cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Upland and in-stream controls on baseflow nutrient dynamics in tile-drained agroecosystem watersheds

Abstract In landscapes with low residence times (e.g., rivers and reservoirs), baseflow nutrient concentration dynamics during sensitive timeframes can contribute to deleterious environmental conditions downstream. This study assessed upland and in-stream controls on baseflow nutrient concentrations in a low-gradient, tile-drained agroecosystem watershed. We conducted time-series analysis using Empirical mode decomposition of seven decade-long nutrient concentration time-series in the agricultural Upper Big Walnut Creek watershed (Ohio, USA). Four tributaries of varying drainage areas and three main-stem sites were monitored, and nutrient grab samples were collected weekly from 2006 to 2016 and analyzed for dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP). Statistically significant seasonal fluctuations were compared with seasonality of baseflow, watershed characteristics (e.g., tile-drain density), and in-stream water quality parameters (pH, DO, temperature). Findings point to statistically significant seasonality of all parameters with peak P concentrations in summer and peak N in late winter-early spring. Results suggest that upland processes exert strong control on DRP concentrations in the winter and spring months, while coupled upland and in-stream conditions control watershed baseflow DRP concentrations during summer and early fall. Conversely, upland flow sources driving streamflow exert strong control on baseflow NO3-N, and in-stream attenuation through transient and permanent pathways impacts the magnitude of removal. Regarding TN and TP, we found that TN was governed by NO3-N, while TP was governed by DRP in summer and fluvial erosion of P-rich benthic sediments during higher baseflow conditions. Findings of the study highlight the importance of coupled in-stream and upland management for mitigating eutrophic conditions during environmentally sensitive timeframes.
Short communication: Investigation of antibiotic alternatives to improve health and growth of veal calves

The inherent disease susceptibility of veal calves results in frequent antimicrobial use. Improvements in antimicrobial stewardship necessitate alternative therapies to improve calf health and growth, while reducing the need for antimicrobials important to human health. This study investigated the effect of 2 alternative therapies, lactoferrin (an iron-binding protein found in colostrum) and cinnamaldehyde (an essential oil of the cinnamon plant) on growth, disease incidence, and mortality risk in special-fed veal calves. On the day of arrival to the growing facility (3 to 7 d of age), calves (n = 80 per treatment) were randomized to 1 of 3 treatments: (1) control (no supplement), (2) lactoferrin (1 g/d in milk replacer for 7 d), or (3) cinnamaldehyde (1 g/d in milk replacer for 21 d). Body weight was measured on the day of arrival (d 0), 21, and 42 d postarrival. Health assessments were performed twice weekly through 21 d, and mortality records were obtained through 6 wk postarrival. A repeated-measures ANOVA was used to compare growth between treatment groups, and a Poisson regression model (PROC GENMOD, SAS v. 9.4, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) was used to test differences between groups in the incidence of diarrhea (fecal score ≥2 with and without depression and temperature) and disease through 3 wk postarrival. Body weight and average daily gain were similar between treatments. Neither lactoferrin nor cinnamaldehyde had an effect on diarrhea incidence. However, the risk of navel inflammation was significantly lower for calves that received cinnamaldehyde compared with calves in the control group. Mortality through 6 wk postarrival was low, with 4, 1, and 0 deaths from the control, lactoferrin, and cinnamaldehyde treatment groups, respectively. Additional research is needed to investigate various doses of these alternative therapies on calf health and growth, in addition to different routes of administration.
Generation and management of training data for AI-based algorithms targeted at coalition operations

AI (Artificial Intelligence)-based algorithms have great potential for inter-operation of coalition ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) systems, but rely on realistic data for training and validation. Getting such data for coalition scenarios is hampered by military regulations and is a significant hurdle in conducting basic research. We discuss an approach whereby training data can be obtained by means of scenario-driven simulations, which result in traces for network devices, ISR sensors and other infrastructure components. This generated data can be used for both training and comparison of different AI based algorithms. Coupling the synthetic data generator with a data curation system further increases its applicability.
The "Butterfly" Wrap: A Simplified Technique for Consistent Prosthesis Coverage in Prepectoral Breast Reconstruction.

