cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Notes on Kaszabjbaloghia with the description of a new species from Ecuador (Acari: Mesostigmata: Uropodidae)

Kaszabjbaloghia Hirschmann, 1973, distributed in South-America, is characterized by the following combination of characters: reduced marginal shield, posteromarginal setae placed on membranous cuticle on the dorsal idiosoma, linguliform genital shield in females, oval or egg-like genital shield bearing one pair needle-like setae in males, and the characteristic shape of peritremes. In this contribution, I provide short redescriptions of the known species of Kaszabjbaloghia and describe a new species, K. ecuadorica sp. nov., from Ecuador. The new species is similar to K. kaszabi Hirschmann, 1973, but differs from the latter in the ornamentation of genital shield of the female and the number of sternal cavities. Additionally, we transfer K. hirschmanni Hiramatsu, 1978 to Hutufeideria Hirschmann & Hirmatsu, 1977 (as Hutufeideria hirschmanni (Hiramatsu, 1978) comb. nov.) on the basis of the following: setation of dorsal shield, ornamentation of caudal part of the dorsal shield, shape of hypostomal setae, shape of internal malae and setation of the palp. An identification key to the species of Kaszabjbaloghia is also provided. Original illustrations and scanning micrographs are provided for all species.
Gene expression reveals vulnerability to oxidative stress and interstitial fibrosis of renal outer medulla to nonhypertensive elevations of ANG II

The present study was designed to determine whether nonhypertensive elevations of plasma ANG II would modify the expression of genes involved in renal injury that could influence oxidative stress a...
Succession planning vs. agency theory: a test of Harris and Helfat's interpretation of plurality announcement market returns

In this note we respond to Harris and Helfat's (1998) reinterpretation of the results in Worrell, Nemec, and Davidson (1997). Harris and Helfat argued that the negative stock market response associated with plurality announcements could be the result of inadequate corporate succession planning rather than with the agency cost explanation. Our results, here, show that duality and plurality announcements do not hurt shareholder wealth as long as there is an heir apparent and, therefore, are more consistent with the succession planning explanation than with agency theory. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The age of extremes: Concentrated affluence and poverty in the twenty-first century

Urbanization, rising income inequality, and increasing class segregation have produced a geographic concentration of affluence and poverty throughout the world, creating a radical change in the geographic basis of human society. As the density of poverty rises in the environment of the world's poor, so will their exposure to crime, disease, violence, and family disruption. Meanwhile the spatial concentration of affluence will enhance the benefits and privileges of the rich. In the twenty-first century the advantages and disadvantages of one's class position will be compounded and re-inforced through ecological mechanisms made possible by the geographic concentration of affluence and poverty, creating a deeply divided and increasingly violent social world.
Growth factor-mediated angiogenesis in the malignant progression of glial tumors: A review

BACKGROUND We review the role of peptide growth factors in angiogenesis and progression of low grade glial tumors to higher grade glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). METHODS Vascular pathology is a key feature of glioblastoma multiforme characterized by hypervascularity, vascular permeability, and hypercoagulability. RESULTS Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) can mediate all of these effects, but by itself does not promote malignant growth. Epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) are implicated in the angiogenesis of a number of tumors including those of glial origin. CONCLUSIONS These growth factors are suggested to play a role in autocrine and/or paracrine mediated tumorogenesis of astrocytic tumors. VEGF secretion might be the product of induction by physiologic concentrations of other growth factors with VEGF being the common pathway of neovascularization and progression to GBM.
Pregnancy-associated breast cancers are driven by differences in adipose stromal cells present during lactation

Introduction The prognosis of breast cancer is strongly influenced by the developmental stage of the breast when the tumor is diagnosed. Pregnancy-associated breast cancers (PABCs), cancers diagnosed during pregnancy, lactation, or in the first postpartum year, are typically found at an advanced stage, are more aggressive and have a poorer prognosis. Although the systemic and microenvironmental changes that occur during post-partum involution have been best recognized for their role in the pathogenesis of PABCs, epidemiological data indicate that PABCs diagnosed during lactation have an overall poorer prognosis than those diagnosed during involution. Thus, the physiologic and/or biological events during lactation may have a significant and unrecognized role in the pathobiology of PABCs.
The influence of major sudden stratospheric warming and elevated stratopause events on the effects of energetic particle precipitation in WACCM

[1] We investigate the influence of major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) and elevated stratopause (ES) events in the Northern Hemisphere winter on the transport of NOx produced by energetic particle precipitation (EPP) from the mesosphere–lower thermosphere to the stratosphere using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM). Increases in NOx following a major SSW and/or ES event are in excess of 100% compared to winters when no major SSW or ES event occurred. The increase in NOx is attributed to an increase in the descending branch of the residual circulation (w¯∗) following the event. The timing of the event strongly affects the amount of NOx that descends to the stratosphere: the earlier the event occurs, the more NOx descends to the stratosphere. We also quantify the amount of NOx produced by EPP descending to the stratosphere in each winter and find that the largest increases in NOx are in years that have a major SSW followed by an ES event early in the season (December or early January). The strength of w¯∗ following an event shows a very strong seasonal dependence and explains why the timing of the event affects the transport of NOx.
Assembly of Productive T Cell Receptor δ Variable Region Genes Exhibits Allelic Inclusion

