cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maladaptation and the paradox of robustness in evolution.

BackgroundOrganisms use a variety of mechanisms to protect themselves against perturbations. For example, repair mechanisms fix damage, feedback loops keep homeostatic systems at their setpoints, and biochemical filters distinguish signal from noise. Such buffering mechanisms are often discussed in terms of robustness, which may be measured by reduced sensitivity of performance to perturbations.Methodology/Principal FindingsI use a mathematical model to analyze the evolutionary dynamics of robustness in order to understand aspects of organismal design by natural selection. I focus on two characters: one character performs an adaptive task; the other character buffers the performance of the first character against perturbations. Increased perturbations favor enhanced buffering and robustness, which in turn decreases sensitivity and reduces the intensity of natural selection on the adaptive character. Reduced selective pressure on the adaptive character often leads to a less costly, lower performance trait.Conclusions/SignificanceThe paradox of robustness arises from evolutionary dynamics: enhanced robustness causes an evolutionary reduction in the adaptive performance of the target character, leading to a degree of maladaptation compared to what could be achieved by natural selection in the absence of robustness mechanisms. Over evolutionary time, buffering traits may become layered on top of each other, while the underlying adaptive traits become replaced by cheaper, lower performance components. The paradox of robustness has widespread implications for understanding organismal design.
Defoliation affects rhizosphere respiration and rhizosphere priming effect on decomposition of soil organic matter under a sunflower species: Helianthus annuus

In the present study, ‘natural 13 C tracer method’ was used to partition the belowground respiration into rhizosphere respiration and soil microbial respiration to test the hypothesis that defoliation affects rhizosphere respiration and rhizosphere priming effect on decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM). A C3 plant species, Helianthus annuus (sunflower), was grown in ‘C4’ soil in microcosms so that the CO2 evolved from plant-soil system can be partitioned. Four levels of defoliation intensities were established by manual clipping. CO2 evolved from plant-soil system was trapped during 0–4 h after defoliation (HAD), 5–22 HAD and 23–46 HAD using a closed circulating system, respectively. We found that both rhizosphere respiration and soil microbial respiration of the clipped plants were either unchanged or significantly enhanced compared to unclipped plants at 45% defoliation level during all sampling intervals. Soil microbial respiration increased significantly at all defoliation levels during 0–4 HAD, however, both rhizosphere respiration and soil microbial respiration decreased significantly during 5–22 HAD or 23–46 HAD when 20% or 74 clearly demonstrated that the defoliation treatments modified the rhizosphere priming effect on SOM decomposition. The total cumulative rhizosphere priming effects on SOM decomposition during 0–46 HAD were 146%, 241%, 204% and 205% when 0%, 20%, 45% and <74%.
SPECTRUM OF PATIENTS WITH EMG FEATURES OF POLYRADICULOPATHY WITHOUT NEUROPATHY

We reviewed the medical records of 233 patients having electrodiagnostic evidence of polyradiculopathy. Patients with polyneuropathy or incomplete diagnostic evaluation were excluded. A clinical diagnosis was secured in 92 of the 118 remaining patients. Patients were separated into three groups based upon the anatomic location of root involvement: extradural (55), intradural-extraaxial (23), and intraaxial (14). Collectively, patients with intradural-extraaxial disorders had earlier disease onset, shorter symptom duration, and a higher disability score compared with the intraaxial or extradural groups. Pain was an initial complaint in 50 of 55 patients with extradural lesions, 20 of 23 with intradural-extraaxial disease, but only in 4 of 14 with intraaxial involvement. CSF abnormalities and reduced compound muscle action potential amplitudes were more common in the intradural-extraaxial group. We conclude that the anatomic localization of root involvement in patients with polyradiculopathy can be suggested by a combination of clinical, laboratory, and electrodiagnostic features.
A note on distribution‐free tolerance limits

Abstract : Solutions based on a normal approximation to the incomplete beta function are obtained for one of the parameters in terms of the others in order to set up distribution-free tolerance limits. Numerical examples indicate that the approximations are very reasonable. These considerations are extended to the 'generalized' tolerance limits which are analogous to fixed-width confidence intervals with specified confidence coefficient. Also considered are tolerance limits with a specified precision.
A preliminary study of learnable evolution methodology implemented with C4.5

The learnable evolution model (LEM) introduces a machine learning-based birth operator into an evolutionary computing algorithm. New individuals are generated from hypotheses learned by the operator from the most-fit and least-fit parent sub-populations. The LEM allows for arbitrary machine learning mechanisms, though, so far, only an AQ (Algorithm Quasi-optimal) based machine learner has been used in LEM implementations. This paper describes preliminary results using a different machine learner in a LEM implementation - C4.5.
OPTIMIZATION OF HABITAT PLACEMENT: A CASE STUDY OF THE NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL IN THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA

The purpose of this paper is to develop an optimization procedure that can be used with simulation methods to capture the strengths of both in analyzing habitat layouts. We present a static optimization model for spatially locating habitat, using the Northern Spotted Owl in the Olympic Peninsula, Washington State (USA) as a case study. Optimization model parameters, including adult survival, fecundity, and occupancy of sites, are generated with an extant simulation model, and both models are used together to evaluate an alternative plan for the recovery of this high-visibility species. This plan is generally supported by the analysis, but some gains are indicated to be possible from trading off some federally managed habitat for nonfederal habitat (though such a trade-off may not be realistically practical).
The Need for Health Promotion for Adults Who Are Visually Impaired

Health promotion interventions for adults who are visually impaired have received little attention. This article reports what is currently known about the health, overweight and obesity, and levels of physical activity reported by these adults. Conclusions about the need for health promotion activities based on this information are provided, and suggestions for implementing these activities or interventions are offered. Adults who are visually impaired (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) are substantially more likely to report poor, fair, or worsening health than are adults who are sighted (Capella-McDonnall, 2005; Tielsch, Sommer, Katz, Quigley, & Ezrine, 1991; Wang, Mitchell, & Smith, 2000). Two conditions that may contrib- ute to this reported inferior health are being overweight or obese and not being physically active. In this article, I first present a literature review on the prob- lems of overweight and obesity and the lack of physical activity in the general population and what is known in these areas that specifically addressed persons with disabilities, including persons who are visually impaired. I then report on past interventions and the new focus on health promotion for persons with disabil- ities. Finally, I discuss ways in which health promotion activities or interven- tions can be implemented with adults who are blind or have low vision. In this arti- cle, I use the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF; World Health Organization, WHO, 2001) as a conceptual framework to help explain the need for health promotion ac- tivities with adults who are visually im- paired and present the potential outcomes of such activities. The problems
Female Infanticide, European Diseases and Population Levels among the Mackenzie Dene

Selective female infanticide by the Dene hunting tribes of Subarctic Canada is noted in the historical and ethnographic record. Unusually extensive and complete census data on two generations of Mackenzie Dene in the infanticide era manifest male-skewed sex ratios that suggest that the number of females in those generations was reduced through infanticide by 20 percent or more. These and later census data falsify the assumption of depopulation of the Mackenzie Dene by exogenous diseases in the historic era, rendering invalid the depopulation theory on which arguments for the “loss” of putative aboriginal unilocal-unilineal organization have been based. Diagrammatic population models are employed to explore the capacity of the population to sustain mortality from introduced diseases when counterbalanced by the elimination of selective female infanticide as a mortality factor. [infanticide, population, hunter-gatherers, subarctic Indians, Northern Athapaskans]
Regulatory Innovation in Microfinance: The MACS Act in Andhra Pradesh

This paper is about an institutional innovation in microfinance. The innovation is a law regulating cooperatives under which savings and credit cooperatives providing microfinance services can operate—the Mutually Aided Cooperatives Societies Act (MACS Act). The law was enacted in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India in 1995, and has since been replicated, with adaptations, in eight other Indian states. The focus of this paper will be on the Act in Andhra Pradesh, and its implementation there. This innovation is different from many others that one sees in microfinance because it is not directly concerned with innovations in techniques for delivering microfinance services, but rather with providing an innovative enabling environGuy Stuart
Prevalence of post-thrombotic syndrome after cardiac catheterization.

BACKGROUND: As the survival of children with cardiac disease increases, chronic complications of deep venous thrombosis from cardiac catheterization, particularly post-thrombotic syndrome, may be important to monitor for and treat, if needed. We aimed to determine the prevalence of this syndrome in children who underwent cardiac catheterization.PROCEDURE: We conducted a cross-sectional study of children <18 years old at least 1 year from first catheterization through the femoral vein. We used the Manco-Johnson instrument, the only tool validated in children, to diagnose post-thrombotic syndrome. We defined the syndrome as a score ≥ 1. It was considered physically and functionally significant if the score was ≥ 1 in both physical and functional domains of the instrument. We also conducted ultrasonography to assess for thrombosis and valvular insufficiency.RESULTS: We enrolled 62 children with a median age of 4 months during catheterization and a median of 5.4 years since catheterization. A total of 40 children had post-thrombotic syndrome (prevalence: 64.5%; 95% confidence interval: 51.3-76.3%), the majority of which were mild. Presence of cyanotic congenital heart disease, total number of catheterizations, use of antithrombotic agents at any time after the first catheterization, age at first catheterization, or time since first catheterization was not associated with the syndrome. A total of seven children (prevalence: 11.3%; 95% confidence interval: 3.2-19.4%) had physically and functionally significant syndrome. None of the children had abnormalities on ultrasonography at the time of enrollment.CONCLUSIONS: Post-thrombotic syndrome is a common complication after cardiac catheterization. Manifestations are usually mild and unlikely to require treatment. (Less)
Behavior in a Spatially Explicit Groundwater Resource: Evidence from the Lab

