cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ungulate and topographic control of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal spore community composition in a temperate grassland

Large herbivores and topo-edaphic gradients are well-documented, major determinants of grassland plant production and species composition. In contrast, there is limited information about how these factors together may influence the composition of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) communities associated with plants. AMF are a common component of grassland ecosystems where they can influence plant productivity, diversity, and soil stability. In this study, AMF community composition was analyzed in paired plots located inside and outside 40-44-year-old ungulate exclosures at six grassland sites in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), USA, that varied in soil moisture and the availability of soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). AMF spore abundance, species richness, and the relative abundance of AMF species were determined from soil samples collected (1) randomly (n = 5 samples) within each of the 12 plots and (2) from beneath the dominant grass (n = 5 samples per plot) at each site. Randomly collected soil samples explored the effects of ungulates and topographic position on AMF composition at the plant community level, subsuming potential effects of ungulates on plant species composition. Dominant plant samples examined how grazers, in particular, influenced AMF communities, while controlling for host-plant identity. Grazing decreased AMF spore abundance across the landscape (examined by random sampling) but increased the AMF species richness associated with dominant plants. Grazing influenced the AMF species composition at the plant community level and at the host-plant level by shifting the relative abundances of individual AMF species. Individual AMF species responded differently to grazing and N and P availability. Our results demonstrate how soil moisture and N and P availability across the landscape interact with grazing to influence AMF species composition.
Treatment of multiple sclerosis with the pregnancy hormone estriol

Multiple sclerosis patients who become pregnant experience a significant decrease in relapses that may be mediated by a shift in immune responses from T helper 1 to T helper 2. Animal models of multiple sclerosis have shown that the pregnancy hormone, estriol, can ameliorate disease and can cause an immune shift. We treated nonpregnant female multiple sclerosis patients with the pregnancy hormone estriol in an attempt to recapitulate the beneficial effect of pregnancy. As compared with pretreatment baseline, relapsing remitting patients treated with oral estriol (8mg/day) demonstrated significant decreases in delayed type hypersensitivity responses to tetanus, interferon- levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and gadolinium enhancing lesion numbers and volumes on monthly cerebral magnetic resonance images. When estriol treatment was stopped, enhancing lesions increased to pretreatment levels. When estriol treatment was reinstituted, enhancing lesions again were significantly decreased. Based on these results, a larger, placebocontrolled trial of estriol is warranted in women with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. This novel treatment strategy of using pregnancy doses of estriol in multiple sclerosis has relevance to other autoimmune diseases that also improve during pregnancy. Ann Neurol 2002;52:000 – 000
Postdecrystallization rates of grafted fibers and their effect on fiber elasticity. I. Effect of zinc chloride concentration

Rayon yarns grafted with poly(ethyl acrylate) become highly elastic following decrystallization in aqueous zinc chloride solutions. An increase in temperature speeds up the decrystallization rate but does not have a substantial effect on the ultimate elongation properties of the grafted fiber. Increasing the concentration of zinc chloride does not have a marked change in the extension properties of the grafted fiber until 70% zinc chloride. At this saturated concentration, there is a sudden and dramatic change in the elastic properties of the grafted fiber. In fact, the grafted fibers after decrystallization in 70% zinc chloride have elongations in excess of 800%.
Enhanced mineralization of the tibial epiphyseal plate in the rat following propylthiouracil treatment: a histochemical, light, and electron microscopic study.

Following treatment with propylthiouracil, most chondrocytes in the reserve and upper proliferation zones in the tibial epiphyseal plate exhibit degenerate ultrastructural morphology. In the extracellular matrix, sulfated mucopolysaccharide is reduced, matrix vesicles are increased both in number and in size, apatite crystals are present in all zones, and mineralization is enhanced. In post-treatment recovery, chondrocyte degeneration decreases; however, the extracellular matrix is considerably delayed in returning to conditions comparable to those in corresponding controls and this is indicated by the continued presence of apatite crystals in abnormal locations. Chondrocyte degeneration, sulfated mucopolysaccharide, and matrix vesicles, are discussed as they relate to the mineralization process.
Pigment Organization and Transfer of Electronic Excitation in the Photosynthetic Unit of Purple Bacteria

Absorption of light by light-harvesting complexes and transfer of electronic excitation to the photosynthetic reaction center (RC) constitute the primary light-harvesting process of photosynthesis. This process is investigated on the basis of an atomic level structure of the so-called photosynthetic unit of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. The photosynthetic unit combines in the intracytoplasmic membrane a nanometric assembly of three pigment−protein complexes: (i) the photosynthetic reaction center, (ii) a ring-shaped light-harvesting complex LH-I, and (iii) multiple copies of a similar complex, LH-II. The unit has been modeled using the known structure of (i) and for (ii) a model structure complexed appropriately with (i); for (iii) the structure of LH-II of Rhodospirillum molischianum is substituted. The model describes in detail the organization of chromophores involved in primary light absorption and excitation transfer: a hierarchy of ring-shaped bacteriochlorophyll aggregates...
More Cellular Signals for Atherogenesis

