cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative studies on aldose reductase from bovine, rat and human lens

A purification scheme for aldose reductase (alditol: NADP+ 1-oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.21) developed using bovine lens tissue including an affinity chromatographic step is presented which is particularly suited for small quantities of lenses. Using the affinity chromatographic method as a key step also makes it possible to obtain preparations of rat lens aldose reductase which are homogeneous. The behavior of crude preparations of aldose reductase from human lens on both ion-exchange and affinity chromatography was similar to the chromatographic behavior of the enzyme from rat and bovine lens. Comparative studies of aldose reductase obtained from the lenses of the three species demonstrate the similarity of the enzymes. These comparisons were based on molecular weights, isoelectric points, chromatographic behavior and kinetic data. Homotropic cooperativity for both NADPH and glyceraldehyde, as evidenced by a downward curvature in the Lineweaver-Burk double-reciprocal plots, had been demonstrated for aldose reductase obtained from bovine lens (Sheaff, C.M. and Doughty, C.C. (1976) J. Biol. Chem. 251, 2696-2702). Similarly, cooperativity was observed with the enzyme from both rat and human lenses and the apparent Km values at both high and low concentrations of substrate are comparable for the lens aldose reductases from all three species for both substrates.
Diamond tubes and fibers

Abstract Diamond-coated fibers, diamond tubes, and diamond fibers were produced using a hot-filament-assisted chemical vapor deposition process. Diamond coatings were deposited on prepared fiber substrates of silicon carbide, copper, tungsten, and copper-coated graphite. Diamond tubes were produced in situ as a result of the removal of the substrate by atomic hydrogen or after deposition by dissolving the substrate using a chemical etch. Diamond fibers in the shape of a half-cylinder were produced by masking a portion of the substrate fiber and removing the diamond after deposition. The diamond tubes and fibers that have been produced are typically 2–3 cm in length and are self-supporting structures.
The Anthropologist’s Son (or, Living and Learning the Field)

Behar asserts that any story worth telling calls on us to explore and expose our own cultural biography. Reflecting on my relationship with my father, an anthropologist, and my experiences in Mexic...
Trends in Hypertension Prevalence, Treatment, and Control In a Well-Defined Older Population

To assess medical attention focused on hypertension (HBP) in the elderly, this study examines trends in HBP prevalence, treatment, and control status in a defined population of persons ≥65 years of age enrolled in a large HMO. Random samples of approximately 400 persons were drawn for the years 1967, 1974, 1981, and 1988. First recorded ambulatory pressures, available on over 90% of subjects in each period, were obtained from medical records. Prevalence of HBP (SBP ≥ 160 and/or DBP ≥95, and/or taking anti-HBP drugs) ranged between 44% to 53%. Proportion with HBP on treatment increased from 25% in 1967 to 60% in 1988 ( P P P P
Bacterial Brain Abscess

Significant advances in the diagnosis and management of bacterial brain abscess over the past several decades have improved the expected outcome of a disease once regarded as invariably fatal. Despite this, intraparenchymal abscess continues to present a serious and potentially life-threatening condition. Brain abscess may result from traumatic brain injury, prior neurosurgical procedure, contiguous spread from a local source, or hematogenous spread of a systemic infection. In a significant proportion of cases, an etiology cannot be identified. Clinical presentation is highly variable and routine laboratory testing lacks sensitivity. As such, a high degree of clinical suspicion is necessary for prompt diagnosis and intervention. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging offer a timely and sensitive method of assessing for abscess. Appearance of abscess on routine imaging lacks specificity and will not spare biopsy in cases where the clinical context does not unequivocally indicate infectious etiology. Current work with advanced imaging modalities may yield more accurate methods of differentiation of mass lesions in the brain. Management of abscess demands a multimodal approach. Surgical intervention and medical therapy are necessary in most cases. Prognosis of brain abscess has improved significantly in the recent decades although close follow-up is required, given the potential for long-term sequelae and a risk of recurrence.
Topotecan enhances immune clearance of gliomas

