cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monte Carlo randomization tests for large-scale abundance datasets on the GPU

Statistical tests are often performed to discover which experimental variables are reacting to specific treatments. Time-series statistical models usually require the researcher to make assumptions with respect to the distribution of measured responses which may not hold. Randomization tests can be applied to data in order to generate null distributions non-parametrically. However, large numbers of randomizations are required for the precise p-values needed to control false discovery rates. When testing tens of thousands of variables (genes, chemical compounds, or otherwise), significant q-value cutoffs can be extremely small (on the order of 10^-^5 to 10^-^8). This requires high-precision p-values, which in turn require large numbers of randomizations. The NVIDIA^(R) Compute Unified Device Architecture^(R) (CUDA^(R)) platform for General Programming on the Graphics Processing Unit (GPGPU) was used to implement an application which performs high-precision randomization tests via Monte Carlo sampling for quickly screening custom test statistics for experiments with large numbers of variables, such as microarrays, Next-Generation sequencing read counts, chromatographical signals, or other abundance measurements. The software has been shown to achieve up to more than 12 fold speedup on a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) when compared to a powerful Central Processing Unit (CPU). The main limitation is concurrent random access of shared memory on the GPU. The software is available from the authors.
Modified chemical vapor growth of cinnabar and GaP in closed systems

Abstract Cinnabar crystals 2 cm long and GaP crystals weighing as much as a gram were obtained by the chemical vapor transport method.
An Automated Tool-Joint Inspection Device for the Drillstring

This paper discusses the development of an automated tool joint inspection device-i.e., the fatigue crack detector (FCD), which can detect defects in the threaded region of drillpipe and drill collars. Inspection tests conducted at a research test facility and at drilling rig sites indicate that this device can detect both simulated defects (saw slots and drilled holes) and service-induced defects, such as fatigue cracks, pin stretch (plastic deformation), mashed threads, and corrosion pitting. The system operates on an electromagnetic-flux leakage principle and has several advantages over the conventional method of magnetic particle inspection.
Long-term effects of a collaborative care intervention in persistently depressed primary care patients

OBJECTIVE: A previous study described the effect of a collaborative care intervention on improving adherence to antidepressant medications and depressive and functional outcomes of patients with persistent depressive symptoms 8 weeks after the primary care physician initiated treatment. This paper examined the 28-month effect of this intervention on adherence, depressive symptoms, functioning, and health care costs. DESIGN: Randomized trial of stepped collaborative care intervention versus usual care. SETTING: HMO in Seattle, Wash. PATIENTS: Patients with major depression were stratified into severe and moderate depression groups prior to randomization. INTERVENTIONS: A multifaceted intervention targeting patient, physician, and process of care, using collaborative management by a psychiatrist and a primary care physician. MEASURES AND MAIN RESULTS: The collaborative care intervention was associated with continued improvement in depressive symptoms at 28 months in patients in the moderate-severity group (F1,87=8.65; P=.004), but not in patients in the high-severity group (F1,51=0.02; P=.88) Improvements in the intervention group in antidepressant adherence were found to occur for the first 6 months (χ2(1)=8.23; P<.01) and second 6-month period (χ2(1)=5.98; P<.05) after randomization in the high-severity group and for 6 months after randomization in the moderate-severity group(χ2(1)=6.10; P<.05). There were no significant differences in total ambulatory costs between intervention and control patients over the 28-month period (F1,180=0.77; P=.40). CONCLUSIONS: A collaborative care intervention was associated with sustained improvement in depressive outcomes without additional health care costs in approximately two thirds of primary care patients with persistent depressive symptoms.
Trisomy 18 and hepatic neoplasia

A 2 9/12-year-old girl with trisomy 18 presented with a 3-week history of low grade fever, abdominal distention, and hepatosplenomegaly. Abdominal cytotomography (CT) scan showed hepatic infiltration with a tumor mass presumed to be hepatoblastoma. She deteriorated rapidly and died 3 weeks later. No autopsy and/or biopsy could be done.
An Automatic Voltage Clamp Recorder for Inexcitable Membranes

In order to clamp the voltage, to correct for solution resistance, and to record the short-circuit current (SCC) automatically in inexcitable biological membranes, three independent units are usually needed: a voltage control unit, a subtracting amplifier, and a recorder. A circuit has been devised in such a manner that one servo recorder performs these three functions. It consists of a constant current supply with a network including a ten-turn potentiometer (10-T-P) which controls and makes the amount of current delivered to the membrane linear to the position of the 10-T-P slide arm.
T Cells and Stromal Fibroblasts in Human Tumor Microenvironments Represent Potential Therapeutic Targets

