cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pathogen impacts on plant communities: unifying theory, concepts, and empirical work

Pathogens, like other consumers, mediate the outcome of competitive interactions between their host species. Ongoing efforts to integrate pathogens into plant community ecology could be accelerated by greater conceptual unification. Research on plant pathogens has mainly focused on a variety of disparate mechanisms—the Janzen-Connell hypothesis, plant–soil feedbacks, competition–defense trade-offs, escape of invasive plants from their enemies, and epidemic-driven community shifts—with limited recognition of how these mechanisms fit into the broader context of plant coexistence. Here, I extend an emerging theoretical framework for understanding species coexistence to include various pathogen impacts on plant communities. Pathogens can promote coexistence by regulating relative abundance or by reducing the disparities between species in fitness that make coexistence more difficult. Conversely, pathogens may undermine coexistence by creating positive feedbacks or by increasing between-species fitness differe...
Characterization of pressor and visceromotor reflex responses to bladder distention in rats: sources of variability and effect of analgesics.

Purpose: We assessed the usefulness of cardiovascular and visceromotor responses to bladder distention as measures of acute visceral nociception in rats by determining the reliability of these responses.Materials and Methods: Halothane anesthetized male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were acutely instrumented with tracheal, jugular venous, carotid arterial and bladder cannulas. Wires were inserted into the abdominal musculature to enable myoelectrical activity measurement. Anesthesia was decreased until flexion reflexes were present. Repeat phasic and graded bladder distention was administered, and arterial blood pressure and abdominal electromyography activity were continuously monitored. We determined the effects of gender, vaginal smear estrous cycle stage and drug treatment on the measured responses.Results: Bladder distention produced reliable pressor and visceromotor (abdominal contractile) responses. There was great inter-animal variability in response vigor but good reproducibility was noted withi...
Deconstructing reappraisal: Descriptions preceding arousing pictures modulate the subsequent neural response

The late positive potential (LPP) is a sustained positive deflection in the event-related potential that is larger following the presentation of emotional compared to neutral visual stimuli. Recent studies have indicated that the magnitude of the LPP is sensitive to emotion regulation strategies such as reappraisal, which involves generating an alternate interpretation of emotional stimuli so that they are less negative. It is unclear, however, whether reappraisal-related reductions in the LPP reflect reduced emotional processing or increased cognitive demands following reappraisal instructions. In the present study, we sought to examine whether a more or less negative description preceding the presentation of unpleasant images would similarly modulate the LPP. The LPP was recorded from 26 subjects as they viewed unpleasant and neutral International Affective Picture System images. All participants heard a brief description of the upcoming picture; prior to unpleasant images, this description was either more neutral or more negative. Following the more neutral description, the magnitude of the LPP, unpleasant ratings, and arousal ratings were all reliably reduced. These results indicate that changes in narrative are sufficient to modulate the electrocortical response to the initial viewing of emotional pictures, and are discussed in terms of recent studies on reappraisal and emotion regulation.
Effect of HIV/AIDS on Children's Attitudes toward Learning: Voices of Teachers and Caregivers in Western Kenya.

The well-being of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS is often significantly compromised, as they are prone to discrimination, victimization, and exclusion from social and familial structures. The present study examines the effect of HIV/AIDS on children's attitudes toward learning, as perceived by teachers and caregivers. Teachers and caregivers from seven orphanage schools in Western Kenya participated in the study. The findings indicate how children orphaned as a result of AIDS arrive at orphanages with low expectations, lack of motivation, and poor attitudes toward learning, and how they benefit from a positive and supportive environment. The study contributes to the literature on children's physical, emotional, psychological, social, and academic experiences worldwide by adding to knowledge on the educational needs of children in difficult circumstances.
Patronage and Political Stability in Africa

Political conflict across Africa is often linked to the pervasive use of patronage in retaining control of the state. However, few sources of data have been available to systematically examine the relationship between a leader’s patronage strategies and the likelihood of an extraconstitutional change in power. This article employs ministerial appointments to the cabinet as a proxy for changes in the size of a leader’s patronage coalition. With time-series cross-section data on 40 African countries, this study shows that the size of cabinets varies systematically according to regime type, resource constraints, ethnic fractionalization, and total population. It then shows that African leaders extend their tenure in office by expanding their patronage coalition through cabinet appointments. A proportional hazards model of regime duration indicates that cabinet expansion lowers the probability of a leader’s being deposed through a coup. The appointment of one additional minister to the cabinet lowers a leader...
Classical and Quantum Operation Modes of the Reversible Josephson-Junction Logic Circuits

