cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three-Dimensional General-Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Remnant Accretion Disks from Neutron Star Mergers: Outflows and r-Process Nucleosynthesis.

New calculations show that the accretion flows that form after a neutron star collision can eject large amounts of matter rich in gold and other heavy elements.
Association Between Undetected 10-2 Visual Field Damage and Vision-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Glaucoma.

Importance Recent evidence supports the presence of macular damage (within 8° of the central field) to retinal ganglion cells and associated central visual field (VF) defects in glaucoma, even in early stages. Despite this, to our knowledge, the association of 10-2 VF damage with vision-related quality of life (QOL) has not been well studied. Objective To determine the association between QOL and visual function as measured by 24-2 and 10-2 VFs in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and to test the hypothesis that patients with vision-related QOL disproportionate to their 24-2 VF status may exhibit 10-2 damage overlooked by the 24-2 test. Design, Setting, and Participants In this cross-sectional analysis of observational cohort study data taken from a tertiary care specialty practice, 113 patients with glaucoma with the entire range of 24-2 VF damage completed the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). Data were collected from May 2014 to January 2015 and were analyzed from March 2016 to May 2016. Interventions Standardized binocular 24-2 and 10-2 VF sensitivities were calculated for each patient. Main Outcomes and Measures Association of binocular 24-2 and 10-2 VF sensitivity with Rasch-calibrated NEI VFQ-25 scores. Detection of outliers was based on Cook distance of the regression of binocular 24-2 and NEI VFQ-25 score. Outlier association with QOL was then assessed using a linear regression model, with binocular 10-2 VF sensitivity as the independent variable. Results Of the 113 patients, the mean (SD) age was 70.1 (10.9) years, and 51 (45.1%) were male and 71 (62.8%) were white. The composite NEI VFQ-25 score was associated with both binocular 24-2 (β = 1.95; 95% CI, 0.47-3.43; P = .01) and 10-2 (β = 2.57; 95% CI, 1.12-4.01; P = .001) sensitivities, but the 10-2 VF univariable model showed an almost 2-fold better fit to the data ( R 2 = 9.2% vs 4.9%). However, the binocular 10-2 sensitivities of 24-2 outliers had the strongest association with the composite NEI VFQ-25 scores (β = 2.78; 95% CI, 0.84-4.72; P = .006.) and the best fit to the data ( R 2 = 18.2%.) Conclusions and Relevance The 10-2 VF model showed a stronger association with NEI VFQ-25 score than the 24-2 VF model. Patients with disproportionately low quality of vision relative to patients with 24-2 VF damage may have damage on the central field missed by the 24-2 grid. Future prospective testing, including additional dimensions of quality of life, is indicated.
Impression Smear Agreement with Acetate Tape Preparation for Cytologic Sampling.

ABSTRACT Cutaneous cytologic sampling techniques are used to detect bacteria, yeast, and inflammatory cells for diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring. Studies have examined slide evaluation techniques, ear swab cytology staining methods, and observer variations; few studies compare common clinical sampling techniques. The primary aim of this study was to measure detection of microorganisms and neutrophils by impression smear compared to acetate tape preparation; comparison of agreement between two acetate tape staining methods was a secondary aim. Thirty lesions consistent with superficial pyoderma were sampled via impression smear and acetate tape preparation. Acetate tape preparations were either stained with modified Romanowksy stain solutions two and three or solution three alone. Impression smears were stained in the standard manner. Bacteria, yeast, and neutrophils were evaluated using a semi-quantitative scale [0-4]. Quantities were aggregated and compared using Cohen's kappa to measure agreement be...
The color of kink: black women, BDSM, and pornography

Ariane Cruz’s The Color of Kink is a critical intervention that skillfully unpacks complicated dynamics at the intersection of pleasure, “perversion,” and black female sexual performance. In her ex...
U.S. DOE/NETL Carbon Storage Program: Advancing Science and Technology to Support Commercial Deployment

Abstract Since its inception in 1997, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Carbon Storage Program, managed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), has significantly advanced geologic storage science and technology through a diverse portfolio of applied research projects. The Program is focused on developing and advancing technologies that address the overarching technical challenges of geologic storage, with the goal to achieve technology readiness for widespread commercial deployment in the 2025–2035 timeframe. The Program approaches these challenges through integration of the technologies developed in the “Advanced Storage” component of the Program and field tested in the “Storage Infrastructure” component. The Carbon Storage Program is now well positioned to begin feasibility projects on commercial-scale saline storage complexes, building upon almost two decades of knowledge and experience gained from Storage Infrastructure field projects. An early key milestone was the implementation of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (RCSP) Initiative. Experience and knowledge gained from these field projects provide a firm foundation for future larger-scale field projects, either onshore or offshore. Perhaps most importantly, it is only by performing these field projects that the knowledge needed to identify additional subsurface reservoir and operational issues still requiring further research can be acquired.
The Impact of Business Cycle Conditions on Firm Dynamics and Composition: Enterprise Entry and Exit in Egypt, 1911-48

