cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Climate Change Threats to National Security and the Implications for Space Systems

Numerous recent reports have identified climate change as a national security threat, but none have discussed the implications for the operation of space systems, or provided illumination on the role of space capabilities in climate change mitigation and adaptation. This paper suggests that the space community needs to engage immediately in this discussion, and that space capabilities can make substantial contributions in the short and long term.
Choice between long- and short-term interests: Beyond self-control

In the real world, there are choices between large, delayed, punctate rewards and small, more immediate rewards as well as choices between patterns and acts. A common element in these situations is the choice between long- and short-term interests. Key issues for future research appear to be how acts are restructured into larger patterns of behavior, and whether, as Rachlin implies, pattern perception is the cause of pattern generation.
Improving the reliability of diagnostic tests in population-based agreement studies

Many large-scale studies have recently been carried out to assess the reliability of diagnostic procedures, such as mammography for the detection of breast cancer. The large numbers of raters and subjects involved raise new challenges in how to measure agreement in these types of studies. An important motivator of these studies is the identification of factors that contribute to the often wide discrepancies observed between raters' classifications, such as a rater's experience, in order to improve the reliability of the diagnostic process of interest. Incorporating covariate information into the agreement model is a key component in addressing these questions. Few agreement models are currently available that jointly model larger numbers of raters and subjects and incorporate covariate information. In this paper, we extend a recently developed population-based model and measure of agreement for binary ratings to incorporate covariate information using the class of generalized linear mixed models with a probit link function. Important information on factors related to the subjects and raters can be included as fixed and/or random effects in the model. We demonstrate how agreement can be assessed between subgroups of the raters and/or subjects, for example, comparing agreement between experienced and less experienced raters. Simulation studies are carried out to test the performance of the proposed models and measures of agreement. Application to a large-scale breast cancer study is presented.
Automatic Categorization of Optimization Problems: An Application of Computer Symbolic Mathematics

This paper describes a computer program that accepts as input a symbolic mathematical statement of an arbitrary mathematical programming problem, placing the problem into none or at least one of the categories: linear, quadratic, separable, posynomial, signomial, or convex. This categorization program is intended to reveal properties that can be exploited by special-purpose numerical computer programs-properties that might easily be overlooked because of the size of the problem, the complexity of the problem, or the limited knowledge of a novice who wishes to solve an optimization problem. The paper includes a brief demonstration of the program, a discussion of the underlying techniques, and a summary of the performance for some large problems.
Five outpatient treatment models for adolescent marijuana use: a description of the Cannabis Youth Treatment Interventions

The five manual-guided treatment models tested in the Cannabis Youth Treatment study funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment are described. The five models include (a) a 6-week intervention consisting of two sessions of individual motivational enhancement therapy plus three sessions of group cognitive behavioral therapy (MET/CBT5); (b) a 12-week intervention consisting of two sessions of motivational enhancement therapy plus 10 sessions of group cognitive behavioral therapy treatment (MET/CBT12); (c) a 12-week intervention consisting of MET/CBT12 plus the family support network (FSN), a multi-component intervention that includes parent education, family therapy and case management; (d) a 12-week intervention based on the adolescent community reinforcement approach (ACRA), an individual behavioral treatment approach designed to help adolescents and their parents reshape their environment and learn new skills; and (e) multi-dimensional family therapy (MDFT), a multi-faceted, developmentally and contextually oriented family-based model targeting individual, family and social systems. For each model, we describe the treatment background and/or its empirical support, its theoretical underpinnings, its goals and proposed treatment mechanism and the structure and content of each treatment. Procedures used for maintaining treatment fidelity and monitoring quality assurance are also described. These interventions represent the first readily available, manual-guided interventions to be evaluated in a large randomized field study for this population. Consequently, these manuals have the potential to advance treatment and research for adolescents with substance use disorders.
Adaptive digital linearization of a DRP based edge transmitter for cellular handsets

The digital RF processor (DRP) based EDGE small- signal polar transmitter utilizes a highly non-linear digitally controlled pre-power amplifier (DPA) for on-chip combination of the amplitude and phase modulation paths. This complex signal drives an off-chip power amplifier (PA), optimized for power added efficiency (PAE), causing further degradation in the linearity of transmission. We propose an effective adaptive predistortion scheme that takes advantage of the time division duplex (TDD) nature of the EDGE modulation and uses the on-chip receiver as a feedback path during transmission. The proposed linearization technique features automatic calibration of nominal AM-AM and AM-PM look-up tables (LUT). The temporal variations primarily caused by temperature, aging, impedance and voltage changes are compensated by an incremental predistortion function that is periodically adapted using a low complexity iterative algorithm. The proposed predistortion technique improves the EDGE TX error vector magnitude (EVM) contribution from -20 dB (or 10%) in absence of predistortion to -67 dB (0.04%) while the adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) at 400 kHz offset improves from -46 dBc to -69 dBc.
Comparison of X-Ray Crystal Structure of the 30S Subunit-Antibiotic Complex with NMR Structure of Decoding Site Oligonucleotide-Paromomycin Complex

