cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance Comparisons of Visualization Architectures

Large data visualization problems generally demand higher resolutions than are available on typical desktop displays. An isosurface from a multiterabyte data set may consist of several million polygons. A common 1600 .. 1200 display (1.92 million pixels) could at most display every polygon as a single pixel. This is insufficient resolution for examining the detail of the isosurface. Commodity hardware components provide one approach for handling large data visualization problems. For example, the PC gaming industry has exponentially increased the processing power of graphics cards to the point where they now are used in graphics supercomputers, such as the SGI Onyx4 and Prism. Commodity-based visualization clusters are becoming popular in the visualization community because of the high performance-to-cost ratio. Prior to the visualization cluster, graphics supercomputers, such as SGIs Onyx systems, were needed for high-resolution, multimonitor capability. The Scientific Visualization Center (SVC) at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Major Shared Resource Center has purchased a visualization cluster to explore the limits of this trend with respect to large, computational data sets. Results from central processing unit and graphics benchmarking between the Graphstream visualization cluster, an SGI Onyx340, and an SGI Prism will be presented.
Visuospatial perspective-taking in conversation and the role of bilingual experience

Little is known about how listeners use spatial perspective information to guide comprehension. Perspective-taking abilities have been linked to executive function in both children and adults. Bilingual children excel at perspective-taking tasks compared to their monolingual counterparts (e.g., Greenberg, Bellana, & Bialystok, 2013), possibly due to the executive function benefits conferred by the experience of switching between languages. Here we examine the mechanisms of visuo-spatial perspective-taking in adults, and the effects of bilingualism on this process. We report novel results regarding the ability of listeners to appreciate the spatial perspective of another person in conversation: While spatial perspective-taking does pose challenges, listeners rapidly accommodated the speaker’s perspective, in time to guide the on-line processing of the speaker’s utterances. Moreover, once adopted, spatial perspectives were enduring, resulting in costs when switching to a different perspective, even when that perspective is one’s own. In addition to these findings, direct comparison of monolingual and bilingual participants offer no support for the hypothesis that bilingualism improves the ability to appreciate the perspective of another person during language comprehension. In fact, in some cases adult bilinguals have significantly more difficulty with perspective-laden language.
The variable discharge of cortical neurons: implications for connectivity, computation, and information coding

Cortical neurons exhibit tremendous variability in the number and temporal distribution of spikes in their discharge patterns. Furthermore, this variability appears to be conserved over large regions of the cerebral cortex, suggesting that it is neither reduced nor expanded from stage to stage within a processing pathway. To investigate the principles underlying such statistical homogeneity, we have analyzed a model of synaptic integration incorporating a highly simplified integrate and fire mechanism with decay. We analyzed a “high-input regime” in which neurons receive hundreds of excitatory synaptic inputs during each interspike interval. To produce a graded response in this regime, the neuron must balance excitation with inhibition. We find that a simple integrate and fire mechanism with balanced excitation and inhibition produces a highly variable interspike interval, consistent with experimental data. Detailed information about the temporal pattern of synaptic inputs cannot be recovered from the pattern of output spikes, and we infer that cortical neurons are unlikely to transmit information in the temporal pattern of spike discharge. Rather, we suggest that quantities are represented as rate codes in ensembles of 50‐ 100 neurons. These column-like ensembles tolerate large fractions of common synaptic input and yet covary only weakly in their spike discharge. We find that an ensemble of 100 neurons provides a reliable estimate of rate in just one interspike interval (10‐50 msec). Finally, we derived an expression for the variance of the neural spike count that leads to a stable propagation of signal and noise in networks of neurons—that is, conditions that do not impose an accumulation or diminution of noise. The solution implies that single neurons perform simple algebra resembling averaging, and that more sophisticated computations arise by virtue of the anatomical convergence of novel combinations of inputs to the cortical column from external sources.
On the Lusternik–Schnirelmann category of Grassmannians

This note contains a partial generalization of the results of (3). We extend to arbitrary n and k the complete determination of the cases in which cup length is strictly less than the maximum possible value dim Gn, k(R) = nk. We also show that the Lusternik–Schnirelmann category cat Gn, k(R) < nk in the same cases.
Contributions of Foreign‐Born Faculty to Doctoral Education and Research

Foreign-born faculty play an important role in American doctoral education, contributing to the processes of internationalization and global collaboration.
Vitamin D requirements during lactation: high-dose maternal supplementation as therapy to prevent hypovitaminosis D for both the mother and the nursing infant

