cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How Chiefdom and Early State Social Structures Resolve Collective Action Problems

This paper explores how chiefdom and early state social structures resolve collective action problems. Solutions to problems of collective action are twofold; incentive systems discourage free-riding and encourage individuals to act and organization combines individuals’ acts. Broadly stated, we argue that influence and power, once organized into the hands of one or a small subgroup of individuals, can be used to administer incentive systems that motivate others in the community to act. Those incentive systems, in turn, shape collective activities such as warfare and defense. Drawing on experimentally grounded theory in sociology, we model forms of social organization and discuss the relation of each to collective action. In particular, we argue that simple chiefdoms solve problems of collective action through the well-ordered influence relations in their status-lineage structures, while coercive chiefdoms, to the same purpose, exercise power through threat of force. As in coercive chiefdoms, early states solve collective action problems through coercive relations but, where chiefs coerce only directly, heads of territorial states use bureaucratic systems of administration to exercise coercive power over vast geographic and social distances.
The Human Habitat

The global spatial extent of the human population and development provides a proxy for the extent of the human habitat. The presence of human habitation can be inferred from population density derived from gridded census data. The presence of urban development and substantial investment can be inferred from the presence of temporally stable night light. The results of an analysis of these data, along with corresponding continental physiographic and climatic data, suggest that human adaptation to climate allows expansion of the human habitat while clustering with respect to the physical landscape results in a simultaneous spatial concentration of population within the expanding habitat. Trends in urbanization imply that the continued population growth projected for developing countries will likely be focused on specific physical environments where urbanization is currently taking place. The current disparity between population density and the size distribution of lighted settlements suggests that much of the urbanization and population growth is currently occurring in the tropics where biodiversity is greatest.
Utility of BI-RADS Assessment Category 4 Subdivisions for Screening Breast MRI.

OBJECTIVE. BI-RADS for mammography and ultrasound subdivides category 4 assessments by likelihood of malignancy into categories 4A (> 2% to ≤ 10%), 4B (> 10% to ≤ 50%), and 4C (> 50% to < 95%). Category 4 is not subdivided for breast MRI because of a paucity of data. The purpose of the present study is to determine the utility of categories 4A, 4B, and 4C for MRI by calculating their positive predictive values (PPVs) and comparing them with BI-RADS–specified rates of malignancy for mammography and ultrasound. MATERIALS AND METHODS. All screening breast MRI examinations performed from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2013, were included in this study. We identified in medical records prospectively assigned MRI BI-RADS categories, including category 4 subdivisions, which are used routinely in our practice. Benign versus malignant outcomes were determined by pathologic analysis, findings from 12 months or more clinical or imaging follow-up, or a combination of these methods. Distribution of BI-RADS categories ...
Predicting Short-Term Congested Traffic Flow on Urban Motorway Networks

Abstract In recent years, there has been increased research interest in modeling urban traffic congestion. This has come in various forms from finding the right type of traffic recording equipment, the techniques of data collection, cleaning data, accurate and reliable analytic methods to adequate means of simulating traffic scenarios before putting them to actual use. In this chapter, we investigate the use of data mining techniques for modeling short-term traffic congestion in urban motorway networks. Two main categories, namely neural networks and random forest classifiers, are used. The neural networks can be further classified into back propagation neural network, neuro-fuzzy, and the deep belief network. Our preliminary experimental tests showed that they can both offer a reliable and effective means of predicting short-term traffic congestion towards better traffic management. We assume that while there may be some limitations, such as obtaining real-time traffic data, our practical solution can engender better ways to improve traffic flow in municipalities.
The Role for a Large Scientific Society in Addressing Harassment and Work Climate Issues

The American Geophysical Union, a scientific society of some 60,000 members worldwide, established in 2011 a set of scientific integrity and professional ethics guidelines to address the actions of its members, the governance of the union in its internal activities, and the operations and participation in its publications, scientific meetings, including its honors and awards programs. However, these guidelines, like those for other societies, did not explicitly address harassment, related workplace issues, or implicit bias in the practice of science. The recent exposure of several issues related to the sciences caused AGU to reexamine its role and obligations. In a twelve-month period starting October 2015, more than six high profile cases of harassment in the sciences were publicly disclosed in the U.S., including one case that was brought to the attention of the U.S. Congress. A growing body of literature on harassment and other biases in the sciences, including data extracted and reported by AGU, has shed new light on this topic. As a result of this assessment, AGU now actively helps educate its members on Ethics issues in various ways, both broadly as well as specifically around items related to gender bias, harassment and other equity and inclusion topics. New and renewed members are specifically made aware of AGU’s ethics policies, and additional efforts are increasingly embedded across publications, awards, meetings, talent pool and other AGU member-focused programs. In addition, AGU is starting a program focused on addressing harassment and related work-climate matters in the Earth and Space Science community, with an emphasis on the growing need and proposed active roles for scientific societies.
Intraclade Variability in Toxin Production and Cytotoxicity of Bacillus cereus Group Type Strains and Dairy-Associated Isolates.

