cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Macromineral nutrition by heat stress interactions in dairy cattle : review and original research

This paper examines whether or not responses of dairy cattle to various dietary macromineral elements differed in hot weather compared with thermoneutral conditions. The consequences of heat stress and the interrelationships of macromineral elements on feed intake, digestive function, use of dietary buffers, mineral element uptake from the portal-drained viscera, perturbation of acid-base physiology and related mineral element nutrition, effects of dietary macromineral element concentrations on lactational performance as affected by season, and influence of mineral elements in drinking water are reviewed, and new research results are presented. Dietary mineral buffers aided in alleviation of the decline in DMI and milk yield induced by heat stress. New research results showed that portal plasma flow declined with heat stress or by restriction of DMI in a thermoneutral environment and that uptake of P from the portal-drained viscera by lactating cows was reduced 50% by heat stress compared with that of cows with the same DMI in a thermoneutral environment. Accelerated respiration rate caused respiratory alkalosis and apparently compensated metabolic acidosis, changing the demand for Na and K during heat stress. There is need to characterize more accurately the nyctohemeral pattern of acid-base physiology in the heat-stressed lactating dairy cow and to relate it to macromineral element needs. A large data set (n = 1444 cow period means) was used to compare milk yield and DMI responses to varying dietary concentrations of P, Na, K, Cl, Ca, Mg, and cation-anion difference in summer compared with those in winter. Interactions of dietary concentrations of Cl, Ca, and Mg with season on DMI and K, Ca, and Mg with season on 4% FCM yield were detected. Interactions of Na by Cl, Na by P, and Cl by P with season on DMI and of Cl by P with season on 4% FCM yield were detected. High concentrations of sulfate and chloride in drinking water jeopardized productivity of cows during hot weather.
L-arginine as a therapeutic tool in kidney disease

Infusion of L-arginine in experimental animals increases renal plasma flow (RPF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). It is likely that a component of these hemodynamic changes are mediated by nitric oxide (NO) as suggested by studies with specific antagonists of L-arginine metabolism. L-arginine administration ameliorates the infiltration of the renal parenchyma by macrophages in rats with obstructive nephropathy or rats with puromycin-induced nephrotic syndrome. L-arginine administration also blunts the increase in interstitial volume, collagen IV, and alpha-smooth muscle actin. Rats with a remnant kidney given 1% L-arginine in the drinking water had a greater GFR and RPF. L-arginine administration also decreased proteinuria. Diabetic rats given L-arginine had significantly lower excretion of protein and cyclic guanosine monophosphate than diabetic rats not receiving L-arginine. Despite persistent hyperglycemia, the administration of L-arginine prevented the development of hyperfiltration and ameliorated proteinuria in diabetic rats. In the setting of ischemic acute renal failure, the administration of L-arginine had a beneficial effect on GFR and RPF, decreased O2- production, diminished up-regulation of soluble guanylate cyclase, and prevented up-regulation of inducible NO synthase (iNOS). The pharmacokinetics of L-arginine indicate that side effects are rare and mostly mild and dose dependent.
Maturational Changes in Anterior Cingulate and Frontoparietal Recruitment Support the Development of Error Processing and Inhibitory Control

Documenting the development of the functional anatomy underlying error processing is critically important for understanding age-related improvements in cognitive performance. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine time courses of brain activity in 77 individuals aged 8-27 years during correct and incorrect performance of an oculomotor task requiring inhibitory control. Canonical eye-movement regions showed increased activity for correct versus error trials but no differences between children, adolescents and young adults, suggesting that core task processes are in place early in development. Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was a central focus. In rostral ACC all age groups showed significant deactivation during correct but not error trials, consistent with the proposal that such deactivation reflects suspension of a "default mode" necessary for effective controlled performance. In contrast, dorsal ACC showed increased and extended modulation for error versus correct trials in adults, which, in children and adolescents, was significantly attenuated. Further, younger age groups showed reduced activity in posterior attentional regions, relying instead on increased recruitment of regions within prefrontal cortex. This work suggests that functional changes in dorsal ACC associated with error regulation and error-feedback utilization, coupled with changes in the recruitment of "long-range" attentional networks, underlie age-related improvements in performance.
Unsupervised Transcription of Historical Documents

We present a generative probabilistic model, inspired by historical printing processes, for transcribing images of documents from the printing press era. By jointly modeling the text of the document and the noisy (but regular) process of rendering glyphs, our unsupervised system is able to decipher font structure and more accurately transcribe images into text. Overall, our system substantially outperforms state-of-the-art solutions for this task, achieving a 31% relative reduction in word error rate over the leading commercial system for historical transcription, and a 47% relative reduction over Tesseract, Google’s open source OCR system.
Investigation in the laboratory of mucous trail detection in the terrestrial pulmonate snail Mesodon thyroidus (Say, 1817) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Polygyridae)*

