cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fraction Development in Children: Importance of Building Numerical Magnitude Understanding

This chapter situates fraction learning within the integrated theory of numerical development. We argue that the understanding of numerical magnitudes for whole numbers as well as for fractions is critical to fraction learning in particular and mathematics achievement more generally. Results from the Delaware Longitudinal Study, which examined domain-general and domain-specific predictors of fraction development between third and sixth grade, are highlighted. The findings support an approach to teaching fractions that centers on a number line. Implications for helping struggling learners are discussed.
Characteristics of lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, 1817 in a tributary of Lake Michigan, USA: Status of the Muskegon River population

Summary The overall goal of this study was to characterize the age, growth, condition, and total catch of lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens in a remnant population associated with a Lake Michigan, USA tributary. Lake sturgeon were captured (2008–2013) using large-mesh (25.4 and 30.5 cm) and small-mesh (6.4 and 7.6 cm) gill netting in Muskegon Lake (which connects the Muskegon River to Lake Michigan), and adults were captured with boat electrofishing in the Muskegon River. A total of 268 unique lake sturgeon (24.8–191.0 cm total length; <0.1–59.5 kg weight) were captured. Of these, 180 fish were aged using pectoral fin rays, representing 27 age cohorts and a mean age of 7.6 years. The weight–length relationship for lake sturgeon was log10 (W) = 3.446·log10 (L) − 6.163 and the von Bertalanffy growth model was L = 180.719 [1−e−0.093(t + 0.902)], where W was wet weight (kg), L was total length (cm), and t was age (years). Mean growth rate of juveniles (ages 3–6) recaptured in successive years was 8.6 cm/year and 558 g/year. Annual catch of adults during the spawning migration suggested that the number of spawners each year was low (i.e., probably <50 individuals in most years). Natural reproduction appeared to be occurring given the catch of juvenile lake sturgeon in Muskegon Lake. However, recovery of this remnant population is uncertain given the population age structure and low rate of adult recruitment during the study.
“Quick-stabilizing” acrylic precursor for carbon fibers

Copolymers of acrylonitrile and vinyl bromide, with ca 4% (by weight) of vinyl bromide, are used as precursors for carbon fibers. The precursor fibers can be stabilized in remarkably short time intervals (15 – 20 min), without fiber damage, and result in carbon fibers (at 1400°C) of high quality: tensile strength 3,000 MN/m2, modulus 290 GN/m2, density 1.7 g/cm3. The chemistry behind these findings is discussed.
Does Test Item Performance Increase with Test-to-Standards Alignment?

ABSTRACTVariation in test performance among examinees from different regions or national jurisdictions is often partially attributed to differences in the degree of content correspondence between local school or training program curricula, and the test of interest. This posited relationship between test-curriculum correspondence, or “alignment,” and test performance is usually inferred from highly distal evidence, rather than directly examined. Utilizing mathematics standards content analysis data and achievement test item data from ten U.S. states, we examine the relationship between topic-specific alignment and test item performance. When a particular item’s content type is emphasized by the standards, we find evidence of a positive relationship between the alignment measure and proportion-correct test item difficulty, although this effect is not consistent across samples. Implications of the results for curricular achievement test development and score interpretation are discussed.
Entheogens in Ancient Times: Wine and the Rituals of Dionysus

Abstract Entheogen is a neologism to designate psychoactive substances employed in culturally sanctioned visionary experiences in ritual or religious contexts. The divine patron of such experience in Classical antiquity was primarily Dionysus. His manifestation in the civilized ferment of the grape, which yielded wine, was contrasted with the intoxicants from other sources that preceded viticulture, such as toxic herbs, mushrooms, and animal and insect venoms. Emblematic of the contrast was the opposition between the vine and the ivy. The mountain revels of the deity’s female devotees, known as maenads or bacchants, honored the precedents to viticulture in rituals of herb gathering, of which their staff of empowerment, the thyrsus or the narthex, was symbolic. The wine, in contrast, was the drink of the symposium, celebrated by men within the city, with female sexual companions not numbered among the citizenry. The wine, itself, mediated between the wild and the cultivated in that it was doctored with herbal additives.
Unsuspected Critical Illness Among Emergency Department Patients Presenting for Acute Alcohol Intoxication.

