cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Experimental Investigation on the Combustion and Emissions Performance of a Natural Gas–Diesel Dual Fuel Engine at Low and Medium Loads

Natural gas is an abundant and inexpensive fuel in North America. It produces lower greenhouse gas emissions than diesel fuel when burned in an internal combustion engine. It is also considered to be a clean fuel because it generates lower particulate matter emissions than diesel fuel during combustion.In this study, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the combustion and emissions performance of a natural gas – diesel dual fuel engine at low and medium loads. A single cylinder direct injection diesel engine was modified to operate as the dual fuel engine. The diesel fuel was directly injected into the cylinder, while natural gas was injected into the intake port. The operating conditions, such as engine speed, load, intake temperature and pressure, were well controlled during the experiment. The effect of natural gas fraction on energy efficiency, cylinder pressure, exhaust temperature, and combustion stability were recorded and analyzed. The emissions data, including particulate matter, nitric oxides, carbon monoxide, and methane at various natural gas fractions and operating conditions were also analyzed. The results showed that natural gas – diesel dual fuel combustion slightly decreased brake thermal efficiency at low and medium load conditions and significantly reduced carbon dioxide and particulate matter emissions. Methane and NOx emissions increased in dual fuel combustion mode compared to diesel operation. The variation of carbon monoxide emissions in dual fuel mode depended on load and speed conditions.Copyright © 2015 by Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada
Law and Proximity

Perceptions of proximity matter to people. When something that harms them was nearly avoided, or when they narrowly escape being harmed by something, or when they almost acquire something they want, but nevertheless fail to do so, they tend to react more strongly than when a harm that befalls them was unavoidable or when a potential harm never came close to occurring, or when they miss getting the thing they want by a lot. In this article, we explore these psychological phenomena and their implications for legal policy and process. We begin by reviewing the existing literature on the psychology of proximity and proceed to consider the implications of that psychology for the law of torts and crimes (i.e., harms), and for the law of auctions and gambling (i.e., goods). We then turn to examples of the phenomena produced by law itself - that is, to near misses of legality. Here we address how lawmakers could mitigate the frustrations of near misses by structuring law, and the manner in which legal judgments are issued, differently. In particular, we will focus on the implications of the psychology of proximity for the rules-standards debate and assess the virtues of substantial compliance doctrines in that context, a form of legal structure that has received insufficient attention in the course of that debate. Our ultimate conclusion is that lawmakers should take the psychology of proximity into consideration when they make policy choices, but in so doing lawmakers need to bear in mind the potential functionality of that psychology. Near miss experiences can be painful but simultaneously educational, stirring behavioral adjustments in those who endure them.
Plastic Bending-Approximate Solution

In two previous papers the exact solution of the plastic bending problem was considered. Since the exact solution is cumbersome, an approximation is desirable. This paper gives an approximate solution, which, in particular, makes it possible to determine slopes and deflections. The exact determination of these quantities is usually practically impossible in the plastic range.
Curculio fulvus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and its Effects on Acorns of Live Oaks, Quercus virginiana Miller

Curculio fulvus Chittenden constituted ca. 93% of the weevil specimens collected from live oak, Quercus virginiana Miller, in Louisiana from 1979 to 1983. The remaining 7% consisted of C. sulcatulus (Casey), C. pardalis (Chittenden), and C. victoriensis (Chittenden). Injury to live acorns by weevil larvae significantly reduced (P < 0.01) germination and subsequent seedling growth. Adult weevils emerged from the soil from late August to mid-November. Ninety-six percent of all acorns from four trees were damaged by ovipositor insertion or by larval feeding. A mean of 2.24 larvae developed per acorn from acorns that weighed ca. 3 g.
Inactivation and Regeneration of the Glycolytic Enzyme System of Muscle Extract

SummaryThe glycolytic enzyme of muscle extract after becoming inactive on standing can be reactivated by thioglycolic acid to a higher state of activity than that originally present. Lipmann's hypothesis of the enzyme being inactivated by oxidation and reactivated by reduction is corroborated and specified by the evidence that this oxidation-reduction is concerned with a sulphydril group of the enzyme. There is evidence for the assumption that glycolytic enzyme of muscle seems to be a sulphydril compound which loses its enzymatic property by oxidation to the disulphide state and is reactivated by reduction to the sulphydril state.
Llama herd health.

A herd health program that includes some firm recommendations based on research and medical and management observations made by the author is discussed. Some theoretical options are discussed that have been shared with the author by professional colleagues and llama owners.
Organizational Dimensions of International Operations

This paper deals with the issue of the selection of the organizational model to be used in foreign countries and factors effecting the choice of such a model. An attempt is made to combine the works of organization theorists, psychological anthropologists, and sociologists within the framework of international business with that objective.
DSP Control based Voice Signal Compression and Data Transmission

A DSP control based voice systems, with TMS320VC5402bas a microcontroller, realizes the functions of voice signal acquisition compression and data transmission. Since the adopted compression algorithm can sample, compress and store the voice signal, so through the SPI serial communication interface the receiving and sending of data can be achieved.
Refusal of treatment.

