cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epidemic histoplasmosis and airborne Histoplasma capsulatum.

SummaryIt is believed that these 5 isolations represent the first time that H. capsulatum has been obtained from naturally contaminated air. These results and the presence of an epidemic pulmonary disease in the residents on these farms provide evidence that H. capsulatum can be airborne. These results also show that the large and small Venturi scrubbers of the type employed are capable of removing the spores of H. capsulatum from air.
Approximate join processing over data streams

We consider the problem of approximating sliding window joins over data streams in a data stream processing system with limited resources. In our model, we deal with resource constraints by shedding load in the form of dropping tuples from the data streams. We first discuss alternate architectural models for data stream join processing, and we survey suitable measures for the quality of an approximation of a set-valued query result. We then consider the number of generated result tuples as the quality measure, and we give optimal offline and fast online algorithms for it. In a thorough experimental study with synthetic and real data we show the efficacy of our solutions. For applications with demand for exact results we introduce a new Archive-metric which captures the amount of work needed to complete the join in case the streams are archived for later processing.
HEPARINEMIA (?) : AN ANTICOAGULANT IN THE BLOOD OF DOGS WITH HEMORRHAGIC TENDENCY AFTER TOTAL BODY EXPOSURE TO ROENTGEN RAYS.

When the entire body of dogs was exposed to 450 units of Roentgen irradiation a hemorrhagic syndrome developed which was characterized by thrombo-cytopenia, prolonged clotting and bleeding times, and neutropenia. The prothrombin time remained normal until about 24 hours before death. The calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium levels were not altered. Fibrinogen was present but syneresis was poor. Toluidine blue and protamine sulfate, substances which can inhibit the biologic action of heparin, restored the clotting time to normal. The hemorrhagic state was not materially altered by transfusions, vitamin K, or vitamin C. Toluidine blue and protamine sulfate were ineffective in the control of hemorrhage produced by dicumarol. The defect responsible for bleeding after irradiation appeared to be the presence in the circulation of an anticoagulant whose properties, so far as tested, were indistinguishable from those of heparin.
Is midtrimester short cervix a sign of intraamniotic inflammation

Objective We sought to determine the relationship between the degree of cervical shortening and intraamniotic inflammation in patients presenting with a midtrimester short cervix. Study Design Amniocentesis was performed on singleton pregnancies between 16-24 weeks' gestation with a sonographic cervical length (CL) ≤ 25 mm. The fluid was assayed for 25 cytokines. Spearman correlations were used to determine which cytokines correlate with CL. Stepwise regression identified the most significant cytokine and a receiver operating characteristic curve determined the CL cutoff predictive of intraamniotic inflammation. Results In all, 109 amniotic fluid samples were analyzed. Most (21 of 25) cytokines were inversely correlated to CL. Monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 was the most significant by stepwise regression. Using a cutoff of MCP-1 > 1500 pg/mL, CL of 5 mm had an 86% sensitivity, 85% specificity, 58% positive predictive value, and 96% negative predictive value to predict elevated MCP-1 levels. After excluding patients with intraamniotic infection or labor, findings were similar. Conclusion CL ≤ 5 mm is associated with significant increases in amniotic fluid inflammatory cytokines, even in the absence of infection or labor. In the future, differentiation of those with and without inflammation may aid in choosing therapy directed at the cause of cervical shortening.
Experience with Privatisation: A New Institutional Economics Perspective

Does privatisation or corporatisation under state ownership produce better performance in cases where institutions are weak? This paper hypothesises that privatisation will dominate corporatisation in regulated industries when it increases competition or contestability or motivates private owners to invest and maximise profits. It might also dominate if it makes use of reputation for enforcing contracts. The paper illustrates the argument using data from four case studies of telecommunications and water in Africa and calls for more research on a larger sample in order to test the theory. Copyright 2002 , Oxford University Press.
A generic architecture for intelligent simulation training systems

A generic object-oriented model for building intelligent simulation training systems with adaptive, interactive, pseudo-real-time simulations is presented. The model provides for the generic modeling of simulation scenarios that train the student to detect and remove undesirable situations, and to create desirable situations. These situations are organized, created (as a tutorial activity), detected, traced, supported and explained by a lattice of generically defined curriculum objects. Simulation objects are modified by the student whose actions may remove or delete situations. The feedback of the system and the evaluation procedures are based on the timing of the student actions, their side effects and their comparison with expert action suggestions. Activated segments of a distinct rule-based domain-expert system generate suggestions and evaluations. >
Proposed Guideline Clarifications for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

The Initial Implementing Guidance for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides guidance for a feed-based information dissemination architecture. In this report, we suggest some improvements and refinements of the initial guidelines, in the hope of paving the path for a more transparent and useful feed-based architecture. This report is meant as a preliminary guide to how the current guidelines could be made more specific and provide better guidance for providers and consumers of recovery act spending information. It is by no means intended as a complete or final set of recommendations.
Simultaneous presence of different antigenic populations of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in Microtus montanus.

