cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Relationships Among Sensorimotor Components, Fine Motor Skill, and Functional Performance in Preschool Children

OBJECTIVES This correlational study investigated the relationships among sensorimotor components, standardized measures of fine motor skill, and functional performance in self-care, mobility, and social interaction. It also examined which sensorimotor components and fine motor skills were predictors of functional performance. METHOD Thirty preschool children with motor delays were evaluated with tests of in-hand manipulation, tactile defensiveness, stereognosis, grasping strength, and fine motor skill. Parents of the subjects were interviewed with the Pediatric Evaluation of Disabilities Inventory. Correlational and regression analyses were computed. RESULTS Significant correlations were found among sensorimotor components and discrete fine motor skills as measured on standardized observational tests. Few correlations emerged between foundational components of fine motor skill and functional performance in self-care, mobility, and social function. CONCLUSION Lack of significant relationships among the variables, all of which were aspects of functional performance might be due to the difference between judgment-based and observational evaluation, the influence of the environmental context on the child's performance, and the influence of cultural values on the opportunities afforded to the child.
Performance Evaluation of FRP Bridge Deck Component under Torsion

Torsional response of fiber-reinforced polymeric (FRP) composites is more complex than conventional materials. Therefore, understanding torsional response of FRP components along with shear behavior leads to development of safe and accurate design specifications. Experimental data of multicellular FRP bridge deck components have been compared with simplified theoretical model studies focused on torsional rigidity, equivalent in-plane shear modulus, in-plane shear strain, and joint efficiency. Simplified classical lamination theory (SCLT) is used to predict torsional rigidity. Results from SCLT, experimental data, and finite-element analysis validate proposed methodology to find torsional rigidity. Data on torsional rigidity and equivalent in-plane shear modulus correlated (less than 12%) with results from SCLT and finite-element analysis. In-plane shear strain based on SCLT is also concordant with test results. In an FRP deck system with 100% joint efficiency, the two-dimensional effect (plate action) on torsional rigidity results in a 20% higher rigidity when compared to a beam model. However, if a refined model has only 80% joint efficiency, then plate action results in a 6% difference from the beam model. In addition, service load design criteria for FRP decks under shear must not excess 16% of the ultimate strain by accounting for environmental and aging effects.
Translocation and introduction of the Zanzibar red colobus monkey: success and failure with an endangered island endemic

The Zanzibar red colobus Procolobus kirkii is one of Africa's most endangered primates, with only c. 1500–2000 individuals remaining in the wild. The authors made preliminary surveys of three areas where this monkey was translocated or introduced in the 1970s and 1980s. It appears that only one of these releases was successful. A total of 67 animals were caught and translocated or introduced (including four that died during the process). Thirteen to 20 years later, 62–70 red colobus were located at the three sites; i.e. there had been no net gain in colobus numbers as a result of the translocations and introduction. One attempt apparently failed because of insufficient habitat, and another perhaps because of insufficient numbers of colobus or an imbalance in the age and sex composition of animals released. The one successful translocation involved moving a fairly large number of monkeys (36) into a forest with a relatively high diversity of tree species. In light of these findings, the authors recommend that far more attention be given to protecting the monkeys and their habitat where they currently exist, rather than spend time and money on translocations that are as likely to fail as to succeed.
Extremely strong near-IR two-photon absorption in conjugated porphyrin dimers: quantitative description with three-essential-states model.

Two-photon absorption spectra (2PA) of a series of conjugated dimers and the corresponding monomer were studied in the near-IR region. All of the dimers show very large peak cross section values, σ2 = (3−10) × 103 GM (1 GM = 1 × 10-50 cm4 s photon-1), which is several hundred times larger than that obtained for the corresponding monomer in the same region. We explain such dramatic cooperative enhancement by a combination of several factors, such as strong enhancement of the lowest one-photon Q-transition, better resonance conditions in the three-level system, dramatic enhancement of the excited-state singlet−singlet transition, and parallel arrangement of consecutive transitions in dimers, as compared to perpendicular arrangement in the monomer. We show that the absolute values of the 2PA cross section in these molecules are quantitatively described by a quantum-mechanical expression, derived for the three-level model. We also demonstrate the possibility of singlet oxygen generation upon one- and two-phot...
Schizophrenic Deficits: Neuroleptics and the Prefrontal Cortex—A Reply

In their commentary, Jobe et al. point out that the primary action of neuroleptics is to decrease dopamine activity. They note that this fact, along with the therapeutic effect of these medications in schizophrenia , would seem to be inconsistent with the hypothesis that schizophrenia is associated with a decrease of dopamine activity in the prefrontal cortex. In this reply, we clarify our position on the relationship between disturbances of dopamine activity in schizophrenia and the action of neuroleptic medications. In particular, we review a more detailed discussion of this issue that we provided in an earlier report, in which we proposed many of the same ideas described by Jobe et al., that may reconcile the pharmacological and behavioral effects of neuroleptics with our theory concerning disturbances of dopamine in schizophrenia . Chief among these is the possibility that neuroleptics may help correct an imbalance in dopaminergic activity between cortical and subcortical systems.
What Makes Time Different from Space

