cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using Landsat-derived disturbance history (1972-2010) to predict current forest structure

article i nfo Lidar is currently the most accurate method for remote estimation of forest structure, but it has limited spatial and temporal coverage. Conversely, Landsat data are more widely available, but exhibit a weaker relationship with structure under medium to high leaf area conditions. One potentially valuable means of enhancing the re- lationship between Landsat reflectance and forest structure is to incorporate Landsat spectral trends prior to a date of interest. Because the condition of a forest stand at any point in time is linked to the stand's disturbance history, an approach that directly leverages the temporal information of Landsat time series should improve estimates of forest structure. The main objective of this study was to test and demonstrate the utility of distur- bance and recovery metrics derived from spectral profiles of annual Landsat time series (LTS) to predict current forest structure attributes (as compared to more traditional approaches, including airborne, discrete return lidar and single-date Landsat). We estimated aboveground live biomass (AGBlive), dead woody biomass (AGBdead), basal area (live and dead), and Lorey's mean stand height for a mixed-conifer forest in eastern Oregon, USA, and compared the results with estimates from lidar and single, current-date Landsat imagery. Annual time- series stacks for the entire Landsat record (1972-2010) were obtained to characterize all long-term (insect, growth) and short-term (fire, harvest) vegetation changes that occurred during that period. This required the additional objective of integrating Landsat data from MSS and TM/ETM+sensors, and we describe here our approach. To extract spectral trajectories and change metrics associated with forest disturbances and recovery we applied a temporal segmentation to the calibrated time series. Lidar predicted forest structure of live trees most accurately (e.g. AGBlive :R
Thermische Zersetzung und Aktivierung von Hexafluorosilicaten für Halogenaustauschreaktionen, ein Beitrag zur Frage der Wanderung von komplexen Gruppen in Festkörpern

Thermische Zersetzung und die damit fur den Halogenaustausch verbundene Aktivierung von kubischen Hexafluorosilicaten A2SiF6 mit A = K, Rb, Cs, Tl werden besonders am Beispiel von A = K beschrieben. Es wird eine aktive KF- und eine aktive Si-Komponente nachgewiesen. Die Aktivierung von KF im Gemisch mit K2SiF6 wird erlautert. Der Mechanismus der Zersetzung wird dargestellt und durch einen Formelvorschlag beschrieben. Im Festkorper wird die Wanderung von SiF-Gruppierungen postuliert. Thermal Decomposition and Activation of Hexafluorosilicates for Halogen Exchange, a Contribution to the Problem of Migration of Complex Groups in the Solid Thermal decomposition and the accompaning activation for halogen exchange of cubic hexafluorosilicates A2SiF6 where A = K, Rb, Cs, Tl have been described especially with the example K2SiF6. An active KF- und an active Si-component have been proved. The activation of KF in mixture of K2SiF6 has been explained. Description of the mechanism of decomposition is given together with a proposal of formulation by proper symbols. There is the assumption of SiF group migration in the solid.
Stroke- and pregnancy-induced hypertensive syndromes

Pregnancy-induced hypertensive syndromes are an important cause of cerebrovascular diseases during pregnancy. Women with pregnancy-induced hypertensive syndromes are at an increased risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. Posterior reversible encephalopathy and reversible vasoconstriction syndromes are common. Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis may also occur. Preeclampsia and eclampsia reflect generalized endothelial dysfunction. Prompt diagnosis and identification of patients at risk allows for early therapeutic interventions and improved clinical outcomes.
Cardiac output monitoring during off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

Abstract Objective: To evaluate and compare monitors of cardiac output during repositioning and stabilization of the heart for off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery. Design: Prospective, observational, clinical study. Setting: University teaching hospital. Participants: Consecutive patients scheduled to undergo elective OPCAB (n = 19). Interventions: Monitoring, induction, and anesthesia followed a routine protocol for coronary artery bypass patients. This included the use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and pulmonary artery catheter placement. Measurements and Main Results: After positioning and stabilization for OPCAB surgery, the changes in descending aortic flow velocity (VTI) times heart rate (HR) and the mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) could be used to predict the changes in thermodilution cardiac output (TDCO) using the following model: Δ TDCO ( calc ) =−13.15+0.35(Δ VTI ∗ HR )+0.61(Δ SvO 2 ) where Δ indicates the percentage change from baseline values. The changes in mean arterial pressure, mean pulmonary artery pressure, and continuous cardiac output did not correlate with the changes in TDCO. Conclusion: The use of the VTI∗HR, as determined by TEE, in addition to the SvO2 can strengthen clinical decision making during repositioning and stabilization of the heart during OPCAB. Changes in the VTI∗HR and SvO2 can be used as surrogate markers for changes in CO during OPCAB surgery.
A parallel evolutionary solution for the inverse kinematics of generic robotic manipulators

