cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance characteristics of hybrid MPI/OpenMP implementations of NAS parallel benchmarks SP and BT on large-scale multicore supercomputers

The NAS Parallel Benchmarks (NPB) are well-known applications with the fixed algorithms for evaluating parallel systems and tools. Multicore supercomputers provide a natural programming paradigm for hybrid programs, whereby OpenMP can be used with the data sharing with the multicores that comprise a node and MPI can be used with the communication between nodes. In this paper, we use SP and BT benchmarks of MPI NPB 3.3 as a basis for a comparative approach to implement hybrid MPI/OpenMP versions of SP and BT. In particular, we can compare the performance of the hybrid SP and BT with the MPI counterparts on large-scale multicore supercomputers. Our performance results indicate that the hybrid SP outperforms the MPI SP by up to 20.76%, and the hybrid BT outperforms the MPI BT by up to 8.58% on up to 10,000 cores on BlueGene/P at Argonne National Laboratory and Jaguar (Cray XT4/5) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We also use performance tools and MPI trace libraries available on these supercomputers to further investigate the performance characteristics of the hybrid SP and BT.
From awe to satisfaction: immediate affective responses to the Antarctic tourism experience.

Antarctica is a rugged, austere, and yet stunningly beautiful continent with charismatic fauna including several species of penguins, whales, and seals. Mass media, writings from the early explorers, and modern film all describe firsthand experiences as delightful, beautiful, challenging, humbling, and even awe-inspiring. This dramatic allure of Antarctica now fuels one of the fastest growing tourism markets in the world with over 30,000 visitors annually traveling to the continent. Despite the fact that Antarctic tourism has occurred for over 30 years, little research has investigated the psychological and affective influence of these immersive tourism experiences in the Antarctic environment. This study explored visitors' affective judgments regarding their Antarctic tourism experience. An onsite post experience survey was administered to Antarctic tourists to investigate their satisfaction with a range of tour attributes. In addition, the researchers used the open-ended question, "How did this Antarctic experience affect you?" to explore tourists' affective response to their interaction with the Antarctic tourism environment. These open ended responses were coded using a priori themes generated from Kellert's environmental values typology. Additionally, each response was analysed for the presence of an awe experience. Further analysis revealed that tourists described five sub-dimensions of an 'awe' experience (nature-human relationship, spiritual connection, transformative experience, goal clarification, and sense of feeling humbled), with many individuals experiencing multiple dimensions of awe. Consequently, this analysis reveals that the impact of an Antarctic tour experience is powerful, rich, and extremely complex.
Tuning membership functions, tuning AND and OR operations, tuning defuzzification: which is best?

Fuzzy control is a methodology that transforms linguistic IF-THEN rules formulated by an expert into a precise control strategy. There are many fuzzy control models that are able to implement such transformations. For a given situation, one model may perform better than another; as the state changes, switching between models can improve the quality of the resulting control. However, the switching algorithm can be computationally expensive. In this paper, we show that a similar increase in the quality of the resulting control can be obtained (with a much smaller computation time) by dynamically changing defuzzification exclusively. >
Medical Complications of Cocaine: Changes in Pattern of Use and Spectrum of Complications

We sought to determine whether changes in patterns of cocaine use, characterized by widespread abuse of cocaine alkaloid, have altered the nature and severity of medical complications over the past decade. Infectious complications, almost invariably associated with intravenous use, accounted for nearly all hospital admissions in the early 1980s. Cardiovascular, neurologic and psychiatric complications rose dramatically after 1987 both in absolute number and as a proportion of total complications. This rise parallelled increases in the absolute number and proportion of hospitalized patients smoking cocaine alkaloid or using intranasal cocaine, both disproportionately associated with non-infectious complications. While infectious complications were often local in nature, serious neurologic and cardiovascular sequelae were observed. These data indicate that changes in patterns of cocaine use have altered the nature and increased the severity of medical complications with a shift from infectious to cardiovascular, neurologic and psychiatric complications which may be life-threatening and associated with substantial morbidity.
Josephson-junction circuit analysis via integral manifolds-Part II

This paper is a sequel to an earlier paper under the same title. Here we use a more realistic model of the Josephson-junction and present a rigorous analysis of its nonlinear dynamics under various ranges of model parameters. In particular, we prove that the qualitative properties of our model and of the simplified one are similar. This rigorous proof thereby justifies the choice of a simpler Josephson-junction model, which was chosen in the past mainly for tractability. The peculiar constant voltage-step (devil's staircase) phenomenon widely reported in the literature is carefully analyzed further in this paper. For the first time, we can give a fairly complete explanation of the mechanism leading to this exotic phenomenon. In particular, the variations in the length of the constant voltage steps which have baffled many researchers in the past can now be given a rational explanation. An analysis of the mechanisms which give rise to chaotic dynamics in the Josephson-junction circuit is also presented.
One Permutation Hashing

