cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Constraints on Constraints: Surveying the Epigenetic Landscape

It is now relatively commonplace to advocate the need for some sorts of constraints on learning and knowledge acquisition. The critical issues to cognitive science concern the sorts of constraints that are able to best model various phenomena of learning and development. Four types of constraints on learning are proposed to be used as an interpretative framework within which to: 1. Better understand the nature of current research; 2. Allow the exploration of alternative models of learning related phenomena, and 3. See more clearly needs for further research. Superficially similar learning phenomena can be modeled by very different configurations of underlying constraints with strong implications for the sorts of representational states that are involved. Each of the five papers in this issue (Brown, Gelman, Markman, Newport, and Spelke) is considered in terms of the configuration of constraints after which each author intends to model their phenomena and in terms of alternate configurations. The papers are construed as illustrating a diverse set of models of how constraints might guide learning, and while the evidence generally favors the configurations suggested by the authors, in each case alternative models are possible and motivate quite specific future research questions. More broadly, it is suggested that asking detailed questions about the sorts of constraints types that could potentially model complex cases of natural knowledge acquisition helps motivate fundamental questions about learning and the nature of knowledge and that the five papers in this issue are superb examples of how adopting this kind of perspective has been fruitful research orientation.
Gesund im Stress: Der Wandel des Stresskonzeptes und seine Bedeutung für Prävention, Gesundheit und Lebensstil

SUBJECT The significance of the modern stress concept for health behaviour and prevention. METHODS/RESULTS Many different definitions of the term "stress" exist concurrently. This observation is important for medicine because of the extensive and increasing use of this term in scientific publications. For a better understanding, the historical development of the stress concept and its association with the biopsychosocial model, with psychoneuroimmunology, mind/body medicine, and prevention/public health is illustrated. "Stress" is interpreted as a more general term that describes the effects of psychosocial and environmental factors on physical or mental well-being. Stressors and stress reactions are distinguished. "Stress" and health are related to health behaviour and life style. CONCLUSIONS The complex nature of the stress concept requires the actual use of constant definitions. Further, the individual or "subject" needs preventive medical support to strengthen his own capacity and self-care potential so that the balance between stressors and stress reactions, disease- and health-promoting factors is achieved. Thus, an integrative, resource- and capacity-orientated health care system is implemented. Moreover, letting balance be the target of intervention - and thereby reducing the negative impact of stressors/stress reactions on health - is a possible way of producing a modern, cost-effective, and partnership-like physician-patient relationship. Consequently, "stress" can be "healthy", a challenge, and thereby promote flexibility and transformation.
Methylene Blue Absorption by Montmorillonites. Determinations of Surface Areas and Exchange Capacities with Different Initial Cation Saturations (Clay‐Organic Studies XIX)

Absorption isotherms have been determined for methylene blue absorbed from aqueous solutions on montmorillonites saturated with various cations. Surface areas are determined from observations of the amount of methylene blue absorbed on the clay required to produce optimum flocculation; this condition corresponds to an effective coverage of the surfaces with methylene blue ions. Cation exchange capacities are determined from saturation absorptions. With Li- and Na-saturated clays, the surface areas are approximately 750 m2/g and the exchange capacities agree with values obtained by titration techniques. With K-montmorillonites, values about 15% smaller are obtained and this is probably due to a small fraction of the clay not expanding beyond about 15A in water. With M2+-montmorillonites, a marked difference in behavior is observed between a clay from Wyoming and one from Texas. The Wyoming clay gives much smaller effective flocculation areas and clearly defined saturation absorptions are not obtained. These results are attributed to relatively large particle sizes, so that external surfaces are covered when internal surfaces are only partially covered, and ultimate saturation is hindered by the large particles. With finer particles, the Texas clay gives flocculation areas nearer to those obtained with Li- and Na-clays and the apparent exchange capacities also are nearer to those obtained for the monovalent ion clays. A limitation on surface area measurements for montmorillonites with exchange capacities less than about 100 meq/100 g is discussed.
Performance measures for service systems with a random arrival rate

It is commonly assumed that the arrival process of customers to a service system is a nonhomogeneous Poisson process. Call center data often refute this assumption, and several authors have postulated a doubly-stochastic Poisson process for arrivals instead. We develop approximations for both the long-run fraction of calls answered quickly, and the distribution of the fraction of calls answered quickly within a short period. We also perform a computational study to evaluate the approximations and improve our understanding of such systems.
Automatic evaluation of protein sequence functional patterns

