cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effects of X or neutron irradiation, India ink blockade, or splenectomy on innate immunity against Trypanosoma duttoni in mice.

Infection of Trypanosoma duttoni in mice and of T. lewisi in rats was studied in animals injured to varying degrees by different procedures. The effect of injury on the level of innate immunity of the host was measured by changes in either or both the percentage of young and dividing forms in the parasite population and parasitemia. The trypanosome infection in groups of mice exposed to large acute doses of x rays (550 r, 650 r, and 750 r) of fission neutrons (350 rads and 330 rads) one day before infection was characterized by a progressively increasing percentage of division forms and a very high parasitemia. In spleen-shielded animals exposed to 550 r, the percentage of division forms was similar to that of irradiated controls until immunity was developed. Neither splenectomy nor spleen irradiation resulted in an increase in either reproductive activity or parasitemia. India ink blockade resulted in an elevated number of division forms early in the infection but had no effect on parasitemia. When blockade was combined with x rays the action was additive. In irradiated (600 r) rats the initial level of reproductive activity of T. lewisi was not affected but the resultant parasitemia was abnormally high.more » It is concluded that innate immunity to reproductive activity was decreased by injury to the lymphoid- macrophage systems whereas trypanocidal activity was decreased only when the host was more extensively injured. (auth)« less
Regulation of oogenesis, female specific protein production, and male and female reproductive gland development by juvenile hormone in the butterfly,Nymphalis antiopa

The role of the juvenile hormone (JH) in the regulation of oogenesis and the development of the male and female reproductive glands in the butterflyNymphalis antiopa was examined by means of classical endocrine methodology. The use of neck ligatures and allatectomies, with or without injections of compounds with high JH activity, demonstrated that JH is required for: 1) oogenesis and colleterial gland development in posteclosion adult females, and 2) tubular gland-ejaculatory duct and accessory gland enlargement in posteclosion adult males. Additionally, disc gel electrophoretic studies of hemolymph from males and females in several different physiological states, and of homogenates of mature oocytes indicated that JH is required for the normal presence in gravid female hemolymph of an apparent vitellogenin.
On non-exponential unimolecular dissociation of molecules prepared by vibrational overtone excitation

Abstract The sensitivity of vibrational overtone excitation experiments to non-RRKM behavior is considered. It is proposed that the experimental results are not inconsistent with intrinsically non-RRKM unimolecular lifetime distribution.
Women's selection of careers in engineering: Do traditional-nontraditional differences still exist?

Abstract This study compared background and motivational factors of high-achieving college women in engineering, science, and humanities and social sciences (HSS) on factors affecting career choice. Areas of investigation included family composition and parental characteristics, childhood socialization, sources of support for career choice, and work characteristics. Significant differences were found only in sources of support and work characteristics. Engineering majors perceived stronger support of their career choice from both parents than did other majors. Both science and engineering majors reported salary and availability of jobs in their fields to be a stronger influence than HHS majors. HHS majors reported stronger support in their career choice from college professors and friends of the same sex. Results are discussed in terms of the current similarity of women choosing traditional and nontraditional careers when level of achievement is comparable. The continued viability of the traditional-nontraditional dimension as a measure of career commitment is discussed.
UNDERESTIMATION OF STANDING CROP BY THE SURBER SAMPLER1

Before the flow of water from Jackson Lake into the Snake River was stopped by closure of a dam, invertebrates were collected in five Surber samples from a downstream riffle. After the water had receded from the riffle, five 0.093-m2 areas of the exposed streambed substrate were hand-collected and the invertebrates removed. Predrawdown samples contained 4,286 invertebrates weighing 6.3 g while postdrawn samples contained 15,490 weighing 13.6 g. Large differences between submerged and exposed samples resulted from passage of smaller insects through the fine mesh of the Surber sampler and from backwash created by the sampler.
Synthesis of aldoxime analogs of arecoline as reactivators of organophosphorus inhibited cholinesterase

A series of arecoline-like aldoximes were synthesized and evaluated as potential reactivators of organophosphate-inhibited cholinesterase. These arecoline analogs were patterned after the potent quaternary oximes 2-PAM and TMB-4 and were synthesized by sodium borohydride reduction of the corresponding pyridinium aldoxime. Biological results show that although these aldoximes are less toxic than the quaternary aldoximes, they are much less effective as reactivators. They did exhibit weak muscarinic activity (1/60 that of arecoline) on dog blood pressure and guinea pig ileum.
Owning the Cost of Emergency Medicine: Beyond 2%

This article evaluates current evidence on the cost of emergency care. First, we reviewed data from national data sets and found that aggregate spending on emergency care is 5% to 6% of national health expenditures but could be as high as 10%. These figures are significantly higher than those previously published. Second, we reviewed the literature on economic models of the cost of emergency care and found that the results are inconclusive and incomplete. As an alternative, we discussed activity-based cost accounting and concluded that it is a promising research methodology for emergency medicine. We conclude by advocating for a strategy to demonstrate the value and strategic importance of emergency medicine rather than minimizing its role in national health care costs.
Conformational Analysis of Eu(III)-(Ethylenedinitrilo)tetrakis(methylphosphonates) (EDTMP)

