cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design of Energetic Ionic Liquids

An essential need of the US Air Force is the discovery, development, and fielding of new, energetic materials for advanced chemical propulsion in space and missile applications. Some of the key factors driving the requirement for new chemical propellants include: (a) improved performance in terms of increased specific impulse and density, (b) reduced sensitivity to external stimuli such as impact, friction, shock, and electrostatic discharge, and (c) mitigation of environmental and toxicological hazards (and the resulting costs) associated with currently used propellants. A class of compounds which can potentially meet these requirements is known as ionic Liquids (ILs), which are chemical salts with unusually low melting points. The physical and chemical properties of ILs render them useful for many purposes, most notably as environmentally benign (ldquogreenrdquo) solvents/reaction media but also as catalysts, electrolytes, etc. From a Department of Defense (DoD) perspective, ILs are being explored as new propellants, explosives, and munitions. The Air Force, in particular, is interested in ILs as potential replacements for currently used monopropellants such as hydrazine - which is carcinogenic, highly toxic, and has relatively modest performance characteristics. In contrast, many ILs have superior densities and specific impulses as well as significantly reduced sensitivity and toxicity characteristics. Furthermore, their properties can be carefully tuned via the choice of the component ions. The overall objective of the Design of Energetic Ionic Liquids challenge project is to address several key technical issues and challenges associated with the characterization, design, and development of ILs as new monopropellants. Among these, for example, are a fundamental understanding of the (in)stability of ILs, the intrinsic nature of the short- and long-range structure and interactions between the component ions, and identification of the key steps in the initial stages of decomposition and combustion. A hierarchy of computational approaches is employed, including atomistic, high-level quantum chemical methods applied to individual ions and ion clusters, condensed phase atomistic molecular dynamics simulations utilizing polarizable force fields, and mesoscale-level simulations of bulk ionic liquids based upon multiscale coarse graining techniques.
Reducing Self-Objectification: Are Dissonance-Based Methods a Possible Approach?

Background: Previous research has documented that self-objectification is associated with numerous negative outcomes including body shame, eating disorder (ED) pathology, and negative affect. This exploratory open study investigated whether or not an evidence-based body image improvement program that targets thin-ideal internalization in university women also reduces self-objectification. A second aim of the study was to determine if previous findings showing that body shame mediated the relationship between self-objectification and eating disorder pathology at a single time point (consistent with self-objectification theory) but did not mediate longitudinally (inconsistent with self-objectification theory) would be replicated in a new sample under novel conditions. Methods: Ninety-six university women completed a peer-led dissonance-based intervention, along with assessment measures at pre-, post-intervention, 8-week and 8-month follow-up. To address the open trial nature of this study, a planned manipulation check was included to make sure that peer-led dissonance decreased thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, eating disorder pathology, and negative affect with effect sizes being similar to past randomized controlled trials. We hypothesized that all three subscales of the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (i.e., self-surveillance, body shame, and appearance control beliefs) would be reduced. In addition, we hypothesized that body shame would mediate the relationship between self-objectification (i.e., self-surveillance) and eating disorder pathology at a both at a single time point and longitudinally. Results: The planned manipulation check supported the interpretation that peer-led dissonance in this study largely yielded comparable changes to past controlled trials. In terms of changes in dependent variables, results supported all hypotheses with the exception of body shame, which remained unchanged. With regards to the mediation analyses, our first (cross-sectional) hypothesis but not our second (longitudinal) was supported. Conclusions: Findings provide preliminary support for the use of dissonance interventions in reducing self-surveillance and body control beliefs. Results for body shame and the mediation analyses suggest that greater scrutiny of the body shame construct is warranted.
Current nutraceuticals in the management of osteoarthritis: a review:

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive degenerative joint disease that has a major impact on joint function and quality of life. Nutraceuticals and dietary supplements derived from herbs have long been used in traditional medicine and there is considerable evidence that nutraceuticals may play an important role in inflammation and joint destruction in OA. We review the biological effects of some medicinal fruits and herbs – pomegranate, green tea, cat’s claw, devil’s claw, ginger, Indian olibaum, turmeric and ananas – in an attempt to understand the pivotal molecular targets involved in inflammation and the joint destruction process and to summarize their toxicities and efficacy for OA management. So far there is insufficient reliable evidence on the effectiveness of ginger, turmeric and ananas. Pomegranate and green tea only have preclinical evidence of efficacy due to the lack of clinical data. In vivo and clinical studies are required to understand their targets and efficacy in OA. Limited in vitro and in vivo evidence is available for cat’s claw and Indian olibaum. More extensive studies are required before long-term controlled trials of whole cat’s claw and Indian olibaum extracts, or isolated active compounds, are carried out in patients with OA to determine their long-term efficacy and safety. Devil’s claw has not been rigorously tested to determine its antiarthritic potential in in vitro and in vivo models. There is strong clinical evidence of the effectiveness of devil’s claw in pain reduction. However, high-quality clinical trials are needed to determine its effectiveness. No serious side effects have been reported for any fruits and herbs. Overall, these studies identify and support the use of nutraceuticals to provide symptomatic relief to patients with OA and to be used as adjunct therapy for OA management. More high-quality trials are needed to provide definitive answers to questions related to their efficacy and safety for OA prevention and/or treatment.
New model describes toppling of salt marsh banks

