cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The first mistletoes: Origins of aerial parasitism in Santalales

Past molecular phylogenetic work has shown that aerial parasites have evolved five times independently in the sandalwood order (Santalales), but the absolute timing of these diversifications was not addressed. DNA sequences from nuclear SSU and LSU rDNA, and chloroplast rbcL, matK and trnL-F from 39 santalalean taxa were obtained. Separate and combined data partitions were analyzed with maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. Time estimates were performed with Bayesian relaxed molecular clock and penalized likelihood methods using published fossil data. Both methods gave comparable divergence dates for the major clades. These data confirm five origins of aerial parasitism, first in Misodendraceae ca. 80 Mya and subsequently in Viscaceae (72 Mya), "Eremolepidaceae" (53 Mya), tribe Amphorogyneae in Santalaceae (46 Mya), and Loranthaceae (28 Mya). The rapid adaptive radiation and speciation in Loranthaceae coincides with the appearance of savanna biomes during the Oligocene. In all clades except Misodendraceae, it appears that aerial parasites evolved from ancestors that were polymorphic for either root or stem parasitism-a condition here termed amphiphagous. Convergences in morphological features associated with the mistletoe habit have occurred such as the squamate habit, seed attachment structures, unisexual flowers, and loss of chlorophyll.
A fast numerical method for time-resolved photon diffusion in general stratified turbid media

Efficient forward models of photon migration in complex geometries are important for noninvasive imaging of tissue in vivo with diffuse optical tomography (DOT). In particular, solving the inverse problem requires multiple solutions of the forward model and is therefore computationally intensive. We present a numerical algorithm for the rapid solution of the time-dependent diffusion equation in a semi-infinite inhomogeneous medium whose scattering and absorption coefficients are arbitrary functions of depth, given a point source impulsive excitation. Such stratified media are biomedically important. A transverse modal representation leads to a series of one-dimensional diffusion problems which are solved via finite-difference methods. A novel time-stepping scheme allows effort to scale independently of total time (for fixed system size). Tayloring to the DOT application gives run times of order 0.1 s. We study convergence, computational effort, and validate against known solutions in the case of 2-layer media. The method will be useful for other forward and inverse diffusion problems, such as heat conduction and conductivity measurement.
Review of Cultural Psychology, by Steven J. Heine

Starting with the late 1980s, cultural psychology has enjoyed great popularity by showing how East Asians think, feel, and behave differently from European Americans. For example, the need to feel ...
The Adjustment of Asian American Families to the U.S. Context: The Ecology of Strengths and Stress

The number of Asian American families is on the rise. Asian American families are a diverse group. This chapter focuses on Asian American families that migrated to the United States in the last three decades. This chapter challenges the media’s depiction of them as a Model Minority. Because of this stereotype, many challenges that this group encounters may not gain adequate attention. The chapter examines their strengths and resiliency, along with the ecology of stress that influences family dynamics.
A Young Man With Two Large Lung Masses

(CHEST 1999; 116:814 ‐ 818) A 37-year-old white man was referred to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation for evaluation of two lung masses noted on chest radiograph and confirmed on CT scan of the chest. He complained of chest pain for 3 months before presentation. It was localized in the left axillary region and later also in the right upper chest, more on inspiration, and was not related to posture or exertion. It was initially attributed to muscle pull caused by heavy exertion on his job, and partially relieved by therapy with ibuprofen for a few days. He returned to the physician for progressive nonproductive severe cough during 2 months. He was found to have weight loss of 5.5 kg during 3 months. He denied fever, dyspnea, exercise limitation, night sweats, fatigue, sinusitis, skin rash, or joint pains. He did not have pets, recent travel, or exposure to tuberculosis (TB). His only significant past medical history was a remote fall causing left-sided rib fractures and accidental dental trauma by his infant’s head 6 months before presentation. He had a 40-pack-year smoking history and consumed up to a 12-pack of beer daily for 5 years. He worked underground installing cables. He was a young man of average build in no apparent distress, with normal vital signs and lung examination, and no chest tenderness. No physical abnormality was detected except the two loose upper incisor teeth with mild tenderness over the surrounding gum. There was no erythema or discharge from the gum. His WBC count was increased to 17 3 10 3 /mL and his erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 24 mm/h. The findings from the rest of the laboratory examination, including hemoglobin, platelet count, serum chemistry, coagulation profile, room air arterial blood gases, and urine analysis, were normal. Results of antinuclear antibody, cytoplasmic and perinuclear antineutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies (by enzyme immunoassay and fluorescence tests), fungal serologies (for aspergillosis, histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, and coccidioidomycosis), and tuberculin skin test (with positive anergy panel) also were normal or negative. Chest radiograph (Figs 1 and 2) and CT scan (Fig 3) are shown. Flexible bronchoscopy did not reveal endobronchial abnormality, and BAL was negative for routine bacterial Gram’s stain and cultures, acid-fast bacilli, nocardia, and legionella. Cytology of bronchial washing and brushing specimens was negative for malignancy. Histopathologic study of tissue from the left lung lesion obtained by transbronchial biopsy was nondiagnostic. Later, the histopathologic examination of the tissue obtained from wedge resection by thoracotomy was typical of the final diagnosis.
Leaders in Selling and Sales Management: Leaders in Selling and Sales Management: American Marketing Association: Sales Management Division