The generation of a productive “in-frame” T cell receptor β (TCR β), immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy (H) or Ig light (L) chain variable region gene can result in the cessation of rearrangement of the alternate allele, a process referred to as allelic exclusion. This process ensures that most αβ T cells express a single TCR β chain and most B cells express single IgH and IgL chains. Assembly of TCR α and TCR γ chain variable region genes exhibit allelic inclusion and αβ and γδ T cells can express two TCR α or TCR γ chains, respectively. However, it was not known whether assembly of TCR δ variable regions genes is regulated in the context of allelic exclusion. To address this issue, we have analyzed TCR δ rearrangements in a panel of mouse splenic γδ T cell hybridomas. We find that, similar to TCR α and γ variable region genes, assembly of TCR δ variable region genes exhibits properties of allelic inclusion. These findings are discussed in the context of γδ T cell development and regulation of rearrangement of TCR δ genes.
Estimating the clinical impact of bringing a multimarker cardiac panel to the bedside in the ED

Abstract Objectives We examined the use of point-of-care (POC) testing of cardiac biomarkers against standard core laboratory testing to determine the time-savings and estimate a cost-benefit ratio at our institution. Methods We prospectively enrolled 151 patients presenting to the emergency department undergoing evaluation for acute coronary syndrome and conducted both central laboratory troponin T (TnT) testing at baseline and 6 hours as well as POC assays of creatine kinase MB, troponin I (TnI), and myoglobin at baseline and 2 hours. Sensitivity/specificity was calculated to measure the ability of the POC-accelerated pathway to identify enzyme elevations at rates parallel to our core laboratory. The time-savings were calculated as the difference between the median of the current protocol and the accelerated POC pathway. Results Troponin T tests were elevated in 12 patients, which were all detected by the accelerated pathway yielding a relative sensitivity of 100%. Time-saving between the accelerated pathway and core laboratory showed a saving of 390 minutes (6.5 hours). The accelerated POC pathway would have benefited 60% (95% confidence interval [CI], 52%-68%) of our patients with an estimated cost of $7.40 (95% CI, $6.40-$8.70) per direct patient care hour saved. Conclusion Our data suggest that the use of an accelerated cardiac POC pathway could have dramatically impacted the care provided to a large percentage of our patients at a minimal cost per direct patient care hour saved.
Insect-induced biolectrochemical signals in potato plants

Abstract Action potentials and resting potentials were measured in potato plants ( Solanum tuberosum L.) under different physiological conditions. External stimuli (e.g. changing temperature, wounding or exposing plant leaves or soil to certain chemical compounds) cause an action potential to be generated and change the restingpotential from the original steady state level. The amplitude, polarity and the speed of action potential propagation depend onthe type of external stimuli or stress. The kinetics and amplitude of the resting potential also change depending on the nature of the external stimuli. For example, in the presence of leaf-feeding larvae of the Colorado potato beetle ( Leptinortsa decemlineata (Say); Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae), the speed at which insect-induced action potentials moved downward through the stem was about 0.05 cm s −1 . The action potentials propagated downwards from the damaged leaf along the stem. When the upper leaves of potato plants were sprayed with 0.3 ml of 1 mM aqueous solution of pentachlorophenol, the effect was almost identical to that induced by Colorado potato beetle. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of action potential generation in plants induced by insect damage or chemical injury.
High-salt diet depresses acetylcholine reactivity proximal to NOS activation in cerebral arteries.

Rats were fed a low-salt (LS; 0.4% NaCl) or high-salt (HS; 4.0% NaCl) diet for 3 days, and the responses of isolated cerebral arteries to acetylcholine (ACh), the nitric oxide (NO)-dependent dilato...
NetKAT: semantic foundations for networks

Recent years have seen growing interest in high-level languages for programming networks. But the design of these languages has been largely ad hoc, driven more by the needs of applications and the capabilities of network hardware than by foundational principles. The lack of a semantic foundation has left language designers with little guidance in determining how to incorporate new features, and programmers without a means to reason precisely about their code.This paper presents NetKAT, a new network programming language that is based on a solid mathematical foundation and comes equipped with a sound and complete equational theory. We describe the design of NetKAT, including primitives for filtering, modifying, and transmitting packets; union and sequential composition operators; and a Kleene star operator that iterates programs. We show that NetKAT is an instance of a canonical and well-studied mathematical structure called a Kleene algebra with tests (KAT) and prove that its equational theory is sound and complete with respect to its denotational semantics. Finally, we present practical applications of the equational theory including syntactic techniques for checking reachability, proving non-interference properties that ensure isolation between programs, and establishing the correctness of compilation algorithms.
Peritoneal endometriotic lesions differentially express a haptoglobin-like gene.

