cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How Genetic Variant Libraries Effectively Extend Gene Testing Patents: Implications for Intellectual Property and Good Clinical Care

Genetic testing for inherited cancer susceptibility is an increasingly valuable tool in medical oncology. The identification of mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, for example, leads to specific clinical recommendations for screening or surgery that can improve survival.1 However, genetic testing can also identify variants of uncertain significance (VUS), changes in the genetic code that have an unknown effect on disease risk. Roughly 7% of women tested for BRCA1 and BRCA2 have one of these variants.2 Test results with VUS increase, rather than decrease, uncertainty for the patient in a situation with particularly high stakes and present a challenge to the clinician in devising appropriate responses.
Visualizing linked Jazz: A web‐based tool for social network analysis and exploration

This paper intends to demonstrate that recent improvements in web-based technology have made the creation of webbased network visualizations a viable and appealing possibility. We showcase a network visualization tool made for the Linked Jazz Project which utilizes a number of interactive and multimedia features to deliver an engaging experience to a wide audience. We briefly explore the history, benefits, and possible limitations of this web-based approach.
Benefits of Pavement Markings; A Renewed Perspective Based on Recent and Ongoing Research

One of the most important aspects of a safe and efficient roadway is the uniform application of pavement markings to delineate the roadway path and specific traffic travel lanes. Pavement markings can communicate information to road users as no other traffic control device can. They provide continuous information to road users related to roadway alignment, vehicle positioning, and other important driving-related tasks. It is estimated that in the United States alone, approximately $2 billion is spent annually on pavement markings. Despite these expenditures, there is a general void in terms of a consolidated effort to quantify proven benefits of pavement markings, although many research projects have focused on specific elements of pavement markings. This paper was developed to bring together many of the recent and ongoing research efforts to demonstrate a renewed perspective regarding the benefits of pavement markings and, where information is available, describe the benefits of various aspects of pavement markings. This paper presents areas where conclusive findings are available, and describes areas where findings are available but show inconsistent and sometimes conflicting results.
Incorporating native plants into multifunctional prairie pastures for organic cow–calf operations

The multifunctional agronomic, ecological, economic and social uses of grass-based agricultural systems in peri-urban Marion County, Iowa, were the subject of investigation from 2003 to 2005. Following a sociocultural analysis that identified diverse motivations of cow–calf operators, an on-farm, agroecological experiment was established with a member of the study group. The objective of the experiment was to investigate the feasibility of establishing a multifunctional prairie pasture in response to the operator's interest in certified organic, warm-season plant species paddocks. At the field level, the implementation of native grasses and legumes into fallow pasture without the use of herbicides under flash grazing, mowing and unmanaged control treatments showed differences in species establishment and pasture composition. After three growing seasons, native species were evident in all treatments, with no significant differences between grazing and mowing in total native species establishment. There was a trend toward greater native legume establishment in the control over the managed treatments. Thus, total species abundance was greatest in control plots, suggesting this treatment for maximum prairie pasture establishment without herbicides. Concurrence was observed between motivations expressed by cow–calf operators in the sociocultural study (i.e. biodiversity preservation and sustainable management of natural resources) and outcomes from the prairie pasture experimental system. Support for grass-based systems from local institutions at the community level is necessary for the expansion of prairie pastures in Iowa and throughout the tallgrass prairie region.
Fourier, Gegenbauer and Jacobi expansions for a power-law fundamental solution of the polyharmonic equation and polyspherical addition theorems

We develop complex Jacobi, Gegenbauer and Chebyshev polynomial expansions for the kernels associated with power-law fundamental solutions of the polyharmonic equa- tion on d-dimensional Euclidean space. From these series representations we derive Fourier expansions in certain rotationally-invariant coordinate systems and Gegenbauer polynomial expansions in Vilenkin's polyspherical coordinates. We compare both of these expansions to generate addition theorems for the azimuthal Fourier coefficients.
The synthesis of octahydro-7-phenylpyrazino[2,1-b][3]benzazepines

Octahydro-7-phenylpyrazino[2,1-b][3]benzazepine (1a) was prepared from 1-methyl-3-phenylmethylpiperazine 5a by reaction with styrene oxide followed by sulfuric acid cyclization of the resulting alcohol 6a. The diastereomeric mixture 1a was further separated into the diastereomers 1a′ and 1a″. Similarly 1-methyl-3-(3-chloro-4-methoxyphenyl)piperazine was reacted with styrene oxide to yield 6c which on cyclization with 1.5 equivalents of sulfuric acid in trifluoroacetic acid gave a 3:7 mixture of phenolic, 1d, and methoxy, 1c, octa-hydropyrazino[2,1-b][3]benzazepines. The reaction of the 2,5-piperazinedione 4c with sodium acetoxyborohydride gave a 49% yield of the 2-piperazinone 7 which was similarly carried on to the corresponding 1(2H)-oxohexahydropyrazino[2,1-b][3]benzazepine 9.
Forward-peaked scattering of polarized light