The immune system of cancer patients recognizes tumor-associated antigens expressed on solid tumors and these antigens are able to induce tumor-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. Diverse immunotherapeutic strategies have been used in an attempt to enhance both antibody and T cell responses to tumors. While several tumor vaccination strategies significantly increase the number of tumor-specific lymphocytes in the blood of cancer patients, most vaccinated patients ultimately experience tumor progression. CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with an effector memory phenotype infiltrate human tumor microenvironments, but most are hyporesponsive to stimulation via the T cell receptor (TCR) and CD28 under conditions that activate memory T cells derived from the peripheral blood of the cancer patients or normal donors. Attempts to identify cells and molecules responsible for the TCR signaling arrest of tumor-infiltrating T cells have focused largely upon the immunosuppressive effects of tumor cells, tolerogenic dendritic cells and regulatory T cells. Here we review potential mechanisms by which human T cell function is arrested in the tumor microenvironment with a focus on the immunomodulatory effects of stromal fibroblasts. Determining in vivo which cells and molecules are responsible for the TCR arrest in human tumor-infiltrating T cells will be necessary to formulate and test strategies to prevent or reverse the signaling arrest of the human T cells in situ for a more effective design of tumor vaccines. These questions are now addressable using novel human xenograft models of tumor microenvironments.
Sexual Norms and the Burden of Sexual Literacy

In this paper, I argue against the kind of "scientific objectivity" that attempts to maintain the facade of value neutrality on the grounds that since objectivity is impossible, the claim to it is necessarily hypocritical. The impossibility stems from the inextricability of sex and sexuality: Sex as a natural phenomenon cannot be separated from sexuality as a matrix of value-laden, historically situated ideas and emotions. It stems also from the fact that the intensity of the pleasure-pain continuum, which is indissociable from sexual activity, makes caring a fundamental component of our sexual being: To desire is already to value. And it stems finally from the fact that the psychic and somatic health that stands as the goal of the counseling and therapy-providing services is itself a value. My recommendation is that we take responsibility for the values that inform our professional behavior-if only to make them available for critical scrutiny.
Chemical Control of Fish and Fish Eggs in the Garrison Diversion Unit, North Dakota

Abstract The Garrison Diversion Unit involves the proposed transfer of Missouri River water to a large part of eastern North Dakota for agricultural and industrial uses. Some of the water would flow into Canada through the Red River of the North. Canadian officials are concerned that some nonindigenous species might be introduced to their waters; namely, gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), common carp (Cyprinus carpio), and Utah chub (Gila atraria). We investigated toxicants that might be used to augment other barriers that have been proposed. Chemicals tested against fish eggs and larvae were rotenone, potassium permanganate, chlorine, acrolein, cyanide, fluoride, ammonia, and nitrite. Eggs were generally more resistant than larvae. Only three of the toxicants demonstrated potential to control both eggs and larvae of the species of concern. Rotenone was the most toxic, followed by chlorine and potassium permanganate. Effective exposures required 6-24 hours at concentration...
Osmotic control of vasopressin release

Abstract Vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone) is the primary regulator of the osmolality and volume of the extracellular fluid. Extracellular fluid osmolality in turn is one of the primary regulators of vasopressin release. Although this basic control system has been accepted for 35 years, areas of controversy have existed relative to the location and characteristics of the mechanisms responsible for osmotic regulation of vasopressin release. In this article the prominent features of these controversies will be discussed, and the compelling evidence in favor of a complex osmoreceptive system with multiple components will be presented.
Beyond data management: how ecoinformatics can benefit environmental monitoring programs

We review ways in which the new discipline of ecoinformatics is changing how environmental monitoring data are managed, synthesized, and analyzed. Rapid improvements in information technology and strong interest in biodiversity and sustainable ecosystems are driving a vigorous phase of development in ecological databases. Emerging data standards and protocols enable these data to be shared in ways that have previously been difficult. We use the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Coastal Assessment (NCA) as an example. The NCA has collected biological, chemical, and physical data from thousands of stations around the U.S. coasts since 1990. NCA data that were collected primarily to assess the ecological condition of the U.S. coasts can be used in innovative ways, such as biogeographical studies to analyze species invasions. NCA application of ecoinformatics tools leads to new possibilities for integrating the hundreds of thousands of NCA species records with other databases to address broad-scale and long-term questions such as environmental impacts, global climate change, and species invasions.
Increased glial glutamate transporter EAAT2 expression reduces epileptogenic processes following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus.