ABSTRACT While some species in the Bacillus cereus group are well-characterized human pathogens (e.g., B. anthracis and B. cereus sensu stricto), the pathogenicity of other species (e.g., B. pseudomycoides) either has not been characterized or is presently not well understood. To provide an updated characterization of the pathogenic potential of species in the B. cereus group, we classified a set of 52 isolates, including 8 type strains and 44 isolates from dairy-associated sources, into 7 phylogenetic clades and characterized them for (i) the presence of toxin genes, (ii) phenotypic characteristics used for identification, and (iii) cytotoxicity to human epithelial cells. Overall, we found that B. cereus toxin genes are broadly distributed but are not consistently present within individual species and/or clades. After growth at 37°C, isolates within a clade did not typically show a consistent cytotoxicity phenotype, except for isolates in clade VI (B. weihenstephanensis/B. mycoides), where none of the isolates were cytotoxic, and isolates in clade I (B. pseudomycoides), which consistently displayed cytotoxic activity. Importantly, our study highlights that B. pseudomycoides is cytotoxic toward human cells. Our results indicate that the detection of toxin genes does not provide a reliable approach to predict the pathogenic potential of B. cereus group isolates, as the presence of toxin genes is not always consistent with cytotoxicity phenotype. Overall, our results suggest that isolates from multiple B. cereus group clades have the potential to cause foodborne illness, although cytotoxicity is not always consistently found among isolates within each clade. IMPORTANCE Despite the importance of the Bacillus cereus group as a foodborne pathogen, characterizations of the pathogenic potential of all B. cereus group species were lacking. We show here that B. pseudomycoides (clade I), which has been considered a harmless environmental microorganism, produces toxins and exhibits a phenotype consistent with the production of pore-forming toxins. Furthermore, B. mycoides/B. weihenstephanensis isolates (clade VI) did not show cytotoxicity when grown at 37°C, despite carrying multiple toxin genes. Overall, we show that the current standard methods to characterize B. cereus group isolates and to detect the presence of toxin genes are not reliable indicators of species, phylogenetic clades, or an isolate9s cytotoxic capacity, suggesting that novel methods are still needed for differentiating pathogenic from nonpathogenic species within the B. cereus group. Our results also contribute data that are necessary to facilitate risk assessments and a better understanding as to which B. cereus group species are likely to cause foodborne illness.
The effect of weight errors on neural networks

Neural networks have moved beyond theoretical equations and into real-world applications. In order for neural networks to be useful in real-world environments, their reliability in non-ideal computing conditions must be understood. Cyber and environmental threats can both affect the execution of neural network programs, but little is known about how well neural networks can withstand attack. This paper examines the robustness of Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) neural networks and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) against weight errors. Specifically, Single Event Upset (SEU) style errors such as individual bit flips in memory are the focus. The classification accuracy of the networks is tested before and after bit flips to see if there's any correlation between neural network architecture and robustness to weight errors. The experimental results show that in general MLP networks are much more robust to weight errors than CNNs. For MLPs larger networks with more layers are more robust than smaller, shallower networks and for CNNs networks with larger kernels are more robust than networks with smaller kernels.
Performance Assessment of Interlayers with Different Tack Coats by Considering Loading Types and Failure Modes

A monotonic direct shear test (DST) is the most commonly used method to evaluate bond strength of interlayers; however, it does not consider the actual repetitive traffic loading that pavement undergoes during its service life. This study aims to examine the link between various parameters obtained from a monotonic DST and the results of a cyclic loading test that more realistically assesses the interlayer performance with tack coats. Furthermore, to investigate the possible effect of the interface failure mode (shear vs. tensile) on the performance assessment of the tack coat interlayers, a simple indirect tensile test was conducted to determine the tensile strength of the interlayers. Field core samples extracted from a test section constructed in Nebraska were used for various laboratory tests. The field test section included 14 subsections containing various types of tack coat materials with different application methods. Permanent shear deformation and interface stiffness were selected as the failure...
Orthomyxoviruses: Structure of Antigens

