cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crosstalk-Aware Channel Coding Schemes for Energy Efficient and Reliable NOC Interconnects

Network-on-chip (NOC) is emerging as a revolutionary methodology to integrate numerous intellectual property blocks in a single die. It is the packet switching-based communications backbone that interconnects the components on multicore system-on-chip (SoC). A major challenge that NOC design is expected to face is related to the intrinsic unreliability of the interconnect infrastructure under technology limitations. By incorporating error control coding schemes along the interconnects, NOC architectures are able to provide correct functionality in the presence of different sources of transient noise and yet have lower overall energy dissipation. In this paper, designs of novel joint crosstalk avoidance and triple-error-correction/quadruple-error-detection codes are proposed, and their performance is evaluated in different NOC fabrics. It is demonstrated that the proposed codes outperform other existing coding schemes in making NOC fabrics reliable and energy efficient, with lower latency.
Optic Disc Coloboma and Localized Chorioretinal Defects in Constitutional Partial Trisomy 8 Mosaicism

Constitutional partial trisomy 8 mosaicism is a rare chromosomal multisystem disorder with systemic and ophthalmologic manifestations. We report the case of a 15-year-old female mosaic for trisomy 8 who has unilateral colobomatous microphthalmia and multiple chorioretinal defects. These congenital anomalies have not been previously reported in association with constitutional partial trisomy 8 mosaicism.
JPEG2000 and Motion JPEG2000 content analysis using codestream length information

The widespread adoption of the JPEG2000 standard calls for the development of computationally efficient algorithms to analyze the content of imagery compressed using this standard. For this purpose, we propose the use of the information content (IC) of wavelet subbands, defined as the number of bytes that JPEG2000 spends to encode the subbands. The IC of subbands can be obtained from the packet headers of the JPEG2000 codestream, thereby avoiding decompressing the arithmetically encoded bitplane data. We present experimental results for two content analysis tasks; namely, image classification and scene change detection. Our results indicate that performance comparable to that of methods operating on decompressed data can be achieved, while saving computational and bandwidth resources.
Model-Based Annealing Random Search with Stochastic Averaging

The model-based methods have recently found widespread applications in solving hard nondifferentiable optimization problems. These algorithms are population-based and typically require hundreds of candidate solutions to be sampled at each iteration. In addition, recent convergence analysis of these algorithms also stipulates a sample size that increases polynomially with the number of iterations. In this article, we aim to improve the efficiency of model-based algorithms by reducing the number of candidate solutions generated per iteration. This is carried out through embedding a stochastic averaging procedure within these methods to make more efficient use of the past sampling information. This procedure not only can potentially reduce the number of function evaluations needed to obtain high-quality solutions, but also makes the underlying algorithms more amenable for parallel computation. The detailed implementation of our approach is demonstrated through an exemplary algorithm instantiation called Model-based Annealing Random Search with Stochastic Averaging (MARS-SA), which maintains the per iteration sample size at a small constant value. We establish the global convergence property of MARS-SA and provide numerical examples to illustrate its performance.
Improving Outcomes by Reducing Elective Deliveries Before 39 Weeks of Gestation: A Community Hospital's Journey

Abstract Our goal was to improve quality and safety of care to our obstetric and neonatal patients (presenting between 34 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeks) by lowering the overall induction rate, lowering the elective induction rate less than 39 weeks, decreasing the unanticipated admissions of late preterm infants to the special care nursery (SCN), decreasing the number of transports out of our level II SCN to a higher level III neonatal intensive care unit, and increasing safety culture scores of the Family Birth Center staff at Mercy Hospital Anderson, Cincinnati, OH. A retrospective chart review was conducted over a 2-year period. In 2005, after an intense analysis of the Family Birth Center, the overall induction rate and elective induction rate of less than 39 weeks' gestation were at an alarming 26.4% and 12.1%, respectively. Best practice guidelines for scheduling an induction were developed in collaboration with nursing and medical staff. These elective induction guidelines required patients to have completed 39 0/7 weeks of gestation and to have a Bishop score of at least 8 for nulliparas and 6 for multiparas. In 2006, the induction scheduling process and these newly developed guidelines were strictly enforced. In 2007, outcomes including total induction rate, elective induction rate for less than 39 weeks, cesarean birth rate for elective inductions among nulliparas, and SCN unanticipated admissions of infants 34 0/7 to 36 6/7 weeks' gestation (late preterm infants) were compared with these same measures in 2005.
Postpartum Concentrations of Thyroxine in Plasma of Dairy Cows

Concentrations of thyroxine in blood plasma were measured by radioimmunoassay in 32 dairy cows postpartum and during estrous cycles. Mean concentrations of thyroxine declined from 1 to 2 days postpartum to 5 or 6 days postpartum. Concentrations of thyroxine remained low at 7 to 10 days postpartum and during the first estrous cycle. During subsequent estrous cycles concentrations of thyroxine were elevated to those 1 or 2 days postpartum.
Field Theoretic Description of (π+,p) and (p, π+) Reactions in Nuclei

A relativistic description of ( pi /sup +/,p) and (p, pi /sup +/) reactions using perturbative field theory is presented and an amplitude corresponding to the lowest order Feynman graphs is obtained. Form factors for the scattering processes enter naturally through nucleon wave functions or they can be left arbitrary in the absence of concrete knowledge. The method is applied to ( pi /sup +/,p) and (p, pi /sup +/) reacti ons in /sup 12/C, and predictions are compared with experiment. Treatment of initial- and final-state interactions is also indicated for the model. (auth)
First-trimester screening for pre-eclampsia: moving from personalized risk prediction to prevention.