Despite aggressive surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is refractory to therapy, recurs quickly, and results in a median survival time of only 14 months. The modulation of the apoptotic receptor Fas with cytotoxic agents could potentiate the response to therapy. However, Fas ligand (FasL) is not expressed in the brain and therefore this Fas-inducing cell death mechanism cannot be utilized. Vaccination of patients with gliomas has shown promising responses. In animal studies, brain tumors of vaccinated mice were infiltrated with activated T cells. Since activated immune cells express FasL, we hypothesized that combination of immunotherapy with chemotherapy can activate Fas signaling, which could be responsible for a synergistic or additive effect of the combination. When we treated the human glioma cell line U-87 and GBM tumor cells isolated from patients with TPT, Fas was up regulated. Subsequent administration of soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) to treated cells significantly increased their cell death indicating that these Fas receptors were functional. Similar effect was observed when CD3(+) T cells were used as a source of the FasL, indicating that the up regulated Fas expression on glioma cells increases their susceptibility to cytotoxic T cell killing. This additive effect was not observed when glioma cells were pre-treated with temozolomide, which was unable to increase Fas expression in tumor. Inhibition of FasL activity with the antagonistic antibody Nok-1 mitigated these effects confirming that these responses were specifically mediated by the Fas-FasL interaction. Furthermore, the CD3(+) T cells co-cultured with topotecan treated U-87 and autologous GBM tumor cells showed a significant increase in expression in IFN-gamma, a key cytokine produced by activated T cells, and accordingly enhanced tumor cytotoxicity. Based on our data we conclude that drugs, such as topotecan, which cause up regulation of Fas on glioma cells can be potentially exploited with immunotherapy to enhance immune clearance of tumors via Fas signaling.
Impact of carbon nanotube morphology on phenanthrene adsorption.

The present study examined the roles of the specific surface area (SSA), diameter, and length of carbon nanotubes (CNT) on the adsorption of phenanthrene (PNT) by analyzing the adsorption isotherms obtained with several single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT). At low equilibrium concentrations (e.g., 1 ppb), MWNTs with larger outer diameters exhibited higher PNT adsorption capacity on an SSA basis than those with smaller diameters. With increasing equilibrium concentration, adsorption on an SSA basis became independent of MWNT diameter, and the total surface area controlled maximum adsorption capacity. A similar analysis for the adsorption of naphthalene, a planar molecule with one less benzene ring but 20 times higher solubility than PNT, showed no correlation with respect to MWNT outer diameter. The results indicated that the surface curvature of MWNT was more important on the adsorption of PNT than on the adsorption of naphthalene. Specific surface area normalized isotherms did not show a correlation between PNT adsorption and lengths of SWNTs and MWNTs. Characterization results indicated that the morphology of CNTs plays an important role on the SSA and pore volume. Data from the manufacturer may not always represent the characteristics of CNTs in a particular batch. Therefore, accurate characterization of CNTs is critical to systematically examine the behavior of CNTs, such as adsorption and transport, in environmental systems.
Dynamic nanomechanical response of nacre

Nacre, the shiny inner layer of mollusk shells is a model biomimetic nanocomposite system. Its exceptional mechanical properties have been the inspiration for materials scientists for several decades. Nacre exhibits a layered brick and mortar structure. It is composed of 95% inorganic (aragonitic CaCO3) phase and 5% organic (mainly proteins and polysaccharides) phase that are arranged in interlocked brick and mortar architecture with the mineral as bricks and organics as the mortar. In the current work, we describe the dynamic nanomechanical behavior of nacre using dynamic nanoindentation (nano-DMA) experiments. Two sets of loads were applied to obtain the dynamic response from varying depths in nacre. These tests were performed at three different frequencies (25, 50, and 100 Hz) to study the effect of frequency on the dynamic properties of nacre. The loss modulus (E″) and the loss factor (tan δ) were measured. Both of these parameters were observed to increase with increase in depth. Significant increase in tan δ was observed with the increase in frequency. Photoacoustic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic studies on nacre indicate the presence of water in nacre. This water may be present at nanograin interfaces in nacre platelets, at organic–inorganic interfaces, and also in the organic phase in nacre. We believe that water is one of the significant contributors to the viscoelasticity of nacre. Our results indicate that the aragonite platelets in nacre may also contribute to viscoelasticity.
A complementary heterostructure field effect transistor technology based on InAs/AlSb/GaSb

A complementary heterojunction field effect transistor technology based on the InAs/AlSb/GaSb system is proposed. The structure is formed by the vertical integration of InAs n-channel and GaSb p-channel HFET devices. The superior transport properties of electrons in InAs and holes in GaSb and their band offsets to AlSb or AlSbAs yield devices with transconductances much greater than AlGaAs/GaAs n- and p-channel HFETs. It is shown that a complementary circuit fabricated from these devices could provide room-temperature performance up to six times greater than that predicted for AlGaAs/GaAs complementary circuits. >
Development of Spatial Cognition

A goal in the study of spatial development is to answer, with regard to this domain, some of the classic questions in the history of psychology, biology, and philosophy: the extent to which adaptation rests on innately available representations or represents emergent knowledge based on interaction with the world, the uniqueness of our species and the course of comparative evolution, the interplay of symbolic and more basic spatial processes, and the nature of individual differences. In addition, spatial development is an important research area because understanding how it occurs is likely to have considerable practical relevance for devizing educational curricula that support optimal acquisition of skills that underlie many essential real-world activities. This chapter covers current views of the nature of mature spatial competence, what we know about the spatial capabilities that exist in infancy, whether early spatial skills are modular or not, development of mental transformation of spatial information and the capacity for symbolic representation of spatial information, development and causes of individual differences, including gender differences, and cases in which children have abnormal bases for learning based on genetic differences (Williams Syndrome) or abnormal environmental contexts based on sensory limitations (impaired vision). Keywords: map use; mental rotation; navigation; spatial cognition; spatial development; spatial language
The fenestrated collar of mammalian cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum: A freeze‐fracture study

