cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Semiparametric Modeling of Longitudinal Measurements and Time-to-Event Data—A Two-Stage Regression Calibration Approach

In this article we investigate regression calibration methods to jointly model longitudinal and survival data using a semiparametric longitudinal model and a proportional hazards model. In the longitudinal model, a biomarker is assumed to follow a semiparametric mixed model where covariate effects are modeled parametrically and subject-specific time profiles are modeled nonparametrially using a population smoothing spline and subject-specific random stochastic processes. The Cox model is assumed for survival data by including both the current measure and the rate of change of the underlying longitudinal trajectories as covariates, as motivated by a prostate cancer study application. We develop a two-stage semiparametric regression calibration (RC) method. Two variations of the RC method are considered, risk set regression calibration and a computationally simpler ordinary regression calibration. Simulation results show that the two-stage RC approach performs well in practice and effectively corrects the bias from the naive method. We apply the proposed methods to the analysis of a dataset for evaluating the effects of the longitudinal biomarker PSA on the recurrence of prostate cancer.
Population-Based Screening Programs for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Youth and Clues to Prevention

ince nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and itsinflammatory counterpart (nonalcoholic steato-hepatitis[NASH])werefirstdescribedinthreeobesechil-drenbyMoranetal(1)intheearly1980s,awarenessofthediseaseinyouthhasbeengrowingamonghealthcarepro-viders, with increasing referral to pediatric gastroenterol-ogists and identification of relevant clinical cases (2).Nowadays, NAFLD is deemed as the major cause ofliver injury in childhood and adolescence, being an in-creasingly common indication for liver transplant even inyouth. Nevertheless, the burden of disease in the generalteen population is uncertain, given that most of the prev-alencedatahavebeencollectedincaseseriesofoverweightand obese young individuals.NAFLDencompassesabroadspectrumofliverdiseaserangingfromisolatedsteatosistosteatohepatitis,fibrosis,and cirrhosis (3). It is generally associated with obesityand, in particular, increased visceral adiposity, insulin re-sistance, and morbidities belonging to the metabolic syn-drome, but evidence from experimental models and hu-man studies suggests that NAFLD can enhanceindividuals’ risk of cardiovascular disease independentlyof the latter conditions, including adiposity (4). Notwith-standing, as adiposity and the prevalence of metabolicabnormalities increase in NAFLD patients, their risk ofdeveloping hepatic inflammation and fibrosis rises. In-deed, genetic susceptibility, epigenetic mechanisms, sed-entary lifestyle, and westernized diet favor fat accumula-tion within the hepatic parenchyma. Hepatic fataccumulation exacerbates the concurrent insulin resis-tance,andbothmaypredisposethefattylivertosecondaryhits that include oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunc-tion, proinflammatory cytokine imbalance, and stellatecell activation, leading ultimately to necroinflammationandfibrosis(3).Togiveanestimateoftheriskofthelatterconditions, in a selected series of 120 obese children andadolescents with biopsy-proven NAFLD, NASH was di-agnosedin32%andfibrosisin67%ofthesubjects.BothNASHandfibrosiswereassociatedwithhigherbodymassindex(BMI)andcholesterollevels,whereasincreasedlev-els of triglycerides and insulin resistance were associatedwith a significantly higher risk of fibrosis (5).Inthisissueofthe
B CELLS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE INDUCTION OF INTESTINAL INFLAMMATORY LESIONS IN TCRα-DEFICIENT MICE PERSISTENTLY INFECTED WITH CRYPTOSPORIDIUM PARVUM

Mice with targeted disruptions in the T-cell receptor α gene (TCRα−/−) spontaneously develop inflammatory intestinal lesions with extensive B-cell lamina propria infiltrates. Cryptosporidium parvum infection accelerates intestinal lesion formation in TCRα−/− mice. In the present study, TCRα−/− mice were crossed with JH−/− (B-cell-deficient) mice and challenged with C. parvum to determine if B cells are required for intestinal lesion development. TCRα−/− × JH−/− mice challenged with C. parvum, either as neonates or adults, became persistently infected, whereas TCRα−/+ × JH−/+ heterozygote control mice cleared the parasite. Cryptosporidium parvum colonization of TCRα−/− × JH−/− mice was heaviest in the distal ileum, with fewer parasites detected in the cecum and distal colon. Despite persistent infection, TCRα−/− × JH−/− mice did not develop inflammatory or hyperplastic intestinal lesions as detected in C. parvum-infected TCRα−/− mice. These findings demonstrate that B cells are a necessary component for th...
Localization and Number of Au Nanoparticles in Optically Indexed Cells by FIB Tomography.