Abstract Several lines of evidence indicate that glutamate plays a crucial role in the initiation of seizures and their propagation; abnormal glutamate release causes synchronous firing of large populations of neurons, leading to seizures. In the present study, we investigated whether enhanced glutamate uptake by increased glial glutamate transporter EAAT2, the major glutamate transporter, could prevent seizure activity and reduce epileptogenic processes. EAAT2 transgenic mice, which have a 1.5–2 fold increase in EAAT2 protein levels as compared to their non-transgenic counterparts, were tested in a pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus ( SE ) model. Several striking phenomena were observed in EAAT2 transgenic mice compared with their non-transgenic littermates. First, the post- SE mortality rate and chronic seizure frequency were significantly decreased. Second, neuronal degeneration in hippocampal subfields after SE were significantly reduced. Third, the SE -induced neurogenesis and mossy fiber sprouting were significantly decreased. The severity of cell loss in epileptic mice was positively correlated with that of mossy fiber sprouting and chronic seizure frequency. Our results suggest that increased EAAT2 expression can protect mice against SE -induced death, neuropathological changes, and chronic seizure development. This study suggests that enhancing EAAT2 protein expression is a potential therapeutic approach.
VIGILANCE FOR AUDITORY INTENSITY CHANGES AS A FUNCTION OF PRELIMINARY FEEDBACK AND CONFIDENCE LEVEL.

Abstract : Forty-eight subjects were asked to respond to occasional increments in a pulse train with ratings of certainty of signal occurrence for 20 minutes. Half (F) subjects were given feedback; half (NF) were not. In a second session all responded during an 80-minute period with a simple response. In another, half responded with certainty ratings; half responded with a simple response. Finally, those who had responded with ratings responded simply and those who had employed a simple response made ratings. It was found that F subjects made fewer false responses and tended to make fewer detections in earlier sessions. In later sessions false responses were reduced for all. The usual progressive false response and detection reductions and latency increases were noted; when subjects employed ratings, reductions in certainty were noted within sessions. It was concluded that the data support the detection theory model for vigilance for this type of task. (Author)
Phytochemical diversity drives plant-insect community diversity

What are the ecological causes and consequences of variation in phytochemical diversity within and between plant taxa? Despite decades of natural products discovery by organic chemists and research by chemical ecologists, our understanding of phytochemically mediated ecological processes in natural communities has been restricted to studies of either broad classes of compounds or a small number of well-characterized molecules. Until now, no studies have assessed the ecological causes or consequences of rigorously quantified phytochemical diversity across taxa in natural systems. Consequently, hypotheses that attempt to explain variation in phytochemical diversity among plants remain largely untested. We use spectral data from crude plant extracts to characterize phytochemical diversity in a suite of co-occurring plants in the tropical genus Piper (Piperaceae). In combination with 20 years of data focused on Piper-associated insects, we find that phytochemical diversity has a direct and positive effect on the diversity of herbivores but also reduces overall herbivore damage. Elevated chemical diversity is associated with more specialized assemblages of herbivores, and the cascading positive effect of phytochemistry on herbivore enemies is stronger as herbivore diet breadth narrows. These results are consistent with traditional hypotheses that predict positive associations between plant chemical diversity, insect herbivore diversity, and trophic specialization. It is clear from these results that high phytochemical diversity not only enhances the diversity of plant-associated insects but also contributes to the ecological predominance of specialized insect herbivores.
Delay-independent asymptotic stability of linear systems

Necessary and sufficient conditions for linear time-invariant systems with multiple delays to be asymptotically stable independent of the length of the delays are determined
HMM-based speech enhancement using harmonic modeling

This paper describes a technique for reduction of non-stationary noise in electronic voice communication systems. Removal of noise is needed in many such systems, particularly those deployed in harsh mobile or otherwise dynamic acoustic environments. The proposed method employs state-based statistical models of both speech and noise, and is thus capable of tracking variations in noise during sustained speech. This work extends the hidden Markov model (HMM) based minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimator to incorporate a ternary voicing state, and applies it to a harmonic representation of voiced speech. Noise reduction during voiced sounds is thereby improved. Performance is evaluated using speech and noise from standard databases. The extended algorithm is demonstrated to improve speech quality as measured by informal preference tests and objective measures, to preserve speech intelligibility as measured by informal diagnostic rhyme tests, and to improve the performance of a low bit-rate speech coder and a speech recognition system when used as a pre-processor.
Peripheral Ovine Progressive Pneumonia Provirus Levels Correlate with and Predict Histological Tissue Lesion Severity in Naturally Infected Sheep

Studies were undertaken to determine whether anti-ovine progressive pneumonia virus (OPPV) antibody responses in serum or OPP provirus levels in peripheral blood associate with the degree of histologically measured tissue lesions in naturally OPPV-infected sheep. Sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, and hematoxylin- and eosin-stained lung, mammary gland, carpal synovial membrane, and brain tissues from 11 OPPV-infected ewes (mean age of 8.6 years) and 5 OPPV-uninfected ewes (mean age of 6 years) were evaluated for lesion severity. Ovine progressive pneumonia (OPP) provirus levels and anti-OPPV antibody titers in peripheral blood and serum samples, respectively, were measured upon euthanasia and 3 years prior to euthanasia. Both mean peripheral OPP provirus levels and mean serum anti-surface envelope glycoprotein (anti-SU) antibody titers at the time of euthanasia were significantly higher in ewes with moderate to severe histological lesions than in ewes with no to mild histological lesions. However, although mean peripheral blood OPP provirus levels at euthanasia and 3 years prior to euthanasia significantly correlated with the highest histological lesion score for any affected tissue (two-tailed P values, 0.03 and 0.02), mean serum anti-SU antibody titers, anti-capsid antibody titers, and anti-transmembrane 90 antibody titers at euthanasia did not show a significant correlation with the highest histological lesion score for any tissue (two-tailed P values, 0.32, 0.97, and 0.18, respectively). These data are the first to show that OPP provirus levels predict and correlate with the extent of OPPV-related histological lesions in various OPPV-affected tissues. These findings suggest that peripheral OPP provirus levels quantitatively contribute more to the development of histological lesions than the systemic anti-SU antibody host immune response.
Afterglow Chemical Processing for Oxide Growth on Silicon Carbide