Salt marshes are coastal habitats that store important nutrients and serve as shelter for many estuarial species. These habitats are threatened by rising seas and human expansion, so it has become increasingly important to improve models of how these habitats degrade.
The current distribution along a short dipole antenna in magnetized plasma via a finite difference time domain model

These variations from non standard current distributions may help explain why experimental data never exactly matches the theoretical models of RF plasma probes for any operating frequency near or below the natural plasma resonances. In fact if the PF-FDTD is correct, the non constant phase distribution delays the parallel resonance condition and down shifts the zero phase point below the frequency at which the dip in magnitude is seen. This has large ramifications as it has always been assumed that these two points directly correlate, as in traditional electrical circuits. This offsets in the apparent parallel resonance, from the upper hybrid, yields a false plasma density measurement for non calibrated RF plasma probes. Unfortunately to date no RF probe has had this offset factored into its measurements.
Mind-Mending and Theory Building: Lesbian Feminism and the Psychology Question

The debate over psychology is one that divides the lesbian feminist community. In spite-or perhaps because-of widespread lesbian participation in therapies and recovery programs of all varieties, many prominent lesbian feminists reject the practice of psychotherapy for lesbians and criticize potential uses of psychological and psychoanalytic theory by lesbians. But the lesbian feminist critique of psychology is theoretically questionable because it does not differentiate between therapeutic practice and theoretical production. This article addresses the need to disentangle critiques of therapy from critiques of psychoanalytic theory. It is argued that psychoanalytic theory can be useful to lesbian feminist ethical and political theory.
Decisions to reduce greenhouse gases from agriculture and product transport: LCA case study of organic and conventional wheat

A streamlined hybrid life cycle assessment is conducted to compare the global warming potential (GWP) and primary energy use of conventional and organic wheat production and delivery in the US. Impact differences from agricultural inputs, grain farming, and transport processes are estimated. The GWP of a 1 kg loaf of organic wheat bread is about 30 g CO2-eq less than the conventional loaf. When organic wheat is shipped 420 km farther to market, organic and conventional wheat systems have similar impacts. These results can change dramatically depending on soil carbon accumulation and nitrous oxide emissions from the two systems. Key parameters and their variability are discussed to provide producers, wholesale and retail consumers, and policymakers metrics to align their decisions with low-carbon objectives.
Results from a mathematical model for human monocytic ehrlichiosis

Human monocytic ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia chaffeensis), HME, is a tick-transmitted, rickettsial disease that has recently increased substantially in the USA from 142 reported cases in 2001 to 506 reported cases in 2005 [1,2]. There have been increasing surveys of tick populations over the past 10 years that have in turn supported the development of models for tick-borne disease transmission. Resulting HME models [3] suggest the importance of metapopulation structures, landscape environment parameters and periodic climatic effects in predicting the dynamics of HME transmission and the efficacy of control efforts, such as the reduction of the tick population through acaricide use. On this note, we describe a spatially-explicit model for HME
Sustainability: Educating informally

Teaching sustainability fosters civic responsibility and develops informed citizens who are responsible to their professions, communities, posterity and the world. A new course focuses on practical applications that utilize and implement existing research and products into the delivery of engineering services. Students are trained to informally educate other others in order to promote sustainability.
The Swi/Snf Complex Is Important for Histone Eviction during Transcriptional Activation and RNA Polymerase II Elongation In Vivo

The Swi/Snf nucleosome-remodeling complex is recruited by DNA-binding activator proteins, whereupon it alters chromatin structure to increase preinitiation complex formation and transcription. At the SUC2 promoter, the Swi/Snf complex is required for histone eviction in a manner that is independent of transcriptional activity. Swi/Snf travels through coding regions with elongating RNA polymerase (Pol) II, and swi2 mutants exhibit sensitivity to drugs affecting Pol elongation. In FACT-depleted cells, Swi/Snf is important for internal initiation within coding regions, suggesting that Swi/Snf is important for histone eviction that occurs during Pol II elongation. Taken together, these observations suggest that Swi/Snf is important for histone eviction at enhancers and that it also functions as a Pol II elongation factor.
Facts and fictions: Characters seeking abortion on American television, 2005-2014.

