cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optical processing and holography with polychromatic point source illumination.

An achromatic Fourier transforming system is analyzed in a manner which gives new physical insight. A matched spatial filtering experiment is performed comparing the noise performance of a coherently produced matched filter and one made using broad spectrum light in an achromatic Fourier transforming system. The broad spectrum light is obtained by scanning a dye laser through its tuning range, thereby simulating a polychromatic point source. The system is applied to the construction of low noise holographic optical elements.
Longitudinal patterns of reproduction in wild female siamang (Hylobates syndactylus) and white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar)

I present the 6- year reproductive histories of three wild female siamang (Hylobates syndactylus)and four white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar)at the Ketambe Research Station (Sumatra, Indonesia). Reproductive output varied considerably among females. Two females failed to gestate: both were nulliparous young adult H. lar,one of which remained unpaired for 4 years after dispersing from her group, while the other lost her recently acquired mate to another female. Only one- (a white-handed gibbon)- gave birth more than once, yielding interbirth intervals of 22 and 31 months. Pair bond stability or reduced interspecific feeding competition or both factors may have contributed to the brevity of these intervals. The other females- one H. lar,and three H. syndactylus-each gave birth once, suggesting minimum interbirth intervals exceeding 4–5 years (H. lar)and 3 years (H. syndactylus)in these individuals. Even given the pronounced variation observed among H. lar,these data suggest that interbirth intervals may often exceed the 2- to 3- year interval commonly attributed to these two species. Sources of reproductive failure were 1) maternal abandonment of the neonate due to impaired ability to provide maternal care (H. syndactylus,),(2) premature or stillbirth (H. syndactylus,),and (3) pregnancy termination (H. lar).These data and a review of information on longevity and age at menarche suggest that the actual lifetime reproductive output of a siamang or white-handed gibbon female may often fall far short of the 10 offspring/lifetime originally proposed for these species. Indeed, females may rear as few as five offspring to weaning in a lifetime, which is a figure reminiscent of the reproductive potential of some pongids. Finally, variance in female reproductive success is higher than expected in these monogamous species, which suggests that females (and males) are under strong selective pressure to exert mate choice, possibly through acquisition of (new) mates and extrapair copulations. Future research must clarify the availability of opportunities for paired adults to engage in these sociosexual behaviors.
Cotton Blend Fabrics from Polyester Core Yarns

Core spun yarns with a filament core and a cotton wrap were prepared and made into fabrics. The properties of these yarns and fabrics in comparison with all-cotton and intimate staple blend controls were investigated. This study included the dyeing of these fabrics and finishing for smooth drying and flame retardancy.
General covariance and the foundations of general relativity: eight decades of dispute

Einstein offered the principle of general covariance as the fundamental physical principle of his general theory of relativity and as responsible for extending the principle of relativity to accelerated motion. This view was disputed almost immediately with the counter-claim that the principle was no relativity principle and was physically vacuous. The disagreement persists today. This article reviews the development of Einstein's thought on general covariance, its relation to the foundations of general relativity and the evolution of the continuing debate over his viewpoint.
Testing the Monopsony-Inefficiency Incentive for Backward Integration

In theory, monopsony at one stage in a vertically related market provides an incentive for backward integration into the adjacent competitive stages. By integrating backward, a monopsonist internalizes the monopsony inefficiency due to underemployment of the factor produced upstream. However, little is known about the importance of such incentive in practice. In this paper I provide an empirically implementable model to test the monopsony-inefficiency incentive for vertical integration. For illustration, the model is applied to the U.S. beef slaughter industry. Findings seem to support the monopsony-inefficiency incentive for backward integration by the industry into the live cattle market.
The pattern of parotid gland secretion in cystic fibrosis of the pancreas

Summary In 12 patients with cystic fibrosis and 13 healthy school children parotid saliva was obtained with reflex and parasympathomimetic stimulation. Flow rates and sodium, potassium, chloride, and calcium concentrations were determined for separate collection periods. Secretory rates in patients with cystic fibrosis were elevated under all circumstances. With reflex stimulation and in the pooled sample after methacholine stimulation sodium was significantly elevated in patients with cystic fibrosis. Calcium concentrations were not elevated with reflex stimulation, but with intense pharmacological stimulation a significant elevation was found. The calcium excretion was found to become relatively more elevated as secretion proceeded.
Invariant Imbedding and Unsteady Ground-Water Flow

The invariant imbedding technique is used to find the unknown slope of the water table near the surface reservoir in a problem of unsteady ground-water flow into a surface reservoir in a large unconfined aquifer. The original nonlinear two-point boundary-value problem is transformed into an initial-value problem and an exact solution is obtained by the technique of quasilinearization. The invariant imbedding method involves no trial-and-error procedure and is easily programmed. This technique provides a useful tool in solving field problems and it becomes extremely powerful in solving a family of problems in which a set of unknown initial conditions are required to be determined from the corresponding given set of boundary conditions.
A simulation model for the comprehension of technical prose

