cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vivo resuscitation, and virulence towards mice, of viable but nonculturable cells of Vibrio vulnificus.

Vibrio vulnificus is an estuarine bacterium responsible for 95% of all seafood-related deaths in the United States. The bacterium occurs naturally in molluscan shellfish, and ingestion of raw oysters is typically the source of human infection. V. vulnificus is also known to enter a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state, wherein the cells are no longer culturable on routine plating media but can be shown to remain viable. Whether or not this human pathogen remains virulent when entering the VBNC state has not been definitively demonstrated. In this study, the VBNC state was induced through a temperature downshift to 5 degrees C, with cells becoming nonculturable ( 10(5) cells in the VBNC state were present in the inoculum. Culturable cells of V. vulnificus, with identification confirmed through PCR, were recovered from the blood and peritoneal cavities of mice which had died from injections of cells present in the VBNC state for at least 3 days. Thus, our data suggest that cells of V. vulnificus remain virulent, at least for some time, when present in the VBNC state and are capable of causing fatal infections following in vivo resuscitation. Our studies also indicate, however, that virulence decreases significantly as cells enter the VBNC state, which may account, at least to some extent, for the decrease in infections caused by this bacterium during winter months.
Christianity in Aboriginal Australia revisited

Despite the substantial Aboriginalist literature on Christianity, Aboriginal Australia has been largely peripheral to the emerging subfield ‘the anthropology of Christianity.’ In the introduction to this collection of essays, we argue that the reasons for its exclusion include Christianity’s late arrival, its limited fortune in the colonial encounter, and its continued marginal role in organising the values of Aboriginal life. However, it is precisely because of the rather unremarkable history of conversion in Aboriginal Australia that our volume can inform current debates in the general anthropological literature on Christianity. As the essays concentrate on Protestant forms of Christianity in remote Australia, we address the ways in which Aboriginal converts experience what are often argued to be the common features of modern Protestantism, namely, transcendence, rupture and belief.
Genetics and Developmental Delay

The discovery of new cytogenetic and molecular genetic techniques and principles has been explosive in recent years. A secure diagnosis based on molecular evidence has become possible for many syndromes previously only clinically defined, which has helped enormously in predicting children's developmental progress, in allowing knowledgeable surveillance for potential associated health problems, in genetic counseling, and in prenatal diagnosis. This article reviews several of the most significant recently described cytogenetic and molecular genetic principles and techniques in relation to the child who presents with developmental delay.
Decentralized hierarchical control of multiple time scale systems

This paper exposes an idea for dual level control architecture for use in large-scale systems consisting of networks of smaller subsystems whose dynamical behavior exhibits multiple time scales. The proposed control scheme is decentralized in nature at the low level: the communication among subsystems is done indirectly through the high level control, whose design is based on a singularly perturbed model of the overall system.
A 2.5mW 80dB DR 36dB SNDR 22MS/s Logarithmic Pipeline ADC

A switched-capacitor logarithmic pipeline ADC scheme that does not require squaring or any other complex analog functions is described. This approach is ideal where a high dynamic range, but not a high peak SNDR, is required. A signed, 8-bit 1.5 bit-per-stage logarithmic pipeline ADC is implemented in 0.18 mum CMOS. The 22 MS/s ADC achieves a measured DR of 80 dB and a measured SNDR of 36 dB, occupies 0.56 mm2, and consumes 2.54 mW from a 1.62 V supply. The measured dynamic range figure of merit is 174 dB.
Convective instabilities in a closed vertical cylinder heated from below. Part 1. Monocomponent gases

Kr, Xe and SiCI4 have been investigated for convective instabilities in closed vertical cylinders with conductive walls heated from below. Critical Rayleigh numbers NiRa for the onset of various convective modes (including the onset of marginally stable and periodic flow) have been determined with a high resolution differential temperature sensing method. Flow patterns were deduced from a multiple sensor arrangement. For the three lowest modes (i = 1, 2, 3) good quantitative agreement with linear stability theory is found. Stable oscillatory modes (periodic fluctuations of the mean flow) with a period of approximately 5 s are found for a relatively narrow range of NRa. The critical Rayleigh number NoscRa for the onset of oscillatory temperature fluctuations is 1348 ± 50 for an aspect ratio (height/radius) of 6.
Seedling herbivory by slugs in a willow hybrid system: developmental changes in damage, chemical defense, and plant performance.

