cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydrogel composites: Shaped after print.

A plant-inspired approach can be used to print hydrogels that dynamically change shape on immersion in water in order to yield prescribed complex structures.
Study of Beloussov’s Hyper-Restoration Hypothesis for Regulation of Embryonic Heart Bending

During cardiac c-looping, an important developmental phase in early heart development, the initially straight heart tube (HT) is transformed into a c-shaped tube. Two distinct processes, ventral bending and dextral rotation, constitute c-looping. Previous research suggests that ventral bending is likely driven by forces that are intrinsic to the heart while dextral rotation is driven by forces applied by a pair of omphalomesenteric veins that flank the heart tube and a membrane called the splanchnopleure that lies on top of the heart.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Quartz-To-Metal and Large Diameter Metal-To-Metal Recycling Cryogenic High-Vacuum Seals

Reliable cryogenic recyclable seals have been developed and tested for use In a liquid hydrogen Cerenkov counter for high-energy nuclear physics experiments. Seals with two different geometrical shapes were developed.
Chapter 15 – Environmental Law

Environmental resources supporting livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa are stressed. Formal laws, regulations, community rules, and customary practices are used to protect the environment. Environmental laws encompass pollution laws, laws protecting nature, and product regulation laws. Countries’ Constitutions are the primary sources of environmental laws. International treaties and Conventions are also applied. Sustainable development, community participation, national–local interaction, technical and science information are emphasized. An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment using market and nonmarket tools is used to measure project impacts on the natural environment and humans. Market failure and externality are important concepts in environmental regulation. The Polluter-Pays Principle guides environmental regulations. Governments use tax and subsidy approaches or set standards. Civil and criminal sanctions are also applied. Government, advocacy groups, and private parties are plaintiffs or defendants. A private party may bring a legal action based on common law tort theories, including negligence, trespass, strict liability, and nuisance.
Quality Diversity: A New Frontier for Evolutionary Computation

While evolutionary computation and evolutionary robotics take inspiration from nature, they have long focused mainly on problems of performance optimization. Yet evolution in nature can be interpreted as more nuanced than a process of simple optimization. In particular, natural evolution is a divergent search that optimizes locally within each niche as it simultaneously diversifies. This tendency to discover both quality and diversity at the same time differs from many of the conventional algorithms of machine learning, and also thereby suggests a different foundation for inferring the approach of greatest potential for evolutionary algorithms. In fact, several recent evolutionary algorithms called quality diversity (QD) algorithms(e.g. novelty search with local competition and MAP-Elites) have drawn inspiration from this more nuanced view, aiming to fill a space of possibilities with the best possible example of each type of achievable behavior. The result is a new class of algorithms that return an archive of diverse, high-quality behaviors in a single run. The aim in this paper is to study the application of QD algorithms in challenging environments (in particular complex mazes) to establish their best practices for ambitious domains in the future. In addition to providing insight into cases when QD succeeds and fails, a new approach is investigated that hybridizes multiple views of behaviors (called behavior characterizations) in the same run, which succeeds in overcoming some of the challenges associated with searching for QD with respect to a behavior characterization that is not necessarily sufficient for generating both quality and diversity at the same time.
Building an Increased Evidence Base for Game-Centered Approaches in Professional Practice Settings

Since the inception of the teaching-games-for-understanding model 35 years ago, there has been increased advocacy for game-centered approaches (GCAs) for the teaching of games within physical educa...
Low-voltage ride-through for PV systems using model predictive control approach

This paper focuses on the use of model predictive control (M PC) to control a two-stage photovoltaic (PV) system in order to accomplish new grid code standards for low-voltage ride-through (LVRT). The PV system is composed by a DC/DC boost converter at the generator-side, followed by a two-level three-phase grid — tied inverter. The PV's voltage support function through reactive power injection is examined using the mentioned control technique, and a PV power-reference tracking system is implemented during the Voltage sag to avoid the activation of the overcurrent tripping mechanism. The system is modeled in Matlab/Simulink and PLECS in order to understand its operation, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the MPC proposed algorithm to fulfill LVRT requirements for PV Systems.
Introduction of Human-Machine Interaction for Urban Environments

