cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Detailed Larval Salivary Gland Polytene Chromosome Photomap for Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) from Johannesburg, South Africa

The suitability of polytene chromosomes for population genetic and in situ DNA physical mapping was investigated in Johannesburg, South Africa, Culex quinquefasciatus Say and Culex pipiens L.. The most defined and consistent polytene spreads were obtained from salivary glands of early fourth instars from Cx. quinquefasciatus. A photomap is provided for a Cx. quinquefasciatus colony originating from Johannesburg. Variations in banding patterns, chromosome aberrations, and paracentric inversions within the colony and comparisons with previous published descriptions are discussed. Chromosomes of sufficient quality were obtained such that a DNA coding for an odorant binding protein could be mapped by colorimetric in situ hybridization.
VLBI and Archival VLA and WSRT Observations of GRB 030329

We present VLBI and archival Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) observations of the radio afterglow from the gamma-ray burst (GRB) of 2003 March 29 (GRB 030329) taken between 672 and 2,032 days after the burst. The VLA and WSRT data suggest a simple power law decay in the flux at 5 GHz, with no clear signature of any rebrightening from the counter jet. We report an unresolved source at day 2,032 of size 1. 18 ± 0. 13 mas, which we use in conjunction with the expansion rate of the burst to argue for the presence of a uniform, ISM-like circumburst medium. A limit of < 0. 067 mas year−1 is placed on the proper motion, supporting the standard afterglow model for gamma-ray bursts.
Intestinal transcriptomes of nematodes: comparison of the parasites Ascaris suum and Haemonchus contortus with the free-living Caenorhabditis elegans.

Background: The nematode intestine is a major organ responsible for nutrient digestion and absorption; it is also involved in many other processes, such as reproduction, innate immunity, stress responses, and aging. The importance of the intestine as a target for the control of parasitic nematodes has been demonstrated. However, the lack of detailed knowledge on the molecular and cellular functions of the intestine and the level of its conservation across nematodes has impeded breakthroughs in this application. Methods and Findings: As part of an extensive effort to investigate various transcribed genomes from Ascaris suum and Haemonchus contortus, we generated a large collection of intestinal sequences from parasitic nematodes by identifying 3,121 A. suum and 1,755 H. contortus genes expressed in the adult intestine through the generation of expressed sequence tags. Cross-species comparisons to the intestine of the free-living C. elegans revealed substantial diversification in the adult intestinal transcriptomes among these species, suggesting lineage- or species-specific adaptations during nematode evolution. In contrast, significant conservation of the intestinal gene repertories was also evident, despite the evolutionary distance of ,350 million years separating them. A group of 241 intestinal protein families (IntFam-241), each containing members from all three species, was identified based on sequence similarities. These conserved proteins accounted for ,20% of the sampled intestinal transcriptomes from the three nematodes and are proposed to represent conserved core functions in the nematode intestine. Functional characterizations of the IntFam-241 suggested important roles in molecular functions such as protein kinases and proteases, and biological pathways of carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism, and translation. Conservation in the core protein families was further explored by extrapolating observable RNA interference phenotypes in C. elegans to their parasitic counterparts.
Diminished perception of ambient light: a symptom of clinical depression?

Objective: In a non-randomized, uncontrolled pilot study, the authors investigated whether depressed patients were more likely to perceive the lighting in their environment as being dimmer than usual. Method: 120 patients (46 males, 74 females) who presented for possible admission for depression at a psychiatric facility were administered a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of disorders (DSM-IV) based questionnaire and underwent psychiatric evaluation. A question asking whether ‘the lights in my surroundings seem dimmer than usual’ was included in the 15-point question survey. Statistical analyses were performed to determine whether an affirmative response to this dimness question was correlated with the depth of depression (mild, moderate, severe) and also whether significant correlation was present between the percentage of patients answering yes to the dimness question versus the number of yes responses to the core symptoms of depression. Results: Two thirds of the patients categorized as severely depressed responded that their ambient environment appeared dimmer than usual compared to 21% of moderately and 14% of mildly depressed patients. This difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The degree of depression as determined by the number of core questions answered affirmatively and the presence of this ‘dimness’ symptom were highly correlated (P=0.002, R=0.87). Limitations: The specificity of the finding has not been tested in reference to non-affective psychiatric patient groups. Conclusion: A patient’s perception of the ambient light in the environment being dimmer than usual may be an important symptom of a major depressive disorder. Further replication and objective testing of visual function in depressed patients appears warranted.
The clinical antidepressant effect of exogenous agmatine is not reversed by parachlorophenylalanine: a pilot study

