cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The neuroimaging of Leigh syndrome: case series and review of the literature

Leigh syndrome by definition is (1) a neurodegenerative disease with variable symptoms, (2) caused by mitochondrial dysfunction from a hereditary genetic defect and (3) accompanied by bilateral central nervous system lesions. A genetic etiology is confirmed in approximately 50% of patients, with more than 60 identified mutations in the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Here we review the clinical features and imaging studies of Leigh syndrome and describe the neuroimaging findings in a cohort of 17 children with genetically confirmed Leigh syndrome. MR findings include lesions in the brainstem in 9 children (53%), basal ganglia in 13 (76%), thalami in 4 (24%) and dentate nuclei in 2 (12%), and global atrophy in 2 (12%). The brainstem lesions were most frequent in the midbrain and medulla oblongata. With follow-up an increased number of lesions from baseline was observed in 7 of 13 children, evolution of the initial lesion was seen in 6, and complete regression of the lesions was seen in 3. No cerebral white matter lesions were found in any of the 17 children. In concordance with the literature, we found that Leigh syndrome follows a similar pattern of bilateral, symmetrical basal ganglia or brainstem changes. Lesions in Leigh syndrome evolve over time and a lack of visible lesions does not exclude the diagnosis. Reversibility of lesions is seen in some patients, making the continued search for treatment and prevention a priority for clinicians and researchers.
The Monge–Ampère constraint: Matching of isometries, density and regularity, and elastic theories of shallow shells

Abstract The main analytical ingredients of the first part of this paper are two independent results: a theorem on approximation of W 2 , 2 solutions of the Monge–Ampere equation by smooth solutions, and a theorem on the matching (in other words, continuation) of second order isometries to exact isometric embeddings of 2d surface in R 3 . In the second part, we rigorously derive the Γ-limit of 3-dimensional nonlinear elastic energy of a shallow shell of thickness h, where the depth of the shell scales like h α and the applied forces scale like h α + 2 , in the limit when h → 0 . We offer a full analysis of the problem in the parameter range α ∈ ( 1 / 2 , 1 ) . We also complete the analysis in some specific cases for the full range α ∈ ( 0 , 1 ) , applying the results of the first part of the paper.
Match score image: a visualization tool for image query refinement

We present a visualization technique designed to facilitate iterative refinement of content-based image queries, particularly example-based specification. The technique operates on scores produced by region-based matching algorithms, including texture matching and template matching. By mapping match scores to color, then compositing with the original image, we provide the user with the 'goodness' of match for each region and simultaneously with the original image information. There are several ways in which the match score image can be used to enhance the query refinement process including: facilitating the selection of both positive and negative examples, guiding the selection of thresholds, and enabling exploration of the effect of other parameter values on match algorithm performance. The usability of this visualization technique is highly dependent on choice of score-to-color mapping parameters including continuous vs. discrete, hue range, saturation, lightness, and transparency. We provide some heuristics for selecting these values. Although usable for photographic images, the match score image is particularly useful in application domains such as remote sensing and medical imaging, where particular subregions of large images are sought, rather than entire images.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Taking the mystery out of "mystery shopper" studies.

In response to a physician outcry, the Department of Health and Human Services cancelled its “mystery shopper” study of access to primary care. But the study would have generated valid estimates of primary care capacity prior to the anticipated insurance expansion.
Federalism and Partisanship

It is commonplace to observe that American parties are interally divided on ideological and sectional lines. Historically, intra-party factions have exerted sometimes overwhelming inclination to fragmentation, and the organizational power to bring warring factions together is oftentimes nonexistent.' The American South, of course, is a conspicuous example of how little consistency might exist between state and national components of the same party. Presidential voting in the South has varied from the Democratic loyalties of the region over at least the past two decades.2 Even the election of 1976 did not witness a white majority for Carter in the South,3 and although there has been an erosion of Democratic identification in the region, the plurality choice remains Democratic.4
Phylogenetic relationships of peccaries based on mitochondrial cytochrome B DNA sequences

We compared 1,047 base pairs (bp) of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from the three species of extant peccaries—the collared peccary ( Pecari tajacu ), the white-lipped peccary ( Tayassu pecari ), and the Chacoan peccary ( Catagonus wagneri ); three suids—domestic pig ( Sus scrofa ), warthog ( Phacochoerus aethiopicus ), and babirusa ( Babyrousa babyrussa )—were used as outgroups. Phylogenetic analyses using parsimony and maximum likelihood resulted in trees that placed the Chacoan peccary and the white-lipped peccary in a clade separate from the collared peccary. This relationship remains tentative, however, as tree topologies supporting alternate hypotheses were not significantly worse than the maximum likelihood tree. Estimated times since divergence based on cytochrome b suggest that Tayassu and Catagonus diverged in the late Pliocene, perhaps concommitant with the invasion of South America by tayassuids. The divergence of the Pecari lineage from that of the other two species was estimated to be at 3.4–7 4 × 106 years ago, supporting the hypothesis that these two clades diverged in North America before either clade colonized South America. Our results support the classification of extant species of peccaries into three genera.
Linkage of the cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase gene and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol conditional on apolipoprotein E association: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study

