cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Continuous Elution Proteoform Identification of Myelin Basic Protein by Superficially Porous Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography and Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry

Myelin basic protein (MBP) plays an important structural and functional role in the neuronal myelin sheath. Translated MBP exhibits extreme microheterogeneity with numerous alternative splice variants (ASVs) and post-translational modifications (PTMs) reportedly tied to central nervous system maturation, myelin stability, and the pathobiology of various de- and dys-myelinating disorders. Conventional bioanalytical tools cannot efficiently examine ASV and PTM events simultaneously, which limits understanding of the role of MBP microheterogeneity in human physiology and disease. To address this need, we report on a top-down proteomics pipeline that combines superficially porous reversed-phase liquid chromatography (SPLC), Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS), data-independent acquisition (DIA) with nozzle-skimmer dissociation (NSD), and aligned data processing resources to rapidly characterize abundant MBP proteoforms within murine tissue. The three-tier proteoform identification and characterization ...
Two-stage approach for the inference of the source of high-dimension and complex chemical data in forensic science

Forensic scientists are often criticised for the lack of quantitative support for the conclusions of their examinations. While scholars advocate for the use of a Bayes factor to quantify the weight of forensic evidence, it is often impossible to assign the necessary probability measures to perform likelihood-based inference for high-dimensional and complex data. To address this issue, we revisit a two-stage inference framework and leverage the properties of kernel functions to offer a method that allows for statistically supporting the inference of the identity of source of sets of trace and control objects by way of a single test. Our method is generic in that it can be easily tailored to any type of data encountered in forensic science or pattern recognition, and our method does not depend on the dimension or the type of the considered data. The application of our method to paint evidence shows that this type of evidence carries substantial probative value. Finally, our approach can easily be extended to other evidence types such as glass, fibres and dust.
Nonlinear numerical dissipative elastodynamics of an optimal solid shell element

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a simple low-order solid shell element formulation — having only displacement degrees of freedom (dofs) — that has an optimal number of parameters to pass the plate patch tests (both membrane and out-of-plane bending) and therefore allows efficient and accurate analysis of large deformable multilayer shell structures. The formulation is based on the mixed Fraeijs de Veubeke-Hu-Washizu (FHW) variational principle leading to a novel enhancing strain tensor that renders the computation particularly efficient, with improved in-plane and out-of-plane bending behavior. Shear locking and curvature thickness locking are treated using the Assumed Natural Strain (ANS) method. With the dynamics referred to a fixed inertial frame, the elements can be used to analyze multilayer shell structures undergoing large overall motion. The energy-momentum (EM) conserving algorithm in the context of the current solid shell element is presented. Several implicit integration methods with/without numerical dissipation are compared in terms of accuracy, stability and cost in multilayer shell structures.
Challenges in Monitoring the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial

The Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (BCPT) was a double-masked, placebo-control, randomized clinical trial designed and conducted by the National Surgical Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded cancer cooperative group. The primary hypothesis tested was whether tamoxifen, a drug that is beneficial for treatment of breast cancer, was effective in preventing the occurrence of cancer in women at increased risk. The Endpoint Review, Safety Monitoring, and Advisory Committee (ERSMAC), the independent data monitoring committee for the BCPT, implemented an innovative monitoring strategy that combined traditional monitoring rules for individual diseases with a global monitoring index in order to weigh the beneficial effects of treatment with known and potential detrimental effects. In addition to developing a monitoring plan tailored for a prevention trial with multiple endpoints of interest, other concerns that were addressed included a reassessment of study sample size and power subsequent to a lengthy suspension of accrual during the trial and handling the occurrence of an unexpected ocular toxicity in association with tamoxifen. Although there were numerous issues that arose during its course, the trial progressed to completion of accrual and successful early termination following the fourth interim analysis, when there was reliable evidence that, not only did tamoxifen prevent breast cancer, but that the beneficial effect outweighed adverse effects of taking tamoxifen.
Optical properties of (Bi1-xInx)2Se3 thin films

Bi2Se3 is a topological insulator with unique optical properties, including linearly-dispersing surface states. Many of the proposed device applications for Bi2Se3 require a lattice-matched trivially-insulating component. It is known that (Bi1-xInx)2Se3 is a trivial band insulator for moderate indium concentrations. In this paper, we grow and characterize the optical properties of (Bi1-xInx)2Se3 films with varying indium concentrations. We find that the lattice constant and optical bandgap for (Bi1-xInx)2Se3 varies linearly with concentration. We perform infrared reflection measurements as a function of polarization and angle, enabling us to model the permittivity for these materials. Again, we find that most parameters vary linearly with concentration. Our results for the pure end members are consistent with the literature values. This is the first report of optical values for the intermediate compounds, which are likely to be integral components of future topological insulator optical devices.
Factors predicting organ response in light chain amyloidosis (AL).

