cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE-INDUCED OSTEOMALACIA, ENCEPHALOPATHY AND HYPERALUMINEMIA IN CAPD. TREATMENT WITH DESFERRIOXAMINE

We present the clinical course of a patient who has been treated with CAPD since 1979. He developed dialysis encephalopathy and fracturing osteomalacia, and was found to have a serum aluminum conce...
Retrospective Basic Parent-Child Communication Difficulties and Risk of Depression in Deaf Adults

This paper describes the relationship between retrospective communication difficulties and current depressive symptomatology. A total of 143 deaf/hard-of-hearing late adolescents and adults (64 % White; 55 % female) completed questionnaires related to parent communication, language history and current psychological functioning. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the likelihood of having depression that is associated with understanding parents' communication after controlling for gender, hearing level, and language history. Significant odds ratio indicated that the difficulties in understanding basic communication with parents increased the odds of depression symptomatology. The odds ratio indicates that when holding all other variables constant, the odds of reporting depression were at least 8 times higher for those who reported being able to understand some to none of what the same-sex parent said. For the different-gender parent, only the mother's communication with the male individual was associated with depression. Although our study findings suggest that DHH men and women with history of communication difficulties at home are at risk for depression in adulthood, they do not provide information on the causal mechanisms linking communication difficulties early in life and depression later in life. Greater attention should be given to promoting healthy communication between DHH girls and their mothers as well as DHH boys and their fathers, which might reduce the impact on later emergence of depression in the DHH individual.
“Feeling Like I'm Slow Because I'm in This Class”: Secondary School Contexts and the Identification and Construction of Struggling Readers

Despite increasing concern about the number of U.S. youths who experience reading difficulty, relatively little research has examined how or why adolescents' literacy skills vary across school spaces. During this school year—long study, I shadowed eight ninth graders identified as struggling readers across content area classes and compared their experiences with those of similar peers who were not labeled as such. I conducted 425 hours of observations, 64 semistructured interviews, and ongoing open-ended ethnographic interviews, and I collected assessment scores, school records, and classroom artifacts. Analysis showed that students' and teachers' interactions with particular school contexts not only identified reading difficulty but also constructed “struggling readers” regardless, sometimes, of students' skilled, engaged reading. Contributing to deficit positioning were institutional contexts that conflated reading difficulty with behavioral problems. However, among classroom contexts in which youths experienced disciplinary literacy instruction situated in trusting and caring relationships, the young people tended to demonstrate proficient or improving reading and express positive feelings about themselves, their teachers, and their classes. Findings have implications for not only the reconceptualization of adolescent reading difficulty but also the reorganization of secondary literacy programs.
Signing Without Reading

Most people sign standard term contracts without reading them. This gives drafters an incentive to insert one-sided, inefficient terms. This problem can be solved directly by giving the drafter a duty to draft efficient terms, or indirectly by giving the signer a duty to read (which may remove the incentive to insert one-sided terms if a sufficient number of signers do read the contract). The problem can also be solved in a more draconian way by holding all standard terms unenforceable, irrespective of whether they are efficient or one-sided. Finally, the problem can be solved through hybrid instruments – for instance, American common law gives the signer a duty to read but intervenes when terms are unconscionable. In this short chapter (written for a forthcoming book of Marciano and Ramello, eds.), I argue that a duty to draft efficient terms is the superior instrument. Doctrinally, this means that unread contracts are best seen as agreements to delegate the drafting task to the party that can do so at least costs, as is the case under German law. Because rational parties will never give one of them a wildcard to insert inefficient terms, standard terms should be enforced only to the extent they are efficient. Moreover, economic logic dictates that it should be upon the drafter to prove that the terms are efficient, rather than upon the signer to prove that they are inefficient.
Simon, Attila. 2013. The Hungarians of Slovakia in 1938. New York: Columbia University Press, East European Monographs. 353 pp.

Simon, Attila. 2013. The Hungarians of Slovakia in 1938 . New York: Columbia University Press, East European Monographs. 353 pp.
Media Factors in Collaboration

As McLuhan observed, technological changes precipitate a variety of other changes in how we live, think, and interact. Furthermore, the media that we use to communicate with one another profoundly influence the nature of those communications. This chapter focuses on the diverse and subtle impacts of the media characteristics of an interaction environment on collaboration. We consider a variety of interaction modalities: face-to-face, video-supported, audio-only, synchronous and asynchronous computer-supported communication. We begin with a detailed review of the characteristics of collocated work and the environmental factors that affect the ability to establish a shared understanding of a problem. We then consider the role of visual and auditory cues in communication and in the coordination of communication, such as availability and turn-taking cues. Although the cues that occur in co-present collaboration are very different from those that occur in computer-supported communication, they provide a basis for understanding not only the rich character of face-to-face collaboration but also the characteristics of communicative exchanges in general. This knowledge can then be brought to bear to understand issues that arise in computer-supported collaboration.
Effect of Fabp1/Scp‐2/Scp‐x Ablation on Whole Body and Hepatic Phenotype of Phytol‐Fed Male Mice