We evaluated feeding preference and damage by the slug, Arion subfuscus, on seedlings of two willow species, Salix sericea and S. eriocephala, and their F1 interspecific hybrids. Trays of seedlings were placed in the field and excised leaves were presented to slugs in choice tests. Slugs preferred feeding on and caused the most damage to S. eriocephala seedlings. S. sericea seedlings were least preferred and least damaged. F1 hybrid seedlings were intermediate in preference and damage. Slug preference of and damage to these seedlings decreased over time, suggesting developmental changes in resistance. Seedlings were sampled for phenolic glycoside and tannin chemistry weekly to coincide with the field and laboratory experiments. Concentrations of phenolic glycosides and tannins increased linearly with seedling age, coincident with changes in slug preference and damage, indicating a developmental change in defense. Slug deterrence was not detected at low concentrations of salicortin when painted on leaves or discs, but both salicortin and condensed tannins deterred slug feeding at concentrations between 50 and 100 mg/g, levels found in adult willows. Seedling performance was related to damage inflicted by slugs. Due to lower levels of damage when exposed to slugs in the field, S. sericea plants had significantly greater biomass than S. eriocephala plants. Biomass of F1 hybrids was equal to S. sericea when damaged. However, undamaged S. eriocephala and F1 hybrid plants had the greatest biomass. Because F1 hybrid seedlings performed as well as the most fit parent in all cases, slugs could be an important selective factor favoring introgression of defensive traits between these willow species.
On a Solution to the Second-Order Phase-Locked Loop

A solution of the stationary, mod-2π-reduced phaseerror probability density function for the second-order phase-lock loop is derived, based on a mean square fit to a certain unknown conditional expectation term. The resulting phase variance obtained from this density function yields an error that is negligible for \sigma_{\phi}^{2} \leq 1 and an error no greater than 0.06 rad2for signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs)≥ 2 dB by comparison with actual measurements, and it appears to be the most accurate to date. The usefulness of the result lies in the fact that an accurate estimate of the phase-error variance for arbitrary parameter values is easily obtained without the use of a computer.
Hypothesis: vasoconstriction contributes to amaurosis fugax.

Platelets play a critical role in the pathophysiology of amaurosis fugax. Emboli to retinal vessels apparently produce amaurosis but, in addition, we propose that augmented vasoconstrictor responses and vasospasm may contribute to amaurosis. In this study we tested the hypothesis that constrictor responses of retinal vessels to serotonin, which is released when platelets aggregate, are potentiated in experimental atherosclerosis. Blood flow to the retina was measured in normal and atherosclerotic cynomolgus monkeys. In normal monkeys, infusion of serotonin did not alter flow to the retina. In atherosclerotic monkeys, infusion of serotonin reduced retinal blood flow (in milliliters per minute per 100 g) from 66 ± 7 (mean ± SE) to 5 ±2. Infusion of serotonin in atherosclerotic monkeys abolished the retinal response to light. Thus, atherosclerosis greatly potentiates constrictor responses to serotonin in the retinal circulation and produces a profound but reversible impairment of retinal function. We propose...
Model Selection in Gaussian Graphical Models: High-Dimensional Consistency of boldmathell_1-regularized MLE

We consider the problem of estimating the graph structure associated with a Gaussian Markov random field (GMRF) from i.i.d. samples. We study the performance of study the performance of the l1-regularized maximum likelihood estimator in the high-dimensional setting, where the number of nodes in the graph p, the number of edges in the graph s and the maximum node degree d, are allowed to grow as a function of the number of samples n. Our main result provides sufficient conditions on (n, p, d) for the l1-regularized MLE estimator to recover all the edges of the graph with high probability. Under some conditions on the model covariance, we show that model selection can be achieved for sample sizes n = Ω(d2 log(p)), with the error decaying as O(exp(-c log(p))) for some constant c. We illustrate our theoretical results via simulations and show good correspondences between the theoretical predictions and behavior in simulations.
Recruitment of Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase to CD28 Inhibits HIV Transcription by a Tat-Dependent Mechanism

Activation through the TCR and the costimulatory molecule CD28 influences the susceptibility of T cells to HIV-1 infection and regulates proviral gene expression. Signaling events initiated by CD28 that directly impact HIV-1 transcription have not been fully characterized. T cell lines expressing CD8α/28 chimeric receptors containing a mutation in tyrosine 173 to phenylalanine, which inhibits the recruitment of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) to CD28, expressed higher levels of HIV-1 following T cell activation. Whereas constitutively active PI3K decreased provirus transcription, inhibiting endogenous PI3K with specific inhibitors or by overexpressing PTEN phosphatase enhanced HIV-1 expression. PI3K-dependent inhibition required the viral Tat protein and a trans activation response region element. Tat pull-down and coimmunoprecipitation experiments indicate that PI3K affects the formation of the Tat-associated kinase trans-activating complex. These studies demonstrate that PI3K negatively impacts HIV-1 transcription and that Tat activity is sensitive to T cell signaling events.
The Critical Turn in Clinical Ethics and Its Continous Enhancement