This research uses laboratory experiments to examine how hydrogeologic properties of groundwater models influence decision making. The results reveal that pumping rates are highest when the underlying model is such that the future costs of groundwater use are broadcast evenly to all users, as a majority of participants behave myopically. There is less myopic behavior when the groundwater dynamics are governed by spatially explicit models, where the private cost of groundwater use is high relative to external costs. These results suggest that models used to simulate common‐pool resource dynamics play an important role in determining both economic predictions and behavioral outcomes.
Genetic and Sensory Basis of Sexual Selection in Drosophila

Years of research on mating behavior have revealed that matings rarely occur at random between individuals in the same population. Why are some individuals more successful than others when competing for mates? What factors account for the particular combinations of types we observe in mating pairs? Current evolutionary theory explains mating patterns on the basis of maximization of fitness on the part of each sex and most species that have been investigated provide at least indirect support for this hypothesis. With Drosophila, it is possible to design controlled experiments that can answer directly questions about the relationship between mating behavior and fitness, and discover those factors that produce the nonrandom associations we observe.
Emotional Contagion: Evidence that emotional contagion exists

Introduction In chapter 1, we proposed the following: Proposition 3. Given Propositions 1 and 2, people tend to “catch” others' emotions, moment to moment . Researchers from a variety of disciplines have provided evidence in support of this contention. Animal research Ethologists believe that the imitation of emotional expression constitutes a phylogenetically ancient and basic form of intraspecies communication. Such contagion appears in many vertebrate species (Brothers, 1989). In the 1950s, a great deal of research documented that animals do seem to catch others' emotions. Robert Miller and his Pittsburgh colleagues (Miller, Banks, & Ogawa 1963; Miller, Murphy, & Mirsky, 1959; Mirsky, Miller, & Murphy, 1958) found that monkeys can, through their faces and postures, transmit their fears. The faces, voices, and postures of frightened monkeys serve as warnings; they signal potential trouble. Monkeys catch the fear of others and thus are primed to make appropriate instrumental avoidance responses. Some scientists (Miller et al., 1963) tested these hypotheses by means of a cooperative conditioning paradigm. In such a paradigm, one monkey is shown the CS; a second monkey possesses the power to make an appropriate avoidance response. The question is, “Can the monkeys learn to communicate?” In this cooperative conditioning experiment, each time rhesus monkeys spotted the illuminated face of the target monkey on a television monitor, it was their task quickly to press a lever to avoid electric shock. Sometimes monkeys were shown a calm CS face, sometimes a frightened or pained face.
Stakeholders' Recommendations to Improve Patient-centered “LGBTQ” Primary Care in Rural and Multicultural Practices

Purpose: Individuals among gender/sexual minorities share experiences of stigma and discrimination, yet have distinctive health care needs influenced by ethnic/racial minority and rural realities. Methods: We collected qualitative data from lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) and queer persons across the largely rural, multicultural state of New Mexico, particularly those from understudied ethnic groups, regarding factors facilitating or impeding patient-centered primary care. The themes identified formed the basis for a statewide summit on LGBT health care guidelines and strategies for decreasing treatment gaps. Results: Three to 15 individuals, ages 18 to 75 years, volunteered for 1 of 4 town hall dialogues (n = 32), and 175 people took part in the summit. Participants acknowledged health care gaps pertinent to LGBT youth, elders, American Indians, and Latinos/Latinas, expressing specific concern for rural residents. Conclusions: This preliminary research emphasizes the need to improve primary care practices that treat rural and ethnic-minority LGBT people and offers patient-driven recommendations to enhance care delivery while clinic-level transformations are implemented.
Expectation Maximization Method to Identify an Electrically Stimulated Musculoskeletal Model

A system identification algorithm for a musculoskeletal system using an approximate expectation maximization (E-M) is presented. Effective control design for neuroprosthesis applications necessitates a well defined muscle model. A dynamic model of the lower leg with a fixed ankle is considered. The unknown parameters of the model are estimated using an approximate E-M algorithm based on knee angle measurements collected from an able-bodied subject during stimulated knee extension. The parameters estimated from the data are compared to reference values obtained by conducting experiments that separate the parameters in the dynamics from one another. The presented results demonstrate the capability of the proposed algorithm to identify the parameters of the dynamic model from knee angle measurements.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Brazilian Chytrids. X. New Species with Sunken Opercula

Three new chytrids, Karlingia granulata, K. hyalina, and K. spinosa, were isolated from soil samples collected in the Amazon Valley in Brazil and grown on various substrata which contain cellulose....
Google Glass-based Rapid Analysis of Immuno-chromatographic Diagnostic Tests

For rapid, real-time disease diagnostics, we demonstrate the ability of the Google Glass to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis of lateral-flow immuno-chromatographic diagnostic tests.
The Role of Character Strengths and Family Importance on Mexican American College Students’ Life Satisfaction