Freeze-fracture studies of papillary muscles from cat, rabbit and dog reveal the presence of a fenestrated collar of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in the region of the M band. This membrane specialization is structurally similar to that observed previously in skeletal muscle. This report includes mammalian cardiac muscle on the list of those muscles containing this SR membrane structure.
Performance study of software-based iSCSI security

In this paper, we study possible iSCSI security different security requirements. To evaluate the performance of different security schemes, we conduct performance experiments using a software-based iSCSI implementation with proper security extensions. In data encryption schemes, we consider two alternatives, IP Security Protocol (IPSec) and Secure Socket Layer (SSL), and compare the resulting iSCSI performances with these two schemes. We find that the software-based iSCSI implementation offers reasonable throughput with a 2 GHz CPU at the network speed of 100Mbps; however, with a 1 GHz CPU, the software implementation is not capable of providing sufficient throughput with triple-DES encrypted storage data. In addition, we also find that IPSec ESP scheme has better performance when the requested data size is small, compared to SSL. Given that both performance and security are critical issues in the deployment of iSCSI, it is important to understand the tradeoffs between them. We believe that this study sheds some helpful light on this understanding.
Detection of Circulating Pancreas Epithelial Cells in Patients With Pancreatic Cystic Lesions

Hematogenous dissemination is thought to be a late event in cancer progression. We recently showed in a genetic model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma that pancreas cells can be detected in the bloodstream before tumor formation. To confirm these findings in humans, we used microfluidic geometrically enhanced differential immunocapture to detect circulating pancreas epithelial cells in patient blood samples. We captured more than 3 circulating pancreas epithelial cells/mL in 7 of 21 (33%) patients with cystic lesions and no clinical diagnosis of cancer (Sendai criteria negative), 8 of 11 (73%) with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and in 0 of 19 patients without cysts or cancer (controls). These findings indicate that cancer cells are present in the circulation of patients before tumors are detected, which might be used in risk assessment.
Improved Methodology for Tracking and Genetically Identifying the Softshell Clam Mya arenaria

ABSTRACT Attempts to characterize the population dynamics of the softshell clam Mya arenaria are complicated by a lack of nonlethal genotyping techniques and reliable tagging methods. A straightforward and nonlethal technique for clam genotyping is presented here, as well as a new method for the long-term tagging of clams. Hemolymph extracted from M. arenaria was used directly in a polymerase chain reaction to amplify successfully a DNA fragment suitable for sequencing. Tested M. arenaria showed 100% (n = 10) survival after a period of 4 wk. In a separate experiment, passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags were inserted between the mantle and shells of 72 clams that were monitored for tag retention and mortality. Among all PIT-tagged clams, there was 100% survival and 92% tag retention. These methods provide a mechanism by which softshell clams can be genotyped and individually monitored during field experiments.
Dynamic vertical compliance of strip foundations in layered soils

In this paper, results of a detailed investigation on the dynamic response of rigid strip foundations in viscoelastic soils under vertical excitation are presented. An advanced boundary element algorithm developed by incorporating isoparametric quadratic elements and a sophisticated self-adapting numerical integration scheme has been used for this investigation. Foundations supported on three types of soil profiles, namely, homogeneous half-space, stratum-over-half-space and stratum-over-bedrock are considered. The influence of material properties like Poisson's ratio and material damping as well as the influence of geometrical properties such as depth of embedment and layer thickness are studied. The effect of the type of contact at the soil-foundation interface is also investigated.
What's the use in getting mad? Anger and instrumentality in women's relationships.

In two studies, we examined women's anger expression and its instrumental function in relationships by addressing the following questions: What is the relationship between women's self-reports of instrumentality and their perceived styles of anger expression? In what ways and situations do women see their anger expression as instrumental or goal enhancing? In Study I, we expected that women's perceived styles of anger expression would be positively related to instrumentality, as measured with the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ; Spence, Helmreich, & Stapp, JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 4, 43, 1974). Although our hypothesis was not supported, a positive relationship did emerge between assertiveness and instrumentality, as predicted. In Study II, we conducted three focus group discussions to elucidate women's experiences of anger and to provide clarification for the results of Study I. We identified group themes related to when women experienced their anger expression as instrumen...
Sun tracking by peak power positioning for photovoltaic concentrator arrays