One of the most difficult patient decisions to accept in medicine is that of dealing with the patient's right to refuse life-sustaining treatment. To some extent, this difficulty stems from a misconception of patient autonomy and its impact on the decision-making process. This article provides an indepth look at the concept of patient autonomy, its limits, and its particular role in the decision-making process. The methodology involved in arriving at an informed refusal of treatment, both with the competent and incompetent elderly patient also is discussed.
Schelling, Hegel and Others

Like Coleridge, Schelling objected to Fichte’s puritanical immaterialism. According to Schelling, Fichte’s nature was little more than a limit or restraint on man’s free activity, something always in the way, rather than being a viable construction based on the model or schema of the self. By beginning with knowing, Fichte neglected being. By narrowing his scope to speculations about subjective consciousness, Fichte wound up with the empty chaff (Spreu) of subjective idealism — ‘ein Gespenst seiner Reflexion’. Philosophy must possess nature and free itself from this unfruitful faith and unfaith approach, for the true Logos, a principle of life, came to lighten the darkness not extend it. Fichte had deserted the father for the son, finding his Logos only in a ‘menschliches Wissen’, rather than in the true ‘Menschgewordner’, wherein the absolute Erkennen or Ich becomes eternal son to the absolute, and indistinguishable from it in essence (Fichteschen Lehre, 25, 71–72, 106; Ideen zu NP, S6–S7).
Bobrow: wędrówka z ciemności ku światłu

Bobrov is an important literary figure of the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth century in Russia, although his work was not always appreciated in his times. Bobrov’s poetry is rich with different topics and moods; in his early poetry he wrote about the creation of the world, but on personal level he was preoccupied with the problem of death. After he moved to Crimea he wrote a book-long poem Taurida (1798) or later Chersonida (1804), which is a detailed and admiring description of Crimea’s nature and people and also included interesting theological reflections. His last and longest work is the epic poem, The ancient night of the universe or the wandering blind man (1807–1809) which is an allegory of humanity searching for truth and, at the same time, a search for truth of each individual person. Bobrov shows that such truth can only be found in Christ.
Addition of Ketocarbenes to Alkenes, Alkynes and Aromatic Systems

The reactions of keto-carbenes (1) or -carbenoids with CC π-bonds1−7 offer a direct entry to highly functionalized cyclopropanes (2),8 which, due to their lability, are readily transformed to a range of products (Scheme 1). The cyclopropanation is often highly stereoselective and further reaction can lead to products of defined stereochemistry, controlled by the compact arrangement of functionality within the cyclopropane ring. Although free carbenes undergo additions to alkenes, these reactions are unselective and competing carbene rearrangements tend to occur. Consequently, metal-stabilized ketocarbenoids, generally formed by catalyzed decomposition of diazo compounds, are of much greater synthetic utility and will be the emphasis of this chapter.
Human-caused climate change is now a key driver of forest fire activity in the western United States

Effects of climate warming on natural and human systems are becoming increasingly visible across the globe. For example, the shattering of past yearly records for global high temperatures seems to be a near-annual event, with the five hottest years since 1880 all occurring since 2005 (1). Not coincidentally, the single hottest year on record, 2015, also broke records for area burned by wildfire in the United States (Fig. 1 A and B), eclipsing the previous high mark set just one decade prior (2). Scientists have known for some time that climate is a key driver of forest fires; records from the past and present (3⇓–5) provide strong evidence that warmer temperatures are associated with spikes in fire activity. Therefore, recent increases in wildfire activity as the planet warms are not a surprise. However, just how much of the recent increases in forest fire activity can be attributed to human-caused climate change vs. natural variability in climate? This question has profound scientific, management, and policy implications, yet answers have thus far remained elusive. In PNAS, Abatzoglou and Williams (6) present strong evidence that human-caused climate change is increasing wildfire activity across wide swaths of forested land in the western United States. They demonstrate that human-caused climate change has lengthened the annual fire season (i.e., the window of time each year with weather that is conducive to forest fires) and, since 1984, has doubled the cumulative area in the western United States that would have otherwise burned due to natural climate forcing alone. …
Global Marketing Mix Decisions: Global Integration, Not Standardization

Abandon the idea that global marketing means standardization. You should focus on global integration—that is, on the degree of coordination of marketing mix activities across countries. This requires a mindset that is oriented toward looking for cross-national similarities, not differences. Cross-national differences in behavior may disguise potential for a globally integrated approach. Ask your team, “Is our target segment happy with the outcome? Are there globally unfulfilled needs?” As long as elements of the marketing mix strategy are set within the context of the overarching global branding framework, we are talking about a globally integrated marketing strategy. We can consider this at the level of the overall marketing strategy; but that is too abstract. My research has identified various global integration options per mix element as they can be found in companies around the world. The global brand executive, along with national marketing managers, should check carefully what degree of global integration is feasible for each element of the marketing mix. This chapter brings together pertinent insights and recommendations.
Relationship between sensitivity indices defined by variance- and covariance-based methods