This paper is an improvement of our previous work [1]. It provides a robust, fast and accurate solution for the inverse kinematics problem of generic serial manipulators - i.e. any number and any combination of revolute and prismatic joints. Here, we propose further enhancements by applying an evolutionary approach on the previous architecture and explore the effects of different parameters on the performance of the algorithm. The algorithm only requires the Denavit-Hartenberg (D-H) representation of the robot as input and no training or robot-dependent optimization function is needed. In order to handle singularities and to overcome the possibility of multiple paths in redundant robots, our approach relies on the computation of multiple (parallel) numerical estimations of the inverse Jacobian while it selects the current best path to the desired configuration of the end-effector using an evolutionary algorithm. But unlike other iterative methods, our method achieves submillimeter accuracy in 20 iterations in average. The algorithm was implemented in C/C++ using POSIX threads, and it can be easily expanded to use more threads and/or many-core GPUs. We demonstrate the high accuracy and real-time performance of our method by testing it with five different robots including a 7-DoF redundant robot. Results show that the evolutionary implementation of the algorithm is able to reduce the number of iterations compared to the previous method significantly, while also finding the solution within the specified margin of error.
Ways of structuring data within a digital cartographic data base

The National Mapping Program includes the activities for providing basic map data and a family of general-purpose maps. The U.S. Geological Survey is developing a Digital Cartographic Data Base (DCDB) within the National Mapping Program to include such features and reference systems as the public land survey network, State and county boundaries, transportation systems, and hydrography. Although the public land survey network is administered by the Bureau of Land Management, it is included as a DCDB component because of its relationship to almost all cultural development beyond the thirteen original States. Such data included in DCDB have no legal status and are intended for display and map reference only. The interrelationship of these categories, particularly of the first three, requires care in structuring the digitized data so that valuable time is not wasted in producing cartographic spaghetti. This paper presents some ideas about structuring the components of DCDB.
Biology of Cooperative-Breeding Scrub Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) of Oaxaca, Mexico

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4088548?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents.
Loss of endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the pulmonary vessels of sheep after prolonged endotoxin

We examined the hemodynamic response of awake sheep to prolonged endotoxin infusion (10 ng.kg-1 x min-1 for 12 h) and the in vitro endothelium-dependent relaxation of pulmonary arterial vessels exc...
Regulation of Macrophage, Dendritic Cell, and Microglial Phenotype and Function by the SOCS Proteins

Macrophages are innate immune cells of dynamic phenotype that rapidly respond to external stimuli in the microenvironment by altering their phenotype to respond to and to direct the immune response. The ability to dynamically change phenotype must be carefully regulated to prevent uncontrolled inflammatory responses and subsequently to promote resolution of inflammation. The suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins play a key role in regulating macrophage phenotype. In this review, we summarize research to date from mouse and human studies on the role of the SOCS proteins in determining the phenotype and function of macrophages. We will also touch on the influence of the SOCS on dendritic cell (DC) and microglial phenotype and function. The molecular mechanisms of SOCS function in macrophages and DCs are discussed, along with how dysregulation of SOCS expression or function can lead to alterations in macrophage/DC/microglial phenotype and function and to disease. Regulation of SOCS expression by microRNA is discussed. Novel therapies and unanswered questions with regard to SOCS regulation of monocyte-macrophage phenotype and function are highlighted.
Screening for Breast Cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

This guideline from the USPSTF is based on current evidence on mammography, digital breast tomography, and supplemental screening for breast cancer. The recommendations apply to asymptomatic women ...
AB0385 A Randomized Controlled Clinical TRIAL to Evaluate the Efficacy of Recombinant Human Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Receptor II Fusion Protein in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Objectives Research the Recombinant Human Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Receptor type II fusion protein antibody (Etanercept)for Treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted, so as to provide evidence to better use of this drug in clinical application. Methods Randomized principle was applied to divide the 124 JIA cases into control and treatment group. Slow-acting antirheumatic, nonsteroidal drugs or adrenocortical hormone were applied in these cases as basic drugs. There are no significant differences (P>0.05) of clinical classification and basic treatment between the two groups.62 cases of treatment group achieved subcutaneous Etanercept, 0.8mg/kg per week with a six mouths9 period of treatment. The group included 17 oligoarticular cases (27.4 2%), 15 polyarticular cases (24.19%) and 30 SO-JIA cases (48.38%). The ACR Ped - 30, 50, 70 were used to assess the clinical efficacy. The occurrence of adverse reactions are monitored and recorded at the same time. Results The remission rate of different cases in treatment group was different at each time point (P Conclusions Etanercept has a good therapeutic effect for JIA cases that mainly have articular lesions such as the oligoarticular type and polyarticular type. The adverse reactions of short term (within 6 months) are rare, the long-term security and stability of joint recovery are subject to a large sample, multi-center long - term follow-up observational study. Etanercept can make So-JIA patients clinical remission, but infection and other adverse events should be strictly guarded against. We can consider Etanercept for the SO-JIA patients that the conventional treatment are of no effect or SO-JIA patients merge with MAS.But some of patients applied with Etanercept may get worse, there are no reliable predictor for this by now. The Long-term efficacy and adverse reactions require further observation. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.5459
Components of Perceived Sense of Humor Ratings of Self and other