A unique glycoprotein, called endometriosis protein-I (ENDO-I), has previously been shown to be synthesized and secreted by rat and human endometriotic explants. Furthermore, the N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis showed that ENDO-I shares homology with haptoglobin. The present study was designed to determine this sequence of ENDO-I cDNA from human peritoneal endometriotic lesions and to determine the relative expression of the ENDO-I gene in several human tissues. Poly A-enriched RNA was isolated and reverse-transcribed. To determine the sequence of ENDO-I cDNA, a polymerase chain reaction was performed on cDNA from human endometriotic lesions and a gene-specific primer based on the human haptoglobin sequence. A similar procedure was followed to assess the relative expression of the ENDO-I gene in various tissues. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase was used as an internal control. ENDO-I gene expression was quantified by densitometry. Sequence analysis of ENDO-I cDNA identified 873 nucleotides that displayed 99.4% homology with the human haptoglobin b-chain. Relative expression of ENDO-I mRNA by peritoneal endometriotic lesions was 19-fold greater than peritoneum, 28-fold greater than endometrioma and 37-fold greater than eutopic endometrium (P , 0.01). Haptoglobin-like ENDO-I may be associated with localized angiogenesis and altered immune response involved with the aetiology/pathophysiology of endometriosis.
PARADIGMS BEHIND (AND BEFORE) THE MODERN CONCEPT OF RELIGION

This essay identifies five paradigms that are basic to understanding the historical emergence and uses of the generic idea of "religion" in the Christian cultures of Europe and America. The spread of this concept has been sufficiently thorough in recent centuries as to make religion appear to be a "social fact," to use Durkheim's phrase, rather than so many cultural expressions and different social practices. The supremacy of Euro-American culture -and an academy still saturated with Christian ideas--has enjoined other cultures and forms of religiosity to conform to this idea of religion; for these cultures contentment with the status quo can vie with the anxieties of influence, including "modernization." The key paradigms discussed are the following: Christianity as the prototype; religion as the opposite of reason; the modem formulation of "world religions"; the cultural necessity of religion; and critical analysis of the Western "construction" of religion. These paradigms demonstrate the limits on theoretical variety in the field, the difficulty in making real changes in set ways of thinking, and productive foci for interdisciplinary methods of study.
The importance of human–macaque folklore for conservation in Lore Lindu National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia

The emerging field of ethnoprimatology focuses on the conservation implications of ecological and cultural interconnections between humans and other primates. The ethnoprimatological research reported here examined how the Tonkean macaque Macaca tonkeana is situated in the folklore of villagers in Lore Lindu National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Data were collected using ethnographic interview techniques. The interviews revealed that villagers envision monkeys and humans as biologically, ecologically and culturally interrelated. The perceived cultural linkages between humans and macaques, however, are more salient among the indigenous To Lindu than among migrants. For many To Lindu the folklore has resulted in a taboo that prevents them harming the macaques, despite the species’ frequent crop-raiding behaviour. The conservation significance of the taboo is therefore the local protection it affords this endemic primate. This research lends support for the incorporation of informal institutions, such as taboos, in the conservation management of protected areas.
Teaching Psychological and Social Gerontology to Millennial Undergraduates

Matters of development and generation may create barriers in teaching millennial undergraduates psychological and social gerontology. We introduce strategy to mitigate these barriers by teaching psychological and social gerontology as undergraduate honors courses, augmented with the use of social networking tools. We detail honors programming, critical analysis of extant literature, ethnographic fieldwork to observe the “other” and build rapport, visual image analysis, and use of social networking tools to enhance intellectual and personal engagement. Reflection on our own modifications in course construction and pedagogy in analysis of four years of student evaluation feedback guides suggestions for replication.
Short Form-36 outcomes following focal 1- and 2-level cervical laminectomy with multilevel instrumented fusion