Abstract Sensitivity analysis is a challenge to perform with correlated variables, as often occur in practice. The variance-based methods for correlated variables use the same sensitivity indices defined for independent variables. The associate algorithms to determine the sensitivity indices are computationally demanding, and require explicit knowledge of the joint and conditional probability density function (pdf) of the input variables. As an alternative, a method referred to as structural and correlative sensitivity analysis (SCSA) based on a covariance decomposition has also been developed to fully quantify the deterministic and statistical contributions of independent and correlated variables, which can be applied in simulations as well as for laboratory/field data where the explicit forms of the function f(x) and the pdf are unknown. In this paper, we show that the sensitivity indices defined by the variance-based method may be re-expressed in terms of the SCSA sensitivity indices without further numerical computation, if the function f(x) and the pdf are known. If f(x) and the pdf are not known, the indices can still be accurately calculated from a single modest set of input-output data samples with SCSA.
Intraoperative Monitoring in Tethered Cord Surgery

The tethered cord syndrome is caused by abnormal fixation of the spinal cord with resultant reduction in blood flow leading to impaired oxidative metabolism of the grey matter. Etiologies include embryological derangement, trauma, and surgery. Common symptoms include but are not limited to pain, weakness, loss of sensation, and bowel/bladder dysfunction. Surgical release allows normalization of blood flow and then parallel neurological improvement. Goals of neurosurgery to correct tethered cord are full release of restricted tissue and preservation of involved neural structures. Because of difficulty identifying neural elements based on anatomic appearance, multimodality neurophysiologic monitoring is employed to minimize risk and preserve function, especially bowel and bladder control. A technique using spontaneous and evoked electromyography, somatosensory-evoked potentials, motor-evoked potentials, bulbocavernosus reflex elicitation, and bladder pressure urometry was successfully integrated into the surgical release of this patient’s tethered cord.
Forensic Radiology Pitfalls: CT Imaging in Gunshot Wounds of the Head

Computed tomography (CT) imaging is increasingly used in emergency departments and trauma services and is being offered as a supplemental tool with autopsy in coroner's and medical examiner's offices throughout the United States. The availability of CT images in lieu of traditional X-rays for medicolegal autopsies may lead to misinterpretation of images for forensic pathologists who are not familiar with these types of images. Forensic pathologists must become familiar with CT imaging, the basis of CT image formation and how to interpret CT images appropriately. We highlight potential pitfalls of CT image interpretation through two cases of fatal gunshot wounds of the head. Antemortem CT imaging available at the time of autopsy led to discrepancy between the initial image findings and the autopsy due to inexperienced manipulation of the images. With appropriate understanding of CT image interpretation and manipulation, forensic personnel should be able to avoid most sources of misinterpretation.
The temporal dynamics of waiting when reward is increasing.

Abstract The temporal dynamics of waiting are complex. The present study used a video game involving contingencies that produced differential reinforcement of wait times by arranging for the magnitude of the reward to be related to the duration of each inter-response time. In previous research, when outcomes were gradually increasing in value from a minimum to a maximum, two modes of behavior are observed: waiting as little as possible before cashing in (i.e., responding rapidly) or waiting until the maximum is available (i.e., responding slowly). When outcomes were either a smaller sooner or larger later reward, two modes of behavior were again observed which corresponded to choosing either reward immediately after it was available. In the present study, outcome values increased linearly for a period of time, leveled off, increased abruptly, and then increased linearly. This configuration produced three modes of wait times in people – responding immediately, responding immediately after the abrupt increase, and responding when the maximum possible reward was achieved on each trial. Three factors were evaluated as possible causes of each behavioral mode, a desire for immediacy or action, the trade-off between molecular and molar maximization, and ease of responding.
A past that never was: historical poaching in Game of Thrones fans’ Tumblr practices

This article explores the textual and historical poaching practices by Tumblr fans of the novels A Song of Ice and Fire and the television adaption Game of Thrones, a pseudo-historical fantasy seri...
Trifunctional PSMA-targeting constructs for prostate cancer with unprecedented localization to LNCaP tumors