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are gaining importance as therapeutic chemical delivery vehicles, medical diagnostic tools, and phototherapeutic and contrast enhancement agents. GNPs are uniquely suited for these biological uses because of their chemical stability, novel optical properties, and broad potential for functionalization. Additionally, each of these beneficial properties is further enhanced by the ability to manufacture GNPs in an almost endless combination of sizes and shapes. This versatility has allowed researchers to access and modify biological processes inside of a large variety of cells [1] and the observation of innocuous uptake of citrate stabilized GNPs [2]. To describe the effect of GNPs, characterization of affected cells and tissues is required from the macroscopic to nanoscopic level. In particular, the location of cells in the tissue or culture of interest and then the mapping of the number and spatial distribution of the GNPs inside of those cells is required, and frequently requires multiple imaging techniques [3]. We achieve the large scale mapping of mammalian stem cells using reflection optical microscopy and then explore the location and number of the nanoparticles inside these cells after exposure to 60 nm GNPs using focused ion beam – scanning electron (FIB-SEM) based tomography.
Producer perceptions of the importance of challenges currently facing the United States grass-finished beef industry.

ABSTRACT Consumer interest in grass-finished beef in the United States has risen in recent years, motivating farmers to increase grass-finished beef production. A survey was conducted to determine perceptions among United States grass-finished beef producers of important challenges facing the industry. Of the 5 United States regions specified, 30% of our respondents were located in the Midwest, which represented the highest percentage of all regions. The Southwest was the least represented with 15% of the responses. Seventy percent of respondents held 4-yr college degrees, and the average age was 55 yr. Using an ordered probit model, opinions on the importance of challenges faced by grass-finished beef producers were analyzed. Using categorical responses ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree, 4 items were selected by respondents as the most important challenges facing grass-finished beef producers. Shortage of processors, lack of a clear marketing system, pasture-management problems, and the long period of time required to get animals to the desired market weight had means of 3.77, 3.72, 3.71, and 3.67, respectively. The modal response for each of these 4 items was “strongly agree.” Farmer demographic and farm characteristics were found to influence producers’ perceptions of the importance of each of the challenges to the grass-finished beef industry. Integrated efforts from industry, government, and research and extension institutions are needed to address these challenges.
Gryllus pennsylvanicus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae): Laboratory Weed Seed Predation and Within Field Activity-Density

Laboratory and field studies were conducted during the summer–fall season of 1997 to evaluate the potential of the field cricket Gryllus pennsylvanicus Burmeister as a weed seed predator in annual crops. Laboratory no-choice tests showed that both male and female G. pennsylvanicus readily accepted and consumed seeds of small and large-seeded annual weeds. In 24 h, female and male G. pennsylvanicus consumed an average of 12 and 8 velvetleaf ( Abutilon theophrasti Medic.), 26 and 9 giant foxtail ( Setaria faberi Herrm.), 87 and 69 crabgrass [ Digitaria Sanguinalis (L.) Scop.], and 223 and 90 redroot pigweed ( Amaranthus retroflexus L.) seeds, respectively. Tests of pitfall trap sampling in outdoor arenas showed that G. pennsylvanicus is susceptible to this sampling technique. Pitfall traps were subsequently used to monitor activity-density of G. pennsylvanicus in a soybean ( Glycine max L. Merr.) field and 2 adjacent perennial filter strips, one composed of switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) and the other an alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) and timothy grass ( Pheum pratense L.) mixture. G. pennsylvanicus individuals were first captured in early August, peaked in mid-September, and decreased in October. Field cricket activity-density was greatest in switchgrass filter strip followed by legume-grass filter strip and lowest in soybean.
Systematics of low-lying state transition probabilities and excitation energies in the region 30≤Z≤38 and 30≤N≤50

Background: Single-particle and collective modes of nuclear excitation compete in the isotopes of the elements ${}_{30}$Zn, ${}_{32}$Ge, ${}_{34}$Se, ${}_{36}$Kr, and ${}_{38}$Sr.Purpose: To study the factors which determine the onset of collectivity in this region.Methods: Data obtained from National Nuclear Data Center compilations supplemented by recent measurements of excitation energies and $B(E2)$ reduced transition probabilities between the low-lying states in these elements were examined. The data were analyzed as a function of the neutron number $N$ as well as the parameter $P={N}_{p}{N}_{n}/({N}_{p}+{N}_{n})$ related to the number of valence protons and neutrons, ${N}_{p}$ and ${N}_{n}$, in the $28\ensuremath{\le}Z,N\ensuremath{\le}50$ shell.Results: The systematics of the data show variations ranging from mostly single-particle to collective excitations.Conclusions: Collectivity sets in when the number of both protons and neutrons lie near the middle of the shell $30\ensuremath{\le}Z,N\ensuremath{\le}50$. Backbends appear in the data showing that particles and holes in the major shell behave differently. The ${2}_{2}^{+}$ states exhibit single particle behavior. The transition probabilities of the ${2}_{2}^{+}$ states in the Kr isotopes differ significantly from the systematics.
Telescoped Flow Process for the Syntheses of N-Aryl Pyrazoles

