cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
De novo establishment of wild-type song culture in the zebra finch

Culture is typically viewed as consisting of traits inherited epigenetically, through social learning. However, cultural diversity has species-typical constraints, presumably of genetic origin. A celebrated, if contentious, example is whether a universal grammar constrains syntactic diversity in human languages. Oscine songbirds exhibit song learning and provide biologically tractable models of culture: members of a species show individual variation in song and geographically separated groups have local song dialects. Different species exhibit distinct song cultures, suggestive of genetic constraints. Without such constraints, innovations and copying errors should cause unbounded variation over multiple generations or geographical distance, contrary to observations. Here we report an experiment designed to determine whether wild-type song culture might emerge over multiple generations in an isolated colony founded by isolates, and, if so, how this might happen and what type of social environment is required. Zebra finch isolates, unexposed to singing males during development, produce song with characteristics that differ from the wild-type song found in laboratory or natural colonies. In tutoring lineages starting from isolate founders, we quantified alterations in song across tutoring generations in two social environments: tutor-pupil pairs in sound-isolated chambers and an isolated semi-natural colony. In both settings, juveniles imitated the isolate tutors but changed certain characteristics of the songs. These alterations accumulated over learning generations. Consequently, songs evolved towards the wild-type in three to four generations. Thus, species-typical song culture can appear de novo. Our study has parallels with language change and evolution. In analogy to models in quantitative genetics, we model song culture as a multigenerational phenotype partly encoded genetically in an isolate founding population, influenced by environmental variables and taking multiple generations to emerge.
A 2 × 2 Conceptual Foundation for Entrepreneurial Discovery Theory

Theories about entrepreneurial discovery are important to entrepreneurship. However, the dominant conceptual foundation underlying such theories hinders their development. It assumes that opportuni...
State Income Tax Burdens on Low-Income Families

The authors look at the state tax burden on low-income families. Despite the state fiscal crisis, some states are continuing to relieve the burden on low-income families. In 2002, progress was made in Utah, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Kansas.
A SAFEr USA PATRIOT Act

The USA PATRIOT Act was enacted on an accelerated schedule in response to and less than two months following the horrific events of September 11, 2001. The Act restructured many existing laws involving intelligence gathering, criminal law and procedure, and immigration practices. While passed nearly unanimously by both houses of Congress, the Act was and remains controversial throughout society, but particularly within the library and information communities.
Nicastro v. Mcintyre Machinery America, Ltd.: The Stream-of-Commerce Theory of Personal Jurisdiction in a Globalized Economy

This note provides a detailed presentation of Nicastro v. McIntyre Machinery America, Ltd., with particular attention to the reasoning of the majority of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. This note presents an argument in favor of the United States Supreme Court’s adoption of a modified “stream-of-commerce plus” test, as articulated by Justice O’Connor in Asahi. The adoption of such a test would ensure that the status of the states as coequal sovereigns in a federal system is preserved while recognizing the unique realities created by a global economy.
Spatial Stream Segregation by Cats

Listeners can perceive interleaved sequences of sounds from two or more sources as segregated streams. In humans, physical separation of sound sources is a major factor enabling such stream segregation. Here, we examine spatial stream segregation with a psychophysical measure in domestic cats. Cats depressed a pedal to initiate a target sequence of brief sound bursts in a particular rhythm and then released the pedal when the rhythm changed. The target bursts were interleaved with a competing sequence of bursts that could differ in source location but otherwise were identical to the target bursts. This task was possible only when the sources were heard as segregated streams. When the sound bursts had broad spectra, cats could detect the rhythm change when target and competing sources were separated by as little as 9.4°. Essentially equal levels of performance were observed when frequencies were restricted to a high, 4-to-25-kHz, band in which the principal spatial cues presumably were related to sound levels. When the stimulus band was restricted from 0.4 to 1.6 kHz, leaving interaural time differences as the principal spatial cue, performance was severely degraded. The frequency sensitivity of cats in this task contrasts with that of humans, who show better spatial stream segregation with low- than with high-frequency sounds. Possible explanations for the species difference includes the smaller interaural delays available to cats due to smaller sizes of their heads and the potentially greater sound-level cues available due to the cat’s frontally directed pinnae and higher audible frequency range.
Stress-strain data obtained at high rates using an expanding ring

Dynamic uniaxial tensile stress-strain data are obtained at high strain rates by measuring the kinematics of thin-ring specimens expanding symmetrically by virtue of their own inertia. Impulsively loaded to produce high initial radial velocities, expanding rings are decelerated by the radial component of the hoop stresses. Differential equations of motion are evaluated experimentally to obtain the stress-strain (constitutive) relationships which govern the magnitude of these stresses. Techniques have been developed for producing symmetric radial expansion and measuring resulting displacements precisely as a function of time. Dynamic stress-strain relationships have been obtained for 6061-T6 aluminum, 1020 cold-drawn steel, and 6Al-4V titanium. For each of these materials, displacement-time curves are observed to be parabolic within the resolution of the measurements. Results are presented as true-stress/true-strain relationships.
An Alternative Perspective on MutualFund Performance