This paper explores how macroeconomic conditions affect firm dynamics in Egypt between 1911 and 1948 by constructing an extensive dataset of all companies ever founded in this period. By exploiting Egyptian economy's specialization in cotton exports, I use fluctuations in the world price of cotton to identify the direct impact of the business cycle on firm entry, exit, and growth. The analysis shows that growth occurred primarily at the extensive margin. Firm entry was procyclical but exit and growth were both acyclical. The new evidence reveals cyclical selection into entry. Booms systematically selected low quality entrants, which were smaller, less likely to grow after entry, and frailer than other cohorts. Bust cohorts were larger, more likely to grow, and more robust. The quality differences were persistent over the firms' lifecycles. These new findings support a theory of firm dynamics with ex-ante heterogeneous firms, permanent productivity differences between cohorts, and economic adjustment through the extensive margin of entry.
Implementation of interface agility for duplex dynamic spectrum access radio using USRP

Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) based Cognitive Radio (CR) allows a secondary user (SU) to use spectrum in an opportunistic manner when the primary user (PU) of that spectrum is not transmitting. Conventional dynamic spectrum allocation methods deal with acquiring spectrum as fixed width channels. In this paper, we propose a novel technique where a node inside a network can dynamically access the spectrum of any width. We also show that a node can create multiple virtual interfaces to communicate with multiple neighbors simultaneously. With a prototype built with off-the-shelf software defined radio, we indicate that a node can achieve duplex communication with multiple neighbors utilizing a single transceiver.
LocBorg: Hiding Social Media User Location while Maintaining Online Persona

Social media streams analysis can reveal the characteristics of people who engage with or write about different topics. Recent works show that it is possible to reveal sensitive attributes (e.g., location, gender, ethnicity, political views, etc.) of individuals by analyzing their social media streams. Although, the prediction of a user's sensitive attributes can be used to enhance the user experience in social media, revealing some attributes like the location could represent a threat on individuals. Users can obfuscate their location by posting about random topics linked to different locations. However, posting about random and sometimes contradictory topics that are not aligned with a user's online persona and posts could negatively affect the followers interested in her profile. This paper represents our vision about the future of user privacy on social media. Users can locally deploy a cyborg, an artificial intelligent system that helps people to defend their privacy on social media. We propose LocBorg, a location privacy preserving cyborg that protects users by obfuscating their location while maintaining their online persona. LocBorg analyzes the social media streams and recommends topics to write about that are similar to a user's topics of interest and aligned with the user's online persona but linked to other locations.
Policy Brief: An Interview with Education Advocates Juliane Baron and Michele McLaughlin

TRE Editor Devon Brenner recently sat down with experts to learn more about how to communicate with members of congress to advocate for rural education policy and funding. Juliane Baron is the Director of Government Relations at the American Educational Research Association. AERA, a national research society, strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. Michele McLaughlin is the President of Knowledge Alliance, an association that focuses on the federal role in education research, technical assistance and innovation.
Comments on “Simultaneous measurement of angular velocities of two vertical directions in a slow-light structure”

Abstract A recent paper by Gu and Liu reported a fiber double-ring resonator gyroscope that can simultaneously measure rotation in two orthogonal axes, with a sensitivity predicted to be 35 times larger than that of an interferometric fiber optic gyroscope (IFOG). Because the two rings have different lengths, the gyroscope could not be biased properly, and the authors remark that as a result, its sensitivity to a small rotation rate is reduced. We stress that this sensor actually responds quadratically to a small applied rotation rate, and that it is therefore essentially insensitive to a small rotation rate. We point out that it could easily be biased properly and this major issue is eliminated by using two rings with nominally equal lengths. We also show that in general, and unlike claimed, this sensor does not measure rotation on orthogonal axes independently. This cross-sensitivity between axes worsens significantly when the sensor is properly biased, and it is then much too strong for inertial navigation of aircraft. A conceptual method that might reduce this cross-sensitivity is suggested. A simple physical argument is also presented to explain why this gyroscope was entirely expected to be more sensitive than an IFOG, and shows that as a result of algebraic errors, the predicted factor of 35 is actually only at most 11.
Mitochondrial DNA mutations are associated with ulcerative colitis preneoplasia but tend to be negatively selected in cancer

