cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Insulin-resistant subjects have normal angiogenic response to aerobic exercise training in skeletal muscle, but not in adipose tissue.

Reduced vessel density in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle is associated with obesity and may result in decreased perfusion, decreased oxygen consumption, and insulin resistance. In the presence of VEGFA, Angiopoietin-2 (Angpt2) and Angiopoietin-1 (Angpt1) are central determinants of angiogenesis, with greater Angpt2:Angpt1 ratios promoting angiogenesis. In skeletal muscle, exercise training stimulates angiogenesis and modulates transcription of VEGFA, Angpt1, and Angpt2. However, it remains unknown whether exercise training stimulates vessel growth in human adipose tissue, and it remains unknown whether adipose angiogenesis is mediated by angiopoietin signaling. We sought to determine whether insulin-resistant subjects would display an impaired angiogenic response to aerobic exercise training. Insulin-sensitive (IS, N = 12) and insulin-resistant (IR, N = 14) subjects had subcutaneous adipose and muscle (vastus lateralis) biopsies before and after 12 weeks of cycle ergometer training. In both tissues, we measured vessels and expression of pro-angiogenic genes. Exercise training did not increase insulin sensitivity in IR Subjects. In skeletal muscle, training resulted in increased vessels/muscle fiber and increased Angpt2:Angpt1 ratio in both IR and IS subjects. However, in adipose, exercise training only induced angiogenesis in IS subjects, likely due to chronic suppression of VEGFA expression in IR subjects. These results indicate that skeletal muscle of IR subjects exhibits a normal angiogenic response to exercise training. However, the same training regimen is insufficient to induce angiogenesis in adipose tissue of IR subjects, which may help to explain why we did not observe improved insulin sensitivity following aerobic training.
Improving the Generalization of Sound/Symbol Knowledge Teaching Spelling to Kindergarten Children with Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to test whether the application and transfer of segmentation and letter knowledge to reading could be encouraged by teaching spelling alongside code-based reading instruction. We formed five matched pairs of children with developmental delays based on their progress on kindergarten reading lessons in Reading Mastery I (Engelmann & Bruner, 1988) and randomly assigned one of each pair to an experimental treatment of 20 ten-minute spelling lessons and one to a reading control group that practiced reading the same words. Children in the spelling treatment significantly improved their spelling and word reading performance over the control group, but did not perform significantly better on a measure of phoneme segmentation. Our results suggest that the children who practiced forming letter representations of spoken words developed more complete generalizations of their current knowledge, which facilitated learning to read words.
Asymmetric methallylboration of prochiral aldehydes with methallyldiisopinocampheylborane·synthesis of 2-methyl-1-alken-4-ols in ≥ 90% enantiomeric purities

Abstract Methallyldiisopinocampheylborane, on condensation with aldehydes, provides 2-methyl-1-alken-4-ols in ≥ 90% enantiomeric purities.
SNS SRF time dependent cavity RF resonance shift due to Lorentz force induced mechanical excitation

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) accelerator incorporates a Superconducting RF (SRF) accelerator for the final section of the three-section pulsed mode linac. The SRF linac cavities are of conventional thin-walled niobium construction. Dynamic detuning of the SRF cavities due to Lorentz force induced mechanical excitation is a critical concern in the design of such cavities. The pulsed RF induces cyclic Lorentz forces on the cavity surface that are proportional to the rising and falling surface magnetic and electric fields. The induced Lorentz force levels are small but will mechanically excite a thin-walled structurally compliant cavity. A FORTRAN code has been developed that calculates the time varying cavity frequency shift due to the cyclic Lorentz force excitation. The code generates an ABAQUS finite element mesh representing the cavity geometry and applies calculated Lorentz forces to the mesh utilizing cavity SUPERFISH results as input. ABAQUS is then utilized to calculate the deformed cavity shape due to the dynamic excitation, using very small time steps. The ABAQUS solver accounts for the time dependency of the Lorentz forces, inertial effects, material damping, and structural boundary conditions. An algorithm incorporating the Slater-perturbation theory is subsequently utilized to calculate the resonant frequency shift for the deformed cavity shape at every time increment.
Role of Microtubules in Extracellular Release of Poliovirus

Cellular autophagy, a process that directs cytosolic contents to the endosomal and lysosomal pathways via the formation of double-membraned vesicles, is a crucial aspect of innate immunity to many intracellular pathogens. However, evidence is accumulating that certain RNA viruses, such as poliovirus, subvert this pathway to facilitate viral growth. The autophagosome-like membranes induced during infection with wild-type poliovirus were found to be, unlike cellular autophagosomes, relatively immobile. Their mobility increased upon nocodazole treatment, arguing that vesicular tethering is microtubule dependent. In cells infected with a mutant virus that is defective in its interaction with the host cytoskeleton and secretory pathway, vesicle movement increased, indicating reduced tethering. In all cases, the release of tethering correlated with increased amounts of extracellular virus, which is consistent with the hypothesis that small amounts of cytosol and virus entrapped by double-membraned structures could be released via fusion with the plasma membrane. We propose that this extracellular delivery of cytoplasmic contents be termed autophagosome-mediated exit without lysis (AWOL). This pathway could explain the observed exit, in the apparent absence of cellular lysis, of other cytoplasmic macromolecular complexes, including infectious agents and complexes of aggregated proteins.
Augmented Senile Plaque Load in Aged Female β-Amyloid Precursor Protein-Transgenic Mice

