cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A nonparametric data based univariate density function estimate

Abstract A method for assigning a value to the smoothing parameter in the kernel estimate of a univariate density function is derived. The method uses observations of the random variable whose probability density function is to be estimated, and it is not sensitive to outliers in the data. Simulation studies were performed to compare the performance of the method with others that have been proposed. These studies indicate that the method produces density estimators which have smaller mean integrated squared errors for a wide variety of types of density functions.
Internal medicine residency graduates' perceptions of the systems-based practice and practice-based learning and improvement competencies.

Background: Resident education in Systems-Based Practice (SBP) and Practice-Based Learning and Improvement (PBLI) is required but underemphasized. Purposes: The objectives are to identify SBP and PBLI knowledge and skills with the most relevance to our graduates' practices and to determine how well they were prepared during residency training to address these issues. Methods: A survey was drafted based on Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competency definitions and published literature on SBP and PBLI. Respondents indicated the extent to which each item is relevant to their practice and the adequacy of instruction received on a 5-point Likert scale. Results: All topics had high perceived relevance to practice with most topics rated low for adequacy of training. Topics of practice management and health care economics contained the largest gaps between mean ratings of relevance and adequacy of training ( p < .001). Few differences in ratings were seen based on graduate demographics. Concl...
Preparation of small-diameter capillary columns for gas and supercritical fluid chromatography

Abstract Small diameter (25–100 μm I.D. fused-silica capillary columns with non-extractable SE-33, SE-54 and 50% phenyl polysiloxane stationary phases were prepared. Elevated coating temperatures and mixed solvent coating solutions facilitated the static coating of these small-diameter columns. Azo-tert.-butane was used as the free-radical initiator for crosslinking. Stationary phase film thicknesses of up to 1 μm were successfully immobilized. Coating efficiencies were above 70% (SE-33), 50–80% (SE-54), and 20–40% (50% phenyl polysiloxane). Nearly 700,000 theoretical plates (gas chromatography) were generated by a 46 m × 50 μm I.D. column coated with a 0.25-μm film of SE-54. In general, supercritical fluid chromatography efficiencies at practical mobile phase velocities were approximately one-fifth of those produced by gas chromatography at optimum mobile phase velocities from the same columns. Experimental determinations of column performance agreed well with theoretical predictions.
Notch is oncogenic dominant in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a hematologic neoplasm characterized by malignant expansion of immature T cells. Activated NOTCH (NotchIC) and c-MYC expression are increased in a large percentage of human T-ALL tumors. Furthermore, c-MYC has been shown to be a NOTCH target gene. Although activating mutations of Notch have been found in human T-ALL tumors, there is little evidence that the c-MYC locus is altered in this neoplasm. It was previously demonstrated that Notch and c-Myc–regulated genes have a broadly overlapping profile, including genes involved in cell cycle progression and metabolism. Given that Notch and c-Myc appear to function similarly in T-ALL, we sought to determine whether these two oncogenes could substitute for each other in T-ALL tumors. Here we report that NOTCHIC is able to maintain T-ALL tumors formed in the presence of exogenous NOTCHIC and c-MYC when exogenous c-MYC expression is extinguished. In contrast, c-MYC is incapable of maintaining these tumors in the absence of NOTCHIC. We propose that failure of c-MYC to maintain these tumors is the result of p53-mediated apoptosis. These results demonstrate that T-ALL maintenance is dependent on NOTCHIC, but not c-MYC, demonstrating that NOTCH is oncogenic dominant in T-ALL tumors.
Nonsmooth classical points on eigenvarieties

We construct nonsmooth points on unitary eigenvarieties. More precisely, we construct points so that the local ring of the irreducible components of the eigenvariety through this point is nonsmooth and not even a unique factorization domain (UFD). We use those points to construct geometrically several independent extensions in the relevant Selmer group
A cytokine promoter/yellow fluorescent protein reporter transgene serves as an early activation marker of lymphocyte subsets.

A mouse containing an IL-4 promoter linked to the yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) reporter transgene was created to follow aspects of lymphocyte development and function. Following stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin, anti-CD3/CD28, antigen-specific peptide, or allogeneic cells, both CD4 and CD8 T cells expressed the transgene within 24 h in a manner that was consistent with cellular activation markers. Transgene induction was inhibited by cyclosporine and FK506, suggesting that its activation occurs in an NFAT-dependent manner. B lymphocytes were also able to express the transgene when stimulated with LPS. This induction was inhibited in part by rapamycin. The results suggest that this transgene can function as an indicator of lymphocyte activation. Because YFP is not toxic and requires no preparation of the cells to view the reporter gene, this system provides a unique tool to follow lymphocyte activation in a number of model systems, such as those involving transplantation, allergy, and vaccine development.
Albert Camus and the Ethics of Rebellion

