cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Implementation of the first level surface detector trigger for the Pierre Auger Observatory Engineering Array

Abstract The Pierre Auger Observatory studies ultra-high energy cosmic rays in the range of 10 18 eV up to the highest energies. The apparatus reaches full sensitivity above 10 19 ev . The southern hemisphere site is currently under construction. When completed, the surface array at this site will contain 1600 water Cherenkov detector stations distributed over 3000 km 2 . Prior to proceeding with full-scale construction, a prototype “Engineering Array”, consisting of 40 detector stations was tested. This paper describes the implementation of the first level surface detector trigger used in the engineering array.
Ontogeny of Time Allocation in Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

The ontogeny of time allocation was studied in a field population of black-tailed prairie dogs, Cynomys ludovicianus. Pups first emerged from their natal burrows in late May. All individuals in the population, including all pups, were observed for 12 weeks following this emergence. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of ontogeny revealed considerable age differences. Upon first emergence, pups were extremely wary and spent most of their time vigilant and little time feeding. As pups aged, they increased time spent feeding and decreased time spent vigilant. Male and female pups behaved similarly. Pups differed from adults in their time allocation patterns and these differences changed as pups aged. Pups were initially more vigilant and fed less than adults, but became less vigilant than adults as the summer progressed. Yearlings behaved similarly to adults. Possible intrinsic (e.g., pup age and weight) and extrinsic (e.g., weather conditions, microhabitat location and coterie composition) influences on time allocation by pups were also examined. In general, extrinsic influences appeared to have more impact on pup behavior than intrinsic ones, suggesting that time allocation by pups may be largely context-dependent. Overall, the considerable number of age differences argues for more consideration of ontogeny in models of antipredator behavior.
THE EFFECTS OF HETEROZYGOSITY CHANGES ON VIABILITY IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

The viability effects of chromosomes from an old and from a new laboratory strain of D. melanogaster were studied in eight factorial combinations and at two heterozygosity levels. The combinations were so constructed that heterozygosity level could be varied in the third chromosomes of the carriers of a homozygous lethal marker, in the third chromosomes of their wild-type segregants, and in the genetic backgrounds of both. Excluding the effect of the marker and the exceptional outcomes of two of the combinations, and taking into account both large and small deviations from theoretical expectation, the following summary is given as the simplest consistent explanation of the results: 1) If total heterozygosities of two segregant types tend toward equality their viabilities tend toward equality also, whether background heterozygosity is high or low; if background heterozygosities is higher the tendency toward equality is slightly greater. 2) If total heterozygosity of two segregant types are unequal the less heterozygous type has the lower viability; the difference is more pronounced when background heterozygosity is low, less when it is high. 3) Differences between segregant viabilities are correlated with differences between the total heterozygosities of the two segregants; genetic background is effective to the extent, and only to the extent, that it contributes to the magnitude of this difference. This in turn appears to underlie, at least partly, the expression of a pronounced interchromosomal epistasis. Thus in this study viability is seen to depend upon both the quantity and distribution of heterozygosity, not only among the chromosomes of an individual but among the individuals of a given combination as well.
EFFECT OF NUMBER OF HENS PER NIPPLE WATERER ON THE PERFORMANCE OF SEVERAL STRAINS OF LAYERS IN CAGES

Abstract Two experiments were designed to study the effects of housing in cages with several hens per nipple waterer (HPN) ratios on performance of several strains of White Leghorn pullets. In Experiment 1, only body weight gain and water consumption were significantly affected by the HPN; hens at the 2:1 HPN gained more weight and consumed more water per day than those at the 4:1 HPN. The lack of a significant strain by HPN interaction indicated that the four strains responded similarly to the different HPN ratios. In Experiment 2, hens in cages with 3.5:1 and 7:1 HPN consumed significantly more water and feed than those in cages with 10:1 and 14:1 HPN. In both experiments, the HPN had no significant effect on age at sexual maturity, egg production, mortality, and egg weight, but efficiency of feed usage for egg production decreased with the 3.5:1 and 7:1 HPN.
Circular inclusions in anti-plane strain couple stress elasticity

The solution for a circular inclusion with a prescribed anti-plane eigenstrain is derived. It is shown that the components of the Eshelby tensor within the inclusion, corresponding to a uniform eigenstrain, can be either uniform or non-uniform, depending on the imposed interface conditions. The stress amplification factors due to circular void or rigid inclusion in an infinite medium under remote anti-plane shear stress are calculated. The failure of the couple stress elasticity to reproduce the classical elasticity solution in the limit of vanishingly small characteristic length is indicated for a particular type of boundary conditions. The solution for a circular inhomogeneity in an infinitely extended matrix subjected to remote shear stress is then derived. The effects of the imposed interface conditions, the shear stress and couple stress discontinuities, and the relationship between the inhomogeneity and its equivalent eigenstrain inclusion problem are discussed.
Seiberg dual for the MSSM: Partially composite W and Z