The potential importance of the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) system as a key player in control of transcription of genes for mediators of a variety of inflammatory responses, from those mediated by cytokine pathways to atherogenesis and thrombogenesis, has been a topic of broad interest. The proteins of the NF-κB family that form the inactive heterodimeric complexes in the cytoplasm of cells, the inhibitors that prevent nuclear translocation, and the stimuli that lead to release and nuclear translocation of the active uninhibited NF-κB complexes, commonly referred to as activation, have received great attention, as have the many genes subject to transcriptional activation by the various heterodimeric NF-κB complexes once translocated to the nucleus. These details are central to the goal of mapping the cellular and molecular pathways of vascular injury, including atherosclerosis, restenosis, and other vascular pathobiology. The overall schema is growing richer in detail and interpretive hypotheses. However, the answers remain elusive. A valid schema is nevertheless critically important to discovery of molecular strategies for effective and safe intervention in acute and chronic diseases of the vasculature. In the present issue of Circulation , Gawaz and colleagues1 advance our understanding of a cellular and molecular scenario most likely operative in the vascular pathology early in the atherogenic cascade and perhaps pertaining as well to the local activation of …
Scattering in liquid haze ‐ analytic approximations

An analytic formula is derived which describes approximately the scattering of electromagnetic waves in a haze. This formula is compared, and found to agree well, with the exact results from Mie theory that are available in the literature. The formula is used to arrive at a simple, nonredundant, but complete parametrization of the aerosol model.
Effects of Marketing Loans on U.S. Dry Peas and Lentils

The 2002 Farm Act required USDA to implement marketing loans for the 2002-07 crops of dry peas, lentils, and small chickpeas. This provision led to expanded acreage for dry peas and lentils, crops analyzed in this study. The analysis found that marketing loans played a role in expansion for dry peas in 2003-05 and for lentils in 2003. For dry peas and lentils, marketing loans contributed to acreage expansion in North Dakota and Montana. Simulation model results suggest that marketing loans had negligible impacts on world prices for dry peas and lentils in 2003-05. Impacts on U.S. exports were minor, increasing by about 2 percent in 2003.
The Middle Class in Russia

The middle class in Russia is a myth. It has been a favorite and widely discussed myth in recent years, just as it was a century ago.
Is There an Obama Doctrine

Seven years after Obama assumed office, experts still differ over what the ‘Obama doctrine’ is. Viewing the world through a mix of scepticism over what US power can achieve and a sense of optimism over long-term trends that favour the liberal order, the current US president has advocated a policy of prudence and disengagement. This vision, according to some analysts, has underestimated the revisionist threat to the liberal global order and a more robust American policy will be required from the next administration as a result.
A Comment on the Behavior of the Greek Mid-Cap Futures Market

This study focuses on the behavior of the futures contract of the Athens FTSE/ATHEXMid40 index. Unlike the large-cap ATHEX20 index, this category includes mid-cap high growth companies whose futures market, however, is characterized by low volume and liquidity. This study offers evidence for the efficient market hypothesis, with the series following a random walk, being cointegrated and having a long-term equilibrium. In the short run, the estimated VECM shows that trading volume and open interest are not significant as explanatory variables. Finally, only a one-way Granger causality relationship is confirmed, from futures to spot, proving the ability of futures to react faster to news.
CRT-406 Transient Ischemic Dilation is a Useful Marker in Screening patients for Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Transient ischemic dilation (TID) ratio of the left ventricle following stress, when accompanied by abnormal perfusion, is associated with severe coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study is to assess the hypothesis that TID ratio is useful in screening patients who may be optimal
Marketing Military Realism in Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare

This essay investigates the challenges that video game marketing encounters when selling the pleasures of playing virtual war. While marketing paratexts are crucial to video games because of the vagaries of their industry, they are especially important for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, as it is the first of the franchise to be set in the 21st century and immerse players in contemporary theaters of war. These marketing paratexts not only generate hype for the game and work to drive sales, but as importantly, they also suggest particular textual readings over others with the goal of insulating Call of Duty’s virtual war play from interpretations and criticisms that might link the violent play on-screen to the worldly violence unfolding in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Development and initial validation of the assessment of caregiver experience with neuromuscular disease.

