cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simple Matrix-Method Modeling for Avalanche Photodetectors With Arbitrary Layer Structures and Absorption/Multiplication Coefficients

A simple matrix-method model is presented for calculating the impedance and the short-circuit frequency response of an avalanche photodiode (APD) with arbitrary layer structures and absorption/multiplication coefficients. In our matrix method model, the depletion region of the APD is divided into many thin layers. In each thin layer the absorption and the multiplication coefficients are assumed to be uniform. As an example, we use this matrix-method model to analyze in detail a resonant Ge/Si SACM (separated absorption charge multiplication) APD. The impedance analysis shows that the avalanche region is equivalent to an LCR-circuit including a negative resistance, an inductance with a series resistance, and a capacitance in parallel connection. At higher bias voltages, the negative resistance and series resistance become very small and consequently the LCR circuit shows a strong resonance. Furthermore, the inductance also becomes smaller at higher bias voltages, which introduces a higher resonance frequency. This increases the 3 dB-bandwidth, in agreement with experiment.
Asphalt Mixture Beams Used in Bending Beam Rheometer for Quality Control: Utah's Experience

This paper introduces the use of asphalt mixture beams in the bending beam rheometer (BBR) for quality control with a project in Utah as a case study. A good solution for quality control, the BBR test can be performed by materials laboratory staff at highway agencies and private materials laboratories because it is reasonably priced, is rugged-tested, uses limited material, is conditioned quickly, is available, and is familiar to staff at materials laboratories for everyday mix design and quality control. The paper begins with a literature review of past research work in support of using BBR tests to measure properties of asphalt mixture beams. An asphalt construction project in Utah was selected to demonstrate the applicability of using asphalt mixture beams in the BBR for quality control. Field samples obtained from the project in Utah were shipped to the laboratory, where comparisons of low-temperature properties of asphalt mixtures were done with the BBR. Results easily showed an anomaly on two paving...
Natural and artificially-initiated lightning and lightning test standards

Present understanding of both natural and artificially initiated lightning is first reviewed. The ways in which lightning can cause damage, the methods that are used to provide protection from that damage, and the test standards that are used to assess the immunity of systems from lightning damage are then examined. Finally, deficiencies in present approaches to lightning protection are pointed out and recommendations for the amelioration of those deficiencies are given. >
The effect of statistical noise on IMRT plan quality and convergence for MC-based and MC-correction-based optimized treatment plans

Monte Carlo (MC) is rarely used for IMRT plan optimization outside of research centres due to the extensive computational resources or long computation times required to complete the process. Time can be reduced by degrading the statistical precision of the MC dose calculation used within the optimization loop. However, this eventually introduces optimization convergence errors (OCEs). This study determines the statistical noise levels tolerated during MC-IMRT optimization under the condition that the optimized plan has OCEs 0.5Dmax. The MC dose computation time for the OC-optimization is only 6.2 minutes on a single 3 Ghz processor with results clinically equivalent to high precision MC computations.
Acute alcohol blocks neurosteroid modulation of synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation in the rat hippocampal slice

Abstract Effects of ethanol (22 mM) on the modulation of synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation (LTP) by the neurosteroid dehydroepiandrosterome sulfate (DHEAS; 10 μM) was examined in the in vitro rat hippocampal slice preparation. The synaptic responses were elicited by Schaffer collateral stimulation and recorded extracellularly in the somatic and dendritic regions of CA1 pyramidal neurons. LTP induction produced an increase (∼ 55% to 75%) in the amplitude of synaptic responses in ethanol and ethanol plus DHEAS (ethanol/DHEAS) treated slices. These increases were significantly smaller than the ∼ 130% increase observed previously in slices treated with DHEAS, but were not significantly different from the ∼ 82% increase observed in control slices. These results indicate that an ethanol/DHEAS interaction prevents the enhancement of LTP normally observed with DHEAS treatment of hippocampal slices. An ethanol/DHEAS interaction also altered DHEAS's effects on individual synaptic components of the synaptic response to Schaffer collateral stimulation. Ethanol applied before but not after DHEAS prevented DHEAS's enhancement of the NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic component. DHEAS's depression of the GABA A receptor-mediated synaptic component was also blocked by ethanol. Ethanol or DHEAS individually had no effect on the AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic component, but application of ethanol after DHEAS resulted in a small enhancement of this synaptic component, an effect that was not observed if ethanol was applied before DHEAS. These results show that ethanol and DHEAS interact, altering DHEAS's effects on synaptic transmission and LTP in the hippocampas. Such an interaction may be involved in ethanol's actions on the CNS and raises the possibility that ethanol and DHEAS may act via a common site or pathway.
Flexible cache error protection using an ECC FIFO