In the German national funded UR:BAN project numerous assistance functions supporting the driver in longitudinal and lateral vehicle guidance control up to preventing accidents by warning the driver or making evasive manoeuvres autonomously are considered in order to contribute to improve safe, comfortable, and energy‐efficient driving in urban areas. Especially, the design of the human‐machine‐interfaces (HMIs) of all the applications together faces many challenges. For example, urban traffic is compared to highways and rural roads more complex and dynamic due to different infrastructure and the interaction with other road users (e. g. crossing vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists). Thus, information, warning, and system intervention concepts should be designed to minimize the conflict between the complexity of urban traffic situations and the driver’s limited cognitive information processing by keeping understanding and trust in such assistance systems. The subproject “Human‐Machine Interaction for Urban Environments” (named “Stadtgerechte Mensch‐Maschine‐Interaktion”) addresses the development and design of HMIs of this range of driver assistance systems. The central goal of the subproject is to design user‐oriented, integrative HMI concepts of current and future assistance systems by considering the challenges and needs in urban areas. In total, nine project partners – Adam Opel AG, AUDI AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Daimler AG, MAN Truck & Bus AG, Technische Universitat Braunschweig, Technical University of Munich, Universitat der Bundeswehr Munchen, and Volkswagen AG – rise to this challenge.
Uveal Melanoma: Enucleation has been the standard therapeutic intervention for malignant melanoma of the uveal tract, but alternative approaches offer hope for tumor control and vision preservation.

BackgroundMalignant melanoma of the uveal tract is a rare malignancy but a significant cause of mortality and visual loss. Approximately 50% of patients diagnosed with a melanoma of the choroid or ...
Broken Hearts and Battered Lives: Adverse and Abusive Life Histories and Externalized Responses to Anger as Pathways to Illicit Drug Use Among Incarcerated Women

Most incarcerated women suffer from adverse and abusive life histories, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as sexual, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect, and intimate partner violence (IPV). In addition, many have difficulties regulating their anger expression and most participate in illicit drug use. Although many have offered explanations for these relationships, the current study is among the first to utilize an integrated feminist pathways and general strain theory (GST) approach to explain them. Using data from a stratified random sample of all incarcerated women in Oklahoma (N = 441), we explore the linkages between ACEs, IPV, the externalized expression of anger, and heavy illicit drug use. Our findings indicate that childhood physical and sexual abuse are significantly associated with externalized responses to anger. However, the effects of childhood adversities, particularly sexual abuse, on heavy illicit drug use are mediated by externalized responses to anger suggesting th...
CD4+ T Cell Differentiation in Chronic Viral Infections: The Tfh Perspective.

CD4 + T cells play a critical role in the response to chronic viral infections during the acute phase and in the partial containment of infections once chronic infection is established. As infection persists, the virus-specific CD4 + T cell response begins to shift in phenotype. The predominant change described in both mouse and human studies of chronic viral infection is a decrease in detectable T helper type (Th)1 responses. Some Th1 loss is due to decreased proliferative potential and decreased cytokine production in the setting of chronic antigen exposure. However, recent data suggest that Th1 dysfunction is accompanied by a shift in the differentiation pathway of virus-specific CD4 + T cells, with enrichment for cells with a T follicular helper cell (Tfh) phenotype. A Tfh-like program during chronic infection has now been identified in virus-specific CD8 + T cells as well. In this review, we discuss what is known about CD4 + T cell differentiation in chronic viral infections, with a focus on the emergence of the Tfh program and the implications of this shift with respect to Tfh function and the host–pathogen interaction.
Should medical education fight international brain drain

Responsible stewardship of resources used to educate physicians demands that efforts be made to keep those physicians in the country where they were educated. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Risk-stratification, resource availability, and choice of surgical location for the management of parturients with abnormal placentation: a survey of United States-based obstetric anesthesiologists.

BACKGROUND Parturients with abnormally adherent placentas present anesthetic challenges that include risk-stratification, management planning and resource utilization. The labor and delivery unit may be remote from the main operating room services. METHODS Division chiefs of North American obstetric anesthesiology services were surveyed about their practices and management of parturients with an abnormally adherent placenta. RESULTS Eighty-four of 122 chiefs, representing 103 hospital sites, responded to the survey (response rate 69%). Sixty-one percent of respondents agreed that women with preoperative placental imaging that was "suspicious" of placenta accreta represented a lower risk category; all other suggested descriptions fell into a higher risk category. Seventy-nine percent of respondents indicated that lower risk cases were managed on the labor and delivery unit, while 71% indicated that higher risk cases would be managed in the main operating room. Institutions where all cases were managed on the labor and delivery unit had better access to human and technical resources, were less remote from their main operating areas, and promoted neuraxial rather than general anesthesia, even for parturients perceived to be at higher risk. CONCLUSIONS Obstetric anesthesia leaders identified patients at lower clinical risk and those less likely to require greater resources. Additional resources were available in institutions where all abnormal placentation cases were managed on the labor and delivery unit. Practitioners should consider risk-stratification and resource availability when planning high-risk cases.
Temperature Dependence of the Time Delay to the Onset of Film Boiling in Liquid Helium

We report measurements of the time delay to the onset of film boiling at the interface of a superheated solid and liquid helium I in the bath temperature range from 2.2 to 4.2 K. Our temperature dependent results suggest that delay times, td, in the millisecond range are related to the applied heat flux, Qapp, by the equation:
Dissent in Organizations