ObjectivesTo examine and record the clinical antidepressant effect of exogenous agmatine, an amino acid derived central glutamaergic modulator in endogenously depressed subjects. It was also the author's intention to examine the effects of parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA) in therapeutic responders to determine if serotonergic mechanisms mediate agmatine's antidepressant effect.MethodologyExogenous agmatine was ingested in doses of 2‐3mg/day by depressed subjects with Major Depresssive Disorder (MDD), clinically assessed using the 21 item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM‐D), the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Antidepressant responders volunteered to concommittantly ingest parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA) at starting doses of 250mg/day, and increased until depressive relapse, mitigating side effects, or a maximum dosage of 1250mg/day.ResultsThree depressed subjects showing total illness remission with exogenous agmatine did not relapse after concomitantly adding PCPA. Effective in relieving both psychomotor agitation and retardation, the antidepressant effect was free of physical or behavioural side effects: gastrointestinal discomfort and loose stools in one subject resolved spontaneously within days. All three subjects refused to risk depressive relapse by temporarily stopping agmatine after PCPA was stopped.ConclusionThe antidepressant effect of exogenous agmatine was documented in a small number of MDD subjects, and was not reversed/modified by PCPA confirming findings in animals that therapeutic response is not mediated by serotonergic mechanisms. A NAMDA (N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate) receptor antagonist, agmatine's recognized function in brain as inhibitory modulator of excitatory glutamatergic transmission suggests a pivotal role for brain glutamate, contributing to the ripening glutamatergic basis of depression, and a rational basis for future antidepressant pharmacotherapy.
Scalability challenges and solutions for emerging networks

Summary form only given. Computer networks are becoming increasingly common, and are used in sensitive applications in which serious damage could be done by a network failure. There is a need for design principles that would enable a new generation of solutions having the required properties. Needed are technologies that would be inherently robust, provably scalable, and sufficiently self-organizing to adapt as conditions change in the network. The Spinglass project has been successful in solving an important class of such problems. At the core of our work is a new style of gossip-based communication protocol. We are using this protocol in support of a variety of systems programming tools. The article discusses two of them: Bimodal Multicast, a scalable reliable multicast protocol having probabilistic reliability properties, and Astrolabe, a virtual distributed database constructed entirely through peer-to-peer interactions among the components of a large system. Both technologies are shown to be stable under stress, arbitrarily scalable without growth in communication or processing loads, and to have real-time properties.
Testing an extended model of IT acceptance in the Chinese cultural context

Research on technology acceptance and diffusion is critical, providing insights into how organizations can manage the adoption and use of information technology. With globalization, it is important to understand IT adoption in other cultures. The primary purpose of this study is to enrich the understanding of IT acceptance by extending a U.S.-based research model to a different culture, namely China. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of e-mail users in 30 Chinese organizations. Structural equation modeling was used to validate the model and test the hypotheses. We draw comparisons between our findings and existing studies, and discuss theoretical and practical implications.
TANDEM: a trust-based agent framework for networked decision making

Team performance in networked decision making environments has been studied from many different perspectives. However, there are still many unanswered problems when it comes to understanding and quantifying the impact of individual differences of team players, their interpersonal relationships, team connectivity and complex interactions between these factors. In this paper, we present an agent framework that allows the manipulation of all these factors in a principled way. The agents in this framework can be connected through any network structure and can have different characteristics modeled in two dimensions of willingness and competence, which mirror beliefs for each other. Both nodes and links in the network can have differing capacity, modeled by agents' ability to accomplish tasks and their trust for each other. The trust can change as a function of network activity, leading to dynamic scenarios. The framework is implemented as an open source simulation package and is fully extensible. With the help of an information sharing scenario, we conduct a sensitivity analysis and demonstrate the impact of all components of the framework on various network outcomes. In particular, we illustrate that the model provides the ability to study many different trade-offs in team performance and interaction between different parameters.
Iraq Withdrawal Highlights the Need for Smart Power

JURIST Guest Columnist Kevin Govern of Ave Maria School of Law says that the pending withdrawal of US forces from Iraq and the challenges to maintaining security in that country and in the region requires a new strategy in dealing with the region to address security concerns amid likely cuts to the US defense budget.
A New Approach to Semi-Active Vibration Suppression using Adjustable Inertia Absorbers

Detuning is a common occurrence, which is widely seen in industry and brings sub par vibration suppression performance. This study introduces a semi-active retuning methodology that imparts optimum...
Enhancing Thermal Reconfiguration Speed for Silicon Photonics Applications

The reconfiguration speed of silicon photonic devices is enhanced by optimizing thin-film microheaters. We show theoretically and experimentally that narrower heaters, thinner buried oxide layers, and LPCVD SiN over-cladding can improve the reconfiguration speed.
Sex Pheromones of Noctuid Moths. IX. Isolation Techniques and Quantitative Analysis for the Pheromones, with Special Reference to that of Trichoplusia ni (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

