cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neural representations of faces and limbs neighbor in human high-level visual cortex: evidence for a new organization principle

Neurophysiology and optical imaging studies in monkeys and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in both monkeys and humans have localized clustered neural responses in inferotemporal cortex selective for images of biologically relevant categories, such as faces and limbs. Using higher resolution (1.5 mm voxels) fMRI scanning methods than past studies (3–5 mm voxels), we recently reported a network of multiple face- and limb-selective regions that neighbor one another in human ventral temporal cortex (Weiner and Grill-Spector, Neuroimage, 52(4):1559–1573, 2010) and lateral occipitotemporal cortex (Weiner and Grill-Spector, Neuroimage, 56(4):2183–2199, 2011). Here, we expand on three basic organization principles of high-level visual cortex revealed by these findings: (1) consistency in the anatomical location of functional regions, (2) preserved spatial relationship among functional regions, and (3) a topographic organization of face- and limb-selective regions in adjacent and alternating clusters. We highlight the implications of this structure in comparing functional brain organization between typical and atypical populations. We conclude with a new model of high-level visual cortex consisting of ventral, lateral, and dorsal components, where multimodal processing related to vision, action, haptics, and language converges in the lateral pathway. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00426-011-0392-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Conservation and divergence in the frog immunome: pyrosequencing and de novo assembly of immune tissue transcriptomes.

article i nfo Background:Frogs are a diverse group of vertebrates for which limited genomic resources are available. Natural frog populationsface amultitude of threats, including habitat degradation, infectious disease, and environmental change. Characterizing the functional genomics of anuran tissues in general - and the immune system in particular - will enhance our knowledge of genetic and epigenetic responses to environmental threats and inform conservation and recovery efforts. Results: To increase the number of species with genomic datasets and characterize gene expression in immune- related tissues, we sequenced the transcriptomes of three tissues from two frogs (Espadarana prosoblepon and Lithobates yavapaiensis) on the Roche 454 GS FLX platform. Our sequencing produced 8881 E. prosoblepon and 5428 L. yavapaiensis annotated gene products after de novo assembly and Gene Ontology classification. Transcripts of the innate and acquired immune system were expressed in all three tissues. Inflammatory response and acquired immunity transcripts were significantly more diverged between E. prosoblepon and L. yavapaiensis compared to innate immunity and immune system development transcripts. Immune-related transcripts did not show an overall elevated rate of functional evolution, with the exception of glycosyl proteases, which include lysozymes, central bacterial and fungal-killing enzymes of the innate immune system. Conclusions: The three frog transcriptomes provide more than 600 Mbp of new genomic data, and will serve as a valuable framework for future comparative studies of non-model anurans. Additionally, we show that immune gene divergence varies by functional group and that transcriptome studies can be useful in comparing rates of evolutionary change across gene families.
Prognostically significant heterogeneity of cytoplasmic islet cell antibodies in relatives of patients with type I diabetes.

A significant proportion of relatives of patients with insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes with high titers of cytoplasmic islet cell autoantibodies (ICAs) do not progress to overt diabetes with up to 8 yr of follow-up. This may reflect that follow-up of such relatives has not been long enough to observe diabetes, that despite expression of identical ICAs, some relatives will not progress to diabetes; or that there is heterogeneity in what is identified as ICA. We identified a subset of ICA that was restricted in its species (not reacting with mouse islets) and cell-type reactivity within islets (β-cell specific). Only one of eight relatives whose sera had the restricted pattern of reactivity progressed to overt diabetes, and on sequential evaluation, all but the one relative who progressed to diabetes have maintained normal first-phase insulin secretion to intravenous glucose. In contrast, by life-table analysis, 70% of relatives expressing nonrestricted ICA became diabetic within 5 yr of follow-up (1 of 8 vs. 16 of 25 diabetic at last follow-up, P 5 yr and that expression of such autoantibodies may be associated with the ‘protective’ DQB1*0602 allele.
The American Merchant Fleet: A War Achievement, A Peace Problem

Introduction, 567. — Drifting during strict neutrality, 569. — The free registry law of 1914, 569. — A period of uncertainty, 571. — The Shipping Act of 1916, 571. — Organization of the United States Shipping Board, 573. — Formation of the Emergency Fleet Corporation, 577. — Accomplishments during the war emergency, 579. — Reorganization under the Urgent Deficiencies Appropriation Act, 579. — The shipbuilding program, 581. — Accessions of tonnage from other sources, 584. — Government control of merchant shipping, 588. — Problems since the signing of the armistice, 592. — Liquidating the government's war program, 592. — Formulating the government's peace-time policy, 596. — Underlying factors of the present shipping situation, 598. — The immediate future an experiment in government administration, 605.
Click here if you want to know who I am. Deixis in personal homepages

