cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Heat Shock/Stress Response in Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Focal ischemia results in striking changes in gene expression. Induction of hsp72, a member of the family of 70 kDa heat shock/stress proteins is a widely studied component of the generalized cellular response to injury known as the 'stress response' that is detected in brain after ischemia and other insults. This overview summarizes observations on hsp72 expression in models of focal cerebral ischemia, considering its cellular distribution, factors affecting its transcriptional and translational expression, and its potential relevance to post-ischemic pathophysiology. Hsp72 expression is essentially limited to regions in which cerebral blood flow falls below 50% of control levels, provided that residual perfusion allows synthesis of the induced mRNA and protein. The cellular distribution of hsp72 depends on the nature of the ischemic insult, with preferential vascular expression in severely ischemic territory that is destined to necrose, pronounced neuronal expression throughout the ischemic 'penumbra', and limited glial involvement in a narrow zone immediately surrounding the infarct. Together with results in other injury models, these observations indicate that hsp72 induction identifies discrete populations of surviving cells that are metabolically compromised, but not irreversibly damaged after focal ischemia. Available evidence suggests that the stress response is an important component of cellular defense mechanisms, and that successful accumulation of hsp72 is critical to survival following ischemia. Its expression may also contribute to mechanisms of induced ischemic tolerance. Future studies may be expected to more fully characterize the range of altered gene expression in response to focal ischemic injury and to establish specific roles for hsp72 and other induced proteins in the progression of injury and recovery following such insults.
Learning Optimal Filter Representation for Texture Classification

Crucial to texture classification are texture features and classifiers that operate on the features. There are several approaches to computing texture features. Of particular interest is multichannel filtering because of its simplicity. Multichannel filtering works by decomposing the frequency domain of an image, resulting in a bank of filtered feature images. Many techniques have been proposed to optimize multichannel filtering. However, the optimization is with respect to image representation, thus giving no guarantee for texture classification. This paper proposes a novel technique for learning optimal filters for texture classification. We use regularization techniques such as support vector machines (SVMs) to learn multichannel filters. Since filter training in our approach is naturally tied to classifier training, the resulting filters are optimized for classification. Experimental results validate the efficacy of our proposed technique.
Congenital fourth ventricular midline outlet obstruction Report of two cases

Fourth ventricular outlet obstruction may be congenital or acquired. Congenital lesions occur primarily in children and are the subject of many reports on Dandy-Walker cysts. Acquired ventricular outlet obstructions are reported in both adults and children. This abstract presents two adult patients with congenital occlusion of the foramen of Magendie causing massive dilatation of the fourth ventricle and hydrocephalus. Both patients underwent radiographic evaluation. The characteristic appearance of the fourth ventricular outlet on these studies provided sufficient evidence to warrant posterior fossa exploration. Two patients presented with non-focal signs of increased intracranial pressure without a mass lesion and hydrocephalus, but with a disproportionately large fourth ventricle. The presence of a membrane occluding the foramen of Magendie was established with metrizamideenhanced CT and ventriculography, in conjunction with pneumoencephalography to visualize the inferior border of the occlusion. Stasis of metrizamide in the cisterna magna, as seen in these cases, was thought to be evidence of incomplete communication between the fourth ventricle and the subarachnoid space. The presence of semi-permeable membranous perforations, or of hinged or irregularly dissected membranes, could explain the delayed onset of symptomatic hydrocephalus in our patients. Semiperforate foramina of Luschka may have been sufficient to allow some CSF for prolonged periods of time. The fourth ventricle may have dilated slowly while CSF continued to flow at subcritical rates until decompensation occurred, leading to symptomatic intracranial hypertension.
Women's Autonomy and Timing of Most Recent Sexual Intercourse in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Multi-Country Analysis

Since the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development, there has been increasing interest in promoting women's empowerment, particularly for sexual and reproductive health. Women's ability to negotiate the timing of intercourse with an intimate partner has not been extensively studied. This study explored the relationships between married women's autonomy and the time since most recent sexual intercourse in Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe using the Demographic and Health Surveys. Significant variation both within and between countries in the timing of most recent sex was found. A strong relationship between women's decision-making autonomy and time since last sexual intercourse in all six settings, even after controlling for factors such as the husband living elsewhere, age, marital duration, and other sociodemographic variables, was found. Men's decision-making autonomy was not associated with the time since last intercourse. Understanding how women's position in the household influences their sexual activity may be an essential piece in protecting the sexual rights of women and helping them to achieve a sexual life that is both safe and pleasurable.
Changes in the hatch rate of Haemonchus contortus eggs between geographic regions

