cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sharpening P-spline signal regression

We propose two variations of P-spline signal regression: space-varying penalization signal regression (SPSR) and additive polynomial signal regression (APSR). SPSR uses space-varying roughness penalty according to the estimated coefficients from the partial least-squares (PLS) regression, while APSR expands the linear basis to polynomial bases. SPSR and APSR are motivated in the following two scenarios, respectively: (i) some region(s) of the regressor channels contain more useful information for prediction than others and (ii) the relationship between the response and regressor channels is highly nonlinear. We also extend the methods to the generalized linear regression setting. As illustration, we apply the methods to two published data sets showing highly competitive performance.
Food and People; A Second Look at Malthus' Principle of Population

In 1798 Thomas Robert Malthus published An Essay on Population which went into several editions and was widely discussed by literate people everywhere. His thesis, that ". . . the increase of population is necessarily limited by the means of subsistence," and that "population invariably increases when the means of subsistence increase, unless prevented by powerful and obvious checks,"1 was widely accepted as descriptive of the actual situation in which the world found itself. It was not long, however, before the people of the western world began to doubt Malthus' principle of population. These doubters, some of whom are still with us, pointed out that population was growing rapidly and, that contrary to Malthus, people were living better. Real wages were up. People ate better and were better clothed and housed. Although population was growing, production was growing faster. Before the difference of opinion is discussed, we should have a closer look at Malthus' thesis. Malthus concluded from such demographic data as were available to him that man's biological capacity to reproduce himself was sufficient to permit a doubling of population every twenty-five years under favorable conditions, that is, in a geometric ratio. With respect to the productions of the earth, however, he says, ". . . we may be perfectly certain that the ratio of their increase in a limited territory must be of a totally different nature from the ratio of the increase of population. A thousand millions are just as easily doubled every twenty-five years by the power of population as a thousand. But the food to support the increase from the greater number will by no means be obtained with the same facility." Using Great Britain as an example, Malthus concluded that it might be possible to double production in twenty-five years, but that it was impossible to suppose that the original production could be quadrupled in fifty years. Although population can increase geometrically, production can scarcely exceed an arithmetic increase.
Tumor Necrosis Factor–Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (Trail) Is an Inhibitor of Autoimmune Inflammation and Cell Cycle Progression

The tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis of tumor cells but not normal cells; its role in normal nontransformed tissues is unknown. We report here that chronic blockade of TRAIL in mice exacerbated autoimmune arthritis, and that intraarticular TRAIL gene transfer ameliorated the disease. In vivo, TRAIL blockade led to profound hyperproliferation of synovial cells and arthritogenic lymphocytes and heightened the production of cytokines and autoantibodies. In vitro, TRAIL inhibited DNA synthesis and prevented cell cycle progression of lymphocytes. Interestingly, TRAIL had no effect on apoptosis of inflammatory cells either in vivo or in vitro. Thus, unlike other members of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily, TRAIL is a prototype inhibitor protein that inhibits autoimmune inflammation by blocking cell cycle progression.
Cross sections for atomic displacements in solids by fast positrons

Abstract The Mott series has been used to calculate the cross section for atomic displacements produced in elastic collisions between relativistic positrons and atomic nuclei. The Kinchin and Pease displacement model was used. Several elements spanning the atomic table were treated using positron energies ranging from threshold to several tens of MeV. The results are compared with previous calculations for relativistic electrons. It is found that for the same energy and atomic number the positron cross sections are always smaller (up to a factor of 5 or more). It is also found that the McKinley-Feshbach formula, which is frequently used in radiation damage analysis, is even less reliable for positrons than for electrons.
Low-entropy expressions: the key to design-oriented analysis

It is pointed out that the perception of many electronics design engineers is that they are able to apply a few of the formal analysis methods they have been taught, and are largely unprepared for the realization that design is the reverse of analysis. The author suggests a different perspective for teaching, based on the premise that only analysis that is design-oriented is worth doing, and that results should be presented in low-entropy expressions. High- and low-entropy expressions are described. A simple analog circuit example illustrates one method of design-oriented analysis: doing the algebra on the circuit diagram. >
A new modified technique for heterotopic femoral heart transplantation in rats.