Study objective Emergency department (ED) visits for acute alcohol intoxication are common, but this population is at risk for decompensation and occult critical illness. The purpose of this study is to describe the incidence and predictors of unsuspected critical illness among patients with acute alcohol intoxication. Methods This was a retrospective observational study of ED patients from 2011 to 2016 with acute alcohol intoxication. The study cohort included patients presenting for alcohol intoxication, whose initial assessment was uncomplicated alcohol intoxication without any other active acute medical or traumatic complaints. The primary outcome was defined as the unanticipated subsequent use of critical care resources during the encounter or admission to an ICU. We investigated potential predictors for this outcome with generalized estimating equations. Results We identified 31,364 eligible patient encounters (median age 38 years; 71% men; median breath alcohol concentration 234 mg/dL); 325 encounters (1%) used critical care resources. The most common diagnoses per 1,000 ED encounters were acute hypoxic respiratory failure (3.1), alcohol withdrawal (1.7), sepsis or infection (1.1), and intracranial hemorrhage (1.0). Three patients sustained a cardiac arrest. Presence of the following had an increased adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of developing critical illness: hypoglycemia (aOR 9.2), hypotension (aOR 3.8), tachycardia (aOR 1.8), fever (aOR 7.6), hypoxia (aOR 3.8), hypothermia (aOR 4.2), and parenteral sedation (aOR 2.4). The initial blood alcohol concentration aOR was 1.0. Conclusion Critical care resources were used for 1% of ED patients with alcohol intoxication who were initially assessed by physicians to have low risk. Abnormal vital signs, hypoglycemia, and chemical sedation were associated with increased odds of critical illness.
Propagation speeds for interacting triple flames

Abstract Triple (or tribrachial) flames propagate through mixtures faster than the premixed laminar flame speed due to streamline divergence ahead of the flame base that decelerates the flow into the leading edge of the flame. When multiple triple flames are in close proximity, the bulk propagation speed of the structure can be even faster due to additional streamline divergence. Turbulent flames in partially-premixed conditions can encounter these situations, where multiple stoichiometric crossing are in close proximity, leading to multiple interacting triple flames being formed. Propagation speeds of the flame structure with respect the bulk flow for individual triple flames have been well characterized in previous studies, and the local flame speed of interacting triple flames have been reported; however, characterization of the propagation speed for the overall flame structure of interacting triple flame speeds has not been reported. The present work utilizes a laminar five slot burner, which allows both the concentration gradients and stoichiometric separation distance of two interacting triple flames to be varied. The bulk propagation speed of the multiple edge flames has been characterized as a function of the distance between the flame bases (or stoichiometric locations) and the local flame curvatures in order to better understand the conditions which lead to larger streamline divergence and faster propagation speeds. Interaction between multiple edge flames has been found to play an essential role in this propagation speed. Interacting edge flame speeds were modeled by modifying the relationship for single triple flame propagation speed with an added term for the interaction between the two flames to account for the increased effective divergence.
Data Visualization at the Individual Patient Level

Although displays of clinical trial data in clinical research primarily focus on group level data, researchers often find themselves focusing on individual patients in a clinical trial. Data displays of individual patient data in clinical research are needed for many reasons, such as individual case review to understand potential outliers or important adverse events. When reviewing individual patient data, understanding how the individual is different from or similar to reference populations is very important. Without the correct context, individual data can be very difficult to interpret. Following good principles of graphics, we can build helpful displays that allow for faster and more accurate decision making.
Reduction of Chemical Reactions in Nitrogen and Nitrogen-Hydrogen Plasma Jets Flowing into Atmospheric Air

The large number of possible chemical reactions represents a severe burdenfor modeling of even relatively simple plasma systems. Reduced sets ofchemical reactions have been obtained for numerical simulations of nitrogenand nitrogen-hydrogen plasma jets flowing into an atmospheric airenvironment. The important or active reactions are determined based on asimplified reduction method. A reaction is considered active if it leadsto higher sensitivities than a specified cutoff sensitivity of 1%. Theactive reactions exert a significant influence on main plasma parameters,such as velocity, temperature, and species concentrations. The sensitivityanalysis for the specified systems shows that two NO reactions, known asZel'dovich reactions (N2+O⇌NO+N andNO+O⇌O2+N),(1) are both active in a nitrogenplasma jet. On the other hand, the latter is not active and may be omittedin a nitrogen–hydrogen plasma jet. A nitrogen–hydrogen plasmajet requires contribution of two active charge exchange reactions:N2+N+⇌N+ 2+N andN+H+⇌N+ +H, while only the former is needed in a nitrogen plasmajet. The dissociation reactions are all active in both plasma jets, exceptthe dissociation of OH.
Evaluating the association of physical activity and weight gain in pregnancy

Previous research has shown that physical activity in pregnancy decreases the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes including development of gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and the need for unplanned cesarean section. Research has also shown that excessive weight gain in pregnancy increases the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes. Tracking accurate physical activity in pregnancy is difficult using patient-reported data, however with commercially available and accurate physical activity monitors, objective data is more readily available. Our study is a feasibility study using objective data to track physical activity and weight gain in pregnancy.
Defect formation dynamics in curved elastic surface crystals.

