cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phase-Dependency of Medial-Lateral Balance Responses to Sensory Perturbations During Walking.

The human body is mechanically unstable during walking. Maintaining upright stability requires constant regulation of muscle force by the central nervous system to push against the ground and move the body mass in the desired way. Activation of muscles in the lower body in response to sensory or mechanical perturbations during walking is usually highly phase-dependent, because the effect any specific muscle force has on the body movement depends upon the body configuration. Yet the resulting movement patterns of the upper body after the same perturbations are largely phase-independent. This is puzzling, because any change of upper-body movement must be generated by parts of the lower body pushing against the ground. How do phase-dependent muscle activation patterns along the lower body generate phase-independent movement patterns of the upper body? We hypothesize that when a sensory system detects a deviation of the body in space from a desired state that indicates the onset of a fall, the nervous system generates a functional response by pushing against the ground in any way possible with the current body configuration. This predicts that the changes in the ground reaction force patterns following a balance perturbation should be phase-independent. Here we test this hypothesis by disturbing upright balance in the frontal plane using Galvanic vestibular stimulation at three different points in the gait cycle. We measure the resulting changes in whole-body center of mass movement and the location of the center of pressure of the ground reaction force. We find that the magnitude of the initial center of pressure shift in the direction of the perceived fall is larger for perturbations late in the gait cycle, while there is no statistically significant difference in onset time. These results contradict our hypothesis by showing that even the initial CoP shift in response to a balance perturbation depends upon the phase of the gait cycle. Contrary to expectation, we also find that the whole-body balance response is not phase-independent. Both the onset time and the magnitude of the whole-body center of mass shift depend on the phase of the perturbation. We conclude that the central nervous system recruits any available mechanism to generate a functional balance response by pushing against the ground as fast as possible in response to a perturbation, but that the different mechanisms available at different phases in the gait cycle are not equally strong, leading to phase-dependent differences in the overall response.
Natural convection heat transfer from a bundle of in-line heated circular cylinders immersed in molten solar salt

Abstract A two-dimensional steady-state natural convection heat transfer from a bundle of closely spaced isothermally heated cylinders in the in-line arrangement was investigated in this study for a laminar flow regime using numerical analysis. It was determined that flow patterns and heat transfer are strongly affected by the transverse and longitudinal cylinder-to-cylinder spacing ST and SL, Rayleigh number, and thermo-physical properties of the heat storage fluid. Performance maps in the form of contour diagrams for the average Nusselt number Nu and dimensionless heat transfer volumetric density q , and corresponding correlations are presented for an in-line bundle of 9 × 5 horizontal cylinders immersed in a molten solar salt. The variation of the heat transfer enhancement for the in-line bundle of horizontal cylinders shows that there is an optimal cylinder spacing resulting in the highest heat transfer enhancement. The heat exchanger geometry was optimized by determining the optimal set of the tube (cylinder) spacings SL/D and ST/D in the bundle resulting in the maximum volumetric heat transfer rate q , and smallest size and lowest cost of a heat exchanger. A set of correlations were developed for the maximum and optimum dimensionless heat transfer volumetric densities as functions of the Rayleigh number RaD. The analyzed geometries are important in the solar heating and storage technology, nuclear reactor safety, and waste heat recovery applications.
Initiation of Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Medicaid Enrollees

Introduction Few studies have explored how individual- and practice-level factors influence colorectal cancer screening initiation among Medicaid enrollees newly age eligible for colorectal cancer screening (i.e., turning 50 years). This study explored colorectal cancer screening initiation among newly age-eligible Medicaid enrollees in Oregon. Methods Medicaid claims data (January 2013 to June 2015) were used to conduct multivariable logistic regression (in 2018 and 2019) to explore individual- and practice-level factors associated with colorectal cancer screening initiation among 9,032 Medicaid enrollees. Results A total of 17% of Medicaid enrollees initiated colorectal cancer screening; of these, 64% received a colonoscopy (versus fecal testing). Colorectal cancer screening initiation was positively associated with turning 50 years in 2014 (versus 2013; OR=1.21), being Hispanic (versus non-Hispanic white; OR=1.41), urban residence (versus rural; OR=1.23), and having 4 to 7 (OR=1.90) and 8 or more (OR=2.64) primary care visits compared with 1 to 3 visits in the year after turning 50 years. Having 3 or more comorbidities was inversely associated with initiation (OR=0.75). The odds of screening initiation were also higher for practices with 3 to 4 (OR=1.26) and 8 or more (OR=1.34) providers compared with 1 to 2 providers, and negatively associated with percentage of Medicaid panel age eligible for colorectal cancer screening (OR=0.92). Conclusions Both individual- and practice-level factors are associated with disparities in colorectal cancer screening initiation among Oregon Medicaid enrollees. Future work promoting colorectal cancer screening might focus on additional barriers to the timely initiation of colorectal cancer screening and explore the effect of practice in-reach and population outreach strategies.
Fate of Listeria monocytogenes on Broccoli and Cauliflower at Different Storage Temperatures.