(1988). Leaders in Selling and Sales Management: Leaders in Selling and Sales Management: American Marketing Association: Sales Management Division. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management: Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 63-64.
Prototype for an Asteroid Exploratory Robot Using Multi-Phalanx Microspine Grippers

A prototype robot that can explore small asteroids and comets with low gravitational attraction has been designed, built, and tested. The three-armed robot has four-digit hands with compliant, multi-phalanx fingers that grip a rocky surface using an array of microspines. These microspine assemblies are patterned after a design that was first demonstrated on an omni-directional microspine gripper at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory utilizing only single-phalanx digits. The new design expands the ability of the original gripper to conform to irregular surface variations, providing improvements in anchoring performance and creating a dexterous robotic hand. The robot is capable of traversing and maneuvering across an asteroid-like surface in simulated microgravity conditions. The mechanical design of the gripper and robot, the control system, the microgravity testing apparatus used to test the robot, and experimental results are described here. Future iterations of this prototype robot can provide a robust mobility platform for small body exploration and sampling missions.
Presentation, diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment of the neurological features of Sturge-Weber syndrome.

Background Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a neurovascular disorder with a capillary malformation of the face (port-wine birthmark), a capillary-venous malformation in the eye, and a capillary-venous malformation in the brain (leptomeningeal angioma). Although SWS is a congenital disorder usually presenting in infancy, occasionally neurologic symptoms first present in adulthood and most affected individuals do survive into adulthood with varying degrees of neurologic impairment including epilepsy, hemiparesis, visual field deficits and cognitive impairments ranging from mild learning disabilities to severe deficits. SWS is a multi-system disorder that requires the neurologist to be aware of the possible endocrine, psychiatric, ophthalmologic, and other medical issues that can arise and impact the neurologic status of these patients. Some of these clinical features have only recently been described.
COL1A1 and COL1A2 sequencing results in cohort of patients undergoing evaluation for potential child abuse

Child abuse is a major public health concern that can explain a proportion of fractures in children. Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is the most common inherited syndrome that predisposes to skeletal fractures. We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from clinical, laboratory, and radiographic information from children evaluated for child abuse in which molecular testing for COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes was conducted. A total of 43 patients underwent molecular testing for OI. Pathogenic variants predicted to result in a mild form of OI were found in two patients (5%), both clinically suspected to have this diagnosis. None of the cases in whom OI molecular testing was ordered when maltreatment concerns were thought to be more likely (0/35) were identified to have pathogenic variants. After reviewing each individual case, the final diagnosis was child abuse for 34 cases (77%), and additional radiographic and laboratory studies did not identify any with inherited metabolic predisposition to fracture or rickets. We conclude that routine testing for OI in the setting of child abuse when no other suggestive clinical findings are present has a low yield. A careful review of the medical history and a detailed clinical evaluation help identify those at risk for genetic alterations. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Two-phase approach to improve stream health modeling

Abstract Direct measurement of biotic indices used in monitoring stream health is time consuming, costly, and usually limited to few sites and locations. This severely limits the spatial extent and the temporal interval of assessment; hence, continuous long-term monitoring of all reaches becomes impossible. Therefore, modeling approaches are commonly used as an alternative. However, modeling complex natural systems are not without challenges and the error in modeling these systems is usually high. This study focuses on modeling four biotic indices, including one fish and three macroinvertebrate indices, using 171 water quantity and 78 water quality variables. This study introduces a new two-phase approach in modeling biotic indices. In the first phase, an initial estimate of the biotic index along with an estimate of the error associated with those initial predictions is obtained. In the second phase, these initial estimates are combined to develop a new predictive model. Although different modeling methods can be used in each phase, to demonstrate the concept, in this study we tested Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). The proposed approach was evaluated based on monitoring data form the Flint River watershed, located in Michigan, USA. The results demonstrate that the two-phase approach that uses PLSR (first phase) and ANFIS (second phase) is superior to common-single-phase approach ( R 2 for the stream health predictive models increased on average from 0.5 in the first phase to over 0.9 in the second phase). Additionally, the two-phase approach eliminates the need for variable selection, a common pre-processing step, and provides satisfactory results despite the limited number of samples, which makes the approach more reliable, robust, and applicable. Although in this study the proposed two-phase approach is applied to biotic indices, the process can be extended to other natural and physical systems.
Observations on cerebral ischaemia in cats at injury threshold levels

