cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gas exchange in the insect tracheal system

Abstract The role of the insect tracheal system in gas exchange during cyclic ventilation is investigated using mathematical models. Three models are presented, one to describe the important elements of gas exchange during each of the three phases of cyclic ventilation. The effects of normobaric hypoxia on gas exchange are then examined, first assuming the initial parameter values set for the tracheal system and, second, assuming conditions of tracheal hypertrophy produced by an increase in the cross-sectional area is an important adaptation to normobaric hypoxia, but only if the tracheae themselves are the primary sites of resistance to gas exchange. Under conditions where the spiracles are the sites of resistance to gas exchange, volume expansion of the tracheae, not an increased cross-sectional area per se, is the important adaptation to normobaric hypoxia.
Depression and dependence upon unsustaining environments

Applying the author's person-environment incongruence model of depression, the relationship between the predisposition to independence or dependence, in both family and work environments, and the presence or absence of depression was investigated. Fifty depressed and fifty nondepressed white women between 21 and 67 were studied. A beginning case was made for the hypothesis that incongruence between a person's predisposition and the environment results in vulnerability to depression. While most depressed women were dependent and in environments that did not meet their needs, independent women in unsustaining environments were also found to be depressed. This is a major finding, since dependence alone is generally thought to typify depressed persons.
The Behavior of Grain Boundaries During Recrystallization of Dilute Aluminum-Gold Alloys

The early stage of isothermal recrystallization of five polycrystalline alloys of zone-refined aluminum containing different amounts of gold and deformed 40% by rolling at 0°C was studied by quantitative metallography. All results could be interpreted in terms of a site-saturated, matrix grain edge nucleation at zero time with subsequent growth controlling the recrystallization kinetics. The length of the matrix edges producing recrystallized colonies depended on the penultimate grain size and was longer the larger that grain size. A modification of the original phenomeno-logical model was proposed which accounted for the observed discrepancies between the measured recrystallization parameters and the ones calculated from the earlier model. The presence of AuAl2 precipitates had no apparent effect on the nucleation mode. However, the apportionment of gold into a precipitated state caused an enormous (104) increase in boundary migration rate (recrystallization rate). With the exception of an alloy containing 3.4 ppm gold, the activation energy for recrystallization was 25,700 cal/ mole, did not vary with the extent of recrystallization, and was in approximate agreement with the solute drag theory of boundary migration. The migration behavior of the 3.4 ppm gold alloy suggested the possibility of a grain boundary structure transformation. A theory of vacancy-enhanced grain boundary migration during recrystallization of dilute alloys was proposed to account for the observations.
Peroxisome division and proliferation in plants

Peroxisomes are eukaryotic organelles with crucial functions in development. Plant peroxisomes participate in various metabolic processes, some of which are co-operated by peroxisomes and other organelles, such as mitochondria and chloroplasts. Defining the complete picture of how these essential organelles divide and proliferate will be instrumental in understanding how the dynamics of peroxisome abundance contribute to changes in plant physiology and development. Research in Arabidopsis thaliana has identified several evolutionarily conserved major components of the peroxisome division machinery, including five isoforms of PEROXIN11 proteins (PEX11), two dynamin-related proteins (DRP3A and DRP3B) and two FISSION1 proteins (FIS1A/BIGYIN and FIS1B). Recent studies in our laboratory have also begun to uncover plant-specific factors. DRP5B is a dual-localized protein that is involved in the division of both chloroplasts and peroxisomes, representing an invention of the plant/algal lineage in organelle division. In addition, PMD1 (peroxisomal and mitochondrial division 1) is a plant-specific protein tail anchored to the outer surface of peroxisomes and mitochondria, mediating the division and/or positioning of these organelles. Lastly, light induces peroxisome proliferation in dark-grown Arabidopsis seedlings, at least in part, through activating the PEX11b gene. The far-red light receptor phyA (phytochrome A) and the transcription factor HYH (HY5 homologue) are key components in this signalling pathway. In summary, pathways for the division and proliferation of plant peroxisomes are composed of conserved and plant-specific factors. The sharing of division proteins by peroxisomes, mitochondria and chloroplasts is also suggesting possible co-ordination in the division of these metabolically associated plant organelles.
Pericardial repair depresses canine cardiac catecholamines and met-enkephalin