One of the most important features of the quantum computing circuits that distinguishes them from the traditional computational models is their full, physical and logical, reversibility at all stages of the calculations. This makes the large-scale architecture of potential quantum and classical reversible computers quite similar. The goal of this work is to analyze this similarity in the case of reversible superconducting logic circuits based on the recently suggested elementary gate, the nSQUID. Specifically, we present the results of numerical simulations and some limited measurements of a reversible 8-bit circular shift register fabricated at HYPRES, Inc., and working in the classical mode. The measured energy dissipation per bit operation per nSQUID is still about 20 times higher than the thermodynamic reversibility threshold of kBTIn 2 at T ap 4 K. We also discuss qualitatively operation of the reversible circuits of galvan- ically-coupled nSQUIDs in the quantum mode which provides the basis for implementation of "flying" superconducting qubits. Such qubits have several attractive features for Josephson-junction quantum logic devices beyond the single- or two-qubit circuits.
POLYCULTURE OF CHANNEL CATFISH (Ictalurus punctatus) WITH ALL‐MALE TILAPIA HYBRID

Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) (x = 0.8 g) and all-male hybrid tilapia fingerlings (Sarotherodon mossambica ♂ × S. hornorum ♀) (x = 35.0 g) were stocked in 0.04 ha replicated ponds in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in March and July 1981, respectively. The ponds were stocked at densities of 11,110 catfish per ha, 11,110 catfish with 5,550 tilapia per ha, 7,400 catfish per ha, and 7,400 catfish with 3,700 tilapia per ha. The fish were fed daily at 4% of estimated catfish biomass and were harvested in November 1981. There were no differences in dissolved oxygen or water temperature among the four culture systems (P > 0.05). The presence of tilapia, however, significantly increased water turbidity, pH and chlorophyll a concentrations (P 0.05), but the presence of tilapia did significantly increase total fish yield (P < 0.05) by 13.5 and 32.2% at low and high catfish densities, respectively. Channel catfish and tilapia averaged 390 and 245 g at harvest, respectively. Overall catfish survival averaged 61%. Tilapia survival was 72% and 61% at low and high densities, respectively.
Effect of stabilizers on the preparation of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Previous investigators have indicated that stabilizers will block the transesterification catalyst in the preparation of PET by the DMT process. This was not the case when triphenyl phosphate (TPP) or Irganox 1010 was used as the stabilizer and manganous acetate as the catalyst. Stabilizers in this study included TPP, trimethyl phosphate (TMP), tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAOH), Irganox 1010, and Irganox 1222. Their effect on the properties of PET made by the TPA process was investigated. It was observed that TPP and TMP greatly reduced the carboxyl content of PET and that the others had little or no effect. All stabilizers lowered the diethylene glycol content of PET. The rate of polycondensation was slightly increased when a small amount of Irganox 1010, Irganox 1222, or TMP was added. Proper concentration of stabilizer should be chosen to obtain good stability and low diethylene glycol content. Among the five stabilizers studied TPP was the best with respect to carboxyl and diethylene glycol content and thermal stability. The concentration of TPP should be kept under 0.04% by weight of PET.
An analysis of physician attitudes regarding computer-based clinical consultation systems.

Physician attitudes regarding computer-based clinical decision aids and the effect of a 2-day tutorial on medical computing are studied. The results indicate that physicians are accepting of applications that enhance their patient management capabilities, but tend to oppose applications in which they perceive an infringement on their management role. Expectations about the effect of computing on current medical practices are found to be generally favorable, although considerable individual differences exist among subgroups. The study participants place substantial demands on the performance capabilities of acceptable consultations systems, and emphasize the need for humanlike interactive capabilities. The tutorial had no effect on attitudes regarding appropriate clinical uses of computers nor on expectations about the effect of the technology on medical practice. However, it did increase the participants’ knowledge of medical computing and led to more informed demands on system performance. We discuss the implications of the study and offer suggestions for developing and implementing computer-based clinical decision aids.
Rare Cause of Recurrent Small-Bowel Obstruction

A 34-year-old female Jehovah’sWitness presented to the emergency department with a 3-day history of colicky lower abdominal pain, nausea without vomiting, and constipation after passing a single small bloody bowel movement. Physical examination demonstrated a soft, nontender, and nondistended abdomen withoutperitoneal signsorpalpablemasses.Digital rectal examination revealednostool in thevault andgrossblood and pelvic examination were negative. Surgical historywas notable only for a previous cesarean delivery.Medical historywas significant for 2 years of waxing andwaning generalized abdominal pain and a hospital admission for small-bowel obstruction 11months prior thatwasmanaged conservatively. Endoscopic evaluation revealed multiple polyps in the colon, stomach, and duodenum consistent with a diagnosis of juvenile polyposis syndrome. Admission laboratories demonstrated a lactate level of 18 mg/dL (to convert to millimoles per liter,multiply by0.111),white blood cell count of 6000/μL (to convert to ×109/L, multiply by 0.001), and hemoglobin level of 13.3 g/dL (to convert to grams per liter, multiply by 10). Amylase and lipase levels and chemistry findings were normal. Computed tomographywithoral and intravenous contrastwasobtainedand is shownwith imaging from her initial presentation 11 months prior (Figure 1). A B
Human aging is associated with altered TNF-α production during hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia

Changes in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) may provide a mechanism to explain impaired glucose metabolism with advancing age. Hyperglycemic clamps (180 min, 10 mM) were performed on seven older [67...
Combined direct current and high frequency nerve block for elimination of the onset response

Nerve conduction in peripheral mammalian nerves can be blocked by high frequency alternating current (HFAC) waveforms. However, one of the disadvantages of HFAC block is that it produces an intense burst of firing in the nerve when the HFAC is first turned on. This is a significant obstacle to the clinical implementation of HFAC block. In this paper we present a method to produce HFAC block without the onset response, using a combination of direct current (DC) and HFAC block. This method was experimentally evaluated in an in-vivo mammalian model. Successful no-onset HFAC block was obtained using a DC block of 200 µA and an HFAC block of 30 kHz at 10 Vp-p. This may allow HFAC block to be used in clinical applications for pain relief.
Transient event detection for nonintrusive load monitoring and demand side management using voltage distortion

This paper describes a simple system that can be used for autonomous demand-side management in a load site such as a home or commercial facility. The system identifies the operation of individual loads using transient patterns observed in the voltage waveform measured at an electric service outlet. The theoretical foundation of the measurement process is introduced, and a preprocessor that computes short-time estimates of the spectral content of the voltage waveform is described. The paper presents several example measurements demonstrating the ability of the system to obtain estimates of the spectral content of the voltage waveform.
The Effect of CEO Succession on Stockholder Wealth in Large Firms Following the Death of the Predecessor

Using event time methodology, this study explores, over the 17-year period of 1966 to 1982, the effect on the price of common stock in large publicly held corporations of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) succession following the death of each CEO's predecessor. The market was found to react positively to the announcement of internal succession, but external succession was not associated with significant abnormal returns. The findings support the importance of examining the organizational conditions surrounding succession events.
Common Loon (Gavia immer) Eggshell Thickness and Egg Volume Vary with Acidity of Nest Lake in Northern Wisconsin

Abstract Environmental acidification has been associated with factors that may negatively affect reproduction in many waterbirds. Declines in lake pH can lead to reductions in food availability and quality, or result in the altered availability of toxic metals, such as mercury. A recent laboratory study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources indicated that Common Loon (Gavia immer) chicks hatched from eggs collected on acidic lakes in northern Wisconsin may be less responsive to stimuli and exhibit reduced growth compared to chicks from neutral-pH lakes. Here we report on the relation between Common Loon egg characteristics (eggshell thickness and egg volume) and lake pH, as well as eggshell methylmercury content. Eggs (N = 84) and lake pH measurements were obtained from a four county region of northern Wisconsin. Eggshells were 3-4% thinner on lakes with pH ≤ 6.3 than on neutral-pH lakes and this relation was linear across the pH range investigated (P < ...
Commentary on recent guidelines for treating hypertension.

The American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association 2011 expert consensus document on hypertension in the elderly recommended a blood pressure < 140/90 mm Hg in adults younger than 80 years of age at high risk for cardiovascular events [1]. On the basis of data from the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial [2], these guidelines state that the systolic blood pressure (SBP) should be reduced to 140–145 mm Hg if tolerated in adults aged 80 years and older [1]. I concur with these guidelines [3–7].
Centennial Pharmaceutical Corporation

This case presents a challenging discounted-cash-flow (DCF) problem associated with the valuation consequences of changes made to an earnout agreement. The task of the student is to conduct a DCF analysis to compare the values of the original earnout and the amended earnout. The case is designed to be taught in an introductory course as an application of DCF principles, in particular, the choice of an appropriate discount rate consistent with risk.
The atypical cation-conduction and gating properties of ELIC underscore the marked functional versatility of the pentameric ligand-gated ion-channel fold.

