cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk-neutral firms can extract unbounded profits from consumers with prospect theory preferences

This paper considers the problem of a risk-neutral firm offering a gamble to consumers with preferences given by prospect theory. Under conditions satisfied by virtually all functional forms used in the literature, firms can extract arbitrarily high expected values from consumers. Moreover, for any given lottery, there exists another lottery that makes both the firm and the consumer better off. As a consequence, equilibria and Pareto optimal allocations do not exist in standard monopolistic or competitive models.
Novel Vaginal Microflora Colonization Model Providing New Insight into Microbicide Mechanism of Action

Several broad-spectrum microbicides, including cellulose sulfate (CS), have passed conventional preclinical and phase I clinical safety evaluation and yet have failed to protect women from acquiring HIV-1 in phase II/III trials. Concerns have been raised that current preclinical algorithms are deficient in addressing the complexity of the microflora-regulated vaginal mucosal barrier. We applied a novel microflora-colonized model to evaluate CS and hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), which is used as a "universal placebo" in microbicide trials. Cervicovaginal epithelial cultures were colonized with normal vaginal microflora iso- lates representing common Lactobacillus species used as probiotics (L. acidophilus and L. crispatus )o rPrevotella bivia and Atopobium vaginae, most prevalent in the disturbed microflora of bacterial vaginosis (BV). At baseline, all strains maintained constant epithelium-associated CFUs without inducing cytotoxicity and apoptosis. CS selectively reduced epithelium-associated CFUs and (to a lesser extent) planktonic CFUs, most significantly affecting L. crispatus. Inducing only minor changes in sterile epithelial cultures, CS induced expression of innate immunity mediators (RANTES, interleukin-8 (IL-8), and secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI)) in microflora-colonized epithelia, most significantly potentiating effects of bacteria causing BV. In the absence of CS, all bacterial strains except L. acidophilus activated NF-B, although IL-8 and RANTES levels were increased by the presence of BV-causing bacteria only. CS enhanced NF-B activation in a dose-dependent manner under all conditions, in- cluding L. acidophilus colonization. HEC remained inert. These results offer insights into possible mechanisms of CS clinical failure. The bacterially colonized cervicovaginal model reveals unique aspects of microflora-epithelium-drug interactions and innate immunity in the female genital tract and should become an integral part of preclinical safety evaluation of anti-HIV mi- crobicides and other vaginal formulations. IMPORTANCE This report provides experimental evidence supporting the concept that the vaginal microflora regulates the epi- thelial innate immunity in a species- and strain-specific manner and that topically applied microbicides may alter both the bacte- rial and epithelial components of this homeostatic interaction. Our data also highlight the importance of differentiating the ef- fects of biomedical interventions on epithelium-associated versus conventional planktonic bacterial growth when assessing vaginal mucosal health and immunity.
Vesicular Stomatitis Virus G-Pseudotyped Lentivirus Vectors Mediate Efficient Apical Transduction of Polarized Quiescent Primary Alveolar Epithelial Cells

We investigated the use of lentivirus vectors for gene transfer to quiescent alveolar epithelial cells. Primary rat alveolar epithelial cells (AEC) grown on plastic or as polarized monolayers on tissue culture-treated polycarbonate semipermeable supports were transduced with a replication-defective human immunodeficiency virus-based lentivirus vector pseudotyped with the vesicular stomatitis virus G (VSV-G) protein and encoding an enhanced green fluorescent protein reporter gene. Transduction efficiency, evaluated by confocal microscopy and quantified by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, was dependent on the dose of vector, ranging from 4% at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.1 to 99% at an MOI of 50 for AEC grown on plastic. At a comparable titer and MOI, transduction of these cells by a similarly pseudotyped murine leukemia virus vector was approximately 30-fold less than by the lentivirus vector. Importantly, comparison of lentivirus-mediated gene transfer from the apical or basolateral surface of confluent AEC monolayers (R(t) > 2 kOmega. cm(2); MOI = 10) revealed efficient transduction only when VSV-G-pseudotyped lentivirus was applied apically. Furthermore, treatment with EGTA to increase access to the basolateral surface did not increase transduction of apically applied virus, indicating that transduction was primarily via the apical membrane domain. In contrast, differentiated tracheal epithelial cells were transduced by apically applied lentivirus only in the presence of EGTA and at a much lower overall efficiency (approximately 15-fold) than was observed for AEC. Efficient transduction of AEC from the apical cell surface supports the feasibility of using VSV-G-pseudotyped lentivirus vectors for gene transfer to the alveolar epithelium and suggests that differences exist between upper and lower airways in the polarity of available receptors for the VSV-G protein.
Reproductive Performance in Aged Partridge