ABSTRACT Understanding a food's ability to support the growth and/or survival of a pathogen throughout the supply chain is essential to minimizing large-scale contamination events. The purpose of this study was to examine the behavior (growth and/or survival) of Listeria monocytogenes on broccoli and cauliflower florets stored at different postharvest temperatures utilized along the supply chain. Broccoli and cauliflower samples were inoculated with L. monocytogenes at approximately 3 log CFU/g and stored at 23 ± 2, 12 ± 2, 4 ± 2, and -18 ± 2°C. Samples were evaluated for L. monocytogenes levels after 0, 0.167 (4 h), 1, 2, 3, and 4 days at 23 ± 2°C; 0, 0.167, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, and 14 days at 12 ± 2°C; 0, 0.167, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 days at 4 ± 2°C; and 0, 1, 7, 28, 56, 84, 112, 140, and 168 days at -18 ± 2°C. L. monocytogenes populations were determined by plating samples onto tryptic soy agar and modified Oxford agar supplemented with nalidixic acid. Broccoli and cauliflower supported the growth of L. monocytogenes at 23, 12, and 4°C, and higher growth rates were observed at higher temperatures. Populations of L. monocytogenes on broccoli and cauliflower samples significantly increased within 1 day at 23°C (by 1.6 and 2.0 log CFU/g, respectively) (P ≤ 0.05). At 12°C, populations of L. monocytogenes on broccoli and cauliflower samples significantly increased over 14 days by 1.4 and 1.9 log CFU/g, respectively (P ≤ 0.05). No significant difference over time was observed in L. monocytogenes populations on broccoli and cauliflower samples held under refrigeration until populations began to grow by day 10 in both commodities (P > 0.05). Under frozen storage (-18°C), populations of L. monocytogenes survived on broccoli and cauliflower at least up to 168 days. Storage of broccoli and cauliflower at lower temperatures can minimize L. monocytogenes growth potential; growth rates were lower at 4°C than at 12 and 23°C. HIGHLIGHTS
Factoring Fact-Checks: Structured Information Extraction from Fact-Checking Articles

Fact-checking, which investigates claims made in public to arrive at a verdict supported by evidence and logical reasoning, has long been a significant form of journalism to combat misinformation in the news ecosystem. Most of the fact-checks share common structured information (called factors) such as claim, claimant, and verdict. In recent years, the emergence of ClaimReview as the standard schema for annotating those factors within fact-checking articles has led to wide adoption of fact-checking features by online platforms (e.g., Google, Bing). However, annotating fact-checks is a tedious process for fact-checkers and distracts them from their core job of investigating claims. As a result, less than half of the fact-checkers worldwide have adopted ClaimReview as of mid-2019. In this paper, we propose the task of factoring fact-checks for automatically extracting structured information from fact-checking articles. Exploring a public dataset of fact-checks, we empirically show that factoring fact-checks is a challenging task, especially for fact-checkers that are under-represented in the existing dataset. We then formulate the task as a sequence tagging problem and fine-tune the pre-trained BERT models with a modification made from our observations to approach the problem. Through extensive experiments, we demonstrate the performance of our models for well-known fact-checkers and promising initial results for under-represented fact-checkers.
Multi-Game Modeling for Counter-Smuggling

Abstract International trade provides an avenue for terrorists to smuggle illicit materials into a target country. Policymakers need models and decision support tools that are both reliable and germane to inform their responses to this. Game theoretic approaches have been used in the analysis of counterterrorism strategies, but the models involved have often been small and abstracted. To address this need, we have developed a multi-game model to account for both security-related and economic aspects of counter-smuggling interdiction efforts. We use different games to represent different types of interactions, and these games are then coupled to each other to form an integrated model. In this paper, we demonstrate the model’s capabilities on a representative system of ports (both foreign and domestic), trade routes, and commodities. We specifically investigate the impacts of changes in screening policies at domestic ports, detection device capabilities, shipping subsidies, and worldwide corruption levels. In these studies, we find that economic factors play a large role in the interdiction task and provide correspondingly important tools for deterrence.
Chapter 11 – Semantic Memory