The work of Albert Camus as a philosopher somewhat closely related to European existentialism has been quite neglected in this country. Camus has disassociated himself from the existentialist movement, and it is not our intention to prove him wrong. In view of the fact, however, that he has an interest in many of the same philosophical issues, and because he frequently seems to state his position, either explicitely or implicitly, in relationship to that of Sartre, it is doubtful if his attempt to disassociate himself will succeed. There is little doubt, however, that his thought is to be clearly distinguished from that of Sartre, and if the term “existentialism” is defined so as to become nearly identical with Sartre’s philosophy, as sometimes seems to be the case, then no doubt Camus’ protest is valid.
Abstract 3060: MicroRNA expression profiling in African American and Caucasian prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: African American men have almost twice the incidence and death rates related to prostate cancer compared to Caucasian men. Several studies have suggested that some of these differences may be attributed to the elevated expression of different genes. Recently, a new class of genetic regulators has emerged known as microRNAs. Many reports have found microRNAs to be implicated in cell growth, cell differentiation and the onset of many diseases including prostate cancer. We sought to investigate whether microRNAs are differentially expressed in African American and Caucasian prostate samples. METHODS: We analyzed the expression of over 300 microRNAs in 11 African American and Caucasian cell lines utilizing Affymetrix Microarray Chip. Validations of the most significant miRNAs were done by qRT-PCR. Methylation analysis of miR-152 promoter region was carried out by performing bisulfite modification and DNA sequencing. Characterization of the miRNA was carried out by performing MTT assay, Flow Cytometry, Western Blot, and Imunoflourescence. RESULTS: We identified 15 microRNAs that were differentially expressed between the African American and Caucasian cell lines. Further validations led to the identification of miR-152 which is significantly expressed among both groups. Bisulfite modification and DNA sequencing revealed that miR-152 is methylated in aggressive prostate cancer cell lines. 5-Aza-2’/TSA treatment restored miR-152 levels in these cell lines. MiR-152 is responsible for inhibiting DNA methyltransferase 1, Rictor and TGF-β. Our results showed that miR-152 reduced cellular proliferation in PC-3, DU-145 and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines. In addition, miR-152 initiated G2-M cell cycle arrest. Expression of miR-152 in 40 normal-tumor paired prostate tissue samples indicated that its expression was down-regulated in 67% of tumor samples. Analysis of African American and Caucasian prostate normal-tumor paired sample revealed that both normal and tumor prostate samples had lower miR-152 expression in the African American prostate samples compared to the Caucasian prostate samples. CONCLUSION: These results give evidence that microRNAs may play a role in the advance progression seen in prostate cancer in African Americans. Future studies will focus on validating these results in larger patient sample sizes. Research supported by G12 RR03059-21A1(NIH/RCMI), and CA118623 (NIH/NCI). Citation Format: Shaniece Theodore, Melissa Davis, Jhong Rhim, William Grizzle, Timothy Turner, Clayton Yates. MicroRNA expression profiling in African American and Caucasian prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3060. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3060
Measurements of the Birefringence and Verdet Constant in an Air-Core Fiber

In order to determine the Verdet constant of an air-core photonic bandgap fiber (PBF), the birefringence of the fiber needs to be accurately known. We used two methods to measure the linear and circular birefringence of a commercial PBF around 1.5 mum. The linear birefringence beat length is found to vary significantly with wavelength, ranging from 6.8 plusmn 0.2 cm at 1526.8 nm to 9.5 plusmn 0.4 cm at 1596.8 nm. The circular birefringence is observed to be weaker by a factor of at least ten. The Verdet constant of this fiber, measured using a Faraday-effect measurement, is 6.1 plusmn 0.3 mrad/T/m. This value is in broad agreement with the prediction of a numerical model, and it confirms that the Verdet constant of this fiber is dominated by the residual spatial overlap of the mode with silica. It is also found to be 90 times weaker than the Verdet constant of a solid-core fiber (SMF-28) measured by the same process (0.55 plusmn 0.01 rad/T/m, in agreement with published values). This significantly reduced susceptibility to magnetic fields points to yet another benefit of air-core fibers in the fiber optic gyroscope.
Kernel Based Synthetic Discriminant Function for Object Recognition

In this paper a non-linear extension to the synthetic discriminant function (SDF) is proposed. The SDF is a well known 2-D correlation filter for object recognition. The proposed non-linear version of the SDF is derived from kernel-based learning. The kernel SDF is implemented in a nonlinear high dimensional space by using the kernel trick and it can improve the performance of the linear SDF by incorporating the image's class higher order moments. We show that this kernelized composite correlation filter has an intrinsic connection with the recently proposed correntropy function. We apply this kernel SDF to face recognition and simulations show that the kernel SDF significantly outperforms the traditional SDF as well as is robust in noisy data environments.
An evaluation of the approaches of optimization models in the prediction of muscle forces during human gait

