cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Expressive language development in adolescents with Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome: change over time and the role of family-related factors

It is well known that individuals with Down syndrome (DS) or fragile X syndrome (FXS) demonstrate expressive language difficulties beginning early in childhood. It is less clear, however, whether expressive language skills change during the adolescent period in these individuals, and if any of these changes are syndrome specific. Studying this, as well as the role of maternal and family-related factors in expressive language development, may provide the foundation for efficacious interventions for adolescents with DS or FXS. In this study, we examined expressive language trajectories, assessed through conversation and narration, in 57 adolescent males with intellectual disability (ID) (20 DS and 37 FXS) in relation to the diagnostic group (DS vs. FXS) and family-related factors (maternal IQ, maternal psychological distress, closeness in the mother–child relationship, family income, and maternal and paternal education) after adjusting for chronological age (CA) and nonverbal cognition. Changes over repeated annual assessments for males with DS or FXS were observed only during conversation, such as an increase in talkativeness, but a decrease in syntax complexity and lexical diversity. We found a diagnosis-related effect in the change over time in conversational talkativeness favoring those with FXS. Finally, a closer mother–child relationship predicted less decrease over time in lexical diversity during conversation, and participants of mothers who graduated college showed a greater increase in conversational talkativeness over time compared to those of mothers with a high school education. Our results suggest that, during the adolescent period for males with DS or FXS, there is an increase in the amount of talk produced in conversational contexts, but also a decrease in the quality of the language produced. In addition, our results indicate syndrome-specificity for aspects of expressive language development and reinforce the protective role of family-related factors.
Introduction to the Special Series on Results-Blind Peer Review: An Experimental Analysis on Editorial Recommendations and Manuscript Evaluations

Publication bias occurs when studies with statistically significant results and large effects are more likely to be published than similarly rigorous studies with null and mixed findings. Results-b...
Sounds of vacation: political economies of Caribbean tourism: edited by Jocelyne Guilbault and Timothy Rommen, Durham and London, Duke University Press, 2019, viii + 238 pp., $25.95 (paperback), ISBN: 978-1-4780-0488-2

Citing business scholar S. Maitel, this edited volume – helmed by ethnomusicologists Jocelyne Guilbault and Timothy Rommen – sums up the agenda of tourist spaces since the late-twentieth century th...
Using Context to Help Predict Speaker's Emotions in Social Dialogue.

Emotion plays a vital role in social interaction. Often, the speaker’s attitude is as essential as, if not more important than, his/her words for communication purposes. In this paper, we present experiments for using conversational context to help text-based emotion detection. We used data from the Dialogue Emotion Recognition Challenge – EmotionX. BERT is used for encoding the input sentences. We explore four ways for encoding the input by varying whether to concatenate a dialogue history with the current sentence and whether to add the speaker’s name as part of the input. Our results indicate that adding context can improve the results of emotion detection when the emotion categories do not overlap with each other.
MRI for Imaging Parathyroid Disease

MRI does not involve exposure to ionizing radiation and is therefore an attractive alternative to both CT and sestamibi scanning for parathyroid evaluation. Minimization of radiation exposure is particularly important for the young, who are at highest risk of ionizing radiation–induced thyroid tumors. Recent MRI developments mean that 3 T MRI can now compete with 3D CT, with accelerated techniques having improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and chemical shift–based fat saturation techniques. This means that imaging with high spatial resolution and a large field of view can be performed more quickly, without swallowing and breathing motion artifacts, within a clinically acceptable time frame of 15–20 minutes at 3 T. High-quality imaging is essential for the identification of often very small and sometimes ectopic parathyroid adenomas (PTAs) and hyperplastic glands (HGs). MRI with 4D MRI is still considered a second-line or third-line investigation for the preoperative work-up of hyperparathyroidism. At our institutions, however, it is ordered with increasing frequency by surgeons familiar with the technique; it may be the only preoperative imaging study ordered. We expect the 4D MRI techniques described later in this chapter to be increasingly utilized as they become more widely available for clinical use.
Inkjet-/3D-/4D-Printed Perpetual Electronics and Modules: RF and mm-Wave Devices for 5G+, IoT, Smart Agriculture, and Smart Cities Applications

With the revolutionary developments in the fields of millimeter-wave (mm-wave) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and the billion devices promised to be implemented by the end of the decade, the realization of inexpensive, low-power, and intelligent systems is highly desirable. Additive manufacturing (AM) is a technology seeing widespread adoption due to its ability to enable rapid prototyping for iterative design; its reduced setup costs, facilitating economic small-batch production; and its ability to significantly reduce waste by-products, resulting in both environmental benefits as well as lower manufacturing costs. On the other hand, current lithography-based manufacturing technologies-a huge contributor to the growing RF and 5G wireless electronics industry-require extensive design verification, have longer turnaround times, and produce harmful byproducts. Although AM can offer time and cost benefits under the correct conditions, among the more impactful demonstrations of the manufacturing technology are the novel topologies enabled by design rules that allow feature sets, including nonorthogonal planes, conformal surfaces, multimaterial deposition, simultaneous thick- and thin-film deposition [1], complex 3D structures, integrated voids, and gradient index materials.
Evolved Resistance to Placental Invasion Secondarily Confers Increased Survival in Melanoma Patients