This article examines the returns and risk-adjusted performance of the 99 mutual funds that have been in continuous operation for the 45-year period 1967–2011. The returns and risk-adjusted performance of the mutual funds are compared to the results of a passive buy-and-hold strategy (S&P 500) and simulated portfolios market timed in accordance with the Super Bowl Stock Market Predictor. Over the 45-year history of the Super Bowl through 2011, the simulated market-timed portfolios outperformed 95 of the 99 mutual funds based upon return and terminal portfolio value, and all 99 mutual funds on a risk-adjusted basis.
Chemical Histologic and Immunologic Responses in Rats to CCl4 By Different Routes of Administration.

SummaryRats given a single, small dose of CCl4 by gastric intubation showed a significant elevation of liver lipids and liver hydroxyproline when sacrificed after 7 days. Rats which received a comparable dose by subcutaneous injection showed only elevated hydroxyproline levels. When the same dose was administered by inhalation neither liver lipids nor hydroxyproline content were increased. The incidence of microscopic lipidoses was greatest in the gastric and subcutaneous groups, while the incidence of necrosis was greater in the gastric and inhalation groups than in the subcutaneous group. A few immune responses were demonstrated by anti-liver hemagglutinations but none by Ouchterlony gel precipitin or skin tests.
Epistemic selectivity, historical threats, and the non-epistemic tenets of scientific realism

The scientific realism debate has now reached an entirely new level of sophistication. Faced with increasingly focused challenges, epistemic scientific realists have appropriately revised their basic meta-hypothesis that successful scientific theories are approximately true: they have emphasized criteria that render realism far more selective and, so, plausible. As a framework for discussion, I use what I take to be the most influential current variant of selective epistemic realism, deployment realism. Toward the identification of new case studies that challenge this form of realism, I break away from the standard list and look to the history of celestial mechanics, with an emphasis on twentieth century advances. I then articulate two purely deductive arguments that, I argue, properly capture the historical threat to realism. I contend that both the content and form of these novel challenges seriously threaten selective epistemic realism. I conclude on a positive note, however, arguing for selective realism at a higher level. Even in the face of threats to its epistemic tenet, scientific realism need not be rejected outright: concern with belief can be bracketed while nonetheless advocating core realist tenets. I show that, in contrast with epistemic deployment realism, a purely axiological scientific realism can account for key scientific practices made salient in my twentieth century case studies. And embracing the realists favored account of inference, inference to the best explanation, while pointing to a set of the most promising alternative selective realist meta-hypothesis, I show how testing the latter can be immensely valuable to our understanding of science.
Treatment of 32 Men with Sterility of Abnormal Acrosin by "Huangjing Zanyu Capsule"

Objective To study the efficacy of "Huangjing Zanyu Capsule" in the treatment of male infertility due to abnormal acrosin.Methods Thirty-two subjects were treated with "Huangjing Zanyu Capsule" for three months;the activity of acrosin and semen dynamics were observed before and after the treatment.Results After 3-month treatments,the activity of arcrosin and semen density,survival rate and vitality were obviously improved(P0.05).Conclusion "Huangjing Zanyu Capsule" can obviously improve acrosin activity and semen quality.
Caminhos para o bem-estar docente através da contação de histórias

Este artigo versa sobre o bem-estar docente e objetiva refletir sobre a contribuicao da contacao de historias no desencadeamento de situacoes promotoras de motivacao e satisfacao. A abordagem metodologica e de cunho qualitativo, descritivo, pautando-se no relato de tres oficinas oferecidas a docentes e graduandos/as da cidade de Canoas/RS. Nossa reflexao leva em consideracao pressupostos teoricos advindos dos estudos de Novoa (2007), Pocinho e Capelo (2009) e Jesus (2012), entre outros. A partir dos relatos dos/as participantes e possivel constatar que o sentimento de mal-estar nao permeia a fala dos/as graduandos/as do curso de Letras, porem se faz presente no discurso de professores atuantes na rede publica. Percebemos que a contacao de historias direcionada as historias pessoais, alheias e coletivas promove um desencadeamento de estrategias de producao de sentido e, consequente, situacoes de bem-estar docente.
Declarative memory and skill-related knowledge: Evidence from a case study of amnesia and implications for theories of memory

Theoretical and empirical studies of memory have long been framed by a distinction between declarative and non-declarative memory. We question the sharpness of the distinction by reporting evidence from amnesic L.S.J., who despite retrograde memory losses in declarative knowledge domains, shows sparing of declarative knowledge related to premorbid skill (e.g., playing an instrument). We previously showed that L.S.J. had severe losses of retrograde declarative knowledge across areas of premorbid expertise (e.g., artists of famous works) and everyday knowledge (e.g., company names for logos). Here we present evidence that L.S.J. has sparing of what we call skill-related declarative knowledge, in four domains in which she had premorbid skill (art, music, aviation, driving). L.S.J.'s pattern of loss and sparing raises questions about the strict separation between classically-defined memory types and aligns with a recent proposal by Stanley and Krakauer [2013. Motor skill depends on knowledge of facts. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7,1-11].
Quality takes center stage in transplantation.

