cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of channel dynamics, in-stream structures and post-project channel adjustments in North Carolina and its implications to effective stream restoration

Site assessment and monitoring data were analyzed for 26 stream restoration projects in North Carolina where the channel was reconfigured. Post-project changes in channel capacity were highly variable from site to site, but more than 60% of the projects underwent, on average at a given site, at least a 20% change in channel capacity. An analysis of site and basin geomorphology revealed that large post-construction adjustments were associated with highly dynamic stream channels characterized by a combination of high sediment transport capacity, large sediment supply, and/or easily eroded bank materials. In-stream structures along dynamic, reconfigured channels also exhibited high incidences of damage. Thus, the design and construction of channels in a state of equilibrium, which do not exhibit excessive erosion or deposition along highly dynamic rivers is currently problematic. In light of these findings, a conceptual framework based on geomorphic parameters is put forth to assess the likelihood of project success early in the design process to (1) eliminate high risk sites from consideration of channel reconfiguration and (2) improve upon the implemented management strategies that are ultimately used. It is also argued that where space permits an enhanced natural channel, adjustment approach is likely to be more effective than projects based on natural channel design.
Building by benchmarking

AbstractThis article examines the methodology undertaken while investigating whether existing materials pertaining to Asian American Studies at The Pennsylvania State University Libraries could support a new academic program. Presently active academic subareas in the field of Asian American Studies were determined. Then existing collections of thirteen “benchmark” universities were examined according to these subareas and compared to the holdings of Pennsylvania State University Libraries. This method can evaluate the fitness of existing collections to new academic demands and serve as a tool for collection development by identifying present and future areas of academic study.
catena-Poly[[aqua­trimethyl­tin(IV)]-{[trimethyl­tin(IV)]-μ3-thio­phene-2,5-dicarboxyl­ato}]

In the title compound, [Sn2(CH3)6(C6H2O4S)(H2O)]n, each of the two crystallographically independent Sn atoms exhibits a distorted trigonal–bipyramidal coordination geometry formed by two O and three C atoms. The coordinated water mol­ecule plays an important role in crystal packing consolidation via O—H⋯O hydrogen bonding.
Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura and Sporadic Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome Plasmas Induce Apoptosis in Restricted Lineages of Human Microvascular Endothelial Cells

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and sporadic hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) are thrombotic microangiopathies that occur in the absence of an inflammatory response. Ultrastructural features of tissues involved in TTP/sporadic HUS suggest an apoptotic process. Consistent with these findings, we observed that TTP plasmas induce apoptosis in primary human endothelial cells (EC) of dermal microvascular but not umbilical vein origin (Laurence et al, Blood 87:3245, 1996). We now document the ability of plasmas from both TTP and sporadic HUS patients, but not from a patient with childhood/diarrhea-associated HUS, to induce apoptosis and expression of the apoptosis-associated molecule Fas (CD95) in restricted lineages of microvascular EC. EC of small vessel dermal, renal, and cerebral origin were susceptible to induction of Fas and an apoptotic cell death. In contrast, microvascular EC of pulmonary and hepatic origin, as well as EC of a large vessel, coronary artery, were resistant to both processes. This dichotomy parallels the in vivo pathology of TTP/sporadic HUS, with notable sparing of the pulmonary and hepatic microvasculature. Apoptotic EC also had some features of a procoagulant phenotype, including depressed production of prostaglandin I2 (prostacyclin). These phenomena support the pathophysiologic significance of microvascular EC apoptosis in TTP, extend it to a related disorder (sporadic HUS), and suggest consideration of apoptosis inhibitors in the experimental therapeutics of these syndromes.
Embryonic characteristics in superovulated mouse strains Comparative analyses of the incidence of chromosomal aberrations, morphological malformations, and mortality of embryos from two strains of superovulated mice

Superovulation was induced in an inbred (C3HeB/FeJ) and a random-bred (CD-1) strain of mice and pregnant females were serially sacrificed from 6-15 days of gestation. All embryos were examined chromosomally and by external morphology. A G-banding technique was used to detect specific chromosomal constitutions. The common types of chromosomal aberrations were monosomies and trisomies. Our results showed that the proportion of chromosomally abnormal embryos was significantly greater in the superovulated group of inbred mice, than in the spontaneously ovulating inbred group, an observation not made in the random-bred mice. In each strain, superovulation yielded a significantly higher proportion of morphologically malformed embryos, but no significant difference between strains with respect to this criterion was noted after superovulation. There was a significant increase in the post-implantation embryonic mortality in the random-bred strain but not in the inbred strain following superovulation. This study indicates that each strain has its intrinsic pattern with regard to the fate of embryos following superovulation.
The tuck position for lumbar-disc surgery.

