cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Signal denoising using principal curves: Application to timewarping

One of the most important problems with current time warping algorithms in the literature is sensitivity to noise. To improve the noise robustness of the current algorithms, we propose a denoising step based on the likelihood maximization of the pairwise signals. This approach is independent of the selection of the particular time warping algorithm, and can be coupled with any algorithm in the literature. Improvement in noise robustness not only brings increased robustness to current time warping applications, but also may trigger new application areas where the signals that need to be compared are buried in noise.
Radiobiological Experiments with Heavy Ions at the Bevatron

Penetration of heavy charged particles can be characterized by three basic physical facts: 1) almost no scattering; 2) abrupt increase of linear energy deposition (LET) close to the point where the particles stop; and 3) exact range-energy relationship. These facts constitute the basis of very favorable depth-dose characteristics for heavy ions to be used in radiotherapy. Availability of accelerated high LET heavy ions in the Laboratory, though a recent development, has already provided us with much useful information in physics, chemistry, and radiobiology. Fast heavy ions could previously be studied only in outer space where they form important components of primary cosmic rays. Heavy ions in the Laboratory became available as early as 1957 at the Berkeley HILAC, but at very low energies. In August, 1971, two accelerators, the Princeton Synchrotron1 and the Berkeley Bevatron produced penetrating deflected beams of nitrogen nuclei. Since that time, carbon, oxygen and neon, as well as a few oxygen particles at Princeton, have been accelerated. Stopping-power curves as a function of range for various ions in water, as calculated theoretically, are shown in Figure 1. Various ion energies in units of Mev/nucleon are designated on each curve. The uniformly shaded area represents the stopping-power and associated ions accelerated at the HILAC and cyclotron. The BEVALAC (a compound accelerator formed from the HILAC and Bevatron) adds a new dimension, and initially it will be able to accelerate i ons wi th atomi c no. up to that of iron (Z = 26) to considerable energies.
Widely tunable RF transceiver front end for software-defined radio

In this paper, we present the design, implementation, and evaluation of a custom-built wideband RF front-end for enabling dynamic spectrum access communications in software-defined radio platforms. The frontend is designed for wireless operation within the 50 MHz – 2.5 GHz frequency range, and is entirely software-controlled by the platform. Evaluation of the proposed design was conducted using the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) software defined radio platform and controlled via GNU Radio software. A prototype of the design was successfully demonstrated over a wide range of frequencies. Finally, several remaining design challenges are identified that would further enhance transmission performance.
Racial discrimination and racial identity attitudes in relation to self-rated health and physical pain and impairment among two-spirit American Indians/Alaska Natives.

Objectives. We examined associations between racial discrimination and actualization, defined as the degree of positive integration between self-identity and racial group identity, and self-rated health and physical pain and impairment.Methods. We used logistic regressions to analyze data from 447 gay, lesbian, bisexual, and other sexual-minority American Indians/Alaska Natives.Results. Greater self-reported discrimination was associated with higher odds of physical pain and impairment (odds ratio [OR] = 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.13, 1.78); high levels of actualization were associated with lower odds of physical pain and impairment (OR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.35, 0.99) and self-rated fair or poor health (OR = 0.54; 95% CI = 0.32, 0.90). Actualization also moderated the influence of discrimination on self-rated health (t = –2.33; P = .020). Discrimination was positively associated with fair or poor health among participants with low levels of actualization, but this association was weak among those...
Sexual Differences in Hair Morphology of Coyote and White-Tailed Deer: Males have Thicker Hair

The fur of mammals serves many functions, including thermoregulation, camouflage or visual signaling to conspecifics. Fine-scale features of fur, such as hair morphology are often examined by researchers, especially in animals where pelage is of economic importance. Certain studies from this literature body show that males of many species appear to have thicker guard hair than females. Here, we examined this possibility in coyote (Canis latrans) and white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from captive populations in Utah and Georgia, USA. We used image analysis procedures to examine 402 guard hairs from 24 captive coyotes and 568 guard hairs from 29 captive deer, measuring the length and diameter of each hair. In both species, males had significantly thicker hairs than females; in coyotes, male hairs were 17% thicker, in deer, male hairs were 15% thicker. These differences are comparable to other species, where male hair is between 7%–20% thicker than those of females (in all species the average differ...
ATHEIST PROPHECY: MATHILDE BLIND, CONSTANCE NADEN, AND THE VICTORIAN POETESS