Taking the critical turn is one of the main tools of the humanities and inculcates an intellectual discipline that prevents ossification of thinking about issues and of organizational policies in clinical ethics. The articles in this "Clinical Ethics" number of the Journal take the critical turn with respect to cherished ways of thinking in Western clinical ethics, life extension, the clinical determination of death, physicians' duty to treat even at personal risk, clinical ethics at the interface of research ethics, and the pertinence of the Hippocratic Oath to clinical ethics. These articles challenge clinical ethicists to inculcate the intellectual discipline of the critical turn into everyday practice and continuous quality enhancement of clinical ethics.
Engineering of an isolated p110α subunit of PI3Kα permits crystallization and provides a platform for structure‐based drug design

PI3Kα remains an attractive target for the development of anticancer targeted therapy. A number of p110α crystal structures in complex with the nSH2-iSH2 fragment of p85 regulatory subunit have been reported, including a few small molecule co-crystal structures, but the utilization of this crystal form is limited by low diffraction resolution and a crystal packing artifact that partially blocks the ATP binding site. Taking advantage of recent data on the functional characterization of the lipid binding properties of p110α, we designed a set of novel constructs allowing production of isolated stable p110α subunit missing the Adapter Binding Domain and lacking or featuring a modified C-terminal lipid binding motif. While this protein is not catalytically competent to phosphorylate its substrate PIP2, it retains ligand binding properties as indicated by direct binding studies with a pan-PI3Kα inhibitor. Additionally, we determined apo and PF-04691502 bound crystal structures of the p110α (105-1048) subunit at 2.65 and 2.85 A, respectively. Comparison of isolated p110α(105-1048) with the p110α/p85 complex reveals a high degree of structural similarity, which validates suitability of this catalytically inactive p110α for iterative SBDD. Importantly, this crystal form of p110α readily accommodates the binding of noncovalent inhibitor by means of a fully accessible ATP site. The strategy presented here can be also applied to structural studies of other members of PI3KIA family.
Excess noise in gain-guided amplifiers

A second-quantized theory of the radiation field is used to study the origin of the excess noise observed in gain-guided amplifiers. We find that the reduction of the signal-to-noise ratio is a function of the length of the amplifier, and thus the enhancement of the noise is a propagation effect arising from longitudinally inhomogeneous gain of the noise rather than from an excess of local spontaneous emission. We confirm this conclusion by showing that the microscopic rate of spontaneous emission into a given non-power-orthogonal cavity mode is not enhanced by the Petermann factor. In addition, we illustrate the difficulties associated with photon statistics for this and other open systems by showing that no acceptable family of photon-number operators corresponds to a set of non-power-orthogonal cavity modes.
Genetics of Parkinson’s Disease

Tremendous progress has been made over the last 10 years in the identification of genetic risk factors for Parkinson’s disease (PD). This work began with candidate gene-based assessments, where variability in the genes encoding alpha-synuclein, glucocerebrosidase, and leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 was assessed and shown to be linked to risk for disease. This work has been considerably extended upon using genome-wide association studies, which have thus far identified a large number of risk loci. Here we discuss these advances, the current picture of genetic risk factors in PD, and the path forward.
International lawmaking by hybrid bodies: The case of financial regulation

The recent financial crisis, which roiled the globe beginning in September 2008, nearly decimated global financial markets and in fact devastated the real economy of the United States and Europe, with concomitant global harm. The crisis exposed fundamental weaknesses — both procedural and substantive — in the international financial regulatory architecture. The Bretton Woods institutions (the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and World Trade Organization (WTO)) were never really equipped to deal with the growing complexity, breadth, and size of the global financial system, and instead left rule-making and supervision largely to the domestic arena. The cross-border rules that were developed by national regulators and the international standard-setting bodies that took root in this global institutional lacuna in the 1980s proved woefully ineffective. Despite strategies to increase the accountability and legitimacy of these hybrid standard-setting bodies,1 the rules failed substantively, and overwhelmingly. Global finance, and a “soft-law” architecture left unchecked by a decades-long regulatory race to the bottom, proved weak in the face of global financial institutions and crushed the real economy.
Undergraduate students as partners in new faculty orientation and academic development

AbstractAddressing both the increasingly complex process of becoming an educator at the tertiary level and the growing recognition of the importance of student engagement, student–faculty partnerships have emerged as one way of fundamentally rethinking academic development. Participant reflections suggest that the over-time, partnership approach to orientation and development presented in this article effectively supports new faculty as they develop their academic identities. The approach includes opportunities for dialogue and collaboration with students offered before new faculty arrive on campus, as part of orientation before classes begin, during the first semesters of teaching, and in subsequent semesters.
Reliability of ankle goniometric measurements: a literature review.

This article reviews the existing range-of-motion measurement literature related to ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion to determine whether the reliability of ankle range-of-motion measurements can be defined, how the characteristics of the study population or clinician affect reliability, and the level of responsiveness for these measures. A MEDLINE search was performed through February 2004, and 11 articles met the inclusion criteria established for this review. Ample evidence was found for intrarater reliability for ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion range of motion. Although some evidence for interrater reliability of dorsiflexion was found, little evidence for interrater reliability of plantarflexion range of motion was uncovered. On the basis of the current literature, the responsiveness of ankle joint range-of-motion measurements is uncertain and requires further studies using patient populations. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 95(6): 564–572, 2005)
The source of synovial fluid alkaline phosphatase.