We examined how character strengths and family importance influenced Mexican American college students’ life satisfaction. Using multiple regression analysis, findings indicated that optimism, grit, and gratitude were significant predictors of life satisfaction. We provide a discussion regarding the importance of these findings as well as recommendations for future research.
Relative Titers of Antibodies to Individual Polypeptide Antigens of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 in Human Sera

Human immune sera were analyzed by an immunoblot procedure in order to identify which polypeptides of herpes simplex virus type 1 were recognized and to determine the relative concentrations of antibodies to individual viral antigens. The strongest reactivity in all immune sera examined was directed against the three major herpes simplex virus-specific glycoprotein antigens (gAB, gC, and gD) and a series of uncharacterized low-molecular-weight polypeptides. Titers of antibody to the gC and gD antigens varied among individuals and were often considerably lower than titers of antibody to the gAB antigen. Immune sera also recognized a number of nonglycosylated polypeptides, both structural and nonstructural. No consistent differences were noted between the recognition of particular viral polypeptides by sera from individuals with frequent, recurrent labial lesions and that by sera from individuals with infrequent, recurrent lesions. However, the ratio between the titer of antibody to the gAB antigen and that to the gC antigen did appear to be somewhat lower in sera from persons with a high recurrence rate.
Questioning as utopian practice in Edward (Kamau) Brathwaite’s Rights of Passage

This essay examines the ways in which Edward (Kamau) Brathwaite’s first volume engages critique and questioning as an exemplification of a utopian impulse that results in an emergent critical consc...
Electromechanical Conversion of Low-Temperature Waste Heat Via Helical Shape Memory Alloy Actuators

An energy harvesting prototype (EHP) was designed to convert low-temperature heat loss from fluid into electricity. The method for energy conversion uses two antagonistically connected shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators to rotate a shaft that is connected to a generator. Heat transfer equations for concentric annular flow are modeled. The relationship between SMA temperature and shaft angular rotation is derived from a semiempirical SMA stress–temperature model and Ozdemir's SMA stress–strain equations. The simulated generator shaft rotation and generator voltage are in close agreement with the corresponding experimental results. Additional experiments were conducted to compare the ability of spring and linear SMA wires to convert low-temperature heat lost from water into electricity. The linear SMA generated a peak 0.3 V, whereas the spring-shaped SMA generated a peak of nearly 5 V. On average, 7.4 mJ of energy per 2.5 s cycle was stored in a 6-F capacitor attached to the generator output. It is concluded that the EHP has a strong potential to recuperate low-temperature wasted heat.
Crystalline 3-phosphoglycerate kinase from skeletal muscle

1. A procedure for preparing crystalline 3-phosphoglycerate kinase from rabbit or pig skeletal muscle is presented. 2. The preparation phosphorylates up to 975μmoles of 3-phosphoglycerate/min./mg. at 30° and is not contaminated with myokinase. 3. The enzyme has an estimated molecular weight of 36500±1000, and contains three residues each of tyrosine and tryptophan. 4. The preparation is suitable for use in the enzymic procedures for determining ATP, phosphocreatine and 3-phosphoglycerate.
Fetal death in a population of black women.

To describe the clinical causes of fetal death in black women, we performed a record review of the primary causes of fetal deaths (n = 315, > or = 500 g or > or = 24 weeks' gestation) occurring over an 11-year period in a population of 26,852 black women who delivered at the Chicago Lying-in Hospital, University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago, IL. The over-all fetal death rate (FDR) per 1,000 total births was 11.7, consistent with U.S. vital statistics data for blacks. The FDR per 10,000 births attributed to hypertension was nine times greater in our population than in a historical comparison population of Canadian white women: 19.5 (95% CI = 13.7, 25.4) versus 2.2 (P < .0001), respectively, although the prevalence of hypertension was only 1.2 times greater in the population of black women. Furthermore, hypertension in pregnancy accounted for 15% of the excess fetal mortality in our population of urban black women as compared to the population of Canadian white women. Health care providers should be aware of the risk of fetal death in hypertensive, innercity, U.S. black women.
Geographic access to interventional cardiology services in one rural state.

Abstract Objectives Explore (1) the characteristics of the Maine population with delayed geographic access to interventional cardiology (IC) services and (2) the effect of delayed geographic IC access on coronary mortality. Background Acute coronary syndrome (ACS), ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI), and non-ST segment elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) are highly prevalent. Coronary mortality is minimized when victims have prompt IC access. Methods The study design was (1) an exploration of census data to investigate disparities in geographic IC access and (2) a secondary analysis of administrative claims data to investigate coronary mortality relative to delayed geographic IC access. Results Delayed access was associated in the Maine population with rural residence, advanced age, high school education, and lack of health insurance. Delayed access was associated with increased unadjusted coronary mortality, but not age-adjusted coronary mortality. Conclusion Delayed geographic IC access was associated with disparity but not with increased age-adjusted coronary mortality.
Ecology, Fitness, Evolution: New Perspectives on Categorization.