Abstract Objectives We aim to describe how women who seek abortions are portrayed on television, recognizing that onscreen fictional stories can shape the public's beliefs. Study design Drawing on a comprehensive online search, we identified all fictional representations of abortion decision making on U.S. television from 2005 through 2014. Characters who considered abortion in these plotlines were quantitatively content coded for their demographic details and reasons for abortion, with 95% intercoder reliability. Results Seventy-eight plotlines were identified, including 40 plotlines (51%) wherein a character obtained an abortion. Characters who considered abortion were mostly white, young, in committed relationships and not parenting. Comparing all abortion-considering characters to the subset of abortion-obtaining characters, the higher rates of abortion were found for characters who were white, of lower socioeconomic status and not in committed relationships. Compared to statistics on real women, characters who obtained abortions were disproportionately white, young, wealthy and not parenting. Compared to reports on real women's reasons for abortion, immaturity or interference with future opportunities was overrepresented; financial hardship or pregnancy mistiming was underrepresented. Conclusions Taken in aggregate, televised abortion stories misrepresent the demographics of women obtaining abortion and their reasons for doing so, overrepresenting younger white women and underrepresenting women of color, poor women and mothers. Overrepresented reasons were more often self-focused rather than other-focused, contributing to a perception that abortion is a want rather than a need. Findings hint at the politics of onscreen abortions, suggesting that it is easier to portray with peripheral characters and among some demographics (e.g., teens). Implications Onscreen representations may influence public understandings, contributing to the production of abortion stigma and judgments about appropriate restrictions on abortion care. Understanding the particular shape of inaccuracies around abortion portrayals can enable advocates and healthcare practitioners to identify and respond to popular misperceptions.
Limiting the SEC's Role in Bankruptcy

SEC involvement in corporate bankruptcy cases reveals weaknesses in the bankruptcy system and also raises concerns about the use of SEC resources. If the bankruptcy system is functioning properly as designed, and if the SEC is devoting its resources to the most pressing problems confronting the securities markets, then SEC involvement in corporate bankruptcies should be negligible. Instead, we see the SEC participating in many aspects of major corporate bankruptcy filings and assuming an oversight role over not just the corporate debtor, but also the bankruptcy courts and the independent United States Trustee, a branch of the Department of Justice. This officious participation in a fully functioning federal system designed to resolve financial failures in a manner consistent with important public policies is an inefficient use of federal resources and may undermine bankruptcy policies and priorities.
Lunar Magnetism in the Grand Scheme of Lunar History

A key result from the Apollo program was an acceptable model for the origin of the moon, in the form of a collision with Earth of a Mars size impacter. The moon then forms from the material remaining in orbit around thy earth. This model cast some doubt about the presence in the moon of enough iron for the core needed for a lunar dynamo, but it does permit a small core. Recently, a core of about 300 km has been “seen” by two groups of seismologists. Moreover, there is a solid inner core surrounded by a fluid outer core similar to Earth, but on a much smaller scale. Questions remain concerning the energy source to maintain a dynamo for nearly a billion years in so small a core.
Combining Chemical Information Literacy, Communication Skills, Career Preparation, Ethics, and Peer Review in a Team-Taught Chemistry Course

The widely acknowledged need to include chemical information competencies and communication skills in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum can be accommodated in a variety of ways. We describe a team-taught, semester-length course at Wright State University which combines chemical information literacy, written and oral communication skills, professional ethics, and career preparation. The chemical literature instruction includes evaluation of sources, practice with scientific databases, and an introduction to reference management. Written communication skills are addressed in a term paper assignment which includes a peer review exercise to provide students with exposure to an author’s and a reviewer’s perspective. Students’ oral communication skills are honed through training in presentation techniques and the completion of several speaking assignments. Resume-writing, professional ethics discussions, and presentations by alumni who are employed in a variety of chemistry-related positions contribute to ...
Fairness and Farmland Preservation: A Response to Professor Richardson

In a recent article published in this Journal, Professor Jesse Richardson attempted to refute the arguments proposed by myself and others that support the fairness of downzoning land without compensation to property owners. Central to most farmland preservation efforts is agricultural zoning, which typically involves downzoning farmland to agricultural use, precluding more inten-sive development. Finally, Part IV will briefly comment on the role compensatory programs like PDRs and TDRs should play in effective farmland preservation programs. This is true even if downzoning results in substantial diminution of land values, which means that local governments can pursue farmland preservation by putting the cost of regulation on affected landowners. In-deed, in a perfect world, I would make generous use of both PDRs and TDRs to help mitigate the sometimes harsh effects of downzoning farmland. Thus, although PDRs and TDRs both have a role to play in a comprehensive farmland system, most efforts at farmland preservation must rely heavily on agricultural zoning, without compensation, to succeed. Contrary to the impression created by Professor Richardson, I am not opposed to compensatory farmland preservation programs such as PDRs and TDRs. He emphasized the individual status of the landowner in relation to the single restriction in question.
A Semiring in the Spectrum of the Algebra of Symmetric Analytic Functions in the Space ℓ1