Abstract Background Multilevel laminectomy with instrumented fusion addresses diffuse dorsal cord compression with an adequately preserved cervical lordosis. However, for patients with only 1 to 2 laminar impingement, more “focal” laminectomy and fusion may suffice, the shortened laminectomy allowing for a more simple spinous process fusion skipping the 1 or 2 lamina that have been removed. Methods Fourteen patients presented with severe spastic myeloradiculopathy (Nurick grade IV) attributed to magnetic resonance imaging– and CT-documented 1- to 2-level laminar compression, stenosis, and ossification of the yellow ligament. Magnetic resonance images also revealed 1- to 2-level hyperintense signals within the cord at the levels of maximal compromise. Surgical procedures included 1- to 2-level laminectomies and average 6.4-level posterior fusions. Dynamic x-ray/CT studies, which were obtained 3, 6, and up to 12 months postoperatively, followed progression toward fusion. Outcomes were assessed using Nurick grades (0-V) and SF-36 questionnaires assessed preoperatively and up to 12 months postoperatively. Results Patients improved on all 8 SF-36 Health Scales within the first postoperative year. Maximal improvement was observed on 5 Health Scales within the first 6 postoperative months (physical function, mental health, vitality, general health, role physical). The preoperative average Nurick grade (3.8) improved postoperatively (0.7 at 6 months, 0.5 at 1 year). Dynamic x-ray and CT studies documented fusion for all 14 patients by the sixth postoperative month. Conclusions One- and two-level cervical laminectomies with multilevel-instrumented fusion effectively decompressed “focal” cord compression, whereas fusion maintained the cervical lordotic curvature and provided stability to avert future disease progression.
Time-Series Properties of Financial Series and Implications for Modeling:

This paper investigates the time-series properties of a wide range of corporate financial and accounting series. Unit root tests developed by Dickey and Fuller (1979) are applied to these series. The results support the hypothesis that most of these series contain both permanent (random walk) and transitory components. The results show that most financial series are dominated by a random walk component. However, for some series, such as net sales, net income, earnings per share, and returns on investments, there is a relatively significant stationary component, which suggests the presence of successful smoothing for these series. We show that smoothing may reduce volatility of financial series but it cannot produce a deterministic growth trend. Implications of nonstationarity for financial modeling are explored.
Closeness is enough for friends, but not mates or kin: mate and kinship premiums in India and U.S.

Abstract Close relationship researchers have proposed that the increased sharing, helping, and sacrifice among social partners of all kinds—friends, spouses, and biological kin—are mediated by the same internal indicator: the feeling of emotional closeness. However, recent work on "kinship premiums" in the U.S. and Europe show that emotional closeness is not sufficient to account for increased giving among genetic kin, suggesting that closeness may not be a sufficient proximate mechanism to account for giving in other evolutionarily important relationships. Using a hypothetical social discounting paradigm with a $75 reward, we test for such premiums among mates, close friends, and kin in two cultural settings where researchers have proposed key differences in relationship cognition–India (N = 63) and the U.S. (N = 284). We find that emotional closeness substantially mediates (often fully) the effect of close friendship on the amount of money forgone, suggesting that this is a key factor in the increased sharing observed among friends. On the other hand, people on average report sacrificing an additional $8.3 (95% CI: $4.5–$12.1) for mates and $9.7 (95% CI: $6.5–$12.8) for genetic kin when removing the effects of closeness. Importantly, these effects are not statistically different across samples from the U.S. and India. These results show that people use relationship-specific information about genetic relatedness and pair bonding in addition to general indicators of emotional closeness when making decisions to share with others.
The Food of Drosophila Melanogaster Meigen.

A large number of experiments were made with lenses, etc., submerged in mercury iodide solution, data for which there is no room here. The curious result appeared that if the solution refracts more strongly than the submerged glass, and the lens is well centered as to the beam of light, the ellipses remain strong and clear. Hence the refraction of the solution and of the glass need not be identical. The dispersion B is particularly well determinable. The refraction at X in this case will be subject to
The Effect of Corporate Culture on Capital Structure Policy

We empirically investigate the effect of corporate culture on capital structure policy. This paper uses CEO replacement to identify change in corporate culture. We focus on firms that change their debt policy from zero leverage to positive leverage or from positive leverage to zero leverage at least once during their history. We find that the cultural change brought by new CEOs has a significant impact on the continuity of the firm’s existing debt policy. Evidence shows that firms with recent CEO replacement tend to switch their debt policy. Moreover, the magnitude and significance of the association between CEO turnovers and the subsequent debt policy changes are much stronger for cases with external CEO replacement. This documented cultural effect is not driven by firm fundamentals, endogeneity of CEO turnover, strength of corporate governance, merger and acquisition activities, or marginal tax benefits, and is not driven by the subset of firms with multiple policy changes. Furthermore, firms that never change their debt policy over their history have significantly fewer CEO turnovers than firms with policy changes, consistent with new CEOs inducing capital structure changes. Our results suggest that corporate culture exerts an important impact on capital structure policy.
Vapor Pressure Deficit Differentially Affects Laboratory Populations of Metaseiulus occidentalis and Neoseiulus fallacis (Acarina: Phytoseiidae) Reared Together