AbstractThe potential for recovery of brain tissue subjected to ischaemia at a threshold level of injury was evaluated in cats subjected to 20 min middle cerebral artery occlusion. In addition to assessment of regional cerebral blood flow and water content, the permeability of the bloodbrain barrier and morphological changes detected by light microscopy were studied at various time intervals. Our observations revealed that although a similar reduction of blood flow during arterial occlusion was found both in the caudate nucleus and the cerebral cortex, the reactive hyperaemia was consistently higher in the caudate nucleus than in the cortex. After 24 h the caudate nucleus also revealed a significantly higher water content and increased vascular permeability than the cortex. Morphological observations at 24 h in areas affected by ischaemia showed widespread, marked ischaemic neuronal injury, whereas at 3 d there was, in addition, a vigorous proliferative reaction of vascular elements. Cats sacrificed at 14...
Daratumumab: a first-in-class CD38 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of multiple myeloma

Daratumumab is a human monoclonal antibody that targets CD38, a cell surface protein that is overexpressed on multiple myeloma (MM) cells. Preclinical studies have shown that daratumumab induces MM cell death through several mechanisms, including complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), and apoptosis. Given the encouraging efficacy and acceptable safety profile of daratumumab demonstrated in clinical trials, daratumumab has emerged as a novel treatment option for myeloma and became the first monoclonal antibody approved by the FDA for the treatment of MM.
Investors’ Perceptions of Full-Service Versus Discount Security Brokerage Firms

Over the past several years, discount brokerage houses have experienced rapid growth and development. It is estimated that the discount brokers1 market share has experienced a 55% to 65% annual growth rate since 1975. This event has been made possible by the relaxation of the previously fixed commission schedules and the introduction of price and service competition into the securities business. Instead of discount competition encouraging the full-service brokers to cut their commission rates to attract individual retail investors, the "Mayday" decision resulted in higher charges to the small investor. The full-line firms stress the continued importance of "brand" identification, and they feel that this gives them a competitive edge.
Reflections on a Course in Emerging Information Technologies

The purpose of this paper is to serve as a departure point for a discussion on the design of a course in Advanced Information Technologies, with a special emphasis upon providing students with the tools to identify new, emerging technologies. The paper also shares the experience of offering such a course to graduate students in Information Systems during the Spring of 1999, the Spring of 2001, and the Spring of 2002. The course was designed to engage the students in participatory learning exercises in order to give them experience differentiating emerging from simply new information technologies, using principles described early in the course.
Genetic algorithm for flood detection and evacuation route planning

A genetic-type algorithm is presented that uses satellite geospatial data to determine the most probable path to safety for individuals in a disaster area, where a traditional routing system cannot be used. The algorithm uses geological features and disaster information to determine the shortest safe path. It predicts how a flood can change a landform over time and uses this data to predict alternate routes. It also predicts safe routes in rural locations where GPS/map-based routing data is unavailable or inaccurate. Reflectance and a supervised classification algorithm are used and the output is compared with RFPI and PCR-GLOBWB data.
Graded levels of a defatted green microalgae inclusion in diets for broiler chicks led to moderate up-regulation of protein synthesis pathway in the muscle and liver

Abstract This experiment was to determine effects of graded levels of defatted green microalgal biomass (DGA, Nannochloropsis oceanica) on dietary protein digestion, retention, and metabolism, and on regulations of protein synthesis and energy partitioning in broiler chickens. One-day old broiler chicks were fed a corn-soybean meal-based diet containing 0 (control), 2, 4, 8 or 16% DGA for 6 weeks (n = 6 cages/diet, 6 chicks/cage). Graded levels of dietary DGA did not affect plasma and muscle protein and(or) plasma uric acid concentrations. Additionally, DGA consumption did not affect dry matter and nitrogen digestibility or retention, nor daily nitrogen excretion, as measured by both an ingestible marker and a 3-day total excreta collection. The inclusion of 4 to 8% of DGA produced moderate elevations (0.06
Translation into Duality

Let E be a vector space over the field K=R or C. We denote by E* the algebraic dual of E, i.e., the vector space of the linear mappings E→K. Elements of E* will be denoted by x*, x * 1 , y * , etc.; the value of the functional x * at the point x∈E will be denoted by 〈x*, x〉. We denote by |x * |the seminorm on E, $$ x \to | | $$ .
Structural and functional characterization of the contractile aorta and associated hemocytes of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae

The primary pump of the circulatory system of insects is a dorsal vessel that traverses the length of the insect. The anterior portion, located in the head, neck and thorax, is the aorta, and the posterior portion, located in the abdomen, is the heart. Here, we characterize the structure and function of the aorta and conical chamber of the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae The aorta begins in the head with an excurrent opening located above the dorsal pharyngeal plate and ends at the thoraco-abdominal junction where it joins the conical chamber of the heart. The aorta lacks ostia, and based on the diameter of the vessel as well as the density and helical orientation of muscle, consists of three regions: the anterior aorta, the bulbous chamber, and the posterior aorta. The aorta contracts in the anterograde direction, but these contractions are independent of heart contractions and do not play a major role in hemolymph propulsion. Intravital imaging of the venous channels, the first abdominal segment and the neck revealed that hemolymph only travels through the aorta in the anterograde direction, and does so only during periods of anterograde heart flow. Furthermore, hemolymph only enters the thoraco-abdominal ostia of the conical chamber when the heart contracts in the retrograde direction, propelling this hemolymph to the posterior of the body. Finally, very few hemocytes associate with the aorta, and unlike what is seen in the periostial regions of the heart, infection does not induce the aggregation of hemocytes on the aorta.
Auto-centered development and indigenous technics: Slaheddine el-Amami and Tunisian delinking

Until his early death in 1985, at age 51, the Tunisian agronomist Slaheddine el-Amami carried out a path-breaking research program at what was then the Centre de Recherche et de Genie Rural. He wro...
SolarClique: Detecting Anomalies in Residential Solar Arrays

The proliferation of solar deployments has significantly increased over the years. Analyzing these deployments can lead to the timely detection of anomalies in power generation, which can maximize the benefits from solar energy. In this paper, we propose SolarClique, a data-driven approach that can flag anomalies in power generation with high accuracy. Unlike prior approaches, our work neither depends on expensive instrumentation nor does it require external inputs such as weather data. Rather our approach exploits correlations in solar power generation from geographically nearby sites to predict the expected output of a site and flag anomalies. We evaluate our approach on 88 solar installations located in Austin, Texas. We show that our algorithm can even work with data from few geographically nearby sites (>5 sites) to produce results with high accuracy. Thus, our approach can scale to sparsely populated regions, where there are few solar installations. Further, among the 88 installations, our approach reported 76 sites with anomalies in power generation. Moreover, our approach is robust enough to distinguish between reduction in power output due to anomalies and other factors such as cloudy conditions.
Understanding and Managing Public Organizations, Fifth Edition

(2016). Understanding and Managing Public Organizations, Fifth Edition. Journal of Public Affairs Education: Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 141-144.
Tournament Applications of One-Factorizations

Suppose several baseball teams play against each other in a league. The competition can be represented by a graph with the teams as vertices and with an edge xy representing a game between teams x and y. We shall refer to such a league — where two participants meet in each game — as a tournament. (The word “tournament” is also used for the directed graphs derived from this model by directing the edge from winner to loser, but we shall not consider the results of games.)
Condensed Tannins in Southern Pines and Their Interactions with the Ecosystem

Condensed tannins extracted from the foliage of selected southern pine species were found to be predominately prodelphinidin polymers of 14 to 18 flavanoid units, whereas, tannins from phloem were mostly procyanidins of 8 to 11 units. These chemical characteristics indicate that the tannins from the different plant parts may have different biological activities in the ecosystem. Slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelmann var. elliottii) foliage contained an average of 49 percent more tannin than loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) or longleaf (Pinus palustris Miller) pine foliage. Tannin concentration in the phloem did not seem to be related to site factors that control the rate of pine growth, but tannin concentration in the foliage increased by 30 percent as the site quality decreased from good to poor. Application of phosphorus fertilizer decreased the concentration of tannin in the foliage of loblolly pine from 110 to 85 g/kg. Concentrations of tannins in the foliage increased in the spring of the first year of the lifespan of needles, followed by a period of stability, and then another increase in concentration the second spring. In the months prior to senescence, tannins were lost from the foliage, either by leaching or by chemical transformations. The importance of tannins in nutrient cycling suggests that research on the fate of tannins released into the ecosystem needs to be intensified.
Charles S. Peirces's "affective" realism

Entrando direttamente nel cuore del realismo di Peirce, il presente articolo vuole rispondere alla domanda: come si puo affermare l’essenziale conoscibilita dell’essere senza minarne l’irriducibile alterita? La risposta a questa domanda esigera un radicale ripensamento del concetto stesso di realta. L’ipotesi di Peirce e che l’indipendenza del reale, invece che determinarne la costitutiva inaccessibilita, e al contrario condizione per l’emergenza, lo sviluppo e il compimento finale della ricerca. Charles S. Peirce's "affective" realism Pointing directly to the core of Peirce's Realism, the present article asks the question: how can we affirm the essential intelligibility of being without undermining its irreducible alterity? To answer this question requires a radical re-conception of the notion of reality. Peirce's hypothesis is that the independence of reality, far from determining its constitutive inaccessibility, represents the very condition for the emergence, development and final settlement of inquiry.
Tangible Tools for Public Transportation Planning: Public Involvement and Learning for Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Design:

Open governance and open data have given rise to new collaborative tools for public involvement in transit planning. The research presented in this paper extends such tools, adding tangible and int...
From Civilizing Mission to Defensive Frontier: the Russian Empire's Changing Views of the Caucasus (1801-1864)

The Russian empire annexed Georgia and moved further into the Caucasus for reasons that were typical for the period; that is, the European idea of a civilizing mission. Later, toward the mid-1820s, Russia attempted to use the region as its colony. The Russian advance towards the borders of Iran and Turkey alarmed the British and aggravated Russia’s relations with the European powers. Meanwhile, Russia’s defeat in the Crimean War gave rise to the idea of the Caucasus as a bulwark against a hostile Europe. None of the previous ideas disappeared completely: they co-existed during almost all of the nineteenth century. Thus, the image of the Caucasus in the Russian imperial consciousness was dynamic and flexible, reflecting Russia’s changing history, the political situation in the empire, and threats to the country from outside.
Study on Insulation Design of High Power High Frequency High Voltage Transformer

Transformer insulation is very important to the safe and stable operation of high frequency transformer, especially the voltage grade of high frequency high voltage transformer is high, which presents higher requirements for the insulating properties. Using a high power high frequency high voltage transformer for dust removal as research object, the effect of different winding methods on the transform-er winding insulation was studied, and the electric field of main insulation was simulated and analyzed. The results show that the change of winding structure can effectively improve the voltage distribution of winding and increase the breakdown voltage of insulation. The insulation paperboard-oil structure can meet the requirements of main insulation for high frequency high voltage transformer, which can provide reference for the insulation design of high frequency high voltage transformer.
A healthy lifestyle - reducing T2DM risk in shift workers?

A recent study shows that a history of rotating night-shift work and an unhealthy lifestyle are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), both independently and synergistically. This is the first large-scale, prospective study to quantify how a healthy lifestyle might partially offset T2DM risk in shift workers.
On Equivalent Transformations of Infinitary Formulas under the Stable Model Semantics

It has been known for a long time that intuitionistically equivalent formulas have the same stable models. We extend this theorem to propositional formulas with infinitely long conjunctions and disjunctions and show how to apply this generalization to proving properties of aggregates in answer set programming.
The Mathematical Preparation for Engineering.

Why is mathematics identified as a pre requisite to engineering? It is true that engi neers deal with tangible things like con crete, machine parts, and steel beams and that a good working knowledge of basic mathematics is essential to manipulate these building blocks into dams, machines, and structures. But there is a great deal more to engineering than playing with blocks. The responsible engineer must be able to manipulate intangibles like dreams, possi bilities, and practicalities into concepts and plans for a new power plant, a space cap sule, or a gadget. And what one engineer synthesizes, another will analyze, taking it apart piece by piece to check points of stress concentration; the details of assem bly, operation, or disassembly; and the con sequences of a weak link breaking. These are the occupations of engineers?these sometimes creative, but often routine, syn theses and methodical analyses, which are probably not unlike those of businessmen, or artists, or mathematicians.
Nuclear Pore Complexes Are Key Regulators of Oligodendrocyte Differentiation and Function

Increasing evidence points to nuclear pore complexes as important regulators of cell fate and tissue homeostasis. A recent report by Liu et al. (2019) in this issue of Neuron uncovers that nucleoporin Seh1 is required for the expression of genes critical for oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination.
Frailty for Critical Limb Ischemia: Fruitful or Futile?

See Article by Takeji et al Critical limb ischemia (CLI), despite advancements in revascularization technology and technical approaches, continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality.1–3 Although most operators consider endovascular approach as the first-line therapy for CLI,2–5 controversy remains as to which approach (medical, endovascular, or surgical) is optimal. Classic considerations in the decision between endovascular versus surgical revascularization have been operator experience, anatomy, availability of conduit, age, and patient comorbidities. Meanwhile, those who are bedridden with or without severe dementia have usually been treated with medical therapy only or major amputation. The ultimate goal for CLI is to provide a therapy that would minimize suffering and allow independent ambulation. Accordingly, many risk scores, including BASIL (Bypass versus Angioplasty in Severe Ischemia of the Leg), PREVENT III (Edifoligide for the Prevention of Infrainguinal Vein Graft Failure), and FINNVASC (Finland National Vascular), have been developed to help in these decisions, but none are widely used. These risk scores, while informative, only provide data on measured comorbidities and lack information on other important risk factors, such as nutritional status, physical fitness, inflammation, degree of tissue loss, and overall health status of the patients. Therefore, a prognostic instrument that could potentially capture these unmeasured confounders would be of significant value in helping physicians and patients make proper treatment decisions and set appropriate expectations. To this end, Yamaji et al6 examined the prognostic value of frailty in patients with CLI. This current study6 adds to the growing body of literature to identify frailty as a potential prognostic measure in patients undergoing revascularization for CLI. The authors prospectively evaluated patients who presented with Rutherford classification IV-VI symptoms and risk-stratified them based on the clinical frailty scale. Clinical follow-up at 2 years demonstrated that those with …
Intraoperative Endoscopy During Revisional Foregut Surgery: Who to Scope?