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a simulation model for the comprehension of simple prose that has been in use for several years. The simulation model described in the chapter has its problems, but it is fairly successful at accounting for microlevel processes in comprehension not only at the level of the apparently correct gross behavior but also at the quantitative detail of reading times of individual sentences. The simulation model can be used as a research tool to reveal empirical phenomena as well as a realization of a cognitive theory. Given that such work is possible, it is likely that the future of research in prose comprehension lies with the more widespread and more thorough application of simulation models to account for performance data in comprehension tasks. The recall task commonly used in comprehension research has substantial differences from other tasks; some of these differences are straightforward additions of additional encoding processes, while others are yet unexplained.
The calm after the storm: long-term survival after cardiogenic shock.

Cardiogenic shock (CS) after acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a complex syndrome that involves a cascade of acute left ventricular dysfunction, decreased cardiac output, hypotension, and tissue hypoperfusion. In the past decade our understanding of this syndrome has been expanded, and important
Recent Writing on Law and Happiness

In the course of a review of recent books on the hedonic level of lawyers' lives, I put forward an explanation for the high rate of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout among lawyers. I examine suggestions of leading authorities on how attorneys may achieve happiness, usually through extrinsic measures such as more vacations, exercise, or meditation. I also consider proposals on how supervisors can make legal workers more content, including more art work for the walls, windows with leafy outlooks, a basketball court, or more praise. I specifically criticize the teachings of positive psychology, explaining that they hold little promise for lawyers and, indeed, open the door for chilling forms of social adjustment. The article concludes that lawyers will not be happy until the structure of the legal profession changes in fundamental ways, and propose a few.
Defect Driven Magnetism in Doped SnO 2 Nanoparticles: Surface Effects

Abstract Magnetism and energetics of intrinsic and extrinsic defects and defect clusters in bulk and surfaces of SnO2 is investigated using first-principles to understand the role of surfaces in inducing magnetism in Zn doped nanoparticles. We find that Sn vacancies induce the largest magnetic moment in bulk and on surfaces. However, they have very large formation energies in bulk as well as on surfaces. Oxygen vacancies on the other hand are much easier to create than VSn, but neutral and V O + 2 vacancies do not induce any magnetism in bulk as well as on surfaces. V O + 1 induce small magnetism in bulk and on (001) surfaces. Isolated ZnSn defects are found to be much easier to create than isolated Sn vacancies and induce magnetism in bulk as well on surfaces. Due to charge compensation, ZnSn+VO defect cluster is found to have the lowest formation energy amongst all the defects; it has a large magnetic moment on (001), a small magnetic moment on (110) surface and non-magnetic in bulk. Thus, we find that ZnSn and ZnSn+VO defects on the surfaces of SnO2 play an important role in inducing the magnetism in Zn-doped SnO2 nanoparticles.
Investigation of carbon buildup in simulations of multi-impact bombardment of Si with 20 keV C60 projectiles.

Beams of single C+ ions are used for the incorporation of Si in the synthesis of thin films of SiC, which have a wide range of technological applications. We present a theoretical investigation of the use of C60 cluster beams to produce thin films of SiC on a Si substrate, which demonstrates that there are potential advantages to using C60+ cluster ion beams over C+ single ion beams. Molecular dynamics simulations of the multi-impact bombardment of Si with 20 keV normal incident C60 projectiles are performed to study the buildup of carbon and the formation of a region of Si–C mixing up to a fluence of 1.6 impacts/nm2 (900 impacts). The active region of the Si solid is defined as the portion of target that contains almost all of the C atoms and the height ranges from 3 nm to more than 7 nm below the average surface height. The C fraction in the active region is calculated as a function of fluence, and a simple model is developed to describe the dependence of the C fraction on fluence. An analytic function ...
Correlated Electrochemical and Optical Tracking of Discrete Collision Events

Optical tracking of collisions between insulating microbeads and an ultramicroelectrode surface are correlated to electrochemical measurements and 3D simulations. The experiments are based on partial blocking of the electrode surface by the beads. Results obtained using these three methods provide details regarding the radial distribution of landing locations, the extent of current blockage, collision frequency, motion of beads on the electrode surface following collisions, and aggregation behavior both prior to collisions and afterward on the electrode surface.
Current clinical immunotherapeutic approaches for head and neck cancer.

It was estimated that 59,340 new cases of head and neck cancer would be diagnosed in the US alone in 2015 and that 12,290 deaths would be attributed to the disease. Local and regional recurrences may be treated with chemotherapy and radiation; however, metastatic head and neck cancer is fatal and is treated with chemotherapy for palliation. Recent successful treatment of a variety of solid and hematological malignancies by immunotherapeutic approaches (i.e. harnessing the body’s own immune system to combat disease) has added a fourth therapeutic option for the treatment of cancer. This commentary will review the status of immunotherapies in clinical development for the specific treatment of head and neck cancer.
Improved Force Field Parameters Lead to a Better Description of RNA Structure.

