cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effective Citizen Participation in Environmental Issues What Can Local Governments Learn

Citizen engagement in local decision-making processes is improving, especially with respect to environmental issues. This research evaluates environmental participation in three jurisdictions. We attempt to explain the success of participation by looking at the benefits of engagement. In all three cases, a significant degree of collaboration between local governments and not-for-profit organizations was present. Institutional commitment to engage the public was evident in the case of Newark, New Jersey, while Tonawanda, New York, delegated citizen engagement functions to the local environmental justice group. Even in less democratic regimes like Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, active environmental participation at local levels was found to be effective.
Characterization of GaAlAs laser diode frequency noise

Accurate characterization and understanding of laser diode frequency noise are particularly important for the design of heterodyne optical communication systems. The nature of the frequency noise will substantially impact the design of modulation/ demodulation and acquisition/tracking systems. Measurements of linewidth,1,2 line shape,2,3 and frequency noise spectrum over a limited range4,5 have been reported previously. By heterodyning pairs of laser diodes we have generated carefully calibrated measurements of frequency noise power spectral density over the widest frequency range reported to date and the first reported measurements of frequency noise statistics.
Level and significance of HIF-1α of serum and tissues in cerebellar astrocytoma of children

OBJECTIVE:To study the correlation of expression of HIF-1α with clinicopathological characteristics of cerebellar astrocytoma of children.METHODS: Cerebrospinal fluid and serum samples from 13 pediatric patients with inguinal hernia(as the control group),20 pediatric patients with hydrocephalus,37 pediatric patients with cerebellar astrocytoma were examined for the HIF-1α content by quantitative ELISA.RESULTS: Firstly,the HIF-1α levels in serum((96.081±42.703) ρg/mL) and cerebrospinal fluid((134.069±41.093) ρg/mL) in cerebellar astrocytoma of children were significantly higher than those in hydrocephalus((35.285±4.527) ρg/mL,(39.683±12.714) ρg/mL) and the control group((34.811±4.361) ρg/mL,(39.852±9.485) ρg/mL),P=0.001.Secondly,there were no significant differences between the hydrocephalus and the control group in the levels of HIF-1α,P=0.067.Thirdly,there was a positive correlation of HIF-1α with the histological grade and tumor size in cerebellar astrocytoma of children,P=0.000.The HIF-1α contents of serum and cerebrospinal fluid in the children with cerebellar astrocytoma had a positive correlation,r=0.599,P=0.000.CONCLUSIONS:In cerebellar astrocytoma of children,the abnormal changes of the serum HIF-1α content may be made of acts of carcinogenesis.The serum and cerebrospinal fluid levels of HIF-1α may be the important biological target for diagnosis and prognosis of cerebellar astrocytoma.
Deterministic and stochastic processes lead to divergence in plant communities 25 years after the 1988 Yellowstone fires

Young, recently burned forests are increasingly widespread throughout western North America, but forest development after large wildfires is not fully understood, especially regarding effects of variable burn severity, environmental heterogeneity, and changes in drivers over time. We followed development of subalpine forests after the 1988 Yellowstone fires by periodically resampling permanent plots established soon after the fires. We asked two questions about patterns and processes over the past 25 years: (1) Are plant species richness and community composition converging or diverging across variation in elevation, soils, burn severity, and post-fire lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) density? (2) What are the major controls on post-fire species composition, and has the relative importance of controls changed over time? For question 1, we sampled 10-m2 plots (n = 552) distributed among three geographic areas that differ in elevation and substrate; plots spanned the spectrum of fire severities and were resampled periodically from 1991 to 2013. For question 2, we sampled 0.25-ha plots (n = 72), broadly distributed across areas that burned as stand-replacing fire, in 1999 and 2012. Richness and species composition diverged early on between infertile low-elevation areas (lower richness) and more fertile high-elevation areas (greater richness). Richness increased rapidly for the first 5 yr post-fire, then leveled off or increased only slowly thereafter. Only 6% of 227 recorded species were nonnative. Some annuals and species with heat-stimulated soil seed banks were associated with severely burned sites. However, most post-fire species had been present before the fire; many survived as roots or rhizomes and regenerated rapidly by sprouting. Among the 72 plots, substrate, temperature, and precipitation (the abiotic template) were consistently important drivers of community composition in 1999 and 2012. Post-fire lodgepole pine abundance was not significant in 1999 but was the most important driving variable by 2012, with a negative effect on presence of most understory species, especially annuals and shade-intolerant herbs. Burn severity was significant in 1999 but not in 2012, and distance to unburned forest had no influence in either year. The 1988 fires did not fundamentally alter subalpine forest community assemblages in Yellowstone, and ecological memory conferred resilience to high-severity fire.
Practice and Reflection on College English Teaching Assisted by Internet and Multimedia