The optimal geometries obtained from DFT calculations are presented for Eu(III)-EDTMP (the parent system) and cages associated with the water molecules and carbonate and hydroxide ions. The numerical results demonstrate the existence of two conformers of each cage, which might explain the observation of two spectroscopic lines previously assigned to the electric dipole transition 7 F 0 ↔ 5 D 0 of Eu 3+ . It is also found that the water molecules are associated with the chelate via hydrogen bonds with the oxygens of the phoshonate arms, while the carbonate and hydroxide ions are chelated with the lanthanide ion due to strong electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged oxygen atoms and positively charged metal ion. The analysis is illustrated by the qualitative comparison of the energies and is concluded with the relative stability of various chelates and energetically favorable, hypothetical reactions.
Special session — Assessing student learning of engineering design

Design is a central aspect of engineering and engineering education, but is challenging to teach and even more challenging to assess. In this special session participants co-construct an understanding of design and what aspects of design should be (and can be) assessed. Additionally, the special session will review the instrument development process (including the process of validating instruments) and will provide examples of existing instruments for assessing learners' understanding of design. These instruments measure a variety of topics and concepts related to design, have been designed for many different audiences and have been developed for different purposes. This session will equip educators with tools that are useful for assessing and promoting students' understanding of design. Additionally, this session may benefit educators and researchers interested in adopting or adapting design assessments for use with K-12 populations.
ATP binding and hydrolysis steps of the uni-site catalysis by the mitochondrial F1-ATPase are affected by inorganic phosphate

Abstract The effect of inorganic phosphate (P i ) on uni-site ATP binding and hydrolysis by the nucleotide-depleted F 1 -ATPase from beef heart mitochondria (ndMF 1 ) has been investigated. It is shown for the first time that P i decreases the apparent rate constant of uni-site ATP binding by ndMF 1 3-fold with the K d of 0.38 ± 0.14 mM. During uni-site ATP hydrolysis, P i also shifts equilibrium between bound ATP and ADP + P i in the direction of ATP synthesis with the K d of 0.17 ± 0.03 mM. However, 10 mM P i does not significantly affect ATP binding during multi-site catalysis.
The inner workings of phase change memory: Lessons from prototype PCM devices

We describe observations into the inner workings of phase change memory devices, obtained by fabrication, electrical characterization, failure analysis, and modeling of prototype phase change memory devices over the past few years. Experiments involving the RESET and SET operations, the speed of SET operations, the impact of voltage polarity, and the drift of RESET resistances after programming have been performed. Our prototype devices include PCM “pore” devices down to 20nm in actual diameter, PCM “bridge” devices down to 20nm in width, and novel “parallel cell” devices designed to trade off resistance contrast for lower resistance drift. Simple resistors integrated in series with these devices allow programming with pulses down to <10ns pulse-widths. Highly accurate current measurements can be triggered as soon as 1 millisecond after programming, so that even five-minute-long measurements can capture drift over five orders of magnitude in time. A customized finite-difference PCM simulator is capable of handling large and arbitrary 3-D structures, and can be matched against fast electrical SET and RESET experiments, slow thin-film crystallization experiments, or optical pulse experiments. Our results suggest that many of the idiosyncrasies of real PCM devices — “telegraph”-like noise, the dependence of SET resistance on pulse duration, and the variability of both repeated programming events and drift measurements even on the same device — can be traced to the important yet under-appreciated role of poly-crystalline grains and grain boundaries within the PCM device.
Synthesis and cellular studies of PEG-functionalized meso-tetraphenylporphyrins

The total syntheses of four PEG-functionalized porphyrins, containing one to four low molecular weight PEG chains linked via amide bonds to the para-phenyl positions of meso-tetraphenylporphyrin, are reported. The hydrophobic character of the PEG-porphyrins decreases with the number of PEG chains linked to the porphyrin ring, while their tendency for aggregation in buffered aqueous solution increases. The porphyrins containing one or two PEG chains accumulated within human HEp2 cells to a much higher extent than those having three or four PEGs at the macrocycle periphery. All PEG-porphyrins were found to be non-toxic in the dark, and only those containing one or two PEG chains were phototoxic (IC(50)=2 microM at 1J/cm(2) light dose). The preferential sites of subcellular localization of the porphyrins containing one or two PEG chains were found to be the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER), while those containing three or four PEG chains localize preferentially in the lysosomes.
Dark-field transmission electron microscopy and the Debye-Waller factor of graphene