Liver fatty acid binding protein (Fabp1) and sterol carrier protein-2/sterol carrier protein-x (SCP-2/SCP-x) genes encode proteins that enhance hepatic uptake, cytosolic transport, and peroxisomal oxidation of toxic branched-chain fatty acids derived from dietary phytol. Since male wild-type (WT) mice express markedly higher levels of these proteins than females, the impact of ablating both genes (TKO) was examined in phytol-fed males. In WT males, high phytol diet alone had little impact on whole body weight and did not alter the proportion of lean tissue mass (LTM) versus fat tissue mass (FTM). TKO conferred on dietary phytol the ability to induce weight loss as well as reduce liver weight, FTM, and even more so LTM. Concomitantly TKO induced hepatic lipid accumulation, preferentially threefold increased phospholipid (PL) at the expense of decreased triacylglycerol (TG) and total cholesterol. Increased PL was associated with upregulation of membrane fatty acid transport/translocase proteins (FATP 2,4), cytosolic fatty acid/fatty acyl-CoA binding proteins (FABP2, ACBP), and the rate limiting enzyme in PL synthesis (Gpam). Decreased TG and cholesterol levels were not attributable to altered levels in respective synthetic enzymes or nuclear receptors. These data suggest that the higher level of Fabp1 and Scp2/Scpx gene products in WT males was protective against deleterious effects of dietary phytol, but TKO significantly exacerbated phytol effects in males.
A parametric study on a bio-inspired continuously morphing trailing edge

Inspired by the wave-like camber variation in the trailing edge feathers of large birds, the aerodynamic impact of similar variations in the geometry of morphing wings is investigated. The scope of this problem is reduced by exploring parametrically generated geometries derived from an existing morphing wing design, namely the Spanwise Morphing Trailing Edge (SMTE), which is actuated via conformally integrated Macro Fiber Composites (MFCs). Utilizing this design, the deformation of the trailing edge of the SMTE is parameterized as a function of the spanwise location using a sinusoidal relationship. The aerodynamic responses are then obtained using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, while the efficacy of the proposed approach is explored using a Pareto-like frontier approach.
Planning endovascular aortic repair with standard and fenestrated-branched endografts

Endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) has been accepted as the first treatment option in most patients with infrarenal and thoracic aortic aneurysms. Advantages include its minimal invasive approach and lower risk of mortality and morbidity compared to open surgical repair. In patients with complex aneurysms involving side branches, novel techniques of parallel, fenestrated and branched endografts have expanded the indications of EVAR. Preoperative planning is of paramount importance to achieve technical success and to minimize risks of these procedures. In most centers, anatomical measurements are based on helical computed tomography angiography and/or magnetic resonance angiography. This article summarizes the most important aspects on planning standard and complex EVAR to treat aortic aneurysms and dissections.
Anatomy of Phase Locking in Hyperparametric Oscillations Based on Kerr Nonlinearity

We investigate the dynamical origin of synchronization and phase locking of hyperparametric oscillations in Kerr-nonlinear media. These oscillations occur in the presence of parametric gain and, although arising from modulational instability of random vacuum fluctuations with arbitrary phases, lead to phase-locked states in the form of pulse trains. Using few-mode approximations of the Lugiato–Lefever equation (LLE), we find that the pumped mode injection-locks to the driving laser pump following the Adler equation. Based on experimentally motivated assumptions, we derive analytical expressions, which reveal the essence of phase locking in frequency combs and confirm them through numerical integration of the LLE. Clear understanding of the phenomenon of phase locking in optical microresonators can lead to devising novel techniques for achieving phase-locked states or improving the coherence properties of frequency combs. Our results are mathematically generic and apply to other systems described by an externally driven damped nonlinear Schodinger equation.
Evaluation of outcomes after stereotactic radiosurgery for pilocytic astrocytoma

