cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
48 EFFECT OF DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE- OR GLYCEROL-BASED VITRIFICATION PROTOCOLS ON THE DNA METHYLATION OF BOVINE CUMULUS-OOCYTE COMPLEXES

Although vitrification is becoming increasingly common for oocyte preservation, there has been recent evidence that some cryoprotectants may alter DNA methylation and so result in decreased oocyte developmental competence and abnormal embryonic development post-warming. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)- or glycerol-based vitrification protocols on DNA methylation in bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC). The vitrification protocols evaluated included a combination of ethylene glycol (EG) with either DMSO or glycerol (GLY). Cumulus-oocyte complexes were first exposed to equilibration solution (ES) consisting of 7.5% DMSO or GLY and 7.5% EG for 9 min at room temperature (RT) before being transferred to vitrification solution (VS) containing 15% DMSO or GLY, 15% EG, and 0.5 M sucrose. While in VS, 3 to 4 COC were loaded into an open system vitrification device (Cryolock®, BioTech Inc.) and plunged into LN within 1 min. For warming, COC were exposed to dilution solution 1 consisting of 0.5 M sucrose (37°C) for 2.5 min and to dilution solution 2 consisting of 0.25 M sucrose for 2.5 min (RT). Base media for all solution was PBS supplemented with 20% FBS. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (n = 137) were collected from crossbred cows by ovum pick-up on 3 separate days (repetitions), with half of the oocytes each day being matured to metaphase II (MII) stage before vitrification and the other half vitrified as germinal vesicle (GV) COC. The resulting treatments were DMSO GV v. Glycerol GV and DMSO MII v. Glycerol MII. Fresh COC (GV and MII stage, respectively) were utilised as controls. DNA methylation analysis of oocytes was performed through fluorescent staining using a primary antibody anti-5 mC (1:1000) and secondary antibody Alexa Fluor 488 (1:500). Fluorescence intensity of samples was measured using ImageJ software (NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA). Data were analysed through ANOVA with post hoc Tukey’s test. No differences between the vitrification groups or controls were found when analysing DNA methylation of GV stage COC (P = 0.1825). Metaphase II stage COC showed statistical difference between groups (P < 0.001) where glycerol-treated MII oocytes exhibited higher DNA methylation compared with DMSO MII and fresh MII COC. Results of the experiment showed that the glycerol-based vitrification protocol causes alteration of DNA methylation of bovine metaphase II cumulus-oocyte complexes, and as such may not be an optimal choice in mature oocyte vitrification protocols.
Effectiveness of contemporary techniques for reducing livestock depredations by large carnivores

Mitigation of large carnivore depredation is essential to increasing stakeholder support for human–carnivore coexistence. Lethal and non-lethal techniques are implemented by managers, livestock producers, and other stakeholders to reduce livestock depredations by large carnivores. However, information regarding the relative effectiveness of techniques commonly used to reduce livestock depredations is currently lacking. We evaluated 66 published, peer-reviewed research papers that quantitatively measured livestock depredation before and after employing 4 categories of lethal and non-lethal mitigation techniques (livestock husbandry, predator deterrents and removal, and indirect management of land or wild prey) to assess their relative effectiveness as livestock protection strategies. Effectiveness of each technique was measured as the reported percent change in livestock losses. Husbandry (42–100% effective) and deterrents (0–100% effective) demonstrated the greatest potential but also the widest variability in effectiveness in reducing livestock losses. Removal of large carnivores never achieved 100% effectiveness but exhibited the lowest variation (67–83%). Although explicit measures of effectiveness were not reported for indirect management, livestock depredations commonly decreased with sparser and greater distances from vegetation cover, at greater distances from protected areas, and in areas with greater wild prey abundance. Information on time duration of effects was available only for deterrents; a tradeoff existed between the effectiveness of tools and the length of time a tool remained effective. Our assessment revealed numerous sources of bias regarding the effectiveness of techniques as reported in the peer-reviewed literature, including a lack of replication across species and geographic regions, a focus on Canid carnivores in the United States, Europe, and Africa, and a publication bias toward studies reporting positive effects. Given these limitations, we encourage managers and conservationists to work with livestock producers to more consistently and quantitatively measure and report the impacts of mitigation techniques under a wider range of environmental, economic, and sociological conditions. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.
Can Environmental Education Increase Student-Athletes' Environmental Behaviors?.