We present ECC FIFO, a mechanism enabling two-tiered last-level cache error protection using an arbitrarily strong tier-2 code without increasing on-chip storage. Instead of adding redundant ECC information to each cache line, our ECC FIFO mechanism off-loads the extra information to off-chip DRAM. We augment each cache line with a tier-1 code, which provides error detection consuming limited resources. The redundancy required for strong protection is provided by a tier-2 code placed in off-chip memory. Because errors that require tier-2 correction are rare, the overhead of accessing DRAM is unimportant. We show how this method can save 15--25% and 10--17% of on-chip cache area and power respectively while minimally impacting performance, which decreases by 1% on average across a range of scientific and consumer benchmarks.
Advancing the diagnostic analysis of environmental problems

Social-ecological systems exhibit patterns across multiple levels along spatial, temporal, and functional scales. The outcomes that are produced in these systems result from complex, non-additive interactions between different types of social and biophysical components, some of which are common to many systems, and some of which are relatively unique to a particular system. These properties, along with the mostly non-experimental nature of the analysis, make it difficult to construct theories regarding the sustainability of social-ecological systems. This paper builds on previous work that has initiated a diagnostic approach to the analysis of these systems. The process of diagnosis involves asking a series of questions of a system at increasing levels of specificity based on the answers to previous questions. The answer to each question further unpacks the complexity of a system, allowing an analyst to explore patterns of interactions that produce outcomes. An important feature of this approach is the use of multilevel analysis. This paper explores this concept and introduces another – multilevel causation – to further develop the diagnostic approach. It demonstrates that these concepts can be used to analyze a diversity of environmental problems.
Patterns of Migration Propensity for Black and White American Men Evidence from a Cohort Analysis

This study investigates age period and cohort patterns of migration for blacks and whites by applying cohort analysis models to panel data from the young and older male samples of the US National Longitudinal Surveys. The simultaneous inclusion of these variables represents an important refinement of previous studies that have considered only 1 or 2 of them at a time. Age period and cohort effects differ markedly by race. Blacks have lower migration rates; and their rates vary less by age period and cohort. Among whites migration rates were quite high for ages 18-28; and there was a monotonic downward trend after that. More recent cohorts tended to migrate less than earlier cohorts. Time interval patterns show that the migration of young white males was more likely with each interval. Age period and cohort have independent effects on migration; and these effects differ strongly by race.
Direct analysis in real time-mass spectroscopy for identification of red dye colourants in Paracas Necropolis Textiles

AbstractThe Paracas Necropolis on the south coast of Peru is renowned for the elaborate funerary bundles recovered from that dry sandy region. These bundles contained the remains of male leaders within the Paracas communities surrounded by multiple layers of plain cloth and garments with embroidered designs. The methods and materials used in dyeing the yarns used to embellish these ancient fabrics are still not well understood, and the research presented herein seeks to add to that body of knowledge. To investigate the sources of dye colourants in samples from Paracas Necropolis textiles, we applied direct analysis in real time–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (DART-MS). This new methodology has both advantages (analyses are rapid and require little or no sample preparation) and disadvantages (e.g. inability to identify intact carminic acid) compared to existing ones used in the analysis of dye colourants. Direct analysis in real time mass spectra were collected on chemical standards, botanical materials ...
Preventing Postoperative Falls in the Older Adult

A M t r r l c p p n the US, adults 65 years and older represent the fastest rowing segment of the population. There are projecions that this population will double in size to almost 70 illion in the next 3 decades. About one-third of all urgical procedures and about half of emergency surgical rocedures are performed on older adults. The surgical ates are nearly twice as high in this age group as they are n younger adults. Although older adults constitute bout 14% of the US population, they use close to half f the hospital expenditures and 44% of total hospital ay care. A fall has been defined as an event that results in the atient coming to rest inadvertently on the ground or ther surface lower than the body. For older adults, the isk of falling increases rapidly with advancing age, espeially for frail older adults. The hospital fall rate has een reported between 2 and 7 falls per 1,000 patient ays. Hospital fall rates are highly variable according o the type of patient and hospital setting. Hitcho and olleagues, in a prospective descriptive study of inpaient falls in an urban academic hospital, reported inpaient falls from medicine, neurology, orthopaedics, surery, and other services. They found a fall rate for edicine and neurology services at 6.12 per 1,000 paient bed days and a rate of 2.18 per 1,000 patient bed ays for the surgery service. Interestingly, the orthopaeic service was found to have a low fall rate risk of 0.80 er 1,000 patient bed days. There is limited evidence on factors contributing to npatient falls or the effectiveness of hospital fall prevenion programs in hospitalized older adults after operaions. In this article, we will review the literature on
Amélioration d'une méthode de décomposition de domaine pour le calcul de structures électroniques

