cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of two fast reconstruction methods for a cylindrical PET camera

The authors compare the accuracy and precision of two fast reconstruction methods for a cylindrical PET (positron emission tomography) camera. One method is based on the estimation of the missing data; the other uses different amounts of data to reconstruct each slice. Both methods are implemented in the frequency domain and run on realistic data in less than two hours. Their intrinsic quality is quite similar. In the presence of statistical noise, there is no significant difference between the methods. One could therefore prefer to use the interpolative reconstruction for a small centered activity distribution like a receptor study, while reserving the Favor procedure for a large distribution pattern like a cerebral blood flow study. This study has been carried out on the model of the cylindrical PET camera under development at the Massachusetts General Hospital. >
Systematic Conservation Planning in the Face of Climate Change: Bet-Hedging on the Columbia Plateau

Systematic conservation planning efforts typically focus on protecting current patterns of biodiversity. Climate change is poised to shift species distributions, reshuffle communities, and alter ecosystem functioning. In such a dynamic environment, lands selected to protect today's biodiversity may fail to do so in the future. One proposed approach to designing reserve networks that are robust to climate change involves protecting the diversity of abiotic conditions that in part determine species distributions and ecological processes. A set of abiotically diverse areas will likely support a diversity of ecological systems both today and into the future, although those two sets of systems might be dramatically different. Here, we demonstrate a conservation planning approach based on representing unique combinations of abiotic factors. We prioritize sites that represent the diversity of soils, topographies, and current climates of the Columbia Plateau. We then compare these sites to sites prioritized to protect current biodiversity. This comparison highlights places that are important for protecting both today's biodiversity and the diversity of abiotic factors that will likely determine biodiversity patterns in the future. It also highlights places where a reserve network designed solely to protect today's biodiversity would fail to capture the diversity of abiotic conditions and where such a network could be augmented to be more robust to climate-change impacts.
Population genetic structure of the polypore Datronia caperata in fragmented mangrove forests.

Datronia caperata, a basidiomycete fungus, is one of the dominant polypore species found in neotropical mangrove forest fragments, where it is locally specialized on Laguncularia racemosa. We examined the genetic structure of D. caperata populations from four Panamanian mangrove forests using AFLP markers. Using five primer pair combinations, 145 loci were detected, 98.6% of which were polymorphic. Each of the populations showed a high degree of genetic diversity (Nei's h ranging from 0.146 to 0.223). Results from minimum spanning trees and Mantel tests showed little evidence for small-scale spatial structure within sites. A significant amount of total genetic variation was partitioned among populations (φ ST =0.21) separated by 10s to 100s of km, a considerably greater amount than has been detected in other mushroom and wood-decaying fungi sampled at equal or greater geographic distances. These results suggest that despite production of copious basidiospores capable of long distance dispersal, some homobasidiomycete fungi may be susceptible to genetic isolation due to habitat fragmentation.
The thermodynamics of psychotherapeutic communication

Given five quantified measures of emotional communication within a psychotherapy session and definitions of work, force and temperature drawn from classical physics, this paper presents calculations of patient and therapist entropy using both the traditional, caloric definition and Shannon's definition, grounded in the work of Boltzmann. Our results depend on the assumption that the patient/therapist system is closed and non-dissipative. We present models for reversible heat absorption and frictional heat dissipation — within the system — which have meaning in emotional communication and psychotherapy. Both calculations of entropy produced a lawful dependence on ln(1 + t), where t is time into the session in seconds. The two calculations are essentially the same, verifying in the behavioral domain a law of physics held to be true of material nature. We also verify empirically that the limiting form of the caloric entropy for a purely silent therapist replicates the Shannon entropy for an individual in a monologue. The force field that moves the representations of patient and therapist in 5-dimensional space defines an irreversible process. Thus there are moments of disequilibrium change with respect to the measured variables of emotional communication and at least one moment of disequilibrium between every return to a prior state. This moment may be creative or traumatic. The force field is non-conservative, implying the existence of modalities of heat absorption for patient and therapist which may relate to individual characteristics and reflect human psychological variety. The force field constrains motion to an ellipsoidal shell whose geometry explains the logarithmic growth of Shannon entropy and the finding that the system's absolute temperature grows linearly with respect to time. The finding that the models and methods of physics reveal a degree of lawfulness in the mental/communicative domain as compared to the material speaks strongly for the isomorphic qualities of divergent levels of nature.
Dynamic simulation of gas-turbine generating unit

Gas-turbine generators are often connected to weak supply systems or even used in isolated operation. System disturbances arising from fault or load fluctuation could cause these generators to become unstable. There is an increasing demand for an accurate model of such a system, to enable the system reponse to be investigated and improvement to the associated control system to be made. A mathematical model describing the dynamic behaviour of a gas-turbine generator set, sufficiently accurate for the above application and yet efficient in computer usage is presented. A full-scale site test on a 13 MW gas-turbine generator has been conducted and the recorded results are generally in good agreement with the computed results.
A general numerical method for hyper-redundant manipulator inverse kinematics