Topological defects shape the material and transport properties of physical systems. Examples range from vortex lines in quantum superfluids, defect-mediated buckling of graphene, and grain boundaries in ferromagnets and colloidal crystals, to domain structures formed in the early universe. The Kibble–Zurek (KZ) mechanism describes the topological defect formation in continuous non-equilibrium phase transitions with a constant finite quench rate. Universal KZ scaling laws have been verified experimentally and numerically for second-order transitions in planar Euclidean geometries, but their validity for non-thermal transitions in curved and topologically nontrivial systems still poses open questions. Here, we use recent experimentally confirmed theory to investigate topological defect formation in curved elastic surface crystals formed by stress-quenching a bilayer material. For both spherical and toroidal crystals, we find that the defect densities follow KZ-type power laws. Moreover, the nucleation sequences agree with recent experimental observations for spherical colloidal crystals. Our results suggest that curved elastic bilayers provide an experimentally accessible macroscopic system to study universal properties of non-thermal phase transitions in non-planar geometries.
Enrollment of students with disabilities in charter schools: Contemporary national and state level findings

There is no national study examining the rate of enrollment of students with disabilities in charter schools. We examined whether students with disabilities were significantly less likely to enroll in charter schools as compared to non-charter public schools accounting for state level variation using data for the entire national population. We utilized data from the Civil Rights Data Collection under the U.S. Department of Education for the 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 academic years. These nationwide and contemporary data provided school-level numbers of students with disabilities receiving special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and charter school status. We performed hierarchical linear modeling to examine for differences in the percentages of students with disabilities under IDEA between charter and non-charter schools, which revealed significantly less students with disabilities enrolled in charter schools at the national and state level. Additionally, we identified and ranked states according to the degree of discrepancy in the percentages of students with disabilities under IDEA between charter and non-charter schools.
Predicting potential acuities in amblyopes: predicting post-therapy acuity in amblyopes.

Amblyopic patients, or their parents, often want to know the potential for success before committing to treatment. Recent reports have indicated that the pattern visual evoked potential (pVEP) can be used as a predictor of the success of amblyopia therapy. Unfortunately, these studies did not determine if acuity estimates from pVEPs could accurately predict the acuity post-treatment. Furthermore, pVEPs are not always practical to obtain because of the time necessary to acquire the data. Sweep VEPs (sVEP) offer the advantage of rapidly estimating visual acuity in amblyopic patients. In this retrospective study, the relationship between sVEP acuities measured pre-amblyopic therapy and Snellen acuities measured post-amblyopic therapy was determined. Seventeen patients with amblyopia were studied. Monocular sVEP and Snellen acuities were determined pre-amblyopic therapy and Snellen acuities were determined post-amblyopic therapy. An Enfant 4010 computer system was used to produce the stimuli, record the VEPs, and extrapolate the acuity. The stimuli were horizontally oriented, sine wave gratings (11 spatial frequencies from 2 to 24 cpd) with a contrast of 80%, counterphased at 7.5 Hz. Standard VEP recording techniques were employed. Therapy consisted of the full refractive correction and occlusion combined with active vision therapy. The patients demonstrated a significant improvement in pre- to post-amblyopic therapy Snellen acuities (P < 0.00001). The intraclass correlation coefficient (r i) between the pre-therapy sVEP acuities and the post-therapy Snellen acuities was 0.73. A paired t-test did not find a significant difference between the two sets of data (P = 0.94). For the amblyopes in this study, the average difference (±SD) in the sVEP acuity estimate and the final Snellen visual acuity was +0.002 ± 0.123 logMAR acuity lines. The results indicate that pre-amblyopic therapy sVEP acuity can be a good predictor of post-amblyopic therapy Snellen acuity.
The Dilemma in the Democratic Collective Decision-Choice System: The Games

This chapter connects to previous chapters of discussions on the theory of social goal-objective formation on the basis of cost-benefit analysis as applied to the political economy under a specified set of conditions of the democratic collective decision-choice process. A number of questions were raised about the roles that different parties play in the collective decision-choice actions in the social goal-objective formation when an institution of government is introduced. The government is charged with overall management and administration of the social organization through the creation of a social decision-making core under multi-partisan conditions. The differences in party ideologies, preferences, policy positions and platforms generate conflicts in the collective decision-choice space involved in the goal-objective formation even given the same national interest and social vision. The different preferences over national interest and social vision may come to complicate the construct of the theory of democratic collective decision-choice system as applied to the social goal-objective formation as part of the overall administration of the social set-up. The formation of political parties is an organizational calculus to simplify the decision-choice process by consolidating similar preferences and thus to reduce the complexities in extreme conflicts over the individual preferences. It may be seen as a first step in the preference aggregation in the decision-choice process in creating and protecting the elements in the social goal-objective set.
Testing transgenes for insect resistance using Arabidopsis

