cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HARVESTING EFFECTS ON MICROCLIMATIC GRADIENTS FROM SMALL STREAMS TO UPLANDS IN WESTERN WASHINGTON

Riparian zones are vital components of the landscape. Much attention has been focused on the question of how wide a buffer is needed to protect the original riparian environment. We sampled five streams 2-4 m wide and associated riparian ecosystems before and after clearcutting in western Washington. Buffers ranging from 17 to 72 m wide were left intact at all sites when harvesting. Our objectives were: (1) to characterize pre- harvest microclimatic gradients across riparian ecosystems, from the stream to the upland; (2) to identify effects of harvesting on these gradients; and (3) to describe effects of buffer width and near-stream microclimate on stream microclimate. Six weather stations measuring air temperature, soil temperature, surface air temperature, relative humidity, short-wave solar radiation, and wind speed were installed along transects running across the stream and into the upland, and two reference stations were established, one in an upland clearcut and one in an upland interior forest. Pairwise comparison tests were used to evaluate statistical differences between stations along transects for determination of gradient extent. Pre-harvest riparian gradients existed for all variables except solar radiation and wind speed, and values generally approached forest interior values within 31-62 m from the stream. After harvesting, microclimate values at the buffer edge and each subsequent location toward the upland began to approximate clearcut values instead of forest interior values, indicating an interruption or elimination of the stream-upland gradient. In addition, re- gression analyses showed that stream microclimate was affected to some degree by buffer width and microclimate in the surrounding area. We conclude that a buffer at least 45 m on each side of the stream is necessary to maintain a natural riparian microclimatic en- vironment along the streams in our study, which were characterized by moderate to steep slopes, 70-80% overstory coverage (predominantly Douglas-fir and western hemlock), and a regional climate typified by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. This buffer width estimate is probably low, however, since it assumes that gradients stabilize within 30 m from the stream and that upslope edge effects extend no more than 15 m into the buffer (a low estimate based on other studies). Depending on the variable, required widths may extend up to 300 m, which is significantly greater than standard widths currently in use in the region (i.e., -10-90 m). Our results indicate that even some of the more conservative standard buffer widths may not be adequate for preserving an unaltered microclimate near some streams. Additional site-specific data are needed for different site conditions in order to determine whether generalizations can be made regarding near-stream microclimate.
Mediators of Inflammation in Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) remains to be an independent risk factor for mortality and morbidity. Inflammation is now believed to play a major role in the pathopathophysiology of AKI. It is hypothesized that in ischemia, sepsis and nephrotoxic models that the initial insult results in morphological and/or functional changes in vascular endothelial cells and/or in tubular epithelium. Then, leukocytes including neutrophils, macrophages, natural killer cells, and lymphocytes infiltrate into the injured kidneys. The injury induces the generation of inflammatory mediators like cytokines and chemokines by tubular and endothelial cells which contribute to the recruiting of leukocytes into the kidneys. Thus, inflammation has an important role in the initiation and extension phases of AKI. This review will focus on the mediators of inflammation contributing to the pathogenesis of AKI.
Immunoassay and Nb2 lymphoma bioassay prolactin levels and mammographic density in premenopausal and postmenopausal women the Nurses' Health Studies

Higher circulating prolactin levels have been associated with higher percent mammographic density among postmenopausal women in some, but not all studies. However, few studies have examined associations with dense area and non-dense breast area breast or considered associations with prolactin Nb2 lymphoma cell bioassay levels. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 1,124 premenopausal and 890 postmenopausal women who were controls in breast cancer case-control studies nested in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and NHSII. Participants provided blood samples in 1989-1990 (NHS) or 1996-1999 (NHSII) and mammograms were obtained from around the time of blood draw. Multivariable linear models were used to assess the associations between prolactin levels (measured by immunoassay or bioassay) with percent density, dense area, and non-dense area. Among 1,124 premenopausal women, percent density, dense area, and non-dense area were not associated with prolactin immunoassay levels in multivariable models (p trends = 0.10, 0.18, and 0.69, respectively). Among 890 postmenopausal women, those with prolactin immunoassay levels in the highest versus lowest quartile had modestly, though significantly, higher percent density (difference = 3.01 percentage points, 95 % CI 0.22, 5.80) as well as lower non-dense area (p trend = 0.02). Among women with both immunoassay and bioassay levels, there were no consistent differences in the associations with percent density between bioassay and immunoassay levels. Postmenopausal women with prolactin immunoassay levels in the highest quartile had significantly higher percent density as well as lower non-dense area compared to those in the lowest quartile. Future studies should examine the underlying biologic mechanisms, particularly for non-dense area.
IdeaMurals: supporting ideation in public policy knowledge work

