cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Automated and Rapid Manual Methods for the Same-day Identification of Enterobacteriaceae

The Vitek AMS® automated instrument method for identification of Enterobacteriaceae was compared with two rapid manual methods intended for the same purpose, the Micro ID System® and the API 20E Same-Day® procedure, on a series of 400 consecutive fresh clinical isolates. Results were compared with identifications obtained using the API 20E System with overnight incubation and supplemental tube biochemicals (when needed). Both the final (8-hour) and a manually requested, presumptive 5-hour result from the AMS were compared with the 4-hour results provided by the Micro ID and the 5-hour results provided by the API. The Micro ID system proved to be the most rapid and accurate of the three test systems by correctly identifying 96.8% (387/400) of isolates. The API 20E using 5-hour readings identified 90.7% (363/400) of isolates, although 96.8% (387/400) could be identified if supplemental overnight tests were employed to separate profile codes with “good likelihood, but low selectivity.” The AMS correctly identified 88.8% (355/400) isolates after 5 hours, and 95.0% (380/400) following 8 hours incubation.
Influence of Dietary Nicotinamide on N-Nitrosodimethylamine Carcinogenesis in Rats

In the late 1970’s as evidence started to mount [1,2] linking poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase to DNA repair, this laboratory started to explore the possible clinical significance of this nuclear enzyme. A number of papers had already been published concerning the effects of carcinogens on the metabolism of nicotinamide, NAD, and poly(ADP-ribose). These results can be summarized as follows: 1. Carcinogens can lower the cellular levels of NAD [3]. 2. Carcinogens can increase the urinary excretion of 1-methylnicotinamide [4]. 3. Carcinogens can stimulate the activity of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase [5,6].
Cytogenetics, in situ hybridization and molecular approaches in the diagnosis of cancer

The past 100 years represent almost the entire history of the recognition of the role of genetics in human cancer. The purpose of this work is to: 1) review that history; 2) explore the techniques that have brought cancer genetics to its present state of knowledge; and 3) to provide preliminary data on how cytogenetics, fluorescence in situ-hybridization (FISH) and molecular techniques contribute to the diagnosis of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Conventional cytogenetics provided the first chromosomal marker for malignancy in 1960. This was to be known as the so-called Philadelphia chromosome. Additional chromosomal changes associated with various hematologic malignancies followed in the 1970s after chromosomal banding was perfected. FISH, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse transcriptase PCR (RTPCR) and other molecular techniques followed. Using these techniques, the diag­ nosis and prognosis of CML continue to evolve. The current study evaluates 21 patients by conventional cytogenetics and compares the percentage of t(9;22) meta­ phases with FISH information on the bone marrow and peripheral blood specimens of the same patients. The correlation of the techniques in this small study is 100 percent. Depending on the cutoff for abnormal FISH, 10 percent or less of the FISH studies on bone marrow or peripheral blood are false negatives. Conventional cyto­ genetics is used as the present gold standard. FISH and molecular techniques are complementary and will provide additional significant information in the future.
Radical Cystectomy for Carcinoma of the Bladder in the Elderly Patient

AbstractBetween 1979 and 1984, 136 patients underwent radical cystectomy and urinary diversion for the treatment of invasive carcinoma of the bladder. Of the patients 38 were 70 years old or more and they were considered elderly. The mortality rates for those less than 70 compared to those more than 70 years old were 1 and 5 per cent, respectively, and the morbidity rates were 39 and 34 per cent, respectively, with wound separation being the most common complication. There was no statistically significant difference with respect to age in the morbidity or mortality rates. The median hospital stay was 14 days but if a complication occurred the hospital stay was significantly longer. For elderly patients in general good health, radical cystectomy and urinary diversion should not be withheld on the basis of age alone.
What Is Symmetry

Everyone has some idea of what symmetry is. We recognize the bilateral symmetry of the human body, of the bodies of many other animals, and of numerous objects in our environment. We consider a scalene triangle to be completely lacking in symmetry, while we see symmetry in an isosceles triangle and even more symmetry in an equilateral triangle. That is only for starters. Any reader of this book can easily point out many more kinds and examples of symmetry. For an elementary introduction to symmetry see my book [S22], and for a more advanced introduction, see Weyl [S31]. Escher has given us fantastic illustrations of geometric (and color) symmetry, to be enjoyed in [M16, M17, M40, and M55]. And see also [S13, S30, M25, and M35].
Wordsworthshire and Thoreau Country: Transatlantic Landscapes of Genius

