cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficient Video Segmentation Using Parametric Graph Partitioning

Video segmentation is the task of grouping similar pixels in the spatio-temporal domain, and has become an important preprocessing step for subsequent video analysis. Most video segmentation and supervoxel methods output a hierarchy of segmentations, but while this provides useful multiscale information, it also adds difficulty in selecting the appropriate level for a task. In this work, we propose an efficient and robust video segmentation framework based on parametric graph partitioning (PGP), a fast, almost parameter free graph partitioning method that identifies and removes between-cluster edges to form node clusters. Apart from its computational efficiency, PGP performs clustering of the spatio-temporal volume without requiring a pre-specified cluster number or bandwidth parameters, thus making video segmentation more practical to use in applications. The PGP framework also allows processing sub-volumes, which further improves performance, contrary to other streaming video segmentation methods where sub-volume processing reduces performance. We evaluate the PGP method using the SegTrack v2 and Chen Xiph.org datasets, and show that it outperforms related state-of-the-art algorithms in 3D segmentation metrics and running time.
GABA actions within the caudal cochlear nucleus of developing kittens.

1. The effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), microionophoretically applied onto neurons within the dorsal and posteroventral divisions (i.e., caudal regions) of the cochlear nucleus (CN), were studied during postnatal development in kittens with the use of extracellular recording techniques. Approximately 80% of all neurons encountered within the caudal CN responded to exogenously applied GABA regardless of neuronal response type or postnatal age. 2. GABA reduced acoustically evoked as well as spontaneous discharge rates in a dose-dependent manner at all ages studied, and generally abolished discharge activity at sufficiently high doses (i.e., ejection currents). Dose-response curves generated during acoustic stimulation by varying GABA ejection current were sigmoidal at all ages studied, and the range of slopes relating discharge rate to applied currents increased during the first 10 postnatal days. 3. Neural thresholds to acoustic stimuli were elevated, and slopes of discharge-rate-versus-sound-pressure-level curves were depressed regardless of age when GABA was microionophoresed onto CN neurons. 4. GABA's capacity to reduce spontaneous or acoustically evoked discharge rates was a voltage-dependent phenomenon directly related to control discharge rates (i.e., efficacy was high when discharge rates were high) for neurons recorded from both immature and mature animals. 5. A small set of neurons recorded from animals younger than 2 wk exhibited prolonged GABA "activation" and "deactivation" times (i.e., times required to achieve 90% of the maximal effect evoked by GABA and to recover from that effect, respectively) and may represent a group of actively differentiating units. 6. Bicuculline microionophoresis effectively blocked the actions of exogenously applied GABA and endogenous GABA, which, presumably, was synaptically released as a result of acoustic stimulation. The actions of bicuculline were dose dependent in animals ranging in age from 2 postnatal days to adulthood. These results suggest that recognition sites for GABA and bicuculline and the ionophore associated with the GABA receptor are present and functionally coupled in the caudal CN before the developmental period during which the full complement of inhibitory projections form synaptic contacts with these cells.
Hyperfine Structure of the C5H, C6H, and C8H Radicals

Hyperfine structure in the rotational transitions of the C5H, C6H, and C8H carbon chain radicals has been measured with a Fourier transform microwave spectrometer. Enough transitions (four to six) between 7 and 22 GHz were measured for each radical to determine the hydrogen hyperfine coupling constants to high precision. The radio spectrum of each radical can now be calculated to better than 0.30 km s-1 in equivalent radial velocity at frequencies less than 50 GHz, adequate for radio astronomical studies in very narrow line sources like TMC-1.
Biochemical and genetic characteristics of bacteriocins of food-associated lactic acid bacteria

Numerous strains of lactic acid bacteria associated with food systems are capable of producing bacteriocins, or antibacterial proteins with activity against foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes , Staphylococcus aureus , and Clostridium botulinum . Recently, considerable emphasis has been placed on the identification of these proteins and their biochemical properties, including spectrum of activity, production conditions, purification procedures, amino acid composition, amino acid sequence, and modes of action. Advances in genetic engineering techniques have facilitated the characterization of these proteins at. the genetic level, providing information on hydropathic index, protein synthesis and structure, immunity determinants for resistance and/or tolerance, and cloning of bacteriocin genes into other organisms. Prior to the utilization of bacteriocins and/or the producer organism in food systems, a thorough understanding of the physical, biochemical, and genetic properties is required. Additional parameters for use of bacteriocins and bacteriocin-producing organisms in food systems also are discussed.
Calculating Multi-Body Cooperativity Parameters for Calcium Binding to Calmodulin through Coarse-Grained Simulations