The unique capabilities and characteristics provided by afterglow or remote plasma chemical oxide growth processing of silicon carbide are reviewed. Such processing provides for thermal growth of oxide films at temperatures far below those employed by conventional atmospheric processing methods. Overshadowing this growth capability is the ability to create chemistries, sequential procedures, and specific process environments to address material and defect issues in a manner not possible under conventional atmospheric conditions. The details and outcomes of multi-step afterglow oxidation processing of SiC will be discussed. An example sequence might include; 1) surface conditioning, 2) film growth at 850C and 1 Torr total pressure, and 3) reduced pressure unexcited media post-growth treatments. Surface conditioning impacts the thickness uniformity of the final oxide film and the oxidation rate. The film growth interval produces a nominal 500A of oxide film in 90 minutes at 850C, a temperature that would not produce any significant oxide film at atmospheric pressure. And the post-growth processing improves the performance of the dielectric film. Using in-line corona-Kelvin metrology the electrical characteristics stemming from these processes have been determined. Electrical effective oxide thickness results were used to assess thickness uniformity and to estimate process rate constants for comparison to other process methods. Fowler-Nordheim, F-N, characteristics determined with the same metrology demonstrate that afterglow, AG, oxides require higher field levels to produce the same F-N current as thermal oxides and that AG films are less susceptible to stress fluence. Process extensions from these and other results are discussed and related to chemical, physical, and electrical film outcomes and potential pathways to improve control over dielectric SiC structures.
Fine-grained and coarse-grained behavioral partitioning with effective utilization of memory and design space exploration for multi-FPGA architectures

Reconfigurable computers (RCs) host multiple field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and one or more physical memories that communicate through an interconnection fabric. State-of-the-art RCs provide abundant hardware and storage resources, but have tight constraints on FPGA pin-out and inter-FPGA interconnection resources. These stringent constraints are the primary impediment for multi-FPGA partitioning tools to generate high-quality designs, in this paper, we present two integrated partitioning and synthesis approaches for RCs. The first approach involves fine-grained partitioning of a scheduled data-flow graph (DFG, or an operation graph), and the second involves a coarse-grained partitioning of an unscheduled control data flow graph (CDFG, or a block graph). A hardware design space exploration engine is integrated with the block graph partitioner that dynamically contemplates multiple schedules during partitioning. The novel feature in the partitioning approaches is that the physical memory in the RC is effectively used to alleviate the FPGA pin-out and inter-FPGA interconnection bottle-neck. Several experiments have been conducted, targeting commercial multi-FPGA boards, to compare the two partitioning approaches, and detailed summaries are presented.
Taphonomic Alteration of Reef Corals: Effects of Reef Environment and Coral Growth Form II: The Florida Keys

Abstract In a companion study to earlier work in the Indo-Pacific, taphonomic alteration in reef-coral death assemblages was assessed in four distinct reef habitats ranging from 2–30 m water depth in the Florida Keys reef tract. Physical and biological taphonomic attributes measured from coral specimens showed great variability with respect to reef environment. Physico-chemical degradation (abrasion and dissolution) was greatest in reef-crest and patch-reef environments. With the exception of encrusting foraminifera, coverage by epi- and endobionts was higher in deep-reef environments (20 m and 30 m). Variability in dissolution and abrasion is likely the result of the different energy regimes present in the reef habitats examined. Variability in biological attributes results from a combination of increased residence time of coral skeletons on substrates in deep-reef environments, higher overall coral skeletal densities of corals inhabiting deep reef environments, and increased nutrient availability in the...
Effects of reaction conditions on the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of miscanthus dissolved in an ionic liquid