Pilocytic astrocytomas are rare intracranial gliomas that are typically treated with surgical extirpation. Our aim was to report the radiologic and clinical outcomes of patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for pilocytic astrocytoma in the primary and salvage setting. Patients with pilocytic astrocytoma treated at a single institution with SRS from 1990 to 2015 were reviewed. Patient, disease, and treatment characteristics were collected and overall survival, local control, and toxicity were evaluated. Twenty-eight consecutive patients (12 females and 16 males) with a median age of 17.4 years at SRS were identified. Overall, 46% of patients were treated with SRS as part of the initial treatment course after biopsy or subtotal resection, and the remainder as a salvage therapy. The most common location was the cerebellum (28%) followed by brainstem and basal ganglia (21 and 18%, respectively). Four patients received prior external beam radiation therapy (14%). Median tumor volume was 1.84 cc (0.19–15.94 cc), and 39% had a cystic component at SRS. Prescription dose ranged from 4 to 20 Gy (median 16 Gy) to a median isodose line of 50% (range 30–100%). With a median follow-up of 5.2 years (0.3–17.1 years), all patients remained alive at last follow-up. Two patients demonstrated evidence of local radiographic progression at last follow-up (7%). No toxicity could be directly attributed to SRS. In this SRS series, durable tumor control was achieved in 93% of patients with pilocytic astrocytoma, although continued follow up will be important giving the natural history of this disease. As demonstrated, SRS is an appropriate technique in the primary and recurrent treatment of pilocytic astrocytoma that offers favorable disease control and infrequent clinical toxicity.
Pathologic evaluation of tumor-associated macrophage density and vessel inflammation in invasive breast carcinomas

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are major constituents of the tumor microenvironment in solid tumors and have been implicated as mediators of tumor progression, invasion and metastasis. Correspondingly, accumulation of TAMs is associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes in numerous types of solid tumors. E-selectin is a hallmark of inflammation and a key adhesion molecule that accommodates the initial contact of circulating immune cells with the inflamed vessel surface. Currently, the association between E-selectin and TAMs is not fully elucidated; therefore, the present study investigated the association between vessel inflammation, TAM infiltration, and clinical outcome in breast cancer. A total of 53 procedure-naive invasive breast cancer cases were immunohistochemically analyzed for the presence of cluster of differentiation (CD)68+ TAMs, E-selectin+ vessels and tumor inflammation. The association between CD68 and E-selectin expression, and tumor inflammation as well as overall survival was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariable Cox's proportional hazards regression analysis. The abundance of TAMs was identified to be positively associated with tumor inflammation, estrogen receptor and E-selectin expression levels. A greater prevalence of TAMs and tumor inflammation was significantly associated with shorter overall survival times. E-selectin expression levels were significantly higher in tumor vessels among elderly patients, but were not associated with overall survival. The abundance of TAMs was associated with the presence of E-selectin-expressing inflamed tumor vessels and tumor inflammation, as well as overall survival in patients with invasive breast carcinoma.
Association Between Quality Measures and Perceptions of Care Among Patients With Substance Use Disorders

Objective:This study evaluated whether eight quality measures assessing care for patients with a substance use disorder were associated with patient perceptions of their care, including perceived improvement and global rating of behavioral health care.Methods:Secondary data analyses were conducted of administrative and patient survey data collected as part of a national evaluation of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) mental health and substance use services. Data for patients who received care for substance use disorders during October 2006–September 2007 paid for by the VHA and who participated in a telephone interview about their care (N=2,074) were included. Measures of patient perceptions of care included perceived improvement and global rating of behavioral health care. Eight quality measures based on administrative data assessed initiation and engagement in substance use disorder care, receipt of psychotherapy or psychosocial treatment, and follow-up after hospitalization. Regression models were ...
When is anti-Zionism morally legitimate?

The claim that Zionism is fundamentally or intrinsically morally compromised is unfortunately more commonly articulated and expressed than it deserves to be. While there are certainly good reasons to be critical of Israeli governmental policy (both now and in the past), those who question the very right of a Jewish state to exist on land approximating the current territory of Israel without extrapolating this principle to other cases are being philosophically disingenuous. While I concede that it is perfectly reasonable to object to the creation and maintenance of a Jewish state on the basis of either its exclusionary character or its problematic history, I suggest that such arguments should equally apply to virtually every other nation-state. Thus, while anti-Zionism is not necessarily a morally illegitimate claim, unless its claims are paired with a more radical rejection of the nation-state tout court, it should be considered as such.
A Reconstruction of Russell's Gray's Elegy Argument

This paper presents a detailed exegesis of Russell’s “Gray’s Elegy Argument” (GEA). It holds that the GEA mounts a successful attack on Frege—a thesis that has been widely controverted in the literature. The point of departure for my interpretation is Russell’s charge that it is impossible to speak about Sinne , or “meanings” as Russell calls them. I argue that the charge concerns the construction of an “ideal language.” For Russell, an ideal language is an artificial schema designed to represent the truth-makers for sentences occurring in natural language. Its signs stand for the entities that are constituents of those truth-makers. Russell’s charge can thus be expressed more clearly and completely as follows: an ideal language designed to express Frege’s ontology requires signs for meanings ( Sinne ); however, the signs introduced for that purpose cannot be correlated with the entities they are supposed to represent. Thus, the requirement cannot be met.
Bridging multimodal pain management provides 48-hour pain control in patients undergoing total shoulder replacement

