cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
H2O2 degradation is suppressed in kumquat leaves infected with Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri

Abstract We found in a previous study that after leaves of kumquat [Fortunella margarita (Lour.) Swingle] cv ‘Nagami’ were inoculated with Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac), total superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) increased to promote higher H2O2 concentrations that coincided with a 4-fold decline in Xac populations ( Kumar et al., 2011a ). The objective of the current study was to determine how activities and isoforms of important enzymes that catabolize H2O2, specifically catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APOD), and the Class III peroxidases (POD) that are located in the apoplast, change in infected kumquat leaves to affect concentration and compartmentalization of H2O2. DAB (3,3-diaminobenzidine) staining of the Xac-infected leaves confirmed higher overall concentration of H2O2 as in our earlier study. One day after inoculation (dai), APOD activity declined below the controls and declines steadily up to 10 dai when the experiment was terminated. CAT activity was similar to the controls until 4 dai then declined rapidly to about 60% the activity of the controls by 6 dai, after which it remained fairly constant until 10 dai. There were 4 CAT isoforms in control leaves and 5 isoforms in infected leaves. The CAT-1 isoform band was much smaller in infected plants than the control at all sampling times. The CAT-3 isoform band disappeared at 10 dai. The CAT-5 isoform band, which was not observed in control leaves, appeared only at 4 dai in infected leaves. POD activity of infected leaves increased above the controls starting 1 dai and reached a maximum of about 3-fold higher than the controls 8 dai after which it declined. Two POD isoforms were detected in control and infected plants. This study demonstrated that the higher accumulation of H2O2 in kumquat leaves infected with Xac was promoted during pathogenesis first by the suppression of APOD activity and later by suppression of CAT activity. We propose that the higher SOD and lower APOD and CAT activities in the symplast contributed H2O2 substrate for the higher POD activity in the apoplast, which is known to be involved in plant defense against pathogens.
What Do We Mean by Cyberlearning: Characterizing a Socially Constructed Definition with Experts and Practitioners

The term “cyberlearning” reflects a growing national interest in managing the interactions of technology and education, especially with respect to the use of networking and information technologies. However, there is little agreement about what the term means. Such disagreements reflect underlying differences in beliefs about the purposes of education. These disagreements are problematic for anyone interested in evaluating cyberlearning practices. This study used surveys and interviews to investigate how practitioners and experts in the field of cyberlearning define it, how they implement it and what they believe its purpose to be. Little agreement was found among participants in terms of their definitions of cyberlearning, which was supported by the wide variety of practices labeled “cyberlearning.” Although most participants emphasized the purpose of cyberlearning as a form of content delivery, an often-passionate minority argued for the potential of cyberlearning to encourage a shift away from content-delivery paradigms. The participants’ spoke from a variety of perspectives about cyberlearning including as educators, designers, activists, and policymakers, which led them to construct diverse narratives about the purposes and problems facing education and education policy. While the differences in embodied in these narratives remain an important consideration, some emerging points of convergence are identified.
Greedy optimal homotopy and homology generators

We describe simple greedy algorithms to construct the shortest set of loops that generates either the fundamental group (with a given basepoint) or the first homology group (over any fixed coefficient field) of any oriented 2-manifold. In particular, we show that the shortest set of loops that generate the fundamental group of any oriented combinatorial 2-manifold, with any given basepoint, can be constructed in O(n log n) time using a straightforward application of Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm. This solves an open problem of Colin de Verdiere and Lazarus.
Motion and scene complexity for streaming video games

This work provides detailed measurements of the motion and scene complexity for a wide variety of video games. Novel algorithms to measure motion and scene complexity are presented and then applied to over twenty-five games from a range of game genres. Direct comparisons of motion and scene complexity are made to traditional video, with differences highlighted in order to help thin client systems perform better when streaming video games. Preliminary performance measurements of current thin client systems are presented, evaluating the efficacy of streaming video games in the context of the motion and scene complexity measurements provided.
Genome-wide linkage analysis for uric acid in families enriched for hypertension.

Background. Uric acid is heritable and associated with hypertension and insulin resistance. We sought to identify genomic regions influencing serum uric acid in families in which two or more siblings had hypertension. Methods. Uric acid levels and microsatellite markers were assayed in the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA) cohort (1075 whites and 1333 blacks) and the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) cohort (1542 whites and 1627 blacks). Genome-wide linkage analyses of uric acid and bivariate linkage analyses of uric acid with an additional surrogate of insulin resistance were completed. Pathway analysis explored gene sets enriched at loci influencing uric acid. Results. In the GENOA white cohort, loci influencing uric acid were identified on chromosome 8 at 135 cM [multipoint logarithm of odds score (MLS) = 2.4], on chromosome 9 at 113 cM (MLS = 3.7) and on chromosome 16 at 93 cM (MLS = 2.3), but did not replicate in HyperGEN. At these loci, there was evidence of pleiotropy with other surrogates of insulin resistance and genes in the fructose and mannose metabolism pathway were enriched. In the HyperGEN-black cohort, there was some evidence of a locus for uric acid on chromosome 4 at 135 cM (MLS = 2.4) that had modest replication in GENOA (MLS = 1.2). Conclusions. Several novel loci linked to uric acid were identified but none showed clear replication. Widespread diuretic use, a medication that raises uric acid levels, was an important study limitation. Bivariate linkage analyses and pathway analysis were consistent with genes regulating insulin resistance and fructose metabolism contributing to the heritability of uric acid.
Control of linear systems using generalized sampled-data hold functions