No one denies that time and space are di erent; and it is easy to catalog di erences between them. I can point my finger toward the west, but I can’t point my finger toward the future. If I choose, I can now move to the left, but I cannot now choose to move toward the past. And (as D. C. Williams points out) for many of us, our attitudes toward time di er from our attitudes toward space. We want to maximize our temporal extent and minimize our spatial extent: we want to live as long as possible but we want to be thin. 1 But these di erences are not very deep, and don’t get at the essence of the di erence between time and space. That’s what I want to understand: I want to know what makes time di erent from space. I want to know which di erence is the fundamental di erence between them. I will argue for the claim that (roughly) time is that dimension that plays a certain role in the geometry of spacetime and the laws of nature. (In this paper, then, I focus on what is distinctive about time, and say little about what is distinctive about space.) But before giving the argument I want to put my question in slightly di erent terms. Instead of asking, ‘what makes time di erent from space?,’ I want to ask, ‘what makes temporal directions in spacetime temporal, rather than spatial?’ 2 After rejecting some bad answers to this question I’ll present my view. Published in Nous 41 (2007): 227-252. Caution: the numbering of the figures
Identification of Vibrio cholerae type III secretion system effector proteins

AM-19226 is a pathogenic O39 serogroup Vibrio cholerae strain that lacks the typical virulence factors for colonization (toxin-coregulated pilus [TCP]) and toxin production (cholera toxin [CT]) and instead encodes a type III secretion system (T3SS). The mechanism of pathogenesis is unknown, and few effector proteins have been identified. We therefore undertook a survey of the open reading frames (ORFs) within the ∼49.7-kb T3SS genomic island to identify potential effector proteins. We identified 15 ORFs for their ability to inhibit growth when expressed in yeast and then used a β-lactamase (TEM1) fusion reporter system to demonstrate that 11 proteins were bona fide effectors translocated into HeLa cells in vitro in a T3SS-dependent manner. One effector, which we named VopX (A33_1663), is conserved only in V. cholerae and Vibrio parahaemolyticus T3SS-positive strains and has not been previously studied. A vopX deletion reduces the ability of strain AM-19226 to colonize in vivo, and the bile-induced expression of a vopX-lacZ transcriptional fusion in vitro is regulated by the T3SS-encoded transcriptional regulators VttR(A) and VttR(B). An RLM1 yeast deletion strain rescued the growth inhibition induced by VopX expression, suggesting that VopX interacts with components of the cell wall integrity mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. The collective results show that the V. cholerae T3SS encodes multiple effector proteins, one of which likely has novel activities that contribute to disease via interference with eukaryotic signaling pathways.
The ecology of eelgrass, Zostera marina (L.), fish communities. II. Functional analysis

Abstract Consumption, production, and respiration of fish communities utilizing two eelgrass beds in a shallow estuarine system near Beaufort, North Carolina have been estimated for 1971–1972: annual production was 21.7 kcal/m2 in each bed with pinfish accounting for 45 and 68% of the production in the Phillips Island and Bogue Sound beds, respectively. Annual community respiration was 57.9 and 69.7 kcal/m2 in the two beds with pinfish accounting for 62.6 and 26.7% of the total in the Bogue Sound and Phillips Island beds, respectively. Estimation of the annual food energy consumed by the eelgrass fish community using the Winberg and daily ration methods gave values within 6% of each other. Energy turnover was high (2.8), and the efficiency of energy dissipation low for the two eelgrass fish communities, suggesting that the resident fish populations were adapted to the temperature extremes within the bed. High ecological efficiencies of 0.24 and 0.23 and the high overall efficiency of the eelgrass system (production/solar radiation) of 0.0051 and 0.0086% indicate that the eelgrass beds are efficient systems for converting consumed energy and solar radiation into fish.
Effects of intercrystal crosstalk on multielement LSO/APD PET detectors

One of the most promising high resolution positron emission tomography detector designs comprises an array of small, optically isolated scintillator crystals each coupled to an independent photosensor, such as an avalanche photodiode (APD). However, crosstalk between crystals (due to Compton scatter, photoelectron escape, or incomplete optical isolation) can significantly degrade performance and is expected to increase as crystals become narrower to improve spatial resolution. Various measures of crosstalk have been determined for different configurations of 4 /spl times/ 8 blocks of 2 mm /spl times/ 2 mm lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) crystals coupled to matched Hamamatsu APD arrays. Results indicate that ignoring crosstalk signals could lead to a /spl sim/ 30% loss in coincidence sensitivity for a tomograph using these detectors and a decrease in energy resolution of /spl sim/ 2 percentage points. Spatial and time resolution would not be significantly affected with most practical front-end architectures.
Driven motion of vortices in superconductors