The role of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in cancer remains controversial. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that increases the risk of colorectal cancer and involves mitochondrial dysfunction, making it an ideal model to study the role of mtDNA in tumorigenesis. Our goal was to comprehensively characterize mtDNA mutations in ulcerative colitis tumorigenesis using Duplex Sequencing, an ultra-accurate next-generation sequencing method. We analyzed 46 colon biopsies from non-ulcerative colitis control patients and ulcerative colitis patients with and without cancer, including biopsies at all stages of dysplastic progression. mtDNA was sequenced at a median depth of 1,364x. Mutations were classified by mutant allele frequency: clonal > 0.95, subclonal 0.01-0.95, and very low frequency (VLF) T transitions in the heavy strand of mtDNA, which likely arise from DNA replication errors. A subset of VLF mutations were C>A transversions, which are probably due to oxidative damage. VLF transitions and indels were less abundant in the non-D-loop region and decreased with progression. Our results indicate that mtDNA mutations are frequent in ulcerative colitis preneoplasia but negatively selected in cancers. IMPLICATIONS: While mtDNA mutations might contribute to early ulcerative colitis tumorigenesis, they appear to be selected against in cancer, suggesting that functional mitochondria might be required for malignant transformation in ulcerative colitis.
Mipomersen and its use in familial hypercholesterolemia.

Introduction: Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder characterized by a defect in the binding and internalization of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles, resulting in marke...
Parental age and stillbirth: a population-based cohort of nearly 10 million California deliveries from 1991 to 2011.

Abstract Purpose Parental age at delivery in the United States has been rising. Advanced maternal and paternal ages have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes including stillbirth. However, these relationships come from studies that often do not present results for both mother and father concurrently. The purpose of this study was to estimate the risk of stillbirth for maternal and paternal age in the same cohort of deliveries. Methods This is a population-based cohort study of all live birth and stillbirth deliveries in California from 1991 to 2011. The individual associations between maternal and paternal ages and stillbirth were estimated with hazard ratios from Cox proportional hazard models. Age was modeled continuously with restricted cubic splines to account for nonlinear relationships. Mean parental age was used as the referent group. Results J-shaped associations between maternal and paternal ages were observed in crude models where older mothers and fathers had the highest hazard ratios for stillbirth. In maternal models, after adjusting for maternal and paternal covariates, young maternal age no longer showed increased hazard ratio for stillbirth, whereas the association with older mothers remained. In adjusted paternal models, the relationship between young paternal age and stillbirth was unchanged while the hazard ratio for older fathers was slightly smaller. Conclusions After adjusting for both parents’ age, education, race/ethnicity, along with parity, older mothers and fathers were independently associated with elevated hazard ratios for stillbirth.
18S rRNA metabarcoding diet analysis of a predatory fish community across seasonal changes in prey availability

Predator-prey relationships are important ecological interactions, affecting biotic community composition and energy flow through a system, and are of interest to ecologists and managers. Morphological diet analysis has been the primary method used to quantify the diets of predators, but emerging molecular techniques using genetic data can provide more accurate estimates of relative diet composition. This study used sequences from the 18S V9 rRNA barcoding region to identify prey items in the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of predatory fishes. Predator GI samples were taken from the Black River, Cheboygan Co., MI, USA (n = 367 samples, 12 predator species) during periods of high prey availability, including the larval stage of regionally threatened lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque 1817) in late May/early June of 2015 and of relatively lower prey availability in early July of 2015. DNA was extracted and sequenced from 355 samples (96.7%), and prey DNA was identified in 286 of the 355 samples (80.6%). Prey were grouped into 33 ecologically significant taxonomic groups based on the lowest taxonomic level sequences that could be identified using sequences available on GenBank. Changes in the makeup of diet composition, dietary overlap, and predator preference were analyzed comparing the periods of high and low prey abundance. Some predator species exhibited significant seasonal changes in diet composition. Dietary overlap was slightly but significantly higher during the period of high prey abundance; however, there was little change in predator preference. This suggests that change in prey availability was the driving factor in changing predator diet composition and dietary overlap. This study demonstrates the utility of molecular diet analysis and how temporal variability in community composition adds complexity to predator-prey interactions.
MAP4K4 Activation Mediates Motor Neuron Degeneration in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Summary Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting both upper and lower motor neurons (MNs). To date, its underlying mechanisms have yet to be clarified completely, and there are no truly effective treatments. Here, we show that MAP4K4, a MAP kinase family member, regulates MN death, with its suppression not only promoting survival but preventing neurite degeneration and decreasing mutant SOD1 levels through autophagy activation. Moreover, we report that MAP4K4 signaling specifically modulates MN viability via phosphorylated JNK3 and activation of the canonical c-Jun apoptotic pathway. Finally, we show the feasibility of MAP4K4 as a drug target by using an available MAP4K4-specific inhibitor, which improves survival of ESC and/or iPSC-derived MNs and MNs cultured from mouse spinal cords. In summary, our studies highlight a MAP4K4-initiated signaling cascade that induces MN degeneration, shedding light on the mechanism underlying MN degeneration and providing a druggable target for ALS therapeutics.
Binding properties and supramolecular polymerization of a water-soluble resorcin[4]arene