Personal homepages (HPs) belong to an emerging genre. Confronted with a kind of text which is still rather undefined, whose form and content are not fixed and to which they haven't had exposure before, authors of HPs tend to take as their model other personal HPs, thus ultimately participating in the conventionalization of a genre. By examining the system of deictic elements that can be found in personal HPs, I study these emerging patterns and show rules of function and stylistic characteristics of these texts. This ultimately leads to a tentative definition of the genre of personal HPs.
Environmentally Induced Development Defects in Drosophila

The interactions of genes and environment during development have been fascinating, controversial subjects for more than a century. One of the earliest reports of environmental effects on insect development was made by George Dorfmeister in U 1854. He demonstrated that exposure to extreme heat or cold could change the pattern on the butterfly’s wings. More recent studies on environmental effects on insect development have primarily been done in fruit flies. Drosophila is used as a model system for studying developmental genetics because of its short life cycle and small genome size. These same attributes also make it a good model system for studying environmental effects on gene expression during development. Goldschmidt was the first to extensively study environmental influences on development in Drosophila. He showed that many different developmental defects which resemble mutant defects can be induced by heating during the pupal period. Unlike mutations, however, these defects are not inherited. Some examples of heat induced defects compared to mutant defects are shown in Fig. 1. Goldschmidt coined the name “phenocopy” to describe environmentally induced developmental defects. This name was chosen in order to emphasize the resemblance of the environmentally induced defects to mutant phenotypes (Goldschmidt 1935). Goldschmidt was impressed by the fact that chemicals as well as heat induced the same types of defects if they were given during the same sensitive period. concluded that mutations, chemicals, and heat, might all affect a different initial chemical process, but the end result was the same because they diverted development from a normal path onto an abnormal path, and he felt that there are a limited number of abnormal developmental pathways which are not lethal.
Volume fusion for two-circular-orbit cone-beam tomography

By using the Feldkamp-Davis-Kress (FDK) algorithm, we can efficiently produce a digital volume, called the FDK volume, from cone-beam data acquired along a circular scan orbit. Due to the insufficiency of the cone-beam data set, the FDK volume suffers from nonuniform reproduction exactness. Specifically, the midplane (on the scan-orbit plane) can be exactly reproduced, and the reproduction exactness of off-midplanes decreases as the distance from the midplane increases. We describe the longitudinal falling-off degradation by a hatlike function and the spatial distribution over the object domain by an exactness volume. With two orthogonal circular scan orbits, we can reconstruct two FDK volumes and generate two exactness volumes. We propose a volume fusion scheme to combine the two FDK volumes into a single volume. Let Va and Vb denote the two FDK volumes, let Ea and Eb denote the exactness volumes for orbits Γa and Γb, respectively, then the volume fusion is defined by Vab=VaWa+VbWb, with Wa=Ea/(Ea+Eb) and Wb=1−Wa. In the result, the overall reproduction exactness of Vab is expected to outperform that of Va, or Vb, or (Va+Vb)/2. In principle, this volume-fusion scheme is applicable for general cone-beam tomography with multiple nonorthogonal and noncircular orbits.
Evidence for Recovery of Body Mass and Haptoglobin Values of River Otters Following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Levels of blood haptoglobin (Hp) and interleukin-6 immunoreactive protein (IL-6 ir) were significantly elevated in river otters (Lutra canadensis) inhabiting oiled areas of Prince William Sound, Alaska (USA) following the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. By May and June 1992, however, such differences were not apparent. Mean body mass of otters, adjusted for sex, age-class, and total length with analysis of covariance, differed between oiled and non-oiled areas from 1990 to 1992, but were nearly identical by May and June 1992. We propose that river otters may be recovering from chronic effects that we observed in 1990 and 1991 following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, but further research is necessary to test this hypothesis.
Environment partitioned distributed simulation of queueing systems

An extension of object-oriented design is used to design computer systems to simulate specific queuing networks, and the performance of these systems is estimated through simulation. Substantial speedups were obtained for all three queuing networks. In addition, sensitivity tests were performed on communication and interface attributes of the system. It is noted that environment partitioned simulation appears to provide an effective means of substantially reducing the run time of queuing simulation programs. The simulated results presented for the CR5 and MMc systems are impressive, and should carry over into any queuing simulation composed of the three standard objects used. >
Additive-pulse modelocking in fiber lasers