Mammals exhibit large differences in rates of cancer malignancy, even though the tumor formation rates may be similar. In placental mammals, rates of malignancy correlate with the extent of placental invasion. Our Evolved Levels of Invasibility (ELI) framework links these two phenomena identifying genes that potentially confer resistance in stromal fibroblasts to limit invasion, from trophoblasts in the endometrium, and from disseminating melanoma in the skin. Herein, using patient data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we report that these anti-invasive genes may be crucial in melanoma progression in human patients, and that their loss is correlated with increased cancer spread and lowered survival. Our results suggest that, surprisingly, these anti-invasive genes, which have lower expression in humans compared to species with non-invasive placentation, may potentially prevent stromal invasion, while a further reduction in their levels increases the malignancy and lethality of melanoma. Our work links evolution, comparative biology, and cancer progression across tissues, indicating new avenues for using evolutionary medicine to prognosticate and treat human cancers.
Recent progress in analyzing the spatial structure of the human microbiome: Distinguishing biogeography and architecture in the oral and gut communities

Abstract Fueled by technological advances in methods for sample collection and preservation in sequencing studies and in advances in computational analyses of high-content image data, the spatial structure of the human microbiome is coming to light. In this mini-review, we summarize recent developments in our understanding of the structure of two human microbiomes: the lower gut and the oral cavity. We focus on only the most recent literature, and we make an important distinction between two forms of spatial structure governed by scale: biogeography and architecture. By segmenting the study of microbiome spatial structure into two categories, we demonstrate the potential to greatly advance our understanding of the mechanistic principles that link structure and function in the microbiome.
Algorithmically extracted morphology descriptions for predicting device performance

Abstract The device performance of thin film electronics is known to be dependent on morphological properties such as the size, shape, and orientation of aggregates and crystalline domains. So far, descriptions of morphology have been semi-quantitative and loosely linked to device performance. However, by using our recently reported quantitative analysis tool m2py, we create morphology labels and, for the first time, extract quantitative morphology information from scanning probe microscopy measurements. In this work, we use the labels and extracted morphology measurements to validate a novel approach of generating quantitative structure–property relationships through the use of machine learning and regression models; we present this generalizable approach by demonstrating it on organic photovoltaics. In our approach, the open-source toolkit, m2py, is used to label and describe a set of organic photovoltaic devices that have received different thermal annealing treatments, thereby altering their morphologies and, subsequently, their performance. Different regressors and types of morphology descriptions are used to examine the efficacy of quantitative morphology descriptors in predicting device performance. Despite the fact that scanning probe measurements only image the thin film surface, we find that the information-rich nature of morphology data enables accurate device performance predictions, even with datasets that would traditionally be considered too small to generate high-quality predictions. The implications of introducing quantitative morphology information for predictive analysis of other devices and materials is also discussed; given the general and material-agnostic nature of m2py, it is anticipated that the predictive capability of these labels will be ubiquitous to all thin film applications.
Prolonged exposure to continuous renal replacement therapy in patients with acute kidney injury

Little is known about the process of deciding to discontinue continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) and the impact of CRRT duration on outcomes. We report the clinical parameters of prolonged CRRT exposure and predictors of doubling of serum creatinine or need for dialysis at 90 days after CRRT with propensity score matching, including covariates that were likely to influence patients in the prolonged CRRT group. Among 104 survey responders, most use urine output (87%) to guide CRRT discontinuation, 24% use improvement in clinical or hemodynamic status. In the cohort study, of 854 included patients, 465 participated in the assessment of kidney recovery. Patients with prolonged CRRT had higher SOFA scores (11.9 vs. 11.2) and were more likely to be mechanically ventilated (99% vs. 84%) at CRRT initiation compared to patients without prolonged CRRT, p-value < 0.05. In multivariable logistic regression, daily urine output and cumulative fluid balance leading to CRRT discontinuation or day seven were independently associated with lower [OR 0.87 per 200 ml/day increase] and higher odds [OR 1.03 per 1-L increase] of requiring prolonged CRRT, respectively. After propensity score matching, prolonged exposure to CRRT was independently associated with increased risk of doubling serum creatinine or dialysis at 90 days, OR 3.1 (95% CI 1.23–8.3 p = 0.017). Resolution of critical illness and signs of kidney recovery are important factors when considering CRRT discontinuation. Prolonged CRRT exposure may be associated with less chance of kidney recovery among survivors.
Chronic plantar fasciitis reduces rearfoot to medial-forefoot anti-phase coordination.