BACKGROUND Genetic factors account for approximately 50% of the individual variation in plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations in the general population. Several candidate genes have been proposed but their relative contributions to the variance in LDL-C are not known, except for apolipoprotein E (apoE). We report here an investigation of the relationship between LDL-C and cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7), as well as apoE and low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), three pivotal genes in LDL metabolism. METHODS Our study population included more than 200 nuclear families with increased coronary heart disease (CHD) risk from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Family Heart Study. Variance-component linkage methods, a measured genotype approach, and a variance-component linkage analysis conditional on a measured genotype association were used. RESULTS The results showed significant linkage between a genetic determinant of plasma LDL-C concentrations and a polymorphism near CYP7 with its allelic variation accounting for 27% of the total LDL-C variation. There is significant association between plasma LDL-C concentrations and apoE genotypes. Conditional on the apoE association, the total LDL-C variation accounted by allelic variation of a polymorphism near CYP7 was increased significantly. CONCLUSION Our results suggest the apoE and CYP7 may be two important genes accounting for the genetic variation of plasma LDL-C concentrations in a population with cardiovascular diseases.
Amicus in Manuel V. City of Joliet, No. 14-9496: Section 1983 'Malicious Prosecution'

Over twenty years ago, the Supreme Court in Albright v. Oliver acknowledged “an embarrassing diversity of judicial opinion” on “the extent to which a claim of malicious prosecution is actionable under § 1983.” This embarrassment continues, seriously impeding the vindication of the Fourteenth Amendment and other constitutional rights. In Manuel v. City of Joliet, No. 14-9496, the time has come to resolve the fundamental issues raised by the Question Presented in this case, which necessarily include whether the elements of the common law malicious prosecution tort — and the favorable termination element in particular — apply to plaintiff’s § 1983 claim.
Palliative Care for American Indians and Alaska Natives: A Review of the Literature

Abstract Background: Little is known about optimal palliative and end-of-life care for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIs/ANs). Methods: We searched MEDLINE, the Cochrane library, EBSCOhost, (PsycINFO, CINAHL Complete), and the University of New Mexico (UNM) Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center Native Health Database for search terms related to palliative care and AIs/ANs as of December 1, 2015. We included English language, peer-reviewed articles describing palliative care projects, programs, or studies in AI/AN populations or communities. We excluded case series, opinion or reflection pieces, and dissertations and articles addressing Pacific Islanders. Results: Our search strategy yielded 294 references, of which we included 10 publications. Study methods and outcome measures were heterogeneous, and many studies were small and/or subject to multiple biases. Common themes included the importance of culturally appropriate communication, multiple barriers to treatment, and less frequent use...
Statistical Connection between the prompt and X-ray afterglow emission of Swift detected GRBs

I report on tight relationships between the GRB prompt and X-ray afterglow emission of the 651 Swift-detected GRBs (March 2012) from BAT and XRT observation. There are very strong correlations between the BAT T90 and the break times before and after the X-ray afterglow plateau phase in the observed as well as in the rest-frame. The break times before and after the plateau phase also strongly anti-correlate with the luminosity in the 15-150 keV band. A Principal Component Analysis shows that the main driver of the properties in GRBs is the luminosity/energy of the burst.
Hive Mind: How Your Nation’s IQ Matters so Much More than Your Own, by Garrett Jones: Published by Stanford Economics and Finance, 2015. 224 pages. 19.95$ in paperback

In the book Hive Mind: How Your Nation’s IQ Matters So Much More than Your Own, Garrett Jones argues that a society’s collective IQ has important ramifications for a country’s economic growth. Whil...
Heart size and function of soldiers, athletes, and sedentary men

This study compares the heart sizes and left ventricular masses of soldiers (n = 11) with age- and body size-matched groups of sedentary men (n = 10) and accomplished athletes (n = 11). Echocardiography revealed that active duty soldiers (A) who met minimal fitness standards and pentathletes (P) had greater average left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volumes (A = 10%, NS; P = 28%, p less than 0.05), stroke volumes (A = 29%, NS; P = 44%, p less than 0.01), and LV masses (A = 22%, NS; P = 76%, p less than 0.01) than sedentary subjects. Athletes had an average LV wall thickness which was 23% (p less than 0.05) greater than that of soldiers and 32% (p less than 0.01) greater than that of sedentary men. The LV wall thickness to radius ratio (h/r) was similar between soldiers and sedentary men, but in athletes the h/r was greater (p less than 0.01) than in the less conditioned subjects. These data suggest that soldiers who meet minimal standards of fitness exhibit cardiac morphometric features consistent with endurance conditioning. However, the soldiers studied were significantly less (p less than 0.001) conditioned than the competitive athletes. These data suggest that improvements in aerobic and cardiac conditioning could be achieved through a greater emphasis on physical training.
Kinetic Control over CdS Nanocrystal Nucleation Using a Library of Thiocarbonates, Thiocarbamates, and Thioureas

