cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Delay-dependent contributions of medial temporal lobe regions to episodic memory retrieval

In 1953, an American man called Henry Molaison underwent surgery to remove the medial temporal lobes of his brain in an effort to cure him of severe epilepsy. After the surgery, his epilepsy was indeed improved, but he was left without the ability to form new memories. His case is now seen as one of the first demonstrations of the medial temporal lobes being involved in memory. Beneath the surface of each medial temporal lobe is a structure called the hippocampus, which is essential for the formation of new memories. However, memories are not stored permanently within the hippocampus: instead they are transferred ultimately to the neocortex, which is the outer layer of the brain. Some neuroscientists believe that the content of memories remains unchanged during this transfer, whereas others argue that memories are stripped of their context—that is, details of when and where they were acquired—before they reach the neocortex. In a brain imaging experiment, Ritchey et al. have now attempted to distinguish between these two possibilities. Volunteers were asked to memorize sentences linking an object to a room, such as ‘the apple is in the bedroom’, on two occasions 24 hr apart. Immediately after the second session, the volunteers were asked to complete memory tests while lying in the brain scanner. In one test the volunteer was shown a list of objects and asked to identify those objects they could recall seeing in either of the training sessions, and to identify objects they recognised as familiar, even if they could not specifically remember seeing these objects during training sessions. Analysis of the brain imaging data revealed that regions of the medial temporal lobes were more active when the volunteers recalled objects than when they recognised them as familiar. Moreover, for the ‘recall’ responses—in which the volunteers could still retrieve contextual information—the activity of the hippocampus depended on the age of the memories. The anterior (front) part of the hippocampus was active when subjects recalled either new memories or memories from 24 hr previously, whereas the posterior (rear) hippocampus was active only during the recall of new memories. In addition, patterns of activity observed in the anterior hippocampus could be used to determine which room was previously associated with the object. This suggests that contextual information is retained in the anterior hippocampus, but lost from the posterior hippocampus over time. Overall the results of Ritchey et al. highlight the fact that individual components of the medial temporal lobes, including hippocampal subregions, have distinct roles in the storage of memories, with these roles also changing over time. Moreover, the data lend support to the idea that contextual information may be lost from memories before they reach the neocortex.
Multiagent elite search strategy for combinatorial optimization problems

Ant Colony System is a new meta heuristics algorithms to solve hard combinatorial optimization problems. It is a population based approach that uses exploitation of positive feedback as well as greedy search. In this paper, we propose a multi colony interaction ant model that achieves positive·negative interaction through an elite strategy divided by intensification strategy and diversification strategy to improve the performance of original ACS. Positive interaction makes agents belonging to other colony to select the high frequency of the visit of edge, and negative interaction makes to escape the selection of relevant edge. And, we compares with original ACS method for the performance. This multi colony interaction ant model can be applied effectively in occasion that problem regions are big and complex, parallel processing is available, and can improve the performance ACS model.
Attachment to Volunteering

We propose that volunteers' attachment to their work is determined by the level of resources they bring to it, the rewards they derive from it, and the context in which the work is carried out. We test this theory using two waves of the Americans' Changing Lives panel study (1986–1989). The resources part of the theory is supported: the likelihood of remaining in the volunteer labor force across the two waves is greater for the more highly educated, those who report higher rates of formal and informal social interaction, and those who have children in the household—the last effect is stronger for women. Respondents reporting an increase in regular working hours across the two waves are more likely to cease volunteering. However, declining functional ability has no effect on attachment. The reward part of the theory is not consistently supported. Commitment to volunteer work in the first wave (measured by hours volunteered) predicts being a volunteer in the second, but enjoying the work has no effect, and being satisfied with the results of the work decreases attachment. Compared to a number of other work contexts, church-related volunteering in the first wave is the strongest predictor of being a volunteer in the second.
Structural Modeling of Hexameric and Tetrameric Ion Conduction Pathways of Orai1 Channel

Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels mediate Ca2+ entry in response to store depletion in a variety of cell types. Endogenous CRAC channels in mammals are formed by a homomeric assembly of Orai1 proteins. Earlier functional studies involving chemical cross-linking of different numbers of wild-type Orai1 subunits, electrophysiological recordings and single molecule fluorescence analysis techniques as well as high-resolution electron microscopic examination of purified Orai proteins strongly indicated that functional Orai channels were most likely tetramers. In contrast, study of crystals containing holo-dOrai channel complexes from Drosophila melanogaster, revealed that a single channel complex contains six dOrai subunits. The hexameric CRAC channel stoichiometry was further supported by cross-linking and size-exclusion chromatography studies of the Drosophila Orai. Recent functional study revealed that expression of concatenated hexameric Orai1 channel produces a non-selective cation channel with biophysical properties essentially different from those of endogenous CRAC channels or channels formed by expressed concatenated tetrameric Orai1 proteins. Thus, the studies reported are far from conclusive but they do indicate the need for further investigation of Orai1 channel stoichiometry. Accordingly, we generated structural models of Orai1 ion conduction pathway formed by tetrameric or hexameric assembly of Orai1 pore-lining TM1 segments using Rosetta fold and dock protocol. Based on available experimental data we constrained proximity of several key residues lining Orai1 ion conduction pathway during simulations. Among the lowest energy and most frequently sampled conformations of Orai TM1 hexamers generated by Rosetta, we identified structural models that were in close agreement with Orai structure in the transmembrane region proposed based on crystallographic data analysis. Our preliminary models of Orai TM1 tetramers suggest alternative structural topology forming ion conduction pathway, which may account for the differences in ionic selectivity of hexameric and tetrameric Orai1 channels.
The relationship between hiccups and heart rate in the fetus