Detailed Table of Contents List of Tables and Figures Preface Chapter 1: Why is Organizational Dissent Relevant? Chapter 2: What is Organizational Dissent? Chapter 3: How Do We Make Sense of Organizational Dissent? Chapter 4: What Triggers Organizational Dissent Chapter 5: How Do Employees Express Dissent? Chapter 6: Upward Dissent Anyone? Chapter 7: Can Organizational Dissent Be Managed Well? References
Endogenous retrovirus expression is associated with response to immune checkpoint blockade in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Although a subset of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients respond to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), predictors of response remain uncertain. We investigated whether abnormal expression of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) in tumors is associated with local immune checkpoint activation (ICA) and response to ICB. Twenty potentially immunogenic ERVs (πERVs) were identified in ccRCC in The Cancer Genome Atlas data set, and tumors were stratified into 3 groups based on their expression levels. πERV-high ccRCC tumors showed increased immune infiltration, checkpoint pathway upregulation, and higher CD8+ T cell fraction in infiltrating leukocytes compared with πERV-low ccRCC tumors. Similar results were observed in ER+/HER2- breast, colon, and head and neck squamous cell cancers. ERV expression correlated with expression of genes associated with histone methylation and chromatin regulation, and πERV-high ccRCC was enriched in BAP1 mutant tumors. ERV3-2 expression correlated with ICA in 11 solid cancers, including the 4 named above. In a small retrospective cohort of 24 metastatic ccRCC patients treated with single-agent PD-1/PD-L1 blockade, ERV3-2 expression in tumors was significantly higher in responders compared with nonresponders. Thus, abnormal expression of πERVs is associated with ICA in several solid cancers, including ccRCC, and ERV3-2 expression is associated with response to ICB in ccRCC.
Conclusion: Where Do We Go from Here?

This chapter summarizes the current state of the field of treatment with clients involved in the criminal justice system and how evidence-based interventions are being adapted to meet the needs of justice-involved individuals. The authors propose continued avenues of research and treatment development and conclude with recommendations on how to achieve these goals.
Cortisol Stress Response and in Vivo PET Imaging of Human Brain Serotonin 1A Receptor Binding.

Background Abnormalities in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, serotonergic system, and stress response have been linked to the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder. State-dependent hyper-reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is seen in major depressive disorder, and higher binding to the serotonin 1A receptor is observed as a trait in both currently depressed and remitted untreated major depressive disorder. Here, we sought to examine whether a relationship exists between cortisol secretion in response to a stressor and serotonin 1A receptor binding throughout the brain, both in healthy controls and participants with major depressive disorder. Methods Research participants included 42 medication-free, depressed subjects and 31 healthy volunteers. Participants were exposed to either an acute, physical stressor (radial artery catheter insertion) or a psychological stressor (Trier Social Stress Test). Levels of serotonin 1A receptor binding on positron emission tomography with [11C]WAY-100635 were also obtained from all participants. The relationship between [11C]WAY-100635 binding and cortisol was examined using mixed linear effects models with group (major depressive disorder vs control), cortisol, brain region, and their interactions as fixed effects and subject as a random effect. Results We found a positive correlation between post-stress cortisol measures and serotonin 1A receptor ligand binding levels across multiple cortical and subcortical regions, independent of diagnosis and with both types of stress. The relationship between [11C]WAY-100635 binding and cortisol was homogenous across all a priori brain regions. In contrast, resting cortisol levels were negatively correlated with serotonin 1A receptor ligand binding levels independently of diagnosis, except in the RN. There was no significant difference in cortisol between major depressive disorder participants and healthy volunteers with either stressor. Similarly, there was no correlation between cortisol and depression severity in either stressor group. Conclusions This study suggests that there may be a common underlying mechanism that links abnormalities in the serotonin system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hyper-reactivity to stress. Future studies need to determine how hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction affects mood to increase the risk of suicide in major depression.
Continuous Intraspinal Narcotic Analgesia: Technical Aspects of an Implantable Infusion System

A totally implantable system for administering continuous intraspinal narcotic analgesia (CINA) has been evaluated. The system combines an implanted Silastic® intraspinal catheter connected in series with an implanted Infusaid® reservoir. To date, 13 patients have been treated with this system and have been followed for periods up to eight months. Constant intraspinal flow rates with morphine have been observed with no incidences of catheter or pump infection, respiratory depression, or pump failure.
An algebraic approach to parameter optimization in biomolecular bistable systems

