cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhancement and suppression in the visual field under perceptual load

The perceptual load theory of attention proposes that the degree to which visual distractors are processed is a function of the attentional demands of a task – greater demands increase filtering of irrelevant distractors. The spatial configuration of such filtering is unknown. Here, we used steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) in conjunction with time-domain event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the distribution of load-induced distractor suppression and task-relevant enhancement in the visual field. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded while subjects performed a foveal go/no-go task that varied in perceptual load. Load-dependent distractor suppression was assessed by presenting a contrast reversing ring at one of three eccentricities (2°, 6°, or 11°) during performance of the go/no-go task. Rings contrast reversed at 8.3 Hz, allowing load-dependent changes in distractor processing to be tracked in the frequency-domain. ERPs were calculated to the onset of stimuli in the load task to examine load-dependent modulation of task-relevant processing. Results showed that the amplitude of the distractor SSVEP (8.3Hz) was attenuated under high perceptual load (relative to low load) at the most proximal (2°) eccentricity but not at more eccentric locations (6˚ or 11˚). Task-relevant ERPs revealed a significant increase in N1 amplitude under high load. These results are consistent with a center-surround configuration of load-induced enhancement and suppression in the visual field.
Case Formulation–Driven Psychotherapy

A case formulation–driven approach to psychotherapy addresses many of the difficulties clinicians experience when using empirically supported treatment (EST) protocols to treat complex cases. A formulation-driven approach provides the flexibility required to work effectively with complex cases by allowing clinicians to make intervention decisions guided by theory and by the results of continuous assessment rather than simply by the list of interventions described in the EST protocol. To strengthen the empirical foundation of case formulation–driven psychotherapy, the therapist can use a hypothesis-testing approach to each case, rely on evidence-based nomothetic formulations and therapies as templates for the idiographic formulation and treatment plan, and rely on other empirical findings to guide formulation, intervention, and clinical decision making. Recently developed EST protocols for complex cases include some of the key elements of case formulation–driven psychotherapy.
Parametric Modeling and Optimization of Chemical Vapor Deposition Process

This paper focuses on the parametric modeling and optimization of the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process for the deposition of thin films of silicon from silane in a vertical impinging CVD reactor. The parametric modeling using Radial Basis Function (RBF) for various functions which are related to the deposition rate and uniformity of the thin films are studied. These models are compared and validated with additional sampling data. Based on the parametric models, different optimization formulations for maximizing the deposition rate and the working areas of thin film are performed.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Input design for on-line system identification of a human respiratory system

An efficient implementation of input design for on-line system identification is presented. The optimal input is calculated recursively based on the imminent available information content in the inverse correlation matrix of the data. The new input is computed one step ahead of time with a predictive filter so that it will increase the information content in the inverse correlation matrix. A numerical example is provided which is based on a human respiratory system.
Long-haired, freaky people need to apply: Rock music, cultural intermediation, and the rise of the ‘company freak’

This article explores the phenomenon of the ‘company freak’ at American record labels of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It presents historical research on company freaks as well as theorizes how t...
2-D Mechanically resonating fiberoptic scanning display system

A micro-display system based on optical fiber driven by a 2-D piezoelectric actuator is presented. An optical fiber is extended from the free end of a 2-D piezoelectric actuator (free length: 4.3mm). A field programmable gate array (FPGA) drives the actuator using a triangular waveform to deflect the optical fiber in orthogonal directions. The FPGA also controls a LED light source and the light is coupled into a chemically tapered SMF-28 fiber (core diameter: 10µm). At a pre-set pairing of ne ar-resonance frequencies (Horizontal: 22Hz; Vertical:5070Hz), the deflected optical fiber in combination with controlled light pr oduces an output image with an approximate dimension of 0.3×0.3 mm2, and a potential resolution of 400 lines per scan. This pa per details the design and fabrication of the micro-display system. The mechanical and optical design for the microresonating scanner will be discussed. In addition, the mechanical and optical performance and the resulting output of the 2-D scanner will be presented.
Absolute rate parameters for the reaction of ground state atomic oxygen with carbonyl sulfide

The rate parameters for the reaction of O(3P) with carbonyl sulfide, O(3P) + OCS yields CO + SO have been determined directly by monitoring O(3P) using the flash photolysis-resonance fluorescence technique. The value for k sub 1 was measured over a temperature range of 263 - 502 K and the data were fitted to an Arrhenuis expression with good linearity.
Half-Wits: Software Techniques for Low-Voltage Probabilistic Storage on Microcontrollers with NOR Flash Memory