This paper investigates the use of generalized sampled-data hold functions (GSHF) in the control of linear time-invariant systems. The idea of GSHF is to periodically sample the output of the system, and generate the control by means of a hold function applied to the resulting sequence. The hold function is chosen based on the dynamics of the system to be controlled. This method appears to have several advantages over dynamic controllers: it has the efficacy of state feedback without the requirement of state estimation; it provides the control system designer with substantially more freedom; and it requires few on-line computations. This paper focuses on four questions: pole assignment, specific behavior, noise sensitivity, and robustness. Among the problems solved are: simultaneous arbitrary pole assignment for a finite number of systems by a single GSHF controller, exact model matching, decoupling, and optimal noise rejection. Examples are given.
Finding the Right Words: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Improves Discourse Productivity in Non-fluent Aphasia After Stroke.

Background: Loss of fluency is a significant source of functional impairment in many individuals with aphasia. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) administered to the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) has been shown to facilitate naming in persons with chronic left hemisphere stroke and non-fluent aphasia. However, changes in fluency in aphasic participants receiving rTMS have not been adequately explored. Aims: To determine whether rTMS improves fluency in individuals with chronic nonfluent aphasia, and to identify aspects of fluency that are modulated in persons who respond to rTMS. Methods & Procedures: Ten individuals with left hemisphere MCA strokes and mild to moderate non-fluent aphasia participated in the study. Before treatment participants were asked to describe the Cookie Theft picture in three separate sessions. During treatment all participants received 1200 pulses of 1 Hz rTMS daily in 10 sessions over 2 weeks at a site that had previously been shown to improve naming. Parti...
Psychosocial, environmental and behavioral factors associated with bone health in middle-school girls

The purpose of this study was to identify the psychosocial, environmental and behavioral factors associated with calcium intake, physical activity and bone health in a cohort of adolescent girls. Baseline data (N = 718 girls, mean age: 11.6 ±0.4 years) from the Incorporating More Physical Activity and Calcium in Teens (IMPACT) study conducted in Texas, 2001–03, were utilized for the analyses. Hierarchical linear regression was used to examine the associations of interest. Confounders adjusted for included ethnicity, menarchal status, body mass index and lactose intolerance. Several psychosocial and behavioral factors were significantly associated with bone quality. These included knowledge of calcium content of foods (β = 0.08, P = 0.016), self-efficacy toward consuming calcium-rich foods (β = 0.16, P = 0.047), physical activity self-efficacy (β = 0.20, P = 0.002), physical activity outcome expectations (β = 0.5, P = 0.004), family encouragement to do physical activity (β = 0.96, P = 0.027), friend engagement in physical activity (β = 1.3, P = 0.001) and participation in sports teams (β = 1.7, P < 0.001). Self-efficacy, social support and participation in sports teams appear to be strongly associated with bone health in adolescent girls. Future health education/health promotion programs need to address these factors for effective primary prevention of osteoporosis in this population.
Log-Sigmoid Multipliers Method in Constrained Optimization

In this paper we introduced and analyzed the Log-Sigmoid (LS) multipliers method for con- strained optimization. The LS method is to the recently developed smoothing technique as augmented Lagrangian to the penalty method or modified barrier to classical barrier methods. At the same time the LS method has some specific properties, which make it substantially different from other nonquadratic augmented Lagrangian techniques. We established convergence of the LS type penalty method under very mild assumptions on the input data and estimated the rate of convergence of the LS multipliers method under the standard second order optimality condition for both exact and nonexact minimization. Some important properties of the dual function and the dual problem, which are based on the LS Lagrangian, were discovered and the primal-dual LS method was introduced.
Staged Physiologic Restoration and Damage Control Surgery