Transgenic mice (Tg2576) overexpressing human β-amyloid precursor protein with the Swedish mutation (APP695SWE) develop Alzheimer’s disease-like amyloid β protein (Aβ) deposits by 8 to 10 months of age. These mice show elevated levels of Aβ40 and Aβ42, as well as an age-related increase in diffuse and compact senile plaques in the brain. Senile plaque load was quantitated in the hippocampus and neocortex of 8- to 19-month-old male and female Tg2576 mice. In all mice, plaque burden increased markedly after the age of 12 months. At 15 and 19 months of age, senile plaque load was significantly greater in females than in males; in 91 mice studied at 15 months of age, the area occupied by plaques in female Tg2576 mice was nearly three times that of males. By enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, female mice also had more Aβ40 and Aβ42 in the brain than did males, although this difference was less pronounced than the difference in histological plaque load. These data show that senescent female Tg2576 mice deposit more amyloid in the brain than do male mice, and may provide an animal model in which the influence of sex differences on cerebral amyloid pathology can be evaluated.
Improving evaluation and treatment for osteoporosis following distal radial fractures. A prospective randomized intervention.

Background: Fragility fractures are associated with a significant increase in the risk of future fracture, but the rates of evaluation to identify osteoporosis after such injuries are low. The purpose of this study was to determine the rates of evaluation and treatment of osteoporosis following distal radial fractures and to test two interventions in the outpatient clinic to improve evaluation and treatment rates. Methods: In the first part of the study, the medical records of 298 consecutive patients treated for a fragility fracture of the distal part of the radius were reviewed. Primary outcome measures were a bone mineral density examination and treatment with osteoporosis medication within six months after the fracture. In the second part of the study, fifty patients with a fragility fracture of the distal part of the radius were prospectively randomized to receive one of two interventions. These consisted of (1) the orthopaedic surgeon ordering a bone mineral density examination and forwarding the results to the primary care physician or (2) the orthopaedic surgeon sending a letter to the primary care physician outlining guidelines for osteoporosis screening. Patients were contacted at six months after the fracture to determine the rates of evaluation and treatment for osteoporosis. Results: The first part of the study revealed that, following a distal radial fracture, 21.3% of 240 patients had a bone mineral density examination and 78.7% were never screened. Osteopenia was the most common diagnosis among those screened (57%). Most (72.5%) of the 240 patients received no medication, whereas 6.7% received calcium and vitamin D; 11.3%, bisphosphonates; 2.5%, hormone replacement therapy; and 7.1%, a combination regimen. The treatment rate for the patients who had undergone a bone mineral density examination was 2.5-fold higher than the rate for those who had not had bone mineral density testing (53% compared with 21%, p < 0.001). In the second part of the study, the patients randomized to Intervention 1 had two to threefold greater rates of bone mineral density testing (93% compared with 30%, p < 0.001), discussion of osteoporosis with their primary care physician (89% compared with 35%, p < 0.001), and initiation of osteoporosis therapy (74% compared with 26%, p < 0.001) compared with patients randomized to Intervention 2. Conclusions: Rates of evaluation and treatment for osteoporosis after fragility fractures remain low (21.3% and 27.5%, respectively). Patients who undergo a bone mineral density examination are more likely to receive treatment. Ordering a bone mineral density examination in the orthopaedic clinic can dramatically improve osteoporosis evaluation and treatment rates following fragility fractures of the distal part of the radius. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Population-specific co-evolution of offspring anti-predator competence and parental brood defence in Nicaraguan convict cichlids

Parental care in fishes is a three-way interaction among brood predators, parental brood defence, and the escaping ability of the developing young. Convict cichlids are Neotropical freshwater fish with prolonged biparental brood defence of their eggs and free-swimming larvae. In a previous study, developmental timing of changes in larval swimming performance was correlated with larval skeletal ossification and biparental brood defence in convict cichlids in the Rio Cabuyo, a stream in Costa Rica (Wisenden et al. 2015). Here, we repeat this study on a population of convict cichlids from Laguna de Xiloa, a volcanic crater lake in Nicaragua. We found that fish from Laguna de Xiloa also showed correlations among swimming performance and skeletal ossification of the larvae, and brood defence by the parents. However, in Laguna de Xiloa the developmental timing of these events was delayed relative to the Rio Cabuyo population. The population difference between Costa Rica and Nicaragua could be an effect of genetic divergence or an artefact of phenotypic plasticity between lab-reared fish (Costa Rica) versus wild-caught fish (Nicaragua) for ossification scores. To resolve this question we repeated study using lab-reared fish of brood stock from Laguna de Xiloa. Comparing among the lab-reared Costa Rican fish, and lab-reared and field-collected Nicaraguan fish, we found that the timing of ossification was significantly delayed for both Nicaraguan samples relative to the Costa Rican samples. These shifts likely reflect population differences in selection on anti-predator competence of the young and, consequently, parental brood defence. These data indicate that larval ontogenetic development, anti-predator performance and parental care co-evolve with site-specific ecological differences.
Selection for drug resistance results in resistance to Fas-mediated apoptosis

