cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ovipositional preference and development of Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in relation to alfalfa

A field survey from February to June 1995 in the Imperial Valley, California, revealed lower densities of silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring, eggs and nymphs on alfalfa than on broccoli, zucchini, cantaloupe, and cotton. To determine if this pattern was caused by ovipositional preference, studies relating preference to alfalfa and the other crops were conducted under greenhouse conditions. Developmental time, survival, and fecundity were also determined. Mean densities of adult females per square centimeter of foliage were significantly lower on alfalfa than on zucchini and cantaloupe, and mean densities of eggs and nymphs were significantly lower on alfalfa than on zucchini. Egg hatching rates on different plants did not differ significantly. In a greenhouse maintained at 27 +/- 2 degrees C, mean developmental time from egg to adult was not significantly different on any host: 225 d on alfalfa, 22.2 d on broccoli, 21.7 d on cantaloupe, 21.3 d on cotton, and 23.0 d on zucchini. Under cooler outdoor temperatures (11-35 degrees C) and conditions, whiteflies developed significantly slower from egg to adult on alfalfa (39.4 d) than on cotton (37.4 d). Percentage of whitefly survival from egg to adult on alfalfa, broccoli, cotton, and zucchini did not differ significantly in the greenhouse study. Under outdoor conditions, the percentage of adults eclosing on alfalfa (56.3) was significantly less than on cotton (84.3).
Effect of Laser Heating on Compositions of Films Deposited from the Metal Hexacarbonyls

A systematic study of the composition of metal films thermally deposited by laser heating (cw 514 nm) of the group VI hexacarbonyls is described. The films are found to contain significantly lower levels of carbon and oxygen than photochemically deposited films, and are spatially inhomogeneous. Estimates of temperature to determine the extent of laser heating permit the kinetics of this process to be compared to CO desorption from single crystal surfaces.
Higher-Order Methods for Determining Optimal Controls and Their Sensitivities

In this paper, the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation is utilized to solve a class of weakly nonlinear optimal control problems. Through successive higher-order differentiations of the HJB equation, optimal controls and their sensitivities to changes in initial conditions are approximated without iteration. For highly nonlinear problems, the approximation scheme is modified to provide only sensitivities of the nominal control, with respect to initial conditions and system parameters, which can be used to quickly generate a family of neighboring optimal solutions. Three numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the utility of this approximation scheme.
Minimizing Illegal Overweight Truck Frequencies through Strategically Planned Truck Inspection Operations

AbstractOver the past two decades, heavy truck traffic volumes and cargo weights have been steadily increasing due to economic growth and improved transportation system efficiency. These changes are producing an exponential increase in the damage caused to highway pavements and bridges. A disproportionate amount of highway damage is caused by extremely heavy trucks, many of which are illegally exceeding existing truck weight limits. To control the number of illegal overweight trucks, many states have installed fixed truck weighing stations on main highways and have deployed specially trained state police units that perform random roadside inspections to verify the safe operation of trucks and their compliance with the applicable legal weight limits. However, a preliminary study of police roadside inspections shows no correlation between the regions of high enforcement operations and those where overweight trucks are most frequent. Such random deployment of enforcement teams reduces the efficiency of the e...
Experimental Analogies to Atmospheric Motions

One of the very old dreams of meteorologists and other scientific observers who have concerned themselves with the phenomena of the atmosphere has been that of solving some problems (as many as possible, of course) by means of experimental work on a small scale. In view of the difficulties of purely theoretical approaches and of interpreting the uncontrollable variations of the actual atmosphere, many have had hopes of obtaining valuable results and insights from such experiments as a supplement to, and a source of, theoretical ideas. Typical statements of such views are those of Schmidt [56, p. 1135] and Richardson [89]. In recent times the increasingly far-reaching successes of model experimentation in aerodynamics, hydraulics, oceanography, and other fields have given renewed impetus to efforts at serious work on meteorological questions by this means.
Minimally Invasive Techniques for the Treatment of Kienböck’s Disease

Traditional surgical options for the treatment of Kienbock’s disease are not uniformly reliable and have the potential for complications and morbidity. To address these problems, investigators are exploring new, minimally invasive techniques. Core decompression of the lunate, the distal radius, and the distal ulna has shown promise in providing pain relief as well as limiting disease progression. Temporary STT pinning is an especially attractive option for adolescents. The utility of external fixation of the wrist in isolation appears limited, and is not currently recommended. Balloon lunatoplasty requires further investigation at this time to determine its effectiveness in Kienbock’s disease.
Free rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap for lower extremity reconstruction

This chapter describes in detail the surgical steps involved in the harvesting of a vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous free flap for lower extremity reconstruction. Indications, preoperative markings, surgical steps, postoperative care, operative dictation, and suggested readings are included.
Retention and Relearning of Gross Motor Skills after Long Periods of No Practice