The driven motion of vortices in the solid vortex state is analyzed with the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations. In large-scale numerical simulations, carried out on the IBM Scalable POWERparallel (SP) system at Argonne National Laboratory, many hundreds of vortices are followed as they move under the influence of a Lorentz force induced by a transport current in the presence of a planar defect (similar to a twin boundary in YBa2Cu3O7). Correlations in the positions and velocities of the vortices in plastic and elastic motion are identified and compared. Two types of plastic motion are observed. Organized plastic motion displaying long-range orientational correlation and shorter-range velocity correlation occurs when the driving forces are small compared to the pinning forces in the twin boundary. Disorganized plastic motion displaying no significant correlation in either the velocities or orientation of the vortex system occurs when the driving and pinning forces are of the same order.
Natural Occupancy Rates and Development Gaps: A Look at the U.S. Lodging Industry

One method for determining whether a given lodging market could absorb additional rooms is to compare the market's long-run “natural occupancy rate” to existing occupancy—to quantify excess demand.
The Air-Sea Interface and Surface Stress Under Tropical Cyclones

Tropical cyclone track prediction is steadily improving, while storm intensity prediction has seen little progress in the last quarter century. Important physics are not yet well understood and implemented in tropical cyclone forecast models. Missing and unresolved physics, especially at the air-sea interface, are among the factors limiting storm predictions. In a laboratory experiment and coordinated numerical simulation, conducted in this work, the microstructure of the air-water interface under hurricane force wind resembled Kelvin-Helmholtz shear instability between fluids with a large density difference. Supported by these observations, we bring forth the concept that the resulting two-phase environment suppresses short gravity-capillary waves and alters the aerodynamic properties of the sea surface. The unified wave-form and two-phase parameterization model shows the well-known increase of the drag coefficient (Cd) with wind speed, up to ~30 ms−1. Around 60 ms−1, the new parameterization predicts a local peak of Ck/Cd, under constant enthalpy exchange coefficient Ck. This peak may explain rapid intensification of some storms to major tropical cyclones and the previously reported local peak of lifetime maximum intensity (bimodal distribution) in the best-track records. The bimodal distribution of maximum lifetime intensity, however, can also be explained by environmental parameters of tropical cyclones alone.
Robust Part-of-speech Tagging of Arabic Text

We present a new and improved part of speech tagger for Arabic text that incorporates a set of novel features and constraints. This framework is presented within the MADAMIRA software suite, a state-of-the-art toolkit for Arabic language processing. Starting from a linear SVM model with basic lexical features, we add a range of features derived from morphological analysis and clustering methods. We show that using these features significantly improves part-of-speech tagging accuracy, especially for unseen words, which results in better generalization across genres. The final model, embedded in a sequential tagging framework, achieved 97.15% accuracy on the main test set of newswire data, which is higher than the current MADAMIRA accuracy of 96.91% while being 30% faster.
Designing and Implementing Software and Computer Skills Simulations

The ubiquity of computers in the workplace drives a need for employers to identify computer literate candidates to fill many of their most high volume jobs. Using computer-based simulations to assess computer knowledge may be one of the least surprising applications of simulation technology for employee assessment. Unlike the assessment of many other knowledge, skills, abilities, or personal characteristics, there is an expectation, rather than just a preference, for simulated computer assessment content.
Guided ion beam studies of the reactions of Crn+ (n=2–18) with O2: Chromium cluster oxide and dioxide bond energies

The kinetic-energy dependence for the reactions of Con+ (n=2–20) with O2 is measured as a function of kinetic energy over a range of 0to10eV in a guided ion-beam tandem mass spectrometer. A variety of Com+, ComO+, and ComO2+ (m⩽n) product ions is observed, with the dioxide cluster ions dominating the products for all larger clusters. Reaction efficiencies of Con+ cations with O2 are near unity for all but the dimer. Bond dissociation energies for both cobalt cluster oxides and dioxides are derived from threshold analysis of the energy dependence of the endothermic reactions using several different methods. These values show little dependence on cluster size for clusters larger than three atoms. The trends in this thermochemistry and the stabilities of oxygenated cobalt clusters are discussed. The bond energies of Con+–O for larger clusters are found to be very close to the value for desorption of atomic oxygen from bulk-phase cobalt. Rate constants for O2 chemisorption on the cationic clusters are compare...
Constructing Adulthood Markers of Adulthood and Well-Being Among Emerging Adults