Experiments were conducted to study the effects of reaction conditions on the hydrolysis of miscanthus dissolved in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Emim][Cl]) catalyzed by H2SO4. It was determined that while there is a small co-inhibition effect associated with the simultaneous hydrolysis of the cellulosic and hemicellulosic portions of miscanthus, the largest rate decreases were observed for the hydrolysis of the hemicellulosic portion. This rate decrease was attributed to the chemical linkage between hemicellulose and lignin in miscanthus, which could be broken with chemical pretreatment. While chemical pretreatment increased the rate of the hydrolysis of the hemicellulosic component, delignification showed no further benefit. The rate of hydrolysis was determined to be first order in concentrations of β-1,4 glycosidic linkage and acid, and zero order in water concentration. The activation energy for the hydrolysis of the glycosidic linkages in the cellulosic and hemicellulosic components were determined to be 95 kJ mol−1 and 114 kJ mol−1 respectively. Progressive addition of water during the first hour of the reaction increased conversion and selectivity to saccharine products, while limiting dehydration of the sugars formed. The conversion of the cellulosic portion of miscanthus could be increased after the first hour of the reaction by increasing the reactor temperature. While miscanthus is only partially soluble in [Emim][Cl], it was found that the initial miscanthus loading could be increased to 9 wt% before significant yield decreases attributed to solubility limitations of the cellulosic component were observed. By proper adjustment of reaction conditions, it was possible to achieve yields of sugars approaching 84% from the cellulosic and hemicellulosic components of miscanthus, with minimal dehydration of the sugars to furans.
Agenesis of the corpus callosum and gyral malformations are frequent manifestations of nonketotic hyperglycinemia

A 2-week-old infant who presented with myoclonic encephalopathy had biochemical abnormalities consistent with nonketotic hyperglycinemia. Cranial CT showed agenesis of the corpus callosum, gyral malformation, and ventricular enlargement. Similar brain abnormalities occurred in 9 of 15 previously reported patients. Including this patient, agenesis of the corpus callosum appeared in 6 of 15 patients, gyral malformation in 6 of 14, ventricular enlargement in 5 of 15, and cerebellar hypoplasia in 2 of 16. Nonketotic hyperglycinemia thus joins a growing list of inborn errors of metabolism associated with brain malformations.
Ingassing, Storage, and Outgassing of Terrestrial Carbon through Geologic Time

Earth is unique among the terrestrial planets in our solar system in having a fluid envelope that fosters life. The secrets behind Earth’s habitable climate are well-tuned cycles of carbon (C) and other volatiles. While on time-scales of ten to thousands of years the chemistry of fluids in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere is dictated by fluxes of carbon between near surface reservoirs, over hundreds of millions to billions of years it is maintained by chemical interactions of carbon between Earth’s interior, more specifically the mantle, and the exosphere (Berner 1999). This is because of the fact that the estimated total mass of C in the mantle is greater than that observed in the exosphere (Sleep and Zahnle 2001; Dasgupta and Hirschmann 2010) and the average residence time of carbon in the mantle is between 1 and 4 Ga (Sleep and Zahnle 2001; Dasgupta and Hirschmann 2006). But how did Earth’s mantle attain and maintain the inventory of mantle carbon over geologic time? And is the residence time of carbon in the mantle, as constrained by the present-day fluxes, a true reflection of carbon ingassing and outgassing rates throughout Earth’s history? Also, when in the planet’s history did its mantle carbon inventory become established and how did it change through geologic time? The answers to these questions are important because of carbon’s importance in a number of fields of Earth sciences, such as the thermal history of Earth [e.g., trace-volume carbonated melt may extract highly incompatible heat-producing elements from great depths (Dalou et al. 2009; Dasgupta et al. 2009b; Grassi et al. 2012)], the internal differentiation of the mantle and core [carbon influences element partitioning in both carbonate-silicate (e.g., Blundy and Dalton 2000; Dasgupta et al. 2009b; Dalou et al. 2009; Grassi et …
Family Stress Associated with Transition to Adulthood of Young People with Severe Disabilities

The transitions from student to adult roles for adolescents and young adults with severe developmental disabilities can produce concern and stress for their families. In order to understand and ult...
The Rise of New Scientific Fields of Study from Established Disciplines

Modern biochemistry is an evolutionary product which resulted from the amalgamation of three major disciplines of science, namely, organic chemistry, biology, and medicine (physiology) during the late nineteenth century and the turn of the twentieth century. Its mission was then as it is today: ‘to explore and study the chemical and physicochemical processes and properties of living cells and their constituents’. The driving forces for its creation were primarily scientific, but not less important, historic-philosophic and socio-economic driven by scientists, physicians, agriculturists and industrialists. During the last two centuries the establishment of biochemical sciences not only involved changes in names and with it the shift of emphasis and focus of their research directions but also the intensity of educating new generations of biochemists and others in the life and health sciences as well as the contribution to practical and applied objectives. It started out as chemistry and moved through organic chemistry and medical chemistry to physiological chemistry and to biochemistry or biological chemistry. By the mid 1950s biochemistry was already an established discipline and offshoots such as molecular biology and biophysics began to emerge. In analogy MMT, an emerging new intellectual space that links disciplines in the management field to the field of health care and medical technology, seems to follow similar patterns in terms of the philosophy, the driving forces, the requirements for research, problem solving, teaching programs and practical aspects and, to some degree, even the participants.
Challenges and opportunities in mainstreaming environmental education into the curricula of teachers' colleges in Ethiopia