We consider a semiring of numerical sequences in the spectrum of the algebra of symmetric analytic functions in the space l1 and study the problem of continuity of complex homomorphisms of this semiring and the problem of extension of homomorphisms to the corresponding ring.
Transposon Tagging of a Male-Sterility, Female-Sterility Gene, St8, Revealed that the Meiotic MER3 DNA Helicase Activity Is Essential for Fertility in Soybean

The W4 locus in soybean encodes a dihydroflavonol-4-reductase (DFR2) that regulates pigmentation patterns in flowers and hypocotyl. The mutable w4-m allele that governs variegated flowers has arisen through insertion of a CACTA-type transposable element, Tgm9, in DFR2. In the w4-m line, reversion from variegated to purple flower indicates excision of Tgm9, and its insertion at a new locus. Previously, we have identified a male-sterile, female-sterile mutant among the selfed progenies of a revertant plant carrying only purple flowers. Co-segregation between Tgm9 and the sterility phenotype suggested that the mutant was generated by insertion of Tgm9 at the St8 locus. The transposon was localized to exon 10 of Glyma.16G072300 that shows high identity to the MER3 DNA helicase involved in crossing over. Molecular analysis of fertile branches from two independent revertant plants confirmed precise excision of Tgm9 from the st8 allele, which restored fertility. In soybean, the gene is expressed in flower-buds, trifoliate leaves and stem. Phylogenetic analysis placed St8 in a clade with the Arabidopsis and rice MER3 suggesting that St8 is most likely the orthologous MER3 soybean gene. This study established the utility of Tgm9 in gene identification as well as in forward and reverse genetics studies.
Asymmetric variation of Ghyben-Herzberg lens.

An asymmetric freshwater lens is shown to exist in a long narrow coastal barrier beach bounded on one side by a salt water lagoon and on the other by the ocean. Field measurements of ground-water specific conductance and water table elevations show the lens to average approximately 17 ft (5 m) in maximum thickness and to be thicker on the side toward the lagoon. The asymmetry is apparently due to an effective mean sea level higher than actual mean sea level on the ocean side which occurs because of tide and wave action on a sloping ocean beach. An approximate analytical model enabling calculation of the asymmetric lens is described which utilizes the Ghyben-Herzberg relation with Dupuit assumptions, and input parameters of permeability, recharge, landmass width, freshwater and seawater densities, and effective lagoon/ocean level difference.
Defects and Interfaces in GaAs Grown on Si

The characterization of semiconductor epilayers by electron microscopy has revealed many different defects in the epilayer. Observations on three representative examples from GaAs epilayers grown on Si are presented. Double-ribbons, which are formed as a result of dislocation interactions near the heterojunction, have been used to determine the intrinsic and extrinsic stacking-fault energies in GaAs. Inverted stacking-fault pyramids have been observed which have nucleated in the epilayer and grown outward to the surface. Finally, differences in the growth rates of different twins are recorded by using AlGaAs layers to preserve the growth surface at various stages during epilayer growth.
Ethnic NewsWatch and GenderWatch

The author offers an overview of Ethnic NewsWatch and GenderWatch, two full-text databases covering ethnic and gender issues. These two databases effectively bridge the information gap between main...
CHALLENGES OF PARADIGM BUILDING FOR SOLID-STATE TRANSFORMATIONS

Our field, solid-solid phase transformations, grew out of ancient crafts with their own paradigms. The creation of new paradigms has been a slow process with many false starts. Much remains to be done. An examination of the successes and failures of the past should give us a better understanding of where we are and why it has taken so long.
Clarify Technical Thought of Chuang-tzu

It summarized five misunderstandings on ideological trend by criticizing and supporting technical thought of Zhuangzi.It clarified that technical thought of Zhuangzi must be on the basis of philosophical system of Zhuangzi,the social and cultural background at that time.It advanced that we must clarify technical thought of Zhuangzi at the transcendent and the immanent level,technology of Dao is approval from Zhuangzi,conversely,it's the opposite conclusion.
On Strengthening the Legal Action Education of College Students

To realize the goal of fostering new type talents, universities must enforce education of legal action for college students. The changeability and sociality of the legal action is the key of theoretical basis of legal act education, various kinds of education should be applied to educate the college students legal action.
Preparing and closing the burn wound.