Maternal gestational hypertensive disorders and their complications have ranked consistently as the primary cause of adverse maternal and neonatal outcome since the institution of prenatal care1. The recognition of predisposing circumstances, such as nulliparity, familial disposition, prior pre-eclampsia, renal disease, hypertension and diabetes, reaches back as far as four centuries. In 1984, Leon Chesley concluded that: ‘it does not seem likely that pre-eclampsia can be prevented on the basis of current knowledge. A major purpose of prenatal care is to detect incipient pre-eclampsia and to prevent its progression’1. Since then, research that has evolved around first-trimester screening algorithms for pre-eclampsia has offered a significant opportunity to rethink the potential for preventive strategies.
Arthroscopic Bankart Repair With Knotless Anchors in the Lateral Decubitus Position

Arthroscopic stabilization of the glenohumeral joint has become the treatment of choice for the management of anteroinferior instability of the glenohumeral joint. Arthroscopic treatment affords improved visualization of primary pathology and associated lesions, decreased scarring, improved postoperative motion, as well as decreased postoperative pain. The addition of knotless anchors to a surgeon's armory provides stable fixation of the pathologic labrocapsular complex to the glenoid rim without the technical difficulties associated with arthroscopic knot tying and may further avoid complications from the presence of intraarticular knots that may irritate the articular surface. The key to successful surgery remains the identification and treatment of all associated pathology. Accurate portal placement and careful anchor placement are keys to the anatomical restoration of the labrum. Simple as well as more complex suture configurations allow a surgeon to restore the labral height and position.
Career Counseling Process: A Qualitative Analysis of Experts’ Cases:

A consensual qualitative research methodology was used to analyze the career counseling cases of 12 noted vocational psychologists to identify common themes and factors. The findings indicated that the career counseling described by these experts often involved the same counseling or helping skills found in personal counseling or psychotherapy. Furthermore, these experts indicated that their career counseling had a theoretical foundation, and many of them discussed using both formal and informal assessments as a part of the process. In the majority of cases, the clinicians were sensitive to social-contextual factors and incorporated interventions related to issues of race and ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. In responding to career counseling cases, the experts also indicated they would explore relational influences on career decision making with a focus on influences of the client’s family of origin. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
Feeding and barn management strategies that maximize feed efficiency

The stockperson is responsible for the daily care and welfare of pigs in the barn. Through their actions, they also can influence overall feed efficiency. Prior to loading pigs, thoroughly cleaning and operating the facility in an all-in, all-out manner has shown to improve pig performance and feed efficiency. Removing feed from previous groups of pigs and repairing feeding and ventilation equipment influence closeout feed efficiency. When loading the barn, pigs should not be sorted into narrow weight categories. With weanling pigs, mat feeding can help increase feed consumption and reduce mortality immediately after weaning; however, prolonged mat feeding will result in feed wastage. After loading, daily chores that influence overall feed efficiency include individual pig treatment and timely euthanasia, ensuring water and feed availability, feeding the appropriate diet, managing the air quality and environmental temperature, properly adjusting feeders, and handling pigs in a positive manner. Removing a portion of the pigs from all pens during initial marketing events can result in feed savings while maximizing weight produced from the facility. Withdrawing feed prior to market also can result in feed savings. Proper handling during loading and transport to the processor to minimize mortality also can influence closeout feed efficiency. The stockperson can play a large role in improving overall feed efficiency by how they manage their day-to-day activities in the barn. This chapter will focus on these activities and their impact on feed efficiency.
A Parallel Cooperative Hybridization Approach to the p-Median Problem

The p-median problem is difficult to solve and many heuristic methods have been developed. This paper discusses a new hybridization approach in which existing heuristics are used as ‘experts’ in a problem-solving team where they cooperate by sharing their solutions with each other. This approach is demonstrated using two heuristics called the ‘vertex substitution method’ and ‘simulated annealing’. Five cooperation strategies are designed and implemented using an application program interface for parallel programming. Computational experiments show that the strategy named ‘parallel consensus’ can significantly improve the quality of solutions found when compared with the original heuristics. The results also show significant speedups of the program in a multicore parallel computing environment.
Polyploidy in Angiosperms: Dicotyledons