This work analyzes the stochastic behavior of writing to embedded flash memory at voltages lower than recommended by a microcontroller’s specifications in order to reduce energy consumption. Flash memory integrated within a microcontroller typically requires the entire chip to operate on a common supply voltage almost twice as much as what the CPU portion requires. Our software approach allows the flash memory to tolerate a lower supply voltage so that the CPU may operate in a more energy-efficient manner. Energy-efficient coding algorithms then cope with flash memory writes that behave unpredictably.Our software-only coding algorithms (in-place writes, multiple-place writes, RS-Berger codes, and slow writes) enable reliable storage at low voltages on unmodified hardware by exploiting the electrically cumulative nature of half-written data in write-once bits. For a sensor monitoring application using the MSP430, coding with in-place writes reduces the overall energy consumption by 34p. In-place writes are competitive when the time spent on low-voltage operations such as computation are at least four times greater than the time spent on writes to flash memory. Our evaluation shows that tightly maintaining the digital abstraction for storage in embedded flash memory comes at a significant cost to energy consumption with minimal gain in reliability. We find our techniques most effective for embedded workloads that have significant duty cycling, rare writes, or energy harvesting.
“They See Us As Machines:” The Experience of Recent Immigrant Women in the Low Wage Informal Labor Sector

This study explores the organization of work and occupational health risk as elicited from recently immigrated women (n = 8) who have been in the US for less than three years and employed in informal work sectors such as cleaning and factory work in the greater Boston area in Massachusetts. Additional interviews (n = 8) with Community Key Informants with knowledge of this sector and representatives of temporary employment agencies in the area provides further context to the interviews conducted with recent immigrant women. These results were also compared with our immigrant occupational health survey, a large project that spawned this study. Responses from the study participants suggest health outcomes consistent with being a day-laborer scholarship, new immigrant women are especially at higher risk within these low wage informal work sectors. A difference in health experiences based on ethnicity and occupation was also observed. Low skilled temporary jobs are fashioned around meeting the job performance expectations of the employer; the worker’s needs are hardly addressed, resulting in low work standards, little worker protection and poor health outcomes. The rising prevalence of non-standard employment or informal labor sector requires that policies or labor market legislation be revised to meet the needs presented by these marginalized workers.
Intuition, deliberation, and the evolution of cooperation

Humans often cooperate with strangers, despite the costs involved. A long tradition of theoretical modeling has sought ultimate evolutionary explanations for this seemingly altruistic behavior. More recently, an entirely separate body of experimental work has begun to investigate cooperation’s proximate cognitive underpinnings using a dual-process framework: Is deliberative self-control necessary to reign in selfish impulses, or does self-interested deliberation restrain an intuitive desire to cooperate? Integrating these ultimate and proximate approaches, we introduce dual-process cognition into a formal game-theoretic model of the evolution of cooperation. Agents play prisoner’s dilemma games, some of which are one-shot and others of which involve reciprocity. They can either respond by using a generalized intuition, which is not sensitive to whether the game is one-shot or reciprocal, or pay a (stochastically varying) cost to deliberate and tailor their strategy to the type of game they are facing. We find that, depending on the level of reciprocity and assortment, selection favors one of two strategies: intuitive defectors who never deliberate, or dual-process agents who intuitively cooperate but sometimes use deliberation to defect in one-shot games. Critically, selection never favors agents who use deliberation to override selfish impulses: Deliberation only serves to undermine cooperation with strangers. Thus, by introducing a formal theoretical framework for exploring cooperation through a dual-process lens, we provide a clear answer regarding the role of deliberation in cooperation based on evolutionary modeling, help to organize a growing body of sometimes-conflicting empirical results, and shed light on the nature of human cognition and social decision making.
Interneurons in area CA1 stratum radiatum and stratum oriens remain functionally connected to excitatory synaptic input in chronically epileptic animals.

Rempe, D. A., E. H. Bertram, J. M. Williamson, and E. W. Lothman. Interneurons in area CA1 stratum radiatum and stratum oriens remain functionally connected to excitatory synaptic input in chronica...
Reconsidering Criterion A for the Diagnosis of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Disorder

Empirical research is needed to verify that the DSM-5 proposed diagnostic criteria for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) disorder provide a valid and clinically meaningful symptom set. The current study used data-driven methods to examine the diagnostic validity of the frequency and recency thresholds (i.e., Criterion A) for NSSI disorder. Data were collected from a random sample (n = 2206) of undergraduates. Participants completed counter-balanced questionnaires assessing the frequency, recency, and functions of NSSI, psychopathology symptoms, and indicators of distress and functional impairment. Discriminant functional analyses identified a significant differentiation for frequency between 10 or more acts of NSSI and 1–9 acts. Groups were also differentiated with a split on recency between less than 12-months ago and more than 12-months ago. After re-grouping the sample into categories based on the new frequency and 12-month recency threshold, the 10+ NSSI group reported significantly more functions for NSSI, including higher scores on affect regulation, self-punishment, and sensation seeking, than the subthreshold NSSI group. The 10+ NSSI group also reported significantly worse psychopathology, greater distress, and more impairment than both the subthreshold group and controls (no NSSI history). These findings indicate the current DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for NSSI disorder may be too liberal, and offer support for increasing the frequency thresholds for the diagnosis to ensure clinical validity and utility.
RGB-D camera based wearable navigation system for the visually impaired