We report a family of substituted thiocarbonates, thiocarbamates, and thioureas and their reaction with cadmium oleate at 180–240 °C to form zincblende CdS nanocrystals (d = 2.2–5.9 nm). To monitor the kinetics of CdS formation with UV–vis spectroscopy, the size dependence of the extinction coefficient for λmax(1Se–1S1/2h) is determined. The precursor conversion reactivity spans 5 orders of magnitude depending on the precursor structure (2°-thioureas > 3°-thioureas ≥ 2°-thiocarbamates > 2°-thiocarbonates > 4°-thioureas ≥ 3°-thiocarbamates). The concentration of nanocrystals formed during nucleation increases when more reactive precursors are used, allowing the final size to be controlled by the precursor structure. 1H NMR spectroscopy is used to monitor the reaction of di-p-tolyl thiocarbonate and cadmium oleate where di-p-tolyl carbonate and oleic anhydride coproducts can be identified. These coproducts further decompose into p-tolyl oleate and p-cresol. The spectral features of CdS nanocrystals produced...
Characterizing Traction-Separation Relations of TSV/SI Interfaces by Nanoindentation

Through-silicon-vias (TSV) are the copper interconnects that are used connect integrated three dimensional microelectronics devices which consist of multiple silicon layers. Previous research has focused on various modeling techniques for determining thermo-mechanical stresses, extrusion and stress intensity factors associated with interfacial delamination. However, predictions based on such analyses all require the characterization of interfacial properties, which has been scarce. The objective of this work is to develop an experimental technique for the direct measurement of interfacial properties between a TSV and its silicon matrix.
Superaerodynamics, Mechanics of Rarefied Gases

Zahm [1] in 1934 published an article on the aerodynamics of highly rarefied gases, a branch of fluid mechanics which he called superaerodynamics. At that time, however, with the means of propulsion then available, flight at extreme altitudes did not seem to be realizable. Therefore, superaerodynamics has been considered as a subject of academic interest rather than one of practical engineering importance. With the recent perfection of the rocket as a propulsive power plant, the situation is radically changed and there should be no limit to the altitude that can be reached by an aircraft. There are even indications that the optimum flight altitude of long-range rocket airplanes is approximately 60 miles. At these and higher altitudes, the air density is so low that the fluid must be thought of as one having a coarse structure and not as a continuous medium of conventional fluid mechanics. Then concepts of superaerodynamics are needed to guide the design of such an aircraft.
The Dragon Lady and the Beast of Kandahar: Bush and Obama-era US Aerial Drone Surveillance Policy Based on a Case Study Comparison of the 1960 U-2 Crash with the 2011 RQ-170 Crash

Little is known about current surveillance policy regarding unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as aerial drones. Surveillance objectives, technologies, and policies are largely classified; however, occasionally there are glimpses into the programs. The 2011 RQ-170 crash in the Islamic Republic of Iran is one such glimpse. Upon comparison, that crash shows a number of similarities with the 1960 U-2 crash in the USSR in terms of the international political environment prior to the incident, the US agencies involved, the functional characteristics of the aircraft, the surveillance target, and the functional means of downing the aircraft. Fortunately, many details concerning the CIA U-2 program and crash are now declassified. By using the U-2 program as an analogy, this chapter explores a number of hypotheses concerning current US aerial drone surveillance policies.
Evaluation of the anti-arthritic activity and an alternate synthesis of a thiophene-substituted 10-deazaaminopterin.

The antifolate methotrexate (MTX) has become an established treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although the mechanism of action of this drug in RA is still unknown, its efficacy has been demonstrated in short-term placebo-controlled studies, comparative trials, and open prospective studies as well as in animal models of rheumatoid arthritis. In a recent long-term study the effectiveness of methotrexate in the treatment of RA has been demonstrated in patients who have received the drug for more than seven years1. While a sustained clinical response is seen with long-term MTX treatment, the most common reason for withdrawal from the drug is toxicity.
Traffic characterization in a wide area network

Data networks are used more today than ever before for all types of traffic including file transfer, remote log in, image processing, voice, and many others. This heterogeneous mix of traffic challenges the conventional modeling techniques. In addition, the transmission rates found on data networks are increasing almost daily—from the megabit per second range to the gigabit per second range and beyond. This increase in speed serves to exacerbate the errors caused by inaccurate traffic models. For example, if instantaneous utilizations are underestimated, a network may be unable to function during peak traffic periods.
Motor Fuels from Oil Shale — Production and Properties

The oil shales of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah are not shales and do not contain any liquid oil. The base material is a marlstone, very similar to limestone, which is dense and non-porous. The organic material is a solid called kerogen which does not melt and has very limited solubility in such organic solvents as benzene, acetone and ether. It is necessary to heat the kerogen to temperatures near 900°F to cause the kerogen to decompose and give a liquid shale oil, gases and carbon as products.
Material decomposition in photon-counting-detector CT: Threshold or bin images?

