cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Magnification of visual feedback results in greater performance error when visual feedback is removed

Visual feedback is a rich source of information for improving human motor performance and provides a basis for the formation of memory to guide performance in the absence of visual feedback. According to the Guidance Hypothesis (Salmoni et al., 1984) dependence on visual information is affected by the amount of visual information provided. This study examined how varying amounts of visual feedback affect subsequent memory-guided performance. Healthy participants (N= 12) completed 20 s trials of isometric force with their index finger and thumb, equal to 25 % of their maximum voluntary contraction. Participants were shown a movable force bar that moved vertically in real-time to represent their force output. They were instructed to move the force bar to overlap a bar indicating the target amplitude. Visual feedback about their performance was provided for the first 8 s in one of three magnification levels. In the remaining 12 s of the trial, participants were instructed to maintain the same amount force in the absence of visual feedback. The results demonstrated that absolute error during memory-guided force production was greatest when the memory-guided portion of the trial was preceded by the highest magnification condition. This finding is consistent with the Guidance Hypothesis that suggests the performance can become dependent on greater amounts of visual feedback, negating the recognition and formation of their own intrinsic perceptions of the performance. Further, the current work suggests that the magnification of visual feedback can negatively influence the ability to form stable memories from which to guide performance.
The role of O(1D) in the oxidation mechanism of ethylene by iodosobenzene and other hypervalent molecules.

The role of the first excited state of oxygen (1D) is proven essential for the description of terminal iodine–oxygen chemical bonds. The description of the I–O bond as a dative one from iodine to O(1D) provides a simple and accurate picture which explains the oxidation properties of iodosobenzene and similar in nature molecules.
Transradial Approach for Deployment of a Flow Diverter for an Intracranial Aneurysm in a Patient with a Type-3 Aortic Arch.

Flow diversion with the Pipeline Embolization Device is an effective treatment for giant and wide-neck intracranial aneurysms, but the standard transfemoral approach may not be feasible in patients with Type 3 aortic arches. We present a patient with a right internal carotid artery giant aneurysm and a Type 3 aortic arch in whom a transradial approach was used to access the right common carotid artery. A triaxial catheter system made for a stable platform for the deployment of two telescoping Pipeline Embolization Devices to treat the patient's right internal carotid artery giant aneurysm. The transradial approach allows for carotid access in patients with challenging aortic arches, and the peripheral access point facilitates hemostasis, which is of great importance in patients on antiplatelet medications.
Classification of breast cancer cells on the basis of a functional assay for estrogen receptor

The receptor (ER) for estrogen (E2) is routinely assayed as a marker to determine the feasibility of anti-hormone therapy against breast cancer because ER-positive (ER+) tumors are much more likely to respond to anti-hormone therapy than are ER-negative (ER−). However 40% of ER+ breast cancer patients do not respond to anti-hormone therapy. We suggest that this unpredictability of therapeutic responses lies in the current ER assays, which measure only an initial component of the E2-responsive pathway, and that the difference depends upon altered downstream processes. We propose a functional criterion that subclassifies breast cancers on the basis of specific binding of ER to its cognate DNA sequence, the estrogen response element (ERE). ER was identified in breast cancer cell lines by immunofluorescence assay, Western blot analysis, identification of ER-specific mRNA, and by interaction of the ER-ERE complex with three different ER-specific antibodies. ER-ERE complex formation was measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Transactivation of the E2-responsive gene was studied by transfection of cells with fusion gene construct with the promoter-containing ERE sequence and assay of reporter gene activity in the cell extracts. The growth of ER+ T47D cells was sensitive to tamoxifen, ICI-182,780, and ethynyl estradiol (EE2), whereas another ER+ breast cancer cell line, 21PT, was resistant to these compounds. The estrogen receptor (ER) in the nuclear extracts of MCF-7 and T47D demonstrated hormone-dependent interaction with the response element (ERE) and also downstream transactivation of the E2-responsive PS2 promoter. But in the 21PT cell line that was designated as ER− on the basis of ligand-binding assay and was found to be ER+ by all the other ER assays, ER-ERE interaction and PS2 promoter transactivation were independent of hormone. On the basis of the downstream functional assay of ER interaction with ERE, ER+ breast tumor cells can be subclassified into two categories. The first is E2-dependent (ERd+) and these cells should respond to anti-hormone therapy. The second type of ER interacts with ERE independent of E2 (ERi+) and constitutively transactivates responsive genes. It is predicted that the latter type of breast cancers will not respond to antihormone therapy.
Effect of Phosphate and Meat (Pork) Types on the Germination and Outgrowth of Clostridium perfringens Spores during Abusive Chilling