The creativity and innovation found in knowledge work such as public policy is often hidden. This "hidden-ness" is likely due to the predominantly textual representation of the work done in this domain. Unlike other areas that are more design-oriented, public policy knowledge work generally does not rely on, or produce, graphical artifacts which can showcase the innovation. In contrast, for domains such as engineering-design or the fine arts, the generation of such artifacts is inherently a part of the work itself. IdeaMurals attempts to explore how creativity and innovation can be supported for a domain that is largely ignored. It also seeks to explore how visual elements can be leveraged to support the ideating process of policy work. The organizing principle of IdeaMurals is to support ideation based on how ideas are constructed; and the construction of these ideas is framed as being analogous to the construction of art compositions.
Evidence for Mineralocorticoid Receptor Facilitation of Glucocorticoid Receptor-Dependent Regulation of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activity*

These studies further evaluated the relative role of mineralocorticoid (type I) and glucocorticoid (type II) receptors in mediating corticosteroid feedback regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Acute treatment of rats with the selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, RU28318 (50 mg/kg sc), produced elevated basal corticosterone levels in the morning, but had no effect on basal corticosterone levels in the evening or on restraint stress corticosterone levels at either time of day. Acute treatment with the selective glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, RU40555 (30 mg/kg sc) had no effect on basal or restraint stress corticosterone levels at either time of day. However, combined treatment with RU28318 and RU40555 produced an elevation of evening basal corticosterone levels (and morning basal on one occasion) and produced an increase in corticosterone levels during and after stress at both times of day. In a separate experiment conducted in the morning, the combined RU28318 and RU40555 treatment also produced elevated ACTH responses during restraint stress. Based on available corticosteroid receptor measures, the RU28318 treatment was estimated to selectively occupy approximately 85% of mineralocorticoid receptors in rat brain, whereas the RU40555 treatment was estimated to selectively occupy approximately 50% of glucocorticoid receptors in rat brain. We conclude that mineralocorticoid receptor activation is necessary and sufficient to maintain low basal corticosterone levels during the circadian trough, whereas glucocorticoid receptor activation is necessary to constrain corticosterone secretion during the circadian peak or during acute stress. However, even during the circadian peak or acute stress, mineralocorticoid receptor activation plays an important role in facilitating the glucocorticoid receptor dependent regulation of HPA axis activity by corticosterone.
Changes in the periplasmic linker and in the expression level affect the activity of ToxR and λ‐ToxR fusion proteins in Escherichia coli

In order to assess the potentiality of Vibrio cholerae ToxR protein and of bacteriophage λ repressor as indicators of the dimerization of periplasmic proteins in Escherichia coli, we have constructed a series of plasmids encoding transmembrane fusion proteins. The amino-terminal part, containing the DNA binding domain of either ToxR or λ repressor, is located in the cytoplasm and acts as reporter for dimerization. As models of periplasmic proteins we have used alkaline phosphatase (a dimer) and β-lactamase (a monomer). Both the expression level and the distance between the transmembrane segment and the periplasmic protein substantially affect the activity of the reporter domains.
Tobacco use and asking prices of used cars: prevalence, costs, and new opportunities for changing smoking behavior

Secondhand smoke (SHS) causes premature death and disease in children and adults, and the scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to SHS. Smoking tobacco in a car can pollute the microenvironment of the car with residual SHS, leaving telltale signs to potential buyers (e.g., odor, used ash tray). This study examined (a) the proportion of used cars sold in the private party market that may be polluted with tobacco smoke and (b) whether asking prices of smoker and nonsmoker cars differed for cars of otherwise equivalent value. A random sample of 1,642 private party sellers were interviewed by telephone, and content analyses of print advertisements were conducted. Findings indicate that 22% of used cars were advertised by smokers or had been smoked in during the previous year. Among nonsmokers, 94% did not allow smoking in their car during the past year. Only 33% of smokers had the same restrictions. The smoking status of the seller and tobacco use in the car were significantly (p 11%) and above comparable smoker cars (7–9%). These findings suggest that community preferences are affecting the value of smoke-free cars. New directions for research, tobacco control policies, and health education are discussed to further reduce smoking behavior, to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions, and to protect nonsmokers from SHS exposure.
Analyzing dispensing plan for emergency medical supplies in the event of bioterrorism

To prepare for the event of bioterrorism, which could spread contagious disease such as anthrax, plague, small-pox, or tularemia to public, local governments in the United States are required have a plan for dispensing medical supplies such as vaccines and antibiotics to general public. The mass prophylaxis would need to cover millions of people in large cities in a short period of time. The distribution and dispensing plan of the medical supplies have to be effective since it would influence health and lives of many people, and there would be no time to fix or adjust plan once the emergency event occurs. In this work, we develop a simulation model to help a major U.S. city in evaluating the effectiveness of alternative dispensing plans and identifying improvement opportunities. This paper describes potential risks and generalized recommendations that can lead to developing effective supply chain and dispensing plans.
The FunOASIS: An Easy Tool for Increasing Clinician Consistency in Answering OASIS Functional Assessment Questions:

Consistency in answering the questions on the Outcomes Assessment Information Set (OASIS) remains a challenge to home health care professionals. It is a high stakes challenge because reimbursement under the prospective payment system rests largely on how the OASIS questions are answered. Answers to OASIS questions that pertain to activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) appear to be a particular source of inconsistency among health care professionals. The authors designed a tool to be used to assist the home care professional to answer the ADL and IADL questions with enhanced consistency. This article will discuss the importance of accurate functional assessment and implications for the use of a measurement tool by home health care professionals, describe the process of designing the tool, and propose a method for testing it.
Computer generation of multiparagraph English text

This paper reports recent research into methods for creating natural language text. A new processing paradigm called Fragment-and-Compose has been created and an experimental system implemented in it. The knowledge to be expressed in text is first divided into small propositional units, which are then composed into appropriate combinations and converted into text.KDS (Knowledge Delivery System), which embodies this paradigm, has distinct parts devoted to creation of the propositional units, to organization of the text, to prevention of excess redundancy, to creation of combinations of units, to evaluation of these combinations as potential sentences, to selection of the best among competing combinations, and to creation of the final text. The Fragment-and-Compose paradigm and the computational methods of KDS are described.
Wave dispersion, growth rates, and mode converter analysis for a sheet beam, hybrid-mode Cerenkov amplifier

The hybrid-mode dispersion relation and resonant growth rates are solved for a finite-thickness sheet electron beam propagating through a rectangular guide with a thin dielectric slab. Analytic results for the growth rates, bandwidth and mode competition for an infinite magnetic field in the limit of a dilute beam are then presented. To properly couple to the desired EH/sub 10/ hybrid amplifier slow wave mode, the coupled waveguide mode equations are solved for a dielectric taper to accomplish the TE/sub 10/ to EH/sub 10/ mode transition. A piecewide linear taper which suppresses the competing EH/sub 11/ mode and other hybrid modes is developed and the overall amplifier system is discussed. >
Theory of non-overlapping packet arrivals

The theory of nonoverlapping packet arrivals is developed for variable-length and fixed-length packets. Closed-form expressions for the mean and variance of the number of arrivals in a given time interval are obtained using the initial- and final-value theorems of the Laplace transform. The implications of nonoverlapping packets can be seen using the mean queue occupancy formula. It is found that a fixed-length-packet protocol gives a small finite queue occupancy at high utilization, in contrast to a variable-length-packet protocol where the queue occupancy rises to infinity as the utilization approaches 100%. >
Using Role-Based Modeling Language (RBML) to characterize model families

Cost-effective development of large, integrated computer-based systems can be realized through systematic reuse of development experiences throughout the development process. We describe a technique for representing reusable modeling experiences. The technique allows developers to express domain-specific design patterns as a sub-language of the modeling language, the UML. Use of the sub-language to build application-specific UML models results in the reuse of the embedded design experiences. We use a notation called the (meta)Role-Based Modeling Language (RBML) to define UML sub-languages. A (meta-)Role Model is a specialization of the UML (Unified Modeling Language) meta-model, that is, it determines a sub-language of the UML. We show how RBML can be used to define domain-specific design patterns.
The utility of very simple models for very complex systems

Modern warships are very complex systems, and most modeling and simulation effort in their design is devoted to producing very complex models of them. In this paper the author argues for the greater use of Very Simple Models instead, by illustrating the types of powerful insights that can be generated by these tools.
Geoscience from GPS Tracking by Earth Satellites

As the Global Positioning System enters its operational phase, efforts to exploit GPS for earth science are coming into sharper focus. Some of these activities have taken new directions, away from the positioning and navigation tasks familiar to GPS users into areas of direct earth observation. Perhaps the most visible GPS earth science applications today are precise orbit determination of remote sensing satellites—primarily ocean altimetric satellites—and direct measurement of earth baselines for studies in solid earth dynamics. The mid-1980s saw the development of specialized GPS-based techniques to determine the orbits of any GPS-equipped low earth satellite with sub-decimeter accuracy [Yunck and Wu 1986; Yunck et al 1990]. These will have their first full-scale demonstration on TOPEX/POSEIDON, the joint US/ French oceanographic satellite set for launch in 1992.
Comparison of age-related changes in in vivo and in vitro measures of testicular steroidogenesis after acute cadmium exposure in the sprague-dawley rat

Previous reports have demonstrated that cadmium‐ (Cd‐) induced testicular necrosis is an age‐dependent process. However, little information exists on age‐related intestitial cell (IC) damage in the rat after acute exposure to Cd. In this study in vitro and in vivo measures of testicular damage were utilized to compare the sensitivity of these measures and to further investigate age‐related Cd‐induced testicular damage. Testes, epididymides, and seminal vesicle weights, serum testosterone (sT), hCG‐stimulated sT, and basal and stimulated IC testosterone (T) production were compared in rats 21 d following an injection of 2 mg Cd/kg at 9, 37, 67, and 97 d of age. The only Cd‐related change noted for immature rats was an 84% reduction in sT. In rats injected when 37 d old, hCG‐stimulated sT and epididymides and seminal vesicle weights, although depressed, were not significantly altered. However, all other measurements were significantly depressed. All measures of testicular damage were significantly depressed...
Observation of a Pentacoordinate Intermediate During the Reaction of N-Chlorodiethylamine and Ethyl 1,2-Phenylene Phosphite