The superfamily of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) is unique among ionotropic receptors in that the same overall structure has evolved to generate multiple members with different combinations of agonist specificities and permeant-ion charge selectivities. However, aside from these differences, pLGICs have been typically regarded as having several invariant functional properties. These include pore blockade by extracellular quaternary-ammonium cations in the micromolar-to-millimolar concentration range (in the case of the cation-selective members), and a gain-of-function phenotype, which manifests as a slower deactivation time course, as a result of mutations that reduce the hydrophobicity of the transmembrane pore lining. Here, we tested this notion on three distantly related cation-selective members of the pLGIC superfamily: the mouse muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), and the bacterial GLIC and ELIC channels. Remarkably, we found that, whereas low millimolar concentrations of TMA+ and TEA+ block the nAChR and GLIC, neither of these two quaternary-ammonium cations blocks ELIC at such concentrations; instead, both carry measurable inward currents when present as the only cations on the extracellular side. Also, we found that, whereas lidocaine binding speeds up the current-decay time courses of the nAChR and GLIC in the presence of saturating concentrations of agonists, the binding of lidocaine to ELIC slows this time course down. Furthermore, whereas mutations that reduce the hydrophobicity of the side chains at position 9′ of the M2 α-helices greatly slowed the deactivation time course of the nAChR and GLIC, these mutations had little effect—or even sped up deactivation—when engineered in ELIC. Our data indicate that caution should be exercised when generalizing results obtained with ELIC to the rest of the pLGICs, but more intriguingly, they hint at the possibility that ELIC is a representative of a novel branch of the superfamily with markedly divergent pore properties despite a well-conserved three-dimensional architecture.
Field measurements of an urban two-tier wireless mesh access network: end-user perspective

Multi-tier wireless mesh networks are promising technologies that are deployed to provide economic high speed Internet access. In an effort to provide low-cost broadband Internet access to a low income neighborhood in Southeast Houston, Rice University and Technology for All (TFA) organization deployed a multi-tier mesh Wi-Fi Network that extends a single fiber-optic channel to serve a large coverage area. The access tier connects homes to the nearest Wi-Fi Mesh Access Point (MAP); several MAPs are installed in specific locations for complete coverage of the neighborhood. The MAPs form a multi-hop wireless network to the fiber back-haul. This paper presents an extensive in-home performance measurement of the TFA network to characterize the network performance from user perspective. The results show that the current design need improvement to fulfill user expectation and implementation of wireless mesh network as an access technology for end-users' broadband access. In addition the paper simulates the effect of directional antenna on the design of such network.
Value of Progesterone and Estradiol on Growth and Finish in Broilers

Abstract Numerous estrogenic compounds (stilbestrol, diethylstilbestrol, hexestrol, dienestrol) have been extensively used to improve carcass quality and appearance of poultry. More recently, experimental work has shown that the combination of progesterone and stilbestrol administered by pellet implantation causes an increased rate of growth, improved feed efficiency and a superior quality of finish in lambs (Galloway, Bratzler, Blakeslee and Meites, 1952). If these effects could be duplicated in broilers it would be beneficial to the poultry industry. Consequently, a pilot test was set up to test the effectiveness of these hormones, singly and in combination. Five groups of ten females and five groups of ten male White Rock chickens, seven weeks of age, were implanted subcutaneously on the dorsum of the neck near the base of the skull with the hormones listed in Table 2. The birds were placed in growing batteries and fed the practical high-energy broiler mash shown in Table 1… .
Practicing Possibilities: Parents’ Explanations of Unusual Events and Children’s Possibility Thinking

Young children tend to judge improbable events to be impossible, yet there is variability across age and across individuals. Our study examined parent–child conversations about impossible and improbable events and links between parents’ explanations about those events and children’s possibility judgments in a reasoning task. Regression analyses revealed that parents’ speculation about potential mechanisms for improbable events during a parent–child book-sharing activity predicted children’s possibility judgments for similar events in an individual task and accounted for more of the variance than children’s age. Also, parents’ skepticism regarding mechanisms for impossible events was negatively correlated with children’s judgments about the possibility of improbable events. Additionally, children’s overall causal justifications for their judgments were correlated with parents’ talk about speculative mechanisms. Results suggest the importance of conversation with parents for young children’s developing unde...
Subcortical and cortical somatosensory potentials evoked by posterior tibial nerve stimulation: Normative values

Cortical somatosensory evoked potentials to posterior tibial nerve stimulation were obtained in 29 normal controls varying in age and body height. In obtaining these potentials we varied recording derivations and frequency settings. Our recordings demonstrated the following points: N20 (dorsal cord potential) and the early cortical components (P2, N2) were the only potentials that were consistently recorded. All other subcortical components (N18, N24, P27, N30) were of relatively low amplitude and not infrequently absent even in normals. All absolute latencies other than N2 were correlated with body height. However, interpeak latency differences were independent of body height. Below the age of 20, subcortical but not cortical peak latencies correlated with age, but this appeared to be due to changes in body height in this age group. Absolute amplitudes and amplitude ratios (left/right and uni/bilateral) showed marked interindividual variability and have very limited value in defining abnormality. The use of restricted filter windows facilitated the selective recording of postsynaptic potentials (30-250 Hz) and action potentials (150-1500 Hz).
The Fate of Alkali Metal During Biomass Thermochemical Conversion