Many gastropods, including limpets, periwinkles, and mud snails, detect and follow mucous trails. The stylommatophoran pulmonate snail Mesodon thyroidus follow conspecific trails in the field, potentially following in the direction they were laid, as has been demonstrated for other pulmonates. This study investigated whether individuals of M. thyroidus directionally follows conspecific trails, and whether substrate type or incline influences trail following. Trail following was quantified on plexiglas and glass surfaces at horizontal, vertical, and 45° inclines. On horizontal plexiglas surfaces, 36% of M. thyroidus followed a marker trail made by a conspecific (n = 11). On horizontal glass surfaces, 45% of the snails followed a marker trail (n = 20). On glass (all inclines combined) 75% of snails that followed a conspecific trail followed it in the same direction it was laid (n = 60). On plexiglas (all inclines combined) 86% of trail-following proceeded in the direction the trail was laid (n = 33). The di...
II—Gopal Sreenivasan: A Human Right to Health? Some Inconclusive Scepticism

This paper offers four arguments against a moral human right to health, two denying that the right exists and two denying that it would be very useful (even if it did exist). One of my sceptical arguments is familiar, while the other is not. The unfamiliar argument is an argument from the nature of health. Given a realistic view of health production, a dilemma arises for the human right to health. Either a state's moral duty to preserve the health of its citizens is not justifiably aligned in relation to the causes of health or it does not correlate with the human right to health. It follows that no one holds a justified moral human right to health against the state. Education and herd immunity against infectious disease both illustrate this dilemma. In the former case, the state's moral duty correlates with the human right to health only if it demands too much from a cause of health; and in the latter, only if it demands nothing from a cause of health (that is, too little).
Towards realistic planning of WDM transport network

The exponentially growing traffic demands in wide area networks (WANs) can be satisfied by exploiting the huge capacity available in fiber using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technique. Given the fact that WDM components are still expensive, it is important to concentrate on optimizing the cost of the WDM-segment to be added to the existing networks. In this paper, a novel algorithm is introduced to solve two problems simultaneously: routing and wavelength assignment (RWA), and network cost optimization. The integrated problem is solved for a given physical topology, traffic demands, restriction on path delay, restriction on the virtual link utilization, maximum number of wavelengths per fiber, and WDM components costs.
Effects of ventilated safety helmets in a hot environment

Forest workers are likely to remove head protection in hot and humid conditions because of thermal discomfort. However, a recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation revision requires all workers in logging operations to wear safety helmets, thus creating a compliance problem. To determine which factors contribute to forest workers’ thermal discomfort, this study evaluated subjects’ physiological and psychophysical responses during tasks approximating the workload of forest workers in a high-temperature environment similar to that found in the southeastern United States during the summer. Environmental conditions in the helmet dome space were also evaluated. Three helmets were used in this study: a standard helmet, a passively ventilated helmet, and an actively ventilated helmet. It was found that none of the tested helmets burdened the body significantly for the physiological variables that were examined. Evaluation of the dome space environmental conditions showed that both the dry-bulb temperature (DBT) and wet-bulb temperature (WBT) varied significantly among the helmets tested. Psychophysical results showed that ventilation contributes to greater helmet comfort, and that weight and fit are important factors in helmet design. Relevance to industry Protective helmets for use in hot and humid environments should be modified to make them more comfortable, encouraging forest workers to wear them and thus comply with OSHA regulations. # 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Spectrum: joint Bayesian inference of population structure and recombination events.

Motivation: While genetic properties such as linkage disequilibrium (LD) and population structure are closely related under a common inheritance process, the statistical methodologies developed so far mostly deal with LD analysis and structural inference separately, using specialized models that do not capture their statistical and genetic relationships. Also, most of these approaches ignore the inherent uncertainty in the genetic complexity of the data and rely on inflexible models built on a closed genetic space. These limitations may make it difficult to infer detailed and consistent structural information from rich genomic data such as populational single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) profiles. Results: We propose a new model-based approach to address these issues through joint inference of population structure and recombination events under a non-parametric Bayesian framework; we present Spectrum, an efficient implementation based on our new model. We validated Spectrum on simulated data and applied it to two real SNP datasets, including single-population Daly data and the four-population HapMap data. Our method performs well relative to LDhat 2.0 in estimating the recombination rates and hotspots on these datasets. More interestingly, it generates an ancestral spectrum for representing population structures which not only displays sub-structure based on population founders but also reveals details of the genetic diversity of each individual. It offers an alternative view of the population structures to that offered by Structure 2.1, which ignores chromosome-level mutation and recombination with respect to founders.
Johne's Disease and Milk: Do Consumers Need to Worry?

Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, an acid-fast bacillus that causes enteritis in ruminants, has been suggested as an etiological agent of Crohn's disease in humans. The mode of transmission is unclear; however, some evidence suggests that humans may become infected via contaminated milk. Currently, it is not known whether commercial pasteurization effectively kills M. paratuberculosis in contaminated raw milk. Using a laboratory-scale pasteurizer unit designed to simulate the high-temperature, short-time method (72 degrees C, 15 sec) currently used by commercial dairies, we previously demonstrated that treatment of raw milk inoculated with 10(4) to 10(6) cfu of M. paratuberculosis/ml reduced numbers to an undetectable level. However, M. paratuberculosis is an intracellular pathogen that resides within the macrophages of the host and evades destruction. We subsequently performed further experiments examining heat treatment of milk inoculated with mammary gland macrophages containing ingested M. paratuberculosis. Heat treatment of these samples under high-temperature, short-time conditions demonstrated that the macrophage does not protect the organism because we were unable to recover any viable M. paratuberculosis from the samples. Conversely, other researchers have demonstrated that a residual population of M. paratuberculosis may survive heat treatment of milk. In addition, a recent news report stated that viable M. paratuberculosis organisms have been cultured from retail-ready milk in Ireland. A summary of past and current studies concerning this issue along with a discussion of methodologies used to recover M. paratuberculosis from experimentally inoculated milk will be presented in this paper.
Non-micro-short RNAs: the new kids on the block

The advent of ultra–high-throughput sequencing has led to the discovery of a large group of small, noncoding RNAs that are not microRNAs. The functional relevance of microRNAs has been well established over the last decade. In this Perspective, we focus on the non-micro-short RNAs that comprise a variety of functional classes and range from 16–40 nucleotides in size. We will highlight how some of these non-micro-short RNAs were discovered, as well as their biogenesis, potential mechanisms of action, and role in diverse biological processes, development, and disease. Finally, we will describe what must be done to further our understanding of these enigmatic molecules.
Work in progress — A video game for teaching dynamics

The paper describes work in progress on an effort to create a video game called Spumone to help teach key concepts and problem-solving skills in Engineering Dynamics. In addition to being an educational tool, Spumone is being designed as a research tool that will allow one to investigate how different types of challenges within video games impact learning and student engagement. Some initial test data are presented that suggest that the game might be a suitable platform for education and research.
Does the Law of One Price Really Hold for Commodity Prices

In spite of the empirical failure of the "Law of One Price," it is usually assumed that commodity prices are perfectly arbitraged, at least in the long run. This paper argues that this assumption is counterfactual and that much of the empirical evidence provided to support it is flawed and affected by econometric shortcomings (spurious regressions, nonstationarity in the data, inappropriate use of first differences). An alternative methodology (co-integration), by which a long-run relationship between nonstationary series can be tested, is proposed. Tests of nonstationarity and co-integration for a group of commodities show quite uniformly that the "Law of One Price," as a long-run relationship, fails, and that deviations from the pattern are permanent.
An Esophagogastroduodenal Crohn's-Like Disease in a Long-Standing Pan-Ulcerative Colitis Patient.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises the principal subtypes Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), with a fraction remaining as IBD unclassified (IBDU). Given the complexity of IBD manifestations in a patient over time and our increasing understanding of IBD biology, a modification in subtype diagnosis can also occur. Herein is a case of a 27-year-old female with well-controlled and long-standing pan-UC, who developed Crohn’s-like esophagogastroduodenitis. The difficulty in classifying IBD into a single traditional subtype, and the debated presentation of a coexistent IBD will be discussed.
UV-Induced DNA to Protein Cross-Linking in Mammalian Cells

Evidence for the cross-linking of DNA to protein was discovered almost simultaneously in UV-irradiated microorganisms and mammalian cells (Smith, 1962; Alexander and Moroson, 1962). Subsequent experiments in which DNA to protein adducts were sought in mixtures of protein and DNA exposed to ultraviolet light clearly indicated that such a reaction is possible (Smith, 1962; 1964a, b; 1967; Sklobovskaya and Ryabchenko, 1970a, b). This report has two aims: first, to summarize the information indicating that DNA-protein cross-links are induced in mammalian cells by ultraviolet light, and second, to review experimental studies that attempt to correlate cross-link induction and biological damage. The demonstration of cross-linking has been done in two ways: (1) the detection of unextractable DNA in irradiated cells, and (2) the isolation and identification of specific photoproducts from irradiated cells. Correlations concerning the involvement of protein in UV-induced lethality have been made utilizing (1) action and absorption spectra, (2) the investigation of biological damage not attributable to pyrimidine dimers, (3) correlations of cross-link induction with biological effect under various experimental conditions, and (4) a search for repair processes associated with DNA-protein cross-linking.
Quark flavour mixing, scalar tadpole transitions and the Cabibbo angle