Scholars of nineteenth-century women's poetry often recount that the sentimental piety – indeed, the quasi-religiosity – of the Victorian “poetess” disappears from women's poetry in the mordant irony of the fin de siecle. Virginia Blain, for instance, has recently identified Mathilde Blind and Constance Naden as representatives of “the new breed of post-Darwinian atheists” that comes to replace an earlier, implicitly Christian feminine tradition associated with Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Blain 332). On a related note, I have recently proposed that George Eliot's Legend of Jubal collections (1874, 1878) present a rather late instance of this poetess tradition (LaPorte 159–61). In what follows, I would like to argue that fin-de-siecle iconoclasts such as Blind and Naden actually work hard to reclaim and redeem some of the prominent religious elements of the mid-century poetess tradition, and that Eliot's unusual combination of sentimental piety and religious skepticism gives them a particularly useful model for doing so.
MYOSITIS OSSIFICANS TRAUMATICA

1. Myositis ossificans traumatica is an inflammatory process of muscle in its early stages and before ossification is actually demonstrated by the roentgen ray. "Tumor", "dolor", and "calor" are all present at this stage. 2. This inflammatory process gradually subsides as ossification takes place. 3. The ossification is gradually absorbed in part and sometimes in full, depending upon its size and location. The muscle function returns to normal, except in those instances where the ossification occurs near a joint. 4. Treatment necessitates the immediate application of cold and a compression bandage to control hemorrhage, and later heat to aid in the absorption of the hematoma. Of great importance is the avoidance of massage on all severe and tender muscle contusions. 5. Operative removal of the ossification is indicated only in those cases in which it occurs near a joint in the origin or the insertion of a muscle, where joint function is permanently impaired, and then only from twelve to twenty-four months after the injury.
Actively Caring for the Environment An Integration of Behaviorism and Humanism

Perspectives from behavior-based psychology (behaviorism) and person-based psychology (humanism) are integrated to summarize ways to protect the environment. Community-based interventions are neede...
Inequality in organizations: stereotyping, discrimination, and labor law exclusions

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to highlight inequalities created and sustained through gendered, raced, and classed organizational processes and practices using Joan Acker's work as a lens for perceiving the mechanisms that support such practices. It aims to use home health aide work as an example of how US labor laws and court decisions create and support disadvantages for workers who are largely economically‐disadvantaged and often women of color.Design/methodology/approach – The article considers processes of inequality based on demographic characteristics and the resulting stereotyping, discrimination, and gender, race, and class inequalities.Findings – The article finds that multiple intersecting processes of inequality exist in organizations, manifested in practices of stereotyping and discrimination for some job applicants and workers and advantageous positioning for certain others.Research limitations/implications – Future research should more specifically consider the effects of multipl...
Planar Branch Decompositions I: The Ratcatcher

The notion of branch decompositions and its related connectivity invariant for graphs, branchwidth, were introduced by Robertson and Seymour in their series of papers that proved Wagner's conjecture. Branch decompositions can be used to solve NP-hard problems modeled on graphs, but finding optimal branch decompositions of graphs is also NP-hard. This is the first of two papers dealing with the relationship of branchwidth and planar graphs. A practical implementation of an algorithm of Seymour and Thomas for only computing the branchwidth (not optimal branch decomposition) of any planar hypergraph is proposed. This implementation is used in a practical implementation of an algorithm of Seymour and Thomas for computing the optimal branch decompositions for planar hypergraphs that is presented in the second paper. Since memory requirements can become an issue with this algorithm, two other variations of the algorithm to handle larger hypergraphs are also presented.
Quantum Cascade Laser based Trace Gas sensor Technology: Recent Advances and Applications

This talk focus on advances in the development of sensors based on quantum cascade (QC) and interband cascade (IC) lasers for the detection, quantification and monitoring of trace gas species and their application to environmental monitoring, industrial process control and medical diagnostics. The development of compact trace gas sensors based on QCLs and ICLs will permit the targeting of strong fundamental rotational-vibrational transitions in the mid-infrared. The architecture and performance of several sensitive, selective and real-time gas sensors operating in the mid-infrared will be described. To date we have detected 14 gases (CH4, N2O, CO2, CO, NO, H2O, SO2, NH3, C2H4, OCS, C2H4, H2CO, C2H5OH and C2HF5) at the ppm to ppt level. In several cases, isotopic signatures of carbon and oxygen have also been observed
Studies on nucleolar RNA synthesis in Drosophila melanogaster. II. The influence of conditions resulting in a bobbed phenotype on rate of synthesis and secondary constriction formation.