Trypanosomes were isolated before and after the formation of infected detectable antibody from various brain sites and the blood of Microtus montanus. All isolates were serotyped by the agglutination reaction, and the isolates obtained prior to antibody formation were serologically identical to the original inoculum. Later isolates obtained from separate sites of an infected animal were serologically different from the original inoculum and also from each other. It was therefore concluded that in a single chronically infected animal there are numerous different antigenic populations of trypanosomes each occupying separate brain sites. A hypothesis to account for this antigenic diversity is given.
Light interacts with auxin during leaf elongation and leaf angle development in young corn seedlings

Modern corn (Zea mays L.) varieties have been selected for their ability to maintain productivity in dense plantings. We have tested the possibility that the physiological consequence of the selection of the modern hybrid, 3394, for increased crop yield includes changes in responsiveness to auxin and light. Etiolated seedlings in the modern line are shorter than in an older hybrid, 307, since they produce shorter coleoptile, mesocotyl, and leaves (blade as well as sheath). Etiolated 3394 seedlings, as well as isolated mesocotyl and sheath segments, were less responsive to auxin and an inhibitor of polar auxin transport, N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA). Reduced response of 3394 to auxin was associated with less reduction of elongation growth by light (white, red, far-red, blue) than in 307, whereas the activity of polar auxin transport (PAT) and its reduction by red or far-red light was similar in both genotypes. NPA reduced PAT in etiolated 3394 seedlings much less than in 307. A characteristic feature of 3394 plants is more erect leaves. In both hybrids, light (white, red, blue) increases leaf declination from the vertical, whereas NPA reduces leaf declination in 307, but not in 3394. Our results support findings that auxin and PAT are involved in elongation growth of corn seedlings, and we show that light interacts with auxin or PAT in regulation of leaf declination. We hypothesize that, relative to 307, more erect leaves in the modern hybrid may be primarily a consequence of a reduced amount of auxin receptor(s) and reduced responsiveness to light in etiolated 3394 plants. The more erect leaves in 3394 may contribute to the tolerance of the modern corn hybrid to dense planting.
Plasma assisted flame ignition of supersonic flows over a flat wall

A nanosecond pulsed plasma discharge located between two fuel jets is used to ignite and hold jet flames in supersonic crossflows, without the use of additional devices (e.g., cavities or backsteps) for flame holding. The fuel injection nozzles and discharge electrodes are mounted flush with the surface of the flat wall adjacent to the freestream flow. The nonequilibrium plasma is produced by repetitive pulses of 15 kV peak voltage, 10 ns pulse width and 50 kHz repetition rate. Sonic or subsonic fuel jets (hydrogen and ethylene) are injected into a pure oxygen freestream of Mach numbers Ma = 1.7–2.4. The shockwave/flow structures induced by the fuel jets and the OH radical distribution resulting from combustion are characterized by Schlieren photography and planar laser induced fluorescence imaging, respectively. A configuration combining an upstream subsonic oblique jet and a downstream sonic transverse jet is shown to provide adequate flow conditions for jet flame ignition assisted by the plasma discharge. The experimental results are interpreted using a simple model by which the pulsed plasma serves as a source of reactive radicals added to a flammable gas mixture.
Attachment and Relationships Across Time: An Organizational-Developmental Perspective

In this chapter, we present the normative organizational-developmental perspective that has guided our thinking and research on how and why certain types of interpersonal experiences encountered earlier in life are systematically linked to individual-level and couple-level functioning in later relationships. We begin by overviewing the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation (MLSRA; Sroufe et al., The development of the person: The Minnesota Study of Risk and Adaptation from Birth to Adulthood, 2005) and by discussing some of the key measures that have been collected as part of this novel longitudinal sample. We then discuss the findings of several recent studies that have examined how romantic relationships are maintained and sometimes dissolve during early adulthood (age 20–23), including the ways in which these relationship processes are shaped by the quality of targets’ early caregiving experiences. Following this, we describe how an organizational-developmental perspective clarifies our understanding of the normative processes through which adult romantic relationships develop and their early interpersonal origins. We conclude by discussing some promising directions for future research.
FIFA Has Made the 'Beautiful Game' Ugly