The effect of phosphate blends and pork meat type (pale, soft, and exudative [PSE]; normal; and dark, firm, and dry [DFD]) on the germination and outgrowth of Clostridium perfringens during abusive exponential chilling times was evaluated. Two phosphates were used: tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP) and sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP; from two different sources, SAPP1 and SAPP2). The pork loins representing each meat type were ground (⅛-in. [0.3-cm] plate), and one of the three phosphate blends (SAPP1+SAPP2, TSPP+SAPP1, or TSPP+SAPP2) was added (0.3% total, equal proportions of 0.15% each type) with salt (1.0%). The pork was then mixed with a three-strain C. perfringens spore cocktail to obtain a final concentration of ca. 2.0 to 2.5 log spores per g. The inoculated product was heat shocked for 20 min at 75°C and chilled exponentially from 54.4 to 4°C in a period of 6.5, 9, 12, 15, 18, or 21 h. In control samples (PSE, normal, and DFD), the increase in C. perfringens population was <1 log CFU/g within the ...
Photo-induced eradication of human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells by carbon monoxide (CO) delivery from a Mn-based green luminescent photoCORM

Abstract Exogenous CO delivery to cellular targets for salutary purposes can be readily achieved with photoactive metal carbonyl complexes (photoCORMs). Mn(I)-based photoCORMs are often favored for their ability to release CO upon triggering with visible light (suitable for phototherapy of cancer). To date, the reported Mn(I)-based photoCORMs are all non-luminescent and hence the entry of these CO donors cannot be tracked within the targeted sites. A new luminescent Mn(I) photoCORM namely [Mn(CO)3(phen)(Pipdansyl)](CF3SO3) (3) has been reported. Synthetic strategy to isolate photoCORM 3 and its previous analogue [Mn(CO)3(phen)(Imdansyl)](CF3SO3) (2) has been highlighted to establish protocols for the future isolation of luminescent Mn(I)-based photoCORMs that could be employed as trackable photoCORMs for CO delivery. The entrance of 3 into human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells has been visualized by confocal microscopic studies. Eradication of the cancer cells by CO delivery from 3 under visible light illumination has also been demonstrated.
The Case for Compatibility: Product Attitudes and Purchase Intentions for Upper versus Lowercase Brand Names

Abstract Although retailers know that brand names are important conveyors of product benefits, little is known about how subtle characteristics of brand names affect consumer attitudes and purchase intentions. This research proposes and shows that the letter case of brand names affects product attitudes and purchase intentions but that these effects depend on congruity between brand case and the gender of consumption benefits. Studies 1 and 2 show that lowercase brand names are associated with feminine characteristics while uppercase brand names are associated with masculine characteristics, as measured through judgments of name gender, gendered brand personality traits, and overall brand gender perceptions. Three additional studies demonstrate that greater congruity between brand case and the gender of consumption benefits increases product evaluations and purchase intentions. Study 3 demonstrates that greater congruity between brand case and the gender of a female consumer’s consumption goal leads her to have more favorable product attitudes. Study 4 replicates these effects by manipulating the gender of product benefits, shows that effects on purchase intentions are moderated by the consumer’s biological sex, and identifies processing fluency as the underlying mechanism. Study 5 demonstrates that brand case, rather than letter shape, drives these results. This work advances understanding of how seemingly subtle brand name characteristics affect gender perceptions and consumer behavior, with implications for brand design and positioning in the retailing industry.
Dissociation of systemic and mucosal autoimmunity in cystic fibrosis

Abstract Background Pseudomonas aeruginosa accounts for ~80% of cystic fibrosis (CF) airway infection. It shows a remarkable correlation with presence of autoantibody to bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI), which is not understood. In this study, we sought to better understand the characteristics of systemic and mucosal autoimmunity and their relation to humoral immunity to P. aeruginosa . Methods Antibody titers and isotypes to BPI and P. aeruginosa were characterized in sera and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of adult and pediatric CF patients ( n = 131), by ELISA and/or immunoblot. Results Serum BPI autoantibodies were common (~43%) in adult while rare (≪5%) in pediatric (≤18 yrs) CF patients. Serum BPI IgG autoantibodies were of high avidity and strongly correlated with anti- P. aeruginosa IgG responses. A parallel relationship was observed with IgA, but not IgG, responses in adult and pediatric CF patient in the BAL. Thus, BAL IgA anti-BPI antibodies were independent of age and correlated with the presence of BPI cleavage in BAL. Conclusions IgG and IgA autoreactivity to BPI in CF patients was demonstrated in serum and BAL, respectively, and correlated with the isotype of the antibody response to P. aeruginosa. The co-occurrence of anti-BPI and anti- P. aeruginosa IgA in the BAL, but not serum, of pediatric CF patients suggests that BPI tolerance is broken in the P. aeruginosa -infected airway and that serologic IgG autoantibodies are later induced, potentially through a separate pathway. The relationship between P. aeruginosa , BPI cleavage, and IgA autoantibodies in the BAL suggests a role for cryptic epitope generation in the breaking of tolerance.
Abstract 3538: Analysis of error profiles in deep next-generation sequencing data