Le travail a porte sur le developpement d'une methode de decomposition de domaine pour le calcul de structures electroniques avec les modeles de Hartree-Fock ou DFT (Density Functional Theory). La simulation de ces modeles passe traditionnellement par la resolution d'un probleme aux valeurs propres generalise, dont la complexite cubique est un verrou pour pouvoir traiter un grand nombre d'atomes. La methode MDD (Multilevel Domain Decomposition), introduite au cours de la these de Maxime Barrault (2005), est une alternative a cette etape bloquante. Elle consiste a se ramener a un probleme de minimisation sous contraintes ou on peut exploiter les proprietes de localisation de la solution. Les resultats acquis au cours de la presente these sont :* l'analyse numerique de la methode : on a montre, sur un probleme simplifie presentant les memes difficultes mathematiques, un resultat de convergence locale de l'algorithme ; * l'augmentation de la vitesse de calcul et de la precision, pour les repartitions "1D" des sous-domaines, ainsi que la demonstration de la scalabilite jusqu'a $1000$ processeurs; * l'extension de l'algorithme et de l'implementation aux cas ou les sous-domaines sont repartis en "2D/3D".
Why do patients with rheumatoid arthritis use complementary therapies

Objectives: (1) to develop an understanding as to how the use of complementary therapy (CT) affects a patient's perspective of health and well-being, (2) to offer the rheumatology professional insight and understanding as to why a patient chooses to use a CT, and (3) to raise awareness as to the forms of CT most commonly used by patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: This qualitative study was based on phenomenological principles applied through focused inquiry to develop an understanding of the lived experience of the study participants. The inclusion criteria of an established diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and known use of CT were applied to a convenience sample of patients attending a rheumatology outpatient department clinic on two consecutive days. Of the 15 eligible patients identified, five were randomly selected for inclusion in the study. Narrative data were collected through analysis of transcripts taken from audiotape recordings of unstructured interviews with study participants. A manual indexing system was used to develop four significant categorisation themes to reflect the findings: (1) incentives to use CT, (2) perceived benefits of CT use, (3) the choice of CT used, and (4) perceived disadvantages and risks of CT use. Results: Incentives to use CT included dissatisfaction with conventional treatment, often in the form of side effects, and drug ineffectiveness. Social factors, such as loss of employment and social activities, were also indicated, as were psychological changes in the form of depression, hopelessness and fear. Perceived benefits were categorised as either physical or psychological with associated aspects of choice and control viewed as important elements of personal empowerment. The choice of CT used fell into three categories; physical, spiritual and herbal. The most commonly used of these were herbal remedies and supplements, closely followed by aromatherapy massage. Disadvantages and risks were identified as physical (pain and discomfort), psychological (fear and uncertainty), and/or material (cost). Conclusions: This study suggests that regular use of CT by patients with rheumatoid arthritis offers holistic benefits. Compared to conventional treatments, CT is seen to have advantages in terms of a lower incidence of adverse reactions, greater patient choice, psychological comfort and an increased quality of the patient/therapist relationship. The use of CT by patients with rheumatoid arthritis indicates a need for evidence-based information about its use and safety in order to direct practice within a rheumatology department. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Single-shot measurements of ultrafast dynamics in a dense plasma

The ultrafast dynamics in a dense plasma were studied with a single-shot measurement of the time-dependent reflectivity and phase shift at the rear surface of a free standing aluminum foil following femtosecond irradiation.
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS | Raw Material Composition Analysis

Many different methods are available for the measurement of fat, moisture, and protein in meat, ranging from slow, traditional wet chemistry methods that have been available for decades to sophisticated multicomponent methods that have been developed within the past few years. Several multicomponent instruments are now available for laboratory use or for in-line analyses during product manufacturing. Many of the multicomponent methods are very fast and have proven to be highly accurate and precise. In any case, method performance in terms of repeatability, reproducibility, and bias must be known and checked periodically to ensure satisfactory analytical results.
Positive knots have positive Conway polynomials

This note concerns knots which are positive in the sense that they are closures of positive words in the classical braid generators. Such knots are known to be fibred, non-slice and non-amphicheiral. Recursive knot-theoretic methods of J.H. Conway yield criteria sufficiently restrictive to settle the question of positivity for all save four of the 249 knots on ten or fewer crossings and provide alternate proofs for classical and recent results on positive knots.
Chemistry and Spectroscopy of Molecules at High Levels of Excitation

The behavior of molecules possessing large amounts of internal vibrational energy is the subject of a great deal of current attention, particularly at this workshop. Such highly excited molecular species are encountered in a variety of situations: in addition to the pre-eminent case of multiple infrared-photon excitation with high-intensity lasers1,2, these systems can be prepared by stimulated-emission pumping3, by chemical excitation4, and even by thermal excitation, for example, in flames5. High vibrational levels may also be accessed by one-photon transitions, as in overtone spectroscopy6.
Abstract P284: Exploring Differences in Self-Reported Moderate and Vigorous Physical Activity Among Hispanic Subgroups, Non-Hispanic Black, and Non-Hispanic White: National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), 1997-2012