This paper introduces the background of reform in College English Teaching,the theoretical basis and the application procedures of IMACET.Through data contrast,the advantages,disadvantages and some points for attention are discussed.
End-to-end statistical machine translation with zero or small parallel texts†

We use bilingual lexicon induction techniques, which learn translations from monolingual texts in two languages, to build an end-to-end statistical machine translation (SMT) system without the use of any bilingual sentence-aligned parallel corpora. We present detailed analysis of the accuracy of bilingual lexicon induction, and show how a discriminative model can be used to combine various signals of translation equivalence (like contextual similarity, temporal similarity, orthographic similarity and topic similarity). Our discriminative model produces higher accuracy translations than previous bilingual lexicon induction techniques. We reuse these signals of translation equivalence as features on a phrase-based SMT system. These monolingually estimated features enhance low resource SMT systems in addition to allowing end-to-end machine translation without parallel corpora.
Making cost-effective energy efficiency fit utility business models: Why has it taken so long?

This chapter addresses what is needed to align utilities’ and customers’ financial interests in securing cost-effective energy savings, and why remedies have been slow to emerge. Traditional price regulation unintentionally creates severe conflicts of interest for utilities when they act as energy efficiency partners and promoters, yet obstacles continue to slow proven reforms. Utilities increasingly want and need both to break longstanding linkages between their retail sales volumes and their financial health, and to see energy efficiency success as a potential earnings driver. Regulators have been accumulating useful experience with solutions, but significant resistance persists in some quarters. The chapter’s conclusions are that utility business models are already changing to accommodate expanded energy efficiency investment and results, that stakeholder concerns are far from insurmountable, and that the ultimate outcomes will be worth the wait.
Rhetorical Cartography: Mapping the Terror Wars

Chapter three introduces the method of rhetorical cartography, mapping a series of intersections across rhetorical studies, critical geography and cartography, and political theory. Drawing from Greene and Kuswa’s use of rhetorical cartography to discuss regional accents of protest, Hayes expands the methodology of rhetorical cartography beyond its current insufficient status. Merging the history of rhetorical criticism’s turn to the critical with the concerns of critical cartography, the chapter goes on to trace examples of rhetorical cartography at work. It closes with a call for rhetorical cartography’s use in the work of scholars and concerned citizens in interrogating the processes, technologies, and techniques authorized in the production of discourse, mapping, and symbolicity.
Surface Triangulation for CSG in Mercury

Visualization routines for rendering complicated geometries are very useful for engineers and scientists who are trying to build 3D prototypes of their designs. A common way to rapidly add interesting features to a 3D model is through the use of a concept called Constructive Solid Geometry. CSG uses compositions of the boolean set operations to manipulate basic geometric primitives to form more complicated objects. The most common boolean operations employed are union, intersection, and subtraction. Most computer-aided design software packages contain some sort of ability visualize CSG. The typical workflow for the user is as follows: The user specifies the individual primitive components, the user arbitrarily combines each of these primitives with boolean operations, the software generates a CSG tree structure which normally stores these solids implicitly with their defining equation, the tree is traversed and a general algorithm is applied to render the appropriate geometry onto the screen. Algorithms for visualizing CSG have been extensively developed for over a decade. Points sampled from the implicit solids are typically used as input by variations of algorithms like marching cubes and point-cloud surface reconstruction. Here, we explain a surface triangulation method from the graphics community that is being used for surfacemore » visualization in the framework of a Monte-Carlo neutron transport code called Mercury.« less
Cell Signaling Pathways That Regulate Antigen Presentation

Cell signaling pathways regulate much in the life of a cell: from shuttling cargo through intracellular compartments and onto the cell surface, how it should respond to stress, protecting itself from harm (environmental insults or infections), to ultimately, death by apoptosis. These signaling pathways are important for various aspects of the immune response as well. However, not much is known in terms of the participation of cell signaling pathways in Ag presentation, a necessary first step in the activation of innate and adaptive T cells. In this brief review, I discuss the known signaling molecules (and pathways) that regulate how Ags are presented to T cells and the mechanism(s), if identified. Studies in this area have important implications in vaccine development and new treatment paradigms against infectious diseases, autoimmunity, and cancer.
An investigation of State Educational Twitter Hashtags (SETHs) as affinity spaces

Affinity spaces are digital or physical spaces in which participants interact with one another around content of shared interest and through a common portal (or platform). Among teachers, some of t...
Advancements in MM-Wave On-Wafer S-Parameter Verification

The paper presents new on-wafer probe capabilities which offer improved measurement repeatability and calibration accuracy in the WR-10 through WR-5 waveguide bands. New types of membrane probe tips to 220 GHz and new customized impedance standard substrates have been developed. These elements are incorporated in a family of wafer probes with improved repeatability and accuracy throughout the waveguide bands. Measured results will be presented in the paper.
Visual data analysis: maths made easy

