cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Water uptake by soya-bean roots as affected by their depth and by soil water content

A field experiment was made to determine water uptake patterns of soya beans and water use and to compare relative effectiveness of roots at various depths in the profile.Depth of water extraction by the root systems increased with rooting depth. Water uptake rates decreased with soil water content at all soil depths and the soil water content at which roots extracted almost no water increased with depth. The maximum rate of uptake of the deep roots was greater, per unit of length, than shallow roots.
Chimeric Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Virions Containing HIV-2 or Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Nef Are Resistant to Cyclosporine Treatment

The viral protein Nef and the cellular factor cyclophilin A are both required for full infectivity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virions. In contrast, HIV-2 and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) do not incorporate cyclophilin A into virions or need it for full infectivity. Since Nef and cyclophilin A appear to act in similar ways on postentry events, we determined whether chimeric HIV-1 virions that contained either HIV-2 or SIV Nef would have a direct effect on cyclophilin A dependence. Our results show that chimeric HIV-1 virions containing either HIV-2 or SIV Nef are resistant to treatment by cyclosporine and enhance the infectivity of virions with mutations in the cyclophilin A binding loop of Gag. Amino acids at the C terminus of HIV-2 and SIV are necessary for inducing cyclosporine resistance. However, transferring these amino acids to the C terminus of HIV-1 Nef is insufficient to induce cyclosporine resistance in HIV-1. These results suggest that HIV-2 and SIV Nef are able to compensate for the need for cyclophilin A for full infectivity and that amino acids present at the C termini of these proteins are important for this function.
Multimodal city-verification on flickr videos using acoustic and textual features

We have performed city-verification of videos based on the videos' audio and metadata, using videos from the MediaEval Placing Task's video set, which contain consumer-produced videos “from-the-wild”. 18 cities were used as targets, for which acoustic and language models were trained, and against which test videos were scored. We have obtained the first known results for the city verification task, with an EER minimum of 21.8%, suggesting that ∼80% of test videos, when tested against a correct target city, were identified as belonging to that city. This result is well above-chance, even as the videos contained very few city-specific audio and metadata features. We have also demonstrated the complementarity of audio and metadata for this task.
The effect of a new prelaboratory procedure on students' achievement in chemistry

The primary purpose of this study was to develop an alternative model, the Prelaboratory Preparation Period (PLPP), to be used to introduce freshman level students to weekly laboratories and to evaluate student academic achievement as the result of attending the Prelaboratory Preparation Period. The sample was composed of 233 students taking introductory chemistry at Auburn University. The data were collected over a four quarter period of time. A posttest-only control group design with five experimental and three control groups was used to investigate the effect of the Prelaboratory Preparation Period. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to determine if significant differences existed between academic achievement of the experimental and control groups. Results of the analysis indicated that a significant difference (α = 0.05) in academic performance existed between the two groups. It was concluded that the Prelaboratory Preparation Period increased the academic achievement of students enrolled in an introductory chemistry course.
JAK Inhibition Induces Browning of White Adipocytes

The global epidemic of obesity is increasing at an alarming rate, posing a severe threat to human health. The accumulation of excess white adipose tissue in obese individuals increases their risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, stoke and even cancer. Current efforts manifest the need to identify potential anti-obesity therapeutics. One promising approach is increasing the activity of ‘brown like’ adipocytes in white adipose depots, which has been shown to improve the overall metabolic phenotype of the organism. This report by Moisan and coworkers demonstrates a novel and a promising approach by inhibiting JAK kinases to induce browning in white adipose tissue.
Evaluation of source leaf responses to water-deficit stresses in cotton using a novel stress bioassay

Water-deficit stresses preferentially reduce shoot growth, thereby disrupting the flow of carbohydrates from source leaves to the developing sinks. Here, we use a novel stress bioassay to dissect responses of field and greenhouse-grown cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) source leaves to water-deficit stresses. Fifth main stem leaf samples were harvested at sunrise and subjected to a prolonged elevated respiratory demand in the dark. Sucrose levels are lower in nonstressed cotton at sunrise compared to water-deficit stressed cotton, potentially predisposing the nonstressed tissue to succumb more rapidly. Tissue death was determined initially using the cell viability stain 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride, but was determined in subsequent experiments by monitoring the decline in chlorophyll fluorescence yield. Fluorescence yield measurements were obtained within minutes of harvesting and individual samples were monitored over the time course of the treatment. Analyses of the time course and magnitude of chlorophyll fluorescence yield decline in samples from irrigated and dryland plots permitted the detection of stress responses within 24 h of the cessation of irrigation. The rate of fluorescence yield decline during the elevated respiratory demand treatment slowed as the water-deficit stress increased. Upon irrigation, the source leaves of the water-stressed plants recovered to prestress values within 4 d. Well-watered cotton overexpressing heat shock protein 101 had identical rates of fluorescence yield decline as nontransgenic cotton. These results suggest that the delayed decline in fluorescence yield of water-stressed tissue exposed to prolonged elevated respiratory demand can be used as a sensitive indicator of water-deficit stress responses.
Comparison of protocols for measuring and calculating postmortem submersion intervals for human analogs in fresh water

