cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contemporary Decision Methods for Agricultural, Environmental, and Resource Management and Policy

Traditional top-down methods for resource management ask first what future conditions will be, then identify the best action(s) to take in response to that prediction. Even when acknowledging uncer...
Associations of cutaneous and extracutaneous infections with hidradenitis suppurativa in U.S. children and adults.

Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is associated with bacterial colonization, skin-barrier disruption, immune dysregulation and treatments that can increase infection risk. Objectives To determine whether HS is associated with cutaneous and extracutaneous infections and related outcomes. Methods Data from the 2002-2012 National Inpatient Sample were analysed, including a 20% sample of U.S. hospitalizations (n = 87 053 155). Results The prevalence (with 95% confidence interval) of infections was higher in adults (34·0%, 33·2-34·7% vs. 23·4%, 23·2-23·6%) and children (31·8%, 28·7-34·9% vs. 12·6% (12·1-13·1%) with vs. without HS. Inpatients with HS had higher prevalences of infections overall (excluding cellulitis and erysipelas) than those with psoriasis, but lower than those with atopic dermatitis. In multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for sociodemographics, HS was associated with 18 of 45 infections examined (adults: 16 of 45; children: six of 45), including acute infections (herpes simplex virus, herpes zoster, necrotizing fasciitis, septicaemia, bone infection, Clostridium difficile, methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, mycobacterial, fungal, viral), chronic infections (HIV, hepatitis B) and antibiotic-resistant infections. HS alone was associated with increased infections. Patients with comorbid cancer; HIV; cardiometabolic, autoimmune or mental health diagnoses or acne had even higher odds of infections. Inpatients with HS with vs. without serious infection had increased inpatient mortality (0·71% vs. 0·16%), mean length of stay (7·3 vs. 4·8 days) and cost of care (US$13 578 vs. $9242), with a mean annual excess 41 050 days and $71 622 339 cost of hospitalization. Conclusions Adults and children with HS had increased acute and chronic, cutaneous, extracutaneous and systemic infections, which were associated with increased mortality and cost. What's already known about this topic? Little is known about the risk of infection in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). What does this study add? Adults and children with HS had increased cutaneous, extracutaneous and systemic infections, at even higher rates than in patients with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. These infections were associated with increased inpatient mortality and cost. Respond to this article.
M1* and M2*: Dynamic Monetary Indicators from a Simultaneous Equation Model

The two indicators discussed in this chapter represent, by their very nature, an attempt to enhance the ability of policy analysts and monetary authorities to characterize the current impact of dynamic Federal Reserve actions. Consequently, their derivation retains in all respects the basic perception of exogeneity, which maintains that a policy gauge should be independent of endogenous cyclical forces and, thus, should reflect both systematic policy impacts and random exogenous shocks. To provide an appropriate initial point of departure for the contents of this chapter, a brief critical appraisal of certain inadequacies in the derivation of the neutralized money stock is offered. This material serves to “set the stage” for the presentation of a definitive alternative approach that directly overcomes these shortcomings in an explicit fashion. The remainder of Chapter 3 will be directed toward a complete analysis of the actual construction of M1* and M2*. Included in this examination are both (1) a relatively thorough and detailed treatment of the monetary sector, which is utilized in the development of the indicators, and (2) a comprehensive account of the empirical implementation, including relevant system estimation, of the overall theoretical approach. As a convenient expositional device, a summary of the variables to be utilized in this chapter and their symbolic representations are presented in Table 3–1.
Implementation of a probiotic protocol to reduce rates of necrotizing enterocolitis

To utilize a probiotic protocol to achieve a 50% reduction in rates of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) ≥ Bell Stage 2 within 2 years of protocol implementation. Literature review guided probiotic selection and protocol design. A driver diagram identified key drivers to achieve our aim. A U chart followed monthly NEC ≥ Bell Stage 2 per 100 patient days and per monthly admissions. The process measure was protocol compliance and the balancing measure was probiotic sepsis. NEC ≥ Bell Stage 2 decreased from 0.14 to 0.04 per 100 patient days in infants < 33 weeks gestation or <1500 g, or a yearly rate of 7–2%. Protocol compliance was 98% and there were no cases of probiotic sepsis. Implementation of a probiotic protocol was associated with a decrease in rates of NEC.
Mindfulness Training, Implicit Bias, and Force Response Decision-making.

