cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypercholesterolemia Impairs Immunity to Tuberculosis

We demonstrate that apolipoprotein E -deficient (ApoE(-/-)) mice are highly susceptible to tuberculosis and that their susceptibility depends on the severity of hypercholesterolemia. Wild-type (WT) mice and ApoE(-/-) mice fed a low-cholesterol (LC) or high-cholesterol (HC) diet were infected with approximately 50 CFU Mycobacterium tuberculosis Erdman by aerosol. ApoE(-/-) LC mice were modestly more susceptible to tuberculosis than WT LC mice. In contrast, ApoE(-/-) HC mice were extremely susceptible, as evidenced by 100% mortality after 4 weeks with tuberculosis. The lung pathology of ApoE(-/-) HC mice was remarkable for giant abscess-like lesions, massive infiltration by granulocytes, elevated inflammatory cytokine production, and a mean bacterial load approximately 2 log units higher than that of WT HC mice. Compared to WT HC mice, the gamma interferon response of splenocytes restimulated ex vivo with M. tuberculosis culture filtrate protein was delayed in ApoE(-/-) HC mice, and they failed to control M. tuberculosis growth in the lung. OT-II cells adoptively transferred into uninfected ApoE(-/-) HC mice had a weak proliferative response to their antigen, indicating impaired priming of the adaptive immune response. Our studies show that ApoE(-/-) deficiency is associated with delayed expression of adaptive immunity to tuberculosis caused by defective priming of the adaptive immune response and that elevated serum cholesterol is responsible for this effect.
Mitral regurgitation in cardiac resynchronization: solving another piece of the puzzle.

Cardiac resynchronization (CRT) has emerged as a highly beneficial alternative to patients with heart failure (HF), providing symptomatic improvement, reversing remodeling, and reducing mortality rates.1,2 Mitral regurgitation (MR) is an important pathological feature in cardiomyopathy, occurring in a fair proportion of patients with advanced HF and probably inducing additional adverse ventricular remodeling through volume overload.3 Thus, MR may be an important factor influencing the final benefits a patient receives after CRT. Early reports of the effects of CRT on MR were mixed, with a majority of reports suggesting a reduction in MR after CRT.4 In this emerging tale, the missing narrative was a thoughtful investigation of how CRT may influence MR. Such insights would help us to better understand the evolution of MR after CRT and potentially suggest means of optimizing MR reduction after CRT. Hence, the work by Solis et al5 examining the potential mechanisms underlying the improvement of MR after CRT is highly instructive. This group of investigators is best positioned to tease out the intricacies of the anatomic and functional factors influencing post-CRT MR, having done pioneering work in animal and clinical models of MR over the last decade, using 2D and 3D echocardiography. Their work has resulted in paradigm-shifting insights into mechanisms of MR in various etiologic settings.6 Article see p 444 In the current report, they apply the same systematic approach and address 2 key factors underlying functional MR, namely, the anatomic tethering forces and closing pressure. Ventricular remodeling causes leaflet …
Performance of chronic schizophrenic patients on cognitive neuropsychological measures sensitive to dementia

Although many chronic schizophrenic patients manifest substantial global cognitive impairment, it is not clear as to whether this impairment should be characterized as dementia. Since many degenerative dementias have a characteristic signature of cognitive impairment and a specific pattern of cognitive decline, examination of schizophrenic patients on these measures can provide information about the qualitative similarity of their cognitive impairment to these other conditions. Three hundred and two chronically hospitalized schizophrenic patients ranging in age from 26 to 98 were examined with the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery, as well as a more global measure of cognitive impairment, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). This assessment was repeated twice, with a 1-year follow-up interval. The CERAD battery measures the prototypical cognitive deficits of Alzheimer's disease, including word list learning and delayed recall, naming and praxis. In contrast to Alzheimer's disease, all aspects of cognitive impairment were linearly associated with MMSE scores and there were no qualitatively different patterns of deficits associated with MMSE scores in different ranges of severity. There was no change in performance on any measure across the follow-up period, regardless of the MMSE scores of the patients at baseline. These data suggest that the specific patterns of deficit in chronic schizophrenic patients with severe cognitive deficits differ from Alzheimer's disease in both course and profile of impairment.
A Feedback Mechanism Responsible for Fixed Coupling in Parasystole