Scientific data pertaining to vitamin D supplementation during lactation are scarce. The daily recommended intake for vitamin D during lactation has been arbitrarily set at 400 IU/d (10 microg/d). This recommendation is irrelevant with respect to maintaining the nutritional vitamin D status of mothers and nursing infants, especially among darkly pigmented individuals. Our objective was to examine the effect of high-dose maternal vitamin D2 supplementation on the nutritional vitamin D status of mothers and nursing infants. Fully lactating women (n = 18) were enrolled at 1 mo after birth to 1 of 2 treatment arms, ie, 1600 IU vitamin D2 and 400 IU vitamin D3 (prenatal vitamin) or 3600 IU vitamin D2 and 400 IU vitamin D3, for a 3-mo study period. High-dose (1600 or 3600 IU/d) vitamin D2 supplementation for a period of 3 mo safely increased circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations for both groups. The antirachitic activity of milk from mothers receiving 2000 IU/d vitamin D increased by 34.2 IU/L, on average, whereas the activity in the 4000 IU/d group increased by 94.2 IU/L. Nursing infant circulating 25(OH)D2 concentrations reflected maternal intake and the amount contained in the milk. With limited sun exposure, an intake of 400 IU/d vitamin D would not sustain circulating 25(OH)D concentrations and thus would supply only limited amounts of vitamin D to nursing infants in breast milk. A maternal intake of 2000 IU/d vitamin D would elevate circulating 25(OH)D concentrations for both mothers and nursing infants, albeit with limited capacity, especially with respect to nursing infants. A maternal intake of 4000 IU/d could achieve substantial progress toward improving both maternal and neonatal nutritional vitamin D status.
TELL ME SOME MORE: EXPLORING HOW VERBAL ABILITY AND ITEM VERIFIABILITY INFLUENCE RESPONSES TO BIODATA QUESTIONS IN A HIGH-STAKES SELECTION CONTEXT

Although self-rated or self-scored selection measures are commonly used in selection contexts, they are potentially susceptible to applicant response distortion or faking. The response elaboration technique (RET), which requires job applicants to provide supporting information to justify their responses, has been identified as a potential way to minimize applicant response distortion. In a large-scale, high-stakes selection context (N = 16,304), we investigate the extent to which RET affects responding on a biodata test as well as the underlying reasons for any potential effect. We find that asking job applicants to elaborate their responses leads to overall lower scores on a biodata test. Item verifiability affects the extent to which RET decreases faking, which we suggest is due to increased accountability. In addition, verbal ability was more strongly related to biodata item scores when items require elaboration, although the effect of verbal ability was small. The implications of these findings for reducing faking in personnel selection are delineated.
"Fast-track" abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

The “open” repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) continues to evolve with incorporation of less invasive methods for surgical exposure and the use of patient care pathways for shorter hospital stays. In a consecutive series of 30 patients with infrarenal AAA, a “ fasttrack” hospital care pathway was implemented that included the following: AAA exposure via a limited (10–15 cm) retroperitoneal incision, use of self-retaining retractor and special vascular clamps/instruments, and prosthetic graft endoaneurysmorrhaphy. Excellent anatomic exposure for graft implantation was achieved with an average operative time of 175 minutes. Use of oral metoclopromide and patient-controlled epidural analgesia resulted in patient ambulation and oral diet on postoperative day 1. Average length of hospital stay was 3.6 days (range: 3–7 days), and no patient required readmission for AAA repair-related or gastrointestinal problems. One patient died (30-day mortality rate of 3.3%) caused by delayed recognition of a splenic ...
Rethinking Coercive Control

The critical appraisals of Coercive Control focus largely on what my analysis implies for intervention, a matter to which the book devotes only limited space. In this reply, I reiterate core concepts in the book and acknowledge that much more work is needed to translate the realities of coercive control into practical legal and advocacy strategies. I review how coercive control differs from partner assaults and so why it merits a distinct response; the extent to which coercive control targets gender identity; the wisdom of complementing the focus on violence with an emphasis on male domination, sexual inequality and personal liberty; what this implies for shelters and the law; why sexual inequality differentiates coercive control from female partner abuse of men; how sexual equality can be both cause and antidote for coercive control; why I think an affirmative concept of freedom is essential to grasp the human rights violations inflicted by coercive control; and what it means to “story” coercive control ...
Data association for fusion in spatial and spectral imaging

Conventional spatial imaging of the same object at different times or with different sensing modalities often requires the identification of corresponding points within a solid object. A mathematically similar problem occurs in the remote hyperspectral imaging of one scene at two widely separated time intervals. In both cases the information can be interpreted using linear vector spaces, and the differences in sensed signals can be modeled with linear transformations of these spaces. Here we explore first, how much can be deduced about the transformations based solely on the multivariate statistics of the two data sets. Then we solve application-specific models for each of conventional and hyperspectral applications.
On a neck, on a spit: controls on the shape of free spits