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of fetal hiccups on fetal heart rate from 20 weeks of gestation onward.Methods. One thousand four hundred and fifty-six collected fetal heart rate tracings from three cohorts that participated in longitudinal studies of fetal neurobehavioral development were reviewed retrospectively for fetal hiccups. Tracings were recorded at four-week intervals from 20 weeks. A hiccup-free period before or after the episode of hiccups was used as the control fetal heart rate; thus each fetus was used as its own control. The paired t-test was used for statistical analysis.Results. From 28 weeks onward, the mean fetal heart rate increased with hiccups reaching statistical significance at 32 weeks. Fetal heart rate variability was unaffected by hiccups until 36 weeks, at which time it decreased during hiccup periods.Conclusion. This change in response to fetal hiccups may represent another neurodevelopment milestone for the fetus.
A dynamically configurable networked knowledge-based system for group decision-making

A group decision support system should ideally be tailored to the needs of the group on a continuous basis. Since most groups are formed and disbanded frequently, it is usually not feasible to create a group decision support system tailored to meet the specific needs of each group unless there already exists an infrastructure within the organization's computer system to do so. The authors propose such an infrastructure, namely a networked knowledge-based system that can be dynamically configured and reconfigured. The proposed framework allows group members to exchange data and information outside of meetings, resulting in more productive meetings. It can also minimize the necessity for interaction between group members outside of meetings, thus allowing them to utilize their time better. >
When is a Nudge a Shove? The Case for Preference-Neutrality

Bertrand Russell argued that freedom is the ability to do what you want. This definition of freedom is insufficient when - as with advances in behavioral psychology - government officials are able to subtly influence behavior by influencing the body politic's very desires. Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler demonstrate this error with libertarian paternalism, a form of paternalism that does not foreclose choice, but instead shapes citizens' preferences. While they would argue that such policies are liberty-preserving, I argue that such policies can be dangerously oppressive. To counteract the oppressive nature of Sunstein and Thaler's policies, government officials should adopt an attitude of preference-neutrality, that is, a refrain from championing certain values that reasonable people can disagree with.
Short Time Proper Orthogonal Decomposition for State Estimation of Transient Flow Fields

Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) has been used extensively in the past for estimation and low dimensional modeling of both steady and time periodic flow fields. We demonstrate how POD can be successfully applied to transient flow fields by using snapshots acquired over short time periods. Using snapshot ensembles of exactly one cycle of the dominant flow field frequency in length, it is possible to correctly model and estimate transient flow fields. The onset of vortex shedding in a circular cylinder wake simulation as well as a feedback controlled cylinder wake flow are used to demonstrate the capabilities of this short time proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD) procedure. In comparison to traditional and recently published modified POD methods, SPOD improves the estimation accuracy while reducing the number of sensors employed from 35 to 8.
Aflatoxin occurrence in some white corn under loan, 1971: IV. Mold flora.

SUMMARY An extensive, as well as an intensive, study was made of white corn under government loan as it was delivered in 1972 to the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service at Diehlstadt, Missouri. The corn (450,000 bu) came from 77 loans and had been stored on farms. From each of the 1,283 trucks representative samples of corn were taken and ground for aflatoxin assay; a small portion was used to streak plates of yeast extract agar containing tetracycline. After incubation for 5 days at 28 C, the plates were read under a dissecting microscope for the common types of molds with special emphasis on the presence of the Aspergillus flavus group. A rough estimation was made of the A. flavus colonies per plate. Other molds recorded were A. niger, A. fumtigatus, A. terreus, A. glaucus group; species of Trichoderma, Penicillium, Fusarium, Rhizopus, Mucor, and Absidia. Of the 1,283 samples, each representing a truckload of corn, 394 contained aflatoxin, and of these, A. flavzs group was present in all but seven. The molds most common in the 1,283 samples were Penicillium sp. (94%), Fusarium sp. (89%), A. flazus (82%), and A. niger (71%). Aspergillus parasiticus was seen in only 15 times. No correlation seemed to exist between the grade of corn and the presence of A. flavus. However with some molds, a higher percentage occurred in the poorer grades. When actual counts of A. flavus were made on corn from three loans, the occurrence of A. flavus closely paralleled the aflatoxin content of the corn samples.
The Colors of Desert Water Beetles--Environmental Effect Or Protective Coloration?