The origin of the Cabibbo angle is discussed in the context of semi-strong off-diagonal quark scalar tadpolesd andcu flavour transitions. Then rediagonalization of these quark flavours suggests a Cabibbo angle of θc∽13°.
REDUCING LABORATORY TESTING IN A TERTIARY MEDICAL CENTRE: A RESIDENT-LED MULTILEVEL QUALITY INTERVENTION

Background Hospital in-patient laboratory testing is steadily rising, contributing to increasing healthcare costs, errors, and unnecessary treatments. Strategies to reduce over-utilization of laboratory tests have been tried with mixed results. Objectives To reduce the volume of the most frequently ordered laboratory tests by 10% over 6 months. Methods The most commonly ordered tests in medical wards were determined and a survey was conducted among residents and faculty to determine the perceived causes of over-testing. A resident-led multilevel collaborative campaign was launched. This comprised of education sessions (intern and resident teaching), cost awareness information (mini cards, computer screensavers), publicity (reminders to on-call teams), regular audits and feedback. The focus was on changing test ordering behavior and culture. Monthly average test numbers were compared with those in the preceding year. Results The campaign was launched in 8 medical wards from the period of September 2014 to February 2015. The top 6 laboratory tests/panels (full blood count, renal panel, calcium panel, liver panel, C-reactive protein and acute coronary screen) were selected based on order-volume. There was a 9.4% reduction in tests ordered during the study period, resulting in costs savings estimated at $34,235 per month. Results were sustained over the 6-month study period. Reduced testing had no effect on in-hospital mortality (3.17% post-intervention vs. 3.02% pre-intervention, p=0.47). Conclusions The development of a multilevel collaborative initiative resulted in reduction in test-ordering and significant and sustained costs savings. Approaches targeting culture change may be a feasible method of maintaining a lean health care system.
Slave Trading in a Republic of Credit: Financial Architecture of the US Slave Market, 1815-1840

Credit facilitated the intra-US slave trade's growth between 1815 and the financial crisis of the late 1830s. Movement of money across geographic space was the enslavers’ chief challenge, and this article details the process of slaving firms’ building credit and remitting funds with which they constructed supply chains in bondspersons. Slave market development was dependent on US and North Atlantic financial integration and comprised three stages. These included use of the Second Bank of the USA, supplemented by domestic bills of exchange, and culminating in the use of southern state banks with northern correspondent ties, which the financial crisis severed.
Utilization of Oilseed Crops for On-farm Energy Security

There has been considerable interest focused on the investment for the production of oilseed crops for biodiesel. The advance research is needed to provide knowledge needed for the feasible way of adaptation of oilseed crops for biodiesel. Among the various oilseed crops produced, sunflower is a prominent summer crop that can be used to produce on-farm biodiesel for energy security. The objective of this paper is to estimate the overall economic benefits of biodiesel production from sunflower under small scale settings. The economic viability on production of biodiesel and its market opportunity to the farmers were investigated at its 3 different production stages namely; seed, oil and seed meal, and biodiesel production. The study was based on three different on-farm biodiesel extraction scenarios. For example, the seed press and biodiesel extractor can be operated at three different rates (low, medium and high). Feedstock production, capital investment for biodiesel units and operations costs were considered for the analysis. To calculate cost and revenue in annual equivalent terms, the present values of all costs and revenues over the useful life was transformed into an equivalent annuity. Analysis shows that biodiesel production from sunflower production could generate positive net returns under various scenarios. The analysis per volume basis showed that the production cost of biodiesel from sunflower oil to producer was between $2.00 to $3.21/gal when revenue from seed meal was accounted. The estimated break-even price of sunflower seed range from $0.18 to 0.26/kg depending upon sunflower yield. The findings of this research further improve the understanding of growing sunflower as an oilseed crops and on-farm processing of oil for local biodiesel production that could play vital role in improving farm income as well as sustainable and independent energy for small farmers.
Intelligent Computational Approaches to Signal Processing and Damage Detection