The ventricles of open-chest anesthetized dogs were stimulated at a constant frequency to simulate ventricular parasystole. When the stimulation frequency was approximately half the spontaneous discharge frequency of the sinoatrial node, the natural pacemaker became synchronized with the artificial pacemaker. During such entrainment, the parasystolic rhythm resembled bigeminy with fixed coupling. Numerous instances of concealed bigeminy were also observed. Characteristic changes in arterial blood pressure always accompanied the repetitive ectopic beats, and these changes in blood pressure, acting mainly through the baroreceptor reflexes, were principally responsible for the synchronization. When the cardiac autonomic neural pathways were interrupted, synchronization usually could not be achieved. The biological feedback control system producing synchronization may be represented as follows. (1) The difference in timing between the firings of the sinoatrial node and the ectopic focus is the coupling interval. (2) This interval is a determinant of the stroke volumes of the premature and the postextrasystolic beats. (3) The stroke volumes affect the arterial blood pressure. (4) The level of blood pressure influences the neural activity in the baroreceptor reflex arc. (5) This activity in turn alters the frequency of the sinoatrial node. (6) Finally, sinoatrial nodal frequency affects the coupling interval to close the feedback loop.
DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTELLIGENT AGENT FOR THE DESIGN OF LOCAL AREA NETWORKS

In this paper we present a method for the development of an Intelligent Agent to assist in the design of Local Area Networks (LAN), a sub-domain of systems integration domain. We define the problem of LAN configuration design and describe a multistrategy machine learning approach for building the intelligent agent which includes domain modeling, ontology creation and the teaching of the agent. In conclusion, the experimentation, results and the future direction are presented.
Recent advances, trends and new perspectives via enthalpy-based finite element formulations for applications to solidification problems

The present paper describes recent advances and trends in finite element developments and applications for solidification problems. In particular, in comparison to traditional methods of approach, new enthalpy-based architectures based on a generalized trapezoidal family of representations are presented which provide different perspectives, physical interpretation and solution architectures for effective numerical simulation of phase change processes encountered in solidification problems. Various numerical test models are presented and the results support the proposition for employing such formulations for general phase change applications.
Preliminary power supply design for the TF coil system of CIT

The initial operation plan of the Compact Ignition Tokamak (CIT) is described. The plan provides for a toroidal field (TF) of 8 T and a flat-top duration of 5 s. Ultimately, operation will be extended beyond 8 T. The power supply to be used for the initial phase of operation has been modeled using the parameters of the thyristor rectifier power supplies which are now in service in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). The preliminary design for the 8-T power supply and results of simulation studies are presented. Issues concerning transient behavior and fault modes are discussed. >
SOME-Bus-NOW: a Network of Wrkstations with broadcast

Networks of Workstations have been mostly designed using switch-based architectures and programming based on message passing. This paper describes a network of workstations based on the Simultaneous Optical Multiprocessor Exchange Bus (SOME-Bits) which is a low-latency, high-bandwidth interconnection network that directly links arbitrary pairs of processor nodes without contention, and can efficiently interconnect several hundred nodes. Each node has a dedicated output channel and an array of receivers, with one receiver dedicated to every other node's output channel. The SOME-Bus eliminates the need for global arbitration and provides bandwidth that scales directly with the number of nodes in the system. Under the Distributed Shared Memory (DSM) paradigm, the SOME-bus allows strong integration of the transmitter, receiver and cache controller hardware to produce a highly integrated system-wide cache coherence mechanism. This paper examines switch-based networks that maintain high performance under varying degrees of application locality, and compares them to the SOME-Bus, in terms of latency and processor utilization.
Differential sheep cell agglutination test in rheumatoid arthritis.

SummaryResults obtained with the differential sheep cell agglutination test of Rose et al. in a series of 160 patients are reported. High differential titers were observed almost solely in sera of patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis. In many others, with milder yet active disease, no significant titers were obtained. Adsorption with boiled guinea pig kidney frequently increased the differential titer of sera from active cases of rheumatoid arthritis. In patients with initial differential titers of 16 or more, tested over 3-5 months, the titers paralleled the clinical course.
St. John's Wort:

Objective:The objective of this article is to review the current knowledge of the pharmacology, sites of action, and therapeutic effectiveness of St. John's Wort.Method:The method used was a review...
ESP v1.0: methodology for exploring emission impacts of future scenarios in the United States

Abstract. This article presents a methodology for creating anthropogenic emission inventories that can be used to simulate future regional air quality. The Emission Scenario Projection (ESP) methodology focuses on energy production and use, the principal sources of many air pollutants. Emission growth factors for energy system categories are calculated using the MARKAL energy system model. Growth factors for non-energy sectors are based on economic and population projections. These factors are used to grow a 2005 emissions inventory through 2050. The approach is demonstrated for two emission scenarios for the United States. Scenario 1 extends current air regulations through 2050, while Scenario 2 adds a hypothetical CO2 mitigation policy. Although both scenarios show significant reductions in air pollutant emissions through time, these reductions are more pronounced in Scenario 2, where the CO2 policy results in the adoption of technologies with lower emissions of both CO2 and traditional air pollutants. The methodology is expected to play an important role within an integrated modeling framework that supports the US EPA's investigations of linkages among emission drivers, climate and air quality.
Laboratory studies of the velocity field over deep-water waves

