cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling the Removal of Arsenic by Iron Oxide Coated Sand

An arsenic filtration experiment using iron oxide coated sand was modeled using the USGS geochemical program PHREEQC. Despite some uncertainty regarding the initial conditions of the groundwater and the simplicity of the model, it replicated the experimental results within 10%. The original experiment filtered 165 bed volumes to concentrations less than 0.01 mg/L As and approximately 210 bed volumes to 0.05 mg/L As. The model filtered 168 bed volumes to 0.01 mg/L As and 228 bed volumes to 0.05 mg/L.
E74 exhibits stage-specific hormonal regulation in the epidermis of the tobacco hornworm, manduca sexta.

The transcription factor E74 is one of the early genes induced by ecdysteroids during metamorphosis of Drosophila melanogaster . Here, we report the cloning and hormonal regulation of E74 from the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta (MsE74). MsE74 is 98% identical to that of D. melanogasterwithin the DNA-binding ETS domain of the protein. The 5-isoform-specific regions of MsE74A and MsE74B share significantly lower sequence similarity (30 ‐ 40%). Developmental expression by Northern blot analysis reveals that, during the 5th larval instar, MsE74B expression correlates with pupal commitment on day 3 and is induced to maximal levels within 12h by low levels of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and repressed by physiologically relevant levels of juvenile hormone I (JH I). Immunocytochemical analysis shows that MsE74B appears in the epidermis before the 20E-induced Broad transcription factor that is correlated with pupal commitment (Zhou and Riddiford, 2001). In contrast, MsE74A is expressed late in the larval and the pupal molts when the ecdysteroid titer has declined to low levels and in the adult molt just as the ecdysteroid titer begins to decline. This change in timing during the adult molt appears not to be due to the absence of JH as there was no change during the pupal molt of allatectomized animals. When either 4th or 5th instar larval epidermis was explanted and subjected to hormonal manipulations, MsE74A induction occurred only after exposure to 20E followed by its removal. Thus, MsE74B appears to have a similar role at the onset of metamorphosis in Manduca as it does in Drosophila, whereas MsE74A is regulated differently at pupation in Manduca than at pupariation in Drosophila.
The Link Between Brain Learning, Attention, and Consciousness

We experience the world as a whole. Although myriad signals relentlessly bombard our senses, we somehow integrate them into unified moments of conscious experience that cohere together despite their diversity. Because of the apparent unity and coherence of our awareness, we can develop a sense of self that can gradually mature with our experiences of the world. This capacity lies at the heart of our ability to function as intelligent beings.
Diagnostic Labels Assigned to Patients With Orthopedic Conditions and the Influence of the Label on Selection of Interventions: A Qualitative Study of Orthopaedic Clinical Specialists

Background A variety of diagnostic classification systems are used by physical therapists, but little information about how therapists assign diagnostic labels and how the labels are used to direct intervention is available. Objective The purposes of this study were: (1) to examine the diagnostic labels assigned to patient problems by physical therapists who are board-certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialists (OCSs) and (2) to determine whether the label influences selection of interventions. Design A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Methods Two written cases were developed for patients with low back and shoulder pain. A survey was used to evaluate the diagnostic label assigned and the interventions considered important for each case. The cases and survey were sent to therapists who are board-certified OCSs. Respondents assigned a diagnostic label and rated the importance of intervention categories for each case. Each diagnostic label was coded based on the construct it represented. Percentage responses for each diagnostic label code and intervention category were calculated. Relative importance of intervention category based on diagnostic label was examined. Results For the low back pain and shoulder pain cases, respectively, “Combination” (48.5%, 34.9%) and “Pathology/Pathophysiology” (32.7%, 57.3%) diagnostic labels were most common. Strengthening (85.9%, 98.1%), stretching (86.8%, 84.9%), neuromuscular re-education (87.6%, 93.4%), functional training (91.4%, 88.6%), and mobilization/manipulation (85.1%, 86.8%) were considered the most important interventions. Relative importance of interventions did not differ based on diagnostic label (χ2=0.050–1.263, P =.261–.824). Limitations The low response rate may limit the generalizability of the findings. Also, examples provided for labels may have influenced responses, and some of the label codes may have represented overlapping constructs. Conclusions There is little consistency with which OCS therapists assign diagnostic labels, and the label does not seem to influence selection of interventions.
Geomorphology-assisted manipulation of magnet-actuated droplet for solid phase DNA extraction and droplet-in-oil PCR

Magnet actuated droplets on an open surface have shown great potential in biomolecules manipulation. In spite of its simplicity, many factors still need to be considered for successful droplet control. This report presents a microfluidic platform with surface geomorphological features for easy droplet manipulation, facilitating totally integrated sample preparation and gene analysis. Taking the advantage of the silica superparamagnetic particle based solid phase extraction. We have successfully demonstrated that our platform is capable of processing raw biosamples and analyzing the genomic content through the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The simple portable platform is proved to be ideal for truly point-of-care application.
Saliency-based visual representation for compression