N-Aryl pyrazoles were prepared from anilines in a three step telescoped approach. An aniline was diazotized to give the diazonium fluoroborate, followed by reduction with tin(II) chloride to give the corresponding hydrazine, which in turn reacted with a ketoenamine to give the N-aryl pyrazole. The deprotection of the methyl ether was accomplished with PhBCl2 to give the final product. The continuous flow methodology was used to minimize accumulation of the highly energetic and potentially explosive diazonium salt and hydrazine intermediates to enable the safe scale-up of N-aryl pyrazoles. The heterogeneous reaction mixture was successfully handled in both lab scale and production scale. A continuous extraction was employed to remove organic impurities from the diazotization step, which eliminated the need for chromatography in the purification of the final N-aryl pyrazole.
Delicate Balance of Hydrogen Bonding Forces in d-Threoninol

The seven most stable conformers of d-threoninol (2(S)-amino-1,3(S)-butanediol), a template used for the synthesis of artificial nucleic acids, have been identified and characterized from their pure rotational transitions in the gas phase using chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. d-Threoninol is a close analogue of glycerol, differing by substitution of an NH2 group for OH on the C(β) carbon and by the presence of a terminal CH3 group that breaks the symmetry of the carbon framework. Of the seven observed structures, two are H-bonded cycles containing three H-bonds that differ in the direction of the H-bonds in the cycle. The other five are H-bonded chains containing OH···NH···OH H-bonds with different directions along the carbon framework and different dihedral angles along the chain. The two structural types (cycles and chains of H-bonds) are in surprisingly close energetic proximity. Comparison of the rotational constants with the calculated structures at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level...
Landing Site Dispersion Analysis and Statistical Assessment for the Mars Phoenix Lander

The Mars Phoenix Lander launched on August 4, 2007 and successfully landed on Mars 10 months later on May 25, 2008. Landing ellipse predicts and hazard maps were key in selecting safe surface targets for Phoenix. Hazard maps were based on terrain slopes, geomorphology maps and automated rock counts of MRO's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images. The expected landing dispersion which led to the selection of Phoenix's surface target is discussed as well as the actual landing dispersion predicts determined during operations in the weeks, days, and hours before landing. A statistical assessment of these dispersions is performed, comparing the actual landing-safety probabilities to criteria levied by the project. Also discussed are applications for this statistical analysis which were used by the Phoenix project. These include using the statistical analysis used to verify the effectiveness of a pre-planned maneuver menu and calculating the probability of future maneuvers.
The Urban Political Machine and the Seventeenth Amendment

litical machine. Viewing such civic virtues as honesty, efficiency, and economy in government as workable solutions for the complex problems of urban, industrial America, these genteel reformers often looked with horror upon the activities of the urban political machine and its constituents, who seemed preoccupied with such mundane realities as food, clothing, jobs, and votes. Historians have usually assumed that the urban political organizations were unabashed opponents of any political change which might challenge their authority.' Yet the proof of this assertion must be sought in detailed analysis of the machine politician's attitude toward specific reform proposals. A clear-cut test case is the enactment of the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution-a measure which, theoretically, struck at the big city organization's control of patronage by removing the selection of United States senators from the state legislatures, where it could be readily manipulated, and placing it in the hands of the voters where, presumably, it could not. Here, certainly, was one of the cardinal achievements of the Progressive era, one which transformed the upper chamber from a bastion of private privilege into the more liberal of the two houses of Congress; yet, almost without exception, it was one which had the overwhelming support of the urban machines' minions in the major industrial states. To understand this, it is necessary to identify the kinds of lawmakers who are under consideration. The urban political machine developed in the nineteenth century as a response to the industrialization, urbanization, and
Antimicrobial Activity of Sterol Extracts from Begonia sinensis Rhizome

In this study,the inhibitory activity against bacteria and fungi of sterol extracts from Begonia sinensis rhizome was investigated by Oxford cup assay and growth rate assay,respectively.The results showed that sterol extracts had strong inhibition on Staphylococcus aureus,Bacillus subtilis,Escherichia coli,Salmonella spp.,Shigella spp.,Aspergillus niger and Penicillium digitatum.Among these microorganisms,sterol extracts showed the strongest inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus with an inhibition diameters larger than 9 mm and an MIC of 0.5 mg/mL.It was also found that the inhibition of microorganism by sterol extracts was positivley correlated with their concentration but negatively correlated with culture time.
Research on Maximal Breaking Times for Vacuum Circuit Breaker

The conclusion is obtained that the potential of breaking capacity for vacuum circuit breaker has not been recognized yet,according to the manufacturing processing and technology level at present through analyzing four hundred type test reports from 2002～2005,while tracking an assistant circuit breaker used in synthetic test for nearly one year.
Crystal Ball Gazing: Research and Clinical Work in Fluency Disorders in 2026.