Abstract It is well known that trisubstituted phosphites react with N-chlorodialkylamines to give an alkyl halide and a phosphoramidate.1 There have been some studies of the mechanism of this reaction and in a recent report it was suggested that a pentacoordinated intermediate (RO3)P[N(R)2] Cl is formed during the reaction.2 The necessity for making this suggestion arose from the observation that when cis and trans-isomeric cyclic phosphites were allowed to react with N-chlorodiethyl-amine mixtures of cis and trans-cyclic phosphoramidates resulted. The stability of the starting materials and products towards isomerization was demonstrated and thus another mode for the loss of stereochemistry had to be proposed. A series of purely ionic reactions cannot account for the loss of stereochemistry, whereas the formation of a pentacoordinated intermediate can. It is interesting to note that under no conditions did the cis and trans-isomers give the same mixture of phosphoramidates. This result shows that differe...
Pink Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Effects of Natural Infestation on Upland and Pima Cottons Untreated and Treated with Insecticide

Two upland cottons, Gossypium hirsutum L., and one American Pima colton, G. barbadense L., were grown for three seasons in unsprayed plots and in plots sprayed for control of pink bollworm (PBW), Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders). PBW entrance holes per boll, forms (insects) per boll, and percent seed damage were higher in unsprayed than in sprayed plots. These measures of PBW infestation and plant damage were also higher in unsprayed plots of the two susceptible cultivars, ‘Deltapine 61’ (DPL-61) and ‘Pima S-5,’ than in the resistant breeding stock AET-5, except that ‘Pima S-5’ had the fewest entrance holes per boll. The green-boll and seed damage data were positively and highly significantly correlated inter se. The economic level of seed damage, as estimated by equatinga detectable decrease in cumulative lint yield with cumulative percent seed damage from sequential harvests, in unsprayed vs. sprayed plots, was 3 to 10% in DPL-61, 5 to 17% in Pima S-5, and above 17% in AET-5. Over the three seasons, lint yields in unsprayed plots were 84% (DPL-61), 73% (Pima S-5), and 101% (AET-5) of yields in sprayed plots.
Structure, Reactivity, and Biological Activity of O-(Methylcarbamoyl)oximes of Substituted Benzaldehydes

A series of O -(methylcarbamoyl) oximes of substituted benzaldehydes was prepared and examined for anticholinesterase activity, alkaline hydrolysis, and toxicity to the house fly, Musca domestica L. Analysis of the data by multiple-regression analysis resulted in a direct linear relationship between hydrolysis rates and sigma constants. There was also a linear relationship between hydrolysis rates and anticholinesterase activity. In general, the compounds showed poor insecticidal activity, although several were synergized with piperonyl butoxide.
Polycrystalline Diamond Film Resistors

The technology to fabricate polycrystalline diamond film resistors has been initiated using modified thick film patterning techniques and in situ solid source doping. Doping of polycrystalline diamond films in microwave plasma CVD systems has been achieved historically through use of diborane gas, which may contaminate the deposition system causing all diamond films thereafter to be doped p-type. We have attempted noncontaminating in situ doping utilizing two solid source dopants, and have met with preliminary success. The more effective source (B 2 O 3 ) produces a fairly even dopant concentration across the substrate, with sheet resistances ranging from 800 ohms per square to 4500 ohms per square. The other source (BN) showed significant doping in a narrow band surrounding the source, but the doping concentration decreased rapidly with distance from the source. Films grown afterwards with no doping were evaluated through resistance measurements; no evidence of doping contamination was observed.
Surface-Initiated Chain Growth Polyaramid Brushes

Synthesis of well-defined, surface-initiated poly(N-octyl-p-benzamide) brushes was demonstrated using a new “grafting from” chain growth technique. A solution-based chain growth polycondensation technique was adopted from literature and modified to form a polyaramid brush by taking advantage of the differences in substituent effects between the activated surface-grafted initiator (methyl 4-(methyl(3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl)carbamoyl)benzoate) and the deactivated deprotonated monomer (methyl 4-(octylamino)benzoate). The surface-immobilized polymer brushes on silicon wafers were characterized using ellipsometry, goniometry, grazing-angle attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In addition, polyaramid brushes were grown from high surface area Stober silica and studied using thermogravimetric analysis, and the degrafted polymers were characterized using gel permeation chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This is believe...
Rational Decision-Making in Nutritional Care