The influence of conditions resulting in bobbed phenotypes on nucleolar RNA synthesis and the formation of constrictions at nucleolus organizers was examined in larval tissues of Drosophila melanogaster . By means of [ 3 H]uridine incorporation and autoradiographic analysis, a mutation at the bobbed locus was shown to limit the rate of nucleolar RNA synthesis in salivary glands of XO larvae. The formation of constrictions at the organizer sites of a 4-nucleolus-organizer stock was monitored in dividing neuroblast cells stained with acridine orange. Loss of the ribosomal cistrons had been reported by other workers when such stocks were maintained for several generations. In the first generation in our work, constrictions were visible at only 2 of the 4 nucleolus organizers. This situation persisted until the fifth generation, when constrictions appeared at all 4 of the organizer sites. An increase in the rate of nucleolar RNA synthesis in the salivary glands was temporally correlated with the appearance of the extra constrictions. We interpret these observations to mean that 2 of the organizers of the 4-nucleolus-organizer stock were caused to function through the loss of ribosomal RNA cistrons; thus the functional status of an organizer would appear to be subject to control.
Specific unresponsiveness to skin allografts in burns.

We have examined the potential to provide long-term or even permanent wound coverage in a mouse model of a 30% total body surface area burn using skin allografts. Treatment of the recipient mouse with rabbit anti-mouse thymocyte serum (ATS) followed by donor bone marrow infusion induces a state of specific unresponsiveness to the skin allograft without the need for chronic immunosuppression. Specifically, a B6AF1 mouse receives a burn on Day −2 relative to grafting, ATS on Day −1, and Day +2, a skin allograft from a C3H/He mouse on Day 0, and infusion of C3H/He donor bone marrow on Day +6. We studied three groups of burned mice: Group I, allograft control (n = 5); Group II, allograft plus ATS (n = 12); and Group III, allograft plus ATS and bone marrow infusion (n = 15). Mean graft survival was compared using a one-way analysis of variance and a Student-Newman-Keuls post hoc test. There was no statistical difference in animal mortality among any of the three groups, and there was no evidence of infectious morbidity. Mean skin allograft survival was as follows: Group I, 9 days; Group II, 29 days; and Group III, 66 days (P < 0.05 vs Group I and II). Nine animals in Group III had intact hair bearing grafts at 90 days when the study was terminated. This study suggests the potential use of induced specific unresponsiveness to skin allografts for wound coverage in thermal injury without use of chronic immunosuppression. In our animal study this was accomplished without increased mortality or apparent infectious morbidity.
PRODUCTION OF CONGENITAL ANOMALIES IN MAMMALS BY MATERNAL DIETARY DEFICIENCIES

Multiple or single congenital anomalies may be produced experimentally by certain maternal dietary deficiencies. The similarity of the anomalies resulting from all acute dietary deficiencies and other acute teratogenic procedures is striking. When the dietary deficiency is controlled by the use of anti-metabolites, it can easily be demonstrated that the teratogenic effects vary with the time of instituting the deficiency and with its duration or severity. It can also be demonstrated that the period of sensitivity to the teratogenic dietary deficiencies is usually limited to the critical period of differentiation and organogenesis, as it is in irradiation. However, fetal vitamin deficiencies similar to those observed in the adult can probably be produced by the deficiency later in pregnancy. The severe fetal damage is in marked contrast to the relatively slight effects on the maternal organism. Presumably, although this point has not been proven, the effect of the deficiency is directly on the fetus and indicates that certain vitamins play a highly significant role in embryonic differentiation and organogenesis. We already have considerable knowledge concerning the biochemical reactions with which the B vitamins are concerned in adult tissues. It is possible that, by use of these specific vitamin deficiencies as tools, we may succeed in identifying certain key reactions in embryonic differentiation and organogenesis and thus advance our knowledge of chemical embryology. The teratogenic dietary deficiencies can provide abundant material for the pathologist to study the early stages of specific anomalies. For the physiologist, studies of anomalous conditions before and after birth are possible for some organs and systems. Studies of the interrelations of nutritional and genetic factors should lead to increasing knowledge concerning individual susceptibility to such teratogenic conditions and the application of these findings to man. The briefness of the period necessary to affect fetal development and the irreversibility of fetal damage by dietary supplementation later in pregnancy must be emphasized.
New Labyrinths of Solitude: Lonesome Mexican Migrant Men and AIDS

In contemporary Mexico, AIDS is a disease of migration and modernity. Worldwide AIDS is often argued to be a direct product of neo-liberal policies that have prompted the decentralization and privatization of healthcare. At the same time, structural adjustments related to these changes in healthcare which have been imposed by international agencies like the World Bank have fostered conditions in which populations are forced to flee their homelands in search of better economic prospects in other countries. This is clearly the case in Mexico, where local impoverished circumstances lead millions to try their luck on the other side of the border in the United States (U.S.). In the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, for instance, where detailed ethnographic fieldwork over several years provides the basis of this chapter, to be a migrant means that you are poor and likely to be from one of the area’s many indigenous groups. Extrapolating from notoriously unreliable government statistics, by 2000 there were probably over 100,000 men and women from Oaxaca working as migrants in northern parts of Mexico and the United States. It was also estimated by this time that 60 per cent of Oaxaca’s municipios (municipalities) had experienced significant emigration. Leading on from the above, the political economy of AIDS in Oaxaca involves several features which are also global in scope, with transnational migration being key: the largest demographic group in the state who are HIV-positive are poor Indian men who have worked in the United States and returned to Oaxaca infected with the virus. The second largest demographic group who are HIV-positive are women who have had sex with these migrant men. Since the late 1990s, in a process called ‘medical profiling’, migrant men and their sexual partners have become slotted into the public health category of ‘dangerous citizens’, capable of infecting the better-off sectors of Oaxacan society.
Rat lung antioxidant enzymes: differences in perinatal gene expression and regulation.

