cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimal robust disturbance attenuation for continuous time‐varying systems

In this paper we consider the Optimal robust disturbance attenuation problem (ORDAP) for continuous time-varying systems subject to time-varying unstructured uncertainty. We show that for causal (possibly time-varying) continuous systems, ORDAP is equivalent to finding the smallest fixed point of a ‘two-disc’ type optimization problem under time-varying feedback control laws. Duality is applied in the context of nest algebra of causal stable systems, to prove existence of optimal continuous time-varying controllers. We also show that for time-invariant nominal plants, time-varying control laws offer no improvement over time-invariant feedback control laws. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nitrites and Nitrates

Nitrite and nitrate are no longer considered toxic food additives but rather indispensable nutrients that when consumed in the proper amounts are associated with clear health benefits. Mechanistically, the biological mechanism of action is through the metabolism and reduction of nitrate to nitrite by oral commensal bacteria and further reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide (NO) by mammalian enzyme systems. Nitrite and NO are important cell signaling molecules responsible for a number of physiological effects, including regulation of blood pressure, sexual function, exercise performance, energetics, and cognition. Understanding the nitrite and nitrate content of certain foods and diets will allow for safer and more efficacious nutritional guidelines for disease prevention and optimal health.
Metabolic rate, respiratory exchange ratio, and apneas during meditation

We tested the hypothesis that a drop in metabolic rate (MR) causes the apneas observed in some subjects during transcendental meditation (TM). We measured O2 consumption (VO2) and CO2 production (VCO2) in three groups of experienced meditators and one group of nonmeditating controls. Measurements were made before, during, and after TM for the meditators and before, during, and after eyes-closed relaxation for the nonmeditating controls. The three groups of meditators consisted of 1) those showing little change in the frequency of ventilation (f) with meditation, 2) those showing a marked decline in f, and 3) those showing numerous apneas and a marked fall in f. There were significant trial effects but no group or interaction effects for the decline in VO2. Thus we concluded that a drop in MR is not the cause of the apneas. However, there were significant trial and interaction effects for the changes in VCO2 and the respiratory exchange ratio (R), with a significant drop in R for the meditators but not for the controls. We report additional evidence and speculate that the drop in R is a consequence of mild hypoventilation.
Experimental and Computational Mechanistic Studies Guiding the Rational Design of Molecular Electrocatalysts for Production and Oxidation of Hydrogen

Understanding how to control the movement of protons and electrons is crucial to the design of fast, efficient electrocatalysts for H2 production and oxidation based on earth-abundant metals. Our work seeks to address fundamental questions about proton movement. We have demonstrated that incorporating a pendant amine functioning as a proton relay in the second coordination sphere of a metal complex helps proton mobility, resulting in faster and more energy-efficient catalysts. Proton-transfer reactions can be rate-limiting and are influenced by several factors, such as pKa values, steric effects, hydrogen bonding, and solvation/desolvation of the exogenous base and acid employed. The presence of multiple protonation sites introduces branching points along the catalytic cycle, making less productive pathways accessible or leading to the formation of stable off-cycle species. Using ligands with only one pendant amine mitigates this problem and results in catalysts with high rates for production of H2, altho...
Life is a Beech

The right of a corporate employee to get a free ride on the corporate jet - especially for nonbusiness purposes - is a popular, and costly fringe benefit. In 1984 and 1985, Congress and the Treasury fought over legislation and regulations that would tax the value of these free rides to the employees who took them. This article tells the story of that political fight, paying particular attention to the efforts of Robert Dole, then Senator from Kansas, a major hub of private plane manufacturers.
Pancreatic islet discrimination of hexose anomers. I. Steady-state computer simulation

Pancreatic islets detect glucose level by phosphorylating it and converting the glycolytic rate to a signal to secrete insulin. Insulin secretion is greater from the alpha- than from the beta-anomer when the D-glucose level is below 22 mM. D-mannose behaves similarly but at nearly twofold higher concentrations. Two explanations have been proposed: 1) glucokinase, which has the same anomeric preference, is the principal hexose phosphorylating enzyme and limits glycolytic rate. 2) Phosphofructokinase limits glycolysis and hexokinase is the principal enzyme phosphorylating hexose; hexosediphosphate activators of phosphofructokinase are more readily synthesized from alpha-anomers of hexose phosphates. We have simulated both alternatives with a detailed anomerically specific model of the hexose-metabolizing glycolytic enzymes. The pathway preference for alpha-anomer of both hexoses was adequately reproduced with anomerically active limiting glucokinase. The other mechanism did not reproduce the observed pathway preference.
Effects of hydroxyethyl starch, nimodipine, and propylene glycol on cochlear blood flow.