This article provides background for a discussion of the criminal proceedings against 14 individuals and 25 co-conspirators connected with the international “soccer” umbrella organization FIFA, the Federation Internationale de Football Association. A discussion of the U.S. federal Indictment filed May 20, 2015 is included.To enhance understanding of the state of corruption at FIFA, which serves as the basis for the indictment, the article also deals with the stunning selection by FIFA in December 2010 of Russia and Qatar as the venues for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup championship games.The selection of Russia and Qatar led to an immediate storm of public protest and, once again, to allegations of corruption at FIFA. FIFA responded to this criticism by once again reorganizing its Ethics Committee and commencing an investigation into the 2018/2022 selection process to determine if it had been “compromised.” The Investigatory Branch of the Ethics Committee, hired a prominent former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael Garcia, as its head. Garcia conducted a 13 month investigation into the 2018/2022 selection process. He produced a 450-page report of findings. This report was provided to the Adjudicatory branch of the Ethics Committee, headed by German judge, Hans-Joachim Eckert. Eckert prepared a 42-page Statement dealing with Garcia’s Investigatory Branch report. Eckert’s Statement announced, inexplicably, that the Ethics Committee had concluded that the FIFA selection process resulting in the choice of Russia and Qatar as World Cup hosts had not been compromised.Garcia immediately objected, demanding the public release of his report. Eckert refused to publish this report, even in redacted form. As a result Michael Garcia resigned as head of the Investigative Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee.Also attached to this brief article are the important documents relevant to the FIFA criminal proceeding. These include the full text of the Indictment, the criminal laws charged, the FIFA Statutes (its constitution) and FIFA’s current Code of Ethics.
The effects of host-feeding on stability of discrete-time host–parasitoid population dynamic models

Discrete-time models are the traditional approach for capturing population dynamics of a host-parasitoid system. Recent work has introduced a semi-discrete framework for obtaining model update functions that connect host-parasitoid population levels from year-to-year. In particular, this framework uses differential equations to describe the host-parasitoid interaction during the time of year when they come in contact, allowing specific behaviors to be mechanistically incorporated. We use the semi-discrete approach to study the effects of host-feeding, which occurs when a parasitoid consumes a potential host larva without ovipositing. We find that host-feeding by itself cannot stabilize the system, and both populations exhibit behavior similar to the Nicholson-Bailey model. However, when combined with stabilizing mechanisms such as density-dependent host mortality, host-feeding contracts the region of parameter space that allows for a stable host-parasitoid equilibrium. In contrast, when combined with a density-dependent parasitoid attack rate, host-feeding expands the non-zero equilibrium stability region. Our results show that host-feeding causes inefficiency in the parasitoid population, which yields a higher population of hosts per generation. This suggests that host-feeding may have limited long-term impact in terms of suppressing host levels for biological control applications.
Brain–computer interfaces and disability: extending embodiment, reducing stigma?

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) now enable an individual without limb function to "move" a detached mechanical arm to perform simple actions, such as feeding herself. This technology may eventually offer almost everyone a way to move objects at a distance, by exercising cognitive control of a mechanical device. At that point, BCIs may be seen less as an assistive technology for disabled people, and more as a tool, like the internet, which can benefit all users. We will argue that BCIs will have a significant but uncertain impact on attitudes toward disabilities and on norms of bodily form and function. It may be liberating, oppressive, or both. Its impact, we argue, will depend - though not in any simple way - on whether BCIs come to be seen as parts of the body itself or as external tools.
Agriculture and the GATT: Rewriting the Rules

Agriculture and the GATT :rewriting the rules , Agriculture and the GATT :rewriting the rules , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی
Gypsy Moth Nuclear-Polyhedrosis Virus Production as Related to Inoculating Time, Dosage, and Larval Weight

The greatest production of virus occurred by continuously feeding 400–499 mg larvae on diet containing 1.5×105 polyhedral inclusion bodies (PIB)/ml. A highly significant relationship was found between the length of time fed on the virus and the viral concentration in the diet. A regression of PIB yielded on larval-death weight had a slope of 0.143, showing that for each milligram increase in larval weight, there was an increase of 1.43×106 PIB.
Stability of Growth and Consumption Rates and Food Utilization Efficiencies When Insects Are given an Excess of Food

Third-instar tobacco hornworms, Manduca sexta (L.), were given various amounts of food to determine the effect of food availability on growth and consumption rates and utilization efficiencies. When 0—5% of the food was left over, relative growth rate, relative consumption rate, and efficiency of conversion of digested food had not yet plateaued. When ≥5% of the food was left over, food consumed was no longer correlated with food available. Consequently, providing as much as twice the amount of food required to complete the stadium did not appreciably alter the rates and efficiencies. With as much as triple the food needed to complete the stadium, only the magnitude of the relative growth rate was significantly changed, and the degree of variation in the rates and efficiencies was not altered. Thus, it may be better to give larvae too much food, with up to twice that needed to complete the stadium, than risk larvae reducing the amount of food to <5% of that given to them, whereupon relative growth rate, consumption rate, and conversion of digested food may decline.
Indigenous Spirituality and Liberal Subjectivity: Discourses of Freedom and Constraint in the Liberal Settler Colony