In modern industrialized societies, young people face an extended period of unprecedented freedom, and challenges, en route to fully adult roles. Using the Markers of Adulthood Scale, I explore the markers emerging adults view as most important to achieving adulthood, their attainment of those markers, and how the fit between the two relates to participants’ overall well-being. Results showed that the most important markers for well-being were those over which young adults have more control: relational maturity (e.g., establishing an equal relationship with parents and developing greater consideration for others). In contrast, the markers which most emerging adults had yet to attain and had relatively less control over (i.e., traditional role transitions such as being settled into a career) did not predict well-being. Overall, it appears that emerging adults construct personal conceptualizations of adulthood adaptively, although results suggested that the path to adulthood may be more elusive for females ...
The Effects of Psychological Closeness and Type of Exchange Situation on Perceived Inequity

In this article the author discusses research he conducted that examined the effects that psychological closeness has one one's perceptions of inequity. The aim of this study is to examine if feeli...
Mixing Appropriations and Private Financing to Meet Federal Energy Management Goals

This report compares several strategies for mixing appropriations and private financing in a typical federal agency that has identified $100 million in required energy conservation measures (ECMs) at its facilities. The analysis shows that in order to maximize savings and minimize overall life-cycle cost, the best strategy for the agency is to use private financing to fund as many of the ECMs as possible within the statutory maximum 25-year project term, beginning with the ECMs with the shortest paybacks. Available appropriations should either be applied to a privately financed project as a one-time payment from savings (i.e., as a buydown ) or used to directly fund longer-payback ECMs that cannot be included in the privately financed project.
Concept Feasibility Report for Electroplating Zirconium onto Uranium Foil - Year 2

The Fuel Fabrication Capability within the U.S. High Performance Research Reactor Conversion Program is funded through the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) NA-26 (Office of Material Management and Minimization). An investigation was commissioned to determine the feasibility of using electroplating techniques to apply a coating of zirconium onto depleted uranium/molybdenum alloy (U-10Mo). Electroplating would provide an alternative method to the existing process of hot roll-bonding zirconium foil onto the U-10Mo fuel foil during the fabrication of fuel elements for high-performance research reactors. The objective of this research was to develop a reproducible and scalable plating process that will produce a uniform, 25 μm thick zirconium metal coating on U-10Mo foil. In previous work, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) established a molten salt electroplating apparatus and protocol to plate zirconium metal onto molybdenum foil (Coffey 2015). During this second year of the research, PNNL furthered this work by moving to the U-10Mo alloy system (90 percent uranium:10 percent molybdenum). The original plating apparatus was disassembled and re-assembled in a laboratory capable of handling low-level radioactive materials. Initially, the work followed the previous year’s approach, and the salt bath composition was targeted at the eutectic composition (LiF:NaF:ZrF4 = 26:37:37 mol%). Early resultsmore » indicated that the formation of uranium fluoride compounds would be problematic. Other salt bath compositions were investigated in order to eliminate the uranium fluoride production (LiF:NaF = 61:39 mol% and LiF:NaF:KF = 46.5:11.5:42 mol% ). Zirconium metal was used as the crucible for the molten salt. Three plating methods were used—isopotential, galvano static, and pulsed plating. The molten salt method for zirconium metal application provided high-quality plating on molybdenum in PNNL’s previous work. A key advantage of this approach is that plating can be performed under conditions that would greatly reduce the quantity of intermetallics that form at the interface between the zirconium and U-10Mo; unlike roll bonding, the molten salt plating approach would allow for complete coverage of the U-10Mo foil with zirconium. When utilizing the experimental parameters developed for zirconium plating onto molybdenum, a uranium fluoride reaction product was formed at the Zr/U-10Mo interface. By controlling the initial plating potential, the uranium fluoride could be prevented; however, the targeted zirconium thickness (25 ±12.5 μm) could not be achieved while maintaining 100% coverage.« less
The Comment on Woman Education of Zheng Guanying

In the late of Qing Dynasty,China's gateway was opened,the question of the woman education was raised in a new social environment,Zheng Guanying who was a one of the early representatives of the bourgeoisie Reformists opposed a view that woman should have their own education,oppose act,requires that women have equal opportunities in education,and advocate for women to receive school education,etc.He has made contributions to the education of girls in China,but he did not completely free from the feudal tradition of the old concepts that women receive education is the ultimate goal to be a wife and mother.
Evidence, Expertise, and Ethics The Making of an Influential in American Social Work

The extent to which people choose their professions and professions choose their practitioners is not always clear; it is in all likelihood a simpatico process. But, growing attention to the study of careers can help elucidate the nexus of personal and professional forces that underpins this complex dynamic. This line of inquiry can also advance knowledge of how it is that individual scholars come to shape the essential features and directions of a profession at a particular point in its history. I use oral life history methods to develop an account of Eileen Gambrill’s emergence as an “influential” in the course of American social work. I begin with a brief overview of the context of the project. I then describe the range of narrative methods which I drew on to craft an account of her personal and professional development vis-a-vis the profession’s zeitgeist at the time. I begin the account itself by defining an influential to establish her status in the field. I then turn to the alchemy of dispositional...
Dissipationless Hall current in dense quark matter in a magnetic field