Abstract. We investigate the controls upon the shape of freely extending spits using a one-contour-line model of shoreline evolution. In contrast to existing frameworks that suggest that spits are oriented in the direction of alongshore sediment transport and that wave refraction around the spit end is the primary cause of recurving, our results suggest that spit shoreline shapes are perhaps best understood as graded features arising from a complex interplay between distinct morphodynamic elements: the headland updrift of the spit, the erosive "neck" (which may be overwashing), and the depositional "hook". Between the neck and the hook lies a downdrift-migrating "fulcrum point" which tends towards a steady-state trajectory set by the angle of maximum alongshore sediment transport. Model results demonstrate that wave climate characteristics affect spit growth; however, we find that the rate of headland retreat exerts a dominant control on spit shape, orientation, and progradation rate. Interestingly, as a spit forms off of a headland, the rate of sediment input to the spit itself emerges through feedbacks with the downdrift spit end, and in many cases faster spit progradation may coincide with reduced sediment input to the spit itself. Furthermore, as the depositional hook rests entirely beyond the maximum in alongshore sediment transport, this shoreline reach is susceptible to high-angle wave instability throughout and, as a result, spit depositional signals may be highly autogenic.
A New Species of Pleocoma Leconte from California (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Pleocomidae)

Abstract Pleocoma hovorei La Rue, new species, is described and illustrated from Shasta and Tehama Counties, California, U.S.A. Included are remarks on taxonomy, adult behavior, and ecology. Based upon congruent morphological characters the new taxon is associated with the P. staff species group.
Nuclear factor kappa B role in inflammation associated gastrointestinal malignancies.

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) has an established role in the regulation of innate immunity and inflammation. NF-κB is also involved in critical mechanisms connecting inflammation and cancer development. Recent investigations suggest that the NF-κB signaling cascade may be the central mediator of gastrointestinal malignancies including esophageal, gastric and colorectal cancers. This review will explore NF-κB’s function in inflammation-associated gastrointestinal malignancies, highlighting its oncogenic contribution to each step of carcinogenesis. NF-κB’s role in the inflammation-to-carcinoma sequence in gastrointestinal malignancies warrants stronger emphasis upon targeting this pathway in achieving greater therapeutic efficacy.
Sequence specific carbon-13 NMR assignment of non-protonated carbons in [d(TAGCGCTA)]2 using proton detection

The multibond coupling optimized heteronuclear multispin coherence proton-detected COSY (MC-HMP-COSY) NMR technique, which provides correlation between /sup 13/C's and protons that are not directly bonded but are coupled, has previously been applied to vitamin B/sub 12/, a peptide, trisaccharides, and a polysaccharide with a single repeating monomeric unit. The results of the application of the MC-HMP-COSY experiment to the assignments of the nonprotonated carbons of a DNA oligonucleotide, (d(TAGCGCTA))/sub 2/ are reported. The assignments obtained by MC-HMP-COSY are contrasted with the comparative assignments for the unprotonated carbons with complete agreement being noted. 19 references, 2 figures, 1 table.
A Clinical Science

Adolf Griinbaum's criticisms of psychoanalytic theory are the most sustained and powerful effort in our time to make the philosophy of science useful, useful in the pursuit of theories and evidence and useful in the relief of suffering. His work shows, I think, that some important claims that psychoanalytic theory has achieved certain scientific goals at best express unjustified hopes. These failures will not discourage those who think that the goals of the human sciences are radically different from those of the natural sciences. But, like Professor Griinbaum (and, as he has shown, in rich detail, like Freud), I don't think there is a relevant difference, here. Psychoanalytic theory, like any field of science, strives for at least approximately true descriptions of causes, that are justified in light of the data. Still, I think that there is a core of psychoanalytic theory that is empirically justified. Moreover, most (though not quite all) people whose theoretical commitments are psychoanalytic are now fully committed to no more than this core. In responding to his paper, The Role of the Case Study Method in the Foundations of Psychoanalysis,' 111 start by sketching this core, indicating why I take it to embody the same scientific goals as familiar, well-justified natural-scientific theories. My view of the goals of theorizing is so basic to my failure to be converted by Professor Griinbaum that this prelude will be the longest part of my comments. If it turns out that he doesn't want to convert someone with this kind of theory, i.e., that these claims for psychoanalysis are
Providing Hope: Empowering Homeless, Battered Women Through Vocational Opportunities

There are many factors that contribute to homelessness, including women's need to flee from abusive relationships. Shelters offer temporary respite. But they are not a long-term solution for helping women establish financial independence. Even if employed, most homeless women do not make enough money for even a modest apartment. And their stress is compounded if they or their children become ill while living on the streets. Vocational training programs are a key part of meeting the long-term needs of homeless, battered women. The most successful of these programs also offer women protection from their abusers. Given appropriate support, women leaving abusive relationships can make a new life for themselves and their children.
Genetics of X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy

An 8.5-year-old girl with cerebral X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy is reported from Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel, and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
Nonlinear Self-Organization in Photorefractive Materials