Graphene's structure bears on both the material's electronic properties and fundamental questions about long range order in two-dimensional crystals. We present an analytic calculation of selected area electron diffraction from multi-layer graphene and compare it with data from samples prepared by chemical vapor deposition and mechanical exfoliation. A single layer scatters only 0.5% of the incident electrons, so this kinematical calculation can be considered reliable for five or fewer layers. Dark-field transmission electron micrographs of multi-layer graphene illustrate how knowledge of the diffraction peak intensities can be applied for rapid mapping of thickness, stacking, and grain boundaries. The diffraction peak intensities also depend on the mean-square displacement of atoms from their ideal lattice locations, which is parameterized by a Debye-Waller factor. We measure the Debye-Waller factor of a suspended monolayer of exfoliated graphene and find a result consistent with an estimate based on the Debye model. For laboratory-scale graphene samples, finite size effects are sufficient to stabilize the graphene lattice against melting, indicating that ripples in the third dimension are not necessary.
LocalSavvy: aggregating local points of view about news issues

The web has become an important medium for news delivery and consumption. Fresh content about a variety of topics, events, and places is constantly being created and published on the web by news agencies around the world. As intuitively understood by readers, and studied in journalism, news articles produced by different social groups present different attitudes towards and interpretations of the same news issues. In this paper, we propose a new paradigm for aggregating news articles according to the local news sources associated with the stakeholders of the news issues. This new paradigm provides users the capability to aggregate and browse various local points of view about the news issues in which they are interested. We implement this paradigm in a system called LocalSavvy. LocalSavvy analyzes the news articles provided by users, using knowledge about locations automatically acquired from the web. Based on the analysis of the news issue, the system finds and aggregates local news articles published by official and unofficial news sources associated with the stakeholders. Moreover, opinions from those local social groups are extracted from the retrieved results, presented in the summaries and highlighted in the news web pages. We evaluate LocalSavvy with a user study. The quantitative and qualitative analysis shows that news articles aggregated by LocalSavvy present relevant and distinct local opinions, which can be clearly perceived by the subjects.
A multilocus timescale for oomycete evolution estimated under three distinct molecular clock models

Molecular clock methodologies allow for the estimation of divergence times across a variety of organisms; this can be particularly useful for groups lacking robust fossil histories, such as microbial eukaryotes with few distinguishing morphological traits. Here we have used a Bayesian molecular clock method under three distinct clock models to estimate divergence times within oomycetes, a group of fungal-like eukaryotes that are ubiquitous in the environment and include a number of devastating pathogenic species. The earliest fossil evidence for oomycetes comes from the Lower Devonian (~400 Ma), however the taxonomic affinities of these fossils are unclear. Complete genome sequences were used to identify orthologous proteins among oomycetes, diatoms, and a brown alga, with a focus on conserved regulators of gene expression such as DNA and histone modifiers and transcription factors. Our molecular clock estimates place the origin of oomycetes by at least the mid-Paleozoic (~430-400 Ma), with the divergence between two major lineages, the peronosporaleans and saprolegnialeans, in the early Mesozoic (~225-190 Ma). Divergence times estimated under the three clock models were similar, although only the strict and random local clock models produced reliable estimates for most parameters. Our molecular timescale suggests that modern pathogenic oomycetes diverged well after the origin of their respective hosts, indicating that environmental conditions or perhaps horizontal gene transfer events, rather than host availability, may have driven lineage diversification. Our findings also suggest that the last common ancestor of oomycetes possessed a full complement of eukaryotic regulatory proteins, including those involved in histone modification, RNA interference, and tRNA and rRNA methylation; interestingly no match to canonical DNA methyltransferases could be identified in the oomycete genomes studied here.
The thrill is gone: Catheter‐based exclusion of a posttraumatic arteriovenous fistula with a covered stent graft

Posttraumatic arteriovenous (AV) fistulae of the lower extremities may result from accidental trauma or iatrogenic surgical injuries. Large high-flow fistulae are commonly associated with disabling localized symptoms and impaired wound healing. Therapeutic options are particularly challenging for AV fistulae involving the infrapopliteal circulation. Surgical repair may further delay healing and contribute to greater morbidity. Alternatively, percutaneous coil occlusion in large high-flow fistulae mayenable coil embolization to the pulmonary circulation. Using a balloon-expandable covered stent graft, we describe the percutaneous exclusion of a large posttraumatic infrapopliteal AV fistula with immediate clinical symptom improvement and resolution within 3 months following intervention. No clinical symptom recurrence was documented at a 9-month follow-up visit.
Unilocular Retroperitoneal Cyst of Mesothelial Origin Presenting as a Renal Mass