Background Sequencing errors are a key confounding factor for detecting low frequency genetic variants for cancer screening, testing, treatment and surveillance through deep next-generation sequencing (NGS). However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of errors introduced at various steps of a conventional NGS workflow, such as sample handling, library preparation, enrichment PCR, and sequencing. In this study we systematically investigated the above question by using the current NGS technology. Results We discovered that the substitution error rate can be computationally suppressed to 10-5~10-4, which is 10~100-fold lower than current reports. We then quantified substitution errors attributable to sample handling, library preparation, enrichment PCR, and sequencing using multiple deep sequencing datasets from multiple sequencing centers. We show that 1) error rate differs by nucleotide substitution types, ranging from 10-5 for A>C/T>G, C>A/G>T, and C>G/G>C changes to 10-4 for A>G/T>C changes; 2) C>T/G>A errors exhibit strong sequence context dependency; 3) sample-specific effects dominate elevated C>A/G>T errors; 4) target enrichment PCR lead to ~6-fold increase of overall error rate; 5) more than 70% of hotspot variants, such as BRAF V600E, can be detected at 0.1%~0.01% frequency with the current NGS technology by applying in-silico error suppression. Conclusions We present the first comprehensive analysis of error sources in conventional NGS workflows. The error profiles revealed by our study highlight new directions for further improving NGS accuracy both experimentally and computationally which will lead to enhanced precision for deep sequencing. Citation Format: Xiaotu Ma, Jinghui Zhang. Analysis of error profiles in deep next-generation sequencing data [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3538.
The impact of race and ethnicity in the social epigenomic regulation of disease

Abstract Studying the impact of race and ethnicity on epigenetic differences related to disease may shed light on the biological pathways through which environments contribute to health disparities. We recommend that all research clearly specify race and ethnicity as social categories and specify whether the focus of the study is on effects of self-identified or externally-identified race and ethnicity or, instead, on effects of continental ancestry or genetics. We demonstrate that due to the high levels of collinearity between self-identified race and continental ancestry, epigenetic studies focused on understanding the impacts of race and ethnicity should not statistically control for continental ancestry. Studies of the environment should control for self-identified race and ethnicity while studies of genetic impacts on epigenetic markers should control for continental ancestry as the most important confounders. Without a clear theoretical premise, quantitative studies of race and ethnicity and epigenomic regulation of disease will likely confuse the influences of continental ancestry and the environment on racial and ethnic differences in epigenetic markers.
Navigating Complex Frontiers: Introduction to the Special Issue on “The Future of Human Service Organizational and Management Research”

ABSTRACTResearch on human service organizations and managers is essential and is needed to support both practice and scholarship. In response to a proposed imbalance between the two (between what w...
Insights into teaching geometry

Teaching geometry at secondary school level is a vital yet complex task, while constantly improving our instruction is an essential and demanding component of the education profession. Taking these premises as a backdrop, this article offers insights into effective pedagogy to stimulate discussion and reflection. The ideas stem from a combination of experiences: observing a multitude of geometry classrooms in both secondary and university settings; working with teachers in a professional development capacity; and teaching geometry myself while being observed by talented and capable mentors. I offer the distillation of these experiences by describing a "model" Euclidean Geometry course - an amalgam of successful characteristics - that blends significant content with knowledgeable pedagogy to foster critical thinking, logical reasoning skills, and a thorough understanding of geometric concepts at a sophisticated level.
Rhodium and iridium NNO-Scorpionate complexes: synthesis, structure, and reactivity with aluminum alkyls

Abstract Synthesis of rhodium and iridium NNO (NNO = bis(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-yl)acetate) complexes is reported. Complexes have been fully characterized by 1H and 13C{1H} NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. Addition of K(NNO) to [M(cod)Cl]2 results in formation of a new, fluxional species, M(cod)(NNO), which crystallizes as a bimetallic M(I)-M(I)dimer bridged by two NNO ligands. In contrast, addition of the protic starting material NNO-H to [Ir(cod)2][BArF24] (BArF24 = tetrakis(3,5-trifluoromethylphenyl)borate) resulted in the Ir(III) hydride species[Ir(cod)(NNO)(H)]BArF24. Finally, the reactivity of the newly synthesized complexes with alkyl aluminum reagents, AlR3 (R = Et, iBu) is explored.
Chapter 38 – Fabry Disease: α-Galactosidase A Deficiency