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses self-organization and its effects in optics. One of the most exciting and potentially useful areas of current research in optics involves the understanding and exploitation of self-organization in nonlinear optical systems. This self-organization may sometimes lead to the evolution of complex spatial patterns that can be regarded as the nonlinear eigenmodes of the system. Generation of these patterns is characteristically marked by the presence of intensity thresholds. In a nonlinear system with complicated temporal dynamics, it turns out that one cannot retain purity in spatial dimensionality. It is therefore equally important to investigate the dynamics of the transverse spatial variations, which in fact give rise to very interesting patterns due to self-organization. A vast wealth of patterns can be achieved by using a nonlinear optical element with feedback that has the capability of providing field transformation, for example, by spatial filtering. These types of systems are called optical kaleidoscopes simply because of the different self-organized patterns that they can generate.
A Unifying Theoretical Foundation for Software Engineering.

The goal of this keynote paper is to argue for a unifying theoretical foundation for software engineering. I believe that one of the reasons for our lack of rigor compared to physical and behavioral sciences is that we have not given enough attention to the theories that underpin our work, both as software engineers and as software engineering researchers. I present my general theory about software engineering and then propose two simple theories, D and E as the basis for laying out a unified theoretical foundation for software engineering and software engineering research. Software Engineering consists of two logical parts: design and empirical evaluation (both terms used in their broadest senses). I propose theory D to as the theoretical basis for the design part, and theory E as the theoretical basis for empirical evaluation. These two theories are then composed in various ways to lay out a space (a taxonomy, or ontology if you will) for software engineering. Finally, I claim that software engineering and software engineering research (both fully integrated with empirical evaluations) are models for the atomic and composed theories.
Restoration of fertility by vasovasostomy.

AbstractVasovasostomy was performed on 41 patients. The surgical technique is described and the results are presented. The success rate was 83 per cent for return of spermatozoa to the ejaculate and 40 per cent for pregnancy. Reasons for failure and suggestions for improvement in results are discussed.
Motivations for Material Adverse Change Clauses in Merger Agreements

Material Adverse Change (MAC) clauses play key roles in essentially all merger negotiations. Fewer exclusions in MAC clauses imply broader abandonment options for acquirers. We study the motivations for different scopes of acquirers’ abandonment options. In our comprehensive hand-collected sample, broader firm-specific abandonment options are associated with higher target announcement returns and higher combined acquirer and target announcement gains, lower probabilities of MAC occurrences, and lower conditional completion rates when MACs occur. They are also more prevalent in higher-quality firms with larger information asymmetries. Overall, the results indicate that targets credibly signal their higher values or greater synergies with broader abandonment options for acquirers.
Quality Assurance of Automated Data Processing Systems (ADPS): Part I. Development of Specification Requirements

Although the Poisson distribution is probably the most common distribution associated with count (or defects per item) data, it is by no means the only one. This article will present some situations which would lead to other distributions, in particular..
Methodological considerations for research on ethnopolitical violence.

The methodological and epistemological challenges that research on ethnopolitical violence faces are examined. This research area is fundamentally important for political reasons and for understanding, as well as subsequent interventions to ameliorate, youths’ responses to ethnopolitical violence. Advances in methods are reviewed that can overcome the obstacles placed by the various challenges. These issues are discussed in the context of the articles that comprise this Special Section.
CT characteristics of traumatic sacral fractures in association with pelvic ring injuries: correlation using the Young-Burgess classification system

The purpose of the study is to determine the incidence of sacral fracture patterns on CT imaging of pelvic trauma patients with correlation with mechanism of injury and pelvic ring injury pattern using the Young-Burgess classification system. This is a retrospective review of all pelvic CTs with pelvic fractures performed at our level 1 trauma center during a 4-year period from July 2010 to June 2014. Sacral fractures were very common in pelvic trauma patients, being present in 60% of patients presenting to our institution with pelvic fractures. Longitudinal fractures were almost always associated with additional pelvic ring injuries. Denis zone 1 fractures had the highest association with lateral compression pelvic ring injuries. Denis zone 2 and 3 fractures were seen with increased frequency in AP compression and vertical shear injuries. A third of transverse sacral fractures occurred in isolation, with isolated transverse sacral fractures typically occurring in the low (S3–S5) sacrum. Almost half of combined transverse and longitudinal sacral fractures occurred without an additional pelvic fracture present. Sacral avulsions almost always occurred as part of a pelvic ring fracture pattern, most commonly in AP compression injuries. Coccyx fractures frequently occurred in isolation, but were commonly seen in vertical shear injuries when associated with a pelvic ring injury pattern. Avulsion fractures and longitudinal fractures of the sacrum are almost always associated with anterior pelvic ring injury. Conversely, transverse fractures of the lower sacrum and combined longitudinal and transverse sacral fractures are prone to occur in isolation.
Romantische Anfänge: Bergakademie und Blüthenstaub