The lung activity of the antioxidant enzymes (AOEs) copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GP), but not manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD), ...
Epigenetics at the Interface of Genetics and Environmental Factors in Autism

Autism spectrum disorders have a complex etiology, suggesting that multiple genetic and environmental factors play a role in their etiology. The apparent rise in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in recent decades is currently an unresolved problem. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, act at the interface of genes and environment and are of critical importance for human brain development. This chapter reviews the known epigenetic pathways with known genetic bases in autism spectrum disorders and some recent studies showing epigenetic changes in human autism samples. In addition, environmental factors are discussed for their roles in impacting DNA methylation, with a focus on the persistent organic pollutants because of their bioaccumulation in brain. Dietary factors are also discussed, particularly folic acid supplementation during pregnancy because of the known contributions to DNA methylation and the protection for neural tube defects and, more recently, autism. Further investigation into epigenetic factors at the gene/environment interface will likely be important for making progress in preventing and treating autism in the future.
Characteristics of long-term lung cancer survivors.

Fifth AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, Nov 12-15, 2006 PR-17 Background. People who survive beyond five years after a lung cancer diagnosis have been referred to as long-term lung cancer (LTLC) survivors. There currently is limited information about the health status, health behaviors, and quality of life (QoL) of LTLC survivors. In our multiple-dimension study, comprehensive models were explored under a conceptual model of Wilson and Cleary (1) to capture the most important survival predictors. Our framework encompasses the following five dimensions: health and QoL (e.g., comorbid conditions and spiritual well-being), health-related behaviors (e.g., smoking status and physical activity level), disease and treatment related factors (e.g., adverse effects and disease recurrence), host related factors (e.g., genotypes of oxidative pathways), tumor related factors (e.g., histology and markers of cell proliferation and apoptosis), as well as demographic variables. Methods. We conducted a matched multivariate analysis to assess predictors for longer survival and better QoL. We sequentially modeled from each study dimension and then to higher order dimensions. LTLC survivors (n=150) were matched to patients who survived less than 2 years (n=150) by known survival predictors including age at diagnosis, gender, tumor cell type, TNM stage, and number of primary lung cancers. Results . Under disease dimension, patients with any progression or recurrence were almost 3 times more likely to die within 2 years than those without progression or recurrence; under treatment dimension, those who had surgery were only 33% as likely to die within 2 years as those without surgery; under physical functioning dimension, patients who reported being "unable to do work or could only do light work" were at a 2.7-5.8 fold higher probability of dying within 2 years than those who were fully active; and under host susceptibility dimension, patients with a GSTM1 positive allele (indicative of a higher anti-oxidative function) were 4 times less likely to die within 2 years than those with a null type. Summary. In this initial analysis, we have shown the importance of all five dimensions, with varying magnitude. New knowledge gained from our study may help lung cancer survivors, their healthcare providers, and their caregivers by providing evidence for establishing clinical recommendations to enhance their long-term survival and health-related QoL. (This study is supported by NIH grants CA77118, CA80127, CA84354, and CA115857.) 1. Wilson IB, Cleary PD. Linking clinical variables with health-related quality of life: A conceptual model of patient outcomes. JAMA 1995; 273:59-65
Multi-resource Fair Sharing for Multiclass Workflows

Multi-resource sharing for concurrent workows necessitates a fairness criteria to allocate multiple resources to work-flows with heterogeneous demands. Recently, this problem has attracted increasing attention and has been investigated by assuming that each workow has a single class of jobs and that each class contains jobs of the same demand profile. The demand profile of a class represents the required multi-resources of a job. However, for typical applications in cloud computing and distributed data processing systems, a workow usually needs to process multiple classes of jobs. Relying on the concept of slowdown, we characterize fairness for multi-resource sharing and address scheduling for multiclass workows. We optimize the mixture of different classes of jobs for a workow as optimal operation points to achieve the least slowdown, and discuss desirable properties for these operation points. These studies assume that the jobs are infinitely divisible.When jobs are non-preemptive and indivisible, any fairness criteria that only relies on the instantaneous resource allocation cannot be strictly maintained at every time point. To this end, we relax the instantaneous fairness to an average metric within a time interval. This relaxation introduces a time average to fairness and allows occasional, but not too often, violations of instantaneous fairness. In addition, it brings exibility and opportunities for further optimization on resource utilization, e.g., using bin-packing, within the constraint on fairness.
Sequential Evolution of Vancomycin-Intermediate Resistance Alters Virulence in Staphylococcus aureus: Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Targets for Vancomycin Exposure