AbstractEnvironmental education was incorporated within a mentoring program (i.e. treatment group) for student-athletes at the University of Georgia. These student-athletes’ environmental attitudes, behavioral intent, knowledge, self-efficacy, self-regulatory learning, motivation, and learning strategies were assessed before and after their environmental education mentoring program. Results indicated student-athletes in the treatment group improved their self-reported environmental behaviors (t(32) = 2.34, p = 0.03) and self-efficacy (t(32) = 2.07, p = 0.04). However, future research should seek to determine how traits of student-athletes, such as their gender and chosen sport, may impact their level of environmental literacy and any possible impacts due to their mentors’ environmental values.
The Psychological Record from 1937 to 1976

The publication history of THE PSYCHOLOGICAL RECORD and announcement of its change of editor and publication site.
Scientific Psychology and Specious Philosophy

Many psychologists are following physicists and other scientists in turning toward philosophy for aid in solving problems. But this goes counter to the view that psychology trended toward a scientific status only after it separated itself from philosophy. The clue to the resolution of this paradox is that there are valid as well as specious philosophies. Valid philosophy of science serves helpful monitorial, coordinative, and semantic functions.
Monolithic Chip for High-throughput Blood Cell Depletion to Sort Rare Circulating Tumor Cells.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a treasure trove of information regarding the location, type and stage of cancer and are being pursued as both a diagnostic target and a means of guiding personalized treatment. Most isolation technologies utilize properties of the CTCs themselves such as surface antigens (e.g., epithelial cell adhesion molecule or EpCAM) or size to separate them from blood cell populations. We present an automated monolithic chip with 128 multiplexed deterministic lateral displacement devices containing ~1.5 million microfabricated features (12 µm–50 µm) used to first deplete red blood cells and platelets. The outputs from these devices are serially integrated with an inertial focusing system to line up all nucleated cells for multi-stage magnetophoresis to remove magnetically-labeled white blood cells. The monolithic CTC-iChip enables debulking of blood samples at 15–20 million cells per second while yielding an output of highly purified CTCs. We quantified the size and EpCAM expression of over 2,500 CTCs from 38 patient samples obtained from breast, prostate, lung cancers, and melanoma. The results show significant heterogeneity between and within single patients. Unbiased, rapid, and automated isolation of CTCs using monolithic CTC-iChip will enable the detailed measurement of their physicochemical and biological properties and their role in metastasis.
Impacts of traffic flow arrival pattern on the necessary queue storage space at metered on-ramps

This paper compares queue lengths at the two different on-ramp configurations: arterial-to-freeway ramp and freeway-to-freeway connector. Mesoscopic queue length simulation models are developed bas...
Cellular responses to antimetabolite anticancer agents: cytostasis versus cytotoxicity

Thymineless death is an important cytotoxic response to several classes of antimetabolite agents used in the treatment of patients with carcinomas and hematopoeitic malignancies. Cell. death induced by lack of dThd results in the formation of DNA nucleosomal ladders, and hence would be defined as a form of apoptosis. Although drug resistance to these agents has been extensively studied, relatively little attention has been focused on events downstream of dTTP depletion that determine the ultimate fate of the cancer cell. In this article we review some of the emerging data that suggests the role of p53 in determining whether the cellular response to dThd deprivation is cytostasis or cytotoxicity (apoptosis).
The effect of atomic polarization on early estimates of prominence magnetic field strengths

In this paper we present our results of the application of the magnetograph formula to synthetic Stokes V profiles in prominences. We investigate both the Zeeman and atomic-polarization signatures within the V profile and question why previous attempts to determine magnetic field strength, on average, were correct, even if the magnetograph formula does not apply in general.
Current State of the Art and Recent Innovations for Antimicrobial Food Packaging

Antimicrobial packaging encompasses any packaging technique(s) used to control microbial growth in a food product. Antimicrobial packaging can be in the form of a film or coating. Films can be composite and coatings can be applied to the surface of foods. The two purposes for using antimicrobial packaging are to inactivate foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms present in food products, thus enhancing their safety and extending their shelf life. An antimicrobial packaging system consists of three components: (1) Base materials to form film or coating; (2) Antimicrobials to reduce or inhibit microorganisms; and (3) Methods to making and applying films or coatings. In this chapter, we review the various types of antimicrobial food packaging from the currently published literature, summarize the basic materials and methods used for antimicrobial packaging, and also discuss the recent innovations in the research and development of antimicrobial food packaging systems.
Association of Psychiatric Diagnostic Conditions with Hospital Care Outcomes of Patients with Orthopedic Injuries.