Protocols for determining postmortem submersion interval (PMSI) have long been problematic for forensic investigators due to the wide variety of factors affecting the rate of decomposition of submerged carrion. Likewise, it has been equally problematic for researchers to develop standardized experimental protocols to monitor underwater decomposition without artificially affecting the decomposition rate. This study compares two experimental protocols: (i) underwater in situ evaluation with photographic documentation utilizing the Heaton et al. total aquatic decomposition (TAD) score and (ii) weighing the carrion before and after submersion. Complete forensic necropsies were performed as a control. Perinatal piglets were used as human analogs. The results of this study indicate that in order to objectively measure decomposition over time, the human analog should be examined at depth using the TAD scoring system rather than utilizing a carrion weight evaluation. The acquired TAD score can be used to calculate an approximate PMSI.
Al-Ghazālī on Possibility and the Critique of Causality

One of the most striking features of speculative theology (kalāam) as it developed within the Ash'arite tradition of Islam is its denial of causal power to creatures. Much like Malebranche in the seventeenth century, the Ash'arites saw this denial as a natural extension of monotheism and were led as a result to embrace an occasionalist account of causality. According to their analysis, causal power is identical with creative power, and since God is the sole and sovereign creator, God is the only causal agent. To assert anything else is to compromise monotheism. This position, of course, was in direct opposition to the prevailing accounts of causality within the philosophical tradition of Islam at the time. The philosophers (falāasifa) had by and large taken over accounts of causality from Aristotle and the Neoplatonists and adapted them in accordance with their own set of concerns. In such accounts, while God stands as the first cause, secondary causation—the causative action of agents other than God—is unambiguously affirmed, even if variously understood. Thus, as they offered a sophisticated account of causal action in direct opposition to the occasionalist thesis, the falāasifa posed something of challenge to the theologians.
Perceptions of the Police by Immigrant Youth Looking at Stop-and-Frisk and Beyond Using a New York City Sample

This mixed-methods study contributes to the emerging literature on immigration and law enforcement practices by measuring variation in attitudes toward the police across first- and second-generation immigrants in a survey sample of young individuals aged 18–25 stopped by the New York City Police Department (N = 508). We supplement results from these models with insights from interviews with other youth and their caregivers (N = 77). Findings show that foreign-born (first generation) youth generally exhibit more positive perceptions of police “effectiveness,” while those born in the United States to at least one foreign-born parent (second generation) are more likely to report more negative perceptions of “legitimacy.” The salience of immigration in these models, however, is weakened by the youths’ number of reported police stops as well as their perceived fairness and neutrality. Findings highlight the importance of considering police contact as a moderator of police attitudes as well as the need to unpac...
The stereochemical course of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal metabolism by glutathione S-transferases

4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) is a toxic aldehyde generated during lipid peroxidation and has been implicated in a variety of pathological states associated with oxidative stress. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) A4-4 is recognized as one of the predominant enzymes responsible for the metabolism of HNE. However, substrate and product stereoselectivity remain to be fully explored. The results from a product formation assay indicate that hGSTA4-4 exhibits a modest preference for the biotransformation of S-HNE in the presence of both enantiomers. Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analyses using the racemic and enantioisomeric HNE substrates explicitly demonstrate that hGSTA4-4 conjugates glutathione to both HNE enantiomers in a completely stereoselective manner that is not maintained in the spontaneous reaction. Compared with other hGST isoforms, hGSTA4-4 shows the highest degree of stereoselectivity. NMR experiments in combination with simulated annealing structure determinations enabled the determination of stereochemical configurations for the GSHNE diastereomers and are consistent with an hGSTA4-4-catalyzed nucleophilic attack that produces only the S-configuration at the site of conjugation, regardless of substrate chirality. In total these results indicate that hGSTA4-4 exhibits an intriguing combination of low substrate stereoselectivity with strict product stereoselectivity. This behavior allows for the detoxification of both HNE enantiomers while generating only a select set of GSHNE diastereomers with potential stereochemical implications concerning their effects and fates in biological tissues.
Extubation Failure in a Large Pediatric ICU Population