Categorization’s great debate has weighed single-system exemplar theory against the possibility of alternative processing systems. We take an evolutionary and fitness perspective toward this debate to illuminate it in a new way. There are continuities in category processes—extending across millions of years in vertebrate evolution—that have profound theoretical implications. Thus, animals are crucial behavioral ambassadors to this area. They reveal the roots of human categorization, the basic assumptions of vertebrates entering category tasks, and the surprising weakness of exemplar memory as a category-learning strategy. These results have joined neuroscience results to prompt important changes in categorization theory. Categorization’s great debate is ending. Broad-based converging evidence now makes it clear that the unitary exemplar view is insufficient. Categorization is served by multiple systems of process and representation.
Using Chemical-Induced Gene Expression in Cultured Human Cells to Predict Chemical Toxicity.

Chemical toxicity is conventionally evaluated in animal models. However, animal models are resource intensive; moreover, they face ethical and scientific challenges because the outcomes obtained by animal testing may not correlate with human responses. To develop an alternative method for assessing chemical toxicity, we investigated the feasibility of using chemical-induced genome-wide expression changes in cultured human cells to predict the potential of a chemical to cause specific organ injuries in humans. We first created signatures of chemical-induced gene expression in a vertebral-cancer of the prostate cell line for ∼15,000 chemicals tested in the US National Institutes of Health Library of Integrated Network-Based Cellular Signatures program. We then used the signatures to create naive Bayesian prediction models for chemical-induced human liver cholestasis, interstitial nephritis, and long QT syndrome. Detailed cross-validation analyses indicated that the models were robust with respect to false ...
Cost-Effectiveness of Counseling and Testing to Prevent Sexual Transmission of HIV in the United States

In this paper we review the cost-effectiveness of HIV counseling and testing in various settings and populations in preventing the sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus, and we discuss how multiple and changing goals have influenced economic evaluations of these programs. The literature indicates that these interventions are generally cost-effective if targeted to groups of infected or high-risk individuals, although there is continuing debate over the efficacy of HIV counseling and testing in changing sexual behavior. For these reasons, HIV counseling and testing programs should be part of an overall prevention strategy which also includes more intensive sexual risk-reduction interventions such as individual, small-group, and community-level approaches.
Abstract P3-07-01: Selinexor, a selective inhibitor of nuclear export, demonstrates efficacy in preclinical models of triple negative breast cancer

Background: Approximately 15% of all breast cancers are categorized as triple negative (TNBC) for which the only chemotherapy is known to be effective, yet often fails to achieve remission. Nuclear exporter XPO1 (Exportin1 or CRM1) is a promising target for cancer therapy that mediates the transport of multiple tumor suppressors and cell cycle regulators that have been known to be relevant predictors in the mechanism and severity of TNBC. Given the pressing need for novel therapies for this disease, we sought to determine the antitumor effects of selinexor, a novel inhibitor of nuclear export, on triple negative breast cancers in vitro and in vivo as well as to address its mechanism of action. Methods: 26 breast cancer cell lines of different breast cancer subtypes were treated with selinexor in vitro. Using cell proliferation assays the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated using isobologram curves after 3 days of treatment; sensitivity was defined as IC50 Results: Selinexor demonstrated growth inhibition in all fourteen TNBC cell lines tested; TNBC cell lines were more sensitive to selinexor (median IC50 44nM, range 11 - 550nM), compared to ER+ cells lines (median IC50 of 13000 nM, range of 40nM - > 1000 nM; P=0.017). Treatment with selinexor decreased expression levels of XPO1, as well as survivin and XIAP, and induced apoptosis. In multiple TNBC cell lines selinexor was synergistic with paclitaxel, carboplatin, eribulin and doxorubicin in vitro (median combination index 0.6, range 0.5-0.8). Selinexor as a single agent reduced tumor growth in vivo in 4 of 5 different TNBC PDX models with a median tumor growth inhibition ratio score (T/C) of 48% (range 34-59%) and demonstrated greater antitumor efficacy in combination with paclitaxel or eribulin with an average T/C score of 27% and 12% respectively. Conclusions: Selinexor is a promising therapeutic agent for triple negative breast cancer and it has potential as a combination agent with standard chemotherapy. Citation Format: Paez Arango N, Evans KW, Zhao M, Yuca E, Scott SM, Janku F, Ueno NT, Tripathy D, Kim C, Naing A, Funda M-B. Selinexor, a selective inhibitor of nuclear export, demonstrates efficacy in preclinical models of triple negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-07-01.
Toward an Updated Typology of US Farmer Cooperatives: Survey Evidence of Recent Hybrid Ownership Restructuring