In a synthetic biological network it may often be desirable to maximize or minimize parameters such as reaction rates, fluxes and total concentrations of reagents, while preserving a given dynamic behavior. We consider the problem of parameter optimization in biomolecular bistable circuits. We show that, under some assumptions often satisfied by bistable biological networks, it is possible to derive algebraic conditions on the parameters that determine when bistability occurs. These (global) algebraic conditions can be included as nonlinear constraints in a parameter optimization problem. We derive bistability conditions using Sturm's theorem for Gardner and Collins toggle switch. Then we optimize its nominal parameters to improve switching speed and robustness to a subset of uncertain parameters.
The relative contributions of scattering and viscoelasticity to the attenuation of S waves in Earth's mantle

Abstract. The relative contributions of scattering and viscoelastic attenuation to the apparent attenuation of seismic body waves are estimated from synthetic and observed S waves multiply reflected from Earth's surface and the core–mantle boundary. The synthetic seismograms include the effects of viscoelasticity and scattering from small-scale heterogeneity predicted from both global tomography and from thermodynamic models of mantle heterogeneity that have been verified from amplitude coherence measurements of body waves observed at dense arrays. Assuming thermodynamic models provide an estimate of the maximum plausible power of heterogeneity measured by elastic velocity and density fluctuations, we predict a maximum scattering contribution of 43 % to the total measured attenuation of mantle S waves having a dominant frequency of 0.05 Hz. The contributions of scattering in the upper and lower mantle to the total apparent attenuation are estimated to be roughly equal. The relative strength of the coda surrounding observed ScSn waves from deep focus earthquakes is not consistent with a mantle having zero intrinsic attenuation.
Segmentation of prostate and prostate zones using deep learning : A multi-MRI vendor analysis.

Develop a deep-learning-based segmentation algorithm for prostate and its peripheral zone (PZ) that is reliable across multiple MRI vendors. This is a retrospective study. The dataset consisted of 550 MRIs (Siemens-330, General Electric[GE]-220). A multistream 3D convolutional neural network is used for automatic segmentation of the prostate and its PZ using T2-weighted (T2-w) MRI. Prostate and PZ were manually contoured on axial T2‑w. The network uses axial, coronal, and sagittal T2‑w series as input. The preprocessing of the input data includes bias correction, resampling, and image normalization. A dataset from two MRI vendors (Siemens and GE) is used to test the proposed network. Six different models were trained, three for the prostate and three for the PZ. Of the three, two were trained on data from each vendor separately, and a third (Combined) on the aggregate of the datasets. The Dice coefficient (DSC) is used to compare the manual and predicted segmentation. For prostate segmentation, the Combined model obtained DSCs of 0.893 ± 0.036 and 0.825 ± 0.112 (mean ± standard deviation) on Siemens and GE, respectively. For PZ, the best DSCs were from the Combined model: 0.811 ± 0.079 and 0.788 ± 0.093. While the Siemens model underperformed on the GE dataset and vice versa, the Combined model achieved robust performance on both datasets. The proposed network has a performance comparable to the interexpert variability for segmenting the prostate and its PZ. Combining images from different MRI vendors on the training of the network is of paramount importance for building a universal model for prostate and PZ segmentation.
An amino-proximal hydrophobic domain in the major light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein is essential for membrane integration and protein stability.

The major light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein (LHCP) of higher plant chloroplasts is a nuclearencoded, integral thylakoid membrane protein that binds photosynthetic pigments and occurs in situ in an oligomeric form. We have previously examined structural and functional domains of the mature apoprotein by use of mutant LHCPs and in vitro assays for uptake and insertion. Results presented here demonstrate the effects of several mutations in the amino terminal domain of the mature apoprotein. Deletion of amino acid residues 12–58 greatly affected import into chloroplasts, while deletion or alteration of the hydrophobic region E65VIHARWAM73 led to rapid degradation of the mutant LHCP. We suggest that this amino-proximal region is essential for the stability of the LHCP and its ability to integrate into the thylakoid membranes. A structural/functional relationship of this region to a previously examined hydrophobic carboxy-proximal domain [Kohorn and Tobin (1989), The Plant Cell 1, 159–166] is proposed.
The Business of Electric Vehicles: A Platform Perspective

Platform business tactics are highly visible and dominant in business today. Prominent firms in industries such as information services, retail, and travel, have embraced platform thinking. Still, many others are engaged in a platform game without realizing it, often to negative consequences. This monograph develops this theme with an illustrative focus on the battery electric vehicle segment of the automobile industry. It traces the development of the industry, identifies key decisions by various participants, and analyzes these decisions from a platform strategy lens. We emphasize that platform characteristics and network effects are at the core of the electric vehicle industry. A battery electric vehicle is not just a vehicle whose fuel happens to be supplied by the battery. Rather, the vehicle purchase decision is heavily influenced by the availability of a widespread supercharging network as a complementary good. Hence, it is vital for the vehicle maker to ensure that customers have access to both sides of the marketâ€”an exciting vehicle and robust supercharging network. An electric vehicle differs from gasoline-powered vehicles in this regard because the refueling network for gasoline vehicles is already robust, widespread, and interoperable across brands, thereby becoming inconsequential to customer adoption decision and firmsâ€™ strategy. For electric vehicles, the two-sided platform nature of the industry underlines the need for a well-coordinated strategy on both sides of the market. Our analysis reveals that industry participants (vehicle producers, providers of charging locations, government and policy makers)â€”with the notable exception of an industry newcomer, Tesla, which has astutely employed platform thinking in its core decisionsâ€”have executed a flawed strategy that fails to recognize and leverage the platform aspect of the industry.
Householding and split households: Examples and stories of Asian migrants to cities