This chapter presents intelligent computational methodologies towards signal processing and damage detection of a structural system, considering uncertainties such as noise, incompleteness, and variability in sensed data and computational model. The proposed methodology is based on the adept integration of dynamic artificial neural network, wavelet signal analysis, and Bayesian probabilistic assessment. A dynamic fuzzy wavelet neural network model is employed to perform the multiple-input-multiple-output nonparametric system identification of the structure subjected to external excitation using incomplete sensor data under healthy condition. The trained model is used to predict dynamical responses of the structural system under unknown conditions. Both predicted and sensed time history data are decomposed into multiple time-frequency resolutions using a discrete wavelet packet transform method. The wavelet packet component energy is computed in terms of the decomposed coefficients and used as signal feature to detect damage in a structural system. The effectiveness of the selected features is assessed using both time and frequency domain metrics. The Bayesian probabilistic assessment method is developed to incorporate possible uncertainties in both multivariate sensor data and model prediction and provide a quantitative measure of confidence of a computational model or structural status. These methodologies are illustrated for application to an aerospace structure thermal protection system panel and a four-story benchmark building frame structure, representing two different disciplines.
Why a Studio without a Backlot Isn’t Like a Ten-story Building without an Elevator Land Planning in the Postfordist Film Industry

After the collapse of the studio system (1920 to 1950), the film industry underwent dramatic changes in both its business model and land use. In 1961, Twentieth Century Fox (Fox) sold more than 280 acres of studio land in West Los Angeles for the creation of a “city within a city” called Century City and leased back 75 acres for film production. This article examines Fox’s land planning after Century City, when executives planned to redevelop its studio land and move its production facilities elsewhere in Los Angeles, deeming the existing one ill-suited for a changed industry. The studio remains an active production facility today, disproving earlier assumptions that overestimated the property’s exchange value and underestimated its use value.
Cancer prevention: what the physician can do.

SUMMARY Our ability to improve the control of cancer today depends more on effective screening and prevention efforts by primary care physicians than on curative interventions at secondary and tertiary levels.
15N resonance assignments of oxidized and reduced Chromatium vinosum high-potential iron protein.

The15N resonances in reduced and oxidizedChromatium vinosum high-potential iron protein have been assigned by use of1H-1H COSY spectra and1H-15N HMQC, HMQC-COSY, and HMQC-NOESY spectra. Unambiguous assignment of 70 of 85 backbone15N resonances in the reduced protein and 62 of 85 resonances in the oxidized protein are made, as are 12 of 21 side-chain15N resonances.
Stability and quantization-error analysis of haptic rendering of virtual stiffness and damping

The stable, quantization-error noise-free, rendering of high-stiffness dynamics can be challenging using impedance-type haptic displays. In this paper we examine a canonical, one degree of freedom, haptic display rendering a virtual spring and damper, including the effects of the device and human dynamics, sampling, position quantization, time delay, and the low-pass filter operating on the device velocity estimate. We construct various stability and quantization-error regions as a function of the system parameters and show the necessary trade-offs that occur between them. Although we apply the quantization-error analysis to virtual spring and damper rendering, it applies to a general virtual environment. We present sufficiency for quantization-error passivity, necessity for no malicious-touch limit cycles, and necessity for no uncoupled-touch limit cycles. Using these results, aided by the presented supplementary code, we find control parameters to render the largest, renderable, virtual stiffness for a given haptic display. The analytical results are experimentally verified using a Phantom Premium 1.5 haptic device.
Stigma, conflict, and the approval of AIDS drugs.

A preliminary report questioning the efficacy of zidovudine (AZT) in the early treatment of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) implicitly questions the expedited process by which AZT was approved. While the public historically has influenced drug policy, recent changes were brought about by activists threatening civil insurrection to expand access to unapproved treatments. Turner's social conflict theory is used to explain the recent structural changes in the drug approval process in terms of the overt struggle for control over access to potentially life-saving drugs. This passion for change is shown to be a result of the stigma of the disease itself. Challenging the hegemony of the FDA was a mechanism by which activists coped with the imputed stigma of AIDS. While controversial, activism has increased access to new drugs and will have a far-reaching impact on how future drugs are approved.
Early Maternal Employment and Children's Academic and Behavioral Skills in Australia and the United Kingdom.

This study assessed the links between early maternal employment and children's later academic and behavioral skills in Australia and the United Kingdom. Using representative samples of children born in each country from 2000 to 2004 (Australia N = 5,093, U.K. N = 18,497), OLS regression models weighted with propensity scores assessed links between maternal employment in the 2 years after childbearing and children's skills in first grade. There were neutral associations between maternal employment and children's first-grade skills in both countries. However, there was a slight indication that more time away from parenting was negatively linked to children's behavioral functioning in Australia and employment begun between 9 and 24 months was positively linked to cognitive skills for U.K. children of low-wage mothers.
The Cross ran with claret for the general benefit