CONTEXT Psychiatric comorbidity is common in orthopedic injury, but the effects on hospital care outcomes have been identified only generally. OBJECTIVE To quantify psychiatric comorbidity and its outcome effects in a large, multicenter population of inpatients with orthopedic injuries. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of patient discharge data from 507 California hospitals from 2001 to 2010. Study sample included orthopedic diagnoses using International Classification of Diseases codes for major pelvic and lower extremity injuries in patients older than age 17 years. From the injury data, we extracted psychiatric diagnoses, alcoholism, substance abuse, and sociodemographic characteristics. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Length of stay, surgical complications, and inpatient deaths. RESULTS The entire injury admissions represented about 1.9% of all hospital admissions and were predominantly older than age 64 years, white, and women with conventional health care insurance. The most common comorbidity in the patients with injury was psychiatric illness (24.7%). The most common psychiatric diagnoses in orthopedic injury admissions were dementia (14.3%) and depression (6.9%) without association. Compared with the injury admissions with no psychiatric diagnosis, admissions with psychiatric diagnosis had higher odds of a hospital stay of 7 or more days, surgical treatment complications, and inhospital death. CONCLUSION Psychiatric comorbidity adversely affects several hospital outcomes in patients with orthopedic injuries: Length of stay, surgical complications, and inpatient mortality. In low-income populations, the adverse psychiatric effects are incrementally worse. The adverse effects of psychiatric comorbidity, particularly dementia and depression, on hospital outcomes should stimulate improved psychiatric care of many patients at risk of poor clinical outcomes.
First Application of the Local Ensemble Tangent Linear Model (LETLM) to a Realistic Model of the Global Atmosphere

AbstractThe local ensemble tangent linear model (LETLM) provides an alternative method for creating the tangent linear model (TLM) and adjoint of a nonlinear model that promises to be easier to mai...
Sexual Identity Development: A Base for Work with Same-Sex Couple Partner Abuse

Literature review reveals that domestic violence occurs in same-sex relationships at approximately the same rate as it does in heterosexual relationships. There are a number of dimensions common to same-sex and heterosexual battering as well as significant differences. The differential impact of sexual identity development on same-sex violence has not been addressed in the literature. Unlike the situation with heterosexual couples, there is little in the literature addressing treatment guidelines for work with same-sex couples. This article highlights some of the differences between same-sex battering and heterosexual battering and suggests the need for additional research on the interaction between sexual identity development stages of same-sex partners and domestic violence.
The Role of Flexible Bronchoscopy

Over the last 45 years flexible bronchoscopy has become the “gold standard” for managing the expected and unexpected difficult airway [1, 2]. Unlike rigid laryngoscopy, intubation using a flexible bronchoscope does not require that an unobstructed straight view from the upper incisors to the larynx be created for intubation. Thus, patients with limited oral apertures, a mobile cervical spine, upper airway abnormalities (tumors, lingual tonsils, etc.), and redundant pharyngeal tissue are some of the classes of difficult airways that are better managed with fiberoptic intubations than with classic direct laryngoscopy.
Ricci Flow and the Poincaré Conjecture

Jules Henri Poincare (1854–1912) was one of the great geniuses of nineteenth and twentieth-century mathematics. Born into a distinguished family of academicians and public servants, he showed early talent in mathematics and science. Indeed, the entire country of France watched in awe as Poincare developed from a child prodigy to a major leader in mathematics and physics.
Assessment of antimutagenic activity with Salmonella typhimurium strain TM677

A method is described for the detection of antimutagenic agents in a forward mutation assay with Salmonella typhimurium strain TM677. Bacterial cells are treated with test compounds in the presence of a known mutagen. Antimutagenic activity is indicated by a reduction in the induced mutant fraction. This assay has been used to detect and/or confirm the antimutagenic activity of a number of known compounds. This method is currently being used in our laboratory for the bioassay-directed fractionation of potential cancer chemoprevention agents from plant extracts.
Global Biogeography of Termites: A Compilation of Sources