Abstract Given the central role of households in motivating and implementing migration, this paper argues that the “householding” and split-household approaches are fundamental and essential for migration research, by drawing from original research on rural-urban migrants in China and four published studies on Asian migrants. Translocality and household-splitting that enable the earning of remittances or help meet other family goals such as children's education, set in motion processes of gender and intergenerational divisions of labor that involve both the migrants and the left-behind, and have implications for urban development in large cities as well as cities near rural areas. Hundreds of millions of rural migrants in China circulate between their home villages and host cities, and large numbers of women from Southeast Asia work overseas. Likewise, skilled migrants from South Asia and East Asia maintain transnational households that straddle their home and host countries. Household biographies and interviewees' narratives from these examples highlight two strategies of migrants and their family members: their flexibility and frequent changes of location, work, activity, and household arrangement; and their reinventing women's and men's responsibilities without challenging traditional gender ideology. These stories underscore the importance of householding and split-households for informing contemporary migration theories and research.
Response of soil health indicators to organic matter removal and compaction manipulations at six LTSP sites in the Western US

Abstract Forest soils control many ecosystem services that enable and support primary forest productivity. Therefore, maintaining the health of the soil is critical to sustainable forest management. The long-term soil productivity (LTSP) experiment was initiated to increase our understanding of how the soil responds to pulse harvest disturbance and experiments have enabled tracking of soil health parameters across many diverse forest types. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of organic matter (OM) removal and compaction manipulations on soil health indicators at six long-term LTSP sites (study durations 16–25 years) in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, USA. We hypothesized that only the most severe OM removal treatment would exhibit decreased soil nutrient pools and reduced biological processes and compaction would have less detrimental impact on soil properties than OM removal treatments. We collected mineral soil samples at six LTSP sites and measured soil health properties related to nutrient pools (total soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), active C) and biological processes (C and N mineralization and enzymatic potential activity). Our results indicate that the effects of OM removal treatments are more prominent than those effects of compaction treatments. Despite variation in inherent site properties, we did find consistent evidence that severe harvesting treatments may disrupt mineral soil functions and remain detrimental to most soil health measurements, even after 16–25 years. In contrast, bole-only and whole-tree removal treatments did not have this effect on soil parameters indicating these practices may not incur such long-lasting or deleterious effects. These results indicate the importance of reducing soil disruption due to harvesting in order to maintain ecosystem functions and highlights the importance of understanding the range of impact harvesting practices may have on forest soil health.
Genetic and environmental factors regulate the type 1 diabetes gene CTSH via differential DNA methylation.

Cathepsin H (CTSH) is a type 1 diabetes (T1D) risk gene; large-scale genetic and epidemiological studies found that T1D genetic risk correlates with high CTSH expression, rapid decline of beta-cell function, and early onset T1D. Counterintuitively, transcriptional downregulation of CTSH by proinflammatory cytokines has been shown to promote beta-cell apoptosis. Here, we potentially explain these observed contrasting effects, describing a new mechanism where proinflammatory cytokines and T1D genetic risk variants regulate CTSH transcription via differential DNA methylation. We show that, in human islets, CTSH downregulation by the proinflammatory cytokine cocktail interleukin 1β + tumor necrosis factor α + interferon γ was coupled with DNA hypermethylation in an open chromatin region in CTSH intron 1. A luciferase assay in human embryonic kidney 293 cells revealed that methylation of three key cytosine–phosphate–guanine dinucleotide (CpG) residues in intron 1 was responsible for the reduction of promoter activity. We further found that cytokine-induced intron 1 hypermethylation is caused by lowered Tet1/3 activities, suggesting that attenuated active demethylation lowered CTSH transcription. Importantly, individuals who carry the T1D risk variant showed lower methylation variability at the intron 1 CpG residues, presumably making them less sensitive to cytokines, whereas individuals who carry the protective variant showed higher methylation variability, presumably making them more sensitive to cytokines and implying differential responses to environment between the two patient populations. These findings suggest that genetic and environmental influences on a T1D locus are mediated by differential variability and mean of DNA methylation.
The household water insecurity nexus: Portraits of hardship and resilience in U.S-Mexico border colonias

