cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Approximation algorithms for minimizing total weighted completion time of orders on identical machines in parallel

We consider the problem of scheduling orders on identical machines in parallel. Each order consists of one or more individual jobs. A job that belongs to an order can be processed by any one of the machines. Multiple machines can process the jobs of an order concurrently. No setup is required if a machine switches over from one job to another. Each order is released at time zero and has a positive weight. Preemptions are not allowed. The completion time of an order is the time at which all jobs of that order have been completed. The objective is to minimize the total weighted completion time of the orders. The problem is NP-hard for any fixed number (≥2) of machines. Because of this, we focus our attention on two classes of heuristics, which we refer to as sequential two-phase heuristics and dynamic two-phase heuristics. We perform a worst case analysis as well as an empirical analysis of nine heuristics. Our analyses enable us to rank these heuristics according to their effectiveness, taking solution quality as well as running time into account. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2006
Effects of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids on alveolar macrophages : correlation between binding affinity, inhibitory potency, and antifibrotic potential

The Chinese have conducted extensive studies concerning the medicinal properties of plant products. In this investigation the ability of three bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids to inhibit particle-induced activation of alveolar macrophages was evaluated and this inhibitory potential was correlated with the ability of those drugs to bind to membrane components. Tetrandrine, i.e., an herbal medicine used as an antifibrotic agent in China, was a potent inhibitor of particle-stimulated oxygen consumption, superoxide release, and hydrogen peroxide secretion by alveolar macrophages. Tetrandrine also exhibited substantial binding affinity for membrane lipids and alveolar macrophages. In contrast, tubocurine, an analogue with little antifibrotic potential, exhibited low binding affinity and had little effect on macrophage activation. Methoxyadiantifoline, an alkaloid of unknown antifibrotic potential, exhibited inhibitory and binding properties similar to those of tetrandrine. The data indicate that a strong relationship exists between the antifibrotic potential of these alkaloids and their ability to bind to alveolar macrophages and inhibit particle-induced activation of these phagocytes. These drugs should serve as useful probes to evaluate the role of alveolar macrophages in pulmonary fibrosis.
Cell-free synthesis of myosin and the regulation of the ribosomal activities in the developing thoracic muscle of the tobacco hornworm

Abstract A cell-free system which can incorporate amino-acids into myosin was isolated from the pharate adult muscles. The incorporating activity was observed to be the highest in the pharate adults 16–17 days after pupation and to decrease during development to the lowest level in the emerged adults. The distribution profiles on sucrose gradients of the ribosomal fractions from these two stages, emerged adult and pharate adult, were examined and compared. The fraction derived from pharate adult muscles compared with that from emerged adult muscles contains more polyribosomes relative to monoribosomes. The difference in the amino-acid-incorporating activities between the two fractions can be eliminated if poly(U) is used as messenger.
Photo- and thermoinduced generation of 1,3-diaryl carbonyl ylides from 2,3-diaryloxiranes 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions to dipolarophiles

Abstract A group of symmetrically substituted 2,3-diaryloxiranes have been studied as photoprecursors for carbonyl ylides. The stereochemistry of the adducts obtained upon interception of these 4n pi-transient systems with a variety of dipolarophiles provides information on the mode(s) of electrocyclic opening of the oxiranes to carbonyl ylides, as well as the mechanism of the 4n + 2 cycloaddition process. The stereochemistry of the dipolarophiles is preserved in the cycloadducts, which is consistent with a concerted addition process; however, solvent effects, steric hindrance, and possibly secondary orbital overlap factors all may play a role in determining the product distribution.
Measuring leaf material in ginned cotton from surface images

Digitized images from black and white video cameras are being used to measure the area and numbers of leaf particles in cotton after lint cleaning. The method is now used to provide trash grades for 16 - 18 million bales of cotton prepared for market each year. Small samples are compressed against a glass window and illuminated with two small incandescent lamps for imaging. Leaf area readings are automatically adjusted for differences in lint greyness. The accuracy of this method compares well with gravimetric measurements of non-lint content.
Rapid Communication: Exaggerated Depressor Response to 6-lodoamiloride in NaCl-Sensitive Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