As summarized by Goldblatt (1) in the previous article, “Polyploidy in angiosperms: monocotyledons,” recent estimates of polyploid frequency among angiosperms vary from 30–35% to 47%. The highest value is based on the postulation that haploid numbers in excess of n=13 would be mainly polyploid and those with n=13 or less would be predominantly diploid (2). On this basis 43% of dicotyledons and 58% of monocotyledons from a sample of 17,138 species were considered polyploid. Goldblatt (1) believes, however, that limiting Polyploidy to haploid numbers over n=13 is too conservative and that at least species with numbers of n=ll and above have Polyploidy in their evolutionary history, and perhaps also many of those with n=10 and n=9 may be aneuploid derivatives of ancestors with higher numbers. He suggests that at least 70% and most likely above 80% of monocotyledons are in some sense polyploid.
Role of T-cell reconstitution in HIV-1 antiretroviral therapy-induced bone loss

HIV infection causes bone loss. We previously reported that immunosuppression-mediated B-cell production of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) coupled with decline in osteoprotegerin correlate with decreased bone mineral density (BMD) in untreated HIV infection. Paradoxically, antiretroviral therapy (ART) worsens bone loss although existing data suggest that such loss is largely independent of specific antiretroviral regimen. This led us to hypothesize that skeletal deterioration following HIV disease reversal with ART may be related to T-cell repopulation and/or immune reconstitution. Here we transplant T cells into immunocompromised mice to mimic ART-induced T-cell expansion. T-cell reconstitution elicits RANKL and TNFα production by B cells and/or T cells, accompanied by enhanced bone resorption and BMD loss. Reconstitution of TNFα- or RANKL-null T-cells and pharmacological TNFα antagonist all protect cortical, but not trabecular bone, revealing complex effects of T-cell reconstitution on bone turnover. These findings suggest T-cell repopulation and/or immune reconstitution as putative mechanisms for bone loss following ART initiation.
Inhibitory effects of normal guinea pig serum and immune rabbit serum on transplanted AKR lymphomas.

SummaryIn the experiments here given, as in those previously reported, normal guinea pig serum, given in amounts of 1 or 2 cc intraperitoneally to C3H mice one hour following the implantation of 2 million 6C3HED lymphoma cells in their subcutaneous tissues, always markedly inhibited growth of the lymphoma cells, and when 2 cc of the serum was given on the day of implantation and again on the 2 succeeding days the inhibition was regularly complete. In striking contrast, normal guinea pig serum, even when given repeatedly in the largest feasible amounts, had little or no inhibitory effect in vivo on the cells of 7 AKR lymphomas recently transplanted in AKR mice of the line in which they had originated, and it manifested only limited effectiveness against the cells of a single AKR lymphoma that had been transplanted during about 2 years in laboratory-bred mice of the line in which it had originated with later transfer to AKR mice of another inbred line. An immune serum, prepared by injecting rabbits with the...
The Management of Resources: An Overview:

Occupational therapy managers have to set objectives which correlate with those for the health and social services and work towards achieving them through the management of resources. Cooperation i...
The Unobtrusive Tactics of Religious Movements

Many religious and spiritual movements mobilize to establish sacred fields which influence everyday life in multiple social domains. Because these devout groups operate across many institutional fields, scholars of religiously motivated movements are uniquely poised to contribute to scholarship on multiinstitutional politics and on how institutional change can be initiated and influenced by external cultural movements. In this paper, I bring attention to how religious movements can mobilize through unobtrusive political tactics which build upon extant social structures in multiple institutional fields, rather than through contentious tactics which are the focus of most movement research. Based on prior scholarship on religious movements and my own research, I identify how religious movements can expand through unobtrusive, nonconfrontational tactics such as “discursive politics,” developing a “state within a state,” “burrowing into” targeted organizations, and “assimilating into” mainstream organizations. These mechanisms identified in religious movement scholarship contribute to underdeveloped areas of scholarship at the intersection of social movement mobilization, organizational change, and field development, and provide a platform upon which future research can build.
Synthesis and Protection Against PC12 Cell Damage of Scutellarein Derivatives Induced by H_2O_2

Objective: To synthesis 4'-N,N-Bis-substituted(aminomethyl) benzoate ether derivatives of scutellarein with improved anti-oxidative activity,and investigation of their protection against nerve cells oxidative damage.Method: Scutellarein 2-bromoethyl ether(4) was synthesized in the presence of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0] undec-7-ene(DBU) with scutellarein and 2-bromoethanol as starting materials.N-substituted(aminomethyl) benzoic acids(5a-c) were converted to benzoic chloride(6a-c) by using oxalyl chloride,then the latter coupled with 4 in the presence of 4 MS to obtained compounds(7a-f),then diphenyl ketal protecting group of the above compounds was removed by using acetic acid chloride / methanol system to obtain target compounds(8a-f),prodrugs were tested for their cytotoxicity and antioxidant activity in PC12 cells by MTT and LDH leakage rate assay.Result: The structure of synthesized compounds 8a-f was confirmed by the methods of1H-NMR,ESIMS.The results indicated that compound 8e and 8f have more potent anti-oxidative activity than positive control Vitamin E.Conclusion: The synthetic method we used has preferable practicality and can be used in synthesizing scutellarein 4'-N,N-bissubstituted(aminomethyl) benzoate ether derivatives,bioactivity evaluation results suggested that the kind of prodrugs are worthy of further investigation to discover new anti-oxidative agents.
Reversible modulation of erythrocyte Ca2+ homeostasis: a possible role for dialyzable plasma factors derived from patients with end-stage renal disease.