Decreased cardiac catecholamines were observed following incision and repair of the pericardium in sham-operated vs. unoperated control dogs. Animals were assigned to five groups: unoperated, sham-operated intact pericardia, open pericardia, sutured pericardia and complete ventricular sympathectomy. Hearts were collected four weeks after surgery. Sympathectomy decreased catecholamine content when compared to all other groups. Hearts with open/sutured pericardia contained significantly less catecholamines than controls. When the pericardium was intact or left open following incision, cardiac catecholamines were unchanged compared to unoperated controls. Since opioid peptides are colocalized with catecholamines, we measured met-enkephalin and met-enkephalin-arg-phe, proenkephalin A peptide products, in parallel samples. Similar to norepinephrine, met-enkephalin was decreased following both sympathectomy and pericardial repair. However, met-enkephalin-arg-phe, which may be more associated with the myocardium than its innervation, was not changed by any treatment. The sutured pericardium more than the stress of surgery apparently alters the tissue catecholamines and enkephalin. This may have resulted from the mechanical friction at the site of repair. Epinephrine and met-enkephalin contents in sympathectomized hearts were significantly lower than unoperated controls but were not significantly different from the intermediate values observed in the sutured group. The functional consequences of these changes on neuroendocrine status are unclear and will require further evaluation. The results also emphasize the need for careful attention to proper controls for surgical studies.
Cold dark matter: Controversies on small scales

The cold dark matter (CDM) cosmological model has been remarkably successful in explaining cosmic structure over an enormous span of redshift, but it has faced persistent challenges from observations that probe the innermost regions of dark matter halos and the properties of the Milky Way’s dwarf galaxy satellites. We review the current observational and theoretical status of these “small-scale controversies.” Cosmological simulations that incorporate only gravity and collisionless CDM predict halos with abundant substructure and central densities that are too high to match constraints from galaxy dynamics. The solution could lie in baryonic physics: Recent numerical simulations and analytical models suggest that gravitational potential fluctuations tied to efficient supernova feedback can flatten the central cusps of halos in massive galaxies, and a combination of feedback and low star formation efficiency could explain why most of the dark matter subhalos orbiting the Milky Way do not host visible galaxies. However, it is not clear that this solution can work in the lowest mass galaxies, where discrepancies are observed. Alternatively, the small-scale conflicts could be evidence of more complex physics in the dark sector itself. For example, elastic scattering from strong dark matter self-interactions can alter predicted halo mass profiles, leading to good agreement with observations across a wide range of galaxy mass. Gravitational lensing and dynamical perturbations of tidal streams in the stellar halo provide evidence for an abundant population of low-mass subhalos in accord with CDM predictions. These observational approaches will get more powerful over the next few years.
Review of proof, language, and interaction: essays in honour of Robin Milner edited by Plotkin, Stirling and Tofte

The field of theoretical computer science has had a long tradition of providing wonderful edited books to honor various prominent members of the community. The idea behind such edited works is clear: celebrate the work of a particular researcher by having co-authors and colleagues write papers on subjects related to the researcher's body of work. When successful, such a project provides for a wonderful excursion through the work of a researcher, often highlighting an underlying coherence to that work.On that account, the book Proof, Language, and Interaction: Essays in the Honor of Robin Milner (edited by Plotkin, Stirling and Tofte) is a success. In no small part this is due to Milner's span of work from theory to practice. It is hard to both briefly describe Milner's contributions and give an idea of the breadth of his effort. Two major tracks of research emerge. First, after some work with John McCarthy's AI group at Stanford, he developed LCF (specifically, Edinburgh LCF), a system for computer-assisted theorem proving based on Dana Scott's idea on continuous partial functions for denotational semantics. Not only working on the implementation, Milner also worried about the semantic foundations [1]. LCF came with a programming language, Edinburgh ML, which evolved with Milner's help into standard ML, a higher-order language that introduced many features now standard in advanced programming language, features such as polymorphism and type inference [4]. His second track of research involves concurrency. He invented CCS, the calculus of communicating systems [2]. Work on the semantics of CCS went from the traditional domain-theoretic approach to a new operational view of processes equality based on the notion of bisimulation. Subsequent work by Milner led to the development of other calculi, most notably the π-calculus, which included a powerful notion of mobility [3]. His later work in the area attempted to provide a unifying framework for comparing calculi, and unifying sequential and concurent computation.This range of interests is reflected in the table of contents of the book. The book splits across different subjects: semantic foundations, where we discover work aimed at understanding computation, both sequential and concurrent, programming logic, where we discover work derived from Milner's work on LCF, and aimed at understanding the role of formal mathematics, programming languages, where we discover Standard ML, and other languages based on Milner's idea about concurrent calculi, concurrency, where we discover work on Milner's early CCS approach and extensions, and mobility, where we discover work related to the π-calculus.
Reduced dimension rovibrational variational calculations of the S1 state of C2H2. I. Methodology and implementation