The current study tested the hypothesis that NaCl-sensitive hypertension may result from increased membrane sodium channel activity. The effect of 6-iodoamiloride, and analog of the sodium channel blocker amiloride, on mean arterial pressure (MAP) was examined in conscious, freely moving NaCl-sensitive spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR-S) fed high (8%) or normal (1%) NaCl diets. SHR-S and age-matched NaCl-resistant SHR (SHR-R) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) control rats were studied at 9 weeks of age after 2 weeks on either high (8%) NaCl or control (1%) NaCl diets. 6-iodoamiloride was infused intravenously in doses of 0.38 or 0.76 mg/100 g body weight, and MAP and heart rate (HR) were monitored from a femoral arterial cannula for 2 hours. The 8% NaCl diet caused a significant elevation in MAP in SHR-S but not in SHR-R or WKY. Administration of 6-iodoamiloride (both doses) produced a significant, sustained decrease in MAP in both SHR-S and SHR-R. Maximal depressor responses to high dose 6-iodoamiloride were significantly enhanced in SHR-S fed 8% NaCl (31.2 +/- 3.7 mm Hg) compared to SHR-S fed 1% NaCl (14.8 +/- 2.4 mm Hg) or SHR-R fed either 8% or 1% NaCl diets (15.6 +/- 4.2 and 10.2 +/- 3.0 mm Hg, respectively). In contrast, feeding an 8% NaCl diet had no significant effect on the depressor responses to 6-iodoamiloride in either SHR-R or WKY rats. In WKY, these doses of 6-iodoamiloride had no significant effect on MAP in either diet group. 6-iodoamiloride had no significant effect on heart rate in any group. These results support the hypothesis that the exacerbation of hypertension in SHR-S fed a high NaCl diet may result from increased membrane sodium channel activity.
Error estimates for Rayleigh scattering density and temperature measurements in premixed flames

Rayleigh scattering has become an accepted technique for the determination of total number density during the combustion process. The interpretation of the ratio of total Rayleigh scattering signal as a ratio of densities or temperatures is hampered by the changing composition through a flame, since the average Rayleigh scattering cross-section depends on the gas composition. Typical correction factors as a function of degree of reaction, fuel and equivalence ratio were calculated. The fuels considered were H2, CH4, C2H4, C2H6 and C3H8. Factors as low as 0.7 and 0.56 were found for the heaviest hydrocarbon fuel at large equivalence ratio for interpreting the Rayleigh scattering intensity as gas density and inverse temperature, respectively. This is primarily due to the presence of CO and H2 as intermediates. As CO and H2 are subsequently oxidized to CO2 and H2O, these factors approach 1.0. Conversely, the worst case, when using H2 as a fuel, occurs in the post flame zone. However, the correction factors for H2 are near 1.0 and the errors involved will, in general, remain within the expected experimental accuracy of a typical Rayleigh scattering system. Linear correlations of correction factors with equivalene ratio and with the product of equivalence ratio and fuel molecular weight were found and presented. The interpretation of Rayleigh scattering as temperature was found to have larger errors than the interpretation as density. Corrections for changes in gas composition were applied to Rayleigh scattering temperature measurements in the post flame region of CH4 and C3H8 flames with equivalence ratios of 0.75 and 1.0. The corrected temperatures were in excellent agreement with thermocouple measurements.
Overnight decrement in maze performance of mice running for food reward.

Mice were run in a T-maze for food reward, to investigate possible effects of deprivation level on “overnight decrement,” i.e., worse performance on the first trial of a given day than on the last ...
Polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene and response to treatment in African American cocaine and alcohol-abusing individuals.

The serotonin transporter (5-HTT) regulates serotonin transmission and modulates behavioral effects of drug of abuse. A polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) yielding a short (S) and long (L) allele has been associated with severity of substance abuse. The aims of the study were to investigate whether 5-HTTLPR genotypes differed in their response to treatment in cocaine- and alcohol-abusing patients. Polymerase chain reaction-based genotyping of a 44 base pair insertion/deletion polymorphism was performed in 141 African American cocaine-dependent patients with concurrent alcohol use who were entering a 12-week behaviorally oriented outpatient treatment program. In treatment, end of treatment and 6-month follow-up outcome measures included changes in Addiction Severity Index (ASI) scores, urine drug screens, days in treatment, individual/group sessions, dropout and completion rates. As expected, there was a reduction in substance abuse by the end of treatment and follow-up (F = 5.15, p = 0.000). However, there were no differences in the reduction in cocaine use across the LL, LS and SS genotypes. Interestingly, individuals with the S allele showed greater severity of alcohol use at admission (F = 4.84, p = 0.03), and the SS genotype showed less improvement in alcohol measures than the LL at follow-up (F = 3.68, p = 0.03), after controlling for baseline variables. While we found no association of the 5-HTTLPR variants with severity of cocaine abuse or any cocaine-related outcome measures, the data suggested that the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism may distinguish responders from non-responders to behavioral treatment in terms of alcohol use. Further investigations are required to determine the role of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in influencing treatment – outcome among substance abusers.
Focus on Inclusive Education: SHAREing Is Caring: A Practical Teacher's Guide for Understanding Children Affected by Poverty

The effects of poverty on schoolchildren include increased absenteeism, increased dropout rates, cognitive deficits, emotional and social challenges, and health and safety issues (Durlak, Weissberg...
A Broadband Millimeter-Wave Dual Polarized Phased Array for Radar Front End Applications

A broadband millimeter-wave phased array system is presented which allows for independent control of vertically and horizontally polarized beams in azimuth and elevation. The complete system is based upon a low profile tray architecture with compact spacing between adjacent elements and ease of integration with multiple linear arrays. Using stereolithography, a dual polarized waveguide structure was fabricated which allowed for a low loss transition between an array of miniature horn antennas and the array ports of the phase shifting network. A broadband switch network with low noise amplifier was designed to achieve a compact electronically controlled phased array.
Hyperactivation of MEK-ERK1/2 signaling and resistance to apoptosis induced by the oncogenic B-RAF inhibitor, PLX4720, in mutant N-RAS melanoma cells.