This paper presents a representation for video with application to coding. In recent years, scalability of image compression systems has gained in popularity. Our approach is scalable in the normal sense, but instead of allowing the overall image frame quality to degrade with lower bandwidth, salient portions of the image frame maintain a high quality while less important portions are allowed to degrade. The judgment of importance is made by a region-of-interest (ROI) finder. The use of prioritized ROIs help to eliminate redundancy and can be organized under a motion compensation ruling.
First demonstration of error-free operation of a full silicon on-chip photonic link

We report first 3-Gb/s data measurements for a photonic link including a microring modulator connected optically by a waveguide to a Germanium detector. Error-free operation is achieved with a 2-dB electrical power penalty.
Inhibition of secreted phospholipase A2 by neuron survival and anti-inflammatory peptide CHEC-9

Background The nonapeptide CHEC-9 (CHEASAAQC), a putative inhibitor of secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2), has been shown previously to inhibit neuron death and aspects of the inflammatory response following systemic treatment of rats with cerebral cortex lesions. In this study, the properties of CHEC-9 inhibition of sPLA2 enzymes were investigated, using a venom-derived sPLA2 group I and the plasma of rats and humans as the sources of enzyme activity. The results highlight the advantages of inhibitors with uncompetitive properties for inflammatory disorders including those resulting in degeneration of neurons.
Information effects in two mixed-motive games†

The class of 2 × 2 games in which each player's payoffs are strictly ordered contains exactly 78 games. Of these 78, 12 are symmetric, that is, they “look alike” to both players. Four of these 12 games are dilemma-type games, two of which, Prisoner's Dilemma and Chicken, have been the subject of considerable experimental investigation. The remaining two games, Hero and Leader, have not been subject to experimental study. This paper reports the strategy choice behavior of pairs of naive subjects playing Hero and Leader under two information conditions, with and without knowledge of the other's payoffs. The results obtained in this study indicate that Hero is played more cooperatively than Leader where cooperative interaction is defined in terms of the frequency and distribution of Pareto outcomes between players in a pair. Also, both games are played more cooperatively when a player has knowledge of his own and the other's payoffs than when a player has knowledge only of his own payoffs.
The coding of uniform colour figures in monkey visual cortex.

Psychophysical studies indicate that perception of the colour and brightness of a surface depends on neural signals evoked by the borders of the surface rather than its interior. The visual cortex emphasizes contrast borders, but it is unclear whether colour surface signals also exist, whether colour border signals are orientation selective or mainly non-oriented, and whether cortical processing tends to separate colour and form information. To address these questions we examined the representation of uniform colour figures by recording single neuron activity from areas V1 and V2 in alert macaque monkeys during behaviourally induced fixation. Three aspects of coding were quantified: colour, orientation and edge selectivity. The occurrence of colour selectivity was not correlated with orientation or edge selectivity. The fraction of colour-selective cells was the same (64 % in layers 2 and 3 of V1, 45 % in V2) for oriented and non-oriented cells, and for edge-selective and surface-responsive cells. Oriented cells were often highly selective in colour space, and about 40 % of them were selective for edge polarity or border ownership. Thus, contrary to the idea of feature maps, colour, orientation and edge polarity are multiplexed in cortical signals. The results from V2 were similar to those from upper-layer V1, indicating that cortical processing does not strive to separate form and colour information. Oriented cells were five times more frequent than non-oriented cells. Thus, the vast majority of colour-coded cells are orientation tuned. Based on response profiles across a 4 deg square figure, and the relative frequency of oriented and non-oriented cells, we estimate that the cortical colour signal is 5–6 times stronger for the edges than for the surface of the figure. The frequency of oriented colour cells and their ability to code edge polarity indicate that these cells play a major role in the representation of surface colour.
The effects of particle size distribution and induced unpinning during grain growth

The effect of a second-phase particle size distribution on grain boundary pinning was studied using a Monte Carlo simulation technique. Simulations were run using a constant number density of both whisker and rhombohedral particles, and the effect of size distribution was studied by varying the standard deviation of the distribution around a constant mean particle size. The results of present simulations indicate that, in accordance with the stereological assumption of the topological pinning model, changes in distribution width had no effect on the pinned grain size. The effect of induced unpinning of particles on microstructure was also studied. In contrast to predictions of the topological pinning model, a power law dependence of pinned grain size on particle size was observed at {ital T}=0.0. Based on this, a systematic deviation to the stereological predictions of the topological pinning model is observed. The results of simulations at higher temperatures indicate an increasing power law dependence of pinned grain size on particle size, with the slopes of the power law dependencies fitting an Arrhenius relation. The effect of induced unpinning of particles was also studied in order to obtain a correlation between particle/boundary concentration and equilibrium grain size. The results of simulations containingmore » a constant number density of monosized rhombohedral particles suggest a strong power law correlation between the two parameters. {copyright} {ital 1996 Materials Research Society.}« less
Evaluation of methods to increase the oxygen partial pressure in PEM fuel cells