Abstract We show the realization of axion electrodynamics within the Dual Chiral Density Wave phase of dense quark matter in the presence of a magnetic field. The system exhibits an anomalous dissipationless Hall current perpendicular to the magnetic field and an anomalous electric charge density. Connection to topological insulators and 3D optical lattices, as well as possible implications for heavy-ion collisions and neutron stars are outlined.
Ultrafast non-equilibrium carrier dynamics in semiconductor laser mode-locking

Experimental and theoretical results on the mode-locking dynamics in vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers with semiconductor and graphene saturable absorber mirrors are reviewed with an emphasis on the role of nonequilibrium carrier effects. The systems are studied theoretically using a fully microscopic many-body model for the carrier distributions and polarizations, coupled to Maxwell's equations for the field propagation. Pump-probe measurements are performed with (sub-) 100 fs resolution. The analysis shows that the non-equilibrium carrier dynamics in the gain quantum-wells and saturable absorber medium significantly influences the system's response and the resulting mode-locked pulses. The microscopic model is used to study the pulse build up from spontaneous emission noise and to determine the dependence of achievable pulse lengths and fluences on the amounts of saturable and non-saturable losses and the optical gain. The change of the group delay dispersion (GDD) on the pump level is examined and the dependence of the pulse lengths on the total amount of GDD is demonstrated experimentally. Theory-experiment comparisons are used to demonstrate the highly quantitative accuracy of the fully microscopic modeling.
Another Look at Williams’ Decompostion Theorem

In studying the excursions of a diffusion process above its past minimum level, we have discovered a conceptually simple proof of Williams’ decomposition [5] of a transient diffusion at its global minimum. We use an approximation argument based on the trivial observation that the minimum level of the diffusion is the smallest y such that Ty < +∞, TY- = +∞, where TY is the hitting time of y.
Patterning organic transistors by dry-etching: The double layer lithography

Abstract Structuring of organic layers is essential for large-scale integration and manufacturing of organic devices. A novel photo-patterning method for organic semiconductors is presented, which allows to use dry-etching to transfer resist patterns into metal layers on top of organic layers. Apart from the general advantages of dry-etching, such as reduced processing times and high pattern fidelity, it is shown that the new processing protocol leads to a high yield and reproducibility. Furthermore, in contrast to wet-chemical etching, the presented patterning method is versatile and can as well be used for materials known to be unintentionally doped by wet-chemical etching such as pentacene. Comparing pentacene transistors processed by shadow masking and lithography shows no obvious deterioration, which indicates that the protocol proposed here is compatible with a wide range of materials.
Pointwise Control of a Flexible Manipulator Arm

Abstract The control of a long, highly flexible, one-link manipulator arm is considered. we introduce a new method of controlling such manipulators, namely pointwise actuators (e.g. reaction jets) located at specified points along the length of the arm, in addition to a torque at the base. we obtain the control law and we investigate the important problem of the optimal location of the pointwise controllers. Only the theory of the method is presented here. Simulations will be completed before the Symposium.
Effect of Amount of Scanning from Memory on Phenomenal Size of Objects

The purpose of the present study was to investigate what happens to the phenomenal size of an object stored in memory. Fifteen adult female Ss were divided into three groups of five Ss each. Each group estimated the size of a set of circles 30 and 60 sec. after presentation. The groups differed according to the amount of memory inspection they were permitted during the delay period. Results indicated that there is no overall difference between the time limits investigated, except when there is a specific instruction to call up and inspect the object from memory. The implications of these findings for both traditional Gestalt theory and a general theory of memory were discussed.
Words in Transit: Stories of Immigrants. Ilan Stavans

Words in Transit: Stories of Immigrants. Ilan Stavans (ed). Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2016. 224 pages. Softbound, $26.95.Oral historians know that collecting wonderful interviews ...
Leptin status alters buprenorphine-induced antinociception in obese mice with dysfunctional leptin receptors

Buprenorphine is an opiate used for pain management and to treat opiate addiction. The cytokine leptin can modulate nociception, but the extent to which buprenorphine-induced antinociception varies as a function of leptin signaling has not been characterized. Four congenic mouse lines with phenotypes that include differences in body weight and leptin status were used to test the hypothesis that the antinociceptive effects of buprenorphine vary as function of sex and leptin signaling. Each mouse line was comprised of males (n=12) and females (n=12) for a total of 96 animals. Groups included C57BL/6J (B6) mice (wild type), B6 mice with diet-induced obesity (DIO), obese B6.Cg-Lepob/J (ob/ob) mice lacking leptin, and obese B6.BKS(D)-Leprdb/J (db/db) mice with dysfunctional leptin receptors. The dependent measure was tail flick latency (TFL) in seconds for mouse-initiated tail removal from a warm water bath. Independent variables were intraperitoneal administration of saline (control) or buprenorphine (0.3mg/kg). Within every mouse line, buprenorphine significantly increased TFL relative to saline. Compared to the other mouse lines, db/db mice with dysfunctional leptin receptors had a significantly longer TFL after saline and after buprenorphine. TFL did not vary significantly by body weight or sex. The results provide novel support for the interpretation that acute thermal nociception is associated with altered leptin signaling.
High-resolution reconstruction of the United States human population distribution, 1790 to 2010