Treatment of late-stage prostate cancer by targeted radiotherapeutics such as 131I-MIP-1095 and 177Lu-PSMA-617 has shown encouraging early results. Lu-177 is preferred to I-131 in clinical settings, but targeted radioligand therapy (RLT) with 177Lu-PSMA-617 has not reached its full potential due to insufficient dose delivery to the tumor. We recently developed a dual-targeting radioiodinated ligand, RPS-027, that targets PSMA and uses albumin binding to enable good tumor uptake and significantly reduced kidney uptake in a preclinical model. Further development of this ligand is limited by the inability to independently modify PSMA and albumin binding and the requirement of I-131 for therapeutic application. We therefore sought to devise a new class of trifunctional ligands for RLT with (1) a high-affinity PSMA-binding domain, (2) an albumin-binding group (ABG), and (3) a chelator for radiometals such as 68Ga3+, 177Lu3+ and 225Ac3+. Ligands incorporating a triazolylphenylurea-containing PSMA-targeting group, an Ne-(2-(4-iodophenyl)acetyl)lysine ABG and the bifunctional chelator p-SCN-Bn-DOTA linked by a PEG-containing polymer containing 0,3,4,6,8 or 12 repeats were prepared. PSMA affinity was determined in LNCaP cells and uptake and tissue distribution was studied in mice bearing LNCaP tumor xenografts and compared to 177Lu-PSMA-617. Imaging studies were performed up to 24 h post-injection (p.i.) using 66Ga3+ and biodistribution studies at 4 h, 24 h and 96 h p.i. with 177Lu3+. PSMA affinity was high (IC50 = 1–10 nM) and inversely proportional to the linker length. Tumor uptake correlated with binding affinity and was significantly greater than for 177Lu-PSMA-617 over 96 h. The highest uptake was achieved with 177Lu-RPS-063 (30.0 ± 6.9 %ID/g; 4 h p.i.). Kidney uptake was generally high, with the exception of the lowest affinity ligand 177Lu-RPS-067. Each of the compounds showed slower blood clearance than 177Lu-PSMA-617, with clearance proportional to linker length. The high tumor uptake achieved with these trifunctional ligands predicts larger (up to 4×) doses delivered to the tumor than can be achieved with 177Lu-PSMA-617. Although PSMA-mediated kidney uptake was also observed, the exceptional area under the curve (AUC) in the tumor warrants further investigation of these novel ligands as candidates for RLT.
Photoinhibition in Cyanobacteria: Sensitivity to Calcium or Sodium

Cyanobacterial cultures soon cease growing when placed under otherwise normal growth conditions, except in medium devoid of Ca2+ and Na+. The nature of the ion requirement has been studied in Synechococcus 6301 and related strains, which resume growth within a few h when either a Ca2+ or a Na+ salt is added to the deficient medium [1]. Inhibition of growth correlated with inactivation of photosynthesis, and the site of inhibition was at or near Reaction Center II (RCII) [2,3]. Inhibition of RCII required illumination in the ion-deficient medium and the rate of inactivation increased with increasing photon flux density, indicating a kind of high quantum yield photoinhibition, sensitisitized at low light intensity under Ca2+ and Na+ stress. Those observations did not prove a site of ion function since the photoinhibition could have been a secondary event sensitized by ion stress, but did indicate that Na+ and Ca2+ might be interchangeable in some required cyanobacterial function. Apparently all cyanobacteria demonstrate the ion requirement, although some are specific for Ca2+ while others can utilize Na+ as well [4]. Synechocystis 6714 was unique among the cyanobacteria examined in that only Na+ satisfied the ion requirement. Sequential inhibitory events could be resolved in Synechocystis during the low-light-intensity photoinhibition [5]. Initially O2-evolution was inactivated; continued illumination resulted in inhibition of RCII. The addition of millimolar Na+ to the culture medium of cells in the early state of impaired O2 evolution fully restored photosynthetic electron transport activity within 10 min.
Tiotropium in the treatment of patients with asthma.

BACKGROUND Asthma is a chronic disease with a significant disease burden, and many patients fail to achieve disease control despite recommended medical therapy. Recent evidence suggests that there may be benefits to the use of the long-acting anticholinergic agent tiotropium in patients with asthma. METHODS We performed a systematic review of the literature to determine the role of tiotropium in management of adult patients with asthma. RESULTS In six studies, 1773 patients were randomized and 1057 received tiotropium as an intervention. The mean prebronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second was 60.1%. All six studies reported a small but statistically significant improvement in spirometry when using tiotropium as compared with the control. Improvement was reported in patients with both moderate and severe asthma, patients uncontrolled on previous regimens, patients treated with low- to high-dose inhaled corticosteroids regimens, and patients treated with and without long-acting β-agonist therapy. Five studies evaluated clinical outcomes with tiotropium with variable success rates. Although a large randomized trial demonstrated a reduction in the frequency of severe asthma exacerbation with tiotropium, there is insufficient evidence to support the argument that tiotropium therapy leads to improvements in asthma symptom measures, asthma control days, asthma-related quality-of-life-scores, or rescue inhaler use. CONCLUSIONS There is strong evidence supporting improvement in spirometry and asthma exacerbations with tiotropium in patients with moderate and severe asthma; therefore, tiotropium may be an effective intervention in patients with asthma.
Estimating Competing Failure Modes in Warranty Data when Modes for Most Failures are Unknown