Hyper-redundant robots have a very large or infinite degree of kinematic redundancy. A generalized resolved-rate technique for solving hyper-redundant manipulator inverse kinematics using a backbone curve is introduced. This method is applicable even in cases when explicit representation of the backbone curve intrinsic geometry cannot be written in closed form. Problems of end-effector trajectory tracking which were previously intractable can now be handled with this technique. Examples include configurations generated using the calculus of variations. The method is naturally parallelizable for fast digital and/or analog computation. >
Extent of mosaicism in experimentally produced diploid/triploid chimeric trout

Chimeric rainbow trout embryos have been produced by injecting isolated blastomeres into intact recipient blastulae. In order for chimeric fish to be useful in studies of development, it is necessary to determine whether the various organs or tissues of the resultant chimera have an equal probability of arising from the injected cells derived from donor embryos. The objective of this investigation is to determine the proportion of cells in the blood, liver, and brain tissues of rainbow trout chimeras that are derived from the injected cells. Blastomeres isolated from normal diploid blastulae were microinjected into age-matched triploid recipient embryos, and the treated embryos grown until 4 weeks post hatch. Samples of blood, liver, and brain tissues were dispersed; the cell nuclei were labeled with propidium iodide, and the samples subjected to flow cytometric analysis to determine the proportions of diploid and triploid nuclei. The proportion of cells that were diploid varied among the resultant chimeric trout. Analysis of variance on the proportion of diploid cells in each sample indicated that there was no significant effect of tissue type. These results support the hypothesis that the isolated cells of the donor embryo are no more likely to colonize one tissue or organ type of a chimera than another. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
COLLAGEN METABOLISM IN THE NORMAL AND LATHYRITIC CHICK

1. Radioisotope incorporation studies of normal and lathyritic chick embryo bone collagen do not demonstrate any interference by lathyrism with collagen synthesis or fibril formation. 2. The results indicate that a portion of the extractable collagen from lathyritic chick embryo bone represents newly synthesized protein. Evidence from a double labeling experiment and from analysis of isotope flow between the extractable and non-extractable pools suggests the extractable lathyritic collagen is heterogeneous. We propose that the lathyritic process affects collagen in all states of aggregation, probably in varying degree. 3. Puromycin, administered intravenously, reduces the amount of extractable collagen in both normal and lathyritic chick embryo bone, and diminishes the incorporation of labeled proline into collagen. 4. Marked fluctuations in incorporation of labeled amino acids into chick embryo bone collagen suggests the occurrence of wide fluctuations in metabolism of this protein.
Social and environmental effects of ecotourism in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica: the Lapa Rios case

Ecotourism comes with a definitional promise to promote responsible travel to natural areas, to make a positive contribution to environmental conservation, and to enhance the well-being of local communities. This article summarises a study designed to test whether the Lapa Rios Eco-lodge of the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica, a widely acclaimed example of the species, delivers on these promises and to what degree. The study uses an interdisciplinary nested-scale analysis, combining careful on-the-ground interview methods with remote sensing analysis of forest and land-use impact of the Lapa Rios (LR) lodge. This combination of methods allows us to reject the null hypothesis, confirming that LR lodge has made substantial contributions to both local livelihoods and environmental conservation, including the highest rates of reforestation of all areas studied in the Osa Peninsula. We conclude that LR fulfils the definitional promise of ecotourism and delivers social, economic, and environmental benefits in the r...
Choline deficiency increases lymphocyte apoptosis and DNA damage in humans

Background:Whereasdeficiencyoftheessentialnutrientcholineis associated with DNA damage and apoptosis in cell and rodent models, it has not been shown in humans. Objective: The objective was to ascertain whether lymphocytes from choline-deficient humans had greater DNA damage and apoptosis than did those from choline-sufficient humans. Design: Fifty-one men and women aged 18–70 y were fed a diet containingtherecommendedadequateintakeofcholine(control)for 10d.Theythenwerefedacholine-deficientdietforupto42dbefore repletionwith138–550mgcholine/d.Bloodwascollectedattheend ofeachphase,andperipherallymphocyteswereisolated.DNAdamage and apoptosis were then assessed by activation of caspase-3, terminal deoxynucleotide transferase–mediated dUTP nick endlabeling, and single-cell gel electrophoresis (COMET) assays. Results: All subjects fed the choline-deficient diet had lymphocyte DNAdamage,asassessedbyCOMETassay,twicethatfoundwhen they were fed the control diet. The subjects who developed organ dysfunction(liverormuscle)whenfedthecholine-deficientdiethad significantly more apoptotic lymphocytes, as assessed by the activated caspase-3 assay, than when fed the control diet. Conclusions: A choline-deficient diet increased DNA damage in humans. Subjects in whom these diets induced liver or muscle dysfunction also had higher rates of apoptosis in their peripheral lymphocytes than did subjects who did not develop organ dysfunction. Assessment of DNA damage and apoptosis in lymphocytes appears to be a clinically useful measure in humans (such as those receiving parenteral nutrition) in whom choline deficiency is suspected. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;84:88–94.
Using phase diversity for the measurement of the complete spatiotemporal electric field of ultrashort laser pulses