Fabry disease, an X-linked lysosomal storage disease, results from deficient α-galactosidase A (α-Gal A) activity and the progressive accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (GL-3 or Gb-3) and related glycosphingolipids in the plasma and tissue lysosomes throughout the body. There are two major phenotypes, classic and later-onset. Classically affected males have no detectable α-Gal A activity and prominent microvascular GL-3 accumulation. Onset in childhood/adolescence is characterized by severe acroparesthesias, pain crises, gastrointestinal manifestations, angiokeratoma, hypohidrosis, and corneal/lenticular opacities. With advancing age, the progressive GL-3 accumulation in the microvasculature, renal podocytes, and cardiomyocytes leads to premature demise from renal, cardiac, and/or cerebrovascular disease. Later-onset males have residual α-Gal A activity and no vascular endothelial involvement; they develop cardiac and renal disease in maturity. Heterozygous females may be asymptomatic or as severely affected as males. Diagnosis of affected males by α-Gal A enzyme assay is reliable, whereas identification of heterozygous females requires α-Gal A gene mutation analyses. Treatment by enzyme replacement with recombinant human α-Gal A has been shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials, and early treatment is required for optimal outcome.
Stimulus Sampling with 360-Videos: Examining Head Movements, Arousal, Presence, Simulator Sickness, and Preference on a Large Sample of Participants and Videos

As the public use of virtual reality (VR) scales, understanding how users engage across various sources of VR content is critical. 360-video is popular due to its ease of both creation and access. There are, however, few studies of 360-videos, and they suffer from three limitations. First, most studies rely on small and homogeneous samples of participants. Second, they tend to examine only a single 360-video, or a handful of them in a few exceptional cases. Third, very few studies trace participants' VR use over multiple experiences. The current study examined a large sample of participants (511) and a large set of 360-videos (80). Each participant experienced 5 of the videos, and we tracked head movement in addition to self-report data on presence, arousal, simulator sickness, and future use intention for each video. This design allowed us to answer novel questions relating to individual differences of participants and changes in experience over time, and in general to present results of VR use at a scale not seen before in the literature. Moreover, the results suggest that looking at patterns across stimuli provide unique insights which are missed when looking only within a single piece of content.
Capital Structure and Performance Implications of Special-Purpose Governments

Do special-purpose governments (SPGs) mimic the capital structure of private firms, when SPGs lack the market mechanism for discipline to which private-sector entities are subject? If so, what implications do those choices have on SPG performance? This paper answers these questions. SPGs are local, quasi-governmental entities established by state legislatures who have the operating flexibility of private corporations. In the United States, there are over 50,000 special-purpose governments with outstanding (and off balance-sheet) debt totaling one trillion dollars. Despite their contribution to national fiscal health, SPGs remain relatively underexplored. Using a sample of transportation SPGs over 20 years, we find that SPGs follow Myers’ and Majluf’s pecking-order theory of capital structure. Additionally, we find that increases in SPGs’ debt predicts increases in revenues and decreases in cash flows. These results help illuminate a poorly understood branch of America’s public sector.
Charging Station Planning to Maximize Extra Load Hosting Capacity in Unbalanced Distribution System

The distribution system operation and planning are facing a great challenge from the increasing penetration of electric vehicles, especially in case of large amount of aggregated simultaneously charging load at public charging stations. This paper proposes a comprehensive planning method for allocating charging stations with a minimum impact on distribution system hosting capacity while satisfying public charging demand with reasonable travel distance and investment cost. A new concept of extra load hosting capacity (ELHC) is proposed to evaluate the maximum extra load that the system can absorb without operational violations. The EV charging demand is estimated using a transportation simulation tool with real-world data. The distribution system is modeled with a linear three-phase branch flow model that captures the multi-phase and unbalance of a distribution system. The planning problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problem and is validated on the IEEE 123 node test feeder together with real-world Illinois transportation network data.
Why Leibniz should have agreed with Berkeley about abstract ideas

Leibniz claims that Berkeley “wrongly or at least pointlessly rejects abstract ideas”. What he fails to realize, however, is that some of his own core views commit him to essentially the same stanc...
A C-V2X Platform Using Transportation Data and Spectrum-Aware Sidelink Access

Intelligent transportation systems and autonomous vehicles are expected to bring new experiences with enhanced efficiency and safety to road users in the near future. However, an efficient and robust vehicular communication system should act as a strong backbone to offer the needed infrastructure connectivity. Deep learning (DL)-based algorithms are widely adopted recently in various vehicular communication applications due to their achieved low latency and fast reconfiguration properties. Yet, collecting actual and sufficient transportation data to train DL-based vehicular communication models is costly and complex. This paper introduces a cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) verification platform based on an actual traffic simulator and spectrum-aware access. This integrated platform can generate realistic transportation and communication data, benefiting the development and adaptivity of DL-based solutions. Accordingly, vehicular spectrum recognition and management are further investigated to demonstrate the potentials of dynamic slidelink access. Numerical results show that our platform can effectively train and realize DL-based C-V2X algorithms. The developed slidelink communication can adopt different operating bands with remarkable spectrum detection performance, validating its practicality in real-world vehicular environments.
Jesus as Servant and Disruptor