Several methods for eschar removal, debridement, temporary wound closure, and wound resurfacing are presented. Techniques utilized at the Burn and Trauma Unit of the Bernalillo County Medical Center and the University of New Mexico School of Medicine are described in detail.
Considering gender in digital games: implications for serious game designs in the learning sciences

This paper reviews the research literature on gender and gaming in light of the growing interest in digital games for learning. It outlines three different approaches that have been developed to address gender issues in digital games: 'games for girls' that build on gender differences by promoting different notions of femininity, 'games for change' that support gender play by challenging stereotypes, and 'games as designs' that position girls as creators of their own learning environments. The paper then discusses implications for design methods, choices of game genres and features, research in learning environments, and approaches to data analyses for learning science researchers interested in designing and using games for learning.
Metastatic renal cell carcinoma imaging evaluation in the era of anti-angiogenic therapies.

During the last decade, the arsenal of anti-angiogenic (AAG) agents used to treat metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has grown and revolutionized the treatment of metastatic RCC, leading to improved overall survival compared to conventional chemotherapy and traditional immunotherapy agents. AAG agents include inhibitors of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor signaling pathways and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors. Both of these classes of targeted agents are considered cytostatic rather than cytotoxic, inducing tumor stabilization rather than marked tumor shrinkage. As a result, decreases in tumor size alone are often minimal and/or occur late in the course of successful AAG therapy, while tumor devascularization is a distinct feature of AAG therapy. In successful AAG therapy, tumor devascularization manifests on computed tomography images as a composite of a decrease in tumor size, a decrease in tumor attenuation, and the development of tumor necrosis. In this article, we review Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST)—the current standard of care for tumor treatment response assessment which is based merely on changes in tumor length—and its assessment of metastatic RCC tumor response in the era of AAG therapies. We then review the features of an ideal tumor imaging biomarker for predicting metastatic RCC response to a particular AAG agent and serving as a longitudinal tumor response assessment tool. Finally, a discussion of the more recently proposed imaging response criteria and new imaging trends in metastatic RCC response assessment will be reviewed.
6 Recovering Negativity

Sorensen argues that Paredes’s scholarly work on the corrido tradition has led most critics to pass over his fictional critique of corrido culture in George Washington Gomez. Sorensen shows that Paredes’s scholarship presents a version of the corrido hero as a model for the kind of cultural resistance that is missing from the world of Paredes’s novel and argues that this contradiction challenges existing narratives of Chicana/o literary history and recovered versions of Paredes. Building on his model of fragmentary recovery, Sorensen suggests that the Paredes who wrote George Washington Gomez should not be conflated with Paredes the scholar. This approach leads Sorensen to analyze minor characters in the novel and compare them with figures in another recovered text, Jovita Gonzalez and Eve Raliegh’s Caballero.
Resistance exercise increases intramuscular NF-κb signaling in untrained males.

The NF-κB signaling pathway regulates multiple cellular processes following exercise stress. This study aims to examine the effects of an acute lower-body resistance exercise protocol and subsequent recovery on intramuscular NF-κB signaling. Twenty-eight untrained males were assigned to either a control (CON; n = 11) or exercise group (EX; n = 17) and completed a lower-body resistance exercise protocol consisting of the back squat, leg press, and leg extension exercises. Skeletal muscle microbiopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis pre-exercise (PRE), 1-hour (1H), 5-hours (5H), and 48-hours (48H) post-resistance exercise. Multiplex signaling assay kits (EMD Millipore, Billerica, MA, USA) were used to quantify the total protein (TNFR1, c-Myc) or phosphorylation status of proteins belonging to the NF-κB signaling pathway (IKKa/b, IkBα, NF-κB) using multiplex protein assay. Repeated measures ANOVA analysis was used to determine the effects of the exercise bout on intramuscular signaling at each time point. Additionally, change scores were analyzed by magnitude based inferences to determine a mechanistic interpretation. Repeated measures ANOVA indicated a trend for a two-way interaction between the EX and CON Group (p = 0.064) for c-Myc post resistance exercise. Magnitude based inference analysis suggest a “Very Likely” increase in total c-Myc from PRE-5H and a “Likely” increase in IkBα phosphorylation from PRE-5H post-resistance exercise. Results indicated that c-Myc transcription factor is elevated following acute intense resistance exercise in untrained males. Future studies should examine the role that post-resistance exercise NF-κβ signaling plays in c-Myc induction, ribosome biogenesis and skeletal muscle regeneration.
Wellbore modeling for hybrid steam-solvent processes