Im Brief an Friedrich Schlegel vom 5. September 1797 aus der Saline Kosen kundigte Hardenberg an: »Michailis geh ich nach Dresden und Freyberg — in Freyberg bleib ich vor der Hand« (IV, 236). Jedoch dauerte es noch zwei Monate, bis Hardenbergs Vater kurfurstliche Erlaubnis fur seinen Sohn bekam, auf der Bergakademie Freiberg zu studieren, um seine beruflichen Kenntnisse in der Mathematik und der Chemie zu vertiefen.
Speaking Personally–With Mary Ann Wolf

Carol Rogers-Shaw:What led to your interest in digital learning and learning differences? Mary Ann Wolf:In my first year as an educator, I taught 27 fifth graders of whom 9 had an Individual Educat...
Depictive Secondary Predicates and Small Clause Approaches to Argument Structure

Some syntactic approaches to argument structure posit small clause constituents to represent what they take to be the semantics of the constructions being analyzed. For example, this approach would...
Primary Care and Child Mental Health

Mary, a timid, sweet 8-year-old girl, has vomited intermittently over the last 2 weeks, but only on school mornings. She will not eat on school mornings, cries, says her belly hurts and that she cannot go to school. She has missed 4 days of school. Mary experienced difficulty separating in kindergarten and first grade, but those exacerbations were milder and quickly resolved. She will not visit her friends at their houses. Mary often comes into her parents’ bed during the night. Her mother worries about her poor appetite and abdominal pain. The pediatrician has known the mother, Mrs. Heinz, for years and notes that Mrs. Heinz frequently worries about her children. Now, Mary worries. Mary worries that her mother may die while she is at school. Her mother tries to reassure her, but Mary is not reassured. Her father thinks she just needs to “get over it.” Mary has Separation Anxiety Disorder and Functional Abdominal Pain [80% of children with Functional Abdominal Pain exhibit anxiety [1].]
[Stroke--endovascular treatment methods].

BACKGROUND Over the last years, endovascular treatment (intra-arterial thrombolysis, thrombembolectomy, angioplasty or intracranial stenting) has been used to treat acute ischemic stroke. The aim of this article is to discuss endovascular treatment of stroke, based on 3 cases and the present knowledge in this field. MATERIAL AND METHODS Three patients presented with symptoms of acute stroke and received endovascular treatment. The cases are discussed with reference to literature identified in Pubmed. RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION A prospective randomized study of intraarterial thrombolysis within 6 hours of symptom debut has been published, but there is no randomized study on mechanical thrombectomy in acute stroke. Several phase II studies have however shown promising results. The patients presented here illustrate the need for urgent diagnosis and collaboration between various specialities when neurointervention is considered. Patients with symptomatic intracranial stenosis, already on anti-platelet therapy, should be evaluated for angioplasty with or without stenting. Patients with acute ischemic stroke who have not had effect of intravenous thrombolysis, or have been admitted too late to receive such treatment, should be assessed quickly for mechanical thrombectomy, intra-arterial thrombolysis or both.
Descriptive Representation in Election Administration: Poll Workers and Voter Confidence

Abstract Citizen confidence in elections remains a salient topic when discussing democracy and representation. While scholars have argued that voter experiences affect satisfaction, confidence, and...
‘The Heart of the Country’: The Primacy of Peasants and Maize in Modern Guatemala

espanolMucha de la historia de la agricultura latinoamericana de los siglos XIX y XX ha estado dominada por los estudios de productos de exportacion y sus economias. Sin embargo, igualmente importante para el desarrollo nacional fueron los mercados domesticos abastecidos por pequenos agricultores. Utilizando a Guatemala como un estudio de caso para Latinoamerica, este articulo examina los retos que enfrentaron campesinos que producian para los mercados locales, regionales y nacionales. Durante el transcurso del periodo nacional, la preocupacion esporadica de las autoridades estatales por la agricultura domestica proveyo de oportunidades a pequenos agricultores indigenas para que avanzaran sus intereses, que iban desde resistir al trabajo forzado hasta mantener sus practicas agricolas tradicionales. Para la decada de 1930, la produccion alimenticia domestica se habia incrementado notablemente debido a que a principios del siglo las autoridades estatales se unieron a los pequenos agricultores para promover la agricultura de consumo domestico. EnglishMuch of the agricultural history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Latin America has been dominated by studies of export products and economies. Yet just as important for national development were domestic markets supplied by small-scale farmers. Using Guatemala as a case study for Latin America, this article examines the challenges faced by farmers producing for local, regional and national markets. Over the course of the national period, state authorities’ sporadic concern for domestic agriculture provided indigenous small-scale farmers with opportunities to advance their agendas, which ranged from resisting forced labour to maintaining their traditional agricultural practices. By the 1930s, domestic foodstuff production had increased markedly because in the early twentieth century state authorities had joined small-scale farmers to actively promote domestic-use agriculture.
Preliminary psychometric evaluation of the micro-condescension scale for individuals in substance use treatment.