The fundamental objective of staged laparotomy is to accomplish definitive operative management in a calculated, stepwise fashion based on the patient’s physiologic tolerance. This important concept has emerged from collective experience with massive acute abdominal injuries but clearly extends to elective operative procedures and surgical challenges in other torso compartments. Whereas the inability to achieve hemostasis is due most frequently to a recalcitrant coagulopathy following trauma, other scenarios include inaccessible venous injuries, coexisting extraperitoneal life-threatening injuries, uncertain viability of abdominal contents, and the inability to reapproximate abdominal fascia due to reperfusion-induced visceral edema. There are five critical decision-making phases of staged laparotomy: I, patient selection; II, intraoperative reassessment; III, physiologic restoration in the surgical intensive care unit; IV, return to the operating room for definitive procedures; and V, abdominal wall reconstruction. The abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is a common, often insidious complication of staged laparotomy. In fact, during phases II and III there is often a delicate balance between effective pressure tamponade of capillary bleeding and the untoward effects of the ACS. During phases IV and V a frequent dilemma is how to enclose the abdominal contents to reduce protein loss and facilitate patient mobilization.
DEMONSTRATION OF REDUCED AIRPORT CONGESTION THROUGH PUSHBACK RATE CONTROL

Airport surface congestion results in significant increases in taxi times, fuel burn and emissions at major airports. This paper describes the field tests of a congestion control strategy at Boston Logan International Airport. The approach determines a suggested rate to meter pushbacks from the gate, in order to prevent the airport surface from entering congested states and to reduce the time that flights spend with engines on while taxiing to the runway. The field trials demonstrated that significant benefits were achievable through such a strat- egy: during eight four-hour tests conducted during August and September 2010, fuel use was reduced by an estimated 12,000- 15,000 kg (3,900-4,900 US gallons), while aircraft gate pushback times were increased by an average of only 4.3 minutes for the 247 flights that were held at the gate.
Emerson's passion for Indian thought

The first group of American thinkers who seriously examined non-Western spiritual traditions such as Hinduism and Buddhism was the Transcendentalists. The prominent members of this group included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Bronson Alcott, and Elizabeth Peabody. In general, the Transcendentalists argued for a non-dogmatic and more universalistic perspective of life and the world. As the intellectual guru of this group, Emerson “represent[ed] the best in the spiritual explorer” (Moore 74). Unlike most of his predecessors and contemporaries, he was sensitive to and passionate about non-Western spiritual traditions and philosophies. Today, the sources of Emerson’s knowledge and inspiration are of particular interest to the critics and researchers of comparative literature. In this article, I explore Emerson’s passion for Indian thought with specific reference to Brahma, the Bhagavad Gita, and the laws of karma.
Evolution of Number and Morphology of Mammalian Chromosomes

Numerous hypotheses have been advanced to explain how selection might operate on the level of the chromosomal complement (chromosome selection) and how this process could be related to morphological divergence and speciation. Hypotheses emphasizing a general trend of increasing or decreasing diploid numbers in mammalian evolution are contradicted by documented studies from diverse families of mammals. However, certain selective forces were identified that could drive chromosomal evolution in certain lineages under limited conditions. Species with higher fundamental numbers and/or higher diploid numbers are expected to have increased genetic recombination. Increased recombination is advantageous in increasing variability and thus utilization of a wider niche, but decreased recombination allows fixation of new mutations (both genic and chromosomal) and thus increased potential for phyletic divergence and speciation. The species with higher diploid numbers are also less likely to undergo deleterious translocation and inversion events because of the position of the chromosomes in the nucleus. A decrease in diploid or fundamental numbers by fusions or inversions would be important as an initial event in phyletic divergence in some groups. A rearrangement in one chromosome also could affect nuclear structure or recombination in other chromosomes and, in some lineages, could drive the acquisition of additional rearrangements. It is suggested that changes in the level of recombination and in nuclear stability played a pivotal role in mammalian chromosome evolution.
Three-dimensional h-adaptivity for the multigroup neutron diffusion equations

Abstract Adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) has been shown to allow solving partial differential equations to significantly higher accuracy at reduced numerical cost. This paper presents a state-of-the-art AMR algorithm applied to the multigroup neutron diffusion equation for reactor applications. In order to follow the physics closely, energy group-dependent meshes are employed. We present a novel algorithm for assembling the terms coupling shape functions from different meshes and show how it can be made efficient by deriving all meshes from a common coarse mesh by hierarchic refinement. Our methods are formulated using conforming finite elements of any order, for any number of energy groups. The spatial error distribution is assessed with a generalization of an error estimator originally derived for the Poisson equation. Our implementation of this algorithm is based on the widely used Open Source adaptive finite element library deal.II and is made available as part of this library's extensively documented tutorial. We illustrate our methods with results for 2-D and 3-D reactor simulations using 2 and 7 energy groups, and using conforming finite elements of polynomial degree up to 6.
Reproducibility of SELDI-TOF protein patterns in serum: comparing datasets from different experiments