Vulvar phenotypes and the rate of development of eggs over a range of temperatures were used to compare Haemonchus contortus populations in New York State and Ohio. These parameters indicated that the westernmost boundary of the subspecies Haemonchus contortus cayugensis is the Chautauqua valley in New York. The Haemonchus ecotype in Ohio had a vulvar phenotype formula similar to that described for the subspecies Haemonchus contortus contortus. The relationship between slope and intercept of the regression of rate of egg hatch on temperature was different for morphs within ecotypes as well as between the New York and Ohio ecotypes. Linguiform-A appeared to be the cold-adapted morph in both ecotypes. Smooth was the warm-adapted morph in New York with linguiform-B filling that niche in Ohio.
Micro Methods for the Determination of Chylomicron Counts, Fatty Esters, Lipid Phosphorus, and Cholesterol in Blood Serum

The procedures described make it possible to determine chylomicron counts and one of the other lipid constituents on approximately 100 µl. of blood serum. In general, the technics used are those of Bessey and Lowry. Chylomicron counts are determined by a modification of the method of Becker, Meyer, and Necheles. Dilutions of high count serum are made with fasting serum and a correction made for the chylomicrons in the diluting serum. In each of the chemical mehods, 75 µl. of blood serum is used and the lipids completely extracted from the serum with alcohol-ether mixture. The method for fatty esters is an adaptation of the methods of Hill, and Bauer and Hirsch and involves the formation of a lavender-colored complex of ferric hydroxamate on the addition of an acidified solution of alcoholic ferric perchlorate. The method for lipid phosphorus is an adaptation of the macro method described by Hawk, Oser, and Summerson. The extracted lipids are oxidized with sulphuric acid and hydrogen peroxide and the phosphate present determined by the Fiske and Subbarow method. The method for cholesterol is an adaptation of the methods of Kibrick, et al . and Abel, et al . It involves the hydrolysis of cholesterol esters with 17% benzyl trimethylammonium hydroxide during the evaporation of the alcohol-ether extract and the use of the residue directly for the development of a green color by the Liebermann-Burchard reaction. The average fasting value for fatty esters obtained for 12 normal weight college women was 414 mg. per 100 ml., expressed as tripalmitin. For lipid phosphorus the average fasting value obtained for 8 normal weight college women was 7.8 mg. per 100 ml. The average fasting cholesterol value obtained for 16 normal weight college women was 154.8 mg. per 100 ml. The average value for 6 normal weight older women (ages 37-63) was 257.2 mg. per 100 ml.
Further Thoughts on Satan's Journey Through Chaos I

Several years ago, I attempted to determine imagistically the scatological dimension of Satan's journey through Chaos in Book II of Paradise Lost.1 That journey, I maintained in The Dialectics of Creation, involves, among other things, an ironic debasement of the Arch-Deceiver in scatological terms.2 Entering Chaos’“Furnace mouth,” which belches forth its innards (II. 888-89), Satan becomes part of the “crude consistence” (II. 941) that characterizes Chaos’“intestine broils” (II. 1001).3 As such, he participates in a process of intestinal decomposition that finally expels him as “waste” through the opening of what Milton variously calls the “bare outside of this World” (III. 74) and the “backside of the World” (III. 494). There, he is buffeted as the “sport of Winds” (III. 393) in a place “since calld/The Paradise of Fools” (III. 495-96). In that way, his journey nicely illustrates Raphael's adage that excess “soon turns / Wisdom to Folly, as Nourishment to Wind” (VII. 129-30). Assuming the imagistic validity of this scatological point of view, I would now like to explore some of its biographical and historical implications.
Analysis of the (3 × 3)-H/Cu(111) System Using Eikonal-Level Helium Atom Scattering Simulations

The saturated (3 × 3)-H/Cu(111) system has been investigated by Eikonal-level helium atom scattering (HAS) simulations of previously reported HAS diffraction images. Basing the investigation on an unreconstructed single-domain structure with H atoms occupying three-fold hollow adsorption sites, a systematic trial of all possible structures has been performed and a series of structures has been shown to agree with the experimental images. Comparison of this fitting process to diffraction images taken at low (30°) and high (47°) angles of incidence has shown that the Eikonal approximation is a reasonable scattering algorithm for the H/Cu(111) system.
Microdebrider Use in Orbital Surgery

AbstractPurpose: To report the novel use of a sinus microdebrider for the removal of tissue during orbital surgery.Methods: This retrospective study reviewed the logs of 3 surgeons to identify patients who required orbital surgery during which the surgeon chose to use a sinus microdebrider with an open sky technique as a means of removing portions of the orbital tissue. Collected data included patient demographics, clinical examinations, pathologic diagnoses, radiologic studies, operative reports and, when available, photographs and intra-operative video.Results: Three patients were identified as having undergone orbital surgery assisted by the use of a sinus microdebrider. The first patient had an extensive, recurrent left orbital myxoid tumor. Debulking of this gelatinous, infiltrative mass was aided by the combined suction and cutting action of the microdebrider. Two cases involved orbital exenteration for infiltrative sino-orbital fungus infection resulting in a blind eye and frozen globe. Removal of ...
The Ginzburg Decision and the Law