8048Background: Organ response (OR) in AL is often delayed and difficult to predict early. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 1308 patients (pts) with newly diagnosed AL from 2006 – 2015 to deter...
The Fear of Dying: A Case Study Using the SPIKES Protocol:

The SPIKES protocol will be discussed in the context of working with a patient who was referred to palliative care in the hospital setting. Palliative care is complex because it is not only medical...
Controlling the Electrochemical Properties of Spinel Intercalation Compounds

Spinel intercalation compounds are well-known to facilitate high rate and high voltage Li-ion batteries. Little is known, however, about spinel based electrodes for Na- and Mg-ion batteries. Here w...
Investor Reactions to Management Attributions: Revisions versus Late Filings Following Preliminary Earnings Announcements

ABSTRACT After releasing preliminary earnings, firms may encounter accounting issues that cause them to announce an earnings revision or fail to meet a filing deadline. We experimentally examine ho...
Improving Antimicrobial Stewardship in Pediatric Emergency Care: A Pathway Forward.

* Abbreviations: ASP — : antibiotic stewardship program ED — : emergency department EHR — : electronic health record In 2015, White House administrators released the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria with a 5-year goal to reduce unnecessary and inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in ambulatory settings by 50%.1 Among ambulatory sites, emergency departments (EDs) receive ∼30 million pediatric visits annually with ∼7 million associated antibiotic prescriptions.2 It is estimated that approximately one-half of these ED prescriptions for antibiotics are unnecessary or inappropriate.3 Therefore, the ED represents an important site of care in which inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and the consequent impact posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be reduced. However, antimicrobial stewardship in the ED is challenging because of logistical and provider-level barriers as well as obstacles native to the ED environment.4 In this issue of Pediatrics , Poole et al5 describe the high proportion of unnecessary antibiotic prescribing for children who are evaluated in the ED and highlight the following important challenge of regulating antibiotic use in children: pediatric emergency care that occurs in nonpediatric hospitals. In their study, EDs that were not in children’s hospitals had relatively higher rates of unnecessary antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections, greater usage rates of broad-spectrum antibiotics, and higher rates of guideline-discordant … Address correspondence to Rakesh D. Mistry, MD, MS, Section of Emergency Medicine, Children’s Hospital Colorado, 13123 E. 16th Ave, B251, Aurora, CO 80045. E-mail: rakesh.mistry{at}childrenscolorado.org
The Potential for Exoskeletons to Improve Health and Safety in Agriculture—Perspectives from Service Providers

The use of exoskeletons has the potential to benefit workers by supporting non-neutral work postures and reducing physical exertions. However, little is known about the specific factors that may in...
Anisotropic etching of β-Ga2O3 using hot phosphoric acid

We report a systematic investigation on the anisotropic etching behavior of β-Ga2O3. A wagon wheel pattern was designed and fabricated on (010)-oriented β-Ga2O3 substrates. The wet etching in hot phosphoric acid was found to be effective in reducing the sidewall roughness caused by plasma dry etching. The angular dependence of the sidewall etch rate and inclination angles after wet etching was evaluated. The fins aligned along the [001] direction showed nearly vertical sidewalls after wet etching and a fast sidewall etch rate, making it feasible for the fabrication of ultrascaled vertical channel devices. The fins aligned in the angular range between the [203] and [201] directions showed slanted sidewalls with high tilt angles, which could be useful in reducing the peak electric field near the corners of high power devices. The observed anisotropic etching in this work offers a low-cost, low damage, and controllable fabrication method for ultrascaled and advanced device structures.
Management Options for Premature Ejaculation and Delayed Ejaculation in Men.

Abstract Introduction Many men experience distressing issues regarding the timing of orgasm and ejaculation, such as premature ejaculation (PE) and delayed ejaculation (DE). Despite being highly prevalent, both PE and DE are poorly understood and present a management challenge for sexual medicine specialists. Aim To summarize existing data on the medical management of PE and DE. Methods A comprehensive literature review pertaining to the management of PE and DE was conducted using PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov for data published up until May 2019. Our focus was on double-blind, placebo-controlled trials and meta-analyses of such studies. Main Outcome Measure Peer-reviewed studies on treatment options for PE and DE were critically analyzed for results and methodological rigor. Results The peer-reviewed data on PE management continue to evolve. Psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and procedural interventions have all been associated with some degree of efficacy. A strong evidence base supports the off-label use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and local anesthetics in PE given consistent increases in ejaculation latency time. Education and mental health assessments remain important components of PE management despite a dearth of peer-reviewed data on these interventions. Numerous treatment strategies have been evaluated for DE; limited data support psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and/or penile vibratory stimulation as management options. Conclusion A number of management options for PE or DE exist but none has been formally approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. New and novel treatments would be of great value in managing issues regarding the timing of ejaculation/orgasm. Martin-Tuite P, Shindel AW. Management Options for Premature Ejaculation and Delayed Ejaculation in Men. Sex Med Rev 2020; 8:473–485.
The Promotion of Family Support