Background Here, we describe our simple, systematic, reproducible, and effective method for prosthesis coverage in prepectoral breast reconstruction. Methods Our Butterfly Wrap is a simple technique, which provides prosthesis coverage with a single sheet of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) in a reproducible and elegant manner. The wrap design creates an anatomic tear-shaped pocket to guide expansion and encourage lower pole fullness, without ADM folding or bunching for optimal incorporation and minimal overlap. Further, it minimizes waste, allowing for smaller sheets of ADM to be used per breast, and can easily be performed in minimal time on the back table while the mastectomies are being performed, as a means of minimizing cost. Results Our technique can be applied to effectively cover all shapes and sizes of expanders and implants, both teardrop and round. As a result, the surgeon need only focus on the critical nuances of prosthesis-based prepectoral breast reconstruction, without the anxiety of how to wrap the prosthesis and what size of ADM to use. Conclusions The Butterfly Wrap is a simple, systematic, reproducible, and effective method for prosthesis coverage in prepectoral reconstruction.
High-Throughput Flow Cytometry

This article describes the creation of a discovery team in an academic environment. The team is specifically structured to perform four integrated activities: characterizing membrane protein, formatting the materials for analysis of cell physiology and molecular interactions, performing screens of small-molecule activity on a novel high-throughput flow cytometric instrument platform, and integrating virtual screening with activity screening. These activities improve the overall efficiency of the discovery process. Keywords: discovery team; virtual screening; cell physiology; molecular interactions
The Protection of Individual Rights: Legal Theory

This chapter discusses those individual disputes in which an agency decides that a particular person is not entitled to a service and the person disagrees or where the agency imposes conditions that the individual thinks are illegal. Such individual disputes must be distinguished from discretionary decisions that have a broader impact, for example, a decision by a state not to use Title XX money for a specific service or a decision that only certain services will be offered in particular areas of the states or a decision that different eligibility rules will apply in different parts of a state. Due process clause is the way of governmental decision making. The eight major elements of procedural due process are listed, but there are neither clear rules to determine as to which apply to a given situation nor the extent to which any one applies. In addition, the distinction between procedure and substance takes on added importance when one considers the nature of so-called legal rights to social benefits. In the discussion of the expansion of the Due Process Clause, it is noted that the courts have expanded the number of interests—that is, rights—that are legally protectable under the Constitution and the governing statutes. The chapter discusses what is meant by legal rights.
Race and Jury Selection: The Pernicious Effects of Backstrikes

A “backstrike” is a peremptory challenge used to strike a prospective juror after the juror has been accepted onto the jury panel but before the panel has been sworn. Thus, backstrikes permit an attorney to tentatively accept a juror by declining to exercise a peremptory challenge, but then revisit that decision after additional potential jurors are questioned. The data we analyze for this article provide the first systematic evidence on the role played by backstrikes. Our results show that use of backstrikes is common in Caddo Parrish, Louisiana, occurring in 40 percent of the 332 cases we studied. Moreover, controlling for other characteristics, prosecutors had overall between three and five times the odds of using a backstrike on a black prospective juror as on a non-black prospective juror. Depending on the type of case and the race of the defendant, the odds of prosecutorial backstrikes against black prospective jurors could be as high as almost nine times that of non-black ones. Prosecutors were also more likely than defense attorneys to exercise backstrikes. This analysis reveals the nefarious implications of backstrikes for race-neutral jury selection.
Predicting Real-Time Locational Marginal Prices: A GAN-Based Video Prediction Approach.

In this paper, we propose an unsupervised data-driven approach to predict real-time locational marginal prices (RTLMPs). The proposed approach is built upon a general data structure for organizing system-wide heterogeneous market data streams into the format of market data images and videos. Leveraging this general data structure, the system-wide RTLMP prediction problem is formulated as a video prediction problem. A video prediction model based on generative adversarial networks (GAN) is proposed to learn the spatio-temporal correlations among historical RTLMPs and predict system-wide RTLMPs for the next hour. An autoregressive moving average (ARMA) calibration method is adopted to improve the prediction accuracy. The proposed RTLMP prediction method takes public market data as inputs, without requiring any confidential information on system topology, model parameters, or market operating details. Case studies using public market data from ISO New England (ISO-NE) and Southwest Power Pool (SPP) demonstrate that the proposed method is able to learn spatio-temporal correlations among RTLMPs and perform accurate RTLMP prediction.
Assessment: A Tool for Improving Disciplinary Literacy

In college-level courses, literacy requirements are discipline-specific; therefore, to ensure effective teaching and learning, it is crucial to understand students’ literacy needs and levels of competence in individual disciplines. This chapter discusses the use of formative and summative discipline-specific assessments to inform the design and implementation of strategies to foster content area learning and disciplinary literacy. It describes collaborative work in the assessment process, including text selection, question design, the development and implementation of assessment instruments, and the use of results to inform pedagogical design. Also discussed are innovative practices to incorporate relevant assessments into student learning in specific disciplines to avoid assessment fatigue.
Determination and Dissection of DNA-Binding Specificity for the Thermus thermophilus HB8 Transcriptional Regulator TTHB099