Both the life span and the function of erythrocytes are significantly altered in patients with end-stage renal disease. Erythrocytes isolated from such patients with uremia are characterized by decreased deformability and increased osmotic fragility. Because these latter parameters can be altered by aberrant Ca 2+ homeostasis, considerable attention has been directed toward comparing the biochemical mechanisms underlying the regulation of cytosolic [Ca 2+ ] in normal erythrocytes and in cells from patients with uremia
Enzymatic Production of L-Cysteine from DL-2-Aminothiazoline- 4-Carboxylic Acid

A Pseudomonas species was found suitable for commercial production of L-cysteine from DL- 2-aminothiazoline-4-carboxylic acid (ATC).The molar yield was 100% in the presence of hydroxylamine, or by employing a cysteine desulfhydrase deficient mutant. This asymmetric hydrolyzing enzyme system is inducible 5 and composed of ATC racemase, ATC hydrolase and S-carbamoyl-cysteine hydrolase.
Genesis and Food

Food is a recurring subject in Lewis’s fiction, and particularly in the Ransom trilogy and Narnia novels. There are two primary topics examined in this chapter. The first is Lewis’s creative interactions with food references in biblical myth. According to Genesis, predation and meat consumption are consequences of the fall (1:29 cf. 9:2–3). This chapter argues Lewis evades images of biblical vegetarianism in subtle ways. The second is an examination of Lewis’s attitudes toward hunting.
Molecular mechanisms involved in the adaptive regulation of the colonic thiamin pyrophosphate uptake process.

A considerable amount of the thiamin generated by gut microbiota exists in the form of thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP). We have previously shown that human colonocytes possess an efficient carrier-medi...
Cellular and functional actions of tofacitinib related to the pathophysiology of hibernoma development.

Abstract Tofacitinib is an oral JAK inhibitor for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. In the 2-year carcinogenicity study with tofacitinib, increased incidence of hibernoma (a neoplasm of brown adipose tissue [BAT]) was noted in female rats at ≥30 mg/kg/day (≥41x human exposure multiples). Thus, signaling pathways within BAT were investigated by measuring BAT: weight, cell proliferation biomarkers, content of basal and prolactin-induced phosphorylated Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT), and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1). The relationship between cardiovascular hemodynamics and plasma norepinephrine (NE) levels was also investigated. Tofacitinib administered to female rats at doses of 10, 30, or 75 mg/kg/day for 14 days increased BAT weight at 75 mg/kg/day and cell proliferation at ≥30 mg/kg/day. JAK inhibition, observed as lower pSTAT3 and pSTAT5 in BAT, was noted at ≥10 mg/kg/day, while lower activity of BAT was observed as lower UCP-1 protein at ≥30 mg/kg/day. In cultured brown adipocytes, prolactin-induced increase in pSTAT5 and pSTAT3 were inhibited by tofacitinib in a concentration-dependent manner. Tofacitinib lowered blood pressure, increased heart rate, and resulted in dose-dependent increases in circulating NE. Thus, JAK/STAT inhibition in BAT and sympathetic stimulation are two factors which might contribute to the genesis of hibernomas by tofacitinib in rats.
A Randomized Trial of a Personalized Feedback Intervention for Nonstudent Emerging Adult At-Risk Drinkers

Background Emerging adulthood is a period of heightened vulnerability for problematic alcohol use. Considerable research has been devoted to reducing alcohol risks in college student populations, although far less effort has focused on their noncollege-attending peers. Research targeting nonstudent emerging adults is critical as this group is at risk of experiencing alcohol-related harms. Consequently, the main objective of the present randomized study was to examine the preliminary efficacy of a brief personalized feedback intervention (PFI) tailored for nonstudent at-risk drinkers. We also examined the influence of gender on intervention outcomes. Finally, we explored participant acceptability of the intervention. Methods Participants were 164 (65.9% men) emerging adults (M age = 21.98, SD = 2.02) recruited from the community. They were randomly assigned to either a 50-minute, in-person PFI or an assessment-only control group and were assessed over 9 months postintervention. Results Results showed that for short-term change (1 month), the PFI condition reduced drinking significantly more than controls. For longer-term change (1 to 9 months), both conditions continued to show gradual decline in consumption. The groups did not differ in alcohol-related problems, and the intervention was equally effective for both women and men. Regarding acceptability, participants were extremely satisfied with the intervention, perceived the information to be personally relevant, and thought it provided them a new way of looking at their own drinking. Conclusions Overall, the present research advanced knowledge regarding an understudied and at-risk group of drinkers. This is among one of the first randomized studies to evaluate a brief intervention tailored to the needs of nonstudent emerging adults based on prior formative research with this group. Our data support PFI as a promising intervention approach for nonstudent drinkers in the community. Ultimately, this line of research aims to reduce alcohol-related health disparities associated with inequities in education.
Frequency dependent deformation reversibility during cyclic loading

High-frequency testing (HFT) is useful for accelerated fatigue testing of conventional materials that typically serve under low-frequency loading conditions, as well as for the assessment of the ro...
Identification of Smoking-Associated Differentially Methylated Regions Using Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing and Cell type-Specific Enhancer Activation and Gene Expression.