The mean-velocity field over monochromatic, 1·96 Hz, deep-water waves was measured by means of hot-wire anemometers for a range of wind speeds (relative to wave speed) of 0·4 to 3·0. The mean-velocity profile, over waves 0·64 cm in amplitude, was the same as that over a rough plate; that is, the mean velocity varied as the logarithm of the height above the mean-water level, except very close to the water, where the effect of the viscous sublayer became important. The wave-induced perturbation-velocity field and its associated Reynolds stresses were also measured and compared with numerical solutions of various linear equations governing shearing flow over a wavy boundary. The comparison showed that the measured velocity field was not well predicted by these theories.
The genetic planner: The automatic generation of plans for a mobile robot via genetic programming

Planning is the creation of programs to control an agent, such as a robot. The genetic planner uses artificial selection, sexual mixing (recombination) and fitness proportionate reproduction to breed computer programs (i.e., to plan). The genetic planner uses a simulation of the world to execute candidate computer programs (i.e., candidate plans). The genetic planner is described, with an example of it at work on a simple problem-a robot on a 2-D grid. >
Timing of menarche related to carotid artery intima-media thickness in black and white young adult women: the Bogalusa Heart Study

Abstract Purpose The early onset of menarche is related to the adulthood risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease. This study examines the relation of early onset of menarche to carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), which is a surrogate marker of CV disease, among asymptomatic young adult women in a black-white community. Methods A cohort of 461 women (31% black, 69% white) aged 24 to 43 years (mean of 35.6 years) were participants in the Bogalusa Heart Study. The age at menarche was retrospectively collected. In addition to CV risk factor variable measurements B-mode ultrasound images of the far walls of carotid artery segments were obtained. The multivariate linear regression model along with mediating effect by Sobel test was applied to analyze menarcheal age effect on carotid artery IMT, adjusting for covariates. Results Waist to height ratio was significantly greater ( P = .01) in early menarcheal age ( P = .01) in early menarcheal age ( P = .02) in black women. Given as previously mentioned these different associations, the mediation analysis by race was performed. The effect of early menarcheal age ( P = .02) and HOMA-IR (Sobel test = −1.85 and P = .06) on internal carotid artery IMT was noted in white women. The direct effect of early menarcheal age ( P = .01) was observed in black women. Conclusions The observed deleterious effect of early onset of menarche on carotid artery IMT in asymptomatic black and white younger adult women has biological, social, and public health implications.
Psychosis and Pseudo Dementia Associated with Hemodialysis

A patient treated with hemodialysis developed psychotic episodes, including visual hallucinations and delusions, as well as symptoms similar to the fatal dialysis dementia. His hospital course seems to demonstrate an original organic dysfunction with behavioral sequelae that were perpetuated by psychological difficulties. His tendency to overdramatize his disability and to adopt an excessively helpless and passive role made treatment difficult. A one-year followup is provided along with a discussion of the relationship of his case to dialysis dementia.
Ultrafast spin-dependent conductivity in colossal magnetoresistance manganites

Summary form only given. The emergent properties of many materials derive from strong electron correlations augmented or mediated under realistic conditions by electron-phonon interactions. An important class of materials whose electronic and transport properties are primarily determined by such many-body effects are mixed-valence manganite perovskites R/sub 1-x/D/sub x/MnO/sub 3/ where R is a trivalent rare earth (e.g., La, Nd) and D is a divalent alkali (e.g., Ca, Sr). For hole doping in the range x/spl sim/0.2-0.5 La/sub 1-x/Ca/sub x/MnO/sub 3/ is, at low temperature, a metallic ferromagnet becoming a paramagnetic insulator at temperature T/sub c/ with a maximum T/sub c/ of /spl sim/270 K for x/spl sim/0.3. Qualitatively, both double exchange (i.e., Mn/sup 3+/-O-Mn/sup 4+//spl rarr/Mn/sup 4+/-O-Mn/sup 3+/) and electron-phonon coupling determine the magnetic and transport properties. The observation of colossal negative magnetoresistance in hole-doped manganites demonstrates the sensitivity of electronic conduction to the underlying magnetic structure. As such, time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy directly probes the interplay between the electronic, lattice, and spin degrees of freedom. We have measured absolute conductivity changes from 0.4-1.0 THz in La/sub 0.7/Ca/sub 0.3/MnO/sub 3/ thin films from 10-230 K with picosecond resolution. Two components observed in the conductivity relaxation are described.
On Level Crossing Analysis of Queues

Summary In this note we introduce a new level crossing analysis and using it derive an integral equation for the steady state waiting time in the GI/G/1 Queue. For the GI/M/1 queue we derive the rates of up- and down-crossings of the virtual delay process and two integral equations, one for the steady state time spent in the system and the other for the steady state waiting time in the queue. Also, the steady state probability distributions of the time spent in the system and the waiting time in the queue are obtained by solving these integral equations.
Techniques and issues in multicast security

Multicast networking support is becoming an increasingly important future technology area for both commercial and military distributed and group-based applications. Integrating a multicast security solution involves numerous engineering tradeoffs. The end goal of effective operational performance and scalability over a heterogeneous internetwork is of primary interest for widescale adoption and application of such a capability. Various techniques that have been proposed to support multicast security are discussed and their relative merits are explored.
The role of centrality of events in posttraumatic distress and posttraumatic growth.

