cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Organized sensor network design for active feedback control

Active continuous control of systems using physical sensors are hindered by presence of corrupting noise in discretized measurements which degrades performance. This paper presents a systematic development of organized sensor networks that fuses the dynamic implementation of parallel and sequential network architectures with conventional multi-sensor filtering techniques to improve performance through collaborative network enhancement of noise suppression and sampling rate. The classical control of an inverted pendulum using vision sensors is presented as an illustrative example. Simulation results suggest that an organized sensor network with dynamic throttling outperforms a static network while minimizing overall sensor utilization.
Particle size effects on yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) phase formation by solid-state reaction

The solid-state reaction of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG, Y3Al5O12) during the heat treatment of Y2O3 and Al2O3 powder mixtures, differing in particle size and size ratio, was quantified using in situ high-temperature x-ray analysis and Rietveld refinement. Y2O3 particle size has the most profound effect on YAG formation. When the Y2O3 particle size was decreased from 5000 to 30 nm (on reaction with 270 nm Al2O3), the YAG formation rate increased from 20 to 48 vol% min−1 over the temperature range of 1350–1450 °C. In this case, the final YAG content increased from 75 to 91 vol%. A simple model that includes the reactant particle coordination number, and thus particle size ratio, shows that when the size ratio (dA/dY) is >1 diffusion through the alumina powder is rate controlling whereas when the ratio is <1, diffusion through the yttria, intermediate phases, and YAG is rate controlling.
Crossing the Line: The Effect of Cross Border Cigarette Sales on State Excise Tax Revenues

Differences in excise tax rates across jurisdictions create incentives for consumers to cross the border and purchase in lower-tax jurisdictions. This paper introduces a discrete choice model to examine tax avoidance and state border-crossing in the market for cigarettes. We exploit a rich dataset of consumer location choices and demographics to estimate a consumer’s tradeoff between distance and price when choosing a location to maximize utility. Using the estimates from our location and demand models, we reconsider a recent public policy issue among states and simulate tax avoidance under alternative cigarette excise tax levels.
Intrathecal injection of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) antisense oligonucleotide attenuates tactile allodynia caused by partial sciatic nerve ligation

Abstract The transcription factor cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) is important in regulating immediate-early genes and some late-effector genes involved in neuroplasticity in response to peripheral injury and stressful insults. Partial nerve injury elicited neuropathic pain is accompanied by increased phosphorylation of CREB in the ipsilateral spinal cord dorsal horn (Ma and Quirion, Pain 93 (2001) 295; Miletic et al., Pain 99 (2002) 493). The aim of this study is to determine whether increased phosphorylation of CREB in the dorsal horn contributes to the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. Three weeks following partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL), daily intrathecal injection of antisense CREB oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN, 20 μg/day) for 5 days significantly attenuated tactile allodynia. The attenuation lasted for more than 4 days. Total CREB and phosphorylated CREB in both ipsilateral and contralateral dorsal horn neurons were dramatically reduced in antisense ODN injected PSNL rats 1 week after injection. The extent of reduction of total CREB and phosphorylated CREB containing cells in the dorsal horn ipsilateral to injury was greater than in the contralateral dorsal horn. These data suggest that phosphorylation of CREB is an important contributing event in the central plasticity of nerve injury and in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain.
Non-Military Determinants of Military Budgets: The Japanese Case

A theory of military budgets should include the non-military purposes they may serve, and it should distinguish between the roles played by policy rules reflecting those purposes and rules reflecting norms for the budgetary process per se. For advanced industrialized countries whose international relations center on the U.S., the non-military purposes of particular relevance are those which emphasize macroeconomic performance, a security conception in which military matters play only a part, management of military and economic relations with the superpower, and dealings with parochial, private, and public-sector interests. The budgetary process norms include inertial incrementalism and balance in terms of stable shares of a larger budgetary pie. Japan provides an especially appropriate case to explore the relative explanatory contribution of these non-military purposes and process norms. Data on Japan's total defense budget and its components are explored through regression analysis for the period from the re-establishment of the defense forces until the explicit departure from the one-percent of GNP rule. The results indicate that different aspects of the budget are used to pursue all of the policy purposes and conform selectively to both process norms. Such complexity fits with Japan's intention to pursue national autonomy within acceptable levels of military dependence and budgetary restraint.
The Rôle of Proteins in Growth, Reproduction and Lactation. II. The Influence of Whole Liver on Growth and Lactation.