A procedure that automatically provides an evaluation of the diagnostic ability of a protein sequence functional pattern is described. The procedure relies on the identification of the closest definable set in terms of a (protein sequence) database functional annotation to the set of database instances containing a given pattern. Assuming annotation correctness and completeness in the protein sequence database, the degree of statistical association between these sets provides an appropriate measure of the diagnostic ability of the pattern. An experimental implementation of the procedure, using the NBRF/PIR protein database, has been applied to a diverse collection of published sequence patterns. Results obtained reveal that frequently it is not possible to define (in NBRF/PIR database terminology) the set of database instances containing a given pattern, suggesting either lack of pattern diagnostic ability or protein database annotation incompleteness and/or inconsistencies.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and venous thromboembolism

We read the article entitled “A rare cause of pulmonary embolism: panax” by Yigit and Cevik [1] with great interest. We would like to thank the authors for their excellent case presentation. This case emphasizes the importance of medication history as the crucial clue to the accurate diagnosis. We would also like to underscore the importance of the history of over-the-counter medications use because nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are capable of increasing the venous thromboembolism risk. This increased risk has been well illustrated in a recent meta-analysis with the risk ratio of 1.8 among the users [2]. With the wide-spread use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs [3], this history would be of importance for the physicians and patients to minimize the chance of recurrence of this potentially fatal illness.
Nutritional Similarity between Leaf-Associated Nonpathogenic Bacteria and the Pathogen Is Not Predictive of Efficacy in Biological Control of Bacterial Spot of Tomato

It has been demonstrated that for a nonpathogenic, leaf-associated bacterium, effectiveness in the control of bacterial speck of tomato is correlated with the similarity in the nutritional needs of the nonpathogenic bacterium and the pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. This relationship was investigated further in this study by using the pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, the causal agent of bacterial spot of tomato, and a collection of nonpathogenic bacteria isolated from tomato foliage. The effects of inoculation of tomato plants with one of 34 nonpathogenic bacteria prior to inoculation with the pathogen X. campestris pv. vesicatoria were quantified by determining (i) the reduction in disease severity (number of lesions per square centimeter) in greenhouse assays and (ii) the reduction in leaf surface pathogen population size (log10 of the number of CFU per leaflet) in growth chamber assays. Nutritional similarity between the nonpathogenic bacteria and X. campestris pv. vesicatoria was quantified by using either niche overlap indices (NOI) or relatedness in cluster analyses based upon in vitro utilization of carbon or nitrogen sources reported to be present in tomato tissues or in Biolog GN plates. In contrast to studies with P. syringae pv. tomato, nutritional similarity between the nonpathogenic bacteria and the pathogen X. campestris pv. vesicatoria was not correlated with reductions in disease severity. Nutritional similarity was also not correlated with reductions in pathogen population size. Further, the percentage of reduction in leaf surface pathogen population size was not correlated with the percentage of reduction in disease severity, suggesting that the epiphytic population size of X. campestris pv. vesicatoria is not related to disease severity and that X. campestris pv. vesicatoria exhibits behavior in the phyllosphere prior to lesion formation that is different from that of P. syringae pv. tomato.
Biology of Habrobracon gelechiae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), as a parasitoid of the obliquebanded leafroller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

ABSTRACT Habrobracon gelechiae Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was studied as a parasitoid of the obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in California pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) orchards. Ovipositional behavior, adult longevity and fecundity, and the effects of temperature on developmental time and survival were determined. Habrobracon gelechiae develops as a gregarious, ectoparasitic idiobiont on late-instar C. rosaceana larvae. At 25°C, adult female wasps survived longer when provided honey and water (35.4 ± 4.9 d) or honey, water, and host larvae (34.4 ± 2.4 d) than when provided water (8.9 ± 1.1 d) or no food (5.9 ± 0.8 d). Over the adult lifespan, females parasitized 20.6 ± 2.1 hosts and deposited 228.8 ± 24.6 eggs. The intrinsic rate of increase was 0.24, the mean generation time was 18.15 d, and the double time 2.88 d. At constant temperatures, H. gelechiae successfully developed (egg to adult) from 15 to 35°C. The developmental rate was fit to a n...
The Twilight of Equity Liquidity

This Article argues that U.S. equity markets fail to offer a satisfactory listing venue for emerging firms. I contend that this lacuna is a manifestation of a flawed structure of equity-market regulation and that this void undermines entrepreneurship, jeopardizes the future of U.S. equity markets, and weakens the broader U.S. economy. To close this gap and respond to these concerns, I recommend a new theoretical structure for regulating equity markets. Under the “lifecycle model” I propose, regulations would adapt to firms as they age. The key change would be to establish a market specifically for newly-public young firms, where they would be subject to a regulatory regime that is strict enough to protect investors yet flexible enough to accommodate innovation and growth. As firms age, they would be moved to different markets, each set up to meet the unique regulatory challenges firms pose as they mature. This template is designed to offer entrepreneurial firms an attractive platform on which to list their shares while placing equity-market regulation on sound theoretical footing. In a brief Epilogue, I assess the implications of the recently-enacted JOBS Act on this argument and conclude that the case for reform based on the lifecycle model is undiminished.
Data-driven approximation algorithms for rapid performance evaluation and optimization of civil structures