Abstract Background It is commonly assumed that abnormal foot biomechanics cause plantar fasciitis; however, this assumption is not well supported. In this study, we investigated rearfoot to medial-forefoot coordination of healthy and plantar fasciitis individuals. We hypothesized that chronic plantar fasciitis individuals would exhibit greater intersegmental rearfoot to medial-forefoot anti-phase coordination and greater coordinative variability than a healthy cohort. Methods Twenty-two individuals with chronic plantar fasciitis (symptomatic mean 4.5 years) and 22 healthy individuals participated. Three-dimensional kinematics of the rearfoot and medial forefoot segments were captured using reflective markers for walking trials. After resolving rearfoot and medial-forefoot segment angle data, a modified vector coding method was used to compute coupling angles, anti-phase movements, and coordinative variability. Findings Compared to healthy individuals, individuals with plantar fasciitis exhibited fewer anti-phase movements (frontal plane: P = 0.003, effect size = 0.38). No group differences were detected in coordinative variability magnitude (sagittal, frontal, transverse, respectively: P = 0.99, 0.72, 0.86; effect sizes = 0.00, 0.12, 0.04). There were significant main effect differences in coupling variability between stance periods (P Interpretation Contrary to our hypothesis, these data suggest that a relative reduction of rearfoot to medial-forefoot anti-phase movements with a chronic plantar fasciitis injury indicates a coordinative deficit, and that a greater frequency of anti-phase movements is associated with healthy foot function. Pain, guarding, and/or the state of chronic injury may be impairing fluid inter-segmental motion. Although no group differences were found in coordinative variability, this variability increased around transitions between loading, weight acceptance, and propulsive phases of gait.
Genomic Predictors of Recurrence Patterns in Localized Soft Tissue Sarcoma Treated With Radiation Therapy.

Purpose/objective(s) Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are diverse mesenchymal tumors that are primarily managed with surgery. Radiation therapy (RT) is frequently added pre- or post-operatively for localized disease but uncommonly used as definitive treatment because the majority of unresected tumors progress with RT alone. Advances in next-generation sequencing have led to the widespread use of clinical genomic profiling, but the genetic determinants of radiation response in STSs are unknown. We hypothesized that integrating patient outcome data and clinical tumor mutation profiling could identify genomic predictors of recurrence patterns after RT for localized STS. Materials/methods We retrospectively identified 31 patients treated at our institution with definitive RT with or without surgery for localized STS who underwent tumor genomic profiling using a sequencing platform. For genes altered in at least 10% of patients, the associations between genetic alterations and local failure or distant metastasis were analyzed with univariable and multivariable competing risk regression adjusted for the competing risk of death. Age, maximum tumor diameter, tumor grade, and extent of resection were included as co-variables, and P values were adjusted for multiple hypothesis testing. Results Median follow up was 24 months, and the median RT dose was 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions. The most common histologies were leiomyosarcoma (n = 4) and myxofibrosarcoma (n = 4). The majority of tumors were located in the trunk and extremities (68%) with the remaining tumors originating in the head and neck (16%) or abdomen and pelvis (16%). 48% of patients underwent margin-negative resection, 36% had microscopically positive margins, and 16% were unresected or had gross residual disease following surgery. Median age was 58, median tumor size was 7.5 cm, and 65% of tumors were high grade. On univariable analysis, younger age (P = 0.02) and extent of resection (P = 0.0002) were significantly associated with local recurrence, and there was a trend towards association between higher grade and distant metastasis (P = 0.09). On univariable analysis, amplification of FRS2 in isolation or in combination with MDM2 and CDK4 was associated with a significantly increased risk of local recurrence (n = 4, HR 4.3), and genetic alterations in FBXO11 were associated with a significantly increased risk of distant metastasis (n = 4, HR 3.9). On multivariable analysis, FBXO11 alterations continued to predict for distant metastasis (HR 5.7, P = 0.0002), but there were no significant predictors of local recurrence. Conclusion Our results suggest that somatic tumor mutations may contribute to the risk of local recurrence and distant metastasis in patients treated with RT for localized STS. Additional analysis and validation in larger multi-institutional cohorts will be critical to identify molecular predictors of prognosis and patterns of recurrence.
Binocular vision in infants: a review and a theoretical framework.