120 college students were asked to rate themselves and their same-sex best friend on sense of humor and several other measures relating to humorous behavior. As in other studies, the mean sense of humor rating was quite high for both self and best friend. A regression analysis showed that the major determinant of one's own sense of humor is the quality of the jokes which one appreciates; the major determinant of the sense of humor of one's best friend is the quality of jokes that he or she tells. The results are discussed in terms of the actor-observer dimension postulated by attribution theory.
Comparative Development, Reproduction, and Oviposition of Pink Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) on a Resistant Okra-Leaf Cotton and Commercial Upland and Pima Cultivars

Selected life-history characteristics of pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), were studied in three upland (‘Deltapine 90’,‘DES-119’, and ‘WC-12NL’), Gossypium hirsutum L., and one American Pima (‘Pima S-6’), G. barbadense L., cottons in three separate trials during 1990 and 1991. Larval developmental times (egg hatch to larval cutout from bolls) were shortest on ‘Pima S-6’ bolls in all three trials (overall mean 205 ± 4 degree-days [12 and 32.5°C lower and upper thresholds, respectively)), and longest on WC-12NL, a nectariless, okra-leaf cotton with known resistance to pink bollworm, in one of three trials (overall mean, 248 ± 5 degree-days). Prepupal (range of overall means, 56–58 degree-days) and pupal (145–150 degree-days) developmental times were not affected by cotton type. Larval survival averaged from 40 to 50%, and did not differ among cottons. Prepupal (range of overall means, 90–96%) and pupal survival (80–88%) was significantly higher on ‘WC-12NL’ bolls and lower on ‘Pima S-6’, respectively, in separate trials. Significantly fewer ‘Pima S-6’ bolls were infested with pink bollworm eggs early in the season and fewer ‘WC-12NL’ bolls were infested during the middle part of the season in 1990 and on the last sample date in 1991. The mean number of eggs per infested boll (range of overall, means, 5.3–9.4) did not vary over the season for a given cotton in either year, but significantly fewer eggs were laid on ‘WC-12NL’ bolls in both years compared with the other cottons. Fecundity of adults from larvae reared on the four cottons varied between trials and was significantly greater on ‘Pima S-6’ in one trial. Ambient temperatures, measured within the canopy in 1991, varied only slightly between the four cottons, with weekly heat-unit accumulations differing by <5 degree-days. Resistance of WC-12NL’appeared to be largely manifested through reduced oviposition on bolls. Accelerated larval development and slightly higher fecundity of moths on ‘Pima S-6’ suggest that this cotton, in comparison with several upland cultivars, may be more susceptible to pink bollworm in the field. The site-specific accuracy of predictive models for pink bollwornl phenology and population growth might be enhanced through parameter adjustments for different cottons.
Draft Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus sp. Strain TCF032-E4, Isolated from Fermented Radish.

ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Lactobacillus sp. strain TCF032-E4 (= CCTCC AB2015090 = DSM 100358), isolated from a Chinese fermented radish. The total length of the 57 contigs is about 2.9 Mb, with a G+C content of 43.5 mol% and 2,797 predicted coding sequences (CDSs).
A new trend to determine biochemical parameters by quantitative FRET assays

Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) has been widely used in biological and biomedical research because it can determine molecule or particle interactions within a range of 1–10 nm. The sensitivity and efficiency of FRET strongly depend on the distance between the FRET donor and acceptor. Historically, FRET assays have been used to quantitatively deduce molecular distances. However, another major potential application of the FRET assay has not been fully exploited, that is, the use of FRET signals to quantitatively describe molecular interactive events. In this review, we discuss the use of quantitative FRET assays for the determination of biochemical parameters, such as the protein interaction dissociation constant (Kd), enzymatic velocity (kcat) and Km. We also describe fluorescent microscopy-based quantitative FRET assays for protein interaction affinity determination in cells as well as fluorimeter-based quantitative FRET assays for protein interaction and enzymatic parameter determination in solution.
Picosecond separation of electrical transients propagated on a bent coplanar waveguide

The aim of this work is to present, we believe for the first time, bend-induced separation of odd and even modes in coplanar waveguides (CPWs). The tested CPWs are shown inset in Figs. 1-3 and consist of a photoconductive switch and two curved bends with opposite orientations. The structures were made of Au on semi-insulating GaAs substrates with linewidth and separation of 50 μm. Measurements were made with an EO sampling system described in Ref. 1. Electrical transients were launched onto the CPW by illuminating the photoconductive switch with a train of ~100-fs laser pulses. The waveforms were sampled inside and outside of the bend region on the two sides of the CPW center conductor using a LiTaO3 finger probe.
Conclusion: The Sky is the Limit