A primary goal of pharmacologic treatment for otopathologies of vascular origin is to elevate cochlear blood flow (CoBF), thus facilitating the transport of oxygen and nutrients without compromising perfusion pressure in other tissues. In the present investigation, significant increases in CoBF were measured during intra-arterial infusion of the plasma expanding agent, hydroxyethyline starch (HES), and the vasodilator nimodipine, in anesthetized adult male guinea pigs. There were no changes in systemic blood pressure during the infusion of HES or nimodipine. Intra-arterial infusion of propylene glycol (PG), which is used as a nonaqueous solvent, produced inconsistent CoBF effects accompanied by initial decreases in systemic blood pressure with subsequent increases. It is concluded that nimodipine and HES are very promising agents for inducing increases in CoBF, whereas PG produced inconsistent effects on CoBF while elevating blood pressure, thus compromising its potential usefulness in the treatment of ot...
Research Work in Turkey Raising

Abstract At the time of the last meeting of Poultry Science Association at Lafayette, August 21–24, 1928, there was an informal gathering of state poultry leaders interested in state turkey research work, and we were requested to secure as much information as possible concerning the amount and kind of research work being undertaken at the various state and provincial experiment stations. We were very glad to comply with the request because we felt that such an enquiry would tend to focus attention upon some of the more fundamental problems facing the turkey industry. Furthermore, we felt that a statement dealing with turkey research work would be the most effective method leading to a rehabilitation of tire turkey industry. Questionnaires were directed to all poultry leaders in the United States and Canada, and this article contains the more fundamental information brought out in replies to the questionnaire. It has developed, for . . .
Effects of Hypoxia Preconditioning on the LTP of Mice Hippocampal Slice

Objective :To study the effect of hypoxia preconditioning on LTP in the hippocampal slice.Methods:Mice were divided into 3 groups randomly and were exposed to hypoxia,respectively,for 4 runs(H4 group),1 run(H1 group) and 0 run(control group).The hippocampal slices were prepared and LTP were recoded after mice exposed to hypoxia.Schaffer lateral branch in CA3 region was simulated to record LTP of each group in CA1 region.Results:The probability of the induction of LTP in the CA1 region of H1 group was the lowest among three groups.The percentage of both A-PS and f-EPSP changes in hippocampal slices of group H0 and H4 was significantly higher than that in group H1(P0.01),but no difference was seen between group H0 and H4(P0.05).Conclusion:Hypoxia inhibiting the induction of LTP and hypoxia preconditioning can recover the induction.The change of synaptic plasticity may be involved in the protection of brain of hypoxia-preconditioned mice.
Bicultural Competence and the Latino 2.5 Generation: The Acculturative Advantages and Challenges of Having One Foreign-Born and One U.S.-Born Parent

The 2.5 generation refers to individuals who have one parent born in the United States and one born in another country. The presence of both native-born and foreign-born parents has the potential t...
Isolation and Characterization of a 4 S α2-β1-Glycoprotein of Normal Human Plasma

Abstract A 4 S α2-β1-glycoprotein was isolated from Cohn Fraction VI of pooled normal human plasma by chromatography on diethylaminoethyl- and carboxymethylcellulose, Sephadex A-50, and hydroxylapatite columns and by filtration through Sephadex G-100. The final preparation appeared homogeneous after starch gel and disc electrophoresis at pH 5.0 and 8.6. Physicochemical and chemical characterization of this plasma globulin revealed the following properties: molecular weight, approximately 60,000; sedimentation coefficient, 4.1 S; diffusion constant, 5.9 x 10-7 cm2·sec-1; frictional ratio, 1.50; axial ratio, approximately 8; electrophoretic mobility at pH 8.6, 3.9 x 10-5 cm2·sec-1·volt-1; isoelectric point at pH 4.0; and isoionic point at pH 4.9. The optical rotatory dispersion curve of the native protein revealed a trough with a maximum at 218 mµ. In 50% 2-chloroethanol, this maximum was shifted to approximately 232 mµ, whereas in 5 m urea the trough was noted at 211 mµ. The carbohydrate moiety accounted for approximately 30% of the total weight and consisted of neutral hexoses (galactose and mannose), glucosamine, sialic acid, and fucose. This glycoprotein contains one polypeptide chain as judged from terminal amino acid analyses (1 mole of carboxyl-terminal serine and 1 mole of amino-terminal arginine). The content of the 4 S α2-β1-glycoprotein in pooled normal human plasma was estimated to be approximately 20 mg/100 liters.
Results and Description of a Safe and Dependable Method of Percutaneous Renal Biopsy in Children

AbstractA safe and reliable technique of percutaneous renal biopsy in children is presented, with particular attention to the paracortical orientation of the needle under fluoroscopic guidance. If one adheres to these principles, the results will be gratifying to all.
Postsynaptic, not presynaptic NMDA receptors are required for spike-timing-dependent LTD induction

Long-term depression (LTD) between cortical layer 4 spiny stellate cells and layer 2/3 pyramidal cells requires the activation of NMDA receptors (NMDARs). In young rodents, this form of LTD has been repeatedly reported to require presynaptic NMDARs for its induction. Here we show that at this synapse in the somatosensory cortex of 2- to 3-week-old rats and mice, postsynaptic, not presynaptic NMDARs are required for LTD induction. First, we find no evidence for functional NMDARs in L4 neuron axons using two-photon laser scanning microscopy and two-photon glutamate uncaging. Second, we find that genetic deletion of postsynaptic, but not presynaptic NMDARs prevents LTD induction. Finally, the pharmacology of the NMDAR requirement is consistent with a nonionic signaling mechanism.
Purification of Native Complexes for Structural Study Using a Tandem Affinity Tag Method