Abstract This article contributes to the growing body of research examining the complex experiences of water insecurity in low-income households in the global north. I present a schematic, and evidence to support it, for a household water-insecurity nexus in U.S-Mexico border colonias, according to which water insecurity brings forth, influences, and interacts with a number of household burdens. Drawing from eight months of field research in communities that lack connections to piped water and sewerage, I rely on ethnographic portraiture to demonstrate how water insecurity at the household level exacerbates an array of hardships experienced by low-income families. These hardships relate to household budgets, health, time, and stress. In conversation with other qualitative case studies presented in the fields of geography, anthropology, and sociology, I argue that household water insecurity is both patterned, in that it influences many hardships beyond just quality and supply, and particular, in that each site experiences hardships that are unique to contexts such as culture, geography, and ecology. I contend that a comprehensive view of water insecurity’s many negative ramifications within low-income households strengthens arguments for the basic human right to water, making them more urgent, and bringing them into sharper relief.
Multi-region distributed state estimation method for natural gas system

A multi-region distributed state estimation method for natural gas system is proposed. A measurement model of the natural gas system is established, a node search partition method based on the balance area is proposed, and the node pressure in the gas network is used as the state estimation estimate to establish a multi-regional distributed natural gas system based on the weighted least squares algorithm. State estimation model, and Newton Raphson iterative method is used to solve the state estimation model. The correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified through simulation examples in a 12-node system, and the estimation error and estimation duration are compared with the traditional centralized state. The estimation methods are compared. The simulation results show that the distributed state estimation method can effectively reduce the estimation error and estimation time, and is suitable for the state estimation of the network with more complex structure and larger measurement data volume.
Adoption of relay vegetable production in trellis for doubling farmers’ income: A replicable and successful cropping system

Vegetable farming is a lucrative agribusiness. It is one of the measures to ensure food security andtackle malnutrition in the world. For vegetable farming to be profitable, it requires a feasiblebusiness plan that is only achievable when you can estimate the cost of each unit of input and itsreturn. Some vegetables by nature, produce vines which enable them to climb, therefore, to getmaximum returns and quality products from them, there is a need to stake and trellisthem. Installing a trellis is never easier and sometimes requires much more labour therebyincreases the cost of cultivation. Because of this, it must be used efficiently for a long term bygrowing vines in the same plot.
Principles of Conflict Economics: A Primer for Social Scientists

Conflict economics contributes to an understanding of violent conflict in two important ways. First, it applies economic analysis to diverse conflict activities such as war, arms races, and terrorism, showing how they can be understood as purposeful choices responsive to underlying incentives. Second, it treats appropriation as a fundamental economic activity, joining production and exchange as a means of wealth acquisition. Drawing on a half-century of scholarship, this book presents a primer on the key themes and principles of conflict economics. Although much work in the field is abstract, the book is made accessible to a broad audience of scholars, students and policymakers by relying on historical data, relatively simple graphs and intuitive narratives. In exploring the interdependence of economics and conflict, the book presents current perspectives of conflict economics in novel ways and offers new insights into economic aspects of violence.
DD11: Declaration of Lights (Oktober 2005)

Licht, sagt man, hat kein Herz. Es zeigt das vorher Verdunkelte nun ganz unvollkommen. Wer aber stark ist, versteht das Licht und weis dankbar fur sich, was zu tun ist. Wer das Licht versteht, muss achten, sein Herz zu behalten.
Recent Developments in MBE Growth and Properties of Hg1-xCdxTe/CdTe Superlattices

Hg1-xCdxTe-CdTe superlattices of both Type I and Type III have been grown for the first time using the molecular beam epitaxy technique. The superlattices were grown at 190°C. They have been characterized by electron and X-ray diffraction, infrared transmission and magneto-transport measurements. The presence of satellite peaks in the X-ray spectra shows the superlattices to be of high quality. Infrared transmission spectra show that HgCdTe-CdTe superlattices have narrower bandgaps than equivalent HgCdTe alloys. These superlattices are p-type. Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations are observed in the high field magneto-transport measurements. The temperature dependence of such oscillations indicate the heavy holes are the dominating carriers at low temperatures. The Hall characterizations over a large range of alloy concentration in HgCdTe-CdTe superlattices seem to indicate that the high hole mobilities observed in p-type HgTe-CdTe superlattices are due to some type of rela¬tionship between the heavy hole gas and the interface state existing in Type III superlattice. Quantized Hall Effect is observed in these p-type superlattices.
SU-E-T-176: Clinical Experience of Brass Mesh Bolus: Patient-Specific Parameters as Predictors of Measured Dosimetric Effect