The phytoseiid predators Neoseiulus fallacis (Garman) and Metaseiulus occidentalis (Nesbitt) were reared together and fed on Tetranychus urticae Koch to determine the possibility of coexistence and the effect of vapor pressure deficit on the two species. Additionally, developmental times for the two predators feeding on the spruce spider mite, Oligonychus ununguis (Jacobi), were determined at 14°C and vapor pressure deficits of 1, 4, 6, and 10 millibars (mb). N. fallacis and M. occidentalis respond to vapor pressure deficit in essentially opposite ways. In the interaction treatments, populations of N. fallacis reproduced rapidly at low vapor pressure deficits (high atmospheric moisture) but vapor pressure deficits of 10 mb or greater severely limited population growth of this species; M. occidentalis populations grew more readily at higher vapor pressure deficits (>10 mb). At 14°C, egg mortality for M. occidentalis was 25, 10, 20, and 45% at 1, 4, 6, and 10 mb, respectively; egg mortality for N. fallacis at these respective vapor pressure deficits was 25, 0, 15, and 80%. At 14°C, developmental periods for immature stages of N. fallacis among vapor pressure deficits were significantly different in the egg and larval stages and in the egg stage for M. occidentalis . N. fallacis is directly subject to the physical environment (vapor pressure deficit effect on egg mortality) whereas M. occidentalis is subject to differences in survival responses (less prolific than N. fallacis at a given vapor pressure deficit and temperature). The differential response of the two predators suggests that releases of both species to control O. ununguis on Fraser fir in western North Carolina can be optimally timed based on humidity conditions.
Robust Computation of Turbulent Flows Using a Discontinuous Galerkin Method

This work considers the development of a robust discontinuous Galerkin (DG) solver for turbulent aerodynamic flows using the turbulence model of Spalart and Allmaras (SA). Previous work on this subject has demonstrated that applying DG discretizations to turbulent flows can be difficult, due to robustness issues related to non-smooth behavior of the turbulence model variable (or variables). This work presents two options for enhancing solver robustness. The first consists of employing a finite volume discretization with a first-order accurate convection term for the turbulence model, which is a standard practice in the low-order methods context. Computational results show that despite the first-order accurate discretization of the turbulence model there is still benefit to using higher-order discretizations for the mean flow equations and at the very least, discontinuous Galerkin solutions to the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are obtained robustly. The second method of robustness enhancement considers modifications to the turbulence model equation. Numerical experiments have shown that the modifications to the turbulence model equation employed in this work are particularly effective at increasing solver robustness. Both robustness enhancement methods are applied to realistic aerodynamic flows including a subsonic turbulent airfoil flow and high-lift configurations at high angles of attack.
Studies on ablative and heat-resistant properties of in-situ nano-hybrid PF/CF composite

SiC,SiO2 and Al2O3 three nano-hybrid phenol formaldehyde resin(PF) were prepared by in-situ hybridization method,respectively.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) observation showed that nanoparticles dispersed well in the composite and formed the "sea-island" structure with PF.Thermal gravity analysis(TG-DTG) demonstrated three stages in the process of PF thermal degradation,and the calculated results by Kissinger method illustrated that nanoparticles can reduce the thermal decomposition activation energy at the first stage and increase it at the second stage.Wear tests explained that nanoparticles can increase PF reinforced carbon fiber(CF) composite wear property.Oxygen-acetylene ablation tests indicated that nanoparticles can increase the ablative resistance of PF/CF composite.
Orthotics: bracing the lower extremity.

A long leg brace allows patients to walk despite weakness. When prescribing a brace, the physician should consider its six components—trunk attachment, thigh piece, knee joint, calf piece, ankle joint and foot piece. Short leg braces and foot braces pose different problems, but, like the long leg brace, they should be comfortable, durable and accomplish their purpose.
A Framework for the Psychology of Norms

Humans are unique in the animal world in the extent to which their day-to-day behavior is governed by a complex set of rules and principles commonly called norms. Norms delimit the bounds of proper behavior in a host of domains, providing an invisible web of normative structure embracing virtually all aspects of social life. People also find many norms to be deeply meaningful. Norms give rise to powerful subjective feelings that, in the view of many, are an important part of what it is to be a human agent. Despite the vital role of norms in human lives and human behavior, and the central role they play in explanations in the social sciences, there has been very little systematic attention devoted to norms in cognitive science. Much existing research is partial and piecemeal, making it difficult to know how individual findings cohere into a comprehensive picture. Our goal in this essay is to offer an account of the psychological mechanisms and processes underlying norms that integrates what is known and can serve as a framework for future research.
Anomalous M1 Transitions in Ta181 and Lu175

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on two anomalous M1 transitions in Ta181 and Lu175. Discrepancies have been shown between theory and experiment. Whether these discrepancies are due to errors introduced in calculation or interpolation or are related to actual physical effects is unclear. The chapter explains L-subshell internal conversion to recalculate the conversion coefficients and radial integrals. In an experiment described in the chapter, a novel data-collection system was used that consists of fast scanning a short region such as the L-line region. The chapter illustrates the results of the measurements in Ta181. Using radial integrals and wave functions, results were analyzed for the ratio of the penetration matrix element to the normal matrix element. Reanalysis of the data has not resulted in a more consistent set of values for the mixing.
Evaluating Multispectral Snowpack Reflectivity With Changing Snow Correlation Lengths