The best explanation for the preponderance of brightly colored and distinctly patterned water beetles in the desert regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico is that such coloration and marking is disruptive and helps conceal the beetles from predators in the desert streams and pools. The colors and patterns have undoubtedly developed as the effect of random gene mutations acted upon by natural selection. Some mutations producing lighter patterns may still be in a condition of balanced polymorphism with the original dark pattern genes. There is little evidence for environmental production of the light colors and patterns, and none for the genetic fixation of originally environmentally produced, nonadaptive modifications.
Phonology and morphology in Dutch indefinite determiner syncretism: Spatial and quantitative perspectives

This paper uses dialect data to disentangle the contributions of phonology and morphology to the emergence of gender syncretism in the Dutch determiner paradigm. Quantitative and spatio-statistical analyses are used to identify an inverse relationship between phonological erosion and adoption of the innovative syncretic system, counter to expectation. That inverse relationship is shown to obscure the parallel development of the determiners in masculine and feminine contexts, leading to the suggestion that the syncretism results from a single morphological change triggered by phonological variability.
Woodpecker Preclation on Red Oak Borer in Black, Scarlet, and Northern Red Oak

Woodpeckers rank high among the natural agents that help to control the red oak borer, Enaphalodcs rufulus (Haldeman), which infests living oak trees in Ohio. The hairy woodpecker, Dendrocopus villosus , and the downy woodpecker, D. pubescens , commonly peck on borerinfested trees. The red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus , and the red-bellied woodpecker, Centurus carolinus, do this only occasionally, although Solomon (1969) reported that these species prey upon red oak borers in oaks of less than 6 in. diameter in Mississippi and Arkansas.
Genetics of Psoriasis

Psoriasis has long been considered a genetic disorder. The first observation that psoriasis is an inherited, familial skin disorder was made in 1957. Extensive epidemiologic evidence and monozygotic twin concordance studies confirmed familial clustering of this chronic inflammatory disease and drove scientific investigation into the genetic basis of psoriasis. Since 1957, the list of psoriasis-associated genetic polymorphisms, including some rare causal mutations, has grown tremendously due to advanced high-throughput genotyping platforms and statistical methods. Nevertheless, the majority of psoriasis patients lack known psoriasis-associated susceptibility loci and the exact molecular mechanisms by which polymorphisms contribute to psoriasis remains poorly understood. Recent work points to a complex interplay between genetics, epigenetics, and the inflammatory signaling networks of skin and immune cell mediators. In contrast, other mutations appear to be causative, such as the recently identified mutations in IL36RN and CARD14, and shed light on new immunologic pathways driving pustular psoriasis. Evidence is also rapidly accumulating for the role of epigenetic changes in psoriasis heritability. The decreasing cost and rapid advancements in genetic technologies in combination with the formation of multi-institutional patient registries will likely result in a better understanding of the “missing heritability” in psoriasis and other complex, multigenic diseases.
Molecular Heterogeneity Within the Clinical Diagnosis of Pericentral Retinal Degeneration.

Purpose To characterize in detail the phenotype and genotype of patients with pericentral retinal degeneration (PRD).
Likelihood-based inference for multivariate space-time wrapped-Gaussian fields

ABSTRACTDirectional spatial data, typically represented through angles, are of central importance in many scientific disciplines, such as environmental sciences, oceanography and meteorology, among others. We propose a wrapped-Gaussian field to model directions in a multivariate spatial or spatio-temporal context. The n-dimensional distributions of a wrapped Gaussian field can be written as a sum over the n-dimensional lattice of Rn, making likelihood-based inference impracticable. We adopt a parametric approach and develop composite likelihood methods to estimate the parameters associated with location, as well as the spatial or spatio-temporal dependence. Our approach outperforms the analytical and computational limitations of full likelihood, because it works with the marginal bivariate distributions of the random field. We study the performance of the method through simulation experiments and by analysing a real data set of wave directions from the Adriatic coast of Italy.
Correlation of different CT densities of untreated dedifferentiated liposarcoma (ddLPS) with rate of growth.