Background We report our experience with a bridging multimodal pain management program that provides comprehensive 48-hour pain control in patients undergoing total shoulder replacement (TSR). Methods The study included all patients undergoing unilateral TSR by 1 surgeon between May 2015 and April 2017. There were 62 patients (23 men, 39 women) with an average age of 68 years (range 38-92 years). Of these, 31 underwent standard nonconstrained TSR and 31 underwent reverse TSR. The bridging multimodal pain management protocol included scalene block regional anesthesia using 0.25% bupivacaine enhanced with 4 mg of dexamethasone, application of 20 mg of liposomal bupivacaine diluted with 40 mL of normal saline in the periarticular soft tissues at time of closure, scheduled 24 hours of intravenous acetaminophen and ketorolac, and immediate cryotherapy. Parameters measured included hospital length of stay, postoperative use of intravenous narcotics, and 30-day hospital readmission. Results The median length of stay was 1 day (range, 1-6; average, 1.5 days). Overall, 41 patients (66%) were discharged on postoperative day 1. Intravenous narcotics were required postoperatively in 22 patients (35.5%). There were no 30-day readmissions. Conclusion This bridging multimodal pain management protocol resulted in a length of stay of 1 day for 66% of patients, even for higher-risk patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification III (63%). Of the 62 patients, 64% (n = 40) did not require postoperative intravenous narcotics. For properly selected patients, this program may be considered for performing TSR as an ambulatory procedure.
Evaluating the Experimental High-Resolution Rapid Refresh-Alaska Modeling System Using USArray Pressure Observations

AbstractThe High-Resolution Rapid Refresh–Alaska (HRRR-AK) modeling system provides 3-km horizontal resolution and 0–36-h forecast guidance for weather conditions over Alaska. This study evaluated ...
IMPACT OF ANURAN AMPHIBIANS

ABSTRACT Comparative immunologists, especially those working with anuran amphibians, as animal models for immunogenesis have several unique advantages. First, anurans occupy a special position in the evolution of vertebrates. Second, since The re-discovery of the lymphomyeloid system there has been sustained interest in the immune system, with efforts focused on differential functions of the thymus, spleen, lymph gland of larvae and the bone marrow and accessory LM organs such as the jugular body of adults. We have important clues as to the dissociation of T and B lymphocyte function especially in the thymus and lymph gland. To enliven this should of immunologic phylogeny, and to ensure continuity, we chould be more concerned about how anuran immune systems function in relation to influences such as hibernation, light, hormones and seasons with the view toward understanding how the immune system is affected by the nervous and and endocrine systems. Finally, in relation to certain autoimmune diseases such as myasthenia gravis and to understand senescence, frogs and toads are valuable. Our animals should be able to usher us into a new era when comparative and developmental immunobiology will hook the immune system to the rest of the body's systems.
Defensive reaction time of bombardier beetles

Legs of bombardier beetles (Brachinus spp.) were pinched with forceps which were closed electromagnetically. The timing of resulting defensive discharges was recorded. The shortest latency between stimulus onset and chemical response was 52 msec; when responses were grouped in 10-msec intervals, the mode occurred at 70–80 msec. These values are similar to latencies for evasive antipredator responses reported for a variety of species. This result indicates: (1) response latencies for chemical defenses are not intrinsically longer than latencies for evasive responses, and (2) they are not necessarily lengthened by selective pressures unique to chemical defense.
Reactions of Iron Atoms and Iron Dimers with Methane, Ammonia, and Hydrogen Fluoride in Low Temperature Matrices

Infrared matrix isolation studies of the cocondensation of iron atoms with CH4, NH3, and FH indicate only formation of Fe·NH3 and Fe·FH adducts. Photolysis of the matrices with visible/near UV light causes iron to insert into the HX bond, where X is CH3, NH2, or F, to produce the HFeCH3, HFeNH2, and HFeF species. Molecular vibrational frequencies and mode assignments are given in accompanying tables. Tentative assignments were also made for HFe2F, HFeNH2(NH3), and HFe2NH2.
Modeling hantavirus maintenance and transmission in rodent communities.