The bending and torsional degrees of freedom in S1 acetylene, C2H2, are subject to strong vibrational resonances and rovibrational interactions, which create complex vibrational polyad structures even at low energy. As the internal energy approaches that of the barrier to cis-trans isomerization, these energy level patterns undergo further large-scale reorganization that cannot be satisfactorily treated by traditional models tied to local minima of the potential energy surface for nuclear motion. Experimental spectra in the region near the cis-trans transition state have revealed these complicated new patterns. In order to understand near-barrier spectroscopic observations and to predict the detailed effects of cis-trans isomerization on the rovibrational energy level structure, we have performed reduced dimension rovibrational variational calculations of the S1 state. In this paper, we present the methodological details, several of which require special care. Our calculation uses a high accuracy ab initio potential surface and a fully symmetrized extended complete nuclear permutation inversion group theoretical treatment of a multivalued internal coordinate system that is appropriate for large amplitude bending and torsional motions. We also discuss the details of the rovibrational basis functions and their symmetrization, as well as the use of a constrained reduced dimension rovibrational kinetic energy operator.
Divergence, not diversity of an attenuated equine lentivirus vaccine strain correlates with protection from disease

We recently reported an attenuated EIAV vaccine study that directly examined the effect of lentiviral envelope sequence variation on vaccine efficacy. The study [1] demonstrated for the first time the failure of an ancestral vaccine to protect and revealed a significant, inverse, linear relationship between envelope divergence and protection from disease. In the current study we examine in detail the evolution of the attenuated vaccine strain utilized in this previous study. We demonstrate here that the attenuated strain progressively evolved during the six-month pre-challenge period and that the observed protection from disease was significantly associated with divergence from the original vaccine strain.
Placental origins of angiogenic dysfunction in mirror syndrome.

Background. Mirror syndrome is characterized by preeclampsia-like syndrome in pregnancies complicated by fetal hydrops. We describe a case of mirror syndrome associated with angiogenic dysfunction in maternal plasma and the placenta. Case. A pregnant patient with known fetal hydrops presented at 22 weeks gestation with features of severe preeclampsia. Measurements of plasma anti- and proangiogenic factors were consistent with a profound antiangiogenic state. Immunohistochemistry of the placenta for antiangiogenic proteins showed a pattern similar to that seen in patients with severe preeclampsia. Conclusion. Angiogenic imbalance may also be responsible for the preeclampsia-like condition seen in mirror syndrome.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many pictures is a word worth?

Pictures of normal brain activity during human thought can be worth a great deal. Electrophysiology and functional neuroimaging together allow both temporal and spatial dimensions of neurocognitive functions to be explored. Although these techniqueshave their limitations, the Cognitive Neuroscience approach is well-suited to pursuing questions about how words are perceived, understood, and remembered.
Macro-economic models with non-zero dispersion

Using two simple stochastic dynamic models, this paper demonstrates that the coe cient of variation of aggregate output, GDP, does not necessarily go to zero when the number of sectors or economic agents goes to infinity. This paper shows that this phenomenon, known as non-self averaging in physics, occurs in the two-parameter Poisson-Dirichlet models, and in certain balanced triangular urn models of growth. This implies that the standard microeconomic functions for aggregate outpu based on the representative agent models have little value, since these models do not provide us with better picture of the long-run behavior of the model. The paper also shows both models have a generalized Mittag-Le er density function, which has power-law tail.
Amino terminal sequences of several reovirus type 3 capsid proteins are identical.

Summary Reovirus type 3 capsid proteins were fractionated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis into three bands. The NH 2 -terminal sequence of the proteins in each band was determined by sequential Edman degradation and found to be Pro-Gly-Gly-Val-. Proteins present as less than 15% of the molecules in each band and proteins with blocked NH 2 -termini would not have been detected in this study.
Accelerated West Antarctic ice mass loss continues to outpace East Antarctic gains

a b s t r a c t Article history: While multiple data sources have confirmed that Antarctica is losing ice at an accelerating rate, different measurement techniques estimate the details of its geographically highly variable mass balance with different levels of accuracy, spatio-temporal resolution, and coverage. Some scope remains for methodological improvements using a single data type. In this study we report our progress in increasing the accuracy and spatial resolution of time-variable gravimetry from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). We determine the geographic pattern of ice mass change in Antarctica between January 2003 and June 2014, accounting for glacio-isostatic adjustment (GIA) using the IJ05_R2 model. Expressing the unknown signal in a sparse Slepian basis constructed by optimization to prevent leakage out of the regions of interest, we use robust signal processing and statistical estimation methods. Applying those to the latest time series of monthly GRACE solutions we map Antarctica's mass loss in space and time as well as can be recovered from satellite gravity alone. Ignoring GIA model uncertainty, over the period 2003-2014, West Antarctica has been losing ice mass at a rate of −121 ± 8G t /yr and has experienced large acceleration of ice mass losses along the Amundsen Sea coast of −18 ± 5G t /yr 2 , doubling the mass loss rate in the past six years. The Antarctic Peninsula shows slightly accelerating ice mass loss, with larger accelerated losses in the southern half of the Peninsula. Ice mass gains due to snowfall in Dronning Maud Land have continued to add about half the amount of West Antarctica's loss back onto the continent over the last decade. We estimate the overall mass losses from Antarctica since January 2003 at −92 ± 10 Gt/yr.
Modeling of tumor growth undergoing virotherapy