Affinity purification approaches have been successful in isolating native complexes for proteomic characterization. Structural heterogeneity and a degree of compositional heterogeneity of a complex do not usually impede progress in conducting such studies. In contrast, a complex intended for structural characterization should be purified in a state that is both compositionally and structurally homogeneous as well as at a higher concentration than required for proteomics. Recently, there have been significant advances in the application of electron microscopy for structure determination of large macromolecular complexes. This has heightened interest in approaches to purify native complexes of sufficient quality and quantity for structural determination by electron microscopy. The Tandem Affinity Purification (TAP) method has been optimized to extract and purify an 18-subunit, ~ 0.8 MDa ribonucleoprotein assembly from budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) suitable for negative stain and electron cryo microscopy. Herein is detailed the modifications made to the TAP method, the rationale for making these changes, and the approaches taken to assay for a compositionally and structurally homogeneous complex.
Lack of interaction between ErbB2 and insulin receptor substrate signaling in breast cancer

ErbB2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase 2 (ErbB2, HER2/Neu) is amplified in breast cancer and associated with poor prognosis. Growing evidence suggests interplay between ErbB2 and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling. For example, ErbB2 inhibitors can block IGF-induced signaling while, conversely, IGF1R inhibitors can inhibit ErbB2 action. ErbB receptors can bind and phosphorylate insulin receptor substrates (IRS) and this may be critical for ErbB-mediated anti-estrogen resistance in breast cancer. Herein, we examined crosstalk between ErbB2 and IRSs using cancer cell lines and transgenic mouse models. MMTV-ErbB2 and MMTV-IRS2 transgenic mice were crossed to create hemizygous MMTV-ErbB2/MMTV-IRS2 bigenic mice. Signaling crosstalk between ErbB2 and IRSs was examined in vitro by knockdown or overexpression followed by western blot analysis for downstream signaling intermediates and growth assays. A cross between MMTV-ErbB2 and MMTV-IRS2 mice demonstrated no enhancement of ErbB2 mediated mammary tumorigenesis or metastasis by elevated IRS2. Substantiating this, overexpression or knockdown of IRS1 or IRS2 in MMTV-ErbB2 mammary cancer cell lines had little effect upon ErbB2 signaling. Similar results were obtained in human mammary epithelial cells (MCF10A) and breast cancer cell lines. Despite previous evidence suggesting that ErbB receptors can bind and activate IRSs, our findings indicate that ErbB2 does not cooperate with the IRS pathway in these models to promote mammary tumorigenesis.
The US Army Corps of Engineers Scalable Approach to Estimating Loss of Life from Flooding

Although flooding can lead to many types of severe consequences, the primary objective of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) dam and levee safety programs are to manage risk to the public who rely on those structures to keep them reasonably safe from flooding. Thus, reducing the risk associated with loss of life is paramount. USACE employs a scalable approach to estimating loss of life, where the goal is to invest an appropriate amount of resources to answer the question at hand. Given the large number of dams and levees within the USACE portfolio (over 700 dams and 15,000 miles of levees), a “one size fits all” approach does not work. Screening level risk assessments are carried out to initially characterize risk. That initial risk characterization informs prioritization of additional efforts such as interim risk management activities and more detailed risk assessments. More detailed risk assessments inform investment in long-term risk reduction measures, which include analysis and selection of major modification activities and implementation of non-structural measures including emergency management and evacuation planning. This paper describes the USACE scalable approach for estimating loss of life from flood events.
High-Resolution Integrin Molecular Tension Dynamics during Platelet Adhesion and Activation

Platelets are small disc-shaped cell fragments circulating in the bloodstream. Upon injury, platelets adhere and aggregate on injured subendothelium to form blood clots to stop bleeding. Irregular platelet adhesion and aggregation may cause acute coronary syndrome or other cardiovascular diseases. Membrane protein integrins mediate platelet adhesion and transmit tensions to activate platelets, therefore playing important roles in platelet functions. Nevertheless, cellular force study in platelets is very limited and integrin molecular tensions were never calibrated in platelets, presumably due to the 2∼3 µm size of platelets which is at the resolution limit of conventional cell traction force microscopy. Here we applied a novel molecular tension sensor and modulator named TGT (tension gauge tether) to study integrin tensions in platelets. TGT is a rupturable molecular linker with a programmable tension tolerance (Ttol). As a tension modulator, TGT globally restricts integrin tensions under the designed level of Ttol, enabling the study of integrin-tension dependency for a certain cellular function. As a tension sensor, TGT maps integrin tensions by fluorescence with a spatial resolution of 0.2 µm, ten times higher than conventional methods. Using TGT, we determined that platelet adhesion and spreading requires integrin tension lower than 12 pN, a force much less than the ∼40 pN integrin tension required by regular mammalian cell adhesion. This surprising result suggests that platelets have extraordinary adhesion and spreading ability which might be beneficial for the rapid response of platelets to injuries. We also monitored calcium oscillation in platelets to confirm that platelets are activated at this low integrin tension level. Next, using TGT as a tension sensor, we provided the high-resolution (0.2 µm) integrin tension map for platelet adhesion for the first time. Real-time tension mapping shows that integrin tensions at a high level (>54 pN) are initially concentrated in one or two micron-sized punctate regions upon platelet adhesion. After full platelet spreading, these integrin tensions spread out to the entire platelet-substrate interface and the tension level decreases into the range of 12∼54 pN. These high integrin tensions are not required for platelet adhesion and activation, but may be required for platelet contraction, as these tensions were abolished by myosin II inhibition without compromising platelet adhesion and activation. Overall, our research has initiated the biomechanical study of platelets at the molecular tension level, and revealed a rich dynamics of integrin tensions in platelets.
StAdHyTM: A Statically Adaptive Hybrid Transactional Memory: A scalability study on large parallel graphs