Abstract The orthomyxoviruses include influenza viruses, thogotoviruses, and isaviruses. Influenza A viruses circulate in reservoir of wild aquatic birds, occasionally cause human pandemics, undergo antigenic drift and antigentic shift, and have been used as model viruses to understand many fundamental processes including receptor binding, membrane fusion, protein structure, and adaptive immunity. Influenza A and B viruses contain a hemagglutinin (HA) surface glycoprotein, the dominant surface antigen that promotes receptor binding and membrane fusion during viral entry, and a neuraminidase (NA) glycoprotein, a secondary antigen that has receptor-destroying activity necessary for virus release from infected cells. Influenza C viruses contain a single antigen, the hemagglutinin-esterase-fusion (HEF) protein, which possesses receptor binding, membrane fusion, and virus release functions. The HA and HEF proteins are prototypic, trimeric, structural class I viral fusion proteins with a membrane-distal, immunodominant (and highly variable) receptor-binding head domain and a more highly conserved membrane-proximal, metastable, stalk domain that catalyzes membrane fusion. The tetrameric NA protein has a membrane-distal globular head domain with an antiparallel β-propeller topology and a membrane-proximal coiled-coil stalk. For the influenza A and B viruses, the HA protein is the predominant target for naturally acquired and vaccine-induced adaptive immunity. Recent structural studies of broadly reactive monoclonal antibodies bound to the HA protein, along with complementary immunological experiments, suggest ways to generate “universal” influenza vaccines that are effective after antigenic drift and shift.
Assumption-Based Reasoning with Classical Regression Models

In this chapter, a special class of Gaussian linear systems will be analyzed. When expressed in canonical coordinates, these systems turn out to be regular linear regression models, with the slight difference that the distribution of the error term is now assumed to be known (this is a general assumption of functional models). This assumption guarantees that the result of the inference is completely known. Of course, the analysis could be carried out in a similar way when the variance of the distribution of the error term is left unspecified. In this case, the result of the analysis will depend on this unspecified variance. The same remark also holds for any generalized functional model when the distribution of the random perturbation is unknown.
Modeling Qtl Effects and Mas in Plant Breeding

The empirical evidence accumulated to date indicates that the genetic architecture of the different traits of organisms, emphasizing here those relevant to plant breeding, should be viewed as a genetic complexity continuum. This concept is not new to plant breeders. What is new is that geneticists and plant breeders can now apply high throughput molecular technologies to identify and study the genes and alleles responsible for the standing genetic and phenotypic variation for traits in elite breeding populations. Plant breeders undertake research to develop robust breeding strategies that take advantage of this growing body of trait genetics knowledge and seek breeding methods that can be practically applied to improve multiple traits to achieve defined breeding objectives. While experimental and quantitative methods are developed to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) and to implement marker-assisted selection (MAS) for the detected trait QTL as components of a comprehensive plant breeding strategy, simulation modeling methods can be applied to quantify the robustness of the chosen QTL analysis and MAS methods for the trait genetics complexity continuum. We review methods that can be applied to model the effects of QTL and outcomes from MAS in plant breeding as our view of the trait genetic complexity continuum unfolds. Some key lessons from this body of research are discussed.
Grid Architecture for Scientitic Communities

Sharing of resources among virtual organizations (VO) has been termed the grid problem. At the heart of this problem is development and acceptance of a protocol to share, discover and compose services. However significant challenges arise in monitoring, accounting and securing any grid infrastucture. VOs of any size should be able to build their own cyberinfrastructure (CI) by discovering and then composing services to build higher level capabilities that they need. These community’s CI could be dynamically expandable, persistent and migratable while using resources across adminstrative domains. In this paper we will present several VO based grid architecture and focuse on the nanotechnology community CI called the nanoHUB. The nanoHUB uses virtualization technologies to isolate the infrastructure from the local administrative domain. Virtual machine migration and virtual networking techniques allow the infrastructure to be dynamic and adapt to the underlying physical system. Moreover by using virtual machine the users are provided with a sand box that serve as a development platform for their software an as a entry point to physical grids. Finally, we will cover the security issues in VO access to multiple grid infrastructure and present our work towards using shibboleth witin the nanoHUB.
Drugs for the shy

Physicians should encourage patients who show signs of social phobias to continue the therapy process to understand the symptoms and causes and not only rely on medications that mask the symptoms. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Lack of Association Between Anemia and Intrinsic Left Ventricular Diastolic Function or Cardiac Mechanics in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Anemia is associated with a poor prognosis in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but the reasons underlying this association are unclear. Previous studies have reported an association between anemia and diastolic dysfunction. However, these studies used volume- and flow-dependent indexes of diastolic dysfunction. We hypothesized that in HFpEF, anemia is more closely associated with volume status and not markers of intrinsic myocardial dysfunction. We prospectively studied 419 outpatients in a systematic HFpEF program, all of whom underwent hemoglobin measurement and comprehensive echocardiography. Longitudinal, radial, and circumferential strain were also measured in 311 patients. We defined anemia as hemoglobin 0.05 for all comparisons). Anemia was associated with the combined outcome of cardiovascular hospitalization or death (hazard ratio = 1.50 [95% confidence interval 1.20, 1.88]; p
Union Mergers; Some Questions Raised by a “Disorderly Breakup”