A vast range of scientific software is now available to help researchers solve equations, control experiments, analyse data and present their results. There are packages that specialize in data acquisition and analysis, graphics, visualization, statistics and symbolic mathematics (computer algebra). But these categories are not distinct – many maths packages have sophisticated graphics, data analysis programs can stretch to advanced statistical tests and so on. The packages also vary widely in price and the hardware platform needed to run them, which puts some well beyond the reach of the individual user (see Further reading).
Patenting Life Forms: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

I recently attended two interesting meetings involving biotechnology and ethical/ legal considerations. The first was organized by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, entitled ‘‘Who owns life?’’ The second was organized by the University of Milan in Italy, entitled ‘‘Do judges make law?’’ Both are rhetorical questions for which simple answers do not exist. For the first, the definition of what life is or when it begins has eluded a satisfactory answer since the days of the abortion debate or even earlier, when philosophers and scientists tried to distinguish between living and nonliving objects. To complicate matters, the title had an additional intrigue: What is meant by ownership? In a sense, we all own life, if ownership means having the ability to breed new lives (as we do with cattle, chickens, fish, or plants) and to terminate such lives at will. The organizers, when they posed the question, however, meant human life. The question of ownership was not absolute, either. 1
Fibromyalgia:: A Study of Thyroid Function and Symptoms

Objectives: Previous studies have suggested an association between fibromyalgia [FS] and thyroid dysfunction. This assocation was explored in this prospective case-control study. Methods: One-hundred and eight females with FS and 72 female controls were studied. Patients on medicatons which interfere with the interpretation of thyroid testing were excluded. Fibromyalgia was diagnosed by a brief history and physical examination using the criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology [ACR]. Thyroid stimulation hormone [TSH], L-thyroxine [T4], 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine uptake [T3], and T7 [T3U × T4] were determined for each subject. Results: Females with FS reported a history of thyroid disorder [hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism] 2.5 times more frequently than control subjects [P < 0.05]. Hypothyroidism was the most common diagnosis. The T3U levels were significantly lower in the FS group than in thecontrols [P = 0.02]. Three times as many fibromyalgics had one or more abnormal tests on the th...
Why only us: Recent questions and answers

Abstract From its modern origin over sixty years ago, generative grammar has attempted to characterize the human “faculty of language” as an evolvable trait–a particular phenotype . This phenotype has a species-specific genetic basis, what biologists typically call a genotype . There are many puzzling questions about the nature of the human language genotype and phenotype, some of which are addressed in the recent book, Why Only Us ( Berwick & Chomsky 2016 ). Among the most puzzling are the following: why does language occur only in humans, appearing relatively rapidly and recently in evolutionary terms, along with no apparent genomic change since its emergence? Why Only Us suggested that the answer to this question is that the required evolutionary innovation was simple, with most of its underpinnings antecedently in place. The key evolutionary novelty yielding the human language phenotype–perhaps the only innovation, putting to one side an important mystery regarding the origin of human concepts that were called “word-like atomic elements”–is an operation called Merge . Merge builds a “discrete infinity of structured expressions that are interpretable in a definite way by the conceptual-intentional system of thought and action, and by a sensory-motor system for externalization”–in short, thought linked with sound/sign ( Chomsky, 2016 ). This may be called the “Basic Property” (BP) of human language, and it is a short answer to the question of “What evolved” for human language. The BP gives rise to the language faculty: the ability for any person to acquire any human language. We consider the language faculty the proper phenotype for analysis, and its underlying genomics, the corresponding genotype. Much confusion has arisen by conflating the properties of individually realized languages with the design of the language faculty itself, because this leads to a very different conception of the language phenotype, one inextricably linked to articulatory or vocal output modalities–the externalization of language. More broadly, WOU framed the basic evolutionary puzzles about the evolution of the language faculty in the form of answers to five additional questions: Who evolved the BP? Where and when did the BP evolve? How did it evolve? And, finally, Why? Since its publication, new evidence has accumulated in support of WOU's basic thesis, though as always many important questions remain open. Here we review this very recent evidence focusing on basic evolutionary issues, including a recurrent, but we think misguided, effort to account for the properties of the language faculty by means of cultural-biological interaction. We argue that this latter effort fails in all respects–it does not account for the properties of the language faculty, failing to rule out languages that are known to be “impossible” on other, empirical grounds, including brain imaging; and does not even make successful empirical predictions about diachronic language change.
While reinforcing cell cycle arrest, rapamycin and Torins suppress senescence in UVA-irradiated fibroblasts