The United Nations (1989) Convention on the Rights of the Child, the premier international childhood human rights treaty, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2014. In this chapter, we review collaborative home, school, and community practices and programs delivered within a multi-tiered system of support that have the potential to empower families as they seek to care for and guarantee their children’s safety, protection, and potential. Cultural considerations in providing such support internationally are raised and pre-service training and professional development strategies are forwarded to ensure school psychologists are positioned to play local, national, and global roles in partnering with and supporting families to promote the ideals contained in the Convention.
Long-term survival following minimally invasive extended cholecystectomy for gallbladder cancer: A 7-year experience from the National Cancer Database

Background Open extended cholecystectomy (O-EC) has long been the recommended treatment for resectable gallbladder cancer (GBC), while the minimally-invasive approach for EC (MIS-EC) remains controversial. Our aim was to analyze overall survival of GBC patients treated with MIS-EC vs O-EC at the national level. Methods A retrospective review of the National Cancer Database of patients with resectable GBC (2010-2016) and treated with either MIS-EC or O-EC was performed. Overall survival (OS) was compared by the surgical approach. Results A total of 680 patients were identified, of whom 235 (34.6%) underwent MIS-EC. There were no differences in the rates of positive margins between MIS-EC and O-EC (14% vs 19%, respectively; P = .278), and in the mean lymph node yield (6.54 vs 6.66, respectively; P = .914). The median survival following MIS-EC was significantly higher than that of O-EC (39 vs 26 months; P = .048). After stratification by pathological stage and after adjustment, there was no significant difference in OS between the groups (HR = 0.9, 95% CI, 0.6-1.5). Conclusion In this large national cohort, MIS-EC oncologic outcomes were noninferior to the O-EC. Proficiency with MIS techniques, proper patient selection, and referral to specialized centers may allow a greater benefit from this treatment modality.
Strain-induced multivariant martensitic transformations: A scale-independent simulation of interaction between localized shear bands and microstructure

Abstract A scale-independent model for the interaction between multivariant phase transformations (PTs) and discrete shear bands is advanced and utilized to simulate plastic strain-induced PTs at high pressure. The model includes a scale-free phase-field theory for martensitic PTs. The localized shear bands are introduced via a contact problem formulation. That is, the continuous distribution of sliding displacements along the prescribed slip surfaces is modeled to reproduce the plastic-strain-induced stress concentrators necessary for nucleation of a high-pressure phase (HPP). The strain-induced PTs in the bi/polycrystalline samples subjected to compression and shear are studied. The simulations show a severe reduction in the PT pressure by the plastic shear in comparison to a hydrostatic condition, even below the phase equilibrium pressure, like in known experiments. Transformation kinetics versus shear strain for each martensitic variant and the volume fraction of the HPP in individual grains and the entire aggregate are determined. The stationary volume fraction of the HPP is the same for polycrystals consisting of 13 and 38 grains, and a further shearing does not cause PT. The local phase equilibrium condition based on the transformation-work criterion is satisfied at almost all stationary phase interfaces. A similar phase equilibrium condition in terms of stresses averaged over the entire polycrystal or HPP is fulfilled. These results are important for the development of the microscale kinetic equations and modeling the sample behavior in traditional and rotational diamond anvils during the high-pressure torsion, ball milling, friction, and other deformation-transformation processes.
Convolutional Neural Network-Based Disaster Assessment Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Natural disasters are recurrent weather phenomena whose occurrence has increased worldwide in the past few decades. These disasters cause devastating effects on transportation routes by causing significant damage and obstruction on frequently traveled roads. This research focuses on developing an autonomous network of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for transportation disaster management using convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The autonomous network of UAVs will allow first responders to optimize their rescue plans by providing relevant information on inaccessible roads. The autonomous UAV system development will increase the affected regions' recovery rate by identifying blocked transportation routes and associating them with their corresponding locations to update the virtual map in real-time. Live footage from the unmanned aerial vehicles is fed to ground control, where the CNN classifies the type of damage encountered and then updates a virtual map through the ArcGIs software. Preliminary results of the classification models such as AlexNet show average accuracy of 74.07%. Furthermore, transfer learning and cross-validation techniques were applied to the CNN models to obtain high confidence levels due to the small dataset size used to train and test the CNNs. To choose the best CNN model, a quantitative analysis was performed to measure the statistical precision, statistical recall, and F1 score on each model to optimize the classification.
Diversity Metrics Are Robust to Differences in Sampling Location and Depth for Environmental DNA of Plants in Small Temperate Lakes