Disruptions to core beliefs, rumination, and finding meaning have been associated with the development of posttraumatic distress (Janoff–Bulman, 1992, 2006). These variables have also contributed to the development of posttraumatic growth, which is the experience of a positive life change as the result of a traumatic experience (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). A new variable, centrality of event, has recently been implicated in both processes (Boals & Schuettler, 2011), although it remains unclear if centrality of event is a unique contributor to posttraumatic outcomes beyond the influence of other variables known to do so. The present study examined the unique contribution of centrality of event to the development of both posttraumatic distress and posttraumatic growth. Centrality of event was a unique predictor of both variables. This seemingly paradoxical finding underscores the need for further research in this area, particularly concerning the perceived valence of a major event that may be interpreted as central. Clinicians may usefully attend to centrality when working with individuals who have experienced a potentially traumatic event.
Endogenous human cytomegalovirus gB is presented efficiently by MHC class II molecules to CD4 CTL

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infects endothelial, epithelial, and glial cells in vivo. These cells can express MHC class II proteins, but are unlikely to play important roles in priming host immunity. Instead, it seems that class II presentation of endogenous HCMV antigens in these cells allows recognition of virus infection. We characterized class II presentation of HCMV glycoprotein B (gB), a membrane protein that accumulates extensively in endosomes during virus assembly. Human CD4+ T cells specific for gB were both highly abundant in blood and cytolytic in vivo. gB-specific CD4+ T cell clones recognized gB that was expressed in glial, endothelial, and epithelial cells, but not exogenous gB that was fed to these cells. Glial cells efficiently presented extremely low levels of endogenous gB--expressed by adenovirus vectors or after HCMV infection--and stimulated CD4+ T cells better than DCs that were incubated with exogenous gB. Presentation of endogenous gB required sorting of gB to endosomal compartments and processing by acidic proteases. Although presentation of cellular proteins that traffic into endosomes is well known, our observations demonstrate for the first time that a viral protein sorted to endosomes is presented exceptionally well, and can promote CD4+ T cell recognition and killing of biologically important host cells.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in Younger Adults: Preliminary Results of a Study Based on 454 Patients-IWCLL/Working Group

Whether all younger adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) should be offered intensive and/or experimental treatments is currently undecided. In order to investigate the natural history and prognosis of CLL in younger adults, information on 454 B-CLL patients less than 50 yrs old, from 13 different International groups was collected and analyzed. The male/female proportion is 1.46 (270/184) and the median age is 46 yrs (range, 20-49). Number of cases increases with age: nine patients (2%) are <30 yrs; 70 (14%) are 30 to 40 yrs; and 375 (84%) are 41 to 49 yrs. Clinical stages distribution is as follows: Rai O, 113 (25%), Rai I, 98 (21.5%), Rai II, 182 (40%), Rai III, 25 (5.5%), and Rai IV, 36 (8%); Binet's A, 235 (52%), Binet's B, 160 (35%), Binet's C 59 (13%). Bone marrow biopsy was available in 251 cases, being nodular in 46 (18.5%), interstitial in 76 (30%), mixed in 60 (24%), and diffuse in 69 (27.5%). Clinical characteristics of these patients do not differ from those described for entire series of CLL patients including all ages. The majority of patients (93%) were diagnosed between 1975 and 1989 and at the time of this analysis 138 (30.3%) have died. Infection accounts for the large majority of deaths (48%). Overall median survival is 12 yrs. Survival probability (±SD) is 73.55 ± 2.47% at 5 yrs, 51.04 ± 3.46% at 10 yrs, and 45.53 ± 4.08% at 15 yrs. Prognostic parameter identified in whole series of patients with CLL are also useful when applied to this special subset. Thus, patients in stage A, B, and C have, at 10 yrs after diagnosis, survival probabilities of 72.4%, 33.7%, and 21.2%, respectively. Rai stages also discriminate different risk-groups with a survival probability at 10 yrs of 76% for patients in stage 0, 45% for those in stage I + II, and 24% for patient in Stage III + IV. Patients with non-diffuse bone marrow pattern have a survival probability of 76% at 10 yrs compared to 28% for those with a diffuse pattern. Further analysis will refine both the prognostic assessment and the optimal treatment approach for these patients.
Magnetoelectroelastic multi-inclusion and inhomogeneity problems and their applications in composite materials