Through this book, I’ve provided a general conceptual landscape of the interaction between Jews and Latinos in the 21st century. It serves as a snapshot of this place in time and it is my sincere hope that it will engage scholars, researchers, students, Latinos, Jews, and all Americans in future discussions about the ways in which cultural groups can come together based on their commonalities and shared experiences, to consider how to think about these two ethnic communities in America, how to build bridges between immigration and Israel, between Jews and Latinos, to help the communities as they navigate new terrain, face rising challenges, anti-immigration rhetoric, anti-Israel, anti-Semitism sentiment, and obstacles to their well-being. Indeed, the landscape is shifting almost daily. Obama’s plans for immigration reform are further away than ever, and a sense of despair has set in about reaching an agreement on reform with the new congress.1 Israel’s place as a beacon of democracy in the Middle East is increasingly under assault and anti-Semitism is once again at the forefront of these discussions. And in the United States, our conversations always pivot back to race, ethnicity and identity in America.
Webcam and video planetary imaging

The video astronomy revolution The reason DSLRs are not used for high-resolution lunar and planetary work is that another, much cheaper, instrument works much better. Just before the DSLR revolution came the video astronomy revolution. By aligning the best frames from a video recording, it suddenly became possible for amateurs with modest telescopes to take pictures like Figure B.1, which were, until then, almost beyond the reach of any earth-based telescope. The resolution of planetary images is limited by the turbulence of the atmosphere. By aligning hundreds or thousands of images, the video astronomer can see right through the turbulence. Air movements that are different in every frame cancel each other out, and what's left is what all the frames have in common, namely the true appearance of the planet. What's more, imperfect tracking is actually an advantage. If the planet image moves all over the sensor during the recording, no single pixel or dust speck will have much of an effect. Using a webcam or video imager A webcam is a cheap CCD camera that delivers a continuous stream of video to the computer by USB or FireWire connection. These are commonly used for low-cost videoconferencing. For astronomy, the lens is unscrewed and replaced with an eyepiece tube adapter (Figure B.2). Because the IR-blocking filter is in the lens, which was removed, it is desirable to add a UV/IR-blocking filter at the end of the eyepiece tube. Webcam adapters are sold by many telescope dealers.
Identities of Women Migrant Workers: The Intersection of Gender, Class and Place of Origin

When new women migrant workers are drawn into the global capitalist economy, they experience a transition from their ‘old’ identities (as peasants, rural residents, housewives and immigrants) to ‘new’ identities (as workers). In this process, their identities as unwed young women are also constructed by state and societal discourses about their origins.
Managers’ rules about sex workers’ health and safety in the illicit online sex market: Considering profits and risks

This study examines how 71 male pimps utilize rules about illicit drug use and safe sex practices to define their market sector, lower their risk of detection, and maximize the profitability of their business. The term, pimp, was used to refer to those who received a percentage of the earnings from sex workers in exchange for scheduling and negotiating with clients, arranging for the location of the sex work, the transportation to the location, and the protection of sex workers. This purposive sample was recruited through advertisements placed in the focus groups/studies and adult entertainment (escorts and massage) sections of Backpage in the cities of Chicago and Atlanta. Coding from qualitative interviews revealed that maximization of profits guided managers’ decisions on whether their sex workers would be required to use condoms, and refrain from illicit drug use. Safety rules, such as STD/HIV testing, were adopted and enforced to attract new customers and to assure returning of regular customers that their sex workers were free of STDs and HIV. Businesses that enforced strict rules prohibiting illicit drug use by sex workers were more sophisticated in their operations, employing others to drive sex workers, providing places for sex work to occur, and consulting with legal insiders to assist them in avoiding detection by law enforcement or to provide counsel on legal matters. Conversely, businesses that supplied drugs to workers and/or to clients or accepted drugs as a form of payment were more likely to operate on the lower profit end of the internet-solicited prostitution or indoor club market. The implications of these findings for policy are discussed.
Structure in talker-specific phonetic realization: Covariation of stop consonant VOT in American English

Abstract Variation across talkers in the acoustic-phonetic realization of speech sounds is a pervasive property of spoken language. The present study provides evidence that variation across talkers in the realization of American English stop consonants is highly structured. Positive voice onset time (VOT) was examined for all six word-initial stop categories in isolated productions of CVC syllables and in a multi-talker corpus of connected read speech. The mean VOT for each stop differed considerably across talkers, replicating previous findings, but importantly there were strong and statistically significant linear relations among the means (e.g., the mean VOTs of [pʰ] and [kʰ] were highly correlated across talkers, r>0.80). The pattern of VOT covariation was not reducible to differences in speaking rate or other factors known to affect the realization of stop consonants. These findings support a uniformity constraint on the talker-specific realization of a phonetic property, such as glottal spreading, that is shared by multiple speech sounds. Because uniformity implies mutual predictability, the findings also shed light on listeners׳ ability to generalize knowledge of a novel talker from one stop consonant to another. More broadly, structured variation of the kind investigated here indicates a relatively low-dimensional encoding of talker-specific phonetic realization in both speech production and speech perception.
Communication Through a Window of Error: Proportional Processing and Signal Categorization

