cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A state-based technique for the summarization and recognition of gesture

We define a gesture to be a sequence of states in a measurement or configuration space. For a given gesture, these states are used to capture both the repeatability and variability evidenced in a training set of example trajectories. The states are positioned along a prototype of the gesture, and shaped such that they are narrow in the directions in which the ensemble of examples is tightly constrained, and wide in directions in which a great deal of variability is observed. We develop techniques for computing a prototype trajectory of an ensemble of trajectories, for defining configuration states along the prototype, and for recognizing gestures from an unsegmented, continuous stream of sensor data. The approach is illustrated by application to a range of gesture-related sensory data: the two-dimensional movements of a mouse input device, the movement of the hand measured by a magnetic spatial position and orientation sensor, and, lastly, the changing eigenvector projection coefficients computed from an image sequence. >
Transport from a volatile meniscus inside an open microtube

Abstract A generalized model is developed which couples the evaporation at a liquid–air interface with the vapor diffusion processes in air to enable an investigation of the mass transport inside an open microtube. Tube inner diameters ranging from 100 to 1200 μm are considered. Evaporation is strongest at the meniscus junction with the tube wall due to the highest local vapor diffusion flux at this location. A temperature gradient is set up from the axis of the tube to the wall and results in Marangoni convection. The three-dimensional flow structure in the microtube is simulated with the effects of Marangoni convection, buoyancy, and the influx of fluid to the interface being included. For horizontal tubes of diameter 100 μm or larger immersed in a water bath, flow asymmetry due to buoyancy is observed. A large vortex is formed in the lower part of the tube cross-section, while a small vortex forms above. However, the primary cause of asymmetry is found to be the external thermal profile imposed on the microtube, especially when the meniscus is far from the outlet of the tube. The simulated flow patterns are found to be consistent with experimental measurements.
A GLOBAL WAVE-DRIVEN MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC SOLAR MODEL WITH A UNIFIED TREATMENT OF OPEN AND CLOSED MAGNETIC FIELD TOPOLOGIES

We describe, analyze, and validate the recently developed Alfv´ en Wave Solar Model, a three-dimensional global model starting from the top of the chromosphere and extending into interplanetary space (out to 1–2 AU). This model solves the extended, two-temperature magnetohydrodynamics equations coupled to a wave kinetic equation for low-frequency Alfv´ en waves. In this picture, heating and acceleration of the plasma are due to wave dissipation and to wave pressure gradients, respectively. The dissipation process is described by a fully developed turbulent cascade of counterpropagating waves. We adopt a unified approach for calculating the wave dissipation in both open and closed magnetic field lines, allowing for a self-consistent treatment in any magnetic topology. Wave dissipation is the only heating mechanism assumed in the model; no geometric heating functions are invoked. Electron heat conduction and radiative cooling are also included. We demonstrate that the large-scale, steady state (in the corotating frame) properties of the solar environment are reproduced, using three adjustable parameters: the Poynting flux of chromospheric Alfv´ en waves, the perpendicular correlation length of the turbulence, and a pseudoreflection coefficient. We compare model results for Carrington rotation 2063 (2007 November–December) with remote observations in the extreme-ultraviolet and X-ray ranges from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, and Hinode spacecraft and with in situ measurements by Ulysses. The results are in good agreement with observations. This is the first global simulation that is simultaneously consistent with observations of both the thermal structure of the lower corona and the wind structure beyond Earth’s orbit.
Diophantine Relations between Rings of $S$-Integers of Fields of Algebraic Functions in One Variable Over Constant Fields of Positive Characteristic

One of the main theorems of the paper states the following. Let R-K-M be finite extensions of a rational one variable function field R over a finite field of constants. Let S be a finite set of valuations of K . Then the ring of elements of K having no poles outside S has a Diophantine definition over its integral closure in M .
Least Squares Disclosure Attack in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Traffic analysis is considered the most powerful strategy of disclosing the hidden communication relations in an anonymous communication system. Statistical traffic analysis attacks are even more subtle in that the attackers are usually eavesdroppers who do not modify the network's behaviors. Moreover, the attackers even do not need to look into the traffic content, which may be encrypted, in order to analyze the statistical characteristics. Such attacks have been thoroughly investigated for static wireline networks. However, none of these mechanisms can be directly applied to mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) due to the inability to deal with mobility, the ad hoc infrastructure and the broadcasting nature of wireless transmissions. Recent research conducted on statistical traffic analysis attacks targeting MANETs is restricted to disclosing the end-to-end traffic distribution. In this paper, we present the least squares disclosure attack (LSDA), targeting a popular MANET routing strategy, that is, the position based routing (PBR, a.k.a geographic routing). LSDA utilizes the traffic distribution disclosed by existing solutions, and de-anonymizes the network communication on a per-flow basis by identifying the source and destination of each end-to-end flow. In LSDA, traffic disclosure is modeled as an efficiently solvable least squares problem subject to linear constraints . The empirical study demonstrates that, the proposed solution can de-anonymize the network flows in high accuracy.
Educational Hopes, Documented Dreams: Guatemalan and Salvadoran Immigrants' Legality and Educational Prospects