A wearable RGB-D camera based indoor navigation system for the blind is proposed.Egomotion estimation is performed using both sparse features and dense point clouds.Probabilistic mapping and traversability analysis for path planning is presented.The system stores and reloads maps to expand coverage area of navigation.The system improves mobility performance complementing the white cane. In this paper, a novel wearable RGB-D camera based indoor navigation system for the visually impaired is presented. The system guides the visually impaired user from one location to another location without a prior map or GPS information. Accurate real-time egomotion estimation, mapping, and path planning in the presence of obstacles are essential for such a system. We perform real-time 6-DOF egomotion estimation using sparse visual features, dense point clouds, and the ground plane to reduce drift from a head-mounted RGB-D camera. The system also builds 2D probabilistic occupancy grid map for efficient traversability analysis which is a basis for dynamic path planning and obstacle avoidance. The system can store and reload maps generated by the system while traveling and continually expand the coverage area of navigation. Next, the shortest path between the start location to destination is generated. The system generates a safe and efficient way point based on the traversability analysis result and the shortest path and updates the way point while a user is constantly moving. Appropriate cues are generated and delivered to a tactile feedback system to guide the visually impaired user to the way point. The proposed wearable system prototype is composed of multiple modules including a head-mounted RGB-D camera, standard laptop that runs a navigation software, smart phone user interface, and haptic feedback vest. The proposed system achieves real-time navigation performance at 28.6Hz in average on a laptop, and helps the visually impaired extends the range of their activities and improve the orientation and mobility performance in a cluttered environment. We have evaluated the performance of the proposed system in mapping and localization with blind-folded and the visually impaired subjects. The mobility experiment results show that navigation in indoor environments with the proposed system avoids collisions successfully and improves mobility performance of the user compared to conventional and state-of-the-art mobility aid devices.
Cognitive Impairment Among Older Individuals with HIV Infection

The introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (CART) has led to a dramatic increase in the survival of HIV seropositive (HIV+) individuals and an aging HIV+ population with over 50 % of HIV+ persons in the USA now over the age of 50. Cognitive impairment is common across the lifespan in HIV but is twice as common among older HIV+ adults. HIV itself may lead to HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, but cardiovascular risk factors may also contribute to cognitive impairment in older HIV+ adults. Abnormal amyloid deposition in brains of HIV+ individuals at autopsy may also indicate a role of accelerated aging and early-onset Alzheimer disease. We review the evidence to support these three mechanisms of cognitive impairment in HIV+ individuals. Regardless of etiology, cognitive impairment has significant impact on the everyday functioning and quality of life of older HIV+ adults.
Reproducible and Scalable Synthesis of End-Cap-Functionalized Depolymerizable Poly(phthalaldehydes)

This article describes a general procedure for synthesizing end-capped poly(phthalaldehydes) that depolymerize continuously from head-to-tail in response to a single reaction with a specific chemical or physical stimulus. The procedure (i) is reproducible and scalable over various batches of commercially available monomer, (ii) requires only 4 h to prepare the polymer, (iii) enables functionalized end-caps to be appended to both ends of the linear polymer, and (iv) provides control over the molecular weight of the polymer. This article also (i) provides spectroscopic and experimental evidence that depolymerization of end-capped poly(phthalaldehydes) is mediated by cleavage of the end-cap from the terminus of the polymer in response to a specific applied signal and (ii) shows that plastics made from poly(phthalaldehyde) containing a photoresponsive end-cap can be converted to monomers in the solid state.
Towards the use of OCT angiography in clinical dermatology

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a popular imaging technique used in ophthalmology, and on the way to become clinically viable alternative in dermatology due to its capability of acquiring histopathology level images of in vivo tissue, noninvasively. In this study, we demonstrate the capabilities of OCT-based angiography (OMAG) in detecting high-resolution, volumetric structural and microvascular features of in vivo human skin with various conditions using a swept source OCT system that operates on a central wavelength of 1310 nm with an A-line rate of 100 kHz. OMAG images provide detailed in vivo visualization of microvasculature of abnormal human skin conditions from face, chest and belly. Moreover, the progress of wound healing on human skin from arm is monitored during longitudinal wound healing process. The presented results promise the clinical use of OCT angiography in treatment of prevalent cutaneous diseases within human skin, in vivo.
Analysis On Epidemiological Characteristics Of Tuberculosis Prevalence In Jieshou City From 2005 To 2009