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the empirical findings on infant binocular vision within a coherent theoretical framework. This framework includes: (1) a consideration of the multileveled nature of binocular function, (2) the constraints placed upon binocular function by other aspects of visual development, and (3) the role that early visual experience may play in binocular development. Worth classified binocular function into three hierarchically related levels: (1) bifoveal fixation, (2) fusion, and (3) stereopsis. Worth's proposal that these three levels are hierarchically organized is strictly true only for normal adults. This necessary but not sufficient hierarchy may be violated in the developing visual system. Nevertheless, tests of these three levels of binocular function are useful in characterizing both the developmental and the pathological state of the binocular visual system. The chapter considers each of these three levels of binocular function in an effort to describe the mechanisms underlying their development.
General Personal Jurisdiction After Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations, S.A. v. Brown

In June 2011 the Supreme Court published its first major decisions on due process limits on personal jurisdiction in decades. Though the cases provided an opportunity to remove longstanding confusion, the decisions expose new divisions on the Court that give rise to new uncertainties.This Article focuses on the less controversial case. Seeming to express an emerging consensus with respect to general jurisdiction, the unanimous opinion in Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations S.A. v. Brown announces a new, restrictive formula for general jurisdiction: for a state to exercise general personal jurisdiction over a corporation, the corporation must be incorporated in the state, maintain its principal place of business in the state or have such continuous and systematic ties in a forum state that is “at home.”Exploring the decision and its early reception by lower courts, this Article contends that the opinion is ambiguous. On the one hand, it can be read to support contacts-based general jurisdiction over foreign corporations that are sufficiently active in the state. On the other hand, it can be read to restrict general jurisdiction to those corporations that maintain a legal home in the state by incorporating under the laws of the state or by engaging in such a level of activity that the state becomes the equivalent of their principal place of business.The different readings produce different results in many routine situations. In fact, the Article shows they produce different answers to the question posed during oral argument as to whether Goodyear USA (which operates a factory in North Carolina) would be subject to general jurisdiction in that state without its consent.In addition to explaining divergent positions on the Court, the Article proposes a middle path, a fair reading of the opinion that avoids the most tendentious interpretations and that implements the Court’s shared commitment to eliminating general jurisdiction over a broad category of cases.Finally, the Article identifies specific problem areas that the decision leaves for future judicial elaboration and examines early decisions by lower courts that have begun to grapple with these problems. The Article offers courts and litigants a useful resource for understanding and applying the new doctrine.
Protein kinases of the human placental microvillous membrane: Their potential role in intrasyncytial communication☆

Protein phosphorylation has been shown to alter various plasma membrane functions. To investigate the role of phosphorylation in human placental trophoblast, microvillous membrane vesicles were incubated with [γ-32P]ATP and the phosphorylation of endogenous and exogenous protein substrates was measured. The microvillous membrane was shown to possess both adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-independent and cAMP-dependent kinases. Both endogenous proteins and exogenous proteins were phosphorylated and these processes were enhanced by the presence of Triton or the ionophore alamethicin. The phosphorylation of histone and of endogenous peptides of molecular weights (MW) 147 000, 97 000 and 53 000 was increased by the addition of cAMP. cAMP stimulation required the presence of Triton or alamethicin. The cAMP-dependent kinases are apparently located at the internal (cytoplasmic) surface of the membrane. This location would allow stimulation by cAMP produced by the basal (fetal-facing) plasma membrane. cAMP-stimulated protein phosphorylation may serve as a means of communication between the syncytial plasma membranes facing the fetal and maternal surfaces.
Bargaining for Success: Examining the Relationship Between Teacher Unions and Student Achievement

While many previous studies have identified a positive relationship between teachers unions and student achievement on standardized tests, little research to date has explored the channels through which unions might actually affect achievement. Utilizing multilevel random intercept models, we examine the effects of two categories of items commonly negotiated in teacher contracts—“industrial union” items and “professional union” items—on individual student math scores. Further, we assess the ability of these two clusters of variables to explain the positive union effect found in previous research. The results confirm that teachers unions are positively associated with student achievement and suggest that the industrial model explains moderately more of the union effect than the professional model; however, only the combination of both models is capable of reducing the union effect to nonsignificance. These findings are also confirmed in a supplemental analysis utilizing instrumental variables to account for the possibility of endogeneity. Finally, a decomposition of the union effect suggests that teachers unions are most beneficial to middle- and high-achieving students. We conclude that through industrial and professional bargaining, teachers are able to secure higher salaries, credentialing, and greater autonomy which lead to improved student achievement.
Lysophosphatidic Acid and Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Protection of T Cells from Apoptosis in Association with Suppression of Bax