Abstract This paper explores the use of data-driven approximation algorithms, often called surrogate modeling, in the early-stage design of structures. The use of surrogate models to rapidly evaluate design performance can lead to a more in-depth exploration of a design space and reduce computational time of optimization algorithms. While this approach has been widely developed and used in related disciplines such as aerospace engineering, there are few examples of its application in civil engineering. This paper focuses on the general use of surrogate modeling in the design of civil structures and examines six model types that span a wide range of characteristics. Original contributions include novel metrics and visualization techniques for understanding model error and a new robustness framework that accounts for variability in model comparison. These concepts are applied to a multi-objective case study of an airport terminal design that considers both structural material volume and operational energy consumption.
Select forelimb muscles have evolved superfast contractile speed to support acrobatic social displays

Many species perform rapid limb movements as part of their elaborate courtship displays. However, because muscle performance is constrained by trade-offs between contraction speed and force, it is unclear how animals evolve the ability to produce both unusually fast appendage movement and limb force needed for locomotion. To address this issue, we compare the twitch speeds of forelimb muscles in a group of volant passerine birds, which produce different courtship displays. Our results show that the two taxa that perform exceptionally fast wing displays have evolved 'superfast' contractile kinetics in their main humeral retractor muscle. By contrast, the two muscles that generate the majority of aerodynamic force for flight show unmodified contractile kinetics. Altogether, these results suggest that muscle-specific adaptations in contractile speed allow certain birds to circumvent the intrinsic trade-off between muscular speed and force, and thereby use their forelimbs for both rapid gestural displays and powered locomotion. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13544.001
#Guilty? Sublet v. State and the Authentication of Social Media Evidence in Criminal Proceedings

This Note discusses the vague standard outlined in Sublet and points to a need for further clarification of authentication standards for social media posts. Part II provides background information regarding the use of social media in litigation. Part III discusses the facts and holding of Sublet. Part IV analyzes the Sublet majority’s decision-making process as well as the dissent’s critique of it. Part V provides a critical analysis of the court’s reasoning in Sublet. Finally, Part VI highlights the impact of Sublet and recommends a clearer standard for authentication that effectively balances the value of social media evidence against the myriad concerns regarding authorship.
A two-stage stochastic programming model for lot-sizing and scheduling under uncertainty

Abstract A lot-sizing and scheduling problem with sequence-dependent setups is addressed in this paper. In the production system, manufactories receive raw materials from upstream sites, and after production, the final products are shipped to downstream sites and customers. The key is to find a good production planning so that their cost is minimized. A two-stage stochastic programming model is formulated to minimize the total production, inventory and backorder costs. The first stage decides the baseline production including the production quantity of each product and the sequence of production while the second stage focuses on the possible updates of baseline production such as overtime production. The goal is to find the best sequence of production quantities under random demand with backorders allowed. Uncertainty is explicitly represented with a scenario tree then selecting the most representative scenarios in order to obtain a smaller subset while preserving essential properties. Both setup time and setup cost are product dependent. A case study for a manufacturing company producing braking equipment has been conducted to illustrate and validate the model. The results show that the stochastic model outperforms the deterministic model, especially when there are sufficient production resources.
Integer programming, lattice algorithms, and deterministic volume estimation