A self-starting additive-pulse modelocked (APM) all-fiber ring cavity laser operating in the negative group velocity regime is analyzed. The advantages of using a ring cavity with an isolator are discussed. The "figure eight" and the Sagnac loop reflector fiber laser are investigated in a novel way, and one form of their operation is related to the master equation of APM. We point out that the ring laser has an advantage with respect to self-starting. >
Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction for the Food Microbiologist: Technologies, Applications, and Limitations

Rapid detection of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms is essential for ensuring the safety and quality of food. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology has the potential to achieve rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of these microorganisms in food. In this review, we discuss real-time PCR technologies in use today, applications of real-time PCR in food systems, and some of the associated challenges and limitations.
Intradialytic hypertension is a marker of volume excess

Background. Intradialytic blood pressure (BP) profiles have been associated with all-cause mortality, but its pathophysiology remains unknown. We tested the hypothesis that intradialytic changes in BP reflect excess volume. Methods. The dry weight reduction in hypertensive haemodialysis patients (DRIP) trial probed dry weight in 100 prevalent haemodialysis patients; 50 patients who did not have their dry weight probed served as time controls. In this post hoc analysis, intradialytic BP was recorded at each of the 30 dialysis treatments during the trial. The slope of intradialytic BP over dialysis was calculated by the log of BP regressed over time. Using a linear mixed model, we compared these slopes between control and ultrafiltration groups at baseline and over time, tested the effect of dry weight reduction on these slopes and finally tested the ability of change in intradialytic slopes to predict change in interdialytic systolic BP. Results. At baseline, intradialytic systolic and diastolic BP dropped at a rate of ~3%/h (P < 0.0001). Over the course of the trial, compared to the control group, the slopes steepened in the ultrafiltration group for systolic but not diastolic BP. Those who lost the most post-dialysis weight from baseline to 4 weeks and baseline to 8 weeks also experienced the greatest steepening of slopes. Each percent per hour steepening of the intradialytic systolic BP slope was associated with 0.71 mmHg [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.01–1.42, P = 0. 048] reduction in interdialytic ambulatory systolic pressure. Conclusions. Intradialytic BP changes appear to be associated with change in dry weight among haemodialysis patients. Among long-term haemodialysis patients, intradialytic hypertension may, thus, be a sign of volume overload.
Trellis Coding for Partial-Response Channels

We consider trellis-coding techniques for improving the reliability of digital transmission over noisy partial-response channels. Such channels are commonly encountered in digital communication systems, and also play a role in devices for data recording. Concentrating on the channels with characteristics (1 \mp D) , we study methods to obtain codes which increase free Euclidean distance between permitted sequences of channel outputs and avoid the occurrence of unlimited runs of identical outputs at the expense of some loss in data rate. One technique employs the concept of set partitioning. The other is based on using convolutional codes designed for maximum free Hamming distance in conjunction with a precoder. Both methods lead to essentially equivalent codes.
Personal Electronic Notebook with Sharing

The concept of an electronic or digital engineering design notebook used by designers to capture information for re-use and sharing is becoming reality in many different flavors. Our development of PENS (Personal Electronic Notebook with Sharing) responds to observed designers' needs for a lightweight tool that is facile enough to compete with paper notebooks in functionality. As design information is entered into PENS in real-time, the PENS information web grows. As it grows, selections can be incrementally published for sharing with collaborators over the Internet's World-Wide Web. In an era where both network security concerns and distributed collaboration demands are growing together, PENS has the capability for firewall-independent sharing. To evaluate the utility of the PENS notebook concept, a prototype has been developed and used by 14 mechanical engineering design teams that span local and remote design partnerships.
Mobile IP use of private addresses in an RSIP home network

Use of private addresses in a mobile node's home network brings a challenge to mobile IP because a private address cannot uniquely identify the mobile node in the public network. Here we present an approach that a mobile node whose private home network is isolated from the public network by a realm specific IP (RSIP) gateway can communicate with a correspondent node when the mobile node visits the public network. Our solution neither uses any private addresses in the public network nor brings any additional security issues. In this paper, our methods are explained, and detailed procedures as well as packet formats are illustrated
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

Major pathology consists of focal inhomogeneous infl ammation with injury, death, and repair of muscle cells. Each subgroup of myositis has characteristic changes on microscopy and immunochemistry. ■ Etiology is still unclear but selected environmental exposures in genetically predisposed hosts have been found.
EFFECTS OF BURNING AND THINNING ON LODGEPOLE CHIPMUNKS (NEOTAMIAS SPECIOSUS) IN THE SIERRA NEVADA, CALIFORNIA