Background: Cigarette smoke is a causal factor in cancers and cardiovascular disease. Smoking-associated differentially methylated regions (SM-DMRs) have been observed in disease studies, but the c...
Stone Characteristics: Not All Stones Are Created Equal !

Like people, no two stones are the same. The color of the stone depends on the chemicals that make up the calculus. Most stones are yellow or brown, but they can also appear to be tan, gold or black. Stone shapes can be round, jagged or branched. Stones can also vary in size as small as crystals and as large as a tangerine. There are different characteristic among different stone types. This chapter will discuss stone composition and differences in fragility, stone size and symptoms, stone location and ability to pass and other characteristics.
Molecular Data Sets and Broad Taxon Sampling in Detecting Morphological Convergence

Previous hypotheses of relationships between Pyxidiophora and other perithecial ascomycetes with morphological features facilitating arthropod dispersal were examined. Partial sequences of the nuclear encoded small subunit rDNA for about fifty taxa provided a database for phylogenetic analysis. The resulting analysis using parsimony criteria failed to support previous hypotheses of relationships involving taxa with arthropod associations. The following hypotheses are supported: (1) taxa with evansecent asci are in six independent lineages; (2) Pyxidiophora, Subbaromyces, and Kathistes are basal to the larger clade of derived perithecial species; (3) Pyxidiophora does not share a common ancestory with the Hypocreales, Ophiostoma, or Ceratocystis; and (4) Pyxidiophora is not allied with any of the yeasts, including Cephaloascus and Ambrosiozyma. More taxa remain to be sampled since Pyxidiophora is in a region of the tree that is still somewhat unstable.
QCD: An Unfinished Symphony

This chapter looks back at some of the most memorable achievements in high-energy physics during the 50 years spanning CERN's PS and LHC.
Mucosal Transmission of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus

Although human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is transmitted primarily by heterosexual contact very little is understood about the biology of heterosexual transmission of HIV. Epidemiological studies indicate that HIV is not efficiently transmitted by sexual contact. In fact many other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are more efficiently transmitted. For example, 22%–25% of individuals are infected by one exposure to Neisseriia gonorrheae (Holmes et al. 1970; Hooper et al. 1988), and hepatitis B virus is transmitted in 20%–30% of exposures (Judson 1981; Molsey 1975). In contrast, less than 15% of those monogamous individuals repeatedly exposed to an infected sexual partner become infected with HIV (Holmberg et al. 1989). It is estimated that for a single sexual contact, the infectivity of HIV is 0.3% (Hearst and Hulley 1988; Lawrence et al. 1990; Padian et al. 1987; Peterman et al. 1988). However, some individuals become infected after a single or a few sexual contacts (Peterman etal. 1988; Staskewski et al. 1987), while others remain uninfected despite hundreds of contacts (Lawrence et al. 1990). In the United States, HIV is apparently more efficiently transmitted from men to women than from women to men (Padian et al. 1987, 1991). Several cofactors have been identified which increase the risk of an individual acquiring HIV through heterosexual contact. Cervical ectopy, receptive anal intercourse, genital ulcer disease, and infection with other STDs are the most significant factors associated with HIV infection of women (Holmberg et al. 1988; Holmes and Kreiss 1988, Plummer et al. 1991) while the presence of an intact foreskin and genital ulcer disease of the penis are the risk factors most often associated with HIV infection in men (Cameron et al. 1989; Simonsen et al. 1988).
The Neoconservatives and the Pope: Misreading John Paul II in George Weigel's Biographies

With the recent release of his autobiographical narrative of the composition of the papal biography, Witness to Hope, prominent Catholic neoconservative George Weigel has invited a reexamination of...
Spectral calibration of K-M giants from medium-resolution near-infrared HK-band spectra

We present here new medium resolution spectra ($\lambda/\Delta\lambda$ $\sim$ 1200) of K$-$M giants covering wavelength range 1.50$-$1.80 and 1.95$-$2.45 $\mu$m. The sample includes 72 K0$-$M8 giants from our TIRSPEC observations and all available 35 giants in that spectral range from archival IRTF spectral library. We have calibrated here the empirical relations between fundamental parameters (e.g., effective temperature, surface gravity) and equivalent widths of some important spectral features like Si I, Na I, Ca I, $^{12}$CO. We find that the $^{12}$CO first overtone band at 2.29 $\mu$m and second overtone band at 1.62 $\mu$m are a reasonably good indicator of temperature above 3400 K and surface gravity. We show that the dispersion of empirical relations between $^{12}$CO and $T_{eff}$ significantly improve considering the effect of surface gravity.
Beyond guilds: the promise of continuous traits for mammalian functional diversity