Abstract The addition of hydrocarbon solvents to the cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) or steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) processes has recently gained significant interest from the petroleum industry. In these processes, a proper selection of solvent is critical: injected solvent must be in the vapor phase at the injection point in order to propagate inside the steam chamber and condense at the steam/oil interface to effectively reduce oil viscosity. Therefore, the wellbore have to deliver vaporized solvent near its dew point at perforation intervals. This work provides a detailed numerical formulation to predict steam and solvent qualities, temperature, and pressure profiles along the wellbore. Four phases were considered: hydrocarbon liquid and vapor phases, and aqueous liquid and vapor phases. The mass, energy and momentum balance equations are integrated with drift-flux model and discretized over the wellbore domain. Unknowns and governing equations are divided into the sets of primary and secondary equation and unknowns are solved sequentially. The model was compared against previously published models and field data. The data from two steam injection wells and two gas condensate production wells were used for validation. Also, case studies are presented to investigate the temperature and condensation behavior of the solvent-steam mixture. The use of this model will assist the industry in proper wellbore design and the engineering of injection constraints in hybrid steam/solvent injection processes.
Building an Effective Climate Regime While Avoiding Carbon and Energy Stalemate

The world needs a new approach to achieving international progress on climate change. Despite prodigious diplomatic efforts over two decades aimed at limiting emissions of climate change pollutants, relatively little in the way of effective global governance has been achieved. In Part 1, I argue that this is due to a narrow legal, economic, and political focus on the hardest part of the climate change problem – energy related carbon dioxide emissions. Part 2 explains key scientific developments over the past two decades and how these have reshaped the scientific view of human impacts on climate. Studies aimed at resolving the remaining uncertainties in climate projections have resulted in a dramatically improved understanding of the importance of short-lived climate pollutants in causing current and medium-term climate change. In Part 3, I argue that such a shift in focus to short-lived climate pollutants could produce more effective outcomes. In Part 4, I provide an account of how short-lived climate pollutants might form a path toward more comprehensive international greenhouse gas limits in the future. In the long run, a multilateral agreement limiting energy related carbon emissions is essential to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. But simply repeating the failed strategies of the last twenty years is unlikely to accomplish that end. This article aims to provide a plausible path forward to deep cooperation that is consistent with current scientific knowledge, technical ability, and international law and relations theory.
Neural Underpinnings of Website Legitimacy and Familiarity Detection: An fNIRS Study

In this paper, we study the neural underpinnings relevant to user-centered web security through the lens of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Specifically, we design and conduct an fNIRS study to pursue a thorough investigation of users' processing of legitimate vs. illegitimate and familiar vs. unfamiliar websites. We pinpoint the neural activity in these tasks as well as the brain areas that control such activity. We show that, at the neurological level, users process the legitimate websites differently from the illegitimate websites when subject to phishing attacks. Similarly, we show that users exhibit marked differences in the way their brains process the previously familiar websites from unfamiliar websites. These findings have several defensive and offensive implications. In particular, we discuss how these differences may be used by the system designers in the future to differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate websites automatically based on neural signals. Similarly, we discuss the potential for future malicious attackers, with access to neural signals, in compromising the privacy of users by detecting whether a website is previously familiar or unfamiliar to the user. Compared to prior research, our novelty lies in several aspects. First, we employ a neuroimaging methodology (fNIRS) not tapped into by prior security research for the problem domain we are studying. Second, we provide a focused study design and comprehensive investigation of the neural processing underlying the specific tasks of legitimate vs. illegitimate and familiar vs. unfamiliar websites. Third, we use an experimental set-up much more amenable to real-world settings, compared to previous fMRI studies. Beyond these scientific innovations, our work also serves to corroborate and extend several of the findings of the prior literature with independent methodologies, tools, and settings.
Optimization of the electron beam properties from intense laser pulses interacting with structured gas jets

Laser plasma acceleration has been intensely investigated for its ability to produce energetic, ultrashort electron bunches in a compact distance. A high intensity laser pulse propagating through a plasma expels the electrons from the optical axis via the ponderomotive force, leaving behind a column of ions and driving a density wake. The accelerating electric fields present in the wake can reach several orders of magnitude greater than those found in radio-frequency cavities, allowing for compact systems much smaller than those using conventional accelerators. This compact source can provide electrons for various applications including stages for a high energy collider or for production of x-ray pulses from coherent undulator radiation. However, these applications require tunable, stable and high-quality electron beams. We report on a study of controlled injection along a shock-induced density downramp of laser-plasma- accelerated electrons through precision tailoring of the density profile produced from a mm-scale gas jet. Using BELLA Center’s TREX Ti:Sapphire laser, the effects of the plasma density profile and the tilt of the shock front on the beam spatial profile, steering, and energy were investigated experimentally. To explain these rela- tionships, we propose simple models which agree well with experimental results. Using this technique, electron beam quality was tailored, allowing for the production of high-quality electron beams with percent-level energy spreads over a range of energies.
On the number of star samples to find a vertex or edge with given degree in a graph