Members of a subfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), encoded by five different endothelial differentiation genes (edgs), specifically mediate effects of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) on cellular proliferation and differentiation. Mechanisms of suppression of apoptosis by LPA and S1P were studied in the Tsup-1 cultured line of human T lymphoblastoma cells, which express Edg-2 and Edg-4 GPCRs for LPA and Edg-3 and Edg-5 GPCRs for S1P. At 10−10 M to 10−7 M, both LPA and S1P protected Tsup-1 cells from apoptosis induced by Abs to Fas, CD2, and CD3 plus CD28 in combination. Apoptosis elicited by C6 ceramide was inhibited by S1P, but not by LPA, in part because ceramide suppressed expression of Edg-2 and Edg-4 surface receptors for LPA without affecting Edg-3 surface receptors for S1P. At 10−9 M to 10−7 M, LPA and S1P significantly suppressed cellular levels of the apoptosis-promoting protein Bax, without altering the levels of Bcl-xL or Bcl-2 assessed by Western blots and immunoassays. Transfections of pairs of antisense plasmids for Edg-2 plus Edg-4 and Edg-3 plus Edg-5, and hygromycin selection of transfectants with reduced expression of the respective Edg R proteins in Western blots, inhibited both protection from apoptosis and reduction in cellular levels of Bax by LPA and S1P. Thus, LPA and S1P protection from apoptosis is mediated by distinct Edg GPCRs and may involve novel effects on Bax regulatory protein.
Using Bitmap Index for Joint Queries on Structured and Text Data

The database and the information retrieval communities have been working on separate sets of techniques for querying structured data and text data, but there is a growing need to handle these types of data together. In this paper, we present a strategy to efficiently answer joint queries on both types of data. By using an efficient compression algorithm, our compressed bitmap indexes, called FastBit, are compact even when they contain millions of bitmaps. Therefore FastBit can be applied effectively on hundreds of thousands of terms over millions of documents. Bitmap indexes are designed to take advantage of data that only grows but does not change over time (append-only data), and thus are just as effective with append-only text archives. In a performance comparison against a commonly used database system with a full-text index, MySQL, we demonstrate that our indexes answer queries 50 times faster on average. Furthermore, we demonstrate that integrating FastBit with a open source database system, called MonetDB, yields similar performance gains. Since the integrated MonetDB/FastBit system provides the full SQL functionality, the overhead of supporting SQL is not the main reason for the observed performance differences. Therefore, using FastBit in other database systems can offer similar performance advantages.
Feeding our profession [power engineering education]

Power engineering education feeds the power engineering profession. If the profession is to continue to be a vital part of electrical engineering, something must be done about the educational stem. In some sense, power education is at a crossroads, and there is a need to take a positive growth path by moving the most pressing and difficult problems in power engineering to a viable high-tech power program. Such an educational program must center on systems, new materials, applications of advanced mathematics and physics, and the integration of economic principles. One potential avenue is to appeal to national governments worldwide to support power engineering research through university-based centers. An upsurge in student interest at the undergraduate level and the importance and complexity of typical power engineering problems are indicative of positive growth in the field; however, vigilance and increased industry participation in all educational sectors are needed to ensure vitality of the field. This article discusses various aspects of power engineering education including the power engineering curriculum, supply and demand for education, faculty careers, and alternative strategies for power engineering education.
Tutorial on Alice

Developed at Carnegie Mellon University, Alice is a programming environment where objects are manipulated in 3D worlds. Alice gives students the opportunity to learn about object-oriented programming concepts without the syntax frustrations imposed by text-based programming languages. With Alice, a programmer, in a GUI environment, selects program constructs and method invocations from lists of available choices.
Genetic Vasopressin Deficiency Facilitates Performance of a Lateralized Reaction-Time Task: Altered Attention and Motor Processes

Brattleboro rats are a variety of the outbred Long–Evans strain that possess a single nucleotide deletion in the second exon of the arginine vasopressin gene, resulting in the synthesis of an altered protein that does not enter the normal secretory pathway. Rats heterozygous (di/+) for the deletion have a partial vasopressin deficiency and exhibit a variety of behavioral and neurochemical alterations compared with normal wild-type Long–Evans rats, which provide evidence for a CNS function for vasopressin. Here, we examined the acquisition and performance of a test of visuospatial attention by di/+ Brattleboro rats and their wild-type Long–Evans control counterparts. Surprisingly, di/+ rats exhibited superior performance of the task compared with wild-type controls; performance differences included greater accuracy of detection of visual target stimuli, faster overall reaction times, and fewer trial omissions. Di/+ rats also exhibited more approaches to the reinforcer receptacle at nonreinforcement times. These results indicate that alterations of vasopressin signaling result in a clear cognitive phenotype, including faster motor initiations and superior choice accuracy in a test of visual attention.
Adding integrity constraints to the semantic web for instance data evaluation

This paper presents our work on supporting evaluation of integrity constraint issues in semantic web instance data. We propose an alternative semantics for the ontology language, i.e., OWL, a decision procedure for constraint evaluation by query answering, and an approach of explaining and repairing integrity constraint violations by utilizing the justifications of conjunctive query answers.
The ecological role of small rainfall events in a desert grassland

