cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contour Mapping and Differential Systematics of Geographic Variation

Adams, R. P. (Colo. St. Univ., Ft. Collins, Cola. 80521) 1970. Contour mapping and differential systematics of geographic variation. Syst. Zool., 19: 385-390.-Algorithms are presented for automatic contour mapping of characters and displaying of the composite differential of several characters by computer. An example is given using morphological and chemical characters from Juniperus pinchotii Sudw. (Cupressaceae). Several attributes of contour mapping of geographic variation are discussed. Differential systematics is shown to be of considerable interest in delimiting areas of speciation and/or ecotypic differentiation. Computerized contour mapping of characters, when used with an appropriate statistical text, can be used to show, graphically, regional trends within a taxon. Correlation of these trends with ecological factors may be readily visualized such that further fieldwork may be concentrated on the investigation of these areas. Differential systematics can be a powerful tool for the populational worker in revealing areas of rapid differentiation using not one, but several characters simultaneously. These characters can be of several kinds, such as morphological, chemical, cytological, etc., in order to obtain a more representative sample of the organism's genome. This paper is concerned with the presentation of algorithms for determining contour maps and the composite differential of several characters automatically by computer. An example is given using both morphological and chemical characters from trees of Juniperus pinchotii Sudw. (Cupressaceae) from a study by Adams (1969).
Street-level bureaucracy and depoliticized North Korean subjectivity in the service provision of Hana Center

This paper explores how institutional service provision for North Koreans in South Korea contributes to formulating specific kinds of North Korean subjectivity. North Korean matters are still controversial and riddled with various political issues, including the Cold War, ethnic homogeneity, and neoliberal changes. There has been significant critique on over-competition, resource misuse, and inadequate services for this population in South Korea to date. Semi-government resettlement agencies called Hana Centers have attempted to standardize and individualize service provision to North Koreans since 2009 reflecting neoliberal welfare trend in South Korea. In the space where the stated policy and actual practices create gap in-between, the values of practicality and neutrality take precedence in operating the Hana Centers. Bureaucratic practices of Hana Centers on the ground reveal contradictory and divergent operations, featuring street-level bureaucracy and localized governmentality. This paper specifical...
Determination of Power Required through Accelerated Flight with Application to Unmanned Vehicles

Power required analysis is an important element of aircraft performance. The primary method for measuring this parameter, the classic PIW-VIW method, works well for manned aircraft but has some short comings when applied to unmanned aircraft, specifically those that are remotely piloted. Maximum likelihood estimation is used to fit a lift and drag model to data acquired through acceleration and deceleration runs. The data is reduced using the PIW-VIW technique to remove weight and density effects. A low cost RaspberryPi data collection system was designed to be used on two test aircraft, the commercially available Nexstar and a reconfigurable research aircraft call Astraeus. Data points using the classic PIW-VIW method were also collected for comparison against the dynamic method. The results show good agreement between the deceleration runs and the PIW-VIW method. The acceleration runs generally had a poorer overall fit and a larger spread. This is most likely due to excessive sensor noise caused by imbalances in the motor/prop combination. Overall the dynamic power analysis was found to be a valid analysis tool for power required.
Lymphocyte Subsets and Urinary Excretion of Cytomegalovirus Among Homosexual Men Attending a Clinic for Sexually Transmitted Diseases

A significantly higher frequency of urinary excretion of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) was noted in homosexual men (29 [1807o] of 161) than in heterosexual men (3 [407o] of 77) attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. However, differences were not significant when only persons with antibody to HCMV were compared (29 of 157 vs. 3 of 33). The homosexual men who excreted HCMV had a significantly lower mean ratio of T-helper (OKT4+) to T-suppressor (OKT8+) cells (1.13 + 0.09) than did the homosexuals who did not excrete HCMV (1.67 + 0.1) or than did the heterosexual men (2.28 + 0.2). The abnormal ratio resulted from both a decrease in the percentage of OKT4+ and an increase in percentage of OKT8+ lymphocytes. The urinary excretion of HCMV by asymptomatic individuals who exhibit serological evidence of previous infection by this virus may be an indicator of impaired immune competence.
Breast cancer genetics education for college women: an evaluation of approaches.

BACKGROUND A strong family history of breast cancer may greatly increase the chances for young women to develop the disease. Breast cancer genetics education for college-age women would increase awareness, but an effective method remains elusive. METHODS Thirty-five college women viewed four education tools (CD-ROM, video, brochure, and lecture) and discussed topic importance, tool preference, and distribution ideas in focus groups. RESULTS The participants considered breast cancer genetics important; however, the information must be made relevant to their peers to be accepted. CONCLUSION An ideal education method would focus on general breast health, mentioning family history as an important risk factor.
Multiple-risk cohorts and segmenting risk as solutions to the problem of false positives in risk for the major psychoses.