Energy-resolved photon-counting-detector CT (PCD-CT) is promising for material-specific imaging of multiple contrast agents. In each PCD-CT scan, two groups of images can be reconstructed, namely threshold images and bin images, and both can be directly used for material decomposition. The performance may differ for different energy thresholds and imaging tasks and it remains unclear which group of images should be used. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the imaging performance of threshold images and bin images when they are used for a three-material decomposition task (iodine, gadolinium, and water) in PCD-CT. Material decomposition was performed in image-space by using both an ordinary least squares (OLS) method and a generalized least squares (GLS) method. Both numerical analysis and phantom experiments were conducted, which demonstrated that: 1) compared with OLS, GLS provided improved noise properties using either threshold or bin images; 2) for the GLS method, when the covariances among images are taken into account, threshold and bin images showed almost identical material-specific imaging performance. This work suggested that, when correlations among images are incorporated into material decomposition, threshold and bin images perform equivalently well.
Methods for the detection of antibodies against mammalian spermatozoa. II. A gelatin agglutination test.

An improved macroscopic test for the detection of agglutinins against human spermatozoa is described. The technic employs actively motile spermatozoa and a medium of increased viscosity containing 2.5% gelatin. The viscosity of the gelatin medium prevents the dissolution of the weakly bound sperm agglutinates and retards sedimentation. With 7 antihuman sperm rabbits sera this test gave titers ranging from 1:16000 to 1:256000 with a mean of about 1:60000 over 100-fold higher than with ordinary agglutination technics. Evidence as to the specificity of this test is presented. Possible applications of the test are suggested. (authors)
Documentation of freshwater mussels (Unionidae) in the diet of round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) within the French Creek watershed, Pennsylvania.

The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) was discovered in 2013 in the French Creek (Allegheny River Drainage) watershed and is the first documented invasion outside of the Lake Erie basin in Pennsylvania. The round goby throughout the Laurentian Great Lakes is known to eat dressenid mussels (Dreissenidae), but consumption of either dressenids or native mussels (Unionidae) in tributaries to Lake Erie is minimal based on low populations of any bivalves. The French Creek watershed, on the other hand, harbors 29 species of native freshwater mussels as well as introduced fingernail clams (Sphaeriidae; Corbicula fluminea). The objectives of this study were to document the diet of round gobies in the French Creek watershed to determine whether consumption of native freshwater mussels was occurring. Round gobies were collected in the summer months (May–Sept.) of 2016 via kick seine in four locations, dissected, and their stomach contents identified to lowest possible taxa. We separated the gobies into categories based on length classes, in order to determine if diet changed with increased size and age. Unionid mussels were consumed by all length classes, particularly in length class one (30–44 mm), but diet shifted to a dominance of sphaeriids in length class four (≥75 mm). Round gobies also consumed benthic aquatic insects, a large percentage of which were chironomids (greater than 24% in all size classes). This is the first documentation of unionid consumption by the round goby in Pennsylvania that poses possible threats to native mussels in the French Creek watershed.
Management of Skeletal Asymmetry with Surgery-First Orthognathic Approach

Successful treatment of cases with asymmetry starts with clear assessment and quantification on the deviation with reference to six degrees of freedom. The asymmetries in the maxillo-mandibular complex (MMC) could be confined to the maxilla alone, mandible alone, or a combination of both the maxilla and the mandible and the interrelationship with occlusion. The effect of midsagittal deviations on MMC, the methods to assess, and a suitable treatment plan for the successful management would also be discussed.
MONITORING AND FORECASTING OF SEASONAL RICE CROP PRODUCTIVITY FOR PADDY DOMINATED REGIONS OF INDIA