Minwise hashing is a standard procedure in the context of search, for efficiently estimating set similarities in massive binary data such as text. Recently, 6-bit minwise hashing has been applied to large-scale learning and sublinear time near-neighbor search. The major drawback of minwise hashing is the expensive preprocessing, as the method requires applying (e.g.,) k = 200 to 500 permutations on the data. This paper presents a simple solution called one permutation hashing. Conceptually, given a binary data matrix, we permute the columns once and divide the permuted columns evenly into k bins; and we store, for each data vector, the smallest nonzero location in each bin. The probability analysis illustrates that this one permutation scheme should perform similarly to the original (k-permutation) minwise hashing. Our experiments with training SVM and logistic regression confirm that one permutation hashing can achieve similar (or even better) accuracies compared to the k-permutation scheme. See more details in arXiv:1208.1259.
Establishing a Core List of Journals for Forestry: A Citation Analysis from Faculty at Southern Universities

Citations of articles published from 1990 to 2002 of faculty teaching at selected southern universities are counted and analyzed to form a core list of the most highly cited journals for the field of forestry. Core lists are developed for assistant, associate, and full professors; and citation differences among the three groups are analyzed. The core list of journals is compared with the list of primary forestry serials compiled by the Cornell Core Agricultural Literature Project. The analysis focuses on the similarities and differences of both studies, and discusses the importance of ecological and interdisciplinary journals to forestry research.
Minimum source regions of far fields as probable bounds of support

It is well known that, for a given far field radiation pattern, there is a minimum source region V min such that in order for the field to be produced by a source of support V, then V min ⊆ V. There are classical and modern techniques for the estimation of bounding regions B min such that V min ⊆ B min . This paper investigates a fundamental open question in the electromagnetic theory of minimum source regions which has much practical importance for inverse source and scattering problems. In particular, clearly one can obtain estimates of the minimum source region; but how much information do they provide about the true support of a given unknown source whose far fields are measured? It is shown that, for a rather general class of sources of support V, the respective minimum source region and tight estimates of this region obtained from far field data are very likely to coincide with or at least to be close to the original support V (within bounds estimated in the paper). Thus, in inverse source and scattering problems, estimates of these minimum source regions, obtained from far field data, are probabilistically tight estimates of the sought-after support.
Sequence acquisition techniques for CDMA systems employing Kasami sequences

A soft-decision-based sequence acquisition scheme is proposed for direct-sequence CDMA (code division multiple access) systems employing Kasami sequences. The algebraic properties of Kasami sequences are exploited to provide a very reliable estimate of the pseudonoise (PN) phase before tracking is attempted. The proposed technique is effective for PN sequences having very long periods. >
Examination of the skeletal proteome of the brittle star Ophiocoma wendtii reveals overall conservation of proteins but variation in spicule matrix proteins

While formation of mineralized tissue is characteristic of many animal taxa, the proteins that interact with mineral are diverse and appear in many cases to be of independent origin. Extracellular matrix proteins involved in mineralization do share some common features. They tend to be disordered, secreted proteins with repetitive, low complexity. The genes encoding these proteins are often duplicated and undergo concerted evolution, further diversifying the repetitive domains. This makes it difficult to identify mineralization genes and the proteins they encode using bioinformatics techniques. Here we describe the use of proteomics to identify mineralization genes in an ophiuroid echinoderm, Ophiocoma wendtii (O. wendtii). We have isolated the occluded proteins within the mineralized tissue of the brittle star Ophiocoma wendtii. The proteins were analyzed both unfractionated and separated on SDS-PAGE gels. Each slice was analyzed using mass spectroscopy and the amino acid sequence of the most prevalent peptides was obtained. This was compared to both an embryonic transcriptome from the gastrula stage when skeleton is being formed and a tube foot (an adult mineralized tissue) transcriptome. Thirty eight proteins were identified which matched known proteins or protein domains in the NCBI databases. These include C-type lectins, ECM proteins, Kazal-type protease inhibitors, matrix metalloproteases as well as more common cellular proteins. Many of these are similar to those found in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (S. purpuratus) skeleton. We did not, however, identify clear homologs to the sea urchin spicule matrix proteins, and the number of C-type lectin containing genes was much reduced compared to sea urchins. Also notably absent was MSP-130. Our results show an overall conservation of the types of proteins found in the mineralized tissues of two divergent groups of echinoderms, as well as in mineralized tissues in general. However, the extensive gene duplication and concerted evolution seen in the spicule matrix proteins found in the sea urchin skeleton was not observed in the brittle star.
Nondiffracting interference patterns generated with programmable spatial light modulators