(1992). Multiple-Risk Cohorts and Segmenting Risk as Solutions to the Problem of False Positives in Risk for the Major Psychoses. Psychiatry: Vol. 55, No. 4, pp. 370-381.
Reflections on clinical teaching

No matter what the criteria for student selection and teaching appointments, and no matter what the curriculum and pattern of teaching, medical schools will continue to produce doctors, and there is no indication that the quality of doctors will be in any way inferior to their predecessors. A plea is, however, made to evolve a technique in teaching that will pave the way for doctors to have an appreciation and understanding of a lifelong study of medicine.
Pathogenesis of Zika Virus-Associated Embryopathy.

A strong causal association has become evident between Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy and the occurrence of fetal growth restriction, microcephaly and eye defects. Circumstantial evidence is presented in this paper in support of the hypothesis that these effects, as well as the Guillain-Barre syndrome, are due to an endogenous form of hypervitaminosis A resulting from ZIKV infection-induced damage to the liver and the spillage of stored vitamin A compounds ("retinoids") into the maternal and fetal circulation in toxic concentrations. Retinoids are mainly stored in the liver (about 80%) and are essential for numerous biological functions. In higher concentration, retinoids are potentially cytotoxic, pro-oxidant, mutagenic and teratogenic, especially if sudden shifts occur in their bodily distribution. Although liver involvement has not been mentioned specifically in recent reports, conventional liver enzyme tests underestimate the true extent of liver dysfunction. The proposed model could be tested by comparing retinoid concentration and expression profiles in microcephalic newborns of ZIKV-infected mothers and nonmicrocephalic newborn controls, and by correlating these profiles with measures of clinical severity.
Floating fitness from fins, fat and fecundity

Virtually all aquatic animals and plants are constructed from materials that are denser than the fluid that surrounds them, and therefore have a tendency to sink. As a consequence, these organisms must somehow buoy themselves up if they are to maintain their position in life. A variety of mechanisms have evolved for this function, but all entail some cost. Is it more efficient to sprout hydrofoils and swim or to behave like a blimp? Or simply to accumulate enough fat to float? The answer depends on the size of the organism and the speed at which it moves. R McNeill Alexander of Leeds University, UK, has now explored the cost effectiveness of life's approach to the physics of buoyancy (1990 Amer. Zool. 30 189). His conclusions are sometimes surprising.
A notion of dissipativity for discrete event systems

Dissipativity is a useful tool for analyzing and synthesizing stable feedback systems. Briefly, the property of dissipativity is that a system only stores and dissipates energy, with respect to a given energy storage function, and does not generate its own energy. This property carries a strong reliance on a notion of time that prohibits its direct application to discrete event systems (DES). The current paper takes the concept of dissipativity and applies it to DES by replacing the notion of time with an event-based definition. Two notions of dissipativity are defined, one for finite automata and the other for a general class of DES. For each notion, properties of dissipative DES are shown that connect with existing notions of stability for DES as would be expected from the classical definition of dissipativity. Examples are provided to illustrate the methods covered in the paper.
Anxiety and autonomic response to social-affective stimuli in individuals with Williams syndrome.

Abstract Background Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic condition characterized by an unusual “hypersocial” personality juxtaposed by high anxiety. Recent evidence suggests that autonomic reactivity to affective face stimuli is disorganised in WS, which may contribute to emotion dysregulation and/or social disinhibition. Methods Electrodermal activity (EDA) and mean interbeat interval (IBI) of 25 participants with WS (19 − 57 years old) and 16 typically developing (TD; 17–43 years old) adults were measured during a passive presentation of affective face and voice stimuli. The Beck Anxiety Inventory was administered to examine associations between autonomic reactivity to social-affective stimuli and anxiety symptomatology. Results The WS group was characterized by higher overall anxiety symptomatology, and poorer anger recognition in social visual and aural stimuli relative to the TD group. No between-group differences emerged in autonomic response patterns. Notably, for participants with WS, increased anxiety was uniquely associated with diminished arousal to angry faces and voices. In contrast, for the TD group, no associations emerged between anxiety and physiological responsivity to social-emotional stimuli. Conclusions The anxiety associated with WS appears to be intimately related to reduced autonomic arousal to angry social stimuli, which may also be linked to the characteristic social disinhibition.
Timmermann, Forschler, and The Attempt to Bridge the Kantian-Consequentialist Gap

Scott Forschler defends R. M. Hare's rationalist-universalizing-utilitarian moral approach against Jens Timmermann's critique of it. He argues that Timmermann fails to see that Kant's ethical rationalism might be consistent with utilitarianism, and argues that Timmermann merely assumes that Kant's deontology follows logically from his ethical rationalism. In Forschler's estimation, it has not been established that either Kant's or Hare's ethical rationalism is inconsistent with utilitarianism. This article, however, argues that, in his response to Timmermann on behalf of Hare's rationalist-universalizing-utilitarian approach, Forschler has overlooked something very significant at the foundational level of Hare's moral approach, and that this oversight undercuts his response to Timmermann. The analysis also invites a metaethical investigation of preference satisfaction as it is found in Hare's moral approach. The article uncovers some fundamental metaethical presuppositions in Hare's normative approach, presuppositions overlooked by Forschler.
The Use of Information and Communications Technology in Criminal Procedure in the USA