Even so-called “complete” ultrashort laser pulse-measurement techniques actually have ambiguities and so are not truly complete. In particular, the spectral-interferometry technique called scanning SEA TADPOLE measures the “complete” spatiotemporal intensity and phase of arbitrary ultrashort pulses (using a previously characterized spatially uniform reference pulse), but the difficulty of maintaining the stability of the required interferometer to submicron resolution while scanning in space usually blurs the frequency-independent spatial component of the pulse phase. We show here, however, that this information is actually still contained in the measured SEA TADPOLE data, and using a simple Gerchberg–Saxton-like phase-diversity algorithm, it can be recovered from measurements in only two planes, yielding a truly complete spatiotemporal measurement of the pulse field, limited only by any possible ambiguities present in the reference pulse.
Which Monitors Monitor the Most? Dual-Stock Structure, Analyst Following, and Corporate Governance

We examine the effects of internal and external corporate governance and monitoring mechanisms on the choice of dual-class status and the firm performance of dual-class firms. Employing 736 dual-class firms and 7,027 single-class firms during the period 1996-2002, we find that dual-class firms tend to be larger, and have higher director ownership, higher institutional ownership, lower blockholdings, and a smaller fraction of independent, outside directors on their boards than single-class firms. In addition, we observe that dual-class firms are followed by a smaller number of security analysts. After correcting for endogeneity bias, our regression results show that not only firms with higher analyst coverage, but also firms with higher analyst following and a lower wedge, measured as the difference between voting rights and cash flow rights, or lower managerial entrenchment are strongly associated with Tobin's q. In contrast, blockholders' ownership, board independence, and institutional ownership play a relatively insignificant role in enhancing Tobin's q. We interpret these results to mean that security analysts are the most effective monitoring mechanism that influence both the dual-class choice and firm performance. Our results are not attributed either to the difference in firm size or to an industry effect.
Effect of B Content on Mechanical Properties of B4C/(W, Mo)B2 Hard Material

B4G(W, Mo)B2 hard materials were sintered by hot pressing, to develop a new hard material that is superior in heat resistance and wear resistance to other hard material. In this study, the effect of Mo content on mechanical properties and phase formation of the hard material was investigated. The results were summarized as follows:(1) The B4C/(W, Mo)B2 hard material was densified at 2173K for 3.6ks by hot pressing.(2) It was found that bending strength and fracture toughness were improved by adding Mo(5-20vol%) to B4C/(W, Mo)B2 hard materials. The 20vol%Mo added B4C/(W, Mo)B2 hard material had the highest values for the 4-points bending strength (850MPa) and the fracture toughness(6.1MPa. m1/2).(3) In the case of 5-30vol% Mo added B4C/(W, Mo)B2 hard materials, the needle shaped crystals was observed in SEM micrographs. As the results of TEM, AES, XRD analysis, the needle shaped crystal phase was (W, Mo)B2 and its crystal system was hexagonal.
Establishment in the United States of Diaparsis carinifer, a Larval Parasite of the Cereal Leaf Beetle

Diaparsis carinifer (Thomson), a European larval parasite of Oulema melanopus (L,), is established in north-eastern Kalamazoo Country, Michigan. Methods for establishment, subcolonization, and recovery cereal leaf beetle larval parasites are described.
Characteristics of Echolocation Calls and Morphology of Five Sympatric Bats Species

The spatial niche of five species of sympatric bats were discussed by studing the morphologic features and echolocation calls of five bats species.Hipposideros armiger had the greatest body size among these five species and was adapted to fly fast in open area,such as above treecrowns and vacant area.Rhinolophus affinis,Rhinolophus pearsoni and Rhinolophus macroti had middle body size,R.affinis and R.pearsoni prey insects below treecrowns,but R.macroti was fitted to fly in dense forest and trees around.Myotis davidii was endemic species with the smallest body size among the five species,and this species may prey in the complex treecrowns and bushwood.The significant differences of wing and calls of the five species may resulted in the spatial niche differentiation in foraging habitat.
Study on the Composition and Diversity of Weed Communities in Jiamusi University Campus

The weed communities in Jiamusi University campus were investigated by means of "W" sampling way.The results showed that there were 27 species turf weeds belonged to 24 genera and 15 families,and the species of Compositae took the most.The superior weed species mainly included Viola yedoensis Makino,Geranium wilfordii Maxim,Taraxacum mongolicum Hand Mazz and Trifolium repens Linn.Some reasonable countermeasures were proposed according to the distribution and hazardous conditions of weeds.
ANISOTROPY AND SIZE EFFECTS OF SURFACE ROUGHNESS OF ROCK JOINTS