Background: Epidemiologic studies to date have typically categorized all Hispanic subgroups into one group. To better understand moderate and physical activity trends among subgroups of Hispanic adults in the US, we assessed self-reported physical activity by race/ethnicity over 15 years (1997-2012) NHIS. Methods: Data from 452,845 Mexican/Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban/Cuban American, Other Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White participants over the age of 18 years were used. Annual age-adjusted moderate physical activity and vigorous physical activity prevalence were estimated by race/ethnicity and analyses of trends in average annual age-adjusted physical activity prevalence were conducted by education and race/ethnicity. Results: Out of the 452,845 individuals included in this analysis, 48.7% were male, with an overall mean age of 45.9 years for both men and women. Fifty-four percent of the total population had greater than a high school education. There were statistically significant differences for all demographic variables by gender and by race/ethnicity (P Conclusions: These results suggest that further consideration should be given to subgroup analyses in studies of Hispanics, particularly as they pertain to self-reported levels of physical activity.
Can library users distinguish between minimum, perceived, and desired levels of service quality? Validating LibQUAL +® using multitrait multimethod analysis

Abstract LibQUAL +® is a widely used measure of library service quality. Based on SERVQUAL's gap theory, LibQUAL +® measures items on three levels of service quality: minimum, perceived, and desired levels. Differences between user evaluations of service quality on these levels indicate the types of gaps in service quality. Gap theory has been criticized due to the possible inability of users to distinguish between different levels. However no study has investigated this claim using statistical analysis. A multitrait multimethod (MTMM) framework was used to evaluate the validity of using three levels of measurement to measure customer satisfaction in LibQUAL +®. Measurement errors across levels of measurement are correlated, indicating that simple score differences are inaccurate estimates of gaps. Users are able to distinguish between the three levels of measurement indicating support for validity of using gap theory in measuring library service quality.
Partisan Payoffs: Distributive Politics and Party Participation in the US House

A range of research on earmarking shows that this kind of distributive spending is allocated not according to universalism but rather in ways that advantage particular positions of power or contributions to collective efforts. Other work makes clear that party leaders use tools at their disposal to reward members who serve the party’s goals. In this paper, I ask whether House party leaders use earmarks as a selective benefit for members who participate in the party’s internal organizations, including the whip systems, policy committees, and steering committees. Adding new data on participation to five existing models of earmark allocation, I test (1) whether party organization members receive more earmarks than nonparticipants and (2) whether participation can help members to avoid the decline in earmark allocations that is associated with greater electoral security. The evidence for the first hypothesis is weak, but the second hypothesis finds strong support, at least in the Democratic caucus. In most of the models, Democratic participants in leadership organizations experienced no significant electoral vulnerability effect on earmark allocations even as their nonparticipating counterparts did. The results suggest that contributing to collective party goals can alter the usual patterns of earmark allocation for members.
Impact of Organic Load on Escherichia coli O157:H7 Survival during Pilot-Scale Processing of Iceberg Lettuce with Acidified Sodium Hypochlorite

Chemical sanitizers are routinely used during commercial flume washing of fresh-cut leafy greens to minimize cross-contamination from the water. This study assessed the efficacy of three chlorine treatments against Escherichia coli O157:H7 on iceberg lettuce, in wash water, and on surfaces of a pilot-scale processing line using flume water containing various organic loads. Iceberg lettuce (5.4 kg) was inoculated to contain 106 CFU/g of a 4-strain cocktail of nontoxigenic, green fluorescent protein–labeled, ampicillin-resistant E. coli O157:H7 and held for 24 h at 4°C before processing. Lettuce was shredded using a Urschel TransSlicer, step conveyed to a flume tank, washed for 90 s using water alone or one of three different sanitizing treatments (50 ppm of total chlorine either alone or acidified to pH 6.5 with citric acid or T-128) in water containing organic loads of 0, 2.5, 5, or 10% (wt/vol) blended iceberg lettuce, and then dried using a shaker table and centrifugal dryer. Next, three 5.4-kg batches ...
RAMAN SCATTERING SPECTRA OF Rb2ZnCl4 UNDER UNIAXIAL STRESS

The Raman scattering of Rb2ZnC14 under uniaxial stress up to 300 bars on the c and a axis (orthorhombic D1b2b - Pnam) has been measured in the inconnnensurate phase at room temperature and at 82K. A downward shift in frequency has been observed in those bands related with bending and stretching modes of the ZnC14 free molecule. Unlike K2SeO4 in the same stress range, the study of the soft mode, assigned as amplitudon by Wada et el. l, does not show a shift toward lower frequencies.
MITOCHONDRIAL DNA DIVERSITY IN THE SEA URCHINS STRONGYLOCENTROTUS PURPURATUS AND S. DROEBACHIENSIS.