Abstract. The relevance of this study is immense for India. The Indian economy largely depends on agriculture, which is impacted by weather extremes and variability in monsoon. India is more vulnerable to disruption from drought than countries like the United States. While agriculture accounts for just 16 percent of India’s economy, half of its 1.3 billion people work on farms, thus, making agriculture the backbone of the Indian economy. However, in agriculture, rice is India’s most important food crop with nearly 1 billion Indian people reliant on it as their major food source. Most important constraint to rice production is water stress which affects nearly ~40 million ha of rainfed system from the total ~45 million ha area under rice cultivation. Future climate change effects on rainfall timing and amount, and projected increases in temperature are expected to exacerbate existing water stresses and will have a direct impact on agriculture in India, especially rice cultivation. We have developed an integrated system that is successfully implemented in many countries. The integrated system RHEAS (Regional Hydrological Extreme and Assessment System) coupled with M-DSSAT (modified DSSAT crop model) ingests various NASA Earth science data to produce a set of relevant hydrologic products (e.g., drought indices, water excess/stress information) and rice yields nowcasts (current conditions), forecasts, and seasonal projections, and then feed them into the operational agency. The overarching goal of this study is to provide this integrated system to stakeholder to improve decision-making process and mitigate the plights of rice farmers and prepare the country to deal with ground realities based on the forecast of rice production.
Unsupervised Learning of Independent Components from a Noisy and Non-Linear Mixture via Variational Autoencoders

Separating the underlying independent components from the observed data is an important problem in machine learning. We propose a novel unsupervised learning algorithm for nonlinear Independent Component Analysis in presence of additive Gaussian noise. In the proposed algorithm, we adopt a Variational AutoEncoder (VAE) framework for learning the latent independent components. Further, to encourage the independence of the components, we introduce a new loss function by obtaining approximate samples from the product of marginals. We demonstrate via experiments that our proposed method outperforms the state of the art in several cases. Further, we show our algorithm is robust to the noise compared to the past methods.
Willingness-to-pay stated preferences in cutaneous lupus erythematosus: a pilot study

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is a chronic skin disease that significantly impacts quality of life (QOL). This study tested a novel method to measure QOL in CLE using willingness-to-pay (WTP) stated preferences, and aimed to determine which of nine domains of life are most affected by CLE. Twenty-one participants with CLE ranked the domains in order of impact on CLE-related QOL, and then stated how many United States dollars they would be willing to pay for a hypothetical cure for each domain. Eighty-one percent of participants were female; mean age was 42.4 years. Photosensitivity was ranked highest by 71.4% of respondents. Participants were willing to pay the most for a hypothetical cure for CLE specific to photosensitivity (median = $200,000), the least for a cure specific to self-care (median = $0). Participants were willing to pay a median of $1,000,000 for an overall cure for CLE. Limitations include a small sample size for this pilot study and that willingness-to-pay may be influenced by individual perception of money and socioeconomic factors. This study successfully pilot-tested a WTP method and ranking task for health-related QOL. Photosensitivity was the domain of life most affected by CLE, which is a domain unique to our novel tool.
Heavy precipitation and asthma exacerbation risk among children: A case-crossover study using electronic health records linked with geospatial data

Abstract Extreme precipitation events may be an important environmental trigger for asthma exacerbations in children. We used a time stratified case-crossover design and data from a large electronic health record database at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to estimate associations of daily heavy precipitation (defined as > 95th percentile of the summertime distribution) with asthma exacerbation among children. We defined control days as those falling on the same day of the week within the same month and year as the case. We restricted our primary analyses to the summer months in years 2011–2016 and used conditional logistic regression models to estimate associations between heavy precipitation and acute asthma exacerbations in both outpatient (primary care, specialty care, and emergency department) and inpatient settings. We investigated numerous individual-level (e.g., age, sex, eczema diagnosis) and environmental measures (e.g., greenspace, particulate matter) as potential effect modifiers. The analysis include 13,483 asthma exacerbations in 10,434 children. Odds of asthma exacerbation were 11% higher on heavy precipitation vs. no precipitation days (95% CI: 1.02–1.21). There was little evidence of effect modification by most measures. These results suggest that heavy summertime precipitation events may contribute to asthma exacerbations. Further research using larger datasets from other health systems is needed to confirm these results, and to explore underlying mechanisms.
The uncertainty of the BSRN monthly mean Global 1 and Global 2 fluxes due to missing hourly means with and without quality-control and an examination through validation of the NASA GEWEX SRB datasets