The roughness of the joint surface of rocks is notably anisotropic and size affected. To describe it quantitatively remains a difficult problem because of the complex structure of joint surface. The method of geological statistics was used to analyze the anisotropy and the size effects of structural surface of rocks. A method based on the dimensional analysis,JRCv,was proposed to describe the surface roughness of joints using the sill value and variable range of the variogram. Ten sampling sizes from 100 Pixel×100 Pixel to 1 000 Pixel×1 000 Pixel were selected from the central part of the surface to calculate JRCv values. It is found that the rougher the surface in analysis direction is, the larger the value of JRCv. JRCv is thus a good parameter to describe the anisotropy and roughness of joint surface of rock. The JRCv values decrease with increase of the size of the sampling windows. When the sampling windows are larger than a threshold value, the estimated parameters remain constant. Anisotropic properties are influenced by the surface size when the sampling windows are smaller than the threshold.
WE-H-BRA-09: Application of a Modified Microdosimetric-Kinetic Model to Analyze Relative Biological Effectiveness of Ions Relevant to Light Ion Therapy Using the Particle Heavy Ion Transport System

Purpose: To evaluate the dose and biological effectiveness of various ions that could potentially be used for actively scanned particle therapy. Methods: The PHITS Monte Carlo code paired with a microscopic analytical function was used to determine probability distribution functions of the lineal energy in 0.3µm diameter spheres throughout a water phantom. Twenty million primary particles for 1H beams and ten million particles for 4He, 7Li, 10B, 12C, 14N, 16O, and 20Ne were simulated for 0.6cm diameter pencil beams. Beam energies corresponding to Bragg peak depths of 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300mm were used and evaluated transversely every millimeter and radially in annuli with outer radius of 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.2, 3.4, 3.6, 4.0, 5.0, 10.0, 15.0, 20.0 and 25.0mm. The acquired probability distributions were reduced to dose-mean lineal energies and applied to the modified microdosimetric kinetic model for five different cell types to calculate relative biological effectiveness (RBE) compared to 60Co beams at the 10% survival threshold. The product of the calculated RBEs and the simulated physical dose was taken to create biological dose and comparisons were then made between the various ions. Results: Transversely, the 10B beam was seen to minimize relative biological dose in both the constant and accelerated dose change regions, proximal to the Bragg Peak, for all beams traveling greater than 50mm. For the 50mm beam, 7Li was seen to provide the most optimal biological dose profile. Radially small fluctuations (<4.2%) were seen in RBE while physical dose was greater than 1% for all beams. Conclusion: Even with the growing usage of 12C, it may not be the most optimal ion in all clinical situations. Boron was calculated to have slightly enhanced RBE characteristics, leading to lower relative biological doses.
Acquiring Political Agency

In the framework of the eighteenth-century family and society at large, women could not claim the legally protected civil and economic independence that was necessary to self-governance in the public domain. Also excluded from consideration were others who could not claim the right of property, such as servants and beggars. While the gradual conversion to a market economy and the rise of commerce demanded that the concept of ownership be closely aligned with the development of the self, women and servants continued to be seen only in relation to domestic roles. At the same time, beggars, who were reliant on the charity of others, were situated outside the family, at the periphery of society. All were considered “part of their masters”, dependents who would speak and act on the wishes of fathers and husbands or acquiesce to the desires of financial supporters. Because of their lack of economic autonomy, their identities were absorbed in that of others. Consequently, one sees in the novels of the English Jacobins a pervasive concern with exploring definitions of property and the boundaries of the self. In contrast to the sanguine novels envisaging the new citizen, William Godwin introduces the problem of exclusion in Caleb Williams and thereby changes the course of the English Jacobin novel.
Conserving epiphytic microorganisms on fruits and vegetables for biological control

Publisher Summary In the chapter, a broad definition of biological control is used to discuss biological control systems on the surfaces of fruits and vegetables. This definition involves not only "one-on-one" relationships between antagonists and pathogens but also host-mediated resistance responses of the host and naturally occurring and induced antimicrobial chemicals. It explores the instances where natural suppressive microbial populations may occur on the surface of fruits and vegetables, which affect disease development. Biological control of plant diseases does not occur in a vacuum. It is a dynamic process involving the microecology of the pathogen and antagonists as well as resistance responses of the host. There is growing evidence that some epiphytic populations on the surfaces of fruits and vegetables are not there incidentally but may be under the genetic control of the host as part of its defense. Nutrient competition is an important means by which epiphytic antagonists suppress plant pathogens. Plants also have the capability to "control" microbial populations through the excretion of constitutive and induced antimicrobial compounds. Such compounds differentially favor "suppressive populations" of antagonists over other saprophytes or pathogens. The ability of plants to signal and attract specific predaceous "bodyguards" against insect attack demonstrates how plants can influence external biological control agents in response to specific pests.
Pain and Plasticity