General extraction and purification steps for sex pheromones of noctuid moths are outlined as derived from the specific case of Trichoplusia ni (Hubner). These include an ether extraction, a falling-film distillation, preparative thin-layer chromatography, and preparative gas-liquid chromatography. Operating parameters are given for these procedures. Collecting only abdomen tips gave a 4-fold purification over extracting whole moths. In the case of T. ni the distillation was carried out at 100°C (0.5 mm) and 140° (0.1 mm) and resulted in a 10-fold purification. Thin-layer chromatography of the pheromones of T. ni , Autographa californica (Speyer), and Heliothis virescens (F.) all resulted in R t 's of 0.30 to 0.50 on silica gel, using benzene as the developing solvent. The retention time for the pheromone of T. ni was determined for 4 different gas-liquid chromatography columns. The time of biological activity was correlated with the electrical response of a hydrogen flame detector. Criteria for the purity of a gas chromatogram are given. A procedure for quantitative analysis for the pheromone of T. ni is given. This analysis made use of an internal standard. Apparatus and procedures are given for the collection of sub-milligram amounts from a gas chromatograph.
The Effects of pH on the Isolated Heart of the Yellow Mealworm, Tenebrio molitor

Insect tissue has great plasticity which enables it to maintain its activity in very abnormal media. Nevertheless, information concerning the exact tolerance of insect tissue to various hydrogen-ion concentrations of saline solution is needed. Such information may establish the development of a more suitable insect physiological solution than is in use today. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation is to determine the tolerance of the larval heart of the mealworm, Tenebrio molitor L., to varying conditions of hydrogen-ion concentration, using a perfusion solution for this insect that was developed by the author (Butz 1957).
The American Institute of Accountants and the professionalization of auditing: The campaign to end temporary audit staff and promote the natural business year, 1923–1960:

This article examines the efforts of the American Institute of Accountants (AIA) to end audit firms’ reliance on temporary workers through promotion of the Natural Business Year (NBY). It is argued that the NBY campaign demonstrated leadership by the AIA to improve audit practice, in contrast to much of the profession’s history and to much accounting historical research. The article also adds to research on how firms choose a fiscal year-end. Consistent with prior studies, it is found that larger firms are more likely to use a December 31st year-end, and that the reluctance to switch to the NBY has always been based more on habit than empirical evidence.
Effectiveness evaluation of applying health management and disease management in community chronic non-communicable disease integrated intervention

Aim:To evaluate the effect of health management and disease management in community chronic non-communicable disease(NCD) integrated intervention,and explore working mechanism and management pattern of NCD integrated intervention that can sustainably develop at the basic level.Methods:The cluster sampling was adopted to select residents aged above 35 years and regular follow-up visiting was performed.Research of improving behavior and controlling the risk factors with group intervention and individual intervention was performed.Results:After intervention,the level of diastolic pressure(t = 0.540,P = 0.025),hypertension patient blood pressure control rate(χ2 = 16.819,P 0.001),high risk group proportion(χ2 = 46.891,P 0.001),new hypertension crowds proportion(χ2 = 20.390,P 0.001),smoking rate(χ2 = 3.904,P = 0.048),overweight obese crowd proportion(χ2 = 3.873,P = 0.049),NCD patient knowing rate(χ2 =50.798,P0.001),taking medicine rate(χ2 =9.466,P =0.002),controlling rate(χ2 =7.893,P =0.005),blood-fat abnormity rate of high risk group and NCD patients showed to be significantly declined(χ2 = 9.998,P = 0.002).The full proportion of physical training level of high risk group and NCD patients showed to be significantly improved(χ2 = 7.326,P = 0.007).Conclusion:Health management and disease management in community chronic non-communicable disease integrated intervention is feasible and effective.
Classification and acute management of thoracolumbar fractures

Successful management of traumatic injuries of the thoracolumbar spine requires understanding of the concepts of spinal stability and instability. There are numerous classifications of injury patterns based on fracture type and the probable forces involved. This article focuses on Denis's three-column theory of spinal stability and its utility in categorizing five injury patterns and the forces involved: specifically, wedge compression fractures, burst fractures, flexion distraction injuries, fracture dislocations, and miscellaneous injuries. The authors also highlight the acute management and evaluation of patients suspected to have these types of injuries.
Virtue Ethics and Animals

The expression ‘virtue ethics’ denotes a relatively loose tradition of ethical thinking that, in the West, stems from Aristotle (and to a lesser extent Plato) and, in the East, has identifiable roots in Chinese philosophy, particularly Confucianism. In more recent Western philosophy, virtue ethics became largely moribund after the Enlightenment (although was certainly the dominant approach before that), and stayed that way until it was revived, almost single-handedly, by Elizabeth Anscombe’s article ‘Modern moral philosophy’.1
Evolution of Pain Pathways