Background: With the advent of programs such as the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, surgical services will be compared with their peers across the United States. At times, many programs will experience lower-than-expected outcomes. During July 1, 1998, to June 30, 2000 our 1-year graft (76.86%, P = 0.23) and patient (80.61%, P = 0.016) survivals after liver transplantation were lower than our expected rates (graft 81.89% and patient 88.3%), according to the U.S. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). Methods: We used aggregate root cause analysis to determine underlying reasons for our patient deaths. Two of our surgeons performed a systematic review of all our center's liver transplant patient deaths from January 1, 1995, to December 31, 2000. Each phase of the transplant process was reviewed. Results: Of 355 patients receiving their first transplant, there were 90 deaths, with 188 root causes identified. The apportionment according to phase of the transplant process was patient selection, 50%; transplant procedure, 17%; donor selection, 15%; post-transplant care, 8%, and psychosocial issues, 10%. Risk reduction action plans were developed, and several important changes made in our care protocol. In April 2004, SRTR data revealed that for patients transplanted between January 1, 2001 and June 30, 2003, our 1-year liver graft survival of 90.73% (P = 0.018) was significantly higher than the national expected rate of 84.48%. Our 1-year patient survival rate of 92.66% (P = 0.285) was higher than the expected rate of 89.29%. Conclusions: Lower-than-expected outcomes can provide an impetus for improving patient care and raising the quality of a surgical service. Aggregate root cause analysis of adverse events is a valuable method for program improvement.
Primary Producers in the Sea

We use the term “primary producers” to include a large variety of organisms that manufacture organic compounds, by either photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Photosynthetic primary producers use light-derived energy to convert carbon dioxide into organic carbon compounds that are integrated into cells. Chemosynthetic primary producers use energy stored in inorganic compounds, such as H2S, methane, ammonia, nitrite, sulfur, hydrogen gas, or ferrous iron, to fix carbon dioxide into organic matter. A variety of terms have been used to refer to these different kinds of primary production. Producers that use light to self-(auto-)fix inorganic carbon (CO2) have been called photoautotrophs or photolithotrophs. Chemosynthetic producers that use energy in reduced compounds to fix inorganic carbon have been called chemolithotrophs. In this chapter, we first deal primarily with marine organisms that fix inorganic carbon into organic compounds using external sources of energy, then follow with a short section on chemosynthesis.
The Interplay of Candidate Party and Gender in Evaluations of Political Candidates

ABSTRACTIn this article, we study the interaction between candidate gender and party on voter evaluations. Theories from psychology are the basis for our hypotheses about how candidate identities such as party and gender combine: Party might dominate certain evaluations, gender might dominate others, or gender and party might work in either an additive or interactive way to influence evaluations. Our evidence suggests that both party and gender separately influence candidate evaluations, even when accounting for the other. We discuss implications of these findings for the evaluation of female candidates.
Biosimilars from a practicing rheumatologist perspective: An overview

The earliest experimental trials of monoclonal antibodies took place in the early 1980s using murine monoclonal antibodies directed at human lymphoma and leukemia cell antigens. Since those early trials, therapeutic advances have produced monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins that are now used in multiple disease states including cancers, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, neurologic disorders and others. Modern techniques have led to the development of multiple chimeric or fully humanized immunoglobulin, receptor and fusion proteins targeting cell markers, interleukins or other target proteins involved in pathophysiologic disease processes resulting in marked improvements in many different disease states. As novel innovator patents are about to expire, commercial entities are actively involved in creating follow-on agents that are similar to these original biologic innovator compounds. The hope and promise of these "biosimilars" to society is increased access to more patients at lower costs. The desire of manufacturers is product development at lower cost (lower research and development) with great potential for widespread use and sales. The challenge for regulators and authorities is to develop strategies that do not overlook the safety concerns of physicians and patients by excessively streamlining approval processes and overlooking potential efficacy and immunologic differences compared to the original innovator compounds.
The Christian Schism in Jewish History and Jewish Memory

How did Jews perceive the first Christians? By what means did they come to appreciate Christianity as a religion distinct from their own? In The Christian Schism in Jewish History and Jewish Memory, Professor Joshua Ezra Burns addresses those questions by describing the birth of Christianity as a function of the Jewish past. Surveying a range of ancient evidences, he examines how the authors of Judaism's earliest surviving memories of Christianity speak to the perspectives of rabbinic observers who were conditioned by the unique circumstances of their encounters with Christianity to recognize its adherents as fellow Jews. Only upon the decline of the Church's Jewish demographic were their successors compelled to see Christianity as something other than a variation of Jewish cultural expression. The evolution of thought in the classical Jewish literary record thus offers a dynamic account of Christianity's separation from Judaism counterbalancing the abrupt schism attested in contemporary Christian texts.
Microwave kinetic inductance detectors for UV, optical, and near-IR photon detection and spectroscopy