The fate of alkali metal released during combustion of biomass and biomass-derived fuels has been studied by directly sampling the hot gases liberated from combustion of small samples in a variable-temperature quartz-tube reactor employing a molecular beam mass spectrometer (MBMS) system. This experimental technique has been successfully used to identify alkali species released during the combustion of 23 solid biomass feedstocks, 4 biomass chars, and 7 biomass-derived pyrolysis oils. This paper will focus on the results for oils and chars produced from switchgrass pyrolysis as representative examples. By studying the combustion of biomass pyrolysis oils and chars it is possible to determine how the alkali metal is partitioned during biomass pyrolysis. Multiple combustion conditions have been investigated to target those conditions that minimize alkali metal release. The nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorine content of a given pyrolysis oil is a function of the starting feedstock material.
Automatic Parallel Fragment Extraction from Noisy Data

We present a novel method to detect parallel fragments within noisy parallel corpora. Isolating these parallel fragments from the noisy data in which they are contained frees us from noisy alignments and stray links that can severely constrain translation-rule extraction. We do this with existing machinery, making use of an existing word alignment model for this task. We evaluate the quality and utility of the extracted data on large-scale Chinese-English and Arabic-English translation tasks and show significant improvements over a state-of-the-art baseline.
Increasing Prevalence Rate of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infections in Five States, 2008–2013

Rationale: Many nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are clinically significant pathogens that cause disease in a variety of different human organs and tissues.Objectives: A population-based study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of patients with a positive specimen for NTM within five states of the United States.Methods: We determined the case and age distribution of patients with at least one specimen positive for NTM, using data submitted to the disease surveillance systems of five states (Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin) between 2008 and 2013. Crude, age-specific, and age-adjusted prevalence rates per 100,000 persons were calculated for each state.Measurements and Main Results: From 2008 to 2013, a total of 24,226 NTM cases were reported to the disease surveillance systems of the five states. The overall average annual age-adjusted prevalence rate rose from 8.7 to 13.9 per 100,000 persons between the beginning and end of the surveillance period. The number of cases and ca...
Parental Involvement: Rhetoric of Inclusion in an Environment of Exclusion:

This article explores how parents and school personnel perceived and experienced parental involvement at a school serving a low-income mainly black population. The first author recorded detailed fi...
Levels of Influence: Habituation and the Prevalence of Declared Conflicts of Interest.

Background: The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors has devised a system of mandatory disclosure, under which authors are required to disclose all conflicts of interest and the sources of support for the submitted research. Because payments from industry to physicians generally are common, it is likely that many authors of medical manuscripts will have information to disclose. As a result, the signal-to-noise ratio of such declarations may be low, thereby undermining the effectiveness of disclosure. To our knowledge, the comparative prevalence of such conflicts has not been reported. Methods: We identified 100 consecutive scientific articles from the 2014 volumes of 3 journals with high impact factors: Pediatrics, The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS), and The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Each study was categorized by funding source and other relationships with industry. Results: In Pediatrics, 17 of 100 studies had a declared relationship with industry. Industry relationships were declared in 68 and 77 of the studies in JBJS and NEJM, respectively. Conclusions: Industry relationships were common in studies in NEJM and JBJS, but rare in Pediatrics . The high prevalence of conflicts of interest may weaken the meaning of declarations and undermine any bias-reducing effect intended by the disclosure system.
Letter by Freeman and Freeman Regarding Article, “Sex Differences in Faculty Rank Among Academic Cardiologists in the United States”

We read with great interest the article by Blumenthal et al.1 We appreciate the authors conducting this research on a likely underappreciated, multifaceted problem faced by female physicians in academia. The data also might reflect a snapshot of a growing problem given the shift in medical school demographics over the last half century to almost half women.2 Female academicians also …
Under (implicit) pressure: young Black and Latina women's perceptions of contraceptive care.

Abstract Objective To understand the ways in which young women of color experienced pressure from healthcare providers during contraceptive care, including the impact of these encounters on contraceptive decision making and reproductive autonomy. Methods Data were drawn from a qualitative study of contraceptive decision making, which included 38 young (age 18–24) Latina and Black women recruited using community-based and online strategies. We analyzed in-depth interview data from a subsample of 27 young women who described experiencing pressure from healthcare providers during contraceptive care. We conducted a thematic analysis of coded data using a cross-case analytic approach. Results Our analysis revealed that the pressure experienced by our participants was typically subtle and constrained reproductive autonomy to varying degrees. We termed this phenomenon implicit pressure owing to the under-the-surface nature of these experiences — that is, participants perceived an implied outcome regarding contraceptive use favored by their providers. Participants felt implicitly pressured when providers appeared to prefer certain methods based on imbalanced provision of information, tone of voice and affect, and minimization of or failure to describe potential side effects. Some participants accepted their providers' contraceptive suggestions as a way to end counseling encounters — methods they rapidly discontinued. Experiences of implicit pressure were longitudinally impactful, with some participants curtailing future healthcare access and contraceptive use because of negative clinical encounters. Conclusions Practices that implicitly pressure women in contraceptive counseling can infringe upon reproductive autonomy and reinforce health inequities when they engender mistrust of healthcare, providers and contraception. Implications This study underscores the importance of high-quality contraceptive care for young women of color. Adverse healthcare experiences during adolescence and young adulthood can negatively impact future health-seeking behavior, with important implications for health throughout the life course. Patient-centered approaches may positively affect patients' experiences while continuing to facilitate contraceptive discussions.
A visual analytics system for brain functional connectivity comparison across individuals, groups, and time points