The technique and advantages of the tuck position for lumbar-disc surgery have been described. The five advantages are, simplicity of positioning, ease of maintenance of good ventilations, avoidance of epidural venous engorgement, excellent exposure of the interlaminar space, and decreased risk of injury to major prevertebral vessels and organs. No significant disadvantages of the tuck positions have beers noted in over 300 operations.
Implementation of Nonlinear Reconfigurable Controllers for Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles

Abstract Reconfigurable control will play a major role in the advancement of aerospace control especially in the realm of autonomous air vehicles. This project consists of the development and implementation of three nonlinear controllers. A modified dynamic inversion controller will be used for validation of the flight hardware. A Single Network Adaptive Critic (SNAC) controller will then be implemented to test its viability and robustness. Lastly, an outer loop controller in the form of an online learning neural network will be developed and implemented to supply extra control to the actual aircraft if a change in system dynamics is detected. To aid in system identification, parameter estimation will be performed before any autonomous flights are performed. The results of this project will validate the use of a SNAC controller for autonomous flight as well as prove the viability of an outer loop extra controller to account for changes in system dynamics.
Treatment of Cannabis Use Disorder: Current Science and Future Outlook.

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance in the United States. Rates of cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) have increased in the past decade, paralleling changes in the legal and political climate favoring legalization. Almost 20 million people 12 years or older report past-month cannabis use, and 8 million report daily or near-daily use. Concurrently, the perception that cannabis use poses a significant risk of negative consequences has decreased. Contrary to this perception, heavy cannabis use is associated with cognitive impairment, increased risk for psychotic disorders and other mental health problems, lower education attainment, and unemployment. Clinical trials of various treatments for CUD have likewise increased, focusing primarily on psychotherapy treatments, specifically motivational enhancement therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and contingency management. Their findings suggest that a combination of these three modalities produces the best abstinence outcomes, although abstinence rates remain modest and decline after treatment. More recently, pharmacotherapy trials have been conducted as adjunctive interventions to psychosocial treatment. N-acetylcysteine and gabapentin are two of the most promising medications, although no pharmacologic treatment has emerged as clearly efficacious. In this review, we provide a detailed summary of clinical trials that evaluated psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy for treating CUD and discuss emerging areas of clinical research and cannabis-specific barriers to treatment.
United we Stand

Every member of the Entomological Society of America should read the “Report of the Committee on Professional Training, Standards and Status” and the action taken by the 1964 Governing Board as published in the Bulletin of the Entomological Society of America, Volume 11, No.1, pp. 44–45, March, 1965. Then he should “ferret out” his copy of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Entomological Society of America and read it carefully and thoughtfully. The Constitution is a separate publication of the Society and is not contained in any of the serial publications of the organization.
Hunger Games: Does Hunger Affect Time Preferences?

Using a novel laboratory experiment I find that hunger increases monetary impatience. This effect is larger when monetary rewards are immediate, which shows that present bias is a visceral response and can help explain why the poor tend to make more shortsighted economic decisions. Given possible confounds between physical and mental resource depletion, I also manipulated cognitive fatigue. I find that cognitive fatigue also increases monetary impatience; nevertheless this effect is driven by an increase in corner solutions. I argue that this may reflect a decrease in attention and an increase in heuristic-based choices. However, more work is needed to confirm this hypothesis.
Building Machine Learning Systems that Understand

Over the past five years, deep learning and large-scale neural networks have made significant advances in speech recognition, computer vision, language understanding and translation, robotics, and many other fields. Deep learning allows the use of very raw forms of data in order to build higher-level understanding of data automatically, and can also be used to learn to accomplish complex tasks. In the next decade, it is likely that a fruitful direction for research in data management will be in how to seamlessly integrate these kinds of machine learning models into systems that store and manage data. In this talk, I will highlight some of the advances that have been made in deep learning and suggest some interesting directions for future research.
Mechanistic Insights into Catalytic Ethanol Steam Reforming Using Isotope-Labeled Reactants.

The low-temperature ethanol steam reforming (ESR) reaction mechanism over a supported Rh/Pt catalyst has been investigated using isotope-labeled EtOH and H2 O. Through strategic isotope labeling, all nonhydrogen atoms were distinct from one another, and allowed an unprecedented level of understanding of the dominant reaction pathways. All combinations of isotope- and non-isotope-labeled atoms were detected in the products, thus there are multiple pathways involved in H2 , CO, CO2 , CH4 , C2 H4 , and C2 H6 product formation. Both the recombination of C species on the surface of the catalyst and preservation of the C-C bond within ethanol are responsible for C2 product formation. Ethylene is not detected until conversion drops below 100 % at t=1.25 h. Also, quantitatively, 57 % of the observed ethylene is formed directly through ethanol dehydration. Finally there is clear evidence to show that oxygen in the SiO2 -ZrO2 support constitutes 10 % of the CO formed during the reaction.
Unified communication and exchanging platform of video monitoring systems used in ultra high voltage gird