Background Orthopaedic intervention can have a wide range of functional and psychosocial effects on children with neuromuscular disease (NMD). In the multihandicapped child (Gross Motor Classification System IV/V), functional status, pain, psychosocial function, and health-related quality of life also have effects on the families of these child. The purpose of this study is to report the development and initial validation of an outcomes instrument specifically designed to assess the caregiver impact experienced by parents raising severely affected NMD children: the Assessment of Caregiver Experience with Neuromuscular Disease (ACEND). Methods In the first part of this prospective study, 61 children with NMD and their parents were administered a range of earlier validated pediatric health measures. A framework technique was used to select the most appropriate and relevant subset of questions from this large set. Sensitivity analyses guided the development of a master question list measuring caregiver impact, excluding items with low relevance, and modifying unclear questions. In the second part of the study, the ACEND was administered to the caregivers of 46 children with moderate-to-severe NMD. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine validity of the instrument. Results The resulting ACEND instrument included 2 domains, 7 subdomains, and 41 items. Domain 1, examining physical impact, includes 4 subdomains: feeding/grooming/dressing (6 items), sitting/play (5 items), transfers (5 items), and mobility (7 items). Domain 2, which examines general caregiver impact, included 3 subdomains: time (4 items), emotion (9 items), and finance (5 items). Mean overall relevance rating was 6.21 ± 0.37 and clarity rating was 6.68 ± 0.52 (scale 0 to 7). Multiple floor effects in patients with GMFCS V and ceiling effects in patients with GMFCS III were identified almost exclusively in motor-based items. Virtually no floor or ceiling effects were identified in the time, emotion or finance domains across GMFCS level. Conclusions The initial validation demonstrated that ACEND is a valid, disease-specific measure to quantify experience on caregivers of children with NMD. Larger groups of patients across NMD disease type are currently being tested to strengthen validity findings. Additionally, the ACEND is now being administered before and after orthopaedic interventions to determine responsiveness, which is critical to health outcomes research. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/RELEVANCE: IIc.
Human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes recapitulate the predilection of breast cancer patients to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity

Doxorubicin is an anthracycline chemotherapy agent effective in treating a wide range of malignancies, but it causes a dose-related cardiotoxicity that can lead to heart failure in a subset of patients. At present, it is not possible to predict which patients will be affected by doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC). Here we demonstrate that patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) can recapitulate the predilection to DIC of individual patients at the cellular level. hiPSC-CMs derived from individuals with breast cancer who experienced DIC were consistently more sensitive to doxorubicin toxicity than hiPSC-CMs from patients who did not experience DIC, with decreased cell viability, impaired mitochondrial and metabolic function, impaired calcium handling, decreased antioxidant pathway activity, and increased reactive oxygen species production. Taken together, our data indicate that hiPSC-CMs are a suitable platform to identify and characterize the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms of DIC.
Human Rights Redemption as Problem of Labor Mobility

The formations of African migrant communities in nineteenth-century Freetown were connected to specific tensions of forced labor within British antislavery campaigns on the Atlantic. On one hand, Freetown was unique among British colonies because of its antislavery liberal constitutional framework. The colony was a key site for an Atlantic system of European courts established by British legislation and bilateral treaties for the abolition of the slave trade. Those antislavery courts freed an estimated 65,000 African slaves from 1819-1846. Prior to that period, a British vice-admiralty court in Freetown had adjudicated the liberation of some 10,000 Africans. On the other hand, the processes of liberating and resettling Africans in Freetown have been described as utter developmental failures that amounted to colossal human rights violations. Scholarly explanations of the causes of these tensions have focused on the uses of legislation to control and restrict the movement of Africans after emancipation. In this paper, I take a different approach. Instead of treating rights restrictions as cause, I consider the extent to which those restrictions and forced labor regulations were themselves effects of colonial approaches to human rights redemption and practices of free labor mobility in Freetown.
On a competitive secretary problem

Consider a scenario in which there are multiple employers competing to hire the best possible employee. How does the competition between the employers affect their hiring strategies or their ability to hire one of the best possible candidates? In this paper, we address this question by studying a generalization of the classical secretary problem from optimal stopping theory: a set of ranked employers compete to hire from the same random stream of employees, and each employer wishes to hire the best candidate in the bunch. We show how to derive subgame-perfect Nash equilibrium strategies in this game and analyze the impact the competition has on the quality of the hires as a function of the rank of the employer. We present numerical results from simulations of these strategies.
Creating Value in Marketing and Business Simulations An Author’s Viewpoint

Simulations are a form of competitive training that can provide transformational learning. Participants are pushed by the competition and their own desire to win as well as the continual feedback, ...
Long-term recovery and no recovery from the auditory deprivation effect with binaural amplification: six cases.