Abstract Kinematic data acquisition systems and analytical optimization procedures for the study of human gait have been investigated with the goal of ascertaining individual muscle forces during a walking cycle. Improvements on existing approaches were found to be more crucially dependent on the accurate determination of joint angles and the calculation of joint torques than on the particular optimization criteria employed. Physiologically-based information on the functions of, and constraints on, individual muscles supplemented the optimization procedures. The results of the study elucidate the temporal pattern and quantitative levels of muscle force in a walking cycle for a series of normal persons.
Adaptive Throughput Optimization for MIMO Systems in Rayleigh Fading Channels

We consider the adaptive throughput optimization problem for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems in Rayleigh fading channels. With perfect channel knowledge at the transmitter (CSIT), MIMO channels can be decomposed into several sub-channels. To solve the problem of maximizing the sum throughput of all sub-channels, we take a two-step approach: allocation of power to each sub-channel and adaptive modulation at each sub-channel. By using the existing results on the optimal adaptive modulation parameters, we focus on the power allocation to sub-channels. Specifically, we propose four power allocation schemes and compare the schemes based on numerical results.
Rapid evolution in introduced species, 'invasive traits' and recipient communities: challenges for predicting invasive potential

The damaging effects of invasive organisms have triggered the development of Invasive Species Predictive Schemes (ISPS). These schemes evaluate biological and historical characteristics of species and prioritize those that should be the focus of exclusion, quarantine, and/or control. However, it is not clear how commonly these schemes take microevolutionary considerations into account. We review the recent literature and find that rapid evolutionary changes are common during invasions. These evolutionary changes include rapid adaptation of invaders to new environments, effects of hybridization, and evolution in recipient communities. Strikingly, we document 38 species in which the specific traits commonly associated with invasive potential (e.g. growth rate, dispersal ability, generation time) have themselves undergone evolutionary change following introduction, in some cases over very short ( ≤ 10 year) timescales. In contrast, our review of 29 ISPS spanning plant, animal, and microbial taxa shows that the majority (76%) envision invading species and recipient communities as static entities. Those that incorporate evolutionary considerations do so in a limited way. Evolutionary change not only affects the predictive power of these schemes, but also complicates their evaluation. We argue that including the evolutionary potential of species and communities in ISPS is overdue, present several metrics related to evolutionary potential that could be incorporated in ISPS, and provide suggestions for further research on these metrics and their performance. Finally, we argue that the fact of evolutionary change during invasions begs for added caution during risk assessment.
Things that Go Bump in the Night: Frequency and Predictors of Nightmares in Anxious and Nonanxious Children

Frequency and predictors of nightmares among children 7-11 years old with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; n = 42) and no diagnosis (n = 44) were examined using both prospective and retrospective child and parent reports. Both children with GAD and their parents reported significantly more nightmares than controls based on retrospective reports, but the groups did not differ when nightmares were assessed daily across a one-week prospective period. Females reported more nightmares than males according to prospective assessment only. Controlling for sex and group, child sleep anxiety and presleep somatic arousal predicted parent but not child report of nightmares. Results suggest both clinically anxious youth and their parents overestimate the occurrence of nightmares, yet factors influencing retrospective accounts appear to differ across informants.
Irradiated Mammary Gland Stroma Promotes the Expression of Tumorigenic Potential by Unirradiated Epithelial Cells

We have shown that ionizing radiation, a known carcinogen of human breast, elicits rapid, persistent, and global changes in the mammary microenvironment as evidenced by altered extracellular matrix composition and growth factor activities. To address whether these events contribute to radiogenic carcinogenesis, we evaluated the effect of irradiated mammary stroma on the neoplastic potential of COMMA-D mammary epithelial cells. Although COMMA-D cells harbor mutations in both alleles of p53, they are nontumorigenic when injected s.c. into syngeneic hosts. Unirradiated COMMA-D cells transplanted to mammary fat pads cleared previously of epithelia preferentially formed tumors in irradiated hosts. Tumor incidence at 6 weeks was 81% +/- 12 SE when animals were irradiated with 4 Gy, 3 days prior to transplantation, compared with 19% +/- 2 SE (P < 0.005) in sham-irradiated hosts. This effect was evident when cells were transplanted 1 to 14 days after irradiation. Furthermore, tumors were significantly larger (243.1 +/- 61.3 mm3 versus 30.8 +/- 8.7 mm3) and arose more quickly (100% by 6 weeks versus 39% over 10 weeks in sham hosts) in fat pads in irradiated hosts. The contribution of local versus systemic effects was evaluated using hemibody (left versus right) irradiation; tumors formed only in fat pads on the irradiated side. These data indicate that radiation-induced changes in the stromal microenvironment can contribute to neoplastic progression in vivo. Disruption of solid tissue interactions is a heretofore unrecognized activity of ionizing radiation as a carcinogen.
Cognition does not affect perception: Evaluating the evidence for "top-down" effects.