Abstract Retention and relearning of five novel gross motor skills after a long period of no practice were studied. College women were classified into high, average, and low skill groups in a previous experiment, and this classification of 36 of the original subjects was retained in the present retesting study. A high degree of skill was retained after approximately one year of no practice. Relearning to previously attained skill levels was rapid. There were significant differences among classified high, average, and low skill groups in learning, retention, and relearning.
Heat stability of radio frequency dielectric heat treated low heat and high heat nonfat dry milk

Abstract The heat stability of low (LH) and high heat (HH) nonfat dry milk (NDM) that received a radio frequency dielectric heat (RFDH) treatment at 75, 80 or 85 °C for different periods of time (between 43 and 125 min) was assessed. NDM was reconstituted at 3.5% (w/w) protein. Heat stability was assessed at 140 °C by recording the heat coagulation time. Samples were evaluated at native pH, and adjusted pH from 6.4 to 7.2. LH samples heated to 75 °C or 80 °C showed greater heat stability than non-treated LH at pH 6.4 to 6.8. Data suggest that RFDH treatment of LH induced associations between whey proteins and casein micelles, which increased the heat stability in this pH region. The same effect was not observed in the HH samples, suggesting different reactions may be induced. Dry heating NDM may affect protein associations differently from liquid systems, depending upon the conditions.
Analyzing Cyber Requirements for the Smart Grid Applications

With the development of the smart grid technology, networking technology (NT) plays a significant role in the smart grid. NT enables to realize the smart grid vision mainly focused on (a) wide area monitoring and control for transmission system (b) distribution automation for low voltage distribution system and (c) smart metering for prosumer’s participation. Synchrophasor technology enables better situational awareness and decision support and smart meters deployment for end-users constitutes major investment as part of the smart grid development for power distribution system. The two-way communications between ‘power utility’ and ‘smart meters installed near end-user customers’ assisted by meter data management systems helps to potentially realize numerous applications for enhanced reliability and efficiency of active distribution system. NT also brings cyber vulnerabilities and it is important to analyze the impact of possible cyber-attacks on the power grid. In this invited talk, networking and data delivery requirements will be discussed for wide area monitoring and smart metering applications as well as a real-time, cyber-physical co-simulation testbed to do cyber-physical analysis.
Becoming black political subjects: movements and ethno-racial rights in Colombia and Brazil

In recent years, the best research on race in Latin America, exemplified by Tianna S. Paschel's Becoming Black Political Subjects, has transcended polemics over the verity of “racial democracy” to ...
A framework for identity based on situation theory

This paper presents a computational framework for identity (initially about the culprit in a crime scene) based on Barwise's situation theory. Situations support information and can carry information about other situations. An utterance situation carries information about a described situation thanks to the constraints imposed by natural language. We are concerned with utterance situations (which we call an id-situation or id-case) in which identity judgments are made about the culprit in a crime scene, which is the corresponding described situation. The id-situation and crime scene along with various resource situations make up a case in the legal sense. Resource situations include such things as where a fingerprint was filed and where one took a facial image used to train a classifier. In an investigation, there may be several coordinated id-cases that use different means in search of the same judgment. We utilize Semantic Web standards to express cases in our framework. We have developed Web Ontology Language (OWL) ontologies to provide concepts and principled vocabularies for encoding our scenarios in Resource Description Framework (RDF), and we present an example of a SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language (SPARQL) query of one of our encodings that spans situations. To follow how evidence supports hypotheses on the identity of the culprit in a crime scene, we use Dempster-Shafer theory, which provides numerical values for evidence-based confidence one should have in our identities. We tightly integrate it with our ontologies by having the representation of a case per our ontologies present a network containing situations and stitched together by objects; evidence "flows" along this network, diminishing and combining. We review the modifications of Dempster-Shafer theory required when one goes from a closed world assumption, where the number of suspects or candidates is bounded, to an open world assumption, where there is an unbounded number of suspects or candidates. We review our plans regarding equational reasoning based on identities established in our id-cases, and we review the related issues regarding the meanings of Universal Resource Identifiers (URIs). URIs are the fundamental denoting expressions ("names") on the Semantic Web, and an account of identity using Semantic-Web resources must be clear on what is required for a URI to denote something. On the pre-Semantic Web, a URI just identifies the web-page its protocol accesses, but on the Semantic Web, URIs are used to identify all resources, causing confusion between a thing and a page about it. We review three positions on the meanings of denoting expression and note that they apply to URIs as used in our encodings of scenarios.
Brief Freezing Steps Lead to Robust Immunofluorescence in Drosophila Larval Brains