This essay discusses the 2004 merger between UNITE, a clothing workers’ union, and HERE, the hotel and restaurant workers union. Many labor scholars and union proponents believed that this merger would revive a dormant US labor movement and lead to great success in union organizing. Although much was expected, there was very little accomplished by this merger. While union mergers can either be amalgamations or absorptions, the UNITE-HERE merger took the former form. Although successful amalgamations usually occur when the two unions share a common jurisdiction, additional problems occur when the unions are dissimilar in size and type of members. The UNITE-HERE merger displayed none of these three above-mentioned characteristics. This essay also discusses issues of the centralization/decentralization of union mergers, the negotiation and promotion of such combinations, local union and national union mergers while concluding with a discussion of whether union mergers are an appropriate strategy for dealing with a struggling US labor movement early in the twenty-first century.
The Effect of Obesity on Operative Times and 30-Day Readmissions After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Purpose To understand the effect of obesity on operative times and 30-day readmission rates after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried using Current Procedural Terminology billing codes to identify all patients aged 18 years and older who underwent ACLR between 2007 and 2014. The Student t test was used for continuous variables, and the χ-square or Fisher exact test was used for categorical variables. Multivariate analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with 30-day readmission. Results We identified 9,000 patients who underwent ACLR. In the readmission analysis, the total readmission rate was 0.70%. After multivariate analysis, a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater was associated with a significantly increased risk of 30-day readmission (odds ratio, 3.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-8.57). An operative time of less than 80 minutes was associated with a decreased risk of readmission (odds ratio, 0.40, 95% confidence interval, 0.18-0.92). In the operative-time analysis, the mean operative time was 100.7 minutes. Older age was predictive of decreasing operative time, with the operative time being 32.75 minutes shorter in patients aged 65 years or older than in those younger than 25 years. After multivariate analysis, class II obesity (BMI of 35-39.9) predicted an increase of 7.11 minutes and class III obesity (BMI ≥ 40) predicted an increase of 8.70 minutes compared with normal weight (BMI of 18.5-24.9). Conclusions Obesity is associated with longer operative times and increased 30-day readmissions after ACLR, with patients with a BMI of 40 or greater having over 3 times the risk of readmission compared with patients with a normal weight. Male sex, black race, and younger age are all also associated with increased operative times. Level of Evidence Level III, observational, retrospective cohort study.
Laser Frequency Stabilization at $\leq 10^{-16}$ from a Thermal Atomic bBeam

We describe a system for ultra-stable laser frequency generation using Ramsey-Borde interferometry with atomic calcium. Unprecedented frequency instabilities from a thermal ensemble are demonstrated © 2019 The Author(s).
2003 - ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA CELLS SEIZE SEROTONIN SIGNALING IN OSTEOBLASTS TO ENGRAFT AND PROLIFERATE

Patients with myelodysplasia or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) show decreased osteoblast numbers, and this is reproduced in mouse models of acute leukemia. Manipulating the osteoblast pool directly affects leukemia progression: osteoblast ablation increases leukemia burden, while maintenance of osteoblast numbers decreases it and prolongs survival. Here we show that the protective effect of osteoblasts against leukemia does not rely on a certain threshold of osteoblast numbers but rather requires a specific signaling pathway. Treatment of leukemic mice with parathyroid hormone, which increases osteoblast numbers, had no effect in leukemia progression. In contrast, maintaining the osteoblast pool in leukemic mice by decreasing the synthesis of gut-derived serotonin, reduced AML burden and prolonged survival. Using the human-AML MLL-AF9 model, we examined whether deletion of one of the main serotonin receptors expressed in osteoblasts affects leukemia progression. Global deletion of Htr1b in mice prevented leukemia. While removal of Htr1b in LepR+ positive mesenchymal stem cells had no effect in leukemia progression, its deletion in Col1a1-expressing osteoblast precursors significantly prevented lethality in the mutant mice. In order to dissect the crosstalk between leukemia-cells and osteoblasts, we co-cultured primary-human osteoblasts and AML cells. RNAseq analysis identified a signature of chemoattractants and pro-inflammatory cytokines secreted by osteoblasts upon exposure to AML cells, suggesting that the protective mechanism exerted by osteoblasts activates the anti-tumor immune response against leukemia. In summary, our data suggest that AML cells activate serotonin signaling in osteoblasts to promote their engraftment and expansion. Targeting this pathway may render the niche hostile to leukemia by enhancing the anti-tumor immune response elicited by osteoblasts.
Gene set enrichment analysis to create polygenic scores: a developmental examination of aggression.