Abstract Various reproductive traits were studied in three groups of Red-legged partridge, 72, 60, and 18 months of age, that were mated in all possible age-combinations for two 10-week production periods. Between periods of lay, the males were switched among the females within each age group. The two oldest groups of birds had been held previously under either a stimulatory (16L:8D) or nonstimulatory (8L:16D) light treatment, respectively, from hatch to 48 months of age. Sexual maturity, egg production, fertility, and hatchability were determined. Egg production and fertility were significantly lower in the two oldest groups as compared to younger birds. Major differences in several reproductive traits were found between the two oldest groups. It is suggested that the normal response to photostimulation is altered in birds exposed to long periods of non-stimulatory light, resulting in a decrease of productivity during later periods of life.
Video playdate: toward free play across distance

We present an empirical investigation of video-mediated free play between 13 pairs of friends (ages 7 and 8). The pairs spent 10 minutes playing with each of four different prototypes we developed to support free play over videoconferencing. We coded each interaction for the types of play and the amount of social play observed. The children in our study were largely successful in playing together across videoconferencing, though challenges in managing visibility, attention, and intersubjectivity made it more difficult than face-to-face play. We also found that our prototypes supported some types of play to varying degrees. Our contribution lies in identifying these design tradeoffs and providing directions for future design of video-mediated communication systems for children.
Factors in automatic musical genre classification of audio signals

Automatic musical genre classification is an important tool for organizing the large collections of music that are becoming available to the average user. In addition, it provides a structured way of evaluating musical content features that does not require extensive user studies. The paper provides a detailed comparative analysis of various factors affecting automatic classification performance, such as choice of features and classifiers. Using recent machine learning techniques, such as support vector machines, we improve on previously published results using identical data collections and features.
Life history theory and the immune system: Steps toward a human ecological immunology

Within anthropology and human biology, there is growing interest in immune function and its importance to the ecology of human health and development. Biomedical research currently dominates our understanding of immunology, and this paper seeks to highlight the potential contribution of a population-based, ecological approach to the study of human immune function. Concepts from life-history theory are applied to highlight the major challenges and demands that are likely to shape immune function in a range of ecological contexts. Immune function is a major component of maintenance effort, and since resources are limited, trade-offs are expected between investment in maintenance and other critical life-history functions involving growth and reproduction. An adaptationist, life-history perspective helps make sense of the unusual developmental trajectory of immune tissues, and emphasizes that this complex system is designed to incorporate information from the surrounding ecology to guide its development. As a result, there is substantial population variation in immune development and function that is not considered by current biomedical approaches. In an attempt to construct a framework for understanding this variation, immune development is considered in relation to the competing life-history demands that define gestation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Each life stage poses a unique set of adaptive challenges, and a series of hypotheses is proposed regarding their implications for immune development and function. Research in human ecological immunology is in its earliest stages, but this is a promising area of exploration, and one in which anthropology is well-positioned to make important contributions.
Lying for Who We Are: An Identity-Based Model of Workplace Dishonesty

While the study of lying within organizations typically has focused on lies told for rational-instrumental purposes (such as lying for economic gain within negotiations), we argue that lying is a relatively common social-functional behavior embedded within ongoing workplace relationships. Drawing from social identity theory, we develop a theory of lying as a socially motivated behavioral response to identity threats at the personal, relational, or collective levels of identity in organizational life. Specifically, we propose that perceived identity threats undermine the unique fundamental identity motives at each level of self, and that as threat sensitivity and threat intractability increase, individuals become more likely to use lying as a threat management response in their interactions with other organizational members. Further, we propose that identity-based characteristics of organizational members with whom threatened individuals interact (i.e., the audience) determine the likelihood that lying wil...
On the Construction of (d, k) Graphs

The computer organization described here is an extension of a concept of Leondes and Rubinoff [1]. The original machine consisted of a drum store and a single processor capable of sequencing its access from one track (array column) to another at the end of each drum revolution. In this way the system could process one iteration of a Laplace equation in n-drum revolutions, where n is the number of columns of the array.
Psychiatric and biochemical correlates of respiratory decompensation in a terminal and non-terminal chronic pulmonary disease patient.