Presently, all of local power enterprises mostly have built video monitoring systems, because there were no standards that can be adopted in initial stages, these systems were running independently and cannot be interconnected, so the need of accessing video information between different areas cannot be met. The first problem of interconnection that need to be solved is to unify call signaling and video coding standard, so now, State Grid Cooperation is drafting enterprise criterion of Grid Video Surveillance System and Interfaces part 1:Technical Requirements to solve the troubles of systems interconnection. The article expatiate the construction project of video interconnection according reality of power enterprise.
Sensory and physiological dimensions of cold pressor pain in trichotillomania

Abstract Background Trichotillomania (TTM) is characterized by hair pulling resulting in hair loss. It has long been perceived that people with TTM may have different pain thresholds or pain tolerances than healthy counterparts. This study sought to examine whether TTM was associated with reductions in sensory or physiological components of cold pressor pain. Method Adults with TTM were examined on clinical measures including symptom severity and functioning. All participants underwent the cold pressor test. Heart rate, blood pressure, and self-reported pain were compared between TTM participants ( N =19) and controls ( N =14). Results There were no differences in pain tolerance between TTM participants and controls. The TTM group did not show faster recovery time nor exhibit lower pain ratings. Systolic blood pressure was significantly lower in the TTM group before immersion, though differences did not exist at pain tolerance or after the recovery period. TTM participants had a lower heart rate at all time points, but this difference was statistically significant only at 90 s ( p =.046). Conclusions In this study, adults with TTM failed to exhibit analgesia to cold pressor pain as compared with healthy controls. No association appears to exist between pain and TTM symptom severity.
The mechanism of sandblows

abstract The formation of sandblows by earthquakes is explained in terms of well-known properties of water-bearing soils. The important parameters of the problem are the porosity, the permeability, the elasticity, and the degree of consolidation of the soil. The important conditions are that the water table be sufficiently near the ground surface and that the readjustment of soil particles by the passage of seismic waves be of sufficient magnitude.
Management of the Premaxilla/Maxilla in Bilateral Cleft Lip and Palate

Methods for presurgical management of the prominent premaxilla in bilateral cleft lip and palate are described. Emphasis is on the methods used at UCSF. The later management of the premaxillary/maxillary complex is described and illustrated by patient photos and radiographs. Maxillary expansion in preparation for alveolar bone grafting, maxillary protraction, canine substitution for congenitally missing lateral incisors, management of vertical excess of the premaxilla, implants for missing teeth, and treatment sequencing for maxillary hypoplasia are described. Pertinent published papers are referenced.
A Fully Parallel Stochastic Multiarea Power System Operation Considering Large-Scale Wind Power Integration

Multiarea power system operation/coordination is used to increase the reliability of the interconnected power grids and maintain the consistency of the price across the integrated power systems. However, the implementation of this coordinated operation is facing challenges due to increase in size and complexity of the modern power systems, high penetration of the volatile renewable energy, and interdependence issues among various power systems. To address these concerns, this paper presents a fully parallel decision-making approach for the day-ahead scheduling of interconnected power systems with large-scale wind power integration while respecting the information privacy between different systems/areas. In the proposed parallel approach, each system/area solves its day-ahead scheduling problem along with its local subproblems for different wind generations’ scenarios, and sends its equivalent (or processed) boundary information to other systems/areas. The proposed inter-regional coordination among systems/areas and intra-regional coordination between scenarios in each system/area will continue until the tie-line power flows and the generation outputs of generating units get converged. The modified IEEE 118-bus testing system is used in this paper to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Nonlinear anisotropic electrical response of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites:

Composites materials are often subjected to multi-physics conditions in different applications where, in addition to mechanical loads, they also need to sustain other types of loads such as electri...
Blackness as Experience

In this chapter, the reader is first introduced to some of the participants in the study through their brief biographies. The MSGCIs’ stories reveal their “front-stage” and “back-stage” personas, and the significance of what it means to be Black,” “American” and “a child of Caribbean immigrants.” Lorick-Wilmot discusses the significance of physical and social spaces of belonging, and the implications of colorism as social capital and an indicator of inclusion/exclusion in the dichotomous world of “blackness” and “whiteness” in America. She examines how the MSGCIs both negotiate and struggle against being defined as a “Black person in America” while living with the identity realities of being a descendant of African, Indigenous, European and Asian peoples.
They liked and shared: Effects of social media virality metrics on perceptions of message influence and behavioral intentions