Under normal conditions, pain is acute and protective, manifested as responsiveness to noxious stimuli. However, after tissue or nerve injury, pain becomes pathological and chronic, with increased responsiveness to noxious stimuli and even becoming responsive to innocuous stimuli. Pain hypersensitivity following intense nociceptive input or injuries results from neural plasticity that occurs both in the peripheral nervous system (e.g., primary sensory neurons), termed peripheral sensitization, and in the central nervous system (e.g., dorsal horn neurons), termed central sensitization. Activation of several intracellular signal pathways in nociceptive neurons leads to the induction and maintenance of both types of sensitization. Furthermore, activation of spinal glial cells following injuries can enhance and prolong central sensitization by producing inflammatory mediators centrally.
Statistical Model Calculation of the 237U Fission Cross Section

A statistical model is used with parameters obtained by fitting 232U(n,f) through 236U(n,f) and 238U(n,f) cross-section data to determine the 237U(n,f) fission cross section in the neutron energy r...
Analysis and optimization of a high-efficiency residential energy harvesting system with dual half-bridge converter

Parameter optimization for a residential power router with a dual half-bridge (DHB) dc-dc converter is proposed. In order to minimize the power losses of the dual half-bridge dc-dc converter, the relationship between the zero-voltage switching range and transformer inductance parameters of the DHB is described. Based on the capacity of photovoltaic generation and battery storage, the transformer parameters are selected to limit the reactive power transfer. A case study is given to verify the optimization method given in this paper. Experimental results verify the theory and operation of the optimization method proposed in this paper.
Impact of Referral Incentives on Mobile App Reviews

Product owners occasionally provide referral incentives to the customers (e.g. coupons, bonus points, referral rewards). However, clever customers can write their referral codes in online review pages to maximize incentives. While these reviews are beneficial for both writers and product owners, the core motivation behind such reviews is monetary as opposed to helping potential customers. In this paper, we analyze referral reviews in the Google Play store and identify groups of users that have been consistently taking part in writing such abusive reviews. We further explore how such referral reviews indeed help the mobile apps in gaining popularity when compared to apps that do not provide incentives. We also find an increasing trend in the number of apps being targeted by abusers, which, if continued, will render review systems as crowd advertising platforms rather than an unbiased source of helpful information.
Influence of neighbourhood safety on childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.

Unsafe residential neighbourhoods are thought to be a risk factor for childhood obesity by discouraging physical activity while encouraging sedentary behaviours, but findings from cross-sectional studies are susceptible to selection bias (e.g. children who are obese disproportionately reside in unsafe neighbourhoods). A literature search was conducted in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar for articles published until January 2017 that used baseline neighbourhood safety levels to predict future weight-related behaviours and body-weight status among children aged 17 years and younger. Twenty-two prospective cohort studies conducted in seven countries were identified. The median sample size was 1,104, and the median follow-up was 3.5 years. Sixteen studies used parent-reported and/or child-reported neighbourhood safety measures, and six adopted some objective measures (e.g. county crime rate and interviewers' block observations). The meta-analysis found that living in unsafe neighbourhoods was associated with a reduction in children's physical activity by 0.13 h week-1 . Living in unsafe neighbourhoods predicted a trivial (but statistically significant) gain in body mass index but no change in childhood overweight/obesity risk. Current research indicates a limited influence of neighbourhood safety on childhood obesity; this finding could be partially due to measurement problems. Future longitudinal studies should adopt validated neighbourhood safety measures.
DNA self-assembly scaled up

DNA can be designed to self-assemble into target shapes, but the size and quantity of objects that can be prepared have been limited. Methods to overcome these problems have now been found. DNA can be designed to self-assemble into target shapes, but the size and quantity of objects that can be prepared have been limited. Methods to overcome these problems have now been found.
Coordinated Control of Multi-Robot Systems: A Survey

Recently, significant gains have been made in our understanding of multi-robot systems, and such systems have been deployed in domains as diverse as precision agriculture, flexible manufacturing, e...
Using Random Graphs in Population Genomics

I shall discuss the application of algorithmic and combinatorial tools in the area of population genomics, which has not been the traditional stomping ground for algorithmicists.
Ethical Issues in the Control of Science

There are many ways of understanding the term science. Science can and has been understood as the search for the truth about the natural world. Science can be and also has been understood as the application of a particular methodology—the scientific method— for the sake of developing valid propositions, generalizations, and predictions about empirical reality. Science can be and also has been understood as a human enterprise devoted to the betterment of humankind. All of these understandings have a basis in the history of science, and an equally strong basis in the stated ideals of science. For many, science means all three of those understandings together. For others, science may be seen as only one of the three. My own view is that all three are pertinent to and descriptive of the full and rich reality of science.
Sedimentary Balance Through Geological Time