SummaryAgar-gel electrophoresis shows that synovia! fluid alkaline phosphatase migrates differently from that of serum but similar to the enzyme of fresh cartilage and bone extracts. It is concluded that the syn-ovial fluid enzyme is derived from the articulating cartilage and not from serum. Purification of the synovial fluid enzyme by a method involving chromatography on TEAE-cellu-lose leads to modification of the enzyme that is accompanied by a change in electrophoretic mobility but not in its rate of sedimentation in a sucrose gradient. Changes in mobility of phosphatases occurred as the result of aging cartilage extracts or treating synovial fluid with neuraminidase. Chymotrypsin and trypsin, which do not alter the mobility, inactivate the phosphatase of cartilage.We thank Dr. Ben Moffett and Miss Janice Ruffing for performing the histological studies.
Cesarean Delivery and Risk for Subsequent Ectopic Pregnancy.

Objective This study aims to examine the risk for subsequent ectopic pregnancy in women with prior cesarean delivery. Study Design Women with a history of at least one cesarean delivery in the state of Utah during 1996 to 2011 were identified and compared with women with vaginal delivery only. The primary outcome was subsequent ectopic pregnancy. Data were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression and stratified by first, second, or third live births. Model covariates included maternal age, ethnicity, marital status, education level, gravidity, and prior ectopic pregnancy. Results Overall, 260,249 women with at least one live birth were identified. After exclusions, 255,082, 154,930, and 70,228 women had at least one, two, and three prior live births that lead to 531, 199, and 62 subsequent ectopic pregnancies, respectively. Women who had one prior cesarean delivery were not at increased risk for subsequent ectopic pregnancy in relation to women with no prior cesarean delivery. However, women with two of two, two of three, or three of three prior cesareans had increased risk for subsequent ectopic pregnancy with odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of 1.54 (1.06–2.22), 3.50 (1.49–8.24), and 1.99 (1.00–3.98), respectively. Conclusion History of two or three cesarean deliveries is associated with increased risk for subsequent ectopic pregnancy.
Thermal Distortion of a Subscale Membrane Mirror

embrane mirrors are a technology that could be used to survey extended objects, those whose image size will be larger than 10 pixels. Membrane mirrors do not offer the precision of glass optics, but they are low mass, can be packaged into relatively small containers for launch, and can have deployed diameters in the tens of meters. In the near term it is unlikely that the resolution of membrane mirrors will approach the performance of traditional mirrors, but for applications such as imaging planetary features or the polar caps on Earth from orbit the performance may be adequate. Membrane optics offer the potential for large apertures that have low production and launch costs. Since remote sensing instruments that use membrane mirrors will be used to resolve features tens of pixels in size, they do not require the same optical precision as telescopes used to image single pixel sources such as stars. For membrane mirrors to be used on-orbit they must maintain their shape under varying thermal conditions. Orbiting telescopes must pass from earth’s shadow into sunlight and from sunlight back into shadow. These transitions can result in significant thermal gradients on the spacecraft. The purpose of this study is to investigate the thermal distortion of a 0.25 m Kapton membrane. This paper will describe the experiment design and computational model development and will present a comparison of the experiment and numerical results.
Novel Modulation of a Nicotinic Receptor Channel Mutant Reveals that the Open State Is Stabilized by Ethanol

Ethanol enhances the gating of a family of related ligand-gated ion channels including nicotinic acetylcholine, serotonin type 3, gamma-aminobutyric acid-A, and glycine receptors. This common action may reflect shared molecular and kinetic mechanisms. In all of these receptors, ethanol enhances multichannel currents elicited with low agonist concentrations, but not with high agonist concentrations. A single mutation in the nicotinic receptor beta subunit, betaT263I, causes ethanol to enhance multichannel currents elicited with both low and high acetylcholine concentrations. Based on the ratios of acetylcholine EC50s in the presence and absence of ethanol, this mutant's sensitivity to enhancement is similar to wild type. Ethanol enhancement of betaT263I receptor activation shows no voltage dependence. In the presence of ethanol, the apparent single-channel conductance of the betaT263I receptor is reduced and the apparent channel lifetime is lengthened. Both the 28% increase in maximal current and the 2-fold reduction in EC50 observed at 300 mM ethanol are quantitatively predicted by simulation of a simple kinetic scheme in which ethanol increases by 4-fold the ratio of microscopic opening rate (beta) to closing rate (alpha) for acetylcholine-bound betaT263I receptors. We conclude that ethanol enhancement of betaT263I currents reflects stabilization of its open-channel state relative to agonist-bound closed states. Ethanol effects in wild-type receptors can also be explained by this mechanism.
Substance Concepts Through Language: Knowing the Meanings of Words