Abstract We have studied the average magnetoelectroelastic field in a multi-inclusion or inhomogeneity embedded in an infinite matrix. The magnetoelectroelastic inclusion and inhomogeneity problems are discussed [1] , and a numerical algorithm to evaluate the magnetoelectroelastic Eshelby’s tensors for the general material symmetry and ellipsoidal inclusion shape is developed. The solutions for the magnetoelectroelastic inclusion and inhomogeneity problems are applied to study the multi-inclusion and inhomogeneity problems. It is shown that the average field in an annulus surrounding an inclusion embedded in an infinite magnetoelectroelastic medium only depends on the shapes and orientations of two ellipsoids, which generalizes Tanaka and Mori's observation in elasticity [2] . The average field in a multi-inclusion is then determined exactly, from which the average field in a multi-inhomogeneity is obtained, using the equivalent-inclusion concept [3] . The solutions of multi-inclusion and inhomogeneity problems serve as basis for an averaging scheme to model the effective magnetoelectroelastic moduli of heterogeneous materials, which generalizes Nemat-Nasser and Hori's multi-inclusion model in elasticity [4] . The model is further extended to predict the effective thermal moduli of the heterogeneous magnetoelectroelastic solids, generalizing the recent work of Li on the thermal expansion coefficients of elastic composites [5] . The proposed model recovers Mori–Tanaka and self-consistent approaches as special cases. Finally, some numerical results are given to demonstrate the applicability of the model. The potential techniques to enhance the magnetoelectric effect in practical composites are also discussed.
NAD+ controls neural stem cell fate in the aging brain

Loss of the coenzyme NAD+, which is required for many energy-dependent cellular processes, has emerged as a potentially unifying mechanism for age-related conditions. A study in this issue of The EMBO Journal identifies a novel link between depletion of NAD+ and age-associated loss of proliferating adult neural stem/progenitor cells in the murine brain (Stein & Imai, 2014). These data have important implications for how brain function might decline with age.
Parameter estimation for Middleton Class A interference processes

The problem of estimating the parameters of the Middleton Class A interference model is considered. On the assumption of the availability of a set of independent samples from Class A envelope distribution, the asymptotic performances of several estimation procedures are explored. From this analysis, estimates based on the method of moments are seen to be consistent and computationally desirable but highly inefficient, whereas more efficient likelihood-based estimators are seen to be computationally unwieldy. However, an estimator that initiates likelihood iteration with the method-of-moments estimates is seen to overcome these difficulties in its asymptotic performance. Unfortunately, simulation of this third estimator for practical sample sizes reveals poor performance under these conditions. To overcome this lack of small-sample efficiency, a similar estimator that initiates likelihood iteration with physically motivated (but nonoptimal) estimates is also proposed. Simulation of this latter estimator for practical sample sizes indicates that near-optimal performance is attained by this technique. >
The Test: Ritual as a Framing Device in the Construction of Cultural Nationalism

Organised movements that challenge a government must construct and frame their own visions of the nation that legitimate their challenge. To do so, they may attempt to mobilise a cultural nationalism to supersede dominant political nationalisms. An alternative cultural nationalism can appeal to patriotism while undermining the legitimacy of a standing government. Such work is subtle, particularly when direct challenges to authority are proscribed by law. Organisational rituals of belonging are powerful tools in this process. Ritual repetition of key framing ideas can unite members around the cultural construct of the movement without directly addressing their targets. This paper examines the organisation of the Society of United Irishmen (1791–98) and their use of a membership ‘test’ ritual. The test epitomised the primary work of the society which entailed the construction of a new vision of Irish nationalism. As the Society transitioned from its rhetorical function to organising an actual rising against...
Ion Molecule Collisions: Theory and Experiment—Summary of Panel Discussion

Over the years the study of collision processes in nonreactive systems has been very useful in characterizing intermolecular forces. Much of the available information on the importance of various kinds of forces between neutral molecules, for example, is the result of studies of diffusion and viscosity in nonreactive systems (Hirschfelder, Curtiss and Bird, 1954).
Sex differences in central cholinergic and angiotensinergic control of vasopressin release

In conscious, unrestrained rats, the intracerebroventricular injection of the cholinergic agonist, carbachol, or angiotensin II resulted in the transient stimulation of vasopressin secretion, elevation of mean arterial blood pressure, and reduction of heart rate. After the injection of carbachol (25 ng) into a lateral cerebral ventricle, the plasma vasopressin concentration in male rats was increased to twice that of female rats in each phase of the estrous cycle; mean arterial blood pressure was elevated more in males than females, whereas heart rate fell to the same extent in both sexes. In contrast, the increase in the plasma vasopressin concentration of males after the injection of angiotensin II (20 ng) was one-half that of females, and the hypertensive and bradycardic responses were similar in both sexes. Phase of the female estrous cycle had no effect on the responses to either agent. These findings indicate that central cholinergic and angiotensinergic mechanisms controlling vasopressin release are influenced differently by gender. The role of the gonadal steroid hormones in these mechanisms remains to be determined.
Introduced Parasites Successfully Control the Citrophilus Mealybug

The citrophilus mealybug, an accidental introduction from Australia, has been a major citrus pest for several years. Fair control has been maintained by the propagation and distribution of Cryptolaemus. The introduction of two chalcidoid parasites from Australia, Coccophagus gurneyi Compere and Tetracnemus pretiosus Timberlake, has resulted in perfect control of the pest.
GENETIC INTERACTIONS AT A CONTACT ZONE OF URODERMA BILOBATUM (CHIROPTERA: PHYLLOSTOMIDAE).