A psychiatric and biochemical study was undertaken at the request of two patients who were thought to be terminally ill by the medical staff. One patient accepted dying and expired from her disease. The other patient wished to continue living and did not die. The dying patient exhibited abnormally high levels of catecholamine excretion which were not associated with verbal reports of anxiety or discomfort and did not seem upset or uncomfortable to the physician and nurses caring for her. The patient who lived had relatively low levels of catecholamine excretion and was anxious, irritable and uncomfortable. The behavior of these two patients differed during the period of acute respiratory failure. The dying patient had given up and felt that she was engaging in goal-directed activity which she would or could not shut off. The patient who lived was frightened of dying and felt that she would overcome her current difficulties and that she was not ready or willing to die. The major cardiovascular differences ...
From Breast to the Brain: Unraveling the Puzzle of Metastasis Organotropism

Metastatic colonization of different target organs is a highly selective process that depends on specialized properties of tumor cells. In a recent Nature paper, Massague and colleagues built on their earlier success in functional genomic analysis of breast cancer metastasis to bone and lung and reported the identification of breast cancer brain metastasis genes, highlighting the importance of the stromal environment in the development of organ-specific metastasis.
MERITOCRACY, STILL WITHOUT MERIT: REPLY TO RESPONSES

I greatly appreciate Professor Silverman’s () and Dr. Popkin’s () response to my article. Unfortunately, as I shall detail below, both largely fail to grasp its central claims. More troubling, but ...
Fan studies: Researching popular audiences, edited by Alice Chauvel, Nicolle Lamerichs, and Jessica Seymour

Review of Alice Chauvel, Nicolle Lamerichs, and Jessica Seymour, editors. Fan Studies: Researching Popular Audiences. Freeland, Oxfordshire, UK: Inter-Disciplinary Press, £7.95 ISBN 978-1-84888-279-9.
Risk Factors Associated with Bleeding After Alteplase Administration for Pulmonary Embolism: A Case-Control Study

Study Objective To identify risk factors associated with bleeding in patients who received alteplase for pulmonary embolism (PE), with a specific focus on risk factors available to the clinician at the time thrombolytics are being considered. Design Case-control study. Setting Large academic medical center. Patients Sixty-two adults with PE who were administered alteplase 100 mg over a 2-hour infusion period between January 2000 and October 2011; of these patients, 28 experienced major bleeding (case patients), and 34 did not develop major bleeding (control patients). Measurements and Main Results Risk factors for bleeding from alteplase were compiled from the U.S. product label and the literature. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess for risk factors independently associated with bleeding. Patients with major bleeding more frequently had recent major surgery (odds ratio [OR] 9.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–79.99, p=0.039), an international normalized ratio above 1.7 (OR 13.20, 95% CI 1.54–113.52, p=0.008), and one or more risk factors for bleeding (OR 5.02, 95% CI 1.68–15.04, p=0.003). On multivariate analysis, one or more risk factors for bleeding (adjusted OR 5.74, 95% CI 1.78–18.55, p=0.004) and body weight (adjusted OR 1.18 for each 10 kg below 100 kg, 95% CI 1.01–1.37, p=0.035) were independently associated with major bleeding. Intensive care unit length of stay after alteplase administration was significantly longer in patients with major bleeding (median 2.2, interquartile range [IQR] 0.9–4.8) days versus 1.1 (IQR 0.4–1.9 days, p=0.028). Conclusion Risk factors for bleeding that are available to clinicians at the time the decision is made to administer alteplase for PE are significantly associated with the occurrence of major bleeding; the odds of major bleeding in patients with one or more risk factors for bleeding were ~5 times higher than in patients without these risk factors. Thus clinicians should weigh these risk factors for bleeding against the perceived benefit of thrombolytic therapy when deciding to administer a thrombolytic in an individual patient with PE.
The Classed Body in the Sociological Imagination

Class theorists of embodiment in Sociology point to and illuminate both an over- and an under-exposed body and experience that ultimately mark the bodies of the poor as ideologically, discursively and materially abject. In this essay, I map out theories of the bodies of the poor, including those of Marx, Engels, Elias, Bourdieu, Foucault, Donzelot and Adair. I suggest that an understanding of the ways in which the bodies of the poor are positioned as abject can facilitate a flexible and reflexive heuristic through which we can negotiate epistemic shifts between material and discursive categories, as well as providing us with a template through which we can come to understand even the most profoundly abject bodies, those of poor women in a welfare state, as potential sites of embodied agency and resistance, all central to the ethical and holistic study of sociology.
Colorectal Cancer Initial Diagnosis: Screening Colonoscopy, Diagnostic Colonoscopy, or Emergent Surgery, and Tumor Stage and Size at Initial Presentation.