It was reported1 that second generation albino rats on 2 diets, A and B, containing 15 and 20% liver protein respectively, were unable to nurse their young. The failure of lactation was not caused by a deficiency of vitamins since the administration of increased amounts of yeast and cod liver oil as well as the daily administration of 0.3 cc. of wheat germ oil led to no improvement. The daily administration of 0.5 to 1.0 gm. of dried whole liver (dried in a vacuum at 100°C.) also had no beneficial effect on lactation, where-as 1.5 gm. of raw liver daily enabled the animals (9) to nurse their young successfully, 26 animals (45% of the 57 born) being weaned at 21 days of age. The success of raw liver in imparting the ability to lactate is further demonstrated in that third generation animals (2 males and 4 females on each diet) were considerably heavier than the parent generation had been at the same age, the males remained fertile longer than the second generation males, the females had normal oestrus cycl...
Combinatorial Homotopy Theory and a New Proof that the Second Homotopy Group of the Circle is Trivial

I. We give here a new combinatorial definition for the second homotopy group of a simplicial complex. Though the definition generalizes easily to higher homotopy groups, it is convenient for the sake of notational simplicity to limit ourselves to the second homotopy group. The approach is less general and less sophisticated than that of D. M. Kan [1]. Using this definition we shall prove that the second homotopy group of the circle vanishes. We feel that the proof is interesting because of its extremely elementary nature using no topology or algebra! (The only place where topology would be required is in the proof of the equivalence of our definition of the homotopy groups and the usual one [2]. This is essentially a consequence of the simplicial approximation theorem.)
Association of Systemic Sclerosis With a Unique Colonic Microbial Consortium

OBJECTIVE To compare colonic microbial composition in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients and healthy controls and to determine whether certain microbial genera are associated with gastrointestinal (GI) tract symptoms in patients with SSc. METHODS Healthy controls were age- and sex-matched (1:1) with adult SSc patients. Cecum and sigmoid mucosal lavage samples were obtained during colonoscopy. The microbiota in these samples were determined by Illumina HiSeq 2000 16S sequencing, and operational taxonomic units were selected. Linear discriminant analysis effect size was used to identify the genera that showed differential expression in SSc patients versus controls. Differential expression analysis for sequence count data was used to identify specific genera associated with GI tract symptoms. RESULTS Among 17 patients with SSc (88% female; median age 52.1 years), the mean ± SD total GI Tract 2.0 score was 0.7 ± 0.6. Principal coordinate analysis illustrated significant differences in microbial communities in the cecum and sigmoid regions in SSc patients versus healthy controls (both P = 0.001). Similar to the findings in inflammatory disease states, SSc patients had decreased levels of commensal bacteria, such as Faecalibacterium and Clostridium, and increased levels of pathobiont bacteria, such as Fusobacterium and γ-Proteobacteria, compared with healthy controls. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, which are typically reduced under conditions of inflammation, were also increased in abundance in patients with SSc. In SSc patients with moderate/severe GI tract symptoms, the abundance of Bacteroides fragilis was decreased, and that of Fusobacterium was increased, compared with patients who had no or mild symptoms. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates a distinct colonic microbial signature in SSc patients compared with healthy controls. This unique ecologic change may perpetuate immunologic aberrations and contribute to clinical manifestations of SSc.
Reliable and developmentally appropriate study end points are needed to achieve drug development for treatment of pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Reliable and developmentally appropriate study end points are needed to achieve drug development for treatment of pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension
Triangulating the Factors that Impact Success: Searching for Common Explanations of Policy Success

Despite the number of governmental and nongovernmental institutions that have utilized gender experts to inform policy, the interview data presented in Chapter 4 reveal several factors that limit the success of gender experts in public policy. Perhaps more importantly, the interview data reveal a number of limitations on the impact of gender experts due to several circumstances that inhibit success in the long term. As mentioned, gender experts asserted gender equality and gender mainstreaming must be implemented with long-term goals in mind in order to have an impact; however, policies and solutions typically only provided resources for short-term goals. Gender experts were able to name specific cases of their success, yet most seemed to falter when considering long-term impact. In fact, many were quite negative regarding the prospect of long-term success of gender expertise.
Our Uncommon Heritage: Conservation incentives and payments for ecosystem services

Externalities and public goods revisited The causes of the market failures behind the decline in ecosystem services reported by the MA have already been identified. Chapter 5 paid special attention to the differences in the problem of externality at the national and international scales. At the national scale it was noted that the failure of market prices to signal the scarcity of environmental resources, and the failure of markets to supply public goods, are both problems that can be resolved by government action. The fact that national governments have sovereign power makes it possible to address market failures directly by allocating property rights and by extending the legal protection of species or habitats on private lands. It also makes it possible to develop nationally funded incentive schemes such as the US biodiversity offset and banking programs considered in some detail later in this chapter (Madsen, Carroll and Moore Brands 2010). It makes it possible to establish national agencies with responsibilities for the provision of environmental public goods such as habitat for rare and endangered species, clean water, environmental health protection, and so on. The fact that national governments have sovereign authority over the land and people within national jurisdiction means that they are able to cut the Gordian knot of open or ill-defined access. At the international level, however, both externalities and the supply of environmental public goods are altogether more difficult to address. There is no supranational sovereign authority capable of assigning property rights or levying the taxes needed to fund the provision of public goods.
Family acculturation, family leisure involvement, and family functioning among Mexican-Americans.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between acculturation and family leisure involvement and aspects of family functioning (cohesion and adaptability) from Mexican-American parent, youth, and family perspectives. Acculturation was measured using the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (BAS), family leisure involvement was measured using the Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP), and family functioning was measured using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES II). The sample was obtained from communities in Texas and Utah and consisted of 74 Mexican-American families, including a parent and child from each family. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, the independent variables were found to help discriminate levels of acculturation for parents, youth, and families. Recommendations are given for commercial and community recreation programs targeting Mexican-American families, in addition to implications for further research.
Upper esophageal sphincter abnormalities and high-resolution esophageal manometry findings in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux

AbstractBackground: The association between laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and abnormalities of upper esophageal sphincter (UES) and esophageal motility is not clearly known. High-resolution esophageal manometry (HREM) has allowed accurate measurement and evaluation of UES and esophageal function.Goals: To evaluate the UES function and esophageal motility using HREM in patients with LPR and compare them to patients with typical gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).Study: All patients evaluated for GERD or LPR symptoms with esophageal function testing including HREM, ambulatory distal pH monitoring and upper endoscopy between 2006 and 2014 were retrospectively studied (n = 220). The study group (group A, n = 57) consisted of patients diagnosed with LPR after comprehensive evaluation. They were compared to patients who had typical GERD symptoms only (group B, n = 98) and patients with both GERD and LPR symptoms (group C, n = 65).Results: Abnormalities in UES pressures and relaxation were found in about on...
Prostate Cancer Antigen 3 Score Does Not Predict for Adverse Pathologic Features at Radical Prostatectomy or for Progression-free Survival in Clinically Localized, Intermediate- and High-risk Prostate Cancer.

Objective To evaluate whether preoperative urinary prostate cancer antigen 3 (PCA3) scores predict for adverse pathologic features (APFs) or progression-free survival (PFS) in men with intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP). Materials and Methods One hundred nine men with intermediate- (n = 52) or high-risk (n = 57) PCa who underwent RP were retrospectively identified. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association of PCA3 score with various APFs (eg, extracapsular extension, seminal vesicle invasion, etc.). Among 78 men with ≥1 year of follow-up, the association between PCA3 score and PFS was assessed using Cox regression analysis. Results At RP, 52% of patients had at least 1 APF, and with median follow-up of 2.3 years, overall 3-year PFS was 70%. PCA3 was not a significant predictor of any APF on multivariate analysis (MVA), whereas canonical predictors (eg, biopsy Gleason score and initial prostate-specific antigen) remained predictive of various APFs. No significant predictors for PFS were found on MVA, although certain canonical predictors (eg, National Comprehensive Cancer Network risk group) were significant predictors of PFS on univariate analysis (UVA). PCA3 score was not a significant predictor of PFS on either UVA or MVA. Conclusion Unlike in lower risk cohorts, increasing PCA3 score was not associated with any APF in this higher risk cohort, despite enrichment for APFs, nor was it associated with PFS. Notably, multiple known preoperative predictors for APFs were significant on MVA, and multiple predictors were associated with PFS on UVA. Therefore, PCA3 may not be a useful adjunct predictive marker in men with intermediate- or high-risk PCa.
Spatial Distribution of Resonance in the Velocity Field for Transonic Flow over a Rectangular Cavity

Pulse-burst particle image velocimetry has been used to acquire time-resolved data at 37.5 kHz of the flow over a finite-width rectangular cavity at Mach 0.8. Power spectra of the particle image ve...
Recently I was in a fatal incident: Personal narratives and social identities

Abstract This work focuses on Wes, a Black student in a 9th grade English Language Arts (ELA) class taught by Ms. Henry. Wes was socially identified as a violent, problematically challenging, and “naturally” academically unambitious student by Ms. Henry based on the perceptions of Wes drawn up from broader social discourses of race/gender identities and also from authorized institutional (school) “acceptable” and narrowly defined ways to perform classroom roles. Using discourse analysis to examine Wes's contributions during one classroom discussion, this work explores how Wes achieved identities other than those imputed on him while explicitly countering prevailing institutional notions of him as a Black adolescent, his linguistic practices, and by extension, speakers of Black Language.
Extension of the energy-to-moment parameter Θ to intermediate and deep earthquakes