We report the first 2 cases, to our knowledge, of retroperitoneal cysts with features of mesothelial differentiation that clinically mimic renal masses. The first lesion occurred in a 71-year-old man who presented with flank pain. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging studies showed a unilocular cystic structure arising from the upper pole of the left kidney. The second lesion was in a 44-year-old woman who presented with left flank pain. Imaging studies revealed an 8-cm hemorrhagic cyst at the lower pole of the left kidney. Histologic examination of the nephrectomy specimens in each case revealed a unilocular cyst with intracystic and pericystic hemorrhage. In each case, the cyst was lined by a single layer of cells with ample eosinophilic cytoplasm and benign nuclear features without mucinous or mullerian differentiation. Histochemical staining showed Alcian blue positivity on the cell surface, which was sensitive to hyaluronidase digestion. Intracytoplasmic mucin, however, was not detected. Immunostaining showed that the cyst lining cells were positive for keratin, vimentin, HBME-1, WT1, and thrombomodulin but negative for carcinoembryonic antigen, B72.3, Leu-M1, and BerEP4. The first case was positive for calretinin, whereas the second was negative. These findings support the mesothelial nature of the cysts.
The effect of time-based cost of error in target-directed pointing tasks

One of the fundamental operations in today's user interfaces is pointing to targets, such as menus, buttons, and text. Making an error when selecting those targets in real-life user interfaces often results in some cost to the user. However, the existing target-directed pointing models do not consider the cost of error when predicting task completion time. In this paper, we present a model based on expected value theory that predicts the impact of the error cost on the user's completion time for target-directed pointing tasks. We then present a target-directed pointing user study, which results show that time-based costs of error significantly impact the user's performance. Our results also show that users perform according to an expected completion time utility function and that optimal performance computed using our model gives good prediction of the observed task completion times.
Random Models and Solvable Skolem Classes

A Skolem class is a class of formulas of pure quantification theory in Skolem normal form: closed, prenex formulas with prefixes ∀…∀∃…∃. (Pure quantification theory contains quantifiers, truth-functions, and predicate letters, but neither the identity sign nor function letters.) The Godel Class, in which the number of universal quantifiers is limited to two, was shown effectively solvable (for satisfiability) sixty years ago [G1]. Various solvable Skolem classes that extend the Godel Class can be obtained by allowing more universal quantifiers but restricting the combinations of variables that may occur together in atomic subformulas [DG, Chapter 2]. The Godel Class and these extensions are also finitely controllable , that is, every satisfiable formula in them has a finite model. In this paper we isolate a model-theoretic property that connects the usual solvability proofs for these classes and their finite controllability. For formulas in the solvable Skolem classes, the property is necessary and sufficient for satisfiability. The solvability proofs implicitly relied on this fact. Moreover, for any formula in Skolem normal form, the property implies the existence of a finite model. The proof of the latter implication uses the random models technique introduced in [GS] for the Godel Class and modified and applied in [Go] to the Maslov Class. The proof thus substantiates the claim made in [Go] that random models can be adapted to the Skolem classes of [DG, Chapter 2]. As a whole, the results of this paper provide a more general, systematic approach to finite controllability than previous methods.
The role of gene flow asymmetry along an environmental gradient in constraining local adaptation and range expansion.

Theoretically, asymmetric gene flow along an environmental gradient can limit species range expansion by keeping peripheral populations from locally adapting. However, few empirical studies have examined this potentially fundamental evolutionary mechanism. We address this possibility in the cricket Allonemobius socius, which exist along a season-length gradient where the probability of producing a single generation per year (univoltinism) increases with latitude. As the probability of univoltinism increases northwards, populations are expected to hedge their bets by producing a greater proportion of diapause eggs when exposed to a mild diapause cue. However, gene flow from southern populations may disrupt local adaptation in the north by reducing the proportion of diapause eggs (expected to be 100% in pure univoltine environments). This may limit range expansion along the northern periphery where A. socius compete with A. fasciatus, a sister species that exhibits an invariant diapause-only egg-laying strategy. To assess the potential for range limitation, we examined diapause incidence (the proportion of diapause eggs produced under diapause conditions), gene flow symmetry and population structure across nine A. socius populations. We found that gene flow was asymmetric and biased northwards towards the periphery. Furthermore, peripheral populations that inhabited pure univoltine environments produced numerous nondiapause eggs (a southern, bivoltine diapause phenotype), which we assume to be a suboptimal phenotype. These patterns suggest that asymmetric gene flow along the gradient constrains adaptation in peripheral populations, potentially constraining species range expansion.
SYMMETRIES OF FRACTAL TILINGS

Self-similar tilings of the plane can be generated by an iterative replacement property using squares and triangles. We show tilings with tiles that are topological disks and others whose tiles are connected but have an interior that is disconnected. In each example we note the symmetries of the individual tiles and describe how each tiling exhibits a property common to crystallographic tilings.
Multiple Roles of Chemokine (C-C Motif) Ligand 2 in Promoting Prostate Cancer Growth