Drosophila melanogaster possess complex neuronal networks regulating sophisticated behavioral outputs that aid in studying the molecular mechanisms of neuronal function and neurodegenerative disease. Immunofluorescence (IF) techniques provide a way to visualize the spatiotemporal organization of these networks, permitting observation of their development, functional location, remodeling, and eventually degradation. However, general immunostaining techniques do not always result in sufficient antibody penetration through the brain, and techniques used to enhance permeability can compromise structural integrity. We have found that freezing larval brains facilitates permeability with no apparent loss of antibody specificity or structural integrity. To demonstrate the advantage of this freezing technique, we compared results to two commonly used permeation methods: Detergent alone (Basic) and proteolytic degradation (Collagenase) techniques.
Predicting Learners’ Emotions in Mobile MOOC Learning via a Multimodal Intelligent Tutor

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a promising approach for scalable knowledge dissemination. However, they also face major challenges such as low engagement, low retention rate, and lack of personalization. We propose AttentiveLearner2, a multimodal intelligent tutor running on unmodified smartphones, to supplement today’s clickstream-based learning analytics for MOOCs. AttentiveLearner2 uses both the front and back cameras of a smartphone as two complementary and fine-grained feedback channels in real time: the back camera monitors learners’ photoplethysmography (PPG) signals and the front camera tracks their facial expressions during MOOC learning. AttentiveLearner2 implicitly infers learners’ affective and cognitive states during learning from their PPG signals and facial expressions. Through a 26-participant user study, we found that: (1) AttentiveLearner2 can detect 6 emotions in mobile MOOC learning reliably with high accuracy (average accuracy = 84.4%); (2) the detected emotions can predict learning outcomes (best R2 = 50.6%); and (3) it is feasible to track both PPG signals and facial expressions in real time in a scalable manner on today’s unmodified smartphones.
Neratinib: Inching up on the cure rate of HER2+ breast cancer?

Neratinib was recently approved by the FDA for extended adjuvant treatment of HER2+ breast cancer. The ExteNET trial showed improvement in invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) in the neratinib arm compared with placebo. The benefit was more pronounced in patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/HER2+ tumors, suggesting bidirectional cross-talk between the ER and HER pathways. Clin Cancer Res; 24(15); 3483-5. ©2018 AACRSee related article by Singh et al., p. 3486.
The Relationship between Perceived Computer Competence and the Employment Outcomes of Transition-aged Youths with Visual Impairments:

IntroductionThe study reported here explored the relationship between the self-perceived computer competence and employment outcomes of transition-aged youths with visual impairments.MethodsData on...
Mass Balance of Interstellar Gas and Stars

In this paper I will deal almost exclusively with the interchange of matter between the interstellar gas and the stars. Other possible forms of interchange, such as mass-loss to and accretion from intergalactic matter e.g., Oort’s (1969) views on mass flowing into our Galaxy, will be discussed later I hope.
Successful minority recruitment and adherence in physical activity Internet-based research: the WIN study.

Background Researchers studying physical activity often face challenges dealing with recruitment and resources, particularly when conducting longitudinal Internet-based research. Commonly raised methodological problems such as minority recruitment, participant commitment, and participant-staff involvement are addressed through a theoretically driven recruitment and adherence protocol in The Women's Exercise Injuries: Incidence and Risk Factors (WIN) Internet-based study. Objectives: The objectives of this paper were to review and suggest solutions to problems of: (1) low recruitment of diverse samples, (2) low adherence, and (3) staffing needs. Methods We recruited 1303 community-dwelling women and followed them through a multiple-phase, longitudinal, Internet-based study. Recruitment and adherence data were analyzed through descriptive methods and logistic regressions to examine participant adherence and sociodemographic factors and predictors of who entered the longterm phase of the study. Results: We successfully retained 71.6% of the sample through 4 recruitment phases. Twenty-seven percent of the initially recruited sample was racial/ethnically diverse, 24% began the long-term phase, and 23% completed. Several strategies to enhance participant commitment were successfully used during the practice phase, providing a successful, low staff to participant ratio. Logistic regression indicated being married, being older, and having greater Internet skills were predictive of successfully entering the long-term phase of the study. Conclusions: Recruitment and compliance protocols were successful in meeting overall and racial/ethnic enrollment and recruitment goals. The theoretically based practice phase techniques were successful in re-engaging noncompliant participants. Strategies for minority enrollment and compliance are evaluated.
Normal Size of the Urethral Meatus in Boys

Statistically valid sizes have been obtained for the normal male urethral meatus in children from 6 weeks through 12 years old. It is hoped that these values will allow the diagnosis of meatal stenosis to be made on an objective rather than a clinical basis and that such evaluation will allow for a more rational approach to the therapy of meatal stenosis in boys.
Value of a screening fetal heart rate tracing in the latent phase of labor

We studied the value of a screening fetal heart rate (FHR) tracing obtained on 405 women in the latent phase of labor on presentation to the labor-and-delivery suite. All pregnancies were at term and had a cephalic presentation. Thirty-two women in the sample studied underwent a cesarean section for fetal distress. Using that end point, a screening FHR tracing in the admitting room had a sensitivity of 57%, specificity of 98%, positive predictive value of 75% and overall efficiency of 95%. One- and five-minute Apgar scores and thick meconium staining of the amniotic fluid were also examined. While no statistically significant differences were found (P less than .2 for Apgar score and less than .06 for meconium), there was a trend that might have been significant if more women had been studied. A screening FHR tracing on all women at term in the latent phase of labor will identify the majority of those who will develop fetal distress in labor. Women with an abnormal screening tracing should be admitted to the hospital and the fetal status evaluated further.
The Creative Wealth of Nations: Can the Arts Advance Development?