Abstract We extend to intermediate and deep earthquakes the slowness parameter Θ originally introduced by Newman and Okal (1998). Because of the increasing time lag with depth between the phases P, pP and sP, and of variations in anelastic attenuation parameters t ∗ , we define four depth bins featuring slightly different algorithms for the computation of Θ . We apply this methodology to a global dataset of 598 intermediate and deep earthquakes with moments greater than 10 25 dyn∗cm. We find a slight increase with depth in average values of Θ (from −4.81 between 80 and 135 km to −4.48 between 450 and 700 km), which however all have intersecting one- σ bands. With widths ranging from 0.26 to 0.31 logarithmic units, these are narrower than their counterpart for a reference dataset of 146 shallow earthquakes ( σ = 0.55 ). Similarly, we find no correlation between values of Θ and focal geometry. These results point to stress conditions within the seismogenic zones inside the Wadati-Benioff slabs more homogeneous than those prevailing at the shallow contacts between tectonic plates.
Caption Crawler: Enabling Reusable Alternative Text Descriptions using Reverse Image Search

Accessing images online is often difficult for users with vision impairments. This population relies on text descriptions of images that vary based on website authors' accessibility practices. Where one author might provide a descriptive caption for an image, another might provide no caption for the same image, leading to inconsistent experiences. In this work, we present the Caption Crawler system, which uses reverse image search to find existing captions on the web and make them accessible to a user's screen reader. We report our system's performance on a set of 481 websites from alexa.com's list of most popular sites to estimate caption coverage and latency, and also report blind and sighted users' ratings of our system's output quality. Finally, we conducted a user study with fourteen screen reader users to examine how the system might be used for personal browsing.
David Oliver: A manifesto for multimorbidity

In 2012 a Scottish study of over three million people showed that living with three or more long term medical conditions was the norm for people over 65.1 In 2016 a study that used data from more than 200 000 people in England aged over 75 showed that 7% had severe frailty and 21% moderate frailty.2 This year, researchers predicted that the proportion of people in the UK with four or more long term conditions would nearly double between 2015 and 2035, from 9.8% to 17%.3 Two thirds of these would also have dementia, depression, or cognitive impairment. The need for a greater focus on prevention of ill health is something I have argued for …
How Spanish speakers use metaphor to describe their experiences with cancer

Our study seeks a better understanding of how Spanish-speaking cancer patients communicate about their personal experiences with cancer. We examine the use of metaphor in narratives contributed to ...
Spontaneous hemoperitoneum resulting from segmental arterial mediolysis.

Abstract Segmental arterial mediolysis is a rare but potentially life-threatening arteropathy of medium to large arteries that can be managed with endovascular treatment for patients who are hemodynamically unstable. We present a case of segmental arterial mediolysis in a 73-year-old woman who developed spontaneous hemoperitoneum in the emergency department after initially presenting with unrelated upper respiratory complaints. Her initial computed tomography revealed an aneurysm arising off the right hepatic artery. She was taken to the interventional radiology suite for embolization and multiple aneurysms along the right hepatic artery were identified that had the appearance of segmental arterial mediolysis. She initially stabilized but then developed acute renal failure and had a decrease in hemoglobin on postprocedure day 2. She was taken back to the angiography suite where multiple small left gastric and left hepatic trunk aneurysms were identified, with a small area of extravasation evident. The vessel was coiled from the liver to the origin of the left gastric artery. She was discharged and had a follow-up angiogram 2 months later, which showed interval development of an aneurysm to the distal right hepatic artery.
Banking the Poor: Policies to Bring Low- and Moderate-Income Households in the United States into the Financial Mainstream

Low- and moderate-income households who use alternative financial service providers pay a high price to convert their income into cash, pay their bills, and obtain credit, and they lack a regular means to save. The high cost of alternative financial services undermines key income redistribution policies for the poor, including the EITC. Existing banking products are often not well designed to meet the needs of the poor, and few banks compete with alternative financial services providers for low-income customers, particularly in low-income neighborhoods. The cost to individual financial institutions of research, product development, account administration, staff training, marketing and financial education with respect to new financial products for the poor, relative to their expected financial return, means that the market is unlikely to change quickly on its own. In addition, network externalities in electronic payments systems and distribution networks suggest that net social benefit could be obtained through further expansion.
Process integration of Calcium Looping with industrial plants for monetizing CO2 into value-added products

A Calcium Looping Process (CLP) is an emerging approach for Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU). It is essentially a CO2 capture process that utilizes calcium oxide (CaO) as a sorbent for the removal of CO2. A concentrated stream of CO2 (∼96%) that is suitable for storage and reuse is produced in this process. The objective of this work is to use mass and energy integration to couple CLP with industrial facilities and power plants in order to enhance industrial symbiosis and reduce cost via the chemical conversion of CO2 into value-added products. Special attention is given to plants that generate large amount of CO2 and/or provide excess heat that can be used in driving CLP. A case study is solved to assess the integration of CLP with candidate processes including power plants, cement production, gas-to-liquid (GTL) facility, and chemical plants for the production of ammonia, urea, polymer, methanol and acetic acid. The solution to the case study shows the merits integrating CLP with processing facilities.
The Role of Music in Second Language Learning

Through the ages, art has been an expression means for conveying various ideas especially intangible ones. Among numerous types of art, music has been an important aspect of every culture with which we use to express our thoughts and feelings. However, its role in learning a language and especially learning a foreign language has not received great attention in educational research. Music due to its affective power in reducing pressure and stress will enhance language learning environment. In this regard, the present study was conducted to examine the relative effectiveness of the use of songs (lyrics and music) on vocabulary acquisition. Using an experimental approach, results of this study showed that varying degrees of the use of songs would yield different English language achievement. The subjects who were exposed to the most music obtained higher achievement.
Tuning the sequence specificity of a transcription terminator.