Hyperactivation of MEK–ERK1/2 signaling and resistance to apoptosis induced by the oncogenic B-RAF inhibitor, PLX4720, in mutant N-RAS melanoma cells
Multiresolution Molecular Mechanics: Dynamics

Abstract A new static concurrent atomistic/continuum coupling method under the Multiresolution Molecular Mechanics (MMM) framework has been presented in the first part of this paper (Yang et al., 2013 [28]). The present paper presents the dynamic coupling method under the MMM framework called the Multiresolution Molecular Dynamics (MMD) method. First, the derivation of the governing MMD equations from a Hamiltonian that approximates the energy of the original system of atoms under the MMM framework is presented. The method is then tested numerically with these four problems: (i) 1-D wave propagation; (ii) 2-D wave propagation; (iii) 2-D crack propagation; and (iv) modal analysis. Numerical results obtained from MMD compare favorably with the true solutions obtained through full-atomistic simulations, even without any special handshake zone design to eliminate spurious wave reflections. A convergence study is run through the modal analysis of a 2-D beam. Overall, the proposed method demonstrates very good accuracy and convergence in numerical tests.
Assembling polyhedra with single translations

The problem of partitioning an assembly of polyhedral objects into two subassemblies that can be separated arises in assembly planning. The authors describe an algorithm to compute the set of all translations separating two polyhedra with n vertices in O(n/sup 4/) steps and show that this is optimal. Given an assembly of k polyhedra with a total of n vertices, an extension of this algorithm identifies a valid translation and removable subassembly in O(k/sup 2/n/sup 4/) steps if one exists. Based on the second algorithm, a polynomial time method for finding a complete assembly sequence consisting of single translations is derived. An implementation incorporates several changes to achieve better average-case performances. Experimental results obtained for composite objects consisting of isothetic polyhedra are described. >
Double depression in older adult psychiatric outpatients: hopelessness as a defining feature.

Abstract Background There is a paucity of research on the distinguishing features of double depression, particularly in older adults. Preliminary studies have revealed that individuals with double depression diagnoses tend to have more severe depression than individuals with major depression or dysthymia alone, but few other distinctions between the diagnostic categories have been found. Method We examined the possibility that hopelessness particularly characterizes double depression, by comparing older adults with double depression, dysthymia alone, or major depression alone, on hopelessness, as well as on internal and external locus of control. The sample included 54 older psychiatric outpatients who completed a battery of cognitive and symptom measures, and underwent structured clinical interviews. Results Double depressed patients showed high levels of hopelessness, whereas patients with either major depression or dysthymia alone showed more moderate levels of hopelessness. Low internal locus of control characterized both groups with a dysthymia diagnosis (dysthymia alone and double depression), and differentiated them from the group with major depression alone. Limitations The sample size was modest, and the results may not generalize to older adults with different demographic characteristics. Conclusions Hopelessness may be important in understanding the phenomenology of double depression in older adults, and may inform diagnostics and psychotherapeutics as well.
The Influence of Spirituality on Service Utilization and Satisfaction for Women Residing in a Domestic Violence Shelter

Little is known about the influence of spirituality on service utilization and satisfaction among women survivors of intimate partner abuse (IPA). The purpose of this study was to examine differences between shelter and faith-based service utilization and satisfaction in a shelter sample (N = 73). Multiple regression techniques were used. The findings suggest that survivors with higher spirituality were more likely to utilize faith-based resources than shelters. Those who experienced greater IPA reported dissatisfaction with faith-based resources. These results suggest that spirituality should be incorporated into shelter services to meet survivors’ spiritual needs, and faith-based services should adequately address IPA.
Enhanced THOREAU traffic simulation for intelligent transportation systems (ITS)

Traffic and Highway Objects for Research, Analysis and Understanding (THOREAU) is an object-oriented microscopic and mesoscopic traffic simulation tool for traffic engineers. It emphasizes the simulation of advanced traveler information systems (ATIS) and advanced traffic management systems (ATMS) as components of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). This paper describes recent enhancements to THOREAU in the area of ATMS, namely the microsimulation of actuated signals and corridor-wide signal optimization in conjunction with route guidance and incident management. There are strong coupling effects among various trip time control parameters including signal cycle times, green wave offsets, and ATMS control strategies. Using sample urban traffic networks, the impacts of actuated signal controllers, the adaptive Webster-Cobbe (1966) algorithm for isolated intersection, traffic detector placement strategies and coordinated corridor-wide optimization can be quantified. Consequently, traffic engineers may use THOREAU to explore alternative ITS technologies or architectures for optimal signal control and to validate network performance estimates obtained through analytic or rule-of-thumb approaches.
Trees and seas of information: Alien kinship and the biopolitics of gene transfer in marine biology and biotechnology