If the title alone is not enough to entice scholars with an interest in cultural policy to have a look at Patrick Kabanda's new book, the back cover features endorsements from Kaushik Basu, former ...
Do day-3 embryo grade predict day-5 blastocyst transfer outcomes in patients with good prognosis?

The main aim was to investigate whether or not day-3 embryo grade could predict day-5 blastocyst transfer outcomes in patients with good prognosis. This study included 233 elective single blastocys...
YAP and TAZ are distinct effectors of corneal myofibroblast transformation.

Abstract Purpose Transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) is elevated in wounds after injury and promotes the transdifferentiation of quiescent cells in the stroma (keratocytes, to activated fibroblasts and subsequently myofibroblasts-KFM transformation). Coactivators of transcription, YAP (Yes-associated protein) and TAZ (Transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif), are mechanotransducers that intersect with the TGFβ pathway via interactions with Smad proteins. Here, we examined the distinct role of YAP and TAZ on TGFβ1 induced myofibroblast transformation of primary human corneal fibroblasts (HCFs). Methods A knockdown approach was used to silence YAP and TAZ individually in HCFs. Forty-eight hours post siRNA transfection, cells were cultured in the presence or absence of 2 ng/ml TGFβ1 for 24h. The cells were subjected to nuclear and cytoplasmic fractionation. The expression of α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA), Smad 2, 3 and 4, CTGF and phospho-Smad2, 3, and 4 were assessed by qPCR and Western blotting. Results TGFβ1 stimulation resulted in the decreased phosphorylation of YAP in the cytosol, and increased levels of phosphorylated TAZ and Smad2/3/4 in the nucleus. Knockdown of TAZ resulted in elevated YAP expression but not vice versa. Additionally, knockdown of TAZ but not YAP resulted in upregulation of αSMA expression in the presence and absence of TGFβ1. In the presence of TGFβ1 YAP knockdown increased Smad2/3/4 expression and Smad4 phosphorylation, while TAZ knockdown had no effect on Smad2/3/4 expression and phosphorylation. YAP knockdown inhibited CTGF expression while TAZ knockdown resulted in its increased expression. Finally, simultaneous knockdown of YAP and TAZ resulted in cell death. Conclusion Our findings suggest that YAP and TAZ function as distinct modulators of TGFβ1 induced myofibroblast transformation and have different roles in signalling. Specifically, TAZ limits YAP's ability to mediate KFM transformation via Smad proteins. The data also suggest that while having distinct effects, YAP and TAZ have redundant or combinatorial functions critical to cell survival. These results suggest that a loss of TAZ may help drive corneal haze and fibrosis and that the balance between YAP/TAZ is essential in controlling myofibroblast differentiation.
Investigation of black box drugs purchased from an online pharmacy

Background: Online pharmacies have a growing presence. While some pharmacies are legitimate, others are not and may either be a scam or provide drugs of uncertain origin, uncertain drug type, or in...
Light-Driven Chemical Looping for Ammonia Synthesis

Synthetic ammonia has been the primary worldwide source of agricultural fertilizer over the last century and is a promising carbon-free energy carrier for sustainable transportation. Despite its gl...
Endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion without general anesthesia: technical innovations and outcomes

Innovations in surgical techniques and technologies have enabled spine surgeons to offer patients less morbid alternatives to traditional spine procedures. This review will explore the development of the endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) without general endotracheal anesthesia (GETA) and discuss the technical refinements and innovations learned from experiences with this technique. The Awake TLIF employs several key technological innovations: (I) conscious sedation; (II) endoscopic visualization; (III) an expandable interbody device; (IV) recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein; (V) long-acting local analgesia; and (VI) percutaneous instrumentation. Technical refinements, including premedication for prophylaxis against nausea, vomiting, and epistaxis, were made as a result of early experiences with this technique. Results from the first 100 patients to undergo the Awake TLIF demonstrated durable clinical benefit beyond one year postoperatively. Operating time, blood loss, and hospital length of stay averages well below those generally seen with conventional MIS TLIF. Patients achieved a significant reduction in Oswestry Disability Index from baseline of −12.3 points (P<0.0001). In this initial 100 patient cohort, four conversions to GETA were required and four complications resulted, three of which occurred during the first 50 cases. To date, over 200 Awake TLIF cases and the first three-level procedure have been performed. Endoscopic TLIF without the use of general anesthesia is a novel but promising approach for short-segment lumbar fusion. Continued technical innovations will likely afford greater improvements in outcomes, both in the acute and long-term recovery periods.
Implementation of Traffic Priority Aware Medium Access Control Protocol for Wireless Body Area Networks

Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs), which are a sub domain of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), can undoubtedly improve in various fields of medical service like health care, diagnostic monitoring, patient monitoring and other activity related to health. Recently, the use of WBANs has increased in small amount of time. Design of effective and adaptability use of Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol is one of the fundamental themes in wireless body area networks (WBANs). The MAC protocol is based on various access techniques. Wireless Body Area Network is a very exciting technology, which has attracted on the whole world. It plays an important role in the future of e-health and the development of smart. Hence, the proposed protocol is designed for WBANs. In this paper, a new routing protocol is proposed for traffic management. In this paper, we first categorized patient data to emergency and non-emergency data depend on high and low threshold value and then we develop a superframe structure, which consists of contention access period, contention free period, low power listening mode and beacon period. The threshold value support classification which includes a number of parameters like medical sensors, body placement and data transmission. Then we implement data traffic prioritization to give priority to patient data to reduce the average delay time in superframe structure so that contention will be reduced, also minimize energy consumption and increase throughput.
Abstract P2027: Preliminary Characterization Of The 125 I-angiotensin 1-7 Binding Site In Rat Liver

Angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7) is a product of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that can reduce blood pressure and fibrosis. For more than a decade Mas has been viewed as the receptor for Ang 1-7, how...
A Modified Parallel Plate Flow Chamber to Study Local Endothelial Response to Recirculating Disturbed Flow.

Atherosclerosis develops at arterial sites where endothelial cells (ECs) are exposed to low time-averaged shear stress, in particular in regions of recirculating disturbed flow. To understand how hemodynamics contributes to EC dysfunction in atheroma development, an in vitro parallel plate flow chamber gasket was modified with protruding baffles to produce large recirculating flow regions. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predicted that more than 60% of the flow surface area was below the 12 dynes/cm2 atheroprotective threshold. Bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) were then seeded in the parallel plate flow chamber with either the standard laminar or the new disturbed flow gasket (DFG) and exposed to flow for 36 h. Cell morphology, nitric oxide (NO), proliferation, permeability, and monocyte adhesion were assessed by phase contrast and confocal microscopy. BAEC exposed to 20 dynes/cm2 shear stress in the laminar flow device aligned and elongated in the flow direction while increasing nitric oxide, decreasing permeability, and maintaining low proliferation and monocyte adhesion. BAEC in the recirculating flow and low shear stress disturbed flow device regions did not elongate or align, produced less nitric oxide, and showed higher proliferation, permeability, and monocyte adhesion than cells in the laminar flow device. However, cells in disturbed flow device regions exposed to atheroprotective shear stress did not consistently align or decrease permeability, and these cells demonstrated low nitric oxide levels. The new parallel plate DFG provides a means to study recirculating flow, highlighting the complex relationship between hemodynamics and endothelial function.
PARPs and ADP-ribosylation: 60 Years On

Work on PARPs-a family of enzymes that catalyze ADP-ribosylation, a posttranslational modification of proteins-has resulted in major advances and reached important milestones. The past decade has seen new discoveries in areas well beyond the historical focus on DNA repair, which are having impacts on the understanding and treatment of human disease. This special focus section of Genes & Development includes seven reviews that highlight these discoveries and point the way forward for future advances in the field.
Regional Planning and Institutional Norms in the United States: Civic Society, Regional Planning, and City-Region Building in the Chicago Metropolitan Region:

Willem Salet’s Public Norms and Aspirations poses the question of civic society’s role in twenty-first-century projects of regional planning and city-region building. This paper examines a regional...
The reporting sensitivity of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) for anaphylaxis and for Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Abstract Background Underreporting is a limitation common to passive surveillance systems, including the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) that monitors the safety of U.S.-licensed vaccines. Nonetheless, previous reports demonstrate substantial case capture for clinically severe adverse events (AEs), including 47% of intussusception cases after rotavirus vaccine, and 68% of vaccine associated paralytic polio after oral polio vaccine. Objectives To determine the sensitivity of VAERS in capturing AE reports of anaphylaxis and Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) following vaccination and whether this is consistent with previous estimates for other severe AEs. Methods We estimated VAERS reporting rates following vaccination for anaphylaxis and GBS. We used data from VAERS safety reviews as the numerator, and estimated incidence rates of anaphylaxis and GBS following vaccination from the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) studies as the denominator. We defined reporting sensitivity as the VAERS reporting rate divided by the VSD incidence rate. Sensitivity was reported as either a single value, or a range if data were available from >1 study. Results VAERS sensitivity for capturing anaphylaxis after seven different vaccines ranged from 13 to 76%; sensitivity for capturing GBS after three different vaccines ranged from 12 to 64%. For anaphylaxis, VAERS captured 13–27% of cases after the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, 13% of cases after influenza vaccine, 21% of cases after varicella vaccine, 24% of cases after both the live attenuated zoster and quadrivalent human papillomavirus (4vHPV) vaccines, 25% of cases after the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and 76% of cases after the 2009 H1N1 inactivated pandemic influenza vaccine. For GBS, VAERS captured 12% of cases after the 2012–13 inactivated seasonal influenza vaccine, 15–55% of cases after the 2009 H1N1 inactivated pandemic influenza vaccine, and 64% of cases after 4vHPV vaccine. Conclusions For anaphylaxis and GBS, VAERS sensitivity is comparable to previous estimates for detecting important AEs following vaccination.
What Is the Rule of Three