The frequency, magnitude and intensity of precipitation events are known to influence dryland ecosystems; yet, the majority of these rain events are small (<5 mm), and their role in driving biotic and abiotic processes remains unclear. To explore the effects of small rain events that occur between larger events on ecosystem processes, we experimentally manipulated small rainfall events in a mixed Bouteloua eriopoda and Bouteloua gracilis desert grassland. We experimentally removed all events <3.8 mm from treatment plots during a dry monsoon (2012), and to assess potential legacy effects, we added a similar magnitude of small rainfall events in 3.8-mm increments to the same treatment plots during a subsequent wet monsoon (2013). No difference in aboveground productivity occurred between ambient and treatment plots when small events were eliminated in 2012. However, soil moisture, soil organic carbon, available nitrogen and extracellular enzyme activity for phosphate mobilization were all lower in treatment relative to ambient plots. In 2013, treatment plots that received supplemental small events had lower aboveground productivity, soil moisture and soil N availability than ambient plots. We hypothesize that legacy effects from the removal of small events in 2012 limited the ability of these plots to respond to higher, supplemented rainfall in 2013. Therefore, a reduction in small precipitation events – which may be caused by changing rainfall properties or increasing rates of evaporation in a warming climate – may intensify some deleterious effects of dry monsoons, and inhibit grassland recovery in subsequent years with higher rainfall. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dark matter with density-dependent interactions

The decay and annihilation cross sections of dark matter particles may depend on the value of a chameleonic scalar field that both evolves cosmologically and takes different values depending on the local matter density. This possibility introduces a separation between the physics relevant for freeze-out and that responsible for dynamics and detection in the late universe. We investigate how such dark sector interactions might be implemented in a particle physics Lagrangian and consider how current and upcoming observations and experiments bound such dark matter candidates. A specific simple model allows for an increase in the annihilation cross section by a factor of 10^6 between freeze-out and today, while more complicated models should also allow for scattering cross sections near the astrophysical bounds.
A lightweight dynamic optimization methodology and application metrics estimation model for wireless sensor networks

Abstract Technological advancements in embedded systems due to Moore's law have led to the proliferation of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in different application domains (e.g., defense, health care, surveillance systems) with different application requirements (e.g., lifetime, reliability). Many commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) sensor nodes can be specialized to meet these requirements using tunable parameters (e.g., processor voltage and frequency) to specialize the operating state. Since a sensor node's performance depends greatly on environmental stimuli, dynamic optimizations enable sensor nodes to automatically determine their operating state in situ. However, dynamic optimization methodology development given a large design space and resource constraints (memory and computational) is an extremely challenging task. In this paper, we propose a lightweight dynamic optimization methodology that intelligently selects initial tunable parameter values to produce a high-quality initial operating state in one-shot for time-critical or highly constrained applications. Further operating state improvements are made using an efficient greedy exploration algorithm, achieving optimal or near-optimal operating states while exploring only 0.04% of the design space on average. We also propose an application metrics estimation model, which is leveraged by our dynamic optimization methodology, to estimate high-level application metrics (e.g., lifetime, throughput) from sensor node tunable parameters and hardware specific internals.
Reductions of order in difference equations defined as products of exponential and power functions

Using the method of semiconjugate factorization we obtain reductions in orders for difference equations that are defined as products of complex exponential and power functions. As an application of this type of reduction in order, we explain the behaviours of positive solutions in special cases of such equations with real parameters.
Sickle cell trait: is there an increased VTE risk in pregnancy and the postpartum?

Blacks are purported to have a higher venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk than whites. We hypothesized that this might be due, in part, to the greater presence of sickle cell trait (SCT) among blacks. We investigated whether the presence of SCT resulted in a higher VTE incidence in a population predisposed to VTE, the pregnant/postpartum women. Methods: Using a mirrored clinical database that prospectively gathered in- and out-patient information for the years 1998–2008, we collected demographic data, including hemoglobin electrophoreses, on all pregnant/postpartum non-Hispanic women who delivered at a large, diverse, urban hospital. We identified those women who developed VTE either while pregnant or postpartum during those 11 years. Charts initially identified as potential VTE cases were subjected to review to ensure accuracy of VTE coding. Results: Of 12,429 women, 679 non-Hispanic SCT black women, 5,465 non-Hispanic Hemoglobin AA (women with HbA as the only hemoglobin present on electrophoresis, with normal amounts of the minor hemoglobins) black women and 1,162 non-Hispanic HbAA white women were included in the analysis. SCT prevalence was high (11.1%) within this black population as compared to 8.3% in the general non-white population. Proportions with VTE were similar for black SCT and black HbAA groups: 0.44% for the SCT group, 0.49% for non-Hispanic black HbAA women. Black HbAA women had a non-significantly higher proportion of VTE than white HbAA women 0.49% vs 0.26% (RR 1.9, 95%CI:0.6,6.3, p = 0.28). Women with VTE were older than those without VTE (32.2 vs. 27.6 years, p = 0.0002) and the majority of VTE occurred postpartum in all groups, and significantly in the HbAA groups. There was no increase in the incidence of pulmonary emboli in the SCT group. Conclusion: In the largest analysis to date, we could not detect a meaningful difference in peripartum VTE incidence between women with and without sickle cell trait.
Ergonomics Programs: A Case Study in Complexity