This essay demonstrates how author love and a love of nature came together to establish national landscapes as focal points for imaginative identification, creating a template that, paradoxically, proved to be internationally portable. Hess explores how associations between Wordsworth and the Lake District influenced Henry David Thoreau’s later association with Walden Pond to produce an American version of the ‘landscape of genius’—a natural landscape associated with the genius of a specific, individual author. The essay focuses not on Wordsworth’s and Thoreau’s initial constructions of such landscapes or on direct influence between them (though Thoreau did see continuities between the lake countries), but rather on the reviewers, travel writers, and literary pilgrims who enshrined such places over the course of the nineteenth and into the twentieth century, as the landscape of genius was translated from British to American imaginative geographies. It demonstrates how physical and imaginative pilgrims approached such authors in their landscapes of genius as mediators, both to those particular landscapes and to ‘nature’ in general, in ways that supported new forms of personal, authorial, and national identity and developed a new model of environmental consciousness in transnational dialogue across the Atlantic.
Geochemistry and microbial community composition across a range of acid mine drainage impact and implications for the Neoarchean-Paleoproterozoic transition†

Streams impacted by acid mine drainage (AMD, also known as acid rock drainage) represent local environmental and ecological disasters; however they may also present an opportunity to study microbial communities in environments analogous to past conditions. Neoarchean continents had streams and rivers replete with detrital pyrites. Following the emergence of oxygenic photosynthesis, Cyanobacteria colonized streams and rivers on continental surfaces. The combination of labile detrital pyrite grains and locally produced O2 generated by Cyanobacteria produced ideal conditions for pyrite oxidation similar to that found at modern AMD-impacted sites. To explore the connection of modern sites to ancient conditions, we sampled sites that exhibited a range of AMD-impact (e.g., pH from 2.1 to 7.9, [Fe2+] up to 5.2 mmol/L, [SO42-] from 0.3 to 52.4 mmol/L) and found i) nearly all analytes correlated to sulfate concentration, ii) all sites exhibited the predominance of a single taxon most closely related to Ferrovum myxofaciens, an Fe-oxidixing betaproteoabacterium capable of carbon and nitrogen fixation, iii) signs of potential inorganic carbon limitation and nitrogen cycling. From these findings and building on the work of others, we present a conceptual model of continental surfaces during the Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic linking local O2 production to pyrite oxidation on continental surfaces to sulfate production and delivery to near-shore environments. The delivery of sulfate drives sulfate reduction and euxinia—favoring anoxygenic photosynthesis over cyanobacterial O2 generation in near-continent/shelf marine environments.
Introduction: “The Rivals of My Watch”

The “Introduction” chapter first declares what my book will not be, since the title may suggest different things to different readers. My book is not a detailed examination of the biographical character of either Marlowe or Shakespeare. Nor is it another futile attempt to show that Marlowe single-handedly actually wrote some of Shakespeare’s plays. Nor will it focus solely on the working and playing conditions of the early modern theatrical scene. What it will examine is the link between Shakespeare and Marlowe as it has been portrayed in biographical and critical forms from the first mention of the two by their contemporaries in the 1590s, through the most recent revisions of the association in post-9/11 biographies. I demonstrate how historical, aesthetical, and personal pressures continually shape the view of the literary association between the two playwrights. As early as Robert Greene’s alleged attack on the “upstart crow,” and continuing through the early 21st-century renderings of the two dramatists, critics persist in reading the pair through a lens that refracts the relationship as much as it reflects their own individual literary and historical contexts.
A symmetric positive semi-definite FDTD subgridding algorithm for arbitrary grid ratios with uncompromised accuracy

Instability has been a major problem in FDTD subgridding methods. Reciprocity has been proposed to overcome the problem but with limited success in producing a symmetric system without compromising accuracy. In this paper, we algebraically derive an FDTD subgridding operator that is theoretically symmetric positive semi-definite, independent of the grid ratio and whether the grid is 2- or 3-D. Such an operator has only nonnegative real eigenvalues, and hence the stability of the resulting explicit time marching is guaranteed. We also translate this operator from its matrix form to the original FDTD difference equations to show how the fields involved in the subgridding are generated to obtain a symmetric system without compromising accuracy. Numerical experiments have validated the accuracy and stability of the proposed subgridding method.
Propagation Model for Spatially Multiplexed MIMO Optical Channels Combining Electromagnetic Wave and Modified Laguerre-Gaussian Beams

A model characterizing spatially multiplexed (SDM) based optical channels, utilizing the modified LG beam equations is presented. This model allows for determination of independent modes of the SDM system architecture.
An information-based approach for guiding multi-modal human-computer-interaction

Much work has been done in dialogue modeling for spoken and multi-modal humancomputer interaction. Problems can arise in situations that do not correspond to the dialogue model. For this reason, we propose information-centered dialogue processing in which the actions to be taken by the dialogue system are determined as a function of the information available in the discourse, the database and the domain model. In order to arrive at fully specified representations of the intended actions, the specificity of the representations is increased by unification, integrating information from multi-modal input, database access and domain knowledge. Our approach differs from other state-of-the-art systems in that it does not rely on explicit dialogue models. Instead, we show how partial and underspecified representations of the situation can be used in a spoken dialogue system to generate clarification questions and to guide the user to arrive at his or her communicative goal. We show furthermore how probabilistic information can be used to disambiguate without clarification questions. Evaluation results and dialogue examples demonstrate the flexibility and naturalness of our approach.
Rescuing cognitive and emotional regulatory skills to aid smoking prevention in at-risk youth: A randomized trial.