Aminoglycoside antibiotics that bind to 16S ribosomal RNA in the aminoacyl-tRNA site (A site) cause misreading of the genetic code and inhibit translocation. Structures of an A site RNA oligonucleotide free in solution and bound to the aminoglycosides paromomycin or gentamicin C1a have been determined by NMR. Recently, the X-ray crystal structure of the entire 30S subunit has been determined, free and bound to paromomycin. Distinct differences were observed in the crystal structure, particularly at A1493. Here, the NMR structure of the oligonucleotide-paromomycin complex was determined with higher precision and is compared with the X-ray crystal structure of the 30S subunit complex. The comparison shows the validity of both structures in identifying critical interactions that affect ribosome function.
Aging does not affect brain patterns of repetition effects associated with perceptual priming of novel objects

This study examined how aging affects the spatial patterns of repetition effects associated with perceptual priming of unfamiliar visual objects. Healthy young (n = 14) and elderly adults (n = 13) viewed four repetitions of structurally possible and impossible figures while being scanned with blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging. Although explicit recognition memory for the figures was reduced in the elder subjects, repetition priming did not differ across the two age groups. Using multivariate linear modeling, we found that the spatial networks of regions that demonstrated repetition-related increases and decreases in activity were identical in both age groups, although there was a trend for smaller magnitude repetition effects in these networks in the elder adults for objects that had been repeated thrice. Furthermore, repetition-related reductions in activity in the left inferior frontal cortex for possible objects correlated with repetition-related facilitation in reaction time across both young and elder subjects. Repetition-related increases of an initially negative response were observed for both object types in both age groups in parts of the default network, suggesting that less attention was required for processing repeated stimuli. These findings extend prior studies using verbal and semantic picture priming tasks and support the view that perceptual repetition priming remains intact in later adulthood because the same spatial networks of regions continue to show repetition-related neural plasticity across the adult life span.
Reduction of NMDA receptor activity in cerebrocortex of turtles (Chrysemys picta) during 6 wk of anoxia

Survival of brain anoxia during months of winter dormancy by the Western painted turtle, Chrysemys picta, may rely on inactivation of neuronal ion channels. During 2 h of anoxia, Ca2+ influx via the N -methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptor decreases 30–40%, but it is not known if prolonged anoxic dormancy is associated with even more profound downregulation of this important channel. Because ionized Ca2+ in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) increases five- to sixfold during prolonged anoxia, the potential for uncontrolled Ca2+ influx and neurotoxicity is increased. To study the regulation of NMDA receptor activity, we measured NMDA-mediated changes in intracellular Ca2+(NMDA-ΔCa2+) in turtle cerebrocortical sheets with fura 2. Turtles were kept in N2-bubbled aquariums for 2 h to 6 wk at 2–3°C. NMDA-ΔCa2+decreased 60 ± 14% ( P < 0.05) after 2 h of anoxia and did not decrease further for 6 wk. Intracellular Ca2+ increased from 135 to 183 nM ( P < 0.05) after 3 wk of anoxia and thereafter returned toward preanoxic levels. When NMDA receptor activity was assessed in artificial CSF containing the ions found in anoxic brain CSF (pH 7.25, 69 mM lactate, 8.4 mM Ca2+, and 5.1 mM Mg2+), NMDA-ΔCa2+ was twice control initially but was 21% less than in normoxic artificial CSF after the end of 6 wk, suggesting altered sensitivity of the NMDA receptor to ionized Ca2+ during prolonged anoxia. Regulation of NMDA receptor activity in turtle cerebrocortex during 6 wk of anoxia thus results in depression of NMDA receptor Ca2+ flux, despite a sixfold increase in ionized extracellular Ca2+.
The Future of Iraq Project (A)

In March 2009, the government of Iraq decided to hold its first oil field auctions. The auctions were for service contracts on the country's southern oil fields; the winner would obtain the right to produce oil above a certain target for a fixed fee. The bidders competed on the fee charged per barrel and the amount by which they promised to increase production. At the same time, the Kurdish regional government continued to sign Production Sharing Agreements with foreign companies for its oil fields, unrecognized by the national government. In a context of continuing (if much reduced) political violence and legislative deadlock in the national parliament, three actors needed to make key decisions. Jean Claude Gandur, the CEO of Addax Petroleum, needed to decide whether to continue investing in the Kurdish region in light of Baghdad's continuing opposition. The Iraqi oil minister, Hussein al-Shahristani, needed to design the oil auctions in such a way that oil companies would be moved to invest, and invest quickly, despite the lack of a national oil law. Finally, the American secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, needed to decide what Iraqi oil policy would be in the best interest of the United States, and what levers (if any) the U.S. government could pull in order to insure that such a policy would be carried out. What would the three actors decide, and how would their decisions affect the future of Iraq and the world oil market?
Iron gallein elastic method---a substitute for Verhoeff's elastic tissue stain.