PERCEIVING THE WORLD THROUGH LANGUAGE As I have described substance concepts, having these need not depend on knowing words. Preverbal humans, indeed, any animal that collects practical knowledge over time of how to relate to specific substances needs to have concepts of these. On the other hand, it is clear that language interacts with substance concepts in vigorous ways, completely transforming the conceptual repertoire. Putnam (1975) argued for what he called “the division of linguistic labor,” according to which laymen can borrow on the concepts of experts. Though offering an entirely different analysis, I will conclude similarly, that the public language plays a crucial role both in the acquisition of substance concepts and also in their completed structure. The story so far about substance concepts seems to collide with the obvious fact that many of these concepts, both for children and adults, have been acquired without encountering the substances “themselves” but only by hearing about them. With regard to these very same substances, moreover, we are often in the position that Kripke (1972) and Putnam (1975) observed, having no unique descriptions of them in mind either, so that descriptionist theories of how extensions are determined also do not fit these cases. I will argue that this entire problem falls away if we view speech as a direct medium for the perception of objects. It is traditional to assume that gathering information by being told things is a radically different sort of process from gathering information directly through perception.
Spending on Children's Personal Health Care in the United States, 1996-2013.

Importance Health care spending on children in the United States continues to rise, yet little is known about how this spending varies by condition, age and sex group, and type of care, nor how these patterns have changed over time. Objective To provide health care spending estimates for children and adolescents 19 years and younger in the United States from 1996 through 2013, disaggregated by condition, age and sex group, and type of care. Evidence Review Health care spending estimates were extracted from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Disease Expenditure 2013 project database. This project, based on 183 sources of data and 2.9 billion patient records, disaggregated health care spending in the United States by condition, age and sex group, and type of care. Annual estimates were produced for each year from 1996 through 2013. Estimates were adjusted for the presence of comorbidities and are reported using inflation-adjusted 2015 US dollars. Findings From 1996 to 2013, health care spending on children increased from $149.6 (uncertainty interval [UI], 144.1-155.5) billion to $233.5 (UI, 226.9-239.8) billion. In 2013, the largest health condition leading to health care spending for children was well-newborn care in the inpatient setting. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and well-dental care (including dental check-ups and orthodontia) were the second and third largest conditions, respectively. Spending per child was greatest for infants younger than 1 year, at $11 741 (UI, 10 799-12 765) in 2013. Across time, health care spending per child increased from $1915 (UI, 1845-1991) in 1996 to $2777 (UI, 2698-2851) in 2013. The greatest areas of growth in spending in absolute terms were ambulatory care among all types of care and inpatient well-newborn care, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and asthma among all conditions. Conclusions and Relevance These findings provide health policy makers and health care professionals with evidence to help guide future spending. Some conditions, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and inpatient well-newborn care, had larger health care spending growth rates than other conditions.
American football and fatal exertional heat stroke: a case study of Korey Stringer

On August 1, 2001, Korey Stringer, a Pro Bowl offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, became the first and to date the only professional American football player to die from exertional heat stroke (EHS). The death helped raise awareness of the dangers of exertional heat illnesses in athletes and prompted the development of heat safety policies at the professional, collegiate, and interscholastic levels. Despite the public awareness of this death, no published study has examined in detail the circumstances surrounding Stringer's fatal EHS. Using the well-documented details of the case, our study shows that Stringer's fatal EHS was the result of a combination of physiological limitations, organizational and treatment failings, and extreme environmental conditions. The COMfort FormulA (COMFA) energy budget model was used to assess the relative importance of several extrinsic factors on Stringer's EHS, including weather conditions, clothing insulation, and activity levels. We found that Stringer's high-intensity training in relation to the oppressive environmental conditions was the most prominent factor in producing dangerous, uncompensable heat stress conditions and that the full football uniform played a smaller role in influencing Stringer's energy budget. The extreme energy budget levels that led to the fatal EHS would have been avoided according to our modeling through a combination of reduced intensity and lower clothing insulation. Finally, a long delay in providing medical treatment made the EHS fatal. These results highlight the importance of modern heat safety guidelines that provide controls on extrinsic factors, such as the adjustment of duration and intensity of training along with protective equipment modifications based on environmental conditions and the presence of an emergency action plan focused on rapid recognition and immediate on-site aggressive cooling of EHS cases.
Improving the repeatability of Motor Unit Number Index (MUNIX) by introducing additional epochs at low contraction levels.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the repeatability of (Motor Unit Number Index) MUNIX under repeatability conditions, specify the origin of variations and provide strategies for quality control. Methods MUNIX calculations were performed on the bicep brachii muscles of eight healthy subjects. Negative effect of suboptimal electrode positions on MUNIX accuracy was eliminated by employing the high-density surface electromyography technique. MUNIX procedures that utilized a variety of surface interferential pattern (SIP) epoch recruitment strategies (including the original MUNIX procedure, two proposed improvement strategies and their combinations) were described. For each MUNIX procedure, ten thousands of different SIP pools were constructed by randomly recruiting necessary SIP epochs from a large SIP epoch pool (3 datasets, 9 independent electromyography recordings at different contraction levels per dataset and 10 SIP epochs per recording) and implemented for MUNIX calculation. The repeatability of each MUNIX procedure was assessed by summarizing the resulting MUNIX distribution and compared to investigate the effect of SIP epoch selection strategy on repeatability performance. Results SIP epochs selected at lower contraction levels have a stronger influence on the repeatability of MUNIX than those selected at higher contraction levels. MUNIX under repeatability conditions follows a normal distribution and the standard deviation can be significantly reduced by introducing more epochs near the MUNIX definition line. Conclusions The MUNIX technique shows an inherent variation attributable to SIP epochs at low contraction levels. It is recommended that more epochs should be sampled at these low contraction levels to improve the repeatability. Significance The present study thoroughly documented the inherent variation of MUNIX and the causes, and offered practical solutions to improve the repeatability of MUNIX.
Economic and conservation implications of converting exotic forages to native warm-season grass