ginzburg may have been the victim of a self-defeating prophecy. In an issue of Fact, published in the summer of 1 965, Ginzburg said he believed his case (in which he was convicted by a federal court in Philadelphia of mailing obscene material, namely, the magazine Eros, The Housewife's Handbook on Selective Promiscuity, and a newsletter called Liaison) stood a better than average chance for review and reversal by the United States Supreme Court. This was so, Ginzburg wrote, because the American Civil Liberties Union, the Authors' League of America and other distinguished American citizens were filing amicus briefs on his behalf, and because the Post Office Department had begun a "reckless campaign of federal censorship" on the basis of his conviction. He concluded by saying that the Supreme Court may reverse "simply because the Constitution says it must." In addition, Ginzburg in full-page advertisements for Fact expressed his pride in creating Eros, and on the radio and to the press predicted that his case would once and for all time settle the question of obscenity in the United States. Ginzburg could hardly be blamed for thinking his conviction would be reversed. The Supreme Court, in a series of decisions after the Roth case was decided in 1957, had shown a consistently broader view of what was permissible under the obscenity laws, and reversed case after case where a lower court had found books, magazines or movies to be obscene. The Solicitor General's Office almost asked for a decision in Ginzburg's favor. The best it could say in its brief about the lower courts' findings was that they were "permissibly based upon a reasonable characterization
Twenty-five years of research on violence in digital games and aggression revisited: a reply to Elson and Ferguson (2013)

In this commentary, we first analyze Elson and Ferguson’s (2013) attempt to offer a theory that would explain why exposure to family, community, school, and media violence could be related to increased aggression, but not cause such aggression. We conclude that the “new” theory they offer is not very “new.” It differs from dominant social learning theories only in its claim that the relation between exposure to violence and aggression is almost entirely due to people who are genetically or biologically predisposed to be aggressive also exposing themselves to more violence. We show this assertion is strongly contradicted by existing experimental and longitudinal data. We also show that Elson and Ferguson’s so-called “exhaustive review” of empirical data on the topic is seriously flawed; that their claim that effect sizes are trivial is not supported by the math; and that their claim that scholars who believe that violent video games cause aggression are an “extreme” group in a divided field is contradicted...
Plasma modification of polymer surfaces for adhesion improvement

Polymers have wide-ranging applications in food packaging and decorative products, and as insulation for electronic devices. For these applications, the adhesion of materials deposited onto polymer substrates is of primary importance. Not all polymer surfaces possess the required physical and/or chemical properties for good adhesion. Plasma treatment is one means of modifying polymer surfaces to improve adhesion while maintaining the desirable properties of the bulk material. This paper addresses the interaction of organic surfaces with the various components of a plasma, with examples taken from a review of the pertinent literature.
Glutamate-Mediated Excitotoxic Death of Cultured Striatal Neurons Is Mediated by Non-NMDA Receptors

Abstract Considerable interest has focused on the role of glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity in neurodegenerative disorders of the basal ganglia. The in vitro data on the receptor mechanisms involved in this process, however, have been inconclusive. Some studies have indicated that excitotoxins acting at NMDA receptors kill striatal neurons and others have indicated that NMDA receptor-mediated excitotoxic death of striatal neurons is minimal in the absence of cortex. In the present study, we used a pharmacological approach to carefully reexamine this issue in 2-week-old cultures of striatal neurons dissociated from E17 rat embryos. The sensitivity of these neurons to glutamate agonists and antagonists was determined by monitoring cell loss in identified regions of the growth dishes. We found that glutamate killed striatal neurons with an EC50 of 100 μM. This loss was not mediated by NMDA receptors, since it was not reduced by the NMDA receptor antagonist APV (0.1-1.0 mM). Consistent with this result, up to 50 mM NMDA receptor-specific excitotoxin quinolinic acid (QA) did not affect neuronal survival. Depolarizing the QA-exposed neurons with 35 mM potassium chloride to enhance NMDA receptor activation by QA also did not produce neuron loss. The metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist AP3 (500 μM) also had no effect on the striatal neuron loss produced by 100 μM glutamate. In contrast, the non-NMDA antagonist GYKI 52466 (100 μM) did block the excitotoxic effect of glutamate (100 μM). Specific AMPA and KA receptor agonists and the non-NMDA antagonist GYKI 52466 revealed that the non-NMDA receptor-mediated excitotoxic effect of glutamate was mediated by KA receptors. These results suggest that cultured striatal neurons are directly vulnerable to non-NMDA glutamate agonists, but not to NMDA and metabotropic glutamate agonists. Thus, non-NMDA receptors may play a greater role in the excitotoxic death of striatal neurons in disease and experimental animal models than previously realized.
Periodic hierarchical load balancing for large supercomputers