Calmodulin (CaM) is a well-characterized calcium binding protein that undergoes allosteric transition between closed and open conformations upon binding two calcium ions to each of its two domains. Such conformational transition upon binding provides an effective coupling between the binding sites essential for fine-tuned molecular control. We study the allosteric coupling involved with calcium binding to intact CaM through simulations in which the protein dynamics associated with the conformational transitions is modeled at the molecular level while the ligand binding event is treated implicitly with a mean field description of the concentration. The cooperative multi-body free energies associated with each ligation state of this heterogeneous system is evaluated to help rationalize the populations of partially bound ensembles that contribute to the simulated titration curve.
Thermoremanent Duplication of Magnetic Tape Recordings

Magnetic recordings may be copied from one Crolyn® chromium dioxide tape to another by a simple thermal method. Surface of the copy tape is heated transiently above the Curie point (125 °C) and immediately placed in intimate contact with the master tape. At the shortest wavelength, signal level of the copy is equal to that of the master, which suffers no loss in the copy process. Thermoremanent duplicators for helical-scan videotapes are described. No plans to manufacture the thermoremanent duplicators have been made but development of the machine is continuing to establish the complete validity of copying video recordings on Crolyn tape by the thermal method.
Laboratory Evaluation of Methods for Inoculating Termites with Entomophthoraceous Fungi

Methods for inoculating the eastern subterranean termite with the emomogenous fungus Entomophthora coronata (Costantin) Kevorkian were compared. Higher mortalities were obtained when termites were exposed to surface cultures than when inoculated by the overhead method. Exposure time to produce 50% mortality in the population 0.73 hours for the surface-inoculating method and 0.98 hours for the overhead method. The mean number of potential infective units per termite was calculated for the different exposure times. Percent mortalities were also obtained for these exposure times. The calculated LD50 for termites inoculated with E. coronata was 344 infective units.
Phenetic and cladistic relationships in Collybia sect. Levipedes (Fungi: Basidiomycetes)

Phenetic and cladistic methods were both used to study phylogenetic relationships of fungi in the genus Collybia section Levipedes. Ten North American taxa were scored for 23 morphological and ecological traits, and the resulting data set was used for both kinds of analysis. Essentially identical phenograms were generated regardless of the type of similarity or dissimilarity coefficient used. Both principal coordinate and minimum spanning tree analyses also produced results congruent with the various phenograms. For cladistic analysis, parsimony analysis was chosen to construct Wagner trees, which were rooted using several criteria. With only in-group taxa in the analysis, a single Wagner tree resulted when the dictum 'common is primitive' was used to root the tree. Outgroup taxa were chosen from sections Striipedes, Vestipedes and Maculatae. Of the various runs using outgroup taxa from different sections of Collybia, only that with section Striipedes as outgroup resulted in a single unequivocal tree being resolved. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that Striipedes is most closely allied to Levipedes. All parsimony analyses indicated a high level of parallelism in section Levipedes. Both phenetic and cladistic analyses grouped taxa in a similar manner, although several differences in branching pattern were apparent. The C. dryophila complex was clearly distinguished from the rest of the section by all analyses. Other close relationships were suggested between C. alkalivirens and C. fuscopurpurea, and between C. spongiosa and C. kaufmanii. The Wagner trees are presented as hypotheses of phylogenetic relationship in Levipedes.
The synthesis of arginylfluoroalkanes, their inhibition of trypsin and blood-coagulation serine proteinases and their anticoagulant activity.

Abstract Seven arginylfluoroalkanes ('arginine fluoroalkyl ketones') were synthesized by using a modified Dakin-West procedure. The structure of benzoyl-Arg-CF2CF3 was analysed by 19F-n.m.r. spectroscopy and m.s. and the compound was shown to exist primarily as a hydrate or cyclic carbinolamine. Arginylfluoroalkanes are good inhibitors of blood-coagulation serine proteinases and were found to be slow-binding inhibitors for bovine trypsin with Ki values of 0.2-56 microM. Benzoyl-Arg-CF2CF3 was the best inhibitor for bovine thrombin and human Factor XIa, and inhibited thrombin and Factor XIa competitively with Ki values of 13 microM and 62 microM respectively. The best inhibitor for pig pancreatic kallikrein was p-toluoyl-Arg-CF3, with a Ki value of 35 microM. Benzoyl-Arg-CF3 and benzoyl-Arg-CF2CF3 inhibited human plasma kallikrein competitively, with Ki values of 50 microM. None of the seven arginylfluoroalkanes was a good inhibitor of human factor Xa or of Factor XIIa. The arginylfluoroalkanes were tested in the prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) coagulant assays. Two fluoroketones, benzoyl-Arg-CF2CF3 and 1-naphthoyl-Arg-CF3, had significant anticoagulant activity. Benzoyl-Arg-CF2CF3 was found to prolong the PT 1.8-fold at 120 microM and to prolong the APTT 2.4-fold at 90 microM, whereas 1-naphthoyl-Arg-CF3 only prolonged the APTT 1.7-fold at 100 microM.
Dietary correlates associated with the mental foramen in primates: implications for interpreting the fossil record.