Tumor growth models subject to virotherapy treatment are analyzed and compared in this paper. Tumor growth conditions are obtained for each model type based on the virus infection rate and immune suppressive drug delivery. Equilibrium conditions resulted into quadratic functions for which the tumor radius remained constant during virotherapy. An irrigation tumor model for virotherapy treatment was also proposed. This model consists of irrigation layers distributed radially along the tumor and attached to a common blood circulation compartment. The irrigation model has similar dynamic and steady state characteristics to the diffusion model, which has been supported by experimental results. The irrigation model considers the immune system cell generation and consumption outside the tumor boundary but inside the blood circulation compartment. These characteristics provide a great potential for advanced cancer treatment applications because therapy dose delivery and immune system measurements can be made at the blood compartment level of the irrigation model.
THE DARK SIDE OF ORGANIZATIONS: Mistake, Misconduct, and Disaster

▪ Abstract In keeping with traditional sociological concerns about order and disorder, this essay addresses the dark side of organizations. To build a theoretical basis for the dark side as an integrated field of study, I review four literatures in order to make core ideas of each available to specialists in the others. Using a Simmelian-based case comparison method of analogical theorizing, I first consider sociological constructs that identify both the generic social form and the generic origin of routine nonconformity: how things go wrong in socially organized settings. Then I examine three types of routine nonconformity with adverse outcomes that harm the public: mistake, misconduct, and disaster produced in and by organizations. Searching for analogies and differences, I find that in common, routine nonconformity, mistake, misconduct, and disaster are systematically produced by the interconnection between environment, organizations, cognition, and choice. These patterns amplify what is known about so...
A three dimensional systolic array architecture for fast matrix multiplication

In recent years one and two dimensional systolic arrays have been designed to implement a wide range of matrix operations and signal processing algorithms. This paper proposes a three dimensional systolic array architecture of N3processors to further extend the performance advantages which can be achieved through regular local data transfer. The three dimensional array is discussed in the context of fixed point matrix-matrix multiplication which requires O(N3) multiplications and additions. The array pipelines N of these problems to attain a throughput rate which is practically independent of N. The performance, size, and fault tolerance of the array are discussed for the case N=32.
Predictors of School Victimization: Individual, Familial, and School Factors:

Recent deadly school crime incidents have caused great concern regarding school safety. From criminal acts to bullying and verbal abuse, school disorder compromises student safety and the learning environment. Using a series of logistic regression analyses and data from the National Crime Victimization Survey’s School Crime Supplement of 2003, this research seeks to identify a combination of individual, family, and school characteristics that can be used to predict student victimization at school. Results indicate that school victimization can be predicted from knowledge of student academic performance, prior victimization experiences, family characteristics, presence of gangs and drugs in the school, and certainty of punishment for school rule breaking. Findings support the need to adopt a multifaceted approach to provide a safer school environment, reduce juvenile offending, and facilitate learning.
Chlorhexidine: Expanding the Armamentarium for Infection Control and Prevention

Health care-associated infections (HAIs) result in increased patient morbidity and utilization of health care resources. Rates of HAI are increasing despite advances in health care technology. Limited antimicrobial agents and a dry drug pipeline make novel prevention efforts critical. Chlorhexidine, an antiseptic solution that has been used worldwide since the 1950s, is a safe and effective product with broad antiseptic activity. Novel uses of chlorhexidine-containing products are being implemented to promote antisepsis and prevent bacterial colonization and infection. We review some of the many infection control applications of chlorhexidine in the battle against HAI, such as general skin cleansing, skin decolonization, preoperative showering and bathing, vascular catheter site preparation, impregnated catheter site dressings, impregnated catheters, and oral decontamination. As mandatory public reporting and pay for performance force infection control issues to the forefront, chlorhexidine-containing products may provide a vast armamentarium for the control and prevention of HAI.
The anti-ischemia agent ranolazine promotes the development of intestinal tumors in APC(Min/+) mice

Ranolazine was shown to improve exercise parameters in patients with chronic angina. It works by switching myocardial energy metabolism from fatty acids to glucose, thus increasing the efficiency of ATP production under hypoxic conditions. Tumors are hypoxic and may also respond to ranolazine. We found that ranolazine caused a dose-dependent increase in tumor number in APC(Min/+) mice, a model of spontaneous intestinal tumorigenesis. Tumors from drug-treated mice were also more dysplastic and invasive than those from untreated mice. These findings have implications for the use of ranolazine in patients with a history of malignant neoplasms or adenomatous polyps.
The use of the L-plastin promoter for adenoviral-mediated, tumor-specific gene expression in ovarian and bladder cancer cell lines.