Present day local termite assemblages, and the distribution patterns of the different evolutionary clades, result from long-term processes of diversification, radiation and dispersal, as well as the influence of contemporary environments. In the past four decades ecological studies of termites have been focussed on tropical forests and forest margins, and a corresponding theory of regional and global biogeography across the different biogeographical realms has emerged. What is now lacking is a comparison of the taxonomic and functional assemblage structures in habitats other than closed canopy tropical forest. To address this, we have compiled the generic assemblages of the five major biomes where termites occur (tropical rain forest, tropical savanna woodland, semi-desert, temperate woodland and temperate rain forest), designating and comparing 23 exemplar ecosystems around the world. The highest generic richness, with 62 genera, occurs in African Congolese rain forest, followed by Neotropical Guianan rain forest (55 genera), and then the Asian rain forest of northern Borneo (44 genera). The other three tropical rain forest sites, Madagascar, Australia and New Guinea, all have less than one third of the number of genera that occur in the Bornean rain forest. Of the six savanna woodland ecosystems, the African representative is the richest with 37 genera, followed by those of the Neotropics (25 genera) and Australia (24 genera). Temperate woodland and temperate rain forest ecosystems have the lowest richness, with three genera or fewer. The tropical semi-deserts have more genera than the temperate ecosystems. Soil- and humus-feeding termites have their highest generic richness in the African, Neotropical and Asian tropical rain forests, and decline across the other biomes. In contrast, wood-feeders are more evenly distributed across all the biomes. The evolution of different clades and their dispersal to other ecosystems are briefly discussed, and the implications for termite mediated decomposition are emphasised.
Use of a Rapid Diagnostic for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae for Women in the Emergency Department Can Improve Clinical Management: Report of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Study objective In emergency departments (EDs), diagnosis and treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are challenging. We conducted a randomized clinical trial to assess rapid C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae testing on overtreatment and undertreatment of women evaluated for C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae. Methods Women undergoing pelvic examinations and C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae testing (n=254) were randomized to control or rapid test groups. The control group received standard-of-care C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae nucleic acid amplification tests of endocervical specimens, with 2- to 3-day turnaround times. For the rapid test group, clinicians collected an extra endocervical swab for GeneXpert C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae rapid testing, in addition to the standard-of-care nucleic acid amplification test swab. Rapid results were immediately provided, and all patients were treated according to providers’ clinical judgment. Results In the rapid test group, 7.9% of patients had positive test results for C trachomatis; 3.9% had positive test results for N gonorrhoeae. In the control standard-of-care group, 10.2% of patients had positive nucleic acid amplification test results for C trachomatis; 5.5% had positive results for N gonorrhoeae. Undertreatment for both C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae in the ED was 0% for the rapid test group and 43.8% for the control standard-of-care group. Clinicians overtreated 46.5% of uninfected standard-of-care control patients for C trachomatis compared with 23.1% of uninfected rapid test patients. For patients uninfected with N gonorrhoeae, clinicians overtreated 46.7% of standard-of-care control patients compared with 25.4% of rapid test patients. The length of stay did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusion Rapid C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae testing in the ED led to a significant reduction in overtreatment for women without infections compared with the standard-of-care control group. Additionally, in the rapid test group there was significant improvement in appropriate treatment for patients with infections.
Racial and Linguistic Status Differences in the Effect of Interscholastic Sport Participation on School Engagement and Academic Performance Among High School Students.

The purpose of the study was to examine whether the effects of interscholastic sport participation on academic performance and school engagement vary by race and linguistic status of high school st...
Geometric quantum speed limits and short-time accessibility to unitary operations

The notion of a quantum speed limit (QSL) refers to the fundamental fact that two quantum states become completely distinguishable upon dynamical evolution only after a finite amount of time, called the QSL time. A different but related concept is that of minimum control time (MCT), which is the minimum evolution time needed for a state to be driven (by suitable, generally time-dependent, control fields) to a given target state. While the QSL can give information about the MCT, it usually imposes little restrictions on it and is thus impractical for control purposes. In this work, we revisit this issue by first presenting a theory of geometrical QSL for unitary transformations, rather than for states, and discuss its implications and limitations. Then, we propose a framework for bounding the MCT for realizing unitary transformations that goes beyond the QSL results and gives much more meaningful information to understand the controlled dynamics of the system at short times.
A machine learning approach to estimate surface ocean pCO2 from satellite measurements

Abstract Surface seawater partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) is a critical parameter in the quantification of air-sea CO2 flux, which further plays an important role in quantifying the global carbon budget and understanding ocean acidification. Yet, the remote estimation of pCO2 in coastal waters (under influences of multiple processes) has been difficult due to complex relationships between environmental variables and surface pCO2. To date there is no unified model to remotely estimate surface pCO2 in oceanic regions that are dominated by different oceanic processes. In our study area, the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), this challenge is addressed through the evaluation of different approaches, including multi-linear regression (MLR), multi-nonlinear regression (MNR), principle component regression (PCR), decision tree, supporting vector machines (SVMs), multilayer perceptron neural network (MPNN), and random forest based regression ensemble (RFRE). After modeling, validation, and extensive tests using independent cruise datasets, the RFRE model proved to be the best approach. The RFRE model was trained using data comprised of extensive pCO2 datasets (collected over 16 years by many groups) and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) estimated sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface salinity (SSS), surface chlorophyll concentration (Chl), and diffuse attenuation of downwelling irradiance (Kd). This RFRE-based pCO2 model allows for the estimation of surface pCO2 from satellites with a spatial resolution of ~1 km. It showed an overall performance of a root mean square difference (RMSD) of 9.1 μatm, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.95, a mean bias (MB) of −0.03 μatm, a mean ratio (MR) of 1.00, an unbiased percentage difference (UPD) of 0.07%, and a mean ratio difference (MRD) of 0.12% for pCO2 ranging between 145 and 550 μatm. The model, with its original parameterization, has been tested with independent datasets collected over the entire GOM, with satisfactory performance in each case (RMSD of ≤~10 μatm for open GOM waters and RMSD of ≤~25 μatm for coastal and river-dominated waters). The sensitivity of the RFRE-based pCO2 model to uncertainties of each input environmental variable was also thoroughly examined. The results showed that all induced uncertainties were close to, or within, the uncertainty of the model itself with higher sensitivity to uncertainties in SST and SSS than to uncertainties in Chl and Kd. The extensive validation, evaluation, and sensitivity analysis indicate the robustness of the RFRE model in estimating surface pCO2 for the range of 145–550 μatm in most GOM waters. The RFRE model approach was applied to the Gulf of Maine (a contrasting oceanic region to GOM), with local model training. The results showed significant improvement over other models suggesting that the RFRE may serve as a robust approach for other regions once sufficient field-measured pCO2 data are available for model training.
Frequency Effects, Noticing, and Creativity: Factors in a Variationist Interlanguage Framework