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the theory of semantic memory. The Quillian semantic memory is a theory of human long-term memory, and second a series of computer simulations of certain types of language processing. A Quillian semantic memory consisted of a set of entries, interconnected with arbitrarily complex bindings. Each entry corresponded to a conceptual notion, including but not limited to things such as words and propositions. Each entry had associated with it a set of proximate bindings. All bindings had a unidirectional pointer to a predicate and some number of unidirectional pointers to values. The predicates and values in bindings are all entries in the semantic memory themselves. Quillian emphasized several structural aspects of this view of semantic memory. First, each attribute and value of each binding is itself an entry, with its own set of proximate bindings. Second, there is no strict hierarchy in a semantic memory as a whole. Each entry is the root of its own hierarchy, but simultaneously is subsumed under an unlimited number of other hierarchies branching from other entries. Third, the chains of bindings leading away from a given root entry could refer back recursively to the root entry itself; that is, the entry canary could appear as an attribute or value of an indirect binding under the root entry canary. This chapter provides some key background information on semantic memory theory and research in normal and neuropsychological populations. The chapter begins with a description of the original Quillian model of semantic memory, including its structures and processes. The chapter describes generic semantic memory, the post-Quillian conceptions in wide use today. The chapter overviews some theoretical extensions, consequences, and divergences over the past several decades regarding semantic memory. The balance of the chapter focuses on (generic) semantic memory within the neuro literature: (1) five major neuro-related models of semantic memory are critically reviewed, (2) the issue of storage versus access deficits of semantic memory in neuropsychological populations are discussed, (3) empirical work on the use of similarity judgments to assess semantic memory organization in neuropsychological populations, specifically Alzheimer's disease (AD) is presented, and (4) research on the use of semantic priming to assess semantic knowledge in neuropsychological populations (specifically AD) is discussed. The chapter concludes by suggesting some intriguing topics for future research on semantic memory, with a focus on further interaction and collaboration between researchers in the behavioral sciences and those in the neuro-related sciences.
A generalization of moderated statistics to data adaptive semiparametric estimation in high-dimensional biology

The widespread availability of high-dimensional biological data has made the simultaneous screening of numerous biological characteristics a central statistical problem in computational biology. While the dimensionality of such datasets continues to increase, the problem of teasing out the effects of biomarkers in studies measuring baseline confounders while avoiding model misspecification remains only partially addressed. Efficient estimators constructed from data adaptive estimates of the data-generating distribution provide an avenue for avoiding model misspecification; however, in the context of high-dimensional problems requiring simultaneous estimation of numerous parameters, standard variance estimators have proven unstable, resulting in unreliable Type-I error control under standard multiple testing corrections. We present the formulation of a general approach for applying empirical Bayes shrinkage approaches to asymptotically linear estimators of parameters defined in the nonparametric model. The proposal applies existing shrinkage estimators to the estimated variance of the influence function, allowing for increased inferential stability in high-dimensional settings. A methodology for nonparametric variable importance analysis for use with high-dimensional biological datasets with modest sample sizes is introduced and the proposed technique is demonstrated to be robust in small samples even when relying on data adaptive estimators that eschew parametric forms. Use of the proposed variance moderation strategy in constructing stabilized variable importance measures of biomarkers is demonstrated by application to an observational study of occupational exposure. The result is a data adaptive approach for robustly uncovering stable associations in high-dimensional data with limited sample sizes.
Variability of Dosing and Number of Medications Needed to Achieve Adequate Sedation in Mechanically Ventilated Pediatric Intensive Care Patients

Children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) often require multiple medications to achieve comfort and sedation. Although starting doses are available, these medications are typically titrated to the desired effect. Both oversedation and undersedation are associated with adverse events. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate cumulative medication burden necessary to achieve comfort in patients in the PICU and determine relevant predictors of medication needs. In order to account for all of the sedative medications, z-scores were used to assess the population average dose of each medication and compare each patient day to this population average. Sedation regimens for 130 patients in the PICU were evaluated. Mean overall infusion rates of fentanyl, morphine, and hydromorphone were 1.67 ± 0.81 µg/kg/hour, 0.12 ± 0.08 mg/kg/hour, and 17.84 ± 13.4 µg/kg/hour, respectively. The mean infusion rate of dexmedetomidine was 0.59 ± 0.28 µg/kg/hour, and midazolam was 0.14 ± 0.1 mg/kg/hour. Summation z-sores were used to rank the amount of sedation medication needed to achieve comfort for each individual patient for his/her PICU stay in relation to the entire sample. Patient age, weight, and length of mechanical ventilation were all significant predictors of sedation requirement. This study will provide data necessary to develop a model of cumulative medication burden needed to achieve appropriate sedation in this population. This descriptive model in appropriately ranking patients based on sedative needs is the first step in exploring potential genetic factors that may provide an insight into homing in on the appropriate sedation regimen.
Coccidioidomycosis: a review

Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection of the Western hemisphere that is endemic to the soil in areas with limited rainfall. Human and animal infections result with inhalation of arthroconidia. Most often, this is an asymptomatic event. When illness occurs, it is primarily a pneumonic presentation. A small minority of infections eventuate in disseminated disease. Predominately, this presents as meningitis or osteoarticular or integumentary disease. Treatment may not be required for the mildest illness. Azoles are commonly prescribed. Severe infections may require amphotericin B.
Strategies to Improve Bedside Clinical Skills Teaching