AbstractBackground: Stigma and discrimination are often experienced by individuals going through substance use treatment, and can influence treatment seeking, retention, and outcomes including long...
Experimental Economics Final on Testing Prospect Theory

This concept paper explores the possibility of inciting criminal behavior in an experimental economics lab.
Revisiting Weertman's tombstone bed

Johannes Weertman published his first glaciological paper in 1957 only 5 years after getting his DSc in metallurgy from the Carnegie Institute of Technology. The paper presented the very first sliding law developed quantitatively from first principles, and involved the unconventional idealization of bed roughness using cubic ‘tombstones’ of rock. Since 1957, there has been a great deal of progress in understanding glacier sliding, but few studies, if any, have preserved the original tombstone geometry that was a hallmark of this first theory. The current study presents a partial reanalysis of the sliding process over a bed with tombstone obstacles using modern numerical methods. The result confirms the enduring applicability of Weertman's model as a pedagogical tool and motivates new questions about (1) folding flow near bedrock obstacles that invert normal ice stratigraphy, (2) the presence and role of stress singularities on sharp edges of bedrock, and (3) the validity of a presumption that regelation flow can be plug-like.
Treating or Killing? The Divergent Moral Implications of Cardiac Device Deactivation

In this article, I argue that there is a moral difference between deactivating an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and turning off a cardiac pacemaker (CP). It is, at least in most cases, morally permissible to deactivate an ICD. It is not, at least in most cases, morally permissible to turn off a pacemaker in a fully or significantly pacemaker-dependent patient. After describing the relevant medical technologies-pacemakers and ICDs-I continue with contrasting perspectives on the issue of deactivation from practitioners involved with these devices: physicians, nurses, and allied professionals. Next, I offer a few possible analyses of the situation, relying on recent work in medical ethics. Considerations of intention, responsibility, and replacement support my distinguishing between ICDs and CPs. I conclude by recommending a change in policy of one of the leading cardiac societies.
A Homeowner’s Guide to the Living Shoreline Permit Exemption Part 1: Florida Department of Environmental Protection

“Living shoreline” is a term that describes coastal shoreline stabilization interventions that rely on natural elements such as native vegetation and oyster reefs to protect property. Living shorelines typically involve construction or placement of materials within state waters (public lands that occur waterward of the mean high tide line). The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and other entities regulate the placement of living shorelines through a permitting process to ensure project activities do not conflict with the public interest. To streamline the approval process for environmentally beneficial projects such as living shorelines, the DEP has defined an exemption for small-scale living shoreline projects that meet certain criteria. This 17-page fact sheet written by Savanna Barry, Sara Martin, and Eric Sparks and published by the UF/IFAS Florida Sea Grant College Program provides a guide to completing the exemption forms. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/sg187
Lay beliefs about meaning in life: Examinations across targets, time, and countries

Abstract We examined how lay beliefs about meaning in life relate to experiences of personal meaning. In Study 1 (N = 406) meaning in life was perceived to be a common experience, but one that requires effort to attain, and these beliefs related to levels of meaning in life. Participants viewed their own lives as more meaningful than the average person’s, and technology as both creating challenges and providing supports for meaning. Study 2 (N = 1719) showed cross-country variation in levels of and beliefs about meaning across eight countries. However, social relationships and happiness were identified as the strongest sources of meaning in life consistently across countries. We discuss the value of lay beliefs for understanding meaning in life both within and across cultures.
On the Performance of Kalman Filter for Markov Jump Linear Systems with Mode Mismatch

Markov jump linear system (MJLS) is a class of hybrid systems where the continuous states evolve linearly and the discrete state transitions are modeled via a Markov chain. It has been shown that the optimal estimator for MJLS is a mode-based Kalman filter when the discrete mode is given. However, in practical applications, there are situations where the mode information is inaccurate and mode mismatches result in a biased estimate from the mode-based Kalman filter. This paper, for the first time, studies the impact of time correlated mode mismatch errors on MJLS state estimation using a mode-based Kalman filter. Unlike prior efforts that (1) assume mode mismatches are independent and identically distributed and (2) are limited to bi-modal systems, this paper is built on a general MJLS setup with a Markovian model for mode mismatch errors. The main contribution of this work lies in deriving the statistics of the bias term from a mode-based Kalman filter estimation with the aforementioned system setup. The sufficient conditions based on the probabilities of mode mismatch errors for the bias to be statistically convergent are derived. Since time correlated mode mismatch errors can effectively capture communication link impairments in a cyber-physical system, this new fundamental result provides guidance on the design of estimation strategies for MJLS and sheds light on their resilience in the presence of mode mismatch errors.
FDG-PET/CT for the evaluation of non-osseous sites of Langerhans cell histiocytosis