Ellis's target article suggests that language processing is based on frequency and probabilistic knowledge and that language learning is implicit. These findings are consistent with those of SLA researchers working within a variationist framework (e.g., Tarone, 1985; Bayley & Preston, 1996). This paper provides a brief overview of this research area, which has developed useful models for dealing with frequency effects in language use, and describes a psycholinguistic model of language variation currently being proposed by Preston (2000a, 2000b) that dovetails nicely with Ellis's proposals. The present commentary addresses the question “To what extent is the learner's interlanguage passively and unconsciously derived from input frequencies?” Ellis does state that factors other than frequency are also important for SLA—specifically, conscious noticing and social context. A related factor is the learner's creativity, revealed when learners' noticing leads them to view utterances not just as potential objects of analysis but as potential objects of language play. Noticing results in the selective internalization of language input in interactions with various L2 speakers, and creativity occurs in the learner's consequent production of any of a range of different voices thus internalized for the purposes of expressing social identity and of language play (Tarone 2000).
PD-L1/PD1 Expression, Composition of Tumor-Associated Immune Infiltrate, and HPV Status in Conjunctival Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose Conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a type of ocular surface neoplasia, is primarily treated by surgical resection and topical immuno- or chemotherapy. Metastatic disease may be treated with systemic chemo- or immunotherapy, albeit with variable response. The purpose of this study was to determine whether immune checkpoint blockade might be considered in the management of conjunctival SCC. Methods In this retrospective study, we evaluated tumor programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) status, and immunohistochemical expression of cluster of differentiation 3 (CD3), cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8), and programmed death 1 (PD1) in tumor-associated immune infiltrate in a series of 31 conjunctival SCCs. Results PD-L1 expression in ≥1% of tumor cells was noted in 14 conjunctival SCCs (47%) and was more prevalent in invasive than in situ SCC and among tumors with higher American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) T category (≥T3 versus ≤T2). The density of CD3-positive T cells was higher in primary than recurrent tumors and higher in invasive than in situ tumors. Density of CD3-positive and CD8-positive T cells was higher in higher AJCC stage tumors. Density of CD8-positive T cells was higher in HPV-positive than HPV-negative tumors. PD-L1 expression correlated with a higher density of CD3-, CD8-, and PD1-positive cells in the tumor-associated immune infiltrate but not with HPV status. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that PD-L1 is expressed in almost half of conjunctival SCCs. The density of tumor-associated immune cells correlated with invasive SCC, stage, and HPV status in conjunctival SCC. Our findings support further studies to establish the potential application of immune checkpoint blockade in the management of conjunctival SCC.
Nonadiabatic Photochemistry Induced by Inaccessible Conical Intersections

Conical intersections are ubiquitous in photochemical processes, where nonadiabatic transfer induces ultrafast nonradiative decay from an excited state. Although they eluded experimental detection until the 1990s, today three diagnostic attributes are generally associated with photochemical reactions through conical intersections: ultrafast electronic dynamics, negligible fluorescence, and coherent wavepacket transfer. Here, we use generalized quantum dynamics simulations to show that coherent nonadiabatic transfer of excited vibrational wavepackets can occur even without reaching the conical intersection region. Instead, the wavepacket remains distant from the conical intersection throughout. In some topographies, an energetically inaccessible conical intersection can be completely avoided, yet still induce substantial nonadiabatic transfer with ultrafast transfer efficiencies that are nearly identical to those of direct transfer through a conical intersection. These results reveal that the diagnostic pr...
Temporal and Stratigraphic Framework for Paleoanthropology Sites Within East-Central Area 130, Koobi Fora, Kenya