The bedside encounter between a patient and physician remains the cornerstone of the practice of medicine. However, physicians and trainees spend less time in direct contact with patients and families in the modern health care system. The current pandemic has further threatened time spent with patients. This lack of time has led to a decline in clinical skills and a decrease in the number of faculty members who are confident in teaching at the bedside. We offer several strategies to get physicians and trainees back to the bedside to engage in clinical skills teaching and assessment. We recommend that providers pause before bedside encounters to be present with patients and learners and to develop clear goals for a bedside teaching session. We suggest that clinical teachers practice an evidence-based approach, which includes an hypothesis-driven physical examination. We encourage the use of point-of-care technology to assist in diagnosis and to allow learners to calibrate traditional physical examination skills with real-time visualization of disease. Tools like point-of-care ultrasound scans can be powerful levers to get learners excited about bedside teaching and to engage patients in their clinical care. We value telemedicine visits as unique opportunities to engage with patients in their home environment and to participate in patient-directed physical examination maneuvers. Finally, we recommend that educators provide feedback to learners on specific clinical examination skills, whether in the clinic, the wards, or during dedicated clinical skills assessments.
Does construction service provider's response matter? Understanding the influence of anecdotal information on online consumer decisions

Abstract The home improvement service industry is growing rapidly, and the advancement in technology has made information about service providers, such as customer reviews, accessible with a few clicks. However, the impact of anecdotal information, like reviews and a service provider's response to a review, have not been studied extensively in the home improvement service industry. Using the Data Frame Theory of Sensemaking, this study investigated the combined effect of these two variables on an online consumer's decision. We recruited 360 participants through Qualtrics Research Services to participate in a 4*3 between-subjects study. The findings suggest that when all reviews were either entirely positive or negative, i.e., consistent information, the service provider's response did not influence the customer's decision. However, when the reviews were inconsistent, the service provider's response was influential. In addition, negative reviews created a lack of trust in the information, which is a potential area for future research.
Birds at Noon

Over the wall, bird-cherry trees, plum trees with green plums, oaks, ivy thicket. Smell of bird-cherry, prunus avium. I can blame only myself for my age, and it is too late now to do anything about it. I feel responsible for what I have forgotten. Meanwhile, the sound of magpies, voices of stones in a river. I am words that I do not hear, but I grew up believing that I might. A photograph passes through three lives and the one in the middle never looks at it. In the flowering bird-cherry trees a flock of titmice have gathered for the first time of the year, as though it were already August. For the first time they make sounds that they were born knowing. The swallow and the goldfinch utter whole sentences of hard joy. How do I know? What is the first thing that I remember? It flew away. Everything is flying. The sun is flying, and the trees: the living and the dead hand in hand. The jay flashes through the intricate thickets Hke part of a storm, but without crashing and without turning its head. It shrieks for the victim, so that the victim hesitates. I try to imagine the woods as they appear between the jay's eyes. The green dark woods unfolding through the head of a jay, at great speed, to that one syllable, and no choice. The needle jay. The nightingale comes and sings in the shade of the bird-cherry, too deep for the jay. I see only the woods I can see. I am a foreigner, with this key. I watch. The jay is preceded and followed by a brief hush such as surrounds a wind skimming Hke a plate over the woods. A taut, invisible horizon. Ap proaching it, the messenger jay: Change! Change! When the echo has gone, the titmice speak again, about August. White-throat, black-cap, wrens sing in turn in one oak tree. As each of them sings a whole branch lights up. The presence of singing. At moments the whole tree Hghts up. The nightingale makes the whole tree light up, in the middle of the day. Green Hght occurring as a skylark makes morning. When the singing stops I go on sitting with all that I remember, from there and from many distances, and with all that I have forgotten, in that grassy place in late Spring, after hearing something I wanted to know. 131
Frames and Narratives: Two Modes of Political Understanding; Two Forms of Scholarly Interpreation

Scholars who adopt an interpretive methodology sooner or late must confront the question: how best to handle a political actor’s words? According to an “interpretive” methodological outlook, political actors (regardless if we are talking about a prim-and proper government grandee or an impolite street protester) are not simply pushed and pulled around by the incentives and threats dangled by the social environment and by political circumstances. They carry with them their own perceptions, beliefs, intentions, and desires; these independently inform, shape, direct, and motivate action. Thought infuses (and is inextricable from) political practice. In addition, interpretive political scientists insist that the content of actors’ beliefs should not be identified a priori – for example, by assuming the existence of a universal instinct for self-interest, material gain or social status – but should involve the direct participation of actors. The rigorous study of politics requires listening sympathetically to what political actors say about how they see, reason about, and act in the world.
Single molecule sorting of the DNA repair machines (477.1)