Abstract The present study examined the effects of social media virality metrics on perceptions of message influence on the self and others and intentions to take preventive actions. In an online experiment, a Facebook post about the topic of health risk was shown with the variations of virality metrics including the number of likes and shares. Overall, findings demonstrated the differential effects played by these virality metrics. Results revealed that high shares increased not only perceptions of message influence on the self and others but also preventive behavioral intentions. The mediation analysis indicated that share had an indirect effect on behavioral intentions through the perception of message influence on the self. A significant interaction effect between like and share was also found, such that the presence of high likes increased the third-person perception only when the message had low shares. Implications of these findings are further discussed with regard to leveraging the ability of virality metrics in health promotion practices on social media.
Vox Populi: Carnal Blood, Spiritual Milk, and the Debate Surrounding the Immaculate Conception, ca. 1600

In the early modern period, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was intensely defended by Spain, its cult even turned into a symbol of the Catholic Monarchy. However, in its earliest stage, the Spanish campaign in support of the Immaculate was immersed in controversy: some of the people promoting it were accused of not having a “pure” Old Christian ancestry. This article reads the origins of the Immaculate debate against the background of social ideas of purity and contamination.
Hybridization between Red-tailed Monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius) and Blue Monkeys (C. mitis) in East African Forests

Hybridization between Cercopithecus ascanius and C. mitis has been previously recorded at several localities in East Africa. However, recent sightings of redtailed and blue monkey hybrids suggest that they are restricted to Gombe National Park, Tanzania. At Gombe, hybrid monkeys of various age and sex classes are commonly sighted. They are found within red-tailed monkey groups, blue monkey groups, and mixed-species groups, suggesting that introgression is bidirectional. Observations of hybrid females nursing infants and juveniles provide evidence of female hybrid fertility. The high incidence of hybridization at Gombe calls for its recognition as a localized sympatric hybrid zone between Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti and C. mitis doggetti. Gombe—a terrestrial island habitat—then becomes of special interest to evolutionary primatologists because of its possible implications for speciation in guenons.
The Knowledge/Embodiment Dichotomy

Despite the renewed interest in limits on patent eligible subject matter during the last decade, patent theory and doctrine have to date failed to recognize one of the most fundamental limits on what can be patented: the “knowledge/embodiment dichotomy.” The dichotomy marks a categorical distinction between two types of technological progress, namely patent ineligible advances in knowledge and patent eligible advances in embodiments. The knowledge/embodiment dichotomy does not exist de dicto in contemporary patent opinions, treatises, or scholarship. However, it does already exist in a rough form as a de facto limit on the reach of patent protection. That is, courts’ and commentators’ failure to acknowledge the dichotomy has been a conceptual failure, not a failure to curb the reach of patent rights. Contemporary patent law provides de facto enforcement of the dichotomy without de dicto recognition through two distinct mechanisms. First, prohibitions on the patenting of mental processes and printed matter provide indirect, fragmentary enforcement of the dichotomy. Second, in the gaps between these fragments, the courts and the PTO improvise. They take doctrines aimed at enforcing unrelated limits on the patent regime and twist them beyond conceptual coherence to fill the gaps. The Supreme Court’s recent opinion in Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories, Inc. on the patentability of “laws of nature” and the PTO’s distinction between functional and nonfunctional descriptive material in software-on-disk claims exemplify these doctrinal contortions.
Global OMICs Profiling and Functional Analysis of CD44+/CD24− Stem-Like Cells in Normal Human Breast Tissue and Breast Cancer

It is generally believed that spontaneous tumors originate from a single cell and evolve into complex tissues composed of multiple cell types and characterized by very high morphological, physiological and genetic heterogeneity (Marusyk A, Polyak K, Biochim Biophys Acta 1805(1):105–117, 2010). In the process, cancer cells acquire six core biological capabilities (hallmarks) via evolutionary fueled by high rate of somatic mutations and genomic instability and rigorous Darwinian selection (Hanahan D, Weinberg RA, Cell 144(5):646–674, 2011). Two leading concepts explaining tumor heterogeneity are cancer stem cells hypothesis and clonal evolution theory, which are considered rather complementary than mutually exclusive (Campbell LL, Polyak K, Cell Cycle 6(19):2332–2338, 2007). Substantial evidence has been accumulated for the existence of cancer of cells with characteristics of stem cells such as self-renewal and ability to efficiently seed new tumors in recipient mice.
Patient-reported outcomes in head and neck cancer: prospective multi-institutional patient-reported toxicity.