In the Koobi Fora region of the northeast Lake Turkana Basin (Kenya) dozens of archeological sites have been studied for decades in order to understand the behavior of Early Pleistocene hominins. Data collected from these sites have been important for demonstrating the manufacture styles of Oldowan stone-tool users, hominin dietary preferences, and processes of Early Stone Age site formation. A particularly rich locality is collection Area 130. Area 130 is noteworthy for hominin fossils KNM-ER 1805 (Homo) and 1806 (Paranthropus) as well as the FxJj 18 site complex, which represents one of the type localities for the Developed Oldowan of Koobi Fora. However, despite research beginning in the late 1960s, and several revisions to the stratigraphy and dating of the Koobi Fora Formation, few published studies provide a detailed chronostratigraphy for Area 130. The lack of a detailed chronostratigraphy has contributed to conflicting interpretations for the dates of the hominin fossils and archaeological sites. Here we present new geochronologic and paleomagnetic data to develop a chronostratigraphic framework that allows us to directly assess the age of the sediments, fossils, and artifacts from Area 130. Individual pumices from the Orange Tuff marker level and a previously unnamed tuff exposed near the FxJj 18 (referred here as the FxJj 18 tuff) archaeological site complex were collected for high precision single crystal 40Ar/39Ar dating. Concurrently, we collected orientated paleomagnetic samples from stratigraphic levels of the KBS Member in Area 130 and used them to develop a magnetostratigraphic section. Our findings allow us to better constrain the stratigraphy of the analyzed sections and can be used to refine the sequence and chronology of the archaeological and fossils sites from Area 130 and other penecontemporaneous sites within the Lake Turkana Basin. Our data show that the first appearance of the Developed Oldowan for Koobi Fora does not correlate with any obvious evolutionary changes represented by the local hominin hypodigm nor with the arrival of a cognitively advanced hominin. Therefore we speculate that the advent of this more sophisticated type of stone tool was a response to a change in the diet of the genus Homo.
Compactification of the moduli space of minimal instantons on the Fano 3-fold V5

Abstract We study semistable sheaves of rank 2 with Chern classes c 1 = 0 , c 2 = 2 and c 3 = 0 on the Fano 3-fold V 5 of Picard number 1, degree 5 and index 2. We show that the moduli space of such sheaves has a component that is isomorphic to P 5 by identifying it with the moduli space of semistable quiver representations. This provides a natural smooth compactification of the moduli space of minimal instantons, as well as Ulrich bundles of rank 2 on V 5 .
Regularized Weighted Low Rank Approximation

The classical low rank approximation problem is to find a rank $k$ matrix $UV$ (where $U$ has $k$ columns and $V$ has $k$ rows) that minimizes the Frobenius norm of $A - UV$. Although this problem can be solved efficiently, we study an NP-hard variant of this problem that involves weights and regularization. A previous paper of [Razenshteyn et al. '16] derived a polynomial time algorithm for weighted low rank approximation with constant rank. We derive provably sharper guarantees for the regularized version by obtaining parameterized complexity bounds in terms of the statistical dimension rather than the rank, allowing for a rank-independent runtime that can be significantly faster. Our improvement comes from applying sharper matrix concentration bounds, using a novel conditioning technique, and proving structural theorems for regularized low rank problems.
Thrive: A Novel Health Education Mobile Application for Mothers Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence:

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has well-documented adverse impact on survivors and their children. In this article, we describe the development and formative evaluation of a trauma-informed, user-...
Quantitative real time-PCR of CD133 mRNA: A potential surrogate angiogenic marker of response for patients with metastatic sarcoma

20034 Background: CD133 antigen is a specific surface marker for circulating endothelial progenitor cells (CEPs), pivotal in post-natal angiogenesis. We hypothesize that changes in levels of the CD...
Evidence of restricted heat transport in National Ignition Facility Hohlraums

We present experimental evidence of restricted electron thermal conduction in the high-Z coronal plasma regions of laser-driven Hohlraums on the National Ignition Facility. Four separate measurements, three of which are direct observations of Hohlraum dynamics, corroborate this finding. (1) The velocity of the coronal plasma ablated and heated by the outer-cone laser beams is determined by time-dependent imaging of the gold plasma plume, or “bubble.” The velocities of the incoming plume (perpendicular to the Hohlraum axis) are consistent with high-fidelity 2D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations using flux-limited thermal electron conduction with a flux multiplier f = 0.03. Simulations using f = 0.15, which is very nearly classical Spitzer–Harm transport, predict plume velocities slower than measured. (2) Specific features in time-resolved images of the Hohlraum wall at an angle of 19 ° are also more consistent with f = 0.03 simulations compared to f = 0.15. (3) Spectroscopic tracers were added to the Hohlraum wall in the outer-beam bubble region. The ratios of hydrogen-like to helium-like line emission are sensitive to the electron temperature of the bubble. The hydrogen-like to helium-like ratios extracted from the time-integrated spectra of manganese and cobalt tracers from two observation angles are consistent with f = 0.03 and not with f = 0.15. (4) The time of peak capsule emission, or “bang time,” an integrated measurement, is also more consistent with f = 0.03 than with f = 0.15. While these findings do not identify the causes of restricted thermal conduction in Hohlraums, they motivate future experiments to test specific hypotheses and focus on model development in the regions of the plasma exhibiting restricted transport.
Further Examining the Construct Validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) Personality Disorder Spectra Scales.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) Personality Disorder (PD) Spectra scales reflect a recent effort to dimensionally measure Diagnostic and Statistical ...
Ductile high-Tg epoxy systems via incorporation of partially reacted substructures