The bacterial hexameric helicase known as Rho is an archetypal sequence-specific transcription terminator that typically halts the synthesis of a defined set of transcripts, particularly those bearing cytosine-rich 3′-untranslated regions. However, under conditions of translational stress, Rho can also terminate transcription at cytosine-poor sites when assisted by the transcription factor NusG. Recent structural, biochemical, and computational studies of the Rho·NusG interaction in Escherichia coli have helped establish how NusG reprograms Rho activity. NusG is found to be an allosteric activator of Rho that directly binds to the ATPase motor domain of the helicase and facilitates closure of the Rho ring around non-ideal (purine-rich) target RNAs. The manner in which NusG acts on Rho helps to explain how the transcription terminator is excluded from acting on RNA polymerase by exogenous factors, such as the antitermination protein NusE, the NusG paralog RfaH, and RNA polymerase-coupled ribosomes. Collectively, an understanding of the link between NusG and Rho provides new insights into how transcriptional and translational fidelity are maintained during gene expression in bacteria.
Ambivalent Embrace: Jewish Upward Mobility in Postwar America

Rachel Kranson’s Ambivalent Embrace: Jewish Upward Mobility in Postwar America is an impressive cultural history of American Judaism’s grappling with upward mobility in the years following World Wa...
Viral hijacking of cellular metabolism

This review discusses the current state of the viral metabolism field and gaps in knowledge that will be important for future studies to investigate. We discuss metabolic rewiring caused by viruses, the influence of oncogenic viruses on host cell metabolism, and the use of viruses as guides to identify critical metabolic nodes for cancer anabolism. We also discuss the need for more mechanistic studies identifying viral proteins responsible for metabolic hijacking and for in vivo studies of viral-induced metabolic rewiring. Improved technologies for detailed metabolic measurements and genetic manipulation will lead to important discoveries over the next decade.
You've Got Mail (YGM): Building Missing Asynchronous Communication Primitives

The Message Passing Interface (MPI) is the de facto standard for message handling in distributed computing. MPI collective communication schemes where many processors communicate with one another depend upon synchronous handshake agreements. This results in applications depending upon iterative collective communications moving at the speed of their slowest processors. We describe a methodology for bootstrapping asynchronous communication primitives to MPI, with an emphasis on irregular and imbalanced all-to-all communication patterns found in many data analytics applications. In such applications, the communication payload between a pair of processors is often small, requiring message aggregation on modern networks. In this work, we develop novel routing schemes that divide routing logically into local and remote routing. In these schemes, each core on a node is responsible for handing all local node sends and/or receives with a subset of remote cores. Collective communications route messages along their designated intermediaries, and are not influenced by the availability of cores not on their route. Unlike conventional synchronous collectives, cores participating in these schemes can enter the protocol when ready and exit once all of their sends and receives are processed. We demonstrate, using simple benchmarks, how this collective communication improves overall wall clock performance, as well as bandwidth and core utilization, for applications with a high demand for arbitrary core-core communication and unequal computational load between cores.
Betulin-Based Thermoplastics and Thermosets through Sustainable and Industrially Viable Approaches: New Insights for the Valorization of an Underutilized Resource

The use of naturally available building blocks for the preparation of high-performance polymers is attracting increasing interest. Betulin (or betulinol) is a naturally occurring, large, nonaromatic diol with a pentacyclic ring structure that can be extracted in high percentages from the bark of birch trees. Here we demonstrate that betulin can be used to prepare polyesters with exceptional thermal attributes through industrially viable and scalable melt polycondensation reactions. Specifically, betulin-based thermoplastics were synthesized using succinic acid, adipic acid, 1,12-dodecanedioic acid, and 1,18-octadecanedioic acid as comonomers and showed good solubility in common industrial solvents. Additionally, betulin-based polyester thermosets were formulated via the incorporation of glycerol as a cross-linker. A systematic study evaluating the effect of various comonomers on the structure–property relationships of these betulin-derived thermoplastics (Mws ranging from 7500 g mol–1 to about 60,000 g mo...
Late Life Collage

This chapter presents fragments of Bowen’s life between the death of her husband in 1952 and the sale of Bowen’s Court in 1959. She lectured extensively in America during this period, traveled to the American Academy in Rome to finish A Time in Rome, completed The World of Love, and traveled around England and Scotland for the British Royal Commission on Capital Punishment. Her conservative political values are discussed as well as her late friendships with the writer and musician, Eddy Sackville-West, and the painter, Derek Hill.
Meno, Know-How: Oh No, What Now?