This study investigates the sensitivity of multispectral reflectivity to changing snow correlation lengths. Matzler's ice-lamellae radiative transfer model was implemented and tested to evaluate the reflectivity of snow correlation lengths at multiple frequencies from the ultraviolet (UV) to the microwave bands. The model reveals that, in the UV to infrared (IR) frequency range, the reflectivity and correlation length are inversely related, whereas reflectivity increases with snow correlation length in the microwave frequency range. The model further shows that the reflectivity behavior can be mainly attributed to scattering rather than absorption for shallow snowpacks. The largest scattering coefficients and reflectivity occur at very small correlation lengths (∼10 −5 m) for frequencies higher than the IR band. In the microwave range, the largest scattering coefficients are found at millimeter wavelengths. For validation purposes, the ice-lamella model is coupled with a multilayer snow physics model to characterize the reflectivity response of realistic snow hydrological processes. The evolution of the coupled model simulated reflectivities in both the visible and the microwave bands is consistent with satellite-based reflectivity observations in the same frequencies. The model results are also compared with colocated in situ snow correlation length measurements (Cold Land Processes Field Experiment 2002–2003). The analysis and evaluation of model results indicate that the coupled multifrequency radiative transfer and snow hydrology modeling system can be used as a forward operator in a data-assimilation framework to predict the status of snow physical properties, including snow correlation length.
Channel-belt scaling relationship and application to early Miocene source-to-sink systems in the Gulf of Mexico basin

In past decades, numerous studies have focused on the alluvial sedimentary record of basin fill. Paleo–drainage basin characteristics, such as drainage area or axial river length, have received little attention, mostly because the paleo–drainage system underwent erosion or bypass, and its record is commonly modified and overprinted by subsequent tectonism or erosional processes. In this work, we estimate the drainage areas of early Miocene systems in the Gulf of Mexico basin by using scaling relationships between drainage area and river channel dimensions (e.g., depth) developed in source-to-sink studies. Channel-belt thickness was used to estimate channel depth and was measured from numerous geophysical well logs. Both lower channel-belt thickness and bankfull thickness were measured to estimate the paleo–water depth at low and bankfull stages. Previous paleogeographic reconstruction using detrital zircon and petrographic provenance analysis and continental geomorphic synthesis constrains independent estimates of drainage basin extent. Comparison of results generated by the two independent approaches indicates that drainage basin areas predicted from channel-belt thickness are reasonable and suggests that bankfull thickness correlates best with drainage basin area. The channel bankfull thickness also correlates with reconstructed submarine fan dimension. This work demonstrates application to the deep-time stratigraphic archive, where records of drainage basin characteristics are commonly modified or lost.
Comorbidity and survival for patients with advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer.

e19065 Background: Treatment decisions for patients with advanced stage (stages IIIB and IV) non-small cell lung cancer (AS NSCLC) are influenced by comorbidity at time of diagnosis. We studied the effects of comorbidity on survival and whether effects differ for short-term (120 days) vs. for long-term (>120 days) survival. Methods: Data were from surveys and medical records of 1498 patients withnewly diagnosed AS NSCLC in the Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance Consortium (CanCORS). Respiratory disease severity and comorbidities at diagnosis were measured from the Adult Comorbidity Evaluation (ACE-27) index and model fitting used the Akaike Information Criteria. The log-rank test was used for univariable survival models, and Cox proportional hazards regression for multivariable survival models. Results: Five comorbidities were significantly associated with survival and 437 (29.2%) patients had one or more of these. Survival to 120 days was significantly poorer for patients with a baseline diag...
To Decompose Is to Create: Supporting Creativity by Incorporating Nature in Design

In HCI and CSCW, research in creativity support has focused on everyday creativity by individuals and teams. However, there has been little study on how nature as a non-human agency supports and informs the production of innovative works. This research presents my attempt to bridge such gap by proposing the notion of decomposition to help frame and theorize creativity support. This nonanthropocentric approach captures the un-replicability of creative works, the importance of incorporating nature to the creative process, and the possibility of generating effective novelty through deconstruction and reconfiguration.
Stochastic optimization methods for ship resistance and operational efficiency via CFD