Background Abbott developed the first experimental accessory heart transplant rat model in 1964. This intra-abdominal model required a labor-intensive aortic anastomosis. In 1971, Heron modified the operation by using sutureless cervical vessel anastomoses. Rao and Lisitza developed a femoral heart accessory transplant model in 1985. Our goal was to improve this femoral model for the study of cardiac transplantation between both syngeneic and allogeneic rats. Methods ACI and Lewis rats weighing 150 to 350g were used as donors and recipients (n = 12). The left common carotid and left pulmonary arteries were anastomosed to the femoral artery and vein in an end-to-end fashion, respectively. Improved modifications included the use of hemostatic vessel clips, heparinization of both donor and recipient, a ventricular prolene stay-suture for secure graft placement, and transfemoral echocardiography (TFE). Total operative time averaged 61 ± 12 minutes. Results Femoral accessory transplanted hearts (FATHs) allowed easier pulse palpation and access for TFE versus previously described cervical and intra-abdominal models. This modification allows precise detection of acute graft rejection (AGR) and is defined as absent ventricular contraction in the presence of anastomostic patency. Conclusions Our new modified technique for heterotopic femoral heart transplantation in rats is a relatively easily learned and reproduced procedure that allows superior allograft access for palpation and improved echocardiographic assessment. Femoral heterotopic heart transplantation remains an effective model for allograft transplantation study.
Pattern formation and stochastic motion of the zooplankton Daphnia in a light field

We extend our study of single and collective motions of the zooplankton Daphnia both in experiment and computer simulation. Daphnia, as well as many other prey animals, can be observed to swarm under certain circumstances as a protective behavior against predators. Daphnia swarms can be induced by an optical marker such as a vertical shaft of light, to which they are attracted. For low Daphnia densities we observe that individual Daphnia develop a circular motion around the optical marker, whereas for high densities we can reproducibly induce swarming Daphnia to carry out a vortex motion. To learn more about this circular pattern and the associated spontaneous symmetry breaking, the motion of single Daphnia, as well as swarms, is characterized with respect to the light shaft. A stochastic model based on experimental data is compared with the observed Daphnia behavior as well as with existing models for single agents and agent swarms performing a circular motion to reveal the essential ingredients for vortex motion to occur. c
Emerging Competition Policy Issues in Agricultural Biotechnology

The increased importance of privately sponsored biotechnology research has led to mergers, strategic alliances, vertical coordination, technology licensing, and other changes among firms within the agricultural sector. The industry is in the midst of sweeping changes, and research and development has become a central driver. Competition concerns are emerging that had not existed in the past and will likely bring increased antitrust scrutiny. This article outlines the economic principles that underlie efficient competition, especially those in high-technology industries. It then uses these principles to analyze the new strategic practices that may trigger increased intervention under competition policy. In particular, the article considers the effects of mergers, research joint ventures, technology licensing, and product tying and bundling.
Electronic Transport in Graphene Heterostructures

The elementary excitations of monolayer graphene, which behave as massless Dirac particles, make it a fascinating venue in which to study relativistic quantum phenomena. One notable example is Klein tunneling, a phenomena in which electrons convert to holes to tunnel through a potential barrier. However, the omnipresence of charged impurities in substrate-supported samples keep the overall charge distribution nonuniform, obscuring much of this “Dirac” point physics in large samples. Using local gates, one can create tunable heterojunctions in graphene, isolating the contribution of small regions of the samples to transport. In this review, we give an overview of quantum transport theory and experiment on locally gated graphene heterostructures, with an emphasis on bipolar junctions.
Intellectual Property Piracy: Perception and Reality in China, the United States, and Elsewhere

This article is intended as a counterpoint to the all-too-frequent portrayal of China as the world's leading violator of intellectual property rights. In fact, by many measures, China, taken as a whole, is not the leading violator. Some measures show China as the leading violator only because they are aggregates, and do not take into account China's size. When figures are adjusted for population, China's rates of intellectual property violation are lower than those of many other countries, including the United States. The article first looks at examples of the current round of political and media China-bashing. It then examines figures on international movie piracy provided by the Motion Picture Association (the international counterpart of the Motion Picture Association of America) and compares those figures to the populations of the countries involved. It concludes that the problem of movie piracy is more severe in the U.S. than in China, possibly because of greater broadband access, and more severe still in other countries, including France, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Pork fat quality of pigs fed distillers dried grains with solubles with variable oil content and evaluation of iodine value prediction equations