Motivation: There has been much interest in using patterns derived from surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization (SELDI) protein mass spectra from serum to differentiate samples from patients both with and without disease. Such patterns have been used without identification of the underlying proteins responsible. However, there are questions as to the stability of this procedure over multiple experiments. Results: We compared SELDI proteomic spectra from serum from three experiments by the same group on separating ovarian cancer from normal tissue. These spectra are available on the web at http://clinicalproteomics.steem.com. In general, the results were not reproducible across experiments. Baseline correction prevents reproduction of the results for two of the experiments. In one experiment, there is evidence of a major shift in protocol mid-experiment which could bias the results. In another, structure in the noise regions of the spectra allows us to distinguish normal from cancer, suggesting that the normals and cancers were processed differently. Sets of features found to discriminate well in one experiment do not generalize to other experiments. Finally, the mass calibration in all three experiments appears suspect. Taken together, these and other concerns suggest that much of the structure uncovered in these experiments could be due to artifacts of sample processing, not to the underlying biology of cancer. We provide some guidelines for design and analysis in experiments like these to ensure better reproducible, biologically meaningfully results. Availability: The MATLAB and Perl code used in our analyses is available at http://bioinformatics.mdanderson.org
Verifying the EROS confinement mechanism

Capability systems can be used to implement higher-level security policies including the *-property if a mechanism exists to ensure confinement. The implementation can be efficient if the "weak" access restriction described in this paper is introduced. In the course of developing EROS, a pure capability system, it became clear that verifying the correctness of the confinement mechanism was necessary in establishing the security of the operating system. We present a verification of the EROS confinement mechanism with respect to a broad class of capability architectures (including EROS). We give a formal statement of the requirements, construct a model of the architecture's security policy and operational semantics, and show that architectures covered by this model enforce the confinement requirements if a small number of initial static checks on the confined subsystem are satisfied. The method used generalizes to any capability system.
Use of a new jumbo forceps improves tissue acquisition of Barrett's esophagus surveillance biopsies

Background The major risk factors for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma remain long-standing GERD and resultant Barrett's esophagus (BE). Finding the exact method of adequate tissue sampling for surveillance of dysplasia in BE remains a dilemma. Objective We prospectively compared standard large-capacity biopsy forceps with a new jumbo biopsy forceps for dysplasia detection in BE. Setting/Design Prospective, single-center investigation. Patients/Interventions We prospectively enrolled 32 patients undergoing surveillance endoscopy for BE. Biopsy samples were obtained in paired fashion alternating between the experimental (jumbo) and control (large-capacity) forceps. Main Outcome Measurements Each sample was assessed for histopathology, specimen size, and adequacy. Results A total of 712 specimens were available for analysis for this investigation. Six patients were found to have dysplasia, and in 5 of those patients, the dysplasia was only detected with the jumbo forceps. The mean width was significantly greater in the Radial Jaw 4 jumbo group (3.3 mm vs 1.9 mm [ P P P Limitations A lack of a validated index for assessment of tissue adequacy in BE. Conclusion The Radial Jaw 4 jumbo biopsy forceps significantly improves dysplasia detection and adequate tissue sampling in patients undergoing endoscopy for BE.
Frost’s Never Again Would Birds’ Song Be the Same

(1991). Frost’s Never Again Would Birds’ Song Be the Same. The Explicator: Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 108-112.
Proliferation Resistance and Physical Protection (PR&PP) Evaluation Methodology and Applications

This paper presents a summary of a program within the Generation IV International Forum on the evaluation methodology for proliferation resistance and physical protection (PR&PP) of advanced nuclear energy systems (NESs). For a proposed NES design, the methodology defines a set of challenges, analyzes system response to these challenges, and assesses outcomes. The challenges to the NESs are the threats posed by potential actors (proliferant States or sub-national adversaries). The characteristics of NESs, both technical and institutional, are used to evaluate the response of the system and to determine its resistance against proliferation threats and robustness against sabotage and terrorism threats. The outcomes of the system response are expressed in terms of a set of measures, which are the high-level PR&PP characteristics of the NES.
Acid Phosphatase Content of Nuclei of Chicken Erythrocytes.

Summary1. The enzyme acid-phosphatase has been determined in nuclei isolated from washed chicken erythrocytes. The activity of fresh preparations determined by the use of disodium phenyl phosphate as substrate corresponds to the liberation of about 0.0025 to 0.0030 mg of phenol from the substrate per mg of tissue per hour at 25 ° C. Approximately the same concentration of enzyme has been found in the washed whole erythrocytes. 2. After incubation of the nuclei with the substrate for a period of about 2 hours, the activity of the acid phosphatase quickly drops to a negligible value.
Winning in High-Tech Markets: The Role of General Management