One possible strategy to delay the selection of resistant insect populations is the pyramiding of multiple resistance genes into a single cultivar. However, the transformation of most major crops remains prohibitively expensive if a large number of transgene combinations are to be evaluated. Arabidopsis thaliana is a potentially good plant for such preliminary evaluations. We determined that four major agricultural pests, Spodoptera exigua, Helicoverpa zea, Pseudoplusia includens, and Heliothis virescens grew as well when feeding on ‘Landsberg Erecta’ Arabidopsis as they did on plants of ‘Cobb’ soybean. Landsberg Erecta was then transformed with either a synthetic Bacillus thuringiensis cryIA(c) gene, or the cowpea trypsin inhibitor gene. Transformed plants were crossed to produce plants transgenic for both genes. Following quantification of transgene expression, the four caterpillar species were allowed to feed on wild-type plants, plants expressing either cryIA(c) or the cowpea trypsin inhibitor gene, or plants expressing both. Both genes reduced growth of the species tested, but cryIA(c) was more effective in controlling caterpillar growth than the cowpea trypsin inhibitor gene. The resistance of plants with both transgenes was lower than that of plants expressing the cryIA(c) gene alone, but higher than that of plants expressing the only the CpTI gene. This could be due to a lower concentration of Cry protein in the hemizygous F1 plants. Thus, if the cowpea trypsin inhibitor had any potentiation effect on cryIA(c), this effect was less than the cryIA(c) copy number effect. Alternatively, expression of the trypsin inhibitor gene could be antagonistic to the function of the cryIA(c) gene. Either way, these results suggest that the combined use of these two genes may not be effective.
Spatial variation in allometric growth of invasive lionfish has management implications

Lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) are an invasive species in the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean. Improving management of invasive lionfish populations requires accurate total biomass estimates, which depend on accurate estimates of allometric growth; sedentary species like lionfish often exhibit high levels of spatial variation in life history characteristics. We reviewed 17 published length-weight relationships for lionfish taken throughout their invasive range and found regional differences that led to significant misestimates when calculating weight from length observations. The spatial pattern we observed is consistent with findings from other studies focused on genetics or length-at-age. Here, the use of ex situ parameter values resulted in total biomass estimates between 76.2% and 140% of true observed biomass, and up to a threefold under- or overestimation of total weight for an individual organism. These findings can have implications for management in terms of predicting effects on local ecosystems, evaluating the effectiveness of removal programs, or estimating biomass available for harvest.
Advanced visualizations to interpret prescription drug monitoring program information.

Abstract Objectives Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are state-based databases that contain information about controlled substance prescriptions dispensed by pharmacies. Many states now mandate PDMP use by prescribers, despite unclear effectiveness. We hypothesize that it is possible to improve the interpretability, and hence effectiveness, of PDMPs by enhancing them. Methods This was a real-time simulation of an enhanced PDMP. Fifty practicing physicians (25 primary care, 25 emergency medicine) were randomized to see three cases with a standard profile or an enhanced profile that included graphical representation of prescriptions and identified risky prescribing patterns. After a two-month washout period, participants were placed in the opposite group. Results Physicians presented with the enhanced profile were more likely to correctly identify patients with multiple providers (97.0% vs. 85.8%, p = 0.002), overlapping opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions (94.7% vs. 87.5%, p = 0.03), overlapping opioid prescriptions (89.5% vs. 70.8%, p Conclusions A simulated PDMP with graphical displays and interpretation of findings was, for this cohort of emergency physicians and primary care physicians, associated with an increased ability to determine high-risk features on PDMP profiles.
Laser Spectroscopy of Semiconductor Quantum Dots

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the laser spectroscopy of semiconductor quantum dots. Advances in nanofabrication techniques have helped to study quantum confined semiconductor structures. The applications of quantum dots in optical devices, such as lasers and modulators, appear to be promising if the technology is sophisticated enough to produce well characterized samples of quantum dots. The chapter further describes the optical Stark effect in these materials. The technique of nearly degenerate two-wave mixing has the potential of providing a direct measurement of the energy relaxation and dipole dephasing times of semiconductor quantum dots. The study of optical processes in semiconductors relies upon the solution of the bi-local quantum transport equations, which takes into account both the coherent amplitude of the electron–hole pair and the number densities. The application of the density matrix equations to the case of two-wave mixing can be carried out using perturbation theory. The result of the analysis provides an expression for the small signal gain coefficient.
Ducting and Biases of GPS Radio Occultation Bending Angle and Refractivity in the Moist Lower Troposphere

AbstractRadio occultation (RO) can provide high-vertical-resolution thermodynamic soundings of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). However, sharp moisture gradients and strong temperature inversion...
Did My Religious Education Teach Me to Hate My Family’s Religiosidad? An Autobiographical Analysis of My Religious and Theological Education

This article begins with a brief autobiographical depiction of my religious education. It then charts the ways in which the inadequacies of that religious education caused me to treat my fa...
Lung IFNAR1 hi TNFR2 + cDC2 promotes lung regulatory T cells induction and maintains lung mucosal tolerance at steady state