This chapter deals with the impact which information and communications technology has had on criminal procedure in the USA. It will not only lay out the framework of laws regulating criminal and national security wiretapping as well as access to stored electronic data in the form of e-mails and voicemail, etc. but also the jurisprudence regulating intercepting communications by I-phones, smart phones as well as the search of stored information in computers and I-phones and even in the “cloud.” Electronic communications have called into question the traditional Fourth Amendment jurisprudence which had denied privacy protection to information given to a third party, such as a telecommunications provider, or to movements in public. But the mass surveillance by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the scope of modern data collection and mining are gradually leading to a more critical approach to privacy issues.
The Schrödinger Potential Function

The notion of odd and even operators introduced by Schr\"odinger is generalized and developed in this paper. It is shown that, accepting the hypothesis of Schr\"odinger that "only even operators exist" the undesirable negative energy solutions of the Dirac equation are eliminated since they do not combine with the observed states, while at the same time the relativistically invariant form of the Dirac equation can be retained. The fine structure formula for the energy levels remains exact and not merely approximate. However, it is proposed to relinquish these apparent advantages in order to substitute for Schr\"odinger's hypothesis one easier to accept but practically equivalent. This is that the fundamental potential between charges is an even operator. Possible ways of forming even operators out of classical mixed ones are discussed. The decomposition of the fundamental operators, ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{i}$ the "spin" operator, and ${x}_{i}$ the coordinate operator, indicates a remarkably simple form for the odd and even parts. The even parts prove to be immediately connected with observable properties of the electron. This leads one to believe that the division into odd and even parts is a useful performance aside from its application to the question of negative energy solutions. While the positive to negative transitions are made to vanish identically, the direct transitions between positive states remain quite unaffected. The "Klein difficulty" is examined and it proves to disappear with the negative energy states. Possible experimental tests of the new theory are shown to exist. The values of hyperfine structure separations and also the x-ray levels of heavy atoms should depend markedly on whether the Coulomb potential or just its even part acts on the electron. Some interesting possibilities suggested by the theory are mentioned at the end of the paper.
Herpestes (Viverridae, Carnivora) from the Miocene of Pakistan

Fossil remains of small carnivores from Pakistan are referred to Herpestes, the common mongoose of Asia and Africa. The material belongs to three separate, but indeterminate species. The oldest specimen may be as old as 10 million years, while the youngest is about 7 million years. These specimens are the first fossil record for Herpestes in Asia and may be the earliest record of the genus.--Journal abstract.
Towards a GraphBLAS Library in Chapel

The adoption of a programming language is positively influenced by the breadth of its software libraries. Chapel is a modern andrelatively young parallel programming language. Consequently, not many domain-specific software libraries exists that are written for Chapel. Graph processing is an important domain with many applications in cyber security, energy, social networking, and health. Implementing graphalgorithms in the language of linear algebra enables many advantages including rapid development, flexibility, high-performance, and scalability. GraphBLAS initiative aims to standardize an interface for linear-algebraic primitives for graph computations. This paper presents initial experiences and findings of implementing a subset of important GraphBLAS operations in Chapel. We analyzed the bottlenecksin both shared and distributed memory. We also providedalternative implementations whenever the default implementation lacked performance or scaling.
Using Locally Corresponding CAD Models for Dense 3D Reconstructions from a Single Image

We investigate the problem of estimating the dense 3D shape of an object, given a set of 2D landmarks and silhouette in a single image. An obvious prior to employ in such a problem is a dictionary of dense CAD models. Employing a sufficiently large enough dictionary of CAD models, however, is in general computationally infeasible. A common strategy in dictionary learning to encourage generalization is to allow for linear combinations of dictionary elements. This too, however, is problematic as most CAD models cannot be readily placed in global dense correspondence. In this paper, we propose a two-step strategy. First, we employ orthogonal matching pursuit to rapidly choose the closest single CAD model in our dictionary to the projected image. Second, we employ a novel graph embedding based on local dense correspondence to allow for sparse linear combinations of CAD models. We validate our framework experimentally in both synthetic and real world scenario and demonstrate the superiority of our approach to both 3D mesh reconstruction and volumetric representation.
Compact C-closed spaces need not be sequential