Examining discussions of "lateral gene transfer" in marine biology and biotechnology, I maintain that "natural" bonds between genealogy and classification in biology may be dissolving. I argue that marine microbial biology is good to think about with the rise of new kinships and biopolitics organized less around practices of "sex" than politics of "transfer." I draw on fieldwork among academic and industry marine biologists to explore implications of rhizomatic, informatic, watery articulations of "bare life." [biopolitics, kinship, gene transfer, anthropology of science, maritime anthropology, biotechnology]
Computation of three-dimensional hydrostatic menisci

A numerical method is developed for computing the shape of an infinite three-dimensional hydrostatic meniscus originating from interior contact lines whose projection in the horizontal plane has a specified shape. The Laplace-Young equation determining the meniscus shape is solved in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates generated by conformal mapping using a finite-difference method. The elevation of the contact lines is either prescribed or computed as part of the solution to ensure a specified contact angle. The method is applied to study the hydrostatic meniscus developing around an elliptical vertical cylinder using elliptic coordinates and between two parallel vertical circular cylinders using bipolar coordinates. The results illustrate variations in the contact angle or contact line distribution due to the boundary geometry and furnish numerical estimates for the capillary force and torque.
Effects of Forest Defoliation by the Gypsy Moth on Detritus Processing in Southern Appalachian Streams

Abstract We investigated whether changes in chestnut oak (Quercus prinus L.) leaf quality caused by gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) defoliation affected leaf breakdown rates in southern Appalachian streams of differing disturbance history. Breakdown rates of second-flush leaves produced after defoliation were compared to those of natural spring-flush leaves shed in autumn. Second-flush leaves broke down significantly faster than spring-flush leaves in three of the six streams tested. Initial fiber content and the ratio of fiber to protein were significantly higher in spring-flush leaves than in second-flush leaves, showing that initial differences in internal leaf constituents could explain the faster breakdown rates of second-flush leaves. Using changes in leaf toughness through time as a measure of microbial conditioning we found that the faster-decaying second-flush leaves also softened at a faster rate than the spring-flush leaves. In addition, both types of leaves incubated in three streams draining...
Onondaga to Ontario: Management of bioavailable phosphorus in municipal wastewaters for control of Cladophora

Abstract Phosphorus (P) concentrations in the open waters of Lake Ontario have been reduced markedly through load management. Yet, nuisance growth of Cladophora persists in the nearshore where urban P inputs are received. Elimination of nuisance conditions will require application of more effective phosphorus treatment technologies with particular attention to phosphorus bioavailability. One such technology, ballasted flocculation, was implemented in 2005 at the Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant (Metro) in Syracuse, NY which discharges 68 MGD (257 MLD, million liters per day) to Lake Ontario via the Seneca–Oneida–Oswego River system. Wet chemistry measurements and soluble- and particulate-phase bioassays of phosphorus bioavailability are used here in assessing the efficacy of the technology. Effluent total (TP) and soluble reactive (SRP) phosphorus concentrations using ballasted flocculation technology over the period 2005–2012 averaged 86 and 3 μg P/L, respectively, and the effluent BAP (bioavailable phosphorus) concentration was 10 μg P/L. In operation now for a decade, Metro has reduced its effluent total phosphorus by 86%, soluble reactive phosphorus by 99% and bioavailable phosphorus by 97% compared with the conventional chemical treatment used previously (iron salts and gravity clarification). The reduction in BAP was accomplished through direct removal of the SRP, dissolved organic (DOP) and particulate (PP) phosphorus fractions, but also by reducing the bioavailability of DOP and PP. Retrofit implementation of ballasted flocculation at Metro is described and the effectiveness of load reductions in altering the trophic state of the immediate receiving water, Onondaga Lake, is examined. The role of ballasted flocculation in an integrated phosphorus management program for the Lake Ontario nearshore is considered.
POWER: A domain-independent algorithm for Probabilistic, Open-World Entity Resolution

The problem of uniquely identifying an entity described in natural language, known as reference resolution, has become recognized as a critical problem for the field of robotics, as it is necessary in order for robots to be able to discuss, reason about, or perform actions involving any people, locations, or objects in their environments. However, most existing algorithms for reference resolution are domain-specific and limited to environments assumed to be known a priori. In this paper we present an algorithm for reference resolution which is both domain independent and designed to operate in an open world. We call this algorithm POWER: Probabilistic Open-World Entity Resolution. We then present the results of an empirical study demonstrating the success of POWER both in properly identifying the referents of referential expressions and in properly modifying the world model based on such expressions.
An Introduction to IAD and the Language of the Ostrom Workshop: A Simple Guide to a Complex Framework for the Analysis of Institutions and Their Development