Endoscopy plays an important role in the operative planning prior to any surgical interventions in the upper gastrointestinal tract. However, endoscopic techniques can also provide extremely useful information in the evaluation and management of postoperative upper gastrointestinal symptoms and complications following foregut surgery, including antireflux and bariatric procedures. Commonly encountered symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, emesis, and dysphagia, while weight regain, heartburn, regurgitation, hematemesis, and melena are less common.
Temptation-biased preferences for risk and time

Abstract We introduce a model of temptation-biased preferences that generalizes quasi-hyperbolic discounting and quasi-rank-dependent probability weighting. The model explains empirically observed interactions between risk and time preferences and empirically observed correlations between expected utility violations and discounted utility violations.
Kinetic and Spectroscopic Characterization of the Catalytic Ternary Complex of Tryptophan 2,3-Dioxygenase.

The first step of the kynurenine pathway for l-tryptophan (l-Trp) degradation is catalyzed by heme-dependent dioxygenases, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. In this work, we employed stopped-flow optical absorption spectroscopy to study the kinetic behavior of the Michaelis complex of Cupriavidus metallidurans TDO (cmTDO) to improve our understanding of oxygen activation and initial oxidation of l-Trp. On the basis of the stopped-flow results, rapid freeze-quench (RFQ) experiments were performed to capture and characterize this intermediate by Mossbauer spectroscopy. By incorporating the chlorite dismutase-chlorite system to produce high concentrations of solubilized O2, we were able to capture the Michaelis complex of cmTDO in a nearly quantitative yield. The RFQ-Mossbauer results confirmed the identity of the Michaelis complex as an O2-bound ferrous species. They revealed remarkable similarities between the electronic properties of the Michaelis complex and those of the O2 adduct of myoglobin. We also found that the decay of this reactive intermediate is the rate-limiting step of the catalytic reaction. An inverse α-secondary substrate kinetic isotope effect was observed with a kH/kD of 0.87 ± 0.03 when (indole-d5)-l-Trp was employed as the substrate. This work provides an important piece of spectroscopic evidence of the chemical identity of the Michaelis complex of bacterial TDO.
Response to Comment on “Local CD11c+ MHC Class II− Precursors Generate Lung Dendritic Cells during Respiratory Viral Infection, but Are Depleted in the Process”

In our recent paper ([1][1]), we demonstrated that myeloid dendritic cells (DCs) can be generated in vitro in cultures supplemented with GM-CSF from lung CD11c+ MHC II− cells. This observation led us to conclude that CD11c+ MHC II− cells contain a population of DC precursors resident in naive
Using Simple Technical Analysis Indicators for Asset Allocation Decisions

This study analyzes the potential effectiveness of using simple technical analysis indicators to determine the overall riskiness of portfolio asset allocation. Using the 200-day simple moving average of the S&P500 as our technical indicator in two separate strategies, we employ a “risk-on” asset allocation strategy (more portfolio allocation in stocks as a percentage) when the S&P500 is above the indicator line and a “risk-off” strategy (less stock/more bond allocation) when below. We compare the “buy and hold” returns of various portfolio allocations in the U.S. stock and bond markets from 1962-2017. In the initial analysis, we find that following this rule with the 200-day simple moving average provides excess annual returns of up to 0.59%, with all analyzed allocation combinations posting both excess returns and a reduction in overall risk for all analyzed allocation combinations, with all 200-day strategies posting an increase in Sharpe ratios when compared to their baseline “buy-and-hold” strategy.
Horosphere-invariant mappings of the unit ball in Cn

Abstract Horospheres, particular ellipsoids internally tangent to the boundary of the Euclidean unit ball B of C n , play a pivotal role in the Denjoy–Wolff theory of holomorphic self-mappings of B . We use horospheres to introduce a new family of transforms on the class of normalized locally biholomorphic mappings of B into C n in a vein similar to the Koebe transforms with respect to automorphisms of B . Like the Koebe transforms, these horosphere transforms preserve the property of convexity of a mapping. After studying the transforms with regard to convex mappings in particular, we give a broad characterization of all normalized holomorphic mappings that are invariant under the horosphere transforms. We also show that the notion of horosphere invariance for locally biholomorphic mappings is preserved by several commonly studied extension operators. We then apply our technique to provide a similar, simplified characterization of Koebe-invariant mappings. With these characterizations in hand, we show that, despite the existence of many mappings satisfying either type of invariance separately, the only normalized holomorphic mappings that enjoy both types of invariance are those mappings of the form f ( z ) = ( z 1 1 − z 1 + Q ( z ˆ ) ( 1 − z 1 ) 2 , z ˆ ( 1 − z 1 ) ) for z = ( z 1 , z ˆ ) ∈ B , where z ˆ = ( z 2 , … , z n ) and Q : C n − 1 → C is a homogeneous polynomial of degree 2. For certain Q, these mappings are extreme points of the closed convex hull of the family of convex mappings of B .
Safety of Image-Guided Treatment of the Liver with Ultrasound and Microbubbles in an in Vivo Porcine Model.