In this paper, we present a Statically Adaptive Hybrid Transactional Memory (StAdHyTM) that outperforms not only existing Hardware TM (HTM) and Software TM (STMs) but also common synchronization schemes such as locks. StAdHyTM is statically tuned to adapt to the application behavior to improve the performance. We focus in particular on large parallel graph applications. Our StAdHyTM implementation outperforms coarse-grain locks by up to 8.1× and STM by up to 2.6× in total execution time for computation kernel in the SSCA-2 benchmark. It also outperforms HTM by up to 2.1× on a 28-cores and 64GB machine. We tested large graphs of up to 268 million vertices and 2.147 billion edges on a 64-core and 128 GB machine. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first scalability study of synchronizations involving all the TM implementations- HTM, STM, HyTM, and Adaptive HyTM.
Who Favors al-Qaeda? Anti-Americanism, Religious Outlooks, and Favorable Attitudes toward Terrorist Organizations

This study examines why ordinary people sympathize with a terrorist network in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Holding literalist religious outlook resonating with al-Qaeda’s marginal interpretation of Islam constant, it is maintained that anti-Americanism and its varieties matter a great deal in explaining attitudes toward al-Qaeda. Using Pew Global Attitudes Surveys conducted in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia, the authors run conditional mixed process estimations combining seemingly unrelated regressions with selection models to account for the missing values and endogeneity problems. The analysis reveals significant variation both cross-nationally and in the effects of varieties of anti-Americanism on favorability of al-Qaeda. While the dislike of certain aspects of American culture generates sympathy toward al-Qaeda, anti-Americanism as a general attitude does not. More interestingly, dislike of American democracy, technology, and policy has either negative or no effect on favorable views...
Why Central and Eastern Europe Needs a Pay Rise

This working paper looks at wage developments in central and eastern Europe (CEE) over the past twenty years and shows that wages are not only low compared to western Europe but, as demonstrated by a number of variables, also tend to be lower than what the economic potential of these countries would allow for. It demonstrates that from the mid-90s until the crisis in 2008, wages in these countries caught up with wages in western Europe, but then came to a halt or even slowed down substantially.
How to eliminate flutter in flow structure interactions

An appearance of utter in oscillating structures is an endemic phenomenon. Most common causes are vibrations induced by the moving flow of a gas which is interacting with the structure. Typical examples include: turbulent jets, vibrating bridges, oscillating facial palate in the onset of apnea.
The Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Huricain Katrina was a natural disaster that had a negative response on the political, economical, sociological and evironmental affects in America. In light of what happened, the levies should be rebuilt to become more secure, land sites should be cleaned up and small shops, restaurants and an historical museum should be made to perserve New Orleans culture. Many contributions should be made to recreate the atmosphere that was lost by Hurricane Katrina by many toursist who would visit this historic site to have a memorable experience of New Orleans culture.
Intramolecular C–H Activation Reactions of Ru(NHC) Complexes Combined with H2 Transfer to Alkenes: A Theoretical Elucidation of Mechanisms and Effects of Ligands on Reactivities

Recent experimental studies have identified Ru(II) NHC complexes that are highly reactive in the tandem intramolecular C(sp3)–H activation of an N-alkyl substituent to form a metallacycle and transfer hydrogenation of alkenes. These complexes are promising candidates for tandem catalytic processes that depend on a reversible uptake of hydrogen (“borrowing hydrogen catalysis”). We have elucidated the reaction mechanisms by density functional theory calculations and investigated ligand effects on reactivity. The reaction of ruthenium dihydride complex [Ru(H)2(NHC)(CO)(PPh3)2] (1) with ethylene occurs via dissociative ligand exchange to replace one of the phosphine ligands with ethylene, followed by hydride migration and reductive elimination to form a Ru(0) intermediate. Subsequent C–H activation occurs via an oxidative addition mechanism. Bulkier NHC and phosphine ligands facilitate the dissociation of phosphine, which leads to a lower overall barrier. In addition, the N-iPr substituted NHC ligand promotes...
Abstract 515: Comparison of Aging and Disturbed Flow Effects on Arterial Wall Biomechanics

Introduction: Arterial stiffness is an age related disease that doubles ones cardiovascular mortality and functions as an intermediary step in the formation of atherosclerosis. We have recently dem...
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Barriers to Kidney Transplant Evaluation among Hemodialysis Patients.