This article focuses on the effects of an ambivalent legal status on Salvadoran and Guatemalan immigrants' experiences with the U.S. educational system, focusing on how liminal legality shapes access to educational opportunities and immigrants' perceptions of these opportunities. Drawing on the segmented assimilation framework and on thirty-four in-depth interviews conducted with Guatemalan and Salvadoran immigrants in Phoenix, Arizona, the author argues that an ambiguous legal status molds views and perceptions of educational prospects and, as such, is central in determining immigrants' place in the educational system. While waiting for their statuses to become regular, they dream of higher education—dreams that are for the most part unattainable. Their legality, while not the only determining factor, does exacerbate and facilitate other conditioning circumstances, such as financial difficulties, family separations, and so on, that also impinge on their educational prospects. This case highlights the imp...
Biology of the Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Tumor Suppressor

The adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene was first identified as the gene mutated in an inherited syndrome of colon cancer predisposition known as familial adenomatous polyposis coli (FAP). Mutation of APC is also found in 80% of all colorectal adenomas and carcinomas and is one of the earliest mutations in colon cancer progression. Similar to other tumor suppressor genes, both APC alleles are inactivated by mutation in colon tumors, resulting in the loss of full-length protein in tumor cells. The functional significance of altering APC is the dysregulation of several physiologic processes that govern colonic epithelial cell homeostasis, which include cell cycle progression, migration, differentiation, and apoptosis. Roles for APC in some of these processes are in large part attributable to its ability to regulate cytosolic levels of the signaling molecule beta-catenin and to affect the transcriptional profile in cells. This article summarizes numerous genetic, biochemical, and cell biologic studies on the mechanisms of APC-mediated tumor suppression. Mouse models of FAP, in which the APC gene has been genetically inactivated, have been particularly useful in testing therapeutic and chemopreventive strategies. These data have significant implications for colorectal cancer treatment approaches as well as for understanding other disease genes and cancers of other tissue types.
Treatment with Electromagnetic Fields Reverses the Long-Term Clinical Course of a Patient with Chronic Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

It is estimated that 10-20% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a chronic progressive (CP) course characterized by an insidious onset of neurological deficits followed by steady progression of disability in the absence of symptomatic remission. To date no therapeutic modality has proven effective in reversing the clinical course of CP MS although there are indications that prolonged treatment with picotesla electromagnetic fields (EMFs) alters the clinical course of patients with CP MS. A 40 year-old woman presented in December of 1992 with CP MS with symptoms of spastic paraplegia, loss of trunk control, marked weakness of the upper limbs with loss of fine and gross motor hand functions, severe fatigue, cognitive deficits, mental depression, and autonomic dysfunction with neurogenic bladder and bowel incontinence. Her symptoms began at the age of 18 with weakness of the right leg and fatigue with long distance walking and over the ensuing years she experienced steady deterioration of functions. In 1985 she became wheelchair dependent and it was anticipated that within 1-2 years she would become functionally quadriplegic. In December of 1992 she began experimental treatment with EMFs. While receiving regularly weekly transcortical treatments with AC pulsed EMFs in the picotesla range intensity she experienced during the first year improvement in mental functions, return of strength in the upper extremities, and recovery of trunk control. During the second year she experienced the return of more hip functions and recovery of motor functions began in her legs. For the first time in years she can now initiate dorsiflexion of her ankles and actively extend her knees voluntarily. Over the past year she started to show signs of redevelopment of reciprocal gait. Presently, with enough function restored in her legs, she is learning to walk with a walker and is able to stand unassisted and maintain her balance for a few minutes. She also regained about 80% of functions in the upper limbs and hands. Most remarkably, there was no further progression of the disease during the 4 years course of magnetic therapy. This patient's clinical recovery cannot be explained on the basis of a spontaneous remission. It is suggested that pulsed applications of picotesla EMFs affect the neurobiological and immunological mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of CP MS.
A new species of Lydella (Diptera: Tachinidae) from Mexico with a discussion of the definition of the genus

Following the discovery of Lydella jalisco sp. n. (from Jalisco, Mexico), a parasite of the Mexican rice borer, Eoreuma loftini (Dyar) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), the limits of the genus Lydella Robineau-Desvoidy have been widened to include Diatraeophaga Townsend syn. n. , Metoposisyrops Townsend syn. n. , and Metagonistylum Townsend syn. n. All species regarded as belonging to Lydella are listed, with L. minense (Townsend) comb. n. , L. oryzae (Townsend) comb. n. , L. scirpophagae (Chao & Shi) comb. n. , L. sesamiae (Mesnil) comb. n. , and L. striatalis (Townsend) comb. n.
Social Ecological Strategies for Promoting Healthy Lifestyles