Animals can perceive information about the physical and social environment around them only through their sensory systems. Because of this, the constraints of sensory mechanisms can impact animals’ abilities to accurately assess their environment. In communication systems, receivers depend on perceiving signals to make decisions about how to respond. One feature of sensory systems that can blur their perceptual interpretation of stimuli is an imperfect ability to compare magnitudes. This complicates communication tasks such as signal categorization. For many sensory parameters, this difficulty is exacerbated for high-magnitude stimuli. Often, the potential error in perceiving stimulus magnitude varies predictably according to magnitude. This allows us to predict how receiver error can influence the evolution of communication systems, including signal characteristics, signaler strategies, and receiver behaviors. Perceptual error can contribute to the evolution of exaggerated signals, novel signal components, loss of signal components, and directional changes according to signal function. For signalers, perceptual error by receivers can lead to changes in rate of display, choice of dynamic signal components, and escalation of competitions. For receivers, this process sheds light on the evolution of sensory systems, allocation of attention, and compensatory behaviors. We invite researchers to apply these concepts in diverse areas of animal communication study.
Functional Characterization of S1QELs

S1QELs ( S uppressors of site I Q E lectron L eak) are small molecules that specifically suppress production of O2●– and/or H2O2 during reverse electron transport through mitochondrial respiratory complex I (site IQr) without affecting oxidative phosphorylation. They hold great promise as tools to probe mitochondrial superoxide production and as potential pharmaceutical leads. To better characterize these suppressors, a comparative study was conducted using two strucuturally-unrelated S1QELs, S1QEL1 and S1QEL2, and rotenone, the classical electron transport inhibitor at site IQ. We examined their effects on (1) IQr, (2) O2●–/H2O2 production at site IQ during forward electron transport (site IQf), (3) forward electron transport (FET) and (4) reverse electron transport (RET). S1QELs and rotenone suppressed IQr, with relative potency of S1QEL1 > rotenone > S1QEL2. None of the compounds suppressed IQf at any tested concentration. S1QELs were functionally different from rotenone: S1QELs and rotenone suppressed IQr at submicromolar concentrations, but the inhibition of FET and RET by S1QELs was far less potent than that of rotenone. Rotenone also inhibited FET more strongly than RET, where the opposite was true for S1QEL1. S1QEL1 was also found to be different from S1QEL2: S1QEL1 inhibited FET and RET but S1QEL2 did not, which suggests they have different mechanisms.
Can spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirky) pheromone trap catches or stand conditions predict Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) tree mortality in Colorado

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) can cause extensive tree mortality in forests dominated by their hosts. Among these, the spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) is one of the most important beetles in western North America causing Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) tree mortality. Although pheromone traps with attractants are commonly used to monitor spruce beetle populations, the relationship between the numbers of beetles caught in pheromone traps and subsequent tree mortality has not been investigated adequately. We used pheromone traps to catch spruce beetles in plots throughout the insect flight period, quantified subsequent tree mortality, and modelled spruce tree mortality as a function of spruce beetle trap catches and stand conditions. The number of beetles caught was not different between years. It was also positively associated with tree mortality, as was the amount of available host. The year of sampling was significant in all models as a result of different mortality levels between years. We conclude that, although the models had good fit, the difference in mortality between the years with a similar beetle catch negates reliable estimates of tree mortality across years. Managers and forest health specialists will be better served by continued monitoring of spruce beetle populations with pheromone traps and the use of stand variables to identify susceptible stands.
Repurposing a novel parathyroid hormone analogue to treat hypoparathyroidism

Background and Purpose Human parathyroid hormone (PTH) is critical for maintaining physiologic calcium homeostasis, and plays an important role in the formation and maintenance of bone. Full-length PTH and a truncated peptide form are approved for treatment of hypoparathyroidism and osteoporosis, respectively. Our initial goal was to develop an improved PTH therapy for osteoporosis, but clinical development was halted. The novel asset was then repurposed as an improved therapy for hypoparathyroidism. Experimental Approach To create a longer-acting form of PTH, changes were introduced to the peptide to increase cell surface residence time of the bound ligand to its receptor. In vitro screening identified a candidate, which was tested in an animal model of osteoporosis prior to entering human trials. The candidate was subsequently tested in two independent animal models of hypoparathyroidism. Key Results A peptide was identified, termed LY627-2K, with delayed internalization kinetics. In an ovariectomy-induced bone loss rat model, LY627-2K demonstrated improved vertebral bone mineral density and biomechanical properties at skeletal sites, and a modest increase in serum calcium. In a Phase I clinical study, dose-dependent increases in serum calcium were recapitulated. These observations prompted us to explore a second indication, hypoparathyroidism. In animal models of this disease, LY627-2K restored serum calcium, comparing favorably to treatment with wild-type PTH. Conclusions and Implications We summarize the repositioning of a therapeutic candidate with substantial preclinical and clinical data. Our results support the rationale for repurposing and continued development, pivoting from a common indication, osteoporosis, to a rare disease, hypoparathyroidism, by exploiting a shared molecular target.
Degradation of Crude 4-MCHM (4-Methylcyclohexanemethanol) in Sediments from Elk River, West Virginia