1522 Objectives Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease, primarily of children, that is characterized by the clonal proliferation of Langerhans cells, a class of dendritic immune cells. Although LCH most commonly occurs at one or more sites in the skeleton, non-osseous soft tissue involvement can be a substantial contributor to morbidity and will affect clinical management of this disease. Until recently, evaluation of patients with LCH typically included radiographic skeletal survey and bone scintigraphy. More recently, the increasing use of FDG-PET and FDG-PET/CT has facilitated evaluation of non-osseous disease and identification of clinically occult multi-system disease. Since the early reports describing the imaging of LCH with FDG-PET/CT, little has been reported to confirm its utility in the evaluation of patients with LCH. This study was designed to evaluate soft tissue disease in patients with LCH detected by FDG-PET and PET/CT. Methods The study group included all patients at our institution who had received one or more FDG-PET or FDG-PET/CT scans for the evaluation of LCH between 2010 and 2016. PET findings were compared to clinical findings and to other imaging studies performed within one month prior to the PET scan. Results 61 FDG-PET and PET/CT studies were performed for evaluation of LCH in 30 patients. Of these studies, 20 were for initial evaluation and staging and 41 were for assessing response to therapy or other follow-up. FDG-avid soft tissue disease was identified in 16 patients. In 6 patients, soft tissue disease was only seen adjacent to an osseous lesion. Ten patients had FDG-avid soft tissue disease at sites distant from osseous lesions. These sites of soft tissue involvement included the thymus (4), lymph nodes (3), pituitary gland/stalk (3), thyroid (1), parotid glands (1), and skin (1). Three patients had lung involvement by LCH, but only one patient had FDG uptake in the lungs. Bone scintigraphy, which had been performed in only three patients, demonstrated all identified sites of osseous disease. All but three patients underwent radiographic skeletal surveys, which demonstrated osseous disease, but no soft tissue disease. Conclusions In patients undergoing evaluation of LCH, FDG-PET or FDG-PET/CT identified non-osseous disease in 16 of 30 (53%) patients. In 10 (33%) patients, soft tissue disease was distant from osseous disease, was not identified by skeletal survey, and would not have been detected bone scintigraphy. Therefore, in patients with LCH, FDG-PET/CT has clinical utility for identifying non-osseous sites of disease and guiding clinical management.
Use of trajectory models to track air pollution from source to exposure: A methodological approach for identifying communities at risk.

Objective Ongoing environmental changes increasingly require public health nurses to understand how environmental factors impact the health of populations. One approach to researching these impacts is incorporating environmental research methods to determine associations between harmful exposures and health. We use the Salton Sea in Southern California as a demonstration of how environmental exposure can be examined using air parcel trajectory analysis. Design We demonstrate a methodology for public health nurses to better understand and apply data from the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory meteorological model to estimate the effect of airborne particulate matter from a single source. Measurements We explain a method for tracking air parcel trajectories to populations: selection of meterological data to identify air parcels, geographic identification of population centers, generation of trajectories, classification of trajectory dispersions, adjusting for atmospheric stability, and merging environmental variables with health data. Conclusions Climate change-related environmental events are expected to become more commonplace and disproportionately affect those populations impacted by health disparities. Public health nurses can identify communities at risk so that public health nursing researchers can use these techniques in collaboration with environmental science to robustly examine health effects of proximal air pollution sources for communities at risk.
Tribute to Judi Trent

I first met Judi in the academic year 1971-1972. I had been hired a year earlier by Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and Judi’s husband, Jimmie Trent, was hired that year to chair my department. Jud...
How an Understanding of Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo Behavioral Ecology Can Assist Conservation

Abstract Conservation behavior is the interdisciplinary field that integrates animal behavior into species and biodiversity conservation. It deals with the proximate and ultimate causes of behavior and is linked with disciplines such as genetics, physiology, ecology, and evolution. Its relevance for species preservation has become recently more important as landscapes change dramatically, and climate change is looming. Various attempts have been made to collect information on behavioral traits of the Lumholtz’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi), an endemic species of far North Queensland, Australia. Although most of the current knowledge comes from pilot studies, observations of captive animals, and incidental observations, this chapter will summarize behavioral traits of this species and how this knowledge can assist in conservation measures, including predator control and rehabilitation. The chapter intends to identify knowledge gaps and to encourage more research into the field of behavioral ecology of tree kangaroos to assist in their conservation.
Low-Income Taxpayers and the Affordable Care Act