This chapter provides an overview of the Rule of Three. Competitive markets grow, consolidate, and mature, ultimately leading to the emergence of three full-line generalist firms. These volume-driven players must have a minimum efficient scale of at least 10% market share and are accompanied by a number of smaller product or market specialists. The financial performance of full-line generalists gradually improves with greater market share, while the performance of specialists drops off rapidly as their market share increases. In between the generalists and specialists are the companies who exhibit the worst financial performance, stuck in “the ditch.” The best strategy is to stay far away from the ditch. The Rule of Three applies to all stages of a market’s geographical evolution: local, regional, national, and ultimately global. The Rule of Three structure generates optimal operational efficiency in competitive markets and positive impact on all stakeholders. It is an empirical reality that must be factored into the strategy of businesses of all sizes.
Parameter Sensitivity Analysis for the Progressive Sampling-Based Bayesian Optimization Method for Automated Machine Learning Model Selection.

As a key component of automating the entire process of applying machine learning to solve real-world problems, automated machine learning model selection is in great need. Many automated methods have been proposed for machine learning model selection, but their inefficiency poses a major problem for handling large data sets. To expedite automated machine learning model selection and lower its resource requirements, we developed a progressive sampling-based Bayesian optimization (PSBO) method to efficiently automate the selection of machine learning algorithms and hyper-parameter values. Our PSBO method showed good performance in our previous tests and has 20 parameters. Each parameter has its own default value and impacts our PSBO method’s performance. It is unclear for each of these parameters, how much room for improvement there is over its default value, how sensitive our PSBO method’s performance is to it, and what its safe range is. In this paper, we perform a sensitivity analysis of these 20 parameters to answer these questions. Our results show that these parameters’ default values work well. There is not much room for improvement over them. Also, each of these parameters has a reasonably large safe range, within which our PSBO method’s performance is insensitive to parameter value changes.
Colorectal Cancer and Polyp Detection Using a New Preparation-Free, Colon-Scan Capsule: A Pilot Study of Safety and Patient Satisfaction.

Current strategies to prevent colorectal cancer (CRC) vary considerably regarding safety, invasiveness, and patient satisfaction. A known deterrent for patients is the required bowel cleansing for colonoscopy. A new colon-scan capsule system is a unique preparation-free approach that provides structural information on colonic mucosa intended for detection of colorectal polyps and masses. The aim of this study was to determine safety and patient satisfaction with the colon-scan capsule. Prospective single-arm pilot study conducted at two tertiary care centers. Patients with a pre-scheduled colonoscopy for CRC screening or surveillance were included. Patients participating in this study underwent the colon-scan capsule and colonoscopy. Safety was defined by the occurrence of procedure or device-related adverse events. Satisfaction was based on survey questionnaires using a scoring system 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Patient satisfaction with the colon-scan capsule was compared to colonoscopy. Forty patients were included (52.9 [5.7] years; 64.1% females). There were no serious adverse events and no occurrences of capsule retention. The most common (12.5%) complaint was self-limiting abdominal cramping. Satisfaction questionnaires were completed by more than 87% of patients, with patients likely to recommend the capsule (score 4.1 [1.03]) compared to colonoscopy (score 2.8 [1.2]), p = 0.001. The new prepless colon-scan capsule system is an innovative, minimally invasive technology with demonstrated safety and high patient satisfaction. A multicenter pivotal study is planned to validate the performance, safety, and accuracy of polyp detection using the capsule system in comparison with colonoscopy.
Chapter 1 – Chemical Senses

Chemical senses are essential to preserving the human existence. The ability to detect odors from foods is an important appetite stimulant and often initiates the secretion of digestive juices. Aversive reactions to foul odors provide some protection against ingestion of unsafe foods. In this chapter, the anatomical structure, molecular mechanisms, and variation in olfaction (smell) are described and explained. The ability of healthy people to distinguish a wide range of tastes (gustation) is also explained in detail, describing taste buds, innervation, taste-enhancing secretions, the molecular basis of taste signaling, salty taste, sweet taste, bitter taste, sour taste, meaty taste (umami), savory taste (kokumi), fat taste, calcium taste, other taste qualities, and variation in taste sensitivity. Intestinal sensing and chemesthesis also play a role in digestion, and this is explained in this chapter.
Aspects of Group Theory in Electron Dynamics