What determines what we see? In contrast to the traditional "modular" understanding of perception, according to which visual processing is encapsulated from higher-level cognition, a tidal wave of recent research alleges that states such as beliefs, desires, emotions, motivations, intentions, and linguistic representations exert direct top-down influences on what we see. There is a growing consensus that such effects are ubiquitous, and that the distinction between perception and cognition may itself be unsustainable. We argue otherwise: none of these hundreds of studies - either individually or collectively - provide compelling evidence for true top-down effects on perception, or "cognitive penetrability". In particular, and despite their variety, we suggest that these studies all fall prey to only a handful of pitfalls. And whereas abstract theoretical challenges have failed to resolve this debate in the past, our presentation of these pitfalls is empirically anchored: in each case, we show not only how certain studies could be susceptible to the pitfall (in principle), but how several alleged top-down effects actually are explained by the pitfall (in practice). Moreover, these pitfalls are perfectly general, with each applying to dozens of other top-down effects. We conclude by extracting the lessons provided by these pitfalls into a checklist that future work could use to convincingly demonstrate top-down effects on visual perception. The discovery of substantive top-down effects of cognition on perception would revolutionize our understanding of how the mind is organized; but without addressing these pitfalls, no such empirical report will license such exciting conclusions. Language: en
A New Genus and Species of Buteonine Hawk from Quaternary Deposits in Bermuda (Aves: Accipitridae)

ABSTRACT Bermuteo avivorus, new genus and species, is described from rare Quaternary fossils from the island of Bermuda. Although clearly referable to the Buteoninae, its relationships within that group are difficult to assess. Considerable size variation may be attributable to sexual dimorphism associated with bird-catching behavior. It is uncertain if the species survived into the historic period. Factors contributing to the rarity of hawk remains in the fossil record of Bermuda are discussed. One fragmentary ulna is from a larger hawk, possibly the Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis.
Interactions between light and carbon signaling pathways in Arabidopsis

Two major signals perceived by plants are light and the source of carbon. A new report has examined the interactions between the signaling pathways from these two stimuli on a genome-wide scale in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
The milk proteins responsible for milk allergy, an autoallergic disease of cattle.

Abstract It has been shown, using skin tests with various serum and milk derived proteins, that cows with a typical history of milk allergy, an autoallergic disease of cattle, are in fact sensitive to homologous milk and to the protein α-casein which is formed in the udder. The animals under test did not react to any of the other milk proteins used, to bovine serum, or to any of the serum proteins tested.
Student enrolment and class scheduling for a private language school business

This paper studies the class scheduling and managerial issues involved for a private language school. A linear programming formulation is used to find the optimal class schedule subject to considerations such as total teacher's salary and classroom capacity. To maximise the profit from enrolment increase, and decide whether to open new sessions or put a cap on enrolment instead of accepting more students, the school needs to ensure any proposed new class brings a positive net income to the business. The marginal profit due to additional enrolment is discussed to determine if new classes will be offered.
The Temporal Relationship between Endogenously Secreted Stress Hormones and Metabolic Decompensation in Diabetic Man

Stress-induced diabetic ketoacidosis is characterized by an elevation in stress hormone concentration. Whether metabolic decompensation induces or results from the secretion of stress hormones has not been examined. Our study examined the temporal relationship between the onset of stress (pyrogen-induced shaking chills and fever); the elevation in stress hormone concentation; and the rise in plasma glucose, ketone bodies, and nonesterified fatty acid concentration. Insulin deficiency, which may itself induce stress hormone secretion, was prevented by the continuous infusion of insulin (0.01 U/kg.h). Pyrogen administration induced malaise and fever in all diabetic volunteers and the rapid endogenous secretion of all stress hormones. The rise in plasma GH, catecholamines, and cortisol preceded the rise in plasma nonesterified fatty acid and ketone body concentrations by at least 30 min. The rise in plasma glucagon concentration preceded the rise in plasma glucose concentration by at lease 1 h. Thus, these studies support a primary role for stress hormones in initiating metabolic decompensation in stressed diabetic man.
Designs and Tests of Shaking Coils to Reduce Screening Currents Induced in HTS Insert Coils for NMR Magnet

Two types of shaking coils are focused on reducing screening currents induced in solenoid coils wound with high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes. One is a pair of copper shaking coils coaxially located inside and outside the HTS coil to apply an ac magnetic field in the axial direction. The other is an HTS shaking coil with notch located only outside the HTS coil to minimize the radial components of local ac fields applied to windings of the HTS coil as small as possible. It is found that the copper shaking coils yield the allowable amount of power dissipation in liquid helium. The effectiveness of the HTS shaking coil to reduce screening-current-induced fields generated by another magnetized HTS coil is also experimentally validated in liquid nitrogen using a commercially available coated conductor with narrow width.
Sound Science: Maintaining Numerical and Statistical Standards in the Pursuit of Noise Exposure Criteria for Marine Mammals