Controlling the self-assembly of molecules in water is difficult because the small size, polarity, and hydrogen bond donating and accepting properties of water attenuate most non-covalent interactions. Here we describe how resorcinarene 1, with pyridinium pendent groups, assembles in water to form head-to-tail assemblies. These small supramolecular polymers form because they offer greater stabilization than any latent head-to-head assembly of resorcinarenes to form dimeric (or hexameric) containers. Instead, the resorcinarene bowl - particularly if negatively charged - is a good host for the pyridinium pendent groups of a second resorcinarene. Alternatively, resorcinarene 1 is also a good host for complexing anions and cations of any added salt. In combination therefore, host 1 possesses a rich repertoire of supramolecular properties that is dependent on the ionic strength and the nature of salts, pH, and the concentration of the host. These findings provide new information about controlling the self-assembly of resorcinarenes in water.
Molecular characterization of CER2, an Arabidopsis gene involved in cuticular wax accumulation

Cuticular waxes are complex mixtures of very long chain fatty acids and their derivatives that cover plant surfaces. Mutants of the ECERIFERUM2 {cer2) gene of Arabidopsis condition bright green stems and siliques, indicative of the relatively low abundance of the cuticular wax crystals that comprise the wax bloom on wild-type plants. We cloned the CER2 gene via chromosome walking. Three lines of evidence establish that the cloned sequence represents the CER2 gene: (1) this sequence is capable of complementing the cer2 mutant phenotype in transgenic plants; (2) the corresponding DNA sequence isolated from plants homozygous for the cer2-2 mutant allele contains a sequence polymorphism that generates a premature stop codon; and (3) the deduced CER2 protein sequence exhibits sequence similarity to that of a maize gene (glossy2) that is also involved in cuticular wax •Reprinted with permission of The Plant Cell, 1996, 8:1291-1304. 2Graduate student and primary researcher and author. Interdepartmental Genetics Program, Iowa State University. ^Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Iowa State University. ^Associate Professor, Departments of Agronomy, and Zoology and Genetics, Iowa State University. ^Author for correspondence
On Stability of Current Controlled Drives with Delay in Feedback Path

Mechatronic systems nowadays heavily depend on current regulated electro-mechanical actuators. The current regulation is achieved with proportional and integral controllers that execute every PWM period. However, growing embedded algorithm complexity is causing feedback sampling to be delayed inadvertently. This research paper demonstrates the impact of delayed sampling on the stability of the closed-loop system from a discrete control system perspective. A current-controlled DC motor drive system with increasing delay in the feedback path is evaluated under varying system parameters are studied. Analysis, simulation, and experimental results are presented with good correlation on the effect of delayed sampling in the feedback system of a current regulated drive.
Hand Surgeon Perspectives on Upper Extremity Allograft: A Survey of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.

Introduction Allograft tissue products have widespread applications across surgical specialties, but little data exist about surgeon attitudes toward the use of these products in the upper extremity. Methods Using a web-based survey, we sought to investigate the use of and feelings toward allograft products among hand surgeons. A short questionnaire was distributed to all active members of American Society for Surgery of the Hand as of October 2015 (N = 2,578). Demographic and practice setting information was collected. Additionally, questions concerning the use of human allograft tissue products of various types including bone, skin, and soft tissues were asked. Results Of 2,578 American Society for Surgery of the Hand members, 406 hand surgeons (15.8%) responded to the survey. A large majority (92%) reported having used allograft products in the upper extremity. Orthopedic-trained surgeons were more likely to have used bone and tendon allograft, whereas plastic and general surgery-trained surgeons were more likely to have used nerve and dermis allograft. Reduced donor site morbidity and complication rates were factors motivating surgeons to use allograft tissue. Conclusions In spite of variation with respect to their use, allograft tissue products are popular and interest in new products, especially to improve flexor tendon pulley reconstruction, is high.
Do urodynamics predict urinary retention after sling placement in the complex patient: the value of reproducing symptoms on urodynamics