Transcription factors (TFs) have been extensively researched in certain well-studied organisms, but far less so in others. Following the whole-genome sequencing of a new organism, TFs are typically identified through their homology with related proteins in other organisms. However, recent findings demonstrate that structurally similar TFs from distantly related bacteria are not usually evolutionary orthologs. Here we explore TTHB099, a cAMP receptor protein (CRP)-family TF from the extremophile Thermus thermophilus HB8. Using the in vitro iterative selection method Restriction Endonuclease Protection, Selection and Amplification (REPSA), we identified the preferred DNA-binding motif for TTHB099, 5′–TGT(A/g)NBSYRSVN(T/c)ACA–3′, and mapped potential binding sites and regulated genes within the T. thermophilus HB8 genome. Comparisons with expression profile data in TTHB099-deficient and wild type strains suggested that, unlike E. coli CRP (CRPEc), TTHB099 does not have a simple regulatory mechanism. However, we hypothesize that TTHB099 can be a dual-regulator similar to CRPEc.
The color of normal: How a Eurocentric focus erases pigmentation complexity

Objectives Skin pigmentation is both a highly variable and highly visible human phenotypic trait. Investigations into the biology and origins of this variation have been the focus of research in the fields of dermatology, anthropology, and forensic science, among others. This manuscript explores how much of what we know about the biology, genetics, and evolutionary origins of pigmentation has been strongly influenced by investigations and applications that focus on lighter skin. Methods I reviewed literature from the fields of dermatology, anthropology and evolutionary genetics, and forensic science to assess how perceptions of lighter skin as the "normal" state in humans can shape the ways that knowledge is gathered and applied in these fields. Results This normalization of lighter skin has impacted common tools used in dermatology and shaped the framework of dermatological education. A strong Eurocentric bias has shaped our understanding of the genetic architecture of pigmentary traits, which influences the ways in we understand the evolutionary processes leading to modern pigmentation diversity. Finally, I discuss how these biases in pigmentation genetics work in combination with phenotypic systems that privilege predicting lighter pigmentation variation to impede accurate prediction of intermediate phenotypes, particularly in individuals with ancestry from multiple populations. This can lead to a disproportionate targeting of already over-policed populations with darker skin. Conclusions Potential changes to how we conceptualize clinical and basic pigmentation research may help to reduce existing health disparities and improve understanding of pigmentation genetic architecture and how this knowledge is applied in forensic contexts.
Real-world outcomes in recurrent versus de novo metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

387Background: Optimal management of patients with recurrent pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is unknown. In the clinical trials that established a survival benefit with combination chemothe...
Impulse-Based Dynamic Strength Index: Considering Time-Dependent Force Expression.

The dynamic strength index (DSI) is a useful tool to assess an athlete's capacity to effectively use maximum strength during dynamic tasks. Although DSI is traditionally calculated based on peak forces, the ability to express force over time (i.e., impulse) is a better predictor of dynamic performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between DSI calculated based on peak force (fDSI) and impulse (iDSI). Nineteen female collegiate lacrosse players performed countermovement jumps (CMJs) and isometric midthigh pulls (IMTPs). Peak force and impulse were extracted from CMJ and IMTP force-time data. Countermovement jump impulse was calculated by integrating force over the concentric movement time, whereas IMTP impulse was calculated by integrating force over the CMJ-matched movement time. Ratios between CMJ and IMTP peak force and impulse were used to calculate fDSI and iDSI, respectively. A moderate positive correlation existed between iDSI and fDSI ([rho] = 0.644 [0.283-0.840], p = 0.003). Based on thresholds established in the literature, the 2 indices suggest conflicting training recommendations for 37% of athletes. Because impulse is a better predictor of dynamic performance, iDSI may represent a more valid method for assessing an athlete's capacity to effectively use maximum strength during dynamic tasks. Practitioners and researchers may want to consider augmenting current training and research practices with an impulse-based DSI.
‘Un Somaro Piumato’--Rethinking the Scope and Nature of State Liability for Acts of their Commercial Instrumentalities: State Owned Enterprises and State-Owner Liability in the Post-Global