Abstract The Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) is a project of the Data and Assessments Panel from the Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) under the umbrella of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). Currently in the archive there are data from 67 sites located in all seven continents spanning from 1992 to the present. The original BSRN records are at 1-, 2-, 3- or 5-minute intervals, and sophisticated quality-control procedures have been developed to eliminate erroneous records before hourly, daily and monthly means are computed. The resulting gaps from quality-control, however, give rise to uncertainties in computed temporal averages on various scales. There are two types of total shortwave downward fluxes: The Global 1 which is the sum of direct horizontal and diffuse irradiances, observed using the pyrheliometer and radiometer, respectively, and is recommended by the BSRN committee for its higher precision, and the Global 2 which is observed using the pyranometer. It has been found that, compared to Global 2, Global 1 is more susceptible to errors, thus resulting in more gaps in the original records. Here we examine the effect of quality-control on the monthly mean Global 1 and Global 2 and attempt to quantify the resulting uncertainties through analysis of the quality-control procedure and averaging algorithm and comparison with the NASA GEWEX Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) dataset. The SRB project is now making progress toward its Release 4.0 Integrated Products (Rel. 4.0-IP or V4.0-IP) with changes in both algorithm and inputs on the basis of its Release 3.0 (Rel. 3.0 or V3.0) products. The preliminary results from Rel. 4.0-IP span 34 years continuously from July 1983 to June 2017 on a 1° by 1° quasi-equal-area grid system in the form of 3-hourly, daily and monthly means. It is found that Global 2 generally has fewer missing records and is less affected by the quality-check procedure; on average, the monthly mean Global 1 and Global 2 differ by less than 1 W m−2; the GEWEX SRB preliminary GSW(V4.0-IP) monthly mean shortwave downward fluxes agree the best with the BSRN Global 1 monthly means computed from observational records that are nearly complete and that survive the quality-check nearly completely.
Adding a Second Native Prairie Seed Addition to Improve Established Restorations

Deciding when and how to plant prairie to simultaneously establish native prairie seedlings and prevent weed (non-prairie species) invasion can be challenging. Planting cover crops is an increasingly common management practice for prairie plantings. The idea is based on the assumption that the cover plant will act as a nurse plant to prairie seedlings and will have a positive effect on seedling recruitment by increasing weed suppression. This is predicted to lead to reduced weed biomass and increased prairie establishment in restoration plantings.
The Impact of State Mask-Wearing Requirements on the Growth of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Cases, Hospitalizations, and Deaths in the United States.

In our ecologic analysis of US states, piecewise multivariable models showed lower post- vs. pre-mask case-rate slopes, with -1.08% per 100,000 per day (95% CI: -1.48%, -0.67%) among early- and -0.37% per 100,000 per day (95% CI: -0.86%, 0.10%) among late- versus never-adopter states. Our findings support statewide mask requirements to mitigate COVID-19 transmission.
The use of text-based responses to improve our understanding and prediction of suicide risk.

OBJECTIVE Text-based responses may provide significant contributions to suicide risk prediction, yet research including text data is limited. This may be due to a lack of exposure and familiarity with statistical analyses for this data structure. METHOD The current study provides an overview of data processing and statistical algorithms for text data, guided by an empirical example of 947 online participants who completed both open-ended items and traditional self-report measures. We give an introduction to a number of text-based statistical approaches, including dictionary-based methods, topic modeling, word embeddings, and deep learning. RESULTS We analyze responses from the open-ended question "How do you feel today?", detailing characteristics of the responses, as well as predicting past-year suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS We see the analysis of text from social media, open-ended questions, and other text sources (i.e., medical records) as an important form of complementary assessment to traditional scales, shedding insight on what we are missing in our current set of questionnaires, which may ultimately serve to improve both our understanding and prediction of suicide.
How mobile augmented reality applications affect continuous use and purchase intentions: A cognition-affect-conation perspective

Abstract Augmented reality (AR) is rapidly gaining attention in practice, and research as the adoption of smartphones and technological advancements persist. The focus of current literature on AR has been on its use for improving visual and display quality. However, limited guidance is offered on how consumers evaluate their experience and how that, in turn, influences their behaviors, especially in the smartphone context. This study seeks to extend this line of research by applying the cognition-affect-conation framework to examine how mobile augmented reality (MAR) experiences shape the consumer decision-making process. Data collected from 316 users in the United States were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that consumers’ cognitive evaluation of MAR applications stimulates their affective reactions, which eventually create conative behaviors. Thus, this study offers an integrated perspective for investigating continuous use and purchase intentions jointly in one research model. In addition, it examines how perceived value, a cognitive trait variable, influences consumer conative responses directly and indirectly through affective responses. The results confirm the relationships proposed in the cognition-affect-conation framework and empirically support the direct and indirect influence of perceived value on conative efforts in the MAR context. The findings contribute to AR theory building, application design, and marketing strategy development.
Normative data for macular volume with high-definition spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (Spectralis).