Abstract Adolescence is a vulnerable period for smoking initiation, with disadvantaged teens particularly at risk. In addition, emotional and cognitive dysregulation is associated with an increased risk of smoking and makes it particularly challenging to benefit from standard substance use prevention interventions. The goal of the current study is to investigate the extent to which interventions designed to improve cognitive (working memory) and emotional (distress tolerance) regulatory processes enhance the effectiveness of a standard smoking prevention informational intervention. We will study adolescents (12–16 years of age) predominantly from racial/ethnic-minority and low-income households. Proximal smoking-risk outcome measures are used to allow testing of prevention models outside a full longitudinal study. We hope to generate new insights and approaches to smoking prevention among adolescents from lower socio-economic status (SES) by documenting the influence of working memory training and distress tolerance (mindfulness) interventions on cognitive/affective targets that place individuals at risk for smoking initiation and maintenance. Clinical trials registration: NCT03148652
Trends in Pediatric ACL Reconstruction From the PHIS Database.

Background Previous studies have suggested that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgeries are being performed with increased frequency in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the trend in the frequency of ACL reconstructions normalized by total orthopaedic surgeries at pediatric hospitals nationwide. Methods The Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database was queried for patients age 18 years or younger who underwent orthopaedic surgery at any of the PHIS-participating hospitals 2004-2014. The subset of patients who had been treated with ACL reconstruction were identified using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) procedure codes. The yearly rate was expressed as the number of ACL reconstructions per 1000 orthopaedic surgeries, and a linear model was used to fit the data to illustrate the relative trend. Results In total, 470,126 orthopaedic surgeries, including 15,231 ACL reconstructions, were performed for patients 18 years or younger at 27 pediatric hospitals. ACL reconstructions were performed at a yearly rate of 32.4 per 1000 orthopaedic surgeries. Between 2004 and 2014, the number of ACL reconstructions increased 5.7-fold, whereas orthopaedic surgeries increased 1.7-fold; there was a 2.8-fold increase in ACL reconstructions relative to total pediatric orthopaedic surgeries. The 10-year relative fold increase was nearly equivalent across sexes, and the increasing trend in ACL reconstructions relative to orthopaedic surgeries was also seen across age groups. Conclusions The number of ACL reconstructions performed for children and adolescents in pediatric hospitals nationwide markedly increased by nearly 3 times relative to orthopaedic surgeries over a recent 10-year period. Level of evidence Level IV.
Management of behavior problems in the demented patient

Behavior problems are common in persons with dementia and often lead to caregiver stress and institutionalization for the patient. In most cases, however, these problems are amenable to treatment. Although drug therapy may be necessary to manage some behavior problems, nonpharmacologic strategies may work as well, if not better, with fewer adverse effects. Support and education for the patient's family are the cornerstone of management. At some point, most demented patients display agitation. Appropriate, often nonpharmacologic management of agitation may include establishing a "no-fail" environment, limiting goals and providing reassurance. While delusions and hallucinations are also common, they seldom lead to agitation. Sleep disturbance and wandering are particularly upsetting to the patient's family, but these problems often respond to nonpharmacologic strategies, such as restricting naps and providing more cues about time and place. Depression, which occurs in many demented patients, is an especially treatable cause of disability.
Linear Acoustic Analysis of the Preburner of an Oxidizer-Rich Staged Combustion Engine

The linear acoustic behavior of an oxidizer-rich staged combustion engine preburner assembly that was similar to that of the RD-170 has been investigated by using real fluid speeds of sound to acco...
Maternal Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid Alters Lipid Peroxidation Products and (n-3)/(n-6) Fatty Acid Balance in Offspring Mice

The abundance of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the mammalian brain has generated substantial interest in the search for its roles in regulating brain functions. Our recent study with a gene/stress mouse model provided evidence to support the ability for the maternal supplement of DHA to alleviate autism-associated behavior in the offspring. DHA and arachidonic acid (ARA) are substrates of enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions, and lipid peroxidation results in the production of 4-hydroxyhexenal (4-HHE) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), respectively. In this study, we examine whether a maternal DHA-supplemented diet alters fatty acids (FAs), as well as lipid peroxidation products in the pup brain, heart and plasma by a targeted metabolite approach. Pups in the maternal DHA-supplemented diet group showed an increase in DHA and a concomitant decrease in ARA in all brain regions examined. However, significant increases in 4-HHE, and not 4-HNE, were found mainly in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Analysis of heart and plasma showed large increases in DHA and 4-HHE, but a significant decrease in 4-HNE levels only in plasma. Taken together, the DHA-supplemented maternal diet alters the (n-3)/(n-6) FA ratio, and increases 4-HHE levels in pup brain, heart and plasma. These effects may contribute to the beneficial effects of DHA on neurodevelopment, as well as functional changes in other body organs.
Impact of androgen deprivation therapy on mood, cognition, and risk for AD.