We obtain an independence result connected to the classic Moore–Mrowka problem. A property known to be intermediate between sequential and countable tightness in the class of compact spaces is the notion of a space being C-closed. A space is C-closed if every countably compact subset is closed. We prove it is consistent to have a compact C-closed space that is not sequential. Our example also answers a question of Arhangelskii by producing a compactification of the countable discrete space which is not itself sequential and yet it has a Frechet–Urysohn remainder. Ismail and Nyikos showed that compact C-closed spaces are sequential if $${2^{\mathfrak{t}} > 2^\omega}$$ . We prove that compact C-closed spaces are sequential also holds in the standard Cohen model.
METS: A multiple event transient simulator

Most existing soft error simulators do not consider multiple event transients or use simple electrical masking models to model the pulse shape. In this paper, the METS tool is proposed which employs BDDs and partitioning for faster simulation. Additionally, it uses an accurate electrical masking model to determine the output pulse shape which allows for accurate calculation of the soft error rate in the presence of multiple event transients (METs). The tool is tested on various ISCAS 85 benchmarks and is shown to have a speedup of up to 90X compared to Monte Carlo simulation.
Mineral concentrations of chickpea and lentil cultivars and breeding lines grown in the U.S. Pacific Northwest

Abstract Diseases and health complications caused by mineral deficiencies afflict billions of people globally. Developing pulse crops with elevated seed mineral concentrations can contribute to reducing the incidence of these deficiencies. The objectives of this study were to estimate variance components conditioning seed mineral concentrations of chickpea and lentil grown in Washington and Idaho, determine correlations between different mineral concentrations and between mineral concentrations and yield, 100-seed weight, and days to flowering, and compare seed mineral concentrations between chickpeas and lentils grown in adjacent plots. Genotype effects, although significant in chickpea and lentil for all minerals except selenium, tended to be minimal compared to location, year, and their interaction effects. In both chickpeas and lentils high positive correlations were observed between seed concentrations of phosphorus and potassium, phosphorus and zinc, and potassium and zinc. Correlations between mineral concentration and yield, and mineral concentration and days to 50% flowering were similar for chickpeas and lentils across the majority of minerals. These results may reflect similarities between the two crops in physiological processes for mineral uptake and partitioning. Lentils had higher concentrations of iron and zinc than chickpea when the two crops were grown in adjacent plots, whereas chickpeas had higher concentrations of calcium and manganese. Plant genotypes that are more efficient at obtaining minerals from growing environments will be useful as parental materials to develop improved chickpea and lentil cultivars that have good yield potential coupled with high seed mineral concentrations.
Protecting software from attack and theft via program analysis .

Along with the rapid developing software industry and the advent of the Internet, attack and theft are becoming two serious threats to software and software community. Although some attack or theft detection approaches have been proposed, these approaches are limited to meet several highly desired requirements. For example, both attack and theft detection approaches should be resilient to code obfuscation techniques; attack detection approaches should detect new or unknown attacks; software theft detection approaches should be able to detect software component theft. In this dissertation, several new program analysis techniques, which meet these key requirements, are proposed to detect attack and theft. First, a novel program analysis technique called code abstraction is proposed which is a generic method to separate code from data. Based on this technique, an attack detection system called SigFree is designed and implemented. SigFree is signature free, thus it can block new and unknown attacks. Detection effectiveness and performance are evaluated in experiments and the applicability of SigFree is discussed. Second, a static taint and initialization analyses based approach is presented. Compared with existing static analysis approaches developed for the same purpose, the new approach is the first one that can detect attack code obfuscated by self-modifying and indirect jump, and a more comprehensive static analysis solution in defending against advanced obfuscation including anti-signature, anti-static-analysis and anti-emulation code obfuscation. Finally, a system call dependence graph based software birthmark is proposed to identify software theft. A dynamic analysis tool which generates system call dependence graph at run-time is designed and built. We demonstrate the strength of the birthmarks against various evasion techniques, including those based on different compilers and compiler optimization levels as well as state-of-the-art obfuscation tools. Unlike the existing works that were evaluated through toy software, we evaluate our birthmarks on a set of large software.
The relationship between lean manufacturing, environmental damage, and firm performance

Prior research has found mixed results of leanness, with a counter idea being that slack allows flexibility to improve firm financial performance. We first seek to confirm empirically that leanness in manufacturing does in fact contribute to both lower environmental damage and to improve firm financial performance. With increased awareness of global environmental issues, we incorporate environmental damage measures from Trucost to assess how they may affect firm performance and are affected by leanness. The measures of leanness are calculated based on publically available financial data from Compustat. Based on a final sample of 406 manufacturing firms representing 3594 firm-year observations from 2002 to 2013, the proposed relationships of leanness to firm outcomes and environmental damaged are investigated. A key finding of this study is that a firm should aim its lean efforts to reducing environmental damage, which in turn has more of an effect on improving financial performance than other lean initiatives.
The acoustic stapedial reflex as a prognostic indicator in sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss.