Six subjects who developed individually significant auditory deprivation effects associated with monaural amplification were tracked for 6.2 to 15.1 years from the time of their initial hearing aid fitting . Each subject received binaural hearing aids after the auditory deprivation effect became apparent and used binaural amplification for at least 4 years. The findings corroborate and expand upon existing case reports. Several general configurations of recovery and no recovery following the introduction of binaural amplification were identified : (1) cases in which auditory deprivation effects developed within about 2 years and recovered completely within about 2 years of binaural use; (2) cases with significant but incomplete recovery; and (3) cases in which the auditory deprivation effect took several years to develop and did not recover following several years of binaural amplification . Clinical implications of the results are proposed .
SP0247 Teaching is Not an Art: It is a Skill

The shift in medical education towards an understanding that learning is a shared process in which the student is interacting with the learning environment can be guided by core principles.[1] Teaching is not an art. It is a skill and it is a skill that can be learned. You, the instructor, create the atmosphere for your students, whether it is in the lab, at the bedside or in a lecture. In academic settings we are always teaching: we teach our patients, we teach our peers, we teach our residents and we teach our students. How do you move from being a great scientist to being a great educator? In this talk I will ask that you think with me about how you can help students learn and how you can create an effective learning environment. I will present principle-based core teaching competencies, that when activated, can create a rich and effective learning environment. References 1. Bing-You RG, Lee R, Trowbridge RL, Varaklis K, Hafler JP. Principle-based Teaching Competencies. J Grad Med Edu. Nov 2009. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Two Myths: Separate but Equal and Nonpartisan Education

Underrepresented minority groups have become the majority of school-aged children in many public schools across the United States, and the last twenty years have seen a marked growth in scholarship on issues of race and education. While much of this research has referenced one or more policy changes at the federal or state level that have narrowed or exacerbated the gaps between minority and majority student achievement (e.g., Condron et al. 2013; Gaddis and Lauen 2014; Losen et al. 2015), there still remains a lack of recognition of the interplay between local politics and partisanship with issues of race and education. To be sure, the idea that politics plays a significant role in local education, while controversial, is certainly not new; a thread of literature deemed “the politics of education” has woven in and out of mainstream literature since the 1960s (Henig et al. 1999; Howell 2005; Portz, Stein, and Jones 1999; Rich 1996). Yet, as we will point out later in this chapter and throughout the remainder of the book, much of this research focuses on interest groups, unions, and internal board politics but often ignores the direct, explicit influence of partisan politics. This chapter provides a brief overview of the development of African-American education in the United States over the past two hundred years. While a much deeper level of historical analysis may be found elsewhere (Kluger 2011; Spring 1994), the noteworthy events reviewed here will help to set the larger research of this book in context. This history is then overlaid with the development of school boards and the argument that local partisanship and political parties play a significant role in shaping school district policies that, subsequently, can determine the extent to which equal educational opportunities exist for majority and minority student groups. Two considerations should be noted regarding the past and present states of access to education in the United States. First, racial tensions have not been unique to one portion of the United States. While these tensions were more pronounced and produced acute conflict in southern states, in no state has racial tension in education been entirely avoided. Further, racial inequities are not confined to the United States as a country. Different paths of race relations in countries around the world have produced situations in which populations have been divided into haves (social elites) and have-nots (minority groups of many kinds including recent immigrants).
A mixed methods study of individual and organizational factors that affect implementation of interventions for children with autism in public schools.

The significant lifelong impairments associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), combined with the growing number of children diagnosed with ASD, have created urgency in improving school-based quality of care. Although many interventions have shown efficacy in university-based research, few have been effectively implemented and sustained in schools, the primary setting in which children with ASD receive services. Individual- and organizational-level factors have been shown to predict the implementation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for the prevention and treatment of other mental disorders in schools, and may be potential targets for implementation strategies in the successful use of autism EBIs in schools. The purpose of this study is to examine the individual- and organizational-level factors associated with the implementation of EBIs for children with ASD in public schools. We will apply the Domitrovich and colleagues (2008) framework that examines the influence of contextual factors (i.e., individual- and organizational-level factors) on intervention implementation in schools. We utilize mixed methods to quantitatively test whether the factors identified in the Domitrovich and colleagues (2008) framework are associated with the implementation of autism EBIs, and use qualitative methods to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the factors associated with successful implementation and sustainment of these interventions with the goal of tailoring implementation strategies. The results of this study will provide an in-depth understanding of individual- and organizational-level factors that influence the successful implementation of EBIs for children with ASD in public schools. These data will inform potential implementation targets and tailoring of strategies that will help schools overcome barriers to implementation and ultimately improve the services and outcomes for children with ASD.
Delamination dynamics in through-thickness reinforced laminates with application to DCB specimen