The discursive binary between individual freedom and social constraint has been central to the political imaginary of liberal settler colonies. Some have argued that this discursive binary is itself a sediment of European colonial forms which continues to operate as a mode of domination. Much work has been done to show how the binary between discourses of individual freedom and social constraint informs juridical and social distinctions circumscribing indigenous groups in settler colonies such as the United States. It is increasingly common for non-Native Americans to borrow ideas and concepts from Native American traditions to inform their alternative socio-political projects. This paper probes into what such borrowing implies for concepts of liberal subjectivity, suspended between the opposition between individual freedom, what Elizabeth Povinelli has called the discourse of "autology" on the one hand, and social constraint, or in her words, "genealogical society," on the other. When white Americans borrow elements of Native American spirituality to inform their own spiritual practices or projects of community building, to what degree does their incorporation of Native American traditions and practices of community rub up against the imaginary of liberal autonomy and the idea of the self-generated nature of individual freedom? To what degree might it reinscribe differences between those who are free to "choose" tradition and those who are not?
Economic performance and presidential trait evaluations: A longitudinal analysis

Presidential traits (i.e. morality, intelligence, leadership) have generally been assumed to be idiosyncratic personal characteristics of the individual and are treated as exogenous from other political and economic factors. Prior literature has shown that presidential characteristics and economic performance are important elements of vote choice and approval. Using ANES data from 1984 to 2008, we demonstrate an important link between these factors, showing that objective and subjective indicators of economic performance are significant predictors of trait evaluations. Specifically, evaluations of the incumbent president at election time are directly related to changes in economic performance earlier in the year. The effects of economic performance are not isolated to retrospective policy evaluations, but also influence the overall evaluation of the president as a person.
SP0188 Adverse Effects of Exercise in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases

This presentation is part of a series designed to examine how much exercise is beneficial and safe in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. It is well documented that aerobic exercise, strength training and its variants help prevent joint stiffness, soft tissue contracture, diminished muscle force and endurance without apparent increases in joint symptoms or disease activity. Recent studies of exercise in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases are attempting to define the dose at which exercise is beneficial and to that end, what adverse outcomes are attributed to exercise. This presentation will synthesize the state-of-the evidence regarding short-term and long-term risk of exercise, particularly activities that involve joint loading (such as running) and provide recommendations for regular sustained exercise in these patients. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Isaac: Building Simulations for Virtual Environments

This paper describes the architecture and initial implementation of the Isaac system. Our general research goal is to develop simulation support for virtual environments. Existing virtual environments are often graphically rich, but behaviorally impoverished. On the other hand, existing physical system simulation software is not well-suited for use within virtual environments. The Isaac system is a distributed simulation server that integrates multibody dynamics, geometry, and control and is designed to support the needs of virtual environments.
Material properties of bone in the femoral head treated with ibandronate and BMP-2 following ischemic osteonecrosis†

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 and ibandronate (IB) decrease the femoral head deformity following ischemic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of BMP-2 and IB on the mineral content and nanoindentation properties of the bone following ONFH. ONFH was surgically induced in a femoral head of piglets. There were 5 groups: normal control, untreated, IB, BMP, and BMP + IB (n = 5/group). Backscattered electron imaging, Raman spectroscopy, and nanoindentation testing were performed. Both BMP and BMP + IB groups showed calcium content in the trabecular bone similar to the normal group, while the IB and no-treatment groups showed a significant increase in the calcium content compared to the normal group. The carbonate content relative to phosphate was significantly increased in the IB and BMP + IB groups (p < 0.01) compared to the normal group. No significant difference was found between the BMP and the normal group. The nanoindentation modulus of the bone in the IB group was significantly increased compared to the normal group (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between the BMP and BMP + IB groups compared to the normal group. The nanoindentation hardness measurements in the IB group were also significantly increased compared to the BMP and BMP + IB groups (p < 0.05). In summary, trabecular bone treated with BMP or BMP + IB had material properties comparable to normal bone whereas the bone in the IB group retained the increased mineral content and the nanoindentation hardness found in the necrotic bone. Hence, BMP or BMP + IB better restores the normal mineral content and nanomechanical properties after ONFH than IB treatment alone. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
A Necrotizing Fasciitis Fake Out on Point-of-Care Ultrasound—Watch the Shadow