OVERVIEW In this discussion of social ecological strategies for promoting healthy lifestyles as an element of social ecological perspectives on health promotion, it may be useful to start by differentiating my view of health promotion from another that is often expressed. That start seems necessary because of the common tendency to use the term health promotion to mean only changing peoples’ behavior to enhance health. A broader and more appropriate concept comes from the Ottawa Charter definition of health promotion: "the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their own health. ’’1 Such control may be exercised both individually and collectively, the former for one’s own self and the latter for the community. The Ottawa definition focusses on maintaining and, insofar as possible, expanding people’s capacity to extend enjoyable life. That capacity constitutes health. It resides in several bodily and mental functions, for example, having immunity against diseasecausing microorganisms; having intact organ systems such as the cardiopulmonary system and liver; and sustaining cognition. Therefore obtaining vaccinations, getting adequate exercise, avoiding excessive alcohol, and keeping mentally active are all aspects of health promotion. Other important features of health promotion, however, include items not related to individual behavior, such as fluoridating and otherwise maintaining healthful water supplies, minimizing rodent infestation, and curtailing air pollution. In recent years, however, the way people behave (what many call "lifestyle") has dominated consideration of health promotion. The popularity of this view has followed recognition that certain kinds of individual behavior, such as tobacco use and alcohol abuse, are profoundly associated with health, and subsequently with mortality and disabil
Moving Towards Transformative Democratic Action Through Archaeology

Archaeologists have explored how politics affect the way we see the past. They have investigated how constructions of the past naturalize present political conditions, and have explored uses of the past in current politics. Few have examined how politics in archaeology can relate to the future. In this article I develop ideas on a transformational politics in archaeology that focuses on critiquing oppressive relations in the past and present, and works towards building more just relations for the future. I examine how we can achieve this through building more democratic relations in the places we work.
Hezbollah: A Short History, Hezbollah: An Outsiders Inside View

As the vibrant yellow flag waves through the air in al Dahiya, the predominately Shi’a suburb of Beirut, the Arabic words are clear, but their interpretation remains contested. The ‘A’ in Allah cle...
Southern Appalachian Russulas. IV.

Morphological and habitat descriptions, illustrations and taxonomic discussions of eight species of Russula occurring in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North America are presented. Russula earlei, R. ballouii, R. mariae, R. flavida, R. claroflava and R. sanguinea are redescribed. A new subsection of Russula is proposed to accommodate an unusual new species, Russula ochricompacta. Russula aciculocystis, a previously unvalidated species proposed by C. H. KaufFman, is described. External basidiospore morphology of the species endemic to North America is examined by scanning electron microscopy.
WOMEN SPEAK UP ABOUT HEART HEALTH ACTION: A WOMENS HEART ALLIANCE RESEARCH REPORT

Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of women, yet few take risk assessment action. In November 2014, the Women's Heart Alliance conducted a nationwide survey to determine risk assessment barriers and opportunities. From September 18-26, 2014, 1,011 U.S. women ages 25-60 were interviewed
The Risk Factors of Readmission in Postoperative Gynecologic Oncology Patients at a Single Institution

Introduction Hospital readmission rates are an important measure of quality care and have recently been tied to reimbursement. This study seeks to identify the risk factors for postoperative readmission in patients treated by a gynecologic oncology service. Methods A 7-year retrospective review (2007–2013) of all patients operated on by the University of Virginia gynecologic oncology service who were readmitted within 30 days of discharge was performed. Abstracted data included demographics, dates of surgery, operative details, cancer history, and relevant medical history. The readmitted patients (n = 166) were compared with randomly selected controls (n = 168) from the same service in a matching time frame and analyzed using univariate and multivariate models. Results In the study period, 2993 operations were performed. One hundred sixty-six unique patients (5.5%) were readmitted within 30 days of discharge from their operative procedure. On multivariate analysis, the factors that were associated with a higher risk of readmission were a history of psychiatric disease, postoperative complication, type of insurance, surgical modality, and lysis of adhesions at the time of surgery. The most common readmission diagnoses were infection (44%), nausea/vomiting (28%), thrombosis (6%), bowel leak (4%), and bleeding (4%). Conclusions Postoperative readmissions are a common problem and are increasingly important as a measure of quality. Although patients were generally admitted for infections or gastrointestinal complaints, we also found that individual factors such as mental health and socioeconomic status also contributed. Our data suggest that we can preoperatively identify high-risk individuals for whom extra resources can be directed postoperatively to avoid unnecessary readmissions.
What price do we pay for reconstruction of the hepatic arteries of deceased donors