10580 Background: The biologic behavior of ddLPS is spatially and temporally heterogeneous. On imaging, untreated ddLPS shows widely varied CT densities. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed ...
The use of predictive analytics technology to detect credit card fraud in Canada

Credit card fraud losses in Canada continue to increase despite the availability of various prevention technologies. To reduce financial loss and reputational risks, credit card companies and financial institutions in Canada have adopted fraud monitoring solutions such as Predictive Analytics Technologies (PAT) as part of fraud prevention programs to mitigate credit card fraud. This research paper focuses on the creation of a scorecard from relevant evaluation criteria, features, and capabilities of predictive analytics vendor solutions currently being used to detect credit card fraud. The scorecard provides a side-by-side comparison of five credit card predictive analytics vendor solutions adopted in Canada. From the ensuing research findings, a list of credit card fraud PAT vendor solution challenges, risks, and limitations was outlined.
Problems in Peirce's early critique of Cartesianism

Charles Peirce's public career as an epistemologist begins in the mid-1860s with a critique of Descartes' intuitionism. This is a fitting beginning. For Peirce, “Descartes is the father of modern philosophy.” Through his critique of the father, Peirce hopes to launch his reform of all the children: an attempt to restructure the entire project of modern philosophy by referring it back to its errant origins and then forward again, to its proper mission. Most Peirce scholars believe Peirce fails in this attempt, because he fails to fulfill his own goal of formulating this mission a priori . I hope to show, instead, that Peirce sets himself this goal errantly and that he comes much closer to fulfilling his own proper mission: to place the modern project of philosophy back in the pre-modern tradition of practice from which it has sought to divorce itself. No single thinker wrote the bill of divorce per se , but Descartes offers a prototypical transcription. Through three essays published in 1868–9, Peirce holds the Cartesian prototype up for inspection. He identifies Descartes' fundamental error. He does not yet succeed, however, in repairing it. In this chapter, I put the Pragmatic Method of Reading to use. First, I review Peirce's explicit texts on Descartes, showing both how Peirce hoped to subject Descartes' texts to a comparable reading and how he failed to complete the reading successfully. Peirce's texts display contradictions not unlike those he identifies in Descartes' argumentation.
Construct System Development and Dimensions of Judgment.

This paper reports the results of an investigation of the link between construct system development and evaluation along certain dimensions of judgment. Three potential dimensions of judgment tied to classroom goals and effectiveness criteria (task, relational, and communicative) were identified, and results indicated that students who possessed more differentiated construct systems for construing teachers viewed the classroom situation in a more multidimensional fashion. This result supports recent constructivist theory.
EFFECT OF HYPERTENSIVE STRESS ON PLASMA DOPAMINE-β-HYDROXYLASE ACTIVITY AND PROSTAGLANDINS IN QUADRIPLEGIA

Publisher Summary Quadriplegic subjects are afflicted with “autonomic hyperreflexia” or “autonomic dysreflexia,” a term describing several events that are manifested by cardiovascular symptoms. Autonomic dysreflexia occurs in the subjects with lesion above the sympathetic outflow from the spinal cord. The condition can be elicited by the distension of the hollow viscera or by chemical, tactile, or pressure stimuli applied to the body below the level of the spinal cord transection. The syndrome is characterized by paroxysmal hypertension, including pallor of the skin below and profuse flushing and diaphoresis above the level of the lesion Hypertensive episodes are accompanied by an extreme rise in arterial blood pressure, bradycardia, severe headache, and chest pain. It has been reported that peripheral circulation and catecholamine metabolism in quadriplegic subjects is abnormal in the resting state. It has been shown that the release of dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DβH), the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE) from dopamine (DA) was enhanced during hyperreflexia in quadriplegia. It was reported that infusion of prostaglandins causes headache and they have been associated with carcinoid disease in which severe headache, concomitant with a flushing episode is a prominent feature.
Transcriptional Regulation Via GATA Switches: Proteasome-Mediated Exchange of Chromatin-Bound GATA Factors.

The transcription factors GATA-1 and GATA-2 confer both shared and unique activities to regulate hematopoiesis. GATA-2 is essential for the survival and proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and multipotent hematopoietic precursors, whereas GATA-1 is critical for erythropoiesis. GATA-1 and GATA-2 are expressed reciprocally during erythropoiesis, with GATA-2 expression preceding that of GATA-1. Erythroid maturation appears to require GATA-2 repression. We have shown that chromatin-bound GATA-2 is displaced by GATA-1, which instigates a distinct transcriptional output at the respective locus. We hypothesize that such “GATA switches” are an important transcriptional mechanism that drives erythropoiesis. Their distinct transcriptional outputs suggest that GATA-1 and GATA-2 have unique biochemical properties. However, biochemical analyses have primarily identified similarities between the factors. For instance, the two zinc fingers of GATA-1 are highly homologous to those of GATA-2, and therefore both factors interact with the cofactor FOG-1 and bind an identical WGATAR sequence with high affinity. We found that GATA-2 is considerably less stable than GATA-1. Studies using cycloheximide to block protein synthesis in erythroid precursor cell lines derived from embryonic stem cells indicate that the half-life of endogenous GATA-2 is ~45–90 min, whereas that of endogenous GATA-1 is >4 h. Biosynthetic labeling studies to measure the stabilities of endogenous GATA-1 and GATA-2 expressed in the same cell confirmed that GATA-2 is considerably less stable than GATA-1. GATA-2 levels increase in cells treated with the proteasome inhibitors MG132 or clasto -lactacystin β-lactone. Importantly, we have found that rapid GATA-2 proteolysis is essential for the proper temporal control of erythroid-specific gene transcription. Quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that proteasomal inhibition attenuated the ability of GATA-1 to displace GATA-2 from target genes, which are regulated by GATA switches. Proteasomal inhibition resulted in impaired GATA-2 displacement from GATA-2 , and consequently a significantly lower degree of GATA-2 repression. Proteasomal inhibition also diminished GATA-1-mediated displacement of GATA-2 from GATA-1 , α -globin , and ALAS-2 , genes at which GATA switches precede transcriptional activation. We have therefore identified the 26S proteasome as a key regulator of GATA factor exchange on chromatin. Our studies indicate that rapid proteasomal degradation of GATA-2 is required for GATA-1 and GATA-2 to establish unique patterns of gene expression during erythropoiesis. Studies are underway to determine whether GATA-2 is similarly unstable in multipotent hematopoietic precursors, or if its instability is established upon commitment to the erythroid lineage.
Impact of Transient Credit on Undergraduate Students and Their Institutions