This paper details the design, development, and evaluation of a microcomputer-based solar tracking and control system (TACS) capable of maintaining the peak power position of a photovoltaic (PV) array by adjusting the load on the array for maximum efficiency and changing the position of the array relative to the sun. At large PV array system installations, inverters are used to convert the dc electrical output to ac for power grid compatibility. Adjustment of the inverter or load for maximum array output is one function performed by the tracking and control system. Another important function of the system is the tracking of the sun, often a necessity for concentrating arrays. The TACS also minimizes several other problems associated with conventional shadow-band sun trackers such as their susceptibility to dust and dirt that may cause drift in solar alignment. It also minimizes effects of structural warpage or sag to which large arrays may be subject during the day. Array positioning is controlled by a single-board computer used with a specially designed input/output board. An orderly method of stepped movements and the finding of new peak power points is implemented. This maximum power positioning concept was tested using a small two-axis tracking concentrator array. A real-time profile of the TACS activity was produced and the data analysis shows a deviation in maximum power of less than 1% during the day after accounting for other variations.
Knowledge-Based Reconstruction of mRNA Transcripts with Short Sequencing Reads for Transcriptome Research

While most transcriptome analyses in high-throughput clinical studies focus on gene level expression, the existence of alternative isoforms of gene transcripts is a major source of the diversity in the biological functionalities of the human genome. It is, therefore, essential to annotate isoforms of gene transcripts for genome-wide transcriptome studies. Recently developed mRNA sequencing technology presents an unprecedented opportunity to discover new forms of transcripts, and at the same time brings bioinformatic challenges due to its short read length and incomplete coverage for the transcripts. In this work, we proposed a computational approach to reconstruct new mRNA transcripts from short sequencing reads with reference information of known transcripts in existing databases. The prior knowledge helped to define exon boundaries and fill in the transcript regions not covered by sequencing data. This approach was demonstrated using a deep sequencing data set of human muscle tissue with transcript annotations in RefSeq as prior knowledge. We identified 2,973 junctions, 7,471 exons, and 7,571 transcripts not previously annotated in RefSeq. 73% of these new transcripts found supports from UCSC Known Genes, Ensembl or EST transcript annotations. In addition, the reconstructed transcripts were much longer than those from de novo approaches that assume no prior knowledge. These previously un-annotated transcripts can be integrated with known transcript annotations to improve both the design of microarrays and the follow-up analyses of isoform expression. The overall results demonstrated that incorporating transcript annotations from genomic databases significantly helps the reconstruction of novel transcripts from short sequencing reads for transcriptome research.
An Innovative Self-Configuration Approach for Networked Systems and Applications

The increased complexity, heterogeneity and the dynamism of networked systems and services make current control and management tools to be ineffective in managing and securing such systems and services. A new paradigm to control and manage large-scale complex and dynamic networked systems is critically needed. In this paper, we present a new paradigm based on the principles of autonomic computing that can handle efficiently complexity, dynamism and uncertainty in networked systems and their applications. We have developed a general Component Management Interface (CMI) to enable autonomic behaviors and operations of any legacy resource or a software component. The CMI consists of four management ports: Configuration Port, Function Port, Control Port and Operation Port. We have successfully implemented the CMI in XML format and validated the effectiveness and performance of our approach to develop automated and self-configuring security patch deployment services.
Cooperative defensive surveillance using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The paper presents a cooperative control algorithm for a team of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) used in the surveillance of the area around a military base to protect against potential threats. The UAVs are required to search an area of interest, while efficiently allocating their time between zones of varying degrees of importance. Irregular routes are preferred, to reduce the ability of an adversary to predict the patrol routes of the UAVs. In this paper, we consider a team of potentially heterogeneous, dynamically constrained UAVs with constant velocities. The problem is approached as a finite horizon optimization to account for possible alarms as they occur. This approach seeks to optimize the amount of information obtained by the UAVs, with surveillance of pop-up alarms a high but not sole priority. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is used to search the control space and optimize the reward function. This approach guarantees feasible trajectories, without smoothing, in addition to unpredictable paths.
“Latter Rain” Falling in the East: Early-Twentieth-Century Pentecostalism in India and the Debate over Speaking in Tongues

Looking back at the events that led up to the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles, California, the foremost revival of the century in terms of global impact, eyewitness Frank Bartleman announced that the “revival was rocked in the cradle of little Wales … ‘brought up’ in India” and then became “full grown” in Los Angeles, California. To the Pentecostal “saints,” as they commonly called themselves in America, the appearance of “Pentecostal” phenomena (for example, visions, dreams, prophecy, glossolalia, and other charismatic gifts) in India confirmed that what the Old Testament prophet Joel had foretold about the “latter rain” outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the end times (Joel 2: 28–29) was being fulfilled simultaneously in other parts of the world. As one songwriter put it, “The latter rain has come, / Upon the parched ground … The whole wide world around.”
Epidemiology and outcome of multiple-species candidemia at a tertiary care center between 2004 and 2007