Recent evidence has supported the hypothesis that chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation induce an apoptotic pathway that requires the active participation of the cell. One pathway of apoptosis in malignant lymphoid cells is mediated by the Fas antigen. We studied the human myeloma (8226) and T-cell leukemia (CEM) cell lines selected for resistance to the anthracenes, doxorubicin or mitoxantrone, by continuous culture in the presence of either agent. We found that these drug-resistant cell lines were also resistant to Fas-mediated apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. The degree of resistance to Fas-mediated apoptosis correlated directly with the level of resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. These observations indicate that, as cancer cell lines develop mechanisms of drug resistance, they may also develop mechanisms of resistance to physiologic signals of apoptosis. Two mechanisms of resistance to Fas-mediated apoptosis were observed in these cell lines. One mechanism was associated with a dose-dependent reduction in the surface expression of Fas antigen. Analysis of RNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assays showed that the reduction of Fas antigen expression occurred at the level of transcription. A second mechanism of drug resistance showed no decrease of Fas antigen expression; however, the apoptotic response was diminished. In this situation, removal of the chemotherapeutic agent resulted in a partial reversion to chemosensitivity and re-expression of the Fas antigen, but these cell lines did not regain the ability to undergo apoptosis in response to cross-linking by anti-Fas antibody. These findings support the hypothesis that apoptosis mediated by both chemotherapeutic agents and physiologic stimuli may share a common downstream effector. The demonstration that selection for drug resistance in hematopoietic cell lines results in a simultaneous resistance to Fas-mediated apoptosis may have clinical implications in the development of strategies for the treatment of resistant disease. Further analysis of the molecular mechanisms of Fas expression and function will facilitate the design of biological response modifying agents for the treatment of malignancy.
The reaction rate theory of radiation effects

In materials irradiated with energetic neutrons or charged particles, point defects, clusters, and extended-defect microstructures are produced. Because of the possibility of complete atom-by-atom rearrangement of the material under irradiation, significant changes may result in physical, mechanical, and electrical properties. The theoretical and computational approaches for describing these changes begin with the atomic displacement reactions and follow numerous reaction pathways to an evolved microstructure and the properties dictated by it. Rate theory based on defect reactions has been developed to understand these processes. It is the only approach that spans the large time, spatial, and energy ranges from defect production to changes in macroscopic properties. It has been most thoroughly applied to the phenomena of radiation-induced dimensional changes, particularly swelling and creep. This emphasis has derived both from the importance of these phenomena in technological applications and from their scientific challenge.
Investigating Instructional Pacing Supports for Teaching Students with Intellectual Disability

In this paper, we consider the use of technological instructional pacing supports to teach students with intellectual disability (ID). Based on a qualitative field study where 11 participants used our mobile-based educational platform, we found that although technology may help the instructor control the pace of the class, it also poses barriers to the development of students' autonomy and self-esteem. Our preliminary results also suggest that the balance between instructor-led and self-paced instruction based on technology is promising and would better fit both instructor's and students' needs. These findings provide insights into challenges and opportunities for the design of educational initiatives targeted at people with ID.
Design and Realization of the Hydrological Forecast System for Tangjiashan Barrier Lake

The Tangjiashan Barrier Lake is one of the most dangerous barrier lakes caused by the Wenchuan Earthquake.Accompanied by the continuous rise of water stage,it will seriously threaten the safety of more than 1 million people downstream the lake.In consideration of the complex situation of the Tangjiashan Barrier Lake,an automatic hydrologic emergency measurement system,which makes use of a data recorder with low power consumption to automatically monitor the water stage and transmit the data through the COMPASS satellite to the authority department,is built to support decision-making and disaster relief.In order to eliminate the disturbance caused by the rapidly moving floaters,an ultrasonic sounder and submersible pressure transducer are adopted to measure the water stage.The design and application of this system are introduced in detail and its function is proved.
Application of Delphi method to establish an evaluation system for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in school