In January 2014, approximately 37 800 L of crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (crude MCHM) spilled into the Elk River, West Virginia. To understand the long-term fate of 4-MCHM, we conducted experiments under environmentally relevant conditions to assess the potential for the 2 primary compounds in crude MCHM (1) to undergo biodegradation and (2) for sediments to serve as a long-term source of 4-MCHM. We developed a solid phase microextraction (SPME) method to quantify the cis- and trans-isomers of 4-MCHM. Autoclaved Elk River sediment slurries sorbed 17.5% of cis-4-MCHM and 31% of trans-4-MCHM from water during the 2-week experiment. Sterilized, impacted, spill-site sediment released minor amounts of cis- and up to 35 μg/L of trans-4-MCHM into water, indicating 4-MCHM was present in sediment collected 10 months post spill. In anoxic microcosms, 300 μg/L cis- and 150 μg/L trans-4-MCHM degraded to nondetectable levels in 8–13 days in both impacted and background sediments. Under aerobic conditions, 4-MCHM i...
Chemical Degradation of Polyacrylamide during Hydraulic Fracturing

Polyacrylamide (PAM) based friction reducers are a primary ingredient of slickwater hydraulic fracturing fluids. Little is known regarding the fate of these polymers under downhole conditions, which could have important environmental impacts including decisions on strategies for reuse or treatment of flowback water. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical degradation of high molecular weight PAM, including the effects of shale, oxygen, temperature, pressure, and salinity. Data were obtained with a slickwater fracturing fluid exposed to both a shale sample collected from a Marcellus outcrop and to Marcellus core samples at high pressures/temperatures (HPT) simulating downhole conditions. Based on size exclusion chromatography analyses, the peak molecular weight of the PAM was reduced by 2 orders of magnitude, from roughly 10 MDa to 200 kDa under typical HPT fracturing conditions. The rate of degradation was independent of pressure and salinity but increased significantly at high temperatur...
Investigation of LSTM based prediction for dynamic energy management in chip multiprocessors

In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of using long short-term memory (LSTM) instead of Kalman filtering to do prediction for the purpose of constructing dynamic energy management (DEM) algorithms in chip multi-processors (CMPs). Either of the two prediction methods is employed to estimate the workload in the next control period for each of the processor cores. These estimates are then used to select voltage-frequency (VF) pairs for each core of the CMP during the next control period as part of a dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) technique. The objective of the DVFS technique is to reduce energy consumption under performance constraints that are set by the user. We conduct our investigation using a custom Sniper system simulation framework. Simulation results for 16 and 64 core network-on-chip based CMP architectures and using several benchmarks demonstrate that the LSTM is slightly better than Kalman filtering.
The Use of Big Data Analytics by the IRS: What Tax Practitioners Need to Know

With the budget reductions and losses in staff over the past several years, the IRS has been forced to do more with less. In turn, the IRS has turned to big data analytics make up for its loss of personal and the impact of the budget reductions. In 2011, the IRS created the Office of Compliance Analytics in order to create analytics programs that could identify potential refund fraud, detect taxpayer identity theft, and become more efficient in handling noncompliance issues. The IRS uses a wide range of analytic methods to mine public and commercial data including social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The data collected from this mining is combined with IRS’s own proprietary information and analyzed using pattern recognition algorithms, which help to identify potential noncompliant taxpayers. The current ability to continuous monitor financial and personal behavior facilitates the building of exhaustive histories of individuals. Knowing that the IRS is utilizing public internet data from websites such as Facebook, taxpayers should consider that their posts could impact their probability of audit.
Brief report: Single-dose preoperative prophylaxis in transurethral surgery: Ciprofloxacin versus cefotaxime

e iprofloxacin is a new fluoroquinolone that, as compared with other quinalones, shows significant antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) are generally in the range of 0.01 to 2.0 pglml. Although it is still controversial [l], we believe that antibacterial prophylaxis is indicated in transurethral surgery, even when the urine is sterile [2,3], to diminish the incidence of postoperative bacteriuria and associated sepsis and to shorten the duration of hospitalization for these procedures [41. The double-blind study was conducted to compare the efficacy of singledose intravenous ciprofloxacin with cefotaxime in single-dose preoperative prophylaxis in transurethral surgery.
Accommodation as a Rhetorical Principle: Twenty Years after John O’Malley’s The First Jesuits (1993)