Forty consecutive patients with sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss treated similarly over a four-year period were studied retrospectively to determine a correlation between presence or absence of the acoustic stapedial reflex (ASR) and recovery of hearing. Six patients were dropped from the study because of incomplete data. There were 42 affected ears in the remaining 34 patients. The ASR was present in 28 (67%) of the 42 affected ears that had either full or partial recovery. The ASR was not present in 11 ears (26%) in which there was no recovery. The ASR was present in three ears (7%) in which there was no recovery. There was a statistically significant association (P < .001) between presence of the ASR and eventual full or partial recovery of hearing in this series. The ASR would have been an effective prognostic indicator for 32 (94%) of our 34 patients (39 [93%] of 42 affected ears).
Carbon gain phenologies of spring‐flowering perennials in a deciduous forest indicate a novel niche for a widespread invader

Strategies of herbaceous species in deciduous forests are often characterized by the timing of life history phases (e.g. emergence, flowering, leaf senescence) relative to overstory tree canopy closure. Although springtime photosynthesis is assumed to account for the majority of their annual carbon budgets, the 12-month photosynthetic trajectories of forest herbs have not been quantified. We measured the temporal dynamics of carbon assimilation for seven native herbaceous perennials and the biennial Alliaria petiolata, a widespread invader in eastern North American forests. We assessed the relative importance of spring, summer, and autumn to species-level annual carbon budgets. Spring-emerging species showed significant variation in carbon assimilation patterns. High spring irradiance before canopy closure accounted for 39-100% of species-level annual carbon assimilation, but summer and autumn accounted for large proportions of some species' carbon budgets (up to 58% and 19%, respectively). Alliaria was phenologically unique, taking advantage both autumn and spring irradiance. Although spring-emerging understory species are often expected to rely on early-season irradiance, our results highlight interspecific differences and the importance of mid-late season carbon gain. Phenological strategies of forest herbs are a continuum rather than discrete categories, and invasive species may follow strategies that are underrepresented in the native flora.
Trespassers? Asian Americans and the battle for suburbia, by Willow S. Lung-Amam: Berkeley, University of California Press, 2017

Using a rich array of archival data and 131 in-depth interviews, Trespassers? explores the history and present-day realities of Asians settling in one of the suburbs of Silicon Valley. Through “sho...
Transport of Anthocyanins and other Flavonoids by the Arabidopsis ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter AtABCC2

Flavonoids have important developmental, physiological, and ecological roles in plants and are primarily stored in the large central vacuole. Here we show that both an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter(s) and an H+-antiporter(s) are involved in the uptake of cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (C3G) by Arabidopsis vacuolar membrane-enriched vesicles. We also demonstrate that vesicles isolated from yeast expressing the ABC protein AtABCC2 are capable of MgATP-dependent uptake of C3G and other anthocyanins. The uptake of C3G by AtABCC2 depended on the co-transport of glutathione (GSH). C3G was not altered during transport and a GSH conjugate was not formed. Vesicles from yeast expressing AtABCC2 also transported flavone and flavonol glucosides. We performed ligand docking studies to a homology model of AtABCC2 and probed the putative binding sites of C3G and GSH through site-directed mutagenesis and functional studies. These studies identified residues important for substrate recognition and transport activity in AtABCC2, and suggest that C3G and GSH bind closely, mutually enhancing each other’s binding. In conclusion, we suggest that AtABCC2 along with possibly other ABCC proteins are involved in the vacuolar transport of anthocyanins and other flavonoids in the vegetative tissue of Arabidopsis.
Response of weedy rice (Oryza spp.) germplasm from Arkansas to glyphosate, glufosinate, and flumioxazin

Weedy rice (Oryza spp.) is one of the most competitive weeds in rice (Oryza sativa L.) production. Rapid growth, high tillering, enhanced ability to uptake fertilizers, asynchronous maturation, seed shattering, and high seedbank longevity make Oryza spp. more competitive than cultivated rice and highly persistent. Oryza spp. may be a source of useful traits for crop improvement such as herbicide tolerance. Greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate the response of 54 Oryza spp. accessions collected between 2008 and 2009 from Arkansas to glyphosate, glufosinate, and flumioxazin applied at field rates. Rice cultivars ‘CL163’ and ‘REX’ were included for comparison. Accessions B20, B2, and S11 and B49, B51, and S59 showed reduced sensitivity to glyphosate and flumioxazin, respectively. These accessions had less than 40% injury 5 wk after treatment (WAT). Rice cultivars (CL163 and REX) were sensitive to both glyphosate and flumioxazin, with more than 95% plant mortality at 5 WAT. On average, blackhull accessions were more tolerant to glyphosate and flumioxazin than strawhull accessions. Dose–response analysis of B20, B2, and S11 confirmed 3- to 8-fold higher tolerance of these accessions to glyphosate. All Oryza spp. and cultivated rice were not affected by glufosinate applied at 874 g ai ha−1 (1X) and were controlled 100% by 1,311 g ai ha−1 (1.5X). Oryza spp. lines with reduced sensitivity to glyphosate and flumioxazin will be studied further for use in rice crop improvement.
Macro-HyProS: A new macro-scale hydrologic processes simulator for depression-dominated cold climate regions