The mandibular nerve is a sensory and motor nerve that innervates the muscles of mastication, the lower dentition, and the lower lip and surrounding structures. Although this nerve contains both efferent and afferent fibers, the mental nerve, a terminal branch of the mandibular nerve, is a strictly sensory nerve that exits the mental foramen and innervates the lower lip, the skin overlaying the mandible, and the oral mucosa around the mandible. Osteological foramina are often used as proxies for nerve cross section area and they often correlate well with some aspect of a primate's ecology (e.g., optic foramen and visual acuity). The primary objective of this study is to explore the correlation between the mental foramen and dietary preference among primates. The mental foramen of 40 primate species (n = 180) was measured from 3-D surface models of the mandible. Both conventional and phylogenetic tests indicate that although frugivores have larger mental foramina than folivores, the differences were not significant. These results show that while structures like the infraorbital foramen correlate well with diet and touch sensitivity, the mental foramen does not. Based on these findings, the mental foramen is not a suggested morphological character for interpreting of the fossil record. J. Morphol. 277:978-985, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Monitor of rodent density in Tai'an city in 2010

Objective To grasp the population composition and its seasonal fluctuation of rodent in Tai'an city,and provide scientific basis for developing mosquito control program.Methods Night trap method was used to monitor the rodent density.Results A total of 103 rodent were captured,with the average rodent density of 1.9%.Of which,the dominant specie was Rattus norvegicus(58%),and the density was 1.1%.The fluctuations of the rodent density followed a single-peaked curve,the peak value appearing in April.It was different from the seasonal fluctuations of the rodent density in different habitats.The rodent density in special industry was very high(2.6%).Conclusion The level of rodent density is high,and the main control targets are Rattus norvegicus in Tai'an city,so it should take the integrated measures to reduce the rodent density according to the characteristics of its breeding,habits and seasonal dynamics,and strengthen the surveillance,warning and measures of rodents and its diseases.
Evaluation of the Surgical Management of Peyronie’s Disease

AbstractOur experience in the management of patients with Peyronie’s disease is reviewed. The cure rate with conservative treatment was insignificant and the results of dermal graft procedures were disappointing. Best results and sexual rehabilitation were achieved in patients treated with a penile prosthesis.
Post-translational processing of anglerfish islet somatostatin precursors.

Two distinct somatostatin precursors are synthesized in anglerfish (AF) islets. In addition to a precursor which has somatostatin 14 (SS-14) as a C-terminal cleavage product, a precursor which contains at its C-terminus [Tyr7,Glyl0] SS-14 as a potential cleavage product is also synthesized. However, even though an Arg-Lys pair is located immediately N-terminal to Ala1 of the C-terminal tetradecapeptide, [Tyr7,Glyl0]SS-14 was not found in significant amounts in extracts of AF islets. Instead, a 2b residue peptide having [Tyr7,Gly10]SS-14 (AF SS-28) at its C-terminus was found to be a primary cleavage product of this form of pro-SS. A question which arises from these observations is whether the differential cleavage of pro-SS-14 (PSS-I) and pro-SS-28 (PSS-II) is the result of differences in primary and/or secondary structure of the two precursors which in turn modulate the activity of the same converting enzyme, or whether separate cleavage enzymes exist for each precursor. Experiments were designed to address this question.
The weighted priors approach for combining expert opinions in logistic regression experiments

ABSTRACTWhen modeling the reliability of a system or component, it is not uncommon for more than one expert to provide very different prior estimates of the expected reliability as a function of an explanatory variable such as age or temperature. Our goal is to incorporate all information from the experts when choosing a design about which units to test. Bayesian design of experiments has been shown to be very successful for generalized linear models, including logistic regression models. We use this approach to develop methodology for the case where there are several potentially non-overlapping priors under consideration. While multiple priors have been used for analysis in the past, they have never been used in a design context. The Weighted Priors method performs well for a broad range of true underlying model parameter choices and is more robust when compared to other reasonable design choices. We illustrate the method through multiple scenarios and a motivating example. Additional figures for this ar...
Tumour‐stage mycosis fungoides regressing with milia and pustules after total skin electron beam therapy

A healthy 66 year-old man presented with a three-year history of a skin eruption, initially treated as psoriasis without response. A biopsy was subsequently performed that was consistent with mycosis fungoides (MF). This diagnosis was confirmed with a positive T-cell gene rearrangement. The patient was referred to our institution for management of tumor stage MF. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Profile of Justice-Involved Marijuana and Other Substance Users: Demographics, Health and Health Care, Family, and Justice System Experiences:

Substance users are more likely to have co-occurring health problems, and this pattern is intensified among those involved with the criminal justice system. Interview data for 1977 incarcerated men in 5 states from the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering that was conducted between December 2008 and August 2011 were analyzed to compare pre-incarceration substance use patterns and health outcomes between men who primarily used marijuana, primarily used alcohol, primarily used other drugs, and did not use any illicit substances during that time. Using regression modeling, we examined the influence of substance use patterns on physical and mental health. Primary marijuana users comprised the largest portion of the sample (31.5%), closely followed by nonusers (30.0%), and those who primarily used other drugs (30.0%); primary alcohol users comprised the smallest group (19.6%). The substance user groups differed significantly from the nonuser group on many aspects of physical and ...
Modeling continuous response variables using ordinal regression

We study the application of a widely used ordinal regression model, the cumulative probability model (CPM), for continuous outcomes. Such models are attractive for the analysis of continuous response variables because they are invariant to any monotonic transformation of the outcome and because they directly model the cumulative distribution function from which summaries such as expectations and quantiles can easily be derived. Such models can also readily handle mixed type distributions. We describe the motivation, estimation, inference, model assumptions, and diagnostics. We demonstrate that CPMs applied to continuous outcomes are semiparametric transformation models. Extensive simulations are performed to investigate the finite sample performance of these models. We find that properly specified CPMs generally have good finite sample performance with moderate sample sizes, but that bias may occur when the sample size is small. Cumulative probability models are fairly robust to minor or moderate link function misspecification in our simulations. For certain purposes, the CPMs are more efficient than other models. We illustrate their application, with model diagnostics, in a study of the treatment of HIV. CD4 cell count and viral load 6 months after the initiation of antiretroviral therapy are modeled using CPMs; both variables typically require transformations, and viral load has a large proportion of measurements below a detection limit.
The Impact of Corporate Governance On Financial Management of Public Secondary Schools in Kenya: A Case of Siaya County

This study sought to investigate the impact of corporate governance on financial management of public secondary schools in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to: To establish the impact of the board composition on financial management of secondary schools, to establish the composition of board skills on the financial management of public secondary schools, and to analyze how the application of corporate governance principles impacts the financial management of public secondary schools. This study was undertaken among the 41 secondary schools in Siaya County the target population comprised of 205 respondents who were either Chairman. Treasures, parent teacher association member, board of governor member or auditor in the respective institution. Using stratified sampling a sample size of 137 was arrived at although only 110 responded giving an 80% response rate which was considered sufficient. Questionnaires was used as a data collection tool and using SPSS version 20, the descriptive and inferential statistics was computed. The analysis revealed that majority were aware of budgeting practices in schools and as board member, they oversee supply chain management, movable asset management and control. It was also noted that the members prioritize on use of scarce resources to ensure effective stewardship over public money and assets and most of the respondents were actively involved in planning and implementation of the financial plan, accounting and reporting on funds management. A positive correlation was established thus a positive change in board composition led to a positive change in financial management. The findings also revealed that presence of accounting knowledge was vital in order to improve financial management in schools and the board had illustrated governance expertise in the last five year. It was also established tenure of board member affected financial management and all members had information on projects undertaken by the school. Positive correlation revealed that with every positive change in board skills there is a positive change in financial management. Lastly the findings revealed that management and board of director’s are efficient and have capacity to perform their duties properly and it was also established that there are set rules and policies that generate information on roles and responsibilities. The members were also found to be able to effectively manage issues of procurement, allocation and control of financial resources although there was no clear response on difficulties in managing large volumes of paper work. Positive correlation revealed that with every positive change in corporate governance there is a positive change in financial management.
Mechanical Unloading in Heart Failure

Abstract Myocardial injury induces significant changes in ventricular structure and function at both the cellular and anatomic level, leading to ventricular remodeling and subsequent heart failure. Unloading left ventricular pressure has been studied in both the short-term and long-term settings, as a means of preventing or reversing cardiac remodeling. In acute myocardial infarction, cardiac unloading is used to reduce oxygen demand and limit infarct size. Research has demonstrated the benefits of short-term unloading with mechanical circulatory support devices before reperfusion in the context of acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock, and a confirmatory trial is ongoing. In chronic heart failure, ventricular unloading using mechanical circulatory support can reverse many of the cellular and anatomic changes that accompany ventricular remodeling. Ongoing research is evaluating the ability of left ventricular assist devices to promote myocardial recovery and remission from clinical heart failure.
Von Neumann Algebras and Wavelets

Orthonormal wavelets can be regarded as complete wandering vectors for a system of bilateral shifts acting on a separable infinite dimensional Hilbert space. The local (or “point”) commutant of a system at a vector ψ is the set of all bounded linear operators which commute with each element of the system locally at ψ. In the theory we shall develop, we will show that in the standard one-dimensional dyadic orthonormal wavelet theory the local commutant at certain (perhaps all) wavelets ψ contains non-commutative von Neumann algebras. The unitary group of such a locally-commuting von Neumann algebra parameterizes in a natural way a connected family of orthonormal wavelets. We will outline, as the simplest nontrivial special case, how Meyer’s classical class of dyadic orthonormal wavelets with compactly supported Fourier transform can be derived in this way beginning with two wavelets (an interpolation pair) of a much more elementary nature. From this pair one computes an interpolation von Neumann algebra. Wavelets in Meyer’s class then correspond to elements of its unitary group. Extensions of these results and ideas are also discussed.
Socioeconomic and Racial/Ethnic Differences in E-Cigarette Uptake Among Cigarette Smokers: Longitudinal Analysis of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study