This paper compares the performance of a hydrogen‐air fuel cell system with the oxygen electrode operating under different conditions of pressure, stoichiometry and oxygen enrichment. This paper shows that the net power density can be improved using a pressurized or oxygen enrichment system when the oxygen electrode is limited by oxygen mass transfer. If the current density is determined by kinetics, then the ambient pressure system has a higher net power density at the same fuel efficiency.
Are latitudinal clines in body size adaptive

Body size of animals often increases with increasing latitude. These latitudinal clines in body size have interested biologists for over 150 years. However, the mechanisms that generate these clines in size are still unclear, though latitudinal gradients in temperature appear to play an important role. More importantly, many studies that examine latitudinal clines in body size and the mechanisms responsible for these clines use phenotypic data, confounding genetic (adaptive) and non-genetic (plasticity) sources of variation. Yet, most of these studies make adaptive conclusions based on phenotypic measures of size. Here I show the dangers of making adaptive inferences from phenotypic measures of size. In addition, I use a specific form of plasticity in body size of ectotherms, called the temperature - size rule, to illustrate how confusion about genetic and non-genetic contributions to phenotypic variation has hampered progress in understanding the evolution of latitudinal clines in size. Field-based measurements of body size can no doubt be influenced by plasticity, but demonstrating that latitudinal clines have a genetic basis is necessary to show that these patterns are adaptive.
Domain-Based Recommendation and Retrieval of Relevant Materials in E-learning

A good e-learning system should deliver relevant learning materials to learner at the most appropriate time and locations to facilitate learners' acquisition of knowledge and skills. In this paper, we propose domain-based recommendation and retrieval of relevant materials in e- learning. Since relevancy is often domain dependent. Materials that are highly related in one domain might be irrelevant in another domain, we group users by their domains. Based on the content, multiple sets of relevant documents, one for each chosen domain, are prepared. In a search scenario, search sites are selected by domain and search is performed on the chosen relevant sites only. To demonstrate our idea, we use Virtual Conference on Genomic and Bioinformatics as the test bed and develop a presentation video access platform. The implementation involves techniques in image and video processing, database management, programming, and multimedia learning materials presentation.
BPM signal conditioning for a wide range of single-bunch current operation in the Duke storage ring

The beam position monitor system of the Duke storage ring has been in operation since 1998. Recently, by injecting at higher energy with a booster synchrotron, the single bunch current threshold is much more increased. The high peak voltage associated with high single-bunch current degrades the performance of the BPM system and can potentially damage the BPM electronics. To improve the accuracy of the orbit measurement, we carefully studied the BPM signal and found a way to overcome this problem. This paper reports our findings and presents a solution to condition the signal for a wide single-bunch current operation.
A Local Access Network for Packetized Digital Voice Communication

A technique for local-area communication among a large number of digital speech terminals is presented. The terminals communicate over a common wide-band broadcast transmission medium using packets. Access to the medium is controlled by a carrier-sense multiple-access protocol with collision detection. Analytic results indicate that many speech terminals having different characteristics can be supported without the necessity of buffering more than one packet. Several distributed access control algorithms are described, and a technique for predicting the performance of these algorithms is presented. Computer simulations were performed to verify the feasibility of these ideas. The simulation results agree with the prediction of the analysis.
Mechanisms for Microstructure Evolution in Electroplated Copper Thin Films

We present a model which accounts for the dramatic evolution in the microstructure of electroplated copper thin films near room temperature. Microstructure evolution occurs during a transient period of hours following deposition, and includes an increase in grain size, changes in preferred crystallographic texture, and decreases in resistivity, hardness and compressive stress. As the grain size increases from the as-deposited value of 0.05–0.1 μm up to several μm, the decreasing grain boundary contribution to electron scattering lowers the resistivity by tens of percent to near-bulk values. Concurrently, as the volume of grain boundaries decreases, the stress is shown to change in the tensile direction by tens of MPa. The as-deposited grain size is also shown to be consistent with grain boundary pinning.
Molecular and functional effects of organismal ageing on smooth muscle cells derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Aims Bone marrow-derived smooth muscle cells (BM-SMCs) have high potential as an autologous cell source of vascular progenitors but normal cell function and turnover frequency may decline with age. In this study we set out to study the effects of organismal ageing on the molecular and functional properties of BM-SMCs. Methods and results To address this issue, we employed a smooth muscle α-actin promoter (αSMA) driving expression of enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) to isolate SMCs from bone marrow of neonatal (nBM-SMCs) or adult (aBM-SMCs) sheep and examined their proliferation potential and contractility. Compared with nBM-SMCs, aBM-SMCs exhibited lower clonogenicity and proliferation potential that could be improved significantly by addition of basic fibroblast growth factor. Vascular constructs from aBM-SMCs showed reduced ability to generate force and contract fibrin hydrogels and this function could be partially restored by addition of transforming growth factor-β1. They also exhibited lower receptor- and non-receptor-mediated vascular contractility and mechanical strength, which was comparable to that of tissue constructs prepared with vascular SMCs from neonatal umbilical veins. In agreement with the contractile properties and mechanical strength of vascular constructs, aBM-SMCs displayed significantly lower expression of αSMA, smoothelin, desmin, type I collagen, and tropoelastin transcripts compared with nBM-SMCs. Conclusion Understanding the effects of organismal ageing on BM-SMCs and the properties of the resulting vascular constructs may lead to innovative ways to facilitate application of these cells in the treatment of cardiovascular disease which is especially prevalent in the elderly.
Studies on the Nutrition of Breeding Turkeys 1. EVIDENCE INDICATING A NEED TO SUPPLEMENT PRACTICAL TURKEY RATIONS WITH VITAMIN E