Abstract Prescribed burning and mechanical thinning are widely used to manage fuels in North American forests, but few studies have examined the relative impacts of these treatments on wildlife. Using a fully factorial and completely randomized design, we examined the short-term effects of prescribed burning (no burn vs. burn), mechanical thinning (no thin, light thin, and heavy thin), and combinations of these treatments on the capture rate and demographic parameters of Lodgepole Chipmunks (Neotamias speciosus) in mixed-conifer forests in the southern Sierra Nevada of California. Chipmunks were sampled in eighteen 4-ha treatment plots during the summer of 1999 and 2000 (pre-treatment) and 2002 and 2003 (post-treatment). Although burning and thinning caused significant changes in forest structure, neither treatment had a significant effect on the capture rate or most demographic parameters of N. speciosus. Body mass of males (2002 and 2003) and the ratio of males to females (2003) decreased following burn...
The Renewal of the Social and Cultural Environment.

The word renewal connotes the wish to replace the old and outworn-to start afresh. The resulting imagery, value judgments and conceptualizations lead easily to an emphasis on structures stripped of their history and torn out of their continuing process. They also lead to a discussion of social change in the rhetoric of revolution. The pressure from various contemporary youth cultures, as well as that from other groups, makes it difficult for education to insist calmly and confidently that any significant renewal of society must conserve existing values and social institutions while resourcefully and effectively changing them. To the existential revolutionaries-those for whom revolutionary action is a form of psychodrama or ritualistic combat without serious program-a combination of conservation with effective change is an absurdity. From those with reformist objectives, determined to join Rudi Dutschke's "long march through the institutions," the most charitable response will be the accusation of co-optation by the establishment. But it should be obvious that the quality of the social environment is apt to be renewed if citizens directly and effectively participate in social, economic and politial processes. Nevertheless, existing values and institutions must be conserved as they change: indeed, they must be conserved and secured in order that they may change. These assertions are prelude to a consideration of the characteristics of the social surround as it affects individual fulfillment, competence, meaning, effectiveness and gratification. Too frequently, ecological problems are discussed not in biosocial terms but in terms of the biophysical interrelations between organisms and their environment.
Sn-Ag-Cu Solder Joints Interconnection Reliability of BGA Package during Thermal Aging and Cycling

This study illustrates test results and comparative literature data on the influence of isothermal aging and thermal cycling associated with Sn-1.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC105) and Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC305) ball...
Predictive Modeling for 2D Form Design

In product design, designers often generate a large number of concepts in the form of sketches and drawings to develop and communicate their ideas. Concrete concepts typically evolve through a progressive refinement of initially coarse and ambiguous ideas. However, a lack of suitable means to visualize the emerging form at these early stages forces the designer to constantly maintain and negotiate an elusive mental image. To assist this process, we describe a predictive modeling technique that allows early, incomplete 2D sketches to be transformed into suggestive complete models. This helps designers take a sneak peek at the potential end result of a developing concept, without forcing them to commit to the suggestion. We demonstrate and discuss preliminary results of our technique on 2D shape design problems.
Survival in advanced-stage ovarian cancer patients with non-Ashkenazi Jewish BRCA mutations

5514 Background: Previous studies have shown a survival advantage in ovarian cancer patients with Ashkenazi-Jewish BRCA founder mutations compared to sporadic ovarian cancer patients. The purpose o...
A quick, complete overview providing scaffolding for computer organization/architecture classes

Using a logic simulation tool, the author has developed a one hour overview of computer organization and architecture to introduce all of the major concepts of the semester to students. This quick overview provides scaffolding to build upon for the remainder of the semester. One of the main tools of this overview is a four instruction von Neumann computer that can be used to introduce machine language programming well within the first hour of class. This paper examines the efficacy of this approach through analysis of student feedback. Of particular interest is impact on student learning and motivation.
Contact Lens Prescribing and Dispensing by Ophthalmologists

Good ethics and good business don't have to be in conflict. Ophthalmologists shouldn't resort to requiring their patients to buy contact lenses in-house; instead, they should focus on expanding their skill set and providing personalized service. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Mesonephric Cell Migration into the Gonads and Vascularization Are Processes Crucial for Testis Development

Testis morphogenesis requires the integration and reorganization of multiple cell types from several sources, one of the more notable being the mesonephric-derived cell population. One of the earliest sex-specific morphogenetic events in the gonad is a wave of endothelial cell migration from the mesonephros that is crucial for (1) partitioning the gonad into domains for testis cords, (2) providing the vasculature of the testis, and (3) signaling to cells both within the gonad and beyond it to coordinately regulate testis development. In addition to endothelial cell migration, there is evidence that precursors of peritubular myoid cells migrate from the mesonephros, an event which is also important for testis cord architecture. Investigation of the mesonephric cell migration event has utilized histology, lineage tracing with mouse genetic markers, and many studies of the signaling molecules/pathways involved. Some of the more well-studied signaling molecules involved include vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and neurotrophins. In this chapter, the morphogenetic events, relevant signaling pathways, mechanisms underlying the migration, and the role of the migratory cells within the testis will be discussed. Overall, the migration of mesonephric cells into the early testis is indispensable for its development and future functionality.
Art’s Ped(ago)gies