// Olga V. Leontieva 1 and Mikhail V. Blagosklonny 1 1 Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA Correspondence to: Mikhail V. Blagosklonny, email: // Olga V. Leontieva, email: // Keywords : mTORC1, rapalogs, sirolimus, aging, cancer, UVA Received : January 20, 2017 Accepted : May 02, 2017 Published : May 11, 2017 Abstract Sunlight predisposes to skin cancer and melanomas. Ultraviolet A (UVA), a long wave component of sunlight, can reach dermal fibroblasts. Here we studied UVA-induced senescence in human fibroblasts in vitro . It is known that senescence occurs, when cell cycle is arrested, but mTOR is still active, thus converting arrest to senescence (geroconversion). We showed that, while arresting cell cycle, UVA did not inhibit mTOR, enabling geroconversion. In UVA-treated cells, mTOR remained fully active. Rapamycin and Torins 1/ 2 prevented UVA-induced senescent phenotype, although they further re-enforced cell cycle arrest. Given that senescent stromal fibroblasts support tumorigenesis, we envision that mTOR inhibitors may potentially be used to prevent sunlight-caused tumors as well as skin photo-aging.
Emerging Utility of Virtual Reality as a Multidisciplinary Tool in Clinical Medicine.

Abstract Objective: Among the more recent products borne of the evolution of digital technology, virtual reality (VR) is gaining a foothold in clinical medicine as an adjunct to traditional therapies. Early studies suggest a growing role for VR applications in pain management, clinical skills training, cognitive assessment and cognitive therapy, and physical rehabilitation. Materials and Methods: To complete a review of the literature, we searched PubMed and MEDLINE databases with the following search terms: “virtual reality,” “procedural medicine,” “oncology,” “physical therapy,” and “burn.” We further limited our search to publications in the English language. Boolean operators were used to combine search terms. Results: The included search terms yielded 97 potential articles, of which 45 were identified as meeting study criteria, and are included in this review. These articles provide data, which strongly support the hypothesis that VR simulations can enhance pain management (by reducing patient percep...
Declines in the Incidence of Diabetes in the U.S.—Real Progress or Artifact?

National surveillance data show a sustained decline in the incidence rate of diagnosed diabetes, which has been heralded as a success in the battle against diabetes in the U.S. In this Perspective, we take a closer look at these data and provide additional insights to help interpret these trends. We examine multiple sources of data on the prevalence and incidence of diabetes in the U.S. as well as data on trends in diabetes risk factors to provide context for these national surveillance findings. Although some of the incidence decline may represent real progress against diabetes, it is likely that there are also nonbiological factors at play, especially changes in diagnostic criteria for diabetes. We present and discuss data that suggest improved detection and changes in screening and diagnostic practices may have resulted in the depletion of the "susceptible population." Providing this context for the recent declines in new diabetes diagnoses observed in national data is critical to help avoid misinterpretation. We argue that it is premature to declare victory against the epidemic of diabetes in the U.S. and discuss how we might better focus current public health efforts, including a specific emphasis to address prediabetes.
Streptococcus gordonii pheromone s.g.cAM373 may influence the reservoir of antibiotic resistance determinants of Enterococcus faecalis origin in the oral metagenome

Streptococcus gordonii produces a pheromone heptapeptide, s.g.cAM373, which induces a conjugative mating response in Enterococcus faecalis cells carrying the responsive plasmid, pAM373. We investigated the extent of this intergeneric signaling on DNA acquisition by streptococcal species likely to cohabit oral biofilms. E. faecalis/pAM373/pAMS470 cells were incubated with synthetic s.g.cAM373, reverse peptide s.g.cAM373-R, or peptide-free medium and examined for their abilities to transfer plasmid DNA to streptococcal species in the presence of DNase. Preinduction of E. faecalis donors with s.g.cAM373 resulted in transconjugation frequencies in non-pheromone producing strains of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus anginosus, and Streptococcus suis that were significantly higher than frequencies when donors were preincubated with s.g.cAM373-R or medium alone. Peptide-mediated communication between commensal streptococci and E. faecalis carrying pheromone-responsive plasmids may facilitate conjugative DNA transfer to bystander species, and influence the reservoir of antibiotic resistance determinants of enterococcal origin in the oral metagenome.
Tripwire: inferring internet site compromise

Password reuse has been long understood as a problem: credentials stolen from one site may be leveraged to gain access to another site for which they share a password. Indeed, it is broadly understood that attackers exploit this fact and routinely leverage credentials extracted from a site they have breached to access high-value accounts at other sites (e.g., email accounts). However, as a consequence of such acts, this same phenomena of password reuse attacks can be harnessed to indirectly infer site compromises---even those that would otherwise be unknown. In this paper we describe such a measurement technique, in which unique honey accounts are registered with individual third-party websites, and thus access to an email account provides indirect evidence of credentials theft at the corresponding website. We describe a prototype system, called Tripwire, that implements this technique using an automated Web account registration system combined with email account access data from a major email provider. In a pilot study monitoring more than 2,300 sites over a year, we have detected 19 site compromises, including what appears to be a plaintext password compromise at an Alexa top-500 site with more than 45 million active users.
Discourse measurement in aphasia research: have we reached the tipping point?