We compare the performance of two different RNA force fields in four water models in simulating the conformational ensembles r(GACC) and r(CCCC). With the increased sampling facilitated by multidimensional replica exchange molecular dynamics (M-REMD), populations are compared to NMR data to evaluate force field reliability. The combination of AMBER ff12 with vdWbb modifications and the OPC water model produces results in quantitative agreement with the NMR ensemble that have eluded us to date.
The Bush Administration’s Overreach: Some Pushback, but a Lasting Imprint

This chapter documents the Bush administration’s reaction to 9/11 as it put the United States on war footing and how White House officials relied upon the 2001 AUMF to justify their actions. The administration acted quickly and audaciously and unilaterally to counter what it saw as an existential threat to the United States. Four categories of wartime activities pursued against al Qaeda and the Taliban are examined: (1) tracking and surveillance; (2) targeted killing and rendition; (3) detention and trials; and (4) interrogation methods. Some policies exceeded domestic and international legal limits, provoking political pushback to restore a legal foundation. Nonetheless, many features of Bush’s counterterrorism regime left a deep imprint.
Nonlinear Modeling of Physiological Systems Using Principal Dynamic Modes

The use of a small number of properly selected principal dynamic modes (PDM) may provide the long-sought parsimony and physiological interpretability of nonlinear models of physiological systems obtained from stimulus-response experimental data. The advocated approach makes use of a filter-bank comprised of the selected FDM’s that are feeding into a multi-input static nonlinear operator. This model form facilitates the system identification task and makes nonlinear modeling possible in certain cases previously thought intractable. Since the estimation of the PDM’s is based only on 1st-order and 2nd-order kernel measurements, and the estimation of the static nonlinearity can be practically extended to high-order systems, it is hoped that this modeling method will broaden the scope of Volterra-Wiener applications and facilitate the interpretation of the obtained results. This may promote the broader use of nonlinear models in studies of physical and physiological systems.
Tandem solar cell cost relations

Tandem solar cells overcome conversion efficiency limitations of conventional single-junction solar cells by using multiple absorber materials with different band gap energies. The absorber materials are stacked in sequence with decreasing band gap energy, thus reducing thermalization losses in the conversion process. The improved conversion efficiency of a tandem solar cell comes at increased fabrication complexity and, hence, production cost. More fabrication steps and more materials are needed to produce a tandem solar cell than to produce a single-junction solar cell. Economically, a tandem solar cell is of interest if it generates electricity at a lower cost than either of its comprising single-junction counter parts. In this paper we present cost relations that link the costs and efficiencies of two single junction solar cells to those of a dual-junction tandem solar cell made from the combination of the two cells. In doing so, we establish criteria under which tandem solar cells are economically viable.
Nervous System Abnormalities and Legionnaire's Disease.

Although patients with Legionnaire's disease frequently develop alterations of consciousness, this is no more frequent than in patients hospitalized with other, equally severe forms of bacterial pneumonia. Legionella meningitis occurs rarely, if ever. Patients with Legionnaire's are susceptible to critical illness polyneuropathy/myopathy, as are other critically ill patients. Legionnaire's patients may develop MRI hyperdensities in the splenium of the corpus callosum, as may other patients with severe infections. Patients with Legionnaire's may be at increased risk of, and rarely develop, immune-mediated multifocal brain (acute disseminated encephalomyelitis) or peripheral nerve disease (Guillain-Barre syndrome).
Hedonic Dimensions of Service Learning and Their Importance for Marketing Students: An Extended Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the hedonic dimensions of service learning that would persuade more students to participate in service learning and that alter the service learning experiences into transformational learning experiences. In-depth interviews with students participating in the Alternative Break (AB) program, as well as observations of AB group meetings prior to and after the AB trips, were conducted to develop a better understanding of how fun, feelings, and play have a role in service learning experiences of students. Additionally, posts of the participants on AB-related social media sites were followed and analyzed. The preliminary results suggest that some students participate in some service learning programs incidentally without any ideological or self-impression-related motivation, and their service learning experience is changed to a transformative learning experience as a result of fun, feelings, and fantasy in addition to rational aspects of the experience. The two main factors that intensify the importance of the hedonic dimensions are community and genuineness. These findings have significant implications to attract marketing students to participate in such a service learning context and to help them gain skills necessary for acting as socially responsible business people.
Simultaneous wireless information and power transfer over inductively coupled circuits

This paper introduces a system model for simultaneous information and power transfer (SWIPT) over inductively coupled circuits from the standard communication-theoretic perspective. It is shown that the rate-energy (R-E) regions, which characterize the performance of SWIPT, for inductively coupled circuits can be obtained by circuit analysis. To evaluate the performance, the R-E regions for SISO and SIMO circuit models are calculated by numerical analysis.
Strong preference for mint snus flavor among research participants.