Previous approaches for creating polygenic risk scores (PRSs) do not explicitly consider the biological or developmental relevance of the genetic variants selected for inclusion. We applied gene set enrichment analysis to meta-GWAS data to create developmentally targeted, functionally informed PRSs. Using two developmentally matched meta-GWAS discovery samples, separate PRSs were formed, then examined in time-varying effect models of aggression in a second, longitudinal sample of children (n = 515, 49% female) in early childhood (2–5 years old), and middle childhood (7.5–10.5 years old). Functional PRSs were associated with aggression in both the early and middle childhood models.
“Rocky mountain–proofing” a veteran’s power wheelchair: alternative drive controls

Date Presented 04/05/19 Primary Author and Speaker: Mary Hill Additional Authors and Speakers: Ben Salatin
Substance Abuse and Anxiety in Children

This chapter focuses on substance use as a significant health problem, with anxiety as a comorbid problem that can result either after or before the substance use problem. There is an emphasis on description of risk factors for substance use. Family and peer substance use are environmental risk factors. However, family cohesion and positive social as well as school involvement are protective factors. Adolescents with social anxiety may be at risk for substance use problems. They may use substances to reduce feelings of anxiety. Alternately, they may fall into a high-risk peer group because they lack friends and are unpopular at school. Addressing substance use problems may need to occur before anxiety can be treated. This may need to occur on an inpatient basis, with intensive outpatient services (e.g., individual, group, psychiatric referral, and other recovery services) after the youth has been released from inpatient services.
Original ContributionsLower esophageal sphincter relaxation characteristics using a sleeve sensor in clinical manometry

Objective: We undertook this study to determine the characteristics of swallow-induced lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxation in the setting of clinical manometry using a standardized methodology. Methods: We reviewed 170 manometric recordings performed using a perfused manometric assembly with a sleeve sensor and a computer polygraph. Patients were categorized as patient controls, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), diffuse esophageal spasm (DES), or achalasia. Tracing were semiautomatically analyzed for basal LES pressure, LES pressure during deglutitive relaxation (relaxation LES pressure), duration of LES relaxation, timing of LES relaxation, and the success rate of primary peristalsis. Results: Forty-six patient controls, 93 with GERD, five with DES, and 26 with achalasia were identified. GERD and achalasia patients had lower or higher basal LES pressures than patient controls, respectively. Compared with patient controls, achalasia patients had higher relaxation LES pressures, lower percent LES relaxation, and shorter durations of LES relaxation. The best single measure for distinguishing achalasia was the relaxation LES pressure; using the 95th percentile value of patient controls (12 mm Hg) as the upper limit of normal, its sensitivity and positive predictive value for the diagnosis of achalasia were 92% and 88%, respectively. Coupled with the finding of aperistalsis, a relaxation LES pressure ≥10 mm Hg achieved 100% sensitivity and positive predictive value among these patients. Conclusions: Sleeve sensor recording is a practical method for clinical manometry that reliably records LES relaxation characteristics and is amenable to both a standardized manometry protocol and a semiautomated analysis routine. Relaxation LES pressure has a high diagnostic value for achalasia.
Judgments, Juries and the Political Sphere

This chapter presents a Deweyan account of the epistemic nature of political judgments in democracies. I argue that the Deweyan account of political judgment consists of two types of judgments: judicial judgments and normative judgments. Taking cue from Dewey’s metaphor of thinking about judgments in juridical terms, the first type of judgment suggests that we can understand political judgment in democracies as being related to the process of reaching a verdict in court, and that lay juries can serve as a proxy for how ordinary citizens exert this function of judging. However, an epistemic understanding of ordinary citizen’s political judgments in democracies goes beyond a juridical interpretation of judgment, as political judgment is not just about judging justice according to pre-established laws, rules and values, but more fundamentally about making normative judgments about these laws, rules and values. Thus, the latter type of judgment suggests that making political judgments is, furthermore, about making judgments about values and ends. I relate this type of judgment to Dewey’s conception of social and political inquiry that suggests a structure of social interaction and reflection foregrounding the qualities of attentiveness, articulation, and exchange as a way of accounting for the genuinely political context of getting normative judgments about social and political problems right.
“If I Wanted to Play, I Had to Bring Home the Grades”: Interviews with Former Student-Athletes

This chapter interviews twenty former (graduated) student-athletes, looking at the messages they received on succeeding athletically and in the classroom from people who matter to them; how they viewed their own teammates’ efforts in the classroom; how they define success athletically, academically, and professionally; and what earning a degree means to them. I also asked how student-athletes prioritized academics and their sport, and how they chose their classes. The student-athletes interviewed in this chapter primarily compete in baseball, basketball, and track and field. Most (15) of these student-athletes attend schools that are lower than Division-1, meaning they are not competing for or against power-five schools. Their level of competition means there is less media attention on them, there are fewer athletic scholarships available (especially compared to power-five schools).
Social distancing for COVID-19 decreased infectious diseases in children.