In England, wine became a highly politicized commodity as a result of the tumultuous events of the mid-seventeenth century; however, there is no evidence that the regicide, the British Civil Wars, or Cromwellian rule, had a similar effect in Scotland. Nevertheless, by the time of the Treaty of Union in 1707, which united Scotland and England into the Kingdom of Great Britain, wine in Scotland, claret specifically, was a politically charged commodity. The politicization of claret in Scotland occurred in the late 1690s and early 1700s as a result of the tensions between the Scottish and English Parliaments, and ultimately, the Treaty of Union between the two. In this environment, savvy, if not also unscrupulous Scottish politicians and merchants recognized that importing French wine was a way to assert Scottish parliamentary independence and make money at the expense of the English, since much of the wine would be re-exported south of the border. Thus, like the thistle that allegedly thwarted Norwegian invaders of Scotland in the Middle Ages by making them howl in pain and thereby awaken the sleeping clansmen, importing claret into Scotland at the turn of the eighteenth century was something that benefitted the Scots in large measure because it made the English squeal.1
Architecting Multimodal Spaces for Hard Talk in a Graduate Course on Adolescent Literacy Education

ABSTRACTThis inquiry into a course on adolescent literacy education uses a case-study and descriptive review analysis to understand how multimodal spaces engage preservice and in-service teachers’ sense making around concepts of race, language, and culture. Drawing on critical feminist and practitioner inquiry frameworks, this article presents what a teaching team learned when designing, enacting, and reflecting on efforts to engage students in hard talk. Three ideas surfaced from the events that occurred before, during, and after a class that occurred in the middle of the course. This study has implications for educators committed to critical pedagogies, multicultural education, and teacher education.
Machines and Elephants Never Forget

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the evolution of more innate man-and-machine interaction in future. The machine word is a collection of information recorded as a series of positives and negatives. Usually, the manner of moving from word to word is predetermined by set rules that the programmer has established. When machines with memories comparable to those of humans are available, it might make sense not to program them in a totally logical fashion but to try to employ the various combinations in which associations can be exploited. A rather rudimentary program might be entered which allows the machine to select and distribute its own activities. The possibility that machines might be used to imitate biological thinking and thereby increase understanding of human thought does not mean that this process will ever be complete. It may be that every recognized problem connected with the human thought process can be successfully solved.
Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence in a Patient with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: A Case Report

Superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) is a bony defect in the middle cranial fossa floor that results in an abnormal connection between the inner ear and cranial vault. Although the etiology of SSCD remains unclear, an inappropriately thin or fragile temporal bone likely predisposes an individual towards developing SSCD. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) constitutes a group of genetic connective tissue disorders caused by a defect in the production, processing, or structure of collagen, or its associated proteins. The possible association between SSCD and EDS has not been previously described in the literature. We herein report a case of a 50-year-old female with EDS-hypermobility type who presented with a 15-year history of migraines, vertigo, and tinnitus. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with bilateral SSCD and underwent a right middle fossa (pre-auricular infratemporal) craniotomy for SSCD repair. She reported significant improvement in her auditory and vestibular symptoms, with the exception of continued mild dizziness and disequilibrium at the 3-month follow-up. Due to the rare reports of auditory symptoms in EDS, this case study highlights the importance of considering an otological consultation for auditory manifestations in a patient with EDS and illustrates a potential association between EDS and SSCD.
Protein transport inhibitors downregulate the expression of LAG-3 on regulatory T cells

Modern immunologic studies demand increasing complexity because of a need to improve our understanding of the relationship between a cell's phenotype and its function. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been defined by a narrow set of phenotypic markers, however their actual functional capacity has not been determined at the single-cell level. Although the lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3; CD223) is a key marker for the identification of exhausted T cells, it may be useful also in resolving Treg subpopulations by indicating distinct functional breadths. Here we define the experimental conditions necessary for the optimal detection by flow cytometry of LAG-3 expression on activated Tregs. We stimulated human PBMCs with either PMA/ionomycin or Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB) and analyzed CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Tregs for LAG-3 expression in concert with other Treg phenotypic markers. We prescribe a 24-hour stimulation period for the optimal detection of LAG-3 on Tregs. Furthermore, we determine LAG-3 protein expression on Tregs is compromised when the cells are treated with brefeldin A (BFA) and monensin. Therefore, the simultaneous assessment of Treg phenotype and function is complicated by the use of protein transport inhibitors.
Critical Behavior and Macroscopic Phase Diagram of the Monoaxial Chiral Helimagnet Cr 1/3 NbS 2 .