Polarized light propagation in a multiple scattering medium is governed by the vector radiative transfer equation. We analyze the vector radiative transfer equation in asymptotic limit of forward-peaked scattering and derive an approximate system of equations for the Stokes parameters, which we call the vector Fokker-Planck approximation. The vector Fokker-Planck approximation provides valuable insight into several outstanding issues regarding the forward-peaked scattering of polarized light such as the polarization memory phenomenon.
Deficits in Sensory Integration in Educationally Handicapped Children

Sixty-four neuromuscular, perceptual, and cognitive measurements made on 36 children with educational handicaps were subjected to Q-technique factor analysis. The two major patterns of deficits associated with low academic achievement were (1) auditory, language, and sequencing, and (2) postural and bilateral integration. Both of these syndromes were differentiated from syndromes of apraxia and tactile defensiveness.
Molecular characterization of antibiotic resistant Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Kentucky isolated from pre- and post-chill whole broilers carcasses.

There is conflicting data regarding whether commercial chilling has any effect on persistence of Salmonella serovars, including antibiotic resistant variants, on chicken carcasses. A total of 309 Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Kentucky isolates recovered from pre- and post-chill whole broiler carcasses were characterized for genetic relatedness using Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and for the presence of virulence factors (invA, pagC, spvC) by PCR and for aerobactin and colicin production by bioassays. A subset of these isolates (n ¼ 218) displaying resistance to either sulfisoxazole and/or ceftiofur [S. Typhimurium (n ¼ 66) and S. Kentucky (n ¼ 152)] were further tested for the presence of associated antibiotic resistance elements (class-I integrons and blaCMY genes) by PCR. All 145 ceftiofur resistant S. Kentucky and S. Typhimurium isolates possessed blaCMY genes. Class-I integrons were only detected in 6.1% (n ¼ 4/66) of sulfisoxazole resistant S. Typhimurium isolates. The PFGE analysis revealed the presence of genetically diverse populations within the recovered isolates but clusters were generally concordant with serotypes and antimicrobial resistance profiles. At a 100% pattern similarity index, thirty-six percent of the undistinguishable S. Typhimurium and 22% of the undistinguishable S. Kentucky isolates were recovered from the same chilling step. All isolates possessed the invA and pagC genes, but only 1.4%possessed spvC. Irrespective of the chilling step, there was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in the production of aerobactin and colicin between S. Typhimurium and S. Kentucky isolates. Taken together, these results indicate that chilling impacted the recovery of particular Salmonella clonal groups but had no effect on the presence of class-I integrons, blaCMY genes, and tested virulence factors.
LIFE CYCLE OF CALYPTOSPORA FUNDULI (APICOMPLEXA: CALYPTOSPORIDAE)

The taxonomic status of the extraintestinal piscine coccidium Calyptospora funduli is based in part on its requirement of an intermediate host (the daggerblade grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio). In the present study, grass shrimp fed livers of Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) infected with sporulated oocysts of C. funduli exhibited numerous sporozoites suspended in the intestinal contents when fresh squash preparations were examined by light microscopy. Using this method, sporozoites were not seen in intestinal epithelial cells of the grass shrimp or in any other cell types. Ultrastructural examination, however, revealed sporozoites in the cytoplasm of the gut basal cells. Cross-sections of 1-13 sporozoites were seen within a single cell, and those sporozoites each appeared to be situated in individual membrane-bound vesicles, rather than in a single parasitophorous vacuole. These ultrastructural observations indicate that in the grass shrimp intermediate host, sporozoites that develop into an infective stage probably undergo that development in gut mucosal basal cells. Prior studies revealed that these sporozoites modified their structure over 4-5 days and that before that time, they were not infective to the fish host. Following ingestion of an infected shrimp by a killifish, the infective sporozoites apparently reach the liver of their killifish definitive hosts through the bloodstream. Sporozoites were seen in blood smears from the longnose killifish, Fundulus similis, 4 hr after fish were fed experimentally infected grass shrimp. Additionally, coccidian trophozoites and early meronts were seen in hepatocytes from several longnose killifish at 48, 72, and 96 hr postinfection. This study, in conjunction with previous findings, clearly confirms that a true intermediate host is required in the life cycle of C. funduli, that a developmental period of about 5 days in grass shrimp is necessary for sporozoites to become infective to killifishes, and that sporozoites do occur intracellularly in gut basal cells of the grass shrimp.
Collaboration Theory: A Theory of the Charitable Tax Exempt Nonprofit Corporation