We examine the possibility that the SU(2)L gauge group of the standard model appears as the dual \magnetic" gauge group of a supersymmetric gauge theory, thus the W and Z (and through mixing, the photon) are composite (or partially composite) gauge bosons. Fully composite gauge bosons are expected to interact strongly at the duality scale, and a large running is needed to match the electroweak gauge couplings. Alternatively one can mix the composite \magnetic" gauge bosons with some elementary ones to obtain realistic models. In the simplest and most compelling example the Higgs and top are composite, the W and Z partially composite and the light fermions elementary. The eective theory is an NMSSM-type model where the singlet is a component of the composite meson. There is no little hierarchy problem and the Higgs mass can be as large as 400 GeV. This \fat Higgs"-like model can be considered as an explicit 4D implementation of RS-type models with gauge elds in the bulk.
Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives

Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives. Patricia Stuart-Macadam and Katherine A. Dettwyler. eds. New York: Aldine de Gruyter Press, 1995. xiii. 430.
Measures of axial symmetry for ovals

A measure of axial symmetry for ovals is defined, and eleven particular measures are studied. Lower bounds for these measures are determined on the classes of arbitrary ovals, centrally symmetric ovals, and ovals of constant breadth. The proofs of these results make use only of elementary geometry and the properties of convexity.
Models of the emergence of language.

▪ Abstract Recent work in language acquisition has shown how linguistic form emerges from the operation of self-organizing systems. The emergentist framework emphasizes ways in which the formal structures of language emerge from the interaction of social patterns, patterns implicit in the input, and pressures arising from general aspects of the cognitive system. Emergentist models have been developed to study the acquisition of auditory and articulatory patterns during infancy and the ways in which the learning of the first words emerges from the linkage of auditory, articulatory, and conceptual systems. Neural network models have also been used to study the learning of inflectional markings and basic syntactic patterns. Using both neural network modeling and concepts from the study of dynamic systems, it is possible to analyze language learning as the integration of emergent dynamic systems.
Potentially Biogenic Carbon Preserved in a 4.1 Billion-Year-Old Zircon

Evidence of life on Earth is manifestly preserved in the rock record. However, the microfossil record only extends to ∼3.5 billion years (Ga), the chemofossil record arguably to ∼3.8 Ga, and the rock record to 4.0 Ga. Detrital zircons from Jack Hills, Western Australia range in age up to nearly 4.4 Ga. From a population of over 10,000 Jack Hills zircons, we identified one >3.8-Ga zircon that contains primary graphite inclusions. Here, we report carbon isotopic measurements on these inclusions in a concordant, 4.10 ± 0.01-Ga zircon. We interpret these inclusions as primary due to their enclosure in a crack-free host as shown by transmission X-ray microscopy and their crystal habit. Their δ13CPDB of −24 ± 5‰ is consistent with a biogenic origin and may be evidence that a terrestrial biosphere had emerged by 4.1 Ga, or ∼300 My earlier than has been previously proposed.
Comparative Protective Effect of Cysteine against Fast Neutron and Gamma Irradiation in Mice

SummaryCysteine pretreatment has been shown to confer significant protection against the acute lethal effects of gamma (Co60) and fast neutron (fission) irradiation in mice. The protection observed with fast neutrons is, however, about half of that found with gamma irradiation. The data presented support the concept of a true dose reduction in the sense that primary mechanisms are involved. The inverse relationship between protective efficiency and ionization density is comparable to that noted for the oxygen effect and, for the present, may best be interpreted in terms of the spatial distribution of the radicals formed in water and their reactions.
New Insecticides for Management of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl, a Virus Vectored by the Silverleaf Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci

Greenhouse studies using a randomized complete block design were carried out to evaluate the effect of six insecticides on transmission of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) by the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci biotype B Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) to tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum (Miller) (Solanales: Solanaceae), seedlings that were inoculated with whiteflies from a TYLCV colony in cages 3, 7, or 14 d after treatment with insecticide. The purpose was to reveal differences in residual efficacy of four materials that are nearing registration for use on tomato-cyazypyr, flupyradifurone, pyrafluquinazon, and sulfoxaflor-and to compare them with two established insecticides, pymetrozine and a zeta-cypermethrin/bifenthrin combination. Differences in efficacy were expected because these six materials represent five distinct modes of action and both contact and systemic materials. Percentage of tomato seedlings expressing virus symptoms tended to be lowest in seedlings treated with flupyradifurone. The zeta-cypermethrin/bifenthrin insecticide demonstrated comparable efficacy to flupyradifurone in some trials at 3 and 7 d after treatment inoculations, but not the 14 d after treatment inoculation. Pyrafluquinazon was not statistically different from cyazypyr or sulfoxaflor in percentage of plants with virus symptoms in any trial. Percentage virus in the cyazypyr and sulfoxaflor treatments was not statistically different in the 3 and 7 d after treatment inoculations. Among seedlings treated with insecticide, percentage with virus symptoms tended to be highest in the seedlings treated with pymetrozine.
Ethnopsychiatry in France