Abstract Background Point-of-care ultrasound has an increasing role in characterizing soft-tissue infections and has been described previously in the evaluation of necrotizing fasciitis (NF). The identification of air within the soft tissues can be very suggestive of NF in the correct clinical context. Case Report A 78-year-old male presented to the emergency department with extensive lower-extremity redness and edema. A point-of-care ultrasound revealed hyperechoic areas within the soft tissues consistent with air, and the patient was taken to surgery and found to have NF. A 60-year-old female presented to the emergency department with physical examination findings consistent with severe cellulitis and associated sepsis. A point-of-care ultrasound revealed hyperechoic areas within the soft tissue that were very similar to the prior case. An emergent surgical consultation was placed due to concern for soft-tissue air and NF. However, these hyperechoic areas were found to be subcutaneous calcifications on subsequent imaging. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Air within the soft tissue is easy to identify on point-of-care ultrasound and can expedite surgical evaluation in cases of suspected NF. Calcifications can mimic the appearance of air on ultrasound and the distinction between these objects can often be made based on the echotexture of the posterior acoustic shadow. Attention to the posterior acoustic shadow can facilitate correct identification of various structures and pathologies in a variety of clinical settings.
Against Naturalized Cognitive Propositions

In this paper, I argue that Scott Soames’ theory of naturalized cognitive propositions (hereafter, ‘NCP’) faces a serious objection: there are true propositions for which NCP cannot account. More carefully, NCP cannot account for certain truths of mathematics unless it is possible for there to be an infinite intellect. For those who reject the possibility of an infinite intellect, this constitutes a reductio of NCP.
Characterizing response of East Pacific green turtles to changing temperatures: using acoustic telemetry in a highly urbanized environment

Ocean water temperature is changing as a result of anthropogenic influences on the marine environment. Highly mobile marine ectotherms, such as sea turtles, may be particularly susceptible to these changes. However, our current understanding of location-specific thermal tolerances, especially at coastal foraging or over-wintering areas, is limited. Human-induced changes, such as thermal effluent from power plants, appear to have a suite of influences on species that reside in affected areas. Here, we describe a study of green turtle habitat use related to changing water temperature at a coastal foraging site that has recently experienced a power plant closure, leading to a transition to cooler ambient water temperature. We used a combination of active and passive acoustic telemetry to monitor green turtle distribution in relation to water temperature in this dynamic thermal environment. Both before and after closure of the power plant, turtles were distributed in significantly warmer waters than surrounding environments during winter months (December–February). Turtles in winter were rarely detected in water temperatures lower than 14.5 °C. Body size was negatively correlated with water temperature after closure of the power plant, with larger turtles found in cooler waters, while smaller turtles remained within warmer areas. There was not a significant relationship between body size and water temperature before closure of the power plant as water temperature was more constant during operation. Green turtles in San Diego Bay experienced a shift in water temperature following the loss of thermal effluent from a power plant. The effects of this shift were particularly evident during winter months, when ambient water temperatures were coolest. Water temperatures in the southern region of San Diego Bay were significantly warmer during winter before the closure of the power plant, and turtles were detected in significantly warmer water. Turtles in San Diego Bay may associate with or seek out thermal refugia, when possible, to avoid low water temperatures. The cold water temperature inactivity threshold for East Pacific green turtles may be lower than previously thought. There was a significant negative relationship between turtle size and water temperature after power plant closure. East Pacific green turtles exhibit clear responses in habitat use to changes in water temperature at a foraging site near the edge of their geographic range.
On Ideals for Engineering in Democratic Societies

How should engineers and engineering managers think through the social implications of their work? This work will examine efforts to identify an ideal for how engineers should engage with broader societal and ethical issues. While we argue that we have enough ideals to guide engineering in service of and subject to a democracy, the debate itself is instructive and bears lessons for engineering more generally. We will then review how engineers have articulated goals in the past, as well as some recent efforts to further incorporate social science approaches into engineering.
Survival distributions based on the incomplete gamma function ratio

A method to produce new families of probability distributions is presented based on the incomplete gamma function ratio. The distributions distributions produced also can include a number of popular univariate survival distributions, including the gamma, chi-square, exponential, and half-normal. Examples that demonstrate the generation of new distributions are provided.
The impact of injection bandwidth performance on application scalability

Future exascale systems are expected to have significantly reduced network band width relative to computational performance than current systems. Clearly, this will impact band width-intensive applications, so it is important to gain insight into the magnitude of the negative impact on performance and scalability to help identify mitigation strategies. In this paper, we show how current systems can be configured to emulate the expected imbalance of future systems. We demonstrate this approach by reducing the network injection band width performance of a 160-node, 1920-core Cray XT5 system and analyze the performance and scalability of a suite of MPI benchmarks and applications.
Does agency type matter? A comparison of chiefs’ perceptions of the institutional environment across three agency types

ABSTRACTResearch has found that police chiefs’ perceptions of the institutional environment impacts how chiefs define and prioritise agency goals. Previous literature assessing this impact has focused solely on local police departments in the USA. It is reasonable, however, to assume that leaders of different types of agencies prioritise sectors of their institutional environment differently leading to the prioritisation of different goals. Employing survey data that requested chiefs’ ratings of potential constituent influence, the current study seeks to identify the differences in American agencies between chiefs of Independent School District, special jurisdiction, and municipal police departments in perceptions of their institutional environment and subsequent goal setting. Analysis of variance and ordinary least-squares regression results do indicate variation across agency types. Institutional theory is utilised to frame our discussion of findings.
The COMT Val158Met Polymorphism and Exploratory Behavior in Bipolar Mania.