I will present recent results on Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors for UVOIR photon detection. MKIDs measure the energy and arrival time of incoming photons without read noise or dark current, making them effectively an integral field spectrograph on a chip. Arrays of up to 20 kpix are now under construction for deployment at astronomical observatories around the world.
Endothelial Cell-Derived von Willebrand Factor Is the Major Determinant That Mediates von Willebrand Factor-Dependent Acute Ischemic Stroke by Promoting Postischemic Thrombo-Inflammation.

Objective—von Willebrand factor (VWF), which is synthesized in endothelial cells and megakaryocytes, is known to worsen stroke outcome. In vitro studies suggest that platelet-derived VWF (Plt-VWF) is biochemically different from the endothelial cell–derived VWF (EC-VWF). However, little is known about relative contribution of different pools of VWF in stroke. Approach and Results—Using bone marrow transplantation, we generated chimeric Plt-VWF mice, Plt-VWF mice that lack ADAMTS13 in platelets and plasma (Plt-VWF/Adamts13−/−), and EC-VWF mice to determine relative contribution of different pools of VWF in stroke. In brain ischemia/reperfusion injury model, we found that infarct size and postischemic intracerebral thrombo-inflammation (fibrin(ogen) deposition, neutrophil infiltration, interleukin-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels) within lesions were comparable between EC-VWF and wild-type mice. Infarct size and postischemic thrombo-inflammation were comparable between Plt-VWF and Plt-VWF/Adamts13−/− ...
Statistical Methods for Analytical Comparability

In all manufacturing settings, there is an inherent drive to improve product through the reduction in process variation, implementing new technology, increasing efficiency, optimizing resources, and improving customer experience through innovation. In the pharmaceutical industry, these improvements come with added responsibility to the patient such that product made under the post-improvement or post-change condition maintains the safety and efficacy of the pre-change product. Regulatory agencies recognize the importance in providing manufacturers the flexibility to improve their manufacturing processes (FDA, Guidance Concerning Demonstration of Comparability of Human Biological Products, 1996; ICH Q5E, ICH Guidance for Industry: Q5E Comparability of Biotechnology/Biological Product Subject to Changes in Their Manufacturing Process, 2005). They also acknowledge that some changes may not require additional clinical studies to demonstrate safety and efficacy so that implementation may be more efficient and expeditious to benefit patients. When clinical studies are not necessary, a minimum requirement remains to demonstrate that the post-change product is comparable to the pre-change product. This comparison is known as analytical comparability. Analytical comparability may be demonstrated through the use of statistical and non-statistical methods. The choice of the methodology is not defined by the guidance documents. This paper presents an overview and use of equivalence tests and statistical intervals as options to demonstrate analytical comparability.
The Question of Capacity: Why Enculturated and Trained Animals have much to Tell Us about the Evolution of Language.

For more than a century researchers have used enculturated animals—those extensively trained or reared by humans—to explore the effects of learning and environment on the capacities for linguistic abilities outside of the human line. Unfortunately, due to many controversies, the findings of these studies frequently have been dismissed or outright ignored. However, experimental exploration of the capacities of nonhumans is the only option to determine which, if any, language-associated capacities are unique to humans. Researchers continue to publish findings from language projects that move our understanding forward, including descriptions of capacities, such as gestural comprehension, declarative communication, and categorization, that are frequently considered to be specific biological adaptations.
History and Background of Cognitive Radio Technology

This chapter discusses the history and background of cognitive radio technology. The sophistication possible in a Software Defined Radio (SDR) has now reached the level where each radio can conceivably perform beneficial tasks that help the user, help the network, and help minimize spectral congestion. Some radios are able to demonstrate one or more of these capabilities in limited ways. SDR is a radio in which the properties of carrier frequency, signal bandwidth, modulation, and network access are defined by software. Modern SDR also implements any necessary cryptography, forward error correction coding, and source coding of voice, video, or data in software as well. Today's SDR, in contrast, is a general-purpose device in which the same radio tuner and processors are used to implement many waveforms at many frequencies. The advantage of this approach is that the equipment is more versatile and cost effective.
New cytotoxic terpenoids from the wood of Vepris punctata from the Madagascar Rainforest.