Cr1/3NbS2 is a unique example of a hexagonal chiral helimagnet with high crystalline anisotropy, and has generated growing interest for a possible magnetic field control of the incommensurate spin spiral. Here, we construct a comprehensive phase diagram based on detailed magnetization measurements of a high quality single crystal of Cr1/3NbS2 over three magnetic field regions. An analysis of the critical properties in the forced ferromagnetic region yields 3D Heisenberg exponents β = 0.3460 ± 0.040, γ = 1.344 ± 0.002, and T C = 130.78 K ± 0.044, which are consistent with the localized nature the of Cr3+ moments and suggest short-range ferromagnetic interactions. We exploit the temperature and magnetic field dependence of magnetic entropy change (ΔS M) to accurately map the nonlinear crossover to the chiral soliton lattice regime from the chiral helimagnetic phase. Our observations in the low field region are consistent with the existence of chiral ordering in a temperature range above the Curie temperature, T C < T < T*, where a first-order transition has been previously predicted. An analysis of the universal behavior of ΔS M(T,H) experimentally demonstrates for the first time the first-order nature of the onset of chiral ordering.
Renewable energy supported microgrid in rural electrification of Sub-Saharan Africa

Access to energy is one of the primary cause contributing to the disparity between developed and developing nations. Nearly 600 million people in Africa lack access to electricity which majority of them residing in the sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Electricity consumption in SSA countries excluding South Africa is 153kwh/year. The current installed capacity is at 147 GW which is equivalent to China's install capacity for one or two years. The road to electrification in SSA countries is either through grid extension, high penetration of off-grid technologies such as standalone systems and microgrids. Given the abundant natural and vast geographical advantage, the potential for renewable energy sources is vast in SSA countries. This paper aims to present detailed review on the ongoing renewable energy supported technology for rural electrification of sub-Saharan Africa region. It will discuss issue of energy poverty and why that is directly related to the lagging economy of these countries. It will detail some of the off-grid and microgrid developments. Challenges facing this development will be discussed. Finally, it will conclude by reflecting on the impact of the future off-grid renewable technologies, the status and challenges of rural electrification.
Chemical intercalation of heavy metal, semimetal, and semiconductor atoms into 2D layered chalcogenides

A major outstanding challenge in the field of intercalation chemistry has been the insertion of heavy metals into a 2D layered material. Heavy metal intercalation is a promising route towards access of chemically tailored materials or enhancement of novel physics. We present a new series of wet chemical strategies to intercalate atomic heavy metal and semimetal species (Bi, Cr, Ge, Mn, Mo, Ni, Os, Pb, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, Sb, and W) into layered chalcogenides. Bismuth selenide, Bi2Se3, and niobium diselenide, NbSe2, are used to demonstrate this chemistry. Atomic intercalation is performed in solution using decomposition of zero-valent coordination compounds at low temperatures (~50 °C–170 °C) or reduction with tin chloride. This host of chemical routes is non-destructive, general for chalcogens, and can be used to intercalate some lighter elements as well. These intercalation reactions more than double the current number of atomic intercalants and give access to unique physical properties including heterostructures, charge density waves, and polytypic superlattice structures.
Bauwägen im ländlichen Raum

Vorbemerkung: Das Problem lasst sich grundsatzlich nicht in den Griff bekommen, es sei denn durch eine konsequente Beseitigung (thematisch einschlagige Entscheidungs-Vorlage der Verwaltung an einen Landrat).
Conventional Treatment of Amyloidosis

All patients with proven light chain amyloidosis deserve a trial of therapy. Although high dose therapy has been shown to be highly effective, only a quarter of patients are actually eligible for this technique. Lower intensity treatments are required for the majority of patients. We review the history of treatment of amyloidosis beginning with the use of conventional alkylating agent chemotherapy, the role of the novel agents bortezomib, lenalidomide, and thalidomide in the treatment of amyloidosis. A suggested treatment algorithm is given to help guide decisions regarding therapy.
Optimizing an engine network that allows dynamic masking.

We present a method to compile and fully determinize & minimize speech recognition networks where any relevant sub-network can be switched on/off efficiently at runtime. We show how the general algorithm for determinizing general weighted transducers can be applied for this task. 1
Quality and Business Performance: An Empirical Study of First-Tier Automotive Suppliers

A study of first-tier suppliers to the Big 3 North American automobile manufacturers (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) examines the relationships between competitive dimensions of quality (for example, design quality and conformance quality) and over..
Coat protein transgenic papaya: "acquired" immunity for controlling papaya ringspot virus.

Pathogen-derived resistance (PDR) (Sanford and Johnston 1985) is an example of “acquired” immunity in plants in the sense that transgenic plants which express a viral gene are often resistant to that particular virus. This brief review examines the practical application of PDR to control papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) in Hawaii, arguably the most important disease of papaya worldwide (Gonsalves 1998; Gonsalves et al. 1998).
Establishing maximum medical improvement following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty for rotator cuff deficiency.