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis methods permit broad yet detailed biodiversity sampling to be performed with minimal field effort. However, considerable uncertainty remains regarding the spatial resolution necessary for effective sampling, especially in aquatic environments. Also, contemporary plant communities are under-investigated with eDNA methods relative to animals and microbes. We analyzed eDNA samples from six small temperate lakes to elucidate spatial patterns in the distributions of algae and aquatic and terrestrial plants, using metabarcoding of the Internal Transcribed Spacer-1 (ITS1) genomic region. Sampling locations were varied across horizontal and vertical space: sites in each lake included a mixture of nearshore and offshore positions, each of which was stratified into surface (shallow) and benthic (deep) samples. We detected the expected community variation (beta diversity) from lake to lake, but only small effects of offshore distance and sampling depth. Taxon richness (alpha diversity) was slightly elevated in nearshore samples, but displayed no other significant spatial effects. These diversity metrics imply that plant eDNA is more evenly distributed than its generating organisms in these small lake environments. Read abundances were heavily weighted toward aquatic macrophytes, though taxon richness was greatest in the algae and other nonvascular plants. We also identified representatives of many phylogenetically and ecologically varied plant taxa, including terrestrial species from surrounding areas. We conclude that freshwater plant eDNA surveys successfully capture differences among lake communities, and that easily-accessible, shore-based sampling may be a reliable technique for informing research and management in similar ecosystems.
Excavation Support System Design Method to Limit Damage in Adjacent Infrastructure

AbstractA major concern for urban construction projects involving deep excavations is the impact of excavation-related ground movements on adjacent buildings and utilities. Consequently, stiff exca...
Manipulus rubiacearum - I

Five new species of Rubiaceae from Brazil, Psychotria isanae Kirkb., Palicourea veterinariorum Kirkb., Perama carajensis Kirkb., Borreria reflexa Kirkb. and Sipaneopsis cururuensis Kirkb., five new species of Rubiaceae from Colombia, Rudgea bracteata Kirkb., Psychotria gonzalagunioides Kirkb., Palicourea denslowiae Kirkb., Palicourea thermydri Kirkb. and Gonzalagunia congesta Kirkb., and one new variety of Rubiaceae from Colombia. Gonzalagunia discolor Standi, var. danielis Kirkb., are described. One new combination is made, Psychotria cotejensis (Standl.) Kirkb., and one new name established, Psychotria aviculoides Kirkb.
The Person’s Body

Our reasoning thus far has applied the basic thesis that any interpretation of ourselves and of other beings should not neglect, distort, or render unintelligible what is undergone in conscious and self-conscious experience. As C. I. Lewis has said: “That which explains experience is always something which the experience in question gives us some reason (some partial ground) for assuming.”1 The method of beginning with the data in conscious experience does not entail the conclusion that the person is no more than his conscious experience. For example, in chapter 2 we inferred, from what is given in conscious experience, that a person’s unconscious processes are more understandable as “extensions” of the dynamics of the self-identifying person. Our task now is to see what we can reasonably say about the person in the light of his conscious experience of his body.
Biomedical Consulting Agreements: A Guide for Academics [Book Reviews]

If you are an academic working in the areas of biotechnology or pharmaceutical development, this brief text, written by a lawyer and an accomplished researcher, can be a good quick introduction to some of the ramifications of entering into a consulting or advising (or both) agreement with industry. The text should be useful for initial advice regarding the protection of your intellectual property (IP) and/or expertise, with the constraints imposed by your contract(s) with your university and other (if extant) obligations. If you are not in this area of endeavor and, for example, are looking for advice regarding general consulting agreements or seeking to use your expertise in lawsuits involving medical forensics, etc., this is not the book for you. Some of the following items are discussed in the ensuing chapterss: what constitutes consultings; what roles might the researcher play in a company, and what are the obligations involved; types of compensation; confidentiality agreements; IP agreements; and time obligations; termination agreements; and legal status issues; and any business obligations. The text concludes with an appendix consisting of a generic consulting agreement, followed by a glossary and notes pages.
Quasi-Static Fields of Dipole Antennas at the Earth's Surface

The electric and magnetic field components produced by vertical and horizontal dipoles (both electric and magnetic types) located at the surface of a semi-infinite conducting medium have been derived and presented for the quasi-static range. The receiving antenna has also been assumed to be located at the earth's surface. These derivations resulted from the application of the reciprocity theorem to previously derived field components. The special cases of the measurement distance p much greater than the skin depth δ and ρ ≪ δ have been examined. Some numerical values for the field-component functions have also been provided.
Direct Oral Anticoagulants for the Management of Thromboembolic Disorders The Importance of Adherence and Persistence in Achieving Beneficial Outcomes