Nondiffracting beams are of interest for optical metrology applications because the size and shape of the beams do not change as the beams propagate. We have created a generating pattern consisting of a linear combination of two nondiffracting patterns. This pattern forms a nondiffracting interference pattern that appears as a circular array of nondiffracting spots. More complicated multiplexed arrays are also constructed that simultaneously yield two different nondiffracting patterns. We generate these Bessel function arrays with a programmable spatial light modulator. Such arrays would be useful for angular alignment and for optical interconnection applications.
Migrant Supplementarity: Remaking Biological Relatedness in Chinese Military and Indian Five-Star Hospitals

Social analysis of transplant organ demand often focuses on either small-scale (familial) tyrannies of the gift or large-scale (global) markets. Media accounts of the scandalous in transplant medicine stress the latter, a homogeneous model of flows of biovalue down gradients of economic and social capital. This article examines particular globalizations of tissue demand organized as much around claims of social similarity as gradients of social difference. To engage apparent ‘diasporic’ networks of organ purchase — Non-Resident Indians traveling to India and Overseas Chinese to China — I elaborate a concept of bodily supplementarity. Supplementarity in this account is the ability of an individual or population to secure longevity through the mobilization or acquisition of the organic form of others. Diasporic tissue circuits are analyzed in the context of ‘experiments’ in supplementarity that proliferate with the transformation of the molecular conditions for supplementarity. The emergence of powerful imm...
Understanding the Experience of Stigma for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Role Stigma Plays in Families’ Lives

Stigma is widely perceived in the lives of families with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) yet large, systematic studies have not been undertaken. Following Link and Phelan's (Ann Rev Sociol 27:363-385, 2001) model, this study of 502 Simons Simplex Collection families details how different factors contribute to stigma and how each appears to increase the overall difficulty of raising a child with ASD. The model begins with the child's behavioral symptoms and then specifies stigma processes of stereotyping, rejection, and exclusion. Autism behaviors contribute both to the difficulty families experience raising a child with autism and to the stigma processes associated with those behaviors. Stigma also plays a significant role (.282, p < .001) in predicting how difficult life is overall for parents.
Strategies for Improving Crystallization Success Rates

The production of crystals suitable for high-resolution structure determination is still one of the major bottlenecks in the structure determination process. This is especially true in structural genomics (SG) consortia, where the implementation of protein-specific purification and optimization strategies is not readily implemented into the structure determination workflow. This chapter describes four strategies that have been implemented by a number of SG groups to increase the number of protein targets that resulted in atomic resolution structures: (1) orthologue screening; (2) the use of 1D (1)H NMR spectroscopy to screen for the folded state of a protein prior to crystallization; (3) deletion constructs generation, in which regions of the target protein predicted to be disordered are omitted from the construct, to maximize the likelihood of crystal formation; and (4) crystallization optimum solubility screening to identify more suitable buffers for a given protein. The implementation of these strategies can lead to a substantial increase in the number of protein structures solved. Finally, because these strategies do not require the implementation of expensive robotics, they are highly applicable not only for the SG community but also for academic laboratories.
Deductibility of Treble Damages Paid for Breach of National Health Service Corps Scholarship Contracts, Part One: The Misuse of IRC Section 162(f) in 'Hawronsky v. CIR' Together with Some Musings on Public Policy

A deduction for treble damages paid for breach of the taxpayer's National Health Service Corps medical service obligation was erroneously denied under IRC 162(f) in 'Hawronsky v. CIR', 105 TC 94 (1995). Because the taxpayer merely breached his contract and violated no law, Sec. 162(f) was inapplicable. The issue was entirely overlooked in the litigation, as was the fact that imputed interest is compensatory rather than punitive, and therefore deductible. The history and purpose of the public policy doctrine is analyzed and criticized. The penalty policies of the NHSC are also criticized.
Patch occupancy and habitat of the hops azure ( Celastrina humulus ), a rare North American endemic butterfly: insights for monitoring and conservation

The hops azure (Celastrina humulus Scott & D. Wright 1998) is a rare butterfly found along the Front Range of Colorado. Data on the prevalence of the butterfly and its preferred habitats are lacking. To describe the habitat of C. humulus at the southern part of its range, explore what factors impact C. humulus detectability, and estimate C. humulus habitat use along a riparian area known to support it, we conducted an occupancy analysis along the largest riparian system at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado, USA. We used environmental and site-specific covariates to model the probability of detection and the probability of occupancy. Probability of detecting C. humulus was influenced by the amount of cloud cover during sampling, while the probability of occupancy was influenced by the total area of the host plant (wild hops) at the site. Probability of detection was higher during the first visit (69 %) than the second visit (64 %), and the probability of occupancy was higher (77 %) than assumed (30 %). Despite the host plant being patchily distributed throughout the butterfly’s range, the riparian areas at USAFA had a high prevalence of both wild hops and C. humulus. We use the project findings to develop future sampling efforts for the butterfly along tributaries at other locales within the butterfly’s range.
ASCENDING AORTIC INDEX AND RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND MORTALITY IN THE MULTI-ETHNIC STUDY OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Current data supports a link between arterial remodeling and cardiovascular risk. This analysis investigates whether ascending aortic index (AAI) improves the risk assessment by the Framingham 10-year general cardiovascular risk score (FGCRS) for cardiovascular events and mortality. We also analyze
New Chemical Approaches to Synthesize Titanium Disulfide