The incidence of multiple-species candidemia (MSC) among cases of candidemia ranges between 2.8% and 8.0%. We sought to study the epidemiology and outcome of MSC at a tertiary care center. A retrospective analysis of MSC episodes occurring between 2004 and 2007 was performed. MSC was defined as ≥2 different Candida spp. growing concomitantly within the same blood culture bottle or within 72 h of each other. Information on demographics, comorbidities, antifungal use, and survival was collected. Forty MSC patients with 81 Candida isolates were identified. Non-albicans Candida spp. (54 of 81 isolates, 66.7%) were more frequently identified. The most common combinations observed were Candida albicans/Candida glabrata (15 of 40 patients, 37.5%), C. albicans/Candida parapsilosis (8, 20.0%), and C. glabrata/Candida krusei (5, 12.5%). The overall crude 4- and 12- week mortality, excluding patients lost to follow-up, was 41.9% and 66.7%, respectively. In this contemporary sampling of patients with MSC, the combination of C. albicans/C. glabrata was most frequently observed and mortality was high.
TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT MICROWAVE PERFORMANCE OF SB-HETEROSTRUCTURE BACKWARD DIODES FOR MILLIMETER-WAVE DETECTION

The temperature dependence of heterostructure backward diodes based on the InAs/AlGaSb/GaSb material system for millimeter-wave detection has been investigated experimentally. Measured dc curvatures of 36 V-1 at 298 K and 74 V-1 at 4.2 K have been obtained. Variable-temperature on-wafer s-parameters to 110 GHz reveal that the junction capacitance of a typical 2×2 μm2 area device decreases from 18 fF at 298 K to 11 fF at 77 K, while the junction resistance decreases from 13.9 kΩ to 10.2 kΩ. Directly measured voltage sensitivities at 50 GHz of 3650 V/W and 7190 V/W were obtained at 298 K and 4.2 K, respectively, consistent with the expected value from measured dc curvature. A 1 dB compression point of 18.5 μW and 7.2 μW at 298 K and 77 K, respectively, was measured. A physical model based on self-consistent Poisson-Schrodinger equation solutions was obtained to explain the experimental observations, and suggests the ways to further improve the device performance.
Schätz- und Vorhersagetheorie in stochstischen dynamischen Modellen

In diesem Abschnitt losen wir formal und einfach das Filter- und Vorhersageproblem fur stochastische dynamische Systeme. Seien fur diese Betrachtung F(t), G(t) und H(t) nicht nur Matrizenfunktionen von t, sondern von x und t. Wir schreiben das allgemeine nichtlineare dynamische Modell $$ \begin{gathered} dx = F\left( {t,x} \right)dt + G(t)dw(t) \hfill \\ dz = H\left( {t,x} \right)dt + dv(t) \hfill \\ x\left( {{t_o}} \right) = c \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ (1)
Noninvasive Estimation of the Pressure Gradient Across Stenoses Using Sonographic Contrast In Vitro Validation

OBJECTIVE Because velocity measurements to estimate the degree of arterial stenosis are susceptible to local and systemic factors, we aimed to investigate the feasibility of estimating the pressure gradient across a stenosis noninvasively by using sonographic contrast. METHODS Using a gravity-fed flow system, a 1:4000 dilution of a contrast agent in water was circulated through silicone tubes that had either focal or long-segment stenoses of varying severity in a water bath. We measured the cross-sectional areas of the normal and stenotic regions with B-mode sonography and the flow velocity with spectral Doppler sonography and calculated the pressure gradients across the stenoses using the empirically derived Young mathematical model and the simplified Bernoulli equation. Estimated gradients were compared with those measured manometerically. RESULTS Both methods yielded estimates of pressure gradients that correlated with measured gradients (r > 0.988). In focal and long-segment stenoses, the Young model yielded gradients that agreed more closely with manometerically measured values than the Bernoulli equation (+/- 8% versus -24%-57%). Both methods were highly dependent on the ability to measure the luminal cross-sectional area. The presence of sonographic contrast in the vascular lumen highlighted the inner wall, allowing the accurate measurement of the luminal area to +/- 3.0%. CONCLUSIONS The pressure gradient can be estimated across stenoses noninvasively. The Young model was more accurate than the simplified Bernoulli equation in this model using steady flow. Estimated gradients are highly dependent on the definition of the vascular lumen, a process aided by the use of sonographic contrast.
Speech Production and Perception in a Patient with Severe Impairment of Somesthetic Perception and Motor Control