Background/Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze the technique of reconstruction, prior to liver transplantation, of donor replaced right hepatic arteries and to study its impact on graft outcome. Methodology: Two groups of liver grafts were retrospectively examined. The first group (group 1) did not require any arterial reconstruction prior to liver transplantation (n=507). The second one (group 2) included grafts with right replaced hepatic arteries which required reconstruction (n=75). Patients' data were analyzed to evaluate the effect of the arterial reconstruction on the incidence of posttransplant mortality, arterial and biliary complications on one hand and patient and graft survivals on the other. We also made a comprehensive literature search to analyze the different approaches described to reconstruct such variation. Results: The two groups showed no statistical significant difference for early posttransplant mortality and arterial complications. Hepatic arterial thrombosis occurred in two cases in the group 2 (2.6%) and in four cases in group 1 (0.7%); P=0.17. Patient and graft survivals over the whole follow-up period were not significantly different between the two groups. The analysis of the literature found few publications dealing with reconstruction of right replaced hepatic arteries, though because various techniques were reported and the samples of patients were small, a preferred method could not clearly be identified. Conclusions: Graft arterial reconstruction of a right replaced hepatic artery using a safe and rigorous technique does not enhance the risk of arterial complications or graft loss and the technique using the GDA stump could be recommended for routine use.
The Poetics of Sacrifice in Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles

By the middle of the nineteenth century England had overcome anunsettling financial period between 1815 to 1842 and had begun aneconomic recovery. ‘The Bank of England, after the discouragementsof the years down to 1842, was prepared to provide loansat a low rate of interest… Brickworks, mines, machine making,iron production, all boomed; the wages of heavy labourers rose; ageneral stimulus followed. Traders felt the same exhilaration, bothin the West and East’ (Checkland, p. 36). The industrial and commercialclasses that verily controlled economic conditions anddominated English society and culture were both aggressive andmercenary when it came to exploiting the lower orders. In terms ofworking conditions, the Ten Hours Act was not effected until 1833and the act was not extended to women and children until the TenHours Act for Women and Young Persons (1847). The Act, strengthenedby further legislation in 1850 and 1853, provided a ten and ahalf hour day, from 6 am to 6 pm with one and a half hours formeals’ (Checkland, pp. 248–9), but there were rearguard reactionsto these laws and in some cases even courts ruled against the lawshowing it to be ‘ambiguous’ (Checkland, p. 249). Even thoughthose laws were designed to mitigate the working conditions forchildren and women, women did not have any inherent votingrights until 1884, were not extended the full right to vote until1918 and a woman’s suffrage movement was not even foundeduntil 1897 only six years after the publication of Tess.With the growth in the industrial state came the growth ofcapital and competition. In that sense, perhaps to a greater extentthan before, every group without a negotiable power base wasexploited: hencewomen and children were most appealing andboth were appropriated as commodities to be used in the quest forcapital gain. This ‘economic slavery’, of course, could only result .
Does caregiver participation in decision making within child welfare agencies influence children's primary and mental health care service use?

BACKGROUND: Many children in contact with child welfare agencies do not receive needed health services. These agencies have used participatory decision making (PDM) practices as a way to increase families' use of recommended services. However, we lack evidence of whether caregiver participation in PDM increases children's use of health services. This study uses a national sample of children involved with child welfare to compare their health service use between those children serve through a PDM practice and those who did not experience it. METHODS: Cross-sectional analyses using the 2009-2010 National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. Propensity score analysis accounted for observed selection bias. PDM practice was measured as whether the caregiver was included in decision-making during service planning meetings. Health service use was measured as child's receipt of any primary or mental health care services in the past year. Primary health care need was measured using standardized measures and caseworker report. The sample was comprised of children ages 2-17 with primary or mental health needs in contact with a child welfare agency. RESULTS: In the unmatched sample of 1,358 children, 14% were served through a PDM service practice, and 12% had a primary health care and 37% a mental health need. Families served through PDM were also reported by caseworkers as more cooperative during the child welfare investigation, and with fewer reports of domestic violence and agency re-referrals (P CONCLUSIONS: Lower-risk families were more likely to be served through PDM which was positively associated with child use of primary health services. Inclusion of caregivers in decision making may not be sufficient to overcome barriers to children's mental health service use.© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Language: en
Myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers reinnervate tissue-engineered dermo-epidermal human skin analogs in an in vivo model