This paper summarizes the conceptual categories and analytical perspectives that have been developed by Vincent and Elinor (Lin) Ostrom and other scholars affiliated with the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis. The Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework encapsulates the collective efforts of this intellectual community to understand the ways in which institutions operate and change over time. The IAD framework assigns all relevant explanatory factors and variables to categories and locates these categories within a foundational structure of logical relationships. For the purposes of this guide, other closely related conceptual distinctions will be considered to be included in the IAD framework, even if they were not originally presented as such.
Central neural control of thermoregulation and brown adipose tissue

Central neural circuits orchestrate the homeostatic repertoire that maintains body temperature during environmental temperature challenges and alters body temperature during the inflammatory response. This review summarizes the experimental underpinnings of our current model of the CNS pathways controlling the principal thermoeffectors for body temperature regulation: cutaneous vasoconstriction controlling heat loss, and shivering and brown adipose tissue for thermogenesis. The activation of these effectors is regulated by parallel but distinct, effector-specific, core efferent pathways within the CNS that share a common peripheral thermal sensory input. Via the lateral parabrachial nucleus, skin thermal afferent input reaches the hypothalamic preoptic area to inhibit warm-sensitive, inhibitory output neurons which control heat production by inhibiting thermogenesis-promoting neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus that project to thermogenesis-controlling premotor neurons in the rostral ventromedial medulla, including the raphe pallidus, that descend to provide the excitation of spinal circuits necessary to drive thermogenic thermal effectors. A distinct population of warm-sensitive preoptic neurons controls heat loss through an inhibitory input to raphe pallidus sympathetic premotor neurons controlling cutaneous vasoconstriction. The model proposed for central thermoregulatory control provides a useful platform for further understanding of the functional organization of central thermoregulation and elucidating the hypothalamic circuitry and neurotransmitters involved in body temperature regulation.
RF energy harvesting for WSNs via dynamic control of unmanned vehicle charging

Numerous applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are hindered by the limited battery power of the sensors. Instead of using the fixed amount of battery power, in this paper, we propose to integrate supercapacitors into the sensors, and let the sensors wirelessly harvest the relatively unlimited Radio Frequency (RF) energy for the perpetual operation of WSNs. To further facilitate the energy harvesting of WSNs in harsh terrains, we employ an unmanned vehicle to provide dedicated RF signals, and develop a dynamic optimization scheme to control the moving of the vehicle. Specifically, we propose to amount a dedicated RF energy source on a mobile unmanned vehicle, and let the vehicle periodically localize sensors, dynamically select the sensors to recharge, and find its optimal sojourn time, so that the overall operation of the WSN is optimized. Based on the RF energy harvesting equipment of Powercast Corp., we establish the testbed and conduct a series of experiments to verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Towards a Humanistic Management Paradigm: A Step Back to Embrace the Future?

Many scholars and practitioners would agree that current organizational research is in a paradigmatic crisis. The questions we are answering within the ‘normal science’ paradigm of economism resemble Kuhn’s puzzle solving approach but rarely yield important further insights paramount to answering urgent questions of the real world. Looking back at the roots of organizational research, the author proposes a more dedicated and concerted effort to developing an alternative, humanistic paradigm, which can set management research onto a path to higher theoretical accuracy and more practical relevance.
REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN FLOW-DURATION CURVES FOR RIVERS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

The estimation of flow quantiles and the regionalization of hydrologic characteristics are two major foci of current hydrologic research. A flow-duration curve represents the annual flow-frequency characteristics of rivers by depicting the cumulative frequencies for average ranked flows in a river. Generally the process requires the empirical estimation of the mean flow at each of 365 ranks. A model requiring only five parameters is developed by combining the principles of order statistics and traditional flow-frequency analyses and is applied to flow-duration curves for rivers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Results from the model may be interpreted both statistically and physically and allow the identification of hydrologically similar regions. Streamflows in British Columbia are generated from a number of distinct physical processes operating in highly diverse environments. The mixture of the streamflow-generating processes requires that the statistical model be capable of encompassing the...
Opening Holes in the Blanket of Inhibition: Localized Lateral Disinhibition by VIP Interneurons.