A (single) star sample of a large graph consists of a vertex, its neighbors, and the degrees of each neighbor. Estimators are derived for the expected number of star samples required to find any vertex with a given degree l, and to find any edge with given degrees {k, l}, when the star vertex is selected with replacement, independently and uniformly at random. A modified construction of the classic Erdős-Renyi (ER) graph is given, wherein a random number of edges are placed independently and uniformly at random on the set of vertices. Three results are given: i) although the modified ER graph is a multigraph, the fraction of multiple edges is exponentially small in the edge probability, ii) the random degrees under the classic ER and modified ER constructions have equal means and the variances have a ratio near one for small edge probability, and iii) the probability of a star sample containing a vertex with a target degree is approximately equal to a simple combinatorial quantity under the modified ER construction. This quantity is our primary approximation of the performance under star sampling, requiring knowledge only of certain natural summary statistics for the graph. Numerical results comparing the actual and approximate number of star samples required to find vertices and edges with target degrees are given for both synthetic ER graphs and for real-world graphs from the SNAP repository.
Prenatal Cocaine Exposure Impacts Language and Reading Into Late Adolescence: Behavioral and ERP Evidence.

ABSTRACTExtant research documents impaired language among children with prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) relative to nondrug exposed (NDE) children, suggesting that cocaine alters development of neurobiological systems that support language. The current study examines behavioral and neural (electrophysiological) indices of language function in older adolescents. Specifically, we compare performance of PCE (N = 59) and NDE (N = 51) adolescents on a battery of cognitive and linguistic assessments that tap word reading, reading comprehension, semantic and grammatical processing, and IQ. In addition, we examine event related potential (ERP) responses in in a subset of these children across three experimental tasks that examine word level phonological processing (rhyme priming), word level semantic processing (semantic priming), and sentence level semantic processing (semantic anomaly). Findings reveal deficits across a number of reading and language assessments, after controlling for socioeconomic status and e...
Decay data for the positron emission tomography imaging radionuclide 124I: A DDEP evaluation.

Abstract A new decay data evaluation for the positron emitting radionuclide 124I has been performed using the Decay Data Evaluation Project (DDEP) methodology. New recommended values for the half-life, γ-ray emission probabilities, β+ branching ratios, and other relevant nuclear and atomic data are provided. This paper provides a summary of the evaluation; the complete set of recommended data tables and detailed evaluator comments are available at the DDEP website.
When Institutions Collide: Hong Kong’s Contentious Path towards Board Independence

Institutions have a myriad of definitions in the management literature, which have resulted in varying typologies. In contrast, a new stream in political science has introduced a new conceptualizat...
Pathways to Medical Home Recognition: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of the PCMH Transformation Process.

OBJECTIVE To understand the process of practice transformation by identifying pathways for attaining patient-centered medical home (PCMH) recognition. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING The CMS Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Advanced Primary Care Practice Demonstration was designed to help FQHCs achieve NCQA Level 3 PCMH recognition and improve patient outcomes. We used a stratified random sample of 20 (out of 503) participating sites for this analysis. STUDY DESIGN We developed a conceptual model of structural, cultural, and implementation factors affecting PCMH transformation based on literature and initial qualitative interview themes. We then used conventional cross-case analysis, followed by qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), a cross-case method based on Boolean logic algorithms, to systematically identify pathways (i.e., combinations of factors) associated with attaining-or not attaining-Level 3 recognition. DATA COLLECTION METHODS Site-level indicators were derived from semistructured interviews with site leaders at two points in time (mid- and late-implementation) and administrative data collected prior to and during the demonstration period. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The QCA results identified five distinct pathways to attaining PCMH recognition and four distinct pathways to not attaining recognition by the end of the demonstration. Across these pathways, one condition (change leader capacity) was common to all pathways for attaining recognition, and another (previous improvement or recognition experience) was absent in all pathways for not attaining recognition. In general, sites could compensate for deficiencies in one factor with capacity in others, but they needed a threshold of strengths in cultural and implementation factors to attain PCMH recognition. CONCLUSIONS Future efforts at primary care transformation should take into account multiple pathways sites may pursue. Sites should be assessed on key cultural and implementation factors, in addition to structural components, in order to differentiate interventions and technical assistance.
Risk Factors for Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Colonization in Joint Arthroplasty Patients.