The synthesis of oxides by the use of metal alkoxides is well known in the sol-gel process. However, little is known regarding the use of alkoxides as starting materials for non-oxides. In this work titanium isopropoxide has been reacted with different sulfidizing agents to form alkoxy sulfide precursors. In all the processes the transformation of the precursors to form TiS2 has been studied and the morphologies of the sulfide powders have also been compared. Gas chromatography and infrared spectroscopy have been used to study the molecular processes that occur in one of the reactions.
372 Strains mycobacterium tuberculosis for floating population drug resistance analysis

Objective To know drug-resistant level of pathogenic mycobacterium tuberculosis from the floating population in Langfang and analyze the effect of treatment. Methods Select 372 patients infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis,identified by TB drug resistance monitoring from the floating population in Langfang during 2009-2013,then examine separately its drug sensitivity to drugs as isoniazid,rifampicin,ethambutol,streptomycin,kanamycin,and ofloxacin by using proportion method. Results The total floating people drug resistance rate was 55. 1%( 205 /372),multi drug resistant rate was 15. 1%( 56 /372),widespread drug resistant rate was 1. 9%( 7 /372); The above-mentioned 3 type rate correspondingly was 56. 6%( 176 /311),11. 9%( 37 /311),0. 3%( 1 /311) for initial treatment patients,and 47. 5%( 29 /61),31. 1%( 19/61),9. 8%( 6/61) for retreatment patients. Conclusions The drug resistance rate of floating population tuberculosis patients was higher of Langfang city,strengthen the control work for drug resistance should not be ignored.
Immunology of Pyelonephritis. VIII. E. Coli Causes Granulocytic Aggregation and Renal Ischemia

AbstractWe studied renal venous blood after renal infection for its concentrations of leukocytes, complement and renin. In addition, we evaluated this blood for granulocytic aggregation and chemiluminescence of granulocytes. We found that very rapid activation of serum complement occurred with associated granulocytic aggregation and evident vascular occlusion and ischemia since renin rose rapidly. It appears that this early sequence of events will cause renal damage by ischemic change, as well as that known to occur from the inflammatory reaction.
Brachial Artery Transection After a Closed Traumatic Isolated Medial Epicondyle Fracture in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report:

Background: Medial epicondyle fractures in pediatric patients might be associated with an occult elbow dislocation and neurovascular damage. Methods: A single case of a medial epicondyle fracture p...
POEM: Concept to Research Laboratory

Given that the first experiments involving submucosal endoscopic esophageal myotomy in a porcine model were published in 2007, the interval uptake of peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) into clinical practice has been impressively swift. While the procedure remains limited to specialized practitioners and centers, it has become a valuable therapeutic option for the management of achalasia with outcomes that rival benchmarks established by more conventional surgical alternatives. Historical perspective helps to contextualize POEM as the conceptual outgrowth of a much longer therapeutic lineage rather than a de novo innovation to be added to the proceduralist’s armamentarium. Reflecting on the specific differences between submucosal endoscopic myotomy and the interventions (both experimental and established) that preceded it allows for a clearer understanding of the ways in which POEM represents a novel therapeutic paradigm, for spastic esophageal disorders in particular and for endoscopy in general. Looking ahead, distant milestones in this conceptual evolution might include technical elaboration made possible by novel endoscopic devices or, intriguingly, molecular therapies that might render endoscopic therapy for achalasia obsolete.
Maybe the fountain of youth was actually a treadmill: role of exercise in reversing microvascular and diastolic dysfunction.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a prominent health concern in the United States and around the world. In 2013 more than one-third of the U.S. population had some form of CVD (Mozaffarian et al. 2016). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
A Simple Introduction to Nonstandard Analysis

The notion of an infinitesimal number has been used in mathematical arguments since before the time of Archimedes, some 2200 years ago. We understand infinitesimals in terms of a scale set by ordinary numbers. For a positive number to be infinitesimal, it must be greater than 0 and yet smaller than any positive number you might write using a decimal expansion. No matter how many zeros you start with in that expansion, a positive infinitesimal number will be still smaller.
Role of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential in Cardiac Protection against Ischemia