Abstract ALTHOUGH extensive research has been conducted on the nutritional requirements of young turkeys, only limited work has been undertaken to determine qualitative and quantitative nutritive requirements of turkey hens for maximum reproduction. Consequently, a series of studies on this subject was initiated at this laboratory in 1949. Results of the studies conducted that year and each succeeding year until 1955 are the subjects of this report. Since turkey hatchability under practical conditions is notoriously low, these studies were undertaken to determine whether or not supplementing a practical turkey ration with animal protein, dried skimmilk, vitamin B12, antibiotics, niacin, vitamin E or fresh forage juice would improve hatchability. One of the experiments showing the importance of vitamin E supplementation of practical turkey breeding rations was reported in part by Jensen et al. (1953). Since then, this portion of the work has been confirmed and extended by Atkinson et al. (1954, 1955) …
Physical Activity and Obesity Gap Between Black and White Women in the Southeastern U.S.

Background Differences between black and white women in the associations of sedentary and active behaviors and obesity are mostly unknown. Purpose To examine associations of sedentary and active behaviors with BMI, a marker of overall obesity, in a large group of black and white women and to determine whether there are differences by race in these associations. Methods Associations between time spent in sedentary and active behaviors and BMI were examined using cross-sectional data collected from 2002 to 2006 at enrollment into the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS) from 22,948 black and 7830 white women living in the southeastern U.S. These associations were examined using linear and polytomous logistic regression models controlling for age, race, income, education, occupational status, tobacco use, marital status, and comorbidities. Results Time spent in sedentary behaviors was directly related to BMI whereas time spent in active behaviors such as moderate and vigorous physical activity was inversely related to BMI, with stronger associations for whites than blacks. White women in the highest quartile of sedentary behaviors were more likely to be moderately (BMI=30–39) or severely (BMI>40) obese than women in the lowest quartile (OR=2.3, 95% CI=1.8, 2.9 for moderate, and OR=4.0, 95% CI=3.1, 5.3 for severe obesity), whereas the ORs among similarly sedentary black women were modestly elevated (ORs of 1.4, 95% CI=1.2, 1.6; and 1.6, 95% CI=1.4, 1.8). Conclusions There are significant differences in the association of physical activity patterns and obesity between black and white women living in the southeastern U.S. Although most guidelines for prevention of obesity and maintaining weight promote increased time in moderate and vigorous physical activity, these results indicate that a reduction in sedentary behavior time may represent another useful strategy in this population.
Elevated summer temperatures delay spawning and reduce redd construction for resident brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Redd (nest) surveys for resident brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were conducted annually in a mountain lake in northern New York for 11 years with multiple surveys conducted during the spawning season in eight of those years. Repeated surveys throughout the spawning season allowed us to fit an individually based parametric model and estimate the day of year on which spawning was initiated, reached its midpoint, and ended during each year. Spawning phenology was then assessed relative to (1) mean of maximum daily air temperature and (2) mean of maximum daily water temperature at the lake bottom during summer in each year using a linear model. Elevated temperatures in summer were correlated with a delay in spawning and a reduction in the total number of redds constructed. Increasing the summer mean of maximum daily air temperatures by 1 °C delayed spawning by approximately 1 week and decreased the total number of redds constructed by nearly 65. Lake spawning brook trout select redd sites based on the presence of discharging groundwater that is relatively constant in temperature within and across years, leading to relatively consistent egg incubation times. Therefore, delayed spawning is likely to delay fry emergence, which could influence emergence synchrony with prey items. This work highlights non-lethal and sub-lethal effects of elevated summer temperatures on native resident salmonids in aquatic environments with limited thermal refugia.
New Species of Stachys (Lamiaceae) from Mesoamerica