ABSTRACTBackground: Over the past few decades, clinical aphasiologists have increasingly included various measures of discourse, across a variety of genres, to assess treatment effects and to understand spoken language in people with aphasia. The paradigm shift from assessing language at the word and sentence level to assessing at the discourse level shows an increased awareness of capturing meaningful outcomes; however, this has led to a proliferation of new discourse metrics. These new metrics often lack reliability, validity, and stability data to support their use. In fact, we propose that a tipping point has been reached.Aims: To review the recent move toward establishing a basic core outcome set (COS) for aphasia. In support of this effort, we make a strong argument for the need to dovetail these efforts with the development of a core outcome set for discourse (D-COS).Main contribution: We make a case that the current state of the art in aphasia-related discourse research leaves researchers unsure o...
Center-point-clamped AC-AC buck-boost harmonic compensator based power quality device

A novel approach for mitigation of power quality issues have been presented in the paper. This paper introduces a Center-Point-Clamped AC-AC Buck-Boost Converter based power quality device for industrial and residential customers at the leaf end of the distribution network. This converter utilizes the principle of center-point-clamping to reduce the voltage stress on the power semiconductor switches. It can buck, boost and eliminate unwanted line frequency harmonics from the input voltage by controlling the duty ratio of the switches, thereby providing desired voltage at the customer side with minimal THD. A closed loop strategy has also been presented in the paper. This feedback regulator improves the steady state and transient performance of the converter. Simulation results displayed in the paper verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed power quality device in mitigation of power quality issues like voltage sag, voltage swell and harmonics at multiple order of line frequency, have been displayed in the paper. A small scale experimental prototype rated at 120V, 1-kW has been constructed in the laboratory. Experimental results further corroborate the theoretical and simulated analysis, and demonstrate the merits of the proposed approach.
Outlaw and economics: Biker gangs and club goods:

Today, outlaw motorcycle gangs are best known for their involvement in an international criminal network dealing in narcotics, human trafficking, and arms smuggling. Law enforcement agencies in thr...
Surgeon-performed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Outcomes of 2392 procedures at two tertiary care centers.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a common procedure that, in the United States, is traditionally performed by gastroenterologists. We hypothesized that when performed by well-trained surgeons, ERCP can be performed safely and effectively. The objectives of the study were to assess the rate of successful cannulation of the duct of interest and to assess the 30-day complication and mortality rates. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 1858 patients who underwent 2392 ERCP procedures performed by five surgeons between August 2003 and June 2016 in two centers. Demographic and historical data, indications, procedure-related data and 30-day complication and mortality data were collected and analyzed. The mean age was 53.4 (range 7–102) years and 1046 (56.3%) were female. 1430 (59.8%) of ERCP procedures involved a surgical endoscopy fellow. The most common indication was suspected or established uncomplicated common bile duct stones (n = 1470, 61.5%), followed by management of an existing biliary or pancreatic stent (n = 370, 15.5%) and acute biliary pancreatitis (n = 173, 7.2%). A therapeutic intervention was performed in 1564 (65.4%), a standard sphincterotomy in 1244 (52.0%), stent placement in 705 (29.5%) and stone removal in 638 (26.7%). When cannulation was attempted, the rate of successful cannulation was 94.1%. When cannulation was attempted during the patient’s first ERCP the cannulation rate was 92.4%. 94 complications occurred (5.4%); the most common complication was post-ERCP pancreatitis in 75 (4.2%), significant gastrointestinal bleeding in 7 (0.4%), ascending cholangitis in 11 (0.6%) and perforation in 1 (0.05%). 11 mortalities occurred (0.5%) but none of which were ERCP-related. When performed by well-trained surgical endoscopists, ERCP is associated with high success rate and acceptable complication rates consistent with previously published reports and in line with societal guidelines.
Deep convolutional neural network training enrichment using multi-view object-based analysis of Unmanned Aerial systems imagery for wetlands classification

Abstract Deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) requires massive training datasets to trigger its image classification power, while collecting training samples for remote sensing application is usually an expensive process. When DCNN is simply implemented with traditional object-based image analysis (OBIA) for classification of Unmanned Aerial systems (UAS) orthoimage, its power may be undermined if the number training samples is relatively small. This research aims to develop a novel OBIA classification approach that can take advantage of DCNN by enriching the training dataset automatically using multi-view data. Specifically, this study introduces a Multi-View Object-based classification using Deep convolutional neural network (MODe) method to process UAS images for land cover classification. MODe conducts the classification on multi-view UAS images instead of directly on the orthoimage, and gets the final results via a voting procedure. 10-fold cross validation results show the mean overall classification accuracy increasing substantially from 65.32%, when DCNN was applied on the orthoimage to 82.08% achieved when MODe was implemented. This study also compared the performances of the support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF) classifiers with DCNN under traditional OBIA and the proposed multi-view OBIA frameworks. The results indicate that the advantage of DCNN over traditional classifiers in terms of accuracy is more obvious when these classifiers were applied with the proposed multi-view OBIA framework than when these classifiers were applied within the traditional OBIA framework.
Marking Policy for New Asteroid Activities: In Pursuit of Science, Settlement, Security, or Sales?