The social distancing resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant decrease in a number of common childhood illnesses. A recent study found that the rates of diagnoses per 100,000 children for the 12 childhood infectious diseases were significantly lower after social distancing was instituted. The largest declines were in respiratory illness including influenza (99.5%), croup (96.5%), and bronchiolitis (92.9%). The smallest decreases were in skin and soft tissue infections and urinary tract infections (35% for each). However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that the immunization rates for American children have dramatically decreased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As social distancing is relaxed, children who are not protected by vaccines will be more vulnerable to serious diseases such as measles and whooping cough. Coordinated efforts by health care providers and public health officials on all levels will be necessary to rapidly catch up on missed routine vaccinations.
Evaluation and characterization of estrus alerts and behavioral parameters generated by an ear-attached accelerometer-based system for automated detection of estrus

Our objectives were to evaluate the performance of an ear-attached automated estrus detection (AED) system (Smartbow; Zoetis) that monitored physical activity and rumination time, and to characterize AED system estrus alert features (i.e., timing and duration). Lactating Holstein cows (n = 216) commenced a protocol for the synchronization of estrus at 50 ± 3 DIM or 18 ± 3 d after artificial insemination. For 7 d after induction of luteolysis with PGF2α (d 0), we used visual observation of estrous behavior (30 min, 2 times per day) and data from an automated mounting behavior monitoring system based on a pressure-activated tail-head sensor (HeatWatch; Cowchips LLC) as a reference test (RTE) to detect behavioral estrus. Concomitantly, estrus alerts and their features were collected from the AED system. Progesterone levels confirmed luteal regression, and transrectal ultrasonography confirmed the occurrence and timing of ovulation. Performance metrics for the AED system were estimated with PROC FREQ in SAS, using the RTE or ovulation only as a reference. Performance was also estimated after the removal of cows with a discrepancy between the RTE and ovulation. Continuous outcomes with or without repeated measurements were evaluated by ANOVA using PROC MIXED in SAS. Based on the RTE, 86.6% (n = 187) of the cows presented estrus and ovulated; 1.4% (n = 3) presented estrus and did not ovulate; 6.4% (n = 14) did not present estrus but ovulated; and 5.6% (n = 12) did not present estrus or ovulation. We found no difference in the proportion of cows detected in estrus and with ovulation for the AED system (83.4%) and the RTE (86.6%). Compared with estrus events as detected by the RTE, sensitivity for the AED was 91.6% (95% CI: 87.6-95.5) and specificity was 69.2% (95% CI: 51.5-87.0). Using ovulation as reference, sensitivity was 89.6% (95% CI: 85.3-93.8) and specificity was 86.7% (95% CI 69.5-100). For all cows with agreement between the RTE and ovulation, sensitivity was 92.5% (95% CI: 88.7-96.3) and specificity was 91.7% (95% CI: 76.0-100). The mean (±SD) interval from induction of luteolysis to estrus alerts, estrus alert duration, and the onset of estrus alerts to ovulation interval were 72.2 ± 18.1, 13.5 ± 3.8, and 23.8 ± 7.1 h, respectively. We concluded that an ear-attached AED system that monitored physical activity and rumination time was effective at detecting cows in estrus and generated few false positive alerts when accounting for ovulation, cow physiological limitations, and the limitations of the RTE.
Fuzzing Mobile Robot Environments for Fast Automated Crash Detection

Testing mobile robots is difficult and expensive, and many faults go undetected. In this work we explore whether fuzzing, an automated test input generation technique, can more quickly find failure inducing inputs in mobile robots. We developed a simple fuzzing adaptation, BASE-FUZZ, and one specialized for fuzzing mobile robots, PHYS-FUZZ. PHYS-FUZZ is unique in that it accounts for physical attributes such as the robot dimensions, estimated trajectories, and time to impact measures to guide the test input generation process. The results of evaluating PHYS-FUZZ suggest that it has the potential to speed up the discovery of input scenarios that reveal failures, finding 56.5% more than uniform random input selection and 7.0% more than BASE-FUZZ during 7 days of testing.
Conservation of the Original X and Homology of the X-linked Genes in Placental Mammals

Comparative DNA values of various vertebrates considered in Chapter 3 have indicated the polyphyletic origin of vertebrate genomes. It appeared that a series of polyploidization of the original vertebrate genome occurred in ancient times. Once the chromosomal sex-determining mechanism was well established, the genome of that lineage was stabilized, and no further gene duplication by polyploidization was possible. Indeed, diverse species of placental mammals gave the identical DNA value of 7.0 × 10−9 mg per diploid nucleus. It then became apparent that in this class extensive speciation from a common ancestor was accomplished almost exclusively by allelic mutation of individual gene loci with little or no change in the total number of gene loci.
Stable Value Funds: Performance from 1973 Through 2008