Abstract Background Several studies have shown that Staphylococcus aureus (S aureus) nasal colonization is associated with surgical site infection and that preoperative decolonization can reduce infection rates. Up to 30% of joint arthroplasty patients have positive S aureus nasal swabs. Patient risk factors for colonization remain largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a specific patient population at increased risk of S aureus nasal colonization. Methods This study is a retrospective review of 716 patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty beginning in 2011. All patients were screened preoperatively for nasal colonization. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess risk factors for nasal colonization. Results A total of 716 patients undergoing joint arthroplasty had preoperative nasal screening. One hundred twenty-five (17.50%) nasal swabs were positive for methicillin-susceptible S aureus (MSSA), 13 (1.80%) were positive for methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA), and 84 (11.70%) were positive for other organisms. In bivariate analysis, diabetes (P = .04), renal insufficiency (P = .03), and immunosuppression (P = .02) were predictors of nasal colonization with MSSA/MRSA. In multivariate analysis, immunosuppression (P = .04; odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-3.71) and renal insufficiency (P = .04; odds ratio, 2.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-6.18) were independent predictors of nasal colonization with MSSA/MRSA. Conclusion Overall, 17.5% of patients undergoing primary hip or knee arthroplasty screened positive for S aureus. Diabetes, renal insufficiency, and immunosuppression are risk factors for such colonization. Given that these comorbidities are already known independent risk factors for periprosthetic joint infection, these patients should be particularly screened and when necessary, decolonized.
Factors Affecting Primary Production

The rate of primary production of a parcel of a marine environment depends on light and on the chemical conditions provided by the physics of water masses. There is thus a complex coupling of physics, chemistry, and biology in marine environments. In this chapter we start in reductionist fashion by examining how light, nutrients, and temperature affect primary producers. We focus on two major variables—light and nutrients—and their role in determining primary production. Grazing and sinking, the other major factors affecting producers, are discussed in Chapters 5 and 10. We end this chapter with some examples of how the motion of water masses affects production in the ocean through its effect on availability of light, nutrients, and temperature.
Evolving Early Phase Trial Designs: A Regulatory Perspective

Abstract Drug development traditionally follows a sequential clinical trial paradigm to address specific objectives at each trial phase. Phase 1 clinical trials are designed to determine the metabolism and pharmacologic actions of the drug in humans, the side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, to gain early evidence on effectiveness—typically enrolling 20–80 patients. Recently, pharmaceutical firms have evaluated novel cancer drugs in first-in-human (FIH), “Phase 1” trials that contain multiple expansion cohorts with study objectives typical of Phase 2 trials. These new trial designs have enrolled over 1000 patients and do not fall within the framework of the “phases” described in FDA regulations. FIH, multiple expansion cohort trials may provide efficiencies in the drug development process, but also pose increased risks to patients, as well as challenges that must be addressed by drug developers, institutional review boards, and regulators.
"Tax Services" as a Trojan Horse in the Auditor Independence Provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley

This article argues that the failure of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOx) to prohibit auditors for public companies from also providing tax services to audit clients or their executives and selling tax shelters to anyone remains a Trojan horse that threatens both the investing public and the auditing profession. Although SOx enacted several reforms designed to enhance auditor independence, the legislation and implementing regulations that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) subsequently promulgated allow an auditor for a publicly traded company to provide tax services to the company as long as the audit committee preapproves the engagement. As the most vocal advocate in the legal academy for increased auditor independence, Professor Bernard Wolfman has repeatedly argued that a conflict of interest arises anytime an auditor offers significant tax advice to an audit client or promotes a tax shelter to anyone. Going beyond Professor Wolfman''s recommendations and in an effort to prevent further damage to the auditing profession's reputation, the public's confidence in the capital markets in this country, and the U.S. economy generally, this article argues that auditors for public companies should also not provide tax compliance services to audit clients or their executives. Accordingly, this article urges individual auditors, auditing firms, the accounting profession, audit committees, investors, and, if necessary, the newly created Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and the SEC, to take those actions necessary to preclude auditors for public companies from providing tax services to audit clients or their executives and from promoting tax shelters to anyone. While various tax services present potential conflicts of interest in differing degrees, drawing lines between different types of tax services, such as tax return preparation, tax consulting, and tax planning, presents very significant practical difficulties. Recognizing these practical difficulties, this article recommends a "bright line," best practice that would bar registered public accounting firms from rendering tax services to audit clients or their executives and promoting tax shelters to anyone. The article suggests that if an auditing firm embraces and advertises such a "total independence" policy, the firm may gain a competitive advantage in attracting new audit clients. Such an approach might even allow one or more non-Big Four accounting firms to compete favorably with the Big Four, reducing consolidation and increasing competition in the industry.
In the Business of Futurity: Indigenous Teacher Education & Settler Colonialism

In this article, the author analyzes two Indigenous teacher education students’ experiences at a private liberal arts college where they are participants of an Indigenous teacher education program....