In this paper, we report on archival and survey research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, examining the correlates and consequences of transient summer credit (summer credit earned at other institutions and transferred back to a studentâ€™s home university) for students and institutions. We also provide data-based recommendations for effective transient credit policy and the successful marketing and delivery of summer session programs that serve the academic needs of degree-seeking students.
Incidence of acute cellular rejection following granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administration in lung transplantation: A retrospective case-cohort analysis.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) is an option to treat leukopenia in lung transplant recipients. Conflicting evidence exists regarding its effects on acute cellular rejection (ACR). A retrospective, case-cohort study was conducted to assess whether the use of GCSF in lung transplant recipients is associated with an increased incidence of ACR. Patients had to have received at least one dose of GCSF but were excluded if they received GCSF within 30 days prior to transplant or received a lymphocyte-depleting agent within 14 days of GCSF administration. Thirty-five patients who received GCSF within 3 months of transplant met inclusion criteria and 105 patients were identified as controls based on a 1:3 allocation scheme. Incidence of ACR was 57.1% in the GCSF group versus 50.5% in the control group (relative risk (RR)=1.13; 95% CI, 0.80 to 1.59; P=.48). At 3 months post-transplant, 74.3% of the GCSF group had a dose reduction or discontinuation of their antiproliferative agent versus 17.1% of the control group (RR=4.33; 95% CI, 2.73 to 6.89; P<.0001). Rejection severity and incidence of infections was similar among groups. These findings show that GCSF administration within 3 months following lung transplantation was not associated with a higher incidence or severity of ACR.
Compatibility issues between electrodes and electrolytes in solid-state batteries

Remarkable success has been achieved in the discovery of ceramic alkali superionic conductors as electrolytes in solid-state batteries; however, obtaining a stable interface between these electrolytes and electrodes is difficult. Only limited studies on the compatibility between electrodes and solid electrolytes have been reported, partially because of the need for expensive instrumentation and special cell designs. Without simple yet powerful tools, these compatibility issues cannot be systematically investigated, thus hindering the generalization of design rules for the integration of solid-state battery components. Herein, we present a methodology that combines density functional theory calculations and simple experimental techniques such as X-ray diffraction, simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis, and electrochemistry to efficiently screen the compatibility of numerous electrode/electrolyte pairs. We systemically distinguish between the electrochemical stability of the solid-state conductor, which is relevant wherever the electrolyte contacts an electron pathway, and the electrochemical stability of the electrode/electrolyte interfaces. For the solid electrolyte, we are able to computationally derive an absolute thermodynamic stability voltage window, which is small for Na3PS4 and Na3PSe4, and a larger voltage window which can be kinetically stabilized. The experimental stability, when measured with reliable techniques, falls between these thermodynamic and kinetic limits. Employing a Na solid-state system as an example, we demonstrate the efficiency of our method by finding the most stable system (NaCrO2|Na3PS4|Na–Sn) within a selected chemical space (more than 20 different combinations of electrodes and electrolytes). Important selection criteria for the cathode, electrolyte, and anode in solid-state batteries are also derived from this study. The current method not only provides an essential guide for integrating all-solid-state battery components but can also significantly accelerate the expansion of the electrolyte/electrode compatibility data.
Expression of the human insulin gene in the gastric G cells of transgenic mice

The goal of this study was to engineer gastrin-producing G cells of the gastric antrum to produce insulin. A pGas-Ins chimeric gene in which the gastrin promoter drives expression of the human insulin gene was constructed and was validated by transient transfection of GH4 and AGS cells. RT-PCR analysis and sequencing revealed three forms of differentially spliced insulin mRNA in GH4 cells transiently transfected by pGas-Ins. Gas-Ins transgenic mice were generated utilizing this chimeric gene. Northern blot analysis, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry demonstrated expression of the human insulin gene specifically in antral G cells. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that the shortest of the insulin mRNA three forms is predominantly expressed in stomach tissue. RT-PCR analysis also showed expression of the transgene in colon, pancreas, and brain tissues that was undetectable by northern analysis. We conclude that gastrin promoter can be used for targeting expression of human insulin to antral G cells and that antral G cells can express human insulin. Further refining of the chimeric gene design is required to enhance expression.
Reconsideration on Non-Linear Base Orderings