Morone's investigation into the role of general management in building competitive advantage on the basis of technology highlights three U.S. successes in high-tech markets. GE Medical Systems, Motorola Communications, and Corning are among a small number of U.S. businesses that have built global leadership in precisely the kinds of high-tech markets in which many U.S. firms have been outperformed by their Japanese counterparts. Morone explores the managerial strategies, practices, and philosophies behind their success, and how these influenced, and were influenced by, technology development. His conclusion that successful firms are often those whose corporate strategies are shaped by technology opportunities is striking in its divergence from the conventional wisdom about American managerial practice and the role that government can play in promoting high-technology strength. This book will be of interest to all managers in high-tech firms, to general readers concerned with issues of U.S. competitiveness, and to policymakers and analysts.
Opportunities for optimizing resource utilization in ambulatory academic practices

Growing emphasis on ambulatory service delivery in academic medical centers has heightened interest in improving operational efficiencies, while providing an optimal educational experience for medical students and residents. One significant challenge in the academic environment is maximizing resource utilization (both physical plant and personnel), through scheduling and operational effectiveness. This article examines how academic ambulatory practices can apply operational and scheduling process redesign methodologies to improve throughput and productivity, while enhancing the educational experience for students/residents.
Absence of diffusion in an interacting system of spinless fermions on a one-dimensional disordered lattice.

We study the infinite temperature dynamics of a prototypical one-dimensional system expected to exhibit many-body localization. Using numerically exact methods, we establish the dynamical phase diagram of this system based on the statistics of its eigenvalues and its dynamical behavior. We show that the nonergodic phase is reentrant as a function of the interaction strength, illustrating that localization can be reinforced by sufficiently strong interactions even at infinite temperature. Surprisingly, within the accessible time range, the ergodic phase shows subdiffusive behavior, suggesting that the diffusion coefficient vanishes throughout much of the phase diagram in the thermodynamic limit. Our findings strongly suggest that Wigner--Dyson statistics of eigenvalue spacings may appear in a class of ergodic but subdiffusive systems.
Blood cell dynamics in P-selectin-deficient mice

P-selectin is expressed on the surfaces of activated platelets and endothelium where it mediates binding to leukocytes. P-selectin-deficient mice were shown to exhibit peripheral neutrophilia (Mayadas et al: Cell 74:541, 1993). We now show that this is not caused by changes in bone marrow precursors nor by a lack of neutrophil margination. Both P-selectin-positive and -negative animals displayed similar increases in peripheral blood neutrophil numbers after injection of epinephrine. However, clearance of 51Chromium-labeled neutrophils is delayed in mice deficient for P-selectin, indicating that the neutrophilia is at least in part the result of delayed removal. We detected no obvious alterations in lymphocyte differentiation, distribution, or adhesion to high endothelial venules in peripheral lymph nodes. Through intravital microscopy, we examined the impact of P-selectin deficiency on leukocyte/endothelial interaction beyond the initial stages of inflammation. Four hours after the administration of an inflammatory irritant, leukocyte rolling was observed even in the absence of P-selectin. There were significantly fewer rolling cells relative to wild-type mice, and their velocity was reduced. Moreover, in the peritonitis model, the number of peritoneal macrophages in wild-type mice increased threefold at 48 hours, whereas the macrophages in the mutant mice remained near baseline levels. Thus, whereas P-selectin is known to be involved in early stages of an inflammatory response, our results indicate that it is additionally responsible for leukocyte rolling and macrophage recruitment in more prolonged tissue injury.
Kennel Visceral Leishmaniasis Antibody in Domestic Dogs in Wenchuan County,2009-2012

ObjectiveTo clarify the relationship between infection rate of domestic dogs and human morbidity by detection of visceral leishmaniasis antibody in domestic dogs in both epidemic and non epidemic areas.Methods Based on ear blood sampling on the spot,detection of visceral leishmaniasis antibody were conducted with RK-39 antigen paper.Results Altogether 152 domestic dogs were detected in four epidemic villages and 76 of which were of infected ones;70 were detected in two non epidemic villages,four infected.Conclusion In accord with morbidity in human,the infection rate of visceral leishmaniasis in epidemic area is apparently higher than in non epidemic areas.
Today's CAD/CAM: flexible digital technologies expanding workflow options

CAD/CAM and digital scanning technologies have become essential components of dentistry. Digital impression scanning, restoration design, and manufacturing techniques yield greater treatment predictability, high-level esthetics, and functional accuracy using a variety of materials.
The Untold Stories of Yugoslavia and Nonalignment

A recently declassified collection of US intelligence estimates concerning Yugoslavia offers some promise of new information. Similarly, the memoirs of statesmen reveal a good of anecdotal information that may revise such standard works as Alvin Rubinstein’s Yugoslavia and the Non-aligned World. This book and others written about 40 years ago form the basis of our understanding of nonalignment as a historic movement. It is likely that this literature and the voluminous public material produced by the movement’s supporters like Yugoslavia can prompt reconsideration. Indeed, any reexamination of socialist Yugoslavia more than 20 years after its collapse is likely to create a different perspective on the relatively complex diplomatic questions that constitute “nonalignment” as we understand it.
Hearing and Sound Production in the Aquatic Salamander, Amphiuma means