Back, belly, and jowl fat samples of pigs fed control corn-soybean meal-based diets and diets containing 4 sources of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) were used to determine the impact of feeding DDGS with variable oil content on pork fat quality and to evaluate the precision and accuracy of published iodine value (IV) prediction equations. Dietary treatments consisted of 4 corn-soybean meal diets containing 40% DDGS from different sources with 10.7, 5.6, 14.2, or 16.0% ether extract (EE; as-fed) content. Diets did not contain any other supplemental lipid sources. Regardless of fat depot, SFA content (g/100 g fat) of pigs fed 5.6% EE DDGS (35.4) was greater ( < 0.05) than that of pigs fed 14.2 or 16.0% EE DDGS sources (34.4 and 30.2, respectively) and tended to be greater ( < 0.10) than that of pigs fed 10.7% EE DDGS (34.6). Pigs fed 10.7 and 14.2% EE DDGS had greater ( < 0.01) SFA concentration than pigs fed 16.0% EE DDGS. Regardless of fat depot, MUFA content (g/100 g fat) of pigs fed 10.7, 5.6, and 14.2% DDGS sources were similar (43.7, 43.1, and 43.0, respectively) but were greater ( < 0.01) than that of pigs fed 16.0% EE DDGS (40.0). A dietary treatment × fat depot interaction was observed for PUFA ( < 0.05) and IV ( = 0.079). Pigs fed 10.7, 5.6, and 14.2% DDGS sources had reduced ( < 0.01) PUFA concentration and IV compared with pigs fed 16.0% EE DDGS, but the magnitude of responses in PUFA and IV to the variable oil content of DDGS was greater in backfat than in belly and jowl fat. Carcass fat IV data were used to evaluate prediction error (PE) and bias of published carcass fat IV prediction equations. Equations using dietary C18:2 content or IV product as a single predictor resulted in highly variable PE (g/100 g) ranging from 3.43 to 8.36 and bias (g/100 g) ranging from -5.05 to 5.66. Using equations that included additional diet composition information and pig growth performance factors decreased PE (3.27 to 4.73) and bias (-3.37 to 1.73) of prediction for backfat compared with equations only based on the characteristics of dietary lipid, but this improvement was limited in the prediction for belly and jowl fat. Predictions based on percentage of DDGS in diets had the greatest PE (6.66 to 9.19) and bias (5.53 to 8.00).
Mechanisms of in vivo muscle fatigue in humans: investigating age-related fatigue resistance with a computational model.

Key points Muscle fatigue can be defined as the transient decrease in maximal force that occurs in response to muscle use. Fatigue develops because of a complex set of changes within the neuromuscular system that are difficult to evaluate simultaneously in humans. The skeletal muscle of older adults fatigues less than that of young adults during static contractions. The potential sources of this difference are multiple and intertwined. To evaluate the individual mechanisms of fatigue, we developed an integrative computational model based on neural, biochemical, morphological and physiological properties of human skeletal muscle. Our results indicate first that the model provides accurate predictions of fatigue and second that the age-related resistance to fatigue is due largely to a lower reliance on glycolytic metabolism during contraction. This model should prove useful for generating hypotheses for future experimental studies into the mechanisms of muscle fatigue. Abstract During repeated or sustained muscle activation, force-generating capacity becomes limited in a process referred to as fatigue. Multiple factors, including motor unit activation patterns, muscle fibre contractile properties and bioenergetic function, can impact force-generating capacity and thus the potential to resist fatigue. Given that neuromuscular fatigue depends on interrelated factors, quantifying their independent effects on force-generating capacity is not possible in vivo. Computational models can provide insight into complex systems in which multiple inputs determine discrete outputs. However, few computational models to date have investigated neuromuscular fatigue by incorporating the multiple levels of neuromuscular function known to impact human in vivo function. To address this limitation, we present a computational model that predicts neural activation, biomechanical forces, intracellular metabolic perturbations and, ultimately, fatigue during repeated isometric contractions. This model was compared with metabolic and contractile responses to repeated activation using values reported in the literature. Once validated in this way, the model was modified to reflect age-related changes in neuromuscular function. Comparisons between initial and age-modified simulations indicated that the age-modified model predicted less fatigue during repeated isometric contractions, consistent with reports in the literature. Together, our simulations suggest that reduced glycolytic flux is the greatest contributor to the phenomenon of age-related fatigue resistance. In contrast, oxidative resynthesis of phosphocreatine between intermittent contractions and inherent buffering capacity had minimal impact on predicted fatigue during isometric contractions. The insights gained from these simulations cannot be achieved through traditional in vivo or in vitro experimentation alone.
Spectral characteristics of background error covariance and multiscale data assimilation

The steady increase of the spatial resolutions of numerical atmospheric and oceanic circulation models has occurred over the past decades. Horizontal grid spacing down to the order of 1 km is now often used to resolve cloud systems in the atmosphere and sub-mesoscale circulation systems in the ocean. These fine resolution models encompass a wide range of temporal and spatial scales, across which dynamical and statistical properties vary. In particular, dynamic flow systems at small scales can be spatially localized and temporarily intermittent. Difficulties of current data assimilation algorithms for such fine resolution models are numerically and theoretically examined. Our analysis shows that the background error correlation length scale is larger than 75 km for streamfunctions and is larger than 25 km for water vapor mixing ratios, even for a 2-km resolution model. A theoretical analysis suggests that such correlation length scales prevent the currently used data assimilation schemes from constraining spatial scales smaller than 150 km for streamfunctions and 50 km for water vapor mixing ratios. Moreover, our results highlight the need to fundamentally modify currently used data assimilation algorithms for assimilating high-resolution observations into the aforementioned fine resolution models. Lastly, within the framework of four-dimensional variational data assimilation,more » a multiscale methodology based on scale decomposition is suggested and challenges are discussed.« less
Cellular Retinol-Binding Protein-1 Is Expressed by Myofibroblasts in Rat Myocardial Infarction