Abstract Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in men. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is commonly prescribed, with some estimates indicating over 50% of men with prostate cancer receive ADT at some point in their treatment. Men on ADT are typically otherwise healthy, with good long-term survival. However, consequences of androgen deprivation can include side effects that may include changes in cognition or onset of dementia. This review will describe what is known about ADT and changes in cognitive function, the possible connection with Alzheimer's disease, how to discuss this with patients about to start ADT, and what patients can do to potentially mitigate cognitive changes.
Psychodynamic intervention in an inpatient medical setting

Abstract This chapter introduces the application of contemporary, developmental, psychodynamic thinking to clinical work in an outreach setting. Specifically, it describes the development and application of a multisystemic group model for working with adolescents suffering from end-stage renal failure, their families, and the medical staff. The chapter seeks to illustrate the integration of classical (defense analysis) and contemporary (mentalization-based treatment) approaches and its clinical application to the issue of compliance to medical regime in chronically ill adolescents. A focus on the importance of working with parents from this perspective is included.
Improving the survivorship care plan process across an academic and community cancer center.

184Background: The goal of a survivorship care plan (SCP) is to improve provider coordination and engage patients in their care. Despite requirements from professional societies, implementation of ...
ILC1-derived IFN-γ mediates cDC1-dependent host resistance against Toxoplasma gondii

ABSTRACT Host resistance against intracellular pathogens requires a rapid IFN-γ mediated immune response. We reveal that T-bet-dependent production of IFN-γ is essential for the maintenance of inflammatory DCs at the site of infection with a common protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. A detailed analysis of the cellular sources for T-bet-dependent IFN-γ identified that ILC1s, but not NK or TH1 cells, were involved in the regulation of inflammatory DCs via IFN-γ. Mechanistically, we established that T-bet dependent ILC1-derived IFN-γ is critical for the induction of IRF8, an essential transcription factor for cDC1s. Failure to upregulate IRF8 in DCs resulted in acute susceptibility to T. gondii infection. Our data identifies that ILC1-derived IFN-γ is indispensable for host resistance against intracellular infection via maintaining IRF8+ inflammatory DCs at the site of infection. Author Summary Mounting a robust type I innate immune response is essential for resistance against numerous intracellular pathogens. The type I immune response is characterized by the production of IFN-γ, a central cytokine required for multiple non-redundant effector functions against bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens. Previous work has shown that group 1 innate lymphocyte cells (ILC1s) together with NK and CD4+ T cells play an indispensable IFN-γ mediated protective role against Toxoplasma gondii infection; yet, the pathway of how IFN-γ produced by ILC1s defend against T. gondii remains unknown. In this work we identified that early production of IFN-γ by ILC1 is essential for maintaining dendritic cells (DCs) during infection. Mechanistically, we reveal that ILC1-derived IFN-γ is indispensable for inducing the transcription factor IRF8 that is critical for sustaining inflammatory DCs. Finally, we demonstrate that IRF8+ DCs are critical for parasite elimination.
Impact of heater configuration on Reset characteristics of PCM Mushroom cell

The bottom electrode (heater) in a mushroom cell phase change memory (PCM) is one of the major components which determines device performance. Understanding the effect of heater geometry on Reset characteristics is necessary for engineering and fabricating efficient structures. In this paper, we explore the role of certain geometrical parameters of the heater using computer simulations. Performing such parameter sweeps experimentally would be uneconomical and time consuming. Our results indicate that the heater top radius/area is of utmost importance for Reset Current and cross-sectional area of the heater matters more that the actual shape of the cross-section. The focus of this paper is to provide a qualitative understanding of the variation of quantities of interest as the heater configuration is changed.
Territories of Equivalence: Objects of the Logistical Apparatus

The production regimes of every era do not remain in the factory but permeate every aspect of a society including its architecture and design culture. Mechanisation transformed space, in particular the household into an efficient machine, with industrial components and standardised dimensions (from the bathtub to the streamlined kitchen), while military manufacturing efficiencies and emerging technologies allowed consumer goods (from TV sets to Tupperware) to fill the middle class suburban home in the post-war era. This essay contemplates how logisticalisation, the latest incarnation of capitalist production, is permeating the design and conception of contemporary space through an exploration of the gadgets and objects that are increasingly used by the public as portals to the larger world of logistical flow. I refer to previous object-based theories of space in architecture as well as to Object-Orientated Ontology, a philosophical movement that elevates the meaning of objects as independent conscious entities beyond human agency. These serve to contextualise my own reading of logistical objects as manifestations that not only allow us intimacy with the larger and complex world of logistics, but more significantly, as dynamic shapers of new types of architectural and urban space, here characterised as territories of equivalence.
Outcomes of Gallbladder Polyps and Their Association With Gallbladder Cancer in a 20-Year Cohort