INTRODUCTION Sociodemographic differences in electronic cigarette use among cigarette smokers have not been previously characterized in the US adult population. METHODS We analyzed longitudinal data from Waves 1 and 2 of the nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study. Differences by income (based on federal poverty level (FPL)) and race/ethnicity in e-cigarette uptake at Wave 2 among cigarette smokers who were e-cigarette nonusers at Wave 1 were assessed using binomial and multinomial logistic regression. We differentiated e-cigarette users who quit cigarettes (exclusive users) from those who did not quit cigarettes (dual users). E-cigarette-related attitudes/beliefs were evaluated to understand potential contributions to sociodemographic differences in e-cigarette uptake and use patterns. RESULTS Among 6592 smokers who were e-cigarette nonusers at Wave 1, 13.5% began using e-cigarettes at Wave 2, of whom 91.3% were dual users. Compared with non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanics were less likely to become exclusive e-cigarette users (OR [Blacks] = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.09 to 0.77; OR [Hispanics] = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.09 to 0.70). Low-income smokers were less likely than higher-income smokers to become exclusive e-cigarette users (OR [<100% FPL vs. ≥200% FPL] = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.27 to 0.89). Black, Hispanic, and low-income smokers were more likely to believe e-cigarettes are more harmful than cigarettes and to have positive tobacco-related social norms. CONCLUSIONS Black, Hispanic, and low-income smokers were less likely than White and higher-income smokers to begin using e-cigarettes in the context of quitting cigarettes. Differences in e-cigarette uptake may be partly explained by perceived harm or social norms of e-cigarettes. IMPLICATIONS Results of this study show that the exclusive use of e-cigarettes is more prevalent in higher-income and White smokers. Our data suggest that higher-income and White smokers may be more likely to use e-cigarettes as a means to quit combustible cigarettes compared with low-income and racial/ethnic minority smokers. These findings suggest that sociodemographic differences in e-cigarette uptake and use patterns may contribute to widening disparities in cigarette smoking.
J.E. Littlewood: Ramanujan’s Contemporary and Hardy’s Collaborator

J.E. Littlewood was G.H. Hardy’s close collaborator. Hardy consulted Littlewood to evaluate the significance of the claims in Ramanujan’s letters. This article describes the life of Littlewood and various unique aspects of the Hardy–Littlewood partnership. Also included is a discussion of the Circle Method that Hardy and Littlewood developed into a powerful tool in additive number theory, the method having its basic formulation in the Hardy–Ramanujan paper on the asymptotics of the partition function.
The Singularly Perturbed Turning-Point Problem: A Geometric Approach

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a geometric approach of the singularly perturbed turning-point problem. In the boundary layer, f(x,e) is almost constant so the nonconstant solutions are growing or dying exponentials, depending on the sign of f. For f > 0, the exponential solutions decay so the boundary layer must be placed at the left; for f 0 for x 0, boundary layers are possible at both the left and right endpoints. Indeed for almost all equations with a turning point, there is a unique solution y(x, ɛ) to the boundary value problem, and this solution has both boundary layers; in the interior, y(x, ɛ) converge s to zero as ɛ e 0. There are, however, some special cases in which the solution does not decay to zero as ɛ e 0. On the turning point problem, resonance is treated in the context of a boundary value problem: The solution to some boundary value problem does not decay to zero as ɛ e 0. Resonance as a phenomenon is regarded depending only on the equation, independent of boundary conditions. In general, it is impossible to check for resonance using asymptotic expansions in powers of ɛ: The Matkowsky criteria are really nonresonance criteria, useful for ruling out resonance.
InfoCrystal: integrating exact and partial matching approaches through visualization

The InfoCrystal™ can be used both as a visualization tool and a visual query language to help users search for information. It enables users to make use of the expressive power of the Exact Matching approach and its broadening / narrowing techniques in an easy-to-use and visual way. Further, it is shown how the Partial Matching approach can be visualized in the same visual framework. Hence, the InfoCrystal allows users to specify Exact as well as Partial Matching queries graphically. Arbitrarily complex queries can be created by using the InfoCrystals as building blocks and organizing them in a hierarchical structure. The InfoCrystal enables users to explore and filter information in a flexible, dynamic and interactive way.
Hypothermia Is Associated with Surgical Site Infection in Cytoreductive Surgery with Hyperthermic Intra-Peritoneal Chemotherapy.