Analysis of the phylogenetic relationships among hantaviruses suggests that hantaviruses have had a longstanding co-evolutionary history with their predominant rodent carriers (Schmaljohn and Hjelle 1997; Nichol, in press). Closely related hantaviruses are generally derived from rodents that are themselves closely related, while deeper evolutionary branches in the virus phylogenetic tree are associated with deeper branches in the rodent phylogenetic tree. As a first approximation, hantavirus evolution resembles that of an extrachromosomal genetic element of murid rodents more than it does that of an autonomous, horizontally transmitted agent. Those hantaviruses that have a clearly identified reservoir host are associated with rodents of the family Muridae, subfamilies Murinae, Arvicolinae, and Sigmodontinae. A single hantavirus isolate, Thottapalayam, was obtained from a non-murid host, the shrew Suncus murinus (Carey et al. 1971). It is unclear whether insectivores are truly reservoirs for hantaviruses,or rare incidental hosts. If the former were true then these viruses would most likely represent ancient relatives of those found in murid rodents, given the temporal depth of the divergence between Insectivora and Rodentia. It appears to us to be somewhat more likely that Thottapalayam represents a recent host-switching event, since even the high divergence of that virus from other hantaviruses is not as large as is the divergence between Insectivora and Rodentia.
Leukocyte response following simultaneous ionizing and microwave (radar) irradiation.

Simultaneous microwave and x-irradiation at a sublethal x-ray dose level modify the hematologic response to x-irradiation. Earlier neutrophil recovery and delayed lymphocyte and hematocrit recovery resulted following simultaneous microwave and x-ray exposure.
Planning Models

At present, the term planning has many meanings and little substance. It is an omnibus word or a dressing gown under which a variety of management matters masquerade. So many management activities are described as planning that the significance of the term may have succumbed to generality. The planning function appears to be a status generator, presumably because planning is closely associated with top managements' interests. It is surrounded with emotional issues furthermore, that help to obscure the difference between what we say we are doing i.e., planning and what we are doing ?. Although planning models are the subject of this paper, from the viewpoint of consistent terminology and unambiguous definition they don't exist. On the other hand, as judged by common usage, most management science models qualify as planning models. At the uppermost entrepreneurial levels planning is almost exclusively an intuitional affair. But characteristically these domains are dramatically unstable. No maps exist for traveling in such regions. Usually, even the fundamental dimensions are unknown. What planning models have been built to cope with these real and vital top-management problems? Search and survey answers, none. Consequently, a paper about planning models can either continue as in present practice to ignore critical issues, or can begin with simple classification---more or less as Linnaeus started back in the 1700's. We have chosen the latter course and begin this paper by attempting to develop a workable taxonomy.
Magic Loops and the Dynamic Controllability of Simple Temporal Networks with Uncertainty

A Simple Temporal Network with Uncertainty (STNU) is a structure for representing and reasoning about temporal constraints and uncontrollable-but-bounded temporal intervals called contingent links. An STNU is dynamically controllable (DC) if there exists a strategy for executing its time-points that guarantees that all of the constraints will be satisfied no matter how the durations of the contingent links turn out. The fastest algorithm for checking the dynamic controllability of STNUs is based on an analysis of the graphical structure of STNUs. This paper (1) presents a new method for analyzing the graphical structure of STNUs, (2) determines an upper bound on the complexity of certain structures—the indivisible semi-reducible negative loops; (3) presents an algorithm for generating loops—the magic loops—whose complexity attains this upper bound; and (4) shows how the upper bound can be exploited to speed up the process of DC-checking for certain networks.
Machine Learning Applied to a Variable Charge Atomistic Model for Cu/Hf Binary Alloy Oxide Heterostructures

Alloy oxide heterostructures are essential for a wide variety of energy applications, including anticorrosion coatings, bifunctional catalysis, energy storage, as well as emerging platforms for mul...
Extraction of Gold and Copper from a Gold Ore Thiosulfate Leachate by Use of Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles

Gold and copper thiosulfate adsorption from an alkaline gold ore leachate was investigated by using polyethylenimine-coated iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (NPs). The ore, sourced from a mine in ...
Using Fiscal Indicator Systems to Predict Municipal Bankruptcies

U.S. state governments over the years have developed a number of methods for predicting fiscal distress and defaults by their local governments. These systems encompass a range of conceptual understanding and practical approaches, and involve varying data requirements and analytic demands. A widespread prediction strategy is to compute indexes of fiscal stress based on financial and other indicators. This chapter assesses the predictive accuracy of three well-documented and carefully argued indicator systems, by computing indicator scores for a sample of three bankrupt general-purpose local governments and six matched jurisdictions that did not declare bankruptcy, over a ten-year period that included the years leading up to the three bankruptcy proceedings. The goal was to answer two primary questions. First, are the indicators all measuring the same thing? How closely do different indicator systems agree in their scoring of a given jurisdiction? Second, to what extent are the indicators predictively valid? How good a job do they do of predicting severe fiscal distress and of distinguishing between cities that did and did not enter bankruptcy? The system developed and currently used by Ohio’s Auditor of State performed well. The system developed in 2002 for Michigan’s State Treasurer (no longer used) and a system subsequently proposed by academic researchers as a potential improvement to it (not implemented) both performed less well.
Miami Beach forever? Urbanism in the back loop