Twenty years after its publication, John O’Malley’s The First Jesuits (1993) can be located within a broader “postmodern” intellectual context that followed in the wake of 1989 and the consequent end of the Cold War. This context included both Stephen Toulmin’s Cosmopolis (1990), a revisionist account of the origins of “modernity,” and Homi K. Bhabha’s The Location of Culture (1994), a foundational work in post-colonial theorization of cultural hybridity. O’Malley’s thesis that early Jesuit ministries shared a common fundamental “rhetorical” dimension exemplifies Toulmin’s account of a sixteenth-century rhetorical preference for the particular, local, and timely. This rhetorical accommodation to the individual also informed the missionary strategies developed by Valignano and Ricci in the Far East. Ricci’s True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven (1603) can be read as a hybridizing cultural accommodation, a strategy with both promise and peril for self-identity. However, as the tumultuous (and eventually tragic) history of the Chinese Rites demonstrates, a Renaissance preference for the particular would encounter serious opposition during the seventeenth-century’s “quest for certainty” and corollary embrace of universals. Toulmin would argue, however, that this “Counter-Renaissance” repudiation of accommodation did not make the sixteenth-century project any less “modern.” Rather, he would see O’Malley’s first Jesuits as exemplars of modernity’s original form—a preference for the particular and openness to hybridity which Toulmin imagined being recovered in late-twentieth-century “postmodernity.”
Practical Memory Concerns of Older Adults

We examine practical memory concerns in a sample of community-dwelling older adults. Participants responded to open-ended questions that were designed to solicit information regarding memory self-efficacy, memory management, memory remediation, and fears about memory aging in adulthood. Results indicated that (a) important dates, such as birthdays and anniversaries, were easily remembered, but names were not; (b) external memory aids were used most frequently; (c) a desire to improve memory for names and certain types of verbal information was expressed; and (d) loss of independence emerged as a fear associated with memory aging. Implications of these findings for the design of strategies to improve everyday memory performance and clinical memory management in older adults are discussed.
Contested or established? A comparison of legislative powers across regimes

ABSTRACTIn research on authoritarian institutions, legislatures are portrayed as capable of resolving dilemmas between the leader and opposition members. Nevertheless, repeated interactions between a leader and their ruling coalition can lead to both contested dictatorships, in which institutions constrain the leader, and established dictatorships, in which the leader exercises near-complete control. To date, however, no one has examined the patterns by which powers vary across legislatures in different settings and over time. Using data from the Varieties of Democracy Project on legislative powers between 1900 and 2017, we conceptualize changes in the powers afforded to the national congress to characterize the development of regimes in either direction. The study expounds on the content of legislatures across regimes and the ways in which they change, encouraging scholars to further consider the relationship between regime dynamics and legislative institutionalization.
Promoting Exercise in Wheelchairs Through Wireless Sensing and Computing in a Mobile App

Individuals with lower mobility impairment face many barriers to regular, appropriately intense exercise. To combat these barriers and the resulting cardiometabolic disease risk, we are developing a mobile fitness system to promote and facilitate exercises which can be done in wheelchairs in the convenience of one’s home. This mobile fitness system exploits computing and wireless sensing to promote exercise in a number of ways: (A) monitoring a fitness metric which users find a reliable and trustworthy; (B) gamifying exercises; (C) healthy, friendly competition with other users; and (D) providing text notifications as reminders to exercise.
Impact of tumor regression grade on recurrence after preoperative chemoradiation and gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES It is unknown whether the degree of response to preoperative therapy correlates with locoregional recurrence (LR) or distant recurrence (DR) after resection of gastric cancer. METHODS Patients who underwent resection of gastric adenocarcinoma following chemotherapy and chemoradiation (1995-2015) were reviewed. The tumor regression grade (TRG) was defined by the percentage of viable tumor cells in the specimen (TRG0 = 0%; TRG1 = 1%-2%; TRG2 = 3%-50%; TRG3 ≥ 50%). The relationships among TRG, recurrence-free survival (RFS), LR, and DR were examined. RESULTS Two hundred forty-seven patients met the inclusion criteria (TRG0, 52 [21%]; TRG1, 49 [20%]; TRG2, 98 [40%]; TRG3, 48 [19%]). LR and DR occurred in 6.1% and 32.0% of patients, respectively. No patient with TRG0 experienced LR. R1 resection (6%-15%) and LR (6%-8%) rates were similar among TRG1-3 patients. R1 resection was associated with LR (hazard ratio [HR], 17.85; P < .001). ypN status (HR, 2.44; P = .004) and linitis plastica (HR, 2.90; P < .001) were associated with DR. TRG was not independently associated with RFS, LR, or DR. CONCLUSIONS TRG0 imparted excellent local control. However, TRG1-3 patients had similar R1 resection rates and therefore similar LR. DR is associated with ypN status and linitis plastica, not TRG.
Echoes of Ariadne in the Musical Reception of Ariosto and Tasso