Studies were made of speech and other motor behavior of a 17-year-old female with severe chronic difficulties in swallowing, chewing, and speaking. Studies included: (a) physical and neurological e...
The 10% Solution: Tying Managerial Salary Increases to Workplace Wellness Actions (and Not Results)

Although manager support is critical for workplace health and wellness efforts, little is known about how to best encourage managers to make creative or bold steps toward employee wellness. We posit that the right interactions between managers and employees could have lasting impact on workplace wellness. To consider how managers might be motivated to take an active role in promoting everyday employee health and wellness, we used a website survey of worksite managers (N = 270) to investigate how tying at least 10% of managerial annual salary increases and promotion would incentivize manager actions in workplace wellness. Overall, regression analyses reveal favorable attitudes from managers and high intentions to implement changes if salary increases and advancement were partially linked to workplace wellness efforts. Managers also expressed a preference for working for a company with this policy, and this was strongest among female managers and managers with a fewer number of subordinates.
The evolution of honest communication: integrating social and physiological costs of ornamentation

Much research on animal communication has addressed how costs such as social costs or physiological costs favor the accuracy of signals. Previous work has largely considered these costs separately, but we may be missing essential connections by studying costs in isolation. After all, social interactions produce rapid changes in hormone titers which can then affect individual behavior and physiology. As a result, social costs are likely to have widespread physiological consequences. Here, I present a new perspective on the factors that maintain honest signals by describing how the interplay between social costs and physiological costs may maintain an accurate link between an animal's abilities and ornament elaboration. I outline three specific mechanisms by which the interaction between social behavior and hormones could favor honest signals and present specific predictions for each of the three models. Then, I review how ornaments alter agonistic behavior, agonistic behavior influences hormones, and how these hormonal effects influence fitness. I also describe the few previous studies that have directly tested how ornaments influence hormones. Finally, opportunities for future work are discussed. Considering the interaction between social behavior and physiology may address some challenges associated with both social and physiological models of costs. Understanding the dynamic feedbacks between physiology and social costs has potential to transform our understanding of the stability of animals' communication systems.
Who Opposes Ethnic Territorial Autonomy

Ethnoterritorial autonomy is typically studied through outcomes like decentralization or war. The microfoundations of ethnoterritorial politics, such as position taking by individual central actors, are rarely observed. I use Indian parliamentary records to code legislators’ stances on dozens of proposals for ethnic self-rule. I consider three explanations of government opposition to autonomy — the economic value of territories at stake; central nationalism; and regional ethnic rivalries — alone and interacted with pro-autonomy violence. Regional ethnic rivalries play the clearest role; the core opposition to an autonomy demand was representatives of other ethnic groups in the same area. Legislators were also more averse to autonomy for religious minority areas. Interestingly, this pattern held even among MP’s whose own constituency was not majority Hindu. Opposition did not increase with the development or natural resources of a proposed autonomous territory. This unique study of legislative behavior suggests new hypotheses about government reactions to ethnoterritorial movements.
Surgery in the aged.

Coincident with improvement in medical care and life-styles, the longevity of the population of the United States is increasing. As the population ages, more surgical procedures will be performed in elderly patients. The effects of the aging process on organ systems generally does not compromise function under normal conditions. However, the elderly patient may not be able to meet the metabolic demands of a hypermetabolic state. Operative outcome for the most part is related more to the urgency of the procedure than to the age of the patient. With the proper preoperative evaluation and postoperative care, the elderly patient at risk for perioperative morbidity and mortality can be identified and outcome approved. In most cases age in and of itself is not a contraindication to surgical intervention. Surgical problems in the aged patient can and should be safely managed with early elective management prior to the development of emergent situations.
Phase change materials for emerging photonics

Phase change materials such as chalcogenides and complex oxides possess electronic structures that are widely tunable via external stimuli. Under the right triggers, these can be volatile (threshold switches) or non-volatile (memory). I will present an overview of correlated oxide systems where one can create sub-wavelength dielectric environments on-demand. The role of materials synthesis and their influence in photonic device performance will be considered.
Blind channel selection strategies for distributed cognitive MAC

In spectrum overlay cognitive wireless networks, when the secondary users are blind, i.e. have no prior knowledge of primary users' activities, a major question remains as to what strategy to adopt to learn the primary state information online while sensing the spectrum for exploiting idle bands. To maximize secondary network spectral utilization while minimizing interference and collision, requires searching for a balance between choosing empirically best channel while investigating other channels for potential opportunities. Moreover, competition should also be resolved to prevent congestion and collision among secondary users who tend to access the same idle channel. In this paper, by compressing the inessential exploration phase, we first propose an asymptotically optimal, fast-converging channel selection algorithm referred to as modified-myopic strategy for the single-user scenario based on the result of multi-armed bandit. Through analysis and simulation modeling, we evaluate the performance of our approach and compare it to that of other strategies in the literature. Next we adopt a game-theoretic model and extend our algorithm to design a fair and low-complexity access strategy for multi-user case based on a generalized CSMA/CA scheme. Finally, we show the improved efficiency of the proposed approach, in particular significantly enhanced for dense networks.
The Evolving Dynamics of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance: Implications for Workers, Employers, and the Affordable Care Act.