The lung is a naturally tolerogenic organ. Lung regulatory T cells (T-regs) control lung mucosal tolerance. Here, we identified a lung IFNAR1hiTNFR2+ conventional DC2 (iR2D2) population that induces T-regs in the lung at steady state. Using conditional knockout mice, adoptive cell transfer, receptor blocking antibodies, and TNFR2 agonist, we showed that iR2D2 is a lung microenvironment-adapted dendritic cell population whose residence depends on the constitutive TNFR2 signaling. IFNβ-IFNAR1 signaling in iR2D2 is necessary and sufficient for T-regs induction in the lung. The Epcam+CD45- epithelial cells are the sole lung IFNβ producer at the steady state. Surprisingly, iR2D2 is plastic. In a house dust mite model of asthma, iR2D2 generates lung TH2 responses. Last, healthy human lungs have a phenotypically similar tolerogenic iR2D2 population, which became pathogenic in lung disease patients. Our findings elucidate lung epithelial cells IFNβ-iR2D2-T-regs axis in controlling lung mucosal tolerance and provide new strategies for therapeutic interventions.
Notice Pleading in Exile

According to the conventional wisdom, the Supreme Court's 2009 decision in Ashcroft v. Iqbal discarded notice pleading in favor of plausibility pleading. This Article--part of a symposium commemorating the Iqbal decision's tenth anniversary--highlights decisions during those ten years that have continued to endorse notice pleading despite Iqbal. It also argues that those decisions reflect the best way to read the Iqbal decision. Although Iqbal is a troubling decision in many respects, it can be implemented consistently with the notice-pleading framework that the original drafters of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure had in mind.
Creation, Risk, and Uncertainty: Towards a Theoretical Framework for Entrepreneurial Strategy

Despite the critical importance and growing interest among academics, students, and practitioners of entrepreneurship, the smorgasbord of conflicting definitions and ongoing debates concerning what...
All That Is Solid

What can architecture learn from a direct confrontation with the material afterlives of modern consumption? All That Is Solid is a series of experiments in reuse conducted during a six-week residen...
The role of pregnancy-specific glycoproteins on trophoblast motility in three-dimensional gelatin hydrogels

Trophoblast invasion is a complex biological process necessary for establishment of pregnancy; however, much remains unknown regarding what signaling factors coordinate the extent of invasion. Pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSGs) are some of the most abundant circulating trophoblastic proteins in maternal blood during human pregnancy, with maternal serum concentrations rising to as high as 200-400 g/mL at term. Here, we employ three-dimensional (3D) trophoblast motility assays consisting of trophoblast spheroids encapsulated in 3D gelatin hydrogels to quantify trophoblast outgrowth area, viability, and cytotoxicity in the presence of PSG1 and PSG9 as well as epidermal growth factor and Nodal. We show PSG9 reduces trophoblast motility whereas PSG1 increases motility. Further, we assess bulk nascent protein production by encapsulated spheroids to highlight the potential of this approach to assess trophoblast response (motility, remodeling) to soluble factors and extracellular matrix cues. Such models provide an important platform to develop a deeper understanding of early pregnancy. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=196 SRC="FIGDIR/small/314195v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (31K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@9062aaorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@13dbc87org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@2473eaorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1362fba_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG
A signaling pathway-driven bioinformatics pipeline for predicting therapeutics against emerging infectious diseases

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), is a novel Betacoronavirus that was first reported in Wuhan, China in December of 2019. The virus has since caused a worldwide pandemic that highlights the need to quickly identify potential prophylactic or therapeutic treatments that can reduce the signs, symptoms, and/or spread of disease when dealing with a novel infectious agent. To combat this problem, we constructed a computational pipeline that uniquely combines existing tools to predict drugs and biologics that could be repurposed to combat an emerging pathogen. Methods: Our workflow analyzes RNA-sequencing data to determine differentially expressed genes, enriched Gene Ontology (GO) terms, and dysregulated pathways in infected cells, which can then be used to identify US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs that target human proteins within these pathways. We used this pipeline to perform a meta-analysis of RNA-seq data from cells infected with three Betacoronavirus species including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV;SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV;MERS), and SARS-CoV-2, as well as respiratory syncytial virus and influenza A virus to identify therapeutics that could be used to treat COVID-19. Results: This analysis identified twelve existing drugs, most of which already have FDA-approval, that are predicted to counter the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection. These results were cross-referenced with interventional clinical trials and other studies in the literature to identify drugs on our list that had previously been identified or used as treatments for COIVD-19 including canakinumab, anakinra, tocilizumab, sarilumab, and baricitinib. Conclusions: While the results reported here are specific to Betacoronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, our bioinformatics pipeline can be used to quickly identify candidate therapeutics for future emerging infectious diseases. © 2021 Scott TM et al.
Implementation of aerosol data assimilation in WRFDA (V4.0.3) for WRF-Chem (V3.9.1) using the MADE/VBS scheme