Abstract Introduction/Background Rates of colorectal cancer screening are improving but remain suboptimal. Limited information is available regarding how patients are diagnosed with colorectal cancer (for example, asymptomatic screened patients or diagnostic workup because of the presence of symptoms). The purpose of this investigation was to determine how patients were diagnosed with colorectal cancer (screening colonoscopy, diagnostic colonoscopy, or emergent surgery) and tumor stage and size at diagnosis. Patients and Methods Adults evaluated between 2011 and 2014 with a diagnosis of colorectal cancer were identified. Clinical notes, endoscopy reports, surgical reports, radiology reports, and pathology reports were reviewed. Sex, race, ethnicity, age at the time of initial diagnosis, method of diagnosis, presenting symptom(s), and primary tumor size and stage at diagnosis were recorded. Colorectal cancer screening history was also recorded. Results The study population was 54% male (265 of 492) with a mean age of 58.9 years (range, 25-93 years). Initial tissue diagnosis was established at the time of screening colonoscopy in 10.7%, diagnostic colonoscopy in 79.2%, and during emergent surgery in 7.1%. Cancers diagnosed at the time of screening colonoscopy were more likely to be stage 1 than cancers diagnosed at the time of diagnostic colonoscopy or emergent surgery (38.5%, 7.2%, and 0%, respectively). Median tumor size was 3.0 cm for the screening colonoscopy group, 4.6 cm for the diagnostic colonoscopy group, and 5.0 cm for the emergent surgery group. At least 31% of patients diagnosed at the time of screening colonoscopy, 19% of patients diagnosed at the time of diagnostic colonoscopy, and 26% of patients diagnosed at the time of emergent surgery had never undergone a screening colonoscopy. Conclusion Nearly 90% of colorectal cancer patients were diagnosed after development of symptoms and had more advanced disease than asymptomatic screening patients. Colorectal cancer outcomes will be improved by improving rates of colorectal cancer screening.
Enforcement of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act in the United States

The year 1960 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the enactment by the Congress of the United States of the Insecticide Act of 1910. This was “An Act for preventing the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded Paris greens, lead arsenates, and other insecticides, and also fungicides, and for regulating traffic therein, and for other purposes”. In the intervening years since those days of Paris greens and lead arsenate, many new chemicals have been developed for household, agricultural, and industrial purposes. The intended uses and the claims made on the labels and in advertising for the products formulated from these chemicals determine whether or not they are subject to the provisions of the Federal and state laws which regulate their marketing. It is generally accepted that these laws have played an important role in the rapid and orderly development of the pesticide chemical industry.
Abstract 3452: Antidepressant use and risk of central nervous system metastasis

CNS metastasis is the spread of a primary cancer to the CNS and occurs in up to 25% of cancer patients. Antidepressant therapy, used in 15-30% of cancer patients, affects the blood-brain barrier, potentially making patients more susceptible to CNS metastasis. This hypothesis is supported by an experimental study reporting increased CNS metastasis from breast cancer in mice receiving fluoxetine, an antidepressant in the class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, no human studies have looked at this association. We conducted a case-control study to examine whether antidepressants, and specifically SSRIs, increased the relative odds of CNS metastasis. We identified cancer patients diagnosed with breast cancer, melanoma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) at one academic cancer center in Rochester, NY between 2005 and 2013. We ascertained 189 patients with CNS metastasis (cases) and 945 patients without CNS metastasis (controls). Cases of CNS metastasis were identified by the ICD-9 code 198.3 secondary malignant neoplasm of brain and spinal cord. Cases and controls were classified with regard to their antidepressant use based on medical chart review. Using multivariable logistic regression, we estimated the relative odds of CNS metastasis associated with ‘any antidepressant use’ (any antidepressant irrespective of class), ‘any SSRI use’ (SSRI use, nonexclusively), and ‘exclusive SSRI use’ (only SSRI use and no other class of antidepressant), all compared to ‘no antidepressant use’. Subset analyses were planned a priori for breast cancer and melanoma; subset analyses could not be conducted for NHL due to the small sample size. Both cases and controls had a median age of 53 years (range: 25-94 years and 15-89 years, respectively). The prevalence of ‘any antidepressant use’ was 28.6% in cases and 25.7% in controls, whereas SSRIs were used in 16.9% of cases and 15.6% of controls. Among all patients, ‘any SSRI use’ was not associated with CNS metastasis (odds ratio (OR) = 1.21; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.74, 1.97). However, among breast cancer patients, ‘any SSRI use’ was associated with a 1.73 times greater odds of CNS metastasis (95% CI = 0.75, 4.04). No consistent patterns of association were observed in the analyses of other cancer subsets or exposure measures. This was the first study to examine the association between antidepressant use and CNS metastasis. We did not observe clear patterns of association which may be due in part to the small sample size in many of our analyses. However, we believe that the increased odds in the breast cancer subset warrants further investigation as this is consistent with the animal research. Citation Format: Megan Herr, Nimish Mohile, Edwin van Wijngaarden, Edward Brown, David Q. Rich. Antidepressant use and risk of central nervous system metastasis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3452.
RICE AND TEA, FISH AND TARO: SIKAIANA MIGRATION TO HONIARA