Reconsideration is a belief change operation that re-optimizes a finite belief base following a series of belief change operations---provided all base beliefs have a linear credibility ordering. This paper shows that linearity is not required for reconsideration to improve and possibly optimize a belief base.
Using This Textbook to Effectively Plan for Movement Integration

This chapter serves as a guide to explain how to use the lesson plan template in the text, as seen throughout the following chapters. Descriptions are provided for the different components of the lesson plan, and examples of classroom management techniques are described.
Visa regulations and labour market restrictions: implications for Indian immigrant women in the United States

This article documents the everyday experiences of Indian immigrant women living in the US on H4 visa – given to dependents of H1B visa holders, that disallows them from entering the labour market. The study is located within the framework of ‘gender and international immigration’ and uses a qualitative research approach to understand how visa regimes that bestow unequal rights on the primary and dependent visa holders shape the immigration experience, and have a bearing on the personal well-being, socialization processes and career graphs. The findings from open-ended interviews point out that the H4 visa affects women’s confidence and idea of self-worth, constrains them financially, disables them in social settings, and provides no opportunities to build economic or human capital and skill sets.
Influence of Physical Activity on Calcium and Bone

The degree of bone gain and loss over an individual’s lifetime is thought to determine the risk of osteoporosis and fracture as an adult. Traditionally, two major factors thought to determine whether an individual is at increased risk for fracture are the peak bone mass achieved early in life, which is determined from the gain in bone during childhood, and the rate of loss later in life. For many years, research has focused on strategies or interventions for decreasing the rate of bone loss that occurs later in life.
What Is the Definition of Spam? Even If You Cannot Define It, You Must Recognize It!

(2015). What Is the Definition of Spam? Even If You Cannot Define It, You Must Recognize It! Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings: Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 191-191.
Vision digitalisierte Automobilindustrie 2030

Neue Rahmenbedingungen und mit der Digitalisierung einhergehende Moglichkeiten motivieren neue Wettbewerber auch aus anderen Branchen, aggressiv auf den Automobilmarkt zu drangen. Fur die etablierten Automobilunternehmen ist es daher uberlebenswichtig, die erforderlichen Anderungen mit einer umfassenden Digitalisierungsstrategie und -roadmap anzugehen. Ausgangspunkt ist eine Analyse der zukunftigen Erwartungen des Marktes und der Kunden sowie eine kurze Bewertung der aktuellen Strategien ausgewahlter Hersteller. Dem wird eine Vision gegenubergestellt, wie sich die Automobilindustrie entwickeln und mit der Umsetzung von Digitalisierungsinitiativen im Jahr 2030 aussehen konnte. Elektroautos, autonomes Fahren in flexiblen Mobilitatsangeboten und auch Connected Services im vollstandigen Abgleich zwischen Fahrzeugen und Smartphones werden ebenso behandelt wie eine vollstandig veranderte Kundenerfahrung im Vertrieb und Service und die Effizienzsteigerung von Geschaftsprozessen durch Automatisierung beispielsweise in der Entwicklung, der Produktion und im Verwaltungsbereich.
CALA’s 21st Century Librarian Seminar Series – 2017 BALIS Conference

On September 13 and 14, 2017, four Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA, an affiliate of American Library Association) members went to Beijing, China, to attend BALIS conference and give a presentation to BALIS members (Beijing Academic Library Information Systems, a consortium of close to ninety academic libraries in Beijing).
Leaving Husserl’s Cave? The Philosopher’s Shadow Revisited

Despite the claim by contemporary commentators that Merleau-Ponty ignores the transcendental perspective of Husserlian phenomenology, Merleau-Ponty’s final essay on Husserl, “Le Philosophe et son ombre,” is engaged in reformulating the relation between the transcendental and the mundane. The necessity for this reformulation lies in his reconsideration of the Cartesianism underlying his earlier appropriation of the phenomenological method. Merleau-Ponty ‘s later formulation of the reduction, I contend, is a historical retrieval of Platonic dialectic by way of a re-reading of the myth of the cave.
IMPLICIT INDICATORS FOR INTERESTING WEB PAGES

A user’s interest in a web page can be estimated by unobtrusively (implicitly) observing his or her behaviour rather than asking for feedback directly (explicitly). Implicit methods are naturally less accurate than explicit methods, but they do not waste a user’s time or effort. Implicit indicators of a user’s interests can also be used to create models that change with a user’s interests over time. Research has shown that a user’s behaviour is related to his/her interest in a web page. We evaluate previously studied implicit indicators and examine the time spent on a page in more detail. For example, we observe whether a user is really looking at the monitor when we measure the time spent on a web page. Our results indicate that the duration is related to a user’s interest of a web page regardless a user’s attention to the web page.
Gene therapy strategies for X-linked myotubular myopathy