To examine urinary retention (UR) after female urethral sling placement in patients with or without detrusor underactivity (DU) or Valsalva voiding whose urodynamics (UDS) accurately reproduced voiding symptoms to determine whether the reproduction of voiding symptoms on UDS in those with DU is predictive of UR after sling placement. We performed a review of patients undergoing urethral sling procedures for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) looking specifically at the occurrence of short- and long-term urinary retention. Preoperative UDS data were obtained from a prospectively acquired UDS database in which patients were directly queried at the time of the UDS study about whether the filling and/or storage phase of the study reproduced their usual symptoms. Of the 141 women who had a urethral sling procedure, 124 (87.9%) had preoperative UDS. Of those who had UDS, 41 (33%) had de novo UR at some point postoperatively. Compared to those without DU, patients with DU and/or Valsalva voiding were more likely to have UR (75.6% vs. 56.6%, p = 0.04). There was no difference in association of UR in patients with DU/Valsalva voiding whose UDS reproduced voiding symptoms compared to those with DU/Valsalva voiding whose UDS did not reproduce symptoms (OR 1.01, CI 0.32–3.19, p 0.98). This study found that patients with DU/Valsalva voiding had an increased association with UR but did not find reproduction of symptoms on UDS to correlate with UR in either those with DU/Valsalva voiding or with normal bladder contractility.
The US-Mexico Border Human Development Index, 1990–2015: Improvements but Still Large Gaps

This paper uses Mexico's 2015 Inter-census Survey, the US's American Community Survey, and publicly available data on health, education, and the economy to update the Border Human Development Index...
Review of “Surgery in Thyroid Eye Disease – A Conceptual Approach”: by Suryasnata Rath and Milind N. Naik, Switzerland AG, Springer, 2020, €135.19(hardback), ISBN 978-981-329-220-8.

The textbook by Drs Rath and Naik fills a need for a new text dedicated to the surgical management of thyroid eye disease (TED). While this topic is frequently covered in other comprehensive texts ...
The Recharge-Discharge Function of Wetlands Near Juneau, Alaska: Part II. Geochemical Investigations

The recharge-discharge function of bogs, fens, and forested wetlands near Juneau, Alaska, was investigated by comparing concentrations of solutes and measurements of specific conductance in wetland ground water and surface water. Average concentrations of major metals define major wetland types. Bogs and fens are in recharge areas and have the most dilute ground water. Forested wetlands are in discharge areas and have ground-water chemistry similar to that found in domestic wells completed in mineral soils. Concentration profiles of total dissolved metals in blanket bogs were compared to theoretical concentration profiles based on the diffusion of solutes from mineral soil into the overlying peat. All observed concentration profiles are less than predicted by diffusion, and show that the blanket bogs are long-term recharge zones.
Case 24: MRI Suite. What Can the Problem Be?

You are working in a university hospital in Dakar, the capital of Senegal on the west coast of Africa. The hospital is reasonably well equipped.
Cystic lesions in the jaw presenting as head and neck infection

Abstract Although mandibular cystic lesions are typically considered sterile, they occasionally present as head and neck infections. We have observed seven cases where large facial abscesses were associated with large cystic lesions of the mandible. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate mandibular cystic lesions presenting as infections in the head and neck region, based on the involvement of the surrounding structures and demographic variables. Out of the seven patients diagnosed as having head and neck infections associated with cystic lesions, three presented with dentigerous cysts and four with keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOT). Six out of the seven lesions were multilocular with large cortical expansion and erosion, suggesting that marked cortical expansion in the buccolingual direction might be indicative of the developing infection. The treatment of lesions required multiple surgical interventions including marsupialization, enucleation, and peripheral osteotomy or resection. Because of the large size of the cysts, all patients required long-term follow-up.
Protestant Dissent and the Virginia Disestablishment, 1776-1786

In Everson v. Board of Education (1947), the Supreme Court elevated the events surrounding the disestablishment of the Anglican Church in Virginia during and soon after the American Revolution as a principal guide for the meaning of the Establishment Clause. The rule to come out of the Virginia experience is that support for religion should be voluntary thus, no active support by the government. An in-depth examination of James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance opposing Patrick Henry's Assessment Bill is undertaken here not only because of its role in the Virginia disestablishment, but because it is the most important document on religious freedom by an American. In a blend of Lockeian views and those of Protestant dissenters, Madison argues that government should have no cognizance over claims of religious truth, as opposed to religious teachings that speak to moral issues of interest to our common life together and hence properly of interest to civil government. Back in 1785, however, Madison's Memorial was less influential than petitions filed by Virginia's Presbyterians and Baptists. A careful look at all these petitions shows that the theological reasons for opposing a religious establishment were the more persuasive. The primary aim of the petitions was to protect organized religion from being corrupted by too close an embrace by the civil state. Virginia's dramatic story is told here of how a few well-placed statesmen of Lockeian sympathies made common cause with religious dissenters to narrowly carry off a defeat of Henry's tax for the support of clergy salaries. The lesson is that the government's jurisdiction (cognizance) over the church is limited, as civil government is without authority to actively support (or interfere with internal matters of) organized religion, all to the mutual benefit of church and state.
The action spectra for ultravioletlight inactivation of systems containing 5-bromouracil-substituted deoxyribonucleic acid. I. Escherichia coli 15 T A U.