The clinical application of autologous tissue-engineered skin analogs is an important strategy to cover large skin defects. Investigating biological dynamics, such as reinnervation after transplantation, is essential to improve the quality of such skin analogs. Previously, we have examined that our skin substitutes are reinnervated by host peripheral nerve fibers as early as 8 weeks after transplantation. Here, we wanted to investigate the presence and possible differences regarding myelinated and unmyelinated host nerve fibers 15 weeks after the transplantation of light and dark human tissue-engineered skin analogs. Human epidermal keratinocytes, melanocytes, and dermal fibroblasts were isolated from human light and dark skin biopsies. Keratinocytes and melanocytes were seeded on fibroblast-containing collagen type I hydrogels after expansion in culture. After additional culturing, the tissue-engineered dermo-epidermal skin analogs were transplanted onto full-thickness skin wounds created on the back of immuno-incompetent rats. Skin substitutes were excised and analyzed 15 weeks after transplantation. Histological sections were examined with regard to the ingrowth pattern of myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers into the skin analogs using markers, such as Substance P, NF200, and S100-Beta. We found myelinated and unmyelinated peripheral host nerve fibers 15 weeks after transplantation in the dermal part of our human skin substitutes. In particular, we identified large-diameter-myelinated Aβ- and Aδ-fibers, and small-diameter C-fibers. Furthermore, we observed myelinated nerves in close proximity to CD31-positive blood capillaries. In the long run, both types of ingrown host fibers showed an identical pattern in both light and dark skin analogs. Our data suggest that myelinated and unmyelinated peripheral nerves reinnervate human skin substitutes in a long-term in vivo transplantation assay. Our tissue-engineered skin analogs attract A- and C-fibers to supply both light and dark skin analogs. Potentially, this process restores skin sensitivity and has, therefore, a significant relevance with regard to future application of autologous pigmented dermo-epidermal skin substitutes onto patients.
Transport of circulating serum cholesterol by human renal cell carcinoma

AbstractClear cell renal cancer contains a large quantity of cholesterol ester (300-mg./gm. protein). To determine whether abnormalities in cholesterol transport could account for this sterol accumulation, the uptake, release, and imaging capabilities of intravenously injected 131I-6-iodomethyl-29-norcholesterol, a cholesterol analogue, were studied preoperatively in five patients with clear cell renal cancer. At surgery, samples of the liver, tumor, adrenal, and non-tumor kidney were obtained for analysis. 131I-sterol uptake by the tumor, when normalized for cholesterol content, was less than for adrenal, liver or kidney. In contrast, release of preloaded 131I-sterol from the human tumors was consistently slower than for normal kidney. The reduced release of free cholesterol from renal cancer cells may, in part, be responsible for the accumulation of cholesterol in human renal cancer.
Streptobacillus Moniliformis Infection

Streptobacillus moniliformis is the principal cause of rat-bite fever and Haverhill fever in humans. These infections can vary in severity and produce symptoms that differ from patient to patient depending on the route of infection and the body sites involved. Although infected individuals usually respond well to appropriate antimicrobial therapy, untreated infection can be fatal.
Abstract #5136: Characterization of the differential sensitivity to rhTRAIL and to Lexatumumab in human colon carcinoma cell lines (cc).

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 18-22, 2009; Denver, CO Colorectal cancer remains one of the predominant causes of cancer-related deaths in the USA. Although advancement in chemotherapy has enabled the survival rate to increase to 22 months, resistance to chemotherapy remains a major issue. Employment of death receptor ligands in treatment of various cancers is currently being analyzed as a promising target for cancer therapy. We have demonstrated that in cc, the primary target of TRAIL (the native ligand that targets the death receptors DR4 and DR5) and Lexatumumab (a cytolytic antibody that targets TRAIL-R2 (DR5) is DR5. Our data demonstrate that in HCT8 cells, lexatumumab shows greater cytotoxic activity than rhTRAIL whereas VRC5/c1 cells are more sensitive to rhTRAIL than to lexatumumab. DR5 is known to exist as two alternatively spliced isoforms: DR5short (DR5S) and DR5long (DR5L). Since DR5 is an important target in cc for both rhTRAIL and lexatumumab, the basal expression of the two DR5 isoforms was examined in our panel of cc and ratios of DR5S: DR5L were established. Our work has demonstrated that both agents induce the recruitment of more DR5S than DR5L to the receptor complex, which is modulated upon treatment with rhTRAIL or lexatumumab. Western blot analysis of HCT8 cells shows increased induction of DR5 in response to lexatumumab whereas induction of DR5 was significantly higher in rhTRAIL-treated VRC5/c1 cells. It has been reported that NF-kB transcriptionally regulates DR5 expression. EMSA analysis demonstrated significant NF-kB activation in HCT8 cells following lexatumumab treatment whereas in VRC5/c1 cells, TRAIL treatment caused greater NF-kB activation. Furthermore, the differences seen in HCT8 and VRC5/c1 correlated with the differences at the level of the receptor complex. Data demonstrated a differential recruitment of the pro-apoptotic proteins to the DISC in HCT8 and VRC5/c1 cells in response to lexatumumab and TRAIL treatment respectively. Lexatumumab treatment in HCT8 cells and rhTRAIL treatment in VRC5/c1 cells showed increased recruitment of DR5, FADD, caspase-8 and cleaved RIP and reduced levels of full length RIP, c-FLIPL and c-FLIPS in the receptor complex. The potential involvement of TRAF2 and c-IAP2, also recruited to the receptor complexes, in the differential sensitivities to rhTRAIL or to lexatumumab in HCT8 and VRC5/c1 cells is currently under investigation. Supported by NCI awards CA 32613 and CA 108929. Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 5136.
In Vitro and Animal PK/PD Models