The human pain pathway evolved from an afferent representation of the physiological condition of the body, present in all vertebrates, that provides spinal and brainstem regions involved in homeostatic integration and autonomic control with modality-selective input from small-diameter primary afferent fibers by way of lamina I neurons. A direct lamina I spinothalamocortical pathway to insular cortex, phylogenetically unique to primates, maps the state of the body and leads to re-representations in the anterior insular cortex that, in humanoid primates, engenders subjective feelings of physical and emotional states (i.e., how we feel).
Whole Breast Radiation for Early Stage Breast Cancer

Many patients with early stage breast cancer will be candidates for breast conservation including adjuvant radiotherapy. In this setting, whole breast radiotherapy (WBRT) is the most commonly utilized approach. This can be accomplished with the patient in the supine or prone position, and the treatment course can range from 3 to 7 weeks in duration, depending on patient and tumor characteristics. Generally, 3–6 weeks elapse following lumpectomy before initiation of WBRT to allow postsurgical healing. In this chapter, we cover the basics of the whole breast radiotherapy treatment planning.
Analysis of MIMO Systems with Finite-Rate Channel State Information Feedback: A Source Coding Perspective

This paper employs a source coding approach to study the effects of finite-rate quantization of the channel state information on the performance of MIMO systems over flat fading channels. In our previous work, the finite-rate feedback-based communication system was formulated as a general fixed-rate vector quantization problem for the purposes of analysis. In this paper, the analysis is extended to deal with complex variables further facilitating its use for communication systems with feedback. As an extended application of the general distortion analysis, tight lower bounds on the capacity loss of MIMO systems due to the finite-rate channel quantization are provided in this paper. Based on the obtained analytical results, it is shown that the system capacity loss decreases exponentially with the ratio of the quantization rate to the total degrees of freedom of the source variable. Interestingly, it is also shown that when the number of beams used by the transmit pre-coder equals to half of the transmit antennas (but not the minimal number of transmit and receive antennas), the system has the maximum number of free parameters to quantize. Finally, numerical and simulation results are presented which further confirm the tightness of theoretical distortion bounds.
Salmonella Enterica Serovar Pomona Infection in Farmed Juvenile American Alligators (Alligator Mississippiensis)

A fatal epizootic of salmonellosis occurred in farmed juvenile American alligators in Louisiana. Six animals were examined. Gross lesions included severe fibrinonecrotizing enterocolitis, necrotizing splenitis, coelomic effusion, and perivisceral and pulmonary edema. Microscopic examination revealed severe necrotizing enterocolitis and splenitis with intralesional bacteria and pneumocyte necrosis with fibrin thrombi. Salmonella enterica serovar Pomona was isolated from intestine and lung. Clinical salmonellosis is a rare finding in reptiles and salmonellosis caused by S. Pomona is not previously reported in American alligators. Since S. Pomona is a commonly isolated Salmonella serotype from patients with reptile-associated salmonellosis in the United States, and since alligator meat is consumed and the skin is exported to numerous countries, risk of human and animal infection should be considered.
Full-dimensional quantum dynamics of rovibrationally inelastic scattering between CN and H2

We report six-dimensional (6D) potential energy surface (PES) and rovibrational scattering calculations for the CN-H2 collision system. The PES was computed using the high-level ab initio spin-restricted coupled-cluster with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations-F12B method and fitted to an analytic function using an invariant polynomial method in 6D. Quantum close-coupling calculations are reported for rotational transitions in CN by H2 and D2 collisions in 6D as well as four-dimensional (4D) within a rigid rotor model for collision energies of 1.0-1500 cm-1. Comparisons with experimental data and previous 4D calculations are presented for CN rotational levels j1 = 4 and 11. For the first time, rovibrational quenching cross sections and rate coefficients of CN (v1 = 1,j1 = 0) in collisions with para- and ortho-H2 are also reported in full-dimension. Agreement for pure rotational transitions is found to be good, but no experimental data on rovibrational collisional quenching for CN-H2 are available. Applications of the current rotational and rovibrational rate coefficients in astrophysical modeling are briefly discussed.
CHAPTER 15 – Logics for Commonsense Reasoning

This chapter reviews four important families—the situation calculus, the features and fluents framework, action languages, and the fluent calculus—discussing their relationship to the event calculus. The main difference between the situation calculus and the event calculus is that the situation calculus uses branching time, whereas the event calculus uses linear time. In the event calculus, there is a single time line on which events occur, and all events are considered to be actual events. In the situation calculus, time is represented by a tree, and each event may give rise to a different possible future; therefore, events are considered to be hypothetical events. A point in time is represented by a situation.
Beyond the Riemann Integral

To motivate the chapter, let us recapitulate the ‘Fundamental theorem of calculus’ for continuous functions on a closed interval (cf. 9.4.6).
The Catalytic Manganese Cluster: Protein Ligation