Hull-form stochastic optimization methods are presented and evaluated for resistance reduction and operational efficiency (operability), addressing stochastic sea state and operations. The cost/benefit analysis of the optimization procedure is presented by comparison of four hierarchical problems, from stochastic most general to deterministic least general. The parent hull is a high-speed catamaran, with geometrical constraints for maximum variation of length, beam, draft, and displacement. Problem 1 is used as a benchmark for the evaluation of the other problem formulations and is defined as a multi-objective stochastic optimization for resistance and operability, considering stochastic sea state and speed, but limited to head waves. Problem 2 is a multi-objective stochastic optimization for resistance and motions at fixed sea state and speed. Problem 3 is a multi-objective deterministic optimization for resistance and motions using a single regular wave at fixed speed. Problem 4 is a single-objective deterministic optimization for calm-water resistance at fixed speed. The design optimization is based on hull-form modifications by the Karhunen-Loeve expansion of a free-form deformation, URANS-based CFD simulations, regular wave approximations for irregular waves, metamodels and multi-objective particle swarm. The design optimization achieves an 8.7, 23, 53, and 10% average improvements for problems 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Comparing to problem 1, problem 2, 3, 4 optimized designs have average performances 1, 2.1 and 1.7% worse, respectively. The most efficient problem, from the computational cost/benefit viewpoint, is problem 3. Nevertheless, problem 1 is needed to evaluate and compare the stochastic performance of the designs and finally assess the optimization cost/benefit.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF GEOSCIENCES TO CULTURAL HERITAGE STUDY

Historic - artistic and architectural - archaeological heritage is a great resource for the current societies, with a progressive broadening to include a variety of cultural items (i.e. minor buildings of historical towns, buildings of the industrial archaeology, etc.), which have significance in testifying the complex of aspects relating to the people civilizations, cultures and activities. Knowledge and preservation of the Cultural Heritage are considered fundamental issues in the life of modern communities and they may be effectively supported by the use of modern technologies and science.
Arrhythmias, Conduction Disorders and Electrophysiological Anomalies in the Adult with Congenital Cardiac Disease 139

Adult congenital heart disease has become an increasingly common issue in the cardiology community, with rhythm abnormalities being one of the most frequent comorbidities. Arrhythmia affects adult congenital heart disease patients in excess of the general population regardless of the congenital abnormality, but the degree of risk generally depends on the specific lesion. Postsurgical bradyarrhythmias include sinus node dysfunction and AV block and are seen with increased frequency among patients with complexrepairs. Permanent pacingmay require special consideration for various surgical subtypes, especially after atrial baffle repair. Atrial tachyarrhythmias also pose a particularly troublesome problem, with management strategies involving various combinations of antiarrhythmic medication administration, catheter ablation, and antitachycardia pacing. The general approach to catheter ablation in the setting of adult congenital heart disease is presented, with a focus on the most common substrates of
Theoretical Expectations for Proton Decay

In this talk I survey the theoretical expectations for baryon number violation within the context of grand unified theories. I first give a classification of many of the possible baryon-number violating effective operators, including a discussion of typical processes that they induce, their selection rules, their relevant mass scales, and typical underlying mechanisms. I then specialize to the dimension-six four-fermion operators that describe the exchange of lepto-quark di-quark bosons in many popular models such as SU5, S010, E6, etc. After describing the general structure of these operators I discuss the estimate of the unification mass, the predictions for the nucleon lifetime, predictions for the branching ratios, and nuclear effects. Special emphasis is given to the related questions of which results are common to a wide class of theories and which types of measurements could discriminate between models.
Phenotypic Effects of Somatic Mutations Accumulating during Vegetative Growth

The unique life form of plants promotes the accumulation of large numbers of somatic mutations that can be passed on to offspring in the next generation. However, rates of mutation accumulation remain similar in plants and animals. The solution to this paradox may be that plants have the potential to filter somatic mutations prior to seed dispersal via three forms of intra-generation selection. To provide an experimental test of this hypothesis, we used plants of Mimulus guttatus to compare the performance of offspring from self-pollinations made within the same flower (autogamy), to offspring from self-pollinations between stems on the same plant (geitonogamy). The fitness effects of somatic mutations are expected to differ between progeny from these crosses, as autogamy will result in homozygosity of a proportion of somatic mutations, but geitonogamous progeny will remain heterozygous. We developed a novel analytical approach to test whether the homozygous effects of somatic mutations were evident from differences in the means and variances of fitness between autogamous and geitonogamous progeny. Consistent with our predictions, the variance in progeny fitness among stems was significantly greater for autogamous compared to geitonogamous progeny from the same stem. Surprisingly, several autogamous progeny groups displayed increased fitness compared to geitonogamous controls, indicating that the effects of beneficial somatic mutations were prevalent in progeny. Phenotypic effects of somatic mutations were also evident from the positive association between mean fitness and the within-group variance in fitness for autogamous progeny. These results support the hypothesis that somatic mutations accumulate during vegetative growth, but they are filtered by the different forms of intra-generation selection, resulting in the culling of expressed deleterious mutations and the retention of beneficial mutations.
Modeling the Dynamic Behavior of Hybrid-Switched-Capacitor Converters in State Space

A key challenge in operating Hybrid Switched Capacitor (SC) converters, which merge SC architectures with an inductive impedance, arises from the fact that the inductor decouples the SC stage from the output node, which can lead to deviation of the flying capacitor voltages from their nominal voltages. This work presents a method that combines continuous and discrete state-space analysis to model the dynamics (including flying capacitor voltage states) of arbitrary hybrid SC converters with arbitrary operating modes. We will show that in some cases, observed capacitor voltage imbalance in Flying Capacitor Multilevel (FCML) converters can be predicted under assumptions of ideal operation. The periodic steady state of such converters and its stability and uniqueness are determined and verified with a 7-level FCML hardware prototype and compared to results from previous work.
Age-Period-Cohort Analyses of Tuberculosis Incidence Rates by Nativity, United States, 1996-2016.