Balance in the sedimentary cycle is maintained by the sum total of weathering, transport, deposition of sediments, and their eventual reincorporation in the continental crust. Biological activity and primarily photosynthesis strongly affect the fluxes and deposition of carbon, sulfur, iron, and phosphorus containing sediments. The limiting-nutrient role of phosphorus is to a variable degree related to mineral solubilities and competition of inorganic sinks (clays, iron oxides) for dissolved phosphate. The efficiency of phosphorus utilization by organisms is greater in land plants (higher carbon/phosphorus ratios) than in marine phytoplankton (lower C/P ratios). Land vegetation is a large reservoir of phosphorus; changes in its size, coupled with decomposition and transport, can constitute significant inputs of phosphorus to oceanic biota. Photosynthetic fixation of carbon and its net storage in sediments control four major fluxes of the global sedimentary cycle: organic matter, limestones (CH2O, CaCO3), sulfate, and sulfide (CaSO4, FeS2). Changes in the net deposition rate of organic carbon produce changes in all the other fluxes within the cycle. The magnitude of such changes depends on the nature of reduced iron-mineral sinks for oxygen and the nature of the CO2 sources replenishing CO2 consumed in photosynthesis. A negative correlation between the isotopic abundance ratios 13C/12C in carbonates and 34S/32S in sulfates since the Late Proterozoic (7, 14) corroborates the dependence of the sedimentary fluxes on one another.
Abstract 55: Interleukin 4 Improves White Matter Repair After Stroke By Promoting Oligodendrocyte Differentiation

Introduction: White matter (WM) injury is an important cause of long-term deficits after stroke. This study explores a novel action of IL-4 on promoting WM integrity after stroke and elucidates the...
Curative-intent radiotherapy for pediatric osteosarcoma: The St. Jude experience.

BACKGROUND Radiation therapy (RT) confers local tumor control and survival advantages in some patients with osteosarcoma, yet pediatric and adolescent and young adult (AYA) population studies are limited. METHODS Twenty-eight patients treated with curative-intent RT (median dose, 59.4 Gy; range, 40-76 Gy) at our institution from 1990 to 2017 were retrospectively identified. Cumulative incidence (CIN) of local failure (LF) was estimated by Gray's method and overall survival (OS) by the Kaplan-Meier method. Competing-risk regression and Cox proportional hazards models determined predictors of outcome. Toxicity was reported according to CTCAE v4.0. RESULTS With a median follow-up of 99.1 months in living patients, nine patients (32.1%) developed LF. Estimated CINs of LF with competing risk of death at 5 years for the entire cohort, patients at initial diagnosis (n = 16), and recurrent/refractory patients (n = 12) were 32.7% (95% CI, 16.0-50.5%), 25.0% (95% CI, 7.3-48.0%), and 43.8% (95% CI, 13.6-71.0%), respectively (P = 0.31). Estimated 5-year OS was 42.6% (95% CI, 23.2-62.0%), 54.6% (95% CI, 29.5-79.6%), and 24.3% (95% CI, 0-52.2%), respectively (P = 0.15). No clinicopathologic features were significantly associated with LF, yet lack of chemotherapy or metastasis at the time of RT was independent significant prognostic factors of decreased OS. Eleven patients experienced RT-related morbidity, with two grade 3 toxicities and no grade 4/5 events. CONCLUSIONS Curative-intent RT in pediatric and AYA patients was well tolerated and achieved a local tumor control rate of 75% in patients with primary disease. Local control rates were similar to those in primarily adult studies, with similar or lower doses.
Neighborhood Recreation Facilities and Facility Membership Are Jointly Associated with Objectively Measured Physical Activity.

Efforts to increase physical activity have traditionally included either individual-level interventions (e.g., educational campaigns) or neighborhood-level interventions (e.g., additional recreational facilities). Little work has addressed the interaction between spatial proximity and individual characteristics related to facility use. We aimed to better understand the synergistic impact of both physical activity environments and recreational facility membership on objectively measured physical activity. Using the New York City Physical Activity and Transit (PAT) survey (n = 644), we evaluated associations between counts of commercial physical activity facilities within 1 km of participants’ home addresses with both facility membership and accelerometry-measured physical activity. Individuals living near more facilities were more likely to report membership (adjusted odds ratio for top versus bottom quartile of facility count: 3.77 (95% CI 1.54–9.20). Additionally, while amount of facilities within a neighborhood was associated with more physical activity, this association was stronger for individuals reporting gym membership. Interventions aiming to increase physical activity should consider both neighborhood amenities and potential barriers, including the financial and social barriers of membership. Evaluation of neighborhood opportunities must expand beyond physical presence to consider multiple dimensions of accessibility.
Phonon- and charged-impurity-assisted indirect free-carrier absorption in Ga2O3