Purpose Head and neck cancer is occurring in an increasingly younger patient population, with treatment toxicity that can cause significant morbidity. Using a patient guided, Internet-based survivorship care plan program, we obtained and looked at patterns of patient-reported outcomes data from survivors seeking information after treatment for head and neck cancer. Methods The Internet-based OncoLife and LIVESTRONG Care Plan programs were employed, which design unique survivorship care plans based on patient-reported data. Care plans created for survivors of head and neck cancer were used in this evaluation. Demographics, treatment modality, and toxicity were included in this evaluation. Toxicity was further analyzed, grouped into system-based subsets. Results A total of 602 care plans were created from self-identified head and neck cancer survivors, from which patient-reported outcome data were attained. A majority of patients were Caucasian (96.2%) with median age at diagnosis of 55 years, living in suburban locations (39.9%), with ~50% receiving care within 20 miles of their residence. There was an equal distribution of education levels from high school only to graduate school. The majority of patients received care through cancer centers (96.7%), with a split between academic and non-academic centers. Ninety-three percent of patients had radiation therapy as part of their treatment modality, with 70.3% having chemotherapy and 60.1% having surgery. The most common system toxicities affected the oropharynx, followed by epithelium (skin/hair/nail), and then general global health. Specifically, the most common side effects were difficulty swallowing (61.5%) and changes in skin color/texture (49.7%). One third of patients experienced hearing/tinnitus/vertigo, xerostomia, loss of tissue flexibility, or fatigue. Conclusion The current work demonstrates the ability to obtain patient-reported outcomes of head and neck cancer survivors through an Internet-based survivorship care plan program. For this group dysphagia and dermatitis were the most commonly reported toxicities, as was expected; however, global effects of therapy, such as fatigue, were also significant and should be addressed in future survivorship planning.
Infection-Induced Peroxisome Biogenesis Is a Metabolic Strategy for Herpesvirus Replication.

Summary Viral proteins have evolved to target cellular organelles and usurp their functions for virus replication. Despite the knowledge of these critical functions for several organelles, little is known about peroxisomes during infection. Peroxisomes are primarily metabolic organelles with important functions in lipid metabolism. Here, we discovered that the enveloped viruses human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) induce the biogenesis of and unique morphological changes to peroxisomes to support their replication. Targeted proteomic quantification revealed a global virus-induced upregulation of peroxisomal proteins. Mathematical modeling and microscopy structural analysis show that infection triggers peroxisome growth and fission, leading to increased peroxisome numbers and irregular disc-like structures. HCMV-induced peroxisome biogenesis increased the phospholipid plasmalogen, thereby enhancing virus production. Peroxisome regulation and dependence were not observed for the non-enveloped adenovirus. Our findings uncover a role of peroxisomes in viral pathogenesis, with likely implications for multiple enveloped viruses.
Novel and Potent Dopamine D2 Receptor Go-Protein Biased Agonists.

The discovery of functionally biased and physiologically beneficial ligands directed toward G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) has provided the impetus to design dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) targeted molecules that may be therapeutically advantageous for the treatment of certain neuropsychiatric or basal ganglia related disorders. Here we describe the synthesis of a novel series of D2R agonists linking the D2R unbiased agonist sumanirole with privileged secondary molecular fragments. The resulting ligands demonstrate improved D2R affinity and selectivity over sumanirole. Extensive in vitro functional studies and bias factor analysis led to the identification of a novel class of highly potent Go-protein biased full D2R agonists with more than 10-fold and 1000-fold bias selectivity toward activation of specific G-protein subtypes and β-arrestin, respectively. Intracellular electrophysiological recordings from midbrain dopamine neurons demonstrated that Go-protein selective agonists can elicit prolonged ligan...
Vibrational coherence transfer illuminates dark modes in models of the FeFe hydrogenase active site

Within the conceptual framework of Redfield theory, the optical response function arises from the dynamical evolution of the system’s density operator, where nonunitary relaxation is encoded in the Redfield relaxation superoperator. In the conventional approach, the so-called secular approximation neglects terms that induce transitions between distinct coherences and among coherences and populations. The rationale is that these nonsecular terms are small in comparison to the far more dominant population relaxation and coherence dephasing contributions. Since two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy has significant contributions arising from population relaxation and transfer pathways, it can be challenging to isolate signatures of the nonsecular relaxation. We report here that in three diiron dithiolate hexacarbonyl complexes that serve as small-molecule models of the [FeFe] hydrogenase H-cluster subsite, a fortuitous vibrational energy structure enables direct and clear signatures of vibrational coherence transfer in alkane solution. This finding holds promise towards developing a molecularly detailed understanding of the mechanism of vibrational coherence transfer processes, thanks to the ease of synthesizing derivatives based on the chemical modularity of these well studied diiron compounds. In addition to the fundamental need to characterize coherence transfer in molecular spectroscopy, we find in this set of molecules a practical utility for the nonsecular dynamics: the ability to determine the frequency of an IR-inactive mode. A coherence generated during the waiting time of the 2D-IR measurement transfers to a coherence involving the single dark CO stretching mode, which modulates some peak amplitudes in the 2D spectrum, revealing its transient excitation.Within the conceptual framework of Redfield theory, the optical response function arises from the dynamical evolution of the system’s density operator, where nonunitary relaxation is encoded in the Redfield relaxation superoperator. In the conventional approach, the so-called secular approximation neglects terms that induce transitions between distinct coherences and among coherences and populations. The rationale is that these nonsecular terms are small in comparison to the far more dominant population relaxation and coherence dephasing contributions. Since two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy has significant contributions arising from population relaxation and transfer pathways, it can be challenging to isolate signatures of the nonsecular relaxation. We report here that in three diiron dithiolate hexacarbonyl complexes that serve as small-molecule models of the [FeFe] hydrogenase H-cluster subsite, a fortuitous vibrational energy structure enables direct and clear signatures of vibrational coh...
Linear response of a Hall magnetic drift wave for verification of Hall MHD algorithms