In this article, the authors (with the assistance of colleagues from whom they solicited comments), provide a forward-looking perspective on research and clinical work in fluency disorders in the next 10–15 years. Issues discussed include neurology, genetics, early intervention, and clinical training in stuttering.
Radiotherapy for Chest Cancers in Patients with Tuberculosis

With adequate cover by antitubercular drugs, reactivation and spread of tuberculosis can be avoided despite the use of cancericidal doses of radiation, and life can be prolonged for patients having both tuberculosis and pulmonary neoplasms. The author draws on 15 years of clinical experience to demonstrate that the traditional contraindication of irradiation in tuberculars no longer holds true.
Review spam and reviewer behavior analysis

In recent years, opinion retrieval and mining attracted a lot of attention in the research community due to a wide range of applications. An important issue that has been largely ignored is the review spam, which refers to writing fake reviews to promote or to damage the reputations of some objects. Detecting such fake reviews and reviewers is critical for effective opinion mining and opinion search. In first part of this work we show different classification techniques used to detect various types of review spam with some degree of success. However, review spam appears to be harder to detect because it is very hard, if not impossible, to recognize fake reviews by manually reading them. So, in the second part of this work, we deal with a restricted problem, i.e. identifying unusual review patterns which can represent suspicious behaviors of reviewers, e.g., a reviewer who wrote all negative reviews on many products of a brand when other reviewers are generally positive about the brand is naturally suspicious. We believe that these patterns can provide useful signals for spam detection. We formulate the problem as finding unexpected rules and rule groups by borrowing some ideas from data mining. To find unexpected rules, one needs to know what is expected. A natural approach is proposed, which requires no user input. It defines expectations based on the inherent distribution of the data. Based on these expectations, metrics are designed to measure unexpectedness of rules and rule groups. The technique is domain and application independent. Using the technique, we analyzed an Amazon.com review dataset and found many unexpected rules and rule groups which indicate spam activities. To demonstrate the domain/application independent nature of the proposed method, we also analyzed a set of tweets from Twitter.com and found many pieces of interesting information.
Degrees of Unsolvability and Post's Problem

This chapter discusses degrees of unsolvability and post's problem. To use a construction in stagesto solve Post's problem, a new idea is required. To obtain recursive degrees, it will be necessary to give up an arrangement where each requirement is settled at a preassigned stage. Without the information available from a O' oracle, all that is possible is to attempt to satisfy requirements at each stage, leaving open the possibility that the arrangements made at the various stages generate conflicts. The ingenious priority method, invented independently, makes it possible to resolve these conflicts. Post began by distinguishing two kinds of recursive. sets, creative sets and simple sets, which, as Post noted, were poles apart. A productive set always has a productive function that is total and one-one.
BullyBlocker: an app to identify cyberbullying in Facebook

Cyberbullying is the most common online risk for adolescents, and it has been reported that over half of young people do not tell their parents when it occurs. Cyberbullying involves the deliberate use of online digital media to communicate false or embarrassing information about another person. While previous work has extensively analyzed the nature and prevalence of cyberbullying, there has been significantly less work in the area of automated identification of cyberbullying, particularly in social networking sites. The focus of our work is to develop a computational model to identify and measure the intensity of cyberbullying in social networking sites. In this paper, we present and demonstrate BullyBlocker, an app that identifies instances of cyberbullying in Facebook and notifies parents when it occurs. This paper presents the most relevant characteristics of our initial cyberbullying identification model, key app design and implementation details, the demonstration scenarios, and several areas of future work to improve upon the initial model.
Discrimination of the "Athlete's Heart" from real disease by electrocardiogram and echocardiogram

Chronic physical training has been shown to produce multiple changes in the heart, resulting in the athlete's heart phenotype. Some of the changes can make it difficult to discern athlete's heart from true cardiac disease, most notably hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Other diseases such as dilated cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy may be difficult to rule in or out. In this article, the physiological cardiac changes of chronic athletic training are reviewed. A methodological approach using electrocardiography and echocardiography to differentiate between athlete's heart and cardiac disease is proposed.
The Hurricane Sandy Twitter Corpus.

The growing use of social media has made it a critical component of disaster response and recovery efforts. Both in terms of preparedness and response, public health officials and first responders have turned to automated tools to assist with organizing and visualizing large streams of social media. In turn, this has spurred new research into algorithms for information extraction, event detection and organization, and information visualization. One challenge of these efforts has been the lack of a common corpus for disaster response on which researchers can compare and contrast their work. This paper describes the Hurricane Sandy Twitter Corpus: 6.5 million geotagged Twitter posts from the geographic area and time period of the 2012 Hurricane Sandy.
Surgical Intervention for Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules

Thyroid nodules are common and have a ~5 % risk of malignancy. On fine-needle aspiration biopsy, nodules classified in one of the three indeterminate Bethesda categories including atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance, follicular neoplasm/suspicious for follicular neoplasm, and suspicious for malignancy have varying rates of malignancy with predicted probabilities of cancer of 5–15 %, 15–30 %, and 60–75 %, respectively. The optimal management of the indeterminate nodule is dependent on cytology category and concern for malignancy and can be further modified by preoperative assessment of clinical, sonographic, and molecular risk factors. Either thyroid lobectomy or total thyroidectomy can provide definitive diagnosis.
Eliciting Knowledge Representation Schema for Linear Programming Formulation