Continuation of the chemical examination of the cytotoxic constituents of the wood of Vepris punctata resulted in the isolation of the two new terpenoids 1 and 2 and eight known compounds, glechomanolide (3), isogermafurenolide, (E,E)-germacra-1(10),4,7(11)-triene, α-amyrin, lupeol, lupeyl acetate, taraxerol, and 3-epi-taraxerol, in addition to the alkaloids reported reported previously. The structures of the two new compounds were established on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data interpretation and chemical modifications. All the isolated compounds were tested against the A2780 human ovarian cancer cell line; the four sequiterpenoids showed moderate cytotoxic activity, while the six triterpenoids were inactive.
Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy in Acute Chest Pain: Current Status and Limitations

Patients with acute chest pain or symptoms suggestive of myocardial ischemia account for a large number of emergency department (ED) visits, approximately 7 million every year in the USA. Over 5 million of these patients are admitted to the hospital [1]. However, only a minority of these patients have symptoms truly due to ischemic heart disease. The remainder does not require admission to the hospital and may cause a tremendous strain on limited economic resources. When the symptoms are classic and accompanied by diagnostic electrocardiographic changes, the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome is straightforward. However, in patients with non-diagnostic ECG changes and classic or non-classic symptoms, appropriate decision making becomes more difficult. This dilemma has led to the exploration of newer diagnostic methods to appropriately risk-stratify patients in a cost-effective and time-sensitive manner.
An overview of perioperative considerations in elderly patients for thoracic surgery: demographics, risk/benefit, and resource planning.

Purpose of review Increasing numbers of geriatric patients will present for thoracic surgery as the population ages. The changes in physiologic reserve as well as the increase in comorbid conditions among this population must be considered in order to optimize patient care in the perioperative period. Recent findings For elderly patients with cancer, the risk-benefit relationship for thoracic surgery remains favorable. Consideration of comorbidities, especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure, is important in the setting of surgical treatment, as they have implications for perioperative care as well as postoperative morbidity and mortality. Overall survival, quality of life, and health status must be considered in decisions regarding cancer treatment. Summary Elderly patients with early-stage lung cancer derive benefit from surgical treatment, despite their increased prevalence of comorbidities, because survival associated with untreated lung cancer is so dismal. Some studies suggest that even late-stage lung cancer patients may benefit from surgery as part of a multimodal approach. Further studies could help target implementation of resources to optimize overall patient health and physiologic condition in order to decrease morbidity and mortality and to optimize quality of life.
Assessing Postfire Vegetative Changes and Implications for Management in a Northeast Florida Coastal Strand Ecosystem

ABSTRACT Coastal ecosystems face numerous well-documented threats that pose significant risk of reduction in the ability of these ecosystems to persevere. Although coastal disturbance processes related to maritime exposure are relatively well known, the past and potential impacts of fire in these ecosystems have not been well studied. Because fire plays such an important role in so many other southeastern ecosystems, and because the areal extent of coastal strand ecosystems has been much reduced, it is important to resolve the role of fire for management of these threatened communities. In 2014, prescribed fire management was undertaken in a protected and relatively intact, 55-ha remnant section of coastal strand in the Guana Tolomato National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean in northeast Florida, USA. The fire history for this area was unknown. We compared burned samples to unburned samples to test whether there were differences in patterns of vegetative response to th...
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF NONLINEAR SURFACE STRESS-DEFORMATION BEHAVIOR WITH THE DEEP CHANNEL SURFACE VISCOMETER

I. ABSTRACT The surface stress-deformation behaviors of three liquid-air interfaces are calculated from measured velocity distributions in these interfaces. The liquids studied are distilled water, a 6% aqueous solution of potassium oleate, and a n-octadecanol monolayer (20.5 a2/molecule) over distilled water. For the interface between air and distilled water, the surface stress is independent of the surface rate of deformation; the surface viscosity is zero. For the interface between air and a 6% aqueous potassium oleate solution, the surface stress is a linear function of the surface rate of deformation; the surface viscosity is 1.74 × 10−4 dyne sec/cm. For the interface between air and a n-octadecanol monolayer (20.5 a2/molecule) over distilled water, the measured velocity distribution is not described well by assuming that the surface stress is a linear function of the surface rate of deformation. Instead, an analysis suggested by Hegde and Slattery (27) is used to calculate the apparent surface shear viscosity of the phase interface as a function of the surface rate of deformation. The apparent surface shear viscosity decreases as a function of the absolute value of the surface rate of deformation in a manner analogous to that observed with bulk stress-deformation behavior.
Infection with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus and Streptococcus suis changes the pharmacokinetics of ceftiofur hydrochloride in swine