Abstract Introduction The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 allows the US FDA to regulate tobacco products, including the banning of characterizing flavors, such as fruit and candy, cigarettes. The availability of mint flavored snus may facilitate the use of the product if consumers find it more palatable with respect to taste, odor, pleasantness, and intensity. Methods This study assessed product evaluation (PES), odor identification, odor intensity, and odor hedonics among 151 smokers enrolled in a clinical trial of snus substitution for cigarettes. Results Far more participants selected Winterchill (N = 110) than Robust (N = 41), regardless of their menthol cigarette smoking status. Nicotine dependence was higher among those who selected Winterchill (4 vs 3 on Fagerstrom scale, p = 0.017). Those who found Winterchill to be more satisfying, less aversive, and having a more intense, more pleasant odor than Robust were substantially more likely to select Winterchill for their one week trial. Conclusions Findings indicate that subjective effect measures such as the PES and DEQ are capable of differentiating products in terms of flavor preference, and that smokers express a strong preference for mint flavored snus.
Treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia with inotuzumab ozogamicin

Treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has largely relied on cytotoxic chemotherapy agents borrowed from successful treatment regimens of pediatric ALL. However, the high cure rates seen in pediatric ALL have not been replicated in adults. In recent years, the development of monoclonal antibodies targeting cell surface antigens, such as CD19 and CD20, have significantly improved outcomes when used alone or in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy. With these novel agents come challenges in managing adverse events, understanding mechanisms of resistance and determining their optimal place in therapy alongside conventional chemotherapy and allogeneic stem cell transplant. Herein we discuss the above challenges with the next addition to the armamentarium of antileukemic agents, inotuzumab ozogamicin, an antibody-drug conjugate against CD22.
The Bar Exam

This brief article criticizes the property essay question on the July 2005 bar exam for concentrating on covenants running with the land, which is a rare occurrence in everyday practice.
Empirical evidence for AMBER alert as crime control theater: a comparison of student and community samples

While the AMBER Alert system is intended to facilitate the rescue of abducted children, it has practical and psychological limitations. Participants indicated their emotions and perceptions about A...
Future southcentral US wildfire probability due to climate change

Globally, changing fire regimes due to climate is one of the greatest threats to ecosystems and society. In this paper, we present projections of future fire probability for the southcentral USA using downscaled climate projections and the Physical Chemistry Fire Frequency Model (PC2FM). Future fire probability is projected to both increase and decrease across the study region of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. Among all end-of-century projections, change in fire probabilities (CFPs) range from − 51 to + 240%. Greatest absolute increases in fire probability are shown for areas within the range of approximately 75 to 160 cm mean annual precipitation (MAP), regardless of climate model. Although fire is likely to become more frequent across the southcentral USA, spatial patterns may remain similar unless significant increases in precipitation occur, whereby more extensive areas with increased fire probability are predicted. Perhaps one of the most important results is illumination of climate changes where fire probability response (+, −) may deviate (i.e., tipping points). Fire regimes of southcentral US ecosystems occur in a geographic transition zone from reactant- to reaction-limited conditions, potentially making them uniquely responsive to different scenarios of temperature and precipitation changes. Identification and description of these conditions may help anticipate fire regime changes that will affect human health, agriculture, species conservation, and nutrient and water cycling.
Striatal norepinephrine efflux in l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia.

Abstract l -DOPA remains the primary treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD). Unfortunately, its therapeutic benefits are compromised by the development of abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) known as l -DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID). The norepinephrine (NE) system originating in the locus coeruleus is profoundly affected in PD and known to influence dopamine (DA) signaling. However, the effect of noradrenergic loss on l -DOPA-induced striatal monoamine efflux and Parkinsonian motor behavior remains controversial and is frequently overlooked in traditional animal models of LID. Thus, the current study sought to determine whether degeneration of the DA and/or NE system(s) altered l -DOPA-induced striatal monoamine efflux in hemiparkinsonian rats with additional NE loss induced by the potent NE-toxin α DA beta hydroxylase (DBH)-saporin. Sham-, DA-, NE-, and dual DA + NE-lesioned rats were treated with l -DOPA (6 mg/kg, s.c.) for 2 weeks. Thereafter, l -DOPA-mediated striatal monoamine efflux was measured with in vivo microdialysis, and concurrent AIMs testing occurred to determine responsiveness to l -DOPA. Noradrenergic lesions exacerbated parkinsonian motor deficits but did not significantly alter LID expression or corresponding l -DOPA-induced striatal monoamine efflux. Interestingly, l -DOPA-induced striatal NE efflux rather than DA efflux, corresponded more closely with dyskinesia severity. Moreover, marked reductions in striatal NE tissue concentration did not appear to impact l -DOPA-induced striatal NE efflux. The current study implicates l -DOPA-induced striatal NE as an important factor in LID expression and demonstrates the importance of developing treatment strategies that co-modulate the NE and DA systems.
A dissipation-based method for improving the accuracy of computational fluid dynamics simulations of high level non-Newtonian wastes