Legal scholarship regarding tax exempt nonprofit entities is meager at best. Although some excellent treatises, book chapters, and journal articles have been written, the body of scholarship relating to these entities is not nearly as healthy and robust as the scholarship relating to their for-profit companions. This is especially troubling considering that nonprofit entities help to improve our society in a myriad of different ways.This Article seeks to fill a void in the existing scholarship by offering an essentialist theory for charitable tax exempt nonprofit corporations that helps to explain the essence of these entities. Beyond the purely academic metaphysical inquiry into what is a corporation, understanding the essential nature of these corporations is important because it helps to determine how they should interact with society, what rights they should have, and how they should be governed by the law. This discussion is especially timely because the recent opinions by the Supreme Court of the United States in Citizens United and Hobby Lobby have reinvigorated the debate over the essence of the corporation.This Article breaks new ground by offering a new essentialist theory of the corporation, which shall be termed “collaboration theory.” The decades of debate over the essence of for-profit corporations has coalesced into three prevailing theories of the corporation, i.e., the artificial entity theory, the real entity theory, and the aggregate theory. The problem is that none of these prevailing theories fully answers the question of what is a corporation.Collaboration theory suggests that charitable tax exempt nonprofit corporations are collaborations among the state governments, federal government, and individuals to promote the public good. Unlike the prevailing theories of the corporation, collaboration theory explains both how and why charitable tax exempt nonprofit corporations exist, which provides a fuller and more robust understanding of these corporations. Collaboration theory advances the existing scholarship by finally offering an essentialist theory for nonprofit corporations, and it shows remarkable promise for understanding the essential nature of for-profit corporations as well.
SMEX-Lite modular solar array architecture

The NASA small explorer (SMEX) missions have typically had three years between mission definition and launch. This short schedule has posed significant challenges with respect to solar array design and procurement. Typically, the solar panel geometry is frozen prior to going out with a procurement. However, with the SMEX schedule, it has been virtually impossible to freeze the geometry in time to avoid scheduling problems with integrating the solar panels to the spacecraft. A modular solar array architecture was developed to alleviate this problem. This approach involves procuring sufficient modules for multiple missions and assembling the modules onto a solar array framework that is unique to each mission. The modular approach removes the solar array from the critical path of the SMEX integration and testing schedule. It also reduces the cost per unit area of the solar arrays and facilitates the inclusion of experiments involving new solar cell or panel technologies in the SMEX missions.
Pyridopyrimidines as Inhibitors of Hepatitis C Virus

Structure Guided Chemistry, Dart Neuroscience LLC, 7473 Lusk Boulevard, San Diego, California 92121, United States, and AdjunctAssociate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, New College Building,245 North 15th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, United States
Resource availability and timing of reproduction in bumble bee colonies (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

North temperate bumble bee colonies produce workers for the first part of the summer, then, at some point, switch to rearing only reproductives. The first occurrence: of males and gynes (new queens) of one bumble bee ( Bombus flavifrons ) was used to estimate when the reproductive switch point occurred in colonies distributed among 20 discrete subalpine meadows. Occurrence of reproductives in meadows was correlated with forager and flower abundance: males and gynes appear earlier in meadows with high forager and flower densities. While males were observed in each of the 20 meadows, gynes occurred. in only 15. The five meadows where gynes were not observed had lower flower densities: and supported significantly fewer foragers relative to meadows producing gynes. Differences among meadows in phenological patterns of flower availability were not related to the temporal occurrence of reproductive switch points.
Recently Discovered Clovis Points in Indian Wells Valley on the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Southeastern Alta California

AbstractDuring a recent archaeological survey on the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake along the relict shorelines of Pleistocene Lake China, Epsilon Systems Solutions, Inc., discovered five Clovis points and a variety of other artifacts, as well as fragmentary and mostly unidentifiable fossilized large mammal remains. Most of these points are better preserved and less sandblasted than other Clovis specimens found within the Lake China Basin. This article provides a brief background to the Clovis Complex, a technological description of these projectile points, and the results of obsidian hydration and protein residue analyses.
Design on a Project Safety Monitoring Unit Based on μC/OS-II

With the development of automation management,many projects,especially those for large hydropower generation and long distance water diversion and supply,require more advanced automatic safety monitoring systems.Based on the management mechanism of μC/OS-Ⅱ,a method is described for designing different functions of the monitoring device into different independent while cooperative application tasks.The framework of products based on μC/OS-Ⅱ is compact and different tasks can run in parallel.It is characterized by convenient application program updating,high operation efficiency and high reliability.The monitoring unit based on μC/OS-Ⅱ can satisfy the automation application requirements of large-scale and complicated engineering projects.
The flying monkey: A mesoscale robot that can run, fly, and grasp

The agility and ease of control make a quadrotor aircraft an attractive platform for studying swarm behavior, modeling, and control. The energetics of sustained flight for small aircraft, however, limit typical applications to only a few minutes. Adding payloads - and the mechanisms used to manipulate them - reduces this flight time even further. In this paper we present the flying monkey, a novel robot platform having three main capabilities: walking, grasping, and flight. This new robotic platform merges one of the world's smallest quadrotor aircraft with a lightweight, single-degree-of-freedom walking mechanism and an SMA-actuated gripper to enable all three functions in a 30 g package. The main goal and key contribution of this paper is to design and prototype the flying monkey that has increased mission life and capabilities through the combination of the functionalities of legged and aerial robots.
Evaluation of Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Trials and Benchmarks for Clinically Meaningful Future Trials: A Systematic Review.