A debate was brought to light when the CEO of Panera Bread, a servant leader, remarked he wished he fired more employees (Shaich in The Founder of Panera Bread: ‘I Wish I’d Fired More People’, 2018). This revelation that servant leaders should stand up for what is right becomes difficult for some as they balance the act of turning the other check along with meekness and gentleness amid a sinful culture. This chapter exegetically examines John 2:13–25, where Jesus clears the Temple courts to identify appropriate behavior for leaders in their daily work. To practically apply this pericope to servant leadership, the following three principles emerged: firm foundation, holy disruption, and courageous conversation.
The feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an mHealth mindfulness therapy for caregivers of adults with cognitive impairment

Objectives: To examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of Mindfulness Coach, an mHealth Mindfulness Therapy intervention.Methods: We recruited 58 informal caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment for this pilot feasibility trial. Participants completed measures of caregiver burden, stress, anxiety, and depression at baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks as well as acceptability and usability data at 8-weeks. The mobile app collected in-app use data including minutes spent using the app and number of unique visits to the app.Results: Users found the app acceptable to use and were satisfied with its design and usability. Over the course of the study period, depression, anxiety, caregiver burden and perceived stress improved. These outcome variables also improved more as caregivers spent more time using the Mindfulness Therapy mHealth intervention.Conclusions: Our results suggest that mHealth mindfulness therapy with caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment is both feasible and acceptable to users, and that it successfully reduces psychological symptoms. Future work should focus on determining the appropriate doses of the mHealth therapy for particular outcomes and strategies to integrate it into routine care. Mindfulness Therapy delivered in an mHealth format may increase access to psychological treatment for caregivers.
Review of uncertainty quantification, associated parables, and Raphael Tuvia Haftka’s contributions

Two quotes, although unusual for the abstract, immediately appear to be called for in a way of describing what this paper is about; the first one is by Alfred Freudenthal (1968) in his classic paper: “… it seems absurd to strive for more and more refinement of methods of stress-analysis of the structural elements if, in order to determine the dimensions of the structural elements, its results are subsequently compared with so-called ‘working stresses,’ derived in a rather crude manner by dividing the values of somewhat dubious material parameters obtained in conventional material tests by still more dubious empirical numbers called ‘safety factors’.” His equally classic paper by Giuseppe Grandori in Meccanica 26:17-21 (1990) resonates, as it were, with the above quote, stressing: “The probabilistic approach to structural safety is today a well-established paradigm. As to the current state of this paradigm, one can notice a dissymmetry similar to that observed by Freudenthal in the traditional approach. An overwhelming part of the research effort, in fact, has been and still is devoted to estimating failure probabilities. By contrast, only sporadic research deals with the problem of choosing an acceptable risk of failure. It is true that the adoration of the probabilistic approach is in any case a progress, even in the case when acceptable risk levels are conveniently defined, because it allows us to treat different structures with homogeneous criteria. However, the concept of structural safety will not leave the ‘realm of metaphysics’ unless we devise a method for justifying the choice of risk acceptability levels.” As we see, the first quote criticizes the deterministic approach in engineering; the other one questions the validity of a probabilistic approach. Here we are concerned with the “mother of all problems,” namely how to deal with uncertainty, which methodology to choose and why and how. Hereinafter, the author’s musings on uncertainty quantification are presented, via some parables. Finally, connection will be made with the philosophy adopted by late Professor Raphael Tuvia Haftka in his researches on uncertainty.
Geographic Information Systems in Water Resources Engineering

Introduction Overview Water Resources and GIS Water Resources Engineering Applications of GIS in Water Resources Engineering Overview of Book Introduction to Geographic Information Systems Overview GIS Basics Maps and Map Data Characteristics User Interfaces and Interaction Modes GIS System Planning and Implementation GIS Software GIS Data and Databases Overview GIS Data Development and Maintenance GIS Data Models Digital Data Sources for Water Resources Geodatabases GIS Analysis Functions and Operations Overview of GIS Analysis Functions Spatial Data Capture and Maintenance Geometrics and Measurements Spatial and Aspatial Queries Classification Neighborhood Operations Spatial Arrangement and Connectivity Functions Surface Operations Overlays and Map Algebra Spatial Statistics Image Processing Display, Interfaces, Integration Management Models GIS for Surface-Water Hydrology Introduction Surface-Water Hydrologic Data GIS for Surface-Water Hydrology Modeling Surface-Water Hydrology Models GIS for Groundwater Hydrology Overview Groundwater Hydrology and Management Groundwater Data Groundwater Models GIS for Groundwater Modeling Visualization GIS for Water-Supply and Irrigation Systems Overview Water-Supply and Irrigation Systems Planning and Design Water-Supply System Design GIS for Irrigation GIS for Wastewater and Stormwater Systems Wastewater and Stormwater Systems Planning and Design GIS Database Development for Wastewater and Stormwater Systems GIS-Based Wastewater Collection System Design and Management Applications GIS-Based Decision-Support Systems for Wastewater and Stormwater Systems GIS for Floodplain Management Introduction Floodplain Management Floodplain Mapping Requirements GIS for Floodplain Mapping Floodplain Hydraulic Modeling with GIS GIS for Water Quality Water-Quality Monitoring and Modeling GIS for Water-Quality Monitoring and Database Development GIS for Water-Quality Modeling GIS for Water-Quality Management Decision Support GIS for Water Resources Monitoring and Forecasting * Introduction Hydrologic Aspects of Flood Warning Programs Water Resources Monitoring Systems Hydrological Forecasting Systems GIS for River Basin Planning and Management Overview Spatial Decision-Support Systems in River Basin Management Coloradoa (TM)s Decision-Support Systems RiverWareR Geo-MODSIM River Basin Network Model Index Each Chapter include a list of references
Barriers That Impact Hmong Students in Post-Secondary Education