Primary survey data on 371 US farmer cooperatives is used to study the diffusion of traditional and novel ownership structures. We conclude the existing typology of claim right configurations is an imperfect representation of the current population of US farmer cooperatives, which is interpreted as strong evidence of much ownership structure adaptation in the last decade. Using 12 ownership structure characteristics, an updated typology is proposed with classic structure variations in which equity redeemability is allowed, as well as new hybrid discoveries which combine different characteristics. Introduced are the classical investor cooperative, a structure common to small local multipurpose cooperatives; the proportional trader cooperative, which is adopted by several large dairy and supply cooperatives; and the proportional investor cooperative. The multiple pairwise comparison method is used to reveal significant differences in the competitive scope, the organizational size and type, as well as the capital structure of classic and hybrid ownership structures. Future research is recommended to further investigate claim right characteristics to inform complementarity between ownership and investment, which is necessary to ensure the long-term economic viability of each farmer cooperative.
Creation from the perspective of contemporary philosophy

Our study of the doctrine of creation as it arises out of the textual sources of Judaism is now complete. We began by explicating the doctrine in the single most important text of contemporary Jewish philosophy to deal with creation – Rosenzweig's Star of Redemption . Next we discussed whether or not this view could be called Jewish. The answer was a demonstration that Rosenzweig's concept is coherent with the general discussion of this concept in the relevant classical rabbinic texts – viz., the works of medieval Jewish philosophy and the rabbinic philosophical commentaries on the first chapter of Genesis. Here, rather than presenting a summary of all of the literature that (because of its general character) would lose the richness of the details of each individual religious philosopher and theologian, we chose specific texts upon which to focus as representative of the best of Jewish thought in each period of Jewish intellectual history. This approach led us to examine the creation concepts of Ibn Daud, Gersonides, Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Nachmanides and Sforno. Our conclusion was that Rosenzweig's concept of creation is in fact coherent with the major writings of these central rabbinic voices. Furthermore, their accounts enabled us to spell out in richer detail what Rosenzweig's own words tell us about creation. This study exhibited the dependence of the Jewish concept on the application of a philosophic-scientific schema to render intelligible the words of the Hebrew scriptures, and we discovered that the primary text that traditional Judaism used for this purpose was Plato's Timaeus . That discovery led us to examine how good a fit the cosmology and cosmogony of Timaeus was for reading the narrative of Genesis.
The Faerie Queene, the Gif and the Rhetorical Stuplime

This chapter examines the queer conformity of Edmund Spenser’s knight of love, Sir Scudamore, alongside the similarly queer conformity of the GIF. Short for Graphics Interchange Format, GIFs are essentially compressed image files, often used to punctuate communications on message boards and other social media platforms. This chapter suggests that the visual and poetic structures of the GIF and the Spenserian epic are similar in that both exhibit lack of forward momentum as a path to other, less predictable narratives. Scudamore’s story of “long toil” is the most GIF-like of all the cantos in The Faerie Queene. Like a GIF, it is a story set up to go nowhere. What is surprising, unsettling and at once oddly gratifying, is learning that nowhere is a place we might go.
Image registration and change detection for artifact detection in remote sensing imagery

Image registration is used by the remote sensing community to align images for the purposes of examining changes in a scene. The application in this paper involves finding anomalies associated with human activity for the purpose of detecting underground nuclear explosions. This paper presents a non-rigid image registration algorithm that can be easily implemented using publicly available tools such as python, numpy, scipy, openCV and SIFT. SIFT is used to find feature correspondences between images. An approach based on Mahalanobis distance is used find a subset of robust correspondences. Comparisons are made to the RANSAC algorithm. The imagery was collected by DigitalGlobe’s Worldview-II satellite. One image pair is orthorectified. A second image pair is only geo-registered. Both image pairs were collected over mountainous desert regions, the second image pair has much rougher terrain and presents a challenging situation. The non-rigid property of the image registration algorithm allows for robust registration in mountainous terrain under different viewing geometries. Image differencing of the PAN-chromatic band is used to find changes, some of which are shown in detail for both sets of images. Overall registration improvement is quantified by using the standard deviation of the difference image. The non-rigid warping map was also applied to the multispectral bands of the DigitalGlobe data. This dataset made use of a multivariate change detection algorithm that incorporates the spectral properties of each pixel.
Developing A Scale for Measuring Perfection Quotient (PQ) to Predict Readiness to Health Behavior Change

The concept of perfection quotient (PQ) that imbibes the basics of intelligence quotient (IQ), emotional quotient (EQ), X quotient (XQ) and spiritual dimension has been proposed to measure readiness for individual-level health behavior change. PQ can be defined as a sum total of combined cognitive capacity, balanced emotions, desirable personality traits, and spiritual awareness to meet the best possible success of life goals. The present article reifies this concept into a practical scale that includes the concept of IQ implicitly by developing the scale at less than seventh-grade level. It explicitly operationalizes the concept of EQ through three constructs namely self-awareness, mood management, and self-motivation into a health emotional quotient (HEQ). It also operationalizes the concept of health X quotient (HXQ) through the constructs of cautiousness, independence, and competition with self. Finally, it operationalizes the concept of health spiritual quotient (HSQ) through the constructs of self-love and love for others around oneself. The summation of HEQ, HXQ, and HSQ yields the PQ score which can range from 0-100 units. It is proposed that score of 0-25 units indicates needing improvement low perfection score; a score of 26-50 units indicates needing improvement small perfection score; a score of 51-75 units indicates moderate perfection score that can be better; a score of 76-100 units indicates high perfection score on the continuum and high readiness for health behavior change. The scale can be freely used by health behavior researchers while providing due credit.
Chinese Lian Huan Hua and Literacy: Popular Culture Meets Youth Literature