What is the connection between taxes and health insurance? Why do advocates for low-income taxpayers need to know about the Affordable Care Act? The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act1 (ACA) contains dozens of tax provisions.2 The ACA introduced a major new tax credit and a major new tax penalty for 2014. It also imported tax concepts into Medicaid. All told, the ACA will have a major impact on low-income taxpayers. Health care advocates are already in the thick of helping people get and maintain health insurance coverage. Tax advocates at Low-Income Taxpayer Clinics3 (LITCs) may not see ACA-related examinations and collection controversies until 2015, but now is the time many of our clients are making decisions that will seriously impact their lives and shape future tax controversies. Education, issue-spotting, and early guidance could make a positive difference. All advocates working with low-income taxpayers should educate their clients, particularly those in English as-a-second-language (ESL) communities, about their new rights and responsibilities. This article serves as an introduction and reference on the ACA for legal advocates and policymakers, with a focus on tax provisions affecting lower-income individuals.4 The article summarizes the major health care reform developments affecting low-income taxpayers from October 2013 through mid-2015, and introduces key ACA concepts. It then focuses in detail on the two ACA tax provisions that most concern low-income individuals: the Premium Tax Credit and the individual shared responsibility payment. This article also flags issues of concern for advocates and identifies areas to monitor for further development and advocacy. A comprehensive discussion of the ACA is beyond the scope of this article. Instead, this article focuses on the choices, deadlines, and difficulties likely to arise for low-income taxpayers in the relatively near future.
A genetic polymorphism in P2RY1 impacts response to clopidogrel in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Clopidogrel is converted to its active metabolite by cytochrome P450 isoenzymes and irreversibly inhibits platelet activation by antagonizing the adenosine-diphosphate (ADP) receptor. It is frequently used in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) to prevent thromboembolic complications. However, significant interpatient variability of the response to clopidogrel therapy has been suspected. In this study, we assessed the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within ADP receptor (P2RY1, P2RY12) and cytochrome P450 isoenzyme (CYP2C41) genes on platelet inhibition by clopidogrel administration in cats with HCM. Forty-nine cats completed the study, and blood samples were obtained before and after clopidogrel therapy to assess the degree of platelet inhibition based on flow cytometry and whole blood platelet aggregometry. Plasma concentrations of clopidogrel metabolites were measured after the last dose of clopidogrel. Whole blood platelet aggregometry revealed a significant reduction of platelet inhibition by clopidogrel in cats with the P2RY1:A236G and the P2RY12:V34I variants. The association with the P2RY1:A236G variant and clopidogrel resistance remained significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. This study demonstrated that a genetic polymorphism in the P2RY1 gene altered response to clopidogrel therapy and suggests that clinicians may consider alternative or additional thromboprophylactic therapy in cats with the P2RY1:A236G variant.
Gut microbiome dysbiosis during COVID-19 is associated with increased risk for bacteremia and microbial translocation.

Abstract The microbial populations in the gut microbiome have recently been associated with COVID-19 disease severity. However, a causal impact of the gut microbiome on COVID-19 patient health has not been established. Here we provide evidence that gut microbiome dysbiosis is associated with translocation of bacteria into the blood during COVID-19, causing life-threatening secondary infections. Antibiotics and other treatments during COVID-19 can potentially confound microbiome associations. We therefore first demonstrate that the gut microbiome is directly affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection in a dose-dependent manner in a mouse model, causally linking viral infection and gut microbiome dysbiosis. Comparison with stool samples collected from 101 COVID-19 patients at two different clinical sites also revealed substantial gut microbiome dysbiosis, paralleling our observations in the animal model. Specifically, we observed blooms of opportunistic pathogenic bacterial genera known to include antimicrobial-resistant species in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Analysis of blood culture results testing for secondary microbial bloodstream infections with paired microbiome data obtained from these patients suggest that bacteria translocate from the gut into the systemic circulation of COVID-19 patients. These results are consistent with a direct role for gut microbiome dysbiosis in enabling dangerous secondary infections during COVID-19.
Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Diagnosis of Symptomatic Hoffa's Fat Pad Ganglion Cyst Successfully Managed Nonoperatively: A Case Report.

Ganglion cysts (GCs) can arise from a variety of different areas, but those arising from Hoffa's fat pad in the knee are relatively rare. A number of different types of cysts are also found in the knee, including meniscus cysts, proximal tibiofibular cysts, and cruciate ligament ganglion cysts. In this case report, a 54-year-old female presented with left knee pain and swelling for eight weeks. In-office musculoskeletal ultrasound (US) was used to diagnose a Hoffa's fat pad ganglion cyst and aid in targeted steroid injection. The patient was followed up 21 weeks after the injection. She was pain-free, and US findings showed the cyst had significantly decreased in size. This case shows how musculoskeletal ultrasound, a relatively inexpensive diagnostic modality, can be used to accurately diagnose the cause of knee pain, guide an in-office procedure for the treatment of Hoffa's fat pad ganglion cyst, and aid in monitoring.