Objective: To review a large population of childrenreceiving mechanical ventilation to establish a baseline rate of extubation success and failure and to identify those characteristicsthat place a patient at greater risk of failing plannedextubation. Design: Retrospective chart review. Settings: University-affiliated children's hospital with a20-bed pediatric ICU. Patients: All 632 patientsreceiving mechanical ventilation during the 2-year period from July 1,1996, to June 30, 1998. Method: Patients receivingmechanical ventilation were identified via a computerized database. Charts were reviewed of all patients who were reintubated with in72 h of extubation. Measurements and results There were 548 planned extubation events, of which 521 were successful. Twenty-seven patients failed planned extubation at least once; only thefirst attempt at extubation was included in the analysis. The failurerate of planned extubations was 4.9%. Including only patients who hadreceived mechanical ventilation for > 24 h before extubation, thefailure rate was 6.0%. For patients intubated > 48 h, the failurerate was 7.9%. The patients who failed extubation were found to besignificantly younger and to have received mechanical ventilationlonger than those who succeeded, in both the analysis of all patientsreceiving mechanical ventilation and the subgroup of those receivingmechanical ventilation > 24 h. When only patients who had receivedmechanical ventilation for > 48 h were analyzed, the difference inage was no longer significant, but the duration of ventilation beforeextubation was still significantly longer for those who failed. Conclusion: We determined the overall failure rate of planned extubations in a large population of pediatric patients to be4.9%. Those patients who were younger and had received mechanicalventilation longer were more at risk for extubationfailure.
Efficacy of tart cherry juice in reducing muscle pain during running: a randomized controlled trial

Long distance running causes acute muscle damage resulting in inflammation and decreased force production. Endurance athletes use NSAIDs during competition to prevent or reduce pain, which carries the risk of adverse effects. Tart cherries, rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may have a protective effect to reduce muscle damage and pain during strenuous exercise. This study aimed to assess the effects of tart cherry juice as compared to a placebo cherry drink on pain among runners in a long distance relay race. The design was a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial. Fifty-four healthy runners (36 male, 18 female; 35.8 ± 9.6 yrs) ran an average of 26.3 ± 2.5 km over a 24 hour period. Participants ingested 355 mL bottles of tart cherry juice or placebo cherry drink twice daily for 7 days prior to the event and on the day of the race. Participants assessed level of pain on a standard 100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at baseline, before the race, and after the race. While both groups reported increased pain after the race, the cherry juice group reported a significantly smaller increase in pain (12 ± 18 mm) compared to the placebo group (37 ± 20 mm) (p < .001). Participants in the cherry juice group were more willing to use the drink in the future (p < 0.001) and reported higher satisfaction with the pain reduction they attributed to the drink (p < 0.001). Ingesting tart cherry juice for 7 days prior to and during a strenuous running event can minimize post-run muscle pain.
Compiling rules and queries in knowledge base systems: a substitution-based approach

The use of negative information and the unrestricted use of quantifiers in the body of a rule enhances the expressive power of deductive database systems. The authors introduce a more relaxed version of conventional (Skolem) function-free databases, called acceptable databases which generalize the class of allowed databases by accepting occurrences of universal quantifiers for variables occurring in positive literals and existential quantifiers for variables occurring in negative literals in the body of an IDB rule. The compilation technique suitable for compiling acceptable IDB rules based on the substitution rule is addressed. They show the correctness of the substitution-based compilation by proving completeness and soundness of the substitution rule. >
Risk-based sequential allocation of competing sanitation infrastructure investments

Given severe sanitation service shortages, infrastructure interdependencies and extreme scarcity of funding that prevail in many developing countries, the allocation of funds across the three services of providing drinking water, wastewater and sewage and solid waste is vital to their sustained expansion. This paper adopts an approach to resource allocation for the three services based on the triplet of questions found in risk management regarding what options are available, their associated trade-offs, and their impacts on future options. An example shows an application to a multistage sequential allocation of investments to sanitation infrastructure representative of a scenario in developing countries.
Incidental health information use and media complementarity: A comparison of senior and non-senior cancer patients

Abstract Objective This study compares the health information and media usage patterns of older adults diagnosed with cancer with their younger adult counterparts and is based theoretically in media complementarity theory [Dutta-Bergman MJ. Complementarity in consumption of news types across traditional and new media. J Broadcast Electron 2004;48:41–60; Dutta-Bergman MJ. Interpersonal communication after 9/11 via telephone and Internet: a theory of channel complementarity. New Media Soc 2004;6:659–73] and health information seeking and scanning research [Shim M, Kelly B, Hornik R. Cancer information scanning and seeking behavior is associated with knowledge, lifestyle choices, and screening. J Health Commun 2006;11:157–72]. Methods A secondary analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) II data collected by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is performed to investigate differences in the health information behavior of younger and older adult cancer patients. The sample size was 401, with 260 non-senior cancer patients and 141 senior cancer patients. Results Younger adults diagnosed with cancer were more likely to gain information about health incidentally through their use of the Internet and to seek health information for others on the Internet than senior cancer patients. Complementarity of active health information seeking and incidental health information use online was supported with senior cancer patients, while complementarity of incidental health information use between traditional media channels and the Internet was partially confirmed with younger adults. Conclusion This study reveals similarities and differences in the health information and media usage behavior of younger and older adults diagnosed with cancer. It also provides partial support for media complementarity theory. Practice implications The Internet is not a panacea for health information. Health professionals need to provide written instructions to older adult cancer patients because they do not rely on the Internet for information about their illness and/or treatment.
Radiation-induced solute segregation in metallic alloys