Abstract. The Weather Research and Forecasting model data assimilation (WRFDA) system, initially designed for meteorological data assimilation, is extended for aerosol data assimilation for the WRF model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem). An interface between WRF-Chem and WRFDA is built for the Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism (RACM) chemistry and the Modal Aerosol Dynamics Model for Europe (MADE) coupled with the Volatility Basis Set (VBS) aerosol schemes. This article describes the implementation of the new interface for assimilating PM2.5, PM10, and four gas species (SO2, NO2, O3, and co) on the ground. And the effects of aerosol data assimilation are briefly examined through a month-long case study during the Korea-United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) period. It is demonstrated that the 3DVAR analysis can lead to consistent forecast improvements up to 26 %, diminishing most systematic bias errors for 24 h.
Dysbiosis and Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction in Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease is Exacerbated Following Cardiopulmonary Bypass

To map the microbiome and intestinal barrier function in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. The intestinal microbiome is proving integral in health and homeostasis. Systemic inflammation can reduce diversity and increase pro-inflammatory bacteria in the microbiome. These changes disrupt the intestinal barrier and extend cytokine-mediated systemic injury. Patients receiving cardiopulmonary bypass secrete cytokines and have clinical features similar to other forms of systemic inflammation. We hypothesize surgery with bypass results in intestinal dysbiosis and is associated with increased pro-inflammatory bacteria.Prospective study of patients aged 1 month to 18 years assigned in two arms: surgery with bypass and surgery without comparison group. Stool was collected before surgery and 3-5 days after surgery. Stool DNA was extracted and sequenced for microbiome evaluation. Markers of intestinal barrier dysfunction were measured before and after surgery to evaluate intestinal barrier function. 29 patients were enrolled. At baseline, patients with bypass (n=17) had significantly more pro-inflammatory bacteria, Proteobacteria (p<0.001), and reduced healthy Bacteroidetes (p=0.004). Bypass further increased Proteobacteria from 17% to 27%. Beta diversity showed significant changes in pre- and post-surgery between the bypass group compared to controls (n=12; p<0.001). The bypass group also had significantly increased markers of intestinal barrier dysfunction, FABP2 (p=0.001), claudin-3 (<0.0001), and citrulline (p=0.001). Our study offers novel evidence of baseline dysbiosis in congenital heart disease, with bypass further exacerbating dysbiosis and intestinal barrier dysfunction to potentially contribute to morbidity. These results open the door to evaluating therapeutic interventions to improve outcomes.
Investigating Multi-Touch Vibrations on Mobile Touchscreens

While many advanced haptic devices are under development, touchscreens are one of the most readily available platforms. In this paper, we leverage a leap forward in vibration-based haptics, Apple's new CoreHaptics API, and investigate its potential for a multi-finger vibration experience. We present a perceptual user study (N=15) that investigates multi-finger vibration identification and exploration strategies and we conduct a laser doppler vibrometry study, uncovering the challenges of developing consistent, high-quality vibration feedback across hardware platforms that vary in actuation principle, screen size, and external attachments. Repeated-measures ANOVA tests showed no statistically significant results in time, error, or weighted error for vibration identification across all participants based on number of fingers. However, one-way ANOVAs did show significant results within individuals, illustrating benefits of multiple-finger exploration. The most effective strategies for locating vibrations involved multiple fingers grouped together using sweeping motions across the screen. Our LDV study demonstrated that CoreHaptics and the Taptic Engine in the iPhone were capable of more accurately recreating specific frequencies than coin motors in Android devices. This research supports a move to a multi-finger, vibrotactile touchscreen experience, while highlighting the challenges of creating a consistent vibration experience across hardware platforms.
The Urbanization Revolution: Challenge to International Planning

If we are to move beyond the conditioned reflex of merely groping toward a more coherent system of effective environmental management, then complex long-term forecasting as well as better planning would seem to be an urgent policy imperative. Those of us who are concerned with this question are convinced that the planning community must become more aggressively involved in the long-term environmental issues affecting urban development planning. This is a problem that the world community can ill afford to neglect, and the reasons should be quite clear.
Genotype x environment interactions in Angus, Brahman, and reciprocal cross cows and their calves grazing common bermudagrass and endophyte-infected tall fescue pastures.

Reproductive and preweaning data on 233 Angus (A), Brahman (B), and reciprocal-cross cows (AB, BA) and 455 two- and three-breed cross calves managed on common bermudagrass or endophyte-infected tall fescue were used to evaluate the interaction of forage type with individual and maternal heterosis and maternal and grandmaternal breed effects. Cows were born from 1988 to 1991 and calves from 15 Polled Hereford sires were born from 1991 to 1994. Heterosis for calving rate was similar and important on both forages (P < .01), but maternal effects were small on each forage. Maternal heterosis for birth weight differed between common bermudagrass and tall fescue (P < .10) and grandmaternal effects were evident on bermudagrass (P < .05) but not tall fescue. Forage effects were generally substantial for 205-d weight, weaning hip height, and weaning weight:height ratio (P < .01), and maternal heterosis for these traits was larger on tall fescue than on common bermudagrass (P < .01). Grandmaternal effects were in favor of Angus for 205-d weight, hip height, and weight:height ratio on common bermudagrass (P < .05) but not on tall fescue. Heterosis for 205-d weight per cow exposed was substantial on both forages (P < .01) and was numerically larger on tall fescue than on bermudagrass, but maternal effects were not significant. These results suggest more advantage for Brahman-cross cows over purebreds on endophyte-infected tall fescue than a similar comparison on common bermudagrass. They also suggest an advantage for Angus in grandmaternal effects on bermudagrass but not tall fescue.
Spatial relational planning for the knowledge economy