A large variety of in vitro and animal models have been used to characterize the pharmacodynamics of antimicrobials. In vitro kill curves report two different patterns of antimicrobial killing (concentration dependent and time dependent) that can be followed by persistent effects that delay bacterial regrowth. In vitro kinetic models using dilution or dialysis have the ability to simulate the changing drug concentrations observed in humans and study their effect on different bacteria. New hollow-fiber dialysis models have reduced the chance of contamination and have allowed longer studies of the emergence and suppression of resistant mutants. Animal models have the advantage of determining antimicrobial efficacy at specific body sites such as the thigh in mice, the peritoneum in mice and rats, the lung in mice, rats, and guinea pigs, endocarditis in rabbits and rats, and meningitis in rabbits. However, clearance of antimicrobials is more rapid in animals than in humans. Many factors, such as inoculum, media, growth-phase of the organism, site of infection, drug concentrations to measure correct drug exposure, presence of neutropenia, and measurement of outcome by colony-forming units (CFUs), survival/mortality, or another form of assessment, need to be considered to develop meaningful conclusions.
Physical Health Conditions Among a Population-Based Cohort of Vietnam-Era Women Veterans: Agreement Between Self-Report and Medical Records.

Abstract Background: Little is known about medical morbidity among women Vietnam-era veterans, or the long-term physical health problems associated with their service. This study assessed agreement comparing data on physical health conditions from self-report and medical records from a population-based cohort of women Vietnam-era Veterans from the Health of Vietnam Era Women's Study (HealthViEWS). Materials and Methods: Women Vietnam-era veterans (n = 4219) self-completed a survey and interview on common medical conditions. A subsample (n = 900) were contacted to provide permission to obtain medical records from as many as three of their providers. Medical record reviews were conducted using a standardized checklist. Agreement and kappa (agreement beyond chance) were calculated for physical health condition groups. Results: Of the 900, 449 had medical records returned, and of those, 412 had complete surveys/interviews. The most commonly reported conditions based on self-report or medical record review inc...
Falling Down a Waterfall an Examination of Crisis

ABSTRACTFalling down a waterfall is a boundary experience that epitomizes a crisis. This philosophical essay draws an analogy to the maladaptation civilization finds itself in. Falling down a waterfall is a singular event, but it has structure. There are stages that lead up to it, and if one survives the fall, there will be stages that follow it. I suggest that such a mishap is analogous to the ecological overshoot. What leads to the overshoot, and what is entailed by it, is a parallel sequence of stages. As a civilization, we are in an unprecedented situation: we have reached the limits of growth. We are overwhelming the load capacities of the global system, with climate change as tangible symptom. Akin to what leads up to a waterfall, the first stage of the civilizational crisis is a petering-out of familiar pathways. The second stage is reality-denial: the pretense that such petering-out cannot be happening. Stage three is the lure of the risky choice – followed by the great geopolitical freak-out, whi...
Single-molecule dual-beam optical trap analysis of protein structure and function

Optical trapping is one of the most powerful single-molecule techniques. We provide a practical guide to set up and use an optical trap, applied to the molecular motor myosin as an example. We focus primarily on studies of myosin function using a dual-beam optical trap, a protocol to build such a trap, and the experimental and data analysis protocols to utilize it.
Distributions of ectomycorrhizal and foliar endophytic fungal communities associated with Pinus ponderosa along a spatially constrained elevation gradient.

Premise of the study Understanding distributions of plant-symbiotic fungi is important for projecting responses to environmental change. Many coniferous trees host ectomycorrhizal fungi (EM) in association with roots and foliar endophytic fungi (FE) in leaves. We examined how EM and FE associated with Pinus ponderosa each vary in abundance, diversity, and community structure over a spatially constrained elevation gradient that traverses four plant communities, 4°C in mean annual temperature, and 15 cm in mean annual precipitation. Methods We sampled 63 individuals of Pinus ponderosa in 10 sites along a 635 m elevation gradient that encompassed a geographic distance of 9.8 km. We used standard methods to characterize each fungal group (amplified and sequenced EM from root tips; isolated and sequenced FE from leaves). Key results Abundance and diversity of EM were similar across sites, but community composition and distributions of the most common EM differed with elevation (i.e., with climate, soil chemistry, and plant communities). Abundance and composition of FE did not differ with elevation, but diversity peaked in mid-to-high elevations. Conclusions Our results suggest relatively tight linkages between EM and climate, soil chemistry, and plant communities. That FE appear less linked with these factors may speak to limitations of a culture-based approach, but more likely reflects the small spatial scale encompassed by our study. Future work should consider comparable methods for characterizing these functional groups, and additional transects to understand relationships of EM and FE to environmental factors that are likely to shift as a function of climate change.
Client resistance predicts outcomes in cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder.