There is a paucity of academic literature on stable value funds, although they occupy such a prominent place among retirement investment vehicles. They are offered in roughly one half of all defined contribution plans in the USA, with over $640 billion dollars worth of assets under management. This paper is the first to rigorously examine their performance throughout the entire period their inception in 1973. We conduct mean-variance analysis, Sharpe and Sortino ratio analysis, stochastic dominance analysis, and optimal multi-period portfolio composition analysis. Our evidence suggests that stable value funds dominate two (and nearly three) major asset classes based on a historical analysis, and that they occupy a prominent position in optimal portfolios across a broad range of risk aversion levels. We discuss the factors that contributed to stable value’s remarkable performance and whether it can continue to maintain it into the future. In our paper, innovations are achieved in constructing efficient stochastic dominance algorithms, incorporating return expectations in multi-period portfolio construction, and in examining the multi-relations among competing stable value funds. We also provide a stable value returns index based on actual fund returns.
When Going in Circles is Going Backwards: Outcome Uncertainty and Fan Interest in Nascar

Using data from the 2007, 2008, and 2009 NASCAR seasons, this paper shows that the uncertainty of outcome hypothesis pertains to both race attendance and television audience, with the former only responding to race-level uncertainty and the latter responding to both race-level and season-level uncertainty. Of the other contributing influences, the price of gasoline and the unemployment rate were both unrelated to race attendance during the sample period, counter to conventional wisdom expressed during the declining attendance and ratings of the 2009 season. We also find that NASCAR broadcasts lose audience when competing against other big-interest sporting events and that declines in both television ratings and audience size during the NASCAR season were not unique to 2009, again contradicting conventional wisdom. Overall, the empirical evidence suggests that declining competitive balance might have been the common factor that reduced both television audiences and race attendance during this period.
Vascularization of Artificial Tissue

We introduce the concept of vascularization as it applies to the tissue and organ fabrication process. We describe molecular mechanisms of several vascularization process, including vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and arteriogenesis and discuss the application of these process to the tissue fabrication process. We provide a framework for vascularization of 3D artificial tissue and organs, including biologically replicated, biologically inspired, and biologically replicated models.
Detecting association of rare variants by testing an optimally weighted combination of variants for quantitative traits in general families.

Although next-generation sequencing technology allows sequencing the whole genome of large groups of individuals, the development of powerful statistical methods for rare variant association studies is still underway. Even though many statistical methods have been developed for mapping rare variants, most of these methods are for unrelated individuals only, whereas family data have been shown to improve power to detect rare variants. The majority of the existing methods for unrelated individuals are essentially testing the effect of a weighted combination of variants with different weighting schemes. The performance of these methods depends on the weights being used. Recently, Sha et al. [Genet Epidemiol, 2012] proposed a test for Testing the effect of an Optimally Weighted combination of variants (TOW) for unrelated individuals. In this article, we extend our previously developed TOW for unrelated individuals to family-based data and propose a novel test for Testing the effect of an Optimally Weighted combination of variants for Family-based designs (TOW-F). The optimal weights are analytically derived. The results of extensive simulation studies show that TOW-F is robust to population stratification in a wide range of population structures, is robust to the direction and magnitude of the effects of causal variants, and is relatively robust to the percentage of neutral variants.
Selective beamforming for inter-cell interference mitigation in coordinated wireless LANs

In future wireless LAN systems, the transmission bandwidth will become wider and the number of access points (APs) will increase as wireless LAN systems become more widespread. As a result, the number of available frequency channels will decrease and inter-cell interference (ICI) among APs with the same frequency channel will become a serious problem. To address this issue we previously proposed an ICI mitigation scheme based on coordinated APs, where a transmit beamforming scheme used for multiuser MIMO is applied to avoid the ICI effect. In this paper, we propose a selective beamforming scheme for ICI mitigation in wireless LAN systems. The scheme uses ICI power as a basis for selectively determining whether to perform null beamforming for each station (STA) in overlapping basic service sets (OBSSs) according to the ICI power. Computer simulation results confirm that the achievable rate obtained with the scheme improves and is higher than that obtained with either time resource sharing or conventional ICI mitigation in an OBSS environment.
Reassociation with beta 2-microglobulin is necessary for Kb class I major histocompatibility complex binding of exogenous peptides.

Abstract T lymphocytes recognize endogenously produced antigenic peptides in association with major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-encoded molecules. Peptides from the extracellular fluid can be displayed in association with class I and class II MHC molecules. Here we report that mature Kb class I MHC molecules bind peptides upon dissociation and reassociation of their light chain. Intact Kb heterodimers, unlike class II MHC molecules, are relatively unreceptive to binding peptides. This property may maintain segregation of class I and class II MHC-restricted peptides and has implications for the use of peptides as vaccines.
Anxiolytics antagonize yohimbine's discriminative stimulus properties.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate 3.2 mg/kg yohimbine HCl from saline in a two-lever operant procedure. Generalization tests indicated that piperoxane, another α2-adrenergic blocker with anxiogenic properties in humans, produces yohimbine-like discriminatieffects. In contrast to yohimbine and piperoxane, many other agents were discriminated as vehicle, including corynanthine, raubasine, phentolamine, prazosin, WB-4101, mianserin, tolazoline, and mezilamine. Diazepam caused a dose-related antagonism of yohimbine's stimulus properties. A partial antagonism of yohimbine cueing was also obtained with meprobamate, phenobarbital, chlordiazepoxide, and clonazepam. These results suggest that yohimbine discrimination in rats may be a useful model for detecting agents with anxiolytic activity.
Direct estimates of household production