Objective To construct an evaluation system for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in schools. Methods Both literature search and consultation with experts were used to evaluation the ability of the system to prevent and control the infectious diseases..Results The mean authoritative coefficient of 15 experts was 0.90,the mean of positive coefficient of two round investigations was 1..On the second consultation after modifying and merging the index system,the first-grade and the second-grade coordination coefficient were 0.723 and 0.729 respectively,and P =0.000. Delphi method was applied to screen the index system,which includes 9 first-grade indexes and 24 second-grade indexes..Conclusions Delphi method is an effective method to evaluate the ability of schools to prevent and control infectious diseases..It also provides a foundation for the establishment of quantitative evaluation model for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in school.
From soil to sea: the role of groundwater in coastal critical zone processes

Near coasts, surface water–groundwater interactions control many biogeochemical processes associated with the critical zone, which extends from shallow aquifer to vegetative canopy. For example, submarine groundwater discharge delivers a significant fraction of weathering products such as silica and calcium to the world's oceans. Owing to changing fertilizer and land use practices, submarine groundwater discharge is also responsible for high nitrogen loads that drive eutrophication in marine waters. Submarine groundwater discharge is generally unmonitored due to its heterogeneous and diffuse spatial patterns and complex temporal dynamics. Here, we review the physical processes that drive submarine groundwater discharge at various spatial and temporal scales and highlight examples of interdependent critical zone processes. Like the inland critical zone, the coastal critical zone is undergoing rapid change in the Anthropocene. Disturbances include warming air and sea temperatures, sea-level rise, increasing storm severity, increasing nutrient and contaminant inputs, and ocean acidification. In a changing world, it is more important than ever to understand complex feedbacks between dynamic surface water-groundwater interaction, rocks, and life through long-term monitoring efforts that extend beyond inland rivers to coastal groundwater. WIREs Water 2016, 3:706–726. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1157 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Herpes Simplex Virus Capsid-Organelle Association in the Absence of the Large Tegument Protein UL36p

UL36p (VP1/2) is the largest protein encoded by herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and resides in the innermost layer of the viral tegument, lying between the capsid and the envelope. UL36p performs multiple functions in the HSV life cycle, including an essential role in cytoplasmic envelopment. We earlier described the isolation of a virion-associated cytoplasmic membrane fraction from HSV-infected cells. Biochemical and ultrastructural analyses showed that the organelles in this buoyant fraction contain enveloped infectious HSV particles in their lumens and naked capsids docked to their cytoplasmic surfaces. These organelles can also recruit molecular motors and transport their cargo virions along microtubules in vitro. Here we examine the properties of these HSV-associated organelles in the absence of UL36p. We find that while capsid envelopment is clearly defective, a subpopulation of capsids nevertheless still associate with the cytoplasmic faces of these organelles. The existence of these capsid-membrane structures was confirmed by subcellular fractionation, immunocytochemistry, lipophilic dye fluorescence microscopy, thin-section electron microscopy, and correlative light and electron microscopy. We conclude that capsid-membrane binding can occur in the absence of UL36p and propose that this association may precede the events of UL36p-driven envelopment. IMPORTANCE Membrane association and envelopment of the HSV capsid are essential for the assembly of an infectious virion. Envelopment involves the complex interplay of a large number of viral and cellular proteins; however, the function of most of them is unknown. One example of this is the viral protein UL36p, which is clearly essential for envelopment but plays a poorly understood role. Here we demonstrate that organelles utilized for HSV capsid envelopment still accumulate surface-bound capsids in the absence of UL36p. We propose that UL36p-independent binding of capsids to organelles occurs prior to the function of UL36p in capsid envelopment.
cGMP prevents delayed relaxation at reoxygenation after brief hypoxia in isolated cardiac myocytes

Previous studies in isolated cardiac myocytes suggest that impaired relaxation during reoxygenation after brief hypoxia results from abnormal Ca(2+)-myofilament interaction. Recent studies indicate that guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP)-elevating interventions selectively enhance myocardial relaxation. We investigated the effect of 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-BrcGMP) on posthypoxic relaxation in single rat myocytes, with simultaneous measurement of contraction and intracellular Ca2+ (indo 1 fluorescence). In control myocytes (n = 11), reoxygenation after 10 min of hypoxia markedly prolonged time to peak shortening (+36.5 +/- 4.2%) and half-relaxation time (+75.7 +/- 11.3% cf. normoxic values; both P < 0.001) and reduced diastolic length but did not change cytosolic Ca2+. Under normoxic conditions, 50 microM 8-BrcGMP slightly reduced time to peak shortening and half-relaxation time and increased diastolic length but did not alter cytosolic Ca2+. In the presence of 8-BrcGMP, there was no posthypoxic delay in twitch relaxation nor was there a decrease in diastolic length (half-relaxation time -5.8 +/- 3.3% cf. normoxic values; P < 0.05 cf. control group; n = 11). Cytosolic Ca2+ remained unaltered. Thus, 8-BrcGMP fully prevents impaired posthypoxic relaxation in isolated cardiac myocytes, probably by altering Ca(2+)-myofilament interaction.
The story of ‘Oh’, Part 1: Indexing structure, animating transcript:

The expression ‘Oh’ in natural conversation is a signal topic in the development of the Epistemic Program (EP). This article attempts to bring into view a sense of place for this simple expression ...
A lack of evidence

Most scientists do not believe in God for two simple reasons: they see no evidence for him; and they find no need to include supernatural elements in the models they build to describe their observations. Still, they are largely content to assign religion and science to separate domains, which Stephen Jay Gould calls "non-overlapping magisteria". This allows non-believing scientists to dodge the topic of religion altogether, thus avoiding jeopardizing what is most precious to them – their funding. It also permits scientists who do believe in God to compartmentalize their thinking and never discuss science and religion in the same breath.
Individual Differences in Cognition: New Methods for Examining the Personality-Cognition Link

Understanding how all people are the same, some are the same, and yet none are the same is a fundamental challenge to personality and individual differences theorists in particular and psychologists in general (Kluckhohn & Murray, 1953; Revelle, 1995). Unfortunately, there is little work that actually addresses the challenge of Kluckhohn and Murray. As is true for the rest of psychology, there is a strong trend toward fragmentation of the field of individual differences. Particularly in the United States, there is a tendency in personality and individual differences toward the lack of integration of theories of (non-cognitive) personality dimensions with individual differences in cognition. The chapters of this book are partly meant to rectify this shortcoming. We will do our part by reviewing some of the prior research on the effects of non-cognitive variables upon cognition and then introduce a new procedure, “Synthetic Aperture Personality Assessment” (SAPA) as a tool for exploring cognitive and non-cognitive aspects of personality.
Jackie Reconsidered, again: Jacqueline Kennedy and 1960s-era American womanhood

Despite her well-documented fame, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy is largely absent from the historiography of modern American womanhood. When addressed, she is often regarded as a figure of style rathe...
Flower-Feeding by Two Species of Mydas Fly (Diptera: Mydidae) in Florida, with Notes on Tree-form Licania michauxii (Gopher Apple)

Abstract We present an account of flower-feeding by 2 species of mydas flies in Florida. We observed adults of Mydas clavatus and Mydas maculiventris feeding on flowers of both typical and unusually large (tree-form) Licania michauxii (Gopher Apple; Chrysobalanaceae). We also observed M. maculiventris feeding on flowers of Serenoa repens (Saw Palmetto; Arecaceae) in Florida scrub habitat. We discuss these observations following a brief review of feeding ecology in mydids, and include a checklist of the 12 known Florida mydids with a summary of our current knowledge of adult feeding in these species. We also provide additional sites of tree-form Gopher Apple in Martin County, FL, with a discussion of this unique form and the location of a new record-size specimen in Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
Clinical Applications of Quantitative 3-Dimensional MRI Analysis for Pediatric Embryonal Brain Tumors.

Purpose To investigate the prognostic utility of quantitative 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging radiomic analysis for primary pediatric embryonal brain tumors. Methods and Materials Thirty-four pediatric patients with embryonal brain tumor with concurrent preoperative T1-weighted postcontrast (T1PG) and T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance images were identified from an institutional database. The median follow-up period was 5.2 years. Radiomic features were extracted from axial T1PG and FLAIR contours using MATLAB, and 15 features were selected for analysis based on qualitative radiographic features with prognostic significance for pediatric embryonal brain tumors. Logistic regression, linear regression, receiver operating characteristic curves, the Harrell C index, and the Somer D index were used to test the relationships between radiomic features and demographic variables, as well as clinical outcomes. Results Pediatric embryonal brain tumors in older patients had an increased normalized mean tumor intensity ( P = .05, T1PG), decreased tumor volume ( P = .02, T1PG), and increased markers of heterogeneity ( P ≤ .01, T1PG and FLAIR) relative to those in younger patients. We identified 10 quantitative radiomic features that delineated medulloblastoma, pineoblastoma, and supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor, including size and heterogeneity ( P ≤ .05, T1PG and FLAIR). Decreased markers of tumor heterogeneity were predictive of neuraxis metastases and trended toward significance ( P = .1, FLAIR). Tumors with an increased size (area under the curve = 0.7, FLAIR) and decreased heterogeneity (area under the curve = 0.7, FLAIR) at diagnosis were more likely to recur. Conclusions Quantitative radiomic features are associated with pediatric embryonal brain tumor patient age, histology, neuraxis metastases, and recurrence. These data suggest that quantitative 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging radiomic analysis has the potential to identify radiomic risk features for pediatric patients with embryonal brain tumors.
Spike gene determinants of mouse hepatitis virus host range expansion.