PurposeTo establish normative data for macular volume by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in subjects with no known retinal disease.MethodsIn an academic institutional setting,...
Introducing SOA and workflow modeling to non-technical students

Introducing workflow modeling into a course can create new pedagogical challenges. This article reports experiences with two lab assignments involving workflow modeling using AquaLogic™BPM Designer 5.7 software. The author reports experiences teaching workflow modeling in the context of a graduate course in public information systems. Similar challenges may be experienced in the context of MIS and computer programming courses.
Pathway pathology: the wnt and erbB mammary tumors

Human mammary cancer is frequently associated with the erbB pathway, whereas 'spontaneous' mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-induced mammary tumors are associated with the wnt-1 pathway. Many members of both pathways have been studied in genetically engineered mice. Using examples from the UCD Mutant Mouse Pathology Laboratory, we studied the characteristics of both pathways and found that they have unique, identifiable phenotypes. These observations are the foundation for pathway pathology. Members of the wnt1 pathway tend to form variations of the classical, MMTV-induced, type A, B and P tumors described by Dunn. Wnt1 tumors are expansile, surrounded by dense stroma, develop around central ducts, retain myoepithelial differentiation, and frequently have squamous metaplasia. Examples include the following: wnt1, wnt10b, APC1, GSK, CKII, B-Catenin, and FGF mice. In contrast, members of the erbB pathway are more likely to resemble human tumors, to be invasive, lose myoepithelial differentiation, form solid nodular asymetrical masses budding from individual ducts, have less stroma, and be less metaplastic. Examples include the following: erbB2, PyV-mT, mutants and bigenics of erbB and PyV-mT, src, and ras. Interestingly, GEM tumors initiated by nuclear factors do not tend to have the characteristics of either of these pathways. Examples: myc and lef1. These observations suggest that the principles of pathway pathology can be applied to human tumors of the breast and other organs. This work was supported by the DAAD (AR, individual grant), the State of California, BCRP JB-0014, and RO1CA89140 from NCI.
La tenencia de la tierra y la sociedad rural arequipeña en los siglos XVI y XVII

La economia arequipena en la epoca colonial dependia casi totalmente del sector agrario. El campo abastecia a la ciudad y proveia la mayoria de las mercancias para el comercio exterior.1 La Villa de Arequipa, fundada por Garci Manuel de Carbajal el 15 de agosto de 1540, crecio lentamente en los primeros anos de la Colonia. Los viveres espanoles fueron escasos y costosos y, por ello, los duenos de las encomiendas, chacras y estancias, las usaron para el abastecimiento de los arequipenos2 . El exito economico de los primeros dirigentes de la economia rural estimulo a los que les siguieron y ellos tambien se dedicaron a las estancias y a abrir la tierra. Arequipa, sin embargo, tenia un gran problema: la escasez de tierra cultivable. El problema existio no solamente por causas geograficas, sino tambien porque los colonizadores, por orden de Francisco Pizarra, respetaron aparentemente, al principio, en la mayoria de los casos las tierras indigenas. Pizarra dispuso que la reparticion fuera solamente de las tierras del Inca, del Sol, o inexplotadas. En mi estudio de las distribuciones originales solo encontre un documento que menciono especificamente que se observaban esos criterios. Me parece, no obstante, que la conclusion razonable es que los indigenas no fueron despojados en esta epoca porque los espanoles cumplieron con las instrucciones
The Effects of Alternative Regional Delineations on Historical Interpretation

The distinctions between behavior and institutions in the North or West as compared to the South figure prominently. For a large number of these questions the answers become ambiguous, and the ambiguity revolves around how one chooses to define "the South." As will become clear, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia are particularly important since they possess characteristics which make classifications difficult.
Inhibition of antibody secretion by 5-aminosalicylic acid.

We have examined the effects of sulfasalazine and its metabolites sulfapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid on antibody secretion by normal peripheral blood and intestinal mononuclear cells. Sulfasalazine and 5-aminosalicylic acid both inhibited pokeweed mitogen-stimulated secretion of immunoglobulins (Igs) A, G, and M by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in a dose-dependent manner, whereas sulfapyridine had little effect. Sulfasalazine and 5-aminosalicylic acid also inhibited spontaneous secretion of IgA by intestinal mononuclear cells, but sulfapyridine did not. Sulfasalazine inhibited pokeweed mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation, while 5-aminosalicylic acid and sulfapyridine exhibited minimal inhibition. Sulfasalazine was toxic for peripheral blood mononuclear cells, whereas 5-aminosalicylic acid and sulfapyridine were not toxic. Thus, the inhibition of antibody secretion by sulfasalazine was due to direct toxicity. On the other hand, 5-aminosalicylic acid, the therapeutically active component of sulfasalazine, was neither toxic nor antiproliferative, and appeared to exert its effects on metabolic pathways directly related to antibody synthesis. The calculated ID 50 values of 5-aminosalicylic acid for antibody secretion were 1.35 mM for IgA and 1.05 mM for IgG, concentrations that are achieved in the colons of treated individuals. Indomethacin did not inhibit antibody secretion at pharmacologically relevant concentrations. 5-Aminosalicylic acid mediated inhibition of antibody secretion may play a role in inflammatory bowel disease by stopping antibodymediated memory events involved in the induction or perpetuation of the disease process.
ET 2 : a metric for time and energy efficiency of computation