The goal of this study was to assess the preliminary efficacy of a mindfulness-based training (mindfulness-based resilience training; MBRT) in improving weapon identification among law enforcement officers (LEOs). Participants (N = 61) were randomly assigned to either MBRT or a no-intervention control (NIC) group. A self-report questionnaire assessing mindfulness and a computerized measure assessing implicit stereotype reliance were administered at baseline, post-training, and 3 months following intervention completion. We also collected information about meditation practice outside of the training for LEOs in the MBRT group. Inferential analyses yielded improvements in mindfulness in the MBRT group compared to NIC. Analyses did not provide evidence for implicit stereotype reliance at baseline and therefore did not yield a significant impact of MBRT versus NIC on implicit stereotype reliance, ps > .05; however, participants across both conditions exerted more control when responding to Black male targets compared to White male targets, F(1,74) = 3.98, p = .05, 95% CI [− .05, − .01], d = .36. Our results do not provide evidence for the impact of MBRT on weapon identification but do suggest that LEOs exerted more effort when responding to images of Black males compared to White males. We discuss recommendations for future clinical trials assessing implicit stereotype reliance, viz., that researchers utilize measures more sensitive to a wider range of LEO samples and with higher ecological validity, and we discuss potential reasons why our results do not align with past research.
Guided Self-Assessment and Action Plans: What Do Residents Need to Succeed?

Resident feedback and program evaluation are essential to ACGME-accredited training programs. We sought to integrate these requirements into our program by creating a systematic process for program improvement focusing on personal learning plans (PLPs). Residents completed a PLP tool every 6 months, followed by an evaluation completed with the program director. Among respondents, 96% reported the PLP process provided useful feedback. A majority found the PLP process useful in developing learning strategies and modeling lifelong learning. The integrated PLP/program improvement process serves as an effective strategy for quickly identifying and capitalizing on both individual and program opportunities for improvement.
Game-Theoretic Analysis of Optimal Control and Sampling for Linear Stochastic Systems

The growing deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies has enabled highly distributed cyber-physical systems in which the sensors and controllers are physically separated and operated by distinct entities who may not able to coordinate. In this work, we formulate a game-theoretic design framework to capture the non-cooperative behaviors between a sampler and a controller. At the cyber layer, the sampler aims to find the best sampling scheme to achieve its design objective. At the physical layer, the controller aims to solve a class of linear-quadratic Gaussian (LQG) problems subject to the arrivals of the sampled observations. The system performance under the uncoordinated sampling and control can be characterized by the Nash equilibrium of the nonzero-sum game. We completely solve the controller’s problem under a given information structure and provide a sufficient condition for the game to admit a unique equilibrium. Under mild conditions, we show that the sampling scheme at the Nash equilibrium results in a worse performance of both the sampler and the controller due to the lack of coordination. We use numerical examples to corroborate the analytical results and show that there exists a fundamental threshold on the sampling rate for an unstable system to be stabilized.
Post traumatic arthrosis

Post-traumatic arthrosis is common following injuries to the talus and calcaneus. Chronic pain and gait abnormalities can limit function. Efforts at surgical reconstruction should focus on addressing patient complaints by restoring functional anatomy wherever possible. Part 1 addresses the effects of talus injury on the tibiotalar joint. Part 2 shifts focus to the subtalar joint. Part 3 discusses Chopart injuries.
Sleep structure of benign epilepsy of childhood with centro-temporal spikes

Objective To study interictal sleep structures of benign epilepsy of childhood with centro-temporal spikes(BECTS). Methods Whole night polysomnagraphy was performed in 23 BECTS children and 23 healthy children,and compared with the differences of their sleep structures. Results Total recording time, the percentage of S1 sleep,the percentage of S3 sleep of BECTS group were longer than those of control group. The percentage of S2 sleep, sleep efficiency of BECTS group were shorter than those of control group. Conclusion Sleep structures of BECTS children were disorder. Waking time and light sleeping time(S1)were prolonged, and sleep efficiency was shortened. Key words: Benign epilepsy of childhood with centro-temporal spikes ; Sleep structure
Using Focus Groups to Explore Public Perceptions of Legal Rights for Animals

A robust debate regarding the ideal legal status of nonhuman animals has been taking place for some time among legal scholars, philosophers, animal scientists, social scientists, and humanists. Sig...
Sex and oestrogen receptor β have modest effects on gene expression in the mouse brain posterior cortex

Introduction Sex differences in brain cortical function affect cognition, behaviour and susceptibility to neural diseases, but the molecular basis of sexual dimorphism in cortical function is still largely unknown. Oestrogen and oestrogen receptors (ERs), specifically ERβ, the most abundant ER in the cortex, may play a role in determining sex differences in gene expression, which could underlie functional sex differences. However, further investigation is needed to address brain region specificity of the effects of sex and ERβ on gene expression. The goal of this study was to investigate sex differences in gene expression in the mouse posterior cortex, where sex differences in transcription have never been examined, and to determine how genetic ablation of ERβ affects transcription. Methods In this study, we performed unbiased transcriptomics on RNA from the posterior cortex of adult wild-type and ERβ knockout mice (n = 4/sex/genotype). We used unbiased clustering to analyse whole-transcriptome changes between the groups. We also performed differential expression analysis on the data using DESeq2 to identify specific changes in gene expression. Results We found only 27 significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in wild-type (WT) males vs females, of which 17 were autosomal genes. Interestingly, in ERβKO males vs females all the autosomal DEGs were lost. Gene Ontology analysis of the subset of DEGs with sex differences only in the WT cortex revealed a significant enrichment of genes annotated with the function 'cation channel activity'. Moreover, within each sex we found only a few DEGs in ERβKO vs WT mice (8 and 5 in males and females, respectively). Conclusions Overall, our results suggest that in the adult mouse posterior cortex there are surprisingly few sex differences in gene expression, and those that exist are mainly related to cation channel activity. Additionally, they indicate that brain region-specific functional effects of ERβ may be largely post-transcriptional.
Precautionary Reasoning and Decision Theory