For the past seventy years, the people from Sikaiana in the Solomon Islands have been migrating away from their atoll. After World War II, most Sikaiana migrants settled in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, located on Guadalcanal Island. Several generations of Sikaiana people have matured in Honiara, and, during my stays in the 1980s, the Sikaiana population in Honiara outnumbered the population on Sikaiana. In Honiara, Sikaiana migrants have developed many activities that bring them together as a community, including a residential settlement, funerals, wedding exchanges, and fund-raising events. Sikaiana people living on the atoll form a small face-to-face community of biographically known others. Sikaiana migrants in Honiara have developed institutions and events that maintain this kind of intimate community, but economic and demographic factors are not stable, and the lives of migrants are changing in ways that may alter their communal activities. Collective ownership is being replaced by individual ownership, generalized reciprocity is replaced by new market relations, and most Sikaiana migrants are now dependent on earning wages in an uncertain economy and social system.
A Generalization of the Bott–Borel–Weil Theorem and Euler Number Multiplets of Representations

The Bott–Borel–Weil theorem (BBW) is a statement about a complex homogeneous space X=G/R where G is a compact semisimple Lie group and R is the centralizer of a torus in G. One knows that BBW is equivalent to the determination of how R operates on the cohomology of a certain nilpotent Lie algebra of antiholomorphic tangent vectors operating on an arbitrary irreducible G-module. Upon replacing the complex structure with a space S of spinors BBW is equivalent to a statement about the eigenvalues of the Casimir operator of R in the module S ⊗ Vλ where Vλ is the irreducible G-module with highest weight λ. But then the complex structure is eliminated and the problem makes sense for any compact subgroup R ⊂ G. We solve the problem in the case where R and G have the same rank. The very special case where R is the centralizer of a torus then yields BBW. Involved in the general case (i.e. arbitrary R) is a new (at least to mathematicians) Dirac operator with a cubic term whose square is expressed in terms of the Casimir operator. Actually the spectral resolution of the Dirac operator is determined in the general case. The kernel of the Dirac operator is only given in the equal rank case. A key feature in that case is that, associated to λ, there is a multiplet of representations of R, having rather striking properties, and cardinality equal to the Euler number of G/R.
The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) and its successor, APOGEE-2

The Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) of Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) has produced a large catalog of high resolution (R = 22 500), high quality (S/N > 100), infrared (H -band) spectra for stars throughout all stellar populations of the Milky Way, including in regions veiled by significant dust opacity. APOGEE's half million spectra collected on > 163 000 unique stars, with time series information via repeat visits to each star, are being applied to numerous problems in stellar populations, Galactic astronomy, and stellar astro-physics. From among the early results of the APOGEE project – which span from measurements of Galactic dynamics, to multi-element chemical maps of the disk and bulge, new views of the interstellar medium, explorations of stellar companions, the chemistry of star clusters, and the discovery of rare stellar species – I highlight a few results that demonstrate APOGEE's unique ability to sample and characterize the Galactic disk and bulge. Plans are now under way for an even more ambitious successor to APOGEE: the six-year, dual-hemisphere APOGEE-2 project. Both phases of APOGEE feature a strong focus on targets having asteroseismological measurements from either Kepler or CoRoT, from which it is possible to derive relatively precise stellar ages. The combined APOGEE and APOGEE-2 databases of stellar chemistry, dynamics and ages constitute an unusually comprehensive, systematic and homogeneous resource for constraining models of Galactic evolution.
Increasing the density of passive photonic-integrated circuits via nanophotonic cloaking

Photonic-integrated devices need to be spaced apart to prevent signal crosstalk, which limits their packing density. Here, Shen et al. report the use of nanophotonic cloaking to render neighbouring devices invisible to one another, which allows them to be placed closer together than is otherwise achievable.
Abstract 160: Angiotensin-(1-7) Decreases the Pro-inflammatory Effects of Prorenin in Hypothalamic Microglia

The chronic hypertensive action of angiotensin II (Ang II) mediated within central cardiovascular control centers includes a pro-inflammatory effect and induction of microglial activation in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. The objective here was to investigate whether angiotensin-(1-7), a protective arm of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), can exert anti-inflammatory effects in hypothalamic microglia. The presence of Mas, the receptor for Ang-(1-7), within the PVN and other cardiovascular control centers of normotensive (SD; Sprague Dawley) rats was demonstrated by quantitative real time PCR analyses. Mas was maintained in microglial cultures prepared from the hypothalamus of SD rat pups based on immunostaining and PCR. Treatment of microglial cultures with Ang-(1-7) (100nM, 3 -12h) elicited time-dependent significant (P
Thoughts from the Provinces