Importance Progress in the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma has been minimal; it remains the only major cancer type with a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%. Objective To explore why a large proportion of advanced pancreatic cancer clinical trials executed over the past 25 years have had negative results and to identify benchmarks that could have predicted success. Evidence Review Phase 3 studies of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer were identified by searching clinicaltrials.gov and the scientific literature. Findings Thirty-two phase 3 studies in 13 675 chemotherapy-naive patients resulted in 3 agents or combinations being considered clinically meaningful. Nineteen agents or combinations (70%) were tested in phase 2 trials preceding the phase 3 trial. In cases with paired phase 2 and 3 results, meeting the primary end point of the phase 2 trial predicted the outcome of the phase 3 trial 76% of the time but proceeded despite phase 2 negative results in 10 cases. We applied criteria for a clinically meaningful result identified by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Cancer Research Committee to these historical cases. Overall, progression-free and 1-year survival of experimental arms was compared with time period–controlled median values of control arms to normalize for the observed increase in response to gemcitabine over time. Conclusions and Relevance Applying the benchmark of a 50% improvement in overall survival as the primary end point to phase 2 data, or secondary end points of a 90% increase in 1-year survival or an 80% to 100% increase in progression-free survival, showed the greatest ability to predict a clinically meaningful phase 3 trial. Had these criteria been applied to these trials over the past 25 years, more than 11 571 patients enrolled in phase 3 trials that did not meet the primary end point could theoretically have been diverted to earlier-stage trials in an attempt to more rapidly advance the field.
Too much automation? the bellwether effect and its implications for transfer learning

“Transfer learning”: is the process of translating quality predictors learned in one data set to another. Transfer learning has been the subject of much recent research. In practice, that research means changing models all the time as transfer learners continually exchange new models to the current project. This paper offers a very simple “bellwether” transfer learner. Given N data sets, we find which one produces the best predictions on all the others. This “bellwether” data set is then used for all subsequent predictions (or, until such time as its predictions start failing-at which point it is wise to seek another bellwether). Bellwethers are interesting since they are very simple to find (just wrap a for-loop around standard data miners). Also, they simplify the task of making general policies in SE since as long as one bellwether remains useful, stable conclusions for N data sets can be achieved just by reasoning over that bellwether. From this, we conclude (1) this bellwether method is a useful (and very simple) transfer learning method; (2) “bellwethers” are a baseline method against which future transfer learners should be compared; (3) sometimes, when building increasingly complex automatic methods, researchers should pause and compare their supposedly more sophisticated method against simpler alternatives.
Origin of the Pluto–Charon system: Constraints from the New Horizons flyby

Abstract New Horizon's accurate determination of the sizes and densities of Pluto and Charon now permit precise internal models of both bodies to be constructed. Assuming differentiated rock-ice structures, we find that Pluto is close to 2/3 solar-composition anhydrous rock by mass and Charon 3/5 solar-composition anhydrous rock by mass. Pluto and Charon are closer to each other in density than to other large (≳1000-km diameter) Kuiper belt bodies. Despite this, we show that neither the possible presence of an ocean under Pluto's water ice shell (and no ocean within Charon), nor enhanced porosity at depth in Charon's icy crust compared with that of Pluto, are sufficient to make Pluto and Charon's rock mass fractions match. All four small satellites (Styx, Nix, Kerberos, Hydra) appear much icier in comparison with either Pluto or Charon. In terms of a giant impact origin, both these inferences are most consistent with the relatively slow collision of partly differentiated precursor bodies (Canup, Astrophys. J. 141, 35, 2011). This is in turn consistent with dynamical conditions in the ancestral Kuiper belt, but implies that the impact precursors themselves accreted relatively late and slowly (to limit 26 Al and accretional heating). The iciness of the small satellites is not consistent with direct formation of the Pluto–Charon system from a streaming instability in the solar nebula followed by prompt collapse of gravitationally bound “pebble piles,” a proposed formation mechanism for Kuiper belt binaries (Nesvorný et al., Astron. J. 140, 785–793, 2010). Growth of Pluto-scale bodies by accretion of pebbles in the ancestral Kuiper belt is not ruled out, however, and may be needed to prevent the precursor bodies from fully differentiating, due to buried accretional heat, prior to the Charon-forming impact.
Effects of Self-Monitoring as a Function of its Expected Benefits and Incompatible Response Training

This study investigated the effects of self-monitoring (SM) as a function of expectancy factors and incompatible response training. The monitored response was fingernail biting. Twenty college students who were nail biters were randomly assigned to the following groups: (I) SM alone; (II) SM plus an expectancy that improvement would result from using that procedure; (III) SM plus positive expectancy and incompatible response training; and (IV) a waiting list control. The results showed that the reactivity of SM was determined by the expectancy variable. SM alone did not reduce nail biting, nor did the addition of an incompatible response increase the reactivity of SM. The implications of these results are discussed.
Increased Treg cells and expression of CD39/CD73 during listeriosis in aging mice