This chapter traces the trajectory of lian huan hua—a Chinese term referring to visual reading materials that include illustrated story books and comic literature—and discusses the relationship between this publication format and literacy in twentieth-century China. Heavily illustrated and cheaply available, lian huan hua enjoyed a wide cross-age readership in a country characterized by a low literacy rate and a low purchasing power. The format held huge appeal for young readers, even though the majority of the titles were intended for a general audience as opposed to youth in particular. The content, style, readership, and perceived functions of lian huan hua shifted as China underwent drastic political, social, and cultural changes. Being continually left out of formal teaching practices but remaining a significant part of children’s and young adults’ leisure reading, the format begs for research into its value and use in literacy education and learning.
Properties of sustained-release single-dose formulations for vulvovaginal candidiasis

Vaginally applied imidazoles are the first-line treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). The need to develop a less messy and more patient acceptable treatment regimen led to the development of a treatment schedule from the original 3 weeks to 7 days and, then, to 3 days. Finally, it was attempted to design a single-dose treatment regimen. Currently in the US, three single-dose vaginal preparations are available: 2% butoconazole sustained release (SR) [100mg butoconazole; Gynazole-1®], 6.5% tioconazole (300mg tioconazole; Vagistat-1®), and 2% miconazole vaginal ovule (Monistat1®, combination pack providing an ovule of 1200mg of miconazole and 2% monistat cream for external use). Clotrimazole 500mg single-dose vaginal tablet was used earlier and has been withdrawn from the market. In clinical studies, treatment success is measured by the regression of signs and symptoms of VVC (clinical cure) and by the negative mycological cultures (microbiological cure). 2% butoconazole SR has been formulated in an emulsion that adheres to wet surfaces of vaginal mucosa infected with Candida albicans. After the single dose, butoconazole is gradually released from the emulsion in a sustained release fashion for 3–6 days and acts on the fungus. The results of treatment with 2% butoconazole SR were equivalent to a 7-day schedule with 2% miconazole. Adverse effects have been infrequent and usually mild. 2% butoconazole in the SR bioadhesive formulation is drug-sparing compared with treatment regimens providing a total of 300–700mg of imidazoles in 3–7 days. The second single-dose preparation, 6.5% tioconazole, for VVC provides tioconazole 300mg in a vaginal ointment. This compound has been compared with 2% miconazole in a separate and independent set of clinical trials; 2% miconazole was superior to 6.5% tioconazole in the microbiological cure rates at the first follow-up examination. The success of a single-dose antifungal treatment also depends upon the vehicle used to deliver the active drug to the target tissue. In case of 2% butoconazole SR the vehicle is formulated as a hydrophilic emulsion that adheres to the surface of the moist vaginal mucosa for 3–6 days. Representative of the orally active preparations is a single dose of fluconazole 150mg. The efficacy results of oral fluconazole are similar to the 7-day vaginal antifungal preparations; however, there is the possibility of the development of resistance and systemic adverse effects affecting the liver and kidneys. The sustained-release technology used for single dose of 2% butoconazole is an innovative approach to vaginal drug delivery.
Reimplantation After Lead Removal.

The number of implanted cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) has increased significantly in the last 30 years, which has led to an upsurge in CIED complications, such as infection and lead malfunction requiring CIED extraction. The decision-making process of CIED reimplantation requires meticulous planning that includes careful consideration of several aspects: the reason for extraction, the indication for CIED reimplantation, patients' wishes, timing of reimplantation, the need for a bridging device, and the type and location of device to be reimplanted. In this article, the authors review this decision-making process and the necessary steps to achieve optimal patient outcomes.
Analysis of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, organophosphate esters, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in silicone wristbands used as personal passive samplers.