The main subject of this thesis is the development of new geometric tools and techniques for solving classic problems within the geometry of numbers and convex geometry. At a high level, the problems considered in this thesis concern the varied interplay between the continuous and the discrete, an important theme within computer science and operations research. The first subject we consider is the study of cutting planes for non-linear integer programs. Cutting planes have been implemented to great effect for linear integer programs, and so understanding their properties in more general settings is an important subject of study. As our contribution to this area, we show that Chvatal-Gomory closure of any compact convex set is a rational polytope. As a consequence, we resolve an open problem of Schrijver (Ann. Disc. Math. `80) regarding the same question for irrational polytopes. The second subject of study is that of ellipsoidal approximation of convex bodies. Different such notions have been important to the development of fundamental geometric algorithms: e.g. the ellipsoid method for convex optimization (enclosing ellipsoids), or random walk methods for volume estimation (inertial ellipsoids). Here we consider the construction of an ellipsoid with good \covering" properties with respect to a convex body, known in convex geometry as the M-ellipsoid. As our contribution, we give two algorithms for constructing M-ellipsoids, and provide an application to near-optimal deterministic volume estimation in the oracle model. Equipped with this new geometric tool, we move to the study of classic lattice problems in the geometry of numbers, namely the Shortest (SVP) and Closest Vector Problems (CVP). Here we use M-ellipsoid coverings, combined with an algorithm of Micciancio and Voulgaris for CVP in the e2 norm (STOC `10), to obtain the first deterministic 2O (n) time algorithm for the SVP in general norms. Combining this algorithm with a novel lattice sparsification technique, we derive the first deterministic 2O(n)(1 + 1=/∈) n time algorithm for (1 + ∈)-approximate CVP in general norms. For the next subject of study, we analyze the geometry of general integer programs. A central structural result in this area is Kinchine's flatness theorem, which states that every lattice free convex body has integer width bounded by a function of dimension. As our contribution, we build on the work Banaszczyk, using tools from lattice based cryptography, to give a new and tighter proof of the atness theorem. Lastly, combining all the above techniques, we consider the study of algorithms for the Integer Programming Problem (IP). As our main contribution, we give a new 2O(n) nn time algorithm for IP, which yields the fastest currently known algorithm for IP and improves on the classic works of Lenstra (MOR `83) and Kannan (MOR `87).
CMOS scaling and non-silicon opportunities

Scaling trend of CMOS, coupled with possibility of new channel materials, metal gate/ high k gate stack and source/drain structures is discussed, followed by several possibilities and opportunities for non-silicon devices including new material based non-volatile memory devices.
The Great Bathhouse Bugaboo: A Practitioner’s Inquiry into the Criminal and Public Health Policy of Gay Bathhouses

An examination of the public health and policy issues raised by a citizen complaint about bathhouses serving gay patrons.
Microgrid modular design for tribal healthcare facilities: Kayenta health center used as guidance for concept model for Navajo Nation

This paper describes the wintertime experimental process and detailed information related to a 100KW PV system case study at the Kayenta Health Center, which is located in the Navajo Nation. Information about the PV system performance, the load demand of the power system at the facility, and additional field observations during wintertime supplements previous experimental data obtained during the summertime. Seasonal experimental data validated with theoretical data available for the zone, the facility, the systems and the equipment is used to develop a concept model for the actual implementation. Targeted information about harmonics provides insight about specific features of the model. Modeling and simulation tools will support the acquisition and design processes as well as the implementation of the microgrid in a tribal health care facility on the IHS New Construction Priority List. The concept model is adjusted such that the actual implementation of the microgrid will enhance the power quality, result in the design of optimum power system, produce energy savings and reduce environmental pollution.
Stable Measurement of Effective Area in Coupled Multi-core Fiber

We achieved stable near-field and far-field patterns measurements and effective area evaluation of randomly coupled multi-core fibers by using a wide-bandwidth light source to average intensity over wavelength and eliminate time-varying intensity fluctuations.
The Benefits of Backlash: EU Accession and the Organization of LGBT Activism in Postcommunist Poland and the Czech Republic:

How can we explain variation in the organization of LGBT activism in postcommunist Europe, both across countries and over time? Much of the extant scholarship has analyzed the comparative politics ...
Acute eosinophilic appendicitis: a radiologic-pathologic correlation

Inflammation of the appendix is one of the most common conditions requiring emergent surgical intervention. Computed tomography commonly demonstrates a dilated appendix with adjacent inflammation. Traditionally, luminal obstruction of the appendix has been thought to be the primary etiology of appendicitis. However, current evidence suggests that etiology of appendicitis is multifactorial and can involve a number of different pathogenic pathways. Here we present a case of acute eosinophilic appendicitis with radiologic-pathologic correlation from a hypersensitivity reaction pathway. Acute eosinophilic appendicitis may represent an early precursor to conventional acute suppurative (phlegmonous) appendicitis, or a variant form of acute appendicitis.
Tetillidae (Spirophorida, Porifera): a taxonomic reevaluation

A large series of tetillid sponges was analysed using museum specimens and live material. The study led to a reevaluation of genera in that family, as well as of characters used to distinguish species. Properties of cortex, porocalices, and unusual accessory spicules are deemed adequate for distinguishing seven genera at the present state of our knowledge: Tetilla, Craniella, Cinachyra, Paratetilla, Amphitethya, Cinachyrella, (elevated from subgeneric status), and Acanthotetilla. Only few traditional species characteristics are considered stable enough to allow separating western Atlantic Cinachyrella. These apply to five species: C. alloclada, C. kuekenthali, C. tarentina, C. apion, and C. new species (van Soest & Stentoft, in press). It is recommended to avoid descriptions of new species without representative specimen series and observations of live populations, and to examine additional biological and molecular biological properties of the sponges for possible application in taxonomy.
Theory Change in Science