Foodborne Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is a cause of serious illness & death in the elderly. Aging is associated with increased susceptibility to pathogens. We investigated the cause of this increased susceptibility of aging mice to LM infection using an oral model. Young & old C57BL/6 mice were gavaged with murinized LM and T-helper (Th) cell responses were evaluated. After infection, tissues were examined for bacterial burden & histology. Isolated splenocytes were analyzed for intracellular Th1/Th2 cytokine expression (TNF-α, IL-10 and IFN-γ) & distribution of Treg (CD4 + CD25 h ) & Th17 cells before & after infection. The expression of adenosine producing enzymes, CD39/CD73, in Th cells was analyzed by FACS & qRT-PCR. Old LM-infected mice lost more body-weight & had a higher bacterial burden in the liver/spleen than young-infected mice. Uninfected old mice showed a higher baseline proinflammatory response when compared to young control mice. After infection, the proinflammatory cytokine, IFN-g, was higher in young mice as compared to old mice. An increase in Th-17 cells was observed in the older mice before & after infection. Increased levels of IL-10 & Treg cells were observed in older mice after infection. Higher expression of CD39/CD73 was observed in the Th cells of the older mice & the Treg expression of CD39 doubled after infection, suggesting increased production of adenosine, an anti-inflammatory mediator. Increased LM infection in aging mice is associated with reduced IFN-g response & increased anti-inflammatory responses from Treg cells with high expression of CD39 in splenocytes. Increased accumulation of splenic Th17 cells in LM-infected old mice can further contribute to increased inflammation leading to LM pathogenesis.
Vision Screening in Adults Across the Life Span

Objectives The goal of this study was to determine whether adults across the life span differ in responses to quick vision screening and how those responses relate to adults' use of specialized eye care. Methods Subjects were 363 community-dwelling ambulatory adults, 21 to 95 years old, who were tested while they wore their corrective lenses during routine visits to a tertiary care facility. No subjects had known neurological impairments, age-related macular degeneration, or other significant eye disease. A wall-mounted Early Treatment in Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart was used. Results Older adults 58 years old or older had significantly worse scores than younger adults. Scores did not differ between subjects who had been tested within or prior to the last 10 months. Older subjects had their vision tested significantly more recently than younger subjects. Conclusions Vision screening is quick, inexpensive, and easily performed by ancillary staff, and it may provide the physician with useful additional information for treatment planning.
Factors associated with hazardous alcohol use and motivation to reduce drinking among HIV primary care patients: Baseline findings from the Health & Motivation study.

Abstract Background Limited primary care-based research has examined hazardous drinking risk factors and motivation to reduce use in persons with HIV (PWH). Methods We computed prevalence ratios (PR) for factors associated with recent ( Results Of 614 participants, 48% reported recent hazardous drinking and 12% reported high alcohol use severity (i.e., AUDIT zone 3 or higher). Factors associated with greater alcohol severity included moderate/severe anxiety (PR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.18, 3.63), tobacco use (PR: 1.79; 1.11, 2.88), and other substance use (PR: 1.72; 1.04, 2.83). Factors associated with lower alcohol severity included age 50–59 years (PR: 0.46; 0.22, 2.00) compared with age 20–39 years, and having some college/college degree (PR: 0.61; 0.38, 0.97) compared with ≤high school. Factors associated with greater importance to reduce drinking (scores >5) included: moderate/severe depression (PR: 1.43; 1.03, 2.00) and other substance use (PR: 1.49; 1.11, 2.01). Lower importance was associated with incomes above $50,000 (PR: 0.65; 0.46, 0.91) and marijuana use (PR: 0.65; 0.49, 0.87). HIV-specific factors (e.g., CD4 and HIV RNA levels) were not associated with alcohol outcomes. Conclusions This study identified modifiable participant characteristics associated with alcohol outcomes in PWH, including anxiety and depression severity, tobacco use, and other substance use.
The Minimum Sum of Absolute Errors Regression

The minimum sum of absolute errors MSAE regression is resistant to outliers and error distributions with long tails. It also provides a good starting solution for certain robust regression procedures. A number of efficient algorithms and computer codes ..
Abstract 9483: Oxidative Stress Induced by Acute Sodium Loading is Associated with Diastolic Dysfunction in Prehypertensives

Introduction: In 'salt-sensitive’ animals, chronic sodium (Na) loading causes oxidative stress and ventricular diastolic dysfunction. In humans, less is known about how early in the course of hyper...
Versatility of electrochemically grown dendrites in the undergraduate laboratory

We describe an experiment to fabricate atomic-scale contacts using electrochemically grown silver wires. The formation of a single-wire junction is directly observed and captured by an optical microscope, while electrical conductance of the wire, simultaneously recorded, is shown to be quantized. Further, a diffusion-limited aggregate (DLA) simulation is performed to compare the observed fractal formed by the silver dendrites. Our experiment directly exposes undergraduate students to exciting contemporary physics ranging from atomic-scale switches to fractal formation, all on a single experimental platform.
Promoting Identity Development in Leadership Education: A Multidomain Approach to Developing the Whole Leader.