increased attention in the wake of HIV, hantaviruses, avian influenza virus, and the SARS-CoV. We are using mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) as a model to explore potential mechanisms that mediate coronavirus cross-species transmission. These previously published models include a persistent infection system 2 and a mixed infection system. Both systems resulted in MHV variants with extended host range. Our current efforts involve characterizing the genetic determinants of the expanded host range phenotype and receptor usage of these variants as compared with the parental viruses.
Annealing Adaptive Search

While pure adaptive search and hesitant adaptive search use an underlying sampling distribution that is restricted to sampling from improving sets, annealing adaptive search (AAS) always samples from the original feasible region but modifies the sampling distribution so that the probability of sampling in the improving level set is high. The record values of AAS were called adaptive search and analyzed by Romeijn and Smith [139]; they were shown to stochastically dominate PAS. Hence the number of improving points of AAS inherits the linear complexity of PAS. The number of sample points (including non-improving points) of AAS can be analyzed using a relationship to HAS. The additional samples needed before achieving an improving point may be interpreted as hesitating, and the link to HAS provides a bound on the expected number of sample points of AAS to achieve a specified level of accuracy. The name annealing adaptive search (suggested in [180]) is used because the algorithm samples according to a Boltzmann distribution where the temperature parameter is updated at each improving point. The algorithm is theoretical in the sense that it assumes points have an exact Boltzmann distribution, but the purpose of the analysis is to gain understanding of simulated annealing and other stochastic algorithms.
A simple weighted displacement difference test to evaluate place based crime interventions

This work proposes a new statistic, the weighted displacement difference (WDD), as a simple test to evaluate crime reductions subsequent to place based interventions taking into account trends in comparison areas and potential spatial displacement or diffusion of benefits. The motivation is to have both a simple statistic that can give an estimate of the effectiveness of a crime reducing intervention, while also providing a measure of the standard error one would expect when examining crime counts simply by chance. The proposed statistic can be calculated in a spreadsheet with counts of crime before and after the intervention in both treated and displacement areas given matched control locations for each. Code to replicate the analysis as well as an Excel® spreadsheet to calculate the WDD and its standard error can be downloaded from https://www.dropbox.com/s/rg7x9bg1o3d8nsf/WDD_Analysis.zip?dl=0
Categorical Abstract Algebraic Logic: Pseudo-Referential Matrix System Semantics

This work adapts techniques and results first developed by Malinowski and by Marek in the context of referential semantics of sentential logics to the context of logics formalized as π-institutions. More precisely, the notion of a pseudoreferential matrix system is introduced and it is shown how this construct generalizes that of a referential matrix system. It is then shown that every π–institution has a pseudo-referential matrix system semantics. This contrasts with referential matrix system semantics which is only available for self-extensional π-institutions by a previous result of the author obtained as an extension of a classical result of Wojcicki. Finally, it is shown that it is possible to replace an arbitrary pseudoreferential matrix system semantics by a discrete pseudo-referential matrix system semantics.
Analysis of the Advantages of Nanostripe-Channel Geometries for Thin-Film Transistors

We analyze the operation of thin-film transistor (TFT) devices where the active semiconductor is patterned into nanostripes (NSs). It is shown that using relatively large separations between stripes can improve current drive capability by more than a factor of 13 for many of the important material families of disordered and solution-processable TFTs. When comparing NS TFTs to unpatterned TFTs under the same operating conditions, NS devices show enhancements in peak carrier density and conductivity along the edges of the stripe. In addition to increasing the drive current, these carrier density enhancements are large enough to potentially lower the contact resistance. Short-channel effects are also greatly reduced, allowing the possibility of scaling down channel lengths for improved operation at high frequencies. This architecture will work especially well for TFT materials in which the mobility increases with carrier density, a common feature in many organic, polymer, and amorphous metal oxide semiconductors. The results of our analysis on NS TFTs not only make TFTs considerably more attractive for existing optoelectronic applications but NS patterning may also provide TFTs an opportunity to expand into new higher frequency and higher performance applications.
Effect of fragmentation of cancer care on treatment use and survival in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Fragmented cancer care (FC), or care received from multiple institutions, increases systemic health care costs and potentiates cancer care disparities. There is a paucity of data on mechanisms contributing to FC and the resulting effect on patient outcomes. This study characterized patient- and hospital-level factors associated with FC, time to treatment (TTT), and overall survival (OS) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS Patients newly diagnosed with HCC from 2004 to 2015 and receiving treatment were identified in the Texas Cancer Registry. Patient- and hospital-level factors were compared across 2 cohorts: an FC treatment group and a nonfragmented cancer care (NFC) treatment group. Covariate-adjusted treatment use and OS were compared between the 2 treatment groups. RESULTS Among 4329 patients with HCC, 1185 (27.4%) received FC, and 3144 (72.6%) received NFC. Compared with NFC patients, FC patients had larger tumors (median size ≥4 cm, 52.6% vs 35.2%; P < .001), and a higher proportion had a regional/metastatic stage (35.9% vs 26.7%; P < .001). Among patients with localized disease, FC was associated with decreased odds of curative therapy (odds ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.7-0.9). FC was associated with worse OS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.14; 95% CI, 1.05-1.24) and increased TTT (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.7-0.8). In the subset of patients with localized-stage HCC who received curative therapy, FC was associated with worse OS (median survival, 67 vs 43 months; HR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.0-1.4) and increased TTT (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.7-0.8). CONCLUSIONS FC patients were less likely to undergo curative therapy when they were diagnosed at an early stage. After covariate adjustment, newly diagnosed patients with HCC receiving FC had worse OS and increased TTT.
Transformer winding hot spot temperature prediction based on ε -fuzzy tree