Warranty data for large populations of commercial products often does not include information about the failure mode by which components may have failed. However, there are times when the failure mode level of detail is needed in order to facilitate engineering problem solving, support warranty cost recovery claims against a supplier, predict future failures during the remaining warranty liability period, properly fund warranty reserve accounts, and so forth. While it is often impractical or impossible to classify every warranty claim according to its failure mode, it is sometimes possible to identify the failure modes associated with a small subset of the claims. When this can be done, the method provided in this paper can be used to estimate the parameters of the failure time distributions for a collection of competing failure modes acting on a component within a complex system. To demonstrate and validate the method, it is first applied to a simulated data set for which the correct answers are known. The method is then applied to a real warranty data case study.
Functional outcomes in a patient with a total artificial heart

A patient with biventricular heart failure received a total artificial heart (TAH) as a bridge to transplant. He had a complicated hospital course including postoperative bleeding, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and adjustment disorder. After participating in 6 months of a rehabilitation program, his Berg balance score progressed from 8 to 41 and his endurance improved from ambulating 75 feet with a rolling walker and requiring moderate assistance in his activities of daily living on admission to ambulating several times up to 200 feet with modified independent and modified independent with setup for his basic activities of daily living. Since few patients have undergone inpatient rehabilitation with a TAH, this case illustrates significant functional gains that a comprehensive rehabilitation team can provide and major considerations to be aware of to optimize care when working with patients with TAH.
On the Role of Individual Bleomycin Thiazoles in Oxygen Activation and DNA Cleavage

Two structurally novel bleomycin (BLM) analogs were prepared by total synthesis to permit the evaluation of the role of individual thiazole moieties in the processes of bleomycin-mediated oxygen activation and DNA degradation. Each of the compounds was structurally related to deglycobleomycin demethyl A 2 but contained an S-methyl-L-cysteine moiety in lieu of one of the two thiazoles normally present in bleomycin
Review: Leopold Bauer: Häretiker der modernen Architektur, 1872–1938, by Jindřich Vybíral

Jindřich Vybiral Leopold Bauer: Haretiker der modernen Architektur, 1872–1938 Basel: Birkhauser, 2018, 580 pp., 348 color and 253 b/w illus. $91.99 (cloth), ISBN 9783036516309 When Otto Wagner decided to retire from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna at the end of the 1911–12 academic year, he recommended his former student Jože Plecnik as his successor. Had Wagner opted to step down only a few years before, he likely would have put forward either Joseph Maria Olbrich or Josef Hoffmann to take over his special architecture master class. But Olbrich died of leukemia in 1908 and Hoffmann went his own way, founding the Wiener Werkstatte with Koloman Moser. Wagner held all three men in the highest regard. He inscribed their names on the facade of his final project, the Artists' Court of 1918, along with those of his early heroes and role models, Eduard van der Null, August Sicard von Sicardsburg, and Karl Friedrich Schinkel.1 Wagner's fellow professors at the academy voted unanimously to approve his recommendation. The officials at the Ministry of Education, however, rejected the request and postponed Wagner's retirement for a year. When the professors at the academy again put Plecnik's name forward, the ministry officials once more turned it down. The professors held fast to their decision, but the officials demanded an alternative. Thus, pressed to find a solution, the professors proposed two possible replacements, submitting the name of Leopold Bauer, another former Wagner student, along with that of Plecnik. Bauer, very much against Wagner's wishes, received the appointment. It was a disastrous decision. The story, which Jindřich Vybiral relates in detail in his excellent new monograph on Bauer, marked, in his words, one of the most significant “‘cases’ in the history of Viennese modernism” (323).2 The “not entirely hidden background” of the controversy, he explains, involved not only questions concerning the direction of modern architecture in the Habsburg lands but also the ever-present politics of nationalism and …
EARLY RESUMPTION OF CANCER TREATMENT AFTER PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION: IMPACT ON CARDIOVASCULAR OUTCOMES

There are no studies on the optimal timing of cancer therapy resumption after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). We aimed to describe the timing of cancer treatment resumption and its impact on cardiovascular outcomes after new-generation drug eluting stent (DES) implantation. Cancer
Rx for Addiction and Medication Safety (RAMS-PEER): Evaluation of an Education and Peer Program on Opioid Misuse

The Rx (prescription) for Addiction and Medication Safety (RAMS) program was developed during the 2017 through 2018 academic year to educate students from 6 selected Rhode Island public high schools about opioid misuse, overdose, and recovery. During 2016, 3 schools participated in the RAMS program and returned for RAMS-PEER in 2017; 3 schools were newly recruited in 2016. Tenth graders returned from schools that participated during RAMS in 2016, and all ninth graders were new. Our study's aim was to evaluate the overall effect and spillover benefit of the RAMS-PEER intervention from tenth to ninth graders by surveying students both before and after the education program. Survey questions were modified from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the 2015 Ontario Study Survey. Student responses were matched for preintervention and postintervention analysis using a unique identifier. We observed an improvement in knowledge of opioid misuse; however, we found no evidence of a significant spillover benefit.
GaAs Epitaxy on (001) Si: below 1×10 6 cm −2 Dislocation Density with 2.4 μm Buffer Thickness

We report a record-low threading dislocation density of 9.3 ×105 cm2 in GaAs thin films directly grown on (001) Si substrates. The total buffer thickness (2.4 μm) is only two thirds of the state-of-art reported value.
The Logic of Knowledge Distribution

Different people, of course, have different knowledge, varying from one another in regard to what is known to them.
An Algorithm for Learning Smaller Representations of Models With Scarce Data.