Neuroscientists study brain functional connectivity in order to obtain a deeper understanding of how the brain functions. Current studies are mainly based on analyzing the averaged brain connectivity of a group (or groups) due to the high complexity of the collected data in terms of dimensionality, variability, and volume. While it is more desirable for the researchers to explore the potential variability between individual subjects or groups, a data analysis solution meeting this need is absent. In this paper, we present the design and capabilities of such a visual analytics system, which enables neuroscientists to visually compare the differences of brain networks between individual subjects as well as group averages, to explore a large dataset and examine sub-groups of participants that may not have been expected a priori to be of interest, to review detailed information as needed, and to manipulate the data and views to fit their analytical needs with easy interactions. We demonstrate the utility and strengths of this system with case studies using a representative functional connectivity dataset.
Sleep and Final Exam Performance in Introductory Physics

Most physics instructors believe that adequate sleep is important in order for students to perform well on problem solving, and many instructors advise students to get plenty of sleep the night before an exam. After years of giving such advice to students at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), one of us decided to find out how many hours students actually do sleep the night before an exam, and how that would relate to their performance. The effect of inadequate sleep on exam performance was explored in a second-semester introductory physics course. At the end of the final exam, students reported the number of hours they slept the night before. Sleep deprivation corresponded to lower final exam scores. The main purpose of this study is to provide evidence that instructors can provide to their students to convince them that their time is better spent sleeping rather than studying all night before an exam.
Victim-warriors and iconic heroines: photographs of female combatants in Aceh, Indonesia

ABSTRACTAnalyzing photos and narratives of the “widows’ battalion” in Aceh, Indonesia that appeared in international and local print media between 2000 and 2002, this article traces how images of female combatants initially provided evidence of a uniformed, armed ethno-nationalist movement motivated by past state violence and linked to historical legends of women involved in armed resistance to colonialism. Subsequently, the heroines were recast as immoral young women pursuing inappropriate sexual relationships with the occupying military. The problems of intelligence gathering, double agents, and the indeterminate zone of overlap in which male soldiers collaborated in the past were rewritten as a problem of sexual or intimate relations that violated religious and cultural norms. In Aceh, the affective power and complexity of women’s positioning as both victim and combatant is fueled by the invocation of the iconic heroines of the anticolonial resistance and ideas about international human rights. Images ...
Advances in Facial Aesthetic Surgery: New Approaches to Old Problems and Current Approaches to New Problems

As our lives become forever more hectic, men and women in the United States are becoming more time conscious and less accepting of surgical procedures requiring prolonged recovery. This circumstance has led to increasing attention being paid to lesser or minimally invasive procedures rather than traditional ones. The media, the Internet, and television shows have popularized many of these techniques. Although some of these techniques may be effective, many have not been held to strict scientific rigor.
Communication-Based Treatment of Severe Behavior Problems

The purpose of this chapter is to describe the role of communication training in the reduction or elimination of serious behavior problems in persons with developmental disabilities. We will discuss clinical and conceptual guidelines for implementing a communication-based approach. It is not our intent to provide a treatment manual; such a manual is currently being field tested and will be forthcoming in a separate publication. The material in this chapter does, however, define the major elements of our approach.
Binding of filamin isoforms to myofibrils.