The functional diversity and dynamic nature of the eukaryotic proteome are highly enhanced by posttranslational modifications (PTMs). DNA repair enzymes are often controlled by reversible PTMs that modulate their activities and interactions with their targets to broaden the range of repairable DNA lesions. A fraction of a DNA repair protein carrying an activating or modifying PTM may greatly influence cellular fate. To expedite the quantification, analysis and comparison of distinct posttranslationally modified pools of a protein we developed a technique to simultaneously, but separately evaluate the activities of modified and unmodified proteins extracted from the human cells. I will describe the experimental strategy behind "single-molecule sorting", as well as its application to the analysis of several DNA repair helicases, which produce transient single-stranded intermediates of DNA replication, recombination and repair. Individual protein molecules isolated from human cells with their native PTMs are...
Naive Investors, Earnings Announcements, and Stock Price Movements

This paper addresses the issue of whether investors with â¬SnaA¯veâ¬? earnings expectations (i.e., earnings forecasts that are systematically less accurate than other publicly available predictions) have sufficient market power to affect common stock prices. The results clearly indicate that when security analysts predict quarterly earnings increases (decreases), from the same fiscal quarter of the prior year, that the abnormal return around the upcoming earnings announcement tends to be positive. When the data are formed into 50 portfolios, about 66% of the abnormal return variation around earnings announcements is explained by the predicted earnings change. This is surprising since the forecasts used are dated from one to thirteen weeks before the earnings announcement.
Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of pharmaceuticals : Part XV. Determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in combination in tablets

Abstract The determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim as a mixture in tablets by n.m.r. spectrometry is reported. Formamide containing 8% formic acid is the solvent system with t-butanol as the internal standard. The resonances for the hydrogens on all three methyl groups of the methoxyl functions together with hydrogens of the lone methylene group are integrated as a measure of trimethoprim, whereas the hydrogens of the methyl group of the oxazole heterocycle are integrated to determine sulfamethoxazole. A mixture of two standards and representative commercial tablets were analyzed by the procedure; the results are satisfactory.
An extended Eulerian method for contacts in Godunov formulations

SUMMARY This paper offers a new method to treat contacts in Eulerian Godunov formulations. The inadequacy of classic Eulerian formulations to describe contacts behavior is identified in the lack of degrees of freedom. This limitation is overcome by employing a set of state variables per material for the calculation of multi-material elements and faces. The extra state variables allow for the independent analysis of the materials present in the problem; materials interactions are characterized by introducing contact constraints in the formulation. The locality of the method limits the memory burden. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rat liver ATP synthase. Relationship of the unique substructure of the F1 moiety to its nucleotide binding properties, enzymatic states, and crystalline form.

The F1 moiety of rat liver ATP synthase has a molecular mass of 370,000, exhibits the unique substructure α3β3γδ∊, and fully restores ATP synthesis to F1-depleted membranes. Here we provide new information about rat liver F1 as it relates to the relationship of its unique substructure to its nucleotide binding properties, enzymatic states, and crystalline form. Seven types of experiments were performed in a comprehensive study. First, the capacity of F1 to bind [3H]ADP, the substrate for ATP synthesis and [32P]AMP-PNP (5′-adenylyl-β,γ-imidodiphosphate), a nonhydrolyzable ATP analog, was quantified. Second, double-label experiments were performed to establish whether ADP and AMP-PNP bind to the same or different sites. Third, total nucleotide binding was assessed by the luciferin-luciferase assay. Fourth, F1 was subfractionated into an αγ and a βδ∊ fraction, both of which were subjected to nucleotide binding assays. Fifth, the nucleotide binding capacity of F1 was quantified after undergoing ATP hydrolysis. Sixth, the intensity of the fluorescence probe pyrene maleimide bound at α subunits was monitored before and after F1 experienced ATP hydrolysis. Finally, the catalytic activity and nucleotide content of F1 obtained from crystals being used in x-ray crystallographic studies was determined. The picture of rat liver F1 that emerges is one of an enzyme molecule that 1) loads nucleotide readily at five sites; 2) requires for catalysis both the αγ and the βδ∊ fractions; 3) directs the reversible binding of ATP and ADP to different regions of the enzyme's substructure; 4) induces inhibition of ATP hydrolysis only after ADP fills at least five sites; and 5) exists in several distinct forms, one an active, symmetrical form, obtained in the presence of ATP and high Pi and on which an x-ray map at 3.6 A has been reported (Bianchet, M., Ysern, X., Hullihen, J., Pedersen, P. L., and Amzel, L. M.(1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 21197-21201). These results are discussed within the context of a multistate model for rat liver F1 and also discussed relative to those reported for bovine heart F1, which has been crystallized with inhibitors in an asymmetrical form and has a propensity for binding nucleotides more tightly.
Remote Sensing and GIS as Counterterrorism Tools in the Afghanistan War: A Case Study of the Zhawar Kili Region*

Abstract Rocks forming the backdrop of video footage of an admitted September 11 terrorist appeared to the author to belong to the Kurram Group of eastern Afghanistan. The cultural geography and military history of the area suggested that the terrorist was in or near the Zhawar Kili cave complex. Band-ratio satellite image mapping combined with public National Imagery and Mapping Agency and United Nations databases confirmed that Zhawar Kili is on Kurram Group rocks. This information was forwarded to the U.S. government in October 2001. Military and news media reports indicate the subsequent successful elimination of a large number of terrorists and munitions at Zhawar Kili in November 2001 and January, February, and April of 2002. *The author thanks the USGS's EROS Data Center for assistance with satellite image collection and travel support to key facilities, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio for the provision of secure processing facilit...
Pharmacokinetics of meropenem in children receiving continuous renal replacement therapy: Validation of clinical trial simulations.