Inhibitory interneurons in the neocortex often connect in a promiscuous and extensive fashion, extending a “blanket of inhibition” on the circuit. This raises the problem of how can excitatory activity propagate in the midst of this widespread inhibition. One solution to this problem could be the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) interneurons, which disinhibit other interneurons. To explore how VIP interneurons affect the local circuits, we use two-photon optogenetics to activate them individually in mouse visual cortex in vivo while measuring their output with two-photon calcium imaging. We find that VIP interneurons have narrow axons and inhibit nearby somatostatin interneurons, which themselves inhibit pyramidal cells. Moreover, via this lateral disinhibition, VIP cells in vivo make local and transient “holes” in the inhibitory blanket extended by SOM cells. VIP interneurons, themselves regulated by neuromodulators, may therefore enable selective patterns of activity to propagate through the cortex, by generating a “spotlight of attention”. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Most inhibitory interneurons have axons restricted to a nearby area and target excitatory neighbors indiscriminately, raising the issue of how neuronal activity can propagate through cortical circuits. Vasoactive intestinal peptide-expressing interneurons (VIPs) disinhibit cortical pyramidal cells through inhibition of other inhibitory interneurons, and they have very focused, “narrow” axons. By optogenetically activating single VIPs in live mice while recording the activity of nearby neurons, we find that VIPs break open a hole in blanket inhibition with an effective range of ∼120 μm in lateral cortical space where excitatory activity can propagate.
CORRIDOR INTEGRATED WEATHER SYSTEM (CIWS) COCKPIT WEATHER DISPLAY DATA LINK DEMONSTRATION

This paper reports on a demonstration in support of the NASA Weather Information Communications (WINCOMM) program of providing Corridor Integrated Weather System (CIWS) weather products for cockpit display via data link. The CIWS weather products include the Regional Convective Weather Forecast (RCWF), which provides up to one-hour forecasts of storm activity. CIWS graphical weather products are compressed using the Lincoln-developed Weather-Huffman compression technique and then transmitted using a generic data link interface developed to allow a variety of methods (e.g., VDL-2, SATCOM, etc) to be employed in the demonstration. The interface definition is sufficiently general to accommodate both broadcast and request/reply modes of operation, and to allow selection of the appropriate parameters (i.e., data rate, image size, etc) for a particular type of data link. The received products are decompressed and displayed on a PC laptop qualified for flight use in NASA testbed aircraft. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) was developed for the airborne display in conformance with FIS-B weather data display requirements and emerging Electronic Flight Bag (EFG) standards. Results are presented on supportable update rates for various data links for routine and worst-case weather conditions.
Interactions Between the Clinical Laboratory and Clinical Pharmacologists to Optimize Drug Therapy

The interaction between the disciplines of clinical pathology and clinical pharmacology is proving to be valuable in optimizing drug therapy. Clinical pharmacologists are utilizing an increasing number of laboratory test results to monitor drug therapy. Of prominence is the use of serum drug concentration data for therapeutic drug monitoring. In addition, a number of other laboratory test results are routinely used by clinical pharmacologists to determine initial drug selection and dosing, to monitor the therapeutic and/or toxic effects of a given drug therapy, and to attempt to individualize drug dosing. Thus, the accurate, rapid determination of laboratory tests combined with correct interpretation of results using pharmacokinetic principles can provide the patient with improved drug therapy.
Parenting and childhood obesity research: a quantitative content analysis of published research 2009-2015.

SummaryBackground A quantitative content analysis of research on parenting and childhood obesity was conducted to describe the recent literature and to identify gaps to address in future research. Methods Studies were identified from multiple databases and screened according to an a priori defined protocol. Eligible studies included non-intervention studies, published in English (January 2009–December 2015) that focused on parenting and childhood obesity and included parent participants. Results Studies eligible for inclusion (N = 667) focused on diet (57%), physical activity (23%) and sedentary behaviours (12%). The vast majority of studies used quantitative methods (80%) and a cross-sectional design (86%). Few studies focused exclusively on fathers (1%) or included non-residential (1%), non-biological (4%), indigenous (1%), immigrant (7%), ethnic/racial minority (15%) or low-socioeconomic status (19%) parents. Discussion While results illustrate that parenting in the context of childhood obesity is a robust, global and multidisciplinary area of inquiry, it is also evident that the vast majority of studies are conducted among Caucasian, female, biological caregivers living in westernized countries. Expansion of study foci and design is recommended to capture a wider range of caregiver types and obesity-related parenting constructs, improve the validity and generalizability of findings and inform the development of culture-specific childhood obesity prevention interventions and policies. © 2016 World Obesity
Cerebellar disruptions and neurodevelopmental disabilities

The vulnerability of the cerebellum during prenatal life to disruptive events such as hemorrhage and infection leads to a wide variety of morphological abnormalities. This review discusses various prenatal cerebellar disruptions including cerebellar agenesis, unilateral cerebellar hypoplasia, cerebellar cleft, global cerebellar hypoplasia, and vanishing cerebellum in Chiari type II malformation. For each entity, we discuss the definition, potential pathomechanism, clinical findings including neurocognitive and behavioral problems, neuroimaging features, and management. Accurate recognition of cerebellar disruptions and their differentiation from malformations is important in terms of diagnosis, prognosis, and genetic counselling.
Shopping basket program in Fuzhou——A study on the development of vegetable industry