Decision theory is the study of how people make rational choices, where rationality is defined as taking effective means to one’s goals and conforming to the rules of logic and axioms of probability theory (Resnik in Choices: An Introduction to Decision Theory. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN, 1987; Peterson Introduction to Decision Theory, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2017). As noted in Chap. 1, this type of rationality, known as instrumental rationality, is different from reasonableness because reasonableness is founded on moral and social values. A decision could be rational in the decision theorist’s sense but not reasonable. For example, it might be rational to jump off a tall building to commit suicide (if that is one’s goal) but not reasonable to do this.
How Can Robots Trust Each Other For Better Cooperation? A Relative Needs Entropy Based Robot-Robot Trust Assessment Model

Cooperation in multi-agent and multi-robot systems can help agents build various formations, shapes, and patterns presenting corresponding functions and purposes adapting to different situations. Relationships between agents such as their spatial proximity and functional similarities could play a crucial role in cooperation between agents. Trust level between agents is an essential factor in evaluating their relationships' reliability and stability, much as people do. This paper proposes a new model called Relative Needs Entropy (RNE) to assess trust between robotic agents. RNE measures the distance of needs distribution between individual agents or groups of agents. To exemplify its utility, we implement and demonstrate our trust model through experiments simulating a heterogeneous multi-robot grouping task in a persistent urban search and rescue mission consisting of tasks at two levels of difficulty. The results suggest that RNE trust-Based grouping of robots can achieve better performance and adaptability for diverse task execution compared to the state-of-the-art energy-based or distance-based grouping models.
A Multivariate Spline based Collocation Method for Numerical Solution of Partial Differential Equations.

We propose a collocation method based on multivariate polynomial splines over triangulation or tetrahedralization for the numerical solution of partial differential equations. We start with a detailed explanation of the method for the Poisson equation and then extend the study to the second-order elliptic PDE in non-divergence form. We shall show that the numerical solution can approximate the exact PDE solution very well. Then we present a large amount of numerical experimental results to demonstrate the performance of the method over the 2D and 3D settings. In addition, we present a comparison with the existing multivariate spline methods in \cite{ALW06} and \cite{LW17} to show that the new method produces a similar and sometimes more accurate approximation in a more efficient fashion.
Introduction to Precision Medicine: Minority Populations and Cardiovascular Health

Genomic medicine is the foundation for precision medicine. Classically genomic medicine focuses on rare diseases including syndromic conditions, inborn errors of metabolism, and well-known conditions such as sickle cell anemia. Rare forms of heart disease include hereditary aortopathies, cardiomyopathies, channelopathies, familial hypercholesterolemia, and rare syndromic conditions with cardiac features. These rare heritable forms of heart disease are classically described by their phenotypic presentation in addition to their genetic component. In both rare “heritable” disease and somatic “acquired” diseases like cancer, the identification of the genetic component is a key determinant for definitive diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Precision medicine is not only elevating the scale and approach to detecting and treating these diseases but is also catalyzing the extension of genomics beyond rare diseases and cancer to incorporate complex common diseases such as heart disease. This transformational shift in medical paradigms is supported in part through technological innovations and a growing molecular knowledge base. However, this growing knowledge base is complicated by a lack of diversity. This lack of diversity creates a bias in knowledge and jeopardizes the generalizability and implementation of precision medicine and furthers existing disparities. Evidence of this is exampled by the commercial availability of polygenic risk testing, some of which are available to White patients only. Without an equity first approach, the benefits of precision medicine may not be in the position to benefit all. To this end, we discuss precision medicine in the context of minority populations and cardiovascular health.
Cloak & Co-locate: Adversarial Railroading of Resource Sharing-based Attacks on the Cloud

The heterogeneity of resources and the diversity of applications on the cloud motivated the need for resource provisioning systems (RPSs) to meet the users’ performance requirements while maximizing the resource utilization to achieve cost-efficiency. On the other hand, resource sharing-based attacks, such as side-channel, transient execution, rowhammer, and denial of service attacks, exploit shared resources to leak sensitive data or hurt the performance of a victim. Although mounting resource sharing-based attacks on the cloud is trivial once the attacker virtual machine (VM) is co-located with the victim VM, the co-location requirement with the victim limit the practicality of resource sharing-based attacks on the cloud. In this paper, we show that RPSs can be exploited to solve the co-location challenge of resource sharing-based attacks in the cloud. In particular, we propose a new attack, called Cloak & Co-locate, which utilize adversarial evasion attacks to force RPSs to co-locate attackers’ VMs with targeted victims’ VMs. Specifically, Cloak is a fake trace generator (FTG) that is wrapped around an adversary kernel in order to force RPSs to Co-locate it with a specific victim’s VM, while also evading from detection and migration by the RPS.
The impact of incentives on CEO compensation and firm performance