Background Only a small percentage of dialysis patients receive a transplant and this is particularly the case for racial/ethnic minorities. Our objective was to identify barriers to initial transplant evaluation in our dialysis centers. Methods We conducted a survey of adult hemodialysis patients from 4 dialysis units in the Denver Metro area in 2016. Participants completed an 11-item survey with demographic information and questions regarding time on dialysis, if a provider ever spoke to them about transplant, and whether they had been evaluated for a transplant. Reasons for not having an evaluation were explored. Descriptive statistics, chi-square analyses, and multivariate analyses were used to examine the responses. Results A total of 167 patients completed the survey (response rate 63.9%). The majority of participants were male and were Hispanic (49%) or Non-Hispanic black (31.7%). Of these, 140 patients (84.0%) reported discussing kidney transplantation with their doctor but only 53% reported having a transplant evaluation. After adjustment for age, gender, and time on dialysis, significantly fewer blacks reported having an evaluation than Non-Hispanic whites or Hispanics (43.4 vs. 57.7% [whites] and 59.7% [Hispanics], p = 0.03). The most frequent responses of the patients who had not been evaluated were the following: not referred by their provider (46%), did not know how to proceed (43.4%), or did not understand the benefits (39.5%) or transplant process (38.2%). Compared to Non-Hispanic whites, blacks and Hispanics reported less understanding of the benefits and process of transplant. Conclusion Timely referral by providers and improved kidney transplantation education may reduce disparities in access to kidney transplantation.
The Ratio of Nasal Cannula Gas Flow to Patient Inspiratory Flow on Trans-nasal Pulmonary Aerosol Delivery for Adults: An in Vitro Study.

Trans-nasal aerosol deposition during distressed breathing is higher than quiet breathing, and decreases as administered gas flow increases. We hypothesize that inhaled dose is related to the ratio of gas flow to patient inspiratory flow (GF:IF). An adult manikin (Laerdal) with a collecting filter placed at trachea was connected to a dual-chamber model lung, which was driven by a ventilator to simulate quiet and distressed breathing with different inspiratory flows. Gas flow was set at 5, 10, 20, 40 and 60 L/min. Albuterol (2.5mg in 1 mL) was nebulized by vibrating mesh nebulizer at the inlet of humidifier at 37 °C for each condition (n = 3). Drug was eluted from the filter and assayed with UV spectrophotometry (276 nm). GF:IF was the primary predictor of inhaled dose (p 1.0 (21.8 ± 3.8% vs. 9.0 ± 3.7%, p < 0.001), and the inhaled dose was similar between quiet and distressed breathing (22.3 ± 5.0% vs. 21.3 ± 2.7%, p = 0.379). During trans-nasal aerosol delivery, GF:IF primarily affected the inhaled dose. Compared to the ratio above 1.0, the ratio below 1.0 produced a higher and more-consistent inhaled dose.
Open-Endedness for the Sake of Open-Endedness.

Natural evolution keeps inventing new complex and intricate forms and behaviors. Digital evolution and genetic algorithms fail to create the same kind of complexity, not just because we still lack ...
Effects of temperature and ammonium on larval development and survivorship in a scleractinian coral (Diploria strigosa)

Increases in ambient water temperature on coral reefs around the world, along with regional nutrient enrichment, have been a growing concern in coral reef ecology. We studied the effects of seawater temperature and ammonium concentrations on the azooxanthellate planular larvae of Diploria strigosa Dana, 1846 (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) over a period of 9 days. We did this to determine whether increases in these environmental variables affect coral larval development and survival. Settlement frequencies were also examined. Larvae were placed in water baths at 28°C, 30°C, and 32°C (ambient temperature at time of sampling was ~29°C). Larvae in 30°C and 32°C suffered approximately 50% and 70% greater mortality, respectively, than those at 28°C. At each of the three temperatures, separate groups of larvae were exposed to a 20 µM l–1 concentration of NH4 + (as NH4Cl), a concentration similar to that measured on certain reefs in the Florida Keys. Seawater temperatures of 30–32°C slowed or halted development in the later stages of larval development. At 32°C, time spent by larvae in a swimming/searching mode was observed to be higher than that at 28°C or 30°C. In the 28°C and 30°C treatments, D. strigosa planulae exhibited phototactic responses similar to those of other scleractinian corals – positively phototactic initially and then negatively so after ≥50 h; at seawater temperatures of 32°C, planulae became immediately negatively phototactic. In general, an increase in the seawater temperature caused a significant decrease in ciliary activity (motility) and rate of settlement in the larvae in a manner proportional to temperature. The presence of ammonium also caused a significant decrease in these variables, and these effects were additive with respect to those of increased temperature. The lack of symbiotic algae (which can assimilate ammonia) may have contributed to the observed increased mortality levels under conditions of enriched NH4 +. Calculation of isochrons (distances which a larva may traverse within a given period of time) for planulae exposed to conditions of increased temperature and/or ammonium concentrations suggests that a resultant decrease in larval longevity could potentially decrease distance of larval dispersal.
Multilevel objective measures of interaural phase difference detection