Staphylococcus aureus possesses exceptional virulence and a remarkable ability to adapt in the face of antibiotic therapy. We examined the in vitro evolution of S. aureus in response to escalating vancomycin exposure by evaluating bacterial killing and the progression of resistance. A hollow-fiber infection model was utilized to simulate human doses of vancomycin increasing from 0.5 to 4 g every 12 h (q12h) versus a high inoculum (10(8) CFU/ml) of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) USA300 and USA400. Host-pathogen interactions using Galleria mellonella and accessory gene regulator (agr) expression were studied in serially obtained isolates. In both USA300 and USA400 MRSA isolates, vancomycin exposure up to 2 g q12h resulted in persistence and regrowth, whereas 4 g administered q12h achieved sustained killing against both strains. As vancomycin exposure increased from 0.5 to 2 g q12h, the bacterial population shifted toward vancomycin-intermediate resistance, and collateral increases in the MICs of daptomycin and televancin were observed over 10 days. Guideline-recommended exposure of a ratio of the area under the concentration-time curve for the free, unbound fraction of the drug to the MIC (fAUC/MIC ratio) of 200 displayed a 0.344-log bacterial reduction in area, whereas fAUC/MICs of 371 and 554 were needed to achieve 1.00- and 2.00-log reductions in area, respectively. The stepwise increase in resistance paralleled a decrease in G. mellonella mortality (P = 0.021) and a gradual decline of RNAIII expression over 10 days. Currently recommended doses of vancomycin resulted in amplification of resistance and collateral damage to other antibiotics. Decreases in agr expression and virulence during therapy may be an adaptive mechanism of S. aureus persistence.
Neural Correlates of Exposure to Cocaine Cues in Rhesus Monkeys: Modulation by the Dopamine Transporter.

Abstract Background A major goal of treatments for cocaine addiction is to reduce relapse-associated cravings, which are typically induced by environmental stimuli associated with cocaine use and related to changes in dopamine neurotransmission. Methods The present study used an animal model of cocaine seeking to determine functional consequences of cue exposure using fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and to relate findings to juvenile levels of dopamine transporter and D 2 -like receptor availabilities determined before any drug exposure. Adult male rhesus monkeys ( N = 11) self-administered cocaine (0.2 mg/kg per injection) under a second-order schedule of reinforcement, in which responding was maintained by conditioned reinforcers. Positron emission tomography scans assessing glucose utilization, a marker of functional activation, were conducted during cocaine-cue responding and food-reinforced responding in a context where cocaine was never available. Results Compared with the noncocaine condition, we found significant functional activation in the medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, precuneus region of the parietal cortex, and striatum—findings similar to those reported in humans who abuse cocaine. Furthermore, these functional activations in the prefrontal, cingulate, and parietal cortex measured during cocaine-cue responding were significantly correlated with juvenile measures of dopamine transporter availability, whereas no significant relationship with prior D 2 -like receptor availability was observed in any brain region. Conclusions The similarity between the present findings and findings in humans who use cocaine supports the use of this model for examination of factors that affect the development and intensity of cue-induced drug seeking and provides evidence for potential biomarkers for the evaluation of potential treatments (behavioral and pharmacologic) for cocaine abuse.
Estimation and compensation of Doppler scale in UAC OFDM systems

Doppler effect causes loss of orthogonality in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), which in turn may severely degrade receiver performance. In high data rate underwater acoustic communication (UAC), the effect of Doppler shift varies considerably over OFDM frequency band. In the past and current UAC OFDM literature [1]– [6], the frequency domain Doppler shift is presented in terms of path dependent Doppler scale in time domain. This paper proposes and presents two algorithms to estimate Doppler scale induced by time variability of the channel. The performance of these estimation methods is evaluated under varying sampling period, varying number of channel taps, and varying channels.
Impact of In content on the structural and optical properties of (In,Ga)N/GaN multiple quantum wells grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

We have studied the structural and optical properties of a series of (In,Ga)/GaN multiple quantum wells with identical thicknesses but varied In content grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Careful choice of the growth parameters returns samples with smooth and abrupt interfaces. The shift of the photoluminescence transition energy with externally applied biaxial tension was investigated. We observed a red-shift for small In contents while a blue-shift was detected for higher In contents. This result is in qualitative agreement with band profile calculations taking into account both the band gap deformation potentials and the piezoelectric polarization in these structures. However, the magnitude of the shift is well in excess of the calculated one. We attribute this finding to a substantial deviation of the piezoelectric constants from those calculated for unstrained material. Finally, we estimate the piezoelectric polarization of InGaN/GaN for linear and non-linear terms in strain.
A TEST OF QUEEN RECRUITMENT MODELS USING NUCLEAR AND MITOCHONDRIAL MARKERS IN THE FIRE ANT SOLENOPSIS INVICTA.