Abstract: In contrast to anurans, acoustic communication and hearing within Order Urodela is poorly understood. Several studies have documented sound production in a few salamander species; however, these studies did not examine auditory ranges of these salamanders simultaneously. Two-Toed Amphiumas (Amphiuma means) were used as a model to examine the ecological significance of sound production in salamanders. We conducted a series of behavioral trials to validate sound production in this species, and auditory-evoked potentials (AEPs) were measured to assess hearing abilities. Amphiuma means produced three unique broadband acoustic signals: low-, mid-, and high-frequency clicks. All acoustic signals were produced when A. means were placed in groups, but not when housed individually. The audiogram was relatively flat at 100–700 Hz; above this range, sensitivity declined with increasing frequency. No auditory responses were detected between 1.5 and 10 kHz. The dominant frequencies of the acoustic signals (...
Miocene slip history of the Eagle Eye detachment fault, Harquahala Mountains metamorphic core complex, west‐central Arizona

The structural and thermal evolution of major low-angle normal faults in the Colorado River extensional corridor has been a controversial topic since the pioneering studies of metamorphic core complexes in the early 1980s. We present new geo-thermochronometry data from the Harquahala Mountains in west-central Arizona to determine the timing of extension, displacement magnitude, and slip rates along the Eagle Eye detachment fault (EED) during large-magnitude Miocene extension. Zircon and apatite (U-Th)/He data (ZHe and AHe, respectively) from 31 samples along a ~55 km extension-parallel transect indicate active slip along the EED occurred between ~21 ± 1 Ma until ~14 Ma. The spatial extent of ZHe ages and exhumation of the zircon partial retention zone indicated ~44 ± 2 km of total displacement, whereas lithologic similarity and identical U-Pb ages between correlated footwall rocks in the Little Harquahala Mountains and breccia clasts at Bullard Peak in the NE Harcuvar Mountains indicated ~43-45 km of displacement across the EED. AHe and ZHe data indicated slip rates of ~6.7 + 7.8/-2.3 km/Myr, and ~6.6 + 7.1/-2.0 km/Myr, respectively, both consistent with the duration and displacement estimates. The EED initiated as a listric fault with an ~34 ± 9° dip that decreased to ~13 ± 5° below ~7 km depth. Secondary breakaway development and footwall exposure occurred by ~17 Ma, during active EED slip. Lithologic and geo-thermochronometric offset constraints show excellent agreement and provided a rare opportunity to fully resolve the timing, rates, and total displacement magnitudes along a major continental detachment fault.
Racial disparities in treatment use for multiple myeloma.

BACKGROUND Recent treatment advances have greatly improved the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma. However, some of these newer, more effective treatments are intensive and expensive and their use remains low, particularly among black patients. METHODS In the current study, the authors reviewed the use patterns of stem cell transplantation and bortezomib using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database. RESULTS After controlling for overall health and potential access barriers, black patients were found to be 37% (P<.0001) less likely to undergo stem cell transplantation, and 21% (P<.0001) less likely to be treated with bortezomib. Moreover, the authors found that the underuse of these treatments was associated with a 12% increase in the hazard ratio for death among black patients (P = 0.0007). CONCLUSIONS Eliminating health disparities, a current focus of US public policy, is highly complex, as illustrated by the results of the current study. In patients with multiple myeloma, treatment disparities are not completely explained by potential access barriers. Additional factors, such as structural barriers in the health care system and individual decision making among black and white patients, must be explored to fully explain the disparity. Cancer 2017;123:1590–1596. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Woody Plant Encroachment: Causes and Consequences

Woody vegetation in grasslands and savannas has increased worldwide over the past 100–200 years. This phenomenon of “woody plant encroachment” (WPE) has been documented to occur at different times but at comparable rates in rangelands of the Americas, Australia, and southern Africa. The objectives of this chapter are to review (1) the process of WPE and its causes, (2) consequences for ecosystem function and the provision of services, and (3) the effectiveness of management interventions aimed at reducing woody cover. Explanations for WPE require consideration of multiple interacting drivers and constraints and their variation through time at a given site. Mean annual precipitation sets an upper limit to woody plant cover, but local patterns of disturbance (fire, browsing) and soil properties (texture, depth) prevent the realization of this potential. In the absence of these constraints, seasonality, interannual variation, and intensity of precipitation events determine the rate and extent of woody plant expansion. Although probably not a triggering factor, rising atmospheric CO2 levels may have favored C3 woody plant growth. WPE coincided with the global intensification of livestock grazing that by reducing fine fuels, hence fire frequency and intensity, facilitated WPE. From a conservation perspective, WPE threatens the maintenance of grassland and savanna ecosystems and its endemic biodiversity. Traditional management goals aimed at restoring forage and livestock production after WPE have broadened to support a more diverse portfolio of ecosystem services. Accordingly, we focus on how WPE and management actions aimed at reducing woody plant cover influence carbon sequestration, water yield, and biodiversity, and discuss the trade-offs involved when balancing competing management objectives.
Meaningful head movements driven by emotional synthetic speech