“Place matters,” geographers are fond of saying. And it seems this sentiment is more and more embraced by scholars in other disciplines. The current outpour of writing in Middle East studies that draws on geographic themes goes a long way toward showing how “spatial form can alter the future course of the very histories which have produced it.” At the same time, geography in Middle East studies is at risk of being provincialized over the long term, instead of taken seriously as a source for new approaches to studying the region. For the so-called spatial turn to endure, it must be transformed from a vague thematic concern to a more self-conscious analytical perspective, one that reveals the many competing visions and practices that constitute space. More reflection on the purposes, limits, and politics of thinking geographically in research on the Middle East is required.
Food Evolution: The Impact of Society and Science on the Fermentation of Cocoa Beans

Cocoa is part of the cultural heritage in many areas of South and Central America and has played an important role in the history of human culture there. The modern methods of cocoa bean production for the purpose of the manufacture of modern chocolate are tied to the origin and development of cocoa bean fermentation and processing methods and the science of microbiology. To date, however, there has not been a study that discusses the impacts of both science and culture on the evolution of cocoa beans and cocoa bean processing. This work provides both a detailed overview of the evolution and historical development of cocoa, from its earliest forms to modern chocolate manufacturing, an in-depth discussion of the biochemistry of cocoa bean fermentation, as well as a compilation of primary research studies with details on fermentation methods, the scientific bases of interactions in microbial fermentations, and methods for their investigation, as well as metabolites that are produced. As a result, we present here the major microorganisms among all the ones that have been identified in previous studies. This database will aid researchers seeking standardized inoculants to drive cocoa bean fermentation, as well as serve as a guide for inventorying and assessing other food evolution–related studies regarding traditional and artisanal-based food systems.
Recreational freshwater fishing drives non-native aquatic species richness patterns at a continental scale

Aim Mapping the geographic distribution of non-native aquatic species is a critically important precursor to understanding the anthropogenic and environmental factors that drive freshwater biological invasions. Such efforts are often limited to local scales and/or to single species, due to the challenges of data acquisition at larger scales. Here, we map the distribution of non-native freshwater species richness across the continental United States and investigate the role of human activity in driving macroscale patterns of aquatic invasion. Location The continental United States. Methods We assembled maps of non-native aquatic species richness by compiling occurrence data on exotic animal and plant species from publicly accessible databases. Using a dasymetric model of human population density and a spatially explicit model of recreational freshwater fishing demand, we analysed the effect of these metrics of human influence on the degree of invasion at the watershed scale, while controlling for spatial and sampling bias. We also assessed the effects that a temporal mismatch between occurrence data (collected since 1815) and cross-sectional predictors (developed using 2010 data) may have on model fit. Results Non-native aquatic species richness exhibits a highly patchy distribution, with hotspots in the Northeast, Great Lakes, Florida, and human population centres on the Pacific coast. These richness patterns are correlated with population density, but are much more strongly predicted by patterns of recreational fishing demand. These relationships are strengthened by temporal matching of datasets and are robust to corrections for sampling effort. Main conclusions Distributions of aquatic non-native species across the continental US are better predicted by freshwater recreational fishing than by human population density. This suggests that observed patterns are driven by a mechanistic link between recreational activity and aquatic non-native species richness and are not merely the outcome of sampling bias associated with human population density.
The Evolution of Mathematics in Ancient China

A popular survey book on the development of mathematics has its text prefaced by the following remarks: Only a few ancient civilizations, Egypt, Babylonia, India and China, possessed what may be called the rudiments of mathematics. The history of mathematics and indeed the history of western civilization begins with what occurred in the first of these civilizations. The role of India will emerge later, whereas that of China may be ignored because it was not extensive and moreover has no influence on the subsequent development of mathematics [1]. Even most contemporary works on the history of mathematics reinforce this impression, either by neglecting or depreciating Chinese contributions to the development of mathematics [2]. Whether by ignorance or design, such omissions limit the perspective one might obtain concerning both the evolution of mathematical ideas and the place of mathematics in early societies. In remedying this situation, western historians of mathematics may well take heed of Whittier's admonition [3]: We lack but open eye and ear To find the Orient's marvels here. Language barriers may limit this quest for information; however, a search of English language sources will reveal that there are many “marvels” in Chinese mathematics to be considered. Legend and fact The origins of mathematical activity in early China are clouded by mysticism and legend. Mythological Emperor Yu is credited with receiving a divine gift from a Lo river tortoise.
Cycles and Social Choice: The True and Unabridged Story of a Most Protean Paradox

The centuries-old paradox of voting is that majorities sometimes prefer x to y, y to z, and z to x - a cycle. The discovery of the sources and consequences of such cycles, under majority rule and countless other regimes, constitutes much of the mathematical theory of voting and social choice. This book explores the big questions posed by the paradox of voting: positive questions about how to predict outcomes and explain observed stability, and normative questions about how to hold elections, how to take account of preference intensities, the relevance of social welfare to social choice, and challenges to formal 'rationality', individual and social. The overall lesson is that cycles are facts, ubiquitous, and consequential in non-obvious ways, not puzzles to be solved, much less maladies or misfortunes to be avoided or regretted.
New perspectives on farm size and productivity