A 2.4-kb truncated L-plastin promoter was inserted either 5' to the LacZ gene (Ad-Lp-LacZ) or 5' to the cytosine deaminase (CD) gene (Ad-Lp-CD) in a replication-incompetent adenoviral vector backbone. Infectivity and cytotoxicity experiments with the LacZ and CD vectors suggested that the L-plastin promoter-driven transcriptional units were expressed at much higher levels in explants of ovarian cancer cells from patients and in established ovarian or bladder cancer cell lines than they were in normal peritoneal mesothelial cells from surgical specimens, in organ cultures of normal ovarian cells, or in the established CCD minimal deviation fibroblast cell line. Control experiments showed that this difference was not attributable to the lack of infectivity of the normal peritoneal cells, the normal ovarian cells, or the minimal deviation CCD fibroblast cell line, because these cells showed expression of the LacZ reporter gene when exposed to the replication-incompetent adenoviral vector carrying the cytomegalovirus (CMV)-driven LacZ gene (Ad-CMV-LacZ). The Ovcar-5 and Skov-3 ovarian cancer cell lines exposed to the Ad-Lp-CD adenoviral vector were much more sensitive to the prodrug 5-fluorocytosine (5FC), which is converted from the 5FC prodrug into the toxic chemical 5-fluorouracil, than was the CCD minimal deviation fibroblast cell line after exposure to the same vector. A mouse xenograft model was used to show that the Ad-Lp-CD vector/5FC system could prevent engraftment of ovarian cancer cells in nude mice. Finally, injection of the Ad-Lp-CD vector into s.c. tumor nodules generated a greater reduction of the size of the tumor nodules than did injection of the Ad-CMV-LacZ vectors into tumor nodules. The Ad-Lp-CD vectors were as suppressive to tumor growth as the Ad-CMV-CD vectors. These results suggest that an adenoviral vector carrying the CD gene controlled by the L-plastin promoter (Ad-Lp-CD) may be of potential value for the i.p. therapy of ovarian cancer.
Roar of the Crowd: Noise-Related Safety Concerns in Sport

In sport the safety of staff, participants and spectators is of the utmost importance. Therefore, sport venue and event managers should take every precaution to address safety concerns while planning for and executing events or activities. While venue managers have a legal duty to protect fans and participants, federal regulations exist to ensure a safe workplace for all employees, including those at a sports event. This is a conceptual article intended to assist practitioners to identify potentially unexpected hazards within the work environment, as well as strategies to eliminate or manage them. The authors examine existing federal regulations, current research associated with hearing/noise-related concerns and specific research undertaken in the sport environment. The article concludes with recommended prevention strategies for facility and event managers to assist them in meeting their professional and legal obligations.
The use of interstation P wave arrival time differences to account for regional path variability

[1] The difference between arrival times from one seismic event to a pair of receivers is largely insensitive to source location error when certain geometric conditions are met. Using catalog data from a Chinese regional network, we illustrate the use of arrival time differences to control data quality and to derive a two-dimensional map of Pn velocity and relative site terms. The resulting velocity patterns follow regional geology closely, site terms reflect variations in crustal thickness, and both are consistent with previous work based on single ray methods. The model fits the time difference data to better than 1 s and we obtain a variance reduction of 75%. We believe that the continued development of time-difference techniques will lead to improved location accuracy and precision using regional network data.
Targeting Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Reverse Transcriptase by Intracellular Expression of Single-Chain Variable Fragments To Inhibit Early Stages of the Viral Life Cycle

Novel molecular approaches to inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection have received increasing attention because of the lack of effective antiviral drug therapies in vivo. We now demonstrate that cells can be intracellularly immunized by cytoplasmic expression of single-chain variable antibody fragments (SFv) which bind to the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme. The expression of anti-RT SFv in T-lymphocytic cells specifically neutralizes the RT activity in the preintegration stage and affects the reverse transcription process, an early event of the HIV-1 life cycle. Blocking the virus at these early stages dramatically decreased HIV-1 propagation, as well as the HIV-1-induced cytopathic effects in susceptible human T lymphocytes, by impeding the formation of the proviral DNA. These data also demonstrate that intracellular, complete SFvs may gain access to viral proteins of the HIV-1 preintegration complex. These SFvs will provide a tool with which to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in restricting viral replication in HIV-1-infected cells.
Dancing machines: ‘Dance Dance Revolution’, cybernetic dance, and musical taste

In ‘Dance Dance Revolution’ (DDR), an arcade and home video game distributed by the Japanese entertainment corporation Konami, players move their feet in specific patterns set to electronic dance music. Only by achieving a high accuracy rate can a player advance from one level to the next. DDR enjoys worldwide popularity among teenagers and young adults, partially due to the marketing of the game's ‘soundtracks’ as separate, purchasable collections of underground techno, house, and drum ‘n’ bass. This article considers the Internet communities of DDR fans and their debates concerning ‘mainstream’ culture and musical taste.
Laser-saturated fluorescence measurements of NH in a premixed subatmospheric CH4/N2O/AR flame