Abstract Intensive agriculture can have negative environmental consequences such as nonpoint source pollution and the simplification of biotic communities, and land sharing posits that conservation can be enhanced by integrating agricultural productivity and biodiversity on the same land. In the Southeastern United States, native warm-season grasses (NWSG) may be a land sharing alternative to exotic forages currently in production because of greater livestock gains with lower fertilizer inputs, and habitat for grassland birds. However, uncertainty regarding costs and risk poses an important barrier to incorporating NWSG in livestock operations. We evaluated the economic and conservation implications of NWSG conversion among small, operational-scale pastures (6.8–10.5 ha) during 2011–2012 at the Prairie Research Unit in Monroe Co., Mississippi (USA). We used partial budgets to compare the marginal rate of return (MRR e ) from converting exotic grass pastures to either a NWSG monoculture of Indiangrass ( Sorghastrum nutans ) or a NWSG mix of Indiangrass, little bluestem ( Schizachyrium scoparium ), and big bluestem ( Andropogon gerardii ). We similarly compared changes in productivity of dickcissels ( Spiza americana ), a grassland bird specializing in tall structure. Average daily gain (ADG) of steers and revenue were consistently higher for NWSG treatments than exotic grass pasture, but ADG declined between years. Indiangrass pastures yielded consistently positive MRR e , indicating producers would receive 16–24% return on investment. Marginal rate of return was lower for mixed NWSG (−12 to 3%), driven by slightly lower livestock ADG and higher establishment costs than for Indiangrass. Sensitivity analyses indicated that MRR e also was influenced by cattle selling price. Conversely, mixed NWSG increased dickcissel productivity by a greater degree than Indiangrass per amount invested in NWSG conversion, suggesting a tradeoff between livestock and dickcissel production between the two NWSG treatments. Given continued increases in livestock prices, NWSG could be a sustainable land sharing alternative to exotic pastures currently in production, but subsidies and changes in management may be required for NWSG conversion to be viable for producers and to maintain conservation benefits.
Technoference: Parent Distraction With Technology and Associations With Child Behavior Problems

Heavy parent digital technology use has been associated with suboptimal parent–child interactions, but no studies examine associations with child behavior. This study investigates whether parental problematic technology use is associated with technology-based interruptions in parent–child interactions, termed “technoference,” and whether technoference is associated with child behavior problems. Parent reports from 170 U.S. families (child Mage = 3.04 years) and actor–partner interdependence modeling showed that maternal and paternal problematic digital technology use predicted greater technoference in mother–child and father–child interactions; then, maternal technoference predicted both mothers’ and fathers’ reports of child externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results suggest that technological interruptions are associated with child problem behaviors, but directionality and transactional processes should be examined in future longitudinal studies.
Section 1 of the Thirteenth Amendment and the Badges and Incidents of Slavery