Abstract The farm size and productivity debate has been limited by the focus on land or labor productivity, generally showing respective productivity advantages to smaller or larger sized farms. Our purpose is to provide new perspectives on the debate by bringing together evidence from a set of novel case studies in both rich and poor countries. Common to them are the adoption of total factor productivity (TFP) as the comparative performance measure, and the reliance on panels of farm micro data. The present article presents a synthesis of findings from five case studies in (i) Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda; (ii) Bangladesh; (iii) Brazil; (iv) Australia; and (v) the United States. The preponderance of evidence from these studies suggests that there is no single economically optimal agrarian structure; rather, it appears to evolve with the stage of economic development. Certain farm sizes face relative productivity advantages, such as small farms in Africa. But with economic and market growth, that smallholder advantage will likely attenuate, moving toward constant and eventually increasing returns to size. Yet, importantly, small farms may be quite dynamic, and need not be a drag on agricultural growth until perhaps well into the development process.
Interfacial Transition Zone of Cement Composites with Recycled Concrete Aggregate of Different Moisture States

Past research suggests that the moisture state of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) at the time of concrete mixing can dramatically affect the concrete properties. This study employed image analysis of backscattered electron micrographs to monitor the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) development in coarse mortars with a highly absorptive RCA at oven dry (OD), saturated surface dry (SSD), and sub-SSD (i.e., 80 % SSD) moisture conditions. The batching water was not adjusted to account for the aggregate moisture condition to explicitly evaluate the effect of the RCA moisture condition. The 28-day compressive strength was found to be greatest for the sub-SSD RCA mix, followed by the OD RCA and SSD RCA mixes. No difference was found in the ITZ microstructure between mixtures with sub-SSD and SSD RCA. The OD RCA appreciably affected the ITZ by demanding water, which reduced the local water-to-cement ratio, yielded an increase in the unhydrated (UH) cement content, reduced the bulk microstructure porosity, and increased the estimated ITZ size. Because these ITZ trends do not directly correlate with the compressive strength trends, it is postulated that the sub-SSD will absorb some of the cement slurry during mixing, allowing for a stronger interfacial mechanical bond to form. This does not occur to the same extent for the SSD RCA, but will likely also occur for the OD RCA; however, the OD RCA absorbs so much water that it deters hydration, yielding a larger ITZ with a higher UH content, so the bulk strength of the mortar with OD RCA is less than that of mortar with sub-SSD RCA.
Direct β-Alkylation of Ketones and Aldehydes via Pd-Catalyzed Redox Cascade

We report a direct β-alkylation of ketones and aldehydes with simple alkyl bromides through a Pd-catalyzed redox-cascade strategy. The use of a Cu cocatalyst is important for improved efficiency. The reaction is redox-neutral, without the need for strong acids or bases. Both cyclic and acyclic ketones, as well as α-branched aldehydes, are suitable substrates for coupling with secondary and tertiary alkyl bromides. Concise formal synthesis of Zanapezil is achieved using this β-alkylation method.
Efficiency of Pectoral-Fin Propulsion of Cymatogaster Aggregata

The percid family Embiotocidae is one of the few groups of fish that employ non-caudal fin propulsion systems at high sustained swimming speeds. The fish use the pectoral fins (labriform mode) at low activity levels and caudal fin propulsion for burst activity. The 45-min Ucrit achieved by Cymatogaster aggregata swimming in this mode is comparable with that of other fish at similar activity levels (Webb (1973b)).
Lipid specificity of the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin/membrane interactions

Cyt1A is a cytolytic toxin produced by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis, used in insecticide preparations. Understanding the molecular details of how the toxin changes conformation in the presence of lipid membrane is important for elucidating the toxin’s mode of action. Previous binding studies were performed using membranes made of chemically undefined lipid egg phosphatidylcholine (PC). Here we studied lipid specificity of Cyt1A binding regarding saturation of fatty acyl chain and chemical nature of the lipid head-group. Fluorescence of tryptophan was used as a measure of binding. We measured Cyt1A binding to membranes made of the saturated lipid 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) at 7°C and 37°C and determined the apparent dissociation constant (Kd) to be 111 ± 21 μM and 19.7 ± 5.9 μM, respectively. The apparent Kd of Cyt1A binding to membranes made of the egg PC lipid mixture was previously determined to be 91 μM. Thus at lower temperature, Cyt1A bin...
Homo-Pages and Queer Sites: Studying the Construction and Representation of Queer Identities on the World Wide Web

This essay introduces the reader both to the varieties of representations of queers currently available on US Web servers and to the kinds of critical questions that scholars and activists can ask about such representations. As such, the author surveys, summarizes, and analyzes both pertinent Websites and scholarly writing about queer representation, identity, community, and social agency. Ultimately, the author concludes that analyzing queer self-representation on the Web is a significant scholarly undertaking in that it can help us understand better (1) how queers use, represent themselves, and are represented on the Web, and (2) what such representations might mean for our understanding of ourselves, our cultures, and our future both locally and globally.
Changes in Heart Failure Self-care Behaviors and Intrathoracic Impedance over 6 Months.