Prostate cancer continues to be the most common nonskin cancer diagnosed and the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States. Prostate cancer that has metastasized to bone remains incurable. The interactions between prostate cancer cells and the various cells of the host microenvironment result in enhanced growth of tumor cells and activation of host cells that together culminate in osteoblastic bone metastases. These dynamic tumor-host interactions are mediated by cancer and host-produced cytokines and chemokines. Among them, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) has been identified as a prominent modulator of metastatic growth in the bone microenvironment. CCL2 is produced by bone marrow osteoblasts, endothelial cells, stromal cells, and prostate cancer cells. It has been demonstrated to modulate tumor-associated macrophage migration and promote osteoclast maturation. In addition, CCL2 functions through binding to its receptor CCR2 to induce prostate cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in both autocrine and paracrine manners. CCL2 protects prostate cancer cells from autophagic death by activating survivin through a PI3K/AKT (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B)-dependent mechanism. Inhibition of CCL2 substantially decreases macrophage infiltration, decreases osteoclast function, and inhibits prostate cancer growth in bone in preclinical animal models. The multiple roles of CCL2 in the tumor microenvironment make it an attractive therapeutic target in metastatic prostate cancer as well as in other cancers.
Dinah: an interface to assist non-programmers with selecting program code causing graphical output

The web holds an abundance of source code examples with the potential to become learning resources for any end-user. However, for some end-users these examples may be unusable. An example is unusable if a user cannot select the code in the example that corresponds to their interests. Research suggests that non-programmers struggle to correctly select the code responsible for interesting output functionality. In this paper we present Dinah: an interface to support non-programmers with selecting code causing graphical output. Dinah assists non-programmers by providing concurrency support and in-context affordances for statement replay and temporally based navigation.
Two-Dimensional FSI Simulation of Closing Dynamics of a Tilting Disk Mechanical Heart Valve

The fluid dynamics during valve closure resulting in high shear flows and large residence times of particles has been implicated in platelet activation and thrombus formation in mechanical heart valves. Our previous studies with bi-leaflet valves have shown that large shear stresses induced in the gap between the leaflet edge and the valve housing results in relatively high platelet activation levels whereas flow between the leaflets results in shed vortices not conducive to platelet damage. In this study we compare the result of closing dynamics of a tilting disc valve with that of a bi-leaflet valve. The two-dimensional fluid-structure interaction analysis of a tilting disc valve closure mechanics is performed with a fixed grid Cartesian mesh flow solver with local mesh refinement, and a Lagrangian particle dynamic analysis for computation of potential for platelet activation. Throughout the simulation the flow remains in the laminar regime and the flow through the gap width is marked by the development of a shear layer which separates from the leaflet downstream of the valve. Zones of re-circulation are observed in the gap between the leaflet edge and the valve housing on the major orifice region of the tilting disc valve and are seen to be migrating towards the minor orifice region. Jet flow is observed at the minor orifice region and a vortex is formed which sheds in the direction of fluid motion as observed in experiments using PIV measurements. The activation parameter computed for the tilting disc valve, at the time of closure was found to be 2.7 times greater than that of the bi-leaflet mechanical valve and was found to be in the vicinity of the minor orifice region mainly due to the migration of vortical structures from the major to the minor orifice region during the leaflet rebound of the closing phase.
Cardiac Findings in Pectus Excavatum in Children: Review and Differential Diagnosis*

The majority of 54 children with pectus excavatum and normal hearts presented findings suggestive of cardiac disease on auscultation, electrocardiography, vectorcardiography, and chest roentgenographic examination. Although auscultatory findings were similar to those encountered in cases of mild pulmonary stenosis and small atrial septal defects, and although the scalar electrocardiographic and the radiologic features resembled those of mild right ventricular pressure or volume overload, these signs were not specific enough to suggest the presence of a cardiac malformation. Because the findings could be explained by the position of the heart, cardiac catheterization was not carried out in any patient. Among the clinical examinations, changes due to displacement of the heart were least evident in the Frank vectorcardiogram, which may prove useful in the clinical exclusion of congenital heart disease in cases of pectus excavatum.
Hyperbilirubinemia and Language Delay in Premature Infants

OBJECTIVE. Our goal was to evaluate whether language delay at 3 years in premature infants is associated with previous exposure to hyperbilirubinemia during the first 2 weeks after birth. PATIENTS AND METHODS. We performed a retrospective case-control study of infants admitted to the NICU between January and October 2003. Inclusion criteria included a birth weight of ≤1500 g and follow-up to age 3 years. Exclusion criteria included genetic disorders and hearing loss or recurrent ear infections. Peak total serum bilirubin levels during the first 2 weeks and duration of hyperbilirubinemia (days with total serum bilirubin level at >8 mg/dL) were determined. Infants with language delay and who were receiving speech therapy by 3 years were identified through developmental clinic charts and a tracking program and compared with infants who had normal language development. RESULTS. A total of 125 infants with birth weight of ≤1500 g were admitted to the NICU between January and October 2003. Fifteen infants died, and 110 were discharged from the hospital. A total of 102 (93%) of 110 infants had follow-up to the age of 3 years. Four infants were excluded (1 genetic disorder, 3 delayed hearing loss or recurrent ear infections). Twenty-four infants had a language delay and received speech therapy, whereas 74 infants had normal language development. There was no significant difference in peak total serum bilirubin level and duration of hyperbilirubinemia between the 2 groups. On logistic regression, only bronchopulmonary dysplasia was associated with language delay. CONCLUSIONS. Hyperbilirubinemia, defined as peak total serum bilirubin level or duration of elevated bilirubin in days, is not associated with language delay in premature infants. However, this issue deserves investigation, because other measures of bilirubin, such as unbound bilirubin, may be associated with language delay.
Pregnancy is a drag: hydrodynamics, kinematics and performance in pre- and post-parturition bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