Abstract The subject of radiation-induced solute segregation (RIS) in metallic alloys is reviewed. RIS manifests itself in several different ways, including diffusion to point-defect sinks (dislocations, grain boundaries, voids, etc.), which can induce precipitation in undersaturated alloys, as well as self-organization of solute clusters and precipitation in defect-free material. Diffusion in dilute and concentrated alloys is highlighted, as are theories of RIS that include new ideas on diffusion of complexes involving coupling between fluxes of point defects and of solute atoms. Many important experimental observations are presented, including up-to-date findings using atom-probe tomography, with special emphasis on solute segregation in austenitic and ferritic steels. Results from computational modeling and theory are also presented and discussed in light of experimental findings. Examples illustrating the factors affecting RIS are shown and some important outstanding issues that impact the current understanding of RIS are described and discussed.
Model-Scale/Full-Scale Correlation of NRC-OCRE’s Model Resistance, Propulsion and Maneuvering Test Results

There are a variety of model ices and test techniques adopted by model test facilities. Most often, the clients would ask: “How well can you predict the full scale performance from your model test results?” Model-scale/full-scale correlation becomes an important litmus test to validate a model test technique and its results. This paper summarizes the model-scale/full-scale correlation performed on model test data generated at the National Research Council - Ocean, Coastal, and River Engineering’s (NRC-OCRE) test facility in St. John’s. This correlation includes ship performance predictions, i.e., resistance, propulsion and maneuvering. Selected works from NRC-OCRE on the USCGC icebreaker Healy, the CCGS icebreaker Terry-Fox, the CCGS R-Class icebreakers Pierre Radisson and Sir John Franklin and the CCGS icebreaker Louis S. St. Laurent were reviewed and summarized. The model tests were conducted at NRC-OCRE’s ice tank with the correct density (CD) EGADS model ice. This correlation is based on the concept that a “correlation friction coefficient” (CFC) can be used to predict full-scale ship icebreaking resistance from model test data. The CFCs have been compared for correlation studies using good-quality full-scale information for the five icebreaker models in the NRC-OCRE’s model test database. The review has shown a good agreement between NRCOCRE’s model test predictions and full-scale measurements.The resistance and power correlation were performed for five sets of full-scale data. Although there is substantial uncertainty on ice thickness and ice strength within the full scale data sets that contributes to data scattering, the data suggest a conservative estimate can be obtained to address reasonably this uncertainty by increasing the model prediction by 15% that envelopes most data points.Limited correlation for maneuvering in ice was performed for the USCGC icebreaker Healy. Selected test conditions from the sea trials were duplicated for the maneuvering tests and turning diameters were measured from the arcs of partial circles made in the ice tank. Performance predictions were then compared to the full-scale data previously collected. Despite some discrepancy in ice strength and power level between the model tests and sea trial, the model data agree well with the sea trial data except for three outliers. Otherwise, the maneuvering data show a good correlation between the model test and sea trial results.Copyright © 2015 by Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada
Anti-Jahn-Teller polaron in LaMnO 3

Distortions of the oxygen sublattice couple to ${e}_{g}$ orbitals of ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{3+}$ and drive a cooperative Jahn-Teller (orbital ordering) transition in ${\mathrm{LaMnO}}_{3}.$ A simple model for this transition is studied. Without further adjustment, the model predicts the shape and stability of small (anti-Jahn-Teller) polarons that form when holes are doped into the material. This leads to a new description of the lightly-doped insulator, the antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition, and the metal-insulator transition.
Gilbert Harman and Ernie Lepore, eds. A Companion to W.V.O. Quine

Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2014. 600pp. $195 Hardcover. ISBN 978-0-470-67210-5. Reviewed by James Pearson.
Petrographic Analysis of Late Woodland Ceramics From the Sperry Site, Jackson County, Missouri

A sample of 11 sherds from the Late Woodland component of the Sperry Site in Jackson County, Missouri was selected for petrographic analysis. The findings indicate that sherds as well as granite pa...
Model reference adaptive minimum-energy control for a mechatronic elevator system

Summary The mechatronic elevator system driven by a permanent magnet synchronous motor is modeled using mechanical and electrical equations. In addition, the dimensionless forms are derived for practicable movements. This paper proposes and demonstrates the reference model of a minimum-input absolute electrical energy control scheme based on the Hamiltonian function. Furthermore, a model reference adaptive control scheme based on the Lyapunov function is proposed for tracking the reference model to achieve a robust control performance, thus combining the minimum-energy reference model of the minimum-input absolute electrical energy control and the robust control offered by the model reference adaptive control. The proposed model reference adaptive minimum-energy control yields robust minimum-energy control performance. Subsequently, the experimental parameters of the elevator system were identified through self-learning particle swarm optimization. The experimental results demonstrate the robust minimum-energy control performance of the proposed model reference adaptive minimum-energy control. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Ant Larvae of the Subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