Our previous study has indicated that diazoxide protected myocardium against ischemia-reperfusion injury. This study tests the hypothesis that the maintenance of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) in myocytes is responsible for cell protection against ischemia. This was specifically tested in myocytes after activation of the mitoKATP channel. Myocyte damage by 3 hrs anoxia and 2 hrs reoxygenation (A-R) was evaluated by cell viability, membrane permeability and apoptosis. Mitochondrial function was indicated by the concentration of ATP. Mitochondrial morphology was observed by staining myocytes with Mito Tracker Orange CMTMRos and by electron microscopy. Immunostaining was used to determine the distribution of cytochrome c. ΔΨm was assayed by staining with 5,5′,6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′,3,3′-tetraethylbenzimidazolcarbocyanine iodide (JC-1) and observed by con-focal microscopy. Results show that 1) An extensive damage was observed in cultured myocytes as evidenced by decreased cell viability, compromised membrane permeability, increased apoptosis and decreased ATP concentration after A-R. 2) Mitochondria in A-R myocytes were swollen and exhibited a collapsed ΔΨm. Cytochrome c was released from mitochondria into the cytosol. 3) Diazoxide (100μmol/L) significantly prevented myocyte and mitochondrial damage, cytochrome c loss, and stabilized ΔΨm. 4) This protection was blocked by 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD, 500μmol/L), a mitoKATP channel selective inhibitor but not by HMR-1098 (30μmol/L), a putative sarcolemmal KATP channel selective inhibitor. 5) Diazoxide reduced ΔΨm in normal cultured myocytes in a concentration- and time-independent pattern. It is concluded that activation of mitoKATP channel with diazoxide prevented disruption of ΔΨm resulting in protection against A-R induced injury.
TRUTH AND PROOF

Current versions of nominalism in the philosophy of mathematics face a significant problem to understand mathematical knowledge. They are unable to characterize mathematical knowledge as knowledge of the objects mathematical theories are taken to be about. Oswaldo Chateaubriand’s insightful reformulation of Platonism (Chateaubriand 2005) avoids this problem by advancing a broader conception of knowledge as justified truth beyond a reasonable doubt, and by introducing a suitable characterization of logical form in which the relevant mathematical facts play an important role in the truth of the corresponding mathematical propositions. In this paper, I contrast Chateaubriand’s proposal with an agnostic form of nominalism that is able to accommodate mathematical knowledge without the commitment to mathematical facts.Resumo: Versoes atuais do nominalismo em filosofia da matematica enfrentam uma dificuldade na compreensao do conhecimento matematico. Sao incapazes de caracterizar tal conhecimento como um conhecimento dos objetos descritos pelas teorias matematicas. A esclarecedora reformulacao do platonismo apresentada por Oswaldo Chateaubriand (Chateaubriand 2005) evita esse problema ao propor uma concepcao mais ampla de conhecimento como verdade justificada para alem de uma duvida razoavel, e ao introduzir uma caracterizacao adequada de forma logica segundo a qual fatos matematicos desempenham um papel importante na verdade das proposicoes matematicas correspondentes. Nesse artigo, comparo a proposta de Chateaubriand a uma forma agnostica de nominalismo que e capaz de acomodar o conhecimento matematico sem o comprometimento com fatos matematicos.Palavras chave: Platonismo. Nominalismo. Verdade. Prova. Conhecimento matematico.
Consumer Knowledge and Horse Preference for Different Colored Oats

Abstract Oats (Avena sativa L.) are used for human and livestock consumption. Currently, the market prefers white hulled oats that have a high test weight, which historically were used for equine feed. Plant breeding programs in the Midwest United States produce both white and yellow hulled oats that meet industry standards; however, there appears to be a market preference for white hulled oats even though the hull is removed before processing for human consumption. The perception for this preference is that the horse industry demands white oats. This two-part study was conducted to determine if horse owners and managers, or the horses, had a preference for a specific hull color. To accomplish the first objective, a 13-question survey regarding oat use and preference among horse owners and managers was administered for 6 weeks through the University of Minnesota Horse Extension Team. The 801 survey respondents did not have a visual preference for white or yellow hulled oats (P = .89). For individuals who purchased oats, the most important quality was cleanliness, with color and test weight being the least important. The second objective consisted of two horse-feeding trials. The horses did express a preference for yellow hulled over white hulled oats (P
Adaptation for Growth Via Learning New Skills as a Means to Long-Term Functional Independence in Older Adulthood: Insights From Emerging Adulthood

Maintenance of functional independence, or the ability to perform daily tasks independently, is a hallmark of successful aging. Healthy older adults are considered functionally independent if they pass a short survey consisting of relatively simple daily activities, including grocery shopping and managing finances. We argue that aging research often has overlooked an important factor for long-term functional independence in a dynamic environment: adaptation for growth via learning new skills. Previous research has focused primarily on compensation and mitigating decline rather than growth. Given that adaptation for growth is at the core of intelligence, resilience, and neuroplasticity, we suggest that functional independence research with older adults could integrate adaptation for growth into the construct, following research on adolescent autonomy and emerging adulthood. After briefly reviewing research on functional independence and compensation in older adulthood, we offer suggestions to push forward gerontological research linking adaptation for growth and functional independence.
Lokivetmab therapy for pruritus in a dog with cutaneous mastocytosis.