Anticoagulation therapy is central to the management of thromboembolic disorders, and the use of direct oral anticoagulants offers several advantages over standard therapy with parenteral heparins and vitamin K antagonists. In phase III clinical trials, the direct oral anticoagulants (given once or twice daily) all demonstrated favorable benefit-risk profiles compared with conventional standard therapy for the treatment and secondary prevention of venous thromboembolism and for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. In clinical practice, many factors may influence overall clinical outcomes in patients receiving anticoagulant therapy, including adherence and persistence to the prescribed therapy, which becomes particularly important during long-term therapy. When choosing an anticoagulant for an individual patient, the pharmacological and clinical profile of the anticoagulant, its dosing regimen, and the patient's clinical characteristics (eg, renal function and comorbidities) and preferences should be considered. This review examines the rationale for and clinical evidence of the selected dosing regimens of the direct oral anticoagulants for the treatment of venous thromboembolism and stroke prevention in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. The potential influence of dosing strategies (eg, once- or twice-daily dosing) and other factors on patient adherence and therapy persistence are also discussed.
Using transoceanic cables to quantify global environmental changes

Coaxial, transoceanic telecommunications cables, which are broadly distributed in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and in marginal seas, may present a unique opportunity for data acquisition over a wide range of geologic, oceanographic, and atmospheric regions. The concept of using these cables for Earth science observatories was suggested in the mid-1970s, and subsequent efforts resulted in the publication of a paper focusing primarily on the use of retired cables as ocean bottom seismic observatories [Nagumo and Walker, 1989] and the publication of a workshop report [Chave et al., 1990] discussing various basic research uses and existing technologies applicable to differing recording strategies.
Monoidal extensions of a Cohen-Macaulay unique factorization domain

Let A be a Noetherian Cohen-Macaulay domain, b, c 1 ,., c g an A-sequence, J = (b,c 1 ,…,c g )A, and B = A[J/b]. Then B is Cohen-Macaulay, there is a natural one-to-one correspondence between the sets Ass B (B/bB) and Ass A (A/J), and each q ∈ Ass A (A/J) has height g + 1. If B does not have unique factorization, then some height-one prime ideals P of B are not principal. These primes are identified in terms of J and P∩A, and we consider the question of how far from principal they can be. If A is integrally closed, necessary and sufficient conditions are given for B to be integrally closed, and sufficient conditions are given for B to be a UFD or a Krull domain whose class group is torsion, finite, or finite cyclic. It is shown that if P is a height-one prime ideal of B, then P ∩ A also has height one if and only if b ¬∈ P and thus P ∩ A has height one for all but finitely many of the height-one primes P of B. If A has unique factorization, a description is given of whether or not such a prime P is a principal prime ideal, or has a principal primary ideal, in terms of properties of P n A. A similar description is also given for the height-one prime ideals P of B with P ∩ A of height greater than one, if the prime factors of b satisfy a mild condition. If A is a UFD and b is a power of a prime element, then B is a Krull domain with torsion class group if and only if J is primary and integrally closed, and if this holds, then B has finite cyclic class group. Also, if J J is not primary, then for each height-one prime ideal p contained in at least one, but not all, prime divisors of J, it holds that the height-one prime pA[1/b] ∩ B has no principal primary ideals. This applies in particular to the Rees ring R = A[1/t,tJ]. As an application of these results, it is shown how to construct for any finitely generated abelian group G, a monoidal transform B = A[J/b] such that A is a UFD, B is Cohen-Macaulay and integrally closed, and G ≅ Cl(B), the divisor class group of B.
ISOMETRIC AND ALLOMETRIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LARGE AND SMALL-SCALE TREE SPACING STUDIES

Basic differences in the relationship between diameter and height have been observed in small and large trees. Small trees (less than 5 m) have little danger of buckling under their own weight, and diameter is proportional to height. Large trees (greater than 5 m) are at risk of buckling under their own weight and are subject to damage from ice and wind. For large trees, diameter cubed is proportional to height squared. This relationship is suggested by the physics of limits to height of cylinders before they buckle under their own weight and has been shown to hold for large trees. Data from large-scale spacing studies are compared with data from one-sixteenth scale small spacing studies to determine the validity of this theory. The impact of scaled spacing on scaled diameters at equivalent scaled heights is examined. Results suggest that trees grown at small scales can be “scaled up” to reflect isometric and allometric relationships of trees grown at large scales.
H5N1 receptor specificity as a factor in pandemic risk.