The author recounts his introduction to ethnically-oriented psychiatric consultations for immigrant families, which has gained increasing recognition in France over the lastl5 years. Based on the theoretical work of George Devereux on the relation of culture to psychiatry, a group led by Tobie Nathan, a psychoanalytic psychologist, has developed large group multicultural consultations to make sense of the complex problems presented by patients from non-Western societies. Their work in clinical settings has evolved into the Centre George Devereux at the University of Paris Nord, where training in methods of consultation and mediation for immigrant communities take place. Their thinking has often challenged established psychiatric theories and practices based on Western society norms.
Fluid shear stress stimulates platelet-derived growth factor expression in endothelial cells

Fluid flow and the associated shear stress play a critical role in vascular growth and remodeling. Recent data suggest that increased endothelial cell expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) A- and B-chain by flow may participate in these events. In the present study, we examined the mechanism for flow-induced PDGF expression, focusing on protein kinase C (PKC). Bovine aortic endothelial cells were exposed to flow (shear stress = 30 dyn/cm2) in a parallel-plate flow chamber. Increases in PDGF B-chain, but not PDGF A-chain, were observed within 3 h, maximal within 6 h (13-fold increase), and sustained for 24 h. PKC appeared to be involved because phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate induced PDGF B-chain mRNA. Activation of PKC alone, however, was insufficient to induce PDGF mRNA because the selective PKC activator, 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol, did not induce PDGF expression. A PKC-independent pathway was suggested by the fact that inhibition of PKC (downregulation with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate or exposure to staurosporine) failed to block PMA or flow-induced PDGF B-chain expression. These results demonstrate flow-induced PDGF B-chain expression in endothelial cells that appears to be mediated, in part, by a PKC-independent pathway.
Annotation of Chest Radiology Reports forźIndexing and Retrieval

Annotation of MEDLINE citations with controlled vocabulary terms improves the quality of retrieval results. Due to variety in descriptions of similar clinical phenomena and abundance of negation and uncertainty, annotation of clinical radiology reports for subsequent indexing and retrieval with a search engine is even more important. Provided with an opportunity to add about 4,000 radiology reports to collections indexed with NLM image retrieval engine Open-i, we needed to assure good retrieval quality. To accomplish this, we explored automatic and manual approaches to annotation, as well as developed a small controlled vocabulary of chest x-ray indexing terms and guidelines for manual annotation. Manual annotation captured the most salient findings in the reports and normalized the sparse distinct descriptions of similar findings to one controlled vocabulary term. This paper presents the vocabulary and the manual annotation process, as well as an evaluation of the automatic annotation of the reports.
Diffusion of sulfonamides and penicillin into fibrin.

Summary and ConclusionUsing a modification of the cup assay method on agar and iibrin plates, there is no evidence of penetration of sulfathiazole and sulfadiazine into fibrin. Penicillin diffuses almost as well into fibrin as into agar. It is suggested that the diffusibility of penicillin into fibrin is an important factor in the efficacy of this substance in the treatment of subacute bacterial endocarditis.
Strategic Mechanisms, Functional Modeling and Experimental Design in Neurolaw

This paper has four goals. The first is to provide an overview of the emerging sub-discipline of “Neurolaw.” Incorporating the insights of neuroscience into legal analysis and policy-setting is a rapidly expanding enterprise. The second goal is to focus on game theory and mechanism design, which provide useful analytic starting points for applying cognitive neuroscience in a social context. This leads to the third goal. This paper suggests that the formal structures of the mechanisms of sociality may be represented in the structures of the cognitive processes which implement them. I do not mean to suggest that there is a simple and direct homology between such mechanisms and any particular physical structures within the brain. It is widely recognized, however, that the brain is a computational device, and the brain processes which carry out a particular type of computation will necessarily reflect the requirements of the computation being made. Finally, the paper suggests an application of this mechanism-based approach to a particular instance: understanding the nature of human moral commitment.
Incidence of and Predictors for Early Discontinuation of Biological Therapies in Veteran Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background Biological therapies are effective for inducing and maintaining remission in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but patients often require changes in biological agents over the course of their illness. We sought to evaluate the rate of and reasons for discontinuing biological agents and to identify risk factors for their discontinuation. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study across 4 VA hospital systems (Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Ann Arbor, MI; Richmond, VA). Patients with IBD who were started on biological therapy between 1998 and 2015 were identified, and their medical records were reviewed to confirm the diagnosis of IBD and to collect study data. Results Of 1969 patients with IBD; 256 were treated with 346 courses of therapy. By 6 months after initiation of therapy, 82 (24%) had stopped the biological agent. Among patients starting their first biological agent, 21.5% had stopped by 6 months. Patients taking a concomitant thiopurine and those with ileocolonic disease or a nonpenetrating, nonstricturing phenotype were less likely to discontinue biological therapy, whereas those taking 5-ASA concomitantly were more likely to discontinue biological therapy. The most common reasons for discontinuation were primary nonresponse (40%) and adverse drug reactions (29%). Conclusions In conclusion, in a large multicenter VA cohort, we found that 24% of patients who are prescribed a biological stop their treatment early, most commonly for primary nonresponse or for an adverse drug reaction. Consideration should be given to treating patients with a concomitant thiopurine if at all possible, as this reduces the likelihood of early discontinuation.
Inhibition of cell growth and the synthesis of ribonucleic acid and protein in HeLa cells by morphinans and related compounds.