Numerical implementations of Hall magnetohydrodynamics (Hall MHD) can be challenging due to the nonlinear multidimensional nature of the Hall term. Here, a model problem is presented that couples the hydrodynamic motion of the plasma to Hall MHD evolution of the magnetic field. The Hall MHD equations are linearized about unperturbed solutions in both cylindrical and Cartesian coordinates in two dimensions. The magnetic field is assumed to lie in the ignorable direction, and the linear response about the unperturbed solution is considered. The resulting ordinary differential equation is used to numerically compute the eigenfunctions and eigenfrequencies of the mode. The resulting eigenfunctions do not make the local wave approximation but are instead global solutions that depend on the spatial dependence of the unperturbed Alfven speed. Hall MHD simulations are then performed in the Ares multiphysics code and shown to agree with the predicted phase velocities of the wave, and the simulated solutions are shown to numerically converge to the semianalytic modes. By varying the background density of the plasma (and correspondingly, the ion inertial length), the importance of Hall physics can be varied. This allows the test problem to transition from the classical MHD limit to the extreme Hall MHD limit. This problem is a useful tool for the verification of Hall MHD routines implemented in various codes, and the robustness of a routine can be tested in regimes in which Hall physics is dominant.
Improving conversational interactions with task-based activities in a Spanish as a second language class

This study was designed to explore improvement in conversational interactions by English speakers learning Spanish when exposed to task-based speaking activities in three phases. Fifty-three colleg...
A Convolutional Neural Network Architecture for Decoding Visual Stimuli with EEGs

We present a novel machine learning architecture to decode event related potentials (ERPs) over multiple regions of the scalp for brain computer interfaces (BCI) to classify user observations. Time series ERPs resulting from image stimuli are captured at sixteen locations on the scalp using an OpenBCI electroencephalogram (EEG). This data is used to train a convolutional neural network (CNN) for prediction of image observations given time series ERP input. Preliminary results show that CNNs can reach if or even outperform a more widely-used filter bank common spatial features (FBCSP). Our uniqueness is based on our attempt to achieve competitive accuracies with less electrode channels, to leave the electrodes at the 16 default locations on our OpenBCI cap (see Table 1), and a condensed training strategy.
COVID-19 in pediatric survivors of childhood cancer and hematopoietic cell transplantation from a single center in New York City.

Childhood cancer survivors are at increased risk for treatment-related late effects; data are lacking on how coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection impacts this cohort. We assessed COVID-19-related symptoms, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) IgG seroprevalence, and rate of COVID-19-related hospitalization among 321 asymptomatic survivors of childhood cancer or transplantation seen for routine long-term follow-up between May and September 2020 in a New York City tertiary cancer center. While 10.9% (n = 35) reported possible COVID-19-related symptoms, 7.8% (n = 20) of those tested had positive SARS-CoV-2 IgG, and one patient (0.3%) required COVID-19-related hospitalization. This report suggests that childhood cancer survivors appear to be at relatively low risk for COVID-19 complications.
Losing Hope: Wittgenstein and Camus After Diamond

In her 1988 paper, “Losing Your Concepts,” Cora Diamond explores the interplay and overlap among different forms of conceptual loss. Diamond’s discussion emphasizes the difficulty of measuring the effect of conceptual loss, owing in part to the difficulty of determining the extent of a concept’s entanglement with other aspects of the life where that concept has its home. Diamond’s remarks are instructive for gathering and assessing Wittgenstein’s scattered remarks on the concept of hope and the questions he raises regarding what it would mean to lack the concept of hope altogether. The problem Wittgenstein’s remarks reveal is the instability between the (unfortunately familiar) notion of a life without hope and the putatively different notion of a life without the concept of hope. I argue in the paper that the case of Camus’ The Myth of Sisyphus provides a vivid illustration of this instability.
Low temperature plasma treatment of rice husk derived hybrid silica/carbon biochar using different gas sources