Where do people live, and how has this changed over timescales of centuries? High-resolution spatial information on historical human population distribution is of great significance to understand human-environment interactions and their temporal dynamics. However, the complex relationship between population distribution and various influencing factors coupled with limited data availability make it a challenge to reconstruct human population distribution over timescales of centuries. This study generated 1-km decadal population maps for the conterminous US from 1790 to 2010 using parsimonious models based on natural suitability, socioeconomic desirability, and inhabitability. Five models of increasing complexity were evaluated. The models were validated with census tract and county subdivision population data in 2000 and were applied to generate five sets of 22 historical population maps from 1790–2010. Separating urban and rural areas and excluding non-inhabitable areas were the most important factors for improving the overall accuracy. The generated gridded population datasets and the production and validation methods are described here. Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data (ISA-Tab format)
Research without Control Groups

The benefits and costs of control groups shift as research is moved from laboratory to field settings. In field research, experimental and control groups are more likely to differ systematically on important dimensions other than independent variables. Comparisons between groups may not yield the unbiased estimates of impact that accompany controlled laboratory research. At the same time, logistic considerations affect the cost of each observation more dramatically in field settings than in a laboratory. If gathering control group information requires additional data collection sites, costs of individual control observations may be significantly higher than costs of additional experimental group observations. Possibilities of nonequivalence and of increased costs suggest a need for unbiased research designs that do not require control groups. This chapter (1) briefly reviews problems using control groups in field research, (2) describes a research design that has the potential for providing unbiased estimates of impact without use of a control group, and (3) illustrates the use of the design with a study of a responsible alcohol-use media campaign.
Nucleoside Transport in the Human Myocardium

The biological significance of endogenous and exogenous nucleosides has long been of medical interest and research continues to attempt to elucidate the role of these agents. Many analogues of the physiological nucleobases and nucleosides have been synthesized as potential therapeutic agents. A major impetus in this area was provided by the search for analogues with antineoplastic activity; more recently the cardiovascular activity and anti-viral activity of various synthetic nucleosides has become a focus of many investigations (1–7).
Brief comments on elastic flexibility of reinforced concrete frames and significance to seismic design

It is shown, from analysis of typical reinforced concrete beam sections, that current design practice, which assumes beam stiffness is independent of reinforcement ratio but equal to a constant fraction of gross section stiffness is inappropriate. The analyses indicate that effective beam yield curvature can be considered constant, when non-dimensionalized by beam depth and yield strain, indicating that beam stiffness is proportional to strength. Based on this observation, a simple expression for yield drift of frames is proposed and is calibrated by comparing with results of a large number of beam/column subassemblage experiments. Good agreement is obtained. It is pointed out that current estimates of frame stiffness are generally too high. A consequence is that simple calculations show that the vast majority of frame buildings will be unable to achieve code design ductility levels before exceeding code drift limitations.
Prognostic Correlates in Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Versus Hemodialysis

The importance of race and geographic location have been described as variables in comparing hemodialysis populations. We have extended our investigations into our CAPD population. Survival in our ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients is better than that of hemodialysis patients in two geographic areas. To interpret data from diverse dialysis populations, many considerations must be evaluated for adequate interpretation.
The Use of Credit Card Debt by New Firms: Sixth in a Series of Reports Using Data from the Kauffman Firm Survey

This report uses data from the Kauffman Firm Survey (KFS) to study the credit card debt characteristics of new firms. It specifically investigates whether revolving credit card debt reduces a firm’s probability of survival. More than half of all new firms rely on debt financing when starting operations. A vast majority of these businesses rely on credit card debt to fill any equity gap. This debt financing strategy can be very expensive. While credit card debt provides needed short-term funding, reliance on this type of financing may lead many businesses into a long-term liquidity drain that affects their financial stability - and thus survival.
Reconstruction of the amputated finger tip with a triangular volar flap. A new surgical procedure.