The Linear Programming (LP) model is widely-used, having applications in many decision-making situations. To date, building LP formulations still requires the expertise of an Operations Research (OR) analyts. We feel that his expertise can be incorporated into an automated formulation system that will make the LP model available to managers who are not OR experts. Our study involves eliciting methods used by OR experts in building LP formulations for textbook problem statements. We pay special attention to eliciting the knowledge representation (KR) schema used by OR experts. Previous work in this area elicits methods only, leaving the KR schema up to the Knowledge Engineer’s discretion. We argue that a more “natural” system can be developed if we know more about expert KR schema, and describe a study to elicit these schema
Private Governance and the three biases of political philosophy

Private Governance shows that philosophers, political and legal theorists, and social scientists mistakenly believe in legal centralism, the view that order in the world depends upon and is made possible by state law. In fact, most governance not only happens to be private, but must be private. This paper extends Edward Stringham’s argument by claiming that philosophers tend to suffer from three biases. Diffidence bias means they are overly pessimistic about people’s willingness and ability to cooperate without state enforcement. Statism bias means the overestimate the degree to which cooperation is secured by the state. Guarantee bias means they overestimate the value and need for legal guarantees.
Muscle proprioceptors in adult rat: mechanosensory signaling and synapse distribution in spinal cord

Muscle sensory neurons signal information necessary for controlling limb movements. The information encoded and transmitted by muscle proprioceptors to networks in the spinal cord is known in detai...
A mapping-by-sequencing tool for searching causative genes in mutants

Bulk segregation analysis mapping is a widely used approach in functional genomics, especially now that low sequencing costs make mapping-by-sequencing realistic. However, the huge data processing required is not trivial. To help in this regard, we utilized our population of maize kernel mutants to develop a new mapping-by-sequencing analysis software tool, (MSA), to identify causative genes based on the DNA and RNA level variations in mutant pools. It is designed to identify the association regions, which show linkage disequilibrium to causative mutations, and place linkage peaks on the chromosomes. The method involves the comparison of mutant and normal pools of F2 individuals, and the parents for F2s can be also used alongside the two pools. It allows simultaneous analysis of multiple mutants and multiple normal samples, which can reduce the noise to make linkage peaks.
Pharmacotherapy for Patients with Obesity

Background: Although pharmacotherapy is not the cornerstone of obesity treatment, it is a valuable tool that could be considered for patients who have not had adequate benefit from lifestyle interventions or who have difficulty maintaining initial weight loss over longer periods. Content: This review focuses on the role of antiobesity drugs, the mechanisms by which the drugs work, potential pharmacological targets in the neural control of food intake and regulation of body weight, the history of antiobesity drugs, a summary of efficacy and safety data from clinical trials, and the clinical application of pharmacotherapy. Currently, 5 approved drug therapies are available in the US for long-term weight management, with only 2 of these meeting the stronger Food and Drug Administration (FDA) criteria of 5% weight loss relative to a placebo after 1 year and others receiving approval based on the categorical criterion of the proportions of patients achieving 5% weight loss. Interpretation of the results of clinical trials conducted before regulatory agency approval is limited by high dropout rates; thus, the results might not be replicable in clinical practice settings. Many patients who are suitable candidates for pharmacotherapy are not using the new drugs due to lack of insurance coverage and high out-of-pocket costs. Summary: With the availability of 4 new drugs since 2012, clinicians in the US now have more tools for long-term weight management. The quality of pharmacotherapy clinical investigations needs considerable improvement. Future research should focus on examining the mediators and moderators of response.
Behavioral Ecology of Callosobruchus Maculatus

Each geographic strain of C. maculatus appears to have a unique set of physiological and behavioral traits. Some strains disperse eggs uniformly, others place eggs at random, fecundity may or may not be inhibited when few beans are available, and females may select the largest available beans for oviposition. Host preferences and tolerances differ from strain to strain and respond to selection. Before this variability was understood too little attention was given to the need for careful experimental design. A protocol is suggested as providing some standard points of reference for future research. The prospects for exciting research in ecology and evolution in this astonishingly variable species seems unlimited.
Bringing Carriage of Goods into the Twenty-First Century

International shipping has experienced revolutionary changes since Singapore became an independent country in 1965. However, the legal regimes governing international carriage of goods have not kept pace with developments in international trade, transport and logistics. The Rotterdam Rules provide a modern regime for twenty-first century shipping. Singapore has in the past shown its willingness to take the lead in maritime law conventions. It is ideally positioned once again to provide leadership in the efforts to ratify the Rotterdam Rules and bring the law governing the carriage of goods by sea into the twenty-first century.
Thickness evolution of transport properties in exfoliated Fe1+y Te nanoflakes.