Laser-saturated fluorescence (LSF) measurements of NH have been performed in a premixed methane/nitrous oxide/argon flat flame at a pressure of 50 Torr and an equivalence ratio of 1.10. The degree of saturation of the NH fluorescence signal is approximately 96%. The balanced cross-rate model is used to calculate number densities from the measured fluorescence signals. Independent LSF and optical absorption measurements of NH number density agree to within 20%. The estimated NH detection limit of the fluorescence system is 10 12 molecules/cm 3 .
Can i play the movie i (or you) bought? new trends in DRM

Digital Rights Management is an area that aims to enforce content owner's rights and combat unauthorized usage of content. Unfortunately consumers consider DRM restrictive, unfriendly, unfair or even evil.Responding to consumer complaints, new business models and technologies are needed that are more enabling than the traditional DRM model. In this white paper we will show two new trends in this area that will have an easier consumer adoption.
AN EXPLORATION OF THE STABILITY OF FRESHMAN GPA, 1978–1985

This study is one of several meant to explain a decline in the predictive validity of the SAT and high school grades between 1975 and 1988, This particular study asks whether the criterion, freshman grade point average (FGPA), has changed. There may have been changes in the mix of academic competencies that students use in earning freshman grades. Possible changes in general reasoning abilities, technical skills, or subject knowledge were considered. College Board tests that are usually thought of as predictors were used in this study as proxies for the concurrent academic competencies that comprise FGPA. The academic components or factors, defined by various combinations of SAT, and TSWE items and scores, HSGPA, and Achievement Test scores, included verbal and mathematical reasoning ability; mathematics, language, and writing skills; and knowledge of science and history. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the consistency between 1978 and 1985 of the relationship of the academic factors to FGPA. The primary results indicate that FGPA has been stable from 1978 to 1985 in relation to the abilities, skills and subject knowledge measured by the SAT, TSWE, Achievement Tests, and HSGPA. No evidence was found to suggest that a change in the meaning of FGPA has contributed to the predictive validity decline. This study was designed as an initial exploratory analysis, to be followed if warranted by a study with better proxies for the academic components of FGPA and with the addition of noncognitive variables such as study habits and interest. However, the results were so stable over a number of different proxies, and over a number of different ways of combining proxies, that the researchers conclude that no follow-up study is warranted.
God and other programs

In God and Other Minds, Alvin Plantinga formulated an ingenious defence of the teleological argument for the belief in God, based on alleged similarities to the analogical argument for other minds. I shall state what I take to be Plantinga's central argument and then I shall criticize it on two counts: 1. Even if Plantinga's claims about the similarities between these two famous arguments were sound, they would at most provide rational support for pantheism, but not for the traditional Judaeo-Christian theism that Plantinga attempts to defend; and 2. The similarities alleged by Plantinga do not in fact hold. The analogical inference to other minds is grounded on resemblance between one's own behaviour and the behaviour of others, while the teleological argument for God is grounded on resemblance between human contrivances and the world. If the teleological argument really worked, it would count against rather than being supported by the analogical argument, for it would reduce the world to a soulless machine created and programmed by God, and, by inverse inference, would strongly suggest that God himself is exactly so much of a Mind as J. C. Smart and Hilary Putnam take human minds to be, i.e. a computer program.
Complete Genome Sequence of a Novel Iflavirus from the Transcriptome of Halyomorpha halys, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

ABSTRACT We report the genome sequence of a novel iflavirus recovered from the transcriptome of a colony of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys. The genome is 9,263 nucleotides (nt) and contains an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a 3,017-amino-acid polyprotein.
Circular MIMO FSO Nodes With Transmit Selection and Receive Generalized Selection Diversity

Mobile free space optical (FSO) nodes have been characterized as a way to resolve movement and misalignment incompatibilities that are inherent in optical nodes. By introducing multibranch angular diversity mobility to FSO nodes, connection reliability is enhanced. In this paper, receiving branches are assumed to be circularly placed on a single plane, and transmitting branches are positioned on a different platform. A coverage of 360 in this unbalanced branch configuration is achieved with the deployment of diversity combining, wherein the transmitter follows a transmit selection diversity rule. Channel turbulence is modeled as weak lognormal with spatially correlated fading samples. On the receiver side, selection combining (SC), equal gain combining (EGC), maximum ratio combining (MRC), and threshold generalized SC (T-GSC) schemes serve as candidates for combining purposes. Statistical discussion relative to branch signals and combiner output is presented, and bit error performance and outage probability are numerically evaluated. When compared with MRC, T-GSC was found to have lower estimation error. The T-GSC scheme additionally demonstrated overall superior performance over SC and EGC for mobile FSO.
2D-3D pose estimation