We investigate an efficiency metric for VLSI computation that includes energy. E, and time, t, in the form Et2. We apply the metric to CMOS circuits operating outside velocity saturation when energy and delay can be exchanged by adjusting the supply voltage; we prove that under these assumptions, optimal Et2 implies optimal energy and delay. We give experimental and simulation evidences of the range and limits of the assumptions. We derive several results about sequential, parallel, and pipelined computations optimized for Et2, including a result about the optimal length of a pipeline.We discuss transistor sizing for optimal Et2 and show that, for fixed, nonzero execution rates, the optimum is achieved when the sum of the transistor-gate capacitances is twice the sum of the parasitic capacitances--not for minimum transistor sizes. We derive an approximation for Etn (for arbitrary n) of an optimally sized system that can be computed without actually sizing the transistors; we show that this approximation is accurate. We prove that when multiple, adjustable supply voltages are allowed, the optimal Et2 for the sequential composition of components is achieved when the supply voltages are adjusted so that the components consume equal power. Finally, we give rules for computing the Et2 of the sequential and parallel compositions of systems, when the Et2 of the components are known.
Ebola and the Law in the United States: A Short Guide to Public Health Authority and Practical Limits

This paper provides a brief overview of the various laws and regulatory authority relevant to the control of the Ebola virus in the United States, beginning with the first U.S. Ebola patients treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, as a background for broader discussion. Public health law is a general term for the broad array of laws and regulations that apply to control measures for any infectious disease outbreak. The Ebola virus provides an opportunity to survey the many fields of law responsive to the threat of pandemic disease, including the use of emergency health powers and quarantine authority in the United States.
MTBF specification in a multiple use environment

A criterion, in the form of an equivalent failure rate equation, is developed which allows for the mean time between failures (MTBF) specification of a configuration item that is used in different environments and subject to a varying amount of operational stress. The degree of stress is formulated as a function of the output state, time spent in that state, and a corresponding duty cycle. A methodology is formulated which allows for the expression of failure rates that are associated with multiple conditions resulting from a complex operational scenario. The failure rate equations resulting from this scenario are used to generate a specification that is tailored for a multiple-use environment. >
Low buoyant density proteoglycans from saline and dissociative extracts of embryonic chicken retinas

Abstract: Retinas were labeled in culture with [3H]glucosamine or [3H]leucine and [35S]sulfate and extracted sequentially with physiologically balanced saline and 4 M guanidine HCl. They were dialyzed into associative conditions (0.5 M NaCl) and chromatographed on agarose columns. Under these conditions, some of the proteoglycans were associated in massive complexes that showed low buoyant densities when centrifuged in CsCl density gradients under dissociative conditions (4 M guanidine HCl). Much of the label in these complexes was in molecules other than proteoglycans. Most of the proteoglycans, however, were included on the agarose columns, where they appeared to be constitutionally of low buoyant density. They resisted attempts to separate potential low buoyant density contaminants from the major proteoglycans by direct CsCl density gradient centrifugation or by the fractionation of saline or 8 M urea extracts on diethylaminoethyl-Sephacel. The diethylaminoethyl-Sephacel fractions were either subjected to CsCl density gradient centrifugation or were chromatographed on Sephacryl S-300, in both cases before and after alkaline cleavage, to confirm the presence of typical O-linked glycosaminoglycans. The medium and balanced salt extracts were enriched in chondroitin sulfate and other sul-fated macromolecules, possibly highly sulfated oligosaccharides, that resisted digestion by chondroitinase ABC but were electrophoretically less mobile than heparan sulfate. Guanidine HCl or urea extracts of the residues were mixtures of high and low density proteoglycans that were enriched in heparan sulfate.
Application of the Geometric Gibbs Equation: Toward an Exact Closure Condition†

The geometric Gibbs equation describes how the available space and corresponding surface area of a single-component hard particle fluid varies with the system density. When a closure condition is introduced, i.e., an additional equation describing how the surface area depends on the available space, the geometric Gibbs equation reduces to a second-order differential equation indicating how the available space varies with the system density. Solution of this new equation provides another route to the determination of the chemical potential and pressure of the hard particle fluid. The simplest proposed closure condition yields the properties of fully penetrable spheres. A modified closure condition is suggested, and its connection to thermophysical properties is derived. An extension of the exact form of the closure condition for the one-dimensional hard rod fluid yields a reasonably good approximation of the properties of the hard sphere fluid at low density, and is found to be the required form for densit...
Behavioral thermoregulation in lizards: A circadian rhythm

Body temperatures of individually housed Sceloporus occidentalis were monitored continuously while the animals moved freely over a thermal gradient during several daily light-dark cycles and a subsequent period of constant darkness. These self-selected body temperatures display a distinct daily pattern, a pattern which is maintained (with an altered cycle length) during constant darkness.