We report the evolution of transport properties in exfoliated Fe1+y Te (y = 0.04) nanoflakes of various thickness. In contrast to the sharp semiconducting-to-metallic phase transition observed in both bulk and thicker flakes, this transition becomes broadened for flakes with an intermediate thickness followed by the appearance of a superconducting-like feature upon further cooling. With the thickness further decreased, the flakes exhibit insulating transport behavior with significantly enhanced positive magnetoresistance, which can be explained using a variable range hopping mechanism, suggesting the nature of a highly disordered 2D system.
Commentary: What happens next? Delivering on the promise of preschool

Abstract Although scientific research has clearly shown that preschool programs prepare children for kindergarten, increasing attention has been drawn to whether these early investments in children’s education have long-term impacts. Here, we argue that long-term impacts of preschool cannot be viewed in isolation from children’s subsequent experiences and, in fact, are unlikely absent of continued investments in children’s education. In this commentary, we focus on the following two key themes: (a) What we can expect from one year of preschool education?; and (b) What happens after children enter elementary school. In addressing these themes, we contextualize the work of Lipsey, Farran, & Durkin (2018) in the existing evidence base and discuss areas in need of continued empirical attention.
Characterization and Modeling of Chemical Transfer to Runoff

The release and migration of nutrients, pesticides, and other chemicals from agricultural lands is both an economic loss and a threat to the quality of our surface and ground waters. This problem was recognized more than two decades ago, and a large number of investigations on the subject have taken place since the early 1970s. In the United States, the research has been stimulated by the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (PL 92-500), which specify that the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shall, in cooperation with State and other Federal agencies, provide guidelines for identifying and evaluating the nature and extent of nonpoint sources of pollution.
Are Natural Enemy Populations Chaotic

It is demonstrated that three simple types of natural enemy population models: host-parasitoid, predator-prey, and host-pathogen can easily have quasiperiodic and chaotic dynamical behavior. The most important ingredients are nonlinearity, time lag and periodic forcing all of which seem realistic and, in fact, quite likely. The time-asymptotic final state of the predator-prey system was observed to depend not only on parameters but on initial conditions as well. The system could be periodic or chaotic for the same parameters simply by shifting the initial predator and prey densities. When spatial heterogeneity and natural selection are considered, it seems likely that chaotic dynamics could occur and persist at the “local” population level. Thus, complex dynamical behavior in these populations could, in fact, arise from simple deterministic processes.
The Use of Weekly Performance Feedback to Increase Teacher Implementation of a Prereferral Academic Intervention

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of performance feedback on the implementation of a reinforcer-based classroom intervention. The primary treatment agents were four classroom...
Constructivist teaching 2008: virtual worlds, promising technologies, inspiring examples

Virtual environments are providing students with realistic experiences that go beyond the computer simulations of the past. This paper, and subsequent presentation, will allow the reader to see a virtual world through the eyes of an avatar, an avatar whose real life is focused on inquiry-based learning and constructivist techniques, and whose human persona had serious concerns about multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs). Those educators who have doubted the educational value of virtual worlds such as Second Life and other MUVEs, are beginning to understand the usefulness and pedagogical possibilities of classes, libraries, and resources in digital environments, including the NMC (New Media Consortium) and other university based locations. Underlying these adventures is a focused perspective on experiential learning and constructivist theory. How do young students gain knowledge in a highly visual and graphic environment? How do the interaction and social networking aspects promote or contain learning opportunities? What kinds of questions and challenges best motivate and engage students? Research on gaming, experiential learning, and situated learning in authentic contexts, supports the importance of using a select group of thoughtfully planned virtual activities in safe, well chaperoned electronic environments.
The influence of internuclear spatial distribution and instrument noise on the precision of distances determined by solid state NMR of isotopically enriched proteins.

The relative merits of different isotopic enrichment strategies that might be used in solid state NMR protein structure determinations are explored. The basis for comparison of these merits is the determination of the relative uncertainties in rates measured by a generalized dipolar recoupling experiment. The different schemes considered use 13C, 15N and 2H labeling of ubiquitin with homonuclear magnetization-transfer type experiments under magic-angle spinning (MAS). Specific attention is given to the sensitivity of the predicted relative precisions to variation in natural nuclear density distribution and noise levels. A framework is suggested to gauge the precision of measurement of a given dipolar coupling constant, and the potential for a set of such measurements to constrain structure calculations is explored. The distribution of nuclei in homonuclear 15N and 1H dipolar recoupling spin-exchange experiments appear to provide the most promising tertiary structure information for uniformly labeled ubiquitin.
Adaptor Protein p66Shc: A Link Between Cytosolic and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in the Development of Diabetic Retinopathy

Abstract Aims: Diabetes increases oxidative stress in the retina and dysfunctions their mitochondria, accelerating capillary cell apoptosis. A 66 kDa adaptor protein, p66Shc, is considered as a sen...
The Learning Curve for Magnetic Resonance Imaging/Ultrasound Fusion-guided Prostate Biopsy