Water oxidation in Photosystem II (PS II) takes place under severe constraints. Because little surplus free energy is available, the midpoint potential of the (Mn)4 cluster must be tightly controlled to prevent it from increasing substantially as oxidizing equivalents are accumulated. In addition, the release of toxic, highly reactive intermediates of water oxidation must be minimized. To operate under these constraints, the reactivity of the (Mn)4-Ca2+-YZ complex is carefully controlled by its protein environment. This chapter describes the site-directed mutagenesis studies that have been undertaken to identify the amino acid residues that are responsible for this control. These residues include those that ligate the Mn and Ca2+ ions and those that influence the electron and proton transfer reactions of YZ and the (Mn)4-Ca2+ metal cluster. Most characterizations relied initially on non-invasive methods that were conducted in vivo. With improved methods for purifying PS II, characterizations increasingly involve newer developments in magnetic resonance, vibrational, and optical absorption spectroscopy. On the basis of the mutagenesis studies that are described in this chapter, possible ligands of the (Mn)4 cluster were proposed to include D1-Asp170, D1-His332, D1-Glu333, D1-His337 and D1-Asp342, plus the carboxyl-terminus of the D1 polypeptide at D1-Ala344. Possible ligands of the Ca2+ ion were proposed to include D1-Asp59, D1-Asp61 and D1-Asp342. In addition, D1-Glu189 was proposed to participate in a network of hydrogen bonds that facilitates electron transfer from the (Mn)4 cluster to YZ• during the higher S state transitions and D1-His190 was proposed to serve as the proton acceptor for YZ. The recent 3.2 A and 3.5 A X-ray crystallographic structural models of PS II support some of these proposals, but conflict with others, most notably the ligation of Ca2+ and the roles of D1-Glu189 and, in the 3.5 A structural model, the role of the carboxyl-terminus of the D1 polypeptide. Two surprising aspects of the structural models are that one Mn ion is ligated by both D1-Asp170 and D1-Glu333 and another is ligated by both D1-Glu189 and D1-His332. The properties of the D1-Asp170 and D1-Glu333 mutants differ markedly, as do the properties of the D1-Glu189 and D1-His332 mutants. The main points of agreement and disagreement between the mutagenesis studies and the recent X-ray crystallographic structural models are discussed.
A multidisciplinary effort to decrease time from admission to chemotherapy on an inpatient oncology unit.

96Background: Patients with established cancer diagnoses often experience delays in starting scheduled inpatient chemotherapy (CTX) after arrival on the University of Virginia (UVA) Medical Center oncology unit. These delays negatively impact hospital resource utilization. We formed a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, and pharmacists to investigate these delays. We aim to decrease time-to-CTX (TTC) by 30% from baseline. Methods: From 340 planned inpatient CTX encounters in calendar year 2015, 100 were randomly reviewed to establish baseline retrospective data. The following were collected for each encounter: patient demographics; oncologic diagnosis; admitting team; CTX regimen and cycle; procedures and urinary parameters required prior to CTX start; times of lab orders and results, CTX signature and release, and start of intravenous fluid (IVF), premedications, and CTX; unit census data; available nursing staff; and length of stay. With guidance from ASCO’s Quality Training Program, we constr...
Variations of Gaming Behaviors Across Populations of Students and Across Learning Environments

Although gaming the system, a behavior in which students attempt to solve problems by exploiting help functionalities of digital learning environments, has been studied across multiple learning environments, little research has been done to study how (and whether) gaming manifests differently across populations of students and learning environments. In this paper, we study the differences in usage of 13 different patterns of actions associated with gaming the system by comparing their distribution across different populations of students using Cognitive Tutor Algebra and across students using one of three learning environments: Cognitive Tutor Algebra, Cognitive Tutor Middle School and ASSISTments. Results suggest that differences in gaming behavior are more strongly associated to the learning environments than to student populations and reveal different trends in how students use fast actions, similar answers and help request in different systems.
Cardiovascular Early Careers: Past and Present.

This article examines the pathway of those pursuing early careers in the cardiovascular sciences, both past and present, highlighting new challenges and the roadblocks they present. This article emphasizes the need for multitasking in today’s academic environment and provides information about career training opportunities offered by the American Heart Association. During the past 10 years in academia, we have heard terms like early career and early-stage investigator with increasing frequency. During my doctoral work and postdoctoral training in the early 2000s, career stage, or status, was less concerning to bench scientists. Now, however, the scientific community has come to the consensus that systematic training is integral to doctoral and postdoctoral studies, as students and fellows try to balance the requirements of their discipline with the exigencies of modern-day scientific professionalism. According to the National Institutes of Health, an early-stage investigator is defined as “those who are within 10 years of completing his/her terminal research degree or … within 10 years of completing medical residency (or the equivalent).” After the introduction of policies designed to assist early-stage investigators who are competing for funding with more established investigators, the number of competing R01 awards offered to those meeting that definition has steadily increased. In addition, special scoring consideration has been afforded to this group, along with enhanced emphasis on their proposed research projects. In fact, discussions geared toward supporting early-career researchers are hinting that steps should be taken to reduce the amount of time trainees spend in graduate school and postdoctoral training. As Chair of the Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Early Career Committee, I am privileged to write this article about the extensive training opportunities provided to early careerists by the American Heart Association (AHA). Early careerists are the innovators who will bring new ideas and technologies to the fight against cardiovascular disease. …
NFCSim: A Dynamic Fuel Burnup and Fuel Cycle Simulation Tool