Two filamin isoforms were purified from bovine tissues and characterized. Muscle filamin and nonmuscle filamin had different SDS gel mobilities, proteolytic digestion patterns, myofibrillar binding distributions and myofibril binding affinities. The muscle specific filamin had an apparent molecular weight of 265 kDa and bound primarily to the Z-lines of myofibrils but also to the I-bands near the Z-lines. The nonmuscle specific filamin had an apparent molecular weight of 275 kDa and bound exclusively to the Z-lines of myofibrils. The filamin–myofibril binding was studied quantitatively. Plotting bound fraction (mg filamin/mg myofibril) vs. equilibrium concentration of free filamin yielded a biphasic binding curve. The first hyperbolic binding phase described the binding of filamin to myofibrils but the second phase appeared to be nonspecific due to filamin aggregation. The muscle filamin had a significantly lower (P < 0.05) apparent binding affinity to myofibrils than nonmuscle filamin. However, the muscle filamin showed a significantly higher (P < 0.05) saturation value for myofibrils than nonmuscle filamin. The binding of phosphorylated filamin to myofibrils was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than the corresponding native proteins for both filamin isoforms.
Chapter 33 – Pathophysiology of Asthma

Publisher Summary Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are both highly complex conditions whose pathobiology remains inadequately defined. In both diseases there are many different and distinct inflammatory cells and multiple mediators with complex acute and chronic effects on the airways and airspaces. The understanding of asthma pathogenesis has been enhanced by the application of new molecular, cell biological, and genetic techniques to the condition, and the key test of the acquired knowledge is the success of new specifically targeted therapies. In this area the successes have been few in asthma and are virtually absent in COPD. Although it is recognized that chronic inflammation underlies the clinical syndromes, it has been hard to define the precise nature of this inflammation, much less its primary etiology. Nevertheless it is appreciated that the final consequence of this chronic inflammatory response is an abnormal control of airway caliber in vivo in asthma. In contrast, the evolution of understanding in COPD has been much slower; key insights are sought which will open up the understanding of this complex disorder. It has also been possible to examine the airways of asthmatic patients by fiberoptic and rigid bronchoscopy, bronchial biopsy, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Direct bronchoscopic examination reveals that the airways of asthmatic patients are often erythematous and swollen, indicating acute inflammation.
Distributed Biological Observatory Region 1: Physics, chemistry and plankton in the northern Bering Sea

Abstract Historically, the northern Bering Sea has been largely ice covered for 5–6 months each year. From 1980 to 2014, there was considerable variability in the timing of ice arrival and retreat, but there was no significant trend in these variables. During three of the last four years (2014–2015, 2016–2017, 2017–2018) ice has arrived later and retreated earlier, resulting in a shorter ice season. These changes may be related to the delayed arrival of sea ice in the Chukchi Sea, under the paradigm that the Chukchi Sea freezes before the northern Bering Sea. Under such a sequence of events, the continued delay in arrival of sea ice in the Chukchi Sea will in turn delay the arrival of ice in the northern (and hence southern) Bering Sea; thus, past predictions that the northern Bering Sea will remain cold for the foreseeable future may be in question. In the northern Bering Sea, periods of 10–15 years with extensive ice in December and January are interrupted by shorter periods (2–5 years) of less extensive ice cover. The periods of low ice cover in December and January in the northern Bering Sea tend to coincide with periods of low ice cover in March and April in the southern Bering Sea. Sea ice impacts the marine ecosystem in multiple ways: early retreat of sea ice is correlated with warmer sea surface temperatures in the summer; delayed arrival of sea ice results in warmer bottom temperatures in fall and winter; multiple, consecutive years of extensive ice appear to be related to decreasing salinity and nutrients (nitrate and phosphate); and the timing of ice retreat influences the life cycle of Calanus spp. as warmer waters increase their development rate.
A Noneuclidean Lax-Beurling Theorem with Applications to Matricial Nevanlinna-Pick Interpolation

Let H2 (₵k) = H2 ⊗ ₵k be the usual vector-valued Hardy space and let S be the shift operator of multiplication by eit on H2 (₵k).
A Hierarchical Manifold Learning Framework for High-Dimensional Neuroimaging Data

Better understanding of large-scale brain dynamics with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data is a major goal of modern neuroscience. In this work, we propose a novel hierarchical manifold learning framework for time-synchronized fMRI data for elucidating brain dynamics. Our framework—labelled 2-step diffusion maps (2sDM)—is based on diffusion maps, a nonlinear dimensionality reduction method. First, 2sDM learns the manifold of fMRI data for each individual separately and then learns a low-dimensional group-level embedding by integrating individual information. We also propose a method for out-of-sample extension within our hierarchical framework. Using 2sDM, we constructed a single manifold structure based on 6 different task-based fMRI (tfMRI) runs. Results on the tfMRI data show a clear manifold structure with four distinct clusters, or brain states. We extended this to embedding resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) data by first synchronizing across individuals using an optimal orthogonal transformation. The rsfMRI data from the same individuals cleanly embedded onto the four clusters, suggesting that rsfMRI is a collection of different brains states. Overall, our results highlight 2sDM as a powerful method to understand brain dynamics and show that tfMRI and rsfMRI data share representative brain states.
Developing a Surgical Innovation: Creating a Meaningful Value Proposition and a Compelling Pitch for Impact