Nowadays theories about science change even more rapidly than science itself. Not too long ago nearly everyone would have agreed that the primary method of criticizing scientific theories was falsification; (the disagreements were over what positive things could be said about theories which survived testing). Then Kuhn (1962) discovered normal science and Agassi (1966) argued that Boyle’s Rule was dogmatic (why should one always keep the experimental result and drop the theory?) and so it was suggested that the method of science was the removal of inconsistencies, preferably not by ad hoc stratagems. However Feyerabend (1962) soon showed that the demand for consistency was much too stringent since most progressive new scientific theories were inconsistent with the best theories and observational evidence available at the time. Lakatos (1970) then proposed a sort of Pollyanna theory of science — scientific research programs should be evaluated by counting only their successes and ignoring their failures. But Feyerabend (1970) argued that even this standard was too restrictive and claimed that the methods of science were counter-induction, proliferation, and “anything goes.”
Slavery and Self-Determination in Anti-Colonial Thought and Practice

In 1945 as W.E.B Du Bois reflected on the newly created United Nations, he noted, “there will be at least 750,000,000 colored and black folk inhabiting colonies owned by white nations, who will have no rights that the white people of the world are bound to respect.” In this statement, Du Bois explicitly draws on the 1857 Dred Scott decision of the United States Supreme Court in which Chief Justice Taney concluded that the Negro race was “so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.” By invoking the Scott decision, Du Bois intimated a link between the condition of colonialism and the status of enslavement. Du Bois was not alone in making this connection. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Kwame Nkrumah, and Eric Williams turned to the history of transatlantic slavery and deployed slavery as a metaphor in their critiques of colonial domination and their calls for a right to self-determination. This paper examines how colonialism was conceived as a form of slavery and considers why freedom from colonial slavery was imagined in the language of self-determination. Such an inquiry provides two important insights. First, it provides occasion to reconsider anti-colonialists’ interventions in the historiography of slavery and illuminates the internationalist orientation of anti-colonial critique. Second, this historical reconstruction provides an alternative perspective from which we can engage recent debates about slavery and freedom in political theory.
Trust in forecasts? Correlates with ridership forecast accuracy for fixed-guideway transit projects

The accuracy of ridership forecasts for fixed-guideway transit projects in the United States has improved in recent decades. A better understanding of the causes for this improvement can help decision makers, project evaluators, and other forecast users identify ridership forecasts that are most likely to be reliable. The analysis in this paper applies a series of linear regression models to evaluate the relationship between ridership forecast accuracy for 67 New Starts projects completed between 1983 and 2012 and four types of project characteristics: time between forecast and observation, local experience with the project mode, physical characteristics, and financial characteristics. The results indicate that local experience and financial characteristics (including the share of a project’s costs funded by federal grants) are not significantly related to forecast accuracy, but there are differences by project mode, where forecasts for commuter rail projects are less accurate than those for other modes. The time until ridership observation does relate to forecast accuracy. However, not all of this elapsed time is important. The length of time required for project planning and development does not have a significant relationship with forecast error, nor does the total time between forecast preparation and ridership observation. However, the length of time required to construct the project is significantly associated with the accuracy of the ridership forecast. These results can help planners, policy makers, and other decision makers make judgments about the degree of trust they should place in transit ridership forecasts.
Syntheses of 8-aminoimidazo[4′,5′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimiciines: Linear tricyclic analogs of adenine

The syntheses of 8-aminoimidazo[4′,5′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines (7), stretched-out versions of the naturally occuring nucleoside base adenine, are reported. Their preparation involves conversion of purine into 5-arninoimidazo[4,5-b]pyrimidine-6-carbonitrile (1) by reaction with malononitrile, followed by construction of the pyrimidine ring in two steps via the ethoxymethylene derivative 3. 8-Azapurine can be converted to 8-amino-1,2,3-triazolo[4′,5′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines 8 in a similar fashion.
Hospice Utilization in Elderly Patients With Brain Metastases.