Global companies are more complex and variable than any combination of complexity models can describe or explain. The reality is that today's global companies must operate utilizing multiple business strategies at the same time, adjusting in response to increasing external and internal variables. According to Websters' World Dictionary, “complexity is that which is made up of many elaboratively interrelated or interconnected parts, so that much study or knowledge is needed to understand or operate it.” This case study describes how one health and safety ergonomics program operates within global business complexity.
HSV-1-inducible proteins bind to NF-κB-like Sites in the HSV-1 genome

Several putative NF-kappa B-binding sites in the ICP0 and Vmw65 herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) genes have been identified. Oligonucleotides encoding some of these sites bind specifically to purified NF-kappa B protein and an NF-kappa B-like protein in nuclear extracts of phorbol ester- or cycloheximide-induced human embryonic lung (HEL) cells. HSV-1 infection of HEL cells induced a nuclear factor that binds specifically to kappa B sites in the ICP0 and Vmw65 gene regions and comigrates with complexes formed by purified NF-kappa B. The HSV-1-inducible nuclear factor bound to the authentic immunoglobulin (Ig) kappa B site. Transient expression of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) plasmids containing two copies of the Ig kappa B site upstream of the c-fos promoter (kappa B2-CAT) showed activity in HEL cells. HSV-1 infection of kappa B2-CAT-transfected HEL cells, however, induced a dramatic increase in CAT activity; mutation in the NF-kappa B-binding site of kappa B2-CAT abolished the inducibility of CAT gene expression. Our results demonstrate that the HSV-1 ICP0 and Vmw65 gene regions contain binding sites for NF-kappa B, and that HSV-1-inducible proteins bind to NF-kappa B-like sites in the HSV-1 genome.
Chromosomes of Gyraulus circumstratius , a Freshwater Snail

POLYPLOIDY is relatively scarce in the animal kingdom, and is apparently almost entirely confined to those species in which reproduction is partheno-genetic, hermaphroditic or clonal1. Such animals usually do not have a heterogametous sex-determining mechanism to be disturbed by polyploidy. The hermaphroditic nature of freshwater pulmonate snails and their ability for self-fertilization2 suggest the possibility that there might be a considerable degree of polyploidy among the large number of species of this group because a single accidental polyploid individual could give rise by self-fertilization to a polyploid strain, rather than producing only sterile triploids, if cross-fertilization were obligatory3. So far there has been little reliable evidence for polyploidy in aquatic pulmonate snails. (An earlier indication of polyploidy, based on the chromosome numbers reported for Physa gyrina 4, and P. acuta (= integra?)5 n = 6 and 18, respectively, is due to erroneous observations concerning P. gyrina). Six specimens of this species from several localities in Colorado from which animals were taken for the earlier investigation were found to have haploid chromosome numbers of eighteen (J. B. Burch, unpublished work). The high chromosome number (n = c. 59) reported for the limpet Ancylastrum costulatum (= Ancylus fluviatilus Muller?) was not considered to be polyploid, but due to diphylogeny in freshwater snails6.
Disintegration of Heavy Nuclei

THROUGH the kindness of the authors I have been informed of the content of the letters1 recently sent to the Editor of NATURE by Prof. Meitner and Dr. Frisch. In the first letter, these authors propose an interpretation of the remarkable findings of Hahn and Strassmann as indication for a new type of disintegration of heavy nuclei, consisting in a fission of the nucleus into two parts of approximately equal masses and charges with release of enormous energy. In the second letter, Dr. Frisch describes experiments in which these parts are directly detected by the very large ionization they produce. Due to the extreme importance of this discovery, I should be glad to add a few comments on the mechanism of the fission process from the point of view of the general ideas, developed in recent years, to account for the main features of the nuclear reactions hitherto observed.
Sex Differences in Urban Arrest Patterns, 1934-79