Abstract This study introduces a new Macro-scale Hydrologic Processes Simulator (Macro-HyProS), tailored for cold climate regions and depression-dominated terrains. Macro-HyProS is a grid-based hydrologic model of a unique structure to deal with hydrologic complexities in depression-dominated cold climate regions. The model runs on a daily time step and incorporates a LEGO-fashion horizontal layout to account for sub-grid land use heterogeneity. On the vertical layout, each grid consists of different bands, each of which is responsible for simulating specific hydrologic processes. Macro-HyProS employs improved methodologies to account for snow accumulation and ablation, depressions, and frozen ground condition. The Red River of the North Basin (RRB) was selected to highlight the capabilities of Macro-HyProS in describing the spatiotemporal complexities associated with depression-dominated cold climate regions. Results indicated that the model provided a satisfactory performance, having the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficients of 0.56 and 0.72 in the calibration and validation periods, respectively. The modeling results accentuated the impacts of frozen ground, snowmelt, and depressions in the generation of surface runoff over the basin. On average, the RRB experienced 145 days of frozen or partially frozen ground conditions per year, which coincided with early spring rainfall and snowmelt events. Due to the widespread frozen ground conditions over the basin, up to 60% of the generated snowmelt on specific days contributed to surface runoff, whereas infiltration had a smaller portion. Also, the results revealed that the depression-dominated areas acted as “regulators” of surface runoff, particularly in early springs. Macro-HyProS provides spatiotemporal simulations of various hydrologic processes to facilitate a better understanding of macro-scale hydrologic trends.
Tubers: Fresh and fresh-cut sweetpotatoes

Abstract Sweetpotato quality is mainly determined by physical traits such as firm texture, smooth surface, uniform shape, size and color, and freedom from defects such as cracks, cuts, bruises, abrasions, decay, and insect damage. Culinary quality is determined mainly by starch and sugar concentrations. The main causes of sweetpotato quality loss during storage are improper curing, water loss, and chilling injury (CI). The use of optimum storage conditions such as temperatures same as the chilling threshold temperature (13°C) and controlled atmosphere (CA)/modified atmosphere (MA) allows storage for longer durations (6–10 months at 13°C and 85%–90% RH), and minimized storage losses due to decay and weight loss. Holding fresh-cut (shredded) sweetpotatoes in a modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) in atmospheres of oxygen and carbon dioxide maintained a smaller microbiological load and higher tissue firmness, dry matter, ascorbic acid, and starch compared with storage in air, but there were no changes in color, β-carotene, and sugars. The innate extended storage potential and propensity for induction of fermentative metabolism at relatively high oxygen concentrations makes the use of CA storage for whole sweetpotatoes less preferable, but it appears that MAP can be beneficial for fresh-cut products.
ONE – SET THEORY

Publisher Summary A herd of buffalo, a bunch of bananas, the collection of all positive even integers, and the set of all stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange have something in common; they are all examples of objects that have been grouped together and viewed as a single entity. This idea of grouping objects together gives rise to the mathematical notion of a set. A set is a collection of objects; the objects are called the elements or members of the set. One way of describing a set is to list the elements of the set among braces. Given any collection of sets, their union is the set of elements that belong to one or more of the sets in the collection. There are two laws for sets: the first distributive law and the second distributive law. An ordered pair (a, b) is a listing of two objects “a” and “b” in definite order. The element “a” is called the first entry in the ordered pair and the element “b” is called the second entry in the ordered pair.
Live imaging of hair bundle polarity acquisition in the mouse utricle demonstrates a critical timeline for transcription factor Emx2

The asymmetric hair bundle on top of hair cells (HCs), comprises a kinocilium and stereocilia staircase, dictates HC directional sensitivity. The mother centriole (MC) forms the base of the kinocilium, where stereocilia are subsequently built next to it. Previously we showed that transcription factor Emx2 reverses hair bundle orientation and its expression in the mouse vestibular utricle is restricted, resulting in two regions of opposite bundle orientation (Jiang et al, 2017). Here, we investigated establishment of opposite bundle orientation in embryonic utricles by live-imaging GFP-labeled centrioles in HCs. The daughter centriole invariably migrated ahead of the MC from the center to their respective peripheral locations in HCs. Comparing HCs between utricular regions, centriole trajectories were similar but they migrated towards opposite directions, suggesting that Emx2 pre-patterned HCs prior to centriole migration. Ectopic Emx2, however, reversed centriole trajectory within hours during a critical time-window when centriole trajectory was responsive to Emx2.
Smart recovery decision-making for end-of-life products in the context of ubiquitous information and computational intelligence