Background Cutaneous mastocytosis (CM) is a rare disease of dogs characterized by rash, pruritus and proliferation of mast cells in the skin. Oral H1 antihistamines are recommended as the treatment to control pruritus. Hypothesis/objective To describe the effective treatment of pruritus associated with CM with lokivetmab in one dog. Animal A 4-year-old, spayed female cross-bred dog presented with severely pruritic, erythematous to pigmented macules and papules involving the ventral abdomen, interdigital skin, perivulval area and both pinnae; the pruritus had been unresponsive to treatment with antihistamines, prednisone and ciclosporin. Methods and materials Complete blood count and serum biochemistry, abdominal ultrasound, blood smear and skin cytological evaluation, PCR, histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of skin biopsies. Results Skin cytological evaluation revealed high numbers of uniform, heavily granulated mast cells; histopathological findings showed focal dermal proliferations of well-differentiated, uniform mast cells consistent with a low-grade mast cell tumour (MCT). Clinical staging revealed that the disease was confined to the skin. Mutations of c-kit exon 8 and 11 were not detected. Treatment was initiated with anti-canine-interleukin (IL)-31 monoclonal antibody lokivetmab; antihistamines were continued. The dog's pruritus resolved within seven days and was maintained in remission over 15 months with once monthly lokivetmab injections; the skin lesions improved but did not resolve. Conclusion and clinical importance Lokivetmab treatment was effective in resolving and maintaining pruritus remission in this dog with widespread cutaneous mast cell disease. Whether CM in dogs represent a separate entity that should be distinguished from a low-grade MCT requires further investigation.
Regulating Autonomous Vehicles: A Policy Proposal

The widespread deployment and testing of autonomous vehicles in real-world environments raises key questions about how such systems should be regulated. Much of the current debate presupposes that the regulatory system we currently use for regular vehicles is also appropriate for semi- and fully-autonomous ones. In opposition, we first argue that there are serious challenges to regulating autonomous vehicles using current approaches, due to the nature of both autonomous capabilities (and their connections to operational domains), and also the systems' tasks and surrounding uncertainties. Instead, we argue that vehicles with autonomous capabilities are similar in key respects to drugs and other medical inter-ventions. Thus, we propose (on a "first principles" basis) a dynamic regulatory system with staged approvals and monitoring, analogous to the system used by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. We provide details about the operation of such a potential system, and conclude by characterizing its benefits, costs, and plausibility.
Inoculating Against Customer Vulnerability

This chapter offers defensive strategies to protect customers from vulnerability and thereby guard the firm against financial harm and customer defection. We compile best practices from academic studies, business advice, expert insights, and our own extensive research with companies and customers. Rather than dealing with the technical details of cybersecurity, which is the purview of IT experts, we instead study and review inoculation strategies that can protect the firm by establishing sound data privacy “marketing” practices that are designed essentially to benefit customers. Companies can create powerful shields to guard against the harms of privacy failures simply by keeping customers’ best interests as the core of everything they do. We acknowledge that there are many sophisticated approaches for keeping data safe, but our goal is to consider the ways data are collected and managed by the company’s marketing team, because today’s marketers must take responsibility to consider how they gather and use data in the context of establishing and offering customer value. We also continue to emphasize the value of transparency and control, as well as creating a company culture that explicitly prioritizes minimizing customer harm. Such companies can realize important benefits to their own bottom lines and create an effective defense against the myriad harms of data breaches and other possible privacy failures.
CHRONIC LACK OF SLEEP IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED SPORTS INJURY IN ADOLESCENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS:

Background:Although sleep has been identified as an important modifiable risk factor for sports injury, the effect of decreased sleep on sports injuries in adolescents is poorly studied.Purpose:To ...
Culture and Social Media: Changing Service Expectations

Technology has dramatically changed consumer expectations, especially with regard to customer service. Information technology has created an innovative way for people to communicate and interact with both each other and organizations. In particular, social networking websites have become a popular virtual meeting place for consumers to converge and share information. Social media allows consumers to voluntarily post personal information, upload photographs, send and receive messages, join groups, and blog at will. Consumers are increasingly turning to computer-mediated communication to mine the information they need for decision making. Consumers now have the means to communicate their opinions about products and companies to other consumers, “like themselves,” at a critical point in the sales cycle, i.e., at the beginning.
Endocrinopathies Associated With Noonan Syndrome