BACKGROUND Brain metastases are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Integration of hospice at the end of life offers patients symptom relief and improves quality of life, particularly for elderly patients who are less able to tolerate brain-directed therapy. Population-level investigations of hospice utilization among elderly patients with brain metastases are limited. METHODS Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare database for primary cancer sites that commonly metastasize to the brain, we identified 50 148 patients (aged 66 years and older) diagnosed with brain metastases between 2005 and 2016. We calculated the incidence, timing, and predictors of hospice enrollment using descriptive techniques and multivariable logistic regression. All statistical tests were 2-sided. RESULTS The incidence of hospice enrollment was 71.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 71.0 to 71.9; P < .001), a rate that increased over the study period (P < .001). The odds of enrollment for black (odds ratio [OR] = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.71 to 0.82; P < .001), Hispanic (OR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.72 to 0.87; P < .001), and Asian patients (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.48 to 0.57; P < .001) were substantially lower than white patients; men were less likely to be enrolled in hospice than women (OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.74 to 0.81; P < .001). Among patients enrolled in hospice, 32.6% (95% CI = 32.1 to 33.1; P < .001) were enrolled less than 7 days prior to death, a rate that was stable over the study period. CONCLUSIONS Hospice is used for a majority of elderly patients with brain metastases although a considerable percentage of patients die without hospice services. Many patients enroll in hospice late and, concerningly, statistically significant sociodemographic disparities exist in hospice utilization. Further investigations to facilitate targeted interventions addressing such disparities are warranted.
A Population-Based Study of Factors Associated with Postpartum Contraceptive Use by Birth Interval Length.

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors associated with postpartum contraceptive use among women with short and moderate-to-long birth intervals using population-based data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System. Methods Because only Mississippi and Tennessee include a question about birth interval length on their Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System survey, this analysis was limited to women from those states who reported information on this variable (N = 2198). Demographic, lifestyle, and reproductive data, including information on postpartum contraceptive use, were obtained from surveys and birth certificates. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Nearly 90% of women reported currently using a form of contraception during the postpartum period. In the unadjusted model, among women with short birth intervals, there was no association between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and postpartum contraceptive use (OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.15-7.31); however, smoking during pregnancy was associated with a decreased odds of postpartum contraceptive use (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.25-1.96). Among women with moderate-to-long birth intervals, alcohol use during pregnancy was associated with a decreased odds (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.28-1.80) and smoking during pregnancy was associated with an increased odds (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.60-2.30) of postpartum contraceptive use. Regardless of birth interval length, women with no health insurance had a decreased odds of postpartum contraceptive use when compared with women with health insurance (short birth interval: OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.32-2.49 and moderate-to-long birth interval: OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.52-1.39). Among women with short birth intervals, non-Hispanic black women had a decreased odds of postpartum contraceptive use (OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.03-0.64) and women who were unmarried or had a history of preterm delivery had an increased odds of postpartum contraceptive use (unmarried: OR 5.81, 95% CI 1.26-26.69 and preterm delivery: OR 4.19, 95% CI 1.42-12.37, respectively) after adjustment for confounders. Among women with moderate-to-long birth intervals, individuals who identified as Hispanic/mixed race/other had a statistically significant decreased odds of postpartum contraceptive use after adjustment (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.18-0.99). Conclusions Findings underscore the importance of postpartum medical visits for all women, regardless of birth interval length. Certain groups of women may need additional counseling regarding the importance of using contraceptives to prevent another closely spaced or unintended pregnancy.
A sensitive quantitative analysis of abiotically synthesized short homopeptides using ultraperformance liquid chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Abstract In the origins of life field understanding the abiotic polymerization of simple organic monomers (e.g., amino acids) into larger biomolecules (e.g., oligopeptides), remains a seminal challenge. Recently, preliminary observations showed a limited set of peptides formed in the presence of the plausible prebiotic phosphorylating agent, diamidophosphate (DAP), highlighting the need for an analytical tool to critically evaluate the ability of DAP to induce oligomerization of simple organics under aqueous conditions. However, performing accurate and precise, targeted analyses of short oligopeptides remains a distinct challenge in the analytical chemistry field. Here, we developed a new technique to detect and quantitate amino acids and their homopeptides in a single run using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection/time of flight mass spectrometry. Over an 8-minute retention time window, 18 target analytes were identified and quantitated, 16 of which were chromatographically separated at, or near baseline resolution. Compound identity was confirmed by accurate mass analysis using a 10 ppm mass tolerance window. This method featured limits of detection 0.985) for all analytes spanning concentration ranges ∼3 - 4 orders of magnitude. We performed a series of laboratory experiments to investigate DAP-mediated oligomerization of amino acids and peptides and analyzed experimental products with the new method. DAP readily polymerized amino acids and peptides under a range of simulated environmental conditions. This research underscores the potential of DAP to have generated oligopeptides on the primordial Earth, enhancing prebiotic chemical diversity and complexity at or near the origin of life.
Cross species multi-omics reveals cell wall sequestration and elevated global transcript abundance as mechanisms of boron tolerance in plants