Objectives:It has been reported that cellular retinol-binding protein-1(CRBP-1)is transiently expressed in granulation tis- sue.To understand the mechanism of ventricular remodeling of the heart after myocardial infarction(MI),we examined the ex- pression of CBBP-1 in rat MI model. Methods:MI was produced in male Wistar rats by left coronary ligation.Rats were sacrificed to obtain the heart at 3,6, 15,30,and 45 days after operation.The heart were cut into four cross sections,fixed and embedded in paraffin.Sections were cut and stained with hematoxylin and eosin(HE),Masson's trichrome(MT),rabbit anti-CRBP-1 antibody and mouse anti-α- smooth muscle(SM)actin antibody.CRBP-1 andα-SM actin were also detected using Western blotting. Results:Seventy Wistar rats developed MI with infarct size ranging from 43.3% to 58.1%(mean 48.8±3.6%).Heart sections of MI with HE and MT staining showed a remarkable myocyte necrosis,collagen disposition and ventricular remodeling. CRBP-1 expression was detected at both endoeardial and epieardial regions of infarction,where fibroblasts infiltrated with myocyte necrosis at 3 and 6 days after operation.At 6 and 15 days,α-SM actin positive myofibroblasts in the infarcted regions expressed CRBP-1 and this expression was decreased at 30 days after operation. Conclusions:CRBP-1 is transiently and rapidly expressed by myofibroblasts in rat MI model.This result suggests that CRBP- 1 and possibly retinoic acid play an important role in ventricular remodeling after MI.
In germ cell cancer, are we at the end of the chemotherapy era? Maybe--and we are certainly at the end of the RCT era.

Cisplatin-based chemotherapy has transformed the prognosis of testicular germ cell cancer (GCT). It has converted the chief mortal malignancy in younger men into a model for the curability of cancer.
Measurement invariance conventions and reporting: The state of the art and future directions for psychological research

Measurement invariance assesses the psychometric equivalence of a construct across groups or across time. Measurement noninvariance suggests that a construct has a different structure or meaning to different groups or on different measurement occasions in the same group, and so the construct cannot be meaningfully tested or construed across groups or across time. Hence, prior to testing mean differences across groups or measurement occasions (e.g., boys and girls, pretest and posttest), or differential relations of the construct across groups, it is essential to assess the invariance of the construct. Conventions and reporting on measurement invariance are still in flux, and researchers are often left with limited understanding and inconsistent advice. Measurement invariance is tested and established in different steps. This report surveys the state of measurement invariance testing and reporting, and details the results of a literature review of studies that tested invariance. Most tests of measurement invariance include configural, metric, and scalar steps; a residual invariance step is reported for fewer tests. Alternative fit indices (AFIs) are reported as model fit criteria for the vast majority of tests; χ2 is reported as the single index in a minority of invariance tests. Reporting AFIs is associated with higher levels of achieved invariance. Partial invariance is reported for about one-third of tests. In general, sample size, number of groups compared, and model size are unrelated to the level of invariance achieved. Implications for the future of measurement invariance testing, reporting, and best practices are discussed.
Considering Do-Ho Suh’s Installation Art within the Context of Asian Democracy

After adopting democracy as a part of Western modernization, East Asian countries have shown a contradictory position between human rights and Asian values, which emphasize the cultural originality of the East Asian Confucius society. In contrast to the respect of the individualistic ideal in Western democracy, East Asian countries, in spite of the democratic principles, have emphasized national sovereignty and community's precedence over individuals for the social and economic stability. Thus, Asian democracy has been identified as a dictatorial system of Asian development, which is the mixture of the Confucian tradition of Patriarchal system and community spirit with Capitalism. Experiencing the same paradigm, South Korea has formed "new totalitarianism" by the alliance between "Jaeber"(a group of monopolistic enterprises) and Korean government, which caused an economic crisis in 1997. Critically representing a space between individuality and collectivity, Do-ho Suh's works show fragile human rights in Asian (or Korean) democracy. For instance, "Some/One," displayed at the 49th Venice Biennale, shows a nine-foot tall, long, flowing armor of a general. The armor is made up of approximately 100,000 military dog tags. In contrast to regular dog tags that identify the wearer through name, birth date, and blood type, Suh's fabricated tags are engraved with randomly assorted letters and numbers. They remind us of the demanded sacrifice of anonymous individuals for the sake of the public good. Viewers can walk inside of the armor and see their own distorted images reflected in the mirrors that are hung on inner walls of the armor. The artist awakes the viewer to the violated human rights by totalitarianism or authoritarianism, which has been done in the name of national development. This paper will look at contradictory aspects between Asian (Korean) society, emphasizing the traditional Confucius value, and human rights with Do-ho Suh's works. As a methodology, Slavoj Zizek's notions of rigid designator, the desire of the Other, a social fantasy, the Real, and the subject, will be applied to understand the relationship between the Asian style of democracy and the public in East Asia (Korea).
Biopsy Interpretation—Electron Microscopy