Abstract Background: Maintenance of peri-operative normothermia remains a global quality metric for hospitals. Hypothermia is associated with surgical site infections (SSIs) in colorectal surgery. ...
Multiple models and experiments underscore large uncertainty in soil carbon dynamics

Soils contain more carbon than plants or the atmosphere, and sensitivities of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks to changing climate and plant productivity are a major uncertainty in global carbon cycle projections. Despite a consensus that microbial degradation and mineral stabilization processes control SOC cycling, no systematic synthesis of long-term warming and litter addition experiments has been used to test process-based microbe-mineral SOC models. We explored SOC responses to warming and increased carbon inputs using a synthesis of 147 field manipulation experiments and five SOC models with different representations of microbial and mineral processes. Model projections diverged but encompassed a similar range of variability as the experimental results. Experimental measurements were insufficient to eliminate or validate individual model outcomes. While all models projected that CO2 efflux would increase and SOC stocks would decline under warming, nearly one-third of experiments observed decreases in CO2 flux and nearly half of experiments observed increases in SOC stocks under warming. Long-term measurements of C inputs to soil and their changes under warming are needed to reconcile modeled and observed patterns. Measurements separating the responses of mineral-protected and unprotected SOC fractions in manipulation experiments are needed to address key uncertainties in microbial degradation and mineral stabilization mechanisms. Integrating models with experimental design will allow targeting of these uncertainties and help to reconcile divergence among models to produce more confident projections of SOC responses to global changes.
Attention and long-term memory: Bidirectional interactions and their effects on behavior

Abstract Complex everyday behavior depends upon several complementary, and sometimes competing, cognitive operations and processes. Despite the common-sense intuition that long-term memory and attention frequently interact, much of the work done to date has been domain-specific. This trend is changing, however, and the objective of this paper is to consider, in some detail, work that has been done to better appreciate when and how attention affects long-term memory, and vice versa. In addition, because of the close correspondence between oculomotor behavior and attention, and the sensitivity of eye tracking to long-term memory encoding and retrieval processes, some discussion of the primary eye movement literature is included as well. Several new lines of work including the effects of pre-stimulus attentional states on encoding success and the potential for long-term memories to capture attention are considered. In addition, a framework for capture by episodic memory is proposed. As will be seen, studies that address questions about interactions between memory and attention have important real-world value and challenge some well-established constructs in the literature.
Effectiveness of Sorbents to Reduce Mercury Methylation

Abstract Experiments were completed to assess the effectiveness of Biochar, ThiolSAMMS®, SediMite™, and Organoclay-199 to decrease methylmercury (MeHg) production by the known mercury methylator, D...
Vaccine-Associated Anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis is a rare, serious hypersensitivity reaction following vaccination, which is rapid in onset and characterized by multisystem involvement. Although anaphylaxis may occur after any vaccine, understanding the risk for this outcome, particularly following influenza vaccines, is important because of the large number of persons vaccinated annually. Two recent CDC safety studies confirmed the rarity of post-vaccination anaphylaxis. In a 25-year review of data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), reports in children were most common following childhood vaccinations and among adults more often followed influenza vaccine. In a Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) study, the estimated incidence of anaphylaxis was 1.3 per million vaccine doses administered for all vaccines and 1.6 per million doses for IIV3 (trivalent) influenza vaccine. Despite its rarity, its rapid onset (usually within minutes) and potentially lethal nature require that all personnel and facilities providing vaccinations have procedures in place for anaphylaxis management.
Smooth Muscle α-Actin Deficiency Leads to Decreased Liver Fibrosis via Impaired Cytoskeletal Signaling in Hepatic Stellate Cells.

In the liver, smooth muscle α-actin (SM α-actin) is up-regulated in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) as they transition to myofibroblasts during liver injury and the wound healing response. Whether SM α-actin has specific functional effects on cellular effectors of fibrosis such as HSC is controversial. Here, the relationship between SM α-actin and type 1 collagen expression (COL1A1), a major extracellular matrix protein important in liver fibrosis, is investigated with the results demonstrating that knockout of SM α-actin leads to reduced liver fibrosis and COL1 expression. The mechanism for the reduction in fibrogenesis in vivo is multifactorial, including not only a reduction in the number of HSCs, but also an HSC-specific reduction in COL1 expression in Acta2-deficient HSCs. Despite a compensatory increase in expression of cytoplasmic β-actin and γ-actin isoforms in Acta2−/− HSCs, defects were identified in each transforming growth factor beta/Smad2/3 and ET-1/Erk1/2 signaling in Acta2−/− HSCs. These data not only suggest a molecular link between the SM α-actin cytoskeleton and classic fibrogenic signaling cascades, but also emphasize the relationship between SM α-actin and fibrogenesis in hepatic myofibroblasts in vivo.
Are Adverse Childhood Experiences Associated With Deficits in Self-Control? A Test Among Two Independent Samples of Youth:

A large body of research links both a lack of self-control and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to a variety of negative health and behavior outcomes, including delinquent and criminal behavior...
Deletional variant of REEP1 gene in a pedigree affected with spastic paraplegia type 31

Objective To detect pathogenic variation in a pedigree affected with hereditary spastic paraplegia type 31 and explore its molecular pathogenesis. Methods Customized Roche NimbleGen capture probes were used to capture all exons of the target genes in relation with hereditary spastic paraplegia. The DNA samples were also assayed with fluorescent quantitative PCR as well as chromosome microarray analysis using CytoScan HD chip. Results The proband and her father and grandfather were found to carry a deletion for position 85 992 693-86 842 693 on chromosome 2, which spanned about 900 kb and encompassed the REEP1 gene. The latter has been specifically associated with hereditary spastic paraplegia type 31. The same deletion was not found in her mother who is phenotypically normal. Conclusion The deletional variation of the REEP1 gene probably underlies the disease in this pedigree. Key words: Hereditary spastic paraplegia; REEP 1 gene; Copy number variation; Gene deletion
Life on Land: Bottom-Up Sustainability Conscientiousness

Bottom-up sustainability conscientiousness is discussed in the focal point of law, economics and governance. The implementation of sustainability accounts for the most challenging contemporary global governance predicaments that seems to pit today’s against future generations in the trade-off of economic growth versus sustainability. As a novel angle towards sustainability, the Sustainable Development Goals are set out to implement sustainability around the globe on a large scale. In the bottom-up implementation of sustainability, tax ethics, public-private-partnerships (PPPs) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are discussed. Behavioral insight nudges to steer bottom-up sustainability action include social status manipulations and joint decision making presentation advantages, which account for easily implementable bottom-up democracy in action tools to ensure natural sustainability choices. Strengthening financial social responsibility, social welfare and environmental protection through future-oriented and socially responsible economic market approaches of capitalism in the 21st century is aimed at alleviating predictable economic, social and environmental crises to ensure a future sustainable humankind for this generation and the following.
Access to Social Determinants of Health and Determinant Inequity for the Black Population in US States in the Early Twenty-First Century.

This analysis develops indices of (1) modifiable social determinants of health and (2) social determinant inequity and applies the indices to the black population in US states. It uses state data available between 2013 and 2018 stratified by black and white race on six social determinants covering a range of topics (high school non-completion, incarceration, non-home ownership, poverty, unemployment, and voter non-registration). Determinants are ranked by state on (1) limited determinant access by blacks and (2) on black-white determinant differences, i.e., inequity. For each state, ranks are summed for each determinant and determinant differences. Greater determinant access and greater equity are found in southern states. More limited access is found in northeastern and western states; lowest ranked of access is found in some midwestern states. Greatest equity is found in southern states; greatest inequity is found in midwestern states. Indices are associated with state rates of black self-reported health. Indices of social determinant access and inequity can be developed and applied to states for US minority populations. The indices promote attention to the differential distribution of social determinants, suggest the consequences of structural racism, and indicate targets for the redress of inequity.
It Is Not Easy Being Green: Gender and Earnings in Professional Swim

A human capital wage model helps identify factors that influence earnings in professional swim. Females earn less than males from the sport—in spite of having more medals and slightly more endorsement contracts, on average, than the males.
Indoor fine particulate matter and demographic, household, and wood stove characteristics among rural US homes heated with wood fuel

Household heating using wood stoves is common practice in many rural areas of the United States (US) and can lead to elevated concentrations of indoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ). We collected 6-day measures of indoor PM2.5 during the winter and evaluated household and stove-use characteristics in homes at three rural and diverse study sites. The median indoor PM2.5 concentration across all homes was 19 µg/m3 , with higher concentrations in Alaska (median = 30, minimum = 4, maximum = 200, n = 10) and Navajo Nation homes (median = 29, minimum = 3, maximum = 105, n = 23) compared with Montana homes (median = 16, minimum = 2, maximum = 139, n = 59). Households that had not cleaned the chimney within the past year had 65% higher geometric mean PM2.5 compared to those with chimney cleaned within 6 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: -1, 170). Based on a novel wood stove grading method, homes with low-quality and medium-quality stoves had substantially higher PM2.5 compared to homes with higher-quality stoves (186% higher [95% CI: 32, 519] and 161% higher; [95% CI:27, 434], respectively). Our findings highlight the need for, and complex nature of, regionally appropriate interventions to reduce indoor air pollution in rural wood-burning regions. Higher-quality stoves and behavioral practices such as regular chimney cleaning may help improve indoor air quality in such homes.
Plasma microRNA signature as biomarker for disease progression in frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are increasingly recognised as constituting a spectrum of neurodegenerative disease. The C9orf72 intronic hexanucleotide repeat expansion is the most common genetic cause of FTD and ALS, accounting for about 1 in 10 of all cases, respectively.1 Though limited treatment options can provide a marginally decreased rate of disease progression, there is no current treatment that effectively halts neurodegeneration. However, recent advances have contributed to the development of antisense oligonucleotides targeting the C9orf72 repeat expansion with promising preliminary results.2 As we continue to elucidate the genetic basis of disease for FTD and ALS and progress towards therapeutic development, it is important to identify biomarkers to assess disease onset …
Ownership and Competition