Treatment regimens for drugs approved for use in swine are derived from pharmacokinetic (PK) studies completed in healthy pigs. There are few studies examining the impact of disease on pharmacokinetics, and these studies have evaluated a limited number of drugs in few species. The same pharmacokinetic parameters were not uniformly affected between studies, however, a commonality exists that disease impacts pharmacokinetics. The pharmacokinetics of ceftiofur hydrochloride has been broadly investigated in clinically normal pigs, but information on the pharmacokinetics in Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) and Streptococcus suis co-infected pigs has not been reported. Original research was conducted to provide additional information on how disease affects the PK profile of ceftiofur hydrochloride, a commonly used antimicrobial in swine. A PRRSV and Streptococcus suis coinfection model was selected due to the common occurrence of this coinfection in the field, its significant impacts on production, and lack of effective Streptococcus suis control measures. Study results revealed the pharmacokinetic profile of ceftiofur was altered by disease. Coinfected pigs demonstrated a decrease in AUC and a reduction in CMAX, but showed an increase in Cl/F and a higher Vz/F. These alterations have implications on treatment regimens when using ceftiofur products, as lower plasma concentrations and higher clearance rates reduce the likelihood of achieving effective plasma levels relative to Streptococcus suis MICs in the presence of PRRS virus. There remains a need for continuing research to evaluate the impact of disease on pharmacokinetics. Research should focus on evaluating different disease models and
Multibody Dynamics Formulation

In this chapter, a methodology for automatic generation of the equations of motion for rigid multibody systems is reviewed. The methodology is based on two formulations: body-coordinate formulation that uses Newton–Euler equations; and joint-coordinate formulation that employs relative coordinates. A systematic transformation process from the body into the joint-coordinate formulation is described. This methodology provides an effective and efficient formulation for constructing the equations of motion for multibody systems, in general, and for robotic devices in particular. A simple example is provided to demonstrate the implication of the methodology. In the final section, a list of some available commercial and free multibody dynamic software is presented.
Exclusive Study of Heavy Ion Collisions Using 2–8 A GeV Au Beams: Status of AGS Experiment E895

The Time-Projection-Chamber (TPC) from the Equation-of-State (EOS) experiment at the Bevalac has been successfully installed and operated at the BNL Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS). Using Au beams accelerated to energies in the 2–8 A GeV range, we are investigating the global characteristics of nuclear matter at high energy and baryon density, with specific emphasis on the energy dependence of collective-phenomena observables. In two runs completed to date, high statistics data were recorded at four Au beam energies using Au targets, and with less statistics on Be, Cu, and Ag targets. The E895 experiment will be described and some preliminary results presented.
Introduction to Benign and Malignant Disease of the Female Pelvis

There is increasing evidence that cancer of the cervix and viral disease are related, and that benign disease and in situ neoplastic disease may coexist in many instances (NOVAK and WOODRUFF 1979, pp 111–127). While many of the inflammatory disease entities involving the cervix uteri are diagnosed at colposcopy, some lesions may present as mass lesions on endovaginal ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Learning about machine learning through tic-tac-toe competition scenarios

In the movie "War Games", a global thermonuclear disaster was avoided because a computer program learned that tic-tac-toe has no winning move. But what assumptions about machine learning are necessary to get that result? This paper describes an experiment involving machine learning agents playing tic-tac-toe against each other using a variety of learning algorithms. The results indicate that the game tic-tac-toe has a distinct first mover advantage that influences the learning outcomes. The results also show that different learning strategies produce different learning results. These findings may be valuable to the discussion of machine learning in more complex environments.
Hypothalamic Obesity: 4 Years of the International Registry of Hypothalamic Obesity Disorders.

Objective Hypothalamic obesity (HyOb) is a rare cause of rapid weight gain and early metabolic comorbidities. Effective treatment strategies are limited. The registry collected participant data and compared treatment approaches. Methods The International Registry of Hypothalamic Obesity Disorders (IRHOD) was created as a registry portal to provide education. Data collected from the initial 4 years were evaluated. Results Eighty-seven participants were included for analysis (median age: 27 years, range: 3-71 years). A total of 96.5% had obesity, and 3.5% had overweight at maximal weight. Seventy-five had brain tumors (86%)-the majority were craniopharyngiomas (72% of those with tumors). Nontumor etiologies included congenital brain malformation (4.6%), traumatic brain injury (3.4%), and genetic anomaly (2.3%). Ninety percent received obesity treatments including nutritional counseling (82%), pharmacotherapy (59%), bariatric surgery (8%), and vagal nerve stimulation (1%). Forty-six percent reported follow-up BMI results after obesity treatment. Surgery was most effective (median BMI decrease: -8.2 kg/m2 , median interval: 2.6 years), with lifestyle intervention (BMI: -3.4 kg/m2 , interval: 1.2 years) and pharmacological therapy (BMI: -2.3 kg/m2 , interval: 0.8 years) being less effective. Eighty percent of participants reporting follow-up weight remained in the obesity range. Conclusions IRHOD identified a large cohort with self-reported HyOb. Surgical therapy was most effective at weight reduction. Nutritional counseling and pharmacotherapy modestly improved BMI. Stepwise treatment strategy for HyOb (including nutritional, pharmacological, and surgical therapies in an experienced center) may be most valuable.
The One and the Many: Relational Approaches to Group Psychotherapy. By Robert Grossmark and Fred Wright. New York, NY: Routledge, 2015, 286 pp.