A significant component of a management control system is the incentive mechanism and motivational underpinning of compensation contracts. Most executives are rewarded in the form of cash and company stock. Our data indicate that over 82.5 percent of the observations include a bonus pay to CEOs and an even larger percentage, about 94.5 percent, have stock option grants. Our analyses indicate that the means of market-based returns are significantly larger for companies with no stock option incentives. However, the accounting-based returns do not appear to be significantly influenced by stock-based rewards. (JEL: J30, G30, L21)
Absence of functional messenger RNA activity for beta globin chain synthesis in beta 0-thalassemia

Functional human globin messenger RNA was isolated from reticulocytes of two patients with homozygous beta 0-thalassemia, three patients with sickle cell beta 0-thalassemia, andone patient doubly heterozygous for beta 0-thalassemia and hemoglobin Lepore. When incubated in the Krebs type II mouse ascites tumor-cell-free system, messenger RNA from these patients actively directed the synthesis of human beta s and/or alpha- and gamma-globin chains but failed to stimulate the synthesis of any beta A-chains, even though nonthalassemic human globin mRNA preparations consistently stimulated two to four times as much beta A- or beta S-globin chain synthesis as alpha-chain synthesis when incubated in the same system under the same conditions. These results strongly suggest that functional beta A-chain-specific globin mRNA is absent in beta 0-thalassemia.
On the Mechanism of the Pentose Phosphate Epimerases

Abstract The mechanism of the l-ribulose 5-phosphate 4-epimerase has been examined. In agreement with previous observations (Mcdonough, M. W., and Wood, M. A. (1961) J. Biol. Chem. 236, 1220) no exchange of hydrogen with H2O is observed. Suitable double label experiments indicate that hydrogen transfer in the reaction is intramolecular. The data for kinetics of the exchange of the hydrogen at C-3 of substrate catalyzed by a d-ribulose 5-phosphate 3-epimerase have been examined. The data indicate that the enzyme must contain two hydrogen donors (acceptors) which interact with the hydrogen at carbon 3 of d-ribulose 5-phosphate and d-xylulose 5-phosphate, respectively.
Ruptured pediatric cerebellopontine angle epidermoid cyst: a case report detailing radiographic evolution and clinical course

Epidermoid cysts (ECs) are uncommon pediatric tumors that often occur in the cerebellopontine angle. Although cyst rupture is a recognized complication, the radiographic evolution of an EC following rupture and the resultant parenchymal brainstem edema have not been reported. The authors present the case of a 13-year-old female with a newly diagnosed cerebellopontine angle EC who presented with worsening headaches, photophobia, and emesis. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated significant pericystic brainstem edema and mass effect with effacement of the fourth ventricle. Refractory symptoms prompted repeat imaging, revealing cyst enlargement and dense rim enhancement. Resection of the EC resolved both her symptoms and the brainstem edema. This case documents the radiographic evolution of EC rupture and subsequent clinical course.
The Effect of SFAS 141 and 142 on the Likelihood and the Form of Financing of Corporate Takeovers

We investigate the effects of the elimination of the pooling method, under SFAS 141, and of goodwill amortization, under SFAS 142, on the form of acquisition financing and on a firm’s takeover probability. We find that before these accounting rules, target firms’ step-up value is positively associated with the probability of using stock-for-stock as against partial stock financing. Afterwards, this association decreases significantly and is indistinguishable from zero. These results suggest that the pooling method of accounting is a significant determinant of the form of acquisition financing. These rules also led to a greater decrease in takeover probability for firms with larger predicted step-up values, and this effect is less pronounced for firms with more of the predicted step-up value made up of goodwill. These results suggest that both the pooling method and the method for goodwill amortization are significant determinants of takeover probability. Overall, the study uses a natural experiment to provide a novel finding that certain acquisition related accounting methods significantly influence the form of acquisition financing and takeover probability.
Stability of Self-Organizing Processes

This paper treats the stability of the Markov chain involved in the self-organizing feature maps of Kohonen. These maps have values that give an empirical approximation to a probability distribution while at the same time attempting to preserve a neighborhood topology. Some of the processes have the property that two initial states subjected to the same dynamics approach each other exponentially fast with probability one. This in turn implies a strong form of stability. Thus the initial state or the process is merely a transient effect. The environment alone determines future history.
p300 Modulates Nuclear Morphology in Prostate Cancer