Importance Gallbladder polyps (GP) are found in more than 4% of adult abdominal ultrasonographs. Their growth pattern and association with gallbladder cancer (GBC) are poorly defined. Objective To determine the growth pattern of GPs and their association with GBC. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study included 622 227 adult members (ie, aged 18 years or older) of Kaiser Permanente Northern California, an integrated health care delivery system, enrolled between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2014. The GBC cohort comprised a total of 365 adults with GBC and prior ultrasonography, and the GP cohort comprised 35 970 adults with GPs present on ultrasonography. Data analysis was performed from March 2016 to November 2019. Exposures Gallbladder polyps (quantitative size, Main Outcomes and Measures For the GBC cohort, proportion of patients with GBC with polyps identified on preceding ultrasonograph. For the GP cohort, rates of GBC among those with polyps according to size and rate of GP growth of at least 2 mm over time. Results The GBC cohort comprised 365 individuals (267 [73.1%] women; 173 [47.4%] white patients; median [interquartile range] age, 71 [61-79] years). After excluding 14 patients who did not have evaluation of polyp size, the final GP cohort comprised 35 856 adults, with 18 645 (52.0%) women, a median (interquartile range) age 50 (40-60) years, and 15 573 (43.3%) white patients. Gallbladder polyps were found in 22 patients (6.0%) in the GBC cohort and in 35 870 of 622 227 adults (5.8%) who underwent abdominal ultrasonography. Of these, 19 (0.053%) were diagnosed with GBC, similar to those without GP (316 of 586 357 [0.054%]). The unadjusted GBC rate per 100 000 person-years was 11.3 (95% CI, 6.2-16.3) overall and increased with polyp size, from 1.3 (95% CI, 0-4.0) with initial size of less than 6 mm (n = 17 531) to 128.2 (95% CI, 39.4-217.0) with initial size of 10 mm or larger (n = 2055). In those observed for at least 1 year, the rate was 3.6 (95% CI, 0.7-6.5) per 100 000 person-years. In 6359 patients with evaluable follow-up, unadjusted cumulative probabilities of polyp growth of at least 2 mm at 10 years were 66.2% (95% CI, 62.3%-70.0%) in polyps initially less than 6 mm and 52.9% (95% CI, 47.1%-59.0%) in polyps initially 6 mm to less than 10 mm. Conclusions and Relevance In this study, GBC rates were low and similar among patients with and without GPs. Growth of 2 mm or more appeared to be part of GP natural history. The results call into question the strategy of proactively following GP to detect GBC.
Poly[di­ethyl­ammonium [tetra-μ2-cyanido-κ8C:N-tricuprate(I)]], a two-dimensional network solid

The title compound, (C4H12N)[Cu3(CN)4]n, crystallizes as a CuCN network solid, with di­ethyl­ammonium cations sandwiched between planar CuCN sheets comprised of trigonal planar and digonally coordinated CuI atoms bridged by linear CN groups to form 24-membered rings. The digonally coordinated CuI atoms and the di­ethyl­ammonium cations lie on separate crystallographic twofold rotation axes. One of the two independent CN groups has a 50:50 disordered orientation, while the other has one orientation favored due to a N—H⋯NC hydrogen bond between the di­ethyl­ammonium cation and the anionic CuCN framework. These hydrogen bonds link the sheets together into a three-dimensional network.
Electrically Induced Decomposition of Thin-Film Nitrocellulose Membranes for On-Demand Biosensor Activation

Implantable or subcutaneous biosensors used for continuous health monitoring have a limited functional lifetime which requires frequent replacement and therefore may be highly discomforting to the patient and become costly. One possible solution to this problem is the use of biosensor arrays where each individual reserve sensor can be activated on-demand when the previous one becomes inoperative due to biofouling or enzyme degradation. Each reserve biosensor in the array is housed in an individiual Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) well and is protected from exposure to bodily fluids such a s interstitial fluid (ISF) by a thin-film nitrocellulose me mbrane. Controlled activation is achieved by decomposing over an individual sensor well. Electrically activated decomposition of the nitrocellulose membrane is caused by passing an electric current through a Au/Ti filament placed on top of the membrane. By applyingan energy of 7 mJ to the Au/Ti filament with cross-sectional area of $8\times 10^{7}\mathrm{cm}^{2}$ , a current density of ≈ 10 5 –10 6 A/cm 2 causes explosive decomposition of thin-film Au. Having a thermal decomposition temperature of ≈ 200°C, nitrocellulose is locally heated directly under the Au/Ti filament. This leads to opening of the nitrocellulose membrane allowing for exposure of biosensor to the biofluid.
The role of citizen science in management of invasive avian species: What people think, know, and do.