Abstract Speech-driven head movement methods are motivated by the strong coupling that exists between head movements and speech, providing an appealing solution to create behaviors that are timely synchronized with speech. This paper offers solutions for two of the problems associated with these methods. First, speech-driven methods require all the potential utterances of the conversational agent (CA) to be recorded, which limits their applications. Using existing text to speech (TTS) systems scales the applications of these methods by providing the flexibility of using text instead of pre-recorded speech. However, simply training speech-driven models with natural speech, and testing them with synthetic speech creates a mismatch affecting the performance of the system. This paper proposes a novel strategy to solve this mismatch. The proposed approach starts by creating a parallel corpus either with neutral or emotional synthetic speech timely aligned with the original speech for which we have the motion capture recordings. This parallel corpus is used to retrain the models from scratch, or adapt the models originally built with natural speech. Both subjective and objective evaluations show the effectiveness of this solution in reducing the mismatch. Second, creating head movement with speech-driven methods can disregard the meaning of the message, even when the movements are perfectly synchronized with speech. The trajectory of head movements in conversations also has a role in conveying meaning (e.g. head nods for acknowledgment). In fact, our analysis reveals that head movements under different discourse functions have distinguishable patterns. Building on the best models driven by synthetic speech, we propose to extract dialog acts directly from the text and use this information to directly constrain our models. Compared to the unconstrained model, the model generates head motion sequences that not only are closer to the statistical patterns of the original head movements, but also are perceived as more natural and appropriate.
An approach to decision-based design.

In this paper, we present the importance of using a singlecriterion approach to Decision-Based Design (DBD) by examining the flaws and limitations of multicriteria approaches. We propose in this paper an approach to DBD as an enhancement to Hazelrigg’s DBD framework that utilizes the economic benefit to the producer as the single criterion in alternative selection. The technique of Discrete Choice Analysis (DCA) is introduced for constructing a product demand model, which is crucial for the evaluations of both profit and production cost. An academic universal motor design problem illustrates the proposed DBD approach. It appears that DBD, when applied correctly, is capable of unambiguously selecting the preferred alternative in a rigorous manner. Open research issues related to implementing the DBD approach are raised. The focus of our study is on demonstrating the approach rather than the design results per se.
Closed-Loop Responsive Stimulation for Epilepsy

Abstract The first edition of Neuromodulation was published in 2009, 4 years prior to the approval of the responsive neurostimulation system (RNS) by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Since that time much has been revealed about the effects of closed-loop neurostimulation. The results of the Pivotal Trial (2011) demonstrated the benefits of the RNS in the treatment of intractable epilepsy, and long-term follow-up has confirmed the continued benefit. In this chapter we describe the history of responsive neurostimulation, the RNS components, features, surgical implantation, current usage, and proposed mechanism of action, and future directions.
Unsteady droplet combustion with fuel thermal expansion

Abstract Millimeter-size fuel droplets burning in microgravity show substantial thermal expansion at earlier times in their burning history. Here, we develop a simple model that accounts for thermal expansion of the liquid fuel and compare it against experimental measurements. The results show that excellent agreement with measured droplet-diameter histories throughout the hot-flame period of combustion is obtained when the effect of thermal expansion is included.
Heavy Metals and White Matter Injury

Metal ions are used in biology in many ways and are integrated parts of numerous enzymes and proteins. They function as cofactors in cellular and genetic signaling and, therefore, have important roles in biochemistry ranging from essential to toxic. Perturbed homeostasis of heavy metal ions has been well recognized to play critical role in neurotoxicity. The intracellular concentration of endogenous heavy metals such as iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), or selenium (Se) is tightly regulated through transports, homeostasis, compartmentalization, and binding to designated cell constituents. Under an unwelcome event, they could escape out of the control mechanism and interact with other protein sites, leading to malfunctioning of cells. Exogenous metal dyshomeostasis, although generally no known useful physiological role is associated with them, has attracted the interest of researchers investigating the etiology of a variety of neurological conditions. Heavy metal contaminations such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), and nickel (Ni) are becoming an emerging epidemic and pose a major worldwide health problem. Toxic effects of these metals share some chemical similarities and when present in excess can induce the production of reactive radicals as well as interaction of the same with nuclear proteins and DNA, the inhibition of glutamate uptake, astrocyte swelling and thus damaging of the integrity of the brain–blood barrier (BBB), which in turn may cause neurotoxicity. Glia (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes) perform many functions essential for normal neuronal activity. Therefore, white matter, long thought to be a passive tissue, actively affects the normal function of the brain. Glial cells also are the primary repository of certain heavy metals in the brain. The aim of this chapter is to overview the role of heavy metals in the brain white matter injury.
Assessment of Cognition and Affective Symptoms in Dementia