Under what circumstances might a state be subject to liability for the conduct of its state owned enterprises (SOEs)? That question, always controversial but apparently settled by the end of the last century, has once again become important as the old conceptual categories for liability have become unsettled. It is now no longer clear that states may authoritatively claim immunity for themselves and for the non-commercial activities of the SOEs. This contribution examines the effect of substantial transformations in the legal environment of enterprise operation on the conceptual framework within which principles of immunity (and its waiver) was grounded. The legalization of responsible business conduct through disclosure and supply chain due diligence legislation, as well as the rise of human rights business torts based on production chain responsibility have upended the traditional conceptual framework of immunity and of the separation of the state from its economic organs. The governmentalization of economic activities and the extension of regulatory responsibilities of apex economic enterprises across their supply chains have produced a context in which private enterprises now assert sovereign authority even as states exercise private market power through their management and control of autonomous economic actors in markets. In this context Part 2 considers the challenge to the standard model of state owner liability for the conduct or activities of SOEs in the form of the new supply chain due diligence laws, and the Modern Slavery reporting provisions being enacted in Europe and Australia. Part 3 then considers the challenge to traditional models that may emerge from the development of human rights tort law. The contribution argues that the resulting context provides a basis for either for extending sovereign immunity to those regulatory responsibilities of all economic actors (irrespective of their public or private ownership) or of the reconception of sovereign regulation through legal compliance obligations as inherently commercial and thus not protected by principles of sovereign immunity when undertaken by SOEs. Further, the contribution suggests that this emerging conception of the role of economic actors produces a context in which the state can become its own legal subject, the state can simultaneously serve as the apex body corporate subject to regulatory obligations within its production chain and liable therefore to, and at the same time the sovereign authority that, enforces those obligations.
Automatic Model Determination for Quaternion NMF

Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) is a well-known method for Blind Source Separation (BSS). Recently, BSS for polarized signals in spectropolarimetric data, containing both polarization and spectral information, was introduced. This information was encoded in 4-dimensional Stokes vectors represented by quaternion numbers. In the proposed Quaternion NMF (QNMF), the common challenge of determining the (usually) unknown number of quaternion signals remained unaddressed. Estimating the number of signals (aka model determination) is important, since an underestimation of this number results in poor source separation and omission of signals, while overestimation leads to extraction of noisy signals without physical meaning. Here, we introduce a method for determining the number of polarized signals in spectropolarimetric data, named QNMF $k$ . QNMF $k$ integrates: (a) Quaternion Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (QADMM) implemented for QNMF, (b) random resampling of the initial quaternion data, and (c) custom clustering of sets of QADMM solutions with same number of sources, $k$ , needed to estimate the stability of the solutions. The appropriate latent dimension is determined based on the stability of the solutions. We demonstrate that, without any prior information, QNMF $k$ accurately extracts the correct number of signals used to generate synthetic quaternion datasets and a benchmark spectropolarimetric data.
Aggregation Phenomena in Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystals

We study the aggregation phenomenon in lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals as the molecular concentration changes and condensing agents are added into the system. Using properties of the critical points of the Oseen-Frank energy of a nematic liquid crystal, combined with the geometric constraints of the hexagonal columnar chromonic phases, we show that the minimizers of the total energy are topologically equivalent to tori, in agreement with available experimental evidence on chromonic liquid crystals and DNA condensates, in viral capsids as well as in free solution. We model the system as bi-phasic, consisting of liquid crystal molecules and water, and postulate the total energy as the sum of the Flory-Huggins energy of mixing together with the bending and surface tension contributions of the liquid crystal. Two types of problems are considered, one related to finding the optimal shape of a torus, once the phase separation has occurred, and the second one that models the conditions leading to molecular aggregation into a torus domain. The work is guided by and closely follows the laboratory experiments performed by the group of Lavrentovich at the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute (Kent State University).
Does human fertility adjust to the environment

Both theory and empirical research on historical American fertility suggest that human fertility responds of voluntarily to environmental co nditions. In the economic theory of fertility tastes prices and inco me determine the optimal number of children. These influences lead to the expectation of the following ordering of areas from high to low fertility at any given time: frontier settled agricultural new urban areas and old urban areas. Over time it can be expected that fertility would decline as new areas "age" e.g. frontier areas become settled agriculture and new urban areas become old urban areas. These expectations are supported by the available evidence. In the early 1800s fertility was lower in the older settled areas of the East than in those undergoing settlement; and within every division urban fertility is lower than rural fertility. The American fertility decline reflects not only the processes of urbanization and industrialization but that of settlement as well. The problem is whether the voluntary response of fertility to environmental pressures results in a socially optimal adjustment.
Using version control to observe student software development processes

Instructors more easily see the results of students' programming efforts than the process students used to produce those results. In 2004, our students used Subversion, an open-source version control system, to manage their homework programs. Our experience shows that version control is an valuable tool for gaining insight into how students develop code. Problematic patterns of coding show up version control commit record and can provide clear feedback to students on how to improve their development processes.
Surface Immunoglobulins of Circulating Lymphocytes in Mouse Plasmacytoma. I. Characteristics of Lymphocyte Surface Immunoglobulins