Transformer hot spot temperature is closely related to its operating life, which plays a key role in transformer thermal fault prevention and operational status monitoring. In order to effectively improve the prediction accuracy of the transformer winding hot spot temperature, a method based on e-fuzzy tree (e-FT) for predicting winding hot spot temperature is proposed. Taking the 220kV transformer of a substation as the research object, the input and output characteristic variables are extracted through the analysis of relevant mechanisms, which is applied to establish e-FT model of the transformer winding hot spot temperature, and the proposed method is compared with the other methods. Subsequently, the noise and outliers are added to the modeling data to verify the robustness of the proposed method. The results show that the method can accurately predict the hot spot temperature and resist the bad data in the modeled samples, which has strong generalization ability and robustness.
Meridianin D analogues possess antibiofilm activity against Mycobacterium smegmatis

The formation of bacterial biofilms significantly decreases the efficacy of antibiotic treatments. Herein, we've investigated the antibiofilm properties of the natural product meridianin D and a library of analogues against Mycobacterium smegmatis. As a result, we discovered several analogues that both inhibit and disperse M. smegmatis biofilms.
Growing-Season Synoptic and Phenological Controls on Heat Fluxes over Forest and Cropland Sites in the Midwest U.S. Corn Belt

AbstractSpatial variations in land use/land cover (LULC) in the Midwest U.S. Corn Belt—specifically, deciduous forest and croplands—have been suggested as influencing convective rainfall through me...
Detection of Subject Attention in an Active Environment Through Facial Expressions Using Deep Learning Techniques and Computer Vision

This research aims for investigation of workers in an industrial environment and can be used as an alternate for monitoring an attention of operator in real-time. Detection of attentiveness and non-attentiveness of people working in an industry could help to identify the weaknesses and strengths of any industrial organization. Human factor is the main and the most critical part of any industrial organization. As a special case, we have established how to detect student attention in the classroom using deep learning techniques along with computer vision. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) are used to extract the percentage of attentiveness and non-attentiveness of students based on the student emotions in the classroom. We used the FER-2013 data set for this paper. As per the study, human has finite number of emotions. So, it is easy if we include some emotions in an attentive (Happy, Anger, Surprised and Neutral) domain and some emotions in non-attentive (Sad, Fear and Disgust) domain. This will help the teacher in a way that he can easily evaluate his class attentiveness. On another side, it is also the evaluation of the teacher’s teaching methodology because if the students are engaged in his lecture it means his teaching methodology is good and if most of the students are not engaged then the teacher needs to revise his methodology of teaching in order to engage his class during the lecture.
Does Manganese Contribute to Methamphetamine-Induced Psychosis?

This review describes the increasing global problem of methamphetamine (MA) use and development of psychosis, the molecular and structural basis for this form of psychosis, and its treatment. The putative contribution of manganese (Mn), a common element found widely in nature and industry, to the development of MA-induced psychosis is discussed in relation to its shared toxicity with MA. Both MA and Mn cause damage to brain monoaminergic, glutaminergic, and GABAergic systems and to the blood brain barrier, leading to higher exposure to Mn. Iron (Fe) deficiency can also lead to Mn overexposure. Polymorphisms for genes encoding metabolic enzymes and transport proteins increase risk of toxicity and development of psychosis. Impaired hepatic Mn excretion from viral hepatitis also risks Mn toxicity. It is possible that potential synergistic and/or additive effects of Mn in concert with MA may worsen, prolong, or shorten onset of psychosis.
Truncated Predictor Feedback for Continuous-Time Linear Systems

A difficulty arises in the implementation of a predictor feedback law with the distributed delay term in it. To overcome this implementation difficulty, Lin and Fang (IEEE Trans. Autom. Control 52(6), 998–1013 (2007)) proposed to truncate the distributed delay term from the predictor feedback law, implementing only the remaining static state feedback term. This leads to a truncated predictor feedback (TPF) law, which can be readily implemented. In this chapter, we introduce the intuition, expression, and construction of the TPF law and its output feedback counterpart. In particular, the construction of the feedback gain matrix of the truncated predictor feedback law is first carried out by using an eigenstructure assignment based low gain feedback design technique. An alternative design is then presented by using the Lyapunov equation based low gain design technique. Stabilization of linear systems with input delay by the TPF is established under both the eigenstructure assignment based TPF and the Lyapunov equation based TPF.
Heterogeneities in administration methods among cannabis users by use purpose and state legalization status: findings from a nationally representative survey in the United States, 2020

