close to the end of their lives. The other is that, because we are deans, it matters very profoundly to people that we are engaged with them in these challenging life passages.
Magnetic Field-Activated Sensing of mRNA in Living Cells

Detection of specific mRNA in living cells has attracted significant attention in the past decade. Probes that can be easily delivered into cells and activated at the desired time can contribute to understanding translation, trafficking and degradation of mRNA. Here we report a new strategy termed magnetic field-activated binary deoxyribozyme (MaBiDZ) sensor that enables both efficient delivery and temporal control of mRNA sensing by magnetic field. MaBiDZ uses two species of magnetic beads conjugated with different components of a multicomponent deoxyribozyme (DZ) sensor. The DZ sensor is activated only in the presence of a specific target mRNA and when a magnetic field is applied. Here we demonstrate that MaBiDZ sensor can be internalized in live MCF-7 breast cancer cells and activated by a magnetic field to fluorescently report the presence of specific mRNA, which are cancer biomarkers.
Saltwater encroachment and prediction of future ecosystem response to the Anthropocene Marine Transgression, Southeast Saline Everglades, Florida

Separating the effects of anthropogenic changes in freshwater delivery from that of sea level rise on the rate of salt water encroachment in the low relief Southeast Saline Everglades is important for understanding how the Anthropocene Marine Transgression might be best managed. We use stratigraphic and paleoecologic methods to calculate rates of salt water encroachment and biogenic sediment accumulation in the Southeast Saline Everglades. Our results suggest that sea level rise during the last century was accompanied by salt water encroachment, which is ultimately controlled by the elevation of high tide and varied by a factor of 14.8 in the five watersheds studied. These differences are attributed primarily to differences in freshwater delivery. The delivery of freshwater mitigated salt water encroachment in only one of the five watersheds. This difference is attributed to sufficient freshwater delivery to maintain a plant community with more rapid rate of sediment accumulation than other sites. Under conditions of diminishing freshwater availability and increasing rate of sea level rise, our data suggest that little can be done at a scale large enough to prevent loss of the Southeast Saline Everglades within the next 50–200 years.
We Didn't Get Cold Feet.

We didn't get cold feet—just very, very wet. That's what I e-mailed my wedding guests 5 days before our big day. My fiance and I had been glued to our TV in Houston all weekend, watching Harvey mak...