Sensitivity to interaural phase difference (IPD) cues is critical for localizing sound and hearing in background noise. Recent work from multiple laboratories has explored electrophysiologic methods for assaying IPD sensitivity with the aim of developing an objective measure of binaural hearing. Such a measure would be useful in a variety of clinical and research applications such as understanding the effects of aging on binaural hearing; fine-tuning hearing aids/cochlear implants to maximize binaural benefit; and assessing neural damage after a traumatic brain injury. Here, we present data from an ongoing study evaluating a novel “multi-level” (brainstem, midbrain, and cortex) simultaneous measure of IPD acuity. Amplitude modulated (20, 40, and 80 AM) carrier tones (125, 250, and 500 Hz) with IPDs embedded in them (7 deg–180 deg) were used to generate auditory evoked potentials in young, normal hearing listeners. Neural responses corresponding to the carrier tones (frequency following responses), amplitude modulation envelopes (envelope following responses), and cortical change detection (acoustic change complex) were measured simultaneously to provide a multi-level snapshot of neural IPD processing. Parametric data presented here demonstrate feasibility and limitations of this approach for measuring IPD encoding at multiple levels of the auditory system.
Heart Rate Complexity in US Army Forward Surgical Teams During Pre Deployment Training.

Introduction For trauma triage, the US Army has developed a portable heart rate complexity (HRC) monitor, which estimates cardiac autonomic input and the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. We hypothesize that autonomic/HPA stress associated with predeployment training in U.S. Army Forward Surgical Teams will cause changes in HRC. Materials and methods A prospective observational study was conducted in 80 soldiers and 10 civilians at the U.S. Army Trauma Training Detachment. Heart rate (HR, b/min), cardiac output (CO, L/min), HR variability (HRV, ms), and HRC (Sample Entropy, unitless), were measured using a portable non-invasive hemodynamic monitor during postural changes, a mass casualty (MASCAL) situational training exercise (STX) using live tissue, a mock trauma (MT) STX using moulaged humans, and/or physical exercise. Results Baseline HR, CO, HRV, and HRC averaged 72 ± 11b/min, 5.6 ± 1.2 L/min, 48 ± 24 ms, and 1.9 ± 0.5 (unitless), respectively. Supine to sitting to standing caused minimal changes. Before the MASCAL or MT, HR and CO both increased to ~125% baseline, whereas HRV and HRC both decreased to ~75% baseline. Those values all changed an additional ~5% during the MASCAL, but an additional 10 to 30% during the MT. With physical exercise, HR and CO increased to >200% baseline, while HRV and HRC both decreased to 40 to 60% baseline; these changes were comparable to those caused by the MT. All the changes were P Conclusions Various forms of HPA stress during Forward Surgical Team STXs can be objectively quantitated continuously in real time with a portable non-invasive monitor. Differences from resting baseline indicate stress anticipating an impending STX whereas differences between average and peak responses indicate the relative stress between STXs. Monitoring HRC could prove useful to field commanders to rapidly and objectively assess the readiness status of troops during STXs or repeated operational missions. In the future, health care systems and regulatory bodies will likely be held accountable for stress in their trainees and/or obliged to develop wellness options and standardize efforts to ameliorate burnout, so HRC metrics might have a role, as well.
Health Counseling by Robots: Modalities for Breastfeeding Promotion

Conversational humanoid robots are being increasingly used for health education and counseling. Prior research provides mixed indications regarding the best modalities to use for these systems, including user inputs spanning completely constrained multiple choice options vs. unconstrained speech, and embodiments of humanoid robots vs. virtual agents, especially for potentially sensitive health topics such as breastfeeding. We report results from an experiment comparing five different interface modalities, finding that all result in significant increases in user knowledge and intent to adhere to recommendations, with few differences among them. Users are equally satisfied with constrained (multiple choice) touch screen input and unconstrained speech input, but are relatively unsatisfied with constrained speech input. Women find conversational robots are an effective, safe, and non-judgmental medium for obtaining information about breastfeeding.
Tax Theory and Feral AI