Studies on mammalian community ecology and biogeography are increasingly using functional diversity to advance our understanding of how diversity is maintained and how it varies across space and over time. Functional diversity quantifies the range and prevalence of species traits in an assemblage and provides a means of linking patterns of diversity to the ecological processes that generate them. Measuring the most appropriate and informative traits is critically important, yet the variety of traits applied to mammalian systems has been relatively limited and most are categorical rather than continuous. As a result, finer variation among species is often overlooked, which may obscure more detailed and accurate conclusions, particularly for studies on smaller species pools. We seek to improve the quality of trait information for mammals by investigating the value of three continuous ecomorphological traits: the relative medullary thickness of the kidney (an indicator of urine concentrating ability) as a metric of habitat moisture requirements, hair density as a measure of temperature limitations, and an integrated suite of cranial and dental measurements as an indicator of dietary specialization. We measured these traits for the small mammal assemblage of the Great Basin ecoregion using fluid-preserved and skeletal specimens housed in natural history collections and accounted for phylogenetic and allometric relationships. Kidney morphology, hair density, and craniodental morphology each exhibited phylogenetic signal and revealed ecologically meaningful variation that is overlooked by associated categorical traits. The greater resolution of these continuous trait data will facilitate more refined assessments of functional diversity and improve efforts to test ecological theories or track responses to environmental change.
Adherence in Pediatric Populations

Several dermatologic diseases put children and adolescents at a greater risk for low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, social isolation, and suicidal ideation. Proper treatment, flare prevention, and medication adherence lowers risk of long-term sequelae and can decrease the risk of psychologic morbidity associated with these conditions. Although the number of medications to treat dermatologic conditions in pediatric patients continues to expand, treatment is often hindered by poor medication adherence. Promoting adherence to treatment is particularly challenging in pediatric populations because of family dynamics and functioning, caregiver and child characteristics, and child health outcomes. Barriers may be specific to the child, to the caregiver, or shared between them. While interventions can be implemented for patients or caregiver factors independently, intervening with both caregivers and patients is ideal. Interventions to promote adherence should include fostering a strong patient-provider-caregiver relationship, family education including written action plans, simplification of treatment regimens, and motivation training to ensure patient compliance. By instilling proper adherence in childhood, young patients will be equipped to properly self-manage their disease as they age into adulthood.
Initial experience with scalp sparing radiation with concurrent temozolomide and tumor treatment fields (SPARE) for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma

Standard of care for glioblastoma includes concurrent chemoradiation and maintenance temozolomide with tumor treatment fields (TTFields). Preclinical studies suggest TTFields and radiation treatment have synergistic effects. We report our initial experience evaluating toxicity and tolerability of scalp-sparing radiation with concurrent TTFields. This is a single arm pilot study (clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03477110). Adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) with KPS ≥ 60 with newly diagnosed glioblastoma were eligible. All patients received concurrent scalp-sparing radiation (60 Gy in 30 fractions), standard concurrent temozolomide (75 mg/m2 daily), and TTFields. Maintenance therapy included standard temozolomide and continuation of TTFields. Radiation treatment was delivered through TTFields arrays. The primary endpoint was safety and toxicity for concurrent TTFields with chemoradiation in newly diagnosed glioblastoma. We report the first ten patients on the trial. Eight were male, and two were female, with median age 61 years (range 49 to 73 years). Median KPS was 90 (range 70–90). Median follow-up was 7.9 months (2.8 to 17.9 months). Nine (90%) patients with unmethylated MGMT promotor, and one with methylated. Median time from surgery to radiation was 33 days (28 to 49 days). All patients completed concurrent chemoradiation plus TTFields without radiation or TTFields treatment interruption or discontinuation. Scalp dose constraints were achieved for all patients, with mean dose having a median value of 7.7 Gy (range 4.9 to 13.2 Gy), D20cc median 22.6 Gy (17.7 to 36.8 Gy), and D30cc median 19.8 Gy (14.8 to 33.4 Gy). Average daily use during concurrent phase had median value of 83.5% and 77% for maintenance. There was no related ≥ Grade 3 toxicity. Skin toxicity (erythema, dermatitis, pruritus) was noted in 80% of patients, however, these were limited to Grade 1 or 2 events which resolved spontaneously or responded to topical medications. Eight patients (80%) had progression, with median PFS of 6.9 months (range 2.8 to 9.6 months). Concurrent TTFields with scalp-sparing chemoradiation is a safe and feasible treatment option with limited toxicity. Future randomized prospective trial is warranted to define therapeutic advantages of concurrent TTFields with chemoradiation. Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT03477110
Religion in Vichy France: How Meso-Level Actors Contribute to Authoritarian Legitimation