A version of Meno’s paradox applies to intellectualism about knowledge-how. If one does not know that p, one does not know (of any way w) that w is a way of working out that p. According to intelle...
Is a delay a disaster? economic impacts of the delay of the california dungeness crab fishery due to a harmful algal bloom.

Abstract During the 2015/2016 West Coast Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) season, the opening of the fishery in California was delayed almost five months due to high and persistent concentrations of domoic acid in crab following a massive coast-wide Pseudo-nitzschia australis (P. australis) bloom. A hurdle model was used to estimate lost revenues to fishers due to the delay in the opening of the 2015/2016 season, and an input-output model is used to calculate resulting losses in income and employment statewide. The analysis suggests that Dungeness crab revenue was decreased as a result of the season delay, but the reduction was less than was initially estimated when a request for disaster assistance was submitted. However, the analysis also shows that fishers lost out on revenue from other fisheries equal in magnitude to the reduction in crab revenues because the delayed opening led fishers to reduce effort in non-crab fisheries. The research demonstrates the need to consider impacts beyond the revenue losses to directly affected fisheries. Potential management and industry responses that might mitigate future losses if future large scale P. australis blooms threaten fishery delays or closures are discussed along with the research needed to determine whether and how to implement these strategies.
Do Empirical and Abstract Shannon Entropies Converge in Value? A Case in RNA Molecular Structure

The RNA molecule is capable of folding into different shapes, with some being more stable than others. The structural space of the RNA can be described by Stochastic Context-free Grammars (SCFG), offering a probabilisitic distribution of structural scenarios. In a more accurate folding model, the probability associated with a structural scenario is more informative of its stability. Here, we offer two different ways of calculating the Shannon Entropy of the SCFG-modeled RNA structural space; Grammar Space (GS) Entropy and SCFG Entropy. The former is the Shannon Entropy of the infinite number of structures produced by the model and the latter is the Shannon Entropy of a limited subset of structures all of which belong to the same RNA sequence. After a brief introduction on the two measures, we explore the relationship between these measures on a given set of RNA folding models and biologically functional RNA sequences. We show that these two measures of entropy are indeed correlated. While more theoretical work is needed in understanding the convergence behavior between the two, this observation suggests that GS Entropy is a promising characteristic in future model training approaches.
Understanding Helical Magnetic Dynamo Spectra with a Nonlinear Four-Scale Theory

Recent MHD dynamo simulations for magnetic Prandtl number $>1$ demonstrate that when MHD turbulence is forced with sufficient kinetic helicity, the saturated magnetic energy spectrum evolves from having a single peak below the forcing scale to become doubly peaked with one peak at the system (=largest) scale and one at the forcing scale. The system scale field growth is well modeled by a recent nonlinear two-scale nonlinear helical dynamo theory in which the system and forcing scales carry magnetic helicity of opposite sign. But a two-scale theory cannot model the shift of the small-scale peak toward the forcing scale. Here I develop a four-scale helical dynamo theory which shows that the small-scale helical magnetic energy first saturates at very small scales, but then successively saturates at larger values at larger scales, eventually becoming dominated by the forcing scale. The transfer of the small scale peak to the forcing scale is completed by the end of the kinematic growth regime of the large scale field, and does not depend on magnetic Reynolds number $R_M$ for large $R_M$. The four-scale and two-scale theories subsequently evolve almost identically, and both show significant field growth on the system and forcing scales that is independent of $R_M$. In the present approach, the helical and nonhelical parts of the spectrum are largely decoupled. Implications for fractionally helical turbulence are discussed.
Who Trusts State-Run Media? Polarized Perceptions of News Credibility in Non-Democracies

Recent research posits that authoritarian regimes increasingly rely on information manipulation for political survival. A puzzle in such accounts is that citizens in autocracies often have a choice of information sources yet trust propagandistic state media. I propose that this trust is largely explained by political like-mindedness, whereby two psychological mechanisms---confirmation bias and motivated reasoning---prompt government supporters to overestimate the trustworthiness of state-run media. I test these ideas in three studies situated in Russia. In two randomized experiments, I demonstrate that supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin trust reports from state media more than they trust reports from independent media. Additional survey evidence suggests that such trust is grounded in supporters' propensity to underestimate the bias of state media and the degree of government interference in these media. Thus, biased perceptions of media can make citizens more receptive to propaganda and reduce the threat of independent media to authoritarian rule.
Genes, Selection, and Behavior: Response to Laurenti’s Commentary

Response to Carolina Laurenti’s comments: “The Molar View of Behavior: A Paradigm Shift in Behavior Analysis?”
Budget constrained model selection for multiple linear regression

We introduce a multiple linear regression model methodology for selecting best subsets of independent variables subject to active budget constraints. Computational studies on multiple data sets to ...
Recent Cytogenetic Studies in The Genus Nicotiana