Bridged crack models using beam theory formulations have proved to be effective in modeling quasi-static delamination crack growth under large scale bridging conditions in through-thickness reinforced structures. In this paper, beam theory is used to study dynamic mode I crack propagation in through-thickness reinforced laminar structures. In particular, steady state dynamic crack growth for a Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) loaded with a flying wedge is examined. The steady state crack propagation characteristics are mapped out in terms of controllable loading and material parameters including the crack velocity and the properties of the through-thickness reinforcement. For small crack velocities, the through-thickness reinforcement considerably enhances the delamination resistance of the structure. At higher velocities, the kinetic energy term dominates the overall energetics and the relative effect of the reinforcement on the delamination resistance is insignificant. The model suggests a simple fracture test for estimating the properties of the through-thickness reinforcement under dynamic loading conditions.
In Vivo Demonstration of Traumatic Rupture of the Bridging Veins in Abusive Head Trauma

Abstract Objective In victims of abusive head trauma, bridging vein thrombosis is a common finding on magnetic resonance imaging. We aimed to evaluate the utility of high-resolution coronal susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in depicting bridging vein thrombosis as well as to verify the morphology of the bridging vein thrombosis on axial SWI. We additionally analyzed the correlations between bridging vein thrombosis or bridging vein deformation and other magnetic resonance imaging findings that often occur in association with abusive head trauma. Methods Seventeen patients with abusive head trauma were retrospectively evaluated for the presence of thrombosis on axial SWI. The affected veins were localized on coronal SWI, and the strength of association between the presence of bridging vein thrombosis on axial versus high-resolution coronal SWI was determined. Results Of 11 patients identified with thrombosis on axial SWI, high-resolution coronal SWI verified bridging vein thrombosis in four individuals (36%). The previously reported "tadpole sign" on axial images did not predict bridging vein thrombosis on coronal SWI (odds ratio = 0.3 [0.02, 5.01], P = 0.538). Volumetric coronal SWI disclosed additional irregularities of the bridging vein walls which was associated with the presence of subdural hematoma on magnetic resonance imaging ( P = 0.03), suggesting traumatic injury. Conclusion Coronal SWI confirmed thrombosis of the bridging veins only in a minority of cases. Diffusely irregular contours of the veins observed on high-resolution coronal SWI was a major finding in our study. Disruption of the normal anatomy of the bridging veins in abusive head trauma further supports the traumatic nature of the disease.
Rh50 glycoprotein gene and rhnull disease: a silent splice donor is trans to a Gly279-->Glu missense mutation in the conserved transmembrane segment.

Rhnull disease includes the amorph and regulator types that are thought to result from homozygous mutations at the RH30 and RH50 loci, respectively. Here we report an unusual regulator Rhnull where two G→A nucleotide (nt) transitions occurred in trans , targeting different regions of the two copies of Rh50 gene. The nt 836 G→A mutation was a missense change located in exon 6; it converted Gly into Glu at position 279, a central amino acid of the transmembrane segment 9 (TM9). While cDNA analysis showed expression of the 836A(Glu279) allele only, genomic studies showed the presence of both 836A(Glu279) and 836G(Gly279) alleles. A detailed analysis of gene organization led to the identification in the Rh50(836G) allele of a defective donor splice site, caused by a G→A mutation in the invariant GT element of intron 1. This is the first known example of such mutations that has apparently abolished the functional splicing of a pre-mRNA encoding a multipass integral membrane protein. With a silent phenotypic copy in trans , the negatively charged Glu279 residue may disrupt TM9 and impair the interaction of the missense protein with Rh30 polypeptides. To evaluate the significance of the mutation, we took a comparative genomic approach and identified Rh50 homologues in different species. We found that Gly279 is a conserved residue and its adjacent amino acid sequence is identical from Caenorhabditis elegans to human. These findings provide new insight into the diversity of Rhnull disease and suggest that the C-terminal region of Rh50 may also participate in protein-protein interactions involving Rh complex formation. © 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.
An Empirical Study of Chronic Diseases in the United States: A Visual Analytics Approach to Public Health

In this research we explore the current state of chronic diseases in the United States, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and applying visualization and descriptive analytics techniques. Five main categories of variables are studied, namely chronic disease conditions, behavioral health, mental health, demographics, and overarching conditions. These are analyzed in the context of regions and states within the U.S. to discover possible correlations between variables in several categories. There are widespread variations in the prevalence of diverse chronic diseases, the number of hospitalizations for specific diseases, and the diagnosis and mortality rates for different states. Identifying such correlations is fundamental to developing insights that will help in the creation of targeted management, mitigation, and preventive policies, ultimately minimizing the risks and costs of chronic diseases. As the population ages and individuals suffer from multiple conditions, or comorbidity, it is imperative that the various stakeholders, including the government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), policy makers, health providers, and society as a whole, address these adverse effects in a timely and efficient manner.
Preventive Intervention for Children of Divorce