SUMMARY Constraints on locomotion could be an important component of the cost of reproduction as carrying an increased load associated with eggs or developing fetuses may contribute to decreased locomotor performance for females across taxa and environments. Diminished performance could increase susceptibility to predation, yet the mechanism(s) by which gravidity and pregnancy affect locomotion remains largely unexplored. Here we demonstrate that morphology, hydrodynamics and kinematics were altered during pregnancy, providing a mechanism for diminished locomotor performance in two near-term pregnant (10 days pre-parturition) bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ). Near-term pregnancy resulted in a 51±14% increase in frontal surface area, coinciding with dramatic increases in drag forces while gliding. For example, pregnant females encountered 80 N of drag at 1.7 m s –1 whereas that magnitude of drag was not encountered until speed doubled for females 18 months post-parturition. Indeed, drag coefficients based on frontal surface area were significantly greater during pregnancy ( C d,F =0.22±0.04) than at 18 months post-parturition ( C d,F =0.09±0.01). Pregnancy also induced a gait change as stroke amplitude and distance per stroke were reduced by 13 and 14%, respectively, compared with non-pregnant periods (1–24 months post-parturition). This was concomitant with a 62 and 44% reduction in mean and maximum swim speeds, respectively, during the pregnancy period. Interestingly, attack speeds of known predators of dolphins surpass maximum speeds for the pregnant dolphins in this study. Thus, pregnant dolphins may be more susceptible to predation. This study demonstrates unequivocally that changes in morphology, hydrodynamics and kinematics are associated with diminished performance during pregnancy in dolphins.
Models for Aggression by Police Officers towards Romantic Partners and Police Partners

Past research documents that occupational challenges faced by police officers may increase the risk of aggression toward romantic partners, but little research is available on aggression by police officers in another close relationship, that occurring within the ‘fraternal order’, toward their police partners. The purpose of the present study was to enhance understanding of police aggression in close relationships by comparing ‘models' of aggression suggested by Social Learning Theory, including powerful others or peers from the ‘home family’ (father, mother, siblings) and from the ‘police family’ (police supervisor, police partner). Participants included 120 police officers (95 per cent male; mean age = 38.9 years; 90 per cent Caucasian) who completed anonymous questionnaires to report aggression in each relationship using the 12-item Revised Conflict Tactics Scale. Multiple regression revealed that the set of ‘home family’ and ‘police family’ models of aggression explained 35.5 per cent of the variance ...
Religion and international relations theory: Towards a mutual understanding

Until the end of the Cold War, it is not an exaggeration to say that only a few theorists of International Relations (IR) or policy-makers engaged in either substantial investigation or articulation of the links between cultural variables like religion and ethnicity on one hand and international affairs on the other. In our article, we argue that this pattern does not do justice to the nature of mainstream IR theories. Although studies are accumulating, how (or whether) religion as a variable can be integrated into mainstream IR thinking still remains in question. We look at three main traditions in IR theory — classical realism, structural realism and neoliberalism — to see how religion can contribute to our understanding of international affairs within those frameworks. We claim that, without stretching the limits of theories or disturbing their intellectual coherence, possibilities for two-way interactions between the frameworks and identity-related variables like religion can be identified.
Phase 1 Trials in Pancreatic Cancer

Despite many clinical trials over the last two decades since the approval of gemcitabine, the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer has improved by a few only months. This disappointing reality underlines an urgent need to develop more effective drugs or better combinations. A variety of phase I trials were presented at the annual meeting of ASCO 2014 focusing on locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer. We summarize four abstracts (abstracts #4116, #4123, #4026, #4138).
Hierarchical agent control: a framework for defining agent behavior