Large parallel machines with hundreds of thousands of processors are becoming more prevalent. Ensuring good load balance is critical for scaling certain classes of parallel applications on even thousands of processors. Centralized load balancing algorithms suffer from scalability problems, especially on machines with a relatively small amount of memory. Fully distributed load balancing algorithms, on the other hand, tend to take longer to arrive at good solutions. In this paper, we present an automatic dynamic hierarchical load balancing method that overcomes the scalability challenges of centralized schemes and longer running times of traditional distributed schemes. Our solution overcomes these issues by creating multiple levels of load balancing domains which form a tree. This hierarchical method is demonstrated within a measurement-based load balancing framework in Charm++. We discuss techniques to deal with scalability challenges of load balancing at very large scale. We present performance data of the hierarchical load balancing method on up to 16,384 cores of Ranger (at the Texas Advanced Computing Center) and 65,536 cores of Intrepid (the Blue Gene/P at Argonne National Laboratory) for a synthetic benchmark. We also demonstrate the successful deployment of the method in a scientific application, NAMD, with results on Intrepid.
NaCl surface reaction in chemical-laser devices

Pronounced absorptions in the 8-17-\mu m region are observed on surfaces of NaCl that are used as Brewster windows in chemical lasers that derive their excitation from the CS 2 /O 2 reaction. Surface reaction involves species that are formed during the chemical and photochemical processes that are active in the system. Implications regarding other reactive systems (using either chemical or electrical excitation) are also discussed.
Applications of the p-similarity method to forecasting

Abstract The p -similarity method applied previously in the prediction of pollution crises is used as a general forecasting technique.
Dynamical symmetry breakdown in weak interactions

Исследуется нарушение динамической симметрии теории слабых взаимодействий Вейнберга-СаламаSUL,2×U1 (без скаляров Хиггса). Получается непертубационное решение уравнений Дайсона-Швингера для системы электрон-нейтрино-W-Z в рамках приближения Бакера-Джонсона-Джакива. Исполязованное решение Мариса-Герсковица-Якоба автоматически быбирает требуемое иррегулярное решение в асимптотической области, чтобы получить отношение масс Вейнберга-СаламаMw2/Mz2=cos2 θ.
Gearing up for Lagrangian dynamics

James Clerk Maxwell’s 1865 paper, “A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field,” is usually remembered as replacing the mechanical model that underpins his 1862 publication with abstract mathematics. Up to this point historians have considered Maxwell’s usage of Lagrangian dynamics as the sole important feature that guides Maxwell’s analysis of electromagnetic phenomena in his 1865 publication. This paper offers an account of the often ignored mechanical analogy that Maxwell used to guide him and his readers in the construction of his new electromagnetic equations. The mechanical system consists of a weighted flywheel geared into two independently driven crank wheels in what amounts to a mechanical differential. I will demonstrate how Maxwell made use of the analogy between his flywheel system and electromagnetic induction to ground his study of electromagnetism in clear mechanical conceptions and to structure the derivation of the equations that together are now recognized as Maxwell’s equations for electrodynamics. By reconceiving specific components of his model in electromagnetic terms, while at the same time retaining many of the relations between concepts in the mechanical case, Maxwell gradually assembled increasingly generalized equations for electromotive force. Maxwell thus realized a much sought after balance between physical analogy and abstract mathematics in this, the last of his three seminal papers on electromagnetism.
Comparison of bathymetry and seagrass mapping with hyperspectral imagery and airborne bathymetric lidar in a shallow estuarine environment

We compared hyperspectral imagery and single-wavelength airborne bathymetric light detection and ranging lidar for shallow water <2 m bathymetry and seagrass mapping. Both the bathymetric results from hyperspectral imagery and airborne bathymetric lidar reveal that the presence of a strongly reflecting benthic layer under seagrass affects the elevation estimates towards the bottom depth instead of the top of seagrass canopy. Full waveform lidar was also investigated for bathymetry and similar performance to discrete lidar was observed. A provisional classification was performed with limited ground reference samples and four supervised classifiers were applied in the study to investigate the capability of airborne bathymetric lidar and hyperspectral imagery to identify seagrass genera. The overall classification accuracy is highly variable and strongly dependent on the classification strategy used. Features from bathymetric lidar alone are not sufficient for substrate classification, while hyperspectral imagery alone showed significant capability for substrate classification with over 95% overall accuracy. The fusion of hyperspectral imagery and bathymetric lidar only marginally improved the overall accuracy of seagrass classification.
Parametric Aqueous Electrodeposition Studies of Co-Sm Alloys