The ability of a group of congeners of morphinan and related compounds to inhibit the growth of HeLa cells has been correlated with their ability to inhibit protein and RNA synthesis in the intact cell. With the exception of thebaine, the inhibition of protein synthesis by these compounds is associated with a dissolution of polysome structure. As shown earlier, the effects on protein synthesis appear to be indirect, since the compounds tested did not inhibit amino acid incorporation when added to a cell-free HeLa system, and there is evidence that these compounds profoundly affect intracellular ATP levels. The structural features required for inhibitory action have been analyzed. One interpretation of our findings points to the existence in HeLa cells of a mechanism for recognizing the C- and D-ring regions of the morphinans and related molecules. In the absence of information on the penetration and transport of these compounds, other mechanistic interpretations must be considered.
EFFECTS OF PUTRESCINE AND MAGNESIUM ON THE RIBOSOMES OF A PSEUDOMONAS.

Abstract In our Pseudomonas system, putrescine and magnesium both induce ribosomal aggregation. The high sedimenting particles formed in the presence of 10 mM putrescine appear to be less effective in stimulating protein synthesis than those formed in the presence of 10 mM magnesium.
Prospective Validation of the NIAID/FAAN Criteria for Emergency Department Diagnosis of Anaphylaxis.

Background Anaphylaxis diagnostic criteria were proposed at the Second Symposium on the Definition and Management of Anaphylaxis. These criteria were 97% sensitive and 82% specific when retrospectively validated. Objective To prospectively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (NIAID/FAAN) criteria for diagnosis of anaphylaxis in the emergency department (ED). Methods We conducted a prospective observational study of patients seen in our institution's ED from April 2010 to March 2013. Patients seeking care for an allergic reaction and possible anaphylaxis were enrolled. Patients and providers completed questionnaires regarding onset, trigger, and signs and symptoms. Records were reviewed independently and blindly by 2 board-certified allergist-immunologists, and their final diagnosis (anaphylaxis vs no anaphylaxis) was used as the reference standard. Two-by-two tables were built, and test characteristics were calculated. Results Among the 174 enrolled patients, 91 (52%) met the NIAID/FAAN criteria for anaphylaxis. The allergist-immunologists diagnosed 61 cases of anaphylaxis (35%), of which 58 (95%) also satisfied the NIAID/FAAN criteria. The interrater agreement between allergist-immunologists was substantial ( κ = 0.7). Test characteristics (95% CIs) of the NIAID/FAAN criteria were as follows: sensitivity, 95.1% (85.4%-98.7%); specificity, 70.8% (61.4%-78.8%); positive predictive value, 63.7% (52.9%-73.4%); negative predictive value, 96.4% (89.1%-99.1%); positive likelihood ratio, 3.26; and negative likelihood ratio, 0.07. Conclusions Prospectively, the NIAID/FAAN criteria continued to be highly sensitive (95%) but had lower specificity (71%) than on retrospective assessment. These criteria are likely to be useful for the diagnosis of anaphylaxis in the ED.
The relationship between anthropometry and body composition from computed tomography: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America Study

ABSTRACTObjective: Few studies examine the relationships between anthropometry and the body composition measures they approximate, or whether they differ by sex, and no studies have examined these relationships in South Asians living in the US.Design: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 871 participants in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study who had BMI < 40 kg/m2 and underwent abdominal CT scans for measurement of visceral and subcutaneous fat. Linear regression was used to model the associations between anthropometric measures and naturally log-transformed body composition measures.Results: All measures of anthropometry, except height, were significantly associated with visceral fat and had a significant non-linear component (p < .05). The only associations for visceral fat that exhibited significant heterogeneity by sex were waist circumference (% difference in visceral fat slope: women 1.92, men 2.74, p = .007 for interaction) and waist-to-hip ratio (w...
On the application of a lattice method to configurational and fracture mechanics