Abstract In North America, nest site competition from invasive cavity-nesting birds can limit the opportunities for successful nesting by native birds. Managing invasive species is costly and complex, requiring input from biologists, decision makers, and the public. An informed and engaged public can play an important role in mitigating the negative effects of invasive avian species. However, little is known regarding the publics’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward non-native bird species. We examined the association between participating in a citizen science project and enjoyment, knowledge, and management of two non-native avian species in North America: European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and house sparrows (Passer domesticus). We administered a pre and post survey to 947 people who monitor nest boxes in the United States and Canada, 30% of whom were also reporting their observations to NestWatch, a citizen science project focused on nesting birds. We found that NestWatch participants were more likely to have negative views of non-native species, score higher on bird identification tasks, and manage for invasive species than non-participants. The most important predictor for undertaking management activities was respondents' perceptions of whether they believed non-native birds to be a problem at the continental scale, underscoring the important role of individual factors such as perception. Our study also highlights the important role citizen science may play in shaping attitudes and behaviors and increasing knowledge. We propose a conceptual model describing the mechanisms by which citizen science can be leveraged for management of invasive species.
Enhanced Nanostructure Dynamics on Au(111) with Adsorbed Sulfur due to Au-S Complex Formation.

Chemisorbed species can enhance the fluxional dynamics of nanostructured metal surfaces which has implications for applications such as catalysis. Scanning tunneling microscopy studies at room temperature reveal that the presence of adsorbed sulfur (S) greatly enhances the decay rate of 2D Au islands in the vicinity of extended step edges on Au(111). This enhancement is already significant at S coverages, θS , of a few hundredths of a monolayer (ML), and is most pronounced for 0.1-0.3 ML where the decay rate is increased by a factor of around 30. For θS close to saturation at about 0.6 ML, sulfur induces pitting and reconstruction of the entire surface, and Au islands are stabilized. Enhanced coarsening at lower θS is attributed to the formation and diffusion across terraces of Au-S complexes, particularly AuS2 and Au4 S4 , with some lesser contribution from Au3 S4 . This picture is supported by density functional theory analysis of complex formation energies and diffusion barriers.
A Theory of Corporate Scandals: Why the USA and Europe Differ

A wave of financial irregularity in the USA in 2001--2 culminated in the Sarbanes--Oxley Act. A worldwide stockmarket bubble burst over this same period, with the actual market decline being proportionately more severe in Europe. Yet, no corresponding wave of financial scandals involving a similar level of companies occurred in Europe. Given the higher level of public and private enforcement in the USA for securities fraud, this contrast seems perplexing. This paper submits that different kinds of scandals characterize different systems of corporate governance. In particular, dispersed ownership systems of governance are prone to the forms of earnings management that erupted in the USA, but concentrated ownership systems are much less vulnerable. Instead, the characteristic scandal in such systems is the appropriation of private benefits of control. This paper suggests that this difference in the likely source of, and motive for, financial misconduct has implications both for the utility of gatekeepers as reputational intermediaries and for design of legal controls to protect public shareholders. The difficulty in achieving auditor independence in a corporation with a controlling shareholder may also imply that minority shareholders in concentrated ownership economies should directly select their own gatekeepers. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.
Electronic Health Records

This chapter introduces and reviews electronic health record (EHR) systems as essential core health information technology (IT). It describes current and potential future EHR functionality and discusses some of the challenges and controversies for these systems. EHRs include both traditional and newer capabilities for direct patient care and population health, as well as innovative Health IT working in concert with EHRs. Today’s EHR landscape includes challenges around EHR data entry, increased patient participation in EHR data entry, certified EHRs with increased inter-operability, and a number of regulatory requirements often leveraging EHRs.
Layer-based, depth-resolved computation of attenuation coefficients and backscattering fractions in tissue using optical coherence tomography

Structural optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of tissue stand to benefit from greater functionalization and quantitative interpretation. The OCT attenuation coefficient µ, an analogue of the imaged sample’s scattering coefficient, offers potential functional contrast based on the relationship of µ to sub-resolution physical properties of the sample. Attenuation coefficients are computed either by fitting a representative µ over several depth-wise pixels of a sample’s intensity decay, or by using previously-developed depth-resolved attenuation algorithms by Girard et al. [Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci.52, 7738 (2011). 10.1167/iovs.10-6925] and Vermeer et al. [Biomed. Opt. Express5, 322 (2014). 10.1364/BOE.5.000322]. However, the former method sacrifices axial information in the tomogram, while the latter relies on the stringent assumption that the sample’s backscattering fraction, another optical property, does not vary along depth. This assumption may be violated by layered tissues commonly observed in clinical imaging applications. Our approach preserves the full depth resolution of the attenuation map but removes its dependence on backscattering fraction by performing signal analysis inside individual discrete layers over which the scattering properties (e.g., attenuation and backscattering fraction) vary minimally. Although this approach necessitates the detection of these layers, it removes the constant-backscattering-fraction assumption that has constrained quantitative attenuation coefficient analysis in the past, and additionally yields a layer-resolved backscattering fraction, providing complementary scattering information to the attenuation coefficient. We validate our approach using automated layer detection in layered phantoms, for which the measured optical properties were in good agreement with theoretical values calculated with Mie theory, and show preliminary results in tissue alongside corresponding histological analysis. Together, accurate backscattering fraction and attenuation coefficient measurements enable the estimation of both particle density and size, which is not possible from attenuation measurements alone. We hope that this improvement to depth-resolved attenuation coefficient measurement, augmented by a layer-resolved backscattering fraction, will increase the diagnostic power of quantitative OCT imaging.
Mixture Model Framework for Traumatic Brain Injury Prognosis Using Heterogeneous Clinical and Outcome Data.