The morphology of absorptive cells will be described in the greatest detail; the structural aspects ofthe other cells will be described only when they differ from those of the absorptive cell.
Two‐Dimensional Crowding Uncovers a Hidden Conformation of α‐Synuclein

The intrinsically disordered protein (IDP), α-synuclein (αS), is well-known for phospholipid membrane binding-coupled folding into tunable helical conformers. Here, using single-molecule experiments in conjunction with ensemble assays and a theoretical model, we present a unique case demonstrating that the interaction-folding landscape of αS can be tuned by two-dimensional (2D) crowding through simultaneous binding of a second protein on the bilayer surface. Unexpectedly, the experimental data show a clear deviation from a simple competitive inhibition model, but are consistent with a bimodal inhibition mechanism wherein membrane binding of a second protein (a membrane interacting chaperone, Hsp27, in this case) differentially inhibits two distinct modules of αS-membrane interaction. As a consequence, αS molecules are forced to access a hidden conformational state on the phospholipid bilayer in which only the higher-affinity module remains membrane-bound. Our results demonstrate that macromolecular crowding in two dimensions can play a significant role in shaping the conformational landscape of membrane-binding IDPs with multiple binding modes.
The chromatin-binding protein Smyd1 restricts adult mammalian heart growth

All terminally differentiated organs face two challenges, maintaining their cellular identity and restricting organ size. The molecular mechanisms responsible for these decisions are of critical importance to organismal development, and perturbations in their normal balance can lead to disease. A hallmark of heart failure, a condition affecting millions of people worldwide, is hypertrophic growth of cardiomyocytes. The various forms of heart failure in human and animal models share conserved transcriptome remodeling events that lead to expression of genes normally silenced in the healthy adult heart. However, the chromatin remodeling events that maintain cell and organ size are incompletely understood; insights into these mechanisms could provide new targets for heart failure therapy. Using a quantitative proteomics approach to identify muscle-specific chromatin regulators in a mouse model of hypertrophy and heart failure, we identified upregulation of the histone methyltransferase Smyd1 during disease. Inducible loss-of-function studies in vivo demonstrate that Smyd1 is responsible for restricting growth in the adult heart, with its absence leading to cellular hypertrophy, organ remodeling, and fulminate heart failure. Molecular studies reveal Smyd1 to be a muscle-specific regulator of gene expression and indicate that Smyd1 modulates expression of gene isoforms whose expression is associated with cardiac pathology. Importantly, activation of Smyd1 can prevent pathological cell growth. These findings have basic implications for our understanding of cardiac pathologies and open new avenues to the treatment of cardiac hypertrophy and failure by modulating Smyd1.
Filarial infection deserves attention as neglected tropical disease.

Lancet Infectious Diseases, The - In Press.Proof corrected by the author Available online since dimanche 23 octobre 2016
Update of the Modified Hyper-CVAD Regimen with or without Rituximab as Frontline Therapy of Adults with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) or Lymphoblastic Lymphoma (LL).

The hyper-CVAD regimen is an effective therapy program for adult ALL and LL [Kantarjian, JCO18:547, 2000; Kantarjian, Cancer101:2788, 2004, Thomas, Blood104:1624, 2004]. Intensive chemotherapy with hyper-CVAD (fractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine [VCR], doxorubicin, dexamethasone) alternates with high dose methotrexate and cytarabine every 21 days for 8 courses, followed by maintenance with POMP (6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate, VCR, prednisone). Historical CR rate was 92% with 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate of 38%. The regimen was modified in 1999 to address the following: higher induction mortality in patients (pts) aged 60 years or older (17% vs 3%); possible benefit of early anthracycline intensification; worse survival with CD20 expression; and late relapses after completion of POMP therapy. Newly diagnosed or primary refractory (1 course only) ALL or LL pts were treated on two sequential studies. Burkitt leukemia/lymphoma (BLL) and Philadelphia positive ALL pts were treated on separate protocols. From May 2000 to December 2001, 69 pts were treated with the modified regimen as detailed above (9 courses of intensive chemotherapy). Course 2 was eliminated from the second study, with an additional 124 pts were treated (8 courses of intensive chemotherapy). Results were reviewed by lineage (T-cell versus non T-cell), outcome after therapy with rituximab for CD20 positive ALL, and age. Overall CR rate of the group (n=190) was 91%. Median age of the T-lineage pts was 30 (range, 17–74) versus 43 (range, 15–83) for the non-T lineage pts. After a median follow-up of 30 months (range, 6–80), outcome appeared favorable for the younger group aged 30 years or less with 3-year DFS rates of 61% and 66%, and 3-year OS rates of 73% and 71% for non-T and T-lineage, respectively. When comparing outcome of non-T lineage CD20 positive ALL with historical experience, the addition of rituximab appeared to improve DFS rates (56% versus 35%, p=.06) but did not affect survival (62% versus 46%, p=0.23). A subset analysis showed that younger pts aged 30 or less with non T-lineage CD20 positive ALL treated with rituximab had superior outcomes compared with historical experience (DFS rates 62% versus 28%, p=.005; OS rates 73% versus 50%, p=.07). No such benefit of rituximab was observed for the elderly group, in contrast to data previously reported for BLL. Anthracycline intensification appeared to worsen outcome, particularly for T-lineage ALL. Rituximab may benefit subsets of CD20 positive ALL; alternative monoclonal antibodies should be explored. Further improvements in outcome may be achieved with incorporation of novel agents such as nelarabine for T-lineage ALL and sphingosomal VCR for elderly ALL.
Garbage Can Model of Behavior