This Article presents the first comprehensive treatment of the basic and officially “open” question whether Section 1 of the Thirteenth Amendment directly bans the badges and incidents of slavery. Surprisingly, in light of present-day uncertainty, the historical record is relatively clear on this issue. Members of the Thirty-Ninth Congress generally agreed that Section 1 banned at least some of the badges and incidents; they parted company over which ones. The Democrats and their allies claimed that it outlawed only the core incidents of slavery, for example chattelization and physically or legally forced labor. But their Republican opponents maintained that it banned a far broader set including— at a minimum—denials of the rights enumerated in the Civil Rights Act of 1866, namely to enjoy the same rights to make contracts, own property, and participate in court as were enjoyed by white citizens. Until 1968, courts also assumed that the issue of badges and incidents hinged on Section 1. Contrary to the received wisdom, Jones v. Alfred H. Mayer Co., decided in that year, announced for the first time that the identification of badges and incidents might be a task for Congress under the Section 2 power to enact “appropriate” enforcement legislation. Although the Court has maintained for nearly half a century that the question is “open,” the practical reality is that lower courts honor the narrow reading of Section 1 initially proposed by the unsuccessful Democratic opponents of both the Amendment and the 1866 Civil Rights Act, and later introduced to jurisprudence in the now-discredited Jim Crow decisions of Plessy v. Ferguson and Hodges v. United States. It is not too late to resolve the official uncertainty by embracing the Republican reading. This choice would restart the process, commenced by the Thirty-Ninth Congress but derailed in Plessy and Hodges, of determining what it means to ensure that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude “shall exist.” The Article concludes by exploring some of the basic interpretive issues and their implications for the constitutional law of racially disparate impact, race-based affirmative action, gender equality, and reproductive freedom.
Ecology and Role of Headwater Streams

Streams are the small bodies of running water that link the terrestrial landscape to larger aquatic ecosystems. They are organized into drainage networks, and hydrologic connectivity of the drainage network is important to maintaining the biological integrity of a stream. Streams serve as distinctive habitat for specialized aquatic invertebrates, and also provide refugia and spawning grounds for many species. Tight physical connections to the terrestrial landscape mean that stream chemistry integrates all the biogeochemical processes occurring in a watershed. Export of carbon and nutrients from watersheds via streams provides an important contribution to the nutrient loading of downstream aquatic ecosystems. Biogeochemical processes occurring in the stream and riparian zone can result in removal of organic carbon and nitrate from surface waters, thereby providing an important ecosystem service that helps prevent eutrophication of downstream waters. Because they integrate the effects of a wide variety of processes occurring in their watersheds, the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of streams can serve as important indicators of overall ecosystem health.
Sensing sail luffing by detection of sail shape

Sighted sailors rely on visual cues including telltales and the shape of the sail to trim for maximum efficiency during races. When a sail is trimmed improperly and airflow is no longer laminar, it begins to luff, losing the airfoil shape and flapping loosely. A long-term research project at Olin College has been working with a group of blind sailors to prototype a system that will help them race autonomously. One of the first challenges competitive sailors in the group proposed to Olin was to find a way for the system to detect and notify them of sail luffing because they could not see the sail luffing. Current methods of detecting luffing focus on sensing the repeated oscillation of the sail or the pressure differential across the sail. This paper explores using resistive flex sensors to detect the shape of the sail and rapidly determine whether the sail is luffing.
CAR emissions: cytokines tell the story.

In this issue of Blood, Hay et al describe the cytokine profile associated with cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in a large cohort of adults treated with CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells.1
Chicago’s Redevelopment Machine and Blues Clubs

David Wilson. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018. xiii and 208 pp., illustrations. $99.99 paper (ISBN 978-3-319-88996-2), $99.99 cloth (ISBN 978-3-319-70817-1), $79.00 electronic (ISBN 978-3-31...
Stock Market Short-Termism’s Impact

Stock-market-driven short-termism is crippling the American economy, according to legal, judicial, and media analyses. Firms forgo the R&D they need, cut capital spending, and buy back their own stock so feverishly that they starve themselves of cash. The stock market is the primary cause: directors and executives cannot manage for the long-term when their shareholders furiously trade their company’s stock, they cannot make long-term investments when stockholders demand to see profits on this quarter’s financial statements, they cannot even strategize about the long-term when shareholder activists demand immediate results, and they cannot keep the cash to invest in their future when stock market pressure drains away that cash in stock buybacks. This doomsday version of the stock-market-driven short-termism argument entails economy-wide predictions that have not been well-examined for their severity and accuracy. If the scenario is correct and strong, we should first see sharp increases in stock trading in recent decades and more frequent activist interventions, and these increases should be accompanied by (1) sharply declining investment spending in the United States, where large firms depend on stock markets and where activists are important, as compared to advanced economies that do not depend as much on stock markets, (2) buybacks bleeding cash out from the corporate sector, (3) economy-wide R&D spending declining from what it should be, and (4) a stock market unwilling to support innovative, long-term, technological firms. These are the central channels from stock market-driven short-termism to overall economic degradation. They justify corporate law policies that seek to prevent these outcomes. But these predicted economy-wide outcomes are either undemonstrated, implausible, or untrue. Corporate RD of a post-industrial economy doing more RD and of an economy whose investment intensity depends on overall economic activity, not stock market trading nor hedge fund activism. True, the economy-wide data could hide stock-market hits that hold back R&D from increasing more and that weaken American capital spending more than is fitting for a post-industrial economy. But if so, these have not been shown and several seem implausible. Hence, the calamitous form of the stock-market-driven short-termist argument needs to be reconsidered, recalibrated, and, quite plausibly, rejected. Then, last, comes the broadest question: why has a view that lacks strong economy-wide evidentiary support become the rare corporate governance issues that attracts attention from the media, political players, policymakers, and the public—and that is widely accepted as true? I suggest why in this paper’s final part.
Refinement of Deconvolution by Neural Networks