Abstract Several national governments have recently taken substantial steps toward creating policies that apply to new, path-breaking activities at asteroids in outer space. Near-term activities on asteroids are likely to be various, including mining initiated by private firms and planetary defense activities pursued by public agencies. Current perspectives on making policy toward asteroid activities often presume that the different goals pursued by actors interested in asteroids are mutually supportive and that diverse actors’ common focus on asteroids builds momentum for creating an enabling policy environment. In contrast, we argue that the 4 main categories of asteroid activities envisioned today—scientific research (science), human settlement of other parts of the solar system (settlement), planetary defense (security), and mining (sales)—are best served by policy regimes with distinct features. Different activities require different policy arrangements, which are not straightforwardly compatible. The incompatibilities present policymakers with trade-offs. This article discusses the 4 main types of asteroid activities and their related policy needs to highlight these trade-offs and influence debate.
Consumer acceptability of algin restructured beef.

SUMMARY A questionnaire, using a 7-point intensity scale, was administered to measure consumer response among 281 individuals to 7 meat sensory attributes, along with overall acceptability, of several menu items prepared with algin restructured beef. Responses to the algin restructured beef were found to be positive in that for all measurements, mean ratings were significantly higher than the neutral response. Certain menu items were preferred more than others.
Transport and Mechanical Properties of Polycarbonate

Sorption kinetics and equilibria for C02, A, and CO in polycarbonate were studied over a range of temperatures from 25°C to 120°C (Tg ≈ 150°C) and pressures from 3 to 23 atm. abs. The dual mode sorption model of Vieth and Sladek (1) was used to test the data. The microvoid free volume fraction was found to be the same as that for glassy polystyrene (2).
On the Lichtenbaum-Quillen Conjectures from a Stable Homotopy-Theoretic Viewpoint

The original purpose of this paper was to give a leisurely exposition of the author’s work [Mitchell 1990a, b], including the philosophy behind it and its connection with the Lichtenbaum-Quillen conjectures. The intended audience included homotopy theorists and algebraic K-theorists. However it soon became clear that this necessitates explaining algebraic K-theory to the former group and stable homotopy theory to the latter; hence the length of the present work. The paper in fact consists of three parts: (1) an exposition of the Lichtenbaum-Quillen conjectures; (2) an introduction to the “chromatic” view of stable homotopy theory, and related topics; and (3) an account of how the first two parts are related, together with an exposition of the author’s recent work cited above. We have made an effort to assume as little as possible in the way of background, and wherever it seemed reasonable to do so, we have sketched the proofs of the main results.
Associations of self-report and actigraphy sleep measures with experimental pain outcomes in patients with temporomandibular disorder and healthy controls.

Abstract Objective Discrepancies between self-reported and actigraphy sleep measures are common, producing ambiguity about which are better predictors of experimental pain outcomes. The current study tested if pain intensity during and situational pain catastrophizing following experimental pain were differentially predicted by self-reported or actigraphy sleep measures in patients with chronic temporomandibular disorder (TMJD) or healthy controls (HCs). Methods Forty patients with TMJD and 20 HCs completed self-report sleep measures (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI; Insomnia Severity Index, ISI; PROMIS Sleep-Related Impairment [SRI] and Sleep Disruption [SD]), underwent an experimental pain induction consisting of four consecutive cold-water hand immersions, and provided pain intensity and situational pain catastrophizing ratings. Participants also wore an actigraphy watch and completed sleep diaries for seven days, which were averaged for actigraphic indices of total sleep time, sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset, and self-reported sleep quality and restfulness. Results Individuals with TMJD reported higher pain intensity during experimental pain (M = 65.81 vs. 47.77, p = .007) and self-reported worse sleep compared to HCs (all p's 0.05, Cohen's D = 0.05–0.53). Sleep variables did not interact with group to predict responses to experimental pain (all p's > 0.05). Across groups, PROMIS-SRI predicted pain intensity (β = 0.36, p = .008) and catastrophizing (β = 0.36, p = .009) after controlling for multiple comparisons, smoking, medications, and age. Conclusion Self-reported sleep (but not actigraphy) measures differentiate patients with TMJD from HCs. Sleep-related interference may place people at particular risk for higher pain intensity and catastrophizing following experimental pain.
Beach environmental DNA fills gaps in photographic biomonitoring to track spatiotemporal community turnover across 82 phyla