Alterations in nuclear structure distinguish cancer cells from noncancer cells. These nuclear alterations can be translated into quantifiable features by digital image analysis in a process known as quantitative nuclear morphometry. Recently, quantitative nuclear morphometry has been shown to predict metastasis and biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. However, little is known about the cellular mechanisms underlying these nuclear morphometric changes. Alterations of nuclear matrix proteins are frequently involved in changes of nuclear structure. A number of co-activators interact with these nuclear structure-related proteins, suggesting that they might be involved in quantitative nuclear morphometry changes. We have shown previously that the transcriptional co-activator p300 is involved in prostate cancer progression. However, the ability of a transcriptional regulator like p300 to modulate nuclear morphology has not been described previously. In the present study, we show that p300 expression in prostate cancer biopsy tissue from 95 patients correlates with quantifiable nuclear alterations. Moreover, we show that transfection of p300 into prostate cancer cells in culture induces quantifiable nuclear alterations, such as diameter, perimeter, and absorbance among others, as assessed by digital image analysis. These alterations correlate individually with aggressive features in prostate cancer, such as expression of the proliferation marker Ki-67 and extraprostatic extension of the tumor. Finally, we found that transfection of p300 into prostate cancer cells specifically increases mRNA and protein levels of nuclear matrix peptides lamins A and C, suggesting that these proteins mediate the p300-induced effects. These findings reveal a new insight into the transcriptional and structural regulation of prostate cancer.
Endotoxin potentiates hepatocyte apoptosis in cholestasis.

Abstract BACKGROUND: Cholestasis is a component of liver disease of almost any etiology, including septic liver injury. The cellular mechanisms of liver injury in cholestasis and sepsis remain unresolved. We evaluated apoptosis, a well-orchestrated and potentially reversible mechanism of cell death, in bile duct-ligated and endotoxin-injected rats. STUDY DESIGN: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to six groups (n = 6–9): bile duct-ligated+endotoxin (B+E), sham+endotoxin (S+E), bile duct-ligated (B), sham (S), endotoxin (E), and normal (N). On day 1, the bile ducts of B+E and B rats were ligated and severed. S+E and S animals underwent biliary manipulation only. On day 3, B+E, S+E, and E groups received 3 mg/kg endotoxin IV. On day 4, livers from all rats were excised, fixed, and stained (hematoxylin and eosin and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling [TUNEL]). Portions were frozen for DNA fragmentation analysis. Caspase 3 activity was determined using isolated hepatocytes. RESULTS: Livers from all groups (B+E, S+E, E, and B) except normal and sham displayed apoptosis by hematoxylin and eosin staining, TUNEL staining, and DNA fragmentation. Histologic evaluation revealed 10% to 20% necrosis in endotoxin-treated animals (B+E, S+E, and E). Caspase 3 activity was significantly higher in endotoxin-treated animals versus animals without endotoxin (treated 0.450 ± 0.08 versus nontreated 0.135 ± 0.05, p CONCLUSIONS: Cholestatic livers had apoptosis without progression to necrosis. When exposed to the second insult of endotoxin, cholestatic livers received an acute on chronic apoptotic trigger, and proceeded to necrosis. Endotoxin was a potent hepatotoxic insult because all treated rat livers displayed both apoptosis and necrosis.
Ecosystem specific yield for estimating evapotranspiration and groundwater exchange from diel surface water variation

The White method, routinely used to estimate phreatophyte transpiration from diel groundwater variation, also provides measures of total evapotranspiration (ET) and groundwater fluxes in surface waters. Such applications remain rare, however, and critically require accurate representation of stage-dependent variation in specific yield (Sy). High-resolution stage data from three Florida swamps were used to evaluate different relationships between Sy and stage (ecosystem specific yield, ESY). A discretized form, ESYD, assumes constant Sy near unity for inundated conditions, applying soil Sy for belowground stage and open water Sy (Sy,OW ≈ 1.0) for aboveground stage. A mixture approach, ESYM, applies a stage-dependent interpolation between Sy,Soil and Sy,OW using stage-area relationships and assumes rapid lateral equilibration between inundated and non-inundated wetland areas. Finally, an empirical formulation, ESYRR, uses measured ratios of rain to rise to estimate stage-specific Sy. All formulations yielded reasonable ET rates (ET ≈ PET) at high stage; ESYD markedly overestimated ET (ET/PET > 3) at intermediate stage, whereas ESYM and ESYRR maintained ET/PET near 1.0. Estimated groundwater fluxes using ESYM and ESYRR correlated well with Darcy-estimated flows, but were larger, likely due to uncertainties in Darcy parameters. Well transects across wetlands documented equal water elevation and diel variation across inundated and non-inundated areas, verifying rapid equilibration that reduces Sy and explaining overestimation by ESYD. However, equilibration area varied within and among wetlands, explaining observed differences between ESYM and ESYRR, and suggesting ESYRR may be preferred. Stage histograms followed the shape of ESYRR, highlighting reciprocal influences of ESY on stage stability. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Influence of phosphate and silica on U(VI) precipitation from acidic and neutralized wastewaters.