Abstract Hybrid silica/carbon particles were synthesized from rice husk as sustainable precursor material. Synthesized material was subjected to low temperature plasma treatments in presence of different gas sources like Argon, Oxygen and Sulphur Hexafluoride. Effects of plasma treatments were characterized using various techniques. It was found that plasma treatments were effective in altering surface properties like surface binding energies, functionalities and morphology. Plasma treatments did not have any substantial effects on bulk properties of rice husk biochar. However, in case of oxygen plasma treatments it was found to be effective in surface level etching resulting in increased nanoporous structure.
Intellectual roots of Thomas Jefferson’s opinions on slavery: Montesquieu’s impact

Although most scholars are aware that, at least in theory, Thomas Jefferson opposed slavery for most of his life, even the leading Jefferson experts have not attempted to discover whether any specific writers inspired or influenced his antislavery views, apparently accepting them as part of what Carl Becker called the ‘climate of opinion’. This article reveals that the French philosophe, Charles, Baron de Montesquieu, likely influenced his antislavery attitudes. Jefferson formed these ideas during his first years in politics, as revealed by numerous excerpts from Montesquieu’s discussions of slavery in Spirit of Laws included in Jefferson’s Legal Commonplace Books (textual selections and abstracts he jotted down). Jefferson’s legal defence of slaves’ lawsuits for freedom, the antislavery statements in his book, Notes on the State of Virginia, and his legislative proposals against slavery as a state assemblyman in the 1770s and congressman during the 1780s perhaps emerged from Spirit of Laws’ doctrines.
Mechanical regulation of early vertebrate embryogenesis.

Embryonic cells grow in environments that provide a plethora of physical cues, including mechanical forces that shape the development of the entire embryo. Despite their prevalence, the role of these forces in embryonic development and their integration with chemical signals have been mostly neglected, and scrutiny in modern molecular embryology tilted, instead, towards the dissection of molecular pathways involved in cell fate determination and patterning. It is now possible to investigate how mechanical signals induce downstream genetic regulatory networks to regulate key developmental processes in the embryo. Here, we review the insights into mechanical control of early vertebrate development, including the role of forces in tissue patterning and embryonic axis formation. We also highlight recent in vitro approaches using individual embryonic stem cells and self-organizing multicellular models of human embryos, which have been instrumental in expanding our understanding of how mechanics tune cell fate and cellular rearrangements during human embryonic development. Cells in the embryo are subject to autonomous and external mechanical forces that help steer embryonic tissue patterning. Technical developments, such as in vitro models of early embryos, allow probing of the roles of mechanical forces in animal and human embryonic development.
Appropriate Waste Containment Technology for Developing Countries

Natural and synthetic liners are used for solid and liquid waste containment. Natural liners, using clay or soil-bentonite mixtures, are used widely throughout the world to contain toxic and hazardous materials in wastewater lagoons and sanitary landfills. The use of natural soil materials is especially desirable where the waste disposal sites are remote or need to be constructed using normal earth-moving equipment. Furthermore, suitable soils are often readily available near the disposal site and the liner can be constructed utilizing relatively low-level technology. These conditions may be found more often in developing countries, making the soil liners a particularly appropriate means of waste containment. In contrast, synthetic liners require a manufacturing process, the materials for flexible liners perhaps are to be imported, and the design (selection of the appropriate plastic compatible with the waste in the environment) and installation involve relatively higher technological aspects.
Transition Metal-lsocyanide Complexes

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the field of transition-metal complexes of isocyanides developed slowly over more than a century to a respectable subarea in coordination chemistry and which, in the process, seems to have attracted very little attention. The valence-bond pictures for an isocyanide and carbon monoxide and for metal complexes of these ligands emphasize the similarities of both the ligands and their complexes. The insertion of a carbonyl group into a metal–alkyl or metal–aryl bond and the reverse reaction involving decarbonylation of an acyl complex have been studied from both the synthetic and mechanistic points of view. The reactions of nucleophilic reagents with cationic and uncharged metal carbonyl complexes have received much attention in the past, and it is not surprising that these studies have now been extended to isocyanide metal complexes. Perhaps the greatest excitement in the field of metal isocyanide complex chemistry has been generated by the observation that a variety of protonic substances (alcohols, thiols, amines, and hydrazine) add to the coordinated isocyanide ligand. A number of chemists have been interested in the chemistry of cobinamine and cobaloxime complexes of several ligands, including isocyanides.
Conversion of 2,3-butanediol to butenes over bifunctional catalysts in a single reactor

Abstract In this study, Cu/ZSM-5 catalysts were used to catalyze the hydrodeoxygenation of 2,3-butanediol to butenes in a single reactor in the presence of hydrogen. The carbon selectivity of butenes increased with increasing SiO2/Al2O3 ratio (lowering acidity of zeolite) and H2/2,3-butanediol ratio. Cu/ZSM-5 with a SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of 280 showed the best activity toward the production of butenes; however, Cu/ZSM-5 with SiO2/Al2O3 of 23 was favorable for the dehydrogenation reaction of 2,3-butanediol even in the excess of hydrogen. On zeolite ZSM-5(280), the carbon selectivity of butenes increased with increasing copper loading and 19.2 wt% of CuO showed the highest selectivity of butenes (maximum 71%). The optimal reaction temperature is around 250 °C. Experiments demonstrated that methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and 2-methylpropanal are the intermediates in the conversion of 2,3-butanediol to butenes. The optimal performance toward the production of butene is the result of a balance between copper and acid catalytic functions.
Media and Attitudes: A Bibliography--Part 2.