NFCSim is an event-driven, time-dependent simulation code modeling the flow of materials through the nuclear fuel cycle. NFCSim tracks mass flow at the level of discrete reactor fuel charges/discha...
Initiation of Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Black and White Women With Breast Cancer

Abstract Background Adjuvant endocrine therapy reduces risk of recurrence and mortality in women with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer, yet many women never initiate it. We examined the influence of race, sociocultural factors, and process-of-care factors on initiation of adjuvant endocrine therapy in a racially diverse sample. Patients and Methods Eligible women were originally recruited for the Narrowing the Gaps in Adjuvant Therapy Study (2006-2011). Sociocultural and process-of-care factors were collected via telephone surveys before adjuvant therapy. Clinical factors were abstracted from charts. Penalized LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) logistic regression model was used to identify variables associated with initiation. Results Of the 270 women, 55.6% were black and the rest were white. Most women (74.8%) initiated therapy. A significant interaction (P = .008) was found between race and age. Black women aged ≤ 50 years had the lowest initiation (59.7%) compared to black women > 50 years (87.1%), white women ≤ 50 years (73.7%), or white women > 50 years (72.0%). Multivariate analysis found that younger black women exhibited a marginally higher risk of noninitiation compared to older black women. Additionally, ratings of financial access, presence of comorbidities, and levels of communication were all associated with endocrine therapy initiation. Conclusion Black women ≤ 50 years of age and women with financial constraints may be important subgroups for interventions. Patient–provider communication appears to be an important leverage point to foster therapy uptake.
The retirement planning gap: A view from the public sector

How do public-sector workers assess their prospects for retirement? This article examines retirement planning at a public university in South Florida, where contemporary demographics mirror the nation's expected demographics in 2010. Like their private sector counterparts, our respondents believe quality of life at retirement will be favorable. Yet many respondents appear to be under-saving for retirement and fail to recognize that part-time employment is likely to be an integral part of their retirement experience. As expected, socioeconomic factors, particularly education, gender, and ethnicity, play a significant role in determining retirement planning and perceived quality of life in the “Golden Years.” Investment literacy is limited among many of our respondents, particularly females and minorities. This is critical in light of increased reliance on defined contribution pensions and possible reforms in Social Security.
Reading Fiction and Conceptual Knowledge: Philosophical Thought in Literary Context

Soulignant les diverses impressions philosophiques que peut laisser la lecture d'un livre de fiction, l'A. avance l'idee selon laquelle notre attitude face a une oeuvre de fiction revele notre quete de connaissance conceptuelle qui est une forme de l'activite philosophique. Se referant a la nouvelle de G. Paley intitulee «Wants», l'A. etudie le caractere litteraire de la recherche conceptuelle et rouvre le debat sur la question de la relation entre philosophie et litterature. Examinant les differents modeles de la fiction et de la connaissance conceptuelle, dont ceux de P. Lamarque et S. H. Olsen, l'A. souligne la dimension philosophique de la valeur litteraire et le contexte litteraire des processus de recherche
Continuous detection and recognition of actions of interest among actions of non-interest using a depth camera

This paper presents a human action recognition approach using a depth camera for situations when actions of interest are performed in a continuous and random manner among actions of non-interest. The developed approach first performs detection of actions of interest by separating actions of interest from actions of non-interest in an on-the-fly manner and then classifies the detected actions of interest. Skeleton joint positions from depth images are used to achieve the detection of actions of interest. Recognition of detected actions of interest is then achieved by fusing the outcome of two classifiers, one classifier using skeleton joint positions and the other classifier using depth images. A continuous dataset consisting of actions of interest associated with the smart TV application is collected and made publicly available. The results obtained by applying the developed approach to this dataset indicate its effectiveness in detecting and recognizing actions of interest from continuous data streams.
Glassy phases in organic semiconductors

Abstract Organic semiconductors may be processed from fluids using graphical arts printing and patterning techniques to create complex circuitry. Because organic semiconductors are weak van der Waals solids, the creation of glassy phases during processing is quite common. Because structural disorder leads to electronic disorder, it is necessary to understand these phases to optimize and control the electronic properties of these materials. Here we review the significance of glassy phases in organic semiconductors. We examine challenges in the measurement of the glass transition temperature and the accurate classification of phases in these relatively rigid materials. Device implications of glassy phases are discussed. Processing schemes that are grounded in the principles of glass physics and sound glass transition temperature measurement will more quickly achieve desired structure and electronic characteristics, accelerating the exciting progress of organic semiconductor technology development.
Proteases and Cyclic Nucleotides