Meropenem is frequently prescribed in critically ill children receiving continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). We previously used clinical trial simulations to evaluate dosing regimens of meropenem in this population and reported that a dose of 20 mg/kg every 12 hours optimizes target attainment. Meropenem pharmacokinetics were investigated in this prospective, open-label study to validate our previous in silico predictions. Seven patients received meropenem (13.8-22 mg/kg) administered intravenously every 12 hours as part of standard care. A mean dose of 18.6 mg/kg of meropenem was administered, resulting in a mean peak concentration of 80.1 μg/mL. Meropenem volume of distribution was 0.35 ± 0.085 L/kg. CRRT clearance was 40.2 ± 6.6 mL/(min · 1.73 m(2) ) and accounted for 63.4% of the total clearance of 74.8 ± 36.9 mL/(min · 1.73 m(2) ). Simulations demonstrated that a dose of 20 mg/kg every 12 hours resulted in a time above the minimum inhibitory concentration (%fT > MIC) of 100% in 5 out of 7 subjects, with a %fT > MIC of 93% and 43% in the remaining 2 subjects. We conclude that CRRT contributed significantly to the total clearance of meropenem. A dosing regimen of 20 mg/kg achieved good target attainment in critically ill children receiving CRRT, which is consistent with our previously published in silico predictions.
ASSESSING UNCERTAINTY IN A MULTISPECIES AGE-STRUCTURED ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK: THE EFFECTS OF DATA LIMITATIONS AND MODEL ASSUMPTIONS

Performance of a multispecies age-structured assessment (MSASA) model in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) relative to changes in data and model assumptions was examined through simulation exercises. Species included arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias), Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), and Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus). Age-specific predation mortality was estimated as a flexible function of predator and prey abundances and fitted to diet data. Simulated data sets were constructed by applying random error to estimates of catch, survey, and diet data from an operating model, whose structure was identical to that of the estimating model. Simulations explored the effects of data variability, mismatched assumptions regarding model structure, and lack of diet data on model performance. Model misspecification and uninformative diet data had the greatest influence on model performance. Given the current emphasis on the development of ecosystem-based models and management, prioritizing the rigorous sampling of diet data would best facilitate the development of predation models useful to management agencies.
Contrast-Difference Thresholds with Sinusoidal Gratings*

Two halves of a sinusoidally modulated transparency were projected on a diffusing surface. The contrast C of one half of the field was changed by defocusing until a definite difference of contrast, ΔC, was perceived. The contrast of either half of the field could be changed without changing the mean luminance. A plot of ΔC/C against C declines monotonically with increasing contrast. On the other hand, ΔC against C has a maximum at an intermediate contrast. The contrast difference ΔC can be interpreted as relative luminance difference ΔL/L, to which the Weber law applies. A function relating subjective to objective contrast was obtained. The relation between modulation transfer function (MTF) with constant input and constant output is discussed.
Rietveld refinement of a triclinic structure for synthetic Na-birnessite using synchrotron powder diffraction data

Rietveld refinement using synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data revealed that the crystal structure of synthetic Na-birnessite is triclinic (C1), not monoclinic as was previously reported. The Mn–O octahedra have elongated axial bonds, consistent with Jahn–Teller distortion resulting from partial occupancy by Mn3+. Mean Mn–O distances indicate that Mn sites are ∼2/3 Mn4+ and ∼1/3 Mn3+. The interlayer Na cations and H2O molecules occupy a split site that shows evidence of considerable disorder.
An investigation of dynamic and static visual acuity.

The effect on dynamic visual acuity (DVA) of target angular velocity ω and target exposure time te was examined. The correlation between DVA and static visual acuity (SVA), the ability to discriminate small spatial separations in a stationary target, was also determined.DVA was measured for pairings of four values of ω (25, 30, 40, and 45 deg s−1) with four values of te (0·4, 0·6, 0·8, and 1·0 s). The twenty-four subjects viewed Landolt-ring targets that were presented as slide projections on a rear-projection screen. The average thresholds for each condition were determined and compared. SVA was measured and correlated with the DVA scores for each condition.The results indicated that: (i) DVA deteriorated for increased ω or decreased t, with the latter having the most significant effect, (ii) DVA and SVA were not significantly correlated, (iii) the experimental apparatus and procedure were highly reliable, and (iv) DVA improvement with testing was significant for some conditions.
Removal of malaria-infected red blood cells using magnetic cell separators: A computational study