Abstract 1. 1. Cells of Escheichia coli T − A − U − have had 22% of their thymine subtituted by 5-bromouracil with no loss in viability. 2. 2. The ultraviolet-light sensitivity of the substituted cells is greater than that of normal cells at all wavelengths between 2300 and 3130 A by a factor which depends on the inactivating wavelength. 3. 3. The wavelength dependence of the sensitivity of substituted cells is qualitatively explicable by the absorbancy differences between 5-bromouracil and thymie. However, 5-bromouracil absorption is not sufficient to account quantitatively for the wavelength dependence. 4. 4. The results seem to indicate that quanta absorbed in 5-bromouracil at long wavelenghts are more efficient in the inactivation process than are quanta absorbed in other bases.
Thellier GUI: An integrated tool for analyzing paleointensity data from Thellier‐type experiments

[1] Thellier-type experiments are a method used to estimate the intensity of the ancient geomagnetic field from samples carrying thermoremanent magnetization. The analysis of Thellier-type experimental data is conventionally done by manually interpreting data from each specimen individually. The main limitations of this approach are: (1) manual interpretation is highly subjective and can be biased by misleading concepts, (2) the procedure is time consuming, and (3) unless the measurement data are published, the final results cannot be reproduced by readers. These issues compound when trying to combine together paleointensity data from a collection of studies. Here, we address these problems by introducing the Thellier GUI: a comprehensive tool for interpreting Thellier-type experimental data. The tool presents a graphical user interface, which allows manual interpretation of the data, but also includes two new interpretation tools: (1) Thellier Auto Interpreter: an automatic interpretation procedure based on a given set of experimental requirements, and 2) Consistency Test: a self-test for the consistency of the results assuming groups of samples that should have the same paleointensity values. We apply the new tools to data from two case studies. These demonstrate that interpretation of non-ideal Arai plots is nonunique and different selection criteria can lead to significantly different conclusions. Hence, we recommend adopting the automatic interpretation approach, as it allows a more objective interpretation, which can be easily repeated or revised by others. When the analysis is combined with a Consistency Test, the credibility of the interpretations is enhanced. We also make the case that published paleointensity studies should include the measurement data (as supplementary files or as a contributions to the MagIC database) so that results based on a particular data set can be reproduced and assessed by others.
Relative Plasma Volume Monitoring for Identifying Volume-Sensitive and -Resistant Hypertension

The measurement and management of volume state among long-term dialysis patients has not received much attention. Recent reports suggest that relative plasma volume monitoring may be useful in identifying patients who have volume excess. Among patients who have evidence of excess volume by relative plasma volume monitoring, excess volume removal leads to improvement in interdialytic ambulatory blood pressure. Implementation of this technique can result in improved classification of patients into volume-sensitive and -resistant categories and therefore improve the management of hypertension.
Choosing Among Regulatory Options in the United States Telecommunications Industry

We examine the determinants of the choice between rate-of-return regulation and incentive regulation in the United States telecommunications industry. We find that a state is more likely to select incentive regulation in any year: (1) when it has employed incentive regulation in the past; (2) when the Republican party controls both the executive and the legislative branches of the state government, but the Democratic party has controlled these branches historically; and (3) as the firm‘s earnings under rate-of-return regulation increase toward the industry average. We also find that appointed regulators are more likely than their elected counterparts to revert to rate-of-return regulation.
Contagious seed dispersal and the spread of avian-dispersed exotic plants

Seed dispersal by avian frugivores has driven the invasive success of numerous exotic fleshy-fruited plant species around the world. Birds’ movements are often directed toward food sources, producing seed shadows that are highly structured in space. The distribution of native fleshy-fruited plants in a landscape could thus form a spatial template for the contagious spread of exotic fleshy-fruited species in the early stages of invasion. We compared seed rain beneath fleshy-fruited and dry-fruited native-tree canopies in forested habitats and open fields in southeastern Michigan. We predicted that exotic seed rain would be highest beneath the canopies of fleshy-fruited plants, and that localities with higher densities of fruit-bearing fleshy-fruited plants would receive more exotic seed rain. Our results suggest that the seed shadows of exotic fleshy-fruited species are strongly influenced by the spatial distributions of native fleshy-fruited trees, and by the local density of fleshy-fruited plants. Over 92 % of exotic seeds were dispersed beneath fleshy-fruited trees, whereas less than 8 % of exotic seeds were dispersed beneath dry-fruited trees. Exotic seed rain was positively related to the local density of fleshy-fruited plants in forest, but not in open fields. Our study shows how shared dispersal syndromes and frugivore behavior influence the seed shadows of avian-dispersed exotic plants, enabling spatially explicit predictions of invasive spread in their novel ranges.
Improving mobile program performance through the use of a hybrid intermediate representation