Objective: Little is known about how therapy processes relate to outcome in cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) for panic disorder (PD). This study examined whether client resistance predicts CBT fo...
Early airway microbial metagenomic and metabolomic signatures are associated with development of severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

The pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is not well understood. We previously identified differences in the airway microbiome at birth between preterm infants who were BPD predisposed ...
Assessing and visualizing uncertainty of 3D geological surfaces using level sets with stochastic motion

Abstract For many geoscience applications, prediction requires building complex 3D surface models. Because of such complexity, often only a single model is built, possibly with a small set of variants to represent the uncertainty. Recent advancement in implicit modeling has made the construction of 3D geological models simpler; however, automatic assessment and visualization of uncertainty constrained by input geological rules and data constraints is still an active research topic. In this paper, we propose a new method that directly assesses and visualizes the uncertainty of geological surfaces by the means of stochastic motion. We represent the geological surfaces as the addition of stochastic implicit conceptual models and residual functions subject to the constraints of data and geological age relationships. Two sampling approaches to create the stochastic motion are proposed: Monte Carlo and Markov chain Monte Carlo (McMC). The uncertainty is assessed by independent realizations drawn by Monte Carlo sampling. The uncertainty is visualized by a “smooth” movie of gradually evolving geological surfaces that have the same stationary distribution as Monte Carlo, sampled by Markov chain Monte Carlo (McMC). This idea is integrated into the level set equation. Level sets are an ideal way to represent mathematically complex surfaces without explicit grid representations, thereby having the advantage of avoiding tedious topological computations such as defining the connectivity of a surface. We illustrate this new idea with simple synthetic 3D examples, taking the constraints of data and geological age relationships into consideration. Finally, we illustrate the idea using a synthetic data set from a copper deposit, where dense drillholes constrain an ore body with seven different lithologies. Our method provides a direct assessment and visualization of the uncertainty of 3D geological surfaces.
The molecular mechanism of DHHC protein acyltransferases

Protein S-acylation is a reversible lipidic posttranslational modification where a fatty acid chain is covalently linked to cysteine residues by a thioester linkage. A family of integral membrane enzymes known as DHHC protein acyltransferases (DHHC-PATs) catalyze this reaction. With the rapid development of the techniques used for identifying lipidated proteins, the repertoire of S-acylated proteins continues to increase. This, in turn, highlights the important roles that S-acylation plays in human physiology and disease. Recently, the first molecular structures of DHHC-PATs were determined using X-ray crystallography. This review will comment on the insights gained on the molecular mechanism of S-acylation from these structures in combination with a wealth of biochemical data generated by researchers in the field.
Fish reproduction: patterns, puzzles, principles, and possibilities

Robert (Bob) Wootton passed away in March 2014 while this book was going to press. He and Carl Smith spent five years writing it, and Bob was ill the whole time. It’s a great book, a big book (400 text pages and 1500 references, in round numbers), and a fine tribute to Bob’s life’s work. I am sorry to have never met Bob, but over the years I met several pieces of his work (as well as Carl’s). For example, in 1994 Bob wrote a paper that used the classic Smith/Fretwell model for optimal size of an offspring to predict egg size in pelagic fishes; the model/theory is deceptively simple in pictorial form, but that which generates the tradeoff curve is not simple. Guided by the model, Bob carefully assembled all the pieces and the predicted answer fell squarely in the range of observed egg sizes. I mention this particular paper because I used it for years in my graduate evolutionary ecology class, and found it quite impressive. So, how to begin describing the book? The topic is vast and first chapter lays out the landscape. The dual themes of phylogenetic history and adaptive significance (natural selection carefully applied to all aspects of life history) form the big structure. Here we get an overview of the reproductive modes of the teleost fishes (~30,000 species; not all discussed), and hints of what is to come. In all chapters a few exemplar case histories receive special attention because they allow us to resolve key issues with hard data. Some of them point to key gaps in our knowledge; they point to the future. Males and females often differ greatly in all elements of reproduction, so the second chapter delves into how sex is determined in the first place. Genotype alone can determine sex (GSD; by far the most common in fish), or sex can be set by the developmental environment, often temperature (ESD). Wootton and Smith tell us what the patterns are, point toward the unknowns, and discuss some of the ideas about why natural selection favors this or that mode of sex determination. There are many puzzles here, particularly why closely-related species often have very different forms of GSD, a pattern repeated in many other taxa, too (e.g., Bull 1983). This discussion is very well done, and is a fine gateway to broader, and more population genetic intensive (a nice phrase for= lots of math) treatments (Bull 1983; Beukeboom and Perrin 2014). This chapter has what we will find in all the chapters: patterns (mapped to phylogeny and environment), puzzles (unknowns big and small), principles (often insightful adaptation arguments, with limitations noted), and possibilities (i.e., where would all we just discussed point to next?). The Atlantic Silverside [Menidia menidia; work of David Conover] is an exemplar here. Those fish populations have a mixture of ESD and GSD, and show that ESD phases out as one looks at populations that reside at increasingly northern latitudes along the Atlantic coast of North America. Conover shows both how and why this is predicted by sex ratio theory. When ESD goes Environ Biol Fish (2015) 98:1727–1728 DOI 10.1007/s10641-015-0391-7
A Survey on the Status of Open Data and Its Future