Boron toxicity is a world-wide problem for crops, yet we have a limited understanding of the genetic responses and adaptive mechanisms to this stress in plants. We employed a cross-species comparison between boron stress-sensitive Arabidopsis thaliana and its boron stress-tolerant extremophyte relative Schrenkiella parvula, and a multi-omics approach integrating genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and ionomics to assess plant responses and adaptations to boron stress. Schrenkiella parvula maintains lower concentrations of total boron and free boric acid than Arabidopsis when grown with excess boron. Schrenkiella parvula excludes excess boron more efficiently than Arabidopsis, which we propose is partly driven by SpBOR5, a boron transporter that we functionally characterize in this study. Both species use cell walls as a partial sink for excess boron. When accumulated in the cytoplasm, excess boron appears to interrupt RNA metabolism. The extremophyte S. parvula facilitates critical cellular processes while maintaining the pool of ribose-containing compounds that can bind with boric acid. The S. parvula transcriptome is pre-adapted to boron toxicity. It exhibits substantial overlaps with the Arabidopsis boron-stress responsive transcriptome. Cell wall sequestration and increases in global transcript levels under excess boron conditions emerge as key mechanisms for sustaining plant growth under boron toxicity.
A case against (most) context switches

Multiplexing software threads onto hardware threads and serving interrupts, VM-exits, and system calls require frequent context switches, causing high overheads and significant kernel and application complexity. We argue that context switching is an idea whose time has come and gone, and propose eliminating it through a radically different hardware threading model targeted to solve software rather than hardware problems. The new model adds a large number of hardware threads to each physical core - making thread multiplexing unnecessary - and lets software manage them. The only state change directly triggered in hardware by system calls, exceptions, and asynchronous hardware events will be blocking and unblocking hardware threads. We also present ISA extensions to allow kernel and user software to exploit this new threading model. Developers can use these extensions to eliminate interrupts and implement fast I/O without polling, exception-less system and hypervisor calls, practical microkernels, simple distributed programming models, and untrusted but fast hypervisors. Finally, we suggest practical hardware implementations and discuss the hardware and software challenges toward realizing this novel approach.
When Media Health Stories Conflict: Test of the Contradictory Health Information Processing (CHIP) Model.

Guided by Uncertainty Management Theory, UMT, we tested a model that explicates how uncertainty arising from contradictory health information is managed through information seeking. In an online experiment, 763 U.S. adults were randomly assigned to one of three message conditions: contradictory, non-contradictory, or control. Participants in the contradictory and non-contradictory conditions answered questions about their perceptions of contradiction, issue and decision uncertainty, negative appraisals and emotions, and information-seeking intentions. They also completed measures of several moderator variables, including information overload, intolerance for uncertainty, and health self-efficacy. Baseline levels of issue and decision uncertainty were measured in the control condition. Model tenets were confirmed: perceptions of contradiction led to issue uncertainty which, in turn, prompted cognitive appraisals directly, and indirectly through increased decision uncertainty. The effects of issue and decision uncertainty on information-seeking intentions were mediated by negative appraisals and threat emotions. Individuals with high health self-efficacy and positive outcome expectations of information search were more likely to manage uncertainty through information seeking. These results support the use of the CHIP model when perceptions of contradiction and decision uncertainty need to be accounted for, while also validating UMT for its original purposes. Model refinements and implications are discussed.
The angular correlation between the fission fragment intrinsic spins

It is shown that the unexpected character of the angular correlation between the angle of the primary fission fragment intrinsic spins, recently evaluated by performing very complex time-dependent density functional simulations, which favors fission fragment intrinsic spins pointing in opposite directions, can be understood using simple general arguments.
Spectral Doppler Tracing of Locomotor Brachii sign in Severe Aortic Insufficiency.

A 37-year-old gentleman with no significant past medical history presented to the emergency department with a two-week history of progressively worsening shortness of breath. Vital signs were stable on arrival and initial physical exam was remarkable for a high pitched early diastolic decrescendo murmur at the left lower sternal border. Further physical examination revealed bounding carotid pulses (consistent with Corrigan's sign), and a systolic contraction and diastolic dilation of pupil (consistent with Landolfi's sign). Brachial artery was noted to be tortuous and prominently pulsatile with a bruit audible on auscultation, consistent with locomotor brachii (panel A). Upon further evaluation using point of care ultrasound, diastolic flow reversal and double bruit (both systolic and diastolic) on compression, were noted on spectral Doppler tracing (panel B). Transthoracic echocardiography showed bicuspid aortic valve with flail leaflet and severe eccentric aortic insufficiency; thereby confirming the diagnosis of aortic regurgitation. The patient eventually underwent a surgical aortic valve replacement with mechanical valve.
A Discussion of ‘Financial Reporting of Fair Value Based on Model Inputs versus Market Inputs: Evidence From Mortgage Servicing Rights’