Organised around ten theses, this two-part essay sustains that art education’s viability comes from the autonomous specificity of art and the singularity of education. It rejects schooled art, while it asserts art as a form of unlearning. As unlearning, art education is an agon where pedagogy ties desire to knowledge. This reveals the fallacy of education as a system of coherent necessities. Art’s autonomy means that art emerges and approaches the world as a dialectical state of affairs, where art and education become moments of hegemony. Yet hegemony will only prevail if its contingent conditions are preserved within a universality of particulars. This is only attained when art and education are sustained as empty signifiers that reject the myths of measure and correspondence.
Understanding electronic health records resistance: a revealed causal mapping approach

The implementation of electronic health records (EHR) has potential benefits to healthcare organisations. However, evidence show that EHR systems are being resisted by healthcare providers. Little research in IS has addressed this phenomenon. To understand EHR resistance, a mid-range theory is evoked from our textual analysis of responses gathered from healthcare providers at a large international hospital. The data were analysed using revealed causal mapping technique (RCM). The results revealed that EHR resistance is comprised of seven major constructs: costs, benefits, perceived value, perceived threat, organisational support, self-efficacy, and system circumvention availability. Additionally, this study also uncovered the underlying concepts that are shaping each of these constructs. This study demonstrated that the use of the RCM methodology yielded concepts and constructs of EHR resistance that are not suggested by generalised theory. The use of RCM also revealed the main interactions and linkages between these constructs.
Brain structure in sagittal craniosynostosis

Craniosynostosis, the premature fusion of one or more cranial sutures, leads to grossly abnormal head shapes and pressure elevations within the brain caused by these deformities. To date, accepted treatments for craniosynostosis involve improving surgical skull shape aesthetics. However, the relationship between improved head shape and brain structure after surgery has not been yet established. Typically, clinical standard care involves the collection of diagnostic medical computed tomography (CT) imaging to evaluate the fused sutures and plan the surgical treatment. CT is known to provide very good reconstructions of the hard tissues in the skull but it fails to acquire good soft brain tissue contrast. This study intends to use magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate brain structure in a small dataset of sagittal craniosynostosis patients and thus quantify the effects of surgical intervention in overall brain structure. Very importantly, these effects are to be contrasted with normative shape, volume and brain structure databases. The work presented here wants to address gaps in clinical knowledge in craniosynostosis focusing on understanding the changes in brain volume and shape secondary to surgery, and compare those with normally developing children. This initial pilot study has the potential to add significant quality to the surgical care of a vulnerable patient population in whom we currently have limited understanding of brain developmental outcomes.
Opportunistic sensing for joint energy harvesting and channel access

Radio frequency (RF) energy transfer is a promising technology to supply power to the next generation wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we develop an opportunistic sensing framework for joint energy harvesting and channel access: a channel with a high probability of being occupied for harvesting energy is selected, and at the same time, a channel with a high probability of being vacant for opportunistic transmission is searched using the energy harvested from other channels. We establish a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP)-based framework to derive the joint optimization policy of the above problem to compare different sensing strategies using the parameters of the Powerharvester evaluation board from Powercast Corp. The simulation results show that the sequential sensing scheme offers significant performance improvement over the concurrent and random sensing schemes in terms of achievable data transmission rate per energy harvesting time.
Microbial Paper: Cellulose Fiber-based Photo-Absorber Producing Hydrogen Gas from Acetate using Dry-Stabilized Rhodopseudomonas palustris

The microstructure and reactivity of a novel nonwoven cellulose fiber cellular biocomposite (microbial paper) was studied relative to long-term stabilization of potentially any microorganism. Cells were incorporated during the papermaking process as an integral component of a highly porous cellular biocomposite that can be dry stabilized. Hydrogen gas production from acetate via the activity of the nitrogenases in Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009, entrapped at a very high concentration, in hand-made microbial paper was sustained for > 1000 h at a rate of 4.0 ± 0.28 mmol H2/m2 h-1 following rehydration. This rate is 2x and 10x greater than previously reported H2 production rates by Rps. palustris latex coatings that were dried on polyester and non-dried formulations applied to the surface of paper, respectively. By vacuum-dewatering and controlled drying steps to the microbial papermaking process and incorporating blends of microfibrillar (MFC), softwood (SW), and hardwood (HW) cellulose fibers, microbial paper films were fabricated that produced H2 gas at 3.94 ± 1.07 mmol H2/m2 h-1 and retain up to 60 mg/m-2 dry cell weight (DCW) of Rps. palustris. The MFC content appears to determine the final cell load and may affect gas/moisture mass transfer properties of the biocomposite.
Strain-aging under constant stress in vanadium