Abstract In the Anthropocene, coastal cities are increasingly cast as climate change first responders: both “front lines” where uncertain futures are unfolding and “laboratories” in which experimental resilience infrastructures are being tested out. Engaged with anticipatory risk governance and urban climate experimentation literatures, this article critically examines recent resiliency infrastructure experiments in Miami Beach, Florida, a key climate change site known as ground zero for sea level rise in the United States. Using critical analysis of media and policy documents, site observation, and political and ecological theory, this article explores resilience experimentation in Miami Beach as a matter of transforming modes of anticipatory risk governance in the Anthropocene “back loop.” Beyond mere technical innovations, what visions of urban life and futures are forwarded in these experiments, and how are they transforming the nature of urbanism? Rather than courageous, utopian attempts to positively transform the city, the paper argues, these projects seek to lock Miami Beach and its residents into a single, unitary vision of the future, one of high-end real estate and luxury lifestyles buttressed by an invisible background of service and other wage work. The paper further argues however that this dream of Miami Beach’s static future may be undone by the city’s own experimental efforts to secure it. To conclude the paper argues that Miami Beach’s resilience experiments represent an emergent paradigm of “back loop urbanism,” a form of urban governance devised amidst dislocation, made up of distinct experiments that fold in local trajectories in unique and sometimes conflicting ways.
Resonant Transmittance of Asymmetric Array of Optical Cavities

Resonant transmittance of an asymmetric pair of optical cavities with accidental spectral degeneracy can be strongly suppressed, within broad frequency range, by a small nonlinearity or a small change in the direction of incidence.
Six decades of rainfall and flood frequency analysis using stochastic storm transposition: Review, progress, and prospects

Abstract Stochastic Storm Transposition (SST) involves resampling and random geospatial shifting (i.e. transposition) of observed storm events to generate hypothetical but realistic rainstorms. Though developed as a probabilistic alternative to probable maximum precipitation (PMP) and sharing PMP’s storm transposition characteristic, SST can also be used in more typical rainfall frequency analysis (RFA) and flood frequency analysis (FFA) applications. This paper explains the method, discusses its origins and linkages to both PMP and RFA/FFA, and reviews the development of SST research over the past six decades. Discussion topics includes: the relevance of recent advances in precipitation remote sensing to frequency analysis, numerical weather prediction, and distributed rainfall-runoff modeling; uncertainty and boundedness in rainfall and floods; the flood frequency challenges posed by climatic and land use change; and the concept of multi-scale flood frequency. Recent literature has shown that process-based multiscale FFA, in which the joint distributions of flood-producing meteorological and hydrological processes are synthesized and resolved using distributed physics-based rainfall-runoff models, provides a useful framework for translating nonstationary hydroclimatic conditions into flood frequency estimates. SST pairs well with the process-based approaches. This pairing is promising because it can leverage advances from other branches of hydrology and hydrometeorology that appear to be difficult to integrate into better-known RFA and FFA approaches. The paper closes with several recommendations for future SST research and applications.
Consumer Evaluation of Mobile AR Applications for Shopping: Focusing on 3D Authenticity

This study used SEM and found the role of 3D authenticity in mobile apps is to prompt affective as well as cognitive reactions toward mobile shopping in a positive way, instead to minimize possible negative m-shopping aspects like perceived risk.
Vitamin E - phosphatidylethanolamine interactions in mixed membranes with sphingomyelin: Studies by 2H NMR

Abstract Among the structurally diverse collection of lipids that comprise the membrane lipidome, polyunsaturated phospholipids are particularly vulnerable to oxidation. The role of α-tocopherol (vitamin E) is to protect this influential class of membrane phospholipid from oxidative damage. Whether lipid-lipid interactions play a role in supporting this function is an unanswered question. Here, we compare the molecular organization of polyunsaturated 1-[2H31]palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoylphosphatidylethanolamine (PDPE-d31) and, as a control, monounsaturated 1-[2H31]palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (POPE-d31) mixed with sphingomyelin (SM) and α-tocopherol (α-toc) (2:2:1 mol) by solid-state 2H NMR spectroscopy. In both cases the effect of α-toc appears similar. Spectral moments reveal that the main chain melting transition of POPE-d31 and PDPE-d31 is broadened beyond detection. A spectral component attributed to the formation of inverted hexagonal HII phase in coexistence with lamellar Lα phase by POPE-d31 (20 %) and PDPE-d31 (18 %) is resolved following the addition of α-toc. Order parameters in the remaining Lα phase are increased slightly more for POPE-d31 (7%) than PDPE-d31 (4%). Preferential interaction with polyunsaturated phospholipid is not apparent in these results. The propensity for α-toc to form phase structure with negative curvature that is more tightly packed at the membrane surface, nevertheless, may restrict the contact of free radicals with lipid chains on phosphatidylethanolamine molecules that accumulate polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Person-centered analysis of factors related to STEM students’ global awareness