Author(s): Luft, Aliza | Abstract: AbstractResearch on authoritarian legitimation suggests that rulers seek support through ideological, personalistic, performance-based, and procedural strategies. Typically, however, this work only considers the dynamics of legitimation between rulers and civilians. In contrast, this paper suggests that meso-level actors play a critical role in shaping legitimation from both above and below. Through an historical analysis of the French episcopate’s support for the Vichy regime from 1940 to 1942, I identify four practices that bolstered Vichy’s attempts to accrue legitimacy and simultaneously identify the consequences of these practices for the Church’s relationship with Jews. Public endorsements by the religious authorities for Marshal Petain, their cooperation with the Vichy administration, the expression of shared values, and common rhetoric all contributed to the regime’s legitimation process while leading to a concomitant decline in the hierarchy’s ties to the rabbinate. These results suggest that attention to meso-level actors brings into relief important dynamics about how legitimation processes unfold in authoritarian settings while simultaneously contributing to research on the Holocaust in France.
Grappling with Funds of Knowledge in Rural Appalachia and Beyond: Shifting Contexts of Pre-Service Teachers

Funds of Knowledge (FoK) is a form of research in which families’ practices inform education. Unfortunately, neoliberalism minimizes understanding families’ assets because educators must transmit s...
The role of extreme rain events in Peninsular Florida's seasonal hydroclimate variations

Abstract The role of extreme rains over Peninsular Florida (PF) in modulating the seasonal rainfall characteristics is investigated in this study. The paper is motivated on its potential implication on the seasonal predictability of the hydroclimate of PF by relatively coarse global seasonal climate models. A majority of these climate models are unable to resolve the weather events like tropical cyclones that produce such extreme rain events. Therefore, a legitimate question to ask is if this limits the model’s seasonal predictability of the hydroclimate of PF. In this paper, extreme rain events over PF within a season are defined as days with daily rain amount at or above the 95th percentile over 39 years from 1979 to 2017 at the grid resolution of the observed rainfall dataset (0.5° × 0.5°). The thresholds for extreme rain days range from 16 mmday−1 to 36 mmday−1 depending on the season and the location over PF, while the heaviest rainfall range from 58 mmday−1 to 278 mmday−1. These extreme rain events occur most often across PF in the boreal summer season followed by the fall season with the least in the boreal winter season. Our study reveals that removing the days of extreme rain events has the largest impact on the corresponding seasonal anomalies and daily rainfall distribution in the dry winter season and least in the wet summer season. The impact of El Nino and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the extreme rain events was evaluated by contrasting the differences in the shape and the scale parameters of the fitted Gamma distribution on daily rainfall in winter/spring seasons during warm and cold phases. Results revealed that the warm ENSO phases make the tails of the daily rainfall distribution over PF heavier and longer relative to the cold ENSO phases in the winter and spring seasons. In essence, our study reveals that the extreme rain events that are critical for the overall seasonal distribution of rainfall over PF in the first half of the year is modulated by large-scale phenomenon (e.g., ENSO). In the latter half of the year (summer and fall), the extreme rain events are not as critical to the seasonal rainfall anomaly or the overall seasonal distribution of rainfall over PF. Therefore, resolving the extreme rain events need not be as critical for the seasonal predictability of the hydroclimate of PF.
Exploring the Pain in Patellofemoral Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Examining Signs of Central Sensitization.

Background Patellofemoral pain (PFP) has high recurrence rates and minimal long-term treatment success. Central sensitization refers to dysfunctional pain modulation that occurs when nociceptive neurons become hyperresponsive. Researchers in this area of PFP have been increasingly productive in the past decade. Objective To determine whether evidence supports manifestations of central sensitization in individuals with PFP. Data sources We searched MeSH terms for quantitative sensory testing (QST) pressure pain thresholds (PPTs), conditioned pain modulation (CPM), temporal summation, sensitization, hyperalgesia, and anterior knee pain or PFP in PubMed, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, and EBSCOhost. Study selection Peer-reviewed studies that were written in English and published between 2005 and 2020 and investigated QST or pain mapping in a sample with PFP were included in this review. Data extraction The initial search yielded 140 articles. After duplicates were removed, 78 abstracts were reviewed. The full text of 21 studies was examined, and we included 15 studies in our evaluation: 6 in the meta-analysis, 4 in the systematic review, and 5 in both the meta-analysis and systematic review. Data synthesis A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted for 4 QST variables (local PPTs, remote PPTs, CPM, temporal summation). Strong evidence supported lower local and remote PPTs, impaired CPM, and facilitated temporal summation in individuals with PFP compared with pain-free individuals. Evidence for heat and cold pain thresholds was conflicting. Pain mapping demonstrated expanding pain patterns associated with long duration of PFP symptoms. Conclusions Signs of central sensitization were present in individuals with PFP, indicating altered pain modulation. The etiologic and treatment models of PFP should reflect the current body of evidence regarding central sensitization. Signs of central sensitization should be monitored clinically, and treatments with central effects should be considered as part of a multimodal plan of care.
Increasing importance of temperature as a contributor to the spatial extent of streamflow drought