Purpose: Increasingly, brass mesh bolus is used to insure dosimetric coverage of the skin for patients treated post-mastectomy for breast cancer. Contribution of photoelectrons from interactions between the bolus and the primary beam increases dose superficially without affecting dose at greater depths. We present our experience using brass mesh bolus – including patients for whom the bolus was dosimetrically inadequate – along with analysis of relevant patient-specific parameters. Methods: Optically-stimulated luminescent dosimeters (OSLDs) were used to determine the effect of the bolus for 15 patients. They were positioned beneath the bolus within the tangent fields at three positions: 1.5–3cm inside the medial and lateral field edges, and midway between the two. All OSLDs were midfield in the cranial-caudal direction. The measurements were compared with patient-specific parameters including separation, chest wall/breast tissue thickness, beam angle incidence, and planned surface dose. Results: The average OSLD measurement at the medial field edge, midfield, and lateral field edge position was 86.8%, 101.8%, and 92.8% of the prescription dose, respectively. A measurement for one patient was low enough (77.0%) to warrant a switch to an alternative type of bolus. Anatomic parameters were analyzed to investigate the low dose in this case, not observed in the planning system. The patient was observed to have a thin chest wall and very oblique beam angles. A second patient was also switched to an alternative type of bolus due to her being high risk and treated with an electron patch that extended onto the breast. Conclusion: Brass mesh bolus increases dose superficially while leaving dose at greater depths unaffected. However, our results suggest that this effect may be insufficient in patients with a thin chest wall or very oblique beam angles. More data and analysis is necessary to proactively identify patients for whom brass mesh bolus is effective.
Transferrin receptor is necessary for development of erythrocytes and the nervous system

Plasma iron circulates bound to transferrin (Trf), which solubilizes the ferric ion and attenuates its reactivity. Diferric Trf interacts with cell-surface Trf receptor (Trfr) to undergo receptor-mediated endocytosis into specialized endosomes. Endosomal acidification leads to iron release, and iron is transported out of the endosome through the activity of divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1, formerly Nramp2), a transmembrane iron transporter that functions only at low pH. Trf and Trfr then return to the cell surface for reuse, completing a highly efficient cycle. Although the Trf cycle is assumed to be the general mechanism for cellular iron uptake, this has not been validated experimentally. Mice with hypotransferrinaemia (hpx) have little or no plasma Trf. They have severe anaemia, indicating that the Trf cycle is essential for iron uptake by erythroid cells. Other hpx tissues, however, are generally normal, and there is a paradoxical increase in intestinal iron absorption and iron storage. To test the hypothesis that the Trf cycle has unique importance for erythropoiesis, we disrupted the Trfr gene in mice. This results in elimination of the Trf cycle, but leaves other Trf functions intact. Mice lacking Trfr have a more severe phenotype than hpx mice, affecting both erythropoiesis and neurologic development. Furthermore, haploinsufficiency for Trfr results in impaired erythroid development and abnormal iron homeostasis.
Some results on the linear prediction of bandlimited fading processes

Channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) is useful in many wireless communication systems, and is usually obtained by feedback in frequency division duplex (FDD) systems. To compensate for the feedback delay, prediction techniques are often used at the transmitter or the receiver side. We study the design and performance analysis of linear prediction of a bandlimited complex Gaussian fading process. We consider prediction based on both noiseless and noisy past samples of the fading process and study both finite and infinite linear minimum mean square error (MMSE) prediction filters. In particular, we derive the MMSE achievable by an infinite length linear filter in the case of prediction based on noisy past samples. We also study the design of robust prediction filters whose coefficients are independent of the second order statistics of the fading process.
Inquiry for the public good: Democratic participation in agricultural research

In recent decades, constituenciesserved by land-grant agricultural research haveexperienced significant demographic and politicalchanges, yet most research institutions have not fullyresponded to address the concerns of a changingclientele base. Thus, we have seen continuingcontroversies over technologies produced by land-grantagricultural research. While a number of scholars havecalled for a more participatory agricultural scienceestablishment, we understand little about the processof enhancing and institutionalizing participation inthe US agricultural research enterprise. We firstexamine some of the important issues surroundingcitizen participation in science and technologypolicy. We then review and assess variousinstitutional mechanisms for participation that havebeen implemented in diverse settings by institutionsof science and technology. Based on evidence from theexperiences of these institutions, we argue that acloser approximation of the ‘public good’ can beachieved by encouraging the participation of thefullest range possible of constituents as an integralpart of the process of setting research priorities.
Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soil

Bioremediation, whether carried out by stimulated indigenous organisms or added organisms, is potentially less costly and less environmentally disruptive than many physical or chemical methods of remediation. In some cases, natural attenuation may be the strategy of choice for site management; transformation by the natural microflora is usually an important, if not dominant mechanism of natural attenuation.
Coordinated Development of β-Glucuronidase and β-Galactosidase in Mouse Organs