Abstract This study elucidates the concept of material forces at the tip of an evolving crack in brittle homogeneous materials by using a numerical lattice approach. A 2D lattice with an erosion algorithm is employed in the context of LEFM to investigate two well-known classic fracture problems in Mode I, i.e., a center-cracked rectangular panel with finite dimensions and a three-point bending beam with a notch. Validated by the well-developed analytical solutions for these two configurations, the lattice is used to derive crack tip driving forces in the direction of crack propagation based on the change of global stiffness matrix of the mesh before and after crack growth without any stress calculations, and to obtain the material forces opposing the tip motion utilizing the Eshelby-stress tensor and local force balance law in cracked bodies. Comparing these two distinct approaches, it is observed that the discrete material forces at the crack tip are closely equal to the tip driving forces, but with different signs, confirming that the lattice approach approximates the values of crack tip material forces using Eshelby-stress distributions. Moreover, satisfying C 1 continuity by including rotational displacements for the Euler–Bernoulli based frame struts, there is no need for the lattice model to update interior computational point positions in the mesh to eliminate spurious material forces away from the tip, a complication observed in Finite Element formulations. The discrete material forces are then characterized for the two problems by only three material parameters, i.e., Young's modulus, uniaxial tensile strength, and the configurational characteristic width or crack band. After conducting a regression analysis on the material forces with respect to different tensile strength values, a parabolic relationship emerges between the material forces and tensile strengths. This feature is employed to extract the crack band width values by the lattice approach, which are explicitly used to obtain the crack tip material forces of the two classic problems. Being simple in terms of constitutive formulation, failure criterion, and capable of obtaining the configurational characteristic width or crack band for different boundary value problems for brittle homogeneous isotropic materials, the numerical lattice formulation sheds light on the important concept of material force in Configurational and Fracture Mechanics.
Improved treatment of exact exchange in Quantum ESPRESSO

We present an algorithm and implementation for the parallel computation of exact exchange in Quantum ESPRESSO (QE) that exhibits greatly improved strong scaling. QE is an open-source software package for electronic structure calculations using plane wave density functional theory, and supports the use of local, semi-local, and hybrid DFT functionals. Wider application of hybrid functionals is desirable for the improved simulation of electronic band energy alignments and thermodynamic properties, but the computational complexity of evaluating the exact exchange potential limits the practical application of hybrid functionals to large systems and requires efficient implementations. We demonstrate that existing implementations of hybrid DFT that utilize a single data structure for both the local and exact exchange regions of the code are significantly limited in the degree of parallelization achievable. We present a band-pair parallelization approach, in which the calculation of exact exchange is parallelized and evaluated independently from the parallelization of the remainder of the calculation, with the wavefunction data being efficiently transformed on-the-fly into a form that is optimal for each part of the calculation. For a 64 water molecule supercell, our new algorithm reduces the overall time to solution by nearly an order of magnitude.
Regulatory BC1 RNA in cognitive control

Dendritic regulatory BC1 RNA is a non-protein-coding (npc) RNA that operates in the translational control of gene expression. The absence of BC1 RNA in BC1 knockout (KO) animals causes translational dysregulation that entails neuronal phenotypic alterations including prolonged epileptiform discharges, audiogenic seizure activity in vivo, and excessive cortical oscillations in the γ frequency band. Here we asked whether BC1 RNA control is also required for higher brain functions such as learning, memory, or cognition. To address this question, we used odor/object attentional set shifting tasks in which prefrontal cortical performance was assessed in a series of discrimination and conflict learning sessions. Results obtained in these behavioral trials indicate that BC1 KO animals were significantly impaired in their cognitive flexibility. When faced with conflicting information sources, BC1 KO animals committed regressive errors as they were compromised in their ability to disengage from recently acquired memories even though recall of such memories was in conflict with new situational context. The observed cognitive deficits are reminiscent of those previously described in subtypes of human autism spectrum disorders.
Scaffolded Help for Learning: How Experts Collaboratively Support Newcomer Participation in Online Communities

Online communities, often in the form of discussion forums, encapsulate the very notion of "doing good with technology" by serving as a conduit for help-seeking and problem-solving by users who volunteer their time and effort. One form of helping is assisting others with learning new content, an under-examined topic within the context of online communities, and in this paper we present a study investigating how online discussion forums go beyond informational support and guide newcomers' learning. We analyzed a forum dedicated to helping newcomers learn the programming language Java™. Using an empirical approach that combined analysis of forum data with interviews with expert we found that experts consciously and collaboratively scaffolded newcomers' learning by creating shared understanding, providing ongoing diagnosis, and fading their help over time. Multiple resources were leveraged for scaffolding and learners often received personalized instruction through collaborative contributions of multiple experts on the forum.
Implicit Cue-Taking in Elections

Can implicit racial cues change voters’ perceptions about a candidate’s race, and even change their support for a candidate? The results from a recent local election, in which a white conservative man defeated a well-established African American incumbent with Democratic endorsements in a predominantly non-white and Democratic district, suggest that is can be done. In this paper we run an experiment to test whether the anecdotal explanation for this outcome, that a white Dave Wilson implied that he was black by including photos of only African Americans in his campaign mailers, holds true. We not only find that the racial composition of campaign photos affects perceptions about a candidate’s race, it also translates into increased electoral support: Black respondents were more likely to vote for a candidate whose campaign flyer used black images relative to the same flyer that used photos of white people. We also explore whether this electoral boost comes from voters wanting an elected official who looks like them, or whether voters use the candidate’s race as a way to infer other politically-relevant information, like ideology and policy stances. While we find that black respondents who viewed campaign materials with black images perceived the candidate as more liberal and more Democratic, the effects do not persist at the level of individual policy positions or personal characteristics. Taken together, our results highlight how voters gather and use information in low-salience elections and demonstrate that a campaign strategy of implicit racial cuing seems to be an effective one.
Numerical comparison of nonstandard schemes for the Airy equation