This article outlines the decisions regarding whether or not a critically ill patient should be fed and, if so, how optimal nutrition should be provided. Cost effectiveness of nutritional therapy is also discussed.
MTD 3 L: a secure IC design methodology with reduced overhead

With the increasing use of portable devices containing secure information, side-channel attack (SCA) has become an important threat to hardware. Traditional circuit designs leave otherwise secure systems vulnerable due to the external characteristics of the circuits, rather than in the crypto algorithms themselves. These characteristics are exploitable because they can be easily measured and processed to giving an attacker insight into the device's secret data. Alternative design techniques such as dual-rail asynchronous logic are capable of alleviating this problem to some extent; but still leave exploitable weaknesses while inducing high overhead. Multi-Threshold Dual-spacer Dual-rail Delay-insensitive Logic (MTD3L), presented in this paper, guarantees the security against power-based SCAs by balancing switching activities between the two rails of each signal, while offering a significant reduction in overhead through the incorporation of Multi-Threshold CMOS power gating structure. The SCA mitigating effectiveness and efficiency of MTD3L have been demonstrated by the design and simulation of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cores.
Relational uncertainty and interpersonal communication.

Uncertainty is a pervasive part of human interaction (Berger & Gudykunst, 1991; Brashers, 2001; Kramer, 2004). It echoes through the hallways of hospitals, corporate headquarters, and shopping malls. It softens the claims of meteorologists who forecast the weather on the television news. It surrounds expectant mothers and fathers who assemble to learn about the birthing process. It envelops the trading frenzy on the floor of the stock exchange. It permeates the faces of teachers and students on the first day of school. It blankets airport travelers in their quest to clear security checkpoints, board flights, and retrieve luggage. It pervades negotiations between foreign diplomats. It fills casinos and racetracks with excitement. It qualifies the predictions of pollsters on Election Day. It even penetrates dayto-day interactions between friends, siblings, and spouses. Perhaps because uncertainty is such a fundamental part of relating to others, it occupies a central place in the study of interpersonal communication. Uncertainty has received systematic attention for its role in shaping communication between acquaintances (Sunnafrank, 1990; Tidwell & Walther, 2002), doctors and patients (Brashers, 2001; Gordon, Joos, & Byrne, 2000; Mishel, 1999), employers and employees (Kramer, 2004), and strangers hailing from different cultural backgrounds (Berger & Gudykunst, 1991). Work on close relationships has investigated uncertainty between parents and children
Modeling the Hydrophobicity of Nanoparticles and Their Interaction with Lipids and Proteins.

We present a method of modeling nanoparticle (NP) hydrophobicity using coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG MD) simulations, and apply this to the interaction of lipids with nanoparticles. To model at a coarse-grained level the wettability or hydrophobicity of a given material, we choose the MARTINI coarse-grained force field, and determine through simulation the contact angles of MARTINI water droplets residing on flat regular surfaces composed of various MARTINI bead types (C1, C2, etc.). Each surface is composed of a single bead type in each of three crystallographic symmetries (FCC, BCC, and HCP). While this method lumps together several atoms (for example, one cerium and two oxygens of CeO2) into a single CG bead, we can still capture the overall hydrophobicity of the actual material by choosing the MARTINI bead type that gives the best fit of the contact angle to that of the actual material, as determined by either experimental or all-atom simulations. For different MARTINI bead types, the macrosco...
Maternal Effects on Seed and Seedling Phenotypes in Reciprocal F 1 Hybrids of the Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

Maternal control of seed size in the common bean provides an opportunity to study genotype-independent seed weight effects on early seedling growth and development. We set out to test the hypothesis that the early heterotrophic growth of bean seedlings is determined by both the relative amount of cotyledon storage reserves and the genotype of the seedling, provided the hybrid genotype could be fully expressed in the seedlings. The hypothesis was tested via comparison of seed weight and seedling growth phenotypes of small-seeded (wild, ~0.10 g) and large-seeded (landrace, ~0.55 g) parents and their reciprocal F1 hybrids. Akaike’s Information Criteria were used to estimate growth parameters and identify the phenotypic model that best represented the data. The analysis presented here indicates that the hybrid embryo genotype is not fully expressed during both seed and seedling growth and development. The analysis presented here shows that seed growth and development are controlled by the sporophyte. The strong similarity in seed size and shape of the reciprocal hybrid seed with seeds of the maternal parents is evidence of this control. The analysis also indicates that since the maternal sporophyte controls seed size and therefore the amount of cotyledon reserves, the maternal sporophyte indirectly controls early seedling growth because the cotyledons are the primary nutrient source during heterotrophic growth. The most interesting and surprising results indicated that the maternal effects extended to the root architecture of the reciprocal hybrid seedlings. This phenomenon could not be explained by seed size, but by alterations in the control of the pattern of gene expression of the seedling, which apparently was set by a maternally controlled mechanism. Although seed weight increase was the main target of bean domestication, it also had positive repercussions on early-growth traits and stand establishment.
Random Acoustic Arrays