Background The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met gene influences cognition and behavior in psychiatric illnesses; its low-activity allele, methionine (Met), may be associated with behavior reflecting catecholamine overactivity. Heightened motor activity and increased positive valence are central features of bipolar disorder (BD) and have been quantified in the human Behavioral Pattern Monitor (hBPM), an exploration paradigm based upon the rodent open field. We examined whether hBPM behavior was related to the COMT gene in a small sample of manic BD patients. Methods Twenty-six acutely hospitalized manic BD patients were genotyped for the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and tested in the hBPM, an unfamiliar room containing novel objects. Movements around the hBPM and object interactions were video-recorded for 15 min and rated. Results Met homozygote BD patients demonstrated significantly more interactions with multiple objects and more time spent with objects in the hBPM. Valine (Val) homozygote patients exhibited the least object exploration, while heterozygote patients demonstrated intermediate levels. Conclusion This preliminary study suggests that arousal and positive valence are influenced in a linear fashion by COMT, presumably due to increased catecholamine in frontal regions, but these findings require replication in a larger sample. The hBPM can enable cross-species and transdiagnostic studies to inform neurobiology of psychiatric disorders.
Factors Influencing Recreational Boaters’ Intentions to Comply with Right Whale Regulations in the Southeastern United States

Regulations for boaters can help mitigate adverse effects on threatened marine mammals. One management tool to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales is a 460-m distance restriction rule fo...
Thermogravimetric Analysis of Simultaneous Decomposition and Formation of MgB 2

This study provides the simultaneous thermogravimetric (TGA) decomposition and formation of MgB2. This thermal decomposition of MgB2 to MgB4 was investigated to determine the kinetic barriers associated with the decomposition process. At the same time, the formation of MgB2 from MgB4 was also studied. A list of models available from the literature was also validated in the present study by using the Coats-Redfern equation to determine the mechanism involved in the decomposition and formation reactions. A second order reaction model was more linearly fitted with the CR equation than other available models. A computational approach was used to determine the precise reaction order (n = 2.2) for both decomposition and formation. The activation energy of decomposition was 205.81 ± 1.5 kJ/mol and formation was 241.5 ± 2.6 kJ/mol, both of which are in close agreement with the literature. The standard formation enthalpy of MgB2 (−18.16 ± 1.78 kJ/mol) and MgB4 (−13.86 ± 0.71 kJ/mol) was also obtained.
Sensitivities of Parcel Trajectories beneath the Lowest Scalar Model Level of a Lorenz Vertical Grid

AbstractParcel trajectory analysis has become commonplace in the study of simulated severe convection, particularly that which deals with the development and maintenance of near-ground vertical vor...
Equitable Local Climate Action Planning: Sustainable & Affordable Housing

The Trump administration cancelled US involvement in the Paris Agreement, so, despite projected devastating impacts on human communities, the US still lacks comprehensive national policies aimed at...
Baseline Apparent Diffusion Coefficient as a Predictor of Response to Liver-Directed Therapies in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Predicting outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who undergo locoregional therapies remains a substantial clinical challenge. The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-procedure diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) as an imaging biomarker for tumoral response to therapy for patients with HCC undergoing drug eluting embolic (DEE) chemoembolization and radioembolization. A retrospective review of HCC patients who underwent DEE chemoembolization or radioembolization was performed. Of the 58 patients who comprised the study population, 32 underwent DEE chemoembolization and 26 underwent radioembolization. There was no significant difference in median apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values across the two treatment groups (1.01 × 10−3 mm2/s, P = 0.25). The immediate objective response (OR) rate was 71% (40/56). Tumors with high ADC values were found to have a higher probability of OR within 90 days (odds ratio 4.4, P = 0.03). Moreover, index lesion specific progression free survival (PFS) was greater for high ADC tumors, independent of conventional predictors of treatment response (hazard ratio 0.44, P = 0.01). Low ADC was associated with poorer PFS (P = 0.02). Pre-procedure ADC < 1.01 × 10−3 mm2/s is an independent predictor of poorer immediate OR and index lesion specific PFS in patients with HCC undergoing DEE chemoembolization or radioembolization.
Clinical use of the 21-gene assay and patient experiences in early-stage breast cancer.