A method for staining elastic fibers in formalin fixed, paraffin embedded sections is described. After deparaffinizing and dehydration. sections are stained for 30 minutes in a solution prepared by mixing equal parts of 1% gallein dissolved in ethylene glycol and absolute alcohol (1:4), and 1.16% aqueous ferric chloride in 1% hydrochloric acid. The sections are washed in water and then differentiated in 2% ferric chloride for 2 minutes. After washing in water, the sections am counterstained with a variant of Van Girson's picric acid-acid fuchsin for 1 minute. The results are similar to Verhoeff s elastic stain with elastic fibers staining black. An advantage to this staining procedure is that visually controlled differentiation is not necessary.
ARTIFICIALLY-REARED WHITEFLIES, BEMISIA ARGENTIFOLII, (HOMOPTERA:ALEYRODIDAE) AS HOSTS FOR PARASITIC WASPS

Abstract Bemisia argentifolii (Powell & Bellows) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) (= B. tabaci Gennadius B biotype) nymphs reared on an artificial feeding system were successfully parasitized by three species of wasps, Encarsia formosa Gahan, Eretmocerus eremicus Rose and Zolnerwich, and Eretmocerus mundus Mercet (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). Encarsia formosa and Eretmocerus spp. preferred to parasitize third and fourth instar nymphs including the late fourth instar “red eye” stage. Oviposition rate and developmental time compared favorably to some reports on plants, but successful production of adult wasps was low. This system can be used to elucidate host-parasite interactions without confounding interactions with plants.
Minimization of Imaging Gradient Effects in Diffusion Tensor Imaging

A new, sample independent optimization criterion for minimizing the effect of the imaging gradients, including the directional awareness they create, is defined for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) experiments. The DTI linear algebraic framework is expanded to a normed space to design optimal diffusion gradient schemes (DGS) in an integral fashion without separating the magnitude and direction of the DGS vectors. The feasible space of DGS vectors, for which the estimation equations are determinate, thus a hard constraint for the optimization, is parametrized. Newly generated optimal DGSs demonstrate on an isotropic sample and an ex-vivo baboon brain that the optimization goals are reached as well as a significant increase in estimation performance.
In situ analysis of volatiles obtained from the catalytic cracking of polyethylene

The effects of the solid-acid-catalyst pore size and acidity on polyethylene catalytic cracking were examined with a comparison of the temperature-dependent volatile-product-slate changes when the polymer was cracked with HZSM-5 and HY zeolites and the protonated form of MCM-41. Volatile-product distributions depended on the catalyst acidity and pore size. With HZSM-5, paraffins were detected initially, and olefins were produced at somewhat higher temperatures. Aromatics were formed at temperatures 30–40°C higher than those required for olefin production. Small olefins (C3–C5) were the most abundant products when HZSM-5 and MCM-41 catalysts were employed for cracking polyethylene. In contrast, cracking with HY produced primarily paraffin volatile products (C4–C8). HY pores were large enough and the acid sites were strong enough to promote disproportionation reactions, which led to the formation of volatile paraffins. Compared with the other catalysts, HZSM-5 with its smaller pores inhibited residue formation and facilitated the production of small alkyl aromatics. Volatile-product variations could be rationalized by a consideration of the combined effects of catalyst acidity and pore size on carbenium ion reaction pathways. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 3118–3125, 2001
H.M.'s contributions to neuroscience: A review and autopsy studies

H.M., Henry Molaison, was one of the world's most famous amnesic patients. His amnesia was caused by an experimental brain operation, bilateral medial temporal lobe resection, carried out in 1953 to relieve intractable epilepsy. He died on December 2, 2008, and that night we conducted a wide variety of in situ MRI scans in a 3 T scanner at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General) Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging. For the in situ experiments, we acquired a full set of standard clinical scans, 1 mm isotropic anatomical scans, and multiple averages of 440 μm isotropic anatomical scans. The next morning, H.M.'s body was transported to the Mass General Morgue for autopsy. The photographs taken at that time provided the first documentation of H.M.'s lesions in his physical brain. After tissue fixation, we obtained ex vivo structural data at ultra-high resolution using 3 T and 7 T magnets. For the ex vivo acquisitions, the highest resolution images were 210 μm isotropic. Based on the MRI data, the anatomical areas removed during H.M.'s experimental operation were the medial temporopolar cortex, piriform cortex, virtually all of the entorhinal cortex, most of the perirhinal cortex and subiculum, the amygdala (except parts of the dorsal-most nuclei-central and medial), anterior half of the hippocampus, and the dentate gyrus (posterior head and body). The posterior parahippocampal gyrus and medial temporal stem were partially damaged. Spared medial temporal lobe tissue included the dorsal-most amygdala, the hippocampal-amygdalo-transition-area, ∼2 cm of the tail of the hippocampus, a small part of perirhinal cortex, a small portion of medial hippocampal tissue, and ∼2 cm of posterior parahippocampal gyrus. H.M.'s impact on the field of memory has been remarkable, and his contributions to neuroscience continue with a unique dataset that includes in vivo, in situ, and ex vivo high-resolution MRI.
A visual language model for estimating object pose and structure in a generative visual domain