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is emerging as a biomonitoring tool available to the citizen science community that promises to augment or replace photographic observation. However, eDNA results and photographic observations have rarely been compared to document their individual or combined power. Here, we use eDNA multilocus metabarcoding, a method deployed by the CALeDNA Program, to inventory and evaluate biodiversity variation along the Pillar Point headland near Half Moon Bay, California. We describe variation in presence of 13,000 taxa spanning 82 phyla, analyzed spatiotemporal patterns of beta diversity, and identified metacommunities. Inventory and measures of turnover across space and time from eDNA analysis were compared to the same measures based on in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), which contains information largely contributed by iNaturalist. We find eDNA depicted local signals with high seasonal turnover, especially in prokaryotes. We find a diverse community dense with pathogens and parasites in the embayment, and a State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) with lower species richness than the rest of the beach peninsula, but with beta diversity signals showing resemblance to adjacent unprotected tidepools. The SMCA differs in observation density, with higher density of protozoans, and animals in Ascidiacea, Echinoidea, and Polycladida. Local contributions to beta diversity are elevated in a section of East-facing beach. GBIF observations were mostly from outside the SMCA, limiting some spatial comparisons. However, our findings suggest eDNA samples can link the SMCA sites to sites with better GBIF inventory, which may provide hypotheses for whether observations can be imputed for one site given observations from another. Results additionally supported >3800 largely novel biological interactions that no GBIF data had shown. This research, and accompanying interactive website supports eDNA as a gap-filling tool to measure biodiversity that is available to community and citizen scientists.
163 Effects of pre- and post-partum supplementation of molasses/urea with or without methionine fortification on growth performance of primiparous cows and their offspring

The present study evaluated the performance of calves born from primiparous cows offered pre- and post-partum supplementation of sugarcane molasses/urea added or not with DL-methionine hydroxyl analog. On d 0 (~56 d before calving), 36 Brangus heifers were stratified by BW and BCS (345 ± 4.7 kg; 2 yr of age), and randomly allocated into 1 of 12 bahiagrass pastures (3 heifers and 1.2 ha/pasture). Treatments were randomly assigned to pastures (4 pastures/ treatment) and consisted of no supplementation (NOSUP) or supplementation of molasses/urea (7.2 kg DM/heifer/ wk; 75% TDN, 20% CP; DM basis) with (MOL+) or without (MOL-) fortification with 105 g/heifer/wk of methionine (Alimet, Novus International Inc., Romance, AR) from d 0 until all heifers within each pasture calved. Total weekly amount of molasses/urea (and methionine for MOL+ heifers) was divided by 2 and offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. After all cows calved, all pairs were fed 12.7 kg/cow/wk of molasses/urea (DM basis) and grazed a single bahiagrass pasture until calf early-weaning (d 147). Calves received a soybean hull-based supplement at 3.5% of BW (DM basis) and ad libitum stargrass hay from d 154 to 201. Calving date and cow BCS on d 44 did not differ between MOL+ and MOL- (P ≥ 0.50), but both groups calved at greater BCS than NOSUP cows (P ≤ 0.008). However, cow BCS on d 147 and pregnancy percentage on d 288 did not differ among treatments (P ≥ 0.27). Calf birth BW did not differ among treatments (P ≥ 0.21), but ADG from birth to d 201 was greater for MOL+ and MOL- vs. NOSUP calves (P ≤ 0.05). Therefore, pre- and post-partum supplementation of sugarcane molasses/urea improved cow BCS at calving and calf postnatal growth compared with no supplementation. Supplemental methionine did not further enhance cow and calf growth performance
Microdrepanocytic disease in Greece.

Among the 57 patients with the hematologic picture of sickle cell anemia, examination of the parents revealed that 44 were suffering from the microdrepanocytic disease and 13 from sickle cell anemia. The much more frequent occurrence of microdrepanocytic disease was expected since the microcytemia trait appears to be much more frequent in Greece than the sickle cell trait. Most patients with sickle cell anemia originated from areas where the trait has been found in a very high frequency. In contrast, the geographical distribution of patients with microdrepanocytic disease is much wider.
Modeling land surface processes over a mountainous rainforest in Costa Rica using CLM4.5 and CLM5