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the nature of electronic states in crystals under the influence of electric and magnetic fields. The techniques of group theory are used to establish the nature of the states in a periodic lattice and a uniform magnetic field. It is found that the effective Hamiltonian method is consistent with the requirements of group theory and leads to a convenient formulation on which most of the understanding of magnetic phenomena is based. It is seen that the discrete Landau levels are associated with closed contours of Heff(k) and are very accurately given by the Roth correction term to the Onsager formula. The structure of the broadened magnetic bands depends sensitively on the precise value of the magnetic field through the rationality parameter l / N. It is not likely that the states associated with such structure are susceptible to exact analysis in a real physical situation.
Die Anlageberatung der Kreditinstitute

Anlageberatung ist Vermogensberatung im allgemeinen: 1. Der Anlageberater mus auf die Wunsche des Kunden eingehen. Er sollte dem Kunden aber immer mehrere Anlagemoglichkeiten darstellen. 2. Der Anlageberater mus darauf achten, das der Kunde die endgultige Entscheidung selbst trifft. Kunden neigen dazu, sich gunstige Anlageentscheidungen selbst zuzuschreiben und mit ungunstigen Entscheidungen die Anlageberatung des Kreditinstituts zu belasten. 3. Der Anlageberater mus den Kunden so objektiv wie moglich beraten. Er darf ihm weder ungunstige Entwicklungen verschweigen, noch bestimmte Anlagen aus Bankinteresse besonders empfehlen. 4. Der Anlageberater mus versuchen, die Anlagemotive des Kunden zu erkennen. 5. Der Anlageberater mus versuchen, den Kundentyp zu erkennen. Er mus sich auf einen risikofreudigen Kunden anders einstellen als auf einen sicherheitsorientierten Kunden.
What's New About Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in the Pediatric Population?

Gastroesophageal reflux is a physiological phenomenon but becomes pathological if troublesome symptoms and/or complications occur. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has different phenotypes ranging from non-erosive reflux disease (NERD), through reflux esophagitis and Barrett’s esophagus (BE). It can present with either typical symptoms such as regurgitation and heartburn, or extra-esophageal symptoms such as cough and laryngitis. There has been an increasing trend in the prevalence of GERD over the last two decades in otherwise healthy children of all ages. Guidelines for the evaluation and management of GERD in pediatric age group have been developed recently from evidence-based medicine. In most cases, diagnosis can be made from the history and physical examination. However, if the presentation is atypical or if response to empiric therapy is minimal, further evaluation is required.
Sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus: virus entry into the male and female genital tract

This review of the risks of heterosexual transmission of HIV examines what is known about routes of viral entry into the ejaculate and into female reproductive tract secretions routes of viral passage from the ejaculate into the female and from female reproductive tract secretions. The risk of transmission of HIV during heterosexual exposure is much lower than that of gonorrhea or hepatitis B (about 25%) estimated at about 0.3% per event. Probably certain factors such as a male IVDU partner greatly increase this risk. Most of the HIV in semen resides in the CD4-positive lymphocytes and macrophages of which there are about 1 million per ejaculate. Greater risk of transmission occurs in men with STDs because there are more white blood cells disrupted genital epithelium with activated white cells at the site immunosuppression in some STDs and facilitated HIV disease process with some STDs notably cytomegalovirus. The site of uptake of HIV into the female reproductive tract is not known whether the vagina cervix or uterus. Exposure to semen causes local immunosuppression especially in the rectum. Whether use of oral contraceptives IUDs diaphragms or sponges affects HIV binding to the female tract remains to be studied. No data exist on the effects of vaginal spermicides either the commonly used nonoxynol-9 or other substances known to be potent virucides on HIV survival in vivo. One study in rhesus monkeys showed that the 100% killing of HIV seen in vitro is reduced to 50% in vivo. Mucosal cells are known to stimulate budding of mature HIV virions from CD4- lymphocytes during mutual contact. The tissue source of HIV in the sexual secretions of HIV-positive women whether blood cervical or vaginal secretions is unknown. How HIV enters the male tract during exposure is unknown although lack of circumcision is a risk factor. Possible animal models for research on these issues are discussed. Research is needed to determine the site of entry of HIV into reproductive tissues risks throughout the menstrual cycle and protective effects of contraceptives as result of this knowledge.
The recirculating B cell pool contains two functionally distinct, long-lived, posttransitional, follicular B cell populations

Disparate models for the development of peripheral B cells may reflect significant heterogeneity in recirculating long-lived B cells that have not been previously accounted for. We show in this study that the murine recirculating B cell pool contains two distinct, long-lived, posttransitional, follicular B cell populations. Follicular Type I IgM low B cells require Ag-derived and Btk-dependent signals for their development and make up the majority of cells in the recirculating follicular B cell pool. Follicular type II B cells do not require Btk- or Notch-2-derived signals, make up about a third of the long-lived recirculating B cell pool, and can develop in the absence of Ag. These two follicular populations exhibit differences in basal tyrosine phosphorylation and in BCR-induced proliferation, suggesting that they may represent functionally distinct populations of long-lived recirculating B cells.
A test of fundamental questions in mimicry theory using long-term datasets