Hmong families generally understand that education is the key to their survival and success in the United States. The literature review in this study suggests that cultural barriers and adjusting to the U.S. are strong indicators of why Hmong students do not succeed academically. This research examines the personal history and risk factors that affect Hmong students in postsecondary education from the students’ perspectives. Ten interviews were conducted with Hmong college students on what they perceive to be the high risk factors that impact Hmong students in post-secondary education. A basic content analysis was performed to code and analyze the data, and emerging themes were recorded. HMONG STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my committee members, Bridget Bordelon and Darcy Nelson who inspired me to pursue and complete my graduate studies. I also want to acknowledge my chair, Dr. Pa Der Vang for her wisdom and valuable knowledge. This clinical research project would not have been possible without their utmost support and dedication throughout the year. A special thank you to the following student associations at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities: The Hmong Minnesota Student Association (HMSA) and Viivncaus—Hmong Women’s Group who worked in collaboration with me in the recruitment process. Both organizations are serving as a resource group for all who are interested in the Hmong culture. Thank you for all you do. Finally, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my family and friends who have supported me throughout my years of college. You all have always been there for me when I needed your help and support. It is my great pleasure to dedicate this success to my parents who immigrated to this country with nothing. I am a better person today because of their hard work and hope to provide a better life for their children. HMONG STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION iii Table of
Redox cycling and generation of reactive oxygen species in commercial infant formulas

Three nationally prominent commercial powdered infant formulas generated hydrogen peroxide, ranging from 10.46 to 11.62 μM, when prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions. Treating infant formulas with the chelating agent diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) significantly reduced H2O2 generation. In contrast, the addition of disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) elevated the level of H2O2 generated in the same infant formulas by approximately 3- to 4-fold above the untreated infant formulas. The infant formulas contained ascorbate radicals ranging from about 138 nM to 40 nM. Treatment with catalase reduced the ascorbate radical contents by as much as 67%. Treatment with DTPA further reduced ascorbate radical signals to below quantifiable levels in most samples, further implicating the involvement of transition metal redox cycling in reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. Supportive evidence of the generation of ROS is provided using luminol-enhanced luminescence (LEL) in both model mixtures of ascorbic acid and in commercial infant formulas.
Downstream changes in the channel geometry of a large gravel bed river

[1] Field data obtained on a nearly contiguous segment of the Colorado River in western Colorado and eastern Utah are used to examine the mechanisms driving downstream changes in channel geometry. Measurements characterizing the bank-full hydraulic geometry, bed material grain size, and average channel gradient were made at closely spaced intervals in 10 alluvial and quasi-alluvial reaches covering 260 km of the river. These data indicate that changes in surface and subsurface grain sizes are small in relation to the change in channel slope: over the full length of the study area, the median grain size of the surface sediment decreases by a factor of a little more than 2, whereas the average channel slope decreases by a factor of about 5. The decreases in slope and median grain size are offset by a large increase in bank-full depth relative to width, such that the bank-full Shields stress, τ*b, is constant downstream. For the reach as a whole, τ*b averages 0.049, which is roughly 50% higher than the threshold for bed load transport.
A gossip-based reliable multicast for large-scale high-throughput applications

Group-based reliable multicast is an important building block for distributed applications. For large systems, however, traditional approaches do not scale well due to centralized recovery mechanisms and excessive message overhead. In this paper, we present a reliable probabilistic multicast, rpbcast, that is a hybrid of the centralized and gossip-based approaches. In particular, rpbcast extends previous work by supporting high packet rates and many active senders. Rpbcast uses gossip as the primary retransmission mechanism and only contacts loggers if gossips fail. Large groups of active senders are supported using negative gossip that specifies those messages a receiver is missing instead of those messages it received. Moreover, we show that negative gossip allows pull based recovery and converges faster than push based recovery. Rpbcast also applies hashing techniques to reduce message overhead and approximate group membership for garbage collection. We describe the key features of rpbcast and present simulation results.
Fault tolerant deployment and topology control in wireless ad hoc networks: Research Articles