The high pathogenicity of H5N1 viruses in sporadic infections of humans has raised concerns for its potential to acquire the ability to transmit between humans and emerge as a highly pathogenic pandemic virus. Because avian and human influenza viruses differ in their specificity for recognition of their host cell receptors, receptor specificity represents one barrier for efficient transmission of avian viruses in human hosts. Over the last century, each influenza virus pandemic has coincided with the emergence of virus with an immunologically distinct hemagglutinin exhibiting a ‘human-type’ receptor specificity, distinct from that of viruses with the same hemagglutinin circulating in zoonotic species. Recent studies suggest that it is possible for H5N1 to acquire human type receptor specificity, but this has not occurred in nature. This review covers what is known about the molecular basis for the switch between avian and human-type receptor specificity for influenza viruses that have successfully adapted to man, the potential for H5N1 to evolve to human-type receptor specificity and its relevance to pandemic risk.
Nonparametric Bayesian Identification of Jump Systems with Sparse Dependencies

Abstract Many nonlinear dynamical phenomena can be effectively modeled by a system that switches among a set of conditionally linear dynamical modes. We consider two such Markov jump linear systems: the switching linear dynamical system (SLDS) and the switching vector autoregressive (S-VAR) process. In this paper, we present a nonparametric Bayesian approach to identifying an unknown number of persistent, smooth dynamical modes by utilizing a hierarchical Dirichlet process prior.We additionally employ automatic relevance determination to infer a sparse set of dynamic dependencies. The utility and flexibility of our models are demonstrated on synthetic data and a set of honey bee dances.
Stress, fatigue, and social support in the work and family context.

Research examining the interrelationship between work and family has escalated in the last fifteen years due to the increasing number of women in the workforce and the changing and evolving nature of balancing personal and work responsibilities. Debate rages over whether work and family are inevitably in conflict or whether they can peacefully co-exist or even enhance each other. This review of literature focuses on three aspects of the work and family interchange: stress, fatigue, and the role of social support as a stress reducer. Theories and research results are presented along with trends, questions to consider, and implications for future research.
A process perspective on Mayer: thin theory for thick practice

Mayer's idea of reading is not robust enough to account for complex processes of learning from text. Nevertheless, his rough guesses about comprehensible text design are useful for scientific and technical communicators.
Characterization of the duration from onset of asthma symptoms to asthma disease.

Background Little is known about factors associated with progression of childhood asthma from onset of symptoms to index date determined by medical records. Objective To determine the duration between the onset of asthma symptoms to index date of asthma (ie, time when one met the criteria for asthma) and associated factors. Methods Study participants came from a sample of 839 healthy children, aged 5 to 12 years, who had participated in a previous study. Comprehensive medical record reviews were conducted to determine first documentation of asthma symptoms and index date of asthma. Factors were evaluated for an association with the duration from onset of asthma symptoms to index date of asthma. Results Of the study sample, 222 children met the criteria for asthma and had an available onset date of asthma symptoms. The median ages at onset of asthma symptoms and the index date were 5.6 and 7.6 years, respectively. The median duration between onset of asthma symptoms and index date was 2.9 months, and the mean was 17.2 months. There was a tendency for patients with a pet at home (P = .047), exercise-induced symptoms (P = .04), younger age at symptom onset (P = .05), and more severe asthma (P = .05) to have a shorter duration from onset of symptoms to index date. Conclusions The duration from onset of asthma symptoms to index date of asthma varies significantly depending on host and environmental factors. It does not necessarily correlate with commonly recognized risk factors for incidence or severity of asthma.
Measurement of Horizontal Displacement along Faults in the Ocean Floor

IN the eastern Pacific Ocean a right lateral displacement of 84 nautical miles along the Murray Fracture Zone1 has been suggested by a total magnetic intensity survey2,3. The Pioneer Ridge, a newly found east–west fault located between the Mendocino and the Murray Fractures along 38° 30′ north latitude and known to extend between 127° and 136° west longitude, was surveyed by the R.V. Horizon of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California for the express purpose of measuring the direction and the amount of horizontal slip. A left lateral displacement of 138 nautical miles was found.
Nonlinear Yang-Mills theories

Abstract We construct Yang-Mills type gauge theories for quadratically nonlinear algebras in any number of spacetime dimensions. They contain gauge fields h μ A and coadjoint scalars t A . We derive conditions under which these theories are equivalent to ordinary Yang-Mills theories at the classical level by field redefinitions. The example of a nonlinear extension of SU(1, 1) is worked out in detail. The quantum theory is briefly discussed.
β-catenin is essential for lamination but not neurogenesis in mouse retinal development

During vertebrate retinal development, the seven retinal cell types differentiate sequentially from a single population of retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) and organize themselves into a distinct laminar structure. The purpose of this study was to determine whether β-catenin, which functions both as a nuclear effector for the canonical Wnt signaling pathway and as a regulator of cell adhesion, is required for retinal neurogenesis or lamination. We used the Cre-loxP system to either eliminate β-catenin or to express a constitutively active form during retinal neurogenesis. Eliminating β-catenin did not affect cell differentiation, but did result in the loss of the radial arrangement of RPCs and caused abnormal migration of differentiated neurons. As a result, the laminar structure was massively disrupted in β-catenin-null retinas, although all retinal cell types still formed. In contrast to other neural tissues, eliminating β-catenin did not significantly reduce the proliferation rate of RPCs; likewise, activating β-catenin ectopically in RPCs did not result in overproliferation, but loss of neural retinal identity. These results indicate that β-catenin is essential during retinal neurogenesis as a regulator of cell adhesion but not as a nuclear effector of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. The results further imply that retinal lamination and retinal cell differentiation are genetically separable processes.
Velocity half-sphere model for multiple light scattering in turbid media