Objective To understand the popular trend and the rules of tuberculosis(TB) in Jieshou city and provide the basis for formulating its control countermeasures.MethodsData about TB in Jieshou from 2005 to 2009 obtained from National Electronic Disease Surveillance System were analyzed.ResultsFrom 2005 to 2009,the incidence rate of TB was 62.78/lakh,53.15/lakh,52.03/lakh,55.33/lakh and 58.55/lakh respectively.And the rate of males was higher than that of the females.The ratio of male to female was 2.18:1.The TB cases occurred in the whole year,and there were not significantly incidence peak.The age of the cases mainly focused above 15 years old which occupied 99.23% of all cases.The occupation of cases was major in farmers which accounted for 69.83% of all cases.ConclusionThe incidence level of TB in Jieshou city was still at a higher level,so there were very much to do for the prevention and control of TB.
The SCHOLAR Legacy: A New Look at the Affordances of Semantic Networks for Conversational Agents in Intelligent Tutoring Systems.

The time is ripe for a new look at the affordances of semantic networks as backbone structures for knowledge representation in intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs). While the semantic space approach has undeniable value, and will likely continue to be an essential part of solutions to the problem of computer-based dialogue with humans, technical advances such the automatic extraction of ontologies from text corpora, now encourage a vision in which intelligent tutoring agents have access to forms of knowledge representation that allow them to more fully “understand” something of what they are talking about with learners. These developments have important implications for key ITS components including the structure of expert domain models, learner models, instructional modules, and dialogue strategies, particularly in respect to issues of transportability across systems. As such, they in turn have important implications for the design of a general-purpose framework such as the U.S. Army’s Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT).
Ecology: The sea-otter whisperer

Jane Lubchenco applauds James Estes's chronicle of his 45 years studying the complexities of an apex predator.
Signal Transduction in Activation of Ischemically Sensitive Abdominal Visceral Afferents: Role of PKC

Abdominal ischemia reflexly activates the cardiovascular system by stimulating abdominal visceral afferent nerve endings. Whereas many ischemic metabolites responsible for activating these nerves h...
Nerve endings of the walls of the descendent colon and rectum.

Two types of nerve endings in the muscular wall of the descendent colon and rectum are shown in this paper.
A data-driven synchronization technique for cyber-physical systems

In this paper, we present a method to synchronize data from multiple sensors in a cyber-physical system without any software or hardware modifications to the sensors. This method allows for synchronization of low-power embedded systems in heterogeneous sensor networks, regardless of accuracy of individual sensor clocks by using the events in the physical world to drive the synchronization in the cyber world. We propose two methods to select portions of sensor data streams to drive the synchronization: one leveraging the notion of known templates and the other using an information theoretic approach. Using the events as well as cues from the delay models, we determine alignment points between the data streams. These alignment points are used to synchronize the data. This novel approach is based solely on the sensor data for synchronization, and it can be applied post-deployment on systems of heterogeneous sensors that are not well designed and lack effective synchronization. Experiments show an average accuracy improvement from ~12000ppm to ~2400ppm for a template based-method and from ~12000 to ~277ppm and ~445ppm for information theoretic methods when comparing the synchronized (corrected) clock data to an ideal clock source.
Elements of lentiviral vector design toward gene therapy for treating mucopolysaccharidosis I

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is a lysosomal disease caused by α-l-iduronidase (IDUA) deficiency and accumulation of glycosaminoglycans (GAG). Lentiviral vector encoding correct IDUA cDNA could be used for treating MPS I. To optimize the lentiviral vector design, 9 constructs were designed by combinations of various promoters, enhancers, and codon optimization. After in vitro transfection into 293FT cells, 5 constructs achieved the highest IDUA activities (5613 to 7358 nmol/h/mg protein). These 5 candidate vectors were then tested by injection (1 × 107 TU/g) into neonatal MPS I mice. After 30 days, one vector, CCEoIDW, achieved the highest IDUA levels: 2.6% of wildtype levels in the brain, 9.9% in the heart, 200% in the liver and 257% in the spleen. CCEoIDW achieved the most significant GAG reduction: down 49% in the brain, 98% in the heart, 100% in the liver and 95% in the spleen. Further, CCEoIDW had the lowest transgene frequency, especially in the gonads (0.03 ± 0.01 copies/100 cells), reducing the risk of insertional mutagenesis and germ-line transmission. Therefore, CCEoIDW is selected as the optimal lentiviral vector for treating MPS I disease and will be applied in large animal preclinical studies. Further, taken both in vitro and in vivo comparisons together, codon optimization, use of EF-1α promoter and woodchuck hepatitis virus posttranscriptional response element (WPRE) could enhance transgene expression. These results provided a better understanding of factors contributing efficient transgene expression in lentiviral gene therapies.
Towards fair and low latency next generation high speed networks