A large proportion (24-45%) of circulating lymphocytes of normal BALB/c mice was found to have surface immunoglobulins with polyclonal characteristics. Following implantation with plasmacytoma, the percentage of these normal receptor-carrying lymphocytes (RCL) was found to decrease. Concomitant with the growth of the tumors, the proportion of lymphocytes having receptors with the structural properties of the specific plasmacytoma globulin gradually increased. The antisera with which these new surface structures were demonstrated were specific for the variable portion of the Fab fragment, the idiotypic determinant of the plasmacytoma globulin. These antisera were not only raised in rabbits and rendered antiidiotypic by appropriate absorptions, but also in BALB/c mice. Evidence is presented that this alteration of receptors on the normal lymphocytes depends on the presence of tumor cells and is not caused by nonspecific absorption of the immunoglobulins to the lymphocytes.
The response of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia to overdrive atrial and ventricular pacing: can it help determine the tachycardia mechanism?

Pacing During Supraventricular Tachycardia. Introduction: Standard electrophysiologic techniques generally allow discrimination among mechanisms of paroxysmal Supraventricular tachycardia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the response of paroxysmal Supraventricular tachycardia to atrial and ventricular overdrive pacing can help determine the tachycardia mechanism. Methods and Results: Fifty-three patients with paroxysmal Supraventricular tachycardia were studied. Twenty-two patients had the typical form of atrioventricular (AV) junctional (nodal) reentry, 18 patients had orthodromic AV reentrant tachycardia, 10 patients had atrial tachycardia, and 3 patients had the atypical form of AV nodal reentrant tachycardia. After paroxysmal Supraventricular tachycardia was induced, 15-beat trains were introduced in the high right atrium and right ventricular apex sequentially with cycle lengths beginning 10 msec shorter than the spontaneous tachycardia cycle length. The pacing cycle length was shortened in successive trains until a cycle of 200 msec was reached or until tachycardia was terminated. Several responses of paroxysmal Supraventricular tachycardia to overdrive pacing were useful in distinguishing atrial tachycardia from other mechanisms of paroxysmal Supraventricular tachycardia. During decremental atrial overdrive pacing, the curve relating the pacing cycle length to the VA interval on the first beat following the cessation of atrial pacing was flat or upsloping in patients with AV junctional reentry or AV reentrant tachycardia, but variable in patients with atrial tachycardia. AV reentry and AV junctional reentry could always be terminated by overdrive ventricular pacing whereas atrial tachycardia was terminated in only one of ten patients (P < 0.001). The curve relting the ventricular pacing cycle length to the VA interval on the first postpacing beat was flat or upsloping in patients with AV junctional reentry and AV reentry, but variable in patients with atrial tachycardia. The typical form of AV junctional reentry could occasionally be distinguished from other forms of paroxysmal Supraventricular tachycardia by the shortening of the AH interval following tachycardia termination during constant rate atrial pacing. Conclusions: Atrial and ventricular overdrive pacing can rapidly and reliably distinguish atrial tachycardia from other mechanisms of paroxysmal Supraventricular tachycardia and occasionally assist in the diagnosis of other tachycardia mechanisms. In particular, the ability to exclude atrial tachycardia as a potential mechanism for paroxysmal Supraventricular tachycardia has important implications for the use of catheter ablation techniques to cure paroxysmal Supraventricular tachycardia.
The impact of the Texas LSAMP program on under-represented minority students at Texas A & M University's College of Engineering: a multi-dimensional longitudinal study

The NSF-funded Texas A & M University System Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (TX LSAMP) was successful in more than doubling the number of minority Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (SMET) baccalaureate graduates in partner universities between 1991-98, with a variety of programs strategies and tactics, such as mentoring, stipends, tutoring, and supplemental instruction. In 2000-01, a focused study on one partner campus (TAMU) compared active LSAMP program participants with comparable under-represented minority students in the College of Engineering and found that, in 1996-98, participation in the LSAMP program contributed to the success of freshmen in SMET programs, as measured by outcome variables such as GPA, retention, and course progression. The present study expands upon its predecessor, by providing a longitudinal, quantitative, multidimensional outcome study of the TAMU LSAMP program, spanning 1995-2000. Additionally, the control of preexisting socio-economic and educational variables is used to examine the impact of the LSAMP program on minorities from diverse backgrounds. Some post-hoc explorations of results are also included.
"As If We Were Called": Responding to (Pedagogical) Responsibility