Empirical research suggests that focusing on one’s identity as a leader may enhance ongoing leadership development. As a complement to traditional theory- and skills-based approaches to leader deve...
QOE Tuning for Remote Access of Interactive Volume Visualization Applications

Remote access of interactive volume visualizations such as e.g., remote MRI (magnetic resonance image) viewing and inspection with three-dimensional images is important in smart health care applications. However, due to the large scale of data sets involved in the computation and various network/ system factors (i.e., network bandwidth, CPU/GPU), delivering satisfactory user Quality of Experience (QoE) for remote access is quite challenging. In this paper, we investigate tuning of user QoE based on controllable parameters such as data transmission rate i.e., the client-side encoding scheme selection, and the computation resource scale i.e., the GPU server hardware size/number. The novelty of our studies is in the joint use of a “network-aware encoding scheme ” on the client-side along with an “encoding-aware server scaling” on the server-side to guide efficient tuning decisions within a remote access system. We also describe a ‘Remote Interactive Volume Visualization System’ (RIVVS) case study and analyze utility functions (e.g., bandwidth consumption, GPU utilization) that guide the design of a tournament scheme for subjective testing in an application-specific context. Our RIVVS testbed results with human subjects show that our approach can help in efficient tuning of remote MRI access configurations with satisfactory user QoE for: (a) good-to-poor network health conditions, (b) low-to-high remote access user workloads involving a diverse set of thin clients such as personal computers, smart phones and tablets.
TIME-INTEGRATED AORTIC REGURGITATION INDEX HELPS IN THE REAL-TIME ASSESSMENT OF PARAVALVULAR REGURGITATION DURING TAVR

Residual paravalvular regurgitation (PVR) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is associated with higher mortality. We investigated the value of a time-integrated aortic regurgitation index (TIARI) in assessing PVR during TAVR. We included 247 consecutive patients who underwent TAVR
ROLL DAMPING ON TWO NEW ENGLAND TRAWLERS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

An experimental study on three types of roll damping devices--bilge keels, passive bilge fins, and paravanes--is described. These tests were conducted in the Ship Model Towing Tank of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology using scale models of a 76-ft single-chine trawler and a 119-ft double-chine trawler. The models were fitted with each damping device and excited in roll by a hull-mounted moment generator. Roll motions were measured at zero speed and at trawling and steaming speeds. Nondimensional damping ratios have been calculated and the effects on roll damping of each device are compared. The relationship of bilge keel and bilge fin area and aspect ratio to damping ratio are studied and some design considerations are presented. Practical aspects of each device type are also discussed.
Pack goats in the Neolithic Middle East

This article advances the hypotheses that sheep (Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758) and goats (Capra hircus Linnaeus, 1758) in the Neolithic Middle East were employed regularly as pack animals and were domesticated to serve as pack animals. The employment of pack ovicaprines, especially pack goats, can explain how obsidian and other goods that circulated in exchange networks were transported across long distances and mountainous terrain. A pack goat can carry 30% of its weight over 24 km of mountainous terrain daily. A lactating dam can provide milk for human consumption on the trail. Compared to pack sheep and pack cattle, pack goats are more agile and adaptable to a greater variety of environments. Training a goat to pack is not difficult, and research on caprines' social preferences suggests that the wild sheep (Ovis orientalis Gmelin, 1774) and wild goat (Capra aegagrus Erxleben, 1777), if born in human captivity, could be trained to pack. Findings support the hypothesis that dairying originated from the training and use of pack goats in the Neolithic. Goats usually don't sustain bone pathology from bearing pack loads, and bone pathology and increased bone robustness from pack-bearing, especially of goats, may be impossible to discern from the faunal record. Neolithic figurative evidence of pack ovicaprines is highlighted.
Synthesis of lactate derivatives via reductive radical addition to α-oxyacrylates

Abstract Lactate derivatives are important synthetic precursors to a variety of pharmaceutical products. Previously reported methods to prepare lactates require multiple steps or have limited scopes. Herein, we report a Ni-catalyzed reductive addition of a variety of alkyl iodides to α-oxyacrylates to afford substituted lactates. Exploring the scope of radical acceptors reveals that electron-deficient alkenes, ranging from cyclohexenone to para-caboxystyrene, undergo efficient coupling with alkyl iodides. This method represents an alternative strategy access lactate derivatives.
Eperimental Results on Radiative Kaon Decays

This paper reviews the current status of experimental measurements of radiative kaon decays. Several experiments at BNL, CERN and FNAL have recently or will soon complete data collection; as a result, several new results are available.
Comparing Design Ground Snow Load Prediction in Utah and Idaho

AbstractSnow loads in the western United States are largely undefined due to complex geography and climates, leaving the individual states to publish detailed studies for their region, usually thro...
A Translation of Luigi Paolucci’s On Birdsong. Phenomenology, Animal Psychology and Biology