Background Poor heart failure (HF) self-care has been shown by others to be associated with lung fluid accumulation measured by intrathoracic impedance. No studies, however, have examined how HF self-care is associated with intrathoracic impedance over time. Objective Examine the association of self-care behaviors and intrathoracic impedance using Medtronic Optivol Index threshold crossings as a marker of pulmonary congestion over 6 months. Method Patients with symptomatic HF and a Medtronic Optivol-enabled device had two 90 day periods of impedance data collected that corresponded with two waves of data collection on HF self-care (measured with the European HF Self-care Behavior Scale (EHFScBS)), as well as sociodemographic and clinical data. Changes in Optivol threshold crossings data (categorized as more frequent (31%) vs. fewer (69%) episodes of congestion) and self-care were calculated between the two phases of measurement. Multivariate logistic regression was use to quantify the likelihood of the self-care behaviors predicting an increase in threshold crossing over the 6 months. Results Participants (n=47) were mostly male (57%), on average 62 years old with predominantly non-ischemic (81%), NYHA Class III/IV HF (64%). Adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors, improvement in HF self-care care over time was associated significantly with lower odds of having more frequent threshold crossings over time (odds ratio=0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.55–0.99; p=0.039). Conclusion Positive changes in HF self-care over time may decrease the odds of having more fluid accumulation or pulmonary congestion events. Our study supports self-care as an essential aspect of HF self-management. Furthermore, longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to examine the temporal and causal relationship between objective markers of HF pathophysiology and self-care behaviors.
The Evaluation of a Meshed Tree Protocol on the GENI Testbed

Loop avoidance is essential in switched networks to avoid broadcast storms. Logical Spanning Trees are constructed on the physical meshed topologies to overcome the broadcast storm problem. However, during topology changes, frame forwarding latency is introduced when re-converging and identifying new spanning tree paths. Meshed Tree algorithms (MTA) offer a new approach. Meshed Trees support multiple tree branches from a single root to cut down on re-convergence latency on link failures. A Meshed Tree Protocol (MTP) based on MTA is currently under development as an IEEE standard. In this article, MTP is evaluated for convergence delay in comparison with Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) on the GENI testbed.
Reconnecting Engineering with the Social and Political Sphere

If technologies are going to be part of the solution to major social problems, we need engineers who are not simply “cogs in the wheel,” but rather active agents with a broad perspective. While many undergraduate engineering programs train students to narrow their vision rather than expand it, it is possible to create opportunities to reverse this trend. This chapter outlines two interventions designed to reconnect engineers with the social and political contexts they work in and which they would like to improve.
Increasing Students’ Publication Productivity: Could Launching a University Scientific Journal be a Catalyst?

Our institution established an online medical journal to promote publication opportunities and to foster a culture of scholarship. In two years of activity, there was an increase in the proportion of students reporting authorship of peer-reviewed publications at our institution suggesting an increase in students' scholarly interest and output.
Glenohumeral and Hip Range of Motion in Youth Softball Athletes.

The purpose of this study was to compare measures of bilateral shoulder and hip range of motion (ROM) between youth softball pitchers and position players. Fifty-two youth softball athletes (12.7±2.1 yrs.; 160.28±10.98 cm; 59.31±15.07 kg) participated. Bilateral hip and shoulder ROM were measured among pitchers (n=29) and position players (n=23). A 2 (pitcher/position player) × 2 (dominant/non-dominant) ANOVA was performed for both internal and external rotation ROM for the shoulder and hip. Paired sample t-tests were also conducted to examine side-to-side differences in total ROM. Data revealed a significant interaction between position and side dominance. Specifically, position players have significantly more non-dominant shoulder external rotation ROM (106.92°± 9.14°) than pitchers (100.12°± 11.21°). There were no significant differences between throwing and non-throwing sides. It is important that coaches and clinicians are aware of these adaptations between overhand and underhand throwing in order to properly develop conditioning and rehabilitation programs to alleviate injury susceptibility and cater to position-specific demands. Additionally, the current data suggest many of the functional adaptations seen within older populations are not fully developed until after youth.