Widespread streamflow droughts can pose substantially greater societal challenges than spatially less extensive events because of the complex realities of trans-regional water management. In a warming climate, drought spatial extent may change along with changes in underlying hydro-meteorological contributors. Here, we assess changes in streamflow drought spatial extent over the period 1981-2018 across the conterminous United States, and how the importance of potential hydro-meteorological contributors has changed over time. We first derive a monthly time series of drought spatial extent and look at trends in streamflow drought spatial extent. We then determine the spatial percentage 'overlap' of precipitation droughts, temperature anomalies, snow-water-equivalent deficits, and soil moisture deficits with the area under streamflow drought to look at the changing influence of these contributors on spatial extent. Our results show that (1) the spatial extent of droughts has increased, mainly because of increases in the extent of small droughts; (2) streamflow drought extents overall substantially overlap with soil moisture deficits and the relationship of drought to precipitation and temperature anomalies vary seasonally; and (3) the importance of temperature as a contributor to drought extent has increased over time. We therefore conclude that continued global warming may further increase drought extents, requiring adaptation of regional drought management strategies.
Brief Review of Four Topics

In preceding chapters, we reviewed the present state of knowledge for applying stochastic models of turbulent diffusion to the dispersion of passive, scalar tracers in the atmospheric boundary layer. Specifically, this involves the numerical integration of a stochastic differential equation to define Lagrangian trajectories of a very large population of “marked” particles in turbulent flow. In this chapter, we briefly consider four subjects of related recent and current research. We do not go into details as extensively as before, with the exception of Kolmogorov’s (1962) refined hypotheses and fractional Brownian motion. We cite recent (mostly 1990 and later) literature as recommended reading.
Interactive, mobile, distributed pattern recognition

As the accuracy of conventional classifiers, based only on a static partitioning of feature space, appears to be approaching a limit, it may be useful to consider alternative approaches. Interactive classification is often more accurate then algorithmic classification, and requires less time than the unaided human. It is more suitable for the recognition of natural patterns in a narrow domain like trees, weeds or faces than for symbolic patterns like letters and phonemes. On the other hand, symbolic patterns lend themselves better to using context and style to recognize entire fields instead of individual patterns. Algorithmic learning and adaptation is facilitated by accurate statistics gleaned from large samples in the case of symbolic patterns, and by skilled human judgment in the case of natural patterns. Recent technological advances like pocket computers, camera phones and wireless networks will have greater influence on mobile, distributed, interactive recognition of natural patterns than on conventional high-volume applications like mail sorting , check reading or forms processing.
Un verso de Virgilio Piñera en la capacidad creadora de Reinaldo Arenas: de "La isla en peso" a El color del verano

This work attempts to approach Reinaldo Arenas’ The Color of Summer by means of a possible poetic displacement. In his autobiography, the Cuban writer makes subtle comments that point towards a labyrinth of textual permutations that, perhaps, connect with a verse from Virgilio Pinera’s timeless poem “The Whole Island.” This essay, thus, creatively retraces the steps that lead to the origin of the novel’s idea, that is the seed from which The Color of Summer sprouted. In order to understand Arenas’ hyperbolic narrative, one must first return to Pinera’s canonical poem, published in 1943, which portrayed the island and its inhabitants as protagonists. A comparison reveals a parallel that begins to delineate itself between both texts: the poem singing about the island in its totality and the prose depicting how the weight of the foundation-less island forces it to sink into the sea. Ultimately, this modified idea from a verse in Pinera’s poem becomes the outcome of the novel by Arenas.
The Action Française between the Wars 1919–1934

“The war of 1914 greatly increased [Maurras’] prestige. He had predicted it, he had indulged in no dreams of amity with Germany or universal disarmament and peace,” wrote the ever astute D. W. Brogan.1 The Action Francaise certainly entered the postwar period at a high point in its seesaw history. It had given a good account of itself on all fronts, and its leaders could, not wholly without justification, cast themselves as disinterested defenders of the patrie. Moreover, the quickened tempo, the hardened outlook, and the fears, confusions, and chaos of a world gone off the track — all formed a fertile ground for the propagation of a doctrine like Integral Nationalism (indeed, its offsprings would soon make great headway in other countries). The story comes to mind of the little gentleman sadly walking along the boulevard amid the wild celebration of the Armistice on November 11, and muttering to himself: “It’s only beginning; it’s only beginning.”
Asperger Syndrome: The Emerging Challenge to Special Education

This article provides a synthesis of recent literature on Asperger Syndrome (AS), a condition that has received little attention in American special education. The analysis addresses the syndrome's history, definition, differential diagnosis from other Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs), screening procedures, and emerging educational interventions. Implications for special education practice, including the need for screening students at risk for AS and informing parents about a potential disability, are discussed.