Policy Points: Increasingly, Americans are relying on coverage through a family member to maintain continuous insurance when their own employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) ends. Meanwhile, employers have responded by limiting access to and imposing surcharges on dependent coverage elections. Between 2005 and 2013, adults who transitioned off ESI became likely to enroll in a non-group plan and were twice as likely to become uninsured. Special Enrollment Period enrollment figures under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) suggest these dynamics have not meaningfully changed since 2014. Moving forward, more Americans will rely on alternative sources for affordable health insurance outside the ESI system. New ACA outreach efforts are needed to identify and enroll the large and increasing number of individuals who face the end of ESI benefits throughout the year. Context Employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) is the predominant form of health insurance coverage in the United States, yet little is known about transitions into and out of ESI or whether turnover has increased over time. Methods We fit multistate dynamic transition models for adults aged 18-61 using Survey of Income and Program Participation data from 2005-2007 to 2010-2013 and preliminary Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from the period 2012-2014. Findings Over a 2-year period beginning in 2010, 34.6% of adults with ESI experienced a change, up from 31.7% in 2005-2007. Transitions occurred most frequently among young adults, Hispanic adults, low-income adults, those in fair or poor health, and service industry workers. But even the groups with the lowest turnover—older adults, married adults, and those with a college degree—had 2-year rates of change of up to 30%. The probability that an ESI policyholder regained an employer-based policy after a job change declined by 15% between 2005 and 2013. Meanwhile, the probability that an ESI policyholder enrolled as a dependent on another family member's plan or became uninsured increased twofold. We found little evidence of changes in these dynamics during the first year (2014) of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) major coverage reforms. Conclusions Increasingly, Americans are relying on dependent ESI coverage through a family member to maintain continuous insurance when their own employer-based benefits end. Those who transitioned off ESI were also less likely to enroll in a non-group plan and were twice as likely to become uninsured. The first year of the ACA did not see material changes in the likelihood that an ESI-insured adult became uninsured or switched to an alternative public or private plan. New ACA outreach efforts are needed to identify and enroll the large and increasing number of individuals who face the end of ESI benefits throughout the year.
Gradients of column CO 2 across North America from the NOAA Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network

Abstract. This study analyzes seasonal and spatial patterns of column carbon dioxide (CO2) over North America, calculated from aircraft and tall tower measurements from the NOAA Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network from 2004 to 2014. Consistent with expectations, gradients between the eight regions studied are larger below 2 km than above 5 km. The 11-year mean CO2 dry mole fraction (XCO2) in the column below ∼ 330 hPa ( ∼ 8 km above sea level) from NOAA's CO2 data assimilation model, CarbonTracker (CT2015), demonstrates good agreement with those calculated from calibrated measurements on aircraft and towers. Total column XCO2 was attained by combining modeled CO2 above 330 hPa from CT2015 with the measurements. We find large spatial gradients of total column XCO2 from June to August, with north and northeast regions having ∼ 3 ppm stronger summer drawdown (peak-to-valley amplitude in seasonal cycle) than the south and southwest regions. The long-term averaged spatial gradients of total column XCO2 across North America show a smooth pattern that mainly reflects the large-scale circulation. We have conducted a CarbonTracker experiment to investigate the impact of Eurasian long-range transport. The result suggests that the large summertime Eurasian boreal flux contributes about half of the north–south column XCO2 gradient across North America. Our results confirm that continental-scale total column XCO2 gradients simulated by CarbonTracker are realistic and can be used to evaluate the credibility of some spatial patterns from satellite retrievals, such as the long-term average of growing-season spatial patterns from satellite retrievals reported for Europe which show a larger spatial difference ( ∼ 6 ppm) and scattered hot spots.
Partial Pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple Procedure)

Partial pancreaticoduodenectomy, the Whipple procedure, is the gold standard operation for resection of the head of the pancreas. It is most commonly performed for pancreatic head tumor. This chapter describes indications, essential steps, variations, and complications of this procedure. It provides a detailed template operative note for the procedure.
Optimization and evaluation of deep architectures for ambient awareness on a sidewalk