Abstract Background Magnetic resonance imaging/ultrasound-guided fusion biopsy (FBx) is more accurate at detecting clinically significant prostate cancer than conventional transrectal ultrasound-guided systematic biopsy. However, learning curves for attaining accuracy may limit the generalizability of published outcomes. Objective To delineate and quantify the learning curve for FBx by assessing the targeted biopsy accuracy and pathological quality of systematic biopsy over time. Design, setting, and participants We carried out a retrospective analysis of 173 consecutive men who underwent Artemis FBx with computer-template systematic sampling between July 2015 and May 2017. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis The accuracy of targeted biopsy was determined by calculating the distance between planned and actual core trajectories stored on Artemis. Systematic sampling proficiency was assessed via pathological analysis of fibromuscular tissue in all cores and then comparing pathology elements from individual cores from men in the first and last tertiles. Polynomial linear regression models, change-point analysis, and piecewise linear regression were used to quantify the learning curve. Results and limitation A significant improvement in targeted biopsy accuracy occurred up to 98 cases (p Conclusions There is a significant learning curve for targeted and systemic biopsy using the Artemis platform. Improvements in accuracy of targeted biopsy and better sampling for systematic biopsy can be achieved with greater experience. Patient summary We define the learning curve for magnetic resonance imaging/ultrasound-guided fusion biopsy (FBx) using targeted biopsy accuracy and systematic core sampling quality as measures. Our findings underscore the importance of overcoming learning curves inherent to FBx to minimize patient discomfort and biopsy risk and improve the quality of care for accurate risk stratification, active surveillance, and treatment selection.
Small Bowel and Colorectal Carcinoids

Neuroendocrine tumors, or carcinoid tumors, of both the midgut and hindgut are quite rare, but their incidence is increasing. Surgery is the treatment of choice in patients who can tolerate an operation and have operable disease. Options for the treatment of metastatic disease include cytoreductive surgery, somatostatin analogues, interferon α, local liver therapies (hepatic arterial embolization, ablation), chemotherapy, Peptide-Receptor Radionucleotide Radiotherapy, angiogenesis inhibitors, and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors.
Spike-Field Coherence and Firing Rate Profiles of CA1 Interneurons During an Associative Memory Task

Flexible, dynamic activity in the brain is essential to information processing. Neurons in the hippocampus are capable of conveying information about the continually evolving world through changes in their spiking activity. This information can be expressed through changes in firing rate and through the reorganization of spike timing in unique rhythmic profiles. Locally projecting interneurons of the hippocampus are in an ideal position to coordinate task-relevant changes in the spiking activity of the network, as their inhibitory influence allows them to constrain communication between neurons to rhythmic, optimal windows and facilitates selective responses to afferent input. During a context-guided odor–reward association task, interneurons and principal cells in the CA1 subregion of the rat hippocampus demonstrate distinct oscillatory profiles that correspond to correct and incorrect performance, despite similar firing rates during correct and incorrect trials (Rangel et al., eLife 5:e09849, 2016). Principal cells additionally contained information in their firing rates about task dimensions, reflective of highly selective responses to features such as single positions and odors. It remains to be determined whether interneurons also contain information about task dimensions in their firing rates. To address this question, we evaluated the information content for task dimensions in the firing rates of inhibitory neurons. Interneurons contained low, but significant information for task dimensions in their firing rates, with increases in information over the course of a trial that reflected the evolving availability of task dimensions. These results suggest that interneurons are capable of manifesting distinct rhythmic profiles and changes in firing rate that reflect task-relevant processing.
Byzantium and the End of the Middle Ages

The fall of Constantinople in 1453 marked the end of Byzantium, but that is not when the Middle Ages ended. So this paper explores the rise of Byzantine studies as specifically part of the study of the Midlle Ages.
Acceptability, Usability, and Effectiveness: A Qualitative Study Evaluating a Pediatric Telemedicine Program.

Background Pediatric emergency telemedicine consultations have been shown to provide support to community emergency departments treating critically ill pediatric patients. However, despite the recognized value of telemedicine, adoption has been slow. To determine why clinicians frequently do not use telemedicine when it is available for pediatric patients, as well as to learn how to improve telemedicine programs, we conducted a qualitative study using stakeholder interviews. Methods We conducted a qualitative study using grounded theory methodology, with in-depth interviews of referring and accepting physicians and referring, transport, and transfer center nurses. We analyzed data iteratively and adapted the interview guide based on early interviews. We solicited feedback from the participants on the conceptual model. Results Sixteen interviews were conducted; all respondents had been involved in a telemedicine consultation at least five times, with some having used telemedicine more than 30 times. Analysis resulted in three themes: 1) recognizing and addressing telemedicine biases are central to gaining buy-in; 2) as technology advances, telemedicine processes need to adapt accordingly; and 3) telemedicine increases collaboration among health care providers and patients/families in the patient care process. Conclusions To improve patient care through increased use of telemedicine for pediatric emergency consultations, processes need to be modified to address provider biases and end-user concerns. Processes should be adapted to allow users to utilize a variety of technologies (including smartphones) and to enable more users, such as nurses, to participate. Finally, telemedicine can be used to improve the patient and family experience by including them in consultations.
U.S. sweeteners: Combating excess consumption with an excise tax?