This is one of the smaller subfamilies of ants, comprising only four genera and about 160 species. The largest genus is the Neotropical Pseudomyrmex with about 100 species; Tetraponera with about 60 species is widely distributed in the Old World tropics; Pachysima with two species and Viticicola with only one are confined to the Ethiopian Region. These ants are notorious for their vicious stinging and famous for their association with plants.
Präferenzen bei Ergebnisambiguität

In diesem Beitrag wird die Frage behandelt, wie Personen auf Wahlmoglichkeiten reagieren, die durch Ergebnisambiguitat gekennzeichnet sind. Ergebnisambiguitat bezeichnet den Sachverhalt, dass ein Merkmal oder mehrere Merkmale einer Option nicht durch fixe Auspragungen, sondern nur durch Bereiche beschrieben sind, in denen die Auspragungen angesiedelt sein konnen. In der deskriptiven Entscheidungstheorie hat diese Situation erst geringe Aufmerksamkeit gefunden, obwohl in der Marketingpraxis den Nachfragern zuweilen ungenaue Informationen uber Attribute gegeben werden. Die Studie zeigt, dass sich die Praferenz fur ein Zielprodukt erhohen lasst, wenn die Attribute, die bei Formulierung durch fixe Werte Nachteile offenbaren, ambigue formuliert werden.
The Myogenic Automatism of the Contraction of the Heart of Insects

It was observed by Carlson (1904) that when the median, cardiac nerve cord (ganglionic) of the “horseshoe crab,” Limulus is isolated up to the third segment the amplitude of the contractions of the anterior segments is about halved. He also noted, in a now classical but simple series of experiments (1905) that lesion of the median nerve cord and the two lateral nerves in any segment of the heart destroyed the coordination of the two ends of the heart on either side of the lesion; and conversely, a cross-section of the heart in any segment, leaving the longitudinal nerves intact, did not interfere with the coordination. “The abolition of coordination by sectioning the longitudinal nerves is immediate and permanent. Both ends of the heart continue to beat but with independent rhythm. Therefore, conduction of the heart in this animal is in the nervous and not in the muscular tissue.” This work was repeated on the isopod, Ligia Oceania , by Alexandrowicz (1932a) with the same results. Carlson further found that total extirpation of the median nerve and the lateral nerves caused the heart to cease beating immediately. It was concluded that the heart beat as well as the transmission of that beat throughout the heart is of purely nervous origin and the result of rhythmic nervous impulses sent out from the median cardiac nerve which contains neural cell bodies. Carlson and Meek (1908) later found that the embryonic heart of Limulus begins to beat before any anlage of the dorsal median cardiac nerve cord, the dorsal nerve plexus, or of the lateral cardiac nerves appears. They then concluded that there takes place a transfer of automatism from the myocardium to the nervous tissue at some stage. This observation is sufficient to show that myocardial transmission is at least feasible.
Zygospores in Smittium Culisetae (Trichomycetes) and Observations on Trichospore Germination

Zygospores of Smittium culisetae (Harpellales, Legeriomycetaceae), previously unknown in this species, were found several times in mosquito larvae (Aedes vexans) in Nebraska. Trichospore germinatio...
Properties of refractories after exposure to high pressure gases: III—Effect of percent saturation

The dimensional stability, density, porosity and flexural strength of several cement and phosphatebonded refractories were determined before and after exposure to steam and CO containing atmospheres at ∼0, 13.5, 30.5, 32.5, 85 and 100 pct saturation. The flexural strength and compounds present in a neat, high alumina cement were also determined as a function of the percent saturation of pure steam and steam/CO atmospheres. Chemical reactions occurring in the refractories and the neat cement were determined by XRD, DTA/TGA and SEM and correlated with the above properties. The flexural strength of the cementbonded castables and the hydrated neat cement increased significantly with increasing saturation due to the formation of new compounds, primarily boehmite. A minimum saturation of ∼70 pct was needed to realize the full increase in flexural strength. Phosphatebonded refractories became weaker after exposure to saturated atmospheres.
Agricultural Polices To Enhance The Development Of Fruit And Vegetable Subsectors In Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s fertile land is highly suitable for growing fruits and vegetables, making it one of the main producers among the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. The location of Uzbekistan also provides a ready access to the growing Central Asian and Russian consumer markets. Since its independence, the country implemented a number of agricultural policies targeted at the development of agricultural sector, comprising institutional and structural reforms. The aim of the study is to review the agricultural sector of Uzbekistan and to identify the major constraints to the development of fruits and vegetables subsectors. In doing this, the objective is to put forward policy recommendations for the development of these sector. Fruit and vegetables supply chain potential of the Samarkand region is the key topic of investigation. The recent reforms have provided opportunities for liberalization in agricultural production, especially for the fruit and vegetable subsectors. Yet, modernization of agriculture per se and of the marketing system in Uzbekistan remain areas requiring continued attention for the overall sectorial development. Based on the analysis, the paper provides policy suggestions for implementation. Specific recommendations are outlined pertaining to the identified key constraints; namely, pertaining to agricultural production and productivity, quality of land resources, irrigation, reforms, R&D, and agricultural marketing.
Are Trends in Hospitalization Prior to Hospice Use Associated With Hospice Episode Characteristics