The high rate of problems suffered by children of divorce may be ameliorated by an active professional stance aiming at early intervention
Arrhythmias in Women: A Practical Approach

Gender differences exist in cardiac electrophysiology, which significantly impact the presentation, diagnosis and management of arrhythmias in women. This chapter provides a general understanding of these differences to help guide general practitioners in the daily management of female patients. We start with a basic overview of the proposed mechanisms behind these gender differences, then review specific arrhythmias, highlighting features unique to women.
The Occurrence of Cyanobacterial Toxins in Lake Champlain

Cyanobacteria are common in the plankton of most lakes, including Lake Champlain. Certain species of cyanobacteria can produce toxins that are harmful to people and their pets. In 2000 and 2001, we examined the occurrence of potential toxin-producing species of cyanobacteria in Lake Champlain. Samples were collected from locations throughout the lake and at the intake locations for five water treatment plants. Drinking water is a potential route of exposure for the thousands of people who draw their drinking water from the lake. When toxin-producing species of cyanobacteria were found, samples were also collected for toxin analysis. Microcystins were measured using a combination of different assays including an enzyme-linked immunoassay or ELISA, inhibition of the protein phosphatase 1A, and by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Anatoxin-a was determined by HPLC and confirmed by HPLC coupled with mass spectroscopy. The PSP toxins (saxitoxin, neosaxitoxin, and gonyautoxins 1-4) were measured by HPLC with fluorescent detection.
Influence of phenol and temperature on the respiration of a freshwater Snail

Temperature and phenol, independently and interactively, have a significant influence on oxidative metabolism in Helisoma. Increase of temperature in the absence of phenol causes a diminishing, nonlinear increase in oxygen uptake rate, whereas with phenol concentrations exceeding 2 mg/liter no such increases occur. Concentrations less than 2 mg/liter would undoubtedly also inhibit oxidative metabolism and further study is called for in order to define the exact interactive influence of this compound and temperature on oxygen uptake.
We Aren’t So Different After All: Differences and Similarities Between Political Affiliation and Issues of Park Use, Management, and Privatization

Many researchers have argued that political polarization has increased dramatically over the past 25 years. This article explores partisan polarization regarding specific issues of state park use, ...
Spaceport America: Contested Offworld Access and the Everyman Astronaut

Spaceport America, a spectacle to see with curvilinear geometry that itself looks like a spacecraft rising out of the desert near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, conveys a hope of the everyman a...
Synthesis and spectral characterization of 1-phenylglyoxal bis{N(4)ethylthiosemicarbazone} and its metal complexes

Nickel(II), copper(II), zinc(II), and cadmium(II) complexes of 1-phenylglyoxal bis{N(4)-ethylthiosemicarbazone} have been synthesized and characterized spectroscopically. The bis(thiosemicarbazone) and its diamagnetic complexes have been characterized by their melting points, i.r., electronic, mass and 1H n.m.r. spectra. The four-coordinate copper(II) complex was also studied by e.s.r. spectroscopy. Upon coordination, the loss of a proton from each thiosemicarbazone moiety occurs, and the bis(thiosemicarbazone) coordinates to nickel(II) and copper(II) as a dianionic, tetradentate N2S2 ligand; but for zinc(II) and cadmium(II), mass spectral results suggest the formation of binuclear complexes.
Application of Natural Language Processing and Text Mining to Identify Patterns in Construction-Defect Litigation Cases

AbstractRecently, construction-defect litigation has upsurged across the United States. Disputes arise due to a variety of reasons, and result in a range of negative impacts on construction project...
Fragility and Innovations in Data Collection

Rapidly changing situations in fragile countries increase the need for up-to-date information to inform decision makers. Yet fragile countries are among the most data deprived. Moreover, many, though not all, are affected by insecurity which makes collecting new information particularly challenging. This book presents innovations in data collection developed with decision makers in fragile situations in mind.
Process to densify Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O X round wire with overpressure before coil winding and final overpressure heat treatment