We extend the traditional diffusion theory by distinguishing between the energy radiance in the forward and backward directions at each point in space. This approach leads to a new effective source for the diffusion equation that is nonzero for an anisotropic light source. It differs significantly from the diffusion theory for short source-detector spacings. We derive an analytical solution for the two lowest-order velocity moments of the radiance.
The role of exploratory mechanisms in evolution

Many cellular mechanisms use a process of variation and selection to generate specific patterns. Among these, dynamic instability of microtubules has been shown to employ a specific mechanism to intentionally generate variation. In many systems the growth of neurons or neuronal processes is excessive, the final connections being established by stabilization of functional interactions. When changes in neuronal networks take place, such as in metamorphosis, use is made of the plasticity of neuronal connectivity. In the immune system, specific responses are generated by variation and selection. Processes that explore a wide range of conditions and a wide range of structures can be called exploratory processes. These are very robust and capable of responding to damage, variability in the environment and ontogenic changes in the organisms. Such robustness would be useful for adapting to changes that occur during phylogenetic changes as well. Given the extensive history of extinction and radiation in evolution, it may be supposed that these mechanisms have themselves been selected for their capacity to survive rapid changes in the organism and for their ability to generate cellular variation.
Growth and conflict in the developing world: Neo-liberal narratives and social-economy alternatives

Abstract The last quarter of the 20th century saw an increase in violent conflicts across the globe. With connections between growth, poverty and conflict increasingly difficult to ignore, research has begun examining economic dimensions of conflict. This paper reviews and critiques this new research, much of it conducted by the World Bank. The research argues that war results from poverty, and poverty from misguided economic policies, so that reducing conflict requires redoubling efforts to promote growth via neo-liberal reforms. I criticize the conceptual underpinnings of this argument, including its overemphasis on individual incentives and its claim that social and economic injustices do not contribute to violent conflicts. Instead I argue that social economics provides valuable alternative perspectives on conflict that take seriously its social dimensions, especially problems of economic justice and the common good.
Doxorubicin/vinblastine and doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide combination chemotherapy by continuous infusion

Fifty-two patients received one of two doxorubicin (DOX)-based admixtures; DOX plus cyclophosphamide (CTX) or DOX plus vinblastine (VBL) administered as a continuous 24-hour infusion for protracted periods. Compatibility and stability of the two-drug admixture was established for a minimum of 7 days. Twenty patients on the DOX/CTX admixture were infused for a median of 20 days (range, 7-56 days). DOX/VLB was infused in 32 patients for a median of 18 days (range, 5-48 days). Dose limiting toxicity was leukopenia observed in 14/52 patients; 4/20 on DOX/CTX and 10/32 on DOX/VLB. Additional toxicities observed included stomatitis (15%) and subclavian vein thrombosis (23%). Tumor responses were observed in 11 patients, including 6/13 breast cancer; 2/2 hepatoma; 2/4 sarcoma and 1/1 ovarian cancer. Responses were relatively short-lived and no responses were noted in known anthracycline resistant tumors. Admixtures of chemotherapeutic agents represents a novel, but feasible, mechanism for delivery of multiple drugs with an infusion schedule and can be considered for Phase III comparative clinical trials.
SPICE simulation of nanoscale non-crystalline silicon TFTs in spiking neuron circuits

Electrical characteristics of nano-crystalline silicon (nc-Si) thin-film transistors (TFTs) are fit using SPICE device models. The corresponding device model geometry is then extrapolated down to submicron dimensions using electrical data measured on a-Si:H transistors as justification. The nanoscale devices are then used to simulate a spiking neuron circuit. The frequency of output voltage pulses in the circuit is a function of the input current. Various loads are added to the output to represent driving of many synapses. Frequency versus current curves from the circuit simulations are compared to biological models. The similarities demonstrate the feasibility of using low-temperature, large-area semiconductor materials such as nc-Si in nanoscale devices to implement neuromorphic electronic designs.
Notch signaling and cardiac repair

Notch signaling is critical for proper heart development and recently has been reported to participate in adult cardiac repair. Notch resides at the cell surface as a single pass transmembrane receptor, transits through the cytoplasm following activation, and acts as a transcription factor upon entering the nucleus. This dynamic and widespread cellular distribution allows for potential interactions with many signaling and binding partners. Notch displays temporal as well as spatial versatility, acting as a strong developmental signal, controlling cell fate determination and lineage commitment, and playing a pivotal role in embryonic and adult stem cell proliferation and differentiation. This review serves as an update of recent literature addressing Notch signaling in the heart, with attention to findings from noncardiac research that provide clues for further interpretation of how the Notch pathway influences cardiac biology. Specific areas of focus include Notch signaling in adult myocardium following pathologic injury, the role of Notch in cardiac progenitor cells with respect to differentiation and cardiac repair, crosstalk between Notch and other cardiac signaling pathways, and emerging aspects of noncanonical Notch signaling in heart.
A Perturbation Method for Inference on Regularized Regression Estimates.