Abstract This paper investigates a new viscosity model for laminar, transitional, and turbulent pipe flow simulations of a non-Newtonian slurry using the Star-CCM+ software. Herschel-Bulkley (HB) rheology equation was used in its original and modified forms to model the fluid viscosity. The realizable k-e model was used for modeling of turbulence. It was observed that simulations using the HB model predicted inaccurate profiles of U (mean velocity) and U+ (mean velocity in wall units). Therefore, we developed alternative values of viscosity obtained directly from non-linearity of stress–strain variation (α) in each iteration. The developed method, “Alpha method”, applied changes in places where dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy occurred and was designed based on local or global dissipation rate values. Inverse values of α were used to test effects of more viscosity reduction for all flow regimes. In prediction of the mean velocities, significant improvements were obtained through global adjustment of viscosity in inverse form during simulation of the laminar and turbulent flow cases. For the transitional flow, obtaining improvements in prediction of U and U+ from the same model version faced challenges. While the global adjustments in direct form were found significantly effective in improving the prediction of U, they failed to predict the U+ accurately. For this purpose, Local viscosity adjustments were found significantly effective.
Smoking Cessation Treatment Programs Offered at Hospitals Providing Oncology Services.

Background: Many people with cancer continue smoking despite evidence that it negatively effects cancer treatment, worsens chemotherapy toxicity, and increases risk for a second cancer.Aims: We examined tobacco treatment services offered to cancer patients at hospitals providing oncology services, including National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Centers (NDCCs).Methods: We examined survey data of 6,400 U.S. hospitals from 2008 to 2015 to determine the manner in which tobacco treatment/cessation program services were provided among NDCCs and non-NDCC hospitals providing oncology services (HPOs).Results: From 2008 to 2015, 784 responses from NDCCs and 18,281 responses from HPOs were received. NDCCs (86%) reported significantly higher tobacco treatment/cessation programs owned by the hospital compared to HPOs (68%) (p < 0.001). Among NDCCs, there was a significant increasing trend of tobacco treatment/cessation programs reported owned by the hospital, the health system, or other contractual mechanism from 2008 to 2015 (p = 0.03).Conclusions: More than 80% of oncology providing hospitals report providing tobacco cessation programs, with higher percentages reported in NDCCs. As hospitals implement smoking cessation programs, partnerships between hospitals and cancer coalitions could help bring tobacco cessation activities to communities they both serve, and link discharged patients to these cessation resources so they can continue quit attempts that they initialised while hospitalised.
Thimerosal and Other Vaccine Additives

While vaccines would ideally only need to contain the antigens necessary to induce immunity, the reality of vaccine production requires the addition of other materials, sometimes called “excipients.” These excipients include a wide array of additives, usually in minute concentrations. Preservatives and other related substances are required to maintain vaccine stability and potency. Adjuvants may be necessary to induce adequate protective immunity. In addition, there are other materials sometimes introduced into the final products either as a result of the manufacturing process or packaging. The excipient materials found in vaccines have been a significant source of misunderstanding, and misinformation. Much of the controversy related to vaccine safety is a result of spurious associations between these vaccine additives and exaggerations of real, or perceived, side effects from immunization. While a few of these chemicals can be toxic in large quantities, most are only present in trace amounts in most vaccines. This chapter reviews some of the more common or controversial vaccine excipients, and related information regarding safety concerns.
Detection of Bladder Contractions From the Activity of the External Urethral Sphincter in Rats Using Sparse Regression

Bladder overactivity and incontinence and dysfunction can be mitigated by electrical stimulation of the pudendal nerve applied at the onset of a bladder contraction. Thus, it is important to predict accurately both bladder pressure and the onset of bladder contractions. We propose a novel method for prediction of bladder pressure using a time-dependent spectrogram representation of external urethral sphincter electromyographic (EUS EMG) activity and a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression model. There was a statistically significant improvement in prediction of bladder pressure compared with methods based on the firing rate of EUS EMG activity. This approach enabled prediction of the onset of bladder contractions with 91% specificity and 96% sensitivity and may be suitable for closed-loop control of bladder continence.
Analysis of High Gear Ratio Capabilities for Single-Stage, Series Multistage, and Compound Differential Coaxial Magnetic Gears