A robust technique is described for solving the 3D-to-2D perspective projection pose estimation problem, given corresponding point sets. The technique has a considerable advantage over the least-squares (LS) technique in that with as many as 30% of the corresponding point pair matches completely incorrect the robust technique can determine the correct pose almost as accurately as the LS technique would if the LS technique were given only the correctly matched point pairs. The results of several hundred thousand experiments are reported that support the above conclusion. >
A joy for (the science of) life

Just a few weeks ago (at the time of writing), two of us (Kim and Patricia) participated in the first-ever Pan American Congress of Physiological Sciences, “Physiology Without Borders,” which was held in Iguassu Falls, Brazil, from August 2 to 6, 2014. Iguassu Falls is a very special place,
A Preliminary Examination of Negative Affect, Emotion Dysregulation, and Risky Behaviors Among Military Veterans in Residential Substance Abuse Treatment

Substance use disorder (SUD) is highly prevalent among military populations and associated with a wide range of negative outcomes. The goal of the present study was to explicate the relations among negative affect, emotion dysregulation, and urges to engage in risky behaviors among military veterans in residential SUD treatment. Emotion dysregulation (overall and three dimensions: access to emotion regulation strategies, impulse control, and emotional awareness) mediated the relation between negative affect and urges to engage in risky behaviors. Findings highlight the potential utility of treatments targeting emotion dysregulation in reducing risky behaviors among military veterans with SUD.
App-Bisect: autonomous healing for microservice-based apps

The microservice and DevOps approach to software design has resulted in new software features being delivered immediately to users, instead of waiting for long refresh cycles. On the downside, software bugs and performance regressions have now become an important cause of downtime. We propose app-bisect, an autonomous tool to troubleshoot and repair such software issues in production environments. Our insight is that the evolution of microservices in an application can be captured as mutations to the graph of microservice dependencies, such that a particular version of the graph from the past can be deployed automatically, as an interim measure until the problem is permanently fixed. Using canary testing and version-aware routing techniques, we describe how the search process can be sped up to identify such a candidate version. We present the overall design and key challenges towards implementing such a system.
POPL 2005: Combinators for Bi-Directional Tree Transformations: Linguistic Approach to the View Update Problem

We propose a novel approach to the well-known view update problem for the case of tree-structured data: a domainspecific\ programming language in which all expressions denote bi-directional transformations on trees. In one direction, these transformations--dubbed lenses--map a "concrete" tree into a simplified "abstract view"; in the other, they map a modified abstract view, together with the original concrete tree, to a correspondingly modified concrete tree. Our design emphasizes both robustness and ease of use, guaranteeing strong well-behavedness and totality properties for well-typed lenses We identify a natural space of well-behaved bi-directional transformations over arbitrary structures, study definedness and continuity in this setting, and state a precise connection with the classical theory of "update translation under a constant complement" from databases. We then instantiate this semantic framework in the form of a collection of lens combinators that can be assembled to describe transformations on trees. These combinators include familiar constructs from functional programming (composition, mapping, projection, conditionals, recursion) together with some novel primitives for manipulating trees (splitting, pruning, merging, etc.). We illustrate the expressiveness of these combinators by developing a number of bi-directional list-processing transformations as derived forms
TRANSAPICAL MYECTOMY IN CHILDREN WITH HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY: EARLY AND MID-TERM

The transapical approach to myectomy in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has been utilized in the subset of HCM patients with heart failure, midventricular obstruction and apical cavity obliteration with low stroke volume. However, minimal outcome data are reported addressing the role of
Treating non-ST-segment elevation ACS. Pros and cons of current strategies.

PREVIEWNew data from recent studies involving patients with acute coronary syndromes have augmented the ongoing debate over conservative versus early invasive management. Is a routine invasive strategy appropriate for patients with NSTE-ACS? In this article, Drs Carbajal and Deedwania review the results from major studies, present an evidence-based approach to the available surgical and pharmacologic options, and summarize the current status of the debate.
Terminating a lang-term clinical trial

Long-term trials often include more than one active treatment group. These may be discontinued independently if found ineffective or possibly harmful. Certain subgroups of patients may be discovered, in the course of a clinical trial, who do not respond satisfactorily and are, therefore, excluded during the course of a trial. Yet anouther kind of termination comes when we have a therapeutic breakthrough or when hope has to be abandoned for demonstrating beneficial effects for one, several, or all treatments included in a trial. Examples from the authors' experience are presented, as are successful and unsuccessful techniques in managing terminations of various types.
cGMP antagonizes angiotensin-mediated phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis and C kinase activation in mesangial cells.