There are many hypotheses about when group therapy began. However, there is little doubt that group therapy gained real traction because of World War II, when the number of individuals needing help...
The effects of preceding sound and stimulus duration on measures of suppression in younger and older adults

Despite clinically normal audiometric thresholds, some older adults may experience difficulty in tasks such as understanding speech in a noisy environment. One potential reason may be reduced cochlear nonlinearity. A sensitive measure of cochlear nonlinearity is two-tone suppression, which is a reduction in the auditory system's response to one tone in the presence of a second tone. Previous research has been mixed on whether suppression decreases with age in humans. Studies of efferent cochlear gain reduction also suggest that stimulus duration should be considered in measuring suppression. In the present study, suppression was first measured psychoacoustically using stimuli that were too short to result in gain reduction. The potential effect of efferent cochlear gain reduction was then measured by using longer stimuli and presenting tonal or noise precursors before the shorter stimuli. Younger adults (ages 19–22 yr) and older adults (ages 57+ yr) with clinically normal hearing were tested. Suppression estimates decreased with longer stimuli or preceding sound which included the signal frequency, but did not decrease with preceding sound at the suppressor frequency. On average, the older group had lower suppression than the younger group, but this difference was not statistically significant.
A Qualitative Analysis of Resident Adverse Event Reporting: What’s Holding Us Back:

This study utilized focus groups of residents, who report adverse events at differing rates depending on their hospital site, to better understand barriers to residents' reporting and identify modifiable aspects of an institution's culture that could encourage resident event reporting. Focus groups included residents who rotated at 3 hospitals and represented 4 training programs. Focus groups were audio recorded and analyzed using qualitative methods. A total of 64 residents participated in 8 focus groups. Reporting behavior varied by hospital culture. Residents worried about damage to their professional relationships and lacked insight into the benefits of multiple reports of the same event or how human factors engineering can prevent errors. Residents did not understand how reporting affects litigation. Residents at other academic institutions likely experience similar barriers. This study illustrates that resident reporting is modifiable by changing hospital culture, but hospitals have only a few opportunities to mishandle reporting before resident reporting attitudes solidify.
Central Angiotensin-II Increases Renal Sympathetic Nerve Activity Via Rho Kinase Activation in Conscious Rabbits

BackgroundA growing body of evidence implicates elevated renal sympathetic tone and activation of the renin-angiotensin system in the pathogenesis and progression of cardiovascular disease. The Rho...
Rhizosphere Aeration Improves Nitrogen Transformation in Soil, and Nitrogen Absorption and Accumulation in Rice Plants

Abstract Two rice cultivars (Xiushui 09 and Chunyou 84) were used to evaluate the effects of various soil oxygen (O2) conditions on soil nitrogen (N) transformation, absorption and accumulation in rice plants. The treatments were continuous flooding (CF), continuous flooding and aeration (CFA), and alternate wetting and drying (AWD). The results showed that the AWD and CFA treatments improved soil N transformation, rice growth, and N absorption and accumulation. Soil NO3– content, nitrification activity and ammonia-oxidising bacteria abundance, leaf area, nitrate reductase activity, and N absorption and accumulation in rice all increased in both cultivars. However, soil microbial biomass carbon and pH did not significantly change during the whole period of rice growth. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between the nitrification activity and ammonia-oxidising bacteria abundance, and both of them significantly increased as the total N accumulation in rice increased. Our results indicated that improved soil O2 conditions led to changing soil N cycling and contributed to increases in N absorption and accumulation by rice in paddy fields.
Comparison of Neutralizing Buffer and Sampling Sponges on Hot Beef Carcasses