This chapter presents two seismic deconvolution applications of artificial neural networks. The first application involves a network based upon an adaptive linear combiner (ALC), in order to refine the results of deconvolution. For example, the conventional method of designing a shaping filter for a minimum-delay wavelet, requires the computation of a fixed filter by the method of least-squares. An alternative approach, considered in this chapter, involves an ALC incorporating a learning rule. A fixed filter vector, computed using least-squares, is used as the initial value of the weight vector for the ALC. The ALC then upgrades or refines this weight vector, in order to obtain the final refined filter coefficients. The second application uses a Hopfield neural network to correct for phase rotation, in order to produce an improved zero-phase seismic section, based upon well data.
APPLICATION OF ELECTROPHORESIS-CONVECTION TO THE FRACTIONATION OF BOVINE γ-GLOBULIN

A method of fractionation of proteins in solution in which an electrophoretic adaptation of the principles of the Clusius column is utilized was suggested by Kirkwood in 1941 (1) and tested experimentally by Nielsen and Kirkwood (2) several years later. Recently an electrophoresis-convection apparatus of improved design has been described and successfully used in the fractionation of the pseudoglobulin of horse diphtheria antitoxin (3) and bovine serum proteins (4). Fractionation occurs in a narrow vertical channel between two semipermeable membranes, connecting an upper and lower reservoir. Separation depends upon the superposition of diflerential horizontal electrophoretic transport of the components on vertical convective transport of the solution as a whole. The vertical convective transport is controlled by the horizontal density gradient produced by the electrophoretic migration of the proteins across the channel. The result of the superposition of horizontal electrophoretic transport and vertical convective transport is movement of the mobile components from the top reservoir to the bottom reservoir at rates depending on their mobilities, with a relative enrichment of the top reservoir with respect to the slow components and the bottom reservoir with respect to the fast components. The separation of a protein mixture possessing discrete mobility and isoelectric point spectra, e.g. serum, into its constituent proteins is accomplished by successive immobilization of the components at their respective isoelectric points and transport of the mobile components from the top reservoir of the apparatus.
Post-analytical Error in Fatal Post-Cesarean Necrotizing Fasciitis and Sepsis: A Case Study

This is a case study of a 28 year old morbidly obese pregnant female with severe pre-eclampsia. She delivered at 32 weeks gestation by emergency cesarean section, and was discharged at three days post-surgery. The patient developed sepsis secondary to necrotizing fasciitis. She had been released from the hospital without her final complete blood count (CBC) having been reviewed by the attending physician, although it had been available for approximately 24 hours prior to her departure. The final CBC contained persuasive data suggesting that an adverse outcome could be highly probable. Discussion as to how this ultimately lethal post-analytic error might have been avoided, and perhaps prevented in the future is undertaken. ABBREVIATIONS:CBC - Complete Blood Count, C-section- Cesarean section, HELLP- Hemolysis Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelet count, NICU- Newborn Intensive Care Unit, NRBC nucleated red blood cells, Ob/Gyn - Obstetrician/Gynecologist,, TJC - The Joint Commission, WBC - White Blood Cells
Unrecognized Intramolecular and Intermolecular Attractive Interactions between Fluorine-Containing Motifs and Ether, Carbonyl, and Amino Moieties

In order to elucidate to what extent Coulombic and other interactions contribute to the origins of contrasteric phenomena, we have identified a significant, previously unrecognized interaction between fluorine-containing motifs and groups or molecules containing main-group heteroatoms. The axial conformers of both 2-methoxy- and 2-trifluoromethoxytetrahydropyrans preferentially adopt a rotameric arrangement in which the OCH3 and the OCF3 groups are gauche to the ring oxygen. Given that one would expect a repulsive Columbic interaction to exist between the electronegative fluorines of the CF3 group and the ring oxygen in this rotomeric orientation, this surprising result suggests that an attractive interaction exists between the CF3 group and the oxygen of the ring. The generality and origin of this interaction was examined using nonpolar CF4 to probe intermolecular interactions with systems such as dimethyl ether, trimethylamine, trimethylphosphine, and acetone. In each case there was an attractive interaction leading to formation of a complex. The attraction is not due to van der Waals forces. Rather, the fluorine lone pairs of the CF4 often act as an electron donor in these complexes leading to a transfer of charge between the reactants and formation of the complex. These previously unrecognized fluorine-heteroatom interactions likely play a significant role in the context of understanding the binding interactions of medicinally relevant molecules or pharmaceuticals possessing fluorine-containing pharmacophores with their targets.