We present a generative domain of visual objects by analogy to the generative nature of human language. Just as small inventories of phonemes and words combine in a grammatical fashion to yield myriad valid words and utterances, a small inventory of physical parts combine in a grammatical fashion to yield myriad valid assemblies. We apply the notion of a language model from speech recognition to this visual domain to similarly improve the performance of the recognition process over what would be possible by only applying recognizers to the components. Unlike the context-free models for human language, our visual language models are context sensitive and formulated as stochastic constraint-satisfaction problems. And unlike the situation for human language where all components are observable, our methods deal with occlusion, successfully recovering object structure despite unobservable components. We demonstrate our system with an integrated robotic system for disassembling structures that performs whole-scene reconstruction consistent with a language model in the presence of noisy feature detectors.
Extended polyglutamine repeats trigger a feedback loop involving the mitochondrial complex III, the proteasome and huntingtin aggregates

Mitochondrial abnormalities represent a major cytopathology in Huntington's disease (HD), a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by CAG repeat expansions in the gene encoding huntingtin (Htt). In the present study, we investigated whether defects in the mitochondrial respiratory function are consequences of the expression of mutant Htt or they promote the formation of Htt aggregates. To take advantage of existing mitochondrial DNA mutants, we developed human osteosarcoma 143B cells expressing mutant Htt in an inducible manner and found that cells expressing mutant Htt but not wild-type Htt exhibited a reduced activity of complex III and an increased activity of complex IV. Conversely, pharmacological treatments that inhibited complex III activity significantly promoted the formation of Htt aggregates. This complex III-mediated modulation of Htt aggregates was also observed in a neuronal progenitor RN33B cell line transduced by lentivirus carrying mutant Htt. This effect of complex III inhibition on the Htt aggregates appeared to be mediated by the inhibition of proteasome activity, but not by ATP depletion or production of reactive oxygen species. Accordingly, complex III mutant cells also showed decreased proteasome activity. These results suggest the presence of a feedback system connecting the mitochondrial respiratory complex III and the production of Htt aggregates. Our results suggest that therapeutic interventions targeting complex III and/or proteasome could ameliorate the progress of HD.
Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Related to Community Violence and Children’s Diurnal Cortisol Response in an Urban Community-Dwelling Sample

Background While community violence has been linked to psychological morbidity in urban youth, data on the physiological correlates of violence and associated posttraumatic stress symptoms are sparse. We examined the influence of child posttraumatic stress symptoms reported in relationship to community violence exposure on diurnal salivary cortisol response in a population based sample of 28 girls and 15 boys ages 7–13, 54% self-identified as white and 46% as Hispanic.
Collision detection of cylindrical rigid bodies for motion planning

This paper presents a novel methodology for detecting collisions of cylindrically shaped rigid bodies moving in three dimensions. This algorithm uses line geometry and dual number algebra to exploit the geometry of right circular cylindrical objects to facilitate the detection of collisions. First, the rigid bodies are modelled with infinite cylinders and an efficient necessary condition for collision is evaluated. If the necessary condition is not satisfied then the two bodies do not collide. If the necessary condition is satisfied then a collision between the bodies may occur and we proceed to the next stage of the algorithm. In the second stage the bodies are modelled with finite cylinders and a definitive necessary and sufficient collision detection algorithm is employed. The result is a straight-forward and efficient means of detecting collisions of cylindrically shaped bodies moving in three dimensions. This methodology has applications in robot motion planning, spatial mechanism design, and workspace analysis of parallel kinematic machines such as Stewart-Gough platforms. A case study of motion planning for an industrial robot is included
In Situ Potential Distribution Measurement and Validated Model for All-Vanadium Redox Flow Battery

aElectrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion Laboratory, Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA bChemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA cPhysical Chemistry of Materials Group, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA dEnergy and Transportation Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
Modifications of a two-nucleon potential due to solitary waves in self-interacting spin-zero meson fields