Since the phenomenon of mimicry was first described by Bates in 1862 it has become one of the foundational examples of adaptive evolution. Numerous subcategories of mimicry and dozens of hypotheses pertaining to its evolution and maintenance have been proposed. Many of these hypotheses, however, are difficult to test in experimental settings, and data from natural observations are often inadequate. Here we use data from a long-term survey of butterfly presence and abundance to test several hypotheses pertaining to Batesian and female-limited polymorphic mimicry (FPM; a special case of Batesian mimicry). We found strong evidence that models outnumber mimics in both mimicry systems, but no evidence for an increase in relative abundance of FPM mimics to their Batesian counterparts. Tests of the early-emergence/model first hypothesis showed strong evidence that the Batesian mimic routinely emerges after the model, while emergence timing in the FPM system was site specific, suggesting that other ecological factors are at play. These results demonstrate the importance of long-term field observations for testing evolutionary and ecological hypotheses.
Effects of Cortisone and Adrenalectomy on the Responses to Thyrocalcitonin1

The hypocalcemic and hypophosphatemic effects of thyrocalcitonin (TCT) were determined in normal, cortisone-treated and adrenalectomized rats. Cortisone inhibited the hypocalcemic response to TCT but did not alter the hypophosphatemic effect. These results suggest that cortisone interfered with the action ofTCT on bone but not on kidney. The possible mechanisms by which cortisone may antagonize the hypocalcemic effect of TCT are discussed. Adrenalectomy did not significantly alter either the hypocalcemic or hypophosphatemic response to TCT. (Endocrinology 83: 470,1968)
Computational analysis of biological phenomena

A knowledge based system is proposed that will automate the segmentation process for embryonic organogenesis image data. Different methodologies will be incorporated that enable the accurate segmentation of image data based on the 'fingerprint' pattern of a particular cell staining. A novel technique integrates perceptual organization concepts to solve the shortcomings of the medial axis transform at the growing tips of branch structures. The system will then recover the underlying 3D object space axes of growth for two and 3D measurements. Also, perceptual organization groupings are formed by coalescing multiple lines in an image into one structure. These groupings can be described by junction analysis nomenclature and appear in different formations in different organs and at specific times in the development yielding significant biological meaning.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Performance of the COD: A transparent optical TDM statistical packet multiplexor for scalable terabit networks

We have constructed an optically transparent, memoryless 2:1 statistical TDM packet multiplexor for constant packet-length input. This multiplexor is the fundamental building block in a class of Cascaded Optical Delay (COD) multiplexors intended for wide-area terabit networks. The multiplexor does not require slot-aligned traffic. This multiplexor can be cascaded to build multiplexors with improved packet loss rate. In this article we present the experimental packet loss rate of the memoryless multiplexor as well as the calculated packet loss rate of larger, buffered COD multiplexors. Furthermore, we outline an optical loss compensation scheme for buffered COD multiplexors.
Lack of expression of T-kininogen gene in the hearts of untreated and turpentine-injected rats.

Abstract Cystatins, inhibitors of cysteine proteinases, are present in rat heart. However, the controls of genes coding for various cystatins in the heart, and the cellular sites of expression of these genes are not known. With a sensitive reverse transcriptase — polymerase chain reaction T-kininogen mRNA was readily detected in the submandibular glands and livers, but not in the hearts, of control or turpentine-injected rats. Immunocytochemical observations employing a monoclonal antibody to bradykinin, which reacts with kininogens in general, revealed no specific staining in cardiac structures, but a weak staining was apparent in blood vessels and on the surface of endothelial cells of both control and turpentine-injected rats. The monoclonal antibody revealed the presence of kininogens in the acinar cells of the submandibular gland, and, in acute inflammation, in the hepatocytes. These findings suggest that the T-kininogen gene is not expressed in the heart, and the T-kininogen demonstrable in heart extracts derives from the blood. Circulating kininogens are likely bound to endothelial cells, and may be a local source of kinins. In addition, kininogens, as potent inhibitors of cysteine proteinases, may play a role in pathologic conditions of the heart by controlling the deleterious effects of cathepsins released from lysosomes or secreted by macrophages.
A New Species of Avian Plasmodium

SYNOPSIS. A new species of avian malaria parasite is described, for which the name Plasmodium formosanum is proposed. It was observed in the blood of Arboriphila crudigularis, the Formosan hill partridge; other bird species in which it may occur remain unknown, as do the mosquito vectors. It produces very broad, elongate gametocytes, the macrogametocyte usually exhibiting a very large vacuole. The usual number of merozoites is eight. The host cell nucleus typically is not displaced, except laterally by the sexual forms. Only the stages occurring in the blood have yet been seen.