Uranium speciation and physical–chemical characteristics were studied in solids precipitated from synthetic acidic to circumneutral wastewaters in the presence and absence of dissolved silica and phosphate to examine thermodynamic and kinetic controls on phase formation. Composition of synthetic wastewater was based on disposal sites 216-U-8 and 216-U-12 Cribs at the Hanford site (WA, USA). In the absence of dissolved silica or phosphate, crystalline or amorphous uranyl oxide hydrates, either compreignacite or meta-schoepite, precipitated at pH 5 or 7 after 30 d of reaction, in agreement with thermodynamic calculations. In the presence of 1 mM dissolved silica representative of groundwater concentrations, amorphous phases dominated by compreignacite precipitated rapidly at pH 5 or 7 as a metastable phase and formation of poorly crystalline boltwoodite, the thermodynamically stable uranyl silicate phase, was slow. In the presence of phosphate (3 mM), meta-ankoleite initially precipitated as the primary pha...
Technological challenges in health care

Increasing demands on health care is caused by aging population and passing of legislation such as affordable health care act. It is a well known fact that large number of baby boomers is reaching retirement in the very near future. Many people will be entering nursing homes, retirement homes or prefer to stay home. This along with Affordable health care act creates a huge demand for providing efficient and timely health care for this population. The colleges will not be producing medical doctors, nurses and other professionals fast enough to meet this growing demand. With the increasing availability of sensors, computation and wireless networks, some of these challenges can be met economically and efficiently. The purpose of this paper is to address the issues involved and provide some solutions in meeting these future challenges.
Holding Up the Mirror to Buddha-nature: Discerning the Ghee in the Lotus Sūtra

Although the origins of the Lotus Sūtra (Saddharma-pun d arīka-sūtra) remain obscure, textual evidence allows us to trace the written text back to at least the end of the second century, when it was quoted by Nāgārjuna (Nhat Hanh 2003: 199). The sūtra’s message of universal Buddhahood struck a deep chord in East Asian Buddhists. At least six Chinese translations appeared between the third and seventh centuries, of which three are still extant (Hurvitz 1976: ix). Tiantai 天台 patriarch Zhiyi 智顗 (538–597) was an especially enthusiastic advocate of the Lotus Sūtra, revising the Five Flavors, first mentioned in the Nirvān a Sūtra, to culminate in the Lotus Sūtra as “the ghee teaching” (Swanson 1989: 248). What accounts for such enthusiasm? The Tiantai tradition considers the Lotus Sūtra to be the complete teaching of the Buddha and the highest expression of the three discernments—the provisional or conventional, the empty, and the middle. The sūtra also encompasses “the four categories of oneness,” reflecting the ekayāna or One Vehicle propagated by the Lotus Sūtra:
A stochastic integration formula for two-parameter WienerXtwo-parameter Wiener space

We establish a stochastic integration by parts formula in which both the integrator and the integrand are elements of two-parameter Wiener (or Yeh–Wiener) space. We also establish the continuity of the stochastic integral with respect to binary quadratic approximation.
Influence of the biosphere on the global circulation and hydrologic cycle — a GCM simulation experiment

Abstract The Simple Biosphere model (SiB) of Sellers et al. was implemented in the NASA/Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheres (GLA) General Circulation Model (GCM). SiB calculates the land surface fluxes of heat, moisture and momentum, as well as the near-surface fluxes of shortwave and longwave radiation with an explicit parameterization of the interactions among atmosphere, vegetation and soil processes. The influence of including SiB in the GLA GCM is evaluated by comparing the monthly simulations of the GCM with and without SiB. The latter parameterizes the surface drag coefficient as a simple function of topography and also uses two hypothetical slabs of soil: one for diurnal temperature variations and one for annual soil moisture variations, that are necessary for calculating the land surface fluxes of heat and moisture. Ensemble sets of four July and four January simulations were made with the GLA GCM. Each set contains two runs: one with and one without SiB in the GCM. The simulated years were 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982 and each 47-day model integration was started from the analyzed observations for the antecedent 15 December 00Z and 15 June 00Z for January and July, respectively. After allowing an initial adjustment period of about 16 days, the last 31 days of each integration were taken to represent the desired simulation. The results of SiB vis-a-vis noSiB comparison show that SiB simulates much lower evapotranspiration rates over land and generates significantly different values of surface fluxes for both vegetated and bare soil regions. These differences in the surface fluxes are accompanied by large and statistically significant changes in the simulated rainfall, particularly in the tropics and the summer hemisphere. An analysis of the monthly mean diurnal cycle of surface fluxes shows that both the surface fluxes and rainfall values for the SiB-GCM are realistic in different regions: densely vegetated, sparsely vegetated and bare soil (including dry deserts). Despite some shortcomings of the SiB-GCM simulations, such as insufficient latitudinal displacement of the ITCZ in both the summer and winter simulations, it is evident that the SiB provides a better estimate of the surface fluxes on the whole, leading to improvements of the simulated circulation and rainfall climatology of the Earth.
A decision support system for factory automation: a case study