Studies of genetic interactions between taxa in zones of hybridization can provide evolutionary biologists with an important empirical basis for exploring the nature of speciation. Importantly, such contact-zone studies allow critical assessment of the types of genetic changes (e.g., chromosomal rearrangements or protein dissimilarity) that may be instrumental in effecting reproductive isolation. Hence, it is crucial that underlying empiricism in such studies, as well as any proffered interpretations, be critically evaluated and reassessed. The patterns of chromosomal and protein variation in a contact zone of the tentmaking bat, Uroderma bilobatum, were summarized recently in two stimulating companion papers (Baker, 1981; Greenbaum, 1981). This contact zone involves two karyotypically defined taxa, U. b. davisi (44 chromosomes) and U. b. convexum (38 chromosomes), that hybridize about the Golfo de Fonseca, Honduras on the Pacific versant of Middle America. Baker (1981) and Greenbaum (1981) conclude that this contact zone is unique for its great width, introgressive hybridization does not occur between these subspecies, the pattern of chromosomal variation is maintained by selection, and that the hybrid zone is a result of primary contact and speciation should ensue. These interpretations and conclusions are provocative and I am reluctant to accept their explanations of the genetic characteristics of the hybrid zone. Accordingly, here I evaluate their hypotheses and present an alternative interpretation of the genetic interactions observed at this interesting contact zone. METHODS
Applying career concepts to strengthen the work-attitudes of service professionals

ABSTRACTGiven the nature of employment relationships today, service organizations can strengthen the organization commitment levels and reduce the turnover intentions of its professionals through providing job features important to their careers. These features include opportunities to perform challenging work, experience trusting relationships with customers/clients, and obtain extrinsic rewards. Using a sample of alumni from a hospitality business program, hypotheses that these features impact organizational commitment and turnover intentions, partially through strengthening professionals’ career commitment, are developed and tested. Findings suggest that challenging work opportunities impact these attitudes both directly and indirectly. So too trusting relationships with customers and clients indirectly impact organization commitment and intent to turnover (ITO). Results also suggest that, as a whole, satisfaction with extrinsic rewards has no effect. However, an analysis of multigroup mediation result...
Chiral nanostructures studied using polarization-dependent NOLES imaging.

The Nonlinear Optical Localization using Electromagnetic Surface fields (NOLES) imaging technique was used to generate optical images in which the position of a chiral object could be determined with nanometer precision. Asymmetric gold bowtie nanostructures were used as a model system with 2D chirality. The bowties functioned as a chiral nonlinear medium that converted the fundamental of a Ti:sapphire laser to its second harmonic frequency. The bowties consisted of two lithographically prepared equilateral triangles (base = 75 nm, height = 85 nm, thickness = 25 nm) separated by a 20 nm gap. Asymmetric bowties were formed by lateral displacement of one triangle by 10 nm, yielding C2 point group symmetry. The chirality of the bowtie nanostructures was confirmed via nonzero second-harmonic generation circular dichroism (SHG-CDR) ratios, which came from single-particle SHG measurements. The SHG-CDR ratios were validated using numerical finite difference time domain simulations that quantified the relative ma...
Selecting the right residency program

Pharmacy is becoming a patient-oriented profession.[1][1] To prepare for a professionwide, patient-centered practice model, growth of residency programs will be necessary.[1][1] A residency is a postgraduate training program in a defined area of pharmacy practice that can improve skills, build
Ventilatory failure in COPD.

Maintaining normal alveolar ventilation often becomes impossible in COPD. When this happens, the PCO2 rises and the PO2 falls. Ventilatory failure developing in this setting generally is an extension of the chronic disease. Many of the patients are chronically in a state of “ventilatory failure” as commonly defined.
Mismanaged care: the challenges facing judicial interpretation of contemporary health policy.