We present a greedy algorithm for solving binary classification problems in situations where the dataset is either too small or not fully representative of the problem being solved, and obtaining more data is not possible. This algorithm is of particular interest when training small models that have trouble generalizing. It relies on a trained model with loose accuracy constraints, an iterative hyperparameter pruning procedure, and a function used to generate new data. Analysis on correctness and runtime complexity under ideal conditions and an extension to deep neural networks is provided. In the former case we obtain an asymptotic bound of $O\left(|\Theta^2|\left(\log{|\Theta|} + |\theta^2| + T_f\left(| D|\right)\right) + \bar{S}|\Theta||{E}|\right)$, where $|{\Theta}|$ is the cardinality of the set of hyperparameters $\theta$ to be searched; $|{E}|$ and $|{D}|$ are the sizes of the evaluation and training datasets, respectively; $\bar{S}$ and $\bar{f}$ are the inference times for the trained model and the candidate model; and $T_f({|{D}|})$ is a polynomial on $|{D}|$ and $\bar{f}$. Under these conditions, this algorithm returns a solution that is $1 \leq r \leq 2(1 - {2^{-|{\Theta}|}})$ times better than simply enumerating and training with any $\theta \in \Theta$. As part of our analysis of the generating function we also prove that, under certain assumptions, if an open cover of $D$ has the same homology as the manifold where the support of the underlying probability distribution lies, then $D$ is learnable, and viceversa.
Understanding spatial variability of forage production in California grasslands: delineating climate, topography and soil controls

Author(s): Liu, H; Jin, Y; Roche, LM; O'Geen, AT; Dahlgren, RA | Abstract: Rangelands are a key global resource, providing a broad range of ecological services and economic benefits. California's predominantly annual rangelands cover ∼12% of the state's land area, and the forage production is highly heterogeneous, making balancing economic (grazing), conservation (habitat) and environmental (erosion/water quality) objectives a big challenge. Herein, we examined how climate and environmental factors regulate annual grassland forage production spatially across the state and among four ecoregions using machine learning models. We estimated annual forage production at 30 m resolution over a 14 year period (2004-2017) using satellite images and data fusion techniques. Our satellite-based estimation agreed well with independent field measurements, with a R2 of 0.83 and RMSE of 682 kg ha-1. Forage production (14 year average) showed large spatial variability (2940 ± 934 kg ha-1 yr-1; CV = 35%) across the study area. The gradient boosted regression tree with 11 feature variables explained 67% of the variability in forage production across the state. Precipitation amount, especially in November (germination) and April (rapid growth), was found as the dominant driver for spatial variation in forage production, especially in drier ecoregions and during drier years. Seasonal distribution of precipitation and minimum air temperature showed a relatively stronger control on forage production in wetter regions and during wet years. Additionally, solar energy became more important in wetter ecoregions. Drought reduced forage production from the long-term mean, i.e. a 33% ± 19% decrease in production (2397 ± 926 kg ha-1yr-1; CV = 38%) resulting from a 29% ± 5% decrease in precipitation. The machine learning based spatial analysis using 'big data' provided insights on impacts of climate and environmental factors on forage production variation at various scales. This study demonstrates a cost-effective approach for rapid mapping and assessment of annual forage production with the potential for near real-time application.
Metacognition and fluid intelligence in value-directed remembering

The ability to selectively focus on and remember important information, referred to as value-directed remembering, may be crucial for effective memory functioning. In the present study, we investigated the relationships between metacognitive monitoring and control accuracy, selectivity for valuable information, and fluid intelligence. Mediation analyses demonstrated that participants’ monitoring assessments and later recall were influenced by the value of the to-be-learned words and the accuracy of participants’ judgments was moderated by fluid intelligence. Moreover, recall, selectivity, metacognitive awareness of selectivity, and metacognitive accuracy all generally increased with task experience, demonstrating participants’ ability to improve their memory by utilizing cognitive resources more effectively. Together the results suggest that people may be aware of the need to be selective, and engaging in value-directed remembering may be related to higher-level cognitive skills associated with problem-solving and reasoning. Specifically, the strategic use of memory may be involved in focusing on important information, and the metacognitive processes that allow for this prioritization of memory may be related to more general problem-solving abilities that involve identifying important features of information to guide cognition in a broader context.
Exoplanetary Spin-Orbit Alignment: Results from the Ensemble of Rossiter-McLaughlin Measurements