In packet switched high-speed networks, heterogeneous nature of TCP flows, a relatively newer characteristics of IP networks, and high burstiness have made it difficult to achieve low queuing delay and fair allocation of bandwidth among flows. Existing queue management (QM) schemes were designed to achieve either one or the other or both simultaneously and have been fairly successful at meeting either fairness or low queuing delay but not both at the same time. In this paper, unlike previous research efforts, the two requirements, fairness and low queuing delay are decoupled and addressed separately. We propose Approximated-Fair and Controlled-Delay (AFCD) queuing for next generation high speed networks that aims to meet following design goals: approximated fairness, controlled low queuing delay, high link utilization and simple implementation. The design of AFCD utilizes a novel synergistic approach by forming an alliance between approximated fair queuing and controlled delay queuing. It uses very small amount of state information in sending rate estimation of flows and makes drop decision based on a target delay of individual flow. Through experimental evaluation in a 10Gbps high speed networking environment, we show AFCD meets our design goals by maintaining approximated fair share of bandwidth among flows and ensuring a controlled very low queuing delay with a comparable link utilization. AFCD is locally stable for small target delay in a high speed networking environment.
Revisiting Richard Rodriguez

What preoccupies me is immediate: the separation I endure with my parents in loss. That is what matters to me: the story of a scholarship boy who returns home one summer from college to discover bewildering silence, facing his parents.
Review: Serum insulin levels are associated with hypertension

Source Citation Denker PS, Pollock VE. Fasting serum insulin levels in essential hypertension. A meta-analysis. Arch Intern Med. 1992 Aug;152:1649-51.
Parental Involvement and Children's Educational Performance: A Comparison of Filipino and U.S. Parents

Researchers have long noted that parental involvement can substantially influence children’s academic performance. There is a paucity of research which has focused on this relationship in developin...
Ondansetron does not prevent physical dependence in patients taking opioid medications chronically for pain control.

Abstract Objectives In this study, we investigated the co-administration of ondansetron with morphine, and whether it could prevent the development of physical dependence in patients taking opioids for the treatment of chronic pain. Methods A total of 48 chronic back pain patients (N = 48) participated in this double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized study. Patients were titrated onto sustained-release oral morphine and randomized to take 8 mg ondansetron or placebo three times daily concurrently with morphine during the 30-day titration. Following titration, patients underwent Naloxone induced opioid withdrawal. Opioid withdrawal signs and symptoms were then assessed by a blinded research assistant (objective opioid withdrawal score: OOWS) and by the research participant (subjective opioid withdrawal score: SOWS). Results We observed clinically significant signs of naloxone-precipitated opioid withdrawal in all participants (ΔOOWS = 4.3 ± 2.4, p Conclusion We hypothesized that ondansetron would prevent the development of physical dependence in human subjects when co-administered with opioids, but found no difference in naloxone-precipitated opioid withdrawal scores between ondansetron and placebo treatment groups. These results suggest that further studies are needed to determine if 5HT 3 receptor antagonists are useful in preventing opioid physical dependence.
New species and distributions of Neotropical Phileurini and a new phileurine from Burma (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae).

Seven new species are described: Amblyoproctus boondocksius (Brazil), Eophileurus tetraspermexitus (Burma), Hemiphileurus insularis (Brazil), H. jamesonae (Panama), Palaeophileurus brasiliensis (Brazil), P. marcusoni (Brazil), and Phileurus youngi (Panama). New distribution records are given for Amblyoproctus piliger (Perty), A. torulosus Kolbe, Archophileurus elatus Prell, Goniophileurusfemoratus Burmeister, Hemiphileurus punctatostriatus Prell, Phileurus valgus (Olivier), and Planophileurus planicollis (Chevrolat).
Academia Cuauhtli: (Re)Locating the Spiritual, if Crooked, Path to Social Justice.

AbstractThis essay doubles as a critique of the brutal violence visited upon the immigrant community in Austin, Texas, in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency, and a deeply personal account relate...
Nietzsches Lyrik. Archilochus, Musik, Metrik

Unter all den philologischen Errungenschaften des 19.Jahrhunderts sind es paradoxerweise Nietzsches Entdeckungen innerhalb der griechischen Metrik, die fur unser heutiges Verstandnis der antiken Prosodie masgeblich geworden sind. Ob bewusst oder nicht, sprechen wir modernen Altphilologen unser Altgriechisch Nietzsches Einsichten entsprechend aus. Die Tatsache, dass seine Entdeckung Allgemeingut wurde, bedeutet jedoch keineswegs, dass sie auch mit seinem Namen verbunden wird. Es ist eher selten, dass sich die Altphilologen – ganz zu schweigen von den Nietzscheforschern – dieser Provenienz bewusst sind, und selbst wenn dies der Fall ist, macht es seine Entdeckung als solche keineswegs eingangiger bzw. nachvollziehbarer.
Virtual School Startups: Founder Processes in American K-12 Public Virtual Schools