The Hierarchical Agent Control Architecture (HAC) is a general toolkit for specifying an agent's behavior. HAC supports action abstraction, resource management, sensor integration, and is well suited to controlling large numbers of agents in dynamic environments. It relies on three hierarchies: action, sensor, and context. The action hierarchy controls the agent's behavior. It is organized around tasks to be accomplished, not the agents themselves. This facilitates the integration of multi-agent actions and planning into the architecture. The sensor hierarchy provides a principled means for structuring the complexity of reading and transforming sensor information. Each level of the hierarchy integrates the data coming in from the environment into conceptual chunks appropriate for use by actions at this level. Actions and sensors are written using the same formalism. The context hierarchy is a hierarchy of goals. In addition to their primary goals, most actions are operating within a set of implicit assumptions. These assumptions are made explicit through the context hierarchy. We have developed a planner, GRASP, implemented within HAC, which is capable of resolving multiple goals in real time.HAC was intended to have wide applicability. It has been used to control agents in commercial computer games and physical robots. Our primary application domain is a simulator of land-based military engagements called “Capture the Flag.” HAC's simulation substrate models physics at an abstract level. HAC supports any domain in which behaviors can be reduced to a small set of primitive effectors such as {\sc move} and {\sc apply-force}. At this time defining agent behavior requires Lisp programming skills; we are moving towards more graphical programming languages.
ODON: An On-Demand Security Overlay for Mission-Critical Applications

In this paper we consider the construction of a large-scale, highly available and secure overlay network to enable mission-critical communication between emergency personnel at a disaster area and their coordinating agencies across the Inter- net. This network is designed to be secure against network-based failures and external attacks including denial of service (DoS) attacks. We design several protocols for the effective operation of the network, including protocols for user access verification and the establishment of session credentials between the user and the target server. We verify these protocols theoretically for their security and evaluate the overall performance of the system with a combination of simulation and implementation I. INTRODUCTION
DO FLATFISH FEED LIKE OTHER FISHES? A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PERCOMORPH PREY-CAPTURE KINEMATICS

The kinematics of prey capture in two bilaterally asymmetrical pleuronectiform flatfish species (Pleuronichthys verticalis and Xystreurys liolepis) and two symmetrical percomorph species (Lepomis macrochirus, a centrarchid, and Cheilinus digrammus, a labrid) were compared to test the hypothesis that flatfish have distinct prey-capture kinematics from those quantified for other percomorph fishes. Size-matched individuals of both flatfish species were video-taped feeding using a high-speed video system. Cephalic displacement and timing variables were quantified and compared with data from similarly sized L. macrochirus and C. digrammus previously collected by other researchers using similar experimental methodology. Nested multivariate analyses of variance indicated that there was no significant difference in prey-capture kinematics between flatfish and non-flatfish taxa, but that prey-capture kinematics did differ among the four taxa. Multiple nested analyses of variance revealed that the taxa differed in 7 of 11 kinematic variables. Post-hoc tests and comparisons with other fish taxa suggest that individuals of P. verticalis possess an unusual combination of prey-capture kinematics including large hyoid depression, large neurocranial rotation, large upper jaw protrusion and small gape. Previous research has suggested that this combination of traits is associated with suction-based prey capture. Correspondingly, the ramssuction index calculated for P. verticalis is more negative (indicating a greater use of suction) than that calculated for the other taxa. When homologous kinematic variables are compared across these four taxa, flatfish do not appear to have similar prey-capture kinematics. However, both flatfish species are distinct from the two symmetrical percomorph species in their asymmetrical jaw movements.
New perspectives on metastatic patterns in lung cancer: The M. D. Anderson thoracic medical oncology database

7630 Background: We previously reported a retrospective study suggesting that sites of metastatic disease characterize distinct prognostic groups with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (ASCO 2005 ...
Institutional Trading During Extreme Market Movements

We investigate the trading of mutual funds and pension plan sponsors on days of extreme market-wide price movements. Using a proprietary database of institutional trading activity, we find that institutions are net sellers when markets are rising and net buyers when markets are falling. Results are driven by trades arising from orders initiated prior to the event days, and suggest that the effects we document are due to implementation rather than position decisions. We also provide some evidence that positions established on these days are marginally profitable. Taken together, our results suggest that institutions do not exacerbate the previously documented distortion of prices during periods of extreme market movements and may even provide a degree of price stability. The actions of institutions on these days are consistent with a focus on long term price changes and a desire to minimize implementation costs.
A New Monoblepharella from Mexico