One possible diagnostic of planet formation, orbital migration, and tidal evolution is the angle between a planet's orbital axis and the spin axis of its parent star. In general, Psi cannot be measured, but for transiting planets one can measure the angle lambda between the sky projections of the two axes via the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. In this paper we showed how to combine measurements of lambda in different systems to derive statistical constraints on Psi, using a Bayesian analysis. The results provided evidence for two distinct modes of planet migration.
Genetics in clinical epilepsy: Issues in genetic testing and counseling

In the last decade, major advances have been made in our understanding of the genetic basis of epilepsy. Genetic testing for over two dozen epilepsy-related genes is now clinically available, and healthcare providers who manage patients with epilepsy are faced with incorporating genetic information into their assessment and treatment plans. Although the clinical applications of genetic test results in the setting of epilepsy may be somewhat limited, an argument for the utility of testing can be made based upon the potential impact on treatment options, the ability to provide prognostic information, and the psychological, medical, and reproductive implications for patients and their family members. Clinicians who incorporate genetic testing into their evalua- tion of patients with epilepsy must be knowledgeable about epilepsy phenotypes and epilepsy genes, have expertise in eliciting a genetic family history that encompasses not only epilepsy but a broader range of relevant medical conditions, and possess a thor- ough understanding of genetic testing methods and outcomes. Given the complexity of genetic test results, it is crucial that informed consent to discuss the risks, benefits, and limitations of genetic testing take place with patients prior to testing. In addi- tion, many patients may benefit from genetic counseling to discuss testing options or results, address family impact or reproductive issues, and obtain access to support resources.
Combined synthesis and projection techniques for jammer suppression in DS/SS communications

In this paper, we propose a new nonstationary jammer suppression technique for DS/SS communications. This technique is based on combined operations of bilinear signal synthesis and projections. The time-frequency distributions (TFDs) is used to define the jammer time-frequency (t-f) signature. Multi-sensor array at the receiver allows both the spatial and temporal signatures of the signal arrivals to be utilized. To estimate the waveform of a jammer, a mask is constructed and applied such that the masked t-f region captures the jammer energy, but leaves out most of the DS/SS signals. The jammer signals are then synthesized from the masked TFDs that can be removed from the received signal by orthogonal projection.
Mechanisms Mediating the Effects of Cytokines on Neuroendocrine Functions in the Rat

Exposure to an antigen causes significant endocrine changes, some of which in turn affect immune functioning. Proteins produced by activated immune cells, cytokines, act as messengers between the immune and the endocrine systems, and convey to the brain the occurrence of immune activation. We have investigated the ability of interleukin 1 (IL-1) alpha and beta to alter endocrine functioning in the adult rat. Acute peripheral injection of IL-1 alpha or beta causes dose-dependent increases in plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone secretion. These changes are primarily dependent upon increased release of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) into the portal circulation, and recent studies have indicated that the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus is the main source of this CRF. This conclusion is based on our finding that intravenous injection of IL-1 increases CRF biosynthesis in the PVN, and that lesion of this hypothalamic area interferes with IL-1's stimulatory action on ACTH secretion. Indomethacin partially reverses the effect of IL-1, suggesting that increased prostaglandin synthesis plays some part in this activation. Administration of IL-1 beta into the brain, but not into the general circulation, interferes with secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) and ovulation through mechanisms involving endogenous opiates. Because neither CRF antagonists, nor lesions of the PVN, alter the inhibitory effect of IL-1 on LH release, CRF perikarya in the PVN do not appear to be involved in this phenomenon. Central administration of IL-1 beta strongly increases c-Fos immunoreactivity in the PVN, mainly within CRF neurons. Infusion of IL-1 beta into the PVN does not induce measurable changes in release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), but infusion of IL-1 directly into the median preoptic area (MPOA), a region rich in GnRH perikarya, markedly decreases GnRH secretion in rats bearing a push-pull cannula in the median eminence. Furthermore, central administration of IL-1 beta during the critical phase of pro-oestrus (1600-1930) also inhibits the expression of c-fos in GnRH cell bodies in the MPOA. Thus, we suggest that IL-1 interferes with reproductive functioning through a direct action at the level of the MPOA. These results indicate that circulating cytokines can alter the activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis by increasing CRF release, probably through both immediate stimulation of CRF terminals within the median eminence and stimulation of CRF synthesis in the PVN. In contrast, cytokine-induced changes in LH and GnRH secretion are mediated through pathways lying primarily beyond the blood-brain barrier.
Ethnic Concentration and Nonprofit Organizations: The Political and Urban Geography of Immigrant Services in Boston, Massachusetts

This article considers the geographic distribution of nonprofit organizations serving immigrants across municipalities within the Greater Boston area in an effort to identify variations in the levels of assistance available to major foreign-born populations in the region. The analysis relies on data from the Census and the National Center for Charitable Statistics. Results suggest that geographic context matters, including immigrant settlement patterns, racial heterogeneity, and fiscal and institutional characteristics of towns and cities, in shaping availability of nonprofit resources to immigrants. These findings highlight large socio-spatial disparities in immigrant services and challenge the wisdom of devolving responsibility for such assistance to local governments and ultimately nonprofits, as new entrants settle in larger numbers in areas previously unaffected by immigration and ill-prepared to address immigrant needs. The research contributes to debates on the rescaling of immigrant policy and service provision and literature on the geography of integration by engaging with scholarship in urban and political geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
The use of high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the separation of radiolabeled arachidonic acid and its metabolities produced by thrombin-treated human platelets. I. The validation of the technique.