The growing development and impact of information and communications technologies (ICTs) has changed many elements of the way we work and live. These changes pose a challenge to urban and regional planners, who need to understand and anticipate these technologies in order to shape current and future cities. In order to provide a framework for planning in a knowledge economy we adopt a relational framework conceptualized by Graham and Healy (1999), and apply that framework to analysis of the knowledge economy in the state of Michigan in the United States. The case study provides new ways of understanding and assessing the role of ICTs in urban and regional settings, and offers guidance for planners who have responsibility for shaping the future of these locations.
Effects of landscape spatial structure on movement patterns of the hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus)

A large-scale experimental landscape study was conducted to examine the use of corridors and the forest matrix habitat by the hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus). The role of micro- habitat selection by S. hispidus in influencing routes of movement was also investigated. The experimental landscape consisted of ten 1.64-ha patches (each 128×128 m) established in a loblolly (Pinus teada) forest. Four of the patches were isolated while the other six were connected in pairs by a 32-m wide corridor. Cotton rats (N=96) were simultaneously released into both an isolated and connected patch, and monitored by radiotelemetry for 10 days. We found that the forest matrix was not a barrier to movements of cotton rats. Fifty percent of the cotton rats moved through the matrix. Corridors had no significant effect on the number of animals leaving connected patches (60%) compared to isolated patches (50%). However, corridors were the preferred route to leave a connected patch. Colonization success for cotton rats leaving connected and isolated patches did not significantly differ. Cotton rats exhibited micro-habitat preferences and these preferences differed within patch/corridor and matrix habitats. In patch/corridor habitats, cotton rats selected sites with tall (>1 m) shrubs and high percent cover. In the forest matrix, cotton rats selected sites with abundant cover by vines and low tree canopy cover. Movement patterns of Sigmodon hispidus are not strongly influenced by large-scale landscape spatial structures. Micro-habitat selection, however, does influence movement patterns. These findings have important implications regarding habitat connectivity for small mammals.
An Improved RSP Method to Detect HpaI Polymorphism in the Apolipoprotein C-1 Gene Promoter

Background An apolipoprotein C1 gene promoter polymorphism (CGTT insertion at position -317) is associated with familial dysbetalipoprotemia, cardiovascular diseases, and Alzheimer's disease. Restriction site polymorphism (RSP) assays were previously established to detect this polymorphism. In this study, we introduce an improved RSP assay to detect this polymorphism.
Brood rearing and food consumption by honeybee colonies fed pollen substitutes supplemented with starch-encapsulated pollen extracts.

SummaryThe whole lipid fraction of fresh bee-collected pollen was encapsulated in a starch polymer and added to a whey-yeast pollen substitute. Honeybee colonies fed pollen substitute supplemented with 2, 4, 6 or 8% (dry weight) of the lipid reared significantly more brood to the sealed stage than did colonies fed the substitute without lipid. Colonies fed 2 or 4% lipid reared as much brood as colonies fed pollen. Addition of the starch-coated pollen lipid to the pollen substitute also improved its consumption, but not in proportion to the improvement in brood production; thus the pollen lipid may have influenced brood production directly as well as by increasing protein intake.
Chapter 17 Explosives

Publisher Summary Forensic analysis of explosives includes analysis of post-explosion residues, and detection and identification of traces of explosives on suspects' hands, on clothing and on other related items. Preliminary field tests may be used for screening the debris on the explosion site. They include commercially available explosive vapor detectors and chemical color tests. Like post-explosion residues, personal items suspected to contain traces of explosives and hand-swabs, are often heavily contaminated. It is therefore of major importance that the analytical procedures have to include good screening, clean-up, and extraction methods. The main explosives dealt with in this chapter include nitroaromatic explosives, such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 2,4,6,N-tetranitro-N-methylaniline (tetryl), nitrate esters, such as ethylene glycol dinitrate (EGDN), glycerol trinitrate (nitroglycerin, NG) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), and nitramine explosives, such as 1,3,5- trinitro- 1,3,5-triazacyclohexane ,(RDX) and 1,3,5,7-tetranitro- 1,3,5,7-tetrazacyclooctane (HMX), as well as mixtures containing one or more of these explosives. Additional explosives include triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and ammonium nitrate (AN), NH 4 NO 3 .
Evaluating effective reaction rates of kinetically driven solutes in large‐scale, statistically anisotropic media: Human health risk implications