Restriction-fragment analysis was used to measure mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variability in 79 individuals of two species of temperate sea urchins. For the purple urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, individuals were collected 1,500 km apart in 1985 and again from the same localities in 1988 (about one urchin generation). Twenty mtDNA genotypes belonging to four clades were found among 38 individuals. All four clades were found in both localities and in both years. Genetic structure was further tested by calculating the degree of interdeme genetic variation (GST ) and comparing this value to the GST 's from randomly shuffled data. No geographic structure was found. For S. droebachiensis, only six mtDNA genotypes were found among 41 individuals collected from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. More than 80% of the individuals belonged to two genotypes. The genotype that dominated collections in the Pacific also occurred in the Atlantic; however, a common Atlantic genotype was never found in the Pacific. These two genotypes were identical at 64 of 65 restriction sites, and were only 0.2% divergent from each other. GST analysis confirmed that there were significant genetic differences between Atlantic and Pacific populations. The small divergence between genotypes suggests recent, but not continuous, migration. These marine species show smaller genotypic differences than terrestrial species over similar spatial and temporal scales. Both recruitment of adults from planktonic larval pools and the spread of sibling larvae over large distances from parents probably act as buffers to genetic differences in species with planktonic life-history phases.
Funding for Global Surgical Programs

Compared to other areas of global health, funding opportunities for surgery projects has been limited. With an increasing number of surgical faculty attempting to build academic careers in this area, lack of funding has been a source of great frustration. While it is likely that global surgery funding will increase in the future, it is still possible to obtain funding in the current environment provided that projects are designed well, have goals that align closely with donor’s priorities, and if one is persistent.
Time trend analysis of lung cancer among residents in Jiangan District,Wuhan( 2003-2014)

Objective To analyze the death trend of lung cancer among the residents in Jiangan District,Wuhan city and provide a basis for establishing cancer prevention strategies. Methods To collect the cause of death statistics from 2003 to 2014 in Jiangan District and analyze the male and female death trend of lung cancer by using the Annual Percent Change( APC). Results The average annual growth rates of male and female lung cancer mortality in Jiangan District were 1. 59 %( P = 0. 10) and 6. 00 %( P 0.01) respectively,from 2003 to 2014 The age-specific analysis suggested that the average annual growth rate of lung cancer mortality gradually increased among the age groups of over 55,reaching the peak in the age group of over 75,which were 2. 27 %( P 0. 001)in male and 6. 01 %( P = 0. 05) in female. Conclusion Lung cancer mortality showed an increasing trend in Jiangan District of Wuhan from 2003 to 2014. The female increasing trend was more obvious. The elderly people would still be the focus in the prevention of lung cancer.
An Algorithm of Extract Association Rules form Concept Lattice Based on the Biggest Frequent Item Sets

Many research have shown that concept lattice (Galeis lattice ) is an efficient tool for data analysis and rule extraction .It is convenient to model dependence and casualty ,and provide a vivid and concise account of the relations among the variables in the universe of discourse. The paper proposes an algorithm that can extract association rules form power-set lattice based on the biggest frequent item sets. The paper also improves the algorithm to extract rules directly from the built concept lattice. Then the presented algorithm shows much better performance and is suitable to the mining of association rules in large databases.
Fermiology of High Tc Films and the Proximity Effect

Thin superconducting films can be used to determine the major parameters of the new high TC oxides. Magneto-acoustic experiments look particularly promising. A noticeable decrease in TC which is important for experimental Fermiology, can be obtained with the use of an N-S-N proximity system. The evolution of the Fermi surface with carrier concentration can also be studied.
Effect of Prednisone on Plasma Testosterone Levels and on Duration of Phases of the Menstrual Cycle in Hyperandrogenic Women

A group of 106 women of reproductive age with laboratory and clinical evidence of hyperandrogenism was treated with prednisone. The daily dosage varied between 7.5 and 10 mg. Ovulatory activity was assessed prior to and during therapy by basal body temperature and observation of changes in the cervical os and cervical mucus. Plasma testosterone levels were significantly suppressed by prednisone therapy. This was associated with initiation of ovulatory activity in 5 of 14 (35.7%) amenorrheic patients and 10 of 11 (90.9%) anovulatory patients. In 81 ovulatory patients, prednisone therapy resulted in statistically significant shortening of the follicular phase and lengthening of the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The mean length of the menstrual cycle was unchanged. Significant correlations between percentage suppression of plasma testosterone and shortening of the follicular phase or lengthening of the luteal phase were observed. Suppression of plasma testosterone by prednisone was maximal after 2 months of treatment, while the effect on the phases of the menstrual cycle was progressive with duration of treatment. The effects of prednisone at daily dosages of 7.5 or 10 mg were not significantly different. These results suggest that prednisone therapy in hyperandrogenic women exerts an effect on both phases of the menstrual cycle, possibly related to suppression of plasma testosterone levels.
Evaluating the Impact of Legacy P and Agricultural Conservation Practices on Nutrient Loads from the Maumee River Watershed