Abstract For the first time, we present an analytical method to simultaneously extract, fractionate, and quantify four groups of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in silicone wristbands, including 35 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 10 novel flame retardants (NFRs), 19 organophosphate esters (OPEs), and 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Wristbands were extracted using ultrasonication, and cleaned and fractionated on two multi-layer columns: one consisting of neutral alumina, neutral silica and Florisil, and the other consisting of neutral alumina, neutral silica, and acidic silica. Method accuracy and precision were validated using spiked wristband samples (n = 8) and procedural blanks (n = 7). Average matrix spike percent recoveries for all target analytes were within 57–107% with relative standard errors
OCEANOGRAPHIC TOPICS | Water Types and Water Masses

Historically, water masses were defined in terms of their temperature–salinity (TS), oxygen, and nutrient properties. The TS characteristic diagram became one of the primary methods of specifying water masses in terms of their TS extremes or singular TS values. Globally, TS curves are found to vary greatly closer to the surface. In the deep ocean, the global water mass distribution is related to the ‘global conveyor belt’ that circulates throughout the world ocean.
Religious and spiritual struggles, religiousness, and alcohol problems among undergraduates

Theoretically, religion/spirituality may protect against alcohol problems or facilitate recovery. However, challenges can arise in religious/spiritual life that may contribute to or complic...
G562(P) My shoes are too small for me to fit in

Peripheral or generalized edema is a rare complication of insulin therapy, which mostly occurs after the initiation of intensive insulin therapy in patients with newly diagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes. With current trends toward intensive insulin therapy, clinicians should be aware of the existence of the insulin edema syndrome, and its occurrence should be documented and differentiated from other causes of edema. I hereby report an interesting case of a 15 year old Singaporean Malay boy who has had a recent diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and is on subcutaneous insulin, who now presents with a new onset of bilateral lower limb pitting edema one week after initiation of insulin therapy. He was admitted to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, where extensive investigations done ruled out any renal, cardiac, liver pathologies or protein losing enteropathies. The final impression was that of insulin related edema. He was conservatively managed and was discharged after a two-day stay in hospital. A week later, he was reviewed clinically and the edema had subsided totally. He remains compliant to his insulin therapy and is still on routine follow up with the endocrinologists in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore. The purpose of highlighting this case is to create awareness on the topic of insulin edema to the general paediatricians.
Evaluation of a Disaggregated Rack System

NexTCA is an industrial-strength disaggregated rack system that is designed to provide a flexible computing infrastructure for heterogeneous workloads with wildly different resource demands. The key innovation in NexTCA is a PCI Express (PCIe) network that connects a rack of servers in such a way that the DRAMs, network interface cards (NIC), and SAS or NVMe solid state disks (SSD) associated with one server are directly accessible to other servers in the same rack. Leveraging this novel flexibility, NexTCA organizes the DRAMs, NICs and SSDs anywhere in a NexTCA rack into a global DRAM, NIC and SSD pool, respectively, and dynamically allocates hardware resources to individual servers that may or may not host the allocated resources. That is, NexTCA enables the notion of software-defined server, where the set of hardware resources bound to a server is configurable via software at run time, rather than fixed at manufacturing time. In addition, NexTCA uses the same PCIe network to support high-performance intra-rack inter-server communications. This paper starts with a brief description of the hardware architecture and systems software stack of NexTCA, and proceeds with a detailed evaluation of the first NexTCA prototype, which is jointly developed by ADLINK Technology and Industrial Technology Research Institute.
Optical Coherence Tomography for Imaging Dental Caries

Optical Coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive technique that can be used to measure reflectivity within dental hard tissues. Due to the strong reflection at the tooth surfaces, the contrast between sound and demineralized tissues can be enhanced by use of polarization. Polarized sensitive OCT (PS-OCT) can monitor demineralization and remineralization. Clinical studies have indicated that OCT was able to demonstrated penetration into DEJ more reliably that radiographs in questionable occlusal caries. In root caries, the system was able to discriminate sound dentin from demineralized dentin, assess cementum thickness and determine lesion severity by using shrinkage of dentin as a surrogate for demineralization. The system has also proven beneficial for assessment of caries underneath restorations and sealants.
Complementary Fluorescence Emission and Second Harmonic Spectra Improve Bilayer Characterization

Complementary investigation of Laurdan fluorescence emission and second harmonic (SH) spectra in nonpolar, protic and aprotic polar solvents and phospholipid bilayers was carried out. SH of spectra computed using methods familiar in electro spin resonance spectroscopy yielded better resolution. Spectra were fit to log-normal distributions. SH spectra showed presence of two emissions in protic polar and nonpolar solvents and in both bilayer gel and liquid phases and a single line in aprotic polar solvents. Each of the half maximal positions of each line in both homogenous solvents and bilayers, expresses similar linearity with peak position. This shared feature suggests planar and nonplanar Laurdan conformation respectively in the longer (red) and shorter (blue) wavelength emitting states. The weaker 432 nm blue line, not detected before in the gel phase, is distinguishable in the SH. Temperature trajectories of areas and peak positions of the individual lines bring new insight into the nature of lipid packing and evolution of domains, indicating inhomogeneous lipid packing even in the gel phase. The blue line identifies as emission from Laurdan in tighter packed regions and the dominant 445–448 nm red line in the gel phase shifting to 484 nm in the liquid phase as emission from Laurdan-water coupled states that are in varying stages of relaxation according to temperature and phase. Unexpected increase in the area of the blue line with temperature through the gel-liquid transition is consistent with coexisting low and high curvature domains and Laurdan’s preference for less polar low curvature domains.