ABSTRACT Four new species of Stachys L. from Mesoamerica, S. darcyana A. Pool, S. harleyana A. Pool, S. riparia A. Pool, and S. uniflora A. Pool, are described and their relationships with allied species are discussed. The new species are similar to each other in having stems rooting only at the lower nodes and corollas of various shades of pink or purple with the corolla tubes of medium size, 3.8–8 mm long. Stachys darcyana (Costa Rica and Panama) and S. harleyana (Chiapas, Mexico) have relatively large upper corolla lips (2.5–5 mm long) and the stamens exserted from the corolla tube 2.1–3.5 mm; the verticillasters in S. darcyana are 8- to 12-flowered and in S. harleyana 4- to 8-flowered. Stachys riparia (Costa Rica) and S. uniflora (Costa Rica and Panama) have relatively small upper corolla lips (1.1–2.25 mm long) and the stamens exserted from the corolla tube 0.5–1.25 mm; the verticillasters in S. riparia are 6- to 12-flowered and in S. uniflora the flowers are solitary in the axils of the leaves.
Immunomodulators and Immunizing Agents

Colony-stimulating factors are naturally occurring glycoprotein cytokines that selectively stimulate the production of various cell lines in the bone marrow. The name is derived from the clusters or “colonies” of cells that differentiate together in the marrow.
Challenges of Genetic Susceptibility Testing for Retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma (RB) has heritable and non-heritable forms. Testing patients with the heritable form of RB has identified different types of germline RB1 mutations in DNA from either all of the leukocytes in a patient’s blood sample or less often, in a subset of the leukocytes (which is called mosaicism). Unusual mechanisms such as inheritance from the paternal allele affecting disease penetrance or the involvement of other genes such as MED4 have been described. Testing patients with the non-heritable form has revealed mechanisms including promoter hypermethylation and loss of heterozygosity in RB1−/− retinoblastomas. The involvement of the MYCN oncogene has been suggested in a small subset of sporadic unilateral tumors in which the RB1 gene is not mutated. As more patients undergo RB1 genetic testing and laboratory methodologies continually improve, the realm of possible results will further expand. Patients with RB and their families should be introduced to the possible results and the potential uses, risks, and limitations prior to undergoing testing. Having contact with genetics professionals at the disclosure of results and in the future is also recommended. Genetic counselors are part of a multidisciplinary team caring for patients with RB. This chapter’s focus is on the role of genetics professionals and the challenges that clinicians face with the interpretation and complexities of germline testing for these patients.
Formulation of the Control Problem

In this chapter we first point out the common mathematical structure of the examples in the previous chapter. This permits a somewhat imprecise preliminary formulation of the mathematical problem of optimal control. It should, however, motivate the precise and more general formulation of the mathematical problem of optimal control which is given in Section 3. In Section 4 we discuss various equivalent formulations of the problem, and in Section 5 we show how some other control problems can be cast in the form given in Section 3. We conclude this chapter with a discussion of the relationship between problems in the calculus of variations and control problems. Sections 4 to 6 inclusive can be omitted at a first reading and can be read as the need arises.
Biology and immature stages of the genus Cordilura (Diptera Scatophagidae) in the Eastern United States.

Life cycles, mature larvae, and puparia of 12 members of Cordilura are described. The species reared were: Cordilura Ontario Curran, C. setosa Loevv, C. angustifrons Loew, C. variabilis Loew, C. latifrons Loew, C. confusa Loew, C. pudica Meigen, C. (Snyderia) praeusta Loew, C. gagatina Loew, C. carbonaria (Walker), C. (Cordilurina) gracilipes Loew, and C. (Cordilurina) pleuriticia Loew. Adults lay their eggs in the outer sheaths near the host plant culm base. Larvae of all species feed in Carex spp. or Scirpus spp. culms, except C. praeusta which attacks Juncus effusus culms. Depending upon the species, monophagy or oligophagy is the rule. Species overwinter as pupae within host plant culms or in soil around plant roots. Facultative diapause appears involved in some species, obligatory diapause in others. One or 2 generations a year may be produced. The most reliable generic recognition character is the cephalopharyngeal skeleton, which is similar in all species studied. Good specific recognition characters are provided by the anterior spiracles, posterior spiracular plates, and the posterior spiracular disc. A key is given for known Cordilura larvae in the eastern United States, and species group affinities based on larval characters are discussed.
Model validations for low-global warming potential refrigerants in mini-split air-conditioning units

To identify low global warming potential refrigerants to replace R-22 and R-410A, extensive experimental evaluations were conducted for multiple candidates of refrigerant at the standard test conditions and at high-ambient conditions with outdoor temperature varying from 27.8°C to 55.0°C. In the study, R-22 was compared to propane (R-290), DR-3, ARM-20B, N-20B, and R-444B in a mini split air-conditioning unit originally designed for R-22; R-410A was compared to R-32, DR-55, ARM-71A, L41-2 (R-447A) in a mini split-unit designed for R-410A. To reveal the physics behind the measured performance results, thermodynamic properties of the alternative refrigerants were analysed. In addition, the experimental data were used to calibrate a physics-based equipment model, for example, ORNL heat pump design model. The calibrated model translated the experimental results to key calculated parameters, i.e. compressor efficiencies and refrigerant side two-phase heat transfer coefficients, corresponding to each refrigeran...
Projected twenty-first-century changes in the Central American mid-summer drought using statistically downscaled climate projections