Establishing noise exposure criteria for marine mammals has proven to be a difficult and contentious issue. Over the last decade, several attempts have been made to provide scientifically-based exposure criteria. While representing the “best available science” on the issue, these criteria, and the assumptions underpinning them, have led to considerable discussion among both scientists and policy-makers. However, one area where there has been little or no debate is that of appropriate statistical and other numerical procedures used in the various criteria-establishing methodologies. A common issue, arising from a desire to include as much data as possible, is pseudoreplication. Examples from acoustic criteria are the use of many data points from a single animal to establish a value for one species and the use of several points from one species to set values for a functional hearing group. Less fundamental, but equally problematic for the application of the criteria to policy, is the failure to adequately represent uncertainty around proposed criteria through the use of confidence intervals. Other issues are also present in the uneven treatment of different data in terms of transformation protocols and extrapolation, but also in the determination of which “outliers” to discard. Each of these errors introduces bias into the resulting criteria. Thus, despite the paucity of relevant data, we need to meet such statistical standards to truly provide objective advice that rises to the level of the “best available science.”
Economic impact of nutritional grouping in dairy herds

This article evaluates the estimated economic impact of nutritional grouping in commercial dairy herds using a stochastic Monte Carlo simulation model. The model was initialized by separate data sets obtained from 5 commercial dairy herds. These herds were selected to explore the effect of herd size, structure, and characteristics on the economics and efficiency of nutrient usage according to nutritional grouping strategies. Simulated status of each cow was updated daily together with the nutrient requirements of net energy for lactation (NEL) and metabolizable protein (MP). The amount of energy consumed directly affected body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS) changes. Moreover, to control the range of observed BCS in the model, constraints on lower (2.0) and upper (4.5) bounds of BCS were set. Each month, the clustering method was used to homogeneously regroup the cows according to their nutrient concentration requirements. The average NEL concentration of the group and a level of MP (average MP, average MP+0.5SD, or average MP+1SD) were considered to formulate the group diet. The calculated income over feed costs gain (IOFC, $/cow per yr) of having >1 nutritional group among the herds ranged from $33 to $58, with an average of $39 for 2 groups and $46 for 3 groups, when group was fed at average NEL concentration and average MP+1SD concentration. The improved IOFC was explained by increased milk sales and lower feed costs. Higher milk sales were a result of fewer cows having a milk loss associated with low BCS in multi-group scenarios. Lower feed costs in multi-group scenarios were mainly due to less rumen-undegradable protein consumption. The percentage of total NEL consumed captured in milk for >1 nutritional group was slightly lower than that for 1 nutritional group due to better distribution of energy throughout the lactation and higher energy retained in body tissue, which resulted in better herd BCS distribution. The percentage of fed N captured in milk increased with >1 group and was the most important factor for improved economic efficiency of grouping strategies.
Legal Origins and Climate Change Policies in Former Colonies

In this paper, we investigate how former colonies’ legal origins affect environmental policy outcomes. In particular, does it matter for climate change policies whether a country has French civil law or British common law legal heritage? In a cross section of up to 109 countries, we find that civil law countries tend to have stricter climate change policies than common law countries.
Monte Carlo simulation of deformation substructure evolution during recrystallization

Recently, a microstructure and texture evolution model was presented for static recrystallization by coupling a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation of recrystallization with a finite element (FE) simulation of microstructural deformation based on crystal plasticity. The crystal plasticity model provided a quantitative description of the orientation distributions in the deformed microstructure. In this paper, a new model for recrystallization is presented where recrystallization is modeled as a one-step, heterogeneous subgrain growth process. The simulations indicate how existing prior high angle boundaries as well as the high angle boundaries produced by the deformation process migrate to sweep through the deformed regions to produce typical recrystallized microstructures and kinetics. The simulations also capture the heterogeneous growth of subgrains induced by long-range orientation gradients present in the deformation substructure. The simulations are used to evaluate the recrystallization kinetics, microstructure and texture evolution for deformed fcc polycrystals.
Kant on Duties to, and Duties Regarding, Oneself or Others

There is, so far as I know, no passage in which Kant indicates explicitly (a) what he means by the phrases ‘a duty with regard to X’ (Pflicht in Ansehung irgend einer Person) and ‘ duty to X’ (Pflicht gegen irgend eine Person), or (b) under precisely what conditions he will say of someone that a certain duty is owed to him or is, on the contrary, only in regard to him. Now, many philosophers of the past and of the present have meant by ‘aduties with regard to X’ those duties the performance of which is of benefit primarily to X.1 But it seems unlikely that Kant meant that by the phrase. For it is surely an empirical question (and so not one that it would be appropriate to consider, or indeed one that could be answered, in a metaphysic of morals) what being(s) benefit most from the performance of a certain (type of) duty; and yet (in the course of the Tugendlehre, for example) Kant frequently, and without any suggestion that he needs to argue for his view – much less that his view represents his answer to a strictly empirical question – describes this or that type of duty as one which is with regard to a person or group which he himself specifies.
THE ADDITIVE PARTITIONING OF SELECTION GRADIENTS.