Overpressure (OP) processing of wind-and-react Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox (2212) round wire compresses the wire to almost full density, decreasing its diameter by about 4% without change in wire length and substantially raising its JC. However, such shrinkage can degrade coil winding pack density and magnetic field homogeneity. To address this issue, we here present an overpressure predensification (OP-PD) heat treatment process performed before melting the 2212, which greatly reduces wire diameter shrinkage during the full OP heat treatment (OP-HT). We found that about 80% of the total wire diameter shrinkage occurs during the 50 atm OP-PD before melting. We successfully wound such pre-densified 1.2 mm diameter wires onto coil mandrels as small as 10 mm diameter for Ag–Mg-sheathed wire and 5 mm for Ag-sheathed wire, even though such small diameters impose plastic strains up to 12% on the conductor. A further ~20% shrinkage occurred during a standard OP-HT. No 2212 leakage was observed for coil diameters as small as 20 mm for Ag–Mg-sheathed wire and 10 mm for Ag-sheathed wire, and no JC degradation was observed on straight samples and 30 mm diameter coils.
Detecting Multiple People with Low-Resolution Thermal Sensors in Smart Spaces

This paper presents a framework to accurately and non-intrusively detect the number of people in an environment. Our system setup uses only ambient sensors with lowresolution, using no multimedia resources or wearable sensors. This preserves user privacy in the environment, and requires no active participation by the users, causing no discomfort. Our experiments demonstrate that algorithm selection is very important, but with careful selection, we can obtain up to 100% accuracy. Also, we prove that sensor placement plays a crucial role on the system performance, where placing the sensor on the room ceiling yields to the best results.
Gender, Racial Threat, and Perceived Risk in an Urban University Setting:

Objectives:We provide new insights about the role of gender, race, and place in perceived risk and fear of crime and discuss the possible boundaries of the shadow of sexual assault thesis, which at...
Fusion of lysosomes to plasma membrane initiates radiation-induced apoptosis

Diverse stresses, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), ionizing radiation, and chemotherapies, activate acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase) and generate the second messenger ceramide at plasma membranes, triggering apoptosis in specific cells, such as hematopoietic cells and endothelium. Ceramide elevation drives local bilayer reorganization into ceramide-rich platforms, macrodomains (0.5-5-µm diameter) that transmit apoptotic signals. An unresolved issue is how ASMase residing within lysosomes is released extracellularly within seconds to hydrolyze sphingomyelin preferentially enriched in outer plasma membranes. Here we show that physical damage by ionizing radiation and ROS induces full-thickness membrane disruption that allows local calcium influx, membrane lysosome fusion, and ASMase release. Further, electron microscopy reveals that plasma membrane "nanopore-like" structures (∼100-nm diameter) form rapidly due to lipid peroxidation, allowing calcium entry to initiate lysosome fusion. We posit that the extent of upstream damage to mammalian plasma membranes, calibrated by severity of nanopore-mediated local calcium influx for lysosome fusion, represents a biophysical mechanism for cell death induction.
Design considerations for high etch resistance spin-on carbon underlayers

As the critical dimension (CD) in semiconductor devices continues to shrink, the multilayer patterning process to transfer fine line patterns into an underlying substrate is becoming increasingly important. The trilayer processes consist of a photoresist film, a silicon-containing layer and a carbon rich underlayer. The distinctive difference in etch selectivity toward fluorine and oxygen based reactive ion etching (RIE) chemistry is critical to provide highly selective pattern transfer to the substrate. In response to the need for high etch resistant underlayers, we have developed carbon rich spin-on carbon (SOC) materials with good solubility in preferred casting solvents, high thermal stability and high dry etch resistance. To better understand structure-property relationships of high etch resistant SOC films, cured SOC films were analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The design considerations for high etch resistance SOC underlayers, such as Ohnishi parameter, crosslinking and film density, will be discussed in this paper.
An Examination of Personality Traits as a Predictor of the Use of Self-Regulated Learning Strategies and Considerations for Online Instruction.

Each learner brings a unique mix of personality traits, preferences, and talents to the educational setting. These factors can influence the extent to which learners are able to effectively deploy skills and strategies to achieve their academic goals. Gaining a deeper awareness of how specific personality traits play a role in the choice and deployment of SRL strategies provides opportunities to anticipate which learners might be effective or ineffective self-regulators. Doing so would enable instructional designers, educators, or higher education administrators to better plan and deliver effective educational experiences for a wide range of learners. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the use of SRL strategies was impacted by learner differences in Big Five personality traits. This mixed methods study examined the potential of utilizing the Big Five Inventory classification as a predictor of self-regulated strategy use. Specifically, the study investigated the relationship between the existence of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism traits as possible predictors of learner use of SRL strategies. Results indicated that learners high in openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness were shown to be more skilled self-regulators than those high in neuroticism. Those high in neuroticism were less skilled self-regulators and tended to use help-seeking strategies more frequently than those in other personality trait categories. The qualitative findings highlighted the need for effective time management as an important self-regulation strategy, a preference for face to face versus an on-line delivery format, and a lack of motivation. However, responses did not seem to systematically vary by personality trait.
A Survey Of Academic Neonatologists On Neonatal Cardioversion And Defibrillation

BACKGROUND: Atrial flutter and life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias are rare in neonates1. Atrial flutter may require cardioversion while ventricular tachycardia may deteriorate into pulseless cardiac arrest requiring defibrillation. Neonatologists are trained in Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) that does not include training on cardioversion or defibrillation. This study surveyed neonatologists on their experiences and comfort with cardioversions and defibrillation. METHODS: The project was approved by the human research protection office at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. We distributed an electronic survery …
Toward Achieving Health Equity - ASPO's 2022 Annual Meeting March 13-15, 2022 Marriott University Park, Tucson, Arizona.