We assess nestmate queen relatedness and the genetic similarity of neighboring nests in the polygyne (multiple-queen) social form of the introduced fire ant Solenopsis invicta using both nuclear and mitochondrial markers. We find that estimates of queen relatedness calculated with both types of markers do not differ statistically from zero. Furthermore, there is no significant relationship between the genetic similarity and geographic proximity of nests in each of six study sites. In contrast to these findings, sites show strong mitochondrial, but no nuclear, genetic differ- entiation. Our results suggest that nonnestmate queen recruitment occurs at a high frequency in introduced populations of this species. Moreover, queens within nests seem to represent a random sample of the queens within the site in which they reside. Therefore, kin selection models that rely on the recruitment of only nestmate queens to explain the persistence of polygyny in ants do not apply to polygyne S. invicta in its introduced range.
Redesigning Plato’s Cave: Experiment 2

Experiment 1 had confirmed a number of important points for our project. First, we were able to elicit experiences of awe and wonder that replicated (or came close to) those articulated by the astronauts. Second, the specific combination of methods in a neurophenomenological framework showed potential as a way to explore those experiences. As we detailed in Chapter 4, however, the first experiment presented some methodological challenges along the way. In this chapter, we describe how we responded to the lessons learned from Experiment 1. We describe our second experiment and develop a style for data integration that considers physiology, psychology, and phenomenology as a combination of approaches that can offer a precise triangulation on the experiences in question.
Ceroid lipofuscinosis, neuronal 3, Juvenile-Batten disease: case report and literature review.

Background Ocularly, Batten disease is characterized by a rapid deterioration of vision, progressing to blindness within a few years. Onset typically occurs at between 5 and 10 years of age. The fundus shows a bull's eye maculopathy, diffuse pigmentary degeneration, arteriolar attenuation and optic atrophy, and an extinguished ERG. Case report and literature review The visual acuity and ocular health findings of a 7-year-old child, eventually diagnosed with Batten disease, are reviewed. Additionally, a review of the literature concerning the ocular and systemic manifestations of the various ceroid lipofuscinoses is presented. Conclusion Batten disease is the most likely of the ceroid lipofuscinoses to be manifested in an ophthalmic practitioner's office before the diagnosis of the underlying condition. Although there currently is no treatment for this condition, making the correct diagnosis is important for appropriate low-vision management, educational planning, and genetic counseling.
Investigating the Interplay between Sister Chromatid Cohesion and Homolog Pairing in Drosophila Nuclei

Following DNA replication, sister chromatids must stay connected for the remainder of the cell cycle in order to ensure accurate segregation in the subsequent cell division. This important function involves an evolutionarily conserved protein complex known as cohesin; any loss of cohesin causes premature sister chromatid separation in mitosis. Here, we examined the role of cohesin in sister chromatid cohesion prior to mitosis, using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to assay the alignment of sister chromatids in interphase Drosophila cells. Surprisingly, we found that sister chromatid cohesion can be maintained in G2 with little to no cohesin. This capacity to maintain cohesion is widespread in Drosophila, unlike in other systems where a reduced dependence on cohesin for sister chromatid segregation has been observed only at specific chromosomal regions, such as the rDNA locus in budding yeast. Additionally, we show that condensin II antagonizes the alignment of sister chromatids in interphase, supporting a model wherein cohesin and condensin II oppose each other’s functions in the alignment of sister chromatids. Finally, because the maternal and paternal homologs are paired in the somatic cells of Drosophila, and because condensin II has been shown to antagonize this pairing, we consider the possibility that condensin II-regulated mechanisms for aligning homologous chromosomes may also contribute to sister chromatid cohesion.
Automotive absorptive glass-mat lead–acid batteries: State of the art