Background and aims Different cannabis administration methods have differential impacts on health. This study aimed to describe administration methods among cannabis users in the United States categorized by (1) use purpose and (2) state legalization status. Design Cross-sectional, probability-based online survey in 2020. Setting All 50 states and Washington DC in the United States. Participants A total of 21 903 adults (18+) were recruited from a probability-based online panel to provide nationally representative estimates. Methods Eleven administration methods were grouped into combustion, vaporization, ingestion and topicals. Weighted prevalence was reported among (1) medical-only, recreational-only and dual-purpose users based on self-reported purposes and (2) users in states that legalized both recreational and medical cannabis (RCL states), legalized medical cannabis only and did not legalize cannabis. Findings Among past-year users, the proportions of medical-only, recreational-only and dual-purpose users were 25.55, 43.81 and 30.64%, respectively. The most common primary methods were combustion (42.08%) and topicals (28.65%) for medical purposes and combustion (72.07%) and ingestion (15.05%) for recreational purposes. Dual-purpose users were more likely to report combustion and vaporization but less likely to report ingestion and topicals as primary methods for medical use than medical-only users (P 0.05). Conclusion Cannabis users whose purposes are medical, recreational or both tend to differ in their selected administration methods.
Would you bring home ugly produce? Motivators and demotivators for ugly food consumption

Abstract It is important to reduce food waste by successfully promoting ugly food consumption. Thus, this study uses the food quality attribute model to investigate certain key factors - motivators and demotivators that can influence consumers’ attitudes toward and subsequent purchases of ugly produce. This study further examines differences in these key factors between ugly food buyers and non-buyers. The results indicate that price consciousness and environmental self-identity stimulate ugly food consumption, but physical appearance discourages its purchase. The influences of the motivators are more salient for buyers, while the influences of the demotivators are more salient for non-buyers.
Effects of Enzymatic Hydrolysis on the Functional Properties, Antioxidant Activity and Protein Structure of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Protein.

The effects of chemical protein extraction, and enzymatic hydrolysis with Alcalase, papain and pepsin, on the functional properties, antioxidant activity, amino acid composition and protein structure of black soldier fly (H. illucens) larval protein were examined. Alcalase hydrolysates had the highest degree of hydrolysis (p 0.05). The emulsifying stability and foam capacity were significantly lower in protein hydrolysates than protein concentrate (p < 0.05). The antioxidant activity of protein hydrolysates from protein concentrate and Alcalase was higher than that with papain and pepsin (p < 0.05), owing to the higher hydrophobic amino acid content. Raman spectroscopy indicated structural changes in protein α-helices and β-sheets after enzymatic hydrolysis.
Provable Rich Observation Reinforcement Learning with Combinatorial Latent States

We propose a novel setting for reinforcement learning that combines two common real-world difficulties: presence of observations (such as camera images) and factored states (such as location of objects). In our setting, the agent receives observations generated stochastically from a "latent" factored state. These observations are "rich enough" to enable decoding of the latent state and remove partial observability concerns. Since the latent state is combinatorial, the size of state space is exponential in the number of latent factors. We create a learning algorithm FactoRL (Fact-o-Rel) for this setting, which uses noise-contrastive learning to identify latent structures in emission processes and discover a factorized state space. We derive polynomial sample complexity guarantees for FactoRL which polynomially depend upon the number factors, and very weakly depend on the size of the observation space. We also provide a guarantee of polynomial time complexity when given access to an efficient planning algorithm.
Virtualizing Soil Science Field Trips

In response to the coronavirus pandemic in the fall of 2020, we created hybrid-virtual or fully virtual field trips to replace in-person field trips in two courses. For an introductory soil science course with 178 students enrolled, we used a narrative format supported by 360° ground-level and drone photos, newspaper articles, videos, websites, and landscape diagrams. After reading the narratives, the students took a quiz and then visited the sites (public parks near campus) on their own. For the advanced pedology course with seven students enrolled, a virtual trip replaced an all-day field trip that travels a 100-mile route from West Lafayette to Michigan City, IN. The virtual trip was created within the Soil Explorer platform and consists of >50 points of interest (POIs) overlayed on detailed soil maps. Each POI includes relevant information about the soils, agriculture, geology, geomorphology, or history at that point. At two POIs students examined four or five soils along two transects by filling in worksheets using the official series descriptions. Learning was facilitated by a study guide. Effectiveness was assessed by anonymous surveys. Students found the hybrid-virtual or fully virtual field trips informative, interesting, enjoyable, and appropriate given the pandemic. For the introductory class, 42% preferred a virtual field trip format, 39% preferred an in-person format, and 19% were neutral. In the advanced class there was with a clear preference for in-person field trips.