Electrodeposition of SmCo alloys from an aqueous solutions has been studied at various current densities, temperatures and bath compositions. Magnetic properties, such as both parallel and perpendicular coercivities, and magnetic saturation, have been measured. Higher bath temperatures lead to metallic deposits at higher current densities resulting in larger deposit Sm content. 33 at% Sm have been obtained at 500 mA/cm2 from bath temperatures of 60oC. The absence of the conducting salt (NH4 sulfamate) leads to higher deposit Sm content. XRD of these deposits shows the presence of Sm2Co17 (200) and SmCo5 (201) phases. Current efficiencies were below 20%. Magnetic saturation of SmCo electrodeposits were close to those obtained by sputtering. Heat treatment of the deposits should increase the perpendicular coercivities to the 2-10 kOe range.
Context-aware resource allocation for device-to-device communications in cloud-centric Internet of Things

Recent technology advances in wireless mobile communications,sensor networks,machine-to-machine communications,and cloud computing enable a cloud-centric Internet of Things( IoT) paradigm that may have a significant impact on development,deployment,and utilization of IoT applications. Device-to-device( D2D) communication is an emerging technology for improving cellular networks,which play a crucial role in realizing such a new IoT paradigm. Resource allocation is a key technical issue for achieving high-performance data transportation in cellular networks with D2 D communications. Game theory has been applied as an effective tool for addressing the problem of resource allocation for D2 D communications in cellular networks. The resource allocation scheme proposed in our previous work for intercell D2 D communications introduced location-awareness in D2 D resource allocation. In this paper,we extend our previous work by particularly analyzing the situations where the game model for D2 D resource allocation does not have a Nash equilibrium within the resource constraints given by the studied system. We model the resource allocation for such situations as a cooperative game between the base stations of two cells where a pair of D2 D devices are located,and develop an algorithm for determining the bandwidth allocation at each station for maximizing the total utility of both stations. Such an algorithm,when integrated with the resource allocation protocol developed in our previous work,enables a context-aware D2 D resource allocation in cellular networks that choose different strategies for different system situations.
Distributed generalized likelihood ratio tests: Fundamental limits and tradeoffs

This paper focuses on the problem of distributed composite hypothesis testing in a network of sparsely interconnected agents, in which only a small section of the field modeling parametric alternatives is observable at each agent. A recursive generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) type algorithm in a distributed setup of the consensus-plus-innovations form is proposed, in which the agents update their parameter estimates and decision statistics by simultaneously processing the latest sensed information (innovations) and information obtained from neighboring agents (consensus). This paper characterizes the conditions and the testing algorithm design parameters which ensure that the probabilities of decision errors decay to zero asymptotically in the large sample limit. Finally, simulation studies are presented which illustrate the findings.
Lay Puritans in Stuart England

Following the death of Elizabeth in 1603, her Scottish kinsman James Stuart, James VI of Scotland, came to the throne of England as James I. Because Presbyterian reform had accomplished in Scotland many of the changes long sought by English puritans, English reformers hoped that the new monarch would be receptive to modifications of the Church of England. Few realized that the Scottish monarch’s apparent sympathy to English reform was calculated to insure that he would succeed Elizabeth, and that it cloaked a distaste for the puritan-like Presbyterian system of his native land. A petition to the king supposedly signed by over a thousand Englishmen sought his approval for a variety of reforms. But at the Hampton Court Conference King James rejected most of the puritan program, though he did agree to a new, authorized translation of the scriptures (what has become known as the King James Bible).
Distribution system low-voltage circuit topology estimation using smart metering data

Operating distribution systems with a growing number of distributed energy resources requires accurate feeder models down to the point of interconnection. Many of the new resources are located in the secondary low-voltage distribution circuits that typically are not modeled or modeled with low level of detail. This paper presents a practical and computational efficient approach for estimating the secondary circuit topologies from historical voltage and power measurement data provided by smart meters and distributed energy resource sensors. The accuracy of the algorithm is demonstrated on a 66-node test circuit utilizing real AMI data. The algorithm is also utilized to estimate the secondary circuit topologies of the Georgia Tech distribution system. Challenges and practical implementation approaches of the algorithm are discussed. The paper demonstrates the computational infeasibility of exhaustive secondary circuit topology estimation approaches and presents an efficient algorithm for verifying whether two radial secondary circuits have identical topologies.
Measures of agricultural policy in the Republic of Serbia with emphasis on the situation in Nisava district

The authors give a brief overview of the situation in the implementation of agricultural policy in Serbia. They introduce us to support measures which are an important factor for maintaining agricultural production. Serbia is obliged to harmonize its agricultural policy with the common agricultural policy of the European Union CAP. This process of harmonization needs to be done now that the Republic of Serbia has become a candidate country for EU membership. In the current economic conditions, the survival of farms is threatened. A key problem is the ownership structure of farms in Serbia, which are located in small areas of land. This also represents agreat fragmentation of land. It is necessary to carry out procedures of land consolidation and land redistribution in order to achieve agglomeration, which would result in an increase in the quantity and quality of agricultural production. At the end, the authors provide a study on the state of implementation of agrarian policy in the Nisava district. The aim of the research is to analyze the results of the use of agricultural policy measures.
Myths and Misconceptions about Palliative Sedation.