The most prominent symptoms of dementing illnesses are a loss of various cognitive abilities, particularly memory, language, praxis, and judgment. For patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), the clinical incidence of these symptoms has been documented in several series, some involving biopsy-proven cases (Coblentz et al. 1973; Sim and Sussman 1962) and other involving clinically diagnosed cases (Liston 1977). Clinical descriptions of patients with proven cases of multiinfarct dementia (MID) have not appeared in great detail, but what evidence is available suggests that there is considerable overlap in the symptoms of DAT and MID (Hachinski et al. 1975; Liston 1977). Thus, any assessment of symptom severity in patients with either of these two kinds of dementia must include measures of memory, language, praxis, and, if possible, judgment.
Ecological immunity of human milk: Life history perspectives from the United States and Kenya

Objectives Previous research has established population variation in anti-inflammatory immunological biomarkers in human milk. This immunity is potentially ecology-dependent and may alter the life history trade-off between growth and maintenance in infants. The current study has two aims: (1) to assess the ecological differences in milk immunity in two populations, one from the urban U.S. and one from rural Kenya; and (2) to test the hypothesis that milk immunity can affect infant growth indicators. Materials and methods Kenyan Ariaal (n = 233) and U.S. (n = 75) breastfeeding mother-infant pairs participated in a cross-sectional study at two separate field sites. Laboratory analysis was performed on milk for the anti-inflammatory biomarkers TGF-β2, sTNF-αRI, sTNF-αRII, and IL-1ra using ELISA. Multiple imputation was used to extrapolate data below the limit of detection before multivariate analysis. Results There were significant differences between U.S. and Kenyan mothers on all four milk biomarkers, with Kenyan mothers having significantly higher sTNF-αRI and sTNF-αRII and lower TGF-β2 and IL-1ra than U.S. mothers. U.S. mothers with higher milk TGF-β2 and IL-1ra have infants that are significantly longer and heavier for their age, while Kenyan mothers with higher sTNF-αRI have significantly longer and heavier infants for their age, and those with higher TGF-β2 have marginally significantly longer infants. Discussion There were significant differences in ecological milk immunity between U.S. and Kenyan mothers. These differences potentially play a role in the growth of their infants. Further research in milk immunity should consider the possibility of shared maternal-infant life histories.
Using refractive lenses to provide a variable spot size for Kirkpatrick–Baez mirrors

For many X-ray microprobe experiments it is desirable to be able to vary the beam size: using large beams for survey scans and a small beam for the final measurements. Beryllium refractive lenses were found to be a simple and controllable method for enlarging the focus in a Kirkpatrick–Baez-based microprobe. They can provide variable spot size, can be quickly inserted or removed and do not move the beam center on the sample.
Effects of ability grouping on students' game performance and physical activity.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of ability grouping on game performance and physical activity levels of elementary school students during an invasion game. Method: Fort...
Missing or seizing the opportunity? The effect of an opportunity hire on job offers to science faculty candidates

As universities grapple with broadening participation of women in science, many ADVANCE funded institutions hone in on transforming search committee practices to better consider dual-career partners and affirmative action hires (“opportunity hires”). To date, there is a lack of empirical research on the consequences and processes underlying such a focus. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether and how two ADVANCE-recommended hiring practices, dual-career hiring and affirmative action hiring, help or hinder women’s participation in academic science.,In two experiments, the authors tested what happens to a science candidate’s evaluation and offer when that candidate reveals he or she has a dual-career partner (vs is a solo-candidate, Experiment 1) or if it is revealed that the candidate under review is the dual-hire partner or is a target of opportunity hire (vs primary candidate, Experiment 2). A random US national sample of academic scientists provided anonymous external recommendations to an ostensible faculty search committee.,Evaluators supported the job offer to a primary candidate requiring a heterosexual partner accommodation. This good news, however, was offset by the results of Experiment 2, which showed that support for the partner or affirmative action candidate depended on the evaluator’s gender. Taken together, the research identifies important personal and contextual features that sometimes do – and sometimes do not – impact hiring perceptions of women in science.,The authors believe the effects of such an emphasis on opportunity hires within ADVANCE funded institutions may be considerable and inform changes to policies and practices that help bring about gender equality.