In addition to periodic long-term drought, much of Central America experiences a rainy season with two peaks separated by a dry period of weeks to over a month in duration, termed the mid-summer drought (MSD). Farmers in the region have adapted their activities to accommodate this phenomenon, anticipating its arrival and estimating its duration. Among the many impacts of global warming on the region are projected changes in precipitation amount, variability, and timing, with potential to affect agriculture and food security. Using gridded daily precipitation for a historic period with future projections, we characterize the MSD across much of Central America using four measures: onset date, duration, intensity, and minimum, and test for significant changes by the end of the twenty-first century. Our findings indicate that the most significant changes are for the duration, which is projected to increase by an average of over a week, and the MSD minimum precipitation, which is projected to decrease by an average of over 26%, with statistically significant changes for the mountains and Pacific side in most of Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala (assuming a higher emissions pathway through the twenty-first century). These changes could portend important impacts on food security for vulnerable communities through the region. We find that for the four metrics, the changes in interannual variability are small compared to historical variability and are generally statistically insignificant.
Going Deeper: Biomolecular Tools for Acoustic and Magnetic Imaging and Control of Cellular Function.

Most cellular phenomena of interest to mammalian biology occur within the context of living tissues and organisms. However, today’s most advanced tools for observing and manipulating cellular function, based on fluorescent or light-controlled proteins, work best in cultured cells, transparent model species, or small, surgically accessed anatomical regions. Their reach into deep tissues and larger animals is limited by photon scattering. To overcome this limitation, we must design biochemical tools that interface with more penetrant forms of energy. For example, sound waves and magnetic fields easily permeate most biological tissues, allowing the formation of images and delivery of energy for actuation. These capabilities are widely used in clinical techniques such as diagnostic ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, focused ultrasound ablation, and magnetic particle hyperthermia. Each of these modalities offers spatial and temporal precision that could be used to study a multitude of cellular processes i...
Unequal Gain of Equal Resources across Racial Groups

The health effects of economic resources (eg, education, employment, and living place) and psychological assets (eg, self-efficacy, perceived control over life, anger control, and emotions) are well-known. This article summarizes the results of a growing body of evidence documenting Blacks' diminished return, defined as a systematically smaller health gain from economic resources and psychological assets for Blacks in comparison to Whites. Due to structural barriers that Blacks face in their daily lives, the very same resources and assets generate smaller health gain for Blacks compared to Whites. Even in the presence of equal access to resources and assets, such unequal health gain constantly generates a racial health gap between Blacks and Whites in the United States. In this paper, a number of public policies are recommended based on these findings. First and foremost, public policies should not merely focus on equalizing access to resources and assets, but also reduce the societal and structural barriers that hinder Blacks. Policy solutions should aim to reduce various manifestations of structural racism including but not limited to differential pay, residential segregation, lower quality of education, and crime in Black and urban communities. As income was not found to follow the same pattern demonstrated for other resources and assets (ie, income generated similar decline in risk of mortality for Whites and Blacks), policies that enforce equal income and increase minimum wage for marginalized populations are essential. Improving quality of education of youth and employability of young adults will enable Blacks to compete for high paying jobs. Policies that reduce racism and discrimination in the labor market are also needed. Without such policies, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to eliminate the sustained racial health gap in the United States.
Host Expression of the CD8 Treg/NK Cell Restriction Element Qa-1 is Dispensable for Transplant Tolerance

Disruption of the non-classical Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Ib molecule Qa-1 impairs CD8 Treg and natural killer (NK) cell function and promotes a lupus-like autoimmune disease. This immune perturbation would be expected to enhance anti-transplant responses and impair tolerance induction, but the effect of Qa-1 deficiency on the transplant response has not been previously reported. Qa-1 deficiency enhanced CD4 TFH and germinal center (GC) B cell numbers in naive mice and hastened islet allograft rejection. Despite enhanced immunity in B6.Qa-1−/− mice, these mice did not generate an excessive primary CD4 TFH cell response nor an enhanced alloantibody reaction. Both CD8 Tregs and NK cells, which often regulate other cells through host Qa-1 expression, were targets of anti-CD45RB therapy that had not been previously recognized. However, B6.Qa-1−/− mice remained susceptible to anti-CD45RB mediated suppression of the alloantibody response and transplant tolerance induction to mismatched islet allografts. Overall, despite enhanced immunity as demonstrated by augmented CD4 TFH/GC B cell numbers and hastened islet allograft rejection in naive 12-week old Qa-1 deficient mice, the CD8 Treg/NK cell restriction element Qa-1 does not regulate the primary cellular or humoral alloresponse and is not required for long-term transplant tolerance.
Heterogeneous Presidential Source Cue Effects on Public Opinion: The Case of the Sotomayor Nomination to the Supreme Court