Objectives. To assess changes in US tuberculosis (TB) incidence rates by age, period, and cohort effects, stratified according to race/ethnicity and nativity.Methods. We used US National Tuberculos...
Obergefell and the Reconstituting of America

We typically assess Supreme Court decisions in legalistic terms, and sometimes in more instrumentalist or pragmatic terms. So we ask whether a decision is justified under conventional legal reasoning, and we try to predict the practical consequences of a decision. But major constitutional decisions – Whitney v. California, West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, Brown v. Board of Education – may have an even more important function in expressing and, crucially, shaping and constituting our national self-understanding. This essay, written for a conference at the John Paul II Institute on “The Implications of Obergefell and Its Aftermath for Law and the Human Person,” argues that although it is largely futile to consider Obergefell in legalistic terms – the decision scarcely even pretends to offer a legal rationale and although the decision’s practical consequences for marriage and family are speculative, the decision is crucially important in its symbolic and community-constituting aspects. Perhaps Obergefell’s most significant feature is that it authoritatively embraces a conception of America that is “progressive” and that marginalizes faith and tradition as components of our national character.
Huntington’s Disease: Genetics

Huntington's disease (HD) results from a CAG repeat expansion mutation in IT15 leading to an expanded polyglutamine sequence in the huntingtin protein. Disease severity correlates with CAG/polyglutamine repeat length, and there is expansion bias with male transmission. The mutant polyglutamine tract accumulates as neurotoxic aggregates, which disrupt multiple cellular processes.
GenX Contamination of the Cape Fear River, North Carolina: Analytical Environmental Chemistry Uncovers Multiple System Failures

Abstract The discovery of “GenX,” a mono-ether perfluorinated carboxylic acid, along with numerous other perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFASs) in the Cape Fear River, North Carolina, and that these compounds were not removed by standard drinking water treatment processes has prompted scientific, regulatory, and legal responses. GenX replaced perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as an intermediate in production of fluorinated materials. PFOA production in the United States was phased out beginning in 2006, owing to toxicological and epidemiological concerns. The history of PFOA production and regulation and the alarms raised by discovery of GenX in public drinking water highlight the weaknesses in the legal and regulatory systems in managing the challenges of GenX, an “emerging contaminant.” This article demonstrates the critical importance of major advances in analytical environmental chemistry in detection and public disclosure of harmful compounds despite failures in the regulatory process.
Hadamard instability analysis of “negative creep” in coupled chemo-thermo-mechanical systems

The coupled system of nonlinear partial differential equations for momentum, diffusion and energy is examined in terms of Hadamard instability, which in a unified way provides the conditions of both “negative creep” and “spinodal decomposition” (loss of convexity of thermodynamic functions) (Markenscoff in Quart Appl Math 59:147–151, 2001; Quart Appl Math 59:471–477, 2001) by balancing terms of different orders in the eigenvalue equation. It is shown here that instabilities of “negative creep” occur in both infinite and finite domains.
Repression of GCN5 expression or activity attenuates c-MYC expression in non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer causes the highest mortality in cancer-related deaths. As these cancers often become resistant to existing therapies, definition of novel molecular targets is needed. Epigenetic modifiers may provide such targets. Recent reports suggest that the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) module within the transcriptional coactivator SAGA complex plays a role in cancer, creating a new link between epigenetic regulators and this disease. GCN5 serves as a coactivator for MYC target genes, and here we investigate links between GCN5 and c-MYC in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Our data indicate that both GCN5 and c-MYC proteins are upregulated in mouse and human NSCLC cells compared to normal lung epithelial cells. This trend is observable only at the protein level, indicating that this upregulation occurs post-transcriptionally. Human NSCLC tissue data provided by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) indicates that GCN5 and c-MYC expression are positively associated with one another and with the expression of c-MYC target genes. Depletion of GCN5 in NSCLC cells reduces c-MYC expression, cell proliferation, and increases the population of necrotic cells. Similarly, inhibition of the GCN5 catalytic site using a commercially available probe reduces c-MYC expression, cell proliferation, and increases the percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis. Our findings suggest that GCN5 might provide a novel target for inhibition of NSCLC growth and progression.
The Education of Ellen Tucker Emerson

This essay argues that examining choices Lidian Jackson and Ralph Waldo Emerson, along with their daughter Ellen Tucker Emerson, made regarding Ellen's education provides insight into the family's ...