Communities of color, and people who are low income, rural, LGBTQ+, immigrants, and Indigenous, among others, face disproportionate and inequitable cancer burden. While advances in prevention and control research have led to improvements in cancer incidence and better survival from cancer overall, U
Integrative Clustering of Multi-View Data by Nonnegative Matrix Factorization

Learning multi-view data is an emerging problem in machine learning research, and nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) is a popular dimensionality-reduction method for integrating information from multiple views. These views often provide not only consensus but also diverse information. However, most multi-view NMF algorithms assign equal weight to each view or tune the weight via line search empirically, which can be computationally expensive or infeasible without any prior knowledge of the views. In this paper, we propose a weighted multi-view NMF (WM-NMF) algorithm. In particular, we aim to address the critical technical gap, which is to learn both view-specific and observation-specific weights to quantify each view's information content. The introduced weighting scheme can alleviate unnecessary views' adverse effects and enlarge the positive effects of the important views by assigning smaller and larger weights, respectively. In addition, we provide theoretical investigations about the convergence, perturbation analysis, and generalization error of the WM-NMF algorithm. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed algorithm in terms of achieving better clustering performance and dealing with the corrupted data compared to the existing algorithms.
A further note on the presence of the endogenous macrophages in the developing cerebellum.

In the developing cerebellum of 5- and 10-day-old rats 20 μl of ENU solution was injected. At the site of injection a cavity filled with erythrocytes was seen, and this was lined with hematogenous macrophages. They made their appearance 2 days after injection, and were seen present even after 75 days following the experimental treatment, long after all the degenerative and phagocytic processes were completed. At a distance from the cavity reactive macrophages were seen in the external granular layer, where the cells were killed following an exposure to ENU. They were endogenous macrophages, and they also appeared within 2 days after the injection. After the phagocytosis of the debris the endogenous macrophages, unlike the hematogenous macrophages of the cavity, could not be seen. Presumably they had reverted to their resting state. It is suggested that in the normal developing cerebellum macrophages are present endogenously, and that under the conditions of lesions they participate in phagocytosis.
Positive and Negative Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Chemical ionization (CI) mass spectrometry developed from studies of ion-molecule reactions in simple hydrocarbon gases.(1) CI mass spectra depend upon the fact that the cross sections for ion-molecule reactions involving electron or ion transfer are considerably larger than the corresponding cross sections for interaction of molecules with free electrons.(2) If a substrate is present in an ion source at concentrations ranging from 10-3 to 10-5 torr, and the same source contains a reagent gas at a pressure of approximately 1 torr, the initial ionization caused by interaction of high-energy electrons with the gases in the source will occur primarily in the reagent gas. Because the gas pressure in the ion source is maintained at approximately 1 torr, ions formed by interaction with the primary electron beam will experience up to thousands of collisions with neutral molecules prior to exiting the source. Since the cross sections for ion-molecule reactions are considerably larger than the cross sections for interactions of electrons and molecules, many of these collisions will be reactive, with the result that the spectrum of ions emerging from the source will be substantially altered from that obtained at low source pressures. The ionization process in CI mass spectrometry is best reviewed by examining the reactions that occur in the high-pressure mass spectrum of methane, one of the most common CI reagent gases.
AC power generation from microbial fuel cells

Abstract Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) directly convert biodegradable substrates to electricity and carry good potential for energy-positive wastewater treatment. However, the low and direct current (DC) output from MFC is not usable for general electronics except small sensors, yet commercial DC–AC converters or inverters used in solar systems cannot be directly applied to MFCs. This study presents a new DC–AC converter system for MFCs that can generate alternating voltage in any desired frequency. Results show that AC power can be easily achieved in three different frequencies tested (1, 10, 60 Hz), and no energy storage layer such as capacitors was needed. The DC–AC converter efficiency was higher than 95% when powered by either individual MFCs or simple MFC stacks. Total harmonic distortion (THD) was used to investigate the quality of the energy, and it showed that the energy could be directly usable for linear electronic loads. This study shows that through electrical conversion MFCs can be potentially used in household electronics for decentralized off-grid communities.