Do presidential source cues affect public opinion? If so, which types of voters are most susceptible to presidential source cue effects? This study uses a split-ballot experimental design embedded ...
Nanoelectromechanical systems for accurate high-speed DNA sequencing

Fast and accurate de-novo DNA sequencing from direct translocation of intact DNA polymer in nanoscale devices has been long considered to be the ultimate alternative to the existing sequencing methods, which are still limited by cost and throughput. Various approaches have been proposed in the last two decades, ranging from employing ionic current blockage by DNA nucleotides in aqueous nanopores to using chemically selective tunneling current probes. Before such concepts achieve true technological relevance, numerous issues must be tackled, from achieving robust selectivity in realistic operational environments to developing noise-resistant readout scheme [1-3].
Artistic Realizations Found in Generalist Preservice Teachers' Courses: Rigor, Confidence, and Connections

This article discusses a study that investigated the confidence of generalist preservice classroom teachers in integrating the arts, their attitudes and preconceived notions of art education, and h...
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in High Schools: A Case Study From New Hampshire

The quality of a school’s social environment is critically related to student outcomes, including academic performance, attendance, student behavior, and high school completion rates. New Hampshire...
Graphical deep knowledge for intelligent machine drafting

The problem of Intelligent Machine Drafting is presented, and a description of an existing implementation as part of a graphical generator function is given. The concept of Graphical Deep Knowledge is defined as a representational basis for Intelligent Machine Drafting problems as well as for physical object displays. A (partial) task domain analysis for Graphical Deep Knowledge is presented. Primitives that are necessary to deal with a world of 2-D forms and colors are introduced. Among them are primitives for describing forms, positions, parts, attributes, sub-assemblies, and an abstraction hierarchy. The use of the "linearity principle" for knowledge structure derivation from natural language utterances is shown.
AB Initio Studies and Quantum-Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulations for Proton Transfer Processes in Model Systems and in Enzymes

Present supercomputer technology allows for exploration of quantum dynamical phenomena in biomolecular structure and dynamics - the limiting factors are mostly theoretical models and efficient software. We undertook systematic studies in both areas, concentrating our attention on exploring the applicability of a combined quantum-classical or quantum-stochastic dynamics method for studying proton transfer processes, which are very important for many biomolecular phenomena. We present the new dynamical approach and its applications to the proton-bound amonia dimer, proton-bound amonia-water complex, and a model of the active site in phospholipases. Possible extensions of the models to enzyme catalysis with proton or electron transfer reactions are also discussed.
Change Communication in Public Sector Cutback Management

Budget cuts in public sector organizations create additional strain for employees, often contributing to uncertainty, rumors, and low morale. This study examines the dynamics of communicating about organizational changes in public human service organizations during the cutbacks of the Great Recession from 2008 to 2013. Drawing from in-depth interviews of 45 senior managers in eleven San Francisco Bay Area county public human service agencies, the findings focus on perceived employee responses to change, specific change communication strategies utilized, and how these were shaped by internal and external factors. The study concludes with implications for future practice and research during significant budget reductions in public human service organizations.
Sex-specific associations of infants’ gut microbiome with arsenic exposure in a US population

Arsenic is a ubiquitous environmental toxicant with antimicrobial properties that can be found in food and drinking water. The influence of arsenic exposure on the composition of the human microbiome in US populations remains unknown, particularly during the vulnerable infant period. We investigated the relationship between arsenic exposure and gut microbiome composition in 204 infants prospectively followed as part of the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Infant urine was analyzed for total arsenic concentration using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Stool microbiome composition was determined using sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Infant urinary arsenic related to gut microbiome composition at 6 weeks of life (p = 0.05, adjusted for infant feeding type and urine specific gravity). Eight genera, six within the phylum Firmicutes, were enriched with higher arsenic exposure. Fifteen genera were negatively associated with urinary arsenic concentration, including Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium. Upon stratification by both sex and feeding method, we found detectable associations among formula-fed males (p = 0.008), but not other groups (p > 0.05 for formula-fed females and for breastfed males and females). Our findings from a US population indicate that even moderate arsenic exposure may have meaningful, sex-specific effects on the gut microbiome during a critical window of infant development.
Augmenting Classrooms with AI for Personalized Education

Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) have been a topic of great interest for about five decades. Over the years, ITS research has leveraged AI advancements, and has also helped push the boundaries of AI capabilities with grounded usage scenarios. Using ITSs along with classroom instruction to augment traditional teaching is a canonical example of how humans and machines can work together to solve problems that are otherwise overwhelming and non-scalable individually. The experiences of personalized learning created by (1) seamless orchestration of human decision-making at few critical points with (2) scalability of cognitive capabilities using AI systems can drive increased student engagement leading to improved learning outcomes. By considering two particular use-cases of early childhood learning and higher education, we discuss the challenges involved in designing these complex human-centric systems. These systems integrate technologies involving interactivity, dialog, automated question generation, and learning analytics.
Proceedings of the ACM SIGMETRICS international conference on Measurement and modeling of computer systems

Welcome to ACM SIGMETRICS 2010! And to the city so nice, they named it twice. This year's conference continues the rich SIGMETRICS tradition of being the premier forum for the presentation of research on the measurement and modeling of computer systems. The technical program for 2010 features a set of outstanding papers that covers both theory and applications from a wide variety of areas, including dynamics and control, load balancing, measurement, network traffic, optimization, performance modeling and analysis, resource allocation, scheduling, sensor and wireless networks, and systems, among others. This year's call for papers attracted 184 submissions from all over the world (and a few beyond). The 90 member Technical Program Committee along with a selected group of external experts carefully considered all of the submissions with a total of 716 detailed reviews completed. The TPC meeting to select the final program was held on the campus of Columbia University in mid January, 2010. At the conclusion of the meeting, the committee had assembled a wonderful program composed of 29 papers and 20 posters, to be presented over three days at the conference. The quality of submissions was extremely high as reflected in the final technical program. Following the TPC meeting, a subcommittee had the pleasure (yet very difficult task) of selecting the best paper award winners. The paper entitled "Load Balancing via Randomized Local Search in Closed and Open Systems" by A. Ganesh, S. Lilienthal, D. Manjunath, A. Proutiere and F. Simatos received the Best Paper Award. The paper entitled "Distributed Sensor Network Localization from Local Connectivity: Performance Analysis for the HOP-TERRAIN Algorithm" by A. Karbasi and S. Oh received the Kenneth C. Sevcik Outstanding Student Paper Award. Please join us in congratulating the authors!
Spotting brain bleeding after sparse training.

Accurate and explainable detection, via deep learning, of acute intracranial haemorrhage from computed tomography images of the head is achievable with small amounts of data for model training.
Reactions of Coordination Compounds in the Solid Phase

Many coordination compounds have been found to undergo chemical reactions in the solid phase under relatively mild conditions of pressure and temperature. Some of these reactions are well known and provide convenient synthetic procedures. For example, the common method of preparing cis-[Cr(en)2Cl2]Cl is by thermal deamination of [Cr(en)3]Cl3 in the presence of a catalytic amount of NH4Cl.1 Few detailed studies of these solid-phase reactions have been made, but at least two general reasons can be cited for giving such reactions further consideration. First, there is the question of the mechanisms involved in ligand exchange, racemization, and isomerization in the solid phase in comparison with the ways in which these processes proceed in solution. In some cases, mechanisms proposed for solid-phase reactions clearly differ from mechanisms proposed for corresponding solution reactions. What causes the mechanisms to differ (if, indeed, they do) is not known, but this matter is clearly of interest to our understanding of the factors governing the reaction mechanisms of coordination compounds. Secondly, some of the reactions are of interest as possible model systems for studying the chemical behavior of solids.
Analysis and Modeling of the Leaching Process

A statistical analysis has been made on data obtained in the study of the leaching process for the American Society for Testing and Materials special fly ash specimen using distilled water as the extractant. Two laboratories made extractions under a variety of conditions, and after acid stabilization, the leachates were analyzed by a third laboratory using inductively-coupled plasma analysis. Fifteen elements were studied. Three types of experimental variables were examined: (1) the extractor (60 and 180 cpm shaker tables, and the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) mixer); (2) the liquid/solid ratio (4/1, 10/1, and 20/1); and (3) the time (24 and 48 h). The 60 cpm shaker table at the 4/1 liquid/solid ratio and at 24 h showed the greatest variability of results; the NBS mixer showed the smallest variability. The NBS mixer and the 180 cpm shaker table exhibited very similar extraction efficiencies and were, for a number of elements, noticeably different from that of the 60 cpm shaker table. The data were examined in terms of three plausible extraction models. Many of the elements studied fit the model that practically all of the elemental material capable of being extracted is extracted under the test conditions, and that for the higher liquid/solid ratios this material is simply diluted. This results in the concentration being inversely proportional to the liquid/solid ratio. Data for the remaining elements appear to be in better accordance with a leaching model based on interrelated chemical equilibria. We observe, for example, that when the aluminum concentration decreases, the silicon concentration increases. This effect appears to be so pronounced that for the cases of the NBS mixer and the 180 cpm extractor, the silicon concentration actually goes up for the higher liquid/ solid dilution ratios. A third plausible leaching model which is based on the concept of a constant elemental saturation under all experimental conditions generally was not found to be supported by the data.