Our purpose is to reexamine recent methods for measuring selection, particularly in those instances where selection can be separated into episodes or components corresponding to different portions of the life cycle
Systematics of the Hawaiian “Creepers” Oreomystis and Paroreomyza

A group of small, insectivorous, straight-billed Hawaiian honeycreepers once regarded as forms of a single species Loxops maculata are actually five species that comprise two genera that are not closely related to any others in the subfamily or to each other. The two genera differ in color patterns, plumages, presence of nasal setae, wing/tail proportions, foraging behavior, diet, vocalizations, nest construction, odor, predator-response behavior, tongue morphology, and cranial features. In all respects wherein the Drepanidinae differ from other passerines, Oreornystis has the characteristics of the subfamily but Paroreomyza does not. Its placement among the Hawaiian honeycreepers is uncertain. Oreomystis includes two species, the Hawaii Creeper 0. mana of Hawaii and the Akikiki 0. bairdi of Kauai. Paroreomyza has three species: the Oahu Alauahio P. maculata, the Kakawahie P. jlammea of Molokai, and the Maui Alauahio P. montana with subspecies on Lanai (P. m. montana) and Maui (P. m. newtoni). The English epithet "creeper" should no longer be used for members of Puroreomyza.
Visuomotor adaptation in Parkinson's disease: effects of perturbation type and medication state

To perform simple everyday tasks, we use visual feedback from our external environment to generate and guide movements. However, tasks like reaching for a cup may become extremely difficult in movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD), and it is unknown whether PD patients use visual information to compensate for motor deficiencies. We tested adaptation to changes in visual feedback of the hand in three subject groups, PD patients on daily levodopa (l-dopa) therapy (PD ON), PD patients off l-dopa (PD OFF), and age-matched control subjects, to determine the effects of PD on the visual control of movement. Subjects were tested on two classes of visual perturbations, one that altered visual direction of movement and one that altered visual extent of movement, allowing us to test adaptive sensitivity to changes in both movement direction (visual rotations) and extent (visual gain). The PD OFF group displayed more complete adaptation to visuomotor rotations compared with control subjects but initial, transient difficulty with adaptation to visual gain perturbations. The PD ON group displayed feedback control more sensitive to visual error compared with control subjects but compared with the PD OFF group had mild impairments during adaptation to changes in visual extent. We conclude that PD subjects can adapt to changes in visual information but that l-dopa may impair visual-based motor adaptation.
Fatty Acid Interconversion by Laying Hens

Abstract FEIGENBAUM and Fisher (1959) demonstrated that the degree of saturation of body fat could be influenced by the ingestion of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Egg fat saturation could be influenced only by the ingestion of unsaturated fatty acids. In these studies, linoleic acid replaced oleic acid in the egg so that iodine number increased, but the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids remained constant. Similar results were obtained by Wheeler et al. (1959). These workers fed safflower oil at levels ranging from 5 to 30% and found that the linoleic acid content of egg lipids was proportional to the diet content of linoleic acid. The principal change accompanying an increase in linoleic acid was a corresponding decrease in oleic and palmitoleic acids such that the ratio of saturated to unsaturated acids was unchanged. The lack of incorporation of saturated fatty acids into the egg while adipose tissue …
Visible Light Emission from Silicon Nanoparticles

Orange-red light emission has been observed for the first time from crystalline silicon nanoparticles produced by gas phase synthesis in a non-thermal microwave plasma. The size and crystalline nature of the particles have been confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Photoluminescence at 300 K and 77 K has been measured and analyzed. The emission spectra are consistent with quantum mechanical calculations based on a quantum box.
US consumer attitudes toward sodium in baby and toddler foods

Dietary data from a nationally representative survey indicate about 80% of US toddlers aged 1-3 years consume too much dietary sodium, which can influence their preference for salty foods in later life. Information on consumer attitudes can inform strategies to reduce sodium in baby and toddler foods. Data were obtained from a 2012 online survey sent to a sample of 11636 US adults aged ≥18 years enrolled in a national probability-based consumer panel; 6378 completed the survey and had non-missing responses to the question of interest, "It is important for baby and toddler foods to be low in sodium." Prevalence of agreement was estimated. Logistic regression was used to describe associations of respondent characteristics with agreement. The majority of respondents were non-Hispanic white and had a household income ≥$60,000. About 7 in 10 (68%, 95% CI: 66%-70%) respondents agreed it is important for baby or toddler foods to be low in sodium. More than 6 of 10 respondents in most subgroups agreed. Among parents with a child currently aged <2 years (N = 390), 82% agreed (95% CI: 77%-87%); the highest agreement included parents who thought sodium was very harmful to their own health (92%, 95% CI: 85%-99%) or who were watching/reducing their own sodium intake (95%, 95% CI: 90%-100%). After adjusting for sex, age, race-ethnicity, agreement was most strongly associated with being a parent of a child <2 years, thinking sodium was harmful, and watching/reducing sodium intake (adjusted odds ratios ≥ 2.5, 95% CI's ≠1.0). The majority of respondents including most parents agreed it is important for baby and toddler foods to be low in sodium, suggesting wide consumer support for strategies to lower sodium in these foods.
Perioperative Care of the Orthopedic Patient with Cardiac Disease