The recent resurgence of hypoxia and harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, driven substantially by phosphorus loads from agriculture, have led the United States and Canada to begin developing plans to meet new phosphorus load targets. To provide insight into which agricultural management options could help reach these targets, we tested alternative agricultural-land-use and land-management scenarios on phosphorus loads to Lake Erie. These scenarios highlight certain constraints on phosphorus load reductions from changes in the Maumee River Watershed (MRW), which contributes roughly half of the phosphorus load to the lake’s western basin. We evaluate the effects on phosphorus loads under nutrient management strategies, reduction of fertilizer applications, employing vegetative buffers, and implementing widespread cover crops and alternative cropping changes. Results indicate that even if fertilizer application ceased, it may take years to see desired decreases in phosphorus loads, especially if we experience ...
Effect of Insecticide Treatments and Environmental Factors on Thrips Populations, Plant Growth and Yield of Cotton

Field experiments were conducted in 1997–1999 in Washington Co., NC, to examine how cotton, Gossypium hirsutum, is affected by thrips species composition and abundance, environmental factors, and i...
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of Surface Structures

A discussion of scanning tunneling microscopy for surface-structure determination with an emphasis on molecular and biological systems is presented. Basic considerations involved in imaging and electron transfer between tip and sample are evolved from the ideal case of simple metals up to complex biological systems. The aim of the paper is to illustrate some of the interpretational aspects involved in relating STM images to true structural details of molecules on surfaces and the local form of their associated electron charge density contours.
Hydrologic connectivity and threshold behavior of hillslopes with fragipans and soil pipe networks

Many concepts have been proposed to explain hydrologic connectivity of hillslopes with streams. Hydrologic connectivity is most often defined by qualitative assessment of spatial patterns in perched water tables or soil moisture on hillslopes without a direct linkage to water flow from hillslopes to streams. This form of hydrologic connectivity may not explain the hydrologic response of catchments that have network(s) of preferential flow paths, e.g. soil pipes, which can provide intrinsic connectivity between hillslopes and streams. Duplex soils are known for developing perched water tables on hillslopes and fostering lateral flows, but the connectivity of localized perched water tables on hillslopes with soil pipes has not been fully established. The objectives of this study were to characterize pipeflow dynamics during storm events, the relationships between perched water tables on hillslopes and pipeflows, and their threshold behavior. Two well-characterized catchments in loess soil with a fragipan were selected for study because they contain multiple, laterally extensive (over 100 m) soil pipe networks. Hillslopes were instrumented with shallow wells adjacent to the soil pipes, and the wells and pipe collapse features were equipped with pressure transducers. Perched water tables developed on hillslopes during a wetting up period (October – December) and became well connected spatially across hillslope positions throughout the high flow period (January – March). The water table was not spatially connected on hillslopes during the drying out (April-June) and low flow (July-September) periods. Even when perched water tables were not well-connected, water flowing through soil pipes provided hydrologic connectivity between upper hillslopes and catchment outlets. Correlations between soil pipeflow and perched water tables depended on the size and location of soil pipes. The threshold relationship between available soil-moisture index plus storm precipitation (ASI + P) and pipeflow was dependent on the season and strongest during dry periods and not high flow seasons. This study demonstrated that soil pipes serve as a catchment backbone of preferential flow paths that provide intrinsic connectivity between upper hillslopes and streams.
Rapid Exfoliation and Surface Tailoring of Perovskite Nanosheets via Microwave-Assisted Reactions

A facile method for the exfoliation of layered oxide perovskites as well as surface modification of generated oxide nanosheets has been developed. Using rapid microwave-assisted reactions, nanosheets from Dion-Jacobson type perovskites were obtained and then subsequently functionalized with a variety of organics containing hydroxyl or amine groups. Initially, oxide nanosheets with tetra(n-butyl)ammonium (TBA+) surface groups are produced in as little as 1 h from bulk HLnNb2O7 (Ln = La, Pr) perovskites. The TBA+ surface groups of these nanosheets can then be replaced with a variety of n-alkyl alkoxy and n-alkylammonium groups via fast microwave reactions (≤ 1 h). Beyond these simple n-alkyl surface groups, nanosheets can also be produced with both saturated and unsaturated cyclic and linear alcohols. This synthetic approach appears widely applicable such that any saturated/unsaturated organic with hydroxyl or amine functional groups can be attached to oxide nanosheets. The rapid production of organic-inorganic nanosheets coupled with controlled surface modification is of great significance for engineering functional composite materials with novel properties.
Students’ perceptions of a project-based Organic Chemistry laboratory environment: a phenomenographic approach

Students can perceive the laboratory environment in a variety of ways that can affect what they take away from the laboratory course. This qualitative study characterizes undergraduate students’ perspectives of a project-based Organic Chemistry laboratory using the theoretical framework of phenomenography. Eighteen participants were interviewed in a semi-structured format to collect their perspectives of the Organic Chemistry lab. Eight qualitatively different ways in which students perceived the lab were uncovered and an outcome space was derived. The findings of this work are intended to inform the design of the undergraduate laboratory curriculum in chemistry that facilitate better student learning. Implications and suggestions for design of laboratory courses based on the results of this work are also presented.
Reviewer interest in a manuscript may predict its future citation potential