Abstract High gradient magnetic field separators have been widely used in a variety of biological applications. Recently, the use of magnetic separators to remove malaria-infected red blood cells (pRBCs) from blood circulation in patients with severe malaria has been proposed in a dialysis-like treatment. The capture efficiency of this process depends on many interrelated design variables and constraints such as magnetic pole array pitch, chamber height, and flow rate. In this paper, we model the malaria-infected RBCs (pRBCs) as paramagnetic particles suspended in a Newtonian fluid. Trajectories of the infected cells are numerically calculated inside a micro-channel exposed to a periodic magnetic field gradient. First-order stiff ordinary differential equations (ODEs) governing the trajectory of particles under periodic magnetic fields due to an array of wires are solved numerically using the 1st to 5th order adaptive step Runge–Kutta solver. The numerical experiments show that in order to achieve a capture efficiency of 99% for the pRBCs it is required to have a longer length than 80 mm; this implies that in principle, using optimization techniques the length could be adjusted, i.e., shortened to achieve 99% capture efficiency of the pRBCs.
Support-operator finite-difference algorithms for general elliptic problems

Abstract An algorithm is developed for discretizing boundary-value problems given by a general linear elliptic second order partial-differential equation with general mixed or Robin boundary conditions in general logically rectangular grids. The continuum problem can be written as an operator equation where the operator is self adjoint and positive definite. The discrete approximations have the same property. Consequently, the matrices for the discrete problem are symmetric and positive definite. Also, the scheme has a nearest neighbor stencil. Consequently, the most powerful linear solvers can be applied. In smooth grids, the algorithm produces second-order accurate solutions. It is the generality of the problem (general matrix coefficients, general boundary conditions, general logically rectangular grids) that makes finding such an algorithm difficult. The algorithm, which is a combination of the method of support operators and the mapping method, overcomes certain difficulties of the individual methods, producing a high-quality algorithm for solving general elliptic problems.
Systematics of Fraxinus (Oleaceae) and evolution of dioecy

Phylogenetic relationships among 40 of the 43 recognized species of Fraxinus L. (Oleaceae) were estimated on the basis of 106 nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences. ITS trees resulting from maximum likelihood (ML), maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian inference (BI) are congruent and identify six distinct lineages. These clades allow establishing sections with high molecular and morphological support. The basal resolution generally has low ML bootstrap and MP jackknife support, but the Bayesian posterior probabilities are high for certain relationships. An independent data set of combined sequences from the chloroplast rps16 and trnL-F regions contains few informative sites but corroborate most of the relationships in the ITS tree. The molecular phylogeny is discussed in the light of morphological and other data and a revised infrageneric classification with six sections are presented. The subgenera and subsections are abandoned and the section Pauciflorae is a new combination. Fraxinus quadrangulata and Fraxinus anomala are united with Fraxinus dipetala in the section Dipetalae and Fraxinus platypoda is transferred to the section Fraxinus. Fraxinus chiisanensis, Fraxinus spaethiana and Fraxinus cuspidata are treated as incertae sedis. A sectional key is given, together with a systematic list of the 43 recognized species, with common synonyms and distribution. Breeding system and other traits mapped on the phylogeny show that dioecy has three separate origins, and in each case followed after the transition from insect to wind pollination. In one instance dioecy evolved from hermaphroditism via androdioecy and twice via polygamy.
Unusual reaction of a tungsten alkylidyne complex with water. Formation, characterization, and crystal structures of oxo trimers

The reaction of the alkyl alkylidyne W(CH2CMe3)3(≡CSiMe3) (1) with H2O in THF and with D2O in benzene-d6 gave two new trimeric oxo complexes: W3O3(µ=O)3(CH2CMe3)6(THF)3 (2) and [W3O3(µ=O)3(CH2CMe3)6(D2O)3]·2benzene-d6 (3·2benzene-d6), respectively, each containing two alkyl ligands per W atom. This is in contrast to the dimer W2O2(µ-O)(CH2CMe3)6, containing three alkyl ligands per W atom, from the previously reported reaction of the alkyl alkylidyne analog W(CH2CMe3)3-(≡CCMe3) with H2O. In the reaction of 1 with D2O in THF, an unstable intermediate W2O2(µ-O)(CD2SiMe3)2(CH2CMe3)4 (4-d4) was identified. Kinetic studies of the reactions of 1 with excess H2O and D2O in THF-d8, yielding 4 and 4-d4, respectively, give a kinetic isotope effect (KIE) of 3.46(3) at 298(1) K, suggesting that the disappearance of 1 is a rate-determining step.
Theoretical performance of unconventional propellants and fuel/oxidizer combinations