We optimize and compare the performance of different deep learning architectures for awareness on a sidewalk using small form factor devices such as Raspberry Pi 3. Our main objective is to find deep learning architecture that is complex enough to accurately classify a set obstacles on the sidewalk. Out selection criteria are: minimum number of parameters, lower power consumption, and robustness against the effect of the diurnal cycle. In particular, we compare the performance of GoogleNet, ResNet, and VGG-16 on a database constructed for AS applications. Empirical evaluation on AS database suggests that the performance of ResNet is superior compared to other architectures e.g., 99.46% and 97.69% on RGB and La ∗ b∗ respectively. To further our objective we optimize the hyperparameters of ResNet to find architecture with a lower number of parameters without losing accuracy. Furthermore, we investigate the efficacy of different color spaces to address problems related to the diurnal cycle and power usage without sacrificing accuracy and generalizability.
One-pot integrated processing of biopolymers to furfurals in molten salt hydrate: understanding synergy in acidity

The manufacture of furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), promising renewable platforms for bio-products, with high carbon efficiency is a challenge because of their undesired polymerization to humins. Here, we present an integrated process in inorganic salt solution to overcome this challenge. First, sugar biopolymers yield high monosaccharides (>90%) via efficient saccharification at low temperature. Second, monosaccharides in hydrolysates undergo efficient dehydration in biphasic solvents, assisted by the Bronsted acidity of the salt solution and the added inorganic Lewis acid. The salt solution exhibits high carbon efficiency in furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) products (>80 mol%) when compared with the analogous non-salt systems due to the cooperativity of the dual acidity and the higher viscosity of the salt solution than water and the concurrent reactive extraction of products. The process integration makes the separation of the aqueous phase easy, demonstrating nearly comparative activity upon recycling. Intact lignocellulose also achieves high yields of the dehydration products via one-pot depolymerization and saccharification, followed by dehydration. In addition, we elucidate the reasons for the high saccharification efficiency of the salt solution by correlating the effective acidity from the electrode potential and Hammett acidity measurements.
Advantages of Anticipated Emotions over Anticipatory Emotions and Cognitions in Health Decisions: A Meta-Analysis.

Recent persuasion theories and some empirical studies indicate that emotional responses can be more persuasive than cognitive evaluations under certain circumstances. The aim of this meta-analysis ...
Localization, Time-reversal, and Unidirectional Guiding of Light Pulses Using Dynamic Modulation

Photonic structures that are modulated not only in space, but also in time, have recently attracted a lot of attention for a variety of non-trivial applications, including slow light, optical diodes and circulators, and photonic topological insulators. Here, we study a coupled-cavity waveguide in which the resonance frequency of each cavity is sinusoidally modulated in time, with a site-dependent phase. We then demonstrate a range of interesting dynamics that can be achieved in various regimes defined by the underlying system parameters.
Clustering and Visualization of Retail Market Baskets

Transaction analysis, including clustering of market baskets, is a key application of data mining to the retail industry. This domain has some specific requirements, such as the need for obtaining easily interpretable and actionable results. It also exhibits some very challenging characteristics, mostly stemming from the fact that the data have thousands of features and are highly non-Gaussian and sparse. This chapter proposes a relationship-based approach to clustering such data that tries to sidestep the “curse-of-dimensionality” issue by working in a suitable similarity space instead of the original high-dimensional feature space. This intermediary similarity space can be suitably tailored to satisfy business criteria such as requiring customer clusters to represent comparable amounts of revenue. We apply efficient and scalable graph-partitioning-based clustering techniques in this space. The output from the clustering algorithm is used to reorder the data points so that the resulting permuted similarity matrix can be readily visualized in two dimensions, with clusters showing up as bands. The visualization is very helpful for assessing and improving clustering. For example, actionable recommendations for splitting or merging clusters can be easily derived, and it also guides the user toward a suitable number of clusters. Results are presented on a real retail industry data set of several thousand customers and products.
A Cross of Iron: The Iron Cross: Solvency, Security, and the Eisenhower Transition

Neither Harry Truman nor Dwight Eisenhower had much to say when they met shortly after the election in November 1952. Truman had brought the president–elect to the White House for a briefing by top officials. The briefing had gone well, or so Truman thought, and had given his successor a good tutorial in the difficult problems that confronted the country. Eisenhower had a different recollection. Grim and uncomfortable throughout the meeting, he said little and was convinced that he had learned even less. Inauguration Day saw no improvement. Truman had declined Eisenhower's invitation to return to Missouri on board the presidential plane, and Eisenhower had refused to join Truman for refreshments before the ceremony. According to some accounts, the two men traded insults or sat in stony silence as they rode together to the Capitol. It was a hostile transition, as Stephen Ambrose has said, and a suitable capstone to one of the most vicious political campaigns in recent memory. Conservative Republicans were unable to get Senator Taft on the ticket in 1952, but they controlled the party's convention and wrote a campaign platform that vilified the Truman administration and the Democratic party as being riddled with corruption, full of Communists, and basically un–American.