Prognoses of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) outcomes are neither easily nor accurately determined from clinical indicators. This is due in part to the heterogeneity of damage inflicted to the brain, ultimately resulting in diverse and complex outcomes. Using a data-driven approach on many distinct data elements may be necessary to describe this large set of outcomes and thereby robustly depict the nuanced differences among TBI patients recovery. In this work, we develop a method for modeling large heterogeneous data types relevant to TBI. Our approach is geared toward the probabilistic representation of mixed continuous and discrete variables with missing values. The model is trained on a dataset encompassing a variety of data types, including demographics, blood-based biomarkers, and imaging findings. In addition, it includes a set of clinical outcome assessments at 3, 6, and 12 months post-injury. The model is used to stratify patients into distinct groups in an unsupervised learning setting. We use the model to infer outcomes using input data, and show that the collection of input data reduces uncertainty of outcomes over a baseline approach. In addition, we quantify the performance of a likelihood scoring technique that can be used to self-evaluate the extrapolation risk of prognosis on unseen patients.
Carbon and nitrogen mineralization of semi-arid shrubland soils exposed to chronic nitrogen inputs and pulses of labile carbon and nitrogen

Abstract Semi-arid shrublands experience chronic anthropogenic nitrogen (N) inputs and episodic pulses of N and carbon (C). Chronic N deposition can cause N saturation, leading to soil acidification and N loss; however, some ecosystems experience acidification and N loss before N saturation while others exhibit an increase in N retention with prolonged N deposition. These divergent responses may be due to variations in soil N and C availability and microbial activity. We tested whether labile C and/or N pulses affected microbial activity (respiration and net N mineralization) in soil exposed to chronic N input. We hypothesized that C pulses would increase microbial activity, but that pulsed and chronic N enrichment would decrease activity. We found that a C pulse stimulated microbial respiration and net N immobilization, while pulsed and/or long-term N enrichment significantly increased N accumulation but not microbial respiration. Nitrate retention was highest in soil exposed to a C pulse and chronic N enrichment, indicating substantial capacity for microbial N retention with sufficient labile C availability. Our data suggest that N retention in semi-arid shrublands is driven more by spatial and temporal variations in labile C availability than exceedance of N storage capacity.
The Explosive Growth of Postwar Physics, 1950–1999

The number of such meetings increased rapidly as physicists from the Manhattan Project, the Radiation Laboratory and other major wartime facilities, who had dispersed to the universities and to a few industrial organizations, came together to try to obtain an overview that would permit them to select a particular area of research that they felt was most promising and best suited to their talents and equipment.
Novel change in the carbohydrate portion of Myxococcus xanthus lipopolysaccharide during development.

Abstract We have examined the alterations in lipopolysaccharide during aggregation and early development in Myxococcus xanthus. The lipopolysaccharide was isolated and characterized from cells developing on agar during glycerol induction and vegetative growth. A methylated amino sugar was identified as 6-O-methylgalactosamine by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. This novel sugar was enriched in cells developing on agar.
Evaluation of the Vitek 2 System for Rapid Identification of Clinical Isolates of Gram-Negative Bacilli and Members of the Family Streptococcaceae

Accuracy of the Vitek 2 automated system (bioMerieux Vitek, USA) for rapid identification of bacteria was evaluated using a collection of 858 epidemiologically unrelated gram-negative and 99 gram-positive clinical isolates. Isolates were tested after subculturing to ensure purity. Conventional agar-based biochemical tests (Steers replicator) were used as a reference method of identification. Gram-negative bacteria were identified to the species level with 95.3% accuracy by the system (Enterobacteriaceae, 95.9%; and non-Enterobacteriaceae, 92.5%), and gram-positive isolates with 72% accuracy. Although Vitek 2 identified routine clinical isolates of gram-negative bacilli and Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium reliably, rapidly, and reproducibly, improvement is required in the identification of less common species of enterococci and viridans group streptococci.
Behavioral and ecological correlates of foureye butterflyfish, Chaetodon capistratus, (Perciformes: Chaetodontidae) infected with Anilocra chaetodontis (Isopoda: Cymothoidae)

We observed the behavior and ecology of Chaetodon capistratus infected and uninfected with the ecto-parasitic isopod Anilocra chaetodontis to assess whether there may be parasite induced alterations in host biology, host defenses against infection, and/or pathology related to infection. We also examined habitat related differences in infection rates. Infected fish had higher rates of interaction with conspecifics and spent more time in low flow environments (which might improve transmission of juvenile parasites to new hosts). Butterflyfish without isopods were chased more frequently by damselfishes, fed more, and had larger territories. Time spent near conspecifics, and fish condition and gonadosomatic index did not vary between infected and uninfected fish. These results suggest that foureye butterflyfish behavior is altered by the isopod parasite in order for the isopods to more easily gain mates or transmit offspring to new hosts.
Design and Applications of a Delay Jitter Control Scheme for Packet-Switching Internetworks