The goal of this chapter is to assist the cardiac care of a patient undergoing orthopedic surgery. The preoperative cardiac evaluation includes assessing the risk of the orthopedic procedure and determining the appropriate interventions to minimize that risk. The chapter discusses commonly encountered cardiac conditions and their management in the perioperative setting. A discussion of the more commonly encountered cardiac complications of orthopedic surgery is also included.
Ascertaining educational outcomes after assessment in children with learning disorders.

Objective: To survey educational outcomes after an interdisciplinary, neuropsychologically based team assessment for learning disorders.Method: Parents of 137 children who underwent a comprehensive...
Milgram’s Obedience Study: A Contentious Classic Reinterpreted

Given the many older criticisms of Milgram’s obedience study and the more damning recent criticisms based on analyses of materials available in the Milgram archives at Yale, this study has become a...
Intratumoral pharmacokinetics determined with microdialysis in a patient with glioblastoma multiforme following systemic administration of high dose methotrexate

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 3996 Delivering potentially therapeutic concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents to brain tumors remains a major concern in the design and interpretation of clinical trials in neuro-oncology. This is the first report of the use of microdialysis in a human to monitor local concentrations of a systemically administered anticancer drug within a brain tumor. This study was conducted under a research protocol approved by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Institutional Review Board at each participating site. Patients with recurrent and refractory glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) where a surgical biopsy or partial resection followed by high dose methotrexate (MTX) was planned were eligible. A microdialysis catheter was placed within residual contrast enhancing tumor at the time of surgery. Modified Ringer’s solution was delivered to the catheter at 1 μl/min. On the following day, 12 grams/m2 of MTX (adjusted for renal function) was administered as a 4 hour intravenous infusion. Plasma and microdialysate were collected at 30 minute intervals from one hour before dosing to 24 hours after completing the infusion. An assay involving high performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection, with a 0.5 ng/ml lower limit of quantitation, was used to measure MTX. The first patient to be evaluated was a 51 year old who had a biopsy to confirm tumor progression after prior surgery, radiation, Gliadel, and temozolomide. The plasma pharmacokinetics of MTX behaved as expected. Renal function remained unchanged and the leukovorin rescue was administered as per protocol. MTX concentrations in extracellular fluid within GBM rose rapidly to a maximum of 57 μM and subsequently decayed in a monoexponential manner with a half-life of 12.3 h.As this was considerably slower than the loss of MTX from plasma, MTX concentrations in the perfusate actually exceeded the plasma levels beginning at 16 hours after the MTX infusion ended. The patient subsequently developed urosepsis with neutropenia, but no mucositis or diarrhea, and died 3 weeks later after care was withdrawn. Detailed review by NABTT, CTEP, and the study site found no association with the microdialysis catheter and an uncertain relationship to MTX. This initial experience has demonstrated the ability to measure intratumoral concentrations of an chemotherapeutic agent in a brain cancer patient using microdialysis techniques. This approach could significantly impact the selection of drugs, dosing schedules, and routes of administration in clinical neuro-oncology trials.
A Prevue of California Agriculture

HE morning of August 24, 1956 was a clear, pleasant day in Berkeley, California, when some 65 people boarded bus and cars to take the Agricultural Tour preceding the AFEA-WFEA joint meeting at Asilomar. Many types of private and governmental organizations were represented by these people, who come from 18 states and 5 foreign countries. During the following three days the group visited seven of California's 123,000 farms and witnessed many of the interesting and unique features of California agriculture. The purpose behind the tour was well expressed by Carroll Bottum at one of the luncheon meetings of the conference, when he said, "We found out on this tour that when Californians come back East and tell
Cardiovascular Testing and Clinical Outcomes in Emergency Department Patients With Chest Pain