Monoclinic $\ensuremath{\beta}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ has a large band gap of 4.8 eV, and can therefore be used as a contact material that is transparent to visible and UV light. However, indirect free-carrier absorption processes, mediated by either phonons or charged impurities, will set a fundamental limit on transparency. We use first-principles calculations to accurately assess the absorption cross section and to elucidate the microscopic origins of these processes. Phonon-assisted absorption is dominated by the emission of phonons, and is therefore always possible. This indirect absorption is inversely proportional to the cube of the wavelength. The presence of charged impurities, whether intentional or unintentional, leads to additional absorption, but for realistic concentrations, phonon-assisted absorption remains the largest contribution. Direct free-carrier absorption also leads to below-gap absorption, with distinct peaks where optical transitions match energy differences to higher conduction bands. In contrast, indirect absorption uniformly reduces transparency for all sub-band-gap wavelengths.
Self-reported visual dysfunction in Parkinson disease: the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe.

Background and purpose Visual dysfunction is a non-motor symptom of Parkinson disease (PD), but its prevalence is unknown as population-based data on the epidemiology of visual symptoms in PD are lacking. The objective was to determine the prevalence of visual dysfunction in PD. Methods This was a cross-sectional analysis of data from adults ≥50 years old in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), a multinational population-based health survey of adults living in one of 27 European countries and Israel. PD diagnosis was self-reported. Impairment in overall, distance or near eyesight was defined as a score of 4 or 5 on a 1-5 scale. Adjusted logistic regression was used to determine the association between PD and self-reported vision. Results There were 115 240 age-eligible participants in the SHARE study (mean age 64.3 years, 54% female), of whom 1438 (1.25%) reported a diagnosis of PD. In adjusted logistic regression models, PD was associated with increased odds of impaired overall [odds ratio (OR) 2.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.91-3.72], distance (OR 2.55, 95% CI 2.04-3.19) and near (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.69-2.55) eyesight. Individuals with PD were also less likely to report having an eye examination within the previous 2 years (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.38-0.92), but this did not remain statistically significant after adjusting for confounders (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.47-1.24). Conclusions Visual dysfunction is significantly more common in PD than in the general adult population. Visual symptoms are a potentially under-recognized and under-treated source of reduced quality of life in PD patients that require further attention and study.
Roads to Infinity, The Mathematics of Truth and Proof, by John Stillwell, A K Peters

(2011). Roads to Infinity, The Mathematics of Truth and Proof, by John Stillwell, A K Peters. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 160-162.
Attacking Machine Learning Systems

The field of machine learning security is progressing rapidly, and new risks have been detected. Machine learning technologies and solutions are expected to become prominent features in the information security landscape.
The Moderating Role of Parental Strain on the Relationship Between Child Media Use and Regulation

Research suggests that toddlers with regulation issues engage in significantly more media use than toddlers without regulation difficulties, and this may be due, in part, to parental strain associa...
Exosome mimicry by a HAVCR1-NPC1 pathway of endosomal fusion mediates hepatitis A virus infection.

Cell-to-cell communication by exosomes controls normal and pathogenic processes1,2. Viruses can spread in exosomes and thereby avoid immune recognition3. While biogenesis, binding and uptake of exosomes are well characterized4,5, delivery of exosome cargo into the cytoplasm is poorly understood3. We report that the phosphatidylserine receptor HAVCR1 (refs. 6,7) and the cholesterol transporter NPC1 (ref. 8) participate in cargo delivery from exosomes of hepatitis A virus (HAV)-infected cells (exo-HAV) by clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Using CRISPR–Cas9 knockout technology, we show that these two lipid receptors, which interact in the late endosome9, are necessary for the membrane fusion and delivery of RNA from exo-HAV into the cytoplasm. The HAVCR1–NPC1 pathway, which Ebola virus exploits to infect cells9, mediates HAV infection by exo-HAV, which indicates that viral infection via this exosome mimicry mechanism does not require an envelope glycoprotein. The capsid-free viral RNA in the exosome lumen, but not the endosomal uncoating of HAV particles contained in the exosomes, is mainly responsible for exo-HAV infectivity as assessed by methylene blue inactivation of non-encapsidated RNA. In contrast to exo-HAV, infectivity of HAV particles is pH-independent and requires HAVCR1 or another as yet unidentified receptor(s) but not NPC1. Our findings show that envelope-glycoprotein-independent fusion mechanisms are shared by exosomes and viruses, and call for a reassessment of the role of envelope glycoproteins in infection. Hepatitis A virus infection by exosome mimicry is mediated by an envelope-glycoprotein-independent pathway of endosomal fusion.
Traffic Signal Control Optimization in a Connected Vehicle Environment Considering Pedestrians