Traditional school districts do not have a lot of experience with virtual schools and have lost students to state and charter virtual schools. To retain students and offer alternative learning opportunities, more public districts are starting their own virtual schools. This study was an examination of foundational processes at three California virtual schools in traditional school districts. An analysis of the findings revealed that sites perceived the establishing founder, preliminary research, district support, teacher and staff selection, financial evaluation, and curriculum decisions as keys to the founding process. The analysis also led to surprising conclusions, including the need for virtual schools to constantly change and adapt and the focus in this study of organizations over technology. The findings have implications for traditional districts starting virtual schools. The study also indicates that changes in policy could reduce the need for organizational adaptation among virtual schools in traditional school districts.
Stable social relationships between unrelated females increase individual fitness in a cooperative bird.

Social animals often form long-lasting relationships with fellow group members, usually with close kin. In primates, strong social bonds have been associated with increased longevity, offspring survival and reproductive success. However, little is known about the fitness effects of social bonds between non-kin, especially outside of mammals. In this study, we use long-term field research on a cooperatively breeding bird, the greater ani ( Crotophaga major ), to ask whether adult females benefit by remaining in long-term associations with unrelated, co-breeding females. We find that females that have previously nested together synchronize their reproduction more rapidly than those nesting with unfamiliar partners, which leads to lower competition and higher fledging success. Importantly, although previous experience with a co-breeding female influenced reproductive synchrony, the degree of reproductive synchrony did not influence whether co-breeding females remained together in subsequent years, ruling out the alternate hypothesis that highly synchronized females are simply more likely to remain together. These results indicate that switching groups is costly to females, and that social familiarity improves reproductive coordination. Stable social relationships therefore have significant fitness consequences for cooperatively nesting female birds, suggesting that direct benefits alone may favour the evolution of associations between non-relatives and contribute to long-term group stability.
“Over My Dead Body”: James B. Conant and the Hydrogen Bomb

The U.S. government’s decision to develop the hydrogen bomb was a landmark of the nuclear arms race and a crucible of the science-military connection. Seeking a response to the unexpected and unwelcome news in the autumn of 1949 that the Soviet Union had exploded an atomic device, and with it the four-year American atomic monopoly, U.S. policymakers stood at a crossroads. One path was chosen on January 31, 1950, after four months of intense, sometimes bitter, and mostly secret debate within an elite stratum of government and military officials, scientists, and congressmen, when President Harry S. Truman, rejecting the advice of the Atomic Energy Commission’s General Advisory Committee (GAC), endorsed a program to develop thermonuclear weapons. Despite its “minimalist” aspects (1), the outcome represented a clear victory for one faction of the policy elite and, at least potentially, a missed opportunity to restrain the nuclear arms race at a far lower level of destructiveness than in fact evolved. The decision, and the subsequent stripping of the security clearance of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the GAC chairman who had argued against the H-bomb, also dramatized the ethical and political tensions present at the intersection of science and technology, military policy and strategy, and national and bureaucratic politics, and they offer a cogent case study of the technological and political forces driving the arms race (2).
Community Health Workers and Social Proximity: Implementation of a Parenting Program in Urban Poverty

Community health workers (CHWs) offer many advantages for effective dissemination of mental health interventions, and thus a potential means through which to mitigate the many barriers to treatment faced by minority youth and their families. However, studies using CHWs have mainly focused on whether interventions implemented by this workforce are effective, while leaving much unknown about the nature of CHWs’ role and the key elements that make them effective. The primary aim of the present study was to better understand one of the central components defining the CHW role: their shared community membership with the population served. We used the term social proximity to refer to this closeness to the population served, and to encapsulate the shared characteristics, background, and experiences that could comprise defining features of community membership. In order to better characterize and understand social proximity, we interviewed 16 CHWs (called Student-Family Liaisons, or SFLs) implementing a school-based early intervention program (Partners Achieving Student Success, or PASS) in Latino and African American communities of urban poverty. The program targeted promoting child and parent engagement in schooling as a protective factor for children’s mental health. SFLs were interviewed about the strategies, characteristics, and elements of their role that they leveraged in connecting with and engaging families. Thematic analyses of semi-structured interviews revealed four main themes defining social proximity for this CHW workforce: (1) experiences of parenthood or caring for children, (2) knowledge and understanding of practices or experiences related to ethnicity/race, (3) familiarity with and understanding of the neighborhood community, and (4) experiences of life hardships and struggles. These elements of social proximity were featured most prominently in the engagement strategy of relating. SFLs’ accounts illustrated how their experience of social proximity was informed by specific typologies of similarities (experiential and deep-level), contextually relevant similarities, and program-based similarities. Additionally, these accounts highlight the need for supporting, promoting, and celebrating the natural traits and lived experiences of CHWs, for these are the defining features that make this workforce unique and also what CHWs consistently draw upon when connecting with community members during service delivery.
Computational insertion of microcalcification clusters on mammograms: reader differentiation from native clusters and computer-aided detection comparison.