Abstract Noonan syndrome (NS) is a relatively common autosomal dominant, heterogeneous disorder included in the RASopathies. NS can present with an array of endocrine manifestations. Short stature is one of the cardinal features of NS, which is widely studied and treated. The precise mechanism of other endocrine disorders, such as cryptorchidism, delayed puberty, male infertility are not well delineated. In recent years, our understating of RASopathies’ consequences at the cellular level has broadened research and interest in many of these poorly understood manifestations. Effects of the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway on bone health, insulin resistance, and metabolism are new areas of interest. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive review of endocrine manifestation of NS based on current published literatures.
The molecular genetics of Joubert syndrome and related ciliopathies: The challenges of genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity

Joubert syndrome (JS; MIM PS213300) is a rare, typically autosomal recessive disorder characterized by cerebellar vermis hypoplasia and a distinctive malformation of the cerebellum and brainstem identified as the "molar tooth sign" on brain MRI. Other universal features include hypotonia with later ataxia and intellectual disability/developmental delay, with additional features consisting of oculomotor apraxia and abnormal respiratory pattern. Notably, other, more variable features include renal cystic disease, typically nephronophthisis, retinal dystrophy, and congenital hepatic fibrosis; skeletal changes such as polydactyly and findings consistent with short-rib skeletal dysplasias are also seen in many subjects. These pleiotropic features are typical of a number of disorders of the primary cilium, and make the identification of causal genes challenging given the significant overlap between JS and other ciliopathy conditions such as nephronophthisis and Meckel, Bardet-Biedl, and COACH syndromes. This review will describe the features of JS, characterize the 35 known genes associated with the condition, and describe some of the genetic conundrums of JS, such as the heterogeneity of founder effects, lack of genotype-phenotype correlations, and role of genetic modifiers. Finally, aspects of JS and related ciliopathies that may pave the way for development of therapeutic interventions, including gene therapy, will be described.
Evidence for Tyndall melt-figure production during spallation-induced pressure spikes associated with ice crushing

Abstract In discussing ice crushing in the brittle regime Gagnon (2016) had speculated that small Tyndall melt figures, functioning in conjunction with a previously observed thin squeeze-film slurry layer of melt and ice particles at the ice/structure interface, could play a role in the removal of ice from the interface. Here we present supporting evidence for the existence of the melt figures. Using high-speed imaging, small features were observed to rapidly appear and grow in size at the ice/surface interface during pressure spikes caused by spallation of ice in the contact zone during crushing experiments conducted at −10 °C. The observations correlate with data from a previous study of inwardly-propagating Tyndall melt figures that nucleate at the surface of ice, situated in an oil-filled pressure vessel, when subjected to rapid adiabatic pressure increments. That is, during the ice-crushing experiments the mean growth length of the features was 1.5 ± 0.6 mm, where associated ice/surface interfacial pressure spikes (from similar tests) were about 36 MPa. For comparison, the earlier melt-figure study yielded a growth length of ~ 1.7 mm, which is within reasonable agreement with the ice-crushing value for the same rapid pressure increment. Furthermore, the features had orientations that generally were aligned with the two diagonal axes that connected opposing corners of the four-sided pyramid-shaped samples, where confinement was greatest. Hence the internal stress, and associated superheating, in hard-zone ice at the crushing interface during pressure spikes was greatest along the two axes. The features tended to grow in these directions, where the most heat was available, so this suggests they were melt figures. An incidence where a twin pair of features exhibited an angular separation close to a crystal symmetry angle also suggests the features were melt figures. The orientation data generally indicate that orientations of melt figures in non-uniformly rapidly-stressed ice may differ from orientations in uniformly stressed ice. We conjecture that in the present study small melt figures form a tenuous liquid matrix of shallow depth (roughly 0.2 mm) in the hard-zone ice surface during pressure spikes. A unique erosive effect may occur as the material in the top portion of this weakened layer is sheared off by, and entrained in, the ambient viscous flow of slurry.
Supporting Multitracking Performance With Novel Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Displays

This article investigates performance in multiple concurrent tracking tasks with multisensory displays in a driving context. In many work domains, such as driving, aviation, process control, and medicine, humans perform “tracking” tasks that involve observing continuous variables and providing a control input to achieve and maintain satisfactory levels in those variables. Performance in multiple concurrent tracking tasks (“multitracking”) was studied in driving-like scenarios that challenged participants to track established targets for lateral (lane position) and longitudinal (speed) variables. Novel speed displays were developed to engage nontraditional sensory modalities (e.g., ambient-visual, auditory, or tactile) with relative speed conveyed through simple or multidimensional signal encoding methods. Participants’ speed-tracking and lane-tracking performances were measured concurrently and compared across display configurations within-subjects. Results showed lane tracking performance to be unaffected by display configuration; however, speed tracking and overall performance were significantly improved with novel displays, compared to the baseline configuration. Redundantly encoded auditory displays best-supported multitracking performance, but redundantly encoded tactile displays were not as beneficial as were simple encodings. These results provide insight into the human information processing of semicontinuous multisensory displays and can inform display design in driving and other visually demanding work contexts.
The Use of Imaging to Detect Intracranial Tumors in Idiopathic Olfactory Dysfunction: A Systematic Review.