At a time when the U.S. Supreme Court stands accused of undermining the legitimacy of American democracy, it might seem superfluous to question its wisdom in the interpretation of more mundane matters of public policy. But the Court is rarely given an opportunity to tinker with electoral outcomes. By contrast, it is constantly in the business of interpreting congressional legislation. Doing so involves more than simply establishing the constitutionality of a law. It also requires sensitivity to the substantive implications of a ruling, as reflected in the Court’s analysis of congressional intent. These judgments are made difficult when the substantive implications are hard to discern or confusingly complicated. These difficulties can compromise sensible judicial interpretation of laws that shape contemporary health policy. Few domains of public policy rival medical care in sheer complexity. Even experts in the field have, at best, a limited understanding of the constituents of effective treatment. To complicate things further, American medicine is characterized by dramatic and persistent change, in both the nature of medical services and in the institutional arrangements through which they are financed and delivered. Labels and conceptual frameworks often lag behind these changes, creating a confusing disjunction between the basic features of the health care system and the terms in which that system is typically described. These circumstances can greatly complicate the task of judicial review. It is difficult to discern a coherent sense of congressional intent from laws written by those who have at best a partial understanding of the health care system. Only about a quarter of the congressional staff with responsibilities for health care have had any training in the field. Elected officials face even bigger challenges, since they must have a working knowledge about a wide range of policy concerns. Evidence suggests that they are not always up to these
Diversified psychiatric presentation in a case of progressive supranuclear palsy

Abstract Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is an unusual neurodegenerative disorder with variant clinical phenotypes. Accurate diagnosis is challenging in the early stage, especially in psychiatric clinics, where misdiagnoses with psychiatric illness are common. A case of PSP was difficult to differentiate from other Parkinsonian syndromes initially, and the patient's affective symptoms predated the onset of other symptoms. Gaze abnormality and frontal lobe syndromes emerged and she was diagnosed with PSP 5 months after the first psychiatric visit. Heightened awareness of PSP and its diagnosis are important, not only because of prognostic implications, but also because of appropriate interventions and focused therapeutic targets.
Mining Decision Trees from Streams

Many organizations today have more than very large databases; they have databases that grow without limit at a rate of several million records per day. Mining these continuous data streams brings unique opportunities, but also new challenges. We present a method that can semi-automatically enhance a wide class of existing learning algorithms so they can learn from such high-speed data streams in real time. The method works by sampling just enough data from the data stream to make each decision required by the learning process. The method is applicable to essentially any induction algorithm based on discrete search. In this chapter, we illustrate the use of our method by applying it to what is perhaps the most widely used form of data mining: decision tree induction.
Performance and Health Monitoring of civil structures and infrastructure using long-gauge and distributed Fiber Optic Sensors

Construction, preservation, maintenance, and renewal of sustainable and resilient civil structures and infrastructure represent important challenges for a 21st-century society. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is a novel approach which can successfully assist in meeting these challenges by providing actionable, quasi-real-time information regarding structural performance and health condition. Fibre Optic Sensors (FOS) have been deployed in SHM applications since the 1990's, and besides proven long-term performance, they also offer two unprecedented sensor types for practical applications in strain-based SHM: long-gauge stain sensors and truly distributed strain sensors. These FOS enable two paradigm-changing SHM approaches, respectively: global structural monitoring and integrity monitoring. The aim of this paper is to briefly summarize physical principles of FOS, present commercially available long-gauge and distributed FOS, introduce theory behind structural monitoring and integrity monitoring enabled by FOS, and demonstrate the effectiveness of the approaches through real-life application on the Streicker Bridge.
Energetics, Life History, and Human Brain Evolution

Brain tissue is energetically expensive and the metabolic expenditures are particularly high during ontogeny. Thus, evolving a larger brain requires strategies to meet these costs. This chapter reviews the various hypotheses that have been proposed to explain how humans and other encephalized species were able to afford an increase in brain size. These hypotheses include the prolongation of life history, an increase in metabolic rate, a decrease in other expensive tissues, and an increase in dietary quality. The expensive brain framework, which integrates these various hypotheses and provides a model for combining strategies, is reviewed.
Scale-up of Metal Hexacyanoferrate Cathode Material for Sodium Ion Batteries

Sharp Laboratories of America (SLA) approached Argonne National Laboratory with a bench-scale process to produce material for a sodium-ion battery, referred to as Prussian Blue, and a request to produce 1 kg of material for their ARPA-E program. The target performance criteria was an average capacity of >150 mAh/g.
Best Practices for Fine-Tuning Visual Classifiers to New Domains

Recent studies have shown that features from deep convolutional neural networks learned using large labeled datasets, like ImageNet, provide effective representations for a variety of visual recognition tasks. They achieve strong performance as generic features and are even more effective when fine-tuned to target datasets. However, details of the fine-tuning procedure across datasets and with different amount of labeled data are not well-studied and choosing the best fine-tuning method is often left to trial and error. In this work we systematically explore the design-space for fine-tuning and give recommendations based on two key characteristics of the target dataset: visual distance from source dataset and the amount of available training data. Through a comprehensive experimental analysis, we conclude, with a few exceptions, that it is best to copy as many layers of a pre-trained network as possible, and then adjust the level of fine-tuning based on the visual distance from source.
Identification of real-time driver distraction using optimal subBand detection powered by Wavelet Packet Transform