In the epilogue of his 1982 essay Language and Death, Giorgio Agamben describes the acoustic impression one might have while walking through a forest. He concludes that ‘the infinite choir of anima...
Route Prediction Techniques using GPS Traces and Spatial Data

Route Prediction is a principle requirement for many transport system services like route prediction in grid computing, traffic congestion estimation, VANETs, travel recommendations and so on. The literature emphasizes on how to establish an optimal end-to-end scalable route prediction application using various techniques like Hidden Markov Model (HMM) approach for map matching, closest match prediction algorithm, probabilistic generalized suffix tree (PGST) and distributed context tree weighing (DCTW). This paper implements how to efficiently use Map-Reduce framework in mentioned route prediction techniques.
Large B-Cell Lymphomas of the Spleen

The diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in the current era is complex and involves a subclassification scheme that incorporates morphologic, immunophenotypic, and genetic features. In addition, there are large B-cell lymphomas that have a unique biology or site predilection, which justifies the use of separate diagnostic terminologies (e.g., Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)+ DLBCL, not otherwise specified (NOS); primary DLBCL of the CNS; primary cutaneous DLBCL, leg type; DLBCL associated with chronic inflammation; plasmablastic lymphoma etc. ). This chapter covers large B-cell lymphomas that are known to involve the spleen, primary or secondary. The most common lymphoma of the spleen is DLBCL, NOS, and most of these are secondary in nature. We discuss both the common macronodular manifestation and the less common diffuse red pulp variant of DLBCLs. T-cell-/histiocyte-rich large B-cell lymphoma (TCRBL) has morphologic features (micronodular) unique to the spleen as compared to the typical morphology observed in nodal TCRBL. EBV+ DLBCL, NOS, of the spleen has morphology similar to that observed in other sites, however, with important differential diagnoses that need to be considered. Lastly, we discuss the recently introduced high-grade B-cell lymphomas (HGBL), which include double-/triple-hit lymphomas (involving MYC, BCL2, and/or BCL6 translocations) and high-grade B-cell lymphoma, NOS.
Anxiety Mediates the Relationship between Psychotic-Like Experiences and Social Functioning in the General Population.

INTRODUCTION Within the psychosis continuum that includes schizophrenia (SZ) at the severe end and the general population at the mild end, anxiety may negatively impact social functioning more than psychosis or psychotic-like experiences (PLE). This claim is supported by previous reports that show anxiety mediates the relationship between psychosis and social functioning in SZ, suggesting anxiety is critical to social functioning in SZ. Yet no studies have examined a similar relationship in the general population, and this is important because people with PLE are at a significantly higher risk for developing full-blown psychosis. METHODS Similar to those with SZ, we predicted heightened anxiety would mediate the relationship between PLE, as measured by The -Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences, and social functioning, as measured by Social Adjustment Scale - Self-Report, in the general population. RESULTS Indeed, the current study showed that the relationship between PLE and social functioning was mediated by anxiety (z = 7.81, p < 0.001) within an unselected crowdsourcing sample representative of the general population (Amazon M-Turk; n = 197, mean age 32.38 years). CONCLUSION Taken together with previous reports, the current findings suggest that anxiety is a functionally relevant dimension across the psychosis continuum and improving anxiety may improve social functioning across this continuum.
Derivatives of hemoglobin prepared by reaction with aryl or alkyl isothiocyanates.

Publisher Summary The reaction of protein amino groups with aryl isothiocyanates to form thiourea derivatives, called the “Edman reaction,” has frequently been exploited in the sequencing of proteins. The basis for this application lies in the reaction of aryl isothiocyanates with the amino terminus of the protein. Reaction with the reagent depends on the nucleophilic character of the protein amino group, and as a result, the protonated form is unreactive. Thus, the specificity of the reaction can be controlled to some extent by manipulation of the pH, example, reaction at the amino termini is favored by maintenance of the pH near 7.3, because at this pH most of the ɛ-amino groups of the protein are protonated. Maintenance of the pH near neutrality can also minimize competing hydrolysis reactions of the reagent, which is subject to both acid and base catalysis. Another competing reaction in the case of alkyl isothiocyanates is alkylation of nucleophilic sulfhydryl groups through displacement of the —NCS group. This reaction is unlikely for aryl isothiocyanates because nucleophilic aromatic substitution is extremely slow unless the —NCS group is activated by the presence of electron-withdrawing groups in the 2- and 4-positions.
Ultrasonic Flaw Classification Using a Quasi-Pulse-Echo Technique

In solving ultrasonic flaw characterization problems, flaw type information is often needed in order to pursue succeeding tasks such as flaw sizing. In a typical inspection, the interaction of the incident ultrasonic pulse with the flaw results in a series of signal trains. A variety of signal features are extracted from these flaw signals and then used as the basis for the classification process. This classification process is made difficult by the large number of possible scattered waves. For example, typical ultrasonic signals from a planar crack-like defect consist of reflected responses, surface traveling waves, edge diffracted waves and head wave components. For a volumetric void-like defect, the returned signal pattern similarly contains reflected waves of the same mode as well as mode-converted reflections and “creeping” waves. However, in pulse-echo testing a fundamental difference exists between a crack-like flaw and a volumetric flaw that can be used for classification purposes. This difference is reflected in the fact that a significant mode-converted diffracted wave component can exist for a crack-like defect (Fig. 1(a)) which does not exist in pulse-echo testing for a volumetric defect (Fig.1(b)).
Power series whose sections have zeros of large modulus. II