A triangular volar flap has been used successfully for the reconstruction of amputated finger tips. It can be applied to most finger amputations except those with extensive soft-tissue loss on the volar side of the amputated finger tip. The distally based triangular flap, carefully prepared with intact nerve and blood supply, is advanced over exposed bone and approximated to the nail matrix. The V incision is closed by converting it to a Y.
D-RDF: Dynamic Resource Description Framework

Semantic Web is described as the Web of Data, as opposed to the World Wide Web which is a Web of Documents. As research in the field of Semantic Web is gaining momentum, the focus is shifting on the effective representation of the data that constitutes the Semantic Web. RDF or the Resource Description Framework is the W3C standardized language for describing the semantics of the data and hence, sharing it’s meaning across applications. In RDF, all entities are modeled as resources and facts about these resources are asserted in terms of properties and their values. In this thesis, we propose a computation model for RDF called Dynamic RDF or D-RDF. While RDF models are restricted to describing resources in terms of their assertive or static properties, D-RDF is a generalization of RDF where there exist the assertive properties of the resources along with certain dynamic properties that operate on the values of existing properties and infer new data. In such a model, the information carries the semantics with it in the form of computing methods. In other words, whereas RDF represents semantically enhanced data, D-RDF represents both data and the programs that operate on the data. This design ensures that when the D-RDF model is processed, the dynamic properties would operate on the current values of the base data and hence, the values of the dynamic properties will always be consistent with changes that occur on that data. Hence, we develop a model of context-sensitive semantics and implement an interpretation engine for this language. The power of D-RDF is demonstrated by implementing use-cases of varying levels of complexity that highlight how highly customized data models can be constructed with D-RDF to represent
The good, the ‘not good’, and the ‘not pretty’: negation in the negative predicates of Tlingit

This paper develops and defends a semantic/syntactic analysis of a curious set of negative gradable predicates in the Tlingit language, and shows that the analysis has some important consequences concerning the range of crosslinguistic variation in degree constructions. In Tlingit, certain negative gradable predicates are formed by negating a positive root and then applying an additional morphological operation: e.g. k’ei ‘good’, tlel ukʼe ‘not good’, tlel ushke ‘bad’. I show that (i) the negation in forms like tlel ushke ‘bad’ is VP-external, clausal negation, and is not an incorporated negation like English un-; and (ii) the meaning of these forms is indeed that of a gradable negative predicate, rather than the propositional negation of the positive predicate (cf. tlel ukʼe ‘not good’). Under the proposed analysis, the additional morphological operation observed in these forms is the reflex of a special degree relativizer, one that must undergo movement to Spec-NegP. In addition, Tlingit differs from English and other languages in that degree operators—like POS and comparative operators—can be attached high in the clause, above sentential negation. In addition to capturing various facts concerning these negative predicates, the proposed analysis raises some novel puzzles concerning intervention effects in the movement of degree operators, and provides support for the view that negative predicates like bad are morphosyntactically derived from positive predicates like good.
Model-based temperature estimation of power electronics systems

Abstract This paper proposes a method for accurate temperature estimation of thermally-aware power electronics systems. The duality between electrical systems and thermal systems was considered for thermal modeling. High dimensional thermal models present a challenge for online estimation. Therefore, the complexity of the thermal network was reduced by applying a structure-preserving model order reduction technique. An optimal number and placement of temperature sensors were used in a Kalman filter to accurately estimate the dynamic spatial thermal behavior of the system. The optimal number of temperature sensors was found by comparing the actual values of the states obtained from the thermal model to the estimated values of the states obtained from the Kalman filter. The optimal placement of temperature sensors was found by maximizing the trace of the observability Gramian. Simulation and experimental results validate the approach on a prototype inverter.
Molecular structure of an N-terminal phosphorylated β-amyloid fibril

The structural polymorphism in β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques from Alzheimer disease (AD) has been recognized as an important pathological factor. Plaques from sporadic AD patients contain fibrillar deposits of various amyloid proteins/peptides, including posttranslational modified Aβ (PTM-Aβ) subtypes. Although many PTM-Aβs were shown to accelerate the fibrillation process, increase neuronal cytotoxicity of aggregates, or enhance the stability of fibrils, the contribution of PTM-Aβs to structural polymorphisms and their pathological roles remains unclear. We report here the NMR-based structure for the Ser-8-phosphorylated 40-residue Aβ (pS8-Aβ40) fibrils, which shows significant difference to the wild-type fibrils, with higher cross-seeding efficiency and thermodynamic stability. Given these physicochemical properties, the structures originated from pS8-Aβ40 fibrils may potentially dominate the polymorphisms in the mixture of wild-type and phosphorylated Aβ deposits. Our results imply that Aβ subtypes with "seeding-prone" properties may influence the polymorphisms of amyloid plaques through the cross-seeding process.
Value of Intensive Care Unit-Based Postoperative Management for Microvascular Free Flap Reconstruction in Head and Neck Surgery

Importance: Although routine postoperative care for microvascular free flap reconstruction typically involves admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), few studies have investigated the effect of...
Building local capacity to adapt to climate change

Local governments in cities around the world will not be able to cope with climate change impacts until they enhance their capacity to adapt. Past efforts to build local capacity, however, have oft...
Timing of Urgent Inpatient Palliative Radiation Therapy