Changing concentrations of beta-glucuronidase and beta-galactosidase are coordinated during the development of mouse liver, heart, and brain. Although coordinate, the developmental patterns for the two enzymes are under independent control by genetic elements apparently linked to the respective structural genes.
The Woman Who Collected Solved Crossword Puzzles

There is little market value for these two collections: I collect the names of stories that I will never write; Anna collects solved cross word puzzles. That said, you have to admit that there are things to learn from this kind of puzzle. Such as, the galaxy nearest to the Milky Way, nine letters? Andromeda. And the planet closest to earth, four letters? Mars. The capital of Norway, nine letters? Jerusalem. Crossword puzzles that have fallen victim to typos she keeps in a separate file. As she does with puzzles that were, for whatever reason, not completely solved: clues too difficult, time ran out. She already has more than seven hundred items in her collec tion, in various languages: Russian, French, Arabic, Italian, English, and more. One of the puzzles, so Anna says, is from a language whose origins are unknown?Basque. One puzzle especially dear to her is a puzzle that was solved by her grandmother in 1931; it was cut out of a Yiddish newspaper, Da Spiel, published in Riga, the capital of Latvia. And more: One of Columbus's ships, five letters? Pinta. Half of half, seven letters? Quarter. The reason for the death of Romeo and Juliet, four letters? Love. Abroad, Anna's friends are always search ing for crossword puzzles for her in newspapers and magazines left on trains. One day I must try to write a story about Anna; I will begin in St. Petersburg, the city of her birth, where at the end of the seventies, she studied chemistry. These days she sells cosmetics for a large chain. In her childhood, she stuttered. In 1991, after she learned Hebrew, this flaw disappeared.
Adolph Lowe's Methodological Alternative for Economic Research and Policy

. Social scientists and philosophers are engaged in a profound re-examination of the foundations of economic science. Among them the economist, Adolph Lowe, opened a new vista. First, in his Economics and Sociology: A Plea for Cooperation in the Social Sciences (1935) he argued compellingly for a unified social science. Lowe introduced there the concept of “instrumental analysis” which he greatly modified in On Economic Knowledge (1965) and applied to a major issue of contemporary economics in The Path of Economic Growth (1976). Instrumental analysis is intended to achieve a system of “political economics,” a theory for deriving one or more paths—a sequence of positions—over which an initial state of an economy can be transformed into a terminal state—a goal itself stipulated by political decision. Instrumental analysis is also used to determine measures of public control to achieve the behavioral pattern suitable to set and keep the system on the goal-adequate trajectory.
Coregulation in mother-infant dyads: links to infants' cardiac vagal tone.

This investigation explored links between mother-infant coregulated communication patterns and infants' emerging parasympathetic regulatory processes (cardiac vagal tone). Participants included 56 first-time mothers and their 6-mo.-old infants (31 girls, 25 boys). A 4-mm. baseline EKG was gathered from the infant and an ensuing 15-min. mother-infant dyadic free-play episode was videotaped and coded using Fogel's 1994 Regional Coding System. This system was developed to describe variations in coregulated features of communication among dyads, ranging from symmetrical patterns to disruptive patterns of coregulation. Analysis suggests a positive link between infants' cardiac vagal tone and more symmetrical features of coregulated communication patterns in mother-infant dyads Cardiac vagal tone was also negatively correlated with unilateral features of coregulation communication systems. These findings point toward the potential relation between emerging physiological regulatory abilities of infants and the m...
Flux of particulate aluminum across the southeastern U.S. continental shelf

We have determined the concentration of particulate aluminum across the coastal boundary front and the continental shelf of the South Atlantic Bight. We use a simple advection/diffusion model, incorporating particle settling, to interpret our data on the particulate aluminum distribution. By matching modelled distributions of particulate aluminum to measurements, and offshore advection velocity and offshore flux are predicted. Our conclusions are: (1) advection and settling are the major processes affecting cross-shelf particulate aluminum distributions (i.e. diffusion is insignificant); (2) less than 10 percent of the sediments delivered to the South Atlantic Bight by rivers is transported across the shelf by this mechanism; and (3) insignificant amounts of inorganic particles of diameters greater than c. 10 μm are removed from the nearshore region.
Changes in Graduate Students' Use of Interviewing Skills From the Classroom to the Field

Graduate students' acquisition and use of verbal interviewing skills in field settings were studied. The frequency and the proportional use of skills were judged in simulated ten-minute interviews videotaped before and after training, in eight-month post-training interviews, and in subsequent interviews recorded in the students' practica settings. Predicted changes from pre-training to post-training interviews were not significant. However, significant changes were found between training and practica interviews.
Selecting a Sample.

In this chapter, we begin our discussion about data collection with the focus on selecting a sample. Sample types are explained, and concerns related to sampling in using online surveys are discussed.