We shall be concerned primarily with growth properties of the sequence {rn}. The most interesting case is that in which YapzP is the power series for an entire function which omits the value zero. It is not hard to show that this is equivalent to having limrn = oo0. One can, however, construct other power series for which limsuPrn= co. Since nothing is lost by doing so, we shall always suppose that ao = 1. This assumption will be used freely and without explicit mention. For notational convenience, E and E' will denote sums taken over the nonnegative and positive integers, respectively. In ?2, upper bounds for tn are obtained from algebraic relations between the zeros of sn(z) and the first "few" of the numbers a,, a2, a3,***. From algebraic considerations alone, we show that
Regime Type and Terrorist Attacks

We review the current literature on why democracies experience terrorist attacks. Noting that most of these studies were based on data that ended in 2004, we update the data and analyze regime type and terrorist attacks through 2012. We identify a key trend: 2009 appears to have been a watershed year, where terrorist attacks began to occur more often in failed states and countries under military occupation than in democratic ones. Most strikingly, we find that autocratic regimes have experienced a modest increase in terrorist attacks, whereas democracies have experienced a generalized decrease. We then review the literature on terrorism in autocratic regimes, which is mainly focused on explaining variation in terrorist attack patterns across autocratic regimes with different capacities for coercion and co-optation and different sensitivities to audience costs. We conclude by highlighting some of the research and policy implications on regime type and terrorism. Keywords: terrorism; regime type; democracy; autocracy; failed states; military occupation; authoritarianism; counterterrorism
Why larger nations have disproportionate threat rates: area increases endemism and human population size

Global Red List data on mammals, birds and plants for over 100non-island nations are used to identify the impact of area, endemism, humanpopulation, and many other social variables (urbanized population,human-dominated land, national wealth, % land protected) on proportions ofthreatened species among nations. Human population size and, especially,proportion of endemic species emerge as the strongest correlates of proportionof threatened species in nations. Area tends to increase both human populationand proportion of endemics and thus increases the proportion of threatenedspecies. Increasing wealth is associated with increased relative threat inmammals and plants. Proportion of land protected is significantly associatedwith decreased relative threat in mammals and birds.
Recent Developments in Location Estimation and Regression for Long-Memory Processes

The problem of long-range dependence in statistical applications has been known to scientists and applied statisticians long before suitable models were known. Parsimonious models with such behaviour are stationary processes with non-summable correlations. Many classical limit theorems do not hold for these processes and rates of convergence are slower than under independence or weak dependence. Therefore, for many statistics, usual confidence intervals are too small by a factor which tends to infinity with increasing sample size. In this paper we give a survey of recent results on point and interval estimation of location and of the coefficients in parametric linear regression, as well as nonparametric regression.
Bringing Channels Closer to the Action

How does a cell expressing many different G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) know which signaling pathway and target proteins to activate when a GPCR binds to its ligand? As [ Laporte et al .][1] explain in their Perspective, new findings ([ Davare et al .][2]) suggest that the cell assembles a multiprotein complex in the plasma membrane that contains the GPCR, its signaling proteins, and the final target effector protein, thus ensuring that the GPCR activates only the correct signaling pathway, and target effector protein. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/293/5527/62 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/293/5527/98
Innate immune correlates of HIV pathogenesis in response to opportunistic mycobacteria (INC8P.428)

HIV infection of humans and SIV infection of Rhesus macaques generally results in onset of opportunistic infections (OIs) and AIDS when left untreated. In contrast, SIV infection of African monkeys, such as sooty mangabeys, results in high levels of viral replication, but the immune system remains resilient to dysfunction, OIs and progression to AIDS. Here, we set out to identify innate immune correlates associated with acquisition of OIs in HIV+ humans (and the lack thereof in SIV+ mangabeys), through an ex vivo cytokine and transcriptomic assessment of PBMC and monocyte responses to the opportunistic pathogen, BCG. Our data reveal that HIV+ donors have significantly altered NK cell gene expression profiles and deficient monocyte IL-12 production (p=0.017) in response to BCG stimulation compared to HIV-negative donors. In contrast, SIV+ mangabeys maintain similar gene expression profiles and increase the percentage of monocytes producing proinflammatory cytokines TNFα (p=0.03) and IL-12 (p=0.06) following BCG stimulation compared to uninfected mangabeys. These data suggest that a lack of monocyte-derived IL-12 and deficient NK cell response to opportunistic pathogens may be associated with increased susceptibility to OIs. Further, they raise potential to augment innate immune function through NK cell-targeted IL-12 therapy during pathogenic lentiviral infections.