Aging under constant stress was studied in the Snoek ordering region using vanadium specimens containing oxygen. These were prestrained to 9% σ, aged insitu and the return of the yield point monitored. Tests were performed for various aging times at 353, 363 and 373 K with aging stress levels from 0.27 to 0.98 σf, where σf is the prestrain flow stress. Aging under constant stress evidently yields results not observed when specimens are aged using the load relaxation method. A sharp maximum in the magnitude of the yield point return is observed over a limited range of aging stresses. For example, specimens deformed at 353 K with give a maximum yield point return at an aging stress of 0.92 Of that is about 2 1/2 times greater than that obtained during aging at either 0.27 or 0.98 σf. While aging at 0.92 σf the specimen deforms at a finite strain rate that is only 2 1/2 order of magnitude slower than the prestrain strain rate. It is concluded that this aging involves the interaction of interstitial atoms with mobile dislocations.
The effect of lizards on spiders and wasps: variation with island size and marine subsidy

Introduced predators can have dramatic effects on island ecosystems, the magnitude of which are likely to vary with island characteristics. We investigated the influence of two important properties of islands—size and amount of resource subsidy—on the effects of an introduced predatory lizard (Anolis sagrei) on three groups of arthropod prey. Lizards were experimentally introduced to 16 islands that spanned gradients in vegetated area and seaweed deposition (a marine resource subsidy); 16 similar islands served as lizard-free controls. The abundance of web spiders, salticid spiders, and wasps was estimated prior to lizard introduction and again four months after lizard introduction. Lizard introduction reduced the average abundance of all three groups of arthropods. The effect of lizards on salticid spiders—which was very large (94% reduction in salticid abundance)—decreased with island size. In contrast, the effect of lizards on wasps—which was also very large (88% reduction in wasp abundance)—tended to increase with island size, but with only marginal significance. There was no evidence for variation in the effect of lizards on web spiders with island size. This variation between prey taxa may be related to the relative importance of environmental stress (such as wind and wave exposure, which tend to be more pronounced on smaller islands) in determining abundance. Salticids seem to tolerate the stressful environmental conditions that characterize smaller islands, allowing for larger lizard effects; wasps seem to be limited by these conditions (either directly or indirectly via reduced prey availability), minimizing lizard effects on smaller islands. There was a marginally significant tendency for the effect of lizards on salticid spiders to be weaker on islands with more seaweed deposition, suggesting that subsidies may play a role in reducing predator effects on islands. Our results highlight the importance of ecological context in determining the top-down effects of introduced predators and underscore the need to extend existing theories relating island area and community characteristics toward an explicit consideration of species interactions.
Linking Candidate Divergence in the District to Party Polarization in the Legislature: a Three-Factor Model, with Evidence from the U.S. House of Representatives, 1956-2008

In this paper we provide and derive a basic mathematical identity that specifies the three (potentially interrelated) factors that jointly determine the level of legislative polarization: (1) the distribution of ideological locations of the median voters over constituencies, (2) the mean distance of candidates from the ideal point of the median voter in the constituency, and (3) the probability that a constituency will elect a Democrat (Republican) given a spatial neutrality condition – a concept we refer to as partisan asymmetry. After showing how to operationalize each of these factors, we then measure changes in each over the period 1956-2008 in elections to the U.S. House of Representatives to see how each has contributed to increases in polarization. In providing a mathematically unified perspective on the electoral factors that affect legislative polarization we are able to more clearly distinguish the relative importance of factors leading to the present day extraordinarily high level of congressional polarization. Our key finding, reinforced by two alternative methods of calculation, is that, while changes in each factor have contributed to present day polarization, at least 80% of the growth in polarization in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1956 through 2008 can be attributed to a dramatic increase in the second of these factors: party differentiation at the district level.
Structured state space realizations for SLS distributed controllers

In recent work the system level synthesis (SLS) paradigm has been shown to provide a truly scalable method for synthesizing distributed feedback controllers. Moreover, the resulting synthesis problem is convex. In this paper we provide minimal state space realizations for both the state and output feedback controllers. It is also shown that (for fixed n) the state dimension of the controllers grows linearly with FIR filter horizon length — in both cases, we show that if the underlying transfer matrices are structured, so is the corresponding state-space realization. For the H 2 state feedback case a simple decomposition technique reduces the synthesis problem to solving a set of lower dimensional LQR problems that can be solved in parallel.
An introduction to buildings cybersecurity framework