A method is demonstrated for obtaining high glass transition temperature (Tg) plastically deformable crosslinked polymer systems by manipulating the network topology of epoxy systems cured with amines. Long-chain Monoamine-functionalized Partially Reacted Substructures (mPRS) were synthesized by reacting a mixture of tetraglycidyl ether of diaminodiphenylmethane (TGDDM) and polyether monoamine (PEMA) to varying extents. Predetermined amounts of the mPRS having 0%, 60%, and 80% degree of polymerization were added to a mixture of a TGDDM and polyether diamine (PEDA) as well as a mixture of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) and PEDA. Results of quasi-static tensile tests performed on the cured samples reveal pronounced strain hardening and, subsequent, large elongation-to-failure in the modified epoxy systems containing mPRS with elevated degrees of polymerization. Thus materials with distinctly improved elongation-to-failure are obtained for systems with identical overall chemical composition. The striking difference is attributed to plastic microvoid growth aided by the presence of deformable mPRS domains. Fracture surfaces of deformed mPRS modified systems show the characteristic formation of microvoids. In comparison, similar systems based on less deformable diamine functionalized substructures (PRS), on which we reported previously, did not show the same propensity to yield and deform plastically.
Aortic injury in spine surgery……What a spine surgeon needs to know

Aortic injury is a rare, yet underreported and underestimated complication of spine surgery. Anatomical relation between the aorta and the spine changes under physiological (positional) as well as pathological (deformity) conditions, which puts the aorta at risk of injury during spine surgery. Clinical presentation of aortic injury ranges from asymptomatic perforation of the aorta to acute fatal bleeding. Although several diagnostic methods have been reported, CT-angiography remains an important diagnostic study. Several advancements in the open and the endovascular surgical management have been reported to be successfully used in the management of aortic injury following spine surgery. Management approach of malpositioned screws abutting the aorta is still controversial. Anatomical knowledge and understanding of the previously reported mechanisms of aortic injury are important to be integrated in the preoperative planning process. If the complication occurs, time-to- recognition and to-appropriate-management are important factors for predicting mortality. If unrecognized and untreated in the acutely injured patients, mortality can approach 100%.
Implant- and anesthesia-related factors affecting cardiopulmonary threshold intensities for vagus nerve stimulation.

Objective Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is typically delivered at increasing stimulus intensity until a neurological or physiological response is observed ("threshold"), preclinically and therapeutically, for dose calibration. Factors affecting VNS thresholds have not been studied systematically. In a rodent model of VNS we measured neural and physiological responses to increasing VNS intensity, determined neurological and physiological thresholds and examined the effect of implant- and anesthesia-related factors on thresholds. Approach In acute and chronic vagus implants (45 and 20 rats, respectively) VNS was delivered under isoflurane, ketamine-xylazine, or awake conditions. Evoked compound action potentials (CAPs) were recorded and activation of different fiber types was extracted. Elicited physiological responses were registered, including changes in heart rate (HR), breathing rate (BR), and blood pressure (BP). CAP and physiological thresholds were determined. Main Results The threshold for evoking discernable CAPs (>10 µV) (CAP threshold) is significantly lower than what elicits 5-10% drop in heart rate (heart rate threshold, HRT) (25 µA ±1.8 vs. 80 µA ±5.1, respectively; mean ±SEM). Changes in BP and small changes in BR (bradypnea) occur at lowest intensities (70 µA ±8.3), followed by HR changes (80 µA ±5.1) and finally significant changes in BR (apnea) (310 μA ±32.5). HRT and electrode impedance are correlated in chronic (Pearson correlation r=0.47; p<0.001) but not in acute implants (r=-0.34; p NS); HRT and impedance both increase with implant age (r=0.44; p<0.001 and r=0.64; p<0.001, respectively). HRT is lowest when animals are awake (200 µA ±35.5), followed by ketamine-xylazine (640 µA ±151.5), and isoflurane (1000 µA ±139.5). The sequence of physiological responses with increasing VNS intensity is the same in anesthetized and awake animals. Pulsing frequency affects physiological responses but not CAPs. Significance Implant age, electrode impedance, and type of anesthesia affect VNS thresholds and should be accounted for when calibrating stimulation dose.
Combinatorial model of amyloid β and tau reveals synergy between amyloid deposits and tangle formation.