Magnetic gears perform the same fundamental power conversion as mechanical gears. However, magnetic gears have significant potential benefits due to their noncontact operation. This paper compares three different ways to achieve high gear ratios using coaxial magnetic gears by evaluating trends for radial flux coaxial magnetic gears with surface mounted permanent magnets. First, a single-stage design can be used, but the torque density and efficiency both decline as the gear ratio increases. Additionally, the gear ratio achievable with a single-stage coaxial magnetic gear is limited by practical considerations, such as the maximum number of modulators and pole pairs that can be used within the given space. Second, a multistage design can be formed by connecting single-stage designs in series. Multistage designs can achieve much higher net gear ratios with much less of a torque density penalty, especially as the number of stages increases, but this entails greater complexity. Third, the compound differential coaxial magnetic gear (CDCMG) is proposed. The CDCMG is formed by interconnecting two single-stage coaxial magnetic gears and can achieve gear ratios much higher than the product of the gear ratios of the individual stages. However, the circulating power in the CDCMG leads to poor efficiencies.
Examining Determinants of Sport Event Attendance: A Multilevel Analysis of a Major League Baseball Season

Attendance data in sports leagues are organized at more than one level and thus are nested data with factors varying by individual games (e.g. single game attendance figure), which are nested withi...
Merged cloud and precipitation dataset from the HIAPER GV for the Cloud System Evolution in the Trades (CSET) campaign

AbstractThe Cloud System Evolution in the Trades (CSET) aircraft campaign was conducted in the summer of 2015 in the northeast Pacific to observe the transition from stratocumulus to cumulus cloud ...
Fertilization of Container-Grown Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.)

Abstract Two fertilization experiments were conducted with first-year seedlings of baldcypress [Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.] in containers (substrate = composted pine bark). First, seedlings were...
Precarity and Why Indie Game Developers Can’t Save Us from Racism:

Exploring issues of labor and inequality at the intersection of AAA and indie sectors, this article interrogates the perception of the indie sector as key to mitigating the production of racializin...
Accuracy of unenhanced, non-sedated MRI in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children.

Abstract Background Children with suspected appendicitis generally undergo an ultrasound (most commonly) or a CT scan (rarely) as the first imaging study. At our hospital, patients with non-diagnostic ultrasound or CT scan results undergo a non-contrast (unenhanced), non-sedated MRI. We aimed to determine the accuracy of this study for this purpose in a large cohort of children. Methods A retrospective review of all unenhanced, non-sedated MRIs done for suspected appendicitis was performed from January 2014 to December 2018. MRI reports were correlated with pathology reports in cases that underwent appendectomy, and with clinical outcomes if no operation was done (clinical follow up: 30d). No patient was treated for appendicitis non-operatively. Results Three hundred fifty unenhanced, non-sedated MRIs were done and reviewed with median age: 12 (3 to 18) years. Sixty-five (18.6%) MRIs were positive for appendicitis, and 62 of those underwent appendectomy (3 excluded clinically). Pathology was positive in 59/62 cases. 256 (73.1%) MRIs were negative for appendicitis. Six cases underwent appendectomy (persistent symptoms). Pathology was positive in 2/6 cases. The overall diagnostic accuracy was: sensitivity 96.7% (95% CI: 88.6–99.6), specificity 97.7% (95% CI: 95.0–99.1), PPV: 90.8% (95% CI: 81.6–95.6; false positives 6/65), and NPV: 99.2% (95% CI: 97.0–99.8; false negatives 2/254). Twenty-nine (8.3%) MRIs were non-diagnostic. None of those 29 cases had appendicitis (4 negative pathology, 25 excluded clinically). Conclusions The unenhanced, non-sedated MRI is highly accurate for the diagnosis of appendicitis in children. It should be considered as an alternative to CT in the work-up of patients with suspected appendicitis to eliminate the risks associated with ionizing radiation. Level of Evidence Level IV.
Estimation of Current and Future Physiological States in Insular Cortex.

Summary Interoception, the sense of internal bodily signals, is essential for physiological homeostasis, cognition, and emotions. While human insular cortex (InsCtx) is implicated in interoception, the cellular and circuit mechanisms remain unclear. We imaged mouse InsCtx neurons during two physiological deficiency states: hunger and thirst. InsCtx ongoing activity patterns reliably tracked the gradual return to homeostasis but not changes in behavior. Accordingly, while artificial induction of hunger or thirst in sated mice via activation of specific hypothalamic neurons (AgRP or SFOGLUT) restored cue-evoked food- or water-seeking, InsCtx ongoing activity continued to reflect physiological satiety. During natural hunger or thirst, food or water cues rapidly and transiently shifted InsCtx population activity to the future satiety-related pattern. During artificial hunger or thirst, food or water cues further shifted activity beyond the current satiety-related pattern. Together with circuit-mapping experiments, these findings suggest that InsCtx integrates visceral-sensory signals of current physiological state with hypothalamus-gated amygdala inputs that signal upcoming ingestion of food or water to compute a prediction of future physiological state.
Nomenclatural Changes in Western North American Amsinckiinae (Boraginaceae)