The statistical properties of random arrays are derived with emphasis on the array spatial transfer function, its expected value and variance, the expected beam or power pattern, and a peak sidelobe level estimator. Hardware for the dynamic beamforming of a random, freely drifting sonobuoy array is described and beam patterns for a roughly planar distribution of those sensors are presented for comparison with their predicted statistical characteristics.
Privileged Functional Connectivity between the Visual Word Form Area and the Language System

The visual word form area (VWFA) is a region in the left occipitotemporal sulcus of literate individuals that is purportedly specialized for visual word recognition. However, there is considerable controversy about its functional specificity and connectivity, with some arguing that it serves as a domain-general, rather than word-specific, visual processor. The VWFA is a critical region for testing hypotheses about the nature of cortical organization, because it is known to develop only through experience (i.e., reading acquisition), and widespread literacy is too recent to have influenced genetic determinants of brain organization. Using a combination of advanced fMRI analysis techniques, including individual functional localization, multivoxel pattern analysis, and high-resolution resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analyses, with data from 33 healthy adult human participants, we demonstrate that (1) the VWFA can discriminate words from nonword letter strings (pseudowords); (2) the VWFA has preferential RSFC with Wernicke's area and other core regions of the language system; and (3) the strength of the RSFC between the VWFA and Wernicke's area predicts performance on a semantic classification task with words but not other categories of visual stimuli. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the VWFA is specialized for lexical processing of real words because of its functional connectivity with Wernicke's area.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The visual word form area (VWFA) is critical for determining the nature of category-related organization of the ventral visual system. However, its functional specificity and connectivity are fiercely debated. Recent work concluded that the VWFA is a domain-general, rather than word-specific, visual processor with no preferential functional connectivity with the language system. Using more advanced techniques, our results stand in stark contrast to these earlier findings. We demonstrate that the VWFA is highly specialized for lexical processing of real words, and that a fundamental factor driving this specialization is its preferential intrinsic functional connectivity with core regions of the language system. Our results support the hypothesis that intrinsic functional connectivity contributes to category-related specialization within the human ventral visual system.
IoTChecker: A data-driven framework for security analytics of Internet of Things configurations

Abstract The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized networks by transforming legacy dumb devices into smart connected “things”; observing, interacting and impacting the environment with minimal human intervention. These features, while promising a variety of innovative solutions and business benefits, are vulnerable to a host of new threat vectors and security risks. A typical IoT network comprises thousands of IoT devices using heterogeneous protocols, having varying resources, complex interdependencies and diverse networking and security requirements. The configuration data of IoT systems is mostly unstructured, lacking machine interpretable semantics and thus, traditional analysis techniques cannot tackle the IoT-specific configuration challenges of scalability, interoperability and security. In this paper, we present IoTChecker , a novel data-driven framework to semantically model IoT configurations and then employ that model to automatically arrest security configuration anomalies and analyze IoT-specific threat vectors. The approach leverages a combination of newly constructed as well as extended and aligned versions of existing ontologies. Configuration analytics are performed automatically by describing the context of complex IoT interactions and dependencies through rules-supported reasoning and queries. The evaluation involves ontology-based security classification of 954 real-world IoT products and security analysis of their practically-deployed system configurations. Our automated approach has proven to be scalable, easily manageable, formally verifiable and free from errors induced by tedious manual configurations.
Effects of age- and sex-specific density on behaviour and survival in a territorial lizard (Anolis sagrei)

All organisms have specific habitat requirements that allow them to properly function in their environment. For many organisms, individuals shift habitat choice as they age because optimal habitats vary across life stages. Despite age-specific habitat use in a variety of taxa, identification of the causal factors driving such variation is limited by a lack of experimental studies. Field observations of the brown anole lizard, Anolis sagrei, show that juveniles use low, narrow perches whereas adults use relatively higher and thicker perches. We hypothesized that this variation is driven by interactions between age classes, rather than age-specific preference for microhabitat. We manipulated adult and juvenile densities in field enclosures with artificial trees to examine how inter-age class competition influences microhabitat choice. We predicted that juveniles would move to less desired microhabitats as adult density increased (i.e. individual behavioural response) and/or adults would negatively affect juvenile survival (via competition or cannibalism) in ways that would contribute to age-specific habitat use (i.e. natural selection). We found that adult males, but not females, reduced juvenile survival. However, neither adult male nor female density influenced juvenile microhabitat choice (i.e. perch height, width or substrate) via individual behavioural response or natural selection. We also tested whether juveniles influence adult microhabitat choice. As predicted, adults did not vary in microhabitat choice in response to juvenile presence. Our study provides a rare and robust assessment of the role of age- and sex-specific density in generating variation in behaviour and survival under natural conditions.
Climatic vulnerability of the world’s freshwater and marine fishes