This article discusses Fulvio Testi's libretto “L'isola di Alcina” (1626), based on Ariosto's “Orlando furioso.” After considering its significance to the cultural politics of the Este and the author's preoccupations with poetical and political lineage, the essay focuses on the sorceress Alcina's lament in act 4 and its afterlife in the Baroque cantata repertoire. Echoes from Claudio Monteverdi and Ottavio Rinuccini's “Arianna” as well as the memory of the sorceress Armida from Torquato Tasso's “Gerusalemme liberata” are crucial to the gradual reshaping that, across poetry and music, transforms the evil character into a woman worthy of the audience's sympathy.
Epiphytic macrolichen communities indicate climate and air quality in the U.S. Midwest

Epiphytic lichens directly exposed to atmospheric conditions can help detect how diffuse but pressing global changes may impact regional forest health. For 388 plots in the U.S. Midwest region, we developed indices for climate and air quality based on variation in tree-dwelling macrolichen community compositions (NMS ordination scores), species indicator values, and species environmental optima. Three lichen indices (NMS axis 1 scores, thermophile scores, and climate centroid scores) strongly covaried with thermal and evaporative-demand variables. By contrast, three other indices (NMS axis 2 scores, nitrophile scores and nitrogen centroid scores) were correlated with NHx (reduced N) deposition. Lichen communities had contrasting responses to different forms of N (NOx vs. NHx). Overall, thermal climate variables appeared more influential than air quality in structuring regional communities, based on greater explained variation of community compositions. Richness of species and of potentially adaptive secondary metabolites declined in hot, dry, or NHx-rich sites. With continued monitoring, significant changes in lichen-community based indices could signal directional shifts in forest vegetation. Changes in the thermophile or nitrophile indices more specifically would indicate the agent and rate of change for forest-altering trends.
Occupancy Detection for Smart HVAC Efficiency in Building Energy: A Deep Learning Neural Network Framework using Thermal Imagery

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) costs a significant portion of total building energy consumption and aiming occupant comfort is imminent to measure building efficiency. Continuous detection of occupancy numbers in a large conference room can be used to automate the HVAC system for energy efficiency and human comfort. In this study, two techniques are investigated to estimate the number of people in a large room by using Thermal Camera Imagery. Firstly, the performance of a pretrained ResNet-50 deep learning technique with Support Vector Machine (SVM) multi classification is investigated. Additionally, the performance of pre-trained AlexNet with transfer learning model is proposed to classify the number of people present in a room using thermal images. The performance accuracies of ResNet-50 with multi class SVM and proposed model are around 96% and over 98% respectively. We observed that the proposed model always performed better than ResNet-50 + SVM, when tested with various size of image datasets, while the computational time for training model also increased proportionally with increase in image data size. However, ResNet-50 + SVM model maintained the same computational time against the increase in image data size.
Creating an Ideal World: A Review of Work, Love, and Learning in Utopia: Equality Reimagined

In a utopian society that emphasizes compassion, joy, and happiness through the eradication of hierarchy, the suggestion that Utopia might have to engage in population control lands like a bomb. He argues this is essential, because it will not only help end intergender hierarchies, but also help reduce intragender hierarchies based upon sex that manifest, for instance, in men being socialized to treat sex as a conquest and competition. The coronavirus pandemic has made the shortcomings of neoliberalism glaringly obvious. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Social Justice Research is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
On the Road to Hell: Why Academia Is Viewed as Irrelevant to Practicing Managers

The assumptions we have typically used to formulate our theories and conduct our research have led us to be seen as irrelevant by an audience we should want to engage. Consequently, our approach to...
Adaptive Visualization Component of a Distributed Web-Based Adaptive Educational System

Adaptive visualization is a technology that can enhance the power of program visualization. The idea of adaptive visualization is to adapt the level of details in a visualization to the level of student knowledge about these constructs. This paper presents an adaptive visualization system, WADEIn, that was developed to explore visualization of expression execution during program execution - a under-explored area in visualization research. WADEIn has been designed as a component of our distributed Web-based adaptive educational system KnowledgeTree, however it also can be used as a standalone educational tool. The system has been pilot-tested in the context of a real university course with 40 students and is available on the Web for public use.
An Early Cinema Textbook, on Simon Popple and Joe Kember's Early Cinema: From Factory Gate to Dream Factory

Simon Popple and Joe Kember _Early Cinema: From Factory Gate to Dream Factory_ London and New York: Wallflower Press, 2004 ISBN 1-903364-58-2 136 pp.
Unformly Applicative Structures, A Theory of Computability and Polyadic Functions

This article describes a Computability theory developed from the theory of URS described by E.G. Wagner and H.R. Strong and a Combinatory theory named TGE presented by the authors. Its main contribution is that the theory handles polyadicity as a primitive notion and allows a natural representation of functions with variable arity, that is functions which can be applied to sequences of arguments of any length. Aside from classical computability results, we prove a General Abstraction theorem which allows us to construct representations for a large class of functions with variable arity.