ObjectivesThis study was conducted to investigate the capabilities of 2 sampling sponge types in neutralizing samples and recovering bacterial cells obtained from beef carcasses following antimicrobial interventions. A cellulose sponge hydrated with Dey-Engley (D/E) and a polyurethane sponge hydrated with High Capacity (Hi-Cap) neutralizing buffer were compared.Materials and MethodsSamples were evaluated on pH and bacterial cell recovery to determine neutralizing capabilities. Sampling was conducted over 2 d at a commercial beef slaughter plant. For pH analysis, (n = 30) D/E and Hi-Cap sponges were used to swab beef carcasses following antimicrobial acid treatment. The pH samples were obtained by swabbing on the allotted area for a total of 15 samples per sponge type, per day. Cell recovery was tested with over 2 d (n = 70, 35 of each sample type a day). Both pH and cell recovery samples were obtained by swabbing a 100 cm2 area (10 × 10 cm). To standardize samples, 10 horizontal passes were taken then the sponge was flipped and 10 vertical passes were made. Samples were transported in an insulated cooler to the Colorado State University Food Safety Laboratory for immediate plating and analysis. The pH samples were homogenized using a Stomacher Paddle Blender. A pH probe was then used to obtain pH readings for the neutralized solution in each sample. Prior to microbiological analysis, Butterfield’s diluent was added to the sampling bags for a total of 20 mL diluent, including each of the tested buffers, and subsequently homogenized. Samples were then serially diluted 10-fold in 0.1% buffered peptone water and surface plated on tryptic soy agar (TSA) to enumerate total plate counts. Plates were incubated for 72 h at 25°C, then counted. All plate counts were log converted and differences were assessed using the PROC Mixed Procedures in SAS version 9.4 (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC); difference were reported at P < 0.05.ResultsD/E neutralized samples to an average pH of 6.83 and Hi-Cap to an average of 5.90. Though D/E did have a statistically (P < 0.05) higher neutralizing ability, both sponge types had a neutralizing effect raising the pH above 5.4–5.8, the average pH of beef carcasses. Furthermore, there was no difference (P = 0.34) in cell recovery between D/E and Hi-Cap buffered sponges.ConclusionBoth D/E and Hi-Cap had similar cell recovery and successful neutralization pH above the average pH of a beef carcass. Either sponge is appropriate for plant testing of acidic antimicrobial interventions and subsequent transport to an off-site laboratory for further processing and analysis.
US Public Concerns About the COVID-19 Pandemic From Results of a Survey Given via Social Media.

This survey study assessed public concerns about symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 and individual actions in response to the pandemic.
Healthcare worker mask reuse in a global pandemic: Using idle resources to create an inexpensive, scalable, and accessible UV system for N95 sterilization

ABSTRACT As the current COVID-19 pandemic illustrates, not all hospitals and other facilities are equipped with enough personal protective equipment to meet the demand in a crisis. Healthcare workers around the world utilize N95 masks to protect themselves and their patients, yet during this global pandemic they are forced to re-wear what is intended to be single-use masks. This poses significant risk to these healthcare workers along with the populations they are trying to protect. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) has been validated previously as a way to effectively sterilize these masks between use, however, not all facilities have access to the high cost commercial UV-C lamp sterilization equipment. However, UV-C bulbs are sitting idle in biosafety cabinets (BSCs) at universities and research facilities around the globe that have been shuttered to slow the spread of COVID-19. These bulbs may also be available in existing medical centers where infectious diseases are commonly treated. Therefore, we have developed a method to modify existing light fixtures, or create custom light fixtures compatible with new or existing common UV-C bulbs. This system is scalable and can be created for less than 50 US dollars, on site, at the point of need, and leverages resources that are currently untapped and sitting unused in public and private research facilities. The freely-accessible design can be easily modified for use around the world. Hospitals can obtain this potentially life-saving UVGI resource with minimal funds, via collaboration between research facilities to obtain the UV-C meters and limited availability UVGI bulbs. While mask reuse is not ideal, we must do what we can in emergency situations to protect our frontline healthcare workers and the communities they serve.
High-Frequency, Multiclass Nonintrusive Load Monitoring for Grid-Interactive Residential Buildings

Smart buildings with net-load metering and control capabilities can provide valuable flexibility to grid operators. This article develops a novel approach for high-frequency, multiclass nonintrusive load monitoring (NILM) that enables effective net-load monitoring capabilities with minimal additional equipment and cost. Relative to existing NILM work, the proposed solution operates at a faster timescale, providing accurate multiclass state predictions for each 60-Hz ac cycle without relying on event-detection techniques. The approach is validated using a test bed with residential appliances and shown to have high accuracy, good generalization properties, and sufficient response time to support building grid-interactive control at fast timescales relevant to the provision of grid frequency support services.
Gallbladder squamous cell carcinoma: An analysis of 1084 cases from the National Cancer Database

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Gallbladder squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an uncommon malignancy whose rarity has made it particularly challenging to study. We utilized a national database to shed light on the clinicopathologic characteristics, management patterns, and survival associated with these tumors. METHODS Patients with gallbladder SCC were identified in the National Cancer Database. Clinicopathologic and treatment characteristics were recorded and compared with adenocarcinoma for context. Univariate and multivariable survival analyses were completed for patients who underwent resection. RESULTS Overall, 1084 patients with SCC and 23 958 patients with adenocarcinoma were identified. Compared with those with adenocarcinoma, patients with SCC had higher grade tumors (P < .001) and were diagnosed at a later stage (P < .001). Patients with SCC were more likely to undergo radical cholecystectomy (17% vs 9%; P < .001), but had a higher rate of margin positivity (36% vs 29%; P < .001). SCC histology was associated with worse survival compared with adenocarcinoma, even after adjusting for R0 resections (13 vs 29 months; P < .001). On multivariable analysis, SCC histology was independently associated with abbreviated survival (P = .003). CONCLUSIONS Gallbladder SCCs are aggressive cancers that often present at an advanced stage. Complete surgical extirpation should be pursued when feasible. However, prognosis is worse than that of adenocarcinoma, even after R0 resection.