Abstract. This study compares the performance of the Community Land Models (CLM4.5 and CLM5) against tower and ground measurements from a tropical montane rainforest in Costa Rica. The study site receives over 4,000 mm of mean annual precipitation and has high daily levels of relative humidity. The measurement tower is equipped with eddy-covariance and vertical profile systems able to measure various micrometeorological variables, particularly in wet and complex terrain. In this work, results from point-scale simulation for both CLM4.5 and its updated version (CLM5) are compared to observed canopy flux and micro-meteorological data. Both models failed to capture the effects of frequent rainfall events and mountainous topography on the variables of interest (temperatures, leaf wetness, and fluxes). Overall, CLM5 alleviates some errors in CLM4.5 but CLM5 still cannot precisely simulate a number of canopy processes for this forest. Soil, air, and canopy temperatures, as well as leaf wetness, remain too sensitive to incoming solar radiation rates despite updates to the model. As a result, daytime vapor flux and carbon flux are overestimated, and modeled temperature differences between day and night are higher than those observed. Slope effects appear in the measured average diurnal variations of surface albedo and carbon flux, but CLM5 cannot simulate these features. This study suggests that both CLM models still require further improvements concerning energy partitioning processes, such as leaf wetness process, photosynthesis model, and aerodynamic resistance model for wet and mountainous regions.
Life in the Margins: Harsh Reality and Challenges for the Transgender and Gender Diverse Workforce in Latin America and the Caribbean

The chapter focuses on the harsh reality and challenges faced by transgender and gender diverse workforce in Latin America and the Caribbean. Gender minorities are often marginalized and invisible, even among their lesbian, gay, and bisexual community members. As a result, they often live in the margins with consistent societal pressure to conform to the heteronormative and cisgender way of life. This conformity leads to shame, invalidation of the trans person’s lived experiences, and stigma. The chapter delivers a thorough analysis of this situation, providing readers with awareness of the issue in point, including an authentic look at some of the challenges faced by gender minorities on a daily basis.
Wave energy resource characterization and assessment for coastal waters of the United States

Abstract The wave energy resource is characterized and assessed for coastal waters of the United States to evaluate regional opportunities and constraints for wave energy converter (WEC) projects. Partitioned wave parameters generated from a 30-year WaveWatch III model hindcast are used to estimate the total wave energy potential as an annual available energy ( AAE ), which is a theoretical annual energy production per unit energy capture length without considering energy conversion losses. The distribution of AAE by peak period, wave direction, month, and year is quantified using summary statistics, including peak period spread, AAE -weighted period, AAE -directionality coefficient, and inter-annual and seasonal temporal variability. Geographical distributions of the AAE and these five resource attributes delineate distinct wave energy resource regions within United States coastal waters, where different opportunities and constraints may influence regional energy planning, WEC project development, and WEC conceptual design.
Frequency-dependent fitness and reproductive dynamics contribute to habitat segregation in sympatric jewelflowers.

Coexistence results from a complex suite of past and contemporary processes including biogeographic history, adaptation, ecological interactions and reproductive dynamics. Here we explore drivers o...
Leptin Sensitizes NTS Neurons to Vagal Input by Increasing Postsynaptic NMDA Receptor Currents

Leptin signaling within the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) contributes to the control of food intake, and injections of leptin into the NTS reduce meal size and increase the efficacy of vagus-mediated satiation signals. Leptin receptors (LepRs) are expressed by vagal afferents as well as by a population of NTS neurons. However, the electrophysiological properties of LepR-expressing NTS neurons have not been well characterized, and it is unclear how leptin might act on these neurons to reduce food intake. To address this question, we recorded from LepR-expressing neurons in horizontal brain slices containing the NTS from male and female LepR-Cre X Rosa-tdTomato mice. We found that the vast majority of NTS LepR neurons received monosynaptic innervation from vagal afferent fibers and LepR neurons exhibited large synaptic NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated currents compared with non-LepR neurons. During high-frequency stimulation of vagal afferents, leptin increased the size of NMDAR-mediated currents, but not AMPAR-mediated currents. Leptin also increased the size of evoked EPSPs and the ability of low-intensity solitary tract stimulation to evoke action potentials in LepR neurons. These effects of leptin were blocked by bath applying a competitive NMDAR antagonist (DCPP-ene) or by an NMDAR channel blocker applied through the recording pipette (MK-801). Last, feeding studies using male rats demonstrate that intra-NTS injections of DCPP-ene attenuate reduction of overnight food intake following intra-NTS leptin injection. Our results suggest that leptin acts in the NTS to reduce food intake by increasing NMDAR-mediated currents, thus enhancing NTS sensitivity to vagal inputs.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Leptin is a hormone that critically impacts food intake and energy homeostasis. The nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) is activated by vagal afferents from the gastrointestinal tract, which promotes termination of a meal. Injection of leptin into the NTS inhibits food intake, while knockdown of leptin receptors (LepRs) in NTS neurons increases food intake. However, little was known about how leptin acts in the NTS neurons to inhibit food intake. We found that leptin increases the sensitivity of LepR-expressing neurons to vagal inputs by increasing NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic currents and that NTS NMDAR activation contributes to leptin-induced reduction of food intake. These findings suggest a novel mechanism by which leptin, acting in the NTS, could potentiate gastrointestinal satiation signals.