Mammographic computer-aided detection (CADe) devices are typically first developed and assessed for a specific “original” acquisition system. When developers are ready to apply their CADe device to a mammographic acquisition system, they typically assess the device with images acquired using the system. Collecting large repositories of clinical images containing verified lesion locations acquired by a system is costly and time consuming. We previously developed an image blending technique that allows users to seamlessly insert regions of interest (ROIs) from one medical image into another image. Our goal is to assess the performance of this technique for inserting microcalcification clusters from one mammogram into another, with the idea that when fully developed, our technique may be useful for reducing the clinical data burden in the assessment of a CADe device for use with an image acquisition system. We first perform a reader study to assess whether experienced observers can distinguish between computationally inserted and native clusters. For this purpose, we apply our insertion technique to 55 clinical cases. ROIs containing microcalcification clusters from one breast of a patient are inserted into the contralateral breast of the same patient. The analysis of the reader ratings using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methodology indicates that inserted clusters cannot be reliably distinguished from native clusters (area under the ROC curve = 0.58 ± 0.04). Furthermore, CADe sensitivity is evaluated on mammograms of 68 clinical cases with native and inserted microcalcification clusters using a commercial CADe system. The average by-case sensitivities for native and inserted clusters are equal, 85.3% (58/68). The average by-image sensitivities for native and inserted clusters are 72.3% and 67.6%, respectively, with a difference of 4.7% and a 95% confidence interval of [−2.1 11.6]. These results demonstrate the potential for using the inserted microcalcification clusters for assessing mammographic CADe devices.
Prototype Systems Engineering Assembly, Integration and Test for Space Systems: TESS – A Case Study

A successful systems engineering approach for the assembly, integration and test phase of a prototype space program is flexible while maintaining technical rigor. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is used as a case study to discuss immediate solutions to issues that arose late in the program, and the need to balance technical risk against the demands of cost and schedule.
Chronic Kidney Disease in the Primary Care Setting: Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Management

This chapter provides a clinical perspective on how the kidney can be used as a sentinel for cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden and, perhaps, as a means of measuring therapeutic success for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. To accomplish these goals, we will first provide some background about the relationship between chronic kidney disease and CVD. Next, we will discuss the value of estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) as a better measure of overall kidney function as opposed to simply using a serum creatinine. In addition, we will also focus on the importance of residual albuminuria or proteinuria and its implications for predicting CVD. These observations will set the stage for assessing appropriate blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose goals for patients, and the pharmacologic means of attaining these goals. Finally, we will describe non-traditional CVD risk factors unique to the CKD population and recommend some therapeutic strategies whenever possible.
Indirect Care Utilization Among Children with Medical Complexity

Children with medical complexity (CMC) account for 1% of the US pediatric population and 35% of healthcare costs. Comprehensive care for CMC requires high amounts of indirect care time (ICT). We describe the value of ICT for CMC in a mature, consultative, subspecialty complex care program. Nine hundred five CMC in our Comprehensive Care Program over a 2-year period received an average of 1283 h of ICT and 640 h of direct visit time per year. Provider costs/year were $93,977 for ICT and $62,848 for direct care provision. The odds of incurring hospital costs increased by 43% among CMC who used ICT. CMC utilize substantial, costly, and unreimbursed amounts of ICT, yet ICT is associated with increased hospital costs. Perhaps ICT might be a proxy indicator of rising clinical acuity and should prompt escalation of ambulatory care plans; further studies are needed.
The role of psychological and developmental science in efforts to improve teacher quality.

BackgroundTheory, methods, and knowledge gained from years of study in psychological science and human development apply to the understanding and improvement of teacher quality and, ultimately, stu...
Time-Reversal Microwave Tomography Using Frequency Domain Sampling

A microwave tomographic imaging system using time-reversal processing with frequency domain sampling is presented. Time-reversal imaging enables faster and more computationally efficient processing than traditional tomographic inverse approaches, leading to the potential for fast, near-real-time microwave tomography. The resolution of time-reversal imaging is dependent on the waveform duration, and rather than generating short-pulse waveforms, the presented system synthesizes short pulses by sampling over a broad bandwidth of discrete frequencies. This approach has the potential for low-cost, fast microwave tomographic imaging. A 1-5 GHz system using planar antennas is presented, and measured results of simple targets, both a PEC cylinder and a dielectric cylinder, are shown.
Addressing identity‐related barriers to collaboration for conservation through self‐affirmation theory and moral foundations theory