6501Background: The 21-gene assay enables oncologists to tailor chemotherapy in early-stage, estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer. Few studies have studied the impact of test results on chemoth...
Multivariate statistical analysis: Distribution and point estimation theory

This chapter describes the multivariate normal distribution as the probability distribution of paramount importance in econometrics. It provides an overview on modern probability theory. The two main problems of statistical inference are that of point estimation and hypothesis testing. The chapter discusses multivariate probability distributions. The basic terms of probability theory are sample space, event, and probability. The sample space is a set with elements s , called events. A sample space is called discrete if it has a finite or denumerably infinite number of elements. A sample space is called continuous if the number of elements of the sample space is the cardinality of the continuum, that is, it has as many elements as there are real numbers. It also describes point estimation theory, the method of maximum likelihood, and the application of this method to the multivariate normal distribution.
Neural TTS Voice Conversion

Recently, speaker adaptation of neural TTS models received significant interest, and several studies focusing on this topic have been published. All of them explore an adaptation of an initial multi-speaker model trained on a corpus containing from tens to hundreds of individual speaker voices.In this work we focus on a challenging task of TTS voice conversion where an initial system is trained on a single-speaker data and then need to be adapted to a variety of external speaker voices. The TTS voice conversion setup represents a very important use case. Transcribed multi-speaker datasets might be unavailable for many languages while any TTS technology provider is expected to have at least one suitable single-speaker dataset per supported language.We present a neural TTS system comprising separate prosody generator and synthesizer DNN models. The system is trained on a high quality proprietary male speaker dataset. We show that the system models can be converted to a variety of external male and female ordinary voices and an extremely expressive artist’s voice and present crowd-base subjective evaluation results.
Head Critical Periods for Controlling Apyrene and Eupyrene Spermiogenesis in the European Corn Borer, Ostrinia Nubilalis

In the European corn borer as in all lepidopterans, two types of sperm are produced, eupyrene (nucleated) sperm that eventually will fertilize the egg, and apyrene (anucleated) sperm, the function of which is unknown. Early in larval life, individual germ cells in the apical region of each testis follicle undergo mitosis to form 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and finally 64-celled eupyrene spermatocysts (primary spermatocytes). Meiosis results in the production of cysts containing 256 spermatids. Spermiogenesis (spermatid elongation and maturation) follows and soon is accompanied by the appearance of smaller apyrene cysts. These, too, will undergo meiosis and elongation forming bundles of sperm that are smaller than their eupyrene counterparts.
Impact of the Time to Initiation of Parenteral Nutrition on Patient Outcomes in Critically Ill Adults

Background:The optimal time to initiate parenteral nutrition (PN) in critically ill adults in whom enteral nutrition is not feasible is controversial.Objective:The objectives were to compare in-hos...
Moralities of Method: Putting Normative Arguments in Their (Social and Cultural) Place.

Bioethics is a peculiar (inter)discipline. Unlike other interdisciplinary efforts, bioethics calls on the insights of its composite disciplines, not just to illuminate, but to render judgements abo...
Tumor detection of the thyroid and salivary glands using hyperspectral imaging and deep learning

The performance of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) for tumor detection is investigated in ex-vivo specimens from the thyroid (N = 200) and salivary glands (N = 16) from 82 patients. Tissues were imaged with HSI in broadband reflectance and autofluorescence modes. For comparison, the tissues were imaged with two fluorescent dyes. Additionally, HSI was used to synthesize three-band RGB multiplex images to represent the human-eye response and Gaussian RGBs, which are referred to as HSI-synthesized RGB images. Using histological ground truths, deep learning algorithms were developed for tumor detection. For the classification of thyroid tumors, HSI-synthesized RGB images achieved the best performance with an AUC score of 0.90. In salivary glands, HSI had the best performance with 0.92 AUC score. This study demonstrates that HSI could aid surgeons and pathologists in detecting tumors of the thyroid and salivary glands.
Disease-Specific Plan Switching Between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage.

Introduction Previous research has reported switching from traditional Medicare (TM) to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans increased from 2006 to 2011 at the aggregate level, and switching from MA plans to TM also increased. However, little is known about switching behavior among individuals with specific chronic diseases. Objective To examine disease-specific switching patterns between TM and MA to understand the impact on MA plans. Methods Using the 2006 to 2012 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, we examined disease-specific switching rates between TM and MA and disease-specific ratios of mean baseline total Medicare expenditures of beneficiaries remaining in the same plan (stayers) vs those switching to another plan (switchers), respectively. We focused on beneficiaries with 1 or more of 10 incident diagnoses. Results Beneficiaries with a new diagnosis of Alzheimer disease and related dementias, hypertension, and psychiatric disorders had relatively high rates of switching into MA plans and low rates of switching out of MA plans. Among those with new diagnoses of psychiatric disorders and diabetes, more costly beneficiaries (those with higher costs) switched into MA plans. For cancer, more costly beneficiaries remained in MA plans. Conclusion Together, these results suggest that MA plans may have not only higher caseloads but also a more costly case mix of beneficiaries with certain diseases than historically was the case. Our findings can help inform MA plans to understand their beneficiaries' disease burden and prepare for provision of relevant services.
Jupiter’s elusive water