Federal income tax law and theories that undergird it have not fully addressed the status of non-human earners, like animals or artificial intelligences. Scholarship on artificial intelligence and taxation primarily has focused on the taxation of AI’s owners, on whether AI itself should be taxed despite being owned by someone else, or on the philosophical question of taxing sentient AI. Thinking about tax in the context of AI that is neither owned by a person nor sentient, referred to here as “feral AI,” allows us to identify human biases in theoretical justifications of the income tax and to consider whether they are features or bugs. Specifically, this essay uses non-sentient feral AI as a vehicle to explore the benefit principle and welfarist theories, and suggests ways in which those ideas may produce less than ideal results in the context of taxpayers whom heuristics may cause us to dehumanize. The goal of this essay is not to suggest that feral AI should be subject to an income tax. Rather, it asks whether re-examining the tax policy canon in the context of feral AI reveals anything about human-centricity in tax law. The essay concludes that heavy reliance on human preferences in both the benefit principle and welfarist theories produces a poor fit when human preferences are weak, such as disposition of the last-earned dollars of the ultra-wealthy, or when human preferences are delegitimized by the government, such as those of marginalized groups like undocumented workers. Adopting a non-human point of view in tax policy, then, can inform our thinking about taxation outside the boundaries of what humans perceive to be the norm.
Prospective observational trial of low-dose skin electron therapy in mycosis fungoides using rotational technique.

e22077Background: Low dose total skin electron therapy (TSET) utilizing 12 Gy in 12 fractions has been shown to provide a durable treatment response for dermal lesions caused by mycosis fungoides s...
PALM: Patient-centered Treatment Ranking via Large-scale Multivariate Network Meta-analysis

Abstract The growing number of available treatment options have led to urgent needs for reliable answers when choosing the best course of treatment for a patient. As it is often infeasible to compare a large number of treatments in a single randomized controlled trial, multivariate network meta-analyses (NMAs) are used to synthesize evidence from existing trials of a subset of the available treatments, where outcomes related to both efficacy and safety are considered simultaneously. However, these large-scale multiple-outcome NMAs have created challenges to existing methods due to the increasingly complexity of the unknown correlation structures between different outcomes and treatment comparisons. In this paper, we proposed a new framework for PAtient-centered treatment ranking via Large-scale Multivariate network meta-analysis, termed as PALM, which includes a parsimonious modeling approach, a fast algorithm for parameter estimation and inference, a novel visualization tool for comparing treatments with multivariate outcomes termed as the star plot, as well as personalized treatment ranking procedures taking into account the individual’s considerations on multiple outcomes. In application to an NMA that compares 14 treatment options for labor induction over five modalities, we provided a comprehensive illustration of the proposed framework and demonstrated its computational efficiency and practicality. Our analysis leads to new insights on comparing these 14 treatment options based on joint inference of multiple outcomes that cannot be obtained from univariate NMAs, and novel visualizations of evidence to support patient-centered clinical decision making.
The Gothic and the "Southern Lady": Catherine Warfield's The Household of Bouverie

Despite the claim that The Household of Bouverie; or, The Elixir of Gold (1860) is “By a Southern Lady,” the novel lacks many of the markers that we have come to associate with southern literature, at least until its later sections. This essay examines Bouverie’s shifting relationship to region, focusing on the role that the Gothic plays in telling a story of spousal abuse that simultaneously indicts the institution of slavery. While it is unlikely that this “southern lady”—writing on the eve of the Civil War—intended to critique the “peculiar institution,” slavery’s ghosts haunt her novel nonetheless.
Mind the gap: Understanding public relations competence in the eyes of practitioners and the dominant coalition

Abstract A survey (N = 177) of public relations professionals and C-Suite managers within a global organization provided an empirical test of the Theory of Public Relations Competence (Hazleton, 2006). Results demonstrate the impact of differing levels professional experience for a public relations practitioner. The C-Suite (non-communicator management) view of public relation competence revealed a gap, underestimating both technician and manager skill by approximately 25 %. When assessing competence in career practitioners compared to collateral duty party time personnel, the dominant coalition rated the practitioners significantly higher.
Introduction: decolonizing French food

What are the conceptual, cultural, and economic stakes involved in thinking literature and foodways as intertwined? Theorizing food in this way fosters an interdisciplinary, intersectional approach...
Nutrition Risk Screening and Stratification

Nutritional risk is one of the key modifiable risk factors involved in major elective surgery. Stratifying patients according to their nutritional risk, while of critical importance, is often not done or done incompletely. Varied and often invalidated methods of screening patients for nutritional risk exist, adding confusion to the many reasons behind why patients are not adequately screened and optimized prior to surgery. The current literature supporting nutritional risk stratification in both malnourished and nourished patients is discussed, along with screening tools that are recommended by the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Capillarity in porous media

The phenomena described here are of considerable practical importance and theoretical interested and would have, we believe, fascinated Professor Raymond Defay because they originate from capillary forces active in porous media. Professor Defay would have immediately understood the mechanism responsible for the creation of foam within porous media (Section II) and he would have appreciated the need for understanding thin films and perhaps even contributed to our understanding of those areas which are now confusing (Section III). It is for these reasons that we have elected to discuss in this symposium our current research on foams in porous media.
Abiotic reductive dechlorination of cis -DCE by ferrous monosulfide mackinawite