This paper considers the Airy ordinary differential equation (ODE) and different ways it can be discretized. We first consider a standard discretization using the central difference scheme. We then consider two difference schemes which were created using a nonstandard methodology. Finally, we compare the different schemes and how well they approximate solutions to the Airy ODE.
A preliminary study on combination therapy of artemisinin dimer oxime and topotecan against nonsmall cell lung cancer in mice

Background: Artemisinin dimer oxime – dimer molecule synthesized from artemisinin possesses high bioavailability and marked in vitro anticancer activities against solid tumor-derived cell lines, endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenic processes. Numerous murine models have been developed to study human cancer. The most widely used models are the human tumor xenograft mouse model. Materials and Methods: In this study, human tumor cells (NCI-H640, 1 × 107 in 100 μL) are implanted subcutaneously, or 1 × 107 in 50 μL in the thoracic cavity, in athymic nude mice (nu/nu). The implanted cells were allowed to grow for 10 days before initiation of drug treatment (dimer oxime and topotecan, ip). Tumor volume and thoracic/body weight ratio were recorded. Results: We successfully established subcutaneous and thoracic xenografts with human nonsmall cell lung cancer cell line xenografts in athymic nude mice in only 10 days. Using these models, we attempted treatment of xenografts with topotecan – a known anticancer drug and artemisinin dimer oxime or combination of these two drugs. Combination therapy showed a significant reduction in tumor volume and tumor/body weight. Treatments with combination of topotecan and dimer oxime resulted in the reduced mortality rates in comparison with untreated mice. Conclusions: Xenograft tumor models are useful for preclinical screening of new pharmacophores. From this preliminary study, it appears that combination of dimer oxime and topotecan may be used as chemotherapeutic agents against nonsmall cell lung cancer. Further studies are needed to evaluate other combination treatment regimens as well as the mechanism(s) of action.
Mining place-time affinity to improve POI recommendation

A Point of Interest(POI) is a location that one may find useful or interesting. POI recommendation is a key feature in location-based social networks (LBSNs). With the development of mobile devices and apps, POI recommendation becomes a very popular topic and it includes humongous data. Current models always suffer from the problem of data sparsity. In this paper we propose a novel transfer learning model to learn affinity between the time and places, and use the mined features to improve the performance of a content-based POI recommendation system. In particular, we use check-in data to learn latent vectors for time and place category features by non-negative matrix factorization. Then, the mined densely embedded features are input to a gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) based pairwise scoring model, which is trained by the check-in data of another city, to do POI recommendation. We conduct our experiment on the Foursquare check-in dataset, and discover that the learned latent vectors can dramatically improve the performance of a POI recommendation system.
CHARACTERIZATION OF ACETANILIDE-P-450LM INTERACTIONS: IMPLICATIONS REGARDING SUBSTRATE SPECIFICITY

1 H FT NMR longitudinal relaxation rate studies were undertaken to characterize the interaction of acetanilide with P–450LM 2 and P–450LM 4 . P–450LM 4 selectively enhanced the paramagnetic relaxation rate of the phenyl protons of acetanilide; in contrast, P–450LM 2 selectively enhanced the paramagnetic relaxation rate of the methyl protons of acetanilide. Tnese results suggest that acetanilide is oriented in a manner such that the methyl protons most closely approach the paramagnetic heme iron atom of P–450LM 2 , whereas it is the phenyl protons that are closer to the catalytic site of P–450LM 4 .
Excuses Gone Awry

Bob faced a dilemma. His oft-stated ambition was to be a social worker. In fact, he had been one briefly but lost his job because he was unable to overcome his obsessive fears about things that might happen to him when he went to work. Over the course of several months he skipped twice as many days of work as he attended, and he ultimately agreed to “resign” his position. Now he needed only to complete a correspondence course to regain his certification.
Exo-parametric (“inside-out”) model of discounted cash flow calculations using NPV%: Macro calculation of coefficients for an exact, collapsed financial model

Abstract In a 2013 paper (Mellichamp, 2013), the author developed an internally-consistent discounted cash flow (DCF) model that represents the key financial outputs of a conceptual chemical process design using just four variables: • Total investment, TI (capital required to construct and operate a project for NTotal years), • ROIBT and NPVproj (the traditional annual and long-term (NPV) profitabilities), and • NPV% [a new metric whose reciprocal, (NPV%)−1, directly expresses short-term project risk]. A traditional spreadsheet relating these four dependent long- and short-term financial metrics to a project's two independent design variables, PBT and FC, is functionally dependent on the many process design parameters (tax rate, discount factor, etc.) and highly complicated, involving non-linear (mostly geometric) relationships. Surprisingly, an exact linear-in-the-parameters “inner model” including the usual nonlinear relation for ROIBT is obtained by collapsing the original large-scale financial model (the complicated spreadsheet) using these four dependent variables, if the coefficients are functions of fixed design parameters , as when held constant in design. The power/utility to understand several key features of a project's design financial characteristics are revealed via the “inner model” through this reversal of the usual modeling hierarchy. The “outer model” coefficients incorporate the highly non-linear DCF functionalities. The new form is referred to as “exo-parametric” or an “inside-out” model.
Strategies to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and increase water access and intake among young children: perspectives from expert stakeholders.