Physicians should be clear about the difference between palliative sedation and terminal sedation and are urged to thoroughly document their actions to and seek the counsel of experts when sedating a dying patient. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
An integrated SVR and crop model to estimate the impacts of irrigation on daily groundwater levels

As groundwater resources are used more intensively, the need to define appropriate strategies to plan and manage irrigation systems under diverse climatic conditions becomes increasingly important. To promote more efficient irrigation practices, accurate and optimal information regarding the interaction between crop water use and groundwater sustainability is needed. In this study, we outlined a modeling approach that combines the features of a crop growth model and a support vector regression (SVR) model for the comprehensive assessment of groundwater variability under different soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr) irrigation thresholds throughout the growing season. The 20%, 40%, 50% and 60% thresholds of available water were calibrated using the CROPGRO-Soybean model to simulate daily irrigation requirements of soybeans grown in the Mississippi Delta Region (MDR). The daily crop water requirements along with precipitation and previous daily groundwater levels were used as inputs in the SVR to evaluate the predicted response of daily groundwater levels to different irrigation demands. We examined the performance of the SVR model based on the Mean Squared Error (MSE) and its ability to capture the seasonal variability in groundwater levels under different scenarios. Results demonstrate that higher groundwater irrigation volumes significantly affect the daily availability of groundwater. However, more volume does not represent significantly higher soybean yields. We conclude that the hybrid crop-SVR model is able to assess the subsurface water response to multiple scenarios of groundwater available for irrigation and provide useful information for the decision making.
How the Employee Looks and Looks at you: Building Customer–Employee Rapport:

Despite the prominence of customer–employee relationships in service contexts, little empirical research examines the antecedents of rapport in relation to service providers’ attributes. Furthermor...
Comparative study of deep learning framework in HPC environments

The rise of machine learning and deep learning applications in recent years has resulted in the development of several specialized frameworks to design neural networks, train them and use them in production. The efforts toward scaling and tuning of such frameworks have coincided with the increasing popularity of heterogeneous architectures (e.g. GPUs and accelerators); and developers found that the iterative and highly concurrent nature of machine learning algorithms is a good fit for the offerings of such architectures. As a result, most machine learning and deep learning frameworks now support offloading features and job distribution among heterogeneous processing units. Despite increasing use of deep learning techniques in scientific computing, HPC architectures has not been a first-class requirement for framework designers and is missing in many cases. We have taken a first step toward understanding the behavior of deep learning frameworks in HPC environments by comparing the performance of such frameworks on a regular HPC cluster setup and their compatibility with cluster architecture. We also studied the support for HPC-specific features provided by each of the frameworks. In order to accomplish this, a set of tests to compare deep learning frameworks has been introduced as well. In addition to the performance results, we observed some design conflicts between these frameworks and the traditional HPC tool chain. Launching deep learning framework jobs using common HPC job schedulers is not straightforward. Also, limited HPC-specific hardware support by these frameworks results in scalability issues and high communication overhead when running in multi-node environments. We discuss the idea of adding native support for executing deep learning frameworks to HPC job schedulers as an example of such adjustments in more details.
Comparison of faculty assessment and students' self-assessment of performance during clinical case discussions in a pharmacotherapy capstone course.

OBJECTIVES The primary objective of this study was to compare faculty assessment and third year students' self-assessment of performance in clinical case discussions. The secondary objective was to evaluate if student characteristics influence self-assessments. METHODS This retrospective analysis compared faculty and student self-assessment scores for two clinical case discussions using Spearman's correlation and Wilcoxon's signed ranks test. Chi-squared test was used to compare frequency of faculty and student self-assessments indicating the highest possible rating for the pooled score and for each individual component. The pooled score included three individual components: level of engagement, quality of contribution, and professionalism. RESULTS Pooled faculty and student self-assessments correlated for both the first (r = 0.41, p < 0.001) and second (r = 0.35; p < 0.001) clinical case discussions. The frequency that faculty and student self-assessment ratings were the highest possible pooled score was similar for both the first (51.3% vs. 44.7%, respectively, p = 0.25) and second (58.6% vs. 47.4%, p = 0.05) clinical case discussions. Student characteristics (age, gender, and grade point average at graduation) did not influence self-assessments. CONCLUSIONS Students' self-assessment correlated with faculty assessment of performance during clinical case discussions. Increased use of self-assessments for professional development in pharmacy and other healthcare professional curricula should be considered.
Do rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta, understand what others know when gaze following?