Background Since US Food and Drug Administration approval of the reverse prosthesis in 2003, the incidence of shoulder arthroplasty in the United States has risen dramatically. With increasing demand, efforts have shifted from traditional volume-based health care models to more patient-centered care. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to establish the time point of maximum medical improvement (MMI) following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA). Materials and Methods We conducted a systematic review of studies reporting validated patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) across multiple postoperative time points following rTSA. Established minimal clinically important difference values for PROMs specific to shoulder arthroplasty were used to determine significant clinical improvement. The time point beyond which significant improvement did not occur was established as MMI. Results MMI occurred at 1 postoperative year following rTSA. When preoperative measures were compared with 1-year postoperative outcomes, all but 1 PROM demonstrated significant clinical improvement (P .050). Range of motion significantly improved between preoperative and 1-year levels (P .999). Conclusions Patients achieved MMI at 1 postoperative year following rTSA. Patients showed rapid improvements in subjective symptoms within the first 3 months and continued to gradually improve until 1 year. Surgeons should counsel patients with these evidence-based expectations for clinical recovery, particularly the time frame of expected improvements in pain, function, and range of motion, as well as risks of and plans of action for postoperative complications.
Direct approach to compute Jacobians for diffuse optical tomography using perturbation Monte Carlo-based photon "replay".

Perturbation Monte Carlo (pMC) has been previously proposed to rapidly recompute optical measurements when small perturbations of optical properties are considered, but it was largely restricted to changes associated with prior tissue segments or regions-of-interest. In this work, we expand pMC to compute spatially and temporally resolved sensitivity profiles, i.e. the Jacobians, for diffuse optical tomography (DOT) applications. By recording the pseudo random number generator (PRNG) seeds of each detected photon, we are able to “replay” all detected photons to directly create the 3D sensitivity profiles for both absorption and scattering coefficients. We validate the replay-based Jacobians against the traditional adjoint Monte Carlo (aMC) method, and demonstrate the feasibility of using this approach for efficient 3D image reconstructions using in vitro hyperspectral wide-field DOT measurements. The strengths and limitations of the replay approach regarding its computational efficiency and accuracy are discussed, in comparison with aMC, for point-detector systems as well as wide-field pattern-based and hyperspectral imaging systems. The replay approach has been implemented in both of our open-source MC simulators - MCX and MMC (http://mcx.space)
Temporal characteristics and forecasting of PM2.5 concentration based on historical data in Houston, USA

Abstract Urban PM2.5 has been recognized as a critical type of air pollutions that could damage the human respiratory system. Numerous studies have aimed to perform spatiotemporal assessment on diverse urban areas and proposed various PM2.5 forecasting models. Geographical variations and the inadequacy of hourly PM2.5 concentration forecasting are the main limitations of previous researches. The objectives of this paper are to elaborate the temporal characteristics of PM2.5 concentration of each geographic region in Houston, Texas, USA, from inland rural to coastal areas, and to build a forecasting model that could perform daily and hourly PM2.5 predictions. This research analyzed historical PM2.5 concentration data from 2008 to 2017 collected from five regions in Houston by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Temporal characteristics calculation equations were provided. Analysis results revealed several important temporal characteristics of PM2.5 concentrations in Houston. The annual average daily PM2.5 concentration showed decreasing trends from 2008 to 2017. Higher PM2.5 concentration levels were observed in summer months than winter months. In downtown area the PM2.5 concentration levels were higher on weekdays than weekends. In rural, suburban, residential, and coastal areas the PM2.5 concentration levels were lower on weekdays than weekends. Moreover, PM2.5 concentration levels were significantly higher during traffic rush hours than other time intervals. The accuracy and precision of forecasting have been improved based on a combination of factors compared to the forecasting based solely on day-of-week factors (DWF), hourly concentration factors (HCF), and monthly concentration factors (MCF). Advantages of such combined forecasting include lowering calculation complexity and providing hourly concentration forecasting. Look-up tables for each temporal characteristic factor were provided that could be easily applied for further forecasting.
Politics, Power, & Playboy

The 1960s was a time of reform and revolution in America, brought on by individuals willing to challenge political, social, and cultural norms. Politics, Power, & Playboy explores the American mindset during this turbulent and transformative time in American history. Each chapter examines instances of Americans confronting power, whether it be public support for President John F. Kennedy, antiwar protests at Virginia universities, the sexual revolution, or the Black Power and Black is Beautiful movements. Altogether, these chapters will help readers appreciate the crucial events and movements of a decade that would deeply shape the course of American history. This is a volume in the Virginia Tech Student Publications series. Books in this series are authored and edited by Virginia Tech undergraduate or graduate students and published in collaboration with Virginia Tech Publishing. Politics, Power, & Playboy grew out of the Spring 2019 undergraduate capstone history research seminar, “America in the 1960s,” at Virginia Tech.