Previous studies from this laboratory have shown that in cultured rat mesangial cells (MC), angiotensin II (ANG II) mediates its effects via activation of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) and phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C (PC-PLC) and phospholipase D (PC-PLD). In addition, guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP)-elevating maneuvers that stimulate particulate and soluble guanylate cyclase [atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), respectively] antagonize ANG II-mediated PI-PLC activation. The current study explored whether cGMP impairs ANG II-mediated PC-PLC and PLD activity. The ANG II-stimulated release of the water-soluble metabolites of PC breakdown (phosphorylcholine and choline) was blocked by ANF and SNP. ANG II-stimulated phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylethanol formation were significantly reduced by ANF and SNP, confirming that cGMP blunted PLD activity. The inhibitory effect of cGMP on PLD could be reversed by N-(2-[methylamino]eth...
MSIs across the globe: laying the foundation for future research

In this paper, we explore the role that Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) play in democratizing education in the USA and around the world, examining both the institutions and their larger context. We also put forth recommendations for reaching and empowering students attending MSIs and “students at the margins” across the globe.
The physics of MRI safety

The main risks associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been extensively reported and studied; for example, everyday objects may turn into projectiles, energy deposition can cause burns, varying fields can induce nerve stimulation, and loud noises can lead to auditory loss. The present review article is geared toward providing intuition about the physical mechanisms that give rise to these risks. On the one hand, excellent literature already exists on the practical aspect of risk management, with clinical workflow and recommendations. On the other hand, excellent technical articles also exist that explain these risks from basic principles of electromagnetism. We felt that an underserved niche might be found between the two, ie, somewhere between basic science and practical advice, to help develop intuition about electromagnetism that might prove of practical value when working around MR scanners. Following a wide-ranging introduction, risks originating from the main magnetic field, the excitation RF electromagnetic field, and switching of the imaging gradients will be presented in turn. Level of Evidence: 5 Technical Efficacy: 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:28–43.
A conserved coiled-coil protein pair focuses the cytokinetic Z-ring in Caulobacter crescentus.

Summary The cytoskeletal GTPase FtsZ assembles at midcell, recruits the division machinery, and directs envelope invagination for bacterial cytokinesis. ZapA, a conserved FtsZ-binding protein, promotes Z-ring stability and efficient division through a mechanism that is not fully understood. Here we investigated the function of ZapA in Caulobacter crescentus. We found that ZapA is encoded in an operon with a small coiled-coil protein we named ZauP. ZapA and ZauP co-localized at the division site and were each required for efficient division. ZapA interacted directly with both FtsZ and ZauP. Neither ZapA nor ZauP influenced FtsZ dynamics or bundling, in vitro, however. Z-rings were diffuse in cells lacking zapA or zauP and, conversely, FtsZ was enriched at midcell in cells overproducing ZapA and ZauP. Additionally, FtsZ persisted at the poles longer when ZapA and ZauP were overproduced, and frequently colocalized with MipZ, a negative regulator of FtsZ polymerization. We propose that ZapA and ZauP promote efficient cytokinesis by stabilizing the midcell Z-ring through a bundling-independent mechanism. The zauPzapA operon is present in diverse Gram-negative bacteria, indicating a common mechanism for Z-ring assembly. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The Chemistry of the ATPase Reaction

Cleavage of the terminal phosphoryl group of ATP yields chemical energy. By coupling the chemical energy released in this energetically favorable reaction to energetically unfavorable reactions, such as pumping an ion against its concentration gradient or moving thin filaments during contraction, useful chemical work is performed.
Impact of Abdominal Wall Hernias and Repair on Patient Quality of Life

The modified Activities Assessment Scale (AAS) is a 13-question abdominal wall quality of life (AW-QOL) survey validated in patients undergoing ventral hernia repair (VHR). No studies have assessed AW-QOL among individuals without abdominal wall pathology. The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the modified AAS and its implications for the threshold at which VHR should be offered also remain unknown. Our objectives were to (1) establish the AW-QOL of patients with a clinical abdominal wall hernia versus those with no hernia, (2) determine the MCID of the modified AAS, and (3) identify the baseline quality of life (QOL) score at which patients derive little clinical benefit from VHR. Patient-centered outcomes data for all patients presenting to General Surgery and Hernia Clinics October–December 2016 at a single safety-net institution were collected via a prospective, cross-sectional observational study design. Primary outcome was QOL measured using the modified AAS. Secondary outcome was the MCID. Patients with no hernia had modified AAS scores of 81.6 (50.4–94.4), while patients with a clinically apparent hernia had lower modified AAS scores of 31.4 (12.6–58.7) (p < 0.001). The MCID threshold was 7.6 for a “slight” change and 14.9 for “definite” change. Above a modified AAS score of 81, the risk of worsening a patient’s QOL by surgery is higher than the chances of improvement. VHR can improve 1-year postsurgical AW-QOL to levels similar to that of the general population. The MCID of the modified AAS is 7.6 points. Patients with high baseline scores should be counseled about the lack of potential benefit in QOL from elective VHR.