[1] The interplay between regions of high and low hydraulic conductivity, degree of aquifer stratification, and rate-dependent geochemical reactions in heterogeneous flow fields is investigated, focusing on impacts of kinetic sorption and local dispersion on plume retardation and channeling. Human health risk is used as an endpoint for comparison via a nested Monte Carlo scheme, explicitly considering joint uncertainty and variability. Kinetic sorption is simulated with finely resolved, large-scale domains to identify hydrogeologic conditions where reactions are either rate limited (nonreactive), in equilibrium (linear equilibrium assumption is appropriate), or are sensitive to time-dependent kinetic reactions. By utilizing stochastic ensembles, effective equilibrium conditions are examined, in addition to parameter interplay. In particular, the effects of preferential flow pathways and solute mixing at the field-scale (marcrodispersion) and subgrid (local dispersion, LD) are examined for varying degrees of stratification and regional groundwater velocities (v). Results show effective reaction rates of kinetic ensembles with the inclusion of LD yield disequilibrium transport, even for averaged (or global) Damkoholer numbers associated with equilibrium transport. Solute behavior includes an additive tailing effect, a retarded peak time, and results in an increased cancer risk. The inclusion of LD for nonreactive solutes in highly anisotropic media results in either induced solute retardation or acceleration, a new finding given that LD has previously been shown to affect only the concentration variance. The distribution, magnitude, and associated uncertainty of cancer risk are controlled by the up scaling of these small-scale processes, but are strongly dependent on v and the source term.
Familial myelodysplastic syndrome/acute leukemia syndromes: a review and utility for translational investigations

The familial myelodysplastic (MDS)/acute leukemia (AL) predisposition syndromes are inherited disorders that lead to significantly increased lifetime risks of MDS and AL development. At present, four recognized syndromes have Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments–certified testing for their respective germline mutations: telomere biology disorders due to mutation of TERC or TERT, familial AML with mutated CEBPA, familial MDS/AML with mutated GATA2, and familial platelet disorder with propensity to myeloid malignancy. These disorders are heterogeneous with regard to their causative genetic mutations, clinical presentation, and progression to MDS/AL. However, as a group, they all share the unique requirement for a high index of clinical suspicion to allow appropriate genetic counseling, genetic testing and mutation-specific clinical management. In addition, translational investigations of individuals and families with these syndromes provide a rare opportunity to understand key pathways underlying susceptibility and progression to MDS/AL and allow the possibility of novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of both familial and sporadic forms of MDS/AL.
Cholinergic basal forebrain transplants restore diminished metabolic activity in the somatosensory cortex of rats with acetylcholine depletion.

It has been known for several years that stimulus-evoked metabolic activity is reduced in the somatosensory cortex of animals with basal forebrain lesions that deplete the neocortex of acetylcholine (ACh). During 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) experiments, animals with unilateral basal forebrain lesions demonstrate a decreased response to somatic stimulation, while background metabolic activity in the surrounding cortical regions remains normal. In an attempt to ameliorate these deficits, we examined the ability of embryonic cholinergic basal forebrain transplants inserted into neocortex to innervate surrounding cortical regions and restore functional 2-DG activity in adult host rats previously depleted of ACh by basal forebrain lesions. To accomplish this goal, a series of experiments were conducted in which we (1) depleted the cerebral cortex of ACh by injecting an excitotoxin into the rat basal forebrain, (2) transplanted embryonic basal forebrain or embryonic neocortical (control) tissue into the ACh- depleted cortex and, (3) 6–12 months later, used the 2-DG metabolic mapping technique to examine effects of the transplants on metabolic activity evoked by whisker stimulation in rat somatosensory (barrel) cortex. Histochemical analysis revealed that acetylcholinesterase (AChE) staining within 2 mm of the basal forebrain transplants was similar in density to the contralateral normal hemisphere. AChE staining farther than 2 mm from the basal forebrain transplants and throughout hemispheres containing neocortical (control) transplants was greatly reduced, with few AChE-positive fibers present, a finding typical of cerebral cortex in basal forebrain-lesioned animals. Stimulus-evoked 2-DG uptake in barrels adjacent to the basal forebrain transplants, and therefore within AChE-rich territory, was similar to that in corresponding barrels identically activated in the contralateral hemisphere. 2-DG activity was reduced, however, in stimulated barrels outside the region of dense AChE-positive staining, as well as in all activated barrels in hemispheres containing control transplants of embryonic neocortex. These results indicate that transplantation of cell suspensions containing embryonic cholinergic basal forebrain, but not neocortex, can ameliorate basal forebrain lesion-induced deficits in functional activity, and that the restoration of activity is influenced by proximity to the transplant.