Objectives To summarize stakeholder recommendations and ratings of strategies to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and increase water access and intake among young children (0-5 years). Design Two online surveys: survey 1 asked respondents to recommend novel and innovative strategies to promote healthy beverage behaviour; survey 2 asked respondents to rank each of these strategies on five domains (overall importance, feasibility, effectiveness, reach, health equity). Open-ended questions were coded and analysed for thematic content. Setting Using a snowball sampling approach, respondents were invited to complete the survey through an email invitation or an anonymous listserv link. Of the individuals who received a private email invitation, 24 % completed survey 1 and 29 % completed survey 2. Subjects Survey 1 (n 276) and survey 2 (n 182) included expert stakeholders who work on issues related to SSB and water consumption. Results Six overarching strategies emerged to change beverage consumption behaviours (survey 1): education; campaigns and contests; marketing and advertising; price changes; physical access; and improving the capacity of settings to promote healthy beverages. Labelling and sugar reduction (e.g. reformulation) were recommended as strategies to reduce SSB consumption, while water testing and remediation emerged as a strategy to promote water intake. Stakeholders most frequently recommended (survey 1) and provided higher ratings (survey 2) to strategies that used policy, systems and/or environmental changes. Conclusions The present study is the first to assess stakeholder opinions on strategies to promote healthy beverage consumption. This knowledge is key for understanding where stakeholders believe resources can be best utilized.
Basic Principles of Infection Control

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in children contribute substantially to morbidity and pose a significant risk to patient safety. Infection prevention and control strategies are designed to protect patients and healthcare workers from acquiring and transmitting infectious diseases. Hand hygiene and isolation practices are the foundation of many infection prevention programs. Evidence-based guidelines assist institutions in implementing these best practices and recommendations. Increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant pathogens presents a unique challenge for infection preventionists. Increased application of quality improvement methodology and national improvement networks provide opportunities to identify new and innovative strategies for prevention and control of HAIs. Furthermore, required reporting of HAIs serves as a mechanism of accountability and incentive for continued improvement. Although rare, hospital outbreaks require coordinated investigation and management with all key stakeholders. The general principles of infection control historically have been focused on the hospital setting; however, there is an increasing amount of procedures and patient care delivered in outpatient, transitional, or long-term care facilities. Thus, practitioners should also apply appropriate principles of infection control and prevention in these settings.
Development of ventilatory long-term facilitation is dependent on estrous cycle stage in adult female rats.

Abstract Ventilatory long-term facilitation (vLTF) is a form of respiratory plasticity characterized by a progressive and sustained increase in minute ventilation over time following acute, intermittent hypoxia (AIH). Though vLTF has been repeatedly demonstrated in adult males (rats and humans), few studies have assessed vLTF in adult females and no studies have explored differential expression of vLTF across the normal female estrous cycle. We recently reported that AIH-induced plasticity of phrenic motor output (phrenic long-term facilitation, pLTF), a phenotypically similar form of respiratory plasticity presenting as a sustained increase in phrenic nerve amplitude, develops in adult female rats only during the proestrus stage of the estrous cycle, notable for high levels of serum estrogen. Here, we tested the hypothesis that AIH-induced vLTF would also be estrous-stage dependent; developing in female rats during proestrus, but not estrus. Barometric plethysmography in adult (4–5 months), normally cycling female rats revealed a progressive increase in minute ventilation for 60 min following AIH (5 × 5 min episodes; 10% O2) during proestrus indicative of vLTF, while estrus rats showed no changes in minute ventilation over the same time period. The development of vLTF in proestrus rats was driven by changes in tidal volume production versus respiratory frequency consistent with prior studies. These data are the first to investigate differential vLTF expression across the estrous cycle in adult female rats and highlight the importance of female estrous cycle stage as a critical physiological variable to consider in studies of AIH-induced plasticity.
Preparation of 2-alkylidene oxetanes: An investigation of the Paterno-Büchi reaction between aliphatic aldehydes and allenes

Abstract Preliminary results of an examination of factors influencing the stoichiometry and regioselectivity of the Paterno-Buchi reaction between aliphatic aldehydes and nonsymmetrical allenes are divulged. Surprisingly little regioselectivity was seen with 3-methyl-1,2-butadiene ( 6 ); however, 1-ethoxy-1,2-propadiene ( 14 ) provided a single regioisomer.
Comparison of Biomechanical Performance Among Posterolateral Fusion and Transforaminal, Extreme, and Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Finite Element Analysis.