Previous studies have investigated the relationship between editorial delay and eventual citations, and generally have found that longer editorial delays are related to fewer future citations. There are many reasons that editorial delay can occur, one such reason is the inability to find willing and able peer reviewers. While a previous study found that the most common reason for reviewers to decline is due to time constraints, it is unclear how reviewer interest and the potential to be cited are related. Here, we examined 4 years (2010–2013) of manuscripts submitted to the Bulletin of Marine Science and paired accepted articles with subsequent citation data. Our aim was to investigate: (1) the relationship between number of reviewer invitations and probability of acceptance, and (2) the limitation that number of reviewer invitations may have on citation rates (citations per year). Our findings suggest that the number of reviewer invitations sent is not related to the probability of manuscript acceptance. However, we found that the number of reviewer invitations sent may signal a limit on the number of citations per year. After seven reviewer invitations, there was a substantial drop in the potential of higher citation rates. We hypothesize that reviewer interest in a manuscript may serve as a predictor of the potential citations an article will receive, and could be one of many mechanisms behind the editorial delay–eventual citation relationship. Additional research is needed to see if these patterns hold true over longer time periods and for other journal titles and fields.
Moral Distress at the End of a Life: When Family and Clinicians Do Not Agree on Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Deactivation

A 63-year-old man with end-stage ischemic cardiomyopathy presented with incessant ventricular tachycardia. He had been hospitalized multiple times in the past year for severe heart failure. As he approached end of life and was regularly receiving defibrillator shocks, his care team recommended deactivation of his implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. However, his family did not wish to allow deactivation, reporting a religious obligation to prolong his life, regardless of the risk of suffering. The patient was unable to adequately participate in the decision-making process. An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator can serve to avoid sudden death but may lead to a prolonged death from heart failure. This possibility forces the examination of values regarding prolongation of life, sometimes producing disagreement among stakeholders. Although ethical consensus holds that defibrillator deactivation is legal and ethical, disagreements about life prolongation may complicate decision making. The ethical, technical, and medical complexity involved in this case speaks to the need for clear, prospective communication involving the patient, the patient's family, and members of the care team.
Geographic overlap and acquisition pairing

Research Summary: This study examines the role of geographic factors in explaining acquisition pairing using a novel conditional logic methodology. Drawing from information asymmetry arguments regarding acquisition decisions, we theorize that geographic overlap between the acquirer and potential targets’ businesses and operations enables the acquirer to collect more information about the potential target through its multiple business operations that are geographically proximate. We also demonstrate moderating boundary conditions. In particular, we examine acquiring firm characteristics, acquiring firm size and geographic dispersion, which both weaken the relationship between geographic overlap and acquisition pairing. Likewise, we examine two dyadic distance moderators, geographic distance and product dissimilarity, both of which increase information asymmetry between the acquirer and potential targets, which increases the effect of geographic overlap in facilitating acquisition pairing. Managerial Summary: Firms pursuing acquisition activities face severe information asymmetry when evaluating potential targets. This study investigates how acquiring firms leverage geographic conditions to overcome information asymmetry and choose targets that they can better evaluate. We find that acquirers are more likely to choose targets that have subsidiaries or business operations overlapping in the same states as the acquirers themselves. This is particularly true for small acquirers, which lack resources and capabilities to seek external assistance, and acquirers that have business operations in more concentrated locations. We also find that acquiring targets with geographically overlapped business operations is especially salient when the target's headquarters is distantly located from the acquirer or when the target offers dissimilar products from the acquirer.
PopPhy-CNN: A Phylogenetic Tree Embedded Architecture for Convolution Neural Networks for Metagenomic Data

Motivation: Accurate prediction of the host phenotype from a metgenomic sample and identification of the associated bacterial markers are important in metagenomic studies. We introduce PopPhy-CNN,a novel convolutional neural networks (CNN) learning architecture that effectively exploits phylogentic structure in microbial taxa. PopPhy-CNN provides an input format of 2D matrix created by embedding the phylogenetic tree that is populated with the relative abundance of microbial taxa in a metagenomic sample. This conversion empowers CNNs to explore the spatial relationship of the taxonomic annotations on the tree and their quantitative characteristics in metagenomic data. Results: PopPhy-CNN is evaluated using three metagenomic datasets of moderate size. We show the superior performance of PopPhy-CNN compared to random forest, support vector machines, LASSO and a baseline 1D-CNN model constructed with relative abundance microbial feature vectors. In addition, we design a novel scheme of feature extraction from the learned CNN models and demonstrate the improved performance when the extracted features are used to train support vector machines. Conclusion: PopPhy-CNN is a novel deep learning framework for the prediction of host phenotype from metagenomic samples. PopPhy-CNN can efficiently train models and does not require excessive amount of data. PopPhy-CNN facilities not only retrieval of informative microbial taxa from the trained CNN models but also visualization of the taxa on the phynogenetic tree.
Psychological Factors Affecting Medical Conditions