Abstract Smart product recovery decision-making (SRDM) plays a critical role in the closed-loop manufacturing chain. SRDM can facilitate the maximum reclamation of End-of-Life product value while achieving sustainability. Ubiquitous information and computational intelligence technologies empower the implementation of SRDM. These emerging smart technologies not only reduce the information uncertainties but also provide powerful operational methodologies for SRDM. However, there is a lack of a systematic and comprehensive framework to assist practitioners in better understanding SRDM in both theory and practice, as well as directing how to apply these emerging techniques to facilitate SRDM at the operational level. This study is the first effort to address this gap by providing a state-of-art review of SRDM techniques. First, the paper discusses the SRDM enablers and highlights their contributions. The SRDM enablers include the information technique, smart equipment, service platform and closed-loop supply chains. Then the SRDM techniques are reviewed in four aspects: model input prediction, recovery option determination, process planning, and production scheduling and planning. Further, a generalized SRDM implementation framework with a methodology roadmap is proposed to assist practitioners in applying the framework to practice. Finally, the challenges and opportunities in SRDM, inherited, derived, and enabled by the ubiquitous information and computational intelligence technologies, are identified and discussed. This study shows that the research on SRDM remains at an early stage. With the roadmap and insights provided in this work, more research can potentially advance SRDM.
Social Media News Production, Emotional Facebook Reactions, and the Politicization of Drug Addiction

In times of health crisis, news media have generally contributed to public panic, though these instances are usually explored in crises involving communicable diseases. However, in 2017, the long-brewing opioid crisis was formally declared a federal emergency by the United States government, leading to a considerable uptick in media attention to drugs and drug addiction. Considering 1) the news media's tendency to contribute to public fear and panic during times of emergency or crisis, 2) the problematic representations of drug addiction in previous years, and 3) developing social media production practices among journalists on social media, this research uses content analysis to explore how highly circulated news outlets covered drug addiction in 2017-2018 and social media audiences' emotional responses. Results indicate that political intervention drove media coverage rather than the effects of opioid addiction on people. Political interference led to increased anger and laughter reactions among Facebook users.
Semi real-time detection of subsurface consolidation defects during concrete curing stage

Abstract Subsurface consolidation defect is a common issue in concrete pavement construction, and the hidden defects often require costly repairs after project delivery. Therefore, being able to identify this type of defect during construction will enable contractor to conduct quick repairs to avoid costly post-construction rework. In this paper a semi real-time detection approach using infrared thermography is introduced. The developed approach utilizes the hydration heat during curing time to identify the subsurface voids based on the regional temperature contrast. Experimental studies were conducted using artificial void-defect in different sizes and depths. The thermographic analysis is employed to locate the void-defects during the first 12 h of curing time. Two field experiments were conducted to validate the proposed approach. The outcomes show that the defects could be identified and located within certain time windows during the curing process, even under adversary outdoor environmental conditions. In conclusion, infrared thermography can be used as a feasible and reliable non-destructive-detection method to conduct real-time or semi real-time monitoring of subsurface defects during concrete pavement construction. The influential environmental factors, practical considerations, and the future study are also discussed.
Integrative genomic analysis implicates ERCC6 and its interaction with ERCC8 in susceptibility to breast cancer

Up to 30% of all breast cancer cases may be inherited and up to 85% of those may be due to segregation of susceptibility genes with low and moderate risk [odds ratios (OR) ≤ 3] for (mostly peri- and post-menopausal) breast cancer. The majority of low/moderate-risk genes, particularly those with minor allele frequencies (MAF) of < 30%, have not been identified and/or validated due to limitations of conventional association testing approaches, which include the agnostic nature of Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). To overcome these limitations, we used a hypothesis-driven integrative genomics approach to test the association of breast cancer with candidate genes by analyzing multi-omics data. Our candidate-gene association analyses of GWAS datasets suggested an increased risk of breast cancer with ERCC6 (main effect: 1.29 ≤ OR ≤ 2.91, 0.005 ≤ p ≤ 0.04, 11.8 ≤ MAF ≤ 40.9%), and implicated its interaction with ERCC8 (joint effect: 3.03 ≤ OR ≤ 5.31, 0.01 ≤ pinteraction ≤ 0.03). We found significant upregulation of ERCC6 (p = 7.95 × 10–6) and ERCC8 (p = 4.67 × 10–6) in breast cancer and similar frequencies of ERCC6 (1.8%) and ERCC8 (0.3%) mutations in breast tumors to known breast cancer susceptibility genes such as BLM (1.9%) and LSP1 (0.3%). Our integrative genomics approach suggests that ERCC6 may be a previously unreported low- to moderate-risk breast cancer susceptibility gene, which may also interact with ERCC8.
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a narrative review of controversies in neonatal management