We consider a large-scale of wireless ad hoc networks whose nodes are distributed randomly in a two-dimensional region Ω (more specifically, a unit square). Given n wireless nodes V, each with transmission range rn, the wireless networks are often modeled by graph G (V, rn) in which two nodes are connected if and only if their Euclidean distance is no more than rn. We first consider how to relate the transmission range with the number of nodes in a fixed area such that the resulted network can sustain k fault nodes in its neighborhood with high probability when all nodes have the same transmission range. We show that, for a unit-area square region Ω, the probability that the network G (V, rn) is k-connected is at least ${\rm e}^{-{\rm e}^{-\alpha}}$ when the transmission radius rn satisfies $n \pi r_n^2 \ge {\rm ln}\ n \,+ (2k - 3) {\rm ln}\, {\rm ln}\, n - 2 \,{\rm ln}(k - 1)! + 2 \alpha \ {\rm for} \, k >\,1$ and n sufficiently large. This result also applies to mobile networks when the moving of wireless nodes always generates randomly distributed positions. We also conduct extensive simulations to study the practical transmission range to achieve certain probability the network being k-connectivity, when the number of nodes n is not large enough. The relation between the minimum node degree and the connectivity of graph G (V, r) is also studied. Setting the transmission range of all nodes to rn guarantees the k-connectivity with high probability, but some nodes may have excessive number of neighbours in the graph G (V, rn). We then present a localized method to construct a subgraph of the network topology G (V, rn) such that the resulting subgraph is still k-connected but with much fewer communication links maintained. We show that the constructed topology has only O (k · n) links and is a length spanner. Here a graph H ⊆ G is spanner for graph G, if for any two nodes, the length of the shortest path connecting them in H is no more than a small constant factor of the length of the shortest path connecting them in G. Finally, we conduct some simulations to study the practical transmission range to achieve certain probability of k-connected when n is not large enough. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermodynamic and kinetic studies of pulsed laser annealing from transient conductivity measurements

Simultaneous measurements of the transient conductance and time-dependent surface reflectance of the melt and solidification dynamics produced by pulsed laser irradiation of Si are reviewed. These measurements demonstrate that the melting temperature of amorphous Si is reduced 200 +- 50/sup 0/K from that of crystalline Si and that explosive crystallization in amorphous Si is mediated by a thin (less than or equal to 20 nm) molten layer that propagates at approx. 15 m/sec. Studies with 3.5 nsec pulses permit an estimate of the dependence of the solidification velocity on undercooling. Measurements of the effect of As impurities on the solidification velocity demonstrate that high As concentrations decrease the melting temperature of Si (approx. 150/sup 0/K for 7 at. %), which can result in surface nucleation to produce buried melts. Finally, the silicon-germanium alloy system is shown to be an ideal model system for the study of superheating and undercooling. The Si/sub 50/Ge/sub 50/ alloy closely models amorphous Si, and measurements of layered Si-Ge alloy structures indicate superheating up to 120/sup 0/K without nucleation of internal melts. The change in melt velocity with superheating yields a velocity versus superheating of 17 +- 3 k/m/sec. 35 references.
GameWerks Camp: Using Gaming to Foster Learning by Design

Electronic gaming has become an integral part of the everyday lives of children, and middle- and high-school-aged campers now devote much time to gaming activities. Children also spend a significant amount of time in school. Unfortunately, campers often find schoolwork uninteresting and disconnected from their lives. As a result, motivating campers remains a very difficult aspect of teaching. Our goal was to create a technology-rich environment in which campers can participate in a fun learning-rich program. We accomplished this by designing a summer camp experience that embeds academic content into the framework of designing video games. Campers engage in authentic designs that are then “pitched” to a panel of individuals, some of whom represent the gaming industry. The approach combines Learning by Design and taps into Generation R’s interest in games.
Levee effects upon flood levels: an empirical assessment