AλΦ4 solitary-wave propagator, a propagator constructed from exact particular solutions (solitary-wave solutions) to a nonlinear field equation is used in the usual derivation of a two-nucleon potential. The field equation is a Klein-Gordon equation modified by the addition of a cubic self-interaction term (λΦ3) and describes massive spinless persistently self-interacting systems. The solitary-wave propagator has poles at integral multiple [(2n + 1)m] mass states. Contributions from these poles to the two-nucleon potential in co-ordinate space appear as a superposition of Yukawa and exponential terms with residues that depend on the self-interaction coupling constant (λ). In the limit of vanishing λ, the solitary-wave exchange potential (SWEP) reduces to the standard OPEP. For a two-nucleon in ans-state, the SWEP is very strongly attractive at intermediate ranges (0.5 ≲mr ≲ 1.5) and smoothly gives rise to a repulsive core at very short ranges (mr ≲ 0.5). At very large ranges (mr ≳ 1.5) the SWEP approaches the OPEP tail. Overall, the SWEP exhibits characteristic features of OBEP and phenomenological potential models, but requires only a small number of parameters even in contrast to OBEP.
LEGUMINOUS COVER CROPS AND THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH CITRUS AND DIAPREPES ABBREVIATUS (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE)

Abstract Three legume species with potential as cover crops in citrus groves were studied for their effect on the developmental biology of the Diaprepes root weevil, Diaprepes abbreviatus (L.) in greenhouse studies. All 3 cover crops were hosts for the Diaprepes root weevil. Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea) was a superior host for development of D. abbreviatus compared with citrus rootstocks. C. cajan appeared to be allelopathic; the root mass of uninfested citrus was greatly reduced when grown in association with C. cajan compared with citrus grown alone. Association of citrus with C. cajan or Arachis pintoi (perennial peanut) reduced chlorophyll fluorescence, a measure of photosynthesis, compared with citrus associated with Crotalaria pallida (rattlebox) or with another citrus seedling. When grown in close association with A. pintoi, citrus produced the same amount of root mass as citrus seedlings grown alone. Infestation with larval D. abbreviatus reduced chlorophyll fluorescence of citrus by 26%. None of th...
Measures of Sleep-Wake Patterns and Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia in Older Women.

Objective Sleep disturbances are common in older adults. Little is known about the sleep of cognitively intact older adults and its relationship to subsequent cognitive impairment. The objective of this study was to examine the association between objective sleep–wake measures and risk of incident cognitive impairment. Methods In this prospective cohort study encompassing four U.S. sites, 1,245 women (mean age: 82.6 years) without dementia participated in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures and completed actigraphy at the baseline visit and comprehensive cognitive assessment at follow-up. The association between sleep–wake patterns measured by actigraphy and risk of incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia was examined. Results A total of 473 women (38%) developed cognitive impairment during an average (SD) follow-up of 4.9 (0.6) years; 290 (23.3%) developed MCI and 183 (14.7%) developed dementia. After controlling for multiple potential confounders, women in the lowest quartile of average sleep efficiency ( 86%) (odds ratio: Q1 versus Q4 1.53; 95% CI: 1.07, 2.19; Wald χ 2 [1, N = 1,223] = 5.34 for p for trend = 0.03). Longer average sleep latency, but not total sleep time, was also associated with higher odds of developing cognitive impairment. Greater variability in both sleep efficiency and total sleep time was associated with an increased odds of developing MCI or dementia. Conclusion Lower average sleep efficiency, longer average sleep latency, and greater variability in sleep efficiency and total sleep time are associated with increased odds of developing cognitive impairment. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms underlying these associations.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Consistent Reporting of Smoking-Related Behaviors

This study assessed the effect of race/ethnicity on the prevalence of inconsistent reports regarding ever smoking, time since smoking cessation, and age of initiating regular smoking. We used the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey data, which came from a test-retest reliability study, and considered three racial/ethnic subpopulations, Hispanics, Non-Hispanic (NH) Blacks and NH Whites. Initial exploration of highly disagreeing reports of time since smoking cessation and age of onset of regular smoking initiation indicated that the majority of these reports corresponded to NH Whites. However, the proportion of the extremely discrepant reports was very small (less than 0.8%), and these reports were not included in the main analyses. Univariate analyses revealed that for each smoking measure, NH Whites tended to report most consistently when compared to Hispanics and NH Blacks. However, the only statistically significant result was that Hispanics were more likely to report their regular smoking initiation age inconsistently than were NH Whites. Analyses that adjusted for other factors confirmed this finding, i.e., Hispanics were 1.8 times more likely to provide inconsistent reports of their age of onset of regular smoking than were NH Whites. Furthermore, these analyses showed that the impact of race/ethnicity on the prevalence of inconsistent reporting may depend on other factors, e.g., age and employment status. For example, non-employed NH Blacks were 1.9 times more likely to recant ever smoking than were non-employed NH Whites. The lower consistency in reports by Hispanics and NH Blacks underscores the importance of developing new survey design and research strategies for detecting relatively small differences in reporting among the racial/ethnic minorities. Additional efforts to motivate racial/ethnic minorities to participate in national surveys may not only help increase representation of these subpopulations in study samples but also help improve overall data quality.
Local Labor Market Conditions and the Federal Disability Insurance Program: New Evidence from the Bakken Oil Boom

The Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) program is the largest income replacement program in the United States for non-elderly adults. Growth in the DI program since the 1970s coincided with a well-documented decline in wages and labor force participation of low-skilled workers. Since DI is more attractive as outside options decline, a key question in labor and public economics is the extent to which secular changes in the labor market have led to increases in DI program participation. In this paper, I exploit an exogenous positive labor demand shock caused by a boom in oil production in the Bakken formation covering parts of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota to estimate the impact of earnings growth on DI payments and participation. Using the value of county oil reserves as an instrument for earnings, my estimates suggest a strong negative relationship between local economic conditions and DI payments and participation. I find an elasticity of DI payments with respect to local earnings of -1 and an elasticity of DI participation with respect to earnings of -0.7.
Biomass pretreatments capable of enabling lignin valorization in a biorefinery process

Recent techno-economic studies of proposed lignocellulosic biorefineries have concluded that creating value from lignin will assist realization of biomass utilization into valuable fuels, chemicals, and materials due to co-valorization and the new revenues beyond carbohydrates. The pretreatment step within a biorefinery process is essential for recovering carbohydrates, but different techniques and intensities have a variety of effects on lignin. Acidic and alkaline pretreatments have been shown to produce diverse lignins based on delignification chemistry. The valorization potential of pretreated lignin is affected by its chemical structure, which is known to degrade, including inter-lignin condensation under high-severity pretreatment. Co-valorization of lignin and carbohydrates will require dampening of pretreatment intensities to avoid such effects, in spite of tradeoffs in carbohydrate production.
Zika Virus Disease: A Simple Model Approach to Rapid Impact Assessment

There has been substantial media attention regarding Zika infection as a threat to pregnancy, prompted by WHOs declaration of a Public Health Event of International Concern (PHEIC). Here we present a simple risk assessment model for two states within the continental United States at-risk for autochthonous transmission of Zika virus, Texas and Florida. Our simple impact assessment model is partially validating at this early interval in the crisis.
Race, disability, and grade: Social relationships in children with autism spectrum disorders:

Race is associated with social relationships among typically developing children; however, studies rarely examine the impact of race on social outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder. This study examined how race (African American, Latino, Asian, or White) in conjunction with disability status (autism spectrum disorders or typically developing) and grade (grades K-2 or 3-5) affects friendships and social networks. The sample comprises 85 children with autism spectrum disorders and 85 typically developing controls matched on race, gender, age/grade, and classroom (wherever possible). Race, disability, and grade each had an independent effect on friendship nominations, and there was an interaction among the three variables. Specifically, children with autism spectrum disorders who were African American or Latino in the upper elementary grades received fewer friendship nominations than typically developing White children in the lower elementary grades. Only the presence of autism spectrum disorders was associated with social network centrality. Our results also suggested that Latino children with autism spectrum disorders in the upper elementary grades were at the highest risk of social isolation. Implications for re-conceptualizing social skills interventions are discussed.
Cognitive Styles and Learning Strategies in Paired-Associate Learning:

Paired-associate learning strategy and performance of Ss (N = 96) high and low on the Stroop Test color/word ratio under different motivation and learning conditions were studied. There was a signi...
Genre Memories and Memory Genres: A Dialogical Analysis of May 8, 1945 Commemorations in the Federal Republic of Germany

Commemorative images of the past not only reflect the commemorated event and the contemporary circumstances, but are path-dependent products of earlier commemorations as well. Drawing on the work of Mikhail Bakhtin, I specify the central mechanism of this path-dependency - genre memory - and reconceptualize commemoration dialogically. In a case study of May 8, 1945 anniversaries in the Federal Republic of Germany, I take an integrated approach that includes the politics of commemoration (context-dependence), the history of commemoration (long-term development of commemorative forms), and most important, the memory of commemoration (prosaic path dependence), illuminating a subtle yet crucial feature of the 50th anniversary commemoration of May 8 1945: its response to the memory of the 40th anniversary
Automatically Updating Maintenance Information from a BIM Database