We present a novel transfer format for mobile programs that is a hybrid of two existing formats: bytecode and SafeTSA. Java bytecode offers a compact representation and ease of interpretation (fast-compilation); SafeTSA offers amenability to optimization. We use program profiling to guide format selection at the method-level. Methods deemed "hot" are those for which optimization should be expended and as such, are encoded using the SafeTSA format. All other methods are encoded using bytecode. Our hybrid format exploits the benefits of each constituent format to reduce compilation, execution, and transfer overhead.
Brownian Dynamics Simulations of Polymers and Soft Matter

The Brownian dynamics (BD) simulation technique is a mesoscopic method in which explicit solvent molecules are replaced instead by a stochastic force. The technique takes advantage of the fact that there is a large separation in time scales between the rapid motion of solvent molecules and the more sluggish motion of polymers or colloids. The ability to coarse-grain out these fast modes of the solvent allows one to simulate much larger time scales than in a molecular dynamics simulation. At the core of a Brownian dynamics simulation is a stochastic differential equation which is integrated forward in time to create trajectories of molecules. Time enters naturally into the scheme allowing for the study of the temporal evolution and dynamics of complex fluids (e.g., polymers, large proteins, DNA molecules and colloidal solutions). Hydrodynamic and body forces, such as magnetic or electric fields, can be added in a straightforward way. Brownian dynamics simulations are particularly well suited to studying the structure and rheology of complex fluids in hydrodynamic flows and other nonequilibrium situations.
Nonconsumptive Effects of Predators and Trait‐Mediated Indirect Effects

Phenotypic plasticity in species’ traits is ubiquitous across taxa and habitats. This plasticity can affect the qualitative and quantitative nature of species interactions and thereby affect food webs. Empirical work has focused on predator–prey interactions, in part because most prey respond to predator presence through a suite of traits that reduce risk. These responses can incur costs in fitness correlates (e.g. growth and survival) of the prey, i.e. are nonconsumptive effects (NCEs) of predators. Further, these responses can lead to indirect effects transmitted through the prey to other species in the food web, termed trait-mediated indirect effects (TMIEs). NCEs and TMIEs have been demonstrated in a wide range of communities and across diverse taxa. These effects can contribute substantially to the influence of predators (including through competition, trophic cascades and keystone predation), and therefore can play a critical role in the dynamics and structure of ecological communities. Key concepts Phenotypic plasticity in species traits is widespread and represented across diverse taxa and ecosystems. To reduce predation risk, organisms respond to predator (including herbivore) presence by modifying traits, including developmental, morphological, physiological, life historical and behavioural characteristics. Phenotypic responses to predators often incur a cost to prey fitness correlates such as growth rate and survival. These costs to fitness are termed nonconsumptive effects (NCEs) of the predator on its prey, to distinguish them from the consumptive effects (CEs) due to predation. Phenotypic responses by prey to predators alter the nature of the interactions between prey and other (third) species. The predator is said to have a trait-mediated indirect effect (TMIE) on the third species through induced changes in the intermediate species’ (prey's) traits. Predator-induced changes in prey traits can lead to TMIEs of the predator on prey resources (resulting in trait-mediated trophic cascades), prey competitors and other predators of the prey. NCEs and TMIEs can qualitatively change the nature of species interactions. For example, predator-induced changes in prey traits can reverse competitive interactions, and lead to increases in prey growth rates due to strong TMIEs on prey resources. NCEs and TMIEs can contribute strongly, and even dominate, the net effect of predators on prey and net indirect effect of the predator on species the prey interacts with. Thus, they can strongly affect prey population growth rates, community structure and ecosystem processes. Factors, such as temperature, resource growth rates, prey density and prey–competitor density, can strongly influence the magnitude of NCEs and TMIEs. It will be necessary to formally incorporate phenotypic responses of prey to predators into the conceptual foundations of ecology and strategies for the management of ecological systems. Keywords: nonconsumptive; trait-mediated; food web; phenotypic plasticity; indirect interaction
The North-Hatt Occupational Prestige Scale

categorize respondents in social strata. Sixteen occupations were selected from the original North-Hatt scale. A mimeographed form was prepared on which students indicated their attitude toward these specific occupations. The directions were identical with those in the original survey.1 The Hypothesis. It is the hypothesis of this study that any particular introductory sociology class will exhibit a high rank-order correlation between their rankings of sixteen selected occupations and the rankings given by the national sample in the original North-Hatt research. The Sample. The material for this paper has been collected from a number of college classes from the spring of 1960 to the spring of 1963 (details can be furnished by the authors on request). While the classes were drawn principally from one type of college (small, liberal arts, church-related), two groups were from evening extension classes and two from summer-school groups. The classes ranged in number from seventeen to eighty-one persons and from the "typical" college students to the older evening and summer-school students. Procedure. As this was a classroom exercise, each student recorded his own ratings for each of the sixteen occupations. Following the procedure of North and Hatt, the frequency count for each response was translated into percentages. Each percentage was then multiplied by .2 (point two) to obtain the prestige score.2 Results and Discussion. The prestige score for each occupation, as derived from each class, was compared with the scores obtained by the original North-Hatt survey and also compared with the scores of other classes over a period of years. The rank-order correlation of the sixteen
High performance Common Gateway Interface invocation