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the cytogenetic studies on Nicotiana. The genus Nicotiana has been a favored material for studies on inheritance and evolution in higher plants since the days of the pre-Mendelian hybridizers. The origins and evolution of species of the genus are presented and these relationships are summarized diagrammatically in the form of three phylogenetic arcs. The evidence shows that interspecific hybridization, with subsequent amphiploidy as well as genetic recombination, has played an important role in the evolution of the genus Nicotiana . More than 300 interspecific hybrids have been reported in the genus Nicotiana . Limits and consequences of multiple allopolyploidy are explored and the role of aneuploidy assessed. The use of introgressive hybridization to transfer resistance to various diseases into commercial tobacco from wild species is an important part of tobacco breeding efforts. Certain Nicotiana interspecific hybrids exhibit a striking somatic instability in forming spontaneous tumors. In certain interspecific combinations, evidence for a hereditary component in the cytoplasm has been found. This affects either pollen sterility or plastid-controlled chlorophyll variegation. Biometrical analyses of quantitative character inheritance in N . tabacum and in species crosses have shown preponderant additive gene effects and consequent effective response to selection.
Peridynamics for antiplane shear and torsional deformations

A rod or beam is one of the most widely used members in engineering construction. Such members must be properly designed to resist the applied loads. When subjected to antiplane (longitudinal) shear and torsional loading, homogeneous, isotropic, and elastic materials are governed by the Laplace equation in two dimensions under the assumptions of classical continuum mechanics, and are considerably easier to solve than their three-dimensional counterparts. However, when using the finite element method in conjunction with linear elastic fracture mechanics, crack nucleation and its growth still pose computational challenges, even under such simple loading conditions. This difficulty is mainly due to the mathematical structure of its governing equations, which are based on the local classical continuum theory. However, the nonlocal peridynamic theory is free of these challenges because its governing equations do not contain any spatial derivatives of the displacement components, and thus are valid everywhere in the material. This study presents the peridynamic equation of motion for antiplane shear and torsional deformations, as well as the peridynamic material parameters. After establishing the validity of this equation, solutions for specific components that are weakened by deep edge cracks and internal cracks are presented.
Teaching Materials on World Hunger and Other International Health Problems.

(1987). Teaching Materials on World Hunger and other International Health Problems. Health Education: Vol. 18, International Health, pp. 41-45.
Las limitaciones del «modelo Barcelona»: una lectura desde Urban Regime Analysis

L’article explora el model de desenvolupament urba a Barcelona, utilitzant Urban Regime Analysis com a eina analitica. S’hi presenten les caracteristiques principals de la governabilitat de la ciutat i la seva evolucio des de principis de la decada de 1980 fins a l’any 2006. S’hi analitza la dinamica de la transformacio de la ciutat estudiant amb detall el proces de consolidacio de la col·laboracio entre els sectors public i privat iniciada en el context dels Jocs Olimpics de 1992. S’hi estudia el disseny d’aquesta col·laboracio i s’hi argumenta que aquesta cooperacio ha influit el desenvolupament de la politica de remodelacio urbanistica de la ciutat, creant un regim urba que dona prioritat al creixement economic per sobre d’altres consideracions socials i urbanes. L’estudi aporta una perspectiva critica al «model Barcelona».
The Kinetics and Mechanism of Reduction of Electron Transfer Proteins and Other Compounds of Biological Interest by Dithionite

Abstract The kinetics of the reduction by dithionite of several biochemically interesting substances has been investigated under anaerobic conditions by stopped flow spectrophotometry at pH 8.0 and 25°. Solutions of sodium dithionite were prepared and standardized by titration against lumiflavin 3-acetate in the absence of oxygen. Under pseudo-first order conditions (dithionite in excess) the reactions of spinach ferredoxin, horse metmyoglobin, lumiflavin 3-acetate, horse heart ferricytochrome c, and spinach plastocyanin conform to first order kinetics for several half-lives. Dependence of the observed pseudo-first order rate constant (kobs) on the dithionite concentration is described by the equation, kobs = a[S2O42-]½, where a = 8.6, 100, and 960 m-½ s-1 for ferredoxin, metmyoglobin, and lumiflavin 3-acetate, respectively. These results support a mechanism involving SO2- as the kinetically important reducing species. With cytochome c and plastocyanin, the dependence of kobs on dithionite concentration is described by the equation, kobs = a[S2O42-]½ + b[S2O42-], where a and b are 1450 m-½ s-1 and 1.5 x 104 m-1 s-1 in the case of cytochrome c and 1100 m-½ s-1 and 1.35 x 105 m-1 s-1 in the case of plastocyanin. These two proteins apparently react with both SO2- and S2O42-. Analysis of the reaction of cytochrome c with dithionite in the presence of oxygen gave an estimated rate constant of 47 m-½ s-1 for the oxygen-dithionite reaction. The rate constant of the reaction of ferricyanide with S2O42- is 1.4 x 105 m-1 s-1. Evidence is presented that ferricyanide also reacts rapidly with SO2-. When dithionite reacts with excess ferricytochome c, lumiflavin 3-acetate, or oxygen, the reaction rate is virtually independent of the oxidant concentration and a limiting first order rate constant of 1.7 s-1 is approached in each case. This rate constant has been assigned to the monomerization rate of S2O42-, and its temperature dependence gives an activation energy of 24.1 Cal per mole for the dissociation of S2O42-. Determination of the equilibrium constant (K) for the reaction S2O42- ⇌ 2SO2- by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy has given a value of 1.4 ± 0.4 x 10-9 m. Dividing the above listed values of a by K½ gives the absolute rate constants for the reactions between SO2- and oxidants.
Explicit Lower Bounds on the Modular Degree of an Elliptic Curve