To understand how species will cope with warming, knowledge of the thermal limits is needed. This study estimates 2,960 ray-fin fish species’ thermal sensitivity. Comparison with projected warming highlights vulnerable freshwater and marine regions. Climate change is a mounting threat to biological diversity1, compromising ecosystem structure and function, and undermining the delivery of essential services worldwide2. As the magnitude and speed of climate change accelerates3, greater understanding of the taxonomy and geography of climatic vulnerability is critical to guide effective conservation action. However, many uncertainties remain regarding the degree and variability of climatic risk within entire clades and across vast ecosystem boundaries4. Here we integrate physiological estimates of thermal sensitivity for 2,960 ray-finned fishes with future climatic exposure, and demonstrate that global patterns of vulnerability differ substantially between freshwater and marine realms. Our results suggest that climatic vulnerability for freshwater faunas will be predominantly determined by elevated levels of climatic exposure predicted for the Northern Hemisphere, whereas marine faunas in the tropics will be the most at risk, reflecting their higher intrinsic sensitivity. Spatial overlap between areas of high physiological risk and high human impacts, together with evidence of low past rates of evolution in upper thermal tolerance, highlights the urgency of global conservation actions and policy initiatives if harmful climate effects on the world’s fishes are to be mitigated in the future.
Empirical Bayesian QTL Mapping

Empirical Bayesian is still a Bayesian method, but thehyperparameters (the parameters of the prior distribution) are not preselected by the investigators; instead, they are estimated from the same dataset as that used in the Bayesian analysis. Once the hyperparameters are estimated, they are used in the usual Bayesian analysis as if they were the true hyperparameters of the prior distributions. The data are actually used twice, once for estimating the hyperparameters and once for estimating the Bayesian posterior means of the parameters of interest. In QTL mapping, the parameters of interest are the QTL effects. A normal prior distribution is assigned to each QTL effect. The variance in the normal prior is a hyperparameter. In the Bayesian shrinkage analysis described earlier, the variance is assigned a higher level of prior distribution so that a posterior distribution of the variance parameter can be derived and the variance is then sampled via the MCMC sampling algorithm. The posterior distribution of the variance depends on the QTL effect. In the empirical Bayesian analysis, we estimate the prior variance before the Bayesian analysis.
Relaxation induced by KCl, NaCl and sucrose in rabbit coronary arteries.

Contractions induced in isolated ring segments of rabbit coronary arteries by 2-(2-aminoethyl)-pyridine (AEP) were transiently relaxed when KCl, NaCl or sucrose were added to the bathing solution without osmotic correction. When these solutes were added with osmolarity changes minimized by reducing the concentration of another constituent of the medium the relaxations were reduced or abolished. AEP contraction was associated with depolarization and solute-induced relaxation with a lessening of the depolarization. Ouabain depolarized the vessel and diminished both the relaxation and repolarization induced by hyperosmolar addition of NaCl and sucrose to AEP-contracted segments. Sucrose and NaCl also relaxed potassium-induced contractions and their effect was greater at [K]o 25 mM than at [K]o 60 mM. Hyperosmolar relaxation still occurred but was significantly smaller in vessels subjected to prolonged sodium pump inhibition produced by cold storage followed by re-warming in K-free or ouabaincontaining solution. It is concluded that hyperosmolar relaxation is mainly due to hyperpolarization and is influenced by the level of membrane potential. The inhibition of hyperosmolar relaxation by ouabain may be due to its depolarizing action.
The Construction of Prose Representations

How is the conceptual representation of a passage constructed during comprehension? How are inferences and expectations generated? How are erroneous inferences and expectations disconfirmed? A psychological theory of discourse processing must eventually address these questions. The question of how conceptual graph structures are constructed on-line during comprehension will be explored in this chapter.
An Ultra-miniaturized Near Infrared Spectroscopy System to Assess Sleep Apnea in Children with Down Syndrome

Down syndrome is one of the health disorders that interferes with regular and healthy sleep. Most children with Down syndrome are referred to a sleep clinic for the assessment of the severity of their apnea. Regular polysomnography based assessment of apnea has been challenging with this sensitive patient population. We present our efforts towards developing a flexible adhesive bandage sized near infrared spectroscopy system (pediBand) for home-assessment of apnea in children with Down syndrome. Combined with inertial measurement units, pediBand record heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, arterial oxygen saturation and cerebral oxygen saturation. These are the essential parameters to assess sleep apnea and could also potentially be used in the assessment of sleep performance in general. A modified version of pediBand system was evaluated on adult patients and successfully demonstrated the changes in hemodynamic system triggered by sleep apnea.
Phase 1/2 Trial of Carfilzomib and Melphalan Conditioning for Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Multiple Myeloma (CARAMEL)