This study expands current knowledge of factors associated with initiation of hospice care by examining prehospice patterns of medical care leading to Medicare hospice use and the relationships to ...
Optimization of the Sparse Matrix-Vector Products of an IDR Krylov Iterative Solver in EMGeo for the Intel KNL Manycore Processor

In geophysical-imaging, medium properties can be studied by performing scattering experiments using electromagnetic or seismic waves. Quantities such as densities, elasticities, stress etc. can be obtained from fitting the observed measurements to the results predicted by a simulation. The EMGeo software performs these simulations and solves the inverse scattering problem in the Laplace-Fourier domain. In this paper, we focus on the Seismic part and forward step of the inverse scattering problem, which involves inverting a large sparse matrix. For this purpose, EMGeo uses an Induced Dimensional Reduction (IDR) Krylov subspace solver. The Sparse Matrix Vector (SpMV) product is responsible for more than half of the total runtime. We demonstrate how we use spatial and multiple Right Hand Side (RHS) blocking cache optimizations to increase arithmetic intensity and thus the performance, as SpMV product is memory bandwidth-bound. Our optimizations achieve \(5.0\times \) and \(4.8 \times \) speedup in the SpMV product in Haswell and KNL processors, respectively. We also achieve \(1.8\times \) and \(3.3 \times \) speedup in the overall IDR solver in Haswell and KNL processors, respectively. We also give an outlook over possible future optimizations.
Resource Utilization, Costs and Type of Malignancy Associated with Prolonged Length of Stay in Autologous Stem Cell Recipients.

In order to contain costs, MDs must first identify the clinical factors contributing to increased resource utilization associated with an autologous stem cell transplant. We performed a retrospective clinical and cost analysis of all autologous transplants performed at Dartmouth- Hitchcock Medical Center over a 30 month period (2002-2004) and identified patients who had a prolonged length of stay > 25 d (PLOS). We pinpointed the clinical characteristics and hospital course of each patient to identify trends. The hospital cost-accounting system highlighted resource utilization and costs of the transplants, allowing a comparison between patients with a PLOS and all other transplant patients. PROLONGED LENGTH OF STAY (PLOS) Major contributors to costs included nursing/daily room charge costs (39%), pharmacy (39%), Blood Bank (6%), Laboratory (12%), and other costs (3%). The average daily costs are $4252. The PLOS cohort had grade > 3 toxicity, increased infection rate, engrafted later and required more transfusional support. 1 pt was transferred to the ICU for temporary management. Of the 29 patients identified with PLOS, none died and all were discharged from the hospital. 45% of NHL/HD patients experienced a prolonged LOS, representing 68% of the PLOS cohort. The median LOS 25d is 30.5d. At an average daily cost of $4252, these additional 10.5 days of hospitalization costs are substantial. Based on these findings, identification of factors underlying PLOS in the NHL/HD cohort may provide the key to minimizing cost of autologous stem cell transplant. Accordingly, we are assessing the impact of age, number of pre-transplant treatment regimens, number of peripheral blood stem cells reinfused, use of IL-2 for post-transplant immune modulation, and the day 15 absolute lymphocyte count on LOS in this population.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out what my name means to me: The effects of marketplace misidentification on consumption

Abstract Little research has focused on understanding how the misuse of consumers' names in the marketplace impacts consumption. Building on the motivation and personal identity threat literatures, we explore the impact of being identified by someone else's given name in the marketplace. We find that consumers exhibit avoidance behaviors when misidentified (versus remaining unidentified or being correctly identified), which is mediated by feelings of respect. We also show that misidentification effects are moderated by ego fragility (i.e., as measured by implicit self-esteem), with the effects more pronounced among those with more fragile egos. We attenuate this effect via self-affirmation, showing that misidentified consumers who have been affirmed no longer exhibit product avoidance responses. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.
Caring to Learn and Learning to Care

The increasing numbers of aging and chronically ill prisoners incarcerated in Western nations is well-documented, as is the growing need for prison-based palliative and end-of-life care. Less often...
Identifying drug resistant cancer cells using microbubble well arrays