We derive an explicit zero-free region for symmetric square L-functions of elliptic curves, and use this to derive an explicit lower bound for the modular degree of rational elliptic curves. The techniques are similar to those used in the classical derivation of zero-free regions for Dirichlet L-functions, but here, due to the work of Goldfield-Hoffstein-Lieman, we know that there are no Siegel zeros, which leads to a strengthened result.
Backpropagation neural network for stereoscopic vision calibration

Calibration is the process of establishing the relationship between camera and global coordinate systems. In the case of stereoscopic vision, the relationship between two cameras and a global coordinate system must be established. Many techniques have been proposed to perform the calibration process most requiring a substantial amount of programming and special test fixtures. This paper proposes a backpropagation neural network to estimate the transformation between two camera systems and a global coordinate system. The approach requires minimum programming and no special test fixtures. This paper describes the artificial neural network architecture along with the procedures used in training. Encouraging results are obtained from preliminary test runs© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A review of therapist characteristics and techniques positively impacting the therapeutic alliance

The present review is a comprehensive examination of the therapist's personal attributes and in-session activities that positively influence the therapeutic alliance from a broad range of psychotherapy perspectives. Therapist's personal attributes such as being flexible, honest, respectful, trustworthy, confident, warm, interested, and open were found to contribute positively to the alliance. Therapist techniques such as exploration, reflection, noting past therapy success, accurate interpretation, facilitating the expression of affect, and attending to the patient's experience were also found to contribute positively to the alliance. This review reveals how these therapist personal qualities and techniques have a positive influence on the identification or repair of ruptures in the alliance.
Eddy-current losses in solid and laminated iron

In this paper formulas are developed, on the basis of simple physical conceptions, for the calculation of eddy currents in solid and laminated iron, which, as the experiments presented show, enable the losses caused by eddy currents to be predicted with surprising accuracy. A simple formula for the calculation of the power factor (pf) that the magnetic circuit reflects into the magnetizing winding is also presented.
Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and COX-1 potentiate β-amyloid peptide generation through mechanisms that involve γ-secretase activity

In previous studies we found that overexpression of the inducible form of cyclooxygenase, COX-2, in the brain exacerbated beta-amyloid (A beta) neuropathology in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. To explore the mechanism through which COX may influence A beta amyloidosis, we used an adenoviral gene transfer system to study the effects of human (h)COX-1 and hCOX-2 isoform expression on A beta peptide generation. We found that expression of hCOXs in human amyloid precursor protein (APP)-overexpressing (Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-APPswe) cells or human neuroglioma (H4-APP751) cells resulting in 10-25 nM prostaglandin (PG)-E2 concentration in the conditioned medium coincided with an approximately 1.8-fold elevation of A beta-(1-40) and A beta-(1-42) peptide generation and an approximately 1.8-fold induction of the C-terminal fragment (CTF)-gamma cleavage product of the APP, an index of gamma-secretase activity. Treatment of APP-overexpressing cells with the non-selective COX inhibitor ibuprofen (1 microM, 48 h) or with the specific gamma-secretase inhibitor L-685,458 significantly attenuated hCOX-1- and hCOX-2-mediated induction of A beta peptide generation and CTF-gamma cleavage product formation. Based on this evidence, we next tested the hypothesis that COX expression might promote A beta peptide generation via a PG-E2-mediated mechanism. We found that exposure of CHO-APPswe or human embryonic kidney (HEK-APPswe) cells to PG-E2 (11-deoxy-PG-E2) at a concentration (10 nM) within the range of PG-E2 found in hCOX-expressing cells similarly promoted (approximately 1.8-fold) the generation of the CTF-gamma cleavage product of APP and commensurate A beta-(1-40) and A beta-(1-42) peptide elevation. The study suggests that expression of COXs may influence A beta peptide generation through mechanisms that involve PG-E2-mediated potentiation of gamma-secretase activity, further supporting a role for COX-2 and COX-1 in Alzheimer's disease neuropathology.