Recent symposia and reviews (1–8) have attributed to proteases a significant role in regulation of physiological functions. Aside from the well-known function of general protein degradation, they also produce limited proteolysis which converts zymogens to active enzymes by the hydrolysis of a single peptide bond or of several bonds by sequential action. Much work over the past 10–15 years has been directed at the determination of a specific role for proteases in the regulation of normal cell growth, the functions of specialized cells, and in the control of tumor development, growth and metastases. The presence of a variety of protease inhibitors with varying types of specificity in plasma and cells of many tissues (8) points to a fine control of physiological functions for proteases.
Effects of testosterone on skeletal growth in lambs as assessed by labeling index of chondrocytes in the metacarpal bone growth plate.

The effects of testosterone on the epiphyseal growth plate of metacarpal bones of growing sheep were evaluated in 20 rams, 20 wethers, and 20 wethers receiving subcutaneous testosterone replacement therapy. Two animals from each testosterone treatment group were slaughtered at 14-d intervals from 49 to 133 d, and then at 28-d intervals until 217 d, for a total of 10 slaughter ages. Immediately after slaughter, the cannon bones were dissected of extraneous tissue, weighed, and their lengths measured. Growth plates from the metacarpal bones were isolated and explants were cultured for 24 h in medium containing [3H]thymidine. After autoradiography, labeling index was calculated as the ratio of labeled to total nuclei in the resting and proliferative zones of the growth plate. Testosterone increased (P < .03) weight and length of the metacarpal bone. Increased bone length due to testosterone was associated, in part, with a higher (P < .05) labeling index in chondrocytes of the proliferative zone of the growth plate. Labeling indices in the resting zone chondrocytes of rams were higher near the time of puberty. Accelerated growth followed by cessation of growth occurs concurrently with puberty in males of several species and is accompanied by an increase in the blood concentration of testosterone. Testosterone may mediate this accelerated growth by first increasing bone growth and then depleting the source of stem cells in the cartilage growth plate, the site where growth in length of long bones occurs.
Replication of Chromatin

The replication of the eukaryotic chromosome must necessarily be much more complicated than the corresponding process in prokaryotes. Not only must a vast amount of DNA be duplicated, but the specific structure of the whole nucleoprotein complex has to be reconstructed as well. In the preceding chapters, evidence has been presented that the arrangement and local modifications of at least a fraction of the nucleosomes on the genome play roles in determining the transcriptional capabilities of specific cell lines. Then we must conclude that such features are accurately copied in somatic cell division. Indeed, there is excellent evidence that such peculiarities as DNase “hypersensitive” sites are transmitted from parent to daughter chromatids (see Chapter 8). Furthermore, since there is evidence that differentiation of cell lines usually occurs at the point of cell division, this nucleoprotein structure must be mutable in some controlled fashion.
Bilirubin and Ischemic Stroke: Rendering the Current Paradigm to Better Understand the Protective Effects of Bilirubin.

Novel and innovative methods are critical in fostering new treatments and improving clinical outcomes in patients who suffer from ischemic stroke. Bilirubin has long been considered metabolic waste that can be harmful to the body; however, it is now becoming recognized as one of the body’s most potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective molecules. These properties facilitate bilirubin’s anti-atherogenic effects to impede and prevent the formation of thrombi in ischemic stroke. These functions allow for protection from neuronal injury during an ischemic state and suggest that elevated bilirubin levels may be linked to a lower rate of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, here we discuss the pathophysiology of stroke and the molecular properties of bilirubin to better understand their beneficial relationship. We outline clinical studies looking at the relationship between serum bilirubin levels and ischemic stroke prevalence. At this time, few studies have rigorously looked at the relationship between bilirubin and ischemic stroke, whether it is positive or negative. Thus, rigorous research is needed to provide evidence supporting the current studies, expand on these studies, and facilitate their translation to bedside therapy for patients who suffer from ischemic stroke.
Layout recognition attacks on split manufacturing

One technique to prevent attacks from an untrusted foundry is split manufacturing, where only a part of the layout is sent to the untrusted high-end foundry, and the rest is manufactured at a trusted low-end foundry. The untrusted foundry has front-end-of-line (FEOL) layout and the original circuit netlist and attempts to identify critical components on the layout for Trojan insertion. Although defense methods for this scenario have been developed, the corresponding attack technique is not well explored. For instance, Boolean satisfiability (SAT) based bijective mapping attack is mentioned without detailed research. Hence, the defense methods are mostly evaluated with the k-security metric without actual attacks. We provide the first systematic study, to the best of our knowledge, on attack techniques in this scenario. Besides of implementing SAT-based bijective mapping attack, we develop a new attack technique based on structural pattern matching. Experimental comparison with bijective mapping attack shows that the new attack technique achieves about the same success rate with much faster speed for cases without the k-security defense, and has a much better success rate at the same runtime for cases with k-security defense. The results offer an alternative and practical interpretation for k-security in split manufacturing.
Unjust precarity: contingent faculty and the introductory communication course