Martin Buber’s thinking has contributed significantly to the realization that the self can and should be understood in relational terms. In the idiom of his best known work, I and Thou, the self comes into being as “I saying Thou,” by addressing, by responding directly to, Being/Other. This direct address is differentiated from “I grasping It,” an instrumental relation that can never be fully responsible. As Buber puts it, “Genuine responsibility exists only where there is real responding.” Emmanuel Levinas accepts Buber’s central insight but extends it significantly to insist that both responding and responsibility are prior to the very possibility of instrumental thinking and action. For Levinas, responsibility, the necessary response to the face of the Other, precedes consciousness and intentionality, precedes knowing and understanding.
Developmental Failure of Segmentation in a Caudal Vertebra of Apatosaurus (Sauropoda)

A vertebral element assigned to an Apatosaurus cf. ajax from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation is described. The specimen exhibits an unusual morphology where two vertebrae are nearly seamlessly fused together, including the haemal arch that spans them. This morphology is thought be the result of a developmental abnormality. CT scans of the specimen reveal a thin zone of dorsoventral thickening between the two neural arches consistent with cortical bone. Contrast in internal morphology differentiates the anterior and posterior vertebral bodies with the anterior expressing greater porosity, which increased accommodation for barite-rich calcite precipitation. No vacuities are observed to suggest the former presence of an intervertebral disk or intervertebral joints: the absence of an intervertebral disc or intervertebral joints is indicative of a condition known as block vertebra. Block vertebrae occur with the loss, or inhibition, of somitocoele mesenchyme early in embyogenesis (i.e., during resegmentation of the somites responsible for the formation of the affected vertebra). The derivatives of somitocoele mesenchyme include the intervertebral disc and joints. Although vertebral paleopathologies are not uncommon in the fossil record, this specimen is the first recognized congenital malformation within Sauropoda. Anat Rec, 297:1262–1269, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Secondary decomposition of C3H5 radicals formed by the photodissociation of 2-bromopropene.

The photodissociation of 2-bromopropene at 193nm produces C3H5 radicals with a distribution of internal energies that spans the threshold for the secondary decomposition of the 2-propenyl radicals into C3H4+H. Just above this threshold, the decomposition rate is on the nanosecond time scale, and in the present study, time-resolved velocity-map ion imaging is used to gain insight into this process. The results provide information on the energy dependence of the secondary dissociation process. In addition, comparison of the results with theoretical predictions of the energy dependence of the dissociation rate provides information on the branching between fragment rotational and vibrational energies in the primary photodissociation process.
On Dual Phase-Space Relativity, the Machian Principle and Modified Newtonian Dynamics

We investigate the consequences of the Mach’s principle of inertia within the context of the Dual Phase Space Relativity which is compatible with the Eddington-Dirac large numbers coincidences and may provide with a physical reason behind the observed anomalous Pioneer acceleration and a solution to the riddle of the cosmological constant problem. The cosmological implications of Non-Archimedean Geometry by assigning an upper impossible scale in Nature and the cosmological variations of the fundamental constants are also discussed. We study the corrections to Newtonian dynamics resulting from the Dual Phase Space Relativity by analyzing the behavior of a test particle in a modified Schwarzschild geometry (due to the the effects of the maximal acceleration) that leads in the weak-field approximation to essential modifications of the Newtonian dynamics and to violations of the equivalence principle. Finally we follow another avenue and find modified Newtonian dynamics induced by the Yang’s Noncommutative Spacetime algebra involving a lower and upper scale in Nature.
Characterizing synthetic polymers and additives using new ionization methods for mass spectrometry

RATIONALE New inlet and vacuum ionization methods provide advantages of specificity, simplicity and speed for the analysis of synthetic polymers and polymer additives directly from surfaces such as fibers using mass spectrometry (MS) on different commercial mass spectrometers (Waters SYNAPT G2, Thermo LTQ Velos). METHODS We compare inlet ionization methods with the recently discovered vacuum ionization method. This method, termed matrix assisted ionization vacuum (MAIV), utilizes the matrix 3-nitrobenzonitrile (3-NBN) for the analysis of synthetic polymers and additives without additional energy input by simply exposing the matrix:analyte:salt to the vacuum of the mass spectrometer. Matrix:analyte:salt samples can be introduced while dry (surfaces, e.g. glass slides, pipet tips) or slightly wet (e.g. filter paper, pipet tips). RESULTS Compounds ionized by these methods can be analyzed in both positive and negative detection modes through cationization or deprotonation, respectively. The dynamic range of the experiment can be enhanced, as well as structural analysis performed, by coupling the vacuum ionization method with ion mobility spectrometry mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) and tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) fragmentation. CONCLUSIONS The specificity of 3-NBN matrix to ionize small and large nonvolatile analyte molecules by MAIV makes this matrix a good choice for observing low-abundance additives in the presence of large amounts of synthetic polymer using MS. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determining intra-flow contention along multihop paths in wireless networks