Using urban arrest statistics of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports, we examine whether sex differences in crime have been diminishing in the past four to five decades. Our analysis reveals that women have made large gains on men in arrests for petty property crimes, especially larceny, and smaller gains in several other types of offenses. We discuss the potential effects of changes in reporting and statistical coverage on crime trends and also report the findings on trends from alternative sources of data. We believe female arrest gains are more apparent than real. There is little evidence of convergence in sex differences in crime.
Corporate Reputation in Professional Services Firms: ‘Reputation Management Based on Intellectual Capital Management’

There is a gap between the market price of a listed company and its book value and the difference between the two values relates in part to the value of the company's intangible assets. Accordingly, proper management of intellectual capital represents a significant improvement in the company's value. At professional services firms, corporate reputation is very closely linked to knowledge management, which is the management of the intangible assets that go to make up its intellectual capital. Deloitte Spain's Corporate Reputation Team has developed a theoretical approach based on the ‘tangible treatment’ of companies' intangible assets, which lays down the following ideas for determining a company's corporate reputation: —Corporate reputation is determined by the stakeholders' recognition of a company, ie through their representations that they are aware of and agree with the status and management of the company's intangible assets. —A company is only interested in what its stakeholders perceive it to be. Accordingly, it must avoid rankings based on the perceptions held by audiences that are not important to it. —The ultimate aim is to control (through a Reputation Score Card) and report on the status and management of intellectual capital in order to obtain recognition from stakeholders. —The key to a company obtaining a good reputation lies in making its internal and external behavior the same and ensuring that its mission, vision and values are shared by the company and its stakeholders. The most important aspects of the theoretical development are shown in the graphic representation of corporate reputation. Additionally, mathematical formulas are used, not in an attempt to achieve numerical accuracy, but rather to assist comprehension of the reasoning involved.
Simulation of Recent and Projected Total Phosphorus Trends in Lake Ontario

Abstract Recent trends (1965 through 1978) of total phosphorus were analyzed with a time-variable, nutrient budget model of Lake Ontario. Future conditions were also simulated to estimate the effect of anticipated control measures on the lake's water quality. The analysis suggests that recent improvements in Lake Ontario's total phosphorus concentration are attributable to point source reductions due to detergent limitations and waste treatment by the Province of Ontario and the State of New York. Projections show that present point source controls will maintain the lake at the upper level of mesotrophy (15-20 μgP/L) to the year 2000, whereas the absence of controls would result in eutrophy (∼30 μgP/L). Further indications are that some diffuse source reduction may be required if oligotrophy ( An attempt is made to assess the effect of model uncertainty and phosphorus availability on the projections. In general, the inclusion of uncertainty indicates that more stringent load reductions will be needed to meet water quality objectives with greater than 50% certainty. Inclusion of availability tends to improve prospects for lake restoration and to enhance point as opposed to diffuse source controls.
sPatial ProxiMity to category Boundaries enhances stereotyPe-Based JudgMents

Past studies showed that stereotype-based differences between two social groups are accentuated when observers form their impressions about one group in the presence of the other. Here it was shown that inter-category differences are further accentuated as a function of contrasting group members' proximity to each other while social judgments are made. When pictures of two males and two females were presented in the order of female-female-male-male, a male and a female were judged to be more different from each other on gender-stereotypical, but not on gender-neutral characteristics, if their pictures were at (i.e., the two middle positions), as opposed to farther away from, the category boundary. The results show the moderating role of proximity to spatial boundaries during a social judgment in the accentuation of stereotypical differences between members from different social groups.
Near field scattering by a conducting cylinder partially buried in a conducting plane

Abstract The problem of far field scattering from an infinitely long perfectly conducting circular cylinder that is partially buried in a conducting plane was studied previously with the help of the image principle and the cylindrical vector wave functions for both transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) polarizations of the obliquely incident plane wave. The results of the scattered near field when the observation point is very close to the cylinder as a function of the electrical radius, the angle of incidence and the height parameter are presented in this article.
Inhibition of leukocyte-endothelial interactions by oxidized omega-3 fatty acids: a novel mechanism for the anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil.

AbstractOmega-3 fatty acids which are abundant in fish oil improve the prognosis of several chronic inflammatory diseases that are characterized by leukocyte-mediated tissue injury. The omega-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are highly polyunsaturated and readily undergo oxidation. Our data suggest that the beneficial effects of fish oil may be due to the oxidative modification of omega-3 fatty acids. The oxidized products inhibit leukocyte adhesion receptor expression and leukocyte-endothelial interactions. Oxidized EPA is a potent inhibitor of leukocyte interactions with the endothelium compared to native EPA, both in vitro and in an in vivo context of inflammation. The effects of oxidized EPA are mediated through activation of PPARα and subsequent inhibition of NF-κB, leading to the down-regulation of leukocyte adhesion receptor expression required for leukocyte-endothelial interactions. We propose that oxidation of EPA and its activation of PPARα and subsequent inhibition of NF-κB i...