This study used stream gauge records to assess the impact of levees on flood levels, providing an empirical test of theoretical and model predictions of the effects on local flood response. Focusing upon a study area in Illinois and Iowa for which levee records were available, we identified 203 gauges with ≥ 50 years hydrological record, including 15 gauges where a levee was constructed during the period of record. At these sites, step-change analysis utilizing regression residuals tested levee-related stage changes and levels of significance and quantified the magnitudes of stage changes. Despite large differences in stream sizes, levee alignments, and degree of floodplain constriction, the post-levee rating-curve adjustments showed consistent signatures. For all the study sites, stages for below bankfull (non-flood) conditions were unaffected by levee construction. For above bankfull (flood) conditions, stages at sites downstream of their associated levees also were statistically indistinguishable before versus after levee construction. However, at all sites upstream of levees or within leveed reaches, stages increased for above bankfull conditions. These increases were abrupt, statistically significant, and generally large in magnitude – ranging up to 2.3 m (Wabash River at Mt. Carmel, IL). Stage increases began when discharge increased above bankfull flow and generally increased in magnitude with discharge until the associated levee(s) were overtopped. Detailed site assessments and supplementary data available from some sites helped document the dominant mechanisms by which levees can increase flood levels. Levee construction reduces the area of the floodplain open to storage of flood waters and reduces the width of the floodplain open to conveyance of flood flow. Floodplain conveyance often is underestimated or ignored, but Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) measurements analysed here confirm previous studies that up to 70% or more of the total discharge during large floods (~3% chance flood) can move over the floodplain. Upstream of levees and levee-related floodplain constriction, backwater effects reduce flow velocities relative to pre-levee conditions and, thus, increase stages for a given discharge. The empirical results here confirm a variety of theoretical predictions of levee effects but suggest that many one-dimensional model-based predictions of levee-related stage changes may underestimate actual levee impacts. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inhibition by plastoquinone analogues of ferricyanide reduction by a Photosystem II chloroplast preparation

Abstract There is wide agreement that inhibition of plastoquinone function by plastoquinone analogues, of which the best known is dibromothymoquinone (DBMIB), inhibits electron transport from Photosystem II (PS II) to Photosystem I (PS I), but does not inhibit electron transport that is dependent on PS II alone. In contrast, we have recently presented evidence in support of a hypothesis for a hitherto unrecognized additional role of plastoquinone in the conductance of protons derived from the photooxidation of water by PS II (Arnon, D.I. and Tang, G.M.-S. (1985) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 809, 167–172). Since the transport of water-derived electrons and protons is coupled, this hypothesis predicts that photosynthetic electron transport by PS II alone would still be sensitive to DBMIB inhibition. We now report that this prediction has been verified by obtaining inhibition by low concentrations of DBMIB of electron transport from water to ferricyanide in a PS II preparation depleted of plastocyanin and PS I. The preparation consisted of inside-out vesicles isolated by the aqueous polymer two-phase partition method. The pattern of DBMIB inhibition in the PS II preparation was the same as that in unfractionated chloroplasts: inhibition of ferricyanide reduction was relieved by the addition of catalytic amounts of one of several lipophilic acceptors that appear to bypass the site of DBMIB inhibition at the Rieske FeS center of the cytochrome f b 6 complex. The bearing of these findings on the role of plastoquinones in the conductance of protons released by the photooxidation of water is discussed.
Consumer acceptability of the single case withdrawal design: Penalty for early withdrawal?

Consumers' acceptability of withdrawal designs was investigated. Subjects in the present study, middle and high school teachers, were presented case vignettes describing an apparently effective program used to treat a behavior problem student. Subjects in (one of six) withdrawal conditions rated the acceptability of temporarily withdrawing this program, while those in the control condition rated vignettes describing its continuation. Withdrawal conditions varied with respect to the rationale used to justify treatment withdrawal. Results would suggest teachers viewed withdrawal designs as generally acceptable. Practical implications of these findings, as well as future research needs, are discussed.
The problem of child sexual abuse.

The Policy Forum “The science of child sexual abuse” by J. J. Freyd et al. (22 Apr., p. [501][1]) provides an extremely important call to action to the scientific community. In 1999, James Mercy, Senior Scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted the importance of
Realization of InGaN solar cells on (111) silicon substrate

The III-nitride material system offers substantial potential to develop high-efficiency solar cells. Currently InGaN based solar cells have been demonstrated on sapphire substrate. This substrate expense adds up significantly to the cost of solar cells realization and further issues like sapphire substrate removal are of concern. Alternatively, InGaN epitaxial layers have been successfully grown on silicon substrate. An InGaN based quantum well solar cell structure is grown simultaneously by MOCVD on both GaN/sapphire and GaN/silicon substrates. The fabricated solar cells have comparable photo-response. The V oc of InGaN solar cell on sapphire is higher while the FF of InGaN solar cell on silicon is higher.
Densely Defined Multiplication on Several Sobolev Spaces of a Single Variable

Following Sarason’s classification of the densely defined multiplication operators over the Hardy space, we classify the densely defined multipliers over the Sobolev space, \(W^{1,2}[a,b]\). In this paper we find that the collection of such multipliers for the Sobolev space is exactly the Sobolev space itself, and each is a densely defined multiplier is bounded. This sharpens a result of Shields concerning bounded multipliers. The densely defined multiplication operators over the spaces \(W_0(a,b) = \{ f \in W^{1,2}[a,b] : f(a)=f(b)=0 \}\) and \(W^{1,2}(\mathbb {R})\) are also classified. In the case of \(W_0(a,b)\), the densely defined multiplication operators can be written as a ratio of functions in \(W_0(a,b)\) where the denominator is non-vanishing. This is proved using a constructive argument.