Introduction: X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM) is a severe, frequently fatal, type of congenital myopathy for which only supportive care is currently available. XLMTM is due to MTM1 mutations t...
Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Selective Motor Neuron Loss and Global Defect in the Assembly of Ribonucleoproteins

Spinal muscular atrophy is caused by deletions or mutations in the SMN1 gene that result in reduced expression of the SMN protein. The SMN protein is an essential molecular chaperone that is required for the biogenesis of multiple ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes including spliceosomal small nuclear RNPs (snRNPs). Reductions in SMN expression result in a reduced abundance of snRNPs and to downstream RNA splicing alterations. SMN is also present in axons and dendrites and appears to have important roles in the formation of neuronal mRNA-protein complexes during development or neuronal repair. Thus, SMA is an exemplar, selective motor neuron disorder that is caused by defects in fundamental RNA processing events. A detailed molecular understanding of how motor neurons fail, and why other neurons do not, in SMA will yield important principals about motor neuron maintenance and neuronal specificity in neurodegenerative diseases.
Proportion of Adults Who Identified Walking As a US Surgeon General Priority

In September 2015, Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities (Call to Action) was released. This descriptive study reports the proportion of adults who responded to the 2016 Summer ConsumerStyles survey (N = 4,114) who identified walking as the activity the US Surgeon General recently promoted in the Call to Action to help Americans be more physically active. Less than half of adults (44%) correctly identified walking. Adults who were aged 18 to 24 years (35%), were male (43%), were non-Hispanic white (42%), or were physically inactive (36%) were less likely to identify walking than their counterparts. This study highlights an opportunity to raise awareness and promote the Call to Action, especially among certain populations.
Software Architectures for Group Communication

Protocol design is just part of the challenge when building distributed systems: our protocols also need to be presented in an easily-used form that lends itself to high performance and scalability. This chapter discusses some of the challenges. The Isis2 system, available for use by readers of this text, is an example of one embodiment of the ideas we explore here, but we’ll also look at several other approaches, exploring some of the benefits and limitations of each.
Is the Trackball a Better Input Device for the Older Computer User

This study investigated age-related differences in user performance and preferences using two widely available computer pointing devices, a mouse and trackball. Participants acquired on-screen targets of varying distance and size using point-and-click and click-and-drag motions. It was found that older adults took longer to complete movements than younger adults and did so to a greater extent for large amplitude movements, but that their movements were less variable. There was no age difference in movement time or variable error between the two devices. It has been hypothesized that the findings reflected the adoption of a device independent movement strategy by the elderly designed to compensate for age-related declines in motor control. Analysis of muscle activity (RMS) of the forearm flexor and extensor showed no age-related differences in muscle activity. Ratings of perceived extertion revealed that older adults reported higher levels of exertion than younger adults using the mouse during click-and-drag motions. In light of findings demonstrating that older adults have lower strength, this finding implies that the mouse requires a greater percentage of the elderlys' maximum force. These results taken together suggest that the trackball may be a better device for the elderly computer user especially when performing frequent, repetitive actions for prolonged periods of time.
Semiconductor Contamination: Eliciting a Physical Model Through Factorial Experimentation*

This paper describes the development of a physical deposition model for copper from a cleaning solution onto a wafer surface.
MEDIA TREATMENT OF PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME

This topic was included in the Conference because, as the list of participants reflects, the phenomenon of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and scientific knowledge about it bear on a wide range of clinical, social, and legal issues. Media coverage is one means by which the science-based knowledge about PMS is conveyed to the general public and to those non-scientific professionals for whom it is relevant. Research on the mass communication and the media has traditionally been conducted by sociologists, none of whom as yet has focused on contemporary media treatments of PMS or of women’s reproductive functions more generally (e.g., Curran, Gurevitch, & Wollacott, 1979; Dexter & White, 1964). Because of the importance of the topic for PMS researchers, however, this paper attempts to bridge the gap between relatively technical scholarly treatments of the media by sociologists (see, for example, works cited in Gans, 1979) and the practical concerns of the working scientists dealing with the media. It draws, in part, on the author’s experience as a full-time writer and editor for a monthly magazine covering social science, as chair of the Public Information Committee of the American Psychological Association during the time the Association was developing and testing strategies for promoting responsible media coverage of psychological research, and as a researcher who has often interacted with media representatives covering PMS and/or menstrual cycle research. As Dr. Halbreich suggested in discussion at the Conference, media coverage of PMS may represent a useful model for analysis of the complex issues arising in media treatment of medical subjects more generally (Dick, 1954). Systematic research of this sort is needed to bridge solidly the gap to which this paper is addressed in a necessarily preliminary way.
A Scientific Research Program at the US-Mexico Borderland Region: The Search for the Recipe of Maya Blue