This paper highly summarizes and analyzes the vegetable industry in Fuzhou in the aspects of total supply,cultivated varieties,market distribution,emergency control,quality supervision;provides in-depth analysis in terms of the loss of arable land,the degree of organization,stable production capacity,technological level,pollution situation,quality safety;presents the research focus and ideas on supply support from the base,fostering of market subjects,strengthening safety supply and emergency support,and building the processing capacity accordingly.
Can and Should Greenhouse Gases Be Regulated as Hazardous Air Pollutants under Clean Air Act Sec. 112

ABSTRACTThis article poses three questions: (1) Can greenhouse gases be regulated under § 112 of the Clean Air Act? (2) If they were to be regulated in this way, what would the practical consequences be? (3) Should greenhouse gases be regulated this way? To summarize the offered answers: greenhouse gases can indeed be regulated under § 112; if they were to be regulated, the practical consequences would be substantial but potentially manageable; and whether or not they should be regulated in this way depends entirely on the nature and survival of the upcoming New Source Performance Standards under § 111(d). If § 111(d) regulation survives, the question of whether or not § 112 regulation could coexist arises, with the answer being in the affirmative albeit with potentially prohibitive difficulties. If § 111(d) regulation fails, § 112 regulation may serve as a regulatory last resort on which the Environmental Protection Agency may have to rely in order to seriously tackle the threat of climate change.
Characterization of Motor and Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in the Yucatan Micropig Using Transcranial and Epidural Stimulation

Abstract Yucatan micropigs have brain and spinal cord dimensions similar to humans and are useful for certain spinal cord injury (SCI) translational studies. Micropigs are readily trained in behavioral tasks, allowing consistent testing of locomotor loss and recovery. However, there has been little description of their motor and sensory pathway neurophysiology. We established methods to assess motor and sensory cortical evoked potentials in the anesthetized, uninjured state. We also evaluated epidurally evoked motor and sensory stimuli from the T6 and T9 levels, spanning the intended contusion injury epicenter. Response detection frequency, mean latency and amplitude values, and variability of evoked potentials were determined. Somatosensory evoked potentials were reliable and best detected during stimulation of peripheral nerve and epidural stimulation by referencing the lateral cortex to midline Fz. The most reliable hindlimb motor evoked potential (MEP) occurred in tibialis anterior. We found MEPs in f...
A Framework for Business Process Change Requirements Analysis

The ability to quickly and continually adapt business processes to accommodate evolving requirements and opportunities is critical for success in competitive environments. Without appropriate linkage between redesign decisions and strategic inputs, identifying processes that need to be modified will be difficult. In this paper, we draw attention to the analysis of business process change requirements in support of process change initiatives. Business process redesign is a multifaceted phenomenon involving processes, organizational structure, management systems, human resource architecture, and many other aspects of organizational life. To be successful, the business process initiative should focus not only on identifying the processes to be redesigned, but also pay attention to various enablers of change. Above all, a framework is just a blueprint; management must lead change. We hope our modest contribution will draw attention to the broader framing of requirements for business process change.
David Shambaugh, China’s Future

It is undoubtedly true, as stated on the back cover of this book, that “arguably the most consequential question in global affairs” is China’s future. China specialists will appreciate this book. I...
Correlates of Community-Based Colorectal Cancer Screening in a Rural Population: The Role of Fatalism.

Objective One largely unexplored barrier to colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is fatalistic beliefs about cancer. The purpose of this study was to identify correlates of ever having endoscopy screenings for CRC and to determine whether fatalism plays a unique role. Because evidence suggests that cancer-associated fatalistic beliefs may be particularly common among rural Americans, the study was conducted in a medically underserved area of rural Appalachia. Methods Rural residents (N = 260) between 51 and 75 years of age, from a medically underserved area of Appalachia, Kentucky, were recruited for a cross-sectional study. The outcome measure was assessed by a single item asking whether participants ever had a colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy. Demographic and health-related correlates of this outcome were selected based on past studies of rural populations. A single item assessed perceptions of fatalism regarding CRC. Age-adjusted analyses of correlates testing significant at the bivariate level were conducted. Results The analytic sample was limited to 135 rural residents indicating they had ever had CRC endoscopy and 107 indicating never having endoscopy. In age-adjusted analyses, only the measure of fatalism had a significant association with having endoscopy. Those endorsing the statement pertaining to fatalism were 2.3 times more likely (95% CI = 1.24-4.27, P = .008) than the remainder to indicate never having endoscopy. Conclusions A community-based approach to the promotion of endoscopy for CRC screening could focus on overcoming CRC-associated fatalism, thereby potentially bringing more unscreened people to endoscopy clinics.
Improving breastfeeding medicine in undergraduate medical education: A student survey and extensive curriculum review with suggestions for improvement.