The garbage can (GC) model conceives of organizations as conglomerates of semiautonomous decision arenas or ‘garbage cans’ in which decision making is characterized by ambiguity. This ambiguity stems from the ill-defined and inconsistent nature of individual and organizational goals (problematic preferences), the interdeterminacy of knowledge and of techniques for achieving goals (unclear technologies), and the fluctuating allocation of attention and energy (fluid participation). The GC model is intended as a critique of the rational model of decision making.
Supplementing Intensivist Staffing With Nurse Practitioners: Literature Review

In the United States, providing health care to critically ill patients is a challenge. An increase in patients older than 65 years, a decrease in critical care physicians, and a decrease in work hours for residents cause intensivist staffing issues. In this article, use of nurse practictioners to fill the intensive care unit intensivist staffing gap is assessed and evidence-based recommendations are identified to better incorporate nurse practitioners as part of intensive care unit intensivist staffing. The literature reveals that when nurse practitioners are part of a staffing model, outcomes are either positively impacted or no different from physician outcomes. However, successfully integrating nurse practitioners into an intensive care unit team is not adequately discussed in the literature. This gap is addressed and 3 mechanisms to integrate nurse practitioners into the intensive care unit are identified: (1) use of a multidisciplinary staffing model, (2) completion of onboarding programs, and (3) evaluation of nurse practitioner productivity.
Case 100: Pancreatic Ductal Disruption

54-year-old woman developed acute necrotizing pancreatitis and a non-resolving peripancreatic fluid collection.
Acclimation of Swedish and Italian ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana to light intensity

This study addressed whether ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana from Sweden and Italy exhibited differences in foliar acclimation to high versus low growth light intensity, and compared CO2 uptake under growth conditions with light- and CO2-saturated intrinsic photosynthetic capacity and leaf morphological and vascular features. Differential responses between ecotypes occurred mainly at the scale of leaf architecture, with thicker leaves with higher intrinsic photosynthetic capacities and chlorophyll contents per leaf area, but no difference in photosynthetic capacity on a chlorophyll basis, in high light-grown leaves of the Swedish versus the Italian ecotype. Greater intrinsic photosynthetic capacity per leaf area in the Swedish ecotype was accompanied by a greater capacity of vascular infrastructure for sugar and water transport, but this was not associated with greater CO2 uptake rates under growth conditions. The Swedish ecotype with its thick leaves is thus constructed for high intrinsic photosynthetic and vascular flux capacity even under growth chamber conditions that may not permit full utilization of this potential. Conversely, the Swedish ecotype was less tolerant of low growth light intensity than the Italian ecotype, with smaller rosette areas and lesser aboveground biomass accumulation in low light-grown plants. Foliar vein density and stomatal density were both enhanced by high growth light intensity with no significant difference between ecotypes, and the ratio of water to sugar conduits was also similar between the two ecotypes during light acclimation. These findings add to the understanding of the foliar vasculature’s role in plant photosynthetic acclimation and adaptation.
MRE11 and EXO1 nucleases degrade reversed forks and elicit MUS81-dependent fork rescue in BRCA2-deficient cells