Three recent phylogenetic studies have used DNA sequence data to examine evolutionary relationships in Amsinckiinae (Boraginaceae). In each of these studies, the genus Plagiobothrys Fisch. & C. A. Mey. has been recovered as non-monophyletic. So that only monophyletic groups are recognized, two new genus names are provided here: Amsinckiopsis (I. M. Johnst.) Guilliams, Hasenstab & B. G. Baldwin and Simpsonanthus Guilliams, Hasenstab & B. G. Baldwin. The new combination P. collinus (Phil.) I. M. Johnst. var. pringlei (Greene) Guilliams & B. G. Baldwin is given for plants from Arizona that were found to be phylogenetically nested within P. collinus. The genus name Sonnea Greene is lectotypified.
High speed PLIF study of the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability upon re-shock

Abstract The Richtmyer–Meshkov instability (RMI) of a twice-shocked gas interface is studied using high-speed planar-laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) in the Wisconsin Shock Tube Laboratory’s vertical shock tube. The initial condition (IC) is a shear layer with broadband diffuse perturbations at the interface between a helium-acetone mixture and argon. This IC is accelerated by a shock of nominal strength M = 1 . 8 , and then accelerated again by the transmitted shock that reflects off the end wall of the tube. An estimate of the light gas mole fraction is extracted from high-speed imaging using an iterative process that accounts for the nonlinear temperature dependence of the acetone’s fluorescence quantum yield (FQY) and absorption cross-section. A vorticity deposition model for the initial growth rate after re-shock is compared with the Mikaelian model for re-shock. Previously used in literature, the number of generations is shown to naturally arise from a normalisation of the scalar transport equation. A self-similar analysis is then performed using the mole fraction data to explore the evolution of the RMI after reshock and the higher order moments of the light gas mole fraction are compared with a proposed model.
Recovering Magnetic Fe3O4-ZnO Nanocomposites from Algal Biomass Based on Hydrophobicity Shift under UV Irradiation.

Magnetic separation, one of the promising bioseparation technologies, faces the challenges in recovery and reuse of magnetic agents during algal harvesting for biofuel extraction. This study synthesized a steric acid (SA)-coated Fe3O4–ZnO nanocomposite that could shift hydrophobicity under UV365 irradiation. Our results showed that with the transition of surface hydrophobicity under UV365 irradiation, magnetic nanocomposites detached from the concentrated algal biomass. The detachment was partially induced by the oxidation of SA coating layers due to the generation of radicals (e.g., •OH) by ZnO under UV365 illumination. Consequently, the nanocomposite surface shifted from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, which significantly reduced the adhesion between magnetic particles and algae as predicted by the extended Derjaguin and Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek (EDLVO) theory. Such unique hydrophobicity shift may also find many other potential applications that require recovery, recycle, and reuse of valuable nanomater...
Building Trust in COVID-19 Vaccines and Beyond Through Authentic Community Investment.

COVID-19 vaccine development has advanced at lighting speed. Research that would normally require years has been completed in months. As a result of this unprecedented effort, two vaccine candidates, mRNA-1273 (Moderna, Cambridge, MA) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer, New York, NY), have been found to be safe and more than 90% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 shortly after vaccination. These vaccines are extremely promising and will eventually be distributed widely. Unfortunately, as the science of vaccine development has swiftly progressed, the equally important science of community engagement, which should guide the establishment of mutually beneficial partnerships and promote eventual vaccine uptake, has lagged behind. Research methods focused on the development of effective public health interventions place communities-groups with shared culture, norms, beliefs, or language-at their core and emphasize the primacy of community ownership as essential for uptake and sustainability.1 Yet, communities of color (i.e., Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities), who remain at highest risk for infection, have been peripheral, not central actors in the pursuit of COVID-19 vaccines. Instead, the tripartite relationship between industry, government, and academia has dominated the research enterprise related to COVID-19. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print December 10, 2020: 1-3. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306087).
Superintending Local Constraints on Housing Development: How California Can Do It Better

Over the past few years, the California legislature has substantially reformed the state’s ambitious, but questionably effective, “housing element” law. The law requires local governments to periodically adopt a state-approved plan, called a housing element, through which the local government both identifies sites that can accommodate the locality’s share of regional housing need, and mitigates or removes constraints on the development of housing. This paper offers recommendations for how the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) could use its new authority to improve housing elements’ analysis of constraints and the associated programs to mitigate or remove them. A fundamental challenge is that HCD has no reliable data about the severity or prevalence of local governmental constraints, data which would allow cities to be compared to one another and benchmarked against the (few) standards that already exist in state law. Our response runs on two principal tracks. First, we recommend that HCD rebuttably presume that local governments in expensive areas have substantial governmental constraints if their rank by housing price (rent) exceeds their rank by rate of housing production. These local governments would be expected to provide regulatory accommodations when actors with better information about constraints—namely, developers—show that sites which the local government has represented as available for development are impractical to develop at their nominal capacity. This is a way for HCD to achieve mitigation of constraints even when it’s very hard for the department to see or evaluate them. Second, to pinpoint sources of constraint and assess compliance with applicable benchmarks, we propose that HCD establish several new reporting and analytical requirements. The cumulative effect of local constraints should be assessed by simulating the entitlement of “prototype projects” on a random sample of parcels. Local governments also should be required to upload standardized, geocoded zoning layers and parcel characteristics; to track and report legally salient milestones for actual development applications; and to complete a questionnaire about certain types of constraints which the other approaches are likely to miss.
Perioperative Analgesia for Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery

Thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy are common outpatient endocrine surgeries characterized by mild to moderate postoperative pain. Perioperative analgesic management is multifaceted, and an individualized approach should be taken with each patient. Preoperative discussion of pain control and postoperative expectations are necessary considerations for optimal analgesic outcome. There is the potential for significant abuse and development of dependence on opioids. Non-opioids such as NSAIDS, acetaminophen, and local anesthetics provide reliable alternatives for analgesic management following thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Although not as well studied, gabapentinoids and ketamine may serve as reliable alternatives as well.
Are Artificially Intelligent Conversational Chatbots Uniformly Effective in Reducing Summer Melt? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Our field experiment extends prior work on college matriculation by testing the extent to which an artificially intelligent (AI) chatbot’s outreach and support to college students (N = 4442) reduced summer melt and improved first-year college enrollment at a 4-year university. Specifically, we investigate which students the intervention proves most effective for. We find that the AI chatbot increased overall success with navigating financial aid processes, such that student take up of educational loans increased by four percentage points. This financial aid effect was concentrated among would-be first-generation college goers, for whom loan acceptances increased by eight percentage points. In addition, the outreach increased first-generation students’ success with course registration and fall semester enrollment each by three percentage points. Our findings suggest that proactive chatbot outreach to students is likely to be most successful in reducing summer melt among those who may need the chatbot support the most.
A Conceptual Introduction to Time-Varying Effect Modeling

We begin with a conceptual overview of time-varying effect modeling (TVEM), focusing on definitions of “time” and how this modeling framework extends the commonly used linear regression framework. In this first chapter, we describe the concept and promise of TVEM and convey the utility of TVEM findings for researchers (e.g., epidemiologists, prevention scientists), administrators (e.g., policy-makers, public school administrators), and practitioners (e.g., clinicians). This discussion presents a wide range of research questions TVEM could be used to address. To help more concretely illustrate the conceptual approach of TVEM, we walk the reader through a recently published empirical example assessing the risk for suicidal behavior across ages 18–60 for sexual minority versus heterosexual adults. We conclude with a brief roadmap of the subsequent chapters of the book.
Copyright and the modern car: Colliding visions of the public good in DMCA section 1201 anti-circumvention proceedings:

In 2015, a debate unfolded over who should be allowed to access vehicular software for the purposes of repair, maintenance, and modification. Conducted as part of the triennial anticircumvention ex...
Lateral hypothalamus-projecting noradrenergic locus coeruleus pathway modulates binge-like ethanol drinking in male and female TH-ires-cre mice.

Abstract A growing body of literature implicates noradrenergic (NE) signaling in the modulation of ethanol consumption. However, relatively few studies have detailed specific brain pathways that mediate NE-associated binge-like ethanol consumption. To begin to fill this gap in the literature, male and female C57BL6/J and TH-ires-cre mice underwent pharmacological and chemogenetic testing, respectively, in combination with “drinking in the dark” procedures to model binge-like consumption of ethanol or sucrose solutions. First, we showed that intraperitoneal administration of the NE reuptake inhibitor, reboxetine, blunted binge-like ethanol intake in C57BL6/J mice. Chemogenetic activation of locus coeruleus (LC) tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-expressing neurons blunted binge-like ethanol intake regardless of sex. Chemogenetic activation of LC projections to the lateral hypothalamus (LH), a region implicated in ethanol consumption, blunted binge-like ethanol drinking without altering sucrose intake in ethanol-experienced or ethanol-naive mice. In C57BL/6 J mice, LH-targeted microinfusion of an α1-adrenergic receptor (AR) agonist blunted binge-like ethanol intake across both sexes, while LH infusion of a β-AR agonist blunted binge-like ethanol intake in females exclusively. Finally, in mice with high baseline ethanol intake both an α1- AR agonist and an α-2 AR antagonist blunted binge-like ethanol intake. The present results provide novel evidence that increased NE tone in a circuit arising from the LC and projecting to the LH reduces binge-like ethanol drinking in mice, and may represent a novel approach to treating binge or heavy drinking prior to the development of dependence. This article is part of the special Issue on “Neurocircuitry Modulating Drug and Alcohol Abuse”.