This paper proposes a connected vehicle-based traffic signal control scheme that seeks to improve both vehicle and pedestrian operations. Real-time information on vehicle speeds and locations is co...
Creating a Framework for Home Ownership Documentation: Style Guides as Technology and Design

This study of Rural Studio's style guide uses artifacts and interview findings to examine the role of the style guide in an organization that promotes home ownership to mitigate rural poverty. To address these challenges, the team is developing a suite of communication products. As we conducted the study, we came to understand the style guide as a technology, a dynamic element of the genre ecology that is shaped by and in turn shapes the narratives about both individuals and the problem as a whole.
Use of Shared Automated Vehicles for First-Mile Last-Mile Service: Micro-Simulation of Rail-Transit Connections in Austin, Texas:

Shared fleets of fully automated vehicles (SAVs) coupled with real-time ride-sharing to and from transit stations are of interest to cities and nations in delivering more sustainable transportation...
A Pedagogy of Insurgency: Teaching and Organizing for Radical Racial Justice in Our Schools

We understand the terrors of this historical moment: rising white nationalism and white supremacist violence, xenophobia, homophobia, sharpening economic inequality, homelessness and underemploymen...
A machine learning algorithm can optimize the day of trigger to improve in vitro fertilization outcomes

Objective To determine whether a machine learning causal inference model can optimize trigger injection timing to maximize the yield of fertilized oocytes (2PNs) and total usable blastocysts for a given cohort of stimulated follicles. Design Descriptive and comparative study of new technology. Setting Tertiary academic medical center. Patient(s) Patients undergoing IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection from 2008 to 2019 (n = 7,866). Intervention(s) Causal inference was performed with the use of a T-learner. Bagged decision trees were used to perform inference. The decision was framed as either triggering on that day or waiting another day. All patient characteristics and stimulation parameters on a given day were used to determine the recommendation. Main Outcome Measure(s) Average outcome improvement in total 2PNs and usable blastocysts compared with the physician’s decision. Result(s) For evaluation of average outcome improvement on 2PNs, the benefit of following the model’s recommendation was 3.015 (95% CI 2.626, 3.371) more 2PNs. For total usable blastocysts, the benefit was 1.515 (95% CI 1.134, 1.871) more usable blastocysts. Given that the physicians–model agreement was 52.57% and 61.89%, respectively, algorithm-assisted trigger decisions yield, on average, 1.430 more 2PNs and 0.577 more total usable blastocysts per stimulation. The most important features weighted in the model’s decision were the number of follicles 16–20 mm in diameter, the number of follicles 11–15 mm in diameter, and estradiol level, in that order. Conclusion(s) The use of this machine learning algorithm to optimize trigger injection timing may lead to a significant increase in the number of 2PNs and total usable blastocysts obtained from an IVF stimulation cycle when compared with physician decisions. Future research is required to confirm these findings prospectively.
Prevalence of multi drug antimicrobial resistance in Mannheimia haemolytico isolated from high-risk Stocker cattle at arrival and two weeks after processing

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in North American beef cattle. Mannheimia haemolytica (Mh) is the bacterial pathogen most frequently isolated from cattle with BRD and the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in this pathogen has been increasing. Administration of antimicrobials to prevent BRD is commonplace in stocker cattle. Our objectives were to determine the prevalence of Mh isolated from the nasopharynx of high-risk stocker cattle at arrival and at resampling 10 to 14 days later, and second, to determine the prevalence of antimicrobial resistant Mh at these same time points.
Entrainment of Endangered Sturgeon by a Large Water Diversion: Rescue, Enumeration, and Conservation Opportunities

The Bonnet Carre’ Spillway diverts water from the Mississippi River through a floodway into Lake Pontchartrain to reduce river stages at New Orleans and prevent flood damages. Pallid Sturgeon, a federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act, and Shovelnose Sturgeon, listed under the Similarity of Appearance rule, are entrained through the Spillway structure and become trapped in the Spillway canals and other waterbodies. Five openings and corresponding rescue operations occurred between 2008 and 2019 after each Spillway closure. Operational parameters spanned a range of water temperatures and seasons with magnitude and duration of discharge varying across all openings. A total of 70 days with crew number ranging from 6 to 12 were expended to rescue 57 Pallid Sturgeon and 362 Shovelnose Sturgeon after the five openings that spanned 240 total days. More sturgeon were entrained at higher water temperatures, with greater numbers of bays opened, and for longer periods of time. Recovery of sturgeon is initially high but over time declines as sturgeon are depleted from the floodway, stranded in isolated waterbodies in the floodway, and/or displaced further downstream into Lake Pontchartrain during longer openings. Sturgeon that cannot find their way back to the floodway are unlikely to be rescued. Recent population studies indicate that less than 1% of the total population size in the Lower Mississippi River are entrained. However, this does not take into account those individuals entrained but not captured and the potential impacts of more frequent openings of the structure. Conservation recommendations are provided to increase catch efficiency and recovery of the endangered sturgeon.