Delay jitter is the variation of the delays with which packets traveling on a network connection reach their destination. For good quality of reception, continuous-media (video, audio, image) streams require that jitter be kept below a sufficiently small upper bound. This paper proposes a distributed mechanism for controlling delay jitter in a packet-switching network. The mechanism can be applied to an internetwork that satisfies the conditions detailed in the paper, and can coexist with other schemes (including the absence of any scheme) for jitter control within the same network, the same node, and even the same real-time channel. The mechanism makes the distribution of buffer space requirements more uniform over a channel's route, and reduces by a non-negligible amount the total buffer space needed by a channel. The paper argues that, if these advantages are sufficient to justify the higher costs of the distributed jitter control mechanism with respect to a non-distributed one, it would be useful to offer to the network's users a jitter control service based on the mechanism proposed here.
Aryl hydrocarbon (benzo[a]pyrene) hydroxylases in liver from rats of different age, sex and nutritional status. Distinction of two types by 7,8-benzoflavone.

Abstract Two types of aryl hydrocarbon (benzo[a]pyrene) hydroxylase have been distinguished in liver from rats of different sex and age by their sensitivity to the synthetic flavonoid, 7,8-benzoflavone. One type, which is stimulated by the 7,8-benzoflavone, is found in newborn rats and predominates in the liver of adult male rats. This type is inducible by phenobarbital. A second type, which is inhibited by 7,8-benzoflavone, comprises a larger fraction in the liver of adult female rats and is inducible by polycyclic hydrocarbons in immature and mature animals of either sex. The presence of this form in adult female liver is also indicated by the kinetics of the hydroxylase reaction. Removal of solid food for 18 hr not only decreases hepatic aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity in female rats, but also lowers the degree of inhibition by 7,8-benzoflavone. Kinetic data suggest that at low concentrations 7,8-benzoflavone acts as a competitive inhibitor but at higher concentrations inhibits the hydroxylation reaction by a more complex mechanism.
Microarray analysis of sexually dimorphic gene expression in human minor salivary glands

Oral Diseases (2011) 17, 653–661 Objective: We hypothesized that differential mRNA transcription between the sexes may be linked to the 9:1 female-to-male gender-related relative risk for the development of Sjogren’s syndrome (SS), an autoimmune disease that leads to inflammation and dysfunction in the lachrymal and salivary glands. Subjects and Methods: RNA from minor salivary glands was collected from nine healthy volunteers (four men and five women) and analyzed using the Agilent 4 × 44K human microarray platform. Differential expression was confirmed by qRT-PCR. Results: Comparison of the transcriptome of minor salivary glands from normal male and female volunteers with that of salivary glands and secretory epithelia identified a number of gender, species, and tissue-specific gene expression patterns. These differences include, but are not limited to, a diverse set of genes involved in immune modulation, chemotactic control, inhibition of complement, metabolism, and neurogenesis. Conclusion: Analysis of these changes provides insight into the protective and predisposing molecular factors that may be involved in the development of Sjogren’s syndrome. Some of the gene changes observed in this study correlate with previously observed sexual dimorphisms in salivary gland function and also illustrate several new targets for further investigation.
Studies on the pathogenesis of Krabbe's leukodystrophy: cellular reaction of the brain to exogenous galactosylsphingosine, monogalactosyl diglyceride, and lactosylceramide.

Krabbe’s leukodystrophy or globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD) is an autosomal recessive neurological disorder of infancy, affecting the central as well as peripheral nervous system. Tonic seizures, generalized convulsions, spastic quadriplegia, optic atrophy and deafness with rapid clinical progression are major symptoms of the patient with GLD.
Thermal stress increases fluctuating asymmetry in marine mussels: environmental variation and developmental instability

Faced with rising environmental temperatures, there is growing evidence that species are exhibiting shifts in ecological distribution, physiological performance, and behavioral strategy. Less is understood, however, about links between environmental conditions and the precision with which organisms are able to fulfill their developmentally programmed phenotype. Here, we report that developmental instability, assessed by the fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of right versus left valves in intertidal mussel shells, increases under elevated thermal stress. In a growth experiment, mussels that were exposed to elevated aerial temperatures (21.5° ± 0.1°C) for three hours each day displayed higher levels of FA compared to mussels exposed to cooler aerial temperatures (12.6° ± 0.1°C). Reciprocal field transplant experiments revealed that FA increased under higher aerial temperatures (e.g., on a south facing surface [19.6° ± 0.2°C]) compared to individuals living in cooler habitats (e.g., on a north facing surface [15.2° ± 0.2°C] or lower in the intertidal zone [14.1° ± 0.6°C]). Together, these results imply that the precision of developmental processes can be perturbed by environmental conditions and raise developmental instability as a potential impact of future environmental variability alongside shifts in physiology, behavior and biogeographic distribution.