Many of the fatalities involved on-road accidents are associated with driver distraction. In order to reduce the possible chances of road disasters, it is essential to characterize the pre-requisites of driver distraction. While driving, the driver might get distracted by several ways such as talking on the cell phone, texting, and having a conversation with the passenger. There has been extensive research conducted to estimate driver states in recent years particularly on camera and EEG-based systems. However, camera-based systems face challenges such as privacy or latency in detection. On the other hand, Electroencephalography (EEG) based detection can accomplish more reliable detection. However, this technology requires an intrusive implementation. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a reliable signal which can characterize the physiological changes consistently, with minimal intrusiveness, and at low cost. In this paper, we propose an ECG signal processing recipe with the aim of predicting driver distraction in real-time. Six drivers actively participated in the naturalistic driving experiment where distraction was induced by: 1) making a phone call and 2) having an active conversation between the driver and the passenger. We present an effective frequency subBand analysis using Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT). Due to high dimensionality of the original WPT features, we then applied Principle Component Analysis (PCA) for feature space dimensionality reduction. Based on our experimental results, WPT features demonstrated high information content and provided a significant statistical difference between normal vs. distracted driving scenarios.
Still a Deadly Disease? Performance Appraisal Systems in Academic Libraries in the United States

Performance appraisal of professional librarians in academic libraries is important because of the critical role these employees play. Professional librarians ensure that the library’s resources and services are effective, relevant, and integrated within the parent institution. Performance appraisal and job feedback have been understudied in the library literature while, by comparison, these topics have generated great attention in other fields and in the corporate world. There have also been innovations in performance appraisal. Some large corporations have abandoned annual evaluations, substituting, for instance, quarterly performance snapshots and weekly check-ins with the supervisor. To investigate the current status of performance appraisal in academic libraries, we deployed a web-based survey in November 2013 to library directors in the United States. A national survey on this topic and with this population had not been conducted for 25 years. The results we report in this article relate to the following research objectives: The Snapshot research objective sought to identify the components of the performance appraisal systems currently being used. The Feedback research objective sought to identify who can give feedback during each performance appraisal event, the extent of peer-to-peer feedback, and whether there is sufficient feedback in library performance appraisal systems. We also report on programmatic effectiveness for libraries’ annual evaluations as well as their overall performance appraisal system.
Thermodynamic Studies of the α → β Phase Transformation in Zirconium Using a Subsecond Pulse Heating Technique.

Measurements of the temperature and energy of the α → β phase transformation, and the electrical resistivity near and at the transformation point of zirconium using a subsecond duration pulse heating technique are described. The results yield 1147 K for the transformation temperature and 3980 J · mol-1 for the transformation energy. Electrical resistivity is found to decrease by 17 percent during the transformation. Estimated inaccuracies of the measured properties are: 10 K for the transformation temperature, 5 percent for the transformation energy, and 2 percent for the electrical resistivity.
Classroom for Debate: When Students with Autism Succeed in Inclusive Classrooms

This paper aims to determine whether current practices ensure success for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder who participate within an inclusive educational setting by examining four perspectives: students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their general education counterparts, educators, financial funding for such programs, and the academic achievement of autistic students who receive the service. While much literature on inclusive education is supportive, the findings indicate that the service operates on questionable intentions and practices that may or may not be beneficial for its recipients. Despite the setbacks associated with inclusive education, autistic students are capable of succeeding within these classrooms. Suggestions can be formulated to modify such practices to ensure that all autistic students are educated in a manner that allows them to share the same level of achievement as their general peers in education.
Vector Boson Scattering at Future Colliders

Vector boson scattering of like-charged W and W-Z pairs in pp collisions is discussed. Results are presented for the standard model and for extended models which allow for unsuppressed couplings of the type W − ZH + and W + W + H −−. The W + W + and W-Z fusion processes are found to be of prime importance in the search for new physics at the SSC and the Eloisatron.
Art and the Constitution

Art and the Constitution addresses a longstanding problem in free speech theory: the status of art as expression protected by the First Amendment. The article, drawn from Professor Bezanson's forthcoming book, Art and the First Amendment (U. Ill. Press 2008-09), suggests that art should be broken down into two separate forms, propositional art and non-propositional art, with propositional art to be protected under the traditional speech paradigm and non-propositional art to be protected under an altogether different paradigm that results in art enjoying a distinct and greater degree of freedom under the First Amendment.
The Jinn in the Genome

Revolutions in genome knowledge and technology pose questions about the nature of humankind and the application of this knowledge and technology. What is the nature of this knowledge? How well equipped by our evolution are humans to use it? A better understanding of our neurogenetic individuality, and underlying drives and weaknesses, can enable people to better use this knowledge, applying it with respect for individual autonomy.