As more and more World Wide Web services are delivered in the form of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts, the efficiency with which Web servers execute CGI scripts is becoming ever more important. In this paper, we show that the performance overhead associated with invoking a conventional CGI script could potentially become a bottleneck, especially for servers directly connected to high-speed network links. While the existing CGI execution model runs CGI scripts as independent processes, the LibCGI architecture described in this paper allows the Web server to execute CGI scripts as part of its address space. On a 100-Mbps Ethernet link and for Web pages smaller than 10 kBytes, LibCGI is shown to be up to 2.3 times as fast as FastCGI and up to 4.6 times faster than the conventional CGI model. This paper describes in detail the design and evaluation of the LibCGI architecture and its prototype implementation.
Book Reviews and the Need to Take Books More Seriously

Researchers studying youth and adolescence now have several highly-regarded outlets for publishing their research. Mirroring developments in other social and life sciences, the most remarkable surge in publishing opportunities in our field now comes in the form of journals (see Levesque, 2006). Without doubt, journals are cornering the market as they efficiently contribute to the dissemination of knowledge necessary for advancing the study of adolescence. This journal, for example, recently doubled the number of manuscripts it publishes and eliminated what used to be a long waiting period between acceptance and publication—accepted manuscripts now appear published on-line within a matter of weeks. This dramatic growth in the number of published manuscripts and the journal’s efficiency was a much needed response to the increased number of quality submissions and the need for articles to reach their audiences much more quickly. Perhaps because of these and other similar opportunities and efficiencies, many researchers progressively favor articles as the expected venue for sharing their research findings—even a quick look at reference sections reveals that authors increasingly ignore books. Although the market of ideas speedily veers toward journals, even journals themselves may not be spared as society moves to use new forms of digitalization in the transfer of knowledge. There is a movement afoot, as evi-
Gendered Organizations: Challenges for Domestic Violence Victim Advocates and Feminist Advocacy

Acker’s theory of gendered organizations serves as an important theoretical lens for researching the gendered processes of domestic violence organizations. Specifically, I document challenges presented to domestic violence victim advocates as a result of gendered processes in community based responses to domestic violence and offer specific policy suggestions for future collaborations between stakeholders in combating domestic violence.
Measuring the kinetics of membrane phase transitions.

Abstract This article presents a brief review of literature on the physical chemistry of lipid phase transitions with emphasis on their kinetic properties. The theoretical foundations of perturbation techniques, and specifically the volume-perturbation technique are discussed in some detail. These are presented as a rationale for, and introduction to, a volume-pertubation kinetic calorimeter that we have constructed for measurement of the kinetics of lipid phase transitions. The instrument has been applied to study the gel-liquid crystalline phase transition in a variety of phospholipid bilayer systems. The design and implementation of the volume-pertubation calorimeter are presented along with a discussion of the techniques of data analysis. Finally, we present typical results obtained with this methodology for a multilamellar vesicle dispersion of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine.
Hysteretic I-V curves of superconducting nanowires

Experimental I-V curves of superconducting MoGe nanowires show hysteresis for the thicker wires and none for the thinner wires. A rather quantitative account of these data for representative wires is obtained by numerically solving the one-dimensional heat flow equation to find a self-consistent distribution of temperature and local resistivity along the wire, using the measured linear resistance R(T) as input. This suggests that the retrapping current in the hysteretic I-V curves is primarily determined by heating effects, and not by the dynamics of phase motion in a tilted washboard potential as often assumed. Heating effects and thermal fluctuations from the low-resistance state to a high-resistance, quasinormal regime appear to set independent upper bounds for the switching current.
Phase transitions in mammalian membranes

Abstract Reversible thermotropic phase transitions, centered at 0°C, have been detected in rat liver mitochondria and microsomes by differential scanning calorimetry. Water dispersions of the isolated lipids undergo similar transitions which arise from an order-disorder change in the fatty acid chains within bilayers. The transition temperature of the isolated lipids is slightly lower than that of the membranes in both mitochondria and microsomes. In the membranes, no change in the transition occurs following irreversible protein denaturation. The bulk of the lipids in the membrane participate in the cooperative melting process.