AIMS To illuminate the pathological synergy between Aβ and tau leading to the neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) in Alzheimer's disease (AD), here we have performed a comparative neuropathological study utilizing three distinctive variants of human tau (WT tau, P301L mutant tau and S320F mutant tau). Previously, in non-transgenic mice, we showed that WT tau or P301L tau does not form NFT while S320F tau can spontaneously aggregate into NFT, allowing us to test the selective vulnerability of these different tau conformations to the presence of Aβ plaques. METHODS We injected recombinant AAV-tau constructs into neonatal APP transgenic TgCRND8 mice or into 3 month old TgCRND8 mice; both cohorts were aged 3 months post injection. This allowed us to test how different tau variants synergize with soluble forms of Aβ (pre-deposit cohort) or with frank Aβ deposits (post-deposit cohort) respectively. RESULTS Expression of WT tau did not produce NFT or altered Aβ in either cohort. In the pre-deposit cohort, S320F tau induced Aβ plaque deposition, neuroinflammation and synaptic abnormalities, suggesting that early tau tangles affect the amyloid cascade. In the post-deposit cohort, contemporaneous expression of S320F tau did not exacerbate amyloid pathology, showing a dichotomy in Aβ-tau synergy based on the nature of Aβ. P301L tau produced NFT-type inclusions in the post-deposit cohort, but not in the pre-deposit cohort, indicating pathological synergy with pre-existing Aβ deposits. CONCLUSIONS Our data shows that different tau mutations representing specific folding variants of tau synergize with Aβ to different extents, depending on the presence of cerebral deposits.
The relationship between electronic goal reminders and subsequent drug use and treatment initiation in a criminal justice setting

Abstract Introduction Opportunities to influence behavior through the use of electronic reminders has not been examined in a criminal justice population. The purpose of this study was to assess probationer preferences for short-term goals from a web-based program and evaluate the role of voluntary electronic reminders (e.g., text messaging, email) in achieving early treatment and probation tasks. Methods We used data from drug-involved offenders (n = 76) participating in a clinical trial of a 2-session motivational computer program. As part of the program, participants could choose to receive text or email reminders about their probation and treatment goals for the next month. Poisson regression models were utilized to evaluate goal and reminder selection in relation to the days of substance use and treatment attendance at two-month follow-up. Results The most common goals were related to probation and treatment tasks, relationships, and cognitive reappraisals. Forty-five percent of probationers elected to receive electronic goal reminders at Session 1 with a slight increase at Session two (49%). Probationers who opted to receive electronic goal reminders at Session one selected significantly more goals on average ( M = 4.4, SD = 2.1) than probationers who did not want reminders ( M = 3.4, SD = 1.8), ( t = 2.41, p = .019). Reminder selection and total number of goals selected predicted days of substance use and treatment attendance at a two-month follow-up. Probationers who opted not to receive electronic reminders and those who only chose to receive reminders at one visit had more days of substance use compared to those who chose to receive reminders at both visits, 1.66 and 2.31 times respectively. Probationers who chose not to receive electronic reminders attended 56% fewer days of treatment compared to those who chose to receive reminders at both visits. Conclusions People's choice of short-term goals and reminders can provide advance notification of the likelihood of substance use and treatment initiation. Probation systems might use such information to triage at-risk probationers to a higher level of service, before problems have emerged.
High-Speed Processors and Implication for Algorithms and Methods

In this paper we consider the interrelation of numerical methods and algorithms with new parallel and vector processor capabilities. A brief historical note on the development of computer processors establishes the perspective of this study and leads into an examination of two proposed new processors: (1) an array processor and (2) a vectorized processor with some parallelism. Next we examine typical linear, nonlinear and transient finite element computations, noting where parallelism and vectorization are possible. Substructuring and splitting are taken as special examples, and we summarize some important features concerning direct and iterative methods for linear systems. Finally, the extension to nonlinear systems and the implication for a specific iteration scheme are considered.
CFD modeling of methane distribution at a continuous miner face with various curtain setback distances

Abstract Knowledge of the airflow patterns and methane distributions at a continuous miner face under different ventilation conditions can minimize the risks of explosion and injury to miners by accurately forecasting potentially hazardous face methane levels. This study focused on validating a series of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models using full-scale ventilation gallery data that assessed how curtain setback distance impacted airflow patterns and methane distributions at an empty mining face (no continuous miner present). Three CFD models of face ventilation with 4.6, 7.6 and 10.7 m (15, 25, and 35 ft) blowing curtain setback distances were constructed and validated with experimental data collected in a full-scale ventilation test facility. Good agreement was obtained between the CFD simulation results and this data. Detailed airflow and methane distribution information are provided. Elevated methane zones at the working faces were identified with the three curtain setback distances. Visualization of the setback distance impact on the face methane distribution was performed by utilizing the post-processing capability of the CFD software.
Reducing interns' work hours led to fewer attentional failures and serious medical errors in intensive care units

Intervention: Both studies used a crossover design. Interns were randomly assigned to either a traditional or intervention call schedule. The traditional call schedule involved in-house call every 3 night with a limit of 30 hours of consecutive work. The intervention schedule involved call every 4 night with a limit of 16 hours of consecutive work. Interns recorded their sleep and work hours and were followed by physician observers to detect medical errors. In addition, nurse chart reviewers assessed medical records for medical errors and a computer error detection program was utilized. The interns also underwent continuous ambulatory polysomnography at least 3 times per week to assess for periods of sleep and inattentiveness. All data were reviewed by investigators blinded to the interns’ schedules.