This survey paper looks at the open data, which is one of the most important elements of developing smart city and universal village. This paper focuses on the relationship between open data and smart city and the evaluation of open data projects. It describes the reason why data needs to be opened up, how open data should be evaluated, the current status of open data projects, and the challenges the open data developers are facing. Besides, the paper introduces the open data platform of the United Kingdom as a case study to explain open data project in the end.
Reusing Leakage Current for Improved Energy Efficiency of Multi-Voltage Systems

A novel method for the delivery of power to subthreshold (sub-V t ) circuits is proposed. The unused leakage current during idle-mode operation of super-threshold (super-V t ) circuits is used to supply sub-V t circuits. Super-V t and sub-V t circuits are simulated in a 45 nm CMOS technology, where the super-V t circuits operate at 1.2 V and generate a sub-V t voltage of 380 mV. The proposed technique is compared with two conventional methods, one that uses separate power distribution networks for super-V t and sub-V t circuits (baseline) and the second that implements voltage stacking. The implementation of the proposed leakage reuse (LR) technique on the s27 ISCAS89 benchmark circuit results in a reduction of the total, static, and peak power consumption to, respectively, 0.41×, 0.207×, and 0.7× that of the baseline technique. The leakage reuse technique also reduces the peak voltage noise on V SS and the V SS settling time to, respectively, 0.68× and 0.44× that of the baseline at a cost of a 1.24× increase in the FO4 delay. In addition, the LR technique implemented on the s208 ISCAS89 benchmark circuit reduces the peak voltage noise on the virtual ground (VGND) and the VGND settling time to, respectively, 0.28× and 0.23× that of the voltage stacking technique.
A Commentary on the Linearity and Time-Invariance of ODE-Based Systems.

Linear time-invariant (LTI) systems appear frequently in natural sciences and engineering contexts. Many LTI systems are described by ordinary differential equations (ODEs). For example, biological gene regulation, analog filter circuits, and simple mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic systems can all be described with varying approximations as LTI systems using ODEs. While linearity and time-invariance are straightforward to demonstrate for closed-form system definitions, determining whether an ODE describes a system with LTI properties is less obvious and rarely discussed in depth in the literature. Complications arise due to slightly different definitions of linearity in different contexts. This commentary is intended to provide clarity on this subtle point, and act as an instructional aid or educational supplement.
Photoreceptor disc membranes are formed through an Arp2/3-dependent lamellipodium-like mechanism

The light-sensitive outer segment of the vertebrate photoreceptor is a highly modified primary cilium filled with disc-shaped membranes that provide a vast surface for efficient photon capture. The formation of each disc is initiated by a ciliary membrane evagination driven by an unknown molecular mechanism reportedly requiring actin polymerization. Since a distinct F-actin network resides precisely at the site of disc morphogenesis, we employed a unique proteomic approach to identify components of this network potentially driving disc morphogenesis. The only identified actin nucleator was the Arp2/3 complex, which induces the polymerization of branched actin networks. To investigate the potential involvement of Arp2/3 in the formation of new discs, we generated a conditional knockout mouse lacking its essential ArpC3 subunit in rod photoreceptors. This knockout resulted in the complete loss of the F-actin network specifically at the site of disc morphogenesis, with the time course of ArpC3 depletion correlating with the time course of F-actin loss. Without the actin network at this site, the initiation of new disc formation is completely halted, forcing all newly synthesized membrane material to be delivered to the several nascent discs whose morphogenesis had already been in progress. As a result, these discs undergo uncontrolled expansion instead of normal enclosure, which leads to formation of unusual, large membrane whorls. These data suggest a model of photoreceptor disc morphogenesis in which Arp2/3 initiates disc formation in a "lamellipodium-like" mechanism.
TMDs beyond MoS2 for Electrochemical Energy Storage

Atomically thin sheets of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted interest as high capacity electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage devices owing to their unique properties (high surface area, high strength and modulus, faster ion diffusion, and so on), which arise from their layered morphology and diversified chemistry. Nevertheless, low electronic conductivity, poor cycling stability, large structural changes during metal-ion insertion/extraction along with high cost of manufacture are challenges that require further research in order for TMDs to find use in commercial batteries and supercapacitors. Here, a systematic review of cutting-edge research focused on TMD materials beyond the widely studied molybdenum disulfide or MoS2 electrode is reported. Accordingly, a critical overview of the recent progress concerning synthesis methods, physicochemical and electrochemical properties is given. Trends and opportunities that may contribute to state-of-the-art research are also discussed.