For many years, valve-regulated lead–acid batteries with absorptive glass-mat (AGM) separator technology have been widely used in vehicles. Whereas the batteries were first fitted to luxury cars and special vehicles such as ambulances and taxis, the introduction of start–stop cars in Europe has opened the door for the global use of AGM batteries. The main advantage of the batteries is their excellent cycling performance at high depths-of-discharge due to a design that prevents acid stratification. On the road, a higher lifetime compared with conventional flooded batteries has been found. This feature, as predicted by laboratory tests, was successfully verified in early field trials with taxi fleets, even under elevated temperature conditions. AGM batteries are able to cope with the more demanding requirements of future vehicle applications, such as autonomous driving, due to their high reliability.
Couples’ Shared Beliefs About Aging and Implications for Future Functional Limitations

Purpose of the study Individual beliefs are known to be predictive of health. This study examines the co-construction of couple norms and links couples' shared beliefs about aging to future individuals' and couples' functional limitations. Design and methods Data from the 2008 and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1,231 couples; age range = 51-90) were analyzed using latent variables that estimated shared and individual variance in beliefs about aging in 2008 and functional limitations at follow-up in 2014. Spouses' individual processes of physical activity and disease burden were modeled to contribute to couples' shared beliefs about aging and subsequent functional limitations. Models progressively controlled for indicators of partner selection, couples' shared health experiences, and similarities and differences in age. Results Couples' beliefs about aging predicted future functional limitations. The effect magnitude decreased but remained significant in all models. Physical activity predicted couples' future functional limitations but was largely explained by shared health experiences and similarities and differences in age for wives and husbands, respectively. Disease burden contributed to couples' shared beliefs about aging. Husbands' contributions were explained by partner selection, but wives' contributions remained significant in all models. The effect of couples' shared beliefs on change in couples' functional limitations was explained by couples' shared health experiences. Implications Beliefs about aging and health occur within the context of close relationships and shared experiences. Knowledge of couples' beliefs and health is necessary to support their individual and collective efforts to age successfully together.
Complications of ureteroscopy in relation to experience: report of survey and author experience.

AbstractDuring the last 4 years we performed ureteroscopy for diagnostic evaluation in 20 patients and for removal of mid or distal ureteral stones in 127. All of the diagnostic studies were successful. In the stone removal cases the success rate increased from 71 per cent for the 24 procedures done during the first 2 years to 92 per cent for the 60 procedures done in the first 9 months of 1985. The rate of ureteral injury in the entire series was 2 per cent and in only 9 of the 23 failures was an open operation necessary. The benefit of experience also was evident in the results reported by 28 medical centers, with a 78 per cent success rate at the 11 centers that had performed less than 20 procedures each and an 84 per cent success rate at the 9 centers that had done more than 50. Despite early frustration with ureteroscopy, the value of mastering the technique allows the urologist to proceed endourologically with minimum morbidity and without precluding further interventional procedures.
Following one's true self and the sacredness of cultural values

Abstract People seem to share a widespread lay belief that true selves are morally good entities. This lay belief has downstream consequences for a variety of domains such as person perception and perceived self-knowledge. The current work examines whether it also has consequences for moral decision-making. We hypothesized that people would make more moral decisions when they were focused on being authentic as opposed to being focused on other decision-making strategies. This hypothesis rests on the idea that if people believe their true selves are morally good, then attempts to follow that true self will make them less willing to behave immorally. Consistent with this hypothesis, four within-subjects studies (total N = 817) found that participants reported that they and others would need more money to violate a moral norm if they were focused on trying to be authentic relative to if they were focused on being rational, intuitive, or realistic.
An Object-Based Situational Approach to Task Analysis

Deciding what to teach is as critical as deciding how to teach, and it is often given less attention than it deserves. In school situations, curriculum is generally set by making incremental modifications to existing curriculum, and the connections between what is taught and everyday life needs are pretty minimal. In the world of training, things are somewhat better, but even there curriculum often results from loose intuitive links between perceived job demands and available courses. I suggest here a new view of the task analysis process. One feature of this view is that it is grounded in real work situations. A second feature is that it is related to a software engineering approach called object-oriented programming. Domain knowledge, from this viewpoint, is represented by a collection of knowledge objects. To understand this viewpoint, one must understand both the nature of objects and the ways in which objects relate to situations that arise in a domain.
Microwave/Radiofrequency Protection Guide and Standards

Exposure Standards — The first standards for controlling exposure to MW/RF were introduced in the 1950’s, in the USA and the USSR. The maximum permissible exposure levels proposed then have remained substantially unchanged, i.e., for continuous exposure these are respectively 10 mW/cm2 and 10 µW/cm2. Most countries that developed national standards based them on either the US1 or the Soviet2 values. Subsequently, however, some countries have proposed standards intermediate between these extremes.
Clustered knowledge tracing

By learning a more distributed representation of the input space, clustering can be a powerful source of information for boosting the performance of predictive models. While such semi-supervised methods based on clustering have been applied to increase the accuracy of predictions of external tests, they have not yet been applied to improve within-tutor prediction of student responses. We use a widely adopted model for student prediction called knowledge tracing as our predictor and demonstrate how clustering students can improve model accuracy. The intuition behind this application of clustering is that different groups of students can be better fit with separate models. High performing students, for example, might be better modeled with a higher knowledge tracing learning rate parameter than lower performing students. We use a bagging method that exploits clusterings at different values for K in order to capture a variety of different categorizations of students. The method then combines the predictions of each cluster in order to produce a more accurate result than without clustering.
A Population-Based, Case-Control Evaluation of the Association Between Hormonal Contraceptives and Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.