Abstract We have developed a technique for the rapid separation and quantitative collection of thromboxane B 2 (TXB 2 ), PGE 2 , PGD 2 , PGF 2α , 12-hydroxy-5,8,10 heptadecatrienoic acid (HHT), 12-L-hydroxy-5,8,10,14 eicosatetraenoic acid (HETE), and arachidonic acid released from thrombin treated human platelets. Platelets were pre-labeled with 3 H-arachidonic acid and then isolated by gel filtration. They were then exposed to thrombin for various intervals and separated by centrifugation. Aliquots of the cell-free medium were applied directly to a high pressure liquid chromatograph containing a fatty acid column as the stationary phase. A quarternary solvent system containing tetrahydrofuran (THF), acetonitrile (CH 3 CN), water and acetic acid (HOAC) resolved and eluted the arachidonic acid metabolites within 30 minutes. Since no sample preparation is required and since the solvent system does not quench the counting efficiency of a standard liquid scintillation fluor the technique permits rapid separation and quantitation of radiolabeled arachidonic acid and its metabolites.
Molecular Clouds in the Outer Milky Way Galaxy

This is to follow up the report by Kutner and Mead (1981) of extensive CO emission from molecular clouds between R = 10 and 16 kpc. In the initial report, three strips were mapped, at b = 1.3°, 1.5°, and 1.7°, with 1 ranging from 55° to 95°, in steps of 0.1°. Maps of five giant molecular clouds (GMCs) were also presented. It was argued that CO emission from outer galaxy clouds is weaker than that from inner galaxy clouds partly because of a lower kinetic temperature in the outer galaxy clouds, and that this had to be taken into account in mass estimates of molecular material in the galaxy. It was estimated that the mass of H2 in the outer galaxy is ~ 1/3 that in the inner galaxy.
Variations in normal precordial electrocardiograms

Abstract 1. 1. One hundred student nurses without demonstrable heart disease were studied in order to set up normal standards for use in precordial electrocardiography. 2. 2. The technique followed was that recommended by the Joint Committee of The American Heart Association and the Cardiac Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 3. 3. The right arm electrode was placed on the left leg, and the left leg electrode was placed on the precordium; this method conforms with the CF nomenclature.
ERK1/2 signaling pathway in mast cell activation‐induced sensitization of esophageal nodose C‐fiber neurons

Sensitization of esophageal nociceptive afferents by inflammatory mediators plays an important role in esophageal inflammatory nociception. Our previous studies demonstrated that esophageal mast cell activation increases the excitability of esophageal nodose C-fibers. But the intracellular mechanism of this sensitization process is still less clear. We hypothesize that extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) signaling pathway plays an important role in mast cell activation-induced sensitization of esophageal nodose C-fiber neurons. Mast cell activation and in vivo esophageal distension-induced phosphorylations of ERK1/2 were studied by immuno-staining and Western blot in esophageal nodose neurons. Extracellular recordings were performed from nodose neurons using ex vivo esophageal-vagal preparations with intact nerve endings in the esophagus. Nerve excitabilities were compared by action potentials evoked by esophageal distensions before and after mast cell activations with/without pretreatment of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK)/ERK kinase inhibitor U0126. The expressions of phospho-ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) in the same nodose ganglia were then studied by Western blot. Mast cell activation enhances in vivo esophageal distension-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in nodose neurons. This can be prevented by pretreatment with mast cell stabilizer cromolyn. In ex vivo esophageal-vagal preparations, both mast cell activation and proteinase-activated receptor 2 (PAR2)-activating peptide perfusion increases esophageal distension-induced mechano-excitability of esophageal nodose C-fibers and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in nodose neurons. Pretreatment with MAPK/ERK kinase inhibitor U0126 prevents these potentiation effects. Collectively, our data demonstrated that mast cell activation enhances esophageal distension-induced mechano-excitability and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in esophageal nodose C-fiber neurons. This reveals a new intracellular pathway of esophageal peripheral sensitization and inflammatory nociception.
A soluble enzyme from Escherichiacoli which catalyzes the transfer of leucine and phenylalanine from tRNA to acceptor proteins

Abstract A soluble enzyme which catalyzes the transfer of leucine and phenylalanine from tRNA to protein has been partially purified from Escherichia coli . No activity is observed with other amino acyl tRNAs. The transfer reaction does not require magnesium ions but does require a monovalent cation and an acceptor protein such as bovine serum albumin.