Among older adults psychological stress can cause significant changes to their health. These stressors include the transition to retirement, bereavement, social isolation, and ageism. Additionally, certain personality traits can worsen health outcomes and shorten the life span of the individual, while other personality traits can be protective. Strengthening the individual’s coping skills, maintaining their social support systems, and identifying purpose in their lives may improve their health and well-being.
Desarrollo y cooperación

In the month of July of 2009 the first social encyclical of Pope Benedicto XVI was published: Caritas in Veritate. For this reason, the habitual leader article of the Revista Fomento Social has been replaced in this number by a group of reflections of interdisciplinary character realised by some of the members of its editorial board. Thus, they have approached the subjects in which habitually they work, but “re-interpreting them” in the light of the reading of the papal text. We enumerate next these individual contributions, whose titles summarize clearly the thematic which they talk about: “Benedicto XVI’s first social encyclical: keys for understanding” (Ildefonso Camacho Larana); “Economic system, business models and business culture” (Juan Ignacio Font Galan); “A more human and all-inclusive conception of economic relations: the economic democracy” (Julio Jimenez Escobar y Alfonso Carlos Morales Gutierrez); “Business and society: the approach of Corporate Social Responsibility” (Rafael Araque Padilla); “Finance and the economic and financial crisis” (Ma del Carmen Lopez Martin y Adolfo Rodero Franganillo); “Ecology and environmental issues. Pragmatic orientations from a different cultural framework” (Juan Antonio Senent de Frutos); “Cooperation for Development” (Jose Juan Romero Rodriguez) y “Fraternity, a way for the human family” (Jose Ma Margenat Peralta).
The “Seven Dwarfs” of Symbolic Computation

We present the Seven Dwarfs of Symbolic Computation, which are sequential and parallel algorithmic methods that today carry a great majority of all exact and hybrid symbolic compute cycles. We will elaborate on each dwarf and compare with Colella’s seven and the Berkeley team’s thirteen dwarfs of scientific computing. SymDwf 1. Exact linear algebra, integer lattices SymDwf 2. Exact polynomial and differential algebra, Grobner bases SymDwf 3. Inverse symbolic problems, e.g., interpolation and parameterization SymDwf 4. Tarski’s algebraic theory of real geometry SymDwf 5. Hybrid symbolic-numeric computation SymDwf 6. Computation of closed form solutions SymDwf 7. Rewrite rule systems and computational group theory
Robust Concept Exploration of Materials, Products and Associated Manufacturing Processes

Many have highlighted the challenges associated with the top-down (goal-oriented/inverse) approach of materials design (see McDowell et al. 2009; Horstemeyer 2012, 2018; McDowell 2018).
Influence of prenatal transportation stress-induced differential DNA methylation on the physiological control of behavior and stress response in suckling Brahman bull calves

The objective of this experiment was to examine potential differential methylation of DNA as a mechanism for altered behavioral and stress responses in prenatally stressed (PNS) compared with nonprenatally stressed (Control) young bull calves. Mature Brahman cows (n = 48) were transported for 2-h periods at 60 ± 5, 80 ± 5, 100 ± 5, 120 ± 5, and 140 ± 5 d of gestation (Transported group) or maintained as nontransported Controls (n = 48). From the offspring born to Transported and Control cows, a subset of 28-d-old intact bulls (n = 7 PNS; n = 7 Control) were evaluated for methylation of DNA of behavior and stress response-associated genes. Methylation of DNA from white blood cells was assessed via reduced representation bisulfite sequencing methods. Because increased methylation of DNA within gene promoter regions has been associated with decreased transcriptional activity of the corresponding gene, differentially methylated (P ≤ 0.05) CG sites (cytosine followed by a guanine nucleotide) located within promoter regions (n = 1,205) were used to predict (using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software) alterations to canonical pathways in PNS compared with Control bull calves. Among differentially methylated genes (P ≤ 0.05) related to behavior and the stress response were OPRK1, OPRM1, PENK, POMC, NR3C2, TH, DRD1, DRD5, COMT, HTR6, HTR5A, GABRA4, GABRQ, and GAD2. Among altered (P < 0.05) signaling pathways related to behavior and the stress response were Opioid Signaling, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Signaling, Dopamine Receptor Signaling, Dopamine-DARPP32 Feedback in cAMP Signaling, Serotonin Receptor Signaling, and GABA Receptor Signaling. Alterations to behavior and stress response-related genes and canonical pathways supported previously observed elevations in temperament score and serum cortisol through weaning in the larger population of PNS calves from which bulls in this study were derived. Differential methylation of DNA and predicted alterations to behavior and stress response-related pathways in PNS compared with Control bull calves suggest epigenetic programming of behavior and the stress response in utero.