Microwave measurements of water vapour from the Juno spacecraft show that Jupiter is enhanced in oxygen by roughly three times the solar abundance at the equator. The water abundance is important in understanding the formation of Jupiter, the structure of its deep interior, and the nature of its clouds and weather.
Customer information resources advantage, marketing strategy and business performance: A market resources based view

Abstract Chief among a firm's market-based resources are its relational resources such as brand equity, customer equity and channel equity that result from its interactions with customers and marketing intermediaries, and intellectual resources – accumulated knowledge about entities in the market environment such as consumers, end use and intermediate customers and competitors. In the evolving digital data rich market environment, customer-based resources, a subset of a firm's market-based resources, are becoming increasingly important as potential sources of competitive advantage. Customer information assets refer to information of economic value about customers owned by a firm. Information analysis capabilities are complex bundles of skills and knowledge embedded in a firm's organizational processes employed to generate customer knowledge from customer information assets. Customer insights or knowledge is a firm's extent of understanding of customers that informs its business decisions. Building on the resource-based, capabilities-based and knowledge-based views of the firm, resource advantage theory of competition, and the outside-in and inside-out approaches to strategy, this article presents a market resources-based view of strategy, competitive advantage and performance. The article presents a framework delineating the relationship between a firm's customer information based resources, marketing strategy and performance, and discusses implications for theory, research and practice.
Acute diet soda consumption alters brain responses to food cues in humans: A randomized, controlled, cross-over pilot study:

Background:Diet soda consumption has frequently been linked to obesity and its comorbidities in epidemiological studies. Whether this link is causal and a potential mechanism remains to be determin...
Paid maternal leave is associated with better language and socioemotional outcomes during toddlerhood.

The United States is the only high-income country that does not have a national policy mandating paid leave to working women who give birth. Increased rates of maternal employment post-birth call for greater understanding of the effects of family leave on infant development. This study examined the links between paid leave and toddler language, cognitive, and socioemotional outcomes (24-36 months; N = 328). Results indicate that paid leave was associated with better language outcomes, regardless of socioeconomic status. Additionally, paid leave was correlated with fewer infant behavior problems for mothers with lower levels of educational attainment. Expanding access to policies that support families in need, like paid family leave, may aid in reducing socioeconomic disparities in infant development.
HCV-Positive Allograft Use in Heart Transplantation Is Associated With Increased Access to Overdose Donors and Reduced Waitlist Mortality Without Compromising Outcomes.

ABSTRACT Background Because of ongoing shortages of donors for heart transplantation, the use of donor candidates whose availabilities are the result of drug overdoses (ODs) has become increasingly prevalent, even though these donors carry a high preponderance of the now curable hepatitis C virus (HCV). This study investigated temporal trends and regional variabilities in HVC-positive (HCV+) allograft use in heart transplantation and assessed the relationship between the use of HCV+ graft donors and the use of OD donors as well as assessing waitlist and post-transplant outcomes. Methods and Results A retrospective review of the United Network for Organ Sharing database assessed adults listed for heart transplantation. Patients were stratified both temporally into pre-HCV and HCV eras related to HCV+ graft use trends and regionally by degree of HCV+ allograft use. Regions of high HCV+ donor use were associated with an increase in OD donor access by 7.8% across eras compared to 0.4% in low HCV+ donor-use regions. One-year waitlist mortality decreased from 4.7% to 2.5% across eras in high HCV+ donor-use regions (P= 0.001) and remained roughly the same as before in low HCV+ donor-use regions (3.0% vs 2.4%; P= 0.244.). Post-transplant survival at 1 year remained similar across eras. Conclusions HCV+ donor allograft use can help to optimize donor use, decreasing waitlist mortality without compromising early survival. Ongoing assessment is essential to ensure long-term safety and efficacy of using HCV+ donors.
Examining PERMA+4 and work role performance beyond self-report bias: insights from multitrait-multimethod analyses

Self-report and monomethod bias threaten the validity of positive work and organizations research. The current study used multitrait-multimethod analyses to examine the relationship between PERMA+4...
Living a Calling During COVID-19: A Resource Gain Perspective

Massive disruptions to work and threats to employee well-being due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have highlighted the need to identify resources which enable employees to gain...