ObjectivesTo review the literature regarding the use of intracranial imaging as a screening tool for idiopathic olfactory loss (IOL) and to review the incidence of identifying a sinonasal or intrac...
Explicit Methods using Various Spatial Discretizations

Stability and accuracy properties of finite element schemes for the shallow water equations have been investigated earlier (Gray and Lynch, 1977) for different time marching schemes. This chapter concentrates on two time marching procedures, the primitive equation leapfrog approximation and the wave equation formulation, in conjunction with various spatial discretizations. Consistent and lumped, linear and quadratic isoparametric Lagrangian finite elements as well as second and fourth order finite differences are studied on a uniform mesh with constant bathymetry in Section 5.2. It is shown that quadratic Lagrangian finite elements require the use of a smaller time step than linear elements to remain stable (Kinnmark and Gray, 1984c). This effect is more severe for the leapfrog method than for the wave equation formulation. For the two-dimensional cases considered, in Section 5.5, with equal node spacing, constant bathymetry and the Coriolis force neglected, the stability constraint is identical in form to the one-dimensional case with the square of the Courant number replaced by the sums of squares of the Courant number in x- and y-directions.
Contextual fear memory retrieval by correlated ensembles of ventral CA1 neurons

Ventral hippocampal CA1 (vCA1) projections to the amygdala are necessary for contextual fear memory. Here we used in vivo Ca2+ imaging in mice to assess the temporal dynamics by which ensembles of vCA1 neurons mediate encoding and retrieval of contextual fear memories. We found that a subset of vCA1 neurons were responsive to the aversive shock during context conditioning, their activity was necessary for memory encoding, and these shock-responsive neurons were enriched in the vCA1 projection to the amygdala. During memory retrieval, a population of vCA1 neurons became correlated with shock-encoding neurons, and the magnitude of synchronized activity within this population was proportional to memory strength. The emergence of these correlated networks was disrupted by inhibiting vCA1 shock responses during memory encoding. Thus, our findings suggest that networks of cells that become correlated with shock-responsive neurons in vCA1 are essential components of contextual fear memory ensembles.
Mining the Deep Seabed: Domestic Regulation, International Law, and UNCLOS OOO

this article seems to prevent market play with respect to the prices of these vital minerals and seems to protect the developing countries' cartel position. Keeping the prices high also causes income transfers to these countries independently of the Convention. The "prices remunerative to producers and fair to consumers" language of article 150 is subject to widely divergent interpretations, with the developing countries essentially asserting that market forces should not be allowed to freely operate and assuming that the industrialized countries can pay whatever price the cartels ask for their minerals. Eventually, this may backfire on the developing countries because the artificially high prices may spur the development of alternatives. Further, without appropriate Convention tracing mechanisms or domestic programs to ensure that these countries' peoples are bettered by this influx of wealth, there is the possibility that only the rich and powerful will benefit, and that the money will be diverted to military or political uses, rather than for the social programs that might increase the standard of living in these countries.
Headshots on bidi and smokeless tobacco packs in India and Bangladesh: a curious branding element.

The appeal of smoking and specific brands has long been promoted through carefully crafted, aspirational characters that are highlighted in tobacco marketing.1 2 The Marlboro Man is the archetypal fictional character that associated smoking with aspirational personal and lifestyle attributes in order to promote a specific brand; ad campaigns for brands such as Newport and Virginia Slims routinely depicted aspirational people in product promotions. There is little published research on branding of other tobacco products popular in low-income and middle-income countries. During data collection for TPackSS (Tobacco Packaging Surveillance System3) in India and Bangladesh, we noticed faces similar to headshots or passport photos as part of the branding on bidi and smokeless tobacco (SLT) packaging in a way that we did not see on cigarettes. Following the TPackSS protocol,4 we systematically collected 572 unique bidi (India: 2013, 2016, 2017; Bangladesh: 2013, 2016) and smokeless (Bangladesh: 2016; India: 2016, 2017) packs. Data were collected prior to and following changes to health warning label policies in both countries. Each pack was …
A Comprehensive Analysis of Treatment Management and Survival Outcomes in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

ObjectivesTo comprehensively investigate nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treatment, overall survival (OS), and the influence of clinical/sociodemographic factors on outcome.Study DesignRetrospective...