Admission control of flows is essential for providing quality of service in multihop wireless networks. In order to make an admission decision for a new flow, the expected bandwidth consumption of the flow must be correctly determined. Due to the shared nature of the wireless medium, nodes along a multihop path contend among themselves for access to the medium. This leads to intra-flow contention; contention between packets of the same flow being forwarded at different hops along a multihop path causing the actual bandwidth consumption of the flow to become a multiple of its single hop bandwidth requirement. Determining the amount of intra-flow contention is non-trivial since interfering nodes may not be able to communicate directly if they are outside each other's transmission range. In this paper, we propose two methods to determine the extent of intra-flow contention along multihop paths. The highlight of the proposed solutions is that carrier-sensing data is used to deduce information about carrier-sensing neighbors, and no high power transmissions are necessary. Analytical and simulation results show that our methods estimate intra-flow contention with low error, while significantly reducing overhead, energy consumption and latency as compared to previous approaches.
Physical habitat and social conditions across a coral reef shape spatial patterns of intraspecific behavioral variation in a demersal fish

As coral reef ecosystems decline in health worldwide, reef-associated fishes are being impacted by changes to their coral reef habitats. While previous studies have shown coral reef structure to affect the demography of reef fishes, changes in reef conditions may also impact the behavior of reef fishes as they cope with altered habitats. In this study, we examined spatial patterns of intraspecific behavioral variation in the bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus) across the fringing reefs of Curacao (Caribbean Sea), and explored how this behavioral variation associated with physical and social conditions on the reef. Principal components analysis (PCA) condensed physical parameters of the reef into principal component 1 (PC1), comprising depth, coral cover (%), rugosity, and average hole size (cm2), and principal component 2 (PC2), which represented the number of holes. PC1, but not PC2, increased spatially across the reef as the habitat transitioned from coral rubble in the shallows to live coral on the reef slope. This transition in reef structure was paralleled by changes in social conditions including decreases in bicolor damselfish density in habitats with higher PC1 values. The behavior of bicolor damselfish also varied spatially with greater aggression and more frequent shelter use in habitats with lower PC1 values. Path analysis revealed robust associations between this behavioral variation and physical habitat conditions of the reef, indicating that physical – rather than social – habitat variation is the primary determinant of these spatial patterns of intraspecific behavioral variation. Taken as a whole, this coupling between physical reef structure and behavior suggests that reef fish may show altered behaviors on coral reefs degraded by anthropogenic impacts.
Enzyme, bacterial inoculant, and formic acid effects on silage composition of orchardgrass and alfalfa

We evaluated the effects of cellulase (from Trichoderma longibrachiatum) application rates on neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentration and fermentation products of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) silages harvested with decreasing dry matter (DM) digestibility. Additionally, the impacts of inoculant (Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus cerevisiae), pectinase (from Aspergillus niger), or formic acid on silage composition were studied. Forages wilted to a DM content of about 320 g/kg were ensiled in laboratory silos for 60 d. Cellulase, combined with inoculant, was applied at 2, 10, and 20 ml/kg of herbage (at least 2500 IU/ml). Cellulase at 10 ml/kg was also applied alone or in combination with pectinase and inoculant or formic acid. The NDF concentration of orchardgrass silage decreased with increasing cellulase up to 20 ml/kg, at which NDF content was decreased by 30%. The NDF concentration of alfalfa silage decreased with increasing cellulase application up to 10 ml/kg, at which NDF content was decreased by 13%. Immature plants were more responsive to cellulase treatment than mature plants. Cellulase at 2 ml/kg combined with inoculant improved fermentation characteristics of the silages but generally, there was no effect on silage fermentation by higher cellulase applications, resulting in an accumulation of sugar. The improved fermentation of orchardgrass treated with cellulase and inoculant was mostly related to the effect of inoculant, whereas cellulase alone improved fermentation characteristics of alfalfa silage and this effect was enhanced by addition of inoculant. Decreased NDF and increased sugar concentrations did not improve the in vitro DM digestibility of cellulase-treated silages.
Evidence for room temperature tunneling recombination in amorphous silicon

Abstract Room temperature nonradiative recombination in a-Si:H is directly studied by measuring the thermal expansion of the sample due to the heat released during recombination. We find that the nonradiative lifetime is longest for undoped and shortest for doped material. This is the opposite of the photoconductivity behavior. We conclude that the recombination rates are decoupled from the free carrier densities which is direct evidence that recombination proceeds via tunneling between localized states even at room temperature.
Influence of two preservice teachers' value orientations on their interpretation and delivery of sport education.