This paper presents an introduction to the Buildings Cybersecurity Framework (BCF). The BCF provides the organizations with a set of cybersecurity best practices, policies and procedures to improve their cybersecurity posture; defines structured methodologies to interact cybersecurity activities and outcomes from the executive to operations levels. The foundation of the BCF core is based on five core elements defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover. Those five core elements were crafted to address evolving cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. With the BCF, an organization will be able to: assess their target cybersecurity state and current cybersecurity posture; identify and prioritize improvement opportunities and necessary actions by continuous and repeatable process; assess progress towards the target state; and communicate cybersecurity risk among internal and external stakeholders. This paper is a miniature of the ∼100-page Buildings Cybersecurity Framework, and the goal of this paper is to explicate the applicability of BCF in different types of buildings such as Residential, Small Commercial, Large Commercial, and Federal buildings. Note that the framework itself is a detailed version of the various aspects discussed in this paper.
Filariasis and Elephantiasis: You Can’t Go Home Again

There is a small town—actually it was then little more than a large village—called Pondok Tanjung in the state of Perak in Peninsular Malaysia. In the late 1970s it was a one street town fringed by orderly rows of rubber trees which reached out to the surrounding jungle, but even then the town already had a desultory look about it as production of natural rubber had slowly started to decline under the global onslaught of developments in the synthetic rubber industry (Fig. 6.1). The Malaysian economy by then was moving away from relying exclusively on primary production of commodities such as rubber, palm oil and mining and turning towards manufacturing in light industries like apparel, electronics and household goods. Pondok Tanjung was therefore in transition from a boomtown in the 1960s when commodity prices were high, and becoming an abandoned ghost town bypassed by new industrial parks in the outskirts of the larger towns in Perak State like Taiping and Ipoh, which had better infrastructure and transportation to the major export oriented ports. I was born and raised in Taiping just hardly 20 km away, yet I had not known about Pondok Tanjung until after I had started to do research in lymphatic filariasis. In one of the great ironies of my life, it turned out that Pondok Tanjung had the dubious distinction of having the highest prevalence of lymphatic filariasis in the country during that period in the 1970s.
Complementary effects of cereal and pulse polyphenols and dietary fiber on chronic inflammation and gut health

Cereal grains and grain pulses are primary staples often consumed together, and contribute a major portion of daily human calorie and protein intake globally. Protective effects of consuming whole grain cereals and grain pulses against various inflammation-related chronic diseases are well documented. However, potential benefits of combined intake of whole cereals and pulses beyond their complementary amino acid nutrition is rarely considered in literature. There is ample evidence that key bioactive components of whole grain cereals and pulses are structurally different and thus may be optimized to provide synergistic/complementary health benefits. Among the most important whole grain bioactive components are polyphenols and dietary fiber, not only because of their demonstrated biological function, but also their major impact on consumer choice of whole grain/pulse products. This review highlights the distinct structural differences between key cereal grain and pulse polyphenols and non-starch polysaccharides (dietary fiber), and the evidence on specific synergistic/complementary benefits of combining the bioactive components from the two commodities. Interactive effects of the polyphenols and fiber on gut microbiota and associated benefits to colon health, and against systemic inflammation, are discussed. Processing technologies that can be used to further enhance the interactive benefits of combined cereal–pulse bioactive compounds are highlighted.
Investigating Switching Transformers for Common Mode EMI Reduction to Remove Common Mode EMI Filters and Y-Capacitors in Flyback Converters

This paper investigated the common mode (CM) noise model for multiwinding switching transformers. Based on the proposed model, a Flyback transformer is investigated. A measurement technique is used to characterize and evaluate a switching transformer’s CM noise performance. Only a signal generator and an oscilloscope are needed in this measurement technique. Because there is no any in-circuit tests are needed, the technique can help quickly design and evaluate transformers in mass testing. CM noise reduction techniques, including the balance capacitor technique, core shielding technique, balance winding technique, and winding design technique, are investigated based on the developed two-capacitance model and measurement technique without introducing extra power loss. The near-field capacitive coupling due to transformer magnetic cores is analyzed, and a core shielding technique is applied to reduce the coupling. Experimental results validated the proposed model and the developed CM noise reduction techniques. The Flyback converter can finally meet electromagnetic interference (EMI) standards without using CM EMI filters and Y-capacitors.
The Lender's dilemma