A continuation of the bibliography published in the Fall 1979 issue of ECU, this article presents an annotated bibliography of 73 reports of research on the impact of instructional media on attitude formation and change. The author also shares some general observations about the findings, including procedures most likely and least likely to produce the desired attitudinal outcomes.
Fat Acceptance TV?: Rethinking Reality Television With TLC’s Big Sexy and the Carnivalesque

Big Sexy (2011), a television mini-series on TLC, tells the story of five “larger than life” Manhattan women working in the fashion industry. In comparison to dozens of reality television programs that emphasize weight-loss, Big Sexy critiques the idea that all fat individuals need to lose weight, or should even want to lose weight in the first place. This resistant message of fat acceptance exists in a carnivalesque televisual space, creating a site for the interplay of competing, yet increasingly co-present discourses of the body despite the dominance of “obesity epidemic” rhetoric. Ultimately, Big Sexy necessitates a different theoretical lens than the one often applied to reality television, namely neoliberalism in relation to governmentality, shame, and self-discipline, in order to make sense of its uniqueness within this continually expanding genre.
Should Cruise Ports Market Ecotourism? A Comparative Analysis of Passenger Spending Expectations within the Panama Canal Watershed

This study examined the expected spending patterns of cruise ship passengers as they debarked ships at ports within the Panama Canal Watershed. Results suggest that targeting marketing efforts toward ecotourism opportunities may increase long-term ecological and economic benefits to port communities and local businesses. Most respondents were interested in ecotourism-related activities in the Panama Canal Zone and nearby coastal areas. Furthermore, the ecotourism-related market segments expected to spend significantly more money in port than conventional tourists. The growing ecotourism market represents an important opportunity for the cruise industry to partner with local ecotourism operators, enhancing profitability while simultaneously supporting sustainable development. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An educational symposium for patients with sickle cell disease and their families: results from surveys of knowledge and factors influencing decisions about hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Background The only available cure for sickle cell disease (SCD) is hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). One important barrier to HSCT in SCD is lack of patient and family knowledge. Procedure To improve awareness of HSCT as a curative option for SCD, we hosted half-day educational symposia in 2011 and 2012. Symposia included didactic lectures by HSCT experts, small group sessions, and question and answer sessions with SCD patients and their families who had undergone HSCT. In 2011, we distributed anonymous pre- and post-symposium knowledge tests to determine how much attendees had learned about transplant. In 2012, we asked attendees to rate the importance of various medical and psychosocial factors in the decision to pursue HSCT. Results Results from 2011 showed that knowledge about HSCT increased significantly after the symposium. Concern about the risk of transplant decreased slightly, but not significantly, following the symposium, and the majority of attendees expressed a desire to speak with physicians further about HSCT. In 2012, families reported that risk of death, prevention of SCD complications, and risk of serious complications were the most important considerations for their decisions about HSCT. Conclusions A half-day symposium for SCD patients and their families can increase knowledge about HSCT. Education about risks and benefits of HSCT is key, as families consider these medical factors to be most important to their decision to pursue transplant. Our symposia can be replicated across the country to increase knowledge about HSCT for SCD and impact the number of patients who pursue HSCT. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2013;60:1946–1951. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
AN INTRODUCTION TO PARAMETER ESTIMATION USING BAYESIAN PROBABILITY THEORY

Bayesian probability theory does not define a probability as a frequency of occurrence; rather it defines it as a reasonable degree of belief. Because it does not define a probability as a frequency of occurrence, it is possible to assign probabilities to propositions such as “The probability that the frequency had value ω when the data were taken,” or “The probability that hypothesis x is a better description of the data than hypothesis y.” Problems of the first type are parameter estimation problems, they implicitly assume the correct model. Problems of the second type are more general, they are model selections problems and do not assume the model. Both types of problems are straight forward applications of the rules of Bayesian probability theory. This paper is a tutorial on parameter estimation. The basic rules for manipulating and assigning probabilities are given and an example, the estimation of a single stationary sinusoidal frequency, is worked in detail. This example is sufficiently complex as to illustrate all of the points of principle that must be faced in more realistic problems, yet sufficiently simple that anyone with a background in calculus can follow it. Additionally, the model selection problem is discussed and it is shown that parameter estimation calculation is essentially the first step in the more general model selection calculation.