Importance Noninvasive testing and coronary angiography are used to evaluate patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain, but their effects on outcomes are uncertain. Objective To determine whether cardiovascular testing—noninvasive imaging or coronary angiography—is associated with changes in the rates of coronary revascularization or acute myocardial infarction (AMI) admission in patients who present to the ED with chest pain without initial findings of ischemia. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort analysis used weekday (Monday-Thursday) vs weekend (Friday-Sunday) presentation as an instrument to adjust for unobserved case-mix variation (selection bias) between 2011 and 2012. National claims data (Truven MarketScan) was used. The data included a total of 926 633 privately insured patients ages 18 to 64 years who presented to the ED with chest pain without initial diagnosis consistent with acute ischemia. Exposures Noninvasive testing or coronary angiography within 2 days or 30 days of presentation. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary end points were coronary revascularization (percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass graft surgery) and AMI admission at 7, 30, 180, and 365 days. The secondary end points were coronary angiography and coronary artery bypass grafting in those who underwent angiography. Results The patients were ages 18 to 64 years with an average age of 44.4 years. A total of 536 197 patients (57.9%) were women. Patients who received testing (224 973) had increased risk at baseline and had greater risk of AMI admission than those who did not receive testing (701 660) (0.35% vs 0.14% at 30 days). Weekday patients (571 988) had similar baseline comorbidities to weekend patients (354 645) but were more likely to receive testing. After risk factor adjustment, testing within 30 days was associated with a significant increase in coronary angiography (36.5 per 1000 patients tested; 95% CI, 21.0-52.0) and revascularization (22.8 per 1000 patients tested; 95% CI, 10.6-35.0) at 1 year but no significant change in AMI admissions (7.8 per 1000 patients tested; 95% CI, −1.4 to 17.0). Testing within 2 days was also associated with a significant increase in coronary revascularization but no difference in AMI admissions. Conclusions and Relevance Cardiac testing in patients with chest pain was associated with increased downstream testing and treatment without a reduction in AMI admissions, suggesting that routine testing may not be warranted. Further research into whether specific high-risk subgroups benefit from testing is needed.
Resistance of mouse primary microglia and astrocytes to acrylonitrile-induced oxidative stress

Acrylonitrile (ACN) is a widely used chemical in the production of plastics, resin, nitrile, acrylic fibers, synthetic rubber, and acrylamide. ACN is considered a Group 2B possible carcinogen in humans and is known to cause gliomas in rats. These gliomas are predominantly composed of microglia and not astrocytes. Interestingly, ACN treatment does not cause gliomas in mice, suggesting that mouse astrocytes and microglia may be resistant to ACN. We investigated the effects of ACN treatment on primary mouse microglia and astrocytes to investigate their sensitivity to the chemical. Cell viability, ACN uptake, glutathione (GSH) levels and the expression of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) were evaluated in primary mouse microglia and astrocytes following ACN treatment. Our results indicate that mouse glial cells are resistant to ACN-induced oxidative stress. Both cell types accumulated ACN; however, there was a minor effect of ACN on cell viability in astrocytes and microglia. Nrf2 and GSH levels were unchanged in ACN-treated as compared to the untreated cells. These observations suggest that primary mouse glial cells are resistant to ACN.
Amplitude Bistability with Inhomogeneous Spin Broadening—Driven Tavis-Cummings

This chapter is a first set of experiments in connection with the following research article:
Emergency Medicine Residency Applicant Characteristics Associated with Measured Adverse Outcomes During Residency.

Author(s): Bohrer-Clancy, Jesse; Lukowski, Leslie; Turner, Lisa; Staff, Ilene; London, Shawn | Abstract: Introduction: Negative outcomes in emergency medicine (EM) programs use a disproportionate amount of educational resources to the detriment of other residents. We sought to determine if any applicant characteristics identifiable during the selection process are associated with negative outcomes during residency. Methods: Primary analysis consisted of looking at the association of each of the descriptors including resident characteristics and events during residency with a composite measure of negative outcomes. Components of the negative outcome composite were any formal remediation, failure to complete residency, or extension of residency. Results: From a dataset of 260 residents who completed their residency over a 19-year period, 26 (10%) were osteopaths and 33 (13%) were international medical school graduates A leave of absence during medical school (p l.001), failure to send a thank-you note (p=.008), a failing score on United States Medical Licensing Examination Step I (p=.002), and a prior career in health (p=.034) were factors associated with greater likelihood of a negative outcome. All four residents with a “red flag” during their medicine clerkships experienced a negative outcome (p l.001).Conclusion: “Red flags” during EM clerkships, a leave of absence during medical school for any reason and failure to send post-interview thank-you notes may be associated with negative outcomes during an EM residency.
Bounding payoffs in repeated games with private monitoring: n-player games

Abstract We provide a simple upper bound on the Nash equilibrium payoff set at a fixed discount factor in repeated games with imperfect private monitoring. The bound admits a tractable recursive characterization and can thus be applied “off-the-shelf” to any repeated game. The bound is not tight in general, but it is tight if the stage game is “concave” or if a certain form of observable mixed actions is allowed. We illustrate our results with applications to the repeated prisoners' dilemma and to canonical public goods and oligopoly games.
Pesticides and Bird Populations

This chapter reviews the principal impacts upon bird populations of the uses of biocidal chemicals. Of necessity, the coverage is restricted to those areas of the world for which sufficient information is available. A principal conclusion of this review, however, is that the major impacts of current biocide uses on birds are in the Third World countries, where restrictions are uneven and where effects are largely undocumented.