Abstract Using time-diary and expenditure data for a set of American households in 2003 and 2004, I examine the relation between the inputs into eating: time—food purchasing, preparation, consumption and clean-up, and goods—purchased foods. Goods and time expenditures are positively correlated, and direct estimates of a CES household production function indicate the relative difficulty of goods-time substitution in producing this commodity.
Glioma Stem Cells: Better Flat Than Round

Glioma-initiating cells/glioma stem cells (GIC/GSCs) are grown in vitro using a cumbersome and inefficient spheroid assay. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Pollard and coworkers present a protocol for the efficient derivation of GIC/GSC lines that may greatly improve the isolation and the potential clinical application of these cells.
A Computer-Based Training Program for Developing Harmonic Intonation Discrimination Skill

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a computer-based training program for improving students' ability to make judgments of harmonic intonation. Twenty members of two undergraduate conducting classes participated in the Harmonic Intonation Training Program (HITP). An equivalent matched control group was selected from 156 other undergraduate music majors who had also taken the investigator-developed Harmonic Intonation Discrimination Test (HIDT). The HITP consisted of a body of drill-and-prac-tice exercises using intervals, triads, and brief three- and four-part musical passages. The exercises were played in both equal temperament and just intonation by a 16-voice digital synthesizer. After a 9-week treatment period, a two-way ANOVA on posttest HIDT scores revealed a difference (p= .005) in favor of the experimental group. Results of a questionnaire administered after the training to the experimental subjects indicated that attitudes toward the training program were mostly positive.
In the Eyes of Others: Monitoring for Relational Value Cues

It was hypothesized that monitoring the social environment for relational value (RV) cues both consumes and depletes self-regulatory resources. Consistent with predictions, the results suggest that regulatory resources are depleted when people monitor for relational cues (Experiments 1 and 2), that the capacity to monitor for complex (vs. simple) forms of relational cues is negatively impacted by prior depletion of the self’s resources (Experiment 3), and that insofar as the self’s resources are depleted by recent acts of self-regulation, people are less effective at monitoring for relational cues (Experiment 4). These findings suggest an integrative relationship between regulatory resources and people’s capacity to accurately monitor the social environment for cues that communicate their RV.
Putting the Radio in “Software-Defined Radio”: Hardware Developments for Adaptable RF Systems

The prospects for and the state of the art of adaptable RF hardware are reviewed, focusing primarily on the traditional frequency planning bottleneck, the filtering stages. First, a case is made that even banded systems can be greatly impacted by a modest amount of tuning. This is done by showing the results of a traditional fixed system in an unlicensed band upgraded with a programmable front-end filter. Next, a system built specifically for wideband tuning is shown that enables band selection across the 20-MHz-6-GHz-band. Cooperative operation of multiple colocated nodes is enabled by high-quality pre-LNA filtering across the bands of operation. Future capabilities of adaptable systems are shown by reviewing the state of the art of adaptable systems, heading toward a field-programmable filter array in which a sea of resonators are dynamically interconnected to create a transfer function on demand. Additionally, a novel synthesis approach is highlighted in which multiple filters can cooperate gracefully without crossover issues between the bands. This approach allows for a vast number of filter states by turning on and off passbands without affecting the adjacent bands. The advancements in adaptable hardware will enable new classes of RF systems which much more efficiently utilize the spectrum.
Modern Management of the Exstrophy-Epispadias Complex

The exstrophy-epispadias complex is a rare spectrum of malformations affecting the genitourinary system, anterior abdominal wall, and pelvis. Historically, surgical outcomes were poor in patients with classic bladder exstrophy and cloacal exstrophy, the two more severe presentations. However, modern techniques to repair epispadias, classic bladder exstrophy, and cloacal exstrophy have increased the success of achieving urinary continence, satisfactory cosmesis, and quality of life. Unfortunately, these procedures are not without their own complications. This review provides readers with an overview of the management of the exstrophy-epispadias complex and potential surgical complications.
Radiative lifetimes of several metastable states of doubly and triply ionized Ar, Kr, and Xe

The natural radiative lifetimes of the ns 2 np 4 ( 1 S 0 ) metastable states of Ar 2+ , Kr 2+ , and Xe 2+ with n=3, 4, or 5, respectively, have been measured using an ion-trapping technique. In addition, we have measured the natural radiative lifetimes of the 4s 2 4p 3 ( 2 P 1/2 ) metastable state of Kr 3+ and also of the 5s 2 5p 3 ( 2 P 1/2 and 2 P 3/2 ) metastable states of Xe 3+