A basic tendency to look where others are looking provides animals with the opportunity to learn about important objects in the environment, such as the location of conspecifics, food and predators. Although research has shown that many social species are able to follow others' gaze, the extent to which different species rely on sophisticated cognitive capacities when gaze following is debated. Whereas some species follow gaze via a relatively inflexible orienting response, gaze following in other species may reflect a deeper understanding of the visual perspective and attentional states of agents. Identifying the mechanisms underlying gaze following in different species is the critical first step to addressing the challenging ultimate question of why different species vary in their gaze-following skills. Therefore, we explored whether rhesus macaques have a mentalistic understanding of gaze. Specifically, we tested whether rhesus macaques are able to incorporate representations of a partner's knowledge state into their gaze-following response. In our study, macaques saw a human actor look to a distant location in a surprised manner. We manipulated whether or not the actor had previously seen the very first object in his line of sight. We found that monkeys looked for an alternative target of the actor's gaze more quickly when the actor had previously seen the object compared to when he had not. This suggests that rhesus macaques may have a mentalistic understanding of gaze cues.
Evaluation of a wireless, portable, wearable multi-parameter vital signs monitor in hospitalized neurological and neurosurgical patients.

Unrecognized changes in patients’ vital signs can result in preventable deaths in hospitalized patients. Few publications or studies instituting routine patient monitoring have described implementation and the setting of alarm parameters for vital signs. We wanted to determine if continuous multi-parameter patient monitoring can be accomplished with an alarm rate that is acceptable to hospital floor nurses and to compare the rate of patient deterioration events to those observed with routine vital sign monitoring. We conducted a prospective, observational, 5-month pilot study in a 26-bed adult, neurological/neurosurgical unit (non-ICU) in an academic medical center. A patient surveillance system employing a wireless body-worn vital signs monitor with automated nursing notification of alarms via smartphones was used to gather data. Data collected included: alarm rates, rapid response team (RRT) calls, intensive care unit (ICU) transfers, and unplanned deaths before and during the pilot study. Average alarm rate for all alarms (SpO2, HR, RR, NIBP) was 2.3 alarms/patient/day. The RRT call rate was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) from 189 to 158 per 1000 discharges. ICU transfers per 1000 discharges were insignificantly reduced from 53 to 40 compared to the previous 5-month period in the same unit. Similar measures of comparison units did not change over the same period. Although unplanned patient deaths in the study unit were also reduced during the intervention period, this was not statistically significant. Continual, multi-parameter vital signs monitoring can be customized to reduce a high alarm rates, and may reduce rapid response team calls.
From 3D Organoids back to 2D Enteroids

In this issue of Developmental Cell, Thorne et al. (2018) describe a simple, scalable method to culture 2D enteroid monolayers that surprisingly recapitulates many of the features of 3D organoid cultures and in vivo intestinal tissue and can be used for high-throughput microscopy-based experiments.
Delay-efficient routing across high-throughput wireless network clusters

Wireless sensor and adhoc networks are hierarchically clustered for energy-efficiency, while gathering and aggregating data at the central clusterhead. Subsequent longrange communications from the clusterheads cause large-scale interference and energy-hole problems around them. It is thus better to have packets forwarded via short-range multi-hop routes between the clusterheads at different levels of the hierarchy. In order to discover the most optimal routes that serve the purpose, paths that minimize the inter-cluster routing delay within latticed clusters are analyzed. Consequently, a low-delay, energy-balancing distributed algorithm for routing across clusters is developed, which outperforms shortest path routing in high throughput networks. A parametric study comprising large-scale network evaluations is performed by developing an NS-3 based simulator.
Long-Term Functional Outcomes after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant for Early Infantile Krabbe Disease

Abstract Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can retard the progression of early infantile Krabbe disease (EIKD). Superior outcomes are achieved if HSCT is performed before the onset of symptoms; however, little information is available about the long-term outcomes in surviving patients. We now describe functional outcomes in presymptomatic infants who underwent HSCT for EIKD at ≤ 2 months of age. Records of the 19 patients who underwent HSCT for EIKD at ≤ 2 months of age from 1996 to 2010 were reviewed. Long-term functional outcomes were compared between those transplanted at
Catholic Schools and Housing Values

In a recent study, Black (1999) shows that parents buy better schooling for their children by paying more for housing. She finds that parents who pay 2.5 percent more for housing receive a 5 percent increase in elementary school test scores. In this chapter, I test a related hypothesis—whether an increase in the percentage of children who attend private grade schools and high schools in Illinois increases housing values. As indicated in the previous chapter, Catholic schools account for more than fifty percent of the enrollment in private grade schools and high schools in Illinois. For this reason, I assume private school effects on housing values are a proxy for Catholic school effect. I show that a one percentage point increase in the percentage who attend private schools increases housing values by about 1 percent.
Direct laryngoscopy in children: rigid and flexible fiberoptic.