Abstract Ultrasound and microbubbles are useful for both diagnostic imaging and targeted drug delivery, making them ideal conduits for theranostic interventions. Recent reports have indicated the preclinical success of microbubble cavitation for enhancement of chemotherapy in abdominal tumors; however, there have been limited studies and variable efficacy in clinical implementation of this technique. This is likely because in contrast to the high pressures and long cycle lengths seen in successful preclinical work, current clinical implementation of microbubble cavitation for drug delivery generally involves low acoustic pressures and short cycle lengths to fit within clinical guidelines. To translate the preclinical parameter space to clinical adoption, a relevant safety study in a healthy large animal is required. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to evaluate the safety of ultrasound cavitation treatment (USCTx) in a healthy porcine model using a modified Philips EPIQ with S5-1 as the focused source. We performed USCTx on eight healthy pigs and monitored health over the course of 1 wk. We then performed an acute study of USCTx to evaluate immediate tissue damage. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound exams were performed before and after each treatment to investigate perfusion changes within the treated areas, and blood and urine were evaluated for liver damage biomarkers. We illustrate, through quantitative analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound data, blood and urine analyses and histology, that this technique and the parameter space considered are safe within the time frame evaluated. With its safety confirmed using a clinical-grade ultrasound scanner and contrast agent, USCTx could be easily translated into clinical trials for improvement of chemotherapy delivery. This represents the first safety study assessing the bio-effects of microbubble cavitation from relevant ultrasound parameters in a large animal model.
First report of the southern corn rust pathogen Puccinia polysora on Zea mays in North Dakota

Southern corn rust, caused by Puccinia polysora, is a yield-limiting disease on corn (Zea mays). As a biotrophic fungal pathogen, P. polysora requires a living host for its survival. Southern corn ...
CryoDRGN: reconstruction of heterogeneous cryo-EM structures using neural networks.

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) single-particle analysis has proven powerful in determining the structures of rigid macromolecules. However, many imaged protein complexes exhibit conformational and compositional heterogeneity that poses a major challenge to existing three-dimensional reconstruction methods. Here, we present cryoDRGN, an algorithm that leverages the representation power of deep neural networks to directly reconstruct continuous distributions of 3D density maps and map per-particle heterogeneity of single-particle cryo-EM datasets. Using cryoDRGN, we uncovered residual heterogeneity in high-resolution datasets of the 80S ribosome and the RAG complex, revealed a new structural state of the assembling 50S ribosome, and visualized large-scale continuous motions of a spliceosome complex. CryoDRGN contains interactive tools to visualize a dataset’s distribution of per-particle variability, generate density maps for exploratory analysis, extract particle subsets for use with other tools and generate trajectories to visualize molecular motions. CryoDRGN is open-source software freely available at http://cryodrgn.csail.mit.edu . CryoDRGN is an unsupervised machine learning algorithm that reconstructs continuous distributions of three-dimensional density maps from heterogeneous single-particle cryo-EM data.
Polygons in the boundary of a combinatorial solid torus

For the definition of a combinatorial solid torus (CST), see the discussion just before Theorem 24.9. There we show that S is a CST if and only if S is the image of a product σ2 × [0, 1] under a PL identification mapping ф which identifies σ2 × {0} and σ2 × {1} in such a way as to give an orientable 3-manifold with boundary. In fact, every polyhedral solid torus is a CST, but we are not yet in a position to prove it; it is a special case of the Hauptυermutung for 3-manifolds with boundary, and it is not easy to see how the special hypothesis can be used. Meanwhile we have the following.
Enhanced Layer Growth of GaAs: Sn

We have investigated the surface morphology of GaAs(100) during growth by molecular beam epitaxy in the presence of submonolayer coverages of Sn. Sn submonolayers segregate to the surface during growth and cause the measured reflection high-energy electron diffraction, intensity oscillations to continue long past that observed on pure GaAs. Atomic force microscopy in air and scanning tunneling microscopy have been used to examine these surfaces prior to growth, during growth, and after heating in vacuum in order to determine the changes in surface morphology contributing to this behavior. The major role of the Sn coverage is to remove the surface anisotropy usually observed in GaAs(100) growth and to increase the stability of islands. The strain induced by Sn in substitutional Ga sites destabilizes these islands and tends to limit their size. During growth, nucleation on these small islands is less likely, leading to an enhancement in the layer growth.
Comparing Advanced Practice Providers and Physicians as Providers of e-Visits