Drug resistance is a characteristic of tumor initiating cells that can give rise to metastatic disease. In this work we demonstrate the use of microbubble well arrays as a cell culture platform to enumerate and characterize drug resistant cells in a human derived tumorigenic squamous cell carcinoma cell line. The spherical architecture and compliant hydrophobic composition of the microbubble well favors single cell survival, clonal proliferation and formation of spheres that do not grow on standard tissue culture plastic and are resistant to cisplatin. Spheres form in isolation and in microbubble wells containing proliferating cells and to some degree they stain positive for common stem cell markers CD44 and CD133. Spheres are also observed in cellularized primary human tumors cultured in microbubble arrays. This proof-of-concept study illustrates the potential for microbubble array technology to enumerate cancer cells resistant to standard care drugs with the ability to test alternative drug combinations. This capability can be developed for designing patient specific treatment strategies. Recovery of drug-resistant cells will allow a more full characterization of their gene expression profile thereby expanding our fundamental knowledge and ability to develop new targets to fight metastatic disease.
Derivation of new equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate in pediatric oncology patients

Monitoring renal function is critical in treating pediatric patients, especially when dosing nephrotoxic agents. We evaluated the validity of the bedside Schwartz and Brandt equations in pediatric oncology patients and developed new equations for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in these patients. A retrospective analysis was conducted comparing eGFR using the bedside Schwartz and Brandt equations to measured GFR (mGFR) from technetium-99m diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (99mTc-DTPA) between January 2007 and August 2013. An improved equation to estimate GFR was developed, simplified, and externally validated in a cohort of patients studied from September 2013 to June 2015. Carboplatin doses calculated from 99mTc-DTPA were compared with doses calculated by GFR-estimating equations. Overall, the bedside Schwartz and Brandt equations did not precisely or accurately predict measured GFR (mGFR). Using a data subset, we developed a five-covariate equation, which included height, serum creatinine, age, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and gender, and a simplified version (two-covariates), which contained height and serum creatinine. These equations were used to estimate GFR in 2036 studies, resulting in precise and accurate predictors of mGFR values. Equations were validated in an external cohort of 570 studies; both new equations were more accurate in calculating carboplatin doses than either the bedside Schwartz or Brandt equation. Two new equations were developed to estimate GFR in pediatric oncology patients, both of which did a better job at estimating mGFR than published equations.
Patient and Hospital Characteristics Associated with Increased Length of Stay for Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML): An Analysis from the 2012 National Inpatient Sample (NIS)

Background: Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) often experience lengthy inpatient admissions resulting from toxicity from the disease and chemotherapy. There are limited data on which factors are associated with longer hospitalizations. We examined hospital and patient characteristics associated with length of stay (LOS) for adults with AML using a large US national database. Methods: We extracted admission data for patients with AML and myeloid sarcoma from the 2012 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample (HCUP-NIS). Due to the skewed distribution of data, multivariable negative binomial regression was used to test the association of the following factors with LOS: age, sex, region (Northeast NE, Midwest MW, South, West), income, insurance, hospital type, number of chronic conditions, and death. Separate models were built for non-elderly (age Results: There were 44,650 admissions associated with AML in 2012. Median patient age was 64 yrs (Interquartile Range, IQR 51-73), with 62% ≥ age 60. Nearly half (45%) were female. Median LOS for the entire cohort was 6 (IQR 3-18) days. Age Median LOS was 7 (IQR 4-25)days. Median age was 47 yrs. In multivariate analysis, older age and Medicare were associated with shorter LOS (Table). More chronic conditions were associated with longer LOS: there was 12% longer LOS for each additional chronic condition. We found an interaction between hospital type and region. Within the South, admissions to urban teaching hospitals had longer LOS than to nonteaching and rural hospitals. Admissions to urban teaching hospitals were associated with longer LOS in the West and NE than the South. Age ≥ 60: Median LOS was 5 (IQR3-13) days. Median age was 71 yrs. Older age and higher income were associated with shorter LOS, while more chronic conditions were associated with longer LOS (Table). Asians had longer LOS than whites. We found an interaction between hospital type and region. Within the South, urban teaching hospitals had longer LOS than nonteaching and rural hospitals. Urban teaching hospitals had shorter LOS in the West than South. Conclusions: For both age groups, younger age, more chronic conditions, and the hospital type by region interaction were associated with longer LOS. Income and race affected LOS only in the elderly, whereas insurance affected LOS in the Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Rethinking Digital Media and Citizenship: Conditions, Contexts, and Consequences:

This special issue presents a total of seven articles concerning digital media and citizenship in various political, civic, and cultural contexts. Specifically, the entire collection investigates how digital media use and civic engagement can be conceptualized, operationalized, and theorized in the current digital media environment. The seven studies further examine how the use of traditional and newer forms of media influences civic engagement across communities of places, interests, and practices as well as different social groups at the local and global levels. With an interest in social conditions and contexts surrounding the civic utility of digital media, this special issue brings a unique perspective to the existing scholarship and provides new venues for continued scholarly attention to this important subject.
Tree mortality following defoliation by the European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) in the United States: A review