The natural resource management literature documents many reasons for pursuing collaborative processes, offering useful insights on how to manage conflict and facilitate productive deliberation in complex multistakeholder collaborative efforts. Moral foundations theory and self-affirmation theory can further help collaborative efforts mitigate conflicts caused by identity threats and the identity-protective reasoning these threats provoke. Moral foundations theory suggests an approach to increase collaboration by minimizing triggering language and helping people appreciate opposing viewpoints. Self-affirmation theory suggests a practical intervention that could be used to increase collaboration by desensitizing people to identity threats and reducing defensiveness. Taken together, these theories can contribute substantially to the understanding and practice of collaboration and conflict management for conservation.
Blockchains, Corporate Governance, and the Lawyer's Role

Significant aspects of firm governance can (and, in coming years, likely will) be conducted on blockchains. This transition has already begun in some respects. The actions of early adopters illustrate that moving governance to blockchains will require legal adaptations. These adaptations are likely to be legislative, regulatory, and judicial. Firm management, policy-makers, and judges will turn to legal counsel for education and guidance. This article describes blockchains and their potentially expansive use in several aspects of the governance of publicly traded corporations and outlines ways in which blockchain technology affects what business lawyers should know and do — now and in the future. Specifically, this article describes the nature of blockchain technology and ways in which the adoption of that technology may impact shareholder record keeping and voting, insider trading, and disclosure-related considerations. The article then reflects on implications for business lawyers and the practice of law in the context of corporate governance.
Inhibition of starch digestion by gallic acid and alkyl gallates

Abstract As phenolic compounds, alkyl gallates may inhibit the activity of digestive enzymes for starch. Furthermore, their alkyl chains may facilitate starch inclusion complexation and results in an increased resistant starch (RS) content or slowly digestible starch (SDS) content, which may further retard starch digestion. The significance of such inhibition is that the rate of starch hydrolysis into glucose is reduced, thereby preventing hyperglycemia and related metabolic diseases. This study examined the inhibitory effects on in vitro enzymatic digestion of starch by gallic acid and five alkyl gallates of varying alkyl chain lengths, i.e., butyl gallate, octyl gallate, dodecyl gallate, hexadecyl gallate, and octadecyl gallate. Raw and cooked potato starch (PS) and high-amylose maize starch (HAMS) were tested. For both types of raw starch, gallic acid and all the alkyl gallates significantly (p
Exploring nurses' perceptions of nurse managers' communicative relationships that encourage nurses' decisions to buy-in to initiatives that enhance patients' experiences with care

Aim To explore nurses' perceptions of nurse managers' (NMs') communicative relationships that encourage nurses' decisions to buy-in to organisational initiatives to enhance patients' experiences with care (PEC). Background The role of the nurse to patient experience is well established, yet little is known about how the communicative relationship between manager and nurse relates to nurse buy-in to PEC initiatives. Method An exploratory qualitative descriptive study was conducted with 15 nurses from two inpatient medical-surgical units in a large acute care hospital using semi-structured interviews. Results Three themes were identified. The communicative relationship was developed and strengthened through the manager's: (a) multimodal approach to communicating and influencing, (b) engaging and supporting staff and (c) promoting staff-led decision-making. Conclusions Nurses in our study who reported having a strong communicative relationship with their NM perceived that this relationship encouraged their buy-in and engagement in PEC initiatives. Implications for nursing management An assessment of the communication between the frontline NM and his or her team is important for understanding why initiatives to support PEC are or are not yielding desired results.
Plant receptor-like kinase signaling through heterotrimeric G-proteins

Heterotrimeric G-proteins regulate multiple aspects of plant growth, development, and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. While the core components of heterotrimeric G-proteins and their basic biochemistry are similar in plants and metazoans, key differences exist in their regulatory mechanisms. In particular, the activation mechanisms of plant G-proteins appear diverse and may include both canonical and novel modes. Classical G-protein-coupled receptor-like proteins exist in plants and interact with Gα proteins, but their ability to activate Gα by facilitating GDP to GTP exchange has not been demonstrated. Conversely, there is genetic and functional evidence that plant G-proteins interact with the highly prevalent receptor-like kinases (RLKs) and are phosphorylated by them. This suggests the exciting scenario that in plants the G-proteins integrate RLK-dependent signal perception at the plasma membrane with downstream effectors. Because RLKs are active kinases, it is also likely that the activity of plant G-proteins is regulated via phosphorylation/dephosphorylation rather than GTP-GDP exchange as in metazoans. This review discusses our current knowledge of the possible RLK-dependent regulatory mechanisms of plant G-protein signaling in the context of several biological systems and outlines the diversity that might exist in such regulation.