Twenty-first century communication has changed how we connect to the rest of the world. Therefore, it requires the preparation of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students who are capable of coping with problems on a global scale and who can participate effectively in a global economic and civic environment. Breathtaking ability to send vast amounts of data instantly and at times globally often translates to graduates entering the workforce needing to be aware of the global community. Hence, in this study, factors related to engineering students’ global awareness have been explored so that higher education institutions may consider those factors when designing programs meant to influence this competence. The current study used a validated new instrument, based on a developmental model—the Model of Domain Learning (MDL)—to gauge engineering students’ growth in global awareness. The presented research is studying the following research question: What is the relation between students’ curricular and co-curricular experiences and levels of global awareness classified using MDL? Person-centered analyses were used to answer the research question. Four hundred twenty-five engineering students, who enrolled in 18 different engineering programs in a US land-grant university, participated in this study. The study found that engineering students’ engagement in extra-curricular activities was correlated with an increase of their knowledge, strategic processing, and interest in the domain of global awareness. Based on the data analysis, students’ international experiences were positively related to not only their interest and knowledge but also their strategic processing predicted by the MDL. Moreover, engineering students’ international experience and high academic engagement are important variables related to their perception of increased global awareness and improved skills for international careers. Hence, higher education institutions should consider making pedagogical interventions in their programs to effectively embed international experience into students’ curriculum.
Wildfire severity influences offspring sex ratio in a native solitary bee

Although ecological disturbances can have a strong influence on pollinators through changes in habitat, virtually no studies have quantified how characteristics of wildfire influence the demography of essential pollinators. Nevertheless, evaluating this topic is critical for understanding how wildfire is linked to pollinator population dynamics, particularly given recent changes in wildfire frequency and severity in many regions of the world. In this study, we measured the demographic response of the blue orchard bee (Osmia lignaria) across a natural gradient of wildfire severity to assess how variation in wildfire characteristics influenced reproductive output, offspring sex ratio, and offspring mass. We placed nest blocks with a standardized number and sex ratio of pre-emergent adult bees across the wildfire gradient, finding some evidence for a positive but highly variable relationship between reproductive output and fire severity surrounding the nest site at both local (100 m) and landscape (750 m) scales. In addition, the production of female offspring was > 10% greater at nest sites experiencing the greatest landscape-scale fire severity relative to the lowest-severity areas. The finding that blue orchard bees biased offspring production towards the more expensive offspring sex with increasing fire severity shows a functional response to changes in habitat quality through increased density of flowering plants. Our findings indicate that burned mixed-conifer forest provides forage for the blue orchard bee across a severity gradient, and that the increase in floral resources that follows high-severity fire leads females to shift resource allocation to the more costly sex when nesting.
The Judicial Confirmation Process: The Difficulty with Being Smart

Republicans and Democrats both complain about the difficulty in getting judges confirmed when it is their nominees who are up for confirmation, but there has not been any systematic study of either how much worse this problem has gotten or what its causes might be. Several patterns do emerge for data from the beginning of Jimmy Carter's administration through the end of George W. Bush's first term. It is taking even longer for confirmation, and the more important the position, the longer confirmation takes. Among the findings, it took almost three times longer for circuit court judges to be confirmed under George W. Bush than under his father. The rate of confirmation for circuit court judges has also fallen while the confirmation rate for district court judges has risen. Higher-quality judges, measured by their output once they are on the court (e.g., number of citations to their opinions or number of published opinions), take much longer to get confirmed. Evaluated at the mean judicial quality, a 1 percent increase in judicial quality increases the length of the confirmation process by between 1 and 3 percent. Many of the traditional ex ante measures of judicial quality such as where the judge went to law school or a nominee's American Bar Association (ABA) ratings add little if anything to predicting how well he or she will do on the bench. A 1 percent increase in polarization in the voting differences between the political parties in the Senate produces between a 3 and 10 percent increase in the length of the confirmation process for circuit court judges. Even after accounting for differences in nominee quality, Republican circuit court nominees also have significantly lower ABA ratings than Democratic nominees and ABA scores do not affect the length of circuit court confirmations.
Serotonin signaling modulates aging-associated metabolic network integrity in response to nutrient choice