The consequences of most hernias can be immediately corrected by surgical repair. However, this isn't always the case for children born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia. The derangements in physiology encountered immediately after birth result from pulmonary hypoplasia and hypertension caused by herniation of abdominal contents into the chest early in lung development. This degree of physiologic compromise can vary from mild to severe. Postnatal management of these children remains controversial. Although heavily studied, multi-institutional randomized controlled trials are lacking to help determine what constitutes best practice. Additionally, the results of the many studies currently within the literature that have investigated differing aspect of care (i.e., inhaled nitric oxide, ventilator type, timing of repair, role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, etc.) are difficult to interpret due to the small numbers investigated, the varying degree of physiologic compromise, and the contrasting care that exists between institutions. The aim of this paper is to review areas of controversy in the care of these complex kids, mainly: the use of fraction of inspired oxygen, surfactant therapy, gentle ventilation, mode of ventilation, medical management of pulmonary hypertension (inhaled nitric oxide, sildenafil, milrinone, bosentan, prostaglandins), the utilization of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and the timing of surgical repair.
Does leveraged stock buyback improve firms’ profitability?

We provide a structural explanation about how and when leveraged stock buyback improves firms’ profitability. We find operating profit on equity and operating profit sensitivity on debt are crucial...
Biomechanics of Acromioclavicular Joint Injury and Repair

The kinematics and biomechanics of the acromioclavicular (AC) joint in relation to its investing ligamentous structures and dynamic stabilizers to allow physiologic motion of the upper extremity with respect to the torso have been widely investigated. The acromioclavicular ligamentous complex (ACLC) including the deltotrapezial fascia and the individual coracoclavicular (CC) ligaments have been identified as important stabilizers against horizontal, vertical, and rotational forces. Investigations into these anatomic structures and their role in providing stability have prompted biomechanical investigations of various repair techniques, in attempts to identify surgical constructs that best replicate the native anatomy, motion, and stability. Over the years, acromioclavicular joint injuries have been repaired with a significant variety of techniques and devices, with more recent techniques favoring anatomic reconstructions of the individual CC ligaments and ACLC using natural and/or synthetic materials. This chapter serves to discuss the biomechanical implications of AC joint anatomy and injury and how the various treatment options and their respective biomechanical investigations have advanced our understanding of this pathology to better our patients.
Gender differences in alcohol metabolism. Physiological responses to ethanol.

A gender difference in alcohol pharmacokinetics has been suggested to explain why women are more vulnerable to ethanol’s toxic effects. The results of animal experiments suggest that females exhibit higher alcohol metabolic rates than males as a result of hormonal differences. Experimental results examining gender differences in human alcohol metabolism have been inconsistent; the diversity of experimental protocols and variety of pharmacokinetic parameters reported have made comparisons of these studies very difficult. Variability in alcohol metabolic rate between individuals of the same sex is often significant, preventing an assessment of gender differences in some studies. This chapter attempts to summarize the findings of studies from the last decade that examined the role of gender and sex hormone differences on ethanol metabolism in men and women. The role of body composition, genetic factors, gastric and hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase, and gastric absorption in creating gender differences in alcohol metabolism is discussed. Suggestions are offered that may result in better cross-study comparisons and more consistent experimental results.
Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against guinea pig tracheal mucins.

ABSTRACT Thirty-five hybridomas that secrete mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAb) against guinea pig (G.P.) tracheal mucins were established. The MAbs were characterized immunologically, biochemically, and immunohistochemically at both light and electron microscopic levels. Isotyping of the MAbs revealed 14 to be IgM, 13 IgG1, 3IgG2, and 5 IgG3. The MAbs demonstrated various patterns of binding in immunoblots against mucins derived from G.P. tracheal explants. This suggested the presence of "subpopulations" of G.P. tracheal mucins with specific MAbs binding to different epitopes on the mucin molecules. Periodate oxidation indicated that 33 of the 35 MAbs recognized carbohydrate epitopes on the mucin molecules. Ten of the MAbs also reacted with both bovine and ferret tracheal mucins, while 7 and 6 MAbs bound only to bovine and ferret tracheal mucins, respectively. The generated MAbs should be useful for immunomeasurement of mucin secretion in vivo (e.g., in bronchoalveolar or airway lavage fluid) and in vitro...
A Remark on Monotone I/O Systems

This note remarks that small-gain results for a negative feedback loop around a monotone system can be seen as consequences of results concerning an extended monotone system.
Functional Studies of Orphan Enzymes by LC-MS Based Metabolomics: Oxidation of Endogenous N-Arachidonoylserotonin by Human Cytochrome P450 2U1 (LB174)

Cytochrome P450 (P450) 2U1 has been shown to be expressed (at the mRNA level) in human brain and thymus. In order to elucidate the physiological function of this enzyme, an LC-MS-based metabolomics...