Lack of environmental awareness is one of the underlying causes of severe environmental degradation in Ethiopia. As teachers' colleges are a seedbed of such awareness, assessment of college curricula should shed light on the possibilities they offer to develop capacities to address environmental degradation. This small‐scale study is based on the assessment of the curricula of the Kotebe and St Mary's teachers' colleges, Ethiopia, and the knowledge and opinions of a sample of teaching students on pertinent environmental issues facing the country. Comparative analysis of data generated through questionnaires and interviews was undertaken across college, curricula and gender categories. The results suggest: a ‘paradigm shift’ from a core‐focused to a pedagogical‐focused curriculum in the last three decades; a declining trend in the provision of outdoor environmental education; inadequate levels of factual knowledge amongst current college students; and variations in knowledge levels and attitudes among the ...
OPINIONS OF CLERGY AND GUIDANCE COUNSELORS ABOUT THE DESIRABILITY OF IRRATIONAL BELIEFS IN CHILDREN

About one-third of 102 clergy and none of 118 female high school guidance counselors regarded Ellis's Beliefs 3, 8, 9, and 10 as desirable for young children. More than one-fifth of male high school counselors judged Beliefs 3 and 9 to be desirable.
Criteria for the divergence of pairs of Teichmüller geodesics

We study the asymptotic geometry of Teichmuller geodesic rays. We show that, when the transverse measures to the vertical foliations of the quadratic differentials determining two different rays are topologically equivalent, but are not absolutely continuous with respect to each other, the rays diverge in Teichmuller space.
Discretion in financial reporting: The voluntary disclosure of compensation peer groups in proxy statement performance graphs

We examine the 49 Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 firms that voluntarily disclosed in their 1993 proxy statements, the composition of the comparison group used by each board's compensation committee to set executive compensation policies. We hypothesize that the net benefits of this disclosure are largest when (1) there is a high degree of stakeholder concern about compensation, (2) compensation policies are defensible, and (3) corporate governance is strong. Consistent with our stakeholder concern prediction, disclosing firms have higher compensation levels and are more apt to have received prior shareholder proposals about executive compensation. Contrary to this prediction, we find a negative association between financial press coverage of compensation policies and the probability of disclosure. Additionally, the disclosure decision is unrelated to the defensibility of compensation policies and the firm's corporate governance profile. Industry-adjusted firm performance, managerial entrenchment, CEO tenure, institutional holdings, and compensation committee independence variables are insignificant. We also compare the financial performance and compensation practices of compensation peers to two yardsticks — performance and pay practices at the sample firms and the corresponding S&P industry index firms. The compensation levels of compensation peers exceed those of the firms in the corresponding S&P industry indexes. Because (1) compensation levels and performance sensitivities at sample firms are more similar to those at compensation peers than to those at S&P industry index firms, and (2) the superior financial performance and higher performance sensitivities of disclosing firms justify high pay, this evidence suggests that the compensation peers of disclosing firms are an appropriate comparison group.
A preliminary evaluation of the validity of binge-eating disorder defining features in a community-based sample.

Objective Little empirical attention has been paid to the DSM-5 definition of binge eating disorder (BED), particularly to the associated features of binge episodes. The present study sought to determine how the associated features and undue influence of weight/shape on self-evaluation contribute to evidence of a clinically significant eating disorder. Method Secondary analyses were conducted on data (N = 80; 76.3% women, 76.3% Caucasian, ages 18–43) collected through an epidemiological study of eating patterns. Descriptive statistics were used to report the sample prevalence of the features, independently and in combination. Correlations and alpha reliability were employed to examine relationships among associated features, distress regarding bingeing, and clinical diagnosis. Regression models and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the utility of the features for explaining variance in distress. Results Internal consistency reliability for indicators was low, and several features demonstrated low or nonsignificant associations with distress and diagnosis. Feeling disgusted/depressed/guilty was the only unique predictor of distress (p = 0.001). For the ROC curves, three features was the best threshold for predicting distress. Discussion Results support the need to refine the features to ensure better detection of clinically significant eating pathology for research inclusion and treatment of the illness. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2015).
Case 2: What is that in your bowel?