Among other aquatic Phycomycetes recovered by the author from soil samples collected for him in Mexico during the summer of 1941, by William C. Leavenworth and Martha M. Leavenworth of the Fourth Hoogstraal Biological Expedition to Mexico, there appeared a species of Monoblepharella heretofore unreported. These soil samples were collected in July and allowed to dry thoroughly at that time, then were carefully packed in separate containers. They were brought to the Botanical Laboratories of the University of Illinois in September where they were placed in jars in sterilized distilled water to which several types of substrata suitable for aquatic Phycomycetes had been added. These bits of substrata were examined at regular intervals and the fungi recovered were isolated and identified each time. Hemp seed in the three jars containing soil samples from stations on the north side of Mt. Tancitaro, State of Michoacan, when examined on November 3, were luxuriantly covered with the pearly gray mycelium of a very delicate fungus. An examination of these hyphae showed that they resembled those of Monoblepharella Taylori Sparrow. After cultures had stood on the laboratory table for over ten days and only sporangia appeared on the hyphae, they were placed in a constant temperature oven held at 30° C., a procedure recommended by Sparrow (1940), in an attempt to induce the formation of sexual organs. After three days at this temperature, cultures were found to be producing antherida and o6gonia in abundance. The position of the gametangia on the hyphae and their sequence of formation readily distinguish this plant from Monoblepharella Taylori and warrant its description as new.
Feasibility, accuracy, and safety of 3-dimensional electroanatomic mapping without fluoroscopy in patients with congenital heart defects

Background Use of nonfluoroscopic 3-dimensional electroanatomic mapping (NF-3DEAM) in patients with congenital heart defects (CHDs) is not well reported. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, accuracy, and safety of NF-3DEAM in patients with CHDs. Methods Retrospective review of electrophysiologic study (EPS) in patients with CHD from 2009 to 2013 was conducted. Patients undergoing EPS with NF-3DEAM using the EnSite NavX system (St. Jude Medical) were included and those with fluoroscopy were excluded. Cardiac angiography performed in close proximity was matched with 3DEAM by proper aspect ratio using manual alignment by overlay images and comparing distances between cardiac landmarks using Pearson correlation coefficient and intraclass correlation. Success and complications were reviewed. Results Three-dimensional electroanatomic mapping and angiograms were compared in 48 EPS (45 patients); 13 patients with intracardiac leads, quiescent chambers indicating significant scarring, and who required transseptal puncture were excluded. Indications for EPS included documented tachyarrhythmia and preoperative mapping. Mean age was 25.3 ± 9.8 years. Simple CHDs (isolated shunt lesions or valvular lesions) were identified in 13 studies (27%) and complex CHDs (others) were identified in 35 studies (73%). Ablations were performed in 25 studies (52%). Average time to obtain right atrial geometry was 25.3 minutes (range 14–47 minutes) and right ventricular geometry was 22.8 minutes (range 12–35 minutes). Pearson correlation coefficient and intraclass correlation of cardiac landmarks were 0.90 and 0.80, respectively. Anatomic landmarks, mapping, and ablation were accurate in all 3DEAMs. No complications were recorded. Conclusion NF-3DEAM is feasible, safe, and accurate in CHD patients without extensive scarring, intracardiac leads, and need for transseptal puncture.
Fuzzy modeling approach to aggregate production planning with multi-product

This paper focuses on a fuzzy approach in modeling and optimization for aggregate production planning problems with multiproduct under fuzzy requirements and fuzzy capacities environment. By means of fuzzy addition and fuzzy equation, the productioninventory balance equations in single stage and dynamic balance equations are formulated as a soft equation in terms of a degree of truth and interpreted as the level of satisfaction with production and inventory planning to meet fuzzy demand. As a result, multiproduct aggregate production planning problem with fuzzy demand and fuzzy capacity can be modeled into a fuzzy linear programming problem with fuzzy objective and fuzzy constraints. The fuzzy solution approach to the model is also proposed in the paper.
A systematic review of randomized controlled trials and reviews in the management of ventral hernias.

Abstract Background The literature supporting ventral hernia management is growing; however, it is unclear whether the quality of work is improving. We hypothesize that the quality of clinical ventral hernia research has improved over the past 2.5 decades. Methods A review of MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane databases was conducted for all ventral hernia studies from January 1, 1980 to May 1, 2015. Relevant abstracts were assigned a level according to the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine. Reviews, and meta-analyses were graded using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Checklist and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist. Studies that did not fulfill at least 70% of the elements for the PRISMA (19/27) or CONSORT (26/37) checklists were considered to contain substantial methodological flaws. Results Of 12,431 citations, 1336 met criteria for quality evaluation. Level 1 studies were sparse (n = 104, 7.8%), and most were level 2 or 3 (n = 463, 34.7%) or 4 (n = 769, 57.6%). Of the level 1 studies, 37 (35.6%) were RCTs, 61(58.7%) were reviews and/or meta-analyses, and 6 (5.8%) were consensus statements. Most RCTs and reviews and/or meta-analyses contained substantial methodological flaws (75.7%, 75.8%). Critical areas of weakness in RCTs were explaining losses and exclusions after randomization and/or allocation and reporting determination of sample size. For reviews and/or meta-analyses, areas of weakness were presenting an electronic search strategy and providing an assessment of risk of bias before pooling data. Linear regressions of PRISMA and CONSORT scores demonstrated improvement over time (PRISMA slope 0.95, R2 = 0.24; CONSORT slope 0.34, R2 = 0.08). Conclusions Although the quality of literature guiding ventral hernia management has improved over time, there is room for improvement.