Medical innovation starts with a good idea, but for an idea to be successful, it must be further developed through a process that will create value and positive impact for patients and society. This development of an innovation and the process of commercialization are important pathways for any innovator to understand and navigate. While defining the right problem in medicine to solve is the first step in the process, solutions to the problem are then brainstormed and put through a series of testing, validation, and evaluation by stakeholders who would be impacted by the solution. Their feedback is not only essential for an idea’s success, but also vital to identify gaps and barriers to the solution that need to be addressed before it can move forward. This iterative process of customer discovery can take time but is worth the effort to create a solution and value proposition for an innovation that will have a positive impact on patients and society. Once an innovation has been de-risked and put through appropriate customer discovery, it must gather critical resources to move it through the commercialization process. Acquiring these resources requires the innovator to be fascicle and develop expertise with effectively communicating their idea through a compelling pitch. The first chapter provides an important overview of the innovation and commercialization process as well as helpful insights to prepare the innovator to be more successful at this creative and developmental process. Additionally, several links have been provided at the end of the chapter to videos of academic surgeons delivering compelling pitches, as examples of how this process can lead to meaningful impact.
The Development of Denitrification and of the Denitrifying Community in a Newly-Created Freshwater Wetland

Agricultural growth and urban development have increased nutrient loading into streams to unnatural levels, negatively affecting estuaries downstream. Wetland creation along streams has the potential to mitigate watershed nutrient loading, providing the necessary conditions to encourage bacterial denitrification. We compared denitrification in two wetland systems, one recently created and one well established, along a branch of the St. Martin River, the largest and most degraded tributary flowing into the Maryland Coastal Bays. Ambient and potential denitrification rates were measured using membrane inlet mass spectrometry, and the denitrifying bacterial communities were compared using qPCR with genes nirK, nirS, nosZ-I, and nosZ-II. For all sites, denitrification rates were highly variable, but similar between the two wetlands, while potential rates increased almost 10-fold after a NO3− amendment, indicating that the denitrifying communities can respond to pulses of NO3− delivered via episodic flow events. Overall, the denitrifying community was more abundant at the created wetland, but the reference site had a higher abundance of the nosZ-I gene and, therefore, a lower genetic potential for N2O production. The created wetland has developed denitrification rates and a denitrifying community similar to those of the established wetland and could successfully remove excess nutrients entering the system.
The recurrence interval of post-fire debris-flow generating rainfall in the southwestern United States

Abstract In the southwestern United States, post-fire debris flows commonly initiate during short bursts of intense rainfall. To date, the frequency of the rainfall rates has not been quantified. Here, we combine an existing database of debris-flow occurrences and corresponding peak storm intensities with a geospatial library of rainfall recurrence interval (RI) information and climate type to determine the distribution of the estimated frequencies of the rainfall associated with 316 observed post-fire debris flows in the southwestern United States. Our results indicate that a majority (77%) of the observed debris flows were triggered by rainfall intensities with RI less than 2 years. Climatic and geographic differences in RI were evident in our analysis. Debris flows in most of the analyzed climates within California, Colorado, and New Mexico were primarily associated with 1-year or less RI intensities, whereas debris flows in arid portions of Arizona, Colorado, and Utah tended to be generated during storms greater than 2-year RI. Event consequence, as defined by the impact on downstream communities and infrastructure, was not directly related to RI, as very destructive debris flows were initiated at a wide range of RI intensities. Our results highlight that post-fire debris-flow initiation can be expected during common rainstorms in the southwestern United States, therefore emergency management plans and risk mitigation efforts must focus on both extreme and frequent rainstorms.
Multiple Imputation in Practice: With Examples Using IVEware.

Multiple imputation has become an increasingly popular technique for handling missing data in studies ranging from cross-sectional to longitudinal studies and from randomized clinical trials to com...
The Complexity of Microglial Interactions With Innate and Adaptive Immune Cells in Alzheimer's Disease.

In the naive mouse brain, microglia and astrocytes are the most abundant immune cells; however, there is a complexity of other immune cells present including monocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytic cells, such as natural killer (NK) cells, T cells, and B cells. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), there is high inflammation, reactive microglia, and astrocytes, leaky blood-brain barrier, the buildup of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles which attract infiltrating peripheral immune cells that are interacting with the resident microglia. Limited studies have analyzed how these infiltrating immune cells contribute to the neuropathology of AD and even fewer have analyzed their interactions with the resident microglia. Understanding the complexity and dynamics of how these immune cells interact in AD will be important for identifying new and novel therapeutic targets. Thus, this review will focus on discussing our current understanding of how macrophages, neutrophils, NK cells, T cells, and B cells, alongside astrocytes, are altered in AD and what this means for the disorder, as well as how these cells are affected relative to the resident microglia.