A previously healthy nine-month-old Mexican girl presented to the emergency room with three days of vomiting, diarrhea and fever. The emesis was nonbloody and nonbilious, and the diarrhea was watery without blood or mucous. The parents were concerned about the persistent emesis and the potential for dehydration. They reported no sick contacts. The child was up to date for all her immunizations. There was no recent travel or dietary changes. A physical examination revealed a fussy, well-nourished, Hispanic infant, lying in her mother’s arms. She was afebrile. Her mucous membranes and lips seemed dry. She was mildly tachycardic, but the remainder of her examination was unremarkable. Initial laboratory findings included a white blood cell count of 9.3 × 109/L (normal 5 × 109/L to 15 × 109/L), hemoglobin concentration of 143 g/L (normal 100 g/L to 140 g/L), platelet count of 430 × 109/L (normal 150 × 109/L to 400 × 109/L), sodium level of 148 mmol/L (normal 133 mmol/L to 142 mmol/L), potassium level of 3.9 mmol/L (normal 3.5 mmol/L to 6 mmol/L) and bicarbonate level of 14 mmol/L (normal 18 mmol/L to 29 mmol/L). The remainder of her blood chemistry was within normal limits. A chest x-ray revealed no evidence of acute cardiopulmonary disease, but some radiopaque material within the right lower quadrant of the abdomen was seen (Figure 1). This high-density material was described as small and granular in appearance. The state toxicologists were contacted, and the child was transferred to a tertiary care centre for further evaluation and management. Figure 1 High-density radiopaque material is present within the abdomen. This material is small and granular in appearance. Air fluid levels are also noted
Neutrophils Oppose Uterine Epithelial Carcinogenesis via Debridement of Hypoxic Tumor Cells

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are largely considered to foster cancer development despite wielding an arsenal of cytotoxic agents. Using a mouse model of PTEN-deficient uterine cancer, we describe a surprising inhibitory role for PMNs in epithelial carcinogenesis. By inducing tumor cell detachment from the basement membrane, PMNs impeded early-stage tumor growth and retarded malignant progression. Unexpectedly, PMN recruitment and tumor growth control occurred independently of lymphocytes and cellular senescence and instead ensued as part of the tumor's intrinsic inflammatory response to hypoxia. In humans, a PMN gene signature correlated with improved survival in several cancer subtypes, including PTEN-deficient uterine cancer. These findings provide insight into tumor-associated PMNs and reveal a context-specific capacity for PMNs to directly combat tumorigenesis.
Localization of Acoustic Signals in the Owl

Since the nervous system is designed to control behavior, the ultimate goal of neurobiology is the explanation of behavior. The design features of the nervous system must reflect the life style of each species. This is the fundamental tenet of neuroetholoy. It follows that the choice of topics, animals and methods in neurobiological studies cannot be arbitrary with respect to the animal’s behavior. The behavioral as well as the neurophysiological method of study should exploit or be appropriate for the animal’s life style. The most important practical problem is to design both behavioral experiments which reveal the attributes of the underlying neural mechanisms and physiological experiments which are relevant to the behavior under study. We shall discuss below how we tackled the above problem in our study of sound localization in the barn owl (Tyto alba).
Carbachol inhibits Na+-K+-ATPase activity in choroid plexus via stimulation of the NO/cGMP pathway

Secretion of cerebrospinal fluid by the choroid plexus can be inhibited by its cholinergic innervation. We demonstrated that carbachol inhibits the Na+-K+-ATPase in bovine choroid tissue slices and...
The Myth of Shareholder Ownership and Its Implications for Accounting

This paper demonstrates that shareholder ownership, a sacred cow of business, is a myth. According to our legal system, shareholders do not own the Modern Corporation itself, nor do they own the corporate assets or profits. While this finding raises many important questions, the focus of this paper is on the accounting profession. By equating shareholders’ equity to net assets and having it encompass profit, the accounting equation implies that shareholders own the corporate net assets and profit. Insinuating that shareholders have stronger claims to corporate resources than they actually do runs counter to accounting profession’s prime directive to provide useful information. A solution would be to replace shareholders’ equity with its components, such that Assets = Liabilities Capital Retained Earnings. This would better reflect the reality that corporation’s have no legal obligation to give shareholders any of the net assets or profit.
Some Hypotheses on the Development of Early Civilizations

Gross parallels in patterns of development of early civilizations have long invited closer inspection. Attempts to formulate these processes of growth into a single general statement of cause and effect have been out of fashion in anthropology for many years now, but interest has remained high in the general problem of comparison. Leaving aside studies concerned particularly with progressive changes in styles or technologies, the greatest promise seems to attach currently to studies focused on the growing network of formal, supra-kin institutions which characterized each of the early civilizations for which archaeological or historic documentation exists. The approach taken here has much in common with that of V. Gordon Childe (1942, 1952), and certainly leans heavily on the rich store of archaeological insight he has made available for the Old World.
Pharaoh ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): fenoxycarb baits affect colony development