We explore how financial market trading shapes the ownership structure of industry rivals. In equilibrium, a fraction of identical investors acquires diversified portfolios with positions in all firms (common owners), while the remaining investors hold undiversified portfolios. When investors can influence competition, the return of diversified portfolios and the risk of undiversified portfolios may increase with the industry's degree of common ownership (CO). This leads to a crowding out of undiversified investors, exacerbating the anti-competitive effects of CO and generating non-fundamental volatility in ownership structure. Our results hold if managers internalize shareholders' preferences or if investors influence competition through governance.
Promoviendo una Alimentación Saludable (PAS) results: Engaging Latino families in eating disorder treatment.

Abstract Latinos/as are underrepresented in eating disorders clinical trials. This study compared results of a culturally adapted individual cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) for binge-spectrum eating disorders that included or excluded a family enhanced module (CBT + FE), in a proof-of-principle pilot study with a sample of Latina adults and one family member per patient. Twenty-five patients (Mage = 37 yrs) and 25 family members (Mage = 40 yrs) were randomized to CBT (n = 13) or CBT+ FE (n = 12). DSM-IV eating disorder diagnoses were: 48% (n = 12) bulimia nervosa, 28% (n = 7) binge-eating disorder, and 24% (n = 6) eating disorder not otherwise specified. Effect sizes favored CBT + FE on adherence and retention, and scores on treatment satisfaction and therapeutic alliance were high, indicating treatment acceptability. In spite of the hypothesis that family outcomes such as support, familism, cohesion, pride, family cultural conflict, burden, and marital satisfaction (in couples) would be superior in CBT + FE, the preliminary data were inconclusive and results were mixed. The hypothesis that eating disorder outcomes including global eating psychopathology, binge eating, and purging would improve in CBT + FE was not supported. There was some evidence that patients in CBT improved more particularly on binge eating, otherwise the groups had no differences. In conclusion, the results suggest that CBT + FE could enhance treatment adherence and retention, although this did not automatically translate to better family and symptom outcomes.
The Race for Online Reputation: Implications for Platforms, Firms, and Consumers

Online reputation has become a key marketing-mix variable in the digital economy. Our study helps managers decide on the effort they should use to manage online reputation. We consider an online re...
What more evidence is needed? Remove menthol cigarettes from the marketplace-now.

Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the USA and many other countries. However, among all racial and ethnic groups in the USA, African Americans bear the greatest burden from tobacco-related morbidity and mortality.1 Every year, 45 000 African Americans prematurely and unnecessarily die from tobacco-caused diseases. An estimated 85% of them smoked menthol cigarettes.2 Menthol’s sensory properties reinforce smoking, increase uptake of nicotine and toxic smoke components, and discourage cessation. Menthol’s cooling, anaesthetic and analgesic effects ease initiation among new smokers by masking the harshness and irritation of tobacco smoke, reducing pain sensations in the mouth and throat, and enabling deeper inhalation that facilitates greater exposure to nicotine.3 On 3 March 2009, Representative Henry Waxman and 124 congressional cosponsors introduced H.R. 1256—the ‘Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.’4 Representative Waxman’s Committee Report expressed concerns about the disproportionate use of menthol cigarettes among African Americans, the targeted marketing of menthol cigarettes in black communities, and the higher rates of lung cancer among African American smokers compared with non-African American smokers, urging the Secretary of Health and Human Services to move quickly to address the unique public health issues posed by menthol cigarettes. Yet, although most other characterising flavours in cigarettes were prohibited in 2009 under the final version of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, menthol was inexplicably excluded.5 It has been estimated that hundreds of thousands of African Americans and other menthol smokers are destined to die prematurely if the exemption of menthol is allowed to continue.6 The disproportionate toll of menthol …
Effects of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Obesity on Thirty-Day Readmissions in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Mediation Analysis.

Rationale: Comorbidity is a significant driver of health status and healthcare utilization in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) portends poorer outcomes, w...
Affective Maturation and the Mother-Infant Relationship

Survival of the infant primate is a complex affair. It must meet the necessary metabolic demands for the support of its basic biology. But, in addition, its broad cognitive potential and the complexity of the social milieu into which it ultimately must move as an independent individual require the development of a rather immense array of selective behavioral responses. Unlike the survival of their more primitive phyletic antecedants and contemporaries, the survival of the infant primate to reproductive maturity reflects an intricate blend of genetic endowments and experiential formants in determining the range of stimuli, social and inanimate, that will be sought and approached, accommodated to or “ignored,” circumvented or actively avoided.