Economic justification for factory automation (FA) and development of a decision support system (DSS) have recently been two independent ‘hot’ research topics. This paper integrates the two issues by developing the Decision Support System for Factory Automation (DSSFA) which follows generally accepted DSS framework and considers critical factors in justifying FA. Then, the DSSFA is applied to a real plant which is considering factory automation.
An ATR- and Cdc7-Dependent DNA Damage Checkpoint that Inhibits Initiation of DNA Replication

We have analyzed how single-strand DNA gaps affect DNA replication in Xenopus egg extracts. DNA lesions generated by etoposide, a DNA topoisomerase II inhibitor, or by exonuclease treatment activate a DNA damage checkpoint that blocks initiation of plasmid and chromosomal DNA replication. The checkpoint is abrogated by caffeine and requires ATR, but not ATM, protein kinase. The block to DNA synthesis is due to inhibition of Cdc7/Dbf4 protein kinase activity and the subsequent failure of Cdc45 to bind to chromatin. The checkpoint does not require pre-RC assembly but requires loading of the single-strand binding protein, RPA, on chromatin. This is the biochemical demonstration of a DNA damage checkpoint that targets Cdc7/Dbf4 protein kinase.
Thermal Conductivity Prediction for Thermal Barrier Coatings

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are used in gas turbine engines to achieve a higher working temperature and thus lead to a better efficiency. Yttria-Stabilized-Zirconia (YSZ), a material with low thermal conductivity, is commonly used as the TBC top coat to provide the thermal barrier effect. In this paper, an analytical model is proposed to estimate the effective thermal conductivity of the TBCs based on the microstructures. This model includes the micro structure details, such as grain size, pore size, volume fraction of pores, and the interfacial resistance. To validate the model, two sets of TBC samples were fabricated and tested for thermal conductivity and associated microstructures. The first set of samples were disk shaped YSZ-Al2 O3 samples fabricated using a pressing machine. The YSZ-Al2 O3 powder mixture was 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt% Al2 O3 /YSZ powder ratio. The second set of samples were fabricated by Atmospheric Plasma Spray process for two different microstructure configurations, standard (STD) and vertically cracked (VC), at two different thicknesses, 400 and 700 urn respectively. A laser flash system was used to measure the thermal conductivity of the coatings. Experiments were performed over the temperature range from 100°C to 800°C. The porosity of the YSZ samples was measured using a mercury porosimetry analyzer, POREMASTER 33 system. A Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to study the microstructure of the samples. It is observed that the microstructure and the porosity are directly linked with the thermal conductivity values. The relationship of the properties to the real microstructure determines the validity of the proposed model.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Toward a theory of adaptive transfer: Expanding disciplinary discussions of “transfer” in second-language writing and composition studies

Abstract In this paper, we argue that discussions of transfer in L2 writing and composition studies have focused primarily on the reuse of past learning and thus have not adequately accounted for the adaptation of learned writing knowledge in unfamiliar situations. In an effort to expand disciplinary discussions of transfer in L2 writing and composition studies, this study theorizes a construct forged from collective insights on transfer of learning in the fields of educational psychology, education, and human resource development—namely, adaptive transfer. We define adaptive transfer as the conscious or intuitive process of applying or reshaping learned writing knowledge in new and potentially unfamiliar writing situations. Because adaptive transfer acknowledges both the reuse and the reshaping of prior writing knowledge to fit new contexts, this framework could have important implications for L2 and L1 writing pedagogies and research in the areas of contrastive rhetoric, English for academic purposes, and writing across the curriculum.
Fossil puffballs (Gasteromycetes: Lycoperdales) in Mexican amber

A fossil puffball, Lycoperdites tertiarius gen. n., sp. n. (Gasteromycetes: Lycoperdales) is described from a series of 23 specimens at different stages of maturity in a single piece of Mexican amber, dated at about 22–26 Ma (Lower Miocene‐Upper Oligocene). The fossils possess characters common to both the Lycoperdaceae and the Mesophelliaceae. They have the unique combination of a double walled exoperidium, orderly arrangement of warts on the inner exoperidium, and 2–5 apical pores in the tip of the endoperidium. This is the second, and to date the oldest, true fossil gasteromycete. The peculiar circumstances under which these puffballs were preserved suggests that the habit of growing on decaying hardwood was established by mid‐Tertiary time among members of the Lycoperdales.
Density Functional Calculation on the structure of cordierite

Density functional theory calculations were performed to analyze atomic and electronic structures of cordierite. The most stable configuration of Al and Si atoms in the six-membered ring of a unit cell was decided by geometry optimizations for sixteen different initial structures. A correlation was observed between the number of Al-O-Al bonds in a unit cell and the lattice energy. We concluded that the number of Al-O-Al bonds is a determining factor of the lattice stability. The structural parameters of the most stable crystal structure obtained by geometry optimization agreed well with the experimental observation. According to the distribution of atomic charges and analysis of bond order, the followings were clarified: (i) the covalent bond in a T1 tetrahedron was stronger than that in a T2 tetrahedron, (ii) the covalent bond of a cation in six-membered ring with O atoms in a T1 tetrahedron was the weakest, and (iii) Mg in the cordierite is of ionic nature.
Improving Foster Parent Engagement: Using Qualitative Methods to Guide Tailoring of Evidence-Based Engagement Strategies