Objective We compared the biomechanical differences among posterolateral fusion (PLF) and transforaminal, extreme, and oblique lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF, XLIF, and OLIF, respectively) procedures. Methods An intact finite element (FE) model of the L3–L5 lumbar spine was constructed. The PLF, TLIF with a banana-shaped cage, TLIF with a straight cage, XLIF, and OLIF procedures were simulated at the L4-L5 level. The range of motion (ROM) and stress peaks in the cortical endplate, cancellous bone, and posterior instrument were compared among the 5 constructs. Results The PLF construct had much greater ROM than did the other constructs (0.44°–1.05° vs. 0.28°–0.72°). The TLIF with a straight cage induced the greatest stress peaks in the endplate and cancellous bone (24.94–60.03 MPa and 0.72–1.96 MPa, respectively), followed by the TLIF with a banana-shaped cage (23.73–44.8 MPa and 0.6–1.36 MPa, respectively). The OLIF construct (16.76–32.41 MPa and 0.54–1.07 MPa, respectively) and XLIF construct (17.01–35.34 MPa and 0.56–1.12 MPa, respectively) induced much lower stress peaks in the endplate and cancellous bone. In the PLF construct, the stress peaks in the posterior instrument ranged from 244.6 to 377.4 MPa, significantly greater than those in the other constructs (123.9–237.4 MPa). Conclusion The PLF had less stability than the other 3 fusion procedures owing to the greater ROM and stress peaks in the posterior instrument. The OLIF and XLIF induced fewer stress peaks in the cortical endplate and cancellous bone than did the TLIF procedure, which was beneficial for subsidence resistance and disc height and segmental angle maintenance.
Ten-million years of activity within the Eastern California Shear Zone from U–Pb dating of fault-zone opal

Abstract Reconstructions of long-term fault activity are essential for understanding both the mechanisms controlling fault behavior and accurate earthquake hazard assessments. Increasing evidence for temporal variations in strain accumulation suggests non-uniform strain rates over a range of historic to geologic timescales. The paucity of long-term records of fault activity has limited our ability to resolve these variations. We present a method for constraining long-term fault activity based on U–Pb dating of fault-related opal from secondary fault segments within the Eastern California Shear Zone (ECSZ). The presence of sheared and breccia-cemented opaline silica within well-exposed faults at near-surface conditions suggest that opal formation is associated with high-magnitude earthquakes capable of surface rupture (>6 M). Temporal constraints from massive and sheared syntectonic opal ( n = 74 ) on related secondary faults from this study provide new insights on the timing of fault initiation, reactivation, and longevity. The oldest dates obtained indicate that ECSZ activity commenced at or before 10 Ma. Multiple deformation events dated within a single structure on episodically deposited and sheared opal (up to six generations), demonstrate that fault reactivation occurred over 105 yr timescales (0.7–0.1 Myr). Relative probabilities of dated deformation events can be used to evaluate changes in fault activity in the past 2.5 Ma ( n = 60 ). This analysis indicates enhanced fault activity starting at 2 Ma and peaking around 1 Ma, possibly due to fault-interactions and distribution of deformation between the ECSZ and the San Andreas Fault.
Characterization of the Corrosion Behavior of Porous Biomaterials by A-C Impedance Techniques

In this research, the corrosion behavior of Ti-6Al-4V extralow interstitial (ELI) and Co-Cr-Mo alloys with polished, grit-blasted, and porous-coated surfaces has been investigated. The A-C impedance technique and a variety of D-C methods were used for this purpose. Both highly stressed and nonstressed specimens were tested. Stress-enhanced release of corrosion products was demonstrated to occur in some cases. The A-C impedance method, which is capable of measuring both corrosion current and true surface area, showed that this effect was mainly due to an area increase caused by plastic deformation. The advantages and characteristics of the A-C impedance method for corrosion measurements of implant materials are also described.
Development of a colorimetric pH indicator using nanofibers containing Spirulina sp. LEB 18.

A colorimetric pH indicator was developed using nanofibers of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) combined with biomass of the microalga Spirulina sp. LEB 18. This study evaluates the potential use of microalgal biomass encapsulated in polymer nanofibers to develop a colorimetric pH indicator. Nanofibers containing the biomass were exposed to solutions with different pH values (pH 1-10), and color variations were measured using a colorimeter. The wettability analysis of the nanofibers showed hydrophilicity (zero angle with water), which allows ions to interact with the biomass, indicating a fast color response as a function of pH. When subjected to pH variations, indicators containing 1, 2 or 3% (w v-1) of biomass provided ΔE values >12, indicating an absolute difference in color. Therefore, this innovative material has the potential to be applied as a intelligent indicator to verify food quality through a visual signal of the product condition.