Background Melphalan (Mel) as a single agent is the most common conditioning regimen prior to autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for multiple myeloma (MM). Incorporation of other drug classes such as proteasome inhibitors (PI) as part of initial therapy or for treatment of relapsed disease has significantly improved outcomes in MM. Based on initial data showing synergy between PI and alkylating agents, we designed this trial to examine if adding carfilzomib (Cfz) to Mel would improve the efficacy of the conditioning therapy. Patients and Methods Patients with MM, undergoing a single, early transplant (≤12 months from diagnosis) were included provided they were eligible for full dose Mel conditioning. Escalating doses of Cfz (27, 36, 45, 56 mg/m2) were administered days -6, -5, -2, -1 with Mel (200 mg/m2) administered in two divided doses on days -4, -3. Stem cells were infused day 0. The phase 1 portion of the trial used a 3+3 dose escalation of Cfz. Responses were assessed using IMWG consensus response criteria. Results 49 patients were enrolled (Table 1). At median follow up of 12.9 months (0.4-48.4), 45 (91.8%) were alive; 41 (83.7%) were without progression. Responses outlined in Table 2. Median PFS from registration was 48.2 mos (95% CI; 21.3-NA). The 1 & 2-year PFS rates were 88.2% (70.5-95.5%) and 71.0% (45.9-86.1%), respectively. Overall, 6 patients had ≥ 1 dose of Cfz omitted (elevated creatinine-3, and 1 patient each with sinus bradycardia, pulmonary edema with atrial fibrillation and rapid ventricular response, and pathologic fracture requiring surgery). A ≥grade 3 hematological or non-hematological toxicity, regardless of attribution, occurred in 94% and 76%, respectively. ≥Grade 3 non-hematological toxicities seen in >1 patient are shown in Figure 1. Conclusion Adding Cfz to Mel as conditioning therapy for ASCT in MM is feasible/safe. Response rates and PFS are comparable to those seen in recent phase 3 trials.
EXPLORATION–EXPLOITATION POLICIES WITH ALMOST SURE, ARBITRARILY SLOW GROWING ASYMPTOTIC REGRET

The purpose of this paper is to provide further understanding into the structure of the sequential allocation (“stochastic multi-armed bandit”) problem by establishing probability one finite horizon bounds and convergence rates for the sample regret associated with two simple classes of allocation policies. For any slowly increasing function g, subject to mild regularity constraints, we construct two policies (the g-Forcing, and the g-Inflated Sample Mean) that achieve a measure of regret of order O(g(n)) almost surely as n → ∞, bound from above and below. Additionally, almost sure upper and lower bounds on the remainder term are established. In the constructions herein, the function g effectively controls the “exploration” of the classical “exploration/exploitation” tradeoff.
Ultrasound Assessment of Weight-Bearing and Non–Weight-Bearing Meniscal Extrusion: A Reliability Study

Background Ultrasound has become a useful instrument in evaluating musculoskeletal pathology. Recent studies suggest that ultrasound imaging of weight-bearing menisci may enhance the assessment of knee pathology, such as osteoarthritis (OA) and meniscal injuries. Objective The primary aim of this study was to determine the intrarater and interrater reliability of ultrasound measurements of medial meniscal extrusion (MME) after a brief training session. Design Prospective reliability study. Setting Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) department within a tertiary care institution. Participants Forty-five participants (29 female, 16 male) were recruited to serve as models, 24 of whom had healthy knees and 21 of whom had radiographically confirmed medial compartment knee OA. Three physician sonographers (1 = experienced, 1 = sports medicine fellow, 1 = post-graduate year [PGY]-4 PM&R resident) were recruited to serve as operators. Methods or interventions Operators received a brief training session on identifying and measuring MME. All operators measured bilateral MME in each model in the standing and supine positions on two separate days. Operators were blinded to all measurements. Main outcome measurements Primary outcomes were inter- and intrarater intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of MME measurements among operators with different levels of ultrasound experience. Results Supine MME intrarater reliability ICCs were 0.927, 0.885, and 0.780 for the experienced physician, sports medicine fellow, and PGY-4 operators, respectively. Standing MME intrarater reliability ICCs were 0.941, 0.902, and 0.824 for the experienced physician, sports medicine fellow, and PGY-4 operators, respectively. Interrater reliability ICCs were 0.896 and 0.842 for supine and standing measurements, respectively. There was a statistically significant increase in intrarater reliability with experience between the PGY-4 resident and experienced physician operators. Conclusions Operators with different levels of ultrasound experience demonstrated good MME measurement intra- and interrater reliabilities in both supine and standing positions.
The use of tranexamic acid in spine surgery

Patients undergoing surgical procedures of the spine with associated large volume blood loss often require perioperative blood conservation strategies. Synthetic antifibrinolytic medications such as tranexamic acid (TXA) may reduce blood transfusion requirements and postoperative complications following spinal procedures. Studies investigating the role of TXA in spine surgery have presented promising results and have proven its safety and efficacy. However, further investigation is needed to determine the optimal dosing regimen of TXA. In this article, we provide an overview of the basic science and pharmacology of TXA. A comprehensive summary of the findings from clinical trials and a review of the literature that demonstrate the risks and benefits of TXA in spine surgery are also presented.