This qualitative study examined applicability and need for tailoring of an evidence-based engagement intervention, combined with Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, for foster parents. Qualitative methods were used, including individual interviews with participating foster parents (N = 7), review of interview findings with an independent group of foster parents (N = 5), and review of the combined foster parent findings by child welfare caseworkers (N = 5), an important stakeholder group. The engagement intervention, with its primary focus on perceptual barriers (e.g., past experiences with mental health), was relevant for the foster care population. However, the study identified areas for tailoring to better recognize and address the unique needs and situation of foster parents as substitute caregivers. Perceptually focused engagement interventions may have broad applicability to a range of populations, including foster parents, with the potential for improving caregiver participation in children's mental health services.
Public Organizational Birth and Death: Understanding the Exigencies of an African Political Environment

This research examines the application of theories of organizational birth and death in transitional and undemocratic political settings. Through the case study of the birth and death of the Ministry of Supplies and Marketing in Kenya, the author determines that theoretical explanations of organizational formation and demise do not necessarily fit a uniform profile. Under unstable and undemocratic environments, public organizations that are brought to life through decrees may also be unexpectedly vanished without following a logical and predictable cyclical sequence.
Measurements of strain and the optical indices in the ferroelectric Ba 0.4 Sr 0.6 Nb 2 O 6 : Polarization effects

We report accurate temperature-dependent measurements of the optic index of refraction, the birefringence, and the strain in the ferroelectric, tungsten-bronze crystal ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{0.4}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{0.6}$${\mathrm{Nb}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{6}$. This composition congruently melts, so large homogeneous high-quality crystals can be grown. From the experimental data, it appears that far above the ferroelectric phase transition temperature (${T}_{c}$\ensuremath{\approxeq}88 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C), up to a temperature ${T}_{d}$ (\ensuremath{\approxeq}300 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C), the crystals appear to possess a local, randomly oriented (up or down), polarization ${P}_{d}$. The values of ${T}_{d}$ obtained from the index and completely independent strain measurements are in very good agreement with each other, as are the values of ${P}_{d}$. Various aspects of our understanding of the polarization behavior and other effects in this ferroelectric system are discussed.
Progradational sand-mud deltas in lakes and reservoirs. Part 1. Theory and numerical modeling

Deltas are cone-shaped deposits formed at the confluence of rivers with standing bodies of water. One of the most common stream morphologies associated with deltas is that of the sand-bed stream. Such streams usually carry significantly more mud as wash load than they do sand as bed material load. Deltas typically form so that the sand deposits fluvially in the river channel and avalanches into deeper water to create a prograding delta face. The remaining muddy river inflow often plunges over the steep delta face and continues flowing downslope as a bottom turbidity current. The mud carried into deep water by the underflow settles out on the bed of the lake or reservoir. A variety of numerical models dealing separately with either fluvial deposition or depositional turbidity currents have been proposed to date. The work reported here pertains to an integral, physically-based, moving boundary model of deltaic sedimentation in lakes and reservoirs that captures the co-evolution of the river-delta morphology...
A note on the Weber location problem

In this note, we collect some interesting and useful results about the Weber problem. We investigate an accelerated Weiszfeld procedure which increases the step size and find a formula for the step size that empirically produces the fastest convergence rate. We also derive an estimate for the optimal cost of the system.
2–Butoxyethanol and benzyl alcohol reactions with the nitrate radical: Rate coefficients and gas‐phase products

The bimolecular rate coefficients [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] were measured using the relative rate technique at (297 ± 3) K and 1 atmosphere total pressure. Values of (2.7 ± 0.7) and (4.0 ± 1.0) × 10-15 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 were observed for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], respectively. In addition, the products of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] gas-phase reactions were investigated. Derivatizing agents O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine and N, O-bis (trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were used to identify the reaction products. For [Formula: see text] reaction: hydroxyacetaldehyde, 3-hydroxypropanal, 4-hydroxybutanal, butoxyacetaldehyde, and 4-(2-oxoethoxy)butan-2-yl nitrate were the derivatized products observed. For the [Formula: see text] reaction: benzaldehyde ((C6H5)C(=O)H) was the only derivatized product observed. Negative chemical ionization was used to identify the following nitrate products: [(2-butoxyethoxy)(oxido)amino]oxidanide and benzyl nitrate, for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], respectively. The elucidation of these products was facilitated by mass spectrometry of the derivatized reaction products coupled with a plausible 2-butoxyethanol or [Formula: see text] reaction mechanisms based on previously published [Formula: see text] gas-phase mechanisms.