This chapter explores the unusual ways in which a scientific community can enrich and develop its current research programs in the process of trading with a long-lost historic community. I present here a case study of a scientific research program undertaken in the US-Mexico borderland region by some material chemists who took up the unusual project of reviving a long-lost ancient secret—the recipe for the classic pigment called Maya blue. In the course of that research, they found that they had opened doors to a world of new materials and enriched their own current research programs in materials engineering. Having thus established ties with an ancient group of historic predecessors, they preserved a lost heritage, and this heritage, in its turn, led to elements of diversity in their current practice. In the sections below, I analyze what this kind of efforts might mean for science, if only seen through the lenses of a trading zone.
P40. Teriparatide treatment improves bone quality in the vertebral body out of proportion to the pedicles and lamina of the lumbosacral spine as measured by Hounsfield units

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Teriparatide treatment has been used to improve bone quality when considering spinal fusion surgery in patients with osteoporosis. This treatment has been shown to improve Hounsfield units (HU), a standardized measurement for radio density that can be obtained on CT scans, in lumbar vertebral bodies but its effect on other anatomic structures within the lumbosacral spine is unknown. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective chart review. METHODS A retrospective chart review was performed from 1997 to 2018 across all campuses at our institution. We identified patients who had been treated with at least 6 months of Teriparatide with a lumbar or abdominal CT scan before and after therapy. HU were measured in the pedicles, lamina, and vertebral bodies from L1-S2. RESULTS Fifty-two patients (46 women, six men) were identified for analysis with an average age of 67 years who underwent an average of 20.9±6.5 months of Teriparatide therapy. Mean (± standard deviation) HU improvement in the vertebral bodies throughout the lumbosacral spine (L1-S2) was from 110±49 to 134±58 (p-value 0.029, 95% CI 2-44), a 22% improvement. HU in the pedicles increased from 222±98 to 255±102 (p-value 0.095, 95% CI -5 to 72), a 15% improvement. The lamina improved from 535±197 to 563±165 (p-value 0.44, 95% CI -43 to 98), a 5% improvement. CONCLUSIONS Teriparatide treatment improved bone quality as measured by Hounsfield units in the vertebral body, out of proportion to the improvement observed in the pedicles and lamina from L1-S2. This may indicate that improved screw fixation following Teriparatide therapy may be largely due to fixation within the vertebral body, but further biomechanical studies are warranted. FDA DEVICE/DRUG STATUS Unavailable from authors at time of publication.
Alcoholic Liver Disease Epidemiology in the United States: A Retrospective Analysis of 3 US Databases.

OBJECTIVES:Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) prevalence, particularly the subset with advanced liver disease, is not well defined. Herein, we aim to provide a comprehensive assessment of ALD epidemiology across the spectrum of disease severity and across different settings using 3 unique US databases.ME
Losartan Rescues Inflammation-related Mucociliary Dysfunction in Relevant Models of Cystic Fibrosis

Rationale: Despite therapeutic progress in treating cystic fibrosis (CF) airway disease, airway inflammation with associated mucociliary dysfunction remains largely unaddressed. Inflammation reduces the activity of apically expressed large-conductance Ca2+-activated and voltage-dependent K+ (BK) channels, critical for mucociliary function in the absence of CFTR (CF transmembrane conductance regulator).Objectives: To test losartan as an antiinflammatory therapy in CF using CF human bronchial epithelial cells and an ovine model of CF-like airway disease.Methods: Losartan's antiinflammatory effectiveness to rescue BK activity and thus mucociliary function was tested in vitro using primary, fully redifferentiated human airway epithelial cells homozygous for F508del and in vivo using a previously validated, now expanded pharmacologic sheep model of CF-like, inflammation-associated mucociliary dysfunction.Measurements and Main Results: Nasal scrapings from patients with CF showed that neutrophilic inflammation correlated with reduced expression of LRRC26 (leucine rich repeat containing 26), the γ subunit mandatory for BK function in the airways. TGF-β1 (transforming growth factor β1), downstream of neutrophil elastase, decreased mucociliary parameters in vitro. These were rescued by losartan at concentrations achieved by nebulization in the airway and oral application in the bloodstream: BK dysfunction recovered acutely and over time (the latter via an increase in LRRC26 expression), ciliary beat frequency and airway surface liquid volume improved, and mucus hyperconcentration and cellular inflammation decreased. These effects did not depend on angiotensin receptor blockade. Expanding on a validated and published nongenetic, CF-like sheep model, ewes inhaled CFTRinh172 and neutrophil elastase for 3 days, which resulted in prolonged tracheal mucus velocity reduction, mucus hyperconcentration, and increased TGF-β1. Nebulized losartan rescued both mucus transport and mucus hyperconcentration and reduced TGF-β1.Conclusions: Losartan effectively reversed CF- and inflammation-associated mucociliary dysfunction, independent of its angiotensin receptor blockade.