Purpose To determine if the use of oral contraceptive pills (OCP) and other hormonal contraceptives are associated with a higher incidence of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Design Retrospective, population-based, case-control study. Methods Setting : Female IIH patients evaluated between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2016 were identified using the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP), a record-linkage system of medical records for all patient-physician encounters among Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents. Study Population : Fifty-three female residents of Olmsted County diagnosed with IIH between 15 and 45 years of age. The use of OCPs and other hormonal contraceptives was compared to controls matched for age, sex, and body mass index. Interventions/Exposures : Hormonal contraceptives. Main Outcome Measure : Odds of developing IIH. Results Of the 53 women diagnosed with IIH between 15 and 45 years of age, 11 (20.8%) had used hormonal contraceptives within ≤30 days of the date of IIH diagnosis, in contrast to 30 (31.3%) among the control patients. The odds ratio of hormonal contraceptive use and IIH was 0.55 (95% conficence interval [CI]: 0.24-1.23, P = .146). The odds ratio of OCP use was 0.52 (95% CI: 0.20-1.34, P = .174). Conclusions OCP and other hormonal contraceptives were not significantly associated with a higher incidence of IIH, arguing against the need for women with IIH to discontinue their use.
Donor–acceptor preassociation, excited state solvation threshold, and optical energy cost as challenges in chemical applications of photobases

Photobases are molecules with increased pKa in the excited state that can serve to transduce light energy into proton removal capability. They can be used to control chemical reactions using light, such as removing protons from a catalytic site in reactions that are rate-limited by proton transfer. We identify and explore several major challenges toward their practical applications. Two important challenges are the need for pre-association (or ground state hydrogen bonding) between the proton donor and the photobase, and the need for excited state solvation of the photogenerated products. We investigate these two challenges with the photobase 5-methoxyquinoline as the proton acceptor and a low-pKa alcohol, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, as the proton donor. We vary the concentration of the donor in a background non-hydrogen-bonding solvent. Using absorption spectroscopy, we have identified that the donor–acceptor concentration ratio must exceed 100 : 1 to achieve appreciable ground state hydrogen bonding. Interestingly, emission spectroscopy reveals that the onset of ground state hydrogen bonding does not guarantee successful excited state proton transfer. It takes an additional order of magnitude increase in donor–acceptor ratio to achieve that goal, revealing that it is necessary to have excess donor molecules to reach the solvation threshold for the photogenerated products. The next challenge is reducing the large ground-excited state energy gap, which often requires UV photons to drive proton transfer. We show experimental and computational data comparing the photobasicity and optical energy gap for a few N-aromatic heterocyclic photobases. In general, we find that reducing the energy gap by increasing the conjugation size necessarily reduces photobasicity, while adding substituents of varying electron-withdrawing strength allows some fine-tuning of this effect. The combination of these two factors provide a preliminary design space for creating new photobasic molecules.
Is the Hoffman Effect for Methionine Overuse Analogous to the Warburg Effect for Glucose Overuse in Cancer

The general cancer-specific metabolic defect of methionine (MET) dependence is due to MET overuse for aberrant transmethylation reactions. The excess use of MET for aberrant transmethylation reactions apparently diverts methyl groups from DNA. The resulting global DNA hypomethylation is also a general phenomenon in cancer and leads to unstable genomes and aneuploid karyotypes. The excessive and aberrant use of MET in cancer is readily observed in [11C]-MET-PET imaging, where high uptake of [11C]-MET results in a very strong and selective tumor signal compared to normal tissue background for brain cancer and possibly other cancers. [11C]-MET is superior to [18C]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) for PET imaging, suggesting that MET overuse in cancer ("Hoffman effect") is greater than glucose overuse in cancer ("Warburg effect").
A Search for Variable Interstellar Magnetic Fields and Neutron Star Precession in Four Years of Polarization Position Angle Measurements on 98 Pulsars

We have studied the temporal behavior of linearly polarized position angle in a sample of 98 pulsars observed from Arecibo over a four–year period in a search for free precession and changes in interstellar magnetic fields along pulsar– earth lines of sight. We set upper limits on changes in position angle.