Background: Breastfeeding education should be incorporated routinely into medical school curricula. Despite strong evidence supporting exclusive breastfeeding of infants, lack of physician education has continued to undermine the practice of breastfeeding. Protecting and supporting breastfeeding should be a public health priority as it has the potential to save billions of dollars in health care and also provide the most benefit to the newborn infant. The purpose of this article was to evaluate how the United States undergraduate medical institution incorporates breastfeeding medicine into its curriculum and to suggest modifications that will improve breastfeeding education at all undergraduate medical institutions. Methods: The authors performed an in-depth review of the undergraduate medical curriculum at the United States medical institution. Course requirements and lectures were compared with the 12 knowledge-based and 12 skill-based competencies that the authors suggest all medical students should possess. In addition, the authors sent out an electronic survey to 600 medical students at the same institution to assess current students understanding and comfort with basic breastfeeding topics. Results: Students in the preclinical years are only learning 3 of the 12 knowledge-based competencies and 1 of the 12 skill-based competencies. Students in the clinical years are learning 5 of the 12 knowledge-based competencies and 9 of the 12 skill-based competencies. Survey results showed that the majorities of medical students were not comfortable with basic breastfeeding medicine and guidance. Discussion: The authors recommend several curriculum changes to advance breastfeeding education. A more targeted breastfeeding curriculum in medical education will help to improve physician knowledge, practice patterns, and confidence in breastfeeding management.
Diagnostic Testing for Zika: Observing Rapid Translation During a Public Health Emergency.

Although outbreaks of Zika virus (ZIKV) were previously reported in Africa and Asia, it was not until multiple cases were detected in Brazil in 2015 that ZIKV captured public attention.1 The association with congenital disease prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency (lifted November 2016). We aim to explore the rapid translation of diagnostics for ZIKV during a public health emergency with the hopes of learning from challenges encountered.
Impact of System Resources on Performance of Deep Neural Network

The training of deep neural networks (DNNs) require intensive resources both for computation and for memory/storage performance. It is important to enable rapid development, experimentation, and testing of DNNs by improving the performance of these codes. This requires understanding what system resources are exercised by deep learning codes, to what degree the utilization of different resources is impacted by changes in the compute intensity or size of data being processed by the neural network, and the nature of the dependencies between different resource bottlenecks. For this purpose, we are performing an extensive empirical evaluation by varying several execution parameters and running hundreds of experiments with different configurations of DNN training jobs. The goal is to gain a robust understanding of how to tailor system resources and training hyperparameters to the needs of a given deep learning job by accounting for both the DNN model and the dataset.
Social-Aware Data Diffusion in Delay Tolerant MANETs

Most existing mobility-assisted data access techniques in delay tolerant mobile ad hoc networks (DT-MANETs) are designed to disseminate data to one or several particular destinations. Different from these works, we study the data diffusion problem which diffuses data among all moving nodes so that the nodes that are interested in this data item can get it easily either from their encountered friend nodes or stranger nodes. To reduce the data access delay, we introduce four social-aware data diffusion schemes based on the social relationship and data similarity of the contacts. We also provide solutions to quantify data/interest similarity and to determine whether two nodes are friends or strangers. Theoretical models are developed to analyze the data diffusion process and compare the performance of the four proposed diffusion schemes in terms of diffusion speed and query delay. We use real traces of human contacts to emulate data diffusion under different schemes. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results imply an interesting fact: to achieve better diffusion performance, each node should first diffuse the data similar to their common interests when it meets a friend, and first diffuse the data different to their common interests when it meets a stranger.
A Comparative Study of Serum Biochemistry, Metabolome and Microbiome Parameters of Clinically Healthy, Normal Weight, Overweight, and Obese Companion Dogs.

Abstract The aim of this study was to compare fecal microbiome, plasma, fecal and urine metabolomes, and serum biochemistry of adult companion dogs according to body condition scores. Blood, serum/plasma, urine, and fecal samples were collected from 66 clinically healthy, adult companion dogs of either normal weight (NW), overweight (OW), or obese dogs (OB). analyses included fecal microbiome analyses via 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon; sequencing, nontargeted plasma, fecal, and urine metabolomics using liquid chromatography/gas chromatography-mass; spectrometry, and serum biochemistry for each dog. Few significant differences in serum biochemistry and fecal microbiome Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) were found between weight groups and there was high OTU variation between individual dogs. NW dogs had higher relative abundance of the genus Eubacterium (log-fold change 4.3, adjusted P value = .003) and lower relative abundance of the family Bifidobacteriaceae (log-fold change −3.6, adjusted P value = .02) compared to OB dogs. The microbiome of NW dogs had higher OTU richness compared with OB dogs. Metabolome analysis showed 185 plasma, 37 fecal, and 45 urine metabolites that significantly differed between NW and OW or OB dogs. There were notable significant differences in relative abundance of several plasma phospholipid moieties and fecal volatile fatty acids between weight phenotypes. The combinations of host and gut microbiota and metabolic shifts suggest a pattern that could help detection of early metabolic changes in overweight dogs before the development of obesity related disease. The results of this study support the need for continued investigation into sensitive measures of metabolic aberrancies in overweight dogs.