Aging arises from complex interactions among multiple biochemical and metabolic products. Systems-level analyses of biological networks may provide insights into the causes and consequences of aging that evade single-gene or single-pathway studies. We have shown that dietary choice per se is sufficient to modulate aging and metabolic health in the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster. In other words, how each meal is presented, or the way in which it is eaten, is influential, independent of the amount or type of nutrients that are consumed. For example, when major macronutrients were presented separately, male flies exhibited a rapid and significant increase in mortality rate and a reduced overall lifespan relative to those fed a single medium containing both sugar and yeast. These effects are mediated by specific components of serotonin signaling, as a mutation in serotonin receptor 2A (5-HT2A) eliminated the effects of dietary choice. Here we show that dietary choice influenced several measures of metabolic network integrity, including connectivity, average shortest distance, community structure, and robustness, with the effects of the latter two restricted to tissues in the head. These changes in network structure were associated with organism resilience and increased susceptibility to genetic perturbation, as measured by starvation survival. Our data suggest that the behavioral or perceptual consequences of exposure to individual macronutrients, involving serotonin signaling through 5-HT2A, qualitatively change the state of metabolic networks throughout the organism from one that is highly connected and robust to one that is fragmented, fragile, and vulnerable to perturbations.
Bicarbonate secretion in rabbit ileum: Electrogenicity, ion dependence, and effects of cyclic nucleotides

Abstract Background: Ileal HCO 3− secretion is not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine its Na + and Cl − dependencies, electrogenicity, and responses to amiloride, 4-acetamido-4′-isothiocyano-stilbene-2,2′-disulfonate (SITS), and cyclic nucleotides. Methods: The serosa to mucosa HCO 3 − flux (J sm ) across rabbit ileal mucosa mounted between HCO 3 − -free mucosal solution and HCO 3 − -containing serosal solutions was determined by titration. Results: In SO 4 2− -containing Ringer's solution, J sm varied with [Na + ] in two phases, one with a high and one with a low affinity for Na + ; amiloride inhibited the high- and SITS inhibited the low-affinity phase. Switching from SO 4 2− -to Cl − -containing Ringer's solution caused a SITS-inhibitable 42% increase in J sm . Changes in J sm were coupled 3:2 with changes in short-circuit current. Cyclic nucleotide effects on J sm were as follows. In SO 4 2− -containing Ringer's solution at 141 (but not 80) mmol/L Na + , theophylline caused equal increases in J sm and short-circuit current that equaled the combined effects of 8-Br-5′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and 8-Br-5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Serosal SITS blocked these effects, but amiloride did not. In Cl − -containing Ringer's solution, theophylline and bumetanide together (but not separately) increased J sm . Conclusions: (1) Basolateral HCO 3 − entry occurs via Na + /H exchange and a SITS-inhibitable process (Na + -HCO 3 − cotransport?). (2) Most HCO 3 − exit across the brush border occurs by a Cl − -independent process and some by Cl − /HCO 3 − exchange. (3) At low cellular [Cl − ], HCO 3 − can be secreted via anion channels activated by cAMP and cGMP. (4) Ileal HCO 3 − secretion is electrogenic.
Single Stage Brushless DC Motor Drive with High Input Power Factor for Single Phase Applications

This paper proposes a single stage topology suitable for small to medium power systems with high inertia loads such as home appliances. This approach features a single controlled power stage which implements both conventional brushless DC motor speed control and a novel power factor correction strategy. This approach eliminates the Boost Unity Power Factor (UPF) stage and bulk electrolytic capacitor typically used for single phase applications. With an appropriate current modulation strategy, the input current can be shaped and high input power factor can be obtained. Design equations are derived, a comparison with the conventional two-stage approach is performed and simulation and experimental results are presented.
Are Earnings Surprises Costly

We investigate potential costs experienced by firms that repeatedly have large quarterly earnings surprises during a condensed period of time. Consistent with our predictions, our univariate results indicate that surprise firms have lower analyst following, lower institutional ownership, and higher earnings-price ratios than firms that do not have large earnings surprises. Our multivariate findings, controlling for potentially confounding factors, are generally consistent with the univariate results, although our conclusions regarding institutional ownership are weaker. Further, our results generally hold regardless of whether the firm has positive surprises, negative surprises, or earnings surprises of mixed sign, suggesting that negative earnings surprises do not drive the results. Assuming that the documented differences represent a cost of earnings surprises, our findings provide an explanation for managers' desire to avoid surprising the market and their willingness to voluntarily disclose earnings-related information in advance of the mandated earnings announcement.
Calculus on the Sierpinski gasket II: point singularities, eigenfunctions, and normal derivatives of the heat kernel

This paper continues the study of fundamental properties of elementary functions on the Sierpinski gasket (SG) related to the Laplacian defined by Kigami: harmonic functions, multiharmonic functions, and eigenfunctions of the Laplacian. We describe the possible point singularities of such functions, and we use the description at certain periodic points to motivate the definition of local derivatives at these points. We study the global behavior of eigenfunctions on all generic infinite blow-ups of SG, and construct eigenfunctions that decay at infinity in certain directions. We study the asymptotic behavior of normal derivatives of Dirichlet eigenfunctions at boundary points, and give experimental evidence for the behavior of the normal derivatives of the heat kernel at boundary points.