A comparative study is made to identify the most advantageous fuel/oxidizer combinations which could be supplied to spacecraft from in situ resources or from the most economical earth-transported storable fuels. The performance of the unconventional fuel/oxidizer combinations in question are computed for a wide range of pressures, expansion ratios and initial temperatures. The propellants discussed are, (1) for LEO: H2 + O2, NH3 + N2O4; (2) for the moon: CH4 + O2, SiH4 + O2, H2 + Al + O2, butyl rubber + O2, silicone + O2, and polystyrene + O2; and (3) for Mars: CO + O2, CO + H2O2, CO + N2O4, C2H5OH + O2, and CH3OH + O2.
Corona discharge effects in gas-solid adsorption: water vapor on silica gel and fly ash

Equilibrium characteristics of water vapor adsorption on microporous silica gel and macroporous fly ash are investigated in the presence of corona discharges. The discharge is produced at a fine wire surface in a wire-cylinder electrode geometry, with the adsorbent sample placed in the inter-electrode space. A significant reduction in water vapor adsorption capacity is observed for both negative and positive coronas. Heat effects appear to be negligible. To provide a theoretical understanding of the altered equilibrium, three distinct mechanisms are proposed and evaluated. One mechanism, in particular, is seen to hold much promise.
Exact Tests of Significance in Higher Dimensional Tables

Abstract We describe methods used to provide an exact test of significance of the hypothesis that all factors are mutually independent of each other in 23 and 24 contingency tables. Several numerical examples demonstrate the advantages of exact tests over approximate significance levels. We give bounds on the number of tables needed to perform this exact significance test. In four or more dimensions the number of tables in this enumeration becomes astronomical with even modest sample sizes. Inverting the characteristic function of the exact distribution has proved useful in these situations.
The Biology of the Juniper Berry Insects, with Descriptions of New Species

In the spring of 1913, Professor Crosby, of Cornell University, suggested that I work out the life history of two chalcids bred by him from deformed berries of JuniPerus virginiana L. There was also an Eryophyid mite present within the berries, so that at first it was difficult to tell which one deformed the berries and what were the relations between them. In the fall, I discovered a Tineid larva eating the seeds, while a little later, a Dipterous larva was found eating the fleshy portion of the berry. The latter has proved to be a new species of the family Trypetidae. Since then, I have found a Cecidomyid larva, and have reared six species of chalcids from the berry, at least two of which are plant-feeding in habit. It seems rather remarkable, at first, to think that so many insects are able to find food in such a small fruit; yet when it is known what a role the mite plays, and how completely the berry is utilized, it does not seem so strange.
A Portable Optimization Engine for Accelerating Irregular Data-Traversal Applications on SIMD Architectures

Fine-grained data parallelism is increasingly common in the form of longer vectors integrated with mainstream processors (SSE, AVX) and various GPU architectures. This article develops support for exploiting such data parallelism for a class of nonnumeric, nongraphic applications, which perform computations while traversing many independent, irregular data structures. We address this problem by developing several novel techniques. First, for code generation, we develop an intermediate language for specifying such traversals, followed by a runtime scheduler that maps traversals to various SIMD units. Second, we observe that good data locality is crucial to sustained performance from SIMD architectures, whereas many applications that operate on irregular data structures (e.g., trees and graphs) have poor data locality. To address this challenge, we develop a set of data layout optimizations that improve spatial locality for applications that traverse many irregular data structures. Unlike prior data layout optimizations, our approach incorporates a notion of both interthread and intrathread spatial reuse into data layout. Finally, we enable performance portability (i.e., the ability to automatically optimize applications for different architectures) by accurately modeling the impact of inter- and intrathread locality on program performance. As a consequence, our model can predict which data layout optimization to use on a wide variety of SIMD architectures.To demonstrate the efficacy of our approach and optimizations, we first show how they enable up to a 12X speedup on one SIMD architecture for a set of real-world applications. To demonstrate that our approach enables performance portability, we show how our model predicts the optimal layout for applications across a diverse set of three real-world SIMD architectures, which offers as much as 45p speedup over a suboptimal solution.
Participation decentralisation and deja vu: Remaking democracy in response to AIDS?

Participation, decentralisation and community partnership have served as prominent motifs and driving philosophies in the global scale-up of HIV programming. Given the fraught histories of these ideas in development studies, it is surprising to encounter their broad appeal as benchmarks and moral practices in global health work. This paper examines three intertwined, government-endorsed projects to deepen democratic processes of HIV policy-making in Lesotho: (1) the 'Gateway Approach' for decentralising and coordinating local HIV responses; (2) the implementation of a community council-driven priority-setting process; and (3) the establishment of community AIDS councils. Taken together, these efforts are striking and well intentioned, but nonetheless struggle in the face of powerful global agendas to establish meaningful practices of participation and decentralisation. Examining these efforts shows that HIV scale-up conveys formidable lessons for citizens about the politics of global health and their place in the world. As global health initiatives continue to remake important dimensions of political functioning, practitioners, agencies and governments implementing similar democratising projects may find the warnings of earlier development critics both useful and necessary.