Analysis of high-dimensional data often seeks to identify a subset of important features and to assess the effects of these features on outcomes. Traditional statistical inference procedures based on standard regression methods often fail in the presence of high-dimensional features. In recent years, regularization methods have emerged as promising tools for analyzing high-dimensional data. These methods simultaneously select important features and provide stable estimation of their effects. Adaptive LASSO and SCAD, for instance, give consistent and asymptotically normal estimates with oracle properties. However, in finite samples, it remains difficult to obtain interval estimators for the regression parameters. In this article, we propose perturbation resampling-based procedures to approximate the distribution of a general class of penalized parameter estimates. Our proposal, justified by asymptotic theory, provides a simple way to estimate the covariance matrix and confidence regions. Through finite-sam...
Wax-tear and meibum protein, wax-β-carotene interactions in vitro using infrared spectroscopy.

Protein–meibum and terpenoids–meibum lipid interactions could be important in the etiology of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and dry eye symptoms. In the current model studies, attenuated total reflectance (ATR) infrared (IR) spectroscopy was used to determine if the terpenoid β-carotene and the major proteins in tears and meibum affect the hydrocarbon chain conformation and carbonyl environment of wax, an abundant component of meibum. The main finding of these studies is that mucin binding to wax disordered slightly the conformation of the hydrocarbon chains of wax and caused the wax carbonyls to become hydrogen bonded or experience a more hydrophilic environment. Lysozyme and lactoglobulin, two proteins shown to bind to monolayers of meibum, did not have such an effect. Keratin and β-carotene did not affect the fluidity (viscosity) or environment of the carbonyl moieties of wax. Based on these results, tetraterpenoids are not likely to influence the structure of meibum in the meibomian glands. In addition, these findings suggest that it is unlikely that keratin blocks meibomian glands by causing the meibum to become more viscous. Among the tear fluid proteins studied, mucin is the most likely to influence the conformation and carbonyl environment of meibum at the tear film surface.
What Knowledge Is of Most Worth: Teacher Knowledge for 21st Century Learning.

This article offers a critical review of the literature on 21 st century knowledge frameworks, with a particular focus on what this means for teachers and teacher educators. The authors ac complish this by identifying common themes and knowledge domains in 15 reports, books, and articles that describe the kinds of knowledge that researchers state are integral and important for success in the 21 st century. The authors argue that seemingly disparate frameworks converge on three types of knowledge, as necessary for the 21 st century: foundational, meta, and humanistic. Although 21 st century frameworks are thought to advocate new types of knowledge, little has actually changed in the new century with respect to the overall goals of education. Despite this sense of continuity, significant changes related to how technologies change all three types of knowledge need to be conveyed. The article ends with specific conclusions and recommendations for teacher education.
Minimizing the search space in sniper localization using sensor configuration

In this paper an algorithm for sniper localization using disparate single microphone sensors that uses only the time difference of arrival (TDOA) between muzzle blast and shock wave is presented. Just as in any algorithm that looks for optimal solution this algorithm also faces the local minima (possible sniper locations) problem. In order to find the global or near global solution one has to perform search over a large area. In order to reduce the computational burden, the search space needs to be small. In this paper, an upper and lower bound on the range for the search space are estimated using the sensor configuration. Based on this, the area around the bullets path is searched with the bounds on range to determine the exact or near global solution for the sniper location. The results of sniper localization algorithm applied to real data collected in a field test will be presented.
Recovery of zinc chloride catalyst from coal hydrogenation char

Abstract In the catalytic liquefaction of coal using zinc chloride, the recovery of the various spent zinc products is a prime requirement if the process is to be economically feasible. After hydrogenation, depending on the extent of coal conversion to liquid and gaseous products, about one third of the applied zinc is found with the liquids and two thirds remain with the char. The zinc associated with the liquid product is readily recovered with a water wash. The zinc associated with the char can be recovered by means of water and hydrochloric acid leaches to the extent of 70% of that present. The remaining char associated zinc (15–20% of that originally applied to the coal) is incorporated within the organic matrix of the char. A room temperature concentrated nitric acid leach is required to liberate the remaining zinc from the char. Ultimate recoveries of 98.5–99.7% are possible with the combined water, hydrochloric acid and nitric acid leach sequence.