Examination of the child's larynx is mandatory in the management of pediatric airway problems. The techniques used to perform this examination have evolved over time and now present the airway spec...
STABILITY INDEPENDENT OF ADJUSTMENT SPEED

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses stability independent of adjustment speed. Hicks, in his classic work, introduced for serious consideration by economists the problem of analyzing stability in multiple markets. He defined a concept of perfect stability in which one market was singled out and the remaining markets were divided into two sets: in the first set, all prices were held fixed at their equilibrium values, while, as the singled-out price varied, all prices in the second set were continuously adjusted to keep supply and demand on all the markets in that set constant. Under these conditions, excess demand was defined as a function of the singled-out price. If the resulting function was downward sloping for all ways of singling out a price and all ways of dividing the remaining markets into two sets as indicated, then the economy was said to be perfectly stable. A necessary and sufficient condition for perfect stability was that the Jacobian matrix of the excess demand functions have the property that the principal minors of odd order have negative determinants and those of even order have positive determinants.
Thymineless mutagenesis in bacteria.

Experimental evidence indicates that while thymine starvation induces primarily A:T → G:C transitions in bacteria, it also may cause other uncharacterized base substitutions as well as frame-shifts and deletions. However, models have been proposed to explain only the induction of point mutations by thymine deprivation. In this study, we demonstrate that thymine nucleotide depletion induces both point mutations in the his-4 and lacI genes of Escherichia coli and reversion of the frameshift mutations trpE9777, trpA21, trpA540, and trpA9813. Analysis of the 1acI amber spectrum revealed that thymine starvation resulted in G:C → A:T transitions and all possible transversions. A defect in uracil-DNA glycosylase has little effect on the induction of lacl - mutations but reduces substantially the induction of trpE9777 revertants. These data show that the mutagenic specificity of thymine nucleotide depletion is not limited to A:T → G:C transitions and suggest that removal of uracil from DNA plays a role in the generation of frameshift mutations by thymine deprivation. A model that involves nucleotide misincorporation into DNA and induction of error-prone repair functions in response to thymine starvation is proposed to account for these findings.
A feline model of ocular toxoplasmosis.

UNLABELLED PURPOSE. This study was performed to characterize the clinical, serologic, histopathologic, and immunohistochemical features of an experimental model of ocular toxoplasmosis in cats. METHODS Seven specific pathogen-free cats were inoculated in the right carotid artery with 5 x 10(3) tachyzoites of the ME49 strain of Toxoplasma gondii. Control cats received heat-killed tachyzoites. RESULTS Progressive, bilateral, multifocal retinal, and choroidal inflammatory foci developed in the principal cats, beginning 5 to 8 days postinoculation (PI). Lesion development peaked 3 weeks PI, and the lesions varied in size from pinpoint to 5 mm, had a predilection for the central tapetal fundus, and were more numerous ipsilateral to the side of inoculation. Resolution of the lesions 21 to 70 days PI was characterized by foci of tapetal destruction and retinal degeneration. Fluorescein angiography showed disruption of the blood-retinal barrier at the level of the retinal pigmented epithelium, and occasional retinal vasculitis and perivasculitis. Mild anterior uveitis developed in four cats 10 to 13 days PI. Aside from a slight febrile response 2 to 3 days PI, no physical abnormalities were observed. T. gondii antigens were detected intermittently in the serum of four of seven cats as early as 8 days PI. T. gondii-specific immunoglobulin M titers were present on day 7 PI and continued to increase until 28 days PI. Immunoglobulin G production was documented on day 13 PI, and titers continued to increase throughout the study. Evidence of anterior uveal antibody production (mean Goldmann-Witmer coefficient [C value], 80.7; range, 13.4 to 236.6) was present in 11 of 14 eyes on day 70 PI. On histopathologic evaluation 70 days PI, multifocal granulomatous chorioretinitis, with retinal degeneration, retinal vasculitis, and lymphocytic-plasmacytic anterior uveitis, was documented. Tissue cysts in the retina and choroid were found with mouse inoculation of tissue suspensions, immunohistochemical studies, and histopathologic examination. CONCLUSIONS This nonfatal, noninvasive method of inducing ocular toxoplasmosis may prove to be a useful model for investigation of toxoplasmi retinochoroiditis, particularly with the recent characterization of a naturally occurring, immunosuppressive feline lentivirus with properties similar to human immunodeficiency virus.
Conformational Analysis by Far Infrared FT Spectroscopy

The high-resolution and low-energy detection capabilities of the Fourier Transform interferometer allow molecular spectroscopists greater access to the far infrared region of the spectrum. In particular, the low-frequency vibrations corresponding to the normal motion interconverting two conformers, i.e. an asymmetrictorsion, can be observed with greater ease than previously with dispersive grating spectrometers [1]. In previous chapters the specific instrumental capabilities of the Fourier Transform spectrometer, as well as the determination of conformers and molecular structures, have been covered. In this chapter the methods of computational analysis of the vibrational data will be examined in some detail with emphasis on the practical usage, rather than the theoretical development.