The lender influences the transaction in the way he grants the loan on the property. The buyer's interest in the property at any given price is usually dependent on certain loan terms. When loan terms change, the buyer's interest in purchasing the property also changes, which can lead to a price change. Included in the lender's offer is a particular loan amount. This is based on a percentage of the property's value, the loan to value ratio, or the basis of the way the property's income exceeds the payments on the loan, the debit coverage ratio. The lender typically requires the buyer to furnish an appraisal or the lender completes an appraisal in-house. The decision to grant the loan, amount of loan to offer, and the terms of the loan are all dependent on this appraisal. Furthermore, the chapter discusses the capitalization rate approach versus the mortgage equity approach. The traditional, older, capitalization rate appraisal approach values the property as a whole, as if purchased by the investor for cash, free and clear of debt. It ignores the effect of financing. The mortgage equity approach parallels the discounted cash flow analysis.
Clinical Applications of Liver Magnetic Resonance Elastography: Focal Liver Lesions

Liver is a common site for both benign and malignant focal lesions. Focal liver lesions (FLLs) are often difficult to characterize with available radiological techniques as the imaging characteristics frequently overlap between FLLs. Malignant tumors are known to be stiffer than normal tissues and methods that provide stiffness information may be useful. MR elastography, by evaluating the stiffness of a FLL, may provide a new quantitative parameter for characterizing FLLs. Preliminary experience with FLLs has demonstrated that MRE can differentiate malignant liver tumors from benign tumors and normal liver parenchyma. The clinical utility of MRE in characterization of FLLs needs to be explored further.
Lessons from Extraordinary Cyphering Books

Six lessons about school mathematics, and its history, are drawn from the analyses of the 11 extraordinary cyphering books. These lessons relate to: (a) the intended curriculum that the abbaco and Sacrobosco traditions, and the British and North American textbook authors, defined for school mathematics during the period 1600 through 1880; (b) the implemented curriculum, as evidenced by entries in cyphering books; (c) the lack of hard data with respect to the attained curriculum—that is to say, with respect to what was actually learned by students during the cyphering era; (d) the remarkable value that many students placed upon their cyphering books; (e) the ethnomathematical circumstances which surrounded the preparation of the extraordinary cyphering books; and (f) the educational significance of qualitative differences between British and North American cyphering books.
MANAGEMENT OF WETLANDS FOR WILDLIFE HABITAT IMPROVEMENT

ABSTRACT Population levels of sporting and commercial wildlife species occupying wetlands are a product of the quantity and quality of habitat available. The rapid loss or modification of wetland habitat by other land-use practices has increased the need for special management to maintain or improve habitat quality. Habitat management practices should be designed to regulate the species composition, density, and distribution of plants. Major factors affecting plant growth in coastal wetlands are water levels and salinity, and the management practices applied should be those best suited to local conditions for maintaining these variables within acceptable limits. Special attention must be given to other needs of the wildlife species involved, because factors other than plants are also important components of favorable habitat. Management practices currently used in coastal wetlands are shallow water impoundments, water control structures in drainage systems, marsh ditches, and artificial potholes. Other treatments frequently applied are marsh burning, herbicidal treatment, and planting.
Effects of the invasive green crab (Carcinus maenas) on American lobster (Homarus americanus): Food acquisition and trapping behaviour

Abstract The American lobster (Homarus americanus) is the most commercially important crustacean species in Eastern Canada. Fishery landings in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland have decreased steadily following the cod moratorium in 1992, with another noticeable drop in 2002 when the first invasion of the European green crab (Carcinus maenas) was likely to have happened. The effect of green crabs on the food consumption and catchability of lobsters was quantified in relation to crab density (n = 0, 1, 5, 25) and water temperature (4 °C, 12 °C). Food acquisition and behavioural responses of lobsters were unaffected by the water temperature or crab densities of 1 to 25 animals. However, when a lobster was pitted against 150 crabs they were unable to obtain any food and the crabs consumed all the food within 8 min. In contrast to lobsters, the green crabs consumed more food at the higher temperature because they were more active. As crab density increased the number of agonistic interactions and retreat behaviours increased at both temperatures, and crabs were more likely to retreat from a lobster than vice versa. The effects of green crabs on the catchability of lobsters around a baited trap was also investigated when crabs were freely mobile outside the trap or contained within the trap. Lobsters were more likely to approach and enter the trap at 12 °C than at 4 °C, however, they were also more likely to escape. Lobsters were less likely to approach or enter a trap if they interacted with crabs outside the trap. The present results suggest that interactions between green crabs and adult lobsters may influence lobster catch rates in Newfoundland.