Teachers’ beliefs have a considerable impact on their instructional styles, methods, objectives and curricular organization. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of two preservice teachers’ (PTs’) value orientations on their interpretation and delivery of sport education (SE). A secondary purpose was to describe possible changes and development of PTs’ value orientations while teaching SE. Data were collected while they engaged in their final student teaching experience using a variety of qualitative techniques. These were analyzed using standard interpretive techniques. Results indicated that their disciplinary mastery focus strongly influenced the type of SE seasons they delivered. In addition they revealed that the PTs broadened their beliefs about their teaching toward the end of student teaching to the extent that they expressed interest in goals related to and used pedagogies consistent with social reconstruction, social responsibility and self-actualization value orien...
Composite RNA aptamers as functional mimics of proteins

Individual RNA aptamers are often used to modulate the function of their target proteins, and multi-valent aptamers have been constructed to enhance their activity. To expand the utility of aptamers in manipulating and controlling biological processes, here we advance a general method for the design and construction of composite aptamers. The resulting molecular constructs resemble proteins in that they can form specific interactions with three or more different partners and be readily integrated into existing protein regulatory networks. As the first embodiment of this method, we created a tetra-valent aptamer that simultaneously binds to two molecules of the Drosophila protein B52 and two copies of streptavidin, thus mimicking the function of an antibody in immunochemical assays. We demonstrated that the performance of this 'aptabody' rivals that of a monoclonal antibody against B52 in these assays. While this study was performed in vitro and the composite aptamer we made was intended to mimic an existing protein, the same method can be used to accommodate arbitrary combinations of individual aptamers in composite molecular contexts, and these constructs can be delivered into living cells, where they are able to utilize existing cellular infrastructure for their production and processing.
Detection of lymphotoxin produced in mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC): variation in target cell sensitivity.

Abstract In an attempt to resolve some of the uncertainty as to whether soluble cytotoxin—lymphotoxin (LT)—is produced in mixed leukocyte cultures (MLC), we established one-way MLC between the lymphocytes of normal individuals and two lines of lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL). Cell-free culture fluid harvested after 5 days was tested for LT employing not only the stimulating LCL cells as targets, but also two lines of cells known to be sensitive to LT. The LCL cells—RPMI 8866 and NHDL-2—were found to be completely resistant to LT under the conditions of our assay. By contrast, when the sensitive cells were used in the cytotoxicity assay, LT was readily detected. These results emphasize the importance of intrinsic target cell sensitivity in the study of lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxic phenomena and raise questions as to the mechanism whereby cells may be resistant to LT.
CORR curriculum - orthopaedic education: Faculty development begins at home.

Through the years, I have taken an interest in asking orthopaedic surgeons who teach residents just what formal education or training they have experienced in both teaching and assessing residents. With few exceptions, these orthopaedic surgeons have replied “none” — only relying on what they had learned during residency or fellowship. But all of those who answered my unscientific survey agreed that their skills and knowledge could be improved. Residency programs generally succeed in developing safe, practicing orthopaedic surgeons, and they usually do a good job of keeping residents current both with clerical and clinical changes. While some faculty truly are outstanding educators and have made specific efforts to learn and improve on their pedagogic talents, many more do not fit this model. Previously published studies across several medical specialties [5, 6, 13, 17, 23] have described mentoring programs as a means to help new faculty members develop professionally. Despite some evidence that these programs help [13, 18, 19], a review of mentoring across all medical specialties [20] found that fewer than 20% of junior faculty could identify a mentor. The incentive to make significant progress in faculty development is limited because these programs rarely produce revenue. As a consequence, faculty members are not reaching their potential. A large chasm forms between the potential and actual performance of an orthopaedic department when “education to the educators” is not provided. I believe it is possible for most departments to do more in this area, despite the challenges that exist, and that the benefits will justify the investments made.
Studies on inhibition of the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone by an irreversible inhibitor at the receptor site

Abstract [Leu 2 , Leu 3 , D-Ala 6 ]-LHRH is an analog of pGlu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Arg-Pro-Gly-NH 2 (LHRH) and inhibits the release of LH and FSH induced by LHRH. This analog and inhibitor has been modified with the objective of developing an active-site-directed irreversible inhibitor. The modification consisted of replacing 1 with Chl 1 which is the moiety of chlorambucil (a nitrogen mustard). The Chl analog inhibited the release of LH and FSH by LHRH after addition prior to LHRH and after three changes of the incubation medium; in contrast, [Leu 2 , Leu 3 , D-Ala 6 ]-LHRH and [des-His 2 ]-LHRH only inhibit release when added together with LHRH. The Chl analog released LH and FSH but not TSH or GH, indicating that its agonist and antagonist activities could be specific at the receptor site for LHRH.