Abstract Background: Although electronic delivery (electronic visits [e-visits]) of healthcare services by advanced practice providers (APPs) is growing, literature defining the roles of different providers and comparing outcomes is lacking. We analyzed two e-visit models at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) to compare their providers (physicians and APPs) and associated outcomes. Materials and Methods: We identified all e-visits for the UPMC AnywhereCare Continuity (physician providers for existing patients) and Convenience (physician and APP providers for Pennsylvania residents) services (n=2,184) using Epic Systems (Verona, WI) MyChart data (November 2013–August 2014). We compared e-visits by service and provider type for patient characteristics, volume, response time, primary diagnoses, and number of prescriptions. We used statistical tests to determine differences in patient characteristics and an ordinary least square linear regression, controlling for patient characteristics, to de...
Laboratory for Atmospheres 2007 Technical Highlights

The 2007 Technical Highlights describes the efforts of all members of the Laboratory for Atmospheres. Their dedication to advancing Earth Science through conducting research, developing and running models, designing instruments, managing projects, running field campaigns, and numerous other activities, is highlighted in this report.
Rapid development of avionics systems

As hardware development techniques have improved, the time to market in avionics systems has become increasingly dependent upon systems analysis and software development. At the same time the lion's share of life cycle costs have migrated from development to integration and maintenance. In order to remain competitive in today's government and private sectors, avionics system developers must employ a scheme which reduces systems analysis, software development, and overall integration efforts. Such a scheme includes an effective process, a flexible architecture, and the tools necessary to greatly reduce life cycle costs. This paper presents a spiral development process with an associated architecture and tool template designed to reduce time to market. Specific uses of this template on the International Space Station and the Boeing 777 avionics system are described along with the next generation implementation.
Effects of extreme high temperature, drought and elevated CO2 on photosynthesis of the Mojave Desert evergreen shrub, Larrea tridentata

The interaction of extreme temperature events with future atmospheric CO2 concentrations may have strong impacts on physiological performance of desert shrub seedlings, which during the critical establishment phase often endure temperature extremes in conjunction with pronounced drought. To evaluate the interaction of drought and CO2 on photosynthesis during heat stress, one-year-old Larrea tridentata[DC] Cov. seedlings were exposed to nine days of heat with midday air temperature maxima reaching 53 °C under three atmospheric CO2 concentrations (360, 550 and 700 μmol mol−1) and two water regimes (well-watered and droughted). Photosynthetic gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and water potential responses were measured prior to, during and one week following the high temperature stress event. Heat stress markedly decreased net photosynthetic rate (A net), stomatal conductance (g s), and the photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (F v/F m) in all plants except for well-watered L. tridentata grown in 700 μmol mol−1 CO2. A net and g s remained similar to pre-stress levels in these plants. In droughted L. tridentata, A net was ca. 2× (in 550 μmol mol−1 CO2) to 3× (in 700 μmol mol−1 CO2) higher than in ambient-CO2-grown plants, while g s and F v/F m were similar and low in all CO2 treatments. Following heat stress, g s in all well-watered plants rose dramatically, exceeding pre-stress levels by up to 100%. In droughted plants, g s and A net rose only in plants grown at elevated CO2 following release from heat. This recovery response was strongest at 700 μmol mol−1 CO2, which returned to A net and g s values similar to pre-heat following several days of recovery. Extreme heat diminished the photosynthetic down-regulation response to growth at elevated CO2 under well-watered conditions, similar to the action of drought. Ambient-CO2-grown L. tridentata did not show significant recovery of photosynthetic capacity (A \max and CE) after alleviation of temperature stress, especially when exposed to drought, while plants exposed to elevated CO2 appeared to be unaffected. These findings suggest that elevated CO2 could promote photosynthetic activity during critical periods of seedling establishment, and enhance the potential for L. tridentata to survive extreme high temperature events.
Effect of composition on the processing and properties of sintered reaction-bonded silicon nitride

The type of silicon powder and sintering additive were found to influence the processing and final mechanical properties of sintered reaction bonded silicon nitride. High purity silicon powders produced low {alpha}-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} content during nitridation. The Si powder type had no apparent effect on densification. More complete nitridation and higher room temperature mechanical properties were observed for the Si powders with higher Fe contents. However, the higher Fe contents resulted in greater high temperature strength degradation and so there was better high temperature strength retention with the higher purity Si. High {alpha}-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} contents were found after nitridation with {alpha}-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} seeded materials and with MgO-Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} as the sintering additive. Densification was inhibited by refractory additives, such as Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}-SiO{sub 2}. The highest room temperature strength and fracture toughness values correlated to high nitrided {alpha}-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} contents. The high temperature strength behavior was similar for all additive types.