ABSTRACTThis essay focuses on the communication studies’ introductory course – classes dominated by contingent labor – to explore contingency within our disciplinary “front porch” (Beebe, S. A. (2013). Message from the president: Our ‘front porch’. Spectra, 49(2), 3. Retrieved from https://ecommons.udayton.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1501&context=bcca). Because contingent labor emerges through multiple institutional power dynamics, I extend Yep’s [(2016). Demystifying normatives in communication education. Communication Education, 65(2), 232–235. doi:10.1080/03634523.2015.1098711] call for a pedagogy of transformation that focuses on awareness, insight, and action to intervene in structures that relegate faculty in precarious positions to undervalued teaching roles. To create actionable solutions through a pedagogy of transformation requires a constant interrogation of structural practices that devalue contingent labor, including hierarchical norms around merit that place precarious scholars in alread...
Microfluidic Production of Pyrophosphate Catalyzed by Mineral Membranes with Steep pH Gradients.

Pyrophosphate might have functioned as an energy storage/currency molecule on early Earth, essential for the emergence of life. Here we synthesized mineral membranes involving iron(II), iron(III), and other divalent metal cations (calcium, manganese, cobalt, copper, zinc, and nickel) and tested their ability to catalyze the formation of pyrophosphate from phosphate and acetyl phosphate across steep pH gradients in microfluidic devices. We studied the chemical compositions of the precipitate membranes (which included vivianite, goethite, and green rust) using in situ and ex situ micro-Raman spectroscopy. The yields of pyrophosphate were determined by aqueous 31 P NMR spectroscopy. We found that Fe2+ and Ca2+ were the best catalysts for pyrophosphate synthesis among investigated ions; Fe3+ and mixed-valence iron membranes were also able to promote pyrophosphate formation. In addition, the pH gradients across the membranes affected the pyrophosphate yields and the smallest pH gradient resulted in the highest yield. These results suggest a possible route of substrate phosphorylation in prebiotic hydrothermal systems.
Perfluoro-tert-butyl, a reactive, neutral, electrophilic carbon-centered radical par excellence

Abstract Absolute rate constants for (CF3)3C• addition to terminal olefins increase by roughly a factor of 30 for every 1 eV decrease in the ionization potential (IP) of the alkene. A similar decrease in IP increases the rate of addition of CF3• and n-C3F7• by a factor of only 3 or 4. The perfluoro-tert-butyl radical is, therefore, the most electrophilic, neutral carbon-centered radical to have been studied to date.
Test coverage in python programs

We study code coverage in several popular Python projects: flask, matplotlib, pandas, scikit-learn, and scrapy. Coverage data on these projects is gathered and hosted on the Codecov website, from where this data can be mined. Using this data, and a syntactic parse of the code, we examine the effect of control flow structure, statement type (e.g., if, for) and code age on test coverage. We find that coverage depends on control flow structure, with more deeply nested statements being significantly less likely to be covered. This is a clear effect, which holds up in every project, even when controlling for the age of the line (as determined by git blame). We find that the age of a line per se has a small (but statistically significant) positive effect on coverage. Finally, we find that the kind of statement (try, if, except, raise, etc) has varying effects on coverage, with exception-handling statements being covered much less often. These results suggest that developers in Python projects have difficulty writing test sets that cover deeply-nested and error-handling statements, and might need assistance covering such code.
Smooth extension theorems for one variable maps

Abstract We characterize the real valued functions f defined on perfect subsets P of R which admit n-times differentiable extensions F : R → R . In this characterization no continuity of F ( n ) is imposed. In particular, it generalizes Jarnik's Extension Theorem, according to which f admits differentiable extension F : R → R if, and only if, f is differentiable. The new characterization is also closely related to the Whitney's Extension Theorem, which characterizes partial maps f admitting n-times differentiable extensions F : R → R with continuous nth derivative F ( n ) . We also provide an elegant description of a linear extension operator T n : C ( P ) → C ( R ) such that T n ( f ) ∈ D n ( R ) for every D n ( R ) -extendable f ∈ C ( P ) and T n ( f ) ∈ C n ( R ) whenever f ∈ C ( P ) is C n ( R ) -extendable.
Formality, typologies, and institutional design

This symposium presents a rich set of concepts, data, and testing of relationships regarding the apparent explosion of informal governance activities in world politics. The authors theorize and describe a wide variety of modes of informal governance. I summarize key contributions of this literature and suggest new paths for further research.