With the development of building information modeling, knowledge sharing between facility management and design professionals has become possible. The use of building information modeling (BIM) technology in the design and construction phases of buildings is increasing. There is a need to expand the use of BIM beyond the two to three years design and construction phase into the facility management phase of buildings in order to facilitate tasks such as maintenance and to maximize its value to facility owners. However, the fact of current Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations (AECO) industry practice is that the facility management phase seldom uses the BIM models even when they are required by the owner in design and construction phase. This fact results in BIM models being wasted where they have the most value, in the facility management phase. This study is a part of the ongoing research of BIM-assisted Facility Management which is aimed to bridge the communication gap between design and facility management professionals. This paper focuses on automatic bidirectional communications between Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) and BIM models on a database level.
Factors Affecting Resistance of Alfalfa Clones to Adult Feeding and Oviposition of the Alfalfa Weevil in the Laboratory

Factors affecting the resistance of 25 alfalfa clones to oviposition and feeding of adult alfalfa weevils, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), were evaluated in the laboratory. Significant differences were found among clones for feeding and oviposition. The 2 responses were interrelated, and both were significantly related to stem diameter and to larval damage observed in the field. Although the clones differed in stem hardness, this fact did not influence fluence oviposition, nor did variations in stem age have any effect on oviposition.
AIDS-related KAP and the related factors among residents in Xiaoshiqiao township of Yuxi city

Objective To explore AIDS-related KAP and analyze influence factors among residents in Xiaoshiqiao. township of Yuxi city so as to provide reference for effective control strategies of AIDS in minority areas.Methods By epidemiological cross-sectional survey combined with qualitative research methods,217residents were selected for survey with questionnaires by cluster random sampling method,and the awareness of AIDS knowledge was analyzed. Results The average awareness rate of AIDS knowledge was 84.8%.There were statistically significant differences about AIDS knowledge in different ethnic,educational level and whether to go out or not.People who had higher educational level and frequently went out to work had greater awareness of AIDS knowledge.Conclusions Residents in Xiaoshiqiao township of Yuxi city have a certain understanding with AIDS knowledge.The influence factors about knowledge of AIDS are educational level and whether go out to work or not.
Occupational Hazard and Critical Control Points Analysis on Fluorine Rubber Polymerization

[Objective] To identify and analyze critical control points of occupational hazard for polymerization of fluorine rubber through the occupational hazard identification and analysis of fluorine rubber polymerization.[Methods] Hygienic investigation on the spot and detection of occupational hazard were applied.[Results]Tetrafluoroethane ethylene,vinylidene fluoride,hexafluoropropene,benzoyl peroxide and noise were the main occupational hazards in fluorine rubber production,the places exceeding standards were fluorine recovery posts.The qualified rate of poison detection in fixed point was 85%.[Conclusion] The starting point for occupational hazards protection of fluorine rubber polymerization is critical control points of occupational hazard,practical occupational disease prevention facilities or measures should be taken to reduce or lower occupational hazards.
Stratigraphy, Biology and Environment of the E1 Core from the East China Sea since Late Pleistocene

The water depth of the El core from the East China Sea is at 100 meters deep, it is the only one hole of the deepest in water depth, the densest in sampling density, and the most detail in study untill now. Based on the researches of the foraminiferal fauna and the isotopic carbon-14 dating, it has been found that the stratigraphy of the El core can be divided into three phases: A. S1—S3(0. 00 ~3. 34m) fall into Holocene; B. S4—S24(3. 34~53. 43m) belong to late Pleistocene; C. S25(53. 43~55. 63m) is part of middle Pleistocene. The foraminifera are mainly in planktonic species, it belongs to the tropical to subtropical fauna. There were three high sea level periods in this area since late Pleistocene; the first high sea level period corresponds to the Zhengjiang transgression in the Yangtze River delta plain, the Tianjin transgression in North China plain, and the Changle transgression in the South China, it belongs to Holocene and outer neritic environment; the second high sea level period corresponds to the Gehu transgression in the Yangtze River delta plain, the Cangzhou transgression in the North China plain, and the Fuzhou transgression in the South China, it falls into late period of the late Pleistocene and outer neritic sediments; the third high sea level period is corresponding with Jiangyin transgression in the Yangtze River delta plain and the Baiyangdian transgression in the North China plain, it can be classed to the early period of the late Pleistocene and middle to outer neritic province. The marine sediments at the top of the middle Pleistocene, it had been exposed into the land during the low sea level period of the latest middle Pleistocene, it's original environment may fall into inner to middle neritic zone.
Theory of Microcirculation and Traffic on Local Roads