This review presents information related to defoliation by the European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) and subsequent tree mortality in the eastern United States. The literature describing defoliation-induced tree mortality is extensive, yet questions still remain concerning (1) the association between initial stand composition and subsequent tree mortality, (2) the influence of site quality on tree mortality, and (3) observed differences between mortality rates in initial and subsequent outbreaks. Our review and analysis of the available literature indicates that initial species composition affects subsequent defoliation. Stands with predominantly susceptible host species have higher levels of species-specific and total mortality than mixed stands of susceptible, resistant, and immune host species. Differences in mortality on sites of varying productivity do not appear to be a direct result of site quality; rather, site quality indirectly influences mortality rates through its effect on species composition and therefore defoliation. Differences between initial and subsequent outbreaks appear to be due primarily to losses of vulnerable oaks and lower canopy species during the initial outbreak; oak mortality in initial outbreaks was found to be significantly greater (P = 0.0727) than oak mortality in subsequent outbreaks.
Disability: Short and Long Term, Sick Leave and Long Term Care Insurance

The commercial insurance market has been historically divided into Life/Health insurers (which also write group disability policies), and Property/Casualty Insurers (or Non-Life Insurers) who wrote non-life and non-health benefits insurance policies. Before World War II, life insurance was the most important form of employee benefit, being eclipsed by medical insurance only after the Great Depression. Until the Great Depression, most health insurance replaced wages lost due to injury or illness, and did not pay medical expenses directly. That is, most health policies were disability policies rather than medical expense policies.
Research in Aging and Amyloidosis

The relationship of amyloid and aging has received little attention in previous International Conferences on Amyloidosis. With the development of new methodologies, and the increasing recognition, throughout the World, of the importance of research related to aging, this relative void is now being addressed, as attested to by the presentations to follow.
Atromid-S® (Ayerst)

Atromid-S is an antilipidemic agent for the reduction of elevated serum lipids. It helps to lower elevated serum lipids by reducing the very low density lipoprotein fraction rich in triglycerides. Serum cholesterol, especially the low density lipoprotein fraction, is also decreased, particularly in those patients whose cholesterol levels are elevated at the outset. The mechanism of action has not been established definitively. Drug treatment should not be used for the routine treatment of elevated blood lipids for the prevention of coronary artery disease. Dietary therapy specific for the type of hyperlipidemia is the initial treatment of choice and contributory diseases such as hypothyroidism and diabetes mellitus should be looked for and adequately treated. There is not, to date, substantial evidence of a beneficial effect on cardiovascular mortality from clofibrate or any other lipid-altering agent.
The role of hyperinsulinemia in the pathogenesis of ovarian hyperandrogenism

The evidence that supports the hypothesis that insulin and LH both regulate ovarian androgen production was presented. The most dramatic clinical example of the association between hyperinsulinemia and hyperandrogenism is the HAIR-AN syndrome. Our hypothesis is that, in the HAIR-AN syndrome, the severe insulin resistance causes a compensatory hyperinsulinemia, which stimulates ovarian androgen production if adequate LH is present. The acanthosis nigricans is an epiphenomenon of the syndrome. Acanthosis nigricans is a dermatologic manifestation of severe insulin resistance. In vitro evidence suggests that insulin and IGF-I stimulate androgen production in incubations of human stroma and theca. The stromatropic effects of insulin may sensitize the stroma to the stimulatory effects of LH. In some hyperandrogenic-insulin-resistant women, a glucose load appears to produce an acute rise in circulating androgens. The magnitude of the rise in circulating androgens is proportional to the magnitude of the insulin response to the glucose load. These data suggest that hyperinsulinemia may play a central role in the development of ovarian hyperandrogenism.
Extrinsic Dexterity Through Active Slip Control Using Deep Predictive Models

We present a machine learning methodology for actively controlling slip, in order to increase robot dexterity. Leveraging recent insights in deep learning, we propose a Deep Predictive Model that uses tactile sensor information to reason about slip and its future influence on the manipulated object. The obtained information is then used to precisely manipulate objects within a robot end-effector using external perturbations imposed by gravity or acceleration. We show in a set of experiments that this approach can be used to increase a robot's repertoire of motor skills.
Trends in HRC and their Effects on Human Operators’ Sense of Presence in Manufacturing Settings

The introduction of robotic collaborators in manufacturing environments has the potential to interrupt human operators’ sense of physical presence when completing tasks, which can impact comfort, safety, and productivity. As a result, an examination of Human Robotic Collaboration (HRC) systems is called for in order to determine whether and how these systems are affecting human operator sense of presence. This review identifies trends and themes in HRC systems in order to identify patterns and opportunities for improvement.