Obesity is a public health problem in the United States that has been linked to excess sweetener consumption. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than 6–9 teaspoons/capita/day, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends 200 calories/capita/day of caloric sweetener consumption. Both recommendations are well below the reported 2016 sweetener consumption levels. We quantify the input tax rates needed to reduce the current excess sweetener consumption level to the AHA and FDA recommended standards. We calculate the joint tax in the United States on two major sweeteners, sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), to be 31 and 24 cents per pound, respectively, based on the AHA standard, and 19 and 17 cents per pound, respectively, using the FDA standard. These taxes would be roughly the magnitude of the existing sugar and HFCS prices. In both cases, the tax incidence on producers is much smaller than on consumers. Our focus is very different from past studies in that it deals with the effect of taxes on inputs to meet the recommended target rather than a selective tax (sugar‐sweetened beverage tax). If a sweetener tax were implemented, U.S. sugar and HFCS producers would lose US$398–US$489 and US$683–US$844 million per year, respectively.
Improving Scheduling for Irregular Applications with Logarithmic Radix Binning

Effective scheduling and load balancing of applications on massively multi-threading systems remains challenging despite decades of research, especially for irregular and data dependent problems where the execution control path is unknown until run-time. One of the most widely used load-balancing schemes used for data dependent problems is a parallel prefix sum (PPS) array over the expected amount of work per task, followed by a partitioning of tasks to threads. While sufficient for many systems, it is not ideal for massively multithreaded systems with SIMD/SIMT execution, such as GPUs. More fine-grained load-balancing is needed to effectively utilize SIMD/SIMT units. In this paper we introduce Logarithmic Radix Binning (LRB) as a more suitable alternative to parallel prefix summation for load-balancing on such systems. We show that LRB has better scalability than PPS for high thread counts on Intel’s Knight’s Landing processor and comparable scalability on NVIDIA Volta GPUs. On the application side, we show how LRB improves the performance of PageRank up to 1.75X using the branch-avoiding model. We also show how to better load-balance segmented sort and improve performance on the GPU.
Impact of Video Game Cross-Training on Learning Bronchoscopy. A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Video game playing requires many of the same skill sets as medical procedures such as bronchoscopy. These include visual–spatial awareness, rapid decision making, and psychomotor skills...
Numerical Tic-Tac-Toe on the 4×4 Board

Numerical Tic-Tac-Toe on the n×n board is a two player game where the numbers {1,2,…,n 2} are divided between the two players (usually as odds and evens) and then players alternately play by placing one of their numbers on the board. The first player to complete a line of n numbers (played by either player) that add up to n(n 2 + 1)/2 is the winner. The original 3×3 game was created and analyzed by Ron Graham nearly fifty years ago and it has been shown that the first player has a winning strategy. In this paper we consider the 4×4 game and determine that in fact the second player has a winning strategy.
Curvature in Riemannian Manifolds

Since the notion of curvature can be defined for curves and surfaces, it is natural to wonder whether it can be generalized to manifolds of dimension n ≥ 3. Such a generalization does exist and was first proposed by Riemann. However, Riemann’s seminal paper published in 1868 two years after his death only introduced the sectional curvature, and did not contain any proofs or any general methods for computing the sectional curvature. Fifty years or so later, the idea emerged that the curvature of a Riemannian manifold M should be viewed as a measure R(X, Y )Z of the extent to which the operator (X, Y )↦∇X∇YZ is symmetric, where ∇ is a connection on M (where X, Y, Z are vector fields, with Z fixed). It turns out that the operator R(X, Y )Z is C∞(M)-linear in all of its three arguments, so for all p ∈ M, it defines a trilinear map $$\displaystyle R_p{\colon } T_p M \times T_p M \times T_p M \longrightarrow T_p M. $$ The curvature operator R is a rather complicated object, so it is natural to seek a simpler object. Fortunately, there is a simpler object, namely the sectional curvature K(u, v), which arises from R through the formula $$\displaystyle K(u, v) = \langle R(u, v)u, v{\rangle }, $$ for linearly independent unit vectors u, v. When ∇ is the Levi-Civita connection induced by a Riemannian metric on M, it turns out that the curvature operator R can be recovered from the sectional curvature. Another important notion of curvature is the Ricci curvature, Ric(x, y), which arises as the trace of the linear map v↦R(x, v)y. The curvature operator R, sectional curvature, and Ricci curvature are introduced in the first three sections of this chapter.