Fenoxycarb, an insect growth regulator, was highly effective against the Pharaoh ant, Monomorium pharaonis (L.). Fenoxycarb acts by reducing egg production in the queens; the colonies eventually die because of worker attrition. The best laboratory results were obtained using concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, and 1% in peanut oil. These concentrations significantly reduced worker numbers by 12 wk and quantity of brood by 5 wk, if not sooner; however, more than one baiting was necessary to eliminate the colonies completely. Also, in some tests, colonies fed fenoxycarb baits at concentrations of 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5% significantly delayed the production of winged reproductives. Intermediate castes (individuals that were larger than workers yet smaller than queens) were produced at lower concentrations (0.05, 0.1, and 0.25%). Higher concentrations of 2.5 and 5% were not effective, probably because of repellency of the chemical. These results demonstrate that fenoxycarb is as effective as the commercially available bait, Pharorid (methoprene), for the control of the Pharaoh ant.
Atovaquone and ELQ-300 Combination Therapy as a Novel Dual-Site Cytochrome bc1 Inhibition Strategy for Malaria

Antimalarial combination therapies play a crucial role in preventing the emergence of drug-resistant Plasmodium parasites. Although artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) comprise the majority of these formulations, inhibitors of the mitochondrial cytochrome bc1 complex (cyt bc1) are among the few compounds that are effective for both acute antimalarial treatment and prophylaxis. There are two known sites for inhibition within cyt bc1: atovaquone (ATV) blocks the quinol oxidase (Qo) site of cyt bc1, while some members of the endochin-like quinolone (ELQ) family, including preclinical candidate ELQ-300, inhibit the quinone reductase (Qi) site and retain full potency against ATV-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strains with Qo site mutations. Here, we provide the first in vivo comparison of ATV, ELQ-300, and combination therapy consisting of ATV plus ELQ-300 (ATV:ELQ-300), using P. yoelii murine models of malaria. In our monotherapy assessments, we found that ATV functioned as a single-dose curative compound in suppressive tests whereas ELQ-300 demonstrated a unique cumulative dosing effect that successfully blocked recrudescence even in a high-parasitemia acute infection model. ATV:ELQ-300 therapy was highly synergistic, and the combination was curative with a single combined dose of 1 mg/kg of body weight. Compared to the ATV:proguanil (Malarone) formulation, ATV:ELQ-300 was more efficacious in multiday, acute infection models and was equally effective at blocking the emergence of ATV-resistant parasites. Ultimately, our data suggest that dual-site inhibition of cyt bc1 is a valuable strategy for antimalarial combination therapy and that Qi site inhibitors such as ELQ-300 represent valuable partner drugs for the clinically successful Qo site inhibitor ATV.
VISION | Inner Retina and Ganglion Cells

The inner retina of fishes, as in all other vertebrates, carries visual information from the photoreceptors to the axons projecting to the central brain, and also does considerable processing of that information. This processing emphasizes changes in time, space, and color, and thus reduces the number of channels (axons of the optic nerve) necessary to convey information to the brain. Principles common to most vertebrate retinas are present in fish retinas. This article reviews the major cells between receptors and ganglion cells, emphasizing the ganglion cells and the spike trains they transmit to the brain.
CHOOSING THE OPTIMAL GEL MORPHOLOGY IN ELECTROPHORESIS SEPARATION BY A DIFFERENTIAL EVOLUTION APPROACH (DEA)

This paper introduces an effective optimization approach to investigate the morphological effects of nanocomposite gel electrophoresis and operational parameters (see below) by integrating the numerical simulations based on finite element method and population-based search algorithm such as differential evolution. Simulations are performed to study the solute transport by Convection-Diffusion-Electromigration in a microvoid with axially varying cross-section. Morphological parameters such as channel shape and size, as well as operational parameters such as pressure gradient in the axial direction, and electric field in the orthogonal direction were considered and found to have considerable effects on the separation resolution in electrophoresis. Key observations on the most favorable hydrogel morphology for an efficient electrophoresis separation are presented.
Nominal grounding and English quantifiers

The Cognitive Grammar analysis of English nominal quantifiers is re-examined in light of recent theoretical developments: the characterization of grammar as the implementation of semantic functions ; and the recognition of strata — baseline and levels of elaboration — as a dimension of structural and systemic organization. For relative quantifiers, which pertain to degree of universality, the grounding function is primary. While absolute quantifiers are primarily adjectival, they assume the function of nominal grounding when initial. This elaboration via functional reorganization eliminates the need for a zero grounding element. Functional reorganization is a key factor in the grammaticization of absolute quantifiers from complex quantifying expressions.
The innate immune response in fetal lung mesenchymal cells targets VEGFR2 expression and activity.

In preterm infants, soluble inflammatory mediators target lung mesenchymal cells, disrupting airway and alveolar morphogenesis. However, how mesenchymal cells respond directly to microbial stimuli ...
Comparison of clinical primary tumor site (PTS) response to induction chemotherapy (IC) with APF (nab-paclitaxel, cisplatin, and 5-FU) or APF plus cetuximab (APF+Cetux) in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).

6013 Background: Achievement of a favorable (> PR) response (particularly CR) at the PTS to IC predicts a higher likelihood of long-term disease control after definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in ...