Cis-1,2,-dichloroethylene (cis-DCE) is a toxic, persistent contaminant occurring mainly as a daughter product of incomplete degradation of perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE). This paper reports on abiotic reductive dechlorination of cis-DCE by mackinawite (FeS1−x ), a ferrous monosulfide, under variable geochemical conditions. To assess in situ abiotic cis-DCE dechlorination by mackinawite in the field, mackinawite suspensions prepared in a field groundwater sample collected from a cis-DCE contaminated field site were used for dechlorination experiments. The effects of geochemical variables on the dechlorination rates were monitored. A set of dechlorination experiments were also carried out in the presence of aquifer sediment from the site over a range of pH conditions to better simulate the actual field situations. The results showed that the suspensions of freshly prepared mackinawite reductively transformed cis-DCE to acetylene, whereas the conventionally prepared powder form of mackinawite had practically no reactivity with cis-DCE under the same experimental conditions. Significant cis-DCE degradation by mackinawite has not been reported prior to this study, although mackinawite has been shown to reductively transform PCE and TCE. This study suggests feasibility of using mackinawite for in situ remediation of cis-DCE-contaminated sites with high S levels such as estuaries under naturally achieved or stimulated sulfate-reducing conditions.
The pan-genome as a shared genomic resource: mutual cheating, cooperation and the black queen hypothesis

Cells have long been recognized as life’s building blocks (e.g., Virchow’s dictum “omnis cellula e cellula,” Virchow, 1860). Specifically, a cell’s genome is considered the repository of genetic information that pairs with the cellular machinery to determine the organism’s phenotype. Except for rare circumstances, themajority of a genome is passed on from ancestor to descendant, although the acquisition of genes from organisms that are not direct ancestors is recognized to play an important role in evolution (Swithers et al., 2012). Jeffrey Lawrence, in discussing minimal genome size proposed a meta-cell model (Lawrence, 1999), in which many micelles (small vesicles containing resources, products, and genes) exchange genes frequently. Genes temporarily reside in a micelle and direct the synthesis of compounds important for replication. A micelle only can replicate when all compounds necessary for division have been generated. However, at each point in time only a fraction of the necessary genes are present in an individual micelle. This model relies on gene transfer being so frequent that each of the genes that encode necessary functions visits the individual micelles often enough to allow for sufficient synthesis of the necessary gene products for future micelle divisions. The meta-cell can be considered an organism, whose genome is divided into a network of micelles. Lawrence’s metacell model is reminiscent of Woese’s progenote (Woese, 1998) and Kandler’s pre-cell populations (Kandler, 1994) that were postulated to have existed early in evolution before genes coalesced into genomes.
Dynamic Multi-Heuristic A*

Many motion planning problems in robotics are high dimensional planning problems. While sampling-based motion planning algorithms handle the high dimensionality very well, the solution qualities are often hard to control due to the inherent randomization. In addition, they suffer severely when the configuration space has several ‘narrow passages’. Search-based planners on the other hand typically provide good solution qualities and are not affected by narrow passages. However, in the absence of a good heuristic or when there are deep local minima in the heuristic, they suffer from the curse of dimensionality. In this work, our primary contribution is a method for dynamically generating heuristics, in addition to the original heuristic(s) used, to guide the search out of local minima. With the ability to escape local minima easily, the effect of dimensionality becomes less pronounced. On the theoretical side, we provide guarantees on completeness and bounds on suboptimality of the solution found. We compare our proposed method with the recently published Multi-Heuristic A* search, and the popular RRT-Connect in a full-body mobile manipulation domain for the PR2 robot, and show its benefits over these approaches.
Surface waves and surface resonances in heavy-ion reactions

The relations between surface waves, rainbows and refractive shadows are examined. These all appear to be Regge-pole phenomena, which seem to play a major dynamical role in heavy-ion transfer reactions and backward-hemisphere α-scattering.
“Hard Core” Acetyl Coenzyme-A Carboxylase

Diseases involving unregulated cell reproduction, (i.e. cancer) can be inhibited through acetyl coenzyme-A carboxylase (ACC) manipulation, preventing the lipid production that is imperative for cell survival. ACC catalyzes the first step in the fatty acid biosynthesis. ACC contains two dimers, biotin carboxylase (BC) and carboxyltransferase (CT), and a monomer, biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP). Though BC, CT, and BCCP are separate proteins in prokaryotes, they are linked in a single unit within a eukaryotic cell. BCCP contains two sets of four parallel β sheets and a core of hydrophobic residues, both of which stabilize it. Due to its symmetry BCCP can be described as a capped β sandwich. In fatty-acid biosynthesis, BCCP oscillates between the BC and CT domains to carboxylate biotin at the N1 site on the BCCD region. The surface of BCCP is interspersed with charged amino acids, arginine and lysine which are positive, and aspartate and glutamine which are negative. BC contains three domains: a centra...
Enterprise 2.0 Collaboration for Collective Knowledge and Intelligence Applications

This paper describes an enterprise system implemented to support ad-hoc collaborative processes in a largescale Department of Defense experiment that integrated civil authorities, coalition nations, and non-governmental agencies in a mock international crisis. The deployed system was a commercial service-oriented architecture that provided XML-based web services that supported user-initiated and self-managed collaborative functions, and virtual workspaces within which participants could create and secure communities of interest. Assessed is the degree to which cooperative tools and processes can be specified given the inevitability of ad-hoc information processes and emergent communications.