Contrary to the guidance provided by regulators and industry associations suggesting that mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) be recorded as Level 3 assets, Altamuro and Zhang identify that 25% of banks classify them as Level 2 assets. This variation in the asset classification of a single asset type provides a unique setting to examine the role of inputs in the fair value measurement process. Altamuro and Zhang find that the fair value of MSRs based on managerial inputs (Level 3) better reflects the economics of the underlying assets than the fair value of MSRs based on market inputs (Level 2). This discussion examines the institutional features of the MSR market, particularly the market concentration and the illiquidity of the market that are important when considering this result. The discussion also raises a number of questions about the inputs used in the fair value process and calls for further research on this topic.
Family Research: Streams of Influence

In order to appreciate the potential value of family variables in studies of psychopathology, it is important to understand the development of family research as a major and formal area of study and the contributions that this field has made to studies of disordered behavior. In this chapter, four major influences will be identified— family sociology, systems/communications theory, child and developmental psychology, and social learning theory. Although these areas of study will be described sequentially, implying that the contributions of each tradition have been made independent of knowledge development in other areas, this is certainly not the case. In many instances, cross-fertilization between domains has been clear, whereby concepts originating in one field have been translated into models and language systems associated with another area of inquiry. In other cases, a larger social or intellectual Zeitgeist can be seen to have provided a common background and motivation for similar theoretical developments occurring in seemingly distinct disciplines. The format we have selected, then, is an aide to expository clarity and not necessarily a reflection of actual independence among the various sources of influence.
Functional outcomes in Rett syndrome

Aim To relate functional outcomes to mutation type and age at evaluation in patients with Rett syndrome (RTT).
The rate dependence of the saturation flow stress of Cu and 1100 Al

The strain-rate dependence of the saturation flow stress of OFHC Cu and 1100 Al from 10{sup {minus}3}s{sup {minus}1} to nearly to 10{sup 12}s{sup {minus}1} is examined. The flow stress above 10{sup 9}s{sup {minus}1} is estimated using Wallace's theory of overdriven shocks in metals. A transition to the power-law behavior {Psi} {approximately} {tau}{sub s}{sup 5} occurs at a strain rate of order 10{sup 5}s{sup {minus}1}. 10 refs., 2 figs.
Appraisal Criteria for Retention and Disposal of Business Records

business records should be retained? Which business records should be discarded? Every business archives with a space problem has appraisal criteria, formal or informal, for maintaining and disposing of materials. Every business archives threatened by a space shortage inevitably must develop such criteria. Archivists with business holdings are well equipped often better equipped than business historians to determine which records should be kept and which should be thrown away. But the views of the business historian, as the chief client of the business archives, perhaps can help the archivist to improve his retention-disposal criteria. If this premise is correct, the following suggestions for the handling of business materials may be of interest and value to those who must pare burgeoning business collections.
Performance comparison of enhanced PSO and DE variants for dynamic energy/reserve scheduling in multi-zone electricity market

The present work proposes a model for the joint dispatch of energy/reserve in deregulated market.This problem is more complex than the traditional economic dispatch (ED) due to additional constraints.Reserve limits, transmission limits, area power balance and energy-reserve coupling constraints are modeled.Time-varying PSO and DE variants give a better balance between exploration/exploitation.Results are found to be superior to available results from literature. During the last decade, energy regulatory policies all over the globe have been influenced by the introduction of competition. In a multi-area deregulated power market, competitive bidding and allocation of energy and reserve is crucial for maintaining performance and reliability. The increased penetration of intermittent renewable generation requires for sufficient allocation of reserve services to maintain security and reliability. As a result the market operators and generating companies are opting for market models for joint energy and reserve dispatch with a cost minimization/profit maximization goal. The joint dispatch (JD) problem is more complex than the traditional economic dispatch (ED) due to the additional constraints like the reserve limits, transmission limits, area power balance, energy-reserve coupling constraints and separate sectional price offer curves for both, energy and reserve.The present work proposes a model for the joint static/dynamic dispatch of energy and reserve in deregulated market for multi-area operation using enhanced versions of particle swarm optimization (PSO) and differential evolution (DE). A parameter automation strategy is employed in the classical PSO and DE algorithms (i) to enhance their search capability; (ii) to avoid premature convergence; and (iii) to maintain a balance between global and local search. The performance of enhanced PSO and DE variants is compared for single/multi-area power systems for static/dynamic operation, taking both linear and non-smooth cost functions. The proposed approach is validated on two test systems for different demands, reserve requirements, tie-line capacities and generator outages.