The breast cancer susceptibility proteins BRCA1 and BRCA2 have emerged as key stabilizing factors for the maintenance of replication fork integrity following replication stress. In their absence, stalled replication forks are extensively degraded by the MRE11 nuclease, leading to chemotherapeutic sensitivity. Here we report that BRCA proteins prevent nucleolytic degradation by protecting replication forks that have undergone fork reversal upon drug treatment. The unprotected regressed arms of reversed forks are the entry point for MRE11 in BRCA-deficient cells. The CtIP protein initiates MRE11-dependent degradation, which is extended by the EXO1 nuclease. Next, we show that the initial limited resection of the regressed arms establishes the substrate for MUS81 in BRCA2-deficient cells. In turn, MUS81 cleavage of regressed forks with a ssDNA tail promotes POLD3-dependent fork rescue. We propose that targeting this pathway may represent a new strategy to modulate BRCA2-deficient cancer cell response to chemotherapeutics that cause fork degradation. BRCA proteins have emerged as key stabilizing factors for the maintenance of replication forks following replication stress. Here the authors describe how reversed replication forks are degraded in the absence of BRCA2, and a MUS81 and POLD3-dependent mechanism of rescue following the withdrawal of genotoxic agent.
Stochastic dynamics: Models for intrinsic and extrinsic noises and their applications

Mathematical modeling for complex systems and processes requires concepts from and techniques for stochastic dynamics. The theory of stochastic dynamics has two different mathematical representations: Stochastic processes and random dynamical systems. The latter is a more refined mathematical description of reality; it provides not only a stochastic trajectory following one initial condition, but also describes how the entire phase space, with all initial conditions, changes with time. The former represents the stochastic motion of individual systems with intrinsic noise while the latter describes many systems experiencing a common deterministic law of motion which is changing with time due to environmental fluctuations. We call these two situations with intrinsic and extrinsic noises; both have wide applications in chemistry and biology. The recently developed, graph $G(\mathscr{V},\mathscr{E})$ based probabilistic Boolean networks is precisely a class of random dynamical systems (RDS) with discrete state space $\{0,1\}^{\mathscr{V}}$. This paper introduces discrete-time RDS with discrete state space as well as discusses its applications in estimating a rate of convergence in hidden Markov model inference.
Panning for gold.com: Understanding the Dynamics of Domain Dropcatching

An event that is rarely considered by technical users and laymen alike is that of a domain name expiration. The massive growth in the registration of domain names is matched by massive numbers of domain expirations, after which domains are made available for registration again. While the vast majority of expiring domains are of no value, among the hundreds of thousands of daily expirations, there exist domains that are clearly valuable, either because of their lexical composition, or because of their residual trust. In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of domain dropcatching where companies, on behalf of users, compete to register the most desirable domains as soon as they are made available and then auction them off to the highest bidder. Using a data-driven approach, we monitor the expiration of 28 million domains over the period of nine months, collecting domain features, WHOIS records, and crawling the registered domains on a regular basis to uncover the purpose for which they were re-registered (caught). Among others, we find that on average, only 10% of the expired (dropped) domains are caught with the vast majority of the re-registrations happening on the day they are released. We investigate the features that make some domains more likely to be caught than others and discover that a domain that was malicious at the time of its expiration is twice as likely to be caught than the average domain. Moreover, previously-malicious domains are significantly more likely to be reused for malicious purposes than previously benign domains. We identify three types of users who are interested in purchasing dropped domains, ranging from freelancers who purchase one or two domains to professionals who invest more than $115K purchasing dropped domains in only three months. Finally, we observe that less than 11% were used to host web content with the remaining domains used either by speculators, or by malicious actors.
Feeding-State-Dependent Modulation of Temperature Preference Requires Insulin Signaling in Drosophila Warm-Sensing Neurons.

Summary Starvation is life-threatening and therefore strongly modulates many aspects of animal behavior and physiology [1]. In mammals, hunger causes a reduction in body temperature and metabolism [2], resulting in conservation of energy for survival. However, the molecular basis of the modulation of thermoregulation by starvation remains largely unclear. Whereas mammals control their body temperature internally, small ectotherms, such as Drosophila , set their body temperature by selecting an ideal environmental temperature through temperature preference behaviors [3, 4]. Here, we demonstrate in Drosophila that starvation results in a lower preferred temperature, which parallels the reduction in body temperature in mammals. The insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling (IIS) pathway is involved in starvation-induced behaviors and physiology and is well conserved in vertebrates and invertebrates [5–7]. We show that insulin-like peptide 6 (Ilp6) in the fat body (fly liver and adipose tissues) is responsible for the starvation-induced reduction in preferred temperature ( T p ). Temperature preference behavior is controlled by the anterior cells (ACs), which respond to warm temperatures via transient receptor potential A1 (TrpA1) [4]. We demonstrate that starvation decreases the responding temperature of ACs via insulin signaling, resulting in a lower T p than in nutrient-rich conditions. Thus, we show that hunger information is conveyed from fat tissues via Ilp6 and influences the sensitivity of warm-sensing neurons in the brain, resulting in a lower temperature set point. Because starvation commonly results in a lower body temperature in both flies and mammals, we propose that insulin signaling is an ancient mediator of starvation-induced thermoregulation.
The Appearance of Archetypes in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass

I researched what insight could be gained about the archetypes (images, color, characters) represented in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass (1871) by analyzing these archetypes from the perspective of Carl Jung (1875-1961), an important figure in the field of psychoanalysis and an understudied theorist in the psychological scholarship written about Carroll’s works. Jung’s concepts of archetypes and the collective unconscious in particular offer a fruitful way to interpret Carroll’s work. Using a Jungian psychological perspective, my essay argues that archetypes of water, the quest, the trickster, and the wise old man are present in this story, and then I outline their ultimate purpose. Through the Looking-Glass is a timeless tale that many scholars throughout history have analyzed in a variety of ways. As of today, there are over 200 scholarly articles on Carroll’s works. Some scholars have researched the publication and/or translation history of Carroll’s works, about which there is vast information. Many scholars have gone with the New Historicist approach, the most popular approach by far when it comes to Carroll’s works. Other scholars combine the New Historicist and psychological approaches or research Carroll’s works from a philosophical approach. Additionally, scholars analyze Carroll’s works from a psychological stance, the second most common approach. Though the psychological approach is a fairly common one, most scholars have chosen to emphasize Sigmund Freud’s theories instead of Jung’s. There are very few scholarly studies on Carroll’s works that employ a Jungian approach. Thus, my essay enhances the psychological scholarship on the novel. To further my findings and increase my understanding of Carroll, Jung, and their works, I read Through the Looking-Glass, a biography on Lewis Carroll, research about Victorian England, multiple books written by Jung regarding his theories of the collective unconscious, and a lot of the scholarship written about the novel.
Solution of Stefan Problems by a Boundary Element Method

The boundary element method is developed for the solution of Stefan problems in a semi-infinite domain with constant properties and imposed with constant or timevariant temperature and flux boundary conditions. The medium may or may not be superheated or subcooled and the boundary element results are obtained with a dissection method. Numerical data indicate that the boundary element results are almost as accurate as those of a source-and-sink method which has demonstrated to be highly accurate in previous studies. The advantages of the boundary element method are also given in the paper.
Prescription medication use during pregnancy and risk of infant leukemia (United States)

Objective: We explored whether maternal medication use during pregnancy may be an important etiologic area for investigation in studies of infant leukemia. Methods: In this case–control study, associations were explored between specific medications as recorded in the medical records of 243 mothers of infants who were diagnosed with leukemia at <18 months of age and 393 mothers of infants without leukemia identified through random digit dialing. Cases included 157 acute lymphoblastic (ALL), 77 acute myeloid (AML), and nine other leukemias. A total of 27 different drugs that were prescribed for at least six women were analyzed. Results: Overall, non-statistically significant negative associations (Odds ratios, OR < 0.5) were observed with amoxicillin, nystatin, clomiphene, levothyroxine, cefaclor, and trimethobenzamide HCL. When cases were restricted to either myeloid or lymphoblastic leukemia, cotrimoxazole was prescribed for five ALL case mothers and no matched controls; no association with cotrimoxazole was observed with AML. Conclusions: Given the number of comparisons, chance cannot be ruled out for any of the associations found here. However, a strength of this study is the lack of recall bias. The disparate data observed between AML and ALL in some instances may indicate areas of interest; they will be explored further in a case–control study of infant leukemia that is currently underway.
Multi-level Influences on Breast Cancer Screening in Primary Care.

Use of breast cancer screening is influenced by factors associated with patients, primary care providers, practices, and health systems. We examined the relative effects of these nested levels on four breast cancer screening metrics. A web-based survey was completed at 15 primary care practices within two health systems representing 306 primary care providers (PCPs) serving 46,944 women with a primary care visit between 1/2011–9/2014. Analyses occurred between 1/2017 and 5/2017. Across four nested levels (patient, PCP, primary care practice, and health system), frequency distributions and adjusted rates of primary care practice characteristics and survey results for four breast screening metrics (percent screened overall, and percent screened age 40–49, 50–74, and 75+) were reported. We used hierarchical multi-level mixed and random effects analysis to assess the relative influences of PCP, primary care practice, and health system on the breast screening metrics. Overall, the proportion of women undergoing breast cancer screening was 73.1% (73.4% for ages 40–49, 76.5% for 50–74, and 51.1% for 75+). Patient ethnicity and number of primary care visits were strongly associated with screening rates. After adjusting for woman-level factors, 24% of the overall variation among PCPs was attributable to the primary care practice level, 35% to the health system level, and 41% to the residual variation among PCPs within practice. No specific provider-level characteristics were found to be statistically significant determinants of screening rates. After accounting for woman-level characteristics, the remaining variation in breast cancer screening was largely due to provider and health system variation.