To explore the application potential of microcirculation theory to transportation planning,especially local road network planning,this paper reviews the past studies (in both Chinese and English) on the subject,defines the terms of microcirculation and local road network,and discusses the applicability of the microcirculation theory to local road network planning as well as the principles for local road network planning.The results presented in this paper indicate that the development of local road network follows its own patterns.These endogenous develop-ment patterns limit the application of microcirculation theory to transportation and local road network planning.A rational local road network planning should be based on its endogenous development patterns,not on the exogenous microcirculation theory.Having said that,the paper presents seven principles for local road network planning.
TAPHONOMIC DISPARITY IN FORAMINIFERA AS A PALEO-INDICATOR FOR SEAGRASS

Abstract Seagrass meadows are a key component of marine ecosystems that play a variety of prominent geobiological roles in modern coastal environments. However, seagrass itself has low preservation potential, and consequently seagrass meadows are hard to identify in the rock record. In this study we combine observational taphonomic data from a modern sparse seagrass meadow with actualistic taphonomic experiments, in order to test whether taphonomic disparity (i.e., evenness in the distribution of taphonomic grades among multiple individuals) in the larger benthic foraminiferan Archaias angulatus has potential as a paleo-indicator for seagrass dominated communities. Our observational study demonstrates that sparse seagrass meadows possess a higher proportion of both pristine and highly altered tests than non-seagrass settings. Our taphonomic experiments, conducted over a six-month period, demonstrate a greater magnitude of bioerosion and diversity of bioerosion types in foraminifera deployed within sparse ...
Identification of Tower-Wake Distortions Using Sonic Anemometer and Lidar Measurements

Abstract. The eXperimental Planetary boundary layer Instrumentation Assessment (XPIA) field campaign took place in March through May 2015 at the Boulder Atmospheric Observatory, utilizing its 300 m meteorological tower, instrumented with two sonic anemometers mounted on opposite sides of the tower at six heights. This allowed for at least one sonic anemometer at each level to be upstream of the tower at all times and for identification of the times when a sonic anemometer is in the wake of the tower frame. Other instrumentation, including profiling and scanning lidars aided in the identification of the tower wake. Here we compare pairs of sonic anemometers at the same heights to identify the range of directions that are affected by the tower for each of the opposing booms. The mean velocity and turbulent kinetic energy are used to quantify the wake impact on these first- and second-order wind measurements, showing up to a 50 % reduction in wind speed and an order of magnitude increase in turbulent kinetic energy. Comparisons of wind speeds from profiling and scanning lidars confirmed the extent of the tower wake, with the same reduction in wind speed observed in the tower wake, and a speed-up effect around the wake boundaries. Wind direction differences between pairs of sonic anemometers and between sonic anemometers and lidars can also be significant, as the flow is deflected by the tower structure. Comparisons of lengths of averaging intervals showed a decrease in wind speed deficit with longer averages, but the flow deflection remains constant over longer averages. Furthermore, asymmetry exists in the tower effects due to the geometry and placement of the booms on the triangular tower. An analysis of the percentage of observations in the wake that must be removed from 2 min mean wind speed and 20 min turbulent values showed that removing even small portions of the time interval due to wakes impacts these two quantities. However, a vast majority of intervals have no observations in the tower wake, so removing the full 2 or 20 min intervals does not diminish the XPIA dataset.
Optical properties of neural tissue

The optical properties of neural tissues play critical roles in all types of optical imaging methods. The wavelength-dependent absorption and scattering properties of tissue infl uence imaging resolution, penetration depth, and often provide sources of contrast. Therefore, quantitative interpretation of imaging data requires knowledge of the optical properties of neural tissues. Light scattering in tissue arises from nanometerscale spatial variations in refractive index and requires a thorough electromagnetic description of light propagation through this complex medium. Unfortunately, the complexity of neural tissues and the diffi culty in measuring refractive index values make such a complete description unrealistic. Therefore, approximations must be made in order to characterize the light scattering properties of neural tissue. This chapter summarizes the various approaches to assess and describe the optical properties of neural tissue and discusses their role for cortical imaging.
Evaluation of sulfur spinel compounds for multivalent battery cathode applications

The rapid growth of portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles demands new battery technologies with greater energy stored at a reduced cost. Energy storage solutions based on multivalent metals, such as Mg, could significantly increase the energy density as compared to lithium-ion based technology. In this paper, we employ density functional theory calculations to systematically evaluate the performance, such as thermodynamic stability, ion diffusivity and voltage, of a group of 3d transition-metal sulfur-spinel compounds (21 in total) for multivalent cathode applications. Based on our calculations, Cr2S4, Ti2S4 and Mn2S4 spinel compounds exhibit improved Mg2+ mobility (diffusion activation energy <650 meV) relative to their oxide counterparts, however the improved mobility comes at the expense of lower voltage and thereby lower theoretical specific energy. Ca2+ intercalating into Cr2S4 spinel exhibits a low diffusion activation barrier of 500 meV and a voltage of ∼2 V, revealing a potential cathode for use in Ca rechargeable batteries.