Author(s): Wu, Susan Y; Yee, Emily; Chan, Jason W; Chapman, Christopher H; Boreta, Lauren; Braunstein, Steve E | Abstract: PurposeUrgent indications for palliative radiation therapy (RT) include malignant spinal cord compression, symptomatic brain metastases, pain, airway obstruction, and bleeding. Data on the timing of palliative RT in the inpatient setting are limited. We report our experience with inpatient palliative RT at a tertiary academic center and evaluate the effect of a dedicated inpatient palliative RT nurse practitioner (NP) on treatment timelines.Methods and materialsWe performed a retrospective, single-institution review of 219 inpatients consulted for RT to sites of metastatic disease between May 2012 and May 2018. We compared time-to-treatment intervals before and after integrating an NP for palliative RT in Augustn2017.ResultsThe median age of the 219 patients receiving RT was 61 years (interquartile range [IQR], 51-69 years). The most frequent indications were symptomatic brain metastases (73 patients [33%]), pain (61 patients [28%]), and cord/cauda compression (48 patients [22%]). The median time from consultation request to consult was 1 day (IQR, 0-2 days), and the median time from consultation request to first RT fraction was 3 days (IQR, 2-6 days). The median time from consultation request to RT was shorter for cord compression (2 [IQR, 1-4] days) than for pain (5 [IQR, 2-7] days) (P = .001) or symptomatic brain metastases (3 [IQR, 1-6] days; P = .037). With an NP, patients were more likely to undergo same-day consultation and simulation (75% vs 60%; P = .045), which was associated with shorter median duration from consultation to initiation of RT (1 [IQR, 0-3] days vs 4 [IQR, 2-7] days; P l.001). After the integration of an NP for palliative RT, patients had a higher median Karnofsky Performance Score (70 [IQR, 60-80] vs 50 [IQR, 40-60]; P l .001) and were more likely to complete their prescribed RT course (93% vs 82%; P = .05).ConclusionsTime from consultation request to RT is necessarily short for urgent inpatient palliative RT. Advanced practice providers may facilitate and potentially expedite treatment, with significantly shorter times to treatment among patients who undergo same-day consultation and simulation.
Staying True to Our Core Social Work Values During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the lives of individuals, families, and communities around the world. While we have survived numerous crises over centuries, this event called into question a desire for answers like never before. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged professionals from all disciplines to act. While epidemiologists researched and physicians treated, the philosophers and existentialists began to ponder mortality and search for answers. There were those who pontificated about politics and oppression. All the while hospital beds were filled to capacity, and cities around the world stood still; social workers were among a group of essential workers who also had to grapple with many challenges; some even called into question our profession’s code of ethics. For many social workers, it was the first time having to confront issues related to social justice and their personal values and consider ethical issues from providing services through digital technology and a test of their competence during this tumultuous time. As social workers, this is part of our calling, our mission to serve, and our responsibility to be where our clients are at, both emotionally and physically. Yet, what about the risks? What about the fears? Could we still instill a sense of hope in the face of despair? This chapter examines our profession’s six core values and their applicability at a nonprofit human service organization delivering mental health and supportive services throughout New York City during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and why it’s needed now more than ever.
Elevated Anthropometric and Metabolic Indicators among Young Adult Offspring of Mothers with Pregestational Diabetes: Early Results from the Transgenerational Effect on Adult Morbidity Study (the TEAM Study).

Exposure to maternal diabetes in utero increases the risk in the offspring for a range of metabolic disturbances. However, the timing and variability of in utero hyperglycemic exposure necessary to cause impairment have not been elucidated. The TEAM Study was initiated to evaluate young adult offspring of mothers with pregestational diabetes mellitus. This paper outlines the unique enrollment challenges of the TEAM Study and preliminary analysis of the association between exposure to diabetes in pregnancy and adverse metabolic outcomes. The TEAM Study enrolls offspring of women who participated in a Diabetes in Pregnancy (DiP) Program Project Grant between 1978 and 1995. The DiP Study collected medical and obstetric data across pregnancy. The first 96 eligible offspring of women with pregestational diabetes were age-, sex-, and race-matched to adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015-2016 with an OGTT. Descriptive and regression analyses were employed to compare TEAM participants to NHANES participants. Among a subset of TEAM participants, we compared the metabolic outcomes across maternal glucose profiles using a longitudinal data clustering technique that characterizes level and variability, in maternal glucose across pregnancy. By comparing categories of BMI, TEAM Study participants had over 2.0 times the odds of being obese compared to matched NHANES participants (for class III obesity, ; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.15, 6.87). Increasing levels of two-hour glucose were also associated with in utero exposure to pregestational diabetes in matched analyses. Exposure to pregestational diabetes in utero may be associated with an increased risk of metabolic impairment in the offspring with clinical implications.